An Exploitable Pattern...

Re(1): ‘Lowry: Lawlessness in New Orleans is a national disgrace’, Salt Lake Tribune, Rich Lowry
Re(2): ‘Mandatory Evacuation ordered for New Orleans’, Associated Press, 2005/08/28
Re(3): ‘City of New Orleans Hurricane Plan’, City of New Orleans

HT: http://www.instapundit.com/
HT: www.PowerLineBlog.com
HT: www.bushinatree.blogspot.com

Update (2005/09/03 1419 PST)

A Few Things:
No sites were specified in the Hurricane Plan
The sites, when specified, were to be provisioned by the City
The city was responsible for emergency transportation from evacuation centers

More things:
President Bush pleaded with Governor to evacuate the city on August 28,2005
The evacuation order took place Sunday, August 28, 2005
People were told by the Mayor to go to the Superdome as part of the plan
People were already arriving at the Superdome as early as Sunday morning

The Mayor of New Orleans

told those who had to move to the Superdome to come with enough food for several days and with blankets. He said it will be a very uncomfortable place and encouraged everybody who could to get out.

When partying in the French Quarters we call this Bring Your Own Beer

The storm hit Monday
The levies broke Tuesday…

Question: Did New Orleans follow the policing and leadership model of a Giuliani New York?

This city was doomed at any large scale emergency…


Shall we look at Los Angeles, San Fransisco, and Chicago before Osama turns his eyes westward? Do these great metropolitan centers also suffer from the same acceptance of lawlessnes as New Orleans. Are their local and state leadership still looking for 'root causes' of crime? Now, bin Laden has to realize he doesn't need to kill massive numbers of people. He only has to destabalize the unstable.

Update (2005/09/03 1419 PST):
Looks like the esteemed Mayor of New Orleans could have evacuated to the Louis Armstrong International Airport - about 120 miles closer to the action than where he actually went... And it is an airport... By that I mean a transportation, supply, and telecommunications hub. Don't mean anything by that comment - of course...

Viewers from www.TheAnchoressOnline.com

Re(1): '100 Hours After Stormfall', www.theanchoress.com/, The Anchoress
Re(2): ‘Hate Won’t Feed a Hungry Hurricane Victim’, http://www.polipundit.com/, Lorie Byrd
Re(3): ‘Rhodes: Bush Happy’, http://www.radioequalizer.blogspot.com/, Brian Maloney
Re(4): ‘Predicting the Lefty Response’, www.boghieonyoursix.blogspot.com, Me

To all,

I actually surfed to the www.TheAnchoressOnline.com after seeing the site appear on my 'Site Meter'. This site is now in my personal blog roll. I noted that Lorie Byrd of www.PoliPundit.com linked as a result of a comment, but couldn't figure out where the traffic from The Anchoress was coming from. Well, the Anchoress linked in the body of the best post on the Katrina relief effort I have found... To both, thanks - I guess... I don't advertise my blog. I started it so I did not have to provide an email address.

Here is the post I think The Anchoress wanted to direct to: 'Predicting the Lefty Reponse...'
If you got here from somewhere else, here is the Anchoress post mentioned above: '100 Hours after Stormfall'
Here is the post from PoliPundit: 'Unbelievable'
Another greate PoliPundit post: 'Even More Unbelivable'

Katrina: Notes and Lessons Learned...

Please do not make one-million Americans a permanent dependent class... Even in these trying times allow the people the opportunity to excel. Do not lock them physically or figuratively in the Astrodome. We should be working to transport, care, and guide our people using all assets of our great nation – moral, physical, and financial.

Television Pundits and Politicians remember one thing… This is America… This is not a game of Civilization III. The government (note the lower case) does not rebuild a city. The property that remains is owned by private citizens and businesses. You cannot mandate how or where this city will be rebuilt. Government should help guide and structure the growth of our new city.

Media… I know your on-site reporters are in the thick of things. I know you have to seek experts in an event of which there are no experts. Please understand. Leadership is not grabbing a hard-hat and wading boots and personally saving one valued citizen. Many others die if the solution is not organized and effective. Sometimes it pays to assess the situation and act coherently. Please note the news on Saturday, September 3 2005. Your solutions would still have individuals heroically saving individuals. They would be doing so for weeks. In another week they would be pulling the dead from the waters. Those dead are now alive and kicking.

All voters… Learn that when you pull that lever you are supposed to be voting for leadership – not jobs, not the environment, not abortion, not military expenditures, not pretty hair, and not a particular political party. You are not simply voting ‘It’s the Economy, Stupid!’. You are not voting for jobs programs circling around safety requirements. You allowed your politicians to create ineffective employment programs to maintain your levies and dikes. We, in California, voted for unabated social and environmental programs. Much of California burned to the ground. The rest is going broke. We all voted for the rolling good times of the 90’s and created a military too small to deal with war. Vote leadership. Accept that leaders sometimes say NO.

Finally, and most importantly, we should all kneel to our God and thank him/her/it that we do not have a power and publicity grasping President… We have seen a dramatic failure in our federal form of government. The city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana were, and are, badly served by the leadership they voted in. Hard Left Libs: Please do not destroy our federal form of representative government because of a localized failure. Our President will NOT grasp the power dropped into his hand.

She Jumped the Shark!!!

Re(1): '100 Hours After Stormfall', www.theanchoress.com/, The Anchoress
Re(2): ‘Hate Won’t Feed a Hungry Hurricane Victim’, www.polipundit.com, Lorie Byrd
Re(3): ‘Rhodes: Bush Happy’, www.radioequalizer.blogspot.com, Brian Maloney
Re(4): ‘Predicting the Lefty Response’, www.boghieonyoursix.blogspot.com, Me

Read the references and see for yourself how low a turd can go…

Follow it out to sea,
Where it is pumped by the city sewer system,
With the force to pop it right over a great white shark...

The Grand Rhodent of Err America spoke thus (paraphrased, maybe Brian Maloney can find tape 2005/09/02):

Bush is using the Katrina hurricane to kill and disburse poor black Democrats. Bush is actively relocating these Democrats deep into red states where they will not affect elections. He is trying to rig the gubernatorial and mayoral elections of Louisiana and New Orleans through death and forced relocations…

And then she ranted about BusHitler’s friends getting control of all the beach front land for redevelopment…

Halliburton is going to get all the money for rebuilding whatever damage is caused by the hurricane as a result of a contract signed by Bush in 2004.

NOT A DIRECT QUOTE, BUT LISTENING TO FIRST HOUR AGAIN - DIDN'T GET REPLAYED

Senator Durbin, that is your cue. Sir, please use a Gulag analogy this time..

I used to listen to some Err America to see how the other half views things. I have commented that Jerry Springer really is ‘The Voice of Reason’ at Err America – most of the others are off their meds. There have been other oddities and some financial misgivings – yuk, yuk. But nothing like this. This is a dangerous parody. If it was funny South Park would have already done it - it is not funny.

When something jumps the shark it is in actuality a final cry for attention. When the Fonz did it his show was in the tank. The episode was highly publicized to get whatever interest was possible.

The Fonz’s last fans viewed utter and complete nonsense.

Anyone else want to speak at the funeral/celebration…

UPDATE:
Someone, please find tape of Randi flying over the shark. It occurred a bit over an hour into the ‘show’

UPDATE 2:
You know how pundits and blog authors complain that stupid Senatorial comments are used by al Jazeera to pump up the 'militants'. We might want to look at how CNN feeds Err America. Kinda odd that an unbiased news organization like CNN and Err America have such a symbiotic relationship. Any crackpot statement or concept hatched by one appears in the other. Nice that CNN provides the 'news' feed for Err America.

THE Answer to the Left Wing Carping...

re(1): '100 Hours After Stormfall', www.theanchoressonline.com.com, The Anchoress?

After getting mentioned in PoliPundit, I was watching my visit count go into the stratospheric (but still low) three digits on Site Meter when I found a refering site I hadn't seen before. I do not know how the author of the Anchoress, or a reader of that blog, knew about my site but I am happy I followed the link. It is awesome.

There is NO better discussion of the scope of the disaster and the actions taken, and being taken, to mitigate it. Read the entire post - '100 Hours After Stormfall'.

You want to address the Bush Bashing
You want to address the City/State Government Bashing (of which I am guilty)
You want to address the righty whine about foreign government support
You want to address the activation of the US Military
You want to address the stupid left wing ranting going on at Err America

Read the post...

Predicting the Lefty Response...

UPDATE below (2005/09/01)
UPDATE 2 below (2005/09/01 17:49)
UPDATE 3 below (2005/09/01 20:01)

How long will we have to wait before some ‘Err America’ host, or some highly respected Democrat politician, claims that we are calling up the National Guard, and expending precious Federal funds to:

1. Make BusHitler’s Halliburton Cronies Richer
2. Raise the Price of Oil and Gas
3. Prosecute a War on Poverty using National Guard troops
4. Milk Blue States for a Red State Catastophe

See… The Gulf Coast of Louisiana is one of the biggest OIL producing regions in America. The Gulf Coast of Louisiana is second, only to Texas, in refining OIL to gasoline in America. Much of the money spent in the region will go straight to Halliburton. Their business revolves around oil exploration, exploitation, as well as oilrig and refinery construction. There ain't much competition in those fields of work.

Lefties, get ready to chant. We have Halliburton. We have Oil. We have Baby Killers.

Maybe something like:

No Money for Halliburton
No Baby Killin’ for BusHitler’s Oil Men
And all those Greedy Jewish Saudi Oil Princes…

It doesn’t make much sense, it doesn’t rhyme, but Lefty’s won’t be too worried about that.

Maybe the Anarchist Left can take a vacation from their annual WTO rioting, and maraud a bit in New Orleans - as soon as the city gets back on its feet!!!

Maybe Senator Kennedy can rant at some National Guard General Officer about the aggressive use of the military by the Liar In Chief.

Maybe Senator Boxer can squeal about voting machines in the impacted regions of Louisiana and Mississippi.

Maybe Senator Durbin can equate the Hurricanes abuse of prisoners to Nazi Death Camps.

Ooooo, Ahhhhh, the homeless count goes up. And the unemployment number goes up. Can’t ask for more than that… Senator Kerry can start talking about the Great Depression again!!!

Endless…

UPDATE:
I have never had to link to a site from an update. I don't think it is proper to change the reference section so here goes. Hat Trip to Brian Maloney from the RadioEqualizer. Here is that rant from the Randi Rhodent (Err America Host):

"This President is never gonna do the right thing. I think somewhere deep down inside him he takes a lot of joy about losing people, if he thinks they vote Democrat or if he thinks they're poor, or if he thinks they're in a blue state, whatever his reasons are not to rescue those people who are (planning?) for their safety."

Please review this post: 'Rhodes: Bush Happy, Says Dead Democrats Bring President Joy' - and don't cheat yourselves folks: Be certain to read the comments on the Rhodents site.

UPDATE 2:
How bout some Lefty Slug stepping into the doo doo. Thanks to Charles Johnson at LittleGreenFootballs for bringing BradsBlog to you - talking about the transfer of money from Blue to Red States - I guess a form of welfare if you will...

UPDATE 3:
Lorie Byrd from PoliPundit, thank you for the link in the body the post titled 'Unbelievable'. I thouroughly enjoy your blog. I check it out often each day. See, lookie at my blog roll... However, now the chaps visiting my previously (actually still) unread diatribes might start blasting my posts. A blown post (one that proves factually incorrect or is kinda provably stupid) gets put in the 'My Flameouts' section. I am hoping that keeps me honest...

A Capitalist Pig Questions the BIG Gas Price Increase in California...

Question:

If every time a gasoline refinery blows up in California the price of gas increases “because we use a unique fuel formulation only California refineries produce” then: Why will our prices go up dramatically as a result of Katrina?

If your answer is that oil production has been reduced, I can accept some of that increase. Oil is fungible and can come from anywhere in the world. Maybe some of our oil comes from the Gulf, however I expect the vast majority comes from Mexico and Canada. Maybe the Gulf States will purchase more oil from Mexico to offset their losses. But we are talking about 2 million barrels a day – a four percent drop, and not permanent. The oil rigs will not be damaged by the storm.

We will KNOW we are being gouged if the oil refining companies use this as an excuse for a 50-cent+ increase. We will KNOW we are being gouged if these companies decry the loss of refining capability in Louisiana.

We neither accept refined fuel from Louisiana, nor do we pipe refined fuel outside California’s borders.

If we see a big increase, than we have proof that capitalism is not at work in California fuel distribution.

Islamofascists Need Airport and Airplanes...

Re(1): ‘Palastinians want Airplanes’, http://www.littlegreenfootballs.com/, Charles Johnson
Re(2): ‘Gaza’s ghost airport awaits better days’, AFP

Hat Tip to Charles Johnson of LittleGreenFootballs

The two main quotes of interest from the primary source (another ignorant Journalist that should reattend college to get an education in something other than journalism – maybe Foreign Affairs).

Construction began on the airport after the 1993 Oslo accords were signed in a bid to restore Middle East peace.

The airport functioned primarily as a hub for Arafat when he took trips to other countries.

But when the Israelis destroyed the airport, "all our dreams were stopped cold. We had projected that by 2005 we'd have flights to Paris, Frankfurt and New York," Gharib said.

The Gaza international airport had dreams of flying jumbo jet liners to New York. They decorated their causeways with the founding fathers of Palestine as well.

The tedium of another empty day is broken when a bus full of youngsters pulls in. Waving flags, they flood the halls which are decorated with photographs of so-called martyrs and fill the terminal with their animated chatter.

Nice combination:

1. Airport
2. Airplanes
3. New York City
4. Photos of Martyrs on the causeway walls

Hmmmmmmm. Actually, hhhhhmmmmm…

My thought is: Let them fly their donated planes into Paris and Frankfurt. However, the FAA might want to review a request to fly jumbo jets to New York from Palestine. Maybe we take a look at whose photos are on the wall at the Gaza ‘airport’.

Arianna in the Wrong Weight Class - Against VDH

re(1): ‘This Mismatch of the Century’, LittleGreenFootballs, Charles Johnson
re(2): ‘Huffington and Hanson Debate on US Foreign Policy’, EditorAndPublisher, E&P Staff
re(3): ‘I’m Proud of Myself Today’, BoghieOnYourSix, Roger Bogh
re(4): ‘Making $87M, Paying Same Percent Income, Midicare, Soc. Sec. Taxes as those Making $50,000’, HuffingtonPost posting based on NYT by David Kay Johnston

Uh, Ariana…

You took an entire blog post, 'Making $87M, Paying Same Percent Income, Medicare, Soc. Sec. Taxes as Those Making $50,000' (you copied the contents, excised my comments, and posted using a different URL - very tricky of you), off your vaunted www.HuffingtonPost.com when yours truly guided readers to the fact that you use some rather aggressive tax avoidance strategies to feed at the trough. That was fun, real fun… However, it is considered very bad blog etiquette to remove authored posts and topical comments. When you post, and get whipped, take it like the grown woman I know you to be. Don’t try to send the post and comments down the memory hole.

Please make note of my currently empty ‘My Flameouts’ Section. That section will be a running link list of my blog entries that are proven stupid or wrong. Anybody can be wrong – and not even lie and be wrong, just wrong…

Now, for the topic at hand…

Arianna, you could not handle me. I read books by Victor Davis Hanson. I watch documentaries of which he is a part. I read his blog. I study all I can on topics discussed by him. His most prescient topic might be called American Imperialism by the ignorant left. Arianna, that is you – you are the ignorant left. I am not trying to be insulting, but…

Arianna, do not debate Victor Davis Hanson on ‘American Imperialism’ three days after 9/11 remembrances. I do not care if you think the audience will be in your court. Hanson has dealt with much stronger foes than you in much nastier environments. He has spent his adult life around professorial adult children. He has a dry sense of humor. He is soft spoken. He is an expert – and all in attendance will know he is the subject matter specialist.

Arianna, visit the C-SPAN website to view the mauling Richard Perle executed on Howard Dean. It was not pretty.

Your career as a lightweight lib will be destroyed.

Arianna, get your handlers to bounce out VDH - he is a heavyweight. Have them schedule you against Senator Voinovich. He might cry, so you might win.

For those interested in car crashes and train wrecks:

Debaters: Victor Davis Hanson, Arianna Huffington
Topic: ‘American Imperialism’
Location: Gerald Ford Museum
Date: September 14, 2005

I hope this explosion is televised on C-SPAN...

UPDATE:
I checked all the links to ensure accuracy. At some point after 2005/06/06 @ 2215 the HuffingtonPost replaced their stub post with the original on which I commented. Maybe some complaints. However, good work. It was the right thing to do. Now you need a Flameouts section.

Patrick Ruffini's Staw Poll

re(1): 'August Straw Poll: The Big One', www.PatrickRuffini.com, Patrick Ruffini
re(2): 'Daly Thoughts', http://dalythoughts.com, Gerry Daly

Are you a serious center right political junkie?
Did you follow Gerry Daly's Election College Breakdown in 2004?

or are you a clueless LOP (Low Output Person) who voted for the prettiest candidate in 2004.

If you follow elections then be certain to visit the Ruffini and Daly sites. Very different, but very informative. And, both are now tracking things of current interest - no moonbattery about Ohio or Florida, that game ended months and years ago.

However, if you want to see how conservative candidates might fair with the conservative base check out Patrick Ruffini's new straw pole of likely and fantasy candidates for 2008. I voted, so should you:

Patrick Ruffini's August 2005 Staw Poll

And, yes: That is more of Patrick's fine work at the bottom of the blog. Scroll down to see how President Bush's Social Security Plan affects you...

While at it...

re(1): ‘Box 25-JGR/Flag, American (3)’, Reagan Library, Judge Roberts ‘stuff’

For my effort regarding the 'Adopt A Box' research project, I did find a couple of nuggets in the Reagan Library Reference.

Chapter 485, Section 8j:

That during the ceremony of hoisting or lowering the flag or when the flag is passing in a parade or in a review, all persons present should face the flag, stand at attention, and salute. Those present in uniform should render the right-hand salute. When not in uniform, men should remove the headdress with the right hand holding it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Men without hat merely stand at attention. Women should salute by placing the right hand over the heart. The salute to the flag in the moving column should be rendered at the moment the flag passes.

Thus, men without hats should stand at attention when the flag is presented. The hand-over-heart tradition is for those wearing headgear.


Congressional Record – House, April 27, page 3720

Mark Clark (of Anzio fame) was promoted to Major General
James Doolittle (of Tokyo raid fame) was promoted to Brigadier General

Adopt a Box O'Docs: Box 25-JGR/Flag American (3)

re(1): ‘Adopt a Box O'Docs’, RadioBlogger.com, Duane Patterson
re(2): ‘Box 25-JGR/Flag, American (3)’, Reagan Library, Judge Roberts ‘stuff’

Here is what I can say succinctly and without delay:

I am glad I did not follow my mom’s advice and become a lawyer. Oh my God, this is what a future Justice of the United States Supreme Court did as ‘Associate Counsel to the President’!!!

There is nothing going on here… Move along folks… Move along…

Generalissimo Duane and Hugh, Judge Roberts’ entire input is the response letter to Mrs. Morris archived at the beginning of the Adobe PDF file. Here is what I found:

Judge Roberts is polite:

Thank you for your letter of November 7 to the President. That letter was only recently referred to this office for consideration. Please excuse our delay in responding.

Judge Roberts has judicial temperament:

In your letter you noted your concern over the treatment of our flag at a private school in your neighborhood, and asked to know how the President thinks our flag should be treated and displayed. I am in no position to comment on the treatment of the flag that you complain of in your letter, since I have no direct knowledge of what was done, and it would be unfair to condemn those involved without having the benefit of their side of the story.

Judge provided the citizen with useable documentation:

Congress has, however, codified rules on the proper treatment of the flag. I have enclosed a copy of the pertinent provisions for your information. You will notice that you are correct that the flag should be displayed only from sunrise to sunset, unless it is properly illuminated during the hours of darkness. The flag should not be displayed when the weather is inclement, unless it is an all weather flag. In short,
the understanding of the rules and regulations concerning the flag expressed in
your letter appears to be entirely accurate.

Judge Roberts is patriotic and courteous:

I read with interest and admiration the Bronze Star Medal Citation for your husband that you enclosed with your letter. Please be assured that all of us recognize the debt we owe to those, like your husband, who were willing to risk their lives to safeguard the freedom we all enjoy.

Judge Roberts is timely:
His office received the letter on 1985/11/27 and answered it on 1985/12/12.

Judge Roberts is thorough
The Congressional documentation is quite extensive.

Judge Roberts believes as this citizen does, and writes persuasively:
His letter makes no reference to the fact that the resolution regarding the ‘Display and Use of the Flag of the United States of America’ is non-binding and advisory only. Thus, his letter can be used by the citizen to resolve the issue peacefully within the structure of the code.

I shouldn't do this, but...

re(1): 'I Am Totaly Unimpressed', Moxiegrrrl.com, moxiegrrrl.com

I do not know why I posted this on a dead post on a low brow lib site, but (with some enhancements)...

Moxiegrrrl,

This is probably a dead thread, but for some reason I keep hearing the ‘Chicken Hawk’ screech emanating from the maw of the many libs. You wonder why the relatives of congressmen/women are so underrepresented in the active duty military.

Chicken Hawk,
Chicken Hawk,
Chicken Hawk.

Good, get it out of your system.

I first viewed your site as a link from the MuseumOfLeftWingLunacy.com site. Glad to be back - from Google this time.

Here are the stats you were looking for:

73,597,731 - Population of military age
1,427,000 - Size of active duty military

1.9% - Ratio of those serving to those of age to serve

The problems with these stats are as you noted. They do not factor in the education, physical, and mental requirements for enlistment into our military. For example, many of our brilliant public school High School ‘graduates’ cannot pass the entrance tests to join the Marine Corps. Many more are too fat to ever do the two pull-ups required. Others fail dope tests – the USMC has no tolerance for dope usage and their personnel are tested frequently.

Now, a quick review via Google demonstrates that at least 10 relatives of Congressmen are on active duty in the United States Military. Here are the stats of interest:

525 - Population of Congress Critters
10 - Population of Critter Kids in Active Duty

1.9% - Ratio of kiddies serving to Congress Critters serving

Thus, and this will surprise you, the ratio of close relatives of Congress Critters serving in the military is significantly higher than that found in the general population. Why, how can that be? Simple, Congress Critters are generally in their 50’s and 60’s. Thus, the average rugrat is in his/her 30’s and 40’s. At that age, many of the Critter Kids are too old to enlist, and/or have already served in the armed forces prior to the GWOT.

Maybe you were referencing the difference in enlistment of kiddies by the political party of their Congressional Poppas. Here is gets clearer:

Republicans
231 + 55 = 286 - Population of Republican Congress Critters
8 - Republican Critter Kiddies on active duty
2.8% - Ratio of Republican Critter Kiddies serving

Democrats
203 + 44 = 247 - Population of Democratic Congress Critters
2 - Democratic Critter Kids on active duty
0.8% - Ratio of Democratic Critter Kiddies serving

There does appear to be a difference...

Make your own observations...

Legacies...

re(1): 'Bulletin from Ben', Ben Stein, The American Spectator
re(2): 'The Second White Memo', Ed Morrissey, CaptainsQuartersBlog

Legacies are initiated, defined, and formed over time. Reagan's legacy is still formulating after twenty-five years, but we now know the framework of it. Here are two other legacies being formed:

The beginning of a great mans legacy...

The defining of a small mans legacy...

Total War, Total Victory!

After WWII victory in Europe celebrations, Admiral King stated directly:

For out of this Total War,
Must Come Total Victory...

Then as now...

Why We Fight!

re(1): 'She Does Not Speak for Me', Ronald R. Griffin, www.opinionjournal.com

To Cindy Sheehan:

Those who lost their lives believed in the mission. To honor their memory, and because it's right, we must believe in the mission, too.

We refuse to allow Cindy Sheehan to speak for all of us. Instead, we ask you to learn the individual stories. They are glorious. Honor their memories.

Honor their service. Never dishonor them by giving in. They never did.

This is why we fight...

The Coming War with the Iraqi Caliphate...

The title is a play on Friedman and Lebard's 'The Coming War with Japan' which emphasized the almost certainty of a war with Japan in America's future.

How a Caliphate could form:

I think there is some agreement that a caliphate cannot form unless there is charismatic leadership in a stable capital with a devoted and militarily adequate following.

Here is how that could form – an odd concept.

Let us postulate that:
New forms of energy management result in a decline in oil exports from the Middle East
However, those exports are concentrated to a stable nation or region

Further:
Saudi Arabia is in chaos as a result of a weakened monarchy
Iran becomes a pariah state as a result of WMD ambitions
Syria breaks down into factions and chaos
Iraq revives politically and economically and militarily

Thus:
Iraq controls much of the oil exports, much of the regional wealth, and much of the cultural heritage of the ‘caliphate’.

Odd in that it would be the success of current western ambitions that might lead to a strong, centralized Islam.

Good, bad, indifferent. Would a vibrant Iraq be an aggressive Iraq? Could America challenge its progeny?

We will win - because we must win...

re(1): 'Tactics, Strategy, Grand Strategy: A Warning', The Fourth Rail, Grim

Grim, from 'The Fourth Rail', presents the options in the GWOT...

Those who are antiwar by sentiment are often of good heart, and it can be hard to get someone who is essentially kind to consider an awful truth. But here it is: we cannot lose this global war, and therefore we shall win it.

The war in Iraq is the last hope for winning it while still remaining the kind of people we want to be. It is the last chance to win this war by building cultures up, instead of laying them waste. It is the last hope for kindness. It is the last candle before the dark.

If we fail there -- if we find that we cannot confront the guerrilla in his home, and must either leave or shatter the world behind us -- we will have no further options.
We will not lose, when it comes to nuclear terror. But we will not like what it means to win.

Like it or hate it, we will carry it out. If that terrible fire comes, it will work a dreadful magic. We will turn like Sigurd to our Regin, and have him reforge our broken sword.

The War in Iraq is our last chance to avoid that doom. It merits our total support, for that cause even if not for any other.

Can the Left understand this???

Cyprus and Istanbul, Vacation in Paradise

re(1): 'Al Qaeda Magazine Published Openly in Turkey', LittleGreenFootballs, Charles Johnson

Hey Colin (a friend and work partner), Cyprus has changed in the past thirty years!!!

It is now a giant tourist trap with beautiful buildings, cities, and resorts – not to mention tourists of rather large girth… However, for the single men among you, the women of Turkey are fantastically beautiful – awaiting digital photos to demonstrate the proof. The better half of Turkey has actually overcome my previous favorite – Italy!!! I am already preparing my wife for some of these photos :-}

Istanbul is a beautiful city with great people. The best comparison I can think of is to take the best elements of San Francisco and San Diego and throw them into a single melting pot. The old world charm of San Francisco with the openness and weather of San Diego. What a blast.

Regarding the reference, had I known I could have gotten a copy of this fine magazine I would have certainly sought it out. My rather limited experience in Istanbul rather emphasizes that Turkey is, and will be, a target of radical Islamofascist. This country is very European, very open, very tolerant, and very agressively secularist.

My comment to my fellow travelers is: What would be the effect of Turkey reestablishing itself as the center of Islam – rather than, for example, Saudi Arabia and Iran? One could wish…

Err America: Is this really an Error???

re(1): 'Much More Ahead', The Radio Equalizer, Brin Maloney
re(2): 'Air Enron: Elite Media Blackout Continued', MichaelMalkin.com, Michael Malkin
re(3): 'Air America: Compare the Scandals', CaptainsQuartersBlog.com, Captain Ed
re(4): 'The Air out There', The Weekly Standard, Hugh Hewitt

What do you call a 501(3)c charitable organization that ‘loans’ money to a for-profit political company?

I do not know, but I do know you cannot call it a 501(3)c charitable organization…

While the Err America corporation can legally conceal their financial books from the public, folks should be aware that 501(3)c charitable organizations cannot. All incoming and outgoing disbursements between non-profit and for-profit entities not relating to standard expenses must be documented in the charitable organizations IRS Form 990 (much like your 1040 Income Tax Form). These forms must be made available at request to the public, as do the accounting books that lead to the financial derivations thereof. The ‘loan’ amount, description, and terms are declared on this form.

Needless to say, a 501(3)c charity cannot ‘loan’ money without interest to a political entity. Has Err America presented itself as a political entity?

Washing a million dollars through a non-profit (some of it public tax monies) might be something to look at. Maybe there is some other money laundering going on as well. If the orphans and grannies fund documented their generosity in an incomplete manner, than Spitzer would have the legal means and the legal responsibility to peek at Err America’s financial records – in detail.

Certainly that line will be an example of wonderful fiction. Will it match the lead paragraph in Dickens ‘Tale of Two Cities?