Counter-propaganda has always been this blogs main focus. Propaganda is every bit as much a weapon as an IED or an AK-47 and propagandists should be considered combatants and therefore legitimate military targets. Propaganda gives our enemies a reason to fight, recruits new soldiers, and convinces them of the possibility of victory.

It's good to see one more terrorist propagandist has been captured. If the U.S. would take the propaganda war seriously they would close down any and all media outlets which distribute the type of propaganda made by the jihadis. Unfortunately we have seen a lack of resolve by the government in targetting jihadi forums and websites.

From an MNF-Iraq press release (hat tip to Sucram):

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Acting on multiple intelligence sources and tips from concerned citizens, Coalition forces raided a suspected Jaysh al-Mujahideen terrorist safe house in Abu Ghurayb, west of Baghdad, Oct. 23.

Captured during the raid was Ahmad NiÂ’mah Khudayyir Abbas (aka. Abu Shihab), a recently identified Jaysh al-Mujahideen lieutenant who oversaw the propaganda cell and who commanded several mortar and improvised explosive device cells.

Abu Shihab, as the propaganda chief for the Jaysh al-Mujahideen media cell operating in the Baghdad area, initially recorded videos and digitized them to compact disc for distribution to various Jaysh al-Mujahideen and al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist groups. These videos would then be downloaded to various Jihadist web sites as propaganda against Iraqi security and coalition forces.

Additionally, the videos would be used to recruit terrorists and foreign fighters, as well as to provide information on potential targets for other terrorists. As his skills and terrorist connections developed, he began directing and coordinating media operations throughout the Baghdad area for Jaysh al-Mujahideen. more...

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U.S. Border Patrol agents, charged with patrolling and assuring the security of the U.S.-Mexican border, are understandably angered by the fact that their uniforms are made in Mexico. Their pants and shirts even display labels stating "Made in Mexico." And, it's not just the irony of the situation that's troubling, the agents are concerned about the impact on border security.

From KFMB.com:

Agents and lawmakers are concerned about the consequences if the uniforms for agents charged with combating illegal immigration fall into the hands of criminals or terrorists.

"If we're manufacturing uniforms in Mexico, what's to stop someone from walking across the border in a Border Patrol uniform?" asked Rep. John Carter, a Republican from Round Rock. "How do you know who are our guys and who are their guys?"

A company based in Nashville, Tennessee, called VF Solutions supplies the uniforms and subcontracts work to Mexico and other countries. VF Solutions has been providing Mexican-made uniforms to the Border Patrol for about a year with no instances of misuse reported. Customs officials assert that security measures, including on-site inspections at the Mexican production facility, are in place. Excuse me for not feeling warm and fuzzy about this. It's Mexico, dammit! You can't rely upon anything south of the border except for the paramount importance of the U.S. dollar.

Congress is expected to address enhancements to border security soon. Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., and Rep. Carter plan to introduce a measure which would require that U.S. Border Patrol uniforms be made in the United States. I think it's a good idea. Criminals and terrorists don't need to be facilitated in their lawbreaking and being able to obtain Border Patrol uniforms does just that. And if they can't be made in the U.S., at least take the "Made in Mexico" label off the garments. I can easily understand why some agents might start each work shift with an attitude of anger and frustration.

"Badges? Badges? We don't need no stinking badges. We've got uniforms."

Companion at Interested-Participant.

Posted by: Mike Pechar at 04:51 AM | Comments (25) | Add Comment
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1 'cause they're doing their job and keeping the cheap labor south of the border.

Posted by: Rodney Dill at November 28, 2005 05:08 AM (tGTSA)

2 We are everyone and we are no one.

Posted by: Agent Smith at November 28, 2005 05:40 AM (OM64d)

3 If they have the uniforms made in Mexico to save money, why don't they just hire illegal aliens over here to make them like everyone else does? [/sarcasm]

Posted by: Oyster at November 28, 2005 06:04 AM (YudAC)

4 You know, this would just be funny if it were not so serious. The contract the government has with these people should have required that the uniforms be made in the US. I know of a company right here in the US, very close to where I live, that is making uniforms for the Coast Guard and the Iraqi National Guard. They could easily make uniforms for the Border Patrol. I blame Bush, the Congress and the idiots in charge of procurement for this stupidity. When are we ever going to be concerned about the people of the US, rather than foreigners? I tell you, I am sick...sick of it!

Posted by: jesusland joe at November 28, 2005 09:10 AM (rUyw4)

5 And this is a real issue? I don't get it.

Posted by: hondo at November 28, 2005 09:57 AM (Jvmry)

6 I only wish this were even really news. This does however remind me of something that happened a few years ago. A guy I knew managed a hosiery mill near here, and had a hard time finding dependable employees, even with a competitive wage, so he resorted to hiring immigrants, who proved far more reliable. One of his problems was that his American employees kept trying to unionize, regardless of the fact that his was the only company for forty miles in any direction that offered regular hours, good wages, and benefits. He had a hard enough time finding people who would do the work, which was basically standing at a sock knitting machine all day, and hardly sweatshop labor. The fact that the few regular employees wanted double the money, paid holidays, and paid benefits, combined with more competition in the market, forced him to hire immigrants, which worked for a while, but then the owner told him he was going to move the plant to Honduras or shut down completely because even with the more cost effective immigrant labor, he still couldn't pay the bills, which were mainly taxes and payroll. The result was that the plant moved to Honduras, where they pay a high wage for the region, and they remain profitable while investing in the local community, building a medical clinic and helping build a better school. They didn't move to exploit the poor, but to survive, and until more people get their heads out of their asses and figure out that businesses can't compete if they have a crushing tax burden and constant harassment from unions and corrupt politicians, we're going to keep losing jobs.

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at November 28, 2005 11:38 AM (0yYS2)

7 Maxie makes a good point - and there are others. Some of my winter veggies and fruit are from Mexico. Some of my oil, and other items too along with an occasional beer. Delivered by trucks (GM n' others), processed by machinery (AMF, CAT, and so on). I could go on with an enormous list - but what's the point. How did uniforms become an issue of any significance?

Posted by: hondo at November 28, 2005 11:57 AM (Jvmry)

8 Good Grief.

Posted by: thirdee at November 28, 2005 12:29 PM (WOh+m)

9 hondo, it's not really that big an issue unless we find that security isn't good enough to keep the uniforms out of the hands of the wrong guys. And besides, it's also the irony that they're making uniforms for the guys who are charged with keeping them out. And IM is right in that it's also ironic that those who want to punish corporations who give them jobs, punish and bleed them enough to keep them from staying viable, complain the loudest when the jobs go elsewhere or they're forced to raise prices for their products.

Posted by: Oyster at November 28, 2005 01:46 PM (fl6E1)

10 Oyster, I have been to Mexico numerous times and I can categorically tell you that security in Mexico is a problem. If a drug dealer or smuggler wanted these uniforms it would be doable. As for US companies who do the work, I know of a company that is making uniforms for the Coast Guard and the Iraqi National Guard. I know they could make uniforms for the Border Patrol. The uniforms are similar.

Posted by: jesusland joe at November 28, 2005 02:14 PM (rUyw4)

11 The security of these uniforms is a moot point considering that my Korean tailor at Ft. Bragg could replicate any uniform from a picture. It's only haberdashery, not rocket science.

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at November 28, 2005 03:01 PM (0yYS2)

12 So the bad guys get their paws on some uniforms. So what? Just because they have a border patrol uniform doesn't mean they have free reign of the border. Do people think that agents in uniform can just walk across the border whenever and wherever they want to? US agents cannot cross into Mexico while on routine patrol nor can Mexican agents cross into the US. If they do they are detained. It's happened before. As for complaining about the uniforms being made in Mexico, it's just plain economics. If you want everything made in the good old US, then stop complaining about high prices. Also, due to marking rulings of US Customs, only the end-user can remove the tag that says made in Mexico...and that would be the agent who has to wear it. Jeez, no ones happy unless they're complaining about something or other.

Posted by: Jaba at November 28, 2005 03:19 PM (k6t0T)

13 Yeah, well, Jaba the Hut, I'm real pissed about the lack of security on the Mexican border and Mike has been kind enough to post about the fact that uniforms of our Border Patrol are made in the foreign country whose nationals are most likely to ILLIGALLY cross our border. And since this is a political blog designed for comments, well, hell, I decided to comment.

Posted by: jesusland joe at November 28, 2005 03:27 PM (rUyw4)

14 Yeah.

Posted by: Oyster at November 28, 2005 04:37 PM (fl6E1)

15 i think that the US agents are doing a really bad job securing our borders. we always hear of mexican druglords (that end up in prison).... but what happens with the bus full of drugs that crosses the border? where does it goes? who takes care of it? we never hear from the mafia in this side of the border, i think that our government is the one lacking security... vote democrat

Posted by: alec lauridsden at November 28, 2005 07:16 PM (Ewu0l)

16 Jeez guys if ANYONE wants a uniform all you have to do is go to the Uniform Store in your own state. I would recommend ebay though, cheaper and it comes with that "worn in look".

Posted by: john ryan at November 28, 2005 07:33 PM (ads7K)

17 John Ryan, Are you trying to take the place of Downing Steeet Memo? Your posts are becoming more and more incoherant.

Posted by: jesusland joe at November 28, 2005 08:03 PM (rUyw4)

18 Anomaly Detected - begin search "Downing Street Memo" "Downing Street Memo IV" is a certifiable lunatic who through incoherent rants and "Bush Derangement Syndrome" had plagued the Jawa Report. DSM IV, in a final, rude and unrepeatable insult, moved to Venezuela to teach English in a Bolivarian Circle. Agent Brown says DSM IV may have moved to Cuba and have used Venezuela as a plausible cover. DSM IV was photographed wearing sunglasses at a large Washington rally. Agent Jones says "DSM IV" is shorthand for "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fourth Edition".

Posted by: Agent Smith at November 29, 2005 06:22 AM (hNv1g)

19 Next time buy union.

Posted by: actus at November 29, 2005 07:24 AM (Zi15r)

20 Yeah, union made uniforms have a magic spell on them that prevents them from being worn by anyone other than an actual officer. Liberals aren't even stupid, because even the word stupid denotes some measure of intelligence.

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at November 29, 2005 10:26 AM (0yYS2)

21 "Yeah, union made uniforms have a magic spell on them that prevents them from being worn by anyone other than an actual officer." what does this have to do with who wears the uniforms?

Posted by: actus at November 29, 2005 11:31 AM (CqheE)

22 That was the whole point of the post. Duh. And besides, if it weren't for the unions trying to destroy businesses, they wouldn't have to go out of the country to get stuff made.

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at November 29, 2005 05:37 PM (0yYS2)

23 Ah! Whats the problem? They make everything else in Mexico. Even 50% of the border patrol.

Posted by: greyrooster at November 29, 2005 07:10 PM (ZaAd/)

24 I'll bite. This is a good thing. Firstly, the security argument is weak. If a copy of the Border Patrol uniform was the only thing necessary to make it across, you'd be able to buy a good enough ripoff on any street corner in Mexico. Since you cannot, I have to assume that US Border Patrol Agents are smart enough to know that if they see a group of "agents" ducking in the bushes and running north who they've never seen before, are not assigned to that area, and don't speak english, then they probably aren't agents. Also the economic and social benefits far outweigh that false negative, see my post here: http://neolib.us. -Max

Posted by: Max at November 30, 2005 06:01 PM (g4H18)

25 Would it be better if it said made in China? I don't think so... Having more jobs for Mexican citizens is better for Americans at the end of the day: More jobs for Mexicans less immigrants to the US.

Posted by: Marcos Gottfried at December 12, 2005 02:45 PM (0SZCo)

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As Vinnie mentioned below, the British hostage has been named. Here's a little background on him:

Iraq War Resister Among Those Abducted
Among the four Westerners kidnapped yesterday in Iraq (the BBC describes them as "aid workers") is Briton Norman Kember:

Professor Kember, who is believed to be in his 70s, was said to be representing a number of humanitarian aid groups.

We are deeply shocked and outraged by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th. Equally, we condemn the so-called war on terrorism.

Confronted by President George W. Bush with the choice: "If you are not with us, you are with the terrorists", we choose a third option: nonviolence.

Can you say irony? These folks don't believe in violence, but it appears violence believes in them. The way I see it, that leaves three options to win Kember's freedom.

First, a ransom can be paid to the kidnappers. The money paid will then be used to purchase the tools of terrorism, ensuring that more people die violently in Iraq. Perhaps the terrorists will buy some toys to booby-trap.

The second option is for Coalition and Iraqi soldiers to rescue them. The soldiers will have to put their own lives on the line to accomplish this, of course, and some terrorists are likely to die in the process. I shed no tears for dead terrorists, but Professor Kember and his mates might.

Norman Kember's third option is to lie down and die.

Also posted at The Dread Pundit Bluto, who is violently opposed to non-violence.

Posted by: Bluto at 12:41 AM | Comments (18) | Add Comment
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I've been gone all week, so I saw little news. I do remember seeing a snippet about a suicide bombing, but didn't read anything about it.

I wish I had.

BAGHDAD, Nov. 24 -- A suicide attacker steered a car packed with explosives toward U.S. soldiers giving away toys to children outside a hospital in central Iraq on Thursday, killing at least 31 people. Almost all of the victims were women and children, police said.

If I end up in Hell, I only hope it's in the same cell as Zarqawi.

CP@VAM

Posted by: Vinnie at 12:36 AM | Comments (16) | Add Comment
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2 Canadians, 1 American, and 1 Brit taken hostage:

Nov 27, 2005 — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Four Western aid workers, two believed to be from Canada, one from Britain and one from the United States, have been kidnapped in Iraq, the organization they were working for said on Sunday.

The only hostage identified positively is the Briton:

It is understood Professor Norman Kember was snatched in Baghdad along with two Canadians and an American. The Foreign Office is investigating.

Professor Kember, from north-west London, was said to be representing a number of humanitarian aid groups.

His wife Pat, at home in Pinner, said: "People are being very, very good to me and I'm being supported."

I'm sure we'll update this as the others are named. In any case, we wish their families the very best and pray for their safe return.

Posted by: Vinnie at 12:00 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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In what's becoming a busy day for me and blogging (unusual for a Sunday) a new blogger friend of mine pointed something out to me that he knew would get me fired up.

Real Teen at Right on the Right is taking some heat for his article about the US Post Office's opposition to Christmas. You know you've struck a chord with liberals when they attack you personally like one liberal did to Real Teen.

Jazz over at Running Scared called Real Teen a Hitler Youth. That's civil discourse at its finest in a liberal's mind:

The story which got poor Roger's dander floating up into the air conditioning vents was the plaintive wailing of Darlene over a story (sourced by no less an august source than her mom) that the Post Office would issue new holiday stamps this year. They allegedly went with a "Holiday Cookies" theme instead of pictures of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. This not only enraged Roger, saddened Darlene's Mom (soon to be named the new managing editor of Knight Ridder, I believe), and sent Darlene scurrying for her keyboard, but got Ann Coulter Althouse into a tizzy and sent the Hitler Bush Youth bustling off to strap on their jackboots and take to the streets.

Of course, this is nothing new for liberals that wished death upon Vice President Cheney when he visited a hospital. However, to not only call someone a nazi but to also call someone facist as if that's a trait of the right side of the political spectrum shows how uneducated you really are and how guided you are by your hatred.

Originally Posted at

Posted by: Chris Short at 01:48 PM | Comments (59) | Add Comment
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According to Ace of Spades and RightFaith, the pro-military actor, Bruce Willis, will be making a movie righting the wrongs of MSM bias regarding the war in Iraq.

Bruce Willis comes out fighting for IraqÂ’s forgotten GI heroes (Times Online):

ANGERED by negative portrayals of the conflict in Iraq, Bruce Willis, the Hollywood star, is to make a pro-war film in which American soldiers will be depicted as brave fighters for freedom and democracy.

It will be based on the exploits of the heavily decorated members of Deuce Four, the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry, which has spent the past year battling insurgents in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul.

That's the Deuce Four of Michael Yon fame.

Willis attended Deuce FourÂ’s homecoming ball this month in Seattle, Washington, where the soldiers are on leave, along with Stephen Eads, the producer of Armageddon and The Sixth Sense.

[...]

“I am baffled to understand why the things I saw happening in Iraq are not being reported,” he told MSNBC, the American news channel.

He is expected to base the film on the writings of the independent blogger Michael Yon, a former special forces green beret who was embedded with Deuce Four and sent regular dispatches about their heroics.

There is a lot of good, solid info in the news article referenced here. However, I like Bruce Willis and I will definitely add this movie to my list of ones I will actually see in the movie theaters.

Originally Posted at

Posted by: Chris Short at 12:34 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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I really shouldn't give this story any justice but I should at least point it out:

Pentagon Expanding Its Domestic Surveillance Activity

Posted by: Chris Short at 11:17 PM | Comments (27) | Add Comment
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Some news for those who mocked the President when he spoke of the "Axis of Evil". Iran's insane hardline president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is seeking a trade deal with fellow lunatic North Korean president Kim Jong-il. Oil and natural gas for nuclear missiles.

From Haaretz:

BERLIN - Iran has offered North Korea oil and natural gas as payment for help in developing nuclear missiles, German weekly magazine Der Spiegel reported on Saturday, citing unidentified Western intelligence sources.

A senior Iranian official traveled to the North Korean capital Pyongyang during the second week of October to make the offer, the magazine quoted the sources as saying. It was unclear what North Korea's response was, it added.

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I promised myself I'd lay off the blogging for the long weekend and to celebrate my Sainted Mother's birthday today, but I got a message from Dave at Garfield Ridge about a blogger in need.

Jennifer, of Demure Thoughts, has a sick little girl and could use some donations. Please donate via pay pal if help if you can.

I figure this is ironic justice since I had been joking all week about voluntarily getting my gall bladder removed so that my body wouldn't absorb any more fat calories. It seemed funny at the time when directed at a colleague who couldn't eat my wife's pecan pie. Karmic justice is life's little bitch.

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Occasionally I drop a post or mind the store over at Patterico's Pontifications. Patterico, for those of you who don't get over there often, is a prosecutor in a large city in Southern California. No, not San Diego. This week he's been discussing the idea of holding the prosecution to a higher standard in death penalty cases--something beyond "reasonable doubt" he's tentatively calling "beyond all possible doubt".

I don't want to show up and diss the guy on his own blog--that's like...like... banging a guy's girlfriend in his own Firebird--so I'll register my differences over here.

First, Patterico doesn't really offer much reason to justify the change. He had a post a while back about what might have been an innocent man executed in Texas, but I'm not certain how a tougher standard of proof would have saved him. After all, this was someone who according to this account of the case may have known the identity of the real killer, yet refused to disclose it. He could have induced a reasonable doubt about the prosecution's case, but he chose not to.

Second, how would you really quantify a standard stricter than "beyond a reasonable doubt"? Even if you don't use the "possible doubt" construction, you've still changed the rules to require proving reasonable doubt plus...something. What is that something?

It's not really kosher, as a matter of law or as a matter of statistics, to quantify the percentage of doubt about a defendant's guilt. After all, can you really distinguish between being ninety-five percent certain and ninety-nine percent certain about, say, what your girlfriend tells you about how the windshield got broken in your Firebird? She says she hit a bat while driving at night, but the crack might be from the inside, where a shoe heel could...no, no, you're pretty sure you believe her.

Ninety five? Ninety nine? Do those numbers mean anything? Does the difference between them really make a difference?

Reasonable doubt is more a concern about the quality of a doubt than a percentage of certainty. Does this doubt make any sense? Is it reasonable? Or is it groundless? Is it laughable to have this kind of uncertainty about this case?

REASONABLE DOUBT: These eyewitnesses only saw the guy for three seconds on a foggy night. They could be mistaken.
UNREASONABLE DOUBT: Since these three eyewitnesses have Jewish surnames, I think the Mossad is trying to set this defendant up, even though no evidence suggesting that has come up.

I don't think the state should have to defend against less than reasonable theories and criticisms of its case. Just because some hotshot defense lawyer can pull a doubt out of his wazoo does not automatically make that doubt reasonable. But raising the bar on the prosecution will encourage them to try every outlandish scheme and theory in the book. They try them already, sure, but even the defense has an obligation to make utterly fantastic stories into reasonable ones before the state is required to refute them. Besides, quite often the unreasonable is irrefutable.

For example, I remember one of the possibilities hinted at by Mark Geragos in the course of the Scott Peterson murder trial was that a group of Satanists had kidnapped and ritually sacrificed Lacey Peterson.

Possible? Yes. It's not impossible. Reasonable? Not really. It's slightly more believable than aliens, but as a serious alternative to a well-detailed, solidly prosecuted case against Peterson, it's a phantom. It wasn't worth the prosecution's time to answer that baseless theory.

I don't see how Patterico's new standard is going to keep the equivalent of those phantom Satanists out of the courtroom in every death penalty case.

Excuse me. There's some dude outside in a Firebird and he looks peeved.

Posted by: seedubya at 04:33 AM | Comments (17) | Add Comment
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From the Boston Globe:

BENNINGTON, Vt. --The school superintendent whose district includes Mount Anthony Union High School has labeled "inappropriate" and "irresponsible" an English teacher's use of liberal statements in a vocabulary quiz.

"I wish Bush would be (coherent, eschewed) for once during a speech, but there are theories that his everyday diction charms the below-average mind, hence insuring him Republican votes," said one question on a quiz written by English and social studies teacher Bret Chenkin.

"A teacher would be of (below-average, unsound) mind to endanger his job over his own (radical, infantile) political views."

It certainly takes a well-below-average mind to think that teenagers are going to keep quiet about it. The school superintendent is not amused:

Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union Superintendent Wesley Knapp said he would not want his children subjected to such teaching.

"It's absolutely unacceptable," he said. "They (teachers) don't have a license to hold forth on a particular standpoint."

Knapp said he was recently informed of the situation and that it was a personnel issue that he took seriously.

After school, head for The Dread Pundit Bluto, where every liberal dork gets a free swirly.

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Donald Sensing provides one of the best arguments for an increasingly popular theory about the recent Democrat political machinations. He thinks there's method in their madness:

So, knowing that the plan was to redeploy troops beginning next year, the Democrats decided to get in front of the wave: Demand the troops be sent home NOW and then when the Pentagon announces the plan to redeploy, take credit for it.

The two prongs of the attack serve two purposes. The "Bush lied us into war" wing satisfies the huge numbers of the party's base suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome. The "declare victory and go home" attack preserves, however weakly, the party's appeal to traditionally patriotic Democratic voters, of which there are also huge numbers. Doubtless the Dem leadership sees the attacks as a two-fer.

The appeals to both wings are intended to garner huge dividends in November 2006.

With any president but George W. Bush, they'd be wrong. But GWB is the easiest president to blind side that I have seen in my life.

The lynchpin of Rev. Sensing's theory is the observation (accurate in my view) that the Bush administration is composed of politically inept strategists and tacticians (more the latter than the former). So, if that's all it takes to give substance to his theory then he's home free. But there are a couple of nagging doubts:

more...

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"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana

Generals know how to fight wars. That's how they get to be Generals. It's not something that's just handed out. So when the General you put in charge of something starts telling you things, it's probably wise to listen. We didn't learn this lesson in Vietnam and it looks like we still haven't learned it.

Lt. General John R. Vines, commander of the Multinational Corps Iraq, disagrees with Congressman Murtha on the pullout of our troops from Iraq. Considering he is the one on the ground and in charge of making things happen, I think it would behoove our leadership to listen to what he has to say.

Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, who commands the Multinational Corps Iraq, said that 36 Iraqi battalions, about one-third of the total force, are now responsible for their own security sectors and can fight the insurgency. But they are not yet ready to operate totally independent of U.S. supply lines and tactical advice.

Because of that, he said, now is not the time for an American withdrawal.

"Iraqi security forces are able to conduct operations in a large portion of their area with only limited coalition support," Gen. Vines told Pentagon reporters via a teleconference from Baghdad. "They do require our support at this time. That support will be increasingly less over a period of time, but a precipitous pullout, I believe, would be destabilizing."

That, to me, sounds like good news. We've got a lot of troops trained and we're gradually moving things over to the Iraqis as they can handle them. Imagine for a moment that you would like to be a pilot. You go to the airport, sign up for lessons and get started. The instructor teaches you the basics of flying and how to take off, then takes you up for your first flight. Halfway through the flight, the instructor simply bails out. He hasn't taught you to land yet, but suddenly you're on your own. Sounds like a pretty messed up situation, doesn't it? And yet that's exactly what Congressman Murtha and his Democratic compadres propose doing to the Iraqis. And the exact same thing they forced us to do to the Vietnamese. It wasn't right then and it isn't right now.

The mistakes that the politicians made in Vietnam were fatal and avoidable. Certainly it was a brutal war, but does that make it not worth fighting? Wasn't our own Revolutionary war quite bloody? Did that keep the French from coming to our aid? Without them, we might still be paying taxes to Britan. Our future certainly would have come out very differently. Now it's time to give other people in the world the same chance. It's time to stop all the political bickering and get the job done right. Stop worrying about trying to score political points and listen to what your commanders are telling you. We've started a job. Let's finish it and prove to the world that we CAN learn from the mistakes we've made in the past.

Posted by: Drew at 07:20 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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They finally called me a slut. After Zionist, CIA, tool of the opposition, Mason (?), unemployed, and ignorant, finally they accused me of a romantic relationship with an oppositionist. LMAO But that's STILL not as funny as "owner of a bad website."

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I hadn't planned any serious posts for Thanksgiving. However, opening the local newsrag this morning to a snotty little piece of disinformation from New York Times political hack Paul Krugman (and no, I won't provide the link) changed my mind. Since the enemies within won't take a break today, neither will I.

From the Associated Press via Yahoo!News:

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration and military leaders are sounding optimistic notes about scaling back U.S. troops in Iraq next year, as public opposition to the war and congressional demands for withdrawal get louder.

While military leaders would not confirm the size of possible withdrawals, conversations with defense officials and analysts suggest troop levels could drop below 100,000 next year, contingent on the progress of the Iraqi government and its security forces. There are currently about 155,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

Now we know the reason for increasingly loud Democrat attacks on the Administration and the troops. Democrat leaders got wind of (were most likely consulted on) contingency plans to lower the number of troops, and made a cynical decision to create the illusion that any planned cutbacks were the result of their "protests", knowing of course, that they could depend on their water-carriers in the mainstream media to help them make the case.

I am continually amazed at the willingness of Democrat party leaders to put US troops at risk to further their own political schemes. Of course, as someone educated in the purported principles of journalism I'm continually amazed at the overwhelming number of "journalists" who are willing to aid and abet such schemes.

Also at The Dread Pundit Bluto. Get there before the tryptophan kicks in.

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I used to be a total spazz for video games and computer games. I rarely have time or money for them anymore, but I enjoy them once and a while and try to keep up on the new stuff--which is why I downloaded, installed, and ran through the pre-release demo for Call of Duty II. (Warning! Loud, awesome trailer there.)

So I think that actually makes me more qualified than some complete techhead to review games meaningfully. What do I, as Joe Average who might kill two or three rainy evenings a year playing these things, think about this one?

I'll tell ya:

ATMOSPHERE: This is pretty intense, and it's frighteningly realistic. Bullets start whining by you and you really do get flustered--your head moves to dodge them. When you smack somebody with a rifle butt, your whole frame of reference shakes with the blow.

And even with my stuttery old PC, it looked like a movie. I'd say it was beautiful, but it's really pretty ghastly when your squadmates get blasted and pile up like driftwood, so I'll just say it's beautifully visualized. As someone who actually owned a Pong set as a small child, I am in awe of how this game looks and sounds. It's as close as I want to get to the real thing.

The enemy are smart, too. I got waxed several times when I thought I'd put a Jerry down, only to have him whip out a Luger and drill me as soon as I looked away. I took to doing the "just to make sure" shot like that marine in Fallujah, but with no Kevin Sites around to video me.

That said... more...

Posted by: seedubya at 03:04 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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I take some pride in being one of the blogosphere's biggest proponents of John Bolton's appointment to the U.N. Ambassadorship. Were I more inclined and less inebriated I'd back this up with a whole bunch of links, but you don't really care. Just go over to LGF and see why Johnny B's treatin' us right:

When asked what changed from Monday to Wednesday, one diplomatic official replied: “John Bolton,” a reference to the US ambassador to the UN.

Long live the 'stache!

Posted by: seedubya at 12:51 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Here's the latest campaign from the whackjobs at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: comic books to pass out to your kids telling them that their parents are killers if they fish or eat meat. The comic book covers are below.

The Dread Pundit Bluto's message to the children of PETA members: "Your parents are lunatics."

Posted by: Bluto at 07:28 PM | Comments (30) | Add Comment
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(Tampa, Florida) Debra Lafave pleaded guilty today to two counts of lewd and lascivious battery for having sex with a schoolboy. She originally planned to plead insanity but was encouraged to accept a plea deal with the stipulation that she would not go to jail. Lafave was facing a possible 15 years in prison on each charge if she went to trial. But there will be no trial and she gets no jail.

People should reject the delusion that Lafave's sentence is having the punishment fit the crime. She regularly had sex with a student with total diregard for the law and absolute refusal to exercise her responsibilities as a teacher. In my estimation, justice has not been served.

Pics and history at Interested-Participant.

Posted by: Mike Pechar at 05:59 PM | Comments (40) | Add Comment
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