DANGER: MAD FROG AHEAD
Matt, over at Froggy Ruminations is pissed. Apparently there is another fake Navy SEAL in the news. Another dirtbag who claimed to be a SEAL is wanted for a violent crime. This on the heels of the story about Sheryl Crow's alleged stalker who was purportedly a Navy SEAL. As it turned out, he wasn't one either.

Phony veterans are nothing new. People have been claiming credit for things they haven't really done for years. SEALs are a particularly attractive target for fakes due to the impressive reputation the teams have gained in recent years.

What has Matt really peeved is how the news media swallows the claims hook, line, and sinker without making even a token effort to fact check. Unfortunately, this is not a new story either. Media malpractice in reporting on veterans goes back to at least the Vietnam War. Thanks to our lazy-assed (or is it just plain old biased?) media, the image of the Vietnam veteran has been forever tarnished. The media repeated the lie that Vietnam vets were pathetic, PTSD-afflicted, drug addled, chronically unemployed, homeless losers so often that this myth has become conventional wisdom. I've met a lot of losers in my travels, and I've met a lot of Vietnam vets; I have yet to meet someone who was both. I'm sure there are a few out there, but they are a small minority.

Our only recourse is to hold the MSM's feet to the fire. Rather-gate was just the beginning. We may not be able to correct all of the wrongs done to the Vietnam generation by these jackals, but we can prevent them from doing it to the next generation.

NEWS FROM TAMMI

Tammi, over at Road Warrior Survival has been logging a lot of time at the hospital for a couple of days now. Her Mama Vi was visiting her for the holidays and fell ill. Apparently, the hospital staff has been less than helpful. If you get a chance, head on over and send your regards via her comments section. If you have any ideas on how to handle the bureaucratic jackasses at the hospital, let her know (any doctors, nurses, or lawyers out there?). The link to her latest update is here.

POST HOLIDAY READING ASSIGNMENT

OK, by now you should have cleaned up that shredded wrapping paper on the living room floor, wrapped and stored the leftovers, and returned the really ugly sweater that your great aunt Hildegarde gave you as a present (you can donate it to Goodwill if you don't have the receipt; then someone else's great aunt can give it to them next year). It's time for a reading assignment.

Cliff May has an excellent column today about the war in Iraq and how it is undeniably a part of the war on terrorism. The column includes the following quote:
" There surely is only one side to be on in what is now very clearly a battle between democracy and terror..."
-Tony Blair

Truer words were never spoken. You can read the column at Townhall.com, the link is below.
Link

Michael Ledeen's December 24 column is must reading as well. Leeden points out some of the myths of the Iraqi insurgency that have been elevated to the status of "conventional wisdom" by the hacks who inhabit our news media.

"The notion that we are fighting an "insurgency" largely organized and staffed by former elements of Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime is now fully enshrined as an integral piece of the conventional wisdom. Like earlier bits of the learned consensus - to which it is closely linked - it is factually wrong and strategically dangerous."

I've been saying the same thing for months. Unfortunately, too many people have been listening to the misinformation of the MSM. You can read the rest of Ledeen's column at the link below.
Link

Part 1 of your assignment is to read the columns listed above. Part 2 is to get someone else to read them. Education is the only way to end the cycle of ignorance that has afflicted milllions of Americans (and most of "old Europe") in their thinking about the war.

MERRY CHRISTMAS
UPDATE: I took the pic that was here out. It was too big for the blog. Oh well, it's January 5, anyway. About time I took the tree down already.

NEW JOURNALISM AWARD

The brilliant economist, Dr. Thomas Sowell has created a new journalism award: 

 

 Events of this past year have shown the need for a special award in journalism for those who think that the purpose of reporting news is to cause the public to adopt the political views of those who do the reporting. Therefore this column announces the first annual Joseph Goebbels award for that journalist who best exemplifies the spirit and the practice that Dr. Goebbels pioneered.

 For people too young to remember or too unschooled in history to know, Dr. Joseph Goebbels was the minister of propaganda in the Nazi regime back in the 1930s and 1940s. Facts never distracted him from his mission nor did a lack of facts inhibit his zeal.

 Had there been such an award in 2003, "Baghdad Bob" would have been the clear winner for his repeated bold assurances that American troops were nowhere near Baghdad and never would be. That man could have had a great career in advertising. Holding the same official position as Dr. Goebbels, Baghdad Bob would have been the perfect first winner of this award. But such are the lost opportunities of history.

I won't tell you who won this year, you'll have to read Dr. Sowell's column to find out.   Even with so many highly qualified candidates in the American news media, I'll bet you already have a good idea.  You can find out here:

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20041224.shtml

LOVE EXPLAINED

Harvey, of Bad Example explains the concept of love in a guest post over at IMAO. Check it out for a better understanding of this complex human emotion.

Fun Facts About Love

IT'S BEEN
three weeks since I last posted. I've been at a crossroads as to what to do with this blog. Since the election, I've tried to stay away from the news. War, politics, international affairs; they all give me a headache - not to mention a backache, neck ache, chest pains etc. I took a physical exam for my reserve unit right after the election. I had high blood pressure. I went a month without news or talk radio and took a physical with my personal physician. BP was back to normal. I guess I just take these things too seriously. It's hard not to when you know what the stakes are. It's hard to blog about current events when you aren't keeping current.

I can't blog about work. That would be a big no-no; my job isn't "secret" per se, but it requires a low profile. I can't really blog from work either. I have tried to blog via email from work, but that hasn't worked out too well. Something about the fonts that our email program uses messes things up.

I could blog about my personal life, but I don't have much of one. I spend most of my spare time working on my Masters Degree via a distance learning program. When I'm not actually working on that, I don't even want to think about it, let alone blog about it.

There are a few things going on that have broken through my news blackout and have really pi$$ed me off. I guess I'll have to blog about those, but it'll have to wait. I have an assignment to finish for my research methods course (I HATE THIS COURSE!!!!!)

BTW: Some blogger claims that I "was one of the people early on who urged (her) to start blogging." I happened on her blog by accident. It seems that she forgot to email me and let me know that she started a blog (insert an "I'm very disappointed in you young lady" look here). I guess I'll need to keep this blog going so I can add a link to her blog to my sidebar.

RETURN OF THE ANTI-DOONESBURY

Chris Muir's Day by Day cartoon returns today after a two and a half month break.  You can read it at  http://www.daybydaycartoon.com/