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/

 

THANKSGIVING AWAY AND A JULIA COOK UPDATE

My family and I went to my mom's in Watertown, NY for Thanksgiving.  My brother and his family were there as well.  We ate way too much (who didn't?) and went to see Christmas with the Kranks (amusing movie, nothing in it that isn't family-friendly).

 

According to my brother, who had spoken with a member of Julia Cook's family that attends the same church he does, as of Thanksgiving day, her condition has been upgraded.  She is conscious and able to get around some.  She is facing some surgery to repair the damage done in the shooting, but she and her baby are doing well.  No word yet as to whether her husband, LCpl Justin Cook will have to head back to Iraq soon.  Hopefully, they'll give him some more time.

 

SENSELESS BS

My mom is a retired elementary school teacher.  Periodically, she will give me news about the activities of some of her former students, some of whom I knew.  Last night the news was bad.  One of her former students is a US Marine serving in Iraq.  While he was battling terrorists in Fallujah, his wife - five months pregnant with their child - was shot in the head by some a$$hole in York, PA.

 

According to an article in the York Daily Record:

 

Cook traveled three sleepless nights from Fallujah, site of the most violent fighting of the Iraq war since the fall of Baghdad, to York Hospital to be by his wife's bedside. The Marine said he could only describe first seeing his wife in the hospital as "crippling."

Five days after Julia Cook had been shot in the parking lot of the Giant supermarket on Loucks Road in West Manchester Township, the 21-year-old woman remained in serious condition Friday afternoon in the intensive care unit.

Her husband said she seemed happy but a little disoriented.

She has undergone several surgeries and has more to endure, Justin Cook said at a news conference Friday evening at the hospital.

To add insult to injury, the shooting had no real motive.  The dimwit who did it just wanted to kill someone and Julia Cook happened to be walking out of the Giant supermarket in York at the wrong time.  More from the Daily Record:

Noel Gomez, 19, of York, was arrested Monday at a Manchester Township motel and charged with attempted homicide and other charges in the shooting. In court documents, police said the shooting was random. They said that Gomez told them he had planned to kill someone and selected Julia Cook from among shoppers at the Giant.

Gomez is being held in York County Prison without bail.

Let's hope that they lock this idiot up and throw away the key.  If he wants to kill someone so badly, there are plenty of opportunities to do so in a maximum security prison.  Of course you have to get up close and personal to do it there.  And your intended victims hit back...hard.  Maybe that's too daunting a task for poor little Noel.

The people of York, in a fashion typical of people all over the USA have rushed in to help out any way they can:

Among those helping the family is Lana Musti, who lives in a half-mile from the site of the shooting. Musti has set up an account at M&T Bank to collect donations to assist the Cooks.

When Musti heard of the shooting on Monday morning, she started making phone calls, using her contacts from the York County Chamber of Commerce and Women in Motion. Local businesses responded with gift certificates, hotel rooms and food.

"This community should be a stronghold in giving back," she said. "We are better than this, and we need to show that and give this family the feeling we are sorry and we are with them."

As Justin Cook spends time with his wife, his thoughts sometimes shift to the Marines still fighting in Iraq. Cook had been in Iraq for 3½ months and in the Marine Corps almost three years. Watching the news is difficult because he knows his "brothers" are still there, he said.

He said he cannot comment on how long he will be in York County or his specific duties in the Marines, but said he is not in the infantry.

TO HELP

A fund has been set up to help Julia Cook's family. Make checks payable to "For the Benefit of Julia Cook" and mail them to M&T Bank, 960 S. George St., York, PA 17403. Or inquire at other M&T locations.

If you happen to be praying, you might want to include one for Lance Cpl. and Mrs. Cook and their baby. 

You can read the whole story on the Record's website.

http://ydr.com/story/main/49930/

STILL ALIVE (BARELY)

I've had little time for luxuries like blogging lately.  Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of it this weekend.  In the meantime, I figured I'd test blogging-by-email again.  We just upgraded our OS's on the computers at work from NT to XP.  The upgrade included a newer version of the Groupwise email program (I have no clue why they won't let us use MS Outlook).  I'm anxious to see how it works.  Using the older version, whenever I posted by email, the font of every entry in my entire blog changed to a much smaller size.  It wouldn't go back to normal until I deleted the offending post.  This version of Groupwise uses Tahoma as the default font rather than MS Sans Serif.  I'm anxious to see whether it makes a difference.

ROOT CAUSES
I saw this story linked on Drudge.

A John F. Kennedy School of Government researcher has cast doubt on the widely held belief that terrorism stems from poverty, finding instead that terrorist violence is related to a nation's level of political freedom.

Associate Professor of Public Policy Alberto Abadie examined data on terrorism and variables such as wealth, political freedom, geography, and ethnic fractionalization for nations that have been targets of terrorist attacks.

To a lot of folks, especially those in Harvard and other ivory towers, this is news. I don't find it in the least bit surprising.

Before analyzing the data, Abadie believed it was a reasonable assumption that terrorism has its roots in poverty, especially since studies have linked civil war to economic factors. However, once the data was corrected for the influence of other factors studied, Abadie said he found no significant relationship between a nation's wealth and the level of terrorism it experiences.

"In the past, we heard people refer to the strong link between terrorism and poverty, but in fact when you look at the data, it's not there. This is true not only for events of international terrorism, as previous studies have shown, but perhaps more surprisingly also for the overall level of terrorism, both of domestic and of foreign origin," Abadie said.

Instead, Abadie detected a peculiar relationship between the levels of political freedom a nation affords and the severity of terrorism. Though terrorism declined among nations with high levels of political freedom, it was the intermediate nations that seemed most vulnerable.

You can read the rest of it here.

The poverty-terrorism link is an extension of the poverty-crime link, which is an integral part of liberal dogma. Just as these "intellectuals" ignored the fact that the Great Depression, a time of record poverty in the US, did not turn millions of Americans into criminals, they have also failed to notice that many of history's most notorious terrorists came from well-to-do families.

The radical US group known as the Weathermen, the German Red Army Faction, and even Al Qaida were founded by children of privilige. Terrorists are more likely to be thrill-seeking idealogues than people looking for a way to support their families. The myth of the freedom fighter has been necessary to gain sympathy for terrorist causes. Let's face it, Carlos the Jackal is hardly a sympathetic character to the average person in "flyover" country.

SUPPORT FROM THE TROOPS
There is one voting block that, while not crucial to winning a Presidential election, says a lot about the candidate that wins its support during wartime - our troops. Retired US Army LTC Gordon Cucullu examines the election from the perspective of service members in his most recent column.

Since we have a lot of talk floating around about "supporting the troops," it’s interesting to ask the reciprocal question: Whom do the troops support? On the morning of Wednesday November 3, 2004 American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in the field answered that question resoundingly: George W. Bush. Marines actually engaged in combat operations around Fallujah, Iraq were cheering, laughing and exchanging high-fives over the president’s re-election victory.

From an outsider’s point of view this might seem odd. After all, Senator John F. Kerry ran as a war hero, a decorated veteran, and a man who pledged to "bring the troops back home where they belong." Throughout the campaign – indeed unceasingly since the 2000 campaign – Bush has been excoriated by the mainstream media as a draft-evader who hid in the National Guard, who was even absent without permission from that service (which they belittle). He was the son of an influence-peddling father who pulled strings to evade combat. He was a "chickenhawk" who dared to risk others’ lives (Bush lies; soldiers die) while avoiding risk of his own. With such a dismal, dare we say cowardly record how could it be possible that American service personnel support this guy?



John Kerry by contrast waved his medals, including his Purple Hearts around like a certain "civil rights" leader’s bloody shirt. He saluted (in an embarrassingly lame manner) to his primarily antiwar Democrat constituency as a convention kick-off then ran a Steven Spielberg-assisted editing job of a grainy black and white film that he had shot of himself during the Vietnam War engaging in heroic activities. He appeared at innumerable campaign sites in a leather bomber jacket and made certain that his advance people had sufficient number of American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars supporters in appropriate regalia seated in back of him during an appearance so that they would be highly visible in any camera angle.



Without question Candidate Kerry "talked the talk" about military experience, compassion for soldiers, and concern for their well-being. He spoke about bumping personnel levels and awarding pay raises and improving housing and all of the things that an outsider would automatically assume mattered to the troops and their families. But despite all of this he failed to pass the military smell test.

Check out the rest of LTC Cucullu's column. It's a good read, as his columns always are. Then go to this site to find out what another prominent veteran has to say about that now-famous salute.

WHOOOSSSHHHH!
That flushing sound you hear is the "conventional wisdom" circling the bowl.

-Higher turnout=Dem victory: NOT!
-Young people will vote in droves and put Kerry over the top: NOT!
-Exit polls can foretell the outcome early in the day: NOT!

I'm so happy the election is finally over, and that it turned out the way it did. My stress level was well into the red zone. Time for a little decompression. Watch for the left to have a major meltdown. I'll probably head over to Democratic Underground (I always suspected that they were subterranean) or Dailykos to laugh at the tantrums. But not yet. I need a break from politics for a day or two.

If you voted for President Bush on Tuesday, I would like to thank you on behalf of my family and myself. If you prayed for a Bush victory, don't forget to thank The Man upstairs. Nobody likes an ingrate.

In the meantime, click on the link for a little victory dance.

DON'T LET THEM DOWN

Picture found at Sacred Cow Burgers.

ELECTION DAY
After what seemed like the longest campaign in history, the big day is finally here. I voted on my way to work. No lines, no waiting. My mind was not on my work like it should have been today. I checked the Drudge Report a few hundred times for election news. I just can't believe all the legal (as in lawyer-centric) and illegal (as in vandalism, dirty tricks, etc.) hijinks going on out there. If we thought the country was divided before, I think we're in for a major shock over the next four years.

I guess I'll settle in and watch the results on FOX News while I study for an exam I have at drill on Sunday. Passing it will fill in the last square I need to have in order to get promoted. Then it's just a matter of time in grade.

A number of bloggers are live blogging the election. I've been tracking Bloodspite's ongoing election post today. He's covering the numbers, the incidents, and the things other bloggers are saying. Head on over and check it out.

10 REASONS TO VOTE FOR GEORGE W. BUSH
George W. Bush isn't perfect. He has been weak on immigration and border control issues, even in the wake of 9/11. He proposed the "No Child Left Behind" bill, which shoveled more tax money into the sinkhole of our public education system. He signed a prescription drug bill that represents the largest increase in entitlement spending since Lyndon Johnson's administration. Even with these strikes against him, George W. Bush is still (far and away) the best candidate running for President.

1. He says what he means, and he means what he says. This was a refreshing change after eight years of Mr. "It depends on what the meaning of is is". Mr. Nuance ("I voted before it before I voted against it") doesn't inspire much confidence in his ability to get the job done in the face of adversity.

2. George W. Bush will do what it takes to get the job done, even if there are political risks involved. The invasion of Iraq proved that. War is a politically risky proposition. President Bush didn't depend on polls or focus groups in deciding on a course of action vis a vis Iraq.

3. President Bush won't predicate his actions on the approval of the international "community". He will do what needs to be done whether the UN and France approve or not. Senator Kerry talks tough, but his "global test" comment at one of the debates betrayed his real position. He has been on record as being an internationalist since the 1970's, it appears that he still is.

4. The economy is recovering under President Bush. We were in a recession before 9/11. The attacks struck at the heart of our financial and air travel industries. It is a testament to this country's resilience that our economy has recovered so well. Had the 9/11 attacks happened in one of the countries "old Europe", I would expect a total economic collapse.

5. The Bush tax cuts help working families. My family benefitted from the tax cuts. My wife and I both work for a living, we are not among the idol rich. Other families like mine benefitted as well.

6. President Bush understands that we are at war. Senator Kerry and many on the left seem to want to return to the Clinton-era strategy as treating each terrorist act as an individual crime. Al Qaida gained strength and momentum while the Clinton administration bumbled and fumbled around after the 1993 WTC bombing, the Khobar Towers bombing, the USS Cole attack, and the duel embassy bombings in Africa.

7. President Bush understands that we have to keep the pressure on the terrorists overseas in order to prevent future attacks at home. While there is still a lot of room for improvement on the homeland security front, it is impossible to build an impregnable "Fortress America". We have to go after the terrorists and the people who support terrorists, even if they are hiding behind an ally of one of our "allies". A proactive approach can win this war, a reactive approach will not.

8. President Bush and his top advisors understand that we are at war with an entire movement. Senator Kerry thinks the GWoT all boils down to UBL and Al Qaida. The wahhabist/salafist Islamic movement was around long before UBL, it will surely live on after his death. If we limit our efforts to the people who were directly invloved in the 9/11 attacks, we will surely see more attacks in the future.

9. UBL, Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong-Il, Bashar Assad, and the Iranian mullahs all harbor disdain for President Bush. When bad folks all agree on hating you, you must be doing something right. If President Bush didn't represent an impediment to the plans of the aforementioned thugs, they wouldn't care whether he was President or not.

10. A Bush victory will make Al Franken, Michael Moore, the Dixie Chicks, Barbara Streisand, and George Soros very unhappy. That alone should make your vote for George W. Bush worth your while.

A MESSAGE FROM ANOTHER FORMER CENTCOM COMMANDER
I saw this on Drudge's site:

Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf Calls On DNC To Stop Fraudulent Phone Calls Claiming He Has Endorsed Senator Kerry

TAMPA, FL – Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf today issued the following statement:

"The Democratic National Committee is making fraudulent phone calls claiming that I have endorsed Senator Kerry. Nothing could be further from the truth, and I demand that they stop immediately.

"Senator Kerry opposed the Reagan defense build-up that won the Cold War. Senator Kerry opposed the removal of Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. Senator Kerry proposed billions in intelligence cuts after the first attack on the World Trade Center. Senator Kerry voted against funds to equip our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan with supplies like body armor and ammunition.

"I am supporting President Bush for reelection, because he is the candidate who has demonstrated the conviction needed to defeat terrorism. In contrast to the President's steadfast determination to defeat our enemies, Senator Kerry has a record of weakness that gives me no confidence in his ability to fight and win the War on Terror. His attempt to make up for these deficiencies by falsifying my endorsement only confirms my impression that he is not the man we need to lead our nation."

Further proof that Senator Kerry is willing to say or do anything to get elected. Take my advice, don't get into a game of limbo with John Kerry. Odds are you can't go lower than he can.

A MESSAGE FOR THE TROOPS

Pic found at Strange Cosmos

WALTER CRANKCASE
"America's most trusted man" is at it again. According to Drudge, Walter Cronkite is engaging in speculation of the far-out-in-left-field-kind.

Former CBSNEWS anchorman Walter Cronkite believes Bush adviser Karl Rove is possibly behind the new Bin Laden tape.

Cronkite made the startling comments late Friday during an interview on CNN.

Somewhat smiling, Cronkite said he is "inclined to think that Karl Rove, the political manager at the White House, who is a very clever man, he probably set up bin Laden to this thing."

Interviewer Larry King did not ask Cronkite to elaborate on the provocative election eve observation.

That's all we need from this legend of "journalism", more fuel for the fires being tended by the tin-foil hat crowd. I can't believe that Cronkite is dumb enough to believe this bullshit (the possiblity of senility notwithstanding), and I can't believe that he doesn't know the kind of harm his endorsement of such looney-toon conspiracy theories does.

So, tell us Walter, was Ho Chi Minh behind this?

Just back from Saigon, (Cronkite) rejected the official forecast of victory, predicting instead that it seemed "more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate."

I hear that Uncle Ho was "a very clever man" too.