Macsmind - Conservative Commentary on the News, Politics and Current Events of the Day

Chopper Crashes in Afghanistan

As a thirteen-year veteran of the US Army, I'm always saddened by the lost of even one soildier, sailor, or marine. During my time I said "so long" to a few of my brothers in arms, it isn't easy, but every loss comes with a message - "Never Retreat!"

The news of 16 brave Navy Seals and Army Rangers in Afghanistan again has our war "detractors" crying, "pull back!" and "retreat!". NEVER! A soldier's life lost on the field of battle isn't a time for retreat but a cry from his blood to "Charge and overcome!"

"At any cost, let not my blood be spilt in vain!"

I found this poem on the internet, the author is Gary Jacobson. Read it slowly and take in it's meaning.

This combat soldier's prayer,
Who has served his time in Hell,
Is may we learn the lessons of war well,
That we not doom future generations,
The same old tales of horror to tell,
To endure what in youth they se…

Howard Dean Interview on Harball

Excerpt:

MATTHEWS: Well, Governor, what do you make of [Karl Rove's recent remarks on liberals and Dean]? That's personal.

DEAN: The problem with the kind of name-calling that you see in the right wing is it's polarizing. And, frankly, it doesn't serve our country well.

(end)

You know, I wish we of the Republican party could take Dr. Dean's message to heart. Then we could stop the name-calling and speak with eloquence like the people in his party. We could follow these examples:

"I think this guy is a loser" - Senator Harry Reid

"Being lectured by the president on fiscal responsibility is a little bit like Tony Soprano talking to me about law and order in this country." - Senator John F. Kerry

"While President Bush likes to project an image of strength and courage, the real truth is that in the presence of his large financial contributors, he is a moral coward." - Former Democratic VP Al Gore

On the other…

Washington Times: Democrats' own mood poll scares them

Excerpt: "A poll on the political mood in the United States conducted by the Democratic Party has alarmed the party at its own loss of popularity.

Conducted by the party-affiliated Democracy Corps, the poll indicated 43 percent of voters favored the Republican Party, while 38 percent had positive feelings about Democrats."

I know, it's Bush's fault!

Hat tip to Michelle Malkin

Via Bill Sammon, Washington Times

Excerpt:

Washington Times: "President Bush, who met with relatives of fallen soldiers before Tuesday's Fort Bragg speech, was urged to stay the course in Iraq by a woman who gave him a bracelet honoring her late husband.

"I said: 'I know people are pushing you, but please don't pull the guys out of Iraq too soon,' " said Crystal Owen, whose husband, Staff Sgt. Mike Owen, was killed in Iraq last year.

"Don't let my husband -- and 1,700-plus other deaths -- be in vain," she added during a private meeting with Mr. Bush at the North Carolina base. "They were over there, fighting for a democratic nation, and I hope you'll keep our service members over there until the mission can be accomplished."

Mrs. Owen gave the president a stainless steel bracelet engraved with the names of her husband and another soldier, Cpl. John Santos, both of whom were killed on Oct. 15. The president slipped the bracelet on …

With the "new-found" criticism from the left following President Bush's speech on Tuesday where he linked Iraq with the War on Terror, it's amazing that the MSM and Democrats are still harking their line:

"There were no links between Saddam and Al Qaeda!"

Which of course is blatantly false. Note that Mr. Bush didn't say Saddam planned or was responsible for 9/11. But the links between the disposed dictator and al qaeda are so many, I can't go over them completely here. But Newsmax.com summerizes a few of them that were published by the Hudson Institute. Take a look. Also here and here.

UPDATE: Powerlineblog is "Mystified" how Democrats seems to have no memory of signing the resolution they signed authorizing the war. I'm mystified too.

Boston Globe: Democrats struggle to find one voice on Iraq

Excerpt:

"WASHINGTON -- House and Senate Democrats, sensing an opportunity in President Bush's sagging poll numbers and an increasingly unpopular war, have held a series of long, closed-door meetings over the past several weeks to find a common position and a sharpened political message on the Iraq War.

Some participants in the meetings said Bush's failure to articulate an exit strategy in his speech on Tuesday night only underscored the need for Democrats to devise their position. But they also acknowledged that within the party, there are fundamentally different views on the war." (end)

The fundamental problem with the Democratic Party why they can't come to a consenses about Iraq is simple: They don't have a position on anything! Especially if they don't see it as advantageous to their real cause: Get back in power.

If you've noticed the Democrats are largely a "frog party", that i…

Lou Dobbs Breaks Ban on Hillary Author

As I mentioned before, when I didn't join fellow conservative bloggers in boycotting Edward Klein's book, "The Truth About Hillary". Many conservative bloggers as Rush Limbaugh and the NY Times noted), seem to jump on the bandwagon as the did the MSM - howbeit for different reasons. A move which I though was a bit of a over reaction. Many of my brothers and sisters in Conservative land feared it would just make her a victim and might even help get her elected in 2008. Again, I don't have that fear at all. Much more will be coming on Hillary in the next two-years, that will cover more of her personal life (character counts right?), as well as her pitiful Senatoral record. So relax.

Yet a greater story has been developing about how the Clinton Machine has been working overtime to get this book banned from any TV coverage. Newsmax has an article on this here.

On Monday Newmax reported how CNN's Lou Dobbs broke the "…

ANATOMY OF A POLITICAL FIRESTORM

As I said before, I'm new to this new medium of blogging. I like it better than the old paper-medium of yesterday, especially because of the feedback I get which is sort of like what I used to get from "Letters to the Editor":

"Hey, Mac you're a bum! You should take up knitting!"

But every once in a while I like to read about myself in the paper so long as it's not the obituary or the police blotter.

Today a friend called me to tell me, "Hey Mac! You're mentioned in the Chicago Tribune!" "Naw, really?" I said, as I searched my memory to see what I could have possibly done anywhere near Chicago.

"No, your blog was mentioned!" he continued, "I sent you the link!"

The mention he was telling me about was from the article linked above from Jill Zuckman, of the Chicago Tribune that mentioned the blogs that "fired up" Senator Dick Durbin over his "Nazi" remarks a we…

Remember the A-Team from the 80's TV show? Sure you do. Col. John "Hannibal" Smith , Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck, Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock and Sgt. Bosco "B.A." Baracus formed the A Team to root out evil on our TV every week.

The interesting thing that critics of the show pointed out what no matter how much shooting they did at the bad guys or the bad guys at them but no one got shot! Yet the A-Team prevailed over evil, the bad guys subdued and all was well for next week's episode.

Sometimes I think that is the kind of politicians and media pundits we have. Most of the critics of the war in Iraq have been critiquing it since the beginning. But it almost seems that they expected this to be over in an episode - in an instant, you know, so we could get on to the next espisode.

Yet as soon as REAL shooting took place, and people got hit and some died and are still dying, the A-Team critics began to wail and gnash their teeth, c…

Army reverses series of recruitment shortfalls

"PENTAGON: After months of declining enlistment, the Army has more than met its recruitment goals for the month of June.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Richard Myers announced the turnaround during a "town hall" meeting this afternoon at the Pentagon.

Myers did not provide numbers, nor did he indicate how far above the recruitment target the enlistment number is.

Going into the month of June, the Army had failed to meet its recruitment goals for four consecutive months. Officials blame a strong economy and the continuing carnage in Iraq.

Just last night, during his speech on the situation in Iraq, President Bush urged Americans to consider joining one of the service branches during this time of war."

Again, if the MSM had been doing it's job it would have told you that the slow months for recruitment in any year are traditionally the first few months. Typically people join in the Summer when they get out of school …

Bush orders FBI change after spy review

Leadership in action. Bush is working!

Nancy Pelosi, well, she is.....

Harry Reid, he's ..........

Ted Kennedy, ....he's drunk

Rebuilding after war takes time

This article from the Washington Times in 2003 still has something to say to the critics of our efforts in Iraq today.

Excerpt:

"It shouldn't come as a shock that rebuilding Iraq will be, as many are predicting, long and costly. The same was true when Americans led the massive reconstruction efforts of Germany and Japan after World War II and South Korea in the 1950s.

A half-century later, "We still have troops in Korea, and we still have a large presence in Germany," said Blair Haworth, a historian with the U.S. Army Center of Military History. "

The article brings up points that are still relevant to today:

1. Rebuilding and establishing a democracy takes a long time.

2. There are still going to be "loose werewolves" disrupting and attacking coalition troops for some time to come.

3. After war, comes a period of occupation until stability is achieved.

Further Excerpt:

"National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice has compa…

Bush Flops in Prime Time

A blog called the "Dissident voice", writes this morning about Bush's speech last night:

Excerpt:

"The Bush prime-time fiasco was the biggest presidential pratfall in the history of the office. Bush was expected to lay out a new vision that would soothe the jittery nerves of the country but, instead, ladled out the same tired bromides he’s used for the last five years. Even his worshipful audience of servicemen and women slumped into stunned silence as the Commander in Chief exhumed the pitiable rhetoric of the Vietnam era. The reverberations of Westmoreland’s “light in the tunnel” speech resonated through the Fort Bragg auditorium as Bush blathered on about “no timetable” and “staying the course.” The oratory offered no explanation for why the nation continues to slip beneath the Iraqi quicksand." (Get your Kool-Aide and your popcorn and read the rest if you can! I haven't laughed so much in years!)

Whooboy....Isn't the internet fu…

Democrats: Bush Wrong on 9/11

Democrats are all a flutter this morning because in President Bush's speech last night he touched their "holy grail" - 9/11.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi accused Bush of demonstrating a willingness “exploit the sacred ground of 9/11, knowing that there is no connection between 9/11 and the war in Iraq.”

Others brought up that "We didn't have a enough troops on the ground" stupid assed argument again. Senator "Chia" Biden:

“I’m going to send him the phone numbers of the very generals and flag officers that I met on Memorial Day when I was in Iraq,” the Delaware Democrat said. “There’s not enough force on the ground now to mount a real counterinsurgency."

Mr. Biden, I doubt you have any such numbers, and by the way retired General (armchair warrior pundits) don't count. While you're at it, ask General Wesley Clark about Bosnia.

The whole "9/11 isn't related to Iraq" argument is stupid and …

MSNBC's Take
Originally uploaded by macsmind. MSNBC's picture from their front page is telling about how they rate the President's address.

I told you that the MSM would get on his case if he failed to live up to their expectations. Look for some squirley headlines from AP, Reuters and the rest of the bunch.

Far as I'm concerned, and I wasn't at all concerned about his speach, he didn't tell the American people what the press said they wanted to hear, but he did tell them what they needed to hear - that's Leadership!

True leadership doesn't always give you warm and fuzzy news. I was an Army Sergeant for nine years. I told my people the truth - whether they liked it or not. Leadership isn't a personality contest, like American Idol where people call in and say, "I like that guy, he makes me feel good." Deep down people don't want a leader like that - not like a blade of grass blowing around to every wind of change. They want a Leade…

U.S. forces Israel to cancel sale of planes to China

The Hindu reports that the US has pressured Israel to cancel it's sale of dones to China in response to what the report say, "US allegations that (China) misled Washington on the export of shared technology.

Excerpt:

"The U.S. imposed a series of tough trade sanctions on Israel in protest at its deal to upgrade Chinese unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, which are used for intelligence gathering from space. American defence officials said Israel had claimed it was maintaining the drones when in fact it was upgrading them using technology the U.S. did not want to fall into Chinese hands.

According to a report on Sunday in the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ordered officials to travel to Washington to resolve the dispute.

Rachel Niedak Ashkenazi, a spokeswoman for the Israel Ministry of Defense, said a delegation left for Washington on Sunday. It is understood that Israel has fro…

http://www.freestarmedia.com

Rush limbaugh has a great link on his site to a press release that says; get this:

"Press Release

For Release Monday, June 27 to New Hampshire media
For Release Tuesday, June 28 to all other media

Weare, New Hampshire (PRWEB) Could a hotel be built on the land owned by Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter? A new ruling by the Supreme Court which was supported by Justice Souter himself itself might allow it. A private developer is seeking to use this very law to build a hotel on Souter's land.

Justice Souter's vote in the "Kelo vs. City of New London" decision allows city governments to take land from one private owner and give it to another if the government will generate greater tax revenue or other economic benefits when the land is developed by the new owner.

On Monday June 27, Logan Darrow Clements, faxed a request to Chip Meany the code enforcement officer of the Towne of Weare, New Hampshire seeking to start the application pr…

First I had to slap Mr. Smith (London) about this memo drool that seems to say that Bush had it out for Saddam and this was evidenced by buildups and antagonistic flights, blah, blah.

MSNBC carries the story today (why am I not surprised?) about those Downing Street Memos again.

However, as I have told you Mr. Smith was floating this same story in the LA Times OPED pages over the weekend as the "most revealing thing about the memos". So that after getting relagated to the ass-end of the newspapers after nobody paid attention to him the first time, he comes back and says, "No No! Read this, this is the point you missed!"

No Mr. Smith, we didn't miss it. It isn't important because it's bull crap. Then today, the story again revives (its like Mr. Smith called the WAPO and said, "Hey lookie here! You're missing the point!)

Again, here is the question that Smith and others keep beating a dead horse with is this: "Did Bush and Blair decide to go to…

Ralph Nader "Kool Aid King"

Ralph's take on President Bush's talk with the Nation tonight.

So get a glass of Kool-Aide and a bowl of popcorn, and have a laugh or two.

("Mr. Nader, call on line two, it's Mr. Smith of London. He wants to know if Kinko's called about the memos yet?"

MSNBC: Bush seeks to ease worries about war

Everywhere across the MSM and the blogshere this morning people are talking about "What President Bush needs to tell the Nation tonight".

So, I'll weigh in on this as well. How much does he have to tell us? Not much. Why? Because I think the American people for the most part know what we are in Iraq for, why we went, how long this effort might take, etc, and despite what the MSM is trying to tell us, they are supporting the President and the war.

The American people are not doofs as the media seems to protray them so often.

Over at Polipundit, Lorie Byrd list seven points that the President should cover.

They are good, and maybe he'll cover them. But I'm not going to tell you what I think he should say. In my opinion Mr. Bush doesn't need an apologist.

But I will tell you what he's not going to say, and that is what is going to make the news tomorrow.

Here are five things he's not going to say:

1. He isn't go…

Congrats to Greta on the top-rated show on cable last week per Nielsen.

Per Drudge:
6/23/05

FOXNEWS GRETA 2,803,000 [VIEWERS]
FOXNEWS O'REILLY 2,735,000
FOXNEWS HANNITY/COLMES 2,549,000

(Don't even ask about "Connected: Coast to Coast")

Been a fan since the beginning. This lady knows how to get to the bottom of the story! What she has been doing on the story in Aruba is first-rate. If anyone get's a hand on solving the case it's her.

CNET: Ruling won't slow file swapping, experts say


CNET: Excerpt: "The Supreme Court may have dealt file-swapping companies a blow on Monday, but its decision is unlikely to put a damper on the illegal sharing of music and other media online anytime soon, industry experts say.

In its ruling, the nation's top court found that file-swapping companies Grokster and StreamCast Networks should be held liable for the widespread copyright infringement their technologies enable.

The decision casts uncertainty on the fate of Grokster and other file-swapping companies, but not on the viability of file-swapping itself, an activity that has only flourished under legal attacks, observers said. That's because the software that underlies peer-to-peer networks, used now by more than 8 million people simultaneously around the world, is designed to function and evolve without the aid of any particular commercial venture." (end excerpt).

My Take: I'm all for legal downloading and …

Army Recruits Quickly Abused in Training


(Hat tip Captain's Quarters Blog, where he covers the aftermath of this incident where the guilty were relieved and punished. Nuff said there. In the Mac'ster's opinion ARMY PAO should call for an immediate correction of the headline, as it is truly slander, and at best totally misleading.

I entered the Army in 1976. Even at that time "physical abuse of trainees" was not tolerated and hadn't been for many years before that. Yes, the discipline at times made you want to run for the hills, but we survived. I remember being late to bed check and having to scrub the inside of a dumster with a toothbrush. I remember doing push ups on hot asphalt in July because I didn't do something right. But this wasn't torture. Yes there were incidents of physical abuse reported around the nation but they were dealt with quickly.

Years later I became Cadre (training personnel) for a Basic Training/AIT company. This was abou…

What I Saw at Gitmo

(Hat Tip to little Green Footballs

Lt. Col. Gordon Cucullu toured the Guantanamo facility with the Congressional delation this weekend, and tells us where the real abuse is occurring and who it is occurring to.

My take: I spent some time while in the military as a "cage-kicker" (Corrections Specialist), and I know about the abuse you have to take while doing your duty, and the incredible professional restrait you must show not to retaliate. Mr. Durbin seems to have no clue of the magnitude of slander he committed against these brave men and women. For myself there is no apology sufficient that could ever take his careless words back.

Soldier Killed Peace Activist

Excerpt: "An Israeli soldier has been convicted by a military court of the manslaughter of British peace activist Tom Hurndall two years after he was shot in the head in the occupied Gaza Strip.

Sergeant Taysir Wahid was convicted by a court near the southern city of Ashkelon over the death of the 22-year-old activist.

Hurndall was working with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) when he was shot in the Rafah refugee camp in April 2003.

He died in a London hospital after spending nine months in a persistent vegetative state."

The Timesonline however presents a expanded story about the same type of scrutiny Israeli soldiers face that is not unlike our own. Unless one has been in combat you don't know the incredible "micro-seconds" you have to shoot, or not shoot. In this case apparantly Sgt. Wahid reportedly fired a warning shot that hit Mr. Hurdall in the forehead. Sgt. Wahid says that he is being singled our for being &…

Michael Smith - London
Originally uploaded by macsmind. Well, after about a week of searching for the elusive Mr. Michael Smith (Texas) is still, well elusive. Contacting CBS on a few occassions they will no longer comment other than to say, "see the report". hmmmm,

Again, the question - "Is the Michael Smith of Downing Memogate, the same Michael Smith of RaThErGaTe?

Is this just a fruitless story - a "breading of spotted mice"? Perhaps. But Mr. Smith (London) seems to be "pushing" his message in the memos as noted here.

In any case I have nothing else to do except read newswires, talk to contacts, etc. I've got all the time in the world!

How will these bruises mend?

Excerpt:

"On the agenda of the meeting in Washington are discussions of the situation in Iran after presidential elections during the weekend brought a hard-line conservative to power, the military commitment of both countries in Afghanistan and the Balkans, and the future of the European Union after the recent failed summit meeting.

Schröder is also expected to use the occasion to lobby the U.S. administration for support for Germany's campaign to win a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. The United States, however, has so far only supported Japan's candidacy.

The decades-long special relationship between Washington and Berlin was punctured during the run-up the U.S.-led attack on Iraq when Schröder used his opposition to American policy in his campaign to be re-elected in October 2002.

Even after his election victory, Schröder kept up the rhetoric. Together with France and Russia, Germany formed the anti-war camp in Europe, causing some o…

Following the Supreme Court Decisions on SCOTUS blog.

I was wrong - in one case McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky, the court ruled in favor of the ACLU of displays of the Ten Commandments on the wall of courthouses in two Kentucky counties Yet in another decision involving a Ten Commandments statue on the state capitol building in Austin, Texas, ruled the display was consitutional.

Talk about split! To me it seems OK if you buy a monument and give it to the court or government building. It can be displayed in that case. So that as long as the Government didn't buy it and erect it, it's Ok. I'm no lawyer, correct me if I'm wrong.

Bloomberg "rides the fence" on the issue by writing:

"The decisions will help guide government officials who want to display religious symbols. The rulings will affect the legal status of thousands of statues, murals, monuments and other displays that already are in place around the country."

I smell "loopholes"…

Ex-Boss: Revenge Motivated 'Deep Throat'


You think?

General admits to secret air war


I dealt with this farce of a story last week read here.

Mr. Smith, had you done your research you would have found that this "secret" didn't originate with the Bush Administration.

U.S. plans radioactive project

Excerpt:

"The Bush administration is planning the government's first production of plutonium 238 - a highly radioactive substance valued as a power source - since the Cold War, stirring debate over the risks and benefits of the deadly material. It is hot enough to melt plastic and so dangerous that a speck can cause cancer."

I love a story that begins with the bad news. But this isn't unexpected news. Last week President Bush spoke to this topic. Here is an excerpt:

"There is a growing consensus that more nuclear power will lead to a cleaner, safer nation. Slowly but surely, people are beginning to look at the facts. One of the reasons I've come to this plant is to help people understand the difference between fact and fiction. Yet, even though there has been a growing consensus over time, America has not ordered a nuclear plant since the 1970s. By contrast, France has built 58 nuclear plants in the same period of time. By contr…

Ten Commandments
Originally uploaded by macsmind. There is anticipation that before the Supreme Court goes into recess that they will decide if a granite monument on the grounds of the Texas Capitol and framed copies of commandments in two Kentucky courthouses are allowed.

My guess is that this will be one of the decisions that expected outgoing Chief Justice Rehnquist will win.

Democratic statements showing outrage at Karl Rove's remarks:

Sen. Charles Schumer - (Rove) "took something that is virtually sacred to New Yorkers" -- the tragedy of the September 11 attacks -- "and politicized it for political, opportunistic purposes."

Sen. Hillary Rodham -"Karl Rove is not just another political operative, He sits in the White House, a few doors down from the president."...I would hope that you and other members of the administration would immediately repudiate such an insulting comment from a high-ranking official in the president's inner circle."

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, D-Nev - "Karl Rove should immediately and fully apologize for his remarks or he should resign, I hope the president will join me in repudiating these remarks."

Sen. Nancy Pelosi - "The president wanted to go to Iraq in the worst possible way and he did," Pelosi said. "The president is on the ropes."

Democratic Respons…

After the visitof US Congressional representitives yesterday at the Guantanamo detention facility, the media tries to hide it's dissapointment that "torture" wasn't discovered by statements like "Conditions are better."

Better than what? Than the drivel you've been reporting?

“The Guantanamo we saw today is not the Guantanamo we heard about a few years ago,” said Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif.

A few years ago?

Not "last week" when Amnesty International called it a "Gulag"? Or when Dick Durbin said:

"If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime - Pol Pot or others - that had no concern for human beings."

"Sadly, that is not the case," added the No. 2 Senate Democrat. "This was the action of Americans in the treat…

Exclusive: A Sharp New Look at 'Material Witness' Arrests

Mr. Isokoff been a little busy. After getting his ass hung out to dry on the fake Quran story, his next 'exclusive' is about 70 "material witnesses" picked up by the FBI in the wake of 9/11 who were "victims" of a "little-known legal tactic". The Material Witness Rule.

Citing a report to be issued this week from Human Rights Watch and the ACLU, he writes:

"A report to be released this week by two civil-liberties groups finds nearly 90 percent of these suspects were never linked to any terrorism acts, resulting in prosecutors and FBI agents issuing at least 13 apologies for wrongful arrest."

....Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union say they have assembled the most comprehensive look yet at the practice—and conclude it may have produced the most civil-liberties abuses of any post-9/11 policy. Out of the 70 "material witness" arrests the groups…

MSM is jumping on a report from the Sunday Times in London that claims that "US officials held secret talks in Iraq with the commanders of several Iraqi insurgent groups recently in an attempt to open a dialogue with them."

I doubt this report's veracity on several counts. First the "sources" quoted by the Times cannot be colarborated:

AP via MSNBC:

"The story, which quoted unidentified Iraqis whose groups were purportedly involved in the talks, said those at the first meeting included Ansar al-Sunnah Army, which has claimed responsibility for suicide bombings in Iraq and an attack that killed 22 people in the dining hall of a U.S. base at Mosul last Christmas."

"Two others were Jaish Mohammed, or Mohammed’s Army, and the Islamic Army in Iraq, which in August reportedly killed Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni, the newspaper said."

I'm extremely skeptical about "unnamed" sources and "ex" Iraqi officials.

Secondly, you coul…

CNN has a rather interesting piece on the Supreme Court's decision on Thursday that ruled that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses -- even against their will -- for private and public economic development.

"NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The Supreme Court may have just delivered an early Christmas gift to the nation's biggest retailers by its ruling Thursday allowing governments to take private land for business development.

Retailers such as Target, Home Depot and Bed, Bath & Beyond have thus far managed to keep the "eminent domain" issue under the radar -- and sidestep a prickly public relations problem -- even as these companies continue to expand their footprint into more urban residential areas where prime retail space isn't always easily found."

While I'm not a lawyer, the more I read of this decision the more angry I get. As a "capitalist" I'm all for business and making a buck. But on the surface this d…

Liberal hate speech: A case study

Powerlineblog has an example which is typical of the hate speech that comes from the left to which the seem to forget when they get called on it.

Holy Cow
Originally uploaded by macsmind. FOX News (AP) NEW YORK — As his final American revival meeting continued Saturday, a fragile Billy Graham (search) was met onstage by former President Clinton, who honored the evangelist, calling him "a man I love."

Clinton spoke briefly before Graham's sermon and recalled how the man known as America's pastor had refused to preach before a segregated audience in Arkansas decades ago when that state was in a bitter fight over school desegregation.

"I was just a little boy and I'll never forget it," said Clinton, who was joined by his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (search). "I've loved him ever since. God bless you, friend."

Graham called the Clintons "wonderful friends" and "a great couple," quipping that the former president should become an evangelist and allow "his wife to run the country."

(Heh, heh, heh, haa, ha, haaaa, haa.....)

(I'm going for a drink)

U.S. lawmakers tour Guantanamo prison

Instead of throwing out accusations about Gitmo, a few members of congress got off their duff and actually visited the facility today. What did they find?

Nothing.

I especially like this part of the article describing an interogation:

excerpt:

"In one session, they questioned a man who defense officials said was a Saudi national and admitted al-Qaida member who was picked up in Afghanistan and knew nine of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers. In another, a female interrogator took an unusual approach to wear down a detainee, reading a Harry Potter book aloud for hours. He turned his back and put his hands over his ears."

What! No Ozzy? Oooooo, "torture"!

Hero!
Originally uploaded by macsmind. In case you missed it and along with my post this morning about how capable women are in combat here is the story of Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester:

Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester of the 617th Military Police Company, a National Guard unit out of Richmond, Ky., received the Silver Star, along with two other members of her unit, Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein and Spc. Jason Mike, for their actions during an enemy ambush on their convoy. Other members of the unit also received awards.
Hester's squad was shadowing a supply convoy March 20 when anti-Iraqi fighters ambushed the convoy. The squad moved to the side of the road, flanking the insurgents and cutting off their escape route. Hester led her team through the "kill zone" and into a flanking position, where she assaulted a trench line with grenades and M203 grenade-launcher rounds. She and Nein, her squad leader, then cleared two trenches, at which time she killed three insurgents with her rifle.

When the fi…

From the Macsmind, "WHOOBOY!" Department:

Dadahead blog has this feedback reference to this post on the liberal who died because he couldn't stand a "right wing world":

The entry from the blog:

"For what it's worth, right-wingers, I think you did kill this guy. And Hunter S. Thompson, too."

Gee, I thought the coward just blew his brains out. Silly me.

They Don't Apologize

Dan Froomkin, writing in his blog "White House Briefing" over the Washington Post moans:

"There are at least two reasons why no one should expect any apologies from Karl Rove or the White House for Rove's controversial comments Tuesday night, in which he described the liberal approach to national security as being weak and possibly even treasonous.

1) This White House doesn't apologize.

2) Why apologize when you said exactly what you meant to say?

Karl Rove didn't get George W. Bush this far just by luck. Rove has a brilliant and so far unbeatable strategy when it comes to political warfare: He doesn't defend his candidate's weaknesses, he attacks his opponent's strengths. Unapologetically.

Consider the 2004 campaign, when Rove was faced with a Vietnam problem. A war hero was running against his boss, who had opted to stay well out of harm's way. Rather than defend, Rove attacked -- and put John Kerry on the defensive."…

How are other newspapers over in the east and within Iran are viewing the Iranian "election" results? Take a look:

The Indian Express - A Dark Horse Emerges

Tehran Times - Hello Mr. President

Iranmania - Hardliner Ahmadinejad elected Iran's president

Malaysia Star -Rafsanjani lures Iranian voters with share options

Arabnews.com - Ahmadinejad Leads in Iran Runoff Vote

Female U.S. Marines Ambused in Iraq

With the news of five women marines killed by a car bomber in Fallujah yesterday, there is all this renewed talk over women in combat. What a travesty to take the service of these brave marines and use it to make a political argument. They weren't "women marines" they were US MARINES. They were doing their job and died in the service of our Nation - let's leave it at that.

As a former Army type guy of the 70s and 80s, I can tell you something about women in the miitiary - they are willing, capable and more than able to serve their country even in combat.

Back when I entered the service women in the Army were known as the Womens Army Corps or "WAC, which was formed during WWII. They were on a different side of the post than the men; in their own billets, and received basic and advance training separate from the males.

That changed in 1978 when women began to be integrated with the men into training; units and mission. Howbei…

Homeless
Originally uploaded by macsmind. In light of the Supreme Court Decision on Thurday, is this the future for home owners in America?

Will they call it, "Drive out the rubbish?"

Time to Say "Thank You"

(Hat tip to Captains Quarters Blog:

Link above to the Anti-idiotarian Rottweiler blog where they are asking for us to send our troops an email word or two about how much we appreciate them and the mission they are accomplishing to keep our butts safe and warm!

Let this old war-horse tell you, it makes you feel good when you know the folks back home appreciate you! So far all they have gotten is a bunch of doom and gloom propaganda from the MSM (yes they read that crap). Think how it feels to be serving your country, sweating it out in 104+ heat wearing those hot as hell uniforms and and sixty pounds of equipment, and all you read from these namby pamby airchair warrior pundits back here is that "We are losing!" "It's a mistake"! Make my OG green blood boil!

So get to pecking on those keys!

There is a clearing house for all emails (to protect the soldiers from "slug-trail-email). Here it is:

rottmope-at-yahoo-dot-com.

Now g…

Mad as heck!
Originally uploaded by macsmind. House blocks Medicare payments for Viagra


Excerpt:

WASHINGTON - Impotence drugs such as Viagra would not be covered by Medicaid and Medicare, the government health programs for the poor and the aged, under new prohibitions approved by the House on Friday.

By a 285-121 vote, the House approved an amendment by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, to stop the government from paying for the drugs. King said his amendment would save taxpayers $105 million next year alone.

King had earlier commissioned a budget study that found the government would spend more than $2 billion on such impotence drugs over the next decade. The amount spent would greatly increase as the Medicare prescription program begins next year."

It's going to be a long summer.......

The Real Deal
Originally uploaded by macsmind. In a age of so many fakes and frauds, it's good to know that a simple country preacher can come out of the backwoods of North Carolina and let God use him to literally change the life of millions.

Excerpt via AP

"The final American revival meeting led by the Rev. Billy Graham opened Friday evening with thousands of people filling a city park for a last chance to see him.

Many arrived hours early to get seats for the first of three daily rallies that were expected to attract tens of thousands of people.

"Since this is his last one, I want to be here to honor him," said Mary Jo Noia, a nursing supervisor from Brooklyn, who had volunteered at a Graham crusade in Boston and called it "life-changing."

The Rev. A.R. Bernard, the New York pastor who helped organize the event in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, began the crusade under a setting sun, calling the meeting a "farewell and close to 60 years in mi…

It's my Party and I'll Bitch if I want to
Originally uploaded by macsmind

The outrage over Rove's remarks has taugh us one thing. Democrats* (see note below) can dish it, but they damn sure won't take it. Two weeks ago Howard Dean get's diarrhea of the mouth and calls conservatives "stupid" "lazy" and (gasp!) white! I'll tell you that shocked the hell out of my buddy Tony who is smart, works two jobs and is (gasp!) black and a republican.

For three years there has been a steady list of insults from Democrats*. In fact 2004 wasn't that long ago. Remember the insults, accusations, made against President Bush and the GOP by people like Al Gore, Senator (hic!) Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi and others of the "don't you dare call us on our shit" party"?

What Rove simply gave them was a mirror. He held it up and showed them who they were and what they stand for. They are outraged not because of what he said, but because of what t…

IGNORING BOLTON'S 'ZION' WIN

Excerpt: "THERE'S an obvious answer to Democrats who claim John Bolton is too abrasive to succeed as President Bush's U.N. ambassador — he spearheaded the successful fight to get the U.N. to reverse its notorious "Zionism is racism" resolution.

The Anti-Defamation League warmly commended him when he did what many had thought impossible in 1991. ADL chief Abe Foxman wrote a letter backing his so-far stalled nomination as U.N. envoy this spring.

"We will long remember him as a man of principle and integrity who, as assistant secretary of state for international organizations, played a leading role in the successful U.S. effort to repeal the infamous 'Zionism is racism' resolution," he wrote."

Is the reason that there is such animosity and outrage against John Bolton the fact that he won such a pro-Israel victory in 1991?

It is not speculative that there is a anti-semitic theme of leftist politics. Also …