Fighting the War on Terror... Endless War on Barbarism

Re(1): 'A Matter for Debate', The Belmont Club, Wretchard

Wretchard simply asks us three questions (read the post). The first is to identify the enemy. Is it really A War on Terror? Here is my 2 cents:

Enemy Identification: Barbarians

Great Powers through the ages have had to compete and win against the forces of barbarism. We just don't want to call it what it is. What else do you call:

1. "I believe the underlying cause of the War lies in the breakdown of the Third World, as manifested in the multiplication of failing states"
   
2. "other authors have preferred to describe today's troubles in terms of the Core and the Gap"
   
3. "consequence of the transition to a world of Market States"

Barbarians are stateless beings. No culture. No civilization. And, nothing to lose but their personal existence. Rootless and non-deteralble.

That is why this differs from WWII and the Cold War - but, other similarities (autocracy, centralized control, aggression, and minimal concern of the individual) exist in spades.

It is simply our turn to deal with the barbarians of our saeculum.

Consent of the Governed at the Very Center of Hell...

Re(1): President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom Participate in Joint Press Availability
Re(2): President Delivers Commencement Address at the United States Military Academy at West Point

What are we, the British, the Australians, the Poles, the Italians, the Israelis, the Iraqis the Afghans, and many others now fighting for – almost five years since the Global War on Terror lifted its curtain?

We are struggling to build a lasting peace:

President Bush: All our efforts over the past three years have been aimed towards this goal. This past weekend, the world watched as Iraqis stood up a free and democratic government in the heart of the Middle East. With our help, Iraq will be a powerful force for good in a troubled region, and a steadfast ally in the war on terror.

With the emergence of this government, something fundamental changed in Iraq last weekend. While we can expect more violence in the days and weeks ahead, the terrorists are now fighting a free and constitutional government. They're at war with the people of Iraq, and the Iraqi people are determined to defeat this enemy, and so are Iraq's new leaders, and so are the United States and Great Britain.

Prime Minister Blair: And I think what is important now is to say that after three years, which have been very, very difficult indeed, and when at times it looked impossible for the democratic process to work, I think after these three years and the democratic process working and producing this government, then it is our duty, but it is also the duty of the whole of the international community, to get behind this government and support it, because the other thing that came across to me very strongly from talking to them was that the reason there is bloodshed and violence in Iraq is that the very forces that we are confronting everywhere, including in our own countries, who want to destroy our way of life, also want to destroy their hope of having the same type of life. In other words, the very forces that are creating this violence and bloodshed and terrorism in Iraq are those that are doing it in order to destroy the hope of that country and its people to achieve democracy, the rule of law and liberty.

And I think there is a pattern here for us in the international community. I know
the decision to remove Saddam was deeply divisive for the international community, and deeply controversial. And there's no point in rehearsing those arguments over and over again. But whatever people's views about the wisdom of that decision, now that there is a democratic government in Iraq, elected by its people, and now they are confronted with those whose mission it is to destroy the hope of democracy, then our sense of mission should be equal to that and we should be determined to help them defeat this terrorism and violence.

And I believe very, very strongly, indeed -- even more so having talked to the leaders there and now coming back and examining our own situation and how we help -- I'm more than ever convinced that what is important for them in Iraq is to know that we will stand firm with them in defeating these forces of reaction.

Our inaction during the gathering storm we now know as World War II led to the Katrina of allying with, and later dealing with, one of the great evils of our time - Josef Stalin and his Soviet Union.

This time we challenged the occupation of the Rhineland.

This time we challenged the ‘Rape of Nanking’

Uncle Joe and his ilk and his progeny are unneeded and unwanted worms. They are to be ignored so that the civilized world - without the impediment of fascist, totalitarian, socialist and/or autocratic opinion and realpolitik - can initiate a strategy that marches consent of the governed and peace and prosperity to the very center of hell:

QUESTION: One gets a clear sense of your mutual relief that a government has now been formed, an elected government has been formed in Iraq. But, nonetheless, the current Secretary General of the United Nations has said that he believes that the invasion of Iraq was probably illegal. When you look at your legacy and you look ahead to the reforms in the United Nations you want to see, are you really saying that what you'd actually like to see is a United Nations which could take preemptive action legally?

PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: I think what we need to do is to recognize that there are threats in our world today that require us to act earlier and more effectively. And I think we can debate the institutional structure within which that should happen in the United Nations and elsewhere, but I also think that when we look at this global terrorism that we face, there is -- to me, at any rate -- a very clear link between the terrorism that is afflicting virtually every country in the Western world, either in actuality or potentially, the terrorism that is happening all over different countries of the Middle East and in Asia and elsewhere, and the terrorism that is there in Iraq
and Afghanistan.

And one of the things I think, certainly for our people they find most difficult to understand, is, they will say, well, is it -- can it be worth everything that we are doing? I mean, it's such a huge sacrifice that is being made. Can it be worth it? And I think the answer to that is, it is worth it to those engaged in this violence and terrorism to try to stop us, and we should have the same faith and confidence in our determination to succeed as they have in their determination to make us fail.
And I think that is an issue for the whole of the international community, because I've got no doubt at all that if we do succeed, as I believe that we will in Iraq, difficult though it will be, and we succeed in Afghanistan, then the whole of this global
terrorism will suffer a defeat. And that's why I think we need an international
community that's capable of recognizing these problems and acting on them.

PRESIDENT BUSH: I'd like to see a United Nations that's effective, one that joins us in trying to rid the world of tyranny, one that is willing to advance human rights and human dignity at its core, one that's an unabashed organization -- is unabashed in their desire to spread freedom. That's what I'd like to see, because I believe that freedom will yield to peace. I also believe freedom is universal. I don't believe freedom is just a concept only for America or Great Britain. It's a universal concept. And it troubles me to know that there are people locked in tyrannical societies that suffer. And the United Nations ought to be clear about its desire to liberate people from the clutches of tyranny. That's what the United Nations ought to be doing, as far as I'm concerned.

We are winning the war decisively, or have won the war decisively - so we need to look to the future. And, thankfully, it is a future without the pox of a Yalta Agreement. Instead, we have a real democratic leader - with almost three years left in office - defining the future strategy of our nation and the world. A strategy of Liberty and Freedom:

PRESIDENT BUSH: In this new war, we have helped transform old adversaries into democratic allies. Just as an earlier generation of Americans helped change Germany and Japan from conquered adversaries into democratic allies, today a new generation of Americans is helping Iraq and Afghanistan recover from the ruins of tyranny. In Afghanistan, the terror camps have been shut down, women are working, boys and girls are going to school, and Afghans have chosen a president and a new parliament in free elections. In Iraq, the people defied the terrorists and cast their ballots in three free elections last year. And last week, Iraqis made history when they inaugurated the leaders of a new government of their choosing, under a constitution that they drafted and they approved. When the formation of this unity -- with the formation of this unity government, the world has seen the beginning of something new: a constitutional democracy in the heart of the Middle East. (Applause.) Difficult challenges remain in both Afghanistan and Iraq. But America is safer, and the world is more secure, because these two countries are now democracies -- and they are allies in the cause of freedom and peace. (Applause.)

In this new war, we have forged new alliances, and transformed old ones, for the challenges of a new century. After our nation was attacked, we formed the largest coalition in history to fight the war on terror. More than 90 nations are cooperating in a global campaign to dry up terrorist financing, to hunt down terrorist operatives, and bring terrorist leaders to justice. Nations like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that once turned a blind eye to terror are now helping lead the fight against it. And since September the 11th, 2001, our coalition has captured or killed al Qaeda managers and operatives in over two dozen countries, and disrupted a number of serious al Qaeda terrorist plots, including plots to attack targets inside the United States. Our nation is more secure because we have rallied the world to confront this threat to
civilization. (Applause.)

The greatest threat we face is the danger of terrorists armed with weapons of mass destruction. To confront this danger, we launched the Proliferation Security Initiative, a coalition of more than 70 nations that are working together to stop shipments of weapons of mass destruction on land, at sea, and in the air, and to stop them from falling into terrorist hands. And building on the legacy of Harry Truman, we launched the most dramatic transformation of the NATO Alliance since its founding in 1949. Working with allies, we created a new "NATO Response Force" that will allow NATO to deploy rapid reaction forces on short notice anywhere in the world. And together we transformed NATO from a defensive alliance focused on protecting Europe from Soviet tank invasion into a dynamic alliance that is now operating across the world in the support of democracy and peace.

…

We have made clear that the war on terror is an ideological struggle between tyranny and freedom. When President Truman spoke here for the 150th anniversary of West Point, he told the Class of 1952: "We can't have lasting peace unless we work actively and vigorously to bring about conditions of freedom and justice in the world." That same principle continues to guide us in today's war on terror. Our strategy to protect America is based on a clear premise: The security of our nation depends on the advance of liberty in other nations. On September the
11th, 2001, we saw that problems originating in a failed and oppressive state
7,000 miles away could bring murder and destruction to our country. And we learned an important lesson: Decades of excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe. (Applause.) So long as
the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not flourish, it will remain
a place where terrorists foment resentment and threaten American security.

So we are pursuing a forward strategy of freedom in the Middle East. I believe the desire for liberty is universal -- and by standing with democratic reformers across a troubled region, we will extend freedom to millions who have not known it -- and lay the foundation of peace for generations to come. (Applause.)

…

Now the Class of 2006 will enter the great struggle -- and the final outcome depends on your leadership. The war began on my watch -- but it's going to end on your watch. (Applause.) Your generation will bring us victory in the war on terror. My call to you is this: Trust in the power of freedom, and be bold in freedom's defense. Show leadership and courage -- and not just on the battlefield. Take risk, try new things, and challenge the established way of doing things. Trust in your convictions, stay true to yourselves -- and one day the world will celebrate your achievements. (Applause.)

I was going to contrast the above enumerated vision with the other visions out there. However, after some thought, I realized that there is absolutely no need, nor any desire, to provide voice to small men, with small goals, no strategy, and bereft of any dream.

Who, but the arcane historian, remembers Henry Morgenthau Jr.?

Caught Red Handed: Lefties Plagiarizing Famous Speeches…

Plagiarize

Main Entry: pla·gia·rize
Inflected Form(s): -rized; -riz·ing
Etymology: plagiary
transitive senses : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the sourceintransitive senses : to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

So, where can we find ALL of the elements of the modern Left's anti-Bush rant?

How convenient. All one has to do is review Hitler's 'Declaration of War Against the United States of America'!!!

We have our Rich Bastard argument conveniently tied to our Chickenhawk screech:

But why is there now another President of the U.S.A. who regards it as his only task to intensify anti-German feeling to the pitch of war? National-Socialism came to power in Germany in the same year as Roosevelt was elected President. I understand only too well that a world-wide distance separates Roosevelt's ideas and my ideas. Roosevelt comes from a rich family and belongs to the class whose path is smoothed in the Democracies. I am only the child of a small, poor family and had to fight my way by work and industry. When the Great War came, Roosevelt occupied a position where he got to know only its pleasant consequences, enjoyed by those who do business while others
bleed. I was only one of those who carry out orders, as an ordinary soldier, and naturally returned from the war just as poor as I was in Autumn 1914. I shared the fate of millions, and Franklin Roosevelt only the fate of the so-called Upper Ten Thousand.

…

We have the flower of economic demagoguery - ie. Paul Krugman:

While an unprecedented revival of economic life, culture and art took place in Germany under National Socialist leadership within the space of a few years, President Roosevelt did not succeed in bringing about even the slightest improvements in his own country. And yet this work must have been much easier in the U.S.A. where there live scarcely 15 persons on a square kilometer, as against 140 in Germany. If such a country does not succeed in assuring economic prosperity, this must be a result either of the bad faith of its leaders in power, or of a total inefficiency on the part of the leading men. In scarcely five years, economic problems had been solved in Germany and unemployment had been overcome. During the same period, President Roosevelt had increased the State Debt of his country to an enormous extent, had decreased the value of the dollar, had brought about a further disintegration of economic life, without diminishing the unemployment figures. All this is not surprising if one bears in mind that the men he had called to support him, or rather, the men who had called him, belonged to the Jewish element, whose interests are all for disintegration and never for order. While speculation was being fought in National Socialist Germany, it thrived astoundingly under the Roosevelt regime.

Krugman, Feingold, the Randi Rhodent, and Conyers - actually, too many to be listed. A brilliant and salient argument for impeachment - if only those American rubes we call voters would put us in power!

Roosevelt's New Deal legislation was all wrong: it was actually the biggest failure ever experienced by one man. There can be no doubt that a continuation of this economic policy would have done this President in peace time, in spite of all his dialectical skill. In a European State he would surely have come eventually before a State Court on a charge of deliberate waste of the national wealth; and he would have scarcely escaped at the hands of a Civil Court, on a charge of criminal business methods.

Abject economic failure at home turned the eyes of the rapacious BusHitler to foreign conquest! The Jew Bastard NeoCons led Bush the Chimp into the quagmire!

This fact was realized and fully appreciated also by many Americans including some of high standing. A threatening opposition was gathering over the head of this man. He guessed that the only salvation for him lay in diverting public attention from home to foreign policy. It is interesting to study in this connection the reports of the Polish Envoy in Washington, Potocki. He repeatedly points out that Roosevelt was fully aware of the danger threatening the card castle of his economic system with collapse, and that he was therefore urgently in need of a diversion in foreign policy. He was strengthened in this resolve by the Jews around him. Their Old Testament thirst for revenge thought to see in the U.S.A. an instrument for preparing a second "Purim" for the European nations which were becoming increasingly anti-Semetic. The full diabolical meanness of Jewry rallied round this man, and he stretched out his hands.

Thus began the increasing efforts of the American President to create conflicts, to do everything to prevent conflicts from being peacefully solved. For years this man harbored one desire-that a conflict should break out somewhere in the world. The most convenient place would be in Europe, where American economy could be committed to the cause of one of the belligerents in such a way that a political interconnection of interests would arise calculated slowly to bring America nearer such a conflict. This would thereby divert public interest from bankrupt economic policy at home towards foreign problems.

Evil stems from the 'Axis of Evil' speech.

His attitude to the German Reich in this spirit was particularly sharp.
In 1937, Roosevelt made a number of speeches, including a particularly mean one pronounced in Chicago on 5th October, 1937. Systematically he began to incite American public opinion against Germany. He threatened to establish a kind of Quarantine against the so-called Authoritarian States. While making these increasingly spiteful and inflammatory speeches, President Roosevelt summoned the American Ambassadors to Washington to report to him. This event followed some further declarations of an insulting character; and ever since, the two countries have been connected with each other only through Chargés d'Affaires.

Oil and the evil Jewish Cabal:

From November 1938 onwards, his systematic efforts were directed towards
sabotaging any possibility of an appeasement policy in Europe. In public, he was hypocritically pretending to be for peace; but at the same time he was threatening any country ready to pursue a policy of peaceful understanding with the freezing of assets, with economic reprisals, with demands for the repayment of loans, etc. Staggering information to this effect
can be derived from the reports of Polish Ambassadors in Washington, London, Paris and Brussels.

…

Those NeoCons again:

But now he is seized with fear that if peace is brought about in Europe, his squandering of billions of money or armaments will be looked upon (as plain fraud), since nobody will attack America-and he then himself must provoke this attack upon his country. On the 17th July, 1940, the American President orders the blocking of French assets with a view, as he puts it, to placing them beyond German reach, but really in order to transfer the French gold from Casablanca to America with the assistance of an American cruiser. In July 1940 he tries by enlisting American citizens in the British Air Force and by training British airmen in the U.S.A. to pave ever better the way to war. In August 1940, a military programme is jointly drawn up between the U.S.A. and Canada. To make the establishment of a Canadian-U.S. Defence Committee plausible-plausible at least to the biggest fools-he invents from time to time crises, by means of which he pretends that America is being threatened with aggression.

The incessant screech about lying and God-Mongering or whatever:

I will pass over the insulting attacks made by this so-called President against me. That he calls me a gangster is uninteresting. After all, this expression was not coined in Europe but in America, no doubt because such gangsters are lacking here. Apart from this, I cannot be insulted by Roosevelt for I consider him mad just as Wilson was. I don't need to mention what this man has done for years in the same way against Japan. First he incites war then falsifies the causes, then odiously wraps himself in a cloak of Christian hypocrisy and slowly but surely leads mankind to war, not without calling God to witness the honesty of his attack-in the approved manner of an old Freemason. I think you have all found it a relief that now, at last, one State has been the first to take the step of protest against his historically unique and shame less ill-treatment of truth, and of right-which protest this man has desired and about which he cannot complain. The fact that the Japanese Government, which has been negotiating for year with this man, has at last become tired of being mocked by him in such an unworthy way, fills us all, the German people, and think, all other decent people in the world, with deep satisfaction.

…

The NeoCon Empire and Guantanimo!

As a consequence of the further extension of President Roosevelt's policy, which is aimed at unrestricted world domination and dictatorship the U.S.A. together with England have not hesitated from using any means to dispute the rights of the German, Italian and Japanese nations to the basis of their natural existence. The governments of the U.S.A. and of England have therefore resisted, not only now but also for all time, every just understanding meant to bring about a better New Order in the world. Since the beginning of the war the American President, Roosevelt, has been guilty of a series of the worst crimes against international law; illegal seizure of ships and other property of German and Italian nationals were coupled with the threat to, and looting of, those who were deprived of their liberty by being interned.

At least Hitler stopped ranting after three years...

This post was not fair minded!!!

The Anhoress: The Essential President Bush

Obviously, 'The Essential President Bush' is now 'enshrined' in the 'My Favories' listing...

The Anchoress makes the point in language I only dream of:

Perhaps I am a dim bulb, but President Bush has never surprised me, and that is probably why I have never felt let down or “betrayed” by him. He is, in essentials, precisely who he has ever been.

…

Imagine being the guy who has given his base one splendid nominee after another, in all manner of posts, make a nomination he thinks appropriate only to find that “base” coming out with both *guns, defaming his nominee and directing all manner of insult at himself. President Bush is nothing if not loyal; his loyalty is often his downfall. When he asked for a little trust (which he had surely earned) a little loyalty and a little faith, from “the base,” he got kicked in the groin, over and over again, for daring to think differently, for falling out of lockstep with his policy-wonk “betters.”
That had to be bitter, for him. At that point Bush, unchanged in essentials, might have wondered if his conservative “base” had become a bit over-confident and loose-hipped, so cock-sure of their majority (not that congress used it) so certain of their own brilliance that they were beginning to believe they didn’t need him; that he wasn’t conservative enough, after all, and that the next president was going to be the solid, “uncompassionate” conservative they’d really wanted all along.

The president who had delivered one gift after another to his base asked them to trust him, and his base sneered.

…

Ever stop to think maybe the president feels his base has abandoned him, that uncontent with 75%, they’ve simply moved beyond reason? Ever stop to think that while you’re calling the president every despicable name in the book and demanding his fealty or you’ll “teach him a lesson,” that perhaps there is a lesson you need to learn? That a good man, disinterested in merely laughing or crying for the camera for 8 years and looking to do a difficult job in the face of unprecedented hate, unprecedented speed of communication, unprecedented global instability, unprecedented backstabbing from within his own CIA, deserves some loyalty and the benefit of a doubt as he tries to bring you the 75% you so callously spit back at him as insufficient?

…

Here is a question, and I’ll be writing on it some more during the week, but start thinking about it, now: HOW DO YOU RECEIVE A GOOD?

How you receive a good has a lot to do with whether any more “good” comes your way. The Conservatives got a “good” in 2000 and 2004; they’re receiving it very badly, indeed. I think the throwing-under-the-bus-of-George-W-Bush by “the base” is one of the most shameful things I have ever witnessed in all my years of watching politics, from both sides of the political spectrum.

Right Wing Demagogues are looking a gift horse in the teeth…

Personally, I hope he bites them…

That’s me speaking…

You will look back at this President and this Presidency like you look back at FDR, TR, Lincoln, and Washington. No others. Not Reagan, not Wilson, not Kennedy - he is, and will forever be, top tier.

He has never lied to you.

And, you knew what you were voting for.

Remember one thing Demagogues, the net never forgets. You will not be able to tell your grandchildren that you supported 'W' in a time of war and internal conflict in a manner you can be proud of. You are the stripper that posed for Hustler and is now trying to hide that from your children. Getting through college, or something. Wailing about Social Security, Harriet Miers, Port Deals, and Illegal Immigration. Wailing, but accomplishing nothing. I am relieved that he is a better man than you.

If you have moved to the right,
If the nation has moved to the right,
Do it with dignity and grace.
There will be elections soon enough.

Leave the ranting
and the panting
and the pitiful antics of pampered brats
to spoiled children, powerless for a saeculum.

Reagan on New Orleans...

So, the voters of New Orleans left themselves two options:

1. 1. Nagin - Failed Mayor of a failed City Government.
3. 2. Landreiu - Failed Leutenant Governor of a failed State Government
   
   

I can only ask a Reaganesque question of the citizens of New Orleans:

Are you better off now than you were four years ago?

Do not look my way for more support and backing.

You set your options with full knowledge...

Then, you picked your winner...

Gotta Go!!!

The Jihad Againsts the Mount Soledad Monument...

Since the mid-1950’s, practice of the law has transitioned to picayune legalisms and interpretations – oftentimes aggressively negating the intent of that which was written. Fighting that ‘progress’ is the essence of conservative efforts to realign the judiciary. We want a modest judiciary – not an aggressive one.

Now, take the example of the ACLU, ‘Freedom From Religion’, etc. Jihad against all symbols of Christianity in publicly owned spaces. The Mount Soledad Memorial is just one such confrontation. This battle has raged for 17 years. There is one atheist and a lawyer battling to have the cross removed, while the vast majority of San Diego’s population (~78% by recent referendum) desires it to remain. Here is a fine photo of the offensive memorial:

San Diego Union

The citizens of San Diego will inevitably lose the argument in the 9th Circus. They have to accept that. The 9th Circus interprets the 1st Amendment with no element of common sense - and with the full throated roar of aggressive judicial activism.

I accept the fate of the offending, other than strictly bureaucratic, monument. But, we San Diego residents have the right to build another monument – including one using elements of the previous. There is no law against that, is there. I call on San Diego to build a monument to symbolize the tolerance and the ideals of the 1st Amendment.

Take a wrecking ball to the cross. Let it fracture at the mid-point and allow the top to topple to the earth. Better yet, have a world renoun artist take the ball and chain to the existing offense. Fence it with barbed and spiked wrought iron. Ensure that the fractured abhorrence is still visible from the freeway. Do not dress the fracture or clean the site. Leave it fractured. Leave it destroyed. Something like this, but more decisive, visible from long distance, with the main vertical beam standing - but fractured:

Then, ring the new ‘Tolerance and 1st Amendment Monument’ with engraved plates depicting the 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It might also be instructive to future citizens to place plaques noting the names, organizations, and legal findings of those involved in the case. Write the final 9th Circus or California Supreme Court ruling in brass and emplace it on our monument – forever.

Lastly, copy this concept nationwide. Each time ACLU lumineries force the destruction of a cultural monument destroy that monument. Then create a new monument triumphing the 1st Amendment in its place – incorporating the destroyed offender.

Do NOT create clean parks with wonderful benches. Butterflies and birds. Plants and flowers and fauna and things. The enshrined visual will symbolize something else – and something important. Sarcasm works.

LEAVE YOUR MARK.

Make those who abuse the intent of the law through the use of wordsmith interpretations defend their actions – FOREVER.

Changes to the BlogRoll…

The Good:

Flopping Aces
Sitemeter informed me of visits from ‘Flopping Aces’ a few months ago so I took a peek. I put it on my personal BlogRoll because it was entertaining and seemed to mix societal, military, and political topics rather well.

So the question naturally arises: How long can you visit a site without fessing up. So here is the fess up.

Austin Bay
Simply, how could I miss this. Uuuuuggggghhhhhh… I do like to keep my BlogRoll small so that I don’t waste eons poking through it. Not having Austin Bay’s blog on my list meant that I didn’t visit it as often as I should.

Strategy Page
See above

The Bad:

Political Fred
I had to remove ‘Political Fred’ from the BlogRoll because he hasn’t posted in five months. Where is he? I know this ain’t no job, but I liked his musings…

Chrenkoff
He gracefully bowed out of the Blogosphere as a result of respect for a new employer. The employer did NOT force him out – as Bill Hobbs’ former employer did. Chrenkov simply felt it was improper to post views in the format he developed.

The Ugly:

PoliPundit
PoliPundit had to go. His teeth grinding started getting my teeth to grindin'. The death of a tremendous site. Oh well. Hopefully, the center-right is more mature than the Moonbat Left – which is a conglomeration of single issue lobbyists trying to lump themselves into a political force.

The Note:

I am very reluctant to leave my email address on the site - as noted by the sub-head. I really don't want WingNuts and Moonbats sending me crap. But, there are folks with whom I might want to communicate. Any of you bloggers have an idea on how to do this?

'My Favorites' - Updated

Re(1): ‘A still small voice…’, The Belmont Club, Wretchard
Re(2): 'Storm Warning...', My Sandmen, Mr. Altos

A couple of fine additions to the ‘My Favorites’ list of the most important blog entries of all time!
Whatever!!!

Wretchard gets another with ‘A still small voice…’

Wretchard calls his audience to respond on a number of levels. To me, the most fundamental question posed revolves around the sturm und drang of the conflict we find ourselves in. Are we still hearing the truth that called us to arms?

Furthermore, reviewing the comments provides a taste of the depth and importance of this piece.

• You want grey matter biology and chemistry – you got it
• You want psychology and sociology – you got it
• You want discussion on the GWOT – you got it
• You want info on the blogosphere – you got it
• You even get some flat earth adherents to root for…

Mr. Altos gets the solid nod for his marvelous post ’Storm Warning...‘.

I read that post five times and have used it subsequently in entries on my site and comments on other blogs. From that post onward I have been thinking that the GWOT might just be the most violent expression of a global Fourth Turning. A generational upheaval that includes demographic trends, culture wars, and other powerful and conflicting social mores originating from the 1960’s. Those ideas are currently being fought for keeps now that their proponents are in leadership – and not just faking it with mommy and daddy around to keep them safe. Altos marks them as the ‘enemy within’ – the internal adversaries to the conservative saeculum.

These posts, taken together, cause one to reflect on today in a different way.

Conservatives are winning. The nation is moving to the right. The center is moving. Conservative ideas are becoming mainstream. They know their ‘enemy’ and have ‘fixed’ on that 'enemy'. They are reviewing their surroundings for the next battle.

Libs, I would recommend a review of the road taken by your avant-garde since 9/11. We see you. We hear you. And, if you continue to reflexively tear at our society rather than building upon it, you will be seen as the enemy. Nobody wants that.

And, I know – the net is forever.

For me as well as you.

Harriet Miers Republicans, please comment...

UPDATE FOLLOWS

If you are:

1. A Harriet Miers Republican
2. A United Emirates Port Deal Republican
3. or an Illegal Immigration and Amnesty Republican

Think about that

Think hard about that

and,

Please leave a comment...

I want to know if there is anything similar to the 9/11 Democrat phenomena going on...

I expect to see a great big 0 out there in my comments section...

Think about it PoliPundit... And, remember who will be the Senate leadership with a change of four personnel:

Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Murray (D-WA)
Obama (D-IL)
Reed (D-RI)
Sarbanes (D-MD)

The above list were those who voted against the border fence...

Note the lack of Republicans...

And, note the high percentage of probable Senate leadership if four seats cut over...

Immigration is not the only issue.

Think about it....

Think hard...

UPDATE:
Look (but don't click - non functional) at the following referring URL:

http://dodd-46287.senate.ussenate.us/?q=aggregator/sources/10

Seems as if the fine Senator from Conneticut - Christopher Dodd - sent his aggregator netbots out for an internet looksie!!!

Wonder what he thought of the blog entry...

Enjoy, Senator Dodd - and come back soon!!!

PoliPundits Senate Leadership!!!

Re(1): 'The Hall of Shame', www.PoliPundit.com, PoliPundit
Re(2): 'Hall of Heros', www.PoliPundit.com, PoliPundit

PoliPundit, editor and chief of the recently purged www.PoliPundit.com blog, has been grinding his teeth on immigration issues - and is demonstrating a rather advanced state of BDS. Among the following illustrious Senators who could not even vote for a border fence we find PoliPundit's future Senate leadership:

Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Murray (D-WA)
Obama (D-IL)
Reed (D-RI)
Sarbanes (D-MD)

Yippieeeee...

PoliPundit, your 16 heros are as follows (13 Republicans, 3 Democrats):

Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bond (R-MO)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Enzi (R-WY)
McConnell (R-KY)
Nelson (D-NE)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)

Your recommendation to vote for Senator Nelson of Nebraska means that you are voting to select:

Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Reed (D-RI)

as the 2007+ Senate Leadership!!!

It's the Leadership, Stupid :-&

Now My Teeth Grind :-&

Good God,

And from the niece of a great American General - the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff no less...

A comment by Hugh Hewitt regarding the statements of Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Julie Myers

UPDATE: My interview with Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Julie Myers staggered me, undoing in a handful of minutes my confidence in the president's commitment to border security first. Either the president's team had not communicated effectively with sub-cabinet appointees about the fence, or the president doesn't really believe in the fence, because Assistant Secretary Myers is clearly not a proponent of the fence.

Uuuugggghhhhhhhh...

Good job lady - who did you vote for?

If enough Conservatives heard this blather the game is over.

Ain't there anyone I can agree with 100% of the time...

All I can say is that he is placing the problem squarely on the table.
Who else in a position of power has done so.
The Ranter Tom Tancredo???
Who cares about him?

So let the games begin...

Secure the borders - both of them.
Deports prisoners upon completion of jail time.
Initiate a real Social Security Card program to secure benefits.

Even though I don't agree with about 20% of Bush's programs and beliefs (all of them, not just border control) I am very happy I held my nose and voted for him in 2000 - rather than staying home in a silly Kerryesque protest vote.

Elijah, let us talk…

Listen…

Listen…

Listen…

A still small voice

"What are you doing here, Elijah?":
Three Conjectures
An Axis of Evil
The Clash
The Gap

The Wind:

Strategic Overview
Strategic Overview Revisited

The Earthquake:

Tribes
Storm Warning...
Know Thy Enemy
Carnage and Culture

The Fire:

The Battle for Mosul IV
The End of the Beginning
Won or Winning
The Rise, Peak, Decline and Defeat of Iraq's Insurgency
Debunking the Leftie Iraq Mantra…Part 1
Debunking the Leftie Iraq Mantra…Part 2

Listen…

Listen…

Listen…

A still small voice:

"What are you doing here, Elijah?"
Iran
Boing, Boing
Winning the War on Terror
The Game, The Season, and the Legacy

What are you doing here, Elijah?

What are you doing here, Elijah?

I have watched mountains move,
I have seen the earthquakes,
I have witnessed the fires.

truth

That, I do know…

Allow me to take pause…

Let me see what hath been wrought…

A still small voice...

Re(1): 'A still small voice', The Belmont Club, Wretchard
Re(2): 'I'm Off On Politics for a while', The Anchoress, The Anchoress
Re(3): 'Never say never, but...', One Hand Clapping, Donald Sensing
Re(4): Chrenkoff's blog, Chrenkoff
Re(5): 'The Weakness of Empire', The American Conservative, Michael Vlahos
Re(6): 'The Three Conjectures', The Belmont Club, Wretchard

The below is a comment I posted within 'A still small voice'. Wretchard's post postulates:

My own hunch is that in the last two or three months there's been a change in the tone of the blogosphere. Nothing definite, simply a change in atmosphere in proportion to the degree of abstract tendencies of the blogger. Authors who trafficked in ideas and concepts have altered the most. Some have paused to take stock, pleading disgust or confusion; still others have returned to writing as seemingly different persons; others seem to be suffering a kind of nervous breakdown, obsessed with hatred for one or more public figures or inventing new words and finding conspiracies in everything they see.

My comment revolved around the little voice I feel more than hear that informs me that the die has been cast and there must be patience. That our job, while not done, is in abeyance while others place their shoulders to assigned tasks. That, while we have a role to play, the end of the beginning is defined by others.

Here is how I put it:

Many of those "authors who trafficked in ideas and concepts" now have to accept fate and watch events unfold. On all sides. That whisper echoed in my mind a few months ago.

In the GWOT things will head toward toward the '3rd Conjecture' or the '2nd Conjecture'.

In Iraq it is the Iraqis that will decide. In Iran it is the Iranians that will decide. In Saudi Arabia it is the Saudis that will decide. In Egypt it is the Egyptians that will decide.

We now watch - and hope.

I was then asked by a commenter to read another screed about Emperor Bush. Soon thereafter - I guess after losing my temper - I wrote:

After reading Wretchard and The Anchoress and Chrenkov and Stein and Altos, and Major Mike and Blackfive and etc. on the topic of today over a period of years now, your source document grinds my teeth. It could have been written in 2003 or some other period of ancient history.

Here is history fifty years from now: President Bush's greatest moment will the moment he did NOT don the purple fringed toga of an emperor.

And, by the way, Vlahos is 100% correct when he states that it is the republic that is the strong horse – not the autocracy. Proven again and again. But he is wrong to believe that only good can come of it. I would place President Bush more in league with Gaius Marius than Julius Caesar or Augustus. That is not all good, eh… And, remember FDR died in office after being elected four times.

My biggest concern now is that America may quickly become a defacto One Party State. And, yes, I understand and read the polls. But the oppositions defines nothing, argues nothing, and does nothing. When given the choice each voter in each district in each state will elect people who have meaning. Then power will shift to absolute.

I am much more worried about the next man – this man is a good man…

We can only hope we don’t elect a Sulla as Consul.

No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy

Semper Fi

Pull this finger, will you...

Ok, I'm not your dad and you are not young enough to fall for that one again - but...

Click this link on Wednesday, May 9, 2006 to answer questions on what the hue and cry in the press is all about...

Will President BusHitler force Tony Snow to try the sell the lie, dissemble the bad news, whitewash the destruction of America, or put a happy face on the increasing number of Gubmint Hoovervilles here in the NeoCon Dream...?

What is that damn crowing about out there... Shut up...

Yuk, yuk...

The Promise

The Prediction

This will be SO HUGE even the MediaCrat Party will be unable to ignore or bias the story...

Such a Tease!!!

Rich Bastards and Haliburton!!!

Watch the result of Greedy Corporate Profits!!!

Oooo, this is going to be a tough one for the 'Exempt' Media to swallow...

If you must cheat, review:
This, or This, or This, or This, or This, or This
or simply search for 'Hooverville' or 'Gubmint' on the www.PoliPundit.com blog site...

The CIA – A Remembrance…

Re(1): ‘Cleaning Out at CIA Will Intensify Under Hayden’, RealClearPolitics, Jack Kelly
Re(2): ‘Wretchard, Tenant, Goss, and Ali’, BoghieOnYourSix, Me

When I wrote the following in ‘Wretchard, Tenant, Goss, and Ali’ I thought I was descending into dungeons where only ‘Keepers Of Odd Knowledge’ subsist:

I speculate that Bush now has alternatives to the CIA as his preeminent intelligence gathering organization. Does he know who leaked the Black Prison program? Does he know who leaked the NSA Wiretap program? Maybe, maybe not… But, I think he knows the source(s) of those leaks and others are CIA. And, he gave Porter Goss a mandate to clean the organization up – which, in the end, proved impossible.

The restructuring is probably extricating the CIA from ‘loop’ and ‘restructuring’ their budget. The President has probably lost confidence in the CIA. If the impending changes are ‘in the clear’ expect decisive changes in personnel structure, financial structure, and internal clout. As we conservatives know full well, you cannot kill a government organization – but you can defund it and ostracize it.

I am not alone. Please completely read Jack Kelly’s article ‘Cleaning Out at CIA Will Intensify Under Hayden’. There is a new twist worth review:

Democrats say they plan to make an issue of the NSA wiretap program during his confirmation hearings. The president and Gen. Hayden seem to welcome that fight. The last time Democrats criticized the program, their poll numbers plummeted.

The key thing to remember is that this is a fight President Bush picked. He chose the time. He chose the ground.

Since the spring of 2003, President Bush has been playing defense against the political fallout generated by intelligence leaks. The Hayden nomination may be the start of a long planned counter-offensive.

How many times has The Selected President McChimp BusHitler chumped the Liberal Wing of the Moonbat Party?

Me thinks we will soon add another notch to that gun...

Err America - "We're only two years old!"

Just heard an ad for Err America in San Diego (KLSD - yuk, yuk) that wasn't supposed to be funny - but...

When you hear Ed Schulz, one of the few barely sensible hosts on the station, scream that they are still small because 'we are only two years old!' than things clarify...

They are acting their age!!!
They are at the beginning of their Terrible Twos!!!

There are some hosts that haven't quite matured to that point:

The Randi Rhodent
Mike Malloy
Scooter

Here are my biographies for each of these luminaries:

It seems that Mike Malloy - a former 'writer' for CNN and the now 'most dangerous liberal in the America' - has replaced Jerry Springer - the, uh, 'voice of reason' for the new left. Uh, yea... Jerry Springer... And, I have to whisper something in your ear: Jerry Springer is the 'voice of reason' on San Diego's Err America outlet. Bye, bye reason... Or, whatever passes for it in the fever swamps.

The Randi Rhodent is one of the least prepared and most ignorant ranters I have heard on the radio. She is like a dumber version of Savage. She is at her most ignorant "especially when she rallies around ideas that people rarely express out loud." Um, Randi, most people wouldn't express their absolute vapidity out loud.

And, "The Rant with Scooter is a show like no other. In a landscape of cookie-cutter talk shows, Scooter brings an irreverence, angst, wit, and well, rant, that isn't heard anywhere else. Scooter has pointed opinions on virtually every topic, and relishes taking aim on his favorite targets: right-wingers, religious nuts, and anybody or anything that gets him PO'd." No comment needed... Well maybe one comment... He is dumb enough to allow callers with a clue to challenge him. Lots of blood - till he shouts them down and cuts them off...

The other hosts are old, boring and bitter...

Wretchard, Tenant, Goss, and Ali

Re(1): 'Rummy "lied"', The Belmont Club, Wretchard
Re(2): 'Muhammed Ali', Wikipedia

This might not be exactly proper - because Wretchard states that when he posts comments on his articles he can be more speculative. But, the idea here is important:

Proving a lie is extremely hard to do. What can be shown was that pre-war intel was bad. On the balance I think history will sustain that charge. Somehow there is the idea that GWB was keeping two sets of intel books, like a crooked accountant: one with the "good" intel and another with the fake intel, and one day we will discover the legitimate books and establish the conspiracy. But from what has come out so far every set of books has been a mess.

Intel didn't see 9/11 coming. It didn't forsee Turkey would reject the 4ID; it couldn't find the WMDs in Iraq; it has not, to this day, found Zarqawi. In a way it would be more comforting if Rumsfeld did lie. It would mean we actually knew the truth and chose to lie about it. What seems more likely is that intelligence knows comparatively little that was definite. And that is a far more dangerous indicator operationally, than a commander's willingness to lie. It goes to a deficiency in capability, not intent.

What Wretchard at the Belmont Club is stating – in part – is that we Americans can resolve a lie. We can fire people, force people out of office, elect other politicians, and impeach the President. We can do these things and more!!!

But, what can we do if we have no capability of resolving the problem?

Those who deride Bush’s decision to hold Director Tenant in office after the gruesome failures of 9/11, the Cole Bombing, the African Embassy Bombings, Khobar Towers, etc. must look at his options. The CIA was – and is – a failure, but it is the only organization Bush had with which to fight the clandestine portion of the GWOT. The United States appears to have been Muhammed Ali fighting Ken Norton with a broken jaw.

I speculate that Bush now has alternatives to the CIA as his preeminent intelligence gathering organization. Does he know who leaked the Black Prison program? Does he know who leaked the NSA Wiretap program? Maybe, maybe not… But, I think he knows the source(s) of those leaks and others are CIA. And, he gave Porter Goss a mandate to clean the organization up – which, in the end, proved impossible.

The restructuring is probably extricating the CIA from ‘loop’ and ‘restructuring’ their budget. The President has probably lost confidence in the CIA. If the impending changes are ‘in the clear’ expect decisive changes in personnel structure, financial structure, and internal clout. As we conservatives know full well, you cannot kill a government organization – but you can defund it and ostracize it.

Hopefully, the Left will allow us to win the GWOT...
Mohammed Ali lost to Ken Norton on points...
But, the 'Rope-A-Dope' was coming...

From the Archives: The Public Destruction of Moonbats...

Re(1): 'Debunking the Leftie Iraq Mantra…Part 1', MySandmen, Major Mike
Re(2): 'Mental strife', Belmont Club, Wretchard

This is a Public Service Announcement

As a result of reading Major Mike's mauling of Leftie mantras and Wretchard's 'review' of the Hitchens/Cole spat I realized that I too could provide a public service. As Major Mike has stated, I like to consolidate information into one easy to digest bite.

So spend a bit of time in the way back machine listening to, and watching, intelligent people who know what they are talking about destroy their opposition:

The Dean/Pearle drubbing...
Or the VDH/Huffington destruction...
Or, oh my God, the Great Hitchens/Galloway mauling...

When will these clowns (Huffington, Galloway, and Dean) realize that they should not appear in public. When the left appears in public they get humilitated. Why would you pick a fight with VDH, Hitchens, and Pearle...

Bravo to Hitchens...
Drawing the slugs out from under their rotting waste...

By my count: Hitchens 2 wins / 0 losses
Gorgeous George Galloway 0 wins / 1 loss
John '10th Rate' Cole 0 wins / 1 loss

Daily News: Al-Qaeda Recruit Depot, Iraq…

Re(1): 'Counterterrorism in The Triangle of Death', SecurityWatchTower, C.S. Scott
Re(2): 'Taking the fight into the heart of Ramadi', SecurityWatchTower, C.S. Scott
Re(3): 'Special Operation Forces raid al Qaeda safehouse near Balad', SecurityWatchTower, C.S. Scott
Re(4): 'The McCaffrey trip report', Belmont Club, Wretchard

The infidel C.S. Scott of www.SecurityWatchTower.com is proclaiming deceitful lies and exhortations about our al-Qaeda Recruit Depot, Iraq – the flower garden of Global Jihad.

He lies about the jihad like Booosh lies about cake yellow and oil companies.

I am free to move around as I wish – I just like the area around Yusifiyah. It’s pretty. And, its close to Iran – a country I have no coordination with. I like it so much I made a documentary there. So, that is why I am in Yusifiyah – not because the apostate Iraqis are ratting me out every time I kill some of them. I just like drinking sweat tea here.

And, there are always casualties when training for Jihad. Infidel Scott makes a big deal about the forces of the Great Satan killing or capturing Ramsi Ahmed Ismael Muhammed, Mohammed Rabei, Akram Mahmud al-Mshhadani, and Muhammed Hilah Hammad al-Ubaydi. I enjoyed fine tea with these jihadis – but I can replace them with 13 year old youths from the Junior Jihadi Brigades. No big deal.

And, every training session results in a few casualties and captures. So what. What is the big deal about the Zionists killing 187 foot soldiers a couple of weeks ago? They grow on trees – Iraq is a recruiting ground. That is why I am sticking around in Yusifiyah. It’s not because I am surrounded and some stupid task force is closing in on me. Bush is an idiot and a failure. Bush is a liar. Rumsfeld should be deported.

Don’t worry about the 174 jihadis killed and captured last week. Did I tell you that Yusifiyah is beautiful this time of year – and that I never considered the border with Iran when I moved here? The Anbar province was too provincial for me. I like action. And, Yusifiyah fills that bill…

It sure does…

Never mind what a cowardly retired General says - he is lying. He lies like Cheny shooting old people. He lies like all the Zionist monkeys and apes - like your Chimp In Chief Booosh. He just wants to make an infidel airport on our Depot. The eight heros from the 'Zinni Zionists in Favor of Retreat' are the ones you should listen too.

Our beautiful recruiting and training ground in Iraq has never been better...

Gotta Go..

Someones Knocking…

Bush's Promise - To cut the deficit in half by FY2009

Re(1): ‘Analysts Call Outlook for Bush Plan Bleak’, Washington Post, Jonathan Weisman

Yup, that incompetent boob we know as George Boosh lied again and promised to cut the annual budget deficit in half by FY2009 - during a Presidential election no less.

What a panderer...

Well, let us take BusHitler at his word…

He said he would cut the deficit in half when the CBO was projecting a $520 Billion deficit in FY2004 – during the Presidential election campaign. For my Liberal readers that would mean that Booosh’s Budget would run a deficit of $260 Billion in FY2009 – his last year in office.

Last year we ran a $318 Billion deficit.
That is with a $57 Billion surplus for April 2005.
That was a mere $78 Billion from his target deficit…

And, let us complicate things.
Read the referenced article and note that Bush is now budgeting:

1. Dramatically increased funding for the Department of Defense
2. Funded a huge increase in the Department of Homeland Security (Katrina)
3. And, is paying more on Federal debt interest

So, to get to $260 Billion we probably need an April 2006 surplus of about $110 Billion
And, to get to $210 Billion we probably need an April 2006 surplus of about $155 Billion

This year California posted April tax revenue 40% higher than expected.

Hmmm, the numbers come out on the eighth working day of the month – Wednesday May 10th. I can't wait...