Yesterday, I wrote a defense of former US Justice Department lawyer and current Berkeley law professor John Yoo for the so-called "torture memo" he wrote in August 2002. I encourage all my fans to read Yoo's memo for yourselves. Yes, it's a bit dry and sounds like a stuffy lawyer wrote it. But it is a concise analysis of the issue on which Yoo was tasked with opining.
Today, the CIA revealed a memo showing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi knew of the Agency's plans to use waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation techniques"...in September 2002. In other words, one month after Yoo's memo hit Attorney General John Ashcroft's desk, Pelosi, then the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, was briefed by the CIA on the very issues discussed in Yoo's memo. What's worse, Yoo's memo speaks in generalities never mentioning any specific techniques being reviewed while, by contrast, Pelosi's briefing included details.
Pelosi raised no objections during the briefing or afterward. That is, until about 18 months ago when Bush Derangement Syndrome manifested itself in the form of Attorney General Michael Mukasey's confirmation hearings. Over the past months, Pelosi has gotten out in front of the parade and formally endorsed a "truth commission" to investigate the Bush administration's anti-terrorism policies.
Tell you what, we'll make you a deal. Let's shine the light of truth on everyone involved, including you and your fellow members of Congress, and let the chips fall where they may. I propose we establish jointly with Congress and the Obama administration a blue-ribbon "torture truth" investigative team. If waterboarding or other techniques are torture, then everyone who actively approved or participated in the practices, or tacitly supported them through failures to object when alerted, should be investigated and tried for federal crimes. Yes, that includes you, Madam Speaker, many of your fellow representatives, and Professor Yoo, too.
Of course, the Anointed One would also have to go back on his promise and allow investigators to pursue the CIA agents and operatives who actually did or supervised the dirty work. And it would all have to be made public so we'd be providing invaluable intelligence to our enemies. Hmmm, that could get ugly. America would be in significantly greater danger, the CIA would be further emasculated, and terrorists would be emboldened. The damage would likely be catastrophic.
Ah, no matter. That's the price we pay for full disclosure.
Or we can recognize this issue for what it truly is--a half-baked, hysterical, hypocritical attempt at political gamesmanship, rewriting history, and blaming that Evil Bush, his puppet master Cheney, the war-mongers in his administration and those mean-spirited Republicans for every perceived ill--and realize that the rare American misdeeds (if they can be categorized as such) are not the equivalent of anything our brutal, misogynistic, Stone Age enemy does on a daily basis.
Choose your side, Madam Speaker. I'll pick the American patriots, who willingly do whatever it takes to protect us, over your blue ribbon commission every time.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Leave Yoo Alone
Let me see if I have this straight.
It’s 2002. The US is still reeling in the aftermath of the terror attacks on 9/11. Al Qaeda is now Enemy No. 1 and we are at war. A lawyer for the US Justice Department is given the assignment to research the issue of whether interrogation methods proposed to be used on al Qaeda suspects constitute torture under US and international law. He reviews applicable federal statutes, treaties and agreements. He concludes that the proposed interrogation methods do not violate US or international law or treaties.
So he puts it on paper.
His reward? If some have their way, it’ll be disbarment and criminal prosecution..
Liberal lefties are having a conniption over Prof. John Yoo, the former Justice Department attorney who drafted the now infamous memo. They call him a war criminal, picket and protest his speaking engagements, and are demanding he be fired from his position as a Berkeley law professor. Nothing gets under a socialist hippy’s skin quite like a “person of color” who achieved high levels of success the old fashioned way (see e.g. Justice Clarence Thomas).
Whatever happened to free speech? I thought the liberal loons were all for it. Unless it’s racist. Or not politically correct. Or Christian or mentions God (or “god”). Sorry, I digressed.
Back to free speech. If you read Yoo’s memo you’ll find a thoughtful analysis of the issues presented. You won’t find any mention of “waterboarding” or other techniques some describe as torture. Instead, Yoo dispassionately interprets the relevant language in statutes and treaties and concludes the proposed (but unspecified) techniques are not torture. You might disagree with his analysis but he clearly is not war-mongering or out for blood.
The dean of Berkeley’s law school, Christopher Edley Jr. has rejected calls to fire Yoo but, like the good lefty he is, couldn't miss the chance to throw more fuel on Yoo's bonfire. “Assuming one believes as I do that Professor Yoo offered bad ideas and even worse advice during his government service, that judgment alone would not warrant dismissal or even a potentially chilling inquiry.” Gee, thanks Dean Edley for the words of support. In other words, I agree with you liberal lefties about Yoo and even though the sight of him makes me vomit I just can’t fire him unless he's committed a crime...so keep it up and I'll have my chance to fire him.
Unlike Yoo, the liberal left is out for blood. They are all too ready to frog-march Yoo from his office directly to Gitmo. Maybe we should waterboard him to see if he knows anything about the Valerie Plame case. That way he can feel what it’s like. Yank his law license, vandalize his house and threaten his wife and kids while you’re at it. They deserve it for hitching their wagon to him. And get Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice at the same time.
Calling Yoo a war criminal is ridiculous and reprehensible. It’s nothing more than an attempt to project Bush Derangement Syndrome on anyone and everyone involved with the War on Terror. The lefty wackos should be ashamed of themselves, but apparently being a lefty means having no shame.
How do you expect an attorney to provide honest and comprehensive legal analysis of a complicated and controversial issue if he knows that he can be disbarred and prosecuted if he doesn’t come to the “correct” conclusion? I’m sure lawyers will be lining up for that job.
Prosecute Yoo and you might as well eliminate the Justice Department. In its place we’ll establish the Department of Peace, American War Crimes Prosecution, and International Criminal Court Enforcement. That’ll scare the crap out of al Qaeda.
It’s 2002. The US is still reeling in the aftermath of the terror attacks on 9/11. Al Qaeda is now Enemy No. 1 and we are at war. A lawyer for the US Justice Department is given the assignment to research the issue of whether interrogation methods proposed to be used on al Qaeda suspects constitute torture under US and international law. He reviews applicable federal statutes, treaties and agreements. He concludes that the proposed interrogation methods do not violate US or international law or treaties.
So he puts it on paper.
His reward? If some have their way, it’ll be disbarment and criminal prosecution..
Liberal lefties are having a conniption over Prof. John Yoo, the former Justice Department attorney who drafted the now infamous memo. They call him a war criminal, picket and protest his speaking engagements, and are demanding he be fired from his position as a Berkeley law professor. Nothing gets under a socialist hippy’s skin quite like a “person of color” who achieved high levels of success the old fashioned way (see e.g. Justice Clarence Thomas).
Whatever happened to free speech? I thought the liberal loons were all for it. Unless it’s racist. Or not politically correct. Or Christian or mentions God (or “god”). Sorry, I digressed.
Back to free speech. If you read Yoo’s memo you’ll find a thoughtful analysis of the issues presented. You won’t find any mention of “waterboarding” or other techniques some describe as torture. Instead, Yoo dispassionately interprets the relevant language in statutes and treaties and concludes the proposed (but unspecified) techniques are not torture. You might disagree with his analysis but he clearly is not war-mongering or out for blood.
The dean of Berkeley’s law school, Christopher Edley Jr. has rejected calls to fire Yoo but, like the good lefty he is, couldn't miss the chance to throw more fuel on Yoo's bonfire. “Assuming one believes as I do that Professor Yoo offered bad ideas and even worse advice during his government service, that judgment alone would not warrant dismissal or even a potentially chilling inquiry.” Gee, thanks Dean Edley for the words of support. In other words, I agree with you liberal lefties about Yoo and even though the sight of him makes me vomit I just can’t fire him unless he's committed a crime...so keep it up and I'll have my chance to fire him.
Unlike Yoo, the liberal left is out for blood. They are all too ready to frog-march Yoo from his office directly to Gitmo. Maybe we should waterboard him to see if he knows anything about the Valerie Plame case. That way he can feel what it’s like. Yank his law license, vandalize his house and threaten his wife and kids while you’re at it. They deserve it for hitching their wagon to him. And get Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice at the same time.
Calling Yoo a war criminal is ridiculous and reprehensible. It’s nothing more than an attempt to project Bush Derangement Syndrome on anyone and everyone involved with the War on Terror. The lefty wackos should be ashamed of themselves, but apparently being a lefty means having no shame.
How do you expect an attorney to provide honest and comprehensive legal analysis of a complicated and controversial issue if he knows that he can be disbarred and prosecuted if he doesn’t come to the “correct” conclusion? I’m sure lawyers will be lining up for that job.
Prosecute Yoo and you might as well eliminate the Justice Department. In its place we’ll establish the Department of Peace, American War Crimes Prosecution, and International Criminal Court Enforcement. That’ll scare the crap out of al Qaeda.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
The Cautionary Tale of the Costly Crappers
“It’s a toilet, what else do ya wanna know?”
Well, not quite. Butch Behn of Tenino, Washington is being coy when he downplays his classy new commodes. They actually have quite a story.
If you’ve taken the “Seattle Underground Tour” you’ll know that plumbing has played an important role in the city’s history. With the arrival of the “water closet” Seattleites could flush with their more sophisticated cousins in the east. However, the local sewer system had a tendency to flow both ways thanks to the tides in Puget Sound. Imagine a toilet one minute, sewage fountain the next. A great fire in 1889 that burned much of the city also provided the opportunity for sewer modernization.
Fast forward about 100 years. Seattle is a thriving metropolis, a cosmopolitan port of entry with modern facilities and amenities. And one of the most liberal cities in the US. Seattle politics and city government are owned by liberal Democrats. How else to explain Rep. “Baghdad” Jim McDermott and virtually every mayor and city councilman coming from the left? Republicans have not had a controlling presence in the city since the 1980s. Conservative locals identify Seattle as existing “behind the Emerald Curtain”.
Thanks to growth, industry and positive media coverage, Seattle is a world leader. But, like all cities, it still struggles with urban problems.
Apparently, one pressing problem in 2004 was adequate toilet facilities for tourists. Seattle’s solution? Buy 5 enormous, shiny, stainless-steel self-cleaning toilets for $1 million each and install them at popular tourist locations for people to use for free. Tourists would appreciate the extra facilities and city leaders figured they’d get the added benefit of the homeless using the toilets to relieve themselves instead of alleys and parks.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well, once the costly commodes were installed, they quickly became popular with [surprise!] drug users and prostitutes. Self-cleaning, free toilets large enough for two sure beat crack houses and hourly-rate motels. Seattle’s outstanding outhouses had become the butt of jokes, just the latest classic liberal spending boondoggle.
Four years later, city leaders put the toilets up on eBay and eventually sold them to Butch Behn—for $12,549. Of that amount, the city recovered about $10,000. In other words, Seattle’s $5 million investment failed to serve its designated purpose and created additional, more serious problems than the one it was supposed to solve. Oh, and the city recovered a meaningless two-tenths of one percent (0.2%) of the original cost.
When we conservatives rail against runaway government spending, we don’t do so just to gainsay liberals. We do it because we believe government at all levels should spend less overall and the money government spends should be targeted to the issues government is in the best position to solve. We also believe people are enterprising enough to find a toilet to use on their own.
Back to Butch Behn. He recently installed a couple of his new toilets as a novelty item at his South Sound Speedway in time for this year’s racing season. Now the shiny crappers will be preserved by a local capitalist entrepreneur. Monuments to government waste and excess in service to Puget Sound race fans, a suburban/rural demographic that doubtless would have opposed the toilet project had they lived in the Big City. Congressional Democrats and President Obama should take note.
Behn’s son Nick summed it up this way: “Everybody’s gotta take a dump in a million dollar toilet.” Unfortunately, thanks to runaway liberal spending, we’ll all probably get that chance
Well, not quite. Butch Behn of Tenino, Washington is being coy when he downplays his classy new commodes. They actually have quite a story.
If you’ve taken the “Seattle Underground Tour” you’ll know that plumbing has played an important role in the city’s history. With the arrival of the “water closet” Seattleites could flush with their more sophisticated cousins in the east. However, the local sewer system had a tendency to flow both ways thanks to the tides in Puget Sound. Imagine a toilet one minute, sewage fountain the next. A great fire in 1889 that burned much of the city also provided the opportunity for sewer modernization.
Fast forward about 100 years. Seattle is a thriving metropolis, a cosmopolitan port of entry with modern facilities and amenities. And one of the most liberal cities in the US. Seattle politics and city government are owned by liberal Democrats. How else to explain Rep. “Baghdad” Jim McDermott and virtually every mayor and city councilman coming from the left? Republicans have not had a controlling presence in the city since the 1980s. Conservative locals identify Seattle as existing “behind the Emerald Curtain”.
Thanks to growth, industry and positive media coverage, Seattle is a world leader. But, like all cities, it still struggles with urban problems.
Apparently, one pressing problem in 2004 was adequate toilet facilities for tourists. Seattle’s solution? Buy 5 enormous, shiny, stainless-steel self-cleaning toilets for $1 million each and install them at popular tourist locations for people to use for free. Tourists would appreciate the extra facilities and city leaders figured they’d get the added benefit of the homeless using the toilets to relieve themselves instead of alleys and parks.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well, once the costly commodes were installed, they quickly became popular with [surprise!] drug users and prostitutes. Self-cleaning, free toilets large enough for two sure beat crack houses and hourly-rate motels. Seattle’s outstanding outhouses had become the butt of jokes, just the latest classic liberal spending boondoggle.
Four years later, city leaders put the toilets up on eBay and eventually sold them to Butch Behn—for $12,549. Of that amount, the city recovered about $10,000. In other words, Seattle’s $5 million investment failed to serve its designated purpose and created additional, more serious problems than the one it was supposed to solve. Oh, and the city recovered a meaningless two-tenths of one percent (0.2%) of the original cost.
When we conservatives rail against runaway government spending, we don’t do so just to gainsay liberals. We do it because we believe government at all levels should spend less overall and the money government spends should be targeted to the issues government is in the best position to solve. We also believe people are enterprising enough to find a toilet to use on their own.
Back to Butch Behn. He recently installed a couple of his new toilets as a novelty item at his South Sound Speedway in time for this year’s racing season. Now the shiny crappers will be preserved by a local capitalist entrepreneur. Monuments to government waste and excess in service to Puget Sound race fans, a suburban/rural demographic that doubtless would have opposed the toilet project had they lived in the Big City. Congressional Democrats and President Obama should take note.
Behn’s son Nick summed it up this way: “Everybody’s gotta take a dump in a million dollar toilet.” Unfortunately, thanks to runaway liberal spending, we’ll all probably get that chance
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
What You Need to Know about Swine Flu
If you want some advice on how the media suggests you prepare for swine flu, click here.
However, in case you hadn't noticed, the media has a tendency toward laziness and bias. So I decided to take the actual questions asked in this article and provide the true answers. Here we go:
"Q: How do I protect myself and my family?"
A: There is little you can do until the next Congressional election cycle in 2010. The Democrats who run Congress seem to have a particularly acute case of swine flu given their propensity for reckless and runaway pork. For now, try not to make too much money since it will doubtless be taxed at confiscatory rates. And drink plenty of fluids.
"Q: How easy is it to catch this virus?"
A: Outside of Congress, it seems that leftists, socialists, union leaders, MSNBC TV personalities, community organizers and Oba-Messiah worshipers are at greatest risk of infection. However, the virus has been known to attack spineless RINOs inside the Beltway. According to the CDC, one theory on how the virus has spread so rapidly is prolonged exposure to hot air and hob-knobbing in the Capitol Building cafeteria, attending White House press briefings, and getting within spitting distance of Speaker Pelosi.
"Q: In Mexico, officials are handing out face masks. Do I need one?"
A: At this point, it is recommended that you use a mask when you travel inside the Beltway, a particularly hot spot. Or if you are considering a run for public office. It's safer to avoid close contact with a likely host (see partial list of categories above) but if you can't do that, CDC guidelines say it's OK to consider a mask — or plug your nose and turn up your iPod.
"Q: Is swine flu treatable?"
A: Yes. If you suspect you might have been exposed to swine flu, it is recommended that you immediately begin a heavy dose of Ronald Reagan speeches in print or audio form. If you fear your Members of Congress have been infected, write them urgently and encourage them to seek treatment lest they be voted out of office.
"Q: Is there enough?"
A: Yes, but if you don't have easy access to President Reagan's speeches, you could begin a course of conservative talk radio treatment.
"Q: Should I take Tamiflu as a precaution if I'm not sick yet?"
A: What, you really think some drug will help you?
"Q: How big is my risk?"
A: It depends. If you are a taxpayer, you are at low risk to catch swine flu but are certainly most likely to be affected since you will be footing the bill for others. That disadvantage is balanced by the amount of pork that comes to your district. So, for example, if you are a taxpayer in Kittanning, PA, in the district of Rep. John Murtha, D-PA, your poor representative has been infected for years. However, your community previously received $300,000 of a renovations at the Belmont Complex, a county-run public swimming pool and ice rink center. And you probably only paid a few pennies for it. On the other hand, if you are a taxpayer in the district of Rep. Mike Pence, R-IN, your representative is healthy but you don't have any goodies to show for it. And you paid for a nice ice rink in western PA.
"Q: Should I cancel my planned trip to Mexico?"
A: Why in the name of all that is good and righteous would you ever travel to Mexico? Cancel it and see part of America instead.
"Q: What else is the U.S., or anyone else, doing to try to stop this virus?"
A: Unfortunately, the Obama Administration seems to be directly encouraging the spread of the virus. It is likely that we will see more porkulus packages in the future. Government servants have an especially difficult time healing from swine flu. If you attend any tea parties, however, you might discover that many fellow attendees actually have some good ideas about stopping the virus, though you'd be hard pressed to hear that from the MSM.
"Q: What are the symptoms?"
A: A spending fever, deep desire to bring money and pork home and pay off those campaign contributors, doublespeak, strong urge to secrecy and voting for spending bills without reading them, a "D" mysteriously appearing after your name, haughtiness and extreme pride, and malodorous and often painful gas.
"Q: Is there a vaccine to prevent this new infection?"
A: Yes. It's called small government, low tax, Bill of Rights, Ninth and Tenth Amendment, originalist interpretation, pro-US military, anti-terrorist conservatism.
"Q: How long would it take to produce a vaccine?"
A: One can be produced as quickly as November 2010.
"Q: What is swine flu?
A: Pigs spread their own strains of influenza and every so often people catch one, usually after contact with the animals." In this case, Democrats in Congress and President Obama caught the virus by directly suckling the tits of the federal government sow, i.e. your wallet.
"Q: So is it safe to eat pork?"
A: By all means, eat pork. Just buy it yourself instead of relying on your congressman to bring it home to you.
"Q: And whatever happened to bird flu? Wasn't that supposed to be the next pandemic?"
A: Swine flu is merely a mutate strain of bird flu caused by the excessive, obscene and drunken spending spree of those turkeys back in DC.
So there you have it. The bottom line? Elect true conservatives, you'll cure swine flu by eliminating pork-barrel projects, and bird flu by voting the turkeys out of office.
However, in case you hadn't noticed, the media has a tendency toward laziness and bias. So I decided to take the actual questions asked in this article and provide the true answers. Here we go:
"Q: How do I protect myself and my family?"
A: There is little you can do until the next Congressional election cycle in 2010. The Democrats who run Congress seem to have a particularly acute case of swine flu given their propensity for reckless and runaway pork. For now, try not to make too much money since it will doubtless be taxed at confiscatory rates. And drink plenty of fluids.
"Q: How easy is it to catch this virus?"
A: Outside of Congress, it seems that leftists, socialists, union leaders, MSNBC TV personalities, community organizers and Oba-Messiah worshipers are at greatest risk of infection. However, the virus has been known to attack spineless RINOs inside the Beltway. According to the CDC, one theory on how the virus has spread so rapidly is prolonged exposure to hot air and hob-knobbing in the Capitol Building cafeteria, attending White House press briefings, and getting within spitting distance of Speaker Pelosi.
"Q: In Mexico, officials are handing out face masks. Do I need one?"
A: At this point, it is recommended that you use a mask when you travel inside the Beltway, a particularly hot spot. Or if you are considering a run for public office. It's safer to avoid close contact with a likely host (see partial list of categories above) but if you can't do that, CDC guidelines say it's OK to consider a mask — or plug your nose and turn up your iPod.
"Q: Is swine flu treatable?"
A: Yes. If you suspect you might have been exposed to swine flu, it is recommended that you immediately begin a heavy dose of Ronald Reagan speeches in print or audio form. If you fear your Members of Congress have been infected, write them urgently and encourage them to seek treatment lest they be voted out of office.
"Q: Is there enough?"
A: Yes, but if you don't have easy access to President Reagan's speeches, you could begin a course of conservative talk radio treatment.
"Q: Should I take Tamiflu as a precaution if I'm not sick yet?"
A: What, you really think some drug will help you?
"Q: How big is my risk?"
A: It depends. If you are a taxpayer, you are at low risk to catch swine flu but are certainly most likely to be affected since you will be footing the bill for others. That disadvantage is balanced by the amount of pork that comes to your district. So, for example, if you are a taxpayer in Kittanning, PA, in the district of Rep. John Murtha, D-PA, your poor representative has been infected for years. However, your community previously received $300,000 of a renovations at the Belmont Complex, a county-run public swimming pool and ice rink center. And you probably only paid a few pennies for it. On the other hand, if you are a taxpayer in the district of Rep. Mike Pence, R-IN, your representative is healthy but you don't have any goodies to show for it. And you paid for a nice ice rink in western PA.
"Q: Should I cancel my planned trip to Mexico?"
A: Why in the name of all that is good and righteous would you ever travel to Mexico? Cancel it and see part of America instead.
"Q: What else is the U.S., or anyone else, doing to try to stop this virus?"
A: Unfortunately, the Obama Administration seems to be directly encouraging the spread of the virus. It is likely that we will see more porkulus packages in the future. Government servants have an especially difficult time healing from swine flu. If you attend any tea parties, however, you might discover that many fellow attendees actually have some good ideas about stopping the virus, though you'd be hard pressed to hear that from the MSM.
"Q: What are the symptoms?"
A: A spending fever, deep desire to bring money and pork home and pay off those campaign contributors, doublespeak, strong urge to secrecy and voting for spending bills without reading them, a "D" mysteriously appearing after your name, haughtiness and extreme pride, and malodorous and often painful gas.
"Q: Is there a vaccine to prevent this new infection?"
A: Yes. It's called small government, low tax, Bill of Rights, Ninth and Tenth Amendment, originalist interpretation, pro-US military, anti-terrorist conservatism.
"Q: How long would it take to produce a vaccine?"
A: One can be produced as quickly as November 2010.
"Q: What is swine flu?
A: Pigs spread their own strains of influenza and every so often people catch one, usually after contact with the animals." In this case, Democrats in Congress and President Obama caught the virus by directly suckling the tits of the federal government sow, i.e. your wallet.
"Q: So is it safe to eat pork?"
A: By all means, eat pork. Just buy it yourself instead of relying on your congressman to bring it home to you.
"Q: And whatever happened to bird flu? Wasn't that supposed to be the next pandemic?"
A: Swine flu is merely a mutate strain of bird flu caused by the excessive, obscene and drunken spending spree of those turkeys back in DC.
So there you have it. The bottom line? Elect true conservatives, you'll cure swine flu by eliminating pork-barrel projects, and bird flu by voting the turkeys out of office.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Quick Hit #1--POTUS v. Miss California
Over the past few weeks, during his "I'm Sorry America Sucks" Tour, President Barack Obama ("POTUS") has (as the London Telegraph put it) gone further than any US president in criticizing America on foreign soil. America, according to POTUS, has been arrogant, divisive, and derisive, and he shouldn't be blamed for what happened when he was 3 years old. These beliefs drive POTUS's bus thanks to his influences (Rev. Wright, Bill Ayers, Black Liberation Theology, etc.) and the goodness of America is relegated to the luggage compartment.
The MSM's response? POTUS is recognizing the fallibility of America. We have a president who is courageous and not reflexive--willing to recognize America's role in creating hardship around the world. Finally, a president of principles who won't genuflect to some American's outdated, simplistic notions of patriotism. The MSM "tolerates"--indeed, lauds-- POTUS for standing on principle.
Carrie Prejean, Miss California, also stood up for her principles. When confronted by gay gossiping blowhard Perez Hilton during the Miss USA Pageant with a question about gay marriage, Ms. Prejean spoke what she believed: marriage should be between one man and one woman, but people can have whatever private relationships they want. Uh oh.
Where's the tolerance and adulation for Ms. Prejean? Well, before the pageant she was essentially unknown. Now, taking Perez Hilton's lead (since when should a gossip be allowed to drive the news?) she's a "dumb bitch", "ugly", a public pariah with a huge target on her evening gown. She must have known that her answer would subject her to scorn and ridicule but she said it anyway. To an unfriendly crowd. On their turf. At the risk of losing the very crown she had worked so hard for.
POTUS, too, had ripe opportunities abroad to reassert America's principles. The goodness of America, the shining City on the Hill, the beacon of freedom and democracy, the flawed but mighty defender of liberty. To unfriendly crowds. On their turf. At the risk of losing their adoration. He could have stood his ground like Ms. Prejean. Instead, he blinked and told despots and dictators what they wanted to hear.
It's a sad day in America when a beauty queen has bigger balls than the American President.
The MSM's response? POTUS is recognizing the fallibility of America. We have a president who is courageous and not reflexive--willing to recognize America's role in creating hardship around the world. Finally, a president of principles who won't genuflect to some American's outdated, simplistic notions of patriotism. The MSM "tolerates"--indeed, lauds-- POTUS for standing on principle.
Carrie Prejean, Miss California, also stood up for her principles. When confronted by gay gossiping blowhard Perez Hilton during the Miss USA Pageant with a question about gay marriage, Ms. Prejean spoke what she believed: marriage should be between one man and one woman, but people can have whatever private relationships they want. Uh oh.
Where's the tolerance and adulation for Ms. Prejean? Well, before the pageant she was essentially unknown. Now, taking Perez Hilton's lead (since when should a gossip be allowed to drive the news?) she's a "dumb bitch", "ugly", a public pariah with a huge target on her evening gown. She must have known that her answer would subject her to scorn and ridicule but she said it anyway. To an unfriendly crowd. On their turf. At the risk of losing the very crown she had worked so hard for.
POTUS, too, had ripe opportunities abroad to reassert America's principles. The goodness of America, the shining City on the Hill, the beacon of freedom and democracy, the flawed but mighty defender of liberty. To unfriendly crowds. On their turf. At the risk of losing their adoration. He could have stood his ground like Ms. Prejean. Instead, he blinked and told despots and dictators what they wanted to hear.
It's a sad day in America when a beauty queen has bigger balls than the American President.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
A Christian Nation--Part One
During his Magical Mystery Tour this past week, Pres. Obama stopped in Turkey , gave a speech and toured a mosque. News channels always refer to Turkey as a “secular” Islamic nation. I suppose that term is used to distinguish Turkey from “theocratic” Islamic nations, presumably places like, for example, Iran , Saudi Arabia and Sudan. But you can’t really tell because the MSM never seems to discuss the issue.
I point out the “secular” part because Pres. Obama told the Turks that America is “not a Christian nation” but a “nation of citizens” who share common values. The mosque visitation didn’t bother me much since it was the Hagia Sophia, a very famous landmark that was originally constructed as a Christian church. What did bother me was the speech. I’m not sure what Obama meant by “Christian nation” so I started thinking about it since I don’t want to automatically gainsay everything POTUS says simply because I tend to agree with him on virtually nothing.
So, is America a Christian nation?
In order to answer the question, we have to define the term. If by “Christian nation” we intend that America is a theocracy whose people are governed by the interpretation of religious texts, and the laws derived there from, then the answer is decidedly “no”. American is unlike, for example, nations like Saudi Arabia and Nigeria that have “religious courts” where offenses to Sharia are heard and dealt with swiftly, with prejudice and using extreme cruelty.
When most people use the term “Christian nation” they seem to mean one or more things. For example, they often have an understanding of the Christian faith of our nation’s founders. They are aware that the vast majority of Americans describe themselves as “Christians”. And they are usually familiar with religious leaders like Dr. James Dobson, Rev. Jerry Falwell and others who have long publicly supported the Christian heritage of America in discussing current events.
Many who reject these positions claim, for example, that our Founding Fathers were “deists”, not Christians, and point to the absence of Jesus Christ from our founding documents. At the same time, they recite the “separation between church and state” mantra as if it were etched on stone tablets by George Washington himself despite the fact that those words are scarcer than Jesus in our founding documents. Using an 1802 letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association as the gold standard on the issue is more than a bit disingenuous. But I digress. http://www.usconstitution.net/jeffwall.html
The truth is that either side can pull selective quotes from founding documents to support their respective positions. However, there are some facts that suggest the supporters of a Christian nation concept have the better arguments.
The Pilgrims organized and came to the New World because they believed their religious beliefs were irreconcilable with the Church of England and British laws mandating Church attendance. In other words, the very first American colonists were acutely aware of religious differences and the need for government to recognize freedom for people with different religious practices. The religious freedoms offered in the New World (initially due in part to the geographical chasm between Europe and America) led to other varied religious groups colonizing or establishing themselves as well (Puritans in New England, Quakers in Pennsylvania , Baptists in the South, etc).
With this background, and about 150 years of colonial development rooted in it, how could these colonies possibly unite under a single religion or creed? They wouldn’t just voluntarily trade the oppressive national church they intentionally left for another. Give the Founding Fathers credit for drafting and approving the First Amendment to ensure the greatest religious freedom for all denominations. A truly united national government simply could not have a national church and our founders recognized that reality.
That was the practical reality created by our early settlers and their freedom to practice their religious beliefs as they saw fit. Though, obviously, condensing 150+ years of colonial history into 2 paragraphs leaves a lot out. My next blog entry will explore some of the specific words our founders used that evidence the strength of Christianity as a cornerstone of our nation’s historical foundation.
I point out the “secular” part because Pres. Obama told the Turks that America is “not a Christian nation” but a “nation of citizens” who share common values. The mosque visitation didn’t bother me much since it was the Hagia Sophia, a very famous landmark that was originally constructed as a Christian church. What did bother me was the speech. I’m not sure what Obama meant by “Christian nation” so I started thinking about it since I don’t want to automatically gainsay everything POTUS says simply because I tend to agree with him on virtually nothing.
So, is America a Christian nation?
In order to answer the question, we have to define the term. If by “Christian nation” we intend that America is a theocracy whose people are governed by the interpretation of religious texts, and the laws derived there from, then the answer is decidedly “no”. American is unlike, for example, nations like Saudi Arabia and Nigeria that have “religious courts” where offenses to Sharia are heard and dealt with swiftly, with prejudice and using extreme cruelty.
When most people use the term “Christian nation” they seem to mean one or more things. For example, they often have an understanding of the Christian faith of our nation’s founders. They are aware that the vast majority of Americans describe themselves as “Christians”. And they are usually familiar with religious leaders like Dr. James Dobson, Rev. Jerry Falwell and others who have long publicly supported the Christian heritage of America in discussing current events.
Many who reject these positions claim, for example, that our Founding Fathers were “deists”, not Christians, and point to the absence of Jesus Christ from our founding documents. At the same time, they recite the “separation between church and state” mantra as if it were etched on stone tablets by George Washington himself despite the fact that those words are scarcer than Jesus in our founding documents. Using an 1802 letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association as the gold standard on the issue is more than a bit disingenuous. But I digress. http://www.usconstitution.net/jeffwall.html
The truth is that either side can pull selective quotes from founding documents to support their respective positions. However, there are some facts that suggest the supporters of a Christian nation concept have the better arguments.
The Pilgrims organized and came to the New World because they believed their religious beliefs were irreconcilable with the Church of England and British laws mandating Church attendance. In other words, the very first American colonists were acutely aware of religious differences and the need for government to recognize freedom for people with different religious practices. The religious freedoms offered in the New World (initially due in part to the geographical chasm between Europe and America) led to other varied religious groups colonizing or establishing themselves as well (Puritans in New England, Quakers in Pennsylvania , Baptists in the South, etc).
With this background, and about 150 years of colonial development rooted in it, how could these colonies possibly unite under a single religion or creed? They wouldn’t just voluntarily trade the oppressive national church they intentionally left for another. Give the Founding Fathers credit for drafting and approving the First Amendment to ensure the greatest religious freedom for all denominations. A truly united national government simply could not have a national church and our founders recognized that reality.
That was the practical reality created by our early settlers and their freedom to practice their religious beliefs as they saw fit. Though, obviously, condensing 150+ years of colonial history into 2 paragraphs leaves a lot out. My next blog entry will explore some of the specific words our founders used that evidence the strength of Christianity as a cornerstone of our nation’s historical foundation.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
If We Outlaw Nukes...
A few weeks back, I was watching the History Channel (I think) when I saw an episode about the US nuclear bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. The show was atypical in that, while they showed the expected declassified military footage of "Fat Man" and "Little Boy" and nuclear bomb tests complete with mushroom clouds, they were interviewing an older Japanese woman who survived the blast. In 1945, this woman was working in a military bunker and was supposed to have been relieved by a co-worker that morning. The co-worker, who had never before been late to work, had still failed to arrive 15 minutes after her shift was to start.
And then we dropped the bomb.
The woman was taking the interviewer and crew on a tour of the bunker. It turns out this woman was the first to report the blast to the Japanese military high command. Her city had been devastated, her fellow citizens evaporated or certain to die from their injuries or exposure. Her memories were recounted with a matter-of-fact tone, 50 years having doubtlessly softened the impact and seen the resurrection of her city into a large metropolitan center of southwestern Honshu with over 2,000,000 people.
We've all seen the photos and videos of the tremendous power of nuclear blasts and the devastation they cause. Many of us even remember "duck and cover" as a way of protection! We've all heard that the atomic and thermonuclear weapons of today are many times more powerful than Fat Man and Little Boy. And while nuclear bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki tragically killed over 200,000 Japanese, these bombs most likely saved hundreds of thousands more Japanese and American lives that would have been lost in a more protracted Pacific war or US invasion of Japan.
Nevertheless, there are so many reasons why the elimination of nuclear weapons is a great idea. So why I am so concerned that Pres. Obama made that very commitment in Prague this weekend, mere hours after North Korea tested a long-range missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to Alaska or Hawaii? There are 3 reasons that come to mind.
First, the American military force is the envy of the world in large part because of its strength, which nuclear weapons are a component of. However, it is not the weapons themselves but the threat of their use that gives us a power few nations have and of a magnitude none can match. I suspect that threat--and therefore our strength--has diminished since the end of the Cold War since none of our leaders seem to have the balls to use, or threaten to use them. I'm not suggesting that nukes should be anything be a last response when all else has failed. But even a last resort can be a powerful tool provided it is in the hands of someone who knows how to use it judicially. Pres. Obama's comments indicate to me that he is afraid of the weapons and not just because of the destruction they can cause. He's afraid of the position they'll put him in if he is faced with a dire threat for which there is no other option, because he won't be able to pull the trigger. It's not that he will use them injudiciously. It's that he won't use or threaten to use them at all. Everyone knows that, and that weakens America.
Second, I don't trust the leaders of other nations. It's great that Obama can crack Dmitri Medvedev on the back, and give him the thumbs-up at the G20 like fast friends. But do you really trust Medvedev? In one of his worst foreign policy moments, President Bush said he had looked into Vladimir Putin's soul and saw his goodness. Putin heard that and knew he was home free to do just about whatever he pleased. When the G20 champagne wears off, Medvedev, Putin's protege, will feel the same way. Sure, he'll probably agree to reduce Russian nuclear missile stockpiles...at least the ones he has control over and can account for. That's an easy concession for a leader with warheads to spare. But there are still concerns over possible missing Russian suitcase nukes.
You honestly think the Russian leadership will ever agree to complete elimination of nukes? What in that nation's tragic history suggests they will give up that power? They don't trust us, or the Chinese, or North Korea any more than we do. Do you think Chinese Premiere Hu, or Kim Jong-Il, or whoever will lead Pakistan or India will just give up this technology they spent decades trying to develop or acquire? Will Israel ever feel safe enough to give up theirs? And what about those trying to get it? I don't suspect Ahmadinejad is planning on turning off the centrifuges to help achieve Pres. Obama's goal. The nations of the world that have the technology are not as stable, or as committed to peacefully run democracy, as the US. I am not confident that will ever change.
Third, the technology is already out there for the enemies of freedom, liberty and democracy to exploit. It's not easy to get your hands on the materials...yet. But as Iran moves closer to weaponizing nuclear material, we all move closer to the likelihood that Islamic terrorists will get their hands on the material and a method to deliver it. The amount of fissile material available for nuclear weapons is curently closely monitored because the nations who possess it have agreed to disclosures and monitoring by international bodies. When a rogue nation like Iran gets the material, you think we'll have the same ability to track it? I can't think of anything more dangerous than an Islamic extremist, sworn to jihad, in possession of a deployable nuclear weapon.
It is said that if guns are outlawed, then only outlaws will have guns. If that's true, then what will happen if nukes are "outlawed"? If the sane and semi-sane nations of the world agree to dismantle their nukes and slap high-fives in the name of "peace", the insane, extreme underbelly of civilization will be salivating at their good fortune because they don't want peace unless it comes with your annihilation...or your conversion to their bastardized form of Islam.
I don't like nukes any more than the next guy, but I believe they are here to stay. You can't un-ring the bell. Man has harnessed the power of the atom. If we "eliminate" nuclear weapons, we will only drive them underground and into the hands of evil doers.
Sting sings in "Russians", his anti-nukes, Cold War anthem, "I hope the Russians love their children, too." Fortunately, the Russians did.
Unfortunately, today's Jihadists don't.
And then we dropped the bomb.
The woman was taking the interviewer and crew on a tour of the bunker. It turns out this woman was the first to report the blast to the Japanese military high command. Her city had been devastated, her fellow citizens evaporated or certain to die from their injuries or exposure. Her memories were recounted with a matter-of-fact tone, 50 years having doubtlessly softened the impact and seen the resurrection of her city into a large metropolitan center of southwestern Honshu with over 2,000,000 people.
We've all seen the photos and videos of the tremendous power of nuclear blasts and the devastation they cause. Many of us even remember "duck and cover" as a way of protection! We've all heard that the atomic and thermonuclear weapons of today are many times more powerful than Fat Man and Little Boy. And while nuclear bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki tragically killed over 200,000 Japanese, these bombs most likely saved hundreds of thousands more Japanese and American lives that would have been lost in a more protracted Pacific war or US invasion of Japan.
Nevertheless, there are so many reasons why the elimination of nuclear weapons is a great idea. So why I am so concerned that Pres. Obama made that very commitment in Prague this weekend, mere hours after North Korea tested a long-range missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to Alaska or Hawaii? There are 3 reasons that come to mind.
First, the American military force is the envy of the world in large part because of its strength, which nuclear weapons are a component of. However, it is not the weapons themselves but the threat of their use that gives us a power few nations have and of a magnitude none can match. I suspect that threat--and therefore our strength--has diminished since the end of the Cold War since none of our leaders seem to have the balls to use, or threaten to use them. I'm not suggesting that nukes should be anything be a last response when all else has failed. But even a last resort can be a powerful tool provided it is in the hands of someone who knows how to use it judicially. Pres. Obama's comments indicate to me that he is afraid of the weapons and not just because of the destruction they can cause. He's afraid of the position they'll put him in if he is faced with a dire threat for which there is no other option, because he won't be able to pull the trigger. It's not that he will use them injudiciously. It's that he won't use or threaten to use them at all. Everyone knows that, and that weakens America.
Second, I don't trust the leaders of other nations. It's great that Obama can crack Dmitri Medvedev on the back, and give him the thumbs-up at the G20 like fast friends. But do you really trust Medvedev? In one of his worst foreign policy moments, President Bush said he had looked into Vladimir Putin's soul and saw his goodness. Putin heard that and knew he was home free to do just about whatever he pleased. When the G20 champagne wears off, Medvedev, Putin's protege, will feel the same way. Sure, he'll probably agree to reduce Russian nuclear missile stockpiles...at least the ones he has control over and can account for. That's an easy concession for a leader with warheads to spare. But there are still concerns over possible missing Russian suitcase nukes.
You honestly think the Russian leadership will ever agree to complete elimination of nukes? What in that nation's tragic history suggests they will give up that power? They don't trust us, or the Chinese, or North Korea any more than we do. Do you think Chinese Premiere Hu, or Kim Jong-Il, or whoever will lead Pakistan or India will just give up this technology they spent decades trying to develop or acquire? Will Israel ever feel safe enough to give up theirs? And what about those trying to get it? I don't suspect Ahmadinejad is planning on turning off the centrifuges to help achieve Pres. Obama's goal. The nations of the world that have the technology are not as stable, or as committed to peacefully run democracy, as the US. I am not confident that will ever change.
Third, the technology is already out there for the enemies of freedom, liberty and democracy to exploit. It's not easy to get your hands on the materials...yet. But as Iran moves closer to weaponizing nuclear material, we all move closer to the likelihood that Islamic terrorists will get their hands on the material and a method to deliver it. The amount of fissile material available for nuclear weapons is curently closely monitored because the nations who possess it have agreed to disclosures and monitoring by international bodies. When a rogue nation like Iran gets the material, you think we'll have the same ability to track it? I can't think of anything more dangerous than an Islamic extremist, sworn to jihad, in possession of a deployable nuclear weapon.
It is said that if guns are outlawed, then only outlaws will have guns. If that's true, then what will happen if nukes are "outlawed"? If the sane and semi-sane nations of the world agree to dismantle their nukes and slap high-fives in the name of "peace", the insane, extreme underbelly of civilization will be salivating at their good fortune because they don't want peace unless it comes with your annihilation...or your conversion to their bastardized form of Islam.
I don't like nukes any more than the next guy, but I believe they are here to stay. You can't un-ring the bell. Man has harnessed the power of the atom. If we "eliminate" nuclear weapons, we will only drive them underground and into the hands of evil doers.
Sting sings in "Russians", his anti-nukes, Cold War anthem, "I hope the Russians love their children, too." Fortunately, the Russians did.
Unfortunately, today's Jihadists don't.
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