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2005-01-30T23:34:00.000-08:00

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An Election Almost Like No Other And Kerry Makes An Ass Of Himself

2005-01-30T13:47:00.000-08:00

Salah al-Din Rasheed / Reuters
Kurds celebrating the first election in Iraq.

The MSM is almost beside themselves. Turnout is better than expected in many areas where terrorism had promised a low turnout. People across the country proudly give the terrorists the (purple) finger.

John Kerry, loser par excellence, noted: "It is hard to say that something is legitimate when whole portions of the country can't vote and doesn't vote..." Senator, are you a total ass? If large numbers of Afrikaners in South Africa had not voted, would you have said the same thing?

Further my dear Senator Kerry, only a few percentage points over half of our citizens elected to vote and we had no insurgents, no bombings, no hindrance of any kind. So, does that make our own recent elections illegitimate? Oh, wait, you think you should have won and that you would have except for all those damn red staters.

I'm waiting for Kerry to note to a group of folk "I actually opposed the election before I supported it." What a creep! Surely the Democrats aren't going to give this man another chance (Unless of course his Teh-Ray-Zuh buys it for him). Surely, the good folk of Massachusetts aren't going to return this man to the US Senate. Surely not!

NOTE:Blogging has been slow over the last week, I'm in the process of re-designing my blog. Please visit GM's Corner at http://www.gmroper.com and see what it looks like as I find time between teaching, counseling, tax stuff and re-writing the cascading style sheets and the index to my new blog. I'll be slow, but I'll get it done as fast as I can. Thanks for bearing with me.

The Last Honest Progressive In America

2005-01-23T16:42:00.000-08:00

From the introduction to The Last Honest Place In America - Paradise and Perdition in the New Las Vegas:

"The panorama unfolded as a wall of purplish-brown mountains with rose-ochre skirts to our right, rippling mahogany hills to our left, and straight in front of us, the sandy desert flats of pastel beige, tangerine, and pink stretching through Ivanpah Valley and then ever deeper into Nevada. The black stripe of Interstate 15 ripped right through it's heart and on the hottest of summer days the smell of the bubbling, sticky asphalt would pour right into the cab of our red Plymouth Valiant."

I've driven that road & I've seen the colors, I've never seen it described as well. The author of the above is Marc Cooper, progressive blogger, journalist, radio host, essayist, contributing editor to The Nation, author of the best selling memoir Pinochet and Me: A Chilean Anti-Memoir and Roll Over Che Guevara: Travels of a Radical Reporter.

Cooper is that rare bird (from a conservatives point of view) an honest progressive and though I almost always disagree with his progressive points of view, I have come to like him a lot. The title of this blog entry is, as you will no doubt discern, taken from his latest book.

Cooper was raised in Los Angeles where his father was a steel salesman. His career as an author/journalist began in high school where he founded an underground newspaper. Those of us remembering the 60's know that "underground" was automatically assumed to mean "radical;" and so it was. Graduating from high school, Cooper enrolled in that great bordello of ultra liberal values The University of California System. There, he began engaging in anti-war activities and was expelled by order of Then Governor Ronald Reagan in 1971.

Cooper traveled to Chile where he became a translator for President Salvador Allende who had been elected president in 1970 by an arrangement of the Chilean Congress as per their constitution when Allende led the vote, but with only 36% of the vote. Allende was a socialist and pursued a policy of reform he called "La vía chilena al socialismo" ("The Chilean Way to Socialism"). Cooper became not only Allende's translator, but a staunch supporter of Allende's goals. Following the coup of September 11, '73, Cooper became a roving reporter, covering such diverse places as Lebanon, South Africa, Central and South America, Eastern and Western Europe. He developed also, an interest in American Politics. Norm Geras recently posted a profile on Cooper, a Must Read to understand this progressive iconoclast. Cooper states that he is an atheist, a position I find hard to believe given his intellect. I wonder how agnostics and atheists can look on the wonder of the universe, the absolute perfect beauty of dew on a spiderweb or the look of love in young folk and not be a believer. But, that is another posting.

I first came across Marc Cooper in May or June of 2004 when a blogger I have long admired Michael J. Totten recommended him. Since then, he has become one of my very favorite bloggers and I have grown quite fond of this rambunctious progressive. Cooper doesn't hesitate at all to take on the powers that be, regardless of who they are. He castigates Republicans and Conservatives (though, of course he is usually far off the mark), Democrats, liberals, other progressives, socialists, fascists, communists, castroites, trotskyites, indeed anyone he believes to be cowardly, stupid or cravenly, dishonest or not on the up and up. Cooper always explains his reasoning, usually with wit, sometimes with disdain.

Over the last few months, he has actively posted on such varying topics from the coming murder trials of Augusto Pinochet, to the idiocy of MoveOn's inability to understand that their candidate lost. Of course, as a conservative, I delight when he takes on the shibboleths of the left. Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately depending on your point of view, he doesn't spare the right either as noted here and here. In the last example however, I believe that Cooper was premature and mistaken. The genesis of his blog posting was the MSM's complaint that President Bush did nothing for three days following the tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean. Of course, we now know that the first major rescue efforts to arrive were the US military, whose Commander In Chief has to give the order for such massive effort. Too often, the left, Cooper included, mistake style for substance, as in Mr. Clinton's famous biting of his lip, abject apologies and wiping of a tear showing how compassionate he was. He didn't do much, but he had all the right moves down.

Cooper is perhaps best, when he takes on the left. This is not unusual in that we seldom see a member of the port side of the political aisle castigating their fellow believers and so when it does happen, conservatives sit up and take notice. In much the same way, the left sat up and took notice when Senator Goldwater castigated the Republican party for it's Buchannanish stance on gays. Yet, Cooper has no compunction about skewering the left when he feels the left has lost it's way or exhibit their (all to frequent) feet of clay. In a recent posting, Cooper took on Soros and the other "billionaires" who plan to donate $100,000,000.00 to helping the Democrats build a "progressive infrastructure."

Cooper has his flock of regular commenters (I include myself in that mix) from conservative (me, John Moore, PJ, Woody, DennisthePeasant) to liberal (Rosedog, reg, steve, Michael Turner). He manages them fairly well and encourages each to be respectful to each other in bandying comments. That doesn't always work of course. Yet, he seldom "bans" commenters (though he has threatened to) - (has he banned anyone yet? - ed. - I'm not sure, I don't really know) even when they are repetitious and banal. After a number of tussles with another of his posters I wrote Cooper an e-mail saying that though I would continue to read his blog, I wouldn't be posting any more comments. He wrote back and said (in his idiosyncratic spelling) "Oh no u don't.. I love ur comments." It is the rare progressive that openly welcomes conservatives into their blogs, and, truth be told, equally rare for conservatives to welcome the progressive. Cooper is seldom tacky or impolite to his commenters, but he can be, he can be.

Back in September, I asked Cooper what he thought about me starting a blog. Even though I'm conservative and obviously on a different side of the political fence, Cooper was consistently encouraging; offering suggestions, helping me look at cost (I selected the free one of course) teaching me what he knew about blog and generally being quite helpful. When I launched my blog in November, Cooper announced it on his blog and added my link to his blog roll. That is what you call nice.

I will continue to castigate progressives and the Democrats when I think it appropriate, including Marc Cooper. But, having learned from him to keep it about ideas and not personalities, I will always appreciate The Last Honest Progressive In America.

UPDATE: Welcome readers of Michael Totten's blog and of course Marc Cooper's blog. Thanks to you two guys for the nice mention.

As Bush Is Inaugurated, The Nation Collapses

2005-01-22T04:53:00.000-08:00

Misleading Headline? Absolutely NOT; however, it is "fake but accurate" (sorry, couldn't resist) the nation I'm talking about is not the USA but "The Nation." The lefty magazine. Now, I read The Nation Online from time to time, just to figure out what the left is saying, but this piece here has me absolutely flummoxed.

Opening Sentence:

"In the run-up to the January 30 election in Iraq, the prospects for a fair and credible outcome have steadily diminished."

Says who, the NYTimes whom they quote? The Nation? The majority of Iraqi bloggers don't think so. Tough, yes, for sure! Dangerous, you bet! Fair, why not? Everyone who gets registered gets to vote, no one is being "excluded" from voting,unless they choose not to vote. How specifically is it UNFAIR? Credible? You mean Credible like Castro's elections? Like Saddam's 99.99 percent of the vote? Credible like our own elections where almost half of the electorate is too lazy to show up to vote, let alone figure out what the issues are. Where Democrats and Republicans would rather carp at each other, call each other really vile names but NOT debate real issues with real plans and real believablity? That kind of credible?

They go on:

"The locations for the 5,776 polling places have not been announced, lest they become targets for attacks."

Seems like a good idea to me, publicize at the last minute, make sure everyone has an opportunity but cut down (not eliminate) the risk of allowing terrorists to plant bombs.

More:

"As conditions deteriorated, it became harder for the Bush Administration to spin the upcoming poll to choose an Iraq National Assembly as a major step toward restoring security. Gen. George Casey, commander of coalition forces in Iraq, predicted more violence on election day and "for some time" thereafter, while a new US intelligence estimate foresees the elections being followed by more violence and possible civil war."

Let me understand this. If the Iraqis elect a National Assembly that won't be a major step towards security because there might be civil war? MIGHT BE. Look at what the Islamo-Fascists are doing; they are attacking their own army, their own police forces, assasinating their own leaders, killing their fellow citizens in an attempt to overthrow the current Government. It IS a civil war. The dispossessed Sunni's want their power back and they are trying to disrupt the elections because they know damn well that if all Iraq votes in a solid government, the Sunni power bloc is out on their keister. The ONLY thing that is going to increase security in Iraq is a STRONG, ABLE, SOLID Central Government that has the concerns of all it's citizens (and yes, that means the Sunni's) besides that, the majority of Sunni's that oppose the election were Baathists but the majority of Sunni's are not Baathists and want a free and stable Iraq. There are a number of Sunni Moslems that do, namely Omar and Mohammad of Iraq The Model, their brother Ali of Free Iraqi. Other Iraqi blogs as noted on my blogroll also support the elections by a solid majority.

More:

"Iraq's largest mainstream Sunni Muslim party has already pulled out of the elections, saying that the violence plaguing areas north and west of Baghdad makes a free and fair vote impossible. The Kurds and the Shiites will make up the majority of voters, skewing the results and leaving the Sunni Arabs underrepresented in the new National Assembly, which will choose a temporary government and draft a constitution."

A mainstream party pulls out. Is that the same as all of the Sunni's pulling out? Don't the Sunni's have the opportunity to vote just like everyone else? They "say" they are pulling out because of the possibility of violence.. hmmm, is it the Kurds or the Shiia causing the violence? Nope, mostly the Sunni's. So, why doesn't the "largest mainstream Sunni Muslim party" tell the damn terroristic Islamo-Fascists to KNOCK IT OFF? "Leaves the Sunni's underrepresented in the new National Assembly" Gosh! Did the Sunni MINORITY give a tinker's damn when they held power and lorded it over the MAJORITY Shiia? Heck, did they even have a National Assembly?

Wait, there's more:

"An increasing number of Americans recognize the worsening situation. In a recent Gallup poll, nearly half of those responding called for either US troop reductions or complete withdrawal."

Would those possibly be the same "nearly half" of the country that voted for Mr. Kerry? Nah, The Nation wouldn't try to pull that one over on us! Would they?

One last quote from The Nation:

"The growing number of Americans who see an Administration blindly leading the nation toward more death and destruction should tell their representatives, "No more money for war!" That would be the best example of democracy we could offer the Iraqi people."

This is the absolutely end all to the whole piece. Cut off the money. Does The Nation think it will cost LESS if the Islamo-Fascists gain the ascendancy in Iraq, from which they can and will threaten the rest of the Persian Gulf area? Are they that naive or that stupid? Or, if we do pull that stunt, will the results be the same as we saw in Viet Nam when congress voted to cut off the money. Regardless of how you felt about that war, the cutting off of funds for the South Vietnamese was part and parcel of the killing that ensued afterwards. I would remind The Nation, and anyone else that needs reminding of the following:

"The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men."
Lyndon B.Johnson

I'll keep reading The Nation. My friend Marc Cooper is a contributing editor there and they often have something to add to the public discourse. But not this time. Not this time.

Wanted: Human Shields for Iraqi Election Centers

2005-01-19T18:21:00.000-08:00

From Lance Frizell a 2nd Lt Medical Platoon Leader with the Tennessee National Guard 278th Regimental Combat Team, currently serving in Northern Iraq. Via Glen Reynolds

Wanted: Human Shields
Back in January '03, you may remember a group of Western liberals who volunteered to go to Iraq as human shields in case the US enforced UN resolutions that Saddam violated. Key graf:

"...they are willing to put themselves in the firing line should US and British forces bomb Iraq. They plan to identify potential bombing targets such as power stations and bridges and act as human shields to protect them."

Well, I think I have just the job for these globe-travelers: Iraq Election Poll Worker. They are familiar with the terrain and people, they have a self-professed desire to help and they seem very articulate. However, their biggest asset is bravery. If they are willing to hunker down between Coalition Forces and a bridge, standing between a foreign terrorist and a polling precinct should be no big deal. Any takers?

As the indomitable Mr. Reynolds says, Heh!

The Far Left = New Repository of Racism

2005-01-19T05:47:00.000-08:00

Where do I begin? A friend saw my posting on MLK early this morning and called saying how much she appreciated the retrospective on my little part of the civil rights struggle. That was nice! Sadly however, racism still infects the body politic. In the years from the late 1800's to the 60's The majority of racists were in the south (and not a few in boston as well - remember the bussing episodes?)

Today, some of that racism has infected the radical and far left. This is a new repository of racism, perhaps there for a long time, and only now surfacing. Michele Malkin has an entry on her blog quoting some of the "comments" she has received in the immediate past. I'll show you a few of them:

Hi Self hating flat nosed Filipino Bitch! As we used to refer to your kind - little brown Fucking Machines. Looks like this little LBFM learned to whore in a different way to make some pesos. How sweet.
***
Proverbs 69:69 counsels: "Like a whore who infects those she sleeps with, so doth the ultra-republican faux columnist infect her readers with lies." While you are looking in the mirror, cursing the Left because you weren't born blond, think about the above. Amen.
***
I just hope that I am still around when the karma catches up to those of you that have spread the lies and attacked the innocent. I hope your fate is somewhat similar to the women of the Phillipines when the Japanese invaded. Then Michelle you can drop the "media" from "media whore" when someone asks your occupation.
***
You're just a Manilla whore shaking your ass and waiting for the Republican fleet to come in, aren't you? You've even got the lip gloss about right. Maybe if you love sailor long time, he bring you home to big American house? I don't think so. Just like in Manilla, Honey, they'll pass you around 'til they've all shot their load in you, and then they'll try to scrub off the stench so they can sail off in their crisp, white uniforms to the land of W.A.S.P.
***
Malkin, you're a dumb fucking whore. You're a philipino piece of shit who should be wiping my ass. Go back to the massage parlor. Sucky sucky long time. How dare you thing you have any right to express any opinions in this country. You're a joke. Go back to nursing school. Whore.
***
Say, how does it feel to be a paid prostitute for the republicans? Go get some more collagen injected in your lips, it makes you look more the part.

Nice huh? In the week since this was posted 111 sites have posted track backs to her column decrying the new racism.

But, this is just the tip of the iceburg as it were in terms of the new racism. In Berkely at a pro-Israel rally, a number of "Pali's" showed up with their children.

This site JREF Forums shows photos of three children holding up signs accusing Israel of "harvesting organs" from the Palestinians. My God, isn't this some form of child abuse to engage these children in this kind of crap, teaching children to hate? Isn't it bad enough that we adults do it. This is not protesting, this is racism, pure and simple. Pictures of Palistinian children dressed up as suicide bombers, with RPG's etc. Shameful, simply shameful. Many on the left have rightly decried those on the right for expressions of racism (Trent Lott anyone?) and failed to speak out when one of their own does it (Jessie Jackson's "Hymie-Town" remark, Robert Byrd's "White Nigger" comment comes to mind). That time MUST be past, the left and the right need to stand tall and put an end to this. NOW!!!

2005-01-18T19:36:00.000-08:00

Pssst - Can't you see I'm trying to look MODERATE here?

Cox and Forkum have nailed it on the head. I couldn't say it any better, so I'll let them say it.

"From Financial Times: 'Furious' Abbas to meet Hamas after attack. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, has ordered an inquiry into an attack in the Gaza Strip last week that killed six Israelis and derailed his plans to reopen peace talks, security officials said on Sunday.

"Mr Abbas, elected a week ago, met his security chiefs at the weekend and told them he was "furious" about Thursday night's attack in which gunmen blasted their way though the main Gaza-Israel cargo terminal at Karni. He demanded to know how the militants succeeded in reaching the attack site without being detected, according to a senior security official. Mr Abbas is due to hold ceasefire talks with Hamas and other militants in Gaza this week. ...

Although he refuses to outlaw the militants, he won the backing of the leadership of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation yesterday in urging it to halt its attacks.

Refusing to outlaw the terrorist gangs is bad enough. But the Times article fails to mention that the "other militants" include the terrorist arm of Abbas's own Fatah Party. From a report last week: "Three Palestinian militant groups claimed joint responsibility for the attack, including Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades -- a faction of Abbas's Fatah movement -- Hamas and the Popular Resistance Committees."

"And it isn't just Israelis that Fatah is murdering. The Jerusalem Post reported this weekend that Fatah vigilantes executed two Palestinians considered to be Israeli "collaborators". (Via Little Green Footballs) Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon cut ties with Abbas following the attack. Bush should do the same.

"UPDATE -- January 17: CNN reports: Abbas orders Palestinian security forces to crackdown on militants. This is a continuation of the farce. Hamas has already declared that it would not comply with the order. But here's the real indication that Abbas is merely posturing: Abbas also ordered that Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades be integrated into Palestinian security forces ...
"Did you get that? The terrorist gang that in the last few days murdered Israeli civilians and executed Palestinian "collaborators" is being made a part of the very Palestinian security forces that are supposed to be hunting down the terrorists. Some "crackdown"..

I'm not sure the leaders of the PLO or the PA want peace, because they may feel that they would be the next target of Fatah and the other islamofascists.

Thoughts on the Meaning of Martin Luther King's Life!

2005-01-18T08:09:00.000-08:00

View from the Reflecting Pool, Lincoln Memorial. August 28, 1963

At the beginning of the school year in 1957 we had just moved to Beebe, Arkansas where we would be living while my dad was the Regular Army Advisor to the Arkansas National Guard.

The civil rights revolution hadn't touched us yet, we had spent the last three years in Germany and as a 6th grader, I knew little of the outside world that didn't impact playing with my friends, learning about girls and riding my bike as well as learning about the new little town that would be my home for the next three or four years.

How rude the awakening was to see the rioting in Little Rock about integration of all things. Growing up in the Army could be a blessing as well as a curse. A curse from the standpoint that we had friends we saw only occasionally when they were assigned to the same base we were, but a blessing as well. One of the really good things about my childhood was seeing and being with people of all different races and religions, cultures and mores. I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world. But Little Rock in '57 was something that I had never encountered before; blatant racism and a hostility to fellow citizens that I just couldn't understand. This Link will give you at timeline of those days.

I remember driving the 30 some miles to Little Rock to purchase new school clothes and uniforms for the Scout Troop I was joining. As we drove home we passed by a bus stop and I saw an elderly African American being screamed at by a bunch of toughs, with a police man standing by and doing nothing about it.

When I got home, I asked my dad why those people were so angry about going to school with "Negroes" the term we used at the time. Dad told me that people are afraid of what they don't understand and that the people of Little Rock, and indeed much of the south didn't understand that we were all Americans regardless of where we came from, regardless of the color of our skin and regardless of who we worshiped. Soon, Eisenhower put the Arkansas National Guard under the umbrella of the Federal Government and enforced the integration of Central High School.

In 1962 we moved to northern Virginia where my dad was assigned to the pentagon. The racism of the 50's in Arkansas seemed past. I couldn't have been more wrong. By now, I was ready to enter the 11th grade and had a much stronger sense of breaking the back of segregation as something do-able for all of America. Getting ready to enter my senior year in High School, a friend and I talked about going across the river to listen to Dr. King give an address at the Lincoln Memorial. I had been to the memorial several times over the last year, indeed, I looked up many of our national monuments and reveled in the promise that this country had, though it had yet to live up to the promise as far as civil rights was concerned. We decided to go, regardless of school.

Arriving at the Lincoln Memorial late, we were way back and because of a hearing impairment, I had some difficulty hearing the comments of the speakers in general, and Dr. King in particular. But, I edged closer and got as close as I could. And stood mesmerized, absolutely, inarguably mesmerized by his speech. Many of you, my wonderful readers have heard bits and pieces of his speech especially the "I have a dream!" part. But if you have never read the speech, take a few minutes today and read it below in it's entirety. The speech has the power to change your life if you will let it. Here it is, in it's entirety:

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity. But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.

One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.

So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition. In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.

This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.

So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the
Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.

The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and
tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the
veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

I went home that evening, thinking about what I had heard, thinking about the people I stood beside, thinking about the people I met, and what could I do to make this dream come true. That was the first of many many civil rights forays, most left me feeling good, some made me very afraid. But today, Dr. King's dream is largely fulfilled, not all the way, no, but largely. Three months later, on 11/22/63 John Kennedy was assasinated in Dallas and the world changed.

During a long weekend in April 1968, my fiancee and I were driving to east Texas to meet her grandparents. All the way, my fiancee told me that her grandfather was somewhat of a bigot and that he seldom if ever talked to "new people" We arrived in east Texas listening all the way from San Antonio to details of King's assasination. When we arrived, I met all the relatives (it seemed to be thousands) and everyone left after a short time leaving me and the grandfather alone, watching TV. As we watched one of the news interruptions, He turned to me and said "Well, that's another Coon that's bit the dust."

Horrified, I turned and looked at this wizened old man and thinking I'm about to put my foot in it, said "Surely, you don't mean that, that bullet could have been aimed at you or one of your kids for Christ's Sake." He looked at me and after a moment of silence (which seemed to last for hours) said, "Well, maybe I don't. You're a brave fella ain't ya?" I'm not, but I couldn't let his comment pass without saying something. Dr. King's message was just too damn important.

Many years have passed since then, and many is the time that I've had to deal with other people's racism, both black on white as well as white on black; counselors see a lot of really nasty stuff sometimes. I kept remembering "content of their character, not the color of their skin" and it always seemed to help.

Today, almost 37 years after his death, his words still ring. His commitment to God and to non-violence the zenith of the civil rights movement, much as the violence in the ghetto and outside of the ghetto today is the nadir. We still have ethno-centrism, religious bigotry and racism withus today in these United States, though it is less entrenched, less codified into law than it was 40+ years ago. One of the major reasons this is so is because of the efforts of Dr. King and those that followed him.

Today, Dr. Bill Cosby is carrying on much of Dr. King's message, to stand tall, stand streight, to put away those behaviors and attitudes that pull you down. But mostly, to gain a sense of self-respect and to move forward so that all of Gods children, black, brown, yellow, red, white will be judged not by "the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

Someday, we will all realize the futility of thinking less of others because they are different than we are. Someday, we will all recognize the brotherhood of man. It may be a long way away, but I am an optimist.

We need someone to step up to the plate today, to carry forth Dr. King's message and in all the turmoil about war, taxes, red vs. blue etc., I'm wondering who it will be. Will it be You? You? Or perhaps You?

It Takes Courage To Vote When It Could Cost You Your Life

2005-01-18T06:09:00.000-08:00

Registration in the Face of Danger

This photo, (thanks to Omar of Iraq The Model) shows Iraqi citizens lining up to register to vote in this months elections. They are doing so in the clear face of danger from the creepoids (aka by the press as "insurgents") who are doing their very best to disrupt the process and install either a baathist or mullocracy type government.

You can't call these brave people fools, you can't say they don't care about their future and you can't say they aren't doing what they can to insure a free election. How many Red or Blue staters would line up to register if doing so might cost them their lives? I would hope all of us, but I know better.

Weather Blogging?

2005-01-17T14:23:00.000-08:00

Snow in TROPICAL Texas? Hah!

From AOL News:

"Temperatures plummeted across the eastern half of the nation Monday, approaching an all-time record in northern Minnesota and freezing the Gulf Coast as a river of Arctic air pushed southward.
Thermometers registered a low of 54 degrees below zero at Embarrass, Minn. "You keep living, but it gets old after a while," said Christine Mackai, the town clerk for the ommunity of about 1,400 people in northeast Minnesota.
Minnesota's record is 60 below, set on Feb. 2, 1996, in Tower, about 10 miles north of Embarrass."

Now, I like a little cold as well as the next guy, but to be totally honest, one of the reasons I moved to South Texas is to be away from freezing cold weather. Anything below 70 degrees is chilly as far as I'm concerned. -54 degrees? No Way Charlie. On the other hand, as you can tell from the photo above we had snow on Christmas. So, the Red Sox won the world series and it snowed in .....! Global Warming?

UPDATE (7:15 PM CST): My friend Todd Pearson (who has a new and quite interesting blog here) left a comment stating that he lives in Minnesota and

"It was 15 below when we left home. No one complained about the cold, and it didn't stop us from spending large chunks of time outside. It really is not that bad. 54 below, however, is a different story."

When I was a kid, we lived in Bad Nauheim, Federal Republic of Germany, about a block and a hop from the smallish USA river (pronounced oosa). In the winter of 55/56 on a bitter cold day, my two younger brothers and I went sledding on the other side of the river. My youngest brother Doug, wasn't able to stop and ended up in the river breaking through the ice in a thin spot. Without thinking, my other brother and I jumped in to "save" Doug. Doug must have been in Kindergarten or 1st grade at the time. At any rate, we all ended up in icy water up to our armpits (yes, it was a smallish river) and we all got out OK and ran home. By the time we got home (remember, only a block away) our "snow-suits" were fully encrusted in ice and walking was quite difficult. To this day, as I said in the original post, anything below 70 is too damn cold! Todd, Love ya buddy, but you can keep your cold and yes, it is that bad ;-)

Dan Rather = Richard M. Nixon

2005-01-17T05:05:00.000-08:00

The Big Trunk (AKA Scott Johnson) of Powerline has written a significant piece on the coverup of the CBS Rathergate affair. Johnson delves into the twisted, byzantine actions by CBS executives and the flawed "Report" by the "Panel" consisting of Richard Thornburgh and Louis Boccardi who released their report dated January 5, 2005, months after it was promised "in weeks, not months" by CBS.

My own efforts at this "scandel" was reported here, with followups here and here. Johnson is able to put the whole thing in perspective (IMHO) with these two paragraphs:

The report is more or less mysteriously silent on the inquiries, participation, knowledge or involvement of top CBS management including CBS News President Andrew Heyward and CBS President Les Moonves during the twelve-day cover-up. "Shortly" after Rather's on-camera interview of Burkett on September 18, the report (page 202) states, "Heyward determined that CBS News would issue an apology for the September 8 Segment on Monday, September 20 on the CBS evening News."

One of the eerie echoes of Watergate in the Rathergate affair is the four terminations -- of CBS News Senior Vice President Betsy West; 60 Minutes Executive Producer Josh Howard; Howard's deputy, Mary Murphy; and 60 Minutes producer Mary Mapes -- with which CBS has now sought to end the scandal. Dan Rather is not pulling the strings here; perhaps Rather himself is only a bit player like Ron Ziegler. Could it be that Moonves or Heyward, and not Rather, is playing the role of Richard Nixon in the Rathergate scandal?

There can be no doubt that the fabled MSM has a decidedly leftist tilt in spite of protestations to the contrary (Marc Cooper makes some good points) by many on the left of center. This can be confirmed by checking the number of positive stories about republicans/conservatives vs. democrats/liberals.

Did the MSM have an agenda? No doubt! Did the MSM merely take after a sitting president (regardless of who is in office), again, no doubt (see Marc Cooper's entry here -read the whole thing)! Does that mean there is no bias? No way! CBS and the rest of the MSM will survive if and only if they get away from partisan carping (regardless of which side of the aisle they support) and start reporting real news, not manufactured (Rathergate style) news.

Coulter Lets Loose

2005-01-13T06:26:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big fan of Ann Coulter, too loud, too cocksure and beyond the pale on a number of issues (for example, I love talking to Liberals, it's fun; and I don't need advice from Ms. Coulter on how to do it).

Having said that, this piece by Ms. Coulter is a great read. Kenneth, after you figure out what the frequency is, maybe you'd better find some bandages because this slices you up in very tiny pieces!

UPDATE (11:07 CST): Sorry folks, I forgot to attribute this to PoliPundit and I apologize to Jayson for omitting his contribution to the original idea and link to the Yahoo news source.

Lite Blogging for a few days

2005-01-13T05:12:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for the spring semester which starts today. Teaching 4 classes: 1. An Introduction to Substance Abuse; 2. Family and Disability; 3. Clinical Issues in Substance Abuse and a graduate course in 4. Group Therapy: Theory and Practice. I'm looking forward to another semester of watching students grow and learn. Exciting days ahead. Cheers

IOWA HAWK writes a Novel and It's Damn Good

2005-01-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

This is the funniest thing I've read since I was a kid laughing my silly head off at Mad Magazine. You gotta read it. Iowa Hawk has a winner.

Color Me ORANGE (and just a tad bit RED)

2005-01-12T05:24:00.000-08:00

In a post on January 2, here I argued AGAINST a revote in Washington State because I felt that it may have later, un-intended consequences. I generally accept that some voting fraud will occur no matter how many safeguards you put in place.

I also was under the impression (since then corrected~changed by events)that there were only a few votes separating the two contestants and that calling for a re-vote based on minor miscounts could have devastating effects on the body politic. Again, events have changed that attitude. I now add my voice (such as it is and being a Texan not a Washingtonian) to the call for our own ORANGE REVOLUTION.

I want to especially note the efforts of Stefan Sharkansky who, in his blog Sound Politics for has essentially rallied the populace to taking an honest look at fundamentally dishonest course of events. Sharkansky has gone after the bad guys with a vengeance and has almost single handedly brought things to a point where the courts are now taking (hopefully an honest) look at the election. Even the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has a columnist making the claim that a re-vote will be substantially because of the efforts of Sharkansky.

I understand that Washington State allows for a re-vote mandated by the courts when there is evidence of fraud. Well, let's take a look at the possibility of fraud.

1. There were some 1800 (ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED) more votes than registered in the Democratic Bastion of King County.
2. There were some 348 (estimated) provisional ballots "accidentally" counted and there is no way to cull those votes out of the counted totals.
3. More than 8 dead people voted (I thought dead people only voted in Chicago?)
4. The Democrat "victor" won by only 129 votes.

I'm convinced of fraud that is so obvious it stinks. This is not like Gore's loss in 2000 or even Nixon's loss in '60. This stinks folks. As the Orange Revolution Proponents say in Washington State: "LET FREEDOM RING."

Biased For And Against Bias In "Rathergate"

2005-01-11T06:19:00.000-08:00

CBS has issued it's report (authored by Dick Thornburgh & Louis D. Boccardi) regarding Rathergate and the blogosphere is going wild. The blogosphere seems to be doing a much better job of disecting the report than the MSM is and though most of the blogosphere is biased one way or another, most also deny it. Michael J. Totten in a comment on an excellent blog entry by my good friend Marc Cooper notes:

The most insidious bias, I think, is bias which is denied. NPR is as liberal as Fox News is conservative. They both deny it, and they both insult my intelligence when they do it.

There is a bias, sometimes by the organization, sometimes by the individuals within an organization. I admit my bias is to the right, I'm a conservative (small c) and I don't deny that. Most of my postings have a decidely conservative bias. I have an occasional post that is liberal in some ways (too many ways according to some of my more conservative friends, not liberal enough by a long shot according to some of my liberal friends).

Some of the more conservative blogs are howling that the report didn't go far enough, some of the more liberal blogs are curiously silent. One exception to this "silence" is Marc Cooper. But then, Marc is a professional who doesn't mind tackling anyone on the left or right even though he is decidely on the left of the political aisle.

In his blog, Marc states,

"…those who think the 224 page report proves that a “liberal bias” infects the major networks are completely, utterly clueless. And they reveal an ideological mindset as incurable as the one they are convinced contaminates the Big Media. I've worked inside CBS News and -- believe me -- that is NOT a secret club of liberals."

Marc is 100% right about that; he is also 100% wrong in that while an organization may not be biased, some people within the organization may have a bias and their actions underscore that bias. Jim Lundgren writing in The Volokh Conspiracy states,

"The CBS Panel "does not believe that political motivations drove the September 8 Segment." Further, after mentioning political agendas and bias, the Report says: "the Panel will not level allegations for which it cannot offer adequate proof.
"Given those sentiments, the Panel is pretty quick to charge those who exposed CBS's fraudulent documents as having a political agenda. The motivation to seek and expose the truth is a pretty powerful one by itself, and motivations are complex. As I have said many times before, first you determine if the facts that someone is asserting are true or not. Only if they are false do you begin to ask why they would be putting forward false information, whether pushing false information might be the result of political bias.
"I can understand ignoring the probable political bias of people who are making substantive, rational arguments (even if mistaken), or I can understand attributing political motives to people who act recklessly, repeatedly making statements that they know to be false (such as that CBS's experts authenticated the documents or that they came from "an unimpeachable source"). What I can't understand is that the Report appears to use a double standard on whether someone has a political agenda."

The issue then is whether or not the Rathergate episode was biased, and anyone reading the Thornburgh/Boccardi report has to agree that the Wednesday 60 Minutes episode had the intent of sabotaging the Bush re-election effort and whether Mapes, Rather et al knew that that was the intent. No honest observer can say that it wasn't.

Other blog entrys range from straight reporting, Michael King of Rambling's Journal, to further questions as to bias such as entered by Lorie Byrd of PoliPolipundit and Ms. Byrd's excellent posting here.

That bias exists cannot be denied. The extent of the bias, and the direction the bias takes and who the bias is directed against can be debated extensively (and no doubt will be), but that the bias is there is a fact. Deal with it folks, deal with it!

UPDATE (11:24 CST) Mary Mapes is clueless. This woman is still defending the documents as "nothing that was false or misleading." Read the whole thing:

"I am terribly disappointed in the conclusions of the report and its effects on the four of us who will no longer work at CBS News. I am disappointed as well for the entire organization. It has been my second family and I will miss my colleagues there.

I am shocked by the vitriolic scape-goating in Les Moonves’s statement. I am very concerned that his actions are motivated by corporate and political considerations — ratings rather than journalism. Mr. Moonves’s response to the review panel’s report and the panel’s assessment of the evidence it developed in its investigation combine not only to condemn me, but to put all investigative reporting in the CBS tradition at risk.

Much has been made about the fact that these documents are photocopies and therefore cannot be trusted, but decades of investigative reporting have relied on just such copies of memos, documents and notes. In vetting these documents, we did not have ink to analyze, original signatures to compare, or paper to date. We did have context and corroboration and believed, as many journalists have before and after our story, that authenticity is not limited to original documents. Photocopies are often a basis for verified stories.

Before the Bush/Guard story aired, the newly found documents that supported it were thoroughly examined and corroborated. The contents of the new documents mesh perfectly, in large ways and small, with all previously known records. The new documents also were corroborated by retired Gen. Bobby Hodges, the late Col. Killian’s commander, who said that the documents showed Col. Killian’s true sentiments as well as his actions in the case. After the broadcast, Marian Carr Knox provided the same corroboration in her televised interview. Yet, despite the panel’s recognition of the heretofore unchalleneged integrity of my work in the past, the panel was quick to condemn me here on the basis of statements of people who told my associates and me very different versions than what they told the panel.

I cooperated fully with the review panel, provided them with more than 1,000 pages of reporting and background materials and answered each and every one of their questions completely and truthfully. To the extent that my answers differed from others’ statements, I can only emphasize my own honesty and integrity in attempting to reconstruct the details of the days leading up to the story’s airing.

It is noteworthy the panel did not conclude that these documents are false. Indeed, in the end, all that the panel did conclude was that there were many red flags that counseled against going to air quickly. I never had control of the timing of any airing of a 60 Minutes segment; that has always been a decision made by my superiors. Airing this story when it did, was also a decision made by my superiors, including Andrew Heyward. If there was a journalistic crime committed here, it was not by me. Those superiors also made the decision to give the White House little time to consider or respond to the Killian documents. Contrary to the conclusions of the panel, I vetted all aspects of the story with my editors. In fact, as I have always done with my editors, I told them everything.

I believe the segment presented to the American people facts they were free to accept or reject, and that as those facts were presented, there was nothing that was false or misleading. I am heartened to see that the panel found no political bias on my part, as indeed I have none. For 25 years, I have built a reputation as a fair, honest and thorough journalist. I have had 15 wonderful years at CBS News and four very bad months. I love and respect the people there and I wish them every good fortune."

UPDATE (11:29 CST): Rathergate.com shows that Mr. Rather himself is either clueless or so biased he cannot recognize it when he sees it. Maybe a combination of both.

Commenting

2005-01-10T18:58:00.000-08:00

To make it easier for you to comment on this blog and for you and/or other commenters/bloggers to trackback, I have added Haloscan.

In all, this should make commenting and maintenance a little easier for all.

Today, I was Unprofessional

2005-01-09T17:24:00.000-08:00

Varifrank was Unprofessional? Frankly, I thought he did a bang up job. Read the whole thing. Every word, every comment, and KNOW that he got it right the FIRST TIME.

With a tip of the Chapeau to Instapundit.

Boxer Sheds a Tear!!!.......Why? Wha-for?

2005-01-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

A bunch of great posts on Ms. Barbara Boxer's grandstanding protest of certifying the OHIO vote. She is disgraceful, shedding a tear no less. From the Left is the delightful (especially when he bashes Democrats.... he bashes us Republican types often enough) Marc Cooper's entry here. Also weighing in is the inestimable PoliPundit from the right. I love reading all these blogs, but I was especially struck by the following in PoliPundit's comments section.... Read PoliPundit's post, then the comments. This one from Ralph (#17 in the comments section) has a compendium of Democrat attempts to finagle elections.

"2003 CA- Democrats sue to prevent valid recall of democrat governor.

2005 NC- Democrats try to a complete redo of Agriculture race statewide as opposed to single county. (statewide gives them a chance)

2000 MO- Run a dead man for re-election based on a promise of political appointment.

2003 KY- Goes to court to remove Lt. Gov's candidate.

2004 Il- Congressman Lipsinski resigns on last day before he can be replaced. His son gets the party's nod with the congressman casting one of the committee's votes to seat him.He runs more or less unopposed and wins.

2004 nationwide-They launch 1st campaign against any Presidential candidate ballot access as it attacks Ralph Nadar.

1998 NY 7th- Congressman Manton resigns 07-21-1998 five days after filing deadline. Democratic committee chooses Joe Crowley to succeed him and therefore avoids Primary.

2004 LA 7th. State senator Cravins is the sole Black democrat running for this open seat. He is running against two republicans and a white democrat. On election day the Lousianna Democratic party helps to pay for a unity flyer that is distributed throughout the black precincts of the district. On the top of the ballot are pictures of John Kerry, Martin Luther King, and the white democrat running against Cravins. Cravins missing out making the runoff by 1500 votes with the White democrat getting into the runoff.

Of course we can add Nixon's loss to dead people voting in Chicago in '6o (although I didn't like him-it was his win... he was a good soul for not contesting it like Gore did 40 years later.) We can add Frank Lautenburg jumping into the race with the ethically challenged Robert Torricelli's backing out of the race and the Democrats putting Lautenberg in, in violation of New Jersy's Rules which the Democratic NJSC unabashedly upheld And yes, one can probably find a list of Republican shennigans also, but the Dems, Oh Them Dems!!!!!

I don't know if the Democrats are determined to "win at any cost" or they are just foolish enough to think the rest of us don't take their shenannigans into account at election time. Steadily declining governorships, congressmen, statehouses and senate seats ought to tell them something. Perhaps Thomas Nast's depiction of the Democrats as a party of Jack-Asses was spot on.

CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY) didn't buy this scene of Boxer's at all. As the NY Post had it:

"EVEN CHUCK BUCKS HILL ON BID TO NIX BUSH WIN"

The overriding theme for Democrats seems to be "Hey Everybody!!! Look at us!!! We want to be YOUR political party." Well, Democrats, we are looking; and you aren't coming close!

If the Great Mason Williams will forgive me, allow me to post the following:

How about Them Democrats,
Ain't they a bunch?
Lookin' for a vote
they face in a scrunch.

Votin' up here and votin up there
doin'nothin but bragging bout all-a they hair.
Lookin for Republicans they think they can beat
but voters think repubs are really, really neat!

How to be a Democrat?
Ain't nothin to it!
Just find an election to
screw-up and
do it, do it, do it!!!

Ok, so it's lousy poetry and there isn't much to say for it. Well, right now the Democrats have even less to say and aren't saying it near as well as my poetry did. And that ain't much folks, that ain't much.

The Filibuster Nuclear Option

2005-01-04T00:07:00.000-08:00

Much has been written recently of the possibility of the Republicans, via the office of the President of the Senate (VP Dick Cheney) declaring the non-filibuster filibuster un-constitutional, having a vote and thus being able to overcome the Senate Rules that allow the Majority Leader to accept from the Minority a pledge to filibuster any given nominee. The effect then is a non-filibuster filibuster.

Of course, the Democrats have threatened massive retaliation in the sense of the old Mutually Assured Destruction Doctrine to make passage of any bill impossible. The Republicans of course have traditionally had no guts to force their will on the Democrats, relying instead on getting a few Dems to vote with them in exchange for something else.

There are some new winkles in the political fabric however, namely the loss of the seat held by Senator Tom Daschle, primarily because John Thune campaigned on Daschle's obstructionism, running as a "conservative" only at election times and changing his electioneering stance from his senatorial stance on as many topics as he thought he could get away with.

This has produced some consternation in a Senate where a number of Democratic Senators are from now "Red States." Among these are Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico; Robert Byrd of West Virginia (who is probably retiring anyway); Conrad Kent of North Dakota; Ben Nelson of Nebraska; and maybe even a few Senators from states where Kerry won by only the slimmest of margins including ,Wisconsin ,Pennsylvania,Michigan, Minnesota and possibly even Oregon where Kerry won by only 4%. Can the Democrats protect these seats? Likely some of them, but are the incumbents who want to run again in 2006 sure? If they are, they need to re-think that. Bush could, with luck and hard work, make this coming off presidential election cycle another republican grab.

So what can the Republicans do between now and '06 to make sure that judicial nominees at least get an up or down vote without changing the time honored concept of filibuster? Simple, make the filibuster a real filibuster. Insist that the Democrats man the mattresses so to speak, schedule non-stop chit-chat, read from the congressional record or the newspapers (the Gray Lady would be good for this - not good for much else these days), actually filibuster.

This would have, I think, several attractive consequences. For one, the people would get to see a real filibuster, after all, we haven't had one since the Democrats filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when Richard Russell of Georgia and 18 other Southern Democrats filibustered the act for almost a year. Only when Russell capitulated to Mansfield and Humphrey did the vote finally get taken with the Civil Rights act passing by a vote of 27 against passage to 73 for. LBJ signed the Act within hours. Secondly, it would show the people that either there was clear and good reason to vote down a nominee or that the loyal opposition is really just about obstructionism.

OK, you think, that was then, this is now, a so called "gentleman's filibuster" makes it much nicer as a way to protest action in the Senate. Well, yes and no. The Gentlemens Filibuster agreement does make protest easier, but it hinders the Advice and Consent role of the Senate when it comes to Judicial Nominations. Each nominee has a hearing before the Senate Judicial Committee and that committee then sends it to the floor for a vote or, recommends that it not be sent to the floor. When a party (Democrats or Republicans) then filibuster that process, one possibility is that the filibuster actively interferes with a legal duty of the Senate.

So, what should Frist and the Republicans do? Make 'em talk till they are blue in the face. The worst that can happen is that Congress can't pass any laws for the time being, and that could be helpful to us all.

Update(1/11/05 ~ 5:34 AM CST) Excellent thoughts on the filibuster at The View From MY Right here.

Wounded US Troops and Pay Cuts!

2005-01-02T17:04:00.000-08:00

I seldom get really angry, but I am royally pissed off (and I seldom curse) tonight for a couple of reasons. On the NBC news tonight there was a story about a marine who lost hazardous duty pay when he shipped home from Iraq in a stretcher. I decided to blog about this as I think Vets get the shaft far too often. Then, in doing some internet research I discovered that the impetus for tonight's "news" was from a newspaper story back in October. Many then (as now) were blaming the Bush Administration for "disrespecting" the vets or talking about supporting the troops on one hand, and cutting their pay on the other.

Couple of things then I'll get to the point of this entry. 1. Loss of combat pay when you leave a combat area is not a policy of Bush and Company. It has been in place pretty much since WWII I understand 2. Troops can apply for up to a 90 day extension and 3. the griping about the Pentagon looking at cutting combat pay is bogus. Congress decides the budget and the Pentagon MUSTlook at all possibilities in allocating the dollars.

Having said that, now I'll rant... Cutting the pay for any damn reason when a soldier has been severely wounded and his wounds require removal from the theater of operations is absolutely absurd.

I propose the following and I'm hoping that bloggers everywhere will pick this up and spread the word. I'm also hoping that every reader of blogs will write his or her congressman and senator and get this or something similar done now:

Maintain Combat pay for every wounded soldier until they are released from medical care and returned to active duty or discharged from the service because of their injuries.
Ensure that soldiers who are partially disabled (loss of a foot say) have the ability to stay in the service if they desire and if their military occupation speciality (MOS) is needed. If not, provide additional training where appropriate and where the individuals capacity/ability do not jeopardize the mission.
Figuring out how a serviceman's family is taken care of in the event of catostrophic disability or death.
Pulling some really creative thinking types in on the problem including finance types, rehabilitation experts, physicians, occupational therapists etc. and taking a really solid look at their recommendations

There are those who will scream about the cost. My own response? So What! These wounded servicemen and women have given everything they have in the defense of their country. We cannot do less! We Cannot

UPDATE (12:47 PM jan 03, 2005): John Moore (http://tinyvital.com) had some interesting things to add to this, as a result I have changed the number 2 suggestion and added 3 and 4 above to reflect his thoughts. I love it when a plan comes together.

An Orange Revolution in Washington State?

2005-01-02T15:34:00.000-08:00

The Orange Revolution in Ukraine is a success so far. Yushchenko survived a bungled assasination attempt, lost an election, supported a recount, got a revote and won. Good for him and good for the anti-corruption forces in Ukraine. Putin tried to force the election to his sycophant, it didn't work.

Now we have a similar problem in washington state. Democrats and Republicans are in a struggle over less than 500 votes and there is a movement underway to pull a "re-vote" to make a final determination. Those forces mostly in favor of the "re-vote" believe that the Democrats "stole" the election in a time honored way, they "found" more votes when the chips (chads?) were down. They have even adopted the "Orange" of the Ukraine's Orange Revolution as a style.

Folks, this would be an unmitigated disaster. This country has a long history of election procedures and constitutional safeguards built in. You cannot say the same for Ukraine (but I hope they develop one). Let's go back to the election of 2000 or 1960 and see what a "re-vote" would have done? In 60, without the cheating in Chicago, Nixon (shudder) would have come into office 8 years earlier with who knows what consequences (including the possibility, I admit of good consequences). In 2000, a change of the winner might have produced a Gore as Commander In Chief ("I'd like to take on those damned Taliban fellows, but I can't find any legal controlling authority.") following 9/11. - - Ok, Ok, so that is a wee bit of hyperbole - - You get my point!

Messing with the way elections and politics are done is a good way to invoke the laws of unintended consequences - Think folks, no single election in These United States is worth tampering with a "re-vote" monster. Not if you are a Democrat, a Republican, an Independent or whatever. Don't go there!

A tip of the Chapeau to PoliPundit!

Of Cabbages and Kings

2005-01-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax
--Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."
Lewis Carroll
(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

And so the debate goes: Did Bush provide Leadership in the crisis in South Asia? Is the US "stingy?" Are we as a people unconcerned about others unless they have "white skin or oil?"

What utter and complete nonsense. I make no bones about being somewhat chauvinistic regarding my country, my government. I am unabashedly patriotic but I am also more than willing to call foul when the government or someone in the government pulls some stupid and/or dishonest stunt

The carping of the left has reached the same intellectual level of discussion as suggested by the Walrus above. Let us look at the facts.

The Complaint: "Bush sits at home and does nothing/says nothing for three days following the disaster. The Fact? Some of the first relief planes to land in the stricken area were C-130's from Yokota Air Base, Japan. No, that's not a Japanese effort, but an American Air Force effort. That's right folks, AMERICAN Air Force. And does the USAF engage in massive relief effort without the OK of the Commander-In-Chief? I don't think so.
The complaint: "The rich nations are stingy" in their pleges to help. The Facts? It is clear from our initial announcement $15 million as an "initial" amount until folks on the ground could assess what was needed to the raising of that to $35 million and subsequently to $350 million that the complaint is nonsense. Further, private donations from the US are rapidly approaching the $300 million range. Regarding the initial amount John Podhoretz in the New York Post says "Any rational person would have understood without having to be told what the president told the world on Wednesday morning, which is that the $35 million pledge "is only the beginning of our help."
The complaint: Only the UN has the moral authority to organize relief efforts (a complaint made by former International Development Secretary Clare Short - via Michael Totten's blog): The facts? Well, Mr. Totten has said it far better than I can, the telling graf (by the way, read the whole thing):
The UN has no moral authority. None. Zero. Nada. Zip. Zilch. But the UN still manages to pull off some decent crisis relief once in a while. If even the UN can do that, surely the US, Japan, India, and Australia can do something, too.
"I don't know what that is about but it sounds very much, I am afraid, like the US trying to have a separate operation and not work with the rest of the world through the UN system," she added.
Over a hundred thousand people are dead. This is not the time to seethe and whine about process. Process means absolutely nothing to people who need help and need it right now. Speed and results, Clare. Speed and results. Roll up your sleeves and stick a sock in it.
The complaint: Mr. Bush, by waiting several days before making public remarks shows unconcern about others and a decided lack of world leadership in a time when the US needs to step forward. The Facts? This one is so easy, I'm almost ashamed to note it. In a previous presidency, such "leadership" was noted by words of piety, a pursed lip, a tear gently wiped away and an expression of feeling your pain. That is style, the substance was noticeably lacking in stopping the killing in Rwanda where over 800,000 people were slaughtered in 100 days. Leadership sends C-130's within hours and in less than 72 hours, those planes are landing with supplies, medicines, food and relief personnel! Style bemoans the loss but does nothing
The Complaint: The UN pitched in right away, the US delays the process for many unconscionable days. The facts: From The Diplomad come this:
Well, we're heading into Day 7 of the Asian quake/tsunami crisis. And the UN relief effort? Nowhere to be seen except at some meetings and on CNN and BBC as talking heads. In this corner of the Far Abroad, it's Yanks and Aussies doing the hard, sweaty work of saving lives.
Check out this interview (on ghe UN's official website) with SecGen Annan and Under SecGen Egeland shows, Mr. Egeland: Our main problems now are in northern Sumatra and Aceh.
In Aceh, today 50 trucks of relief supplies are arriving. Tomorrow, we will have eight full airplanes arriving. I discussed today with Washington whether we can draw on some assets on their side, after consultations with the Indonesian Government, to set up what we call an "air-freight handling centre" in Aceh.Tomorrow, we will have to set up a camp for relief workers, 90 of them, which is fully self-contained, with kitchen, food, lodging, everything, because they have nowhere to stay and we don't want them to be an additional burden on the people there.
I provided this to some USAID colleagues working in Indonesia and their heads nearly exploded. The first paragraph is quite simply a lie (emphasis added by GMR). The UN is taking credit for things that hard-working, street savvy USAID folks have done. It was USAID working with their amazing network of local contacts who scrounged up trucks, drivers, and fuel; organized the convoy and sent it off to deliver critical supplies. A UN "air-freight handling centre" in Aceh? Bull! It's the Aussies and the Yanks who are running the air ops into Aceh. We have people working and sleeping on the tarmac in Aceh, surrounded by bugs, mud, stench and death, who every day bring in the US and Aussie C-130s and the US choppers; unload, load, send them off. We have no fancy aid workers' retreat -- notice the priorities of the UN? People are dying and what's the first thing the UN wants to do? Set up "a camp for relief workers" one that would be "fully self-contained, with kitchen, food, lodging, everything." The UN is a sham.

This is enough for the average intelligence to grasp, there are problems to be sure, but leadership, generosity, caring etc. on the part of our President, our efforts and our people aren't part of the problems, they are part of the solution.

That members of the left have immediately jumped on the "Jump on Bush" bandwagon says far more about their need to discredit Bush than it says about any thing else.

An American Family

2004-12-30T12:12:00.000-08:00

Celeste Fremon of the LA Weekly has written a long article on the trials and tribulations of one "American Family." From drug raids to rehabilitation/salvation, the story is a good one and one that Celeste put in a year on. As a counselor, I know that people can and do change for the better, I hope Mr. Aguilar is one of them. Read the whole thing if you want to see writing at it's best. As Celeste notes:

The original idea behind the "An American Family" series was to examine the lives of one recent parolee and his family and, in so doing, look at issues and difficulties faced by other, similar families in urban centers all around the country. After all, in the United States of America, on any given day, there are more than 2 million men and women being held in state and federal prisons and jails. Eventually over 95 percent of those incarcerated will, like Luis, return to the community — 600,000 are returning in this year alone. Nearly one in five of those parolees will be returning to the streets of California.
Like Luis, most will face an immense number of institutional, psychological and societal barriers as they attempt to restart their lives. The majority, like Luis, have spouses and children who struggle right along with them during this repair process — or suffer without them, if they end up back in prison.
All this convinced my editors and me that, with the Aguilars, we had a story worth telling. We never imagined how complex that story would become.

Read the whole thing, it's time well spent.

Ramsey Clarke, Defender of Thugs!

2004-12-29T18:22:00.000-08:00

Ramsey Clarke, former Attorney General of the United States has joined the Saddam Hussein Defense team according to Aljazeera. Mr. Clarke noted that the US should be tried as well. Why am I not surprised?

Now, I have no problem with Saddam having the best possible defense that he can get. I have no problem if the courts decide he is innocent (fat chance though that may be) and let him go. I have no problem with Mr. Clarke taking on clients, I only wonder why he takes on the most thuggish dictators as clients if and only if they have an anti-US mien.

There will be those who will disagree with me, and that is OK, they have every right to be totally, unmitigatedly, absolutely wrong.

Of Tsunami's and Disaster

2004-12-29T06:27:00.000-08:00

As of this morning, there are some 67,000 dead in the Asian Tidalwave following a 9.0 undersea quake. This number is mind boggling. There are credible reports that the eventual number of dead may reach 100,000 souls and an additional tens of thousands may die as a result of disease following the disaster.

Rather than put everything aside and pitch in, some folk are leaping to blame Bush for not responding fast enough, blame the UN for inadequate preparation, blame.... Well, a pox on all their houses (irony of statement noted). This is a natural disaster unprecedented in my adult life, how do you plan for something like this? The only rational answer is of course, that you can't.

You can help however. Link to one of these sites and do what you can in the name of our common humanity. World Vision International, CARE, Amazon Relief Webpage, International Red Cross in a variety of South East Asian countries, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami website

Many of your favorite blogs have other sites where you can help. Go!

Lastly, and I know that this is a gratuitous slap at James Wolcott, but the man has got to be regretting this:

I root for hurricanes. When, courtesy of the Weather Channel, I see one forming in the ocean off the coast of Africa, I find myself longing for it to become big and strong--Mother Nature's fist of fury, Gaia's stern rebuke. Considering the havoc mankind has wreaked upon nature with deforesting, stripmining, and the destruction of animal habitat, it only seems fair that nature get some of itsown back and teach us that there are forces greater than our own.

Still rooting for "Mother Nature" Jimbo?

UPDATE (9:35 AM CST): The death toll now is over 76,000. My God, this tragedy cannot be described with words alone.

UPDATE (4:15 PM CST): 100,000+! With the remote areas not even searched yet.

UPDATE (12:40 PM CST - Dec. 30,2004) The number of dead is now over 117,000. Here is a link to the Network for Good site with multiple links to help. Please help where you can with what you can.

UPDATE (2:09 PM CST): Celeste Fremon (a good writer for LA Weekly and a very, very special person) has a link that also has a long history of helping here!

Liberal Iraqi

2004-12-28T23:24:00.000-08:00

One of my daily reads is Michael Totten's blog. His latest is an excellent column about a new Iraqi blog by Ali, a Liberal Iraqi. Read Michael's blog in it's entirety then go here for the new blog. Michael is right; publicize this blog-it's different!

Reid: Colorless?

2004-12-26T08:43:00.000-08:00

There is a good read on Reid here by Chris Suellentrop of Slate. When you have read the good read on Reid, you will have read something worthwhile. Colorless he ain't. Read the whole read on Reid, as I said, it's a good read!

With a tip of the chapeau to Polipundit!

Merry Christmas!

2004-12-25T04:53:00.000-08:00

"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord"
{Luke 2:11}.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

NUTS! December 22, 1944

2004-12-22T14:52:00.000-08:00

December 16th, 1944 was a cold, dreary day in Bastogne. The Germans began planning the offensive as a last ditch stand in September, 1944. They were already losing the war, which was apparent to everyone perhaps except Hitler. Field Marshall Alfred Jodel was given the task of coming up with a counter-attack in the Aachan - Southern Luxemburg/France area as the Allies had only a single tank division and four infantry divisions in that area. The ultimate goal was Antwerp Belgium and cutting the Allies in half.

This set the stage for the largest land battle of WWII in which the United states participated. In all, 19,000 Americans were killed in action, 200 British troops and the Germans lost over 100,000 soldiers killed, wounded or captured.

The Ardennes Offensive on the web is a well written article which you need to read it in full. On December 22, 1944 60 years ago today, the German commander, General der Panzertruppe von Luttwitz Commander of XLVII Panzerhops sent a note to General McAuliffe demanding surrender of Bastogne. Col. H.W.O. Kinnard (101st Airborne) picks up the story from there.

My recollection of the German surrender ultimatum, and the "Nuts" reply by McAuliffe goes like this. On the 22nd of December, when the division was and had been totally surrounded by the Germans, the intelligence officer and I decided that we had to take this to General McAuliffe. We first took it to the chief of staff, and the three of us, and Colonel Harper then went in, woke up General McAuliffe who was taking a bit of a nap, and told him that we had a surrender ultimatum. And that Tony McAuliffe had first thought that the Germans were trying to surrender to us. But, we told him no, not so. That they want us to surrender to them, and they go on to say all the bad things that they're going to do if we don't do this. And he said, Tony McAuliffe then said, "I surrender, ah nuts!" And then he sort of pondered about whether he should answer or should it be in writing, and so forth. And everybody agreed that there should be a written answer. And Tony McAuliffe then said, "Well, I don't know what to tell them." And I spoke up and said, "Well, what you first said would be hard to beat." And Tony said, "What do you mean?" And I said, "You said nuts!" And all of us in the room sort of thought that was a good answer. So Tony sat down and wrote out with a pencil, "To the German Commander, Nuts! A.C. McAuliffe, Commanding." Had his secretary type it out. Gave the message to Colonel Harper, who took it back to his headquarters and gave it to the German Armistice party. The Germans were allowed to take off their blindfold and read the message, and they were puzzled by it. And they were trying to translate nuts. And they said, "Nuets, Nuets, Nuts... Vas ist das?" They didn't get it at all. And Colonel Harper said, "If you don't understand it, it means go to hell!"

In all, US forces suffered over 76,000 casualties during the Bulge. With 19,000 killed, that means that in a single month of fighting, we had some 57,000 wounded to contend with. Ronald N. McArthur describes being wounded in battle during the battle:

At the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, our outfit was a good many miles southeast of the breakthrough point. I was the first gunner in our section of water-cooled 30 caliber machine guns. We were a Heavy Weapons Company of the 45th Division, part of General Patch's 7th Army. We were ordered out between Christmas and New Year's to help close the gap in the line. We traveled nearly a day and a night in a northwesterly direction to our assigned area. We were attached to a rifle company to replace their light 30 caliber machine guns that had been knocked out in the attack.
We set our guns up on the high ground on each side of a trail in the woods. There were several tanks with us in the attack. It was all quiet nearly all afternoon, only a few small arms fired at us during the day. Then, all of a sudden at about four o' clock, we were hit with a terrific artillery barrage. The shells were coming in hitting the trees and exploding. We were exposed to vicious tree burst shrapnel coming down on us. After some time, I told my assistant gunner to man the gun as I was going out to cut some large branch logs that had been knocked down from the shelling. This was afternoon, January 11, 1945. The logs were to be placed over our foxhole to protect from further shell bursts. I left the gun and went about 100 yards toward the lead tank that had been knocked out during the battle. I got about four logs cut when WHAM, I was shot through the face by a German sniper. He had been left behind as we drove Germans off the hill. He was out in front of the knocked out tank.
I fell flat on my face in about 15" of snow. My only thought was, "When will he let me have it again?" The bullet must have been a soft-nosed one as X-rays later revealed that I had pieces of shrapnel in my cheek and the roof of my mouth. The bullet had gone through my left cheek just below the jaw bone and exited out my right cheek, taking nearly all of upper teeth and gums as well as most of the lowers. I remember feeling numbness in my mouth. I thought my tongue was gone. I put my hand in the opening and was relieved to find it intact. The opening of the right cheek was up to under my eye and back nearly to my right ear.
Our medic was nearby. He came and patched the wounds with sulphadiazine powder. In short order, our jeep was there (each section of machine guns had its own jeep). They took me and another GI out to be evacuated to an aid station and several hospitals on my way finally to England and later home, the good old USA.

Women too were at the Bulge, from Viola Milloy:

The Fifty-Sixth General - Viola Molloy, U.S. Army - In July, the Fifty-sixth General shipped over from England to France to set up a tent hospital. One of the hard things about working in a tent hospital was that cots were so low we had to kneel by each one to keep from bending over all the time. Liege, Belgium was our next destination, and we were glad it was a building instead of tents.
During the Battle of the Bulge, in December we were so close to the fighting the patients had to be evacuated. They were just about to evacuate us nurses when the Germans retreated, and we stayed. The casualties came in so fast, nurses had to start blood transfusions, which only doctors had done before. Whatever needed to be done was done by everyone. There was no limit. I'll never forget those young patients, hurt so badly. I felt worse when I saw they were wearing a wedding ring.

One of the treasures left to me by my dad is a complete set of Bill Mauldins Cartoons. Mauldin was only 21 when he shipped out to North Africa. Here is a link to both pictures of our troops during the Battle of the Bulge and within you will find also a link to a sampling of Mauldins cartoons. You'll never regret looking at each one of them.

The courage of the American Soldier under the most difficult of times is admirable. Yet, these hero's are a quiet lot. My late dad was with the 102nd Infantry Division on the edge of the battle, I believe he got his Bronze Star there. Yet, he was modest only when talking about his efforts and effusive about the efforts of others. Growing up in the Army, I remember meeting many veterans of the Bulge, each was the same...modest about self, effusive about his buddies.

These hero's are dying off today, the youngest in the battle are pushing 80. We owe them all a debt of gratitude. They stopped the worst the Germans could throw and still went on to destroy the Third Reich and help save the world. As Tom Brokaw said, they truly are The Greatest Generation.

Lt. Lewis Plush, Fighter Pilot in the First World War possibly said it best: ""Men fought to kill, to maim, to destroy. Some return home, others remain behind forever on the fields of their greatest sacrifice. There was a war, a great war, and now it is over."

That we are free today is a tribute to these brave and wonderful soldiers. The next time you see an old veteran, thank him or her.

The Left in High Dudgeon Over Rummy

2004-12-21T05:30:00.000-08:00

"Off with his head!" Can't you just see it? Rumsfeld being led up to the guillotine, slowly mounting the stairs, the crowd yelling with glee for Mr. Bush to pull the rope that will separate Rummy's head from his body. In the courtyard, the bunting is draped, the coffin prepared. The death certificate pre-signed with a robo-pen! Rummy is laid down his neck pinned by the block, the blade comes down at a furious pace, and.... and.... and stops!

Ahh, twas not reality, just the fevered dream of the radicalized left. Unable to unseat George, they've gone after Rummy with a vengence attributing to him all sorts of crimes and stupidities. Some of which may be even true. My good friend Marc Cooper has an excellent post (here) on the charges against Rumsfeld (even though IMHO he has missed the mark) including the charge of torture. Now, lest any of my friends on the left suppose that I am condoning torture, don't go there. I'm not and I think anyone that says "Well, torture in a time of war can be understood" the only answer is "Like Hell It Can!" We are the good guys folks, and we damn sure better remember that.

There is a difference however between torture and "tough" interrogation techniques. Loud music is tough but not torture; lack of sleep is tough, but not torture. Ahh, "But GM," I can hear you say, "what about beatings, what about abuse, what about ... ?" and I have to agree, those acts have absolutely no part in our custody of combatants, even illegal combatants who are outside of the Rules of Land Warfare as promulgated in the Geneva Conventions on Warfare!

Having said that let's look at the charges against Rumsfeld: 1. Rumsfled as the top dog in the Department of Defense is responsible for the actions of those under him. Verdict: Yes, and No. Responsible as the ultimate person in charge? True. Responsible for the specific act of brutality committed by a soldier? Not true! Reason: As the Secretary of Defense, Rumsfeld has the legal and legitimate responsibility to engage our troops in warfare under the direction of Congress and the President but he cannot specifically oversee each act by each soldier in the entire chain of command. His charge is to find out what happened and begin the legal process against any soldier who violates the rules. That is quite different than what the left is asking for. Accountable? Yes! Directly responsible? No!
Rumsfeld was confronted by a soldier in a Q&A session for sending that soldiers unit into combat with unarmored vehicles. Verdict: Not true! As the story developed, it turns out that more than 97% of the vehicles were armored and the rest were already scheduled. Glen Reynolds has a much more thourough posting here. That those making the original charge didn't follow up and continue to see what the real info was should not be a surprise to anyone. Also see the Power Line information here.
The FBI complains in a story by the LATimes here that "inappropriate" techniques have been used in Iraq and Cuba including "...lighted cigarettes stuck in detainees' ears and Arab captives being humiliated with Israeli flags wrapped around them..." Now, lighted cigarettes stuck in the ear is torture, plain and simple! Even if the butt end was stuck in the ear with the "threat" of it burning down and burning the combatant it is torture, plain and simple indeed. But wrapping them in a Israeli Flag to "humiliate" them. Oh Please! Give me a break. I'm not going to get into "moral equivalence" type arguments, but my gosh, how tortured an argument against torture can you get? Actually, the whole LATimes article is a good read and it raises some legitimate points. But do we call for Rumsfeld to resign over it? Not yet methinks!

God Help Me! I Don't Want To Live Anymore: Suicide~The Savage God

2004-12-18T19:46:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month (December 10th), Gary Webb committed suicide. Mr. Webb was the author of Dark Alliance a book about the connection between the Contra's and Drugs and the CIA. My friend Marc Cooper wrote extensively about Mr. Webb here, & here.

Suicide - the killing of one's self is a mental health issue stretching back through the millennia. Whether it be from Alexander falling on his sword, Socrates drinking hemlock or Mr. Webb, suicide hurts everyone it touches, from the victim to the victims loved ones.

The Center for Disease Control reports:

* Suicide took the lives of 30,622 people in 2001 (CDC 2004).
* Suicide rates are generally higher than the national average in the western states and lower in the eastern and midwestern states (CDC 1997).
* In 2002, 132,353 individuals were hospitalized following suicide attempts; 116,639 were treated in emergency departments and released (CDC 2004).
* In 2001, 55% of suicides were committed with a firearm (Anderson and Smith 2003).

The CDC goes on to say that women attempt suicide three times the rate of men and men complete suicide four times the rate of women. It is a grisly set of statistics, especially at this time of year when one would think that being with family, the giving and getting of expressions of love, sharing with others etc., would be a happy time for all.

And yet, and yet, this is not the case. No, is there trouble in the world, with war, famine, disease and sorrow. And for far too many, despondency.

Risk factors for suicide include the following:

Previous suicide attempt(s)History of mental disorders, particularly depression
History of alcohol and substance abuse
Family history of suicide
Family history of child maltreatment
Feelings of hopelessness
Impulsive or aggressive tendencies
Barriers to accessing mental health treatment
Loss (relational, social, work, or financial)
Physical illness
Easy access to lethal methods
Unwillingness to seek help because of the stigma attached to mental health and substance abuse disorders or suicidal thoughts
Cultural and religious beliefsfor instance, the belief that suicide is a noble resolution of a personal dilemma
Local epidemics of suicide
Isolation, a feeling of being cut off from other people

I know the feeling of despondency, of being cut off from others, of severe loss; and I know them far too intimately! In July, 1996 my first wife passed away from the complications of asthma. We were 15 days away from our 27th anniversary! As the family gathered around my daughter and me, I still felt isolated. When my wife's mother, brother and I went to our chuch to talk with the pastor about the memorial service my brother-in-law noted that my wife was no longer in pain, that we would soon enough be with her but we didn't want that now. I looked up at him with tears in my eyes and my heart breaking and said "I do." I meant that then, at that time in my life. I, to this day, don't know if I would have actually attempted suicide (obviously I didn't commit it); but I do know that if I had been crossing the street I wouldn't have hurried out of the way of a car speeding towards me, so great was my despondency. I survived that time, with the support and love of my friends and family, especially the love of my daughter Jennifer. I fell in love again (though I never thought I would) and re-married and am delightfully happy once again.

Suicide has been called the Savage God by A. Alvarez in his classic book, and part of my title comes from remembering reading that tome when I was in graduate school. In my 35 plus years of mental health work, I have dealt with the family survivors of suicide time and time again and it's never easy; on the therapist or on the family. The grief, the doubt and the pain go on and on in unremitting waves. Suicide is far too often not a well thought out action, but an action of desparation, of despondency of a belief that nothing will again be better. Gary Webb doubtlessly felt this way before shooting himself.

Suicide grows out of an irrational belief that nothing will improve - and no, I'm not talking about people with an incurable disease, with an immediate future of unremitting pain and ultimate death. I'm talking about people who in the depths of depression believe that nothing will improve. Nothing could be farther from the truth! While there is life, there is hope. Suicide dashes that hope for the victim and the surviving loved ones.

It is said that depression, like any mood is cyclical, that is that our moods go up and down in a normal fashion with a fairly predictable regularity. Clinical depression on the other hand is a gross exaggeration of this cycle. A psychiatrist friend of mine explained it once as waking up in the morning feeling lousy and down. Going to work someone notices and says "What's wrong?" to which you sigh and reply "I'm depressed!" The other person says "It's OK, things will get better" and sure enough, after a few days or a week or so it does. But depression, real depression is much more complex and much greater than just the "blues."

Depression is often mistakenly thought to be caused by one or more of the following:

Depression is the result of a medical condition involving an imbalance of hormones or neurotransmitters in the brain.
Depression is the result of "bad" thinking processes.
Depression is a result of significant psychological/physical trauma and it's aftermath.

The Depression Learning Path here has a terrific bit of information regarding depression. Read it all.

Depression is not the "cause" of suicide though, even if it is often directly and unavoidably linked to depression. I once had a patient who had lost her husband and two children in separate accidents a couple of years apart, lost her business and managed to cope with it all. She became depressed and had persistent thoughts of death and dying when her pet dog died. So, how did she cope with true tragedy but "fall apart" when a pet died? Perhaps it was the proverbial straw that broke the camels back. Perhaps it was the time of year, perhaps her pet's death occurred as she was starting to realize the extent of her previous losses. I don't know. I do know that with the help of a psychiatrist and counseling she was able to recover and become a fully functioning happy person again.

The loss of belief in a future, despondency too often leads to suicide. For the family of the suicide, the resulting guilt and belief that they could have prevented it is wide spread, almost universal. There are warning signs, but they are not always present, and often the person contemplating suicide goes to great lengths to keep anyone from realizing what is about to happen. SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education) has a great Question & Answer section on suicide, causes, prevention etc. I strongly, strongly, suggest a full reading.

Educate yourself about depression and suicide; the cost in lives ended, lives of survivers shattered and the cost in human suffering demands it. You may know someone who is contemplating suicide. If so, act, now, go to the internet and learn as much as you can and do something. Take a risk! Be proactive! Save someone you love, even if they get furious with you. You may not be ultimately successful, but you won't feel guilty if they eventually do take their lives.

UPDATE: From SAVE a bit of good news. President Bush signed the GarrettLeeSmith Bill.

President Bush signed into law a bill authorizing $82 million in grants aimed at preventing suicide among young people. The Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act is named for the son of Oregon Republican Sen. Gordon Smith, who championed the legislation as a tribute to his 21-year-old son, who committed suicide last year. The senator, his wife Sharon, daughter Brittany and son Morgan attended the signing ceremony at the White House.The law authorizes $82 million over three years to provide grants to states, Indian tribes, colleges and universities to develop youth suicide prevention and intervention programs. It emphasizes screening programs that identify mental illness in children as young as sixth-graders, and provides referrals for community-based treatment and training for child care professionals.

Suicide can often be prevented if we all make a significant effort.

UPDATE (8:45PM January 28, 2005): Welcome Instapundit Readers. Mr. Reynolds was gracious enough to link to my post. I hope you will stick around and look at some of my other posts. I tend to the right, but I'll call down anyone who needs it. Again, wellcome

Carnival of the Vanities # 117

2004-12-15T13:02:00.000-08:00

Well now, even though there are not a lot of comments on my blog, I may have arrived. One of my spots got mentioned on Carnival of the Vanities.

All Your Base Are Belong To Us!

2004-12-10T04:48:00.000-08:00

MoveOn MovesAgainst the DNC (news item); and in that light, I propose an alternate history:

2005 - It was a time of war, the empire known as the DNC fought bravely against the reactionary forces of the insurgency, but MoveOn.org was more powerful than anyone had previously thought.
Captain: "What happen?"
Mechanic: "Somebody set up us the bomb."
Operator: "We get Signal."
Captain: "What?"
Operator: "Main screen turn on."
Captain: "It's you!"
Cats: "How are you gentlemen!!"
Cats: "All your base are belong to us."
Cats: "You are on the way to destruction."
Cats: "You have no chance to survive make your time!"

And so children, MoveOn.org took over the DNC and the war for the hearts and minds of blue-staters entered a new and bloody phase. Cats, otherwise known as Dr. Howard Dean moved in to DNC HQ and routed the corporate stooges who had brought in the DLC in the guise of Democrats Lite and forced the evil ones out of the DNC. Powerful heads however, at the RNC knew that if the DNC were taken over by reactionaries at MoveOn.org, then the long term prospects of the RNC would be enhanced.

Androids, in the form of McCain-Feingold, would intervene however and, realizing that their changes in the laws of physics and politics created the reactionary monster, plotted against MoveOn.org. The androids knew that if they could only make one further change, only one miniscule jot in the laws of physics and politics, MoveOn.org might starve, and thus win for the DNC that which they could not win for themselves.

The RNC of course was somewhat dismayed, for they knew that their earlier plotting against the androids had been foolish, that acquiescing to the demands of the populace and allowing the Grand Poo-Bah Bush II, to endorse the changes in the laws of physics and politics and actually signing the endorsement had, in the end, played an important role in the formation of his second administration. Not knowing what to do, they further tinkered with the laws of physics and politics and created even more monsters. Thus children, MoveOn.org was only the beginning, as more and more reactionaries at the DNC and later the RNC became more and more powerful, the populace was forgotten and we come to this stage of the equation. None of us have any rights any more. Now, go to sleep and realize that big brother will indeed be watching over us.

Moral of the story: Tinker with the laws of physics and politics often enough, and the monster you create will devour you. Tinker with what is essentially a first amendment right, and you know not what the laws of unexpected consequences will give birth to.

UPDATE (Dec/ 12. 2004): Some of you may be unfamiliar with the "All your base are blong to us" phenomenon. The original can be found here. It has been pronounced dead, but still survives. Kinda like MoveOn huh?

A Gift of Love for our Troops at Christmas

2004-12-09T05:21:00.000-08:00

Lorie Byrd of PoliPundit passes on a suggestion from Hugh Hewitt that is just too good for me not to pass on. Folks, if you celebrate Christmas, Chanukkah, or Kwanza, this is an idea that is ripe for passing on to each and every person that you know.

Cut it, paste it, put it in an e-mail and get it around the world. While our troops are in the field or in the hospital, let's make sure that they can talk to their loved ones this Christmas Season.

"Finally, from a naval officer I respect a great deal, an e-mail on how to aid wounded troops in the two weeks left before Christmas:"

"Yellow ribbons tied around trees and red, white and blue stickers on the backs SUVs saying "Support our Troops" are things that make civilians feel good but do nothing for the men and women actually in uniform."

"So please consider the following:"

"The number ONE request at Walter Reed hospital is phone cards. The government doesn't pay long distance phone charges and these wounded soldiers are rationing their calls home."

"Many will be there throughout the holidays."

"Really support our troops --Send phone cards of any amount to:"

Medical Family Assistance Center
Walter Reed Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,
NW Washington, DC 20307-5001
"They say they need an "endless" supply of these -- any amount even $5 is greatly appreciated."

"Walmart has good prices on AT&T cards, Sams Club is even better, if you are a member."

I am sure you would feel better about doing this, than to buy something for a third cousin, that would find it on the closet shelf six months later, and wonder where it came from."

"Please pass this portion on, copy and paste it into your e-mail."

And NOW for my own little tidbit: Write your Congressman and tell them to enter a bill for the government to pay for long distance phone calls home for any soldier wounded in a theater of war. The government can even buy them at Sams Club at maybe a bigger discount.

Spending The U.S. Into The Poorhouse

2004-12-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

From The Stakeholder (the website/blog of Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Weblog) comes this tidbit of "then and now."

Then:

“I don’t like deficits, I don’t want deficits, and I won’t
pretend deficits don’t matter.” -Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle, CongressDaily, 3/12/03

“[Former New York Congressman] Jack Kemp worships at the altar of tax cuts. Jack has always said that deficits don’t matter. We think that deficits do matter.” -Majority Leader Tom DeLay, New York Times, 1997

“The Republican lockbox legislation locks away the entire Social Security surplus . . . Today, we are restoring Americans’ faith and confidence in the Social Security system. It’s a promise to current and future generations of retirees: Rest assured, your hard-earned money will be saved for you so that you can enjoy your well-deserved retirement.” -Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Congressional Record, 5/23/99

“This Congress will protect 100 percent of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds. Period. No speculation. No supposition. No projections.” -Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle, Press Release, 7/2/01

Now (the revolt):

"Republicans are in denial... they have been spending money like there is no tomorrow.” -Bruce Bartlett, former deputy assistant secretary for economic policy under President Ronald Reagan, Chicago Tribune, 03/09/04

“Enough deficit spending, my friends. Enough. We are mortgaging our children's futures. When does it stop? When does the Republican Party find its soul?” -Sen. John McCain, Congressional Record, 02/12/04

Dang it all, I hate it when liberal Democrats are right! And they are. Deficit spending is a major problem for the US. It would be for me and my family budget, for me and a company budget, many states forbid defict spending and yet, and yet, when offered the majority in congress by the American People, Republicans (both houses, don't get all uppity on me if you are a Democrat) have abandoned what they stood for for decades. And I don't mean just conservative Republicans, I mean all of them.

This is not something to sneeze at folks. Someday the bill will come due and someone (your children? grandchildren?) are going to fork over most of their pay checks to handle the cost of government.

I know, I know, you democrats out there are claiming Clinton eliminated the deficit but you know that that is done with smoke and mirrors. You can have a huge surplus if you take everything off budget such as Medicare entitlements.

The Democrats are not above blame either. For 40 years they preached deficits were not harmful, and now they gripe at the republicans for doing the same thing that they did. Of course, Democrats point to The Clinton “surplus” and say that we can do it again.

Democrats want to raise taxes, mostly on the rich. Noted economist Thomas Sowell who is also a Black Conservative, notes here (read the whole thing)

Congressman Patrick Kennedy, a Rhode Island Democrat, recently declared to fellow party members at a Washington night spot, "I don't need Bush's tax cut" and added that he had never worked a day in his life.
A number of other rich people have at various times likewise declared that they do not need what are called "tax cuts for the rich." But, whatever political points such rhetoric may score, it confuses issues that are long overdue to be clarified.
One of the most basic confusions is between income and wealth. You can have high income and low wealth or vice versa. We have all heard of athletes and entertainers who have earned millions and yet ended up broke. There are also people of relatively modest incomes who have saved and invested enough over the years to leave surprisingly large amounts of wealth to their heirs.
Income tax cuts apply to income, not wealth. So the fact that some rich people say that they do not need a tax cut means nothing because they are not getting a tax cut on their wealth, since their wealth is not being taxed anyway.
Looked at differently, high tax rates hit people who are currently earning high incomes -- usually late in life, after having worked their way up in their professions over a period of decades. Genuinely rich people who have never had to work a day in their lives -- people like Congressman Kennedy -- are unaffected by income taxes, except on what they are currently earning, which may be a tiny fraction of what they own.
In other words, soak-the-rich tax rates do not in fact soak the rich. They soak people who are currently earning the rewards of having contributed to the economy. High income taxes punish people for becoming prosperous, not for having been born rich.
Even estate taxes can be minimized by hiring ingenious lawyers and accountants. But people who have had to work all their lives may not be nearly as able to afford such expensive ingenuity. Someone who eventually works his way up to $100,000 a year will qualify as "rich" in liberal rhetoric but, by the time you reach that level, you may have a child in college and need to put some money aside for your retirement years. You are very unlikely to be able to afford a yacht.

The Democrats hammer “Tax Cuts for the Rich” but don’t tell you that there is a big difference between tax cuts and tax revenue. Tax revenue increased every year of the Reagan Administration as it did following the even bigger “tax cut” during the Kennedy Administration.

Back to the topic at hand which is not taxing, but spending. The Republicans bellowed for years for a reduction in spending as a method of lowering the deficit while at the same time the Democrats wanted to raise taxes. Now that the Republicans are in charge of both houses, you’d think that they would be cutting spending left and right. And you’d be wrong. Pork Barrel spending is at an all time high with tax dollars going to the most irrational boondoggles. It’s sickening to watch this process.

I float a modest proposal.

1. Cut Taxes on Corporations, because when you increase corporate taxes, the corporations only pass along those taxes to the consumers who do not need any more outgo of their own pocketbooks.
2. Tax Wealth, not Income. I would be willing to bet that the Soros and Kennedy types would squeal like stuck pigs then.
3. Cut the tax rate on income to a flat tax, but tax all personal income. For those below an agreed on poverty level will get a refund.
4. Abolish federal withholding. When each taxpayer has to make a monthly “tax deposit” to cover their income taxes, the outcry will go up demanding fiscal responsibility.
5. Abolish deficit spending and any congressional trick used to pass a spending resolution without having to do the work necessary for a real budget, tie specific deficit authorizations to national emergencies such as natural disasters (Florida Hurricanes, Terrorist Attacks, War, etc., etc.)
6. Abolish all federal spending on anything that is not in the national interest (this alone would eliminate 90% of the pork methinks, though I’m not sure of that).
7. Set time limits on entitlements and require a “sunset review” one year before the limit arrives. Only if the entitlement is truly needed may it be continued.

There are probably other things that could be done also, but this might be worth discussing.

I have one other suggestion; the organization of a national body called “Vote The Bastards Out.” Those joining would agree to vote for the member of the opposite party from the one currently holding office for each of the next 4 congressional elections, the next 2 Senate elections and the next two presidential elections. When the politicos realize that they have to then EARN our vote, maybe they would begin to work for America, not just their party or themselves.

UPDATE: Reader James R. MacLean has an interesting comment (third one from the top) with a link. Take a good look at the link noted here (the link in the comments section may or may not work). Now, Mr. MacLean states that Thomas Sowell is wrong and that increases after 83 are because we were coming out of a recession. Further that ascribing the issue to a political party is "noise." He may be right, but he may be wrong also. I'm not an economist. If there is an economist out there that can support or refute Sowell or Mr. MacLean I'd be open to hearing from you. At any rate, if I wasn't clear, the point of the posting is that I think we are spending entirely too much and need to take a good look at revenue vs. expendatures. There are lots of folk that think like me (and lots that don't as well). Thanks for your comment Mr. MacLean, hope you will come back more often.

Marc Cooper writes on the death of Progressivism

2004-12-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

Marc Cooper has an excellent post on the dearth of rational response by a many Democrats/liberals/leftists/progressives to the recent election.

Usually, if you can't find me posting here you can find me commenting in Marc's excellent Blog. Marc is a liberal/progressive in the classical sense of the word and is damn worried about the state of the Democratic Party and their mental masturbation regarding the loss of the last election.

He links to The Nation in a forum in which some 17 authors post a brief (sometimes far too brief - those make sense) and sometimes brief (and still too damn long - the ones that are laughable) discussion of what went wrong and what can be done about it.

I took the time to read each of those articles and some made me think, but too many of them made me wince. Do yourself a favor and read all of them too. The Democratic Party seems hopelessly mired in a psychosis (temporary?) with paranoid ramblings regarding how those evil republicans stole again the election. Either that, or they ramble about the need to talk more about religion. That is part of the problem I think; too many want to talk about religion, not enough want to express sincere religious beliefs and scoff at those who do.

That is just one part of the problem however. In other posts, here, and here and here I talk about some of the issues. Michael Totten has a great compendium also here

As much as I hate to say it however, Marc says it better than I could hope to. Perhaps because he is a real journalist whereas I am just learning this trade. Take the following:

The real issue is that the agenda of "U.S. progressives" is really irrelevant if they continue to be an irrelevant political force. And right now, today, they are. As I wrote in an earlier column, when "progessives" has as their populist face two clowns like M. Moore and Al Franken-- then no wonder their deeper politics fails to resonate. Who are the great populist progressive rabble rouser pols of our time who can walk into a working-class venue anywhere from Detroit to Decatur to Mobile and get a standing ovations? Until you can name that person, American "progressivism" is merely a fantasy that exists only in the pages of The Nation and inside the class rooms of various Critical Studies departments.

Marc is absolutely correct, the nuts like Moore and Franken have hijacked the progressive side of politics and traded heart-felt (though I believe mistaken) positions for quick laughs, scurrilous lies and mean-spirited crap disguised as reasonable positions.

In the "comments" section of Marc's posting, you will find thoughtful responses by Michael J. Totten, by John Moore by a very thoughtful Frydek-Mistek from Czechoslovakia and by Josh Legere. And even a few bombs thrown by me! (Warning! Not all the comments are thoughtful or even useful.)

Now, you may ask why I, a conservative gives a hoot about the Democratic Party and Progressives in particular and any liberal/leftist position in general? Well, the answer is easy; a viable two party (or more) system is vital to the well being of this country. We have seen what happens when a single party holds power for too long, you get tin pots like Johnson, boondoggles like Medicare that may well end up bankrupting the country unless radically reformed, and other gosh awful results - crooks like Nixon as a response to the Johnson mismanagement of the Viet Nam war.

We are now in a position of Republican supremacy, and that worries me a bit. Oh, not that the radical lefties like Kennedy and Pelosi act like they have something stuck in their crop, but because when a single party dominates, only one set of ideas get promulgated. And, with a world wide war on Islamo-Fascism, that can be a disaster.

Be of good cheer however, as an optimist, I believe that eventually the Democrats will reject the Moore's and the Frankin's and get back to the concept of governance. When they do, we will all be better off.

Slim Posting

2004-11-30T04:17:00.000-08:00

May not post till late this week or early next week. Setting up a new private practice and finals at the University. Have a great week.

A View from the Left? Or a View from Way Out in Left Field Left?

2004-11-29T20:16:00.000-08:00

Harley Sorensen writes a View From The Left in SFGate. I'll let you read it. Needless to say if you are on the right hand side of center, you will laugh at all the cliche's Sorensen notes. If you are on the left side of center, you will think this fellow is wise beyond all reckoning.

Personally, I think he is so far out in Left Field, the majority of lefties will probably agree with him out loud, but in their hearts and in their private thoughts they may wonder if he has a screw loose, or maybe two. Ahhh, the left, they are so much fun these days!

A tip of the Chapeau to Real Clear Politics

A Senseless Death

2004-11-29T19:56:00.000-08:00

A 13 year old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli troops. Coverup. Uncovered by troops who reported their Commander for what appears to be outright murder. I say appears, for though he has been charged, he hasn't been convicted - - yet!

This tragedy is being fairly widely reported, as it should be. But, I wonder why isn't the murder of Israeli children equally played up? Is it because Israel is seen as the bogeyman and Hamas, Fatah etc., are not? Or, does it reflect the ideology of the MSM? I don't know, I only know that the killing has to stop if there is to be peace between Israel and her neighbors.

Thanks to Oxblog for the tip.

Sportsman of the Year

2004-11-29T19:28:00.000-08:00

Pat Tillman is one of my heros. Not because of sports, I'm not a big follower of football. Not because he was killed in action in Afghanistan, though that, like the death of any American Soldier is a great loss. But because he walked away from a safe life and joined the Army because he was called to serve his country. Pat Tillman marched to the sound of a different drummer than most pro sports players.

He is currently third in the running for Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. Go to the website here and vote for a real sportsman and a real hero.

And a Tip of the Chapeau to Andrew Sullivan

To Post? Or Not To Post?

2004-11-28T02:38:00.000-08:00

I couldn't have said it better myself: Cox and Forkum

Cognitive Dissonance Indeed!

2004-11-28T00:46:00.000-08:00

A week ago Brad Radcliff published an article in the DemocraticUnderground website here. The gist of the article is that Bush voters voted the way they did because they are incapable of recognizing that they have been conned by Bush/Rove. This is called "Cognitive Dissonance" and it is an attempt to explain why people who believe in a certain way, are reluctant to change their minds.

Cognitive dissonance was first investigated by Leon Festinger and associates, arising out of a participant observation study of a cult which believed that the earth was going to be destroyed by a flood, and what happened to its members, particularly the really committed ones who had given up their homes and jobs to work for the cult. When the flood did not happen. While fringe members were more inclined to recognize that they had made fools of themselves and to "put it down to experience", committed members were more likely to re-interpret the evidence to show that they were right all along (the earth was not destroyed because of the faithfulness of the cult members).
Original Article Here

In other words, the more difficult it is to understand/rationalize one's actions, the higher level of dissonance. But Radcliff really doesn't go far enough. By stating that the Bush voters "had" to vote for Bush because otherwise they have to admit they had been conned means that you have to accept Radcliff's belief that they have been conned in the first place. Radcliff would have you believe that Bush is absolutely the worst president in the history of the United States, that he has deliberately harmed the middle class and poor by giving only the wealthy "huge" tax cuts, that the war in Iraq is a mindless exercise in getting even for daddy, and that the economy is in the pits and headed for the biggest depression ever.

Now, any rational person could agree that there may be "some truth" in Radcliff's postulating that Bush is gosh-awful bad, but you can make the same argument about any other president from G.Washington through W. Clinton. Each has his good points and bad points. What is more amusing/sad to me, is number of psychological reasons the left has come up with to explain why 51% of the voting public - voter breakdown here - including 13% of those describing themselves as "liberals" and 11% of Democrats voted for Bush. To date, there have been "hundreds" of explanations as to why Kerry lost and Bush won. But it may boil down to the voting public didn't have to go through any convoluted "cognitive dissonance" process, they just didn't trust Kerry.

We'll go one step (or maybe two, or perhaps several) further. I'll go out on a limb and state flatly that the Democrats, liberals, leftists, progressives are experiencing their own dissonance. They simply cannot believe that anyone in their right mind would vote for Bush, so they must come up with any number of theories as to why Bush won. Cognitive Dissonance is just one more "reason" to toss on the pile.

These good and well meaning folk are responding to emotional thinking. They are, indeed, experiencing their own cognitive dissonance between what they "know" to be true (Kerry=Good; Bush=Bad) and what they see as "Red America." Because the majority voted for Bush, the reasons must be one (or more) of the following:

1. Some psychological malady on the part of Red America. 2. Bush cheated via "disenfranchising" Black America, manipulating electronic voting machines, keeping good folk from voting through intimidation, etc. 3. Bush convinced Red America to vote against their best interests. 4. Bush lied. 5. Kerry was ineffective because of the Bush propaganda and he couldn't get his message out, etc., etc., ad infinitum, ad nauseum!

The reality is much, much simpler. Kerry couldn't convince enough people to see things his way and the majority of voting America believed Bush to be the better man of the two. You don't need any specialized learning or insights to understand this, you just have to recognize reality and, in the words of some wag somewhere, "MoveOn."

And a Tip of the Chapeau to my daughter for the link to the DU post.

The Ballet

2004-11-25T16:39:00.000-08:00

Wow, it was great to go to the Ballet again. The choreography was, for the most part great as was the music. The Moscow Ballet performed one or two sets that were performed for this show only as a special for the Aids Council. The first, "She" is described as "A woman's dream of her love relationship" and was set to the guitar. The dancers movement was somewhat jerky as though it had not been rehearsed enough, but it was still quite good and if this was a low point, imagine how the rest was.

This marks the 12th consecutive year that the MB has performed in the USA. The Bride and I had the privilege of catching them in Swan Lake in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1991 while we were on a cruise in the Baltic States. The show in St. Petersburg was much more elaborate in terms of set and scope, but an evening of 12 Russian Classics was nevertheless hard to beat.

The most memorable performance was "The Beginning" with Natalia Kungurtseva as Eve, Anatoli Emelianov as Adam and Alexander Strokin as the Serpent. And the Serpent stole the show. Choreography was by Emelianov and the Music by Beethoven. Strokin was indeed an evil presence on the stage.

If you ever get a chance to see this troupe, please, please don't miss it.

Much To Be Thankful For

2004-11-24T04:53:00.000-08:00

A number of years ago, when my father was still alive, I sent him a letter for father's day thanking him for all that he had given me and all that he had taught me. My brother, Bert, read that letter when he did my dad's funeral several years later. Bert called it a letter of Thanksgiving.

As a people, we have much to be thankful for. I am thankful for my first wife of 27 years before she succumbed to asthma. I am thankful for my present wife who loves me, for my daughter who was a delight to raise and is a joy to be with. I am thankful for the brave men and women who volunteer for our armed forces, and for those who give of them selves as volunteers in schools, hospitals, and bell ringers in front of stores. I am thankful for political friends and enemy's; friends because they validate what I know to be true, enemy's because they make me think and reason and not accept something from my side just because it's from my side. I am thankful for Blogspot.com which allows folk like myself to publish thoughts about what ever they want. I am grateful for the 1st Amendment that mandates that the government allow me to say what I want.

I am thankful for friends like Marc Cooper and Michael J. Totten; for friends like Lt. Col. Tad Curtis (USMC-Ret.) and Gus Kennedy from Communities in Schools. I am thankful for people who listen to what I have to say even when they disagree. I am thankful for the opportunity to do what I want for a living in this wonderful country. I am reminded daily of my friends at the University where I teach, especially Dr. Bruce Reed, Dr. Chuck Reid, Dr. Eva Miller and Dr. Irmo Marini. I am eternally grateful for my beloved students who have taught me as much (or more) as I have taught them.

I am grateful for my enemys because they make my friends that much more valuable and appreciated.

I am grateful to Almighty God for the blessings bestowed on this country and on any good person. I am grateful to be an American, through no behavior of my own. I am grateful for all of you who comment on the blog, even if I disagree with your comments. I am also grateful that despite all of our collective and individual problems in this country, we are still the "Shining City on the Hill" beckoning to others, a torch of liberty shining in the night.

The Representatives Ain't Representin'

2004-11-23T19:24:00.000-08:00

From Inside the Beltway comes this tidbit of damn fine Democratic Insight:

Ohio Rep. Sherrod Brown is one Democrat who doesn't buy all the "values" rhetoric heard from the opposite side of the aisle. "On the floor of the House of representatives, in the light of day, we hear much talk from our Republican friends about moral values," Mr. Brown says. "But in the committee rooms and in the cloakrooms and in the back of the chamber, choices are so often made and deals are cut that run counter to the teachings of Christ and Muhammad and the Jewish prophets and fly in the face of the values upon which our nation was founded."

Congressmen (and women) care more about scratching each others back than about legislating for all of the country. This is a shame, because sometimes, if not most of the time, the country's needs should take precedence over the needs of a particular congressional district.

Then (from the same post) there is this little bit of Republican tom-foolery, at least one presumes it to be authored by a Republican: Someone snuck a single line into a 1600 page appropriation bill authorization to give the chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations Committee and their staff assistants the power to look at anyone's tax return. Shades of Tail Gunner Joe. What the hell was that person thinking?

Federal law says that tax returns are private, between the individual/couple/organization and the IRS. If congress wants to look at something, let them look at the way they conduct the business of the people.

I've never been much on bashing congressmen and women collectively, but damn-it, this time they deserve it. I hope a lot of people raise hell with them about the shyster that snuck in this bit of Big Brother, if a congress man or woman, fire them next election. If a staffer, fire them NOW!

UPDATE: A friend suggested that it might have been (oh shudder) a democrat hoping to get the repubs in hot water. Now, wouldn't that be something?

A Different Picture of the Iraq Election

2004-11-23T17:01:00.000-08:00

The MSM is doing a "real service" or a "dis-service" (depending which side of the political road you are on) regarding the upcoming elections in Iraq. Most of the news is focusing on the possibility of a Sunni boycott of the elections. But Omar in IRAQTHEMODEL sees it a little differently, as does Chrenkoff. Both views ought to be added to your required reading if you are a regular habitué of the MSM.

Rather Bows Out!

2004-11-23T16:34:00.000-08:00

Dan Rather, CBS Anchor for a very long time has decided to retire on the 24th anniversary of taking over for Walter Cronkite. Why wait Dan?

Dan "What's the frequency Kenneth?" Rather has made a hash out of objective news reporting as he has been named in a number of controversies. It's so bad, that even Andy Rooney has made comment that the reason Dan did it was that he wanted to hurt Bush and Rooney recognized early on that the so called "documents" were forgeries. Rooney stated to the effect that he didn't know why CBS didn't own up to the problem. Well Andy, I do, and so do you.

Sullivan's "EMAIL of the Day"

2004-11-23T16:26:00.000-08:00

Andrew Sullivan posted his EMAIL of the day and it's a wowser! This guy is right, the Democrats lost because a majority of the voting public didn't trust them.

There are probably a lot of other factors, but this one is a biggie!

Do Geese See God?

2004-11-23T15:31:00.000-08:00

Amazon has an amazing web-video by David Slade and starring Blair Underwood. Amazon states what goes around comes around and this is certainly true. What is nifty (can I still use that word?) is that this video has an alternate ending which you can find by following the directions. Underwood gives the perfect performance of a hurried, harried modern, trapped on the merry-go-round of life. But, there is a way out!

And a tip of the chapeau to InstaPundit!

Rough Week and Weekend.

2004-11-22T15:41:00.000-08:00

Unusually tough week and weekend for me as I have had to close my group practice. My family has been super supportive, but it still hurts to shut down something you have been closely associated with and love for a decade. Will re-open as a solo practitioner in the near future, but it still comes as a shock that people you have worked closely with for years, bent over backwards for them etc. can drop you like a hot potato. Oh well, I was looking for a job when I set this operation in motion over 10 years ago. I used to practice in a solo practice, I wonder why I quit. More politics later, right now I'm just feeling sorry for myself. Time for a bowl of Ice Cream! Didn't make it to the wedding and that isn't good. On the other hand reliable reports are that the wedding was just wonderful.

Lite Blogging

2004-11-16T03:03:00.000-08:00

Blogging will be slow and intermittent through the weekend while I take care of some family business and go to the wedding of a former student.

Cheers

Values and Election 2004 - The Faith Factor

2004-11-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

Much has been made of the "moral/values" issue in the exit polls on the day of the election and their impact in the presidential election. Pundits of a variety of persuasions here here and here argue both for and against the "values" value. The fact of the matter is that it really didn't matter.

The Redstates voters that voted "values" on issues of faith, abortion, gay marriage (not really an issue, more about that later) etc., are no different from those voters in Bluestates who voted their values, economic justice, etc. Indeed, although trumpeted far and wide as the major issue in the election, in reality it was a fairly minor issue.

Iraq and War on Terror are, for the vast majority of people selecting those topics as major reasons for voting the way they did, almost synonymous. And those voters accounted for a far higher percentage than did the "morals/values" voters.

If you Google the words "Values, Election, 2004" you will get more than 4,820,000 sites. Granted, most of those are not related to the topic at hand, but do have the words in them but by the first 200 items listed it's still "All Values All the Time."

What does this all mean? Why that "values" were pushed by Bush and carried the day, of course! Not! As Charles Krauthammer noted:

"George Bush increased his vote in 2004 over 2000 by an average of 3.1 percent nationwide. In Ohio the increase was 1 percent -- less than a third of the national average. In the 11 states in which the gay marriage referendums were held, Bush increased his vote by less than he did in the 39 states that did not have the referendum."

And this was just the idea that Bush Voters were anti-gay bigots. Having said that, were there anti-gay bigots that voted for Bush? Sure, just as there were some that voted for Kerry. Kerry was anti-gay marriage too remember? Yet, the rumor persists and that is a shame. Because as long as we don't talk about what values are really important to all of us as Americans, we won't solve many problems.

Faith no doubt played a part in this election. Peoples of faith voted for both candidates to be sure. But Bush seemed to more people to be sincere about his faith, and those same people seemed to think that faith was a talking point for Kerry, nothing more. Kerry talked (past tense) about being an alter-boy. Bush talked about his current faith and how it affects his center of being. That is a big difference folks and accounted for a goodly portion of his vote.

UPDATE 8:50 AM, CST 11/14/04: Cox and Forkum have something to say in a graphic format

Making Comments

2004-11-11T17:53:00.000-08:00

A number of you have asked me how you "register" for making comments without signing up for a blog on your own. It's easy. When you click on the Post a Comment a "sign in" page will come up. at the very top of the page, put in your name, pseudonym or screen name and put any password next. When you click on the "sign in" button the name you chose will appear above your comment. Just remember your password and don't worry, none of that gets sent to me but your name will appear by your post.

A New Psychosis - UPDATE

2004-11-11T06:35:00.000-08:00

The other day I posted "A New Psychosis." This from Ted Rall probably doesn't prove my point, but it does say something about Rall in particular and the rabid left in general.

Arafat is Dead! Arafat ist Tot! Arafat es muerto! Arafat est mort!

2004-11-11T05:58:00.000-08:00

Yasser Arafat, acknowledged terrorist and author of Black September and other tragedies has succumbed. Hallelujah! While I don't generally cheer the death of anyone, I'm glad he is gone. Perhaps now the Palestinian People will find a real leader, someone not dedicated to the total destruction of Israel, not dedicated to robbing the Palestinians, not more concerned with maintaining his own fiefdom rather than the real needs of Palestine.

Some may argue that there is no such thing as Palestine, but this flies in the face of reality. The Palestinian peoples are there and we must figure out a way for them to have their "State" and to bring peace to the ME.

Perhaps, now is the time. Scott Johnson of Powerline has an amendment to Arafat's obit here, and Roger L. Simon adds this. The Washington Post has a lengthy article on Arafat here. The Post doesn't, in my opinion, stress enough the crimes of this man, and tends to skirt the edges of how decidedly brutal he was. But, that's another story. For the nonce, let us quaff a bit of champagne in celebration and then get to work on helping the Palestinians move towards democracy, freedom and a place of their own. Ding Dong the Witch is Dead!

UPDATE (November 11, 2oo4 - 9:06 AM-CST)Cox and Forkum have an interesting take on Arafat with a number of links to additional insights. Read them all.

Alberto Gonzalez: A.G. for the AG?

2004-11-10T19:18:00.000-08:00

Well now, a Texas Hispanic for AG. Will he be judged for the content of his character in the advise and consent hearings of the Senate or will he be tossed aside as insufficiently Hispanic?

Let's see now, Miguel Estrada, Judge Brown, Dr. Rice, General Powell, Elaine Chao, Rod Page, Norman Mineta, Alfonso Jackson... others. Demonstrably, Bush has nominated more minorities for cabinet positions and Federal Judge positions than any other president in history. Yet, it is the Democrats that keep getting called the party of inclusion.

I'm wondering when the disproportionate vote of Black America for the Democrats is going to sink in with Black America. I'm wondering when we will Honor Martin Luther King's Dream "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

I was there that day in late August, 1963 and I heard what was perhaps the greatest speech by any leader in modern times. And still I wonder. Why is it that people of color who are conservative are so easily dismissed by main-stream liberals? Why is political orientation more important than character? Why does it take a Texas Republican to put so many minorities in posts of leadership? I don't know. I wish I did.

How did the Republicans let themselves get saddled with the mantle of Racist with out really fighting a real fight back? How could leaders in the Republican Party make such asinine statements like Trent Lot did? How did the "Southern Strategy" get identified with exclusion of Blacks, when it was all about the inclusion of disaffected Democrats? How can the Democrats not rebel against Robert C. Byrds use of "White Nigger" and still look at themselves in the mirror, especially knowing about his history in the Klan?

I don't know the answer to any of these questions, I do know that if we don't learn to get past race, playing the race card, using race to keep people out of something or using race to insure their inclusion in something else, plain ole being nasty to human beings and fellow citizens because they don't look like we do we are doomed as a culture.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." We need to tattoo that across the insides of our eyelids, all of us, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, so that we see it every day, and we hold it dear.

Democrats Need To Stop Whining And Get On Rebuilding Their Party

2004-11-09T21:09:00.000-08:00

Marc Coopers latest ( here ) takes a really tough love approach to the Democrats that continue to whine about the election.

The BIG MESSAGE:

" So my message to those still whining about last week's vote is: knock it off already and grow up, wouldya? Bush won a decisive victory with nearly a 4 million vote margin. He won 28 states. The GOP also fattened its majority in both houses of congress. These are facts that must be assimilated and understood and in no way underestimated.

There will be no short-cuts to the arduous, uncertain work of building a political majority as an alternative to Bush. It's time to get started -- by facing difficult realities instead of… excuse me… jerking off."

They need to stop now and start to think policy and presentation. If they don't, we will see this behavior repeated again and again and again.

Although I voted split ticket, I usually consider myself to be more Republican than Independent and more Independent than Democrat. None-The-Less, I have voted for an awful lot of Democrats over the years. But, regardless of where I'm pegged on the political spectrum, I absolutely know that a one party state of affairs would be absolutely disastrous for this country.

So, fellow Americans, fall back, re-group, re-think, quit playing mental masturbation games and taking so much joy in feeling sorry for yourselves and get back to work.

Update 6:43 AM 11/10/04: Dean Esmay has a lengthy reply to those who don't understand why the majority of voting American's voted for Bush here. In particular, his "letter" was in response to John Perry Barlow's lengthy piece here Magnanimous Defeat. Both are well worth reading and I encourage you to read Barlow's piece first then Esmay's piece. Maybe some on the left will get it.

Should the Republicans Hector Spector or Tolerate Darlin' Arlen?

2004-11-09T18:36:00.000-08:00

Johnathan V. Last has an interesting post in Galley Slaves The comments are interesting too. Read them all. Personally, I think Hugh Hewitt is correct. The Republicans do not need to start cannabilizing themselves just because one Republican is more liberal than the majority. Republicans state that they are bigger than the Democrats, that Republicans too have a Big Tent. Time to prove it.

A New Psychosis

2004-11-09T18:13:00.000-08:00

Dear friends (or perhaps future friends of both the left and the right), An internet acquaintance recently sent me an e-mail with a question on it. Here is his question, and my response. Don't get bent out of shape now if you are a) Liberal, b) Progressive or c) A Democrat. This is in fun!

I don't understand: why are Democrats so crazy this year - first the vandalism and shrill, somewhat paranoid charges against Bush, and now the depression, talk of moving out of the country.

Leftism psychosis? The psychosis of the true believer? Actually, I think they really bought that Kerry was brilliant and nuanced and that Bush was a chimp. When the rest of the country didn't agree (even the state of California had far more RED AREAS than blue, it's just that the population in two or three centers/cites are so damn huge and like other metroplexes are reliably liberal.) they went bonkers. Hmmm, as a mental health professional I'll coin a new disorder perhaps.... Post Election Psychosis. Clinical symptoms include:
1. Dysphoria about the election loss of your leader
2. Total disbelief that everyone didn't see it your way and vote for your guy
3. Sleepless nights focused on how the evil wingnuts will now rule your destiny and force you to keep your brilliant ideas to yourself
4. A rabid fear that someone somewhere will infect you and cause you to vote for a republican at some future election
and lastly
5. An inability to understand the motivations of very real, honest, believing, patriotic people who DO NOT see things your way. (If you are very real, honest, believing, patriotic AND are a democrat, than that is ok) <P> If you want to come up with your own clinical symptoms of a lefty or a righty, please post and enjoy. Ground Rules: This is strictly an exercise in fun, no vulgarity please!

Future History is NOW Writ Large

2004-11-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

Dave Koppel has written a hillarious column about Hillary Clintons two future terms as POTUS! In a future FRENCH text book no less. Read it all!

Nothing Stays The Same Like Change

2004-11-09T15:58:00.000-08:00

John Ashcroft won't be in a 2nd Bush Administration. I'm not Sorry to see him go, as I think he was more divisive than he needed to be. On the other hand, he is not the evil troll that many on the left made him out to be. Perhaps the left can keep from crowing, but I doubt it.

Kinda makes you wonder what the next AG nominee will have to go through to get confirmed.

Whither the Courts?

2004-11-09T06:26:00.000-08:00

Does Bush have a mandate to nominate judges? The Democrats ran on the idea that if elected he could and would nominate conservative judges. Now that he has won, they object that he will do so. The Wall Street Journal has an interesting Op-Ed. Read it all and ponder where our courts should go. I doubt the scare tactics that the Left pushes will come to pass; ending abortion, gay marriages forced down the throats of middle America, a Patriot Act that will take away all of our freedoms. But there could be changes, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Update: A reader let me know that the WSJ item was an op-ed and not an "article." In the interest of clarity the American Heritage Dictionary defines article as "An individual thing or element of a class; a particular object or item: "An individual thing or element of a class; a particular object or item." On the other hand, I don't feel like being hardnosed so I changed it. Tsk! Tsk!