Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Keeping John Lennon in perspective
- By Michael M. Bates
It has already started. With the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's death approaching, the adoration of the rocker has begun anew.
I was a Beatles fan like just about everyone else. Bought all their albums and have many of their tunes on CD today. I preferred their earlier stuff and didn't think Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, while an innovative concept album, was as good as what they'd been doing.
The release of the White Album, which included barkers like "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey, "Savoy Truffle" and "Revolution 9," made it evident the magic was fading.
I thought it was interesting that John, who was often viewed as the "smart Beatle" and the musical driving force behind the group, had a rather mediocre solo career. Maybe it was changes in his personal life or drugs or boredom or something, but the quality of most of John's work after the Beatles' breakup was unexceptional.
Lennon became active in the antiwar movement. His liberal views conferred on him an intellectual patina as well as a widespread sense that he spoke for most, if not all, young people. ....................
Click HERE To Read On
- By Michael M. Bates
It has already started. With the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's death approaching, the adoration of the rocker has begun anew.
I was a Beatles fan like just about everyone else. Bought all their albums and have many of their tunes on CD today. I preferred their earlier stuff and didn't think Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, while an innovative concept album, was as good as what they'd been doing.
The release of the White Album, which included barkers like "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey, "Savoy Truffle" and "Revolution 9," made it evident the magic was fading.
I thought it was interesting that John, who was often viewed as the "smart Beatle" and the musical driving force behind the group, had a rather mediocre solo career. Maybe it was changes in his personal life or drugs or boredom or something, but the quality of most of John's work after the Beatles' breakup was unexceptional.
Lennon became active in the antiwar movement. His liberal views conferred on him an intellectual patina as well as a widespread sense that he spoke for most, if not all, young people. ....................
Click HERE To Read On
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
A Brief Guide to Reforming Education
- By Rudy Takala
Opponents of public education will often hold beliefs that, while seemingly consistent, will paradoxically work against each other. It must be understood that effectively opposing an institution as immense as public education is going to require a coalition commensurate in influence. We must further understand the only means by which that coalition is going to come about.
It may be true that schools are, in effect, similar to prisons. (1) Unfortunately, they're probably too similar. For the particular people to whom they are host, it's a navigable, enjoyable environment. Telling them that they must associate with others, "who may be bullies, violent, or emotionally disturbed," will not be an effective tactic. In public schools, everyone is emotionally disturbed. Most would tout that label with pride.
Convincing others to join your side is a difficult, time consuming task. That's why politicians don't try to convince people of anything. Politicians simply try to figure out what things a majority of people want to have, and then they formulate a convincing plan to give those things to everyone. No one's basic premises change, but the politician will hopefully win..........
Click HERE To Read On
- By Rudy Takala
Opponents of public education will often hold beliefs that, while seemingly consistent, will paradoxically work against each other. It must be understood that effectively opposing an institution as immense as public education is going to require a coalition commensurate in influence. We must further understand the only means by which that coalition is going to come about.
It may be true that schools are, in effect, similar to prisons. (1) Unfortunately, they're probably too similar. For the particular people to whom they are host, it's a navigable, enjoyable environment. Telling them that they must associate with others, "who may be bullies, violent, or emotionally disturbed," will not be an effective tactic. In public schools, everyone is emotionally disturbed. Most would tout that label with pride.
Convincing others to join your side is a difficult, time consuming task. That's why politicians don't try to convince people of anything. Politicians simply try to figure out what things a majority of people want to have, and then they formulate a convincing plan to give those things to everyone. No one's basic premises change, but the politician will hopefully win..........
Click HERE To Read On
Monday, November 28, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Every Vote Must Count, Unless the Liberals Win
- By Justin Darr
Every have that feeling there is something missing, but you cannot quite remember what it is? The weather is getting colder; did I forget to check my washer fluid? No. Check the tire pressure? No, it is fine. Any anniversary, birthdays, or doctor appointments I might have missed? No, all are up to date. Oh, now I remember, we just had an election cycle and I am still waiting to hear the hysterical screams of the left claiming that voters were disenfranchised by the cruel and heartless Republicans.
So where is it? Where are the wild conspiracy theories? Are you trying to tell me the oil industry was not purposely inflating the price of gas to make it harder to reach the polls? Every single voter in the United States knew exactly where their poll site was located and its hours of operation? Every poll opened and closed on time with adequate staffing, no chads where found to be hanging, every voter clearly understood the ballots and filled them out in an unambiguous manner? And, what about absentee and provisional ballots? Are you actually trying to say that the Republicans let a chance to thwart the will of the people through fraud and intimidation slip by? .............
Click HERE To Read On
- By Justin Darr
Every have that feeling there is something missing, but you cannot quite remember what it is? The weather is getting colder; did I forget to check my washer fluid? No. Check the tire pressure? No, it is fine. Any anniversary, birthdays, or doctor appointments I might have missed? No, all are up to date. Oh, now I remember, we just had an election cycle and I am still waiting to hear the hysterical screams of the left claiming that voters were disenfranchised by the cruel and heartless Republicans.
So where is it? Where are the wild conspiracy theories? Are you trying to tell me the oil industry was not purposely inflating the price of gas to make it harder to reach the polls? Every single voter in the United States knew exactly where their poll site was located and its hours of operation? Every poll opened and closed on time with adequate staffing, no chads where found to be hanging, every voter clearly understood the ballots and filled them out in an unambiguous manner? And, what about absentee and provisional ballots? Are you actually trying to say that the Republicans let a chance to thwart the will of the people through fraud and intimidation slip by? .............
Click HERE To Read On
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Mything The Point On Purpose (How The Media Takes Control)
- By R.A. Hawkins
I wondered how long it would take for the media to try to take control of the war in Iraq. It really didn't take all that long for it to happen and one of the people I work with commented on how the media worked it. He said that they get in there and run with the herd and then try to redirect from the inside. I told him that there was a phrase that put a nice name and face on it. It is called the Hegelian Dialectic. But what we're really looking at is the face of Karl Marx. He really didn't have any use for that religion stuff, but he saw an opportunity to put the concept to use. What Marx actually did was do a dialectic of the Hegelian Dialectic. If you will read the first link provided below you might begin to see other examples of this concept in the media and in their fair-haired boys, the left-wingers.
As the war ramped up and became inevitable, the liberals realized that what they had been saying all along was actually going to be acted upon. When that occurred even the media had to sign on. They had no choice but to get in there with the rest of the herd. 'To be heard, join the herd' if you will. It was the same thing it has always been with them. They joined in so they could merge with the common voice, all the while waiting to regroup and take over the wording of all arguments and discussion. The only way to control a thing is to control the dialogue and that is what they have finally done..............
Click HERE To Read On
- By R.A. Hawkins
I wondered how long it would take for the media to try to take control of the war in Iraq. It really didn't take all that long for it to happen and one of the people I work with commented on how the media worked it. He said that they get in there and run with the herd and then try to redirect from the inside. I told him that there was a phrase that put a nice name and face on it. It is called the Hegelian Dialectic. But what we're really looking at is the face of Karl Marx. He really didn't have any use for that religion stuff, but he saw an opportunity to put the concept to use. What Marx actually did was do a dialectic of the Hegelian Dialectic. If you will read the first link provided below you might begin to see other examples of this concept in the media and in their fair-haired boys, the left-wingers.
As the war ramped up and became inevitable, the liberals realized that what they had been saying all along was actually going to be acted upon. When that occurred even the media had to sign on. They had no choice but to get in there with the rest of the herd. 'To be heard, join the herd' if you will. It was the same thing it has always been with them. They joined in so they could merge with the common voice, all the while waiting to regroup and take over the wording of all arguments and discussion. The only way to control a thing is to control the dialogue and that is what they have finally done..............
Click HERE To Read On
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
King Of Fools The Easily Led Should Never Lead!
- By Resa LaRu Kirkland
We have a contingency of hippy hold outs who believe that surrender and the subsequent slavery to totalitarians is preferable to fighting for freedom. I know, I know, they are a smelly, ridiculous bunch...trouble is, they are in positions of power called Congress, and backed by another position of power called Main Stream Media.
It is very hard to overcome these groups when you have no power other than logic, reason, and truth. After all, they can't be expected to waste their time with such nonsense.
We have that waste of DNA Bill Clinton who has stated that "the war was the right thing to do" but also claims it "was a mistake." To those of us who think first and feel second, this makes no sense. How can something be right and a mistake? And why the 180 degree change in direction?
Oh wait...it's Bill Clinton. OK, that explains the "blow with the breeze" change in direction, but still leaves unanswered the "right thing and mistake" comment .........
Click HERE To Read On
- By Resa LaRu Kirkland
We have a contingency of hippy hold outs who believe that surrender and the subsequent slavery to totalitarians is preferable to fighting for freedom. I know, I know, they are a smelly, ridiculous bunch...trouble is, they are in positions of power called Congress, and backed by another position of power called Main Stream Media.
It is very hard to overcome these groups when you have no power other than logic, reason, and truth. After all, they can't be expected to waste their time with such nonsense.
We have that waste of DNA Bill Clinton who has stated that "the war was the right thing to do" but also claims it "was a mistake." To those of us who think first and feel second, this makes no sense. How can something be right and a mistake? And why the 180 degree change in direction?
Oh wait...it's Bill Clinton. OK, that explains the "blow with the breeze" change in direction, but still leaves unanswered the "right thing and mistake" comment .........
Click HERE To Read On
Friday, November 25, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Chicken-hawk talk is UnAmerican - Murtha's Astonishing Lack of Knowledge
- By Warner Todd Huston
On November 17th, Representative John Murtha (D, PA) called for the USA to prove that Osamma bin Laden is right with his contention that Americans are cowards. He proposed that the US immediately pull its troops from Iraq.
Shocking as it may seem, Murtha was not only in the US military himself, but he served during the Vietnam War. Earning a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts in Vietnam, you'd think he would know better than to propose that we turn tail and run from battle today. Especially when, after having done so in 1975 at the end of our involvement in Vietnam, so many millions of the Vietnamese people were slaughtered with even more imprisoned by the Communists we left unopposed. And it happened just as anti-Communists here then warned, just as Conservatives warn that a pull out of Iraq would doom many to unnecessary death today. It is one of the few true parallels between Vietnam and Iraq.
Apparently, however, Murtha is not very well informed about history, even that through which he lived..........
Click HERE To Read On
- By Warner Todd Huston
On November 17th, Representative John Murtha (D, PA) called for the USA to prove that Osamma bin Laden is right with his contention that Americans are cowards. He proposed that the US immediately pull its troops from Iraq.
Shocking as it may seem, Murtha was not only in the US military himself, but he served during the Vietnam War. Earning a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts in Vietnam, you'd think he would know better than to propose that we turn tail and run from battle today. Especially when, after having done so in 1975 at the end of our involvement in Vietnam, so many millions of the Vietnamese people were slaughtered with even more imprisoned by the Communists we left unopposed. And it happened just as anti-Communists here then warned, just as Conservatives warn that a pull out of Iraq would doom many to unnecessary death today. It is one of the few true parallels between Vietnam and Iraq.
Apparently, however, Murtha is not very well informed about history, even that through which he lived..........
Click HERE To Read On
Thursday, November 24, 2005
No new Op Eds today as we take the holiday off.
But, here is a little essay on the day we celebrate...
Though the "First Thanksgiving" by name was in the Virginia Colony in 1607, our Thanksgiving heritage has its roots with the Pilgrims' three-day feast in early November of 1621.
After years of their colony failing and families suffering in want, the colonists made a radical change in their philosophy. Instead of the communal arrangement they originally thought would work, an arrangement where everyone contributed their work and crops to the the colony as a whole, they parceled out the land to each family allowing them to keep their own crops and, thereby, work for their own betterment and support.
The Plymouth Colony's first Thanksgiving to God was celebrated during the summer of 1623, when the colonists declared a Thanksgiving holiday after their crops were saved by much-needed rainfall. The reorganization of their labors toward ownership and property rights set them on the proper path to reaping continual rewards. Families working together primarily for their own betterment were freer---and were better able to pay off the investors.
By the mid-17th Century, the custom of autumnal Thanksgivings was
established throughout New England. Observance of Thanksgiving Festivals spread to other colonies during the American Revolution, and the Continental Congresses, cognizant of the need for a warring country's continuing grateful entreaties to God, proclaimed yearly Thanksgiving days during the Revolutionary War, from 1777 to 1783.
Our new nation's first official Thanksgiving Proclamation, issued by the revolutionary Continental Congress on 1 November 1777, expressed gratitude for the colonials' October victory over British General Burgoyne at Saratoga. Authored by Samuel Adams, the man the other Founders turned to for reasoned statements of liberties as God's blessings, it read in part: "Forasmuch as it is the indispensable duty of all men to adore the superintending providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with gratitude their obligation to Him for benefits received...together with penitent confession of their sins, whereby they had forfeited every favor;
and their humble and earnest supplications that it may please God through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of remembrance...it is therefore recommended...to set apart Thursday the eighteenth day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise, that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feeling of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their Divine Benefactor...acknowledging with gratitude their obligations to Him for benefits received... To prosper the means of religion, for the promotion and enlargement of that kingdom which consisteth 'in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost'."
Washington set his signature to the first day of thanks for the liberties enshrined in our new Constitution, by writing as follows:
"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor...
"Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the Beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
"And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplication to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our national government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have
shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
"Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, AD 1789."
After 1815, there were no further annual Thanksgiving proclamations until our country was imperiled from the Civil War, when Abraham Lincoln declared 26 November 1863 a Day of Thanksgiving, calling for prayer and thanksgiving for the nation, and saying in part, "[It is] announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord... It has seemed to me fit and proper that...[God's blessings] should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people."
For the following 75 years, every subsequent president repeated that proclamation, until 1939, when Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving Day to a week earlier than had been tradition, to lengthen the growing pre-Christmas consumer frenzy. Two years later, Congress returned the celebration to its traditional date and permanently set the fourth Thursday of each November as our official national Thanksgiving. Alas, we've come to commemorate the holiday with a near-perfunctory acknowledgment.
As this season comes upon us, we have one more thing to be thankful for; that our men and women in the armed forces are once again there to protect our freedoms and assist the downtrodden of the world.
Have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
(edited from the Federalist Patriot email message)
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
A Big Welcome To Our Newest Contributor...
Chavez and Venezuela
- Krystle Russin
Venezuela used to be famous for oil, tourism and Miss Universe contestants. Now it is known for its communist wannabe leader. A frequent critic of American politics, Chavez has an obsession with wearing the socialist color red, provides financial backing for Fidel Castro now that Cuba isn't receiving anything from the USSR, and according to televangelist Pat Robertson, he should be assassinated. I suggest that everyone who thinks President Bush is the worst thing to happen to the United States should be forced to stay in Venezuela for the remainder of Chavez's term.
Last week at the Summit of the Americas in Argentina, Chavez held a protest attended by 20,000 people to explain why he is better than President Bush, or as he refers to him, "Mr. Danger, the owner of the world." He said that all of South America should undergo socialist revolutions and kept his same old theme about the war in Iraq and how "imperialist" America is economically unjust. He also claims Mexico's Vicente Fox acted like a "puppy of the empire." Most importantly, who is Hugo Chavez to criticize Americans, President Bush, fellow Latin leaders and just about everyone?............
Click HERE To Read On
- Krystle Russin
Venezuela used to be famous for oil, tourism and Miss Universe contestants. Now it is known for its communist wannabe leader. A frequent critic of American politics, Chavez has an obsession with wearing the socialist color red, provides financial backing for Fidel Castro now that Cuba isn't receiving anything from the USSR, and according to televangelist Pat Robertson, he should be assassinated. I suggest that everyone who thinks President Bush is the worst thing to happen to the United States should be forced to stay in Venezuela for the remainder of Chavez's term.
Last week at the Summit of the Americas in Argentina, Chavez held a protest attended by 20,000 people to explain why he is better than President Bush, or as he refers to him, "Mr. Danger, the owner of the world." He said that all of South America should undergo socialist revolutions and kept his same old theme about the war in Iraq and how "imperialist" America is economically unjust. He also claims Mexico's Vicente Fox acted like a "puppy of the empire." Most importantly, who is Hugo Chavez to criticize Americans, President Bush, fellow Latin leaders and just about everyone?............
Click HERE To Read On
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
How To Save North Korea - Guns, Guns, and More Guns
- By Resa LaRu Kirkland
One of the most inspiring aspects of history is the way ordinary human beings are able to overcome and defeat evil…whether that evil is in the form of individuals, groups, or regimes. We have seen it over and over again, and even participated in such defeats. We have faith in it...it is the one hope we cling to should we ever need to do the same thing again. And we know we will have to again...and yet again. History has proven that it is inevitable so long as mortals are-well, mortal.
Until recent history, the ability to overthrow wicked leaders has been an even proposition; that is, the farmer fighting could reasonably expect to have the same weapons that the army they were trying to defeat had: shields, spears, arrows, clubs, slingshots, horses, etc. What they didn't have they could make. So it was with both sides-an army supporting a wicked regime could go up against its own countrymen and expect them to be fairly equally equipped. This meant that the final deciding factor in battle was the determination of those fighting. It could go either way.
Then entered the gun. Wicked governments instantly recognized the potential for a massive power shift. If they legislated it so that only THEY could possess guns, it would end the ability of the average man to stop them from any of their designs-wicked and otherwise-thus ensuring their total and complete reign. No matter how committed the people were, there was simply no way they could expect to defeat a system armed with guns when all they had were spears and shields. Wicked governments know that people don't like them, and WILL fight them. Denying them the right to guns insured leaders of their brutal and iron grip, and the people with no choice but to accept it .........
Click HERE To Read On
- By Resa LaRu Kirkland
One of the most inspiring aspects of history is the way ordinary human beings are able to overcome and defeat evil…whether that evil is in the form of individuals, groups, or regimes. We have seen it over and over again, and even participated in such defeats. We have faith in it...it is the one hope we cling to should we ever need to do the same thing again. And we know we will have to again...and yet again. History has proven that it is inevitable so long as mortals are-well, mortal.
Until recent history, the ability to overthrow wicked leaders has been an even proposition; that is, the farmer fighting could reasonably expect to have the same weapons that the army they were trying to defeat had: shields, spears, arrows, clubs, slingshots, horses, etc. What they didn't have they could make. So it was with both sides-an army supporting a wicked regime could go up against its own countrymen and expect them to be fairly equally equipped. This meant that the final deciding factor in battle was the determination of those fighting. It could go either way.
Then entered the gun. Wicked governments instantly recognized the potential for a massive power shift. If they legislated it so that only THEY could possess guns, it would end the ability of the average man to stop them from any of their designs-wicked and otherwise-thus ensuring their total and complete reign. No matter how committed the people were, there was simply no way they could expect to defeat a system armed with guns when all they had were spears and shields. Wicked governments know that people don't like them, and WILL fight them. Denying them the right to guns insured leaders of their brutal and iron grip, and the people with no choice but to accept it .........
Click HERE To Read On
Monday, November 21, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Murrow, McCarthy and the media
- By Michael M. Bates
Last week's Reporter Newspapers carried a column titled "Where is Edward R. Murrow when you need him?" Written by Donald Kaul, the piece extolled "Good Night, and Good Luck," a film described by the columnist as "a stylish recreation of the time, 50 years ago, when the greatest of all broadcasters, Edward R. Murrow, played St. George to Joe McCarthy's dragon and saved the Republic, more or less."
Make that less. Much less ....................
Click HERE To Read On
- By Michael M. Bates
Last week's Reporter Newspapers carried a column titled "Where is Edward R. Murrow when you need him?" Written by Donald Kaul, the piece extolled "Good Night, and Good Luck," a film described by the columnist as "a stylish recreation of the time, 50 years ago, when the greatest of all broadcasters, Edward R. Murrow, played St. George to Joe McCarthy's dragon and saved the Republic, more or less."
Make that less. Much less ....................
Click HERE To Read On
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
A Review Of The Mind Siege Project By Tim LaHaye
- By Frederick Meekins
Christian Author Tackles Moral Tale Set On Ethically Turbulent Seas:
A Review Of The Mind Siege Project By Tim LaHaye
In proclaiming truth, Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias has suggested that the principles and concepts postulated on the level of more formalized expressions of thought must often be exhibited in a more literary or artistic manner in order to permeate the broader popular culture. Tim LaHaye attempts to accomplish this by taking the ideas he first elaborated in Mind Siege: The Battle For Truth and translating them into the novel The Mind Siege Project.
The Mind Siege Project, a group of high school social studies students set on a boat trip on the Chesapeake Bay for a lesson in diversity and moral relativism. The class ends up learning that these ideas have dire consequences not considered in the more sedate setting of academic discussion.......
Click HERE To Read On
- By Frederick Meekins
Christian Author Tackles Moral Tale Set On Ethically Turbulent Seas:
A Review Of The Mind Siege Project By Tim LaHaye
In proclaiming truth, Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias has suggested that the principles and concepts postulated on the level of more formalized expressions of thought must often be exhibited in a more literary or artistic manner in order to permeate the broader popular culture. Tim LaHaye attempts to accomplish this by taking the ideas he first elaborated in Mind Siege: The Battle For Truth and translating them into the novel The Mind Siege Project.
The Mind Siege Project, a group of high school social studies students set on a boat trip on the Chesapeake Bay for a lesson in diversity and moral relativism. The class ends up learning that these ideas have dire consequences not considered in the more sedate setting of academic discussion.......
Click HERE To Read On
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Liberals are Causing a European Jihad
- By Justin Darr
After more than two weeks of nightly violence, the rioting of Europe's Muslim minority has finally begun to subside. While the French government and Main Stream Media may be eager to pretend that the events of the last month were an anomaly, or persist in the notion that the
underlying issues that incited the violence are now being addressed, the current lull in the violence in Europe is just that; a lull. The violence is doomed to return in the future. Europe is fast becoming ground zero in clash of civilizations between two equally intolerant cultures, radical Islam and Liberalism.
If American Liberalism has an Eden, it must be somewhere in France. France has positioned itself in the world as the self appointed "Liberal Paradise." Large scale social programs, crippling controls over business, the complete eradication of expressions of faith in public schools, year-long prison terms for anyone who might utter a word deemed to be "offensive," euthanasia for invalids, no death penalty, abortion pills, and a compulsive anti-Americanism, has made France the envy of liberals world-wide.............
Click HERE To Read On
- By Justin Darr
After more than two weeks of nightly violence, the rioting of Europe's Muslim minority has finally begun to subside. While the French government and Main Stream Media may be eager to pretend that the events of the last month were an anomaly, or persist in the notion that the
underlying issues that incited the violence are now being addressed, the current lull in the violence in Europe is just that; a lull. The violence is doomed to return in the future. Europe is fast becoming ground zero in clash of civilizations between two equally intolerant cultures, radical Islam and Liberalism.
If American Liberalism has an Eden, it must be somewhere in France. France has positioned itself in the world as the self appointed "Liberal Paradise." Large scale social programs, crippling controls over business, the complete eradication of expressions of faith in public schools, year-long prison terms for anyone who might utter a word deemed to be "offensive," euthanasia for invalids, no death penalty, abortion pills, and a compulsive anti-Americanism, has made France the envy of liberals world-wide.............
Click HERE To Read On
Friday, November 18, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Hogs Get Slaughtered (At The Trough of Public Opinion)
- By R.A. Hawkins
It is amusing to listen to the media as they attempt to describe the current administration's problems. My favorite is rocked by scandals. Really it's more like a bunch of wayward kids in a canoe running from one side to the other in tandem as they plumb the depths for something tangible to use. The left is out to find anything they possibly can as it attempts to justify its past rocky rides and tries to regain control. Those who are rocking the boat the hardest are finally starting to find they may have rocked a little too wildly as their own past and current motivations start to emerge.
Quite a few have made comments regarding the Wilson claims, such as 'Well if it was common knowledge that his wife worked for the CIA why haven't we heard from any of those people yet?" That's not the way one defeats an adversary so that isn't the way it's being played. The second term for any President always brings a series of scandals that started earlier for the express purpose of regaining power. I think it was wise of the Bush team to ignore Wilson's rants and speeches. Because they ignored them it made the left think they were shying away from them or shrinking in fear. By not reacting to them it emboldened the left into elevating the claims for the purpose of making a little political hay..............
Click HERE To Read On
- By R.A. Hawkins
It is amusing to listen to the media as they attempt to describe the current administration's problems. My favorite is rocked by scandals. Really it's more like a bunch of wayward kids in a canoe running from one side to the other in tandem as they plumb the depths for something tangible to use. The left is out to find anything they possibly can as it attempts to justify its past rocky rides and tries to regain control. Those who are rocking the boat the hardest are finally starting to find they may have rocked a little too wildly as their own past and current motivations start to emerge.
Quite a few have made comments regarding the Wilson claims, such as 'Well if it was common knowledge that his wife worked for the CIA why haven't we heard from any of those people yet?" That's not the way one defeats an adversary so that isn't the way it's being played. The second term for any President always brings a series of scandals that started earlier for the express purpose of regaining power. I think it was wise of the Bush team to ignore Wilson's rants and speeches. Because they ignored them it made the left think they were shying away from them or shrinking in fear. By not reacting to them it emboldened the left into elevating the claims for the purpose of making a little political hay..............
Click HERE To Read On
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Born Here Means Automatic US Citizenship - Should We Change That?
- By Warner Todd Huston
You may have heard the term "anchor baby"? This term is used by the Immigration and Naturalization Service to describe babies born within the borders of the USA, its territories and protectorates to foreign nationals, babies that are then used by these illegal immigrants to gain access to US social services as well as entry into the country.
As things stand today, any child born within US territory is an automatic citizen. And, since we are a compassionate people, we cannot just have babies running around as citizens without allowing their parents some legitimacy, even if shadowy, to live in the US to raise and support that child. Hence, the "anchor" part of the moniker. Illegals have babies to make sure that they are allowed to stay in this great country more often than is comfortable, for sure.
Congress may be re-visiting this concept and looking toward taking away the automatic part of being born a citizen for some, instituting stricter guidelines..........
Click HERE To Read On
- By Warner Todd Huston
You may have heard the term "anchor baby"? This term is used by the Immigration and Naturalization Service to describe babies born within the borders of the USA, its territories and protectorates to foreign nationals, babies that are then used by these illegal immigrants to gain access to US social services as well as entry into the country.
As things stand today, any child born within US territory is an automatic citizen. And, since we are a compassionate people, we cannot just have babies running around as citizens without allowing their parents some legitimacy, even if shadowy, to live in the US to raise and support that child. Hence, the "anchor" part of the moniker. Illegals have babies to make sure that they are allowed to stay in this great country more often than is comfortable, for sure.
Congress may be re-visiting this concept and looking toward taking away the automatic part of being born a citizen for some, instituting stricter guidelines..........
Click HERE To Read On
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Bush is Back
- By Christian Hartsock
Well I was going to open this column by stating that the president we voted for one year ago to this month was not the same president who was inaugurated in January. A recent stir in events however, has led to me to feel otherwise.
Before last November, the no-B.S. American response to 9/11, the successful toppling of Saddam, the sight and sound of seizure-ridden liberals screaming "Fascism!", "Imperialism!" and "Halliburton!", and Zell Miller's fiercely powerful speech at the Republican National Convention all instilled in me an optimism that President Bush would win, and that the fight would be worth it.
Then came his inauguration speech in which Bush appropriately used the term "freedom" about as frequently as Dustin Hoffman used the term "definitely" in Rain Man. It was an inspiring speech, but everything went downhill from there ...........
Click HERE To Read On
- By Christian Hartsock
Well I was going to open this column by stating that the president we voted for one year ago to this month was not the same president who was inaugurated in January. A recent stir in events however, has led to me to feel otherwise.
Before last November, the no-B.S. American response to 9/11, the successful toppling of Saddam, the sight and sound of seizure-ridden liberals screaming "Fascism!", "Imperialism!" and "Halliburton!", and Zell Miller's fiercely powerful speech at the Republican National Convention all instilled in me an optimism that President Bush would win, and that the fight would be worth it.
Then came his inauguration speech in which Bush appropriately used the term "freedom" about as frequently as Dustin Hoffman used the term "definitely" in Rain Man. It was an inspiring speech, but everything went downhill from there ...........
Click HERE To Read On
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Never To Late To Learn Of The Threats Schools Pose To Property Rights
- By Frederick Meekins
With all the coverage of grandiose tragedies as of late caused by the hurricanes, less attention has been paid this year to the regular back to school festivities. However, it is at such times of mass distraction that the abridgements of liberty pose the greatest threat and this is especially true of the mundane bureaucracies that govern much of every day life but are not very exciting in and of themselves such as the public schools.
>One annual ritual that connects one generation with the next is subdued sense of joy that comes each year when parents and children go to acquire the supplies needed for the pending academic term. A less enjoyable accretion to this rite of passage is the additional practice of various schools staking a claim to this educational paraphernalia in the name of the community.
As there are as many ways to commemorate special occasions as there are families, despite the desire of radical educators to turn out students of a uniform communitarian mindset, each school goes about the homogenization of property ironically in its own individual manner.......
Click HERE To Read On
- By Frederick Meekins
With all the coverage of grandiose tragedies as of late caused by the hurricanes, less attention has been paid this year to the regular back to school festivities. However, it is at such times of mass distraction that the abridgements of liberty pose the greatest threat and this is especially true of the mundane bureaucracies that govern much of every day life but are not very exciting in and of themselves such as the public schools.
>One annual ritual that connects one generation with the next is subdued sense of joy that comes each year when parents and children go to acquire the supplies needed for the pending academic term. A less enjoyable accretion to this rite of passage is the additional practice of various schools staking a claim to this educational paraphernalia in the name of the community.
As there are as many ways to commemorate special occasions as there are families, despite the desire of radical educators to turn out students of a uniform communitarian mindset, each school goes about the homogenization of property ironically in its own individual manner.......
Click HERE To Read On
Monday, November 14, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Another Day of Paradise - A Reply to Frederick Meekins
- By Greg Stewart
Recently, Frederick Meekins wrote an op-ed regarding Mindy McCready's plight as a battered woman. In truth, his perspective is on point; she does have the ability and means to leave, but! In a rational world, she would leave and never turn back. The heart wants what it wants, and rationality does not enter in the course of human emotions. Unfortunately, our emotionality is the part of us, so when Meekins proffers that: "Since she is not bound by matrimony to this human detritus, there is nothing keeping her in this situation" (nor should it, even she was married to him). This, of course, is very true, since most women "feel" there choices are restricted in these types of relationship, however, I am not the one who going cast stones at their choices and their decisions, but as a person who has seen this wretched circumstance of some of my friends personally, and knowing the snapshot domestic violence statistics, I have acquiesced to their decision of bad judgment. One cannot change the heart; nor subdue liberty.
Admittedly, Meekins' point is not lost on me when he says, "... In this day of escalating cohabitation and out of wedlock births setting new records, I will probably find many so-called Christians and Conservatives who probably have fewer problems with this sign of obvious social decay than letting their kids go Trick-Or-Treating." He deigns the present generation lack of morality, and condemns McCready.
Nonetheless, McCready has a right to choose poorly ... .........
Click HERE To Read On
- By Greg Stewart
Recently, Frederick Meekins wrote an op-ed regarding Mindy McCready's plight as a battered woman. In truth, his perspective is on point; she does have the ability and means to leave, but! In a rational world, she would leave and never turn back. The heart wants what it wants, and rationality does not enter in the course of human emotions. Unfortunately, our emotionality is the part of us, so when Meekins proffers that: "Since she is not bound by matrimony to this human detritus, there is nothing keeping her in this situation" (nor should it, even she was married to him). This, of course, is very true, since most women "feel" there choices are restricted in these types of relationship, however, I am not the one who going cast stones at their choices and their decisions, but as a person who has seen this wretched circumstance of some of my friends personally, and knowing the snapshot domestic violence statistics, I have acquiesced to their decision of bad judgment. One cannot change the heart; nor subdue liberty.
Admittedly, Meekins' point is not lost on me when he says, "... In this day of escalating cohabitation and out of wedlock births setting new records, I will probably find many so-called Christians and Conservatives who probably have fewer problems with this sign of obvious social decay than letting their kids go Trick-Or-Treating." He deigns the present generation lack of morality, and condemns McCready.
Nonetheless, McCready has a right to choose poorly ... .........
Click HERE To Read On
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Blind Sight (Perspectives and Their Consequences)
- By R.A. Hawkins
Millionaires and the poor have one thing in common and it quite simply is the ability to repeat their results with alarming regularity. In Mexico they have had several land reforms wherein they took from the rich and gave to the poor. Each and every time they did this within a few generations the same families were right back to being haves and have-nots. If one looks at any millionaire these days, and even in the past, one can see that most of them went from rags to riches and back to rags a few times before they managed to keep it and stay on top. Look at the usual winner of any lotto and you'll see the same thing. They had nothing and in a matter of a few years they once again had nothing and were soon in worse shape than they had been in the first place. This is because our perspectives on life have consequences. There is a 'poor' way of thinking, a 'rich' way of thinking and a 'middle-class' way of thinking.
There have been several incidents lately that the liberal media won't touch. I guess I should say the mainstream liberal media. I guess the evil bloggers will have to drive these stories into the mainstream so we can all have a rational discussion. That seems to be the way things get done these days. One incident is the Maryland elections for Lt. Governor. Michael Steele is running for that office and the black Democratic leaders in that state have justified the racially driven smears against him. They see a major problem with him: He isn't a liberal. They yelled 'Uncle Tom' and threw Oreos at him. One blogger from the left painted nice big red lips and frosty white eyebrows on him. They say his views are anti-black. In North Carolina there was an instructor for the N.C. State's Africana Program who said that white people are the problem and they need to be exterminated from the face of the Earth. His name is Kamao Kambon. He said a lot of other things that if a white person said them about any minority they would have been demonized and dragged through the streets. There is one school teacher I saw in the news lately that is suing her school district because when she tried to actually do something about a student she had who was threatening her sexually and with other forms of violence she was fired. She was told that his cursing at her in class and acting the way he does is just 'part of their culture'. I hope she takes these people to the cleaners and gets everyone of them fired ..............
Click HERE To Read On
- By R.A. Hawkins
Millionaires and the poor have one thing in common and it quite simply is the ability to repeat their results with alarming regularity. In Mexico they have had several land reforms wherein they took from the rich and gave to the poor. Each and every time they did this within a few generations the same families were right back to being haves and have-nots. If one looks at any millionaire these days, and even in the past, one can see that most of them went from rags to riches and back to rags a few times before they managed to keep it and stay on top. Look at the usual winner of any lotto and you'll see the same thing. They had nothing and in a matter of a few years they once again had nothing and were soon in worse shape than they had been in the first place. This is because our perspectives on life have consequences. There is a 'poor' way of thinking, a 'rich' way of thinking and a 'middle-class' way of thinking.
There have been several incidents lately that the liberal media won't touch. I guess I should say the mainstream liberal media. I guess the evil bloggers will have to drive these stories into the mainstream so we can all have a rational discussion. That seems to be the way things get done these days. One incident is the Maryland elections for Lt. Governor. Michael Steele is running for that office and the black Democratic leaders in that state have justified the racially driven smears against him. They see a major problem with him: He isn't a liberal. They yelled 'Uncle Tom' and threw Oreos at him. One blogger from the left painted nice big red lips and frosty white eyebrows on him. They say his views are anti-black. In North Carolina there was an instructor for the N.C. State's Africana Program who said that white people are the problem and they need to be exterminated from the face of the Earth. His name is Kamao Kambon. He said a lot of other things that if a white person said them about any minority they would have been demonized and dragged through the streets. There is one school teacher I saw in the news lately that is suing her school district because when she tried to actually do something about a student she had who was threatening her sexually and with other forms of violence she was fired. She was told that his cursing at her in class and acting the way he does is just 'part of their culture'. I hope she takes these people to the cleaners and gets everyone of them fired ..............
Click HERE To Read On
Friday, November 11, 2005
Remember Our Veterans
At 5 AM on Monday, November 11th, 1918 an armistice was signed in the Forest of Compiegne between the warring counties of the Allied Powers and Germany, ending what would be called the "great war" or "the war to end all wars".
Later that same month, President Woodrow Wilson issued an Armistice Day proclamation hoping that the "reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory".
But it wasn't until 1938 when another great war loomed close on the horizon that president Roosevelt signed the bill making November 11th a Federally recognized holiday; Armistice Day. And it wasn't until 1954 that the name of the holiday was changed to Veteran's Day in order to celebrate Veterans of all wars instead of just commemorating the Victory over Germany in WWI.
And now, as we are engaged in a new war with hopes that it lead to an ever greater peace in places far away, let us all pause this day to remember all our veterans, past, present and future.
The war to end all wars did not turn out to make such an end, but let us all hope for a day when soldiers won't be needed though prepare for a day when they are. Let us aim that might toward defeating our enemies who would see us harmed and tyrants who would harm others. Most of all, let us strive never to forget the sacrifices of those who serve and have served.
A salute to our fellow Americans in service to their country, for they are our children, parents and neighbors.
Thank you one and all from we, the grateful citizens of this great country.
(Also, let us celebrate the birthday of the United States Marine Corps. 230 years old as of November 10th. BooYah!)
You will know tyranny by the security of its citizens who find they have nowhere to go. You will know tyranny by the near unanimous "vote" by its citizens for its glorious leader. You will know tyranny by the strength of its military and the weakness of everything else. You will know tyranny by the surprising sameness of its voice. You will know tyranny by the love of it expressed by all its people, lest they be eaten whole by it in the night. You will know tyranny by its fear of its neighbors. You will know tyranny by its exportation to its neighbors of that same fear.
Most of all you will know tyranny by the silence of its many mass graves.
Our Newest Op Ed
Veterans Day should be a time for gratitude
- By Michael M. Bates
It was 87 years ago tomorrow that the guns were silenced. At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, peace finally came. World War I was over.
President Wilson issued a statement: "The Armistice was signed this morning. Everything for which America fought has been accomplished. It will now be our fortunate duty to assist by example."
World War I was supposed to be the conflict that would end all wars. According to Mr. Wilson, its purpose was to make the world safe for democracy ....................
Click HERE To Read On
- By Michael M. Bates
It was 87 years ago tomorrow that the guns were silenced. At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, peace finally came. World War I was over.
President Wilson issued a statement: "The Armistice was signed this morning. Everything for which America fought has been accomplished. It will now be our fortunate duty to assist by example."
World War I was supposed to be the conflict that would end all wars. According to Mr. Wilson, its purpose was to make the world safe for democracy ....................
Click HERE To Read On
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Makes You Almost Think Some Women Get What They Deserve
- By Frederick Meekins
Despite nearly being killed by her boyfriend, country singer Mindy McCready insists she still loves the scumbag.
This misguided sentiment runs so deep that she became with child well after the incident of abuse. She insists this was unintentional, of course.
This must mean she became pregnant after eating a watermelon seed or something was in the water because one does not become impregnated unexpectedly unless she wants to file charges of rape. Or perhaps, her man is so oozing with testosterone that, besides his bestial rages, he can have the impact in question from clear across a room without even touching a woman.
Since she is not bound by matrimony to this human detritus, there is nothing keeping her in this situation. Given her fame and fortune, she is perfectly free to leave whenever she wants; and given her celebrity status, it is well within the scope of her resources to acquire someone else slightly used like herself with a more amicable disposition. It's not like she is dependent upon him as her only means of support.......
Click HERE To Read On
- By Frederick Meekins
Despite nearly being killed by her boyfriend, country singer Mindy McCready insists she still loves the scumbag.
This misguided sentiment runs so deep that she became with child well after the incident of abuse. She insists this was unintentional, of course.
This must mean she became pregnant after eating a watermelon seed or something was in the water because one does not become impregnated unexpectedly unless she wants to file charges of rape. Or perhaps, her man is so oozing with testosterone that, besides his bestial rages, he can have the impact in question from clear across a room without even touching a woman.
Since she is not bound by matrimony to this human detritus, there is nothing keeping her in this situation. Given her fame and fortune, she is perfectly free to leave whenever she wants; and given her celebrity status, it is well within the scope of her resources to acquire someone else slightly used like herself with a more amicable disposition. It's not like she is dependent upon him as her only means of support.......
Click HERE To Read On
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Our newest Op Ed
Is Halloween just a Yankee Doodle celebration?
- By Michael M. Bates
Most of us have fond memories of the Halloweens we enjoyed as children. The costumes, the haunted houses, the parties and the knocking on doors in pursuit of treats were generally innocuous forms of fun.
Little did we realize that we were fanning the flames of anti-Americanism around the world.
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez last week told his countrymen that Halloween has no place in his socialist paradise. According to CNN.com, he used his weekly TV and radio broadcast to caution that the observance is strictly a "gringa," or North American custom.
Moreover, he warned that the celebration is emblematic of U.S. culture: "terrorism, putting fear into other nations, putting fear into their own people." ....................
Click HERE To Read On
- By Michael M. Bates
Most of us have fond memories of the Halloweens we enjoyed as children. The costumes, the haunted houses, the parties and the knocking on doors in pursuit of treats were generally innocuous forms of fun.
Little did we realize that we were fanning the flames of anti-Americanism around the world.
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez last week told his countrymen that Halloween has no place in his socialist paradise. According to CNN.com, he used his weekly TV and radio broadcast to caution that the observance is strictly a "gringa," or North American custom.
Moreover, he warned that the celebration is emblematic of U.S. culture: "terrorism, putting fear into other nations, putting fear into their own people." ....................
Click HERE To Read On
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Student Porn - Inmates Running the Asylum at UC San Diego
- By Warner Todd Huston
Conservatives are often heard to bemoan the state of our American culture. They worry that our societal mores have so degenerated that they appeal only to the lowest common denominator and that we are somehow losing our way. With stories like the one I am about to relate, it's hard to dismiss this as the ranting of people who are sticks in the mud, or a bunch of old fogies that just refuse to come into "modern" times.
At UC San Diego, the student run TV station has been broadcasting a porn show produced and starring one of it's students that has caused a bit of a ruckus there.
Unfortunately, this aforementioned ruckus isn't being raised among the University administrators, but the students themselves - though that is both good and bad. Apparently, the administration has decided to stay out of the controversy. This is what causes me to wonder if the inmates have been handed the keys to the asylum?..........
Click HERE To Read On
- By Warner Todd Huston
Conservatives are often heard to bemoan the state of our American culture. They worry that our societal mores have so degenerated that they appeal only to the lowest common denominator and that we are somehow losing our way. With stories like the one I am about to relate, it's hard to dismiss this as the ranting of people who are sticks in the mud, or a bunch of old fogies that just refuse to come into "modern" times.
At UC San Diego, the student run TV station has been broadcasting a porn show produced and starring one of it's students that has caused a bit of a ruckus there.
Unfortunately, this aforementioned ruckus isn't being raised among the University administrators, but the students themselves - though that is both good and bad. Apparently, the administration has decided to stay out of the controversy. This is what causes me to wonder if the inmates have been handed the keys to the asylum?..........
Click HERE To Read On
Monday, November 07, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Some Passing Thoughts
- By Greg Stewart
Everybody who belief that Karl Rove did not have a hand in the demise Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame, please raise their hand?
I must admit Mr. Teflon, Rove, may have got off lucky. I guess he learned something from the last time, he talked out of turn. Now the question is how high did the cover-up go?
Why would Cheney tell of Plame status? ... .........
Click HERE To Read On
- By Greg Stewart
Everybody who belief that Karl Rove did not have a hand in the demise Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame, please raise their hand?
I must admit Mr. Teflon, Rove, may have got off lucky. I guess he learned something from the last time, he talked out of turn. Now the question is how high did the cover-up go?
Why would Cheney tell of Plame status? ... .........
Click HERE To Read On
Sunday, November 06, 2005
More On The Terror Threat From Canada
I am so misunderstood!
- By Warner Todd Huston
I would like to say something about this Canada business and myself. Some are imagining that I have something real against Canada, but I do not. Sure, we have a healthy rivalry between our two countries , but I am not saying that Canada is doing nothing to help the US with the Global War On Terror (GWOT).
I have gotten quite a few emails from Canadians both in support of my views as well as against. But it is interesting that all those against seem to be working with the government somehow!
Canada is doing a lot with the GWOT. But they are not, however, doing all they could and this is my point. Their anti-US and anti-war feelings coupled with their overly liberal leanings and Europeanesque disdain for security is effecting their ability to crack down on this terrorism business.
And now, some more support for my contention that Canada is more of a security threat than Mexico...
50 Terror Groups Believed to Be in Canada
By BETH DUFF-BROWN, Associated Press Writer
Monday, July 4, 2005
(07-04) 11:07 PDT TORONTO, Canada (AP) --
Though many view Canada as an unassuming neutral nation that has skirted terrorist attacks, it has suffered its share of aggression, and intelligence officials believe at least 50 terror groups now have some presence here.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service, counterpart of the CIA, said terrorist representatives are actively raising money, procuring weapons, "manipulating immigrant communities" and facilitating travel to and from the United States and other countries.
Link To Article
- By Warner Todd Huston
I would like to say something about this Canada business and myself. Some are imagining that I have something real against Canada, but I do not. Sure, we have a healthy rivalry between our two countries , but I am not saying that Canada is doing nothing to help the US with the Global War On Terror (GWOT).
I have gotten quite a few emails from Canadians both in support of my views as well as against. But it is interesting that all those against seem to be working with the government somehow!
Canada is doing a lot with the GWOT. But they are not, however, doing all they could and this is my point. Their anti-US and anti-war feelings coupled with their overly liberal leanings and Europeanesque disdain for security is effecting their ability to crack down on this terrorism business.
And now, some more support for my contention that Canada is more of a security threat than Mexico...
50 Terror Groups Believed to Be in Canada
By BETH DUFF-BROWN, Associated Press Writer
Monday, July 4, 2005
(07-04) 11:07 PDT TORONTO, Canada (AP) --
Though many view Canada as an unassuming neutral nation that has skirted terrorist attacks, it has suffered its share of aggression, and intelligence officials believe at least 50 terror groups now have some presence here.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service, counterpart of the CIA, said terrorist representatives are actively raising money, procuring weapons, "manipulating immigrant communities" and facilitating travel to and from the United States and other countries.
Link To Article
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
An Affair To Remember (Joe Wilson-Plame and Sheehan: Tools In A Smaller Plot?)
- By R.A. Hawkins
es maybe it wasn't very nice hyphenating his name, but to me it seems to be honest. Some media types describe him as being apolitical. I think he's totally political and, as many supposed centrists as described by the media, he's as left as they get. In his Op-Ed for the NYT he talked about sipping mint tea and visiting with those who worked for the Nigerian government at the time of the supposed sale of yellow cake uranium to Iraq. They told him they hadn't sold uranium to Saddam Hussein. I wonder what Hitler would have said about those camps.
He came back and told everyone no sale took place and walked away. I had a little trouble with one of his comments in there about what the people were wearing and about them walking across John F. Kennedy bridge. That seemed so metro-sexual and not really part of what he was supposed to be talking about. It made me think he was a leftist. But there was much more that made me think leftist as well. He talked about the need for rigorously ensuring that Saddam wasn't pursuing his weapons program again. He also said it was important that the threat of invasion was there to make him toe the line. His problem was that we actually backed our words with deeds. Leftist ..............
Click HERE To Read On
- By R.A. Hawkins
es maybe it wasn't very nice hyphenating his name, but to me it seems to be honest. Some media types describe him as being apolitical. I think he's totally political and, as many supposed centrists as described by the media, he's as left as they get. In his Op-Ed for the NYT he talked about sipping mint tea and visiting with those who worked for the Nigerian government at the time of the supposed sale of yellow cake uranium to Iraq. They told him they hadn't sold uranium to Saddam Hussein. I wonder what Hitler would have said about those camps.
He came back and told everyone no sale took place and walked away. I had a little trouble with one of his comments in there about what the people were wearing and about them walking across John F. Kennedy bridge. That seemed so metro-sexual and not really part of what he was supposed to be talking about. It made me think he was a leftist. But there was much more that made me think leftist as well. He talked about the need for rigorously ensuring that Saddam wasn't pursuing his weapons program again. He also said it was important that the threat of invasion was there to make him toe the line. His problem was that we actually backed our words with deeds. Leftist ..............
Click HERE To Read On
Friday, November 04, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
The Second Term Curse
- By Justin Darr
In 1797, George Washington quietly returned to his Mount Vernon home after completing his second term as President of the United States. Washington could have easily been elected for a third term, however, chose to quietly step aside, creating the tradition of American Presidents serving only twice in office.
This precedent stood for a century and a half, until, much to the chagrin of the Republican Party, FDR decided to run for a third term in 1940. After Roosevelt's death in 1945, the Republicans began almost immediately to work on amending the Constitution to translate Washington's precedent into law. Whether the Republicans' motivation was one of trying to prevent a de facto "American aristocracy" where Presidents would rule for life, or merely an attempt to break the Democratic Party's domination of the political landscape is a subject of
debate to this day. Nonetheless, beginning with its passage by the Congress in 1947, and final ratification by three fourths of the states in 1951, the 22nd Amendment was born.
Respect for the tradition set by Washington aside, it is time to reopen the discussion of the merits of the 22nd Amendment in light of the 50 years of political turmoil it has created. .............
Click HERE To Read On
- By Justin Darr
In 1797, George Washington quietly returned to his Mount Vernon home after completing his second term as President of the United States. Washington could have easily been elected for a third term, however, chose to quietly step aside, creating the tradition of American Presidents serving only twice in office.
This precedent stood for a century and a half, until, much to the chagrin of the Republican Party, FDR decided to run for a third term in 1940. After Roosevelt's death in 1945, the Republicans began almost immediately to work on amending the Constitution to translate Washington's precedent into law. Whether the Republicans' motivation was one of trying to prevent a de facto "American aristocracy" where Presidents would rule for life, or merely an attempt to break the Democratic Party's domination of the political landscape is a subject of
debate to this day. Nonetheless, beginning with its passage by the Congress in 1947, and final ratification by three fourths of the states in 1951, the 22nd Amendment was born.
Respect for the tradition set by Washington aside, it is time to reopen the discussion of the merits of the 22nd Amendment in light of the 50 years of political turmoil it has created. .............
Click HERE To Read On
Thursday, November 03, 2005
UPDATE - Canadian Embassy Responds to Warner Todd Huston
Mr. Etzinger's Overstatement- My Reply To The Canadian Embassy's Note
I am heartened that Mr. Etzinger, from the Canadian embassy in Washington, took the time to respond to some of my points on the security problems between our two great nations. It shows that they are paying attention, as I am sure they were all along, and that is certainly admirable. But, I believe some of his criticisms were overstated.
Mr. Etzinger started his criticism with an attack on the "logic" of my position stating that saying there are Al Qaeda members in Canada amounts to "urban legend". But, that doesn't seem to square with the many easily found reports in the media. Even Canadian officials have announced that one Canadian national or another is an operating Al Qaeda member, confirming my claim.
Aside from Ahmed Ressam, whom I mentioned in my original Op Ed, Canadian officials have arrested several more citizens over the years since 1999. For instance, in 2002 officials arrested an Ottawa resident, Mohamed Harkat, who was involved in Al Qaeda. Even British officials recently arrested Mohammad Momin Khawaja, a Canadian citizen accused of planning bombings in England. And in 2003 top Al Qaeda terror suspect, Adnan El Shukrijumah, was in Canada attempting to get the materials for a "Dirty" nuclear bomb, it is reported.
Both the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have confirmed that Canadian citizens who are suspected of operating terrorist cells in Canada and are members of Al Qaeda have been arrested or are currently under watch since 1999.
... well, I could go on and on, but you get the picture.
Further, I am not the only commentator who is making this connection between the obvious presence of Al Qaeda in Canada and a threat to US security. Just for one example, a former Canadian ambassador, James Bissett, recently wrote that there is, indeed, a problem here. He wrote in a recent Op Ed, that there is "... a serious threat not only to Canada but to the United States."
All this seems to point to something other than the "urban legend" theory Mr. Etzinger wants us to believe.
Next, Mr. Etzinger made the analogy that Virginia is a danger to North Carolina because Al Qaeda suspects have been discovered in the Tidewater State. He seemed to want to use this example as a joke, a way to downplay the fact that Canada is a danger to the US. But Virginia IS a threat to North Carolina for the very reason he states. Of course, both states are within the USA and the analogy isn't perfect, but the point he thought was so funny is quite serious, really.
Etzinger chastised me for "cherry picking" a "couple" reports of Al Qaeda cells in Canada and over blowing those few reports to an absurd degree. But, I gave five different reports in my piece and then went on to state that there are many, many other easily found reports. I certainly couldn't include them all in a simple Op Ed. If I made an "error of monstrous proportions" by over blowing the reports in Mr. Etzinger's opinion then he certainly erred as monstrously the other way by downplaying the same!
Mr. Etzinger certainly is correct to remind us all that there are problems inherent in a war against insurgents and covert operatives in a nation like Canada -or the USA, for that matter- that is an "open society". I couldn't agree more strongly. It is not easy to reconcile an open, democratic society's intense desire for due process under the law and fairness for all concerned with a fight against a hidden, secret enemy within. We see the issue writ large in our own debate over the Patriot Act in the USA. But that point is so obvious as to be prosaic. Such an issue is far too large an issue to be discussed in as short an Op Ed as was my original, more narrowly focused piece.
Now, I certainly believe that the Canadian government is working with the US government to improve security and I know that the Canadian armed forces are champing at the bit to get in this action, if the remarks of General Rick Hillier are any indication. Hillier, the top General of the Canadian Defense, was reported to have been excited over the inclusion of Canadian armed forces in Afghanistan. Even Prime Minister Paul Martin backed up his tough talking Top General last July.
So, please let it be known that I welcome and appreciate all the Canadian government has done to date in conjunction with the USA with the Global War on Terror. I don't want to be construed as saying that they are doing nothing. But, with the prevailing anti-war fever in Canada so infesting the Canadian government, it strains credulity to believe that Canada is doing ALL it can.
All in all, I do not believe that I "distorted" any facts, as Mr. Etzinger contends. Admittedly, I did not go into the things that Canada is doing and Mr. Etzinger did a good service to let us know of some of the things that they are doing. But, my piece was not about that issue and I really did not have the space in the form of an Op Ed to explore that line of discussion. I just do not feel I gave anyone a "false impression about Canada" or US security.
What I did do was bring some specific problems to light in hopes that a solution is forth coming. And it's a solution Mr.Etzinger is in a far better position to effect than am I. Instead of simply dismissing my criticisms of Canada's efforts it would be nice if he spent some time trying to solve the problem.
Our collective security is certainly an important issue and I join Mr. Etzinger in working to that end.
By Warner Todd Huston
I am heartened that Mr. Etzinger, from the Canadian embassy in Washington, took the time to respond to some of my points on the security problems between our two great nations. It shows that they are paying attention, as I am sure they were all along, and that is certainly admirable. But, I believe some of his criticisms were overstated.
Mr. Etzinger started his criticism with an attack on the "logic" of my position stating that saying there are Al Qaeda members in Canada amounts to "urban legend". But, that doesn't seem to square with the many easily found reports in the media. Even Canadian officials have announced that one Canadian national or another is an operating Al Qaeda member, confirming my claim.
Aside from Ahmed Ressam, whom I mentioned in my original Op Ed, Canadian officials have arrested several more citizens over the years since 1999. For instance, in 2002 officials arrested an Ottawa resident, Mohamed Harkat, who was involved in Al Qaeda. Even British officials recently arrested Mohammad Momin Khawaja, a Canadian citizen accused of planning bombings in England. And in 2003 top Al Qaeda terror suspect, Adnan El Shukrijumah, was in Canada attempting to get the materials for a "Dirty" nuclear bomb, it is reported.
Both the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have confirmed that Canadian citizens who are suspected of operating terrorist cells in Canada and are members of Al Qaeda have been arrested or are currently under watch since 1999.
... well, I could go on and on, but you get the picture.
Further, I am not the only commentator who is making this connection between the obvious presence of Al Qaeda in Canada and a threat to US security. Just for one example, a former Canadian ambassador, James Bissett, recently wrote that there is, indeed, a problem here. He wrote in a recent Op Ed, that there is "... a serious threat not only to Canada but to the United States."
All this seems to point to something other than the "urban legend" theory Mr. Etzinger wants us to believe.
Next, Mr. Etzinger made the analogy that Virginia is a danger to North Carolina because Al Qaeda suspects have been discovered in the Tidewater State. He seemed to want to use this example as a joke, a way to downplay the fact that Canada is a danger to the US. But Virginia IS a threat to North Carolina for the very reason he states. Of course, both states are within the USA and the analogy isn't perfect, but the point he thought was so funny is quite serious, really.
Etzinger chastised me for "cherry picking" a "couple" reports of Al Qaeda cells in Canada and over blowing those few reports to an absurd degree. But, I gave five different reports in my piece and then went on to state that there are many, many other easily found reports. I certainly couldn't include them all in a simple Op Ed. If I made an "error of monstrous proportions" by over blowing the reports in Mr. Etzinger's opinion then he certainly erred as monstrously the other way by downplaying the same!
Mr. Etzinger certainly is correct to remind us all that there are problems inherent in a war against insurgents and covert operatives in a nation like Canada -or the USA, for that matter- that is an "open society". I couldn't agree more strongly. It is not easy to reconcile an open, democratic society's intense desire for due process under the law and fairness for all concerned with a fight against a hidden, secret enemy within. We see the issue writ large in our own debate over the Patriot Act in the USA. But that point is so obvious as to be prosaic. Such an issue is far too large an issue to be discussed in as short an Op Ed as was my original, more narrowly focused piece.
Now, I certainly believe that the Canadian government is working with the US government to improve security and I know that the Canadian armed forces are champing at the bit to get in this action, if the remarks of General Rick Hillier are any indication. Hillier, the top General of the Canadian Defense, was reported to have been excited over the inclusion of Canadian armed forces in Afghanistan. Even Prime Minister Paul Martin backed up his tough talking Top General last July.
So, please let it be known that I welcome and appreciate all the Canadian government has done to date in conjunction with the USA with the Global War on Terror. I don't want to be construed as saying that they are doing nothing. But, with the prevailing anti-war fever in Canada so infesting the Canadian government, it strains credulity to believe that Canada is doing ALL it can.
All in all, I do not believe that I "distorted" any facts, as Mr. Etzinger contends. Admittedly, I did not go into the things that Canada is doing and Mr. Etzinger did a good service to let us know of some of the things that they are doing. But, my piece was not about that issue and I really did not have the space in the form of an Op Ed to explore that line of discussion. I just do not feel I gave anyone a "false impression about Canada" or US security.
What I did do was bring some specific problems to light in hopes that a solution is forth coming. And it's a solution Mr.Etzinger is in a far better position to effect than am I. Instead of simply dismissing my criticisms of Canada's efforts it would be nice if he spent some time trying to solve the problem.
Our collective security is certainly an important issue and I join Mr. Etzinger in working to that end.
By Warner Todd Huston
Our Newest Op Ed
New Bond Makes Big To-Do Over Dislike Of Guns: Why Should We Even Care?
- By Frederick Meekins
It has been reported that Daniel Crag, the actor slated to assume the role of James Bond, does not like guns.
And why do we need to know or even care about this? Frankly, those that are going to see the new James Bond movie are going to see the exploits of the famed super spy and are not going to see the film in order to support the radical politics of some messily actor few have even heard of before now.......
Click HERE To Read On
- By Frederick Meekins
It has been reported that Daniel Crag, the actor slated to assume the role of James Bond, does not like guns.
And why do we need to know or even care about this? Frankly, those that are going to see the new James Bond movie are going to see the exploits of the famed super spy and are not going to see the film in order to support the radical politics of some messily actor few have even heard of before now.......
Click HERE To Read On
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
Canada - More Dangerous To USA Than Mexico
- By Warner Todd Huston
The neo-isolationists that fill the far right of the Conservative movement, fanned on by certain insincere radio hosts, have become so exorcised by Mexico that the issue is close to eclipsing the GWOT; the Global War On Terror.
The gnashing of teeth and wearing of sackcloth has, for some, reached such a fever pitch that no other issue is important to them. They are fixated on the fact that Mexico is the most dangerous thing the USA faces in the 21st century, that Mexico will destroy our culture, or destroy our economy. And this as we prosecute a war, yet.
Of course, we have major problems with our nearest neighbor to the south. We have rampant illegal crossings, drug smuggling with impunity and a loss of a large block of our economy as Mexicans send US dollars home to Mexico instead of spending it here.
But a little perspective would be nice because Mexico isn't the most imminent danger the USA faces in the neighborhood. Canada is more of an immediate threat to our security by far than is Mexico..........
Click HERE To Read On
- By Warner Todd Huston
The neo-isolationists that fill the far right of the Conservative movement, fanned on by certain insincere radio hosts, have become so exorcised by Mexico that the issue is close to eclipsing the GWOT; the Global War On Terror.
The gnashing of teeth and wearing of sackcloth has, for some, reached such a fever pitch that no other issue is important to them. They are fixated on the fact that Mexico is the most dangerous thing the USA faces in the 21st century, that Mexico will destroy our culture, or destroy our economy. And this as we prosecute a war, yet.
Of course, we have major problems with our nearest neighbor to the south. We have rampant illegal crossings, drug smuggling with impunity and a loss of a large block of our economy as Mexicans send US dollars home to Mexico instead of spending it here.
But a little perspective would be nice because Mexico isn't the most imminent danger the USA faces in the neighborhood. Canada is more of an immediate threat to our security by far than is Mexico..........
Click HERE To Read On
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Our Newest Op Ed
WHAT ALEX SAID, And Why We Should Listen
- By Resa LaRu Kirkland
I'm sick of always saying "my Muslim contact," so from now on I will refer to him as "Alex." It's vague enough to keep him protected from the wrath of Islam, and given what he continues to tell the non-Muslim world about Islam's intentions, he needs protecting.
Alex doesn't live in America. His observations come from a childhood raised in Islam, carefully studying us from a distant vantage point and applying a genius-level IQ to define what he sees; and what he sees is a nation on the brink, and an enemy ready to shove .........
Click HERE To Read On
- By Resa LaRu Kirkland
I'm sick of always saying "my Muslim contact," so from now on I will refer to him as "Alex." It's vague enough to keep him protected from the wrath of Islam, and given what he continues to tell the non-Muslim world about Islam's intentions, he needs protecting.
Alex doesn't live in America. His observations come from a childhood raised in Islam, carefully studying us from a distant vantage point and applying a genius-level IQ to define what he sees; and what he sees is a nation on the brink, and an enemy ready to shove .........
Click HERE To Read On
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