Hitchen's column appears in the newest issue of Newsweek and Hitchen's rightly says that Buchanan's new book "stinks." Buchanan argues that it was Britain who is responsible for the Second World War and not the expansionist totalitarian anti-semitic racist Adolf Hitler. It is actually a grotesque book from someone who is not considered to be on the fringe by the media.
Here is the link to Hitchen's great piece: http://www.newsweek.com/id/141501/page/1
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Friday, June 20, 2008
Christopher Hitchens On Pat Buchanan's Book That Blames WWII On Bitain
Hamas Video Shows Training For Capturing Israeli Soldiers
This was broadcasted on Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas)on June 16.
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Sen. Jim Webb Seems To Be More With McCain Than Obama And Leading Dems On Energy Exploration
Senator Jim Webb of Virginia believes his home state should have the right to explore for energy off the Virginia coast. His staff claims this only includes natural gas, not oil. They also point out that it is in line with Virginia's other leading Democrats. Gov. Tim Kaine and former Gov. Mark Warner, who is running for Senate, hold similiar positions.
All that is well and dandy but the truth is that Webb has attached his name to the bill sponsored by Sen. John Warner, his Republican colleague from Virginia. The Hill reports that "Webb’s proposal, unveiled Wednesday with John Warner, would allow Virginia to request a federal waiver to drill for natural gas at least 50 miles from the coastline on an exploration-only basis."
This is certainly a divergence from the Democrat orthodoxy. Credit given where credit is due. We need bipartisanship on this issue and we need more Dems to support American energy exploration. Syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt has dubbed Webb's party the "Don't Drill Democrats." It is unfortunate that Webb is an exception to his party's stubborn stance on oil that is beholden to radical enviro-mentally-ill-ists.
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American Relatives Of Elian Gonzales Set To Blast Barack Obama
The Miami Herald reports that a great-uncle of Elián González and other relatives plan Friday to publicly denounce two Barack Obama campaign advisors who helped send the boy back to his father in Cuba eight years ago. González will hold a 1 p.m. news conference outside the Little Havana home where Elián lived with relatives for several months in 2000. Elián is now 14 years old and has joined Cuba's Young Communist Union. Since he was forced by the American government to return to Cuba the Communist government has made sure to support and foster a love for the dictatorship in the boy so that he could be used as the ultimate propaganda piece, as he has been. 
The Uncle says that Obama foreign-policy advisor Greg Craig represented Elián's father from Cuba in the custody battle with the Miami relatives fighting to keep him out of the Communist dictatorship they had fled. Obama legal advisor Eric Holder who was also a key member of Obama's vice-presidential search committee was deputy attorney general when the 6-year-old boy was seized and forced to return to Cuba.
''We're going to express opposition to Barack Obama's visit to Miami, and explain how we're opposed to him having individuals on his campaign who were associated with Elián's seizure in 2000,'' González said. ``Some wounds are so deep that they do not heal over time, such as taking a child and sealing his fate to a communist dictatorship.''
González is 74. He said that the Republican Party had no role in his upcoming press conference or his opposition to Barack Obama.
This is going to create problem for Obama with the Florida Cuban community. It is not only the fact that he has advisors who had a role in returning Elian to go back to Cuba but the positions he himself has taken on Cuba since the campaign has begun. Obama has said he would engage in talks "without preconditions" with the Castro government hoping Castro will change his stripes after a nice sit down over Cuban cigars with the prophet from Chicago.
The following is a picture of Elian (on the right) from June 14. He smiles as he attends an event marking the 80th anniversary of the birth of Ernesto "Che" Guevara in Havana.
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Russian And Iranian Response To Israeli Military Exercise
For information on the Israeli military exercise see my post below.
"I hope the actual actions would be based on international law," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. "And international law clearly protects Iran's and anyone else's territorial integrity." He also said "the key to resolving the Iranian issue is involvement. We must involve Iran, engage Iran in resolving the Iranian nuclear program, ... but also engage Iran in constructive, respectful, serious dialogue on Iraq and Afghanistan, on the Middle East in general."
Anyone who has followed the Iran nuclear issue knows full well that Russia has been supporting the Iranians. This quote from the Russian Foreign Minister makes it all too clear. Israel cannot violate Iranian "territorial integrity" even if Iran is on the verge of making a nuclear bomb while it continues to threaten to destroy Israel constantly? You've got to be kidding me. He Then says we need to have respectful "dialogue." Maybe this shmuck should be Barack Obama's Secretary of State. Does anyone really believe that Iran can be respectfully talked out of its nuclear ambitions? Iran is a rogue state-sponsor of Islamoterror that is moving quickly ahead on uranium enrichment. It funds, harbors, and supports all the worst Islamoterror groups in the region from Hezbollah, to Hamas, to the Taliban elements, to Al-Qaeda.
The Iranians also responded to the military exercise conducted by Israel. "If enemies, especially Israelis and their supporters in the United States, would want to use a language of force, they should rest assured that they will receive a strong blow in the mouth," senior cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami was quoted by AFP as saying during a Friday prayers sermon.
Iran is a threat to global security. It is specifically a threat to Israel and the United States. America must let Vladimir and Sergey and the rest of those Ruskies know that America will not stand for continued Russian support of Islamoterrorist IRan. If Iran were to gain the world's worst weapons the world would become a very different place overnight.
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4 Year Old Sings On "America's Got Talent"
Warning: Overly Cute Content
I would like to put in a disclaimer here: I do not watch this show or shows like it because I tend to think they are boring and stupid. I'm sorry, but I had to say it.
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Thursday, June 19, 2008
Israeli Military Exercise May Be Directed At Preparing For Iran Attack
The International Herald Tribune reports that "Israel carried out a major military exercise earlier this month that American officials say appeared to be a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. Several American officials said the Israeli exercise appeared to be an effort to develop the military's capacity to carry out long-range strikes and to demonstrate the seriousness with which Israel views Iran's nuclear program. More than 100 Israeli F-16 and F-15 fighters participated in the maneuvers, which were carried out over the eastern Mediterranean and over Greece during the first week of June, American officials said. The exercise also included Israeli helicopters that could be used to rescue downed pilots. The helicopters and refueling tankers flew more than 900 miles, which is about the same distance between Israel and Iran's uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, American officials said."
It's good to know Israel is preparing for that worse case scenario. I only hope it never gets that far, but I also hope that someone has the will to stop Iran before it's too late.
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Gilad Shalit's Father Blasts Israeli Government
"This is a banana republic," Noam Shalit (pictured above), father of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit that was captured by Hamas two years ago, told the Yediot Aharonot in an interview given before the "truce" was reached on Gaza that took effect last Thursday.
"At first, I was certain that everything was being done to bring Gilad back. As time passes and nothing happens, I am taking off the gloves," said Noam Shalit. "We are told that Gilad is Hamas's insurance certificate... We told the prime minister that if we don't pay the price for his release now, we will have to pay to bring back his body."
Let me remind that an entire war was started over captured soldiers two summers ago by Ehud Olmert and he has failed to get them back or even punish the Islamoterror groups sufficiently for their act of war. This Israeli government is a symbol of weakness and impotence. They are unable and unwilling to take on their own enemies. They have allowed their soldiers to rot away in the hands of Jew-hating genocidal maniacs for two years. Shame on Ehud Olmert and his Kadima Party! Shame on the Israeli Government and any Knesset faction that is helping prop up Ehud Olmert as part of the coalition.
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One Million Americans Petition Congress to Drill For American Oil
American Solutions for Winning the Future announced today that one million Americans have signed the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition. It urges Congress to start drilling for American oil to lower gas prices and to do so immediately.
The petition reads:
"We, therefore, the undersigned citizens of the United States, petition the U.S. Congress to act immediately to lower gasoline prices (and diesel and other fuel prices) by authorizing the exploration of proven energy reserves to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources from unstable countries."
"The voices of one million Americans are sending a clear message to Congress that we can do more with our huge energy resources here at home," said Newt Gingrich, American Solutions' General Chairman. "With hard-working Americans struggling to pay for soaring gas and diesel prices, it's likely gas prices will be the defining issue in November. Our elected officials have a simple choice: Either take action to drill here and drill now for American oil or the American people will take action this fall."
The "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" movement continues to gain momentum and shape the national debate. Just this week, President George Bush, Senator John McCain, and Florida Governor Charlie Crist all called for lifting the federal ban on offshore drilling. And U.S. Representative Lynn Westmoreland has started a pledge in the U.S. House in support of American oil production that has been signed by 126 members of Congress.
"Our dependence on foreign oil from unstable countries is a threat to our energy and national security," said Dave Ryan, American Solutions' Executive Director. "An America that's independent of other countries for its energy needs, is an America that holds a safer and more secure future for our children and grandchildren."
Go to http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5198060&page=1 to find out more.
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UN Watch's Hillel Neuer Confronts 9/11 Conspiracy Theorist At UN
This took place on June 16. Watch the amazing Israel hatred at the U.N., and watch UN Watch's Hillel Neuer attempt to bring some sanity into that room where the mouthpieces of dictatorships get to attack the Israeli democracy with impunity:
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Obama Breaks Pledge Opting Out Of Public Financing
Sen. Barack Obama said today he will opt out of the public financing system.
"We've made the decision not to participate in the public financing system for the general election." He goes on to blame his decisions on Republicans saying "we face opponents who’ve become masters at gaming this broken system. John McCain’s campaign and the Republican National Committee are fueled by contributions from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs. And we’ve already seen that he’s not going to stop the smears and attacks from his allies running so-called 527 groups, who will spend millions and millions of dollars in unlimited donations."
There is only one problem. Obama is breaking a pledge he took. He was asked by Common Cause last November, "If you are nominated for President in 2008 and your major opponents agree to forgo private funding in the general election campaign, will you participate in the presidential public financing system?" Obama answered in the affirmative.
McCain campaign communications director Jill Hazelbaker hit the nail on the head when she said the following in response to Obama's dishonest breaking of his pledge: “Today, Barack Obama has revealed himself to be just another typical politician who will do and say whatever is most expedient for Barack Obama. The true test of a candidate for President is whether he will stand on principle and keep his word to the American people. Barack Obama has failed that test today, and his reversal of his promise to participate in the public finance system undermines his call for a new type of politics. Barack Obama is now the first presidential candidate since Watergate to run a campaign entirely on private funds. This decision will have far-reaching and extraordinary consequences that will weaken and undermine the public financing system.”
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Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Banning Smoking In Bars Is Not Only Stupid, It's Dangerous
I know there are people out there who may disagree with me on this one but here I go anyway. Mind you this is not an issue that affects me personally as I am not a smoker.
First and foremost, because any article dealing with smoking must add in a few caveats I will take this opportunity to state what should already be obvious. I obviously believe that those addicted to smoking should try their harderst to quit. No doubt about that. You will not hear arguments from me disputing the dangers of cigarette addiction.
Now that I got that out of the way I can get to the issue at hand. Smoking bans have started becoming popular as citys decide where smokers can and cannot engage in their vice. I understand the rationale behind banning smoking in certain places of work. For example, an office setting with a bunch of cubicles is not a place for smoking. I tend to think that in today's day and age big companies would themselves ban smoking without the government forcing them to do so. In general I do not appreciate government meddling in what is none of their business. I do not like the idea of the government telling a business owner how to run his or her business. Cigarettes are a legal and heavily taxed product (a tax which hurts working class people who smoke more than anyone else). But truthfully I will not get terribly vexed if the ban is not overly draconian, where it is banned in places that make at least some sense. I am generally opposed to smoking bans but I would nonetheless be willing to look at individual city bans and judge them independently as to whether it is excessive or not.
One of the popular places for cities to ban smoking these days is bars. This is one of those bans that makes little sense to me. Bars are not health food stores. They are in the business of selling alcohol. When you enter a pub you should not be expecting for the same aura as 24 hour fitness. If a bar owner decides he wants to allow smoking in his bar I see no reason why he and his customers should not be allowed to smoke. If enough people do not like the environment created or are discomforted by the smoke then non-smoking bars should open up for them. But no one is being forced to go to a bar in the first place. The only rationale people give for this ban is that the bartenders are subjected to second-hand smoke. Truthfully, I do not think bartenders in smoking bars are dropping dead right and left from lung cancer. If they do not like the environment that many bars offer by allowing smoking then maybe bartending is not the greatest business for them. Nobody forces anyone to become a bartender. I am sure there will always be no shortage of bartenders willing to work in a smokey bar. The fact is that a bar is private property and smoking is a legal activity. Patrons can decide whether they want to support a smoking bar or not. I have always felt this way about banning smoking in bars. Recently a new study was done that validates my opinion but for a whole new reason.
The new study claims that banning smoking in bars is not only sort of stupid, it is actually dangerous. Two researchers from the University of Wisconsin named Scott Adams and Chad Cotti published their findings through the Journal of Public Economics this month.
The two researchers claimed that while "using geographic variation in local and state smoke-free bar laws in the US, we observe an increase in fatal accidents involving alcohol following bans on smoking in bars that is not observed in places without bans. Although an increased accident risk might seem surprising at first, two strands of literature on consumer behavior suggest potential explanations — smokers driving longer distances to a bordering jurisdiction that allows smoking in bars and smokers driving longer distances within their jurisdiction to bars that still allow smoking, perhaps through non-compliance or outdoor seating. We find evidence consistent with both explanations. The increased miles driven by drivers wishing to smoke and drink offsets any reduction in driving from smokers choosing to stay home following a ban, resulting in increased alcohol-related accidents. This result proves durable, as we subject it to an extensive battery of robustness checks." In other words, bar smoking bans are actually dangerous. Let me now ask you one question:
What's worse, some smoke in a bar or a drunk driver plowing into another vehicle?
The following contains (mostly) vintage cigarette TV advertising to the tune of "smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette":
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Louisiana Almost Unanimously Passes The Science Education Act
With a 36-0 vote, Louisiana’s State Senate passed the Louisiana Science Education Act on June 16, 2008. The bill was previously passed by the State’s House of Representatives with a 94-3 vote. This is a landmark bill that should be passed throughout the nation to bring a balanced education into the science classroom. What the bill does is allow teachers to discuss both the evidence for and against Darwin's theory of evolution. The bill will "allow and assist teachers, principals, and other school administrators to create and foster an environment within public elementary and secondary schools that promotes critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of scientific theories being studied including, but not limited to, evolution, the origins of life, global warming, and human cloning." It does not force school districts to teach Intelligent Design, it merely allows for local school districts to allow additional scientific material into their curriculum that questions Darwinism. The bill does not mandate or allow for the teaching of creationism, as it says in Section 1D of the bill that it "shall not be construed to promote any religious doctrine, promote discrimination for or against a particular set of religious beliefs, or promote discrimination for or against religion or non-religion."
This is an issue of academic freedom and balance in education. I do not believe high school kids should be taught the theory of evolution if they are not going to be presented with the objections to it. That is pure indoctrination, not education. If questions against Darwin's theory are not allowed into the classroom then I believe Darwinism should not be taught until the college level. But I believe that a bill such as the one passed by such overwhelming numbers in Louisiana and signed by Governor Bobby Jindal provides teachers the opportunity to provide a balanced portrait of Darwinism. It is the type of bill that should be passed in all 50 states. Science classrooms should not discuss Creationism, God, Jesus, Genesis, the Bible, or anything of that nature. That is not for the science classroom. I do not think it is even necessarily important for an alternative to evolution (such as Intelligent Design) to be put forth. It is more important that evolution itself be studied critically and that the questions that those such as Michael Behe, William Dembski, or David Berlinski have about evolution be allowed in the classroom. Legitimate questions against evolution should be permitted and students should be informed of all sides of this heated debate.
Wade Warren, Professor of Biology and Cavanaugh Chair in Biology at Louisiana College, testified in favor of the bill before the Louisiana legislature last month. He said that "this is great news for the science teachers in public school classrooms in Louisiana, and it's great news for science education in the whole State of Louisiana. Not all DNA and fossil evidence support a Darwinian view of life. This bill gives teeth to the freedom of a public school science teacher to ask their students to objectively analyze the scientific data.”
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Muslim Women Barred From Being Seen In Photo With Obama
Politico Reports: Two Muslim women at Barack Obama’s rally in Detroit on Monday were barred from sitting behind the podium by campaign volunteers seeking to prevent the women’s headscarves from appearing in photographs or on television with the candidate...Advance staffers typically pick supporters out of a crowd to reflect the candidate’s message. When Obama won the North Carolina primary amid questions about his ability to connect with white voters, for instance, he stood in front of a group of middle-aged white women waving small American flags.
The Obama campaign denoucned the blocking of the Islamic women from sitting behind the podium. I wonder if there would be as little outrage as there is about this if it were done by staffers on McCain's payroll. As a matter of fact, if I were working for McCain it might strengthen his image to show that there are a couple of Muslims backing him despite the fact that he wants to continue in Iraq and not meet with Iran. What does it say about Obama's campaign staffers and Obama's positions that they immediately felt Muslims in a shot would reflect poorly on Obama?
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Pres. Bush & Sen. Mitch McConell On HIgh Gas Prices And Drilling At Home
Senator Mitch McConell is the Minority Leader. He says the Republicans are going to stand strong on drilling on our own land and seas and are willing to compromise if the Dems will agree to more "environmentally safe" drilling here at home instead of relying on the Saudis and the Russians.
The President also discussed oil production. He argues that we need alternative energy sources but that in the short run we will continue to rely on Oil. This means we need expanded oil production but the Dems have stood against any proposal. He asks the Dems in Congress to do three things which they have so far been unwilling to do. One is to increase the access to the Outer Continental Shelf which has been restricted since the eighties. Second is to tapping into the potential of oil shell. The third is to permit drilling in ANWR (The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge). Also he says we need to upgrade our refining capacity. Drill here, Drill now, Pay less.
The issue is simple. Republicans are right and Democrats are wrong. The Republicans want to allow for drilling that would get us off our foreign oil addiction and lower oil prices but the Democrats in the hands of the environuts are unwilling. Bush's steps are "urgently needed." There is "no excuse for delay." Not allowing these steps continues to endanger our national security with our reliance on Arab Oil. If they continue to obstruct drilling at home when Americans overwhelminlgly demand it then they need to be booted out of the majority in Congres by the American people.
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Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Gore Becoming Even More Of A Hypocrite As Time Goes By
The Tennessee Center for Policy Research reports that "in the year since Al Gore took steps to make his home more energy-efficient, the former Vice President’s home energy use surged more than 10%...In the past year, Gore’s home burned through 213,210 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, enough to power 232 average American households for a month. ...Since taking steps to make his home more environmentally-friendly last June, Gore devours an average of 17,768 kWh per month –1,638 kWh more energy per month than before the renovations – at a cost of $16,533. By comparison, the average American household consumes 11,040 kWh in an entire year, according to the Energy Information Administration."
I guess when your the official planetary prophet of doom you only need watch out for everyone elses "carbon footprints." I guess the hot air Gore emits has little effect on his own behavior. Gore was a hypocrite last year, but he is even more of a hypocrite this year. Amazing, isn't it?
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A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
Commentary not needed. Lourain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge speaking in his office in Lorain, Ohio with posters on his wall (click the image to enlarge, if you so desire):
For the article in which the picture appears see http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-06-10-ohio-lethal-injection_N.htm?csp=34
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Awesome Alert: Prof. Kedar Of Bar-Ilan University's Arabic Studies Department Lays The Smackdown On Al Jazeera
This video is a MUST-SEE. Watch professor Mordechai Kedar come at that Al-Jazeera moron and blow him out of the water. The best part is when the Al-Jazeera bonehead mumbles and moves on after Kedar says Jerusalem is not in the Quran. If only the United States had people like Mordechai Kedar in our own Deparments of Arabic Studies. Get Olmert out, and Kedar in.
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Israel and Hamas 'Agree Truce'
The BBC reports that "Israel and militant group Hamas have agreed to end months of bitter clashes with a six-month truce starting on Thursday, Palestinian officials say. A Hamas official said he was confident all militant groups in Gaza would abide by the agreement, brokered by Egypt." Militant group? I prefer genocidal Islamoterror group, as you well know.
All a truce does is allow Hamas to restock their weaponry, gather their rockets, build their bombs so that they can continue the fight to eliminate Israel. Does Israel not know its own history? Why does it refuse to learn from the past? Negotiatons with Islamoterrorists emboldens Islamoterrorists. This is a policy of weakness and defeat. How can Israel make a truce with Hamas when Gilad Shalit is still in captivity? Israel should unrelentingly crush Hamas with no mercy. Israel should not be ceasing fire until every Hamasite has either fled or is dead. Israel does not have a policy of victory over their genocidal terrorist enemy and that is the worst sort of madness. As Vice Premier Haim Ramon said on Tuesday in reaction to this news: "I am against a truce, because it is another triumph for radical Islam. It won in Lebanon and now it is about to win in Gaza. So what is the point of being moderate? Why would Hamas be interested in a resolution?" National Religious Party Knesset Member Zevulun Orlev called the agreement "a balloon that will burst" and called a ceasefire agreement without Gilad Schalit "a moral crime that conveys the message of abandoning the kidnapped soldier to his fate." Knesset Member Arye Eldad of the National Union/National Religious Party said that "because of a corrupt prime minister and an insecure defense minister Israel is capitulating to Hamas and accepting upon itself a ceasefire that will allow Hamas to hit Ashdod and Kiryat Gat later on. The residents of Israel will take note today of who is to blame when the entire center of the country turns into a war zone because of Olmert and Barak."
Arutz Sheva reports that IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Tuesday that in his estimate, the calm in Gaza will be "fragile and short. We have to make the most of the calm but prepare for an incursion. We are on a collision course." Israel has collided with its Arab enemies far too many times as it is. Will lasting action ever be taken?
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Obama Advisor: Osama Should Be Allowed To Appeal To U.S. Civilian Courts
This story shows you the madness of the Obama candidacy and liberal mindset. This is so amazingly stupid, naive, and flat our wrong that it is scary. Obama's foreign policy advisers said Tuesday that Osama bin Laden, if captured, should be allowed to appeal his case to U.S. civilian courts. Naturally, John McCain disagrees with this ludicrous position. Obama supporters Sen. John Kerry and former White House counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke said OBL would be afforded Habeas rights acocording to the Supreme Court decition last week. Obama has a repulsively naive September 10th mindset and wants to return to the days before 9-11 where counterterrorism was a law enforcement operation. “In previous terrorist attacks -- for example, the first attack against the World Trade Center -- we were able to arrest those responsible, put them on trial,” Obama told ABC. “They are currently in U.S. prisons, incapacitated.” And that worked out well keeping us safe from Islamoterror? As former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said, Obama wants “to take a step back to the failed policies that treated terrorism solely as a law enforcement matter, rather than a clear and present danger. Barack Obama appears to believe that terrorists should be treated like criminals -- a belief that underscores his fundamental lack of judgment regarding our national security.” Former CIA director James Woolsey said Obama has "an extremely dangerous and extremely naive approach toward terrorism ... and toward dealing with prisoners captured overseas who have been engaged in terrorist attacks against the United States." I cannot believe this man has a shot at being president of this nation. This is a truly worrying approach to be taking to suicidal Islamomaniancs. Anyone that does not like McCain because of immigration of campaign financing has got to realize that he at realizes the nature of the struggle we are in and would for that reason alone make a far greater president than B. Obama.
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"Osama Bin Laden's Right Hand Man In Europe" Is To Be Released In The Next 24 Hours
I kid you not. The London Telegraph reports that Abu Qatada, who is accused of giving advice and support to terrorists including the leader of the September 11 hijackers, has been described in official documents as a "truly dangerous individual" who was "heavily involved, indeed at the centre of terrorist activities associated with al-Qa'eda." He has been convicted twice in Jordan in his absence for conspiracy to carry out bomb attacks on two hotels in Amman in 1998, and providing finance and advice for a series of bomb attacks in Jordan planned to coincide with the Millennium. It was those convictions which allowed him to argue in the Appeal Court he would not get a fair treatment in his home country. With the prospect of extradition removed, the Ministry of Justice has been forced to release him by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission. The bail order was signed this afternoon and he is expected to be released from Long Lartin jail in Worcestershire tomorrow. He is will be electronically tagged and put under a 22-hour curfew at his family home in Acton, West London.
The timing of this unbelievably shocking news is incredible. The United States Supreme Court demands Habeas rights for terrorists and the same week a top Jihadist in Britain associated with Mohammed Attah and Osama Bin Laden is put up for bail. Is this the kind of legalities that we will soon be seeing in our country? Will Khaled Sheikh Mohammed be getting house arrest for masterminding 9-11?
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The Arrogant Courts, The Coarsening Culture, The Frightening Future
I have not been a big fan of Supreme Courts these days. As you well know, as an informed citizen browsing stevelackner.com, the Supreme Court of our land declared that the terrorists at Gitmo have habeas rights. Before that we had the Supreme Court of California finding ridiculous rights that never existed in the California or American Constitution.
This week the California ruling took effect. My main focus will therefore be this ruling. Social liberals tend to deride those that oppose gay marriage as primitive neandrathal bible-thumping throwbacks. They rely on words like equality, fairness, rights, discrimination, homophobia and more because one word slogans bely the need for an actual debate. They are not looking for an actual conversation. Once one side labels itself with society's favorite catch phrases the other side becomes the antithesis of these noble sounding words. The traditionalist is a homophobic unfair discriminating bigot while the social liberal is an enlightened fair loving civil rights activist. Case closed. No need for discussion.
I'm going to have the discussion anyway. The truth is that there is a basic logical reason, without the need of any verse in Leviticus, that marriage should be between men and women. Marriage is an institution that has existed to keep men and women together in stable relationships so that they could raise a new generation of productive citizens. That is the practical purpose of men and women uniting in marriage. Marriage is a societal contract, in which the couple are bound together to prepare the next generation for the future. It is a future-oriented institution. That is why governments often provide incentive for people to marry. Because marriage is good for society and meant to keep traditional nuclear families together. Governments should support an institution which is better for a stronger future and better for the next generation. It is not merely about loving couples declaring love for each other. It is much more than that because it is a forward looking institution. In contrast, a same-sex relationship has no future. Nothing can come forth from the loins of two men or (naturally) from two women. It is a relationship that is dependent completely on the present, on feeling good with a life partner until you're both dead. There is no one else other than themselves in the relationship. You don't need marriage for that. You do not need government to provide incentives for people being together because it makes them feel good. Heterosexual married couples have, are, or most likely will raise children. That is a central difference. It is really that simple. The government supports the traditional "nuclear" family because children deserve traditional families.
Our future is being taken away from us by unaccountable judges. People who believe their political agenda can be imposed upon us by judicial fiat. President Abraham Lincoln took office four years after the Supreme Court's infamous "Dred Scott" ruling that ordered the return of fugitive slaves. Honest Abe understood the threat of activist judges. Lincoln said, "If the policy of the government upon vital questions affecting the whole people is to be irrevocably fixed by decisions of the Supreme Court, the instant they are made in ordinary litigation between parties in personal actions the people will have ceased to be their own rulers, having to that extent practically resigned their government into the hands of that eminent tribunal." Today we are seeing our government being resigned into the hands of the eminent tribunal. The two Supreme Courts seemed have complete disregard for the rule of law and what it means to be a judge. Being a Supreme Court justice should not simply mean you have become a black robed legislator. It is about upholding the Constitution. That is their only solemn duty. Yet the Supreme Courts of this country seem to be finding new rights in our constitution that have never existed and would never have been imagined to exist. The Gitmo and gay rulings are not bad decisions. They are miscarriages of justice because judges are finding new rights that have never existed, displaying utter disregard for the seperation of powers and the letter of the law. To find new rights, whether its for the guys of Gitmo or gays of San Francisco in a constitution in the year 2008 as if it had been hiding between the lines for a couple centuries is ludicrous.
Our future is no longer in our hands when we have allowed law making to be in the hands of a few lawyers making irrevocable decisions. It is a Supreme Court, not a handful of supreme rulers. We must work to take back our future. Gay marriage is only a first step in what can become the shoving of political correctness with the force of law down our future collective throats. It has the potential of being the first step toward completely eradicating expression and education of traditional values. As Senator Sam Brownback argued on the floor of the Senate in the summer of 2006, "Same-sex marriage proponents argue that sexual orientation is like race, and that opponents of same-sex marriage are therefore like bigots who oppose interracial marriage. Once same-sex marriage becomes law, that understanding is likely to be controlling." Brownback pointed to a litany of potential negative consequences for traditional faiths: "So in states with same-sex marriage, religiously affiliated schools, adoption agencies, psychological clinics, social workers, marital counselors, etc. will be forced to choose between violating their own deeply held beliefs and giving up government contracts, tax-exempt status, or even being denied the right to operate at all. ... It's already happening, as we've seen in Massachusetts with Boston's Catholic Charities being forced out of the adoption business entirely rather than violate church teaching on marriage and family."
It will be very hard to turn back the American Supreme Court's ruling. There are measures our elected representatives in Congress must take immediately as proposed by Andrew McCarthy in his recent National Review piece entitled "A Quick Way Forward After Boumediene." The California ruling, however, cannot be weakened with legislation. It must be overturned by the power of the people at the ballot box. This may be an even more difficult task if conservatives remain complacent. This November Californians have a chance to turn back the tide. To send a message to all the courts that we will not stand for their "bait and switch" games. That we will not stand for their endangering our culture and national security.
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Monday, June 16, 2008
Creator Of Infamous "Daisy Ad" Is Pushing Up Daisies
Tony Schwartz died at age 84. He helped create the infamous LBJ spot from 1964 featuring a little girl and an atom bomb explosion. This was perhaps the most disgusting political tv spot from a candidate in our nation's history. The ad implied that because Barry Goldwater believed in decisive victory in Vietnam and because he believed the Soviet Union was evil, he was an extremist that would lead the nation into a nuclear holocaust. In fact, my grandfather is a life-long Democrat and voted for Barry Goldwater after because he was disgusted with LBJ's dirty campaign exemplified by the ad. You can watch the ad here:
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John McCain: Lift Ban On Offshore Drilling
The AP reports taht John McCain said Monday the federal moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling should be lifted, and individual states given the right to pursue energy exploration in waters near their own coasts. With gasoline prices rising and the United States chronically dependent on foreign oil, the Republican presidential contender said his proposal would "be very helpful in the short term resolving our energy crisis." McCain also suggested giving the states incentives, including a greater share of royalties paid by companies that drill for oil, as an incentive to permit exploration.
McCain is half way there. This is a good start. He still makes little sense when he says we should not allow any new on-land drilling. For example, he is strongly against drilling in ANWR (the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve). He is wrong on that and I have no reason not to let you know that. But he seems to have a better approach than the Democrats. "You can't drill your way out of this problem" declared Nancy Pelosi recently. This came after House Dems were unwilling to lift the ban on oil exploration on the outer continental shelf. The outer continental shelf, by the way is at the very least 50 miles away from American shores.
We need to drill here and drill now to start the process in the short term of getting America off our foreign oil addiction. The Saudi oil we buy funds our enemy in the war on terror. Not just Saudia Arabia itself but the money which Saudi Arabia uses to export its brand of Islam called Wahabism. We're funding both sides of this war and in the long run that is going to come back to bite us in the behind if we don't get some common sense now and stop funding radical Islam. We need to start drilling at home. This is the first step in what should be a concerted effort to wean us off foreign oil.
Newt Gingrich also proposes that we immediately release one third of the strategic petroleum reserves to stick it to those speculators driving up our prices. Sounds good to me. And we need to invest in future alternative energies that are affordable. I'm not talking about solar, wind, or even ethanol. We need research and we need it now for cost effective alternatives. Finally we need to start building nuclear power plants so we are not completely dependent on fossil fuels.
The environmentalists don't mind the high gas prices because they see it as reducing demand which means less use of fossil fuels. The super-rich don't care about reducing the cost of gasoline either because they don't feel the pinch. This needs to be done for the average American more than anyone else. Reduce the demand for oil by weaning ourselves off of it with alternative sources, and in the meantime increase the supply here at home.
In short, we need politicians with the guts to do what it takes to get us off our foreign oil addiction and reduce gas prices now!
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Gov. Bobby Jindal On Intelligent Design In Schools
I agree with Bobby that Intelligent Design should be allowed in the classroom. Just to give you an idea of where I stand on the issue of Intelligent Design allow me to post an opinion article I wrote for my college newspaper a couple years ago entitled "The Darwinist Inquisition Against Intelligent Design: An Interview with Dr. Elliot Pines":
http://media.www.yucommentator.com/media/storage/paper652/news/2005/12/19/Opinion/The-Darwinist.Inquisition.Against.Intelligent.Design-1127671-page2.shtml
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More Of Obama Bungling History As He Praises Gitmo Decision As Parallel To Nuremberg Trials
ABC News reports Barack Obama praising the Supreme Court decision in Boumediene et al v Bush that gave Habeas Corpus Rights to those in Guantanomo Bay. Obama said that "I think we should make it an issue" in the election and I happen to agree. I don't agree with him when he says the decision "said we are going to live up to our ideals when it comes to rule of law." The fact is that we were living up to our ideals just fine, that there was a system of military tribunals. The fact is that historically the rule of law never required habeas rights for enemy combatants. The fact is that the Supreme Court had told Congress to set up a military tribunal system and then five lawyers in black robes decided arbitrarily that the Congress's military tribunal system which met the court's previous demands were just not good enough.
Obama went on to make a bumbling gaffe, an especially egregious one for Obama who was apparently a former senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School. Obama said "that principle of habeas corpus, that a state can't just hold you for any reason without charging you and without giving you any kind of due process -- that’s the essence of who we are. I mean, you remember during the Nuremberg trials, part of what made us different was even after these Nazis had performed atrocities that no one had ever seen before, we still gave them a day in court and that taught the entire world about who we are but also the basic principles of rule of law. Now the Supreme Court upheld that principle yesterday." I have no problem comparing Islamoterrorists to Nazis, that is fine. But what Barack says here makes no sense. This is another idiotic statement from the great Chicago legal scholar. Jack Tapper of ABC News points out "that the Nuremberg trials did not give Nazi war criminals access to U.S. courts, but to a special international military tribunal created by the U.S., USSR, France and the U.K. Though Nuremberg currently is considered a model for international law, it's not as if Rudolph Hess had access to challenge his detention in U.S. federal court." Nuremberg was an example of setting up an international military tribunal. Congress had set up a military tribunal that gave Gitmo detainees the rights that the Supreme Court had demanded. But Nazis captured by the U.S. (unlike Hess who was captured by the Brits, by the way) never had the right to petition U.S. federal courts and challenge the detention. This is ludicrous. The fact is that the Nuremberg example would lead a clearheaded candidate who knew his history to oppose the Supreme Court decision as does John McCain rather than spout historical jibberish.
This is not the first time Obama has completely muddled history. He has repeatedly refered to JFK meeting with Nikita Khrushchev as a a model for Obama's promise to meet with leaders of rogue states without preconditions in his first year of office. But if he knew just a little bit of history before he drew his nonsensical parallels he would realize that meeting was a complete and utter failure. Khrushchev went to to build the Berlin wall. He went on to put nuclear weapons in Cuba. How could anyone use that as a model of diplomacy, as something to be replicated? But people don't know history so they hear his nonsense in a speech and it sounds mighty fine, it makes it sound as if there is a historical basis for Obama's naivete.
On the Gitmo ruling Obama said, "John McCain thinks the Supreme Court was wrong. I think the Supreme Court was right." Indeed.
Read Andrew McCarthy's analysis of the SCOTUS decision here: http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZGEwMTY5YTU3NGRiOWUyMzkxZTU3MDE1ZWUwMDYxOTM=
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Whoopi Makes Joke About Clarence Thomas Not Being Black
Clarence Thomas is one of the four conservative Supreme Court justices on the bench. He is an African-American. In this clip Whoopi jokes that there has only been one black Supreme Court justice. The implication is that if you are not a Black liberal you are not Black at all. The crowd hoots and hollers in agreement. But it really is not all that funny. Yet Whoopi fawns over Obama on "The View" all the time. Obama has a white mother and is considered "more" Black than Clarence Thomas? Go figure.
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Sunday, June 15, 2008
Newt Gingrich: McCain Should Choose Bobby Jindal As Veep
The Hill reports: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said Sunday that Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal “would be far and away the best candidate” to appear on the Republican presidential ticket with Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). Gingrich, who appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” heaped praise upon the former congressman, saying that he is a “spectacular” governor and predicted that Jindal would be a presidential candidate in the future. Asked whether it could be a problem that the governor, who is 37, might be perceived as not ready to lead the country in case he would have to replace McCain, Gingrich said the case can be made that Jindal’s “experience in the executive branch and in the legislative branch is greater than” that of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.). “It strikes me that it’s going to be very hard for Obama’s campaign to explain that Jindal, as a governor, who has served as an assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, has served as a congressional staffer, has served as a congressman, is not qualified but Sen. Obama is qualified,” Gingrich said. On the issue, he added that voters are “not going to reject Sen. Obama on inexperience.” Gingrich argued that a GOP attempt to win the election by casting the Democrat as inexperienced would fail. “Obama is a very articulate, very intelligent, Harvard law graduate, who is extraordinarily smart, and he’s not going to come across in a debate like some guy who’s dopey,” Gingrich said. “He’s going to come across as fully prepared. He knows how to study all this stuff. He has the military advisers.” However, Gingrich added, “The problem with Obama is he’s wrong. It’s not that he’s inexperienced. It’s that his policies are wrong. Tweet
Obama Decries Lack Of Black Fathers On Father's Day
The AP Reports: Barack Obama celebrated Father's Day by calling on black fathers, who he said are "missing from too many lives and too many homes," to become active in raising their children. "They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it," the Democratic presidential candidate said Sunday at a largely black church in his hometown. Reminding the congregation of his firsthand experience growing up without a father, Obama said he was lucky to have loving grandparents who helped his mother. He got support, second chances and scholarships that helped him get an education. Obama's father left when he was 2. "A lot of children don't get those chances. There is no margin for error in their lives," said Obama, an Illinois senator. "I resolved many years ago that it was my obligation to break the cycle - that if I could be anything in life, I would be a good father to my girls," added Obama, whose daughters, Sasha and Malia, and his wife, Michelle, watched from the audience..."We can't simply write these problems off to past injustices," Obama said Sunday. "Those injustices are real. There's a reason our families are in disrepair ... but we can't keep using that as an excuse."...He said parents who proudly tell him their child gets great grades, all B's, should encourage them even more. "All B's? Is that the highest grade?" Obama said. "It's great that you can get a B, but you can get a better grade. It's great that you've got a job, but you can get a better job."
Everyone on this site should know that I am not a Republican Kool Aid Drinker. I use common sense in a world where common sense is becoming more and more uncommon every day. I usually hold nothing back when pointing out why B. Obama should not be anywhere near the White House. But today I am giving credit where credit is due. The fact is that Obama deserves praise for delivering a necessary message on Father's day. His remarks as they appear in this video and as presented in the AP article are right on target. Because Black America has become completely enamored with Obama he can get away with saying it without being called an Uncle Tom or being castigated. Because he is Black himself he can be more frank with the Black community as well. All I am praising Obama for is speaking honestly to the African-American community. The only reason he deserves praise for giving another speech is that the sentiments in the speech are not said often enough. But the only reason it needs to be said at all is in the hopes that it will have some effect. I can only hope that there are people out there that take Obama's message about the necessity of fatherhood everywhere, and especially in the Black community, to heart.
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McCain Offers 10 Joint Townhalls, Obama Says He Will Do One When Nobody Is Watching
From the USA Today: Obama on Friday rejected McCain's proposal for 10 joint town-hall appearances, question-and-answer gatherings before small audiences that the Republican senator tends to favor. The Democrat has performed best at massive, emotional rallies drawing tens of thousands of people. Obama has offered to meet McCain in five joint appearances between now and the Nov. 4 election, but only one of those would be town hall-style and it would be on the July 4th Independence Day holiday, when few Americans would be watching. McCain called the offer "a very disappointing response."
This is a clear sign that Barack Obama is not really the orator he has been made out to be. He is obviously afraid of going head to head with John McCain in a more informal setting. If he thought he would crush McCain with his eloquence and arguments he would agree to crush McCain 10 times. What is is Barack so afraid of? The coward that he is, he offers to have one joint townhall and only when nobody is watching. What does it say about Barack Obama that he IS NOT willing to have debates on the issues? What does it say about John McCain that he IS willing to have 10 joint townhalls? I think the answers to those two questions are polar opposites and reveal a lot about the candidates.
Obama recently told a crowd that Republicans are "going to try to scare people. They’re going to try to say that ‘that Obama is a scary guy.” He then went on to say he was ready for it and that "if they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun." How can he be going around being Mr. Tough Guy talking as if he was ready to have a duel with McCain when in truth he is unwilling to meet McCain's challenge?
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The Media, The Terrorists, And The Big Lies Against Israel
The following is a link to a useful, interesting, and very informative in-depth look (using multimedia presentations) at the Big Lies deployed against Israel by the enemies of Israel and the Western media. It takes you through, with audio and visual aid, five specific cases of media bias and belief of enemy propoganda. Brought to you by Honest Reporting:
http://www.honestreporting.com/a/bigLies.asp
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Bush Orders For Osama To Be Captured Before He Leaves Office
The London Times reports that President Bush has enlisted British special forces in a final attempt to capture Osama Bin Laden before he leaves the White House. We pray for the success of this final attempt. The Special Boat Service (SBS) and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment have been taking part in the US-led operations to capture Bin Laden in the wild frontier region of northern Pakistan. It is the first time they have operated across the Afghan border on a regular basis. A Pentagon source said US forces were rolling up Al-Qaeda’s network in Pakistan in the hope of pushing Bin Laden towards the Afghan border, where the US military and bombers with guided missiles were lying in wait. The title of the London Times article is "Get Osama Bin Laden before I leave office, orders George W Bush."
If Bush succeds in capturing or killing Bin Laden it would be a huge success to his presidency and legacy. It would be a great victory for our nation. The fact that Bin Laden was allowed to slip away and perhaps escape into Pakistan is a miserable failure, if not the miserable failure, of the Bush Presidency in the War on Islamoterror. Bush has had much success killing top Al-Qaeda leaders but the fact that the founder and leader of Al-Qaeda, Al-Qaeda's #1, was allowed to get away is not something Bush should be proud of. Killing Bin Laden, besides for killing the head of the Isamoterror organization that is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans, would have an immense symbolic effect. He is the main figurehead for the Jihad against the West. It would be a major blow to the Jihad. It would bring necessary justice to the leader of the evil Islamoterrorists. He is the head of the snake. I am disappointed that Bush seems to be ordering for Osama to be captured or killed now, when these orders and military tactics should have been in progress every day since 9-11. All we can say now is that we hope for the success in capturing the world's most wanted terrorist.
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