Friday, July 13, 2007

Terrorist Rights Party

What is it that makes an individual place more importance on the "bad science" of global warming than he or she does on the clear and present danger of Islamo-Fascist terror?

Why are Liberal Democrats so determined to destroy our economy with drastically unreasonable curtailments on green house gas emissions ...

But they aren't willing to take even the slightest PRIORITY action against a terroristic threat that promises ... PROMISES ... to destroy us? Why do Liberal Democrats continue to blow-off this clear and present danger to our lives and our way of life? Especially with the hindsight of what those Islamic Fascists did on September, 11th 2001?

Why are Liberal Democrats so ready to shoot down YOUR right to keep and bear arms - a fundamental birthright of all American citizens which is enshrined in the second ammendment of the Bill of Rights but ...

They are unwilling to allow Federal agents to listen in on the phone conversations of terrorists?

Why are Liberal Democrats so willing to take away the right of an oil company to turn a profit ...

Yet they are unwilling to incarcerate terrorists without insisting that they be given the same rights that you or I have?

Why do Liberal Democrats bash George Bush - calling him a liar? Why do they openly hope for the death of the Dick Cheney ...

When they haven't said a DAMN WORD about Osama Bin Laden - the guy who caused this.

Why are Liberal Democrats so intent on renewing the Voting Rights Act here in the United States ...

Yet they won't say a DAMN WORD about the racist President of Iran?

Why are Liberal Democrats constantly telling us what a bad nation we are because Women still aren't equal with men and yet ...

They won't say a DAMN WORD about the abhorrent way women are treated in Islamo-Fascist society?

Why is America so bad? Why are these other guys -- the guys who chop off heads, the guys who say we'll get NO PEACE until we convert to Islam -- the guys who torture and belittle their women -- the guys who are holocaust "deniers" ...

Why are those guys so good?

It's time to call the Liberal Democrats what they really are ...

They're anti-American (the record clearly shows this). They are traitors to Americans, and to the American way of life. The Democratic Party has become the "Terrorist Rights Party". They are the party of "Surrender" and "Defeat".

But here is a message to Liberal Democrats ...

It won't work buds.

This President will not surrender - nor will the next one if he's a Republican. Hillary says that she'll begin an immediate pullout if she's elected President - and that's the only way this is going to happen. It will be a Democrat that consummates the surrender and the defeat folks - it won't be a Republican.

And you can complain about why we shouldn't have been over there in the first place. You can try to blame a "surrender" on the fact that we were wrong about going there. But that is not going to wash in the Laundromat of history. Historians will record ... what happened when we abandoned Iraq. And even if historians condemn us from going to Iraq in the first place (which they won't) - they will certainly no allow that as an excuse for a surrender that leaves the middle-east in a turmoil that eventually ignites the entire world.

That blame - will be placed squarely on the shoulders of the Liberal Democrats.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Yep, I DO Believe She is Playing!

In my last post I talked about Madonna's appearance at the Live Earth concert and all the controversy about whether or not she's really playing that beautiful Les Paul Guitar.

Well, I would just LOVE to report to you that the guitar playing is another product of Madonna "phoneyism" but after reviewing the tape several times ...

I think she's really playing that guitar.

First, before I talk about why I think she's playing it herself ... let me just say that that dress she's wearing is sexier than any of her 80's costumes - no matter how revealing they were. So she's done a good move here with the dress. And the guitar compliments the dress perfectly - so this is another example of Madonna's genius showmanship. You can't take that away from her.

Now ... on the guitar - and by the way I've been a guitar player for many years now - I believe she's playing it alrighty.

First - let's remember that George Harrison turned his guitar completely off one night when he performed a song live, on stage with Carl Perkins. George just said "Carl had it all covered - what part was I going to play? So I turned the volume off!".


No one knew that George's guitar wasn't making a sound that night - so that's evidence that some bad playing, or in George's case - even NON-playing - can be covered by the rest of the musicians in the band.

But I believe that Madonna was turned up - I believe you can hear her guitar - but it's a bit buried. Watch her hand movements - for 90% of the song she's playing two "power chords". Power chords are chords that are played on only two or three strings usually. Madonna's playing is basically a guitar reinforcement of the song's bass line. Listen to it ... two chords and they really don't change ... "Bom, Bom ... Bom, Bom ... Bom, Bom ... Bom, Bom"

So, it's not like she's playing a Jimi Hendrix lead here. Her guitar is not the one in the foreground - it's a backing guitar playing almost elementary rhythm. Even the most primitive 12-bar blues line is many times more sophisticated than what Madonna is playing.

There are a couple of times when she gets a little inventive and "surfs" the fretboard - but it's nothing complicated - it's just typical barre chord stuff - using the basic movable shapes (actually it looks like she's only using ONE shape to me and just sliding it where she needs it). I would estimate, that for what she's doing - if that's all she can do - then she's probably been playing for about 4 to 6 months and most of that time would be spent on finger dexterity and toughening up the fingertips on her left hand. Even though what she's doing is not complicated - there's a physical adjustment you have to get used to and those barre chords - even though simple - do hurt in the beginning.

It's not easy to get your hands to work through a whole song when you first pick up a guitar - so she's been playing. She could have practiced this song ... and only this song ... for a few months to get to this point but I doubt it. She's probably been playing for awhile now and was looking for a simple way to weave her guitar playing into a song. She did a very good job here because only a guitar player can really identify the basic level of playing she's demonstrating.

I would also add that it's clear to me she's been getting instruction - and probably from someone who's a "purist" player in the classical sense. She holds the pick a bit too perfectly and the barre chords look a bit too perfect also. You could contrast the way she's playing with the way Chuck Berry or Keith Richards sloppily moved around on a fretboard - they were very different, mostly because they were self-taught or learned from others who taught themselves. Madonna seems to be using textbook technique here - something that a good instructor would encourage.

The feedback trick she does at the end - is very sexy but it's very easy to do.

So in my opinion - Kudo's to Madonna - she's playing and perhaps we'll see more complicated things coming from her in the future. It's a good performance I think ... you be the judge ...

Is She Really Playing??

I love writing about Madonna. And I just don't know why. I mean, like many young men in the 80's I fell in love with her and her belly-button during her "Borderline" and "Lucky Star" years.

But ...

that all ended sometime around "Like a Virgin" - or maybe even sooner than that - I don't remember. She completely shattered her earlier "boy toy" image that so many of us loved out here. She started to sully herself and her image - by pretending she had some kind of "insight" into life and politics when she's no more intelligent than a New York City cab driver. Difference is - the cab driver doesn't have a "ready made" audience to soak up his political dogma when he feels like spewing it. Madonna has such an audience.

And let's not forget that she was once Shaun Penn's wife. It's really hard to love a woman when you know he's touched her ...

Still ... it's hard to hate her.

She's in the news again ... this time the question is "Is it LIVE - or is it AIR GUITAR!!"

Story from the Telegraph right HERE.

I don't know ... I just found this story and I'll have to review the tape.

That's a Gibson Les Paul Classic she's playing (or maybe not playing) - Jet Black.

Now ... I know that everyone wants to ping on Madonna for "fake" playing this guitar but ... not so fast. Maybe she IS playing it? Theoretically, she should have a lot of time on her hands to learn how to play - and she could have been learning for years. As far as being able to hire a good instructor - I don't think that would be a problem for Madonna. So it's very possible she's playing this.

I'll look it over and post a follow up.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Cable VS Dish

Well, I have a new answer for the "Cable versus Dish?" question - and it's ...

Cable.

At least for now anyway.

Quick background here ...

I moved into a new subdivision about three years ago. Unbelievably, the local cable network had not made arrangements with the housing developer to install the cable backbone at the time the houses were going up. I moved into a house that couldn't get cable - because there was no cable infrastructure in the subdivision yet. I waited for three months and rejected repeated overtures from Dish companies while waiting for the cable company to get their product into the subdivision. After about three months - I gave up and took up an offer by a Dish Network salesman.

I like "hungry" companies. I was impressed with how tenacious the Dish companies were in pursuing my business. And I was not impressed with the cable company's lack of foresight and failing to have the cable backbone ready when new homeowners moved into my subdivision. Further - I was not impressed with the cable company's inability to tell me when the backbone would be available.

So I went Dish.

And I was a proud Dish owner. I felt like I was associating with a winner.

Hmmm ... I don't think so anymore.

First - let's talk about what a dish owner "puts up with"...

Outages - yeah, cable has 'em too. But every time a storm rolled over my neighborhood - my Dish Network went down. Not for very long - but it did go down for anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes.

Tech Problems - there are a lot of little tech problems that can happen with a dish. And the Dish Network website has a whole section of it's site devoted to helping YOU, the dish owner, diagnose your own problems. So as a dish owner - you tend to become somewhat of an amateur satellite TV technician. I thought this was kind of cool at first - but now I'm thinking - "don't I have better things to do with my time?".

I mean - it's Television folks. It's not anything that is ever going to cure cancer or put another man back on the moon - it's just entertainment for when you have nothing better to do. It should work when you want it - and it shouldn't require too much thought, or education, or work on YOUR part. Right?

Now I've had cable before - and I don't remember cable having these problems. Sure - cable goes down - and sometimes for a long time. But when it does - you're not the first line of defense in fixing it. And cable doesn't go down RELIABLY during a thunderstom like Dish ALWAYS does!

So now ... fast forward to today...

Two weeks ago I called the Dish Network and asked them to upgrade me to High Definition. This requires a couple of new receivers and a new dish - meaning I need a Dish tech to come out and do that install. I scheduled the installation appointment - and my wife took 4 hours off from work waiting for the guy to come out.

He never showed, and only called after he had missed the time window for the appointment.

No problem - we scheduled another appointment.

Same thing happened though - no dish tech showed and this time - NO CALL.

So I called Dish Network.

And got ahold of some customer service call center in India! Apparently Dish Network is one of those companies "outsourcing" it's customer service. The people I spoke with - couldn't speak English very well. Now, I generally applaud bilingualism and bilingual outreach programs but ... the majority of us here in the U.S.A. still speak English. It would be nice if Dish Network gave us someone that we could communicate with don't you think??

I was put on hold for ... like an hour ... while they tried to figure out why the tech hadn't shown up at my house. This was probably no "mean trick" for the guys in India - completely on the other side of the world from where the Dish Network Tech actually was.

And I don't know if they ever got an answer to where the tech was - because they wouldn't tell me anything except - "you'll have to reschedule".

That's when I asked for a supervisor. After another 30 minutes of waiting - they finally patched me through to one - one that dropped my call after only 2 minutes.

So I called back - waited another 20 minutes. This time the customer service rep wouldn't patch me through to a supervisor. His exact words were "You have no other option but to reschedule".

Heheheh ...

Nay, Nay, Sweet Toad ... THE CUSTOMER ALWAYS HAS OPTIONS.

I told him "Thanks - tell your supervisor you've just made another cable customer!" And I hung up and promptly called my local cable company.

I got ahold of a guy named "Dave". Dave spoke perfect English. Dave told me that digital cable was certainly available in my neighborhood now and they were giving out great deals for customers who were ditching satellite for cable. I got a whole line-up of premium channels that I would have had to have paid extra for on dish network. I got 'em free for 12 months.

Very happy with that. And VERY happy to see a cable company unabashedly targeting the dish network's business. I'm a capitalist ... and it's a real turn on to see this kind of rough and tumble competition going on!

So I signed with cable. The guy comes by the day after tomorrow to put it in. I thought about just how simple that installation is going to be. There'll be no dish to hang on the side of my house. No dish alignment. No satellite receiver testing. No satellite switch testing ...

No - the cable guy is going to bring in some boxes - plug them into my pre-wired house ... do some "cable-guy magic" and then ... fingers crossed ... I should have high-def digital cable with a lot less hassle than the dish network was.

I'll let you know how it goes.

But for me - Dish Network has lost the edge and the momentum is shifting back to cable.

See, that is what I LOVE ABOUT CAPITALISM!! The pendulum swings. A company enjoys success - it gets fat and lazy. It charges more for it's product because it's inefficient. It ignores the needs of it's customers ...

And along comes someone else to scoop up their customers!

One day I may be back with the Dish Network. Perhaps next time the pendulum swings their way. ;)

Monday, April 23, 2007

Brown Hand Liberals ...

Many thanks to Sheryl Crow for giving us a new name for extremist liberals - which I'll call now "Brown Hand Liberals". The reason? Well Sheryl doesn't want to get inside your bedroom - just your bathroom. And she wants to keep an eye on your "movements" there.

Folks - I can't find a better example of the "death of liberty" than the government getting involved and placing limits on how much toilet paper you use for your hygienic needs. I mean ... forget GUN CONTROL ... this would seem like the most extremist move any government could make. But don't listen to me ... listen to Sheryl's own words ...

"Although my ideas are in the earliest stages of development, they are, in my mind, worth investigating. One of my favorites is in the area of forest conservation which we heavily rely on for oxygen. I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting. Now, I don’t want to rob any law-abiding American of his or her God-given rights, but I think we are an industrious enough people that we can make it work with only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where 2 to 3 could be required. When presenting this idea to my younger brother, who’s judgment I trust implicitly, he proposed taking it one step further. I believe his quote was, “how bout just washing the one square out.”

Word of advice ... if you ever meet Sheryl Crow - DO NOT SHAKE HER HAND!!

Folks, this is just one more reason why these Hollywood performers should never be listened to.

Note to Sheryl - "You're completely Phail". When they coined the phrase "Beauty is only skin deep" - you're the one they were thinking of.

Also ...

Let's have a look at some of Sheryl Crow's consumption habits. You be the judge of whether or not she's being hypocritical here. The Smoking Gun has Sheryl's Smoking Gun.

BREAKING NEWS: This just in ... Nixon's Ghost has obtained an exclusive photo of one of Sheryl's own TP holders ...


Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Blaming Charles Steger

The staggering loss of innocent life this week at Virginia Tech at the hands of a suicide gunman is bad enough.

But I fear the casualties aren't over quite yet. Over the next few days you're going to see the Main Stream Media (MSM) stoke a fire over who's to blame for this senseless tragedy.

Let me start this post off by saying, right up front - who the ENTIRE blame belongs to ...

It's the shooter - 23 year old Cho Seung-Hui - from South Korea. It's ALL Cho's fault. Cho planned and executed his deadly act. He could've had some help - perhaps the investigation that's going on now will reveal that - I don't know. But one thing we should all know - Charles Steger, the President of Virginia Tech - isn't to blame here.

But he is going to be blamed because ... "someone" has to be.

The shooter is dead - no way we can rip into him now in any meaningful manner. And shucks, even if he were alive we couldn't blame him - he's a minority - he's one of the oppressed. Why on earth would you blame him when you have a successful, white male available to pin the blame on. He's one of the oppressors - blame him!

And so it will be - Charles Steger is going to have a very difficult time in the weeks ahead as the MSM attempts to pin the blame on him for not "locking down" an entire college campus after the first shootings occured Monday morning. Nevermind the fact that it's impossible to "lock down" a populated college campus the size of Virginia Tech (26,000 students). Nevermind that - someone has to be blamed here and it's not the guy who pulled the trigger at least 32 times in cold blood. It's not his fault!

Come on people - how many times do we have to go through this Tom Foolery? We did it to ourselves on 9-11. Very clearly, the people to blame for crashing the jets into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were the Islamo-Fascists who hijacked the planes. But we didn't blame them - we had to blame Bush; our own FBI; the CIA.

What is with us? Why do we have to pin blame where it absolutely doesn't belong?

Who's to blame for the death of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman? If the Police who investigated their murders were racists - does that mean they were to blame for the murders?

Come on ... we know who's to blame for those murders - and it wasn't the cops who investigated it.

Put the blame for the Virginia Tech shootings squarely on the shoulders of the one who should be shouldering it -
Cho Seung-Hui - the guy who planned it - the guy who pulled the trigger over, and over, and over again. There is no way that Charles Steger could have foreseen what was going to happen that day. If he didn't do everything correctly, or he was overly conservative in his reactions to the shooting ... so what?

HOW WOULD YOU PERFORM in such a situation? Do you think it's even remotely fair to blame this guy using the unfair advantage of hindsight? Jesus Christ people - half of you out there will get stopped by a policeman for speeding and you'll argue with him and try to justify why you're actually right and he's wrong. But it won't you take a millisecond to lay blame on this college president based on what you're hearing from an unreliable media. It's just ... unbelievable to me. The guy did the best he could given the information he had at the time and the realities he was faced with. He didn't have the mighty Heraldo Rivera at his side to give him counsel on what he should and shouldn't do. Of course if he had - we all know this would have been prevented because Heraldo is infallible. Yeah ... right.

Put the blame where it belongs - on the shooter. Take comfort in the fact that there is a God and there is a Heaven and a Hell and this guy is, right now, burning his ass off in the latter. He's getting exactly what he deserves - just like the 9-11 hijackers are - just as Nicole and Ron's murderer will be. The man upstairs knows who's to blame and you don't escape his judgement.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Tribute to Gary Richrath

No he isn't dead.

But he is certainly all but forgotten - and that's a shame.

Gary Richrath was the original lead guitarist for REO Speedwagon. Now, mention REO Speedwagon to most folks and you usually get a negative reaction. That's because most folks remember the Speedwagon as an 80's mush band that produced songs heavy in hooks but low on real content and substance.

That is certainly the most FAMOUS version of the Speedwagon - but it isn't a true vision of who the band really was. The band actually began in the late 60's and they enjoyed somewhat of a minor "popularity status" during all of the 70's. They were a very "70's" band in their down-home "what you see is what you get" presentation. They were rockers - and they were important to the whole genre of 70's rock that fucking Disco came along later and suppressed. When Disco mercifully died - no one was left unchanged by it - including REO Speedwagon. Though they never had a "disco sound" - the band that emerged in the 80's had certainly learned that substance was secondary to a good "hook". That's what disco taught a lot of us.

Anyway ... back to Gary.

Gary was the quintessential 70's rock guitarist. As a guitarist myself - I consider the 70's to be the "golden era" of rock guitar. It was guys like Gary who served as a "bridge" between the blues inspired sounds of guys like Clapton - to the technical "ripping" of guys like EVH (Van Halen) and Yngwie Malmsteen.

So Gary is a sort of a "missing link". But here's the deal - I've always favored that "missing link" sound more than anything that came before, or after it. I've always found the blues inpired 60's sound to be a bit simplistic. And I've always found the technically confusing sounds of EVH and Malmsteen to be a bit lacking in soul.

For me - the perfect balance has always been guys like Gary Richrath, Neil Shon, Ted Nugent, etc. Those awesome 70's guitarists.

And Gary was the best of 'em I think.

It's no secret that Gary Richrath and REO frontman, Kevin Cronin, clashed for many years. For some reason, whether he was kicked or left on his own - Gary ceased to be a member of REO in 1991. We haven't heard much from him since.

But if Gary is out there reading this somewhere - I'd just like for him to know that he isn't forgotten by guys like me. To this day - I still try to emulate Gary on my guitar. And just like I did back in the 70's - I always come up short of the mark!

This is a salute to Gary Richrath!

Here's a YouTube clip of the REAL REO SPEEDWAGON back in 1971. Unfortunately, there's a long introduction to this song, 157 Riverside Avenue - but those who patiently sit through it will be rewarded by some of the best Richrath guitar work ever captured on film.



Friday, April 13, 2007

IMUS And My Two Cents ...

I've never been a fan of Imus. In my opinion, Imus has made a career out of making fun of people who've done stupid things. It's been interesting watching his career. He's the kind of guy that enjoys being a shock jock - but at the same time covets legitimacy. It's an ego thing. He wants to be shocking, but also wants to be looked upon as a sort of a "social" and "political" ... "guru".

And he's found that the two don't mix. You can't be a "serious" clown - eventually, you come to a point where the two ethos collide.

Can anyone say that Howard Stern hasn't said MUCH WORSE than what Imus said the other day?

Of course not ... Stern has crossed the line many more times than Imus. However, there's a difference between Stern and Imus. Stern is an admitted idiot while Imus tries to claim a margin of legitimacy by getting seriously involved in political and social issues. Essentially, what I'm arguing here is that Imus has, for years, balanced a gas can on one shoulder while holding a lit flame-thrower on the other. It was just a matter of time before an "accident" occurred. Imus should have known it was going to happen - I shed no tears for him because he's a grown man. Actions have consequences - and he's living with them now.

Imus is getting exactly what he deserves.

Another point I'd like to make is that Imus fell victim to the new culture of ... I'll call it ... "apologism". That's not a real word ... but it's what I use to describe this bizarre new culture where an apology is supposed to fix everything that is broken. "Apologize early, and often" - seems to be the mantra these days and, Imus followed the mantra to a tee by tripping over himself with his rapid fire apologies and self-condemnations.

But Imus found out - apologies don't fix everything. In fact, they rarely fix ANYTHING!

Let's see if Imus has enough self-respect to go quietly into the night. He has, after all, had a great career and he's certainly at a good age for retirement. Perhaps though, Imus will attempt to make a "come back" by claiming it was drinking and drugs that made him say what he said - and that he's joining a rehab program to get fixed.

When an apology doesn't work - surely rehab will.

Won't it?

Look, we can throw stones at Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson and call them hypocrites for denouncing Imus.

And where's the news flash there? Al and Jessie have ALWAYS been hypocrites. They should have no legitimacy with anyone in this country except people of lesser mind - "sheeple" if you will. There's nothing new about the clueless buffoonery of Al and Jessie. But Al and Jessie didn't force Imus to make the comments he made.

Imus made them all on his lonesome. He made them in a lame attempt to be "cool". A white guy in his late 60's parroting young, urban, black "lingo" just to appear cool to the folks in radioland. He only used the language he did to look cool and to "prove" that he's plugged into contemporary pop culture - even though he's old enough to be a great grandfather.

It takes one hell of a lot for an old man to look "cool". Imus is old enough, and should be wise enough, to know that using urban obscene slang at his age is just ridiculous.

Hopefully, this is goodbye for Imus. I don't think so though. This is a world of intense "drama" after all and Imus still has another 10 minutes or so left on this 15 minutes of fame ordeal. By my estimation anyway.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Just A Bit of a Reminder ...

It's fairly interesting these days to watch the liberal politicians and the leftist drive-by media pretend as if George Bush is the root of all of our problems with the Middle East. We have Nancy Pelosi just gushing over the terrorist leaders of Syria and now, possibly, a visit in the works to meet with the Holocaust denying Islamo-fascist President of Iran.

And while Democrats angrily refuse to meet with George Bush - and even a movement now for Democrats to refuse interviews with Fox New reporters - we nonetheless see them tripping over themselves to meet and have photo ops with terrorist leaders of outlaw Islamo-fascist nations.

I've called them the "Terrorist's Rights Party" for quite awhile now - but they've earned the name. And ... they keep earning it.

I think it's good to remember why we're fighting here. I'm not going to remind you though. No, I'm going to get someone who the Democrats hold deep respect and admiration for. Someone who's already told us EXACTLY why we have to fight...

Osama Bin Laden ...

And here he is in his "Letter to Americans" (several years old now - too bad folks have either never read it or have completely forgotten about it.) Yes, it's difficult to read through all this but I've BOLDED some of the good stuff ...

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

"Permission to fight (against disbelievers) is given to those (believers) who are fought against, because they have been wronged and surely, Allah is Able to give them (believers) victory" [Quran 22:39]

"Those who believe, fight in the Cause of Allah, and those who disbelieve, fight in the cause of Taghut (anything worshipped other than Allah e.g. Satan). So fight you against the friends of Satan; ever feeble is indeed the plot of Satan."[Quran 4:76]

Some American writers have published articles under the title 'On what basis are we fighting?' These articles have generated a number of responses, some of which adhered to the truth and were based on Islamic Law, and others which have not. Here we wanted to outline the truth - as an explanation and warning - hoping for Allah's reward, seeking success and support from Him.

While seeking Allah's help, we form our reply based on two questions directed at the Americans:

(Q1) Why are we fighting and opposing you?
Q2)What are we calling you to, and what do we want from you?

As for the first question: Why are we fighting and opposing you? The answer is very simple:

(1) Because you attacked us and continue to attack us.

a) You attacked us in Palestine:

(i) Palestine, which has sunk under military occupation for more than 80 years. The British handed over Palestine, with your help and your support, to the Jews, who have occupied it for more than 50 years; years overflowing with oppression, tyranny, crimes, killing, expulsion, destruction and devastation. The creation and continuation of Israel is one of the greatest crimes, and you are the leaders of its criminals. And of course there is no need to explain and prove the degree of American support for Israel. The creation of Israel is a crime which must be erased. Each and every person whose hands have become polluted in the contribution towards this crime must pay its*price, and pay for it heavily.

(ii) It brings us both laughter and tears to see that you have not yet tired of repeating your fabricated lies that the Jews have a historical right to Palestine, as it was promised to them in the Torah. Anyone who disputes with them on this alleged fact is accused of anti-semitism. This is one of the most fallacious, widely-circulated fabrications in history. The people of Palestine are pure Arabs and original Semites. It is the Muslims who are the inheritors of Moses (peace be upon him) and the inheritors of the real Torah that has not been changed. Muslims believe in all of the Prophets, including Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all. If the followers of Moses have been promised a right to Palestine in the Torah, then the Muslims are the most worthy nation of this.

When the Muslims conquered Palestine and drove out the Romans, Palestine and Jerusalem returned to Islaam, the religion of all the Prophets peace be upon them. Therefore, the call to a historical right to Palestine cannot be raised against the Islamic Ummah that believes in all the Prophets of Allah (peace and blessings be upon them) - and we make no distinction between them.

(iii) The blood pouring out of Palestine must be equally revenged. You must know that the Palestinians do not cry alone; their women are not widowed alone; their sons are not orphaned alone.

(b) You attacked us in Somalia; you supported the Russian atrocities against us in Chechnya, the Indian oppression against us in Kashmir, and the Jewish aggression against us in Lebanon.

(c) Under your supervision, consent and orders, the governments of our countries which act as your agents, attack us on a daily basis;

(i) These governments prevent our people from establishing the Islamic Shariah, using violence and lies to do so.

(ii) These governments give us a taste of humiliation, and places us in a large prison of fear and subdual.

(iii) These governments steal our Ummah's wealth and sell them to you at a paltry price.

(iv) These governments have surrendered to the Jews, and handed them most of Palestine, acknowledging the existence of their state over the dismembered limbs of their own people.

(v) The removal of these governments is an obligation upon us, and a necessary step to free the Ummah, to make the Shariah the supreme law and to regain Palestine. And our fight against these governments is not separate from out fight against you.

(d) You steal our wealth and oil at paltry prices because of you international influence and military threats. This theft is indeed the biggest theft ever witnessed by mankind in the history of the world.

(e) Your forces occupy our countries; you spread your military bases throughout them; you corrupt our lands, and you besiege our sanctities, to protect the security of the Jews and to ensure the continuity of your pillage of our treasures.

(f) You have starved the Muslims of Iraq, where children die every day. It is a wonder that more than 1.5 million Iraqi children have died as a result of your sanctions, and you did not show concern. Yet when 3000 of your people died, the entire world rises and has not yet sat down.

(g) You have supported the Jews in their idea that Jerusalem is their eternal capital, and agreed to move your embassy there. With your help and under your protection, the Israelis are planning to destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque. Under the protection of your weapons, Sharon entered the Al-Aqsa mosque, to pollute it as a preparation to capture and destroy it.

(2) These tragedies and calamities are only a few examples of your oppression and aggression against us. It is commanded by our religion and intellect that the oppressed have a right to return the aggression. Do not await anything from us but Jihad, resistance and revenge. Is it in any way rational to expect that after America has attacked us for more than half a century, that we will then leave her to live in security and peace?!!

(3) You may then dispute that all the above does not justify aggression against civilians, for crimes they did not commit and offenses in which they did not partake:

(a) This argument contradicts your continuous repetition that America is the land of freedom, and its leaders in this world. Therefore, the American people are the ones who choose their government by way of their own free will; a choice which stems from their agreement to its policies. Thus the American people have chosen, consented to, and affirmed their support for the Israeli oppression of the Palestinians, the occupation and usurpation of their land, and its continuous killing, torture, punishment and expulsion of the Palestinians. The American people have the ability and choice to refuse the policies of their Government and even to change it if they want.

(b) The American people are the ones who pay the taxes which fund the planes that bomb us in Afghanistan, the tanks that strike and destroy our homes in Palestine, the armies which occupy our lands in the Arabian Gulf, and the fleets which ensure the blockade of Iraq. These tax dollars are given to Israel for it to continue to attack us and penetrate our lands. So the American people are the ones who fund the attacks against us, and they are the ones who oversee the expenditure of these monies in the way they wish, through their elected candidates.

(c) Also the American army is part of the American people. It is this very same people who are shamelessly helping the Jews fight against us.

(d) The American people are the ones who employ both their men and their women in the American Forces which attack us.

(e) This is why the American people cannot be not innocent of all the crimes committed by the Americans and Jews against us.

(f) Allah, the Almighty, legislated the permission and the option to take revenge. Thus, if we are attacked, then we have the right to attack back. Whoever has destroyed our villages and towns, then we have the right to destroy their villages and towns. Whoever has stolen our wealth, then we have the right to destroy their economy. And whoever has killed our civilians, then we have the right to kill theirs.

The American Government and press still refuses to answer the question:

Why did they attack us in New York and Washington?

If Sharon is a man of peace in the eyes of Bush, then we are also men of peace!!! America does not understand the language of manners and principles, so we are addressing it using the language it understands.

(Q2) As for the second question that we want to answer: What are we calling you to, and what do we want from you?

(1) The first thing that we are calling you to is Islam.

(a) The religion of the Unification of God; of freedom from associating partners with Him, and rejection of this; of complete love of Him, the Exalted; of complete submission to His Laws; and of the discarding of all the opinions, orders, theories and religions which contradict with the religion He sent down to His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Islam is the religion of all the prophets, and makes no distinction between them - peace be upon them all.

It is to this religion that we call you; the seal of all the previous religions. It is the religion of Unification of God, sincerity, the best of manners, righteousness, mercy, honour, purity, and piety. It is the religion of showing kindness to others, establishing justice between them, granting them their rights, and defending the oppressed and the persecuted. It is the religion of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil with the hand, tongue and heart. It is the religion of Jihad in the way of Allah so that Allah's Word and religion reign Supreme. And it is the religion of unity and agreement on the obedience to Allah, and total equality between all people, without regarding their colour, sex, or language.

(b) It is the religion whose book - the Quran - will remained preserved and unchanged, after the other Divine books and messages have been changed. The Quran is the miracle until the Day of Judgment. Allah has challenged anyone to bring a book like the Quran or even ten verses like it.

(2) The second thing we call you to, is to stop your oppression, lies, immorality and debauchery that has spread among you.

(a) We call you to be a people of manners, principles, honour, and purity; to reject the immoral acts of fornication, homosexuality, intoxicants, gambling's, and trading with interest.

We call you to all of this that you may be freed from that which you have become caught up in; that you may be freed from the deceptive lies that you are a great nation, that your leaders spread amongst you to conceal from you the despicable state to which you have reached.

(b) It is saddening to tell you that you are the worst civilization witnessed by the history of mankind:

(i) You are the nation who, rather than ruling by the Shariah of Allah in its Constitution and Laws, choose to invent your own laws as you will and desire. You separate religion from your policies, contradicting the pure nature which affirms Absolute Authority to the Lord and your Creator. You flee from the embarrassing question posed to you: How is it possible for Allah the Almighty to create His creation, grant them power over all the creatures and land, grant them all the amenities of life, and then deny them that which they are most in need of: knowledge of the laws which govern their lives?

(ii) You are the nation that permits Usury, which has been forbidden by all the religions. Yet you build your economy and investments on Usury. As a result of this, in all its different forms and guises, the Jews have taken control of your economy, through which they have then taken control of your media, and now control all aspects of your life making you their servants and achieving their aims at your expense; precisely what Benjamin Franklin warned you against.

(iii) You are a nation that permits the production, trading and usage of intoxicants. You also permit drugs, and only forbid the trade of them, even though your nation is the largest consumer of them.

(iv) You are a nation that permits acts of immorality, and you consider them to be pillars of personal freedom. You have continued to sink down this abyss from level to level until incest has spread amongst you, in the face of which neither your sense of honour nor your laws object.

Who can forget your President Clinton's immoral acts committed in the official Oval office? After that you did not even bring him to account, other than that he 'made a mistake', after which everything passed with no punishment. Is there a worse kind of event for which your name will go down in history and remembered by nations?

(v) You are a nation that permits gambling in its all forms. The companies practice this as well, resulting in the investments becoming active and the criminals becoming rich.

(vi) You are a nation that exploits women like consumer products or advertising tools calling upon customers to purchase them. You use women to serve passengers, visitors, and strangers to increase your profit margins. You then rant that you support the liberation of women.

(vii) You are a nation that practices the trade of sex in all its forms, directly and indirectly. Giant corporations and establishments are established on this, under the name of art, entertainment, tourism and freedom, and other deceptive names you attribute to it.

(viii) And because of all this, you have been described in history as a nation that spreads diseases that were unknown to man in the past. Go ahead and boast to the nations of man, that you brought them AIDS as a Satanic American Invention.

(xi) You have destroyed nature with your industrial waste and gases more than any other nation in history. Despite this, you refuse to sign the Kyoto agreement so that you can secure the profit of your greedy companies and*industries.

(x) Your law is the law of the rich and wealthy people, who hold sway in their political parties, and fund their election campaigns with their gifts. Behind them stand the Jews, who control your policies, media and economy.

(xi) That which you are singled out for in the history of mankind, is that you have used your force to destroy mankind more than any other nation in history; not to defend principles and values, but to hasten to secure your interests and profits. You who dropped a nuclear bomb on Japan, even though Japan was ready to negotiate an end to the war. How many acts of oppression, tyranny and injustice have you carried out, O callers to freedom?

(xii) Let us not forget one of your major characteristics: your duality in both manners and values; your hypocrisy in manners and principles. All*manners, principles and values have two scales: one for you and one for the others.

(a)The freedom and democracy that you call to is for yourselves and for white race only; as for the rest of the world, you impose upon them your monstrous, destructive policies and Governments, which you call the 'American friends'. Yet you prevent them from establishing democracies. When the Islamic party in Algeria wanted to practice democracy and they won the election, you unleashed your agents in the Algerian army onto them, and to attack them with tanks and guns, to imprison them and torture them - a new lesson from the 'American book of democracy'!!!

(b)Your policy on prohibiting and forcibly removing weapons of mass destruction to ensure world peace: it only applies to those countries which you do not permit to possess such weapons. As for the countries you consent to, such as Israel, then they are allowed to keep and use such weapons to defend their security. Anyone else who you suspect might be manufacturing or keeping these kinds of weapons, you call them criminals and you take military action against them.

(c)You are the last ones to respect the resolutions and policies of International Law, yet you claim to want to selectively punish anyone else who does the same. Israel has for more than 50 years been pushing UN resolutions and rules against the wall with the full support of America.

(d)As for the war criminals which you censure and form criminal courts for - you shamelessly ask that your own are granted immunity!! However, history will not forget the war crimes that you committed against the Muslims and the rest of the world; those you have killed in Japan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Lebanon and Iraq will remain a shame that you will never be able to escape. It will suffice to remind you of your latest war crimes in Afghanistan, in which densely populated innocent civilian villages were destroyed, bombs were dropped on mosques causing the roof of the mosque to come crashing down on the heads of the Muslims praying inside. You are the ones who broke the agreement with the Mujahideen when they left Qunduz, bombing them in Jangi fort, and killing more than 1,000 of your prisoners through suffocation and thirst. Allah alone knows how many people have died by torture at the hands of you and your agents. Your planes remain in the Afghan skies, looking for anyone remotely suspicious.

(e)You have claimed to be the vanguards of Human Rights, and your Ministry of Foreign affairs issues annual reports containing statistics of those countries that violate any Human Rights. However, all these things vanished when the Mujahideen hit you, and you then implemented the methods of the same documented governments that you used to curse. In America, you captured thousands the Muslims and Arabs, took them into custody with neither reason, court trial, nor even disclosing their names. You issued newer, harsher laws.

What happens in Guatanamo is a historical embarrassment to America and its values, and it screams into your faces - you hypocrites, "What is the value of your signature on any agreement or treaty?"

(3) What we call you to thirdly is to take an honest stance with yourselves - and I doubt you will do so - to discover that you are a nation without principles or manners, and that the values and principles to you are something which you merely demand from others, not that which you yourself must adhere to.

(4) We also advise you to stop supporting Israel, and to end your support of the Indians in Kashmir, the Russians against the Chechens and to also cease supporting the Manila Government against the Muslims in Southern Philippines.

(5) We also advise you to pack your luggage and get out of our lands. We desire for your goodness, guidance, and righteousness, so do not force us to send you back as cargo in coffins.

(6) Sixthly, we call upon you to end your support of the corrupt leaders in our countries. Do not interfere in our politics and method of education. Leave us alone, or else expect us in New York and Washington.

(7) We also call you to deal with us and interact with us on the basis of mutual interests and benefits, rather than the policies of sub dual, theft and occupation, and not to continue your policy of supporting the Jews because this will result in more disasters for you.

If you fail to respond to all these conditions, then prepare for fight with the Islamic Nation. The Nation of Monotheism, that puts complete trust on Allah and fears none other than Him. The Nation which is addressed by its Quran with the words: "Do you fear them? Allah has more right that you should fear Him if you are believers. Fight against them so that Allah will punish them by your hands and disgrace them and give you victory over them and heal the breasts of believing people. And remove the anger of their (believers') hearts. Allah accepts the repentance of whom He wills. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise." [Quran9:13-1]

The Nation of honour and respect:

"But honour, power and glory belong to Allah, and to His Messenger (Muhammad- peace be upon him) and to the believers." [Quran 63:8]

"So do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be*superior ( in victory )if you are indeed (true) believers" [Quran 3:139]

The Nation of Martyrdom; the Nation that desires death more than you desire life:

"Think not of those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive with their Lord, and they are being provided for. They rejoice in what Allah has bestowed upon them from His bounty and rejoice for the sake of those who have not yet joined them, but are left behind (not yet martyred) that on them no fear shall come, nor shall they grieve. They rejoice in a grace and a bounty from Allah, and that Allah will not waste the reward of the believers." [Quran 3:169-171]

The Nation of victory and success that Allah has promised:

"It is He Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad peace be upon him) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islam), to make it victorious over all other religions even though the Polytheists hate it." [Quran 61:9]

"Allah has decreed that 'Verily it is I and My Messengers who shall be victorious.' Verily Allah is All-Powerful, All-Mighty." [Quran 58:21]

The Islamic Nation that was able to dismiss and destroy the previous evil Empires like yourself; the Nation that rejects your attacks, wishes to remove your evils, and is prepared to fight you. You are well aware that the Islamic Nation, from the very core of its soul, despises your haughtiness and arrogance.

If the Americans refuse to listen to our advice and the goodness, guidance and righteousness that we call them to, then be aware that you will lose this Crusade Bush began, just like the other previous Crusades in which you were humiliated by the hands of the Mujahideen, fleeing to your home in great silence and disgrace. If the Americans do not respond, then their fate will be that of the Soviets who fled from Afghanistan to deal with their military defeat, political breakup, ideological downfall, and economic bankruptcy.

This is our message to the Americans, as an answer to theirs. Do they now know why we fight them and over which form of ignorance, by the permission of Allah, we shall be victorious?


Saturday, March 31, 2007

"Fooled" Us Twice ...

Fool me once ... shame on you.

Fool me twice ... shame on me!

We were made a fool of by the Iranians 28 years ago when they stormed our Embassy in Iran and held 52 Americans for 444 days. During those 444 days the extremist Islamo-Fascist government of Iran repeatedly made a fool out of Jimmy Carter - and by extension - the United States. The Iranians finally released our folks in 1981 - only minutes after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as President. Yeah, we tried negotiation - we tried "feeling their pain". But in the end - we looked like chumps and I'm not the only one that believes our impotent reaction of 28 years ago is what has caused most of the problems we're dealing with today in Iran and the Middle East.

Now the Iranians are determined to "remind" us of just how weak, impotent, and unwilling to take action we have always been. This time they've kidnapped British Sailors.

And we're reacting the same way Jimmy Carter did. And we're showing the Iranians again just how weak and impotent we still are.

Let's cut to the chase here ... and let me just state exactly how this should have been dealt with from the beginning.

The moment that Tony Blair was informed about the kidnapping of his Sailors - he should have immediately picked up the phone and consulted with George Bush. The two should have then agreed to do the following ...

1. Gather all the information PROVING that these Sailors were not in Iranian waters and release that evidence to the press - and I don't really care if Fat Ass Rosey O'Donnel doesn't believe it - just release it so that the people with a brain can see it.

2. Tony and George should have immediately released a joint statement. George should have gotten on plane to London - and the two should have gotten on a podium in front of the press somewhere and said the following ...

"The government of Iran has 12-hours to release the British Sailors they have kidnapped and are holding in violation of all commonly accepted international law.

If these hostages are not released within 12 hours - then Iran will have NO NAVY within 13 hours."

I would show the Iranian extremist Islamo-fascists exactly how long it would take us to sink their entire Navy. And I would tell them - any ship that moves during the 12 hour grace period - will automatically be destroyed.

Destroy their entire Navy in an hour - we can do it folks. First - they don't have a huge Navy to begin with - second - we have an awesome capability to tear stuff up. Destroy their Navy - the Iranians can completely avoid loss of life on their side by getting their Sailors off their ships. Not that they'll do that but it's a valid option.

Begin "negotiations" to free the British hostages by putting a very large chip on the table - the Iranian Navy.

And after the Navy is destroyed - then you can threaten to elevate to other things. For instance - bombing their nuclear sites. Blockading their coastline. Hell - be creative.

But show them you are serious at the outset - and take their entire Navy from them. Deprive them of the right to have one - ever. Make any Iranian warship KOS - "Kill On Sight".

But don't let them fool us twice.

Friday, March 09, 2007

Bobby Jindall ...


I got a call the other night ...

RING ... RING...

ME: Hello?

Caller: Yes Sir, my name is Mike and I'm with the Bobby Jindal campaign for governor. Bobby is a true conservati vewho is committed to the elimination of corruption in Louisiana politics. Bobby ...

ME: I know who Bobby is ... you don't have to tell me about him.

Caller: Well, then Sir ... can we count on your financial support for his campaign?

ME: Of course you can but ... he's not going to win.

Caller: Oh don't say that Sir ... he IS going to win.

ME: (Laughing) ... No he won't ... he hasn't got a chance in hell of being elected Governor of Louisiana!

Caller: Why is that??

ME: He's TOO CLEAN. If I were his campaign manager I would tell him to throw some drugs into the trunk of his car and then go crash it into a police station. They'll find the drugs - and he'll be thrown into jail - or it will be opportunity for him skirt justice by bribing officials and promising influence, contracts, and / or kickbacks.

THEN - he'll have a shot in this state of being elected Governor!

-- Seriously, this is the actual conversation I had. It was a hoot!

It's too good to be true folks. Bobby Jindal - who looks like a geek, and sometimes hints that his wife bosses him around - is actually BY FAR the favorite to win the Louisiana governorship. And he'll be taking it from Kathleen Blame-Busho (excuse me, I mean "Blanco").

After Hurricane Katrina - Bobby Jindal was a shining light in Louisiana politics. He rolled his sleeves up - and went to Washington, DC to get things done. He didn't go on CNN and cry and blame Bush and play the race card like Mary Landrieu did. Instead, Bobby went to the hill and worked his colleagues for votes. He produced results - results which partially made up for the horrendous mistakes of Kathleen Blame-Busho.

Bobby is an Indian. He was born 6 months after his parents immigrated to the U.S. (legally) from India. That's another thing I discussed with his campaign caller - at least Bobby could spread a rumor that his parents got here illegally - that would get him a lot more support!

Heh ... go figure. Bobby somehow learned perfect English. Well, maybe not perfect English - he speaks with a genuine Southern accent.

Vote for Bobby Jindal - I'll write more on him in the future. But things are looking up here in Louisiana.

And from RIGHT Field came ...

Before I get to the topic of this post I'd like to say two things ...

First ... look two posts down and you'll see that I wrote a post almost a year ago which explained how I was looking at the '08 Presidential election. Notice what I said about Hillary and then compare that to her performance on the campaign trail right now. Not too far off was I? Well, this is only the beginning ... and there is more to come. I didn't foresee the rise of Obama. Who would have a year ago?

- but he's a very bad development for Hillary.

Second ... my "personal" candidate for President - Sen. George Allen - didn't make it to the homestretch. James Webb - one of the most idiotic and egotistical people I've ever seen - beat ole' George in the Virginia senate race and, well - that pretty much killed George Allen's run for President.

So ... as of the current moment - I'm a Mitt Romney guy. I like Rudy too. McCain - I suppose I would hold my nose and pull the lever for him if it came down to he and Hillary, or he and Obama - but I wouldn't enjoy it.

No, for now - I'm a Mitt Romney guy but ...

From Right Field ...

There may be ...

A lot ... better ... news.

FRED DALTON THOMPSON.

Rumor has it that Fred will appear this Sunday on Chris Wallace's "Fox News Sunday" with ... "a big announcement".

That announcement will be one of two things. Either he'll announce that it's "game on" and he's running - or he'll thank his friend Howard Baker for working to convince him to run ... but he's decided not to.

I really don't know which side this coin will fall ... but I hope he runs.

He is a GOLD STANDARD Presidential candidate. Ronald Reagan was one. John F. Kennedy was one. Bill Clinton was one. What I mean by a "gold standard" candidate is a candidate who CONNECTS with the people. Someone who is an expert communicator. Someone who, when he gets on the podium, you can swear to God you can see right into the man's heart.

Communication has nothing to do with speech writing or voice articulation or anything like that. It's 80% body language and facial expression and a certain look in the eye. It's something that Hillary could practice for 100 years and she'd never pick it up. It's something you're born with.

Fred Thompson has "it" though. Mitt and Rudy come close to having "it" - but they aren't quite there. And McCain might even learn a few things from Hillary about "it". No - McCain doesn't have "it".

Fred HAS IT. And that makes Fred a top contender for the Republican nomination - if not THE top.

Furthermore, he's a conservative - which is something that is doubtful about the rest of the top Republican contenders this time around.

Furthermore, he's just a good guy, and I believe an honest one.

Keep an eye on Fred. If he's in - I'm with him!

Friday, March 02, 2007

It's Been Awhile

Well - it's been a bit since I last posted in this blog. Just for info ... I was one of the thousands of Gulf Coast residents hit pretty hard by Hurricane Katrina - and I've been busy with rebuilding. I'm pretty much done with that now - and have a lot more time on my hands! So hopefully I can get this blog up and running again - especially seeing as how there is so much liberal foolishness in the air! I certainly can't use "lack of material" as an excuse to NOT post !!!

But ... back to the topic that derailed this blog ... Hurricane Katrina.

Now that my life is back to normal ... it's almost a bitter-sweet thing. For all the horror of that storm - and for all the harm it caused me and my fellow residents on the Gulf Coast, it did do some good.

1. It brought me and my neighbors closer together as we helped each other through a difficult time. My neighbors are no longer strangers to me. Shame on me for having to have the storm force me to learn about them. How about you? Do you know YOUR neighbors? Or, are you just waiting for a storm to force you to get to know them??

2. It "re-taught" me self-reliance. My Dad taught me not to take things for granted. He told me that all this civilization stuff could go away in a heartbeat - and he taught me that, if that ever happened, I'd have to rely only on my smarts and physical condition to get things done. He was right. In the months immediately after Katrina, I was required to perform some of the most dirty jobs you could imagine in literally scortching temperatures. I had to function up to 18 hours per day like that - and then sleep a few hours in equally miserable conditions. I learned how to hang and float "sheet rock". I learned how to repair home electrical systems. How to repair Air Conditioning systems. I learned how to lay tile, install trim, hang doors, hang cabinets. I learned how to repair washers, dryers, diswashers, refrigerators. I had to learn these things in order to quickly get my family back into a semi-normal routine.

My Dad had always taught me to never rely on the government - and my Grandfather, who lived through the depression used to say ... "If your only hope left is the Government - you've truely lost the war you were fighting". They were both right. I have some neighbors who really didn't come back to the mess the storm created - and they won't be back until the Government fixes all their problems for them. Needless to say - I don't think I will see these neighbors for a very long time - if ever. Clearly, the people who rolled up their sleeves and went to to work after the storm faired a lot better than those who sat around complaining. Contrast the Mississippi Gulf Coast with Urban New Orleans and you'll see what I mean here. Now, some might say that I've just made a "racist" observation. Hehe ... no I haven't. I live in an area of Slidell, LA that is 80% African-American. They rolled up their sleeves too. No - I didn't make a "racist" remark - I made a "cultural" observation.

3. The storm taught me that the corrupt politicians of Louisiana may have lent a certain "cultural charm" to Louisiana politics in the past - but we can't afford that in the future. We simply have to get these guys and gals out of office. That includes impotent one's like Governor Kathleen Blanco. Her "Blame Bush" rhetoric for all our woes did absolutely nothing to help a single person down here. VOTE BOBBY JINDALL next election!

I could go on and on with the "good" lessons taught by Hurricane Katrina - but I'll stop there. I wouldn't "wish" a calamity like Katrina on anyone - it was tough. I wouldn't want to go through it again but ... aren't the tough times equally important as far as "molding" one's character and teaching them what is really important in life?? I believe they are - and for that, I have that terrible, massive storm named Katrina to thank.

Monday, March 13, 2006

A SNAPSHOT OF MY PICK FOR PREZ ...

So who’s my pick for the Republican nomination in 2008 right now? Well, before answering that question let’s establish the fact that there is a difference between who I think SHOULD be the nominee and who I think will actually get it. I’ll answer both questions though in this blog …

The man I think who is the most likely to actually win the nomination is John McCain. The reasons I say this are because Hillary seems to be almost the de facto Democratic nominee at this point. The MSM really, really, really wants to see Hillary on the top of the ticket – and won’t rest until she gets there. The poor Dem’s have little choice in the matter it seems.

As Hillary becomes more of a factor – the Republicans will start to breathe a little easier with regards to their base – knowing full well they can nominate a liberal Republican and still count on the right-wing vote. John McCain is the beneficiary of this situation, I don’t consider him a liberal – but I surely don’t consider him a conservative either. John McCain would literally wipe the floor with Hillary because he’ll have the support of the Republican base – and will actually steal some of Hillary’s traditional Democratic base. Why would traditional Democrats vote against Hillary? Well, wait for the campaign and you’ll see. Hillary is protected by the MSM right now – but in a “get down” campaign, her flaws are going to come streaming through in high-definition. This is going to leave the Democrat’s saying “What the hell have we done here?” – the month before the final election in November.

That’s my prediction right now – and things can change. But it looks to me like John McCain. It won’t be Condy Rice (no experience / doesn’t want to run anyway). It won’t be Bill Frist (who makes bad political decisions and has a strong tendency to stick his finger in the wind – which Republican voters hate). Won’t be Rudy because he’s too liberal (although Rudy would also wipe up the floor with Hillary in a head-to-head show).

Now, as far as whom I THINK SHOULD GET the nomination …

The answer is …

GEORGE ALLEN

I like George because he’s an honest man – and he’s a Reaganite. Here are some of his assets …

He’s a likeable guy – a REAL guy who doesn’t stick his finger into the wind too much. He’s a leader; he’ll run down a tough path if he thinks it’s the right path. He’s a communicator – sure, he can look just as stiff and “stuffed shirt” as any other politician, but when the chips are down he can communicate with an audience because he’s not an empty suit. George Allen “has it” where it counts. He’s a guy with a smile on his face – a smile equals optimism and Americans like to elect optimists (Democrats take note here because this is one of Hillary’s SERIOUS flaws). George Allen has a solid elected background as a Congressman, a Governor, and a Senator – so he’s seen the game from all sides. Additionally, although he’s been all three – he hasn’t been any of them for very long – which is an asset because it means he’s not entrenched in the weirdo-world of politics inside the Beltway. Allen has only been in national politics for about 15 years – not long enough to be considered a real “insider”.

Virginia law does not allow a Governor to succeed himself – but in his one-term in the Governor’s mansion his list of accomplishments are exemplary. He made vast and real improvements in education and in the economy. His support of high-tech industry paid huge dividends for Virginia. This is a guy who understands the global economy and what it takes to compete in it.

On the downside, the things working against him politically are …

Allen has been known to “dip” tobacco on occasion. His anti-abortion views are fairly binary and well-known. He’s been wishy-washy on the subject of stem-cell research, and it’s difficult to ascertain exactly what his position is at the moment. Since 2001, he’s generally been for it but has started backing down on his support for the research just recently. While Governor of Virginia he approved a “Confederate Heritage” holiday observance and has been quoted referring to the Civil War as a southern struggle for independence. So there’s plenty of cane for his political enemies to make syrup with in his political record.

The things that disturb me about him – his waffling on stem-cell research and his position on the Dubai Ports World deal (it appears he sided with the rest of the uninformed politicians against George Bush). George Allen is beginning to look like a man running for president – and that will not serve him well. He needs to pick sides, and let everyone know where he stands. Historically he’s done that, but now that he’s running for president – he seems to test the waters a lot more.

Still, with all that – I’d like to see this guy take the nomination because I think he’s a good man with a good heart who also happens to be a born leader. He’s a 21st Century Conservative. He’s smart, and he can take this country places. I think he would make a great President.

Now, I’ll say this – I could change my mind on this tomorrow because there’s another guy out there that I’m researching that I (so far) like a lot. He’s a Yankee by the name of Mitt Romney. I haven’t seen anything about Mitt that I don’t like but – as a Southern Republican I’m going to look 12 times at any candidate from Teddy Kennedy’s home state before I commit to him. Maybe there will be some more on this later on down the line – especially if George Allen doesn’t shore up his positions on the issues. Whoever I end up supporting has to be a guy or a gal with real guts.

WHAT'S HAPPENING?

It’s been awhile since I’ve written anything in this blog so I thought I would stop in and write something. Rather than just blather on one topic ad nauseam, I thought I’d use a shotgun approach and talk about a lot of different things …

First, my house – which flooded 5.5 feed in Hurricane Katrina…

It’s coming along great and I’m about 50-60% done with the repairs. My wife talked the insurance company into replacing the whole roof and we even splurged a little and upgraded to architectural shingles – which look great. The weather is getting warmer around here so I did a bit of work outside on the yard this weekend. My beautiful centipede lawn was completely killed by Katrina. The flood completely killed the old turf and deposited a large number of weeds all over the yard. However, it also brought in a lot of Bermuda seed – and I have some pretty Bermuda coming up in a lot of patchy spots. I think this Bermuda was carried in by the flood off the levee – as the levees around here are planted heavily with Bermuda grass. I actually prefer Bermuda to Centipede – so I’ll go with the flow on this one and replant the yard in Bermuda. Bermuda certainly survived – even seemed to thrive as a result of the flood – so if, God forbid, another flood comes – I shouldn’t have to worry about replacing my grass again.

On the inside of the house the sheetrock is replaced, textured and painted. The downstairs bathroom is reinstalled with all the trimmings. My wife and I finished laying the tile in the kitchen this weekend and already have half of the cabinets installed. Sooo, the inside of the house is starting to look like more of a house again.

But we’ll keep chugging on the repairs. Kind of funny, we no longer have to plan what we’re going to do on weekends – we already know that every weekend we’re going to be repairing the house. No other option and we probably won’t get any real weekends for at least another year. When you’re doing it all yourself, the going is slow.

Now on to some national events …

The Dubai Ports World (DPW) Deal …

Chalk up another victory to Osama Bin Laden – as the Liberals come through for him again by driving a wedge between the US and its strongest Arab ally in the war on terror. The Terrorist’s Rights Party pulled out all the stops on this one folks – even boldly venturing into racist territory to get this DPW deal turned off. Sunshine Patriots of the Republican Party even helped ole’ Chucky Schumer and the Dem’s pull this one off. Thanks guys! Not only are we NOT any more safe without this deal – but we’ve firmly shown the UAE that even if they help us fight Osama – we still look upon them as a bunch of sand-splattered camel jockeys with terrorist sympathies. If anyone thinks the UAE is going to buck the trend in the Arab world and continue to help us fight terror – they’ve got another thing coming. We’ve effectively proven to Dubai that there’s no upside for them if they help us. Thanks to all the Democratic and Republican idiots who orchestrated this!

Nuclear Iran …

Folks I’ve blogged on this one many times in the past and things aren’t changing here. We’re now involved the same-old story … with the U.S. and the United Nations attempting to dance with an unwilling dance partner. And, as predicted, we all look weak and stupid for even trying. I’ve said it before … hands off on Iran. Let ‘em develop their nukes and let them KNOW that we will be covertly fostering revolution within their own country. Also let them know that we will have a viable anti-ballistic missile defense system in place BEFORE they have deliverable nukes. Assure them that any nuke they shoot will be blown from the sky and let ‘em know that our own nukes will be headed to Tehran if that happens. We should adopt a policy of completely blowing Iran off the map if they get even a little irresponsible with those nukes. People tell me that this policy is irresponsible and wrought with lunatic-fringe recklessness. Well, news flash – it makes a lot more sense than the MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) policy that kept the peace throughout the cold war. I like to call this the Iran “YAD” policy, which stands for “Your Assured Destruction”. The “Your” in that phrase referring to IRAN.

Hillary and the Road to the White House …

Hillary continues to be “pumped-up” by the MSM as the 2008 Democratic candidate of choice to replace “Dubya” in the White House. I’ve said this before … Hillary as the Democratic nominee? Make my day! Bring her on because she can’t win. She’ll draw more Republicans to the polls than any effort managed by Karl Rove to “get out the vote”. Running Hillary makes the job of the RNC much easier. My prediction, if it looks like Hillary is going to take the Democratic nomination then Republicans will run a centrist – like John McCain – and they’ll feel secure that the right-wing base will turn out to vote for that centrist, because the right-wing of the party will vote even for a pro-abortionist Republican if it means that Hillary goes to Pennsylvania Avenue again if they don’t. Again, “make my day”.

The Tennessee Straw-Poll …

Was anyone watching this and who cares? Of course Bill Frist won it – he’s from Tennessee. Unbelievably though, I’d tell you that Bill Frist is about the only candidate that Hillary COULD possibly beat. And the reason for that is because Bill Frist has fewer political skills than even Hillary does. Right now my prediction for a Republican nominee is John McCain. I’m not a McCain man – because although George W. is often ACCUSED of being a “shoot from the hip egotistical manipulator” – McCain actually IS one. I’d still vote McCain over Hillary though, and hold my nose in the voting booth whilst I pulled the lever! The positive thing about a McCain presidency is that it would never be boring. He would always be up to something!

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

TAKE A BREATH! LOOK AT THE FACTS!

There’s a lot of bantering today over the deal for Dubai Ports World (DPW) to take over port operations in many American ports. It’s hard to find a Washington politician, Democrat or Republican, who isn’t vehemently against this deal.

Folks, this is strictly a political issue, there is no security concern here – the Democrats invented this issue because they’re looking for a method to portray Bush – the man who has pursued global terrorism with an unprecedented focus and zeal – as being actually “soft” on terror. Dems also think this might be a way to turn their political misfortunes around – as most of them now know they’re going to be consigned indefinitely to the back bench unless they can beat the Republicans on the number one issue in America today – security from Islamofascism.

Republicans like Bill Frist are phoning in to support the Democrats on this issue, only because they read the polls too and are afraid the Dems might actually get a foot in the door.

Okay, so let’s stipulate here that handing over major port-operations to an Arab country at a time when we seem to be at war with, and hated by, the entire Arab world – well, let’s just stipulate that that doesn’t sound like a very good idea. However, let’s calm down a moment and look at the facts here.

First – you guys know that I am a RABID ANTI-ISLAMO-FASCIST. I believe in utter ruthlessness in dealing with these guys and all options are on the table in my book when it comes to dealing with them. I personally believe that every terrorist we catch should be tortured just for general principle – but that’s me. I have no sympathies for these guys so when I tell you I think this DPW port deal is not a bad thing – I ain’t sayin’ it because I love terrorists.

Let’s look at the facts folks – and I’m going to put forth a series of arguments that have to be taken in their entirety. Some of these arguments, taken individually, can be debated to one degree or another – but taken in total – they illustrate to me that this DPW deal is not a bad thing.

POINT ONE: President Bush came out firmly today in support of this deal. I believe his quote was … “The UAE has played by the rules, they have cooperated and are an important ally in the war on terror … it would send a terrible message if we did not allow this transaction to go forward.” Lest we not forget … the number one enemy of terrorists is not the U.S.A. – it’s George W. Bush (personally). The man is hated globally by Islamo-fascists – which is precisely the reason I love him so much. So this is not a guy who would throw terrorists an opportunity. Additionally, President Bush has been taking a lot of credit for the fact that, since the sucker-punch of 9-11, the Islamo-fascists haven’t been able to lay a scratch on the United States. What this means is that – IF THE TERRORISTS EVER DO GET ANOTHER HIT ON US – President Bush will take the entire blame. So I don’t think Bush would support this deal if he thought there might be a chance that American security would be compromised. But don’t take this argument on it’s own – move on to …

POINT TWO: If DPW takes over port ops in American ports – they aren’t going to start importing Arabs in to run them. In fact, the same faces you see running our ports today, will be running our ports after DPW takes charge of them. Don’t take this argument on it’s own – move on to …

POINT THREE: DPW has been providing port ops for our Naval vessels in Middle-Eastern ports for years – without incident. “What about the USS COLE?” You say? Well, DPW wasn’t even peripherally involved in that incident, and besides – the COLE wasn’t tied to a pier when she was attacked – she was anchored in the open harbor when she got hit. The fact is, DPW has been providing port operations for our Naval vessels overseas for years. I’ve worked with these guys personally and they are a professional outfit. Don't cling to a racist stereotype which depicts these guys as dusty camel jockeys - these are professional people who operate on a global scale. They are international capitalists. If they had any inclination to aid terrorists I think that inclination would have already manifest itself as an attack on a large Naval combatant like say, an Aircraft Carrier moored overseas in some place like Jebel Ali. But we saw none of that – not even during the most tense parts of the Afghan and Iraqi wars. But don’t take this argument on it’s own …

POINT FOUR: DPW has benefited in spades from Capitalism. If they give any aid to a terrorist attack – it’s going to seriously attack their bottom line. Capitalism is a beautiful thing – the love for money will make a company turn away even from its parent government’s principles in favor of making money. Witness Microsoft and Google in China. But don’t take this argument on it’s own …

POINT FIVE: The United Arab Emirates is the “red light region” of the Arab world. Ever been there? Nothing can’t be had for a price – it’s a capitalist’s playhouse. It’s also the adult Disneyland of the Islamic world. The UAE is on old Osama’s list for elimination. In Islamo-fascist circles, the leadership of the UAE is detested as sub-human, worthy only of one’s utter contempt. To them, the leadership of the UAE is WORSE than the U.S.A. because the UAE has turned away from Islamic principles and has aided the enemy – America. The UAE has no reason to help Islamic terror – doing so would mean their own downfall – their own very painful and … **permanent** downfall. Don’t take this argument on it’s own …

POINT SIX: Stopping this DPW transaction would drive a wedge between the US and an important ally in the war on terror. That’s exactly what Osama Bin Laden wants – I don’t think it would be a good idea for us to oblige him. Don’t take this argument on it’s own though.

POINT SEVEN: DPW has extensive experience operating ports overseas where the terrorist threat is much greater than here in the U.S. These guys are experienced and do business professionally. Think about it - after seeing what happened after hurricane Katrina do you really want a New Orleans outfit running the Port of New Orleans? No? Well, that's essentially what you're saying if you're against this DPW deal.

FINAL POINT: DPW won’t be taking over port security – that remains in the hands of the Department of Homeland Defense (DHD). The Dems acknowledge this, but also say that DPW will learn our security modus operandi if they take over our port ops. My response to that is that DPW already knows our security modus operandi – because they operate massive numbers of foreign ports and they have seen our security operations with respect to our Naval ships visiting those ports. They already know how we do business – they don’t need to be physically present in the U.S. to learn them.

As I’m writing this – Bill O’Reilly is on the television and has just come out in support of the DPW transaction – he’s bucking popular American sentiment and he’s just re-earned my respect for him. He even included a couple of arguments in his editorial that I left out above – arguments on how it would simply be an empty gesture of racism to block this deal. He’s right.

It’s important to analyze the facts of this case – and not get caught up in the political hysteria that currently surrounds this issue.

Take a breath folks – this is not a bad thing.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

GET A GUN DUDE!

Sorry I’ve been away so long … new job and of course, I’m still devoting a lot of my off time to rebuilding my house after Katrina.

I had to comment on a little item of news I became aware of a few days ago. Seems the National Rifle Association (NRA) is taking flak from the liberal MSM for using truthful facts in trying to make a point.

What I’m referring to is this latest effort by the NRA to point out that gun ownership isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As the latest example to make their argument, they’re pointing to the events and conditions that prevailed on the Gulf Coast right after Katrina.

The leftist MSM is upset about this. They point out that the NRA is exaggerating the problem and using the hurricane for political reasons.

Here’s my opinion – a guy who lived through the aftermath of Katrina.

In a nutshell … the NRA is RIGHT.

I had a gun, actually several guns, and I’m awfully glad I had them.

Here’s the story, and pay close attention, because this can happen to YOU even if you don’t live in a hurricane region. The fabric of civilization is fragile, and you’re fooling yourself if you believe otherwise …

I evacuated my home on Sunday the day before the hurricane. I took all of my guns (approximately ten) with me because I didn’t know when I’d be able to return to my home and I didn’t want looters to steal the guns and use them for evil means. That’s responsible gun ownership – you take the guns with you and maintain positive control over them at all times.

When Katrina hit, she knocked out power from Baton Rouge, La all the way to Mobile, Al. She killed power as far north as Jackson, MS in some places. The Gulf Coast was completely dark. This is “lesson in civilization #1” – our civilization requires POWER. POWER to run police stations, fire stations, hospitals. POWER to run police radio base stations. When power is knocked out, police have a problem communicating with one another, ergo – a potential situation of lawlessness occurs because the police cannot effectively bring their (few) assets to bear on maintaining lawfulness. This occurred BIG TIME in New Orleans – not only because of the problems communicating – but because many of the police deserted New Orleans and others even became part of the criminal element. This also occurred, to a much lesser extent in some areas of Mississippi.

When there is no effective enforcement of the law – a situation of lawlessness occurs. This is evidenced by the looting, rapes, and general evil that occurred in New Orleans after the hurricane.

For two weeks after the storm, I didn’t travel anywhere without a gun – two guns actually. The first was a .45 Cal Colt 1991A1 semi-automatic pistol. The other was a sporterized 7.62mm Russian issue SKS rifle (the kind the Soviets and other communist bloc nations used before adopting the AK-47. Many Viet Cong carried the SKS during the Vietnam War – because it’s a workhorse and you can throw it in the mud, run over it with a truck, pick it up, and it’ll still fire.)

I carried those guns because I didn’t want to be a statistic of the Katrina crime wave that swept the whole Gulf Coast after the storm.

And …

I had to USE those guns.

Not against criminals though – against a DOG.

This brings me to the other point about the usefulness of a gun after the partial collapse of civilization. They aren’t just useful against criminals that would do you and your family harm – they’re also protection against packs of hungry dogs (or other animals) – animals that in this case were abandoned by their owners and took over my neighborhood searching for food.

When I showed up at my house to check the damage the storm caused, one of these dogs quickly spotted my wife and decided she might make a tasty snack.

I didn’t shoot the dog – one warning shot from my pistol was enough for him to get the message. However, I didn’t fire that warning shot until all other means to repel it had failed. This included throwing a stick at it, a rock, and jumping up and down and screaming at it. The dog kept advancing on my wife because it was hungry and hadn’t been fed in a week.

That warning shot quite possibly saved my wife’s life. Even if she had survived a mauling – there were no hospitals up and running to treat her. There were no doctors around. Civilization and what you and I take for granted had almost completely collapsed. No ambulances – no doctors, no hospitals.

My father-in-law went into Chalmette, LA a few weeks after the storm to visit a friend living in a FEMA trailer. His friend told him that, after the storm, the looters came for his stuff. He had a rifle and some ammo – and completely ran out of ammo in fending them off.

The bottom line in this is that – if you had a gun – you could MOVE. You could venture out and find food, ice, water, gas. You could assist others in need. With no gun – sure, you could move about – but you were completely at the mercy of the criminal element – and many Gulf Coast residents discovered this the hard way.

After the storm – you needed a gun. If you didn’t have one, you wished you did. If you had one – you were glad you did.

If you’re one of those who believe that civilization will never crumble around you – then go ahead and criticize gun ownership. If you don’t think a meteor will suddenly fall into your hometown and send everything into lawless chaos – then go ahead and criticize. If you don’t believe your hometown power-grid will ever become lifeless for an extended period of time – then criticize the NRA. If you don’t believe Al Quaida will detonate a dirty bomb on your block – then live in complete bliss my friend.

In my humble opinion, you’re an idiot if you believe that civilization, in your lifetime, is indestructible. And, also in my humble opinion, you’re setting yourself up to be a crime statistic if you don’t have a means to defend yourself and your family after a major catastrophe.

I have ten guns – you’re not getting any of my guns after a civilization collapse – I need them. You can get your own guns.

If you want to be prepared – you need a gun. And, my father-in-law’s friend in Chalmette will tell you – you need a lot of ammo to go along with that gun.

The NRA is right on this folks.