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How About Some Hot Kofi After Skiing?

President Bush took a lot of criticism from the left because he chose not to end his Texas vacation and rush back to Washington after hearing about the tsunami. Of course, some of the harshest criticism came from a U.N. spokesman who called the U.S. aid "stingy".

Well surely the U.N. must have immediately leaped into action when the call for help came from the Indian Ocean countries. Let's hear what Secretary General Kofi Annan did direct from his own mouth (hat tip Little Green Footballs):

Q: Mr. Secretary, picking up on Richard’s question, I think a lot of people are asking exactly why you waited three days on vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, before you decided to fly back to New York in the face of this extraordinary crisis. Could you give us a full explanation of your thinking on that? Secondly, what kind of signal does that 72-hour delay send to the nations to which you are now appealing for greater help?

Annan: First of all, there was action. It wasn’t inaction. We live in a world where you can operate from wherever you are. You know the world we live in now. You don’t have to be physically here to be dealing with the leaders and the Governments I have been dealing with. You don’t have to be physically here to be discussing with some of the agencies that we have done.

I came back here because we have reached a level that I wanted to have meetings with all the people that I have met with today. So, we have taken action. And I don’t have to be sitting in my office to take action. I think the same goes for you in your profession.

Glad to see that the U.N. has their priorities in order.

It's the Tragedy, Stupid!

John Podhoretz in the New York Post has noticed that the left and many in the international community have seen fit to take the tsumani tragedy and use it as another opportunity to bash Bush and the USA. He's had enough, as have I.

Forgetting How to Do Christmas Eve

It pains me to write this, it really does. I've been a member of Saddleback Valley Community Church (SVCC) since 1997 and have attended Christmas Eve services every year. In fact, from 1997 through 2000 I sang in every single Christmas Eve service we did - 8-10 each year in front of up to 30,000 people in a single year.

It's really not that hard to put on a Christmas service. Lights, decorations, maybe a live nativity (camels optional), readings from Luke, and of course, Christmas music. I write this a few days after attending, for the third year in a row, a very uninspiring Christmas Eve service at SVCC.

I hate to be critical of anything SVCC does because they do so many things well. Any church that can draw 25,000 people to their weekend services must be doing something right. But somehow in the midst of all the success, they've forgotten how to put on a Christmas Eve service.

Tens of thousands of people attended the services this year at Saddleback, and undoubtedly most of them went away feeling that it was worth the trip. For me, however, take away the lights and Christmas trees and the service could have taken place any other weekend of the year. I understand that Pastor Rick sees the Christmas services as a great opportunity to reach the lost, and that's exactly the approach he should take. The seeker-oriented message is not the problem. My disagreement with how things have gone lately have to do with the music and the overall feeling of the service.

Music sets the tone in these services, and SVCC has one of the most talented collections of musicians and singers that you'd ever like to find. They're wonderful people and they certainly have their heart in the right place. Why then, have they lost the ability to effectively program a Christmas Eve service?

During the years I was singing at Saddleback, and for at least one year after, all of the music had a Christmas theme, and at some point in the service there was a drama piece in coordination with a powerful song which really brought the whole nativity scene to life. There was a reverence and awe in the service, and by the time you walked out you knew that Christmas was here and it was something very special.

For some reason, about three years ago the music took a turn that for me has taken all the sacredness out of the service. Instead of mixing traditional Christmas hymns with soaring choral numbers, they've taken to contemporizing the traditional songs and mixing in stuff no one's ever heard before. This year there were several specials that didn't have anything to do with Christmas at all! They had some remote connection to a point in the message, but once the music started, Christmas was all but forgotten. I didn't walk out of the service feeling the Christmas spirit; I walked out feeling sad and bored. My sadness had mainly to do with the fact that my kids weren't able to experience the kind of Christmas service that has deep meaning and lasting effect on their lives.

It's too bad that it's come to this. The services I remember from a few years back were absolutely magical. Even after singing in ten of them in three days, you wanted the experience to continue. It was almost as though Christmas ended with the last note of the last service.

Now the pattern is a collection of pop-contemporary noise that rattles and clangs around for 4 minutes and then suddenly stops, leaving the audience wondering if it's now time to clap. Why is it that contemporary song writers can't figure out how to end a song in a dynamic way? Say what you want about "old-fogey" Southern Gospel music, but at least we know how to end a song.

The choir at SVCC, though full of enthusiastic people, is really not a choir in the true sense, but a large collection of backup singers whose purpose is to fill in some holes in a solo arrangement. Because of the fear of looking old-fashioned, the choir has never been allowed to do a true choral arrangement which features just them. Don't you think the 30,000+ who attend the SVCC Christmas services would like to hear the original "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah, instead of the pop-rock Brooklyn Tab version that we had to sit through a couple of years ago? It's not singing, it's coordinated yelling.

Unfortunately, the choir can't do Handel's original version because the choir only has three parts: soprano, alto and tenor. Bass singers are not allowed in the choir since everything they do is three part screaming, and no one whose voice changed after age 15 can sing that stuff.

The church wants desperately for us to invite unchurched friends to these services, but how can I do that when the services have lost so much of their meaning? Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for a new church. Next year, however, I will look for a Christmas Eve service at a church that still knows how to do a service that brings both the message and the spirit of the Holy Day.

President Bush - Bite Your Lip!

The Washington Post (registration required) has their knickers in a knot because President Bush refuses to be President Clinton. Here's how they begin a "news" article on the U.S. response to the tsunami disaster:

The Bush administration more than doubled its financial commitment yesterday to provide relief to nations suffering from the Indian Ocean tsunami, amid complaints that the vacationing President Bush has been insensitive to a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions.

Further down the article we read:

Skeptics said the initial aid sums -- as well as Bush's decision at first to remain cloistered on his Texas ranch for the Christmas holiday rather than speak in person about the tragedy -- showed scant appreciation for the magnitude of suffering and for the rescue and rebuilding work facing such nations as Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and Indonesia.

After a day of repeated inquiries from reporters about his public absence, Bush late yesterday afternoon announced plans to hold a National Security Council meeting by teleconference to discuss several issues, including the tsunami, followed by a short public statement.

Bush's deepened public involvement puts him more in line with other world figures. In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder cut short his vacation and returned to work in Berlin because of the Indian Ocean crisis, which began with a gigantic underwater earthquake. In Britain, the predominant U.S. voice speaking about the disaster was not Bush but former president Bill Clinton, who in an interview with the BBC said the suffering was like something in a "horror movie," and urged a coordinated international response.

Look at the inflammatory language they use: "cloistered" and "more in line with other world figures". Once again the media wishes Bush would just be more like those "other world leaders" who know how properly act, or at least act like Clinton.

The Bush spokesman did take a little shot back at the media and Clinton:

Earlier yesterday, White House spokesman Trent Duffy said the president was confident he could monitor events effectively without returning to Washington or making public statements in Crawford, where he spent part of the day clearing brush and bicycling. Explaining the about-face, a White House official said: "The president wanted to be fully briefed on our efforts. He didn't want to make a symbolic statement about 'We feel your pain.' "

Many Bush aides believe Clinton was too quick to head for the cameras to hold forth on tragedies with his trademark empathy. "Actions speak louder than words," a top Bush aide said, describing the president's view of his appropriate role.

Good for the Bush team! The media thinks that going before the cameras, biting your trembling lip, and spouting nice things is what the president is supposed to do. Clinton did that very well and the media loved him. The fact that he didn't do anything substantial during his presidency didn't matter.

The Crawford White House has all the communications gear the President will ever need to keep tabs on what's going on in the world. Abandoning his vacation to run back to Washington would be a meaningless symbolic gesture that would accomplish absolutely nothing. Bush isn't the kind of guy who likes to spend his time accomplishing nothing.

Substantial Penalty for Early Withdrawal

Police Kill Bank Customer
(Sorry, I couldn't resist. I used to be in banking.)

Maybe We're Not So Stingy After All

Looks like the U.N. is backtracking from their stupid statement about the U.S. being "stingy" when it comes to relief aid for the current tsunami disaster (from the Kerry Spot):

Egeland backtracked today saying his comments had been misinterpreted and had not referred to the response to from the United States or other countries to the Asian tidal waves.

"The international assistance that has come and been pledged from the United States, Europe and countries from the region has also been very generous," Egeland told reporters.

"I have been misinterpreted when I yesterday said that my belief that rich countries in general can be more generous. This has nothing to do with any particular country or the response to this emergency in the early days. The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive."

The AP fleshes out his earlier comments: "At Monday's news conference, Egeland complained that none of the world's richest countries gives even 1 percent of its gross national product to international assistance, and many give just 0.1 percent or 0.2 percent."

One still wonders if Egeland gives 1 percent of his gross personal income to charity.

It has been mentioned elsewhere, but the U.S. government gives all kind of aid that doesn't show up on the balance sheet. How much piracy in international waters is prevented by the U.S. Navy around the world? How much does the tracking of hurricanes help other nations in the Caribbean? How much economic activity in low income areas do U.S. military bases around the world spur?

UPDATE: Reader Patrick observes, "another example that I always use is GPS. The U.S. developed it and operates it, and gives it away free to the whole world. Citizens around the world use GPS capabilities for navigation, fishing, hiking, driving, etc..... yet there is no "tax" (the GPS devices don't pay any initial, nor a recurring fee). So this is an annual multibillion dollar gift to the world."

It's not nice to spit in Uncle Sam's eye...his taxpayers and paying the U.N.'s bills and could cut that money off at any time the President and Congress got mad enough to do it. Although Secretary Powell didn't threaten the U.N.'s money supply, he did make it plenty clear that the U.S. won't accept poor treatment from the crooks at the U.N.

By the way, Sri Lanka, which lost an estimated 1,000 people, unbelievably turned down a 150 man rescue force...because they were from Isreal. I guess they'd rather suffer than receive help from the Isrealis.

Let 'em.

Why Did God Allow This?

Martin Kettle in the Guardian asks this difficult question in regards to the massive earthquake and tsunami death toll that is now approaching 60,000. Based on his article (and I'd encourage you to read the whole thing), I'm guessing that Martin is not a religious person and is therefore using this disaster to question the whole notion of a loving God.

I'm not a theologian and I wouldn't begin to try to come up with an answer to why these things happen, except to say that I don't believe God is sitting on a throne somewhere with his finger on the switch of death ready to flip it as His whim. God created a dynamic world which in its own way is a living, moving thing. It is not a perfect world in the sense that everything works for the good of man all the time. Sometimes the earth has to respond to the stresses within and man gets in the way of the results.

I'll leave it to the deeper thinkers to figure this one out.

U.N. Official Calls U.S. Aid "Stingy"

I couldn't believe this when I read it on Drudge:

But U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland suggested that the United States and other Western nations were being "stingy" with relief funds, saying there would be more available if taxes were raised.

"It is beyond me why are we so stingy, really," the Norwegian-born U.N. official told reporters. "Christmastime should remind many Western countries at least, [of] how rich we have become."

"There are several donors who are less generous than before in a growing world economy," he said, adding that politicians in the United States and Europe "believe that they are really burdening the taxpayers too much, and the taxpayers want to give less. It's not true. They want to give more."

In the last couple of years, the "stingy" Americans have freed over 50,000,000 people in Afghanistan and Iraq - no thanks to the U.N. Where was the praise for America from the U.N. then? All we've received is grief and condemnation from that august world body.

The American people are a generous lot, however, they prefer to decide for themselves how much to give and to whom to give it. Americans don't like their generosity to be mandated by the government through higher taxes.

Americans will give more through an array of charitable organizations, but there's a big difference between "giving" and the government "taking". This U.N. idiot obviously doesn't understand that.

The fact is, the global government crowd (see Democrats) would like us to turn our country over to the U.N. and give them the right to raise our taxes as they see fit to meet the world's needs as defined by them. Unfortunately the U.N.'s idea of fairness is to reduce the standard of living in the Western World instead of seeking ways to improve the standard of living in the less developed world. They just don't get it.

The main purpose of American taxes is to provide for our defense and our own government programs. We are not taxed primarily to provide a meals-on-wheels program for the rest of the world. Nor should we be taxed to provide subsidies to the U.N. It's time to turn those folks loose and let them get their funding elsewhere.

The Big One

I wasn't going to post this week due to my vacation (I'm sitting in a rented house in Running Springs as I write this), but the massive earthquake and subsequent tsunamis that have killed an estimated 42,000 people is too big a story not to talk a little bit about. Drudge Report has the best coverage I've found so far with a great many links to stories coming from the survivors.

Some of the stories are just amazing :
The entire nation of Sumatra (larger than California) moving over 100 feet;
A man diving 50' below the surface ends up on a hotel roof surrounded by the ocean;
Honeymooners barely surviving and vowing to change their lives.

This type of event was considered by many, even in the scientific community, to be almost impossible. Most experts thought only an asteroid strike could generate these kinds of waves. A lot of science will be rewritten after this one.

The scary thing is, it could happen to any coastal area in the world. A large quake in Alaska in 1964 killed several people in Crescent City, CA when a tidal wave struck the area. Think of all the low lying parts of the California coast, and should something like this happen on a busy summer day, the loss of life would be inestimable.

Maybe, instead of pouring money into "global warming", a threat which no one can even prove exists, we should spend a little money on tsunami warning devices that could give coastal areas a fighting chance in the event of another subsea quake. We now know that a disaster of Biblical proportions is possible and likely to occur again.

Have a Merry Christmas!

There won't be much posting here until after the New Year. Things are usually quiet this time of year, and I'll be heading up to the mountains to enjoy what snow might still be there (and what may come if the forecast is correct). Have a very Merry Christmas!

Journalists and the Mosul Attack

Hugh Hewitt has a good piece in the Weekly Standard regarding the response from journalists to the Mosul suicide bombing:

EVEN BEFORE THE DOCTORS had completed their evacuation of the wounded to Germany in the aftermath of the attack on the Mosul dining hall, and certainly before all the next of kin of the dead had been notified, New York Times reporter Richard Stevenson had sat down at his word processor to manufacture a story on how the attack would cripple George W. Bush's second term domestic agenda.

It wasn't Tet, of course, and not even the Beirut bombing, and decent people might have allowed the dead to be buried before politicizing the Mosul massacre, but Stevenson wasn't going to let taste or facts get in the way of his story.

Read the whole thing here.

I Can't Believe It - I Agree With The ACLU

You can probably count on one hand the number of times I've agreed with the ACLU. They're usually out there trying to destroy American values in the name of liberty, and if they went out of business tomorrow, I certainly wouldn't miss them.

However, I have found something on which we agree. Airport searches have gotten completely out of hand (sorry Bob if you're reading this - I know you TSA guys are just doing your jobs). I have no problems with the usual screening that's been going on for some time, but ever since the two Russian airliners were downed by women who hid explosives somewhere on their person, some passengers have been subjected to additional screening that, if done by any other stranger, would result in somebody getting arrested for molestation. Women are basically being groped, and as a husband of one woman and the father of a 16 year old daughter, I'm not sure just how I'd react if my family were subjected to something like that. Let's just say I'd probably miss my flight.

The ACLU has actually created an online form for passengers who wish to file complaints about the way they were handled, and as much as I hate to admit it, I support that idea. Sometimes authority needs to be challenged, even if what they're doing is supposed to be for our own good.

The airline security situation has evolved since the early days after 9/11. I remember taking 6 flights over 4 days in early 2002 as my quartet traveled to Texas and Oklahoma. We had to take off our shoes and there always had to be at least one person in the security area receiving special screening - a complete search of their bags as well as a wand search of the individual. We saw a couple of interesting things during that trip, and also learned how to avoid those "special" searches.

I quickly learned that the worst place to be was at the head of the line to board, because invariably they grabbed the first guy and made him go off to security. As soon as that guy was searched, they'd grab the next guy in line and take him. All you had to do to avoid the extra searching was wait until the grabbed someone and then quickly get in line. You were sure to be on the plane before they finished and started looking for another victim.

At Dallas we were waiting for our flight to Oklahoma and met a young college student who had been traveling all day from the east coast. She had taken several connecting flights and had been subjected to "special" searches 5 times. Did I mention that she was very attractive and wearing a rather low-cut blouse? Now you know why the special searches. Apparently this is the only way the screeners at that time could meet attractive women.

I told the guys to be sure and get in line behind the girl, because she would undoubtedly be selected for another search, and while that was going on we could get on the plane without any hassle. Sure enough the overweight pimple-faced security screener selected the cute blond for the additional search and we laughed all the way down the jetway.

In Oklahoma City we all started boarding the regional jet when the gate agent got mad because no one was in the special screening area. She said something to the "security" guard there (basically a janitor with a badge) and the guard grabbed the next person in line - a 4 year old boy with a backpack. They actually searched the kid's backpack and made him stand there with his arms out and be subjected to a search. It was absolutely ridiculous and the kid was clearly scared.

On a trip last year to Dallas I got a bit of a first hand look at the TSA in action. I was carrying my quartet briefcase through security at DFW when they asked to check it through the explosives detector. To my surprise the alarms started going off and I was suddenly the center of attention. They made me sit in a special area under the watchful eye of a TSA supervisor and wouldn't let my wife talk to me. They asked me all kinds of questions about what was in the bag and why I had been in Dallas.

That morning I had attended church in Allen, TX with the friends we were staying with. I remember walking across a grassy area at the church that had recently been fertilized (I could smell it). Some of the fertilizer got on my shoes, and when I packed those shoes in my suitcase, some of it probably got on my hands which then transferred the nitrates to my briefcase. The explosives detector picked up the nitrates and set off the alarms.

I patiently sat there for 20 minutes or so and answered all of the questions and helped them search the briefcase. They finally agreed that I was not a threat and let me go. We were early for our flight, so the extra attention wasn't much of an inconvenience, and I learned to always wash my hands before heading for the airport.

Seriously though, I'll be flying with the quartet to Texas in January, and with the whole family to Washington D.C. next summer, and it wouldn't bother me one bit if the TSA was told to throttle back the groping a little bit.

Refighting the Old Fights

You'd think after getting shellacked in the last 3 national elections that the Dems would consider looking for some new ideas. The ideas they've been promoting lately simply don't resonate with the voters (ask Tom Dashle how well they worked).

But no, the REAL answer, according to Paul Sabin in today's Boston Globe, is to refight the old fights. That'll bring those swing voters around!

The problem with this argument is that the voters have already rejected the old ideas, and repackaging them will not make people fall in love with bad ideas. Refighting the old fights simply confirms for voters that Dems are not ready to fight the future fights.

Mark Steyn Wishes Us A Merry Christmas...While He Still Can

Mark Steyn weighs in on the whole Christmas debate:

One December a few years back, I was in Santa Claus, Indiana, and went to the Post Office - a popular destination thanks to its seasonal postmark.

"Merry Christmas!" I said provocatively.

But Postmistress Sandy Colyon was ready for me. "A week ago," she said, "I'd have had to say 'Happy Holidays', but we've been given a special dispensation from the Postmaster-General allowing us to say 'Merry Christmas'. So Merry Christmas!" That's "Christmas" at the dawn of the third millennium - a word you have to get a special memo from head office authorising the use thereof. In America, most executive honchos would rather not take the risk, instructing the staff to eschew any mention of the C-word in favour of "Happy Holidays!" - the all-purpose inoffensive greeting that covers Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Eid, the Third Wednesday after Ramadan, hippy-dippy solstice worship, West Bank Suicide Bomber Appreciation Day and any other festive occasion you've lined up for the general vicinity of late 2004/early 2005.

Read the whole thing here.

Report From Mosul

By now you've all seen the pictures from the devastating attack on our base in Mosul which cost more than 2 dozen lives. Here's a pretty tough first-hand report from a chaplain who was in the middle of the whole thing (hat tip Hugh Hewitt).

Bush Isn't Giving in to Rummy's Critics

If there's one thing about President Bush, he's determined to have his way. And with that in mind, he clearly wants Rumsfeld to stay around and he's not paying attention to the many critics looking to collect a scalp.

Of course the mainstream media doesn't seem to remember to mention that the very same senators who are screaming for Rummy's head are the very same senators who have voted time and again against increased military funding.

John Podhoretz has a column on the mistakes being made, not by Rummy, but by his critics, and how Bush doesn't seem interested in listening to them.

Coming Soon to the Senate - The Nuclear Option

When Congress reconvenes after the holidays, we can expect to see a flurry of judicial nominations coming from the President (any nominations made previously but not confirmed are now dead and must be resubmitted or changed). Senate Dems are waiting for another chance to filibuster Bush's nominees who don't meet their liberal needs, but according to Robert Novak, Senate Majority Leader Frist may be ready to exercise the nuclear option.

What most people don't know is that Senate rules can be changed very quickly with the consent of the President of the Senate (Vice President Cheney). What I didn't realize when until I read this column was that this would not be the first time something like this was done. When Robert Byrd was Majority Leader, six times he exercised an option like this to change Senate rules.

Of course, the media will play it as though this was an unprecedented act of unfair play, but so what. We need to get our judges confirmed, and if we have to hurt some Democrat feelings to do it, so be it.

A Jew Says Merry Christmas

Jeff Jacoby on Townhall.com has the right idea about Christmas celebrations.

Mr. Pot Meet Mr. Kettle

Saturday Night Live, which quit being funny years ago, descended to a new low with a sketch depicting talk radio host Rush Limbaugh passed out from a drug overdose. Here's the report about the sketch and the ensuing backstage uproar from Drudge:

NBC's comedy depiction of talkradio king Rush Limbaugh passed-out in vomit from drug abuse ignited backstage outrage at SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.

The animated sketch left one senior production source stunned and outraged, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

"Would we have done this to [John] Belushi? [Chris] Farley?" the source said on Sunday from New York.

The source asked not to be identified fearing retribution from SNL's executive producer Lorne Michaels.

"We've had more (expletive) drug addicts on this show through the years... more tragedy. I have lost count. Did we ever have some laughs about Robert Downey Jr.'s serious drug addiction?"

The crass montage which aired on NBC featured Limbaugh vomiting from drugs on a bathroom floor, in an apparent overdose.

Last year, Limbaugh announced to his radio audience that he was seeking treatment for an addiction to pain medication.

Calls to Michaels office went unreturned late Sunday.

Given that this show has had two former cast members die of drug problems, and numerous other stars and guest artists that used drugs in copious quantities, this sketch is the height of hypocrisy. Once again it's okay to take a shot at a conservative that they would never dare take at one of their own.

The Other Men of the Year

George W. Bush received the well-deserved "Person of the Year" accolade from Time Magazine, but there was another group that should at least receive honorable mention: The Swift Boat Vets. These guys came out of nowhere back in February and effectively turned the presidential race on its ear.

Shortly after Kerry had his All-Vietnam, All The Time convention in Boston, most political pundits were anticipating 6 weeks of relative quiet on the campaign trail as everyone waited for the GOP confab in New York. Things got pretty loud pretty fast when the Swift Vet ads started showing up in August, and instead of basking in the glow of his convention, Kerry found himself backpeddling while trying to ignore and belittle the Swifties. Ignoring them only turned up the heat, and by the time the Kerry campaign finally started responding, the damage was done.

The Swifties, who started out with almost no funding and one ad running in only 3 states, grew into a multi-million dollar organization as vets and others around the country jumped in with contributions and purchases of "Unfit For Command" which funded the ad campaign. Killer ad after killer ad came from the Swifties, all of which received not only local airplay in the states where advertising was purchased, but national airplay on various news channels and talk radio. They very effectively burst Kerry's Vietnam War hero balloon.

Read how it all happened here, and when you sit down to your Christmas dinner, raise a glass to the Swifties without whom the Time Person of the Year might have been President-Elect Kerry.

Cosby Getting the "Newsweak" Treatment

Newsweek has an article on Bill Cosby's campaign to wake up and clean up the poor black community, and in this article Newsweek basically treats Cosby the same way they treated the birth of Christ last week - attempting to debunk Cosby's message.

Just as in the article on the birth of Christ, Newsweek goes after spokesmen from just one side of the issue - theirs - and ignores the other. In the piece on the birth of Christ Newsweek chose to get all their information from left-wing theologians and ignored anyone who actually believed in the virgin birth. In the Cosby article they seek out either losers who refuse to make constructive changes in their lives as recommended by Cosby and insist that they must go on robbing and committing crimes until someone puts food on their table for them. They also seek out comments from various "experts" who basically say that Cosby is just to old school and doesn't understand today's black society. The article is clearly an attempt to suggest that Cosby's efforts are in vain, and unless he changes to lower his standards to meet today's black society, he's just spitting in the wind.

Could they not find even one prominent African-American who agreed with Cosby, or one young black person who was motivated to change by Cosby's words? Is there not even one black single mom who has vowed to change her kid's priorities because of Cos? If Newsweek is to believed, the black community is apparently beyond help, and I just don't think that's true at all.

It's too bad that Newsweek has forgotten how to write a balanced article. Cosby's message should be heard and not denigrated. He's the closest thing the black community has to a prophet of right thinking, and articles like this will not help anyone.

George W. Bush - Person of the Year

Time has selected their annual "Person of the Year", and this year it's George W. Bush. I think that was the right choice given their requirement that the person selected have made the biggest impact on news during the year. President Bush was reelected despite an unprecedented attack against him by the mainstream media and the Dems. Congrats, W!

Trying to Have Christmas Without "Christmas"

Joseph Bottum sums up some of the anti-Christmas hysteria in this article in the Weekly Standard.

Healing the Red-Blue Rift

Humorist Dave Barry has a plan to heal the nation. A sample:

And as Americans, we must ask ourselves: Are we really so different? Must we stereotype those who disagree with us? Do we truly believe that ALL red-state residents are ignorant racist fascist knuckle-dragging NASCAR-obsessed cousin-marrying road-kill-eating tobacco-juice-dribbling gun-fondling religious fanatic rednecks; or that ALL blue-state residents are godless unpatriotic pierced-nose Volvo-driving France-loving left-wing Communist latte-sucking tofu-chomping holistic-wacko neurotic vegan weenie perverts?

Yes. This is called "diversity," and it is why we are such a great nation - a nation that has given the world both nuclear weapons AND SpongeBob SquarePants.

Ban Bridges, Not Guns

James Taranto in Best of the Web Today comments on the handgun ban legislation being proposed for the city of San Francisco:

"San Francisco supervisors want voters to approve a sweeping handgun ban that would prohibit almost everyone except law enforcement officers, security guards and military members from possessing firearms in the city," the Associated Press reports.

Advocates of the ban present it as a suicide-prevention measure. Says Bill Barnes, an aide to Supervisor Chris Daly: "We know that for even law-abiding folks who own guns, the rates of suicide and mortality are substantially higher. So while just perceived to be a crime thing, we think there is a wide benefit to limiting the number of guns in the city."

We think he's wrong about mortality rates, which as far as we know are 100% for gun owners and gun shunners alike. But he may be right that gun owners are at risk of suicide. Good thing San Francisco doesn't have any bridges.

What if Today's Media Was Around in 1944?

Here's an interesting piece of satire on how the mainstream media of today would have reported the Battle of the Bulge had they been around in 1944.

Gay Indoctrination Day at High School

As the parent of one current and one future high schooler, I find this story more than a little disturbing:

Two parents, shocked at frank talk during a gay and lesbian awareness day at Newton North High, were forced off the property after one parent whipped out a video camera and started taping.

``This does not belong in curriculum,'' said Kim Cariani, who said four police officers and the principal told them they would be charged with trespassing if they did not leave.

``It's against my religion. It's morally wrong and forced in a child's face.''

Each year, some students at Newton North forgo classes during To BGLAD: Transgender, Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Awareness Day with assembly-like sessions including ``Out at the Old Ballgame'' and ``Color Me Queer.'' Students are not required to attend.

Cariani kept her two kids home during the day, but she was curious.

Cariani and another parent, Brian Camenker, were in the audience when adults in a panel discussion talked about being gay. When one man told the students he was attracted to his sister's husband, Cariani said she started to record the ``propaganda, false information and lies.''

The principal demanded Cariani turn over the videotape or leave, Camenker said.

``They took the two of us and pulled us out and gave us one minute to leave and if we came back on the property we would be arrested for trespassing,'' he said.

Tom Mountain, a columnist for the Newton Tab, was also barred from the assembly ``for the safety and security of the children,'' he said he was told.

Newton schools Superintendent Jeff Young said it is a violation of school policy to tape or photograph students without parental permission. Cariani refused to give up the tape, so they were asked to decamp, he said.

The awareness day, held for the past 10 years, is one of several ways the schools highlight diversity, Young said. Students who don't want to go can go to the library or computer lab.

I've already noticed announcements for the Gay and Lesbian Club at my kid's school, something that would have been completely unacceptable when I was in high school back just after the earth cooled. I just can't look at stories like this and think we're making any sort of progress.

Christians Fighting Back Against Secular Christmas

Some Christians are not backing down from the secularists or atheists who are trying to turn Christmas into some type of generic holiday or "winter solstice" celebration. Read about it here.

Also in Bellevue, WA, Christmas trees, which are about as Christian as the Easter Bunny, are under attack as Christian symbols. One atheist couple is trying to sue the city to remove the tree on that basis. What's interesting here is that they don't even call it a Christmas tree, but a "giving" tree and each year the tree raises $25,000 or so in contributions to help the needy. I guess since helping folks in need is a Christian virtue, that will have to be banned as well.

Hollywood Shoots the Dems Again

Here's Drudge's report about what went on at the Kennedy Center tonight:

Even Hollywood liberals were left reeling after Chevy Chase's potty-mouthed Bush-bashing Tuesday night at the Kennedy Center, where the actor hosted an awards ceremony staged by People for the American Way.

The WASHINGTON POST on Thursday claims Chase unleashed a rant against President Bush that stunned the crowd.

He deployed the four-letter word that got Vice President Dick Cheney in hot water, using it as a noun. Chase called the prez a "dumb (expletive)." He also used it as an adjective, assuring the audience, "I'm no (expletive) clown either. ... This guy started a jihad."

Chase also said: "This guy in office is an uneducated, real lying schmuck ... and we still couldn't beat him with a bore like Kerry."

People for the American Way distanced itself Wednesday from the actor's rant.

Founder Norman Lear tells the paper: "I thought it was utterly untoward, obviously unexpected and unscripted and all that stuff. And, uh _ it was Chevy Chase. He'll live with it, I won't."

Sen. Tom Daschle, the former minority leader, looked taken aback when he went on directly after Chase. His opening line: "I've had to follow a lot of speakers, but _ " The movie star didn't return for a curtain call or to savor dessert at the reception after the event. We were told he hurt his back and needed to call it a night by 9. Chase's PR rep told us Wednesday she was unable to reach him. Meanwhile, the other host of the evening, the newly blond Cynthia Nixon, told us she had a more gracious message for Bush: "Don't just listen to people who are telling you yes, listen to the people who are telling you no!"

Keep it up, Hollywood! Every rant like that is worth thousands of new Republican voters.

Writer Advises Dems to Dump Hollywood

Scot Lehigh writing in the Boston Globe has some advice for the Dems - dump the Hollywood connection. It just doesn't play well in the red states:

Indeed, watching Howard Dean campaign around unpretentious Iowa with Martin Sheen and Rob Reiner in tow in the days before the caucuses, one could sense that the former Vermont governor had lost his way. Sheen, who in particular seemed to believe the campaign's events were really about him, would recite a poem by Indian Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, fairly radiating self-satisfaction as he built to a crescendo. He and Dean would share a few jokes built around the oh-so-clever premise that because Sheen played the president on "West Wing," it was witty to call him Mr. President -- and wittier still to have him refer to Dean that way.

It was a wearisome act that only served to undercut the blunt, unvarnished Vermont authenticity that had been one of Dean's principal attractions in the early days of his effort.

I know how I reacted to the smarter-than-thou Hollywood lefties who showed up everywhere with the various Dem campaigns, and I can imagine the folks in flyover country were even less amused. The image that Hollywood personalities have in much of the country is not a good one, which makes their voting advice pure poison for their favorite Dem candidate. We'll see if the Dems pay attention.

Give 'em Zell!

Zell Miller, every Republican's favorite Democrat has joined Fox News as a contributor. Zell made quite a name for himself at the Republican National Convention with a speech that pretty much peeled the paint off of Kerry and the Dems. The hiring will probably feed the notion that Fox News is just a right wing partisan organization, but that doesn't really matter. The 72 year old former Georgia Governor and Senator should bring some interesting insight to the political process, and I imagine a few fireworks as well.

George Will Wraps Up the Year

George Will writes today in Newsweek about some of the weirder stories of 2004 and how they all magically work together. Here's how he starts the article:

In 2004 an IBM supercomputer set a world record with 36.01 trillion calculations per second. The U.S. electorate may have made its calculation the instant John Kerry, who is not a supercomputer, explained why Toy's restaurant in Canonsburg, Pa., "is my kind of place":

"You don't have to—you know, when they give you the menu, I'm always struggling: ah, what do you want?

He just gives you what he's got, right? ... whatever he's cooked up that day. And I think that's the way it ought to work, for confused people like me who can't make up our minds."

Newsweek's Take on the Birth of Christ

Welcome Hugh Hewitt readers! There has been a bit of a stir in the blogosphere today regarding the Newsweek cover story on the birth of Jesus. Basically the author goes to great length to suggest that the story of the virgin birth was probably created by the authors of the gospel in order to “tidy up” the whole story of Jesus’ life. After all, if he wasn’t born as prophesied in the Old Testament, he couldn’t have been the Messiah and that would have inconvenient for the writers of the gospels.

The article is replete with comments from very left-wing theologians, with not a word of rebuttal from the many, many conservatives who really and truly believe the gospels occurred as written. There’s much more in the article and it’s probably worth reading just to see how the liberal theologians think.

It’s funny, but when it comes to religion, the traditional attitudes of the left and right seem to swap places. In politics we know the left is driven by feelings. Don’t bother a liberal with the facts – it’s not important what you do but rather how you feel about it. Conservatives are more results oriented, looking to the facts and not allowing themselves to be driven into bad decisions by their fleeting feelings.

Bring religion into the picture and suddenly it’s the left that wants to analyze the facts to death, even if facts are impossible to obtain 2,000 years later, while the conservatives are satisfied in their faith. It’s still important to be results oriented, and the faith of the conservatives is buoyed by the transformational results of Christ in their lives. The left has to be convinced logically rather than through indirect actions and results.

For me, the simplest method of evaluating the claims of Jesus goes something like this. According to the scriptures, he claimed to be the Son of God. That leaves only three possibilities:

1. He was lying and he knew he was lying. If this is true, Jesus pulled off the greatest con game in the history of the world, yet was the dumbest man alive since he was willing to give his life for his lie. Don’t you think a con man would have confessed his lie rather than die a horrible death on the cross? And what about his disciples? Most of them were executed for their faith. Surely if any of the knew that Jesus was lying, wouldn’t they have said or done something about it?

2. He was lying and he didn’t know he was lying. If this is true, Jesus was crazy, pure and simple. History is full of examples of crazy people with dedicated followers (see Jim Jones and Jonestown, Guyana, or David Koresh at Waco). However, in every case that I can think of the influence of the crazy man was measured in a few years, not centuries. Do you think there would be billions of Christians today if the basis of their faith was a mad man?

3. That leaves the last possible option. He was the Son of God. Given the evidence against the first two options, and the innumerable testimonies of the transformational power of Christ, this is really the only viable option.

I’ll close this little sermon with something I remember hearing over and over during concerts some years ago with the Watchmen Quartet. There was an old man who our manager often referred to – I think his name was Mac. Mac would stand and testify in church, and at the end of the testimony he would always say the same thing: “Even if there is no heaven to gain or hell to shun, living for Jesus is still the only way to go.” I couldn’t have said that better myself.

By the way, for the unbeliever who still has questions, I highly recommend Lee Strobel’s book “The Case For Christ” available at this link.

Grandstanding Senators

Here's something we can look forward to in the new Senate which starts up in January (courtesy of VOA News):

Democrats in the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate have announced they will launch investigative hearings into what they view as problems in the Bush administration.

Senate Democrats say the hearings are necessary because Senate Republicans have abdicated their responsibility for oversight of the administration's policies and use of taxpayer money.

Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota said the first hearing will be in January. He said a possible target of the hearings is alleged contract abuses in Iraq.

Other topics could include pre-war intelligence on Iraq and the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

The Democratic-organized hearings will not have subpoena powers, but Senator Dorgan said he believes there will be "plenty of whistleblowers" ready to speak out against the administration.

When the new Congress convenes in January, Republicans will have an expanded majority of 55 senators, leaving Democrats with less influence.

This will be the 911 hearings all over again with every type of accusation thrown at the White House. The Senate Democrats will be glad to trot out every disaffected former staff member (e.g. Richard Clarke) who has an ax to grind with the Bush White House. It may be entertaining, but coming nearly 2 years before the next Congressional elections, probably won't mean much in the big scheme of things. If nothing else, it will give the minority Dems something to do.

President Ewards??

The Electoral College voted yesterday and the results were as expected with one minor difference (hat tip Kerry Spot):

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Defeated Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry likely is going to get one less electoral vote nationally than he should have — 251 instead of 252 — because of an apparent mistake Monday by one of Minnesota's 10 DFL electors.

One of the 10 handwritten ballots cast for president carried the name of vice presidential candidate John Edwards (actually spelled "Ewards" on the ballot) rather than Kerry.

"I was shocked ... this will go in the history books," said Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer, who presided over a ceremony that normally is uneventful.

Kiffmeyer said she was unaware of any other such apparent mistake in Minnesota, although there have been cases in other states of "faithless electors" casting ballots for candidates other than those to which they were committed.

There was stunned silence after the announcement that Edwards had gotten a vote for president, but none of the 10 electors volunteered that they voted for Edwards as a protest, nor did anyone step forward to admit an error.

"It was perhaps a senior moment," said elector Michael Meuers, 60, a Bemidji marketing consultant for a health care firm, the second-youngest member of the Minnesota delegation to the Electoral College.

Meuers said he was certain that the Edwards ballot wasn't his, but he noted that "both the candidates were named John, and the ballots looked pretty much alike."

This year's DFL Party electors were typical — senior party activists typically chosen for their long years of service. They ranged in age from 52 to 83.

This is a great momentum-builder for the "Ewards 2008" campaign.

Ribbons and Wristbands

It seems like there's always some new ribbon or wristband that we're supposed to wear to show how much we care about whatever the pressing issue of the day might be. It all got started when celebrities started wearing red ribbons for AIDS awareness, and if you didn't have one on, well, you just didn't care enough. The silliness was extended to multiple causes, so many in fact, that no matter what color ribbon you wear you're sure to be advocating one or more causes.

My personal favorite was the folded up dollar bill created by Rush Limbaugh to signify that you supported capitalism. That one never hit if off with the Hollywood crowd.

The latest fad is the yellow LiveStrong wristbands sold by Lance Armstrong to raise funds for cancer cures. It's a good cause, no doubt, but according to the St. Petersburg (FL) Times, you might want to be careful where you wear it (hat tip Best of the Web Today):

Before you wear your cool yellow LiveStrong wristband at the hospital, think twice.

Several area hospitals are putting the brakes on Lance Armstrong's cancer organization fundraising bracelets. It's not cold-hearted backlash, but rather a safety precaution.

Patients wear colored bracelets to identify safety needs, said Lisa Johnson, vice president of patient services for Morton Plant Mease Health Care. Yellow stands for "do not resuscitate."

Get Those Lights Up!

How many of you are STILL procrastinating about putting up your Christmas decorations? Mine have been up since Nov. 26, and I'm always surprised to see some of my neighbors putting up their lights 10 or 12 days before Christmas. That almost seems like a waste of time. If you haven't gotten them up by the 15th, why bother?

In fact, we don't just decorate for Christmas, but have a garage full of stuff for all the major decorating seasons: Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Memorial Day/July 4th, Back to School, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and of course Christmas. If we didn't decorate, I could probably get my other car in the garage.

Dennis Prager writes today about the value to society that is offered by all of us who believe in decorating. Here's his column (from townhall.com):

Among the most foolish ideas to emanate from the foolish '60s is that what you feel in your heart is more important than what you publicly express. According to this thinking, to cite one example, patriotism is a feeling, not a flag displayed on national holidays. On the contrary, such displays are derided as "flag waving," which has been rendered a pejorative term.

We have lost an appreciation for the monumental significance of public ritual in maintaining our national identity and values. We have also greatly overstated the ability of feelings to be maintained without public expression of those feelings.

Additional examples make this point clear.

Ask your wife if she would feel equally loved and appreciated if you never gave her a card or gift on her birthday, your wedding anniversary or Mother's Day. After all, if you really believe that feelings need not be manifested in any formal, ritualistic way, why bother with a card or gift on her birthday? Presumably you love her just as much on that day as any other, so why engage in card waving?

The reason is that for the vast majority of people, their birthday is a significant day, and its significance should be publicly manifested and even celebrated, not just internally felt. "Honey, there's no card, no dinner out, no party and no gift, because I don't believe in those things. I love you in my heart" -- that doesn't work.

Nor does, "I love my country, so any public manifestation or celebration of that love is pointless." So many Americans are tone-deaf to patriotism as anything more than public dissent, or affirmation of the Constitution, or personal feeling. Yet, Americans have died for the flag, and members of Congress had tears in their eyes (as I had in mine) when Republican and Democrat alike sang "God Bless America" after 9-11.

That is why many of us want the Pledge of Allegiance with the words "under God" said in schools every day. The argument that anyone can do all the God-talk they want at home or at church is no more convincing than the argument that anyone can sing the national anthem at home, so why have people do it at baseball games? Public expressions of societal values are crucial to keeping those values alive.

An America without its flag displayed on national holidays is an America that has lost its sense of self. I am not arguing that displaying the flag guarantees patriotism, only that (a) it is an indispensable aid to its survival, and that (b) never displaying the flag will eventually kill patriotism.

Which brings me to Christmas decorations. A Christian can feel deeply religious and personally celebrate Christmas with great fervor without hanging one light bulb in front of his home. But society suffers from such a self-directed faith. It will be a very sad day in America if Christmas decorations are entirely absent. I am a religious Jew who deeply bemoans the absence of Christmas decorations (or menorahs in windows) in large parts of my city, Los Angeles. My city and I are the poorer for it.

Life is greatly enhanced for Americans of all faiths by people who take the time and pay the expense to put up Christmas displays. Do some people put up displays so lavish that the purpose is partly to outdo their neighbor? Probably. But so what? The rest of us benefit from such competitions.

So here's the bottom line: If you celebrate Christmas and you put up no public display, please reconsider. It is one way you can immediately have a positive impact on our society. But if you won't, at least consider this -- send a thank-you note or some other token of appreciation to your neighbor who does put up a display. They are doing a major public service.

Mark Steyn Evolves

Mark Steyn in today's Daily Telegraph has a great piece on the hysteria of global warming and the fact that scientists who believe in evolution have apparently decided that evolution must now stop:

Evolution posits that species will come and go: some die out, some survive and evolve. I don't regard myself as anything terribly special but in a typical year I'm exposed to temperatures from around 98 degrees to 45 below freezing, in the lower part of which range I evolve into my long underwear.

Maybe if the Antarctic food chain is incapable of evolving to cope with a two-degree increase in temperature across many decades, it isn't meant to survive. Science tells us that extinction is a fact of life, and that nature is never still: long before the Industrial Revolution, long before the first lardbuttus Americanus got into his primitive four-miles-per-gallon SUV to head to the mall for the world's first cheeseburger, there were dramatic fluctuations in climate wiping out a ton of stuff. Yet scientists and their cheerleaders, the hyper-rationalists at the progressive newspapers, have signed on to the idea that evolution should cease and the world should be frozen – literally, in the case of Prof Peck and his beloved algae – in some unchanging Edenic state.

He also points out the hypocrisy of requiring the world to stop changing while requiring our moral values to constantly change:

But, at the same time as the Royal Institute and the Guardian and all other bien pensants are in a mass panic at the thought of the krill having to adjust his way of life, they're positively insouciant about massive changes to our own habitat. You like fox-hunting? You're not entirely cool with gay marriage? You prefer English common law to this new Euro-pudding legal code? Tough, shrugs the Guardian.

Stuff happens, things change, adapt or die.

The Nuclear Option

With the impending resignation of one or more Supreme Court Justices, the Senate is getting ready for what will surely be very contentious confirmation proceedings. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is tired of the whole Dem fillibuster routine, and is threatening to change the Senate rules to eliminate the procedure in judicial nominations. The Dems are not pleased (from the Washington Post):

So far, at least, Democrats are refusing to forgo filibusters and say they will fight any effort by Frist to act unilaterally to end them for judicial nominations. They warn that it could poison the well for bipartisan cooperation on other issues in the upcoming Congress.

"If they, for whatever reason, decide to do this, it's not only wrong, they will rue the day they did it, because we will do whatever we can do to strike back," incoming Senate Democratic leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) said last week. "I know procedures around here. And I know that there will still be Senate business conducted. But I will, for lack of a better word, screw things up."

Tom Daschle lost his job by "screwing things up". I don't think the Dems really want to go there again.

Just Shoot Me....er, Him!

Steven Levitan, the producer of "Just Shoot Me", a typically brainless TV sitcom, has written an opinion piece in USA Today about being a Hollywood lefty. Here's the money quote:

You may have noticed there was no mention of church or Temple. I was raised Jewish, my wife was raised Catholic. Though we respect each other's heritage, and while many of our friends are deeply religious, we have chosen to focus on our similarities, not our differences. We teach our children compassion, charity, honesty and the benefits of hard work. We teach them to help those who aren't as lucky as they are. I am confident that they will go into the world with good morals and strong family values.

I don't doubt that Levitan and his wife love their kids and want the best for them. But trying to instill morals without a religious base is a waste of time. Morals become relative when not fixed by a spiritual underpinning, and relative morals shift with the changing times. The decline of Hollywood and society in general in the last 50 years is a result of shifting moral values.

1940's Hollywood vs. Today's Hollywood

My Dad sent this to me, and I think it's worth comparing the Hollywood of the 40's to today's Hollywood crowd:

In contrast to the ideals, opinions and feelings of today's "Hollywonk" the real actors of yesteryear loved the United States. They had both class and integrity. With the advent of World War many of our actors went to fight rather than stand and rant against this country we all love. They gave up their wealth, position and fame to become service men & women, many as simple "enlisted men".

This page lists but a few, but from this group of only 18 men came over 70 medals in honor of their valor, spanning from Bronze Stars, Silver Stars, Distinguish Service Cross', Purple Hearts and one Congressional Medal of Honor. So remember; while the "Entertainers of 2003" have been in all of the news media lately I would like to remind the people of what the entertainers of 1943 were doing, (60 years ago).

Most of these brave men have since passed on.

Real Hollywood Heroes

Alec Guinness (Star Wars) operated a British Royal Navy landing craft on D-Day.

James Doohan ("Scotty" on Star Trek) landed in Normandy with the U. S. Army on D-Day.

Donald Pleasance (The Great Escape) really was an R. A. F. pilot who was shot down, held prisoner and tortured by the Germans.

David Niven was a Sandhurst graduate and Lt. Colonel of the British Commandos in Normandy.

James Stewart Entered the Army Air Force as a private and worked his way to the rank of Colonel. During World War II, Stewart served as a bomber pilot, his service record crediting him with leading more than 20 missions over Germany, and taking part in hundreds of air strikes during his tour of duty. Stewart earned the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, France's Croix de Guerre, and 7 Battle Stars during World War II. In peace time, Stewart continued to be an active member of the Air Force as a reservist, reaching the rank of Brigadier General before retiring in the late 1950s.

Clark Gable (Mega-Movie Star when war broke out) Although he was beyond the draft age at the time the U.S. entered WW II, Clark Gable enlisted as a private in the AAF on Aug. 12, 1942 at Los Angeles. He attended the Officers' CandidateSchool at Miami Beach, Fla. and graduated as a second lieutenant on Oct. 28, 1942. He then attended aerial gunnery school and in Feb. 1943 he was assigned to the 351st Bomb Group at Polebrook where flew operational missions over Europe in B-17s.

Capt. Gable returned to the U.S. in Oct. 1943 and was relieved from active duty as a major on Jun. 12, 1944 at his own request, since he was over-age for combat.

Charlton Heston was an Army Air Corps Sergeant in Kodiak.

Earnest Borgnine was a U. S. Navy Gunners Mate 1935-1945.

Charles Durning was a U. S. Army Ranger at Normandy earning a Silver Star and awarded the Purple Heart.

Charles Bronson was a tail gunner in the Army Air Corps, more specifically on B-29s in the 20th Air Force out of Guam, Tinian, and Saipan.

George C. Scott was a decorated U. S. Marine.

Eddie Albert (Green Acres TV) was awarded a Bronze Star for his heroic action as a U. S. Naval officer aiding Marines at the horrific battle on the island of Tarawa in the Pacific Nov. 1943.

Brian Keith served as a U.S. Marine rear gunner in several actions against the Japanese on Rabal in the Pacific.

Lee Marvin was a U.S. Marine on Saipan during the Marianas campaign when he was wounded earning the Purple Heart.

John Russell: In 1942, he enlisted in the Marine Corps where he received a battlefield commission and was wounded and highly decorated for valor at Guadalcanal.

Robert Ryan was a U. S. Marine who served with the O. S. S. in Yugoslavia.

Tyrone Power (an established movie star when Pearl Harbor was bombed) joined the U.S. Marines, was a pilot flying supplies into, and wounded Marines out of, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Audie Murphy, little 5'5" tall 110 pound guy from Texas who played cowboy parts?

Most Decorated serviceman of W.W.II and earned: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, 2 Silver Star Medals, Legion of Merit, 2 Bronze Star Medals with "V", 2 Purple Hearts, U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, 2 Distinguished Unit Emblems, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France) World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar, Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar, French Fourragere in Colors of the Croix de Guerre, French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier, French Croix de Guerre With Silver Star, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Medal of
Liberated France, Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm.

So how do you feel the real heroes of the silver screen acted when compared to the hollywonks today who spray out anti-American drivel as they bite the hand that feeds them? Can you imagine these stars of yesteryear saying they hate our flag, making antiwar speeches, marching in anti-American parades and saying they hate our president?

I thought not.

The Impact of Bloggers on Tom Daschle

John Fund writes today in OpinionJournal.com regarding the impact that bloggers had on the hotly contested Senate election in South Dakota:

Bloggers received a lot of attention for helping to expose the fake documents backing up Dan Rather's "60 Minutes" story on President Bush the Texas Air National Guard. But that's only one of the interesting ways in which the Internet is empowering people and shaping political coverage.

Indeed, the real power of bloggers in politics is how they interact with their mainstream media counterparts. Online journalism gives critics of the media a way to talk back, a platform from which to point out bias, hypocrisy and factual errors. And if the criticisms are on target, old-media institutions can't help but take note. That's exactly what just happened in South Dakota's epic Senate race between Minority Leader Tom Daschle and his GOP challenger, John Thune.

You can read the whole story here.

John Stossel on Crichton's New Book

ABC's John Stossel writes about Crichton's new book and why he's decided to take on the global warming crowd.

Michael Crichton Takes on Junk Science

Michael Crichton is one of the most successful writers around, and his books have often taken on a similar theme - new technology running amok (see Jurassic Park, Prey, and many others). Michael has a new book out called State of Fear, and based on early reviews, this one should be really interesting, especially to conservatives.

This time, instead of hammering us on the threats posed by technology, Michael gets after the "scientists" and "activitists" who have made it their life's work to scare us all to death with dire warnings of tragedies to come if we don't stop what we're doing and live our lives the way they want us to. In many cases the justification for these warnings have turned out to be junk science.

How many of you remember the global cooling threat in the seventies? That's right - cooling. I was flipping channels one night and came across Leonard Nimoy's old show "In Search Of..." which was recorded sometime back in the 70's. The whole show was about the coming ice age and how if we didn't change our ways, we'd all be popsicles in a few years.

Just a few years later global cooling was replaced by global warming, and it is backed by the same junk science that gave us Nimoy's show. The fact is the earth has gone through various cooling and warming periods without any help from man, and I doubt that man is really making that much of an impact today. It's the height of arrogance to assume that we are capable of destroying the planet or making more than token changes in how it operates. You can light off every weapon we have, and I guarantee you the world will go on.

It will also be interesting to see how Hollywood reacts to this book. Most of Crichton's books have been made into movies, and very successful ones at that. But will Hollywood want to make a movie that debunks many of their precious beliefs about the environment? Probably not. I doubt that the same people who praised the environmental nonsense in "Day After Tomorrow" will be anxious to prove themselves wrong.

I can remember back in the mid-80's actor Ted Danson stood on the shore of Santa Monica Bay and told us if we didn't change our ways, the oceans would be dead in 10 years. Anybody gone fishing lately?

I haven't read the book yet (my wife is getting it for me for Christmas), and I'm looking forward to sitting in my mountain home away from home right after Christmas and see what Crichton has to say to the Hollywood and scientific lefties.

Arnold Stops Girly-Man "Holiday Tree" Tradition

Gov. Arnold recently changed tradition in California:

CALIFORNIA jumped into the yearly fray over why Christmas symbols and carols get banned from schools and other public places when that well- known religious radical, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, pointedly called the state's official "holiday" tree its "Christmas" tree.

Schwarzenegger is a (shudder) Catholic. His spokesman tells me, "Well, it is a Christmas tree. ...But somebody did ask us whether the governor misspoke. " Former Gov. Gray Davis had bowed to special-interest groups, dubbing the huge conifer a "holiday tree."

Good for the Governator!

MoveOn is Moving In

The wacko leftists we all know and love as MoveOn.org has decided to wage a hostile takeover of the Democratic Party according to this report from the AP:

Liberal powerhouse MoveOn has a message for the "professional election losers" who run the Democratic Party: "We bought it, we own it, we're going to take it back."

A scathing e-mail from the head of MoveOn's political action committee to the group's supporters on Thursday targets outgoing Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe as a tool of corporate donors who alienated both traditional and progressive Democrats.

"For years, the party has been led by elite Washington insiders who are closer to corporate lobbyists than they are to the Democratic base," said the e-mail from MoveOn PAC's Eli Pariser. "But we can't afford four more years of leadership by a consulting class of professional election losers." [Ed.: Ouch!]

Under McAuliffe's leadership, the message said, the party coddled the same corporate donors that fund Republicans to bring in money at the expense of vision and integrity.

"In the last year, grass-roots contributors like us gave more than $300 million to the Kerry campaign and the DNC, and proved that the party doesn't need corporate cash to be competitive," the message continued. "Now it's our party: we bought it, we own it, and we're going to take it back."

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch. There's nothing I'd rather see than a hard left turn on the part of the Dems. In 2002 they thought they lost because their liberal message didn't get out. In fact, they lost because their message DID get out and the people of America rejected it. Same thing happened this year.

If MoveOn really takes control of the party, you can expect to see Howard Dean as DNC chair, and us bloggers will have material to spare for years to come.

Making the News Instead of Reporting It

If you watched any news show yesterday, every one of them featured the "brave" soldier asking tough questions of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Well, it now appears that the soldier was merely a front man for a disgruntled newspaper reporter who had his knickers in a knot because Rummy wasn't going to take questions from the press. In the reporters own words, here's what happened (hat tip Drudge Report):

From: EDWARD LEE PITTS, MILITARY AFFAIRS
Sent: Wednesday, December 8, 2004 4:44 PM
To: Staffers

Subject: RE: Way to go

I just had one of my best days as a journalist today. As luck would have it, our journey North was delayed just long enough see I could attend a visit today here by Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. I was told yesterday that only soldiers could ask questions so I brought two of them along with me as my escorts. Before hand we worked on questions to ask Rumsfeld about the appalling lack of armor their vehicles going into combat have. While waiting for the VIP, I went and found the Sgt. in charge of the microphone for the question and answer session and made sure he knew to get my guys out of the crowd.

So during the Q&A session, one of my guys was the second person called on. When he asked Rumsfeld why after two years here soldiers are still having to dig through trash bins to find rusted scrap metal and cracked ballistic windows for their Humvees, the place erupted in cheers so loud that Rumsfeld had to ask the guy to repeat his question. Then Rumsfeld answered something about it being "not a lack of desire or money but a logistics/physics problem." He said he recently saw about 8 of the special up-armored Humvees guarding Washington, DC, and he promised that they would no longer be used for that and that he would send them over here. Then he asked a three star general standing behind him, the commander of all ground forces here, to also answer the question. The general said it was a problem he is working on.

The great part was that after the event was over the throng of national media following Rumsfeld- The New York Times, AP, all the major networks -- swarmed to the two soldiers I brought from the unit I am embedded with. Out of the 1,000 or so troops at the event there were only a handful of guys from my unit b/c the rest were too busy prepping for our trip north. The national media asked if they were the guys with the armor problem and then stuck cameras in their faces. The NY Times reporter asked me to email him the stories I had already done on it, but I said he could search for them himself on the Internet and he better not steal any of my lines. I have been trying to get this story out for weeks- as soon as I foud out I would be on an unarmored truck- and my paper published two stories on it. But it felt good to hand it off to the national press. I believe lives are at stake with so many soldiers going across the border riding with scrap metal as protection. It may be to late for the unit I am with, but hopefully not for those who come after.

The press officer in charge of my regiment, the 278th, came up to me afterwords and asked if my story would be positive. I replied that I would write the truth. Then I pointed at the horde of national media pointing cameras and mics at the 278th guys and said he had bigger problems on his hands than the Chattanooga Times Free Press. This is what this job is all about - people need to know. The solider who asked the question said he felt good b/c he took his complaints to the top. When he got back to his unit most of the guys patted him on the back but a few of the officers were upset b/c they thought it would make them look bad. From what I understand this is all over the news back home.

Thanks,

Lee

Apparently his paper is not quite so impressed with his work, especially his braggin about it later. Read what they had to say.

The GOP in 2008

Hugh Hewitt weighs in today with his views on the GOP race for 2008:

NOT SINCE 1952 has a presidential election lacked a sitting president or vice president as a contestant, and Ike was about as close as one could get to non-official incumbent. Before that, it was the 1928 race, and there, too, Herbert Hoover was, like Ike, a figure of towering popularity. In other words, there has never not been a front-runner in at least one party in the modern scrambles for the presidency. Here is a bit of evidence that the race for 2008 also has a leader, one along the lines of Eisenhower and the Great Engineer.

Should be very interesting....

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

Peggy Noonan writes today on OpinionJournal.com about Hillary Clinton and her preparations to run for the presidency in 2008. Here's the opening paragraph:

I wrote a book about her more than four years ago. The idea came from a friend, a bright former-Republican-now-Democrat who thought my Wall Street Journal pieces on Mrs. Clinton's looming senatorial candidacy could be turned into something longer that made the case against her. I immediately thought: Yes, that could make a difference. I went to my publisher, who agreed, and I hit it hard, speaking to Mrs. Clinton's friends and enemies, scouring the record. What I concluded was that Mrs. Clinton was an unusually cynical leftist political operative who had no great respect for the citizens of the United States or for America itself, but who saw our country as a platform for her core ambitions: to rise and achieve historic personal and political power both with her husband and without him.

Peggy has unusually good insight about political folks, and her article is must reading for those of us who don't want to live in a country run by Hillary. The real question is: Do the Republicans have someone who can beat her?

As I've said before, I don't think she can win because she's so incredibly divisive and I can't imagine that the country would want another Clinton presidency. However, if the GOP nominates a weak or flawed candidate, anything could happen.

Great Moments in Higher Education

I just love this kind of stuff (hat tip Best of the Web Today):

An inspiring story from the pages of the Yale Daily News:

The "Harvard Pep Squad" ran up and down the aisles of Harvard Stadium at The Game [between the Harvard and Yale football teams] Nov. 20. They had megaphones in hand and their faces were painted as they encouraged the crowd to hold up the 1,800 red and white pieces of construction paper they had handed out. It would read "Go Harvard," they said.

But the 20 "Pep Squad" members were actually Yale students. And when the Harvard students, faculty and alumni held up their pieces of paper--over and over again--they spelled out "We Suck" in giant block letters the whole stadium could read.

Yalies Michael Kai and David Aulicino, both of whom are to graduate next year, had to overcome great adversity to realize their dream. They originally planned to do this a year ago, and rather than handing the pages out, they taped them to the seats. "The prank derailed when security guards, trying to clear the stadium out during a pre-game bomb scare, asked Kai, Aulicino and their cohorts to leave."

In the year since, they rethought their plan:

They created a system to have the Harvard crowd pass out the 1,800 cards themselves. The "Harvard Pep Squad" went to each row and handed out a pre-ordered stack of the red and white papers. In five minutes, Kai and Aulicino said, all the papers were passed out.

It took a great deal of planning, however, including a road trip to Boston. Kai and Aulicino attended the Oct. 9 Harvard-Cornell football game in Cambridge, simply to scout out the stadium and count the number of rows.

They also created "Harvard Pep Squad" T-shirts and even fake Harvard IDs. "It was almost sad," says Dylan Davey, another Yalie who joined in the gag. "There were all these grandfather and grandmother types--and they all had big smiles, saying, 'Oh you're so cute, I'm so glad you're doing this.' I felt bad for about two minutes. Then I got over it." Video is available at HarvardSucks.org.

Never let it be said that Ivy Leaguers are a privileged and pampered bunch.

ACLU - We're For the Bad Guys!

Once again the ACLU has taken a stand directly opposite that of reasonable, thinking people. This time the ACLU has decided to file a lawsuit challenging Proposition 69 which was recently passed by the citizens of California. Prop 69 requires that anyone arrested submit a DNA sample which will then be put into the national database.

What could be wrong with that? According to the ACLU it's an unlawful search and will put innocent people into the database. My question is, how is this different from fingerprints? If you're arrested for anything, they take your photo and fingerprints and those are entered into the criminal databases. If you're later found innocent, they don't pull your photos or fingerprints. They stay in the files.

A DNA sample is really no different, although it has the potential of identifying a criminal much faster than fingerprint analysis. A 32 year old murder case in Los Angeles was recently solved due to DNA evidence.

It's also no more invasive a process than fingerprinting since a DNA sample can be collected with a simple Q-Tip swipe inside your cheek. That's certainly easier than giving blood, as would be the case in a drunk driving arrest.

The fact is that every criminal that's allowed to go free is another victory for the ACLU. They don't want people arrested and punished for their crimes. In the eyes of the ACLU, everyone is innocent all the time - unless of course you want to put a Christmas creche in a city park. In that case, you're the vilest of the vile.

Ask Not What You Can Do to Worship Me...

Sen. Ted (the swimmer) Kennedy has suggested that the University of Virginia spend $3.5 million on an oral history of...himself. Here's the Kerry Spot's take on this project:

My buddy Cam Edwards is not a fan of the University of Virginia's oral history project involving Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

Wonder if any of Mary Jo Kopechne's relatives will be interviewed.
Also, you've gotta love this.

Kennedy, who suggested the project and will raise money to cover its $3.5 million cost, will sit for 75 hours of talks with the center, which also plans to interview more than 100 of the veteran senator's former and current staff members, colleagues from both sides of the aisle, family, and other notable figures who have known him.

Who the heck says "Hey, you know what you guys need? You need to interview me for 75 hours and let me tell my story.


I must respectfully dissent from that assessment. Ted Kennedy’s life story is definitely worth intense study by historians. The story of how the Democratic party could go from the policies of John F. Kennedy — confident in projecting American military force, staunchly hawkish against communism, supporting tax cuts, an attempt to garner support from every corner of the country — to the policies of Ted Kennedy — dovish suspicion of U.S. military force, appeasement to communists and other threats, tax and spend liberalism, and a blue state elitism that writes off large chunks of the South and Midwest — is the story of how the Democrats shrunk from the majority party to the minority party in this country over the last 45 years.

(Of course, I don’t know if any University of Virginia researcher will actually ask about that.)

Secondly, if you ever get a chance to visit Kennedy’s office on Capitol Hill, do so. The walls are covered with four decades worth of political memorabilia, and photos of the senator with every major world leader during that period. He’s been the highest-profile face of American liberalism since at least the Carter years. I may not agree with the man, but there’s no denying his impact on his party or this country.

Air Force One and Marine One

I had the rare privilege today of seeing the President's two main aviation assets in person. The President visited Camp Pendleton after landing Air Force One at Miramar Naval Air Station. I was listening to the event live on radio when they announced that the Presidential party had departed Miramar in two helicopters for the trip to Pendleton. I was on I-5 just north of the airbase and watched Marine One and the accompanying press helicopter head past me on the way north to the Marine base. It's kind of a weird feeling to look up, see a Marine helicopter flying over, and realize that the President is on board.

Later as I headed north up I-15 to another appointment I got a brief glimpse of Air Force One which was still on the tarmac at Miramar. Even from a distance it's got to be the coolest looking plane on the planet. I'm still hoping for a ride in it one of these days.

Bob Shrum Dreams Big

This from OpinionJournal.com Political Diary:

"Let me be the first to call you Mr. President" -- campaign strategist Bob Shrum to John Kerry, as the early exit polls on election day suggested a Kerry victory, according to an account in San Francisco Chronicle.

He was also the last.

God's Gift to Republicans

DNC chief Terry McAuliffe is easily the most classless person in politics. He will take any opportunity, no matter how cheap a shot, to try and run down the GOP. I personally believes he deserves a great deal of credit for the Dem electoral disasters since 2000. Here's what he had to say today in a special statement commemorating the 63rd anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack (courtesy of the Washington Times):

The remembrance of Japan's 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor took on partisan political spin Tuesday with a Democrat leader using it to attack House Republicans.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, in a special Pearl Harbor Day statement, said national unity 63 years ago enabled Americans to go forward and defeat the country's enemies, but the same kind of unity needed now was being undermined by Republican disagreements over provisions of the yet-to-be-voted on intelligence reform bill.

"While we as a nation are united in this fight, there are clearly deep divisions within the Republican Party, divisions that are impeding our fight against terrorism," he said.

"Moving forward, it is my sincere hope that the Republicans running Washington will stop playing their political games and start fighting for the American people, just as our honored veterans did 63 years ago."

Intelligence reform arising from the Sept. 11. 2001, terror attacks on New York and Washington, was stalled in the House earlier this month over concern by some GOP leaders that provisions detailing intelligence authority could hamper military units getting real-time tactical information from spy satellites and aircraft.

New language appears to have assuaged those concerns and passage of intelligence reform could come this week.

Mainstream Media in Decline

Bill Bennett has a very insightful commentary on the decline of the mainstream media on RealClearPolitics.com. It's good reading, and right on the money.

Radical Environmentalists Strike Again

Yesterday more than 20 brand new homes were destroyed in Maryland in a coordinated attack by a radical environmental group (from the Washington Post):

A dozen empty houses in a new Maryland subdivision that is the focus of a long-running environmental dispute were destroyed and numerous others were damaged yesterday in what officials said were more than 20 coordinated, methodically planned arsons.

Why do all this damage? Again, from the WashPost:

Environmentalists assert that the houses will damage Araby Bog, a 6.5-acre wetlands area that is home to endangered insects and such rare plants as the halberd-leaved greenbrier and red milkweed. The bog filters rain and upwelling waters that feed into the nearby Mattawoman Creek and the Potomac.

Lord knows we don't have enough red milkweek or halberd-leaved greenbrier.

I had a church client of mine a few years back that wanted to build their new church on some property they had bought. One day the Pastor received a call from a local environut who told him that he shouldn't build on that property because it might be home to some endangered butterflies. I love the Pastor's response.

He asked the guy "What kind of birds eat those butterflies?"

Environut replied "Why would you want to know that?"

The Pastor's classic response "Because I'm going to buy me a couple of boxes and turn them loose out there to take care of this problem".

The church got built.

Christmas Lights Update

Christmas is an expensive time of year in our household, especially when I start getting ideas about new Christmas lights. You saw in a previous post our first efforts at lighting Casa de Holy Coast. Well, we've added a few things and I guess it's only right to update the photos (stop me before I string lights again!) (UPDATE: 2007).

Is Sen. Harry Reid Racist?

I hate seeing people throw around charges of racism, but you have to wonder what the motivation was behind the new Senate Minority Leader's blast at Justice Clarence Thomas this weekend on Meet the Press. Here's how James Taranto of Best of the Web reports on the exchange with Tim Russert:

For no apparent reason, Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democrats' new leader, is denouncing Justice Clarence Thomas. Here's an exchange from Tim Russert's interview with him on "Meet the Press" yesterday:

Russert: Let me turn to judicial nominations. Again, Harry Reid on National Public Radio, Nov. 19: "If they"--the Bush White House--"for example, gave us Clarence Thomas as chief justice, I personally feel that would be wrong. If they give us Antonin Scalia, that's a little different question. I may not agree with some of his opinions, but I agree with the brilliance of his mind."

Could you support Antonin Scalia to be chief justice of the Supreme Court?

Reid: If he can overcome the ethics problems that have arisen since he was selected as a justice of the Supreme Court. And those ethics problems--you've talked about them; every people talk--every reporter's talked about them in town--where he took trips that were probably not in keeping with the code of judicial ethics. So we have to get over this. I cannot dispute the fact, as I have said, that this is one smart guy. And I disagree with many of the results that he arrives at, but his reason for arriving at those results are very hard to dispute. So--

Russert: Why couldn't you accept Clarence Thomas?

Reid: I think that he has been an embarrassment to the Supreme Court. I think that his opinions are poorly written. I don't--I just don't think that he's done a good job as a Supreme Court justice.

Now, we haven't read Thomas's entire oeuvre, but we've read quite a few of his opinions, and we wouldn't describe any of them as "poorly written"--much less so poorly written as to make him "an embarrassment to the Supreme Court." (One of our favorite opinions of recent years is Thomas's dissent in Grutter v. Bollinger, the 2003 case upholding racial preferences in college admissions provided they're vague enough.)

It's a shame Russert didn't press Reid to name some Thomas opinions he considers to be poorly written. In the absence of such examples, one can't help but suspect that the new Senate Democratic leader is simply stereotyping Thomas as unintelligent because he is black.

Can you imagine the firestorm that would result if ANY Republican were to call ANY black Democrat an "embarrassment"?