The Truth About Iraq

This good news from the War on Terror is from CentCom:

Three years ago, there were virtually no security forces in Iraq. Today - Iraqis are standing up military and police forces that number over 300,000. In coming months, the Coalition and the Iraqi government will reach the goal of 325,000 trained and equipped force members.
Quality is improving with quantity. In April 2004, almost all Iraqi forces fled in the face of a militia uprising in Najaf. This August, when militia attacked an Iraqi Army outpost in Diwaniyah, the Iraqi army counterattacked and killed 50 militiamen in the ensuing battle. By the end of August, Iraq’s special-ops brigade, with U.S. combat advisers, had netted 1,320 detainees in 445 operations all over the country this year, including three senior militia leaders and 20 most-wanted individuals. This month, Iraqi forces provided a safe environment for more than four million Shiite pilgrims celebrating the birth of the 12th Imam. And it was Iraqi forces operating independently who recently captured a major Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Pay no mind to what you hear from the MSM. We are winning!

Bill Clinton Saves the World?

This bizarre article is from the UK Mirror:

In a speech as powerful as it was persuasive, preacher-man Bill Clinton declared not just Britain needed the Labour Party in government - but the world...And the Manchester conference crowd lapped it up as he urged them to get into the "future-business".
In words that would not have been out of place in the Arkansas churches where he first learned the power of oratory, he thundered: "The great promise of progressive politics in the end is that we really do believe our common humanity is more important than our differences."
At that moment he became warrior and missionary, his faith helping the poor, his battle-plan to end global injustice.
Since quitting the White House six years ago, Bill Clinton has dedicated himself to making the world a better place.
He founded the Clinton Foundation, a charity whose ambitions include battling to halt climate change, stamping out poverty and disease, and "racial, ethnic and religious reconciliation".
No longer forced to pander to narrow interests of US voters, Clinton has taken up cudgels on behalf of world citizenry.

In my opinion, the first requirement of any Savior is he must tell the truth, something Father Clinton has a little trouble with.

Clinton's Revisionist History

Appears the former president got a few details wrong in his recent interview with Chris Wallace, according to Richard Miniter:

In his Fox interview, Clinton said "no one knew that al-Qa'ida existed" in October 1993 during the tragic events in Somalia. False. Clinton's national security adviser, Tony Lake, told me that he learned of bin Laden in 1993 and by 1994 regularly briefed the president on the terrorist...

In 1994, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (who would later plan the 9/11 attacks) launched Operation Bojinka to down 11 planes simultaneously over the Pacific, killing about 3000 people. A sharp-eyed Filipina police officer foiled the plot. The sole American response: increased law-enforcement co-operation with the Philippines.
In 1995, al-Qa'ida detonated a 100kg car bomb outside the US military's Office of the Program Manager in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killing five Americans and wounding 60 more. The FBI was sent in.
In 1996, al-Qa'ida bombed the barracks of American pilots patrolling the "no-fly zones" over Iraq, killing 19. Again, the FBI went in.
In 1997, bin Laden repeatedly declared war on the Western world. In February 1997, bin Laden told an Arab television network: "If someone can kill an American soldier, it is better than wasting time on other matters." Clinton did not respond.
In 1998, al-Qa'ida simultaneously attacked US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 people including 12 American diplomats.

And so on. In my own opinion, no one's to blame for 9/11 but Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda cronies, but Clinton does the legacy he's so obsessed over a disservice by denying mistakes.

Media's Disproportionate Response

Excellent video from Honest Reporting on Media bias and inaccuracies in the recent Lebanon Conflict.

Senate OKs Detainee Bill

Another boost for President Bush and America, from NewsMax:

The Senate on Thursday endorsed President Bush's plans to prosecute and interrogate terror suspects, all but sealing congressional approval for legislation that Republicans intend to use on the campaign trail to assert their toughness on terrorism.
The 65-34 vote means the bill could reach the president's desk by week's end. The House passed nearly identical legislation on Wednesday and was expected to approve the Senate bill on Friday, sending it on to the White House.

Hmmm. Wonder if he'll sign it? You know how he loves that Veto! (Ha Ha).

Here's what one Democrat had to say:

There is no question that the rush to pass this bill — which is the product of secret negotiations with the White House — is about serving a political agenda," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

Typical. They can't stand it!

How Liberals Fight Terrorism

They promote an Al Qaeda Bill of Rights, more concerned with protecting terrorists than the American people. From the NY Times:

Republicans say Congress must act right now to create procedures for charging and trying terrorists — because the men accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks are available for trial. That’s pure propaganda. Those men could have been tried and convicted long ago, but President Bush chose not to. He held them in illegal detention, had them questioned in ways that will make real trials very hard, and invented a transparently illegal system of kangaroo courts to convict them...
Last week, the White House and three Republican senators announced a terrible deal on this legislation that gave Mr. Bush most of what he wanted, including a blanket waiver for crimes Americans may have committed in the service of his antiterrorism policies. Then Vice President Dick Cheney and his willing lawmakers rewrote the rest of the measure so that it would give Mr. Bush the power to jail pretty much anyone he wants for as long as he wants without charging them, to unilaterally reinterpret the Geneva Conventions, to authorize what normal people consider torture, and to deny justice to hundreds of men captured in error.

Cut-N-Run Democrats

Bush is out swinging on the campaign trail for his party:

The NIE I quoted earlier says this about Iraq. It said, "Perceived jihadist success there," in Iraq, "would inspire more fighters to continue the struggle elsewhere. It also says that "Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight."
Democrats in Washington have been quoting the NIE a lot in recent days, but you don't hear them quoting that part of the document...

Five years after 9/11, the worst attack on American homeland in our history, the Democrats offer nothing but criticism and obstruction, and endless second-guessing. The party of FDR and the party of Harry Truman has become the party of cut-and-run.

What's sad is the Dems just can't see the drastic change that has occured in their own Party, even as recently as the Kennedy administration.

Fox Faith

Glenn Beck and a guest were making fun of this website for Christian Entertainment on his TV show the other day. Maybe Glenn is running with the wrong crowd over at CNN.

Real War Links

True stories of our Fighting Forces the MSM won't tell:

Corpsman Helps Build Trust with Iraqis.

America Supports You: Performers S.T.A.N.D. for Troops.

Navy Strike Group Contributing to Iraq, Afghanistan Security.

Polish Troops To Make Up Bulk Of Afghan Reinforcements: Nato.

Battle for Baghdad Update. From Bill Roggio.

"Loss of Anbar' Greatly Exaggerated. Also from Bill.

Soldier hit by anti-tank mine praises up-armor.

Iraqi Soldiers Detain 90 Terrorists.

Iraqi Troops More Effective Every Day, General Says.

Proud of my country and those who guard it.

Soldier's Passion for helping children.

Al Qaeda in Iraq is "Weak"

This according Attyia al-Jaza’ri (the Algeria), which was addressed to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, before the latter's death, in a recently translated letter:

I am now on a visit to them and I am writing you this letter as I am with them, and they have some comments about some of your circumstances... They wish that they had a way to talk to you and advise you, and to guide and instruct you; however, they too are occupied with vicious enemies here. They are also weak, and we ask God that He strengthen them and mend their fractures. They have many of their own problems, but they are people of reason, experience, and sound, beneficial knowledge.

Seems like our President, our brave troops, and the terrorists all believe Al Qaeda is losing in Iraq, with the CIA and Democrats feeling the opposite. Who would you trust?

Launching of USS Freedom

Photos from Navy News, and check out this video.

MiLinks

Air Force plans aerial tanker award in 2007. Bigger than an AirBus!

Precision Projectile Hits Moving Tank. Plink one T-72!

South Korea Develops Cruise Missile. Cheaper than NK ballitic missiles, but equally deadly, maybe more so.

Army to Test Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle. Take that Arab oil!

Mighty F-35 Lightning 2 Engine Roars To Life. Most thrust ever from a fighter.

Navy Slashes Aviation Budget. So they can pay for new aircraft carriers, no doubt.

"Extreme Range" Cruise Missile Pondered. Maybe as a bomber replacement?

Drones, Blimps Lose Out in Border War. Boeing says no!

Sri Lankan Navy Sinks 11 Tamil Tiger Ships. Truly a "Global" War on Terror.

Israel Navy eyeing new US warship. Everyone wants an LCS!

Newest Iranian PT Boat. Article taken with a grain of salt.

First Littoral Combat Ship Christened. Cool launching!

German warships head to Lebanon. Should Israel be worried?

Blair in Honorable Company

This is the title of my latest article in Opeds.com:

Whatever Blair’s political future, he has already joined a noble British fellowship by rejecting the appeasement of tyrants. It was former Prime Minister Winston Churchill who mobilized not only his own country against the dire menace of Nazism in the 1930’s and 40’s, but through feverish diplomacy convinced the isolationist Americans the rightness of his cause. As the US military might increased during the war, Britain relinquished its role of world leadership. With the conflict almost won in July 1945, Churchill’s Conservative Party was defeated in elections. The man who only a few years earlier guided his nation through the Battle of Britain and gained the world’s admiration, was out of office.

Another British Conservative, Margaret Thatcher, later restored her Party to power in 1979. The new Prime Minister was a fervent anti-communist, believed in free trade and small government. In 1982, she restored the reputation of the armed forces in the Falklands War, and her economic policy halted decades of British industrial decline. In 1990, she gave spine to the elder Bush’s defiance of Saddam Hussein, encouraging him, “not the go wobbly”.

Iraq Critics "Naive"

At todays press conference with President Karzai of Aghanistan, Bush respnds to the same reporter's question mentioned below:

I, of course, read the key judgments on the NIE. I agree with their conclusion that because of our successes against the leadership of al Qaeda, the enemy is becoming more diffuse and independent. I'm not surprised the enemy is exploiting the situation in Iraq and using it as a propaganda tool to try to recruit more people to their -- to their murderous ways.
Some people have guessed what's in the report and have concluded that going into Iraq was a mistake. I strongly disagree. I think it's naive. I think it's a mistake for people to believe that going on the offense against people that want to do harm to the American people makes us less safe. The terrorists fight us in Iraq for a reason: They want to try to stop a young democracy from developing, just like they're trying to fight another young democracy in Afghanistan. And they use it as a recruitment tool, because they understand the stakes. They understand what will happen to them when we defeat them in Iraq.

And on partisan leakers:

Now, you know what's interesting about the NIE -- it was a intelligence report done last April. As I understand, the conclusions -- the evidence on the conclusions reached was stopped being gathered on February -- at the end of February. And here we are, coming down the stretch in an election campaign, and it's on the front page of your newspapers. Isn't that interesting? Somebody has taken it upon themselves to leak classified information for political purposes.

Take that Clinton. You're not the only one who can wag your finger at the press!

Karzai Shames Press Corps

If they have any shame left. This in response to a reporter question on the leaked NIE that Iraq is breeding terrorists worldwide:

...terrorism was hurting us way before Iraq or September 11th. The President mentioned some examples of it. These extremist forces were killing people in Afghanistan and around for years, closing schools, burning mosques, killing children, uprooting vineyards, with vine trees, grapes hanging on them, forcing populations to poverty and misery.
They came to America on September 11th, but they were attacking you before September 11th in other parts of the world. We are a witness in Afghanistan to what they are and how they can hurt. You are a witness in New York. Do you forget people jumping off the 80th floor or 70th floor when the planes hit them? Can you imagine what it will be for a man or a woman to jump off that high? Who did that? And where are they now? And how do we fight them, how do we get rid of them, other than going after them? Should we wait for them to come and kill us again?

I'm afraid many Americans have forgotten how they felt that way, but the liberal elite forgot first!

Here is the video from Hot Air.

Brits Scratch Terrorist

Won't have to worry about jailing this one:

British forces shot and killed a leading al-Qaida terrorist Monday more than a year after he embarrassed the U.S. military by making an unprecedented escape from a maximum security military prison in Afghanistan, officials said.
Omar al-Farouq was gunned down after he opened fire on British forces during a raid on his home in Basra, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad, British forces spokesman Maj. Charlie Burbridge said...Al-Farouq and three other al-Qaida suspects escaped from Bagram, in central Afghanistan, in July 2005, but the Pentagon waited until November to confirm his escape. The delay upset Indonesia, which had arrested al-Farouq in 2002 and turned him over to the United States.

Too bad Supreme Court.

Bill Clinton, meet Captain Queeg

This is hilarious, as the American Thinker makes comparison with Clinton's Fox News interview, and a character from a classic film The Caine Mutiny:

Watching Bill Clinton on Fox News Sunday reminded me of the scene from The Caine Mutiny when Humphrey Bogart, playing Captain Queeg, was on the witness stand. The captain, after being relieved of command by his First Mate because he panicked during a storm at sea, began his testimony in a calm and controlled manner.
Soon, however, when the questions began to get tougher, Queeg showed signs of stress and began blaming everyone else for his actions. He reached into his pocket and removed a few steel balls, which he rotated in one hand as he struggled to come up with responses to the probe.

And finishes with:

He disgraced himself and his office by sticking that same finger in the face of the American people and lying when he said:
“I want you to listen to me. I did not have sex with that woman, Monica Lewinsky.”
Now, he wants to blame everyone else for his failure to protect the security of this nation because of his failure to keep his pants on.

If only Clinton had went after Bin Laden as vigorously as he attacked "right wingers" on the program.

Is Iraq Breeding Terror?

There is a slight grain of truth in this latest attack on the war effort in Iraq. The Conflict is embolding terrorists in the same way it is galvanizing Democrats on the same issue. For the first time in decades, liberals have an issue which appeals to their supporters, after dramatic declines since the 70’s. Democrats see Iraq as another Vietnam, which is odd since their decline as a Party can be directly traced to that debacle, the only time the US ever lost a war. They paint Bush as another Richard Nixon (Bush lied and people died) and Rumsfeld as McNamara. Yet, this easy comparison fails to give a complete picture. Just as terrorist numbers have risen, so has the world’s response to the long ignored threat strengthened enormously. Many nations such as Britain and America now commit their entire military and intelligence resources against Al Qaeda, once only seen as a police matter. In Iraq there are now 300,000 native military troops consigned as a vast anti-insurgency force, in addition to 150,000 US troops. Though, the liberal dominated Media and Democrats may conspire to lose another war as they once did in Vietnam, it is self-defeating for America will never trust a Party weak on National Security.

Fake Democrats

I was wondering why the Dems were attacking Chavez over his Bush bashing UN tirade. Just wouldn't have anything to do with November right? From the American Thinker:

There is something very incongruent about the Democrats’ condemnations of Hugo Chavez. Coming from the leftists they are, they make too much sense to be taken at face value. Their reaction is driven by the same motives that undergirded their posturing just after 9/11. They also spoke well then, but they did not speak from the heart. As now, elections were fast approaching and they badly needed to appear patriotic. It did not last then, and it won’t last now.

Good. I thought it was just me.

Refighting the Indian Wars

Yet another War on Terror comparison to an historical conflict, this one by James Atticus Bowden:

 

Our Indian Wars were a fight between American Civilization and many sub-cultures of Indian nations. They started in 1607 and ended in 1890. 283 years. That's the kind of war we are in now. American Civilization had a Magnificent Destiny to spread the American 'Empire' across a continent. The Indian cultures (they hadn't risen to civilizations yet), based on a Neolithic culture was so barbarian that Indians are referred to as 'savages' in our Declaration of Independence. Indian tribes and American Civilization could not co-exist in the same place and time.

Today, our Munificent Destiny is to protect the golden goose of capitalism and flame of freedom in our country and the Allies of the Willing. Our imperial responsibilities without imperial ambitions are to maintain zones of peace and security – which may become zones of prosperity and freedom. Unlike occupying a continent, our mission is to keep the Islamists out of our continent. Also, the U.S. must attack and destroy the Islamists on a case by case basis. Containing them in the Muslim world is vital until, and if, Muslims have their own Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment, and, maybe, Great Awakenings. Or, until they convert to Christianity. This is a mission for decades, if not centuries.

I get this. We use force to tame an uncivilized culture. This time, not just a continent is at stake but the world.

 

http://www.opinioneditorials.com/guestcontributors/jbowden_20060915.html

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Aircraft Carrier Vs. Cruise Missile 10

This is from a blog article entitled Nuclear Weapon Doctrine of India:

ii) End of Carrier Age
SINKING THE US SEVENTH FLEET: Technology exists that would allow Indian Navy, by using missiles, satellite sensors, powerful munitions and nuclear nukes, to sink the US carrier fleets and their support vessels. The US led revolution in precision weapons allows the United States to engage and defeat much larger air forces and land forces. The revolution in precision weapons would also allow India to deny the United States to project its forces across the oceans and supply and sustain them there. Since the revolution in precision weapons makes this impossible, then the United States, which initiated the revolution in military warfare, will turn out to the net strategic loser. Nuclear India should deploy US precision munition technology to sink US carrier fleets in the times of war. It is in the geopolitical interest of India to use smart tactical nuclear weapons to deny the Maritime powers of United States and Britain the control of the seas. Smart weapons can destroy the maritime economic infrastructure by sinking merchant ships.

THREAT OF INTELLIGENT ANTI-SHIP PROJECTILES: The threat posed by faster and more efficient projectiles, whose launch sites neither can be located nor destroyed, imposes a tremendous defensive burden on the US carrier fleets. The fiendishly expensive US Navy's Aegis ship-defense system, is designed to destroy every incoming projectile. As the sinking of the USS Stark demonstrated when an Iraqi Mirage attacked it without a warning, a single error would result in catastrophe. This necessitates the diversion of greater and greater resources for the primary naval offensive mission to the task of ship self-defense. The revolution in smart weapons is pushing carrier battle groups, the foundation of the American maritime power, towards geopolitical senility. The cost of merely keeping alive the carrier battle groups will undermine the general capacity of the US Navy to carry out its global strategic offensive missions. Indian nuclear weapons doctrine advocates the preemptive use of tactical nuclear weapons against hostile aircraft carriers after the declaration of war. Smart tactical nuclear weapons make carrier battle group's geopolitical dinosaurs. No sensible US president should ever dispatch the Seventh Fleet to Bay of Bengal on a hostile mission.

http://my.opera.com/kalkitv/blog/show.dml/456360

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Liberal's Pushing us Into War

Listen to the "War Scare's" coming from the liberal media these days. So certain are they we are headed to war with Iran that they are already reporting ship movements in the Gulf. This one is from the Nation:

As reports circulate of a sharp debate within the White House over possible US military action against Iran and its nuclear enrichment facilities, The Nation has learned that the Bush Administration and the Pentagon have issued orders for a major "strike group" of ships, including the nuclear aircraft carrier Eisenhower as well as a cruiser, destroyer, frigate, submarine escort and supply ship, to head for the Persian Gulf, just off Iran's western coast. This information follows a report in the current issue of Time magazine, both online and in print, that a group of ships capable of mining harbors has received orders to be ready to sail for the Persian Gulf by October 1.

Liberals love to get us into war, then are the first to jump on the anti-war bandwagon. Whatever gets them ratings.

"Increasingly Popular" Iraq Conflict

As reported by Free Frank Warner:

One poll last week (Sept. 12-13) found that 51 percent of Americans back “the U.S. war in Iraq.” That’s the first majority for the war since October 2003. A slightly newer (Sept. 15-17) poll showed that, for the first time since last December, less than a majority of Americans believe the Iraq war was a mistake.
In other words, our role in the Iraq war is increasingly popular.

Thanks to Murdoc for the tip.

Stop Appeasing Terrorists!

I'm siding with Ann Coulter and common sense here:

The belief that we can impress the enemy with our magnanimity is an idea that just won't die. It's worse than the idea that paying welfare recipients benefits won't discourage them from working. (Some tiny minority might still seek work.) It's worse than the idea that taxes can be raised endlessly without reducing tax receipts. (As the Laffer Curve illustrates, at some point -- a point this country will never reach -- taxes could theoretically be cut so much that tax revenues would decline.)
But being nice to enemies is an idea that has never worked, no matter how many times liberals make us do it. It didn't work with the Soviet Union, Imperial Japan, Hitler or the North Vietnamese -- enemies notable for being more civilized than the Islamic savages we are at war with today.
By the way, how did the Geneva Conventions work out for McCain at the Hanoi Hilton?

All the good the Conventions have done is to protect America's enemies from recieving justice due.

Living Without the UN

Matt Towery says its time for something better:

On Wednesday, our president -- and "our" includes Americans who do and don't like him -- was verbally assaulted before the United Nations General Assembly in a manner more befitting a wrestling match than what is supposed to be a solemn gathering of the world's nation-states.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez insulted President Bush by saying "the Devil was here yesterday," and "it smells of sulfur still today."
That's right. This dictatorial brute came to our own New York City and spat in the face of our president...Chavez's comments are symptomatic of something predicted by the late diplomat and international policy expert George Kennan in his 1949 memo to the State Department about the UN and its relationship to the world of foreign policy. The 1980's British book "The Rise of the International Organisation" notes Kennan's "doubts about the role of the Assembly as a new 'theater of diplomatic operations.'"
Kennan's concerns were rooted in his belief that the interests and influence of smaller nations, including the dubious validity of some states' claims to equal sovereign status, would create a fragile foundation for the United Nations as a viable international organization.

While we're at it, time to boycott CITGO!

Catholic Nun Forgave Attacker

Shortly before her murder by Muslims, who were upset the Pope called their religion "violent". From Catholic News:

Sister Leonella, the Italian nun who was shot to death outside a Somali hospital this week in an attack speculated to have been a reaction to Pope Benedict's controversial remarks on Islam forgave her attackers with her dying breaths, witnesses say."I forgive, I forgive," she whispered in her native Italian just before she died Sunday in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, Rev Maloba Wesonga said at her memorial mass in Nairobi yesterday, according to an Associated Press report.Born Rosa Sgorbati, Sr Leonella, 65, who had lived and worked in Kenya and Somalia for 38 years used to joke there was a bullet with her name engraved on it in Somalia.

We can forgive too, but lets not forget who were the perpetrators: Islamic Extremists who proved the Pope right.

MiLinks

Newest UAV Named Reaper. It's an upgraded Predator.

P-3 Orion to Counter-IED. Flying up high where its safe.

Newest Arleigh Burke Destroyer Named USS Gravely.

Chinese warships visit San Diego. Just returned from Hawaii.

Last Cruise of the USS Dolphin. The Navy's last deisel sub, for now.

Iraq Navy To Buy Italian Patrol Vessels. Democracy's newest fleet!

USS Raven Assists Iranian Vessel. With very little thanks, no doubt.

Congress Speeds Submarine Procurement. From one to two per year.

Shipyard Reducing the Cost of Subs. From almost $3 to $2 billion. Some savings.

A Breakthrough In Armor Protection. Called Shield-all

Tests Of Extended Range 'Smart' Bombs.

A better way to buy. Canada speeds up weapons procurement.

Writing The Path to 9/11

The screenplay author Cyrus Nowrasteh tells of his ordeal getting the film onscreen:

It would have been good to be able to report due diligence on the part of those who judged the film, the ones who held forth on it before watching a moment of it. Instead, in the rush to judgment, and the effort to portray the series as the work of a right-wing zealot, much was made of my "friendship" with Rush Limbaugh (a connection limited to two social encounters), but nothing of any acquaintance with well-known names on the other side of the political spectrum. No reference to Abby Mann, for instance, with whom I worked on "10,000 Black Men Named George" (whose hero is an African-American communist) or Oliver Stone, producer of "The Day Reagan Was Shot," a film I wrote and directed. Clearly, those enraged that a film would criticize the Clinton administration's antiterrorism policies--though critical of its successor as well--were willing to embrace only one scenario: The writer was a conservative hatchetman.

In July a reporter asked if I had ever been ethnically profiled. I happily replied, "No." I can no longer say that. The L.A. Times, for one, characterized me by race, religion, ethnicity, country-of-origin and political leanings--wrongly on four of five counts. To them I was an Iranian-American politically conservative Muslim. It is perhaps irrelevant in our brave new world of journalism that I was born in Boulder, Colo. I am not a Muslim or practitioner of any religion, nor am I a political conservative. What am I? I am, most devoutly, an American. I asked the reporter if this kind of labeling was a new policy for the paper. He had no response.

Read the whole gripping story.

How Liberals Fight Terrorism

They deny the threat of Muslim Extremism, according to the very liberal Sam Harris, the author of "The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason." :

This may seem like frank acquiescence to the charge that "liberals are soft on terrorism." It is, and they are...At its most extreme, liberal denial has found expression in a growing subculture of conspiracy theorists who believe that the atrocities of 9/11 were orchestrated by our own government. A nationwide poll conducted by the Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University found that more than a third of Americans suspect that the federal government "assisted in the 9/11 terrorist attacks or took no action to stop them so the United States could go to war in the Middle East;" 16% believe that the twin towers collapsed not because fully-fueled passenger jets smashed into them but because agents of the Bush administration had secretly rigged them to explode. Such an astonishing eruption of masochistic unreason could well mark the decline of liberalism, if not the decline of Western civilization...

While liberals should be the ones pointing the way beyond this Iron Age madness, they are rendering themselves increasingly irrelevant. Being generally reasonable and tolerant of diversity, liberals should be especially sensitive to the dangers of religious literalism. But they aren't.

The "Religion of Peace" Strikes Back

John Burtis has mobilized the English language against Muslim hypocrisy in his new article:

...pity poor Sister Leonella Sgorbati, a 38-year-veteran of East Africa's most poverty stricken areas, who had served in Somalia for the past five, bringing her good deeds to the world's poorest. She ran afoul of the great Muslim outpouring of grief and shock over the Pope's speech and caught a quick four bullets or so in the back for being a woman of the same cloth, who worships the same God as Benedict.
But such is modern Islam. The slightest hint of an insult results in a plethora of fatwas calling for outright murder and, of course, the follow on death of as many innocents as can be piled up for the photo-shop enhanced photos streaming from the stringers paid by the AP, Reuters, and, of course, the New York Times.
And not to be out done, the news networks, led by that crenellated Katie Couric, will discuss the unpleasantries associated with those of us who dare disturb the religion of peace...

Such is our world today: Evil is good and the truth is taboo.

Losing the New Patriotism

A lost opportunity immediately following the September 11 attacks on the Pentagon and Worlds Trade Center in 2001, was to take advantage of the �New Patriotism� prevalent in the US. A brief window of national pride was open to mobilize the country for war on a scale compared to post-Pearl Harbor America in World War 2. Instead, our leaders continued the same faulty policy of limited war, as practiced by the Cold War generation. This strategy laid the war-making burden on the shoulders of a small number of Americans, mainly the military and their families, while the bulk of the nation conducted business as usual. Feeling they had no stake in the war, Americans soon wearied of it no matter the rightness of the cause, as occurred in Korea, Vietnam, and often threatens the conduct of the Iraq conflict. In anticipation of the 2004 elections in the US, Andrei Cherny, a key aid in the impending presidential campaign of Senator John Kerry, understood well the short attention span of many Americans. While searching for a theme for his candidate to run on, Cherny hit upon an idea that would trump George Bush on National Security. He would demand for all citizens to sacrifice in the War on Terror, rather than just a few. Young people would be subject to mandatory national service via a draft. Automakers would be required to raise fuel efficiency standards and an aggressive energy program would take place to end our dependence on Mid East oil. Finally, the most astounding move Kerry would make was to call on Ivy League colleges, such as his own alma mater Yale, to restart ROTC training on their campuses, which many abandoned during the Vietnam War. When Cherny fininished his presentation to Kerry, the Senator and most of his staff rejected the New Patriotism. Dumbfounded at this rebuff of what he was sure top anything the Republicans proposed, the author asked Kerry what he would stand for during the election campaign? In the midst of a global war with Islamic Fascism and so soon after the loss of 3000 civilians on American soil, the soon-to-be Democratic nominee answered: �Early education and child care�.

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How Liberals Fight Terrorism

National Security is the least of their concerns, according to the Washington Post:

(House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's) opening statement covered a full range of Democratic issues: fiscal responsibility. The minimum wage. The trade deficit. Student loans. Health care. Energy independence. Social Security. Medicare.
Then came the questions. "This is now the third election in a row in which they've raised security issues just before the election," the first questioner said of the Republicans. "Why won't it work for them a third time?"
"We won't be Swift-boated on the national security issue," the minority leader maintained.
"As you know," came the follow-up, Republicans "are citing past votes by you and other Democrats."
Pelosi was defensive. "I have five children," she said. "Five grandchildren, going on six. And I consider myself the ultimate security mom." By way of clarification, she felt compelled to add: "Democrats are committed to hunting down Osama bin Laden."
A third questioner pointed out that Republicans have regained the lead on national security. "This is what, I guess, campaigns will be about," Pelosi conceded with some reluctance. "It shouldn't be about national security."

What Did You Do This Summer?

This is an excellent photo gallery of our brave troops in action, put together by Murdoc Online. Highly recommended!

Kenyans Celebrate New School

Thanks to the efforts of US troops, among others. From CentCom:

LAMU, Kenya – An explosion of color and sound celebrated the dedication of the new Mokowe Secondary School, which was built in cooperation between the Kenyan government, the U.S. Embassy and the Civil Affairs Team, part of the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa.
Local residents, waving small American and Kenyan flags, erupted in traditional songs and dances, accompanied by drumming. Drummers used plastic containers, metal plates, as well as conventional drums....

“We appreciate what the American government has donated to the community, which approximates 21 million Kenyan Shillings,” said Abdi Juano, chairman of the Mokowe Secondary School.
“This is once again another big and commendable project undertaken by the government of the United States of America through its local embassy and Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa,” said Omar Mohamed Famau, chairman of the county council of Lamu. “Education has always been the key to development of any nation and this is a big step towards development of Lamu and our county.”
“Allow me to thank the American people for their tireless efforts in assisting Lamu people in various development activities since 2003. We request this continues,” Famau said.

Attack the Pope, Not Terrorism

Pope Benedict XVI is now apologizing for remarks he made criticizing Islam for promoting violence:

In Tuesday's speech the Pope quoted a 14th Century Christian emperor who said the Prophet Muhammad had brought the world only "evil and inhuman" things.
The remarks prompted protests from Muslims around the world.
The Holy Father is very sorry that some passages of his speech may have sounded offensive to the sensibilities of Muslim believers.
Political and religious leaders in Muslim countries criticised the remarks and called for the pontiff to make a personal apology.

I'm often offended when innocent women and children are killed by the followers of Islam. Where's my apology?!

Protecting Terrorists From Justice

James Taranto has some interesting thoughts on Republican resistance to Bush's detainee trials and the Geneva Convention:

The argument is that unless we interpret the Geneva Convention as providing maximal protections to terrorists, our enemies will mistreat U.S. soldiers in their captivity. Assume for the sake of argument that this is true. If the restrictions on interrogations that Powell and McCain advocate result in another 9/11, then they will have sacrificed the lives of women and children in order to protect soldiers. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?
Further, McCain's personal experiences--which lead people to be skittish about criticizing him on this subject--actually argue against his position. As a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, McCain suffered actual, brutal torture--not just aggressive questioning of the sort that the Bush administration seeks to legalize. America's adherence to the Geneva Conventions did not protect McCain--even though he, unlike the al Qaeda detainees, was a legitimate prisoner of war; and Hanoi, unlike al Qaeda, had ratified the Geneva Conventions and thus was legally bound by them.

Looking at history, the Geneva Convention has done little to protect American POWs from maltreatment by our enemies, including the Japanese, Germans, and the communists. I believe its all about the West taking the moral high ground, which has done little good in defending our citizens.

Bush's Predictions

As Reported by Cal Thomas:

I asked him if he thinks Democrats will win a majority in Congress in the November election. "I don't think they're going to win," he said. "I don't believe they'll win it, because I believe that these elections will come down to two things: one, firm belief that in order to win the war on terror there must be a comprehensive strategy that recognizes this war is being fought on more than one front; and, two, the economy." ... That view was endorsed by a top White House strategist, who forecasts a postelection spread of 52-48 or 53-47 in the Senate, with Republicans maintaining their majority, and a loss of eight to 12 seats in the House, but with the GOP still in charge. With the president's approval numbers slowly rising to the mid-40s, the strategist says all Republicans need is a couple more points to be OK. The strategist, who spoke at an off-the-record lunch, predicted Hillary Clinton will get the Democratic nomination in 2008 and will run against a very good Republican.

Is our President clairvoyant? I hope so!

What Democrats Really Believe

This should get them elected this fall (Not!), from Lorie Byrd:

Some of the positions Democrats in Congress have taken on issues of national security have been politically harmful, but high profile celebrities closely identified with the Democratic party have also provided plenty of ammunition to the GOP. Earlier this week, actually the day after September 11, Rosie O’Donnell made the comment that, “radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America." Appearing on The O’Reilly Factor to discuss Rosie’s statement, Democratic strategist Laura Schwartz admitted that the comment was shocking and that it would likely reflect badly on Democrats and could hurt them at the polls.
Later on the same O’Reilly show, Arianna Huffington was asked about the Iraqi Kurds’ ad thanking America for freeing them. Huffington said it was propaganda and that the situation of the Kurds had not changed at all since America invaded Iraq. When O’Reilly pointed out that under Saddam’s regime the Kurds were brutally persecuted, Huffington’s response was “So what.”

Good way to get people to like you, by bashing their religion and calling our troops failures.

Save the battlewagons!

This is the title of Oliver North's latest column:

During the 1981-1988 Iran-Iraq War, the Ayatollahs running Tehran decided the best way to influence the outcome of the conflict was to attack Western oil tankers transiting the Persian Gulf -- through which passes 20 percent of the world's oil. The United States responded by beefing up the 5th Fleet -- and deploying the USS Iowa. The battleship's captain, Larry Sequist, described the effectiveness of the 45,000-ton armored behemoth: "When we would sail the Iowa down the Strait of Hormuz, all southern Iran would go quiet. Iran's Revolutionary Guards were steaming around in boats with rockets, shooting at ships. When we arrived, all of that stuff stopped."

These awesome vessels are very old, and very expensive to maintain, in an era where the Navy is struggling with falling ship numbers. Plus, there is the added danger of Irans stock of cruise missiles, probably supplied from China and Russia. That said, I do believe some form of naval show of force is required to make Iran see we mean business in the Persian gulf, as Reagan proved numerous times in his administration.

Why They Hate Us

Terrorist and dictators are easy to understand. They hate us because of our love for freedom and our aggressive policy of spreading American ideals to the world’s long-suffering people. Liberal Democrats are much more complicated; who you think would join President Bush in this endeavor to spread equal rights to women and minorities, as well as helping the poor and encouraging religious freedoms. Instead, liberals in America and socialists democracies in Europe attack and demean the President at every turn. The reason of course is because Bush is not attacking countries specifically, but oppressive regimes and governments, and this is where liberals and conservatives part company. To the Left the government is sacred above all else, even individuality and liberty. This is why Democrats can sympathize with oppressive dictators such as Saddam, Hugo Chavez, and Fidel Castro, because they are fellow laborers in the struggle for socialism and secularism. They can appear on TV with such evil men, praising their stand against “Evil America”, while ignoring the abject poverty and repression of the average citizens by these very rulers.

Meanwhile, the downtrodden and oppressed love America, our freedoms, and way of life. Take for example, the people of Iraq, who spontaneously burst into celebration at the fall of their long-time oppressor, Saddam Hussein. Meanwhile, Liberal Democrats, preparing for the 2004 elections, began calling it “an illegal war”, and claimed Bush lied to get us into Iraq. Liberals are actually for war, as long as it starts from the inside and works its way out. This is why it’s so easy for them to support deranged war protestors such as Cindy Sheehan or filmmaker Michael Moore. As long as leftists attack a conservative government, it is an oppressed people rising up against their dictators. But when a conservative president launches war against another socialist, he is a “warmonger” and “like Hitler” in attacking a weaker power. Americans are in danger of losing support of the worlds oppressed, such as the long-suffering masses in Iran and North Korea, especially if we abandon Iraq to the Islamic fascists. While liberals were dancing in the streets over 30 years ago at the fall of Saigon, another spike was nailed into the coffin of liberty. We must not allow this tragedy of history to occur again.

Judge Denies Mother's Tears

This shocking story is from CNN:

Nicoletta Dosso was the first person to come upon the bloody crime scene where her children, Frank Dosso, 35, and Diane Patisso, 28, were shot to death....Dressed from head to toe in black, the grieving mother had barely taken her seat in the witness box Tuesday before she began stifling sobs while family members and friends sat red-eyed in the gallery holding tissue boxes.
The emotional display prompted a swift response from lawyers representing the defendant, Nelson Serrano, who faces the death penalty if convicted of four counts of first-degree murder...

Circuit Judge Susan Roberts agreed that an emotional display would unfairly bias the jurors against the defendant, and issued a stern warning to the prosecutor and, indirectly, to the witness and her family.

Just as shocking is CNN reporting this, who usually side with liberal court judges on inane rulings.

It's the Left's Fault!

Democrats like to blame Bush for our MidEast woes, as well as why so many world-wide are anti-American. A new book called The Enemy at Home places the blame squarely on Liberals:

(author Dinesh) D’Souza shows that liberals—people like Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Barney Frank, Bill Moyers, and Michael Moore—are responsible for fostering a culture that angers and repulses not just Muslim countries but also traditional and religious societies around the world. Their outspoken opposition to American foreign policy—including the way the Bush administration is conducting the war on terror—contributes to the growing hostility, encouraging people both at home and abroad to blame America for the problems of the world. He argues that it is not our exercise of freedom that enrages our enemies, but our abuse of that freedom—from the sexual liberty of women to the support of gay marriage, birth control, and no-fault divorce, to the aggressive exportation of our vulgar, licentious popular culture.

I totally agree with this theory. Just listen to some of the jihadists reasoning for hating us and you often come up with the term "moral corruption". This is why America needs to pray.

Thanks to James Taranto for the tip!

House Praises Bush on 9/11

With some Democrats backing it, says the Washington Times:

The House of Representatives, despite objections by Democrats, yesterday approved a resolution recognizing those killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks and praising the USA Patriot Act and other Republican-crafted security measures implemented since..."To me, and I think to most Americans, after five years of security and success, a lapse in our resolve is unthinkable," said House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert. "Victory is not yet assured, and victory without resolve is impossible." The Illinois Republican said the resolution sends a signal to America's enemies: "We will never forget, and we will never surrender."

...Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California urged her Democratic colleagues to vote for the measure in spite of the objections.

Good to hear something positive coming from Congress these days.

Democrats in the Twilight Zone

All the while "playing politics", according to the witty pen of John Burtis:

Every Republican in Congress and every speech given by President Bush must be interrupted with the surety of a referee tossing a flag after a late hit or for roughing the passer -- "You're playing politics" - as if politics can be somehow removed from the very halls of a Congress once ruled the same Democratic horde, whose similarities to Ghengis Khan resemble those Mr. John Kerry once so painfully and artfully ascribed to our military before this same insipid multitude's brilliant ancestors.
No, the Democrats, who are never known to play at politics in their continual, crass, and malodorous verbal and written attacks against Mr. Bush, the Republicans, America, honest people, the few remaining tax payers, the law abiding, debt-free, pay as you go Christian folk, are Simon pure in this regard. And being so, are always ready to cast a ready, "You're playing politics" at anyone showing the slightest bit of support for Mr. Bush, the war against the purveyors of Islamist terror, and the like.

As John says, how can you not play politics in Washington!

How Liberals Fight Terrorism

They refuse to acknowledge the face of the enemy. From FoxNews:

Sen. Russ Feingold Fires at Bush for Use of Phrase 'Islamic Fascists'

Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold called on President Bush to refrain from using the phrase "Islamic fascists," saying it was offensive to Muslims and has nothing to do with global terrorists fighting the United States.
"We must avoid using misleading and offensive terms that link Islam with those who subvert this great religion or who distort its teachings to justify terrorist activities," Feingold said Tuesday in a speech to the Arab American Institute on Capitol Hill.
The Wisconsin senator, a potential 2008 presidential candidate, said the label "Islamic fascists" makes no sense and doesn't help the U.S. effort to combat terrorism.

As if 9/11 never happened.

Republicans Choose Quantity over Quality

They are more interested in keeping Congress than reforming it. This is from the Washington Times:

Sen. Lincoln Chafee, with the backing of the national Republican Party, last night secured a solid victory over conservative Republican challenger Stephen Laffey in the most closely watched race on a night when nine states and the District held primaries. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, the liberal Mr. Chafee had 34,042 votes, or 54 percent, to 29,431 votes (46 percent) for Mr. Laffey, the Cranston mayor who was backed by the free-market advocacy group Club for Growth...

"Chafee, to me, is a Democrat in a Republican jacket," said 37-year-old Michael Camardo of Cranston, who supported Mr. Laffey. Mr. Camardo said Mr. Chafee probably has a better chance of winning in November, but added, "I have to vote my conscience." But Mr. Chafee, known for his maverick stands against President Bush and his party, retains support in this Democratic state where most voters register as independent -- known locally as "unaffiliated."

Actually, it was quality on issues which gained them the Congress in 1994. Remember the Contract With America? Then they attack Katherine Harris in Florida who saved theirs and the country's butts in 2000. Reluctantly I quote something a liberal said "They came to change Washington, and Washinton changed them".

MiLinks

France Tests Europe's First Long-Endurance Surveillance Drone. So they can stay far away from trouble!

Joint Common Missile Gets New Life. Raised from the dead!

Cruise Missiles Get Lethal. America finally gets a supersonic cruise missile with RATTLRS.

Air Force Plans JSF Cuts. Will any get built?

9/11 Photo Gallery. Never forget!

Israel praises UAV abilities in Lebanon. They really won, you know!

How 9/11 changed the Army. And the world!

Israel Upgrades BMD Plans. I've a feeling they're going to need an upgrade.

Brown Water Team Trains for Iraq. The new swift boaties get serious!

Marines Fight to Keep Battleships. Leathernecks versus the beauracracy.

First Lady Commissions USS Texas.

Fire On Russian Nuclear Submarine Kills Two. Getting to be a habit.

Marines Want LCS. Are they starting their own fleet?

Chinese warships visit Pearl Harbor. Hope they aren't making plans.

Israel Lifts Naval Blockade. Terrorist breath a sigh of relief.

State of the Russian Surface Fleet. It isn't good.

A Force for Good

Don Rumsfeld discussing America, 9/11, and the War on Terror:

As I recently mentioned in remarks to the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, everyone is watching: the enemies, their supporters, their potential supporters, our allies and our potential allies. In this very public battle for hearts and minds, we must be as confident in the rightness of our cause as the enemy is in its evil purpose. We cannot allow the world to forget that America, though imperfect, is a force for good in the world.

One of the heroes of that dark but glorious period in American history.

Remembering the Heroes

Our soldiers on the frontlines remember the 5th Anniversary of 9/11:

BAGHDAD — Iraqi and Coalition troops, fighting for freedom and democracy, today remembered the heroes and victims from five years ago.
Nearly 3,000 men, women, and children died at the hands of al-Qaida terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.
It was a reminder why many Coalition servicemembers stand on foreign ground today.
U.S. forces involved in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom are ensuring the safety of American soil from terrorist attacks, and securing the freedom of millions of Iraqi and Afghani citizens.
The U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, said during a Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony that people should remember the victims and heroes of that day.

And in turn we remember our troops in prayer!

Air Force Times Troop-hating?

This astounding story is reported by Judi McLeod:

Air Force Times journalists have made it clear that they don't bother with news releases from "somebody on the right" who is "supporting the troops".
When the Sacramento Bee comes out with an "expose" against Move America Forward on the fifth anniversary of 9/11, what's their motive?

...The answer should startle millions of readers, some of whom are parents and spouses of American troops serving in the War Against Terror.
The Sacramento Bee belongs to the same family as The Air Force Times, which is part of the Military Times Media Group that also owns the Space News and Federal Times-owned by the Gannett Company since 1997.
Gannett's largest single shareholder is PCM, or Private Capital Management. PCM is owned by Legg Mason. Legg Mason is owned by AllianceBernstein, the mutual fund company that is in turn owned by AXA, the French insurance giant implicated in the United Nations Oil-for-Food controversy and run by "the godfather of French Capitalism" Claude BeBear.

Thats a mouthful! I've read the Navy Times for years and it is often critical of the military and the Bush administration, so this doesn't surprise me.

Thanks to John Burtis for the tip!

President's Address

The President spoke to the nation last night, on the 5th Anniversary of the September 11 attacks, in what I consider a stirring and defiant speech. Bush boldly included Iraq in his speech because:

The answer is that the regime of Saddam Hussein was a clear threat. My administration, the Congress, and the United Nations saw the threat -- and after 9/11, Saddam's regime posed a risk that the world could not afford to take. The world is safer because Saddam Hussein is no longer in power...Al Qaeda and other extremists from across the world have come to Iraq to stop the rise of a free society in the heart of the Middle East. They have joined the remnants of Saddam's regime and other armed groups to foment sectarian violence and drive us out.

My favorite part was:

One of the strongest weapons in our arsenal is the power of freedom. The terrorists fear freedom as much as they do our firepower. They are thrown into panic at the sight of an old man pulling the election lever, girls enrolling in schools, or families worshiping God in their own traditions. They know that given a choice, people will choose freedom over their extremist ideology. So their answer is to deny people this choice by raging against the forces of freedom and moderation. This struggle has been called a clash of civilizations. In truth, it is a struggle for civilization.

What an awesome and inspiring speech! Despite the efforts of his Many critics on the Left and in the Media who sought to bring Bush down at the nation's expense, he's still the same as 5 years ago.

ABC Defies Democrat Censors

All honor and praise to ABC for defying the status quo with the broadcast of the mini-series The Path to 9/11. Despite threats from a former president, Democrats in Congress, and the Left-wing blogoshpere, the network had the courage to stand for free speech in a politically correct medium. Thanks as well to Democrats for showing their true colors in an election year. Often accusing Bush and Republicans for stifling free speech, with their bizarre attack on this movie it is the Left who have overplayed their hand by attacking dissent.

According to critics of The Path to 9/11, the basic premise was President Clinton asleep at the wheel to the terrorist threat during most of his administration. This may be true, but if he was distracted, it was not just by Monica Lewinsky, as the film implies, but also war-torn Yugoslavia, North Korea, Israel-Palestine, and especially SADDAM HUSSEIN. Amnesiacrats often forget they too once considered the Iraqi leader a menace to world peace, so much as to launch a cruise missile strike in 1993, and a major four-day bombing campaign in 1998.

Bill Clinton might be justified in complaining about the film if it portrayed him in an untruthful light. However, the disproportionate response by Democrats demanding changes by ABC bordered on attacking free speech. Sen. Harry Reid literally threatened the TV Network’s broadcast license, a strange move by a Party so obsessed with individual rights. The Clinton’s attack on a US corporation violated free speech and needs to be investigated by the Attorney General in my view.

Clinton Admits Losing bin Laden

Bill and Hillary caught on tape taking the blame, at least this time, for losing the instigator of 9/11. From NewsMax.com.

Exploring the Macon

NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program is leading the effort to survey the wreck of one of the Navy's lost airships:

The 785-foot USS Macon, a U.S. Navy "dirigible," and its four Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk aircraft were lost on February 12, 1935, during severe weather offshore of Point Sur, Calif., on a routine flight from the Channel Islands to its home base at Moffett Field. The wreckage of the USS Macon provides an opportunity to study the relatively undisturbed archaeological remnants of a unique period of U.S. aviation history.

I've written on these unique vessels in America's Flying Aircraft Carriers.

Who's Responsible for 9/11?

He is! Never forget.

Who Will Win?

Kenneth Silber answers skeptics who say America can't win the Long War, as we did the Cold War:

1. The terrorists are divided.
2. Terrorism creates a backlash.
3. Terrorist sponsors are vulnerable.
4. Terrorists depend on foreign technology.
5. Oil revenue is the terrorists' lifeline.

For details of each reason, see the article. That last fascinates me the most. A naval blockade of the Middle East could make short work of terrorism around the world

Never Forget 9/11 2001-2006

Dems Disproportionate Response to 9/11 Film

Austin Bay discusses Sen. Harry Reid's recent letter to ABC/Disney:

Where are “the usual voices” screaming about free speech and protection of civil rights?
The Hollywood docudrama shoe is usually stuck on a Republican foot, with Oilver Stone or Michael Moore or PBS or CBS (or you-name-it) producing a flick that paints conservatives in a terrible light. Republican and conservative complaints are dsimissed as crabbed kvetching...Clinton Administration exes have devoted a lot of time and effort to masking or deflecting their own culpability(with 9/11). Their media pals have helped them promote their “political narrative.” This movie, however, appears to be a challenge to that narrative.

Read the letter. Democrats are threatening to pull ABC's license over an admittedly fictionalized film. If this isn't an attack on our freedoms, I don't know what is. I hope the network sticks to its guns and dare the Democrats to try, but it probably won't happen.

This Site provides links to contact ABC, or go here.

ABC Caves in to Democrat Censors

This is from the Washington Times:

ABC Television continues to make changes to its miniseries "The Path to 9/11," after a barrage of criticism from former Clinton administration officials. "No one has seen the final version of the film, because the editing process is not yet complete, so criticisms of ... specifics are premature and irresponsible," ABC said in a statement yesterday. The statement was the network's first official confirmation that the version shown at a press event in Washington a few days ago -- and distributed in DVD format to hundreds of reporters and TV reviewers -- is not the one that will air Sunday and Monday. The ABC statement gave no details about what changes might be made. The move follows complaints to Robert Iger, chairman of ABC parent company Disney, from former President Bill Clinton and two senior officials from his administration, criticizing the film's portrayal of their efforts to capture or kill al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Democrats want the truth about Iraq, but not about 9/11. Actually, liberals are intent on rewriting history to suit themselves.

Pentagon Wish List

This list is from the Heritage Oranization on Lessons from Lebanon and includes:

• Countering the Rocket Threat-with energy-directed weapons.
• Knowing More Than the Enemy-more submarines for intelligence.
• Winning on the Ground-by empowering soldiers.

Might I also add more UAVs which were essential for Israel in the short conflict.

France: The Mouse is Roaring

France is belatedly stepping up to the plate in Lebanon, and doing some damage control to its image:

The French foreign minister on Thursday announced a series of subtle changes to his country's foreign policy designed in part to give Paris a louder voice in world affairs, such as Sudan's troubled Darfur region.
At a wide-ranging news conference, Philippe Douste-Blazy announced plans for a new French naval role off Lebanon and signaled a possible easing in his country's insistence that Iran halt uranium enrichment before agreeing to new talks with the Islamic regime over its contested nuclear program...
France's navy has two frigates and a transport ship in the eastern Mediterranean and is beefing up its role in a United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon from 400 to 2,000 soldiers.
"Once again, France has stepped up in a crisis," Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin told parliament, where a wide spectrum of lawmakers supports aid for Lebanon. "It has taken its responsibilities, it has known how to make its voice heard."

They may be some help, if they actually detain their friends the Iranians from sending arms into the region.

When America went on the offensive

Austin Bay on 9/11 Five years on:

September 11 revealed a heroic America, with the pinnacle of heroism the self-sacrifice of Flight 93. The passengers on Flight 93 confronted the hijackers. Passengers learned their jetliner had become a terrorist ICBM, and they counterattacked. Flight 93 crashed, but it did not strike its ground target. Flight 93's counterattack is the moment al Qaeda's luck began to sour. That's the moment America went on the offensive, against al Qaeda and the dysfunctional political systems that helped create it.

And the offensive continues in Iraq:

American-led offensive action has also taken the war to its source: the politically dysfunctional Middle East. That's by design. A terrible yin-yang of tyranny and terror afflicts the Middle East. Defeatist hotheads who natter about "root causes of terror" must understand the taproot of terror is tyranny, not poverty. Iraq's free elections and its new democratic government -- by design -- offer an alternative to the tyrants' and the terrorists' violent dynamic. September 11 was an "asymmetric" terror attack on a "conventional" America. Iraq is "asymmetric" offensive political action led by America, an offensive designed to empower Middle Eastern societies that will police terror, not promote it.

Thanks Austin, for reminding us what we're fighting for.

How the Poles Will Defeat Iran

We made The Quill Pen Ten again, with this article.

"Four Horsemen" in Iraq

This story is from Military.com:

The Soldiers call themselves the Four Horsemen as they barrel down roads with nicknames like "The Widowmaker," staying alert through the night on a mix of Mountain Dew, Red Bull and adrenaline, hoping to find roadside bombs before the bombs find them.
"There's always some out there. There's a threat every night," said Sgt. Brian Parker, 36, of Mankato, Minn., part of a four-Humvee convoy escort team based at Camp Adder, about 200 miles southwest of Baghdad.
Guarding convoys remains one of the most dangerous assignments in Iraq despite billions of dollars spent armoring Humvees and developing equipment to detect and evade bombs. Insurgents constantly use new ways to hit the troops on their long supply routes, and the Soldiers struggle to keep pace with the changing threat.
In keeping with their biblical Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse theme, the Soldiers' Humvees are named War, Death, Famine and Pestilence. "You mean I'm riding with Death?" asked a truck driver they were protecting.

Democrats Great Late Summer Offensive

As reported by John Burtis:

First, the whole mountain of frauds, sheet pullings, and manufactured innuendoes in the Valerie Plame case were finally laid to rest, when the idiocy of the entire affair was shown to be nothing more than a sheer political witch hunt, motivated by a base prevaricator, abetted the bandicoots in the press, and carried out by a prosecutor who knew all along that the whole thing was a humbug.
And the Democrats were suddenly forced to "put the whole thing behind them," with the complete denouement of this three-year assault on the Presidency, replete with mea culpas being issued from the very newspapers who had egged the likes of a calumniating Chuck Schumer along.
Still reeling from the collapse of this last and greatest attack of all time on President Bush, last Sunday Rick Santorum, awakening from what was earlier called a Democratic statewide cake walk of incredible proportions, trounced Bob "Huckabuck" Casey unmercifully in a debate on Tim Russert's Meet the Press....
Then, the great late summer offensive on Donald Rumsfeld's position began to falter, while under the brilliant generalship of such notable field commanders as Joltin' Joe Biden of Delaware.

I'm sure they aren't throwing in the towel yet. Expect much "fake but accurate" news from the MSM.

Democrats Attempt Censor of 9/11 Film

They are all for Freedom of Speech, except when it paints liberals in a bad light. This is from the Washington Post:

Top officials of the Clinton administration have launched a preemptive strike against an ABC-TV "docudrama," slated to air Sunday and Monday, that they say includes made-up scenes depicting them as undermining attempts to kill Osama bin Laden.
Former secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright called one scene involving her "false and defamatory." Former national security adviser Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger said the film "flagrantly misrepresents my personal actions." And former White House aide Bruce R. Lindsey, who now heads the William J. Clinton Foundation, said: "It is unconscionable to mislead the American public about one of the most horrendous tragedies our country has ever known."

He should have said that about the 9/11 Commission Report. James Taranto of Opinion Journal adds:

...one wishes the Clinton people had been as aggressive in defending the nation from bin Laden as they now are in defending their own reputations.

Democrats and Terrorists Agree!

This article from the Washington Post reveals former Iranian President and terrorist supporter using Democratic talking points. First the President:

On the eve of his first trip to Washington, former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami warned that U.S. military action in the Middle East has backfired, producing greater terrorism, imperiling the future of Iraq and damaging America's long-term interests.

And the from the Democrats:

Democrats sought to cast the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq as a disastrous diversion from the war on terrorism and said other threats, from North Korea to Iran, have grown more dangerous under Bush and the Republican-led Congress.

Its plain to see what kind of allies the Dems say Bush alienated at the start of the war in Iraq, and who they would reach out to.

Plus, Blogs for Bush says "the Democrats have been helping Al Qaeda in their propaganda."

How Liberals Fight Terrorism

On the Eve of 9/11, a liberal college welcomes a former Iranian dictator, while that country is busy cracking down on liberal academia:

Iran to rid universities of liberalism
Iran's hard-line president urged students Tuesday to push for a purge of liberal and secular university teachers, another sign of his determination to strengthen Islamic fundamentalism in the country.
With his call echoing the rhetoric of the nation's 1979 Islamic revolution, Ahmadinejad appears determined to remake Iran by reviving the fundamentalist goals pursued under the republic's late founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...
Speaking to a group of students Tuesday, Ahmadinejad called on them to pressure his administration to keep driving out moderate instructors, a process that began earlier this year.
Dozens of liberal university professors and teachers were sent into retirement this year after Ahmadinejad's administration, sparking strong protests from students, named the first cleric to head Teheran University.

World's Smallest Aircraft Carrier

This neat training ship belongs to the US Navy.

MiLinks

Japan Looking to Expand Missile Defense & Military Spending. Anybody is Asia worried?

No Frills F-22 Raptor for US Allies. Why not build a no-frills fighter for the US, one we can afford?

U.S. test missile hits a Korean bull's-eye. You win some, you lose some.

Army Recieves Stryker Mobile Gun System. The future of landwar.

Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System for Littoral Combat Ship. Fires the Precision Attack Missile.

High Cost may Slow F-22 Raptor. Maybe we need a no-frills version.

The democratization of cruise missile technology. Like the AK-47 was to the Cold War, the cruise missile is today.

Israel Wants to Jam Satellites. Anything to stop Al-Jazeer.

Russian Navy Gets stealth gunboat. Their whole fleet is stealthy: it disaapeared in the last 10 years.

Israeli Navy was warned. They just wouldn't listen.

Japan launches sixth Aegis warship. Six and counting.

Iranian Submarine Launched Missiles. So we're told.

The Navy’s Smallest ‘Aircraft Carrier’. Pilots have to start somewhere.

Five Italian warships to Lebanon.

Captain Glenn Ford, USNR (Ret.) Rest in Peace!

New Anti-Terror Strategy

The White House has an updated Terrorism Strategy posted. It sounds like more of the same, which is a good thing since the strategy is working. The Bush I hear talking today about taking the war to the enemy is the same fiery and determined Bush I heard on September 11, 2001 and afterwards, and it is such a relief!

Democrats Target Rumsfeld

Yeah, this strategy really worked for them in the past:

US Democrats on Monday stepped up pressure on President George W. Bush to sack Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ahead of legislative elections in November. With Congress returning this week from a month-long holiday, the effort was spearheaded by US Senator Barbara Boxer, who announced plans to offer an amendment to a defense spending bill calling on the president to immediately appoint a new secretary of defense.
Her move comes as opposition Democrats expressed outrage over comments last week by Rumsfeld which compared critics of US Iraq policy to Nazi appeasers, saying they fail to understand the fascist nature of Islamic terrorism.

Kinda reminds me of the battles on the Western Front during World War One. The Allies couldn't figure out how to defeat the Germans, save for those suicidal frontal assaults against machine guns, where millions were slaughtered. They eventually won, after America entered the war, but lost their former influence and great power status. The Democrats have very little left to lose.

The World is a Battlefield

Frank Salvato says Bush should keeping talking about Iraq:

In Dick Morris’s recent column he states that the GOP and President Bush should discontinue anymore discussion on Iraq and start hammering on the larger issues of the war on Islamofascism and national security. He states, “Bush doesn't need to reverse course on Iraq. He doesn't need to pull out the troops and send them home. He doesn't even need to set a timetable for withdrawal. But he does have to stop talking about Iraq...”What many on both sides of the ideological spectrum fail to see – and it is astounding when one can refer to Dick Morris and Cindy Sheehan as being in the same group, anywhere, at any time – is that in the war against Islamofascism, it is better to dictate where the battlefields will be than to have their locations dictated to you.

It all about the offensive. If Democrats were in charge of the war, we'd be fighting the terrorist here, as in pre-9/11.

Hollywood Prepares for November

John Burtis, as only he can, describes how the Liberals are preparing for the upcoming elections:

The call came in late Saturday from a former LA Sheriff's deputy I used to work with.
"John, "he said, "The Hollywood types are really stocking up on Islamic regalia, getting ready for November it seems. The prayer rugs, Keffiyehs, shawls, burkhas and such are just flying off the shelves at the trendy boutiques."

...And, of course, Islam, as the Hollywooders and every Democrat who'll pull a lever in November know, Islam is all about peace, which is demonstrated every day in Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Philippines, London, Spain, airliners, in Jewish centers worldwide, in al-Qaeda messages, on al-Jazeera, in Bali, in Australia, in Israel, and almost anywhere you look -- yep, Islam is just doggone deathly peaceful.

It pays to be ignorant prepared!