Sergeant York

The Orange Revolution comes to the White House

2005-04-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

President George W. Bush talks with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in the Oval Office, Monday, April 4, 2005. White House photo by Eric Draper

Yesterday the Orange Revolution came to Washington, D.C., as President Viktor Yushchenko of the Ukraine met with President Bush. A video of their joint press conference is available here.

Excerpts from the two leaders' remarks are provided below. Although President Bush spoke first at the joint press conference, I have provided excerpts of President Yushchenko's remarks first below out of respect for the Ukrainian President. President Yushchenko still literally wears the scars from his election campaign against the corrupt, Putin-backed candidate, Viktor Yanukovych. Yanukovych - the former Ukrainian Prime Minister - apparently had Yushchenko poisoned with dioxin during the campaign. See here for some background.

President Bush and President Yushchenko shake hands after a press availability on Monday, April 4, 2005. The Ukrainian President and his wife visited the White House for the day. White House photo by Paul Morse

President Viktor Yushchenko:

* * *

Mr. President, dear American friends, for me, for my wife, it is a great honor and privilege to be received here in the White House and to hear the words that are addressed to my country, my nation, my homeland.

Our ideals are simple and eternal: We want democracy and freedom -- our apparent European aspirations, which we were discussing from the first days, many days before the Maidan events when me and my team went into the politics. This is my vision; this is the vision shared by my team. This is something that my father taught me.

The legacy that we inherited is a very difficult country; Ukraine, where the rule of law did not exist and human rights were not observed; where half of the national economy is a shadow. The humiliated profession of journalism, the journalists wanted to speak the truth and stood against the official power, they could pay dearly. Dearly -- I mean it -- they could pay their lives for it. We're talking about the country where the number one problem remains to be corruption. We're talking about the country where the huge problem remains the problem of poverty. We realize all those challenges. We realize that it's only -- the work that has to be done by the Ukrainian power will help cope with the problems that the country inherited.

However, it is very important, Mr. President, to feel that we have partners standing by, that we are not left in solitude in coping with these troubles. Our conversation began with my saying that, for Ukraine, it was a very long road to the Oval Office. I do appreciate the attention that you display and the words that you have said. And I would like to, once again, reiterate that the ideals of Ukraine are democracy, which we perceive as the priority of people's interests in political, economic and other areas of development. These are freedom of speech that are the oxygen for democracy, this is a market economy which grants equal rights to people, this is the reliable system of social guarantees that secure protection to the weak.

Shortly speaking, the ideals for the new Ukraine are the ideals shared by the Western civilization. I fully concur with my American colleague in his saying that the freedom is not the gift for America, this is the Godly gift.

* * *

President George W. Bush:

* * *

Thank you. It's an honor to stand with a courageous leader of a free Ukraine. Mr. President, you are a friend to our country and you are an inspiration to all who love liberty. Welcome to America, and we're pleased to welcome your wife, as well. We're looking forward to having lunch with you.

President George W. Bush gestures to Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko Monday, April 4, 2005, during a press availability at the White House.White House photo by Paul Morse President Yushchenko was the first head of state I called after my inaugural address. I told him that the Orange Revolution was a powerful example -- an example of democracy for people around the world. I was impressed, I know millions of my fellow citizens were impressed by the brave citizens who gathered in Kiev's Independence Square and rightly demanded that their voices be heard. It's an impressive moment, Mr. President, and an important moment. I've oftentimes told our fellow citizens that the world is changing, freedom is spreading -- and I use Ukraine as an example, along with Afghanistan and Iraq, about a changing world. A world, by the way, changing for the better, because we believe free societies will be peaceful societies.

Mr. President, I appreciate your vision. I want to thank you for our discussion we just had. We discussed a lot of matters. We talked about the neighborhood, of course. We talked about your commitment to fighting corruption; your deep desire to introduce principles of the marketplace in Ukraine. I told the President that our nation will stand by Ukraine as it strengthens law enforcement, as it fights corruption, as it promotes a free media and civil society organizations. To this end, I've asked Congress to provide $60 million for new funding to help you in your efforts, Mr. President.

* * *

For more on President Yushchenko's historic visit, see this post at the excellent Orange Ukraine weblog.

I see a long, friendly, and productive relationship for the Ukraine and the United States going forward. Best wishes to President Viktor Ukraine as he works to end corruption in his country and as he works to bring freedom of the press and other individual liberties to the long-suffering Ukrainian people.

President George W. Bush and Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko are joined at the podiums by first ladies Laura Bush and Kateryna Yushchenko on Monday, April 4, 2005, in the East Room of the White House. White House photo by Paul Morse

Some additional photos are available here.

Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan worked together to assist the Solidarity movement in the liberation of Communist Poland

2005-04-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan hold discussions at the Vatican

Via Newsmax:

* * *

After Archbishop Karol Wojtyla's rise to the papacy in 1978, he soon ignited a prairie fire for freedom in his native Poland.

The Russians had become unnerved by the discontent brewing in Poland, a nation that had remained a Soviet satellite since Russia "liberated" her from Nazi occupation after World War II.

As early as 1981, the Reagan administration had warned both Moscow and the Polish government against taking action against Poland's growing Solidarity movement.

When the Russians appeared to be on the brink of an invasion – similar to ones they had launched to crush freedom movements in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968, President Reagan's White House made clear the U.S. would not be acquiescent again.

* * *

June 7, 1982[:] . . . a private Vatican meeting [was held] between President Reagan and Pope John Paul II. The two men were alone for 50 minutes and the subject of their discussion was Poland and the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.

Writing in "The Holy Alliance, Ronald Reagan and John Paul II," one of the Pope's biographers, Carl Bernstein, described what happened: "Reagan and the Pope agreed to undertake a . . . campaign to hasten the dissolution of the communist empire … Richard Allen, Reagan's first National Security advisor [was quoted as declaring] ‘This was one of the great . . . alliances of all time.' "

* * *

In October of 1982, President Reagan took the first open step to exert pressure on Poland's Communist masters.

Following that government's outlawing of the Solidarity movement, which the Pope had publicly and covertly supported, Reagan suspended Poland's Most Favored Nation trading status, costing cash-strapped Poland some $6 billion a year in sales.

Solidarity was the weapon that the Pope and the U.S. would use to batter down the tyrannical Polish Communist government.

The trigger was an unemployed electrician, Lech Walesa, who had worked at the Gdansk shipyards. He was one of the leaders in a clash there in December 1970, was fired in 1976, and in 1980 became leader of the labor movement that became Solidarity.

Under the iron hand of the Communist regime, that movement could not survive on its own.

The mastermind of the U.S.-Vatican strategy was Reagan's CIA director, William J. Casey. A famous World War II spymaster and also a devout Catholic, Casey saw the Vatican as a secret conduit to supply the Solidarity movement with the financial resources it needed to survive and grow.

The clandestine U.S. support using the Vatican's Catholic network grew to $8 million a year during the mid 1980s. High tech communications equipment was smuggled in along with printing equipment, supplies, VCRs and freedom tapes.

Thanks to the Vatican's covert pipeline, over a seven year period 1,500 underground newspapers and journals and 2,400 books and pamphlets were circulated.

Using CIA supplied equipment Solidarity was even able to insert slogans and messages at breaks during soccer matches.

By 1988 Solidarity was strong enough to stage nationwide strikes in 1988 which forced the government to open a dialogue with it.

* * *

As Jesuit scholar Thomas J. Reese, S.J. has written, the Pope's "support of Solidarity in Poland began the avalanche that swept Communism from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union."

During Solidarity's years of confronting both Moscow and the Polish government the danger of armed Soviet intervention in Poland in the face of the growing anti-Communist movement was always present.

In the end, however, Soviet domination of Poland and Eastern Europe ended, along with the Soviet Union itself, without a shot being fired, thanks to the alliance between Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II – an alliance formed between two men who understood the evil nature of communism and knew how to bring it down.

* * *

Another staunch foe of Communism, The Right Honorable Baroness Margaret Thatcher, wrote moving eulogies for both Pope John Paul II and President Reagan.

Now we all need a Terry Schiavo bracelet: "If I'm incapacitated, I want to live!"

2005-03-27T20:15:00.000-08:00

Now we all need a Terry Schiavo bracelet: "If I'm incapacitated, I want to live!" (That used to go without saying.)

If my (soon-to-be) ex-spouse could pull the plug on me while I was incapaciated in the hospital ... she'd do it in a second. And she'd have me cremated quick - with no autopsy. Kind of like - well - you know who.

In the words of Mark Steyn:

* * *

Where do you go to get a living-will kit saying that in the event of a hideous accident I don't want to be put to death by a Florida judge or the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals? And, if you had such a living will, would any U.S. court recognize it?

* * *

During another Easter season, five years ago, the Clinton Administration and the INS rolled over the Florida State court system - to seize Elian Gonzalez (as opposed to today's non-seizure of Terry Schiavo) - in a way that would make today's Republican Congress and President blanch.

I'm off to order my "Let me live!" bracelet now...

Move over Brad & Jen. Britney Spears is knocked-up!

2005-03-24T19:11:00.000-08:00

Britney Spears is pregnant per the Las Vegas Review-Journal

The Las Vegas Review-Journal is reporting that Britney Spears is pregnant.

I kind of saw this coming...

Via the Drudge Report.

Seriously though - good luck to Brit.

National Health Care in practice: "If the person named on this computer-generated letter is deceased, please accept our sincere apologies."

2005-03-21T21:18:00.000-08:00

Socialized Medicine in Action: Canadians Face Long Waits for Health Care

Socialized health care in practice:

* * *

TORONTO [March 21, 2005]- A letter from the Moncton Hospital to a New Brunswick heart patient in need of an electrocardiogram said the appointment would be in three months. It added: "If the person named on this computer-generated letter is deceased, please accept our sincere apologies."

* * *

More from, of all places, the New York Times:

Full Hospitals Make Canadians Wait and Look South

* * *

MONTREAL, Jan. 15 [2000] - Dressed in her orchid pink bathrobe and blue velour slippers, douardine Boucher perched on her bed at Notre Dame Hospital here on Friday and recounted the story of her night: electric doors constantly opening and closing by her feet, cold drafts blowing across her head each time an ambulance arrived in the subzero weather, and a drug addict who started shouting at 2:30 a.m., "Untie me, untie me."

But as nurses hurried by on Friday morning, no one thought it remarkable that Ms. Boucher, a 58-year-old grandmother awaiting open heart surgery, had spent a rough night on a gurney in an emergency room hallway. After all, other hallways of this 3-year-old hospital were lined with 66 other patients lying quietly on temporary beds.

To explain overflowing hospitals here and across the nation, Canadian health officials are blaming the annual winter flu epidemic.

But, at the mention of flu, Daniel Brochu, the veteran head nurse here, gave a smirk and ran his pen down the patient list today: "Heart problem, infection problem, hypertension, dialysis, brain tumor, two cerebral hemorrhages." On Thursday, he said, crowding was so bad that he was able to admit one patient only after the ambulance crew agreed to leave its stretcher.

* * *

The siren song of socialism must be fought forever. This is because there will always be suckers who actually think they can get someting for nothing. And there will always be politicians who are willing to get those suckers' votes...

No National Health Care in America? That's just sad.

Via Fark, Yahoo News and The New York Times.

Speaking of health care ... here's more than you ever wanted to know about circumcision. Via Classical Values.

Jane Fonda: Moral Compass of the Vietnam Era Left

2005-03-19T17:56:00.000-08:00

Jane Fonda, moral compass of the Vietnam Era Left

While leading the anti-war movement with John Kerry, supporting the Communist Vietnamese, and helping American POW's get extra torture, Jane Fonda, moral exemplar, was also:

(1) having sexual threesomes with her French director husband, and

(2) "ceased eating except for crusts from his bread and rinds from his camembert."

Bob loses reason to smile as Feds raid Enzyte's headquarters

2005-03-19T17:42:00.000-08:00

Enzyte Bob loses his mojo

Smiling Bob - of Enzyte's ubiquitous commercials - just lost that loving feeling. The Feds have raided Enzyte's Cincinnati headquarters. Bob's little missus back at the clubhouse has gone looking for the golf pro.

Via Fark. Original Fark post, with comments, here.

Dino Rossi leads both Christine Gregoire and Maria Cantwell in latest Rassmussen poll

2005-02-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

Washington State gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi leads both his opponent, Christine Gregoire, and Washington State's U.S. Senator, Maria Cantwell, in a recent Rasmussen poll

A February 25 Rassmussen poll indicates that, in a survey of 500 likely voters about the 2006 Washington State U.S. Senate race, Dino Rossi attracts 47% of the vote to Maria Cantwell's 44%.

Overall, Rossi is viewed favorably by 55% of Washington's voters, while Cantwell is viewed favorably by just 54%. Further, gubernatorial candidate Christine Gregoire is viewed favorably by just 50% - and, remarkably, JUST 42% BELIEVE GREGOIRE LEGITIMATELY WON LAST NOVEMBER'S ELECTION!

Forty-four percent (44%) believe Rossi was the real winner! 15% of respondents indicated that the didn't know who won.

Stefen Sharkansky of Sound Politics predicts that soon-to-be Governor Rossi, by then in the middle of his second term, would be a very formidable challenger to Patty Murray in 2010.

Via Sound Politics and Polipundit.

Gallup Poll: Ronald Reagan is people's choice as greatest American President

2005-02-22T23:53:00.000-08:00

A Gallup Poll has found that Americans rate Ronald Reagan as the greatest American President in history

A Gallup Poll has found that Americans rate Ronald Reagan as the greatest American President in history. Via Editor and Publisher.

I highly recommend Reagan's autobiography, An American Life. It was a real page-turner - and I was continually amazed at Reagan's modesty and humility. That such a kind, gentle man could also be such a strong, pivotal world leader must be attributed to an inner strength - and strength of convictions.

Reading Reagan's autobiography - his life story in his own words - makes clear how silly and cartoonish were the criticisms he received from the liberals of Europe and America during his Presidency. Reagan was the "dumb" "unilateralist cowboy" of the liberals' caricatures in the 1980's. Such caricatures seem all too familiar today. Then, as now, liberals' response to strength and clarity was ad hominem attacks that said more about them than their target.

Fortunately, the 700 million people freed behind the old Iron Curtain know better - as do a new generation of Reagan admirers back home. (And the 50 million people now living in freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq will recognize George W. Bush as Reagan's true heir). Indeed, in a very real sense, the Presidency of George W. Bush would never have happened but for the trail blazed by Ronald Reagan.

Reagan was one of history's greatest advocates for freedom - and perhaps freedom's greatest champion. And yet he tells his life story with a gentleness and humility that astounds. His personal "city on a hill" was a humble adobe ranch house, in his beloved California mountains, which he helped build with his own hands.

The people's choice for greatest American President - Ronald Reagan - is the right choice.

Here are some other Reagan resources:

Images from President Ronald Reagan's funeral

Text of Margaret Thatcher's Eulogy for President Ronald Reagan

The Cheerful Cold Warrior: President Ronald Wilson Reagan, 1911 - 2004

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

Ronald Reagan Foundation

Young America's Foundation (saved and preserved President Reagan's Western White House, Rancho del Cielo, in 1998)

Reagan condolence book and tributes

President Ronald Reagan: Recipient - Presidential Medal of Freedom

The new Evil Empire: Global Terrorism -

Al Qaeda murderers behead innocent American civilian, Nick Berg, in or near Baghdad, Iraq on May 11, 2004.

The New Screaming Left ("NSL") Party

2005-02-05T13:50:00.000-08:00

The New Screaming Left ("NSL") Party: Juan Cole + Howard Dean = the vanguard of something new and nasty. A new political movement. The NSL.

NSL eminence grise, Juan Cole, provides a series of nasty ad hominem attacks against Jonah Goldberg in the true spirit of the New Screaming Left ("NSL") Party

Wonder what got this lefty to screamin' (this time)? Go read the rest of the story here, plus some more thoughts on the subject here.

Flexing its muscles, the NSL has taken control of a reeling Democratic Party, installing the NSL poster-boy, Howard Dean, as Chairmain of the DNC.

Howard Dean during his "I have a scream speech" - the touchstone moment (and scream) for The New Screaming Left ("NSL") Party

While were talking about the "I have a scream speech," my favorite Dean scream remixes are the ones with background music by Outkast and Ozzy Osbourne, but I digress.

Dean's DNC Chair selection has caused serious misgivings among non-NSL Democrats - and disbelieving joy among Republicans.

So - who will be celebrating at the Presidential Inauguration of January 2009 - Juan Cole and the NSL or Jonah Goldberg and the Republicans? With the DNC Dean selection, I believe the Democrats have laid the groundwork for more nasty, screaming commentary from Juan Cole - and from the rest of the NSL - four years hence. In short, the DNC Dean selection will work to the Republicans' benefit - as long as Bush and the GOP stick to their principles and plans, thereby reliably driving the NSL metrosexuals and other NSL Party faithful in apoplexies of white-knuckled, venom-spitting rage (see, again, the Dean photo, above).

The New Screamling Left (NSL) Party might consider making this their home page. Or this. Or this. See? The New Screaming Left ("NSL") Party. I wasn't kidding. To paraphrase Faber College's Dean Wormer: loud, vicious and full of hate is no way to go through life, son.

Meanwhile, the antithesis of the NSL, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice gets it right:

* * *

"There cannot be an absence of moral content in American foreign policy," she says. "Europeans giggle at this, but we are not European, we are American, and we have different principles."

* * *

Indeed, Condi. More like this, please.

The sad state of our national Ponzi Scheme known as "Social Security"

2005-01-26T16:24:00.000-08:00

See for yourself - click here:

Here's more on the infamous Charles Ponzi. Our "Social Security" system is exactly like a Ponzi Scheme in every way except that, when the government sets up a Ponzi Scheme, it's legal and everybody's scared not to say nice things about it.

The Reagan/Bush commitment to the cause of freedom. Plus: Instapundit writes one of his rare clunkers.

2005-01-20T21:17:00.000-08:00

"George W. Bush has done more to advance the cause of freedom in the world than any president since Ronald Reagan." PLUS: Instapundit writes one of his rare clunkers on Hillary's "sincere" religiosity. (Gag). Somebody give Dick Morris' number to the good professor.

An Inauguration for a politician who wasn't even elected? How can anyone listend to this stuff about "freedom" when ... I see dead people - dead people who voted for Christine Gregoire. More votes than voters you say? Is that wrong?

"George W. Bush has done more to advance the cause of freedom in the world than any president since Ronald Reagan. And like Reagan, the Left vilifies him for it."

Exactly so. Ronald Reagan liberated 170 million people behind the Iron Curtain. Now George W. Bush has liberated 50 million people in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Reagan/Bush commitment to advancing the cause of freedom has increasingly been mocked by a bitter, misguided Left - embodied in the brazenly mendacious Barbara Boxer and Harry Reid. Indeed, the Boxer/Reid disciples on the hard-left are painful to watch.

Nor will the Reagan/Bush commitment to the cause of freedom ever be appreciated - much less praised - by the hard-left shills posing as legacy media "reporters," such as Sarah Boxer and Faye Fiore. And let's not forget Lawrence O'Donnell.

The blogosphere's capacity to expose the bias and mendacity of the Left and its legacy-media echo-chamber never ceases to amaze.

Of course, the righty blogosphere has its falls from grace too. Even the normally sage Instapundit can let his strong desire for warm, fuzzy feelings of fairness and balance totally engulf his normally well-oiled faculties.

First he wrongly sees a legal/judicial/moral basis for gay marriage where there is none. (Scroll down to his MSNBC column of February 25, 2004). Plus, there's no way around the fact that judicially-imposed gay marriage must inevitably lead to judicially-imposed legal polygamy. Legislatures make laws - courts are only supposed to interpret pre-existing laws. In short, it's about who decides. In other words, if the courts make gay marriage legal, such a decision will have to be based on judicial logic that will make polygamy legal too, inevitably. (That is, if there's no rational basis to prevent man-man or woman-woman marriage, why is there a rationale to prevent man-man-man or woman-woman-woman marriage?) The states' legislatures can divvy things up finer than the courts - whose judgments have to be taken to their logical conclusions. That's the practical reason why strict constructionist policy - legislatures make laws, not courts - is the right policy.

Then Instapundit comes down on the "pro" side of cloning.

Now he falls for the latest transparent trickery of Hillary - her new-found "sincere" religiosity. (Vomit reflex being actively restrained). Dick Morris didn't fall for it: "Hillary hides her true self behind a 'HILLARY' brand that is chatty, charming, giggly, and warm - but is far from her true personality." Glenn should know better. Dick Morris has what lawyers like Glenn call "personal knowledge" - which is what you need in court if you're going to testify about something (as a fact witness).

I mean - really - what does Glenn need to see the obvious: a bright red(-state) neon sign over Hillary's head flashing "NOW POSITIONING MYSELF TO THE RIGHT IN ANTICIPATION OF THE 2008 GENERAL ELECTION"? Newsflash to Glenn: Hillary has a luxury that Kerry never had. Hillary doesn't have to pander to the Deaniac Left. The Deaniac Left will forgive Hillary any sin, any policy, with a wink and a nod, as they whisper among themselves: "She's just being smart." They'll get it - they'll APPROVE of Hillary's transparent feint to the right. But somehow Glenn doesn't.

Obvious (to me) predicion: Hillary will position herself to the right on many issues over the next 4 years - to help her win the general election in 2008 - because she knows that her path to the the Democrat Party nomination in 2008 will be strewn with roses - not criticisms. Indeed, her feints to the right will be praised by her adoring fans on the left as *genius*. And just to anticipate the credulous question from the person crawling out of a cave, who will inevitably pop-up and ask with a straight face: "couldn't Hillary actually BE conservative": please remember that ancient history (it was a whole ten years ago) when Hillary tried to steer us down the path of socialism for our health care system. The person promoting socialsim for a large percentage of the U.S. economy is really a conservative? Next thing you know Neil Kinnock will be running for President on the Constitution Party ticket. Sheez.

In truth, the above credulous person would be unknowingly half right. Hillary's not conservative - but she's probably not liberal either. She - like many politicians, but just to a different intensity - just wants power. If someone offered Hillary an iron-clad deal that she could be President if she (1) invaded Iran, (2) privatized 100% of Social Security, and (3) signed a gay marriage ban into the Constituion ... I doubt she'd bother to read the fine print before signing with glee.

(Indeed, Hillary could also come out in favor of (1) gay marriage, (2) cloning, and (3) faith-based programs ... and then create a blog called "Instapundt" - but I digress).

I am truly saddened as I can see now that a long series of transparent Hillary strategems will be praised by the left and swallowed whole by the right as "sincere." What's the use of all these wonderful "new media outlets" if a politician really CAN fool all the people all the time?

It always saddens me when Glenn, of all bloggers, totally misses the boat. Alas, I guess that's one of the reaons I keep up this humble little blog.

Indeed, sometimes I get the sense that Glenn is doing a "slow-motion David Brock" - such as the one that left us with the new Bush-hating incarnation of Andrew Sullivan. I sure hope not. (In fairness, Sullivan is still a great writer and still worth reading. It's just that his seemingly never-ending cheap shots at Bush make his blog almost unreadable.)

Hmmm. Maybe I should change my blog title to "InstapunditWatch." Nahhh. It's not that bad. Yet.

(And also, in fairnss to Glenn, he's still the best blogger out there - which is a fair accomplishment since there's now only about a zillion blogs. Glenn's unique combo of quality, quantity and yes, brevity, make him the most heavily-traffiked blog on the, er, Internets. It's just 'cause I like his blog so much that makes his posts on things like Hillary's "sincere" religiosity seem like such finger-nails on a chalkboard).

Via Captain's Quarters, Fraters Libertas, Patterico's Pontifications, and Instapundit.

An open letter to Jacques Chirac from a free Iraqi citizen who's had enough

2004-11-19T13:56:00.000-08:00

From an excellent Iraqi blogger, Iraq the Model:

* * *

You see, your problem [President Chirac] and what separate you from men like Tony Blair is that you look only for what you might gain, and again “you” is not the French people, but rather you in person and the bunch of hypocrites that so sadly control the French people and manipulate them through lies and silly arguments. You never cared what would happen to Iraqis and the rest of the world had Saddam stayed in power, while Tony Blair did. Do you know why? Because he and the British government with all the brave British people live in our world, while you don’t.

Stupid British! Why should they care for us, America or their own kids when they can do exactly like you; take advantage of America’s need, blackmail her, support Saddam without taking much risk and gain billions of dollars.

Stupid British! Haven’t they learned from WW2 when you got your country back and even decided the fate of other nations on victory even though half of you made peace with the Nazis!? You certainly don’t owe the British and the Americans anything for that, as it was just their own stupidity not to do the math and see how much would they gain. Their lands weren’t invaded and the Nazis were trying to make a peace with them, yet they refused and fought as hard as men and women can fight to free your country for you, so that your troops could march victoriously in Paris! And you dare say that the US doesn’t repay favors!??

* * *

Read the whole thing.

U.S. soldiers have found the Fallujah "training centre" for terrorist slime Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

2004-11-18T13:56:00.000-08:00

Here's the story from News24.com:

* * *

Fallujah - US troops sweeping through Fallujah on Thursday said they believe they have found a "training centre" for the insurgent group headed by Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

In video footage shot by an embedded CNN crew, soldiers walked through one imposing building with concrete columns with a large sign in Arabic on the wall reading "Al-Qaeda Organiation" and "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger."

Al-Zarqawi's group, al-Qaeda in Iraq, is considered the deadliest terrorist network in the country, held responsible for a string of deadly car bombings and gruesome kidnappings and beheadings of foreign hostages, including American Nicholas Berg.

* * *

Inside the building, US soldiers found documents, old computers, notebooks, photographs and copies of the Qu'ran.

The footage also showed that flight patterns were found for aircraft, along with plans and instructions for how to shoot them down.

There were also two letters inside the house, one from al-Zarqawi giving instructions to two of his lieutenants in the region. Another sought money and help from the terrorist leader.

Iraqi authorities have acknowledged that al-Zarqawi, along with other Fallujah insurgent leaders, escaped from the rebel bastion west of Baghdad where he was based.

In neighbouring Jordan, authorities detained al-Zarqawi's nephew near the Jordanian-Iraqi border, a distant relative and a clergyman close to the family said on Thursday.

* * *

Jordan has been trying to prevent Jordanians and other Arabs from slipping across its desert border to fight American troops in Iraq.

Al-Zarqawi is wanted by both Jordanian and American authorities.

The US has offered $25m for information leading to his capture.

His group recently announced its allegiance to al-Qaeda,

A Jordanian military court has sentenced al-Zarqawi to death in absentia for taking part in a terror conspiracy targeting Americans and Israelis in Jordan.

* * *

So where's the video CNN? Heck - where's the story? I'm sure video of alleged U.S. misdeeds would be promoted a lot more aggressively, to put it mildly.

And while you're at it, CNN - and the other legacy media - don't you have even one photograph or video of the terrorists' Fallujah slaughterhouses? What are you saving those for?

Here's the (somewhat irreverant) comments page on this story at fark.com.

THE PRESS IS HIDING THE SLAUGHTERHOUSES OF FALLUJAH

2004-11-18T02:39:00.000-08:00

Via JunkYardBlog:

* * *

In the age of mass media and instant news, if we don't see images of something how long will our memories of it last? Our troops fighting in Fallujah have reportedly discovered several slaughterhouses--places where terrorists killed innocent civilians in brutal, disgusting fashion--around the city. But have you seen any pictures of those slaughterhouses? I haven't, and I think it's important that we do. We need to see what our enemy has been doing that led to the fighting there. We need to see why the Marines needed to be sent into that hellhole. The terrorist butcheries are part of why we're fighting there.

Let's take a walk around the media, in vain search of pictures of the Fallujah slaughterhouses...

* * *

Read the whole thing.

Whenever an American soldier allegedly makes a mistake, we have lots of photos and even video. Surely imbedded reporters went into the terrorists' slaughterhouses too after the liberation of Fallujah. Where are the photos? Why are American journalists engaging in psy-ops for the enemy?

We need to see more films like "Buried in the Sand":

* * *

"Buried in the Sand directly counters some of the messages contrived by Michael Moore in Farenheit 9/11," says Executive Producer Rob Cartee, president of CYHL Pictures in Los Angeles, Calif., which produced the film. "Weapons of mass destruction nonwithstanding and regardless of nationality, religion or race, we can not bury our heads in the sand and ignore the type of gross inhumanities that have been committed in Iraq for decades. No matter how horrifying it is to watch, we need to see the truth in its entirety to fully comprehend and acknowledge what is essentially a Middle Eastern holocaust. Without question, it is the moral obligation of all nations in a position to do so to effect change."

* * *

Exclusive, Uncensored Footage of Atrocities Gives Rare Insight Why America Had ‘Moral Obligation’ to Invade Iraq. After viewing this DVD, Americans will soon have a far better understanding of why it was the United States’ unavoidable obligation to invade Iraq.

Buried in the Sand: The Deception of America takes an unflinching look at the atrocities at Abu Ghurayb prison in Iraq and across this sand-blown country. Never-before-seen footage obtained from American military personnel, Islamic extremists and other sources put a face – the face of someone’s parent, spouse, sibling or child – on the suffering, death and betrayal suffered by an entire society.

Buried in the Sand: The Deception of America is hosted by Mark Taylor, a 25-year radio veteran and nationally known political commentator who has been a frequent guest on such prominent and influential shows as The O’Reilly Factor, Hannity & Colmes and Politically Incorrect, as well as on MSNBC and CNN news broadcasts.

* * *

Regarding the U.S. Marine in Fallujah who shot a captured terrorist

2004-11-17T07:21:00.000-08:00

... "We should all remember that delivering a 'coup de grace' to a wounded combatant was what earned Kerry a Silver Star."

Via SondraK.

The background story is here.

A portion of the video is here. (Warning: the lead-in to the video is done by Matt Lauer - yuck). Matt Lauer couldn't hold this Marine's jock strap.

The raw video footage is here. (Look under "Television" on the left margin of the page).

The day before the incident, several Marines were killed by a booby-trapped terrorist body.

The Marine in question had been shot in the face the day before during heavy fighting in Fallujah.

Meanwhile, in the ACLU bad ideas department, the U.S. military has incredibly agreed to stop military bases from sponsoring the Boy Scouts. Get some cahones, Department of Defense lawyers!

If you would like to write to Secretary Rumsfeld, his address is:

Honorable Donald H. Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301

e-mail the Pentagon: information@whs.mil

Information on John Kerry's "heroism" resulting in his Silver Star is available here, here and here.

Greetings from Sergeant York

2004-11-16T18:25:00.000-08:00

This is my new spot on the blogosphere. I'll talk about U.S. military affairs. More to come...