Mark Steyn clears it all up here

Quote of the Century (so far):

History is on the march and the anti-Bush crowd is holding the telescope the wrong way round. - - - - - Mark Steyn

Cancel all the disgusting political ads and speeches, cancel the commentary. Mark Steyn (A Canadian) has said it all in 17 words.

His article here is a complete and devastating case against Anti-War crowd.

Dems literally have no viable positions

The anti-Bush/War/Etc crowd always presents the same tired set of false arguments issued by the DNC - designed to further hatred and fear of the opposition:
Repbulicans are Nazi's (3 yrs old)
Republicans steal elections (6 yrs old)
Republicans have pals in this or that big business (50 yrs old)
Rove-Cheney-Rumsfeld axis of evil (3 yrs old)
Republicans issue phony terrorist alerts (3 yrs old)
600,000 dead Iraqi's (1 month old)
Republicans are racists (40 yrs old)
Republicans are rich and therefore against the common man (50+ yrs old)
Republicans are religious zealots (10 yrs old)

In campaigning, just as in governing, the Democratic party has nothing but negativity to offer. They believe that politics is a game where positioning and trickery, not actions, determine the outcome. The Dems cannot comprehend, much less discuss, principles because they have none (other than gaining or preserving power). Go ahead, search any website you like and survey the articles and comments... other than their false promises to take everything away from "rich" America and give it to "poor" America (shameless vote buying), the Dems have not one positive reason as to why they should be given the reins of Congress. Not one.

Commentors supporting the right use actual arguments:
Republcans are stronger on security
Republcans are stronger on terrorism
Republcans are stronger on (and Dems are against) the Patriot Act
Republcans are stronger on (and Dems are against) the NSA program
Republcans are stronger on (and Dems are against) winning the War in Iraq
Republcans are stronger on (and Dems are against) reducing the tax burden
Republcans are stronger on (and Dems are against) fignting illegal immigration

While not perfect by a long shot, the Republicans overwhelmingly reflect the attitude of the vast majority of America on every one of these issues - issues that the Democrats refuse to debate. No wonder though - the Dems literally have no viable position on any of these subjects.

Peggy Noonan should be ashamed of herself

Peggy Noonan has joined the conservative throng, thrusting her knife into the President’s back while mimicking any random leftist with accusations of incompetence, stubbornness and political motivation.

Peggy Noonan knows George W. Bush.

Peggy Noonan is a traitor.

Peggy Noonan is playing politics as much as John Kerry or Howard Dean.

She knows that none of these things she is saying about Bush are true and yet she writes her little assassination piece today, not because she believes it, but because she wants to ingratiate herself to the “true” conservatives that she expects to abandon the vote next week, purposely allowing the Left to take control of Congress.

Peggy Noonan should be ashamed of herself.

But instead, when the Republicans hold both the house and the senate on Nov 7, she will rework her "theory" to align herself with the winning side; and she will expect to be forgiven for her betrayal.

Viet Nam Redux - The Paper Tiger Strikes Again

Viet Nam redux. We’re doing it again.

We are “fighting” a “war” using insufficient force and with our hands tied behind our back. In trying to fight a “pretty” and politically correct war we have set ourselves an unachievable goal; we have done a disservice to those who have fought and died valiantly; we have weakened America’s stance on the world stage; and we have shamed ourselves.

There is no such thing as a clean war. War is ugly. Innocent people die. War is meant to be fought to win. If you don’t fight to win you shouldn’t fight at all. If you don't fight to win, your enemies will cease to fear you. The end actually does sometimes justify the means.

We could end this war in a month; but we won’t. Instead we will continue to go through the motions, sacrificing a few dozen brave American boys and girls every month until the Democrats and RINO’s forfeit the game.

America has become the Paper Tiger that its enemies have always asserted.

The Media is Unbiased... Right.

George Allen, Republican, VA Senator running for re-election, refers one time to an admitted video stalker who has been dogging Allen for months, as macaca. It turns out that macaca is a kind of monkey and in some European sub-cultures the word is used as a racial slur against some race or another. Not a single person in the United States knew that this word had racial application until the media informed us. Allen claims to be ignorant of the word’s meaning like the rest of us and apologizes every day for a month.

The Allen story “broke” in August and is to this day referred to every time Senator Allen’s name is mentioned.

The house minority whip, Steny Hoyer, a Democrat, repeatedly uses racial keywords against Republican candidate Michael Steele, Maryland’s current Lt-Gov. and a black man. Hoyer apologizes for this word, claims that word was taken out of context. The words involved were “slavish” and “token” – racially charged words that everyone knows the meaning of.

The story pops very small for one news cycle and it’s gone.

The media is unbiased.

Tom Delay is accused of misusing political funds and indicted by a fanatical prosecutor in Texas who is a known Democrat operative. Delay resigns immediately – his career is ended. Delay’s activities (still unproven a year later) are held up by the Democrats and their media mouthpieces as clear evidence of Republican corruption.

This story dominates all news outlets for a month, continuing even after Delay’s resignation.

Harry Reid accepts contributions from Abramoff (another “Republican corruption” icon). Reid also misuses political funds to tip his servants at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington. He also fails to report over a million dollars in income that he received from very shady real estate deals in his home district. Reid indignantly claims he did nothing wrong. He refuses to return the Abramoff money, but proceeds (without apology) to reimburse his campaign for the misused money, and amends his financial reports for the past 5 years.

This story is not even carried in mainstream media.

Boils down to this: A Republican Senator is accused of shoplifting – ACCUSED – and his career is over; while a Democrat who is actually caught robbing a bank simply returns the money and wipes the slate clean.

The media is unbiased.

Can we be this stupid?

As I mentioned a few days ago, it is virtually unanimous that “the sky is falling” for Republicans on Nov 7.

This was to be expected from the eternally optimistic Democrats, whose “plan” has been to undermine the War Effort, the Administration and Republicans by any means necessary and then win by default, without presenting a position on a single issue.

The Leftist press has, of course, supported this “plan” by exposing national secrets whenever possible (NSA, secret prisons); by keeping any negative story (Cheney’s hunting accident, gay Foley) on the front page as long as possible; and by ignoring any story that might be considered positive for the U.S. or the Administration (economy, unemployment, safety) or negative for the Democrats (no ideas, Jefferson’s $90K freezer, Harry Reid’s shady dealings).

Pollsters, as always, skew their polls to come up with whatever “results” they want to.

Unfortunately now, most conservative pundits have fallen for this con, and are predicting a well-deserved and unavoidable landslide defeat for Republicans in Congress this Fall… to be followed immediately by predictions of a Democrat landslide in 2008. (The most recent - and most surprising - ship-jumper being Fred Barnes today.)

Politics has always been ugly, but this year is the worst I’ve seen. Positive ads or speeches or even positive statements are few and far between. Ask a Democrat why he/she should be elected and the answer will be “because my opponent is bad”.

I’ve seen back to back ads like this:

Candidate A’s ad: “Congressman B voted against increasing the minimum wage.”
Congressman B’s ad: “I voted to increase the minimum wage.”

Someone is lying and it should be pretty easy to prove who it is. But the Democrats have little interest in Truth, and the Republicans are incompetent at presenting it. The press, upon whom we used to rely to sort these things out, has abandoned Truth altogether.

According to the polls, the pundits and the Democrats, Americans are believing what they hear most often (ie: relentlessly) : that Bush and the Republicans have screwed things up, and therefore they have to go… period. Game Over. Democrats are the only choice.

This election is – according to most – going to have been decided by a combination of lies, over-exaggerations, and non-stories, while major – civilization threatening events are being completely ignored.

Once again I have to ask: Can we be this stupid? Or is it just Washington?

We’ll find out Nov 7.

Jack Straw is right - Take off the Veils

Jack Straw is taking shit for stating the obvious about the veils worn by Muslim women. I’m not going to the effort to look up the “correct” word – because this is not about being “correct” and it is not about what the thing is called; and it is not about Religion, by which I of course mean ISLAM – the only religion that matters these days.

These full body veils are essentially disguises which prevent not only communication with but the simple identification of their wearers. They do not bear comparison to the Jewish skullcap, the cross, the collar, or any other religious item worn by followers of any other religion. Religion or not, we – the rest of the world – have every right to refuse to deal with people wearing these disguises.

A mall, an airline, a theme park, a bank, a doctor or any other business would not only be entitled, but would be smart, to refuse to deal with people who hide their face, identity, sex, weapons and whatever, behind a full body covering, whether it is in the name of religion or not. Muslim women: wear whatever you like but if you want to ride the bus, get a loan, shop for new underwear, go to school, or drive a car - take off the veils.

A year or so ago, a driver’s license agent in Virginia or somewhere refused to allow one of these Muslim fools to have her license picture taken wearing her veil. A court upheld that decision. Now Jack Straw joins the very small group who have had the sense – and the balls – to stand up to this politically correct bullshit while the rest of the world grovels before the threat of Islamic violence.

I guarantee no Democratic sweep.

On this date – October 8, 2006 - I guarantee that the Democrats will not (repeat: WILL NOT) take control of either the House or the Senate on November 7. Democratic gains will be minimal (1 Senate seat, 4 House seats) at best.

I don’t say this based on any extensive polling or analysis.

I say this based on what I like to call Logic.

Yes, the War in Iraq has not been the “slam dunk” that the naïve and gullible American Public have come to “expect” by virtue of the last ONE war America was involved in.

And Yes, the Republican led Congress has accomplished virtually nothing of any value in the past two years (due to a large extent to that same undermining, obstruction and obfuscation by the “opposition” party and the overwhelmingly liberal media).

And Yes, there is a problem of corruption in our government which, although presented by the media as a nearly exclusive Republican problem, is correctly perceived by that same American Public as systemic and not tied to one party or the other.

But a citizenry can only be relied on to be so naïve and gullible, as the Left is about to find out. At some point, reason and logic will surface. Although I would have said (and did say) this same thing in 1996, 2000 and 2004, in this – the most important decade in modern American History - any Logical analysis of the current world situation, could not possibly allow this country to be led by the Democratic party.

If I am right, it will be business as usual; with the Democrats continuing to try to prevent any positive action of any kind; but there will still be hope for America because a majority of its people will have shown that they still can manage to think for themselves.

If I am wrong, then I hold out no hope for America’s future. A Democratic win in 2006 and worse, a Democratic President in 2008, will be the beginning of the end and the United States, as we know it, will cease to exist sometime in the next 12 years.

Liberals, be careful what you wish for. You are much more effective and – even more importantly, much less accountable – as the minority.

Happy Anniversary to Me

It has been one year since I began my sporadic blog and, in that year, I have received not a single comment and , I assume, have been read by no one.

This, even though, having re-reading many (not all) of my sometimes overly opinionated and under-reasearched posts, I have found them to be well in advance of and usually more honest than similar observations by much-read writers in both MSM and the blogosphere.

I do not take this to be a "commentary" on my opinions or a judgement on my skills as a writer-observer. I assume it is for the most part a function of glut. Nonetheless, I would have (and did) expect that some wayward reader would have by now stumbled into my little space here, and left some sign of his agreement or disagreement.

This has not been the case and I can't in good faith expect that it will change during my lifetime. However I will continue my sporadic postings as I find it a small antidote to the endless politicizing of important issues with which we are inundated. Someday someone will read my rants; and, in my tiny way, I will have documented for posterity that - as the United States laid on its deathbed - there was still at least one sane American who realized that he was attending a funeral and behaved accordingly.

Ounceoflogic.

Q & A

Question:

Can the actions of a single individual or an infinitesimally small group of individuals be extended to reflect the policy of the group to which they are associated?

Answer:

Yes. If the small group or individual is a member of a) the American Military [ Abu Graib, the 7 Generals, etc.], or b) the Republican Party, [Duke Cunningham, Mark Foley]; and if the actions in question can be used to undermine the a) Bush Administration, b) war effort, or c) the safety or integrity of the United States.

No. If the group (regardless of its size) or individual is a member of a) the American Left [Sheehan, Baldwin, Wilson + 100], b) Mainstream Media [NYTimes, Dan Rather, CNN, AP, Reuters, +1000], or c) the Democratic Party [Murtha, Durbin, Pelosi, Kennedy, + 1000]; and if the actions in question might jeopardize the chances of the Democrats returning to power.

Philip Shenon: Schizo

Philip Shenon: Fair and unBalanced.

This guy Philip Shenon, apparently a writer for NYimes, has invented a whole new journalism. As you see below, he writes a byline on October 1, 2006 stating that the 9/11 Commission wasn’t told about this Tenet-Rice Meeting in 2001.

The very next day, he writes an article that completely and utterly disproves everything he said the day before while completely ignoring his totally wrong and inflammatory article of the previous day.

He writes a bogus story one day and gets his big scoop on all the left wing sites… then he shreds his own story the next day without ever mentioning the first byline. Check this schizo's snips below.

By the way... if Shenon's second story is true (and he does cite Richard Ben-Veniste, note exactly a Bush shill)... the Bob Woodward is a liar. Hmm?

October 1, 2006
9/11 Panel Members Weren’t Told of Meeting
By PHILIP SHENON

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 — Members of the Sept. 11 commission said today that they were alarmed that they were told nothing about a White House meeting in July 2001 at which George J. Tenet, then the director of central intelligence, is reported to have warned Condoleezza Rice, then the national security adviser, about an imminent Al Qaeda attack and failed to persuade her to take action.

October 2, 2006
Records Show Tenet Briefed Rice on Al Qaeda Threat
By PHILIP SHENON and MARK MAZZETTI

Mr. McCormack also said records show that the Sept. 11 commission was informed about the meeting, a fact that former intelligence officials and members of the commission confirmed on Monday.

But both current and former officials took issue with Mr. Woodward’s account that Mr. Tenet and his aides left the meeting in frustration, feeling as if Ms. Rice had ignored them.

Mr. Tenet told members of the Sept. 11 commission about the July 10 meeting when they interviewed him in early 2004, but committee members said the former C.I.A. director never indicated he had left the White House with the impression that he had been ignored.

“Tenet never told us that he was brushed off,” said Richard Ben-Veniste, a Democratic member of the commission. “We certainly would have followed that up.”

Mr. McCormack said the records showed that, far from ignoring Mr. Tenet’s warnings, Ms. Rice acted on the intelligence and requested that Mr. Tenet make the same presentation to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Attorney General John Ashcroft.

But Mr. Ashcroft said by telephone on Monday evening that he never received a briefing that summer from Mr. Tenet.