We Win, They Lose

You know, it's as simple as that. And if you think that's the way it should be, head on over to We Win, They Lose and sign the petition. Make your voice heard that there is no alternative to victory.

The petition:

To: Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
Harry Reid, U.S. Senate Democrat Leader

Congress has passed and President Bush has vetoed H.R. 1591, the Iraq Surrender Act of 2007.

This legislation, which you worked to pass, sets a timetable for surrender. It pulls the rug out from under our troops. That is shameful and wrong.

Your actions have already emboldened the enemy. Violent jihadists now know that the elected leadership of Congress would undermine the troops by holding their funding hostage to demands for surrender.

This Congress would bring us back to the dark days of the 1970s, when the world doubted our staying power. Except only much worse. Withdraw in April 2008, and on May 1, Iraq becomes an unchecked den of terrorism at the heart of the Middle East -- a new base for the same people that struck our homeland on September 11th.

I stand with our troops. I stand for victory. I support the President's veto and will urge my representatives to vote to sustain it.

There can be one and only one outcome in Iraq: We win, they lose.

At the Bar

A man enters a bar and orders a drink. The bar has a robot bartender. The robot serves him a perfectly prepared cocktail, and then asks him, "What's your IQ?"

The man replies "150".

The robot proceeds to make conversation about world economic factors, quantum physics and spirituality, biochemistry, environmental interconnectedness, string theory, nanotechnology, and sexual proclivities.

The customer is very impressed & thinks, "This is really cool." He decides to test the robot. He walks out of the bar, turns around, and comes back in for another drink.

Again, the robot serves him the perfectly prepared drink and asks him, "What's your IQ?"

The man responds, "about 100."

Immediately the robot starts talking, but this time about football, NASCAR, baseball, supermodels, favorite fast foods, guns, and women's body parts.

Really impressed, the man leaves the bar and decides to give the robot one more test. He heads out & returns.

The robot serves him and asks, "What's your IQ?"

The man replies, "Er, 50, I think."

The robot says... real slowly, "So... is.. your... party... gonna... nominate... Hillary... for...president ???"

A Dr. Seuss ditty for our Senator Harry

Mike at Flopping Aces penned this classic:

Harry Reid: Where Will You Fight Al Queda?

You won't fight Al Queda in Iraq. Will you fight them in Iran? Would you fight them in Afghanistan?

Will you fight them here or there? Will you fight them anywhere?

Would you fight Al Queda if they bomb our trains? Would you fight Al Queda if they hijack our planes?

Will you fight them like a mouse? Or will you just fight the White House?

Would you fight them with General Petraeus? Or will you just let Al Queda slay us?

Where will you fight Al Queda Harry Reid?

Will you fight them in our malls? Would you fight them in school halls?

Will you fight Al Queda at all? Or just let the President's plans stall?

Would you put our heads on the chopping block? And let Al Queda lop them off?

Are you here to play political games? Do you not care if the country goes up in flames?

Will you gut the Patriot Act and wait until we next get whacked?

Have you gone so far 'round the bend that you cannot give Iraq a chance to mend?

When will you learn? What will you do? How will you keep us safe? Do you have a clue?

Answer us please as time grows short. Al Queda is coming and we need a report. Will you fight them now or later? Will you wait until the cost is greater?

The full post has links to Dr. Seuss illustrations from World War II. One of those is here:

Just as appropriate today as it was 65 years ago.

Quote of the Day

From Techography:

Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented immigrant" is like calling a drug dealer an "unlicensed Pharmacist."

I gotta like that one.

Germany in 1945 - Iraq in 2007

Varifrank has an excellent post, entitled Mission Accomplished.

Rather than try to paraphrase it, or short quotes, go and read the whole thing. It will be worth your time.

Guess it's time to add Varifrank to the blog listing.

Quote for today

"Virginia Tech has no more to do with gun rights than 9/11 had something to do with the licensing of pilots"

H/T to Varifrank.

More Sparta

Varifrank has posted a great article entitled More Sparta, Less Athens. Unfortunately, there's no email link on his page, as I wanted permission to reprint the entire piece. So here are a few choice paragraphs:

It seems to me that 'self defense' is not considered an option in polite society. It is time we learned (or relearned) the need to sometimes be a little more "sparta" and a little less "athens".

and

- Do not consider the feelings of the madman in your acts, his goal is to kill you, your goal is to stop the killing by any means necessary.

If you can disrupt Ann Coulter when she comes to campus or the ROTC when they recruit on campus, you can stop or disrupt a madman when he comes to kill you and your classmates.

Read the whole article and pass it on to those whom you want to stick around. Especially if they are in a "safe" gun-free zone.

UPDATE: Mister Bear at has a post referencing another similar article from Mitch Berg at Shot in the Dark. Berg is harsher than Varifrank and right on the money - especially about "officials" in these situations.

One of his teachers

One of the VT shooter's teachers had this to say:

She said she notified authorities about Cho, but said she was told that there would be too many legal hurdles to intervene. She said she asked him to go to counseling, but he never did.

A couple of observations. First, that a judgment was made by authorities not to try to go through the legal troubles to intervene. But, perhaps even more important, was the presence of all of those legal hurdles themselves. Just what does it take anymore to prevent a tragedy before it can happen?? Is the desire to have "protections" for the individual so strong that it prevents protecting the public at large?

Thanks to ABC News for the reporting.

From a VT Student

From an op-ed in the Roanoke (VA) Times:

Of all of the emotions and thoughts that were running through my head that morning, the most overwhelming one was of helplessness.

That feeling of helplessness has been difficult to reconcile because I knew I would have been safer with a proper means to defend myself.

I would also like to point out that when I mentioned to a professor that I would feel safer with my gun, this is what she said to me, "I would feel safer if you had your gun."

This was written by a VT student who was licensed to carry a concealed weapon. However, carrying a weapon is forbidden on the VT campus, with the possibility of expulsion as punishment. So, this student (who carries on a regular basis elsewhere in his daily life) was unarmed. And helpless. Who knows how many others were in the same position. And how many victims as well.

Read his entire op-ed HERE. H/T to Instapundit.

Another Double Standard with a motive

From the Manchester Union Leader:

The Imus standard: You can't say that

Radio talk show host Don Imus called Rutgers' mostly black women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos" and got fired. Al Sharpton falsely accused a white man of rape and incited a race riot that left several dead. Jesse Jackson called Jews "hymies." And yet they still mingle at the highest circles of Democratic Party politics.

Imus' comments were indefensible. Even if the women did have tattoos and look a bit street-tough, as Imus was trying to say, calling them whores was an insult too far. But is it a fireable offense for a "shock jock" who has built his career uttering juvenile comments, including regularly making what he calls "n----- jokes"?

What Imus said was a great deal tamer than what is routinely uttered by rappers who call women "bitches" and boast about using and abusing them. It is tamer than the misogynistic and even racist jokes numerous stand-up comics make a living uttering. How did this offensive but comparatively tame comment get a major radio host pulled from the air? Fellow syndicated radio host Neal Boortz has a theory.

Boortz thinks that the Left has finally figured out how to bring down talk radio: accuse the hosts of racism. Unable to compete with talk radio, the Left has opted to play thought police. Racial prejudice is the last free speech taboo in America. Peg a broadcaster as racist, and you can bring him down.

"Liberals see this whole Imus situation as a way to rid themselves of the problem of talk radio ... they will turn their attention to the rest of us. The tape recorders will be running. There is not one single significant right-of-center radio talk show out there that is not going to come under fire."

Boortz has a point. Calling black women "hos" is not offensive to the cultural Left. If it were, there would be boycotts of rap stars and record labels. But if it presents an opportunity to go after a non-liberal talk radio host, the Left will take it. With one notch on their belt, they'll be sure to seek others.

Meanwhile, the same people who demanded Imus' head on a pike will continue to give platforms to Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton as legions of rappers provide the misogynistic background music.

Copyright, Manchester Union Leader, 2007

Thanks to Neal Boortz for the quote.

Memo to Al

Hey Dude,

This Global Warming thing isn’t working. Should I drive my SUV around a bunch to help out? I’m frakkin’ freezing here.

Stolen from When the Smoke Clears. Thanks to the Grouchy Old Cripple for the link.

Joe Biden, it's Katie on line 1

Captain Ed over at Captain's Quarters has the story on perky Katie and her childhood library days. The only problem is, the words aren't Katie's and neither it the original thought.

Ed has the same view that I do....that Katie is an empty suit (though definitely a well-tailored one) with no background as a journalist. She's that cute, perky face that just makes you want to believe everything that comes out of her mouth. Blecchh!!

He caps off his post with this conclusion:

The irony comes from the fact that even with all of these efforts to build Katie into a reporter, the public still finds Couric and CBS less than credible. Her ratings tanked shortly after joining CBS as the anchor as the Tiffany Network switched to softer news on her arrival. Now that the plagiarism has pulled back the green curtain, Couric is exposed as an empty suit -- emptier even than her colleagues on network news broadcasts. She's the new gold standard for phoniness.

Read the whole thing in The Empty Suit Parade.

From the StrataSphere

AJ Strata has a post that puts a lot of the 2008 race into perspective for "conservatives". He writes:

Far right (or hard right) Republicans/Conservatives have a decision to make: either purity or Power.

Personally, I have always been a "Half a Loaf" personality -- I'd rather have the half than get nothing and just complain about it. Also, if you have the half, it's easier to try to get more of the other half that's still out there.

Read the whole post HERE.

Dennis Miller on Pelosi

I've always enjoyed Dennis Miller, especially post 9/11. The scales came off the eyes.

Via Newsbusters, comes this little snippet on Pelosi:

Look at Pelosi for God’s sakes. Can you take her, what’s with the blinking? She always looks to me like she’s signaling the Carpathia that she’s hit an iceberg or something. You know, the whistle on that train of thought is barely audible off in the distance, okay. This woman has gone through the Peter Principle like Gene Hackman under the El tracks in “French Connection.” You know why people love her so much? The political cartoonists can use her actual photo. That’s why they love her.

You can see the complete clip through MsUnderestimated.

The Price of Destruction

If one person goes on a rampage and destroys private property, he's looking at some serious price to pay for his behavior. But, if you can do it in a group, and have a political "message" as a motivation, it can be a profitable endeavor.

From the Seattle Times:

The city of Seattle will pay $1 million to WTO protesters who were arrested in Westlake Park seven years ago and will clear their records, in a settlement announced today.

The money will cover the plaintiffs' legal fees, with the rest divided among 160 protesters, who will get roughly $3,000 to $10,000 per person, said Mike Withey, their attorney.

This is just simply abhorrent in my view....and if anyone needs to be reminded of scenes from that protest:

They had best not try this here

From RIA Novosti:

BRUSSELS, April 3 (RIA Novosti) - The government of Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia, which has a population of about 4 million, has approved a tax on barbequing, local media reported.

Experts said that between 50 and 100 grams of CO2, a so-called greenhouse gas, is emitted during barbequing. Beginning June 2007, residents of Wallonia will have to pay 20 euros for a grilling session.

The local authorities plan to monitor compliance with the new tax legislation from helicopters, whose thermal sensors will detect burning grills.

Then again, they don't celebrate the 4th of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day like we do.

Thanks to the WorldwideStandard for the tip.

Just what is it about "tolerance"

Thomas Mann on tolerance

"Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil."

Thanks to Scribal Terror for the quote.

Do as I say....

From Breitbart:

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday dismissed any comparison between the firing last fall of eight U.S. attorneys with the replacement of 93 U.S. attorneys when her husband became president in 1993.

"That's a traditional prerogative of an incoming president," Clinton said in an interview with The Associated Press. Once U.S. attorneys are confirmed, they should be given broad latitude to enforce the law as they see fit, she said. "I think one of the hallmarks of our democracy is we have a devotion to the rule of law," Clinton said.

She conceded that should she win the presidency in 2008, she likely would replace all of the U.S. attorneys appointed by President Bush. She said that's merely following traditions in which presidents appoint prosecutors of their own party.

So, with a wave of the hand, it's all so clear. We can name who we like, but if you make any change....

Hillary would want US Attorneys who would represent the positions and policies of the Democratic party. That's OK. But for GWB to want US Attorneys who represent the policies of the Republican administration, that's wrong.

I guess that talking out of both sides of the mouth just comes naturally to her.

Fighting back against multiculturalism

I've always had the jaundiced eye whenever I hear the terms "multiculturalism" and "diversity". So I had a particular pleasure when a German judge tried to use the Koran (and I use that spelling intentionally) to justify a ruling in a divorce case. There was outrage and the judge was removed from the case. Over at FrontPage, they wrote:

Judge Datz-Winter’s decision caused a furor in Germany, and she was quickly removed from the case. That may be one small sign that Europe is inching toward throwing off its multiculturalist blinders and recovering the spirit of General Sir Charles James Napier, the British Commander-in-Chief in India from 1849 to 1851. It is said that a Hindu delegation protested against the British prohibition of sati, the practice of burning a widow to death on her husband’s funeral pyre, by telling Napier that it was part of their cultural custom. Napier famously responded: "You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."

Time for more people to think, and act, like Napier.

Photos regarding the new Congress

Over at the Power Line Forum, there's a humorous, yet telling, series of photos. Take a gander at this link and don't think it couldn't happen.

Al Gore Defined

I love a well-turned phrase, and this description of Al Gore truly hits the spot:

"A desperate hunger for greatness malnourished by the thin gruel of mediocrity."

A true hat-tip to Dafydd ab Hugh over at Big Lizards for supplying those words. The link to the post is HERE.

Another long absence

Well, it was another long absence, and one that I am ashamed of. Procrastination is one of my biggest failings in life, so I really need to force myself to just sit at the keyboard and write. Not that there is any shortage of material rolling around in my brain. Just the discipline to write.

However, now that the political scene is heating up for 2008, it's tough to sit back. So, the doors are open again. Let the cynicism begin!!

Quote of the Week

From the blog Discriminations:

Senator Arlen Specter to Senator Russ Feingold, after a shouting match that ended when Senator Feingold left the hearing room:

"I don't need to be lectured by you. You are no more a protector of the Constitution than am I."

How true -- and how sad.

Be careful what you say

The liberal leadership in Washington has been busy trumpeting their "Culture of Corruption" theme - though I haven't seen much aside from Cunningham (who was a true crook) and Abramoff (who was an equal opportunity bagman, serving both sides of the aisle).

AJ Strata has a post about a part of that "Culture" that Pelosi and Reid probably won't be talking about:

A congressman under investigation for bribery was caught on videotape accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from an FBI informant whose conversations with the lawmaker also were recorded, according to a court document released Sunday. Agents later found the cash hidden in his freezer.

At one audiotaped meeting, Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., chuckles about writing in code to keep secret what the government contends was his corrupt role in getting his children a cut of a communications company’s deal for work in Africa.

Now today, Jefferson has a news conference and announces that, rather than resigning, he's even more committed to serving his constituents. More like serving himself, if you ask me.

Slimy lawyers getting theirs

I read this post at Captain's Quarters with a great deal of delight.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment alleging fraud, corruption, and kickbacks at one of the most prominent legal firms in the class-action lawsuit industry. Milberg Weiss also has two of its partners under personal indictment for a criminal racketeering conspiracy, and the feds want over $200 million in restitution

Seems that these lawyers had their own stable of plaintiffs willing to sue for just about anything.

Of course, reading this also makes me sad that the US judicial system has degenerated into this sorry state. In some ways, I wish that 5 wise justices would sit on the SCOTUS bench and say "You know....all that Stare Decisis crap had gotten us in a lot of stupid positions. Let's just scrap a bunch of the silly stuff that has sent us down the slippery slope and start over."

They did it with Brown vs Board of Education and some other cases....why not now???

News that you don't get from the MSM

A US Navy warship is being made in New Orleans using steel from the World Trade Center.

A] ship has begun to rise from the ashes of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Bringing together America’s two great calamities of the 21st century, the USS New York is being built in New Orleans with 24 tonnes of steel taken from the collapsed World Trade Centre.

[T]he girders taken from Ground Zero have been treated with a reverence usually accorded to religious relics. After a brief ceremony in 2003, about seven tonnes of steel were melted down and poured into a cast to make the bow section of the ship’s hull.

Some shipworkers say the hairs stood up on the backs of their necks the first time they touched it. Others have postponed their retirement so they can be part of the project.

Hat tip to the crew at Power Line.

Mencia on the military

Go here for a video clip of Carlos Mencia doing a routine on why the US military is so powerful. You'll get a laugh while hearing some real truths.

Thanks to Jay Tea at Wizbang for the story with the link.

A glossary

From the folks at StrangePolitics come a post about the REAL "Liberal" Meanings of Words". Written by Rachel Marsden, it was originally on the Canadian website Canoe.ca.

Some of the gems from the article:

Here's my handy glossary of commonly used leftist terms, and what they really mean:

Social justice: Spreading the misery of socialism equally throughout society.

Balance: Left vs. far-left (e.g., Hillary Clinton debating Ted Kennedy).

Environmentalists: Celebrities who brag about their environmentally friendly hybrid cars while tooling around the world in gas-guzzling private jets. Liberals who can't afford a car also use this label so they don't appear pathetic to friends.

Freedom fighters: Terrorists whose goal is to destroy Western democracy.

Terrorist: George Bush, or anyone who wants to harm "freedom fighters."

Torture: Frat-party activities that occur on foreign soil, in the presence of U.S. military personnel. Murder, rape and violence perpetrated by communist regimes don't count.

And of course, the best is saved for last:

Bush lied: A catch-all that means, "I have no idea how to debate this issue intelligently."

Be sure to read, and save, the whole list.

Undocumented?

Stefan Sharkansky over at Sound Politics has a thought provoking post about the whole issue of "undocumented".

Yesterday, while our government officials and government employee unions were marching in the streets with the "undocumented immigrants", I was filing my quarterly B&O tax returns. And that led me to think: Gee, wouldn't it be nice if I could be an undocumented business owner? Just as the "undocumented workers" opted to avoid the expense and inconvenience of obtaining proper documentation, I too would prefer to avoid the expense and inconvenience of operating as a documented business. But if nobody bothered to get themselves documented, who would pay for all of these wonderful social programs that some in government want to lavish on the undocumented?

I'd like to be "undocumented" every April 15th. I assume that the IRS would be interested in an amnesty for anyone who just didn't go through the trouble of filing a 1040 -- it's not like we are hurting anyone -right?

Now, if someone speaks up and says that not paying taxes is "illegal", I'll ask why it is OK for a Mexican to be called "undocumented" (even though they have violated Title 8, Chapter 12, Subchapter II, Part VIII, § 1325 of the US Code) while my actions would be called "illegal".

Monday's numbers

So, let's assume that a million people marched on Monday (and I'm not sure about that). With an official USA population of 298 million, that means that 99.66% of America DID NOT march in support of those who are here illegally.

Sounds like a mandate to me.