Fred vs Moore -- The Smackdown

Michael Moore has challenged Fred Thompson to a debate on Cuba and the Cuban healthcare system. Well, Fred put out a video response - 38 seconds of cool, refined smackdown.

See the response HERE.

More and more, I'm thinking that Fred may be that clear-talking, non-triangulating candidate to inspire America. It is 18 months til the presidential election, and a lot can happen in that time. Thompson is in a position to make this an election on just what America is about.

Right now, I want these "debates" to winnow out the obvious chaff in the candidate ranks. I'm not going to make any kind of final endorsement, nor will I be a one-issue voter (aside from national security, which should be a given for all candidates). But I want someone who will be an inspiring candidate, not the safest one.

Word Substitution

I was listening to Mitch Berg and Ed Morrissey (from Shot in the Dark and Captain's Quarters respectively) this morning. They have a great radio program from the Twin Cities every Saturday as part of the Northern Alliance Radio Network.

During the show, they discussed the situation at Tufts University and the university's Islam Awareness week. A thought crossed my mind, and in the interest of sharing truths about modern language, I give it to you now.

Every time you hear the term "awareness" spoken/written/issued by a liberal or liberal organization, merely substitute the words "whitewashed praise and promotion". So we get the following:

Islam awareness week becomes Islam whitewashed praise and promotion week.

Womens awareness week becomes Womens whitewashed praise and promotion week.

Black awareness month becomes Black whitewashed praise and promotion month.

Hispanic awareness month becomes Hispanic whitewashed praise and promotion month.

You get the picture.

Thinking alike

In a previous post, I talked about the need for a straight-talking candidate who can clearly articulate a vision for America.

Seems that the Draft Fred Thompson website has similar thoughts:

We want a nominee who can carry a vision of a great America with clarity and conviction and who can translate this vision into meaningful public policy.

Fred Thompson’s record is solid. He does not waffle. He knows where he stands because he is sure of what he believes.

I won't say that Fred would be the perfect candidate. But think back to the 1980 election. GHW Bush was the "resume candidate" with all the right "background". Reagan was the "actor turned politician". In the primaries, who gave the vision for America, won the nomination, and later won the presidency?

The more this goes on, the more viable he looks - if only in comparison to the mediocrity that clogs this field.

Three Questions

U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton visited a primary school in Ithaca, New York, to talk about her job as a senator. After her talk, she offered question time. One little boy put up his hand and the Senator asked his name. “Kenneth,’ he replied. “And what is your question, Kenneth?” she asked.

Kenneth answered, “I have three questions:
“First…..whatever happened to your medical health care plan?
Second…..why would you run for President after your husband shamed the office?
And third…..whatever happened to all those things you took when you left the White House?”

Just then the bell rang for recess. Senator Clinton informed the kiddies that they would continue after recess. When they resumed, she asked, “Okay, where were we? Oh, that’s right…..question time. Who has a question?”

A different little boy raised his hand; Hillary pointed him out and asked him his name.
“Larry,” he replied. “And what is your question?” continued the Senator.

“I have five questions,” he answered,
“First…..whatever happened to your medical health care plan?
Second…..why would you run for President after your husband shamed the office?
Third…..whatever happened to all those things you took when you left the White House?
Fourth…..why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes early?
And fifth…..what happened to Kenneth?”

Stolen from The Confabulator.

Fear is the last refuge....

For a failing candidacy. Taking a page from many campaigns here in America, a candidate for the presidency of France played the fear card:

Socialist opponent Segolene Royal said on Friday that France risks violence and brutality if her opponent right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy wins Sunday's presidential election.

On the last day of official campaigning, opinion polls showed Sarkozy enjoyed a commanding lead over Royal, who accused the former interior minister of lying and polarizing France.

"Choosing Nicolas Sarkozy would be a dangerous choice," Royal told RTL radio.

"It is my responsibility today to alert people to the risk of (his) candidature with regards to the violence and brutality that would be unleashed in the country (if he won)," she said.

As I noted in a previous post, it's the hope for a better future that truly resonates with an electorate. Royal hasn't been able to articulate a new future for France, continuing to rehash and update the old government statism of the past. Facing defeat at the polls, the only tool left is a last-minute gasp to try to instill fear.

We've seen this here in America with the accusations that blacks will be killed, grandmothers will freeze in the winter, and gays will be systematically persecuted -- all if a Republican is elected. Nice to see that the left has a multi-cultural playbook that gets used in both America and in Europe. I just wish they would find some other argument to try to advance their agenda.

Thanks to Reuters for the report.

Verizon does the right thing

UPDATE: It seems that Verizon may still be sponsoring Akon through his association with the Gwen Stefani tour, which is being sponsored by Verizon. No word whether V is going to push for his removal from the tour. So hold off on buying those new mobile phones.
END UPDATE

I was about to post about Verizon's arrangement with Akon, when Verizon released the following:

Verizon decided this week to end its support and sponsorship of Akon.

Jim Gerace

Vice President, Corporate Communications
Verizon Wireless

Apparently enough people complained about Verizon's business arrangements to make it an issue worth addressing. Now comes the tricky part....will Verizon keep to the straight and narrow down the road?

I'll go back to considering Verizon - they just laid fiber cable in front of my house this week. Time for even faster internet??

H/T to Michelle Malkin for the news.

Candidate's debate

Much is being written on who won, who lost, who gained ground, who looks good, who needs a new haircut....the usual stuff. My quick view - I wasn't impressed. Too much posturing, too much CYA.

I worry that the Republicans in the field are trying to out-nuance the Democrats, long the masters of such double-talk. Following the polls and trying to appeal to ever-increasing subsectors of the electorate is a losing strategy. Catering to (and throwing money at) special interest blocs is the modus operandi of the Democratic party, and any attempt to emulate that direction is a fool's choice.

What this country needs is a candidate who will speak what he truly believes, lay down a vision for the country's future, and promise to always put the interests of the nation, and thus its people, first. Straight talk (not the Express), no bull, no nuances, no hedging. Here is where I stand, why it is right, and what I am going to do. Figure out how to say it in a few clear and concise paragraphs, then never stop repeating those principles. If the people can't know what you stand for, you'll never win their hearts or their votes.

Reagan did just that. He wasn't a wonk with tons of statistics, or a policy paper on everything, or a new program to throw money out the door. He had something far more compelling - an articulated vision that gave hope and promise for the future. And he delivered.

I'm still looking for that in a declared candidate on the Republican side.

From the mouth of an Iraqi

The Washington Post published a great piece today. An Iraqi write on why the USA, and the world, should not give up on Iraq. Some of the column:

So why should the world remain engaged in Iraq?

There is no denying the difficulties Iraq faces, and no amount of good news can obscure the demons of terrorism and sectarianism that have risen in my country. But there is too much at stake to risk failure, and everything to gain by helping us protect our hard-won democratic achievements and emerge as a stable, self-sustaining country.

We remain determined in spite of our losses. Spectacular attacks may dominate foreign headlines, but they cannot change the reality that Iraq has made steady political, economic and social progress over the past four years. We continue to strengthen our nascent democratic institutions, pursue national reconciliation and expand Iraqi security forces. The Baghdad security plan was conceived to give us breathing space to expedite political and economic development by "securing and holding" neighborhoods across the capital. There is no quick fix, but there have been real results: Winning public confidence has led to a spike in intelligence, a disruption of terrorist networks and the capture of key leaders, as well as the discovery of weapons caches. In Anbar province, Sunni sheikhs and insurgents have turned against al-Qaeda and to the side of Iraqi security forces. This would have been unthinkable even six months ago.

Read the whole article and ask yourself why the front pages aren't saying these things. Why does it only get one column on page A23?

H/T to AJ Strata over at The Strata-Sphere.

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!!