Why we should remember what we remember today
Great Editorial for Memorial Day:
Fly the flag. Wrench yourself away from the TV to tell your children that the reason they are not going to school today is because we are remembering the fallen soldiers. Tell them how, if those farm boys hadn't left their fields, taken their muskets and faced the British army, we might still be a colony. Tell them that if U.S. Rangers hadn't gone up those cliffs at Normandy, into the teeth of the German machineguns, then the Nazis might still be there. That the world, terrible as it often is, could be far worse, and throughout history it was the United States soldier who placed his life between us and the onslaught of tyranny. Remember the fallen soldiers as if they were your father, your brother, your sister, your son. Because they are.

Limbaugh's Prosecution: A Summary
Remember Rush Limbaugh and his addiction struggle? Here's a good rundown on the latest twists and turns.

Gay advocates denied communion at Holy Name

Fissues such as this are black and white. I hope this one doesn't come off that way. Here we go:
Its a question of beliefs and rights.
A Church has the right to withold communion from those who do not share the Church's beliefs. Roman Catholics are taking a stand across the cultural spectrum. Abortion, Gay Rights etc.

This makes them a target for the Left, using the same tactics honed from years of defending a disgraced President. "What about the sex abuse scandal? How dare you make judgements on us and our behavior (especially while we are so busily judging yours) and tell us what is right and wrong?"

Paul speaks to this in First Corinthians Five:

9:I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-- 10: not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11: But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
12: What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13: God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

Tough words. Spoken to those in the Church, not outside it. Spoken to a Church in trouble. Spoken to a Church tolerating all sorts of sexual sin, up to and including incest.

And this is where what happened yesterday connects with the stand the Church is taking on Abortion.

This week I posted an article from Intellectual Conservative, ten questions and answers to refusing Communion to Pro-Abortion Politicians. Question 9 speaks to what happened yesterday:

9. When gays and lesbians march up to the altar arm and arm for Communion, should they be denied?
Answer: Canon 915 states that if they are gravely manifest, obstinate, and persistent in their sins, then they must be denied. The Church condemns the sin of sodomy.26

Homosexuals who approach the Eucharist wearing ‘Rainbow sashes’ or are living known lives of perversion are certainly manifest, obstinate and persistent in their grave sin.27

Legal recognition of same-sex unions actually does homosexual persons a disfavor by encouraging them to persist in what is an objectively immoral arrangement.

There are absolutely no grounds for considering same-sex unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God's plan for marriage and family. Marriage is holy, while homosexual acts go against the natural moral law. Homosexual acts “close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.”28

Believe it or not, this post is NOT about gay rights in the United States. I am firmly in favor of equal rights, period. It is, however, about the rights of Churches and organizations (yes, I do mean the Boy Scouts) to set their own beliefs and membership requirements. And be allowed to live by them. This too, is tolerance.
Its easy for the Radical Gay community to yell all sorts of perjoratives, from "homophobe" to "racist", seeking to compare their struggle to the Civil Rights movement of the 60's
Its harder for them to acknowledge the rights of others to peaceful assembly even when that assembly disagrees with their agenda.

Recalling a time when setbacks didn't deter us
Proportion and History. Mark Steyn recalls both.

Abortion and Roman Catholicism
Ten Questions about the debate, specifically for Roman Catholics.

An Editorial Note:
I am not Roman Catholic. Most of my inlaws are. I have a deep and abiding respect for the Church of Rome, though I most certainly do not agree with all its teachings. Because I do not abide by all the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, I do not take communion when attending a Roman Catholic wedding or other service. On the issue of abortion, however, I am firmly on the side of the Church in Rome.

Abortion and Christianity


There has been an attempt to somehow make the decision of some Roman Catholic Bishops to with hold communion from Democratic politians favoring abortion as political. The argument goes that this is a private matter between themselves and God.

It's not.

For Catholics, and Evangelicals like myself who agree with them, this is very different.

Two Catholics may disagree on taxes. We may even disagree on certain forms of government, monarchy vs. democracy for example. These are not fundamental tenets of faith.

Life and death is.

Abortion is about life and death for Christians.

The pastoral statement below, from priests for life.org, expresses it well.

"A Time for Honesty"
A Pastoral Statement by The Most Reverend John J. Myers,
Archbishop of Newark
May 5, 2004

Here is a quote.

But with abortion (and for example slavery, racism, euthanasia and trafficking in human persons) there can be no legitimate diversity of opinion. The direct killing of the innocent is always a grave injustice. One should not permit unjust killing any more than one should permit slave-holding, racist actions, or other grave injustices. From the perspective of justice, to say "I am personally opposed to abortion but…" is like saying "I personally am against slavery, but I can not impose my personal beliefs on my neighbor." Obviously, recognizing the grave injustice of slavery requires one to ensure that no one suffers such degradation. Similarly recognizing that abortion is unjust killing requires one—in love and justice—to work to overcome the injustice.

Among my most important responsibilities is that of pastor and teacher. In light of recent developments in our nation, I wish once again to affirm the teaching of the Church. Human life is a gift from God and as Catholics we have a most grave obligation to defend all human life from the moment of conception until natural death. God help us if we fail in this most fundamental obligation.

Fundrace.org
I am sooooo addicted to this site. Fundraising maps from across the country. While you have to spend time on the whole site, especially check out the Candidate rankings.
Who has the most grassroots support? George. With Reverend Al a distant 2nd.
Who has the highest Devotion ratings, those who are repeat givers? George
Who has the most Fat Cats contributing to his campaign?
John F Kerry. Hmmmmmm.

Victor Davis Hanson:Just Win, Baby
My style has been to refer you to articles, not spend alot of time doing my own writing. Probably wrote more of my own opinion today that I have in weeks. Here's a great perspective on winning from one of my favorites. Enjoy.

The Battle of Iraq
Frank Gaffney puts the Battle of Iraq in the perspective it deserves. Much like the Battle of Britain, a protracted attempt by Hitler to soften up England before invasion, the Battle of Iraq is but one theater in a global conflict.

That's the difference between Bush and Kerry. Mr. Kerry and his ilk want to see Iraq as a contained conflict. Hence the reason for the constant, incessant comparisons to Vietnam. They wish to fight the same war, the same way. Why not? In their worldview, they won.

But Iraq is not Vietnam. Failure here would not merely mean the death of thousands and the subjugation of multiple countries as did our abandonment of Vietnam, while the United States remained free to wallow in Watergate and elect Jimmy Carter.

Political, and therefore military failure in Iraq would bring on multiple 9/11's.

Here.

In Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Greensborough.

We fight the Battle of Iraq so the Battle of America need not happen.

The Connection
An upcoming book by Stephen Hayes. Some details in this article. So let's review:
Mr. Kerry, Mr. Gore et al.
"Bush lied! He LIED to the American people!"

Sarin gas? yep. More to come
Al Qaeda Connections with Saddam? yep. More to come
The UN losing credibility as they would not take a stand to enforce their own mandates?
Yep. A whole lot more to come on that, as the Oil for Food scandal grows to a point whee even Mainstream Media has to take notice.

The only liars out there this Memorial Day weekend are those on the left desperately trying to lie to themselves and the American people that we are not at war. As the Memorial to The Second World War is dedicated, let's pay heed to the fact that since 9/11/01 we have been actively engaged in The Third World War. Let us pray that we are able to perform as well as that generation we honor today.

The Evil of Abu Ghraib: Not what you've been hearing
The stories of torture from Abu Ghraib have actually been ignored by the Media, as the truth would help build support for Iraq, therefore Bush.

Oil For Food Scandal: Where's The Media?
Not hearing much about this scandal, involving billions of dollars allegedly siphoned off by Saddam, France, Germany, Russia, and Kofi Anan's own son? They're too busy covering Al Ghraib.

Saddam and Al Qaeda: The Linkage continues
Nope, you're not hearing this from the Mainstream Media. But the links are building, slowly but surely.

Planning For Graduation...and The Next Attack
Peggy Noonan two days in a row! Just like old times, for those of you who were on the original email list.

Max Boot: Perspective on Casualties
Its the fact that this is in the LA Times that stuns me. Must've been an editor asleep at the switch or something.

Three Children Decapitated in Baltimore
You can't help hearing this and not thinking of Nick Berg. A copycat killing? Let's hope not.

Peggy Noonan Explains the booing of E.L. Doctorow
I sort of lost track of Peggy Noonan for some reason. This is a good one to come back to.
I posted this story last week.
My favorite paragraph:
Fast Eddy Doctorow told a story at the commencement all right, and it is a story about the boorishness of the aging liberal. An old '60s radical who feels he is entitled to impose his views on this audience on this day because he's so gifted, so smart, so insightful, so very above the normal rules, agreements and traditions. And for this he will get to call himself besieged and heroic--a hero about whom stories are told!--when in fact all he did was guarantee positive personal press in the elite media, at the cost of the long suffering patience of normal people who wanted to move the tassel and throw the hat in the air.

Have you seen these creeps? If you do, don't wait. Call 911 immediately. By calling 911 you could prevent another 9/11.

CBS and 60 Minutes Modern Benedict Arnolds
This letter from Pat Boone to the editor of NewsMax is worth reading. Mr. Boone was pilloried by the Mainstream press for his politically incorrect views. My suspicion is that just reading his name set off your own bias. I would ask you where that bias may come from? And what facts can you cite to back up any negative feelings you may have about him? Interesting question, don't you think?

A Week Later: The Media Discovers the Sarin Gas
I'm off to my son's Little League game, but just had to post this story on the confirmation of the Sarin gas.
Again, I refer you to Blaster's Blog for details.

An Important Speech: And The Usual Reactions

Good speech tonight. (Okay, you knew I'd say that) But it was. The President laid out the 5 point plan, and again linked what's happening in Iraq with the War on Islamo-Fascists.

You can read the speech above.

What fascinated me was CNN, MSNBC and FNC. Most especially CNN and MSNBC. Chris Matthews devoted more time to Joe Biden's rantings than he did to the President's speech. And CNN dragged Madeline Albright out to say pretty much the same things.

It was the expressions on the faces of Albright, Biden, and Matthews that drew my attention. Absolute rage. The anger from those three flowed from the TV screen. It's not anger at Terrorism, or death. It's palpable anger at George W. Bush. Very difficult to watch, and I suspect, cannot be sustained over the course of the next few months...Stay Tuned.

Keeping Hope Alive on Our College Campuses
An appropriate reception to E.L. Doctorow's anti-Bush rant.

Bloody, but unbowed.

A Disturbing Conversation
The other day, a coworker came by my desk, just to chat. She knows I'm something of a news junkie, so she asked my opinion on the whole Prisoner Abuse Scandal.

I told her that while certainly awful, it paled in comparison to the Nick Berg video. Her response was a puzzled look, and the question, "What video? Who is Nick Berg?"

My coworker is in her mid-thirties, college educated, and thinks of herself as well informed.

After I told her, she was stunned. And then she asked, "Why haven't I heard anything about this?"

Good Question.

It's important for me, and other bloggers, to realize that most Americans get their news in short snippets, on the hour from whatever radio station they have on in the car, or at work.

Even those who get their news from the internet primarily use the mainstream sources: MSNBC, CNN, etc. Opening their eyes takes work, and assuming your average American actually knows what's going on is a mistake. Makes our task all the more difficult, yet necessary in today's world.

Sixth Grade Perversion
A frightening "game" from the New York Post. Very, very scary, if you have daughters, or sons for that matter.

Apologies, Anyone?
Victor Davis Hanson has the list.
Here's my favorite quote:
What is going on? The months of April and May have been surreal — scandals at Abu Ghraib, decapitations and desecrations of those killed from Gaza to Iraq, and insurrections in Fallujah and Najaf. The shock of the unexpected has led to hysteria and cheap TV moralizing by critics of the war, fueled by election-year politics at home, apparent embarrassment for some erstwhile supporters of the intervention who are angry that democracy in Iraq has not appeared fully-formed out of the head of Zeus, and a certain amnesia about the recent dark history of the United Nations.

Yet there are historical forces still in play that bode well for Iraq — aid pouring in, oil revenues increasing, Iraqi autonomy nearing, and radical terrorists failing to win public support — all of which we are ignoring amid the successive 24-hour media barrages. The combat deaths of 700 soldiers are tragic. We in our postwar confusion have also made a number of mistakes: not storming into the Sunni Triangle at war's end, not shooting the first 500 looters that started the mass rampage of theft, not keeping some of the Iraqi army units intact, not bulldozing down Saddam Hussein's notorious prisons, not immediately putting at war's end Iraqi officials into the public arena, not storming Fallujah, and not destroying al Sadr and his militias last spring.

Still, in just a year the worst mass murderer in recent history is gone and a consensual government is scheduled to assume power in his place in just a few weeks. Postwar Iraq is not a cratered Dresden or the rubble of Stalingrad — it is seeing power, water, and fuel production at or above prewar levels. For all the recent mishaps, two truths still remain about Iraq — each time the American military forcibly takes on the insurrectionists, it wins; and each time local elections are held, moderate Iraqis, not Islamic radicals, have won.

So let us calm down and let events play out. If it were not an election year, Mr. Kennedy would dare not say such reprehensible things. In two or three months when there is a legitimate Iraqi government in power, Mr. Friedman may not wish to level such absurd charges. And when the truth comes out about the U.N.'s past role in Iraq, both Iraqis and Americans may not be so ready to entrust the new democracy's future to an agency that has not only done little to save Bosnians or Rwandans, but over the past decade may well have done much to harm Iraqis.

But in the meantime, let these who have transgressed all join the president and the secretary of defense and say they are sorry for what they have recklessly said and the untold harm that they have done.

Another Addition to the Site
Charles Stouff, ace political cartoonist, will post a different cartoon at various times to the right side of the page. Great Stuff.

A New Core Site
There are certain sites that I use often for posts. National Review, OpinionJournal, Real Clear Politics, to name a few.
A site I want to introduce is Intellectual Conservative.com. A site with original editorials from Conservatives across the country.
You'll see alot of links to this site in the future.

A Minor Correction: While Mr. Kerry did indeed believe he was meeting Mr. Bush, this was actually a meeting between the prospective nominee and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. This is quite understandable for someone who has difficulty distinguishing between Medals and Ribbons.

Blaster's Blog
The definitive site for info on the Sarin gas shell. Yes, its still a big deal, and yes, I'm still waiting for the mainstream press to "find' it.

Catholic Watch
From the New York Times today:

Forty-eight Roman Catholic members of Congress who are Democrats have signed a letter to the cardinal archbishop of Washington, D.C., saying the threats by some bishops to deny communion to politicians who support abortion rights were "deeply hurtful," counterproductive and "miring the Church in partisan politics."

Forty-eight Roman Catholic members of Congress. Oh yeah, they just happen to all be Democrats!

Ya know what they call a Catholic who does not hold to certain core teachings of the Roman Catholic Church?
A Protestant!. Hat tip to Hugh Hewitt for that one.

Still waiting. In the meantime, a reminder.

The Significance of Sarin: From Evangelical Outpost
Still waiting, as of 8:00 pm CST. No word in the mainstream media on the Sarin gas. All through the blogosphere though. Here's why this story is so important.

FOXNews.com - Top Stories - Tests Confirm Sarin in Iraqi Artillery Shell
It fascinates me that as of 7:45 pm CST, only Fox news is carrying this story. Three to Four Liters is a big deal, but doesn't fit the Mainstream Media's storyline of Bush lied, America is corrupt, and the only salvation is John Kerry.

Pictures in War
Are pictures still worth a thousand words? Only if they continue to carry the same impact. One thing the Al Ghraib pictures,and the Nick Berg video have shown us is just how numb to violence most Americans have become.

Mr. Daschle is Concerned
He should be, with poll numbers like this for an incumbent Senator.

John Derbyshire: A Mild, Tolerant Homophobe
An interesting, though somewhat rambling article. But some good points, all the same.
Reality is, its a pretty good description of a majority of Americans today.

Rooting For the Enemy
An important editorial by John Podheretz. Here's the last few paragraphs:

Take a look at Time magazine's cover this week. It features an artist's rendering of one of the photographs from Abu Ghraib with the line: "Iraq: How Did It Come to This?"

"It" didn't come to "this." "It" is a war to liberate 25 million people and rout Islamic extremists, terrorists and those who thirst for the mass murder of Americans. "This" was an aberrancy that was stopped almost five months ago, when the revelations at Abu Ghraib led to investigations, arrests and the wholesale reinvention of the Iraq prison system.

Time's cover line is a vile and grotesque slander against every American in uniform in Iraq. It remains the case, more than two weeks after the public exposure of the Abu Ghraib photographs, that not a single digital photo showing mistreatment has emerged from another cellblock at that self-same prison, or from any of the other 24 prisons in Iraq.

Indeed, every photograph shown to U.S. senators yesterday is part of the same set of pictures featuring the same eight dirtbags.

The scandal isn't widening. If anything, it's contracting. The focus continues to zoom in on the actual people in the pictures and their disgusting conduct in them. And yet Teddy Kennedy, a man who once let a woman die, feels free to speak the following unspeakable words: "We now learn that Saddam's torture chambers reopened under new management, U.S. management."

The United States is, according to the man in whose car Mary Jo Kopechne drowned, no better than the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Teddy Kennedy isn't just some outlier. Teddy Kennedy is the chief surrogate of the Democratic candidate for president of the United States and a lionized figure - so lionized that a worshipful profile of him published in Boston magazine won a major journalism award last year.

So let's be clear what's going on here. As we speak, 138,000 Americans are serving under dangerous conditions in Iraq. And our forces in Karbala are fighting against the goons and thugs of Muqtada al-Sadr with some success. They're risking their lives for freedom and honor and duty and love of country.

And conventional liberal opinion wants them to lose.

Conventional liberal opinion believes that the Abu Ghraib photos are the true meaning of the war, and that Nick Berg is just another victim of callous U.S. policy.

Conventional liberal opinion is actively seeking the humiliation and defeat of the United States in Iraq.

US Bishop Aquila Warns Catholic Pro-Abortion Politicians They "Risk the Possibility of Hell"
I usually change the headline when I post articles. Couldn't think of a better title than this though.
The abortion issue is about to hit liberal Democrats right between the eyes, courtesy of The Vatican.
The list is long. Here's a few:
Kennedy, Leahy, Durbin and Kerry.

The Future of Manned SpaceFlight 


And it isn't NASA. Spaceship One, in test flight above. On its way to winning the ten million dollar X-Prize, to be the first non-governmental sub-orbital space plane. Spaceward Ho!

Have We Forgotten?
Victor Davis Hanson asks if we've forgotten this man and what he has accomplished. The Democrats say "heads must roll." The sickness of the statement after the death of Nick Berg is stunning.  

An Update on Letter To Dad from Wednesday's Post
The moving letter to Dad is one of a series from Major David G Bellin, USMC. Here's a site featuring his letters, and others from the soldiers in Iraq. Interesting to hear from them, as opposed to the agenda driven media in the US. I'll make a permanent site.

A Letter to Dad

A letter sent to Hugh Hewitt. The name is withheld to protect the privacy of both the marine and his father.

Read this e-mail from a Marine to his dad:

"Dad -

We are approaching a very significant phase in Fallujah. Very soon, we will execute the first "joint patrol" into the city. The concept is that Marines and elements of the new Iraqi force will enter the town together. To suggest that the cessation of hostilities is fragile is an understatement. The environment is very fluid and one day things look better but the next we gather intelligence that suggests we are making a mistake. The leadership has gone way out on a limb here making a tremendous gamble that the course of action decided on will bring some degree of stability to this area.

Of course, in order to allow the Fallujans a chance to stabilize themselves, we must eat a little crow. We know that people are running around the city proclaiming that the Marines were defeated and the insurgents stopped us. To our dismay, this has even been picked up by our own media. Again, I can barely stand to read it. However, we fully realize that the only way the Iraqis will take control of their own destiny is to regain some of their long lost self image/national pride. They were crushed by Saddam brutally for 35 years, the last 12 of which, the US also had its way with them. They saw us cut right through the worlds 4th largest military in 1991 and then enforce no fly zones along with limited offensive actions against them with impunity for the next 12 years. Finally, we destroyed a regime and occupied their country in less than 3 weeks last year.

Regardless of whether or not the Iraqis hated Saddam, all of these elements above resulted in a tremendous amount of shame in this culture. Later, when we captured Saddam and put pictures and stories in the media of him surrendering like a lamb and sticking his tongue out for doctors, that was further humiliation. Until they start to feel some pride in themselves as a nation, we cannot expect them to want to vest themselves in its future. If that means we have to stand by and let them strut, that is what we will do. It is very hard to swallow as there is not a Marine here who does not know in his heart that we could have taken the entire city down if we were allowed. The whole environment requires discipline and confidence.

The more I am exposed to Iraq, the more I am convinced of the damage done buy the brutal regime that ruled it for so long. A special forces officer and I were talking this morning and he made the analogy that Iraq is like an abused child. If you abuse a child and raise it in a closet, you cannot expect it to be well adjusted and socialized when you let it out 20 years later. It may take decades to excise all of the damage. It is a rough analogy but it certainly applies here. The depth of ignorance is astounding. Because the people were so isolated and lived in such fear of the special police and sundry other henchmen, they are very susceptible to rumor and disinformation. Many people here hate us as they do throughout the world because they see us as grossly wealthy and our opportunities and "blessings" make the absence of their own all the more angersome. Envy breeds resentment which breeds distance which breeds ignorance... You get the picture.

I cannot tell you how many crazy ideas that the people here actually come to believe are true about us. In the mosques, they preach that we are only here for the oil and that we want to colonize Iraq. Worse, they preach that the Marines are going to rape the women in order to crush their race and expand our own. It goes on and on. As a western educated person, your first inclination is to reach out and reason with people. However, the ignorance fear and hatred are so profound in some pockets that reason is almost impossible. Soon someone shoots at us and then we respond. You can only imagine what happens after that. Finally, there are leaders here trying their best but who cannot gravitate away from western values and logic. These values and approach are often perceived as weakness. Weakness is seen as opportunity for the terrorists.

The lingering problem are the many different factions who are completely mercenary in their interests. Hard to believe but the insurgents care very little for the innocent people and easily justify their deaths so long as their individual agendas are furthered. This is pervasive here, particularly with Islamic extremists. They are merciless on the citizens. I have no ideas how many summary executions these people have committed on the citizens of Iraq who they perceive as cooperating with the coalition but it is in the thousands. We have seen it happen. We found one body in Fallujah as the Marines advanced that was clearly tortured (feet cut off, head bludgeoned in...) before being killed. There are more stories than I can recount. The criteria for a death sentence here? - Refusing to fight for the terrorists or maybe taking a job emptying portajohns on a US base. If you are thought of being a spy, your entire family is at risk.

I realize that little of this probably makes the news. Perhaps history will explain our journalistic failings because I simply cannot.

As for the Abu Garayb atrocities, that is exactly what they are. I have been inside this prison several times. I never saw anything like what is now on the news but we did see a general lack of discipline among the service members in there when we arrived. We are horribly ashamed that fellow service members would do such a thing. It does not matter that it was Army or National Guard. Most Marines and Sailors in the Regiment have had their hands on detainees. It is a very emotional and taxing situation especially if the guy was just shooting at you. However, these prison guards didn't go out on patrol and capture the Iraqis, nor did they conduct a raid and grab them in a very dangerous operation. They simply failed at every level to maintain even the most basic standards not only of US servicemembers but as human beings. They traded the Nations moral high ground and fueled the extremists message of hate as a result of their weakness.
Unfortunately they did it not just to themselves but every where a Marine or Soldier patrols tonight across the globe and even for every American citizen who travels abroad and naturally represents the United States.

What do we do? I can only imagine this is what people must be asking. I can only share what the Marines here believe. We stand and fight. We honestly and absolutely accept responsibility and do our best through out actions to convince the world that those acts were conducted by criminals and are not indicative of our values or intentions. We continue to go on patrol and do our best to kill the terrorists and protect the people. We stay tolerant one second longer. We adjust to a very fluid environment and stay faithful to our values. We live up to what the American people expect of United States Marines and we maintain high expectations of the American people. We share our courage with both the Iraqi people and even our neighbors, fight like hell when the situation dictates and maintain our humanity through it all.

It may sound very glossy to many people but there is the luxury of focus here. No angst sitting in a Starbucks listening to some idiot opine about something which he knows very little or having to suffer through campaign ads that try to make hay out of America's stumbles.

People need to have faith that the young man throwing grenades two weeks ago and who was ordered to stop has not lost faith and still believes what he is doing is right. Whenever I am blessed enough to take a second and recognize "that guy" it shores up my personal weakness and makes my situation seem trivial.

For what it is worth, even though the Marines constantly ask the media guys here if "the American people still support us...?" Like anyone else, he wants to be reassured but he clearly expects the answer to be "yes." My take is that it is easy to support service members but it takes conviction to support the continued liberation of the Iraqi people and the pursuit of terrorists around the world - especially on the dark days.

Sorry it has taken me so long to write."

Abuse and Atrocity
I've just viewed the Nick Berg torture and slaughter video. A link to it is in the title above.
A couple of thoughts:
This was far worse than a beheading. Somehow this word brings to mind French Guillotines, swift and relatively painless.
This was anything but.
The screams of Nick Berg will haunt my sleep tonight....

While I agree that the abuse that occurred at Al Ghraib at the hands of American soldiers must be dealt with swiftly, there is no comparison to the atrocities perpetrated by the five cowards in the Berg video, or the Pearl Video, or 9/11/01.

This is what we fight against. We must not forget. And as hard as it may be, we must watch the videos, remember the screams, and yes, avenge the dead lest it happen again, and again, and again.

Does this sound harsh? Overly dramatic? Watch the video of this Jewish American being tortured. Then read the above. Then think about perspective, and the Democrat Chorus whining about how awful Americans must be....Perspective.

This is really more of a test of a new capability, adding pictures to the blog. What Picture would you expect me to use?

Thoughts on War

“After all, we are at war, you know.” The number of conservative talking heads that say this line keeps growing, as the storm over the photographs continues to expand and engulf the mainstream media. I think the statement, heard again and again, serves as a reminder and a warning.

Truth is, those on the left don't know we are at war. They refuse to believe that the current conflict is anything more than the police actions they supported under Clinton, and protested under Johnson, Nixon, and under the First President Bush.

The idea that we are engaged in a World War simply strikes those on the left as absurd. Raised with a distrust of authority, and an intense hatred for all things military, the left, with a few exceptions, has come to the conclusion that, since no formal declaration of war was given, we cannot be in a war. And the political calulations that follow from that view are therefore the things you hear from the left. You know the statements, “An illegal president fighting an illegal war.”
“If only Bush had involved the United Nations.”
And on and on and on.

Our enemies know we are at war. In fact, the Islamo-Fascists we face have been at war with the United Stated for at least 10 years now. Hiding our heads in the sands of the Middle East will not make them go away. Nor will somehow ceding power to the UN make Washington, New York, Chicago or Los Angeles a less tempting target the next time.

Sixty years ago, this nation needed no reminders that we were at war. The gold stars in the windows, signifying the loss of a family member was reminder enough. The images shown on Nightline last Friday, no matter what Ted Koppel's real motivation may have been, should continue to remind us.

We are at war.
And yes, it is a World War.
The stakes in this war are just as high as in the last World War.
The enemy fights in the shadows, but continues to fight.
It is time Mr. Kerry, the Democrats, and their willing accomplices in the mainstream media admitted that, and put aside both their 60's radicalism, and their selfish political calculations.

Perspective: From J. Goldberg and V. D. Hanson

The Hearings Today: General Schoomaker's Opening Statement.

General Peter Schoomaker is the Army Chief of Staff. Former Commander of Special Forces, he was pulled out of retiremen to accept this most difficulty post. His statement today was eloquent, and gives a vital perspective to the the current media firestorm.

SCHOOMAKER: Chairman Warner, Senator Levin, distinguished members of the committee, I'll be brief. As the chief of staff of the Army, I am responsible for the training and equipping of our soldiers and growing our Army leaders.

I am also responsible for providing ready and relevant land power capabilities to the combatant commanders and the joint team.

Though not in the operational chain of command, I am responsible for our soldiers' training and readiness. Therefore I take it personally when any of them falls short of our standards.

To put it in perspective, what we are dealing with are actions of a few, as has been pointed out. These are conscious actions that are contrary to all that we stand for. This is not a training issue, but one of character and values.

Our Army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage are taught to our soldiers from the moment that they enter the training base.

There's no question that the potential consequences are serious. But we must not forget that these are a few among a great many others who are serving with great honor and sacrifice, as has been pointed out.

We must be careful how we proceed, as it will affect the morale and safety of the great majority of our soldiers who are meeting the standards and are daily placing themselves in harm's way. I promise you they, too, take this personally.

SCHOOMAKER: I am reminded that in the report by Major General Taguba, he spoke of several soldiers in units who were challenged by the same set of demanding circumstances at the same place, and they did what was right. The inexcusable behavior of a few is not representative of the courageous and compassionate performance of the overwhelming majority of our soldiers who served with pride and honor.

We are currently undergoing an extensive investigation of every allegation. The system works, and will result in fairness and justice. We will also learn and adapt.

Our Army has already taken corrective actions. Our soldiers are performing with distinction and I am proud of them all. We owe them our confidence.

Our Army is taking this very seriously and will meet the standards that our nation expects as we have for 229 years.

Thank you.

WARNER: Thank you, General.

That statement on leadership reflects your own strong record of leadership. And we're fortunate to have you at the helm of the United States Army today.

A Reminder in the Midst of the Latest Media Feeding Frenzy
A reminder of what the war is about.

The Village Voice: Nation: Mondo Washington: Up, Up, Up With People by James Ridgeway
And lest you think Mister Ridgeway is a closet Conservative, working undercover for the RNC, here's a sample of his other work. Want to imagine the outcry in the Mainstream Media if, oh say, The Weekly Standard took this sneering approach to a Muslim or Jewish website?

The Village Voice: Nation: Mondo Washington: John Kerry Must Go by James Ridgeway
This is one of many liberal voices calling for someone, anyone else. Before you say it can't happen, remember Robert Torricelli in 2002. Behind in the polls, he dropped out. A Democrat won the election, Frank Lautenberg, after a Democrat appointed New Jersey Supreme Court decided the law didn't really say what the law said. Some are saying Hillary is readying her parachute, to do a HALO at the Democratic Convention...stay tuned.

A Fitting Counterpoint to Ted Koppel
Victor Davis Hanson gives the much needed yet left out analysis of those photos from Nightline last night.

A Change Of Name
This blog was originally called The Gang, as it began life as an email listing to several of my friends at work, then outside work. Then the company decided they wanted their computers for themselves, and frowned on my personal use of them. Sigh.
There were many ideas for names, but it finally landed on Liberty Just in Case.
Multiple meanings, depending on which word in the title is emphasized.
There may be other changes coming in the future.
We'll keep you posted.