Prediction '06: The Blogosphere

I think we'll begin to see a stabilization of the blogosphere in '06. Folks who were in it for the fad will begin to fade out. Others, who have been great bloggers, will simply decide to do something else. The blogs that remain at this time next year are the ones that will last. These bloggers are in it for the long haul. With a history of going on four years, Liberty Just in Case will be one of those blogs.

The Holiday Bowl: OU vs The Ducks

A disappointing 7-4 season lands The Sooners in this bowl no one has heard of. After last year's thrashing at the hands of a professional football team called the Trojans, its taken this long for OU to recover. Let's hope we have Duck soup for our Holiday dinner.

The Stem Cell Hoax

This story has been bubbling along out there throughout the Christmas break.

Intriguing though the mystery may be, the frustration of patients who pinned their hopes on a stem cell cure must be unbearable. A 12-year-old boy suffering from spinal paralysis who offered his cells to Hwang's team is said to have asked his father Kim Je-eon, "Will I never be able to stand up again?" Our country has 100,000 diabetic children and 130,000 spinal paralysis patients. It was they and their families who spread azaleas in front of Prof. Hwang's laboratory when it seemed he was the victim of a slanderous campaign, pleading with him to come back and continue the work that had galvanized their hopes. The government, which poured more than W65 billion (US$65 million) into the project and touted Hwang’s research as if a cure for incurable diseases was just around the corner, owes these patients at least an explanation.

I find eerie echoes here to a former vice-presidential candidate saying that had President Bush "allowed" stem cell research on the unborn, Christopher Reeves would be alive today. Wonder if Mr. Edwards is keeping up with this story?

A Dissent From Darwinism

There's a mini-debate raging below this post. I am a firm adherent to the theory of Intelligent Design. Evolution, the theory that has been taught to all of us since the middle of the last century, has some huge flaws. Yet it has become the dominant orthodoxy of our time.

Whenever I hear or read the phrase, "everyone knows this is true," I tend to question whatever "this" may be. Evolution is one such "this" that deserves questioning. In the link are some of the questioners, and you won't find a "preacher" among them.

"We are skeptical of the claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged."

When was the last time you saw this statement anywhere? I'm betting you haven't. Have you ever wondered why? It certainly isn't because the credentials of the men and women making the statement don't hold up, is it?

Predictions: Bobby Byrd Has Named His Last Highway

Robert Byrd, former KKK member, and current Senator from West Virginia, will be defeated in a close election in November. West Virginia has been trending Republican for a long time, and I think the time has come to oust the Senior Senator. His oratory will be missed. His partisanship won't.

What Is The Main Story of 2005? And What Will Come in 2006?

So I've been thinking of times past and times future. Until New Year's Eve, Matt and I will be posting our favorite stories of 2005, and predictions for 2006. Feel free to add your own, or vehemently disagree with ours.

I think the big story of 2005 is the active, planned move to appeasement by the Democrat Party. They have sold American security for the hope of regaining power in 2006. And, I predict that the November 2006 elections will be far closer to 2002 than 1994.

I also predict that the Democrats suicidal strategy will kill the Patriot Act in late January. They won't stop Alito, but they'll give it a grand try.

More predictions to come, as the mood strikes us...

A Good One, or a Burn: How Troops View Journalists in Iraq

Great story. Worth reading a couple of times.

Orthodoxy and Evolution

Another must read, this one on forbidding teachers from teaching...

The Only Thing Outrageous is the Outrage

A must-read opinion peice, in The New York Times, of all places.

SHORTLY after the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush ordered surveillance of international telephone communications by suspected members of Al Qaeda overseas, even if such calls also involved individuals within the United States. This program was adopted by direct presidential order and was subject to review every 45 days. Judicial warrants for this surveillance were neither sought nor obtained, although key members of Congress were evidently informed. The program's existence has now become public, and howls of outrage have ensued. But in fact, the only thing outrageous about this policy is the outrage itself.

The president has the constitutional authority to acquire foreign intelligence without a warrant or any other type of judicial blessing. The courts have acknowledged this authority, and numerous administrations, both Republican and Democrat, have espoused the same view. The purpose here is not to detect crime, or to build criminal prosecutions - areas where the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirements are applicable - but to identify and prevent armed attacks on American interests at home and abroad. The attempt, by Democrats and Republicans alike, to dismantle the president's core constitutional power in wartime is wrongheaded and should be vigorously resisted by the administration.

Wisdom from the pages of The New York Times. Who would have thought...?

The Incarnation

From the Book of Common Prayer:

Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon
him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been
born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

God made man, the Hope of Glory.
Merry Christmas.

Camp Katrina: A Blog About the Great Things Our Military is Doing

Great site! Our Armed Forces are spreading Christmas cheer to the poor all year long. This blog works hard to document those efforts.

Monitoring for Radiation at Mosques: Isn't This a GOOD THING?!?!?

Apparently not, if you are from the Left and looking for anything to lay on President Bush. Hugh Hewitt has a great analysis of the non-story. What is a huge, huge story is finding out who the leakers are on both this and the NSA story. Gee, where's Valerie Plame when you need her?

Tracking Santa

Sadly, we've outgrown Santa in our house. But this is still a fun site to look at as you finish wrapping the presents, and just before you put out the Oreos and milk.

Narnia Topples Kong: Are the Defeatocrats in Hollywood Listening?

So, a movie about children visiting a magical land, a movie with very heavy Christian undertones, beats out the "blockbuster" going in to the big Christmas weekend. Brokeback Mountain, a movie many on the Left are raving about, is a distant tenth.

Parents make choices with their money, their time, and most especially what they let their children watch on a 90 foot screen in surround sound. It's past time for Hollywood to honor those choices with movies that are worth paying nine dollars to see.

Saddam and the Defeatocrats: The Same Losing Strategy

Nice to see Saddam is watching American television. Don't you find it sad that Saddam has more in common with the Left than the Left has in common with America?

The Roots of Evil

A very disturbing video, especially if you have children. Yet this video gets at the heart of the evil within radical Islam in a far more accurate way than any George Clooney or Steven Spielberg movie.

College Professors Tilt Decidedly Left

Okay, so its not news to anyone who has been on a college campus. But this study adds hard data to what we all knew to be true. And it echoes an important question:

Americans are asking themselves why they pay so much money to professors
whose work is often purely “academic” and whose political ideas typically are left-wing.

A good question. Many Americans are choosing not to pay the money to leftist indoctrination courses. They are choosing to send their sons and daughters to schools that are more in the middle. Hopefully, this trend will continue. The only way to change the the ideological bent of universities is to hit them in the pocketbook with lower enrollments.

Despite the Caterwauling, It's Legal, and Is the Right Thing to Do

Despite the whining, and gnashing of teeth from the Defeatocrats, the detect and intercept program is legal. John Schmidt, associate attorney general under Clinton, makes the case for all to see.

Now, to answer Jason's question: Just because Clinton did it does not make it right. That statement has more truth with Clinton than any other President of this great nation. But precedent does mean something, and the fact that Clinton, Reagan, and even Carter administration officials are onboard with this should tell you something. If you are interested in the truth. And if you can take off the Bush hater goggles long enough to see it.

The Wile E. Coyote Defeatocrats

This is EXACTLY what I've been wanting to say about the left, but couldn't figure out how to say it. HT to Best of the Web. Leave it to the boys from Powerline to say it for us:

UPDATE: Reader Stephen Fossati writes:

For the better part of ten years I had the privilege of working closely with Wile's creator Chuck Jones and in fact produced and co-wrote Chuck's final Roadrunner cartoon in 1994, so I would humbly offer that I am a fair authority on said erstwhile coyote.

Having spoken with Chuck about Wile more times than I can count, I can say with great conviction that your suggestion that the Murtha, Dean, Kerry, Boxer et al, position with regards to the GWOT and the war in Iraq, is appropriately analogous to Wile and to his inumerable, ill-considered and near fatally-flawed plans to catch the Roadrunner -- a good many of which resulted in him falling off of a cliff.

Chuck defined Wile in the words of George Santayana who said: "A fanatic is one who redoubles his effort when he has forgotten his aim." Assuming that the Dems' aims are to regain control of the House, the Senate and the White House and based upon their seemingly fevered attempts to discredit President Bush by mis-representing the success of the war, advocating for our withdrawal/surrender, and purposefully undermining our efforts/abilities to wage war on an enemy unlike any we have faced before, I think it's fair to say that the Democrats clearly meet Santayana's definition of a fanatic. And since it is Santayana's definition of a fanatic with which Wile's own creator described him, I would conclude that your comparison of our luckless, over-zealous and too-clever-by-half coyote to the leaders of the Democratic party, is not only correct but painfully (for the Dems), astute.

It's interesting that Wile E. Coyote's creator viewed him in such philosophical terms. Meanwhile, another point of similarity between Wile and the Democrats occurs to me. Remember how Wile viewed even his misadventures as evidence of his superior intellect?

And for a full explanation of the Left's "genius" you need only read the commentary from Real Clear Politics:

With the resounding success of last week’s election, it will become harder for the press and the Democrats to frame Iraq as an unmitigated disaster. You could see the mainstream media walking back the negativity in their coverage of Iraq this past week and, while I have no doubt the negative reporting will return, at some point the facts start to win out – just as has happened with the economy. Ironically, one benefit to the Bush administration from the consistently negative reporting on Iraq is that expectations have now been set so low the odds are better than 50-50 that 2006 will be viewed by the public as having seen significant progress in Iraq.

The media may be writing stories about Bush “in a bubble” but they are two months late to that theme. Just like the spring and summer of 2004 when the conventional beltway wisdom said that Bush’s sub-50% job approval made him a political goner, there is a distinct sense this president is being misunderestimated again.

Misunderestimating the President appears to be the Defeatocrats favorite hobby. Perhaps they should find a more productive past time, like finding a way to win elections.

Narnia: An Excellent Review

R. Andrew Newman presents a marvelous review of a truly wonderful movie. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is no children's movie, just as the books are not "children's literature" either. This review presents the secret things of the movie, that only became apparent after much thought, or after reading this piece.

Syria Agrees to Hide Iran's Nukes

Now, does anyone wonder what agreements Syria may have made with their fellow Baathist Saddam before that little conflict began? Hmmmm.

Sununu's Response

There were four Republican Senators who sided with the Defeatocrats on the Patriot Act. John Sununu is one of them. Here is his response to being blasted by conservatives for his actions.

The Value of Saying...Nothing

This is one of those days when every peice in OpinionJournal is worth reading. But the last one, the value of RealPolitick, is a keeper:

In the end, I realized, you can't save every relationship that totters because of politics. The best you can do is ditch the friends who can't see beyond left and right, and hang onto the ones who are prepared to stick with you no matter what.Consider another pal, one who hung in there even though he doesn't see eye to eye with me in the least.

A voluble Deaniac, he sent me a string of notes during last year's campaign asking pointed questions about the war effort and the president's moral authority. If anything, he was an even more dangerous sparring partner than my former friend: He started every argument with disarming caveats about his own side, and when he went in for the kill he had much better facts at his command. I couldn't dismiss what he said as a fever dream.

In one sense, it was everything I didn't want in a friendship. For long, exhausting stretches all we talked about was politics, and I hardly ever held my own. But ideology never affected our friendship. He didn't trust the right, but he trusted me--and he was genuinely curious to know how I squared my personal ethics with those of the supposedly compromised hawkish establishment.We didn't convert each other, by any means, but I like to think we both ended up wiser for the experience--even if I'm still ducking some of his better questions.

Which brings me to one last big lesson from the past three years: Pick your fights. Don't jump at every chance to defend your side in a debate. Wait for arguments that you can answer with elegance and good humor, and take the rest in stride.

Good rules. Important rules for the dinner table, and for the blogosphere.

Intelligent Design v Evolution: The Trial Ends, The Debate Continues

I'm waiting for the decision to download, but in the meantime, it appears the Judge ruled on the motivations of the school board, not on the truth or falsehood of Intelligent Design. If that's the case, I would be inclined to agree with the ruling. We'll see what the actual decision says in a few minutes.
Update: You can find the complete ruling here. Obviously, I've not read the whole thing yet. Hugh Hewitt has an interesting take on the ruling.

Welcome to Democracy, Folks

Over the next few months, we will hear alot of stories like this one from Omar at Iraq the Model. And, sadly, the MSM and the Defeatocrats will work hard to fan these sparks into full-blown hysteria here at home.

Democracy is messy by its very nature. And it doesn't get better over time, as evidenced by Bush v. Gore, Bush v. Kerry, the Clinton Impeachment, etc, etc, etc. So, as stories like this come out, keep in mind that no one story will lead to the Defeatocrats' hoped for Civil war. Iraq is on the way to Liberty. And Liberty means conflict, heated argument, and compromise. Welcome to the party, Iraq!

The President Claimed Ability to do No Warrant Searches

Nope, not President Bush. The impeached former occupant of the office.

In a little-remembered debate from 1994, the Clinton administration argued that the president has "inherent authority" to order physical searches — including break-ins at the homes of U.S. citizens — for foreign intelligence purposes without any warrant or permission from any outside body. Even after the administration ultimately agreed with Congress's decision to place the authority to pre-approve such searches in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court, President Clinton still maintained that he had sufficient authority to order such searches on his own.

"The Department of Justice believes, and the case law supports, that the president has inherent authority to conduct warrantless physical searches for foreign intelligence purposes," Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on July 14, 1994, "and that the President may, as has been done, delegate this authority to the Attorney General."

"It is important to understand," Gorelick continued, "that the rules and methodology for criminal searches are inconsistent with the collection of foreign intelligence and would unduly frustrate the president in carrying out his foreign intelligence responsibilities."

Executive Order 12333, signed by Ronald Reagan in 1981, provides for such warrantless searches directed against "a foreign power or an agent of a foreign power."

And, yes. That would be 9/11 Commissioner Jamie Gorelick, of "The Wall" fame.

Well, We Asked For Mr. Bush to Get Out Front on Iraq

Last night a speech from the Oval Office, after multiple speeches since 11/11. Now a press conference, beginning at 9:30 AM. Not quite a political version of Shock and Awe, but close, very close.
Update: 10:30 AM CST
A dozen times Democrats in Congress were consulted on the Detect and Intercept program. Twelve times! And not a peep from them until The New York Times dropped the story in front of us on the day The Patriot Act went down in defeat.

As the President said, I want the Senators from New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles to go home and tell those people why they are safer with the Patriot Act no longer in effect. Go tell the folks in the World Trade Towers why they're safer now...oh wait. Guess the Senators can't do that last one, now can they?

Update II 5:00 PM CST
If you'd like to see the President's press conference, go here.
And, for the President's speech last night, go here.

Great, great stuff. And its about time too.
My favorite part of last night's speech was this:

I also want to speak to those of you who did not support my decision to send troops to Iraq: I have heard your disagreement, and I know how deeply it is felt. Yet now there are only two options before our country -- victory or defeat. And the need for victory is larger than any president or political party, because the security of our people is in the balance. I don't expect you to support everything I do, but tonight I have a request: Do not give in to despair, and do not give up on this fight for freedom.

So far, no one from the Defeatocrat party or their willing allies in the MSM appear to have heard that last paragraph. Maybe they heard this one, from his news conference this morning:

The terrorists want to strike America again, and they hope to inflict even greater damage than they did on September the 11th. Congress has a responsibility to give our law enforcement and intelligence officials the tools they need to protect the American people. The senators who are filibustering the Patriot Act must stop their delaying tactics, and the Senate must vote to reauthorize the Patriot Act. In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without this law for a single moment.

Probably not. Guess its time for the President to turn up the volume yet again. Looks like he's about to.

The Leftward Tilt of Media in the United States

It's highly unlikely this study will get much play in the MSM. Considering its findings, that should come as no surprise.

Victory or Defeat, Patience, An End to Defeatism

Did I miss anything? I don't think so. Now, about a dozen more of these kinds of speeches over the next year and maybe, just maybe the Defeatocrats will shut up.

People of the Year: The Iraqi People, The Lebanese People, The Ukrainian People

Freedom was on the march in 2005, and Time magazine gave person of the year to Bono, and Bill and Melinda Gates?!?!? The Ukraine threw off dictatorship, the Lebanese people stood up to the evil of Syria, and the Iraqi people voted in mass for freedom three times this year, despite terrorists and Defeatocrats. Seems these great people are far more deserving of kudos than those chosen by Time. Of course, if the people of Iraq, Lebanon and Ukraine were chosen, Time may have to give some credit where its due, to Mr. Bush and company. Can't have that, now can we?

Looks like Michelle Malkin agrees. I would have given her a hat tip except I put up my post before I saw her post here. Of course, she had the bright idea to include pictures...darn, I wish I had thought of that!

Wikipedia: What's all the fuss about?

I've been wondering about the motivations behind the recent brouhaha in the mainstream media regarding errors in Wikipedia. The error was corrected over time, as usually happens with this amazing open source reference guide. But the smear was made,and repeated over and over again. I wonder if Wikipedia represents the blogosphere for the MSM? You could sort of here the charge, "See! See! That wikipedia was WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! Just like those evil bloggers are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! " Yet, the scandals within the MSM over the past two years continue to fester, as readership of MSM papers continue to decline, and as ratings for MSM networks continue to disintegrate. Could the fuss over Wikipedia be a straw man for the wider anger in the MSM about the increasing power of blogs, talk radio, and other forms of alternative media? Just wondering...

Bush (Gasp!) Defends Wiretaps

How dare he defend himself against the attacks of the Defeatocrats. Why, even such stalwart RINOs as Arlen Specter and Lindsay Graham are apalled that the President would actively prosecute the war, up to and including looking for terrorists here in the United States! Harumph.

Now the thing that fascinates me is that the funeral director of the Senate, Harry Reid, admitted he knew about the spying months ago. He apparently chose to withhold his outrage until politically appropriate.

And, just so there are no further questions about the legality of the President's actions, here is an analysis from Hugh Hewitt. But, what does legality mean to Defeatocrats when they have a political card to play.

How to Lose a War: A Primer for Defeatocrats

Rather than a full reply to Matt's post about the failure to renew the Patriot Act, I thought Sandman's post on How to Lose a War would be more appropriate. While the Patriot Act wasn't perfect (no bill is) the Senate's failure to renew it puts us back at September 10th, 2001 in our efforts to combat terrorism in this nation.

Appropriately entitled SHEEPDUNG, this peice clearly elaborates where the Left stands as 2005 comes to a close.

And, if you would like to let the 4 Republicrats who stood with the Defeatocrats in the Senate last night know how you feel, you can find contact information here.

Politics Above National Security, Power Above Patriotism

I think my link to Al Jazeera's report of the failure of the Patriot Act should give you an indication of how I feel about it's failure. But I could have just as easily linked the New York Times. There really is no difference between the two.

Now Here's a Way to Get Iraq Off the Front Page

Let's see. The New York Times has been sitting on this story, until today. So what happens today? The Patriot Act is voted on in the Senate. And that election thing happened in Iraq. Can't have the turnout of millions on the front page now can we?

The White House asked The New York Times not to publish this article, arguing that it could jeopardize continuing investigations and alert would-be terrorists that they might be under scrutiny. After meeting with senior administration officials to hear their concerns, the newspaper delayed publication for a year to conduct additional reporting. Some information that administration officials argued could be useful to terrorists has been omitted.

The New York Times and Washington Post is continuing a fine tradition of undermining the war effort in this country. This one is right up there with Robert McCormick and the Chicago Tribune revealing we had the Japanese military codes in WWII. FDR wanted to bring him up on treason charges, but was persuaded by the State Department not to.

I think its time we had a real discussion of journalistic responsibility in war time. I'm not sure the Founding Fathers pictured a time when our MSM would be actively rooting for terrorists.

Update:
Michelle Malkin takes the story apart, including the fact that the "journalist" Risen has a book coming out in ten days.

CarePages: A Wonderful Use of the Internet

We have a critically ill friend in Colorado. CarePages allows us to keep in touch with her and her family during this difficult period. Sites like this are a reminder of what wondrous times we live in.

Volunteer encyclopedia as accurate as Britannica, journal says

Well, this is encouraging. I've found Wikipedia quite helpful, as long as you understand that its open source, and errors can creep in. I've found it more exhaustive than Brittania over the years as well.

The Defeatocrats Headache: Howard Dean

What a great first paragraph:

Democrats are voicing concern that Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean is compromising his party’s political prospects by straying on to controversial policy turf such as the Iraq war and Social Security reform.

Ya think?

A Bill of Rights...For Terrorists. Thanks Sen. McCain

A great piece by Andrew McCarthy on why McCain's amendment on torture is incredibly wrong-headed.

Hope, Freedom, Victory: The Iraqi Front

The success of the Iraqi elections appear to be beyond expectations. The terrorists couldn't stop people from voting. Neither could the Defeatocrats. The prebuttal led by Harry Reid yesterday looks even more foolish following today's success. And Carl Levin's threats of a coming Civil War have been dipped in purple ink, and hung out to dry.

I searched for pictures of Senator Reid from yesterday's travesty. I found very few. I think I know why. The man looked like someone had just killed his firstborn. Griefstricken Democrat Senators don't play well on television, and the loss of the Iraq issue has left them heart broken.

The Democrats have invested much in the defeat of U.S. policy in Iraq, and yet the policy is succeeding. I know that sounds harsh, and leaves my friends on the left screaming that I'm attacking their patriotism. But how else do you explain the Defeatocrat offensive of the past few weeks? The success of President Bush's policies in Iraq hurts Democrats. President Bush's success on the ecomomy hurts Democrats. In fact, any success that the United States has, foreign or domestic, is a defeat for the Democrat Party, and the left. The Democrats have arranged it so. And now the Left is recieving the fruits of their policy. The President's poll numbers are on their way up, and the Democrats are on the way down...again.

Election Day in Iraq

PajamasMedia will be live blogging the whole thing, through Iraq the Model, and several other onsite blogs. A great alternative to the gloom and doom of the Defeatocrats and their willing accomplices in the MSM.

Twas the Night Before Christmas in Iraq

heh, heh, heh.
Great fun!

I've Had Quite Enough of Lindsay Graham, and John McCain.

I thought Lindsay Graham was just great when he was a Congressman. He gave by far the best presentations at Clinton's Impeachment Trial, and I cheered when he was elected Senator. But something happened to Senator Graham on the way to the Senate. He became enamored by that RINO of RINOs, Senator John McCain. This piece, by Andrew McCarthy, explains some, and only some, of the reasons I've had it up to HERE with Senator Graham, and his mentor, Senator McCain.

The President's Speech Today

The MSM wants to focus on President Bush saying intelligence was faulty. But this represents the heart of the speech:

One of these men was a Marine lieutenant named Ryan McGlothlin, from Lebanon, Virginia. Ryan was a bright young man who had everything going for him and he always wanted to serve our nation. He was a valedictorian of his high school class. He graduated from William & Mary with near-perfect grade averages, and he was on a full scholarship at Stanford, where he was working toward a doctorate in chemistry.

Two years after the attacks of September the 11th, the young man who had the world at his feet came home from Stanford for a visit. He told his dad, "I just don't feel like I'm doing something that matters. I want to serve my country. I want to protect our lands from terrorists, so I joined the Marines." When his father asked him if there was some other way to serve, Ryan replied that he felt a special obligation to step up because he had been given so much. Ryan didn't support me in the last election, but he supported our mission in Iraq. And he supported his fellow Marines.

Ryan was killed last month fighting the terrorists near the -- Iraq's Syrian border. In his pocket was a poem that Ryan had read at his high school graduation, and it represented the spirit of this fine Marine. The poem was called "Don't Quit." In our fight to keep America free, we'll never quit. We've lost wonderful Americans like Ryan McGlothlin. We cherish the memory of each one. We pray the loved ones -- pray for the loved ones they've left behind, and we count it a privilege to be citizens of a country they served. We also honor them by acknowledging that their sacrifice has brought us to this moment: the birth of a free and sovereign Iraqi nation that will be a friend of the United States, and a force for good in a troubled region of the world.

The story of freedom has just begun in the Middle East. And when the history of these days is written, it will tell how America once again defended its own freedom by using liberty to transform nations from bitter foes to strong allies. And history will say that this generation, like generations before, laid the foundation of peace for generations to come.

Tomorrow the Iraqis go to the polls. The spread of freedom continues throughout the Middle East.

Stratego for Democrats

Read the whole thing. Laughed so hard I almost pulled out the stitches from my wisdom teeth removal!

War in Australia: The Sydney Riots

HT to PajamasMedia for the link to 2gb.
The talk radio station I'm listening to from Sydney seems to suggest the end of multi-culturalism in Australia. It's fascinating listening, and very frightening. Send the station an email, letting them know that our ally down under is in our prayers.

Not only PajamasMedia is covering the story, but also the Australian.

Murtha For the Blogosphere

December 12th, 2005

From the desk of Congressman John Murtha, proudly serving Pennsylvania's 12th District:

It would appear that conservatives have invaded Gun-Totin' Liberal. In fact, based on the complaints of those on the Left, who I've heard from each and every day, there appears to be little difference between those on the Right and the Zarqawi terrorists of Iraq. They have apparently "taken over" the site, leaving poor 'ole GTL with a very conservative site upon his return, despite the best efforts of those on the Left to fight back.

It would appear the Leftward contributors to GTL have become targets for conservative bloggers and readers, to such an extent that it is increasingly impossible for the Left contributors to complete their mission. In fact, according to one of the leaders on the Left, " The idea that we can actually win at GTL is just plain wrong." He went on to compare Gun-Totin' Liberal to a bloggish quaqmire, repeating the word Vietnam many times throughout his statement.

Since those contributors on the Left, and their readers, feel threatened, indeed terrorized, by the evil conservative insurgents in their midst, I would recommend the following strategy:

That all liberal bloggers leave immediately, in an orderly fashion, but as quickly as possible. This would decrease the chances of taking hits from well known conservative insurgents like Republican Vet.

That a quick reaction force of elite leftward bloggers be established to maintain a token "presence on GTL.

That an "over the horizon" force of leftward bloggers be established on friendly blogs, like Daily Kos, or Wonkette . This elite force could monitor the situation on GTL, and be ready to HALOscan in to make surgical comments on key posts, while still maintaining enough distance to keep from actually having to confront the Conservative insurgents.

And finally, that a group of leftward bloggers open diplomatic negotiations with the conservative insurgents of Gun-Totin' Liberal, seeking a solution to the ongoing rightward tilt of the site.

Hope this strategy helps the brave bloggers of the Left on GTL. It's the best strategy we of the Democrat Party have been able to come up with.

Sincerely,
John "Jack" Murtha (who served in Vietnam)
With input from Chairman Howard Dean, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and former Presidential John Kerry (who served in Vietnam).

---cross posted at Gun-Totin' Liberal

A Conversation About Iraq

Now, I don't have many conversations about Iraq outside LJiC. Most of my interactions about politics and war occur here in the blogosphere. Folks know me here, and if I don't like the way the conversation is going, I just turn off the computer.

But today I was talking to a group of people after church. One of them saw that I was reading Hunting Down Saddam, by Robin Moore. He asked what I thought of the book, and I said it was a great look at the push in to Baghdad, and the hunt for Saddam.

He sort of made a face, and said, "What a mess we've gotten ourselves in to there."

Now, normally I sit back when I hear comments like that, breathe deeply, and ask very quietly, in my best therapist tone, "Now, what makes you say that?" It provides a breather for both of us, and a chance for me to get my thoughts together before landing on the uninformed victim with both feet.

But this time, I couldn't help myself. Maybe its the pain from the wisdom teeth removal. maybe its just that I'm tired of hearing how awful things are there. Whatever. I just said, clearly and concisely, "Iraq is NOT a mess. How can you say that about a country where millions are going to vote on Thursday?"

We then had an excellent discussion, with the man making the comment finally agreeing to take a look at sites like Michael Yon and Iraq the Model before saying something like that again.

Voicing optimism about Iraq, and the forces of Democracy at play there is not fashionable today. The constant drip, drip drip of pessimism most people are exposed to makes it difficult to present the reality in a coherent way. Things simply aren't that bad in most of Iraq, and a whole lot better than they were under the butcher Saddam. Despite the media and the Defeatocrats constant harping on what's wrong there.

But its time to start voicing optimism about Iraq, past time. And not just in the closed system of the blogosphere. The truth is out there, and the truth about Iraq is positive. It's time we started telling folks that truth.

Update:
One of the topics we discussed was a comparison between post-war Germany and the current situation in Iraq. Here's a look at some of those parallels.

Gateway Pundit: Images of Tiananmen, Tanks Move on China Town

Gateway Pundit: Images of Tiananmen, Tanks Move on China Town The coverage in the blogosphere is starting to swell. Moving photos and even some audio in this link. And we are going to hold the Olympics in this cesspool of tyranny?

A Deep, Deep Homily From the New Pope

One of the hardest decisions of my life was when I decided not to become a Roman Catholic nearly 15 years ago. It put a rift between my in-laws and myself that will never completely heal. Yet I know it was the right decision for me, my wife, and my two children. We are firmly established in a conservative Episcopal Church (yes there are some around) here in the far western suburbs of Chicago.

Though not Roman Catholic, I have followed the new Pope with a sense of wonder and awe. He has stepped in to some very big shoes, and has made the office his own. This homily, given on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, is one of the deepest treatises on original sin, and the true meaning of liberty I've ever read. Here's a couple of excerpts:

What is the picture placed before us in this page? Man did not trust God. He harboured the suspect that God, at the end of the day, was taking something from his life, that God was a competitor who limits our freedom and that we will be fully human only when we have put him aside; all in all, that only in this way can we fully realize our freedom. Man lives in the suspicion that the love of God creates a dependency and that it is necessary to get rid of this dependency to be fully oneself. Man does not want to receive his existence and fullness of life from God. He wants to be the one to draw from the tree of knowledge the power to mould the world, to make himself god, raising himself to His level, and to win over death and darkness. He does not want to count on love which does not seem trustworthy to him; he counts only on knowledge in that it confers power upon him. Rather than love, he aims for power with which he wants to take his own life in his hands, to be autonomous. And in doing so, he places his trust in deceit rather than in truth and thus, he sinks with his life into a void, into death. Love is not dependence but a gift which gives us life. The freedom of mankind is the freedom to be a creature with limitations and that is therefore a limitation in itself. We can possess it only as a shared freedom, in the communion of freedom; only if we live in the right way with each other and for each other can freedom develop. However, we live in the right way if we live according to the truth of our being and that is, according to the will of God. For God’s will for man is not a law imposed from outside which forces him, but an intrinsic measure of his nature, a measure which is inscribed in him, making him in the image of God, therefore a free creature. If we live against love and against truth – against God – then we destroy each other and we destroy the world. Then we will no longer find life, but we will serve the interests of death. All this is narrated with immortal images in the story of original sin and the banishment of man from the earthly Paradise.

And this:

Dear brothers and sisters! If we reflect sincerely about ourselves and our history, we must say that this account describes not only the beginning of history but history throughout the ages, and that we all carry inside us a drop of poison of that way of thinking illustrated in the images of the Book of Genesis. This drop of poison is called original sin. Even on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the suspect emerges in us that a person who does not sin at all is really boring; that something is missing in his life: the dramatic dimension of being autonomous; that the freedom to say no is part of truly being men, the descent into the darkness of sin and to do as one pleases; that only then will one be able to exploit completely the vastness and depth of being men, of being truly ourselves; that we must put this liberty to the test even against God to become in reality fully ourselves. In a word, we think that really evil is good, at least a little, we need to experiment the fullness of being. We think that Mephistopheles – the tempter – was right when he said he was the strength “which always wants evil and always does good” (J.W. v. Goethe, Faust I, 3). We think that bargaining a little with evil, reserving some freedom against God, is good, perhaps even necessary.

However, looking at the world around us, we can see it is not like this, that evil always poisons, it does not elevate man, it degrades and humiliates him, it does not make him bigger, more pure or rich; it damages him and makes him smaller. Rather, we must learn this on the day of the Immaculate Conception: the man who abandons himself completely in the hands of God does not become God’s puppet, an annoying, conscientious person; he does not lose his freedom. Only the man who entrusts himself totally to God finds true freedom, the great and creative vastness of the freedom of good. The man who turns towards God does not become smaller, but bigger, because thanks to God and together with Him, he becomes large, divine, he becomes truly himself. The man who puts himself in God’s hands does not distance himself from others, withdrawing into his own private salvation; on the contrary, only then his heart will be truly awakened and he can become a sensitive person, hence benevolent and open.

Sin and redemption. Liberty and slavery. A very deep homily indeed.

One More Reason to Doubt the Validity of Global Warming

Bill Clinton stole the show at the UN climate talks, bashing the United States in the process. Wonder how much pollution were caused by his cigars in the Oval Office. Of course, what he did with them didn't require them to be lit...

Iraqis Turn Over a Big Fish

The insurgency is failing:

Iraqi citizens turned over a high-ranking Al Qaeda member known as "the Butcher" to U.S. forces in Ramadi Friday a military statement said.Amir Khalaf Fanus was No. 3 on the 28th Infantry Division's High Value Individual list for Ramadi, wanted for murder and kidnapping in connection with his affiliation with Al Qaeda in Iraq.
"He is the highest ranking Al Qaeda in Iraq member to be turned into Iraqi and U.S. officials by local citizens," Capt. Jeffrey S. Pool said in a statement released from Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi. "His capture is another indication that the local citizens tire of the insurgents' presence within their community."

According to Pool, Iraqi and U.S. Forces "have witnessed increasing signs of citizens fighting the terrorists within Ramadi as the Dec. 15 National Elections draw nearer."

The terrorists' greatest hope of success rests, not with the Iraqi people, but with the Democrats here in the United States, most especially in Washington D.C.

Why Isn't this Getting More Coverage...Alot More Coverage?

There hasn't been a peep in the press about this incident, or what appear to be widening social unrest:

SHANGHAI, Dec. 9 - Residents of a fishing village near Hong Kong said that as many as 20 people had been killed by paramilitary police in an unusually violent clash that marked an escalation in the widespread social protests that have roiled the Chinese countryside. Villagers said that as many as 50 other residents remain unaccounted for since the shooting. It is the largest known use of force by security forces against ordinary citizens since the killings around Tiananmen Square in 1989. That death toll remains unknown, but is estimated to be in the hundreds

And there's more:

The use of live ammunition to put down a protest is almost unheard of in China, where the authorities have come to rely on rapid deployment of huge numbers of security forces, tear gas, water cannons and other non-lethal measures. But Chinese authorities have become increasingly nervous in recent months over the proliferation of demonstrations across the countryside, particularly in heavily industrialized eastern provinces like Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiansu. By the government's tally there were 74,000 riots or other significant public disturbances in 2004, a big jump from previous years.

Seventy four thousand riots, by the Government's tally?!? This is the same government that has a tendency to vastly underestimate any bad news. So that means there are many more riots than reported, by an order of magnitude. Does this strike anyone else, besides Hugh Hewitt, as a really, really big story?

Following Hugh Hewitt's lead, here's a little bit more on the story, from The American Thinker:

As a student of Chinese history under the late great John K. Fairbank at Harvard, I long ago learned the importance of just such waves of unrest in China throughout the millenia, and have told readers here that China’s current mandarins cannot help but be severely alarmed, fearful of losing control. Dynasties in China come and go, and all political leaders are conscious of the possibility of losing the “mandate of heaven.” Particularly when their regime overthrew another regime that was viewed as corrupt and ineffective. The fact that China has bungled its handling of SARS and the chemical river pollution in Manchuria, which cut off the water supply for the major city of Harbin, does not augur well for the future. The possibility of bird flu spreading from human-to-human has got to be giving the autocrats the shivers. Historical dynastic cycles often ended with a major disaster – floods, earthquakes, collapse of dikes – which demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the rulers. That the Pacific Rim of Fire seems to be undergoing a period of enhanced seismic activity cannot be of much comfort. Nor can the seemingly erratic weather patterns.China puts up a brave front as a centrally-controlled state. It is indeed that, but it is also ruled by a regime whose hold on power is far shakier than most Americans realize.

As the winds of democracy spread, China shudders.

Not Even the Defeatocrats Would Be This Stupid...

...would they?

The six were Republican Sens. Larry Craig of Idaho, John Sununu of New Hampshire and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Democrats Richard Durbin of Illinois, Kenneth Salazar of Colorado and Russ Feingold of Wisconsin. Feingold vowed to launch a filibuster, which would scuttle the Patriot Act extension unless 60 senators opposed his effort. Some Republicans said Democrats would be foolhardy to block an "anti-terrorism" bill on the eve of an election year.

Let's see, the Democrats will filibuster the Patriot Act? I guess it fits the mould. They appear to believe Americans want to lose the war as much as they do. An amazing example of political suicide by a once great party.

Required Reading: VDH on Dean, Kerry and Murtha

Another wonderful peice of wisdom from this nations foremost military historian. And here, at the end:

When Saddam was removed in a brilliant three-week campaign, few anticipated that the subsequent effort to craft democracy in his wake would evolve into a conflict for the very heart of the Middle East. Most feared that postbellum Afghanistan would be the harder task — given the wealthier and more secular nature of Iraqi society.

Instead the war, as wars almost always do, has morphed into something quite different than expected — a regional referendum on Lebanon, the future of Syria, reform movements in the Gulf and Egypt, about-faces in Pakistan and Libya, and continued pressure on a soon-to-be-nuclear Iran. And despite the heartbreak of 2,100 deaths, we are not just winning in Iraq, but on the verge of something far larger, and more permanent: not a return to the ancient caliphate or another dictatorship, but the real chance for the birth of a new Middle East that takes its place at last among responsible nations.

All that was impossible to envision without the prior American removal of Saddam Hussein — now reduced to a pathetic deposed tyrant, railing against his victims and in his misery calling those “terrorists” who did not give him clean underwear. He plays the role of the dying thug right out the pages of Plutarch; all that is missing are Sulla’s worms.

Dean, Kerry, and Murtha are bright and good men who rightly worry that more Americans will die in a far-off place for a cause that they think is now hopeless. But to follow their apparently popular advice would lead to an abject national disaster as well as calamity for their own party. In short, they have become metaphors of why even Democrats are uneasy about voting for Democrats.

More importantly, the Democrats spent the last quarter century, following Vietnam and Jimmy Carter, trying to reestablish their lost fides on national defense (which were once unquestionable in the age of FDR, Truman, JFK, and senator Henry Jackson). If Joe Lieberman cannot save mainstream Democrats from themselves, perhaps the Iraqis who vote on December 15 can.

Scoop Jackson would become a Republican in a heartbeat. It would not surprise me to find Joe Lieberman making the switch in 2006, if his party continues to leave him behind in their rush off the cliff of cowardice.

Purple Finger Day: December 15th

This is a great idea. Can't think of a better way to support the elections in Iraq than sporting my own Purple Finger on December 15th. A note for Democrats: You would be wise not to repeat your recent history by getting a finger purple by hitting yourself with a hammer...use dye like the free people of Iraq, okay?

Retreat and Defeat: The GOP Strikes Back

A great new video from the GOP. Dean, Boxer,and Kerry, oh my. But wait, they took their statements out of context, cherry picked them! Yeah, that's what they did...right? Right? That sound you hear are the crickets in the background. The only thing this video missed was Kerry next line after accusing American Soldiers of terrorizing women and children. He said that was the job of the Iraqi soldiers. Useful Idiots.

A New Cartoon: Gaggle

Day by Day has been running on Liberty Just in Case for awhile now, to (mostly) rave reviews. We've decided to add Gaggle as well. Gaggle, from Newsbusters.org, is far closer to the truth than The New York Times ever thought of being. Let us know if two cartoons at the beginning are too much. If you like Gaggle, the link will take you to past cartoons.

It's Done. Now On With the Important Stuff

So, I'm in the Oral Surgeon's chair this morning, and he puts the mask on my nose, with nitrous oxide going full blast. I'm thinking, hey this stuff isn't working yet. And then the nurse puts the wedge in my mouth, while the Doctor is searching for a vein for the IV.

I was thinking, now wait a minute. Are they going to start cutting out my wisdom teeth before things take effect? With the wedge in my mouth, I can't talk. This isn't going very well AT ALL!!! WHOA! WE GOTTA PROBLEM HERE!

So, I push the wedge out with my toungue, and say, "Umm, 'scuse me, I'm not feeling anything yet, and I'm wide awake." The nurse somewhat ungently pushes the wedge back in, as the Oral Surgeon smiles down and says, "Oh, you'll feel it...about now."

Next thing I know, I'm awake, with gauze covering four craters where my wisdom teeth used to be. Lots of pain all day, and I look a whole lot like Chippy Chipmunk. But, I'm doing okay. A huge thank you to everyone who sent me an email, or posted a comment through all this. Blogging may still be kinda light the next few days, as the pain is supposed to be worse the second day. But my new blog partner Matt will be back soon, and can take up some of the slack.

Good Thing Colleges Allow Free Speech...

Oh, wait a minute. They don't allow free speech, do they? At least not when it's someone like Ann Coulter, or any of a number of conservatives. Coulter shows great courage by walking in to situations like this. She does it to prove the point that the last thing the Left in this country wants is free speech.

Thanks God for groups like this one, that give conservatives on college campuses some chance of being heard. TheFire has been a lighthouse of freedom on the dark shores of liberal colleges across the country.

Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers

Beth has a great post on the Baby Boom generation, which is, fortunately, beginning to give up power to a better bunch coming behind.

Waiting to Lose My Wisdom Teeth

Yep, the time stamp is accurate. Woke up about thirty minutes ago, so decided to do some last minute posting before the surgery tomorrow.

I think people believe they are being helpful by telling me all the horror stories about their wisdom teeth removal. Trust me, they aren't.

I wasn't this nervous the night before either of my two back surgeries. Of course, I was in so much pain before those I just wanted to get it over with. No pain at all from my decaying wisdom teeth...at least not until after they're out, according to my "friends." Sigh.

The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe...bigger than King Kong?

Our rector did his sermon on Sunday on Narnia. Seems Disney is really pushing the movie on pastors around the country,showing special screenings, trailers, etc. Perhaps the Mouse learned a thing or three from Mel Gibson a couple of years ago. We'll see what impact this strategy has on box office returns. One thing's for sure, the mainstream media doesn't have a clue about the strategy, since they ignore Christians unless there is an opportunity to bash them...

Losing My Wisdom...

Or, at least my wisdom teeth on Thursday. All four at the same time. And the Oral surgeon asked if I wanted an IV anesthetic. My only response was how much, and can you give me a triple.

Lots of stuff to do tomorrow in preparation of the big day, so blogging from me will be kinda light. The surgeon promised to give me lots of pain killers for a couple of days after the surgery. I'm looking forward to that, anyway. :-)

If anyone notices a slight tilt to the left upon my return, just blame it on losing my wisdom teeth and being under the influence. So, what's the excuse being used by those who really are on the Left?

The Democrat's Plan

The Chairman of the Democrat Party says we cannot win in Iraq.
The previous candidate for the Presidency of the United States says American soldiers are "terrorizing kids and children, and women..."
John Murtha, apparently the voice of the Democrat Party, says the military is "worn out" and "living hand to mouth."

Any doubts on what the Democrat plan is for Iraq? The phrase "being thrown under the bus" comes to mind.

2005 Weblog Awards: LJiC is a Finalist!

I'm a little stunned, but there we are! So go vote for us, huh? We are in the Top 5001 to 6750 category. It's not the rarified air of my friend Beth over at Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, but I'm still pretty proud! Put in a vote for Beth while you're at it, okay?

Mark Steyn: The Defeatocrats

A remarkable column, designed to make those on the Left furious. But then, telling the truth often does that to the Left. Required reading.

And Meanwhile, in Iran the Nuclear Clock is Ticking

And though El Baradei may think the only solution is non-confrontation, I'm thinking Israel, in spite of the current political problems, may have other ideas.

How Does One Say "Stalling Tactics" in Iraqi?

However one says it, that's exactly what Saddam's attorneys are seeking to do. The last thing they want is to have the witnesses tell the truth about Saddam's atrocities in open court, on international television. Once that starts, the focus will quickly shift from the pathetic attempts to derail the trial to the evil of Saddam's Regime. Saddam's attorneys, including good 'ole Ramsey Clark, know this. They'll go to great lengths to prevent the truth from coming out.

What will be interesting in the coming proceedings is how much the MSM will cover the witnesses, once the delaying tactics are stopped. Seeing Saddam's evil will not fit the agenda of the Democrats and the MSM at all. Yet not covering the story would be very, very difficult to pull off thanks to the alternative media available today. Stay tuned....

Release Our People. We're On Your Side

Are you really surprised by this?

"We are working on revealing the occupation's violence and acts. Those people (hostages) are believers who work against the occupation," Mayer told Al Jazeera. "So we appeal for their release so they can continue their work on your behalf and on behalf of the Iraqi people." Asked if he was worried about the hostages' lives, Mayer said: "We are worried about the lives of these people. But we know that thousands of Iraqis are held illegally by the U.S. forces in prisons that violate international law and in worse conditions than these four."

Soooo, understanding the terrorists isn't working. Maybe revealing the truth, which is that the "Christian" Peacekeepers are really working for the terrorists might help. Trouble is, they are still Christians, in other words, infidels. That doesn't play well with the Islamo-Fascists. That is, unless they can be convinced the four hostages would serve a better purpose as living useful idiots than dead, beheaded victims.

White Christmas

I love White Christmas. The movie made in 1954 has been something I've seen every Christmas for as long as I can remember. We got the DVD version this year, and it's absolutely perfect. Don't tell anybody, but I've had a crush on Vera Ellen since I was twelve...sigh.

If you haven't seen it, shame on you. If you have seen it before, but haven't popped in the DVD player this Christmas season yet...well, what are you waiting for?

Peace, Peace, When There is No Peace

Perhaps if these peace activists sought to "understand" the terrorist thugs who are very likely to behead them, they would be spared...but probably not.

Does the above sound harsh? It's meant to. There is no reasoning with the terrorists of Iraq. The four peace activists currently held are beginning to understand that, I fear. Hopefully, those on the left will come to understand it as well.

But, I Thought Things Were Getting Worse in Iraq...

Suicide bombings at their lowest level in seven months? Wonder if the Democrats have heard this? I also wonder if they care.

And, Sun Microsystems Goes OpenSource

A risky decision, but if it works, it could catapult Sun out of the financial doldrums, and be a big threat to the Empire of Microsoft. Star Office is a worthy competitor to MSOffice, though I've found OpenOffice a better choice for my blogging needs. And its free. Star Office is still $69 for now.

Firefox 1.5 Is Out

Get your update for Firefox. I don't see how folks can continue to use the slow and clunky Internet Explorer when Firefox offers so much more, including tabbed browsing. But, for those of you that are, check out firefox, the best browser around...though Opera comes close.

And, here's a story about all the folks who have already updated.

The Gulf Stream Current is Weakening!!!! We're All Gonna Die!!!!!

Well, maybe not. In fact, probably not. With scare stories like this, it is vital that you read the whole story. For this one, the most important line is NOT this, the very first paragraph of the story:

The powerful ocean current that bathes Britain and northern Europe in warm waters from the tropics has weakened dramatically in recent years, a consequence of global warming that could trigger more severe winters and cooler summers across the region, scientists warn today.

But this, at paragraph 12 and 13:

Chris West, director of the UK climate impacts programme at Oxford University's centre for the environment, said: "The only way computer models have managed to simulate an entire shutdown of the current is to magic into existence millions of tonnes of fresh water and dump it in the Atlantic. It's not clear where that water could ever come from, even taking into account increased Greenland melting."

Uncertainties in climate change models mean that the overall impact on Britain of a slowing down in the current are hard to pin down. "We know that if the current slows down, it will lead to a drop in temperatures in Britain and northern Europe of a few degrees, but the effect isn't even over the seasons. Most of the cooling would be in the winter, so the biggest impact would be much colder winters," said Tim Osborn, of the University of East Anglia climatic research unit.

"Uncertainties in computer change models." Translation: What you put in to a computer, Including the assumptions of the climatologist doing the study, is what you will get out. If you believe in global warming, you will invariably get models that prove your theory. Now, be honest, would you have read all the way to paragraph 12 on your own? Most people, including the journalists who will repeat this story, wouldn't have.

A Great Way to Purchase Books

Ebooks .com offers today's best sellers directly to your computer. If you spend as much time online as I do, this is a great way to keep up with your reading. There will soon be a link on the right, and links to specific books in Liberty Recommends.

Racial Matters: A Wonderful Series

Paul, over at Disambiguation has his next installment of Racial Matters up. A very personal and moving account of race relations in America, by one who knows the topic up close. Very much worth reading from the beginning.