Saturday, February 25, 2006

Carnival of Blue Stars - # 3

Carnival of Blue Stars Welcome to the Third Carnival of Blue Stars. Our military men and women are our best and brightest! Their accomplishments are the pride of our country. The Carnival of Blue Stars gives us, the families, friends, supporters, veterans and current service members an opportunity to have a voice in the Blogsphere. The history of the Blue Star Banner can be found here. Send the post you want to showcase to me to be included in the Carnival of Blue Stars. In your email please include the URL to the post you are submitting. Don't make me come looking for you .... And remember to join the Blue Star Blogroll.
Links and trackbacks are welcome, appreciated and reciprocated.
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Free Iraqi writes Let’s Blame it on the Sunnis [h/t to Wizbang: CARNIVAL OF THE TRACKBACKS LII ] gives an excellent and insightful explanation of some of the dynamics fueling the ethnic conflicts and insurgencies in Iraq. He offers some reasonable solutions:

I think the major problem is that Saddam's mentality is still running this country through people like Sadr, Al-Hakeem, Adnan Al-Dulaimi and Barzani.

This post answers many questions and raises others. We will all understand the what is going on in Iraq better if we read this post and read it with an open mind intent on understanding. Woman Honor Thyself has posted a powerful article honoring the Marines killed when two helicopters crashed off the coast of Africa this week. Argghhh! points out that It's An Odd War. He also posts some pictures of our soldiers in action. The Real Ugly American has an excellent article on What’s Really Going on in Iraq through the eyes of real soldiers who have been there. One Marine's View says the MSM is so busy with insignificant stories that they aren't telling the real story of what is happening in Iraq. He says the MSM is so desperate they are running 2 year old photos from Abu Ghrab prison. [h/t A Rose By Any Other Name] I love our Soldiers. Aubrey J. has a great photo of the day. [hint it has to the with the 1st Armor Division - hooah] He also posts a list of casualties. Speaking of our Soldiers. I think we really must have depleted the German warrior gene-pool in WWII. Born Again Redneck posts the story of the German man jailed for a year for insulting Islam. Bullwinkle Blog has some bad news for the left. While your there, just for fun, check out his idea for a new Winter Olympic sport. Freedom Watch does not approve of the UAE deal. Is It Just Me? asks if it's Paranoia Mixed with Politics. Red Hot Cuppa Politics asks, 'Why the hell not?. Violence Worker is back and analysing the UAE deal as well. The Paladin is looking at the politics of the deal with a level head as well. While you are at Daves (The Paladin) you might look at his graphic and poignant definition of the Religion of Peace. Kimdergarten has seen her daughter through preparing for and joining the Air Force, now her son is getting ready to go. So soon. You Betcha I'm a Proud Army Mom is dealing with a homesick 18 year old soldier. It's so hard to see our babies having to be so grown. Life-Florida-Whatever has some info for deployed family support. Thirdee at Code Red: Women for the Troops reports on the return of the 13th MEU. Soldier's Dad has an update on Iraq Security and Stability. Last, but not least, one of my favorite blogs, Samantha Speaks about the Marines rendering aid to the Phillipines. We haven't see this on CNN. If you like history, you'll love Samantha's blog. She has post after post on the history of the Marine Corp. If you think I've left something out that should be here, please feel free to trackback or leave a comment with the URL here and I will add it or put it in next weeks Carnival. Thanks to everyone for participating and especially thanks to all of our men and women in the Armed Forces.

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If you want to participate in the Carnival of Blue Stars just send me an email with the URL of your blog and the URL of the post your want to submit. New entries for each weeks Carnival need to be submitted by 8 p.m. on Saturday night. You can put the Blue Star Badge below in your sidebar by clicking on 'Want this badge?'. Clicking on the badge will take you to the Blue Star Carnival.
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You can join the Blue Star Blogroll by going here for a Blue Star Button and instructions on joining. If you join and I haven't added you to the roll - email me and tell me to get you rolling ...
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You can find Carnival of Blue Stars at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Carnivals! Blue Stars - Insanities - Blogging at its Best Excerpt: Blogging time has been scarce the past few days - and so for my readers who are trying to adjust to a mere one measly post a day at THE MEDIAN SIB after months of multiple posts each day, let me direct you to two sources of great blog-reading.Fi ..... Weblog: The Median Sib Tracked: 02.26.06 - 4:59 am Blue Star Chronicles Excerpt: The Blue Star Chronicles is one of my favorite sites. Every weekend, Beth sets up some trackback links to folks who are members of her blogroll. She has a lot of good stuff linked to what she calls the Carnival Weblog: The Violence Worker! Tracked: 02.26.06 - 10:37 am

Chicago Minutemen Protest Mexican Consulate

Jake at Freedom Folks has coverage and pictures from the Minutemen Protest held today in Chicago. Jake wrote: You may be wondering just exactly what is it that Mexico has been doing to warrant this type of response, so glad you asked... vote against America in the UN oppose us in international forums meddle in our labor law stir things up in California offer Mexico as a haven for murderers meddle in our military attempt to win the loyalty of Mexican - Americans, threaten to negotiate with wartime enemies, flood our cities with dubious documents use their consulates to meddle in internal politics and in general, do everything possible to subvert our immigration laws Source: VDare I came across this quote from Adlai Stevenson that I thought was rather apropos ...
We talk a great deal about patriotism. What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? I venture to suggest that what we mean is a sense of national responsibility which will enable America to remain master of her power — to walk with it in serenity and wisdom, with self-respect and the respect of all mankind; a patriotism that puts country ahead of self; a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. The dedication of a lifetime — these are words that are easy to utter, but this is a mighty assignment. For it is often easier to fight for principles than to live up to them.
~ Adlai Stevenson, Speech to the American Legion Convention in New York City, August 27, 1952 Quoteland You may rightly wonder what a twenty or thirty people can accomplish. It's ridiculous, right? Pissin' in the wind I believe is the phrase. I mean in a city of three million people, half a million of which are illegal aliens, we're wasting our time right?Nope, we are holding out hope to those who aren't yet brave enough to stand with us. Every protest we've held has drawn more people, and at each protest we find more and more people of every race and color nodding and honking and waving. Sure, we still get flipped off and called rude names, and sure we're told on a regular basis to "go home" or asked if "we don't have anything better to do."But there will always be dumb people, people to stupid or lazy to even care about their country, what really warms the cockles of my heart is that I believe they are a minority. An annoying, obnoxious and vocal minority, but a minority all the same. When I read that Adlai Stevenson quote I was reminded that whenever we protest we are peaceful and cheerful. It is only when those who oppose us arrive that things get ugly. Our guys and gals believe in the rule of law so it's no great shock that that carries over into how they comport themselves in public protests. The other side promotes lawbreaking and anarchy so is it any real shock that arrests only happen when they're around?So to those who agree that this problem is out of control, to those who are afraid they will be called racists and worse (and you will). I'm asking you to come out of the shadows. Stand with us, make this a better country. A country we can be proud of. A final thought, though contacted the big media outlets did not cover us today. Not one reporter came out. Do you know why I think they didn't? Because we're boring. Minutemen don't commit crimes, Minutemen are respectful and smart. Minutemen in other words are boring, yet if the Minutemen were as all fired dangerous as the media would have you believe why weren't they out there covering us today. Because they knew as well as we did that there would be no counter-protesters. It's only when the counter-protesters show up that blood flows and people start getting arrested. What I'm getting at is if you're afraid to come out to something like this, don't be. I guarantee what you'll find are people mostly just like you. People concerned about this country and willing to take a stand for her. If that sounds good to you we'd love to have you! See all the photos here. Jake has links posted to other Minuteman organizations. **This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate please go to The Uncooperative Blogger or Freedom Folks and email us. We will add you to the blogroll, and send you the rest of the info you will need. CAII bloggers: Freedom Folks; The Uncooperative Blogger; Jokers on the Right; Free Constitution; Red Satellites

Suicide Bombers target Saudi Oil

From Reuters UK:

Al Qaeda has taken credit for Friday's attempted attack on the Saudi oil installations. Of course, Al Qaeda is reporting that the attack was a success. They seem to be leaving out the part in which the suicide bombers only got through the first gate. [well, actually, only one of the cars got through the first gate if you want to be technical.] They also leave out the part in which the Saudi security forces successfully fought off the attack. Minor little details, I guess. The statement released by Al Qaeda includes:

We shall not cease our attacks until our territories are liberated

I thought this was an odd statement:

We renew our vow to crush the forces of the crusaders and the tyrants and to stop the theft of the wealth of the Muslims.

Theft of the wealth? Theft? It seems to me we are paying through our collective noses for their oil. And Osama, you might want to think this through for a minute. How much wealth will there be if we don't buy the oil? Oil is only worth anything if someone is willing to buy it. If we don't buy 'the wealth of the Muslims' you will not be wealthy and you'll have nothing to drink in that desert but oil.
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Cartoons are from Sacred Cow Burgers

Don Knotts Died on Friday

Don Knotts has died. The funny man was Barney Fife in the TV series The Andy Griffith Show among many other roles over a long career.
Thanks for the laughs. More at The Pirate's Cove

The Emperor's New Clothes

I watched a 60 Minutes segment the other night in which Bob Simon 'investigated' the roots of the Cartoon Riots. With an air of authority and superiority, he portrayed the Danes as child-like and living in a land of fantasy. He implied the whole affair had been set off by the naivete of the Danish nation. He implied the Danes were shocked by the realities of the world focused on them. Oh really? As I was watching this display of overt propaganda, I was seroiusly offended. Of course, the fact that I was offended does not mean I'm going to be fire-bombing embassies or throwing rocks at journalists as they go by me. Michelle Malkin has a letter from a Danish citizen who saw the same broadcast.

My hometown is Odense and Hans Christian Andersen wrote in The Emperor’s Clothes that ‘it took a little boy to dare tell the truth’. I would have liked Bob Simon of CBS to have taken that cue.

It did not seem to occur to Mr. Simon that perhaps it wasn't a lack of sophistication that caused the Danes to stand firm in their position for free speech and freedom of the press. It didn't seem to occur to him that perhaps the Danes understand this issue very well, perhaps better than he does. Perhaps, they understand what is at stake and what it takes to fight an enemy such as this. In spite of what some apparently believe, everyone doesn't shrivel up and cower in the face of a fight. You can see the video of the report at Expose the Left.
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Linked to: The Median Sib; Bloggin Outloud; Basil's Blog; Freedom Watch; Third World County; The Liberal Wrong Wing; Adam's Blog; Those Bastards; Common Folk Using Common Sense

Cartoon of the Day

Cartoon by Mike Lester

Men and Bad Aim

It's not what you think ... HA! My Beloved Curmudgeon insists on having a trash can in the kitchen. Not just any trash can and not just any where in the kitchen. It has to be a large trash can in a prominent place in the kitchen. PERIOD. Everywhere we have lived, no matter the shape, size or location of the kitchen, there has been a large trashcan prominently displayed in the kitchen. Oh, there have been times, especially early in our marriage, I tried to buy one of those little under the sink kind of kichen trash cans. Or maybe something a little more discreet to sit in a corner somewhere. I've learned. My attempts at proper kitchen trash can purchasing have failed miserably. He gets to choose the right trashcan for the kitchen. It has to meet some kind of criteria that only he is able to comprehend. It seems to be important to him, so why not let him choose it. We currently have a large blue trashcan with an open weave-like design on the side sitting beside the door that leads from the kitchen into our living room. Very conveniently located in the direct line of vision as you come into the side door of my house. That, of course, is the door most people use to come into my house. Isn't that lovely? [insert extreme sarcasm here] Oh, and there is nothing else blue in the kitchen. I think I can safely say it doesn't 'compliment' the decor in any way. It also has to have a large black plastic trashbag in it and hanging over the sides of it. The large black plastic trashbags are a whole nuther story. I mean, there is really a story behind those. That's what my marriage is like! But I'll save that for another entry into my Secrets of Marital Bliss series. [Please consider that fair warning.] As I was walking through the kitchen this morning, I instinctively bent down to pick up the paper towels surrounding the trash can. As I was doing it, I realized that is part of my morning routine. I do that every morning. Then I realized that I do that every time I pass the trash can. I had not even consciously realized how often I bend down and pick up whatever has been thrown AT the trashcan. The same applies to the laundry hamper now that I think about it - nothing in it, everything around it. I could look at this little habit as an opportunity for me to get some exercise, bending and picking up trash from around the trash can and clothes from around the hamper. I could make a big deal about it and fight about it constantly. Having had a disagreement about the trashcan a time or two early in our marriage I've chosen the former. I've learned him well enough to know he won't change and it's really not that important in the big scheme of things. [No, I didn't mispeak saying 'learned him'. That's a Southerism for I've gotten to know him or I've learned enough about him. I revert to my native tongue sometimes, Southern.] So I accept the big blue trashcan with the big black plastic bag hanging down over the trashcan's rim. I accept the constant and seemingly endless supply of wadded up paper towels that decorate the floor around the trashcan. I accept that this objet d'art is displayed at a focal point as someone enters my house or walks from our living room into our kitchen. Maybe I'll take a picture of it and put it one here. It is unique and I might be able to pull off a claim that it is intentional, actually art. Naaawww. I just accept his bad aim. At least I don't have to put up with bad aim like a lot of wives do.

Friday, February 24, 2006

Lego My Free Speech

Lego My Free Speech isn't original with me, of course. This boy at the gathering in support of Free Speech and the Danish holds one of the signs in support of our Danish allies. Journalist Christopher Hitchens put out the call for a rally in front of the Danish embassy in Washington D.C. to show our support of the Danes. The Danish, our ally, has pretty much stood alone in the face of world wide rioting, death threats, bombings, burnings and overall mayhem in reaction to some Danish Cartoons depicting Muhammad. The global attempt to quiet free speech and demand submission to the will of the Islamic rioters and jihadist has focused on Denmark. They have stood firm. While American media has found excuses to not publish the cartoons a few European newspapers have defied the Muslim hordes and paid a price for it. While American media has mentioned the controversy in passing Denmark has stood firm. I am proud of whatever Viking blood is in my veins. I'm ashamed that the American media (for the most part) have shown themselves to be cowardly hedonists. I've been at work all day, so it's possible I missed it, but I haven't seen a single story about this rally on the television or in the newspapers. Where is the American media? Are there really just a handful that have the courage to practice what they preach? Is the blogsphere the only avenue of free speech still left in America? The Age of Hooper, Outside the Beltway, Tappscott's Copy Desk, and The Political Pitbull were there and have first person reports on the rally along with photos. Corsair the Rational Pirate has photos, commentary and even directions. Expose the Left has a video and more photos. David's Medienkritik has a ton of pictures of the rally. Wonkette has posts and photos here and here. Instapundit, Little Green Footballs and Michelle Malkin have photos and links. She includes a link to this great photo. Vital Perspective has more pictures. More pictures and stories from the rally: Snark Smith; The Big Pharaoh; The Daily Pundit; GOP Bloggers; Vodka Pundit; Tiger Hawk; The Squiggler; Sisu has a Taste for Freedom. Other links: Sister Toldjah; Powerline; Captain's Quarters; Soldier's Angels Germany; TMH's Bacon Bits; Basil's Blog; Right Wing Nation; Quietly Making Noise; Jo's Cafe; Mental Rhinorrhea; Uncooperative Blogger; Third World County; Rhymes with Right; Voteswagon; Adam's Blog; The Liberal Wrong Wing; The Real Ugly American; NIF; Stop the ACLU; The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns; The Bullwinkle Blog; Stuck on Stupid; Atlas Shrugs; The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler

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For the West, bearer of civilization Excerpt: The West is in crisis. Attacked externally by fundamentalism and Islamic terrorism, it is not able to rise to the challenge. Weblog: otimaster Tracked: 02.25.06 - 8:47 am

In The Line Of Fire Excerpt: Michelle Malkin as usual doesn't miss a beat: "Today, the NYTimes editorial board pretends to show solidarity....Excuse me? Remind me what day...I really love her, she always tells it like it is, no punches spared there. Weblog: All Things Beautiful Tracked: 02.25.06 - 11:22 am

Stand Up For Denmark

Christopher Hitchens asks 'Why are we not defending our ally?'

Put the case that we knew of a highly paranoid religious cult organization with a secretive leader. Now put the case that this cult, if criticized in the press, would take immediate revenge by kidnapping a child. Put the case that, if the secretive leader were also to be lampooned, two further children would be killed at random. Would the press be guilty of "self-censorship" if it declined to publish anything that would inflame the said cult? Well, yes it would be guilty, but very few people would insist on the full exertion of the First Amendment right. However, the consequences for the cult and its leader would be severe as well. All civilized people would regard it as hateful and dangerous, and steps would be taken to circumscribe its influence, and to ensure that no precedent was set. The incredible thing about the ongoing Kristallnacht against Denmark (and in some places, against the embassies and citizens of any Scandinavian or even European Union nation) is that it has resulted in, not opprobrium for the religion that perpetrates and excuses it, but increased respectability! A small democratic country with an open society, a system of confessional pluralism, and a free press has been subjected to a fantastic, incredible, organized campaign of lies and hatred and violence, extending to one of the gravest imaginable breaches of international law and civility: the violation of diplomatic immunity. And nobody in authority can be found to state the obvious and the necessary—that we stand with the Danes against this defamation and blackmail and sabotage. Instead, all compassion and concern is apparently to be expended upon those who lit the powder trail, and who yell and scream for joy as the embassies of democracies are put to the torch in the capital cities of miserable, fly-blown dictatorships. Let's be sure we haven't hurt the vandals' feelings. You wish to say that it was instead a small newspaper in Copenhagen that lit the trail? What abject masochism and nonsense. It was the arrogant Danish mullahs who patiently hawked those cartoons around the world (yes, don't worry, they are allowed to exhibit them as much as they like) until they finally provoked a vicious response against the economy and society of their host country. For good measure, they included a cartoon that had never been published in Denmark or anywhere else. It showed the Prophet Mohammed as a pig, and may or may not have been sent to a Danish mullah by an anonymous ill-wisher. The hypocrisy here is shameful, nauseating, unpardonable. The original proscription against any portrayal of the prophet—not that this appears to be absolute—was superficially praiseworthy because it was intended as a safeguard against idolatry and the worship of images. But now see how this principle is negated. A rumor of a cartoon in a faraway country is enough to turn the very name Mohammed into a fetish-object and an excuse for barbaric conduct. As I write this, the death toll is well over 30 and—guess what?—a mullah in Pakistan has offered $1 million and a car as a bribe for the murder of "the cartoonist." This incitement will go unpunished and most probably unrebuked. Could things become any more sordid and cynical? By all means. In a mindless attempt at a tu quoque, various Islamist groups and regimes have dug deep into their sense of wit and irony and proposed a trade-off. You make fun of "our" prophet and we will deny "your" Holocaust. Even if there were any equivalence, and Jewish mobs were now engaged in trashing Muslim shops and embassies, it would feel degrading even to engage with such a low and cheap stunt. I suppose that one should be grateful that the Shoah is only to be denied rather than, as in some Islamist propaganda, enthusiastically affirmed and set out as a model for emulation. But only a moral cretin thinks that anti-Semitism is a threat only to Jews. The memory of the Third Reich is very vivid in Europe precisely because a racist German regime also succeeded in slaughtering millions of non-Jews, including countless Germans, under the demented pretext of extirpating a nonexistent Jewish conspiracy. As it happens, I am one of the few people to have publicly defended David Irving's right to publish, and I think it outrageous that he is in prison in Austria for expressing his opinions. But my attachment to free speech is at least absolute and consistent. Those who incite murder and arson, or who silkily justify it, are incapable of rising above the childish glee that culminates in the assertion that two wrongs make a right. The silky ones may be more of a problem in the long term than the flagrantly vicious and crazy ones. Within a short while—this is a warning—the shady term "Islamophobia" is going to be smuggled through our customs. Anyone accused of it will be politely but firmly instructed to shut up, and to forfeit the constitutional right to criticize religion. By definition, anyone accused in this way will also be implicitly guilty. Thus the "soft" censorship will triumph, not from any merit in its argument, but from its association with the "hard" censorship that we have seen being imposed over the past weeks. A report ($$)in the New York Times of Feb. 13 was as carefully neutral as could be but nonetheless conveyed the sense of menace. "American Muslim leaders," we were told, are more canny. They have "managed to build effective organizations and achieve greater integration, acceptance and economic success than their brethren in Europe have. They portray the cartoons as a part of a wave of global Islamophobia and have encouraged Muslim groups in Europe to use the same term." In other words, they are leveraging worldwide Islamic violence to drop a discreet message into the American discourse. You may have noticed the recurrence of the term "One point two billion Muslims." A few years ago, I became used to the charge that in defending Salman Rushdie, say, I had "offended a billion Muslims." Evidently, the number has gone up since I first heard this ridiculous complaint. But observe the implied threat. There is not just safety in numbers, but danger in numbers. How many Danes or Jews or freethinkers are there? You can see what the "spokesmen" are insinuating by this tactic of mass psychology and mobbishness. And not without immediate success, either. The preposterous person of Karen Hughes is quoted in the same New York Times article, under her risible title of "Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy." She tittered outside the store she was happily giving away: "The voices of Muslim Americans have more credibility in the Muslim world frankly than my voice as a government official, because they can speak the language of their faith and can share their experience of practicing their faith freely in the West, and they can help explain why the cartoons are so offensive." Well, let's concede that almost any voice in any world has more credibility on any subject than this braying Bush-crony ignoramus, but is the State Department now saying that we shall be represented in the Muslim world only by Muslims? I think we need a debate on that, and also a vote. Meanwhile, not a dollar of Wahhabi money should be allowed to be spent on opening madrasahs in this country, or in distributing fundamentalist revisions of the Quran in our prison system. Not until, at the very least, churches and synagogues and free-thought libraries are permitted in every country whose ambassador has bullied the Danes. If we have to accept this sickly babble about "respect," we must at least demand that it is fully reciprocal. And there remains the question of Denmark: a small democracy, which resisted Hitler bravely and protected its Jews as well as itself. Denmark is a fellow member of NATO and a country that sends its soldiers to help in the defense and reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan. And what is its reward from Washington? Not a word of solidarity, but instead some creepy words of apology to those who have attacked its freedom, its trade, its citizens, and its embassies. For shame. Surely here is a case that can be taken up by those who worry that America is too casual and arrogant with its allies. I feel terrible that I have taken so long to get around to this, but I wonder if anyone might feel like joining me in gathering outside the Danish Embassy in Washington, in a quiet and composed manner, to affirm some elementary friendship.

Yeah. I was just fixin' to say that! I posted the whole article cause how could I improve on that.

All We Are Saying .....

Quote of the Day

Our enemies have made the mistake that America's enemies always make. They saw liberty and thought they saw weakness. President George W. Bush

Internet Mujahedeen

Muslim hackers, angered by the publication of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, have defaced nearly 3,000 Danish Web sites in the past month in what could be the biggest politically motivated cyberattack to date. Those knowledgeable about the subject say the worldwide protests over a Danish newspaper's decision to publish the caricatures may prove to be something of a coming-of-age moment for Internet mujahedeen -- Islamic extremists committed to electronic terrorist attacks.

"They see this as a huge opportunity," said Stephen Ulph, a terrorism analyst with the Jamestown Foundation who monitors Web forums and chat rooms used by Muslim hackers. "You can feel the excitement. ... There's a sense that they can make a real difference."

This phenomenon is call 'the emergence of the digital 'umma'. Umma is an Arabic term for the global Muslim community. Mujahedeen: مجاهدين; struggler; someone who engages in jihad; holy warrior, armed fighters of Islamic ideologies. It's no surprise that the mujahedeen have brought their fight to the world wide web. What better way to create chaos for those who would oppose them. I think they have grossly underestimated their enemy.

Another Cartoon

cartoon by Mike Lester

What Everybody's Talking About

How about a linkfest party for the weekend ... while I'm trying to get my act together with a template, new blogging program and doing what I have to do over the weekend. Just link back here with whatever you have to say ....
What Do You Have To Say?

Linkfest Haven Open Trackback Alliance

Send a trackback to this post and it will be listed here if it meets the following requirements: 1. Make sure you link back to this post or blog in the post you send. That's about the only requirement - so send them on. Disclaimer: trackbacks to this post do not necessarily represent the opinions or standards of the Blue Star Chronicles.

Trackback url: http://haloscan.com/tb/bluestarchronicles/114075944505637678

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Excerpt: Congratulations goes to John from Holstein Grove for being the one to break Stray Dog Found's month long winning streak. Of course, Holstein Grove won the title for knowing that Alec Baldwin is, indeed, a moron. So, what can I...
Weblog: The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns
Tracked: 02.24.06 - 3:04 am What Is Really Going On In Iraq? / Weekend Open Trackback 2.24.06 Excerpt: Should we believe TIME, and MSNBC who tell us a low grade civil war is already underway and about to explode into mass violence? Or should we believe the numerous bloggers, and reporters (who are not hiding behind the green line) on the ground in Ir... Weblog: The Real Ugly American.com Tracked: 02.24.06 - 7:18 am Friday/Weekend Open Trackbacks Excerpt: Another trackback post! Leave a trackback and I'll post a link to your blog in this post! A link back here would be appreciated. Weblog: The Liberal Wrong Wing Tracked: 02.24.06 - 7:25 am UAE Port Deal: Islamophobia or Worthy of Concern Excerpt: So should we truly be concerned with the fact that an Islamic state run company is taking over operations of six major U.S. ports? The answer is: absolutely. While the UAE has been, as Steven Emerson has pointed out, an... Weblog: Everyman Chronicles Tracked: 02.24.06 - 8:27 am
I am Fed Up! Excerpt: I am completely fed up with people. I went to bed pissed off, and I woke up still pissed off. People in this country are worthless and weak. We the people are going to be the destruction of this great country.People are too busy to give FIVE MINUTES ... Weblog: The Uncooperative Blogger Tracked: 02.24.06 - 11:36 am

South Dakota Forging Ahead Excerpt: The reactions from the left are very telling:Ohhhhhh, fu*k... Weblog: Church and State Tracked: 02.24.06 - 2:16 pm

Cartoon Jihad - let's make a list Excerpt: Considering the violence, riots and threats of more to come for every insult to extremists within Islam, perhaps a list of what offends them should be made. It could be carried around by those who are not brave enough to stand up against the attempt ... Weblog: Mark My Words Tracked: 02.24.06 - 6:24 pm
Islam Can’t Blame Bush, Cheney, Christianity, And America Forever Excerpt: Why do all of the problems in the Middle East appear to boil down to Bush, Cheney, America, or Christianity? How about Islam, and the Muslims who support it, take some of the responsibility for their current position in life. If there is one part of we... Weblog: Voteswagon Tracked: 02.25.06 - 5:34 am CARNIVAL OF THE CELEBRITIES Excerpt: Mensa Barbie leads this week’s carnival with 2,000 diamonds in a necklace.Multiple Mentality: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes: it’s over! Weblog: Don Surber Tracked: 02.25.06 - 5:47 am Muslim Christian Relations: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Part II Excerpt: The bloody Crusades…and bloody they were. The first Crusade was brought about by Christian Emperor, Alexis I. He asked the Pope, Urban II, to help him rid the Anatolian Peninsula (what we now call Turkey) of the “unbelievers.” The Pop... Weblog: Quietly Making Noise Tracked: 02.25.06 - 9:05 am
RIP, Don Knotts Excerpt: Sad news, one of the original funny men, Don Knotts, has died today at the age of 81. Don was a man who believed in clean humor, and he made it work. Who can forget Barney Fife (”nip it in the bud, Andy,) or the Incredible Mr. Limpet? Or Mr Fur... Weblog: Pirate's Cove Tracked: 02.25.06 - 2:07 pm
Keep Your Children Safe Excerpt: Myself and Paula at 43rd State Blues have little in common, but sometimes, something is so important it transcends party politics. Such is the case with Paula's recent post. She writes:Do you have a sex offender in YOUR neighborhood? Do you kn... Weblog: Adam's Blog Tracked: 02.26.06 - 7:00 am

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Still playing with Template

I'm still playing with templates, trying to figure out some magic formula to make the background show up in Firefox - so far no luck. So the other alternative is moving to WordPress. I'm trying to figure that out too. I may have something going some day :( I hate having to learn new technical things :( Might be light posting while I sort this out. Or, I'll post and ignore the fact people with Firefox can hardly read it :)

Just Like the Civil War

War today is not that different than war in the past. The current situation in Iraq reminds me of the Civil War. Just like the Civil War, the Democrats are trying to get the Republican President out of office. Just like the Civil War, the politicians are back-stabbing and trying to sway public opinion in their own direction. Just like the Civil War, there is an outcry from the 'intellectual elite' that there is no reason for war, it's a war 'created' by the President. Just like the Civil War, everyone is in an uproar and screeching at the top of their lungs that it's the other man's fault. Just like the Civil War, all of Washington D. C. is in a frenzy trying to stop the tidal wave heading in their direction. Just like the Civil War, the survival of the Union is issue while most are trying to convince themselves and others that it's about other things that we don't have to fight about. Just like the Civil War, everything is at stake. Just like the Civil War, there are two sides that are clammering and chomping at the bit to have at each other. Just like the Civil War, there is nothing, nothing, anyone can do to stop it.

Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can, and strike him as hard as you can. And keep moving on!
~ Ulysses S. Grant's philosophy of war
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Cartoon of the Day

Cartoon by Mike Lester

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

John Kerry receives Spine Award

The Progressive Democrats of America have awarded John Kerry with a 'Spine Certificate' as part of their 'Backbone Campaign'. The certificate praised Kerry for taking leadership in an attempt to fillibuster the Alito nomination to the Supreme Court. It was described as a 'principled' fight to protect the Supreme Court and the nation from Alito's extremism.' [cough] Okay, I'm a little late posting this. The certificate was given to Kerry last week and the Where's John Kerry's 180? blogburst at Cao's Blog was yesterday. But I'm not any where near as late as John Kerry has been releasing the over 100 pages missing from his military record. He delayed over 2 years authorizing the release of any of his records. Then he signed part of a SF 180 to authorize the release of part of his record. In January 2005, in an interview with Tim Russert on Meet the Press, Kerry stated:

I’d be happy to put the records out. We put all the records out that I had been sent by the military. Then at the last moment, they sent some more stuff, which had some things that weren’t even relevant to the record. So when we get–I’m going to sit down with them and make sure that they are clear and I am clear as to what is in the record and what isn’t in the record and we’ll put it out. I have no problem with that.

transcript. I'm just curious about the 'stuff' he wanted to get clear about and deem relevant before he released it. Why are there over 100 pages missing from his military records. Now that he's officially been declared to have a spine, he should have enough spine to sign the SF 180.

More on Cao's Blog; USS Neverdock; PoliPundit; Outside the Beltway; TMH's Bacon Bits; Basil's Blog; Right Wing Nation; Quietly Making Noise; Jo's Cafe; Mental Rhinorrhea
Cartoon from Sacred Cow Burgers
Kerry Receives Backbone - Film at 11. Excerpt: Offering up a pitch almost (almost...) too slow to hit:The Progressive Democrats of America gave John Kerry a spine (award) for - trying to filibuster Alito?? Questions I could ask, but won't: Does this mean Weblog: Random Yak Tracked: 02.22.06 - 10:38 pm
Laziness, Thy Name is Dawg Excerpt: this week's OTA round-up is being presented (for the most part) in bare list form. Efficient? You betcha. Entertaining? Not so much. Weblog: Stray Dog Found Tracked: 02.24.06 - 6:21 am

Muhammad: Prophet of Peace

I've started, I don't know how many, posts on the Cartoon Wars and/or the Global War today only to get interrupted and sidetracked with this and that then come back to the computer and delete the posts. But then, I happened to hear a sound-bite from one of our Sedition News Stations and stopped to listen a minute. Honestly! The guys on that show were doing a very 'intellectual' analysis of the silliness that people are upset over the Muslim rioting. They were saying things like of course the Muslims are upset and we just need to let them get it out of their systems. They were saying it was our fault for printing the cartoons, we should have known it would upset them. They were saying that MOST Americans are strongly against this war and don't believe we should be fighting this (oh really??). They were also saying that if we lived in the kind of poverty most Muslims live in, we'd be rioting too. I wondered how on earth these 'intellectuals' could be so out of touch with reality. But then, that's a question I find myself asking myself fairly often. Why are these 'intellectuals' on the Seditious Public Television Station so out of touch ... let's review just a few things that have happened today. So today, we have three people from Ohio indicted for treason [my word for the charges]. Another source.

The charges outlined in the five-count indictment include: conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim, or injure people outside of the United States; conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, distributing information regarding explosives and making threats against the president of the United States. The most serious count that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison if prosecutors prove intent to kill.

In 2004 and 2005, the suspects recruited others to train for a violent holy war against the United States and its allies in Iraq, the indictment said. The group traveled together to a shooting range to practice shooting guns and studied how to make explosives, the indictment said. Around Jan. 27, 2005, Amawi communicated by computer with individuals in the Middle East, who told him some of the "brothers" were preparing to enter Iraq, according to the charges.

The men named in the indictment are: Mohammad Zaki Amawi, 26, who was a citizen of Jordan and the United States who lived in Toledo until August 2005; Marwan Othman El-Hindi, a 42-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen born in Amman, Jordan who lives in Toledo; and Wassim Mazloum, a 24-year-old legal U.S. resident who operated a car business with his brother in Toledo after entering the United States from Lebanon.

Lets see, what else. In Nigeria, Muslim rioting has killed 49 and seriously injured who knows how many others. Thousands have died from religious violence in Nigeria since 2000 and the violence is escalating dramaticly over the cartoons. At least 50 Christian churches have been burned in the last few days there. More here. At least one Catholic priest was burned alive in the rampages. Then the Christian community took revenge in a bloody rampage of their own. The Muslims out-killed and out-maimed the Christians by a long-shot. There are death threats against the Mohammad T-Shirt guys.

Another email claims to be from the terrorist group Al Qaeda. It reads, “You only have 5 days and your company will disappear. I promise!” The email is signed, Saalem Al Qahtani, Al Qaeda. One of the more disturbing messages simply says, “In two days we kill your family."

What I really like about this story is that when MetroSpy fought back by posting the emails on their website and refusing to be bullied, the threats dropped down drastically and they started getting nicey-nice emails like this one from Saudi Arabia.

Another says, “I am sending this e-mail and I hope that you understand that what you are doing is offending more than a billion people in the world. I hope that your sales with other stuff be billions but not for this one offending product.”

So, what's the lesson here? They are bullies and like bullies they fold the minute you stand up to them. They are just blow-hards. A U.N. envoy barely escapes a bomb attack. A car bomb exploded in Baghdad killing 22 and injuring 28. The targets were civilians.

Terrified children screamed while several women wailed: "Our children have died" and "the terrorists, may God punish them."

Or read Islam Online and see for yourself how the news is skewed to paint the Muslims as defending themselves against American and Israeli aggression. The top 8 stories have to do with the 'abuses' at Abu Graib and 'new' pictures are published there. See how nice our media is to help them like that! You can look at this that Blue Star Mom found. She also provides a link to Hamas videos, one titled, We Will Drink the Blood of the Jews. And you have Hamas calling for the nuclear destruction of Israel. Eleven journalists from five countries are facing prosecution over the cartoons. One said that the cartoons were not as damaging to the image of Islam as the rioting and the images of beheadings. So much for freedom of the press. This is getting really long and I haven't even gotten into the fact that there have been some websites shut-down to try to appease the Jihadist. Somali warlords battle Islamists. It seems natives of Mogadishu are trying to take their land back from the brutality of heavily armed al-Qaeda. It's been a bloody fight. It goes on and on. So here's one of the Muhammad Cartoons. Just so you'll know what all the fuss is about and you surely want to be able to recognize the Prophet of Peace.
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Our "Loyal" Muslim Populace Excerpt: Folks like CAIR, who complain that Americans look at Arabs and Muslims and think "terrorist" might want to deal with issues like this in their own community before lecturing us about bigotry. The Justice Department accused three Ohio men yesterday... Weblog: Rhymes With Right Tracked: 02.22.06 - 6:40 pm Converting the world to Islam Excerpt: At this point it doesn't matter what Muhammad taught or what is written in the Koran. It doesn't matter whether or not at heart it's a religion of peace. What matters is the millions of Muslims who are killing, bombing, burning, destroying, behea ..... Weblog: The Median Sib Tracked: 02.22.06 - 8:14 pm
Jyllands Posten Wins Prize: Riots Continue Excerpt: Once again, we're seeing cartoons being used simply as an excuse to riot and demonstrate against non Muslims. Rioting in Nigeria continues... Weblog: A Blog For All Tracked: 02.25.06 - 6:48 am