2005 September | MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Archive for September, 2005

Weekend Link Whorage Open Trackback Post Covered Fest Carnival Dish

[This WLWOTPCFCD post will be updated with other open trackback post links as they become available.]

If you have something you’d like others to read, link to this post, and send a trackback. If you use Blogger or something else that doesn’t send trackbacks, use Kalsey’s Simpletracks form or Wizbang’s Standalone Trackback Pinger. Your link will show up below, in the post (and count toward your ecosystem stats, if you care).

As always, trackbacks without a link to this post in yours will be deleted! For more information about trackbacks, see Harvey’s primer on the subject (and maybe my bitchy thing about trackbacks, too).

Your reading assignment:

* The trackbacks that show up here, duh! ;-)
* Flex your blogging/blog reading muscles–show a radio guy the power of blogs in ten seconds
* Opportunities for you to support the troops (and their families)
* Go vote in the straw poll!
* Beautiful Atrocities (!) : Our Man In Tripoli

Other blogs with link ~~whoring~~ fests:

basil’s blog - Lunch, Supper
Jo’s Cafe
Cafe Oregano
Outside The Beltway
The Mudville Gazette (and while you’re there, say hi to my friend Holly, who’s been doing a kickass job filling in for Mrs. G!)
bRight & Early
Stop the ACLU
Big Dog’s Weblog
The Political Teen
Wizbang
Point Five

Please, kick this guy’s ass

You know how much Air America sucks, of course…but farktard radio host Mike Malloy takes suckitude to new dimensions.

Somebody PLEASE, go find him and beat the shi’ite out of him.

(I know, I also said “Mike Who?” until I read this.)

MacStansbury’s Friday Reading Assignment

Ahem.

From my post just a few days ago:

“Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican.”

Mmm…elephant…

Just stirring the pot.

And if you think I’m being too mean on the Republicans, remember, I’m the one who keeps pointing out stuff like this.

UPDATE: Beth reminds me of the 11th Commandment, and sometimes I am way too subtle. Right now there’s a turf war inside the Republican party between those who are right along with the President’s current policies. Then there’s the other group that thinks they see no difference between him and the Democrats, with tax-cut and spend.

Here’s the deal: regardless of you opinion of the President’s fiscal policies, or whether the current crop of Republicans in the House and Senate are making with the bacon, right now there are people that are calling for changes. One of them is this Pence guy from Indiana. Now, I’m not saying one way or the other about the Republicans right now. What I’m trying to point out is that right now is a good time for us to look at what’s going on with our fiscal policies and maybe correct what the Democrats have done from 50 years past.

Mmm…ham sandwich…

Whilst chatting away on the internets, the big story (right underneath this one, EDIT: jeez, two below this one) shows up, hours after I wrote this story, and set it to post in the morning. After some editing, it still works. Little did I know that I would run headlong into another analogy.

While I was in the process of writing a story about how the indictment of Tom DeLay was about as worthless a thing as me signing up for eHarmony. Mainly because I’m beating the chicks off with a stick right now, and because one of the few that isn’t after me, The American Princess, totally has me covered:

There’s a saying that grand juries would indict a ham sandwich if they could (though, ironically, they have a very difficult time with Karl Rove), and they usually do. Grand juries are bunches of your peers who are convened to decide whether there is enough evidence to charge someone with a crime. Not convict. Charge. Grand juries rarely don’t charge, since just about every citizen who gets called to sit on one, is a citizen who wants to sit on one, and that’s a lot of power to give the guy who runs the doughnut shop.

People with vendettas love grand juries, mostly because they love to get back at people who have screwed them, and grand juries are the ultimate in PR trash–you need literally nothing to get indicted by one, but in the public eye, getting that pink slip is about as attractive a notion as can be.

Now, I’ll let it be known that I love sandwiches. Especially ham sandwiches. But as I was explaining my latest brilliant rip-off of someone else’s material, I came across, purely by accident, an epiphany. I wrote, “anybody can indite a ham sandwich, if they want to.” And in my utter brilliance, I didn’t even realize I spelled it that way.

Notice, I didn’t say I spelled it incorrectly, just that I spelled it that way. In fact, you could assume that I was talking about an accusation to a lunchtime favorite. But I wasn’t. What I was saying was that I could write “a ham sandwich.” It’s that subtlety that will be lost on people. It’s that subtlety that lets them dance around Tom DeLay without actually charging him with anything. It’s that subtlety that will allow the Dems to make hay, even while the people continue to constantly move their votes Right-er and Christian-er.

Signs that you spend too much time on the internets

1. When watching Fox News with you, your six year-old daughter says things like “Hey, that’s the guy Piper doesn’t like!”

2. Your six year-old daughter recognizes Clippy. That Clippy.

3. She says this cat doesn’t look as much like Sally as it does like Ferdy.

4. Your six year-old daughter knows what “moonbat” and “troll” means.

5. Your six year-old daughter demands to have her own blog because she’s not allowed to read yours.

6. She starts handing out her blog URL to her first grade classmates. (!)

7. She starts asking Mama if she can blog White Trash Wednesdays and submit links to the Carnival of the Cats.

8. She knows she can skip days of blogging as long as she has the “right words” for Google to find her.

9. She de-links Mama in case her teacher reads her blog. (WTF!)

10. She knows “OMG,” “LOL,” and knows NOT to type “WTF.”

Bonfired Carnival of the Vanities

Am I the only one who thinks this is hysterically funny?

(Note to those considering hosting a carnival: don’t fark it up, or Laurence will send you straight to blog hell!) (Or I will.)
Excellent work, Laurence.

And here’s another fine example of carnival-blogging…the F–k You Edition of the Bonfire of the Vanities! (Oh yeah? F–k you too! It’s four times teh suck, not double!)

Ronnie Earle: Go fark yourself

Yanno, I wasn’t even going to dignify this Ronnie Earle hack’s bullshi’ite indictment of his longtime nemesis with any comment, but now I have to because to my utter amazement, several people I normally consistently agree with are saying Tom Delay should resign.

No f’n way.

Said Traderrob in comments at Rusty’s: *

If that’s the litmus test then GW better get ready to pack his bags because his reputation thanks to the left and MSM is pretty starchy and last I checked is maintaining a lower favorability rating then Delay.
Posted by traderrob at September 29, 2005 05:31 PM

If he is innocent (at least of this) as I suspect and the left succeeds in bullying the right into submission before even the slightest shred of evidence is presented, they have won a far bigger battle than anyone will ever imagine.
Posted by traderrob at September 29, 2005 01:37 PM

Those points are EXACTLY on target.

In this case, countless legal scholars have said the indictment is total BS. I might have felt in the past that Delay was not good for the party’s public image (although he is extremely politically effective!), and wouldn’t have minded him going quietly.

Now, though, under these circumstances? HELL NO! This won’t take leftard heat off the party one bit; if anything this should be GOOD for the right, if everyone would fight back against this obscenely partisan attack. It ought to be a unifying event, and I’m amazed that anyone who’s not a partisan Democrat would send Delay up the river, and for what? So those meanie Dems won’t talk about Tom Delay any more? F–k that! When they’re finished cleaning the bones, they’ll go after someone else. Look how they’ve spent five years trying to “get” Bush, Rumsfeld, Rove, and anyone else with power.

I don’t see how Delay’s resignation would do ANYONE any good except for the Democrats, especially since Delay is hated because he is EFFECTIVE. His resignation would remove the man who can push through Republican initiatives, as well as embolden and encourage them to reach even further.

Ronnie Earle can go f*ck himself, and Delay and the rest of the GOP ought to hammer the bastard.

* I’m not playing in the blogfluffle. I just don’t agree with Rusty and some others on this, but I’m not pissed at them about it, and I damn sure don’t do “de-linkings” over a single issue, either. (Do de-linkers leave their political party over one second- or third-rate issue? Who’s cornered the market on loyalty, anyway?)

** Note to moonbats: You can foam at the mouth and jump up and down all you want; I’m not changing my mind, so save your breath. You know this is a bunch bullshi’ite yourselves.

*** I propose the following: we start doing what the Democrats do to Delay: just keep repeating the line that one of THEIRS is unethical until it just sticks, regardless of the facts, and then maybe they’ll force that person to resign? (Heh. Yeah, right.)

**** CAPS LOCK, BUSHEEPLE!!!???!!!

Republican Hypocrites and Military Cuts

It seems that the evil Republicans are up to their nefariousness again, gutting the military budget to pay for social programs. Yeah, you heard me! Because, you know, them Rupilicans is hipocrates.

Good ole’ Fred tries to point out how GOP lawmakers propose cuts to offset Katrina costs. He points out the heartlessness of the cruel Republicans and how this “is typical of a party that praises the military on one hand and turns around and kicks service members in the teeth when ever they get the chance.” I read the same thing he read, and I don’t get the same impression.

You see, on first glance, it appears that some of the proposed cuts would be harmful to military and it’s families. Problem is, these are recommendations made in the Clinton era, but could never get passed because they would decrease dependence on government. Remember, you’ve been trained to think that lowering benefits is always a bad thing - that couldn’t be further from the truth. Let’s look at these, shall we?

Service members would be offered cash if they are willing to accept reduced health care benefits for their families. “The less comprehensive plan would encourage individuals to be more cost-conscious when purchasing health care products by including deductibles, co-payments and a maximum annual out-of-pocket expenditure limit,” according to a written explanation provided by the study group. Reduced health care benefits could save $2.4 billion over 10 years.

Wasteful. Unbelievable. Giving service members NOT to go into sick call for every tiny problem? Insane.

True story: do you know what the #1 force divider is in the combat area? Accidents. People dropping hammers, tripping on work sites, cutting themselves with sharp objects. The news reports a grand total of the people killed in the combat zone, and the ones killed by IEDs, but have you ever heard anybody getting hit by a truck? Don’t think so.

Here’s the dirty little secret: having a more responsible system would not only save money, but teach the soldiers “how to fish,” if you will. If you’ve never had the chance to see what a Health Savings Account is, you are missing out. This is the best thing we could possibly do for health care in America, and the military wants to be on the bleeding edge, right where they always are.

The three separate military exchange systems could be consolidated, saving up to $1.9 billion over 10 years, the study group says. The Army and Air Force share an exchange system, AAFES, while the Navy and Marine Corps have their own systems…

There was a time when the best deal in town was the PX. But thanks to eeeeeevil Wal-Mart and the Karl Rovian capatilism machine, the prices off-post/base are as low or lower, and the PX/BX/Navy systems aren’t making the money they need to for the projects they fund.

For those of you who don’t know, the Exchange systems aren’t there to make a profit for themselves, they are there to provide Morale, Welfare, and Recreation funds for the residents of the bases and posts in which they reside. However, those profits for MWR are negatively influenced by the three different systems. Simplification of the system and reducing the bureaucracy sounds like a good idea to me. And yes…that’s a Republican concept if I’ve ever heard one.

The stateside system of elementary and secondary schools for military family members could be closed, saving $788 million over 10 years, the study says.

“This provision would phase out these domestic schools over time and shift these military children into the local public school systems,” the study group says.

The Pentagon also has been studying this idea, but has faced strong opposition from parents of children attending the schools because public schools are seen as offering lower-quality education.

Emphasis mine. I lived in Ft. ~~Useless~~ Eustis back in 1999, and I remember, as I ran my 6 miles everyday, how the kids would come home in them nice buses. And Ft. Eustis isn’t that big of a post, nestled right outside of Newport News. When I went to my off-post housing, I would often drive down a few blocks over to see the high school there, the one with the giant banner that read, “HOME OF MICHAEL VICK.” I honestly wondered if the kids on post went to the schools I’d driven past on post, or if they were going to that school, not 2 miles away.

But, and I’m no expert in this, wouldn’t it be just fine to put the military kids in with the other kids? I don’t see how this could be a problem. Oh, there will be fights, and upset military families who demand the teachers actually teach, but I think that’s a universal problem.

Look, if you think that there’s not pork in the military, you are sorely mistaken. It has more of a fight to get it’s job done on the battlefield, and the benefits are woefully underwhelming. But to say that a reduction in operating expenses through simple cost-cutting measures shows a lack of intellectual honesty.

NOTE: these cuts are in social programs, and won’t affect the military’s ability to perform its mission.

Not exactly cat blogging

I want this!!!

Nope, it’s not a photo of a cat, it’s Leanne’s latest painting and unlike most of her work, it’s not a commissioned piece–it’s for sale! [Check out the detail here.]

I really should get a job so I could buy things like this…she looks just like my daughter’s kitty, Sally. :sigh:

Another grieving parent speaks

Larry Elder has a letter from the father of a fallen hero, Army PFC Stephen Castellano, who was killed in Mosul, Iraq on January 28, 2005. This is just an excerpt:

Why is this woman receiving the attention she is getting? Why is the media giving this woman the opportunity to profligately disseminate an obviously radical left-wing platform when there are those of us who are experiencing the same loss of a child killed in Iraq, and yet we don’t get the opportunity to appear before thousands of people to share our thoughts and platforms? Is it because they support her and yet can’t express the same views without losing credibility?

…
I carry a unit pin from the 25th infantry division with me constantly, as a reminder of my son’s service. I wear his dog tags along with mine as reminder of his sacrifice. Every time I see Mrs. Sheehan I cry out of anger, rage, disappointment and frustration at the dishonor she has levied on those who have fallen.

My son Stephen (pronounced Steven) Castellano, and dare I say all others who have died providing for the freedom of Iraq people, deserves better. . . .

By the way, I supported the president in his decision — and still do.

Read it all here.

al Qaeda’s Very First Podcast!

Heh™. al Qaeda’s Very First Podcast!

Hat-tip to MAC’s Vast Right Wing Conspiracy’s RSS Reader

Pillars of Conservatism: Defense

If there’s anything that can be said for American Conservatives, it’s that it is we who are for the strong national defense. Not that American Liberals are against that, per se, but it is not perceived to be one of their strengths. In fact, the issue has become so synonymous with the conservative movement that it is generally assumed that the Republicans are pro-war, and the Democrats are pro-peace in all instances.

While I believe this to be a generalization, what you cannot say is that the protection of our country is not one of the pillars of conservatism. After the last election cycle, “the War” was so ingrained into our collective psyche, that it was hard to imagine how, in the 90s, the military was generally regarded as an afterthought. The dangers of the “peace dividend” were ignored.

It was the fall of the Soviet Union, and it’s change into “Glastnost” that started the complacency. And the relatively easy Operation Desert Storm led to an era like that in the 1920s, where it was thought that we’d finally triumphed over armed conflict. It was this attitude that led to the more moderate thinking, a centrist world-view that led to the election of Bill Clinton. It was that same election that led the same terrorist network to believe that we were ripe plumbs, ready for the taking.

It was 1993 when Osama bin Laden’s network tried to bring down the World Trade Centers. The lack of response to this, and other such terrorist activities all over the world led him to believe that he would have to do something remarkable to start a war. It was that concept of appeasement that was bin Laden’s worst enemy, and the constant capitulation was the impetus for his repeated attacks.

However, when George W. Bush was elected, the response was overwhelming force instead of a decade of policing and “talk.” After bin Laden got what would be sufficient to start a war, he figured the Americans had lost the fighting spirit that made her a great nation. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

Even in my own experience, I found the military of today to be every bit the equal, in heart, of any of those who came before. As we learned from Email from Iraq, those boots on the ground are the ones that know. There is nothing like being there to authenticate your beliefs.

Pages 1-39 in the 2004 GOP Platform express just what the administration was trying to accomplish. Interestingly, on an election that was truly based on one issue (the War in Iraq), there’s precious little said. However, it’s power is in its truth:

We are ever mindful that American troops remain on the ground in Iraq, working steadfastly to help the Iraqi people achieve stability and democracy. We therefore welcome declarations from responsible political leaders of both parties that our nation will persevere in our mission there, not cut and run. The American people need to hear this message. People in Baghdad and beyond need to hear it. The enemy needs to hear it. Most importantly, American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines risking their lives in Iraq need to hear it.

We condemn inconsistent, ambiguous, and politically expedient statements on that point. To the extent such wavering encourages our adversaries to fight harder, our men and women in uniform suffer the consequences. Their mission is difficult enough. Uncertainty about America’s commitment to that mission makes it immeasurably more difficult.

In Iraq, America is serving the cause of liberty, peace, and our own security. America accepted a difficult task in Iraq. We know that for all these reasons, we will finish that task.

It’s the scar in our history, the Vietnam conflict. It wasn’t a war that we lost on the battlefield, but in the offices in Washington, and the bureaus of the news. We were led to believe that this was the failing of trying to be a super-power, and trying to keep others as free as we were. As Ronald Reagan said:

…And the veterans of Vietnam who were never welcomed home with speeches and bands, but who were never defeated in battle and were heroes as surely as any who have ever fought in a noble cause, staged their own parade on Constitution Avenue. As America watched them–some in wheelchairs, all of them proud–there was a feeling that this nation–that as a nation we were coming together again and that we had, at long last, welcomed the boys home.

The Great Communicator spoke those words at the Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the tomb of the Unknown Soldier who fought during the Vietnam War. At the time, 1984, there were many who still bore the hatred and contempt for those trying to keep the Vietnamese a free people, simply because we were using the might of the military, instead of the impotence of “discussions.”

It is this very attitude that makes us who we are.

Other Pillars:
Economics

Letter to Cindy Sheehan

RightGirl sent the link to this “Open Letter to Cindy Sheehan” posted at Free Republic. I have since verified that the author, “Mom of Two Soldiers” (Linda), is who she said she is in the letter; for reasons related to her family, she did not use her full name but says Sheehan would know who she is. The letter follows in its entirety.

OPEN LETTER TO CINDY SHEEHAN:

Residing in the same town as you once resided and knowing your family, I must ask you, “Whatever are you thinking?”

Your son was the one who encouraged my youngest son to enlist. You were very proud of Casey and what he was doing then and he believed very much in what he was doing.

After Casey was killed, my eldest was one of the local airmen who brought him home, facing hostile fire to do so, so you would not not have to wait.

My daughter comforted you and your family. You two spent hours and hours engaged in heartfelt grief. At that time, you were very, very supportive of the President, of our soldiers and of what was occurring in Iraq.

Cindy, you’ve changed since the Kerry campaign contacted you in early July of last summer. You’re not the same grieving mom, especially after you started traveling on the road to support John Kerry’s campaign.

You’ve turned into a political puppet for those who are exploiting you and it’s not pretty nor does it do anything for Casey’s memory. You’re not the same, quiet compassionate woman we saw at church or downtown, when you proudly sat as the entire town showed up on Memorial Day to honor Casey and Mike Williams.

How can you justify berating the President for honoring the soldiers who died while protecting America and following the directives of the Congress and the Senate? How can you consistently state that you don’t want your son’s name to be acknowledged by him and on the same hand, turn around and use the name of Joe Williams’ Mike, as an example for your cause despite the many requests of the family for you not to do so? How could you print Mike’s name in your anti-war advertisement in the newspaper even after seeing the grief and effort his mother went through to go to Crawford to personally remove it from your cross. You knew it caused them pain.

Mike died honorably and his father, a Vietnam vet is very proud of him. He believed in what he was doing, just like Casey. How could you bring so much pain to the Williams family and so much pain to a nation because of your own anger?

Cindy, how can you do this to your kids who don’t know how to explain your actions to anyone here in town? They went through a lot last summer and still are.

The hours, days and weeks following Casey’s death were emotionally gut wrenching as many of us with children, husbands, wives, friends and other loved ones in the military comforted you while living with the fears for our own loved ones over there. Everyone went above and beyond because we all believed and still believe in how very right, honorable and courageous our loved ones are in their mission to keep America safe.

We all went through considerable anguish when Casey died and I suspect none moreso than you. But how can you justify your anguish and place it on a higher level than that of Joe Williams?

The treatment you’ve returned to everyone is inexcusable. Placing Mike Williams’ name on a cross despite the family’s objections was unforgiveable and the reaction of Mike’s mother when she saw it was heartbreaking.

What you are doing to neighbors, to friends, Casey’s battle buddies and to a nation of people who are having to relieve the ugly pain of the late 60s and the 70s is unfair.

This is about you, Cindy. Not about anyone else. When you turn your back on your neighbors, your friends, your family and act in this manner, it only evidences that there is no consideration toward anyone or anything else.

Finally, and most disturbing, how can you support a group that supported John Kerry, who on April 7th, on National Public Radio stated that Al Sadr had a “legitimate voice” and that the Coalition (including your son) should not have closed down his newspaper after he called for the deaths of U.S. troops.

You know better than anyone else, Casey was killed in Sadr City by the Al Sadr militants. How can you join ranks with those who support the terrorist who called for the death of your son?

Its beyond me, Cindy, and something I suspect, someday in the future, you’ll look back on and with considerable pain.

We don’t want that for you. I believe you need to sit down and think about it long and hard. You are bringing so much pain to this nation and its people.

Linda

tags: Cindy Sheehan, Iraq

Email from Iraq

I’ve been corresponding recently with one of my readers, who’s a Marine serving in Iraq; they’ve been reading my crappy little blog! He’s sent the following–please read it, it’s important!

I think you would be amazed at the morale of the young military people here. I know I am. I’ve been in for over 28 years and I have seen good and bad. These youngsters are getting the job done in a way I would never have imagined. They go on convoys, get shot at or have IEDs go off, then they return still in high spirits. The trick here is to convince the bad guys they have been beat. The idiots at the peace rallies are what’s really hurting since the stated goals of the insurgents is to break down public support for the war in the US. I heard the other day that 52% of the people back home think we are losing. I would be worried if it was 1995 and this was the case, but Bush doesn’t govern via polls like Clinton did. That’s one thing we all appreciate about the president; he sticks to the plan. :-D

Did you get that? Peace rallies serve THE INSURGENTS. Protesting the war is NOT “supporting the troops,” and no one with a shred of common sense believes it does. MGySgt Kuzniak is no boot; as he said, he’s got 28 years of experience on which to base his assessment.

Let me just take a moment to salute our senior enlisted serving; we hear a lot about the amazing young troops out there, and I’m in awe of their resilience and strength–they really are heroes. We don’t hear a lot about the senior enlisted over there though; of course, that’s because there are fewer of them in the military, period. But the high morale and dedication to the mission is absolutely a reflection of the outstanding leadership demonstrated by the senior NCOs. So those of you old crusty folks (hey, I can say that, I’m that age myself) over there, I salute you. I know that good morale is crucial to a job well done–and in your situation, crucial to everyone’s lives.

~~OK, y’all, now for some fun stuff. They sent some pictures that y’all are going to love! (Click for full-size.)~~ [UPDATE: Sorry, you missed 'em. What can I say--shi'ite happens!] :razz:

Semper Fi!

(shut up, I know I was Air Force, I’m still pretty gung ho!) ;-)

Tag: Iraq

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