Left Using Tsunami Tragedy for Politics

Seems it took no time at all after the horrific tragedy which continues to unfold in South Asia for the peddlers of Socialist clap-trap to reach for the nearest microphone to do two things: A. Denounce President Bush (oh that's original) and B. Try and use the tragedy to advance their agenda for world socialism.

News accounts of the devastation continue to be interspersed with reports claiming that "global warming" (which of course they claim is the fault of the United States and President Bush) somehow cause tragedies like this to occur. What bunk! Only the most whacked out tree hugger could believe such nonsense.

Next we have the usual lineup of suspects at the United Nations, one of whom referred to the U.S. disaster relief efforts as "stingy" and that if only the United States raised taxes, they could supply the UN with more funds. This was shortly followed by another UN oh-so-high and mighty-type referring to President Bush's effort to work with a group of nations to provide aid to the stricken as: "Undermining UN with Aid Coalition" and going on to say "Only really the UN can do that job...It is the only body that has the moral authority."

"Moral Authority?" Give me a break. Is this the same moral authority that stood by while some 20 plus BILLIONS of dollars meant to aid sick and hungry children in Iraq through the UN administered Oil for Food Program was funneled into bribes, including sweet heart deals for the son of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan?

I'm sure all these oh so well-meaning UN bureaucrats would prefer that the United States raise taxes to fund more UN programs, including an additional $1 BILLION to renovate the UN headquarters building in New York. If you really want to help those in need, sell the UN building, or turn it into a shelter for the homeless, not a palace for the corrupt.

But as you would with just about any charitable organization, look at how much of the contribution actually goes to helping those in need and how much is used for administrative costs. I cannot imagine that the pampered UN bureaucrats, with their "moral authority" and loose standards of financial accountability could do a better job of aiding the victims of this or any other disaster.

John Podhoretz in the New York Post summed up the situation quite well:

"It is fine and proper to have a debate and discussion about the degree of generosity the United States could, should and must show in the wake of this literally earth-shaking event. But at this moment, the United States is not the issue.The foreign-aid budget of the United States is not the issue. Our government should not be the focal point of the discussion right now."

President Bush has assembled a coalition of countries with the best possible pool of talent and resources to respond effectively to this calamity. What the victims don't need right now is another example of how they might be spared their grief if only the tarnished ideals of world socialism prevailed.

Michael Miller

Liberalism Mired in the Past

Most folks who are acquainted with the writing of Michael Barone recognize him as a voice of reason and he certainly lives up to that in this very well thought out piece. I let this run a bit longer than usual, but there is still more juice in the complete article.

Michael Barone: The new status quo: "Once upon a time, liberals were the folks who wanted to change society. They thought existing institutions were unjust and that individuals needed protection against the workings of the market. They looked forward to a society that would be different.

To a considerable extent, 20th century liberals achieved many of their goals. Racial segregation was abolished. An economic safety net was constructed. Government issued regulations were set up to protect the environment. Few Americans want to undo these changes. But they may want others.

Looking back on election year 2004, I am struck by how many of the constituencies supporting Democratic candidates oppose, rather than seek, change -- how they are motivated not by ideas about how to change the future, but by something like nostalgia for the past.

Take black Americans, the most heavily Democratic constituency -- 88 percent to 11 percent for John Kerry in the 2004 NEP exit poll. Blacks have been voting for Democratic presidential candidates by similar margins since 1964, when Republican Barry Goldwater opposed the Civil Rights Act.

That was a big issue, then. And never mind that a higher proportion of Republicans than Democrats voted for the bill in Congress -- Goldwater did oppose it. But the Civil Rights Act has long since become uncontroversial, racial discrimination disapproved and integration of schools, workplaces and public accommodations widely accepted. Yet 40 years later, the image of the Republican Party as unsympathetic to equal rights for blacks seems to persist. Black voters seem still focused on a moment in history 40 years ago.
Or look at the antiwar constituency, an important part of the Democratic coalition in 2004. These voters denounce the war in Iraq in much the same terms, with much the same arguments, that they denounced, or have heard that their elders denounced, the American military effort in Vietnam. We're in a quagmire, committing atrocities, doomed to failure.

Right down to the signs and slogans, antiwar rallies seem a re-enactment of the tie-dyed past. In the waning days of the campaign, John Kerry and John Edwards slyly suggested that George W. Bush would bring back the military draft.
The war in Iraq is different from the war in Vietnam in so many respects that it is hard to know where to start listing the ways. But for some large portion of Democratic voters, it will forever be 1968.

On the economic front as well, Democrats seem to be looking more to the past than the future. The Social Security system as it exists is obviously not sustainable: There will be too few workers supporting too many retirees. It will be in good shape, some Democrats argue, until 2042, so there is no need to worry for it. But people who turn 67 in 2042 were 29-year-old workers and voters in the 2004 election. An argument that concedes that Social Security will be in trouble when they reach retirement age can hardly be expected to appeal to them. But these Democrats see no need to change a system created in 1935.
...
The evolution of liberalism from a forward-looking to a backward-looking creed is partly the result of success -- and partly a result of a failure to see where liberal ideas would lead. History does not always move in one direction, and if it seemed headed left a half-century ago, it seems headed the other way now.

An ever-larger state to protect workers may have seemed a good idea in the 1930s or 1950s, but by the 1980s it seemed clear it would strangle economic growth. Opposition to the exertion of American power looks less attractive after the fall of the Soviet empire. The advance of democracy in Latin America, East Asia and Eastern European make it clear that the United States has, on the whole, been a force for freedom and democracy. The left is left with nostalgia.

President Bush the Roosevelt of Our Times?

This from the very liberal English paper The Guardian:
The Observer Martin Gilbert: Statesmen for these times: "People often ask how history will remember our generation of leaders in comparison with Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Many comment that today's leaders look small compared with the giants of the past. This is, I believe, a misconception.
...
Although it can easily be argued that George W Bush and Tony Blair face a far lesser challenge than Roosevelt and Churchill did - that the war on terror is not a third world war - they may well, with the passage of time and the opening of the archives, join the ranks of Roosevelt and Churchill. Their societies are too divided today to deliver a calm judgment, and many of their achievements may be in the future: when Iraq has a stable democracy, with al-Qaeda neutralised, and when Israel and the Palestinian Authority are independent democracies, living side by side in constructive economic cooperation.

If they can move this latter aim, to which Bush and Blair pledged themselves on 12 November, it will be a leadership achievement of historic proportions.

Rumsfeld Should STAY!

Rumsfeld's logic - The Washington Times: Editorials/OP-ED - December 22, 2004: "It is often observed that certain brilliant people 'don't suffer fools gladly.' But the more common experience of mankind is that fools don't suffer brilliant people gladly.
An excellent example of this phenomenon is the current attack on Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld by a legion of Washington little people: a pack of has-beens, never weres and wannabees. In other words, sitting senators, retired generals and journalists who, whether sitting or standing, are, regrettably, never retiring.
Several senators and congressmen who have been in town for decades hate Mr. Rumsfeld's logic that you fight a war with the Army you've got. They prefer the illogic that cutting the size of our Army in half between 1990-2000 should have no bearing on the size of the Army you have in 2001. How dare Mr. Rumsfeld point out the consequences of their defense budget cuts.

Uproar Over Armored Vehicles or Just Uproar?

Seems the "Get Rumsfield" crowd might want to check their facts...oh never mind, they'll just make up something else...

Inside Politics - The Washington Times: Inside Politics - December 23, 2004: "The truth is trickling out on the true state of affairs concerning the armoring of U.S. vehicles in Iraq, the Media Research Center reports.
' 'It now appears that the premise of the question that caused an uproar around Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was, so to speak, off base,' [Fox New Channel's] Brit Hume noted Tuesday night in reminding viewers how two weeks ago National Guardsman 'Thomas Wilson said to Rumsfeld, quote, 'our vehicles are not armored, we do not have proper armament vehicles to carry with us north,' into Iraq.'
'But, Hume relayed, 'according to senior Army officers, about 800 of the 830 vehicles in Wilson's Army regiment, the 278th Calvary, had already been up-armored' at the time of his widely publicized question.
'Some Hearst newspapers reported that fact last week, and since then it has trickled up the media stream into NewsMax, The Washington Times and FNC, but not the other networks or major newspapers.' the MRC's Brent Baker writes at www.mediaresearch.org.
"

"I Call the President Imam Bush": A Turning Point in Islamic and World History

For people whose idea of being well informed is to skim through the newspaper on their way to the sports or comic page, this article by Stephen Schwartz might be a bit heavy. But he is right on the money in his understanding of the geopolitical significance of what is happening and can happen in the Middle East. I excerpted a few paragraphs here, but recommend the entire article.

TCS: Tech Central Station - "I Call the President Imam Bush": A Turning Point in Islamic and World History: Terrorism continues in Iraq and monopolizes headlines. But there is much more to be said about the situation in that country, and it has to do with much more than the restoration of public services and infrastructure. Perhaps the biggest story left unreported in the West is the extraordinary exuberance about the Iraqi election, set for January 30, among Iraqi Shias.

I know about this because I spend a great deal of time talking to Iraqi Shia religious leaders, some of whom commute back and forth between Iraq and the U.S. The effervescence among them must be experienced to be believed. One prominent Shia in the U.S. told me, 'I call the president Imam Bush.' (In Shia Islam, the imams are the chief religious guides throughout the history of the sect.) 'He is a believer in God, he is just, and I believe he will keep his promise to hold a fair election on January 30,' my interlocutor said. 'He liberated Kerbala and Najaf [the Shia holy cities]. He has done more for Shias than anybody else in history.'

The wider regional and global ripples of a Shia government in Iraq are likely to be as significant as the transfer of power itself. A nonclerical Shia regime in Baghdad, governing Kerbala and Najaf, would powerfully encourage completion of democratization in Iran. Its success would also draw Lebanese Shias away from the extremist clerical leadership of Hezbollah. A stable post-Ba'athist regime in Iraq could provide a significant model for Syrians as they work their way out of the Bashir Assad dictatorship. Above all, however, a Shia regime in Iraq will provide a stunning exemplar of Arab-Islamic pluralism, that is, an alternative to the model of Sunni monolithism found in Saudi Arabia, and which the Saudis have sought to export throughout the global community of Sunni Islam.

The reactionary wing of the Saudi royal family may have a great deal to lose from successful elections in Iraq. To emphasize, Wahhabism, the official religion in the Saudi kingdom, preaches violence against Shias, and a Shia-led Iraq with a system of popular sovereignty would be an enormous humiliation to the Wahhabis. But more important, as the American architects of the Iraqi experiment have understood, Iraq has immense resources in terms of education and entrepreneurship, aside from the economic cushion of its oil.

There should be no reason to doubt the universality of democracy, or the contagious nature of elections in Iraq, and, for that matter, in Ukraine. As Iraq's ballot boxes may trump the viciousness of its terrorists, the Palestinians may also join the new wave of democratization. Ukrainians vote, Palestinians vote, Iraqis vote, and a new phase in world history begins. This is the true meaning of globalization, especially in the age of the internet and satellite television.

Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia is much less a form of Islam than an ideology employed to keep the royal family in power, and if the removal of the ideological state may be effected peacefully in Kyiv, why not in Riyadh? Saudi subjects could leap ahead of their Iraqi neighbors, for I cannot imagine that if Ukraine succeeds in a bloodless democratization, Saudi subjects will not be inspired to ask why they, too, cannot follow the road of the Orange Revolution, rather than that of the black-bannered jihad, and voting boxes protected by American lives, in Iraq. And that will mean a decisive blow to terrorist jihadism throughout the world.

Learn more about Stephen Schwartz here.

Count Every Vote... Again and Again... Only if it is for a Democrat!

The election for governor of Washington state is still undecided. Republican governor-elect Dino Rossi now faces the prospect of losing a race he led after two previous ballot counts. We know about recounts after Florida 2000... and now vote fraud.... here's more:

The Hedgehog Report: "Stefan Sharkansky at Sound Politics, who has done a great job covering the Washington re-recount, has done some investigating in a single precinct in Seattle.

Precinct 1823 has 763 registered �Active� voters. 527 of them list as their residence address 500 4th Ave � the King County Administration Building. 241 of these voters specifically note their apartment number as #553, which is the room number of the � King Ukraine County Records and Elections office.
Over 300 of these alleged �voters� give 500 4th Ave. (with or without the Elections office room number) as both their residence and mailing addresses. Several of the other Elections Office residents give overseas mailing addresses, such as Anuj Rathi of Mumbai, India, Rayko Suzuki of Tokyo, Japan, and Pascal Engi of Bern, Switzerland."

Freedom FROM Religion...

The American Spectator: "WASHINGTON, D.C, December 22, 2009 -- Both houses of Congress passed the Freedom From Religion Act last night just in time to adjourn for what is now being called the Winter Solstice recess. President Hillary Rodham Clinton says she will sign the bill 'as soon as it gets to my desk.'

'This is historic legislation,' she said in a statement. 'It finally clears up the confusion and controversy over the place of religion in modern America and it spells out the details that make separation of church and state such an important part of our Constitution.'

The bill goes into effect as soon as it is signed and, when Congress returns in January, some of the legislation's effects will be felt on Capitol Hill. For example, there will be no more chaplains in either Senate or House, and daily sessions will no longer begin with a prayer. By law, Congress will now expunge the word 'Christmas' from its vocabulary. The bill denotes that the federal holiday heretofore described as 'Christmas Day' will henceforth be called 'Winter Solstice Holiday.'

'If we had not made this change, non-Christians might have had to work on what was essentially a religious holiday,' said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

In the military, members of the chaplain corps will be reassigned to non-religious duties, with the exception of Muslims. 'They are a special case,' said Senator Ted Kennedy. "

ScrappleFace: Annan: Sudan Still Free of U.S. Imperialism

Just remember... the follwoing is a P A R O D Y... but as with most humor, there is more than a grain of truth...

ScrappleFace: Annan: Sudan Still Free of U.S. Imperialism: "Annan: Sudan Still Free of U.S. Imperialism
by Scott Ott
2004-12-22) -- Due to the efforts of the United Nations Security Council, although about 10,000 Sudanese die each month in armed conflict, the African nation remains safe from the effects of U.S. imperialism, according to Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

"We have a solemn obligation to protect the Sudanese from an American occupation force," said Mr. Annan. "The 70,000 who have died this year in Darfur went to their graves free from the shackles of U.S. oppression. By our strategic inaction, they have been spared the horrors of Abu Ghraib."

The Security Council continues to monitor the situation on the ground in Darfur and under the ground, where many Sudanese have migrated under U.N. supervision.
(2004-12-22) -- Due to the efforts of the United Nations Security Council, although about 10,000 Sudanese die each month in armed conflict, the African nation remains safe from the effects of U.S. imperialism, according to Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
'We have a solemn obligation to protect the Sudanese from an American occupation force,' said Mr. Annan. 'The 70,000 who have died this year in Darfur went to their graves free from the shackles of U.S. oppression. By our strategic inaction, they have been spared the horrors of Abu Ghraib.'
The Security Council continues to monitor the situation on the ground in Darfur and under the ground, where many Sudanese have migrated under U.N. supervision."

You Go to War with the Defense Secretary You Have, Not the One You Would Like to Have

Throwing Donald Rumsfeld over the side would be a huge mistake. His knowledge, experience and dedication to his job could not be replaced. Going through the whole confirmation process with a new Secretary of Defense would leave us much less prepared for the war on terror on every single front.

Rummy's bum rap - The Washington Times: Commentary - December 21, 2004: "Donald Rumsfeld is one of the most experienced men in Washington. So he is presumably not surprised at the fickleness of the chattering classes. Not so long ago, he got nothing but fabulous press and fawning treatment from Congress and the public. Now, the 'smart people' have formed up for a political lynch mob demanding his head, with even Republicans insisting that he lose his job once the votes are counted in Iraq. "

See also Zev Chafets in the New York Daily News: "Armor fiasco could backfire. Firing Rumsfeld over this flap would only encourage the jihadis."

US and India Friendship Grows

At a time when Democrats tried to convince voters that everyone in the world is against us, it's nice to know that quietly we have more friends than some would have us believe. And what better friend than the second largest country in the world, an emerging democracy and economic power. Who needs France?

OpinionJournal - Extra: "While Europe continues to hold its nose at the decisive triumph of George W. Bush, the Indian establishment is quietly savoring the outcome of the recent elections in America. India and Europe, one might say, have traded places in the global arena. India, once nonaligned, used to be the first to throw stones at Washington on any issue during the Cold War; today, it sees America as a natural ally. Europe, on the other hand, now speaks the language of 'nonalignment,' and holds that nothing is ever right with U.S. foreign policy.

There is a straightforward explanation for India's enthusiasm for the Bush administration. New Delhi has transacted more political business with Washington in the past four years than in the previous four decades. After nearly half a century of estrangement, India and the U.S. rapidly drew closer during the first Bush term. Whether it is the commitment to the war against terrorism or the exploration of missile defense, Mr. Bush has found a partner in Delhi."

A Voice of Reason in the Middle East?

A voice of reason in the Middle East? O.K. it's from a Kuwaiti newspaper, but we can only hope that this attitude continues to filter through the hate and misinformation that makes up so much of the Arab media.

Special Dispatch Series - No. 826: "Bush considers the January elections very important. If one hopes the US will withdraw from Iraq in the same way as it did from Lebanon and Somalia, we must say it won't happen. The only thing left for Arab regimes, which are out of tune with the rest of the world, is to understand that standing against the United States is no longer the right way to show their patriotism, especially since they are the real enemies of their people and countries. They must understand the American Administration supports their people, for their freedom and human rights. "

Battle of the Bulge 60 Years Ago Today: Lesson for History

As regrettable as is the death of any single soldier in Iraq, the 60th anniversary puts those sad numbers (currently around 1300) in some perspective. War is a nasty business, but consider the alternative. The Nazis never attacked the United States prior to our declaration of war against them. But anyone who ever visited a German Concentration Camp knows why that war was necessary. I suggest those who still oppose the war in Iraq visit Halabja, the site of Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons attack against the Kurds

At dawn 60 years ago - The Washington Times: Commentary - December 16, 2004: " Before it was over, the Battle of the Bulge would involve three German armies, the equivalent of 29 divisions; three American armies, or 31 divisions; and three British divisions augmented by Belgian, Canadian and French troops.
More than a million men would be drawn into the battle. The Germans would lose an estimated 100,000 irreplaceable troops, counting their killed, wounded and captured; the Americans would suffer some 80,000 casualties, including 19,000 killed � that's a rate of 500 a day � and 23,554 captured. "

On the 60th anniversary of the bloody Battle of the Bulge in which 19,000 American troops were killed, it's important to remember what that war was about. Above is a photograph of the ovens at Dachau, the first of the German Concentration Camps. They weren't baking bread here. Next time some lefty says "Iraq never threatened the US" ask him or her if they have ever visited a German Concentration Camp. Before they spout about Bush being "evil" they might want to see the face of evil for real. (photo by Michael Miller, Dachau, 1984)

What to Do About Iran?

The Islamic Republic of Iran is the birthplace of modern Islamic terrorism and a key funder of those efforts. It's a difficult problem to address, especially in light of the information about their desire to build nuclear weapons. There is also a very large segment of the population, tired of living under the fanatical control of the mad mullahs. Many in this group went to the streets after the September 11 attacks agains the United States to show their solidarity with us.

It's time for the French and the United Nations to step forward and propose real and effective solutions for dealing with this problem. For too long, they've been just whining about what the United States is doing. It's not like we are going to invade anytime soon with our other responsibilities.

Let's see what happy ole Jacque Chirac, President of France, and his UN cronies can do.

Militant recruiters out in open in Tehran - The Washington Times: World - December 16, 2004: "TEHRAN � The 300 men filling out forms in the offices of an Iranian aid group were offered three choices: Train for suicide attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq, for suicide attacks against Israelis or to assassinate British author Salman Rushdie.
It looked at first glance like a gathering on the fringes of a society divided between moderates, who want better relations with the world, and hard-line Muslim militants hostile toward the United States and Israel.
But the presence of two key figures � a prominent Iranian lawmaker and a member of the country's elite Revolutionary Guards � lent the meeting more legitimacy and was a clear indication of at least tacit support from some within Iran's government. "

Getting Serious About Syria II

Getting Serious About Syria II
Another installment in the ongoing effort to get serious about the problem of Syria. How many more Americans will die while we try to work on the problem? See the first installment of this series for more.

OpinionJournal - Featured Article: "Fedayeen interviewed by Western media say they received training in light weapons, explosives and hit-and-run operations at camps in Syria. These camps are likely financed by the $2.5 billion Saddam Hussein is believed to have stashed in Syrian banks before the war. In April, Jordanian intelligence captured an al Qaeda cell as it planned a chemical-weapons attack in Amman. That cell, too, was apparently trained in Syria.Syria supplements its tactical support for Iraqi terrorists with overt political support. 'Syria's interest is to see the invaders defeated in Iraq,' said Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa in early 2003. 'The resistance of the Iraqis is extremely important. It is a heroic resistance to the U.S.-British occupation of their country.' In an interview in the Lebanese paper Al-Safir, Syrian President Bashar Assad was no less explicit when he offered Lebanon circa 1983 as an example of how the U.S. was to be fought in Iraq: 'Lebanon was under Israeli occupation, up to its capital, but we did not consider that a disaster. Why? Because it was very clear there are ways to resist. The problem is not the occupation, but how people deal with it. . . . [In Iraq] the solution is resistance.' In the case of Lebanon, that resistance took the form of hostage taking and Hezbollah truck bombs aimed at U.S. Marine barracks. Syria continues openly to support Hezbollah. It also gives sanctuary to Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other anti-Israel terrorist groups. When Colin Powell suggested their Damascus headquarters be shut down on a visit there in 2003, Mr. Assad contemptuously replied they were only press offices."
posted by Michael Miller 12/15/2004 10:14:03 AM

Some Dems Still Think Kerry Won

I watched the Ohio Electoral College meet in the Columbus statehouse on CSPAN yesterday just to make sure there was no funny business like Jesse Jackson storming the building. What is he doing there anyway? It's difficult to believe what motives these losers have other than they just want to gin up misinformation and hatred to fuel their fundraising efforts to support their cushy lifestyles.

Yahoo! News - For Some, the Race Remains Far From Over: "COLUMBUS, Ohio � Clifford Arnebeck won't let it go. He can't let it go. Not, he says, while America refuses to recognize that John F. Kerry was elected president Nov. 2.

Arnebeck, a Democratic lawyer here and co-chairman of a self-styled national populist alliance, is petitioning the state's highest court to throw out official results that favor President Bush (news - web sites) and instead hand Ohio's 20 electoral votes and thus the White House to Kerry. Or, at least, order a revote.
The bid appears quixotic, to put it politely, as Bush has been officially declared the winner by 119,000 votes and Arnebeck is arguing before a Republican-dominated Supreme Court in Ohio. Nor is the Massachusetts senator helping him out, said Arnebeck.

Apparently these views are widespread among a significant number of kook Democrats. Here's a quote I found on Opinion Journal citing a message left on Democratic Underground one of their favorite kook internet sites:

I had a Thought. What if we really lost??I don't think for a minute we did.But imagine how low and how hopeless America would be if Bush actually did
win in Ohio?I mean really, would there be any hope whatsoever if over 50% of American has grown this evil and stupid? Im quite certain that the recounts will unveal much to the world and maybe even correct the situation, and give
Kerry the inauguration that he deserves. But still. The only thing worse than
having the election stolen....would be if we actually lost.

Obviously, the writer suffers from a public school education, and aside from needing "spell check" he can be grateful at least that Bush signed prescription drug legislation. We can only hope he takes advantage of that benefit.

Some Canadians Say "Stay Home Leftists"

Here's a funny piece that deserves a full read.It's good to know that there are a few Canadians who are not virulent Bush haters. I would regret the nuisance caused him and others of like mind if the looney lefties actually do move to Canada. But I'm still offering to help them pack.

Calgary Sun Columnist - Ian Robinson: Stay home, you pathetic whining maggots: "How anybody can be unhappy with the president's re-election is beyond me. Bush has my admiration in no small part because he manages to simultaneously annoy France and Germany, not to mention those renowned deep, geopolitical thinkers, the Dixie Chicks, Bruce Springsteen, P-Diddy or whatever he's calling himself now, Gwynneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck.

(Interesting note about France: America invades Iraq without UN approval and America is portrayed as a barbarian striding across the world stage. Recently, France essentially invaded the Ivory Coast to protect its interests there ... without asking the UN squat. Just pointing out the hypocrisy.) Plus, let's face it: France deserves to be annoyed by as many people as possible, as often as possible, if only for encouraging Jerry Lewis by telling him that he was a genius.
...
Before the election, some U.S. celebrities and numerous other Democrats vowed that they'd move to Canada if Bush were re-elected. I hope I'm not alone in gently suggesting to those considering coming to Canada: Stay home, you pathetic whining maggots. Particularly celebrities. Canada has suffered enough without having to put up with any of the Baldwin brothers or -- heaven forfend! -- Barbra Streisand. And frankly, I don't know if we can afford to feed Michael Moore.

Bad enough that Canada became a haven for the gutless wonders of the 1960s who fled the Vietnam draft. I sometimes think that the draft dodgers welcomed by the Trudeau government were a political virus that invaded our body politic, and we still suffer the lingering effects of that illness. Our nation's preposterous pacifism, belief in nonsense such as "soft power" and fidelity to a morally bankrupt United Nations overrun with tin-pot dictators and other left-wing idiocies, may well be traceable back to the influx of thousands of the testosterone-challenged whose allegiance to country was superceded by their allegiance to smoking dope while trying to figure out the inner meaning of Beatles songs.
...
As a nation, we ought to welcome our share of people fleeing genuine oppression, and those willing to gamble everything to secure a safe and decent future for their families. But welcome a bunch of spoiled brats willing to abandon their very nation because they don't like the man elected to be their leader for the next four years? Geez, in my entire lifetime, there was maybe one prime minister I'd trust to run a street-corner hot dog stand -- the rest of them weren't fit for much more than compost -- but it never occurred to me to emigrate. If we close our borders to anybody, it should be these fools. They'll be easy to screen out. They'll be the ones who are whining. "

Getting Serious About Syria

You know the saying: "Evil triumphs when good men do nothing?" Well, something needs to be done about Syria. For years they have, along with Iranian money, been funding and promoting a host of terror activities, primarily against Israelis. Hezbollah and Hamas both have offices in Damascus, the Syrian capital, and have coordinated attacks against Israel for years.

Now, with the U.S. led effort to rid Iraq of the butchers and vile terrorists that have plagued that nation, Syria is providing manpower and support for the insurgency that would return this nation to the control of the same people who until recently were filling mass graves and using poison gas against whole villages.

Some of the Iraqi butchers who perpetrated these crimes against humanity are now openly operating in Syria and there have long been rumors that the missing weapons of mass destruction found their way to Syria.

If the U.S. were to take action, I imagine the left in this country and the usual suspects abroad, bribed with Saddam Hussein's stolen "oil for food" money, will begin their typical catterwalling. But the cost of inaction rises each day that innocent Iraqis and American troops are killed. Shucks, where's the United Nations when you need them?


Getting Serious About Syria:

'WE WILL pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make: Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime.'
George W. Bush, Address to Congress,
September 20, 2001

THE STORY was in the December 2, 2004, London Daily Telegraph, on page 14, by Jack Fairweather, datelined Damascus. Its headline: 'All aboard the terrorists' bus to Iraq. Mujahideen mosques are springing up all over Syria to arm militants and send them across the border to do battle with the hated Americans.' "

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Non-religious Seasonal Celebration

Ho Ho hold on... Whatever happened to Christmas? Celebrate Ramadan or Earth Day if you want to but let us keep Christmas!

Unhappily misguided holidays, by Jill Stewart: "The courts say the U.S. Constitution's establishment clause can't be used to promote hostility to a religion, such as Christianity, in schools. Religious expression is allowed if there's a legitimate secular purpose -- such as, oh I don't know, perhaps explaining to children the most widespread cultural holiday in America, observed even by many nonbelievers?
Lance Izumi, with the conservative Pacific Research Institute, says bureaucrats and teacher colleges work hard to convince teachers there's a mystery Christmas ban. 'Everybody is walking on eggshells when discussions of Santa or heaven come up. And how dare Arnold call it the Christmas tree? ... Yet we have this huge multicultural effort to teach multicultural methods and multicultural instructions to our teachers, where you are supposed to value everyone's culture. Christians are a major part of society, and they have a culture. But it conflicts with the PC ethic.'
This PC intolerance is why we blue states are viewed by the heartland crowd as hostile, godless places.
....
The Anti-Defamation League has gotten into the guilt-tripping, urging on its Web site that "to avoid First Amendment violations," public schools not hold Christmas concerts dominated by Christmas songs.

What nonsense. There is no such First Amendment ruling. The ADL also urges schools not to display "a nativity scene, crucifix or other undeniably religious symbols." Again, no such court ruling.

Christmas is being stamped out among adults as well. Residents of Los Angeles and San Francisco now invariably say "Happy Holidays" instead of the increasingly repressed "Merry Christmas."

Feeling a need to act in a world gone insane, I'm boldly saying "Merry Christmas!" this year. As I learned from my irreligious father, having religion is not a requirement for cherishing the warmth and decency of the most widespread cultural tradition in America.

The Story of the Three Bears:

One day, Father bear, Mother bear and Baby bear were on their way to Grandma Bear's house on Alaska's North Slope, near Prudhoe Bay. Being winter, it was very cold. Father Bear said "It's too cold to wade through the pond." Mother bear said: "It's too cold to walk through the snow." Baby bear said: "Let's walk on the oil pipeline, it's juuuussssttt right!"

Imagine for a moment you are a bear living on the North Slope of Alaska in winter. Would you rather walk on the frozen ground below or this nice heated pipeline near Prudhoe Bay? Next, imagine what the bears living in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will do when they hear about the heated walkways? We can only hope these three bears are on their way to a nice meal of rabid environmentalists. See ANWR post below for more.

American Energy Independence: Common Sense vs. Environmental Extremism

With gas prices at record highs, the debate over American energy independence is one that the new Republican congress is sure to revisit. That debate has in the past been marred by scare-rhetoric from environmental extremists, who along with their allies in the Democrat Party would be almost giddy to see the return of horse and buggy days if they could figure out what to do about the greenhouse gases all those horses would emit.

The Artic National Wildlife Refuge is at the center of the debate. It is the size of the state of South Carolina, yet the area under discussion for energy explotation is the size of a small development on Hilton Head; approximately 2,000 acres.

The following flash movie, presented by the people who actually live in this arctic wilderness brings perspective and clarity to the issue. As you watch the polar bears play on exisiting piplelines at Prudhoe Bay and the Caribou frolic in the shadows of oil equipment, keep in mind the doom and gloom scenario rabid environmentalists want you to believe.

ANWR Flash Movie

Democrats Declaration of Independence

The following is an excerpt of an excellent analysis on the gulf between "red" and "blue" voters. Liberals ("blue" voters) who constantly seek to undermine the traditions and values which founded this great nation would offer the disaster of multicultural European socialism in it's place. The fact that so many "red" voters DO get it is good news.

The American Spectator: "Democratic strategists keep holding post-election powwows aired on C-SPAN, but their introspection never adds up to very much. They usually end up saying in one form or another: we need to fool people better. At some level they know that the problem the party faces is not that the American people don't understand their positions but that they understand them too well. So what options are they left with? Since changing philosophy is out of the question in their minds they are left with changing their rhetoric: let's make the American people think we're revising our radical views without actually doing so.

During the presidential campaign, Democrats rejected the suggestion that they were out of touch with mainstream America even as their candidate bragged about non-American support. That Kerry had to cite endorsements from foreign leaders as a political prop was a tacit admission of the party's estrangement from America: the less support the Democrats could find inside the country, the more they turned to support for their views from outside it.

....

The Democrats' America wasn't started in 1776 but more like 1966. The policies of the Democratic Party amount to a declaration of independence from pre-radical America. They have suspicion, and often contempt, for anything historically American that doesn't conform to their liberalism. Because the Declaration of Independence contains what the left regards as an embarrassing article of faith -- that human rights come not from secular governments but from God -- it is unfit matter for a public school. Vidmar is just carrying out an attitude -- we don't want young children learning about the religious boobs who founded this country -- that dominates National Education Association meetings.

By banning the Pledge of Allegiance and the founding documents of the country, by relying more and more on foreign jurisprudence to rewrite a Constitution they don't like, by boasting about foreign political support and cleaving to the U.N., the Democrats have become very foreign to Americans. Repeatedly during the presidential campaign the Democrats declared their independence from America -- and then were surprised when ordinary Americans went to the polls to give it to them. "

Afghans Thankful for America

You might recall that when Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, in a speech to a joint session of Congress, thanked America for giving Iraq the opportunity for freedom, he was derided by Democrats as a "puppet." Well, here's another brave individual: Hamid Karzai, recently inaugurated as the first democratically elected President of a free Afghanistan. The so-called "mainstream" (read LIBERAL) media barely covered this miracle of freedom, so I thought I would bring you the following from his inaugural address as reported by Stephen Hayes inPresent at the Creation:

"Whatever we have achieved in Afghanistan--the peace, the election, the reconstruction, the life that the Afghans are living today in peace, the children going to school, the businesses, the fact that Afghanistan is again a respected member of the international community--is from the help that the United States of America gave us. Without that help Afghanistan would be in the hands of terrorists--destroyed, poverty-stricken, and without its children going to school or getting an education. We are very, very grateful, to put it in the simple words that we know, to the people of the United States of America for bringing us this day.
...

Karzai told the story of an elderly woman from the Farah province who came to a polling station with two voter's cards:

"She went up to an election worker and declared that she wanted to vote twice, once for herself, and again for her daughter who, she said, was about to deliver her child and unable to come to the polling station to vote. "We are sorry, but no one can vote for another person, this is the rule," the elderly lady was told. So she voted--for herself--and left the station. Later in the day, the election worker was shocked to see the elderly woman back, this time accompanying her young daughter to the polling station. Her daughter carried her newborn baby, as well as her voting card which she used to cast her vote."

Imagine that! Here's a woman that was considered property under the Taliban regime, not even allowed out of her home without being escorted by a male member of the family. None of this would have been possible without the vision and leadership of President Bush. Next time some lefty tells you that the sky is falling, just think of the millions who live in a better world with a brighter future because America still dares to hold high the torch of liberty.

Hillary Watch: Peggy Noonan

Peggy Noonan writes a weekly column for OpinionJournal.com which should be a daily read for well-informed conservatives. This week she tackles a most important topic: Hillary Clinton. I recommend reading the entire piece.

OpinionJournal - Peggy Noonan: "We have been writing lately about Republicans. Let's pay some attention to Hillary Clinton, just for fun.
I wrote a book about her more than four years ago. The idea came from a friend, a bright former-Republican-now-Democrat who thought my Wall Street Journal pieces on Mrs. Clinton's looming senatorial candidacy could be turned into something longer that made the case against her. I immediately thought: Yes, that could make a difference. I went to my publisher, who agreed, and I hit it hard, speaking to Mrs. Clinton's friends and enemies, scouring the record. What I concluded was that Mrs. Clinton was an unusually cynical leftist political operative who had no great respect for the citizens of the United States or for America itself, but who saw our country as a platform for her core ambitions: to rise and achieve historic personal and political power both with her husband and without him.
Since the book came out I haven't written much about Mrs. Clinton. I'd said what I had to say. In interviews on the book tour I said what seemed to me the obvious: she would keep her head down in the Senate and work hard, she would gain praise for her ability to get along with Republican senators, she would position herself as a moderate, and run for the presidency in 2008."

Yalies Outsmart Harvard with Prank at Game

It's good to see that not all of our fine campus traditions are being done away with.yaledailynews.com - Elis outsmart Harvard with prank at Game: "Elis outsmart Harvard with prank at GameThe 'Harvard Pep Squad' ran up and down the aisles of Harvard Stadium at The Game Nov. 20. They had megaphones in hand and their faces were painted as they encouraged the crowd to hold up the 1,800 red and white pieces of construction paper they had handed out. It would read 'Go Harvard,' they said.But the 20 'Pep Squad' members were actually Yale students. And when the Harvard students, faculty and alumni held up their pieces of paper -- over and over again -- they spelled out 'We Suck' in giant block letters the whole stadium could read."

Thomas Sowell: Random Thoughts

Random thoughtsThomas Sowell (archive)
December 6, 2004

Random thoughts on the passing scene:

The very people who were telling us to "get over it" and "move on" during the Clinton scandals of the 1990s have been completely unable to get over the 2004 elections -- and some of them haven't even gotten over the 2000 elections yet.

A church in Monterrey, Mexico, has installed equipment that jams cell phone calls, so that church services will not be disturbed by phones ringing. This equipment should be installed in every school, restaurant, auditorium, etc. Incidentally, the equipment used by this church was manufactured in Israel. Let's hear it for interfaith cooperation and the Judaeo-Christian tradition.

Anyone who grew up in the South is bound to have heard the phrase "poor white trash." Teresa Heinz Kerry has given us a new category -- rich white trash.

During his long tenure as NBC News anchorman, Tom Brokaw took that program from last place among the big three broadcast networks to first place. But he had more viewers when he was in last place, more than 20 years ago, than he had in first place this year. That is because fewer people now watch NBC, ABC, or CBS News. Good!

Imagine that everyone in the older age brackets had to write two books -- "Smart Things I Have Done in My Life" and "Dumb Things I Have Done in My Life." Be frank. Which book do you think would be bigger? Even some of the smart things we did were a result of having done dumb things before and suffered the consequences.

If the next time a President of the United States sees a mortal danger to this country looming on the horizon, he decides to wait for iron-clad proof in order to avoid political critics, we can be in truly big trouble.

A couple of readers in Michigan ask: Since death is defined by the cessation of brain waves, why shouldn't life be defined by the beginning of brain waves?

I am so old that I can remember when we called illegal aliens illegal aliens, when people paid their own medical bills, and when New Yorker cartoons were funny.

It is fascinating to watch politicians come up with "solutions" to problems that are a direct result of their previous solutions. In many cases, the most efficient thing to do would be to repeal their previous solution and stop being so gung-ho for creating new solutions in the future. But, politically, that is the last thing they will do.

If people are free to do as they wish, they are almost certain not to do as we wish. That is why Utopian planners end up as despots, whether at the national level or at the level of the local "redevelopment" agency.

Why are we spending the taxpayers' money to allow ex-Presidents to build monuments to themselves? Whatever the historical value of material stored in Presidential Libraries, that same material can be stored in the National Archives, so that people doing research on former Presidents can go to one place, instead of having to run all over the country.

Fears that the Iraq war would be seen in the Middle East as a clash between Islam and the West are being blunted to some extent by the actions of the terrorists themselves, who are killing far more Moslems than they are killing Americans or other members of the military coalition.
People who believe in judicial activism often cite "good" policies imposed by judges and "bad" policies created by elected officials. But you could just as easily cite the reverse. It was the Supreme Court which enhanced the rights of slaveowners in the Dred Scott case and it was elected officials -- the President and Congress -- who abolished slavery.

If we become a people who are willing to give up our money and our freedom in exchange for rhetoric and promises, then nothing can save us.

It is amazing how many people think that they can answer an argument by attributing bad motives to those who disagree with them. Using this kind of reasoning, you can believe or not believe anything about anything, without having to bother to deal with facts or logic.

From California: Land of the Free???

And Bush is supposed to have a "chilling" effect on freedom?

We Shall Overcome
By Ben Stein
Published 12/6/2004 12:09:26 AM
The man at the Christmas tree tent in Malibu kept winking at me and nodding when no one else was looking. I smiled and kept looking at the trees. (In Malibu, we Jews have Christmas trees.) Finally, he motioned to me to come over to is table. He cupped his hand over his mouth and took my hand. "We won," he said. "We won."I knew exactly what he meant. "You can talk about it," I said. "This is America.""Yes, but it's also Malibu and I don't want people yelling at me."

A few minutes later, I was grabbing a shopping cart at How's Market in the Trancas section of Malibu when a sweet faced middle aged woman approached me carefully. Then she saw a young couple nearby and turned away. Moments later, she ran into me at the egg cooler, looked around to make sure there was no one looking or listening and said. "I love what you say about politics on TV. You're so brave. I'm on your side. There are some of us here but we keep our mouths shut.""You don't need to," I said. "The election's over. We won.""Yes, but it's not over out here. Can you believe they just had Michael Moore at the new Malibu bookstore and they've never invited you and how long have you been out here?""Twenty-four years off and on," I said."Well, anyway, when I see you and I smile at you, you'll know what it's all about. Go Bush," she whispered and headed for the fresh fish.

Earlier in the day when I had been doing some looping at a studio on Radford Drive in Studio City for a movie in which I have a part ("Son of the Mask" if you must know ), a man on a forklift came by and winked at me. "Keep giving 'em hell," he said softly. "There are more of us here than you think. Bush rules."This is the way it is here. We meet in smoky places. We give the high sign, we nod knowingly. We are like members of the Maquis in Occupied France. Or early Christians emerging from the catacombs in Caligula's Rome. We are the GOP in Hollywood, and on the West Side of L.A. The culture here is so dominantly left-wing, PC, vegan, hate-America that many of us feel we have to behave as if we were underground.

At a self-help meeting where men and women confess to drug use, betrayals, thefts, homicides with cars, at a break, a woman stealthily came up to me last Saturday and motioned me into a corner outside the room in Malibu. "I want to tell you there are some of us who agree with you. We have to keep it quiet because we want to get our kids into the right schools, but we're there. We're there. And there are more of us every day." Then she scuttled off into the night. Slamming crack can be spoken of with a smile, but not voting GOP. That could be dangerous.

But it's changing.At an intersection on Sunset Strip, in West Hollywood, a young man in a truck, wearing two earrings and closely cropped hair, gave me the V for victory sign as I walked by him. "We're here," he said. "You can't tell, but we're here. Keep up the talk for Bush."

Some idea of just why people whisper comes from another encounter this week among a group of Hollywood types in a hip night spot. I was saying how much I love my self program. "I'm a Republican, but I learn from Democrats," I said. "I'm a Jew, but I learn from Gentiles. I'm sort of famous but the meetings are where I feel safe."

"Hmmm," said a man who had recently been the star of a sitcom but who had seen his whole life crumble under the weight of some truly horrific family violence. "Republican Jew. Republican Jew. Republican Jew who's famous. Who lives in Beverly Hills. Republican Jew who has more stuff than I have. I don't like it.""It's a free country," I shrugged."Maybe," he said. "Maybe."

This is one of the worst little recent examples of how people here feel about Republicans (and Republican Jews, who simply blow their brains out, to use an old hippie phrase ). But rants, screaming about how we're trying to control women's bodies, draft their sons out of their BMW's and send them to war, scowls and frowns at Morton's, hysterical calls from the network when I appeared on TV backing Right to Life -- these are real. Feeling like outsiders, feeling as if we're going to get our cars keyed if we have Bush stickers on them, getting trash thrown on our yard for having up a Bush sign -- these are real. Getting denied screenplay credits because I worked for Nixon, those are totally real.

Yet, we're here, meeting in smoky places, greeting and giving the secret sign in the fog out by Zuma Beach, more of us every day. And in the words of the Civil Rights song I used to sing when I marched for voting rights in Cambridge, Maryland, "We are not afraid. Deep in my heart, I do believe, we shall overcome some day." Even in Los Angeles, even in Malibu, even in Hollywood. Tremble, Barbra, tremble. We are right outside your gates, with our truth. We are not afraid and we shall overcome.

U.N. Oil for Food or Oil for Terror?

Let's ask our liberal friends who think we are beating up on the UN what they think of the mounting evidence that some of the money Saddam stole from the Oil for Food program ended up funding terror attacks on the United States.

Claudia Rosett on Oil-for-Food & Terrorism on National Review Online:
"Oil-for-Terror? There appears to be much worse news to uncover in the Oil-for-Food scandal.

Beyond the billions in graft, smuggling, and lavish living for Saddam Hussein that were the hallmarks of the United Nations Oil-for-Food program in Iraq, there is one more penny yet to drop.

It's time to talk about Oil-for-Terror.

Especially with the U.N.'s own investigation into Oil-for-Food now taking shape, and more congressional hearings in the works, it is high time to focus on the likelihood that Saddam may have fiddled Oil-for-Food contracts not only to pad his own pockets, buy pals, and acquire clandestine arms but also to fund terrorist groups, quite possibly including al Qaeda.
There are at least two links documented already. Both involve oil buyers picked by Saddam and approved by the U.N. One was a firm with close ties to a Liechtenstein trust that has since been designated by the U.N. itself as 'belonging to or affiliated with Al Qaeda.' The other was a Swiss-registered subsidiary of a Saudi oil firm that had close dealings with the Taliban during Osama bin Laden's 1990's heyday in Afghanistan."

Here's More: Oil for Food Sales Seen As Iraq Tie To Al Qaeda

and: Oil for Food May Have Funded 9/11 Attacks

I know our lefty friends are in denial about quite a bit these days. Oh, they sure can chirp "Halliburton" without the slightest evidence of impropreity regarding that U.S. company. But just for fun (if the matter weren't deadly serious) let's see how they respond to mounting proof of Saddam's connection to Al Queda (cite them the unanimous 911 Commission report if they still don't get it. Numerous bits of evidence detailing contacts between Saddam and Al Queda).

Liberals Overwhelm Canadian Border Towns

Joe Blundo, Columbus Dispatch 16 Nov. 04

The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The re-election of President Bush is prompting the exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray and agree with Bill O'Reilly.

Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night. "I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. "He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left. Didn't even get a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?"

In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. So he tried installing speakers that blare Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective," he said. "The liberals still got through, and Rush annoyed the cows so much they wouldn't give milk."

Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons, drive them across the border and leave them to fend for themselves. "A lot of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a drop of drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though."

When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about the Bush administration establishing re-education camps in which liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR.

In the days since the election, liberals have turned to sometimes-ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizen passengers. "If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we get
suspicious about their age," an official said.

Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan Sarandon movies. "I feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "How many art-history majors does one country need?"

In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Dick Cheney met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals, a source close to Cheney said. "We're going to have some Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might put some endangered species on postage stamps. The president is determined to reach out.

How will Condi Rice Handle U.N. Problem?

As anyone who follows the ins and outs of official Washington knows, Condoleezza Rice, as incoming Secretary of State will have her hands full. Aside from all the life and death issues of the day, one of her biggest challenges will be how she manages the very independent (and decidely leftist) State Department officials who make up the foreign service, the nation's diplomatic civil service.

One hot button issue where friction with these civil servants is certain to boil over is how we deal with the United Nations. You might recall failed Presidential candidate John Kerry's "global test" and his insistence that we work with the U.N. to address problems around the world. Yet, the ever growing scandal of Saddam Hussein's Oil for Bribes should make it evident to even the "global test" crowd that if U.N. looks the other way when food and medicine destined to help people turns into bribes to keep a butcher in power, the U.N. will not live up to it's creed.

And how amazing that our lefty friends who screeched "Halliburton" and "Enron" like a flock of demented parrots are silent on this outrage. Hmmm... can you say HYPOCRISY?

Shake-up at the U.N.? - The Washington Times: Editorials/OP-ED - December 03, 2004: "Although the Iraqi elections on Jan. 30 will top her incoming agenda, the first real indicator of Condoleezza Rice's tenure as secretary of state will be how she handles something most in her new department would rather ignore: the U.N.'s oil-for-food scandal.

On one side in Washington are those appalled by the ever-increasing evidence that Saddam Hussein bilked billions out of a program designed to help ordinary Iraqis, and they want accountability regardless of the impact on the United Nations' credibility or long-term health.

On the other side, however, are thousands in the Foreign Service who have assiduously avoided obvious malfeasance at the international body in the hopes that the $21 billion boondoggle would somehow disappear. Notes one State Department veteran, 'People here want this to go away, because they believe we need to protect the United Nations in order to preserve its legitimacy.' "

Peggy Noonan Sums Up Dan Rather's Career

I've admired Peggy Noonan ever since her days as a speechwriter for President Reagan. I did not know she worked previously for CBS News and Dan Rather. In an excellent piece, she sums up his career; seen through her eyes as a microcosm of how media is changing. All for the better.

OpinionJournal - Peggy Noonan: "People are complicated, careers are complicated, motives are complicated. Dan Rather did some great work on stories that demanded physical courage. He loved the news, and often made it look like the most noble of enterprises. He had guts and fortitude. Those stories he covered that touched on politics were unfortunately and consistently marred by liberal political bias, and in this he was like too many in his profession. But this is changing. The old hegemony has given way. The old dominance is over. Good thing.Greatthing.Onward."

UN Oil for Bribes Scandal

Aren't you glad that Senator Norm Coleman prevailed over Walter Mondale to win the Senate seat of the late Paul Wellstone a few years back? Can you imagine good ole Mondale pursuing the corruption and scandal in the UN?

OpinionJournal - Extra: "Kofi Annan Must Go
It's time for the secretary-general to resign.

BY NORM COLEMAN
Wednesday, December 1, 2004 12:01 a.m. EST
It's time for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to resign.
Over the past seven months, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which I chair, has conducted an exhaustive, bipartisan investigation into the scandal surrounding the U.N. Oil-for-Food program. That noble program was established by the U.N. to ease the suffering of the Iraqi people, then languishing under Saddam Hussein's ironfisted rule, as well as the economic sanctions imposed on Iraq by the U.N. after the first Gulf War. While sanctions were designed to instigate the removal of Saddam from power, or at least render him impotent, the Oil-for-Food program was designed to support the Iraqi people with food and other humanitarian aid under the watchful eye of the U.N.

Our Investigative Subcommittee has gathered overwhelming evidence that Saddam turned this program on its head. Rather than erode his grip on power, the program was manipulated by Saddam to line his own pockets and actually strengthen his position at the expense of the Iraqi people. At our hearing on Nov. 15, we presented evidence that Saddam accumulated more than $21 billion through abuses of the Oil-for-Food program and U.N. sanctions. We continue to amass evidence that he used the overt support of prominent members of the U.N., such as France and Russia, along with numerous foreign officials, companies and possibly even senior U.N. officials, to exploit the program to his advantage. We have obtained evidence that indicates that Saddam doled out lucrative oil allotments to foreign officials, sympathetic journalists and even one senior U.N. official, in order to undermine international support for sanctions. In addition, we are gathering evidence that Saddam gave hundreds of thousands--maybe even millions--of Oil-for-Food dollars to terrorists and terrorist organizations. All of this occurred under the supposedly vigilant eye of the U.N.

While many questions concerning Oil-for-Food remain unanswered, one conclusion has become abundantly clear: Kofi Annan should resign. The decision to call for his resignation does not come easily, but I have arrived at this conclusion because the most extensive fraud in the history of the U.N. occurred on his watch. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, as long as Mr. Annan remains in charge, the world will never be able to learn the full extent of the bribes, kickbacks and under-the-table payments that took place under the U.N.'s collective nose.

Freedom of Speech on the College Campus? Not if You Are Conservative

More proof, if any were needed, that the left in this country, who constantly screech about diversity, only mean it when it's their views being expressed. Apparently, anything goes if it can stop conservative voices from being heard.

Inside Politics - The Washington Times: Inside Politics - December 01, 2004: "The entire run of the November issue of the Yale Free Press, a conservative student publication, was stolen from the university's campus over the Thanksgiving break, 'horrified' student editor Diana Feygin said yesterday.
Although she has received some support from Yale, Miss Feygin 'wished the administration were more proactive in its investigation,' the Yale Daily News reported.
The stolen issues contained a poll asking students whether they felt political freedom in the classroom was an issue at Yale. Miss Feygin and her staff were mystified that thieves couldn't 'disagree in a way that's more helpful.'
Nationally, theft of conservative collegiate newspapers is not uncommon, she said. The California Patriot, a conservative monthly at the University of California at Berkeley, was stolen repeatedly in 2002.
In 1999, Light & Truth, another Yale conservative publication, was discarded by freshman counselors because they felt it 'encouraged freshmen to skip sexual-education lectures held during orientation.' "