Best of Bloggers 2006: Grand Finale

Saved some of the best for last!

We started our look back at the Best of Bloggers 2006 on New Year's Day. It's been a great exercise in finding the common themes of discussions we've shared throughout the year that is now past. Our last installment in this series is bit more of a blogger potpourri than the wordloomed tapestry which preceded it. I think of it like the grand finale in a fireworks display where they shoot everything they can into the sky to achieve the ultimate illumination effect and "wow" factor.

So let's jump right in... Euroweanies!

David Vance, a British blogger who keeps a pen full of filibustering euroweanie moonbats in check over at A Tangled Web submitted the following from a posting on September 30, 2006:

...[W]hen I read the daily litany of some Jihadist detonating themselves in Islamistan, such as this one that happened in Kabul, I believe that those who report the story are almost glorifying the brutal act and plainly using it to enforce their own leftist agenda ie We have to get our military OUT of there - right now - since we can't stop the suicide bombers. They are winners and we are losers. It's an obvious leftist subtext.
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Suicide bombing is an act of grotesque evil. Those who carry it out are evil. It shows how primitive and violent the enemy is. Our media should be exposing this cowardly aspect of the Jihad but it prefers to almost admire the bravery of the self detonators. From Cherie Blair to Jenny Tonge, the UK's leftist intelligentsia sympathises with these self detonating monsters and the culture that hero worships the Shahids. So perhaps we cannot be too surprised when the MSM also chooses to indirectly tip the hat their way.

As you might expect, posts such as that one attract quite a bit of attention from the lefties who seem only too happy to reincarnate the spirit of Neville Chamberlain. You'll also notice that many commenters at the site express the same sneering condescension we've grown accustomed to from Europeans who see themselves as somehow more civilized than their American cousins. Funny when you consider that the attitudes expressed by these euroweanies are in large part responsible for the monstrous evil which gripped Europe for most of the previous 100 years and brought death and horror to tens of millions. Deep down, they must realize that appeasement and socialism are monumental failures but as a mask against that reality they cling to their prejudices regarding the United States, which is the only power which twice saved them all from death, in order to avoid any moral accountability.

Please visit A Tangled Web and take a few pot shots at the nitwits who seem oblivious to the massive failure of their flawed ideology. Make sure to tell them that Mike's America sent you. That alone should give them fits.

The Pugil Stick tackles the America-hating euroweanie phenomenon in her own way here:

I've been having a hard time blogging the past two days. It seems as if all of my energies in writing have been spent on comments at a new blog where I've engaged in a debate with British Conservatives who worry themselves over why America isn't trying harder to make herself more likeable to Britain and to Europe.
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Should we be concerned about making ourselves more "palatable" to delicate European sensibilities? Not on your life, I say. As a matter of fact, not on Europe's life, because Europe has no life. "Dead man walking!" the man shouted as the convicted felon shuffled to the electric chair. "Dead man walking!" That is Europe. Grown old, a history of crimes against humanity, no children to give new hope to erase the ugly past, no future to behold. Forget about the glorious music of Beethoven and Mozart. Forget about the soaring cathedrals at Notre Dame and Chartres. Forget about the words of Dante and Shakespeare. Forget about the Mona Lisa and the Pieta. Forget about the ideals of the Greeks and the government of the Romans. Forget about your Mother Church who gave you reason and universities and hospitals. Forget it all, Europe, because you cannot love yourself anymore, so you have chosen to hate. You have chosen to hate yourselves and your culture. And in turn you hate us. You hate America. And that is sick. Why is it sick?

Because we are your children, Europe. Yes, face it, we are. We came to these shores from your lands and we carried your languages, your customs, your food, your clothing, your dreams here and built a new nation. Even some of our cities and towns bear the names of your own: (New) York, Paris, Madrid, Frankfurt, Milan.

Nuke Iran?

With the "news" in a European newspaper last week that Israel was planning a strike on Iranian nuclear sites using a nuclear "bunker buster" the subject of nukes in the Middle East was once again front and center. It's not the first time that using nukes to defang Iran has been a topic of discussion. In April 2006, Conservative Intelligence Review posted on the "news" from another Europeaner "news" source that the U.S. might use nukes against hardened Iranian targets:

I was shocked to see the newest headline claiming we are going to be using nuclear weapons on Iran. OK, I admit, I am surprised this scare tactic hasn't been used more. And to be clear, I am an advocate for our nuclear deterrent forces. Nuclear weapons exist in the world; to the lefts chagrin I am more comfortable with them in US hands than any other nation.
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[N]o one could ever twist my arm hard enough to want to take the "nuclear option" (that phrase has caught on, even in politics) off the table. I want it there, I want it known. The real reason for our nuclear weapons is so we don't use them.

How stupid you say? No, they are there to make sure that other countries know we are the biggest and baddest on the block. For the most part you don't go around pissing that guy off. I don't want any liberals, anyone, leaving a reply that we should just get rid of them if we aren't going to use them. Well how often do police officers have to use their firearms? I am willing to venture a guess that it is a low percentage, lets take all the firearms away. Let's take all pepper spray away from women; most of them have it for years and never use it. That is what we hope and pray for.
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We could use nuclear weapons on facilities in the desert to prevent Iran from using that location. I hear you, I hear you. "But...They are in bunkers so there is no way we can do anything about it." You jackasses. You need a refresher in a thing called the "American Spirit." We do what we put our mind to. Even if what is deep in the bunker is not destroyed, fine. You don't need to do that. If there is a tunnel to get in and out of a facility, well I invite you to do the math if parts of the tunnel to get to the location cave in. You cannot use what you cannot reach. And should you want to explore the nuclear realm, use a nuke to cave in the tunnel. Monitor the area, if they send anyone to go near that tunnel you know damn well there is an important reason.

I conclude with what made me get my "skivvies in a bunch." Where does this miracle of a story generate from, the British press. Which has not been fans of the US, Bush, war, anything.

I like CIR's direct language for liberals too. It seems he's lost some of that fire after being beset by lefties in the months since then. So, again, I hope you will hop over to his page and unload a few choice phrases on his moonbats.

Why We Blog

Many of those who participated in our look back found it an interesting exercise. Some of us post quite a bit during the year and a look back is a good way to review what we have said as we look forward.

Mark, at Casting Pearls Before Swine offered a look back from his one year blogging anniversary which is actually a repost of an article he wrote in response to the question "Do you really believe all the things you write about in your blog?" (obvious leftie question).

Mark thought about why he blogs and what events have shaped his outlook. It's

Murderers and child molesters being freed by technicalities and "race cards". And innocent people being persecuted for their faith in a God whom the founders of our country based our system of government on.

I can think of cases where children are being suspended and expelled from public schools for writing essays on Jesus, the Bible, or their personal belief in God. And being sent home for wearing T shirts that proclaim "Jesus loves you" while other students are allowed to wear T shirts with the images of Marilyn Manson,Godsmack, and other "death metal, Satanic Bands, and pentagrams.

Supporting Our Troops

A consistent theme throughout 2006 has been stories which highlight the heroic efforts our troops are undertaking to transform Iraq and bring hope to that troubled region. We've previously discussed how slanted the news coverage has been in this regard.

We not only support our troops, we support their mission and honor their sacrifice.

Conservative Intelligence Report recalls a Sixty Minutes interview with a seriously wounded soldier:

But what really hit me was Mr. Wallace's question to a female who lived in a coma for months and with half her skull removed. As she spoke about helping others the conversation ended with:

"I'm still a soldier at heart."

"You're still a what," demanded Wallace!?!

"IÂ'm still a soldier", Jessica responded in a strong tone demanding respect.

Instead she was greeted with an astonished "you must be bullshitting me" look from Wallace. Just another time I saw a liberal, who has been part of the media for years, amazed that someone doesn't give up on their leaders when faced with difficulty. God bless you Jessica!

Yes, God bless you Jessica and thank God that so many fine dedicated citizens like Jessica CHOOSE to defend their country in a time of war.

Readers may also have seen the tongue in cheek post which Maries Two Cents echoes with proof that American soldiers are torturing Iraqi children.



We opened this series with a farewell sonnet imaging the last words of Abraham Lincoln to a nation troubled by Civil War. We close with another verse also from a homeschool student and brought to us once again by Always on Watch:

A Soldier's Farewell

Beloved, do not weep for me today,
Nor sigh on the morrow when I depart.
For though I am from thine eyes far away,
My thoughts dwell on thee as the battles start.
Death's cold embrace might appear a relief
From this hellish battlefield's roiling sand,
Yet then I dream my death writ on a leaf
And with renewed spirit protect my land.
I shirk not my duty to my country
And will strive to bring liberty to all;
When peace and hope shine through the night 'round me,
Homeward shall my steps delightedly fall.
For one's heartstrings in his own country lie
And calls him with more force than battle's cry.
--Contributed by A.M.

Our look back is complete. And as we turn the pages to a new year, let's remember the solid foundations upon which we build. Many thanks to all who participated!