In another rather unsurprising medical development--the Netherlands, the same country who brought you socialized medicine, legalized prostitution and hash cafes, comes "ethical infantcide" for those young ones not deemed viable for productive, long-lasting lives.
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP)- A hospital in the Netherlands — the first nation to permit euthanasia — recently proposed guidelines for mercy killings of terminally ill newborns, and then made a startling revelation: It has already begun carrying out such procedures, which include administering a lethal dose of sedatives.The announcement by the Groningen Academic Hospital came amid a growing discussion in Holland on whether to legalize euthanasia on people incapable of deciding for themselves whether they want to end their lives — a prospect viewed with horror by euthanasia opponents and as a natural evolution by advocates.
In August, the main Dutch doctors' association KNMG urged the Health Ministry to create an independent board to review euthanasia cases for terminally ill people "with no free will," including children, the severely mentally retarded and people left in an irreversible coma after an accident.
The Groningen Protocol, as the hospital's guidelines have come to be known, would create a legal framework for permitting doctors to actively end the life of newborns deemed to be in similar pain from incurable disease or extreme deformities.
The guideline says euthanasia is acceptable when the child's medical team and independent doctors agree the pain cannot be eased and there is no prospect for improvement, and when parents think it's best.
Examples include extremely premature births, where children suffer brain damage from bleeding and convulsions; and diseases where a child could only survive on life support for the rest of its life, such as severe cases of spina bifida and epidermosis bullosa, a rare blistering illness.
The hospital revealed last month it carried out four such mercy killings in 2003, and reported all cases to government prosecutors. There have been no legal proceedings against the hospital or the doctors. (more)
Ah, yes!
If euthanasia is truly legalized (as it appears it will be/is) in the Netherlands, it skips about 8 steps on the Scary Scale where China once set the previous record with its 1994 'Maternal and Infant Health Care Law'. The law included,
"mandatory pre-marital screenings for 'genetic diseases of a serious nature' and 'relevant mental disease.' Those who are diagnosed with such diseases are required either to not marry or to agree to 'long term contraceptive measures' or to submit to sterilization."1This goes way beyond determining a baby is an "inconvenience at this point (in a woman's) life"--This just plain determines the life is plain worthless. Every life is precious as it is a gift from God--His perfect creation no matter how imperfect we deem the life to be in terms of frailty. Killing a child inside of the womb is no different than outside.
Mercy killing, indeed.
Via AFP:
HANOI (AFP) - A large injection of funds and commitment from the international community is needed to prevent the world's critically endangered tiger population from dwindling any further, conservationists warned.Out of the eight sub-species of tiger that roamed the earth's jungles and forests 60 years ago, the Bali tiger, the Caspian tiger and the Javan tiger are now extinct, while less than 20 South China tigers remain.
"Across its range, this magnificent animal is being poisoned, electrocuted, blown up by land mines, trapped, snared, shot and captured," according to global conservation organization, the WWF.
Tiger populations have plunged from around 100,000 at the turn of the last century to between 5,700 and 7,000 today, most in isolated pockets stretching from India to southeastern China and from the Russian Far East to Indonesia.
But those remaining face a multitude of threats, warned S.C. Dey, secretary-general of the Global Tiger Forum, on the opening day of the New Delhi-headquartered international organization's general assembly in Hanoi.
"Increased human-tiger conflict due to rising human population, shrinkage and degradation of tiger habitat and declining preybase pose a serious threat to the survival of the tiger," he said.
Poaching, a lack of public will to protect the animals and the drive towards modernization in Asia's developing countries compound the problem, Dey added.
The decline of tiger populations last century was primarily the result of culls either because they were viewed as dangerous animals or because hunting them was considered a noble sport by colonial and indigenous elite.
Subsequently, commercial trade of tiger skin and other parts of the cat for alleged medicinal purposes have become a major threat to their existence.
"The majority of these animals are sought to meet the demands of a continuing illegal wildlife trade," according to the WWF.
The Bengal, Sumatran, Indochinese and South China sub-species were placed on the most endangered appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 1975. The Siberian tiger was listed in 1987.
Preventing these sub-species from becoming extinct requires "significant financial input", massive public education and awareness campaigns and the concerted, unified efforts of conservationists and governments, Dey said.
Currently, manpower and funds assigned to protect tiger populations were inadequate in many tiger-range countries, while "conservationists are very often branded as anti-development" and face local resentment, he added.
Dey stressed, however, that the world has a duty to protect the cats, who as top predators keep populations of other wild animals in check, thereby maintaining the balance between herbivores and the vegetation upon which they feed.
"The tiger occupies the apex of one such eco-system pyramid and our effort to save the tiger is aimed at deferring ecological disaster," he said.
"Strategies have been broadly worked out. What is required is to refine and implement them, so that the tiger continues as a dynamic asset of nature not only in years to follow, but in centuries and the millenium to come."
SHAOSHAN, China (AFP) - In Mao Zedong's hometown of Shaoshan, 'long live Chairman Mao' booms from speakers as people tumble out of buses onto a small square, donning caps emblazoned with their tourist group affiliation.They chatter excitedly as they approach the six metre (19.8 feet) tall bronze statue of the dictator outfitted in thick shoes and double-breasted military coat, before stopping to pose and snap photos in front of the revered revolutionary leader.
Twenty-eight years after his death and despite wide recognition in China that he committed grave errors which caused the deaths of tens of millions of people, Mao is still regarded by many as the country's greatest modern leader.
"I worship him. Most of the people coming here worship him," said Wang Ming, 35, a resident of eastern Nanjing who traveled more than 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) to Shaoshan in central Hunan province.
"He had a rebellious spirit and he led such a small and tiny army to fight against Kuomintang (the political party driven to Taiwan by the Communists in 1949), and he saved the country and the people."
At a strategically placed flower stand that sits on the small square, tourists line-up to buy bouquets that cost as much as 399 yuan (48 dollars). They place them gently and respectfully at the base of the statue.
Though even state media today continues to remind people that Mao was just a man and not a god, here the admonishment seems to fall on deaf ears.
People pray in front of his statue by bringing their hands together and kowtowing three times -- a ritual that in ancient, feudal China was reserved for the emperor alone.
"I pray that he may give me strength and courage to live a good life," said Zhu He, a visitor from northern Hubei province.
On any given day Mao's hometown is overrun with more than 4,000 tourists, or about 1.5 million visitors a year. It has become a money spinning attraction that symbolizes one of the great contradictions of the politics of the ruling Communist Party of China.We have good ol' Deng to thank for this.Mao's vision of an egalitarian, Communist utopia has largely become an anachronism in a country that increasingly defines itself with market capitalist values.
Where once the Communist Party could justify its self-appointed totalitarian rule over its 1.3 billion people because the historical forces of the proletarian revolution were in its favour, 25 years of market economic reforms has vanquished that mandate.I can see it now, "Mao Zedong World opens to great fanfare, dwarfs Wal-Mart as largest Chinese amusement park."
American corporations are licking their lips at the thought of 1.3 billion consumers and rising: "Ah the possibilities..."
Via: A.P.
By JUAN A. LOZANO
HOUSTON - The first trial stemming from the nation's deadliest human smuggling attempt was set to begin Monday in federal court, more than 1 1/2 years after 19 illegal immigrants died in a packed, sweltering trailer on a Texas highway.Wow. Because...that's not something that happens EVERY DAY.Victor Jesus Rodriguez, Claudia Carrizales de Villa and Fredy Giovanni Garcia-Tobar each face 58 counts of harboring and transporting illegal immigrants. Each faces up to life in prison if convicted.
[sic]
Prosecutors say the three were part of a smuggling ring that tried to transport more than 70 immigrants from South Texas to Houston in May 2003.
Seventeen of the immigrants from Mexico, Central America and the Dominican Republic died in the packed, poorly ventilated tractor-trailer, which authorities estimate reached 173 degrees. Two others died later
Major site renovations have been undertaken as of late. Still working on more--thus the reason posts have been slow.
I will try to finish my post on the assassination plot against Pres. Bush while he was visiting our Southern Neighbors sometime later today (Sunday), football and sleep permitting.--(Monday! Football and sleep won!)
In the meantime, check out Eric's updated site, and Patrick'sdaily gems.
File this one under "How freakin' cool is that???"
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A pod of dolphins circled protectively round a group of New Zealand swimmers to fend off an attack by a great white shark, media reported on Tuesday.Lifesavers Rob Howes, his 15-year-old daughter Niccy, Karina Cooper and Helen Slade were swimming 300 feet off Ocean Beach near Whangarei on New Zealand's North Island when the dolphins herded them -- apparently to protect them from a shark.
"They started to herd us up, they pushed all four of us together by doing tight circles around us," Howes told the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA).
Howes tried to drift away from the group, but two of the bigger dolphins herded him back just as he spotted a nine-foot great white shark swimming toward the group. (more...)
U.S. troops say they find 'atrocity sites' in FallujahFALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) - U.S. troops have found close to 20 "atrocity sites" used by insurgents to imprison, torture and kill hostages in Fallujah, a U.S. military officer said Sunday.
Marine Maj. Jim West said that in addition to numerous weapons caches, troops clearing the city after a major U.S.-led offensive had found rooms containing knives and black hoods, "many of them blood-covered."
Now if someone would only just grab this guy by the scruff of the neck and rub his nose in it...
Kevins Sites: Open Letter to Devil Dogs of the 3.1
The Fallujah incident from his perspective.
Someone said a few days ago on FNC that the media has every right to be embedded right alongside the troops on the frontlines--on behalf of the American citizens who pay for the war.
Reports from the military themselves would more than suffice for me.
House Condemns Criticism of Boy ScoutsI'm sure at least two or three Democrats had to swallow their secularist heterosexual Christian-hating views for this non-binding resolution. Only three Congressmen voted against the resolution, and yes, they were Democrats.By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The House on Saturday commended the Boy Scouts and condemned legal efforts to limit government ties to the group because of its requirement that members believe in God.
A nonbinding resolution, passed by a 391-3 vote, recognized the 3.2 million-member Boy Scouts for its public service efforts. But the main thrust of the debate was what the House Judiciary Committee chairman, Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., said were the "strident legal attacks" on the group.
The Pentagon agreed last week to tell U.S. military bases around the world not to directly sponsor Boy Scout troops. The warning resulted from legal challenges to government relations with a group that bans openly gay leaders and compels members to swear an oath of duty to God.
The American Civil Liberties Union and others say that direct government sponsorship of such a program amounts to discrimination. (more...)
Could this show of support for the BSA, a (once) God-fearing, Red-White-n'-Blue loving, values-based organization mark the beginning of the Left's reaching out to "middle-America"?
Eh. ::shrugs::
AP) Hundreds of people gathered to see the unveiling of [Tim] Allen's star, the 2,270th on the Walk of Fame.Tim Allen definitely deserves this honor. I mean, didn't he earn an Academy Award for his groundbreaking role in the Santa Clause?
Onward Christian SoldierBy WILLIAM LOBDELL
William Lobdell is a Times staff writer who covers religion.Reprinted from the Los Angeles Times December 8, 2002.
In 1989, Anthony launched his own war on dishonest religious broadcasters, using the skills he learned as an intelligence operative with the U.S. Air Force to ferret out corruption. "I do enjoy the hunt," he says. "But I'd much rather be out of a job."
For now, he and his half-dozen investigators soldier on in a target-rich environment: the unregulated industry of televangelism is estimated to generate at least $1 billion through its roughly 2,000 electronic preachers, including 80 nationally syndicated television pastors. Trinity's forces dig through trash bins, search computer databases and go undercover with hidden cameras. Their victim's hotline turns up informants, victims and new scams. They enlist double agents in their fight. And they provide their research to academics, fellow watchdog groups, government agencies and the media, including The Times. (more...)
(AP) BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. troops sweeping through Fallujah on Thursday said they believe they have found the main headquarters of the insurgent group headed by Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.Hopefully, the troops will be able to find something of strategic value in the former terrorist sanctuary.In video shot by an embedded CNN cameraman, soldiers walked through an imposing building with concrete columns and with a large sign in Arabic on the wall reading "Al Qaida Organization" and "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger."
Inside the building, U.S. soldiers found documents, old computers, notebooks, photographs and copies of the Quran. (more...)
In the meantime, though on the run, I'm sure al-Z and the gang will simply set up shop elsewhere.
After all, home is where you hang your Kalishnikov, right?
...my diagnosis:
Anyone in possession of the antidote? Eric? Patrick? Beth? Red? Anyone?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sen. Arlen Specter, a Republican defender of abortion rights, made progress on Tuesday in his embattled bid to head the committee that reviews judicial nominations, party aides said.It's funny, ya know... hearing such an expression from such a baby-killing RINO as Specter. Get it? Counting chickens before they hatch? Babies before they are...well..you get my drift.Specter emerged from a closed-door meeting with Senate Republican leaders with a smile but no prediction on whether he will become Judiciary Committee chairman -- though a handful of Republican lawmakers have publicly voiced support in recent days and have said they expect him to get it.
"I never count any chickens before they hatch," Specter, 74, of Pennsylvania, said after the meeting in the office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican.
Yes, the looming specter of Specter is upon us, my fellow Pro-Life bloggers...
And for you activist-minded conservatives:
From David Keene, American Conservative Union
Billionaire Socialist George Soros and Moveon.org are actually trying to sabotage the 2004 Presidential Election -- after the fact!And People For The American Way (PFAW), Common Cause and six ultra-liberal members of Congress -- led by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) -- have jumped on the Soros/Moveon.org bandwagon.
These organizations have already generated hundreds of thousands of letters to Congress requesting a General Accounting Office investigation of the vote in Florida, Ohio and New Mexico.
The intent is clear. Following the example of third world Banana Republics, these leftists simply cannot accept the fact that George Bush won the election fair and square and are determined to steal it after the fact.
Can they succeed? I don't know -- but they will continue to do grave damage to this country in the process if we do not take a stand to nip this movement in the bud right now!
Joining Conyers in this fraud on the American public are are U.S. Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Robert Wexler (D-FL), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Robert C. Scott (D-VA) and Melvin Watt (D-NC).
Conyers demanded that the GAO "immediately undertake an investigation into the efficacy of voting machines and new technologies used in the 2004 election."
Conyers predicted his election investigation efforts "will probably lead to congressional hearings."
Keep in mind, that after the election we all heard the liberal battle cry of "we must heal the wounds." It should be obvious by now that liberals have no interest in healing the wounds that they themselves inflicted. Rather they seek to deepen the wounds and further divide the country.
We can't let them get away with it.
The media has also joined in. Greg Palast of Harpers Magazine wrote, "I know you don't want to hear it. You can't face one more hung chad. But I don't have a choice. As a journalist examining that messy sausage called American democracy, it's my job to tell you who got the most votes in the deciding states. Tuesday, in Ohio and New Mexico, it was John Kerry"
Palast -- not wanting to be confused by the facts -- is basing this extremely flawed hypothesis on the empirically discredited exit polls conducted on election day that falsely declared Kerry the winning.
Frankly, these folks are nuts!
We've already heard the stories of Kerry supporters seeking psychiatric help after election day.
PFAW sent a letter to supporters that read -- in part -- "PFAW Foundation's Election Protection team is supporting efforts to impound voting machines... in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Mexico."
And the liberal bloggers are rabid. One of their number -- Austin King -- is claiming that there was a secret plot by Karl Rove and the RNC to steal the election and says he would "very much like to see someone put in jail for this..."
Others are claiming that Diebold -- the company that manufactured many of the new voting machines nationwide -- participated in a Republican conspiracy to rig the election.
And still others are claiming that the recent assault on Fallujah is nothing more than an attempt to bump these ludicrous claims from the media.
I know what some of you are thinking. A movement this ludicrous should simply be ignored. But history teaches us that doing nothing would be a big mistake. The movement is already widespread and the press -- foreign and domestic -- is more than willing to give this movement credibility.
It was just this type of divisiveness that spawned the rise of totalitarianism in post World War I Europe, because it went unchecked. And it is just this type of divisiveness that causes political and economic instability in many third world countries today.
If this type of divisiveness goes unchecked, the same could happen here.
At the very least, the stature of the United States will be diminished and we will become so bogged down in division that it will be literally impossible to move forward to effect positive and proactive change.
We must convince Congress to put a stop to this madness and move forward.
(This seems a tad alarmist, but what the hey. I figured I'd pull an FNC - I report, you decide.)
By: Jim Jacobson, President of Christian Freedom International
In the early 90s Muslims comprised between 1 percent and 2 percent of the population in Rwanda. Today that figure is 5 percent, census returns show. The number of mosques has risen to 570 from 220."In Uganda, Islam is growing so fast. Every single minute we are getting people converting," Sheik Harun Sengooba of the Union of Muslim Councils for East, Central and Southern Africa, said to Reuters.
In South Africa, Islam is growing among blacks in a country where 80 percent of the 45 million people are Christian.
Currently, less than 2 percent of South Africans, or about 650,000 people, are Muslim. But the semi-autonomous Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) estimates 74,700 Africans are Muslim from fewer than 12,000 in 1991.
Islamic non-governmental groups in Africa, many backed by Gulf oil cash, grew from 138 in 1980 to 891 in 2000, more than twice the rate of increase in the total number of Africa's NGOs in the period.
Along with the growth of Islam, naturally, religious persecution targeting Christians is on the increase as well.
For example, in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, religious violence targeting Christians has killed at least 5,000 since 2000, when 12 northern states predominantly inhabited by Muslims established Islamic Sharia law.
And, in Sudan, since 1983 an estimated 2 million persons have been killed; approximately 4 million have been displaced internally as a result of fighting between the Islamic north and mostly Christian south.
Just what exactly is the appeal of Islam in the poorest regions of Africa? I've yet to find any shred of hope in the "religion of peace."
I can't remember the last time I heard about a MUSLIM charitable organization flying in tons of food, clothing and medical supplies to persecuted refugees in war-torn countries.
Can you?
Source: Presidential Prayer TeamTroops Worship God in Preparation for Battle As they prepared to go into battle, Marines prepared by worshiping God and praying for His protection. In what could be the biggest battle since American troops invaded Iraq last year, troops prepared for the assault on Fallujah, a longtime insurgent stronghold, by gathering to sing and pray.Their weapons at rest beside them, the Marines sang out in praise of Jesus Christ last Friday, meeting in a yellow-brick chapel. "You are the sovereign. You're name is holy. You are the pure spotless lamb," a female voice cried out on the loudspeakers as the Marines clapped their hands and closed their eyes, reflecting on what lay ahead for them.
"It's always comforting. Church attendance is always up before the big push," said First Sergeant Miles Thatford. "Sometimes, all you've got is God."
The troops relied heavily on the Scriptures to fortify them. One spoke of their Old Testament hero battling the Philistines some 3,000 years ago. "Thus David prevailed over the Philistines," the marine said, reading from Scripture, and the Marines shouted back "Hoo-ah, King David," using their signature grunt of approval.
"Victory belongs to the Lord," another young marine read. Their chaplain, named Horne, told the worshippers they were stationed outside Fallujah to bring the Iraqis "freedom from oppression, rape, torture and murder ... We ask you God to bless us in that effort." The Marines then lined up and their chaplain blessed them with holy oil to protect them. The crowd then followed him outside their small auditorium for a baptism of about a half-dozen Marines who had just found Christ. Dripping wet, Corporal Keith Arguelles beamed after his baptism. "I just wanted to make sure I did this before I headed into the fight," he said.
How awesome is that, when a group of Marines exclaim, "Hoo-ah, King David!" ???
It takes a special kind of serviceman/woman to be able to fight on two fronts at the same time...in both the U.S. Armed Forces and the Lord's Army.
God bless you all.
...this guy isn't tougher than John Wayne.
"We respect the law of war, unlike our adversary who uses mosques. In almost every single mosque in Fallujah we have found an arms cache, we have found IED factories, we have found fortifications, and we have even found weapons repair facilities. We have been shot at by snipers from minarets, and we've also seen the use of schools for the storage of weapons. This is the enemy that we fight. It does not respect the religious mosques or the children's schools.
(more...)
When the end came to World War I, November 11, 1919 was set aside to commemorate the sacrifices made by American soldiers to gain a lasting peace for the world. Called Armistice Day, soldiers who survived the war marched in parades through their home towns. Dignitaries and veterans made speeches and held ceremonies of thanks for the peace that had been won. Had WWI been the "war to end all wars," we would probably still observe Armistice Day today. After WWII, Armistice Day continued to be observed, but Americans realized that there was a need to recognize those who had made sacrifices in other conflicts.
The History of Veterans DayIn 1954, President Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming November 11 as Veterans Day, and called upon Americans everywhere to rededicate themselves to the cause of peace. He issued a Presidential Order directing the head of the Veterans Administration, now the Department of Veterans Affairs, to form a Veterans Day National Committee to organize and oversee the national observance of Veterans Day. November 11 was designated as Veterans Day to honor veterans of all U.S. wars. In 1971 President Nixon declared it a federal holiday on the second Monday in November, but it became apparent that November 11 was too historically significant to bypass, so in 1978 Congress formally returned the observance of Veterans Day to the customary date of November 11.
Let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dear America,
Oh, how I've missed thee! So much has gone on since you've been away...
It has now been eleven (11) days since George Walker Bush has been re-elected and surprisingly, the reactions from the left have been pretty timid...you might even say their means of venting have been subtle.
Thankfully, compared to 2000, we are no longer a divided electorate. I mean, after all, what's a few million votes and a couple of red blotches mean anyways?
Donnah was even nice enough to singlehandedly deliver Florida for the GOP...(although I prefer to say it was God's divine providence as worked through Donnah dearest, but see it as you may!)
Three days after the election, the media melee was still in full force, refusing to relent in their struggle to undermine the GWOT. Even once widely-respected former White House reporter Hellen Thomas successfully destroyed her journalistic reputation by subjecting the American public to her communist verbal diarrhea.
Meanwhile, as talks concerning the need to "reinvent" the core values of the Democratic Party so they are more than just "the opposition party," began--some junior Democrats have apparently been left out of the loop. As the Associated Press reports:
"[John Edwards is] hardly going away. He's positioned himself for a full-out presidential run in 2008, a campaign that in a way he's already begun.Well, at least they were kind enough to offer one piece of encouragement. Word on the street is, even Howard "Yeeaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgggggh!!!!!" Dean may be up for the top spot as the head of the DNC...should Queen Hillary permit it...
[...] That's despite his liabilities: He's leaving the Senate after a single term; he has little foreign policy experience; he couldn't deliver his own state or any other in the South for Kerry, despite boasting that 'I will beat George Bush in my backyard.' But he now has the experience and public exposure of a national campaign. "
One piece of advice I can give the Democratic faithful is to first learn to tell the difference between an undesirable outcome of a hardfought and legitimate election and the barbaric killing of 3,000 men, women and children who merely inhabited a building.
Perhaps it was/(still is?) just too difficult for them to swallow the reality of a better tomorrow: Dubya didn't just win where he won. He mostly won where he lost, too. Even Dirty Jersey voted strongly for Bush.
Travis argues Bush successfully won the "election trifecta" and thus a true mandate from the people.
Steve (via Sharon Hughes) got all mathematical and shizzle on me while I wasn't looking.
Eric asks Michael Moore when the last time he saw his penis was... while the wonderful Michelle Malkin turns his artful attack into something Moore beautiful. (Is it possible to use the words "beautiful" and "Moore" in the same sentence?)
Patrick is poignantly poetic while Liberal Larry leaves us laughing.
Arnold reminds us who the losers are .... while fantastic Frank J. reminds us who the real enemy is and always has been...
Nick and Pat defend the intelligent faithful... and finally....
...VIETNAM VETS ARE VINDICATED.
Sincerely,
Wife, kids, job, and responsibility
P.S. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you! You'll be so proud of me... I passed my global test!!!
P.P.S. Get ready kids, I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaackkk!!!!!!!!
I definitely need some time for this to set in... Expect my post later on this evening when I take my first breath return from my blogcation.
Meanwhile, for those of you so inclined to gloat, Will over at Vodkapundit has one heck of a treat for you... (ahem...ERIC....ahem...)
Proverbs 24:17-20
"Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice,
or the LORD will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from him.
Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of the wicked,
for the evil man has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out."
--
Is this not true?
Via AP:
GOP charges dirty politics in fake Schwarzkopf campaign callBy DONNA DE LA CRUZ
Associated Press WriterNovember 1, 2004, 5:56 PM EST
TRENTON, N.J. -- Lifelong Republican Richard Bonnet pays attention to politics, so when he found a message on his answering machine from Norman Schwarzkopf saying he was voting for John Kerry this year, he was momentarily stunned."I thought I saw Bush down in Florida, with Schwarzkopf standing on the stage next to him," Bonnet, 69, of Howell Township, said Monday. "So I called up the Monmouth County Republican headquarters and they said he was a Bush supporter."
On Sunday, the retired general gave Bush a strong endorsement in Tampa, Fla. Schwarzkopf's spokeswoman, Lynn Williams, said Monday that the recorded message was totally fake.
The taped message begins with a man identifying himself as Schwarzkopf.
"In 2000, I voted for George W. Bush, but this year I'm voting for John Kerry." The man goes on to say that Bush took his eye off the ball when it came to finding the people responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, which killed nearly 700 New Jersey residents.
"John Kerry has a real plan to make our military stronger and to go after terrorists wherever they hide," the man says on the tape. "We need a vote for change, vote for John Kerry."
A voice then says the message was paid for by the Democratic National Committee. A call to the DNC was not immediately returned Monday.
Brian Nelson, spokesman for the New Jersey Republican State Committee called the tape dirty politics and said Republicans were trying to find out who was behind it.
Bonnet said he was disgusted by the tape.
"Schwarzkopf is such a great American and a great general, and this defames him," said Bonnet. "He's one of our proud citizens of New Jersey."
Schwarzkopf was born in Trenton. His father, Col. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, was the head of the New Jersey State Police when Charles Lindbergh's son was kidnapped. He led that investigation.
Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press
How pathetic can you be, super-lame-o D-N-C?
Posted by Kyer at 01:07 AM | Comments (0)A message from President George W. Bush:
"Tomorrow, Americans will choose who will lead our country during a time of war and economic opportunity. And the choice on Tuesday comes down to a few issues of great consequence. The first choice is the most important, because all our progress depends on our safety.
Since September the 11th, 2001, I have led a relentless campaign against the terrorists. We have strengthened homeland security. We removed terror regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. We are on the offensive around the world, because the best way to prevent future attacks is to go after the enemy.
My opponent has a different view. Senator Kerry says September the 11th didn't change him much, and his policies make that clear. He says the war on terror is "primarily an intelligence and law enforcement operation." He has proposed what he calls a "global test" that would give foreign governments a veto over American security decisions. And when our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq needed funding for body armor and bullets, Senator Kerry voted against it.
The direction of the war on terror is at stake in the election of 2004. And when you go to the polls on Tuesday, remember this: I will do whatever it takes to defend America and prevail in the war on terror, and I will always support the men and women who do the fighting.
The second choice in this election concerns your family budget. As a candidate, I pledged to lower taxes for families, and I have kept my word. We doubled the child tax credit, reduced the marriage penalty, and dropped the lowest tax bracket to 10 percent. Now working families keep more of their paychecks, and America's economy is growing faster than any other among major industrialized nations.
My opponent voted against all our tax relief for working families. His votes would have squeezed about $2,000 more in taxes from the average middle-class family. Now Senator Kerry is promising to increase federal spending by more than $2.2 trillion. And to pay for all that new spending, he would have to raise taxes on American families. I will keep your taxes low because I know it's not the government's money, it's your family's money.
The third choice in this election involves your quality of life. As President, I signed historic education reforms to bring high standards to the classroom and make schools accountable to parents, and our children are making progress in reading and math. We've strengthened Medicare, created health savings accounts, and expanded community health centers to help more Americans get health care. I'm proposing a series of practical reforms to make health care more affordable and accessible by expanding health savings accounts, allowing association health plans, and protecting patients and doctors from junk and frivolous lawsuits.
My opponent has a different approach. Senator Kerry voted for the No Child Left Behind Act, but he has pledged to weaken the accountability standards. He's voted 10 times against medical liability reform. And now, he's proposing a big-government health care plan that would do nothing about rising health costs, and would cause millions of Americans to lose their private health insurance and end up on government programs.
Finally, this election presents a choice on the values that keep our families strong. I believe marriage is a sacred commitment, and I will always defend it. I will continue to appoint judges who strictly interpret the law. And I will keep working to move this good-hearted nation toward a culture of life.
On these issues, my opponent and I are miles apart. Senator Kerry was part of an out-of-the-mainstream minority that voted against the Defense of Marriage Act. He believes there ought to be a liberal litmus test for judicial appointments. He voted against banning the brutal practice of partial birth abortion. I believe that reasonable people can find common ground on difficult issues, and I will continue reaching out and bringing Americans together to protect our deepest-held values.
All of these choices make this one of the most important elections in our history. These past four years, you have seen how I do my job. Even when you might not agree with me, you know where I stand, what I believe, and what I intend to do. Soon, the decision will be in your hands. And however you decide, I urge you to get out and vote on Tuesday."
VOTE BUSH! Posted by Kyer at 12:30 AM | Comments (0)November 01, 2004
MEMRI: "Osama Bin Laden Tape Threatens U.S. States Not to Vote for Bush"
Via Middle East Media Research Institute:
The tape of Osama bin Laden that was aired on Al-Jazeera(1) on Friday, October 29th included a specific threat to "each U.S. state," designed to influence the outcome of the upcoming election against George W. Bush. The U.S. media in general mistranslated the words "ay wilaya" (which means "each U.S. state")(2) to mean a "country" or "nation" other than the U.S., while in fact the threat was directed specifically at each individual U.S. state. This suggests some knowledge by bin Laden of the U.S. electoral college system. In a section of his speech in which he harshly criticized George W. Bush, bin Laden stated: "Any U.S. state that does not toy with our security automatically guarantees its own security."
[...]
"Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or Al-Qa'ida. Your security is in your own hands, and any U.S. state that does not toy with our security automatically guarantees its own security."
More on this from World Net Daily.Remember kids, this is the same video that ABC hesitated to release in its entirety because it "didn't want to influence the election."
Riiiight...
Posted by Kyer at 01:13 PM | Comments (0)"Missing (Parts) In Action team -- Some Assembly Required"
Via Army News Service:
"True grit keeps amputees on the run in Army Ten-Miler"
By Sgt. Lorie JewellWASHINGTON (Army News Service, Oct. 26, 2004) They didn't take home any top awards in the Army Ten-Miler, but the performances of service members who lost limbs in Afghanistan and Iraq was, to many, nothing short of heroic.
Army Capt. David Rozelle, who lost part of his right leg below the knee in a June 2003 land mine explosion in Hit, Iraq, spearheaded the effort to put together a team of amputees from Walter Reed Army Medical Center for the Oct. 24 race, a kickoff to the annual Association of the United States Army meeting.
Dubbed the "Missing (Parts) In Action team -- Some Assembly Required“ -- the group included Staff Sgt. Andrew McCaffrey, Sgt. Ethan Payton, Marine Cpl. Dan Lasko, Navy Corpsman Jose Ramos and Airman 1st Class Anthony Pizzifred. Also running on the team was Lt. Col. Barbara Springer, chief of physical therapy; Capt. Matt Sherer, a physical therapist; and Spc. Harvey Naranjo, a certified occupational therapist assistant.
"It's important for people to see amputees recovered and back in action," Rozelle said prior to the race start, adding he had no doubts that each would make it across the finish line. The same steely mettle that helped steer them off the battlefield after suffering horrific injuries will carry them through the 10-mile route, Rozelle said.
"It's guts, nothing but guts. Some may walk, but that's okay. What matters is that they will finish," he said.
Rozelle, who served as team captain, has been relentless in not letting his injury prevent him from being the best Soldier he can be. He commanded a cavalry troop from Fort Carson in Iraq; after a medical board cleared him to remain on active duty earlier this year, he took command of a 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment headquarters troop. He's been alerted that he'll be deployed again to Iraq next year.
An expert skier, Rozelle hit the slopes again in December for a Disabled Sports USA ski clinic. In April, he participated in the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, put on by the Veterans Administration and Disabled American Veterans. With his prosthetic running leg, he completed a June Hope & Possibility 5-Miler in Central Park with several other Soldiers and service members from Walter Reed. And just a couple weeks ago, he finished a marathon -- a one-mile swim, 25 miles on a bike and a six-mile run. He plans on running in the New York City marathon next month.
More than 13,000 runners trekked across the Army Ten-Miler finish line in wet, cold weather. Rozelle predicted a 10-minute mile pace and came in just under that, at one hour, 38 minutes -- not far behind McCaffrey and Payton, both of whom ran without their prosthetic arms. McCaffrey finished in 1:34; Payton, 1:35. Ramos, who also left his prosthetic arm behind, came in with a time of 2:04.
"I finished, that's all I wanted to do," said Ramos, who lost his left hand to a rocket-propelled grenade while patrolling with Marines near Fallujah a couple of months ago.
The race was even tougher for Lasko and Pizzifred, who picked up their running prosthetics two days before the race. With no time to try them out and get any needed adjustments, they ran cold turkey.
Sherer ran with a backpack carrying the pair's prosthetic walking legs, backups in case the running legs caused too much pain. He buddied up with Pizzifred, while Naranjo ran with Lasko.
Naranjo came across the finish line carrying Lasko's prosthetic, yelling encouragement for the last 100 yards or so to Lasko, who pushed himself into a sprint for a 2:18 finish.
Despite some pre-race worries about getting traction on the wet pavement, Lasko said he didn't experience any major problem along the course.
"I was a little sore," he admitted, smiling. The longest distance he had run on a prosthetic before the Ten-Miler was five miles, he added. Like Rozelle, Lasko participated in the Hope & Possibility run in Central Park several months ago.
Naranjo had nothing but praise for his run buddy. The new prosthetic rubbed Lasko in the wrong ways quite a bit through the run, Naranjo said.
"Here's a guy who some months ago was laying in a hospital bed, wondering if he'd ever be able to walk again," Naranjo said. "And look at what he just did. He's my hero. These guys are what make me get up in the morning and do what I have to do. I see people everyday overcoming much greater challenges that I have."
Sherer was equally complimentary about Pizzifred, who started feeling pain from the new prosthetic almost from the start. The pair finished with a time of 2:44.
"It was really impressive to watch them run through the pain," said Sherer. "I'll tell you, it's an honor to be associated with these guys. They've given, and they continue to give."
Sherer and others hope to see the MPIA team continue to revisit the Ten-Miler in the years to come. He just hopes future teams will be filled with alumni and short on newly- injured Soldiers.
(emph. mine)
For more images of these great heroes and living definitions of perserverance, click here and scroll towards the bottom.
Posted by Kyer at 11:53 AM | Comments (0)"Parables Can Be Powerful"
Via Sir Jim Price:
The other day, my nine-year-old son wanted to know why we were at war. My husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My husband and I were in the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to serve and defend our Country again today. I knew that my husband would give him a good explanation.My husband thought for a few minutes and then told my son to go stand in our front living room window. He said, "Son, stand there and tell me what you see?"
"I see trees and cars and our neighbors' houses," he replied.
"OK, now I want you to pretend that our house and our yard is the United States of America and you are President Bush."
Our son giggled and said, "OK."
"Now son, I want you to look out the window and pretend that every house and yard on this block is a different country," my husband said.
"OK Dad, I'm pretending.""Now I want you to stand there and look out the window and pretend you see Saddam come out of his house with his wife, he has her by the hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and crying. He hits her in the face, he throws her on the ground, then he starts to kick her to death.
Their children run out and are afraid to stop him, they are screaming and crying, they are watching this but do nothing because they are kids and they are afraid of their father. You see all of this son....what do you do?"
"Dad?"
"What would you do son?"
"I'd call the police, Dad."
"OK. Pretend that the police are the United Nations and they take your call, listen to what you know and saw, but they refuse to help. What do you do then son?"
"Dad...but the police are supposed to help!" My son starts to whine.
"They don't want to son, because they say that it is not their place or your place to get involved and that we should all stay out of it," my husband says.
"But Dad...he killed her!" my son exclaims.
"I know he did...but the police tell you to stay out of it. Now I want you to look out that window and pretend you see our neighbor who you're pretending is Saddam turn around and do the same thing to his own children."
"Daddy...he kills them?"
"Yes son, he does. What do you do?"
"Well, if the police don't want to help, I will go and ask my next door neighbor to help me stop him," our son says.
"Son, your next door neighbor sees what is happening, but he refuses to get involved as well. He'll not help you," my husband says.
"But Dad, I NEED help! I can't stop him by myself!"
"WHAT DO YOU DO SON?" Our son starts to cry.
"OK, no one wants to help you, the man across the street saw you ask for help and saw that no one would help you stop him. He stands taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next son?"
"What Daddy?"
"Watching you in the window, he walks over to the old lady's house, breaks down her door and drags her out. He sets her house on fire and then he...he kills her. He does this while he laughs at you and her. WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"Daddy..."
"WHAT DO YOU DO?"
Our son is crying and he looks down and he whispers, "I'd close the blinds, Daddy."My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and asks him..."Why?"
"Because Daddy.....the police are supposed to help people who needs them...and they won't help.... You always say that neighbors are supposed to HELP neighbors, but they won't help either...they won't help me stop him...I'm afraid....I can't do it by myself Daddy.....I can't look out my window and just watch him do all these terrible things and... and..... do nothing...so....I'm just going to close the blinds.... so I can't see what he's doing........and I'm going to pretend that it is not happening."
I start to cry. My husband looks at our nine year old son standing in the window, looking pitiful and ashamed at his answers to my husband's questions and he says..."Son."
"Yes, Daddy."
"Open the blinds, son, because that evil man.... now he's at our front door..."WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW?"
My son looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes. He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without hesitation he says: "I'LL DEFEND MY FAMILY DAD! I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM HURT MOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD! I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM, DAD, I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM!"
I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and he grabs our son to his chest and hugs him tight, and says... "It's too late to fight him, he's too strong and he's already at YOUR front door son.....you should have stopped him BEFORE he killed his wife, and his children and the old lady across the way. You have to do what's right, even if you have to do it alone, before it's too late," my husband whispers.
Posted by Kyer at 11:46 AM | Comments (0)Kicking Bin Laden Butt...the Chicago Way...
Via His Excellency, Mr. Donald Sensing:
Does the bin Laden tape signal an approaching end game? Bin Laden can't prevail against "the Chicago way."(more...)Police Officer Jim Malone to Eliot Ness: "If Capone comes at you with a knife, you go after him with a gun. If he sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way! And that's how you get Capone!"
Posted by Kyer at 11:29 AM | Comments (0)AP: "Schilling makes surprise appearance for Bush"
Via ESPN:
Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling made a surprise appearance Monday morning with President Bush, limping to the stage to give Bush a strong endorsement.(emp. mine)The ace pitcher said Bush was a commander in chief who will ensure troops "have everything they need to get the job done, a leader who believes in their mission and honors their service, a leader who has the courage and the character to stay on the offense against terrorism until the war is won."
Bush stood next to him, and they embraced afterward.
"On Tuesday, we need you to get out and vote. We need you to get your friends and neighbors out to vote - tell them you're voting for President Bush and get them on board, too," Schilling said. "I know everybody wants to be on a winning team, and there's plenty of room on this bandwagon."
Too funny. "...there's plenty of room on this bandwagon."
I was a bit disapointed when initially Curt not only said he was unable to appear with Bush due to his injury, but when he commented how he thought maybe his comments were inappropriate at the time he made them. --Thankfully, he did appear with W. Word up, Curt.
Posted by Kyer at 11:24 AM | Comments (0)
