PARIS (Reuters) - French President Jacques Chirac named loyalist Dominique de Villepin as his new prime minister on Tuesday in a shake-up of the government following his crushing defeat over the European Union constitution.Great analogy.Villepin replaces the unpopular Jean-Pierre Raffarin who quit earlier on Tuesday. He is a former interior and foreign minister who angered the United States but won French hearts with his fierce opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
[...]
"It's like re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Chirac has a lame duck government now and the problems of rejuvenating the reform process are huge," said David Brown, chief European economist at investment bank Bear Stearns.
Meanwhile, the ever-anonymous "U.S. analysts" warn Americans not to gloat over this recent EU shortfall:
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Despite the temptation to gloat at French President Jacques Chirac's humiliation, the United States stands to lose from the potentially crippling setback for the European Union's constitution, U.S. analysts say.Is that so?[...]
"Given the U.S.-French feuding of the last few years, there will undoubtedly be some 'schadenfreude' in Washington," said Ronald Asmus, a former top Pentagon official, using a German term that means to rejoice at another person's misfortune.
"But it would be a mistake."
Philip Gordon, a former Clinton-era National Security Council official on Europe, said the rejection by French voters of an institution that Paris had done so much to build up was bound to delight some Bush administration conservatives.I prefer to call it the ability to "separate the men from the boys" and to "discern those who are willing to fight to preserve and promote democracy rather than profit from oppression and drown in dhimmitude.""They were worried this was a constitution that would undermine NATO and build up the EU as a counterweight to the United States, and they are no doubt relieved and in some places giddy to see Chirac in so much trouble," he said.
"They would rather see a divided Europe in which we could cherry-pick allies."
Pixy Misa has an excellent commentary and analysis on the EU constitution.
A snippet:
"Price stability? A social market economy? Full employment? Social progress?And he's correct (as you'll see), the Eurocrats could have been a heck of alot less verbose if they simply said "Congress shall make no law..." once and emphasized what the govt. could NOT do, rather than blurring the boundaries and making the scope so broad as to unavoidably invite interpretive trouble.They're communists. And communism don't work."
Read it all---it's good.
A wonderful account courtesy of Tanya:
EAGLE BASE, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Army News Service, May 22, 2002) -- It was raining "cats and dogs," and I was late for physical training. Traffic was backed up at Fort Campbell, Ky., and was moving way too slowly. I was probably going to be late and I was growing more and more impatient.The pace slowed almost to a standstill as I passed Memorial Grove, the site built to honor the soldiers who died in the Gander airplane crash, the worst redeployment accident in the history of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Because it was close to Memorial Day, a small American flag had been placed in the ground next to each soldier's memorial plaque.
My concern at the time, however, was getting past the bottleneck, getting out of the rain and getting to PT on time. All of a sudden, infuriatingly, just as the traffic was getting started again, the car in front of me stopped. A soldier, a private of course, jumped out in the pouring rain and ran over toward the grove.
I couldn't believe it! This knucklehead was holding up everyone for who knows what kind of prank. Horns were honking. I waited to see the butt-chewing that I wanted him to get for making me late.
He was getting soaked to the skin. His BDUs were plastered to his frame. I watched as he ran up to one of the memorial plaques, picked up the small American flag that had fallen to the ground in the wind and the rain, and set it upright again. Then, slowly, he came to attention, saluted, ran back to his car, and drove off.
I'll never forget that incident. That soldier, whose name I will never know, taught me more about duty, honor, and respect than a hundred books or a thousand lectures.
That simple salute -- that single act of honoring his fallen brother and his flag -- encapsulated all the Army values in one gesture for me. It said, "I will never forget. I will keep the faith. I will finish the mission. I am an American soldier."
I thank God for examples like that. And on this Memorial Day, I will remember all those who paid the ultimate price for my freedom, and one private, soaked to the skin, who honored them.
(Note: The author, Capt. John Rasmussen, is now a chaplain with Multinational Division North in Bosnia. Story courtesy of Army News Service.)
(VOA) Half a million rounds of rifle ammunition were discovered in a secret subterranean vault in the jungle of southern Colombia. Soldiers patrolling the area by land and air also found grenades and other explosives.¡Que chévere! ¡Buen trabajo!The secret cache is said to belong to the left-wing rebel group known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
Colombia has been battling FARC for over 40 years. Both the Colombian government and the United States considers FARC a terrorist organization.
General Carlos Fracica says the discovery is a major victory for Colombia in its struggle against the FARC.
Fracica says "with this seizure we have saved many lives, because each one of these cartridges could have been used in an attack on a Colombian."
...and remain forever thankful for the blood that was shed for all.
“They summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and virtue.”
--Gen. James A. Garfield
"The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind."
--Thomas Paine
...as it as true.
'Class of 9-11' Graduates From West Point (link)
By MICHAEL HILL, Associated Press Writer
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Graduating U.S. Military Academy cadets — who came here just weeks before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — were told Saturday they were a special group forged by historic events.Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called the class "one of the few since the early days of the Vietnam War who came to West Point in peace time, saw the nation transition to war and chose to stay, knowing you would raise your right hand and take an oath and swear to defend the constitution of a nation that was still at war."
The Class of 2005 is nicknamed the "Class of 9-11" and, ironically, the number of graduates was 911.
The class spent almost all of the past four years drilling and studying under what West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. William Lennox called "the shadow of war." About seven in 10 of the new second lieutenants who threw their caps in the air are expected to be in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan within a year.
I really had to dig for this story.
Small explosion in Basque train station, no injuries (link)Manel (HispaLibertas.com) is all over this como blanco en el arroz. (That is sooo a Kyspanglish translation of an Americanism.)
27 May 2005 05:52:58 GMT
Source: Reuters
MADRID, May 27 (Reuters) - A device has exploded in a train station in Spain's Basque region, damaging the ticket office but causing no injuries, police said on Friday.The explosion overnight at Barakaldo station was caused by a device planted by two hooded youths linked to Basque guerrillas ETA, according to the mayor of the town.
...right?
Pentagon says detainee retracts Koran allegation (link)
By Will DunhamReuters - WASHINGTON - The Guantanamo detainee who told an FBI agent in 2002 that U.S. personnel there had flushed a Koran in a toilet retracted his allegation when questioned this month by military investigators, the Pentagon said on Thursday. "We've gone back to the detainee who allegedly made the allegation and he has said it didn't happen. So the underlying allegation, the detainee himself, within the last two weeks, said that didn't happen," chief Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita told a briefing.
From Defend The Defenders:
Art. 32 Investigating Officer Delivers Report and Recommendations:One USMC statement read, "The best interests of 2nd Lt. Pantano and the government have been served by this process,"
Charges Preferred on 1 Feb 2005 Against Lt. Ilario Pantano Be Withdrawn and Dismissed
Yesterday, May 12, 2005, Major Winn, the Article 32 Investigating Officer for the charges against 2nd Lt Ilario Pantano, USMC, delivered his report and recommendations for disposition of the charges against Lt Pantano. In a thorough report describing the evidence, and more importantly, the credibility of Lt Pantano's chief accuser, Sgt Daniel Coburn, the investigating Officer recommended that the charges preferred on 1 February 2005 be withdrawn and dismissed by the Commanding General, 2d Marine Division. The charges against Lt Pantano included: pre-meditated murder, dereliction of duty, conduct unbecoming an officer, and wrongful destruction of private property.The key findings of the Investigating Officer included:
- That the Government offered no credible evidence to contradict Lt Pantano's statement that he acted in self defense in response to a hostile act;
- That Lt Pantano's shooting of the two Iraqis was justified in accordance with the then-prevailing Rules of Engagement;
- That there was no credible evidence that Lt Pantano acted with premeditation;
- That Lt Pantano was not derelict in his duties in the handling of Iraqi prisoners;
- That Lt Pantano's use of the "No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy was poor judgment but not criminal and not conduct unbecoming an officer; and,
- That Lt Pantano did not act in a manner unbecoming an officer in his handling of the Iraqi prisoners.
Significantly, the investigating officer provided detailed findings concerning Sgt Daniel Coburn's credibility and noted that Sgt Coburn changed his testimony after reading accounts of other witnesses in the newspapers after he asked for an attorney and exercised his right to remain silent absent a grant of testimonial immunity.
The Investigating officer also noted that Lt Pantano's performance and reputation prior to the action of April 15, 2004 were considered outstanding and that the Marines and sailors from his platoon who testified in the Article 32 hearing generally agreed that they would seek to go to combat with Lt Pantano again in the future.
Although the investigating Officer concluded that the killing of the Iraqis was justified and in accordance with the ROE, he criticized Lt Pantano for the number of rounds he fired and concluded that the number of rounds fired was excessive and, as a result, Lt Pantano should received Commanding General's Non-Judicial Punishment for conduct unbecoming an officer.
Lt Pantano and his family are gratified that an unbiased and combat-tested Marine field grade officer, who provided the thorough and competent review warranted by the accusations against Lt Pantano, concluded that the serious allegations of murder and dereliction of duty had no merit. While Lt Pantano and his family, friends and supporters are disappointed with the recommendation for NJP for the number of rounds fired -- for which he was not even charged -- they are also gratified by the Investigating Officer's more significant recommendation: that all charges and specifications for which he was charged on 1 February 2005, should be withdrawn and dismissed. Lt Pantano, his family and supporters all hope that the Commanding General follows the recommendation of the officer the Commanding General personally chose to investigate this case.
I'll second that.
An AP report:
Supporters of Pantano said troops should not be second-guessed for decisions made in fleeting seconds of combat. [Now let's not forget that!--ed.] A North Carolina congressman had urged President Bush to intervene and dismiss charges.
Matt of BlackFive notoriety knows some of those who have served with Pantano, and states what few of us civilian folk would disagree with, "The ones that I know would follow Pantano to hell and back. "
Though this was posted on May 12 on DTD, it was not until today, May 26 2005 that a Marine Corps general officially dismissed all charges against Lt. Pantano.
You can find countless articles today across the newswires, the blogosphere, and other resources---but pay close attention to the titles associated with them.
Al-Reuters, in traditional form, had this descriptive title,
Simply putting "Iraqis" strips the situation of all context and makes it appear like they were merely civilians.
A notable-quotable (H/T: Matt) attributed to Bobby McBride, Crew Chief, 128th Assault Helicopter Company, (RVN 1969-1970)
"Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. It is far better that you fear the media for they will steal your honor."
Oh wait, it gets better.
At the end of the article it manages to get in some irrelevant homage to "humanitarian aid worker" Marla Ruzicka,
Statistics on civilian deaths in cross fire or at checkpoints in Iraq are scarce.Last month, a humanitarian aid worker, Marla Ruzicka, reported that 29 civilians were killed during fighting between U.S. forces and insurgents in Baghdad alone between Feb. 28 and April 5.
Ruzicka herself was killed on April 16 when her car was caught in an insurgent attack.
Typical.
Via UPI, a look into the scrappy, albeit wounded, terrorist serpartists who just won't give up the fight...even when their cheerleaders begin hanging up their pom-poms. MENAFN.com has the analysis: Dying days of ETA?
"ETA is dying a slow death," concluded the letter leaked to Spanish newspapers that urged the Basque organization to turn to political means to achieve its goal.Read it all.A myriad of reasons lie behind ETA's weakness. Stepped-up anti-terrorism cooperation between France and Spain in recent years has resulted in hundreds of cross-border arrests of Basque separatist suspects.
One of the most dazzling coups occurred in the French Pyrenees in October, when French police nabbed Mikel Albizu Iriarte and Soledad Ipartagirre -- a couple believed to have been the respective political and military leaders of ETA.
Police also seized a breathtaking cache of arms and explosives scattered in various hiding places in France's Basque country.
And after a decades-long campaign of hijackings, extortion and political assassinations that have resulted in the deaths of 800 people, ETA's support is dwindling -- even among diehard Basque citizens who share its separatist dreams.
Experts believe ETA currently counts only several dozen commandos, and that its ranks have shrunken from as many as 8,000 members a decade ago to only 2,000 today. A recent poll found that only 10 percent of Basque residents back the group, compared with roughly a quarter of the population in the past.
A demonstration by ETA supporters in the seaside city of San Sebastian Friday night drew only a few dozen protesters -- not the hundreds promised by a Batasuna politician.
Even ETA's demands for an independent nation have been scooped, some say, by a new and controversial secessionist proposal. Known as the Ibarretxe plan, after the Basque region's president Juan Jose Ibarretxe, the measure was passed in December by the Basque Parliament over strong protests from Madrid. The plan calls for the Basque region to be defined as "a national community inside a multi-national Spain."
"It could be three, four, five years before ETA dies," said Santiago Abascal, a 28-year-old deputy in the Basque Parliament, who also heads the Popular Party's local youth association. Like Arrue, Abascal is on ETA's death list. "But I know we're facing the end of ETA."
Ol' Spence layeths the smacketh downeth on Tom Regan and exposes the oozing dhimmitude at the Christian Science Monitor: Dhimmitude at the Christian Science Monitor: Islam not only religion marred by violence.
Car Bomb Explodes in Madrid;Right, I'm sure ETA is really a-scared, señor Zapatero. Al-Qaeda blew up a train and you ran home from the front like the French. ETA has been killing Spainards (albeit, domestically) for over 30 years---and you are effectively combatting terrorism...how?1853 Injured (link)
May 25, 9:52 AM (ET)
By DANIEL WOOLLS
MADRID, Spain (AP) - A powerful car bomb exploded in Madrid Wednesday after a warning call from the armed Basque separatist group ETA, police said, in the latest of a string of attacks since Spain's prime minister offered talks with the group if it renounces violence.Eighteen people were slightly injured, said Beatriz Martin, the city's emergency medical department spokeswoman. The explosion occurred around 9:30 a.m. in a working-class district north of the Spanish capital.
Police cordoned off the area where the bomb went off after an anonymous caller to the Basque newspaper Gara, which often serves as a mouthpiece for ETA, said a bomb would explode inside a Renault van.
Television images showed a large column of black smoke rising from the area of the explosion.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, speaking in a previously scheduled Senate session shortly after the explosion, insisted that "the only fate that the terrorist group ETA has is to lay down weapons and dissolve."
Police estimated the bomb contained 40 to 44 pounds of explosives, Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso told reporters. "The explosion was really a big one," he said.Alonso said ETA remains "alive, active and operative" despite the arrest of more than 200 suspected members in recent years.
If you can read Spanish, the Spanish newspaper ABC's converage can be found here.
UPDATE: Via Barcepundit:
More updated information in the Spanish press: it's 53 injured in total, though only 5 required hospitalization; and the bomb went off 15 minutes before it was supposed to according to the call warning of the explosion. That's very usual for ETA bastards, and it has costed several lives from police in the past when they were still cordoning the area. Sometimes they have warned of the right time, but failed to mention the "detail" that there's a second one meant to explode 15-30 minutes later, catching them off guard.
Laer of Cheat-Seeking Missiles explains his view of what he terms "the new Cold War".
An excerpt---
Here are the players in the new Cold War:Continue reading about this fascinating geo-political conflict in the making...
The old Soviet bloc, now known at least temporarily as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The Bear and the Dragon are working together as the pro-authoritarian bloc, and Uzbekistan and other old-school dictatorships are allying with them.
GUUAM, the Georgia-Ukraine-Azerbaijan-Moldova alliance, which probably won't be a big player, but as a force for democracy could pressure Russia to be more moderate, weakening the SCO.
The US and its democratic allies, which sometimes may appear as a one- or two-man show, but if the Cold War heats up in ways that threaten other democracies, the make-up of this group could change quickly and dramatically. New Europe will be particularly sensitive in this manner.The Islamofascists, who won't ally significantly with any of the "infidel" factions, except to get weapons or money.
Italy investigating 186 over child torture site (link)::shakes head::
Tue May 24, 2:10 PM ET
ROME (Reuters) - Italian police are investigating 186 people including three priests after uncovering an Internet pornography site for pedophiles that showed young children being tortured, an official said Tuesday.Police said the anonymous web site had been protected by a password and was only accessible for nine days last year in an apparent effort to avoid detection.
But a tip-off to a child-abuse telephone helpline allowed computer experts to track down the users. Besides the Roman Catholic priests, police also believe a mayor, a teacher and a doctor downloaded illegal videos.
"The children on the films were aged between 4 and 8 at most. Some were abused, others were even tortured," said Domenico Di Somma, coordinator for the police computer investigation taskforce.
Police have confiscated computers across Italy, but have not yet pressed charges as they continue with their investigation.
The head of an Italian child protection organization said the case, which was centered on the Mediterranean island of Sicily, was just the tip of an iceberg.
"Dismay turns to uncontrollable rage when you are confronted by these images which not even the most hardened maker of horror films could bear to watch," Antonio Marziale of the Observatory of Child Rights was quoted as saying by Ansa news agency.
"Pedophilia has assumed emergency proportions and should be top of the government's agenda."
Absolutely dreadful.
"Note to European lawmakers, policy shapers, and voters: You just don't care that you're flying headlong into the wretched embrace of dhimmitude, do you? No, you don't—whatever it takes to appease those who would destroy you and to be the opposite of America... You are tolerating yourselves and European society into the grave." - Patrick al-Kafir
In the grand footsteps of C-BS and most recently, Newsweek, Howard Dean continues with the classic "it's fake, but accurate" approach to the truth.
Recently on MSNBC's Meet the Press:
DR. DEAN: ". . .You know that abortions have gone up 25 percent since George Bush was president?"
Really? You don't say?
That's funny, because I heard otherwise....
Remember kids, the old saying remains true: Bush lied, (babies, soldiers, puppies, trees, insert-appropriate-victim-here_____ etc.) died.
Chivalric bow and tip of the helmet: Charmaine
Feds Try to Deny Viagara to Sex Offenders (link)
May 23, 4:28 PM (ET)
By MICHAEL GORMLEYALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The Bush administration is scrambling to find a way to close a loophole that allows convicted rapists and other high-risk sex offenders to receive Viagra at taxpayer expense.
The state comptroller's office called attention to the situation on Sunday, saying audits from 2000 through March found that 198 sex offenders in New York received Medicaid-reimbursed Viagra after their convictions. Their crimes included offenses against children as young as 2, Comptroller Alan Hevesi said.
The auditors did not review the situation in other states, but Hevesi spokesman David Neustadt said Medicaid policies on Viagra are the same across the country.
"The bottom line is, giving convicted sex offenders government-funded Viagra is like giving convicted murderers an assault rifle when they get out of jail," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. He said he would sponsor a bill to close the loophole.
Lopez - the longest running newsman in rock radio. He outlasted 14 different morning shows in his 27 year career.R. Edward Lopez, passed away, yesterday, Sunday May 22 2005 after succumbing to lung cancer.The battlements of the Hearst Broadcast Castle won't be the same without him.
1/3 of 98 Rock's KML (Kirk, Mark and Lopez) morning rock radio, Lopez kept us laughing while intelligently informing us of the latest news at the same time.
Rock radio just won't be the same and neither will the morning commute...
The Qur'an QuestionTranslated: Yea! Last week's b.s. story sold us quite a few issues! And we've got more unsubstantiated tabloid trash for you this week!
In 31,000 documents the Pentagon has reviewed, there are allegations—but Defense says none is substantiated. By Evan Thomas and Michael Isikoff NewsweekMay 30 issue - What really happened at Guantanamo? Last week, amid the heat of the controversy over NEWSWEEK's retracted story, new details about the issue of alleged mistreatment of the Qur'an emerged.
According to (Defense Department spokesman Lawrence) Di Rita, when the first prisons were built for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo in early 2002, prison guards were instructed to respect the detainees' religious rituals. The prisoners were given Qur'ans, which they hung from the walls of their cells in cotton surgical masks provided by the prison. Log entries by the guards indicate that in about a dozen cases, the detainees themselves somehow damaged their Qur'ans. In one case a prisoner allegedly ripped up a Qur'an; in another a prisoner tore the cover off his Qur'an. In three cases, detainees tried to stuff pages from their Qur'ans down their toilets, according to the Defense Department's account of what is in the guards' reports. (NEWSWEEK was not permitted to see the log items.) The log entries do not indicate why the detainees might have done this, said Di Rita, and prison commanders concluded that certain hard-core prisoners would try to agitate the other detainees by alleging disrespect for Muslim articles of faith.Very interesting.... seems like one of those back-up statements you might add to an article to brace for the possibility it was not U.S. interrogators who flushed Qur'ans, but the detainees themselves...but that's a minor technicality.
In light of the controversy, [this is where Newsweek tries to play nice in damage-control mode--ed.] one of these incidents bears special notice. Last week, NEWSWEEK interviewed Command Sgt. John VanNatta, who served as the prison's warden from October 2002 to the fall of 2003. VanNatta recounted that in 2002, the inmates suddenly started yelling that the guards had thrown a Qur'an on or near an Asian-style squat toilet. The guards found an inmate who admitted that he had dropped his Qur'an near his toilet. According to VanNatta, the inmate then was taken cell to cell to explain this to other detainees to quell the unrest. But the incident could partly account for the multiple allegations among detainees, including one by a released British detainee in a lawsuit that claims that guards flushed Qur'ans down toilets.What the heck do you mean, "partly account"???
Di Rita said that the Pentagon may look further into the reports found in the logs. The Pentagon is not ruling out the possibility of finding credible reports of Qur'an desecration. But so far, said Di Rita, it has not found any....And will more than likely find none.
Read the whole pile of dung here.
Wow. And this was from the NYSlimes owned Boston Globe, no less! (All emphasis mine.)
Why Islam is disrespected (link)
By Jeff Jacoby, Globe Columnist | May 19, 2005[...]
Christians, Jews, and Buddhists don't lash out in homicidal rage when their religion is insulted. They don't call for holy war and riot in the streets. It would be unthinkable for a mainstream priest, rabbi, or lama to demand that a blasphemer be slain. But when Reuters reported what Mohammad Hanif, the imam of a Muslim seminary in Pakistan, said about the alleged Koran-flushers -- ''They should be hung. They should be killed in public so that no one can dare to insult Islam and its sacred symbols" -- was any reader surprised?
The Muslim riots should have been met by outrage and condemnation. From every part of the civilized world should have come denunciations of those who would react to the supposed destruction of a book with brutal threats and the slaughter of 17 innocent people. But the chorus of condemnation was directed not at the killers and the fanatics who incited them, but at Newsweek.From the White House down, the magazine was slammed -- for running an item it should have known might prove incendiary, for relying on a shaky source, for its animus toward the military and the war. Over and over, Newsweek was blamed for the riots' death toll. Conservative pundits in particular piled on. ''Newsweek lied, people died" was the headline on Michelle Malkin's popular website. At NationalReview.com, Paul Marshall of Freedom House fumed: ''What planet do these [Newsweek] people live on? . . . Anybody with a little knowledge could have told them it was likely that people would die as a result of the article." All of Marshall's choler was reserved for Newsweek; he had no criticism at all for the marauders in the Muslim street.
Then there was Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who announced at a Senate hearing that she had a message for ''Muslims in America and throughout the world." And what was that message? That decent people do not resort to murder just because someone has offended their religious sensibilities? That the primitive bloodlust raging in Afghanistan and Pakistan was evidence of the Muslim world's dysfunctional political culture?
No: Her message was that ''disrespect for the Holy Koran is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be, tolerated by the United States."
Granted, Rice spoke while the rioting was still taking place and her goal was to reduce the anti-American fever. But what ''Muslims in America and throughout the world" most need to hear is not pandering sweet-talk. What they need is a blunt reminder that the real desecration of Islam is not what some interrogator in Guantanamo might have done to the Koran. It is what totalitarian Muslim zealots have been doing to innocent human beings in the name of Islam. It is 9/11 and Beslan and Bali and Daniel Pearl and the USS Cole. It is trains in Madrid and schoolbuses in Israel and an ''insurgency" in Iraq that slaughters Muslims as they pray and vote and line up for work. It is Hamas and Al Qaeda and sermons filled with infidel-hatred and exhortations to ''martyrdom."
But what disgraces Islam above all is the vast majority of the planet's Muslims saying nothing and doing nothing about the jihadist cancer eating away at their religion. It is Free Muslims Against Terrorism, a pro-democracy organization, calling on Muslims and Middle Easterners to ''converge on our nation's capital for a rally against terrorism" -- and having only 50 people show up.Yes, Islam is disrespected. That will only change when throngs of passionate Muslims show up for rallies against terrorism, and when rabble-rousers trying to gin up a riot over a defiled Koran can't get the time of day.
Amen, Jeff.
Presidente George W. Bush.
20 de mayo del 2005Me complace enviarles un saludo a todos los cubanos que celebran el 103 aniversario de la independencia de Cuba". Honramos los estrechos vínculos familiares, la fe, la religión y el patrimonio que nos unen a todos.
Cuba tiene una trayectoria digna de orgullo de lucha por la libertad y esa lucha continúa. Aquí en los Estados Unidos, nos inspiran los relatos de los cubanos que escaparon de la tiranía y arriesgaron la vida para venir a nuestro país. Hay más de un millón de personas de ascendencia cubana en los Estados Unidos y continúan haciendo que nuestra nación sea mejor y más fuerte. Hoy honramos a los cubanos por sus grandes contribuciones a nuestra naci ón. Enriquecen cada campo, desde las ciencias hasta la industria y las artes. Pero hoy reflexionamos en particular sobre la grandeza del pasado distante de Cuba y la promesa de su futuro.
Anhelamos el día en que los cubanos ya no tengan que soportar años de separación de sus familias para disfrutar los beneficios de la libertad. No descansaremos. Seguiremos presionando hasta que el pueblo cubano goce de la misma libertad en La Habana que la que existe en los Estados Unidos. La libertad no es un obsequio de Estados Unidos al mundo; la libertad es el obsequio de Dios Todopoderoso a cada hombre y mujer del mundo.H/T: Babalu BlogLa independencia de Cuba que celebramos hoy fue producto de la gran valentía del pueblo cubano y las cualidades de líderes como José Martí. Hoy muchos líderes futuros de una Cuba libre muestran su valentía en la lucha por la libertad. Esta semana, más de 360 grupos de la oposición y de la sociedad civil planean reunirse en la histórica Asamblea para Promover la Sociedad Civil en Cuba. Aquellos que participan en este evento y sus familias corren grandes riesgos. Tengo el siguiente mensaje para los que se congregan hoy para protestar por la opresión en Cuba: Durante su lucha por la libertad de su país, el pueblo de Estados Unidos está a su lado.
En toda Cuba, muchos de ustedes toman la decisión de salir de la sombra de la represión. Felicitamos a aquellos de ustedes, como las Damas de Blanco, que se esfuerzan por generar conciencia sobre sus seres queridos que han sido encarcelados injustamente. Celebramos a los cubanos desinteresados, como Oscar Elías Biscet y Marta Beatriz Roque, que buscan la libertad de su patria.
Ayudamos a las organizaciones a proteger a los disidentes y promover los derechos humanos. Trabajamos para garantizar que el pueblo de Cuba oiga la voz clara de la verdad por medio de Radio y TV Martí. Y estamos trabajando para evitar que el régimen represivo se aproveche de las divisas de los turistas y los envíos a cubanos. No aguardamos por el día de la libertad de Cuba; trabajamos para el día de la libertad de Cuba.
La ola de libertad se extiende por el mundo y algún día cercano alcanzará las orillas de Cuba. Ningún tirano puede permanecer firme para siempre ante el poder de la libertad, porque la esperanza de ser libre radica en cada corazón. Entonces, hoy estamos seguros de que Cuba será libre pronto.
Gracias y que Dios los bendiga."
Intended to be blogged about earlier this week--Monday to be exact---but delayed due to crazyness here. Here it is---thanks to Charles (LGF) in its entirety.
Charles: As Islamist groups rage and riot and declare holy war over Newsweek’s now-retracted “Quran desecration” story, it may be helpful, for the sake of clarity, to remember what happened in April 2002 when Palestinian terrorists took over Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity and held priests and nuns hostage for weeks.
On April 24, the Jerusalem Post reported on the damage that the PA forces were causing:Three Armenian monks, who had been held hostage by the Palestinian gunmen inside Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, managed to flee the church area via a side gate yesterday morning. They immediately thanked the soldiers for rescuing them.
They told army officers the gunmen had stolen gold and other property, including crucifixes and prayer books, and had caused damage....
One of the monks, Narkiss Korasian, later told reporters:“They stole everything, they opened the doors one by one and stole everything....They stole our prayer books and four crosses...they didn’t leave anything. Thank you for your help, we will never forget it.”
Israeli officials said the monks said the gunmen had also begun beating and attacking clergymen.When the siege finally ended, the PA soldiers left the church in terrible condition:
The Palestinian gunmen holed up in the Church of the Nativity seized church stockpiles of food and “ate like greedy monsters” until the food ran out, while more than 150 civilians went hungry. They also guzzled beer, wine, and Johnnie Walker scotch that they found in priests’ quarters, undeterred by the Islamic ban on drinking alcohol. The indulgence lasted for about two weeks into the 39-day siege, when the food and drink ran out, according to an account by four Greek Orthodox priests who were trapped inside for the entire ordeal....
The Orthodox priests and a number of civilians have said the gunmen created a regime of fear.
Even in the Roman Catholic areas of the complex there was evidence of disregard for religious norms. Catholic priests said that some Bibles were torn up for toilet paper, and many valuable sacramental objects were removed. “Palestinians took candelabra, icons and anything that looked like gold,” said a Franciscan, the Rev. Nicholas Marquez from Mexico.A problem that arose during the siege again shows Christian fear of Muslim domination. Two Palestinian gunmen in the church were killed, and the PA wanted to bury them in the basilica. “With two Muslim bodies inside the Church of the Nativity, Christianity could be facing an absolute disaster in Bethlehem,” said Canon Andrew White, the special representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Middle East. “It would be catastrophic if two Muslim martyrs were buried in the church. It could lead to a situation like that in Nazareth,” he said. Only after intensive mediation efforts were plans to bury the bodies inside abandoned.
From Dean's Journal:
...Japan has clear superpower potential. With North Korea flexing its muscles, and the ongoing dispute between Red China and Taiwan threatening stability and the sea lanes, it's almost amazing that Japan has restrained itself up to this point.[...]
Should Japan be pushed to the point where it feels it needs to use all the military power it is capable of generating, it could readily become a superpower in military terms. Its tradition is of a highly-trained, professional force that can be a fierce adversary (as it demonstrated during World War II) would be there, and this has long worried Japan's neighbors. The only reason Japan is not a superpower is because it has chosen not to pursue that course.
I shut the door to my office, sat back down at my desk and wept for a long time.
If you only read one whatsakyer post a day (or a lifetime)--let this be it.
Cassandra has written an excellent post entitled, "Has Feminism Killed Femininity?"
A snippet:
Open up any woman’s magazine, and you’ll see advertisements that unabashedly appeal to self-entitlement. Everything from hand soap to resort vacations is peddled with tag lines such as, “Take time for yourself,” “You deserve it,” and “It’s all about you.”A great read---check it out.Myrna Blyth, former editor of The Ladies Home Journal, knows this all too well. In her book Spin Sisters, Blyth remarks pointedly, “narcissism is an advanced evolutionary stage of female liberation. Me, me, me, means you’re finally free, free, free.”
In the tradition of Margaret Rothfuss (God rest her soul...) I will start in the middle of a story.
By starting his own label, Keith wants to move closer to the business side of music and, perhaps, farther from the artist side. He says he'll focus on signing songwriters, whom he believes are the forgotten backbone of country music.Rock on."I'm trying to bring the song back and make songwriters into artists more so," he said. "The industry has forgot the song itself. They try to find the song and then attach it to a pretty face so it works on video."
What you probably won't find Keith doing, despite his strong opinions, is entering politics.That's me to a T."I couldn't tick off the line. My dad called it 'glad-handing' — walk up and smile and shake their hand whether you like them or not. If I don't like you, I don't like you. I don't want to come up and shake your hand."
...would be to prohibit/bar/ban any journalists/correspondants etc. from any Whitehouse/Pentagon/etc. press briefings and conferences.
Or would that be pointless?
The Left has found a new way to attack their own country---this time it's hurting our troops in a more direct fashion. Let's call it a journalistic proxy war.
As usual, Eric is better able to sum up my sentiments when I don't have time to:
Incredible. Inexcusable. Disgusting. This article incited riots all over the world. 16 people died, 100 wounded, all because of this Newsweek article.This isn't Rathergate, folks. This time people are dead.I say hand the author, and the editors over to the Afghan government to face charges, along with the "anonymous source" who fed them the false information.
Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita to Newsweek:
"People are dead because of what this son of a bitch said.
How could he be credible now?"
Continue reading Eric's take...I insist...
FBI Nabs Troops, Officers in Drug StingDamn.
By ARTHUR H. ROTSTEIN, Associated Press
TUCSON, Ariz. - FBI agents posing as cocaine traffickers in Arizona caught 16 current and former U.S. soldiers and law enforcement personnel who took about $220,000 in bribes to help move the drugs through checkpoints, Justice Department officials said Thursday.Those charged include a former Immigration and Naturalization Service inspector, a former Army sergeant, a former federal prison guard, current and former members of the Arizona Army National Guard and the state corrections department, and a Nogales police officer, officials said.
Whose going to work to prevent drug trafficking across the Mexican border if our own guys are in on the game? I've heard of corrupt INS/Border Patrol agents accepting bribes and letting in shady cargo, but the branches represented in this operation...it's a whole other level.
"Tom Paine" of the gang at Silent Running raises a very interesting point:
How long can "Palestine" exist simply as a shadow of someone else? Can hatred and nihilism and taking the enemy's most sacred symbols and twisting them into some mockery serve as a basis for national existence? Are the Palestinians nothing but Orcs?
In no way do I promote nor condone the harassment (be it physical or verbal) or discrimination of my fellow Americans, Muslim or not. But there's definitely something funny going on here...fuzzy math or something even more...
I have a bad feeling the Orwellian thought control that's rearing it's ugly head in Australia is not far from our shores.
Internet, Radio Blamed for Discrimination
By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press
Wed May 11, 3:51 PM ETWASHINGTON - Anti-Muslim Internet traffic and radio broadcasts are fueling an atmosphere of hate and contributing to increased discrimination, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Wednesday.
Hate crimes against Muslims rose 52 percent to 141 last year compared with 2003, and civil rights violations reported to the council jumped 49 percent to 1,522.
"Whenever there is a beheading or act of terrorism overseas that involves Muslims, we see a rise in reported incidents here," said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the council.
The trend is toward "rising Islamophobic rhetoric in American society," said Arsalan Iftikhar, the council's legal director.
The organization has become so concerned about anti-Muslim talk that it has launched an awareness campaign so people can contact advertisers about their concerns and file complaints with the Federal Communications Commission.
Some Muslim leaders were surprised by the council's findings, contained in a report entitled "Unequal Protection."
"I thought we were through with the high point after 9/11," said Yaser El-Menshawy, chairman of New Jersey's council of mosques. "My gut feeling is it may be a combination of the war in Iraq and mounting casualties, and that we're getting better at collecting this kind of data."
The report divided alleged abuse into 14 categories, from unreasonable arrest — the highest number of complaints with 385 — to Internet discrimination, with four.
Among the most prevalent complaints: There were 225 alleging religious discrimination such as community opposition to the presence of a mosque; 196 asserting employment discrimination; and 190 reported instances of verbal harassment.
He says it best, and I quote:
"After data misinterpretation and/or manipulation is factored out, sure, there's bound to be some number of Americans who end up not being able to control their frustration over the various activities of the Religion of Peace™. Two words: head chopping. Two more: civilian murdering. It just doesn't happen in the name of anyone else's God."
Well said, P$.
UPDATE: Eric reminds us to consider the source.
I read a lot of news, and if there were a wave of anti-Muslim sentiment in this nation, it damn sure wouldn't be ignored by the mainstream media. And the people of this country would be rising up to protect their Muslim neighbors, just like they did right after 9/11. Speaking of which, do we all remember how the media slobbered over just the possibility of anti-Muslim violence? Like I said, though, this whole bitch session by CAIR is from reports made TO THEM. The Weekly World News is a more reliable source of information than Ibrahim Hooper.
AP: Ethnic Rifts Tearing at al-Qaida
By PAUL HAVEN and KATHERINE SHRADER, Associated Press
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - American and Pakistani intelligence agents are exploiting a growing rift between Arab members of al-Qaida and their Central Asian allies, a fissure that's tearing at the network of Islamic extremists as militants compete for scarce hideouts, weapons and financial resources, counterterrorism officials say.
The rivalry may have contributed to the arrest last week of one of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants, a Libyan described as al-Qaida's No. 3 and known to have had differences with Uzbeks. Captured Uzbek, Chechen and Tajik suspects have been giving up information about the movements of Arab al-Qaida militants in recent months, four Pakistani intelligence agents told The Associated Press, leading to a series of successful raids and arrests."When push comes to shove, the Uzbeks are going to stick together, and the Arabs are going to stick together," said Kenneth Katzman, a terrorism expert with the Congressional Research Service in Washington. "I think the Uzbek guerrillas have had no home. Some of this could be a battle for survival."
"Al-Qaida is no longer intact in Pakistan as a network," said Gen. Shaukat Sultan, the chief army spokesman. "Every organization needs a command structure and communication, and we have effectively destroyed both of them."
How 'bout you?
U.N. May Move to Brooklyn Temporarily
By NICK WADHAMS, Associated PressUNITED NATIONS - United Nations delegates, welcome to ... Brooklyn? U.N. planners have found commercial space across the East River in Brooklyn that could serve as a temporary home while the United Nations' iconic glass-and-steel headquarters in Manhattan gets a long-overdue renovation, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a report Tuesday.
The report assessed where things stand with plans to renovate the U.N. secretariat building, which was considered modern when it was constructed 50 years ago but now violates most New York City fire and safety codes.
The 38-story tower has no sprinkler system, is packed with asbestos, and loses about 25 percent of the heat pumped into it in the winter.
If any of you know Eric of VinceAutMorire.com or B.C.--Imperial Torturer of Rottweiler notoriety, you can only imagine the ideas I was devising.
P.S. Their blogging can be described as "a bad influence" and merits the invention and implementation of the Blogosphereic equivalent of the "V-Chip."
That is all.
In case you could not read it, (or, just to rub in some people's faces):
There.
All you people who geek off about how wonderful Mozilla/Firefox is and how "secure" it is and all that other crap, read it and weep.
Yes, and before all you Cyberdorks hound me about how lame IE6 is [yes, I use it] all I gotta say is this:
With popularity comes problems.
And your time has come.
muhahahahahha
(stupid internets)
Funny.
Not funny as in "hahahahahahahaha" but more like funny as in, "heh..."
U.S. Military Band Marches on Moscow
An American Army ensemble is the first to play inside the Kremlin, opening Victory Day festivities with British, French and Russians.
By Kim Murphy, Times Staff WriterMOSCOW — When someone called to strike up a stirring military march for a parade through central Moscow, hardly anyone ever imagined it would be "The Stars and Stripes Forever."
Or that the Stars and Stripes itself, hoisted aloft by an Army sergeant, would lead the U.S. Army Europe Band up the Russian capital's main thoroughfare, past cheering crowds, to greet a train full of Russian war veterans.
"I've met every president. I've met hundreds of kings and queens. But marching through Moscow behind three of my soldiers carrying the American flag is pretty much the highlight of my career," said Lt. Col. Thomas H. Palmatier, commander of the Army band, which came here along with President Bush and other U.S. officials to help mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
"We played inside the Kremlin walls! We played 'The Stars and Stripes Forever' on the streets of Moscow! It was a pretty emotional experience," Palmatier said.
Surely that was one of God's most priceless bouts of "irony"...
Dutch would be pleased.
Proppage: The always excellent Donnah
One of the Asinine Press' finer articles...
Chicken Ticketed for Crossing the Road
RIDGECREST, Calif. - Linc and Helena Moore may have finally learned the answer to that age-old question: Why did the chicken cross the road? Because the chicken doesn't know jaywalking is illegal.Kern County Sheriff's Deputy J. Nicholson does know, however. The deputy issued a ticket on March 26 to one of the couple's chickens for impeding traffic on a road in Johannesburg, a rural mining community southeast of Ridgecrest.
The Moores arrived in Superior Court on Friday to plead not guilty to their chicken's alleged transgression. A trial was scheduled for May 16.
Nicholson has declined to discuss the matter, but sheriff's Sgt. Francis Moore said chickens on the roadway have been a problem in the community of 50 residents. Officials didn't believe it could be resolved by simply issuing the couple a warning.
What is this world coming to???
Critics say Germany's Holocaust memorial forgets some victimsI could not believe I actually read that line.By Matthew Schofield, Knight Ridder Newspapers
Fri May 6, 6:28 PM ET
BERLIN - Kurt Julius Goldstein, a German Jew who survived 18 months of slave labor in the mines at the Auschwitz death camp, would seem to be the target audience for his country's new Holocaust memorial. So why does he despise it?Goldstein, 90, survived Auschwitz and Buchenwald and lost 38 of 50 family members to Nazi murder. But he says he can't shake the feeling that the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe that will be unveiled here on Tuesday is unfair to the Nazis' many other victims.
"You know, I was here, and they (the Nazis) didn't begin and end with the Jews," he said. "How can we focus on our own suffering and ignore that of the physically and mentally handicapped, the gays, the gypsies, the communists, those who opposed them? This should be a place to unite us. Instead, just like before, it divides."
Still, as the honorary president of three survivors and resistors groups, Goldstein will attend the opening ceremony. "I thought about not going, but I have to pay respect to those who died," he said.
Now before I everyone gets all uptight and starts screaming "fascist historical revisionism!" let me say one thing: The murder of nearly 6 million Jews during the course of Nazi tyranny will forever be one of history's darkest moments, and mankind's greatest atrocities---but the Holocaust does not belong solely to the Jews.
You never open a history book and look at pictures of the concentration camps and say, "My God...look at the terrible suffering of those ______ (insert Catholics, Protestants, homosexuals, Gypsies, mentally/physically challenged, intellectuals, communists, and plain anyone Hitler did not like)!"
It just doesn't happen that way.
I'll bite my tongue about how many Jews head big media and publishing outlets. You make up your own mind about that---but no matter how you slice it, most Jews tend to claim sole possession of the Holocaust rememberence and education efforts.
Jacob Schulze-Rohr, however, disagrees,
"There must be memorials to all who suffered, and they must be in Berlin," said Jacob Schulze-Rohr, a member of the memorial board of directors. "But they must be separate. A gypsy could become a Nazi. A lesbian could deny her sexuality. Jews were separated from the rest of humanity by the simple fact that they were born Jews. That alone was their death sentence."Must be in Berlin, eh? Well how about building one in Moscow? Oh wait, because Marx was a Jew so the Soviets wouldn't dare harm one, right? Or was it because Stalin's arbitrary (read: paranoid)
I guess the only difference between Stalin's paranoia and Hitler's insanity (advanced Parkinson's? Syphillis? Drug-addiction? Who knows?) is that Hitler premeditated the slaughter of Jews, and everyone else falls under the domain of Stalinist collateral damage, right?
Pat, of pawigoview, declares her (most noble) profession as valid to the world:
Absolutely, positively, I insist you... read on.
From the Asinine Press
Lynndie England Case Back at Square One
By T.A. BADGER, Associated Press Writer
Thu May 5, 9:33 AM ET
In what military legal experts describe as a "shocker," the judge put the case of former Abu Ghraib prison guard Pfc. Lynndie England back at square one.Col. James Pohl tossed out the plea agreement that the reservist reached with prosecutors after Pvt. Charles Graner Jr., the reputed ringleader of the abuse, testified Wednesday on her behalf.
Pohl found that Graner's statements contradicted England's previous testimony and declared a mistrial. Pohl's finding sent the case back to Fort Hood's commander, Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz, who will decide what charges, if any, England should face.
England, 22, had pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of conspiracy to maltreat prisoners, four counts of maltreating prisoners and one count of committing an indecent act, many of which were captured in photographs.
In one of the photos, England held a leash looped around the neck of a hooded, naked prisoner. Another showed her next to nude prisoners stacked in a pyramid, while a third depicted England pointing at a prisoner's genitals as a cigarette dangled from her lips.
Under military law, Pohl could formally accept her guilty plea only if he was convinced that she knew at the time that what she was doing was illegal.
Graner told Pohl that pictures he took of England holding the leash were meant to be used as a training aid for other guards. But England had told Pohl when she entered her plea that the pictures were being taken purely for the amusement of the guards.
[...]
Allen Rudy, a Dallas attorney, said Wednesday he could not recall a military plea being scrapped under such circumstances during his 25 years as a Navy lawyer and judge.
[...]
During defense questioning, Graner said he looped the leash around a prisoner's shoulders as a way to coax him out of a cell, and that it slipped up around his neck. He said he asked England to hold the strap while he took photos [so] that he could show to other guards later to teach them this prisoner-handling technique.
Bull. A TRAINING GUIDE? A so-called "prisoner-handling technique"???
She couldn't be sure if it was LEGAL to stack prisoners one on top of the other in human pyramid naked? The slighest inkling that it made not just be illegal, but morally reprehensible and against everything that the uniform she wears and the country she represents stands for???
Conspiracy-nothing. This is a disgrace.
From AP:
Defense: England Oxygen-Deprived at BirthUn-be-liev-able.FORT HOOD, Texas - Defense lawyers sought leniency for Pfc. Lynndie England at a hearing Tuesday to determine her punishment in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, with a psychologist testifying that the reservist was oxygen-deprived at birth, speech impaired and had trouble learning to read.
West Virginia school psychologist Dr. Thomas Denne — the first defense witness — said England's learning disabilities were identified when she was a kindergartner — and though she made progress in school, she continued needing special help.
"I knew I was going to know Lynndie England for the rest of my life," West Virginia school psychologist Dr. Thomas Denne said.
A military jury of five men and one woman was seated earlier Tuesday to make a sentencing recommendation for England, 22, who pleaded guilty Monday to seven counts of mistreating prisoners. She said she let her comrades talk her into going along with the abuse.
England, from Fort Ashby, W.Va., accepted responsibility for the smiling, thumbs-up poses she struck for photographs taken at Abu Ghraib that made her the face of the prisoner abuse scandal.
[...]
Graveline said England and Pvt. Charles Graner Jr. — the abuse ringleader and the father of England's child — knew it was wrong to mistreat the detainees and take the photos, "but they did it anyway for their own amusement."
[...]
When asked by judge Col. James Pohl whether England knew right from wrong, Denne said she had a compliant personality and tended to listen to authority figures.
On Monday, England told Pohl that she initially resisted taking part in the abuse at the Baghdad prison, but that she succumbed to peer pressure.
"I had a choice, but I chose to do what my friends wanted me to," she said.
Rick Hernandez, a defense lawyer, said the pscychologist's testimony helped England by establishing that her ability to reason was lower than that of her comrades.
"She is clearly in a different mental capacity ... than any of the others accused," he said.
Oxygen deprived at birth? Lower reasoning ability? "Compliant" personlity?
So...despite her acceptance of responsibility for her actions... despite admitting that she had a choice--and chose to--submit to peer pressure, and finally, that she knew right from wrong---there are still those who are trying to field excuses for her.
I'm not saying every enlisted GI reserve should have a Ph.D to their name, but is there not some sort of standard of mental capacity that every soldier is expected to uphold?
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Spurred by the killing of a 9-year-old girl, Gov. Jeb Bush on Monday signed a law imposing tougher penalties on child molesters and requiring many of those released from prison to wear satellite tracking devices for the rest of their lives.The measure gives Florida one of the toughest child-sex laws in the nation.
The Jessica Lunsford Act was quickly drafted after Jessica's death was discovered in March and was pushed through by lawmakers outraged that the man accused of killing her was a registered sex offender. It passed both the Senate and House unanimously.
It establishes a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life behind bars for people convicted of certain sex crimes against children 11 and younger, with lifetime tracking by global positioning satellite after they are freed. (continue...)
It's such a shame that it takes a terrible tragedy to spurn our legislators and communities to action--but better late than never.
This piece of legislation is a model act for other states in the Union to hopefully follow suit. I do believe they forgot castration with a blunt metal object er... I mean, chemical castration. But it's a start.
From the U.S. State Department's special page dedicated to anniversary of VE Day
The End of the War in Europe
VE Day honors sacrifice, achievement of those who defeated tyrannyThe end of World War II in Europe meant different things to different people and different countries. For the recently liberated nations of Western Europe, it was the end of a nightmare and the beginning of the hard but hopeful rebuilding.
The meeting of Soviet and American troops at the Elbe on April 25, 1945, signaled that the war was nearly over and raised the hope -- unfulfilled until many years later -- that wartime allies and soon-to-be victors could continue the cooperation that made success possible. Victory in Europe was soon followed by victory in the Pacific, but the road ahead was still uncertain.
The people of Eastern Europe were not so fortunate. They exchanged the tyranny and occupation of National Socialism for the tyranny of communism. The brave peoples of this part of the world had to wait nearly 45 years for their day of genuine liberation.Amen.In the 60 years since the defeat of fascism, freedom has advanced in Europe and the world. Despite setbacks and dark days, the direction has been toward democracy. This is a time to look forward to a better future, but also a time to honor the sacrifice and achievement of millions of Americans and Europeans who defeated tyranny and set their feet on the road to freedom.
When U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall outlined what would become known as the Marshall Plan at a speech at Harvard in 1947, Europe was still devastated by the war and had just survived one of the worst winters on record. Americans leaders recognized that Europeans had the skills and drive to create a better future. All they needed were the resources. In a move similar to today's Millennium Challenge Account, the United States offered up to $20 billion for relief if European nations could get together and draw up a rational plan on how they would use the aid. And the Marshall Plan worked because the people of Europe, former allies and enemies alike, cooperated together in the recovery effort. Both sides of the Atlantic are still reaping the benefits of that farsighted policy.
No country can prosper unless it can ensure its security. On this front, the United States and Canada partnered with countries of Europe to create the NATO alliance, which has been defending freedom since 1949. This has been the most enduring and effective alliance among free nations in the history of the world. Europeans and Americans share basic values, and that helps them work well together. As President Bush said in Berlin in 2002: "We are heirs to the same civilization. The pledges of the Magna Carta, the learning of Athens, the creativity of Paris, the unbending conscience of Luther, the gentle faith of St. Francis -- all of these are part of the American soul. The New World has succeeded by holding to the values of the Old."
But the work of freedom is not finished. Progress has been remarkable in the 60 years since the end of the war in Europe, but much remains to be done. As we honor those that have taken us this far, we must be resolved to continue the journey and look forward to a world where democracies that are tolerant, inclusive and protective of human rights and the rights of minorities are the norm in every corner of the world.
