EMCON ALPHA

I'm about to drop off again, this time until Saturday, 02 APR. No Cinderella Liberty for me shipmate, and absolutely zero chance to get near a computer.

Cheers!
Phibian

The Seven Last Words of Jesus

THE FIRST WORD Luke 23:33-34 -- When they came to the place called "The Skull," they nailed Jesus to the cross there, and the two criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Jesus said, "Forgive them, Father! They know not what they do." THE SECOND WORD Luke 23:39-43 -- One of the criminals hanging there threw insults at him: "Aren't you the messiah? Save yourself and us!" The other one, however, rebuked him, saying: "Don't you fear God? Here we are all under the same sentence. Ours, however, is only right, for we are getting what we deserve for what we did; but he has done no wrong." And he said to Jesus, "Remember me, Jesus, when you come as King!" Jesus said to him, "I tell you this: Today you will be in Paradise with me." THE THIRD WORD John 19:25-27 -- Standing close to jesus' cross were his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there; so he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that time the disciple took her to live in his home. THE FOURTH WORD Mark 15: 33-34 -- And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Elo-i, elo-i, lama sabach-thani?" which means, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" THE FIFTH WORD John 19:28 -- After this jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the scripture0, "I thirst." THE SIXTH WORD John 19:29-30 -- A bowl was there, full of cheap wine mixed with vinegar, so a sponge was soaked in it, put on hyssop and lifted up to his lips. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." THE SEVENTH WORD Luke 23:46 -- Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last.

Sunday Funnies

I don't care what it is, we need the sub time

OK, it isn't as fun or exciting as tracking and Echo II across the Med, but any submarine is a valid target.

After their attempt a few years ago at steel construction, it looks like the Columbian drug runners are trying their hand at fiberglass submarines.

I would be interested in Bubblehead's thoughts on this, but building a sub isn't like building a kit boat, or kit plane. A boat can sink, a plane can crash; but you have good odds of walking, or swimming, your way out of both. Mess up your sub, and, well, you're done.

Thirst, abandonment, and "Great Novels of the Sea"

Like many, I find great literature a source of knowledge, pleasure and escape; but more importantly-insight.

Those who make their living on the sea have a great respect for the power, beauty, and totally unforgiving nature of the open ocean. Many a nightmare is filled with visions of being adrift and being alone. From the story of the USS Indianapolis to Eddie Rickenbacker adrift in the Pacific, to many others, the stories are amazing.

Via The Corner, Wittingshire reminded me of one of the best, In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex.

This true story inspired Moby-Dick.

Some people think dying by thirst is a "peaceful death." Well, from In the Heart of the Sea,lets look what an eyewitness account used by the author as research for his book says:

In 1906, W.J. McGee, Director of the St. Louis Public museum, published one of the most detailed and graphic descriptions of the ravages of extreme dehydration ever recorded. McGee's account was based on the experiences of Pablo Valencia, a forty-year-old sailor-turned-prospector, who survived almost seven days in the Arizona desert without water....

Saliva becomes thick and foul-tasting; the tongue clings irritatingly to the teeth and the roof of the mouth .... A lump seems to form in the throat ... severe pain is felt in the head and neck. The face feels full due to the shrinking of the skin. Hearing is affected, and many people begin to hallucinate... [then come] the agonies of a mouth that has ceased to generate saliva. The tongue hardens into what McGee describes as "a senseless weight, swinging on the still-soft root and striking foreignly against the teeth." Speech becomes impossible, although sufferers have been known to moan and bellow.

Next is the "blood sweats" phase, involving "a progressive mummification of the initially living body." The tongue swells to such proportions that it squeezes past the jaws. The eyelids crack and the eyeballs begin to weep tears of blood. The throat is so swollen that breathing becomes difficult, creating an incongruous yet terrifying
sense of drowning.

Finally ... there is living death, the state into which Pablo Valencia had entered when McGee discovered him on a desert trail, crawling on his hands and knees: "His lips had disappeared as if amputated, leaving low edges of blackened tissue; his teeth and gums projected like those of a skinned animal, but the flesh was black and dry as a hank of jerky; his nose was withered and shrunken to half its length, and the nostril-lining showing black; his eyes were set in a winkless stare, with surrounding skin so contracted as to expose the conjunctiva, itself as black as the gums...; his skin [had] generally turned a ghastly purplish yet ashen gray, with great livid blotches and streaks; his lower legs and feet ... were torn and scratched by contact with thorns and sharp rocks, yet even the freshest cuts were so many scratches in dry leather, without trace of blood" (Philbrick, 126-128).

Nuff said.

Yale vs. "The Solomon Amendment": Part Deux

Sometimes, something real scary comes around to remind me to check my "drafts." Time to report on the death of The Solomon Amendment.

As the sky is blue and the grass in green, it is no surprise that many on the Left hate the military as much as they hate themselves and their country. In case you forget, often they will show you again how they feel.

One thing about Rep. McKinney, I respect her honest aggressiveness. Many of the tenured, self-appointed elite do not deserve respect. They have honed passive-aggressive anti-militarism to an art; r.e. banning ROTC on campus. They are very concerned with inclusiveness, you see. We can't have gay-bashing fascists recruiting our fine men and womyn.

I have written about this before here and to a lesser extent here.

Yale receives more than a quarter of a billion dollars in federal funding per year while at the same time discriminating against the military in its recruitment fairs.

MEMORANDUM FROM YALE LAW SCHOOL

TO: The Law School Community
FROM: Harold Hongju Koh
DATE: February 1, 2005
RE: Military Recruiting and the Spring 2005 Interviewing Program

As you know, the Defense Department has lately interpreted the Solomon Amendment to require denial of federal funds to institutions of higher education that withhold assistance from military recruiters who will not pledge to refrain from discrimination in recruiting.

Last year, groups of Yale Law School faculty and students filed suit in the federal district court in Bridgeport challenging the legality of the Defense Department's interpretation of the Solomon Amendment. On December 9, 2004, Judge Janet C. Hall (D.Conn.) heard argument on motions for summary judgment in these cases. A few weeks earlier, in the FAIR litigation, the Third Circuit directed entry of a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the Solomon Amendment, stating that "[t]he Solomon Amendment requires law schools to express a message that is incompatible with their educational objectives, and no compelling governmental interest has been shown to deny this freedom. ... In this context, the Solomon Amendment cannot condition federal funding on law schools' compliance with it."

Yesterday, Judge Hall granted summary judgment in favor of the faculty plaintiffs. Judge Hall's opinion confirmed that the Solomon Amendment has been unconstitutionally applied to Yale Law School and permanently enjoined the Defense Department "from enforcing it against Yale University based upon Yale Law School's Non-Discrimination Policy." Judge Hall's opinion declared: "The Solomon Amendment violates the [faculty] plaintiffs' First Amendment right to freedom of speech.. . . " Yale Law School, "acting through the Faculty, has been unconstitutionally coerced into foregoing its own message [of nondiscrimination] and into assisting DoD in the dissemination of DoD's message of its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy...." "In addition, DoD offers no evidence to support a finding that the Solomon Amendment, and the suspension of the N[on-]D[iscrimination] P[olicy] for the past two years at YLS that it caused, has advanced its goal of raising an army through effective recruiting." ... "[T]he Solomon Amendment is not narrowly tailored to advance a compelling government interest, and thus unjustifiably burdens the Faculty Members' First Amendment right of expressive association."

I am gratified by Judge Hall's judgment, which seems to me clearly correct. Her ruling brings us closer to the day when all members of our community have an equal opportunity to serve in our Nation's armed forces. This Thursday, February 3, 2005, the Spring 2005 Interviewing Program will begin. In light of the District Court's opinion and injunction, Yale Law School will enforce its nondiscrimination policy during the Spring 2005 Interviewing Program without exception.

Harold Hongju Koh Dean, Yale Law School

In light of what we have seen over the last few months from our Judiciary, this shouldn't be a shock.

Read the memo again. It really is beyond parody and Fisking. I am just waiting for Harold to complain about the cultural divide between the military and civilian world.

Respect Harvard and Yale? Though there are a few sound minds there. Naw. They have lost their dedication to anything buy themselves and their dogma.

Hat tip: Shannen Coffin at "The Corner" and LGF.

EMCON Alpha

Well, I have to go away for a few days away from reliable computer access, so I will be offline until about Friday.

Apologies to my regular readers, and to the new folks from, say, Venezuela looking for Alanis Morissett.

If you have the time, check out some of the archives and recently posted items to the right, and have a good week.

Time for me to grab my NMCI laptop, Gov'munt Visa card, and go play around with the TSA.//

BT



NNNN

Canada: Wet-nurse to terrorism

Time to pick on the Canadians again, and again, and again, and again......

Canada continues to break my heart; a country I have been to three times, and I have worked with Canadian Forces officers for a good third of my career. They are governed by a political elite that is more concerned with clinging to a discredited political philosophy of feelgoodism that literally, is "fun until someone gets hurt."

Deroy Murdock has a great writeup on the "Danger up North."

"I'm not afraid of dying, and killing doesn't frighten me," Algerian-born Canadian Fateh Kamel said on an Italian counterterrorism intercept. "If I have to press the remote control, vive the jihad!"

Kamel, who jet-setted among Afghanistan, Bosnia, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, was arrested in Jordan on December 15, 1999, and extradited to France. He was convicted of distributing bogus passports and conspiring to blow up Paris Metro stations. He was sentenced April 6, 2001, to eight years in prison.

But after fewer than four years, France sprang Kamel for "good behavior." (What is it about iron bars and German shepherds that mellows people so?) Kamel flew home to Canada January 29.

"When Kamel arrived in Montreal, the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] was not even at the airport to greet him," Canada's National Post reported last month. "As far as they're concerned, he is an ex-convict who has done his time and has committed no crimes in Canada."

Canadians must be so proud to have him. So bad even the French don't want him.

Paul Martin, Canada's Liberal premier, attended a May 2000 dinner while finance minister. Its hosts: The Federation of Association of Canadian Tamils, a front for the Tamil Tigers, a Sri Lankan terrorist group. It has killed at least 60 people, including two Americans, and injured more than 1,400 others, the State Department reports. Martin, and international cooperation minister Maria Minna, ignored security officials who urged them to stay away. Wooing Canada's sizable Tamil minority apparently was irresistible

Some Canadians are trying to tighten things up, but they are not in power and cannot make it happen. We are lucky that this hasn't literally blown up in our face.

The warm U.S.-Canadian relationship, illustrated by our 3,145-mile unprotected boundary, cooled somewhat when Ottawa recently refused to help Washington develop defenses against incoming nuclear-tipped missiles. But that modest dispute will pale beside the northward-flowing rancor that will erupt if a terrorist attack kills innocent Americans, and U.S. officials discover that the butchers slipped past complacent Canadians.

That is an understatement. The results would be horrible for both political and economic reasons. You think the beef ban is bad? To top it off, have a Canadian terror cell kill a few thousand Americans and then disrupt the HUGE energy exports from Canada to the U.S. Just not pretty.

Faster please.

Moonbat Fusion Dance

Often times you can judge your positions by what friends it has, and more important, who and/or what is on the opposite side of the fence.

Like all good sailors, if it is happening in Norfolk or San Diego, you had better pay attention. Check out San Diego Centric blogger Darleen for a review of the San Diego Moonbats literally on parade.

Go to her sight for more pictures, but I'll put up some of my favorites; one of the good, and two of the others. In the spirit of ProtestWarrior, I think the Good Guys put on a good show.

Back to my original point; who is on the opposite side of the fence?

Communists

Anarchist

Green Party

Bush haters

Public dope smokers

Pro-dictator

Anti-democracy (purple middle finger-very nice)

Rainbow Leftists (not that there is anything wrong with that)

Usual "Peace and Justice" flotsam and jetsam 60s losers

Thing that is fun about this, look at the average age of the Good vs. Bad (IMNSHO). We have the youth!

......and who said the Left were a bitter, classless bunch?

Communists and Greens. Naw, they don't get along.


These people flow together throughout the world where you can protest (below Canada and UK). In with the above you can throw in:

Shock lesbians

Anti-Semite-Israel-USA-Take your pick

NB: Logic point of order for our Canadian friends (sic). How can the US be both controlled by Israel AND be Nazi? Just pondering.

If anyone (and that should be most, including me) have at one point or another entertained the thought that, "Gee, I hope I am right here. Could the Left be right?" Well, I think we can put those thoughts to rest. The very idea that this group could be right about anything is just absurd. From Vietnam, China, Pol Pot, to the Soviet Union, these losers have always been wrong.

Oh, and you can find the losers in LA here. Even the "Free Mumia" bats were out flying.

UPDATE: Bookworm isn't too happy with the Moonbats either, and she has a nice literary skewering. Why is it she can put things better with fewer words, no pictures, and fewer links? Sigh.

Hat tip LGF.

Sunday Funnies

Ummmm, I agree with John Bolton

Few things in life are as fun as political Jujitsu; take your enemy's weapons and using them against them. LGF again does us a great service.

A "grassroots" organization (see major Soros like contributors to MoveOn.org etc) called StopBolton.org has a heavily edited tape out from what looks like the '90s with Mr. Bolton telling UNsniks "what-for." Just a beautiful telling of reality to a bunch of anti-American Internationalists who have lost their spine, and their clue; not to mention their military.

My favorite quote from the conf (besides all of Mr. Bolton's) is from a standard issue, musty Brit, Mr. Erskine Childers:

And for the rest of the world, uhhh, for other nations, strengthening the United Nations is vital because contrary to the assumptions made in this debate so far; there is no country in the world that can guarantee its own security..

Speak for yourself. Just because you have made yourself impotent, it doesn't mean we have.

This reminds we of Chirac's perfect quote leading up to the Iraqi invasion:

"Secondly, as far as we're concerned, war always means failure,"

Sure Jacques, that is quite true; if you ARE FRANCE!

I know I am pirating LGF's bandwidth, but it is for a good cause. See the whole video here.

Speaking of the 2nd Anniversary

The good folks of Schadenfreude link on to what really says it all; at least from my point of view.

Block out about 4 minutes or so and click here.

I'll leave you to the weekend there. Take pride in your Nation and ignore those narcissists who hate everything that brings honor and freedom to others.

'Nuff said.

Shipmate, I can help you find the Pentagon gym

Anyone watch Rummy's 2nd Anniversary of the invasion of Iraq?

Great speech that I will link to later when I find a transcript; so far on target. Did you know what caught my eye? Well, an amorphous khaki blob of a LT Surface Warfare Officer took up the right side of the TV screen behind Rummy.

Shoes fight hard to overcome the image of out-of-shape, doughy officers. Professional note of the day: If you are on Pentagon duty and are too busy being a PowerPoint Ranger to PT, please save us all the embarrassment of your pudgy self, and don't try so hard to sit behind SECDEF when he is speaking on national TV. If you are going to have a "Mr. Clean" haircut on shore duty, make sure you have a Mr. Clean waist. If I can find a pic later, I'll add it on an update.

UPDATE: Well it looks like I am not the only one embarrassed by LT Pudge. Looking at the pictures at the DOD site, they are all taken at an angle that LT Pudge (should any LT have a Pudge? If you are over 35 I will spot you an extra 15 or so, but under 30 and a leader of warriors? Unless it is medical, no way.) is out of the picture. That is just funny as all get-out. If you look at the pictures, he is no kidding 1-2 people just to the right of the photo. Looks like I will have to dig deeper.

Wesley Clark: Moral Relativist Fool

I need to go PT to stop from throwing my NMCI laptop through the TV.

At 10:19EST during a live interview on Fox News, GEN Wesley Clark, USA (Ret.) oozed the following disgusting quote.

"(Osama bin Laden) sees himself as something of the George Washington of the Arabian peninsular"

Argghhhh, there goes that vein in my forehead again. This is a disgusting thing to say, but even worse coming from a retired 4-star (though as a member of the "Wall of Shame" not a surprise). Remember, this guy was once a top runner (for a wee-bit) for the Democratic ticket in '04. If Sen. Kerry was elected, this guy could have had a major policy position.

Wesley either has no clue about the history and writings of George Washington and why he led our Revolution against the British Crown, or he is a self-hating (there is that word again) Leftist that has no respect for his country, its founders, and what it stands for. Either way, Wesley does not deserve to be taken seriously by anyone. He proves it again. Perhaps he needs to read up some more before he compares the uber-leader of the Islamofascist movement to the father of our country. Honestly, where could that concept have even crept into his addled mind?

Washington State: What is your malfunction, numb nuts?

Well, what I have heard from my relatives from the Western Branch of the family continues to be proven every day: being that they ruined perfectly good California, the rampaging Leftist self-haters have left to ruin the other States out West. They are thick in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and sniffing around New Mexico and Arizona. Note you don’t see them too much in Idaho (outside some special districts in Boise); I think the Idaho National Guard shoots anyone reeking of Patchouli oil or is found with a copy of The Nation or The Village Voice in their possession.

We already discussed what the Moonbats did in Seattle as of late. That was at a small community college, so they used young adults as useful idiots. That isn’t too bad. This time they are using high school kids for their sick display of clueless narcissism.

Three invited pro-military speakers were shocked last Friday when they arrived for a West Seattle High student assembly to confront a theater stage strewn with figures costumed as Iraqi men, women and children splashed with blood.
It was a warm-up for the "Iraq Awareness Assembly"….

For Nadine Gulit of Operation Support Our Troops, the spectacle was sickening.
She had been asked by student organizers to provide three speakers and she delivered.

"I was told there would be three on each side. No debates. No rebuttal," she said in the e-mail she fired off to members of the Seattle School Board. "At no time was I referred to a teacher nor did a teacher contact me. As I walked into the theater there was a young girl wearing a mask and crawling on the floor. And, over the loud speaker (someone) was denouncing our military, saying 'Americans are killing my family!' "

Not a good thing for "impressionable students who may have family serving Iraq," Gulit told student organizers. "Two of our speakers had returned from Iraq and Afghanistan."

Yep, my first thought, was, “Where in the hell were the teachers and administrators?”

...no teachers or advisers were on hand or evidently even aware of the content although that part is one of several things still under investigation.

OK…. That means one of two things:

Teachers and Administrators are setting a typical Leftist example by lying and hiding from responsibilities for their actions.

Teachers and Administrators are setting a typical Leftist example by exercising absolutely no control over their schools, student, of use of their facilities; hiding from responsibilities for their (in)action.

Either case, my next question is; parents-where are you? Oh, I forgot: this is Seattle. Perhaps it is time to split the state. Though she can speak for herself, I am sure that Anne can add this as reason 4,345,546 she homeschools her kids.

Hat tip Michelle Malkin.

JAWA hit 1,000,000

Along with The Commissar the Jawa Report pushed me over the edge to start my blog. Great therapy, and Rusty has a great site. Give it a visit if you have not already.

Cheers! Here's to the next million!

"World Ends Tomorrow: Women, Minorities Hardest Hit; Won't be Able to Blog as Much"

CAPT. Ed just nukes Steven Levy's latest iteration of the liberal cant in the next edition of Newsweek. From his article :

At a recent Harvard conference on bloggers and the media, the most pungent statement came from cyberspace. Rebecca MacKinnon, writing about the conference as it happened, got a response on the "comments" space of her blog from someone concerned that if the voices of bloggers overwhelm those of traditional media, "we will throw out some of the best ... journalism of the 21st century." The comment was from Keith Jenkins, an African-American blogger who is also an editor at The Washington Post Magazine [a sister publication of NEWSWEEK]. "It has taken 'mainstream media' a very long time to get to [the] point of inclusion," Jenkins wrote. "My fear is that the overwhelmingly white and male American blogosphere ... will return us to a day where the dialogue about issues was a predominantly white-only one." ...
Does the blogosphere have a diversity problem?

Ah, the diversity cult is coming after the most free (and I mean free-don't cost 'nut'n), open, and painfully full of feedback public areas ever created, The Blogosphere.

Good gracious, no one here cares what or who you are, but what you say. The whole diversity racket is so 1970s anyway.

How did I know about CAPT Ed's post? Well on the way back from the head yesterday at 1630, I saw on CNN they had ZPG Candy Crowley talking to two female reporter types in some lame-looking, computer filled space; pointing out blogs on a screen, highlighting and commenting on them on what looks like a regular "What are people blogging" segment. New technology: old network: old topic template. Yawn. They were talking about CAPT Ed and "diversity" WRT blogs, mostly that, you guessed it, too many white males out there blogging. Funny thing that; and entire segment of three women complaining that only men are talking. Savory self-irony there.

I can't squash this any better than CAPT Ed, so go there for the full effect. On a parallel note, Michelle Malkin skewers another liberal HVU AKA Maureen Dowd, on women bloggers. Too few? Harumph. Mrs. Salamander must feel I am having a cyber affair with all the links to Michelle, Anne, Ninme, NotSweetWords, and the Bookworm.

Give it a rest. What a bucket of bucket of FOD. You know, as dangerous as it is, that sacred diversity cow needs kicking. All these bean counters and victim pimps need to

Lean over on the book case
If you really want to get straight
Read Dr. Thomas Sowell
Get a new towel

Mmmmm. Ideas.....

OK, first MWR Raffle. First person to identify in the comments section the song, singer, and alblum in the above quote (ok, I added the Thomas Sowell and towel. In the song it is *spit*Norman Mailer*spit* and tailor) gets to use my parking space for a month and gets a 72 hr liberty over any three day weekend.

Speaking of MoDo. The hits just keep on coming. Bookworm just smacks the 'ole "Mean Girl." Well done!

Why I prefer the New American Standard Bible

OK, I'm wierd. I know that. But for a long time I have been suspicious of "modernizing" or "re-imaging" the Bible. The further you get away from the original text, the further you get away from its true meaning. (see, I did get something out of those years of Latin) Translators can do a lot with language, and like a powerful weapon in the hands of a 4 year old, powerful words in the hand of the ignorant or evil is exceptionally dangerous.

Language changes over time, so "newer" translations are fine. You update the words, but not the meaning. Though I love the language and scholarship of the King James (KJV) and New King James (NKJV) translations, I like the study version of the New American Standard Bible (NASB) - and avoid the New International Version (NIV) like the plague. Why? Glad you asked. The busy bodies are at it again.

One of the world's most widely read Bibles, the New International Version, has been modernised by a team of 15 American and British scholars and is published today....the term "saints" is deemed to be too "ecclesiastical" and has been banished, to be replaced with "God's chosen people". The Virgin Mary is no longer "with child"; she is "pregnant".

And, to the dismay of traditionalists, who will suspect a feminist agenda, "inclusive" language has been introduced throughout.

Where the original read: "When God created Man, he made him in the likeness of God"; the new version says: "When God created human beings, he made them in the likeness of God."

More than 45,000 changes - about seven per cent of the text - have been made. Even the title has been changed to Today's New International Version.

The new version has already caused a stir in the United States, however. Paige Patterson, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, said that the translators had gone beyond trying to clarify meaning.

"They have an agenda - to attempt to force egalitarian and even feminist perspectives on readers in the name of translation," he said.

But the scholars who worked on the book rejected the charges, saying that their changes were a fair reflection of the original Greek or Hebrew texts or updated colloquial English words.

Harumph. Define fair. From a distance, a paint by numbers version of the Mona Lisa looks like a "fair reflection" of the masterpiece; that doesn't mean it is one.

Behold the power of the Tree

An Associated Press estimate put the number at least 800,000. Either way it was the biggest demonstration ever in this country of 3.5 million.

Cars and buses carrying protesters jammed the main roads into Beirut, forcing some people to leave their vehicles and walk. Druse descended from the Chouf and Aley mountains east and southeast of the capital, Christians came from the heartland in the northeast and many Sunni Muslims came from Tripoli, Dinniyeh and Akkar. Others traveled to Beirut from Hariri's southern hometown, Sidon.

To put that number, 800,000 (some estimates are 1,000,000 plus), in perspective it is:

60+% greater then the Hezbollah rally

That would be the same if 68 million Americans marched....on Washington DC

Potential downside of this wonderful display of a desire for freedom? Perhaps war, civil and/or with Syrian troops.

The upside? Freedom. If the secular Shiites join Sunnis, Druze, and Christians they should be able to get their freedom. Hopefully this can be done peacefully, but if not. Other nations have bled to gain their freedom.

This time though, I think might get lucky. This Arab Spring has the hope for a reasonably peaceful transition. Hope.

Watch the video here and note the first two pictures below. The first from Hezbollah, the others from yesterdays demonstration. Like I mentioned here and here; beauty beats the beast every day, so does a sense of humor. For now, I'll shut up and let the pictures talk.






NB: I have been asked why so many of my pictures from Lebanon focus on young, attractive women. Well, ummmm, I'm a Sailor. What? Beirut is a port town. What? OK, seriously. One of the cornerstones of Islamofascism is a virulent strain of misogyny. They treat their women like property, and force them to cover themselves from head to toe in shame because their men can't control themselves. People need to realize that Arab women are just like your sister, mother, wife, or daughter; and anyone that has been to Senor Pacos in Manama, Bahrain on a Thursday night will tell you they look drop dead gorgeous in a black party dress. Seeing those young women, who arguably have to most to loose if the Forces of Darkness win, willing to go out there and demand the right to be, well themselves, embody all that we are working for. My opinion. Oh, and speaking of Bahrain, if you are looking for a good Bahraini blog, go to Mahmood's Den.

Philip Bennett: you can get off your knees now, Yong Tang is done

As Managing Editor of The Washington Post, you would think Philip Bennett would have better things to do than pontificate, brag, and generally talk bad about his country with “The People’s Daily.” That’s right shipmates, The People’s Frick’n Daily. Mouthpiece of the most murderous Communist nation in the world, and that is saying something in that bunch.

Oh, I can’t wait. Let’s Fisk this thing.

Yong Tang: According to the opinion polls, the image of America has been becoming less and less popular in the world today since after the Iraq war. As a top leader of a major American newspaper, how do you think of this growing anti-American sentiment?
Bennett: The world image of US is so clearly linked to its foreign policy and particularly its policy toward Iraq and Middle East, say its support of Israel and its occupation of Iraq.
I was in China once shortly after the missile hit the Chinese embassy in Belgrade and of course there were demonstrations in Beijing before the US embassy and elsewhere. So I think it is easy to understand in many ways why the US image has decreased.

Wow, nice opener Philip! We throw out the Zionist boogeyman early; we beat the Iraq drum; and to get on your self-hating knees first you have to mention the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Serbia during the Clinton Administration. TRIFECTA!!!

American movies are remarkably popular all over the world to the extent that you can buy them on the streets of all major Chinese cities.

Ummmm, I guess we can expect a Post expose on the rampant movie piracy and assorted copy write violations practiced wholesale in China any day now. Philip? Philip?

The ideologues in the Bush administration are very influential in decisions made toward Iraq and other provocative moves by the administration.

Provocative? To whom? Define “provocative?”

Yong Tang: In such sense, do you think America should be the leader of the world?
Bennett: No, I don't think US should be the leader of the world. My job is helping my readers trying to understand what is happening now. What is happening now is very difficult to understand. The world is very complex. There are various complex forces occurring in it. I don't think you can imagine a world where one country or one group of people could lead everybody else. I can't imagine that could happen. I also think it is unhealthy to have one country as the leader of the world. People in other countries don't want to be led by foreign countries. They may want to have good relations with it or they may want to share with what is good in that country.
That is also a sort of colonial question. The world has gone through colonialism and imperialism. We have seen the danger and shortcomings of those systems. If we are heading into another period of imperialism where the US thinks itself as the leader of the area and its interest should prevail over all other interests of its neighbors and others, then I think the world will be in an unhappy period.

Arghhhhh!! I’m sorry, I have to put a vein back in my forehead. This needs a sub-Fisk.

No, I don't think US should be the leader of the world.

Philip you ignorant slut. You know power abhors a vacuum. If not the U.S., then whom? China? The Euro-socialist Pact? Speak man!

I also think it is unhealthy to have one country as the leader of the world.

Oh, the moral relativist swamp we find ourselves in. Of course things would be much better in a multi-polar world…..like 1914.

People in other countries don't want to be led by foreign countries.

Like this guy?

If we are heading into another period of imperialism where the US thinks itself as the leader of the area and its interest should prevail over all other interests of its neighbors and others, then I think the world will be in an unhappy period.

Unhappy for what country? China? Osamabinladenstan?

Yong Tang: So the world order should be democratic?
Bennett: Democracy means many things. How do you define democracy? As a Chinese journalist, you may have your own definition of democracy which corresponds to your history and your way of seeing the world. I may have another definition. Someone else may have their own definitions. Democracy means a lot of different things.

You spineless twit. As a Chinese journalist, he may find a bullet in his head if he doesn’t say the right thing. You’re not worthy of editing The Nation. Lets go to general joke statements. If you are drinking or eating, you may want to swallow.

We don't have any political point of view that we are trying to advance.

Ask almost every Republican elected in the last 75 years or so if they think that is an accurate statement.

One of the jobs of our correspondents in Baghdad is to tell our readers what the Bush administration is trying to hide.

Interesting concept and worldview. You sure aren’t interested in telling the truth about the good things going on over there, we know that.

… it is a big thing for the Washington Post to be the first major newspaper in America to publish the pictures about the Iraqi Abu Ghraib prisoners abuse scandal.

We know, we know, we know. That is about all you covered about Iraq for months. We know, we know, we know, you self-important myopic MSM type.

Major American newspapers endorse Democratic candidates every time. I think that endorsement means nothing. I don't think people will vote according to that endorsement. It is just an old tradition which really doesn't have lot of meaning any more today.

Sorry, my mind is still boggling. Clueless arrogance wrapped in a package of condensation is just, well, hard to comment on. Just let it sit there and season in the sun. Oh, wait, it does have an impact; on readership you putz (I know, I’m calling him a bunch of childish names. I’ll counsel myself later).

Furthermore, there is a mood of great suspicion about the media. Every time when we publish a story about Iraq that suggests the war is not going well for America, I get lots of messages from people saying that we the Post are not patriotic and we are reporting negatively on the war only because of our political bias against the Bush administration. I think there is a perception among some of our readers that we are hostile to the Bush administration or representing our own political point of view in our news coverage.

Those silly rubes out there. Where could they have gotten those ideas? Must be that lack of education compared to yours.

I think there are areas in which the mainstream media has ignored or not been as touch with the development of the society as we could have been. It is not so much about expressing the mainstream views. I think the primary job of the Post is to provide people with information, not views. The primary job of a newspaper is to inform people of what is going on in our community and the world in an impartial and fair way.

Nice words Philip, now ACT ON IT. You’re not as bad as the NYT, but gee wiz you’re close.

Even before readers being our God, credibility is our God.

Speaking of editing. May want to review the proper capitalization of the word “god.”

Yong Tang: The Washington Post often describes China as a dictator communist regime without democracy and freedom. Why is the newspaper so fond of playing with such negative words?
Bennett: I disagree with that. First of all, Neither The Washington Post, nor the New York Times, nor any other big newspapers, refer to China today as a dictatorship regime. We don't use these words on the paper any more. Now we say China is a communist country only because it is a fact. China is ruled by the Communist party.

Of course not, if you spoke the truth, you might loose your Beijing bureau. Coward.

Yong Tang: But it seems to me that the Washington Post stories about China are still focused on such things like political dissidents?
Bennett: No, it is not true. If You look at all the stories published on the major newspapers about China last year, you would find the widest variety of stories of any time since US journalists were allowed back in China…… We have only three correspondents in China, a country with a population of 1.3 billion. We are trying to do our best.

This is almost too painful to read. Kowtow like a pro Philip. Your knees must be getting sore by now.

Yong Tang: Do your correspondents in China have difficulties in getting the access to the information?
Bennett: Yes, but we have difficult in the access to the information here in Washington DC too.

Sigh. Relativism again. This guy must have had NO lunch money at all growing up.

Perhaps the good editor should spend more time trying to produce a quality product as opposed to kowtowing to the Communist propaganda machine. Hey Philip, I know in the past, the Post had a grand tradition in challenging Communism. What happened?

If he was doing his job, he probably would have caught this jewel under The Washington Post name by Hanna Rosin,

“At 5 o'clock no men have showed up at school to lug the fold-out tables around and set out the baskets of napkins and line up neat rows of cookies, arranged by type.”

“…no men have showed up…” Nice Hanna. Too bad you weren’t homeschooled by Anne.

To the Wall of Shame with you!!!

Hat tip Drudge.
UPDATE: I should have known it, but Michelle Malkin was on this early. She really is a required, daily read.
UPDATE II-Electric Boogaloo: Via LGF, the mighty Hugh has a post from Philip where he goes into high warble because he is misquoted. Shoe on the other foot for a change, heh? Anyway, my original thought was, "Gee wiz, I'm sorry for my post now. Communists have done another sneaky." (is Philip surprised?) Once I went to Hugh's post and read it a couple of times, I realized that, sure they didn't translate it word by word, but the meaning is the same. Philip is trying to sea-lawyer his way out of this. I ain't buying it. He should know better. He's still going to Mast. The meaning is the same. See Scrappleface for the REAL STORY....

Sunday Funnies - When 1120's commute

(NB-an 1120 is a Submariner. To view this strange creature, go here)

That other 11th

11 MAR is to many Spanish their 11 SEP. Though not on the scale of the attacks on the American East Coast in 2001, the Madrid bombings do serve as an interesting template on the differences in our countries. As is our nature, when we were attacked, American turned into the fury and marched forward to bring some Old Testament Justice on our attackers. Jules paraphrased the 23rd Psalms and Ezekiel 25:17 for us quite well.

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides with the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon those with great vengeance and with furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know that my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee

The Spanish response, Ferdinand and Isabella must be rolling in their grave, was "We quit. Please don't interfere with our summer holidays. We'll do anything if you just let us wallow in our self-hate." Very nice Dhimmi, very nice.

OK, that may be too much, but that is how it translates towards the Islamofascists. Too bad the weight of the Spanish Dhimmi outweigh the solid Spaniards that stood with Anzar and the forces of the West.

So, what has supine Spain bought from its Muslim "citizens"?

'We are going to issue a fatwa (religious decree) against Bin Laden this afternoon,' Mansour Escudero, who leads the Federation of Islamic religious entities (Feeri) and co-secretary general of the Spanish government-created Commission told AFP.

Isn't that sweet? And timely too. And so quick!!!

The Commission has also drawn up a document designed to 'thank the Spanish people and the government for their attitude towards Muslims' since last March 11, in particular for not taking 'disproportionate' measures similar to those which the Sept 11 attacks sparked in the US.

Of course not. We don't want Spain to properly defend itself. We want Spain to retreat, surrender, and act like nice little Dhimmi. Set a good example for your dying European neighbors in "Dar el Harb."

This does nothing to honor the dead. Only the murdering Islamofascists.

On an unrelated issue (not really), yesterday was another lesson in the American way of war. Not pretty, but it is our way of war. You attack us, we will respond in an order of magnitude. Tokyo 9-10 MAR 1945.

In a single night, 334 B-29 "Superfortress" bombers carpeted Tokyo with a half-million incendiary cylinders, sparking fires that spread with deadly speed through the cramped wooden homes and buildings of densely populated downtown quarters.

The official death toll was 83,000, but historians, considering the destruction of records and the chaos following the attack -- generally agree that about 100,000 people died in that one night of fire.

Update: Rusty as usual hits the right tone. If you are more of a visual person, and if you need a reminder, here is the video from LGF. Watch. Remember. Learn. Act.

Spoiled children void of reason throw temper tantrums

Ok, I am sated from a full dinner, so this time I won't call them the F-word, but the Left's inability to deal with reality in Europe or in one of our BENELUX areas here in the States is getting tiresome. Mostly because they get away from it.

The new habit of the Left is to attack what you cannot logically oppose in the marketplace of ideas do to your complete lack of reason in facts. Michael at Downeastblog has a nice example from the enlightened youth of Belgium. There is so much wrong with this, but most of all only the most uncivilized person would do this to an Alpha Romero. Just wrong.

Of course, we have our clueless spoiled brats here as well. You can watch the video here or just read the Brownshirt Moonbattery here. Oooohhhhh. Yell at the Zoomies!!! what a stud!!!!! I bet the place smells like Patchouli Oil for weeks.

Iraqi Police give their lives so American Soldiers will live

Being that Dan Rather and CBS didn't report this during Dan's swan song, Major K reports of a case near his base where the Iraqi Police (IP) proactively put themselves between a suicide car bomber (AKA Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device-VBIED), loosing their lives to save Americans. Ponder that, then ponder again.

Some people (and you know who you are) need this shoved in their face. Bravo Zulu and Rest in Peace IP.

As they headed to their destination a civilian vehicle pulled on from a side alley and attempted to get into the convoy. Apparently, the convoy gunners were too green or some how did not perceive the car to be a threat. They did not wave the car off, throw anything at him, cut him off, or shoot to try and stop him. A nearby IP (Iraqi Police) SUV witnessed the intruding vehicle and immediately intervened. It pulled up to the rear of the convoy and tried to force the intruding vehicle off the road. The IP’s had successfully put themselves between the vehicle and the US convoy. Unable to deter the vehicle from approaching the US convoy or make it pull over, the IP’s fired at the engine of the encroaching vehicle. At this point, the driver detonated the IED inside his vehicle. Yes, this was a classic VBIED.

This suicide bomber killed himself and the four IP’s in the vehicle holding him at bay.

Hat tip Argghhh!!

Theodore Roosevelt - American Soul

Though not a perfect man, Theodore Roosevelt is a giant. I don't use that term often: Giant.

One part of an upcoming essay I am putting together on my trip to New York City has to do with the quotes from Theodore Roosevelt at the American Museum of Natural History. After reading these, the first thing that came to mind was, "What happened to New York. This man couldn't be elected to a CO-OP board now." How in 100 years could the state of New York go from an attitude that earned its moniker of "The Empire State" to deserving the title "The BENELUX State?" What a shame. I'll let Teddy speak for himself.

Nature

There is a delight in the hardy life of the open.

There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy and its charm.

The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased; and not impaired in value.

Conservation means development as much as it does protection.

Manhood

A man's usefulness depends upon his living up to his ideals insofar as he can.

It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.

All daring and courage, all iron endurance of misfortune-make for a finer, nobler type of manhood.

Only those are fit to live who do not fear to die and none are fit to die who have shrunk from the joy of life and the duty of life.

Youth

I want to see you game, boys, I want to see you brave and manly, and I also want to see you gentle and tender.

Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground.

Courage, hard work, self-mastery, and intelligent effort are all essential to successful life.

Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.

The State

Ours is a government of liberty by, through, and under the law.

A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be great or a democracy.

Aggressive fighting for the right is the noblest sport the world affords.

In popular government results worth while can only be achieved by men who combine worthy ideals with practical good sense.

If I must choose between righteousness and peace, I choose righteousness.

While working on this post, via The Corner Jonah Goldberg pointed the way to an essay on Theodore Roosevelt in The New Criterion by Harvey Mansfield via Powerline. You should read the whole thing as it covers the many unique aspects of TR's philosophy and how we have lost some of it. Here are some selected quotes that apply here though. NB: I think some of Professor Mansfield's observations may derive from the fact that as a Professor of Government at Harvard University he runs in that rarified peer group that runs from Northern Virginia to Southern Maine that represents the Beneluxization of part of the country. Some of his comments do apply to the average "man" there, but in Red State America, notsomuch. He too, needs to get out more. I think it might make him feel better. Perhaps he should go noodling.

The most obvious feature of Theodore Roosevelt’s life and thought is the one least celebrated today, his manliness. Somehow America in the twentieth century went from the explosion of assertive manliness that was TR to the sensitive males of our time who shall be and deserve to be nameless.

I think we know who he is talking about, but I would still love for him to name names.

TR appeals to some conservatives today for his espousal of big government and national greatness, and all conservatives rather relish his political incorrectness. As a reforming progressive he used to appeal to liberals, but nowadays liberals are put off by the political incorrectness that conservatives rather sneakily enjoy.

His father’s advice had been to lengthen the reach of his mind by strengthening his body, using sheer will-power.

Beats any gov'munt school "self-esteem building" program ever invented.

“Life is a great adventure, and the worst of all fears is the fear of living.”

We have abandoned—not reason for manliness like the pragmatists, nor manliness for reason like their tender-minded opponents—but both reason and manliness. We want progress without a rational justification and without the manliness needed to supply the lack of a justification.

That last quote from Professor Mansfield is right on target; for Blue State males and those that think like them. Again, in Red State America I think there is still a large swath of Roosevelt manliness out there. I know in my line of work my opinion is warped a bit by my subset, but I think it is largly accurate.

Whodathunk? The Army found me!

Wow, Army Times is going to make it harder for me to hide. Nice complement, thank you. I am surprised I made the cut, especially since I pinged on their sister publication, The Navy Enquirer, ummm I mean Navy Times, awhile back.

In the company of Mudbille Gazette, Blackfive, Life in this Girl's Army, Armor Geddon and others like them. Wayne said it best.

Let me steal some of Blackfives code:

Below are the articles on the MilBlogs:

The Blogs Of War (New MilBlogging Article)

A Penny For Their Thoughts (MilBloggers Cash In?)

Learning From Blogs (Editorial)

Before you leave, check out the "recently" list of latest posts on the right if you are looking for Navy specific links. I have been on a "macro strategic security trends" kick over the last few days. Comments always welcome. Visit often. WELCOME ABOARD!

Gloire

John J. Miller over at The Corner reminds us all, especially those who like frog gigging, of a great quote from an outstanding book:

"Time and again in the last two centuries, France has refused to come to grips with its diminished status as a country whose greatest general was a foreigner, whose greatest warrior was a teenage girl, and whose last great military victory came on the plains of Wagram in 1809."

BAAAWAAAHAAAHAHHA. Easy target.

Seriously though. Do not underestimate national psychological insecurity's affect on their decisions. When you wonder, "What is France's problem?", remember that.

Lebanese Spring: Why we are on the right side of history

The desire for freedom is a beautiful thing. Laugh at cowboy movies where the Good Guys wear white hats and are someone you would aspire to be, or be around with, and the Bad Guys wear black hats and are shifty, dirty, smelly brutes that would make you uncomfortable to be in the same area code with. Laugh at the Lord of the Rings where the Good Guys are handsome or cute, and the Bad Guys are nasty creatures with horrid habits and give you the creeps. But you know what? Sometimes it is that way in real life.

Pro-freedom demonstrators in Lebanon.


Pro-Syrian demonstrators in Lebanon.

'Nuff said.

Hat tip: The Jawa Report
Update: Rusty provides a NC-17 link to an update on the two pro-Assad fellas above, now identified as Yasuk Dawoud and Abdul bin Hed-Muncheen.

Economic ignorance gets people killed

You would expect a better understanding of supply and demand from the richest capitalist in Italy. But, then again, we are talking about a country where the Communist Party is still a driving force in politics and opinions.

Speaking of Communist amoral bloodsuckers, everyone knows the story behind Giuliana Sgrena, 'reporter' and general all around apologist for genocidal evil (as long as it is done "for the people") everywhere, for the Communist daily Il Manifesto,

Well, the story is coming out that her freedom was bought with cash by her government through people better than herself, and bought by a life of a person better than herself, Nicola Calipari.

There were conflicting reports on the extent to which Italian authorities had informed their American counterparts about the operation, in which a reported $6 million was paid for the journalist's release.

Mr. Berlusconi won plaudits last year when Mr. Calipari obtained the release of two young volunteers kidnapped in Iraq known as the two Simonas, also through payment of a multimillion-dollar ransom.

OK class, lets go back to ECON 101. If a product can gain substantial profit through the marketplace, there will be entrepreneurs out there that will trade in that product. If there is not a market for a product, no one will attempt to trade in it.

There is a reason we do not negotiate with, or support the negotiation with terrorists. Not only are you feeding (with cash) the monster that wants to devour you; you are creating a marketplace for the kidnapping of your people, putting everyone in greater danger. When you buy back a hostage, you endanger many more. Short term feel-good-ism vs. long-term safety.

The bad thing is that the life of a good and honorable man was expended to rescue a Communist propagandist that has nothing but contempt for men such as the one that secured her life. As a matter of fact, if Sgrena and her ilk had their way, everyone that worked with and was associated with Mr. Calipari would be put up against the wall and shot. Mr. Calipari knew that but did his job, as all professionals would. He was failed by his Chain-of-Command. Rest in peace Mr. Calipari.