Betrayal.

Regarding the reports of prisoner abuse in Iraq, the complete text of the investigation of which has been made public, and about which blogger Bill Cork has some insightful commentary . . . I hope they take every single person complicit in the affair, from the top all the way to the bottom of the ranks, and throw the book at them.

I was 100% behind the liberation of Iraq and regarded it as completely justified. Those photographs spell the complete betrayal of democracy and the very intent of the mission itself; if every Arab regarded our government's promises with skepticism before, they certainly have a right to do so now.

If we "lose" the war -- and by that I mean if Iraq decides to exchange a representative democracy for some kind of Islamic totalitarian rule after the Taliban -- we will have ourselves to blame.

Completely, utterly disgusted and sickened.

California Falls Into The Pacific Ocean!

NBC is running a great earthquake movie today called "10.5". (My wife finds my interest in such "natural disaster" events very peculiar).

I was personally amused to find the following posted on the official website of the State of California:

"No matter where you live, work, or travel in California, the earthquake risk is there and you must be ready for it," said OES Director Dallas Jones. "The first step in being prepared is understanding that Hollywood's upcoming earthquake miniseries puts myth, fantasy and entertainment before factual science."

Earthquake experts agree that the catastrophic damage depicted in the film is unrealistic. California will not fall into the Pacific Ocean, and huge crevasses will not suddenly open up in the earth. Likewise, there will not be widespread collapse of buildings, bridges other structures. California's building codes ensure that newer structures will not suffer major collapses.

The bottom line for Californians is that there is no sense being frightened by NBC's science fantasy. Earthquakes will occur and we can prepare to protect ourselves and get out safely.

Yeah, right . . . I'm still not moving to California anytime soon!

Update: also posted is a review of the series by the California Department of Conservation. Cute!

Senator Kerry Throws Medals Like A Girl!

Unpublished transcript from Good Morning America:

GIBSON: Did you forget I was there? That was the lamest throw I have ever laid eyes on. You barely cleared…

KERRY: I am not sure why you would say that Charlie, I have quite the manly arm.

GIBSON: I distinctly recall you executing more of a light toss, or a flip.

KERRY: This is ridiculous; a reporter of the "Boston Globe" was there, dozens of photographers were there. I clearly threw those medals over in a manly maneuver.

GIBSON: Medals?

KERRY: I did not say medals.

GIBSON: How do you explain the folding of your right leg? I noticed it, others did to. I believe you also did somewhat of a hop.

KERRY: Absolutely, that's absolutely incorrect Charlie. Both my feet where planted firmly on the ground. A reporter of the "Boston Globe" was there, dozens of photographers were there. I, without a doubt, threw like a man. I was in Vietnam you know. I won a purple heart, I won a bronze star. You do not get those by throwing like a girl.

GIBSON: The reporter from the “Boston Globe” called you Sally. Could it be possible you are unaware of your feminine throw? Is it possible that you cannot make the distinction?

KERRY: We made no distinction back then, Charlie. We made no distinction whether it was a feminine toss. I was in Vietnam.

GIBSON: Senator, are you crying?

From the parody website Broken Newz.

Insight On The News: WMD's have been found in Iraq.

Insight On The News has a bombshell of a story in their latest issue:

New evidence out of Iraq suggests that the U.S. effort to track down Saddam Hussein's missing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) is having better success than is being reported. Key assertions by the intelligence community that were widely judged in the media and by critics of President George W. Bush as having been false are turning out to have been true after all. But this stunning news has received little attention from the major media, and the president's critics continue to insist that "no weapons" have been found.

In virtually every case - chemical, biological, nuclear and ballistic missiles - the United States has found the weapons and the programs that the Iraqi dictator successfully concealed for 12 years from U.N. weapons inspectors. . . . [READ MORE]

Fairly substantial investigation, and worth reading in full.

Related link

• Case Not Closed: Iraq’s WMD Stockpiles, by Victor Davis Hanson. AmericanThinker.Com.

Dungeons & Dragons turns 30!

BBC News celebrates the thirtieth birthday of Dungeons and Dragons:

In the age of the iPod, mp3s, DVDs and online videogames, it is perhaps remarkable that a game based purely on pen, paper and dice remains so popular. . . .

Friends of Saddam

Relevant to an earlier post regarding the U.N., Stephen of the peculiar Politburo Diktat has started a new blog to "to document, in one place, all that I can find about the UN Oil for Food scandal, Saddam's global friends, and (eventually) Saddam's own crimes."

Starting with al-Mada's list of 270 bribees in late January, this story has been slowly building steam. Safire called it the "scandal without any friends." Now, Paul Volcker will head a UN investigation and the US Congress has started one too. This blog will follow those investigations and other reports.

It's about time!

A True American Hero

In my opinion every U.S. soldier killed in the line of duty in the War on Terror is a hero -- here is one that deserves special mention. ABC News reports that U.S. Army Ranger and Ex-NFL Player Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan.

A former member of the Arizona Cardinals, Tillman, along with his brother Kevin, enrolled with the U.S. Army Rangers a year after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

According to a Pentagon source, Tillman was killed in action when his unit's patrol was attacked by small arms and mortar fire during a coordinated ambush in eastern Afghanistan. . . .

Tillman, an unrestricted free agent, traded a $3.6 million, three-year contract with the Cardinals for military service. He made the decision after returning from his honeymoon with his wife, Marie, in May 2002.

Grant them eternal rest, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon them.

bleargh.

Man, I'm stuck at home with a cold and bedridden. It's too bad NYCTOGO.com hasn't expanded into Queens . . . I'd have my breakfast-of-choice (large coffee and sausage, egg and cheese on a roll) delivered right about now from a neighborhood deli. Manhattanites have it so good.

U.S. News on the Oil-For-Food Scandal

U.S. News provides further details on the oil-for-food scandal implicating not only the United Nations, but France and Russia as well:

The prospects of the United Nations taking over the transition in Iraq may now be fatally compromised. The world body is caught up in a welter of allegations and evidence suggesting strongly that a noble effort of humanitarian assistance was tainted by greed, bribery, and the most venal kind of power politics. The U.N. was supposed to oversee the oil-for-food program that allowed Saddam Hussein to sell oil and use the proceeds to buy essential food and medicine for the Iraqi people. At least $10 billion, evidently, went into the pockets of political operators.

It is a tribute to the new American-installed democracy in Iraq that an Iraqi newspaper has been in the forefront of exposing the racket and naming the 270 international power brokers who seem to have had their hands in the till. Here's how the scam allegedly worked: Saddam sold oil to his friends and allies around the world at deep discounts. The buyers resold the oil at huge profits. Saddam then got kickbacks of 10 percent from both the oil traders and the suppliers of humanitarian goods. Iraqi bean counters, fortunately, kept meticulous records.

READ MORE.

Kinda makes one think twice about endorsing "unilateral action" in Iraq.

U.S. Marines request donations to win the media war in Iraq!

It's kind of sad when the U.S. mainstream media coverage isn't enough -- or isn't fair enough -- such that the United States Marines has to raise money for an Iraqi television station to convey fair and balanced news of what's happening in Iraq:

US Marines seek to equip seven (7) television stations serving local communities within Al Anbar Province, Iraq. The Province includes the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. These stations will offer information that is more accurate and balanced than existing alternatives. The goal is to improve understanding between Americans and Iraqis, build trust and reduce tensions.

Current TV news in Iraq often carries negative, highly-biased accounts of the U.S. presence. Unanswered, its effect is to stoke resentment and encourage conflict. The Marines seek to ensure the Iraqi people have access to better, more balanced information. By equipping local television stations and providing the ability to generate news and programming, the Marines will create a viable news alternative - one owned and operated by local Iraqi citizens. . . . READ MORE.

Where is CNN, ABC, NBC, Fox News?

(This is a Spirit of America campaign -- click here for other requests by the U.S. military involved in the rebuilding of Iraq and Afghanistan).

The Onion takes campaign mudslinging to a new level . . .

A controversial 30-second TV spot for Kerry that aired throughout the Midwest Monday blamed the country's ills not on Bush's policies, but on the "sheer stupidity" of America's voters.

"In the past four years, America's national debt has reached an all-time high," the ad's narrator said. "And who's responsible? You are. You're sitting there eating a big bowl of Fritos, watching TV, and getting fatter as the country goes to hell. You ought to be ashamed of yourself."

New Negative Campaign Ads Blast Voters Directly

Another milestone in my so-called life . . .

I celebrated my thirtieth (30th) birthday this past week. Tuesday, to be precise.

Back in college I could scarcely conceive of myself turning 30 . . . I can remember when my dad was that age, and I thought he was so over the hill.

He emailed me with the reminder that Abbie Hoffman allegedly proclaimed "don't trust anybody over 30." Not to disappoint ol' Abbie, but I considered myself part of the establishment quite a while ago. ;-)

Anyway, my dad contributed to the "Get This Man A Beer Fund!" as a gesture of support. Donations are always appreciated.

Giving new meaning to the term "Loony Left"

This photo was taken at the Global Day of Action" rally in San Francisco on Saturday, March 20th, 2004.

I'd like to introduce the owner of this sign to the families of several thousand victims of 9/11 who would be all too glad to dispute his position.

You can find this and plenty of other pictures of liberals of questionable mental stability here.

(And some of my friends wonder why I'm no longer a radical lefty).

John Kerry - War Criminal?

Howard Owens ponders the implications of a Kerry quote:

Jon Henke uncovered this quote from John Kerry:

"I personally didn't see personal atrocities in the sense I saw somebody cut a head off or something like that," Kerry said. "However, I did take part in free-fire zones, I did take part in harassment and interdiction fire, I did take part in search-and-destroy missions in which the houses of noncombatants were burned to the ground. And all of these acts, I find out later on, are contrary to the Hague and Geneva conventions and to the laws of warfare. So in that sense, anybody who took part in those, if you carry out the application of the Nuremberg Principles, is in fact guilty."

If true, wouldn't this make Kerry a war criminal?

But here's the part that bothered me -- how do you become an officer in the Navy and NOT KNOW that the acts he alleged violated the Hague and Geneva conventions? Hell, I never made it past senior airman in the Air Force, and I knew that.

So in which part of Kerry's statement is he lying?

Do Something for the People of Iraq . . .

Thanks to Harry's Place decided to compile a list of positive things people can do for the people in Iraq, among them:

• IraqiSchools.com - dedicated to helping people gather and send school supplies to the children of Iraq.
• Footie4Iraq.com - "One thing to have survived through difficult times is the Iraqi people’s love of football. By giving them the chance to play again, we’ll allow a vital element of normal life to resume."
• The Iraq Memory Foundation - helping the people of Iraq people of Iraq "come to terms with the atrocities perpetrated in their name during three decades of Ba’thist rule" with a number of historical preservation projects.
• The AMAR International Charitable Foundation - established in 1991 "to provide emergency aid for refugees in southern Iran and the Iraqi marshlands in response to the acute humanitarian crisis."

Iraqi bloggers reflect . . .

Iraqi Bloggers reflect on the anniversary of the war in Iraq, among them Mohammed ("Iraq The Model"):

. . . It hurts my ears to hear the stupid statements about the “death of innocents” and the “tragedies” that are happening now because everybody knows that these are nothing comparable to the tragedies and losses we suffered in the past and those were for nothing.

And let them know that we’re ready to sacrifice more if that is the price needed to secure and maintain our freedom. Where were those paid off voices when we were murdered in thousands? Where were their ugly voices when Saddam used poisons on innocents?

That was not a war but a hope we were all dreaming of and we will never forget the sacrifices of the others and what they offered in the sake of our freedom.

A heart felt greetings to the heroes of this brave and just operation who never spare an effort to help us and listen to us. God bless the souls of those heroes who died during this operation.

That was not a war but a salvation and a wonderful dream and unbelievable dream coming true.

and Ays ("Iraq At A Glance"), who questions those protesting the U.S. method of attaining the liberation of Iraq:

". . . when you want to refuse something or say that’s wrong, first of all you should study the whole case and discuss it thoroughly before saying it’s wrong, and when you say it’s wrong, GIVE A PROPOSAL to solve the case, now when you said “ No war….” What is the right thing to do to get rid of Saddam and build democratic countries in the region? Tell me …

last year my salary was 1.5$, last year my parents were about to go mad cause we were almost broke, last year I had to obey the mean and disgusting orders of Saddam’s officers cause I had to join the conscription, last year I couldn’t watch what’s happening now on the TV cause I used to watch SH laughing at us, last year I couldn’t write what I’m writing now, last year thousands were being executed, last year hundreds of doctors, engineers and educated people were being arrested and tortured cause they dared to try to travel ! last year……………………………. Now, what do you think? Just give me a way to get all the above without a war ….

Good news from Iraq?

30,000 anti-war protesters in Manhattan today marked the anniversary of the war in Iraq by protesting "the new colonialism" of the U.S. . . . that is to say, protesting the U.S.'s chief role in liberating the country held hostage by a tyrant who, incidentally, would have typically dealt with such an exercise of free speech by torture and execution.

I don't think they appreciated the irony of the situation.

Most media sources commemorated the anniversary with a litany of bad news and the latest body count. Paul Wolofowitz, U.S. deputy secrety for defense, has some good things to say in New York Post:

• Electricity reached pre-war levels last October, and is on track to reach 150 percent of pre-war levels, despite an infrastructure devastated by Saddam.
• Oil production has reached 2.5 million barrels per day, well ahead of projections.
• Funding for public health care is up 26 times the level under Saddam.
• All 22 universities, 43 technical institutes and colleges opened on time last fall.
• Some 72 million new textbooks will go to primary and secondary schools by the end of this school year, so children will no longer learn arithmetic from books that say "2 Saddams plus 2 Saddams equals 4 Saddams."

"Terror is Losing"
New York Post March 19, 2004

Browsing the White House's website, I see they're countering the negative reporting by publishing a "fact a day" regarding Iraq, a practice I hope they'll continue. So, here is some more good news:

• 70 percent of Iraq's 4.3 million children under the age of five have been vaccinated against diseases including polio, tetanus, diphtheria, measles, and tuberculosis. The Ministry of Health is also conducting monthly vaccine days to reach additional children.
• Iraqis have a range of banking options -- 19 private banks with 140 branches across the country, and 315 state-owned bank branches that have reopened since liberation.
• Iraqi women are enjoying leadership opportunities in a New Iraq -- through a new $10 million program -- the Women's Democracy Initiative -- women will learn important skills for political advocacy, entrepreneurship, and journalism. Already, newly-opened women's centers in Baghdad, Hilla, Karbala, and other cities have become focal points for women seeking to participate in Iraq's political future.

I expect the protestors would, at this point, contend that we never should have liberated Iraq in the first place . . . but perhaps we can agree that all points mentioned above are beneficial to the people of Iraq?

At least The French like him.

While Americans were muttering about "cheese-eating surrender monkeys," the French were crying foul over "American imperialism" and burning Mr.Bush in effigy on the streets of Paris.

"There is no question the Bush administration is unpopular in France, as it is across Europe," said the director of the French Center on the United States, Guillaume Parmentier. "Bush himself is deeply unpopular. He is perceived as being non-presidential; even his demeanor makes Europeans uneasy."

But in Mr. Kerry, the French seem to have found an American they can embrace. . . .

French Going Wild For Senator Kerry In Election Fever
Michael Manville
New York Sun March 15, 2004.

FOREIGN LEADERS LOVE MY BLOG!

THEY TOLD ME "IT RULES!"
and
"IT'S THE BOMB"
and
"IT POSSESSES GREATER INTELLECTUAL PROWESS
AND CHARISMATIC APPEAL THAN
InstaPundit and The Corner COMBINED!!!"

. . . but, like John Kerry, I'm not going to betray their confidence by revealing their identities.

Bleeding Heart Liberals

"He has it coming. He is utterly sub-human and evil. Suffer, bastard," gloated an Internet user on the DemocraticUnderground.com Web site. "(T)he world would be better off without him," responded another writer on the forum. "I hope he is in the most severe pain a human being can suffer, and after that, I hope he remains in constant pain with no hope of relief," chimed in yet another bleeding-heart Democrat. Out in Hollywood, comedian Bill Maher echoed these unsparing sentiments during his HBO talk show monologue, speculating that Ashcroft contracted his unimaginably painful and potentially deadly illness from "wiping his (expletive) with the Bill of Rights." The audience roared with laughter.

America, land of the Ashcroft-haters
by Michelle Malkin. Townhall.com.