Blogging Update

By Matt Hurley for the TIB Network:

My latest in the series is up...Jane on Taxes...over at Gem City Journal.

For you brass players out there, I have a new post up at Classic Brass as well. Topic: Burnout.

John Kerry Delenda Est!

Hastert at RNC

Source:

"Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Delegates, honored guests, friends.

"It is a high honor to be here today, representing the great people of the 14th Congressional District of Illinois and my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives. I have proudly served as your Speaker of the House for six years.

"We are proud of what the Republican Congress and the President have achieved together: Historic tax reduction which has helped create 1.5 million new jobs in the last year and has our economy growing again; Revolutionary education reform which demands more accountability from schools and better results for our children; Health Savings Accounts which will give families more control over their health care, and will make it more affordable.

"On 9/11, our country was viciously attacked, the most deadly attack since Pearl Harbor. I am especially proud of our response. Our nation's military, with the President's leadership and with the support of the Republican Congress, has taken the fight to the terrorists.

"We have crushed the Taliban and promoted a democracy in Afghanistan. Saddam Hussein is in jail instead of supporting terrorists and murdering his citizens and invading his neighbors. And Osama bin Laden is on the run.

"And we have taken important steps to defend our people, by creating a Department of Homeland Security to better coordinate our internal defense. By enacting the Patriot Act, which gives law enforcement the tools to prosecute the terrorists before they strike again.

"My friends, we have a big choice this November. Do we want the team that will keep the job-creating tax cuts in place and keep America strong? Or do we want a Kerry/Pelosi team that is weak on the war and wrong on taxes?

"It is an easy choice. Together, let's keep moving this country forward."

John Kerry Delenda Est!

VMA News

From WorldNetDaily:

A widespread assumption that young Americans watching MTV may be more prone to vote for John Kerry for president over George W. Bush could be highly off target, as Kerry's daughters received prolonged booing at the network's Music Video Awards in Miami.

"From the moment Alexandra and Vanessa started speaking, the boos outweighed anything close to cheers," according to the Drudge Report.

Another website, juiceenews.com stated: "At one point one of the daughters even held her finger to her mouth in an effort to 'shush' the rowdy crowd. The boos only grew louder when the daughters suggested that the best choice for a president in this year's election should be their father."

Matt's Chat

When the most liberal Senator loses the MTV vote, you know they are in trouble...

John Kerry Delenda Est!

Wars Make News; Peace Breaks Out

From Yahoo News:

The chilling sights and sounds of war fill newspapers and television screens worldwide, but war itself is in decline, peace researchers report.

In fact, the number killed in battle has fallen to its lowest point in the post-World War II period, dipping below 20,000 a year by one measure. Peacemaking missions, meantime, are growing in number.

"International engagement is blossoming," said American scholar Monty G. Marshall. "There's been an enormous amount of activity to try to end these conflicts."

For months the battle reports and casualty tolls from Iraq and Afghanistan have put war in the headlines, but Swedish and Canadian non-governmental groups tracking armed conflict globally find a general decline in numbers from peaks in the 1990s.

Matt's Chat

It's officially a quagmire...

John Kerry Delenda Est!

President Clinton's Other Legacy

From NewsMax:

A New York Times poll of 9/11 victim families released on Sunday shows that more Americans who lost relatives in the worst terrorist attack in the nation's history hold President Clinton rather than President Bush responsible.

"As for assigning blame, more of those interviewed blamed former President Bill Clinton than blamed Mr. Bush for the awful human damage inflicted on American soil that day," the Times said.

Matt's Chat

While there is a story of local interest (Mike Allen) that I will draw parallels to President Clinton's "legacy," Clinton could be remembered more for this than anything else.

John Kerry Delenda Est!

France 'Responds' to Hostage Crisis

From the BBC:

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier has arrived in Egypt at the start of a mission to secure the release of two journalists being held in Iraq.

The move was announced by President Jacques Chirac after senior French politicians held emergency meetings to discuss their response to the crisis.

Arabic TV station al-Jazeera broadcast film of the two Frenchmen on Saturday.

It said the group holding them was demanding that France drop its ban on Muslim headscarves in state schools.

Matt's Chat

I hate to tell France that I told ya so...but, I told ya so. These terrorists aren't interested in whether or not you fight in Iraq. They want us all dead. Neville Chamberlain tactics didn't secure you peace in your time...

John Kerry Delenda Est!

An Open Letter from Mikey to President Bush

Source:

August 26, 2004

It Takes Real Courage to Desert Your Post and Then Attack a Wounded Vet

Dear Mr. Bush,

I know you and I have had our differences in the past, and I realize I am the one who started this whole mess about "who did what" during Vietnam when I brought up that "deserter" nonsense back in January. But I have to hand it to you on what you have uncovered about John Kerry and his record in Vietnam. Kerry has tried to pass himself off as a war hero, but thanks to you and your friends, we now know the truth.

First of all, thank you for pointing out to all of us that Mr. Kerry was never struck by a BULLET. It was only SHRAPNEL that entered his body! I did not know that! Hell, what's the big deal about a bunch of large, sharp, metal shards ripping open your flesh? That happens to all of us! In my opinion, if you want a Purple Heart, you'd better be hit by a bullet -- with your name on it!

Secondly, thank you for sending Bob Dole out there and letting us know that Mr. Kerry, though wounded three times, actually "never spilled blood." When you are in the debates with Kerry, turn to him and say, "Dammit, Mr. Kerry, next time you want a Purple Heart, you better spill some American red blood! And I don't mean a few specks like those on O.J.'s socks -- we want to see a good pint or two of blood for each medal. In fact, I would have preferred that you had bled profusely, a big geyser of blood spewing out of your neck or something!" Then throw this one at him: "Senator Kerry, over 58,000 brave Americans gave their lives in Vietnam -- but YOU didn't. You only got WOUNDED! What do you have to say for yourself???" Lay that one on him and he won't know what to do.

And thanks, also, Mr. Bush, for exposing the fact that Mr. Kerry might have actually WOUNDED HIMSELF in order to get those shiny medals. Of course he did! How could the Viet Cong have hit him -- he was on a SWIFT boat! He was going too fast to be hit by enemy fire. He tried to blow himself up three different times just so he could go home and run for president someday. It's all so easy to see, now, what he was up to.

What would we do without you, Mr. Bush? Criticize you as we might, when it comes to pointing out other men's military records, there is no one who can touch your prowess. In 2000, you let out the rumor that your opponent John McCain might be "nuts" from the 5 years he spent in a POW camp. Then, in the 2002 elections, your team compared triple-amputee Sen. Max Cleland to Osama bin Laden, and that cost him the election. And now you are having the same impact on war hero John Kerry. Since you (oops, I mean "The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth!") started running those ads, Kerry's poll numbers have dropped (with veterans, he has lost 18 points in the last few weeks).

Some people have said, "Who are you, Mr. Bush, to attack these brave men considering you yourself have never seen combat -- in fact, you actively sought to avoid it." What your critics fail to understand is that even though your dad got you into a unit that would never be sent to Vietnam -- and even though you didn't show up for Guard duty for at least a year -- at least you were still IN FAVOR of the Vietnam War! Cowards like Clinton felt it was more important to be consistent (he opposed the war, thus he refused to go) than to be patriotic and two-faced.

The reason that I think you know so much about other men's war wounds is because, during your time in the Texas Air National Guard, you suffered so many of them yourself. Consider the paper cut you received on September 22,1972, while stationed in Alabama, working on a Senate campaign for your dad's friend (when you were supposed to be on the Guard base). A campaign brochure appeared from nowhere, ambushing your right index finger, and blood trickled out onto your brand new argyle sweater.

Then there was the incident with the Crazy Glue when your fraternity brothers visited you one weekend at the base and glued your lips together while you were "passed out." Though initially considered "friendly fire," it was later ruled that you suffered severe post traumatic stress disorder from the assault and required certain medicinal attention -- which, it seems, was provided by those same fraternity brethren.

But nothing matched your heroism when, on July 2, 1969, you sustained a massive head injury when enemy combatants from another Guard unit dropped a keg of Coors on your head during a reconnaissance mission at a nearby all-girls college. Fortunately, the cool, smooth fluids that poured out of the keg were exactly what was needed to revive you.

That you never got a Purple Heart for any of these incidents is a shame. I can fully appreciate your anger at Senator Kerry for the three he received. I mean, Kerry was a man of privilege, he could have gotten out just like you. Instead, he thinks he's going to gain points with the American people bragging about how he was getting shot at every day in the Mekong Delta. Ha! Is that the best he can do? Hell, I hear gunfire every night outside my apartment window! If he thinks he is going to impress anyone with the fact that he volunteered to go when he could have spent the Vietnam years on the family yacht, he should think again. That only shows how stupid he was! True-blue Americans want a president who knows how to pull strings and work the system and get away with doing as little work as possible!

So, to make it up to you, I have written some new ads you can use on TV. People will soon tire of the swift boat veterans and you are going to need some fresh, punchier material. Feel free to use any of these:

ANNOUNCER: "When the bullets were flying all around him in Vietnam, what did John Kerry do? He said he leaned over the boat and 'pulled a man out of the river.' But, as we all know, men don't live in the river -- fish do. John Kerry knows how to tell a big fish tale. What he won't tell you is that when the enemy was shooting at him, he ducked. Do you want a president who will duck? Vote Bush."

ANNOUNCER: "Mr. Kerry's biggest supporter, Sen. Max Cleland, claims to have lost two legs and an arm in Vietnam. But he still has one arm! How did that happen? One word: Cowardice. When duty called, he was unwilling to give his last limb. Is that the type of selfishness you want hanging out in the White House? We think not. Vote for the man who would be willing to give America his right frontal lobe. Vote Bush."

Hope these help, Mr. Bush. And remember, when the American death toll in Iraq hits 1,000 during the Republican convention, be sure to question whether those who died really did indeed "die" -- or were they just trying to get their faces on CNN's nightly tribute to fallen heroes? The sixteen who've died so far this week were probably working hand in hand with the Kerry campaign to ruin your good time in New York. Stay consistent, sir, and always, ALWAYS question the veracity of anyone who risks their life for this country. It's the least they deserve.

Yours,

Michael Moore Mmflint@aol.com http://www.michaelmoore.com

PS. George, I know you said you don't read the newspaper, but USA Today has given me credentials to the Republican convention to write a guest column each day next week (Tues.-Fri.). If you don't want to read it, you and I will be in the same building so maybe I could come by and read it to you? Lemme know.

Presented with no commentary whatsoever...it is, after all, a family show here.

John Kerry Delenda Est!

Pessimism Update

By Matt Hurley for the TIB Network:

Source

Today, the Commerce Department reported that GDP grew at 2.8 percent in the second quarter of this year. The following is a statement of the Kerry campaign:

Kerry spokesman Phil Singer said: "The ink on George Bush's economic record is starting to dry: These GDP numbers are the latest piece of evidence that George Bush is misleading Americans when he says that the economy has turned the corner. No matter what happens in the next two months, nothing will change the basic fact that George W. Bush is going to the be first President facing re-election with a net job loss record."

[Emphasis added]

Phil, that 2.8% is an addition to the 4.5% from last quarter. This is a good thing for the country. You're sour because it is a bad thing for the Walter Mitty Defense, I mean Kerry/Edwards campaign. Better not to put out a release at all...you guys are just looking pathetic and bitter now...

John Kerry Delenda Est!

Blogaversary

We made it a whole year!

And we have a ton of folks to thank. Blogger has been great; can't beat 'em when its FREE, man! Haloscan's comment and trackback systems have been fantastic! SiteMeter has been a valuable tool and a key to the EcoSystem.

We have to thank ShowMeTickets.com, our sponsor. Our partnership with Amazon has been gratifying as well. BlogAds was very easy to work with (and for the Blogaversary, we're running a special for our fellow bloggers, we'll run an one month ad for FREE on a first come/first served basis until the ad strip is filled - email me or leave a comment below for details). And lastly, CafePress has been absolutely wonderful. Check out the WMD Store and buy, buy, buy!

Special thanks to fellow bloggers and blogs who have sent us traffic over the year. Mahatma, Michael Demmons, Blogs for Bush, Moore Lies, KerryHaters, and Hugh Hewitt.

Lastly, and most importantly, the biggest thank you of all goes to the regular readers (Sean, Peter van P., Mahatma, Pat the Lurker/KerryHater, the Governor, Rob Bernard (fellow eCampaigner), Eric Totels (fellow eCampaigner), and Brian of the MVCA) and all the readers who drop in...

Personally, I have to thank Mark for giving this crazy idea a go and sticking with it through the best and worst of times. Also, Doug (who writes stuff down and is my co-blogger at Classic Brass); Otto, James, and the gang of SOC Entertainment for doing WMDtv; and all the folks who have been an inspiration: The NRO Corner gang, Tim Perry, Tyler at Red Line Rants, Michael King, Michelle Malkin...and the rest of the BlogRoll.


A note or two about the redesign: the original template, Minima Black, was designed by Douglas Bowman. I heavily modified the template. All the graphics (including the background) and text colors are mine, but the "frame" I built it all on is his. You'll notice that there are now two "comment" systems. What I'd like to see happen there is that we'll carry on the related discussions in the "discussion" (HaloScan's comment system) system and put all the non-related "stuff" in the "comments" (Blogger's comment system) system. At least until I can figure out how to get rid of the Blogger system and still get the HaloScan system to show up... Lastly, it looks best (and was designed for) in Internet Explorer at a display resolution greater than 800x600.

Anyway...I'm looking forward to YEAR TWO of WMD! Join us every day, won't you?

Update

Apparently, we are sharing our blogaversary with InstaPundit Glenn Reynolds' birthday. Happy Birthday, Glenn!

John Kerry Delenda Est!

Book Review: Unfit for Command

By Matt Hurley for the TIB Network:

Right upfront I'll admit some cognitive dissonance and trepidation about Unfit for Command. I'm not one to question anyone's service to their country and I don't believe it should be an issue in this or any campaign for President of the United States. That said, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT) have the right to their say on the matter of John Kerry's service record since he made his four month tour in Vietnam the central focus of his campaign.

There have been a number of stories that John Kerry has told for years that he has now been forced to recant. Chief among them is the "Christmas in Cambodia" story which is covered in detail in the book. As Kerry told the story, he spent Christmas Eve 1968 in Cambodia even though President Nixon denied that any troops were in Cambodia at the time. One problem with that is that Nixon didn't take office until January of 1969. Another problem is that no one will corroborate his story. SBVT member Stephen Gardner spent more time on Kerry's boat than anybody, including the time in question, and he says that they were operating out of a base that was 50 miles away from the Cambodia border. The Kerry campaign recently retracted the story saying that Kerry was "close" to the border and not actually in Cambodia at the time prescribed but rather he was in Cambodia at another time altogether. This is, according to Kerry's own Senate testimony in 1986, a memory which was "seared - seared" into his memory.

Two other stories have popped up recently as well that don't appear to hold water. One is the story of John Kerry's "Magic Hat" which was supposedly given to him on a secret mission where his swift boat delivered a CIA team into Cambodia. Such missions did take place, but usually involved a helicopter insertion. No Swift Boat Commander has stepped forward to say that they carried out such a mission. Swift boats are noisy and therefore not the ideal asset for such a mission. However, a smaller and quieter craft was used for these types of missions, but John Kerry never served on one. As another writer put it, the CIA had plenty of money and assets available to them, they would never select a guy who just got to Vietnam for such a crucial mission.

The other story just surfaced and involves John Kerry's Vietnam pet, "VC the Wonderdog" which John Kerry claimed he had with him on his swift boat in his candidate questionairre for the Humane Society. No one has stepped forward with a recollection of this pet either. The dog's name is curious too: why would you name your beloved pet after the enemy that is trying to kill you?

The Swiftees have built up a lot of credibility thus far. However, there are a couple of issues that I have with the book. I think that the Swiftees would have been better served by getting an objective outside writer for the book who was not a member of the SBVT. The number of cheapshots taken throughout the book are something of a turnoff, but were expected.

And there is one story that I have trouble with altogether. Here is an exerpt from page 58 about the "Sampan Incident" in which a Vietnamese child was killed:

Despite Kerry's written report, rumors of the incident circulated for years. The vivid memory of the small bloody sampan haunts Silver Star winner Bill Franke, a veteran of many battles. A boat officer of Coastal Division 11 (and one of the real heroes of the incident portrayed in Kerry's "no man left behind" video), Jack Chenowith has recently written that "[t]he only atrocity I ever knew of or heard about was Kerry killing the small child in the junk." ["Junk" was a nickname for a sampan. - MATT]

In Tour of Duty, Kerry, according to one of his own accounts, appears to have lost control of his boat after crazily ordering that "warning shots" be fired at a small sampan with heavy .50 caliber weapons, instead of the numerous small-caliber weapons on board. According to the biography written by the Boston Globe reporters, Kerry simply butchers a small sampan in a free-fire zone because they would have been dangerous to approach.

My problem with the way this story is presented is that there is no clear definitive version of what actually happened. In one version of the story, it appears that the gunner, Swiftee Steve Gardner, opened up without an order from Kerry to do so because John Kerry took too long to come out of the pilot house to give the order (page 56). Gardner claims that Kerry failed to pick up the sampan on radar. If Gardner's version of the story is correct, he is the one actually responsible for the incident because he acted without orders. This story will prove hard to verify at any rate because the official report, which Kerry filed, did not include the detail of the killed child.

If you're watching the scoreboard, the Swiftees come out ahead. My recommendation is to get the book and read it with a healthy dose of skepticism. The one thing to remember is that the only thing that can prove the Swiftees wrong is for John Kerry to open up his full military record, which he has demonstrated an unwillingness to do.

While I'm not sure it will have a lasting effect on the race for Commander-in-Chief, Unfit for Command is a pretty good read.

John Kerry Delenda Est!

Liberal Hamsters Love Splitting Hairs and Word Games....

By Mark for the TIB Network:

In my listening to television and radio, I am astounded at the levels to which liberals will split hairs and play word games to paint the Swift Boat controversy as George Bush's fault. Let's look at some issues:

1. The call for Bush to denounce the ads--DUH!!! He has already done that. In fact, he has denounced all 527s as being bad for the process....Look it up. He said it this past week in Texas. Where is Kerry's denunciation of 527s? Oh wait, he only denounces those which bash him, my bad!~

2. The notion that George Bush needs to publicly call for an end to the Swift Boat campaign-- Even if he did, it would make no difference, morons! John O'Neill, the author of Unfit for Command, and one of the Leaders of the Swifties said he would run the ads even if the President asked him to stop. So, kindly, please step away from the Cialis, Keopectate, and Calomine and shut up!

3. The issue of legalities--I have heard some say that Conservatives have a flimsy defense for Bush not calling the Swifties, namely the argument I made that this would constitute coordination and would violate the law. Liberals claim they just want Bush to denounce the commercials, well DUH! AGAIN--he already did! And I wish liberals would come to a consensus, because Max Cleland's letter specifically calls upon Bush to personally contact the Swifties, something which DOES INDEED violate the campaign finance/election laws. Something John Kerry has already done and has in fact, VIOLATED the law.

4. Lastly, the notion of free speech--if it is free speech for John Kerry to come home from the war and attack his fellow soldiers with stories now proven to be either made up or exaggerated and never repudiate or apologize, then it is free speech for the Swifties to speak out against John Kerry being President. If it is free speech to call a President Hitler and lie about the record, then it is free speech for the Swifties to air their ads. If it is free speech for rockers who don't even know their nation's history to defame a President, then it is free speech for the Swifties to speak out against John Kerry.

I laugh, not at 'superior intellect,' but rather at sad hypocrisy blindly parrotted by small people who simply cannot think beyond hatred.

I mean, really, come on...Vets cannot speak out but moveon.org can? How can you justify the distinction? Oh wait, I know, one is for John Kerry and the other is not. That is not fairness; that is censorship and suppression. Sad that a philosophy touted for its openness cannot take an opposing view without threatening lawsuits and angry tantrums. I laugh at the childishness.

There, more liberal ad hominem and stupidity debunked.

This was Mark, thanks for reading.

John Kerry Delenda Est!

Hugh Said It Best...

When some one is destroying themselves, do NOT get in the way.

- Hugh Hewitt

John Kerry Delenda Est!

CREW Update

By Matt Hurley for the TIB Network:

Here is an update on a story from yesterday.

Earlier today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) received a letter from the Executive Office of the President denying CREW's Aug. 24 request for records detailing White House contacts with individuals connected to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT). As grounds for the denial, the White House claimed that it was exempt from having to disclose the information.

And here is my favorite part...

Blah, blah, non-partisan, blah.

Yakkity, schmackity.

Blah, blah, uh-huh, blah.

Right.

It's in there...look harder...

John Kerry Delenda Est!

Note to Chad and Phil

Chad and Phil of the Walter Mitty Defense (I mean Kerry/Edwards campaign),

Be careful, very, very careful what you wish for...

John Kerry Delenda Est!

Getting Out of Hand...

...at National Review's Corner...

The Connections keep piling up...not looking good at all for Kerry/Edwards and their 527s...

4:15PM Update

Ann Coulter, of all people, has a funny piece about the ways folks are analyzing the Swifties and Kerry and his band. Here's my favorite part:

For starters, 254 swiftboat veterans say Kerry is a fraud; 14 say he's a hero. Partisan considerations aside, which would be more difficult to do: Get 14 liars to keep a secret, or get 254 liars to do so? As a student of recent history, I defer to any registered Democrat on this question.

Of course, the 14 in Kerry's camp are not necessarily lying, being bribed, or hoping for a position in the Kerry administration – possibilities the media will never raise, I note. But we're talking about 35-year-old memories here; 254 memories to 14 memories is what we used to call "evidence."

Why don't we just give both sides some swiftboats, a few machine guns and lots of ammo, put them on a river somewhere, and let them settle this whole thing like gentlemen once and for all?

Heh. Which sort of reminds me of this Cox & Forkum cartoon...

Mark's Remarks

Doesn't Ann Coulter know: If the truth is freed, Kerry will screed!

It is amazing to me that where once people talked of 254:14 ratios as landslides, today we are told to look at 14 and ignore the 254. I mean, really, if 300 people saw something, and over 200 remember it one way, wouldn't you be more likely to believe the 200+ over the 14?

What am I thinking? I am attempting to imply logic to liberal arguments...never mind!

John Kerry Delenda Est!

Balloon Juice on Lawyers and 527s

Quoth John Cole:

Clearly, this explains why Soviet dissident Anatoly Shcharansky, Leona Helmsly, John DeLorean, O.J. Simpson, and Claus von Bulow are all buddy-buddy. What? You see no connection? Impossible! All of them used attorney Alan Dershowitz. They must be in cahoots.

I guess this also explains the close personal relationship between Bill Clinton, Caspar Weinberger, Marge Schott, and Clark Clifford. After all, they all used Bob Bennett as a lawyer, so they must be attached at the hip.

Idiots

Matt's Chat

Don't have a clue what this is about? Check this out. And then check this out.

Mark's Remarks

What I love is what I call the Wizard of Oz manuever: LOOK AT THE EVIL REPUBLICAN CONSPIRATOR lawyers in cahoots, but DON'T LOOK over here...where our lawyers, where...our executive officers...are in organization and cahoots far deeper than any lawyer...could possibly be....whoops....Look at Harold Ickes and others....even as they are on key DNC committees they are heading up 527s and attempting to claim no coordination, even as their own staffers frolic together....Come on, let's be real here!

John Kerry Delenda Est!

Health Care

By Matt Hurley for the TIB Network:

Council for Affordable Health Insurance:

"We are quickly approaching a crossroads for the U.S. health care system," said CAHI Director Dr. Merrill Matthews. "Do we want government-directed or consumer-directed health care? Do we want bureaucrats or patients in charge? While neither campaign is promoting sweeping changes, both have a vision for the future of the U.S. health care system. And those visions would take us in two different directions."

After examining each plan in depth, CAHI concluded that Senator Kerry's plan - which would expand the government's role in health insurance, impose price controls and eliminate innovative new options such as Health Savings Accounts - would reverse the recent shift toward consumer-directed health care policies, which promise to lower costs and increase access to coverage.

In general, President Bush's plan would encourage consumer-directed health care and energize the private health care system.

Matthews concluded, "While bolder steps could be taken, it's obvious that President Bush's plan does more to expand options and increases access to affordable health insurance."

Thanks for the checkup, doc! Another reason to vote for Bush/Cheney: affordable, consumer-centered health care.

InstaUpdate

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert has something useful to add to this discussion:

"While we already have taken a much-needed step to help control rising medical costs by enacting Health Savings Accounts, today's report of a million and a half more uninsured Americans illustrates a willing Congress still has work to do.

"I call on obstructionist Democrats in the Senate to drop their silent filibuster of demanding sixty votes and instead move forward with a simple up-or-down vote on Medical Liability Reform and Association Health Plans. Both of these common-sense measures to hold down health care costs already have passed the House and simply await Senate approval.

"Senators John Kerry and John Edwards should willingly stand up to the Democrat Party's special interests, stop playing politics with the lives of these 45-million Americans, and do the right thing to hold down health care costs before it's too late. In fact, they should be the ones pushing for a simple majority vote in the Senate on Medical Liability Reform and Association Health Plans if they truly want to make a statement about their vision for the future."

Which gives me a chance to plug John Thune...contribute to stopping Tom Daschle's obstructionism on this and many other issues.

Mark's Remarks

HEY DNC!!!! Don't you hate it when your commercials are revealed as lies? There is a DNC commercial in which actors say Bush has said nothing or done nothing about health care, but here we have EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY!!!! I just love it when liberal lies are revealed!!! Hey America, stop getting your opinions from commercials, celebrities, and rock stars! Do some homework if you want the best system! It is not in the hands of government but in our own hands!!!!

As Ronald Reagan said--Americans spend their money far better than the government does.

We are moving toward health care reform, but THE DEMOCRATS DON'T WANT IT....you see, their buddies in the special interests don't want reform, they want bureaucracy and expansion of government, you know, people like the trial lawyers, etc.

Don't let them take more money away, fight them!

Quit letting them talk out of both sides of their mouth--decrying no reform even as they obstruct common sense measures to reform the system!!! Write and call your Senators today and tell them to shape up, or by God you will ship them out!

John Kerry Delenda Est!

Another Foreign "Leader" for Kerry; VC the Wonder Dog

Source:

Two items of interest in this one...first up: notorious cop killer endorses John Kerry for president.

Just in case anyone was wondering what one glorified cop killer thinks about the presidential campaign, Mumia Abu-Jamal has weighed in with his advice to Democrats.

"For millions of people, there exists in their minds, in their hearts a hunger for change," Abu-Jamal writes in the latest issue of Workers World. "That hunger is becoming a driving force in the upcoming elections, and is being expressed in a way that can best be summed up: 'Anybody But Bush.' "

Abu-Jamal's death sentence for gunning down Philadelphia Police Officer Danny Faulkner in 1981 has made him an idol to many extreme leftists. The convicted murderer regularly contributes columns to Workers World, the weekly journal of a Marxist revolutionary party that is the main sponsor of International ANSWER, which in turn is a major sponsor of protests at next week's Republican convention in New York.

Matt's Chat

You know, they can't just come out and say it......

Anyway...the Walter Mitty Defense (also known as Kerry/Edwards) gets another "story" to fend off. This time, the Swiftees had nothing to do with it. John Kerry's VIETNAM (did you know he served in VIETNAM!?) pet:

A new four-legged angle — actually a dog named "VC" — has suddenly materialized surrounding Sen. John Kerry's swift boat service in Vietnam.

In a 2004 presidential candidate questionnaire for Humane USA, Mr. Kerry was asked whether any pets have had an impact on his life.

"I have always had pets in my life, and there are a few that I remember very fondly," Mr. Kerry replied. "When I was serving on a Swift Boat in Vietnam, my crewmates and I had a dog we called VC.

"One day as our Swift Boat was heading up a river, a mine exploded hard under our boat," he continued. "After picking ourselves up, we discovered VC was MIA (missing in action). Several minutes of frantic search followed, after which we thought we'd lost him. We were relieved when another boat called asking if we were missing a dog."

Said Mr. Kerry: "It turns out VC was catapulted from the deck of our boat and landed, confused but unhurt, on the deck of another boat in our patrol."

When will this madness end?

Mark's Remarks

So, Kerry loved the VC. I guess the Swifties and the other Vietnam vets were right. I mean, why in the blue hell would you name a dog after the enemy? This is ridiculous.

As for Abu Cop Killer, I am tired of him. The guy brutally savaged officers and Lefties treat him like a hero. He was a druggie who killed a cop. He is not some freedom fighter. He is a criminal. He is not a literary master, he is a huckster. I am shocked and appalled at the level of hatred Lefties have for brave men and women enforcing the law, but this deification of Abu Cop Killer typifies it.

John Kerry Delenda Est!

Building the Bigger Tent

By Matt Hurley for the TIB Network:

Quoth David Limbaugh:

"Moderate" Republicans for years have been urging the GOP to abandon social conservatism, as being too divisive and suicidal in terms of alienating swing voters. The GOP better not fall for this advice. Ronald Reagan didn't buy into diluting his policies on such important issues. And it hardly damaged him politically. The party must not turn its back on its base.

That is not to say that the party should refuse the support of those who don't agree with all of its tenets. But they shouldn't compromise their defining principles for the sake of building a bigger tent. The tent will be bigger and stronger to the extent they remain true to the conservative message.

For the most part, I agree with David. I've met some rather "Carvillian" Republicans in my day though that give even me pause.

There seems to be a willingness on the part of the GOP in general and Bush/Cheney in particular to expand the party whatever the cost. If successful, a catastrophe of epoch proportion would occur.

I really don't have a problem with negotiating with "moderate" elements of the Republican Party, I used to be one. My problem is that we have a candidate that is willing to consider an amnesty program for people who have broken the law by the nature of the way they got here. Immigration reform is just one issue, there are other related issues like border security that this campaign (and its candidate) don't seem real interested in taking the conservative view.

The base is large, and growing, but the fear is that the GOP will compromise its principles in order to garner a few more votes. At which point I say, why bother?

The reason to bother in this election is that we are fighting a war on terror militant Islam. The GOP shouldn't take that for granted in the long term.

John Kerry Delenda Est!

The Rise of the Blog

Mahatma on the evolving world we now find ourselves living in...

Today no less than a revolution is occurring. The first shots were fired many years ago but the first pitched battle was won in just this last week. The mainstream media decided that there would be no coverage of the allegations from the Swiftboat Veterans. The community of bloggers decided that this was an issue which needed to be covered. The battle lines were formed and cracks quickly developed as the media were incapable of resisting the incredible force of millions of people getting and knowing information from alternate sources.
...
So what does all of this mean? Many things actually; one is that there is no longer a monopoly of message from major media outlets. The web logs remain an effective check on the arrogance of the fourth estate. Note that this check could operate on either side of the political spectrum but tends to be most effective from the right. That is likely because of the left leaning nature of most major media coverage of stories.

Matt's Chat

It had to happen sooner or later. The mainstream media has been spoonfeeding us their propaganda for so long, that finally some cracks are showing in the armor. Blogs have taken advantage of that weakness.

Diversity is a wonderful thing... That is one of the things I find so refreshing about the blogosphere. I've seen and read things that I never would have been exposed to without the blogosphere.

And my own participation in the "revolution," as Mahatma calls it, has been a delightful exercise in personal renewal. I'm not going to go all John Kerry and exaggerate our influence (or our hit count), but if we've swayed even one person to take a critical look at what the media is telling them; it will have all been worth it. Not to mention the personal growth and development that comes naturally from having to put thoughts and views out there in the marketplace of ideas.

It is a rewarding experience and one that I encourage everyone to try.

Mark's Remarks

Yes, the Rise of the Blog and alternative media has been an incredible force over the last 5 years, especially in the last 18 months. It is amazing what happens when people who care take a stand and rise to be counted. Those of us out here in the blogosphere are just exercising our freedom of expression. And I applaud those who earnestly and sincerely seek to tell the truth, as they see it. I do not even want to get into the smear merchants and those who simply ad hominem, but, that is their right. At least as long as John Kerry doesn't become President, because then we might see the collapse of this new medium, because it helped open eyes to Kerry's true colors!

What is really telling in this rise of Blogs is the decline of mainstream media. At one time, the NY Times truly was the newspaper of record. Now, more people get their news from Drudge and blogs than the Times. More people get their news from Fox than the networks. Why is this? Could it truly be people are sick of the spin? Could it be that people are sick of the liberal filter? Could it be that they want to hear the news, not be fed propaganda? Could it be they want something more than Dan Blather and Brokejaw and Peterhead Jennings? I think so.

So what happens? Bloggers are called whackos by the likes of egotists like Chris "Caveman" Matthews, even as they are using blogs to get their show notes together. What is troublesome to the media is that blogs are watchdog sites. No matter what side you are on, if someone screws up, the blogs will report it. And the Big Time media hates to be called on mistakes. They hate competition. That is why they seek to silence us. That is why they poopoo our efforts. However, if one is to look at circulation and viewership, Drudge, Fox, and blogs are rising; and networks and papers are falling. I think it speaks volumes about the failures of the modern mass media. Unlike them, bloggers don't hide behind claiming objectivity. We lay it out and say this is how we see it; and I think people find that refreshing. Rather than see the talking heads fake objectivity, they like that real people blogging admit biases and simply blog away.

Maybe the media needs to wake up...maybe I need to shut up so they don't and we can still have an audience...Either way, thanks fellow bloggers and viva la (reagan) revolution!

John Kerry Delenda Est!

Another Dem Lie Exposed

More than just "McJobs" jobs in this economy are in high demand...

John Kerry Delenda Est!

M*A*S*H Doctor Veterans for Truth

Not to be missed... This is one of those things that, as a blogger, after you read it you say, "DARN IT! WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT!?"

Hilarious.

John Kerry Delenda Est!

Europeans for Saddam

By Matt Hurley for the TIB Network:

...well, a couple of banks anyway...

From the Telegraph:

American authorities aim to cut the Infobank of Belarus and First Merchant Bank of Cyprus out of the financial system by making mainstream institutions aware of the allegations.

The Treasury Department dubbed the banks "primary money laundering concerns" for their failure to combat problems with the oil-for-food scheme.

Stuart Levey, Treasury undersecretary, said: "Today's designation alerts the global financial community of the threat posed by these entities. It also serves notice to others that there will be significant consequences for institutions that launder tainted money or engage in similar corruption: we will cut you off from the US financial system."

Matt's Chat

Did that little smack on the wrist hurt?

Mark's Remarks

This is an excellent start and it needs to send a message to the world that we are sick and tired of people who stand on the sidelines and in some cases, offer benign support of terrorism by inaction or turning a blind eye for profit. This being said, the American people need to look at where their mutual funds and pension funds are going. There is a website called DivestTerror.org which details how some of our pension funds (including government employees) are actually investing in companies that have ties to terror. Take a stand and visit this site. It will be a real eye opener. Then I encourage Americans to call their pension brokers or mutual fund brokers and seek change, to truly divest terror and cut off cashflow to these animals.

John Kerry Delenda Est!