The Unmentionables

Making It Easy…

…with a little encouragement. Excerpt from an email just received from the DNC:

"That's why we need your help right now. Here's how you can help: write a short letter to the editor of your local newspaper, magazine, TV anchorperson, or favorite publication.

"We make it easy for you to write your letter, with:

--Contrasts of Bush's record and John Kerry's plan on the top issues.
--Contrasts of Bush's record in the TANG and John Kerry's Vietnam heroism.
--Sample letters to the editor.
--Sample letters from official government records.
--The Bush record in your state.
--The Bush paper trail found by disgruntled TANG officers.
--A simple step-by-step tool to format your document properly.
--A simple step-by-step tool for sending your letter.

You know America can do better -- make sure your community does too. Write a letter today."

[It's a joke, son.]

Hoax Felonies

This bit of information was just sent to me via email. I haven't seen this posted elsewhere, so I'll pass it on here:

"Sources from inside the Taylor County Texas GOP are saying that the Taylor County District Attorney is considering asking his Grand Jury to look into the CBS document hoax. If the documents are proved to be forged, and were indeed sent from Abilene, Texas, then the local D.A. would have jurisdiction. Tampering with government documents as well as forgery are both felonies in Texas."

Militia of the Pen

New England Republican links to an interview with David Brooks on Newshour with Jim Lehrer which includes this quote:

"You have got all these people out there on the web, some of whom are smart, some of whom are wacky but who are the people. And they're out there; they're blogging and some of them are picking apart stories and so it became a war between the establishment media and the Internet media. And my basic view of that is they're amateurs and they're amateurs in the best sense. They're expressing their opinions, some of them know a lot, some of them know nothing but they want to express their opinions."

The much-maligned Second Amendment to our Constitution states "A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed."

Although some local governments have succeeded in dispossessing their citizens of their Arms, they have not succeeding in dispersing the other  Militia.

In 1839 Edward George Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873), Victorian-era novelist, wrote "Beneath the rule of men entirely great, the pen is mightier than the sword." (Unfortunately, nine years previously he had written "It was a dark and stormy night ;"* leading to a legacy of bad jokes and beagle mockery.)

The Militia of the Pen is growing mightier with every passing day and, as David Brooks concludes:

"One of the things they do to us is they make it impossible for us to get away with mistakes because if we make a mistake, there are ten thousand of them."

*"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness."  --Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford  (1830) Bulwer-Lytton's ancestral home Knebworth  was also "stately Wayne manor" in Tim Burton's Batman .

For the Children?

Jonah Goldberg at NRO's The Corner reports this speculation on the "little girl" picture making the rounds.

Was the picture a set-up? Is this guy just a too-aggressive Republican who makes a habit of showing up at heavily Democrat rallies? Or is this left-of-center blogger trying to find any gotcha'  to discredit the blogosphere?


UPDATE: Looks like the left is indeed looking for a gotcha'  or, as Michelle Malkin says, The Left is Desperate for a Hoax.

Ra^ther Simple

Hugh Hewitt argues Congress should call hearings about the CBS forgery scandal. Others aren't sure, but I agree deceptions of this magnitude need to be exposed quickly and ruthlessly.

"Second, Ramesh Ponnuru argues at The Corner that hearings are a terrible idea because hearings converst the CBS meltdown into a "Republicans vs. CBS" controversy and that hearings will cause other old media to rally 'round CBS.
[…]
"But even if it did, the consequence of generalized as opposed to specific stonewalling would be generalized as opposed to specific contempt. Even if the media's reputation was the most important issue here, this wouldn't be a reason not to proceed and would in fact be an incentive to proceed.

"But it isn't about Rather's or CBS's or all of old media's reputation. Someone tried to manipulate a presidential election! If that isn't a matter of Congressional oversight, nothing is, and even if the GOP blows it --and Chris Cox is not the sort of congressman to participate in botched inquiries-- that fear does not release Congress from its duty.

There is strong secondary evidence the forged papers came from someone in the DNC, perhaps even the Kerry campaign, although that doesn't seem as easy to connect.

What is most surprising, however, is why CBS and the DNC has allowed this to drag on for an entire week. That speaks volumes of Rather's arrogance not to mention the total cluelessness of the Democrat Party. The solution is obvious.

Once it became apparent the forgeries were exposed, the DNC needed to find a young, expendable, low-level operative in the organization and induce he/she to fall on the sword. By Saturday at the latest that person should have been all over the airwaves, stammering, near tears, "confessing" he/she knew  the information was accurate but Bush "operatives" had removed the originals to keep it from damaging Bush's reelection. Between embarrassed blushes, he/she should have been stoutly proclaiming their belief in the "public's right to know," no matter the cost, so, yes, they had typed up "new" memos to replace the documents "stolen" from Bush's TANG files.

Democrats are dumb as dirt. No wonder they're always getting snookered by the Chinese and North Koreans.


UPDATE: Well, obviously CBS can't trot out Bill Burkett since his credibility and motive is highly suspect, to say the least. But considering this story the "well-meaning-but-misguided-young-DNC-intern" excuse just might have worked.

"With a broad consensus that the documents are probably forgeries, the big question then is: Where did they come from? At least one of the documents bears a faxed header indicating it was faxed from a Kinko's copy shop in Abilene, Tex., to CBS News. CBS has declined to reveal the source of the hotly disputed documents since airing them in a "60 Minutes" broadcast Sept. 8.

"The only Kinko's in Abilene, says the Post report, is 21 miles from the Baird, Tex., home of Bill Burkett, a retired officer in the Texas National Guard who has been identified by other news organizations as a possible source for the documents.
[…]
"Burkett has accused Bush aides of attempting to have some of the president's National Guard record destroyed to avoid political embarrassment. Earlier this year, Burkett told news organizations he had overheard a phone conversation in 1997 during which top Bush aides – namely, Chief of Staff Joe M. Allbaugh and spokespersons Karen Hughes and Dan Bartlett – tried to get the head of the Texas National Guard to sanitize Bush's files. A few days later, Burkett claims, he witnessed the dumping of dozens of pages from Bush's military file in a trash can at the Guard's Camp Mabry headquarters.
[…]
"Burkett told numerous news organizations earlier this year of alleged corruption and malfeasance in the management of the Texas National Guard, although most of his charges have never been substantiated.
[…]
"Burkett, who has suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized for depression after leaving the Texas National Guard, has given different accounts of exactly which Bush records he allegedly saw disposed of in that Camp Mabry trash can. While sometimes describing them as "payroll-type documents" and performance assessments, on another occasion he has said he saw "a two-page counseling statement" signed by Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, the officer who supposedly signed the damaging "60 Minutes" Bush memos."

Dan Ra^ther Back Where He Started

Earlier today a reader sent this note to NRO's The Corner.

"Jonah: I worked with Dan Rather at KHOU TV in Houston at the time he got his big break by wading hip deep in water at the weather bureau in Galveston, TX during Hurricane Carla. Believe me, Jonah, and everyone who knew him would agree, he was a "sad buffoon" even then.

"Dan was never thought to be the sharpest knife in the drawer as an anchor, but when he got trapped by rising water that Summer of 61 and was spotted by Walter Cronkite, a career that probably never should have happened, did.

"He has acted like a loon on many occasions, but the hilarious high point for me was his appearance in Afghanistan wearing a turban and a burnoose and a bunch of towels. I fell out of my chair. Old Dan, from Sam Houston State, undercover in Afghanistan! Got to admit, I'm his age, only he looks a lot older.

The only difference? Now he's in water up to his neck.

And I can still  blame Walter Cronkite.

Islam's Convenient Loopholes

For years I have been attempting to explain to people that Islam allows its adherents to deliberately enter into contracts for personal gain with the express intention of breaking those agreements whenever they wished. Mohammad used that ploy to conquer the tribe holding the city of Mecca, lulling them into a false sense of security with a treaty of peace--then attacking and destroying them when his own military strength had been restored. Muqtada as-Sadar is following this unique Islamic pattern in Iraq.

Most people greet this information with understandable skepticism since in most belief systems one's word is one's bond. The Wandering Mind, however, has uncovered a particular heinous form of that same practice.

Apparently, Muslim men are permitted to marry non-Muslim women, use them for as long as they need, then divorce them--without incurring any spiritual penality. While we Americans do not worry unduly about divorce or infidelity, Islamic law is quite strict--except when furthering Muslim purposes, of course. [Emphasis in the original.]

"Yes, the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and the Issuing of Fatawã, over which I preside, has issued a fatwa permitting a marriage entered into with the intent of divorce as long as this intention remains concealed between the groom and his Lord.

"If he married in a foreign country with the undisclosed intent of divorcing his wife upon the completion of his studies or employment, he is not liable according to the majority of scholars. "

Until every non-Muslim nation realizes this mindset is perfectly ordinary and acceptable to the Islamic world, we will contiually be sucked in to an endless cycle of war/peace/war, etc.

The Silenced  Majority

Not just the Silent Majority.

If this sort of thing is widespread--as many people think it is--the Dems could be in for a huge shock in November. [Emphasis in the original.]

"But there may be a genuine  political climate of fear in some parts of the United States - including my corner of Los Angeles:

"Many Republicans are afraid to put Bush-Cheney bumper stickers on their cars or signs on their lawns because they are afraid of physical retaliation from angry liberals.

"It is not just that one sees few Bush-Cheney bumper stickers and lawn signs - even in areas in which one knows his support is high. I do not have such a bumper sticker or lawn sign. In fact, most  Bush supporters I have asked, even those who are fairly passionate on the topic, just don't think the risk of a key-scratch or broken home or car window, or much worse, is worth whatever benefit one receives from a partisan bumper sticker or lawn sign. There are just too many personal stories of cars and homes defaced and damaged ."

Ignorant people do everyone a great disservice by attempting to suppress the "opposition." Not only do their tactics actually encourage  more people to move to the other side, they stifle debate (which could present their side in a favorable light) and create an aura of complacency among their own followers, dangerous in any sort of competition.

I imagine we'll be hearing sentiments akin to those expressed after the election of 1980--shocked Democrats wandering the land in a daze, wondering how Reagan got elected since nobody  they knew voted for him.

Found via Instapundit.

Divine Rights

Looks like Cox and Forkum had similar thoughts to mine.

Ra^thergate

Michael Ledeen at NRO Online draws the obvious Watergate/Ra^thergate flap:

"It calls to mind the highest achievement of modern journalism, which as we all know was Watergate. If you read the self-encomium by Woodward and Bernstein--"All the President's Men"--you will discover, after the confessions of tampering with a grand jury and illegally obtaining telephone records, the story of a very bad day for our heroes and for their editor Ben Bradlee. WoodBern had run a front page story that day, and by noon they had been ravaged by Nixon's Press Secretary, Ron Nessen, who denied it all and called them liars and frauds. They checked with the Delphic Oracle, then plying his trade under the pseudonym "Deep Throat." He confirmed Nessen's claims. The story was wrong. The Post had lied. So WoodBern went to Bradlee, who wrestled with his conscience and quickly won: "F**k it," he said, "let's go stand by our boys," and he wrote an editorial reasserting the Post's confidence in the story."

How can Dan Ra^ther continue to get in front of the cameras with the expectation the public will be watching for any other reason than to laugh?

Image found at The Comedian via Instapundit.

The Continuing Fallout from Vietnam

The blood trail is on the ground and the hounds are closing in. Such is the legacy of Vietnam, Watergate, Walter Cronkite--and the CBS dynasty.

CBS has been the broadcast outlet of record for the Democrat Party for so long, they have forgotten they are publically licensed  entity. And until he "stepped down" from the post, Walter Cronkite was the kingmaker--the "most trusted man in America."

One of the very first posts I made on this blog was "I Blame Walter Cronkite." (I won't link to it here since many of the links in the post are no longer valid.) Back then I reminded readers that during the late 60s TV viewers had only three options for nightly news. Cronkite was No. 1, perhaps because of the stellar reporting he had done during WWII when he went ashore at Normandy with the so-called "Writing 69th." His accomplishments at that time were remarkable. He originally supported the Vietnam War, perhaps because it was started by Democrat JFK and accelerated by Democrat LBJ. But when the Tet offensive began in January of 1968 Cronkite allegedly "discovered" the government had been lying to the public when spokesmen claimed our troops had the Vietcong on the ropes.

Now we know that was the truth. Yet because it appeared  the North Vietnamese were more powerful than expected (they were throwing their last soldier at the American troops during TET), Cronkite cried foul without investigating the full story. At that point Cronkite flip-flopped and began using his powerful media voice against the war. As Albert Auster writes in his fawning profile of Cronkite at the Museum of Broadcast Communications website: "Many observers, including presidential aide Bill Moyers speculated that this was a major factor contributing to President Lyndon B. Johnson's decision to offer to negotiate with the enemy and not to run for President in l968."

Cronkite fancied himself a kingmaker--a position historically more powerful than the king--and took upon himself the concept of the divine right of kings.

"Jacques-Benigne Bossuet (1627-1704)…in his theory of the Divine Right of Kings,…argued that certain kings ruled because they were chosen by God to do so and that these kings were accountable to no person except God. […] Not only did God bestow power on certain monarchs,…but the bestowal of this power legitimated autocracy (rule by one person). The king ruled by virtue of God's authority; therefore he should be obeyed in all things. No group, whether they be nobles, or a parliament, or the people in the street, have a right to participate in this rule; to question or oppose the monarch was to rebel against God's purpose."

This superiority of knowledge and opinion marked all of Cronkite's subsequent reporting as evidenced by Auster's profile.

"By the same token, Cronkite never stinted on coverage of the Watergate Scandal and subsequent hearings. In l972, following on the heels of the Washington Post's  "Watergate" revelations the CBS Evening News  presented a 22 minute, two-part overview of "Watergate" generally credited with keeping the issue alive and making it intelligible to most Americans."

"On an international level. Cronkite could also influence foreign diplomacy, as evidenced in a l977 interview with Eygptian President Anwar El-Sadat, in which he asked Sadat if he would go to Jerusalem to confer with the Israelis. A day after Sadat agreed to such a visit an the invitation came from Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. It was a step that would eventually pave the way for the Camp David accords and an Israeli-Eygptian Peace treaty."

Ironically, Auster ends his piece with this stunning phrase:

"Cronkite's legacy of separating reporting from advocacy has become the norm in television news."

Cronkite's legacy was the arrogant Divine Right  of the Kingmaker, quickly adopted by the next generation of CBS anchors and reporters.

And just like the sycophants of corrupt monarchies before them, the CBS shadow rulers now find themselves clinging to the sides of the tumbrel listening to the swish/thunk  of the blade as they approach the guillotine.