Saturday, March 31, 2007
Tom Davis charges cover-up of Sandy Berger case on Fox News tonight
Tonight at 9:00 - FOX News Special Report:
'Socks, Scissors, Paper: The Sandy Berger Caper'
Repeated Sunday at 4:00 p.m.
• Video: Click here to see preview of 'Socks, Scissors, Paper: The Sandy Berger Caper'
Questions Probe of Theft at the National Archives
By Edward Barnes
Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., is charging a cover-up by the Justice Department in connection with the 2003 theft and destruction of top secret documents by Clinton National Security Advisor Sandy Berger. Davis also told FOX News that he is not convinced that Berger was not acting under direction from the Clinton Administration.
"I'm not convinced that he was acting alone," Davis said. "They could have well said, ‘Sandy, do you remember that document way back — that I wrote to you ... We can't get this into the record. This is gonna make us look terrible.' "
Davis' comments came in a FOX News special, "Socks, Scissors, Paper: The Sandy Berger Caper," to be broadcast on FOX News Channel on Saturday, March 31 at 9 p.m. EDT. The program is hosted by David Asman.
Davis is not the only one close to the case who says Berger's crimes need further investigation.
"I'll spend the rest of my life going to bed at night wondering, ‘Did he take more.’ The American people should go to bed every night wondering if he took more. We'll never know; only Sandy Berger knows," Inspector General of the Archives Paul Brachfeld told Asman.
Brachfeld was the first man to investigate the crime. Like Davis, Brachfeld's main concern is that Berger may have withheld key information about Clinton Administration anti-terror strategy and efforts from the 9/11 Commission. Brachfeld has remained silent for more than two years. But in the program he courageously speaks out on television for the first time.
Brachfeld, who has served in senior investigative posts at Customs, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Elections Commission and the Secret Service, says that the case was one of the most perplexing of his career.
"He is one of the true heroes of this saga," Asman says. "Without Brachfeld’s investigative skills and integrity this case might have been buried. But Brachfeld persisted and his clear-eyed analysis of the evidence forced the more timid bureaucrats to slowly, but finally, act."
Brachfeld says major questions remain over the extent of Berger’s theft of top secret "code word" documents, and the resulting damage done to the country’s national security. Code word documents are so highly classified that only a handful of people are ever allowed to read them.
The Fox program also reveals:
— There was a deep division inside the Justice Department about how to handle Berger, who ultimately was allowed to plead to misdemeanor charges, pay a small fine and avoid jail.
— DOJ lawyers involved in the case failed to let the 9/11 Commission know the scope and seriousness of the security breach, despite direct orders from top Justice officials.
— Contrary to the assurances the Justice Department made to Congress and to the 9/11 Commission, nobody but Berger can know whether he kept key documents and information about Clinton administration anti-terror efforts from the Commission.
— Berger’s lies were far more extensive than previously revealed.
— That no full assessment of the damage to national security has been conducted.
— That the Justice Department, in a break with precedent and procedure, relied on Berger’s statements despite a record that showed a history of lies.
Brachfeld also speaks for the first time about when he learned of Berger’s crimes.
As inspector general, he was the National Archive's top cop. But he was informed of Berger's thefts only after archivists, who oversee top secret presidential materials, had hastily organized their own amateurish sting operation and thoroughly botched the case.
The FOX News special, through interviews with Brachfeld, congressional investigators, 9/11 Commission members and Justice Department sources, as well as a detailed review of government reports, recounts in more detail than ever the scope and severity of Berger's crimes.
FOX News also reveals the stunning failure of the Archives — and particularly Presidential Materials Staff Director Nancy Smith — to secure the nation's most sensitive documents.
Among the security breakdowns:
— Smith, the person charged with safeguarding presidential documents, allowed Berger to view the top secret dossiers in her office instead of a secure room known as a SCIF (sensitive compartmentalized information facility) — as required by the CIA.
— Smith, in a serious breach of security protocols, often allowed Berger alone with the documents.
— When Smith and her staff became suspicious that Berger was stealing top secret documents, they did not report their suspicions to authorities, as required by their own rules. Instead, they concocted their own inept sting operation, which they subsequently botched. Brachfeld says that significantly comprised the case against Berger.
The FOX News program's title refers to the most notorious episode in the Sandy Berger case. On September 2, 2003, archivist John Laster reported catching Berger stuffing documents into his socks.
As the program reports, Berger dismisses the allegation that he stole top secret documents in his socks as "absurd and embarrassing."
Berger, however, does admit he made off with national security secrets in his suit jacket.
In the special, Asman retraces the steps Berger took when he stashed some highly sensitive documents under a construction trailer on a busy Washington, D.C. street near the Archives.
In the program, Rep. Davis renews his calls for Berger to undergo a lie detector test. He also charges for the first time that there is reason to believe Berger did not act alone in the thefts. Davis says phone calls Berger methodically made during the review of the documents raise the specter that Berger was coordinating the theft with others.
Berger would be required to submit to a polygraph under the terms of his plea agreement. But when Davis pressed DOJ to administer the test, the department refused.
"They gave us the finger, basically," Davis told Asman.
At the time he stole and destroyed the top secret documents, Berger — who served as National Security Advisor from 1997-2001 — was preparing to represent the Clinton administration in testimony before the 9/11 Commission concerning anti-terror measures that were taken before the New York City attacks.
'Socks, Scissors, Paper: The Sandy Berger Caper'
Repeated Sunday at 4:00 p.m.
• Video: Click here to see preview of 'Socks, Scissors, Paper: The Sandy Berger Caper'
Questions Probe of Theft at the National Archives
By Edward Barnes
Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., is charging a cover-up by the Justice Department in connection with the 2003 theft and destruction of top secret documents by Clinton National Security Advisor Sandy Berger. Davis also told FOX News that he is not convinced that Berger was not acting under direction from the Clinton Administration.
"I'm not convinced that he was acting alone," Davis said. "They could have well said, ‘Sandy, do you remember that document way back — that I wrote to you ... We can't get this into the record. This is gonna make us look terrible.' "
Davis' comments came in a FOX News special, "Socks, Scissors, Paper: The Sandy Berger Caper," to be broadcast on FOX News Channel on Saturday, March 31 at 9 p.m. EDT. The program is hosted by David Asman.
Davis is not the only one close to the case who says Berger's crimes need further investigation.
"I'll spend the rest of my life going to bed at night wondering, ‘Did he take more.’ The American people should go to bed every night wondering if he took more. We'll never know; only Sandy Berger knows," Inspector General of the Archives Paul Brachfeld told Asman.
Brachfeld was the first man to investigate the crime. Like Davis, Brachfeld's main concern is that Berger may have withheld key information about Clinton Administration anti-terror strategy and efforts from the 9/11 Commission. Brachfeld has remained silent for more than two years. But in the program he courageously speaks out on television for the first time.
Brachfeld, who has served in senior investigative posts at Customs, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Elections Commission and the Secret Service, says that the case was one of the most perplexing of his career.
"He is one of the true heroes of this saga," Asman says. "Without Brachfeld’s investigative skills and integrity this case might have been buried. But Brachfeld persisted and his clear-eyed analysis of the evidence forced the more timid bureaucrats to slowly, but finally, act."
Brachfeld says major questions remain over the extent of Berger’s theft of top secret "code word" documents, and the resulting damage done to the country’s national security. Code word documents are so highly classified that only a handful of people are ever allowed to read them.
The Fox program also reveals:
— There was a deep division inside the Justice Department about how to handle Berger, who ultimately was allowed to plead to misdemeanor charges, pay a small fine and avoid jail.
— DOJ lawyers involved in the case failed to let the 9/11 Commission know the scope and seriousness of the security breach, despite direct orders from top Justice officials.
— Contrary to the assurances the Justice Department made to Congress and to the 9/11 Commission, nobody but Berger can know whether he kept key documents and information about Clinton administration anti-terror efforts from the Commission.
— Berger’s lies were far more extensive than previously revealed.
— That no full assessment of the damage to national security has been conducted.
— That the Justice Department, in a break with precedent and procedure, relied on Berger’s statements despite a record that showed a history of lies.
Brachfeld also speaks for the first time about when he learned of Berger’s crimes.
As inspector general, he was the National Archive's top cop. But he was informed of Berger's thefts only after archivists, who oversee top secret presidential materials, had hastily organized their own amateurish sting operation and thoroughly botched the case.
The FOX News special, through interviews with Brachfeld, congressional investigators, 9/11 Commission members and Justice Department sources, as well as a detailed review of government reports, recounts in more detail than ever the scope and severity of Berger's crimes.
FOX News also reveals the stunning failure of the Archives — and particularly Presidential Materials Staff Director Nancy Smith — to secure the nation's most sensitive documents.
Among the security breakdowns:
— Smith, the person charged with safeguarding presidential documents, allowed Berger to view the top secret dossiers in her office instead of a secure room known as a SCIF (sensitive compartmentalized information facility) — as required by the CIA.
— Smith, in a serious breach of security protocols, often allowed Berger alone with the documents.
— When Smith and her staff became suspicious that Berger was stealing top secret documents, they did not report their suspicions to authorities, as required by their own rules. Instead, they concocted their own inept sting operation, which they subsequently botched. Brachfeld says that significantly comprised the case against Berger.
The FOX News program's title refers to the most notorious episode in the Sandy Berger case. On September 2, 2003, archivist John Laster reported catching Berger stuffing documents into his socks.
As the program reports, Berger dismisses the allegation that he stole top secret documents in his socks as "absurd and embarrassing."
Berger, however, does admit he made off with national security secrets in his suit jacket.
In the special, Asman retraces the steps Berger took when he stashed some highly sensitive documents under a construction trailer on a busy Washington, D.C. street near the Archives.
In the program, Rep. Davis renews his calls for Berger to undergo a lie detector test. He also charges for the first time that there is reason to believe Berger did not act alone in the thefts. Davis says phone calls Berger methodically made during the review of the documents raise the specter that Berger was coordinating the theft with others.
Berger would be required to submit to a polygraph under the terms of his plea agreement. But when Davis pressed DOJ to administer the test, the department refused.
"They gave us the finger, basically," Davis told Asman.
At the time he stole and destroyed the top secret documents, Berger — who served as National Security Advisor from 1997-2001 — was preparing to represent the Clinton administration in testimony before the 9/11 Commission concerning anti-terror measures that were taken before the New York City attacks.
More French violence....
Spank That Donkey has the latest in the on-going violence that plagues France as roving gangs vandalize, burn, and clash with police. Spanky reports:
French police are bracing themselves for fresh outbreaks of violence after hundreds of youths rioted over the arrest of an illegal immigrant at a main railway station in Paris.
Friday, March 30, 2007
This week's Whine & Cheese winner: Jim Webb
Ward has rounded up Webb posts from a number of bloggers and compiled them in his weekly Whine & Cheese posting. This one is too good to pass up.
The Amish, pretzels, and the Farmers Market
My daughter and I had a date today to go shopping in Harrisonburg so, on our way, we stopped at the Dayton Farmers Market for a soft pretzel. If you've never tasted one of the big soft pretzels made by area Mennonites you've missed a treat. They are ... absolutely ... the best!After buying pretzels, we went outside to sit in our vehicle and talk and eat before driving on to Harrisonburg. We were parked next to the hitching post (sign says, "For Horses Only"). While sitting there, an Amish horse and buggy pulled in and parked, four brethren unloaded, hitched up the horse, and went shopping at the market.
That's part of what I love about living in the Valley. How many people are able to enjoy the beautiful Blue Ridge, Alleghany, and Massanutten mountain ranges every day of their lives, shop at an old-fashioned farmers market, and park beside a horse and buggy?
Many wouldn't want to ... but I thrive on the slower pace of rural western Virginia.
"Operation America Rising!" planned for 7-7-07
Largest Rally in History -- Mark your calendars!
"Operation America Rising" will take place on 7-7-07 in every capital city in America at the same time. There will be prominent speakers and entertainers. Children and adults will be gathered together saluting America's finest.This national salute to our troops will be a gleaming observance of America's patriotism. People of all ages will show our troops that we are behind them and their mission and that we are not the silent majority any more.
Why We Need You
Quite simply, a rally of this magnitude requires the help and leadership of Americans all over the country. We need volunteers to organize their state rally. We need volunteers to assist the state leaders.
We will need entertainers, speakers, and sponsors to make this the largest support the troops rally in history!
The media, government leaders, and United States military will hear our voice on that bright July day.
Go to the Operation America Rising website to sign up and become a part of history!
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Lexington's Scots Irish Heritage Festival
It's no blarney ... there's going to be a Scots Irish Heritage Festival in Lexington on Saturday, April 14, from 10 am - 6 pm. Held at Rockbridge County High School on Greenhouse Road in Lexington (hit the MapQuest) and sponsored by the Lexington-Rockbridge Chamber of Commerce, it is sure to be a hit. These types of festivals are usually held in larger cities so this is a treat.Featured music will be provided by Carl Peterson, Mary Smith, Poisoned Dwarf, Robin Rich, Virginia Highlands Pipes & Drums, and Warpipe.
Enjoy living history from The Sterling Swordplayers ... Highland games demonstrations ... food ... educational displays ... vendors.
There will be fun for big and little leprechauns alike. Cost: adults are $5, children ages 6-17 are $3 each. The wee ones under age 6 are free.
For more info call Robert Chambers at 540-463-5375 or e-mail robert@lexrockchamber.com. With the Scots-Irish blood in this Valley, this will most likely be a popular festival.
SWAC's own Statler Brothers: "Virginians of the Year"
The SWAC area is oh-so fortunate to have some of the best neighbors anyone could ask for living amongst us. The Statler Brothers enjoyed worldwide fame as one of the most successful country music acts in history but they never let go of their roots here in the SWAC area. Now retired (except for Jimmy who is in Nashville recording), they are part of us, part of the community ... we attend church together, shop at the grocery store together, shop at Wal-Mart together ... they are admired for their strong family values and their love of Virginia.Last week they were honored as the Virginia Press Association's "Virginians of the Year" ... a well-deserved and probably overdue title.
According to the Associated Press release:
Known for their tight harmonies and penchant for nostalgic songs, the Staunton natives won three Grammy Awards and dozens of other country-music accolades during a four-decade career that began as the opening act for Johnny Cash and ended with their retirement in 2002.
The quartet consists of brothers Harold and Don Reid, Phli Balsey and Jimmy Fortune, who joined the group in the early 1980s after original member Lew DeWitt quit because of failing health. DeWitt died in 1990.
For years, the Statlers said "thank you" to their hometown by giving a free Fourth of July concert in Staunton, where they still have their headquarters.
'It wasn't always easy living in a small town in Virginia,' Don Reid said at [the] awards ceremony. 'But we were always glad we did it that way because if we hadn't, we might not be here tonight, and if we hadn't, not all of our children would be Virginia-born, Virginia-reared and Virginia-educated, and that was important to us.' "
Our thanks and congratulations to Harold and Don Reid (Staunton), the late Lew DeWitt (Waynesboro), and Phil Balsey and Jimmy Fortune (Augusta County) for the music they added to our lives, the values they instilled in their children, and for being neighbors we all love and respect.
"The Statler Brothers are what happened to you yesterday and who you are today." --Don Reid
Bob McDonnell to address SWAC Republicans this Saturday
Attorney General Bob McDonnell will be in Staunton Saturday to address SWAC area Republicans.
The luncheon, held at Rowe's Restaurant and hosted by Delegate Chris Saxman, is being held in conjunction with Americans For Prosperity - Virginia, the nationwide tax watchdog group. The townhall-style luncheon meeting is sure to be a great event and a wonderful opportunity to hear from our AG.
If interested in details send an email to SWAC.Girl@gmail.com.
The luncheon, held at Rowe's Restaurant and hosted by Delegate Chris Saxman, is being held in conjunction with Americans For Prosperity - Virginia, the nationwide tax watchdog group. The townhall-style luncheon meeting is sure to be a great event and a wonderful opportunity to hear from our AG.
If interested in details send an email to SWAC.Girl@gmail.com.
Bush vs Webb: "Was it something I said?"
"I'd like to thank Senator Webb for providing security."
--President George W. Bush at last night's Washington Correspondents Dinner (to the sound of much laughter)
--President George W. Bush at last night's Washington Correspondents Dinner (to the sound of much laughter)
Is Sharia law emerging in Minnesota?
Spank That Donkey has a post about a Wall Street Journal article on cabbies at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport who are refusing to transport passengers with alcoholic beverages and other items they disapprove of, and even refusing transport to women who aren't wearing veils.
The WSJ wrote:
The events here suggest a larger strategy: By piggy-backing on our civil rights laws, Islamist activists aim to equate airport security with racial bigotry and to move slowly toward a two-tier legal system. Intimidation is a crucial tool. The "flying imams" lawsuit ups the ante by indicating that passengers who alerted airport authorities will be included as defendants. Activists are also perfecting their skills at manipulating the media. After a "pray-in" at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., one credulous MSNBC anchor likened the flying imams to civil rights icon Rosa Parks.
As someone who flies occasionally, this really concerns me. Are we making Americans the second-class citizens in their own country? I haven't forgotten who flew those planes on 9/11.
Check out Spanky's post:
http://www.spankthatdonkey.com/spankthatdonkey2/2007/3/26/wsj-sharia-in-minnesota.html
The WSJ wrote:
The events here suggest a larger strategy: By piggy-backing on our civil rights laws, Islamist activists aim to equate airport security with racial bigotry and to move slowly toward a two-tier legal system. Intimidation is a crucial tool. The "flying imams" lawsuit ups the ante by indicating that passengers who alerted airport authorities will be included as defendants. Activists are also perfecting their skills at manipulating the media. After a "pray-in" at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., one credulous MSNBC anchor likened the flying imams to civil rights icon Rosa Parks.
As someone who flies occasionally, this really concerns me. Are we making Americans the second-class citizens in their own country? I haven't forgotten who flew those planes on 9/11.
Check out Spanky's post:
http://www.spankthatdonkey.com/spankthatdonkey2/2007/3/26/wsj-sharia-in-minnesota.html
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Flip-flopping Jim Webb: "I was for the troops before I was against them...."
Candidate Jim Webb, September 2006:
"Anyone who tells you we can set a timetable for withdrawal, doesn't understand war. Anybody who says that nothing can be done to speed a secure peace, doesn't understand America."
Yesterday in the Senate:
Jim Webb voted with the other dems to set a timetable for withdrawal of the troops in March 2008.
Flip-flop.
"Anyone who tells you we can set a timetable for withdrawal, doesn't understand war. Anybody who says that nothing can be done to speed a secure peace, doesn't understand America."
Yesterday in the Senate:
Jim Webb voted with the other dems to set a timetable for withdrawal of the troops in March 2008.
Flip-flop.
To send get-well wishes to Tony Snow....
Be well, Tony....
To all those who want to send get-well wishes to Tony Snow, the White House sent the following information:
Email should be sent via the White House website at www.whitehouse.gov. There, under "Features" section, you will find a link at the top right-hand corner of the page where you can send Tony a note. We'll make sure he gets it.
Thanks to each of you that have expressed concern and know that he feels your prayers.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me, or call our offices at 202-456-6238.
Sincerely,
David Almacy
Internet and E-Communications Director
Office of Media Affairs
The White House
(202) 456-6238
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
To all those who want to send get-well wishes to Tony Snow, the White House sent the following information:
Email should be sent via the White House website at www.whitehouse.gov. There, under "Features" section, you will find a link at the top right-hand corner of the page where you can send Tony a note. We'll make sure he gets it.
Thanks to each of you that have expressed concern and know that he feels your prayers.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me, or call our offices at 202-456-6238.
Sincerely,
David Almacy
Internet and E-Communications Director
Office of Media Affairs
The White House
(202) 456-6238
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
It's Spring in the Valley!
It is gorgeous in the Valley today ... 73 degrees and sunny. I have no time to head to the hills but walked around my yard and took photos of the burst of color that has sprouted almost overnight. Chance of showers later today ... and with everything in full bloom it's common in this area for a freeze to nip the buds. We're in danger of freeze/frost until mid-May so we can't get too comfortable yet ... but we're enjoying it while it's here.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
They screw up Republicans, too....
Democratic Central had the following statement:
A good entry on RollingStone.com touches on one of my favorite topics -- how political consultants screw up Democrats.
Maybe we should send all the political consultants to the dems....
Seriously, there are some good ones out there but it concerns me when they override the grassroots volunteers who know their communities. If someone had asked us before it occurred, we here in the SWAC area could have told the Kilgore campaign folks it wasn't a good idea to use out-of-state volunteers and lit-drop on cars parked at churches on the Sunday morning before Election Day. We're still living that one down.
The consultants sometimes cause the candidates to be in bubbles away from the real world. But, then, I'm not a consultant so I don't have a voice at that table....
A good entry on RollingStone.com touches on one of my favorite topics -- how political consultants screw up Democrats.
Maybe we should send all the political consultants to the dems....
Seriously, there are some good ones out there but it concerns me when they override the grassroots volunteers who know their communities. If someone had asked us before it occurred, we here in the SWAC area could have told the Kilgore campaign folks it wasn't a good idea to use out-of-state volunteers and lit-drop on cars parked at churches on the Sunday morning before Election Day. We're still living that one down.
The consultants sometimes cause the candidates to be in bubbles away from the real world. But, then, I'm not a consultant so I don't have a voice at that table....
White House spokesman Tony Snow ... our prayers are with him
Tony Snow's cancer has returned and spread to his liver. After surgery yesterday to remove what was believed to be a benign growth, it was discovered it was cancerous.
Please ... not Tony. He's one of the good guys. He's young. He's got a family. He's a nice man. He has been excellent in the position as press spokesman for President George W. Bush. We need him.
Unfortunately, these things have their own timeline and what we want has nothing to do with it. I hate cancer. It's insidious. It's ugly. It's unrelenting. It ravages its victims leaving them a shell of their former selves. I lived through my own dad's cancer years ago, and it finally took him at the age of 51. It's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
Prayers of healing and best wishes go to Tony and his family....
Please ... not Tony. He's one of the good guys. He's young. He's got a family. He's a nice man. He has been excellent in the position as press spokesman for President George W. Bush. We need him.
Unfortunately, these things have their own timeline and what we want has nothing to do with it. I hate cancer. It's insidious. It's ugly. It's unrelenting. It ravages its victims leaving them a shell of their former selves. I lived through my own dad's cancer years ago, and it finally took him at the age of 51. It's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
Prayers of healing and best wishes go to Tony and his family....
President Jim Gilmore ... could it happen?
The Greater Richmond Convention Centre signs read, "Where Virginia meets the world." I consider that a good omen for someone who has thrown his hat into the 2008 presidential race.
Former Governor Jim Gilmore came home to Virginia Saturday carrying a vision and a dream to home-state Republican activists he had known for years. He wanted to include them in this journey that only a handful of elected officials ever have the opportunity to pursue. He was honest and frank as he shared his travels around the country in pursuit of the Presidency.
Conservative Republicans are looking for a leader who will carry the Party in the conservative direction of Ronald Reagan. They are looking for strong unwavering leadership ... and it's there in Jim Gilmore. Those attending Saturday's meeting were already familiar with his straight-forward leadership and they were ready to hear how they could help in a bid for President.
These are heady dreams for the Henrico County native who grew up as the son of a meatcutter and a church secretary ... a solid working-class family. He had a vision even when young and, if I remember the story correctly, when he was not included in the law class at UVa (just missing it by one), he camped outside the door when told if someone didn't show he would be allowed in the class. Everyone showed up but the adminstrator was so impressed by his tenaciousness that room was allowed for one more student. While at UVa he joined the College Republicans, attained statewide office ... and never looked back.
He went on to become part of the Army's counter-intelligence unit, then became known as a tough prosecutor in Henrico County, was elected Attorney General of Virginia, and then Governor from 1998-2002.
He was at the helm when 9/11 occurred. And that is what makes me impressed with the idea of Jim Gilmore as President. Nothing ... nothing ... is more important to this country than homeland security. Jim Gilmore served on the Homeland Security council for three years prior to 9/11 and another two years afterwards. He knows terrorists are the enemy. He knows we can't back down.
I asked someone who had worked with him over the years to describe the Governor: articulate ... solid conservative ... always says straight up what he means ... loyal, hard working dedicated Republican.
He's says it all right up front: His # 1 priority is fighting terrorism ... and that's what I care about most. His message has been well-received by firefighters, emergency workers, and other First Responders who know the importance of a strong homeland defense.
He ... keeps ... his ... word. Need proof? The car tax. He ran on that issue, and he followed through after becoming governor.
He outlined his priorities:
1) Need to be tough in the War on Terror.
2) Need strong leadership.
3) Need moral economic leadership.
4) Need secure borders. He doesn't believe in amnesty.
The people in that room Saturday were the ones who could help make Jim Gilmore's dream come true in Virginia. Contacting people, not only in Virginia, but also friends and acquaintances in other states will help spread Jim Gilmore's name so that it becomes more familiar. Tell folks about him and then add, “There’s no need to take my word on all this. Why not invite Jim Gilmore to your area and see for yourself?”
His strongest competition right now would appear to be Fred Thompson, another straight-talking conservative.
"Jim Gilmore for President." Do you want to be part of that dream? Check out http://www.gilmoreforpresident.com/ to sign up for updates, to research his issues and his background, to hear a video message from him, and much more.
Jim Gilmore said the things I wanted to hear. He's got my attention....
From http://www.gilmoreforpresident.com/:
Jim Gilmore ... Courageous. Consistent. Conservative.
Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore is the answer to the question being asked by Republicans all across the country: “Is there a strong, steady, electable, conservative Republican candidate for President of the United States?”
Jim Gilmore, 57, has exactly the credentials that most Republicans are looking for in their nominee for President. He is the leader Republicans can trust to stand for low taxes, secure borders, a strong national defense and the preservation of traditional family values.
Jim Gilmore is a “can do” leader who has devoted his life to the traditional values and principles that have been the hallmark of successful Republican candidates while focusing on technology and innovative ideas as the pathway to solutions for many of the problems facing America today.
A native of Richmond Virginia, Jim Gilmore is the son of a working class parents who served as a member of U.S. Army counter-intelligence; a tough crime busting prosecutor in Virginia; a popular no-nonsense Virginia Attorney General; and a former Governor who became a champion of the taxpayers by reducing taxes on working men and woman by $1.5 billion.
A graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia School of Law, Jim Gilmore is a former chairman of the Republican National Committee. Appointed by Congress as the chairman of a Congressionally created national commission charged with making recommendations on ways to prevent and respond to terrorism, which became known as the Gilmore Commission, Jim Gilmore has become a nationally known authority on homeland security.
Born in the historic fan district of Richmond on Oct. 6, 1949, Jim Gilmore is the son of a Safeway meatcutter and a church secretary. Jim Gilmore graduated from J.R. Tucker High School and studied foreign policy at the University of Virginia. While at UVA, Jim Gilmore joined College Republicans, and was elected a statewide officer, and met his wife Roxane. He and Roxane today are the parents of two sons, Jay and Ashton.
Former Governor Jim Gilmore came home to Virginia Saturday carrying a vision and a dream to home-state Republican activists he had known for years. He wanted to include them in this journey that only a handful of elected officials ever have the opportunity to pursue. He was honest and frank as he shared his travels around the country in pursuit of the Presidency.
Conservative Republicans are looking for a leader who will carry the Party in the conservative direction of Ronald Reagan. They are looking for strong unwavering leadership ... and it's there in Jim Gilmore. Those attending Saturday's meeting were already familiar with his straight-forward leadership and they were ready to hear how they could help in a bid for President.
These are heady dreams for the Henrico County native who grew up as the son of a meatcutter and a church secretary ... a solid working-class family. He had a vision even when young and, if I remember the story correctly, when he was not included in the law class at UVa (just missing it by one), he camped outside the door when told if someone didn't show he would be allowed in the class. Everyone showed up but the adminstrator was so impressed by his tenaciousness that room was allowed for one more student. While at UVa he joined the College Republicans, attained statewide office ... and never looked back.
He went on to become part of the Army's counter-intelligence unit, then became known as a tough prosecutor in Henrico County, was elected Attorney General of Virginia, and then Governor from 1998-2002.
He was at the helm when 9/11 occurred. And that is what makes me impressed with the idea of Jim Gilmore as President. Nothing ... nothing ... is more important to this country than homeland security. Jim Gilmore served on the Homeland Security council for three years prior to 9/11 and another two years afterwards. He knows terrorists are the enemy. He knows we can't back down.
I asked someone who had worked with him over the years to describe the Governor: articulate ... solid conservative ... always says straight up what he means ... loyal, hard working dedicated Republican.
He's says it all right up front: His # 1 priority is fighting terrorism ... and that's what I care about most. His message has been well-received by firefighters, emergency workers, and other First Responders who know the importance of a strong homeland defense.
He ... keeps ... his ... word. Need proof? The car tax. He ran on that issue, and he followed through after becoming governor.
He outlined his priorities:
1) Need to be tough in the War on Terror.
2) Need strong leadership.
3) Need moral economic leadership.
4) Need secure borders. He doesn't believe in amnesty.
The people in that room Saturday were the ones who could help make Jim Gilmore's dream come true in Virginia. Contacting people, not only in Virginia, but also friends and acquaintances in other states will help spread Jim Gilmore's name so that it becomes more familiar. Tell folks about him and then add, “There’s no need to take my word on all this. Why not invite Jim Gilmore to your area and see for yourself?”
His strongest competition right now would appear to be Fred Thompson, another straight-talking conservative.
"Jim Gilmore for President." Do you want to be part of that dream? Check out http://www.gilmoreforpresident.com/ to sign up for updates, to research his issues and his background, to hear a video message from him, and much more.
Jim Gilmore said the things I wanted to hear. He's got my attention....
From http://www.gilmoreforpresident.com/:
Jim Gilmore ... Courageous. Consistent. Conservative.
Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore is the answer to the question being asked by Republicans all across the country: “Is there a strong, steady, electable, conservative Republican candidate for President of the United States?”
Jim Gilmore, 57, has exactly the credentials that most Republicans are looking for in their nominee for President. He is the leader Republicans can trust to stand for low taxes, secure borders, a strong national defense and the preservation of traditional family values.
Jim Gilmore is a “can do” leader who has devoted his life to the traditional values and principles that have been the hallmark of successful Republican candidates while focusing on technology and innovative ideas as the pathway to solutions for many of the problems facing America today.
A native of Richmond Virginia, Jim Gilmore is the son of a working class parents who served as a member of U.S. Army counter-intelligence; a tough crime busting prosecutor in Virginia; a popular no-nonsense Virginia Attorney General; and a former Governor who became a champion of the taxpayers by reducing taxes on working men and woman by $1.5 billion.
A graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia School of Law, Jim Gilmore is a former chairman of the Republican National Committee. Appointed by Congress as the chairman of a Congressionally created national commission charged with making recommendations on ways to prevent and respond to terrorism, which became known as the Gilmore Commission, Jim Gilmore has become a nationally known authority on homeland security.
Born in the historic fan district of Richmond on Oct. 6, 1949, Jim Gilmore is the son of a Safeway meatcutter and a church secretary. Jim Gilmore graduated from J.R. Tucker High School and studied foreign policy at the University of Virginia. While at UVA, Jim Gilmore joined College Republicans, and was elected a statewide officer, and met his wife Roxane. He and Roxane today are the parents of two sons, Jay and Ashton.
Monday, March 26, 2007
VBC: Good Sense and good reading....
Take a few minutes to slow down, grab a cup of tea, and spend time reading this week's entries for the Virginia Blog Carnival over at Good Sense. You'll be happy you did. Thanks, Charlie! Check it out at:
http://goodsense-va.blogspot.com/2007/03/vbc-032607.html
http://goodsense-va.blogspot.com/2007/03/vbc-032607.html
Jim Gilmore for President
The Greater Richmond Convention Centre signs read, "Where Virginia meets the world." I consider that a good omen for someone who has thrown his hat into the 2008 presidential race. Saturday's "Jim Gilmore for President '08" meeting was a good meeting because it was inspiring. More to come....
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling is building a better Virginia....
Mason Conservative has an excellent follow-up to yesterday's Bill Bolling meeting in Richmond. I was going to write about it but he has covered it from beginning to end and captures the spirit of the meeting so much that there wasn't anything more I could add. Pop on over and check it out here:
http://masonconservative.typepad.com/ the_mason_conservative/2007/03/lieutenant_gove.html
http://masonconservative.typepad.com/ the_mason_conservative/2007/03/lieutenant_gove.html
"Failure to plant freedom there threatens freedom here...."
So the mainstream media and the liberals keep pounding on the President and the American people so that we will lose or withdraw from the war in Iraq. They are trying their darndest to have a repeat of Vietnam.
Ross Mackenzie of the Richmond Times-Dispatch has always understood what we're up against. In today's edition he said:
... the Democrats will keep pounding on Iraq (a) to achieve liberty's defeat there and (b) to regain the White House. Their principal acolytes in this two-fold enterprise will be those preening Hollywood twits and the press -- both cohorts as lopsidedly hostile to our success in Iraq now as they were to our success in Vietnam back when.
This ain't Vietnam.
Mr. Mackenzie continues:
The shortcomings regarding the U.S. enterprise against jihad have been primarily these:
First, the failure -- through relentless articulation -- to build and maintain public support for the task at hand. This struggle for our lives may prove the struggle of our lives. It certainly is the most serious threat to the free world since communism.
Second, the failure to boost military manpower to levels sufficient to meet our needs. Right now, the armed forces are undermanned, under-equipped, and under-trained. Readiness is marginal. Back-up forces are thin. The burden of service falls on far too few.
The media ... the arrogant liberal media who control most of the news going out to Americans ... know people are like sheep, and they know to give them just enough to keep them brainwashed, er, informed and they won't dig any deeper but believe what they hear. After they've fed them enough mush, they go out and conduct a poll ... and they're almost guaranteed to get the results desired.
This country could be a repeat of World War II with Americans feeling proud of their country and proud of their military -- if the media so chose. But that is not the agenda they want to push. And so they continue to make Americans fearful and turn them against the President, the military, and the war on terror. The arrogant, arrogant liberal media....
Chuck Schumer, that beacon of liberal garbage, said:
"This is a campaign. We are going to keep at it, and we are going to continue this discussion [of America's military involvement in Iraq] for the good of the country. And we believe the more it is debated and discussed, the more the difference between the parties is apparent to the American people, the less flexibility the president will have in maintaining his course."
"This is a campaign," he said. This is a political game for Schumer and the democrats.
This is not a game for President Bush and Republicans. This is a matter of life and death.
Mr. Mackenzie notes historian Paul Johnson's observations:
"I wish some of those who constantly criticize America's efforts and the judgment of President Bush would ask themselves this simple question: Would you really like to live in a world [of brute force] where the U.S. sits idly by and lets things happen?"
Would you really like it indeed? Where are the answers from the liberals? How would they have handled the protection of the American people after 9/11? Would they, like Zen the constant lib commenter, cop out on responding to the question by saying Republicans weren't really interested in a dem plan and so they weren't going to get into it? Puh-leeze.
Leaders lead. Liberals whine.
We're in a religious war that has no logical debate. Radical Muslims are just that: radical. They kill because of who we are and what they believe in. It will not end just because the democrats want to discuss it. But without strong leadership in place it will continue, and most probably right here on our own shores.
President George W. Bush went after the terrorists and crippled their lifelines: financial, habitat, communications. Our military hunted down and killed Sadam's sons and others who were kingpins in the terrorism network. Saddam paid terrorists (or their families) to participate in bombings worldwide. His cache of weapons was confiscated. His reign of terror was ended thus cutting off money to terrorism.
Liberals and democrats do not get it. But, as pointed out by Mr. Mackenzie:
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somali Muslim who became a member of the Dutch Parliament only to flee to the U.S. because of jihadist threats on her life, has a different view. She understands the fanaticism inhering in Islam -- that Islamist hostility to the West "isn't something that's caused by special offense, the right, Jews, [or] poverty. It's religion." She adds: "A free society should be prepared to recognize the patterns in front of it, and do something about them." But, she says, even now we may be "too weak to take up our role. The West is falling apart. The open society is coming undone."
Americans who sit around and do nothing, who do not respond to the liberals who lead anti-war protests marching against the President and America and our troops, are enabling the terrorists to get a foot in the door by driving a wedge in America. Their actions are treasonous in a time of war. And for those who do not remember ... America is at war.
The Hollywood crowd make me tired. What in the heck do they know about war or protecting this nation from terrorists? Yet they are given up-front coverage on a consistent basis by the liberal media. I don't care what Sean Penn has to say about any of this. The guy acts, for pete's sake. He know nothing about foreign policy.
Too bad singer/songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter had to weigh in by saying, "The Bush administration has made me more angry. I feel despair when I turn on the news or I read the newspaper. I feel despair that we're never going to be able to regain the respect of the countries of this world that we're putting our children in danger of not having a future."
I feel despair that I spent money for Mary Chapin Carpenter's CDs and that I actually liked her music. It turns my stomach to think of listening to her singing now ... and so I don't. My protest is to not give her anymore of my hard-earned money. She obviously is too much of a twit to understand that 3,000 innocent people died on 9/11 and that terrorists were the aggressors, not America.
A voice of reason does come out of the democrat ranks ... but it's too bad there aren't more. Democrat Representative David Obey of Wisconsin said:
"We don't have the votes to defund the war, and we shouldn't ... It's time these idiot liberals understood that."
Senator Gordon Smith (R-Oregon) agrees by saying:
"Congress is an institution incapable of playing commander-in-chief, and the Democrats are proving that."
I would suggest that democrats had better decide what part of the world they would like to align with. If they continue to sympathize with the terrorists they may want to join those terrorists in the Middle East. But get the heck out of Dodge because many Americans do not plan to give our country up to Muslims.
Mr. Mackenzie, please keep telling it like it is. And we, as Americans, must stand strong against not only terrorism but the liberal democrats and media who are selling out our own country.
Source: http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173350379675&path=%21editorials%21oped&s=1045855935007
Ross Mackenzie of the Richmond Times-Dispatch has always understood what we're up against. In today's edition he said:
... the Democrats will keep pounding on Iraq (a) to achieve liberty's defeat there and (b) to regain the White House. Their principal acolytes in this two-fold enterprise will be those preening Hollywood twits and the press -- both cohorts as lopsidedly hostile to our success in Iraq now as they were to our success in Vietnam back when.
This ain't Vietnam.
Mr. Mackenzie continues:
The shortcomings regarding the U.S. enterprise against jihad have been primarily these:
First, the failure -- through relentless articulation -- to build and maintain public support for the task at hand. This struggle for our lives may prove the struggle of our lives. It certainly is the most serious threat to the free world since communism.
Second, the failure to boost military manpower to levels sufficient to meet our needs. Right now, the armed forces are undermanned, under-equipped, and under-trained. Readiness is marginal. Back-up forces are thin. The burden of service falls on far too few.
The media ... the arrogant liberal media who control most of the news going out to Americans ... know people are like sheep, and they know to give them just enough to keep them brainwashed, er, informed and they won't dig any deeper but believe what they hear. After they've fed them enough mush, they go out and conduct a poll ... and they're almost guaranteed to get the results desired.
This country could be a repeat of World War II with Americans feeling proud of their country and proud of their military -- if the media so chose. But that is not the agenda they want to push. And so they continue to make Americans fearful and turn them against the President, the military, and the war on terror. The arrogant, arrogant liberal media....
Chuck Schumer, that beacon of liberal garbage, said:
"This is a campaign. We are going to keep at it, and we are going to continue this discussion [of America's military involvement in Iraq] for the good of the country. And we believe the more it is debated and discussed, the more the difference between the parties is apparent to the American people, the less flexibility the president will have in maintaining his course."
"This is a campaign," he said. This is a political game for Schumer and the democrats.
This is not a game for President Bush and Republicans. This is a matter of life and death.
Mr. Mackenzie notes historian Paul Johnson's observations:
"I wish some of those who constantly criticize America's efforts and the judgment of President Bush would ask themselves this simple question: Would you really like to live in a world [of brute force] where the U.S. sits idly by and lets things happen?"
Would you really like it indeed? Where are the answers from the liberals? How would they have handled the protection of the American people after 9/11? Would they, like Zen the constant lib commenter, cop out on responding to the question by saying Republicans weren't really interested in a dem plan and so they weren't going to get into it? Puh-leeze.
Leaders lead. Liberals whine.
We're in a religious war that has no logical debate. Radical Muslims are just that: radical. They kill because of who we are and what they believe in. It will not end just because the democrats want to discuss it. But without strong leadership in place it will continue, and most probably right here on our own shores.
President George W. Bush went after the terrorists and crippled their lifelines: financial, habitat, communications. Our military hunted down and killed Sadam's sons and others who were kingpins in the terrorism network. Saddam paid terrorists (or their families) to participate in bombings worldwide. His cache of weapons was confiscated. His reign of terror was ended thus cutting off money to terrorism.
Liberals and democrats do not get it. But, as pointed out by Mr. Mackenzie:
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somali Muslim who became a member of the Dutch Parliament only to flee to the U.S. because of jihadist threats on her life, has a different view. She understands the fanaticism inhering in Islam -- that Islamist hostility to the West "isn't something that's caused by special offense, the right, Jews, [or] poverty. It's religion." She adds: "A free society should be prepared to recognize the patterns in front of it, and do something about them." But, she says, even now we may be "too weak to take up our role. The West is falling apart. The open society is coming undone."
Americans who sit around and do nothing, who do not respond to the liberals who lead anti-war protests marching against the President and America and our troops, are enabling the terrorists to get a foot in the door by driving a wedge in America. Their actions are treasonous in a time of war. And for those who do not remember ... America is at war.
The Hollywood crowd make me tired. What in the heck do they know about war or protecting this nation from terrorists? Yet they are given up-front coverage on a consistent basis by the liberal media. I don't care what Sean Penn has to say about any of this. The guy acts, for pete's sake. He know nothing about foreign policy.
Too bad singer/songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter had to weigh in by saying, "The Bush administration has made me more angry. I feel despair when I turn on the news or I read the newspaper. I feel despair that we're never going to be able to regain the respect of the countries of this world that we're putting our children in danger of not having a future."
I feel despair that I spent money for Mary Chapin Carpenter's CDs and that I actually liked her music. It turns my stomach to think of listening to her singing now ... and so I don't. My protest is to not give her anymore of my hard-earned money. She obviously is too much of a twit to understand that 3,000 innocent people died on 9/11 and that terrorists were the aggressors, not America.
A voice of reason does come out of the democrat ranks ... but it's too bad there aren't more. Democrat Representative David Obey of Wisconsin said:
"We don't have the votes to defund the war, and we shouldn't ... It's time these idiot liberals understood that."
Senator Gordon Smith (R-Oregon) agrees by saying:
"Congress is an institution incapable of playing commander-in-chief, and the Democrats are proving that."
I would suggest that democrats had better decide what part of the world they would like to align with. If they continue to sympathize with the terrorists they may want to join those terrorists in the Middle East. But get the heck out of Dodge because many Americans do not plan to give our country up to Muslims.
Mr. Mackenzie, please keep telling it like it is. And we, as Americans, must stand strong against not only terrorism but the liberal democrats and media who are selling out our own country.
Source: http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173350379675&path=%21editorials%21oped&s=1045855935007
Deo Vindice's take on Republican conservatism in the state....
James Atticus Bowden has a good take over at Deo Vindice on yesterday's RPV State Central Committee meeting and the question of conservative leadership within the party. His thoughts are not alone because there are many who share his concerns, perhaps more than RPV realizes. But this is not the place to discuss that. RPV has geared up under a new chairman, new executive director, and other new leadership so many are just getting to know them. Perhaps it's a little early, in their opinion, to "rock the boat" ... but the political waters are choppy.
It was great to meet Mr. Bowden face-to-face ... a fellow conservative blogger who works hard and represents his area on SCC. His voice was hoarse after being ill; I joked that at least it hadn't affected his writing. Pop on over and check out his post:
http://americancivilization.net/index.php
It was great to meet Mr. Bowden face-to-face ... a fellow conservative blogger who works hard and represents his area on SCC. His voice was hoarse after being ill; I joked that at least it hadn't affected his writing. Pop on over and check out his post:
http://americancivilization.net/index.php
Saturday, March 24, 2007
This is how a civilization collapses....
Column One: The road to serfdom
Caroline Glick, THE JERUSALEM POST
In Israel, as in the rest of the free world, we are witnessing the death by a thousand cuts of free thought.
Last month, two students at Cambridge University's Clare College became victims of this state of affairs. The students dedicated an edition of their satire magazine to the one-year anniversary of the global Muslim riots which followed the publication of caricatures of Muhammad in the Danish Jyllands Posten newspaper. As the students recalled, those riots led to the deaths of more than a hundred people.
Although the British media refused to republish the caricatures, British Muslims held terrifying protests throughout the country where they called for the destruction of Britain, the US, Denmark and Israel and for the murder of all who refuse to accept the global domination of Islam.In their magazine, the students published some of the caricatures and mocked the Muslims for their hypocrisy in accusing British society of racial prejudice while calling for its violent destruction.
The Muslim reaction was apparently swift. Fearing for their lives, the students were forced into hiding.
But the Muslims were not alone in their anger. Clare College set up a special disciplinary court to consider action against the students. And the Cambridgeshire police opened a criminal investigation against them in late February.
The persecution of these students provides a case study of the two-pronged offensive being carried out today against Western culture. First there are the jihadists, who call for our destruction. Then there are the leftist intellectuals and public figures who defend radical Islamists and work to silence those who criticize them by criminalizing speech and condemning free thinkers as racists.
The direct consequence of this two-pronged offensive is the repression of free thought.
FOUR YEARS ago, US President George W. Bush called the invasion of Iraq "Operation Iraqi Freedom."
The intention was clear. The purpose of the war was not merely to bring down Saddam Hussein's murderous, terror-supporting regime. It was to bring about the defeat of the vile world view that supported the regime and to replace that view with the values of freedom, tolerance and democracy.
Four years on, US forces continue their heroic fight to bring order and security to that violent land. But the purpose of their efforts is no longer clear. The US no longer pushes the Iraqis or the greater Arab world to abandon jihad in favor of freedom.
Earlier this month, columnist Joel Mowbray gave evidence of the Bush administration's abandonment of the war of ideas in a Wall Street Journal expose on the US taxpayer-financed Arabic-language television network Al-Hurra. The US launched Al- Hurra in February 2004 to compete with jihadist television networks like Al Jazeera. Its stated aim was to present a liberal, pro-democracy and pro-human rights voice to the Arab world. Yet, as Mowbray reported, since former CNN producer Larry Register was appointed to lead the network last November, that aim fell by the wayside.
In December the network began allowing itself to be used as a platform by arch terrorists like Hizbullah commander Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Last month, when the Israeli Islamic movement began attacking Israel for conducting an archeological dig by the Aksa mosque, Al-Hurra's coverage of the story was more extreme than Al Jazeera's. Palestinian Authority mufti Ikremah Sabri was brought on live and accused Israel of shooting and throwing bombs into the mosque and of denying medical care to those it had supposedly wounded. Al-Hurra has also hosted an al-Qaida terrorist who rejoiced in the September 11 attacks on America.
As is the case in Britain, the Bush administration's decision to largely abandon the ideological battlefield is the result of an uncompromising and unrelenting ideological and political assault against the voices that justify the war against the global jihad generally, and against the hawks in the Bush administration specifically.
Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith and John Bolton - and arguably Scooter Libby - were all forced from their positions in the Pentagon, the State Department and the White House after coming under unrelenting attack by the Left which all but accused these men of treason for their vigilant support of the war against Islamic totalitarianism. A central component of the onslaught against them was the repeated claim that their support for Israel is what brought these men to delude America into believing that the global jihad is a threat to US national security.
One of the central players in this concerted attack has been the billionaire George Soros. Soros is an anti-Zionist Jew with a troubling past. Specifically, by his own admission in interviews with 60 Minutes in 1998 and PBS in 1993, Soros collaborated with the Nazis in seizing Jewish property in Budapest in 1944.
Author Serge Trifkovic, who is currently researching a biography of Soros, tells of a Holocaust survivor in Hungary who claims that the reason Soros was allowed to remain free was "the boy's special knowledge of the Jewish community and its attempts to protect its property from confiscation."
Since 2003, Soros has donated more than $100 million to radical left-wing groups and to the political campaigns of far-left anti-war Democratic candidates in the US. His money has made him one of the most influential forces in the Democratic Party.
After Hamas won the Palestinian election last January, Soros turned his guns against Israel. Last October he announced his intention to work with left-wing American Jewish groups such as Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, American Friends of Peace Now and the Israel Policy Forum to form an effectively anti-Israel lobbying group that will compete with the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Soros accuses AIPAC of making common cause with the war hawks and so harming US and Israeli national security.
This week Soros laid out his anti-Israel views in the New York Review of Books. In a longwinded screed entitled, "On Israel, America and AIPAC," Soros presents an incoherent hodgepodge of sloppy logic and contradictory statements. On the one hand, he acknowledges that Israel's withdrawal from Gaza radicalized the Palestinians and brought Hamas to power. On the other hand, he insists that further Israeli withdrawals will cause the Palestinians to moderate. While he acknowledges that Hamas is a terror group, he insists that the US must recognize it and force Israel to recognize it and that AIPAC is responsible for neither recognizing Hamas as a legitimate political force in the region.
Soros claims to want peace for Israel. Yet he demands that the US and Israel embrace the Saudi plan which calls for Israel's effective destruction through a forced Israeli withdrawal from Judea, Jerusalem, Samaria and the Golan Heights and the demographic destruction of the Jewish state through unimpeded immigration of 4-5 million foreign-born Arabs.
In effect, Soros's arguments make clear that protestations aside, the advancement of human rights and peace cannot possibly be his true goals. Rather, what seems to interest him most is the erosion of the US-Israel alliance. A US abandonment of Israel is seen as a necessary component of an overall strategy for causing the US to cease its fight against the global jihad.
In her visit here next week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to pressure the Olmert-Livni-Peretz government to continue diplomatic contacts with the Hamas-Fatah terror government through PA Chairman and Fatah commander Mahmoud Abbas. In light of the administration's weakening stand on Hamas, it is clear that Soros's views have taken hold in ever-widening policy circles in Washington.
In advancing their anti-Israel views, Soros and his allies (most recently, New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof), invoke the work of radical leftist Israeli organizations like the Geneva Initiative, B'tselem and Peace Now. Like Soros, these organizations claim to act for the advancement of peace and human rights. And like Soros, these organizations effectively cooperate with pro-jihadist groups in eroding Israel's ability to defend its rights as a Jewish democracy.
The public storm that ensued this week after Jews in Hebron took control of a building they recently purchased in the city was a clear example of this leftist-jihadist collusion.
In demanding that the IDF move immediately to eject the Jews from the building they had bought, Peace Now and B'tselem ignored human rights and openly advocated the abrogation of the human rights ofIsraeli Jews to purchase and hold property. In so doing, they lent their support to the racist jihadist view that Jews must be barred from stepping foot in so-called Arab areas.
B'tselem spokeswoman Sarit Michaeli told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that whether the Jews purchased the building or not was immaterial. In her words, "Our opposition in principle is that these settlements should be evacuated anyway and that there shouldn't be these pockets in Hebron."
She added that "other than watching and making sure that [the sale] was done in a legal way, the IDF has the obligation to make sure that settlers don't take over more areas."
In so arguing, Michaeli gave effective Jewish Israeli support to even more outrageous statements by Israeli Arab parliamentarians. As she claimed that the IDF's job is to fight Jews, Arab MKs Ibrahim Sarsour and Muhammad Barakei participated in the PA's "Jerusalem First" conference in Ramallah. Sarsour called for "Muslims and Arabs" to "liberate Jerusalem."
Sarsour declared, "Just as the Muslims once liberated Jerusalem from the Crusaders, so must we today believe that we can liberate Jerusalem. It is not an impossible dream."
Barakei accused Israel of trying to "empty Jerusalem of its Palestinian inhabitants." Calling Jerusalem a "national issue, not just a religious issue," he called on Palestinians to act immediately to "reclaim the city."
As for Hebron, on Tuesday MK Taleb a-Sanaa called for an international boycott of Israel in response to the Jewish purchase and takeover of the building.
The Arab MKs spoke against the backdrop of Israel's first Arab cabinet minister Ghaleb Majadle's refusal to sing the national anthem and the publication of a University of Haifa poll showing that 76 percent of Israeli Arabs believe that Zionism is a form of racism and that 28% of Israeli Arabs deny the Holocaust.
Needless to say, no criminal investigations into possible treason charges have been opened against the Arab politicians.
A CLEAR line connects the Cambridge students, the Americans in Iraq, and the situation in Israel. The leftist-Islamist front is eroding the free world's sense of justice. Rather than assert our liberal, democratic values and defend our freedoms, fearing leftist condemnation, politicians and opinion shapers have permitted themselves to become shackled to ideologies that negate everything for which the free world stands.Israel, which stands on the front lines of freedom, is duty-bound to stem the tide. But our ignoble leaders have preferred to stop thinking and silently surrender.
This is how a civilization collapses.
Caroline Glick, THE JERUSALEM POST
In Israel, as in the rest of the free world, we are witnessing the death by a thousand cuts of free thought.
Last month, two students at Cambridge University's Clare College became victims of this state of affairs. The students dedicated an edition of their satire magazine to the one-year anniversary of the global Muslim riots which followed the publication of caricatures of Muhammad in the Danish Jyllands Posten newspaper. As the students recalled, those riots led to the deaths of more than a hundred people.
Although the British media refused to republish the caricatures, British Muslims held terrifying protests throughout the country where they called for the destruction of Britain, the US, Denmark and Israel and for the murder of all who refuse to accept the global domination of Islam.In their magazine, the students published some of the caricatures and mocked the Muslims for their hypocrisy in accusing British society of racial prejudice while calling for its violent destruction.
The Muslim reaction was apparently swift. Fearing for their lives, the students were forced into hiding.
But the Muslims were not alone in their anger. Clare College set up a special disciplinary court to consider action against the students. And the Cambridgeshire police opened a criminal investigation against them in late February.
The persecution of these students provides a case study of the two-pronged offensive being carried out today against Western culture. First there are the jihadists, who call for our destruction. Then there are the leftist intellectuals and public figures who defend radical Islamists and work to silence those who criticize them by criminalizing speech and condemning free thinkers as racists.
The direct consequence of this two-pronged offensive is the repression of free thought.
FOUR YEARS ago, US President George W. Bush called the invasion of Iraq "Operation Iraqi Freedom."
The intention was clear. The purpose of the war was not merely to bring down Saddam Hussein's murderous, terror-supporting regime. It was to bring about the defeat of the vile world view that supported the regime and to replace that view with the values of freedom, tolerance and democracy.
Four years on, US forces continue their heroic fight to bring order and security to that violent land. But the purpose of their efforts is no longer clear. The US no longer pushes the Iraqis or the greater Arab world to abandon jihad in favor of freedom.
Earlier this month, columnist Joel Mowbray gave evidence of the Bush administration's abandonment of the war of ideas in a Wall Street Journal expose on the US taxpayer-financed Arabic-language television network Al-Hurra. The US launched Al- Hurra in February 2004 to compete with jihadist television networks like Al Jazeera. Its stated aim was to present a liberal, pro-democracy and pro-human rights voice to the Arab world. Yet, as Mowbray reported, since former CNN producer Larry Register was appointed to lead the network last November, that aim fell by the wayside.
In December the network began allowing itself to be used as a platform by arch terrorists like Hizbullah commander Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Last month, when the Israeli Islamic movement began attacking Israel for conducting an archeological dig by the Aksa mosque, Al-Hurra's coverage of the story was more extreme than Al Jazeera's. Palestinian Authority mufti Ikremah Sabri was brought on live and accused Israel of shooting and throwing bombs into the mosque and of denying medical care to those it had supposedly wounded. Al-Hurra has also hosted an al-Qaida terrorist who rejoiced in the September 11 attacks on America.
As is the case in Britain, the Bush administration's decision to largely abandon the ideological battlefield is the result of an uncompromising and unrelenting ideological and political assault against the voices that justify the war against the global jihad generally, and against the hawks in the Bush administration specifically.
Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith and John Bolton - and arguably Scooter Libby - were all forced from their positions in the Pentagon, the State Department and the White House after coming under unrelenting attack by the Left which all but accused these men of treason for their vigilant support of the war against Islamic totalitarianism. A central component of the onslaught against them was the repeated claim that their support for Israel is what brought these men to delude America into believing that the global jihad is a threat to US national security.
One of the central players in this concerted attack has been the billionaire George Soros. Soros is an anti-Zionist Jew with a troubling past. Specifically, by his own admission in interviews with 60 Minutes in 1998 and PBS in 1993, Soros collaborated with the Nazis in seizing Jewish property in Budapest in 1944.
Author Serge Trifkovic, who is currently researching a biography of Soros, tells of a Holocaust survivor in Hungary who claims that the reason Soros was allowed to remain free was "the boy's special knowledge of the Jewish community and its attempts to protect its property from confiscation."
Since 2003, Soros has donated more than $100 million to radical left-wing groups and to the political campaigns of far-left anti-war Democratic candidates in the US. His money has made him one of the most influential forces in the Democratic Party.
After Hamas won the Palestinian election last January, Soros turned his guns against Israel. Last October he announced his intention to work with left-wing American Jewish groups such as Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, American Friends of Peace Now and the Israel Policy Forum to form an effectively anti-Israel lobbying group that will compete with the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Soros accuses AIPAC of making common cause with the war hawks and so harming US and Israeli national security.
This week Soros laid out his anti-Israel views in the New York Review of Books. In a longwinded screed entitled, "On Israel, America and AIPAC," Soros presents an incoherent hodgepodge of sloppy logic and contradictory statements. On the one hand, he acknowledges that Israel's withdrawal from Gaza radicalized the Palestinians and brought Hamas to power. On the other hand, he insists that further Israeli withdrawals will cause the Palestinians to moderate. While he acknowledges that Hamas is a terror group, he insists that the US must recognize it and force Israel to recognize it and that AIPAC is responsible for neither recognizing Hamas as a legitimate political force in the region.
Soros claims to want peace for Israel. Yet he demands that the US and Israel embrace the Saudi plan which calls for Israel's effective destruction through a forced Israeli withdrawal from Judea, Jerusalem, Samaria and the Golan Heights and the demographic destruction of the Jewish state through unimpeded immigration of 4-5 million foreign-born Arabs.
In effect, Soros's arguments make clear that protestations aside, the advancement of human rights and peace cannot possibly be his true goals. Rather, what seems to interest him most is the erosion of the US-Israel alliance. A US abandonment of Israel is seen as a necessary component of an overall strategy for causing the US to cease its fight against the global jihad.
In her visit here next week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to pressure the Olmert-Livni-Peretz government to continue diplomatic contacts with the Hamas-Fatah terror government through PA Chairman and Fatah commander Mahmoud Abbas. In light of the administration's weakening stand on Hamas, it is clear that Soros's views have taken hold in ever-widening policy circles in Washington.
In advancing their anti-Israel views, Soros and his allies (most recently, New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof), invoke the work of radical leftist Israeli organizations like the Geneva Initiative, B'tselem and Peace Now. Like Soros, these organizations claim to act for the advancement of peace and human rights. And like Soros, these organizations effectively cooperate with pro-jihadist groups in eroding Israel's ability to defend its rights as a Jewish democracy.
The public storm that ensued this week after Jews in Hebron took control of a building they recently purchased in the city was a clear example of this leftist-jihadist collusion.
In demanding that the IDF move immediately to eject the Jews from the building they had bought, Peace Now and B'tselem ignored human rights and openly advocated the abrogation of the human rights ofIsraeli Jews to purchase and hold property. In so doing, they lent their support to the racist jihadist view that Jews must be barred from stepping foot in so-called Arab areas.
B'tselem spokeswoman Sarit Michaeli told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that whether the Jews purchased the building or not was immaterial. In her words, "Our opposition in principle is that these settlements should be evacuated anyway and that there shouldn't be these pockets in Hebron."
She added that "other than watching and making sure that [the sale] was done in a legal way, the IDF has the obligation to make sure that settlers don't take over more areas."
In so arguing, Michaeli gave effective Jewish Israeli support to even more outrageous statements by Israeli Arab parliamentarians. As she claimed that the IDF's job is to fight Jews, Arab MKs Ibrahim Sarsour and Muhammad Barakei participated in the PA's "Jerusalem First" conference in Ramallah. Sarsour called for "Muslims and Arabs" to "liberate Jerusalem."
Sarsour declared, "Just as the Muslims once liberated Jerusalem from the Crusaders, so must we today believe that we can liberate Jerusalem. It is not an impossible dream."
Barakei accused Israel of trying to "empty Jerusalem of its Palestinian inhabitants." Calling Jerusalem a "national issue, not just a religious issue," he called on Palestinians to act immediately to "reclaim the city."
As for Hebron, on Tuesday MK Taleb a-Sanaa called for an international boycott of Israel in response to the Jewish purchase and takeover of the building.
The Arab MKs spoke against the backdrop of Israel's first Arab cabinet minister Ghaleb Majadle's refusal to sing the national anthem and the publication of a University of Haifa poll showing that 76 percent of Israeli Arabs believe that Zionism is a form of racism and that 28% of Israeli Arabs deny the Holocaust.
Needless to say, no criminal investigations into possible treason charges have been opened against the Arab politicians.
A CLEAR line connects the Cambridge students, the Americans in Iraq, and the situation in Israel. The leftist-Islamist front is eroding the free world's sense of justice. Rather than assert our liberal, democratic values and defend our freedoms, fearing leftist condemnation, politicians and opinion shapers have permitted themselves to become shackled to ideologies that negate everything for which the free world stands.Israel, which stands on the front lines of freedom, is duty-bound to stem the tide. But our ignoble leaders have preferred to stop thinking and silently surrender.
This is how a civilization collapses.
Tony Snow, our prayers are with you....
Presidential spokesman Tony Snow is to undergo surgery Monday, and our prayers are with him as he waits to see if cancer has returned. Two years ago he was diagnosed with colon cancer, underwent surgery and chemotherapy, and began a new career as President Bush's spokesman at the White House. A growth in his lower abdomen has been detected and he says the surgery is planned as a precautionary measure even though he tested negative for cancer.
Tony Snow is one of the good guys. Formerly with Fox News Channel, he is perfect for the job he does for the President. He is witty, gentlemanly, informed, diplomatic ... all while holding down one of the toughest jobs in the White House ... that of swimming with sharks.
Our prayers go out to him for a speedy recovery. God bless.
Tony Snow is one of the good guys. Formerly with Fox News Channel, he is perfect for the job he does for the President. He is witty, gentlemanly, informed, diplomatic ... all while holding down one of the toughest jobs in the White House ... that of swimming with sharks.
Our prayers go out to him for a speedy recovery. God bless.
No man is an island....
"To the world you may be one person ... but to one person you may be the world."
"I want a sign...."
For those who have fought for it ...
Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
I received an email asking for Win the War signs from a friend of the mother of Lance Cpl. Daniel Morris who was killed in Iraq on February 14, 2007. One of my friends who once employed Daniel bought four signs. These ladies are remembering this young man by urging that we win the war so this young man wouldn't die in vain.
The email tonight was simple yet touched me as so many of them do. It said:
I would like to buy a sign or two or three and give them to family members as well as put one in my front yard. How do I go about getting them? Your help would be greatly appreciated.
And, thank you for all you are doing to make sure that ... sons of other mothers have not died in vain. Their efforts were for something and we appreciate everything each and every military member and family does to protect our freedoms. God Bless You and those like you who are getting the word out. I am here to support the cause in any way I can if you should need me.
My friend and co-worker lost her son on Feb. 14th [Lance Cpl. Daniel Morris] and I believe you were there for her to give her support. I appreciate that very much. Carol and I have been supporters of this war before her son joined and especially after Daniel joined the Marines and went to Iraq. Thank you again for all you are doing. May we succeed in getting the word out that we must WIN THE WAR......
Freedom ... is not free.
Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
I received an email asking for Win the War signs from a friend of the mother of Lance Cpl. Daniel Morris who was killed in Iraq on February 14, 2007. One of my friends who once employed Daniel bought four signs. These ladies are remembering this young man by urging that we win the war so this young man wouldn't die in vain.
The email tonight was simple yet touched me as so many of them do. It said:
I would like to buy a sign or two or three and give them to family members as well as put one in my front yard. How do I go about getting them? Your help would be greatly appreciated.
And, thank you for all you are doing to make sure that ... sons of other mothers have not died in vain. Their efforts were for something and we appreciate everything each and every military member and family does to protect our freedoms. God Bless You and those like you who are getting the word out. I am here to support the cause in any way I can if you should need me.
My friend and co-worker lost her son on Feb. 14th [Lance Cpl. Daniel Morris] and I believe you were there for her to give her support. I appreciate that very much. Carol and I have been supporters of this war before her son joined and especially after Daniel joined the Marines and went to Iraq. Thank you again for all you are doing. May we succeed in getting the word out that we must WIN THE WAR......
Freedom ... is not free.
Politics: 101
Spent today in Richmond attending meetings. It re-energized me as I listened to fellow Republican grassroots volunteers and electeds and heard about upcoming campaigns....
It started with State Central meeting at RPV Headquarters which ended with lunch graciously provided by Lt. Governor Bill Bolling. Then we headed over to the Greater Richmond Convention Centre for a steering committee meeting with former Governor Jim Gilmore as he outlined his presidential race plans. He was inspiring, straight-talking, and there will be more about that in a separate post.
When that meeting finished we hurried across the street to the Marriott where Bill Bolling met with about 200 supporters at one of his ongoing listening meetings with supporters. It, too, was inspirational as we listened to the Lt. Governor and his guests, Delegate John O'Bannon who discussed the transportation bill, and to Senator Mark Obenshain as he talked about eminent domain. More about that meeting later, too.....
It was a good day topped off with a panini from Ukrop's (yeah, I know ... I'm a cheap date) before arriving back in the Valley just before dark. It's good to be back in SWAC Country.
It started with State Central meeting at RPV Headquarters which ended with lunch graciously provided by Lt. Governor Bill Bolling. Then we headed over to the Greater Richmond Convention Centre for a steering committee meeting with former Governor Jim Gilmore as he outlined his presidential race plans. He was inspiring, straight-talking, and there will be more about that in a separate post.
When that meeting finished we hurried across the street to the Marriott where Bill Bolling met with about 200 supporters at one of his ongoing listening meetings with supporters. It, too, was inspirational as we listened to the Lt. Governor and his guests, Delegate John O'Bannon who discussed the transportation bill, and to Senator Mark Obenshain as he talked about eminent domain. More about that meeting later, too.....
It was a good day topped off with a panini from Ukrop's (yeah, I know ... I'm a cheap date) before arriving back in the Valley just before dark. It's good to be back in SWAC Country.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Conservatives cheer as Bush vows to veto Iraq War bill
Conservatives are cheering at President Bush's promise to veto the pork-laden Iraq War bill. I've had friends calling tonight to say, "Tell the President his approval rating went up about 100 points today."
Tony Snow, the White House Press Secretary, said during an appearance on today's Sean Hannity radio show that this bill, which would impose a deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq, will not pass. That is good news.
The President commented:
"They [Congress] set rigid restrictions that would require an army of lawyers to interpret. They set an arbitrary date for withdrawal with no regard for conditions on the ground. And they tacked on billions in pet projects that have nothing to do with winning the war on terror. This bill has too much pork, too many conditions and an artificial timetable for withdrawal. As I've made clear for weeks I will veto it if it comes to my desk."
Thank you, Mr. President. We support you in your decision.
NewsMax story: http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2007/3/23/150229.shtml?s=ic
Tony Snow, the White House Press Secretary, said during an appearance on today's Sean Hannity radio show that this bill, which would impose a deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq, will not pass. That is good news.
The President commented:
"They [Congress] set rigid restrictions that would require an army of lawyers to interpret. They set an arbitrary date for withdrawal with no regard for conditions on the ground. And they tacked on billions in pet projects that have nothing to do with winning the war on terror. This bill has too much pork, too many conditions and an artificial timetable for withdrawal. As I've made clear for weeks I will veto it if it comes to my desk."
Thank you, Mr. President. We support you in your decision.
NewsMax story: http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2007/3/23/150229.shtml?s=ic
Dancing with the Blue Ridge....
This week's gorgeous spring weather made us head for the mountains on an overcast day that looked like rain but none materialized..... The Blue Ridge Parkway was open after an ice storm in February had snapped trees and closed it to traffic.
A popular hiking spot, Humpback Rock, was a landmark for early settlers who, from 1851 until the early 1900s, drove wagonloads of goods on the Howardsville Turnpike between Howardsville and the Shenandoah Valley. The road is a nice drive even today as it descends to the Lyndhurst area of the Valley.
At milepost 6 is Humpback Gap which is now the start of the trail that goes to the top of Humpback Rock. This area was often used as a camping spot for travelers and is still a field today. The rock fence around the parking area and across the drive was said to have been build by slaves of a plantation owner.
Humpback Rocks Homestead is a learning experience for all ages and I never cease to be amazed at the tenacity of the early settlers who lived in this often-inhospitable place.
By using native materials they were able to build cabins and outbuildings, erect fences, build rock walls, chimneys, and foundations, and use nuts and berries to supplement the homegrown veggies as well as raise animals and hunt for game in the surrounding woods.
When I was still teaching my children we often visited the homestead in all seasons ... but my favorite time was when there were few people around and it was possible to linger alone and imagine life in these mountains....
More damage from the February ice storm was visible with down trees that had snapped and fallen around the cabins.
This tree had fallen across one of the rock walls.
Overlooking it all is Humpback Rock....
There are dozens of trails in the Humpback area as well as a nice picnic area.
The Blue Ridge Parkway winds through Humpback Gap.
Early settlers camped in this field on the trip between the Valley and Howardsville.
Sign is a teaching tool to explain and illustrate how Humpback Gap's field was cleared by pioneers. To paraphrase the Statlers, "There is Virginia ... and then there is the rest of the world." There is no place I'd rather be ... and there will be many more jaunts in the surrounding mountains throughout the spring....
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Spring days = light blogging
It was 75 degrees in the Valley today and do you think I was about to sit at the computer all day? No way. It was way too pretty outdoors to stay inside. The mountains, the jonquils blooming in my yard, the warmth of the sun ... nope ... had to be outside.Spring days = light blogging....
Anti-war protester complains about D.C. march
A local democrat anti-war activist wrote a letter to the editor in today's Staunton News Leader about the war rally in D.C. over the weekend. She is one of those protesters we regularly go up against on the streets of Staunton but she was participating in the ANSWER and MoveOn.org protests on Saturday.
In the letter she said:
At the start of the rally, the Virginia group was forced to proceed down a narrow sidewalk surrounded on both sides by war supporters who screamed epithets, spit, tried to knock down the banner bearers, attempted to tip over my wheelchair, and succeeded in grabbing a peace banner from one woman, shredding it and knocking her around in the presence of her two children. They continually shouted "traitor" at us.
Sounds as if she's describing her side ... the ones who proclaim to "support the troops" but have no understanding at all what it means to our military to be halfway around the world and see people protesting their mission. What is it that makes this letter writer and others like her think they are helping our soldiers and Marines by marching like that? Why are they deaf to the pleas of those soldiers who tell us they turn off the news because they don't want to see what the liberals/democrats are doing nor how the media represent and push the liberal agenda? Why do they not understand how the military families feel about it?
Read the entire letter here:
http://www.newsleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070322/OPINION03/703220303/1014/OPINION
I suppose as long as there is war there will be those who feel it is not just or right to go to war. The sad truth is ... there is no peace without war. What I cannot understand is why our own people are against their own country for trying to keep peace (successfully) here on the homeland. If we had not responded to 9/11 by entering Afghanistan and Iraq would we have continued to have bombings here in America?
I think so. I believe it would have emboldened bin Laden and others to go up against the most powerful nation in the world and have no response. To have no response from us would have given them bragging rights to the terrorist world: "Hit America! She won't fight back because she's soft and weak."
Our country is at war. To march against our government during a time of war is, in my opinion, treason. We are so politically correct in allowing free speech that we let the morale of our country be drained by these people.
This ain't Vietnam. The left-over hippies of the 1960s are trying to use the same page out of the same playbook they used during Vietnam by demoralizing and losing the war on the home front.
But it's different this time.
There are those of us who grew up during Vietnam who remember the hate-filled protesters of that day ... and we're not sitting back silently watching as they do it again.
There are the Vietnam veterans who were at the receiving end of those hippies' actions during Vietnam, who were treated disrespectfully and threatened by protesters. Their government told them not to wear their uniforms when traveling home on leave in America because it was too dangerous. What was wrong with that picture? Where were honorable Americans to stand up to that?
We are standing up to it now. The letter writer and others can march and write ... but I'm going to be out there to stand up to them because I'm doing this for my husband who is a Vietnam-era veteran and for my children who have to live in the world we leave behind.
I'm doing it for every young man and woman who enlists because they love this country and believe in the mission.
And I'm doing it for those who have given the supreme sacrifice because I don't want their families to feel that they died in vain. They died to keep me free. They died to provide safe streets so I can drive without worrying about a bomb going off under my vehicle. They died to keep homicide bombers out of our malls so I can shop in safety.
They did not die in vain.
To protest is, in my opinion, a slap in the face to every red-blooded American who fights for us, who dies for us, who is trying to do the right thing for us.
Sure. You have the right to protest -- it's guaranteed in the Constitution. But I find it hard to believe you have the conscience to do it.
Peace. We all want it. But some are nieve enough to think it doesn't come with a price. Others know better. And when those of us who know better speak up, the Left tries to silence us by calling names and with personal attacks ... but we can't let them silence us. We can't allow them to cower us.
We have to stand up for our country and against the anti-war protesters ... stand up against the leftists and socialists ... stand up for our future. We must stand in unity.
Freedom isn't free.
In the letter she said:
At the start of the rally, the Virginia group was forced to proceed down a narrow sidewalk surrounded on both sides by war supporters who screamed epithets, spit, tried to knock down the banner bearers, attempted to tip over my wheelchair, and succeeded in grabbing a peace banner from one woman, shredding it and knocking her around in the presence of her two children. They continually shouted "traitor" at us.
Sounds as if she's describing her side ... the ones who proclaim to "support the troops" but have no understanding at all what it means to our military to be halfway around the world and see people protesting their mission. What is it that makes this letter writer and others like her think they are helping our soldiers and Marines by marching like that? Why are they deaf to the pleas of those soldiers who tell us they turn off the news because they don't want to see what the liberals/democrats are doing nor how the media represent and push the liberal agenda? Why do they not understand how the military families feel about it?
Read the entire letter here:
http://www.newsleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070322/OPINION03/703220303/1014/OPINION
I suppose as long as there is war there will be those who feel it is not just or right to go to war. The sad truth is ... there is no peace without war. What I cannot understand is why our own people are against their own country for trying to keep peace (successfully) here on the homeland. If we had not responded to 9/11 by entering Afghanistan and Iraq would we have continued to have bombings here in America?
I think so. I believe it would have emboldened bin Laden and others to go up against the most powerful nation in the world and have no response. To have no response from us would have given them bragging rights to the terrorist world: "Hit America! She won't fight back because she's soft and weak."
Our country is at war. To march against our government during a time of war is, in my opinion, treason. We are so politically correct in allowing free speech that we let the morale of our country be drained by these people.
This ain't Vietnam. The left-over hippies of the 1960s are trying to use the same page out of the same playbook they used during Vietnam by demoralizing and losing the war on the home front.
But it's different this time.
There are those of us who grew up during Vietnam who remember the hate-filled protesters of that day ... and we're not sitting back silently watching as they do it again.
There are the Vietnam veterans who were at the receiving end of those hippies' actions during Vietnam, who were treated disrespectfully and threatened by protesters. Their government told them not to wear their uniforms when traveling home on leave in America because it was too dangerous. What was wrong with that picture? Where were honorable Americans to stand up to that?
We are standing up to it now. The letter writer and others can march and write ... but I'm going to be out there to stand up to them because I'm doing this for my husband who is a Vietnam-era veteran and for my children who have to live in the world we leave behind.
I'm doing it for every young man and woman who enlists because they love this country and believe in the mission.
And I'm doing it for those who have given the supreme sacrifice because I don't want their families to feel that they died in vain. They died to keep me free. They died to provide safe streets so I can drive without worrying about a bomb going off under my vehicle. They died to keep homicide bombers out of our malls so I can shop in safety.
They did not die in vain.
To protest is, in my opinion, a slap in the face to every red-blooded American who fights for us, who dies for us, who is trying to do the right thing for us.
Sure. You have the right to protest -- it's guaranteed in the Constitution. But I find it hard to believe you have the conscience to do it.
Peace. We all want it. But some are nieve enough to think it doesn't come with a price. Others know better. And when those of us who know better speak up, the Left tries to silence us by calling names and with personal attacks ... but we can't let them silence us. We can't allow them to cower us.
We have to stand up for our country and against the anti-war protesters ... stand up against the leftists and socialists ... stand up for our future. We must stand in unity.
Freedom isn't free.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
D.C. "Gathering of Eagles" at UCV....
You have got to check out Flora's posts over at United Conservatives of Virginia (http://unitedconservatives.blogspot.com) for her great write-up and photos of Saturday's "Gathering of Eagles" in Washington, D.C. She also has a video so check it out, too. Thanks, Flora and F22Striker, for representing the rest of us who could not be there.
SWAC "Gathering of Eagles" ... even more photos
"Gathering of Eagles" to Support the Troops
March 17, 2007 - Staunton, VA
Pre-rally
Pre-rally
Pre-rally set-up
Pre-rally
Patriot Guard bearing the red, white, and blue.
The Vets ... representing World War II, Korea,
and Vietnam ... waving American flags.
Rhonda Winfield reads her letter to Cindy Sheehan.
Photos by Lynn Mitchell
March 17, 2007 - Staunton, VA
Pre-rally
Pre-rally
Pre-rally set-up
Pre-rally
Patriot Guard bearing the red, white, and blue.
The Vets ... representing World War II, Korea,
and Vietnam ... waving American flags.
Rhonda Winfield reads her letter to Cindy Sheehan.
Photos by Lynn Mitchell
George Allen working for Young America's Foundation
George Allen has been hired by the Young America's Foundation, a conservative political group based out of Northern Virginia that advances the ideas of President Ronald Reagan.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
"This is just absolutely perfect for me," Allen said, emphasizing that Reagan "inspired me personally to public service" when he asked Allen to chair Young Virginians for Reagan in 1976. In the job, Allen said, he will be "espousing and advocating the principles and ideals I have shared through the years with Ronald Reagan."
The Young America's Foundation, a nonprofit group, purchased the former Reagan ranch in California, which served as a western White House when Reagan was president. It also operates the Reagan Ranch Center, which a foundation spokesman called a "schoolhouse for Reaganism," in Santa Barbara, Calif.
As a member of the Reagan Ranch Board of Governor, Allen will be working side-by-side with another Board member, Kate Obenshain Griffin, former RPV Chairman.
The Times-Dispatch continues:
The job will give Allen a forum for addressing issues of the day and discussing Reagan's legacy, and it will allow him a platform for staying visible if he chooses to run for office again.
Allen's work will include doing a monthly radio show and representing the foundation in events that celebrate Reagan milestones, such as his birthday and the fall of the Berlin Wall, a foundation spokesman said.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173350314251&path=%21news&s=1045855934842
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
"This is just absolutely perfect for me," Allen said, emphasizing that Reagan "inspired me personally to public service" when he asked Allen to chair Young Virginians for Reagan in 1976. In the job, Allen said, he will be "espousing and advocating the principles and ideals I have shared through the years with Ronald Reagan."
The Young America's Foundation, a nonprofit group, purchased the former Reagan ranch in California, which served as a western White House when Reagan was president. It also operates the Reagan Ranch Center, which a foundation spokesman called a "schoolhouse for Reaganism," in Santa Barbara, Calif.
As a member of the Reagan Ranch Board of Governor, Allen will be working side-by-side with another Board member, Kate Obenshain Griffin, former RPV Chairman.
The Times-Dispatch continues:
The job will give Allen a forum for addressing issues of the day and discussing Reagan's legacy, and it will allow him a platform for staying visible if he chooses to run for office again.
Allen's work will include doing a monthly radio show and representing the foundation in events that celebrate Reagan milestones, such as his birthday and the fall of the Berlin Wall, a foundation spokesman said.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173350314251&path=%21news&s=1045855934842
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
SWAC "Gathering of Eagles" ... more photos
"A Gathering of Eagles" Support the Troops Rally
Staunton, VA - March 17, 2007
Staunton, VA - March 17, 2007
Vietnam-era Air Force veteran who remembers the hate-filled anti-war protesters from the Vietnam War. When going home on leave, he was told not to wear his uniform while traveling because it was too dangerous. In America. We cannot let it happen again....
Pre-rally preparations in downtown Staunton.
Pre-rally as participants gather at Courthouse.
Patriot Herb Harman speaks. "These people here are the spirit of America. This is the American spirit, and that's why we're out here."
"Win the War" items.
Herb Harman and his wife, Jan, listen as others speak.
Vietnam veterans who know the importance of having America behind them when they are away from home and at war.
Bob Barker drove from Charlottesville to be at the rally.
Photos by SWAC Girl
Lynn Mitchell
17 March 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
SWAC " Gathering of Eagles" ... the photos
Saturday, March 17, 2007
with children presenting the red, white, and blue.
The Lady Marine....
Rally participants. More photos to come....
Rally signs to alert passersby
Rally participants
The horns blared before and during the rally.
Before the rally ... putting flags in place.
The rally participants.
with children presenting the red, white, and blue.
The Lady Marine....
Rally participants. More photos to come....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)