Watching Ernesto approach.

UPDATE: Ernie is out over the warm waters of the Atlantic and he immediately began to strenthen. Wind speed jumped from 35 MPH to 50 MPH. (That's "sustained" wind speed. We're not talking about gusts, which will be higher.) More strengthening is expected today as it churns the waters off our coast. We are looking for a "CAT ONE" strike when Ernie makes his second landfall sometime later today. The outer rain bands have been gliding across us since well before dawn. So far, at 8:39 AM EDT, we have had less than a tenth of an inch of rain. That will change, however.

For more go here:

http://www.wwaytv3.com/global/story.asp?s=5345021
***********************

Here in NC we are awaiting a visit from Ernesto. The only question we have had was whether he will hit us from the east, the west, or from the south. We are now certain we will be hit. If the storm remains no stronger than a CAT one, we will be OK. Minimal wind damage, but we expect a lot of rainfall and flooding.

All this is subject to change in the next hour or less. That’s the nature of these storms.

Currently Ernesto is approaching for the south/southeast. It appears it is going to come ashore on the Northern South Carolina coast somewhere around Georgetown, or Myrtle Beach. Since I am actually farther to the east, than is Myrtle Beach, there is an extremely good chance that the storm will come directly over me.

The scary part for most of us, early on, was that the winds were predicted to hit us during the night. Hurricanes are at their most frightful in the dark. The sounds of crashing, and splintering, and windblown objects striking, only God knows what, can be terrifying. You don’t dare venture outside until daylight. Usually, I just go to bed and go to sleep. Oh, I’m not that brave! I just don’t see the sense in sitting up, listening to the world come to an end around you, feeling totally helpless. So, I “sack out” and preserve my strength for the next day’s tasks, which will arrive at dawn.

Now however the winds are expected to be greatly diminished, and the worst are predicted to strike us later this afternoon and early tonight.

It makes a huge difference which side of the storm you happen to be on. The right front quadrant is the deadliest part of the storm, of any hurricane. The current “predicted track” has us in the sights of that quadrant. Or, very close to being directly beneath what “would have been the eye” had Ernie nor broken up.

The water off our shore is in the 80’s and low 90’s. It offers plenty of energy for the Ernesto’s engine. If the storm stays over water it will strengthen. However, as it rakes the beaches and the forests, of the coastal plain, it will be sapped of a good deal of that energy. But the rain will come down in torrents. We expect flooding.

So now we hunker down and wait. We know the storm is coming. We know it has been downgraded, …all this we know… intellectually. But, I have to tell you, the respect for those storms, especially here in Hurricane Alley, is such that we show them all great respect. We will breath easier… only after the storm has passed us.

That’s it from “Hurricane Alley” in SENC at the moment!

Longstreet

Making Kids Eco-Crazy! ... Alan Caruba

Making Kids Eco-Crazy
By Alan Caruba

It’s back to school time for kids and, of course, for the environmental crazies that means creating a huge mythology of things that will kill them the minute they venture into the jungle of hazards and horrors that await them in school.

The biggest hazard I encountered was a kid named Mario who, not surprisingly, ended up in jail. I did not worry about what my clothes were made from, if the acrylic paints would poison me, or the importance of using both sides of the piece of paper.

Let’s understand that, for years now, children have been taught that the Earth is virtually on its last legs and that Global Warming is sufficient for them to abandon all hope of ever being as old as their grandparents, most of whom are probably already dead from inhaling asbestos, having their lungs destroyed by radon, or being slowly poisoned from having used pesticides to kill bugs in their bedroom. Plus, those old people all ate fast foods, drank soda, and probably smoked. If they aren’t dead, they are obviously just a freak of nature.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was to receive an email from something called “EcoMall.com” described as “one of the oldest and largest portals for environmental shopping.” According to the folks at EcoMall.com, back-to-school time is also the perfect time to “start introducing earth-friendly concepts into their children’s everyday lives.”

Or, to put it another way, time to start scaring the living daylights out of them by ruining what fun they might have in the few, short years of their childhood.

One hardly knows where to begin in the long list of life-threatening things the mere act of going to school involves. For example, “Petroleum oil, a non-renewable resource, is used in the manufacture of chemicals and plastic commonly found in most school supplies. Environmentally speaking, using supplies made from natural ingredients is always preferable.”

Wait a minute! Are these loonies telling me that oil is not a “natural” substance produced by the Earth? Are they suggesting that all chemicals are automatically a hazard? That plastic is a bad thing? Yes, they are. And they are telling your children this as well.

For the environmentally demented, recycling is as much a religious duty as facing Mecca five times a day is for Muslims. “Schools should remember to use both sides of the paper, save and reused paper clips, thumbtacks, rubber bands, etc., and recycle newspapers, cans, and bottles.”

Suffice it to say, recycling is expensive, requires a lot of power, and many states and cities have concluded it is a huge waste of money and manpower. It has no practical value other than to make people feel bad about using stuff.

EcoMall.com is determined to warn parents to dress their children only in “organic cotton and hemp” because “conventional cotton cultivation uses 25% of the world’s pesticides.” It is also one of the most popular cloths in the world and under attack from a wide range of insect predators such as the famed Boll Weevil. You want cotton? You have to kill the bugs. EcoMall.com actually says that their cotton products “do not contain toxic pesticides.” What do you want to bet that ordinary cotton clothing doesn’t either?

It is important, too, to make sure the school only provides “organic food and juice, as well as rBGH-free milk.” Have you checked the cost of organic food versus the food that all the rest of us buy at the supermarket?

Perhaps most important of all is to “Make your school a toxin-free zone.” Parents should storm the local school board and demand the use of non-toxic cleaners “which can impact indoor air quality.” Whatever else is going on in school, it is essential that “toxic pesticides” are not used “in or around the school” because of the “significant health risks to your children if exposed.”

Oddly, I know something about pest control, having worked with the industry for several decades. None of the pest control professionals I have known are bent on killing every child in every school in America. Quite the contrary, they are concerned with killing the legions of cockroaches, mice, rats, and other disease-spreading pests that routinely invade school cafeterias and anywhere else food can be found such as desks, lockers, and the teacher’s lounge!

They fend off pigeons whose droppings degrade school structures and, universally these days, they do this work at night when schools are empty. Despite being around pesticides all day, these people actually have families of their own and their children are as healthy as yours. Many of them go into the business!

Here are just a few of the school items EcoMall.com warns against: magic markers, disposable pens, plastic folders and notebooks, acrylic paints and scented art products, epoxy or instant bonding glues, artist’s pastel crayons, and glossy paper used for art projects. You have been warned!

Somewhere in this great land of ours, some eco-scientists are conducting experiments that will conclusively prove that your children are in more danger in school than if they lived in downtown Baghdad.

It’s all foolishness, of course, but it is a dangerous, malign and evil foolishness. It adds levels of anxiety to the daunting challenge of learning anything in today’s horrid schools that routinely fail to teach the basic knowledge children will need to survive in a world where the competition will be truly global.

Alan Caruba writes a weekly column, “Warning Signs”, posted on the Internet site of The National Anxiety Center, www.anxietycenter.com. His book, “Right Answers: Separating Fact from Fantasy”, has just been published by Merril Press.
© Alan Caruba, 2006

Black Boxes on American made Automobiles!

Black Boxes on American made Automobiles???

Yes, they are there. They record whether you are wearing your seat belt, whether you are surpassing the speed limit, when you apply the brakes, and so on. Lots of information an Insurance company’s lawyers would kill to get their hands on… and now the American driver is simply going to hand it to them. It’s sorta like handing the Hangman the rope!

I have been agitating against the black boxes since I first learned about them in the eighties. I discovered one on my wife’s car the day I learned of them. I checked my car… and it did not have one. It was two years older than my wife’s sedan.

The first thing I did was contact the dealership from which we purchased the cars. At first they denied having any knowledge of the Black Boxes. After pressing them… they did admit the existence of them. I then asked that the black box on my wife’s car be removed. They said it could not be removed, or disabled because it was integrated into the car’s onboard computer and if it was disabled, or removed, the car simply would not run. We got rid of both cars.

As soon as I purchased the truck I own now, I contacted the automaker and asked if there was a data recorder on my truck. They wrote back to assure me there was not.

Now, dear reader, if you believe I am overreacting to the danger to the owner/driver those black boxes present, then you should know that at least two drivers, in the state of Florida, have been tried and lost their cases as a direct result of info recovered from the onboard date recorder on their cars.

Do you see the danger, now???

Talk about an invasion of privacy!

The automakers tell us the black boxes (data recorders) are there to provide them data, which will help them build a better automobile. Excuse me…. I don’t believe it! The US Government wants those data recorders on all us made autos ASAP. That’s ALL US cars! As of today, some US made vehicles do not have the Data Recorders.

So, US auto owners need to do a couple of things. One we need to fight the move by the government to make the data recorder "standard equipment" on our cars, and two, we need to get some computer geeks together to come up with a program to defeat those recorders and still allow our vehicles to run.

I remember when Catalytic converters first came out, and the government mandated their placement on all cars in the US, a cottage industry popped up, in nearly every community, in which the converter was either taken completely off the car and replaced with a piece of straight exhaust pipe, or the converter was removed long enough to hollow it out and then the "shell" was replaced so that anyone inspecting the underside of the car would see, what appeared as, a fully functioning catalytic converter.

Bit by bit, we are losing our privacy. Actually we have almost none, as it is. For instance, my cell phone will tell anyone who cares to know, and has the right equipment, exactly where, on the face of the earth, I happen to be... at any given moment! The various search engines on the internet log every site I visit, how long I’m there, what I look at, and read, while I’m there, etc. Even the stores are integrating Radio Frequency chips into the clothing you buy. They can trace you with that little transmitter. It doesn’t turn itself off when you exit the store. Nosiree!

How much more of our freedom will Americans have to lose before we cry “STOP”! Huh?

If you want a good place to start… blistering the US government’s ears about the black boxes on you automobiles is as good a place as any!

Longstreet

My Apologies!

My apologies! My ISP has been down for a nunber of hours and I am several hours behind on posting comments . I haven't even gotten today's post up.

Please vist again later. I'm working on it!

Your Obedient Servant,

Longstreet!

Preparing for America with Democrat Leadership!

If you are a resident of America, and you happen to live in a home constructed in the 1950’s and 1960’s, we suggest you begin searching your back yards for what might appear as a ventilation shaft, protruding from the ground, for no apparent reason. If you find one of those, you’ll want to get out the old shovel and start digging. You may be fortunate enough to have one of the thousands of underground bomb shelters built in America during that era.

We suggest you dig down to it, open it, air it out, clean it out, and begin re- stocking it as soon as possible.











If you are one of the unfortunate ones, like me, and you don’t have one of those soon to be needed life saving shelters, you are going to need to go to the search engine of your choice and begin a search for plans for a family, or personal, bomb shelter, or fallout shelter.

You think I’m kidding, right? Not by a long shot! Have you been watching the news lately?

I mean, the Mainstream Media is telling us the Democrat Party is going to win back the Congress this November and the Presidency in November of 2008, and if they do… you and I are going to need those bomb shelters! Putting the Democrats in charge of the US government is the equivalent of running up the white flag for the Islamofacists! They are just waiting for the Democrats to take over. They know that the Democrats have no earthly idea of what national security means and no hint as to what is required to protect the citizens of the United States, or, the soon to be Islamic States of America!

Nearly 80% of foreign policy experts say they are convinced the US is going to be hit again within the next five years. Do you want to take the chance that the hit will be non-nuclear, or nuclear? Ok, then, start digging!









I’m sitting just 50 miles from a busy East Coast seaport, just 30 miles from the largest US Military Ammo Dump on the East Coast, just 35 miles from a Nuclear Power Plant, and you think I’m not worried??? Each morning as the eastern horizon brightens at sunrise, I do a double take just to be sure it IS the sun!

It’s time to get on the ‘net and find those bomb shelter plans, and check the yellow pages for the dealer nearest you with backhoe rentals, and get to work. There’s not a minute to lose. In a few months, after the Democrats win, a free America will be only a beautiful memory. That shining city on a hill will be darkened and will vanish. Man’s last, best, hope will be gone. The candle of freedom will be outed and the New Dark Ages will descend upon the Islamic Global Dominion. The only nation standing between freedom and utter chaos, will be gone… undone from within by a political party bent on power for itself and unwilling to admit it is completely incapable of leading, and protecting, the nation it claims to love.

Prepare, fellow Americans! The edge of night approaches.

Longstreet

We Gave Away the United States!

(This Post First ran In April of 2006!)

Every politician, from the President on down, stands before the microphones and states: “We are a nation of laws! No man is above the law!”

Well, we now know that that is a load of horse hockey!

When the government body, charged by the constitution to make the laws of the US, tries, as best it can, to pass a law which would allow lawbreakers amnesty, well, those actions put the lie to their statements about this being a nation of laws. It’s a crock!,

Yes, I’m referring to illegal immigration. As I write from the state with the fourth largest number of illegals of any state in the union, I have to tell you, we “legals” are fed up.

I’m also fed up with the bleeding heart liberals telling me I am wrong, and that I have no compassion. That, too, is a crock.

Look, I do not subscribe to the theory of “relativism”. So far as I am concerned there is right and there is wrong… period. No gray areas.

So, do not try to pluck my heart strings by telling me that many of the illegals have had their children here, since they slipped across the border, and to send them back we would have to separate families, separate mothers from children. So, what’s your point??? The baby is a US citizen. He, or she, stays and mom and dad go back to whereever the heck they came from. So far as I’m concerned, it is cut and dried. They broke the law, now everybody pays.
Momma, Daddy, and Baby!

About the only thing America asks for from its citizens, and those visiting here, is to obey the law! But, when our own law enforcement agencies, and our own government, will not enforce the law, what good is having it in the first place?

I understand that this week is to bring more demonstrations by the illegals and those in favor of amnesty. I want to see the entire lot rounded up on the streets, where they demonstrate, and their documentation checked. If they don’t have any, deport them immediately!

I am given to believe that demonstrations are being planned for those of us who actually believe in the law. Good! The sooner the better!

Now, as to those low wages, that cheap labor supplied by the illegals… If the labor unions have their way, they will organize those people and then they’ll all be out of work! Why? Well, the farmer using them (because of the cheap wages he can pay) will dump them, in a heartbeat, in favor of MORE illegals who WILL work for those cheap wages.

Now, as to them doing work that Americans won’t do. What about the folks on welfare in America? What about the folks drawing unemployment in America? Those jobs, now held by illegal immigrants, will be vacant and begging for help if we send the illegals back to Mexico! What’s to stop the US from demanding that recipients of welfare and unemployment do those jobs?

And another thing: let’s establish English as the official language of the United States. I’m tired of buying a new product and then having to thumb through a multipage booklet of instructions looking for a set of instructions in ENGLISH!

If we don’t get hold of this illegal immigration problem, we won’t have a recognizable US in 30 years. One more generation and the US will be a Spanish dominated, Spanish speaking country and folks will wonder what ever happened to the United States. Well, your grandkids can tell them… “We gave it away!”

Longstreet

Russian Scientist says Global Cooling on the Way! AAAA-HA!

WHAT? NO GLOBAL WARMING????


Khabibullo Abdusamatov, a Russian scientists, says his research shows the earth is cooling, not continuing to warm, as the Global Warming enthusiasts would have us believe.

It is the return of "The Little Ice Age", which caused some dreadful times in parts of Europe back in the 1500’s.

Get the full report from UPI here:

www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060825-091321-7556r

Why, you may ask, am I posting this report? Simple. I don’t believe in Global Warming. I DO believe the “Global Warming Theory” is a hoax.

Weather patterns on the earth are cyclical. There are periods of warming and periods of cooling.

So dig out those fur coats and rabbit fur-lined gloves and get ready to shiver!

Longstreet

Weapons in Space ???

(This Post first ran in May of 2005!)

Weapons in Space?

The MSM is becoming exorcised over the possibility of the US placing defensive, as well as offensive, weapons in space.

My first thought, upon hearing this, was: “You mean to tell me they are not there already???

I cannot conceive of our nation NOT having defensive weapons in space… at the very least. The satellites we have out there are vital, essential, to the everyday operation of this country… and government. They need protection. Even the Pentagon admits that should our satellites be destroyed, or taken over by an enemy, it could bring this nation to its knees.

We have known, since day one in space, that we would have to be prepared to place weapons there. Anyone, with an ounce of sense, knows the country controlling the skies over our heads controls us! We cannot allow that to happen!

Missile bases on the moon? Why not? I see no difference in placing the missiles in orbit... or on the surface of the moon. None. Both are excellent vantage points and the perfect bombing platform to reach any spot on the globe.

It is understood the Pentagon has spent a huge amount of money developing these weapons and is now ready for a Presidential Directive to deploy them.

There will be weeping and wailing and condemnation, from our less than friendly allies, all over the world. The UN will be heard from. All will be decrying the placement of weapons, of any kind, defensive or offensive, in space. But it is coming and will be a done deal shortly.

Some space weapons will have the capability of knocking out missiles, aimed for the US, shortly after they leave their launchers on earth. Others will stand permanent guard over our communications and military satellites. This is as it should be. We have a right to protect ourselves, regardless of the howls of protest, which will surely arise as soon as the MSM plasters this “alarming” news all over their papers and evening news broadcasts.

As I said, near the beginning of this post…. I will be more than a little surprised to learn that we do not already have space-based weapons systems deployed now. I will sleep better at night knowing the guardians above are “at the ready” in case one, or more, of our many enemies decides it is time to strike.

Weapons in space is an idea whose time came a long time ago!

Longstreet

Iran’s “Hizbollah” Re-Arming at an Accelerated Pace While Using UNIFiL-2 as a “Shield”!

“The Debkafile” is reporting that weapons are literally pouring into Lebanon to re- supply and re-arm Hizbollah.

For the full story go here:

http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1205

US “electronic warfare experts” have rushed to Israel to try and define problems with Israel’s EW efforts, which were "compromised" by Hizbollah.

Meanwhile, there are reports that the European Union is considering the possibility of an “EU armed force” to get between Israel and the Palestinians, in Gaza, and… to place themselves between the US troops and insurgents in Iraq! Apparently not satisfied to stay out of the way, the EU is about to muddy the waters even more… in favor of anyone against the US.

How long before US troops, and EU troops, are firing upon each other?

… and you still do not believe this is a “World War”????

Not only can the US not expect assistance from the European Union, it appears we may soon be fighting them in combat. Will the EU troops be wearing the blue helmets of the UN? Probably.

It’s ironic, isn’t it, to realize that the US will have paid the money (from US taxpayers) to finance and armed force, (at least those in the blue helmets) which will be, for all intents and purposes, at war with the US!

What a world!

Longstreet

The GOP is Going to Foist McCain upon GOP Voters!

I’m convinced the GOP is making a huge mistake and one which will cost them Presidency in 2008.

The mistake is John McCain.

Now, here’s why I feel this way:

I believe the GOP believes that Southerners disapprove of Hillary Clinton so much that they will go to the polls, hold their noses, and vote for McCain. It’s not going to happen.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Conservatives are over joyed that democrats seem bent on choosing Hillary Clinton as their Presidential candidate. It’s looked upon as a gift from God. But the GOP negates the entire gain they make, with Hillary’s candidacy, when they choose McCain as the GOP standard bearer.

Why?

Two reasons: McCain insulted the South on his foray through here in the 2000 campaign. We haven’t forgotten… and we do not intend to support anyone, no matter who it is, who “dis-respects” the South.

The second reason is… we don’t believe McCain has the temperament to be President. We feel he will keep the country consistently in a state of turmoil. We don’t like that.

We won’t vote for Hillary, either. We just won’t vote in the Presidential election. I’m assuming that all states have the Presidential race separate, on the ballot, as it is here in NC. One can simply jump right over the Presidential race and complete your ballot while leaving the Presidential race unmarked. If McCain is the GOP candidate, that is what I plan to do and I urge my fellow conservatives in the South, and elsewhere, to do the same.

If Hillary, and McCain, are the two Presidential candidates in ’08, we can expect the lowest turnout, likely, in the history of the US. .

If Hillary can win with just the states, which voted for John Kerry, she will be the next President of the US.

In the case of the GOP, their mind is made up. It’s going to be McCain. Trying to talk to the Party leaders is about as easy as getting an audience with the Pope. Maybe getting in to see the Pope is easier. I learned a very long time ago that the party leaders, of both the Democrat and Republican parties, could not care less what you and I, the lowly voter, wants or thinks. The less they hear from us the better they like it. When they want us to have an opinion… they’ll give it to us.

Well, the GOP is going to hear from Conservative voters in November of ’08. It will be a very loud message and one the GOP is not going to want to hear.

We are not going to vote for McCain… no matter whom the democrat candidate is. Period!

Longstreet

Progress in Iran's Nuclear Program May Exceed West's Expectations!

Is Iran on the Nuclear Bomb Threshold?




Middle Eastern experts are beginning to fear that Iran is at the threshold of creating their own Nuclear Bomb. An official announcement of Iran’s progress on its nuclear program is expected within days.

If the rumors are true, the west’s calculations, as to Iran’s progress on the bomb, are frighteningly wrong.

For more on these disturbing reports, out of the Middle East, we recommend this report from the "Middle East Media Research Institute" (MEMRI). You’ll find it here:

http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD126106

Additional reports say that Israel may be prepared to "go it alone", against Iran, in an attempt to delay Iran’s nuclear program.

To say that the Middle East is a “powder keg with a lit fuse”, would be an understatement!

Longstreet

Ahmadinejad Should give Us All Nightmares!

Ahmadinejad is our worst Nightmare!

We came across this article on the “Daily Mail” site and since it so vividly details the insanity of Iran’s leader, Ahmadinejad, we recommend it you. You’ll find it at:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/newscomment.html?in_article_id=401858&in_page_id=1787

We are facing an enemy, in Ahmadinejad, every bit as dangerous as Hitler and the Nazi party. At some point the US will have to deal with this man and with his insane plan to take the world into chaos. When that day comes, in the not too distant future, we will, as usual, be on our own. We can expect no help from Europe, which will fold, like a cheap suit, at the first serious threat from Iran.














While the totally ineffective UN plays at placating Ahmadinejad, he grows stronger as he nears the realization of his dream of an Iranian Atom Bomb. (The Islam Bomb)

If the US were blessed with forward thinking leaders, we would be building up our armed forces in preparation for this confrontation, which is just around the corner. But we cannot do so with the limp-wristed leaders we have in the Congress today.

The US “standing Army” should be doubled. Our Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corp needs to be doubled in strength… and as quickly as possible. If that means reinstitution of the draft… then so be it. When war with Iran comes, it won’t be fought from 15,000 feet with smart bombs. It will be a slugfest in the air, on the sea, and on the land. It will not be contained in the Middle East. The continental US will be hit. We can count on it! Missiles launched from ships, lying off shore in international waters, can burst through our radar defenses and hit targets before we can react to stop them.

The US military is seriously weak at this point in our history. Shortsightedness, and a tendency to believe “we can all just get along”, has led the US into a “head in the sand” policy which will come back to haunt us… and to hurt us.













The US needs a crash program, right now; to build up our military might to a state of readiness we reached in the midst of the Second World War. Although our leaders don’t want to admit it, we are facing the same intensity of danger as we did at the beginning of that war when our military was at one of its lowest ebbs.

When one looks at the threats to the security of the US today, and compares it to the reaction of our leadership toward meeting that threat, if one has an ounce of sense, one must be seriously frightened. Our Congressional leadership is tooling along as if nothing in the world matters except who gets elected this November and in November of 2008.

Well, I have news for Congress… and the White House. (It ought not be news to the Congress or the President, but it apparently is.) It is time to pay for all the years of relative peace we have enjoyed as a nation. It is time to go to war in a serious manner. “Pussyfooting” around, with Iran, as we have been doing with Iraq for the past 3-1/2 years, will only get us destroyed as a nation. We will only win a war with Iran by utterly destroying them. There will be no room for political correctness. There will be no room for “winning the hearts and minds” of the Iranians. We won’t have time! We’ll be fighting for our very existence!

In the meantime, I fully expect the US to continue along this "fairy tale path", assured in it’s on ignorance, that we can talk our way, negotiate our way, out of war with Iran, until thousands of Americans lie dead, and irradiated, in the streets of our largest east coast cities.

We have grown fat, and lazy, and extremely vulnerable. Unfortunately, I have come to believe that it will take a mushroom cloud over New York, Boston, or Washington DC to wake us up!

Suicide is a sorry way for a great nation to go!

Longstreet

Apologies and Groveling! Both Disgusting!

I am sick and tired of apologies!

Past US Presidents, political candidates, public figures of all stripes, and even the “Hollywood Crowd”, have glommed onto the politically correct public demonstration of weakness. They are traveling the world apologizing for all the “mistakes” America has made, or they themselves have made. It is sickening!

First… to apologize, at all, makes one appear weak. Second… an insincere apology is even worse… because it not only shows weakness it demonstrates one’s ability to lie, as well.

Past President Bill Clinton is a Past Master at it! Jimmy Carter is running a close second!

And now… Mel Gibson! My GAWD! How disgusting!

I don’t share Mr. Gibson’s feelings toward our Jewish brothers and sisters. But, if that is his opinion, then so be it. He’s entitled to it as well as I am entitled to mine.

But, here’s the thing: Don’t spew your hatred on one evening, then come back, the next day, an offer an apology... more than once.

Now, I’m not going to question whether Mr. Gibson’s apology was sincere, or an attempt at a "public relations repair job". I don’t know… and I really don’t care. What does trouble me, however, is the groveling! I would have retained more repect for him, had he simply made one apology and then... shut the heck up!!!

Groveling seems to have become a national sport among our US politicians! They’re apologizing for every sin the US has ever committed. Over and over, again!

In the first place, I don’t want them apologizing for me. How do they know I am sorry, anyway? Heck, I may NOT be sorry! And as my family, and friends, can tell you, if I am not sorry, I refuse to apologize.

And another thing: Many cultures around the world see an apology as a sign of weakness. If a nation offers an apology, that nation drops in the esteem of the nation to which the apology is offered.

Back to the groveling.

In the case of Mr. Gibson, I don’t care what his views are. He’s a Hollywood actor, a very good one at that, but I don’t place any confidence in what he says or does… simply because… he is an ACTOR! Same goes for all Hollywood actors and actresses. But, the groveling is just too much. Mr. Gibson should have apologized only if he meant it… and then… only once. Any apologies, after the first is, in my humble estimation, is groveling. Groveling is disgusting.

The same goes for our national representatives, such as past presidents, who apologize for wrongs, committed by the US, decades and even centuries ago. All their actions accomplish is to make the US look weak and to make those of us, who do not share their opinions, even more disgusted by them and their actions.

There is a huge difference between apologizing and groveling. And I don’t like either!

Longstreet

Sabotaging U.S. Sovereignty... by Alan Caruba

The problem with the Bush administration is that not enough of its officials have read the U.S. Constitution. Take, for example, Section 2 of Article 2. When dealing with foreign nations, it says that the President “shall have the power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur”.

So, why is President Bush and his administration seeking to establish a North American Union that would, in effect, abolish the borders between Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America?

Moreover, it would involve our government in so many common regulatory mandates with these two nations as to render the sovereignty of the United States a memory of what national self-governance is supposed to be.

The name of this effort is called the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) and, guess what, it has not been submitted to the Senate for its oversight or concurrence because, by some magic of governmental definition, it is not a treaty. Instead, its administration is buried in the bowels of the Commerce Department.

It does have, however, the blessing of the political and corporate elites of all three nations. A visit to the SPP Internet website (www.spp.gov) says it “was launched in March of 2005 as a trilateral effort to increase security and enhance prosperity among the United States, Canada and Mexico through greater cooperation and information sharing”.















It is an attack on American sovereignty. In the smoothest and most soothing writing you will find anywhere, the website spells out the wonders of SPP. They include the North American Competitiveness Council, the North American Energy Security Initiative, the North American Emergency Management plan, and plans for “smart, secure borders”. And right now there are “working groups” whose purpose is to “improve productivity, reduce the costs of trade, and enhance the quality of life”.

And if you like snake oil, permit SPP to sell it to you by the barrel, by the boxcar, and by the tanker.

The SPP didn’t start out as an idea the presidents of the three nations started kicking around on March 23, 2005 in Waco, Texas, but it became the official policy of the United States at a special summit convened by President Bush and joined by then Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin.

Like so many really bad foreign policy concepts, SPP owes its origins to the Council on Foreign Relations; in this case, CFR’s Task Force on North America. Its report, “Building a North American Community” envisions the elimination of U.S. borders in just five years. Like termites eating away at the sovereignty of the United States of America, this grandiose scheme is a major threat to American security and prosperity.

The Marxist majordomo of this task force is Professor Robert Pastor who told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee “The best way to secure the United States today is not at our two borders with Mexico and Canada but at the borders of North America as a whole”. Oh, yeah????

This surely explains why Mexico is doing such a great job of stopping the drug smugglers or the one million Mexicans who each year consider the U.S. border a mere fiction in their pursuit of jobs President Bush keeps telling us Americans won’t take.

It took a couple of years after 9/11 for Canada to discover it had some fanatical Muslims in its midst who were plotting terrible things against it and the U.S. Yes, these are surely the nations in which we want to place the responsibility for America’s security. Who needs borders when you have friends like these?

A North American Union promises not only security, says SPP, but prosperity too. Without SPP, however, the three nations already do more than $800 billion in trilateral trade.

Surely the U.S. needs Mexico’s help to improve our economy? As the economist, Robert J. Samuelson, noted in a June column, “The subtext for the United States immigration debate is Mexico. Why doesn’t its economy grow faster, creating more jobs and higher living standards?” The answer to that has something to do with the endemic corruption that infests all levels of Mexico’s governmental and business sectors. Something is very wrong when Mexico’s economy must literally depend on the billions its illegal aliens send home from the U.S.

In 2002, the then-Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castanega explained to the local press that destroying the border involved “the metaphor of Gulliver, of ensnarling the giant. Tying it up, with nails, with thread, with 20,000 nets that bog it down: these nets being norms, principles, resolutions, agreements, and bilateral, regional and international covenants”.

Bush 43 is carrying out Bush41’s daft and dangerous “new world order” and his indifference to America’s illegal immigration crisis is symptomatic of the SPP objectives.

On June 15, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Mexican Economy Minister Sergio Garcia de Alba, and Canadian Minister of Industry Maxime Bernier joined North American business leaders to launch the North American Competitiveness Council. The objective is the promotion of “regional competitiveness in the global community.”

As if the floundering economies of the member nations of the European Union were not warning enough, it is proposed that the United States enter into a similar union.

A lot of corporations with global interests like this idea. Among those sponsoring the North American Union are FedEx Corporation, Mittal Steel USA, General Motors Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Campbell’s Soup Company, Gillette Inc., Merck & Company, and Wal-Mart Stores.

Since the United States is already a signatory to NAFTA and CAFTA, why is SPP necessary? Just how many treaties, agreements and protocols are necessary to promote trade and economic growth?

Just how many nets and norms, traps and snares, will ultimately undermine U.S. prosperity, drive down the wages of America’s middle class, and improve the ability of the Mexican drug cartels to deliver their goods?

Like termites eating away at the sovereignty of the United States of America, this grandiose scheme, hatched in some darkened cavern of the Council on Foreign Affairs, is a major threat to American security and prosperity.

It was been introduced by fiat, by executive action, by a “summit” of the three nation’s leaders, and the time is long overdue for the Senate to demand to exercise its Constitutional responsibility and right to determine if it wishes to give its consent to yet another “entangling alliance”.

Alan Caruba writes a weekly column, “Warning Signs”, posted on the Internet site of The National Anxiety Center, www.anxietycenter.com. Merril Press has just published his book, “Right Answers”.
© Alan Caruba, 2006

Bush Hatred. Where Does It Come From?

I thought the Conservatives hated Bill Clinton with a hate unmatched in the annals of time… ‘til the Libs latched onto George Bush! I must tell you, I have never, in my entire life, experienced such hate by the Libs for one of their fellow men.

The hatred of the Left for George Bush causes the hatred between the Jews and the Arabs to pale in comparison. The Left’s hatred for Bush is far past being the normal dislike of someone so totally opposed to your views. No, the Left’s hatred of Bush is pathological. It is a sickness.

Now, hold on! Before you start tearing me to shreds. I’m going to give you the new term for the illness.

Some are calling it: “Political Paranoia Disorder”. Some shrinks are prescribing anti-depressants for it.

The disorder is not currently listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. But there is a rumor of a movement afoot in the Senate to have it included.

Ok, Ok! So my tongue is firmly fastened in my “LEFT” cheek. If you want to enjoy a fun read we recommend “The Swift Report”. You’ll find it at:

http://swiftreport.blogs.com/news/2005/05/movement_to_cla.html

In the meantime… back here in the REAL world, the hatred for Bush drips from the web logs of the left. It oozes from the editorial pages of the nations leftwing newspapers. It flows smoothly from the earnest tones of the talking heads on the 24-hour news channels and the half-hour offerings, of what is loosely termed as news, on the broadcast networks. It flows like venom from the fangs of a snake being milked for it’s poison. That description is apt, because it is poison. Hatred at the level the Left maintains for our President is dangerous. It is lethal. Not to those it is directed toward… but at the bearer, the carrier, if you will. That kind of hate eats one’s soul from within.

And then, there is the hypocrisy of it all. I mean, the Left preaches love, and tolerance, and how wrong it is to judge another’s behavior, or another’s life style, or another’s religious belief. It’s all lies. It is a camouflage made up of lies and distortions to cover-up the seething, roiling, hatred for anyone, and anything, which does not fall into line with the Left. Don’t believe me? Look at what just happened to Joe Lieberman in Connecticut.

Now, I’m not going to climb up on this soapbox and proclaim to you my lily white hands... in so far as dislike and disdain for the leaders of the Left are concerned. Nosiree! I don’t like them. I’m disdainful of them. I see them for what they are. That ability to see through their façade has come from years of experience working with politicians, and campaign managers, and workers, on the local and state levels.

Since it appears to be “Confession Time”… I confess that I could not stand Jimmy Carter! I loathed Bill Clinton, so much; I thought he was a very good candidate to be the Anti Christ! So, I don’t bring purity to the table. Not by a long shot.

But, here’s the difference… I do not proclaim to be tolerant. I do not claim to be un-prejudiced. I do not claim to see the good in everybody. No, I cannot claim that… and not be a hypocrite! And therein lies the difference between the Right’s dislike, disapproval, disdain, and, dare I say it… hatred, for the Left. We do not claim to be anything other than what you see.

Plus, Dear Reader, when the Left’s hatred for the President places the security of the nation in jeopardy, then that behavior becomes dangerous to all Americans. The safety of the country is at stake.

We are at war! The Left will not admit we are at war, for to do so would, as they see it, lend credence to the President’s actions to try to secure the safety of Americans. They cannot bring themselves to do even that little thing, even though, they know that in NOT doing it, they place the country in serous, maybe even fatal, danger.

That is why so many Americans now view the Left’s behavior as a sickness, a mental disorder. Even animals, in the wild, will not place their own home in jeopardy. But the American Left will, and does, on a regular basis.

The American Left’s self destruction is assured. Even adherents of the Left’s political doctrine, for many years, are repulsed by the modern day bile and venom spewed by the Left’s purveyors of hate. They are drawing back, and some even withdrawing from the Party, which gives succor, and a home, to the “Looney” Left, the Democrat Party. Many “Old Timers” in the Democrat Party are horrified at the antics of today’s’ modern Democrats. They know that what passes for the Democrat Party today bears little resemblance to the Democrat Party of yesteryear. And they are troubled… deeply troubled.

Here in the American South, where even the Democrats are conservative, the embarrassment of “long time democrats” is very evident. They are reluctant to admit their membership in, or association with, the National Democrat Party. That fact is going to hurt the Democrat Party at the polls this November… and beyond.

I have no idea how this will all shake out. But the future of the Democrat Party is questionable. It cannot remain a viable political party, not in America, if it continues upon the direction it has recently chosen.

As to the Left’s venomous hatred of Bush… I have no answer. It doesn’t even make sense.

As long as the left continues to present candidates, for the office of President, of the caliber they have been since John Kennedy, they will continue to lose that office. Americans had much rather be embarrassed by a president whose slaughtering of the English language is colossal, rather than by a President whose sexual escapades in the hallowed halls of the White House, and even the Oval Office itself, bring shame and disgust to America. As long as the Left offers up candidates similar to their most recent offerings, they will continue to lose elections.

And finally, as long as the Democrat Party allows their Past Presidents to make fools of themselves by denigrating America at home, and abroad, especially on foreign shores, they will continue to lose elections. Somehow, the "Gentlemen’s Agreement”, between "Serving" Presidents and "Past" Presidents, to keep quiet after leaving office, about the policies of any current administration, has been broken and tossed to the wayside. The Party guilty of being the first, and so far the only political party, to do that is the Democrat Party. I remain convinced that had our founding fathers, gentlemen all, even thought that our society would sink to such depths of depravity, I feel confident that provisions to outlaw such behavior would have been written into the Constitution right from the beginning. Since it was not, we need to investigate how this can be done today, even if it requires an amendment to the Constitution.

The two past presidents of the two worst presidential administrations in the history of the country are roaming the world casting aspersions upon the current President… and America itself. I must tell you, dear reader, that conduct may sell in Europe and on other foreign shores, but not in America. It is seen as childish and even bordering on seditious behavior.
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The Democrat Party used to be considered worthy adversary. No longer. One has respect for a worthy adversary no matter how much one may disagree with him. The Democrat Party has squandered the right to be considered “worthy”.

The Left’s hatred of President Bush is doing little damage to the President, or to the GOP. But it is doing immeasurable damage to the Democrat Party... and worse, it is placing America in danger!

Longstreet

Iran Declares its Nuclear Bad Intentions.... By Alan Caruba

Iran Declares its Nuclear Bad Intentions
By Alan Caruba

At what point do Americans and the rest of the world begin to take Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, seriously? He is making no secret of his plans to acquire and use nuclear weapons against Israel, England and America.

As any student in Psychology 101 learns, there is something called "projection" in which an individual "projects" onto another person their own intentions, motivations, and justifications. If I say you are planning to harm me, there"s a strong chance the truth is that I am planning to harm you.

On August 1, he was addressing a rally that was carried on the Iranian News Channel (IRINN) and his speech was translated by the Middle East Media Research Center for anyone to read. http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD122906

Ahmadinejad was denouncing Israel's efforts to defend itself against the rain of Iranian-supplied rockets and missiles, and of course, it was their own fault they were under attack. The crowd was chanting "Death to Israel". He proceeded to give his own history lesson to the crowd, but since he does not believe the Holocaust ever happened along with some other extraordinarily paranoid notions, his version is a bit skewed. "They are a bunch of Zionists. Where have they come from? As you know, the rule of hegemony and the web of colonialism strived to establish a base in the heart of the Middle East."

"A hundred years ago, they began to devise conspiracies on the basis of a diabolical plan. Bit by bit they (Jews) arrived (in what was then the British protectorate of Palestine) and backed by the devious, deceiving England, they sneaked people in, and placed them in control over the people of Palestine."

The real history could fill a book, but suffice it to say that a very small group of European Jews, despairing of ever being accepted in their home countries, rife with anti-Semitism, concluded that Jews should immigrate to Palestine with a view to re-establishing the nation of Israel. The idea began with the publication, in 1896, of Theodor Hertzl's "The Jewish State".

The first Zionist Congress was held in 1897 in Basle, Switzerland. It was never a popular idea, which accounts for why, years later, the Nazis were able to round up and kill six million European Jews. Those who had immigrated bought land from Arabs who largely considered it worthless. It was a desert.

After the Holocaust, those Jews who survived concluded that living in Europe was no longer viable and, encouraged by Zionist organizations, they immigrated to Palestine. Did Zionists want to recreate Israel? Yes, of course. It was to be a Jewish nation where Jews would be safe from those who wanted to kill them. They had, however, merely traded one set of murderers for another. When independence was declared in 1948, Israel was immediately attacked by five Arab nations.

According to Ahmadinejad, "They claimed that these are people whose forefathers had lived in this land 2,500 years ago, and that they should therefore be the rulers of this land". The word "claimed" gives away his view that Jews had no claim on the area. On the other hand, during the Crusades, both Christians and Muslims had fought over the same land while making their own claims to it.

Ahmadinejad?s interpretation, however, is that "They (the Jews) established a regime, aimed at threatening, trespassing, murdering, and pillaging". To put it another way, Israel's 2% of the Middle East population, living on 1% of its landmass, exists to do terrible things to the 98% of Arabs and Persians living on 99% of it. You have to be really nuts to believe stuff like this.

By this time, the crowd was chanting "Death to America".

"Everyone knows that this regime (Israel) can do nothing without the orders and backing of America and its intimate friend, England. That's why we have declared these two regimes are responsible for all the crimes of the insubordinate Zionist regime".

We are now in the Twilight Zone of Muslim madness.

"Today, Hezbollah in Lebanon is the standard-bearer of the resistance of all the monotheistic peoples, of the seekers of justice, and of the free people". Pardon me, but didn't Judaism introduce the concept of monotheism while folks in the Middle East were worshipping moon gods and a host of others? And isn't Hezbollah the wholly owned subsidiary of Iran?

Kenneth R. Timmerman is president of Middle East Data Project Inc. and author of "Countdown to Crisis: The Coming Nuclear Showdown with Iran". On August 2nd, writing in The Washington Times, Timmerman compared the actions of Hezbollah in Lebanon to the 1936 Spanish Civil War. "Just as Adolf Hitler used Francisco Franco as his proxy in Spain to test new military techniques and equipment on the battlefield, so Iran is using Hezbollah as its proxy to do the same". This is a particularly apt and ominous analogy.

Now here is where "projection" is most evident as Ahmadinejad told the crowd, "I declare" that in light of America and England's behavior, it has become clear that they don't have what it takes to participate in international forums. They don't have what it takes to sit in the Security Council, and to have a right of veto. They themselves are guilty and criminal, and they must be placed on trial"'

"When I see the behavior of America, England, and their other accomplices in recent days, I get the impression that they are preparing even greater crimes. I warn them: Know that the fire of the wrath of the peoples is about to erupt and overflow".

"Today, the Iranian people is the owner of nuclear technology. Those who want to talk with our people should know what people they are talking to. If some believe they can keep talking to the Iranian people in the language of threats and aggressiveness, they should know that they are making a bitter mistake".

"If they have not realized this by now, they soon will, but then it will be too late".

This is the language of a man preparing to use nuclear weapons against Israel, England and America. Waiting for him to do it is not an option.

Alan Caruba writes a weekly column, ?Warning Signs?, posted on the Internet site of The National Anxiety Center, www.anxietycenter.com. In September, Merril Press will publish his book, ?Right Answers: Separating Fact from Fantasy.?

© Alan Caruba, 2006

French Follies in Lebanon!

First, has France stopped shaking long enough to make a decision on how many troops thay can "safely" send to Lebanon?

Last I heard, they were willing to send ten officers and 200 engineers. After presssure was applied, they upped the number of troops to 400 engineers. I have not heard since then. Please note those French troops are not combat troops! They're engineers! Remember, dear reader, the best "soldier" France ever had was... a teen age girl!
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(This Post First Ran in January of 2005.)

And then, there’s the French…

What is all the noise about our ally, France? Since when has France been an ally of the US? I mean, when… exactly?

Remember the “French and Indian War”? They durn near killed the man who would be our First President during that war. We hadn’t even gone to war with the mother country yet, and there we were, fighting France. Oh sure, they showed up at Yorktown, in the nick of time, but that was because we were fighting, perhaps, their oldest enemy, Great Britain.

The French are self-delusional. Always have been. They really believe they are a “challenger” to the US for leadership of the world. They actually believe that. Over in the “old world”, they are really making a grand push to head-up the “United States of Europe”, if they ever get that one up and running. If they manage that, they’ll screw it up as they have so many other grand endeavors they conned themselves into.

Many of us, on this side of the pond, have had our fill of pulling their chestnuts from the fire over and over again. The cost is simply too high. Not to mention it is a thankless job.

Somebody once said: “Next time there's a war in Europe; the loser has to keepFrance.” I agree. Next time, let the Germans keep Paris!

There’s an old joke making the rounds again. It’s something like this: “How many Frenchman does it take to drive the Germans out of Paris?” The answer: “Nobody knows. It’s never been tried!”

I read recently that France’s best general was a foreigner and her best soldier was a teen-age girl! Well………

Even Napoleon Bonaparte himself said: "The French complain of everything, and always."

Perhaps Mark Twain put the stopper in the bottle with his remarks on France. He said: "France has neither winter nor summer nor morals. Apart from these drawbacks, it is a fine country. France has usually been governed by prostitutes."

And finally, my personal favorite, from General George Patton: "I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me."

So, next time Paris gets it’s back up, remember this remark by US Senator John McCain of Arizona: "You know, the French remind me a little bit of an aging actress of the 1940s who was still trying to dine out on her looks but doesn't have the face for it."

So, you see, it’s just a tad difficult to be serious about France.

Longstreet

RELOAD!!!

Reload, regroup, and re-supply. That is what Hizbollah will be doing in the weeks, and possibly months, before they strike Israel again.

The US, the UN, and the government of Israel, have only perpetuated the killing and the destruction in Israel by Hizbollah and Iran.

As soon as the UN became involved it was a given that Israel would be forced to “lose” the conflict, unless the Israeli government has the testosterone to stand up to the UN and go ahead and take the fight to Hizbollah. Unfortunately, for Israel, and for the United States, Israel’s government did not have the intestinal fortitude to flip the bird to the UN and crush Hizbollah.

Now the world is left with an Islamofacist bully occupying Lebanon, on the northern border of Israel, with the avowed purpose of "wiping Israel from the face of the earth".
If, dear reader, you feel this war is somehow settled, somehow ended, you need to sit down ‘til the feeling passes. The only thing happening, right now, is that Hizbollah is reloading, regrouping, resupplying, and getting ready for their next war against Israel and… against the United States.

Already, reports are coming in that Hizbollah is moving back south across the Latani river and carrying a new stock of those Katusha rockets with them as the go. They are also re-occupying those bunkers the IDF drove them out of and… they are preparing to re-start the war.

All of this is totally expected.

We conservatives are still scratching our heads in wonderment at the Bush Administrations actions in the UN, which essentially went against Israel’s interests. It was totally out of character for a GOP administration to side with the enemies of Israel.

At the same time we are keeping a close watch on the Israeli Knesset in hopes that the necessary changes, at the top will not be long in coming. What’s called for, in Israel, and I hope they have learned their lesson with this debacle, is a military man at the top. Since Israel remains in a perpetual state of war, a civilian, such as the current Prime Minister, is simply out of his league and is a danger to the continued freedom of Israel, not to mention their very existence. Olmert must go. Our vote would go to Benjamin Netanyahu. But, then, we don’t get a vote.

In the meantime, it is reload, regroup, and resupply, as the Hizbollah gets set for their coming confrontation with Israel.

This ain’t over, folks! Not by a long shot!

Longstreet

News? Propaganda? Both?

Did you ever wonder how much of the news you see and hear is prepackaged, and paid for, propaganda? Well, now you’re not alone. The Federal Communications Commission has begun to wonder, also, and they are going to investigate.

I came across an excellent article, on this topic, at “The Rudicus Report”. It’s entitled: “The Propaganda that Surrounds Us”. You’ll find it here:

http://www.rudicusreport.com/

We highly recommend this post to you. We think you’ll find it insightful.

When we consider the state of the News Media today, especially here in the US, we would do well to question what we see, hear, and read. We are continuously bombarded with 24-hour news so that it becomes a drone in the background of our daily lives. That is when it is most dangerous. Our sub-conscious mind is absorbing and storing it ALL… the good, the bad, and the untrue.

I spent nearly 30 years in the broadcast advertising business and that was what we did. “R&R”… Run and Repeat. Ads were set up to “run and repeat” so that they became a part of the background noise in our listener’s lives. The listener was not even aware his mind was processing the ads. That was when our advertising was the most effective. The same principle holds true with news broadcasting. It is a powerful propaganda tool.

It’s past time for the FCC to inquire into the “make up” of the news we hear, and see, everyday.

This post on “The Rudicus Report” is very timely… and… very important!

Longstreet

Conservatives are concerned over the war in Iraq, too!

Are conservatives concerned over the war in Iraq? You bet!

Trust me when I tell you that Conservatives in America are not satisfied with the prosecution of the war in Iraq. We haven’t been happy with it in a long while now. That said, however, our concern is quite different from that of our liberal brethren and sisteren.

You see, we want the war fought as a war… and not a Sunday School class!

We have just had a very public demonstration of what happens when you try to fight a war with kid gloves. When you try not to hurt the opposition, when you try to be fair and equitable in causalities. In other words, if the enemy kills two of your men, you should only kill two of his men! Ridiculous!

For our friends in the media, Hizbollah’s; condemnation of Israel for fighting too hard is not the first time we have heard that refrain. The American left has been beating the Bush Administration, and the US military, about the head and shoulders, with the willing assistance of the left leaning media, in this country, and the world, right from the outset of the war in Afghanistan right through the current phase of the war in Iraq. And you see what it has gotten us! A mess! The same thing it got Israel.

As I said, Conservatives are not satisfied with the prosecution of this war. We want it to be far more aggressive than it has been. We want our troops to flatten Iraq. We want our troops to kill as many of the Islamofacists as it is humanly possible to do. We want an unrelenting steamroller of war bent on the destruction of everything before it. We want the enemy completely wiped out, decimated... and taught a lesson. Go against the US and you will suffer as no human being has suffered before… in the history of the world. Then, and only then, can we load up our troops on our planes, and ships, and bring them home.

If the US continues on this half-assed way of war fighting, we will still be slogging away at those at those empty-headed Islamo freaks, until kingdom come, with no particularly noticeable effect. In other words, pretty much what we have today.

Our good friends, in Israel, have experienced it first hand. It now appears they are not prepared to have that happen again. There will, most likely, be changes at the top, in both their top military echelons and political echelons. And there should be!

Israel has approximately 6 million inhabitants. The Arabic nations surrounding them contain some 650 million, not counting Jordan and Egypt. Count those two nations and the Arabic count goes to 250 million Arabs, (and Persians) to, as we said, roughly 6 million Israelis. The point of all these numbers is to point out the sheer idiocy of trying to fight a “kid gloves” war with their enemies, any of their enemies. Israel's back is ALWAYS against the wall!

I do not understand the failure of the US government to understand the importance of “peace through victory”. We are fighting an enemy bent on world domination. The Islamofacists are no less a threat to America than the Nazis of World War II were. Quite possibly, the Islamofacists are worse than the Nazis.

One thing is for sure. This war will not stay away from our shores. It’s coming… as surely as night follows day. It is only a matter of time. So, if we do not use the full potential of our armed forces against them in Iraq and in Afghanistan, to blunt their coming attack on our homeland, we are in for a rude awakening of the worst possible kind.

America is a sitting duck. We have a target painted on our back and the Islamofacists are aiming directly at it.

Longstreet

Begin Profiling at Airports… Immediately!

As you would probably guess, I’m for profiling at airports. The way we are approaching screening passengers is totally nonsensical and a waste of time, and money, as well as resources. I mean, folks, it isn’t as though we don’t KNOW whose blowing up our planes and killing our people! If ever there was a clear case made for profiling… the war on terror has made it!
The little multiple-choice test below has been culled from several sites, around the ‘net, and from various e-mails, making their way around the globe. We think it points up, quite clearly, the need for profiling. Once you have finished this test, there should be no question in your mind, whatsoever, that the US should begin profiling at its airports immediately.
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The following is a multiple-choice test. The events are facts from history. Yes, they actually happened!

1. 1968 Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by: (a). Superman. (b)Jay Leno. (c) Harry Potter (d) A Muslim man between the ages of 17 and 40

2. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by: (a). Olga Corbett (b). Sitting Bull (c). Arnold Schwarzenegger (d). Muslim men mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

3. In 1979, the US embassy in Iran was taken over by: (a). Lost Norwegians (b). Elvis (c) A tour bus full of 80-year-old women (d). Muslim men mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

4. During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by: (a). John Dillinger (b). The King of Sweden (c). The Boy Scouts (d). Muslim men mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

5. In 1983, the US Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by: (a). A pizza delivery boy (b). Pee Wee Herman (c). Geraldo Rivera (d). Muslim men mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

6. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked, and a 70-year old American passenger was murdered in his wheelchair and thrown overboard by: (a). The Smurfs (b). Davy Jones (c). The Little Mermaidd. Muslim men mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

7. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a US Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by: (a). Captain Kidd (b). Charles Lindberg (c). Mother Teresa (d). Muslim men mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

8. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by: (a). Scooby Doo (b). The Tooth Fairy (c). Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (d). Muslim men mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

9. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by: (a). Richard Simmons (b). Grandma Moses (c) Michael Jordan (d). Muslim men mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

10. In 1998, the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by: (a). Mr. Rogers (b). Hillary Clinton, to distract attention from Wild Bill's women problems (c). The WWE (d). Muslim men mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

11. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take out the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by: (a). Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd (b). The Supreme Court of Florida (c). Mr. Bean (d) Muslim men mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

12. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against: (a). Enron (b). The Lutheran Church (c). The NFL (d). Muslim men mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

13. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by: (a). Bonnie and Clyde (b). Captain Kangaroo (c). Billy Graham (d). Muslim men mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

14. The recent bombings and bombing attempts in London were carried out by: (a). Desperate Housewives (b). The cast of The View (c). Fox and Friends (d). Muslim men mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

15. In 2002, more than 330 hostages in Beslan and 130 hostages in Moscow were murdered in sieges by: (a) Russian exchange students (b) The Red Guard (c) Church planters (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.

16. In 2003 the United States liberated Iraq from "The Butcher of Baghdad," but most American military personnel were killed by: (a) Iraqi school-girls (b) Street vegetable venders (c) Women without burkas (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.

17. In 2004, more than 200 Spanish civilians were murdered on trains by bombs in Madrid, detonated by: (a) Morning commuters (b) A three-year-old Chinese girl (c) Flamenco dancers (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.

18. In 2005 more than 50 UK citizens were killed by bombs on trains in London, detonated by: (a) Rail workers (b) Those unable to hail taxis (c) Wheelchair-bound grandmothers (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.

19. In 2005, there were hundreds of casualties, men, women and children, killed by bombs in Jerusalem, Riyadh and Amman. These innocent civilians were murdered by: (a) Construction workers (b) Farmers (c) Christian missionaries (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.

20. In 2005, the city of Paris, and other European cities experienced an extended period of riots and destruction. The unrest was led by: (a) "Youth" (b) Soccer fans (c) Catholic nuns (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.

21. Since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, more than 2,500 Americans have been murdered by terrorists. 35,000 Iraqi men, women and children have also been murdered by terrorists. Most of the combat and civilians casualties were the result of bombs detonated in civilian population centers by: (a) Fruit vendors in Baghdad (b) Disgruntled transit union workers (c) Iraqi schoolteachers (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.

22. In 2006, hundreds of Israeli civilians have been killed by rockets launched by: (a) the Salvation Army (b) remnants of the 'Jackson Five' (c) the cast of 'Friends' (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.

23. In 2006, a plot to blow up U.S.-bound planes from the U.K. was attempted by (a) members of the royal family (b) Japanese tourists (c) groupies of the band 'Cream' (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.

24. Since 2001, the FBI reports that there are major terrorist cells still in U.S. urban centers. Several of these cells have been uncovered and cell members arrested. In every case, the terrorists cell members were: (a) Southern Baptists Conventioneers (b) Lutheran Youth Groups (c) Presbyterian Elders (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.

25. In August of 2006, British and American investigators foiled a plot to blow 10 US airliners out of the air while over the Atlantic Ocean. This mass murder was planned by: (a) Irate Episcopalians (b) Dixe Youth Baseball umpires (c) The Skido Ginch Foundation (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
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See what I mean???

We here, at IoF, would like to thank all those who have contributed to this little test and continue to do so all over the Internet. Unfortunately, sometimes, our government needs a swift kick in the seat of their pants to get them to see what is right before their eyes. We hope this will contribute to that swift kick!

Longstreet

Lebanon, the Imaginary Nation. ... by Alan Caruba

Lebanon, the Imaginary Nation
By Alan Caruba

“Before the Israeli attack, Lebanon no longer existed, it was no more than a hologram”. This is what the Lebanese journalist, Michael Behe, wrote on July 30. His commentary was posted on the website of the Metula News Agency in Beirut.

To understand the Lebanese situation, it helps to know that, despite a history that dates back to biblical times, modern Lebanon was literally the invention of Western powers, England and France, after WWI in 1920. It became independent of France in the early 1940s.

Then, in the 1970s, the Palestinians, driven out of Jordan and elsewhere, moved in. Doing what they do best, they started a civil war and, in 1978, after a Palestine Liberation Organization attack killed 37 Israeli civilians, Israel launched an offensive to drive them away from its northern border.

In 1982, Israel again invaded in response to attacks. Christian Lebanese troops entered Palestinian refugee camps and massacred hundreds. The era of the Palestinians was over, but by the next decade its successor, Hezbollah, was routinely shelling Israel, provoking Israeli military responses. After a long occupation of southern Lebanon, in 2000 Israel decided to withdraw its troops.

On February 14, 2005, Rafiq al-Hariri, a former prime minister of Lebanon, was assassinated in Beirut. His death points back to Damascus. He had become an outspoken opponent to the Syrian occupation of Lebanon that had begun 1976, a year after the outbreak of the civil war. In the years that followed, thousands of Lebanese were brutally imprisoned or killed by Syrian occupiers.

By 1991, the domination of Lebanon by Syria had been formalized with a defense and security agreement. This was followed two years later by an economic agreement in which Lebanon’s true status as a colony of Syria was made official.

Hariri’s assassination generated a rally in which the streets of Beirut filled with anti-Syrian Lebanese. It was dubbed the “Cedar Revolution” and lasted about five minutes. Days later, on March 8, 2005 Hezbollah was able to put over a million other Lebanese into the streets. This was followed by an election that was so gerrymandered only pro-Syrian candidates had any chance of being elected. Hezbollah had reinvented itself as a political party.

Under intense international pressure, Syria prudently removed its troops from Lebanon after the Hariri assassination. An earlier 2004 United Nations Security Council resolution 1559 demanding this action had been ignored. The various elected governments of Lebanon had turned a blind eye to the growth of Hezbollah. Funded and trained by Iran and supplied through Syria, Hezbollah was in charge.

As Behe noted, there were parts of Beirut where its own citizens, including its police and army, were forbidden access. A square measuring a kilometer wide, a capital within the capital, permanently guarded by the (Hezbollah) army, possessing its own institution, its schools, its tribunals, its radio, its television and above all, its government. It was precisely this part of Beirut the Israeli air force destroyed. The rest of the city, as of July 30, was left intact.
The problem for Lebanon is the problem for the world.

Muslims resist or are restrained from living in a modern sovereign, secular nation. Iraq was secular because a dictator made it that way. Turkey was secular because its modern founder, Ataturk, turned it toward Europe in1925 and away from Muslim traditions and governance.

Modern Lebanon's problem is demography. In 1943 when its constitution was established, a “national pact” insured representation by both Christians and Muslims with top offices being allocated to each group. Today, Muslims are the largest part of Lebanon’s population, easily 75% or more. The Lebanese government failed its citizens and the Lebanese who voted Hezbollah politicians into power betrayed their nation. Lebanon today is an imaginary nation.

Destroyed by the Palestinians led by Yassir Arafat, occupied by Syria, Lebanon is now nothing more than the tool of Iranians who are busy preparing their own people for a war with the Israelis, the British, and the Americans.

And how long are we going to wait around until they achieve that?

How long was Israel supposed to wait while Lebanon/Hezbollah/Iran continued to kidnap its soldiers and shoot rockets into their homeland? The Palestinians of Hamas were enough of nuisance in their own right, but Hezbollah was a real army and one that has been trained and armed by the Iranians.

In the last world war, America, Britain, and other allied nations expended years and thousands of lives to win against the dictatorships of Germany and Japan. In the end, we demanded and got "unconditional surrender." That is what we are going to need to do in the Middle East to free ourselves from the threat of the Islamic Jihad.

Alan Caruba writes a weekly column, “Warning Signs”, posted on the Internet site of The National Anxiety Center, www.anxietycenter.com. Merril Press has just published his new book, “Right Answers”.

© Alan Caruba, 2006

No Ceasefire? Fighting Rages In Southern Lebanon!

UPDATE: Reports tell us that a tenuous ceasefire is holding, at least for the time being, in southern Lebanon. Sporadic firefights, between Israeli soldiers and Hizbollah gunmen, continue thru out the area.
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Reports last night, out of the Middle East, said Hizbollah had reneged on the ceasefire agreement. Some reports said that Hizbollah acted on directions from Iran to continue to keep Israel at war for a prolonged period of time.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government confirmed their intention to abide by the Cessation of Hostiles agreement effective at 8 AM, Eastern Daylight Time, Monday morning. Will they? Can they?

Rockets continued to rain down on Israel, by the hundreds, on Sunday, while Hizbollah fighters mounted savage attacks against IDF forces in South Lebanon. The number of dead and wounded Israelis climbed as the IDF continued to fight back, with even more determination, to drive Hizbollah forces out of that portion of Lebanon, south of the Latani River.

At the same time… Israel readied itself for a “cessation of hostilities”.

For people who live in the real world… none of this will come as a surprise! Once again, the UN has proven itself to be a totally useless entity. Resolution 1701 isn’t worth the paper it is written upon. Many of us were saying that even before the Security Council issued it’s worthless decree.

Back in the real world, Israel is at war with Iran. Call it what you will, but THAT is the bottom line.

The Israeli government is going to have to suck it up and expend maximum effort against the Iranians masquerading as Hizbollah fighters and clean that rat’s nest out! If this is not none, and in short order, the war, now contained in southern Lebanon, will spread into a regional conflict and the US will be right in the middle of it.

At this moment Israeli resolve is called for. Resolve the current Israeli leaders have not demonstrated in the last month. In the end, new leadership may be called for in Israel.

Whatever the cost, Israel cannot afford to lose this war… and the United States cannot afford to let them.

Once again, we see what happens when politicians attempt to direct a military force. The US tried it in Vietnam… and lost… and are continuing to get our military chewed up today, in Iraq, by not allowing the combat officers and strategists, on the ground… in war zone, to direct military operations.

And now Israel has felt the needless humiliation of one of the world’s greatest, and most effective, military forces as a result of “non-military politicians” getting in the way of, well, victory.

Maybe Israel, being smaller and more nimble, than the US, can make the necessary changes, at the top of their government, which will allow their young men, and young women, to do their jobs on the battle front and salvage this bungled mess in Southern Lebanon.

Meanwhile, we sincerely hope the US government is paying close attention to all this. Even though the US Constitution places the US Military under civilian control, there comes a time when that “civilian controlling authority” must recognize it’s limitations and allow the military to have it’s head… and do what must be done to bring victory.

Israel is fighting for it’s very life, for it’s continued existence. It still surprises me how many Americans STILL do not understand that America is fighting for its life, as well.

Longstreet