Read this, then the next time some leftist douchebag tries to tell you there's any sort of moral equivalence between Israel and Palestine, stab them in the eye! (hat tip to Free Will)

UPDATE: I posted the article linked to above on a friend's message board, and here's the response I got from a leftist reader, going by the screenname Phatgdog69:

Thats awful, though sadly unsurprising. Most religions whose adherents are extremely, er, "focused" in their beliefs are anti-gay. Muslim countries are known for their excessively conservative laws...I mean, any country that has laws regarding women like many of them do is pretty unlikely to treat gays that well.
Unfortunately, this stinks of another one of your cheap shots at Palestine and its people. Congratulations: like other strongly Muslim countries, Palestine treats gays and other minorities like crap or worse. This is no news flash. The muslim world really needs to make it into the 21st century. But to be honest, I think Bush and his cronies would like to see all gays burned at the stake as much as they would. We're becoming a conservative theocracy more and more each day, so we're in the same boat. But on the original topic, this isn't an issue thats quite that black and white...the right of the Palestinian people to the country they were promised and deserve is a different issue than their treatment of gays, so watch your straw man sort of attacks. [All I had posted to this particular thread when this comment was made was a copy & paste of the article I link to above, so I don't know what straw man attack he is talking about. -- MA]
Its pretty surprising that there are all-gay groups in such strong support of Palestine specifically, but I think they've made a decision to put one personal value before another.
I applaud Israel's treatment of gays, especially for being a theocracy too. More countries (like ours, for example) should do the same. Of course, that doesn't make their continual abuse of the Palestinians 'ok', but in the same way, that abuse doesn't justify the terrorism countless Palestinians actively participate in.

Somebody fetch me my eye-stabbin' fork! Here's part of my response:

You direct a great deal venom and vitriol towards religious Americans for what you think they want to do ("I think Bush and his cronies would like to see all gays burned at the stake..."), but the actual atrocities of the Palestinian fundamentalists are met with an obligatory "Thats awful," followed by the moral equivalence to "Most religions," followed by what could be construed as an ad hominem attack on me. You are condemning American Christians for presumed intentions, while condemning me for making the same sort of condemnations over the very real atrocities of Islamic states. [Yes, I do realize Palestine is not a state, and corrected my statement, so don't bother e-mailing or posting to let me know how retarded I am -- MA]

*Found here*

The TRUTH about Thanksgiving

And so, as beefy gladiators chase a pigskin down the field in Miami or Detroit, we settle into our living rooms, loosen our belts, wave off a second helping of pie, and remind the little ones this is the day we echo the thanks of the Pilgrims, who gathered in the autumn of 1621 to celebrate the first bountiful harvest in a land of plenty.

That first winter in the New World had been a harsh one, of course. Half the colonists had died. But the survivors were hard-working and tenacious, and - with the aid of a little agricultural expertise graciously on loan from the Wampanoag, the Narragansett, and the Mohegan - were able to thank the Creator for an abundant harvest, that second autumn in a new land.

The only problem with the tale, unfortunately, is that it's not true.

Oh, the part about the Indians graciously showing the new settlers how to raise beans and corn is right enough. But in a November, 1985 article in "The Free Market," monthly publication of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, author and historian Richard J. Marbury pointed out: "This official story is ... a fairy tale, a whitewashed and sanitized collection of half-truths which divert attention away from Thanksgiving's real meaning."

The problem with the official story, Mr. Marbury points out, is that "The harvest of 1621 was not bountiful, nor were the colonists hardworking or tenacious. 1621 was a famine year and many of the colonists were lazy thieves."

In his "History of Plymouth Plantation," the governor of the colony, William Bradford, reported that the colonists went hungry for years because they refused to work in the fields, preferring instead to steal. Bradford recalled for posterity that the colony was riddled with "corruption and discontent." The crops were small because "much was stolen both by night and day, before it became scarce eatable."

Although in the harvest feasts of 1621 and 1622 "all had their hungry bellies filled," that relief was short-lived, and deaths from illness due to malnutrition continued.

Then, Mr. Marbury points out, "something changed." By harvest time, 1623, Gov. Bradford was reporting that "Instead of famine now God gave them plenty, and the face of things was changed, to the rejoicing of the hearts of many, for which they blessed God." Thereafter, the first governor wrote, "Any general want or famine hath not been amongst them since to this day." Why, by 1624, so much food was produced that the colonists actually began exporting corn.

What on earth had happened?

After the poor harvest of 1622, writes Bradford, "they began to think how they might raise as much corn as they could, and obtain a better crop." And what solution was decided upon? It turned out to be simple enough. In 1623 Gov. Bradford simply "gave each household a parcel of land and told them they could keep what they produced, or trade it away as they saw fit."

What? Wasn't that the American way from the start?

Not at all. The Mayflower Compact had required that "all profits & benefits that are got by trade, working, fishing, or any other means" were to be placed in the common stock of the colony, and that, "all such persons as are of this colony, are to have their meat, drink, apparel, and all provisions out of the common stock."

A person was to put into the common stock all he could, and take out only what he needed - a concept so attractive on its surface that it would be adopted as the equally disastrous ruling philosophy for all of Eastern Europe, some 300 years later.

"This 'from each according to his ability, to each according to his need' was an early form of socialism, and it is why the Pilgrims were starving," Marbury explains.

Gov. Bradford writes that during those terrible first three years "Young men that are most able and fit for labor and service" complained about being forced to "spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children." Since "the strong, or man of parts, had no more in division of victuals and clothes, than he that was weak," the strong men simply refused to work, and the amount of food produced was never adequate.

In historian Marbury's words, Gov. Bradford "abolished socialism" in the colony, "replacing it with a free market, and that was the end of famines."

In fact, this lesson had to be learned over and over again in early America. "Many early groups of colonists set up socialist states, all with the same terrible results," Marbury notes. "At Jamestown, established in 1607, out of every shipload of settlers that arrived, less than half would survive their first 12 months in America. Most of the work was being done by only one-fifth of the men, the other four-fifths choosing to be parasites. In the winter of 1609-10, called 'The Starving Time,' the population fell from 500 to 60.

"Then the Jamestown colony was converted to a free market, and the results were every bit as dramatic as those at Plymouth. In 1614, Colony Secretary Ralph Hamor wrote that after the switch there was 'plenty of food, which every man by his own industry may easily and doth procure.' He said that when the socialist system had prevailed, 'we reaped not so much corn from the labors of 30 men as three men have done for themselves now.' "

They say those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. Sadly this was a lesson the people of Russia had to learn all over again - at the pain of equally devastating starvation and penury - in our own century. By the 1980s, when the discredited and bloodstained rulers of Russia finally threw up their hands and allowed farmers to raise private crops and sell them for profit on a mere 10 percent of their lands, once again more crops were produced on that 10 percent of the land than on the 90 percent devoted to "collective agriculture," the system under which - as the bitter Russian joke would have it - "We pretend to work, and they pretend to pay us."

Yes, America is a bounteous land. But the source of that bounty - and the good fortune for which we annually gather to give thanks - lies not merely in the fertility of the soil or the frequency of the rains - for there is hardly a more fertile breadbasket on the face of the earth than the Soviet Ukraine.

No, the source of our bounty was the discovery made by the Pilgrims in 1623, that when men are allowed to hold their own land as private property, to eat what they raise and keep the profits from any surplus they sell, the entire community becomes one of prosperity and plenty.

Whereas, an economic system which grants the lazy and the shiftless some "right" to prosper off the looted fruits of another man's labor, under the guise of enforced "compassion," will inevitably descend into envy, theft, squalor, and starvation.

Though many would still incrementally impose on us some new variant of the "noble socialist experiment," this is still at heart a free country with a bedrock respect for the sanctity of private property - and a land bounteous precisely because it's free. It's for that we give thanks - the corn and beans and turkey serving as mere symbols of that true and underlying blessing - on the fourth Thursday of each November.

God bless America - land of the free.

*This was written three years ago, so it's a bit dated and the immediate post-911 national mindset that this was written during seems like such a distant, abstract memory, but it's still funny, so I'm posting it. It was written by the former leader of the Ohio organized militia, J.J. Johnson. -- MA*

It's that time of the year again — the family get-together, cherished by many for generations. The turkey, the stuffing, and all the fixin's. Everyone's traveling in from everywhere for that once a year tradition. Mama's got the best place settings out, and the kids are looking forward to Christmas or Hanukah. Everything will be perfect as usual, except for one thing: You — the right-wing kook of the family.

Over the years, you have learned your position in life, especially around the Thanksgiving dinner table. You are the one that got the phone call before you left: "Look, we'd love to have you here, but please — no politics, okay?" You agree, of course, and you make a commitment to the spouse to keep your opinions to yourself, so as not to start the annual argument that begins just after the Dallas Cowboys' game. Those with children have to make sure that no secrets get spilled about what mommy and daddy bought at the gun shows since last year. "Loose lips," ya know.

Of course, you know the annual drill: You'd never start the argument; you'll either get baited into one, or it'll be 7 on 1 — with you being the only right-thinking person in the bunch. What the heck happened to you in life, anyway?

"After September 11, this year will be different," you tell yourself. Unlike last year, the nation is unified — sort of. Last year was a disaster, wasn't it? You — the poor right-wing kook who actually read the Constitution (unlike your family, who thinks it's a living document subject to interpretation only by Alan Dershowitz) — tried in frustration to explain how the electoral college worked, to no avail. You had to digest turkey while hearing about dimpled chads, butterfly ballots, recounts, and the person you voted for stealing that damned election in Florida. Or, you got blamed as they mistakenly thought you voted for the winner, when you really voted for Pat Buchanan, who they think is akin to Satan. The scariest moment is when your family realized there were about 50 million idiots out there — just like you. They just couldn't understand.

Yes, this year will be different. Unlike the rest of the family, you probably won't be flying in. If anything, you'll drive to avoid being turned into terrorist hamburger, or calling your intended destination from an airport in BFE, explaining that you will be late because some idiot decided to pass gas or sneeze at 37,000 feet — forcing an emergency landing. Or having your family gang-raped by some National Guardsmen who never saw so many terrorists in their lives at one airport, and are upset because they can't spend the holidays with their folks — they gotta frisk you extra thoroughly. And not to mention the gloating baggage screeners who don't have to give a damn anymore because they're all getting huge raises, and eternal job security. This may open up the discussion Thursday morning.

Of course, don't think they won't notice you driving up in that gas-guzzling SUV you've recently picked up at 0% financing (how could you?), and the fact that you (of all people) may have a little bit more spending money since you re-financed your home loan due to the dropping interest rates. You — the right-wing kook — have a target painted on your forehead before you even walk in the door.

And you thought September 11 was gonna cause them to lighten up this year? Don't count on it.

Admit it — you've missed them: The union-man brother who is considering relocating to Mexico for a better job; the sister who still thinks Hillary is the best thing for New York, Clinton should have a third term, and Monica should be elevated to sainthood; the grandmother who couldn't figure out how to use the butterfly ballot; the in-law that gives money to Greenpeace, and that cute kid who's spending the family inheritance just to get a degree so he can work for the government one day expressing the wonderful principles of Mao from what he has experienced on campus this semester. Ah yes, the young enlightened one.

Everything will start out okay. The football junkies of the family won't have much to watch, since both the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys royally suck this year. The testing starts before dinner, like people shooting flares to check the range. "So, did you buy a gas mask, or just stock up on Cipro?" , or "So, do you open your mail with rubber gloves now?" will be among the first comments whispered.

Rules of Engagement: Even though you may have bought your gas mask years ago for a mere 5 bucks at a gun show, don't gloat when you hear how much they may have spent on theirs — in late September. Remember, no one wants to hear your gloating — or your politics.

But they get to talk, and murmur, and grumble, about all the crazy right-wing kooks and wackos they saw when they went to their first gun show (since Sept 11), and about how scary all those weapons on display were, and what if they fell into the "wrong" hands, and how all guns should be registered and the trigger locks should be built in, for the safety of the children — especially with all these terrorists running loose in the country. But they went through that waiting period, and got theirs. You might get a few whispers asking you about how to handle them safely. You'll answer, "We'll talk later."

And so, the feast begins. You'll know your place: You sit there in the low chair, say Grace, eat your turkey, and shut up. No politics, remember? No more repeats of last year. Just keep your head down, and you'll make it through this unscathed.

We figure they'll try a new tactic this year: It will start when someone asks how proud you are of that man you were defending at last year's dinner for winning (stealing) Florida, and how he's doing in the war. Keep in mind that some of your detractors from last year will have a change of heart — since we're now at war and all. But they'll still vote democrat come hell or high water next year, and pick on you because that Vermont Senator What's-His-Name switched to independent. (You'll refrain from using the word "traitor" in that conversation, too, right?)

Before you can get to respond, they start in on how well we're beating up on the pathetic Taliban, proselytize about 'nation-building', and how laws are being passed to make this country safer — "Hell, it's about time." It is here, where you will begin biting your tongue. But either you or someone else will mention the name of that God-awful bill: The PATRIOT ACT of 2001. "Yeah, you're one of those — aren't you? Aren't you happy about all this?"

At this point, we suggest that you — the right-wing kook of the family — immediately begin shoving mashed potatoes in your mouth as soon as possible. Don't swallow — just shove.

And shove.

Don't throw.

Knowing that you simply won't stuff it, you'll have to say something — like how these new laws are talking away our civil liberties. We should warn you now, it'll be like talking to a brick wall — several of them, and you know there are more of them than there are of you. They only tolerate you here because you're blood, or you married one of theirs. If that weren't the case, they would have called the Homeland Security Police on you long ago. You may get that extreme leftist of the family to agree with you. But be careful: They'll try to force you into agreeing that George W. Bush is a fascist.

Make sure you have your cell phone fully charged — someone probably won't want you to use their phone. After all, since those new anti-terrorism laws were put in place, the FBI is probably bugging every phone you use. (At least that's what they'll think, you being a right-wing kook and all.)

September 11 will remain the topic of conversation. This year, you may make in-roads on the topic of 'immigration reform' — but be nice. They already think you're a racist. When they start in on the poor, the homeless and environment, kindly tell them about 1400 families in the Klamath Falls, Oregon area, and the kind of Thanksgiving they are having.

Someone will insist that, from what they've been reading, the person spreading Anthrax through the mail system is one of your buddies. Forget going to the computer to some news site to prove otherwise. They probably won't let you near that thing, unless something doesn't work (you are probably the computer brain in the family too, you kooky right-wing geek). They figure if they let you go to one of those right-wing, extremist web sites, you'll get them logged on to the FBI terrorist watch list you're surely already on.

After supper, the conversation may drift in the direction of Christmas — what to get the kids and such. They'll be talking about X-boxes, and Play Stations, while you'll have to explain why your child only wants a New York City Firemen's helmet, a miniature B-52 bomber, or a starter pistol. (Remember to use the word "starter" when that one comes up.) You'll have to make up a good excuse for the desert and green cammies you may be outfitting the little critters with this year. Just tell them: "We want them to blend in with next year's police force."

After the first few after-dinner drinks, you may find out how conservative many of them have become since September 11, but they'll blame it on the booze, and you're still a right-wing kook.
But while we are all thankful for another year, say a prayer, and remember those whose families who have an empty chair this holiday season either from having loved ones lost on September 11, or forced to spend their Thanksgiving overseas. That's something all family members can all agree on.

But as you know, you're the weird one. You'll take your hits, during dinner and after, like you do every year. But this year, you may come out on the better end. Because you know that when no one is looking, you and the old man can quietly slip way so you can make the barter deal of the year — you'll get to barter some of your Cipro stash for some of his Viagara.

Happy Thanksgiving — from all of us here at SierraTimes.com.

*another e-mail I was forwarded*

By ELLEN GOODSTEIN
November 8, 2004

For a lot of people, winning the lottery is the American dream. But for many lottery winners, the reality is more like a nightmare.

"Winning the lottery isn't always what it's cracked up to be," says Evelyn Adams, who won the New Jersey lottery not just once but twice (1985, 1986) to the tune of $5.4 million. Today the money is all gone and Adams lives in a trailer."

I won the American dream but I lost it, too. It was a very hard fall. It's called rock bottom," says Adams.

"Everybody wanted my money. Everybody had their hand out. I never learned one simple word in the English language -- 'No.' I wish I had the chance to do it all over again. I'd be much smarter about it now," says Adams who also lost money at the slot machines in Atlantic City.

"I was a big time gambler," admits Adams. "I didn't drop a million dollars, but it was a lot of money. I made mistakes, some I regret, some I don't. I'm human. I can't go back now so I just go forward, one step at a time."

Living on food stamps
William "Bud" Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988 but now lives on his Social Security.

"I wish it never happened. It was totally a nightmare," says Post.

A former girlfriend successfully sued him for a share of his winnings. It wasn't his only lawsuit. A brother was arrested for hiring a hit man to kill him, hoping to inherit a share of the winnings. Other siblings pestered him until he agreed to invest in a car business and a restaurant in Sarasota, Fla., -- two ventures that brought no money back and further strained his relationship with his siblings.

Post even spent time in jail for firing a gun over the head of a bill collector.

Within a year, he was $1 million in debt.

Post admitted he was both careless and foolish, trying to please his family. He eventually declared bankruptcy.

Now he lives quietly on $450 a month and food stamps.

"I'm tired, I'm over 65 years old, and I just had a serious operation for a heart aneurysm. Lotteries don't mean [anything] to me," says Post.

Deeper in debt
Suzanne Mullins won $4.2 million in the Virginia lottery in 1993. Now she's deeply in debt to a company that lent her money using the winnings as collateral.

She borrowed $197,746.15, which she agreed to pay back with her yearly checks from the Virginia lottery through 2006. But, when the rules changed allowing her to collect her winnings in a lump sum, she cashed in the remaining amount. But, she stopped making payments on the loan.

She blamed the debt on the lengthy illness of her uninsured son-in-law who needed $1 million for medical bills.

Mark Kidd, the Roanoke, Va., lawyer who represented the Singer Asset Finance Company who sued Mullins, confirms. He won a judgment for the company against Mullins for $154,147 last May, but they have yet to collect a nickel. "My understanding is she has no assets," says Kidd.

Back to the basics
Ken Proxmire was a machinist when he won $1 million in the Michigan lottery. He moved to California, went into the car business with his brothers and within five years, Ken had filed for bankruptcy.

"He was just a poor boy who got lucky and wanted to take care of everybody," explains Ken's son Rick.

"It was a hell of a good ride for three or four years, but now he lives more simply. There's no more talk of owning a helicopter or riding in limos. We're just everyday folk. Dad's now back to work as a machinist," says his son.

Willie Hurt of Lansing, Mich., won $3.1 million in 1989. Two years later he was broke and charged with murder. His lawyer says Hurt spent his fortune on a divorce and crack cocaine.

Charles Riddle of Belleville, Mich., won $1 million in 1975. Afterward, he got divorced, faced several lawsuits and was indicted for selling cocaine.

Missourian Janite Lee won $18 million in 1993. Lee was generous to a variety of causes, particularly politics, education and the community. But according to published reports, eight years after winning, Lee had filed for bankruptcy with only $700 left in two bank accounts and no cash on hand.

One Southeastern family won $4.2 million in the early '90s. They bought a huge house and succumbed to repeated family requests for help in paying off debts.

The house, cars and relatives ate the whole pot. Eleven years later, the couple is divorcing, the house is sold, and they have to split what is left of the lottery proceeds. The wife got a very small house and the husband has moved in with the kids. Even the life insurance they bought ended up getting cashed in.

"It was not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," says their financial advisor.Luck is fleeting These sad-but-true tales are not uncommon, say the experts."

For many people, sudden money can cause disaster," says Susan Bradley, a certified financial planner in Palm Beach, Fla., and founder of the Sudden Money Institute, a resource center for new money recipients and their advisors.

"In our culture, there is a widely held belief that money solves problems. People think if they had more money, their troubles would be over. When a family receives sudden money, they frequently learn that money can cause as many problems as it solves," she says.

Craig Wallace, a senior funding officer for a company that buys lottery annuity payments in exchange for lump sums, agrees.

"Going broke is a common malady, particularly with the smaller winners. Say you've won $1 million. What you've really won is a promise to be paid $50,000 a year. People win and they think they're millionaires. They go out and buy houses and cars and before they know it, they're in way over their heads," he says.

Are you really a 'millionaire'?Part of the problem is that the winners buy into the hype.

"These people believe they are millionaires. They buy into the hype, but most of these people will go to their graves without ever becoming a millionaire," says Wallace, who has been in the business for almost a decade.

"In New Jersey, they manipulate the reality of the situation to sell more tickets. Each winner takes a picture with a check that becomes a 3-foot by 5-foot stand-up card. The winner is photographed standing next to a beautiful woman and the caption reads: 'New Jersey's newest millionaire.'"

Winning plays a game with your head
Bradley, who authored "Sudden Money: Managing a Financial Windfall," says winners get into trouble because they fail to address the emotional connection to the windfall.

"There are two sides to money. The interior side is the psychology of money and the family relationship to money. The exterior side is the tax codes, the money allocation, etc."

"The goal is to integrate the two. People who can't integrate their interior relationship with money appropriately are more likely to crash and burn," says Bradley.

"Often they can keep the money and lose family and friends -- or lose the money and keep the family and friends -- or even lose the money and lose the family and friends."

Bill Pomeroy, a certified financial planner in Baton Rouge, La., has dealt with a number of lottery winners who went broke.

"Because the winners have a large sum of money, they make the mistake of thinking they know what they're doing. They are willing to plunk down large sums on investments they know nothing about or go in with a partner who may not know how to run a business."

What if you get so (un)lucky?To offset some bad early-decision making and the inevitable requests of friends, relatives and strangers, Bradley recommends lottery winners start by setting up a DFZ or decision-free zone.

"Take time out from making any financial decisions," she says. "Do this right away. For some people, it's smart to do it before you even get your hands on the money.

"People who are not used to having money are fragile and vulnerable, and there are plenty of people out there who are willing to prey on that vulnerability -- even friends and family," she cautions."

It's not a time to decide what stocks to buy or jump into a new house purchase or new business venture.

"It's a time to think things through, sort things out and seek an advisory team to help make those important financial choices."

As an example, Bradley says that on a list on 12 things people who come into a windfall will spend money on, buying a house is at the top of the list while investing is number 11.

"You really don't want to buy a new house before taking the time to think about what the consequences are.

"A lot of people who don't have money don't realize how much it costs to live in a big house -- decorators, furniture, taxes, insurance, even utility costs are greater. People need a reality check before they sign the contract," she says.

Evelyn Adams, the N.J. lottery double-winner, learned these lessons the hard way.

"There are a lot of people out there like me who don't know how to deal with money," laments Adams. "Hey, some people went broke in six months. At least I held on for a few years."

Sean Gleeson - Chat with the Autorantic Virtual Moonbat!: ""

forwarded to me and untouched.
Subject: Letter from the Commanding Officer, Col. C. A. Tucker -Regimental Combat Team 7From the Commanding Officer, Col. C. A. Tucker - Regimental Combat Team 7(RCT-7) - Letter to Families Hello again, after a long hiatus. Last 6 weeks or so have been busy as we worked to establish the newbattalions in their areas of operations and worked to get the "old'battalions home. 3/7, 2/7, and 1st LAR are all safely home and on theirblock leave period. 1/7, 1/23, and 3d LAR have assumed their battle spaceand continue to perform superbly. The enemy, as we expected, is surging as we approach the U. S. and Iraqielection period and enter Ramadan. Enemy activity in this AO has pickedup, to the enemy's detriment. They are not very smart, and when theydecide to come out and fight, are easily killed.His patterns remain the same as we saw in April: move 50-150 terroristsinto a city or community, use terror and intimidation to assume control,kill and maim local citizens, get his picture taken with his RPG andAK-47, then wait to see himself on the evening news. Interesting sidenote: ask how often you see pictures of these guys posturing and howoften you see pictures of them fighting. Then compare that to how oftenyou see pictures of U. S. servicemen fighting and how often you seepictures of them posturing. Provides a good metric for who is winningthis thing: the enemy postures when the cameraman is present, but when itcomes to fighting he is the most base of cowards. You don't see many images of these guys fighting because they're too busyhiding or running once the fighting starts. They're much more comfortablebeheading innocents. The Side note also demonstrates how, with the bestof intentions and within the rightful bounds of our constitution, thepress becomes unwitting collaborators in the enemy's informationoperations campaign. This is a fight for the will of the American and theIraqi people. He targets the Iraqis through murder and intimidation; hetargets you through the images. Anyway, we have fought him well in a number of engagements over the pastweek or so. TF 1/23, 1/8 and 2d Force Recon Co performed magnificently inan operation in the city of Hit that killed 30 of the terrorists withoutharming any innocent Iraqis. We restored both security and governance toa city taken over by the bastards for a 72 hour period last week. Of greater significance, the 503d Iraqi National Guard Bn fought as theRCT-7 main effort, were the first ones into the city, and remains theretoday providing security for the HIT community. The enemy chased out ofHit moved into the city of Rawah about 50 miles west, TF 1/8 and an IraqiArmy Unit hunted them down there, killed 15 more and restored thatcommunity to its citizens.In other parts of the AO, Iraqi police and National Guard and BorderPolice have fought off numerous attacks on their own... in my mind themost striking example of the progress we continue to make across the AO.The enemy cannot maintain this surge for long: even the most hardened ofthe remaining anti-US Iraqi people are rapidly tiring of him, the IraqiSecurity Forces are fighting back, and we are killing them with stunningregularity. He surges in order to influence the American and Iraqielections; when both proceed as planned, his efforts will begin tocrumble. We now have 2 police academies, 2 ING training academies, and 2 IraqiBorder Police Training Academies operational. We continue to see thefruits of these efforts in the increasing professionalism, confidence,and competence of the Iraqi Security Forces.Firefights are dramatic and make the news; but where we are going to winthis is through the establishment of viable Iraqi Security Forces. It isa challenging road, fraught with friction, but every day we see progress.Training ISF remains our main effort and will continue to be both ourmain effort and our ultimate ticket home with victory. The civil effort continues apace also. Our most significant currenteffort is the construction of the hospital in Ar Rutbah, a $1M effortthat will provide medical services to a community currently 4 hours awayfrom the closest medical care.America, your Marines, Sailors and Soldiers continue to perform withcourage and intellect in this most complex and ambiguous of conflicts. Weare anxiously awaiting election day in the hopes that the media pictureand national dialogue will transition from the subjectivity of politicsto the objectivity of national interest. Building a democracy is a dirtybusiness-has been throughout the history of democracy from ancient Greecethrough the present day. Regard our national effort here through theprism of that reality. RCT-7 remembers the sacrifices of LCpls A. R. Boyles and R. Mateo, KIA 24Sep 2004 vic Fallujah; Cpl. I. T. Zook, KIA 12 Oct 2004 vic Husaybah; CplW. I. Salazar KIA 15 Oct 2004 vic Husaybah; Sgt Owen, U. S. Army, KIA 15Oct 2004 vic Husaybah; SPC J. Santos, U. S. Army, KIA 15 Oct 2004 vicHusaybah. Please remember their families in your prayers. Share your Courage. And stand fast.Semper Fidelis,C. A. Tucker Colonel, U. S. Marine Corps CO, RCT-7.

I've been reading some great stuff on other blogs, by people who write better things than I do, and I really don't want any of my readers to miss them. So, here are some links for all y'all

The first one is from Right Side of the Rainbow, a blog that is rapidly becoming a favorite of mine. Paul does a great job in explaining the morality behind the libertarian philosophy in this post. And while you're over there, make a point to check out some of the other posts, because he has had just so much good stuff on there lately.

This post-election Mark Steyn column made me feel all warm and gooey inside (h/t A Chick Named Marzi).

Liberty Punk had a hilarious gloat-rant up after the election, that I got a kick out of, though if you don't listen to punk you might not be familiar with Fat Mike or PunkVoter. It's still worth a read, but it's all the sweeter if you're familiar with the self-righteous lefty punkers.

Something Awful has a hilarious satire piece up, "The Democrat's Guide to Overthrwoing the Government" (h/t 4 Right-Wing Wackos).

Most importantly, please do not miss this rant from Cold Fury. That is a blog I have neglected to check out in the past, but that is not going to be the case anymore. That there rant is a thing of beauty. (h/t 4 RWWs and Drumwaster's Rants).

Good, old-fashioned ranty goodness! Anyhoo, there were probably more links I wanted to add to that, but I can't remember them. Stop wasting time, and go read them now! Also check out the other great rant that Fectin linked to the other day. Okay, I'm done.

This man hit the nail on the head.
Dean's World - Letter To John Perry Barlow From A Pot-Smoking Deadhead Bush Voter

move to Canada!

Just means more America for me...


UPDATE: Does anybody on the left still read this blog anymore? I have an early Christmas present for you. Let me know if you need any help moving (hat tip to Right Side of the Rainbow, a kick-ass blog that doesn't seem to get linked to as much as it deserves, in my observation).

OHIO CALLED FOR G-DUB

And this puts him at 269 electoral votes, which means that even if Kerry gets every remaining electoral vote the resulting tie will be decided by the Republican legislature.

This is an e-mail I recieved a while back, and only now got around to reading,

Not a place I shop but I'll consider it now.
Let's all shop at Sears!!!!!!
I assume you have all seen the reports about how Sears is treating its reservist employees who are called up? By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up...Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up reservist employees for up to two years. I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution.

Suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell them why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement it well deserves.

Pass it on.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So I decided to check it out before I sent it forward. I sent the following email to the Sears Customer Service Department:

I received this email and I would like to know if it is true. If it is, the Internet may have just become one very good source of advertisement for your store. I know I would go out of my way to buy products from Sears instead of another store for a like item even if it was cheaper at the other store.
Here is their answer to my email......................

Dear Customer:

Thank you for contacting Sears.

The information is factual. We appreciate your positive feedback. Sears regards service to our country as one of greatest sacrifices our you ng men and women can make. We are happy to do our part to lessen the burden they bear at this time.

Bill Thorn
Sears Customer Care
webcenter@sears.com
1-800-349-4358

Please pass this on to all your friends, Sears needs to be recognized for this outstanding contribution and we need to show them as Americans, we do appreciate what they are doing for our military!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, assuming this e-mail didn't originate with the marketing department at Sears, I think they deserve your patronage more than their competitors, and I think most of you would agree.

Wasn't there some sort of civic duty I was supposed to do today?

Ah, fuck it. It's probably not important.

This is from an e-mail forwarded to me by my dad's uncle. I don't know if it is true, since I know of quite a few of these circulating e-mails that turned out to be complete bullshit, but it's funny, so here we go

How do these people survive?

ONE Recently, when I went to McDonald's I saw on the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets. I asked for a half dozen nuggets. "We don't have half dozen nuggets," said the teenager at the counter. "You don't?" I replied. "We only have six, nine, or twelve," was the reply. "So I can't order a half dozen nuggets, but I can order six?" "That's right." So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets.

TWO I was checking out at the local Wal-Mart with just a few items and the lady behind me put her things on the belt close to mine. I picked up one of those "dividers" that they keep by the cash register and placed it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed. After the girl had scanned all ofmy items, she picked up the "divider", looking it all over for the bar code so she could scan it. Not finding the bar code she said to me, "Do you know how much this is?" I said to her "I've changed my mind, I don't think I'll buy that today." She said "OK," and I paid her for the things and left. She had no clue to what had just happened.

THREE A lady at work was seen putting a credit card into her floppy drive and pulling it out very quickly. When I inquired as to what she was doing, she said she was shopping on the Internet and they kept asking for a credit card number, so she was using the ATM "thingy."

FOUR I recently saw a distraught young lady weeping beside her car. "Do you need some help?" I asked. She replied, "I knew I should have replaced the battery to this remote door unlocker. Now I can't get into my car. Do youthink they (pointing to a distant convenience store) would have a battery to fit this?" "Hmmm, I dunno. Do you have an alarm, too?" I asked. "No, just this remote thingy," she answered, handing it and the car keys to me. As I took the key and manually unlocked the door, I replied, "Why don't you drive over there and check about the batteries. It's a long walk."

FIVE Several years ago, we had an Intern who was none too swift. One day she was typing and turned to a secretary and said, "I'm almost out of typing paper. What do I do?" "Just use copier machine paper," the secretary toldher. With that, the intern took her last remaining blank piece of paper, put it on the photocopier and proceeded to make five "blank" copies.

SIX I was in a car dealership a while ago, when a large motor home was towed into the garage. The front of the vehicle was in dire need of repair and the whole thing generally looked like an extra in "Twister." I asked the manager what had happened. He told me that the driver had set the "cruise control" and then went in the back to make a sandwich.

SEVEN My neighbor works in the operations department in the central office of a large bank. Employees in the field call him when they have problems with their computers. One night he got a call from a woman in one of the branch banks who had this question: "I've got smoke coming from the back of my terminal. Do you guys have a fire downtown?"

EIGHT Police in Radnor, Pa., interrogated a suspect by placing a metal colander on his head and connecting it with wires to a photocopy machine. The message "He's lying" was placed in the copier, and police pressed the copy button each time they thought the suspect wasn't telling the truth. Believing the "lie detector" was working, the suspect confessed.

NINE A mother calls 911 very worried asking the dispatcher if she needs to take her kid to the emergency room, the kid was eating ants. The dispatcher tells her to give the kid some Benadryl and should be fine, the mother says, I just gave him some ant killer..... Dispatcher: Rush him in to emergency!

"Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid."

While I'm honest enough to admit that this humble blog probably hasn't changed a single person's opinion on anything, ever, I thought it was very important that I share this column by Charles Krauthammer with my readers before the election (hat tip to Right-Thinking)

The centerpiece of John Kerry's foreign policy is to rebuild our alliances so the world will come to our aid, especially in Iraq. He repeats this endlessly because it is the only foreign policy idea he has to offer. The problem for Kerry is that he cannot explain just how he proposes to do this.

The mere appearance of a Europhilic fresh face is unlikely to so thrill the allies that French troops will start marching down the streets of Baghdad. Therefore, you can believe that Kerry is just being cynical in pledging to bring in the allies, knowing that he has no way of doing it. Or you can believe, as I do, that he means it.

He really does want to end America's isolation. And he has an idea how to do it. For understandable reasons, however, he will not explain how on the eve of an election.

Think about it: What do the Europeans and the Arab states endlessly rail about in the Middle East? What (outside of Iraq) is the area of most friction with U.S. policy? What single issue most isolates America from the overwhelming majority of countries at the United Nations?

The answer is obvious: Israel.

In what currency, therefore, would we pay the rest of the world in exchange for their support in places such as Iraq? The answer is obvious: giving in to them on Israel.

No Democrat will say that openly. But anyone familiar with the code words of Middle East diplomacy can read between the lines. Read what former Clinton national security adviser Sandy Berger said in "Foreign Policy for a Democratic President," a manifesto written while he was a senior foreign policy adviser to Kerry.

"As part of a new bargain with our allies, the United States must re-engage in . . . ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. . . . As we re-engage in the peace process and rebuild frayed ties with our allies, what should a Democratic president ask of our allies in return? First and foremost, we should ask for a real commitment of troops and money to Afghanistan and Iraq."

So in a "new bargain with our allies" America "re-engages" in the "peace process" in return for troops and money in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Do not be fooled by the euphemism "peace process." We know what "peace process" meant during the eight years Berger served in the Clinton White House -- a White House to which Yasser Arafat was invited more often than any other leader on the planet. It meant believing Arafat's deceptions about peace while letting him get away with the most virulent incitement to and unrelenting support of terrorism. It meant constant pressure on Israel to make one territorial concession after another -- in return for nothing. Worse than nothing: Arafat ultimately launched a vicious terror war that killed a thousand Israeli innocents.

"Re-engage in the peace process" is precisely what the Europeans, the Russians and the United Nations have been pressuring the United States to do for years. Do you believe any of them have Israel's safety at heart? They would sell out Israel in an instant, and they are pressuring America to do precisely that.

Why are they so upset with President Bush's Israeli policy? After all, isn't Bush the first president ever to commit the United States to an independent Palestinian state? Bush's sin is that he also insists the Palestinians genuinely accept Israel and replace the corrupt, dictatorial terrorist leadership of Yasser Arafat.

To reengage in a "peace process" while the violence continues and while Arafat is in charge is to undo the Bush Middle East policy. That policy -- isolating Arafat, supporting Israel's right to defend itself both by attacking the terrorist infrastructure and by building a defensive fence -- has succeeded in defeating the intifada and producing an astonishing 84 percent reduction in innocent Israeli casualties.

John Kerry says he wants to "rejoin the community of nations." There is no issue on which the United States more consistently fails the global test of international consensus than Israel. In July, the U.N. General Assembly declared Israel's defensive fence illegal by a vote of 150 to 6. In defending Israel, America stood almost alone.

You want to appease the "international community"? Sacrifice Israel. Gradually, of course, and always under the guise of "peace." Apply relentless pressure on Israel to make concessions to a Palestinian leadership that has proved (at Camp David in 2000) it will never make peace.

The allies will appreciate that. Then turn around and say to them: We're doing our part (against Israel), now you do yours (in Iraq). If Kerry is elected, the pressure on Israel will begin on day one.

Okay, sorry to Krauthammer and the Washington Post, but I just had copy the entire thing here. Maybe it is just speculation, but can anyone come up with any alternative possibilities for Kerry's Middle East policy? This is just far too serious to overlook. Of course, Kerry's support for the International Criminal Court, his statement during the debates that he intended to provide Iran with nuclear materials, and his wreckless, insulting dismissal of the Allawi government in Iraq were all swept under the carpet by the mainstream press, and I doubt they'll pay any more attention to Krauthammer's assertion.