ACLU sues Hazleton, Pennsylvania!!!

I don't like the ACLU.

In fact, I wear a t-shirt that shows a picture of the Statue of Liberty with a gag around her mouth which reads.....ACLU - Atheists - Communists - Liberals - United!

This weeks ACLU atrocity comes from Hazleton, PA. Now I spent a lot of time in Hazleton when I was a consultant, and always found it a warm & friendly city in the Pennsylvania mountains. So I was naturally drawn to this story when I saw it. (The story was reported by the AP recently, and appears in the October 2006 issue of NewsMax on page 27.)

Here's the deal...the ACLU and Hispanic activists are suing the city of Hazleton! Why? Because the Mayor of Hazleton, Lou Barletta, had the unmitigated gall to propose a city ordinance that did three things...

1. it fined landlords $1,000 for renting to illegal immigrants
2. it denied business permits to companies that hired illegal immigrants
3. it made English the city's official language

And guess what? Earlier this summer, the 31,000 residents of Hazleton voted to enact the ordinance! YIPPEE!!!! A town sticking up for the rights of Americans! (Opps, sorry! I'm not suppose to gloat.)

For anyone just now hearing about this, it's equally important to understand why Mayor Barletta sought to have this ordinance passed. He proposed the ordinance after two illegal immigrants were arrested and charged for shooting and killing a Hazleton resident. The Mayor (and evidently) most of the town said...Enough! We're standing our ground and defending our citizen's!

An ACLU spokesman said, "It makes every person who looks or sounds foreign a suspect, including those who are here legally. You might as well just paint a target on every foreigner's forehead or a sign saying, 'Please treat me differently.'"

No it doesn't Mr. ACLU!! The ordinance is the city's way of protecting the LEGAL citizens and business owners of Hazleton. It's protecting their rights and their property, and their ability to do business. And until (or unless) the Federal government acts upon the growing ILLEGAL Immigration issue, the Hazleton ordinance is a successful test of a city exercising it's right, to take immigration matters into their own hands.

I've said it a million times! Every foreigner - let me repeat that - EVERY FOREIGNER who comes to this country LEGALLY - just like my parents did, and my wife's family did, and the millions of other immigrants WHO OBEYED THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES WHEN FIRST ENTERING THIS COUNTRY, are Welcomed. Period.

Is this so difficult a premise for anyone to understand? For the ACLU that is supported by thousands of lawyers, is this such a difficult rule to grasp? That in order to have the rights of legal Americans, you have to have obeyed the laws of this country in order to get here! Simple, Yes? Why can't you just "GET" it?


To paraphrase a snide liberal quip of the 90's....."It's the LAW - stupid!"


Dum Spiro Spero

Unrelated items ( things to think about) Sweden's Social Democracy & The U.S.S. Cole Incident

When you're scraping a house to prepare it for painting, your mind tends to wander, and you think about things. That's where I'll be for the next few weeks - "wandering" and painting!

When I was a little boy growing up in West Orange, New Jersey very often my parents would speak Swedish in our home. They were proud of their Swedish roots and so were my sister and me, but we were more proud about being American citizens. I can remember my Dad cursing as he read his Swedish newspaper, about new governmental reforms taking place "in the old country." His comments ran something like this....."G-- D--- Social Democrats are ruining the country! Pretty soon nobody will want to work!"
When I visited Sweden in 1969, his "rants' became crystal clear when I learned that since no Swede's would work on the governmentally run railway system, Sweden had to import 9,000 families from another country, pay them, provide housing & benefits, support them, educate their children, and generally keep them happy in order for the railroad to run.
The form of government the Social Democrats established in Sweden, was seen as enlightened and wholly caring for all of its citizens. A social democracy. Socialized health care from cradle to the grave was viewed as part of being civilized - so were hundreds of other welfare programs. As the tax burden to every Swede continued to grow, (the maximum individual tax rate now stands at 60%) it became almost second nature for Swede's to receive a portion of their pay "under the table" by having it deposited in foreign banks - thereby avoiding the incredibly high personal tax rate. During the '60's & 70's it was known as, "black money." One of the most notable examples of this practice was tennis great Bjorn Borg - who opted to live and have all of his winnings deposited in Monaco, thereby avoiding the Swedish tax system.
Last week, after 70 years in power - the Social Democrats were ousted by Swede's who seek a more conservative form of government. The reason was simple - the social democracy had simply become too unwieldy, and the welfare state had finally collapsed under it's own weight. Swede's nation-wide went to the voting polls and said, "Enough is enough!" One of the biggest reasons echoed my Dad's sentiments of 40 years ago....since the government was paying for everything, it encouraged people to stay out of work. As an example, Swedish unemployment is recorded at somewhere around 6% - not too bad. But in actuality, the number of Swede's not working because of sickness and disability, but being subsidized by the government is nearer to 20%.
Keep that in mind this election season...and any time you hear someone argue in favor of socialized health care. (Keep an eye on the U.K. - another Social Democracy "creaking" under the burden of a social welfare state!)

Last weekend I watched as President Clinton went ballistic at Chris Wallace - after Wallace asked him to explain why he hadn't done more to capture Usama bin Laden while he was in office. I don't believe in "Monday Morning Quarterbacking," and in this regard I'm not sure whether I care what President Clinton's reasons were/are. But his anger, his poking of Wallace with his finger, his accusations of being "set up" by the Fox News NeoCons, was just too much for me to bear. During the exchange President Clinton said, "After the Cole incident I had a comprehensive plan designed to....." What followed didn't matter to me, what mattered was our ex-President's glossing over "the Cole incident."
As someone who's friend lost their son when the U.S.S. Cole was attacked, I take umbrage at President Clinton even speaking the name of that United States Naval Vessel. HE was responsible for that attack! Here's why.
During his Presidency the Defense Budget and our military forces were grossly reduced. To use the term "gutted" adds a certain visual element to what happened. Prior to his "evisceration," U.S. naval warships were refueled at sea using fuel tender vessels especially designed for that purpose. This not only allowed naval vessels to reach their destinations sooner, but also avoided the potential problems associated with bringing a U.S. warship into a foreign port. By reducing the military budget, President Clinton directly caused the elimination of over 600 fuel tenders used by the Navy. The result was the U.S.S. Cole sitting at anchor in Ayden harbor, and being "gut shot" by a group of al Queda suicide bombers.
What I witnessed Sunday was a disgraced ex-President trying angrily to protect what he considers his legacy. Well, part of your "legacy" Mr. President, includes the spilled blood of 17 Navy sailors & Marines! And I for one, hope they haunt your sleep for the rest of your life.


Dum Spiro Spero

I must withdraw my candidacy with regret!

With regret I will be withdrawing my candidacy for the position of Secretary General of the United Nations. Even though I believe I could do a splendid job, there are two much better qualified candidates that the United States should put forward immediately.

Someone always has to be second, and even though there is no disgrace in being a runner-up in a contest of this magnitude, I fear that my first candidate might be hurt by my arguments. The 'lesser' candidate of the two has incredible qualifications. And, even though he could only be out-shown by the magnificence of the other candidate, the United States could do a lot worse than having Al Gore named Secretary General! Let's face it, Al Gore has many wonderful qualifications that a diplomat requires. He is a consummate politician and diplomat having served our nation during the turbulent '90's. He has a singular gift for oratory. He is a pleasing fellow to look at, and Mr. Gore knows how to hold an audience enthralled during a speech. Mr. Gore has international recognition stemming from his years as Vice President and, his critically acclaimed movie on global warming. Gore has always been a champion of the down-trodden, just as out-going Secretary Kofi Annan has been - which could afford the United Nations a high degree of continuity in a very troubled world. In short, Al Gore has the "cache" and "gravitas" needed for this important international post.

With all due respect to Al Gore, I don't believe there is another person living today, who could better assume the post of Secretary General of the United Nations, than William Jefferson Clinton. I am unsure whether ex-President Clinton would be interested in the position, but I seriously question whether any other candidate would even consider running against him, if he "threw his hat into the ring." Consider it for one moment...picture Bill Clinton addressing the General Assembly. His impressive stature - his bearing - my God, it's incomparable to anything the U.N. has ever seen!

Can you imagine Bill Clinton traveling to any of the world's trouble spots? With his "weight-of-the-world-on-my-shoulders" look etched across his brow? No militants, no would-be terrorists would stand a chance... troubles would immediately cease! With one speech where he addressed the multitudes, all he'd need to do is raise his arms and speak the words...(listen for them) "I feel your pain," or bite on his lower lip while wiping away a tear. (Remember his heart-wrenching placement of stones on one of the Normandy beaches?) Problems solved, trouble over, "the great peacemaker of the world" has vanquished strife once again.

Best of all, the position should certainly appeal to our former President. The tenure is for an entire decade! None of this paltry 4 year stuff - 10 years of William Jefferson Clinton as Leader of the World Body. Ten years not only to add onto his American legacy...but more importantly, 10 full years to create an international legacy that would certainly anoint him the most important world-wide leader since ........., well, we should let history complete that thought!


"Don't stop thinking about tomorrow,
Don't stop - it'll soon be here!
It'll be better than before,
Yesterday's gone - yesterday's gone!"


Dum Spiro Spero

Comments regarding: Bill Maher's "Fatwa" and American Unity

I've received a number of comments on my blog*posting yesterday entitled Bill Maher's "Fatwa" and American Unity. Four actually.

Three of them I couldn't (wouldn't) publish because they were filled with the foulest of hatespeak against President Bush and conservatives in general. The fourth I did publish and you can read it at the end of the original "Fatwa" posting. (CLICK comments and you can navigate through all of the websites referenced).

Simply by commenting, these authors validated the premise of my posting. (Because I explored the links that were associated with them this morning, I can pass on some additional perceptions).

• there are millions of folks out there who believe that their sole purpose in life is to oppose the Bush administration, but more specifically the Bush presidency. (I can now add based on the contents of their comments, that they plan to do this using language that would make sailor's blush!)
• there are a great many websites already up-and-running which call for the immediate impeachment of President Bush, (if they could arrange that a public "flogging" be thrown in, so much the better!) Just as many more are a "call for local protest marches" centered on anti-war and anti-establishment themes. (Where have I heard & seen this before?)
• as I've written in previous postings, and personal emails, George Bush could appear on television dragging the captured leader's of every militant terrorist organization behind him, while holding the cures to every disease known to man, and the people associated with the websites I visited - plus his opponents in Congress - would say that it was all part of his political agenda!

Although validating my positions, reviewing these websites, (and feeling the vitriol in the comments and blogs associated with them), was pretty disheartening! In deference to the erudite columns by Mayor Ed Koch and Barry Farber that called for national unity and described past patriotism, I'm sad to pass along gentlemen, that there are an incredible number of "deaf ears" listening! (No pun intended).

I stand by the final question I posed in my posting from September 13th...."if anybody and everybody who is - screaming against the war in Iraq and decrying every single thing George Bush is doing now or has tried to do during his presidency - would simply put 50% of that animosity, no make it 25% of that animosity toward supporting the united efforts of the President, his policies and the military......How much closer to defeating global terrorism and ending this war do you think we'd be?"

I think the question is still a good one?

Dum Spiro Spero

Bill Maher's "Fatwa" and American Unity

The other night I was watching MSNBC, and Chris Matthews was interviewing Bill Maher, (the host of HBO's Real Time). Matthew's asked Maher what he believed was (paraphrasing now) ailing this country? (You can watch the entire video by going to the MSNBC website, clicking on Hardball, and selecting the video about Bill Maher. I don't know how to do video links). Among other things, in the video Maher refers to Bush as "stupid" and states that Bush, Cheney & Rumsfeld should get on television and tell everyone in the country that they lied about the war in Iraq - "and lost it" - and that they lied about everything else. Maher believes that Bush should be impeached and hopes that Sen. Conyers carries through on his threat to bring impeachment hearings to the floor of the Senate. Maher's intimation was that if they (bad Republicans), could impeach Clinton for lying - this is no different. Near the end of their interview Maher offered his suggestion that we change our Constitution, and bring about a Parliamentary Democracy, so that at the very least the people could record a "No Confidence Vote" against President Bush and his administration.

I'm happy that we live in country where everyone can freely offer their "personal fatwa" regarding our government.

(Before any of you go nuts on me for using the term - chill!! - a fatwa is simply an opinion of one individual, and is binding only on the person who gives it. Unfortunately, the term today has been bastardized by many who use it. In ages past, the term described a legal opinion based upon religious reasoning - mostly Islamic. In today's amphitheater of political discourse, any Tom, Dick, or Abdul can issue their own fatwa. Hence, we have Maher's fatwa, Osama's, and those on The Daily Kos.)

Let's remember what they are, they are simply opinions. Bill Maher's opinion, his desire for a binding "No Confidence" vote is no more ridiculous than me calling Chris Matthew's an objective non-partisan newscaster! And Bill should remember that in a Parliamentary setting, only the members of Parliament vote.

This morning I read a wonderful column by former New York Mayor Ed Koch. Obviously Maher and Matthews didn't read it! It's entitled: Time for the United States to Unite. Here's the link if you'd like to read the full article; http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/9/14/155034.shtml . In addition, one of my favorite columnist's, Barry Farber wrote another exceptional piece on September 9th., entitled: Today's American Patriotism Falls Short. Again, the M&M boys must've missed this one! Here's the link to Mr. Farber's column; http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/9/8/214428.shtml .

Both Farber and Koch frequently use a writing tool, that all Americans of whatever "stripe," can understand and appreciate. They reflect on what has happened in the past, the outcomes of those actions, how it made this country better or worse, thereby giving us guideposts that we can learn from today. Now, neither of these learned gentlemen support President Bush's policies wholeheartedly. (Neither do I). But they both understand that there are times in life, that we all must put aside our personal opinions & differences, stop talking to hear ourselves speak, and unite in support of the common goal. In this case, winning the war (including Iraq) on global terrorism.

What I believe is tearing this country apart, (my fatwa), is the petulant belief by millions of Americans that they have no stake in this war - they don't like it, they don't agree with it, they want it stopped. It's what they want, and to hell with everybody else! And, that because they don't believe they have a vested stake in this war, that it is their responsibility as American's to malign our government, publicly defame its leadership, and create as much dissent as is possible until it is stopped. After all, how bad could it be? I can still go shopping at the mall, Daddy still gave me my Lexus, and there's a new iPod!!

Horse hockey! (Thanks Col. Potter!)

Unfortunately they're doing it during wartime, to the detriment - some would say causing the deaths of - our men & women in uniform. You don't think so? Look at the latest al-Quada tapes, where al-Zawahiri or bin Laden reference the dissent here in the United States and call for more insurgents to enter the war in Iraq! Don't be blindly led - these people aren't stupid! They may crawl around in caves, but they have satellite television and the internet just like you do! (They've stopped using cell phones because we can track them).

I actually believe that 75% of the dissent in this country is caused by some '60's Baby Boomer's who realized (and are frantic) that this is the last time they'll get a chance to go to a protest march, fire up a doobie, and hopefully un-seat a President! And if they have kids - they're trying valiantly/or vainly to show their kids their relevance/or irrelevance before they fade away (thankfully!) into obscurity.

As far as Bill Maher's "call" for a No Confidence Vote, we have one of those, it's called an election. Later this year we will have midterm elections, and in 2008 there'll be another chance for everyone to vote their confidence for another presidential candidate.

Until then, as Laura Ingraham would say, "Shut Up and Sing!"


Dum Spiro Spero

Where do I apply for this Job???

There's a job opening coming up on January 1st, 2007 that I just have to apply for! Secretary General of the United Nations. Having watched in wonder these past 10 years while Kofi Annon "performed" in the position. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, "Never has one man - taken so much - from so many!" I have to tell you - I can do this job!!!

I just read the rundown on the retirement benefits and they're right up my alley! (More on that later).

The job requirements are pretty simple. You sit at a round table with an antique earpiece cupped to your ear. (Listening to U-2, the Dixie Chicks, a little Bjork). You nod contemplatively at the "double-speak diplomacy" paraded around the hall, offering infrequent judgment on parliamentary procedures. Every once and a while you decide to invite one or two of the world's known (and well-heeled) terrorists or despot's to New York to address the "World Body," (deriving abject glee at stomping upon the rights of the United States citizenry that have to fund your Cabal-on-the-Hudson).

Making a decision is simple enough. At the end of each day, you confer privately with the delegations from each Middle Eastern country who contribute freely to your favorite charity....The Kofi & Kojo fund for underdeveloped bank accounts....and decide the most diplomatic way to vote against the United States, Israel, and any other country backward enough to support the two Satan's.

At night you dine (for free) at any restaurant you desire. While your limo with Diplomatic plates is double parked outside. At a reasonable hour you drag your worn out body home to your (free) multi-million dollar house in Manhattan (with remarkable views of the river). Partake of a late night Sherry or Port & retire exhausted from your daily schedule.

Following ten "grueling" years at this highly demanding post, you can retire.

CHA - CHINGGGGGG!!!!!!!!

Ahh, look children, there he goes....riding off into the sunset in his golden chariot. Kofi Annon, "Defender of the Faithless," "God-like Visage of all those who hate America," "High Priest of the Oil-ith for Food-ith Program," "Champion Emeritus for the Downtrodden with Deep Pockets." Live well & long Krusader Kofi!!!!

On your $12,000 a month, lifetime pension! (That's $144,000 a year folks - oh, by the by, tax-free!) Don't spend your previously cashed-in $1,000,000 pension all in one place either! And don't forget during your retirement, should you ever run across that paltry $2 BILLION that's "gone missing" from the Oil-ith for Food-ith Program, you'll be sure to send it back to us won't you?

Stop laughing at us Kofi! - Didn't your mother ever teach you it's impolite to laugh at SUCKERS?

Dum Spiro Spero

(Although, In this case it might be better to spell it DUMB!)

FDR's first Inaugural Address 1933.

"We now realize as we have never realized before our interdependence on each other; that we cannot merely take but we must give as well; that if we are to go forward, we must move as a trained and loyal army willing to sacrifice for the good of a common discipline, because without such discipline no progress is made, no leadership becomes effective." - from FDR's First Inaugural Address, 1933

I was driving home from delivering my daughter's car to her in Pennsylvania this past Monday and I was listening to the radio. Larry Kudlow was on and he used a phrase that stunned me. He said, (words to the effect), that it was just one more example of "The War against the War" taking place here in the United States.

It affected me so immediately that I had to turn the radio off...so I could process the thoughts that were running through my brain! So many things hit me at once...an overload of examples that I couldn't shake out of my head! He's right. There's a war against the war and the media, the press, and our own courts are fighting it!

• Senator Rockefeller saying that President Bush was "a bigger terrorist than Saddam Hussein." (Gee Senator, I bet that plays well on Al Jazeera!)
• Matt Lauer (the Glib one) repeatedly trying to get the President to admit to using torture against terrorist detainees. (On the Morning of 9/11 Fifth Anniversary no less!) ("Hey Matt would you call killing almost 3000 American citizens by flying commercial airliners into buildings torture?")
• The ACLU and certain Federal Courts Judges trying to have "constitutional rights" conferred on terrorists being held in Guantanimo Bay.
• Rep. John Murtha who originally said early in 2005 that "a premature withdrawal of our troops based on a political timetable could rapidly devolve into a civil war which would leave America's foreign policy in disarray as countries question not only America's judgment but also its perseverance." But who now wants us to withdraw to Okinawa."We can redeploy there almost instantly." (Ouch! That makes my brain hurt! Senator...excuse me, that's 4,899 miles. INSTANTLY???)
• Senator Harry Reid who said on March 22,2006..."We've been in Iraq longer than we were in World War II." (And we've accomplished more - in a comparable period of time - while loosing hundreds of thousands fewer soldiers Senator. What's your point? Did you think this was going to be easy? The Israeli's can do 6-day wars, we have to earn our victories.)
• Again Senator Harry Reid, waving his finger at the audience (who else did that?) amid cheers from Democratic supporters saying, "Think about what happened 20 minutes ago in the Senate. We killed the Patriot Act!" (And this has made your grand children and my children safer how Senator?)

With deep deference to FDR, who after this first Inaugural seemingly carried this country on his back - crippled legs notwithstanding - to one of the greatest united efforts the world has ever seen, I have to ask - what ever happened to that country? What ever happened to that united and loyal army of citizens that Roosevelt knew was there, "willing to sacrifice for the good of a common discipline?" One thing's an absolute certainty, it's not anywhere near Congress!

Yesterday I also learned that there's going to be a movie released shortly that shows the assassination of President Bush. Now there's something that Hollywood can be proud of! I anticipate that there will be those on the Democrat side who will say that because ABC aired "The Path to 9/11" over the objections of former President Clinton, a Bush assassination is just fine. Could we ever be further apart here?

On the day that the still healing wounds of 9/11 were still raw and painful...OUR President tried once again to comfort grieving families, to assure us that our fallen hero's haven't died in vain, and that all of our efforts are important and required for the ongoing fight against global terrorism, and what do I hear?

I hear from Senator Reid...."He is more consumed by staying the course in Iraq and playing election-year politics." I hear from Senator Kennedy...."The president should be ashamed of using a national day of mourning to commandeer the airwaves to give a speech that was designed not to unite the country and commemorate the fallen but to seek support for a war in Iraq that he has admitted had nothing to do with 9/11." And finally in his Op-Ed piece in the Sunday Times there was this last paragraph "Bush Bashing" from Frank Rich...."And so here we are five years later. Fearmongering remains unceasing. So do tax cuts. So does the war against a country that did not attack us on 9/11. We have moved on, but no one can argue we have moved ahead."

Well wait a minute Frank! I can argue it. And so can the millions of other Americans who understand that freedom is never free and demands sacrifices of us all. Has there been another attack on U.S. soil Frank, haven't we helped free the populations of two countries from totalitarian governments? The millions of Americans who understand that Saddam Hussein's regime had fostered terrorism in the past; had used WMD's against its own Kurdish citizens, and would be just as willing to use them against us or someone else....we can all argue it Frank!

And so (I think) would FDR. He understood the magnitude of the task that faced him when he took office. Bread lines - a roaring depression - Fascism rising in Italy & Germany. And later, he must have been pulling his hair out after Pearl Harbor! But FDR understood what so many of the media, so many of his opposition, so many around the world didn't understand. He understood that the fear of loosing, could paralyze us as easily as the polio that paralyzed him, and could bring about our ultimate defeat. He understood that his best chance to move us forward - perhaps our only chance - in this monumental uphill battle we were about to embark on, was to unite together and kick fear and Fascism dead in the face! We believed him - rallied behind his call & accomplished that!

I swear, George Bush could fly over to Pakistan, walk into a cave and drag Osama bin Laden and al-Zawahiri out by the scruffs of their necks, kick their asses all the way back to "Ground Zero" in New York, all the while having a bottle in his back pocket labeled "Cure for AIDS & Cancer," and the media and the liberal left would say..."See, he had them all the time and was just waiting for the election!"

Focus for a minute folks - let's see if your "logic chips" are still working - if anybody and everybody who is - screaming against the war in Iraq and decrying every single thing George Bush is doing now or has tried to do during his presidency - would put 50% of that animosity, no, make it 25% of that animosity toward supporting the United efforts of the President, his policies and the military......How much closer to defeating global terrorism and ending this war do you think we'd be?

Dum Spiro Spero

One Family's Prayers Answered!

Thank God!

At least one family's prayers were answered Friday night, when it was reported that U.S.A.F. Major Jill Metzger had been found in relatively good health.

The facts are still sketchy on her "abduction." Major Metzger reportedly told investigators that after splitting up from her other shopping excursion friends, "someone" placed a hard object and a note in the back pocket of her jeans saying it was an explosive. In the note she was directed to go to another location. Once there she was met by "3 men and a women" who put her in the back of a van and drove her to an unknown location. The Major said she was held in a dark room.

Major Metzger indicated that she was able to get away from her abductors when one of them brought her food and she attacked him, making escape possible. She made her way to a local farmhouse and asked for assistance. The farmer called military authorities who had been searching for Metzger since she was reported missing on Tuesday. When found, Major Metzger's hair and fingers had been dyed a dark brown. (?huh?)

While there are still many questions that need to be answered, Thank God the Major will soon be back with her family!

PLEASE continue to remember the Israeli soldiers that are still being held be their abductors! And would someone please tell me why their return wasn't made part of the original Cease Fire agreement?

A reminder of the truly Important things, not to loose sight of

Initially, I'd thought I would write today about Bill Clinton's frantic scramble to "save his crumbling legacy," in light of ABC's airing of 'The Path to 9/11' this coming Sunday and Monday evenings.

But I can't....it's a parental thing.
What's important is this.............

During the last couple of days we've learned about a missing U.S.A.F. officer. United States Air Force Major Jill Metzger has been missing since Tuesday, September 5th when she and 5 of her colleagues took an approved shopping trip to Kyrgy, the capitol city of Kyrgyzstan. The Major was apparently buying souvenirs to bring home to loved ones at the end of her deployment tomorrow or Sunday. Because of the unrest in Kyrgyzstan, trips by groups of service personnel had to be approved.
Kyrgyzstani officials have been working closely with Air Force and other US military & Kyrgy personnel in an effort to find Major Metzger quickly, and reunite her with her family & her husband (of less than a year). Kyrgy officials said that they were hopeful this was not an abduction because they had not received any demands for ransom.

In addition to Maj. Metzger, we should also remember the 3 Israeli soldiers, (1 abducted in Gaza by pro-Palestinian guerrillas; 2 from northern Israel by Hezbollah terrorists) who were abducted immediately prior to the onset of the fighting on August 14th. Of the 3 missing Israeli soldiers, groups claiming to have 2 of them have demanded that Israel release all their political prisoners in an exchange for their return.

So when you hit your knees tonight, offer up a prayer for these soldiers and their families. May they all come home safely.

Thanks.

"Duty - the sublimest word in the English language!" - General Robert E. Lee

Thank God for Mitt Romney!

As we approach the 5th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, we not only have to again face the reality of that tragedy - face our daily lives in the knowledge that thousands of survivor's lives now have a gaping hole in them - but now we must also face the reality that there are those among us who feel very differently about September 11th than the majority of us do.

I'm speaking of the officials and event planners and administrators at Harvard University, who are responsible for inviting former Iranian President Khatami to address the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum. Khatami will be delivering a speech entitled the "Ethics of Tolerance in the Age of Violence," this Sunday. While it might have been considered simply a stupid oversight to invite Khatami at all, it is a perversion to extend the invitation at a time so close to the anniversary of the most savage terrorist attack in the history of the world! And to have Khatami lecture Americans on the "ethics of tolerance" just adds an additional knife wound, to the scar tissue that has barely healed over!

Let me see if I can describe how savagely perverse I think this affront to all Americans is....
During his time as President and afterward, Khatami has called Israel "a parasite in the heart of the Muslim world." Khatami openly and happily embraces Hezbollah, and has had the unmitigated gall to call the United States, "a terrorist nation."

Inviting Khatami to lecture any American is like asking Adolph Hitler to address Parliament during the blitz of London; it's like asking Saddam Hussein to address a Kurdish Pride conference! The only thing that may possibly be worse will happen soon enough - when current Iranian President Ahmadinejad arrives to speak at the United Nations! When did the United States turn into the Iranian Political Road Show?

Thank God that there are some in Massachusetts like Gov. Mitt Romney, who haven't lost their sense of decency or patriotism. Yesterday Governor Romney told all of his state directed agencies "not to lift one finger" or expend one dime to welcome or protect the former Iranian President. When he was asked by the symposium organizers what about President Khatami's safety, he told them (in not so many words), that if they or the President were worried about his safety, they shouldn't have invited him here!

Way to go Gov. Mitt! Finally someone in Massachusetts with some sense and "cahonnes!"

Being a society based upon the freedom of speech for everyone, we're used to hearing bizarre and outrageous tirades from Teddy Kennedy and John Kerry. We're used to having our President and his Cabinet members called every foul name in the book - in public - and on every news channel. We've steeled ourselves to seeing our National emblem, our flag, burned in the streets of our own country. Last year we were even treated to the delightful revelation that Yale University has a token Taliban on campus - (this years incoming class composition is yet to show increased Taliban matriculation). So I guess it was only a matter of time before Harvard fired a volley across its Ivy League competitor's bow in the spirit of one-upsmanship. What's next? Could a "folk concert" by the al-Quada Quartet featuring Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri be far behind?

Thank you Gov. Romney for standing up for what's right...to say nothing of being the only one in Massachusetts government to use a little common sense, and have respect for our dead hero's and their grieving families.

With respect,

"Duty Bound"

Dum Spiro Spero

New "Pact" in Pakistan!

New "Pact" in Pakistan?

As my kids would say...."Wa zup wit dat?"

I'd like you all to read the next two paragraphs from an article that appeared today describing an agreement that has just taken place in Pakistan. The full article is available at The Fourth Rail website by CLICKING the following link: http://billroggio.com/archives/2006/09/talibanistan_the_est.php

"To add insult to the defeat of the Waziristan truce, Pakistan has openly admitted that it would let Osama bin Laden remain a free man if committed to living a peaceful existence in the region. If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden 'would not be taken into custody,' Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan told ABC News in a telephone interview, 'as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen, reports ABC News' The Blotter. An independent intelligence source confirms Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan Khan's position is an accurate reflection of Pakistani policy. [Note: Pakistan has since retracted its statements on bin Laden and immunity, but the Blotter transcript of the interview refutes this.]

The Pakistani government has ceded a region the size of New Jersey, with a population of about 800,000 to the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Waziristan is not the end of the Taliban's expansion, however. An intelligence source indicates similar negotiations between the Taliban and the Pakistani government are being held in the agencies of Khyber, Tank, Dera Ishmal Khan and Bajaur. The jihadi dreams of al-Qaeda's safe havens in western Pakistan have become a reality. And the gains made by the Coalition in Afghanistan have now officially been wiped away with the peace agreement in the newly established Islamic Emirate of Waziristan."

By Bill Roggio on September 5, 2006 11:24 PM Permalink

Geez! Well God, you can take me now because I've seen enough!

What's so striking about this little 2 paragraph statement is the matter-of-fact way in which it was reported. I had heard something about this yesterday on The Rush Limbaugh Show, but waited to see if the major networks picked up on it. None of the evening news shows I flip between, nor the 11:00 P.M. shows mentioned it. But today it's all over the internet and the blogosphere!

Kind of makes you wonder when important news items like this are overlooked...in favor of reporting whether or not Katie Couric was a "hit" or not! Hurray CBS!

Today Pakistani officials are saying that Osama Bin Laden wouldn't be safe if found anywhere in Pakistan.

Well duh!! Why would he come into Pakistan, when you've been so benevolent and given him and his band of gunslingers a piece of land the size of New Jersey?

Let me make sure I have this right. Some bad guy....comes into, let's say, Michigan. He's generally causing a lot of problems - this is a really bad guy. He's causing the death of civilians, the destruction of property, and generally stirring things up within an already troubled area. Your solution to the problem...is to give him the Upper Peninsula?

Would somebody please check to see if President Mushareff would mind pulling his head out of his "arse" for a moment?

"Practicing your religion" and Terrorism

For me, it's obvious & very simple.
- One of the reasons the Pilgrims undertook the arduous journey to come here, was so that they could practice their religion freely, without government interference.
Maybe I'm wrong about this?? Maybe in the years since I was in elementary school (mid to late 50's) the history books have been re-written. I wouldn't be too surprised. But I did check with a couple of folks around my age, and we all remember that "religious freedom" was a pretty big motivation for the Pilgrims way back when.

Now for any of you in the United States, the United Kingdom (Hey cousins!), Israel, or any other country that encourages freedom of religious or personal beliefs, I think you had all better take a really hard look at what's been transpiring lately. ESPECIALLY the latest al-Quada "lectures" appearing during the last couple of days.

In the latest installment of "Jihad -o- Vision" we have a self-hating American convert to Islam telling us all to convert to his religion and condemn the stupidity of our former lives and belief systems. Take note of the fact that this "holy man lecturer" is giving us ALL the choice of a) converting to Islam and abandoning our previous beliefs, b)..converting to Islam and abandoning our previous beliefs, c)...converting to Islam and abandoning our previous beliefs, or d) they're going to come get us!

This is all strikingly similar to past Jihad-o-vision videos that proclaim the desire to spread the "Peace of Islam" from the middle east to Spain! Or Ahmedinejad's rant that Israel should be wiped off the face of the earth! (Now there's an enlightened soul!)

Back to my simple and obvious lesson.

It's really obvious our would-be teachers hate us! They hate our freedoms, they hate our ability to worship at our churches, our mosques and our synagogues - and when finished, sit down and break bread with one another.

They can't stand what they call our "decadence" or that we may worship at different faith centers but then still donn the same uniform and fight for those around the world less fortunate than us - fighting to free them of whatever oppression they may be feeling.

They hate us because - even though we have our faults - we are still the very best example of what a government "Of the People, by the People, and For the People" can be. Embracing techological advancements; working through difficult social and economic issues; screaming at one another but finally working together for a solution.

They hate us because for all the oil their countries sit on, it is our country that has driven economic, social, cultural and personal progress and enlightenment during the last century....while their countries have decayed since the golden age of Arabic enlightenment, art and literature.

They hate us because when it comes right down to it, they may be sitting on the oil, but it took the British and American geologists to find it and finally get is out from under the sand!

But the REAL simple truth is that they hate us because we are all not Muslims. They now tell us that we should convert - or they will convert us. They are confusing our ability to have a country with religious tolerance, with their country's religious imperatives.

Seems like if I were a good Pilgrim, I'd have a problem with that! Seems like if I were a good Pilgrim, I'd have a problem with someone telling anyone that they had to believe a certain way religiously!

Maybe everyone in the world who'd really like to believe in something other than a world view of global Islamic thought should do what the Pilgrims did!