An Open Letter From Col. Oliver North

The following is an open letter to Sen. John Kerry from Oliver North. I think this needs the widest possible distribution, and if you know of any vets from any period, please pass this on to them.

The original of this letter is on Townhall.com. I have not added any emphasis nor have I altered a single word.

Bring it on, John
By
Oliver North

August 27, 2004

"Of course, the president keeps telling people he would never question my service to our country. Instead, he watches as a Republican-funded attack group does just that. Well, if he wants to have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer: 'Bring it on.'" -- Sen. John Kerry

Dear John,

As usual, you have it wrong. You don't have a beef with President George Bush about your war record. He's been exceedingly generous about your military service. Your complaint is with the 2.5 million of us who served honorably in a war that ended 29 years ago and which you, not the president, made the centerpiece of this campaign.

I talk to a lot of vets, John, and this really isn't about your medals or how you got them. Like you, I have a Silver Star and a Bronze Star. I only have two Purple Hearts, though. I turned down the others so that I could stay with the Marines in my rifle platoon. But I think you might agree with me, though I've never heard you say it, that the officers always got more medals than they earned and the youngsters we led never got as many medals as they deserved.

This really isn't about how early you came home from that war, either, John. There have always been guys in every war who want to go home. There are also lots of guys, like those in my rifle platoon in Vietnam, who did a full 13 months in the field. And there are, thankfully, lots of young Americans today in Iraq and Afghanistan who volunteered to return to war because, as one of them told me in Ramadi a few weeks ago, "the job isn't finished."

Nor is this about whether you were in Cambodia on Christmas Eve, 1968. Heck John, people get lost going on vacation. If you got lost, just say so. Your campaign has admitted that you now know that you really weren't in Cambodia that night and that Richard Nixon wasn't really president when you thought he was. Now would be a good time to explain to us how you could have all that bogus stuff "seared" into your memory -- especially since you want to have your finger on our nation's nuclear trigger.

But that's not really the problem, either. The trouble you're having, John, isn't about your medals or coming home early or getting lost -- or even Richard Nixon. The issue is what you did to us when you came home, John.

When you got home, you co-founded Vietnam Veterans Against the War and wrote "The New Soldier," which denounced those of us who served -- and were still serving -- on the battlefields of a thankless war. Worst of all, John, you then accused me -- and all of us who served in Vietnam -- of committing terrible crimes and atrocities.

On April 22, 1971, under oath, you told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that you had knowledge that American troops "had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the country side of South Vietnam." And you admitted on television that "yes, yes, I committed the same kind of atrocities as thousands of other soldiers have committed."

And for good measure you stated, "(America is) more guilty than any other body, of violations of (the) Geneva Conventions ... the torture of prisoners, the killing of prisoners."

Your "antiwar" statements and activities were painful for those of us carrying the scars of Vietnam and trying to move on with our lives. And for those who were still there, it was even more hurtful. But those who suffered the most from what you said and did were the hundreds of American prisoners of war being held by Hanoi. Here's what some of them endured because of you, John:

Capt. James Warner had already spent four years in Vietnamese custody when he was handed a copy of your testimony by his captors. Warner says that for his captors, your statements "were proof I deserved to be punished." He wasn't released until March 14, 1973.

Maj. Kenneth Cordier, an Air Force pilot who was in Vietnamese custody for 2,284 days, says his captors "repeated incessantly" your one-liner about being "the last man to die" for a lost cause. Cordier was released March 4, 1973.

Navy Lt. Paul Galanti says your accusations "were as demoralizing as solitary (confinement) ... and a prime reason the war dragged on." He remained in North Vietnamese hands until February 12, 1973.

John, did you think they would forget? When Tim Russert asked about your claim that you and others in Vietnam committed "atrocities," instead of standing by your sworn testimony, you confessed that your words "were a bit over the top." Does that mean you lied under oath? Or does it mean you are a war criminal? You can't have this one both ways, John. Either way, you're not fit to be a prison guard at Abu Ghraib, much less commander in chief.

One last thing, John. In 1988, Jane Fonda said: "I would like to say something ... to men who were in Vietnam, who I hurt, or whose pain I caused to deepen because of things that I said or did. I was trying to help end the killing and the war, but there were times when I was thoughtless and careless about it and I'm ... very sorry that I hurt them. And I want to apologize to them and their families."

Even Jane Fonda apologized. Will you, John?


Oliver North is a nationally syndicated columnist, host of the Fox News Channel's War Stories and founder and honorary chairman of Freedom Alliance.

©2004 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

Is Poor Zell Insane??

I was just reading the Winston Salem Urinal, when I came across what appears to be presented as a "news" story - not an OpEd - om page A7.

This story, from the Associated Press but with no other byline is headlined "Sen. Zell Miller Speaks His Mind"

The very first line of the article is: "Has Zell Miller lost his mind?"

Now, the OpEd section of the Urinal today is on pages A10 and A11, so maybe they got confused? No, I don't think so. The "story" goes on to say how over the years Miller doesn't act like a Democrat because he's been seen (gasp) working with Republicans and (oh, the horror) voting with them.

There is no mention in the "article" that, just maybe, Sen. Miller might actually be representing the people that elected him, and instead of being a Democratic party zombie, he actually voted his conscience and the way his constituents wanted?

I have searched the online of the Urinal (www.journalnow.com) and the AP web site without finding this article.

I wonder why?

* * * UPDATE * * * * * * UPDATE * * *

This article has shown up on FoxNews.com - here's the link to it. And this is supposed to be a HARD NEWS story?

City Councilman Ejected From Studio

I have no idea if this news item is real - if I get really bored later I may research it - but if it didn't happen, it damn well should have!!

"T. Bubba Bechtol, part time City Councilman from Pensacola, Florida, was asked on a local live radio talk show the other day just what he thought of the allegations of torture of the Iraqi prisoners.

His reply prompted his ejection from the studio, but to thunderous applause from the audience."If hooking up an Iraqi prisoner's scrotum to a car's battery cables will save one American GI's life, then I have just two things to say: Red is positive, black is negative"

Time to Update the Links

Mostly Cajun has moved to http://mostlycajun.com/wordpress/. Update the Favorites and the Blogrolls, and go over and see his new home.

Do it now, ya lazy sod!

Swift Yacht Veterans Say Kerry "A Jolly Good Fellow"

According to an exclusive story to Broken News, the Swift Yacht Veterans of Massachusetts Harbor say that John Kerry is "A Dapper Gentleman Indeed!"

Clear all liquids from the area and go here for the full story.

When Did They Get So Stupid?

I know that this little exercise has been done to death, but I just can’t help myself. Remember, every one of the Democratic politicians with the single exception of Howard Dean had access to exactly the same intelligence reports and briefings that President Bush did.

Senator Robert (WVa Highways) Byrd: Is demanding an “immediate investigation” due to “the administration’s rhetoric played upon the well-founded fear of the American public about future acts of terrorism.” He also says that the President “bent, stretched or massaged” intel “to make Iraq look like an imminent threat.” But in October of 2002, the Good Klan Senator said: “We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. Intelligence reports also indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons.”

How about Senator Bob Graham, who seems to try to bash the President at every turn for “exaggerating the threat” of Saddam? In December of 2002, this star of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said: “We are in possession of what we think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has – and has had for a number of years – a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction.”

And I just couldn’t leave without my personal favorite, John Kerry, who has called for a “Regime Change” in our country which sounded suspiciously like a call for a coup; to his “He misled every one of us” But in January of 2003, John Kerry said, and I quote: "We need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator leading an oppressive regime. The threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real.”

What did they know?
When did they know it?

When did they get so f’kin Stupid?

And why do they think we're so f'kin Stupid?

Unbelievable Bigotry

And no, I'll be willing to bet it's not what you think. This is a story about how an African-American (a REAL one from Ethiopia) was treated by his "Brothers".

Go over to the Original Grouchy Old Cripple in Atlanta and see what I mean. It isn't pretty.

Stolen Honor

Over at Emporer Misha's site, guest slayer Sir George has an article about the documentary to be released soon, Stolen Honor. There are also links to cuts from the documentary that uses John Kerry's own words and testimony and shows their effect on our POWs when they were being tortured by the North Vietnamese.

Very, very powerful, and highly recommended.

Red, Red Whine

One of my favorite snipers, Mark Steyn, is at it again. This is from the (U.K.) Spectator, which may require a registration, but this one quote makes it worthwhile:

"The minute you start running ads demanding that voters ‘tell George W Bush to stop telling lies about what a weally weally big war hero I am’, you sound ridiculous. Especially when your opponent is a guy who’s never complained about anything – not the ‘Bush is Hitler’ stuff, not the ‘Bush knew about 9/11 in advance’ stuff, not even the comparatively mild Michael Moore slur that he’s a moron so paralysed without his minders that he continued reading My Pet Goat to Florida grade-schoolers for a full seven minutes on September 11. Kerry himself made sneering cracks about the pet goat business, and Bush didn’t whine about it. "

Yep - Drink the whine, Dems - should be turning to vinegar soon!

What If ... ...

The Spousal Unit, the Little Red Roo, brought up a point this afternoon that I hadn't given much thought to.

What happens if John Kerry decides to make a campaign trip to the Vietnam Memorial, and there is enough advance notice for some veterans to get together? Even should he be elected and go then?

The Spousal Unit is afraid that it could cause bloodshed - not on the part of the veterans, but by the Kerry supporters attacking them. I could not think of a worse place for anything like this to happen.

I am NOT advocating anything, just a 'what If?'

This Is Just Too Funny!

I seem to remember that , when the Democrats hit Boston, the Winston Salem Urinal published a graphic that showed the location of the Fleet Center and the “cage”. Period.

In today’s waste of newsprint, on page A9, they print not only a full map of Manhattan up to the top of Central Park, but they list the locations and march routes of 12 – count ‘em – 12 separate demonstrating groups:

- - March and Rally For Women’s Lives, Planned Parenthood of NYC, NY Civil Liberties Union and Others.
- - Christian Defense Coalition Prayer Vigil
- - Green Party Political Festival
- - Eyes Wide Open Exhibit, held by American Friends Service Committee and the Memorial to Military and Civilians of the Iraq War
- - March and Rally for Peace and Justice
- - Stone Walk Vigil: September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
- - March on Voting Rights, including AIDS, Drug Sentences, Hip Hop Summit Action Network, Still We Rise Coalition, and the NYALCU (again)
- - Meditation for Peace by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship
- - March for Our Lives by Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign
- - A Coalition of Arts and Labor groups setting up the World’s Largest Unemployment Line
- - Women’s Rights Rally by NOW
- - Anti-War Rally by VVAW (don’t they know that one’s over?)

Sorry – that’s turned out to be 12 events, but pushing at least 20 groups, depending on the numbers of the coalitions. And the paper publishes a map of their dates, times and routes. Just Lovely!

Today is just Sunday, the convention doesn’t start until tomorrow, and as of the time this rag was put to bed, over 260 “demonstrators” had already been arrested.

And us conservative-type people are supposed to be the nasty people??

The Wounds That Won't Heal

Mark Steyn's Sunday column for the Chicago Sun-Times is out already, and requires no comment from me. Go read and see what you think.

Dumping in the Third World

I just came back from Indigo Insights where her list of signs from all over made me think of something from the dim, distant past.

Back in 1971-1972 when I was a Marine Security Guard in Islamabad, Pakistan, the locals were building a high-rise hotel to compete with the Intercontinental in Rawalpindi, right next to Islamabad. Now, anyone who has done a lot of international travel knows that the Intercon's were some of the best in the business.

As part of the new hotel, they were adding ensuite to each room (an attached bath / toilet to the main bedroom. Since each floor was built on the same plan, these were immediately over each other. They only made one little mistake.

Have you ever seen a Pakistani toilet?

It consists of a hole in the floor with a footprint on either side. Now picture being on one of the lower floors during the morning rush.

Exactly. Close - So Close!

(Don't get the wrong idea - I loved my 13 months in Pakistan, even during the War for Bangladesh in December of 1971. I got to see Kim's cannon in Lahore, I drove through the Khyber Pass, went up into the foothills of the Himalayas and met Kissenger when he came through to set up Nixon's first trip to China. And at least back then, the people liked and respected us!!)

An Apology And ... ...

I have heard from my Troll again, and it would appear that, first of all I owe him an apology. What showed up on my system as “General Correspondence” should have been “General Correspondence Secretary”. So it was NOT anonymous, and I apologize for listing it as such.

In relation to the statement that rich white men were able to avoid the war, he says:
“My point, however, is that most men who were eligible for college got deferments and most men who were eligible for college were white and above middle class”

This is pretty much what I thought he’d mean about “the rich”, but that makes so many assumptions – that none of the lower classes could get into schools with grants or scholarships; that none of these “rich kids” flunked out or just didn't want to be in school; or that those who went to Canada and Europe have no effect on the equation.

My dad was a cop and my mom worked in a factory to get ends to almost meet. When I got out of High School I went to a technical college for a while, but it wasn’t what I wanted. The day I turned 18 I was in the recruiter’s office and two days later I was downtown Chicago, doing the physical, written tests, sworn in and by one am the following day I was on the yellow footprints in San Diego.

That was my choice – my decision. Regardless of my “class”, I didn’t have to.

Now, as far as John Kerry is concerned. My troll seems to believe that, on the balance of probabilities, Kerry’s version of his service is true and correct. I don’t, but I can accept this view. John Kerry, and no one else, decided that Viet Nam was going to be the centerpiece of his campaign. Since he did, that puts it, and all connected with it, open for examination.

Let’s leave his Viet Nam service for now and look at what he did right after he got out of the Navy. Are you familiar with the web site www.wintersoldier.com? That is the most heavily documented site I have ever seen. It tells about Kerry’s testimony at the Fulbright Committee, his work for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War and his involvement with the Winter Soldier “set up” in Michigan.

It also had information on his TWO trips to Paris while the Paris Peace Talks were going on, and the contacts he made with the North Viet Namese government officials. That is specifically spelled out be our Constitution as Treason, but he has never been called on it.

Do you want to look at Kerry’s Senatorial record? How about his attendance at committee meetings? Or maybe his votes on Security, Military or Intelligence bills? How about when he was on the POW/MIA Committee and, despite all evidence to the contrary that our men were still there, pulled the plug on it so that a relative could get in on the business openings?

IMHO, the man is a liar and a fraud, and the very fact that he has been selected to run for President scares the shit out of me. Any questions?

I Love Anonymous Emails

Overnight I received the following email that I think begs for an answer:

“If this decorated veteran of a war that most rich white guys managed to avoid were a Republican, I suspect you'd be whistling another tune. Politics: the enemy of the truth”

Disregarding the “Decorated Veteran” part, there are two points in this that are just plain wrong.

The first point comes under the heading of an urban legend – “a war that most rich white guys managed to avoid”. The breakdown of those who served in Viet Nam is as follows:

White 86.3%
Black 12.5%
Other 1.2%

As for combat deaths in Viet Nam, the percentages are:

White 86.0%
Black 12.6%
Other 1.4%

I’m sick and tired about how “Viet Nam was a Black Man’s War”. BULLSHIT! Get off your ass and look it up – it really isn’t that hard.

As for the second part of that email – that if Kerry was a Republican I’d be whistling a different tune, let’s take two examples:

Senator Joseph Robert “Bob” Kerrey(D). Bob Kerrey was a U. S. Navy SEAL in Viet Nam and earned our Nation’s Highest Award, the Medal of Honor, for his actions. I have nothing but the highest respect for this man. He proved himself to be courageous and calm under fire, even when suffering from massive injuries. Does this mean that I have to like his politics or anything else he’s done since the war? Of course not! But that wouldn’t take anything away from my respect for what he did.

Senator John McCain III(R). John McCain was seated in his aircraft on the deck of the USS Forestall when a missile from another aircraft misfired and started a chain reaction that left over 160 sailors dead and the rear half of the carrier in a shambles. He managed to get out of his aircraft and clear of the flames engulfing it just before it went up in smoke. Only weeks after that, he was shot down by the NVA and spent about 5 years in the Hanoi Hilton.

John McCain and Bob Kerrey don’t have to prove a damn thing to anyone. Do I respect both of these men? You damn skippy!! Do I agree with either of their politics – not likely.

I am an Independent. Not Republican. Not Democrat. I don’t give two shits in Hell what party a man is in – if he’s a liar and a fraud, I’m going to call it.

Any more anonymous emails??

An Attitude After My Own Heart

After taking most of today off as a Mental Health Day, I ran across the latest Charlie Daniels Soapbox about all those wonderful Blame America Firsters and thought you'd appreciate it.

August 23, 2004

America The Horrible

You know I think that there are people who sit around all day and think up ways of blaming everything in the world on the United States of America.

It gets to the point of being silly. There is a conspiracy theory about just about everything you can think of.

Remember the Elvis sightings?

If I really thought that the U.S.A. was guilty of all the things it gets accused of by some of its own citizens, I would pack up and find me some other place to live.

In fact, since some of these people are so convinced that America is the evil monster they claim it to be, I can’t understand why they don’t do just that.

After all, according to them, the system is beyond repair and themischief has been going on so long and it is so firmly ingrained in American policy that all hope is gone.

America is a monolithic, evil, greedy, heartless, monopolistic,uncaring, devious, crooked, irredeemable, domineering, thieving,throat cutting, disloyal, arrogant, gluttonous, power seeking,back stabbing, callous, cold hearted, rotten, misguided, non compassionate, murdering, land grabbing, bloodthirsty,dishonest, mindless, lying, cheating, truth suppressing,claimjumping, backshooting, ozone depleting, snail darter killing, spotted owl destroying, slime slobbering monster whichhas only survived two hundred and twenty eight years and become the world’s only super power by sheer luck and treating the rest of the world like inferiors.

Oh save us John Kerry, get us all visas so we can move to France and champion the causes of the exploding Muslim population there and leave behind this despicable place called the United States of America.

I’ve got an idea, let’s take this whole thing to the United Nations, they can pass a resolution.
Why is it so important to some people to paint the greatest nation the world has ever known as
being responsible for so much of the world’s woes?

I personally think that some of them spend way too much time on the internet. You can find just about anything you want to on the World Wide Web. You can always find somebody to agree with you.

But don’t count me among them, I am American, red white and bluethrough and through, American born, American bred and when I die I’ll be American dead.

I don’t have a problem with people who want to change this country, that’s their right, but wanting to tear it down and blame all the blood that was shed by innocent people on 9-11 on America or any American is way beyond the pale.

Are you listening Michael Moore?

You can and should leave America if you feel so inclined but as for me, I’ll take the United States of America and when I have to leave it I want to go to Heaven. It’s the only better place I know of.

Pray for our troops.
What do you think?
God Bless America

Charlie Daniels

Copyright © 2004 Charlie DanielsAll rights under copyright reserved. Used by permission.

A Letter From The Sandbox

The following is a letter sent to me by a close friend. She got it from a medic in the Iowa Army National Guard, serving in Iraq:

"As I head off to Baghdad for the final weeks of my stay in Iraq, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not believe the media. They have done a very poor job of covering everything that has happened. I am sorry that I have not been able to visit all of you during my two week leave back home.

And just so you can rest at night knowing something is happening in Iraq that is noteworthy, I thought I would pass this on to you. This is the list of things that has happened in Iraq recently: (Please share it with your friends and compare it to the version that your paper is producing.)

* Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
* School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.
* Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the weapons stored there so education can occur.
* The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be off-loaded from ships faster.
* The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in June.
* Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever in Iraq.
* The country now receives 2 times the electrical power it did before the war.
* 100% of the hospitals are open and fully staffed, compared to 35% before the war.
* Elections are taking place in every major city, and city councils are in place.
* Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.
* Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
* Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country.
* Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side with US soldiers.
* Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever.
* Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing techniques to prevent the spread of germs.
* An interim constitution has been signed.
* Girls are allowed to attend school.
* Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for the first time in 30 years.

Don't believe for one-second that these people do not want us there. I have met many, many people from Iraq that want us there, and in a bad way. They say they will never see the freedoms we talk about but they hope their children will. We are doing a good job in Iraq and I challenge anyone, anywhere to dispute me on these facts. So If you happen to run into John
Kerry, be sure to give him my email address and send him to Denison, Iowa.

This soldier will set him straight. If you are like me and very disgusted with how this period of rebuilding has been portrayed, email this to a friend and let them know there are good things happening. "

Famous Quotes

Don't blame me - I just repeat them:

"Having sex is like playing bridge. If you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand."
Woody Allen

"Bisexuality immediately doubles your chances for a date on Saturday night."
Rodney Dangerfield

"There are a number of mechanical devices which increase sexual arousal, particularly in women. Chief among these is the Mercedes-Benz 380SL."
Lynn Lavner

"Sex at age 90 is like trying to shoot pool with a rope."
Camille Paglia

"Sex is one of the nine reasons for incarnation. The other eight are unimportant."
George Burns

"Women might be able to fake orgasms. But men can fake a whole relationship."
Sharon Stone

"Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps."
Tiger Woods

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch."
Jack Nicholson

"Clinton lied. A man might forget where he parks or where he lives, but he never forgets oral sex, no matter how bad it is."
Barbara Bush (Former US First Lady, and you didn't think Barbara had a sense of humor)

"Ah, yes, divorce, from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man's genitals through his wallet."
Robin Williams

"Women need a reason to have sex. Men just need a place."
Billy Crystal

"According to a new survey, women say they feel more comfortable undressing in front of men than they do undressing in front of other women. They say that women are too judgmental, where, of course, men are just grateful."
Robert De Niro

"There's a new medical crisis. Doctors are reporting that many men are having allergic reactions to latex condoms. They say they cause severe swelling. So what's the problem?"
Dustin Hoffman

"There's very little advice in men's magazines, because men think, 'I know what I'm doing. Just show me somebody naked'."
Jerry Seinfeld

"See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis, and only enough blood to run one at a time."
Robin Williams

" It's been so long since I've had sex, I've forgotten who ties up whom."
Joan Rivers

" Sex is one of the most wholesome, beautiful and natural experiences money can buy."
Steve Martin

" You don't appreciate a lot of stuff in school until you get older. Little things like being spanked every day by a middle-aged woman. Stuff you pay good money for in later life."
Elmo Phillips

" Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same."
Oscar Wilde

" It isn't premarital sex if you have no intention of getting married."
George Burns

I Have Had A Gutful Of This

So – now it seems that John Kerry was confused about those memories he read into the Congressional Record. Instead of being shot at by drunken Buddhists celebrating Christmas, it may have been in January or February when he was playing Secret Squirrel by ferrying black teams into Cambodia.

That sounds pretty good, especially since, if they were black ops, then all we have is Kerry’s word that they happened. But excuse me if I still have a couple of problems with that.

You see, in the vast majority of cases of infiltration and exfiltration, helicopters were used. When that wasn’t feasible, small boats came into play. And I mean SMALL – not a Swift boat with a 5 – 6 man crew. Many times no transport was used at all – the troops just humped it into the boonies.

I guess Kerry has a journal which he let a friend see that clears all of this up. It’s a real pity that no one else is going to get a look at that journal – at least until the ink dries. Apparently this “journal” undercuts Kerry’s own memories of Christmas Eve, but says that the next two months were OK.

Kerry also claims to still have shrapnel in his leg from Viet Nam. We should, once again, take his word for that, because he said so. Of course, releasing his medical records would go a long way towards clearing that up.

Now, I’ve tried for many, many years to get my records released by the United States Marine Corps and the State Department, along with some other various agencies – with only enough success to get me in the door of the V.A. Basically, all they will release to me is a “Re-Up” package. If that is all Senator Kerry can get, then he should tell us. He was personally very quick and very vocal in his condemnation of our President because he didn’t go to Viet Nam.

It’s long past time for the Senator to put up or shut up. John Kerry decided that he wanted Viet Nam to be the one and only topic of discussion for this campaign. It’s time for the truth – if he can remember what that is.

The Ant & The Grasshopper - The Updated Version

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. CBS, NBC, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, "It's Not Easy Being Green". Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome." Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake. Tom Daschle & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Peter Jennings that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his "fair share."

Finally, the EEOC drafts the "Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act," retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government. Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.

The ant loses the case.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Vote Republican

A History Quiz

Does anyone out there recognize these names?

- John Hanson
- Elias Boudinot
- Thomas Mifflin
- Richard Henry Lee
- Nathan Gorman
- Arthur St. Clair
- Cyrus Griffin

No? Give up?

Well, every American should know who these men were, especially John Hanson. These seven gentlemen were all President of the United States before George Washington!

Under the Articles of Confederation, each man was elected for a period not exceeding one year, and it was only after the Constitution was adopted that Washington took office.

Admittedly, the Articles of Confederation didn’t work very well, but I can’t understand why these men have been so neglected by out schools and historians.

John Hanson became the first President of our Nation right after the Revolutionary War and did a lot of good work in his short year. Go to Google and check these men out – a very interesting chapter of American history (especially when you consider the relationship between Richard “Lighthorse Harry” Lee and Robert E. Lee - Robt. was Harry's son!)

A Must From El Calamaro Grande

The Sailor has a column from VDH that is a must-see. For example:

"Europe, as the perpetual adolescent, took potshots at its doting parent, always with the assumption that Dad would still hand over the keys, ignore the cheap sass, and "be there for me" if the car ended up in the ditch."

Head on over, say Hi to the Big Squid, and read the rest.

True Confessions - My Secret Shame

I guess it must be time for me to confess my secret shame. Here I am, a 50-something boy from Chicago; world traveler; bon vivant – and I just love listening to Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel!

They were on the cable station Trio last night, and for that hour just about all my problems walked! I think that they are just about the last of their breed – playing Both Kinds of Music** – and they just blow me away. Two pedal steel guitars, two fiddles – I don’t think the fiddle players were a glint in their daddy’s eye when Benson started this group – and one hell of a honky-tonk pianist.

Of course, I will always be tied to the Blues, but if you want to just kick back, forget all your pretensions and just have a hoot and holler for a while, these guys are the best in the business!

** - Country AND Western

The Cult of Kerry

I know I'm running a bit late with this one, but on Saturday at Townhall.com Doug Giles wrote a beauty.

There's nothing really new or earth-shattering in it, but he had me grinning from start to finish. If you need a good start to your Monday, this would be the place to go!

I'm A Proud, Proud Daddy!

Daughter child is back from her trip to the Big Smoke, and had a lovely tale to tell me.

It seems that, as she and two of her girlfriends were walking around downtown Chicago, some fucktard in a Kerry sandwich board asked them for a contribution. They were polite about it and said "No" and kept walking.

Do you think that said fucktard got the hint? HAH!

After following them for over a block and continuing to harrass the girls, my girl-child turned and yelled at him, "I hope Kerry burns in Hell - Is that plain enough for you?"

Somewhat nonplussed, said fucktard took a step back and whined that her response was "immature". She then gave it to him - "What's your problem? Haven't you Democrats figured out yet that NO means NO? Now FUCK OFF and leave us alone or this can get painful."

Damn, but she makes a father proud!!

Every Day, In Every Way, ... ...

Well, folks, I think I'm finally out of the woods, thanks to a very loving family and the prayers of all of you. Hopefully things will be getting back to normal and I can return to being my Grouchy, Curmudgeonly old self.

In the meantime, why not head over to my Blogmother's site at IndigoInsights - she has a few words to say about aging that are worth a giggle!

Thank You All!!

I'm feeling weak as a newborn kitten right now, but I feel pretty certain that we've broken the back of this.

I don't know how I would have done it without the wishes, hopes and prayers of all of you. The next time I hear someone talk about 'mean spirited' Conseratives I may have to deck the sumbitch!

Also - if you or any of your family are ever to be considered for a morphine pump, well, let me put this in words of one Sill-A-Bull:

NO. FUCK. ING. WAY.

To tell you the truth, I would much rather have been back on the Rock Pile than doing what I did yesterday!

I'm not too sure right now how much I'll be posting today, or even getting caught up on world events, but I wanted to thank you all from my heart.

P.S. - If any of you can get hold of a Winston Salem Journal (www.journalnow.com) the picture of Kerry on the front page is an absolute dead ringer for Stan Laurel!!

A Real Struggle

This is, without a doubt, the worst day I have had in well over 5 years, folks. The only good thing I can see is that, since I got off the morphine, the swelling in my legs and feet has dropped to nothing.

The bad side? I keep checking my blood sugar because the last time I felt like this it was down to 26. The side-effects of this drug are kicking my ass big-time - I have a total general malaise - hell, it's taken 6 minutes to type this much!

I'm going to do my damndest to punch thru this over the weekend. All prayers will be greatly appreciated!!!

UPDATE - - Just talked with the doc and his staff - their opinion is that this is the big cold-turkey hit of withdrawl from the shit drug. if so i should be able to sweat this out in the next 24 - 48 hours.

The Sailor is Home

The Sailor in the Desert is home again, after taking the toughest journey of his life.

He's found a great article about the plans the U.N. has for your wallets - I'd pay attention to this one!

Charlie Daniels on Coming to America

I love reading Charlie Daniels' web site. A spade is a spade, and if you don't like it, go elsewhere 'cuz it ain't gonna change there!

He loves this country passionately and is never afraid to say so!


Coming To America

I know for certain that my maternal great, great grandfather came to North Carolina from Ireland. I’m not as sure about the ancestral home of the paternal side, but I’m pretty sure that I’m of Scotch Irish descent on both sides.

Many years ago my forebears came to America as immigrants as did all whose offspring populate the United States, with the exception of the Native Americans who were here before any of us.

America became a melting pot of human beings from every continent on earth coming to the New World to find something that was missing in their lives. Maybe it was religious freedom, maybe it was opportunity or perhaps it was to escape from a system where the ordinary man had no chance of ever rising above the condition he was born in.

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, after the shameful state of slavery had been abolished, our shores were flooded with German, Irish, Scotch, Russian, Italian and just about every nationality coming to America, bright eyed with enthusiasm and eager to stake out their claim to a piece of the boundless prosperity this young land represented.

They brought their Irish jigs and Polish polkas, their music, their food and their dreams along with other bits and pieces of their culture, which so uniquely identified them.

But in spite of their love for the fatherland, no matter how much they missed and revered the old country they all understood that to get ahead in America the answer was to assimilate.
Immigrants went to great lengths to learn and speak English in their homes, making sure that their children spoke the language of their new homeland and no matter what their heritage they transferred their allegiance and their national loyalty and respect to this land known as the United States of America.

They fought her wars and abided by her laws. They settled her frontiers. They farmed and ranched and manned the assembly lines. They became butchers, bakers, tailors, policemen, lawyers, surgeons and a thousand other occupations that went to make America the greatest military and economic force the planet had ever known.

We should and do take pride in our heritage and the customs of our forefathers but personally I believe that there comes a point when we have to put that all behind us and become first and foremost, an American.

What does being an American mean? Is there a national profile of an American?

Of course not, we are as diverse as the flowers, fair and swarthy, black and brown and white.
Being an American to me means that we rise above our diverse nationalities, our differences of opinion and our allegiance toother flags.

Being an American doesn’t mean that we have to agree with everything our government does, but it does mean that we never take sides with a foreign government against our own.
If your sympathies and allegiance are with another countrythen perhaps you could consider moving to that country.

Pray for our troops.

What do you think?

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels

Copyright © 2004 Charlie DanielsAll rights under copyright reserved. Used by permission.

He Lives and Breathes!

Sorry, folks - yesterday was a Real. Bad. Day. so I decided to not even try to get online. To all of you whose sites I check, sorry - I'm going to have some heavy catching up to do.

For those of you following my adventures with the medical profession, this morning was really interesting. They emptied all the morphine out of the pump and filled it up with water; then realised that the hose leading from the pump to the spine still had over a week's worth in it!

They had to round up a Doc to get that emptied, then they decided, well, what the hell - why wait? So they fed the new medicine into the pump, and with luck I should be feeling something (either the desired something or side-effects) in the next couple of hours.

Like I said - an interesting morning. I just can't hardly f'kin Wait to see what the afternoon's going to bring!

How's This For An Answer!

If you mosey on down a handful of entries, you'll see a column by Mark Steyn that I uploaded. One way, WAY out there Leftie decided to throw shit at him about it, and I think Mr Steyn does an admirable job of throwing the truth right back at 'em!

SWIFT BOAT LIARS
Didn't anyone ever tell you that when a group says it wants the truth to come out, the opposite is often the case?

You write about these guys in your columns in various outlets (including the Irish Times) but obviously couldn't be bothered to find out if these guys are actually telling the truth as they have an opinion that agrees with your own.

Not one of these men actually served with John Kerry. Many actually praised Kerry at the time. A number of them have strong ties to George W. Bush and the Rep party. Others have been smearing John Kerry for years.

Here is a detailed rebuttal of their lies.
Mark Webb
Dublin


MARK REPLIES:

Ah, I see. The left’s argument is that, because John Kerry was on a Swift boat, he’s beyond criticism. But everybody else on a Swift boat is a fraud and a liar. It’s sad to see Kerry’s Cambodia Syndrome is now infecting so many other once rational people, too. I hope it’s worth it to you. I notice, for example, that your chums damning the Swift boat veterans as liars continue to stick to the Kerry-was-in-Cambodia-at-Christmas-68, even as the Kerry campaign itself is furiously modifying its story: instead of spending Christmas Eve in Cambodia, the memory of which was “seared – seared” into Kerry, the campaign is now saying he was “near” Cambodia. So you guys don’t seem to be up to speed on the new version.

But let’s look at your central claim – that these men did not serve “with” John Kerry. That’s false. What you mean is that they did not serve “under” John Kerry. They were his peers, not his subordinates – and, although Kerry seems to prefer those around him to be in a subordinate relationship, the term “served with” has never been defined that narrowly. A Swift boat is not an aircraft carrier, a world unto itself. On any engagement four or five Swift boats would go out together, about 50-75 yards apart. So is the guy on Swift boat A unqualified to pass comment on Swift boat B?

Or to put it another way: Do you see that film a few years back where Albert Finney played the conductor on a Dublin bus? Suppose a Dublin bus driver decided to run for the Dail. Is his loyal clippy the only one qualified to pass comment on his bus driving days, or do the other bus drivers of other buses on his route get a say too?

John Kerry’s own website knows the answer to that one. If you go to johnkerry.com you’ll find a photo of himself and 19 other Swift boat officers of Coastal Division 11. These men all “served with” Kerry as the term has been understood throughout military history up until last week. Of those 19 fellow officers, one – Skip Barker – supports Kerry. Two are deceased. Four don’t want to get involved. Of the remaining 12, 11 have signed a letter asking him to cease using the picture as they don’t support his campaign. The 12th would have signed it but didn’t have the opportunity.

None of this is what Campaign 2004 should have been about. But it was John Kerry who chose to run for President as a Swift boat commander and the fact that the overwhelming majority of his fellow Swiftees think he’s a fraud and a liar and unfit to be President is relevant mainly to the extent that he made it so. Nothing they’ve said about him is as bad as the stuff he said about them 30 years ago. As I said in the Telegraph, let’s take it as read that the anti-Kerry Swiftees and the pro-Kerry Swiftees are all political partisans. The fact is Kerry’s four-man “band of brothers” is tiny compared to the anti-Kerry band of brothers. If you’re loathed by Vietnam veterans, maybe it’s not a smart idea to run as one.

Fred on Everything

For those of you not familiar with him, Fred Reed has one of the more insightful minds and biting wits on the internet. His occasionally weekly column is always worth waiting for, and today's is no different.

Check it out - I think most who read this will agree with him, but agree or not, he's never boring!

Interesting Factoid (thanks, teach)

I've always liked usless trivia. We have an Australian edition of Trivial Pursuits here, and we used to play the rest of the family teamed against me (My wife is Australian, I'm from Chicago).

They won't play against me anymore!

With that introduction, today's desk calendar states that:

"The FBI has more than 200 million fingerprints on file. 40% are people with no criminal record."

I'll believe that. Do you know why that number would be so high?

1. Anyone who has ever served in the military.
2. Anyone who has ever applied for U.S. residence.
3. Anyone who has ever required a security clearance.

Can you think of any other major categories that I've missed?

I Think This Says It All

Go over to Fox News and read this story.

Got it? Good. Now go back to Fox and read this story.

President Bush will go to Florida to see first-hand what damage has been done and what it will take to get those people back on their feet.

John Kerry is afraid he'd be a 'distraction' if he went. A distraction? The Rolling Stones would be a distraction.

Oh - THAT U.N.!

It does appear that John Fuckface Kerry's favorite World Government has done it again.

In a UN refugee camp in Burundi, Hutus, Rwandans and Congolese baby killers entered the said camp, leaving at least 260 casualties, 159 dead so far.

All of the dead were either women, children or elderly.

The brave, brave Hutu "warriors" were just so proud of their efforts.

According to what I've been able to find so far, the U.N. made no attempt whatsoever to protect those refugees in their care.

Let me repeat that: the U.N. made no attempt whatsoever to protect those refugees in their care.

That just gives me the warm fuzzies no end.

He Still Has Shrapnel?

I just read this posting at Stark Truth - one of the funnier sites in the blogosphere - about how Little Johnnie Edwards stuck up for his boss (don't go there!) and actually said that Kerry is still carrying shrapnel!

Must be in his briefcase.

I used to just love Little Johnnie jokes - does anyone else out there remember those? Before the Language Gestapo busted everybody?

(Of course, I could be totally off-base on this issue, and if it turns out that John Kerry does, indeed, have sharpnel in his body, I will humbly beg your forgiveness)

Mark Steyn on Democrats and Their Own Truth

Normally I'd just link to an article like this, but I feel that reading it is that important that I've imported the whole thing from the Chicago Sun-Times. I hope they don't get all shitty with me!

All emphasis in this article are mine.

Democrats peddle their own unique truth
August 15, 2004
BY MARK STEYN SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

'My truth is that I am a gay American,'' announced Gov. James McGreevey to the people of New Jersey last Thursday.

That's such an exquisitely contemporary formulation: ''my'' truth. Once upon a time, there was only ''the'' truth. Now everyone gets his own -- or, as the governor put it, ''One has to look deeply into the mirror of one's soul and decide one's unique truth in the world.'' For Jim McGreevey, his truth is that he's a gay American; for others in the Garden State, the truth about McGreevey is that he's a corrupt sexual harasser who put his lover on the state payroll in a critical homeland security post, and whose I-am-what-I-am confessional is a tactical feint that distracts the media sob sisters from the fact that, as his final service to the Democratic Party, he's resigned in such a way as to deny the people an early vote on his successor.

We'll see whose truth prevails in the fullness of time.

In politics, it's helpful if whatever ''unique truth'' the consultants have run past the focus groups bears at least a passing relationship to the real, actual truth -- not the whole truth, but at least a grain of it. That was what was so ingenious about Bill Clinton's ''60 Minutes'' appearance in 1992. He didn't come clean -- he was, as usual, full of it -- but he set in motion his designated ''unique truth'' -- flawed but human. It was designed to get him past Gennifer, but it wound up also getting him past Paula, Monica, Kathleen, Juanita. . . . Whatever goods you got on him, it fit ''his truth'' as he sold it to us on CBS that day. As his attorney Cheryl Mills put it during the impeachment trial, Bill Clinton, along with Jefferson, Kennedy and Martin Luther King, ''made human errors, but they struggled to do humanity good . . .''

Which brings us to John Kerry. What is his unique truth? In 1986, on the floor of the United States Senate, he said:

''I remember Christmas of 1968, sitting on a gunboat in Cambodia. I remember what it was like to be shot at by the Vietnamese and the Khmer Rouge and Cambodians, and the president of the United States telling the American people that I was not there, the troops were not in Cambodia. I have that memory, which is seared -- seared -- in me.''

Though the seared senator peddled this searing memory for a quarter-century, it had evidently been seared into him pretty haphazardly. It turns out at Christmas 1968 he wasn't in Cambodia but was instead 55 miles away at Sa Dec, South Vietnam. So the Kerry campaign's begun riffling hurriedly through its Sears Rowback catalog for more or less watertight back-pedaling of the story: They now say that ''many times he was on or near the Cambodian border,'' which is true in the sense that 80 percent of Canadians live on or near the American border. But most folks in Vancouver don't claim to be living in the Greater Seattle area.

Earlier, senior Kerry spokesman Michael Meehan told ABC News: ''The Mekong Delta consists of the border between Cambodia and Vietnam, so on Christmas Eve in 1968, he was in fact on patrol ... in the Mekong Delta between Cambodia and Vietnam.'' For a crowd of ostentatious multilateralists, they can't seem to hold the map the right way up: The Mekong River isn't the border between Cambodia and Vietnam; it cuts through the heart of Cambodia and then runs through Vietnam to the sea.

But this question isn't about geographical degrees of latitude so much as psychological ones. Here's the real reason Lt. Kerry wasn't spending Dec. 24, 1968, on a secret mission in Cambodia: On the previous day, Dec. 23, the U.S. government finally secured the release, after a five-month diplomatic stand-off, of 11 Americans whose U.S. Army utility landing craft had made a navigational error and strayed into Cambodian waters. Prince Sihanouk had rejected U.S. apologies and threatened to try the men under Cambodian law. It's unlikely, 24 hours after their release, anyone in Washington was thinking, ''Hey, we need to send that hotshot Kerry in there.''
So what are we to make of Sen. Kerry's self-seared 30-year-old false memory of Christmas in Cambodia with its vast accumulation of precise details? Of being shot at by the Khmer Rouge (unlikely in 1968) and of South Vietnamese troops drunkenly celebrating Christmas (as only devout Buddhists know how)?

It's not about dates and places. For Kerry, his Yuletide mission was an epiphany: the moment when he realized his government was lying to the people about what was going on. This is the turning point, the moment that set the young Kerry on the path from brave young war volunteer to fierce anti-war activist.

And it turns out it's total bunk.

Thirty-five years on, having no appealing campaign themes, the senator decides to run for president on his biography. But for the last 20 years he's been a legislative non-entity. Before that, he was accusing his brave band of brothers of mutilation, rape and torture. He spent his early life at Swiss finishing school and his later life living off his wife's inheritance from her first husband. So, biography-wise, that leaves four months in Vietnam, which he talks about non-stop. That 1986 Senate speech is typical: It was supposed to be about Reagan policy in Central America, but like so many Kerry speeches and interviews somehow it winds up with yet another self-aggrandizing trip down memory lane.

A handful of Kerry's ''band of brothers'' are traveling around with his campaign. Most of the rest, including a majority of his fellow swift boat commanders and 254 swiftees from Kerry's Coastal Squadron One, are opposed to his candidacy. That is an amazing ratio and, if snot-nosed American media grandees don't think there's a story there, maybe they ought to consider another line of work. To put it in terms they can understand, imagine if Dick Cheney campaigned for the presidency on the basis of his time at Halliburton, and a majority of the Halliburton board and 80 percent of the stockholders declared he was unfit for office. More to the point, on the swift vets' first major allegation -- Christmas in Cambodia -- the Kerry campaign has caved.

Who is John Kerry? What is his ''unique truth?'' Consider this vignette from New Hampshire primary season as retailed in a recent 8,000-word yawneroo puff piece in the New Yorker:
'' 'He'll often thrash around in the night,' the filmmaker George Butler, who is one of Kerry's oldest friends, told me. 'He smashed up a lamp in my house in New Hampshire, in the bedroom where he was staying. Most Vietnam veterans go through this.'''

''Most?'' Whether or not John Kerry ever entered Cambodia, he seems unable, psychologically, to exit it.

"This Ain't No Rag, It's A Flag"

If you'll mosey on over to Charlie Daniels and read his Soapbox, he takes the time to set the record straight - again - about one of his songs and what it means.

An excellent article - and all of the things he says he wants to see in print? - well, damn it, so do I!

Hurricane Charley - Hit And Miss

Indigo Insights has written from the heart about her close call with Charley - and those who wern't so lucky.

Please keep those in Florida who have lost everything in your hearts and in your prayers.

An Open Letter to Greyhound

If you haven't heard this on the news, a young Marine on his way to base at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina was denied a seat on a Greyhound bus - for no particular reason that can be found other than the driver refused to let him on.

MamaMontezz has written an excellent open letter to Greyhound. We need to get this word spread as far and wide as possible. If this is what Greyhound is going to be allowed to get away with, it might be time for us to spend our travel dollars with a little more thought.

In His Own Words

“If America is at war, I won’t speak a word without measuring how it’ll sound to the guys doing the fighting when they’re listening to their radios in the desert.”

John Kerry, March, 2003

The Retired Marine - All Class!

A white haired old retired Marine walked into a jeweler's shop late one Friday, with a drop-dead gorgeous young blonde on his arm.

"I'm looking for a spectacular ring for this young lady," he said.

The jeweler looks through his stock, and takes out an outstanding ring priced at $5,000.

"I don't think you understand. I want something very unique, and much more expensive" the old man said.

At that, the jeweler went and fetched his special stock from the safe.

"Here's a stunning ring at only $85,000."

The girls' eyes sparkled, and the man said that he would take it.

"Fine," the jeweler said. "And how will you be paying, today?"

"I'll pay by check, but of course you will want to make sure that everything is in order, so I'll write a check today, and you can phone the bank Monday, and I'll pick up the ring Monday afternoon."

Monday morning a very angry jeweler phones the man.

"You lied to me," he said, "there's no money in that account."

"I know that." the old man said, "But can you imagine what a fantastic weekend I had?"

I'm Still Here

Yeah, I know - by now I normally have half a dozen posts out.

But I got an excuse.

I'm still going thru the morphine reduction / withdrawls, which also means a corresponding increase in pain levels. What fun.

I've also been keeping a close eye on Hurricane / Tropical Storm Charles (Charley is just too informal for something like that) because my Fairy Blogmother lives on the North Carolina Coast. She's not exactly a spring chicken these days, so I worry about that lady (and let me assure you, she IS a lady!).

To top it all off, one of my bloggin' buddies lost his mom a couple of days ago, so the combination of all the above has just beat me today.

I think I'll pretend that today never happened and try again tomorrow.


Signed, Epstien's Mother.

An American Hiroshima?

In today’s Winston Salem Urinal there’s an OpEd piece entitled “An American Hiroshima?” by Nicholas D. Kristof of the New York Slimes. You may remember Kristof as the “reporter” who released the Saddam/Niger Yellowcake story about Joe Wilson. As it turned out, Joe Wilson was the leak for the story.

In today’s effort, Kristof seems to have finally figured out that the United States is a target. Not only that, but he has had a real epiphany and concluded that we could be (Horrors! Horrors!) on the receiving end of suitcase nuclear weapons. He has even gone so far as to round up former Secretary of Defense William Perry (no, not him – he was The Fridge) to back him up. Both of these impartial communists are aghast that we are fighting in the Middle East against enemies who don’t have nukes (that we know of). Of course, President Bush is doing things all wrong. Instead we should be fighting those who have these suitcase nukes – whoever they might be.

Just what level of arrogance do you have to have in order to make stupid assumptions like this, and then syndicate your stupidity across the Nation?

The tenor of this piece (of shit) is that both Kristof and Perry have full access to every thought that every member of the Bush government has ever had. They know what the central threats are to our very survival. And they know FOR FACT that the Bush Administration is ignoring these threats. They must be, you see, because the Bush Administration couldn’t possibly withhold information from the public – why, that would go against the Freedom of the Press and The Peoples Right To Know!!

These self-important oxygen thieves upset me. I’ll go lie down now.

John Kerry And ... ...

I've started working on an article that I hope is finished before Bonnie and Charles make my house float away.

I plan on covering:

- Kerry and Cambodia
- Kerry and 'unilateral' attack
- Kerry and Senate Record
- Kerry and Swift Boaters
- Kerry and Dukakis
- Kerry and VVAW
- Kerry and Winter Soldier
- Kerry and Paris Peace Talks
- Kerry and Fulbright Commission
- Kerry as a Lawyer
- Kerry and Service Other Than Nam
- Kerry and Medals Awarded

So if anyone out there has some information that you think I should see, or know of any links I should be aware of, please let me know - comments, email - whatever.

Thanks!

Speaking of Strong, Black, Conservative American Women

I've been very remiss in not putting the link to her site in my blogroll earlier, but any chance you get, go see LaShawn Barber's Corner. Excellent!

(Yeah - like she needs me to send folks over!)

A Poser From NewsMax

NewsMax.com is trying desperately to sell magazines - I realize that.

But the cover of the magazine at their site today could really get the shit flying! Can you, in your wildest dreams, see Condi Rice as President?

• A Black American?
• A Woman?
• A Strong Woman?
• A Strong Conservative Woman?

I can just picture Rainbow/PUSH, NAACP, NOW! They'd be having Gran Mal fits!

Bonnie and Charles - A Real Shit Storm

Everyone out there - say a prayer for everyone living on the East Coast. There's been a lot of talk about Florida, but my Fairy Blogmother, Indigo Insights lives pretty much right on the North Carolina Outer Banks.

Don't forget us poor folks inland, either - by Sunday we're bracing for as much as TEN inches of rain here in the Piedmont Triad. Yesterday we had tornadoes within half a mile of our home, and we're nailing down everything and holding our breath.

Calif. Supreme Court - SanFran Mayor A Naughty Boy

"About a dozen gay and lesbian couples, some wearing wedding dresses and tuxedos, waited for the decision on the steps of the Supreme Court building. Some began to cry when Molly McKay of Marriage Equality California read that their marriages would be voided."

So ended one of the more bizarre episodes in San Francisco history - at least for the moment. Yesterday the California Supreme Court, in two separate decisions, decided that Mayor Gavin Newsom not only overstepped his authority but that his actions could have formented anarchy; the second decision declared the homosexual "marriages" that took place as a result of the Mayor's disregard for the law were null and void - and in law had never taken place.

I'm waiting for the 9th District Court to decide to get involved in this one!

Did You Know?

Vegetarian is an Indian word?


It means, "lousy hunter."

That Learning Curve

Last night, in order to try and take my mind off the shakes, etc., I finally figured out how to add a banner to my site - the BUSH/Cheney one under the blogroll on the sidebar.

I know - so fucking what? but everyone gotta start somewhere, and I'm flying this here deuce and a half by the seat of my pants!

A Domestic Dispute

As anyone who have ever been a Police Officer can tell you, the worst possible situation to walk into is a domestic dispute. When you get there, everything can be sweetness and light, all problems solved. Or you can get rifle shots through the front door as you approach.

The kind gentleman at SlagleRock is in the middle of one of these at the moment, and since it's being held in his comments it would appear to be a party anyone can join.

I did.

Fighting Back - At Last

Muqtada al-Sadr and his boys have been using the "Holy City" of Najaf as their latest battlefield, and they got a big surprise - the United States troops are fighting back this time.

Once again, Sadr's Sleezebags are using the "Holy Shrine" in the "Holy City" as an ammo dump and sniper's nest. With al-Sadr being an Iranian insurgent, the Mullah over there are starting to get their burkhas in a bunch over possible damage to the "Holy Shrine".

If these cities and shrines are just so fuckin' precious to the Shitties - I mean Shiites - why the fuck are they using them as armories and gun positions?

Do these idiots really think that anyone other than their ghosts will blame the U. S. once that "Shrine" goes up like a Simpson's Barbeque? They were the ones that brought the things into play!

On another happy note, American planes are bombing Falluja but apparently with minimal results. Roast goat is on the menu.

Viet Cong Vets for Kerry Refute Swiftboat Book

(2004-08-05) -- To preempt the release of a new book questioning John Forbes Kerry's account of his service in Vietnam, the Kerry-Edwards presidential campaign announced it had received the endorsement of yet another military veterans group.

Viet Cong Veterans for Kerry (VCVFK), an ad hoc group of North Vietnamese soldiers who served in the early 1970s, said their support is "payback for all Mr. Kerry did for us in his 1971 testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He almost single-handedly put an end to U.S. atrocities against innocent Viet Cong soldiers and their families."

The Viet Cong veterans' support comes at a crucial time for the Kerry-Edwards campaign, just days before the release of Unfit for Command : Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry.
"Despite what the American swiftboat veterans claim, we know that John Kerry is a true leader who lifted our morale at a time when we were concerned that we might lose the war," said an unnamed spokesman for VCVFK. "He is not a narrow nationalist who believes that America is always right. He's willing--even eager--to admit his own nation's shortcomings. This is the kind of man we need in the White House."

Thanks and a tip of the starched utility cover to Scott Ott at ScrappleFace!

What's Up, Doc?

Over the last couple of days, The Big Squid (El Calamaro Grande) over at Sailor in the Desert
has been going with articles by Doc Farmer that are bitingly funny and accurate. Go here and here to read them - some really good stuff.

The New Car Stereo

A woman bought a new Lexus LS400, and returned the next day, complaining that she couldn't figure out how the radio worked.

The salesman explained that the radio was voice activated. "Watch this!" he said..."Nelson!"
The radio replied, "Ricky or Willie?"

"Willie!" he continued....and "On The Road Again" came from the speakers.

The woman drove away happy, and for the next few days, every time she'd say, "Beethoven", she'd get beautiful classical music, and if she said, "Beatles!" she'd get one of their awesome songs.

One day, a couple ran a red light and nearly creamed her new car, but she swerved in time to avoid them. "ASSHOLES!" she yelled.......

The French National Anthem began to play, sung by the Dixie Chicks, Jane Fonda and Michael Moore.

This May Suck

Well, that was fun - it only took 27 attempts to log on to Blog Spot this time!

Things might get a leetle strange(r) around here for the next week or so, folks. As some of you know, I have a morphine pump in my gut that feeds a steady stream of that directly into my spinal fluid. I've been getting 8mg a day, which doesn't sound like much, but to take the same amount orally to do the same job I'd need over 10 times as much.

I've started on a clinical trial that is going to test a new pain killer in the pump. It's not addictive, which is a real bonus - but first of all they have to wean me off the morphine. Yesterday they cut the amount in half to 4mg - and I've already started some withdrawl symptoms. By next Wednesday they figure to have me off the morphine completely - a wonderful thing to look forward to, but it means that, in the meantime:

1. The pain the morphine has been masking is back with a vengence.
2. The withdrawl is gonna be a bitch.

I'll still be posting when I can, but instead of my usual going nuckin' futz overnight, it may be spread out during the day more.

I'm living in interesting times again. Shit.

How Can We Forget?

The following is from Charlie Daniels' Soapbox. Since the contents of the soapbox are constantly changing, I've taken the liberty of reprinting his thoughts here.

How Can We Forget?

I recently received an e-mail from a lady about a situation which happened in her hometown. They were having a municipal function and there was a group of citizens who wanted to display the Vietnam prisoners of war flag at the event.

Well, it seems that the mayor of this town informed them that they couldn’t fly the P.O.W. flag because it was not official.

I fail to see what being official has to do with reminding the world that there are soldiers who never made it home from Vietnam and were never accounted for.

This in itself is a disgrace on the face of America, to leave brave men behind without even giving their families the satisfaction of knowing whether they’re dead or living in some bamboo cage in Southeast Asia.

If we’re going to send our young people off to war the very least we can do for them is to let them know that they’ll never be left behind and never be forgotten.

The P.O.W. flag, to me, is the Vietnam equivalent of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It’s saying, “We don’t know who you are and we don’t know where you are, but we will remember you and we’ll never be satisfied until we know.”

Personally I think this mayor is taking a lot on himself to deny the families of these heroes the small consolation to remind the American public that we did a dishonorable thing when we left Vietnam and that there are still those of us in this country who care and still want closure to this sordid event.

We not only left brave men behind in Vietnam. We left behind a piece of America’s conscience and a good-sized piece of our national honor.

The way some of our Nam vets were treated when they came home from a war they didn’t start and were given no chance to win is a national disgrace. Anyone who fought in Vietnam deserves just as much honor and just as much glory as anyone who ever fought a war for the United States of America.

The regurgitation of John Kerry’s remarks paints the misdeeds of a handful of renegades with a broad enough brush as to dishonor the overwhelming majority of decent human beings who served their country with integrity and honor.

Enough is enough. The Vietnam Veterans have faced a heartbreaking set of circumstances, public rejection, emotional and physical scars and the scourge of Agent Orange. They don’t need nor deserve anything less than our profound respect and heartfelt gratitude, in whatever ways we can make up to them the disgraceful behavior of a cadre of shaggy hippies and elitist college students who spit on them and called them baby killers.

And if flying the P.O.W. flag is a source of comfort to them or their loved ones why should a mayor of an American city stand in the way just because it’s not official.

Shame on you sir.

Pray for our troops.

What do you think?

God Bless America
Charlie Daniels
Copyright © 2004 Charlie DanielsAll rights under copyright reserved. Used by permission.

I do wish CD would have printed the good Mayor's name, town and state in this article. I think that's the least he could have done for that politician. His party affiliation would have been nice, too.

Rules for a Gun Fight

Head on over to Mostly Cajun for this little beauty.

And while you're giggling, just remember:

EVERY WORD IS TRUE!

The Original GOC is Pissed!

The Grouchy Old Cripple in Atlanta is extremely peeved. It seems that some spaming turd has forced him to close down his comments - Again.

But he does put a funny at the end of the post!

Have You Forgotten?

You won't see it on television. You won't see it in "news" papers or magazines.

Go to SlagleRock and follow his link - but be warned that some of the images - hell, just about all of them - may be disturbing.

Never, Ever, Forget!

Never, Ever, Forgive!

Let's Help The Man Out!

He's at it again. That Shitty - excuse me - Shiite Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army (heh, heh) has vowed to fight to the last drop of his blood.

Hey you - over in the Sandbox - don't just sit there reading this shit, go help the man out!

That Cambodian Fantasy

Since the centerpiece of the John Kerry For President bus is "I served in Viet Nam", one would think that Kerry would, at the very least, get that story right, wouldn't one?

Not a fuckin' hope.

John Kerry's memories of Christmas 1968 are "seared - seared" into his memory - how he'd been ordered into Cambodia and was being shot at by everyone - VietNamese, Khymer Rouge. How when he was in Cambodia that Christmas President Nixon was on the air in America telling the nation that we had no troops in Cambodia.

It's "seared - seared" into Kerry's memory.

Christmas 1968.

Nixon became President on January 20th, 1969. I was in Boot Camp in San Diego.

Kerry is a lying sack of shit.

Welcome to the Third World

I thought that these United States has one of the most open and free Republics in the world.

I was wrong.

After letters were sent to Kofi Annan by fifteen of the most whacked-out leftists in Congress asking the United Nations to monitor our upcoming presidential election, Foggy Bottom has decided to get into the act.

So - we are going to have "International Observers" monitoring us - from an organization that's so corrupt that they support Saddam's Food for Oil but can't see a problem with Rwanda or the Sudan.

Just where are these "observers" going to be? What are they going to do? Obviously under US law they have no power to actually do anything, so why are they going to be here?

I'll tell you why - so that when John Fuckface Kerry loses this election he can have these pet poodles scream voting irregularities.

Of course, should FuckFace win, those observers will be as quiet as the grave.

The Press Conference That Never Was (But Bloody Well Should Have!)

This comes to you from Cold Fury, by way of Johnny Knuckles.

I would just purely LOVE to send this to every unionist, reporter and anyone else who still thinks the American news media is honest and unbiased.

Oh, and those who think John Kerry makes Rambo look like a wuss.

I go to Johnny Knuckles on a daily basis, but it looks like I'm going to have to add Cold Fury to the list!

Diplomacy As She Are Writ

Diplomacy is usually defined as telling someone to go to Hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip.

John Kerry seems to be taking the trip by himself.

John Kerry still insists that President Bush is acting unilaterally in the War on Terror. It takes no particular genius to figure out that Sen Kerry means "without France", but if you were one of the 30 or so nations that have joined with us - Great Britain, Australia, Poland , Romania - the list goes on - wouldn't you be just a tad miffed that a pretender to the White House dismisses you, your people, heritage, culture, etc., so completely?

Kerry's brain-dead blatherings were just fine when, along with McDermott, Conyers and the rest, he was only another self-important egotist. To so obviously dismiss our allies at any time would be a diplomatic gaffe of huge proportions. To do so as the representative of the Democratic Party while we are fighting for our lives against the Jihad is, in my view, unforgivable.

With all the ink being spread right now about getting a Silver Star for committing war crimes, we cannot let this issue disappear.

A REAL American Hero Is Gone

I just read over at Mostly Cajun that Red Adair has passed away. For a large part of my life he represented to me what a true hero is - that man had a pair of big brass ones that would've made Godzilla insecure.

May you rest in peace, Red.

And, casual reader, if you don't know who Red Adair was, SHAME ON YOU!

Goodnight, Vietnam

While Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic Party and the National Media are busy patting each other on the back, the Average American is asking, "Who Cares?"

Viet record ripples

By Mark Steyn

"Anti-Kerry ad mars presidential campaign"
— Headline in the Melbourne Age of Australia.

"Mars" it? Reminds me of the old war song — World War I, that is, for anyone who can remember any other wars but Vietnam — "If You Were the Only Girl In the World":

"A garden of Eden just made for two
With nothing to mar our joy ... "

That's what the Democrats and their media cheerleaders wanted for John Kerry: a jungle of South Asian Eden, with nothing to mar his joy. All the Massachusetts senator had to do was talk about his four months in Vietnam for two years and somehow tootle along to victory, untroubled and untouchable. Now some guy's marred it, by declaring in this ad that "John Kerry has not been honest" about his time in Vietnam.

Oh, yeah? Sez who? Some neoconservative chickenhawk dilettante National Guardsman?

No. It's an admiral. He also was on a Swift boat in Vietnam, as were the other fellows in the ad, and they're all saying things like "John Kerry betrayed the men and women he served with."
Look, I would rather talk about the war. The current one, I mean — not the one that ended three decades ago. But, insofar as I understand the rules of Campaign 2004, every time any member of the administration says anything about the present conflict, he is accused by Democrats of shamelessly "politicizing" it. Whereas every time John Kerry waxes nostalgic about those fragrant memories of the Mekong Delta, he should be allowed to take his unending stroll down memory lane unmolested. After all, as everyone from John Edwards to Max Cleland to Bill Clinton has assured us, being a Swift boat commander for four months is the indispensable qualification for being president. When Hillary runs in 2008, no doubt she'll be leaning heavily on her four months running a Swift boat up and down the Shatt al-Arab during the Iraq war.

But hang on, most of these fellows in the anti-Kerry ad — the ones talking about how he can't be trusted, etc — are also Swift boat commanders? If being a Swiftee is the most important thing in American life, why are all these "Swift Boat Veterans For Truth" less entitled to be heard than John Kerry?

Well, because they're part of the "Republican smear machine". Apparently, it's the GOP's fault that only one of the 22 surviving Swift boat officers who served with Mr. Kerry is willing to support him, and that a big bunch of the remaining Swiftees feel strongly enough about his conduct 35 years ago to appear in one of the most remarkable political ads ever seen.

Had enough of Vietnam yet?

Most Americans had enough of it at the time. The clever clogs at the Democratic Party should have figured that out before they decided to relaunch John Kerry and John Edwards as Bob Hope and Jill St. John on their USO tour for the presidency. They should never have signed on to this vanity candidacy, even before the multiplying barnacles began encrusting the hull of the campaign boat.

The one thing the Democratic Party owed America this campaign season was a candidate credible on the current war. The Democrats needed their own Tony Blair, a bloke who's a big socialist pantywaist when it comes to health and education and the other nanny-state hooey but believes in robust projection of military force in the national interest.

John Kerry fails that test. If you wanted to pick a candidate on the wrong side of every major defense and foreign policy question of the last two decades, you would be hard put to find anyone with judgment as comprehensively poor as Mr. Kerry: total up his votes and statements on everything from Grenada to the Gulf war, Saddam to the Sandinistas, the Cold War to missile defense to every major weapons system of the 1980s and '90s. He called them all wrong.

But that's not how the Democratic Party muscle saw John Kerry. Since the notion of a credible war president wasn't important to them, they looked at the war on terror merely as a Bush wedge issue to be neutralized. And they figured their best shot at neutralizing it was Lt. Kerry on a Swift boat.

In certain circumstances, it might even have worked. But the Democrats let their contempt for Mr. Bush run away with them. It wasn't enough to argue Mr. Kerry's four months in the Mekong Delta gave him authority on national security issues. Instead, they saw an opening to diminish Mr. Bush, to reduce him from the 21st century commander in chief who had toppled two enemy regimes to the 1970s pampered frat boy with the spotty National Guard record. And so they made the strategic error of hammering on about what their man was doing vs. what the Republicans' guy was doing during the Vietnam War. And they were having such fun at Mr. Bush's expense and getting so high on those four months from the 1960s that they gave not a thought to the great wasteland of John Kerry's 1970s, '80s and '90s.

That's one of the defects of living in the media-political echo chamber, where you're so hip to the spin and counterspin and counter-counterspin you forget that back on Planet Earth folks don't look at things that way. On the big speech night in Boston, with Mr. Kerry's crewmates and triple-amputee Max Cleland and "I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty," the Dems and the media saw it as an ingenious way of downgrading Mr. Bush. But every normal person that night saw only a strange man with nothing to say about anything that has happened since the early 1970s.

And most Americans don't want a Vietnam candidate. Vietnam veterans mostly loathe Mr. Kerry for riding the war-what-is-it-good-for-absolutely-nothing movement to celebrity status and, just as they thought they couldn't despise him any more, here comes the old opportunist riding the I-was-proud-to-do-my-patriotic-duty shtick to the presidency.

Older veterans think the endless exhibitionist preening about one's war record is cheap and vulgar. To everybody else, the Vietnam act is just a bummer, a reminder of a bad time in the national story. Doesn't matter whether it's John Kerry in "The Green Berets" or John Kerry in "Apocalypse Now."

The Bush-haters outsmarted themselves: Nobody wants to hear about Vietnam. And Mr. Kerry hasn't anything else to run on.

Or as Country Joe and the Fish would put it: And it's one, two, three, what is he fighting for?

Mark Steyn is the senior contributing editor for Hollinger Inc. Publications, senior North American columnist for Britain's Telegraph Group, North American editor for the Spectator, and a nationally syndicated columnist.