Making an exception, for a damned good reason

I don’t normally link to something I haven’t read all of yet, but Greyhawk’s 9/11 post is too outstanding to put off passing on until I’ve had time to read it. If you don’t read anything else related to that day, read what he has to say. A short sample:

[…]

"You're all professionals. Today I need you all to get out there and focus on the task at hand."

A little over dramatic, I'm thinking. We're in the midst of a major exercise and the B52's are all prepped and ready to go; loaded for bear and ready to crush an imaginary foe. In this case, as with all exercises, the scenario is based on hypothetical bad guys launching an unprovoked and brutal attack against a make-believe ally of the United States. Exercises almost always begin with that premise, for it would be unrealistic to have the attack actually directed at us. Still, the script calls for us to respond in such a way that the hypothetical bad guys will suffer grave consequences for their crimes.

The boss continues, and he's really hamming it up. The look on his face is dead serious. "There's little information available right now but this we know: an aircraft has crashed into one of the towers of the world trade center."

Damn. That, I know, was not in the script.

[…]

I need a break from this scene and there are a few things I need to get done, so it's down the hall to the office. When I get there the guy I share the office with is hanging up the phone; he was talking to a buddy at the Pentagon.

"Learn anything?" I ask him.

"He hung up...he said 'I've gotta go, the whole building just shook'... and he hung up."

Damn.

[…]

JUST. GO. READ. IT.

Some pictures to help you remember

http://unclebrad.com/gallery.php?n=%2F2001-09-11+WTC+Disaster

You may have to be patient. Brad just got Instalanched.

9/11 Links List

I've been surfing the web looking for the best 9/11 posts to link to, then just found out Winds of Change has already done the job, and quite well.

Hat tip: BlackFive

Second Small Victory 9/11 Post

Michele said she wasn't going to do a 9/11 post on 9/11 this year, but she didn't have the heart not to. Read it.

Iowa Readers Please Pay Attention

Forget Dan Rather, I Demand an Apology from Tom Harkin

Pay attention, people. Is this really the sort of person you want representing your state?

GlennReynolds.com: September 11 Remembered

Prof. Glenn Reynolds is always good, so it's unusual for one peice of his work to stand out compared to his everyday greatness, but this does:

September 11 Remembered

[...]

It's a war. Reasonable people can argue about how to go about waging it. But -- as someone who thinks that when you're at war, the war is the thing that matters most -- what bothers me about John Kerry is that he doesn't really seem to think we're at war at all. He's said a lot more about his four months waging war in Vietnam than he's said about how he'd spend four years waging war with people who want nothing more than to kill Americans in large numbers. ...

[...]

Read the whole thing.

More catching up

More catching up to do. Again I'm going to have to just post links to a couple of things I don't have time to do justice to. Just go read them:

Belmont Club: Escaping the Kill Zone

Opinion Journal: When in Doubt, Blame Karl Rove

The Revolution took two days

The Revolution took two days, and I missed most of the fun with computer problems. You could spend the next two days catching up on what happened and realizing the implications, but since you don't have time for that just check out Dr. Rusty Shackleford's post on the subject.

C&F: Never Again

The Marines Remember

The Extra Mile

Offline for a while

I'm just getting ready to shut down long enough to return a rented computer and come home with a different one. I'll be back.

Update: 17:26 The replacement computer is up and running. I've downloaded the latest Norton virus signatures and installed XP Service Pack 2. I still need to install Office before I'm going to be ready to do much blogging -- I need Front Page and Photo Editor to be worth reading.

All 9/11 all day on Blogs for Bush

Blogs for Bush is running a pretty-much apolitical all-day 9/11 series. There's already some great stuff up and my understanding is there will be a new post every 30 minutes.

Full disclosure: I submitted my On Monday post for consideration. It was rejected because the bulk of it is something I didn't write and don't know who did. I agree with the decision.

Worthy of special note: Becki Snow's post about her daughter's and her husband's reactions to the news on 9/11/2001. On her site (but not in the B4B post) she mentions that as a result of 9/11 her daughter ended up putting off college to join the Air Force and her husband enlisted in the Coast Guard Reserve.

Like a top

KEEP ON SPINNING, GUYS

Dan Rather and his supporters are spinning so hard and in so many different directions that they are starting to contradict each other.

[...]

Rather says the documents in question are authentic, but some of CBS's supporters have speculated that the documents were forgeries planted by Karl Rove.

Which is it?

Update: The link to Michelle's post was broken. It should work now.

Blogging as usual, sort of

I thought about not blogging about anything today but 9/11 remembrances, then I realized something. We owe it to the people who have died in the war on terror, before, on, and after 9/11/2001, not to let up, even for a day. We can't let up on the Islamic Terrorists, and we can't let up on Jean Fraud Kerry, because he will let up on the terrorists if he's elected. We saw what the Carter/Clinton bend-over-and-wait policy did for us 3 years ago. We can't afford to try it again. With that in mind, today is business as usual, with the exception of the fact that I won't be posting anything humorous, including a Dan Ra^ther cartoon that will have to wait a day. After I catch some downtime I'll be returning the computer I'm using now to the rental store and bringing home a different one. After I get it up and running I'll get back to business as usual.

9/11 Survivor's stories

News

America Attacked

America Attacked 9 1 1

It will take a minute or two to download. It's worth waiting for. It isn't pleasant to watch. Watch anyway, and remember. Never forget.

On Monday

3 years ago I was responsible for an internal web site meant as a technical resource for a department doing technical support for a large computer company. Hindus, Moslems, Christians, Wicans, bald old men like me and kids with orange hair, doing our best to put up with each other and operate as some semblance of a team. The morning of Sept. 12, I found something non-technical on my desk and violated company policy by posting it on on the web site. No one complained.

On Monday

On Monday there were people fighting against praying in schools
On Tuesday you would have been hard pressed to find a school where someone was not praying

On Monday there were people were trying to separate each other by race, sex, color and creed
On Tuesday they were all holding hands

On Monday we thought we were secure
On Tuesday we learned better

On Monday we were talking about heroes as being athletes
On Tuesday we relearned what hero meant

On Monday people went to work at the world trade centers as usual
On Tuesday they died

On Monday people were fighting the 10 commandments on government property
On Tuesday the same people all said 'God help us all' while thinking 'Thou shall not kill'

On Monday people argued with their kids about picking up their room
On Tuesday the same people could not get home fast enough to hug their kids

On Monday people picked up McDonalds for dinner
On Tuesday they stayed home

On Monday people were upset that their dry cleaning was not ready on time
On Tuesday they were lining up to give blood for the dying

On Monday politicians argued about budget surpluses
On Tuesday, grief stricken, they sang 'God Bless America'

On Monday we worried about the traffic and getting to work late
On Tuesday we worried about a plane crashing into our houses or places of business

On Monday we were irritated that our rebate checks had not arrived
On Tuesday we saw people celebrating people dying in the USA

On Monday some children had solid families
On Tuesday they were orphans

On Monday the president was going to Florida to read to children
On Tuesday he returned to Washington to protect our children

On Monday we emailed jokes
On Tuesday we did not

It is sadly ironic how it takes horrific events to place things into perspective, but it has. The lessons learned this week, the things we have taken for granted, the things that have been forgotten or overlooked, hopefully never will be again.

On Monday - pray and be thankful
On Tuesday - pray and be thankful
On Wednesday - pray and be thankful
On Thursday - pray and be thankful
On Friday - pray and be thankful
On Saturday - pray and be thankful
On Sunday - pray and be thankful

Remembering 9/11

I'm sure as the day wears on the web will fill up with 9/11 remembrances. Two of the best, no matter what any one else posts, will be Michele Catalano's and Jeff Jarvis's. When reading the Jeff Jarvis post, bear in mind that Jeff is a 9/11 survivor -- not a spectator, not a witness, a survivor.

Jeff Goldstein interviews Dan Rather

Too good to excerpt. Just go read THE interview.

Hat tip InDC Journal.

Who done it? Clippy done it!

Hat tip: Dean's World

Just Curious...

Just Curious...

Is forgery of U.S Government documents a felony? If so, could Dan Rather and CBS News be guilty of aiding and abetting a felony by allowing a crime to occur by willful negligence?

Anyone know?

John Kerry: Unfit for Command -- Update 27

[Continued from Update 26]

I lost a bunch of bookmarks when the computer I'd been using died, so all I can say at this point is "stay tuned." There's smoke, but no undeniable fire yet, indicating that someone in Kerry's campaign camp may have created the forgeries 60 Minutes bought into and went on the air with. I wouldn't find it hard to believe at all. If Jean Fraud Kerry can't even pull together a decent campaign staff, is he really someone you want in the Oval Office?

Mixed links due to computer problems

There were several things I’d planned individual posts on that aren’t going to happen due to computer problems. I hope you’ll have time to check some of them out.

Flying Pig Alert! NY Times admit Muslims involved in recent terror incidents.

Kitty Kelly is lying

The Hill: Bush Fulfilled Obligations Each Year In TANG

Kerry on Defense, 1984

Kerry vs. Kerry

In the name of Allah <== If you only read one, read this one.

Cox & Forkum: Confronting Terrorism III

Bush's Greatness

Dennis Prager: They shoot children, don't they?

Election Day Will Be Veterans Day - Part 2

I'm running late posting about this due to computer problems, but it's too good not to mention:

BLACK FIVE: Election Day Will Be Veterans Day - Part 2

Please read it. It will help you understand why veterans as a group are so determined to keep John Kerry out of the White House.

CBS Hires Veteran Reporter To Improve Election Coverage

There are no Republicans in New York!

In a valiant effort to fend off allegations that Dan Rather might be "spinning" the news ever so slightly to aid the fading Jean Fraud Kerry presidential campaign, CBS news has added to their staff former Iraqi Information Minister Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf, once affectionately known as "Baghdad Bob," who will hereafter accompany Mr. Rather any time he is allowed near a camera. So far, with the aid of his able research assistant Jayson Blair, Mr. al-Sahaf has verified to CBS' satisfaction that:

1. All three of Jean Kerry's Purple Hearts resulted from vicious firefights which no mortal human could have even survived. Only Jean Fraud's superior intellect and unflagging skill and bravery allowed him to save himself and his fellow Swifties from certain death.
2. Jean Fraud did indeed spend Christmas Eve deep in Cambodia, accompanied by a Martian secret agent on a mission so classified that not even the Secretary of Defense and President could be told of it, much less mere Admirals and fellow Swift Boat officers.
3. There are no Republicans in New York. All of those pictures on the other news networks are PhotoShops.

Update: I couldn't resist moving this to the top of my blog in view of the latest 60 Minutes flap. Originally posted 1-Sep-04 01:59

They are definitely forgeries.

The 60 Minutes forgery fiasco is generating so much net traffic that it's causing accidental Denial of Service attacks on a lot of the prime movers with the most information about it. You may have to wait a day or three to be able to read the best stuff. There are several pages I've seen excerpts from but can't get to right now.

The Blogroll For Bush Passes 1,000 Blogs

Blogs for Bush, of which I am a proud member, has passed the 1000 blogs mark.

The way the blogosphere forced the mainstream media to deal with the 60 minutes forgeries issue yesterday is a great example of the power of bloggers. Does anyone think the NY Times and Washington post would have published stories exposing the fraud for what it was if they thought you wouldn't hear about it otherwise?

Still having computer problems

The Windows reinstall did not go well. Blogging may be light for another day or two.

Even the NY Times is saying the 60 minutes papers are obvious forgeries. Rather's toast.

When you rent a computer ...

When you rent a computer sometimes you get one that someone who didn't know what they were doing tried to improve. I'm getting ready to format a hard drive and reinstall Windows. Roughly the right 2/3 of the blogosphere, not to mention ABC and AP, is staying on top of the 60 minutes forged memos story, so I guess I don't have to. See ya later.

Hardware problems

The computer I normally use is down for repairs and I'm using a rented one temporarily. Blogging will be very light while I'm busy customizing the computer, installing Office, etc. I'll be back.

Update: Don't forget to watch Allah, Captain's Quarters, Power Line, and Instapundit to stay on top of the forged letters fiasco.

Note to the Dumb-ocrats: If you're going to lie, at least make it a little harder to catch you at. All you've done this time is give everyone a good laugh.

Update 2: I just took time to see what Power Line had to say, since I couldn't get to their site earlier. They're all over the situation. Key quote: "60 Minutes is toast."

Are the CBS National Guard Documents Fake?

Seems the Kerryites have magically come up with some new documents from President Bush's time in the Guard that could be interpreted as reflecting poorly on Bush's performance. Naturally the mainstream media hasn't wasted any time making sure everyone knows about it. From CNN, for instance:

A memo written a year later referred to one military official "pushing to sugar coat" Bush's evaluation.

"On this date I ordered that 1st Lt. Bush be suspended from flight status due to failure to perform to USAF/TexANG standards and failure to meet annual physical examination ... as ordered," says an August 1, 1972 memo by Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, who is now dead.

CBS has even made pictures of some of the documents. Guess what? They were produced on PC, not a typewriter... in 1972. The story just broke this morning and I'm still trying to find out more. The site that apparently broke the story doesn't seem to be available right now, probably due to extremely heavy traffic. For now check out: Allah, In DC Journal, Captain's Quarters, and Kerry Spot.

Ben Barnes: John Kerry’s Unbelievable Last-Ditch Weapon

[See also: Ben Barnes Says He OK'd Bush for Guard]

So now CBS is helping the Dems try to sell their spiel about Republican Congressman George H. W. Bush having used his influence with an influential Texas Democrat to get his son into the Air National Guard. Learn more about upstanding paragon of virtue Ben Barnes:

Ben Barnes: John Kerry’s Unbelievable Last-Ditch Weapon

[...]

[B]efore anybody swallows the story Ben Barnes tells, America needs to know some things about Mr. Barnes that CBS and the rest of the establishment media are unlikely to mention.

[...]

"[A]fter he was involved in a bribery and stock fraud scandal in the early 1970s,” wrote leftwing Mother Jones Magazine, Barnes “never held office again. He was involved with a number of banks and thrifts that were mentioned during the S&L crisis, and forced into bankruptcy when the Texas thrift industry cratered in the late 1980s.”

[...]

As CNN reported in 1999, “the Los Angeles Times said it found no evidence that either Bush or his father, former President George Bush, had personally tried to influence or pressure anyone to get the younger Bush a place in the Texas
Guard.”

[...]

WHO IS BEN BARNES? -- A Deep-Pocketed Kerry Partisan Who Can't Keep His Stories Straight

[...]

Sharpstown Bank Scandal In 1971 Ended Barnes' Political Career. "The Sharpstown Scandal: This scandal involved quick-profit stock sales for lawmakers and state officials in 1971-72. Houston financier Frank Sharp arranged the stock loans from his Sharpstown State Bank, purportedly to grease the passage of two banking bills. Two dozen former and sitting officials were accused, and others suffered by association. House Speaker Gus Mutscher and another legislator were convicted of conspiring to
accept a bribe. Gov. Preston Smith lost the governorship after his profit was disclosed. Half the Texas House was voted out of office or didn't seek re-election. And Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes, a rising political star, was caught in the housecleaning when he tried to win the governor's seat. LBJ had even predicted that Barnes would make it to the White House."

[...]

John Kerry: Unfit for Command -- Update 26

[Continued from Update 25]

Still running a little behind from a busy weekend and the problems with Blogger last night. Today's reading: Captain's Quarters, Captain's Quarters, Captain's Quarters, Captain's Quarters, Captain's Quarters, Captain's Quarters, Idexer.com, Instapundit, Just One Minute, Power Line, Power Line, Chicago Sun Times

Did I ever tell you about getting kicked out of the Air Force Reserve?

The Kerryites are getting desperate. Now we're back to talking about issues that got resolved to any thinking person's satisfaction 4 years ago. Apparently George Bush broke with the one weekend a month, every month, routine for a little while towards the end of his hitch in the Air National Guard. He was absent for good reasons, made the time up later, and was honorably discharged from the Guard. Byron York looked into that and explained it for anyone with 10 minutes to do a little reading back in February: Bush and the National Guard: Case Closed.

I know a little bit myself about how paperwork kept by Guard and Reserve units can fail to tell the whole story in a manner an outsider could understand. In April of 1974 I was released from active duty in the Air Force and signed on, voluntarily, with an Air Force Reserve unit, where I was expected to show up for one weekend a month and two weeks every summer. I attended training assemblies as scheduled, including a two week stint "deployed" to Tinker Air Force Base, for about 9 months. In January of 1975 I went to my Commanding Officer, explained that I was working full time and attending school full time, and that I needed my weekend, every weekend, available to catch up on my sleep. He instructed my to have his Admin NCO fill out the proper forms to voluntarily discharge me from the Reserves. The Admin NCO expressed his surprise that I was actually telling him in advance that I wanted to change my status. "Usually guys just quit showing up and we kick them out after 3 months." He informed me he knew how to handle kicking me out for not showing up but didn't even know what form to use to discharge me voluntarily. I asked him to try to find out and when he still didn't know 2 months later I thanked my CO for understanding and never went back. Eventually I received a letter saying I'd been kicked out of the Reserves, and 6 years after I entered active duty I received another letter verifying that I'd completed my obligation to the Air Force. In 1984 the FBI and NSA approved me for a Top Secret/SCI security clearance, so I have to suspect that experiences like mine weren't all that rare.

So 30 years after the fact the government is having trouble finding enough documentation to describe in excruciating detail exactly how George W. Bush spent every moment of his last few months in the Air National Guard. Gasp! Color me shocked! Let's fire the President and replace him with "Vietnam hero" Jean Fraud Kerry. Idiots.

More grandson and daughter bragging

My grandson Ian turned 2 on August 21st. No one has ever bothered to explain to him that there are some things he's just not old enough to be trying to do yet. From my daughter's blog:

[M]y brilliant child started trying to write yesterday! He came home from the babysitter's and ran straight to his MagnaDoodle, drew a curved line, and said "C!". He did the same with about 5 other letters. Most were illegible, but I am just totally impressed that he is trying to write at 2 years old! I still wish he would talk more- other babies his age seem to have better conversational skills- but maybe he can write me notes to tell me what he wants. :)

The way I see it, when Ian has something to complain about, he'll start talking up a storm. His first sentence was "I don't wanna take a nap." His second one was "But I'm not tired!" He meowed when I brought a kitten into the room Saturday and says "Thank you" consistently. What do we need a chronic complainer for?

Yesterday's Lies

Learn more about the Vietnam Veterans Against The War. Learn how reliable and untainted the Winter Soldier testimony was. This is the sort of testimony John Kerry repeated before Congress as the gospel truth.

Yesterday's Lies

[...]

On the second day of the [Winter Soldier] conference, Pitkin was surrounded by a group of the event’s leaders, who said they needed more witnesses and wanted him to speak. Pitkin protested that he didn’t have anything to say. Kerry said, “Surely you had to have seen some of the atrocities.” Pitkin insisted that he hadn’t, and the group’s mood turned menacing. One of the other leaders leaned in and whispered, “It’s a long walk back to Baltimore.” Pitkin finally agreed to “testify.” The Winter Soldier leaders told Pitkin exactly what they wanted —- stories about rape, brutality, shooting prisoners, and racism. Kerry assured him that “the American people will be grateful for what you have to say.”

[...]

Hat tip: LGF

Heroes don't have to be American

The Teacher Chose Death

In an act of unlimited devotion and dedication, to the bitter end, an elderly teacher insisted on remaining with his students. He protected them, bandaged their wounds, and with his death, saved their lives.

Children who escaped from the school told of how they owed their lived to elderly Yanis (Ivan) Kanidis, age 74 – a man of Greek origin who worked as a gym teacher at the school. ...

[...]

Read it all.

Electoral College Mischief

Electoral College Mischief

[...]

The rap against the Electoral College is that it's undemocratic. As one recent newspaper editorial complained, "The majority does not rule." Strictly speaking, that's not true. The Constitution requires a majority of electors to choose a President; otherwise, the House decides, which hasn't happened since 1824. True, the popular majority doesn't rule, but only one Presidential candidate -- Samuel Tilden, in the disputed election of 1876 -- has ever lost while exceeding 50% of the popular vote.

Under direct popular election, the majority often would not rule either. In six postwar elections--1948, 1960, 1968, 1992, 1996 and 2000--no candidate had a popular majority. If it's an outrage against majority rule that President Bush was elected while receiving only 47.9% of the popular vote, would it be that much less so if Mr. Gore had won with 48.4%? And what about Bill Clinton, who mustered a mere 43% of the popular vote in 1992?

[...]

Read the whole thing.

Quote of the day

From the 8 Sept 2004 Best Of The Web Today

Making things even more confusing, as National Review Online's Jim Geraghty notes, Kerry voted against the Gulf War, for which other countries paid most of the tab, and for the liberation of Iraq, for which they didn't. Maybe John Edwards could file a class-action suit on behalf of all Americans who've suffered hiplash watching Kerry switch from one side to the other and back gain.

John Kerry History Page

Well, surprise, surprise! Some of the current batch of future veterans aren't too impressed with John Fraud Kerry, either. Click the button to learn more about our "war hero" candidate.

Life is NOT like a box of chocolates. Life is like a jar of jalapeños. What you do today may burn your ass tomorrow.

We remember, Johnny boy, and the younger crowd understands too.

An Islamic Terrorist by any other name

Ref: CONVERTING ALLAH

Why can't the mainstream media call these vermin what they are? They are ISLAMIC TERRORISTS. ISLAMIC TERRORISTS took over a school in Beslan, Russia, and killed over 350 innocent people. ISLAMIC TERRORISTS killed 3000 Americans on 9/11/2001. ISLAMIC TERRORISTS were responsible for the 3/11/2004 attacks in Spain, the Bali bombing, the attack on the USS Cole, the two airliners that recently exploded over Russia, .... Why doesn't the media want you to know that? We are in a global war. We didn't start it. The ISLAMIC TERRORISTS did. Why don't the dead-tree press and the talking heads want you to realize that?

Democrats pointing fingers already

The election isn't even over and the Democrats are already busy trying to decide whose fault it was the Kerry campaign cratered. See: Kicking Kerry Around. Gee, could it just be the fact their candidate's a dork who can't take a position and hold it for over 3 days? Could if have something to do with the fact that people remember their "war hero's" behavior after he got back from the war? Could it be that people understand we're in a war now, and we need a President who'll take the fight to the enemy and not just wait for them to come to us at home? Could it be...? Go figure.

Even the Canadians are catching on

Toronto Sun -- War record may be trouble for John Kerry

Hat tip: Tigerhawk

The Silence Of The Lions

The Silence Of The Lions As The Lambs Weep

One of the most striking actions of the past few days has been the almost-total silence of the American media on the horrific massacre in Beslan, where over 350 people died, mostly children. Mainstream news media outlets have covered this story only in the most superficial manner; they gave much higher prominence, for instance, to the hurricanes in Florida, which killed 17 and did billions of dollars in damage. The biggest outlets that arguably could commit the most resources to the story have instead glossed over the atrocities committed by the Islamist terrorists, preferring to present the nuances of Russian politics rather than a true picture of the animalistic nature of the Beslan mass murderers.

[...]

Read. Learn about The Religion of Peace.

Why didn't this get more coverage in the mainstream media? Because they don't want you to realize your child's school could be next. If you realize that, you might decide it's better to fight these scum overseas than to wait for them to come after us at home. And if you realize that you might (gasp!) vote for George Bush.

David Limbaugh -- On a roll today

David Limbaugh's blog is always a good read. Today it's even better. Check it out.

3 States

BMEWS: Today John Kerry campaigned in 3 states. Anger, denial, and indecision.

Fahrenheit 1971

Fahrenheit 1971

Don't miss it. Learn about the "Vietnam hero" who wants to be Commander in Chief.

Comparing Résumés -- Which one would you hire?

From the 9-7-2004 Best Of The Web Today

Suppose you're an employer and you hear that one of your employees, who's been working for you for about four years, once had a drinking problem and in fact pleaded guilty nearly 30 years ago to a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence. You actually heard about all this when you initially hired him, and it did give you second thoughts, but in the end you decided to give him a chance. In the four years he's been working for you, you've seen no sign that he's fallen off the wagon. Is there any cause here to fire him? Even if the revelation about his past were new, wouldn't it have to be pretty severe to constitute grounds for termination?

Now say someone comes to you looking for a job. Right off the bat, you notice something strange about his résumé: It goes on for page after page about a job he held for four months, more than 35 years ago, but makes only the barest mention of anything he's done since. You have him in for an interview, and he can't give you a straight answer to any question about what he plans to do in the job if you hire him. Instead (to borrow a description from Joe Conason), he sounds like a bar-stool bore, with a bad habit of repeating the same lame boasts about that long-ago four-month stint again and again.

Still, you decide to check out his references. (John Edwards: "If you have any question about what John Kerry is made of, just spend three minutes with the men who served with him.") Some sing his praises quite extravagantly, but a greater number describe him harshly as a man of dubious character, and some accuse him of lying on his résumé. He acknowledges a few embellishments but refuses to provide you with documents that would shed light on the other accusations.

Would you hire this man? And would you fire an employee of four years' standing in order to create an opening for him?

On the off-chance that you have ever had any sympathy for the Chechan separatists...

On the off-chance that you have ever had any sympathy for the Chechan separatists, get educated at TigerHawk. Think about it for a little bit. Think about that happening in Fort Worth, or Cedar Rapids. Then think about fighting a "more sensitive" war on terror.

Blogger problems

I just went through a period of around 12 or 14 hours when I was getting timeout errors trying to post to BlogSpot. The two posts right below this one and the next several above it are things that would have been posted at least 12 hours earlier if Blogger had been acting right.

Greyhawk Needs Some Help

Greyhawk, whose excellent site

is a wonderful news source for military people and veterans in particular, and for all right-thinking people in general, needs some help. Greyhawk is going to be out of town for a few months. To keep his site alive, he needs help getting some equipment he can take with him. If by some chance you're reading this and are not already familiar with his site, check it out now, then do whatever you can to help.

Wictory Wednesday -- 9-8-2004

It's Wictory Wednesday Again

It has now been one month and seven days since John Kerry last answered questions from a real reporter.

There are less than 50 days left to the election. Do you want a medal-throwing anti-war protester and ultra-liberal senator to become president, or a man you can trust?

Dozens of blogs across the country participate in Wictory Wednesday. Every Wednesday, these bloggers put up a post asking their readers to volunteer and/or donate to the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign. In their Wictory Wednesday posts, they also include the Wictory Wednesday blogroll, which lists all participating blogs.

I display the Wictory Wednesday blogroll on my sidebar seven days a week. -- Why wait for Wednesday to support the president's efforts to be reelected when we need a good man person (Rice/Lieberman '08!) in charge every day? Please do whatever you can for the Bush/Cheney campaign. We're in a war, people. We need a leader who understands that.

President Bush has accepted the nomination for a second term. It's too late to donate to the official Bush/Cheney campaign, but there's still plenty of time to donate to the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth or some other similarly minded organization.

Current Wictory Wednesday Bloggers:

Testing

Is Blogger mad at me in general or just having trouble with one post?

Update: I was finally able to post this about 2:45 PM on Sept 8

An Interview With John O'Neill

An Interview With John O'Neill

Just read the whole thing. It's worth it.

Open Eyes: Just had a nice laugh.

Lunaris Victoria at Open Eyes (always a good read) has posted an email exchange between Fat Mike and Bill Timmins, the Las Vegas casino director who kicked Linda Ronstadt out of his place of business after she upset hundreds of paying customers by praising the fat maggot from his stage:

[...]

Dear Mr. Timmins:

[blah, blah, blah, whine, whimper]

Yours,
Michael Moore, Director,
"Fahrenheit 9/11"

Attention: Michael Moore,

In response to your letter dated July 20, 2004: You are correct that I had security remove Linda Ronstadt from Aladdin Casino and Hotel where the fun never ends and everybody wins. How very interesting to learn you are such a fan of Ms. Ronstadt.

You questioned where I live and surprisingly knew Las Vegas is in the United States. You should visit it sometime. There are thousands of wonderful 'All You Can Eat' buffets.

[...]

One of my workers is currently throwing away every complaint letter from brainless followers of you, claiming they will never visit my Casino. I could not be more pleased to know my casino and hotel will always be void of the kind of people who support you. Meanwhile, my hotel has been quickly booked solid for the rest of the year with true Americans who love this Country and support our efforts overseas.

They will see a framed copy of your letter and my response in the lobby to ensure they begin their experience with a laugh.

Sincerely,
Bill Timmins, President
Aladdin Casino and Hotel
Las Vegas, NV

We haven't forgotten, Jean Fraud.

We haven't forgotten, Jean Fraud. Did you really think we would? Did you think we'd let anyone else? Payback's a bitch, non?

Sound Familiar?

Kerry on Iraq: 'Wrong War, Wrong Place, Wrong Time'

CANONSBURG, Pa. (al-Reuters) - Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry on Monday called the invasion of Iraq "the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time" and said his goal was to withdraw U.S. troops in a first White House term.

[...]

Never mind whether the job's finished, just hurry up and bring home those troops, right Johnny boy? Just like we did before. You were all for it then, too.

Don't look down, Jean Fraud.

Trackbacks, Comments, and Hat Tips

[Related posts: Haloscan, Trackbacks for Blogger users]

This is just my humble opinion but I think I'm reasonably well aligned with most of the more dominant bloggers on this. Take it for what it's worth.

A Trackback, imho, is normally understood to be a way to send the message "I linked to your post on my blog." If you use either of the Trackback Pingers I've recommended, they also give you a way to include a short excerpt from your post in your Trackback. If you have something to add to something you read on another blog, particularly one with a lot more traffic than I get, leaving a trackback can be an excellent way to generate some traffic to your blog. For example, the trackback message I left at http://www.blackfive.net/main/2004/09/democrat_republ.html has brought 113 people to my blog so far, including 13 today, three days after I left it. Leaving a Trackback on a post you didn't link to is generally not considered "good form"; It's better in that case to leave a comment or send an email.

Comments are a way to share your opinion, ask questions, or contribute information, on a post on someone else's blog without posting about it on your blog (although you can do that too if you want to.) If been known to leave comments on a blog post as soon as I read it, then post about it when I have time and go back and leave a trackback. As far as I know, most bloggers have no objection to that.

Hat Tips -- That isn't the only term used but it seems to be fairly common -- are something you put in your blog post to acknowledge "I wouldn't have known about this if I hadn't read about it on this other guy's blog." Sometimes that message is so clear there's no need for an explicit Hat Tip; My Veterans Day comes early this year post is a good example of that. On the other hand, I could have left the Hat Tip out of Too good to excerpt -- Just go read it and no one might have ever known, but I would have. If I link to a post or a new blogger, please, by all means, feel free to link to the same post or person; If I didn't think they were worth mentioning I wouldn't have done it. On the other hand, my traffic isn't so heavy yet but what I'd like you to mention my blog if you do that. (Trackbacks are nice, too, but your readers don't see them, so if someone sees your post but not mine they won't know where you got your information.) I promise to do the same for you. Fair enough? Good.

On a related subject: If you haven't installed OneStat yet, I think you should. (I learned about it from The Mudville Gazette, by the way.) It's a great way to find out who's sending you traffic, and that can sometimes lead you to other blogs you'll want to blogroll and go back to. I've met some interesting people that way.

My weekend -- Labor Day '04

Julian Michael ("Ian") Brinkley.
Just turned 2, bright eyed, bushy tailed, sharp as a little tack.
(Click the picture to see how I spent my weekend.)

Veterans Day comes early this year

Russ Vaughn (see Johnny) has written another poem. An excerpt from The Mudville Gazette:

VETERANS’ DAY
How liberals do defy the mind
For nothing in theirs’ can we find,
That willingly will look with reason
At how their man committed treason,
Skulked off to Paris this effete
To grovel at the Madame’s feet,
Betraying his sworn officer’s oath
To become the turncoat we so loathe.

[...]

Some say let you apologize
But that won’t do it in our eyes.
A man astride of each position
Could we believe your true contrition?
The vindication we’ll accept
In settling up this long-held debt,
Is each of us will do his best
To deny you, John, your lifelong quest.

Listen carefully John to what we say,
November 2d is Veterans’ Day.

Go read the whole thing.

"Did you know I was in Vietnam?"

Another Kerry Medal Controversy

Our "hero" has been at it again. Click here for the details.

The John Kerry Question Fairy

Becki doesn't like Islamists. She doesn't think much of John Kerry, either. She doesn't think he much cares how she feels about the Islamists. Go. Read.

Russia siege toll tops 350

Russia siege toll tops 350

More than 300 killed in Russian school siege

Damn it! Just DAMN It!

There's a link on Bert's site that allows you to send an message to the Russians. Use it to tell them you care.

Update: Dean's World reports that al-Qaeda has claimed "credit" for this atrocity.

Update 2: For the best collection of news and comments on this I've found anywhere, visit The John Kerry Question Fairy

Originally posted 4-9-2004 13:09

A new button and a blogging tip

I just found a new button on SlagleRock's sidebar and copied it to mine.

Blogging tip: I don't know what prompted me to wonder where SlagleRock was storing images for his blog, but when I checked I found out about Photobucket.com. They have an easy to use interface and store your images for free so you can link to them from your blog. (Now there's no excuse for my niece in Argentina or my nephew in the Azores not to post pictures of the local scenery for the folks back home. Hint! Hint!)

More family time, but it's over now

I spent another wonderful afternoon with family. I don't know when I'll see my daughter and grandson again but it can't be too soon to suit me. I'll have pictures on my web site soon, but for now I'm too physically exhausted to risk messing something up moving them from the camera to my hard drive. Tomorrow, probably. For now, it's back to the Kerry bashing.

Ben Barnes Says He OK'd Bush for Guard

Man Says He OK'd Bush for Guard

AUSTIN, Texas –– The former speaker of the Texas House of Representatives acknowledged Monday that he called the head of the Texas Air National Guard in 1968 to recommend George W. Bush for a pilot slot during the Vietnam War.

But Ben Barnes, who later was lieutenant governor, said the request for his help came from a Bush family friend – not Bush or his father, who then was a congressman.

From MotherJones.com:

"Barnes was once a rising star in Texas Democratic politics, becoming a state representative at age 21. Later, he was elected lieutenant governor with 2 million votes, a Texas record. After he was involved in a bribery and stock fraud scandal in the early 1970s, however, he never held public office again. He was involved with a number of banks and thrifts that were mentioned during the S&L crisis, and forced into bankruptcy when the Texas thrift industry cratered in the late 1980s."

So, before he got caught with his hand in the wrong cookie jar, Mr. Barnes, a life-long Democrat, pulled strings to get Republican Congressman George H. W. Bush's little boy into the National Guard. ... Duh, that sounds logical.

Update: Captain's Quarters reports that the Democrats would still like to argue that George Bush senior pulled strings to get George W. Bush into the Air National Guard.

Schreck wants Kerry to bluntly compare war records with the president. "Why not stand up there and say, `He chose to have his father get him out of harm's way while I volunteered to risk my life?'" The Bush campaign vigorously denies the president used his family's political influence to avoid Vietnam. ...

Update 2: American Spectator is reporting that Ben Barnes will soon be appearing on 60 Minutes to try to bolster the Kerry camp claim that Republican Congressman George H. W. Bush pulled strings with Democratic Lieutenant Governor Barnes (who wasn't actually in that position at the time) to get George W. Bush into the Air National Guard. Just remember when you watch him say that that you already know the truth, and remember what an impeccably honest man Ben Barnes has proven himself to be.

Update 3: Captain's Quarters has more, including the first "big blogger" mention I've seen of the S&L scandal I mentioned earlier.

Originally posted 30-08-2004 5:24 AM