Freedom of speech in this country - according to the liberals - is conditional...
That's right...CONDITIONAL...
If you are a Left-Wing-Anti-America-Hate-Spewing-Liberal...you can say ANYTHING, and the MSM, the DNC, the Liberals will rally around you:
DNC Stands By Rangel After 'Hate Speech'...
The Democratic National Committee yesterday REFUSED TO DISTANCE ITSELF from Rep. Charles Rangel's comparison of President Bush to an infamous Southern segregationist, Theophilus "Bull" Connor, remarks the Republican National Committee identified as "hate speech" and urged the DNC to repudiate....
But, if you are a CONSERVATIVE...WATCH OUT!
ANYTHING YOU SAY WILL BE TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT AND USED TO SMEAR YOU AND DESTROY YOU...
Take Bill Bennett, for example...
As Rush Limbaugh - and many others - are pointing out, the discussion that Bennett is being so widely criticized and slimed for has been taken COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTEXT....
Rather than say, as he has been erroneously and inaccurately MIS-quoted, "[Y]ou Could Abort Every Black Baby In This Country, And Your Crime Rate Would Go Down"...
What he SAID was:
BENNETT: Assuming they're all productive citizens?
CALLER: Assuming that they are. Even if only a portion of them were, it would be an enormous amount of revenue.
BENNETT: Maybe. Maybe. But we don't know what the cost would be, too. I think -- does abortion disproportionately occur among single women?
CALLER: Uhhh...
BENNETT: Do you know?
CALLER: I don't know the exact statistics but quite a bit are, yes.
BENNETT: All right. Well, I mean, I just don't know. I would not argue for the pro-life position based on this because you don't know. I mean, it cuts both -- you know, one of the arguments in this book, Freakanomics, is that they make is that the declining crime rate -- you know, they deal with this hypothesis that one of the reasons that crime is down is that abortion is up. Well --
CALLER: I don't think that statistic is accurate.
BENNETT: Well, I don't think so it is either.
CALLER: Yeah.
BENNETT: I don't think it is either because, first of all, I think there's just too much that you don't know. But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country and your crime rate would go down.
He was DISPUTING the very statement that was made by SOMEONE ELSE...and they are trying to hang it on him....and they are smearing him with it...
DR
9/25/2005
From the Front Line: Media Coverage Distorts Iraq Reality
FrontPage Magazine begins the article with this disclaimer:
LTC Tim Ryan is Commander, Task Force 2-12 Cavalry, First Cavalry Division in Iraq. He led troops into battle in Fallujah late last year and is now involved in security operations for the upcoming elections. He wrote the following during "down time" after the Fallujah operation. His views are his own.
And what "views" they are!
Ryan writes about his disgust with the MSM and the distortion on their reporting on Iraq:
All right, I've had enough. I am tired of reading distorted and grossly exaggerated stories from major news organizations about the "failures" in the war in Iraq. "The most trusted name in news" and a long list of others continue to misrepresent the scale of events in Iraq. Print and video journalists are covering only a fraction of the events in Iraq and, more often than not, the events they cover are only negative.
The inaccurate picture they paint has distorted the world view of the daily realities in Iraq. The result is a further erosion of international support for the United States' efforts there, and a strengthening of the insurgents' resolve and recruiting efforts while weakening our own. Through their incomplete, uninformed and unbalanced reporting, many members of the media covering the war in Iraq are aiding and abetting the enemy.
The fact is the Coalition is making steady progress in Iraq, but not without ups and downs. So why is it that no matter what events unfold, good or bad, the media highlights mostly the negative aspects of the event? The journalistic adage, "If it bleeds, it leads," still applies in Iraq, but why only when it's American blood?
I cannot imagine the frustration that our American soldiers feel at the slanted reporting that is going on about the war in Iraq...and it is coming from our own media!
This article hits several points direct on...and brings some serious concerns to the forefront when analyzing our media's reports and reporters and their seriousness about reporting the truth...
Sensationalism has always been with us, but historically it has been relegated to semi-serious tabloids such as the National Enquirer...
Today's "news" has that same tabloid flavor on many media outlets...the more outrageous, the faster the media hounds are to the scene...but the cost they are extracting for their careless reporting is extremely high...
This war is not without its tragedies; none ever are. The key to the enemy's success is use of his limited assets to gain the greatest influence over the masses. The media serves as the glass through which a relatively small event can be magnified to international proportions, and the enemy is exploiting this with incredible ease. There is no good news to counteract the bad, so the enemy scores a victory almost every day. In its zeal to get to the hot spots and report the latest bombing, the media is missing the reality of a greater good going on in Iraq. We seldom are seen doing anything right or positive in the news. People believe what they see, and what people of the world see almost on a daily basis is negative. How could they see it any other way? These images and stories, out of scale and context to the greater good going on over here, are just the sort of thing the terrorists are looking for. This focus on the enemy's successes strengthens his resolve and aids and abets his cause. It's the American image abroad that suffers in the end.
Ironically, the press freedom that we have brought to this part of the world is providing support for the enemy we fight. I obviously think it's a disgrace when many on whom the world relies for news paint such an incomplete picture of what actually has happened. Much too much is ignored or omitted. I am confident that history will prove our cause right in this war, but by the time that happens, the world might be so steeped in the gloom of ignorance we won't recognize victory when we achieve it.
Ryan ends with this:
Postscript: I have had my staff aggressively pursue media coverage for all sorts of events that tell the other side of the story only to have them turned down or ignored by the press in Baghdad. Strangely, I found it much easier to lure the Arab media to a "non-lethal" event than the western outlets. Open a renovated school or a youth center and I could always count on Al-Iraqia or even Al-Jazeera to show up, but no western media ever showed up - ever. Now I did have a pretty dangerous sector, the Abu Ghuraib district that extends from western Baghdad to the outskirts of Fallujah (not including the prison), but it certainly wasn't as bad as Fallujah in November and there were reporters in there.
This is the sad but powerful truth...and the media had better wake up to the facts and begin to report on world events responsibly...as Jack Webb used to say on Dragnet..."Just the facts, M'am"...
We deserve better than what we are getting today.
DR
LTC Tim Ryan is Commander, Task Force 2-12 Cavalry, First Cavalry Division in Iraq. He led troops into battle in Fallujah late last year and is now involved in security operations for the upcoming elections. He wrote the following during "down time" after the Fallujah operation. His views are his own.
And what "views" they are!
Ryan writes about his disgust with the MSM and the distortion on their reporting on Iraq:
All right, I've had enough. I am tired of reading distorted and grossly exaggerated stories from major news organizations about the "failures" in the war in Iraq. "The most trusted name in news" and a long list of others continue to misrepresent the scale of events in Iraq. Print and video journalists are covering only a fraction of the events in Iraq and, more often than not, the events they cover are only negative.
The inaccurate picture they paint has distorted the world view of the daily realities in Iraq. The result is a further erosion of international support for the United States' efforts there, and a strengthening of the insurgents' resolve and recruiting efforts while weakening our own. Through their incomplete, uninformed and unbalanced reporting, many members of the media covering the war in Iraq are aiding and abetting the enemy.
The fact is the Coalition is making steady progress in Iraq, but not without ups and downs. So why is it that no matter what events unfold, good or bad, the media highlights mostly the negative aspects of the event? The journalistic adage, "If it bleeds, it leads," still applies in Iraq, but why only when it's American blood?
I cannot imagine the frustration that our American soldiers feel at the slanted reporting that is going on about the war in Iraq...and it is coming from our own media!
This article hits several points direct on...and brings some serious concerns to the forefront when analyzing our media's reports and reporters and their seriousness about reporting the truth...
Sensationalism has always been with us, but historically it has been relegated to semi-serious tabloids such as the National Enquirer...
Today's "news" has that same tabloid flavor on many media outlets...the more outrageous, the faster the media hounds are to the scene...but the cost they are extracting for their careless reporting is extremely high...
This war is not without its tragedies; none ever are. The key to the enemy's success is use of his limited assets to gain the greatest influence over the masses. The media serves as the glass through which a relatively small event can be magnified to international proportions, and the enemy is exploiting this with incredible ease. There is no good news to counteract the bad, so the enemy scores a victory almost every day. In its zeal to get to the hot spots and report the latest bombing, the media is missing the reality of a greater good going on in Iraq. We seldom are seen doing anything right or positive in the news. People believe what they see, and what people of the world see almost on a daily basis is negative. How could they see it any other way? These images and stories, out of scale and context to the greater good going on over here, are just the sort of thing the terrorists are looking for. This focus on the enemy's successes strengthens his resolve and aids and abets his cause. It's the American image abroad that suffers in the end.
Ironically, the press freedom that we have brought to this part of the world is providing support for the enemy we fight. I obviously think it's a disgrace when many on whom the world relies for news paint such an incomplete picture of what actually has happened. Much too much is ignored or omitted. I am confident that history will prove our cause right in this war, but by the time that happens, the world might be so steeped in the gloom of ignorance we won't recognize victory when we achieve it.
Ryan ends with this:
Postscript: I have had my staff aggressively pursue media coverage for all sorts of events that tell the other side of the story only to have them turned down or ignored by the press in Baghdad. Strangely, I found it much easier to lure the Arab media to a "non-lethal" event than the western outlets. Open a renovated school or a youth center and I could always count on Al-Iraqia or even Al-Jazeera to show up, but no western media ever showed up - ever. Now I did have a pretty dangerous sector, the Abu Ghuraib district that extends from western Baghdad to the outskirts of Fallujah (not including the prison), but it certainly wasn't as bad as Fallujah in November and there were reporters in there.
This is the sad but powerful truth...and the media had better wake up to the facts and begin to report on world events responsibly...as Jack Webb used to say on Dragnet..."Just the facts, M'am"...
We deserve better than what we are getting today.
DR
9/23/2005
In Memory...
Today I dedicate my blog to my brother who just passed away...
We all know he is in a better place...I know he is finally free of the body that wouldn't work any more...but for now...I am going to wallow in self pity because I already miss him so much...
DR
9/22/2005
Al Sadr Threatens of 'Tearing Al Zarqawi Apart'- Armed Organizations Demand That Al Zarqawi Leave Iraq
The Shiites in Iraq have finally figured out:
-that Al Zarqawi DOES mean them harm...
-that Al Zarqawi DOES NOT want harmony in Iraq...
-that Al Zarqawi WILL hurt/maim/kill them if they get in HIS way...
Well, let's just say that it really became clear to them after Al Zarqawi issued a Jihad (holy war) against Shiaas...
It is now being reported: On the other hand, extreme tension has emerged between Al Zarqawi's group and armed organizations, including some Islamic ones, which demanded him to leave Iraq alongwith his extremist supporters.
You remember Al Sadr....Muqtada Al Sadr...the Iraqi Shi'ite cleric who ordered his henchmen to attack Coalition troops during the Battle of Fallujah...
Al Sadr is reported to have said: "Al Sadr trend considers Al Qaeda organization and Al Zarqawi as the bitterest enemies."
AND this: "In case he fell at the hands of the Sadris, they would cut him into pieces."
Whenever I hear Al Zarqawi's name...I immediately remember all of the brutal beheadings that he so gleefully performed for the camera...
Perhaps it is karma catching up with him?
We can only hope...
DR
HILLARY CLINTON TO MEET WITH CINDY SHEEHAN
This from FrontPage Magazine today:
PERHAPS NOTHING SIGNIFIES THE DEATH GRIP IN WHICH THE FAR-LEFT NOW HOLDS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY THAN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT: HILLARY CLINTON has agreed to meet with antiwar extremist Cindy Sheehan. The leftist rag the Village Voice has reported that this weekend, between rallies at the White House sponsored by United for Peace and Justice and International ANSWER, Sheehan will make a side trip to share her concerns and keen foreign policy insights with the likely 2008 Democratic presidential candidate.
To be accurate, Hillary is not the only one from Congress that is going to meet with Sheehan:
In her open letter to Congress, she threatens politicians of both parties, “Meet with us, answer us, and show us that there need not be a Camp Casey in your district.”
No fewer than 17 Congressmen have heeded the call and scheduled face time with “Mother Sheehan,” including such Democratic Party statesmen as:
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-CA;
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-Kleagle;
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-WI, another likely 2008 Democratic presidential hopeful;
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-CA;
Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-GA;
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-CA;
Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-TX;
Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-CA;
Rep. Fortney “I said you are a little fruitcake” Stark, D-CA;
Rep. Shelley Berkeley, D-NV;
Rep. John Barrow, D-GA;
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-TX;
Rep. Frank Pallone, D-NJ; and
Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-HI
Inexplicably, Sen. Arlen Specter has scheduled a meeting with the professional griever. Two other Republicans also have Cindy Sheehan penciled in this weekend: Rep. Ron Paul, R-TX, a libertarian and outspoken critic of this war; and Congressman Jeb Bradley, R-NH, who supported the war.
NewsMax is reporting that John McCain is on the list as well....
Methinks that this particular grabbing opportunity for the spotlight will come back to bite these Congressmen...Sheehan and her extreme left-wing, anti-America politics is something these Congressmen - both Democrat and Republican alike - should think twice about...and avoid at all costs...
DR
9/20/2005
"You Are Stuck On Stupid!" Lt. Gen. Russell Honore To Reporters
I LOVE THIS GUY!!!
When pestered by reporters who repeatedly asked questions about Hurricane Katrina while he is trying to evacuate New Orleans before Hurricane Rita hits.
Radioblogger had the entire transcript and you can hear the audio HERE:
Honore: And Mr. Mayor, let's go back, because I can see right now, we're setting this up as he said, he said, we said. All right? We are not going to go, by order of the mayor and the governor, and open the convention center for people to come in. There are buses there. Is that clear to you? Buses parked. There are 4,000 troops there. People come, they get on a bus, they get on a truck, they move on. Is that clear? Is that clear to the public?
Female reporter: Where do they move on...
Honore: That's not your business.
Male reporter: But General, that didn't work the first time...
Honore: Wait a minute. It didn't work the first time. This ain't the first time. Okay? If...we don't control Rita, you understand? So there are a lot of pieces of it that's going to be worked out. You got good public servants working through it. Let's get a little trust here, because you're starting to act like this is your problem. You are carrying the message, okay? What we're going to do is have the buses staged. The initial place is at the convention center. We're not going to announce other places at this time, until we get a plan set, and we'll let people know where those locations are, through the government, and through public announcements. Right now, to handle the number of people that want to leave, we've got the capacity. You will come to the convention center. There are soldiers there from the 82nd Airborne, and from the Louisiana National Guard. People will be told to get on the bus, and we will take care of them. And where they go will be dependent on the capacity in this state. We've got our communications up. And we'll tell them where to go. And when they get there, they'll be able to get a chance, an opportunity to get registered, and so they can let their families know where they are. But don't start panic here. Okay? We've got a location. It is in the front of the convention center, and that's where we will use to migrate people from it, into the system.
Male reporter: General Honore, we were told that Berman Stadium on the west bank would be another staging area...
Honore: Not to my knowledge. Again, the current place, I just told you one time, is the convention center. Once we complete the plan with the mayor, and is approved by the governor, then we'll start that in the next 12-24 hours. And we understand that there's a problem in getting communications out. That's where we need your help. But let's not confuse the questions with the answers. Buses at the convention center will move our citizens, for whom we have sworn that we will support and defend...and we'll move them on. Let's not get stuck on the last storm. You're asking last storm questions for people who are concerned about the future storm. Don't get stuck on stupid, reporters. We are moving forward. And don't confuse the people please. You are part of the public message. So help us get the message straight. And if you don't understand, maybe you'll confuse it to the people. That's why we like follow-up questions. But right now, it's the convention center, and move on.
Male reporter: General, a little bit more about why that's happening this time, though, and did not have that last time...
Honore: You are stuck on stupid. I'm not going to answer that question. We are going to deal with Rita. This is public information that people are depending on the government to put out. This is the way we've got to do it. So please. I apologize to you, but let's talk about the future. Rita is happening. And right now, we need to get good, clean information out to the people that they can use. And we can have a conversation on the side about the past, in a couple of months.
If anyone can insist that reporters stay on message, it will be General Honore...and it's about time that SOMEONE insists that they start responsible reporting!
DR
When pestered by reporters who repeatedly asked questions about Hurricane Katrina while he is trying to evacuate New Orleans before Hurricane Rita hits.
Radioblogger had the entire transcript and you can hear the audio HERE:
Honore: And Mr. Mayor, let's go back, because I can see right now, we're setting this up as he said, he said, we said. All right? We are not going to go, by order of the mayor and the governor, and open the convention center for people to come in. There are buses there. Is that clear to you? Buses parked. There are 4,000 troops there. People come, they get on a bus, they get on a truck, they move on. Is that clear? Is that clear to the public?
Female reporter: Where do they move on...
Honore: That's not your business.
Male reporter: But General, that didn't work the first time...
Honore: Wait a minute. It didn't work the first time. This ain't the first time. Okay? If...we don't control Rita, you understand? So there are a lot of pieces of it that's going to be worked out. You got good public servants working through it. Let's get a little trust here, because you're starting to act like this is your problem. You are carrying the message, okay? What we're going to do is have the buses staged. The initial place is at the convention center. We're not going to announce other places at this time, until we get a plan set, and we'll let people know where those locations are, through the government, and through public announcements. Right now, to handle the number of people that want to leave, we've got the capacity. You will come to the convention center. There are soldiers there from the 82nd Airborne, and from the Louisiana National Guard. People will be told to get on the bus, and we will take care of them. And where they go will be dependent on the capacity in this state. We've got our communications up. And we'll tell them where to go. And when they get there, they'll be able to get a chance, an opportunity to get registered, and so they can let their families know where they are. But don't start panic here. Okay? We've got a location. It is in the front of the convention center, and that's where we will use to migrate people from it, into the system.
Male reporter: General Honore, we were told that Berman Stadium on the west bank would be another staging area...
Honore: Not to my knowledge. Again, the current place, I just told you one time, is the convention center. Once we complete the plan with the mayor, and is approved by the governor, then we'll start that in the next 12-24 hours. And we understand that there's a problem in getting communications out. That's where we need your help. But let's not confuse the questions with the answers. Buses at the convention center will move our citizens, for whom we have sworn that we will support and defend...and we'll move them on. Let's not get stuck on the last storm. You're asking last storm questions for people who are concerned about the future storm. Don't get stuck on stupid, reporters. We are moving forward. And don't confuse the people please. You are part of the public message. So help us get the message straight. And if you don't understand, maybe you'll confuse it to the people. That's why we like follow-up questions. But right now, it's the convention center, and move on.
Male reporter: General, a little bit more about why that's happening this time, though, and did not have that last time...
Honore: You are stuck on stupid. I'm not going to answer that question. We are going to deal with Rita. This is public information that people are depending on the government to put out. This is the way we've got to do it. So please. I apologize to you, but let's talk about the future. Rita is happening. And right now, we need to get good, clean information out to the people that they can use. And we can have a conversation on the side about the past, in a couple of months.
If anyone can insist that reporters stay on message, it will be General Honore...and it's about time that SOMEONE insists that they start responsible reporting!
DR
9/14/2005
WHERE'S THE OUTRAGE??
When terrorists hid inside mosques during the Battle of Fallujah...the hue and cry was "don't attack our holy places"....NEVER MIND THAT WEAPON CACHES WERE LATER FOUND INSIDE THE MOSQUES...
The MSM was crazed with accusations that U.S. Soldiers "abused" the koran...NEVER MIND THAT THOSE ALLEGATIONS WERE LATER PROVED FALSE OR OVER-EXAGGERATED!...
Now, Palestinians charged into the Gaza Strip after the Israel's left, looting, burning and destroying the synagogues left behind...AND WHAT DO WE HEAR FROM THE MSM???
NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!
The MSM proves, once again, that they are nothing more than shills for the HATE-AMERICA, HATE-BUSH, APPEASE-OUR-TORMENTERS-AND-MURDERERS-AND-MAYBE-THEY-WON'T-HURT-US, SOCIALIST/COMMUNIST/ANTI-AMERICANS...
We are getting on dangerous ground, folks...don't be lulled into complacency by a media that refuses to report the truth...a media that only reports on sensationalism, slime, character assasinations...a media that focuses only on a small microcosm of what is going on in this world...
We need to demand more from the MSM...and quit letting them get away with murder...
DR
The MSM was crazed with accusations that U.S. Soldiers "abused" the koran...NEVER MIND THAT THOSE ALLEGATIONS WERE LATER PROVED FALSE OR OVER-EXAGGERATED!...
Now, Palestinians charged into the Gaza Strip after the Israel's left, looting, burning and destroying the synagogues left behind...AND WHAT DO WE HEAR FROM THE MSM???
NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!
The MSM proves, once again, that they are nothing more than shills for the HATE-AMERICA, HATE-BUSH, APPEASE-OUR-TORMENTERS-AND-MURDERERS-AND-MAYBE-THEY-WON'T-HURT-US, SOCIALIST/COMMUNIST/ANTI-AMERICANS...
We are getting on dangerous ground, folks...don't be lulled into complacency by a media that refuses to report the truth...a media that only reports on sensationalism, slime, character assasinations...a media that focuses only on a small microcosm of what is going on in this world...
We need to demand more from the MSM...and quit letting them get away with murder...
DR
9/13/2005
The Fool On the Hill...
I dunno about you all...but I feel like I am on overload tonight...
The HATE...the clearly orchestrated filibustering by the liberals that went on today during the beginning...Hey! are you listening? this is only the beginning!!! ...of the Senate "approval" of Judge John Roberts to the Supreme Court...
And, the leader of the pack?...
none other than....
Ole' bury-the-evidence-deep-deep-underwater...Teddy Kennedy...
It's enough to make one reach for a cold brew...
...or two...
DR
al-Zarqawi Claims Responsibility For Hurricane Katrina...
al-Zarqawi, al Qaeda's leader in Iraq claims that Hurricane Katrina was an answer to their prayers:
al-Zarqawi, said, "I believe the devastating hurricane that hit the United States occurred because people in Iraq or Afghanistan -- maybe a mother who had lost her son or a son whose parents were killed or a woman who was raped -- were praying for God and God accepted their prayers."
only problem with that statement is...if a woman was raped...it was probably by the former Taliban leadership in Afghanistan or one of Saddam's sons...
DR
al-Zarqawi, said, "I believe the devastating hurricane that hit the United States occurred because people in Iraq or Afghanistan -- maybe a mother who had lost her son or a son whose parents were killed or a woman who was raped -- were praying for God and God accepted their prayers."
only problem with that statement is...if a woman was raped...it was probably by the former Taliban leadership in Afghanistan or one of Saddam's sons...
DR
9/12/2005
Loose Barge...NOT PRESIDENT BUSH...Caused Flooding in New Orleans...
Oh my...
Eye witnesses described how a loose barge...
A BARGE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN REMOVED DAYS EARLIER SINCE THEY ALL KNEW THAT A HURRICANE WAS APPROACHING...
This loose barge is what crashed into the levy...causing the water to flood over...and flood New Orleans.....
so...
NOW what are the liberals going to cling to???
Their rhetoric...their hate speeches...their tired Bush-is-to-blame-for-EVERYTHING-BAD-THAT-HAPPENS-IN-THE-WORLD chorus...
THAT is getting OLD...
It is SOOOOOOOOO yesterday........
DR
Eye witnesses described how a loose barge...
A BARGE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN REMOVED DAYS EARLIER SINCE THEY ALL KNEW THAT A HURRICANE WAS APPROACHING...
This loose barge is what crashed into the levy...causing the water to flood over...and flood New Orleans.....
so...
NOW what are the liberals going to cling to???
Their rhetoric...their hate speeches...their tired Bush-is-to-blame-for-EVERYTHING-BAD-THAT-HAPPENS-IN-THE-WORLD chorus...
THAT is getting OLD...
It is SOOOOOOOOO yesterday........
DR
9/11/2005
"Crescent of Embrace" Honors Terrorists - NOT the Victims
A lot of controversy brewing over a "memorial" design that was selected...
YOU DECIDE:
Zombie did this for us...I got there via Michelle Malkin
RealClearPolitics points to all of the Islamic flags and their crescents...
LostProvince did THIS
Image shack has one showing how the proposed monument is lined up to Mecca...
Of COURSE the artist denies any link/message/suggestion to the obvious...although he titled it "Crescent of Embrace" we are to believe that the "crescent" in the design has nothing to do with the Islamic use of a red crescent...it was just a coincidence??
To that I say...bulls**t!!!!
It that truly is the case....if the artist was TRULY just trying to create something that would promote healing for the victims, their families and the citizens of this country...why didn't he use something like....
THIS...
Contact the National Park Service and let them know how you feel...they have the final say on the matter...they need to know how you feel about it.....
DR
YOU DECIDE:
Zombie did this for us...I got there via Michelle Malkin
RealClearPolitics points to all of the Islamic flags and their crescents...
LostProvince did THIS
Image shack has one showing how the proposed monument is lined up to Mecca...
Of COURSE the artist denies any link/message/suggestion to the obvious...although he titled it "Crescent of Embrace" we are to believe that the "crescent" in the design has nothing to do with the Islamic use of a red crescent...it was just a coincidence??
To that I say...bulls**t!!!!
It that truly is the case....if the artist was TRULY just trying to create something that would promote healing for the victims, their families and the citizens of this country...why didn't he use something like....
THIS...
Contact the National Park Service and let them know how you feel...they have the final say on the matter...they need to know how you feel about it.....
DR
9-11 WAS NO ACCIDENT
The hijackers carefully planned the murderous attack...for YEARS...
In the words of an eyewitness...
We must be careful not to allow time and distance from this tragedy to numb us to the fact that the only thing that will make these terrorists happy is to see us all dead...
DR
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 - NEVER FORGET!!
WE WILL REMEMBER
WE WILL NEVER FORGET...
OUR FALLEN DID NOT DIE IN VAIN...
WE WILL NEVER FORGET...
OUR FALLEN DID NOT DIE IN VAIN...
9/08/2005
RED CROSS WAS TOLD "YOU CANNOT COME" BY LOUISIANA OFFICIALS!!
In an unbelievable revelation, Hugh Hewitt speaking with Major Garrett (FoxNews) yesterday about the story that Garrett had just broke: The Red Cross had emergency supplies at the ready and were REFUSED ENTRY TO AIDE HURRICANE VICTIMS BY LOUISIANA OFFICIALS:
Radioblogger has the transcript:
HH: You just broke a pretty big story. I was watching up on the corner television in my studio, and it's headlined that the Red Cross was blocked from delivering supplies to the Superdome, Major Garrett. Tell us what you found out.
MG: Well, the Red Cross, Hugh, had pre-positioned a literal vanguard of trucks with water, food, blankets and hygiene items. They're not really big into medical response items, but those are the three biggies that we saw people at the New Orleans Superdome, and the convention center, needing most accutely. And all of us in America, I think, reasonably asked ourselves, geez. You know, I watch hurricanes all the time. And I see correspondents standing among rubble and refugees and evacuaees. But I always either see that Red Cross or Salvation Army truck nearby. Why don't I see that?
HH: And the answer is?
MG: The answer is the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security, that is the state agency responsible for that state's homeland security, told the Red Cross explicitly, you cannot come.
HH: Now Major Garrett, on what day did they block the delivery? Do you know specifically?
MG: I am told by the Red Cross, immediately after the storm passed.
CoxandForkum along with LittleGreenFootballs carried this story...
Obviously the Red Cross is outraged over this and wants to set the record straight...
Where is this story on the other networks???
DR
Radioblogger has the transcript:
HH: You just broke a pretty big story. I was watching up on the corner television in my studio, and it's headlined that the Red Cross was blocked from delivering supplies to the Superdome, Major Garrett. Tell us what you found out.
MG: Well, the Red Cross, Hugh, had pre-positioned a literal vanguard of trucks with water, food, blankets and hygiene items. They're not really big into medical response items, but those are the three biggies that we saw people at the New Orleans Superdome, and the convention center, needing most accutely. And all of us in America, I think, reasonably asked ourselves, geez. You know, I watch hurricanes all the time. And I see correspondents standing among rubble and refugees and evacuaees. But I always either see that Red Cross or Salvation Army truck nearby. Why don't I see that?
HH: And the answer is?
MG: The answer is the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security, that is the state agency responsible for that state's homeland security, told the Red Cross explicitly, you cannot come.
HH: Now Major Garrett, on what day did they block the delivery? Do you know specifically?
MG: I am told by the Red Cross, immediately after the storm passed.
CoxandForkum along with LittleGreenFootballs carried this story...
Obviously the Red Cross is outraged over this and wants to set the record straight...
Where is this story on the other networks???
DR
Democrats Plan to Use Katrina Against John Roberts
This from RadioBlogger:
Why not? Nothing else has worked up to now. They're going to try to pick up on the Republicans don't care about poor people and minorities meme, as proposed by mainstream media irresponsibly last week, and people like Ted Kennedy are going to try to use the catastrophe in the Gulf Coast as a way of attacking Roberts' record on civil rights. Story in the Boston Globe here. Uh, Senator, didn't a poor minority (woman) drown in Massachusetts under your watch? How has that not affected your record on civil rights?
I would also like to put the light now on Senator "KKK" Byrd...who would like to just conveniently forget his participation - HE wasn't just a member of the KKK but was a "Kleagle" -- an official recruiter who signed up members for $10 a head...
Liberals are obviously desperate!...you just can't make this stuff up!!!
DR
Why not? Nothing else has worked up to now. They're going to try to pick up on the Republicans don't care about poor people and minorities meme, as proposed by mainstream media irresponsibly last week, and people like Ted Kennedy are going to try to use the catastrophe in the Gulf Coast as a way of attacking Roberts' record on civil rights. Story in the Boston Globe here. Uh, Senator, didn't a poor minority (woman) drown in Massachusetts under your watch? How has that not affected your record on civil rights?
I would also like to put the light now on Senator "KKK" Byrd...who would like to just conveniently forget his participation - HE wasn't just a member of the KKK but was a "Kleagle" -- an official recruiter who signed up members for $10 a head...
Liberals are obviously desperate!...you just can't make this stuff up!!!
DR
9/06/2005
The Left's Hate-Mongering Isn't Working...
Americans are aware of the mudslinging, character assassinating left: The first polls, no surprise, show the libels are not working. A Washington Post-ABC survey found that the president is not seen as the villain the nutcake left is trying to make him out to be. Americans, skeptical as ever, are believing their own eyes....
But why are we...why is our President...why are the hurricane victims forced to listen to their hate-mongering in the first place??
DR
But why are we...why is our President...why are the hurricane victims forced to listen to their hate-mongering in the first place??
DR
9/05/2005
9/04/2005
Chief Justice Rehnquist Dies of Cancer
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist
10/1/24 - 9/3/05
Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died last night after a long battle with cancer.
President Bush will have an opportunity to appoint two Supreme Court justices, which should prove to be an interesting process as we watch the Senate confirmation hearings.
DR
HT: Drudge
9/03/2005
What Would Bubba Do?
I must let you know that any contributions to public television have been stopped COMPLETELY after last night…never, ever will another penny from this house find its way to the coffers of that cesspool…liberals cry and whine about FoxNews…but they definitely have NPR and they have PBS and they have the MSM…and don’t you ever think otherwise…
But I digress…
Liberals are berating President Bush for his “lack of leadership”…”lack of response”…for his “lack of empathy”…
HEY! He went down there…he met with the Governors of the two hardest hit states…
THIS is how their boy, Billy Boy, responded during Hurricane Floyd in 1999...
I DOUBT...dressed like this...that Clinton went down to the hurricane site like the liberals are criticizing Bush for not appearing SOONER...but at least Bush went there!!!
Liberals…the ones on Washington Week…the ones on CNN…the ones on CBS…the ones in front of every available microphone and in front of every camera…those liberals talk a good game…but where is the action from them?
They sit around in their Armani suits…unable to keep a smile off their faces…thinking…YES!!!...they finally got Bush!!
When are THEY going to roll up their sleeves and go to help?
Oh, that’s right…THEIR JOB is to sit around and think up ways to try to make Bush look bad…THEY don’t have to do the hard work…
One of the laments on last night’s show was not only over the loss of oil rigs in the Gulf…but also over the fact that oyster farming will be impacted…oh, those poor, poor, poor, little simpering liberals…won’t get to eat as many oysters while preparing for their next session of “LET’S GET BUSH”
New Orleans didn’t happen overnight…the warnings were there…but LOCAL officials are as much to blame for lack of preparedness as anyone…
A look at the history of hurricane tracks reveals that most of them hit Florida and move up the eastern coast.
NO ONE could have predicted this.
Just last week, Hurricane Katrina was being called TropicalDepressionKatrina…it moved past Florida and gathered its immense strength in the Gulf of Mexico…even NOAA posted a picture and remarks about how “the storm had changed”…
About this product:
This display shows how the size of the storm has changed, and the areas potentially affected so far by sustained winds of tropical storm force (in orange) and hurricane force (in red). The display is based on the wind radii contained in the set of Forecast/Advisories indicated at the top of the figure. Users are reminded that the Forecast/Advisory wind radii represent the maximum possible extent of a given wind speed within particular quadrants around the tropical cyclone. As a result, not all locations falling within the orange or red swaths will have experienced sustained tropical storm or hurricane force winds, respectively.
Hurricanes are natural disasters…can’t contain them…can’t control them…can only ESTIMATE their potential danger and the path they will eventually take…
Not since 1928 has the U.S. had a hurricane that resulted in loss of life in the thousands…but the people that are living in the paths of hurricanes appear to have accepted that risk by staying there…same with earthquakes...same with tornadoes...same with any beautiful area that is also subject to natural disasters...if the beauty is beautiful enough, perhaps the RISK is worth it...
It is time for the stupid, self-serving, single-focus liberals to get off their current course and do something productive for a change...our country NEEDS them to start acting like adults and to participate in this society as such...
DR
But I digress…
Liberals are berating President Bush for his “lack of leadership”…”lack of response”…for his “lack of empathy”…
HEY! He went down there…he met with the Governors of the two hardest hit states…
THIS is how their boy, Billy Boy, responded during Hurricane Floyd in 1999...
I DOUBT...dressed like this...that Clinton went down to the hurricane site like the liberals are criticizing Bush for not appearing SOONER...but at least Bush went there!!!
Liberals…the ones on Washington Week…the ones on CNN…the ones on CBS…the ones in front of every available microphone and in front of every camera…those liberals talk a good game…but where is the action from them?
They sit around in their Armani suits…unable to keep a smile off their faces…thinking…YES!!!...they finally got Bush!!
When are THEY going to roll up their sleeves and go to help?
Oh, that’s right…THEIR JOB is to sit around and think up ways to try to make Bush look bad…THEY don’t have to do the hard work…
One of the laments on last night’s show was not only over the loss of oil rigs in the Gulf…but also over the fact that oyster farming will be impacted…oh, those poor, poor, poor, little simpering liberals…won’t get to eat as many oysters while preparing for their next session of “LET’S GET BUSH”
New Orleans didn’t happen overnight…the warnings were there…but LOCAL officials are as much to blame for lack of preparedness as anyone…
A look at the history of hurricane tracks reveals that most of them hit Florida and move up the eastern coast.
NO ONE could have predicted this.
Just last week, Hurricane Katrina was being called TropicalDepressionKatrina…it moved past Florida and gathered its immense strength in the Gulf of Mexico…even NOAA posted a picture and remarks about how “the storm had changed”…
About this product:
This display shows how the size of the storm has changed, and the areas potentially affected so far by sustained winds of tropical storm force (in orange) and hurricane force (in red). The display is based on the wind radii contained in the set of Forecast/Advisories indicated at the top of the figure. Users are reminded that the Forecast/Advisory wind radii represent the maximum possible extent of a given wind speed within particular quadrants around the tropical cyclone. As a result, not all locations falling within the orange or red swaths will have experienced sustained tropical storm or hurricane force winds, respectively.
Hurricanes are natural disasters…can’t contain them…can’t control them…can only ESTIMATE their potential danger and the path they will eventually take…
Not since 1928 has the U.S. had a hurricane that resulted in loss of life in the thousands…but the people that are living in the paths of hurricanes appear to have accepted that risk by staying there…same with earthquakes...same with tornadoes...same with any beautiful area that is also subject to natural disasters...if the beauty is beautiful enough, perhaps the RISK is worth it...
It is time for the stupid, self-serving, single-focus liberals to get off their current course and do something productive for a change...our country NEEDS them to start acting like adults and to participate in this society as such...
DR
It's Every Liberal's Wet-Dream Come True...Hurricane Katrina, That Is...
Liberals have FINALLY found something they can hang on George W. Bush!
At least, they THINK they can…
At least, they HOPE they can…..
Watching Washington Week on PBS last night was educational..but not from the point that the liberals on the panel thought it was…
Gloria Borger, CBS National Political Correspondent, sat there rolling her eyes when President Bush’s name was mentioned…she ranted: “Poor African Americans are dying in New Orleans…this country failed them…they couldn’t even afford a bus ticket to get out…”
Hey! What about the 300,000+ people that DID listen to the warnings and leave??? THEY lost everything! But they figured better safe than sorry, right?? Is ANYONE talking about THEM??
Let's not forget who and what we are talking about here when we are discussing the plight of those that were "left behind"...
We are talking about none other than the product...the victims...of the "Great Experiment"...some would call it the "Great Society", created by none other than DEMOCRAT President Lyndon B. Johnson:
In 1965, President Johnson called for the establishment of the "Great Society." Its goal was to rebuild American cities through Community Action grants and a variety of other programs. This period also witnessed the implementation of Medicaid, monies directed to the poor for health care, and the signing of the Housing and Urban Development Act, which authorized the construction of 600,000 federally subsidized housing units.
But the largest Great Society programs—Medicare and Medicaid—proved to be highly inefficient and unwieldy; they ultimately became two of the most costly items in the federal budget. And the gap between the expansive intentions of the War on Poverty and its relatively modest achievements fueled later conservative arguments that government is not an appropriate vehicle for solving social problems.
Great Society entitlement programs facilitated a lethargic mentality among the poor that kept many on welfare and thus further institutionalized poverty. Unemployment rates increased during the tenure of Great Society welfare programs.
The irony is that until John F. Kennedys "New Frontier" and Lyndon Johnsons "Great Society" programs, poverty rates were plummeting in the United States, and especially for blacks, from more than thirty-three percent in the early 1950s to less than fifteen percent by the late 1960s. In other words, "dog-eat-dog" capitalism and the philanthropic sector it created was helping to eradicate poverty on its own.
However, within a few years of the congressional capitulation to Johnsons welfare state browbeating, poverty rates stiffened and even rose slightly. At the same time, inner cities, which received large amounts of transfer payments, began to be transformed from enclaves of prosperity to an urban reservation for the nations "underclass." Indeed, along with vast increases in welfare came accompanying expansions in unwed motherhood, drug use, crime, and overall moral decay.
The hue and cry has been about the people that 'were left behind'...
Hey - in every hurricane there are a percentage...a surprisingly large percentage...of people that choose - for whatever reason - not to leave...and, for the most part, they survive...maybe a few bumps and scratches...but they survive...
This debacle in New Orleans is no more President Bush's fault than it is yours and mine...
Rescuers were beaten back...BEATEN BACK...they TRIED to get in, but the mobs were driving them back...shooting at them...shooting at their helicopters...
Don't fall - for ONE NANOSECOND - for the liberal rhetoric as they try to turn this into a race issue...
And, if you do, well just remember one thing...THEY CREATED IT!
DR
At least, they THINK they can…
At least, they HOPE they can…..
Watching Washington Week on PBS last night was educational..but not from the point that the liberals on the panel thought it was…
Gloria Borger, CBS National Political Correspondent, sat there rolling her eyes when President Bush’s name was mentioned…she ranted: “Poor African Americans are dying in New Orleans…this country failed them…they couldn’t even afford a bus ticket to get out…”
Hey! What about the 300,000+ people that DID listen to the warnings and leave??? THEY lost everything! But they figured better safe than sorry, right?? Is ANYONE talking about THEM??
Let's not forget who and what we are talking about here when we are discussing the plight of those that were "left behind"...
We are talking about none other than the product...the victims...of the "Great Experiment"...some would call it the "Great Society", created by none other than DEMOCRAT President Lyndon B. Johnson:
In 1965, President Johnson called for the establishment of the "Great Society." Its goal was to rebuild American cities through Community Action grants and a variety of other programs. This period also witnessed the implementation of Medicaid, monies directed to the poor for health care, and the signing of the Housing and Urban Development Act, which authorized the construction of 600,000 federally subsidized housing units.
But the largest Great Society programs—Medicare and Medicaid—proved to be highly inefficient and unwieldy; they ultimately became two of the most costly items in the federal budget. And the gap between the expansive intentions of the War on Poverty and its relatively modest achievements fueled later conservative arguments that government is not an appropriate vehicle for solving social problems.
Great Society entitlement programs facilitated a lethargic mentality among the poor that kept many on welfare and thus further institutionalized poverty. Unemployment rates increased during the tenure of Great Society welfare programs.
The irony is that until John F. Kennedys "New Frontier" and Lyndon Johnsons "Great Society" programs, poverty rates were plummeting in the United States, and especially for blacks, from more than thirty-three percent in the early 1950s to less than fifteen percent by the late 1960s. In other words, "dog-eat-dog" capitalism and the philanthropic sector it created was helping to eradicate poverty on its own.
However, within a few years of the congressional capitulation to Johnsons welfare state browbeating, poverty rates stiffened and even rose slightly. At the same time, inner cities, which received large amounts of transfer payments, began to be transformed from enclaves of prosperity to an urban reservation for the nations "underclass." Indeed, along with vast increases in welfare came accompanying expansions in unwed motherhood, drug use, crime, and overall moral decay.
The hue and cry has been about the people that 'were left behind'...
Hey - in every hurricane there are a percentage...a surprisingly large percentage...of people that choose - for whatever reason - not to leave...and, for the most part, they survive...maybe a few bumps and scratches...but they survive...
This debacle in New Orleans is no more President Bush's fault than it is yours and mine...
Rescuers were beaten back...BEATEN BACK...they TRIED to get in, but the mobs were driving them back...shooting at them...shooting at their helicopters...
Don't fall - for ONE NANOSECOND - for the liberal rhetoric as they try to turn this into a race issue...
And, if you do, well just remember one thing...THEY CREATED IT!
DR
DONATE WHAT YOU CAN
I am keeping this post on top for a while...it is important that we all aid our fellow Americans...
It doesn't have to be HUGE...just give what you can...all of the donations will add up and help the victims get out of their HELL ON EARTH...
Go to INSTAPUNDIT if you aren't sure how to find a charity to make a donation to...Glenn Reynolds and his readers have put together a huge list of charities that will be helping the disaster victims...
and - as posted earlier - if you want to log your donation over at N.Z. Bear's, here is the link...
Watching the video footage of the horror just can't be as bad as LIVING it...
Help in whatever way you are able...
DR
It doesn't have to be HUGE...just give what you can...all of the donations will add up and help the victims get out of their HELL ON EARTH...
Go to INSTAPUNDIT if you aren't sure how to find a charity to make a donation to...Glenn Reynolds and his readers have put together a huge list of charities that will be helping the disaster victims...
and - as posted earlier - if you want to log your donation over at N.Z. Bear's, here is the link...
Watching the video footage of the horror just can't be as bad as LIVING it...
Help in whatever way you are able...
DR
9/02/2005
And DON'T EVEN Talk To Me About Gas Prices!*!*!
Unbelievable!!!
People are suffering...people have died...families are huddled together under freeways, on the streets, on their rooftops...and YOU have the AUDACITY to complain about the price of gas????
DR
People are suffering...people have died...families are huddled together under freeways, on the streets, on their rooftops...and YOU have the AUDACITY to complain about the price of gas????
DR
9/01/2005
Hurricane Katrina
Like many of you, I have been waiting for news...ANYTHING...from friends/relatives that were impacted by this devastation...
Glenn Reynolds over at Instapundit has put together a terrific "one stop shopping" list of places that you can donate to help these people...
If you are interested, you can log your contribution at N.Z. Bear's...
Continue the prayers...continue the HOPE
DR
Glenn Reynolds over at Instapundit has put together a terrific "one stop shopping" list of places that you can donate to help these people...
If you are interested, you can log your contribution at N.Z. Bear's...
Continue the prayers...continue the HOPE
DR
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