Rememberance...5 years and counting

Tuesday, September 11, 2001:

I booked it across campus looking at my watch. I was late for statistics, my 9:10 class. As I rushed in the door and took my seat, they had just started prayer requests. Jen, a fellow poli-sci major, asked us to pray because a small plane had just crashed into one of the WTC towers. Chris, yet another poli-sci major, who sat behind me leaned forward. "What an idiot pilot, huh?"
"Yeah," I replied, "I guess they give licenses to everyone now." An inside joke because Chris was working towards his license as well. About that time, Rob, Chris' cousin and yet another poli-sci major, came flying in the room, this was strange for a few reasons, number one being that he wasn't in our Statistics class. He motioned for Chris to come over, they went outside, and Chris came back in with a look on his face. "They've just crashed another plane into the other tower. They think that it is a terrorist attack." We tried to turn on the TV in the room, it didn't work, and of course, here I am just over a month out of AIT and I am ready to kill someone. We pray for the people in New York City, and then we try to get back to statisitics when Rob knocks on the door again. "They just hit the Pentagon." That is all I needed to hear. "Umm, I am going to go check in with my unit," I tell the professor as I am walking out of the classroom. Needless to say class dismissed a little early that day. I called my unit from the nearest phone, and, of course, nobody knew what was going on. I ran to my dorm, went to my friend's room, they had cable, and entered the door just in time to see the replay of the first tower falling. Of course, a few minutes later, the other tower collapsed. I tried to call Mandi on her cell, no answer. So, I ran to the spot where we designated to meet right before chapel. I told her, as I was dragging her to the Conn Center, everything that was going on. Of course, she thought it was a joke or something, until we got inside the CC and on the big screens are pictures of what was going on...

September 11 has a special place in my heart not because of who I lost, I don't know anyone who was lost in those attacks, but because of my tour in Iraq. The reason for the title of my blog today is telling as well. While we remember the past today, it is important that we also reflect on the future. We are in this for the long haul, not just because that is what has been asked of us. That, my friends, is what has been requred! Do we like to fight wars? No, but we do so, so our childrend may not have to. Do we like to feel loss? No, but we do so that the sacrifices of a few will translate into the freedoms for many. So, as we reflect on the past and remember the future. Let us keep our eyes on the prize, for if we lose sight of victory, this one incident will not be the only one on our calendar to remember.

No no...I am Bringing Sexy Back...

Sundays are the days where I take a brief sabbatical from politics and do a miscellaneous piece. This week, I have taken a look at the top forty chart (pop) to get a vibe of what really moves our culture.

 

5. In the number five spot is Nelly Furtado, feat. Timbaland with "Promiscuous," as you can probably tell, Nelly does not get promiscuous because of the name...

 

This song is a beautiful love ballad from one whore, err promiscuous boy, to another, promiscuous girl (or gurl). It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and afterwards you may just want to get an appointment to make sure you didn't catch anything from either one!

 

4. Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy": Well, after the fifteenth time you have heard this song, it will drive you Crazzzzzzzeeeee. Catchy tune, at first (emphasis on at first), but after that, you find yourself asking "have you lost your mind."

 

3. The Pussycat Dolls, featuring Snoop Dogg, "Buttons": Ok, one has to question Snoop Dogg for wanting to be featured in a song (if you can really call it that) about a "man" who doesn't want to help a female out of her clothes...hmmmm...maybe Snoop needs some Vi-izzle? Ok, seriously, this song is just about taking clothes off...and there was much rejoicing in the land...yeah!

 

2. Fergie, "London Bridge": With lines like, "I am such a lady, but I'm dacin' like a ho," what is not to like here. I really think that Fergie suffers from split personalities... Take this sequence for example, following each line is the English translation:

 

"And I'm going to get up out my face"- Umm, yeah, I am confused

 

"Before I turn around and spray your a** with mace"- I hate you

 

"My lips make you want to have a taste"- I love you

 

"You got that? I got the bass"- Let's get back to the me being a ho part...

 

Needless to say, Fergie! You had me at "I'm dancin' like a ho."

 

AND NUMBER ONE- Justin Timberlake, "SexyBack": While this is aesthetically a catchy beat song, the lyrics sound like a third grader (foul mouthed mind you) wrote it. Such classic and endearing lines like, "I'm bringin' sexy back, them other boys don't know how to act." First, this is Justin Timberlake we are talking about right. I mean he finally goes through puberty in his twenties, gets some facial hair and decides that he will bring the sexy back, that somehow has been missing all this time. So, that is great, so what is "sexy" to Justin you may be asking yourself? He likes to be beat into submission "I'll let you whip me if I misbehave" and he likes hips, "Look at those hips" besides that all I hear is him saying he is going to steal other guys' chicks who happen to like maternal copulation. "You motherf***ers watch how I attack, If that's your girl, better watch your back."

 

Well, there it is the top five in the United States' pop world. You know, with songs like these who really needs to care about petty things like relationships, abstinence, or even politics. I mean, obviously, the greatest attribute anyone can have is to bring sexy back which probably involves going down (of course I mean like a London Bridge you sick minded person), being promiscuous, crazy, or even dancin' like a ho. It is a wonder that some people think we are oversexed... You know, I think when we actually start respecting females for a little more than their bodies, maybe just maybe, we can truly TRULY start bringing sexy back. Until then...I guess go on "be bold wit it" is our favorite pastime.

What is an Islamic Fascist?

There seems to be some rather trite debate about what is an Islamic Fascist? When does one consider one's self an Islamic Fascist? How do we tell when a person has crossed the ever delicate boundary of Islamic Socialist to Islamic Fascist? So, in case my liberal readers have reached some identity crisis over whether they are or are not an Islamic Fascist, I have designed the following questionnaire:

1. If you have ever felt the urge to scream alalalalalalalah and then blow something up...you might be an Islamic Fascist

2. If your idea of a good time involves taking flying lessons just so you can learn how to take off... you might be an Islamic Fascist

3. If your idea of a family reunion is entering a room with a bunch of photos because they have all blown themselves up... you might be an Islamic Fascist

4. If your idea of religious freedom is being able to hear someone tell you to kill people over a blow horn... you might be an Islamic Fascist

5. If strapping 100lbs of explosives to yourself and detonating it ever appears to be a wise idea to continue your legacy... you might be an Islamic Fascist

6. If your idea of a good meal, is a visionary feast with numerous virgins... you might be an Islamic Fascist

7. If your map of the middle east involves, in any way, the Israeli Ocean... you might be an Islamic Fascist

8. If you throw a party because the price of gasoline just went UP... you might be an Islamic Fascist

9. If you view remote detonation as an unaffordable luxury... you might be an Islamic Fascist

10. If you view girls in bikinis as the epitome of evil and still pathologically believe you are straight... you might be an Islamic Fascist

11. If you are on your 23rd Bin Laden is my hero wall poster... you might be an Islamic Fascist

12. If you still actually subscribe to the New York Times... you might be an Islamic Fascist

13. If you think Katie Couric would look better in a veil, but you actually enjoyed her debut... you might be an Islamic Fascist (note: feeling the need to gag Katie Couric is not the same as veiling...if gagging is your impulse, you are normal)

14. If luxury transportation to you is a camel...you are probably just poor, BUT if you use that camel to feed your impulse to blow something up... you might be an Islamic Fascist

15. If you went and saw Flight 93, and yelled at the screen because your peeps failed... you might be an Islamic Fascist

16. If Gitmo is your idea of bad living conditions and the hills of Afghanistan are your idea of adequate accommodations... you might be an Islamic Fascist

This isn't a comprehensive list, please send new ones. Who knows maybe this will be the next big thing.

Terror in Dreamland

Larry Elder's Townhall column today talked about inconsistencies of the left, through their use of the term "chicken-hawk." (someone who supports the use of force, but has never served in the military) Of course, Larry is right in pointing these out, but his criticism of "cheap shots," really shows his lack of a grasp of what rational discourse has become over the last decade. Cheap shots win. In that line, the "Springerization" of
American discourse, as a beloved professor called it, is what we face, so the only way to fight this inept fire, is with rational fire in return.

The left would have us believe that the greatest threat to America are these "Chicken Hawks." I argue that the greatest threat to our national security are "Chicken-Chickens." People who have never served, and don't want to fight. I of course am NO chicken-hawk. I am a frickin Hawk. A Hawk's hawk. I have served in Iraq. You want to mess with the United States of America, and my children's future? I will shoot you between the eyes and then nuke you out of spite, just so I don't have to clean up the mess. Ok, really, you get the idea. So, obviously, what really pisses me off are whiny, lily livered, pantywaists, who, A. Don't get it (Terrorists want to kill me?) B. Still don't get it (can't we use sanctions or something that won't break my fingernails? I just got them done.) C. Really don't friggin get it (So, you are telling me that in order to fight evil, I may have to actually fight?
Are we sure its evil? I mean, I was always taught that government money alleviates evil, can't we just give 'em a check or something?) These are the chicken-squared crowd. Yes, I know, God loves them, but I am human, so I am allowed to be a little more deferential. So, while they may live in lala dreamland. Us Hawks, and even chicken hawks, really do understand that there is evil and the terrorists embody that. Well, terrorists and child
molesters, but my blog on Michael Jackson will just have to wait. For now, let's kill the terrorists and stop helping them!

War on Terror?

Newt Gingrich, in a recent newspaper interview, expounded on what he perceives as the continuance of a near third world war. Whether or not you agree with Newt on the seriousness of the conflict, I happen to completely agree, it is important to note that when talking about the war on terror, or a third world war, one has to argue whether we have the guts to A.) Fight the way we need to, B.) Have the wherewithal to actually win.

Let me start by saying that my statements are in no way directed towards our military. They are the one bright spot. My comments are directed, however, towards the American people. While common sense has been gone for awhile, we have always had the guts to stand up against evil. Now, however, the media decides how we think, and those bastards are lilly-livered, anti-American, socialists, who wouldn’t know how to fight, let alone win, a war on “that bad smell in the bathroom” not to mention a war on terrorism. So, while the MSM is busy calling their undocumented maids to deal with that egregious odor, let us delve in to how much damage they are doing with their own “strategy” in the War on Terror.

Strategy A.- Make everyone who is fighting the war on terror look like baboons in one way or another. Whether it is our military, the IDF(Sons of Liberty blog has a wonderful entry on what the MSM has done to make the IDF look like such.), the President, anyone with Republican associated with them, or other people in the MSM who are actually doing journalism. This war is a bad war and anyone who fights it is bad.

Strategy B.- Make the enemy appear like Joe in Iowa, Ohio, or Idaho (Face it, there isn’t much difference in the three to a reporter). Let us take this moment to look at Hezballah. (1. The most research that any reporter did is on how to spell it. 2. A Captain in the IDF spells it this way, so I am with him.) According to CNN and others, Club “Hez” is composed of a bunch of wonderful people who were democratically elected and are bringing humanitarian aid to Lebanon through hospitals and schools. What’s that? A rocket launcher on the roof and a military bunker underneath? Must be for defensive purposes. They are protecting the people and helping them, how neat!

Strategy C.- Only hang out with “cool” people. If they are American they can only be cool if they say certain phrases like, “long live Castro,” “long live President Gore,” or, my favorite, “why aren’t we still in Afghanistan?” If they are not American and here illegally, they are automatically cool. If they are not American and here legally, they work too hard to be cool.

Being that this is the state of the MSM, one can only imagine why in the world people like Joe from Iowa, Joe from Ohio, Joe from Idaho, and Kofi Anan, who get their news from the MSM, hate the war on terror and are already trying to give it a new name. “Oops,” “The recent unpleasantness,” and “The conflict in which we briefly forgot that getting along with each other is better than blowing people up.” Are among the top three. MAY GOD HELP US ALL!

Our Role in the World

Last night, I couldn't sleep so I put the TV on CSPAN and happened across a round table discussion put on by National Interest Magazine. It was a discussion of our, the United States', role in the world. Of interest were comments by Anatol Levien from Great Britain. His discussion was centered around comparing our hegemonic responsibility to that of Great Britain right before World War I. He stated that Great Britain, like the United States, was faced with a moral challenge which they had to confront. terrorism for us and Germany for Great Britain. Because of that, Great Britain lost its hegemonic power in the long run, however, he argued that it was the proper response. Unfortunately, while I agree that we are in danger of sacrificing our role in the world. I think that if we lose our power, it will be through inaction. The number one reason why Great Britain lost their power was their loss of economic power. After they lost their economic power, it was just a matter of time before they lost their military power status. What we see is a China and India who are vying for economic superpower status. If we do not act to prevent this, it will only be a matter of time before we lose our military status as well.

Another speaker, Larry Johnson (Former Deputy Director, State Dept. Counterterrorism Office), argued that we are gradually losing our military presence and significance in the war on terror because Washington's answer or internal response to the war on terror has been to add more bureaucracy to deal with it. The Bureaucracy is a reason for our initial failed response, to add more in response (TSA, Dept. of Homeland Security, Etc.) has only created a hodge-podge of various meandering chains of command that make anti-terrorism efforts more difficult not easier.

This whole discussion leads me to my overarching point. Republican principles are going to win the war on terror. We must act to make sure that we remain both the economic and military superpower. To do this, economic policies that ensure that we remain competitive with China are a must. Also, we need to streamline the excess bureaucracy in Washington dealing with counterterrorism and when it comes to the military, let the Pentagon do what it does best, win wars.

Great! Another Entitlement...

Am I the only Republican who happens to be upset with the National Republicans mantra of "taking" issues from the Democrats? This morning, I am minding my own business, reading USA Today, when, I about choke on my muffin when I read the following:

"The earned income tax credit is the nation's largest cash assistance program for the poor, providing an average of $1,600 to 21 million households in 2005." USA Today, "Family income up, but not pay", Aug.30, 2006.

After a kind gentleman performed the Heimlich on me, it comes to me. That is right, there was that big debate about giving tax credits (read free cash) to those who don't even pay taxes. We were taking an issue from the Democrats.

Is it just me, or if we keep taking issues from the Democrats, won't we become Democrats? Or at the least, as a good friend puts it, Rinocrats? We have done a piss-poor job of selling Republican values to the American people. The sad reality is that this election will not be referendum on Republican ideals V. Democrat ideals. It will be a mere referendum on Rinocrat V. Democrat ideals. It is no wonder that the American public: A. Sees no real difference between the two parties. B. Favors Dems over us in a generic ticket (50-38, Newsweek, 8/24-25) C. Are pissed off at the national party.

I was discussing this with a friend of mine who is running for Congress in Ohio. He agrees that the Republican party has done this to ourselves. Of course in Ohio, we have the good fortune of having a Governor who is at his core a real conservative! (Sarcasm mine.) Because of Taft's failed policies and the Assembly's rubber stamp, Ohio is on its way to electing a governor who can't spell leadership and has never seen a tax he didn't like.

I was not always this down on the '06 elections. We have been down before. However, we always pushed our agenda to the forefront and won on our values. In this cycle, it appears that we have succeeded in pushing the Democratic agenda and if we lose in the fall, it will have been us who took the fall for the agenda that we knew was going to fail. I would rather be partisan and live than Bi-partisan and die.