Military Recruiting Center = Porn Shop 2

Here is an update from Michelle Malkin on the heinous treatment and open contempt that our military routinely encounters in Berkeley, California.

God is Gumby

So, are any of you in need of an example as to how far afield much of the liberal Christian left has meandered? Look no farther than this, the Anglican Approach to Scripture:

Anglicans have a high regard for the Holy Scriptures, but we do not describe them as having ultimate authority in all matters, nor do we assert that everything found within them is binding on us. We are a biblical tradition, but we have no doctrine of biblical supremacy, literal inspiration, or verbal inerrancy. While not accepting the Scriptures as our sole authority or guide, we do believe they provide the Church with the primary criteria for its teaching and the chief source of guidance, in terms of principles and norms for its life.

We believe the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God. That is, they contain the revelation of God. God inspired their human authors and God still speaks to us through them. We understand their meaning through the aid of the Holy Spirit who guides the Church in their true interpretation. These Scriptures, while not a text providing final judgements [sic] on every ethical or theological question or issue, contain all that is needed to be known or believed for our salvation.

The Scriptures taken as a whole are foundational in God's revelation. Each part is to be heard in relation to every other part. Christianity is a religion of a person, Jesus Christ, and not a book. Because this is so, special authority is given to the Gospels which contain the narrative of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and of his teachings. While Christ is the head (mind and heart) of the “Church, which is his body” (Ephesians 1:23), even he did not claim to know the mind of God fully (Mk. 13:32). He did promise, however, that “the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14:25-26).

The Scriptures emerged from the experience of a community who believed that God had been and was mysteriously, but clearly, present and active in their midst. Beginning as an oral tradition, the Hebrew people and the Church gradually gathered and developed its sacred texts and established a final, unchanging canon to be a measuring rod or standard for the Christian life of faith. These Scriptures, however, were intended to be interpreted and reinterpreted over and over again in the light of contemporary knowledge and experience within a believing and worshiping community open to the leading of God's Spirit into new truth.

In other words, this whole Christian thing we have wrapped ourselves up in is one huge gray area. What a wonderful thing it must be to enjoy all the benefits of salvation while not having to endure any of its restraints.

A h/t to Christopher Johnson who says:

Let's see. In the microscopic chance you don't know what any of that means, let me spell it out for you. God, the Creator of the Universe and everything in it, sent His word to His people. If Episcopalians aren't happy with certain commands of God, the Creator of the Universe and everything in it, they can go ahead and ignore them.

And since the interpretation of the Word of God, the Creator of the Universe and everything in it depends solely on "the light of contemporary knowledge and experience within a believing and worshiping community open to the leading of God’s Spirit into new truth," Episcopalians are free to make the Word of God, the Creator of the Universe and everything in it into whatever they'd like that Word to be.

We have heard God, and by golly, we agree on everything!

Brattleboro Officials Want to Arrest Bush-Cheney

As the sad little town of Brattleboro, Vermont is discovering, when you run around naked and howling at the moon not all of the attention you get will be complimentary. Sure, some of those noticing will be kindred spirits willing to tear off their clothing for a sympathetic romp in the park, in which case you can just giggle louder and jump a little higher.

But what kind of a shock should it be to discover that more people than not will circle the wagons and load the shotgun?

h/t Cold Fury

Florida Primary Goes to McCain

Which means we conservatives have gotten even more irrelevant.

I suppose Mitt Romney (the closest thing we have to a conservative left in the race and in case no one has noticed, not at all that conservative either) will keep on plugging for at least another week and with his money, who knows, he could stay in the race for as long as he wants. Realistically though, this win tonight by McCain puts him firmly in the driver's seat and I am not at all confident in Mitt to be able to pull this one out in the 9th inning.

In November we are probably looking at a McCain vs. Clinton slug fest and I hope they both get a bit bloodied. I will have no horse in this race.

From the commentary at Wizbang:

Now, what does this mean to conservatives who swore they would never vote for McCain should he become the nominee? I would hope that they would put aside their distaste and vote for McCain instead of electing a second President Clinton by sitting out.

This is a tough one. On issue after issue after issue I find myself at odds with John McCain and on top of all of that he seems like a rather grouchy old fart that would probably spend too much of his time yelling at the television and chasing kids off the White House lawn.

I appreciate McCain's stand on earmark spending, but how much money is wasted on earmarks each year as opposed to the money that is thrown away annually on the free services for undocumented immigrants in the country? I love his steadfastness on our war against Islamic terrorists, but how many attacks might we have to endure due to McCain's belief that terrorist suspects should get immunity from questioning and also get the same legal rights as a US citizen? I heard him talk tonight about his desire to nominate constructionist judges, yet his Gang of 14 shenanigans literally handed liberals the ability to thumb their noses at the Presidency. McCain-Feingold? Garbage (and free speech restrictive garbage at that.) Fiscal conservancy? McCain is about as conservative as Bush on spending, but even Bush got the tax cut part of that equation correct. Do you want trust in government? I present to you the Keating 5.

Mr. McCain, you have a tough sell on your hands, but I truly would like to be able to support a candidate wholeheartedly. I do not want to sit out this election, but I will not throw away my vote on what might seem to be simply the lesser of two bad choices. At least try and give me a reason to vote for you other than you are not Hillary. And please stay the hell away from Lindsay Graham. He creeps me out.

Michigan's State of the State Address

We suck.

UK Health Care System Facing Problems

Some doctors in the UK are suggesting a new fangled method to combat the rising cost of health care--denying NHS services to the old and fat.

Ah, one of the many flavors of socialized medicine. The old are soon to die anyway and the fat should have pushed themselves back from the buffet table long before that sickeningly sweet third helping of canned vanilla pudding (with sprinkles.) Smokers and drunks have also made the short list of people not to bother hooking up the defibrillator to without a MasterCard and two forms of picture identification.

The doctors made their suggestions while responding to a survey conducted by Doctor magazine, many feeling that the NHS is facing a potential collapse as it tries to provide services to everyone when there are not enough resources available to do the job. The doctors seemingly answering that most macabre of questions shortly after the Titanic left port but long before any hint of an iceberg.

"Geez you're fat. Get in steerage!"

Meanwhile, government officials pandering for President in the US wouldn't see the potential end for something like this if it was strapped to the gracious ass of Rosie O'Donnell and beached along Martha's Vineyard during the regatta.

People seeking power will see only what they want to see and those wanting something for free will believe just about any sales pitch. The rest of us might just as well bring along the checkbook.

Military Recruiting Center = Porn Shop

Well, at least in Berkeley, where liberal loon pacifists are trying to enact an ordinance that would make military recruitment offices go through the same red-tape filled procedure that adult businesses now must go through to open.

One Reason Why Republicans Disgust Me

I suppose that I should take this Republican tidbit as reported by Powerline as good news, but honestly it just ticks me off.

A source writes with news from the GOP House leadership indicating the "announce[ment of] an official policy for willingness for a one-year moratorium on earmarks; it will not be a unilateral disarmament, we are forcing the spotlight on the Democrats -- we are ready and willing, so where do the Democrats really stand?"

You know that the once conservative Republican party has shifted when the meandering herd hints that it might have to backtrack closer to its philosophical roots in order to expose the Democrats as spenders.

If this gaggle of nearsighted panderers had even the faintest of beacons to guide it, it wouldn't be considering a navigational change--it would already be where it is supposed to be. The Republican Party shouldn't have to reverse course in order to get to a place that true fiscal conservatives have always called home.

So, what impact does it have on me to hear them suggest that they might backtrack for one lousy year on the most egregious form of wasteful spending when their reason for doing so is political in nature rather than philosophical? It simply pisses me off.

I hope those losers aren't still wondering why their party was thrown off the tracks during the last election. They cannot be aimless and totally brain dead too. Can they?

Culture Wars

British members of the government's technology educational organization BETCA, have rejected a book for its annual Bett Award for schools. The book, The Three Little Cowboy Builders, is a recreation of the classic children's story book, The Three Little Pigs.

The CD-Rom digital version of the traditional story of the three little pigs, called Three Little Cowboy Builders, is aimed at primary school children.

But judges at this year's Bett Award said that they had "concerns about the Asian community and the use of pigs raises cultural issues".

The Three Little Cowboy Builders has already been a prize winner at the recent Education Resource Award - but its Newcastle-based publishers, Shoo-fly, were turned down by the Bett Award panel.

The feedback from the judges explaining why they had rejected the CD-Rom highlighted that they "could not recommend this product to the Muslim community".

They also warned that the story might "alienate parts of the workforce (building trade)".

No word yet as to whether BETCA has apologized to all non-Muslim Asians for insinuating that they might be intellectually barren enough to be offended by a story that could conceivably contain a cartoon pig or two, or for that matter, to flesh and bone pig farmers that really have to, you know, occasionally glance at the offensive beasts just to make a lousy living.

The judges criticised the stereotyping in the story of the unfortunate pigs: "Is it true that all builders are cowboys, builders get their work blown down, and builders are like pigs?"

I'm torn on any potential bad blood between cowboys and builders though. It seems there should be plenty of shame to go around there already, what with prairie imperialism turning out so sourly and my house being woefully out of square. Me, I could take either side.

Some UK Mosques Too Radical for Iraq

A stunning summation about the state of Islam's mosques in the UK by a visiting Iraqi deputy prime minister:

Dr Barham Salih commented that some of the mosques he had seen in Blackburn during a visit to the UK as a guest of Jack Straw were highly radicalised, and that it was unsurprising that Britain had problems with extremism.

He made the statement to shadow culture secretary Tobias Ellwood in 2005. "I am not surprised that you British are facing so many problems with extremists after what I saw in those mosques in Blackburn," he said. "What I saw ... would not be allowed here in Iraq - it would be illegal."

How comforting it must be to the Brits these days to live in a tolerant multicultural society.

Malaysian Men Not Trustworthy

What an indictment it is against the Muslim male population in Malaysia to have it officially stated that men cannot be trusted to stand in line at the grocery store next to female shoppers.

But ladies, do not fear, for the Malay state government of Kelantan is jumping into action by passing a law that requires separate male and female lines at the market to keep the women safe.

Chief Minister Nik Aziz Nik Mat has called for stricter enforcement "to safeguard the ladies" from being harassed and to avoid close proximity between opposite sexes while lining up to buy groceries, Anual said. "He wants the enforcement to be looked into thoroughly."

Because, I suppose, we would rather see little Nik, Jr. learn to stand in his own line than teach him how to keep his hands off the opposite sex.

h/t Dhimmi Watch

Bush Biography Film To Be Directed By...

Oliver Stone.

Not that a biography of George W. Bush should be particularly complimentary, but come on, was Michael Moore too busy to direct?

Stone, who has been highly critical of the president, told the entertainment industry trade paper the film would be "a fair, true portrait of the man", examining areas such as his relationship with his father, President George H.W. Bush, his youth, and conversion to Christianity.

It would tackle questions such as "how did Bush go from an alcoholic bum to the most powerful figure in the world?" Stone told Variety. And it would look at the president's "belief that God personally chose him to be president of the United States and his coming into his own with the stunning, pre-emptive attack on Iraq", he added.

"It will contain surprises for Bush supporters and his detractors," said the director, who has spent his career tackling controversial subjects such as the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal and Salvador Dali.

I predict a huge box office flop but the flick will get rave reviews and numerous glitzy awards.

But the film will be fair. And by fair I mean it will be as fair as a movie can possibly be when the subject matter is a drug addled warmongering Hitler loving Christian Republican Islamophobe. That eats babies. But fair. Very fair.

Update:

It appears that Josh Brolin will be the actor who plays W. (That would be the son of actor James Brolin and step-son of Barbra Streisand, outspoken critics of the President.) Which, fairly I suppose, means that any Bill Clinton biography will have Kenneth Starr's son playing the lead role.

Justice in Chicago

A true story in which a marine triumphs over a lawyer in the courtroom.

Justice

No More Islamic Terrorism in Britain

Words really should mean something and they generally do unless, of course, they are being wielded by culture conscious bureaucrats trying to frame the narrative into bite size morsels of language whose design is to do little more than make people feel all warm and yummy inside.

It is along these lines that British ministers have decided that the term "Islamic terrorism" will no longer be used by the government but will instead be labeled as "anti-Islamic activity" as if Islam is the target of terrorism rather than a motivator of it.

From the Daily Mail:

Ministers have adopted a new language for declarations on Islamic terrorism.

In future, fanatics will be referred to as pursuing "anti-Islamic activity".

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said that extremists were behaving contrary to their faith, rather than acting in the name of Islam.

Security officials believe that directly linking terrorism to Islam is inflammatory, and risks alienating mainstream Muslim opinion.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith should take a moment of her time to read the Koran.

Seeking Dhimmitude

There appears to be at least two different types of dhimmis, those that begrudgingly accept their second class status to Muslims after their rights have been forcibly wrested from them (such as the Chaldeans in Iraq and the Copts in Egypt) and those that voluntarily cast away their dominant status in order to avoid the discomfort of having it taken from them.

Today's example of the latter type is in the Daily Mail.

A Muslim police officer given bacon and wine as a Secret Santa gift decided to treat it as a harmless if tasteless joke. But a non-Muslim colleague failed to show the same level of tolerance.

The officer who supplied the gift, 26-year-old PC Rob Murrie, was reported to his superiors for racism.

And PC Murrie subsequently came under such pressure that he felt he had no option but to resign from the Bedfordshire force.

Yesterday, the target of the joke, 31-year-old Arshad Mahmood, said he still regarded PC Murrie as "a good officer and a good friend", while Muslim community leaders accused police chiefs of "overreacting" to the incident at Luton police station.

The Muslim man that was given the tasteless gift is not the one who complained, nor is he in favor of having his fellow officer reprimanded. He simply took the joke for what it was, a joke, and moved on.

But not the police department which has put itself into full-blown surrender mode. The Muslim community here has spoken loudly and forcefully that the dhimmis are overreacting. It was a tasteless joke they say, but move on.

The sad thing is that sane western society looks to the Muslim world to provide the rest of us with a reformed Islam, one that seeks to integrate, tolerate and accept--an Islam that isn't so easily offended. And here it appears we at least have the makings of one such community, yet this community's moderate reaction to what would cause riots in the streets in many parts of the world is rejected by the PC crowd, almost admonishing the Muslim community for not being sufficiently offended.

Someone in this situation needs to grow up, and it isn't the Muslims.

h/t Dhimmi Watch

From the Insane Files of the ACLU

From a brief introduced yesterday by the ACLU in defense of Sen. Larry Craig, who was arrested in an undercover sting operation for allegedly seeking an intimate sexual encounter in what must be one of the acoustically sound airport restrooms in the world:

"The government cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Senator Craig was inviting the undercover officer to engage in anything other than sexual intimacy that would not have called attention to itself in a closed stall in the public restroom."

Oh ya, I can seriously imagine that those airport stalls are practically soundproof, what with all that thick and luxurious carpet combined with the finely upholstered furniture absorbing whatever sighing blips of whispered passion that might innocently eke out of that makeshift cubical of carnal delights. But, how are we supposed to ignore the intertwined argyle socks and leather wingtips below the divider?

"What you guys doing in there? Twister?"

h/t LGF

Redefining Jihad for California School Students

California's public school students are being hoodwinked by a loose consortium that includes the school bureaucracy, textbook publishers and Islam apologists.

Let's put this in perspective. Over the past few years we have had numerous examples where the separation of church and state has been used to sweep nativity scenes, crosses and the Ten Commandments from public property. City seals have been changed despite their historic accuracy--(history itself being interpreted as a breach of the church and state stone wall I suppose.) Recently a Michigan school district went so far as to use its students as an instrument to try and force secularization of the municipal Dickens' Christmas Festival.

But, if religion is truly this offensive, dangerous or contrary to the principles contained within our Constitution, how then does Islam get the blessed opportunity to present a demonstrably false representation of itself through the public school system?

An Islamic "jihad" is an effort by Muslims to convince "others to take up worthy causes, such as funding medical research," according to a middle school textbook used in California and other states.

And even at its most violent, "jihad" simply is Muslims fighting "to protect themselves from those who would do them harm," says the "History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond" book published by Teachers' Curriculum Institute.

Hasan Al-Banna's, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood has a different take when he instructs other Muslims. From Jihad Watch:

Jihad is an obligation from Allah on every Muslim and cannot be ignored nor evaded. Allah has ascribed great importance to jihad and has made the reward of the martyrs and the fighters in His way a splendid one. Only those who have acted similarly and who have modeled themselves upon the martyrs in their performance of jihad can join them in this reward. Furthermore, Allah has specifically honoured the Mujahideen {those who wage jihad} with certain exceptional qualities, both spiritual and practical, to benefit them in this world and the next. Their pure blood is a symbol of victory in this world and the mark of success and felicity in the world to come.

Those who can only find excuses, however, have been warned of extremely dreadful punishments and Allah has described them with the most unfortunate of names. He has reprimanded them for their cowardice and lack of spirit, and castigated them for their weakness and truancy. In this world, they will be surrounded by dishonour and in the next they will be surrounded by the fire from which they shall not escape though they may possess much wealth. The weaknesses of abstention and evasion of jihad are regarded by Allah as one of the major sins, and one of the seven sins that guarantee failure.

Islam is concerned with the question of jihad and the drafting and the mobilisation of the entire Umma {the global Muslim community} into one body to defend the right cause with all its strength than any other ancient or modern system of living, whether religious or civil. The verses of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of Muhammad (PBUH {Peace Be Unto Him}) are overflowing with all these noble ideals and they summon people in general (with the most eloquent expression and the clearest exposition) to jihad, to warfare, to the armed forces, and all means of land and sea fighting.

So, what should be taught in our schools, the concept of jihad as a Muslim would want a non-Muslim to believe, or the concept of jihad as a Muslim leader would want other Muslims to believe?

Or, outside of the jihad's impact on history, why should the school do either?

Michigan Primary Eve

A lot is being made of the Republican side of the Michigan primary tomorrow. (The Democrats could care less about a state already ruined by their socialist/union model knowing they can count on their sheep-fleeced constituency voting for them regardless of how dire things become and how taken for granted their votes are.)

I will never find a candidate that I am 100% in agreement with. If I hold out for that perfect candidate I will most likely never vote again. However, there is one candidate that I find myself in agreement with on just about everything. He would give Islamic terrorists the attention that they deserve. He would protect our borders. He would nominate constructionist judges. He would advocate tax cuts and a smaller federal government. Essentially I trust him on conservative issues more fully than I do any other candidate.

I am a conservative. That is why my vote tomorrow will be for Fred Dalton Thompson.



A huge hat tip to Right Wing News.

Nurses Turn Patient Beds Toward Mecca Five Times Per Day

How long do you suppose it will be before politically correct dhimmis in our country mandate this practice?

Local people were outraged recently to read that busy nurses at their local hospital had to allocate time to turning the beds of Muslim patients towards Mecca five times a day so that they could pray.

This is in some third world country, right? Nope.

The UK.

As our own country plunges headlong into the ages of multiculturalism and socialized medicine, how long will it be before this is common practice in America?

Bad Michigan Economy Spares A Lucky Few

So, which group of people is it from Michigan that is not suffering from Michigan's contracting economy and high unemployment rate?

Please sit down before you hit the link. The answer is simply SHOCKING!

Protesting Gitmo

At Michelle Malkin's excellent blog there is a post today that reports on a coordinated world wide protest against the US and its detainee camp in Cuba--a camp that houses some of the most vile terrorists on the planet Earth.

Michelle includes a letter she received a couple years ago from a parent of one of the soldiers that served as a guard at the detainee camp.

For the record, I'm going outside right now and protesting in favor of the camp at Guantanamo. Incarcerating these people makes a lot more sense than turning them loose where they can simply rejoin the fight and kill more soldiers. Of course, that is exactly what the protesters against Gitmo want--more American deaths.

As the great Kos once said, screw 'em.

Hillary Cries To Victory

So, how impressed is everyone now with the voters of New Hampshire where it is being speculated that Hillary Clinton's victory may have been due, in large part, to her ability to squeeze out a few tears on cue?

Clinton aides said her win may be down to an extraordinary moment on Monday when she appeared close to tears as she talked about how much public service meant to her.

In her gracious victory speech she humbly credits New Hampshire with helping her to find her to "find my own voice." PowerLine is not impressed.

Dallas Media--A Conservative Win Becomes a Loss for Conservatives

It is a sad state of affairs when a win for conservatives becomes a loss for conservatives. This is sadly what has happened in the Dallas media market.

When I first moved to the Dallas area there were two major dailies, The Dallas Morning News and The Dallas Times-Herald. Though I never researched it at the time of my move in the early 80s, the papers were both firmly entrenched into the market. The Times-Herald was the more liberal of the two papers and the Dallas Morning News had a conservative bent.

As things would have it, the conservative paper began to eclipse the Times-Herald in popularity until 1991 when the Morning News purchased its struggling competitor and shut it down the next day. Once the Morning News found itself alone in the huge market it began a shift to the left even if that shift may have been unintentional. Now, after several years it appears as if the slow shifting might be nearly complete. In essence strong conservative support for the Morning News may have been instrumental in removing its conservative credentials.

Some 12 years after I stopped calling Big D and the Lone Star State home I am almost shocked to read about The Dallas Morning News and whom they have nominated for their Texan of the Year.

From Michelle Malkin

Hate Comes to Maine

Following closely on the heels of what Charles Johnson calls the dreaded Ham Steak of Hate, we now must watch in sufficient horror at the overwhelming shame and insult suffered by the Muslim community in Lewiston, Maine where an act, intended to bind the undergarments of local Muslims has borne a tightly twisted and furious fruit. As Charles might call it--the dreaded Dog Poster of Blasphemy.

LEWISTON - City and religious leaders gathered Friday to condemn what some are calling an act of hate targeting the Somali community.

On Thursday several copies of an anti-Muslim poster appeared outside a downtown Somali-owned store. The poster showed an angry Rottweiler beneath the words "Lost Dog" and "Mohammed." It said, "Mohammed is NOT GOOD with people or kids. Do not trust him." It included a phony phone number.

Just for the record, Hugh Fitzgerald isn't real sympathetic with the panty-knotted show of support being fumed by the local non-Muslims either:

"Show of support" for what? For a display of hysteria by local Muslims about the attempt (successful as it turned out) to provoke their hysterical reaction to anything they deem other than deeply respectful of Islam, when part of the achievement of the West, sometimes abused, is that aspects of various religions are mocked all the time. And when the faith in question is Islam, and there have been repeated examples of murderous Muslim reactions to such criticism -- to, for example, the Danish cartoons -- it is not only not wrong to criticize, but useful to protect, such criticism of Islam. This is true even if it is meant to test the Muslim reaction -- let that reaction be tested. If they wish to live in the West they will have to accept the legal and political institutions of that West, and that includes free speech, as defined by us, and not by them.

As for Rabbi Katzir, who "represents the Lewiston-Auburn Interfaith Clergy," one can imagine him thinking of himself as some brave Atticus-Finch (Northern Division), standing tall "with my Muslim friends" in their "time of need." But it's nonsense. It is Muslims who need to be told, or need to be shown, that this lost-dog sign, while hardly a brilliant sally of wit, is neither prosecutable as a crime nor, in the civil law, actionable. And that the hysteria that they are showing is designed of course to force everyone to go after anyone who dares to display an attitude other than one of respect, or even reverence. It is designed, that is, to force non-Muslims in a non-Muslim land to behave as circumspectly, or deferentially, toward Islam in all of its aspects, as possible. Yet when such deference and such circumspection is not demanded of us, we do not demand it of ourselves, in regard to any non-Muslim faith.

The whole article is interesting.

When kids picked on me in elementary I was told by my parents to ignore them because my torturers would most likely go away, looking instead to pick on children that would give them the response they truly desired. By middle school I was no longer a target as that lucky designation was being enjoyed by the easily outraged. I suppose they just made sportier targets.

It seems as if two things would help here.

One, we all have to understand that it will forever be impossible to legislate and dictate good taste--there will always be some chicken-shit bully to place anonymous posters around town. There always has been, there always will be. No amount of hate-crime legislation, outrage, or showing of solidarity with the victims will ever change that. It will make it worse.

Secondly, all interested parties should act a bit closer to their age rather than a gaggle of playground crybabies. Grow up. Most bullies do and so do most victims. This clinging to emotional adolescence is getting very old and it does little more than create victims in perpetuity.

Thirdly, please understand that in America there is no right not to get insulted or offended every once in a while. In fact, our Constitution pretty much guarantees that we can expect to get offended from time to time. If you don't like that, if you don't feel you can live by the laws of our land, you do not have the mettle necessary to become an American. And, if you don't want to become an American in all aspects, why are you here in the first place? Short term stays here can be justified by any number of circumstances. Long term stays--you are going to have to get back to me on that one. If you want to enjoy the American dream...bravo! Becoming an American is easy. If you want to live here indefinitely cloaked in a culture anathema to Americanism you need to face reality and move on.

Finally, we probably should learn to count to two.

Spreading the Peace in an Imaginative Way

A novel way to spread the religion of peace: bomb an orphanage.

Car bombs exploded at the Church of St. George in Baghdad, where Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly had recently finished celebrating the Divine Liturgy. There were also explosions at a Chaldean convent and a Melkite church near Baghdad, another Chaldean church and an orphanage in Mosul, and a Dominican convent in Mosul.

Thanks to Dhimmi Watch.

Dakar Auto Rally Canceled -- Terrorists Celebrate

There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious." -- Ayatollah Khomeini

Could this be the basic reason why Islamic terrorist sympathizers are giddy with delight over the announcement that the Dakar Auto Rally is canceled this year?

There is no fun in Islam. There is no joy in Islam. There is no laughter in Islam. What's not to like?

h/ts to The Religion of Peace and Dhimmi Watch

Pretty Packages in Iowa

As a conservative I cannot be anything but disappointed in the results of Iowa yesterday. Sure the polls told us in advance what was likely to occur, but it always feels a bit different when speculation is replaced by grim reality--however grim the speculation may have been in the first place.

In some ways it is nice that the caucuses of Iowa hit so closely after Christmas, because we can see it juxtaposed to our recent memories of brightly colored bows affixed to splendidly wrapped gift boxes of varying size and color. Unfortunately, that three-pack of whitey-tighties boxed and fancily wrapped looks even better than Halo3 does in a stapled lunch sack. It seems to me that measuring candidates before the election is much like measuring gifts before Christmas morning--it is the presentation and not the substance that matters most.

Barak Obama is easily the most eloquent candidate in this election on the Democratic side. He won by a margin even greater than some polls projected. Make no mistake however, his message, regardless of deliverance, is little different than that of Clinton or Edwards for he, like the others, embraces the farthest reaching sorts of government intrusion into our lives without apology. He would surrender our hard fought gains against radical Islam (even while threatening to invade Pakistan.) Yet, his voice is pleasing to the ear--it is soothing in its command. In a different life he could be reading bestsellers in audio books with that voice of his. He simply is the better speaker.

Mike Huckabee is extremely fluid under duress on the Republican side. He has a quick wit and is as quick to smile. He is engaging and polite. Years behind the pulpit have given him extraordinary confidence in front of people, even if most of it was in front of those damn Baptists. Yet he is a socialist who would, it seems, love to see our country become a haven for all the world's downtrodden. If you liked George Bush's (43) domestic spending policies you are just going to love Mike Huckabee's. He hasn't the first clue about even making a cogent foreign policy argument, but who cares--he's an evangelical!

Iowa is proving that all that matters, at least at this early stage, is the packaging. Why wouldn't a conservative be disappointed when substance seems to mean so much less than brightly colored bows?

The sad thing about elections as opposed to unwrapping Christmas gifts is that with elections we are all forced to live with the same gift once the packaging is torn off, and I fear that my Halo3 will sadly become someone else's Fruit of the Looms.

Paul Mirengoff discusses the real loser of last night's caucus. It is me.

An Honor Killing in Texas

And it isn't the Methodists behind this one.

Two teenage daughters murdered because, so it is reported, the Egyptian Muslim father was unhappy with the Americanization of the girls. To be sure, I'm not too happy about the Muslimification of America, but you don't see me going out and slaughtering innocent people over it.

So, why isn't it hitting the main stream media?

Postmortem Religious Conversion

We are often told to look to Malaysia to see a moderate form of Islam, a form that could be embraced by the world. It is a form, as told by many apologists for the religion of peace, that could live comfortably alongside Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and the world's other great religions.

And then, someone in the family dies and perhaps the world, if it even cares to look, might see that moderate Islam isn't so moderate after all.

From the New Straits Times with a hat tip to Dhimmi Watch:

KUALA LUMPUR: A husband filed an interim injunction application at the High Court yesterday to stop the Federal Territory Islamic Council from claiming the body of his late wife who he claimed was a practising Christian at the time of her death.
Ngiam Tee Kong, 53, filed the ex-parte application, which also named the director of Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) as the first defendant.

The application filed through Messrs Karpal Singh & Co yesterday is expected to be heard today.

The body of Wong Sau Lan, 54, who died on Dec 30, is at the HUKM mortuary.

In his affidavit, Ngiam said when he went to HUKM to claim his wife's body, he was informed that it would only be released to him if he confirmed that she was a Muslim at the time of her death.

He was also told that the body would be released to him only for having Christian rites to be performed, after which it was to be returned to the hospital for it to be buried according to Muslim rites.

Even moderate Islam feels it appropriate and within its command to stamp its seal of dominance on the bodies of deceased infidels. Nice.

Thomas Sowell: "Santa Claus Politics"

As we enter into this election year let me say that I am not hopeful. I abhor socialism and there are few realistic candidates available that do not promote that Utopia.

There isn't much point in even looking on the Democrat side this year as each and every candidate is not only a socialist, but proud to be a socialist. On the Republican side we have, with two notable exceptions, a bevy of politicians that see government as the primary component in a solution to all of our economic and social problems. If you like the European model of economic success you can easily fall in love with any horse in that stable of benevolent thoroughbreds.

Thomas Sowell in Townhall today writes:

Senator Hillary Clinton's Christmas commercial, showing various government programs as presents under a Christmas tree, was a classic example of calculated confusion in politics.

Anyone who believes that the government can give the country presents has fallen for the oldest political illusion of all -- the illusion of something for nothing.

Santa Claus may turn out to be the real front-runner in the primaries, judging by the way candidates are vying with one another to give away government goodies to the voters.

Santa Claus is bipartisan. The Bush administration is unveiling its plan to rescue people who gambled and lost in the housing markets when the bubble burst.

We now have a bipartisan tradition of the government stepping in to rescue people who engaged in risky behavior -- whether by locating in the known paths of hurricanes in Florida or in areas repeatedly hit by wildfires over the years in California or by doing things that increase the probability of catching AIDS.

Why not also rescue people who gambled away their life's savings in Las Vegas? That would at least be consistent.

This is a very interesting article written by an economist. Sadly, an occupation very underrepresented among this year's presidential candidates but also in Congress--as Sowell so aptly points out.

A Man of the Year to Honor

Time Magazine is up front when they name their Man of the Year. They admit to their readership that the award winner is not necessarily a man of high character, but merely the person that they believe had a greater influence on world events than anyone else during the year.

Even so it was a surprise when that glossy liberal rag named Vladimir Putin their Man of the Year. Sure Putin went about his business in the same way I suppose many KGB agents do, by offing some political enemies, power broking huge amounts of wealth into his own pocket to the detriment of his subjects, by gathering as much political power as he could unto himself thereby assuring his stature as the true leader of the Russian empire until his death, and by steering his country into cozy agreements with some of the the world's other most malevolent dictators.

But, that is just Time. I haven't read more than a page or two of that crap since my college years.

You want to read about a true Man of the Year?

Front Page Magazine has a glowing tribute to General David Howell Petraeus--their Man of the Year (and a man actually deserving of such an honor.) Is it any wonder that the internet is killing old journalism?