Boo hoo!

Poor John Kerry. He comes to Cinci (the most conservative city in Ohio) and speaks to the VFW convention. This is the same convention that enthusiatically greeted Bush on Monday. Apparently not all the vets were keen on applauding a guy who weasled out of Vietnam after 4 months, spread lies about his fellow soldiers still in the field getting shot at while he was in the states and basically voted to defund the military as much as possible during his Senate career. The American Spectator has the following story:

Sen. John Kerry is said by several advance staffers to have been visibly upset at the reception he received at the VFW convention on Wednesday in Cincinnati. "He was upset after the speech, visibly upset when he was out of public view," says a Kerry adviser, confirming the story.

Kerry was greeted by polite applause in the large auditorium, with many VFW members sitting with their arms crossed and not applauding at all. A few VFW members stood in the rear of the room with their backs turned to the dais. Kerry appeared thrown by the reception, giving a flat, sometimes-meandering speech that was intended to be a strong rebuttal of President Bush's announced troop pullback in Europe and Korea.


Here is a newsflash Johnnie-come-lately: People who vote for you in November are not voting for you because they like you. They are voting for you in spite of your nasty personality because they are voting AGAINST Bush!

Kerry went on to prove that he categorically is anti-Bush no matter what, complaining about the troop removals from Europe and Korea that are one of the smartest moves yet. Why have troops facing off against a Red Army that no longer exists? Maybe Kerry is afraid the Huns will attack Rome again? South Korea has plenty of money and people, and hates our guts so I say get them out of there and let the Koreans defend themselves against the madman. Kerry is so blindly opposed to Bush that even the most sensible policy suggestions are attacked as mean-spirited/angering our former allies/damaging good will etc.

What a tool.

Interesting stuff from Salt Lake City...

The SL Trib is following the Sunstone conference, kind of a safe place for dissident mormons to explore ideas frowned upon by the hierarchy. Lots of excommunicated types or at least those shunned. Kind of a weird crowd, it is full of people who disagree with much of mormonism but yet want to stay in the mormon church. Kind of odd. Anyway, this is a piece about a feminist mormon who was excommunicated, and her story of the excommunication process is wrenching. This is one of the reasons we did not have any desire to go before the bishop after we told him we were leaving mormonism. I was not in the mood to face a board of inquisition so they could excommunicate me before I could resign, to make them feel like they were doing their duty.

Note I have little sympathy for the feminist movement in general, but her story is a sad one regardless.

It has been said many times before but it bears repeating...

A very nice article from Victor Davis Hanson on NationalReview.com this morning on the borderline insane hatred of President Bush by the Left. Davis lists a number of factors from Bush's southern twang to his abandonment of the East Coast establishment in favor of Texas values, but what really sticks out was this statement...

>>>Similarly, Bush's Christianity seems evangelical and literal. It comes across as disturbing to liberals of the country who see religion as a mere social formality at best, useful for weddings and funerals, perhaps comforting at Christmas and Easter of course, but otherwise a potential threat to the full expression of lifestyle "choices."

American politicos like their candidates to be Episcopalian, Unitarian, or Congregationalist, perhaps even mainstream but quiet Methodists or Presbyterians. Baptists of the southern flavor, or anything not found in a New England township, reflect a real belief in the literalness of the Bible — primordial ideas that religion is not a social necessity but a fire-and-brimstone path to eternal salvation. <<<

This is so very true. Religion is a useful beast as long as you don't really believe in it. Belief in Adam & Eve, Noah, Moses, the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection are all verboten. Religion means boring but inoffensive preachers who officiate weddings in churches for people who will never darken the door of said church again (unless it is for someone else's wedding or a funeral). This is where we must draw the line between "religion" and "faith". Religion is something we do, faith is who we are. A "religious" person pulls religion out like a shield, something to use to comfort a grieving person or to add an air of formality to a wedding. Witness the empty references to deity that followed September 11th. Everyone was all in to religion to comfort themselves and then promptly forgot about it when it became inconvenient. The empty platitude of sympathy "in our hearts and prayers" has become a mantra. Those who say this are likely never found in prayer, so it is an empty muttering.

People of faith place all of their hopes on the world to come. There is no utopia to be found in this life and seeking such is invariably going to be disappointing. Just ask the people of the former Soviet Union, or those trapped in the despair of housing projects or the oppressed people of North Korea and Vietnam. This is not a defeatist attitude but one of hope. Those without faith must hope for an end to life that is annihilation. That is their best case scenario. It must be a sad existance to hope there is no afterlife as described in the Bible of fear of what that might mean.

Where does it end?

CNN.com reports that a number of seminarians at a Roman Catholic seminary in Austria have been busted for a variety of homoerotic photography, some child pornography and others photos of the seminarians engaged in homosexual behavior. With seminaries turning out priest who already live in homoerotic relationships and show a predilection toward pedophilia, is it any wonder that they are mired in a worldwide scandal over the sexual abuse of parishioners by the priest who are charged with watching over them? This is the response of the inquisitor sent by Rome to look into this...

>>>The bishop called for a "new beginning" for the seminary. As for the existing seminary students, they will have access to medical or spiritual help, have the opportunity to apply to other seminaries, or seek another profession, he said.<<<

The current students will be allowed to transfer or seek guidance? They all had to know this was going on. Until Rome cracks down on the seminary system as a whole, this will continue to fester. Of course, were Rome to turn to a biblical understanding of the priesthood and roles of church leaders, abondoning the "celibate" priesthood, the problems would diminish greatly. That seems unlikely...

Yippee!

After the Sci-Fi channel cancelled Farscape, I pretty much swore off the channel. It was far and away their best show, and had us hooked along with tons of other people, so like every other idiot network it went the way of Roswell, Angel, Family Guy and other shows I loved and was inexplicably cancelled.

Well, it is back! According to TV Guide online, which I read every day despite the occasional homoerotic humor, a four hour miniseries will run in October that will be more fo a beginning than an ending. I am curious to see how they resurrect the vaporized characters Crichton and Aeryn...I can't wait! Add to the upcoming resurgence of Family Guy TV is getting fun again!

Hee hee!

You had to see this coming. Kerry was talking about the war on terror and in part of comments used the word "sensitive" to describe how he would wage war on al-Qaida.


>>>"I believe I can fight a more effective, more thoughtful, more strategic, more proactive, more sensitive war on terror that reaches out to other nations and brings them to our side and lives up to American values in history."<<<

Although it was almost too easy, you know the GOP had to jump on that. Vice President Cheney commented:

>>>"America has been in too many wars for any of our wishes, but not a one of them was won by being sensitive," Cheney said in remarks prepared for delivery Thursday. "A sensitive war will not destroy the evil men who killed 3,000 Americans. ... The men who beheaded Daniel Pearl and Paul Johnson will not be impressed by our sensitivity."<<<

Right on target, as always from the ever straight-forward Vice president. The Kedwards campaign responded:

>>>Kerry spokesman Phil Singer said the Massachusetts senator was alluding to the need to work with allies rather than pursue "an arrogant foreign policy," as Democrats contend Bush has done.<<<


This is the whole problem with the Democrats in general and the Kedwards ticket in particular. They are too concerned with what Germany & France think and not enough about waging a war to win. Kerry, in the very brief time he served in 'Nam, was involved in a war we weren't fighting to win and we see the results of that. This is a war we cannot afford to lose, while we have (shamefully) turned away while the people of Vietnam suffer, this war brings the destruction to our own shores. This is a war that was brought to us not the other way around. It is time for the al-Sadr's of the world to be dealt with by an iron fist, not kid gloves. Being "sensitive" will be equated with being weak, and the terrorists need to know if they hit us again we will come down on them with everything we have, and not wait for U.N. approval and a by-your-leave from our pseduo-allies in France and Germany. Cheney would deal with terrorist in the only language they understand. John Edwards would likely try to sue them for monetary damages, but only if Kofi Annan said it was OK.

Speaking of new books on Amazon...

Linda Chavez has written an exciting but disturbing book, Betrayal : How Union Bosses Shake Down Their Members and Corrupt American Politics, on the shady influence of unions on American politics. It has very little to do with the wishes of the union rank-and-file and everything to do with the preservation of power for the union bosses. The sad thing is that the rhetoric is so thick coming down from the top bosses that the average union guy doesn't know what is going on. Like Kerry and Edwards really care at all about the union member. My wife had a great analogy, they are like the old Soviet politburo that lived in fancy houses and had chauffeur driven cars while everyone else lived in squalor and worked to support the system. In a capitalistic system, there does exist a strata of wealth but mobility is possible both up and down the ladder. Under the Kedwards model there is a tiny elite of the very wealthy (politicians, Hollywood entertainers, lawyers, "intellectuals" and bureaucrats) and the worker bees produce for the benefit of the elite with no chance of advancement. Which is the more humane system?

I fear this is going to come back and haunt the Browns...

After making what was their "best offer" in public, a savvy move I thought in putting Kellen Winslow and his agents on the spot by asking for more money than the pick before him and more money than Tony Gonzalez, a multiple time pro bowl proven tight end, the Browns have now signed Winslow for even MORE money than before. They are now on the hook for a ton of money to this guy yet to play a down, gave up their second round pick for him and look stupid in the media. He looks remarkably talented and someone who may be one of the elite tight ends in the game, but he is also a loud mouth with a bad attitude. I hope he proves me wrong and racks up a ton of yardage and TDs in his career, but I won't hold my breath...

How embarrassing!

The number one seller on Amazon.com for the past few days is the yet unpublished Unfit for Command, a scathing expose of John Kerry's allegedly heroic service in Vietnam. I have obtained a sample chapter I am preparing to read and thus far it is dynamite. It has to drive liberals crazy that this book is doing so well before it is even available for sale. They have even had to shut off the readers review section on Amazon as it was becoming a rhetorical battleground for people who hadn't even read the book. The conservatives in this country have been quiet for a long time while Kedwards basked in the spotlight but after the resounding thud following the Democratic convention, the Right is beginning to stir itself. After all, we have jobs and families and lives unlike the professional naysayers on the Left. If we can make sure that we show up in November, Massachusetts can have their junior senator back. Maybe he will show up for some votes?

The ignored terrorist threat...

While Islamic terrorists get the most press, and rightfully so, the radical animal rights movement is gaining momentum and getting progressively bolder and more violent. An excellent piece in the National Review details what a hold they have on Britain and the economic and scientific damage they are causing. Like the radical environmentalist movement, the animal rights movement hides behind rhetoric that seems innocent to the average uninformed person. Who is in favor of pollution or abusing animals? Conversely, who is in favor of stopping animal research if it means that untold numbers of humans will suffer. Personally, I am a big fan of animals. We have rescued a number of dogs that would have been put down as part of ACES English Setter rescue, and even some non-setters as well (like the 2 puppies that were emaciated that we are nursing back to health right now). I also love to eat meat and live for hunting. I like dogs a lot but I would sacrifice any number of them to save the life of a child. How many animals are too many to save the life of a child? A dozen? A hundred? A thousand? You cannot put a moral equivalence between a person and an animal.

The Democrats are rallying behind stem cell research by harvesting unborn children for science. Where is the outrage over the animal rights activists who impede science? They are so in bed with these radical fringe leftist groups that they dare not speak out on what seems to be an obvious position...

Could John Edwards be any more clueless?
 
Edwards complained that Bush refusing to speak before a hostile, partisan crowd at the NAACP meeting was "very unhealthy" What is really unhealthy is this mentality that the NAACP/Jesse Jackson alone can speak for and be spoken to on behalf of black Americans. Bush was absolutely right to not speak before that crowd and endure boos from a bunch of extortionists. Will John Kedwards be speaking at the Christian Coalition convention? At the NRA convention? I think not. The NAACP is nothing more than a shill for liberal blacks and woe to the black that dares stray from that party line (see succesful black role models J.C. Watts, Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell). Hooray for Bush for taking his message to black people directly rather than going to those who profit from racial division.

Reverse racism at it's finest!
 
CNN.com reports on a typical overreaction. A black student in Richmond, Virginia had been named class valedictorian. A couple of other student's parents looked into it and found that their children had virtually identical academic records, and so the school was going to recognize all three as co-valedictorians. No problem, right?
 
Wrong. The two other students were white, thus igniting a firestorm of controversy and cries of racism. It went so far as to generate this comment from a national NAACP spokesperson...
 
>>>The outrage also caused NAACP national board vice chairwoman Roslyn Brock last month to compare it to an academic "lynching."<<<
 
Two issues here. First, if the original valedictorian had been white and two black students had been found to have similar academic records, what do you supposed the reaction would have been? I am guessing just the opposite. The school would have been accused of a racist conspiracy and the local "civil rights activists" would have demanded at least equal recognition of the black students. Second, the use of language like "lynching" to describe this demeans the memory of those who were lynched back in the early days of the civil rights movement (back when it really was about civil rights and not about entitlements). Those people were innocents who were hung from a tree because of the color of their skin, and yet that horror is compared to a young blakc student having to share academic honors with two white students.
 
When will this end?