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Friday, March 27, 2009

Hope and Change Redistribution

I found this joke posted on the Consim World Social Network:

To Employees:

As the CFO of this business that employees 140 people, I have resigned myself to the fact that Barack Obama is our President and that our taxes and government fees will increase in a BIG way. To compensate for these increases, I figure that the Clients will have to see an increase in our fees to them of about 8%.

Since we cannot increase our fees right now due to the dismal state of our economy, we will have to lay off six of our employees instead. This has really been eating at me for a while, as we believe we are family here and I didn'tknow how to choose who will have to go.

So, this is what I did. I strolled through our parking lot and found 8 Obama bumper stickers on our employees' cars and have decided these folks will be the first to be laid off. I can't think of a more fair way to approach this problem. These folks wanted change; I'm giving it to them.

Sincerely, The Boss=============

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Medal of Honor Day


Today is Medal of Honor Day. For me, it is a poignant reminder that some of the miniatures and playing pieces in my wargaming hobby represent heroes who "served above and beyond the call of duty."
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I wasn't aware of the significance of today until Comrade Karla sent me this link from Stars and Stripes On-Line:
Two years ago, a local veteran, Bruce Crandall was finally awarded the Congressional Medal for his actions in during the battle of Ia Drang Valley in November 1965. This battle is the subject of LTG (Ret) Harold Moore's book We Were Soldiers Once...And Young, which was made into the movie We Were Soldiers in 2002.
Bruce Crandall was the lead helicopter pilot flying-in supplies to the embattled troops and evacuating the wounded:

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The First On-Line Only Newspaper in Washington

The final print edition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (P-I) hit the streets this morning. Starting tomorrow the "newspaper" will go entirely on-line with only 20-25 journalists remaining out of 167 staffers.

The P-I is at this time the largest newspaper in the US to downsize and go completely on-line.

Newspapers across the nation are in trouble for a couple of reasons: Primarily from competition with the internet and the economic downturn.

What the Seattle Times article, linked below, doesn't mention is that over 40% of tech-savy folks won't miss newspapers, while my like minded friends and I won't miss their blatant bias--in print form at least.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008871618_seattlepi17.html

Monday, March 16, 2009

Lileks Lambastes Social Engineering Manifesto

One of my favorite humororist, Lileks, responds to a social engineering manifesto sent to him by Amitai Etzioni.

In his ScreedBlog, Lileks rolls-in on each point made by the Social Engineer Commissar.

Terms like "social justice" can now be added to "political correctness" and "climate change" as ones I'd like to see stricken from our vernacular. I found this handy-dandy "People's Freedom Advisory System" on-line. I think we're in high Yellow/Cajolery and could easily slip into Orange/Control.

Lileks' posting was brought to my attention thanks to Comrade Karla, who had this to add:

This is long, but very instructive. Lileks pretty much unmasks the neo-marxist prattlings of a "new progressive." This issue isn't a new one, historically speaking, but it is disturbing that in 2009 there are still people out there who think the solution to society's problems is to decide who gets what.Reminds me of that scene in Dr. Zhivago where the good doctor tells his NKVD cousin that "I envoy you…you put society on a table like a human body and cut out injustice like a doctor." No thanks.

I'd rather not see our society and way of life "operated on" either.

Lileks' Screedblog:

http://lileks.com/screed/?p=98
Fayetteville, NC--"Home of the Airborne"--is now a jihad-friendly home for CAIR at the city's Fayetteville Observer. On 10 March, the newspaper ran an op-ed piece whitewashing CAIR's involvement with Hamas and denouncing those, especially Senator Sue Myrick and her webmeister Steven Emerson, of "McCarthyite" tones.

At least the good Senator and her staff weren't accused of the "higher crime" of "islamophobia."From Islamist Watch:

http://www.islamist-watch.org/blog/2009/03/emfayetteville-observer-em-climbs-into-bed-with-cair.html

Monday, March 9, 2009

Now You See Him...

...now you don't.

The Reverend Wright, that is. Today's post on Theodore's World, a site linked here under Commentator Blogs, has a disturbing post today:

Neither Reverend Jeremiah Wright nor William Ayers' association with our Community Organizer-in-Chief's past is mentioned in Wikipedia.
According stories submitted to Theodore's World, anyone trying to upload information on these two characters have their posts deleted within minutes and they're posting rights suspended for 3 days.

I can't verify the information regarding any strong-arming of cyber-authors by the Wiki Commissars.

Instead, what I did was search for information--or rather lack thereof--on Wikipedia itself. (Normally, I'd say I went "right to the source" but Wikipedia not a primary source for research in the first place). I must admit I didn't read anything on Obama's Wiki entry. I heard it all during the election campaign. Instead I merely conducted a key-word search for "Ayers" and "Wright." But lo & behold I found--nothing. Nadda. Not even their mugshots. Nor did I find anything about "ACORN" or "tax evading cabinet nominees" entered either.

Wikipedia articles often contain a Controversies Section. I read one the other day regarding the science fiction boardgame Starfleet Battles (SFB). Since the game debuted back in 1979 there's been intermittent legal battles over intellectual property issues.

Now if Wikipedia is willing to air some game company's dirty laundry, why not do the same for the Office of the President? Especially since the controversy swirling around the Obama-Ayers-Wright Triumvirate made national news during the 2008 Campaign; while the legal infighting among game companies and their employees are known only to a handful of sci-fi gaming fans.
This certainly gives the impression of a subterranean white-wash campaign while everyone's attention is focused on the "Stimulus Package" boondoggle battle.

Another curious feature about Obama's Wiki article--there's a padlock symbol and the following title:

"This page is currently protected from editing until disputes have been resolved."
And when will they be resolved? 2012? 2016? Never?

Here's the Theodore's World post that initially drew my attention:

http://www.theodoresworld.net/archives/2009/03/wikipedia_scrubs_ayers_and_wri.html

Here's Wikipedia's ode to our 44th President:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_Obama

Friday, March 6, 2009

Deport the Clowns!

Unfortunately I'm not talking about our politicians. (Any resemblance of the picture to our current political leaders is purely coincidental).

Apparently circus performers in the UK are experiencing snags in the immigration process.

Maybe UK's Big Top needs a "stimulus package."

From Yahoo News:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090306/wl_time/08599188354400

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Iron Curtain Speech

On March 5, 1946 Winston Churchill gave his famous "Iron Curtain" Speech at Westminster College in Fulton Missouri. The speech opened the eyes of many to the realities of the fate of Eastern Europe and the true nature of the USSR.

A generation later, President Ronald Reagan was criticized for calling the Soviet Union "an evil empire;" while President Bush was ridiculed for calling Iran, Iraq and North Korea an "axis of evil."

My like-minded friends and I think "the Gipper" and "W" were spot-on in their assessments.

Here's a link to the full content of Churchill's famous speech:
http://history1900s.about.com/library/weekly/aa082400a.htm

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Book Review: The Tragedy of the Korosko

Islamic fanatics board a passenger vessel, terrorize and capture its passengers.

The Achille Loro in 1985?

No, the Korosko, a stern-wheeled paddle boat traveling up the Nile River in 1895. The Tragedy of the Korosko: A Tale of the Desert is one of Arthur Conan Doyle's works of historical fiction. In this story, 3 American and 10 European passengers are on board the Nile river boat to explore various ancient Egyptian ruins. However, their holiday turns into a fight for freedom and struggle for survival when they are captured by a raiding party of Dervishes.

As they are carried away into the desert the Dervish camels become exhausted and their supplies dwindle. the Dervish leader, Emir Abderrahman, demands either the prisoners convert to Islam--or be executed. The prisoners stall for time by debating religion with the Dervish imam until the survivors are rescued by the elements of the Anglo-Egyptian Camel Corps.

Arthur Conan Doyle, best known today for his Sherlock Holmes stories, was a prolific writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries of other stories and non-fiction works:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle

The story was written in 1898, during or shortly after the author and his first wife traveled through Egypt to help alleviate her tuberculosis. While this book can be found on Amazon.com, it is very rarely mentioned. Of the 2 reviews listed on Amazon.com, one rater gives the story 4-stars and the other 3-stars.

http://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Korosko-Arthur-Conan-Doyle/dp/1934757225/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235164903&sr=8-1

Unlike other book reviews, I won't comment on Sir Arthur's literary style. (He was knighted in 1902). Keep in mind his works aren't written in today's thriller/cinematic method.
This book came to my attention in a round-about way. On 14 August 2006, two European journalists, working for FOX News were kidnapped in Gaza. To ease their ordeal they converted to Islam--at gunpoint.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/27/news/kidnap.php

A few days later Mark Steyn commented on this story and compared it to the fictional hostages of the Korosko. Steyn's concern was that giving in to the kidnappers demands of converting to Islam gives our enemies the impression their religious-political ideology is superior to ours. The two journalists were released about a couple weeks later. What the former hostages, and many other media-types, don't seem to understand is that according to Sharia Law, once someone converts to Islam they cannot convert to another religion or renounce Islam. That's considered apostasy--a crime punishable by death under Sharia.

During his short trip through Egypt, Sir Arthur keenly observed Islamist behavior that remains unchanged today.

"There is no iconoclast in the world like an extreme Mohammedan...A statue is an irreligious object in their eyes. What do these fellows care for the sentiment of Europe? The more they could offend it, the more delighted they would be. Down would go the Sphinx, the Colossi, the Statues of Abou-Simbel..." (pg 16-17).

While the Sphinx is still with us, the Buddhas of Bamyan are not, thanks to the Taliban.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhas_of_Bamyan

And then there's this chilling description from page 92:

"The fire that smoldered in his [Emir Abderrahman's] arrogant eyes shone back at him from a hundred others. Here were to be read the strength and danger of the Mahdi movement; here in these convulsed faces, in that fringe of waving arms, in these frantic, red-hot souls, who asked nothing better than a bloody death, if their own hands might be bloody when they met it."
This description can fit any of the terrorists involved in attacks from US Embassy bombings in East Africa (7 August 1998) to Mumbai (26-29 November 2008).

Sir Arthur also noticed the uncompromising nature of an islamist. When asked about his religious beliefs, Monsieur Fardet tells the Emir "...in France we look upon all religions as good." (Page 40).

To which the Emir replies, through a translator:

"The chief says that none but a blaspheming dog and son of a dog would say that all religions are one as good as another. He says that if you are indeed a friend of the Khalifa, you will accept the Koran and become a true believer upon the spot." (Page 40).
So much for multicultural harmony.

The only differences between the Dervishes of 1895 and the jihadists of today are: The Dervishes were only able to take captives on the fringes of their desert realm, while today's terrorists form an international network with global reach--sadly, as demonstrated by the September 11th attacks.

Some readers may be put off by the author's apparent jingoistic point of view. I however, found Sir Arthur's observation of Britain's role as the "World's Policeman" rings true for the United States.

On page 17, two British and an American passenger discuss world affairs:

"If a Kurd breaks loose in Asia Minor, the world wants to know why Great Britain does not keep him in order. If there is a military mutiny in Egypt, or Jehad in the Soudan, it is still Great Britain who has to set it right. And all to the accompaniment of curses such as the policeman gets when he seizes a ruffian among his pals."

Sound familiar?

Merely substitute "the United States" for "Great Britain" and this describes the position America inherited from the United Kingdom since the end of World War II.
Which is something Sir Arthur seems to have foreseen. On the following page one of the British passengers turns to the American and says:

"And it will happen to you also."

The Tragedy of the Korosko is a 5-star book for anyone interested in getting an historical perspective of the jihadist movement that still plagues us today.

Quote of the Day #4

"The difference between victory and failure was very often the willingness to see what had to be done, and to do it instantly and with all the strength at your disposal."

From: The Way to Glory, by David Drake (pg. 342).

Unfortunately today we talk about "exit strategy" instead of victory over our enemies. While President Bush's administration, may have over-extended our military by going into Iraq, at least he was willing to fight.

Meanwhile, President Obama's administration plans on calling it quits in Iraq by August 2010.

Nothing like telegraphing our intentions to our enemies:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090227/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iraq

Who ever heard of an "Exit Strategy Day" Celebration?

Not only are we pulling out of Iraq, but we're abandoning some of our nation's most stalwart allies in Central Europe. Apparently President Obama sent a secret letter to Moscow with the following deal: Help us get Iran to stop its nuclear program and we'll scrap the ballistic missile defense we were planning to install in Central Europe--and thus open to bullying by Russia.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008805223_missile03.html

So once again, Central Europe will be left to it's fate--just like in 1938.