Fallen Heroes

Tonight I wept. I did not shed tears because I was sad, or glad. I wept over the memories of friends from my military days that I know died during the Persian Gulf War. Most of these friends were hospital corpsmen. They were gunned down as they tended to the wounds of fallen United States Marines. Fallen heroes. Fallen soldiers. These are the heroes that allows us to remain free.

I also cried for all of the fallen men and women of the United States Military that have fought for our freedom in every war and conflict. Each of their deaths ensured that we may live in a free nation.

And what, you might ask, prompted so many tears from a forty year old man?

My wife and I watched the movie, Flags of our Fathers, tonight. At first I wasn't sure if I liked the proposed philosophy that seemed to be presented at the beginning, not realizing that the movie was not about philosophies at all. The film was about honoring our soldiers, remembering them as they were (and are), not as some irregular pieces of a large political jigsaw puzzle. The film captured the horror of war in a way that many of us could not even imagine. It also captured how much those who have not served know nothing about what it is like to freely offer one's life for another. My wife observed that the movie made a clear statement on how a soldier can be a hero one day, and forgotten the next.

I sat there in the theater with my hips burning, my shoulder throbbing, and my hands swollen. My knees are shot and I have a bulging disc in my neck. Veteran's Affairs gives me just enough attention to help me deal with the pain, and an appointment about once every six months or so. I was discharged with a 30% disability that was not even incurred during battle, or any action whatsoever. I am a lucky man. My friends went through a lot more pain than I will ever experience. They lost their limbs and their lives so that I could live in my house free to complain about the government's lack of vision and my aching joints.

Many people call me a war monger because I support the war on terror. Some criticize me because I was on a naval ship rather than out there in the sand with a rifle in my hands. Others criticize me because I was removed from my command before the action actually began, and my ship went to the Gulf without me. I lay in a hospital ward at Naval Hospital Balboa in San Diego watching the news the day my ship made the broadcast. A newscaster told me about the death of so many of my shipmates.

War is hell. War is filled with horrors that the non-combatant can never imagine. I don't support war as an entity. I don't believe that war is a good thing. I am not a war monger. I am, however, a man that understands that war is a necessary evil in the struggle to protect freedom. I am a man that realizes that those fallen men and women that so many on the political left spit on should be thanked for their sacrifices. Without those people laying down their lives for us, we would not have the freedom to complain.

As the movie, Flags of our Fathers, came to a close, and the final words about honoring our military were spoken, I sat in that theater with my wife beside me crying. Tears streamed down my cheeks. My throat hurt from the lump that had formed. A couple dozen people wept with me. We wept silently. We remained still. It was as if we felt that if we moved we may be dishonoring the memories filling our heads.

I miss my friends. I love them for their sacrifice. I support them, and all of our military personnel protecting our freedoms. Support the war effort, or not, you have to support our troops.

I fear that I have fallen short of the message I truly wanted to give, and I fell short of relaying the emotions that stir in me now. In fact, the only way to properly convey these things is through a Bible verse.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Celebrating October 31st, but not because it's Halloween!

Here you can see a photograph of me and my wife of 22 years. This was taken last July in Oregon. Tonight I will not celebrate Halloween. Never have. Never will. When my children were young I took my kids out trick-or-treating, but they were not allowed to dress up as someone scary. Often I would dress up too. One year I was Popeye, my wife was Olive Oil, and our daughter (who was an infant at the time) was Sweet Pea. Anyhow, we have always celebrated October 31st, however, because it is my wife's birthday. So, rather than sit here and write a long, thought provoking post, my children and I are going to take Virginia out for dinner and a movie. We are going to see Flags of Our Fathers.

See ya tomorrow with yet another opinionated article. Until then, God Bless, and be safe.

The indoctrination of our children

...It is common knowledge that the way to change society is not through the ruling minds of adults, but to indoctrinate the minds of our children. Adults can only be controlled through fear.

History proves this to be correct in a number of circumstances. In Nazi Germany the Nazi Police State ensured loyalty through the children by developing a policy of indoctrinating them via the Hitler Youth movement. Time and planning spent on this brought a suitable reward for Nazism.

Some adults clearly supported the Nazis, but a substantial number of Germans did not support Hitler and the Nazis. Realizing that these people were a potential problem to the party, the Nazis developed a policy of intimidation. Fear and hate for anyone who opposed the party became policy for those who supported Hitler. The wrong comment overheard by a Nazi official or loyalist more often than not led to serious consequences.

The Nazi police state worked on the rule that if you said nothing, no harm, could come to you. If you had doubts about the way the socialist party was conducting business, you kept them to yourself - or paid the price.

In Nazi Germany the police were allowed to arrest people on suspicion that they were about to do wrong. The various local police units drew up a list of people in their locality who might be suspected of being "Enemies of the State". This list was given to the Gestapo - the Secret Police. The Gestapo had the power to do as it liked. Its leader - Reinhard Heydrich - was one of the most feared man in Nazi Germany. His immediate chief was Heinrich Himmler. Both men ran their respective branches with ruthless efficiency.

The Nazis were also guilty of slaughtering over 6,000,000 Jews.

In the Soviet Union, the communist state began to instill societal socialist values as early as preschool. These indoctrinations included story-telling, drawing, music, games, and outdoor play, which were highly structured and consistently conducted in groups, fostering a sense of belonging to the collective, the primacy of the needs of the group over those of the individual, and the preference for competition among groups rather than individuals. Political indoctrination at this level consisted of songs and slogans, celebration of national holidays, and stories about Lenin and other heroes of the Bolshevik Revolution. Preschoolers were also taught respect for authority, patriotism, obedience, discipline, and order. Later studies, specifically in 1988 with the publication in a Soviet newspaper of an article titled "Attention: Children in Trouble!", brought to light a crisis emerging, stating that the teachers and other staff were poorly trained; and children's health was suffering because of inadequate medical care. Children were entering first grade unprepared intellectually and physically. More than 50 percent were "neurotic" as a result of the indoctrinations.

As with the Nazis, the adult population was controlled by fear and the policy of festering hate against anyone who opposed the system.

Stalin murdered 7,000,000 Ukrainians 1932-1933.

The Chinese and North Koreans use similar methods today. The deaths caused by China during their totalitarian reign is as follows:

8,427,000 Victims: The Totalization Period
7,474,000 Victims: Collectivization and "The Great Leap Forward"
10,729,000 Victims: The Great Famine and Retrenchment Period
7,731,000 Victims: The "Cultural Revolution"
874,000 Victims: Liberalization

North Korean induced deaths are as follows:

Since 1948, when the Communist regime began, the number of deaths in North Korea as a direct result of the dictators ranges from 710,000 to slightly over 3,500,000.

Radical Islam is well documented for their part in not only forcing their violent ideology on their children, but having them fight the war with weapons in their hands as well. They are taught early to fear their religious leaders, and hate the infidels.

Recently, after viewing an advertisment aimed at Tom McClintock in California, accusing him of being against women and their right to choose, my nearly 16 year old daughter says to me, "I don't know why anyone would want to vote for him."

Her young mind keyed in on what she has been taught by the school system, and MTV. She quoted the liberal party line perfectly. The Democrats tell everyone that by opposing abortion a Republican is against a woman's right to choose (rather than taking into account the complexity of the issue in reference to the child's right to life, father's rights as a parent, the medical issues that arise, the moral issues that rise, etc).

Though these are extreme examples, the right to choose argument can be quite effective. Arresting murderers takes away their right to choose murder. Arresting terrorists takes away their right to choose terror. Arresting rapists takes away their right to choose rape.

Don't get me wrong. Choices are a valuable thing and everyone has a right to make choices in their lives. But this issue is not only about a woman's choice. This issue is about abortion. But then the left spews out such things because they wish to distract the voter from the other issues. Democrats wish to raise taxes any way they can. In California that means dismantling Prop. 13 and raising property taxes, raising income taxes, sales taxes, higher taxes on small businesses, higher taxes on family farms, new taxes on auto repair, legal and accounting services, a new cigarette tax, a new tax on oil which will raise gas prices, and so on. And worse of all, they plan to raise these taxes with hidden clauses that puts you at risk and puts them in the money. While they are at it they oppose a proposition in California requiring parents to be contacted if a minor goes in for an abortion.

Their "government can solve everything" attitude is being forced upon our children in the schools, and the leftist attitudes of cheapening life which has in turn led our society into becoming a throw away society (throw away marriage with a simple divorce, throw away God with pulling Him out of all public places, throw away morality by dimming the line between right and wrong, and throw away life with the senseless murder of unborn children and the support of assisted suicide) is being pushed upon them by the schools and MTV.

Yes, I agree, as parents we need to teach our children the proper values as we see fit, but it's like pulling a cart up a hill as boulders are being loaded into it.


The left is securing their future by developing a policy of indoctrinating our children through the schools with this idea of political correctness and cry for "rights" rather than responsibilities. They use hate to push forward their agendas (without ever really providing specifics) by spreading hate for Bush and his policies, and then projecting that hate upon the entire political right. They use fear by condemning anyone that disagrees with them as narrow minded and ignorant (as characterized by the actions and words of well known liberals such as Rosie O'Donnell, Jimmy Carter, and Jon Stewart). Fear and hate for anyone who opposes the Democratic party has become policy for those who support liberalism. A wrong comment overheard by a left-wing loyalist more often than not leads to serious verbal attacks, and in Hollyweird can result in serious business consequences. Various members of Hollywood, the main stream media, and the Democratic Party have drawn up lists of people in their medium locality who might be suspected of being enemies of the party and are, as a result, attacked on the airwaves, often ridiculed through the use of tainted information, and untrue facts.

The party, of course, will never speak of specifics. Whatever the right supports, they oppose as a matter of principle. If you don't like the way the Democratic Party is conducting its business, you are required to keep quiet or pay the consequences. Freedom of speech applies to everyone just as long as that speech agrees with the left.

In politics the Democratic Party is allowed to attack candidates and public figures simply upon suspicion that there may be a political strategy in doing so that will advance the liberal agenda.

Oh, and the left is guilty of (through their voting records and legislation) the murders of 46 million unborn children per year.

That's not name-calling. That's the facts.

Gosh. Is it me? Or does the liberal left sound a lot like the Nazis, Marxists, and Islamofascists?

How about rooting for America, you liberal scumbags!

And read Bushwack's Socialist=Liberal

Mail from Rome, Italy

Remember when I stated about a month and a half ago that I had a friend going to Europe? Well, he's been there quite a while and has finally gotten around to sending me a postcard. Here it is. I'm a little envious. Hopefully, before I get too long in the tooth, I'll be able to experience Europe as he is experiencing it now.

A nation that prays together. . .

A Soldier's Funeral - Texas Style

I received this as an e-mail, and just had to share it.

Soldier's Funeral...Texas Style

What follows is a message from Vicki Pierce about her nephew James' funeral (he was serving our country in Iraq):

"I'm back, it was certainly a quick trip, but I have to also say it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. There is a lot to be said for growing up in a small town in Texas. The service itself was impressive with wonderful flowers and sprays, a portrait of James, his uniform and boots, his awards and ribbons. There was lots of military brass and an eloquent (though inappropriately longwinded) Baptist preacher. There were easily 1000 people at the service, filling the church sanctuary as well as the fellowship hall and spilling out into the parking lot.

However, the most incredible thing was what happened following the service on the way to the cemetery. We went to our cars and drove to the cemetery escorted by at least 10 police cars with lights flashing and some other emergency vehicles, with Texas Rangers handling traffic. Everyone on the road who was not in the procession, pulled over, got out of their cars, and stood silently and respectfully, some put their hands over their hearts.

When we turned off the highway suddenly there were teenage boys along both sides of the street about every 20 feet or so, all holding large American flags on long flag poles, and again with their hands on their hearts. We thought at first it was the Boy Scouts or 4H club or something, but it continued .... for two and a half miles. Hundreds of young people, standing silently on the side of the road with flags. At one point we passed an elementary school, and all the children were outside, shoulder to shoulder holding flags . kindergartners, handicapped, teachers, staff, everyone. Some held signs of love and support. Then came teenage girls and younger boys, all holding flags. Then adults. Then families. All standing silently on the side of the road. No one spoke, not even the very young children.

The military presence..at least two generals, a fist full of colonels, and representatives from every branch of the service, plus the color guard which attended James, and some who served with him ... was very impressive and respectful, but the love and pride from this community who had lost one of their own was the most amazing thing I've ever been privileged to witness.

I've attached some pictures, some are blurry (we were moving), but you can get a small idea of what this was like. Thanks so much for all the prayers and support."

These photos are awesome!!

UPS Driver stopped as we passed.


Flags and children gave their last salute;



child after child



after child



and so it goes on...




and on...




and on...




and on...




and on...



and on...




and on...




THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST MOVING E-MAILS I'VE SEEN TO DATE. GO USA and GOD BLESS ALL OF OUR SOLDIERS!

Scary

I woke up this morning long after I normally do. I am not working today because the construction industry has slowed to a crawl. A competitor of the company I work for laid off eleven people, and some of their people have been sitting at home for weeks.

A sooty scent filled my nostrils as I swung my legs over so that I may land the bottoms of my feet on the carpet. In the shower I scrubbed extra hard because I thought the odor was because of me. I did, after all, spend yesterday laboring on a piece of construction equipment. Even after last night's shower, I'm tired, sore, and probably not pleasantly aromatic. With the slow down and all it seems like I work at the yard more than I do out in the field, anymore.

I commented to my wife about the odor in the house and she remarked that she smelled it too, but did not know where it came from. We left the house in hopes of finding me a second job. As work has slowed down, health insurance monthly costs went up as well as my co-pays and deductibles, as did other basic bills like cable TV. A new cable company came to town, increased my bill, and took away six stations from the plan I have. Such is life.

Outside the sky was dark, almost orange. That explained the unpleasant scent. Somewhere, probably to the east, a fire raged. In my hometown, the sun was blocked out by the eerie sky, and ashes dropped around us like intermittant snow flurries.

Nobody is hiring for a month, and then that is seasonal. Those who are hiring are only taking on new employees for daytime part-time positions, and I am hoping for something I can do after I get home on the days I do work for construction, which should be five or six in the evening.

The sun was burnt orange.

A line of fire engines raced up the road as I traveled down it.

I didn't need to be out and about. I needed to write posts for my blogs and work on my book. If I was going to get a second job, time for writing would be hard to come by.

While we were out we dropped off one of our vehicles for $1,000 worth of repair work. We held off on other things that the vehicle needed (like tires and shocks). We just didn't want to pull more blood from the stone.

And as I sat in my little manual transmission car with my wife driving (she decided to drive because my body was shooting pain through me again - hence the reason we are willing to continue to pay out our wazoos for health care - Veterans Affairs takes six to nine months to get in to see my doctor, unless I visit the emergency room) I recalled a comment made by one of my bosses yesterday. He said that one of his brothers visited my Political Pistachio blog and found it to be "scary."

"Going Postal" type of scary? Or scary in the sense of me being very opinionated?

He never answered.

I suppose for someone falling for the utopian lies that the mainstream seems to be pushing this site is quite scary. And with my story of difficulties listed above they would probably bark out that it was all a result of Republican irresponsibility.

That's the differene between me and the people that thinks that my opinions expressed on this site are scary. In my shoes they would apply for government assistance. I have elected to get a second job and do whatever it takes. Such is life. Such is common sense. It doesn't take much to hold your head up high, look over the obstacles, and do the right thing.

The fire turned out to be burning in Cabazon. Three firefighters have died in the blaze. Those are the real heroes. Men who lay down their lives for their fellow citizens. Firemen. Police Officers. Soldiers. Without these people, I wouldn't have the choice of government assistance, or a second job. Without these people I would not have the freedom of writing my opinions on this site. Without these people freedom would be just another distant hope.

Those of you out there fighting fires, fighting crime, or fighting a deadly enemy in a foreign land, thank you. Thank you for allowing people the freedom of thinking that this site is informative, or scary. Thank you.

The Centrist Riddle

Centrist: One you takes a position in the political center. A moderate.

I have two words for that definition - Bull Sh**!

The freaky-deakies on NPR call themselves Centrists, and they are farther to the left than socialists are. My cousin calls herself a Centrist, and she is one of those people that believes in that Sacred Feminine crap that the DaVinci Code sputtered about. She is one of those people that loves Michael Moore, and Rosie, and all of the other whack-jobs out there that can't seem to get a handle on right and wrong, and is more to the left than most of the far-left liberals that I know. I spoke to a man claiming to be a Centrist over the weekend and after I told him that I was an Evangelical (and mentioned Billy Graham's name) he said that Billy Graham votes Democrat. Unlikely. Honestly, that's Mister Graham's business, and I don't pretend to know everybody's political standing, but I doubt that the great evangelistic preacher supports a political party that agrees with the mass murder of innocent unborn children, agrees with a political party that urges gay marriage - thus compromising a God-given institution, or votes for a party that takes pride in being Godless (as per Ann Coulter).

Centrists support gay marriage, support abortion, support talking to the enemies rather than sending our big bad bombs even though it is common knowledge that all the talk in the world has not stopped terrorism and North Korea's nuclear obsession, support extreme environmentalism (or eco-terrorism), support social democracy (a cute little code name for socialistic Marxism), Global government (through social cooperation - again, sounds just like Marxism), removing God from our public lives so that ambiguity may rain (I suppose they don't like the represention of right and wrong), the new idea of spiritualism and so on and so on. Sounds liberal to me!

And for you knuckleheaded leftist centrists out there wanting resources, here's some of your brethren's sites, many of which support what I am saying about Centrists: http://donklephant.com/ http://www.centristcoalition.com/blog/index.html http://austincentrist.blogspot.com/ and there's more, I'm sure you'll find them.

Centrists claim that Republicans vote only party, but they look deeply at the candidate, and choose their candidates without party in mind. No, that is not true in regards to myself as a Republican, I vote the man (or woman). But it always turns out that the best candidate is always a Republican. Why? Simply because Democrats tend to push socializing America, and yet can't seem to pinpoint specifics. They say things like "I'm for a stronger America," and "I'm for the people," and "I plan to balance the budget and create a surplus," but they can never seem to dictate exactly how they plan to do anything, or why they support any particular issue. Beside, Clinton proved that the party does not have any interest in protecting our nation ( http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/12/5/142108.shtml ) against terrorism, and the current Democratic idiots claim that they plan to tax us to the point of recession. And all of that doesn't even touch on the issues that the democrats do take a stance on such as abortion, gay marriage, letting illegals run freely through our great land, cutting and running from the war on terrorism, etc.

Okay, I know I am going to get some comments saying to me not to let these idiots get to me, but it is just mind boggling how underhanded the left can be. Makes me want to puke.

Hey, Centrists, quit hiding under that nonsense name. Just come out and say it. Tell us the truth. You are leftwing, liberal, Marxist, anti-capitalism, Godless, tax-hiking, war-protesting Democrats that sometimes vote Independent.

A little honesty might actually make you look less stupid.

Outside the political realm for a moment

If you have read my profile, you know that I am a fledgling writer. This post was also posted to my writers blog: Defender of the Blahs, and on the News Page of my main website. I thought for those of you that don't visit those sites you might be interested about my weekend at my first ever writer's conference, and how my cockiness got slapped around, chewed up, and spit out - - and it was good.

The La Jolla Writers Conference

After the first day of the conference, and please don't think me horrible for saying this, I didn't feel like I was told anything that I didn't know. Little did I know, the next two days would knock that cocky little attitude right out of my thick skull.

It sort of felt like the time I told a friend about having an autographed picture of a particular favorite football player, and he said, "Yeah, that guy is great. I have an autographed jersey of his."

I have been writing all my life and thought that I had it all figured out. Then here comes along this conference to humble me. It's like I have been playing chess with children all my life, patting myself on the back over my numerous meaningless victories, and then was suddenly put into a match with Bobby Fisher, and he beat me in four moves.

Ah, but that's how you become a better chess player. You play against the better players, and this conference was full of them.

At one particular critique the first chapter of my Political Pistachio was shredded up quicker than classified papers at The Pentagon. They tore me a new asterisk, or two. Then I tried my pitch out in a marketing class, and was left speechless (which is pretty hard to accomplish with my rapidly flapping lips, sometimes).

I needed vindication.

So in the final class of the third day I pulled out my last work, The Way of Deception, and even manipulated it a little to make sure it was perfect. Granted, it wasn't pounced on as bad as Political Pistachio, but it received the jabs that it deserved.

What's the moral to this story?

I nearly decided that the moral was that I need a good butt kicking. But that isn't it at all. And the moral could easily be something like that you are never as good as you think, and every writer can use a little skin-thickening every once in a while. But the true moral to this story is that writing is like no other business I know. It is cut-throat in the sense that few get through the guarded door to publication, and that it is a difficult process, though not impossible. But, writers are not cut-throat to each other directly. Writers are the most giving people you will ever meet when dealing with other writers. The critiques are not designed to put a writer in his or her place. The advice is not designed to expose inexperience. All of it is for one reason and one reason only. To make you a better writer.

After 34 years of writing, I am growing up and becoming a writer. 300 rejections or so has toughened my hide. The La Jolla Writers Conference polished it so that I may shine.

Thank you, my fellow writers; and for those of you reading this (that are aspiring writers) that have never been to a conference, go to one, and network like crazy.

Democratic party seizes another opportunity to play dirty politics

The candidate, Joe Negron, replacing Representative Mark Foley on the Florida ballot has been barred from posting signs at polling places clarifying that votes for Foley will actually go to him. Foley, as expected after the sex scandal involving him and male congressional aides and the internet, resigned from Congress on September 29th.

Rules prohibits Foley's name to be replaced on the ballot so close to the election so Joe Negron, in an attempt to educate the voters on recent events, asked election officials to post signs at the polls telling voters that ballots cast for Foley would elect him instead.

A Florida Circuit Judge ruled against posting the signs, claiming that the legislature did not authorize them, thus granting the Florida Democratic Party's request for an injunction blocking the signs.

Democratic Party officials said the notices would amount to a last-minute campaign boost for Negron, and that could just not be allowed. The left sees this as an opportunity for an easy win, and another nail in the coffin in the Republican control of Congress.

The Republicans are going to appeal the ruling.

Sterling Ivey, Republican spokesperson, said, "We think voter education issues are paramount."

Of course, I suppose that if there is anyone in that district that is not aware of what has been going on, perhaps they don't belong in the voting booth.

North Korea has decided that U.N. Sanctions are a Declaration of War

Image: Sea of torch-carrying N. Koreans rallies in Pyongyang to mark 80th anniversary of 'Down-With-Imperialism Union.

Yesterday North Korea declared that the sanctions imposed by the United Nations aimed at punishing Kim Jong Il (or the "midget" as some refer to him) for testing a nuclear device amount to a declaration of war. They further stated that they won't cave in to the pressures because now they are a nuclear power.

They claim that they want peace but are not afraid of war, and will deal merciless blows against anyone they consider to be threatening their sovereignty. Hmmm, they are starting to sound like Islamofascists to me.

Though China has been North Korea's few allies, relations between China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are frayed as a result of North Korea's tests and nuclear blast, as well as the leader of North Korea acting like a petulant child.

The Chinese recommends that we resolve the situation through dialogue and consultation.

Obviously talking doesn't accomplish jack! North Korea could care less about sanctions or rough talk. The leadership doesn't care if the populace is dying from starvation. Pyongyang is playing the part of a kid that just realized he's able to make a fist, and now they want to try out their new found skill. That's it. North Korea is a child taking swings at other kids just to see if they can get away with it.

Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary of State, states that North Korea is preparing for another test, and that they should pay a high price for their reckless behavior. I agree, but our political elite, even the Republicans, are too afraid to stir the hornet's nest. They believe the rhetoric. They fear the public outcry.

Reagan would have blasted them already.

How to negotiate with terrorists

This post by Random Traverse is absolutely brilliant, and hilarious. Go to it here.

Mama's don't let your children grow up and be students at Columbia University

Minuteman Project under attack at Columbia University

It's bad enough that the leftist liberal socialist democratic party is full of rageful intolerance of anybody that disagrees with it, and it is even worse that the leftist army of doom and gloomers are also posing as teachers in our fine academic institutions, but it is unacceptable beyond imagination when the students that have been indoctrinated by this socialistic political ideology that constantly contradicts itself mindlessly copycats their activities of liberal idiocy.

Let's go back. I recently wrote a post about liberal hypocrisy. As you read this post, keep the double-standard, contradictory hypocrisy of the liberal left in mind.

Correct me if I am wrong. As I understand it, the primary reason that people of the left have a problem with the Minuteman Project is because they think that it is a racist organization designed to interfere with the immigration of opportunity seeking illegal aliens, sorry, undocumented immigrants. The left believes that the Minuteman project is a racist group. Anyone is racist against Hispanics if they are against illegal immigration. Do I have that right?

Now, the people that supports the leftist idea of allowing illegals to cross the borders without anything to stop, or even hinder, them are not racists, then. Correct? They are nice people who want nothing more than for those poor immigrants to have a place to work and live. And of course these people on the left, along with supporting illegal immigration tend to be against the war in Iraq (ready to cut and run at the earliest opportunity - oh, sorry, that's called an exit strategy - such a nice term for such a cowardly act) because of the violence that the United States is spreading across the globe. Do I still have it right?

So why is it that our tolerant, non-racist, non-violent friends of the left attacked free speech in America by physically assaulting, in mob style, a black man (Marvin Stewart, Director of Community Affairs for the National Minuteman Project) while calling him the N-word?

N-word? Wait, these people are mad at the Minutemen for being racist against Hispanics, right? But they use the N-word? And these anti-war people also did it in a violent, mob-like manner!

What did the protestors have to say afterward? "The minutemen are not a legitimate voice in the debate on immigration. They are a racist, armed militia who have declared open hunting season on immigrants, causing countless hate crimes and over 3000 deaths on the border. . . no human being is illegal." During the attack they also unfurled a banner in Arabic and English. Afterward one protester said, "I don't feel we need to apologize for anything. It was fundamentally a part of free speech."

These are the same people that called Mister Stewart the N-word, and attacked the man on stage.

So the left's right to free speech includes the right to take away the right to speak from the right?

And why is it so wrong for the Minuteman Project to exist? Does the left have sole possession of the right to dissent?

The idea of what's going on in our schools, and what is becoming of free speech was explained well on October 2, 2006 on Katie Couric's "CBS Evening News" when the father of a boy killed at Columbine shared his views on the deeper causes of the recent shootings in Amish Country. He said, "Violence entered our schools when we threw God out of them. This country is in a moral freefall. . . We teach there are no moral absolutes, no right or wrong, and I assure you the murder of innocent children is always wrong, including abortion. Abortion has diminished the value of children."

Airing his views, of course, was followed by a storm of criticism. One blogger said, "Grief makes people say stupid things."

Free speech from a conservative is wrong, according to the left, and must be silenced.

Rose O'Donnell banged away on gun control, and Elizabeth was not bowing to Rosie's leftwing views. Rosie threw a fit, to the point that Elizabeth recoiled as if ready to defend herself from a physical attack. Rosie was enraged, wanting to silence her, educate her of her leftist views. How dare someone not think like the left.

And more than a week after the Columbia stage-rush affair, disciplinary procedures for the protestors are still undecided.

What?

How about throwing their butts in jail for physically (and verbally) assaulting Jim Gilchrist (founder of the Minuteman Project) and Marvin Stewart!

The University president said, "It's too early to make any judgment whether there are disciplinary actions that should be taken."

Excuse me?

How long before they decide? After the election?

This was not a peaceful protest. The students rushed the stage and physically and verbally (you know, the N-word! That would be a hate crime in any other scenario) assaulted these men. End of conversation. If it was my school, disciplinary actions would be swift and meaningful!

Apparently free speech is fine for the left, but conservatives no longer have that right. And being racist against blacks is a hate crime, unless he's a member of the right. Then it is expected and accepted.

And the liberals preach that they are the kings of tolerance, and that the Conservative Right is intolerant. You know, from my angle, it seems like the liberal left is intolerant, racist, and exclusionary elitists that believe that they own the sole rights to having rights.

Need proof? Look at the left's record, starting with the Columbia University riot.

How about using the Dixie Chicks as an example as well? They bashed the president, were proud of their entitlement to practice their right to free speech, but when fans reacted they whined saying that their freedom of expression was being squashed.

Unfortunately, the liberals seem to think that freedom of speech means freedom from others disagreeing with them. Freedom of speech, according to the left, is not to be shared with those who disagree with them.

Had a liberal been speaking at Columbia University do you think that a bunch of young Republicans would have jumped the stage? Of course not. They would have waited to debate their points. They would have acted like adults, rather than violent thugs bent on intimidating their opponents into silence and submission.

And if conservatives ever did rush a liberal speaker in a manner similar to Columbia, not that it would ever happen, the liberal media would have been all over it. "How brutally intolerant of those bigots," the newscaster would be saying. The New York Times would have had it plastered all over the front page for a week!

So, why do the liberals act so violently when the right disagrees with them? Or, for that matter, responding hatefully, using inappropriate language, and then changing the debate into an anti-Bush, anti-God attack? Immaturity perhaps?

The liberal left bases everything on emotions rather than specifics. Rage rather than principles. Intolerance rather than common sense. Feelings rather than facts. Then, as a result, they find it hard to control themselves. Perhaps their lack of a belief in God, or any belief in any reasonable moral code for that matter, allows for such behavior. Either that, or it could be a fear that if the other side is heard, people may actually recognize how wrong the leftwing ideology truly is.

Besides, the left would never want anyone to realize that their ideals are fueled by a hidden desire for a Marxist utopia, and that they are willing to crush the freedom the claim to hold so dear to reach that socialistic society.



Above: Watch the whole video - because the statement at the end of it by a Conservative Columbia University student is well worth it.

Below: O'Reilly's position on what happened as well as an interview with Minutman Marvin Stewart.

Liberal Hypocrisy

In light of recent events that have erupted in the political world regarding representative Foley, and a comment I received in which the liberal commenter stated that they believe "...most Americans...believe that they cannot trust Republicans in public office, and Democrats hold the moral high ground...and when the Republicans lose the radical religious right's hate-frenzy base, they have lost their voting base...", as well as being inspired by the rightwingguy's own article regarding The Hypocrisy of the Democrats (which is very well written and right on target), I decided to take a nice long look into this claim that the Republican Party cannot be trusted by the left, and as expected, found it full of idiocy and hypocrisy.

Let's think about this, now. The Democratic Party is obsessed with doom and gloom. Their agenda is to keep conservatives home from the voting booth, especially Christian Conservatives. But the attempt to get everyone to hate the Republican Party by spreading anti-Bush and anti-Christian propaganda commenserate of the lies spread by the now deceased Soviet Union (thanks to a Republican President, Ronald Reagan) against President Bush isn't working. His approval numbers are on the rise again.

So first they (the liberal left) turned on incumbent Republican Senator George Allen, digging up 30 year-old allegations of racism. The attack devolved into ugly smears and mudslinging, not to mention the fact that their racial accusations were unsubstantiated. And amidst the firestorm of liberal media speculation, the liberal left received a surprise when Allen's polling numbers went up, because it is obvious to the average voter that Allen was being railroaded, and no matter how carefully they orchestrated the attack, the intelligence of the American voter sniffed out that this was just another unconscionably despicable act of desperation by the Democratic Party. But why should anyone be surprised? Despicable activities is what the Democrats do.

When the you-know-what hit the fan for the liberal left, a new report came out about the Haditha Massacre claim, refuting it, exposing the claim for what it was. False. In fact, everything seems to be backfiring against the liberal left. Everything. So, with their backs up against the wall, they had to pull out their ace in the pocket. Representative Foley. They had planned to use Foley's follies as a coup de grace, rather than as an early gunshot. But with the polling numbers heading in directions they do not desire, Bush's successful national security speeches, dropping gas prices, and positive economic outlook surveys, they had to spring the trap early.

A Democratic National Convention operative told the American Spectator "A month before, we were looking at launching an offensive against Republicans who according to polling held a five-seat majority if the election were held at the end of August. . .by mid-September, Republicans were back to having held seats for a 15-seat majority. We were looking at a disaster in the making. . .[the remedy?]. . .pull out the bright shiny things that distract the average American voter away from the issues we all know and care about -- national security, anti-terrorism -- and focus on the ugly: Foley and Iraq. . .A majority within grasp wasn't drifting away, it was being yanked back by Republicans. . .Foley had to be bumped up on the scandal schedule." And to the left's delight, the Foley story has become a bigger mess than anyone had expected.

But is the Foley situation truly a successful attack by the left? Or is it backfiring? First, the Democrats, because the "pages" that Foley communicated with were males, are coming across in some sectors of the public as gay bashers. Also, it has come out that the liberals knew of this since August, making it obvious they released this information at this time not because they were so concerned regarding the despicable acts by a trusted representative, but because it was the best strategic time to release the information, and fuel a full-blown scandal. Besides, since when is the Democratic Party against sexual misconduct? The party of the liberals is known for sex scandals, and then suddenly we are supposed to believe that they "hold the moral high ground"? Oh, please. Let's run down some of the sex scandals in Congress, and mind you, this is only the Top 10 Democrat Sex Scandals in Congress (coupled with how the Democrats looked the other way or condoned the actions of their people):

Top 10 Democrat Sex Scandals in Congress Information compiled from the Washington Post, “Congressional Sex Scandals in History,” and other sources.

10. Sen. Daniel Inouye. The 82-year-old Hawaii Democrat was accused in the 1990s by numerous women of sexual harassment. Democrats cast doubt on the allegations and the Senate Ethics Committee dropped its investigation.

9. Former Rep. Gus Savage. The Illinois Democrat was accused of fondling a Peace Corps volunteer in 1989 while on a trip to Africa. The House Ethics Committee decided against disciplinary action in 1990.

8. Rep. Barney Frank. The outspoken Massachusetts Democrat hired a male prostitute who ran a prostitution service from Frank’s residence in the 1980s. Only two Democrats in the House of Representatives voted to censure him in 1990.

7. Former Sen. Brock Adams. The late Washington Democrat was forced to stop campaigning after numerous accusations of drugging, assault and rape, the first surfacing in 1988.

6. Former Rep. Fred Richmond. This New York Democrat was arrested in 1978 for soliciting sex from a 16-year-old. He remained in Congress and won re-election—before eventually resigning in 1982 after pleading guilty to tax evasion and drug possession.

5. Former Rep. John Young. The late Texas Democrat increased the salary of a staffer after she gave in to his sexual advances. The congressman won re-election in 1976 but lost two years later.

4. Former Rep. Wayne Hays. The late Ohio Democrat hired an unqualified secretary reportedly for sexual acts. Although he resigned from Congress, the Democratic House leadership stalled in removing him from the Administration Committee in 1976.

3. Former Rep. Gerry Studds. He was censured for sexual relationship with underage male page in 1983. Massachusetts voters returned him to office for six more terms.

2. Former Rep. Mel Reynolds. The Illinois Democrat was convicted of 12 counts of sexual assault with a 16-year-old. President Bill Clinton pardoned him before leaving office.

1. Sen. Teddy Kennedy. The liberal Massachusetts senator testified in defense of nephew accused of rape, invoking his family history to win over the jury in 1991.

And that's only in Congress. That's not even remotely zeroing in on Clinton's scandals. (Bill wears flannel underwear to keep his ankles warm!)

And now, as Rightwing Guy has so accurately indicated in his article, "The Democrats have come out in mass numbers to attack the Bush administration's handling of the North Korea situation. . . saying that [Bush] has not been aggressive enough and that Iraq has taken away his focus."

Terry points out in that same article that the same Dems assaulted Bush for going it alone regarding Iraq and that he didn't try hard enough for a peaceful solution. . .and now they are criticizing him for taking a position of searching for a peaceful solution. Now the left states that he should have been more proactive in his dealings with North Korea. . . honestly, I like Bush, and I would never, ever desire a Democrat in office, but let's be honest, if Reagan had faced this situation, Navy fighters would have been ordered to commence upon an American air strike against North Korea as he did with Libya - - wait, that is wrong. Reagan would never have allowed the North Korean situation to get to this point in the first place. He would have isolated the government while helping the people. Remember, because of Reagan's strategies, the Soviet Union disappeared. North Korea is in the middle of a famine. Manutrition runs rampant throughout that country. More than 200,000 North Koreans are imprisoned in concentration camps. Reagan would have funneled every American dollar he could into providing food and aid through a system of private activity consciously designed to undermine the dictatorship, and as the food and aid was shipped in from every direction the energy of the government would have been focused on this problem of their citizens being thankful to the helpful Americans, thus taking their authority away, and a lot of people, as in Eastern Europe, would have created subverssive organizations and parties and would have taken action against the government, until the dictatorship splintered and fragmented and became no more.

But that is what Reagan would have done.

Bush is not Reagan, and I understand that, but thank God he's not a Kennedy, or a Kerry, or a liberal by any name. One thing that Bush does share with Reagan is the principle of leading us by choosing what he feels is best for the nation's overall security (not making his decisions based upon what the polls suggest, or crumbling under the idiotic attacks of the liberal left).

So, to "Rick and Kathy", the liberals that deposited their comment anonymous this time, probably because last time they left a comment I visited their site and proclaimed on Political Pistachio that they laughingly claimed to be Christian Liberals (so I suppose it is Christian to support the murder of unborn children, to shrug off sexual misconduct as they did with Clinton's BJ's delivered by our favorite Monica, dirty play in politics, taxing the people to death, double taxation as with the death tax, attacking the corporations and small businesses with heavier taxes as a penalty for becoming successful which in turn undermines our economic growth and stability, supporting a party that is proud of being Godless as Anne Coulter exposed, etc etc etc), you are wrong. You said that the Republicans cannot be trusted in public office. Answer? Only the Republicans can be trusted in office. You said that the Democrats hold the moral high ground. Answer? Hardly. One Republican sex scandal versus numerous Democratic sex scandals along with the fact that the Democrats are against censorship (ask the Mondales and Kerrys), support gay marriage, promote sex education in the schools to be applied at a younger age than it already is, and the association of the doom and gloom cut and run party with Hollyweird's immoralism, I hardly think that the Democrats could be even remotely considered as holding any position on moral high ground, unless that high ground is a hill somewhere in the depths of Hell. As for the religious right being a hate-frenzy base? Why? Because they support the war in Iraq? Because they support profiling? Listen, leftists, the war is on terrorism, and Iraq is a part of it, and if I hear another argument that we should have left Iraq alone because they weren't a part of 9/11 I'm gonna scream. I suppose we shouldn't have gone into Germany either, because they weren't a part of Pearl Harbor. And profiling is what stopped the last 9/11 style attack that was attempted to be launched from Britain. As for losing the Bible Belt's votes? Hardly. Goes back to that abortion, gay marriage, censorship argument. Besides, the problem of losing votes hardly is a problem to the conservative right. Nobody is losing any voters. The left made that up, as they do the polls. Last I checked, if you remember from earlier in this article, the election has changed from a 5-seat Republican advantage to a 15-seat Republican advantage.

Quick, the liberal boat is sinking, come up with another attack, quick!

Hey, liberals. I have an idea. How about you learn how to debate the issues, make decisions that will protect America, and quit aligning yourselves with socialistic political agendas that is designed to undermine and destroy liberty and freedom?

Oh, and now for a statement that no member of the liberal left has the ability to understand: God Bless America!

(for more, check out the last few videos I have on www.politicalpistachiovideos.blogspot.com - - a couple of which was discovered by my good friend Bushwack at American and Proud of it.

North Korea performs nuclear weapons test

Today the South Korean seismic monitoring center confirmed that tremors felt at the time of an alleged nuclear test in the north were not a natural occurrence. Later, the North Korean Central News Agency stated that an underground test was performed successfully.

The test places the world into a very precarious position, even though North Korea hasn't shown the ability to launch their weapons further than the immediate vicinity. Nonetheless, a nuclear strike on South Korea or Japan could be a consideration by the communist dictator.

The U.S. plans to push for stronger punitive measures, though they state that the explosion was smaller than the North Koreans desired.

North Korea has disregarded all international resolutions designed to stop this event, and has proven that they cannot be trusted. Their excuse is that the reason they built the bomb is that they feared U.S. invasion.

Their interest in building a nuclear weapon goes back to the years Clinton was in office, violating an agreement signed during that administration. Japan's Prime Minister has arrived in South Korea to discuss the situation with the South Korean leaders, stating that the nuclear test was absolutely unacceptable. The South Korean President also has conferred with President Bush on the phone over this already.

This situation has huge global implications, especially where it concerns the Middle East. How we respond to this will dictate Iran's nuclear aspirations. If we sit and take little action, Iran will pursue reaching the same level of nuclear capabilities with little worry of retribution from the west. Surprisingly, there is word that China warned the U.S. of the test 20 minutes before it occurred. I wonder if China will be a reliable partner in dealing with North Korea. Probably not.

Sanctions imposed by the U.N. security council are likely, but will unlikely deter North Korea from any further tests.

North Korean Tensions Continue

Five North Korean soldiers crossed into the Demilitarized Zone today. South Korean Soldiers fired off 60 shots. Kind of interesting that this happened as regional tensions are mounting in anticipation of communist North Korea's plan to test its first atomic bomb. Is North Korea testing some waters? Or are they taunting South Korea?

Associated Press reported that it was unclear whether the North Korean advance was intended as a provocation, or was rather an attempt to go fishing at a nearby stream. Four of the North Koreans were unarmed and the fifth carried a rifle. No one was hurt, and the North Koreans retreated.

Though rare, this kind of thing happens, but I am pretty convinced that this incursion into the DMZ was orchestrated to create tensions, and an excuse for needing the bomb. They will tell their citizens that South Korean troops opened fire on unarmed North Korean troops and that a standoff may be necessary.

The impotent U.N. Security Council had earlier warned the North not to follow through on its threats to test its first nuclear weapon (like they really listened when they were warned not to test their missiles). Japan will push for punitive measures if North Korea goes ahead with the tests.

And on an even weirder note, South Korean officials are going to visit in Beijing on Monday for two days of talks with Chinese officials about the nuclear test. Like China is going to do anything! North Korea is the far east's version of the Eastern Bloc. In fact, China has probably been assisting North Korea in their Nuclear ambitions!

Japan's Foreign Ministry stated that a North Korean nuclear test is "a grave threat to peace and security of northeast Asia and the world."

No kidding!

The Ministry further commented, "If North Korea conducts a nuclear weapons test despite the concerns expressed by international society, the Security Council (meaning the United Nations) must adopt a resolution outlining severely punitive measures."

The U.N. will do nothing. We are so wrapped up with terrorism right now, our ability to respond is minimal. And a Chinese official indicated that the only thing that would dissuade North Korea from carrying out the nuclear test is the removal of American economic sanctions. That's a bunch of B.S. because you know as well as I do that the only thing that will stop North Korea from developing and testing the bomb would be for it to be forcefully taken away from them. Problem is, the liberals may fall for such a lie and if able to they would promptly take action on getting kissy kissy with the North Koreans so that they could maybe convince them by talking to them not to follow their nuclear aspirations. . .and then as the bomb flies through the air the left will say to each other "nah, that isn't from North Korea, they're such nice people. They would never do something like that to us or Japan." BOOM! Nonetheless, as I have stated in a past post, the United States needs to somehow organize an operation to go in and stop this program now, by force, before it gets off the ground.

The sanctions, by the way, are for North Korea counterfeiting and money laundering. Reminds me of Islam. They are nothing more than a bunch of punks with a little power trying to flex immature muscle. As an added note, North Korea has boycotted six-nation talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear ambitions.

Like with radical Islamic terrorists, talking does not get the job done.

Bolton, the American U.N. ambassador which I like immensely, said that the U.N. Security Council needs to adopt a long-term strategy to deal with North Korea (which they won't), but the top U.S. priority now is to stop a nuclear test (and in my opinion, by any means possible - or else we have a real problem).

The left (and the social liberals around the world) still thinks that talking will do the job. Talking has not worked so far. What makes them think that it will do any good in the future?

Il is like a petulant child. He must be controlled, and made to follow the rules of the world. Otherwise, everyone suffers. Sounds like a mousetrap to me.

One of a Liberal's Greatest Fears!

Where are all of the Americans?

An aunt of mine sent me this by e-mail, and it is so golden, I just had to share it with all of you.

A Somali arrives in Minneapolis as a new immigrant to the United States. He stops the first person he sees walking down the street and says,"Thank you Mr. American for letting me in this country, and giving me housing, food stamps, free medical care and free education!" But the passer-by says "You are mistaken, I am Mexican".

The man goes on and encounters another passer-by. "Thank you for having such a beautiful country here in America!" The person says " no American, I Vietnamese.

"The new arrival walks further, and the next person he sees he stops, shakes his hand and says "Thank you for the wonderful America !" That person puts up his hand and says "I am from Middle East, I am not an American!"

He finally sees a nice lady and asks suspiciously, "Are you an American?" She says, "No, I am from Russia !" So he is puzzled, and asks her,"Where are all the Americans?" The Russian lady looks at her watch, shrugs, and says...

"Probably at work!"

Foley's folly shouldn't sink the ship

Rep. Mark Foley, a congressman from Florida, and a member of the Republican Party, is an idiot, and is one of those people that Absolute Zero zeroes in on. He's sick, and I'm glad he got caught. The Democrats, of course, is all over this one. Thing is, the Democratic Party is always being haunted by charges of sexual misconduct. They're just happy it happened to a Republican for once. Thing is, they aren't jumping on this because they really think what Foley did was so wrong, it is a strategic attack. Their goal has nothing to do with morality. And their abilities to battle has nothing to do with honest politics. They can't argue the issues. The goal of the Democratic Party is simply to create hate against the GOP, as they are trying to incite against Bush, and Foley didn't help the Republican battle at all.

And now they are all over Dennis Hastert's handling of this affair, calling for his resignation. Are you kidding me? Granted, Hastert's past spending record is not one I agree with, but he took swift action when the Foley situation regarding his chatting with a teenage page in an overly friendly manner arose last week.

No more quiet dueling. The Republican Party can no longer allow the Democratic feeding frenzy to continue. It's time for the GOP to fight back, and make the voters realize that scandals happen, and I am pissed that this scandal involves a republican, but this crap has nothing to do with the conservative platform. Fact is, the Democratic Party cannot compete with the GOP when it comes to the specifics on the issues. The liberal platform would spell tragedy for our nation. They want to tax us into a recession, reward people for not working with hand-outs, cut and run out of the Middle East, increase our dependence on foreign oil while increasing the price of gas with higher oil taxes, allow every illegal and terrorist across the border, rub noses with jerks like Chavez in order to "keep the peace", run our currency into a global joint venture like Europe has, and allow China to run even more free to do as they please. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Foley screwed up, and he is a sick individual, but please, GOP, fight back, let the voters know who the liberals really are. Our future depends on it.

A couple books to check out - okay, it's a shameless plug for a couple of fellow writers I respect

Many of you out there know that I am a writer. Last July I had the opportunity to meet Dan Bessie. The picture and written account is in the "News" section of my main website. Well, earlier tonight I had the opportunity to meet two writers with two great books on the market that I was more than happy to purchase. The first is "Playing with the Enemy" by Gary W. Moore, also soon to be a Major Motion Picture. The second book is "Torpedo" by Jeff Edwards, STGC(SW), USN (Ret.). For those of you that like to read, especially where the military is involved, these books are for you.

Haditha revisited

Surfacing reports are casting doubts on the claim that United States Marines massacred 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha last November. One of the reports involves the transcript of an interview with Major Sam Carrasco who oversaw troop movements in the area when the alleged massacre took place. Major Carrasco indicated that he believed at the time the civilians died in crossfire between Marines and insurgents.

He told investigators that during the battle between the insurgents and Marines that they considered bombing a house where insurgents took refuge, and physically saw the insurgents go into the house, but did not bomb it because there was not absolute positive identification. As a result, from that house, the Marine Unit got shot up, and the Major regretted not bombing the house. The fear of killing civilians took priority, and many Marines died as a result.

Iraqi witnesses at that time had indicated that Marines shot civilians in their homes to retaliate for the death of a comrade, Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas in a roadside bomb.

There is ample evidence that a firefight took place between unsurgents and Marines. Civilians were caught in the middle of the firefight. Their deaths, however, were not the result of Marines firing into houses, but the result of door-to-door combat against insurgents inside those dwellings as the Marines sought to clear the houses and stop the insurgent gunfire.

There is video evidence supporting the Marine's claims. There is also a source that states that some of the civilian casualties resulted when Marines came under fire from insurgents inside a house and tossed a grenade into the house to eliminate the threat. A similar incident played itself out at another house.

The Marines, upon entering the city, were aware of the tight control the insurgents exercised over Haditha, including freshly laid IED's under the newly asphalted roads wired into the city power lines lining the road. Haditha was a city run by insurgents who controlled the residents with terror.

The blood of those civilians lays squarely on the hands of the insurgency.

Unfortunately, the liberal media would rather condemn Americans over terrorists. I suppose, by their reasoning, treason is only a matter of perspective.