Eric Florack on May 5th, 2004

QandO, speaking of the tourtue cases in Iraq:

“Although, naturally, Mr. Kennicot wants these Army cowboys strung up.

This also brings up an interesting question. If Mr. Kennicot’s standard is correct, then couldn’t I declare that, since the 9/11 hijackers were Muslims, and inclination toward terrorism is inherent in Islam? Don’t Muslims, by Mr. Kennicot’s reasoning have a collective responsibility for terrorism? And if so, shouldn’t we watch all Muslims especially closely at, say, airports?

If not, why not?”

Hmmm.

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Eric Florack on May 5th, 2004

QandO, speaking of the tourtue cases in Iraq:

“Although, naturally, Mr. Kennicot wants these Army cowboys strung up.

This also brings up an interesting question. If Mr. Kennicot’s standard is correct, then couldn’t I declare that, since the 9/11 hijackers were Muslims, and inclination toward terrorism is inherent in Islam? Don’t Muslims, by Mr. Kennicot’s reasoning have a collective responsibility for terrorism? And if so, shouldn’t we watch all Muslims especially closely at, say, airports?

If not, why not?”

Hmmm.

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Eric Florack on May 5th, 2004

QandO, speaking of the tourtue cases in Iraq:

“Although, naturally, Mr. Kennicot wants these Army cowboys strung up.

This also brings up an interesting question. If Mr. Kennicot’s standard is correct, then couldn’t I declare that, since the 9/11 hijackers were Muslims, and inclination toward terrorism is inherent in Islam? Don’t Muslims, by Mr. Kennicot’s reasoning have a collective responsibility for terrorism? And if so, shouldn’t we watch all Muslims especially closely at, say, airports?

If not, why not?”

Hmmm.

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Eric Florack on May 5th, 2004

QandO, speaking of the tourtue cases in Iraq:

“Although, naturally, Mr. Kennicot wants these Army cowboys strung up.

This also brings up an interesting question. If Mr. Kennicot’s standard is correct, then couldn’t I declare that, since the 9/11 hijackers were Muslims, and inclination toward terrorism is inherent in Islam? Don’t Muslims, by Mr. Kennicot’s reasoning have a collective responsibility for terrorism? And if so, shouldn’t we watch all Muslims especially closely at, say, airports?

If not, why not?”

Hmmm.

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Eric Florack on May 5th, 2004

QandO, speaking of the tourtue cases in Iraq:

“Although, naturally, Mr. Kennicot wants these Army cowboys strung up.

This also brings up an interesting question. If Mr. Kennicot’s standard is correct, then couldn’t I declare that, since the 9/11 hijackers were Muslims, and inclination toward terrorism is inherent in Islam? Don’t Muslims, by Mr. Kennicot’s reasoning have a collective responsibility for terrorism? And if so, shouldn’t we watch all Muslims especially closely at, say, airports?

If not, why not?”

Hmmm.

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Eric Florack on May 5th, 2004

QandO, speaking of the tourtue cases in Iraq:

“Although, naturally, Mr. Kennicot wants these Army cowboys strung up.

This also brings up an interesting question. If Mr. Kennicot’s standard is correct, then couldn’t I declare that, since the 9/11 hijackers were Muslims, and inclination toward terrorism is inherent in Islam? Don’t Muslims, by Mr. Kennicot’s reasoning have a collective responsibility for terrorism? And if so, shouldn’t we watch all Muslims especially closely at, say, airports?

If not, why not?”

Hmmm.

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Eric Florack on May 5th, 2004

QandO, speaking of the tourtue cases in Iraq:

“Although, naturally, Mr. Kennicot wants these Army cowboys strung up.

This also brings up an interesting question. If Mr. Kennicot’s standard is correct, then couldn’t I declare that, since the 9/11 hijackers were Muslims, and inclination toward terrorism is inherent in Islam? Don’t Muslims, by Mr. Kennicot’s reasoning have a collective responsibility for terrorism? And if so, shouldn’t we watch all Muslims especially closely at, say, airports?

If not, why not?”

Hmmm.

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The Wall Street Journal is right on top of UN Scam. RTWT

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Eric Florack on May 5th, 2004

Boortz today also addresses well an issue I’ve discussed here previously… about Kerry’s ‘service’. Says Boortz

“Every time somebody brings this up, they get accused of attacking The Poodle’s patriotism, but somebody’s gotta do it, so here we go.  While John Kerry has released some of his military records, he has yet to account for exactly how he received his injuries that led to his three Purple Hearts.  This is important, of course, because 1.) Kerry has made his military service in Vietnam a campaign issue and 2.) the rule at the time was three Purple Hearts got you sent home from Vietnam.  So was The Poodle working the system?  It sure looks like it with every passing day.

The latest comes to us from the doctor that treated one of Kerry’s ‘Purple Heart’ injuries.  Louis Letson, now a retired doctor in Alabama says he has a very clear memory of an incident that occurred while he was a Medical Officer in Vietnam.  Letson says he remembered Kerry because ‘some of his crewmen related that Lt. Kerry had told them that he would be the next JFK from Massachusetts.’  Sure sounds like The Poodle was plotting and scheming for his political career from the start.  Anyway, about the injury.

The good doctor tells us that some of Kerry’s crew confided that they had not received any fire on their boat, but rather Kerry’s injury may have been self-inflicted and come from The Poodle firing a military round at some rocks on shore, at close range.  The injury was a small piece of shrapnel stuck in Kerry’s arm.  Did it require stitches?  Nope.  So just what was the treatment for this battlefield injury for which The Poodle was awarded one of his Purple Hearts?  A band-aid.  The wound was covered with a band-aid.

What was the experience of some other commanders in Vietnam?  You’re unlikely to hear this from the Bush-bashers in the media, and the Kerry campaign cries foul when anyone brings it up.  But it’s a legitimate questiom and one that The Poodle has yet to answer.”

He and I have our disagrements, but this isn’t one of them… and this kind of writing is why his site is on my daily read list.

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Eric Florack on May 5th, 2004

I’ve not commented on Rall because I’ve been hip deep in personal matters these last few days. I won’t bother running the strip; Boortz has it, apparently in response to MSNBC pulling it.

I’ve noted a trend on Usenet of even the harshest liberals to be backing away from him, much like one would back of of an Arabic looking gent yelling “ALLAH IS GREAT!”

I’ve pointed out in the past that Rall’s idiocy was in fact rank and file leftism with a face, and I hold to that comment today.

All we need to do to defeat liberalism is to expose it’s face… even the leftists don’t like having this face shown them…and Rall suits the task well as any rank and file liberal.

(Update: Apparently on Fox last night Rall claimed: “I’m just a good liberal Democrat, Bill.”I dind’t see this myself; I wish I had. It makes my case for me.)

But I wonder, given MSNBC’s reaction, if he’ll have that bully pulpit of his for much longer.

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Eric Florack on May 5th, 2004

BBC NEWS is reporting the foibles of all-around slimeball Michial Moore:

“Fahrenheit 911 was to be distributed by Miramax, a division of Disney.
But Disney has ‘officially decided to prohibit’ Miramax from distributing the film, the director said on his website. “

It’s about time.

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Eric Florack on May 4th, 2004

Got the web site back on the local F&P, and was able to resurect the rest. New bit is up as of now, calledMislabeled Motives

Discuss here.

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Eric Florack on May 4th, 2004

It wasn’t until I actually got them home, that I realized I’d purchased ‘home style’ dog biscuits, for my dog. I recognize that this is a sales gimmick, but I must admit being confused.

I know of nobody who makes their own dog treats. Logically, one could ask the question; What, exactly constitutes ‘home style’ dog biscuits? I asked my dog, but it appears to be as secret as the location of Saddam’s WMD, or of Bush’s Baked Beans recipe, she’s not telling.

Then again, this is a beast that given the option, would drink out of the toilet, so perhaps trusting her judgments on what constitutes home-style food is not the most productive of paths.

Another offhanded example of saying it simply because it sells:

The other day I saw a Chevy… a fairly new Malibu, as it happened, not unlike one I traded in for an SUV just a few months ago. Apparently, they’re now calling the model the “Malibu Classic”. Now, as I say, I owned a ’98, and completely enjoyed that car. It’s a fine one and one that should be at the top of the buyer’s list, if handling, quickness and durability are at or near the top of your list; I put 80,000 miles on that car, and enjoyed every one of them. But “classic”? I don’t think so. On looking at that newer car with the ‘classic’ sticker on it, I can only shake my head in wonder. I suppose the value of the word ‘classic’ has changed.

My own thought about what constitutes a ‘classic Malibu’ runs a lot closer to the pavement scorcher I drove in my outrageously mis-spent youth…  One looking very much like this one, though I should say mine was a pale green 70, not this red ’72. About the only comparison between the currently labeled “Malibu Classic” and the earlier version of the car is that they both burn gas, go fast and wear bowties. Past that… (sigh) What do you suppose the chances are of Chevy turning out current versions of the 72 Malibu, eh?

In any event, so much of what goes on in America anymore is what happens to be what someone thinks will sell. Some things that will sell, are just stupid, some are amusing. Some are annoying, and some are downright destructive.

One of the things someone thought would sell, was a reading of the names of the soldiers who have died in Iraq, on ABC’s NIGHTLINE, which was ‘sold’ to us as ‘honoring the dead’. A classic case of mislabeling which I consider destructive, though the reasons may not be obvious to you at first glance.  I would ask, in this case, “What constitutes ‘honoring the dead”?

Of course just what it is they’re selling with this action, seems an issue. Sinclair, assuming the worst motives on the part of Koppel, (and given ABC’s well documented history, who can blame them, really?) Sinclair pre-empted the ABC feed on it’s 8 stations. Said Sinclair:

“The ABC Television network announced on Tuesday that the Friday, April 30th edition of “Nightline” will consist entirely of Ted Koppel reading aloud the names of U.S. servicemen and women killed in action in Iraq. Despite the denials by a spokeswoman for the show the action appears to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq.

While the Sinclair Broadcast Group honors the memory of the brave members of the military who have sacrificed their lives in the service of our country, we do not believe such political statements should be disguised as news content. As a result, we have decided to preempt the broadcast of “Nightline” this Friday on each of our stations which air ABC programming.

We understand that our decision in this matter may be questioned by some. Before you judge our decision, however, we would ask that you first question Mr. Koppel as to why he chose to read the names of the 523 troops killed in combat in Iraq, rather than the names of the thousands of private citizens killed in terrorists attacks since and including the events of September 11, 2001. In his answer, you will find the real motivation behind his action scheduled for this Friday.”

Koppel, in response asks the question:

“Why, in heaven’s name, should one not be able to look at the faces and hear the names and see the ages of those young people who are not coming back alive and feel somehow ennobled by the fact that they were willing to give up their lives for something that is in the national interest of all of us?”

Oh…. how noble. Oh…. how worthy…… Oh, poop.

How utterly TRANSPARENT.

Sinclair Group’s questioning of this being only about Iraq and not the others as well, is yet another valid point.  Koppel likes to claim this is a way to honor the dead. But why is honoring the dead thought by ABC and by Koppel, simply mourning their loss, and not honoring the values they placed above their own lives, as a matter of choice?

So what are Koppel’s motivations, here? What are his intentions as regards the effect of his broadcast? I don’t expect that the discussion over that point will ever end. Frankly, I have my doubts about his statements on the subject, myself.

Was it honoring the dead ABC has in mind? I doubt it, even ignoring the ABC network’s long history of left-leaning, and muck-raking. This dual pronged approach has left the American people wary of so-called mainline news for years now and ABC is among the worst of the offenders. Let’s take these dual prongs one at a time:

Even Koppel himself has suggested that Memorial Day might be a better time to honor these people, and their service. Yet he does it now, and not then. Perhaps it’s just an interesting matter of random chance that this occurs during sweeps week, and Memorial day doesn’t fall into those parameters, I guess. I guess it is just another coincidence that Memorial day is traditionally abysmally low in terms of viewer numbers. People tend to be out of doors on that weekend.

All these factors coming together is just random chance, right? I mean, it couldn’t be that doing this in the fashion it’s done and in the time frame it was done in, just couldn’t be merchandising of the war dead for commercial gain, could it?

As to the other prong; their left-leaning… What of the values these people died for? Is that story being told as well? No, it’s not.

I would point to what I said last week, about our service men and women; Indeed, what I said last week was written partially in fear of exactly the chain of events that Koppel started; that the loss would be foremost, not what was accomplished as a result of the actions that incurred those losses, that what was accomplished would be overwhelmed, that the image being taken away was it was all for naught.  Those who fight don’t think so.  I said at the time:

“They’re all worthy of the very same respect, living or dead. Not because of their having lived or died, …. but because of their respect and understanding of the ideals that uniform represents. Ideals they hold highest. … It is those ideals we should be holding high, as they did. We respect them not because they lived or died as a result of their service to our country, but because of the higher ideals they served.  We should hold them, ALL who serve us true, in our hearts.”

How can we honor the dead without honoring what they have with their sacrifice, accomplished?  We cannot, in short, do so, because it was for those accomplishments that they gave their all. They considered those goals higher than that sense of self import we all carry around with us.

Further, consider this from the opposite side of the fence; Let’s say we have a news cast willing to actually list the many accomplishments of the men and women serving in Iraq, including those who have died. Would this be considered pro-war bias? Then how can listing those who have died, without listing their accomplishments, be NOT considered as Anti-war bias? Along with the associated political biases based of the various candidates support or non-support for our actions, there, of course.

This is a point raised by FNC’s Chris Wallace last Sunday, and it’s a proper question to ask. I gather that Wallace will be answering that question, by showing us a list of those accomplishments on his show next week. I, for one, plan to be watching.

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An article worth reading.

It’s written by John O’Neill, a multiply decorated ‘nam vet, whose voice we should be heeding, I think. A few parts of it:

“John Kerry’s recent admissions caused me to realize that I was most likely in Vietnam dodging enemy rockets on the very day he met in Paris with Madame Binh, the representative of the Viet Cong to the Paris Peace Conference. John Kerry returned to the U.S. to become a national spokesperson for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, a radical fringe of the antiwar movement, an organization set upon propagating the myth of war crimes through demonstrably false assertions. Who was the last American POW to die languishing in a North Vietnamese prison forced to listen to the recorded voice of John Kerry disgracing their service by his dishonest testimony before the Senate?”

Since 1971, I have refused many offers from John Kerry’s political opponents to speak out against him. My reluctance to become involved once again in politics is outweighed now by my profound conviction that John Kerry is simply not fit to be America’s commander in chief. Nobody has recruited me to come forward. My decision is the inevitable result of my own personal beliefs and life experience.
Today, America is engaged in a new war, against the militant Islamist terrorists who attacked us on our own soil. Reasonable people may differ about how best to proceed, but I’m sure of one thing–John Kerry is the wrong man to put in charge.

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Eric Florack on May 4th, 2004

My BIT for the week has been written since Sunday night. I’ve not had the chance to post it. This problem is made more complex by the idea that the FrontPage installation I was using got trashed. Gotta have some time to regroup.

Here’s the deal;
I did manage to get enough time t make a play for a new van last night.  It’s a real beauty, and I’ll pass more info along about that as things firm up. By the time I got back from the dealer last night, though, I was so tired I couldn’t see straight. And I screwed up in posting. I did manage to get the web back up on hte web sever, but I have to rebuild it on my F&P server before posting the new one.

I may just post this week’s BIT here in the Blog to save time. Tonight, either way.

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