Happy New Years

Have a happy and safe New Years everyone.

According to Chinese soothsayers, 2009 will be calm and peaceful.

I believe we make our own luck, good fortune, whatever you want to call it. 2009 can be a good year if we make up our minds to it.

And, in the interest of fairness, here's a clip of a soothsayer I can believe in:

Merry Feast of the Pig

Destroyer fans will understand this.

And I heard him exclaim, as heads parted from necks,
"Merry Feast Day to all, and remember: no checks!"

Merry Feast of the Pig day to my fellow Destroyer fans. More pork for the villagers of Sinanju; less pork in the US government.

My Destroyer wish for 2009 is a new book contract for the series.

My Christmas wish: a happy and healthy New Year for all my friends, online and off.

What Bush should have said to the reporter:

At least Bush ducked better.

Look at the joke I played on Chamberlain!

They've used this one clip in so many ways.



And, since I can't embed it, a link to Leave it to Barry.

A Day Which Will Live in Infamy

Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives:

Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.

Herbie the dirty elf (and Santa's not too clean either)

As you get set to watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in a bit (those of you with children or have remained children in your hearts -- or emotionally immature, depending on your view of things), did you ever notice the characters' hands?

All the characters' hands (those who have hands) are very dirty.

Trust my super clean freak friend to point this out to me a couple of years ago. I've watched this show every Christmas since it first aired in 1964, so that's about forty years until Deb mentioned it and up till then I never noticed.

There's a simple explanation of course. The artists had to move the figurines many, many times to get the stop-motion animation effect. Long days of minute movements, of course the clay was going to get soiled. And even if they noticed it, they weren't going to stop and refashion new appendages, or stop to clean the hands, if that was possible.

No big insights or musing on dirty clay characters symbolizing the commercialization of Christmas. I just thought it was interesting and interesting that I'd never noticed the dirt.

If you're not watching, a few songs courtesy of You Tube. I think I've heard Holly Jolly Christmas 1000 times already on the radio, and of course the title song, but these two never get any play. In fact, the second one was cut out for years so they could cram more commercials in. It only was put back a few years ago. I'd have said there were complaints, but the song doesn't seem very popular even on You Tube; this was the only straight version I could find.

Get into Debt in a Big Way

Throw money hither. Throw money yon. Spend, spend, spend until pauperdom.

Chiun, Destroyer #6 Death Therapy

They are darkness. We are light.

Unless you've been in a coma, you know about the massacre at Mumbai and of the Rabbi, his wife and the others who were killed at Mumbai's Chabad House.

The Rabbi at chabad.org is speaking of the Jews, but I think it fits all who takes a stand against evil, everyone who lives to create rather than destroy.

We knew beforehand that we are at war with an enemy. We knew that the world needs to be healed, that it oozes with a venomous darkness, and that darkness will not sit passively as we steal away its dominion. We knew that the more we fight this darkness, the harder it will fight back. We didn't fool ourselves. We decided we will fight and we will win. That is why Gavriel and Rivky went where they went. They went not as tourists, but as fearless soldiers.

Once you are at war, you don't stop to ponder all over again—can we win? Is this worth it? Maybe they're worse than we thought? That's deadly. If you would rather stay home and enjoy comfort while the rest of the world sits out in the cold, you should have decided that a long time ago. Now you are out there on the field of battle, you have already awakened the bear from its den, now there is no turning back.

They are darkness. We are light. They storm the shores with death in their eyes. We come to teach compassion and acts of beauty. They carry assault rifles and grenades. We carry candles for Friday night, a Torah of wisdom, joy and beauty.

Are we to surrender before them? Are we to stop and cry and ask, "maybe we're fighting the wrong battle"?

We will fill the world with light and wisdom and the spirit of darkness in men's hearts shall forever perish. They come with their guns and their might, with a god of destruction and terror, but we come in the name of the Eternal, the source of all life and healing. They and all memory of them will vanish from the face of the earth and our lamp will burn forever.

May the Almighty G‑d hear the cry of their blood from the earth and put an end to all sorrow. May it be very soon, sooner than we can imagine.

The New York Times has a Cow

So, in honor of them, and with Thanksgiving right around the corner, may I present...

GOBBLES!



I couldn't get a clip of just Gobbles adventure at the turkey processing plant, so enjoy some of Helen Keller: The Musical.

Lyrics Site

Found this site which allows you to embed scrolling lyrics from movies, TV shows, musicals, and cartoons.

In honor of the efforts of the auto industry to gorge at the government trough, and because I like this song:



Lyrics | Unknown - Canyonero lyrics

Liberal Fascism

Part Five of Glen Beck's six part interview with Jonah Goldberg. You can follow the link to see the other parts, but I thought this one was the most interesting. It talks about the Progressive movement in the 20th century and it's connection to fascism and evolution into modern liberalism.

The Tenth Day of NaNo

And I have exhibited each of the behaviors illustrated here:



It seems to be going in rotation. Right now I'm in the Charlie Brown phase. I'm going back to work, where I expect to segue into Lucy.

Perspective

This is interesting. And telling. I found this little tidbit in the middle of a blog in Power Line about the possibility we may be asked to bail out the auto industry too.

As early as the early thirties, Herbert Hoover was promising "a chicken in every pot, and two cars in every garage." Later that decade the Moscow commissars screened "The Grapes of Wrath" in movie theaters to prove how bad the Depression was in America, and to show the failure of capitalism. It backfired, to cite an auto phrase. In the movie, the poor Okies are shown migrating to California...in automobiles. Few in the USSR had cars. The Russian audiences thought the Okies had it okay.

Isn't it a shame we seem to be moving away from Capitalism.

Crappy Birthday

In a moment of intense self-pity, I wonder why my birthdays are so-so at best but usually suck big time.

And getting Obama for my birthday wasn't the worst part of the day.

Predictions

My prediction of the first consequence of the new regime:

Gas prices are going to begin to rise, now that OPEC knows the off-shore drilling ban will be reinstated, the coal companies will be taxed into bankruptcy, and new nuclear power plants aren't going to happen.

Welcome to the glorious new era of change. Guess we'll have to hope we don't freeze to death next winter. Time to investigate wood stoves.

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, It's off to vote I go

I have the day off, so I'm heading over to my local precinct to take part in this glorious experiment in Democracy.

From what I've heard, there's been quite a bit of experimentation this year. ACORN deserves a special nod. It has shown a great deal of enthusiasm, not to say imagination, in its quest to find the underrepresented voters of this country and give them a voice.

Senator Obama has been refining the process of gathering donations. Though his experiment with the honor system has led to one embarrassing incident where he had to give the money back.

But isn't it nice to know that someone who is a hair's breadth away from the Oval Office is so willing to trust? So willing to reinterpret our stuffy old ideas about this Republic?

So I'm off to do my part. I found a list of the candidates and questions which will be on my ballot.

Let's see. President. Wow, SIX different choices. I only knew about three of them.

Senator. Three choices, Democrat, Republican and Libertarian. Do I vote my conscience or vote someone who has even a slightly realistic chance of unseating the incumbent?

Moving on. Representative in Congress. My district. One. Democrat. Running unopposed. Not much of a vote there. Hmmm.... Out of ten districts, there are six running unopposed. All Democrats. Oh well, at least a lot of people will get practice filling in the little ovals thoroughly. Don't do that much after SATs.

Councillor(that's the way it's spelled on the site. My spell check says it's wrong, but I'll leave it). My district. One. Democrat. Running unopposed. There are eight districts here (why less than the Reps? It's a mystery, like why hot dogs come in packs of ten and buns in eight. Same numbers? Coincidence?).

I check. Out of eight districts, seven are running unopposed. All Democrats running for reelection. At least my state's saved a lot in campaign financing. Hope they didn't run up too many bills for posters and print ads.

Senator in General Court. My county. One. Democrat running for reelection.

A quick glance at the other counties reveals some races between two candidates. Nice to see the Socialist Workers Party has a candidate running in one of our capitol's districts. They are so underrepresented here.

Representative in General Court. This is more interesting. There are three different county districts for my city. Two of them are Democrats running unopposed, but one has a race. It's between the Democrat incumbent, and the other guy's listed as unenrolled and I've never heard of him. I've also forgotten which of the three I'm in. But that's okay. There's a place to check it. I did. I'm not in the district with the two candidates. Darn.

There are a few more minor categories, but you get the picture. I won't have to make too many tough decisions, aside from the most important one of all.

Then there are the ballot questions. The first one is a proposed law to eliminate the state income tax. The other two questions say they are, respectively, an "act" and an "initiative." So are any of them binding? I read online, and can't find the article, where someone in the state government said if Question One passed, it wasn't going to be implemented.

So does that mean it's not binding? Or it should be, but they've left themselves a loophole?

At least I'll have done my patriotic duty. It's a great day for Democracy in Danny-on-the-Wold.

THE FROGS WHO WISHED FOR A KING

Or: PEOPLE GET THE GOVERNMENT THEY DESERVE.

THE FROGS were tired of governing themselves. They had so much freedom that it had spoiled them, and they did nothing but sit around croaking in a bored manner and wishing for a government that could entertain them with the pomp and display of royalty, and rule them in a way to make them know they were being ruled. No milk and water government for them, they declared. So they sent a petition to Jupiter asking for a king.

Jupiter saw what simple and foolish creatures they were, but to keep them quiet and make them think they had a king he threw down a huge log, which fell into the water with a great splash. The Frogs hid themselves among the reeds and grasses, thinking the new king to be some fearful giant. But they soon discovered how tame and peaceable King Log was. In a short time the younger Frogs were using him for a diving platform, while the older Frogs made him a meeting place, where they complained loudly to Jupiter about the government.

To teach the Frogs a lesson the ruler of the gods now sent a Crane to be king of Frogland. The Crane proved to be a very different sort of king from old King Log. He gobbled up the poor Frogs right and left and they soon saw what fools they had been. I n mournful croaks they begged Jupiter to take away the cruel tyrant before they should all be destroyed.

"How now!" cried Jupiter "Are you not yet content? You have what you asked for and so you have only yourselves to blame for your misfortunes."

Be sure you can better your condition before you seek to change.

Gloom, despair, and agony on me

I was going to stay out of politics, but it's only a week until we find out if we're continuing under a middle-of-the-road Republican lite or a left-wing radical socialist.

And don't talk to me about running a negative campaign. McCain should have hit a lot harder a lot sooner. Thanks to his wishy-washy campaigning, we're dangerously close to a president who believes the Constitution is a negative document which doesn't give us enough "rights." Like the right to a welfare state, government ownership of banks and government run health care.

Most of the framers of the Constitution thought a weak, decentralized government was the safest way to prevent tyranny.

And yes, there were disagreements from the get-go. The Federalists favored a stronger central government. Though I doubt most of them could have imagined the programs FDR instituted, much less what Obama intends.

The Constitution outline the powers and limitations of the branches of government. And it was flexible enough to allow for the inclusion of amendments. Amendments which allowed for some clarification of the rights outlined by the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

"All men are created equal." Amendment 13 -- black people are men too. not property. Voting rights? One citizen, one vote. Amendment 19 -- women are citizens too.

And when Jefferson wrote about "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," he was speaking of basic broad human rights. It wasn't necessary or even smart to get too specific. The Founding Fathers trusted adults to behave like adults. Given these basic rights, they could work and plan the best life possible for them based on their intelligence, determination and guts.

None of them ever envisioned government as Big Daddy, handing people everything on a silver platter.

Which brings us back to Big Daddy Obama. But what's the use. People don't seem to care. They don't research, they don't think for themselves. Even though their ignorance is aided and abetted by our Fourth Estate, in the era of the Internet, there's no excuse not to seek out as much info as your mind can hold.

Of course, if you use your new found knowledge to ask a politician a question which puts him on the spot, you risk scrutiny and investigation geared to discourage any other average Joe from speaking up.

What else. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. A long time coming, and shouldn't be laid at the feet of the Bush administration. It was mainly Democrats who forced the banks to loosen lending rules so mortgages would be more accessible to low income people. And mainly Democrats who benefited from political contributions by Freddie and Fannie officials.

But there were some Republicans who accepted contributions too. And even though Republicans in Congress and Bush in the White House say they repeatedly to reform the agencies, they maybe didn't try hard enough. The Democrats have only had the majority the last two years.

But Bush has been wimpy on domestic issues and McCain's been wimpy going after Obama, and now we're very close to paying a steep price in lost liberties and self-determination.

And Palin? The only bit of fresh air and hope in an otherwise depressing election.

Inexperienced? Sure. But the vice presidency would be a great tutorial. Much better than learning as you go in the presidency, like Obama would be doing.

Politically, she's more a classic Republican than centrist McCain. And she's not afraid to come out swinging. And that's in the face of some of the most vicious mud-slinging any candidate has had to endure. And having to endure mishandling by McCain's campaign.

Fundamentalist Christian? I've run across more than a few liberal bloggers who say her religion "scares" them. Gosh golly, don't people scare easy?

Unless you think Vice President Palin would make her Evangelical sect the State religion, with squads breaking into private homes to forceably baptize you, exactly what's to be scared of?

And so what if she believes in a literal interpretation of the Bible. Dinosaurs walked the Earth along with man 5000 years ago? If she's willing to drill for oil offshore and in Alaska, I don't care when she thinks the oil got underground.

That's all my pre-election sermon for today. Stay tuned in a year or two for my "I told you so" sermon. Believe me, I'm from a blue state. I know first hand.

We have a question on our ballot to abolish the state income tax.

Those in favor say our property taxes won't go up (and we'll all see pigs start to fly). Those against it say they will.

But it doesn't really matter, since I've already read (I wish I saved the link) that either the state government or the state Supreme Court says if it passes it's not going through anyway. So much for the will of the people.

Palin's Outmoded Hairdo

I've resisted posting anything about Sarah Palin. I don't have too many readers, and they're more than able to make up their own minds without any prompting from me. But I saw this in The Boston Herald this morning, and can't resist making one small observation.

From the Herald:

But must her hair suffer? With her long, straight, often pinned-up locks, Palin looks one humid day away from fronting a Kiss cover band.

“It’s about 20 years out of date,” said Boston stylist Mario Russo of the Alaska governor’s ’do. “Which goes to show how off she might be on current events.”
Small potatoes, since they've picked on everything they could conceivably pick on.

However, for all the Democrats and news pundits and feminist icons questioning her fitness as a mom for daring to run for high political office, this provides an answer.

She's been too busy as a mom and a mayor and a governor to give a rat's ass that her 'do is out of date. All that time she could have spent primping and getting facials and massages were earmarked for more important things. She was probably busy enough reading stuff for her jobs and checking her kids' homework to keep abreast of the fashion mags and Madonna's new look.

I love how some Democrats and lunatic fringes are shooting themselves in the foot with all the idiocy and misogyny they're spewing. I've heard from a number of people who are very angry, including some lifelong libs and Democrats.

Funny email from Dr. Sanity's Blog

Pat Santy posted this email from her brother on her blog yesterday:

I was talking to a friend of mine's little girl, and she said she
wanted to be President some day.

Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there, so I
asked her, 'If you were President what would be the first thing you
would do?'

She replied, 'I'd give food and houses to all the homeless people.'

'Wow - what a worthy goal.' I told her, 'You don't have to wait until
you're President to do that. You can come over to my house and mow,
pull weeds, and sweep my yard, and I'll pay you $50. Then I'll take
you over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and
you can give him the $50 to use toward food or a new house.'

She thought that over for a few seconds 'cause she's only six. And
while her Mom glared at me, she looked me straight in the eye and
asked, 'Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and do the work, and
you can just pay him the $50?'

And I said, 'Welcome to the Republican Party.'

Her folks still aren't talking to me.

Great speech from Fred Thompson

Better Watch your back in the Bayou

Next time he heads down New Orleans way for some jambalaya, he better have a taster.

The short version (if you only want to hear his pleasure at Hurricane Gustav striking when it does):



The long version of his MSNBC spot with Olberman so you can hear him say more stupid things:



Isn't it sweet he hopes no one will be hurt? I guess that's because our health care system is so far behind Cuba's.

And about how women won't want to vote for Palin because she's "against the very things that women are for and women need."

Because we all know that all women want and need the exact same things. We all have the same desires and opinions and political, social, and religious views, so we naturally will all vote for the same candidate.

What a schmuck. You wouldn't know what women are for and what women need, Mr. Moore, if you had a map, a diagram and an instructional video.

Thank God for Governor Jindal. He started them evacuating early and made it mandatory. And they've provided shelters for the pets too.

Go see An American Carol when it comes out in October! The Michael Malone character seems to be slapped hard and slapped often.

Book Review: The New Destroyer: Killer Ratings

Remo and Chiun are back, as a cable news cycle finds itself in a season of disaster reruns!

read more | digg story

I'm starting a war for peace

I've found two items dealing with childrens' books that I want to blog about. I should go with the annoying one, but the "so idiotic it's funny" one is a better Earth Day post, so I'll go with that.

From USA Today: The Lorax is Back!

And he's going to help save the rainforest this time, instead of the Truffula trees! How is he going to do this? I hear you ask. I picture you straining forward in your seats, holding your collective breaths in anticipation.

Why, by putting out a new edition of his book, naturally.

Now, Dr. Seuss Enterprises is teaming with Conservation International and Random House to use The Lorax to help save the forests.

The book is being reprinted with a special environmental message that describes "The Lorax Project," which is being launched today in honor of Earth Day. Ten percent to 15% of profits from the book and from Earth-friendly consumer products featuring the Lorax's image will be used to stop deforestation in Madagascar, Brazil and China.

The book's depiction of how environmental destruction is bad for everyone is especially relevant to today's world, says Leeanne Alonso, director of Conservation International's rapid assessment program.

She says the disappearing forests are our Truffula Trees. The Lorax "was the harbinger of what's happening now. He's saying, 'Stop cutting the forest now, or you're going to regret it later.' We're protecting the forests that are left, like The Lorax is saying."

Maybe this new edition will have the Lorax cutting down some of the remaining Truffula trees so he can print up handbills and pamphlets decrying their destruction?

Parents Fight Over Which Gang Toddler Should Join

Yes, gang. Not playgroup; not preschool. Not Church. Remember the days when having parents of different faiths would cause problems with the child's upbringing? And the tensions caused by interracial unions? Welcome to the new millennium:

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- A couple fighting about which gang their 4-year-old toddler should join caused a public disturbance that resulted in the father's arrest, Commerce City police said Thursday.

On Saturday, Joseph Manzanares stormed into the Hollywood Video store where his girlfriend worked, threatened to kill her and knocked over several video displays and even a computer, Commerce City police Sgt. Joe Sandoval said.

After he ran out of the store, police were called and the 19-year-old was arrested at his home.

His girlfriend told police that they had been arguing about the upbringing of their son and which gang he should belong to. The teen mother, who is black, is a member of the Crips. Manzanares is Hispanic and belongs to the Westside Ballers gang, the woman said.

"They have different ideas on how the baby should be raised. Basically, she said they cannot agree on which gang the baby would 'claim,'" Sandoval said

Manzanares was charged with disorderly conduct, harassment, and domestic violence. He was transported to the Adams County Detention Facility.

On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to a year of probation. The misdemeanor harassment charge was dropped.

Everyone knows how bad it is for the child when parents don't present a united front. Whichever gang this toddler joins, he's sure to alienate himself from one of his parents. Very psychologically devastating.

There's no mention of Child Protective Services. Or parental counseling. Hopefully that will be addressed later, but who knows?

Fitna

It's only about fifteen minutes long, and isn't that remarkable. If it weren't for the calls for death against Geert Wilders and the server on his web site not permitting him to show the video, no one would have noticed it.

Warning for graphic images of violence.



There are articles about the Dutch government breathing a sigh of release that there has been no outbreaks of violence since the movie went up yesterday.

The Dutch government worked for months before the film appeared to defuse Muslim anger over its theme. In a statement broadcast live on television on Thursday in both Dutch and English, Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said he rejected Wilders’ views.

But if Wilders views are wrong, why would the Dutch government need to work so hard to appease the Muslims?

If you've watched the movie, Wilders lets Islamic extremists speak for themselves. Unless you can argue that he took them out of context? The man who said, "[The Jews] are the ones who must be butchered and killed." Maybe he followed that up with a "Just kidding, folks. I love the Jews!" but Wilders cut that out so he could incite anti-Islamic violence?

Are there moderate Muslims? Sure, but there's no way of knowing how many, as they are mostly too frightened to speak out.

Are we at war? Yes, and there are no civilians. When the war is against terrorists -- who target civilians specifically -- there are no civilians.

It’s for our own good

There was an explosion last Thursday at a Times Square military recruitment center.

An explosive device caused minor damage to an empty military recruiting station in Times Square early Thursday, shaking guests in hotel rooms high above.

The recruiting station, located on a traffic island surrounded by Broadway theaters and chain restaurants, has occasionally been the site of anti-war demonstrations, ranging from silent vigils to loud rallies.

The Department of Homeland Security is looking into it. If it was terrorists, it was probably the home-grown kind.

Anti-war protestors have been targeting recruitment centers, usually with picketing and vandalism. Berkeley has received its share of bad press for telling the Marines their recruitment center wasn't welcome there and seeking to pass legislation that would make recruitment centers harder to open within their city limits than porn shops. The mayor of Toledo, Ohio got a lot of flack for denying the Marines permission to conduct military exercises within the city.

I could write about the immorality of using terrorism to advance any cause. I could mention that the ends do not justify the means. I could opine that violence and destruction are never the answer. But most people know that.

What really gets me, what annoys me to the point I feel compelled to blog about it, is the arrogance and condescension of these leftist, anti-war radicals.

Recruitment centers aren't doing the hard sell. They are there, in major cities, for young people who want to explore the option of a military career. ROTC and military recruiters have already been banned from plenty of college campuses and high schools.

Recruitment centers put posters and info in their windows. Maybe some of the officers linger outside the center. I don't know. We have one downtown in my city, but I haven't really paid attention. I do see men in uniform walking along the street from time to time.

These military personnel are not roaming the street, pulling unwary men and women into their center. Marines and sailors aren't roaming Norfolk, VA and San Francisco, press-ganging people onto ships and bases like the British Royal Navy of the 17th and 18th century.

But Code Pink, the council in Berkely, and other protest groups don't see it that way. They feel they have the right to intimidate both the military and prevent young people from making up their own minds. And therin lies the arrogance.

I've said it here: people are stupid. Not so much low IQ. It's just that most people don't think and most people don't want to think.

But I would never suggest that anyone -- aside from the truly mentally disabled -- be prevented from exercising their free will and free choice.

But a lot of these groups think anyone who doesn't think like them are, to put it crudely, retarded.

They obviously can't think for themselves, they reason. If they could, they wouldn't set foot in a recruitment center. Therefore, we have to prevent them from coming into contact with anything that is evil (evil being anything they disagree with). We have to protect them from themselves.

Arrogance. Pure, unmitigated condescension. And a totalitarian mindset that scares the hell out of me. I hope these people never get into postitions of real power, not more than they have already.

They Don't Like Us

On Destroyerclub, on a debate thread about the state of the U.S., one of the posters mentioned he didn't think there is a foreign country that likes us any more.

Oh dear. Other nations don't like the United States. Jealousy's a *****. If there's any topic that gets my indignation up, it's the plaintive cry that we're not 'liked.'

The other countries don't like us? Boo freakin' hoo. The important question is why they don't like us.

Europe doesn't like us? Europe ought to be more concerned about their own situation. European countries have a higher unemployment rate. Their birthrates are lower while their social and health care programs take a larger chunk of their income. The result: an aging population whose younger members won't be able to support the bloated social welfare cradle-to-grave nanny states they've created. It's worse than our own serious Social Security problems. Instead of solving their own problems -- sucking it up and doing without the six weeks paid vacation and paying more out of pocket for health care -- they'd rather harangue the USA to follow their example.

The fastest growing population in France, Holland, and others is Muslim immigrants, who have a higher birth rate than the native populations. This has lead to inner city enclaves of Muslim youths who are rabidly radicalized. They do not recognize the laws of their adopted countries. Non-Muslim women have taken to wearing head scarves when going through some sections of their cities because it's easier than being followed, harassed, and threatened with physical violence.

The Islamic populations around the world don't like us because we promote the basic freedoms of speech, religion, peaceful assembly, etc. which are the antithesis of their sharia law.

And I can see their point. Our freedom of speech and expression leads to an 'anything goes' society where vulgarity, crudeness, and impiety are not only tolerated, but now are trumpeted by our intellectual elites (and Hollywood, where anything approaching intelligence seldom rears its ugly, sane head).

Works of 'art' like Piss Christ are an unfortunate byproduct of the rights that allow me to post this without worrying that I'll be dragged before the authorities and fined or forced to publicly recant my opinions.

(And speaking of art, isn't it funny that among all the feces smeared Madonnas and bondage-themed Last Suppers you don't see any Piss Mohameds? Ask the editor of Danish newspaper The Jutland Post why. Ask Salman Rushdie (if you can get him on the phone). Ask Theo Van Gogh. Oh, no, you can't ask him.)

The Arab countries also hate us because we support Israel. Israel -- aside from being full of dirty, filthy, lazy, pig Jews -- has also committed the unforgivable offense of building a modern market economy and a high tech society despite having few natural resources and some monumentally rude neighbors.

This is very embarrassing to the Arabs, who, if they didn't have oil, would have sand and camels as their main exports. And even with their thriving oil fields, only the ruling families own the wealth. The rest of the population depends on their largesses. And even if their standard of living is high, their medical, technological and scientific advances stalled out sometime in the middle ages. Islam has not been conducive to free thought and experimentation these last thousand years. It's risky promoting new ideas or methods when any Imam among thousands can decide it's blasphemy and declare a fatwa.

Who else doesn't like us. Russia? And all the other countries who used to be part of the USSR? They've had economic and social problems since before the fall of the Tzar. The collapse of communism and the move to a more free market economy helped for awhile, but now with Time's Man of the Year skulking in the Kremlin, they've regressed.

China's still trying to make communism work with a limited free economy. But they want to be the next super power, so of course they don't like us. All those lead painted toys and poisoned tooth paste were real clues.

And Canada. Some Canadians still like us, but they're too busy following Europe's example and oppressing free speech. Ask Mark Steyn. Or Ezra Levant.

Mexico hates us, but they're all too busy trying to sneak in here to complain about anything except how prejudiced we are when we object to them sneaking in here illegally.

I don't think Australia hates us, which is good, because I'd like to have Australia's good will. Any nation descended from convicts and forced emigration is a country I want to have on my side. Seriously. I think Australians kick butt and I hope any carping coming out of there is from their version of the lunatic fringe who spawned Michael Moore and Cindy Sheehan up here.

The strong are always hated by the weak. The rich are always hated by the poor. We need to suck it up, not descend to their level or make their mistakes.

If we ruin our economy, who will go to the tsunamis and other natural disasters with aid and money? If we stifle our creativity, where will the little Saudi princes get future versions of Wiis or iPhones? Where will the rest of the world go when they need new medical procedures that aren't available anywhere else? Or routine but crucial operations that have a two-year waiting list in their countries?