PhotoA Great Man honors a fallen hero - POTUS at the ceremony awarding the Medal of Honor, our Nation's hightest recognition of bravery, to the family of Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham

Remember to check out my article over on Blog Critics.  It is getting some interesting feedback.  I love how people can be so nasty and snarky about things.  I get a kick out of people who use the internet to be rude, and basically puff up their own-self importance.  It all goes back to manners.  Also, everyone’z a critic!

 

The further adventured of Mommy kitty and the babies:  I think three of the little ones may have a home!  If so, we are going to opt for an early adoption, next week, if they babies are eating on their own.  They will probably need bottles, but if I can get them to drink a little, they’re outta here.  I’ll then take Mommy for a hysterectomy.  I’ve dealt with mommy cats before, but never one so hormonal.  It is unreal.  I’d like to find a new home for she and the Little Buddy.  I need to do some serious de-catting of my little condo.  Unfortunately Brunhilda is failing more and more every day.  She is nearly 18 and suffering from kidney failure.  She is also getting more than a little bit of dementia.  She looks so bad.  No longer grooming, her hair is in clumps, falling out everywhere.  She is so thin.  She’s starting to move like she hurts.  I can’t allow that.  It’s so sad to see her curled up in her bed, looking so pathetic.  I’ve had her since she was six weeks old.   Back to the babies.  If I get rid of the three kittens, I may end up keeping the ginger one who is so crippled, if he can survive.  I was holding him last night, and his rib-cage feels strange.  But, in the last litter, Bat Masterson was very crippled and he has turned out to be an absolute hoot, so much like my beloved Siggy, Brunhilda’s brother, who died 2 years ago.

 

 

When will the Barry Bonds soap opera end?  More to the point, when will the Commissioner get enough of his lies, drugs, steroids, and do the right thing and give him the boot.  What about the “For the Good of the Game?” rule.  Evidently there are two classes of citizens in Major League Baseball, Barry Bonds and the rest of the game.  Why is Bonds untouchable?  He is a national disgrace.  He is a disgrace to the game.  How heck can he be considered a role model for young people?  He isn’t fit to carry Hank Aaron’s tar rag, let alone break his record.  When does this fiasco end?  Barry Bonds is single-handedly destroying the game of baseball for me.  To make matters worse, when accused, Bonds  tried to blame the amphetamines on a team-mate.  To make matters even worse, the SF Giants did nothing about it.  To make matters worse, the Commissioner has done nothing about it.

 

I love the hypocrisy of the anti-Hispanic RIGHT!  You remember how they are just panning the Hispanic owned pizza company because they are taking pesos.  To hear Hannity, etc, it is the end of the world as we know it.  Problem is, and I noted this the other day the anti-Mexican bigots who detest anything Mexican never bothered to mention major hotels throughout this country take many different currencies and exchange them.  There’s nothing illegal about it.  You never hear anyone complain about American business on the Canadian border doing the same thing because – well – Canadians don’t speak Spanish.  (French is another story).  But – they are allegedly ‘white skinned’ English speaking so no need for xenophobic bigotry on the part of Hannity, Tancredo, and all the RIGHT people. Well, guess what, the darling of the RIGHT pundits – Wal-Mart – in its stores in border towns, also takes pesos.  You haven’t heard anything about this, right?  Guess it’s because Wal-Mart is based in Arkansas and the powers that be with it are not Mexican and all speak English as a first language.  They fit the right racial profile.

 

 

One day I’m going to get to see a really cool comet like this. 

 

What a day for archaeological announcements!  An ancient mummy found in Russia.  Moment of terror frozen on the face of this Amazonian mummy.  This is heart-wrenching.  Perhaps the most important part of this is in the details of just who these people were.  I am loving it because it bolsters my theory about pre-Norse European voyages to the New World.  It is also terribly important because it also helps one of my pet soap-boxes, that there were people in the Americans who were not even related to today’s “Native Americans” – thusly it is sheer folly to repatriate and return valuable scientific and archaeological artifacts to tribes that may not be related genetically but just own the land today. “…The Chachapoyas were a tall, fair-haired, light-skinned race that some researchers believe may have come from Europe. Little is known about them except that they were one of the more advanced ancient civilizations in the area. Adept at fighting, they commanded a large kingdom from the year 800 to 1500 that stretched across the Andes…”

 

I rest my case about television violence.

 

Instapundit on Jimmy Carter, Attack Machine, Carter-gate continues with Hedgehog, Wizbang

Race 42004 on the early polls - a  history

GOPBloggers have their new straw poll up.

Outside the Beltway (shameless) linkfest  Traffic Jam - works for me!

Don't forget your Thursday Thirteens.  Mine went up last night.

Right Wing Guy

Right Wing Nuthouse on how sweet the Prez's speech was!  I agree! 

Called As Seen on the speech

Flopping Aces on the word 'surge'.

Strata on Litvinenko, it continues.

Strata on Rice putting Congress on notice!

Malkin in Iraq - this post will bring tears to your eyes - definately proves how 'hated' we are - not!

Mac's Mind on the Dem's message to the troops -

"...You see it’s not you, for us it’s really all about President Bush. Ever since our Savior, Bill Clinton (may his name be praised) was unceremoniously impeached by evil Republicans who couldn’t let a little perjury, obstruction of justice and other crimes slide, we’ve been on a mission to do the same to your Commander and Chief. ..."

 

ISLAM:  Out of Pakistan - Is a schism brewing? 

Wizbang on the Iranian pick-ups in Iraq

CounterTerror Blog on threats

 Bangledash in trouble

Ankle biting and the Prez dealing with Iran

BREAKING Jawa Report says some sort of nuclear something occured in Iran yesterday.

 

DEMS IN CONTROL

 

A piece from The Hill spotlights problems the Dems are having.  They’ve done it to themselves!

 

"Right now, George W. Bush -- whatever you think of him about anything else -- is the only person in Washington who is standing up to the enemy."  Rush Limbaugh – today.

 

Negroponte told the Senate Intelligence (what a contradiction in terms there) Committee hearing that Al-Qaeda is the greatest threat.  I think he is wrong.  The Democrats on that Committee and those in the House are the greatest danger to our freedom.    Can you believe this?  “…The Senate committee chairman, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, said he was concerned that "misguided policies of the administration" have increased the threat to the United States. "I believe our actions in Iraq have placed our nation more at risk to terrorist attack than before the invasion,…"  The greatest danger to our country is the Dems and the MSM unending hatred of George W. Bush.  And so, today, Rush Limbaugh did what Rush Limbaugh does better than anyone else – he lets them have it, with both barrels, right between the eyes.     You also need to read the Opinion Journal today  about Dems who criticize Bush but refuse to take any responsibility.

 

“…So the Democrats want the political mileage of opposing the troop increase rhetorically. What they don't want is to take responsibility for their own policy choice. Meanwhile, their rhetoric will only serve to reassure the jihadis that sooner or later Democrats will force a U.S. withdrawal. It's enough to give a half-cheer to genuine Democratic isolationists, who have proposed legislation that would require the President to seek approval to fund additional troop increases. At least they're willing to go on record…” 

 

In other words, the Dems and the MSM don’t give a damn about how many people die so they can continue their hatred of GWB to destroy him.  Did you happen to see Law & Order SVU on Tuesday?  Talk about a timely topic.  It was about a divorcing couple.  The wife hated her husband so much she lied about being raped, and basically destroyed his life.  He took revenge by throwing gasoline on her and lighting it.  She died.  The moral of the story – hate destroys those who hate.  Do the Dems and the MSM even care about what they are doing not only to the country but to themselves.  Eventually they will be destroyed by their hatred.  I just hope it is sooner than later.

 

Want to know how bad the Dems are?  Try John Fund’s piece in today’s Opinion-Journal’s Political Diary.

 

“.Beltway reporters are already making their lists of which of the 51 freshmen House members will provide the best copy. Sure to top some lists is Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Steve Kagen, who gave up his medical practice and spent $2.5 million of his own money (some 80% of his total spending) to win an open GOP-leaning district around Green Bay. Judging by his own admissions, he may be in the running for Most Boorish freshman.  Rep. Kagen has already made news by conducting his own high-profile inspection of mold found in the basement of his Congressional office building (he declared it wasn't dangerous). But what the home folks are really buzzing about are the stories he tells about his first encounters with President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Karl Rove.

 

The Scene, an alternative newspaper in Appleton, Wis., reports that Mr. Kagen regaled a group of local peace activists with tales of his first few weeks in the nation's capital. He reported that when he went to the White House for a reception, he found Mr. Rove in a restroom. He blocked his departure by holding the door closed. "You're in the White House and you think you are safe, huh?" he asked Mr. Rove. "You recognize me? My name's Dr. Multimillionaire and I kicked your ass."

 

Mr. Kagen said he expected that such a statement would make the White House aide squirm, but instead the reply was simply, "Oh, congratulations." Looking for bigger game, the freshmen Democrat then met Vice President Cheney. He promptly walked up and said, "Mr. Vice President, thank you for your service to the nation, and thank you so much for coming to Green Bay and campaigning against me. I couldn't have won without your help."

 

But he wasn't done yet. "I was feeling real good at this point," Mr. Kagen told his audience. When he met President Bush and the First Lady, Mr. Kagen told him, "Mr. President, thank you for coming to Green Bay. My name is Dr. Multimillionaire. That was before the race. Now they call me Doctor Thousandaire. I couldn't have won without you coming." Mr. Bush smiled and deflected the comment by saying, "I've lost a lot of money in my life, too." So Mr. Kagen turned to his wife Laura and said, "Hi Barbara, how are ya?" He explained: "I did that because I learned on the campaign that the meanest thing you can say to another gentlemen is, 'He's a fine fellow,' and you then refer to his spouse by a different name."

 

Rick Sense, a conservative Wisconsin blogger, says he is stunned by how "obnoxious, childish, rude and angry in victory" Mr. Kagen is. It does make you wonder how he will act should he lose his first re-election effort in a district that gave President Bush 54% of the vote in 2004. The only two Democrats to have held the seat in the past half century won in the Democratic landslide years of 1974 and 1996 and fell to Republican challengers after one or two terms.”

 

I’ve been hearing that the State Dept. is a mess. If it comes from Novak, I believe it.

 

PRIMARIES 2008:  Ron Paul has joined the list of egos thinking about running. Why Romney will never be POTUS. Christopher Dodd, another ego into the ring today!  Polls in SC.  Flapsblog on Romney's Conservativism and on the Giuliani memo leak.  Brownback - a conservative against our victory in the war on terror. Flipper could be doing well in Iowa. Romney doing what he does best, flipping and flopping all night!  Hil continues to lose support!  Giuliani definately supports our troops and the 'surge'.  He was great last night on H&C.  Looked like the sensible leader that he is.  Flipper and NH.

 

EMAIL OF THE DAY:  This came from my friend Rich. It is very appropriate today, considering the awarding of the Medal of Honor to the family of Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham, who paid the ultimate price for seccuring our freedom against the extremists of Islam.  From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli...How many people know the story behind ...the Shores of Tripoli? 

 

Democrat Keith Ellison is now officially the first Muslim United States congressman. True to his pledge, he placed his hand on the Quran, the Muslim book of jihad and pledged his allegiance to the United States during hisceremonial swearing-in. Capitol Hill staff said Ellison's swearing-in photo opportunity drew more media than they had ever seen in the history of the U.S. House. Ellison represents the 5th Congressional District of Minnesota. The Quran Ellison used was no ordinary book. It once belonged to Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States and one of America's founding fathers. Ellison borrowed it from the Rare Book Section of the Library of Congress. It was one of the 6,500 Jefferson books archived in the library. Ellison, who was born in Detroit and converted to Islam while in college, said he chose to use Jefferson's Quran because it showed that "a visionary like Jefferson" believed that wisdom could be gleaned from many sources. There is no doubt Ellison was right about Jefferson believing wisdom could be "gleaned" from the Muslim Quran. At the time Jefferson owned the book, he needed to know everything possible about Muslims because he was about to
advocate war against the Islamic "Barbary" states of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Tripoli.

 

Ellison's use of Jefferson's Quran as a prop illuminates a s ubject once well-known in the history of the United States, but, which today, is mostly forgotten - the Muslim pirate slavers who over many centuries enslaved
millions of Africans and tens of thousands of Christian Europeans and Americans in the Islamic "Barbary" states.  Over the course of 10 centuries, Muslim pirates cruised the African and Mediterranean coastline, pillaging villages and seizing slaves. The taking of slaves in pre-dawn raids on unsuspecting coastal villages had a high casualty rate. It was typical of Muslim raiders to kill off as many of the "non-Muslim" older men and women as possible so the preferred "booty" of only young women and children could be collected. Young
non-Muslim women were targeted because of their value as concubines in Islamic markets. Islamic law provides for the sexual interests of Muslim men by allowing them to take as many as four wives at one time and to have as many concubines as their fortunes allow.

Boys, as young as 9 or 10 years old, were often mutilated to create eunuchs who would bring higher prices in the slave markets of the Middle East. Muslim slave traders created "eunuch stations" along major African slave
routes so the necessary surgery could be performed. It was estimated that only a small number of the boys subjected to the mutilation survived afterthe surgery.

When American colonists rebelled against British rule in 1776, American merchant ships lost Royal Navy protection. With no American Navy for protection, American ships were attacked and their Christian crews enslaved by Muslim pirates operating under the control of the "Dey of Algiers"--an Islamist warlord ruling Algeria. Because American commerce in the Mediterranean was being destroyed by the pirates, the Continental Congress agreed in 1784 to negotiate treaties with the four Barbary States. Congress  appointed a special commission consisting of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, to oversee the negotiations.

Lacking the ability to protect its merchant ships in the Mediterranean, the new America government tried to appease the Muslim slavers by agreeing to pay tribute and ransoms in order to retrieve seized American ships and buy the freedom of enslaved sailors.

Adams argued in favor of paying tribute as the cheapest way to get American commerce in the Mediterranean moving again. Jefferson was opposed. He believed there would be no end to the demands for tribute and wanted matters settled "through the medium of war." He proposed a league of trading nations to force an end to Muslim piracy. In 1786, Jefferson, then the American ambassador to France, and Adams, then the American ambassador to Britain, met in London with Sid i Haji Abdul Rahman Adja, the "Dey of Algiers" ambassador to Britain. The Americans wanted to negotiate a peace treaty based on Congress' vote to appease.

During the meeting Jefferson and Adams asked the Dey's ambassador why Muslims held so much hostility towards America, a nation with which they had no previous contacts.  In a later meeting with the American Congress, the two future presidents reported that Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja had answered that
Islam "was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Quran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them
wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman (Muslim) who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise."

For the following 15 yea rs, the American government paid the Muslims millions of dollars for the safe passage of American ships or the return of American hostages. The payments in ransom and tribute amounted to 20 percent of United States government annual revenues in 1800.  Not long after Jefferson's inauguration as president in 1801, he dispatched >a group of frigates to defend American interests in the Mediterranean, and
informed Congress.

Declaring that America was going to spend "millions for defense but not one cent for tribute," Jefferson pressed the issue by deploying American Marinesand many of America's best warships to the Muslim Barbary Coast. The USS Constitution, USS Constellation, USS Philadelphia, USS Chesapeake, USS Argus, USS Syren and USS Intrepid all saw action.  In 1805, American Marines marched across the dessert from Egypt into Tripolitania, forcing the surrender of Tripoli and the freeing of all American slaves.

During the Jefferson administration, the Muslim Barbary States, crumbling as a result of intense American naval bombardment and on shore raids by Marines, finally officially agreed to abandon slavery and piracy.
Jefferson's victory over the Muslims lives on today in the Marine Hymn, with the line, "From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, we will fight our country's battles on the land as on the sea."

It wasn't until 1815 that the problem was fully settled by the total defeat of all the Muslim slave trading pirates. Jefferson had been right. The "medium of war" was the only way to put and end to the Muslim problem. Mr. Ellison was right about Jefferson. He was a "visionary" wise enough to read and learn about the enemy from their own Muslim book of jihad.