Senator McCain Clearly States It

This is why we are in Iraq. It's the main reason we went in and the main reason we can't leave until the job is done. Every time the subject of getting out of Iraq comes up, this is what needs to be said.

"If we fail in Iraq, it will be cataclysmic. You'll see factionalization and eventual Muslim extremism and terrorist breeding grounds that would, I believe, pose a direct threat to the security of the United States. And I'm very glad that the American people -- understandably dissatisfied, understandably frustrated -- still, the majority of them don't think we ought to cut and run."

This is the "constitutional" reason we are there. "Spreading Democracy " is our tool. "Freeing people" is a result. (Powerline)

Live News

There is a lot of talk about how blogs bring citizen jouranlism into reality. Nothing demonstrated this more than a catastrophy. The tsunami was the first experience for me. But Hurricane Katrina is also a great example. I've enjoyed the perspective of Justin on the hurricane.

Pundit Guy is a good example of aiding in the source for live coverage.

Fear US

You may disagree with why we went to Iraq. But when it is said that leaving now will embolden the enemy, this is what they are referring to:

But your most disgraceful case was in Somalia; where -- after vigorous
propaganda about the power of the USA and its post cold war leadership of the
new world order -- you moved tens of thousands of international force,
including twenty eight thousands American solders into Somalia. However, when
tens of your solders were killed in minor battles and one American Pilot was
dragged in the streets of Mogadishu you left the area carrying disappointment,
humiliation, defeat and your dead with you. Clinton appeared in front of the
whole world threatening and promising revenge , but these threats were merely
a preparation for withdrawal. You have been disgraced by Allah and you
withdrew; the extent of your impotence and weaknesses became very clear. It
was a pleasure for the "heart" of every Muslim and a remedy to the
"chests" of believing nations to see you defeated in the three
Islamic cities of Beirut , Aden and Mogadishu.
- Osama Bin Laden. August, 1996

There are several reasons to stay in Iraq. This is one of the most important.

Again, Michael Yon has brought the war home. If OBL is reading, he's seeing and hearing what our military is made of. And he should be scared. CSM Prosser

Bush's vacation reading

Here is a list of the books President Bush is reading right now. This is an interesting concept:


For most of recorded history, salt was synonymous with wealth. It established trade routes and cities. Adventurers searched for it. Merchants hoarded it. Governments taxed it. Nations went to war over it.

"It seems very silly now, all of the struggles for salt," Kurlansky said. "It's quite probable that some day, people will read about our struggles for oil and have the same reaction."


He is also reading a flu book. I haven't been able to get concern about avian flu, yet. Maybe because I just can't comprehend such a mass spread of a disease. It's scary as hell, but too intangible to get emotionally involved. I'll keep my ear to the ground.

Multiculturalism

From a Michael Barone article on "mulitculturalism". He talks about the transformation of a country when people immigrate but don't assimilate. Here are a couple quotes that I found interesting:

Multiculturalism is based on the lie that all cultures are morally equal.

The nonagenarian W.F. Deedes, a journalist since the 1930s, perhaps summed it up best: "The reputation we have in distant lands, I have learned in my travels, is higher than we give ourselves. They admire us for our social stability, our parliamentary and diplomatic experience, for fair play, for tolerance, for a willingness to help lame dogs over stiles, as well as for some of the qualities Shakespeare sang about in his plays."

Tony Parkinson quoted the French writer Jean Francois Revel's Cold War comment: "A civilization that feels guilty for everything it is and does will lack the energy and conviction to defend itself."

As Close as You Can Get

Read Michael Yon. I can't stress this enough. Brilliant. Fascinating. Stunning. Courageous. Frightening. Inspiring. He's a journalist riding with the military in Mosul, Iraq. This is as close as you can feel to being there as an observer. Now, go. Read. And keep going back, no matter how much it takes.

Excepts from Jungle Law

“I walked back through the dark and did the radio interview by cell phone. During such interviews, I get the impression that people at home are losing faith in the effort, though we are winning.”

though we are winning.
though we are winning.
though we are winning.... (echo's in the darkness.)

“But at home they cannot see it, and when I said goodbye that time, I sat in the dark.”


“Next day, we drove back to the same police station using a different route, and met with the Chief to discuss security for the upcoming elections. Minutes after we left the meeting, a terrorist sniper shot and killed PFC Nils Thompson.

“There was no time to stop and grieve. The missions continued. They had to. Hitting the enemy. More than I can ever write. Too much happens here too fast. Despite the brisk pace, as the distance of days unfurled, conversations went back to that IED. Then, finally, I woke up early one morning, waiting by my cell phone for a scheduled radio interview, when a gigantic explosion rocked the morning darkness. That was more than a five-banger.”

Seems cold, to just glance off a man being killed - our man - our hero- someone's son. But this is war. He is our hero.

“That night, there was an important memorial for Nils Thompson, the soldier who had been killed by a sniper. Soldiers had labored for days, and into the nights, to make a fitting ceremony for young Nils Thompson. Top officers, a General among them, came to the ceremony. Though he'd just turned 19, Thompson already had earned respect from officers and men in the unit. Many quiet tears marked the true pain of the loss. A few soldiers wondered, Do people at home even care?”

I care. “Thank You” cannot convey the gratitude I feel for your sacrifices. May God bless and protect you.

"You believe when you're in its warm embrace"

If you're not checking The Belmont Club regularly (or better yet, subscribing to the RSS feed), you're missing out. I found this at The Belmont club accompanied by Wretchard's excellent complimentary analysis. But Nick Colman bluntly and clearly summarizes my outlook on the liberal, contradictory, hypocritical left.

"Why is it right to support a free market in sexual relationships but oppose free-market economics, for instance? But his criticisms would have little impact. It's like a religion: the contradictions are obvious to outsiders but don't disturb the faithful. You believe when you're in its warm embrace."

I would be remiss in not postulating that I too may be in the warm embrace of the neo-consphere. But I try to peek out of the windows of my church. This is the most critical aspect of debate. We can still have debate without the current leftist agenda. There is plenty to discuss just in the current state of affairs. How do we win in Iraq? How do we excel in the global economy? Why is gas so expensive? I don't have answers to the second two questions, and the rhetoric from the left is unintelligible. (I believe we are winning in Iraq.) Let's stop the name-calling. Debate with facts.

Ahhh.. The UN. Endless Fodder for Jokes

Jakes Lileks is a brilliantly cleaver writer. Here's just a taste from his fictional account of John Bolton's first day at the UN:

4:07 -- At the cafeteria, Bolton gets a doughnut and a cup of coffee; the cashier informs him she'll put it on the U.S. tab. Bolton insists on paying himself; she shrugs and asks for $428.26.

Too Easy!

Does NASA Have a Monopoly on Woman Engineers?

I watch a lot of NASA TV and follow many of their high profile missions. I'm also a mechanical engineer who has been in the semiconductor industry for about 10 yrs. I've probably worked with 75 to 100 fellow engineers as co-workers, customers and suppliers. In my experience, I've only with about 5 female engineers. Also, at the University of ME for my BS and at the UMass Lowell for my MS, I have only had about 5 female fellow students. But when I watch NASA TV, there has got to be a 2-1 ratio of men to women!

Here's a photo of the Mars Rovers Team. I guess it's a figment of my imagination (or they trot the women out for the cameras).

Update: Mission Managers Maybe they're all just in-charge.

Let me add, that I by in no means think this is unfair. If I could get one of these jobs, I'd take it in a heartbeat (for the science, not the women, of coarse). More power to them. Of coarse, if they get the job because of their gender over a man of greater intellect, then that's wrong.

Well Said

Roger Simon has a good point here.

"People I know who know Bolton, however, pooh-pooh this as partisan slander, saying Bolton is actually a nice guy. But I hope they are wrong. If there is one thing that pseudo-idealistic kleptocracy the United Nations needs right now, it is some rudeness... a solid blast of bigtime rudeness that doesn't stop until all the Oil-for-Food swilling kleptocrats are blown out of their troughs at the Secretariat building."

Check out Roger's blog often.

Carnival of Personal Finance

A brief lesson for the newbie: "Carnival" in the blogoshpere refers to a site that collects a bunch of related sites and articles and puts them "under one tent".

Here is one that I'd like to have more time to read. So here's a link so I can come back to it when I find (make) time.

Carnival of Personal Finance