Executing women and children? I don't believe it. Killed by accident, maybe. Killed by terrorists and blamed on the US, most likely. The values of the Marines, the values of Americans, the values of civilized nations, would not allow this to happen. Let's wait for the whole story to come out. As usual, we have one side of the story. And a sizable portion of this story seems to be from questionable sources.
"the doctor who certified the civilians as having been shot is, shall we say, not exactly objective. "
Here's a somber article about where the war could be going based on it's length and the media coverage. Basically, "stop the war because we have .01% bad troops." How about prosecute the bad troops, and stay to coarse to rid the world of terrorist intento in killing men, women and children because they don't follow a certain religion?
And on a similar note:
"As Peter Beinart noted... , the difference between the United States and most other countries isn't that we're perfect, but that we follow up stuff like this. That tends to get missed in the coverage."
Friday, June 02, 2006
Friday, May 26, 2006
This is the last straw
That's it! I've had it! I've tried to back the president. I've tried to understand the difficulties this country faces. I've tried to listen to both size and not jump into hysterics at each media inflamed "scandal". I thought the Dubai deal was not an issues. I believe Katina was handled fairly well given the circumstances. Harriet Myers? Didn't agree, but, hey every makes tough choices. Iraq, I'm 100% behind the president. It's going well, and at this pace, this will be remembered as a total victory when history is written. Immigration? Well, it's not all Bush's fault, and there's no silver bullet, so choices have to be made.
But the Republican congressional response to the Jefferson investigation is last straw. This is absurd. It's foolish. It's incomprehensible. Literally! I don't get it! Even IF there is a constitutional discussion necessary, it shouldn't be the first, only and LOUDEST point being made by the Republican leadershit! (Freudian Slip) You have got to be kidding me. The Republicans are in the tank. They're being pounded for "corruption" and, finally, FINALLY, there is an opportunity to show that there are corrupt people on both sides, and that there is media bias, and there is blame to share. And what does Hastert do? He puts his arm around Pelosi and says that they are united in the premise that they are above the law, you lowly, dirty, peasants." Nice job, Hastert. Good luck in '06. I'll be watching from the sidelines.
Please is you live in Tennessee, or know someone in Tennessee, Vote for Bob Krumm. He's feels the same way I do.
P.S. And, friends, don't give me this, "They're still better than the alternative." Cuz they ain't. That's the sad fact.
But the Republican congressional response to the Jefferson investigation is last straw. This is absurd. It's foolish. It's incomprehensible. Literally! I don't get it! Even IF there is a constitutional discussion necessary, it shouldn't be the first, only and LOUDEST point being made by the Republican leadershit! (Freudian Slip) You have got to be kidding me. The Republicans are in the tank. They're being pounded for "corruption" and, finally, FINALLY, there is an opportunity to show that there are corrupt people on both sides, and that there is media bias, and there is blame to share. And what does Hastert do? He puts his arm around Pelosi and says that they are united in the premise that they are above the law, you lowly, dirty, peasants." Nice job, Hastert. Good luck in '06. I'll be watching from the sidelines.
Please is you live in Tennessee, or know someone in Tennessee, Vote for Bob Krumm. He's feels the same way I do.
P.S. And, friends, don't give me this, "They're still better than the alternative." Cuz they ain't. That's the sad fact.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
How little me know
It's time that I post again about media incompetence. This is a case to highlight the damage the media has done. In a rush for viewer ratings, the media's sensationalization of an event became lore. Katrina was a devistating event all across the gulf coast of American. But what was communicated to us was not the facts. And now the facts a lost in history. And the legends of Katrina live on.
This is an eye opening article about the mainstream media's coverage of Katrina (via. Instapundit).
------------
As I’ve written before, virtually all of the gripping stories from Katrina were untrue. All of those stories about, in Paula Zahn’s words, “bands of rapists, going block to block”? Not true. The tales of snipers firing on medevac helicopters? Bogus. The yarns, peddled on Oprah by New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and the New Orleans police chief, that “little babies” were getting raped in the Superdome and that the bodies of the murdered were piling up? Completely false. The stories about poor blacks dying in comparatively huge numbers because American society “left them behind”? Nah-ah. While most outlets limited themselves to taking Nagin’s estimate of 10,000 dead at face value, Editor and Publisher—the watchdog of the media—ran the headline, “Mortuary Director Tells Local Paper 40,000 Could Be Lost in Hurricane.”
...
This barely captures how badly the press bungled Katrina coverage. Keep in mind that the most horrifying tales of woe that captivated the press and prompted news anchors to scream—quite literally—at federal officials occurred within the safe zone around the Superdome where the press was operating. Shame on local officials for fomenting fear and passing along newly minted urban legends, but double shame on the press for recycling this stuff uncritically. Members of the press had access to the Superdome. Why not just run in and look for the bodies? Interview the rape victims? Couldn’t be bothered? The major networks had hundreds of people in New Orleans. Was there not a single intern available to fact-check? The coverage actually cost lives. Helicopters were grounded for 24 hours in response to media reports of sniper attacks. At least two patients died waiting to be evacuated.
... in the race to prove the federal response incompetent, the “real journalists” missed some important details. As Lou Dolinar exhaustively documents, the National Guard did amazing work in New Orleans. From the Superdome, the Guard managed some 2,500 troops, a dozen emergency shelters, more than 200 boats, 150 helicopters (which flew more than 10,000 sorties moving 88,181 passengers, 18,834 tons of cargo, and saved 17,411 survivors), and an enormous M*A*S*H operation that, among other things, delivered seven babies.
This is an eye opening article about the mainstream media's coverage of Katrina (via. Instapundit).
------------
As I’ve written before, virtually all of the gripping stories from Katrina were untrue. All of those stories about, in Paula Zahn’s words, “bands of rapists, going block to block”? Not true. The tales of snipers firing on medevac helicopters? Bogus. The yarns, peddled on Oprah by New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and the New Orleans police chief, that “little babies” were getting raped in the Superdome and that the bodies of the murdered were piling up? Completely false. The stories about poor blacks dying in comparatively huge numbers because American society “left them behind”? Nah-ah. While most outlets limited themselves to taking Nagin’s estimate of 10,000 dead at face value, Editor and Publisher—the watchdog of the media—ran the headline, “Mortuary Director Tells Local Paper 40,000 Could Be Lost in Hurricane.”
...
This barely captures how badly the press bungled Katrina coverage. Keep in mind that the most horrifying tales of woe that captivated the press and prompted news anchors to scream—quite literally—at federal officials occurred within the safe zone around the Superdome where the press was operating. Shame on local officials for fomenting fear and passing along newly minted urban legends, but double shame on the press for recycling this stuff uncritically. Members of the press had access to the Superdome. Why not just run in and look for the bodies? Interview the rape victims? Couldn’t be bothered? The major networks had hundreds of people in New Orleans. Was there not a single intern available to fact-check? The coverage actually cost lives. Helicopters were grounded for 24 hours in response to media reports of sniper attacks. At least two patients died waiting to be evacuated.
... in the race to prove the federal response incompetent, the “real journalists” missed some important details. As Lou Dolinar exhaustively documents, the National Guard did amazing work in New Orleans. From the Superdome, the Guard managed some 2,500 troops, a dozen emergency shelters, more than 200 boats, 150 helicopters (which flew more than 10,000 sorties moving 88,181 passengers, 18,834 tons of cargo, and saved 17,411 survivors), and an enormous M*A*S*H operation that, among other things, delivered seven babies.
Monday, May 22, 2006
How to handle terrorists, Russian Style
This comes via Rantburg, an excellent site for the latest news on the War of Terror (WoT) and more.
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Russian special forces kill latest Khasavyurt emir in Dagestan
Special forces killed two rebels on Sunday in the southern Russian region of Dagestan after a firefight lasting several hours, police said.
Three policemen were injured in an attack on the house in the town of Khasavyurt in western Dagestan, in which the gunmen had blockaded themselves earlier on Sunday, said Sergei Solodovnikov, deputy police chief of southern Russia.
"One of the two gunmen were killed included Bulat Abdullayev, who was recently proclaimed the amir (warlord) of the Khasavyurt district," he told reporters in the Dagestani capital of Makhachkala.
"This amir is responsible for at least 10 grave crimes."
Police used an armoured personnel carrier to quell the rebels' fire, Solodovnikov said. The two had been killed after the private two-storey house in which they had barricaded themselves was set ablaze. Blasts were heard inside, he said.
----------
Russian special forces kill latest Khasavyurt emir in Dagestan
Special forces killed two rebels on Sunday in the southern Russian region of Dagestan after a firefight lasting several hours, police said.
Three policemen were injured in an attack on the house in the town of Khasavyurt in western Dagestan, in which the gunmen had blockaded themselves earlier on Sunday, said Sergei Solodovnikov, deputy police chief of southern Russia.
"One of the two gunmen were killed included Bulat Abdullayev, who was recently proclaimed the amir (warlord) of the Khasavyurt district," he told reporters in the Dagestani capital of Makhachkala.
"This amir is responsible for at least 10 grave crimes."
Police used an armoured personnel carrier to quell the rebels' fire, Solodovnikov said. The two had been killed after the private two-storey house in which they had barricaded themselves was set ablaze. Blasts were heard inside, he said.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
NSA History
Here's a short video report by Michelle Malkin about the NSA. She tours the National cryptography Museum and teaches us about the founding of the NSA, It's mission and several example of NSA victories over our enemies in WWII. Just another example of the scare-mongering of the anti-Bush movement. And let me clarify that "anti-Bush movement" is aimed at all for the parties (Dems and Reps) exposing, publicizing and trying to politically capitalize on secret programs aimed at saving American lives.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Iraq by the numbers
Here are a couple posts about the data reported from Iraq. Yes, data. Numbers that can be use to evaluate a situation; trends and progress. All Things Conservative has a post summarizing the data. A couple notable to me (with my comments) are:
3. Actionable tips from Iraqis have increased every month this year. In January, 4,025 tips were received; February, 4,235; and March, 4,578.
5. Crude oil production reached 2.14 million barrels a day (MBD) in April of this year. It had dropped to 0.3 MBD in May of 2003. (Remember when this was a metric in the media?)
6. Revenues from oil export have only slightly increased from pre-war levels of $0.2 billion, to $0.62 billion in April. (Only slightly? That's a 200% increase. If you were the mainstream media, and this was bad information, you would phrase it, "Revenue has risen by 200% from $200M to $620M." That's an annual increase of 67%! Exxon/Mobil is called a criminal for a 16% increase.)
7. Electrical output is almost at the pre-war level of 3,958 megawatts. April's production was 3,600 megawatts. In May of 2003, production was only 500 megawatts. The goal is to reach 6,000 megawatts. (This was also an early media metric, which has lost favor)
8. The unemployment rate in June of 2003 was 50-60%, and in April of this year it had dropped to 25-40%.
13. As of January 2006, 64% of Iraqis polled said that the country was headed in the right direction.
14. Also as of January 2006, 77% said that removing Saddam Hussein was the right thing to do.
15. In May of 2003, Iraqi Security Forces were estimated at between 7,000-9,000. They numbered 250,500 in March of this year.
16. The breakdown of foreign terrorists by country of origin is interesting. The largest number come from Algeria, at 20%. The next two countries are Syria and Yemen, at 18% and 17%, respectively. (Where is Saudi Arabia?)
17. The number of foreign terrorists fighting in Iraq was estimated at between 300 and 500 in January 2004. That number increased in April of this year, to between 700 and 2,000. (Lest we forget where the front line of the war on terror is.)
18. From May 2003 and April 2006, between 1,000 and 3,000 anti-Iraqi forces have been killed each month.(Nominally, that's 72,000 defenders of tyranny dead)
The Futurist says the situation in Iraq will be close to complete by 2008 (November, to be exact).
(All via Instapundit)
And don't forgot to check in at Iraq The Model and Healing Iraq for up-to-date views of Iraq from citizens of Baghdad.
Update: IraqPundit says:
To me, these are indications that Iraqis are using their freedom to improve their personal lives and, in the process, to build their country. One of the most infuriating aspects of the Western media's presentation of Iraq is that Iraqis themselves are reduced to being the bleeding, mourning victims of terror; they are bit players in a narrative that is about Bush wrecking the country. The material in the Brookings report not only credits Iraqis with initiative, it restores to them the dignity that the Western media's one-dimensional presentation denies them.
3. Actionable tips from Iraqis have increased every month this year. In January, 4,025 tips were received; February, 4,235; and March, 4,578.
5. Crude oil production reached 2.14 million barrels a day (MBD) in April of this year. It had dropped to 0.3 MBD in May of 2003. (Remember when this was a metric in the media?)
6. Revenues from oil export have only slightly increased from pre-war levels of $0.2 billion, to $0.62 billion in April. (Only slightly? That's a 200% increase. If you were the mainstream media, and this was bad information, you would phrase it, "Revenue has risen by 200% from $200M to $620M." That's an annual increase of 67%! Exxon/Mobil is called a criminal for a 16% increase.)
7. Electrical output is almost at the pre-war level of 3,958 megawatts. April's production was 3,600 megawatts. In May of 2003, production was only 500 megawatts. The goal is to reach 6,000 megawatts. (This was also an early media metric, which has lost favor)
8. The unemployment rate in June of 2003 was 50-60%, and in April of this year it had dropped to 25-40%.
13. As of January 2006, 64% of Iraqis polled said that the country was headed in the right direction.
14. Also as of January 2006, 77% said that removing Saddam Hussein was the right thing to do.
15. In May of 2003, Iraqi Security Forces were estimated at between 7,000-9,000. They numbered 250,500 in March of this year.
16. The breakdown of foreign terrorists by country of origin is interesting. The largest number come from Algeria, at 20%. The next two countries are Syria and Yemen, at 18% and 17%, respectively. (Where is Saudi Arabia?)
17. The number of foreign terrorists fighting in Iraq was estimated at between 300 and 500 in January 2004. That number increased in April of this year, to between 700 and 2,000. (Lest we forget where the front line of the war on terror is.)
18. From May 2003 and April 2006, between 1,000 and 3,000 anti-Iraqi forces have been killed each month.(Nominally, that's 72,000 defenders of tyranny dead)
The Futurist says the situation in Iraq will be close to complete by 2008 (November, to be exact).
(All via Instapundit)
And don't forgot to check in at Iraq The Model and Healing Iraq for up-to-date views of Iraq from citizens of Baghdad.
Update: IraqPundit says:
To me, these are indications that Iraqis are using their freedom to improve their personal lives and, in the process, to build their country. One of the most infuriating aspects of the Western media's presentation of Iraq is that Iraqis themselves are reduced to being the bleeding, mourning victims of terror; they are bit players in a narrative that is about Bush wrecking the country. The material in the Brookings report not only credits Iraqis with initiative, it restores to them the dignity that the Western media's one-dimensional presentation denies them.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Fracture
Is the Republican party destined to lose this November? And if they are going to lose, is it just the blessing of democracy that no one party can rule for too long? Instapudit has some links to related thoughts.
Hugh Hewitt has faith that the Democratic party will come to the rescue and once again make the Republicans the lesser of two evils.
Hugh Hewitt has faith that the Democratic party will come to the rescue and once again make the Republicans the lesser of two evils.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
No-man's Land
Scott Olin Schmidt makes an argument that I've never hear work in Pondering the Pelosi Revolution . But I agree with this paragraph. The republican party is not helping us.
----------
... George Bush has generally resisted the temptation to give in to these elements of the Republican Party—pushing moderate proposals on immigration and seeking bipartisan consensus on Social Security—but he always seems to get caught in a no-man's land in the middle with no allies. Folks like me are getting tired of defending the President from both Right and Left.
(via. Instapundit)
----------
... George Bush has generally resisted the temptation to give in to these elements of the Republican Party—pushing moderate proposals on immigration and seeking bipartisan consensus on Social Security—but he always seems to get caught in a no-man's land in the middle with no allies. Folks like me are getting tired of defending the President from both Right and Left.
(via. Instapundit)
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Silence
A liar meets the truth with silence.
from the Washington Post
---------
Earlier this year there was a town hall meeting on the Iraq war, sponsored by Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), with the participation of such antiwar organizations as CodePink and MoveOn.org. The event also featured Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), a former Marine who had become an outspoken critic of the war. To this Iraq war veteran, it was a good example of something that's become all too common: People from politics, the media and elsewhere purporting to represent "our" views. With all due respect, most often they don't.
The tenor of the town meeting was mostly what one might expect, but during the question-and-answer period, a veteran injured in Afghanistan stood up to offer his view. "If I didn't have a herniated disc, I would volunteer to go to Iraq in a second with my troops," said Mark Seavey, a former Army sergeant who had recently returned from Afghanistan. "I know you keep saying how you have talked to the troops and the troops are demoralized, and I really resent that characterization. The morale of the troops I talk to is phenomenal, which is why my troops are volunteering to go back despite the hardships. . . ."
"And, Congressman Moran, 200 of your constituents just arrived back from Afghanistan -- we never got a letter, we never got a visit from you, you didn't come to our homecoming. The only thing we got was a letter from the governor of this state thanking us for our service in Iraq, when we were in Afghanistan. That's reprehensible. I don't know who you two are talking to, but the morale of the troops is very high."
What was the response? Murtha said nothing, while Moran attempted to move on, no pun intended, stating: "That wasn't in the form of a question, it was a statement."
------------
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) was recently silenced when confronted with the truth that our brave troops are proud and determined to finish their missing – their mission to rid the world of threats to freedom. Rep. Murtha is either lying, or he believes the recent poll reflecting the desire of troops to be home. Of coarse the troops want to be home. Like a patient want to be out of the hospital. But a patient on a heart-lung machine would rather stay and recover that unplug and die. They’ll be home when the job is done. And God bless them for volunteering for this missing. And for staying motivated in the face of politically motivated defeatism.
On a related note, you can support troops and families who have lost loved ones by signing this letter to the media about constant negative reinforcement about the war. (FYI: I did not get spammed from this site.)
from the Washington Post
---------
Earlier this year there was a town hall meeting on the Iraq war, sponsored by Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), with the participation of such antiwar organizations as CodePink and MoveOn.org. The event also featured Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), a former Marine who had become an outspoken critic of the war. To this Iraq war veteran, it was a good example of something that's become all too common: People from politics, the media and elsewhere purporting to represent "our" views. With all due respect, most often they don't.
The tenor of the town meeting was mostly what one might expect, but during the question-and-answer period, a veteran injured in Afghanistan stood up to offer his view. "If I didn't have a herniated disc, I would volunteer to go to Iraq in a second with my troops," said Mark Seavey, a former Army sergeant who had recently returned from Afghanistan. "I know you keep saying how you have talked to the troops and the troops are demoralized, and I really resent that characterization. The morale of the troops I talk to is phenomenal, which is why my troops are volunteering to go back despite the hardships. . . ."
"And, Congressman Moran, 200 of your constituents just arrived back from Afghanistan -- we never got a letter, we never got a visit from you, you didn't come to our homecoming. The only thing we got was a letter from the governor of this state thanking us for our service in Iraq, when we were in Afghanistan. That's reprehensible. I don't know who you two are talking to, but the morale of the troops is very high."
What was the response? Murtha said nothing, while Moran attempted to move on, no pun intended, stating: "That wasn't in the form of a question, it was a statement."
------------
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) was recently silenced when confronted with the truth that our brave troops are proud and determined to finish their missing – their mission to rid the world of threats to freedom. Rep. Murtha is either lying, or he believes the recent poll reflecting the desire of troops to be home. Of coarse the troops want to be home. Like a patient want to be out of the hospital. But a patient on a heart-lung machine would rather stay and recover that unplug and die. They’ll be home when the job is done. And God bless them for volunteering for this missing. And for staying motivated in the face of politically motivated defeatism.
On a related note, you can support troops and families who have lost loved ones by signing this letter to the media about constant negative reinforcement about the war. (FYI: I did not get spammed from this site.)
Monday, April 10, 2006
Making up the News
This past week has been a bonanza of non-news news. Here are three examples of stories that are not news. And because the mainstream media is lazy or too cheap to actually do research and report of stories, every major media outlet repeatedly reports the same story. This repetition MAKES it a story. A story devoid of substance.
Bush has plan for nuclear attack on Iran
Of coarse he has a plan to nuke Iran! That's he job - to have a plan. He got a plan to invade, too. He's also got a plan for airstrikes. He's got a plan for naval strikes. He's got plan for preemptive strike. He's got a plan for a provoked strike. The military's job is to have a plan for everything just in case we need it. Because we don't want to be making it up on the fly. That's why we had a plan to invade Iraq when Bush became president. That's why Clinton had a plan. By the way, we have a plan to invade Syria. Have a plan to invade Saudi Arabia. So when the news gets slow next time, don't be shocked when these are your headlines.
Bush leaked Confidential Information
It's not a leak. The president declassified information and make it public. He can do that. He did it because of the disinformation in the media. He made it public - for everyone. The information debunked the op-ed by Joe Wilson in the NYT.
Gas could be $3.00 a gallon this summer
Yeah, and it could be $2.00. Could. I call this "preemptive" news.
Remember what motivates Big Media. Your money. Get your news from my links on the right. (Instapundit, Powerline)
Bush has plan for nuclear attack on Iran
Of coarse he has a plan to nuke Iran! That's he job - to have a plan. He got a plan to invade, too. He's also got a plan for airstrikes. He's got a plan for naval strikes. He's got plan for preemptive strike. He's got a plan for a provoked strike. The military's job is to have a plan for everything just in case we need it. Because we don't want to be making it up on the fly. That's why we had a plan to invade Iraq when Bush became president. That's why Clinton had a plan. By the way, we have a plan to invade Syria. Have a plan to invade Saudi Arabia. So when the news gets slow next time, don't be shocked when these are your headlines.
Bush leaked Confidential Information
It's not a leak. The president declassified information and make it public. He can do that. He did it because of the disinformation in the media. He made it public - for everyone. The information debunked the op-ed by Joe Wilson in the NYT.
Gas could be $3.00 a gallon this summer
Yeah, and it could be $2.00. Could. I call this "preemptive" news.
Remember what motivates Big Media. Your money. Get your news from my links on the right. (Instapundit, Powerline)
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