Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Murtha's undo influance

A Time web exclusive notes the following:

"... If the families are skeptical of U.S. military justice, they have even fewer expectations of their own government. Thabet, Raseef and Khaliq all say they have not received a single enquiry from the Iraqi government in Baghdad. 'In their eyes, we are nobodies,' says Raseef, bitterly.

"Curiously, no political group has sought to make capital out of the Haditha massacre. It says a great deal of the huge gap between Iraq's politicians (who tend to restrict themselves within the safe confines of Baghdad's highly protected Green Zone) and its people that not a single politician has bothered to visit Haditha, or even sent condolences to the bereaved families."

Curiously, no political group has sought to make capital out of the Haditha massacre? What about Jack Murtha? He was on Good Morning America yesterday convicting Marines without trial. He stopped short of handing down a sentence for anyone involved.

I know how these investigations go. I was responsible for the investigation into an accident that led to a Marine being seriously injured. There will be conflicting reports. Ask John Kerry. Some of the conflicts will be as a result of honest mistakes. Last week the Capitol Building was evacuated because people in good faith thought they heard shots fired. They were wrong.

Now transfer that reaction to a combat scene in Iraq. People always see things differently in these cases. It does not mean that they are liars and obstructionists. It means they recall things differently. To add to the confusion of the investigation, these people do not necessarily all line up on the side of either the defense or prosecution.

Then there are the liars and obstructionists who lie to protect a buddy. It’s seems almost impossible to sort these people out from the first group. Then there are the people who actually might have done something wrong who lie or wisely say nothing at all.

In my case, I was pretty sure what happened. I provided my report to the convening authority and made my findings, recommendations and opinions. It was my opinion that two Marines were responsible for the accident. No punishment was ever handed down. While I had the opinion that two Marines had caused the accident, based on the number of facts in dispute and lack of physical evidence, I recommended that there was no point in going forward. Short of a confession, we had nothing and neither of the principles was talking.

This is what bugs me about Murtha. He is engaged in what we called “undo influence.” In the military, the convening authority cannot tell investigators, “look we all know Jones did it. Make sure you get him.” Well Murtha has been saying, “look we all know the Marines did this. Now you’d better get them.” Because of Murtha’s grandstanding, no matter what the evidence says at Haditha, someone is going to fry.

Further, we may know without a doubt that something bad happened at Haditha, but because of obstruction, lies and mistaken accounts cannot determine culpability. I knew something bad had happened in my investigation, and I thought I knew who was responsible, but I could not find reliable testimony and/or evidence. What if that’s the same case in Haditha? Well, yes we all know something bad happened but we cannot prove who is responsible. Because Murtha will not shut up, someone is going to have to go to trial.

I’ll tell you this. Even if they get the right guys dead to rights in Haditha, the defense will have a field day shouting “undo influence” because Murtha thinks it’s more important to make the Sunday talk shows than let the investigations run their courses. God forbid that because of political grandstanding and pressure, they get the wrong guys.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

America's only native criminal class

Criminals in Congress? SHOCKING! Mark Twain once quipped that “Congress is America’s only native criminal class.” It must be something about spoiled pampered bureaucrats, living large on John Q. Public’s dime and certain in their knowledge of what’s best for everyone else and surrounded by other spoiled pampered bureaucrats, living large on John Q. Public’s dime and certain in their knowledge of what’s best for everyone else, that leads them to the belief that they are above the law.

One can almost hear William Jefferson, “why I’m the most important man in the world. Ask the other most important men in the world here. How dare you come into my House office looking for evidence that I may also be the most corrupt.” It is natural for criminals caught with a hand in the cookie jar, a mouth full cookie, crumbs everywhere, a glass of milk crumbs at the bottom, face covered in chocolate to claim that they had not been snitching cookies. We expect that.

What we do not expect is the Speaker of the House to be upset at the FBI for seizing the empty cookie jar, the crumb laden milk, and snapping the perp’s chocolate covered face for their mug shot. Denny Hastert, as a professional courtesy – one criminal to another - I suppose, was outraged that, after several requests for cooperation, the Justice Department would walk into Mr. Jefferson’s House office pursuant to a federally issued warrant and collect evidence of criminal activity. Why the nerve! If America’s only native criminal class is not safe in their own House offices, where can they go to conduct their criminal activity without fear of the FBI snooping around?

Most Washington scandals are esoteric to the point that Joe six packs’ eyes glaze over at the details. Well unfortunately for Mr. Hastert this is not such a scandal. The FBI has Mr. Jefferson on video tape taking $100,000 from an FBI informant. Everybody, apparently but Hastert, gets it. Now Hastert sounds like an 8 year old hiding a sash of candy from Mom in his room, when Mom gets next to the hiding spot the youngster blurts out, “don’t look in there.”

Just who the hell does Hastert think he and the rest of the criminals on capital hill are? Well it seems to me Hastert and the other blow hard bloviators are making a case that they are above the law. Too bad for Denny that everyone in America has this one figured out. I wonder how Denny will artfully back away from this one. “Why, did I say that this was a violation of the separation of powers? That is not at all what I meant. I meant that the FBI had the powers to separate Mr. Jefferson from the evidence of criminal activity hidden in his House office.”

Monday, May 29, 2006

We remember

On Nov. 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered the following speech at the Dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg. We remember all who have given "thier last full measure of devotion" for our great nation:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Haditha

There is an ill wind swirling about my beloved Marine Corps. That wind is being fanned by political opportunists who know better and MSM types who know nothing. The shootings last November at Haditha were covered up according to John Murtha, D-Pa. Murtha fails to explain how this “cover up” can exist while three separate and concurrent investigations are under way and have been for over a month now. Some cover up.

Murtha hangs his heavy “cover up” hat on the very short nail that the investigation should have been done 2-3 weeks after the incident. Well let see, commanders were relived after the incident and three separate investigations have been convened. Murtha’s chief complaint ought to be something along the line of “they are too damn slow.” But “cover up?” Come on.

Murtha said, "we don't know how far it goes. It goes right up the chain of command." And that is the crux of Murtha’s political grandstanding. He and the MSM will not stop until this incident lands on Donald Rumsfeld’s doorstep. Then Murtha dropped this glittering jewel of the obvious, “this is worse than Abu Ghraib."

Well in that nobody died at Abu Ghraib from the college type hazing that went on there, and that at least 20 died at Haditha, murdered if what is alleged by Murtha is true, of course the latter is worse. Thanks Jack for clearing that up for the rest of us slow wits.

Like John Murtha, I do not know what happened at Haditha. Unlike John Murtha, I’m willing to admit that I don’t know and wait for the investigation to be released. Unlike John Murtha, I’m willing to give the Marines the benefit of the doubt until proven guilty of some crime. Predictions for the Haditha mess:

The Marine Corps will release a thorough and complete investigation.

The Marine Corps will hold anyone suspected of wrong doing accountable.

If guilty at Courts Martial, the Marine Corps will punish those responsible.

The US Government will accept responsibility for any wrong doing and make generous compensatory payments to the victims’ survivors.

John Murtha and the MSM will show no empathy for the accused except as it allows them to pass the buck to Rumsfeld and the administration for what happened at Haditha.

No matter how thorough, complete and fair the investigations, the trials and the punishments are, John Murtha and the MSM will use the story to claim cover up and to bludgeon America, our armed forces and the Commander in Chief and it will be much worse than Abu Ghraib.

Keep this in mind:

Mr. Murtha's Rush to Judgment
Sunday, May 28, 2006; B06

A year ago I was charged with two counts of premeditated murder and with other war crimes related to my service in Iraq. My wife and mother sat in a Camp Lejeune courtroom for five days while prosecutors painted me as a monster; then autopsy evidence blew their case out of the water, and the Marine Corps dropped all charges against me ["Marine Officer Cleared in Killing of Two Iraqis," news story, May 27, 2005].

So I know something about rushing to judgment, which is why I am so disturbed by the remarks of Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) regarding the Haditha incident ["Death Toll Rises in Haditha Attack, GOP Leader Says," news story, May 20]. Mr. Murtha said, "Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

In the United States, we have a civil and military court system that relies on an investigatory and judicial process to make determinations based on evidence. The system is not served by such grand pronouncements of horror and guilt without the accuser even having read the investigative report.

Mr. Murtha's position is particularly suspect when he is quoted by news services as saying that the strain of deployment "has caused them [the Marines] to crack in situations like this." Not only is he certain of the Marines' guilt but he claims to know the cause, which he conveniently attributes to a policy he opposes.

Members of the U.S. military serving in Iraq need more than Mr. Murtha's pseudo-sympathy. They need leaders to stand with them even in the hardest of times. Let the courts decide if these Marines are guilty. They haven't even been charged with a crime yet, so it is premature to presume their guilt -- unless that presumption is tied to a political motive.
ILARIO PANTANO
Jacksonville, N.C.

Friday, May 26, 2006

Write a letter send an e-mail then, if they don't listen, throw the bums out

The Senate has set 11 million illegal aliens on the path to citizenship with the promise of tens of millions more to come. Oddly the part of the law that calls for construction of a wall to keep Vicente Fox’s under educated underclass out now must be negotiated with Vicente Fox. Hey makes sense to me.

I have one question for the geniuses in the Senate. If illegal aliens in the country less than two years are to be deported under the new law and are breaking the current law, what are we doing to round them up today? Answer: nothing. And that’s what we’ll get when the new bill passes – nothing.

Our only hope is in conference with the House. Please let your congressman know that what the Senate has just passed is 600 pages of unworkable bovine excrement.

The following is a cut and paste job of AF BRO’s letter adjusted to send to your representative in the House:

Dear Congressman_______:
The immigration bill the Senate just voted for is an abomination of appeasement to outlaws. It is also Pollyannaish in its assumption that law enforcement can identify violators of the proposed law and that politicians have the will (which they have lacked to date) to deport those who do not qualify for Senate amnesty. It is expensive ($54B over ten years), it is unfunded, it is ineffective, it is unworkable, and, with the Specter, Dodd amendments, it hands over control of our southern border to Mexico. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME ON THE SENATE!
The overwhelming majority of Americans are counting on you and the House to bring sanity to this issue. Passing no immigration bill at all would be better than the Senate amnesty. If amnesty for criminals passes, it seems appropriate to me that we should unite two popular chants: “Throw the bums out!” and “Si se puedo!” The president thinks the House will cave on this issue. Will you?
Sincerely,

You can locate your representative here: http://www.house.gov/United States House of Representatives, 109th Congress, 2nd Session: Homepage

Adios

Thursday, May 25, 2006

The Da Vinci bigots

I’m astounded by the flap over the Da Vinci Code. Author Dan Brown and star Tom Hanks have conceded that the story is a fake. Although Brown, taking a page from Dan Rather I suppose, said he believed it. That takes the oddity of fake but true to the next level. Sure the book is fiction but what it alleges is…uhm…the bible.

I doubt that the Da Vinci Code will shake the beliefs of any true believer. Nor will it serve as a catalyst to convert agnostics, atheists or theists. Unfortunately, the Da Vinci Code will serve as the talking points for uninformed bigoted anti-Catholic buffoons.

Dopes that have no idea that for 99.9999% of Catholics who practice it, mortification amounts to nothing more than passing up sweats and meat on Fridays during lent. None the less, after Da Vinci, anti-Catholic fools will be talking about hair shirts and self-flagellation. Idiots who don’t know that pedophilia is more common in American homes, schools and the Protestant religion as a percentage than in the Catholic church will use Da Vinci as proof positive Catholics are all murdering bastards. Witless fools who hate Catholics because Notre Dame has the best fight song and at regular intervals one of the best teams in college football, will use Da Vinci as the smoking gun proving once and for all that Catholics are an evil cult and should be banned from the NCAA just like that other ultimate evil the Indian mascot.

I’ve not read the book, but from what I’ve heard and read about it, it seems to me that Da Vinci pretty much rips off several other successful anti-Catholic “art forms” such as Jesus Christ Superstar with regard to Mary Magdalene; Godfather III with regard to corruption in the highest levels of the church; Piss Christ with regard to cinematic joy provided to Catholic bashers and Dung Mary for gratuitous assaults on the religion religious bigots love to hate.

Through it all the Catholic Church thrived and grew under the charismatic and energetic leadership of Pope John Paul the Great. John Paul is gone, but those damn Catholics had the nerve to elect one of John Paul’s acolytes as their new Pope. Now it appears that the church will remain strong and in good hands long after Dan Brown becomes - Dan who?

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

600 pages equals 10 million loopholes

Sniffing out the illegal alien vote, the senate is expected to pass a 600 page bill that will, among other things, put 10 million illegal alien on the path to citizenship and their hard won if illegally earned right to US Social Security payments. Explaining the unexplainable Social Security provision, Senator everyone but me shut up McCain said, “they stole it. It’s theirs.” Imploring everyone to just shut up, McCain went on, “they came into the country illegally. They used fraudulent documents to get jobs. They lied cheated and stole to remain in this country. They did the work I wouldn’t do. So what do Americans think their government is going to do? Start enforcing our laws!?”

But just think of it. The senate needs 600 pages to deal with one issue – immigration. By contrast the US Constitution is only 11 pages and it has successfully dealt with running the world’s greatest democracy for over 200 years. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is only 278 words and I am sure it says more than anything the world’s greatest bloviators have laid out in 600 pages. 600 pages mean 10 million loopholes - one for each illegal alien.

The obvious answer is not 600 pages of new law. The answer is strict border enforcement and enforcement of our current laws. Write your congressman and senators today. Tell them you support the House bill and border enforcement first.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

It's the average guy, not the record book, being cheated by sports dope

Barry Bonds is sure to pass the Babe on Major League Baseball’s homerun list sooner or later this year. Good. When he does, we probably won’t hear from him again until he approaches Hank Aaron’s record or he retires. There are a bunch of reasons not to like Barry Bonds. Chief among them for many baseball mavens is the fact that they believe he is a doped up cheater.

Well that is only recently the case. Major League Baseball, until recently, had no steroids policy. So Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa et al could make runs at Aaron, Ruth and Maris with the help of andro and other now banned substances. The only penalty in MLB for steroid use was the long term affects such drugs will have on their bodies - ask McGuire.

I’m of two minds on this issue. If a professional athlete wants to destroy himself chasing uncertain short-term gains with the near certainty of long-term deteriorating health, that’s his choice. I could care less about all of the purity of the game crap. The game is not pure – designated hitters, mound changes, inter-league play, juiced balls before juiced players, mindless league expansion diluting the talent pool, legal sports medicine, equipment changes and training have combined to make today’s baseball unrecognizable from Aaron’s, Ruth’s and Maris’ baseball. Some call it progress.

Bonds, McGuire and Sosa were/are great players without the dope. The dope makes their run on the record books possible. Who cares? Of more concern to me are the average players - a couple of .250 - .280, 15 - 20 homers a year guys. One decides to juice up goes from .250 to .300 and from 15-20 homers to 30-35 homers. What’s the other guy to do? Well it’s professional sports and we pay to see the best being the best they can be. So the professional player can decide on his own.

Now, take the same scenario down to the college and even high school level. Amateur sport has got to have a zero tolerance on drugs. But big money in college sports makes the urge to cheat nearly irresistible. College scholarships, fame and the lure of a professional contract puts the pressure on the kids even at the high school level. It’s another fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into.

Gifted players will always have a spot on the team. It’s the average guys getting screwed by all this drug business. Guys who would have made the team and played a bit don’t anymore because some other guy willing to wreck his body cheats and gets the spot. And that’s a shame.

Monday, May 22, 2006

Lindsey Graham part of the problem

I watched Lindsey Graham (R SC) on Meet the Press yesterday. How sad. When discussing how to stem the flood of illegal aliens coming into our country, Graham obviously confused an election campaign strategy with solving a problem.

His first task was to convince the Lex’s of the world that the 11 million illegal aliens already here were “honest hard working people.” Hmm, makes one wonder how Graham defines the word “illegal”. So if you break immigration laws to get here forge papers or steal someone’s identity to get a job and stay here, your honest and hard working. What other illegal activities is Mr. Graham willing to ignore while placing the adjective “honest” in front of the noun people? Speeding I hope.

Next was the “you can’t have a mass deportation of 11 million people” scare. Mr. Graham noted a Marine fighting in Baghdad who may have illegal parents and or grandparents. This tells me two things. First Graham and other craven pols have stood by while two generation of illegal aliens have flooded our nation and they have done nothing. Second, do nothings like Graham who allowed the problem to get to this point are now preaching to Russert and the rest of us how to the fix the problem of their own making.

Lex has noted many times that you do not need to deport the illegal aliens already in this country. Government needs to begin to crack down on employers profiting from the exploitation of illegal aliens. Government needs to refuse all benefits to anyone who broke our laws getting into this country. Government needs to put an end to the idiotic policy of granting citizenship to the off-spring of illegal aliens. But OK, create a waiver for the extended family of service members serving in combat zones in the defense of America. What does that bring the number of illegal aliens down to – 10,900,000?

Next were the economic benefits of an illegal alien work force that comprises only 5% of all workers. Tim and Lindsey ganged up on the other guest on the show some guy from the House of Representatives named Charlie. It turns out that while illegal aliens comprise only 5% of total workers they are concentrated in certain industries – agriculture, cleaning, restaurants, and lawn care – making their removal devastating.

Well two points on that. What if you’re some dope trying to run a restaurant and obey the law? The three restaurants in your neighborhood are all cheating by hiring illegal aliens. The US government should level the playing field by, A) cracking down on the restaurants exploiting illegal aliens, or B) serving as an employment agency for your restaurant and find you an illegal wait staff? Why is our government subsidizing employers who break the law?

Next, when the government comes up with its “guest worker card” it is as likely as not going to be the size of an elephant. The paper work will take 3 months 50 lawyers and $2,000 to complete. Once we have all 11 million illegal aliens registered, Democrats will demand a “living wage” of say, $12.50 an hour for them. This will force unscrupulous employers to seek out new illegal aliens without a “guest worker card” to maintain their already unfair advantage. In 20 years we have 125 million illegal aliens and the pols will be saying, “walls don’t work, you can’t round up 125 million people, it’ll ruin our economy because they're just doing the work employers won't pay a 'guest worker' $12.50 an hour to do.”

Friday, May 19, 2006

Dems showing true colors

Gangasta Mayor injects racism into the race
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin says a victory for him in tomorrow's election will send a message on race that "will echo throughout America." Yeah, They are so dumb so dumb so dumb.
Hizhonor went on with this, "I have said this before publicly that if this had been South Beach Miami or Orange County, I'll bet you a dollar that the response would have been different." Well no kidding Ray. People with brains and a bit of common sense would have been running things and as a result, things would have been a lot different. We get the leadership we deserve.

Murtha and Pelosi are judge jury and executioner
A US lawmaker and former Marine colonel accused US Marines of killing innocent Iraqi civilians after a Marine comrade had been killed by a roadside bomb. "Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood," John Murtha told reporters. Nancy Pelosi went on to condemn the administration for a cover up.

Well, I don’t know what happened – something tells me nothing good – but it’s under investigation. I’m sure if there is evidence of a crime there will be that pesky detail of a trial. Or maybe we can just dump article three of the constitution and let Murtha and Pelosi decide guilt by newspaper accounts.

Hey Murtha if you really wanted to be helpful you’d solve this Duke University business.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Conservatives can win

Conservatives have a great opportunity this fall. Sound odd, given the current polls? Well, any conservative that runs on a three prong clearly stated message will win in the places that count.

NUMBER ONE: Immigration talking points:
- Build a fence along every inch of the southern border to stop the flow of illegal aliens.
- Fine employers exploiting illegal aliens $10,000 for each illegal alien employed.
- Repeal the law making off-spring of illegal aliens US citizens.
- Provide ONLY immediate life saving measures for illegal aliens – no other form of local/state/federal government assistance will be provided – period.

NUMBER TWO: War on terror talking points:
- The fence along the southern border is a needed security measure.
- The war in Iraq, whatever else it has accomplished, has provided 10s of thousands of Islamo-terror-fascists the opportunity to meet Allah. We will stay in Iraq and kill ITF there rather than here in the US.
- NSA programs targeting international terrorists provide the dots that are connected to prevent future 9-11s.
- If Liberals are elected, we won’t have to worry about connecting the dots because there will be no dots.

NUMBER THREE: Tax/energy talking points:
- Taxes remain too high. Americans who pay taxes, pay an average of 32% of their income in local/states/federal taxes and fees.
- Gas is too expensive. The easiest fastest way to reduce the price of gas is to remove the taxes totaling about $.45 a gallon.
- Our dependence on foreign energy is funding both sides of the war on terror.
- We have plenty of energy sources in the US. We will develop those sources and reduce our dependence by 25% on foreign sources within 10 years.

Conservatives who run as conservatives will win. Conservatives who run as moderates or Democrats will and should lose. This is an important election. Media know-it-alls say that conservatives will stay home. I don’ think so. Go vote for the person who most closely represents your views on the important issues.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

America's odyssey nearly full circle

Well send up the rockets, order the cake and Champaign, today marks the fifth anniversary of Lex’s blog. Yes it was a mere five years ago today that Lex tapped out his first cyber note. I don’t recall exactly what the subject was, hypocrisy by some liberal being anti gun while surrounding himself with armed body guards, or singing the praise of the public schools while enrolling his own kids in a private one, or complaining about fossil fuel use while jetting about his gas guzzling G5 aircraft would be a good bet.

Fortunately, my longevity will allow me to escape John McCain’s latest assault on the first amendment outlawing any blog that describes him as…hmm what’s a good hyphenated word…self-aggrandizing works as well as any. Yes any blog that has been publishing for at least five years will be exempt from the anti free speech McCain’s latest effort to shut us all up.

As for the rest? Well too bad. They will be rounded up, placed into a NSA file on a Cray Computer somewhere. John McCain will show up at the undisclosed location, highlight the file and hit the delete button sending an estimated 6 million blogs into the ether never to be heard from again.

Ahhh, but Lex you started before the 2004 election, so you’ve not been publishing for five years. Yeah, well prove it! And that is the idiocy only a politician like Chuck Hagel could come up with. We don’t have the will or resources to round up even three employers who exploit illegal aliens (Justice filed only two complaints against employers last year) but some how we’re going to round up 6 million illegal aliens. Then, using an Ouija board, I suppose we’ll determine if they have been in the country more than five years.

Given the craven performance of politicians on this issue to date, Republicans looking for cheap labor, Democrats looking for illegal votes, anyone want to guess how they will react to any new law? They will do exactly what craven politicians do – pander and posture. In ten years there will another 125 million illegal aliens in the country and the Hispanic lobby that controls congress will propose a get tough immigration bill that requires all Americans of European decent not here for at least 200 years to return to their country of origin and apply for a new visa. Armed Mexican security patrols (doing the work Americans won't do) will go door to door and round up millions of violators, pack them into converted oil tankers and send them to Europe. There, European governments, long ago transformed into Muslim theocracies, will allow the illegal aliens one chance to convert to Islam before chopping off their heads. And America’s odyssey will have gone full circle.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Lex addresses the nation

Lex could have done the president’s speech on immigration last night in about two minutes:

Good evening my fellow Americans. For illegal aliens, it’s time for you to go.

Craven American politicians have allowed an untenable situation to exist on our southern border for 25 years. They have given you a wink and nod and you came to do “the jobs Americans wouldn’t do for $.50 an hour.” We have subsidized whole industries on your backs. Were I to propose subsidies for the auto industry like we allow in say, agriculture through our blind eye to labor practices, free market conservatives and union leaders would rightly howl like stuck pigs. Tonight I’m announcing the end of such subsidies. Any employer hiring illegal aliens will be fined $10,000 the first offense and jailed for 18 months on the second offense. We will be aggressive and relentless in pursuing, not illegal aliens but, those who are being subsidized by the cheap labor of illegal aliens.

Next, there will be no amnesty or guest worker program or path to citizenship or whatever the latest euphemism for amnesty. See, if you’re doing the work Americans won’t do, it’s silly to make you American citizens because then you won’t do that work. If you don’t do the work then we’ll need to get 11-20 million more illegal aliens in here to take your place.

Next, I will not allow one dime of federal money to be spent on illegal aliens for anything other than life saving measures. No welfare. No schools. No driver’s licenses. Any state not in full compliance will lose all federal funding.

Next, children of illegal aliens will no longer be considered American citizens. These children in many cases are conceived for the express purpose of creating an “anchor” for illegal aliens in America. People say, awww you can’t break up the family. The children are American citizens. Well, not anymore.

Next, the idea of a fence, wall or ditch along our southern border is a bit off-putting to me. Six months ago I informed Vicente Fox that if he didn’t clean up his side of the border, a 12’ fence and a 16’ wall would be constructed with a 100 yard no-mans land in-between with 24-7 surveillance along every inch of our border. In the mean time any Mexican law enforcement or military caught on the US side or facilitating illegal aliens’ entry into the US would be shot. Mr. Fox has been much more cooperative.

Last, it is said that you cannot deport 11 million people. How do we know? We’ve not even tried to deport 1 million. But I think once there are no jobs, no benefits, no citizenship, illegal aliens will leave on their own accord.

Good night and God Bless America.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Who is Brad Kasal?

Who is Brad Kasal? Brad Kasal is a guy Jack Murtha “wouldn’t serve” with. Brad Kasal is the kind of guy Dick Durbin referred to as a Nazi, Pol Pot and/or a Soviet running the gulag. Brad Kasal is one of the guys John Kerry said was “terrorizing Iraqis in the middle of the night.” Given the quality of the people who apparently don’t like Brad Kasal, he must be a good guy. Here’s his story.

“MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (May 4, 2006)
-- Sgt. Maj. Bradley A. Kasal feels he did what any good Marine would’ve done. That includes taking enemy rifle fire on Nov. 14, 2004, absorbing a grenade blast and refusing medical attention inside Fallujah’s House of Hell during Operation Al Fajr (New Dawn).

“For his extraordinary heroism and leadership in Fallujah, Iraq, as the
Weapons Company first sergeant for 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Kasal was awarded the Navy Cross during a ceremony here Monday.

“’The word hero is tossed around pretty loosely these days,’ said
Maj. Gen. Michael R. Lehnert, Commanding General of Marine Corps Installations West, after awarding Kasal with the Naval service’s second-highest decoration, in front of an audience that included the 1st Marine Division’s past and present commanding generals, Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis and Maj. Gen. Richard F. Natonski, respectively.

“Some may call a basketball player a hero for scoring the winning
goal or a celebrity for donating a small portion of their earnings to a good cause, but Kasal is a true American hero.

“When then-1st Sgt. Kasal assisted one of his platoons with an over
watch inside Fallujah that day, intense gunfire broke out in an Iraqi home to his immediate front.

“Seconds later, Marines were rapidly exiting the building, known as the
House of Hell. ‘That house was a death trap,’ said Maj. Gen. Lehnert.
“’It was set up for one purpose: to kill United States Marines.
Kasal could have easily stayed out of the house.’

“When he found out that there were Marines still pinned down inside the infamous house, nothing the insurgents could put on the table would stop him from rescuing his Marines.

“’Going in for them was the right thing to do,’ said Kasal, 39, who hails from Afton, Iowa. ‘They’re Marines, and I’m a Marine. We look out for each other.’

Upon entry of the house, Kasal found himself face-to-face with an insurgent who he neutralized at extreme close range. Shortly afterwards, AK-47 gunfire was coming from all directions, and Kasal was hit from behind.

“’While I was in that house, I made three life or death decisions,’
Kasal said. ‘I never thought I would live through any of them, but I did what I did to help the other Marines.’

”The first decision Kasal made was to expose himself to enemy fire in
order to pull another wounded Marine out of the line of fire. Kasal took more enemy fire doing this.

“While both Marines were under cover, they assessed their wounds. Both
had multiple injuries, but there were only enough bandages for one of them to live. Kasal made his second decision to forfeit his medical supplies to the other Marine.

“’It made more sense to use all of the bandages on one of us then to
split the supplies and have us both bleed to death,’ Kasal said.

“The insurgents deployed a hand grenade to get the Marines out of
cover, and it landed within a few feet of the two bleeding Marines.
Kasal then decided to use his own severely wounded body to protect the
Marine from shrapnel.

“By the time he was carried out of the house by Lance Cpl. Chris
Marquez and Lance Cpl. Dan Shaffer as Lucian M. Reed, an Associated Press photographer snapped the iconic photo displayed at Marine Corps installations all over the globe, Kasal had lost approximately 60 percent of his blood from more than 40 shrapnel wounds and seven 7.62 mm AK-47 gunshots.

“One day prior to being awarded the Navy Cross Kasal’s father passed
away. However, a live video teleconference feed to Kasal’s hometown
provided his mother, family members and friends an opportunity to watch him receive the Navy Cross, be promoted to the rank of sergeant major and reenlist for three years.

“’It’s been a very emotional week,’ Kasal said. ‘I am blessed
to recover from my injuries, which the doctors thought would never happen, and regain my place in the Marine Corps. I would take the pain of surgeries any day over the pain of being away from my Marines.’”

Friday, May 12, 2006

49-0711-555-8327

As if on cue, Democrats are all shook up about the government compiling lists of 7, 8, 10 and 12 digit numbers. To make the Democrat position even more absurd, probably 98+% of the numbers are already made public in some directory somewhere. Look at the posts on Mon, Tues, Wed. The people who are upset about numbers lists are the ½ who don’t believe we are in a war.

Notice, the government is compiling lists of numbers, not names and/or locations. Yet Democrats are in a tizzy because they believe some fundamental right to privacy is being abridged by our government. Very odd. Nearly every form in existence today has a blank line (usually too short) next to the words Home Phone:____________. As noted above, 98+% of us voluntarily make our phone numbers a matter of public record. So it cannot be some great privacy violation that the government has complied those numbers.

So, if I can look your number up in the phone book and write it down even with your name beside it, I’m in no danger of running afoul of Democrats. But, it seems, if I start writing down random 10 digit numbers under your number – holy cow shred the constitution we have a problem. By the way these are the same geniuses that think it’s a good idea to shut the American people up 60 days before an election now worried about your rights. Also, remember this is the same government that has a list of all of our Social Security Numbers.

Far from being upset about the government “mining” for terrorist with nothing more than lists of numbers, I’m impressed.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Slip Mahoney and the General

That dunce George W. Bush has dug another pit that the genius Democrats will rush to fall into. Idiot GWB has placed several rows razor sharp sticks at the bottom. If, when they leap into Bush’s trap, Democrats are fortunate enough to miss the sticks, they will surely begin to jump up and down on them on their own.

The trap GWB has laid for the Democrats is the nomination of Gen Hayden to be CIA chief. Before Bush made his choice, the MSM, key Democrats and weak kneed Republicans all counseled against a Hayden nomination. Not independent enough, too much military control they harrumphed. So bright and early Monday morning, GWB announces his choice and it’s…Hayden.

What was that fool Bush thinking? Well, Hayden will again be the smartest guy in the room at any senate confirmation hearing. Under questioning by slow wits like Chuck Hagel, Mike DeWine, John Rockefeller, Evan Bayh, Carl Levin, Russ Feingold et al Hayden will look like the competent professional that he is in a room full of Slick Mahoney’s. Mahoney was Mr. malapropism as the leader of the famous Bowery Boys in the movies.

Witless Chuck Hagel is likely to embarrass himself the most, “Ain’t it da unimaginable fact Sergeant Hayden dat dees here wire traps is a prohibition inside our Jurist prune juice as dem Mexicans seakin into dis here county, which I’s happen to be in a totality of verifiably agreement wif by da way?”

Democrat light weights, Feingold, Levin, Rockefeller will fair much worse because, when Hayden exposes them as the fools that they are, they will continue to talk trying corner Hayden, something mentally that they totally unequipped to succeed at. Hayden will lay out a clear case for the American people and the Democrats will be exposed as the weak on defense and terrorism party that they are. The only way it could be better is if the King of all political dim-wits, Slow Joe Biden, were on the committee. And it’s just in time for November.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Half of that half has no idea what's at stake; which brings us to an eighth

If only half of America thinks we are at war and only half of those who do have any idea of what will be required to win the war, only half of that number perceives what is at stake in the war on terror. During WWII America knew exactly what was at stake. Americans could read the news as Axis powers gobbled up nation after nation, territory after territory and after occupation, the misery followed. Americans could read the reports of brutality and repression. The leaders of the Axis didn’t hide their desires to repress and rule the world. Americans understood that our very way of life was at stake. During WWII had some opposition politician, media hack or know nothing celebrity advocated “pulling out of Europe” or conducting hearings on “why they hate us”, they’d have rightly been run out of town on a rail.

Plainly, what is at stake today in the war on terror is the survival of the United States and Western Civilization. This isn’t Lex talking. It’s the Islamo-Terror-Fascists (ITF). We’re the ones who have sat back fat, dumb and happy since 1803 and tolerated a low level ITF war on civilization. They’re the ones willing to blow us up. We’ve been willing to accept a low level of casualties - only occasionally bringing the ITF to heel – Tripoli twice (Once under Jefferson once under Reagan), Afghanistan and now in Iraq.

For the most part we’ve been willing to tolerate a low level of casualties, 5 in Kuwait - no big deal; 24 in Lebanon - not worth disrupting the markets l; the Achille Lauro – sad, but come on one American and a crippled Jew at that, really; 259 soles on a Pan Am flight - what to do?; blow up the World Trade Center the first time – hey only 6 people were killed what’s the big deal?; blow up our embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – OK 224 people were killed but, they weren’t even Americans; 17 sailors on the USS Cole in Yemen – hey they are sailors and get paid for the risk; 3,000 Americans killed on 9/11 – damn, I guess we’d better do something about this.

Idiots, if they’d have killed the exact same 3,000 people over ten years, we’d have put up with it. Bin Laden would still be living large in Afghanistan. Saddam would still be sending $25,000 to Palestinian parents of suicide murderers. John Kerry would probably be President of the United States.

Today, because we see no appreciable change in our way of life, most Americans don’t feel that our nation is at risk to a bunch of terrorists in turbans trapped in the 12th century. If we knew what was at stake, we’d act as if we were at war and pursue this war with more of a national fervor. If we had a full appreciation of what was at stake, things would be much different. If politicians understood that the ITFs would not hesitate to gas one of our elementary schools (Beslan), they wouldn’t use the war for political gain. If Dick Durbin had a clue that, given the chance, the ITFs would not hesitate to blindfold him, tie his hands behind his back and pitch him off a three story building, there’d be no hand wringing about the conditions under which terrorists are living at Gitmo. If the good citizens of Illinois had any idea that, given the opportunity, ITFs would set off a dirty nuke in Chicago, any politician who dare compare American troops with Nazis, Khmer Rouge, and Soviet thugs would be looking for a new career – before any scheduled election. If Hollywood elites understood that they’d be the first ones beheaded as unclean infidels by ITFs, they’d be directing their disdain toward the ITFs instead of America’s elected officials. If the MSM knew that, if they failed to convert, they’d be the first to be jailed by the ITFs, they’d cover both sides of the current conflict in Iraq. If a majority of Americans understood that they would receive no mercy from an ITF living next door or anywhere, they’d not tolerate the PC BS now engaged in by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA aka Thugs/Thousands Standing Around) and other law enforcement agencies.

The only reasonable explanation that these things are occurring under today’s circumstances is that precious few Americas really know what is at stake or the vast majority believes that we’re not vulnerable (Hey! 9-11) or they think that short term political gain is more important than winning the war. What else can explain the politics and mood of the country today?

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Half of one half is one quarter

If only half of America thinks we are war, only half of those that do have any idea of what will be required to win the war. During WWII, metrics for victory were easy to identify, if at the same time presenting monumental hurdles to overcome. Allied leadership agreed that the unconditional surrender of the Axis powers was the only acceptable outcome. Every American knew that to achieve the surrender we needed to destroy the Axis armies in order to gain territory to pursue Axis leadership in their homelands. That’s pretty straight forward.

Allies island hopped across the Pacific in order to get close enough to bomb the Japanese mainland while maintaining fighter cover. Success in the war was easy to gage if difficult to achieve. Americans could see our forces advancing across the Pacific and across Europe toward a victory. The end was so certain we know the exact day it occurred first with VE day May 8, 1945 followed by VJ day on Aug 15, 1945.

Our current war against Islamo-terror-fascists (ITF) and the states that support them is a little less straight forward. We can easily deal with state sponsors of terrorism like the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam in Iraq. (Look here if you don’t think Saddam was in bed with the terrorists.) The harder task is breaking up the terrorists organizations themselves. This is a task akin to trying to picking up mercury. The metrics for this hidden war are nearly invisible to the public. There are no armies maneuvering across a map. The terrorists have no assets that make for an easy conventional bombing campaign that we’ve come accustomed to watching on cable TV - no capitals, no economy, no industrial base. This is another factor leading a great many Americans to doubt we’re even in a real war.

Another problem that we have is our idea that all of our conflicts will end quickly. Dating back to Granada followed by Gulf War I, Panama, Bosnia and Kosovo, America has been fortunate to achieve our military goals quickly and at an almost miraculously low cost in casualties. We watch it all on TV as our troops storm an enemy under pin point bombing. It has resembled a video game more than war. It also conforms to the new American idea of conflict resolution. Conflicts are resolved in an hour or even half an hour. Shows like 24, the CSI series and others give unrealistic portrayals of our technological capabilities. We don’t and can’t know everything that is happening with our enemies in real time. In Iraq Americans are beginning to think, “Come on the hour’s up or we have spent our last quarter on this game.”

What is required by Americans to win the war on terror?

Accept a long term approach. This war is likely to go on for 15-20 years. Americans must be willing to stay the course for the long term. Pulling out of Iraq today would be a disaster. Iraq is the central front in the war on terror today. We need to stay the course there and kill as many ITFs there as possible. Our enemy knows that our strategic center of gravity is the will of the American people. Everything they do is geared toward wearing down that will. We need to take a rather stoic approach to this struggle. We can’t ride the highs and lows of the conflict sensationalizing either the capture of Saddam or the latest car bombing.

Accept the fact that there will be setbacks. Two posts below Lex notes a couple of military and political blunders. War is like trying to read a Chinese newspaper while tied up in a sack with a bobcat. It is the most difficult of human endeavors. We have to trust our leadership is doing everything in their power to ensure a positive outcome. Mistakes are going to happen. We should expect due diligence not perfection. When mistakes occur steps should be taken immediately to correct them. Only when a pattern or gross negligence is determined should we ask for heads to roll. Once action is taken we shouldn’t continue to engage in self-flagellation.

Accept the fact that there will be casualties. This point ties in with the long term approach and setbacks. We need to stop wringing our hands every time a soldier is killed. Yes every soldier’s death is a tragedy. These are adults that have chosen to defend their country. They are well aware that there are risks involved in what they doing. They enlist and reenlist to serve us. We should honor how they lived, their service and commitment, not wring our hands about how they died. We don’t keep score of how many enemy we have killed but we obsess endlessly with our own losses.

Report both sides of the story from the MSM. Michael Barone, co-editor of the bi-annual Almanac of American Politics, notes how in “World War II, the press almost unanimously wanted us to win the war,” but “today we have many in the press -- not most I think, but some at least -- who do not want us to win this war and think that we don't deserve to win this war." I’d argue that there are far more in the MSM that actually want America to lose than Barone might believe. There is nothing wrong with reporting both sides of the war and actually rooting for the survival of your own country. The MSM to date has acted as useful idiots for the enemy and it’s beginning to have effect.

Hold Damascus and Tehran at risk. There is no doubt that ITF in Iraq are being supported from Syria and Iran. These two governments should be told by John Bolton, hands akimbo in that manner that Libs on the Foreign Relations Committee found so threatening, to secure their borders…or else. While we are at it, we should send the same message to Mexico.

Politicians need to understand what is at stake. This will be part three tomorrow.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Only half of Americans even realize we are at war

Last week Lex noted that great civilizations do not remain great because of some right of passage. Today we have an open borders crowd who aim for votes while destroying American culture. We have an opposition party, MSM and entertainment industry bent on destroying a president no matter the cost. Most importantly we are engaged in struggle for our very existence but sadly do not even recognize that fact. Lex's theory of halves updated and republished.

After the Japanese launched their attack against Pearl Harbor, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that America was at war. One day after the attack FDR asked for and got a declaration of war on Japan. America was united in a struggle for its very survival. Our politicians argued at the margin about strategies but all were in agreement that we were at war and that the war must be won decisively. No politician dare try and take political advantage of the early desperate days of the war where setbacks were many and assurances of success were found only in the words of the Commander in Chief.

Our unity permeated every aspect of life. News organization, while reporting the bleak truth about the war, sought out good news as well and emphasized it. Entertainers joined the effort producing upbeat songs, plays and movies about the war effort. Every part of America was mobilized for the war. Blackouts were willingly enforced along America’s coastline. America’s armed forces grew by millions. The nation’s industrial might was converted from manufacturing Fords and Frigidaires to rolling out unprecedented numbers of tanks, ships and aircraft. Rationing of key war materials began almost immediately and continued until the end of the war. On December 8, 1941, America was at war and everyone knew it.

By comparison, coming up on almost five years after 19 jihadists brought down four civilian aircraft into a field and three of our most identifiable landmarks killing more than 3,000, half the nation have no understanding that America remains a nation at war. In contrast to WWII were every citizen was asked to sacrifice for the war effort, Americans today are counter intuitively asked go about living our lives just as we did before the attacks. Our stock market continues to hum along. We continue to fight the war with 130-150 thousand all volunteer armed force. There has been no major conversion of our industrial base from producing pleasure goods to producing war goods. There have been no bond drives or special taxes to support the war. There is no rationing. The total defense costs are amazingly only about 1% of GDP.

Our current effort in Iraq is viewed by most Americans as a conflict separate from Afghanistan and the war on terror. Democrats view the war not as a struggle for America’s survival but rather as a political opportunity. Democrats see Iraq as “George Bush’s war” as opposed to part of America’s war on terror. In spite of the fact that President Bush made almost exactly the same arguments for going to war as President Clinton and John Kerry, Dems continue to argue endlessly about why we went into Iraq in the first place rather than how to win now that we’re there.

Dem pols compare Abu Ghraib and Gitmo to Nazi Germany, Pol Pot’s Cambodia and Stalin’s gulag, forgetting I suppose that, in America’s most unforgivable prison scandal, Dem icon FDR interned Japanese Americans during WWII. For Dems it’s a war only in the sense that it allows them to mobilize an antiwar movement against a Rep president. Dems argue for a draft not because we need one but rather as means to jump start that antiwar effort. For Dems our war an opportunity to call for higher taxes to extract some kind of sacrifice, no matter how unwarranted and wrong headed, from the American people. The deficit continues to fall due to President Bush’s tax cuts but according to Dems we need to raise taxes to pay for the “war.” For Dems the war is not America’s struggle against a cruel and evil enemy. The real war is against a cruel and evil Bush administration. For the Dems there is no war on terror – at least not until they regain the White House and get to run it.

Two wholly owned subsidiaries of the DNC, the MSM and Hollywood elites, are quite happy to carry the Dem’s water to the American people on the war in Iraq. The war itself by any standard has been successful. You’d never know it from the MSM. In WWII journalist sought out good news when there was desperate little. Today the MSM ignore the plethora of good news and focuses endlessly on the latest car bomb or kidnapping. They ignore the scores upon scores of heroic events in Iraq and instead focus on a woman deranged by grief in an attempt to rekindle a Vietnam era antiwar movement. Hollywood know nothings mistake pop culture notoriety with having a brain. With the exception of a few country western stars, they march in complete lock step afraid to find a contrary voice lest they be uninvited to the next DNC Bush bashing fund raiser.

With this as a backdrop, life going along pretty much as normal, Dems calling the president and Americans engaged in the war effort Nazis, the MSM and Hollywood’s complicity in Dem activities, it’s little wonder that half of America thinks that we are engaged in some kind of sidebar in Iraq rather than the critical front in the war on terror. As such they search for an exit strategy in Iraq rather than victory strategy, which ironically is the only suitable exit strategy.

Friday, May 05, 2006

Ms. Lex retires today

Today, Ms. Lex retires from the US Air Force after 20 year of faithful service. Here are my remarks.

Introduction
Thank you Mr. Jerome. Welcome and good afternoon.
Today we have gathered to pay tribute to a great American for her 20 years of faithful service to her country in America’s Air Force during times of both peace and war. Lt Col Schumick now moves onto the challenges of full-time motherhood and life with her roguishly handsome albeit sometimes challenging husband.

Prior to September 11, 2001, we may have taken Lt Col Schumick’s service for granted. Today, America is engaged in a new kind of war. Our fellow citizens wonder if this “Nintendo generation” of instant gratification can face up to the awesome challenges that surely lie ahead. Americans wonder if this generation is capable of the sacrifice that will be required for victory this new war.

I know that they can and I know that they are.

I know because America’s armed forces have been blessed with the kind of devotion to duty and leadership displayed by Lt Col Schumick for the last 20 years. The hundreds of servicemen, who Lt Col Schumick has influenced over the last 20 years with her leadership and unswerving dedication, have influenced hundreds of others. And collectively the leadership in our armed forces have formed the legions that today stand ready to meet a ruthless enemy.

They stand ready not by some accident, not by some odd twist of fate or a magical potion. They stand ready because of outstanding people like Lt Col Schumick. They stand ready, because for 20 years she was unwilling to compromise on quality. They stand ready, because she was unwilling to take the easy road of mediocrity and “good enough”. Instead, she opted for the sometimes rocky and high road of excellence. Today, we stand ready because leaders place “Integrity First” leaders place “Service above Self” and leaders demand “Excellence in all we do.”

We have gathered to honor and celebrate the service of just such a leader who for 20 years of service in America’s Air Force has lived the words - Integrity first – Service above self – Excellence in all we do. So, let’s begin our celebration by learning a little more about our honoree. Sherman, set the way back machine to December 7, 1960 – Fort Wayne Indiana. ( A slide show showing Ms. Lex from a baby to to college graduation follow with Ol’ Blue Eyes singing “Just the way you are tonight” under, follows.)

TRANSITION TO AIR FORCE CAREER
Not shown in that brief presentation was Diana - the champion swimmer. At home we have a trunk load of her swim trophies and ribbons. We have another box full of her equestrian awards – the predominant color in that box being blue. Diana is also an accomplished water skier - a talent acquired on Lake Gage behind her dad’s vintage 220 horse power Correct Craft ski boat. Then in her spare time as a youngster, Diana kept busy with a job at the Lake Gage gas station and also learned to play the clarinet, alto sax and guitar. All while finishing high school early and with honors.

Now, we continue Diana’s life story with “the Air Force Years”. Sherman set the WABAC Machine for April 3, 1986.

(A slide show showing Ms. Lex’s career follows with Vanessa Mae’s “Cotton Eye Joe” under. Nine duty assignments and ten achievement medals are included.)

TRANSITION TO DANNY
Wow! A 20 year Air Force career and it’s all reduced to 24 slides and 3 minutes and 50 seconds.
Not noted among all of the many medals and high honors like “Yard of the Quarter” that Diana received over 20 years is the fact that at home we have not one, not two but three clocks awarded to Diana for being named the Wing’s most outstanding company grade officer for the year.

I hope that brief glimpse into the career of our honoree gives one an appreciation for why today might be a bit difficult for her. She has excelled in all she has done and she has truly enjoyed the experience. This slide sums up Diana’s 20 year career in America’s Air Force about as well as any 7 words, or 700 or for that matter 7,000 words could – Aggie grammar aside - "She done good; had fun doing it" - just about says it all.

Continuing with Diana’s life story, all Air Force work and no play makes for a dull girl. Here in the Stars & Gripes it notes a special relationship that began in 1996. What’s it say here, let me see...“big break came 1996 when she married…former Marine Doug Schumick.” Well like most things you read in today’s media, that is exactly 180 degrees out of phase. 1996 was MY big break. But let’s take a look at Diana’s very special relationship with - her soul mate. Sherman set the WABAC Machine for the year 1996.

(75 family photos of Ms. Lex and son are shown “Always and forever” is playing under . Lex shows up at the end in 3 slides.)

TRANSITION TO TESTIMONIALS
Hmm, Danny you been messing with my slides? Ever since the notice of Diana's retirement appeared in the Extra issue of the Stars and Gripes, tributes have poured in from across the globe from the world's political, military and religious leaders. But you know what? We even got a few tributes from some REALLY important people. Let's take a look at those REALLY important tributes here.

(Family tributes with pictures are show. Semper Fidelis is playing under.)

OUT
Well that concludes my presentation. I thank all you for sharing in our celebration and your kind attention.

Diana it has been a great honor for me to be a part of this ceremony honoring and celebrating you. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for your dedicated service to our great nation. More importantly thank you for your attention to our home, and most importantly thank you for your attention to our son.

Lt Col Schumick…Diana…as you leave here today, know how much we appreciate your service and sacrifice over the last 20 years.

As you leave here today, know that you are still part of this great organization called America’s Air Force.

And you will continue to be a part of America’s Air Force for as long as there is one airmen on active duty that you have influenced or who in turn has influenced another airmen.

You have served your country well and honorably. There is no higher tribute to a patriot. I love you. I respect you and all that you have done. Enjoy your day dear.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Clear case for military tribunals

Well put them right up there with the OJ jury. Zacarias Moussaoui escaped the death penalty Wednesday when a jury, of his peers perhaps, decided he deserved life in prison instead. After avoiding the needle, Moussaoui taunted his benefactors with a "America, you lost," for good measure.

I am no great proponent of the death penalty. It occurs to me you have to have one because it may save one innocent life. If you have one, you must use it occasionally for the most heinous cases. Moussaoui’s would have filled that bill for me.

My biggest problem with the Moussaoui case though is not that he’ll be living on the tax payer for who knows how long. My biggest problem is that this guy ever saw the interior of an American civilian court room. The senate select committee and other complained that before 9-11, America treated terrorism as a law enforcement problem.

So as terrorist blew up the World Trade Center the first time, our ships, barracks and embassies they could count on a crack team of FBI agents to investigate the bombings and secure warrants. Sort of like FDR turning the Justice Department loose on Japan after Pearl Harbor.

Moussaoui should have found himself cooling his heels in a military brig before facing a military tribunal. The military is not big on the death penalty either, but that’s for their own. Who knows how military men might have reacted to a craven terrorist bent on killing women and children. Whatever they decided it would have been a better signal to the terrorist than the one we just sent. What we’ve told the terrorists is that we view this whole thing as a criminal matter and as such we’ll try terrorist and POWs in our civilian courts where a good Ohpra story is, likely as not, to get a guy off.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Greatness is fleeting

Having traveled around Europe, Asia and the Middle East one thing I’ve learned, among many others, is that great civilizations do not necessarily remain great. In Egypt we learned of the rise and fall of a great civilization. For the foreseeable future, Egypt’s best days are behind them.

I visited Rome and saw the remains of the great Roman Empire. Today they are Italians struggling to keep a stable government in place for a couple years and are wracked by crippling unannounced nationwide strikes; the response to the strikes being a collective shoulder shrug with a trite, “This is Italy. What do you expect?”

I visited Russia and learned of a great nation set to ruin first by Tsarist and then by communist tyranny. The Soviets maintained power through 10 failed five year plans, and 5 failed 10 year plans with a ruthless military and secret police. The only reason anyone paid them any mind during the cold war was their nuclear arsenal.

I visited Istanbul and learned of the great Roman-Greco Empire that gave way to a great Ottoman empire that is but a bit of its former greatness. There is nothing in world history that says once a country or civilization reaches greatness that greatness must remain.

I think Americans by and large go through life expecting that American greatness will never be challenged in their lifetime or their children’s lifetimes. Well we’ve been challenged throughout our history and we’re being challenged now. Many American’s do not see the challenge. It’s hard to make a case that a Nation is struggling for its way life when that struggle involves only a couple hundred thousand citizens (Army & Marines) and less than 1% of that country’s GDP. But make no mistake our war on Islamo-Terror- Fascism is real and the stake could not be higher.

Next week Lex will reintroduce his theory of halves – Half the American people do not realize we’re at war. Half of those that realize we’re at war have no idea what will be required to win the war. Half of the people that know what is required, have no idea what’s at stake.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

It's the gasbags that got us into this mess

It’s a perfect storm. A group of very loud pols (as if there’s another kind) pandering for votes claim to be able to do something about China and India’s fuel use to bring prices down in the U.S. One thing we know about American politics is that voters will vote their wallet – reality be damned. So pols point to high profit and instead of seeing American companies doing well and the potential for research and exploration, they see a cash cow to buy more votes back home.

Taxing oil company profit is dopey. First it’ll reduce supply. Then it’ll drive an already high price higher. Third, even if one and two are not true, how is the government taking corporate profit going to reduce gas prices? It’s just transferring the money from a private company to the government sector.

Pols demanding a reduction in gas prices are never asked to support suspension of all taxes on fuel. They are never asked to support ending federal regulations with regard to the endless number of blends oil companies are required to supply. They are never asked to support exploration in America and off our coast. They are never asked to support increasing refining capacities. They are never asked to support expansion of nuclear power. All they do is whine about oil companies making money.

Well guess what Mr. & Mrs. America? Oil companies are making huge profit because the demand for energy is at an all time high – and it is never going to decrease from where it is today. The only way to reduce cost is increase supply. Now, guess what Mr. & Mrs. America? If we decided to go crazy, drilling, refining and producing oil today, it’d be 10 years before the infrastructure would be in place to accommodate our plan.

There is no short term solution, save cutting all fuel taxes, to drop the price of fuel. And the people yelling the loudest are the people who got us into this mess. The pols refuse to let energy companies do their business without crippling regulation. The pols tax the commodity into unreasonably high pricing. The pols refuse to allow energy companies to search for and bring more energy supplies to the market. And now the pols are complaining about gouging.

And of course many of these pols were all for high gas prices as a conservation means. Now that high prices are here the same pols are outraged. Why? They have been advocating $5 a gallon gas for years. We’re headed there. They should be delighted. No. Why - because the prices are high due to market forces. These pols wanted gas at $5 a gallon because of public policy that would bring in more taxes so they could buy more votes.

We are in a long term mess brought on by long term ignorance of the governing class.

Monday, May 01, 2006

May Day

Well today is that age old communist/communist sympathizer holiday known as May Day. In Europe it celebrated as a socialist Labor Day. In America it is still a communist/communist sympathizer’s celebration known as, allow your illegal alien workforce to skip work day. The only thing missing will be the long lines of Soviet tanks and missiles - long ago vanquished by the world's demon - AmeriKa. Ok a little drama there.

Illegal aliens will boycott work today proving that they indeed are the “backbone” of America. Across the nation today, ceremonies will open with the Star Spangled Banner – sung in, what will soon become the nation’s required language, Spanish. Then there will be all sorts of amusements lined up for the day.

For the little ones, there will be contests to see who can correctly raise the nation’s flag. The first one to get the Mexican flag raised above an upside down American flag – wins. Then there will be a dunk tank with a likeness of Uncle Sam and pin the tail on the gringo. The final event will be an obstacle course where the little ones climb a fence and run through a cordon of blindfolded adults bound hand and foot simulating American border patrol. If they successfully clear the border cordon, they head for the entitlement table where they cut to the front of line and take everything they want.

The older kids are organized into gangs, hu mm, groups and play the same games with a higher degree of difficulty. A U.S. history test is added for the older kids with only one question, “To what country does the American Southwest belong, Imperialist America or MEXICO?” The test, of course, will be given in Spanish.

The adults are likely to have the least fun. They will be forced to listen to pandering, hypocritical politicians of both major political parties trying to sound tough on illegal immigration while pandering for votes. The pols will sound like “You are the backbone of America doing work slovenly and lazy Americans won’t do. Now let’s secure the border to keep more people like you out.”

Gotta run. Since Jose is off today, I have to do all of those chores Lex just won’t do.