The Right State

Heroes in action. You need to read this post at the Anchoress about an American soldier who, through keen observation and quick thinking, captured an insurgent and protected the lives of many civilians in an internet café in Al Kisik, Iraq. It is one of those WOW readings.

Hat tip: BlackFive 

Tags: Iraq, War by Chuck
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I guess I should have copyrighted the name “Decider-in-Chief.”  Here is just a sample of sites that quote the name but do not give credit to where they got it.  Of course I would be negligent to suggest all sites took liberties with taking the name, Hugh Hewitt is an exception. Note that this is a google search with only the first three pages printed.  I tried to see how many times it was mentioned but stopped at 400.

The post that started it all.

The Right State » Blog Archive » Decider-in-Chief Sticks With Rumsfeld

And then the rest with some commentary taken out for space.

Capitol Hill Blue’s The Rant: The decider-in-chief: A drunk with power

Rumsfeld Defers to Decider-in-Chief | Air America Radio

Bush: The Decider-In-Chief - CBS News

Shakespeare’s Sister

Jesse Berney dot com » Blog Archive » Decider-in-Chief

AGITPROP: Version 3.0, Featuring Blogenfreude: Who’s the Decider …

The Huffington Post

ReidBlog: Quote of the day: Decider in chief

phillyBurbs.com Blogs | The Decider-in-Chief; The Looooonnngest …

The “Decider” in Chief

LOOKIN’ AN’ LISTENIN’

Grouchy’s Liberaltopia » Decider In Chief

Comments on: Decider-in-Chief Sticks With Rumsfeld

publictheologian.com :: Decider-in-Chief

tacitus || Comments Almost Midweek Open Thread!

New Bush Song: “I’m The Decider Koo-Koo-Kachoo”… | The …

Daily Kos: Frameshop: First and Second Class ‘Decider’

AGITPROP: Version 3.0, Featuring Blogenfreude: Run Away

Sectarian Fighting Turns to Open Street Battle in Baghdad | Air …

It’s Recess-time Somewhere: The Decider in Chief

WHAT IS THE WAR?: THE DECIDER-IN-CHIEF

Birmingham Blues » Blog Archive » Reinventing the English

Republic Broadcasting Network

USATODAY.com - ‘Decider’ Bush responsible for Rumsfeld and the war

Jeff Rense Program

War Room - Salon.com

Uncle Dave’s PhotoBlog

The Left Coaster: Comment on My, Aren’t We Testy Today?

Tags: Culture by Chuck
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The Danish cartoon controversy has hit the shores of the United States, this time at the campus of Michigan State University.  Fox News tells about a group of Muslim students who were on campus protesting the cartoons saying they constituted hate speech not free speech.  That was when one of MSU’s mechanical engineering professors, Indrek Wichman, sent an email to the student group defending the cartoon’s publication.

Wichman, 50, wrote that he was protesting their protest and said he was not offended by cartoons but rather Muslims who commit suicide bombings, behead civilians, attack public buildings, burn Christian churches, kill Catholic priests in Turkey, rape Scandinavian girls and riot in France.

Wichman referred to Muslims as “dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Moslems” and the protests as “infantile” in the e-mail. “If you do not like the values of the West . . . you are free to leave. I hope for God’s sake that most of you choose that option.”

Not surprisingly the Islamic group turned their attentions on the professor calling for the university to at the very least give him a reprimand.  They said they were offended by the Wichman’s insensitive email.  In fact they want the entire staff at MSU to undergo sensitivity training.  Even CAIR has come on board denouncing the professor.

The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today called on Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing to take “appropriate disciplinary action” against a professor who sent an Islamophobic e-mail to Muslim students.

What a laugh.  Maybe we should demand sensitivity training for the terrorists in Saudi Arabia, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and…. wherever else they are hiding for killing people, for beheading people, for raping women and children, and for blowing up things.  Yeah, right.  That will work.

Wichman should be applauded for his email.  He is right.  The Metro Detroit Free Press says that so far the administration of Michigan State has refused to cave in to the students saying that the professor email is covered under free speech.  But the university advised Wichman not to speak out anymore on the issue since it “could constitute the creation of a hostile environment.”  MSU is also calling on the engineering professor to apologize for his remarks though they do not demand it.  Wichman on the other hand stoutly defends his email.

I believe very strongly in free speech and free expression. It is one of the building blocks of this great republic in which we live. And any attempts to abridge or diminish it are serious matters.”

Absolutely.

Note to Islamic group at Michigan State, GROW UP!

Here is the entire text of the email Professor Wichman sent to the Muslim association protesting the cartoons from the Metro Detroit Free Press. (Copied as is with errors)

Dear Moslem Association: As a professor of Mechanical Engineering here at MSU I intened to protest your protest.

I am offended not by cartoons, but by more mundane things like beheadings of civilians, cowardly attacks on public buildings, suicide murders, murders of Catholic priests (the latest in Turkey!), burnings of Christian chirches, the continued persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt, the imposition of Sharia law on non-Muslims, the rapes of Scandinavain girls and women (called “whores” in your culture), the murder of film directors in Holland, and the rioting and looting in Paris France.

This is what offends me, a soft-spoken person and academic, and many, many, many of my colleagues. I counsul you dissatisfied, agressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Moslems to be very aware of this as you proceed with your infantile “protests.”

If you do not like the values of the West — see the 1st Ammendment — you are free to leave. I hope for God’s sake that most of you choose that option. Please return to your ancestral homelands and build them up yourselves instead of troubling Americans.

Cordially, I. S. Wichman, Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Tags: Culture by Chuck
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I have written posts here and here about the abysmal record of Chet Edwards.  Chet is a very liberal Democratic Representative for District 17 in Texas which is a conservative area having voted overwhelmingly for George Bush in both 2000 and 2004.  This area is in the middle of the Bible Belt including the cities of Bryan, College Station, Waco and Fort Hood.

College Station is the home of Texas A&M University of which Chet is a graduate (don’t hold that against him, I graduated from A&M as well).  TAMU is a very conservative school, but Aggies support Aggies.  And so during the last election, the students vote overwhelmingly in favor of Edwards.

Edwards also draws on a lot of support from Fort Hood.  He claims to be a big supporter of the military. The only thing is he just talks a good talk with no follow through.  Chet has a mixed record on military matters, a poor record on gun issues, a poor record on immigration, is a big spender, and is pro abortion according to On the Issues.  This guy does not represent District 17 in Texas any more than Usama bin Laden represents the United States, and he definitely does not represent my views.

Running against Chet Edwards is Van Taylor, a Marine, a war veteran, and now a businessman from near Dallas.  And now according to RedState, Van Taylor needs help raising more money to defeat this liberal representative.

Van Taylor is currently the only Iraq War Veteran running in a general election race against a Democrat. He’s not running against just any Democrat, he is running against Chet Edwards of Texas’s 17th Congressional District. Van Taylor could use an additional $10,000.00.

Van Taylor needs our help and our support. It is time for the conservative netroots to do its part. We have prepared this graphic that you can add to your site. We’ll be updating it daily.

Let’s raise $10,000.00 for Van Taylor.

(Go to RedState to see graphic)

Van Taylor would be a nice replacement for Chet Edwards.  He has all the credentials: a U.S. Marine, fought in Iraq, and a businessman.  Van has one drawback; he is not an aggie which will cost him votes in Aggieland.  Okay, maybe two drawbacks, Van is not as SLICK as Chet Edwards, but to me that’s a plus.  Money will be an issue in this race as Chet has gobs.  We need to send Edwards to go back to…to what ever he was doing before he became involved in politics.  Giving money to the Van Taylor campaign will go a long way towards sending Chet packing.

Be sure to go to the nonpartisan On the Issues to see more of the voting record of Chet Edwards which is truly abysmal.

Tags: National Elections by Chuck
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I did not think it could be done.  The evil GOP is responsible for every bad thing that has happened or is happening to the United States today.  How one person can link the rising gas prices, rising heating oil prices, the deaths of American soldiers, the deaths of Iraqis, the deaths from Vioxx, and the deaths from Hurricane Katrina all without one shred of evidence?  Wow!  You got to see this post by the kos kids to believe it.

We are bled at the gas pump. We are bled at the workplace. We are even bled in our homes as heating oil prices soar while energy companies reap the greatest profit in human history and object to paying their fair share of taxes on it.

And of course, there’s the literal blood, of Iraqis and American troops spilled in the sands and streets of the Middle East. America bleeds in the mines of West Virginia., floats face down in the streets of New Orleans, drops dead from Vioxx. So very, very many victims. And, of course, no perpetrators, because people who loathe government are in charge of government, and they most sacredly aver that government has no real role in safety issues, disaster preparedness or illness prevention. No role in preparation or prevention at all, in fact, in their ideal, privatized world.

Do these people really believe the US had no problems before the Republicans took over?  The moonbats’ knight in shining armor was Bill Clinton who did nothing about bringing in more oil into our country, but he did institute new regulations of the refinery business bringing up costs and down supplies.  A refinery has not been built in this country in more than 20 years.  And its not because the evil oil companies are trying to artificially keep the gas prices up.  The prices are a product of supply and demand.  The more supply, the lower the cost.  Simple.

The Vioxx debacle was done during the Clinton administration.

George Bush did not build the levies in New Orleans, but it was the corrupt Democrats in the city who wasted the levy money on other pet projects.  In fact, George Bush gave New Orleans more money for the levies than any other president.  So, at whose feet do the deaths lie?

And yes, American soldiers are fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan.  At least this President is willing to send troops to protect us.  Clinton was more interested in his peccadilloes in the Oval Office than protecting America.  Clinton did nothing to protect us, even when he was offered Usama bin Laden on a silver platter.

You got to read the rest of the article to see how these moonbats see conspiracies in everything the President does, everything Republicans do, and everything big business does.  These people are out there.

Tags: Culture by Chuck
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Late last week, I wrote here about the firing of Mary O. McCarthy for leaking classified material to Dana Priest at the Washington Post.  It appears that, McCarthy did not like the policy of the Bush administration in regards to either the Global War on Terror or the War in Iraq.  Releasing and disclosing classified material is a crime.  It hurts American interests and this country is less safe due to the subversive actions of these two individuals.  I am still waiting for the two of them to spend jail time together.

But now comes another story out of the Houston Chronicle of another leak.  The story starts out fairly innocuously, about a possible split between Usama bin Laden and his lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahri.  The writer, Katherine Shrader of the AP, notes these two terrorist organizers do not seem to be running together anymore.  She goes on to speculate that one of the reasons might be they do not really trust one another, as Zawahri surrounds himself by Egyptians and bin Ladin by Al Qieda members.  Apparently, the January 13^th predator attack which killed several al Qieda members and barely missed Zawahri was so specific that the information concerning the meeting could have only come from an inside source.  As a result the two leaders do not know who to trust.  The two are split apart and they are hiding in different areas surrounded by their own people.

Sounds good so far, right?  Except for the article goes on to tell where intelligence officials think Zawahri and bin Laden are believed to be hiding along with this statement:

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to media, said bin Laden and some associates were hiding in Waziristan, near the Afghan border, at the time. The official would not elaborate on who those associates were or who had sheltered the al-Qaida leader.

I enjoyed the article, especially the part where the two terrorist masterminds do not trust each other.  Too bad!  While I enjoy reading of the trials of those who attacked us on 9/11, I do not think these intelligence officials have a right to share sensitive and classified material to the press whether they agree or disagree with the President.  The sooner the Bush administration cracks down on these leakers, the quicker these people will stop talking to the press.  This is not some innocuous leaks concerning where to build the next military chow hall, this is material that could be detrimental to the operations of our military units.  Secrecy is one of their tools.  If bin Laden and Zawahri were actually hiding in Waziristan and near the Afghan border, then they could possibly move disrupting carefully laid plans to catch these two terrorists.  Or even worse, a trap could be set up to kill our soldiers.  These leakers need to be reprimanded at the very least for the lesser of these offenses and given jail time for the more serious disclosures,then these leaks would stop.

Tags: War by Chuck
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The CIA is finally serious about going after those who leak classified information to the media.  Leave it to the New York Times to spin the CIA leaks into a good thing.  In this article, the Times twice mention that the story won the Pulitzer Prize.  I have a question. She won a prize for hurting the United States, does that also come with jail time for leaking classified material?  Probably not.  The Times goes on to tell the story, and then instead praising Porter Goss for taking action, they quote some disgruntled employees of the agency who tell of the detrimental affects of the firing.  Only in the hallowed hall of the Grey Lady could they be so dense.

The spy agency disclosed on Friday that they had dismissed one of their people, Mary O. McCarthy for leaking the information of the foreign detention centers to Dana Priest at the Washington Post.  The leak prompted outrage from countries across the globe and forced the United States to close them.  One obvious result of the closing to the detention centers is the loss of intelligence that could have been gleemed from the terrorists held in captivity.  The effect of these closings has made the country less safe.  The amount of damage done by the McCarty’s leak and by Dana Priest’s treachery may not be known for years.  But damage was done, you can be sure.

The Central Intelligence Agency has dismissed a senior career officer for disclosing classified information to reporters, including material for Pulitzer Prize-winning articles in The Washington Post about the agency’s secret overseas prisons for terror suspects, intelligence officials said Friday.

Apparently McCarthy was an analyst and a holdover from the Clinton Administration.  According to Fox News, she has worked in the CIA since 1984 having worked in the White House under Bill Clinton and was soon replaced when George Bush became President.  What is know is that the agency analyst was a partisan having given money to John Kerry.  This incident makes you wonder whether her leaks were specifically intended to harm the Republican President or if she was against the war in Iraq itself.

Public records show that Ms. McCarthy contributed $2,000 in 2004 to the presidential campaign of John Kerry, the Democratic nominee. (NYT)

The New York Times can not tell this story without bringing up how the President and Dick Cheney leaked the NIE (National Intelligence Estimate) to the press in 2003.  They can not even finish with the fact that the George Bush has the authority to declassify such material.  They don’t discuss the fact that the material was released to counter false reporting by the MSM, particularly the New York Times which has been against this President from the time he was elected and against this war from its inception.  (Note to the Times: Don’t look now, but your BIAS is showing.)

Several former intelligence officials — who were granted anonymity after requesting it for what they said were obvious reasons under the circumstances — were divided over the likely effect of the dismissal on morale. One veteran said the firing would not be well-received coming so soon after the disclosure of grand jury testimony by Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff that President Bush in 2003 approved the leak of portions of a secret national intelligence estimate on Iraqi weapons.

“It’s a terrible situation when the president approves the leak of a highly classified N.I.E., and people at the agency see management as so disastrous that they feel compelled to talk to the press,” said one former C.I.A. officer with extensive overseas experience.

Let me get this straight.  It is okay for the MSM to release classified material for the good of the country when such leaking is illegal, but it is not okay for the President to release classified material who does have the authority.

One other  thing, CIA analysts and field officers do not make policy, the President does. Pulling an end around and going straight to the press with their complaints is a firing offense.  If they do not like George Bush’s policy’s, then do as any other employee in America does when they do not like what their boss is doing: shut up or quit.  It is that simple.

It is even worse over at the Washington Post.

Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. said on the newspaper’s Web site: “We don’t know the details of why (the CIA employee) was fired, so I can’t comment on that. But as a general principle, obviously I am opposed to criminalizing the dissemination of government information to the press.”

Generally opposed to criminalizing the dissemination of government information to the press?  You got to be kidding me?  In Downie’s case, all information is legit, even releasing the information harms this country, leads to the death of our American citizens, leads to the deaths of our troops, or leads to the embarrassment of the President (sorry, I forgot.  Embarrassing the President if he is a Republican is okay).  Releasing information that harms our troops or harms the standing of this country is NOT patriotic no matter how you spin it.  Dana Priest should be given jail time for releasing classified material.  It would also be nice if her jail mate were none other than Mary O. McCarthy. Poetic Justice.

Tags: Bias, Politics, War by Chuck
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Was the Iraq War worth all that we have sacrificed to liberate it from a brutal dictator?  Was it worth all the lives lost on both sides of this war?  Was it worth all the billions of dollars we spent on winning in Iraq and then the billions more rebuilding the country?  Only history will say if the war was worth it.  But when you can read a story like the one from BlackFive which was written by one of our soldiers on the front line, you realize that the war was worth every penny.

The story should bring tears to your eyes.  It did with me.  There is another point to all of this; after reading this you will realize that our soldiers are true heroes.  If nothing else, it will give you a feeling of just how much our soldiers have given up to liberate Iraq and how grateful are the Iraqi people for being rescued from Saddam Hussein.

Tags: War by Chuck
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Who would have believed it; the Democrats are using the high gas prices for their political advantage.  Okay, so I do believe it, but blaming the Republicans for the OPEC controlled production quotas is pretty calloused.  The Democrats poor in ideas but rich in affixing  blame, but then again, affixing blame is what they are good at.  I am justsurprised that the New York Times would admit that fact.

Winning elections is everything.  So why not blame the party in power for all of the nation’s ills.  The Dems don’t have any solution to the high prices except to denounce George Bush and Halliburton for the nation’s problems.

Daniel Yankelovich, chairman of Public Agenda, said the survey found that 90 percent of Americans viewed the lack of energy independence as a risk to security, that 88 percent said problems abroad were endangering supplies and increasing prices and that 85 percent believed that the federal government could do something if it tried.

The Democrats did nothing even with eight years under the stewardship of Bill Clinton.  And now after all these years, the Dems have a solution, get rid of the Republicans.

Mr. Yankelovich continued with his analysis:

“If Democrats can make an explicit connection that Senator So-and-so could have done more but didn’t, the message will resonate among voters,” he said. “This has really become a hot-button issue.”

Again, winning is everything.  It doesn’t matter that the Republicans can not control the production limits of OPEC.  It doesn’t matter that it was the Democrats who blocked oil drilling in ANWR.  It doesn’t matter that the Dems did nothing about an energy policy in eight years of Clinton and blocked five years of energy policy under George Bush.  What matters is winning.  To them, the ends justifies the means.

Tags: Culture, Politics by Chuck
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My daughter tells me that I have been negligent in discussing the role of history in the ‘Reconquista’ movement and why the people pushing this agenda are so disingenuous.  The reconquistas want to reclaim Texas and the western part of the US because the area once belonged to Mexico.  Time for a history lesson.

First, the United States did not take Texas from Mexico.  The Mexican government encouraged people from all over to populate the sparsely populated area of what is now Texas.  The agreement between Moses Austin, and then later Stephen F. Austin, gave the settlers the same rights as Mexicans under the Mexican Constitution of 1824.  Santa Anna revoked these rights when he was successful in leading a coup against the elected government.  When the settlers complained, they were arrested and thrown in for up to a year or more with their grievances unanswered.

Having put up with enough, Texas finally declared their independence from Mexico in 1835.  Interestingly the flag flying over the Alamo when it fell is believed to be the Mexican flag with the eagle cut out with the number 1824 sown in showing they only wanted Santa Anna to recognize the Constitution of 1824.  The Texans defeated the Napoleon of the West at the Battle of San Jacinto.  For the next ten years, Texas was an independent country before becoming a state of the United States by treaty in 1845.

Texas was not taken from Mexico but won their independence like almost every other country in the rest of the Americas.

Not convinced?  Secondly, after Texas became a state Mexico attacked the United States in 1850.  Once again Santa Anna was defeated, this time by the US.  As a result of having lost their war, the United States required Mexico to pay reparations as was common practice before the 1900s.  So the US acquired the western part of the country.  Remember, Mexico attacked the United States.

Still not enough?  Third, consider the fact that Mexico was once part of the Spanish empire before declaring their independence in 1810.  Under the ‘reconquista’ idea, wouldn’t Mexico have to give up their country to Spain?  Maybe Spain needs to be demonstrating against Mexico.

Still not convinced?  Fourth, how about the fact that the Spanish, under Hernan Cortez, conquered the Aztec Empire.  Mexico City now sits where the Aztec capitol, Tenochtitlan, once stood.  Under the ‘reconquista’ idea, would Mexico have to return all of their land back to the Indians?   Maybe the Indians need to be demonstrating against Mexico to get their land back.

Looks to me like the Reconquistas are engaging in selective amnesia.  Only consider, once you start down the path of ‘this land was once ours’ then where do you stop?  The reconquistas should learn the history before embarking on any misadventures.  The land has always belonged to someone else.

More than likely, the reasons the reconquistas are giving for wanting to reconquer the western part of the US are just a rallying cry for their followers.  They are trying to give themselves an air of legitimacy when in fact, they have none.

Tags: Immigration by Chuck
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