"What a colossal mistake it would be for America...to seize defeat from the jaws of the coming victory."

--- Sen. Joe Lieberman

"The United States has no intention of determining the precise form of Iraq's new government. That choice belongs to the Iraqi people. Yet, we will ensure that one brutal dictator is not replaced by another. All Iraqis must have a voice in the new government, and all citizens must have their rights protected.

Rebuilding Iraq will require a sustained commitment from many nations, including our own: we will remain in Iraq as long as necessary, and not a day more."

-- President George W. Bush
February 26, 2003

For those who might be interested, click here to see National Strategy for Victory in Iraq, the official White House document that spells out the broad strategy the President set forth in 2003, and provides an update on our progress and the challenges remaining.

"[I]t is a common observation here that our cause is the cause of all mankind, and that we are fighting for their liberty in defending our own."

---Benjamin Franklin

What would we do without science.....

Now, there's proof: Men, women different
Some stark new clinical evidence shows that men and women are just not the same upstairs. "The comedians are right. The science proves it. A man's brain and a woman's brain really do work differently," a research team from the University of Alberta in Can

Storm victims praise churches
Louisiana residents gave churches higher marks than government agencies in responding to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and most prefer that the federal government control rebuilding funds rather than local officials, according to a Louisiana State Universi...

More antics from the ROP

Muslim Mob 'Terrorizes' Sunday School Class in Indonesia
(CNSNews.com) - Approximately 30 Christian children fled in panic after a mob of Islamic militants raided and vandalized their Sunday school class, which was being held in a private home last weekend in Curug, Indonesia, according to a Christian group called Voice of the Martyrs (VOM)...

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

"ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- One of al-Qaida's top five leaders, said to be responsible for planning overseas strikes, was killed by Pakistani security forces in a rocket attack near the Afghan border with U.S. help, American and Pakistani officials said Saturday.

Hamza Rabia, a key associate of al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri, died Thursday in an explosion in the North Waziristan tribal area, and his remains were identified in DNA tests, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said."

--- PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE
Read more here.

Although sources wouldn't comment on the nature of the "rocket attack" that sent Rabia to see his 72 virgins (man, there's got to be a lot of them up there) rumors abound that it may have been an unmanned drone (or two) that were rather instrumental in his demise. (HH)

Blossoming China sows the seeds to boost biodiversity

IT IS a story often told by environmentalists. China's impressive economic growth hides a more menacing reality: the country will soon provide the greatest threat to the environment, as the government puts rapid industrialisation ahead of the consequences.

But Scotland's top botanist, who has just returned from a three-week official scientific visit to China, tells a different story. Stephen Blackmore, director of the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, said the country is pouring resources into environmental sciences and will soon lead the way in the innovation of botanic gardens and projects to promote biodiversity. Read on....

Tony Blair wants UK to pay its 'fair share'

The Scotsman
Picture: Raigo Pajula/AFP/Getty Images

Blair comes under fire for plan to give up 15% of EU rebate

TONY Blair said yesterday he would accept a 15 per cent cut in Britain's European Union rebate, triggering accusations of betrayal as he edged closer to a deal on the EU budget. The Prime Minister made the concession to leaders of new members of the EU, in exchange for them giving up 5 per cent of their funding from the union.

The reduction in Britain's £3.8 billion rebate as part of a package to pay for EU enlargement is set to cost Britain £1 billion. Read more....

Oil for Food

Let There Be Light . . .
. . . in the murkiest recesses of the United Nations.
By Bret Stephens
Opinion Journal

NEW YORK--Paul Volcker is at ease. Sitting behind the desk of his Rockefeller Center corner office--which seems much too small for his 6-foot-8 frame--the former chairman of the Federal Reserve has the half-weary, half-satisfied look of a writer who's just inked the last sentence of an unexpectedly long and tangled tale. Which, in a sense, is what he is. Taken together, the five reports of his Independent Inquiry into the U.N.'s Oil for Food scandal--which took 18 months and $34 million to complete--run to some 2,000 pages.

And what a story they tell. Read on.....

It's About Time......

.....that we added some jobs to the economy to get this recession turned around.

New job numbers indicate uptick
The Washington Times

The job market snapped back last month with the addition of 215,000 jobs after a lull caused by Hurricane Katrina, the Labor Department reported yesterday.

(End of sarcasm)

COMMUNISM......ALIVE AND WELL?

An excellent article was written by J.B. Williams. Although it was written over one year ago, its's timeless and thought provoking. And while many on the left might disagree with much of its' content, there are parts that many on the left should be in agreement. Go read it here.

The Burgeoning Alliance Between Leftists and Islamists

"America is continually subjected to a drumbeat of leftist propaganda, the ultimate purpose of which is to convince the majority of the population that the Iraq war is completely illegitimate and ultimately unwinnable. Therefore, no good news coming out of Iraq can be presented as such, while any and every questionable U.S. action receives blanket coverage and thorough scrutiny for at least as long as it can be portrayed as an enormous “black eye” to the nation.

America must not be deceived as to the real motivation behind such despicable actions. This is not the work of “diligent reporters” who are merely attempting to learn the facts. Rather, they desperately seek America’s military and ideological defeat.

Nor can Democrat politicians claim to “support the troops” and America’s efforts to win the Terror War while grandstanding endlessly at every opportunity in which they believe they can discredit the U.S. military (and consequently, the Bush Administration)."

--- Chris Adamo/The Fifth Column

America, America, God shed His Grace on Thee

The Fifth Column/Marie Jon'

America, you must be asleep. You received a letter from two men named Al; Al-Zawahiri and Al-Zarqawi, on Oct 11, 2005, laying out the full plan on just how these two world-wide known terrorists were going to win the debate in America. Unfortunately, it seems that the American public is buying into their plan. Bill Clinton is helping them do so. The AP reported: "Former President Bill Clinton told Arab students Wednesday the United States made a "big mistake" when it invaded Iraq, stoking the partisan debate back home over the war." Read on....

Israel threatens sanctions over Rafah Crossing - (AP)

Palestinians have allowed up to 15 militants wanted by Israel to return to the Gaza Strip in recent days.

Able Danger: Uncovering the Cover-Up

November 21, 2005 - Writing for the Wall Street Journal’s opinion page, former FBI Director Louis Freeh has become the most recent critic of the 9/11 Commission’s investigation into the terrorist attacks that killed 3,000 Americans. He also leveled criticism at the 9/11 Commission Report, which he says is flawed because it is incomplete. Read the rest here.

China's intelligence service increasing activity
Intelligence services in the US, Australia, Britain and Taiwan are increasingly concerned over the rise in number of suspected Chinese intelligence agents gathering advanced technology information abroad. China has spent more than two decades creating a large and varied intelligence infrastructure in the United States, according to US counterintelligence documents. High-profile prosecutions in recent years related to alleged Chinese espionage may merely hint at the depth and breadth of China's collection efforts.

Recent arrests in New England and Los Angeles has the theft of military technology in the spotlight for the US. Countries such as Britian, Taiwan and Australia have increased monitoring on suspected Chinese agents who have entered these countries under the over of student and tourist visas. The latest high-profile prosecutions only hint at the depth of China's collection efforts.

Chinese data collection differs from that of the cold war games the US and USSR were engaged in. China's focus is collecting small amounts of data from various agents which in turn provides the entire network with an excessive amount of stolen information on sensitive military and economic data. Worried officials fear that China could share stolen advanced military technology with Iran, which would aid in their nuclear and space programmes.

Read more ...

Terrorist group threatens Sweden and EU
The jihad group known as Jamaat At-Tawheed wal'Jihad Al-Swied has released a video statement giving Europe a final warning to withdraw from Muslim lands or face the consequences.

The Sweden based group issued the warning after Swedish military officials backed a proposal to send more troops into Afghanistan after militants injured 4 Swedish peacekeepers with a roadside bomb. The group gave several reasons for the warning published on a pro-jihad website, including this statement:

"Two days ago a Swedish Army Jeep was destroyed by a roadside bomb in an attack by the victorious Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Rest assured more is coming. We have warned them, you have witnessed it and Allah is my witness that we warned them when we published our last statement on September 26, 2005."

Terror cells related to the group have been arrested in recent days operating in Bosnia where 16 kg of explosives were found along with laptops and documents linked back to Scandinavia.

Source: Intelligence-Summit

Police stop truck carrying missile launchers on Toronto-area highway
TORONTO - The army is looking into a bizarre incident in which a tractor-trailer loaded with anti-aircraft missile launchers was seen rolling down a major Ontario highway.

Israel sets deadline for strike on Iran
After March Israel must be prepared to use means other than diplomacy to halt Iran's nuclear weapons program, warned the head of the military intelligence Wednesday.

Military Intelligence Chief Aharon Zeevi Farkash would not detail other options, but sources on the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, which Farkash was addressing, said it was clear that Israel would have to consider taking military action against Iran.

Poll: Sharon crushing Likud

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will crush his former Likud Party in March elections, winning 37 of parliament’s 120 seats, while Likud would sink to nine seats from its current 40, a new poll showed today.

Sharon left Likud less than two weeks ago after concluding his energies would be sapped by rebels who opposed his Gaza Strip withdrawal and would try to block further territorial concessions to the Palestinians.

More at IOL.

Iraq bans all non-Iraqi Arabs from entering country

Iraq’s Interior Ministry has banned all non-Iraqi Arabs from entering the country until further notice, part of security measures taken for the December 15 general elections.

Haiti kidnappers release 14 children

Fourteen children kidnapped at gunpoint along with their bus driver on their way to school have been released unharmed, but an American missionary abducted in a separate incident remained in captivity, Haitian police said today.

Merkel: a New Voice in Old Europe

Gateway Pundit comments that There's a refreshing "New Voice" coming from "Old Europe".

In his post he discusses the new, refreshing, tough-talking Chancellor.

Fahrenheit 1861

If you want to see what a "documentary" by Michael Moore would like if he had lived during the U.S. civil war, go here.

Iraq: Stay or Pullout?

Gen. William E. Odom (retired), who was the head of the National Security Agency during the Reagan administration, has written an op-ed piece entitled "What’s wrong with cutting and running?" for the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard.

He feels we should leave Iraq, and goes on to explain that all the usual reasons given why it would be bad to leave, are incorrect. Go read it and see what you think.

The Left's View of Cultural Progress

"Where cultural progress is genuinely successful and ills are cured, this progress is seldom received with enthusiasm. Instead, they are taken for granted and attention focuses on those ills that remain. And these remaining ills are subject to the law of increasing annoyance. The more negative elements disappear from reality, the more annoying the remaining negative elements become, precisely because of this decrease in numbers."

--- Odo Marquard, philosopher

Bush on Iraq

Noting some "Churchillian" overtones in Pres. Bush's most recent speech on the Iraq war, writer Rick Richman at Jewish Current Issues writes an interesting piece analyzing the President's last speech and re-schools us on some Churchill history.

"Thanks to [Democrats], Iraq is a quagmire—not in the Sunni Triangle, where U.S. armed forces are confident and effective, but on the home front, where soft-spined national legislators have turned the war into one almighty Linguini Triangle."

--- Mark Steyn

"In early 2009 [Hillary Clinton] could become not only the first woman president, but the first president to bring White House furniture in with her."

--- Joseph Sobran

"Our college campuses have become the last safe haven of Marxists, largely because its adherents have never had to survive in the real world, much less in a communist dictatorship. Indeed, there are more communists teaching in the State of North Carolina than there are in the former Soviet Union."

--- Mike Adams

Beautifully said.... almost poetry like

"Bureaucrats write memoranda both because they appear to be busy when they are writing and because the memos, once written, immediately become proof that they were busy."
--- Charles Peters

Think Hard On This Quote.............

"Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... [W]e have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

--- Theodore Roosevelt

Gas and Windfall Profits

Commentary:
The Heritage Foundation writes about gas “windfall profits” and how they are helping to quickly repair refinery infrastructure (and also to increase production capability) so as to ensure long-term stability in gas prices.

Global Warming

Commentary:
University of Virginia environmental scientist Patrick Michaels debunks the methodology behind a study which recently attributed 150,000 deaths per year to global warming.

More Commentary:
“[T]he more we learn about the climate, the more it is clear our knowledge is just scratching the surface,” writes CEI senior fellow Iain Murray at TechCentralStation. Murray adds that the Kyoto Treaty and other treaties like them are “simple-minded.”

Good News, Bad News ..... It's All The Same

"When Good News Is Bad News
From today's New York Times:

Gasoline is cheaper than it was before Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans. Consumer confidence jumped last month and new- home sales hit a record. The stock market has been rising. Even the nation's beleaguered factories seem headed for a happy holiday season.

By most measures, the economy appears to be doing fine. No, scratch that, it appears to be booming.

But as always with the United States economy, it is not quite that simple.

Except maybe when Bill Clinton is president." From Opinion Journal

No news is good as long as Bushitler is in office. (Emphasis mine - H.H.)

Don't Ask Us What Our Position Is

Pelosi endorses Murtha's pullout call
The Washington Times

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California said yesterday she now agrees with Rep. John P. Murtha's call to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq immediately, adding that a majority of House Democrats also agree.

I seem to recall that it was not very long ago, not long at all, that the House just had a vote on this subject, and only 2 voted for pulling out immediately.

Opinion Journal picks up this same theme:

Donkey Fight!
Reactions to President Bush's Iraq speech yesterday suggest that he has succeeded in dividing the Democratic opposition. "The president's speech in Annapolis today was a step in the right direction," said Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado. But his Wisconsin colleague Russ Feingold said, "It's a step back." House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi endorsed Rep. John Murtha's call for an immediate pullout (though both Pelosi and Murtha voted against that proposition when Republicans called their bluff last month. But Pelosi's deputy, Steny Hoyer, said if his boss had her way it "could lead to disaster, spawning a civil war, fostering a haven for terrorists and damaging our nation's security and credibility."

Bush vows victory before withdrawal
The Washington Times

President Bush yesterday said it is more important to win in Iraq than to withdraw, and promised that U.S. troops will begin to come home as Iraqis take greater control of their country.

Don't bother asking John Kerry what his position is because he was for more troops before he was for fewer troops, and he will leave your head spinning trying to figure what he is saying.

A MINI ICE AGE COMING?

In an article in the New Scientist, they talk about the ocean current that gives western Europe its "balmy" weather is "stuttering" and a study of ocean circulation in the North Atlantic is showing a 30% reduction in the warm currents, which is raising fears of plunging the continent into a mini ice age if this stuttering of the current developed into a "shutdown".

For you "un-believers" of global warming, hold your "I told you so's", because this mini ice age would in essence be caused by -- global warming.

Some climate models predict that global warming could lead to such a shutdown later this century.

Speculation is that the warming,

may have been part of a global temperature increase brought about by man-made greenhouse warming, and that this is now being counteracted by a decrease in the northward flow of warm water.

The article's closing paragraph:

The last shutdown, which prompted a temperature drop of 5°C to 10°C in western Europe, was probably at the end of the last ice age, 12,000 years ago. There may also have been a slowing of Atlantic circulation during the Little Ice Age, which lasted sporadically from 1300 to about 1850 and created temperatures low enough to freeze the River Thames in London.

No answer is given of course as to why this phenomenon took place 12,000 years ago before perfidious man started his assault on mother nature with his concocting of pollution, smog, and greenhouse gases.

Read the article here.

The Real World - UN's Oil for Food Scandal

Opinion Journal
BY CLAUDIA ROSETT

The U.N. must not be allowed to destroy the Volcker investigation's archives. Read her commentary here.

Immigration office ignores fake marriages
The Washington Times

Documents show that the Houston office of the federal agency charged with interior immigration enforcement has stopped investigating individual cases of "sham" marriages, which terrorists have used in the past to stay legally in the U.S. Read more...

France toughens controls on aliens
The Washington Times

French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin announced tightened controls on immigration yesterday as part of his government's response to the nation's worst civil unrest in four decades.
Read more...

Who's Crying Now?
Here's a man-bites-dog story: It seems the U.N. actually did something worthwhile last week. Here's the Jerusalem Post's report:

Following intense US pressure, the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday issued an unprecedented condemnation of Monday's Hizbullah attacks on northern Israel.

This condemnation--slamming Hizbullah by name for "acts of hatred"--marked the first time the Security Council has ever reprimanded Hizbullah for cross-border attacks on Israel. The condemnation followed by two days a failed attempt to get a condemnation issued on Monday, the day of the attack, when Algeria came out against any mention of Hizbullah in the statement.

When asked what changed from Monday to Wednesday, one diplomatic official replied: "John Bolton," a reference to the US ambassador to the UN. Bolton lobbied vigorously for the passage of the statement.

Would someone remind us again why senators filibustered Bolton's appointment? Was it because he was supposed to be an ineffective diplomat, or an effective one? Or was it just because he hurt George Voinovich's little feelings?

From Opinion Journal

Rockefeller’s Treachery

The Fifth Column
by Joan Swirsky

"I took a trip by myself in January of 2002 to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria, and I told each of the heads of state that it was my view that George Bush had already made up his mind to go to war against Iraq — that that was a predetermined set course which had taken shape shortly after 9/11."

So spoke Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) on “Fox Sunday” on November 14, 2005, who at the time of his trip was chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and is now its vice chairman.

Please read the first paragraph once again, digest it (if your stomach can handle it), and consider its immense – if not treasonous – implications. Read more....

Canada's Liberal Gov't Collapses

By Howard Williams
CNSNews.com Correspondent

Ottawa (CNSNews.com) - Canada's scandal-plagued liberal government has collapsed and early elections will be held in January. But it's unlikely that this year's legalization of same-sex "marriage" will be reversed, as current polls suggest opponents of the law won't have enough votes in the next parliament to revisit the issue.

Three opposition parties -- the Conservatives, the leftist regional Bloc Quebecois and the left-wing New Democrats -- joined forces late Monday to push through a vote of no confidence in the government. Full article.

Bush’s Immigration Plan Called ‘Massive Amnesty’
(CNSNews.com)

Depending on one's political viewpoint, President Bush has either “re-emerged as a leader” with his immigration reform proposal or he is offering “massive amnesty” to illegal aliens who have no intention of honoring the conditions contained in the president’s plan... More...

Bring Back the "Christmas" Tree

No more 'holiday' trees at Capitol

House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert has told federal officials that the lighted, decorated tree on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol -- known in recent years as the "Holiday Tree" -- should be renamed the "Capitol Christmas Tree," as it was called until the... Read on...

More Iraqi battalions 'in the lead' against rebels

A growing number of Iraqi troop battalions -- nearly four dozen as of this week -- are playing lead roles in the fight against the insurgency, and American commanders have turned over more than two dozen U.S.-established bases to government control, ... Read more....

President highlights reforms that his budget underfunded
The Washington Times

Ending the catch-and-release policy for illegal aliens, as President Bush called for yesterday, will take years and far more than the current number of detention beds -- something Mr. Bush himself underfunded in his most recent budget to Congress. Read on...

First testimony reveals herding of Saddam foes
The Washington Times

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, on trial for the 1982 massacre of more than 140 civilians in the town of Dujail, listened intently yesterday to witness testimony describing the roundup after a failed attempt on his life. Read more....

Bush changes focus on illegals
by Bill Sammon
The Washington Times

President Bush yesterday tried to shift the focus of immigration reform away from his unpopular plan for a guest-worker program and toward a crackdown on illegal border crossers. Read on...

ZARQAWI DISOWNED AGAIN

News report from Ireland Online

More than 370 members of the clan of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi joined his family today in publishing a full-page letter in Jordan’s newspapers that disowns the most notorious terrorist in Iraq.

The letter was the family’s second attempt in 20 days to convince Jordanians that it has renounced all ties to the man who has claimed responsibility for the November 9 attacks on Amman hotels in which three suicide bombers killed 60 people and wounded hundreds of others.

“We, the sons of the Bani Hassan tribe in all its branches in the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan,” said the letter published in four leading newspapers today, “support and express solidarity with our cousins, the al-Khalayleh clan, and their decision to sever relations with the terrorist Ahmad Fadheel Nazzal al-Khalayleh, who calls himself Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.”

Al-Zarqawi, whose real name is Ahmad Fadheel Nazzal al-Khalayleh, uses a name derived from the Jordanian city where he was born, Zarqa, 17 miles north-east of Amman.

In Iraq, he runs the al-Qaida in Iraq group, which has carried out several of the biggest attacks in the insurgency. The United States has offered a reward of $25m (€21m) for information leading to his capture.

“We condemn all terrorist actions carried out or claimed by this individual - actions which are alien to members of this tribe,” continued the letter, which bore the stamps and signatures of more than 370 clan members.

The Bani Hassan is one of the largest of Jordan’s nearly 100 major Bedouin tribes, which form the bedrock of support for the royal family. Its members hold senior posts in the army and other government departments.

Referring to family of King Abdullah II, the letter added: “We reiterate our support for the Hashemite Crown which, God willing, will always be protected, and we uphold the pledge of our ancestors to be a sword in the hands of the noble Hashemite dynasty.”

In a similar letter on November 20, almost 60 members of al-Zarqawi’s extended family disowned him and pledged fidelity to the crown.

Al-Zarqawi has claimed responsibility for several terror attacks in Jordan, including a plot to cause a chemical explosion that would have killed thousands of people, according to government experts. The plot was foiled in April 2004.

A Jordanian court condemned him to death in absentia for planning the attack that led to the 2002 murder of US aid worker Laurence Foley.

"The Left wants your children. It's committed to liberating them from parental authority and Judeo-Christian morality—to build a world that very much resembles a Roman orgy or, worse, San Francisco. The courts are determined to abolish the family. Citizens who haven't been neutered should be marching on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, with flaming brands in hand, carrying tar and feathers. At a conference on judicial tyranny, a gentleman was heard to remark: 'Most of these people just want to impeach judges. I want to impale them!' Where's Vlad Tepes when you really need him?"

--- Don Feder

"We do not need more intellectual power, we need more moral power. We do not need more knowledge, we need more character. We do not need more government, we need more culture. We do not need more law, we need more religion. We do not need more of the things that are seen, we need more of the things that are unseen. If the foundation be firm, the foundation will stand."

--- Calvin Coolidge

"The essential characteristic of Western civilization that distinguishes it from the arrested and petrified civilizations of the East was and is its concern for freedom from the state. The history of the West, from the age of the Greek polis down to the present-day resistance to socialism, is essentially the history of the fight for liberty against the encroachments of the officeholders."

--- Ludwig Von Mises

COMMENTARY:

Failed Policy in Iraq? Prove It!

There has been an overwhelming amount of unsubstantiated rhetoric coming from the left about the alleged “failed Bush policy” in Iraq. I say “alleged” because by all first-hand accounts, the “failed Bush policy” seems to be working…Read on....

Social Security Could Be Big Chill for 50-Somethings

(CNSNews.com) - President Bush's plan to overhaul Social Security is going nowhere, and that means the Baby Boom generation "could be in for some unwelcome surprises down the road," USA Today reported on Monday. Number-crunchers say demographics and simple arithmetic will make it difficult for a future president to make the same commitment that President Bush tried to make.

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE

This is one of those poems that gets circulated around the internet; I have seen it before, but it came to me again in an e-mail. I decided to post it for those who may have not seen it. And, its worthy to read again, for those who have read it.

I don't know who the author is; if I did, I would certainly post it to give them just credit.


THE SOLDIER

I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Soldier saluted it,
And then he stood at ease..


I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.


I thought how many men and women
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil
How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,
When everything was still,
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant "Amen,"

When a flag had draped a coffin.
Of a brother, sister or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers, daughters and wives,
Of the fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

Enjoy Your Freedom & God Bless Our Troops

South of the Border Democracies

"The democracies found south of the border are largely the “illiberal”, elected governments that use the authority of their office to rob and pillage their nation, while establishing solid patronage systems. Mexico, for example, emerged in 2000 from 71 years of single party rule, after countless elections that may as well have been run by Hosni Mubarak. Election fraud was rampant, and vote buying a cherished tradition. Unfortunately , Mexico is in real danger of seeing the return of that party- the Partido Revolucionario Institucional, or Institutional Revolutionary Party. While Vicente Fox has not enjoyed much success, the return of the PRI would send more Mexicans north than any guest worker program. Castro is still in power, no matter how ill he might be. Chavez, who rules over a land amazingly rich in oil resources but nevertheless with a large percentage of the population living below U.N established poverty guidelines, manages to remain popular by thumbing his nose at the United States. Let us not forget that he too has little claim to legitimate rule . (Although to be fair, his act may be wearing a little thin south of the border.) Bolivia, once rich in minerals and now holding the largest natural gas reserves in the Latin America, is on the brink of civil war as indigenous groups unite behind Evo Morales (the aforementioned new Che) and the Bolivians of European descent living in the east (where the gas is) threaten to breakaway."

---Dr. DeMarche

To see the rest of the good Dr.'s post go to American Future. Dr. DeMarche has just recently quit posting at his site, The Daily DeMarche and now will be posting on occasion at American Future. Dr. DeMarche is a member of the State Department working overseas as a Foreign Service Officer and has provided some good insight with his inside knowledge and experience. I, for one, am glad that he will still be doing some blogging, giving us a perspective we may not otherwise have. Thanks, Dr. D.

Bush plans anti-illegals campaign
by Bill Sammon
The Washington Times

"President Bush today will call for a crackdown on illegal immigration, a move aimed at further rallying conservatives who recently cheered Mr. Bush's tough talk on Iraq and the Supreme Court." Read on....

FACT OF THE DAY

Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin met on this day, today, November 28, 1943 in Tehran, to discuss their strategy for the war.

Retirement at 60 will 'bust' Britain
The Scotsman

"BRITAIN will "go bust" unless ministers tear up an agreement that continues to allow public sector workers to retire at 60, business leaders warned last night."

Read on...

Supreme Court to Decide on N.H. Abortion Law

Merkel Pledges Improved Germany-U.S. Ties

Promises that Berlin will have "a more intensive" relationship with Washington

"BERLIN — New German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to strengthen relations with the United States in remarks released Sunday, a day before her top diplomat heads for Washington."

Complete story at Fox News.

Rove Still Under Investigation

In what would appear to be an obvious sign that prosecutors are still exploring charges against Karl Rove, Fox News is reporting that another Time magazine reporter has agreed to cooperate in the Plamegate non-leak case and will testify about her discussions with Karl Rove's attorney. Story here.

Four Westerners kidnapped in Iraq

Four Western aid workers, including two Canadians and a Briton, have been kidnapped in Iraq, officials say.

A senior Canadian official confirmed that two Canadian nationals were seized in the capital Baghdad on Saturday.

Story at BBC.

The Republicans Must Be Running The Elections In Egypt

Egypt police said to impede voting
The Washington Times

"Police blocked voters from casting ballots yesterday in districts where parliamentary candidates from the opposition Muslim Brotherhood were expected to win, witnesses said."

WHO promoting more junk science?

In an article from the Washington Post and be carried by the Canton Repository, it is being argued that global warming is fueling disease rates worldwide according to health and climate scientists at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

They arrived at their conclusions after inserting the information they accumulated on climate-sensitive diseases into mapping software. They lament:

“Those most vulnerable to climate change are not the ones responsible for causing it. Our energy-consumptive lifestyles are having lethal impacts on other people around the world, especially the poor."

Not everyone is sold on their conclusions:

"Some experts, however, questioned whether it was fair to attribute death and illness in the developing world to global warming."

“Wealth is the number-one factor in determining vulnerability or adaptability of a country to any of the threats out there,” said John Christy, a climatologist who directs the Earth System Science Center at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. Christy, who lived in Kenya in the mid-1970s, added, “Thug-ocracies and other non-democratically accountable governments ... have no real incentive to create a healthy populace with free markets, and therefore free people.”

Full article.

Iraqis' freedom is worth America's fight

In a letter to the News-Leader in Springfield, MO from LTC J.W. Buckner, a doctor stationed at Camp Bucca, Iraq, he states,

"I am serving at Camp Bucca, the largest detention center in Iraq. I have the pleasure of rooming with a 58-year-old internist from Massachusetts who served in Vietnam in 1968. He voluntarily left his comfortable home in Boston to serve in a combat zone once again."

I work with a group of Reserve and active duty Army and Air Force troops who, despite danger, heat, bad food and loneliness for their families, get up every day and do their job with pride and dedication. They treat the detainees as they themselves would want to be treated, with full respect and concern for their health and well-being."

To read the rest of his letter, go here. Hat tip to Camp Katrina.