Out of Town

I'm going to be out of town on business for the week, so little to no blogging during that time. I will try to check in when I can.

Happy Thanksgiving

I know I'm a little late, but I want to wish a very heartfelt Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Please keep all of the men and women of the armed forces in your prayers. They are the ones who keep us all safe day and night. Thanks to all of them.

Also, I am very thankful for my beautiful wife and my two wonderful daughters.

Thank you God for all you do for my family and for me.

Clinton's Legacy

The Stain is an aptly named article from the editors of National Review. The text is supplied by The Polling Company.

Simply said, President Clinton will not be remembered for his foreign policy (he had one?) or the domestic prosperity that everyone on the left seems to be nostalgic for. No, this will be his legacy:

When asked, "In your opinion, what will Bill Clinton be remembered for?" a majority of Americans cite some aspect of the former President's relationship with the White House intern, and a plurality mention her by name.

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. The economy, more specifically the bullish stock market that rallied the economy, had more to do with the Reagan administration than that of Clinton's. His foreign policy consisted of a last minute push for peace between Israel and Palestine. I doubt very much that Israel trusted a president whose most frequent guest in the white house was Arafat.

What is amazing to me is that people on the left and in Hollyweird all seem to forget that their hero, the leader of their party, was impeached! It wasn't some witchhunt that Clinton claims. The president of our country broke the law and was punished (I don't believe enough) for it.

President Clinton will be remembered for the only memorable thing he, and Monica did.

Bash America First at Columbia University

For the life of me, I cannot understand how these people are allowed to teach our kids. When did we become so damned politically correct to allow this sort of behavior from our educators? Here is a sample.

In the world of Hamid Dabashi, supporters of Israel are "warmongers" and "Gestapo apparatchiks."
The Jewish homeland is "nothing more than a military base for the rising predatory empire of the United States."

It's a capital of "thuggery" - a "ghastly state of racism and apartheid" - and it "must be dismantled."

If this were just one teacher it wouldn't be so upsetting, but it appears from the article that this radicalism is pretty wide-spread. We need to take back the nations universities from these vitriol spewing liberal hate America educators before they can do any more damage.

It Runs in the Family

I came across this letter to the father of a marine in Iraq. It is heartwarming and humbling to know that there are young men and women of this caliper protecting us all. Here is a little of it.

I will end with a couple of stories of individual heroism that you may not have heard yet. I was told about both of these incidents shortly after they occurred. No doubt some of the facts will change slightly but I am confident that the meat is correct.


The first is a Marine from 3/5. His name is Corporal Yeager (Chuck Yeager's grandson). As the Marines cleared and apartment building, they got to the top floor and the point man kicked in the door. As he did so, an enemy grenade and a burst of gunfire came out. The explosion and enemy fire took off the point man's leg. He was then immediately shot in the arm as he lay in the doorway. Corporal Yeager tossed a grenade in the room and ran into the doorway and into the enemy fire in order to pull his buddy back to cover. As he was dragging the wounded Marine to cover, his own grenade came back through the doorway. Without pausing, he reached down and threw the grenade back through the door while he heaved his buddy to safety. The grenade went off inside the room and Cpl Yeager threw another in. He immediately entered the room following the second explosion. He gunned down three enemy all within three feet of where he stood and then let fly a third grenade as he backed out of the room to complete the evacuation of the wounded Marine. You have to understand that a grenade goes off within 5 seconds of having the pin pulled. Marines usually let them "cook off" for a second or two before tossing them in. Therefore, this entire episode took place in less than 30 seconds.

Amazing. Read the whole thing.

Rather Gone

Dan Rather is leaving the CBS Evening News effective March 2005. This should come as welcome news to my fellow bloggers, and maybe even to President Bush. Was it the constant pressure on the suits at CBS that led to this? I doubt we will ever know for sure, but I think that would be unlikely, given that he will still be on the air with 60 minutes.

I think that what led to this was Dan Rather himself. Rather shot to fame during the Watergate scandal going after President Nixon which ultimately gave him the anchor job when Cronkite left. But after many years in the cellar of the news ratings, I think he saw an opportunity to recreate that same glory by trying to hang another president. In the end, he only had enough rope to hang himself.

I say good riddance. He used his position to push his own ideological positions on anyone who would listen. He is without a doubt one of the most biased broadcasters in the industry, and that's saying a lot. Once he went from reporting the news to becoming the news that was all she wrote.

A Sad Day

Today is the 41st anniversary of the assasination of President John F. Kennedy. He was a very different democrat than little bro Teddy. I'm not sure he would even recognize (politically) him if he were alive today.

It Was Osama's Fault

Fox News has reported that John Kerry blames the re-emergence of Osama Bin Laden for his demise.

John Kerry believes he lost to President Bush because of the video from Usama bin Laden that surfaced just days before the Nov. 2 presidential election. The Massachusetts senator told FOX News' senior correspondent Geraldo Rivera that he believes he lost because the tape may have scared the American electorate.

Rivera spoke to Kerry on Thursday as the senator and a slew of other notable names — including wife Teresa Heinz Kerry, actors Robin Williams and Morgan Freeman and comedian Chris Tucker — were in a holding room prior to the processional leading up to the formal opening of the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Ark.

"Tough luck, Senator," Rivera said to Kerry, referring to the Democrat's election loss. Trying to recount Kerry's words verbatim, Rivera said Kerry responded by saying: "It was that Usama tape- it scared them [the American people]."

Rivera said Kerry said the tape came out too late for his camp to rebut and the Democratic campaign couldn't counteract it in time for the Tuesday election.

I have no doubt that the tape of OBL had an effect on some of the electorate, but only to remind them that we live in a post 9/11 society. If John Kerry wants to know why he lost this election he needs to look in the mirror, and to his incredibly inept staff and campaign. He might also look to his selection of a running mate. More people saw the video of Edwards primping in a mirror than saw him on the campaign trail. Not to mention it was the wrong message (what message) in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And Now, For Something Completely Different

Powerline has a "Message from Baghdad" about how the Iraqi people feel about the wounded insurgent that was killed by one of our marines. "Good Riddance" was his response. The Iraqi people are tired of the terrorist thugs that are killing not only US soldiers, but Iraqi soldiers and police officials. Not to mention the many men, women and children civilians that are killed on a day to day basis. You won't see this anywhere in the MSM, but the people of Iraq want to be free, and most of them are praising the United States and George W. Bush.

They must have been on a roll today, not that they don't do that daily, because Powerline also has a few words from Prime Minister Allawi concerning the subject.

Four Score and Seven Years Ago...

Today is the 141st anniversary of President Lincoln giving the Gettysburg address. If you haven't read it recently, or at all, I have it linked here. Read it a few times. It gets better the more you read it.

My Wife

I can't tell you how much I love Mrs. Scar. She makes me try to be the best person that I can possibly be. I literally wake up in the morning and wonder what I can do to help make her life better. She truly is the love of my life.

There are moments, however when she really ticks me off! We have a beautiful house and yard that are a little bit in the country. As I have stated before, Mrs. Scar is quite the gardener. We have about an acre for her to work in, with quite a bit being flower beds. In Georgia, we have two growing seasons, which is a lot different than what we had in Minnesota. Anyway, she goes out to work in the beds in the morning and doesn't quit until I get home from work. By that time she is so tired and sore from working in the yard that she can hardly hold her head up. Her back is of course sore from the long days work. She really needs to take a couple of days off.

We have a beautiful house and yard and I owe it all to my very beautiful and loving wife, Mrs. Scar!

P.S. The Scar Kids are great too!!

Enough Already

There has been way too much reporting in the mainstream media about the marine soldier who shot an insurgent at a mosque in Fallujah a few days ago. After losing the election they so desperately wanted to win, the MSM smells blood. And believe me, that's all that this is. Retribution for an election the old media fought so hard to bring home for John Kerry and the democratic party.

But I digress. The military men and women of the coalition forces are not in Iraq because they were invited to the policeman's ball. They are there to free a people. What do they get in return? They are being shot at all day every day, not just by Iraqi insurgents, although there are plenty of those as well, but by terrorist thugs from Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Does anyone wonder about the wounded man that was killed? How do you suppose he was wounded in the first place. The MSM will have you believe he was just this innocent guy walking down the street. 5 will get you 20 he has been trying to, and possibly succeeding in killing as many of the coalition forces as he could. This would include the Iraqi military and police forces as well. Only blocks away from that mosque, a soldier was killed because of a booby-trapped body. Our troops don't have the luxury of giving the enemy the benefit of the doubt in combat situations. Looking at the video, we don't know what all the facts are in this case. But that won't stop the MSM from demonizing this marine or the coalition forces as a whole.

The left is always saying that it supports our troops. This would be the perfect opportunity for them to show their support. There is an investigation into this shooting. Before all of the "blame America first" people get their Vietnam signs out again (they must be getting worn out by now) show that you support all of our troops and rally behind them now. The enemy is emboldened by the bickering they see in the press over here. It's time we take the wind from their sails by showing solidarity for our fighting soldiers.

I am an eternal optimist. I believe there is some hope that the left is up to the task. I pray that I am not wrong.

For those interested in showing support for all of our military personnel, I would urge you to visit soldiers' angels or anysoldier to give a donation or gift. I can't think of any better way to honor our brave men and women during the holiday season, no matter what your religion.

Moore's Minutemen Strike Again

The vermin that Michael Moore supports have apparently killed Margaret Hassan by putting a bullet in her hooded head. Al-Jazeera is said to have a video of the murder.

Kidnapped aid worker Margaret Hassan was believed to be dead Tuesday after a video received by Al-Jazeera television showed a hooded figure shooting a blindfolded woman in the head....

The video shows a militant firing a pistol into the head of a blindfolded woman wearing an orange jumpsuit, Al-Jazeera spokesman Jihad Ballout said. "She was presumed to be Mrs. Hassan," he told The Associated Press.

The animals who committed this heinous act need to be tracked down and killed as soon as possible. Although I would prefer to see a public execution of Al-Zarqawi, that would probably only rally would be terrorists to his so called cause. It is probably better that he go down in a gun battle like the ill-fated Uday and Qusay, preferably with no coalition or civilian losses. This needs to be priority one in the battle for the freedom of the Iraqi people.

Peterson is Toast

Scott Peterson was just found guilty of killing Laci and her unborn child. That is all that is available right now. More to come...

Senility Sets In

Former president Carter continues to show that he is out of touch with the rest of the world. He is without question the worst president of the 20th century, if not the history of the country. Now he has this to say about the UN's little terrorist.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter called Arafat "the father of the modern Palestinian nationalist movement" and "a powerful human symbol and forceful advocate."


"While he provided indispensable leadership to a revolutionary movement and was instrumental in forging a peace agreement with Israel in 1993, he was excluded from the negotiating role in more recent years," Carter said in a statement issued by his office.

Arafat's goals were never for a Palestinian state, nor was he ever serious about a peace agreement with the Israeli's. His goal in life was to wipe out the state of Israel and to occupy their country. He didn't care how many people he killed to accomplish this task. Again, I urge you to look at the "obituary" over at Pajama Hadin.

Proclamation

This is President Bush's Veterans Day Proclamation.

The Little Terrorist is Finally Dead

Yasir Arafat has finally died. As a Christian, I don't feel overly comfortable with how good I feel about this. He was a despicable little man with no regard for human life, including that of his own people. Modern day terrorism can also be attributed to this man. Quite a legacy. And the media is treating him like he was a king. Pathetic.

Powerline and Pajama hadin have written fitting obituaries.

I don't know where I read this, so I can't give them credit for it, but I think it fits.

May his first day in hell last a thousand years, and may that be the shortest day.

Oh, I almost forgot. He was also the most frequent guest at the white house during the Clinton administration. (Next to Monica I am guessing.)

Ashcroft's Resignation Letter

If you haven't had the opportunity to read John Ashcroft's resignation letter. It is very eloquent and very respectful. A class act. As I said in an earlier post, he was maligned from day one, but I would take him over Janet Reno any day of the week.

She Wants Out...I Say See Ya!

There is a story from ABCnews.com about a woman and her husband not wanting to live in the United States aftere the election. Here is a bit of it.


Nov. 10, 2004 -- Leora Dowling and her husband thought returning from deep in "red" America to her native New England would make them feel more comfortable, more like the people around them shared their values. Since the election, she's been contemplating another move. To Italy.

"After the election, my husband and I asked ourselves, 'How could our country be heading backward? How could so many people miss or choose to ignore the obvious failures of the Bush administration?'" the former Florida resident said.

Read the whole thing. She is just another pathetic far left-wing professor. But she is just one of the three or four in the story.

First I say get a grip. If you want to leave the greatest country on the planet because your pathetic candidate didn't win, then you have other issues and probably need a jacket with really long sleeves. On the other hand, this country has enough wacko's and it would be nice to weed a few of them out. So this is my advice: Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!

Thank You!

Today is Veterans Day. I would like to take this time to thank those who have served in the armed forces in the past, as well as those who are serving today. I thank God for all of you everyday. And may He continually bless each and every one of you.

Gonzales to Replace Ashcroft

Alberto Gonzales has been tapped to replace John Ashcroft for Attorney General. Ashcroft gave his resignation to President Bush on November 2nd, election day. Gonzales has a long history with the president, going back to his days as Govenor of Texas. Most people were of the opinion that Gonzales would be the president's choice for a future appointment to the supreme court.

A quick note on John Ashcroft. The man has been taking flack almost from day one. In my opinion he has done a hell of a good job and he deserves the thanks of this nation. He has done his best to keep the nation safe from further terrorist attacks. The National Review has a nice tribute to him on their website.

Also of note, John Kerry (who?) was pleased with Ashcroft's resignation and thinks this is a good time for the president to reach across the aisle. Fat chance on this one!

The Material Girl Has Spoken

We don't have to worry about who may replace Donald Rumsfeld, should he not remain in his current post. That magnificent military mind that is Madonna stands ready to report for duty. In an interview with BBC radio she said "I just don't want American troops to be in Iraq, period. My feelings are can we just all get out?." Her words of wisdom continued when she said "Global terror is everywhere. Global terror is down the street, around the block." Boy, I can see the terrorists running for their lives now!

Global terrorism is not on my block, or my town. While I am sure that we have our fair share of terrorist in this country, the fact of the matter is we haven't been attacked in more than three years. Why do you suppose that is Madonna? Perhaps it's because we have a policy to attack them where they are instead of waiting until they attack us again on our own soil.

Stick to what you (marginally) know. I'm not sure what makes you singers and actors think you know better than the CIA, FBI, Homeland Security et al. I am happy to see that you have chosen to reside in another country, although I pity the British. Perhaps you can talk your ex-husband to do the same, and bring the rest of your ilk with him.

Nicely Said

Jonah Goldberg has a little article on The Corner at National Review that really hits the nail on the head.


In yesterday's (shockingly popular G-File; thanks for the kind notes btw) I discussed Bill Maher's season finale which I had the misfortune of watching. I didn't have room to get into it in the G-File (Kathryn has a rule that no columns can be longer than the "M" section of the St. Louis phone book) but DL Hughley was one of the guests on the panel. I kind of like him in movies. Who can forget his seminal performance as the voice of the gadgetmobile in Inspector Gadget 2?

But he really was a caricature on the panel. He offered one of the most popular table-thumpers in black lefty politics. I'm paraphrasing of course but he said something to the effect of "We keep hearing about how there's so much work to be done for blacks [or on race], but what I want to know is when the f*** are we even going to get started?"

Um, where do Brown v Board of Ed, the desegregation of the Armed Forces, the 1964 and 1965 Civil Rights Acts, the 1968 Fair Housing Act, affirmative action, the EEOC, massive donations to the United Negro College Fund, historic black homeownership, countless black CEOs, and -- oh yeah -- the Civil frickin' War fit into a worldview which says we haven't gotten started yet?

Arlen Specter Should Not Be Chairman

Arlen Specter should not be allowed to become chairman of the judiciary committee. The president had not been re-elected for more than a couple of hours when he was hit by a broad side attack from his own party. Basically Specter told him to be wary on what appointments he makes to the federal bench, specifically the supreme court as it pertains to Roe vs Wade. "When you talk about judges who would change the right of a woman to choose, overturn Roe v. Wade, I think that is unlikely," Specter told a reporter, going on to compare Roe with Brown v. Board of Education.

The fact is, that Specter is a republican in name only. He has a history of leaning more toward the left of the aisle and supporting abortion, being in favor of raising taxes and was part of the hatchet job on Robert Bork.

If not for President Bush, Arlen Specter would have lost his primary battle with the more conservative Pat Toomey, and this is how he pays him back. The ultimate payback should be that the senate denies Specter this appointment.

UPDATE: 11/9/04 Hugh Hewitt has raised some interesting points that have got me thinking a little bit. I don't know if it is enough to change my mind though....

Give to AnySoldier.com

Have you wondered what you can give to the U.S. soldiers who are fighting for our freedom, or even wondered where and who to send a care package to? I came across this website that will help you with all of your questions. It is a great way to thank our soldiers for our security. With Christmas coming up, it will likely mean even more to them. Don't be afraid to send over and over again.

Then There is Kate

Kate O'Beirne from National Review has an Op-Ed piece in the Washington Post that puts things into a little bit better perspective. I realize that I am a little bit biased, but she seems to have a little more reason in her argument for how the election turned out.

Flowers, Flowers and More Flowers

Most of the time I find myself designing new architectural products or looking for new and better ways to manufacture them. Then comes the weekend. Mrs. Scar has a love of gardening. When we lived in Minnesota, life was simple. You planted flowers in the spring and they froze in the fall. Since we moved to Georgia I have become familiar with "the second growing season". I now find myself shoveling compost (although on Saturday the city will load your truck), and going to all the various garden centers within a 150 mile radius.

In all honesty, I have to admit that I don't mind it all that much. Our yard is gorgeous all year round, my wife wins local awards for her very hard work, and most important of all, she is very happy making it all happen. I am without doubt the luckiest man on the planet to be married to her.

The Passing of Howard Keel

I was very sorry to see that Howard Keel had passed away. For those of you who don't know who he was, or are only familiar with him for his 10 years on the TV show "Dallas", you need to rent some of the best musicals ever made. He made many, but my favorites are "Kiss me Kate", "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", and of course "Showboat". He was a good actor with a tremendous voice. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Maureen Has Thrown a Bolt!

There is an Op-Ed piece in the New York Times (go figure) From Maureen Dowd that was published today. I find it incredible that the democrats in their infinite wisdom, don't look at themselves to see where they need to improve to become a national party once more. Rather they have a need to lash out at the american people, who have spoken, to say that they are idiots for backing a popular war-time president. They will find that if they keep up with this line of attack, their savior, Hillary will never stand a chance in 4 years.

Jay Does it Again

Jay Cost over at horserace blog has probably called this race better, and with more pure analysis than anyone else this election cycle. With the debacle of the exit polls this year, I think he will be called on to break down the mid-term elections, and then the presidential elections four years from now. Congratulations Jay, you did a great job!

This is Not Good

I heard on the way home from work tonight that Elizabeth Edwards has been diagnosed with breast cancer today. My thoughts and prayers are with her and her family for a rapid and full recovery. As this disease affects the whole family, please say a prayer for them all.

Now That I'm Awake

After staying up until 3:30 on election night, and then putting in a full day at work yesterday (not to mention having to go to bed at 7:00 just to keep my sanity....okay, what little I have left), I am now ready to go into post election mode for a couple of days. Hey, I'm old, I have to pace myself.

First off, I don't remember who on NRO that wrote it yesterday, but he/she stole my thunder, let me just say.....YEEEEEE HAAAAWWWW!!

I can't tell you how much I am relieved to know that Dubya has been re-elected for another 4 years. He is without doubt the right man for the right time.

I have to say that I don't really know John Kerry, but I know the John Kerry that came out on the campaign trail, both from his side and from another point of view. I think I can safely say that I don't particularly like him. He comes off as a smarmy, my crap doesn't sleep kind of guy, who doesn't care nearly as much as he says about others as he would like for them to think that he does.

This election is over, but the effects of this election will be felt for many years, and election cycles to come. More on that in a few minutes. For now, I am basking in the moment.

Congratulations to George W. Bush and all the other winners in the election of 2004.

How to Watch on Election Night

The Kerry Spot has a guide for watching election night coverage. Stay tuned folks, it's going to be a long one (then again....maybe not).

Horserace (again)

As usual, Jay Cost has more in depth analysis of the polls over at horserace blog. I think that he has a better handle on which way things are breaking than the more known and often quoted RealClearPolitics. Of course, we have to wait to see until tomorrow night (hopefully) to know for sure.

Obi Wan Appears

There has been another Obi Wan Kenobi sighting over at KerrySpot. Obviously at this late date the questions are about the current polls and does President Bush or Senator Kerry have a chance.

Obi Wan doesn't think so ("unless there is a sudden and big break to Kerry tonight"). He believes the more important recent factor is the re-emergence of Osama Bin Laden.

This weekend, voters were ‘digesting’ the bin Laden tape, a process that continued as they came back to work on Monday, and talked around the water cooler, listened to the radio, talked to coworkers, etc.

Each time there has been a significant event in the campaign - the conventions, each one of the debates - the poll numbers have returned to a small but significant, outside-the-margin of error lead over Kerry within about four or five days. During these initial events, the polls have bounced around, sometimes showing Kerry surging, but the numbers always settle back to the Bush 49ish Kerry 44ish area.

So, the bin Laden tape appears, and is the equivalent of one of the debates, or a vice-presidential pick, or some other event that focuses the public’s attention. They think about it Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday - and on Tuesday, were tomorrow to be a normal Election Day, it would return to that Bush ahead by four or five points again.

You can read the whole thing at the link above.