Gazizza.Net

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The Supreme Court may have told us that we can't criminalize burning the flag, but we can decriminalize beating the crap out of those who do.

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The Freakonomics blog held a contest to select a new six word slogan for the United States. The runaway winner:

Our Worst Critics Prefer to Stay

It sums up well the dichotomy between some citizens seeming hatred for America and their desire to stay in such a flawed, evil country, while pointing out that they do, indeed, wish to stay.

May God continue to bless the United States of America.

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Richard Brookhiser tells a nice story:

Washington also knew how to handle his friends, sometimes a harder task. By the time he retired, he had become convinced that Thomas Jefferson and his friends would drive America off a cliff if they ever came to power. But Jefferson, then vice president, was the darling of Virginia. Washington tried to encourage Virginians who shared his views to run for office. One of the men he thought of was John Marshall, a bright Richmond lawyer who had served under him as a captain in the Revolution.

Washington invited Marshall to Mount Vernon in 1799 to make his pitch. Marshall idolized Washington, but he wanted to make money, and tried to beg off. Washington would not let him. Marshall finally concluded that he would have to escape from Mount Vernon at day break. He found when he got up, however, that Washington had gotten up earlier, and donned his Revolutionary uniform. Marshall obeyed orders, and began the career that would make him, in less than two years, chief justice.

Why Washington is not just the greatest President, but perhaps the greatest American, ever: he resigned.

Consider all the times that Washington put service before self.

In 1775, when he accepted command of the Continental Army, he promised Congress that he would resign his commission when the war was over. Once the British withdrew, he was true to his word, and surrendered command of an army fiercely loyal to him. In a moving scene before Congress on December 23, 1783 (then assembled in Annapolis, Maryland), Washington pledged loyalty to the civilian government he had served. He thereby established the principle that our nation’s military would always be under civilian rule.

Earlier in the 1780s, Washington had been approached twice by army officers who promised their support if he decided to seize civilian power. In one famous incident in 1782, Col. Lewis Nicola wrote a letter urging Washington to overthrow Congress and become America’s king. The commanding general scolded Nicola the very same day.

In 1783, Washington caught wind of officers wanting to stage a coup d’état against Congress. The so-called Newburgh Conspirators were frustrated that Congress was not paying them what had been promised when the nation desperately needed their sacrifice. Washington would not be moved — that die would not be cast. On the Ides of March, he called the men together and sternly reprimanded them for losing faith in the idea of America. The new nation had a chance to succeed only if its leaders and military adhered to the rule of law.

When King George III heard that Washington would resign his commission to a powerless Congress, he told the painter Benjamin West: “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”

Washington returned home to Mount Vernon in December 1783. Like Cincinnatus, he put down his sword and took up his plow, making him the most trusted man in America. Delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 selected him to be their president, knowing he would not abuse his position to aggrandize himself. And a grateful nation unanimously elected him president of the United States in 1789 and again in 1792, because they knew he would devote all his energies to serving the new nation.

Washington, when convinced that he had done all he could to help the country, retired after two terms as president. True to principle, he relinquished the power that was his for the taking. It was an example of selfless leadership that inspires Americans and the world to this day. Why don’t more American children know that?

George Washington, the indispensible man, without whomo we would not have a country. Let's make sure to remember that although many call this "President's Day," it really should be honored as Washington's Birthday.

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Townhall.com::McCain at CPAC::By Robert D. Novak

Conservative Republicans are trying to force a congressional vote on Berkeley City Council efforts to close the U.S. Marine Corps recruiting office in that city and provide special access for the CodePink radical antiwar group.

Rep. John Campbell of California promised to introduce the "Semper Fi Act" to rescind all federal spending for the city of Berkeley and transfer those funds to Marine Corps recruiting. Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina announced he is planning similar legislation.

The very liberal Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee, who represents Berkeley, did not endorse the City Council's anti-Marine resolution but vowed to fight any effort cutting off funds for the city.

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Against the trend, U.S. births way up - Yahoo! News

Bucking the trend in many other wealthy industrialized nations, the United States seems to be experiencing a baby boomlet, reporting the largest number of children born in 45 years.

The nearly 4.3 million births in 2006 were mostly due to a bigger population, especially a growing number of Hispanics. That group accounted for nearly one-quarter of all U.S. births. But non-Hispanic white women and other racial and ethnic groups were having more babies, too.
...
There are cultural reasons as well. Hispanics as a group have higher fertility rates — about 40 percent higher than the U.S. overall. And experts say Americans, especially those in middle America, view children more favorably than people in many other Westernized countries.

"Americans like children. We are the only people who respond to prosperity by saying, `Let's have another kid,'" said Nan Marie Astone, associate professor of population, family and reproductive health at Johns Hopkins University.

I had thought I was seeing such a trend. My last workplace seemed to have multiple women pregnant all the time, and the number of pregnant women and women with young children seems to be increasing at my parish over a few years ago. This is a good thing for America, of course. A nation afraid to have and raise children in a nation in decline. An increase shows that we believe we have something worth passing on to a new generation. It's a sign of hope for the future.

Hat Tip: Instapundit.com who comments: "I credit the Spears family."

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During these extraordinary times, we find particular assurance from our Thanksgiving tradition, which reminds us that we, as a people and individually, always have reason to hope and trust in God, despite great adversity. In 1621 in New England, the Pilgrims gave thanks to God, in whom they placed their hope, even though a bitter winter had taken many of their brethren. In the winter of 1777, General George Washington and his army, having just suffered great misfortune, stopped near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to give thanks to God. And there, in the throes of great difficulty, they found the hope they needed to persevere. That hope in freedom eventually inspired them to victory.

In 1789, President Washington, recollecting the countless blessings for which our new Nation should give thanks, declared the first National Day of Thanksgiving. And decades later, with the Nation embroiled in a bloody civil war, President Abraham Lincoln revived what is now an annual tradition of issuing a presidential proclamation of Thanksgiving. President Lincoln asked God to "heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and Union."

From President Bush's 2007 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation

For today to be a day of truly giving thanks, we need to remember to whom we owe those thanks. Take some time today to remember our Creator who has given us all good things.

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Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss, helps provide voice-controlled and adaptive laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries at major military medical centers. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone or using other adaptive technologies, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the 'Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field. The experience of MAJ Charles “Chuck” Ziegenfuss, a partner in the project who suffered serious hand wounds while serving in Iraq, illustrates how important these laptops can be to a wounded service member's recovery.

Jeff the Baptist put up a link for the Army team. If you'd rather give through a real branch of the armed forces, give through the Marine link above.

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IMAO: The History of the Marines

In the beginning, the earth was without form. So God sent in the Marines to kick it around and get some order. God then realized that the Marines would need something to kill, so he created life.

About everything you enjoy in life is only here because the Marines killed the right people. Thus, show your support to them by donating to Valour-IT in the name of the Marines and help them beat the other branches to their goal. You'll help wounded troops get voice-activated laptops and prove once and for all which branch of the military is the best (it's the Marines).

(And be sure to check out comment #8.)

Thank the Marines by giving in their name to project Valour-IT.

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Poll finds many hoping to leave New Jersey behind - Breaking News From New Jersey - NJ.com

While one recent study found more than 231,000 people have left New Jersey since 2002, a poll released today found many more would like to follow.

The Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll found 49 percent of New Jersey adults would like to move out of the state, compared to 44 percent who would prefer to stay and 7 percent who are unsure.

The poll found 51 percent of those who want to leave say they're very likely to make good on that wish, with most of the those who want to leave adults less than 50 years of age and earning between $50,000 and $100,000 per year.

Hat Tip: Club for Growth

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I got sent this via email this weekend (see full article):

Which gives me an opportunity to tell you the coolest story you ever heard about license plates. It's about Soviet license plates during the Cold War, and the true name of "The Reagan Doctrine."

The story begins with my getting a phone call in 1985 from a buddy of mine working in the Reagan White House, Dana Rohrabacher (who has been a Congressman, R-CA, since 1988). The conversation went like this:

DR: "Jack, you know those diplomatic license plates the State Department gives for the cars of ambassadors and their staff?"

JW: "Yeah, they have two letter codes for each country, like AF is Japan, KS is Mexico, XZ is Australia. I happen to know those and maybe a few others."

DR: "Right. Well, they're not supposed to be publicly known. So this columnist in the [Washington] Post just disclosed the code for the Soviet Embassy in his column and the Soviets are all bent out of shape. They say it compromises the security of their ambassador and staff, and are demanding we issue them new plates."

Actually, the story doesn't begin here but almost 20 years earlier. So let's interrupt this conversation and start at the beginning.

It was early 1966 and Dana and I have just met. Ronald Reagan had appointed me State Chairman of Youth for Reagan for his California Governor campaign. Dana, just out of high school, had volunteered and I put him on my staff. He was 19 and I was 22.

He came over to my place and over a beer we talked about why we admired Ronald Reagan. Yes, he wanted to "get the government off our backs and out of our wallets," but what we really loved him for was his Anti-Communism.

It turned out Dana and I felt exactly the same way about the Soviet Union and saw no difference between the Soviets and the Nazis. The more beer we drank, the more exercised we got about Soviet evil, comparing e.g., the Nazis' Jewish Holocaust to the Soviets' Ukrainian Holocaust, Nazi concentration camps to the Soviets' Gulag, Nazi colonization of countries like France with Soviet colonization of Eastern Europe.

Finally, we raised our glasses in a spontaneous toast: "FTC - F**k the Commies."

It sealed and bonded our life-long friendship. Whenever we would get together, we always made the toast: "FTC."

Fifteen years later, Ronald Reagan was President of the United States, and several of the kids in Youth for Reagan were now in their 30s and working in the White House - including Dana. When we got together in his new office, we clinked our coffee cups and said, "FTC." Then I asked - "So, when do we start FTC for real?"

It wasn't long before the toast of FTC became the verbal secret handshake between all the true "Reaganauts" throughout the Reagan White House.

It took the press until 1985 to figure out President Reagan had developed a strategy to win the Cold War. It was Charles Krauthammer, in the April 1, 1985 edition of Time Magazine, who named the strategy "The Reagan Doctrine." But to the small cabal of us who had conceived and were busy implementing it, that was never the name.

For us, what the press called The Reagan Doctrine, we called... FTC. That's the real name of The Reagan Doctrine.

Now we can resume that 1985 conversation:

JW: "New plates? Well, my, my, my. Too bad the code has only two letters instead of three..."

DR: "It turns out that I know the fellow at State in charge of assigning these codes. He told me about this and knows about FTC - but as you say, it has to be two letters and not three."

JW: "What about FC - F**king Communists?"

DR: FC! Yes, that's perfect. I'll give my friend a call right now."

JW: "Problem is, it won't take long for the Sovs to figure out what it stands for. So why not have your guy tell them that this is a pain in the neck so we'll do this only once - they have to agree to not ask for another change ever again."

DR: "Done."

So it was. Before long, Soviet Embassy cars in Washington were displaying diplomatic plates with the two-letter code "FC." Every spook in town quickly knew what it stood for. I was driving around Georgetown one day with this CIA guy when a Soviet limo drove by. "Look!" he exclaimed and pointed, "F**king Communists!" I had to tell him how the FC got there. He laughed his head off.

So now you know and I hope you're laughing your own head off. Of course, the Soviet Commies eventually knew what FC meant but they couldn't complain and ask for another code change - all the way to the fall of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991.

Then the newly-independent Russia with Boris Yeltsin in charge asked for a change and it was given to them: YR. It must be galling for Putin to know what it stands for: Yeltsin's Russia. It's YR to this day and we're not about to change it to PR to satisfy Pootie-Poot.

And yes, Dana's and my toast remains FTC - not only in tribute to Ronald Reagan's winning the Cold War, but in awareness of those Communists remaining, such as in Havana, Caracas, Pyongyang, Hanoi, and most of all, Beijing.

FTC, folks...

Then, Jay Nordlinger relates this story:

Fidel Castro has shown up, speaking to his adoring worldwide public, wearing what has become his trademark tracksuit, holding up Alan Greenspan’s book (of course).

(By the way, Greenspan began his career worshiping Ayn Rand; he is ending it being promoted by Fidel Castro. Nice going, Mr. Chairman. He did, however, have some good years in between.)

Anyway, a reader sent me a clever letter about Castro and his new duds: “An article I saw said the tracksuit had ‘F. Castro’ on it, in small block letters. I thought, ‘How appropriate! And I wonder how he’d treat Cubans who wore clothing that said “F. Castro” once he came to understand the double entendre.’”

As I said, clever.

F'in Commies, indeed.

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I present the following James Fenimore Coooper quotes, courtesy of the Mises.org blog:

"[A] republican form of government is not necessarily a free government … "

"It is the duty of the citizen to judge all political acts on the great principles of the government…the representative who exceeds his trusts trespasses on the rights of the people … congress … is merely a special trustee for limited and defined objects."

"[T]he most insidious attacks are made on [liberty] by those who are the largest trustees of authority, in their efforts to increase their power."

"[L]iberty…permits the members of the community to lay no more restraints on themselves than are required by their real necessities and obvious interests."

"Were the majority of a country to rule without restraint, it is probable as much injustice and oppression would follow, as are found under the dominion of one … Were it wise to trust power, unreservedly, to majorities, all fundamental and controlling laws would be unnecessary … Constitutions would be useless … The majority does not rule in settling fundamental laws, under the constitution … "

"[T]he liberties of the mass, are of the negative character … not power of themselves, but merely an exemption from the abuses of power."

"[T]he tyranny of majorities … To guard against this, we have framed constitutions, which point out the cases in which the majority shall decide, limiting their power…within the circle of certain general and just principles … it is a great mistake for the American citizen to take sides with the public in doubtful cases affecting the rights of individuals, as this is the precise form in which oppression is the most likely to exhibit itself in a popular government."

"[G]enuine liberty…can not exist…without many restraints on the power of the mass. These restraints are necessary and numerous."

"Liberty…[requires] certain general principles that shall do as little violence to natural justice as is compatible with the peace and security of society."

"All attempts in the public, therefore, to do that which the public has no right to do should be frowned upon as the precise form in which tyranny is the most apt to be displayed in a democracy."

"In Democracies there is a besetting disposition to make public opinion stronger than the law…for wherever there is power, there will be found a disposition to abuse it."

"The power of the people is limited by the fundamental laws, or the constitution, the rights and opinions of the minority, in all but those cases in which a decision becomes indispensable, being just as sacred as the rights and opinions of the majority; else would democracy be… the worst species of tyranny."

"The considerate, and modest, and just-minded man … In asserting his own rights, he respects the rights of others … in pursuing his own course, in his own manner, he knows his neighbor has an equal right to do the same…"

"In the cases that plainly invade the constitution, the constituents, having no power themselves, can dictate none to their representative. Both parties are bound equally to respect that instrument, and neither can evade the obligation, by any direct or indirect means. This rule covers much of the disputed ground, for they who read the constitution with an honest desire to understand it, can have little difficulty in comprehending most of its important provisions, and no one can claim a right to impose sophistry and selfishness on another as reason and justice."

"The constitution contains the paramount laws of society. These laws are unchangeable, except as they are altered agreeably to prescribed forms, and until thus altered, no evasion of them is admissible … the constituents of a particular representative can have no right even to request, much less to instruct him to support their local constituents at the expense of others, and least of all can they have a right to violate the constitution in order to do so."

"[T]he member of congress…although he has no right to further [a state's] interests at the expense of the interests of other states, he is not called on to sacrifice them for the benefit of the sisters of the Union."

"The pretense that the public has a right to extend its jurisdiction…without regard to the principles and restraints of the fundamental compact that binds society together, is, indeed, to verify the common accusation of the enemies of democracy, who affirm that by substituting this form of government for that of a despotism, people are only replacing one tyrant by many."

"Individuality is the aim of political liberty. By leaving to the citizen as much freedom of action and of being as comports with order and the rights of others, the institutions render him truly a free man. He is left to pursue his means of happiness in his own manner. It is a curious circumstance that, in endeavoring to secure the popular rights, an effect has been produced in this country totally opposed to this main object."

"The habit of seeing the public rule is gradually accustoming the American mind to an interference with private rights that is slowly undermining the individuality of the national character. There is getting to be so much public right, that private right is overshadowed and lost. A danger exists that the ends of liberty will be forgotten altogether in the means."

"[Government], when perverted from its proper aim, is most productive of evil…that which was established in the interests of the right may so easily become the agent of the wrong."

"The disposition of all power is to abuses, nor does it at all mend the matter that its possessors are a majority. Unrestrained political authority, though it be confided to masses, cannot be trusted without positive limitations, men in bodies being but an aggregation of the passions, weaknesses and interests of men as individuals."

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Today in 1787, the Constitutional Convention held their last meeting, with attending delegates signing the document they had spent months laboring over.

More information about Constitution Day

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In 1976, two ingrates thought it would be amusing to burn an American flag during a Dodgers-Cubs game in Dodger Stadium. Rick Monday, the Cubs center fielder (and former Marine), had other ideas:

Brings tears to my eyes.

Hat Tip: The Lair of the Catholic Cavemen

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More Grand Avenue

This should have been posted Monday, but I chose a bad setting from a dropdown....

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I'm not sure you'll see a better tribute to Memorial Day than this.

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Townhall.com::Random thoughts::By Thomas Sowell

Sometimes it seems as if everybody is trying to rip off his own little piece of America, until we are all torn apart.

A reader writes: "Liberals hold us individually responsible for nothing but collectively responsible for everything."

The last time I saw a Republican express outrage was 1991, when Clarence Thomas told the Senators what he thought of the smear tactics used against him. Before that, it was Ronald Reagan saying, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Before that, it was probably Teddy Roosevelt.

Too many people in positions of responsibility act as if these are just positions of opportunity -- for themselves. The ones who simply steal money probably do less harm than teachers who propagandize their students, media who slant the news or politicians who sell out their country's interests in order to get re-elected.

A reader wrote: "Have you ever noticed that opinion polls ask the opinions of people who have no expertise in the subject on which they are being polled and publish these opinions as if they were gospel truth instead of group ignorance?"

The people who are scariest to me are the people who don't even know enough to realize how little they know.

A reader sent the following message, quoting his nephew: "Calling an illegal alien an 'undocumented worker' is like calling a drug dealer an 'unlicensed pharmacist.'"

Some of the biggest cases of mistaken identity are among intellectuals who have trouble remembering that they are not God.

The home run records that made Babe Ruth famous have been broken but one of his records will probably never be broken -- pitching the longest shutout in World Series history, 14 innings. Few pitchers go even 9 innings these days.

"Global warming" seems to be joining "diversity," "gun control," "open space" and a growing list of other subjects where rational discussion has become impossible -- and where you are considered a bad person even for wanting to discuss it rationally.

When I see the worsening degeneracy in our politicians, our media, our educators, and our intelligentsia, I can't help wondering if the day may yet come when the only thing that can save this country is a military coup.

In his book "Income and Wealth," economist Alan Reynolds says that people often form "strong opinions" based on "weak statistics." Unfortunately, that is also true of a wide range of other issues, from "global warming" to "gender bias."

I am so old that I can remember a Democrat, at his inauguration as President, say of our enemies: "We dare not tempt them with weakness."

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"Americans never quit."
- General Douglas Macarthur

But apparently Democrats do.....

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George F. Will - Taking a Bat to Prejudice - washingtonpost.com

Those were the words Jackie Robinson said to his wife as he headed to make his major league debut on this day 60 years ago. Mrs. Robinson would, of course, have no trouble picking her husband out of the crowd as he would be the only non-white person on the field, breaking the major leagues' color barrier. Now, there had been black players in major league baseball decades prior to this, and non-white players had played played lengthy careers in the majors, but this marked the beginning of a new tie in baseball, when people of all skin colors would be allowed into our national pastime.

This act had been years in the planning. Branch Rickey, one of the greatest baseball minds of all time, had spoken to Robinson in 1945 about breaking the color barrier.

A shorthand version of their fateful conversation in August 1945:

Rickey: "I know you're a good ballplayer. What I don't know is whether you have the guts."

Robinson: "Mr. Rickey, are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back?"

Rickey, exploding: "Robinson, I'm looking for a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back."

Jackie was legitimate Hall of Famer, but there were better black talents out there. What drew Rickey to choose Robinson was that he was man enough not to fight back. Choosing a greater talent without the self-control of Robinson could have set back the integration of baseball, and therefore, the country. A black striking out in anger would have made racial tensions higher and confirmed the worst stereotypes of white America, so as frustrating as it might have been at time for Robinson to hold his tongue (and his fists), those are the sacrifices which change a country. And America is better for him having held back.

It was the fol owing year that President Truman issued his executive order desegregating America's armed forces. It's an unanswerable question, but a good one, if Truman would have issued the order had the integration of baseball not gone well. The link above shows that the issue was already being studied at the time of Robinson's debut, but if the Dodgers had fallen apart or strife had ensued, Truman could easily have decided not to continue the process. Instead, the Dodgers finished in first place in their league, albeit with two fewer wins than the years before), with Robinson leading the team in games played, at-bats, Runs, hits. total bases, stolen bases, singles, extra-base hits, hit by pitch, sacrifice hits, power/speed number, and tied for the team lead in doubles and home runs. He was probably not their best player, but was in the conversation. The Dodgers went on to lose the World Series, but that's what the Dodgers did back then.

It's for this reason, I've long believed that Jackie Robinson was the most significant civil rights figure in American history. If he hadn't done such a superb job of maintaining his dignity and showing that whites and blacks could successfully and peaceably work together, Martin Luther King, for all his own abilities, may not have been as effective as he was.

So we should take time to remember this day, not just for its meaning to baseball, but it's meaning to America.

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VA Governor Vetoes Bills to Study Use of Castration on Sex Offenders

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine vetoed a bill Tuesday that would have required state agencies to study whether Virginia should start castrating violent sex offenders instead of confining them, some for the rest of their lives.

The General Assembly, hoping to reduce the costs of housing the state's most dangerous sex offenders in prison or treatment facilities, overwhelmingly supported having state officials study whether criminals should have the option of "physical castration" in exchange for being released.

I did a double-take when I read this headline because I couldn't believe it was even being considered. So, naturally, I was pleased to see Governor Kaine vetoed this bill. But then, as I am often when Democrats are involved, I was disappointed to see his reason:

Kaine (D) vetoed the bill because, he said, he thinks health professionals, not legislators, are the most qualified people to determine how to treat sex offenders, some of whom might be mentally ill.

He should have voted the bill because castration is just wrong. I seem to remember something about "cruel and unusual punishments" being forbidden in our country, and this would certainly seem to qualify. I'm certainly sympathetic to the need to find some way to help these offenders control their impulses, but some actions should be off the table and castration would certainly seem to be one of them. How far has our society fallen when this sort of action is discussed credibly?

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IMAO: Former Hostage, Iran, 1979

On the day of the takeover, the Marines were outnumbered at least 1000 to 1. We held the consulate and the communications vault for over 12 hours, helping to destroy equipment and classified material. We were under STRICT orders not to fire our weapons or pop gas grenades (too late for that last one..hee, hee, hee). We were eventually told that we were on or own and to make a break for it. The monkeys even put one of the diplomats in front of the comm vault peep eye with a pistol to their head and threatened to kill them unless the door was opened. It wasn't and they didn't. Once all the material was destroyed the doors were opened and they all got the crap beat out of them.

When we were first taken, the Iranians took us into a room individually and asked us to sign a statement denouncing the US policy in Iran, Israel, the Shah, etc. The Marines signed with names such as Michael Mouse, Chesty Puller, Dan Daly (google the last two...Marine Corps legends), Harry Butz, etc.

During the ordeal they would try to tape us for propaganda purposes. Personally, I would keep looking down to the ground or hide behind others so that my face wouldn't show (in fact, after a couple of months of not seeing me in any of the videos my records I was classified as MIA). Another Marine and I shared the same cell and when they came in with cameras we'd strip down. I heard a rumor that one of the other Marines smeared ketchup on his face and started howling.

They day before they released us, we were taken to a room with a camera and Mary the Terrorist who was going to interview us. We were threatened that if we didn't say the right things we wouldn't be released. Some Marines gave only name rank and SSN, others sang (Marine Corps Hymn or God Bless America), others just said nothing.

On the day they let us go, I was being herded towards the airplane by a couple of those monkeys. I pulled my arm out of their grasp and let them know that "We're number one"...but used the wrong finger.

For our troubles we were isolated, thumped, went through two mock executions, starved, threatened, and had to put up with useful idiots from Amnesty International showing up just to let the world know how humane we were being treated.

We resisted at each opportunity, except for Army Sgt Joe Subic who collaborated from day 1 and was later snubbed by the rest of us (and was the only one not to receive a citation). We refused to cooperate, stole keys, plugged toilets, pissed in their rations, blew circuit breakers, laughed in their face when they threatened us and cursed them when they beat us. Steve Kirtley even told one of them to pull his finger! The monkey did and Steve was beaten for the inevitable result.

We did this because we were first and foremost, MARINES! Our honor and loyalty to the United States gave us the courage. We would rather die (and that was a definite possibility) than to shame ourselves, our Corps, or our Country. We had to live up to our history and got to measure ourselves and our actions against those of greater men.

Yes, we broke now and then. But would immediately pick ourselves back up and go back to fighting. Which, by the way, confused the hell out of the monkeys!

Pity the poor Brits. All they had was the history of the E.U. and the U.N. as examples.

Semper Fi.

We need to send this guy to Britain to tell their Navy how to act when taken hostage. My favorite was the "pull my finger" bit.

Hat Tip: The Corner

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18 Doughty Street : Politics for Adults | On Demand

Use link above if embedding doesn't work for you

Hat Tip: The Corner

Posted by Paul Smith Jr at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The lovely Miss Anonymous Opinion blogs on Charlie Rangel's follow-up act to John Kerry.

Here's what he said: "If a young fellow has an option of having a decent career, or joining the Army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq."

It's amazing the contempt so many on the Left have for the troops. They fail to understand that some people might actually be willing to risk their lives for others; that people can believe in something bigger than themselves. Rather than attempt to understand those willing to serve in the military, many automatically assume they're failures in some way. That they're stupid or don't know any better. Well, as I blogged on Saturday, military recruits are much more likely to have graduated high school than the general population and in fact the percentage of high quality recruits is rising since 2001. But, Rangel can't bother himself with facts since he apparently knows better than the truth. It's easier to assume the standard liberal position of contempt than bother to look up facts.

AO makes the point that her brother enlisted during the Gulf War giving up a career with an investment fund company, after having worked for two different insurance companies. My father enlisted during the Vietnam war and went back repeatedly after being rejected due to bad teeth.

Mr. Rangel may want to speak to people like my father and AO's brother before speaking about the military next time. Or maybe not, he might accidentally learn something: that, unlike him, some people can actually believe in sacrifice and in something greater than themselves.

Posted by Paul Smith Jr at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Uncle Charlie Wants You!

In this mythology, the military is overly reliant on uneducated dupes from poor communities because those from more affluent backgrounds don't want to serve. But the truth is closer to the opposite, according to a recent Heritage Foundation report on the demographic characteristics of the military. It's titled "Who Are the Recruits?" and Mr. Rangel, a Korean War veteran, might want to read it before implying that the military doesn't look like America.

According to the report, which analyzed the most recent Pentagon enlistee data, "the only group that is lowering its participation in the military is the poor. The percentage of recruits from the poorest American neighborhoods (with one-fifth of the U.S. population) declined from 18 percent in 1999 to 14.6 percent in 2003, 14.1 percent in 2004, and 13.7 percent in 2005." Put another way, if military burdens aren't spread more evenly among socio-economic groups in the U.S., it's because the poor are underrepresented.

Or consider education levels. In the general U.S. population, the high school graduation rate is a little under 80%. But among military recruits from 2003-2005, nearly 97% had high school diplomas. The academic quality of recruits has also been rising this decade. According to Heritage, the military defines a "high quality" recruit as someone who scores above the 50th percentile on the Armed Forces Qualifying Test and has a high school degree. The percentage of high quality recruits had climbed to 67% in 2004 and 64% in 2005, up from 57% in 2001.
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It's true that such training would help to shape up more young Americans who could use a few weeks of Marine discipline at Parris Island, and if this is what Mr. Rangel has in mind he should say so. But the price would be a less effective fighting force, and precisely at a time when experience and technological mastery are more important than ever in a fighting force.

"The military doesn't want a draft," says Tim Kane, an Air Force veteran and author of the Heritage study. "What the military wants is the most effective fighting force they can field. They want to win wars and minimize casualties. And you don't do that when you're forced to take less-educated, unmotivated people."

What about Mr. Rangel's point that conscription would have made intervention in Iraq less likely? It's impossible to know, but this is a dangerous argument for the future in any case. The main reason for having an effective Army is to deter enemies by making them believe we have the will to fight if we must. Mr. Rangel is saying the U.S. needs a conscript Army precisely to show an adversary we'll never use it. This is a good way to tempt Iran, say, into provocations that could lead to larger conflicts in which we would have no choice but to fight.

Posted by Paul Smith Jr at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

WikiPedia on Thanksgiving

A few years ago, I was talking to some co-workers who asked what I was doing for Thanksgiving. I told them going to Mass and having dinner with my parents. They kind of laughed and asked why I would go to Mass on Thanksgiving. I said, "To give thanks." They said nothing but I could tell they realized they missed an obvious answer.

I'm not going to claim that I always make Mass. It can be hard to get going knowing there's nothing really dragging me away from home before dinner. But I should make it.

Remember tomorrow that the day is about more than just stuffing yourself with food and watching football. While those are worthy objectives as part of a communal celebration, the main thing to remember is to give thanks for the good things in your life. And who do we give thanks to? The One who made it possible. Find time tomorrow to give thanks to God for all He has done for us: the food we eat, the jobs we have that allow to support ourselves and our families, saving us from our sins.

Abraham Lincoln said it well:

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.

Posted by Paul Smith Jr at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Toys for Tots rejects talking Jesus dolls - CNN.com

Toys are donated to kids based on financial need and "we don't know anything about their background, their religious affiliations," said Bill Grein, vice president of Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, in Quantico, Virginia.

You'd think if any branch of government would have the balls to stand up for the obvious fact that CHRISTmas is about Christ, it would be the Marines, but I see even they have fallen to the lack of common sense prevalent in today's society.

When I'm absolute dictator...
...people will be free to acknowledge that CHRISTmas is about Christ.

Posted by Paul Smith Jr at 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

1. Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns.

2. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.

3. Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.

4. If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough nor using cover correctly.

5. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)

6. If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a long gun and a friend with a long gun.

7. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.

8. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running.

9. Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the gun.

10. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.

11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.

12. Have a plan.

13. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work.

14. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.

15. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.

16. Don't drop your guard.

17. Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees.

18. Watch their hands. Hands kill. In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them.

19. Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.

20. The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.

21. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

22. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.

23. Your number one option for personal security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.

24. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with a "4."

Navy Rules for Gun fighting:

1. Go to Sea

2. Send the Marines

3. Drink Coffee

Source: the evangelical outpost: Marine Corps Rules for Gun Fighting

Hat Tip: Jeff the Baptist