Archive for March 24th, 2008
You Can Fool Some Of The People Some Of The Time…….
March 24th, 2008
Let the spin begin. (I guess the scrutiny became a bit too hot.)
Sorry Mrs. Clinton. Not buying.
This is operating under the duress of sniper fire:
This is not:
And what irks me is that the Clinton campaign would believe voters were naive enough not to know the difference.
No Senator, there are some things you would never forget and coming under sniper fire would be near the top of the list. There is no room for “she misspoke” on this issue.
Update: For those who might say that’s just one photograph or perhaps there were other issues the former First Lady dealt with in Bosnia, here is a firsthand report from CBS news:
Others writing:
Sweetness and Light
Posted in 
Latest Dispatch from Michael Yon
March 24th, 2008
A new dispatch has been posted from Michael Yon. It is chock full of terrific information and photos as usual.
The final paragraph in this piece captured my attention. Because of the trust I have in Yon’s feelings and observations this gives me hope that we may be nearing a light at the end of at least one tunnel in Iraq:
There are no guarantees, but this could be the endgame for major combat operations in Iraq. Combat is likely to heat up in Mosul and western Nineveh by about May. There likely will be some reports of increased US and Iraqi casualties up here, but this does not mean that we are losing ground or that al Qaeda is resurging – though clearly they are trying. If there is an increase in casualties here as we go into the summer of 2008, it is because our people and the Iraqi forces are closing in. We have seen just how deadly al Qaeda can be. This enemy is desperate. They know they are losing. They are not likely to go out easy. The enemy is smart, agile and adaptive. Likely they will land some devastating blows on us, but at this rate, our people and Iraqi forces appear to be driving stakes through al Qaeda hearts faster than al Qaeda is regenerating.
The Dixie Chicks and the Marine Corps Corporal
March 24th, 2008
Remember the controversy back in 2003 when Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks made the following statement?
Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.
It caused quite a furor, so much so that even the President was asked about it in an interview with Tom Brokaw. Here was his reasoned reply:
The Dixie Chicks are free to speak their mind. They can say what they want to say … they shouldn’t have their feelings hurt just because some people don’t want to buy their records when they speak out … Freedom is a two-way street … I don’t really care what the Dixie Chicks said. I want to do what I think is right for the American people, and if some singers or Hollywood stars feel like speaking out, that’s fine. That’s the great thing about America. It stands in stark contrast to Iraq…
The group took a hit professionally for a period of time but as is the case in America, there are those who support all sides of any issue and with their support and self determination the group regained their popularity.
It seems to me that injecting politics into entertainment is rather foolish but many do it. Perhaps they find it a good marketing tool. Well, it appears the Dixie Chicks were not quite finished back in 2003 as they released another song with political undertones in 2006:
On March 16, 2006, Dixie Chicks released the single “Not Ready to Make Nice” in advance of their upcoming album. Written by all three Chicks alongside Dan Wilson, it directly addressed the political controversy that had surrounded the group for the past three years:
I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and I don’t have time to go ’round and ’round and ’round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I shouldand, in criticism of the death threats the women (particularly Maines) received,
It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her
Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger
And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter
Sayin’ that I better
Shut up and sing or my life will be over
It’s unthinkable that someone would threaten another’s life over a statement with which they disagree. Where exactly would we be without the freedom of speech?
Far more preferable would be a response such as this one from Marine Cpl. David Thibodeaux:
Some have said this is a smack down of the Dixie Chicks. I disagree. The Corporal will never achieve the fame, fortune and name recognition of this group. One video will not destroy years of a fan base, recording contracts and Grammy Awards.
No, I believe this Marine is speaking for himself and those like him who have sworn to defend the rights we all cherish. Just another well reasoned reply.
Israel a Prime Target of Saddam Hussein
March 24th, 2008
It is no secret that there have been countless documents, tapes etc. recovered since Saddam Hussein was deposed, some of which are now being released for public consumption.
Judge for yourself after reading this article if the world is not a better place without this tyrant in a position of power:
The Americans captured more than 600,000 intelligence items, including thousands of hours of video and sound recordings, all of which have been scanned and summarized, but only 15 percent was fully translated into English.
A document from 2002, from the chief of staff of the Al-Quds Army, sent to the Karbala Division, orders each brigade to build a model of an Israeli town and practice taking it by force.
Hamas representatives, including Abdel Aziz Rantisi, who was assassinated by the Israel Defense Forces in 2004, contacted Iraqi intelligence and asked to coordinate attacks against American and Israeli targets to delay the American invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The documents also show that Iraqi agents also followed the activities of Israel in Jordan, Qatar and the Philippines.
A video recording of a meeting between Saddam and Yasser Arafat on April 19, 1990, showed Saddam threatening to assassinate then president George Bush. “We may not be able to reach Washington, but we could send someone with an explosives belt to Washington,” Saddam told Arafat, three months before the invasion of Kuwait.
“We can send people to Washington. A man with an explosives belt could throw himself on Bush’s car.”
Saddam also told his Palestinian guest that he intended to launch surface-to-surface ballistic missiles against Tel Aviv and that he possessed chemical weapons that “have been successfully employed” against Iran – and he would not hesitate to also use them against Israel.
The file listing potential targets in Israel covers 223 pages and was classified as Top Secret by Iraqi intelligence. It was found on April 13, 2003, in the headquarters of the Iraqi intelligence service in Baghdad by a unit of U.S. Marines. [Emphasis, mine]
Much more at the link above including a list of potential targets in Israel which Saddam had designs on destroying.
HT: Clarice Feldman
I Ask Your Prayers
March 24th, 2008
I find myself in a situation of my own making which is giving me much grief these past few days.
I befriended an atheist French man who was claiming he wanted to commit suicide. We spoke online via Skype, a voice and video site, and became good friends even though we had nothing in common.
A couple of weeks ago he posted a photo of another Christian woman’s face on the naked body of a woman hanging on a cross with her genitalia covered in an American flag.
I asked my “friend” to please take it down as it was very hurtful to me as a Christian and I considered it blasphemy.
He didn’t take it down but left it, so I broke off our friendship and showed my anger. I never used bad words but I told of some of the things he has done.
To complicate matters a member of my family visited the site and put in a comment. Since this family member is currently at my home my IP address showed up and I have been accused of trying to lie about my identity. I told them what happened and she did too but they don’t and won’t believe me.
Today a post went up to supposedly talk about animal cruelty and I was the topic of 90% of the post and asked why I don’t give up my crazy religion.
When I didn’t answer the person kept trying to egg me on.
It has taken all the strength I can muster to stay away from there and to not say anything.
I ask the prayers of any Christians reading this to help me stay away from that site, even as a lurker, and to ask the Lord to help me get over the feelings of rage I have right now.
I’ve asked others for prayers, but a few more won’t hurt.
I pray that God will surround me with angels who will make me forget these awful people who are so anti-God they don’t realize their own peril.
I thank any of you who pray for me.
