A whole 'nother symbol of Freedom

One, among 8 million fingers symbolizing pride in Iraqi citizens' ability to finally choose how their lives will be. Historic

And so, a new day dawns in Iraq

Sometimes, all the blogging in the world doesn't capture the essence of a historic day such as today. Sometimes, all it takes is a picture. For those Iraqi souls that were brave enough to test the waters of Democracy and freedom of choice, our congratulations and praise. To the others not yet ready or willing, your example lays before you. For those doing their worst to prevent Freedom's ring from sounding the call for Iraq's citizens, your days are numbered. For those Americans and others, Iraqis included, who gave the last full measure of devotion to the highest of ideals, Freedom itelf, your have our undying gratitude and rememberance.
The finger, indeed.

Just call 'em like you see 'em...

Diana West of the Washington Times posts her column
here concerning the inauguration speech. Her contention is we (Bush) need to stop calling it a "war on terror" and call it a "war against Islam", at least the kind that buys into Jihad and either converting or killing all infidels (that most likely means you and me). According to her article, that segment of Islam represents 10% of Muslims in the world. Ten percent, you say? What's ten percent? Approximately 100 million Muslims. She can't be serious, can she? All this bombing and beheading stuff in Iraq is merely political intimidation in the guise of following Muhammed, right? They really don't believe that "kill all the infidels" stuff. Well now, lets go local and think about that Coptic Christian family, including an 8 year old daughter, in New Jersey that was murdered, execution style, bound and gagged, and throats slit. I have no dots to connect here. That would be a job for the police. I would note that the FBI is in on the investigation. There is, after all, a "war on terror" going on, but who is doing the terrorizing? What do you see, and how would you call it?

Some 95 years later...

As we come to Inauguration Day today, I came upon this... Back in April of 1910, Theodore Roosevelt made a speech to the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, the text of which you can find here. If you're not familiar, its the speech in which we got the famous 'man in the arena' quotation listed below:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Now, that in and of itself would be good enough, but there's so much more. Mr. Roosevelt was prescient in seeing what kind of things actually work in this world and what evils masquerade as virtue. There's alot here, but it is so worth reading!

So...like what does it take for a democracy to work:

"The success or republics like yours and like ours means the glory, and our failure of despair, of mankind; and for you and for us the question of the quality of the individual citizen is supreme. Under other forms of government, under the rule of one man or very few men, the quality of the leaders is all-important. If, under such governments, the quality of the rulers is high enough, then the nations for generations lead a brilliant career, and add substantially to the sum of world achievement, no matter how low the quality of average citizen; because the average citizen is an almost negligible quantity in working out the final results of that type of national greatness. But with you and us the case is different. With you here, and with us in my own home, in the long run, success or failure will be conditioned upon the way in which the average man, the average women, does his or her duty, first in the ordinary, every-day affairs of life, and next in those great occasional cries which call for heroic virtues. The average citizen must be a good citizen if our republics are to succeed. The stream will not permanently rise higher than the main source; and the main source of national power and national greatness is found in the average citizenship of the nation. Therefore it behooves us to do our best to see that the standard of the average citizen is kept high; and the average cannot be kept high unless the standard of the leaders is very much higher. " (emphasis mine)

Conversely, he lists the qualities that good leaders should(or not) have:

"It is well if a large proportion of the leaders in any republic, in any democracy, are, as a matter of course, drawn from the classes represented in this audience to-day; but only provided that those classes possess the gifts of sympathy with plain people and of devotion to great ideals. You and those like you have received special advantages; you have all of you had the opportunity for mental training; many of you have had leisure; most of you have had a chance for enjoyment of life far greater than comes to the majority of your fellows. To you and your kind much has been given, and from you much should be expected. Yet there are certain failings against which it is especially incumbent that both men of trained and cultivated intellect, and men of inherited wealth and position should especially guard themselves, because to these failings they are especially liable; and if yielded to, their- your- chances of useful service are at an end. Let the man of learning, the man of lettered leisure, beware of that queer and cheap temptation to pose to himself and to others as a cynic, as the man who has outgrown emotions and beliefs, the man to whom good and evil are as one."

And, how our country should handle education. Note the emphasis on character:

"There is need of a sound body, and even more of a sound mind. But above mind and above body stands character - the sum of those qualities which we mean when we speak of a man's force and courage, of his good faith and sense of honor. I believe in exercise for the body, always provided that we keep in mind that physical development is a means and not an end. I believe, of course, in giving to all the people a good education. But the education must contain much besides book-learning in order to be really good. We must ever remember that no keenness and subtleness of intellect, no polish, no cleverness, in any way make up for the lack of the great solid qualities. Self restraint, self mastery, common sense, the power of accepting individual responsibility and yet of acting in conjunction with others, courage and resolution - these are the qualities which mark a masterful people. Without them no people can control itself, or save itself from being controlled from the outside. I speak to brilliant assemblage; I speak in a great university which represents the flower of the highest intellectual development; I pay all homage to intellect and to elaborate and specialized training of the intellect; and yet I know I shall have the assent of all of you present when I add that more important still are the commonplace, every-day qualities and virtues. "

How about his view of the mainstream media:

"The power of the journalist is great, but he is entitled neither to respect nor admiration because of that power unless it is used aright. He can do, and often does, great good. He can do, and he often does, infinite mischief. All journalists, all writers, for the very reason that they appreciate the vast possibilities of their profession, should bear testimony against those who deeply discredit it. Offenses against taste and morals, which are bad enough in a private citizen, are infinitely worse if made into instruments for debauching the community through a newspaper. Mendacity, slander, sensationalism, inanity, vapid triviality, all are potent factors for the debauchery of the public mind and conscience. The excuse advanced for vicious writing, that the public demands it and that demand must be supplied, can no more be admitted than if it were advanced by purveyors of food who sell poisonous adulterations."

How about ethics for the rich, famous, and powerful...and how we react to it:

"...if a man's efficiency is not guided and regulated by a moral sense, then the more efficient he is the worse he is, the more dangerous to the body politic. Courage, intellect, all the masterful qualities, serve but to make a man more evil if they are merely used for that man's own advancement, with brutal indifference to the rights of others. It speaks ill for the community if the community worships these qualities and treats their possessors as heroes regardless of whether the qualities are used rightly or wrongly. It makes no difference as to the precise way in which this sinister efficiency is shown. It makes no difference whether such a man's force and ability betray themselves in a career of money-maker or politician, soldier or orator, journalist or popular leader. If the man works for evil, then the more successful he is the more he should be despised and condemned by all upright and far-seeing men. To judge a man merely by success is an abhorrent wrong; and if the people at large habitually so judge men, if they grow to condone wickedness because the wicked man triumphs, they show their inability to understand that in the last analysis free institutions rest upon the character of citizenship, and that by such admiration of evil they prove themselves unfit for liberty."

How about civil rights and affirmative action:


"But we should not take part in acting a lie any more than in telling a lie. We should not say that men are equal where they are not equal, nor proceed upon the assumption that there is an equality where it does not exist; but we should strive to bring about a measurable equality, at least to the extent of preventing the inequality which is due to force or fraud. Abraham Lincoln, a man of the plain people, blood of their blood, and bone of their bone, who all his life toiled and wrought and suffered for them, at the end died for them, who always strove to represent them, who would never tell an untruth to or for them, spoke of the doctrine of equality with his usual mixture of idealism and sound common sense. He said (I omit what was of merely local significance):"

"I think the authors of the Declaration of Independence intended to include all men, but they did not mean to declare all men equal in all respects. They did not mean to say all men were equal in color, size, intellect, moral development or social capacity. They defined with tolerable distinctness in what they did consider all men created equal-equal in certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. This they said, and this they meant. They did not mean to assert the obvious untruth that all were actually enjoying that equality, or yet that they were about to confer it immediately upon them. They meant to set up a standard maxim for free society which should be familiar to all - constantly looked to, constantly labored for, and, even though never perfectly attained, constantly approximated, and thereby constantly spreading and deepening its influence, and augmenting the happiness and value of life to all people, everywhere."

On the subjects of equality and Welfare:

"We are bound in honor to refuse to listen to those men who would make us desist from the effort to do away with the inequality which means injustice; the inequality of right, opportunity, of privilege. We are bound in honor to strive to bring ever nearer the day when, as far is humanly possible, we shall be able to realize the ideal that each man shall have an equal opportunity to show the stuff that is in him by the way in which he renders service. There should, so far as possible, be equal of opportunity to render service; but just so long as there is inequality of service there should and must be inequality of reward. We may be sorry for the general, the painter, the artists, the worker in any profession or of any kind, whose misfortune rather than whose fault it is that he does his work ill. But the reward must go to the man who does his work well; for any other course is to create a new kind of privilege, the privilege of folly and weakness; and special privilege is injustice, whatever form it takes.

To say that the thriftless, the lazy, the vicious, the incapable, ought to have reward given to those who are far-sighted, capable, and upright, is to say what is not true and cannot be true. Let us try to level up, but let us beware of the evil of leveling down. If a man stumbles, it is a good thing to help him to his feet. Every one of us needs a helping hand now and then. But if a man lies down, it is a waste of time to try and carry him; and it is a very bad thing for every one if we make men feel that the same reward will come to those who shirk their work and those who do it. Let us, then, take into account the actual facts of life, and not be misled into following any proposal for achieving the millennium, for recreating the golden age, until we have subjected it to hardheaded examination."

Class Warfare:

"The gravest wrong upon his country is inflicted by that man, whatever his station, who seeks to make his countrymen divide primarily in the line that separates class from class, occupation from occupation, men of more wealth from men of less wealth, instead of remembering that the only safe standard is that which judges each man on his worth as a man, whether he be rich or whether he be poor, without regard to his profession or to his station in life. Such is the only true democratic test, the only test that can with propriety be applied in a republic. There have been many republics in the past, both in what we call antiquity and in what we call the Middle Ages. They fell, and the prime factor in their fall was the fact that the parties tended to divide along the wealth that separates wealth from poverty. It made no difference which side was successful; it made no difference whether the republic fell under the rule of and oligarchy or the rule of a mob. In either case, when once loyalty to a class had been substituted for loyalty to the republic, the end of the republic was at hand. There is no greater need to-day than the need to keep ever in mind the fact that the cleavage between right and wrong, between good citizenship and bad citizenship, runs at right angles to, and not parallel with, the lines of cleavage between class and class, between occupation and occupation. Ruin looks us in the face if we judge a man by his position instead of judging him by his conduct in that position."

Who not to vote for:

"The very last thing an intelligent and self-respecting member of a democratic community should do is to reward any public man because that public man says that he will get the private citizen something to which this private citizen is not entitled, or will gratify some emotion or animosity which this private citizen ought not to possess."

And finally, 'Internationalism' as we see in the UN today.

"Experience teaches us that the average man who protests that his international feeling swamps his national feeling, that he does not care for his country because he cares so much for mankind, in actual practice proves himself the foe of mankind; that the man who says that he does not care to be a citizen of any one country, because he is the citizen of the world, is in fact usually and exceedingly undesirable citizen of whatever corner of the world he happens at the moment to be in. In the dim future all moral needs and moral standards may change; but at present, if a man can view his own country and all others countries from the same level with tepid indifference, it is wise to distrust him, just as it is wise to distrust the man who can take the same dispassionate view of his wife and mother. However broad and deep a man's sympathies, however intense his activities, he need have no fear that they will be cramped by love of his native land."


Wow, I'm simply amazed...its a mirror of what we're facing today

Help? We don't need no stinkin' help!

Unless you've watched the "Treasure of Sierra Madre" with Humphrey Bogart, you won't appreciate the humor. Well, it seems that Indonesia would just as soon have us drop off all the supplies and the money, and leave. They don't want our military walking around with guns. They don't want us setting up any camps to expedite the relief efforts. They even have 'get out of town' date of March 24th. If not for the people in those areas that actually need the help, I'd recommend honoring Indonesia's request and leaving...now. No more money, no more equipment, no more supplies, no more personnel...just leave. Only in today's world of convoluted value systems and moral equivalency can the leader of a devastated country bite the helping hand of the most generous country on the face of the earth, and not be called on the carpet by the rest of the so-called 'world community'.

After the heads start rolling, rolling, rolling...

Well, Mary Mapes comments concerning her dismissal from CBS are full of factual holes and omissions of fact. There's enough out there in the blogosphere analyzing her response point by point. I don't think I could add much. My favorite part? Read the following quote:

"I am heartened to see that the panel found no political bias on my part, as indeed I have none."

One of my contentions about the mainstream media has always been that: (1) they're overwhelmingly liberal, and (2) they consider their political/cultural leanings to be ' we're-all-middle-of-the-road-and-that's-how-most-of-America-thinks-too' perspective. How could a journalist like Mapes make a statement like that and expect anyone to believe it? I think she does, because she believes it.

Speaking of heads rolling...so much for the strong-arm from Armstrong Williams

It pays to advertise. At least that's what the Education Department, and by extension, the Whitehouse figure, to the tune of about $750,000. Now Mr. Williams has apologized for his part, i.e., non-disclosure of $241,000 to produce what amounts to an infomercial for the No Child Left Behind Act. Tsk. But wait, I did say $750,000 didn't I? Where did the other half million go, and to whom, and for what.? We don't know...yet. What were they thinking? Don't know what they call it other places, but around here, when the government hires a mouthpiece without telling the public they'e a government mouthpiece, its called propaganda.

Finally, some heads rolled at CBS

News reports are now coming out about the resignations and firing of CBS employees over Rathergate. Well, its about time. The public pronouncements about the whys and wherefores of the whole thing focus more on the rush to break a story rather than any politically motivated agenda of "getting" Bush. Well, if Mary Mapes was working on this story for five years, the timing of 'breaking' this story doesn't square with CBS's official position on why it happened. There's too much coincidence between the story, the presidential campaign, and the way the Kerry campaign was able to jump in the middle of it before the ink was dry on Dan Rather's notes. I understand that to admit to the political agenda that was part of Rathergate would probably eliminate any shred of credibility CBS is holding on to. So be it.

And the blogosphere grows

Hat tip to my colleague, Jared King and his contributions to Bloggerville, http://boxingforchrist.blogspot.com/. Of course, I couldn't help putting my 2 cents worth in on his initial post...:-)

The Red Kettle Effect?

I can't say why for sure, but maybe Target could've used some Red Kettles at its stores to help things along...hehe


NEW YORK (CBS.MW) - Retail behemoth Wal-Mart hit its mark Thursday, reporting December same-store sales in line with Wall Street expectations while holiday sales at other retailers were mixed.
December sales at Wal-Mart (WMT: news, chart, profile) stores open longer than a year grew 3 percent, matching the Bentonville, Ark., company's forecasts, but down from the 4.3 percent growth in same-store sales in December 2003.
Wal-Mart said Thursday it doesn't see the pace picking up significantly in January, and forecast same-store sales growth of 2 to 4 percent for this month. Wal-Mart shares rose 1.4 percent to $54.05
Target Corp. (TGT: news, chart, profile) shares slid 5.4 percent to $48.50, after it said December same-store sales rose 5.1 percent. But it warned that fourth-quarter results would come in below the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson First Call for earnings from continuing operations of 94 cents per share.

Only in America...well California anyway.

This letter from Senator Barbara Boxer to US Representative Stephanie Jones is part of an attempt by Democrats to protest the electoral college results, specifically in Ohio. Like Senator Kerry said, Ms. Boxer...he didn't really lose, he just didn't win. Irregularities...what irregularities? Can we please get back to our regularly scheduled program?

WASHINGTON — Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., sent the following letter to Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio:
January 5, 2005
The Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones
1009 Longworth H.O.B.
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Representative Tubbs Jones:
I am in receipt of your letter that spelled out concerns about the election irregularities in Ohio during the November 2004 election.
The fact that you are from Ohio and that you are a former judge gives great weight and much credibility to the points you cited and to your plea that these issues be addressed by the Congress.
I was particularly moved by your point that it is virtually impossible to get official House consideration of the whole issue of election reform, including these irregularities.
I have concluded that objecting to the electoral votes from Ohio is the only immediate way to bring these issues to light by allowing you to have a two-hour debate to let the American people know the facts surrounding Ohio's election.
I will therefore join you in your objection to the certification of Ohio's electoral votes. Attached is my signature on a copy of your written objection.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

Target-ing Target: Sales figures

Well, maybe this is the telling result of Target's 'nifoms' (not in front of my store) policy concerning the Salvation Army. Note that 'promotional sales' means they had to discount the heck out of their stuff to get anyone in to buy it. My heart bleeds peanut butter sandwiches for their stockholders...

UPDATE 2-Target sees profit below average estimate
Thu Jan 6, 2005 09:49 AM ET (Adds January sales forecast, December sales details, share activity)
CHICAGO, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Discount retailer Target Corp. (TGT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday said it expects fourth-quarter profit to fall short of the average Wall Street estimate after increased promotional sales in December, sending its stock down more than 3 percent.
The company said sales at stores open at least a year rose 5.1 percent in December, just above its forecast for a rise of 3 to 5 percent, but sales were more promotional than a year earlier.
Analysts' average earnings forecast for the fourth quarter is 94 cents a share, according to Reuters Estimates.
Target said it expects earnings from continuing operations in the quarter to be up by double digits on a percentage basis from the year-earlier 80 cents a share.
Sales from continuing operations in the five weeks ended Jan. 1 rose 11.3 percent to $7.55 billion.
Best selling categories included jewelry and entertainment, while home improvement, electronics and auto were among the worst categories, the company said in a recorded telephone message.
Target forecast a 5 to 7 percent increase in January same-store sales.
Target shares fell $1.67 to $49.61 on Thursday morning on the New York Stock Exchange.

A little bit of a brag here.

If you're not familiar, Powerline is the blog(see 'links') that was essentially responsible for exposing the documents associated with Rathergate. Its the 'Big Kahuna' of blogs out there. Not too long ago I emailed them concerning a Christmas show put on by Jay Leno, exclusively for the military. He tried a couple of Rumsfeld jokes and almost got booed off the stage by the armed forces audience. Son of a gun if Scott Johnson of Powerline didn't email an attaboy back to me. Show me in a virtual blogging swoon...:-)


What a great report. Thanks for taking the time to write it up and
let us know about it.
Best regards,
Scott Johnson

You knew it was coming..."Illegal Immigration for Dummies"

Well now, seems like the Mexican government is making sure its citizens know the way to San Jose, San Diego, San Francisco, San Fernando, well you get the idea. An Illustrated booklet on the ins and outs of getting in, illegally. I guess President Fox figures its cheaper to print directions to the promised land rather than fix his nation's economy. You can see it here. So, what's next President Fox...free transportation in the unvented semi-trailer of your choice? Hey, W...if you weren't sure your buddy there in Mexico wasn't fully intending to export his problems North, you sure have proof now! Sure hope those terrorist crossing the Mexican border can't read Spanish...'course I guess the illustrations in the booklet will get the point across just the same...argh.

Couldn't have said it better...but I'll add to it.

"We are six percent or less of the world's population, yet we give almost half. We are a very small number of people, relatively speaking, and we carry the weight of a dozen countries. Secondly, we maintain a military structure that keeps the peace of the world.....Who is in the Indian Ocean with the aircraft carriers, helicopters, skilled personal? No one has the infrastructure in the world, we spend almost half a trillion dollars a year on our military structure, which is essentially the fire department of the planet and it is always at the disposal of people hit in a national disaster.....Incidentally on food aid, we give 60% of all the food aid in the world. It is simply irresponsible to talk about the U.S. as anything other than the most generous nation on the planet."



This quote from Charles Krauthammer, a Fox News commentator and columnist really paints a big picture of who we are and how we handle a natural disaster half a world away. I'll add that by and large, we are a Christian nation. As such, we never considered the race, creed, color, national origin, sex, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or even the opinion those people had of the United States before this nation threw its collective back into helping those affected by the tsunami, we just did the(yeah,uh huh...Christian)right thing. I would like to think that somehow, the rest of the world would have a gentler, kinder opinion of America when this is done. I'm not holding my breath.

As long as we have Islamic extremists and a entire religion that tolerates any level of extremism as long as "allah" is invoked, we'll be hated. As long as liberals continue to equate theological absolutes with cultural relativism and substitute moral equivalency for morality, we'll be hated. How bankrupt theologically is a religion that holds Islamic terrorists, absolutely the worst of the worst, above us so-called "infidels"? If every good and faithful Muslim turned on these jackals like they know they should, terrorists would disappear tomorrow.

Hey! Rap degrades women...So what was their first clue?

Picked up on a NYPost column by Stanley Crouch here. In effect, Essence Magazine, a publication geared toward black women, is going to oppose certain kinds of rap/hiphop music that is so degrading to women, among other things too numerous to elaborate here. The wholesale assault against anything remotely related to morals or generally acceptable behavior or ideas that rap music has become is finally getting some pushback from the people it attacks. In reading the column and the quotes in it, I was dumbfounded. It was as if some 40 watt bulb finally went off over someone's head. Here it is 2005, and the group most targeted by rap 'artists'...that's right, women, are just now figuring it out? Better late than never, I reckon...