2008 On The Democratic Side

Hillary Clinton. She's it.

Others who will play for national exposure and higher speaking fees are:
Joe Biden
John Edwards
John Kerry
Evan Bayh
Barack Obama

Others who will run, perform well and are really vying for the VP slot are:
Bill Richardson
Mark Warner

Hillary has everything a shell candidate needs to win in this media crazy age but whoever wins in 2008 will be inheriting some very serious situations which will result in, or one would like to hope, the electorate, demanding heavy experience in both. In other words, Hillary needs help and she needs it in two main areas--substance and softening.

Obama would compliment Hillary fairly well. He looks good. He sounds good and he would very possibly increase black voter turnout. However, the Democrats have always won, and will continue to win, decisively, the black minority vote. This bloc already delivers for Hillary and while a female/African American ticket would certianly spike interest, Obama would not necessarily help her in the experience department.

In order to win in 2008, the Democratic nominee is going to have to hold the solid states and flip a few that went red in 2004. With Hillary's national profile, fundraising ability coupled by the support of countless 527s who can raise unlimited soft money and Bill Clinton by her side, she should be able to do this no matter her running mate. However, Hillary does lack experience in some of the major areas that will, pesumably, be of concern to voters come 2008. For this reason, Bill Richardson would make an incredibly strong running mate for Hillary. He has endless experience and Bill Clinton like personal political skills. He has also been praised for alternative energy development plans.

Hillary/Richardson. Thoughts?

2008 Potential Republican Candidates

Every time I turn a discussion to who the nominee will be in 2008 on the Republican side, I hear names that I know simply can not win. These include Condoleeza "I don't know how many ways to say no in this town" Rice, Rudy "I’m pro-choice. I’m pro-gay rights." Giuliani, and John "Most Republicans call me by my nickname, 'RINO,' McCain.

None of these people have a chance in the current system of primaries which are dictated by party loyalists. If the primary process was abolished and we went right to a general election after somehow nominating a candidate, all three would stand a very real chance of victory. However, as it stands, they haven't a chance in Hell.

The other potential players who may bore us to tears:
Mike Huckabee
Sam Brownback
Bill Frist
Newt Gingrich
Chuck Hagel

None of these men have the entire package. In fact, few have any of the core attributes which create a sense of a relationship between the voter and candidate. Where does that leave us? Well, this is going to be an extremely unique situation as it is with this being the first presidential election since 1952 where neither the current president or VP was running. So, let me add to the uniqueness of the race by predicting that Mitt Romney of MA will wind up in the winner's circle.

Obviously Governor Romney's Achilles heel will be his devout Mormonism. However, he has so much else going for him that if, with the help of his long time friends, the Bushes, he can win over the southern evangelicals, he will be unstoppable. He has looks and charm that play incredibly well on television. He is a great speaker. He is off the charts intelligent holding a MA and JD from Harvard. He has internal support in the party. He can sell his successes in a hostile MA as an ability to unite to solve problems. I don't believe the man has ever met a deficit in his life that he didn't turn around. For all of these reasons and many, many, more, I predict it's going to be Willard, aka Mitt, Romney in 08.

Weekend Ahead

I hope everyone has had a good week, mine has been interesting though no need for details. I am pleased to announce my Boston insider is coming back to the Barnyard as a contributer and fellow Romney grassroot, working inside politics for the GOP she will stir the conversation a bit and bring am east coast perspective from the land of Kennedy, Kerry and Mitt Romney. She used to post as Tequila Rain, I do not know if that will change.
It is Mad Hatter, I encourage a full Barnyard wekcome, for the big cat in the Barnyard, mouser extrordinair

More Crunchy Con

Chuck Colson also weighs in on this movement with this piece tonight.

If you encountered someone who made his own granola, bought his veggies at a food co-op, wore Birkenstock sandals, and wanted to save the environment, if you’re like me, you’d probably think, well, there goes a lefty, or a liberal, or maybe an aging hippie. But the author of a new book says someone like that is just as likely to be a conservative Republican. In his book, Crunchy Cons, journalist Rod Dreher writes about a group of people he calls “crunchy conservatives,” a group that includes, among others, “hip homeschooling mamas,” “Birkenstocked Burkeans,” “gun-loving organic” farmers, and “right-wing nature lovers.”

George Will extrapolates on the latest court decision on forcing public institutions to allow military recruiters on campus and provides some great quotes from CJ Roberts' clearly written text. To me CJ means a jeep able to move over tough terrain with ease.

The institutional vanity and intellectual slovenliness of America's campus-based intelligentsia have made academia more peripheral to civic life than at any time since the 19th century. On Monday, its place at the periphery was underscored as the Supreme Court unanimously gave short shrift to some law professors who insisted that their First Amendment rights to free speech and association were violated by the law requiring that military recruiters be allowed to speak to the professors' students if the professors' schools receive federal money.

One of america's best economists Dr. Thomas Sowell also has a great piece up on energy and prices, supply and demand.

The Supreme Court's recent 8 to 0 decision (Justice Alito not yet participating) shot down a claim that oil companies were colluding in setting prices. That claim was upheld by the far-left 9th Circuit Court of Appeals but neither liberals nor conservatives on the Supreme Court were buying it.

This unanimous vote should also tell us something about those politicians who are forever blaming rising gasoline prices on oil company collusion and "greed." There is no point exposing a lie unless we learn to be skeptical the next time the liars come out with the same story.

Yes, I am a right wing conservative that loves my guns and my cow dung grown squash and tomatoes, I particularly like the heirloom varities to go with my fresh venison or quail, they simply taste a whole lot better. I am a countryboy and gay sheepherders and ghetto gangbanging pimps simply are sinful fools as a Christian I can forgive sin only if it is nolonger practiced and rejected. Christ said," Go and sin no more" and forgave the thief on the cross but did not commute the sentence by devine means. The Lord expects us to follow His word and to submit to the laws of the land that we live in. This is what the symbol of the fish means, it was traced in the dust as a means of communicating in an oppresive society. The Lord will survive no matter how hard the secularists try to eliminate His followers.

Squishy Europe

Has old Europe become the soft underbelly of western civilization? This Dutch writer seems to think so, Leon De Winter has an interesting article today in the OPJ. I tend to agree with him.
----

After two years of disastrous dialogue, and more of the same in recent days, we can conclude that no diplomatic initiative can stop Iran from getting the bomb. The International Atomic Energy Agency meets again this week to discuss the mullahs' nuclear ambitions, while Russia floats a plan to get Iran to enrich uranium on its soil. But before we got to this point, we had the Europeans in the starring role. The foreign ministers of the leading European Union countries--Britain, France and Germany--did try for years to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions, most recently at Friday's meeting in Vienna that ended up in yet another failure. But Iran knew all along that this threesome, formally the "Troika," had no real negotiating authority and would never resort to serious measures.

----
They can't even lock up violent jihadis for more than a couple of years or extradite them back to their home states for crimes commited there instead they grant them visas and slap their wrist when busted for preaching for violence. Amir Taheri reports on a sham trial in Britain.
----

For almost two weeks last month, the British media had a field day with the trial of Abu Hamza Al Masri, an Egyptian-born self-styled Islamic "scholar" charged with a number of violent crimes.
The trial ended with Abu Hamza being sentenced to five years imprisonment, which means he could be out in two and a half years.

----
Jed Babbin further takes it to Britain in this scathing piece.
----

There won't always be an England. And -- based on all the S*^! Goin' On over there -- a good argument can be made there isn't one today. It's not enough to make a liberal shout, "Cry God for Tony, England and St. George!" But it is enough to make you weep. Multicultural Britain -- too easily distinguished from that of Wellington and Churchill -- is sinking so fast from sight that it may disappear altogether before anyone notices very much. Blame it on Tony Blair, blame it on the UnConservative -- Tory leader David Cameron -- or, if you choose, blame it on 007.

----
If you missed the latest from Victor Davis Hansen who recently returned from a trip to Iraq, well, you should read it.
----

Fear in the U.S. of Russian nukes made strange bedfellows during the Cold War, like our relationship with the shah of Iran, Franco, Somoza, and Pinochet. The logic was that such strongmen, unlike Communist thugs, would evolve eventually into constitutional governments, or, unlike elected socialists, they could at least be trusted not to turn their countries into satellites of the Soviet Union.
We paid a price for such realpolitik when the Berlin Wall fell. Few gave us the deserved thanks for bankrupting the Soviet empire, but we did get plenty of the blame for the mess left behind by third-world dictatorships.

Now Middle East autocracies use the same "it's either us or them" blackmail. They hope to survive the tide of democratization by showing off their antiterrorist plumage. The problem is that the defeat of terrorism — like that of global Communism — ultimately rests with promoting freedom, not authoritarianism.

----
And don't miss this from LGF on Hollywood then and now. At one time there were real heros in Hollywood, some of our most decorated vets, like Audie Murphy.
----

Audie Murphy, little 5’5“ tall 110-pound guy from Texas who played cowboy parts?
Most Decorated serviceman of WWII and earned:
Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, 2 Silver Star Medals, Legion of Merit, 2 Bronze Star Medals with ”V", 2 Purple Hearts, U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, 2 Distinguished Unit Emblems, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France) World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar, Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar, French Fourragere in Colors of the Croix de Guerre, French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier, French Croix de Guerre With Silver Star, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Medal of Liberated France, Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm.

And from the Medal of Honor site:

MURPHY, AUDIE L.

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B 1 5th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Holtzwihr France, 26 January 1945. Entered service at: Dallas, Tex. Birth: Hunt County, near Kingston, Tex. G.O. No.. 65, 9 August 1945. Citation 2d Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by 6 tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in a woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his right, 1 of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. 2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machinegun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. 2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective.

----
We need more like him!

Good Reading to Start the Week

"We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die: Our won Country's Honor, all call upon us for vigorous and manly exertion, and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world. Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble Actions. "-- George Washington (General Orders, 2 July 1776)
----
W. Thomas Smith has an interesting piece on the young men america is raising, he is right.
----

I’m often asked whether or not America is still producing future
generations of the right sort of men. Not just good men—a man is either good or
bad—but tough, clear-headed, un-emasculated, young male leaders capable of standing up to future threats against this nation. After all, as Dr. Walid Phares
concludes in his book, Future Jihad, what most Americans “may not want to accept
is that the pre-9/11 peace is not coming back soon, and may not come back at
all.”

----
Yes, I could be labeled a crunchy-con, I wear sandles, love organic gardening, very into invironmental conservation, socially and fiscally conservative and deeply Christian. Suzanne Fields, one of my favorites, has a review of Rod Dreher's new book "Crunchy Con's". Michael Medved had him on the radio show the other day talking about it, very interesting.
----

That crunching noise George W. Bush and the Republicans hear is not ice in
the White House bird feeder, where those of us taking in the sun here at the
southernmost tip of America imagine ice must be. It may be the faint sound of
the conservative coalition cracking at the edges. A few tiny cracks don't
constitute a trend, of course, and strange and unexpected noises in the night
aren't necessarily trends.
Nevertheless, Rod Dreher may be an outrider of
the new counterculture. He's a columnist for the Dallas Morning News with
impeccable credentials in Hillary Clinton's celebrated "vast right-wing
conspiracy" -- he worked in the nation's capital at The Washington Times and
then at National Review -- and his new book, "Crunchy
Cons," rebuking the perceived sins and shortcomings of what he regards as
runaway mindless capitalism.

----
How does this compute? Yale wants to keep ROTC and military recruiters off campus, turned down by the SCOTUS 8-0, but they admit a Taliban spokesman as a student at a discount. John Fund is all over this story.
----

Are there no limits to how arrogant and out-of-touch America's Ivy League schools can get? Last week it emerged that Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi, former deputy foreign secretary of the Taliban, is now a student at Yale while at the same time the school continues to block ROTC training from its campus and argues for the right of its law school to exclude military recruiters. King George's troops played the music to "The World Turned Upside Down" as they surrendered at Yorktown. Perhaps the Ivy League should adopt that tune as they surrender all vestiges of common sense.

----
LGF as usual has some disturbing links to the jihadist world, here, here and here. Of course on one's reading adventure a stop by The Fourth Rail and Threats Watch is in order followed by the Officers Club for a cold one and some cool photos and perhaps a side trip to Blackfive and The Mudville Gazette and beyond to Lt Smash and the Counter Terrorism Blog. Who knows, you may be lead to such sites as these here, here and here. If you want great analysis of current events I recommend, Captain's Quarters, The Belmont Club, Powerline and of course Hugh Hewitt, the blog godfather and Michele Malkin for a dose of everything.

Rambling On

I just saw John Bolton give a speech to the American Israeli Public Affairs Council on Cspan discussing Iran and boy he pulled no punches. He also hammered on the UN a bit. It was today so I am sure excerts will be out on the blogospere soon. He is exactly the ambassador we need at this time tough and unnuanced.
President push also cemented a strategic alliance with India and really wooed the people there according to some Indian news excerpts I saw, I believe at Powerline. He could care less about his manipulated poll ratings in the press, he is doing his job and this is will be part of his legacy, a very bright part. This is a needed balance against Chinese or Islamic hegemony in the region.
Meanwhile in Iraq, the tempertantrun after the bombing of the Al-Askirya mosque has quieted down, it was understandable. The Iraqi people are fed up with the radicals are increasingly tipping off the soldiers of the MNF and IDF to weapons and terrorists, thanks to tips from locals we have bagged a bunch more in recent days including some important AQ leaders along with massive amounts of weapons and explosives. It is not hard to find out what is really going on over there, I link most of my sources on my blogroll and the rest can be gotten to from anyone of them.
To be honest it is not hard to find out what is going on anywhere if you are willing to dig a little bit with a semi-open mind. The internet is such an information tool that real time reporting from people on the spot is now so prevalent that the press is already behind and even TV news has trouble keeping up. In the time it takes the evening news to run I can visit several sites verifying or debunking what they are saying as they say it, and then find intelligent dicussions of the matter shortly after. Moonbat conspiracy theorists are discounted in minutes and good ideas and analysis spread far and wide, and it is very easy to tell who is well informed and who is not, who takes the MSM at its face and who looks further, who uses partisan talking points and who actually can back them up. A new media elite has definately butted its way into the picture via radio and the internet via blogs and webzines with links to all kinds of information.
The Oscars are tonight, oh happy joy, whoop-di-doo, I am sure the ladies will be resplendant, all primped and polished. So freakin' what, they are actors and actresses, paid fakes and posers, lost in their wierd little world. There are some good people with good intentions that don't make a scene about it but for the most part I see the celebrity circuit as nothing but a bunch of nihillistic narcissistic prima donnas whose own heads have grown so big they think they are actually important. The problem is to many idiots out there actually feed into this warped thinking by worshipping their favorite "star" of the moment. I have met a few famous folks in my time and treated them with the same respect I would a friend's mom.

Weekend Rambler

Ah, I love spring as it turns California into a lush colorful landscape after the dead browns of summer and fall and the dreary foggy rain of winter. I could not live in Seattle or London though in the foggy mist the rolling hills do take on a celtic resemblance. My bonnie bells and wild iris are blooming as are my plums, peaches, cherries and nectarines and my citrus trees are heavy with fruit. I really felt blessed as I toiled in the yard today, cleaning up my annual plots, and tending to my perennials, the songbirds were in full voice and serenaded me in my work. The recent storms even took out a branch on a neighbor's olive tree that I wanted to cut off and was added to the woodshed, olivewood burns good and hot. It is still to wet to drop a couple yards of compost on the veggie plot and till it in though it is about time to plant early crops like snow peas, sugar snaps, carrots , early potatoes , corn and spinach.
I have so many projects and things to get done it seems daunting, I never thought owning a house, a very small one with a bit of land, could be so much work and I grew up on a working farm. Oh well, I ain't complainin' caus' its mine and a great investment, 25% per year so far. It is a fairly quiet, country burrough where kids still ride their bicyles around safely, good ole boys clean their deer hanging from a tree in the frontyard, 4x4 trucks are the most common vehicle, roosters crow, horses whinny and an occassional Stars and Bars is still seen, may I remind you I live just outside Sacramento, Ca.. San Francisco does not represent us, that is a foriegn country along with LA to the rest of the Golden State.
Friends of mine that are life long residents of the area cannot believe the amount of renovation and construction going on. I just started a job in a mansion and the initial phase involves a powder room, two closet doors, and a built in china cabinet that is $25,000 in glass and mirrors and this is a three story house with ten bathrooms, I will be there for months. I love rich people. I have worked with most of the individual contractors on other jobs so it is a pleasant worksite with all the yahoos and inside jokes and war stories from other sites. This is my kind of job, big, involved and with great folks around that know their trades.
Speaking of knowing their jobs, I will have a round up of milbloggers reax to the recent Zogby poll and some very surprising opinions on Dubai , DPW and our ports up tomorrow, along with just some great stuff from our boots on the ground in Iraq and Afganistan. I jumped the gun on my earlier condemnation of the ports deal, now that I studied it a bit I remain a tad leery but think the deal should go through, but more on that tomorrow. Have a great saturday evening and God Bless!

The Art Of Conversation

As a veteran of many fire ring talks, I have to wonder. I know few people that can carry on an actual conversation, in person or online, liberal or conservative . I am so tired of " You know, well Umm, you know, its like, you know, well like you know ". While, I am like "Please tell me, do you have a consistant thought? " I try to post things that require serious thought and conversation and I try to comment in a converstional manner when I comment on other blogs, as if they were sitting across the fire from me. What has happened to this artform? Today's level of conversation is like comparing Bach or Mozart to today's pop music. I have visited an online forum or two and by far the most challenging was Bill OReilly's, the best informed I have conversed with online.
Blogging has been an interesting process of developing a site and attracting readers. The matter that stands out the most to me is individual bloggers that seek to bring down another's site through gross misrepresentation of the facts or just being nasty. I will not go down that road, I will not engage idiots, I will ignore them and delete them. If you have something worthy to add to the conversation I encourage you to add to the conversation. Help America grow not diminish !
Good reads , this from Larry Elder
---
I recently interviewed General Georges Sada, who served as the second-highest ranked general in the Iraqi Air Force. A two-star general, he wrote a recently published book called "Saddam's Secrets: How an Iraqi General Defied and Survived Saddam Hussein." Here are some sound bites from that interview:
Elder
Good reads everywhere , this one came from Townhall and they have many more at Townhall.com.

Humpday Musings

Sometimes it becomes necessary to just start typing and let the muse take over and tonight the muse is weak and unsuccessful, so I will offer acouple articles from the OPJ.
Victor David Hansen added on to his recent articles on his trip to Iraq.
---
"If many are determined to see the Iraqi war as lost without a plan, it hardly seems so to 130,000 U.S. soldiers still over there. They explain to visitors that they have always had a design: defeat the Islamic terrorists; train a competent Iraqi military; and provide requisite time for a democratic Iraqi government to garner public support away from the Islamists.
We point fingers at each other; soldiers under fire point to their achievements: Largely because they fight jihadists over there, there has not been another 9/11 here. Because Saddam is gone, reform is not just confined to Iraq, but taking hold in Lebanon, Egypt and the Gulf. We hear the military is nearly ruined after conducting two wars and staying on to birth two democracies; its soldiers feel that they are more experienced and lethal, and on the verge of pulling off the nearly impossible: offering a people terrorized from nightmarish oppression something other than the false choice of dictatorship or theocracy--and making the U.S. safer for the effort. "
---
I found this article by B.L.Sherer and related link intriguing, as I am into geography and history, and very interesting.
---
"Because almost every archaeological dig unearths new facts, however, our view of the ancient world has continued to evolve since the publication of the Barrington Atlas. The constant need to update information led to the establishment of Chapel Hill's Ancient World Mapping Center (http://www.unc.edu/awmc/), of which Prof. Talbert is now acting director. The center is comfortably based on the fifth floor of the UNC library, and is open to all who are interested in the field. The Web site itself is very clearly organized, with existing and planned links to a variety of basic areas, as well as a very rich research page with further links of its own. In January, the center received a $390,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to create a multilingual online workspace for updating and expanding information about ancient geography."
---
I like maps and compass work, it is a needed skill in the backcountry. I don't have a gps device and if I did it would be used to store cool spots, not to navigate. I am frequently off trail with neither map nor compass so I have learned to pay exquisite attention to the details of my surroundings as I explore. The toughest to navigate by gut are heavily wooded flatlands and desert devoid of hills or mesas. I have lost the well traveled road at times though I have never been lost. It is attention to the detail of stumps and the cadavers and matriarchs of massive trees, the rock formations and their, climbing potential, waterways and common sense. Still I like maps, I like to look at them, analyze them and determine the best way. That can be applied to politics as well, it is why I now choose to vote GOP.

On The Uphill Slope

A couple quotes courtesy of The Federalist Patriot I felt were apropo.
---
INSIGHT
"An able, disinterested, public-spirited press, with trained intelligence to know the right and courage to do it, can preserve that public virtue without which popular government is a sham and a mockery. A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself." —Joseph Pulitzer
---
LIBERTY
"Our schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every corner. Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpses of children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young. This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered...the courageous soldiers of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of al-Zarqawi's followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists and forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3rd ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zumar and Avgani finally destroyed them. To the courageous men and women of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life, to the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months, to those who spread smiles on the faces of our children and gave us restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and gave new life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days and stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city... God bless this brave Regiment; God bless the families who dedicated these brave men and women. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the families. They have given us something we will never forget... Let America, their families and the world be proud of their sacrifice for humanity and life." —Najim Abdullah Abid Al-Jubouri, mayor of Tall Afar in the Iraqi province of Nineveh (Tall Afar was the main base of operations for the terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi)
---
Where are the nightly interviews with the Mayor of Tal Afar? Why was this not above the fold on the front page of every major paper? I believe the first quote may answer the questions to an extent. It does not fit the picture the MSM wants to paint.

Prayers

I have a request to make. I have mentioned this on Karen's and Lores's sites, my boss is not doing well, cancer. Could my Christian and Jewish friends add him to your prayer lists, his name is Larry and the Lord will know. Thank you and God Bless.

Welcome readers from Simi Valley Sophist , Just a Woman and Karen's Korner .

Rambling On

As days go by and I seek to stay semi current on world events the one thing that strikes me is the massive ignorance bordering on insanity. We here in the US , sheltered in our suburban cul-de-sacs, gated communities and urban enclaves blissfully unaware or guiltily fanciful, have not any real knowledge of what is happening in the world around us other than a passing glance at Iraq or Palestine. We as a culture have become so consumed at who will be the next American Idol or who is shacking up with whom in Hollywood that we actually consider that to be news worth noting outside the gossip pages. For goodness sakes folks, actors and actresses get paid to be posers, fakes and we are supposed to take them seriously on international policy, give me a break.
Thanks to the blogosphere, internet forums and talk radio millions of frustrated americans are now able to vent their opinions, solutions, commentary, propoganda or venal inane venom in all directions and be heard or read for what they are. It is an open propoganda war with the side with the best ideas or most explosive vitriol getting the attention, to often it is the vitriol.
Here at the Barnyard I try to provide stories or insight and analysis that tilts conservative because I am conservative. I do read plenty of liberals, if I didn't how would I be able to point out the nabobs, and know that a conservative GOP vote is one to take as positions on gay marriage, abortion, guns, constitutional federalism and the courts, national defense and freetrade come before the legislature. I am still up in the air on the ports deal with DPW as more information has come out, I have moved from a negative surprised view to one of skepticism leaning towards letting the deal go through.
I watched another speech by Mitt Romney today in South Carolina and boy is he smooth and charming with gracious wit and brilliant background. I doubt he could be seriously challenged in debate by any contender out there at the moment. He and his stump speech are well polished already and will only get better, he blows away both Hillary and Mark Warner in delivery, substance and reception of his speeches and he is building his name recognition early among the party faithful. The guy is a doer that walks his talk and the Goat likes those traits.
Cspan also ran an interview with the one and only Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds in what was a very interesting discussion on the blogosphere and its rise in importance in the political and social landscape. Me, I am just an american sharing my thoughts and opinions, if you agree or disagree those are your thoughts and opinions express them as you will.
---
Update: I belatedly have learned our favorite deputy Fife, Don Knotts, has moved on. I think a bit of Don , Barney, and Mayberry reside in all of us. This is the only Hollywood death I can ever recall bringing genuine pains of loss. Barney, Andy and the rest are part of the family, part of our identity as americans and will always be a part of us.
God Bless and Thank You, Don Knotts, for your humor, faith and quiet dignity!

Weekend Rambler

A reader sent me an interesting article from the Washington Times discussing the Vatican's decision to stop turning the other cheek and be prepared for defense. It is about time Rome woke up and stepped to the forefront of free people, Benedict is a true sheepdog and a needed leader among the faithful in these volotile days. This is very interesting coming on the heals of Benedict's recent statements on Islam's inability to reform from inside and the recent violence against Christians in several islamic nations.
---
PARIS -- After backing calls by Muslims for respect during the furor over cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, the Vatican is urging Muslim countries to reciprocate by showing tolerance toward their Christian minorities. "Enough now with this turning the other cheek. It's our duty to protect ourselves," Monsignor Velasio De Paolis, secretary of the Vatican's supreme court, thundered in the daily La Stampa. "The West has had relations with the Arab countries for half a century, mostly for oil, and has not been able to get the slightest concession on human rights," he said. Bishop Rino Fisichella, head of one of the Roman universities that train young priests from around the world, told the daily Corriere della Sera that the Vatican should "drop this diplomatic silence." "We should put pressure on international organizations to make the societies and states in majority Muslim countries face up to their responsibilities," said Bishop Fisichella, rector of the Pontifical Lateran University.
---
This is interesting as in more recent history Rome had taken a more passive route in their defense of human rights under John Paul in helping bring down the Soviet Union. Passivisity though is hardly the history between Rome and Islam as the first Crusades and the Inquisition were under the banner off the Vatican in response to Islamic desecration of the Holy lands over a thousand years ago. It is significant that the Vatican is taking this stance and saying No More as the free world will unite behind a strong Pope and Benedict is no push over appeasement monkey.
On another note Victor Davis Hansen writes about his recent trip to Iraq and as always adds his implaccable insight and wit.
---
The insurgency in Iraq has no military capability either to drive the United States military from Iraq or to stop the American training of Iraqi police and security forces — or, for that matter, to derail the formation of a new government. The United States air base at Balad is one of the busiest airports in the world. Camp Victory near Baghdad is impenetrable to serious attack. And even forward smaller bases at Kirkuk, Mosul, and Ramadi are entirely secure. Instead, the terrorists count on three alternate strategies:


First, through the use of improvised explosive devices (IED), assassinations, and suicide bombings, they hope to make the Iraqi hinterlands and suburbs appear so unstable and violent that the weary American public says “enough of these people” and calls home its troops before the country is stabilized. In such a quest, the terrorists have an invaluable ally in the global media, whose “if it bleeds, it leads” brand of journalism always favors the severed head in the street over the completion of yet another Iraqi school.
---
From what I have seen on Iraqi websites the unrest has been localized and targeted at extremists it appears the american MSM won't get the civil war they so crave. Iraq the Model blog is a great resource to actually find out for yourself.
---
Curfew extended in Baghdad and three other provinces.
The defense minister in a press conference currently on Iraqi TV gave statistics to correct what he described as "exaggerated media reports" about civilian casualties and attacks on mosques since the attack on the Samarra shrine:
Mosques attacked/shot at without damage: 21 not 51
Moderately damaged: 6 not 23
Mosques destroyed totally: 1 not 3
Mosques occupied by militias: 1 not 2 (evacuated later)
.Civilians killed: 119 not 183
It was also announced that day-time curfew in Baghdad and three other provinces (Salahiddin, Diyala and Babil) will continue for another two days.
More from the press conference:In the same press conference, the interior minister said "we are not going to show tolerance towards those who cause violence anymore, those who felt like doing something have done what they done but we will accept no more of this" obviously referring to those who let their anger push them to violence.
---
It seems their press may be as messed up and biased as ours. It mirrors what is happening here in a press corp that wants to make a story more than actually report the news in a truthful factual manner as it happens. In other words they should report the facts and leave the spin at home.

Have a Great Weekend

Sometimes faith in who you are is all that is needed. When it is grounded in the Lord, it depends on where you place your feet.
--
Have a great weekend all!

Anti-Semiticism

Why are the Jewish people so hated? I have long asked this question as well as have many Jewish commentaters. I am a firm supporter of Israel and Judaism, it is their land, the Kingdom of David. They took the desert and made it green and bountiful, they are educated prosperous and a negative mirror to those that hate them so. I am not an expert just one that has many Jewish friends and have spent just a little time studying the matter. Their hatred is ancient going back to Islam's founding and rise through the Crusades and the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Islamists fail to recognize a culture and religion that predates it by 3500 years. We are now seeing Islam's moral failings unfold on a world screen open for all to see, and what do see? We see violence, sectarian and otherwise, we see a die or accept Islam mantra, we see beheadings broadcast arond the world, we see state sponsored riots and mad mullahs preaching about the end of Israel. What are we to think of Islam? Does it act like a Religion of Peace? Is it because the mass of the Ummah could not accomplish what tiny Israel has?

Wednesday Wonderings

Why does the left think conservatives are against the environment?
Do they miss the root word of conservatism and conservation?
Why do they allow bums to defecate in their streets then howl about toiletpaper not being carried out of the wilderness, San Francisco?
How many truck loads of garbage have they hauled out by 4x4 truck from pristene areas?
Why is letting our forests rot or burn better than responible harvest of a renewable resource?
Does the left think we have never read John Muir or Rachel Carlson?
Is it any wonder the most polluted place on earth is/was the center of communist heavy industry?
I had to wander.

Wednesday Wanderings

How does a murderer sentenced to die get off because his death might cause him pain, Michael Morales?
Why did his 16 year old victim that he strangled, beat with a hammer, stabbed, and raped, not have a say in the pain she felt before she died?
Where is Dr. Kevorkian when you need him?
Why does the left think it is ok to kill the infirm, euthanasia, and the unborn and newborn, partial birth abortion?
How could a doctor over see and perform this taking of innocent life and not over see the death rites of a brutal killer?
Are you seeing the comparison?
I wonder?

At times it is hard to find though it is always there.

Rambling On

There is alot of analysis to be found on Iran and the problems with the RoP.
From Victor Davis Hanson:
How many times have we heard the following whining and yet received no specific answers from our leaders?
"Israel has nuclear weapons, so why single out Iran?"
"Pakistan got nukes and we lived with it."
"Who is to say the United States or Russia should have the bomb and not other countries?"
"Iran has promised to use its reactors for peaceful purposes, so why demonize the regime?"
In fact, the United States has a perfectly sound rationale for singling out Iran to halt its nuclear proliferation. At least six good reasons come to mind, not counting the more obvious objection over Iran's violation of U.N. non-proliferation protocols. It is past time that we spell them out to the world at large
From Michael Ledeen:
Sometime in late November or early December, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei gathered his top advisers for an overall strategic review. The atmosphere was highly charged, because Khamenei’s doctors have diagnosed a serious cancer, and do not expect the Supreme Leader to live much more than a year. A succession struggle is already under way, with the apparently unsinkable Hashemi Rafsanjani in the thick of it, even though Khamenei, and his increasingly powerful son Mushtaba, is opposed to the perennial candidate-for-whatever.
Despite this disquieting news, the overall tone of the conversation was upbeat, because the Iranians believe they see many positive developments, above all, the declaration that "it has been promised that by 8 April, we will be in a position to show the entire world that 'we are members of the club.'" This presumably refers to nuclear weapons. Against this cheery background, the assessment of the Iranian leaders continued:
From Amir Taheri:
While the world is focused on the clock of Iran's nuclear programme, the other clock, that of the nation's domestic politics, is all but ignored by most commentators.
Both clocks have their alarms set. That of the nuclear clock is expected to ring within the next three to five years, unless something is done to interrupt the military aspects of the programme. The alarm of the domestic politics clock, however, could be set off within the next few months as the power struggle in Tehran enters a new and more intense phase.
--
And as always great stuff can also be found at the Officers Club, Threats Watch and the Belmont Club. To balance the leftist propoganda news about progress in the GWOT I visit Centcom, and Defend America for the latest battlefield releases that aren't mangled by a scared and lazy presscorps hiding in the greenzone or behind a desk in DC waiting to be fed the news like so many babies in their high chairs. That is why folks like Mike Yon and Bill Rogio of Threats Watch and all the other milbloggers paint such a different portrait of what is really happening in Iraq and Afganistan. I know this, our men and women in the military are the very best and getting better everyday and understand what this fight is about and how to win it. Thank a soldier, airman, sailor or marine when you see one in uniform, their gratitude and smile are warm and sincere. I do, because I am grateful that I can live and prosper in peace in a free nation because of them and millions like them that have gone before them and made the ultimate sacrafice so that we may be free.

Weekend Rambler

Amid all the confusion over cartoons and old pictures, The Jawa Report offers a gruesome and needed look at how the RoP treats its prisoners, Nick Berg and Daniel Perle come to mind. If you need to be reminded graphically of the brutality of the enemy we are fighting, all necessary links are included. Meanwhile the nutjobs rioting continue to prove our point drawing more international support to our side of the table as the crisis with Iran builds.
It seems mad mullahs bent on apocolyptic retoric can't be intimidated by MAD, mutually assured destruction, policies since that is what they desire. We don't have any easy choices, take them out now, the nuclear facilities, and face the suicide bombers, or risk nukes in the hands of madmen bent on the destruction of Israel and the West. We must be prepared to take them out and quickly. I am hoping the rest of the free world is getting a good glimpse of their future if they do wake up to the threat of Islamism and its desire for conquest and dominant rule. Old Europe is already slipping on the gravel slopes they put themselves on and the loony left wants the US to join the avalanche trying to bury the 1st Ammendment. Amir Taheri has a couple of interesting reads offering his very sharp insight into the Islamist's mind, here and here.
As if this is actually news, our favorite braying jackass, Al Gore is running around Saudi Arabia bashing President Bush. This from a man caught in bed with the chinese, who'da thunk it.
And the ultiment hypocrisy, they left is against the harming of terrorists and for the killing of the most innocent through abortion and eugenics for the elderly.
I have rambled enough for now, have a good weekend!
--
Sidenote:Tonights listening pleasure began with Armic and Jesse Cook and progressed from there to Paco and Ottmar and a side venture into the best of modern bluegrass/folk, Nickel Creek, these kids can pick, and Alison Krouse and how better to end a saturday than with the Grateful Dead. I definately recommend "The Hand Song" and "Out Of The Woods" by Nickel Creek

Friday Frolics

What's a Goat supposed to do on a friday night? Should I run around kicking my heals up? Nope, been there done that, my body is feeling it, but I have had a blast. Now, the best part about friday is getting to sleep in and catch up on your reading over a hot mug of java, or two, or four in the morning.
Spring mountaineering time is nigh , time to oil up the joints and go have some fun.
Meanwhile here are some good reads.
--
From Michele of course via Human Events
--
"Journalists around the world are being targeted by suicide bombers, threatened with "hate crimes" prosecutions and thrown in jail for defending a free press from crazed Islamists.You wouldn't know it from the circus-show antics of the American media."
--
Speaking of the MSM where is their outrage here??? Jeff Jacoby asks the questions.
--
"Suppose that in 2005 unknown hoodlums had firebombed 10 gay bookstores and bars in San Francisco, reducing several of them to smoking rubble. It is not hard to imagine the alarm that would have spread through the Bay Area's gay community or the manhunt that would have been launched to find the attackers. The blasts would have been described everywhere as "hate crimes," editorial pages would have thundered with condemnation, and public officials would have vowed to crack down on crimes against gays with unprecedented severity.
Suppose that vandals last month had attacked 10 Detroit-area mosques and halal restaurants, leaving behind shattered windows, wrecked furniture, and walls defaced with graffiti. The violence would be national front-page news. On blogs and talk radio, the horrifying outbreak of anti-Muslim bigotry would be Topic No. 1. Bills would be introduced in Congress to increase the penalties for violent "hate crimes" -- no one would hesitate to call them by that term -- and millions of Americans would rally in solidarity with Detroit's Islamic community."
--
I refuse to be a victim of Sharia law.

On The Trail

Commenter and blogger Cabe asked"... what that matter would be?" in response to last night's pictures What are the different feelings, impressions you may have as you look at those pictures? I noted the contrast in my caption, and will post some of my thoughts and some of the better comments over the weekend. I think it could be a good conversation.
--
Extra, Extra ! Leave it to Michelle Malkin to tell the real story of the day. Dubai is trying to buy six key ports in america, we can't let this happen!
--
Contact the White House:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
comments@whitehouse.gov

We do have a choice in the matter.

Midweek Meander

Boy is the DC presscorps all fired up over the VP's hunting accident, they are mad because they were not told first, what a whiney bunch of losers. I have been hunting since I could carry a gun and can remember numerous accidents, from stupid ones to wrong spot wrong time ones. The stupid ones are from things like not making sure a gun is unloaded and having it go off taking it out of the truck. The bad luck ones are like on another hunt I was on and a man shot his son, the young man had spotted a deer and moved off his stand to get a better shot, into his father's line of fire, this is why it is stressed to stay in your stand on a stand hunt. The police aren't notified, there is no investigation, the wounded is loaded up and rushed to the nearest hospital as an accidental gunshot wound. Those nimbots in the presscorps have no idea what quail hunting is about or how it is done. It sounds like the VP was turning on a fast moving lowbird and just as he pulled the trigger his buddy came into the picture as he swang through his shot. These mad liberals won't pick up a gun, how could they understand the timing of lead in quail hunting? Their ignorance shows and their indignation is based in the fact they got scooped by a tiny Texas paper, so their questions are going to reflect that.
Guns are not toys, they are tools with lethal capability designed to bring down game for the table and to protect the innocent from harm. As the son of a Marine sgt. I can proudly say I have not been party to a firearms accident, afterall look who tought me. I had the honor of sighting in the deer rifles in my early teens, Pops liked my tight 1" grouping at 150 yds. I like the shotgun and birdhunting because I don't have the patience for deer hunting. I could very easily compete in trap and skeet and freaked out a former Airforce mp with my handgun accuracy. Tools can be fun as well.
Thursday update: Further reading can be found here.

Confidence

Why am I so confident, as a conservative, about the midterms and even in '08 ? For one, the economy is on strong footing. For two, the Dems and their loony base are clueless on national defense, economics, Christianity and conservatism. So in answer the socialist left tries to gild their socialism in the Bible, while damning creches, it failed.
Here's a couple of good reads, Dr. Sowell, hits a homerun and gets Townhall's "spotlight column."
---
"This nation is facing two crises -- one phony and one real. Both in the media and in politics, the phony crisis is getting virtually all the attention.
Like the French official in "Casablanca," politicians and much of the media are shocked, shocked, to discover that the government has been listening in on calls involving international terrorist networks. Congressional leaders of both parties have in fact known this for years without saying a word.
Only after the New York Times published the news and made a big noise about it have politicians begun to declare their shock.
That is not the only thing that makes this big uproar phony. The same people who are going ballistic over what they spin as "domestic spying" never went ballistic over one of the most gross examples of genuine domestic spying during the Clinton years.
Hundreds of raw FBI files on Republicans were sent to the Clinton White House, in violation of laws and for no higher purpose than having enough dirt on enough people to intimidate political opponents. But domestic spying against Republicans did not shock nearly as many people as intercepting phone calls from terrorists."
--
After the the DNC has been routed in the last few election cycles, they have started to try and play the "god" card. They think we are stupid. This a good read from Patrick Hynes.
--
"To be fair, Krattenmaker cites equally lame examples to show Democrats take the Lord’s name in vain, too. But nowhere in his piece does Krattenmaker make reference to the Left’s recent extraordinary claims to divine endorsement. Since their 2004 drubbing at the hands of roughly 30 million conservative Christians, Democrats have invoked the Lord’s name in such ways and with such frequency; it would make the Rev. Pat Robertson blush. "
---
Fellow conservatives, we have a sturdy plank to stand on, we just have to make sure america knows that. The job has to be done, hop in and help out, or get outta the way. The Dems would just as soon submit to Shar'ia, if they thought it would hurt the GOP politically. They forget, under Shar'ia law, the left's base is first in line for extermination, particularly the GLBT movement. They think Pat Robertson is radical.... right?
In a way the Judeo/Christian ethic stands between the far left and the far right, while they rub elbows at the summit and the swamp.
I think most of us prefer highground???

Monday Meanderings

" Lord , I was born a ramblin' man.
Tryin' to make a livin' and doin'
The best I can."-- Duane Allman and the Allman Brothers
--
As a country boy that as been on many a bird shoot, it stings a bit when it hits you. It happens bird hunting, there is a reason we wear safety glasses. However, VP Cheney and his group violated a basic ettiquette of the game, you let your partner return with his prize before you move on. The etiquette of bird hunting is as exquisite as that of golf, you point the gun or hit the shot , it is you and only you.
I have been hunting since a young age and was tought to never squeeze on a low bird. This axiom can be sadly overlooked in a hot quail hunt with unfamiliar hunting partners. What happened, is a sad semi-rare occurence in hunting birds and purely coincidental.

Rambling On

Cheers to the Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol and a few other publications here in the USA for printing them. An excert from his must read article .

--

None of these anguished reactions actually occurred, of course--no pogroms, no renunciation of U.S. and E.U. aid, no hiccup in the Iranian nuclear program. Because there was no real "anguish." In truth, by December nothing much had happened because of the cartoons.
So a group of Danish imams took off for the Middle East to try to cause trouble. To do this, they added three cartoons to their roadshow that they seem to have ginned up--crude propaganda pieces that would be guaranteed to stir a mob, just in case the original illustrations didn't produce the effect they were after.

--

Some excellent analysis on what is and could happen in Iran can be found at the Officers Club and Threats Watch . I see Pentagon rattled their sabers back at Iran, that basically said , Back Off! You wouldn't stand a chance. as Steve points out.

__

By Steve Schippert

London’s Telegraph reports that the Pentagon is drawing up plans to coordinate for the contingency of a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities should diplomatic efforts fail as expected. The portions of the plan revealed call for B-2 Stealth bombers armed with bunker-busters and sea-launched cruise missile barrages, potentially including redesigned ballistic missiles with conventional explosives, hitting unspecified Iranian nuclear facilities.
Any such plan is not news. That the Pentagon has decided to put someone forward ‘leaking’ it, however, is news.
In a bit of classic information warfare, the administration is sending a message to Iran,

--

I am afraid we don't have any pretty, make nice options left to deal with Iran and its apocolyptic leadership.

This also a must read piece by Guardsman 1st lt. Parry. (hattip: Carol Liebau)

--

LAST MONTH I returned from Iraq, swapping my desert camouflage for a suit and tie to resume my desk job at a Century City firm. For the first time in 18 months I was separated from my battalion, the 1st of the 184th Infantry Regiment, which was among the first California Army National Guard units to be sent into combat since the Korean War.From the first weeks of our mobilization in August 2004, we were in the spotlight. We were the battalion "mired in scandal." We were, according to the disgruntled, poor in training and morale. Once in Iraq, we were the battalion that suffered casualties seemingly faster than anyone could count: 17 killed in action and nearly 100 wounded in 12 months. We were the battalion whose commander, Col. William W. Wood, became the highest-ranking soldier to die in action. Our previous commander was relieved of duty after a scandal involving the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Even as we rolled out each day to confront terrorists, we were known at home primarily for things that had nothing to do with the job we did or how we did it.

--

Weekend Rambler

I have been accused of rambling in my blog, I agree, ramble is good word. It can apply to mountain trails or streams of thought, one leading to the next, that next trickle of information. So that is the inspiration for the title to my saturday posts .
--
I found this article by Mark Gauveau Judge very interesting. It deals with some very good questions about appearance, following the dress for successe maxim. It is a fact of life, you will be treated how you look and act.
==

I've been a journalist since high school. I've written about abortion, war, rock
and roll as a conservative art form, black culture, swing dancing, alcoholism
and baseball, among other topics. I've never gotten a reaction like the
one that followed "Right-Wingtips." While many of the emails, articles, and
commentaries on the piece were funny and informed, most of them were trapped in
a simple contradiction: as conservatives, we supposedly believe in objective
truth. Certain things are right, and certain things are wrong. In the arts, we
believe that some works are objectively great -- Beethoven's 9th symphony.
Mozart's works. Matisse, Van Gogh, Hopper. Dostoevsky. And in dress, we
acknowledge -- or at least I hope -- that someone who presents himself in church
-- and to the rest of the world for that matter -- as clean, groomed, neat and
well dressed is making a point and a statement, however subtle: he respects
himself. Objectively, he looks better than someone in sandals and a bathing
suit.

Hat tip: American Spectater
--
I ran into some informative reads about the cartoon riots and the RoP's propoganda machine, here, here, here, and this one is a must read by M.Zuhdi Jasser
--

As many this week have said, this is not about cartoons. This all got me
thinking about what drives people. I was born in America, raised a Muslim and a
conservative. I have long struggled with what it is that makes my own reflexive
passions, and my primary mission, so different from those of the mobs and even
from so many of my Muslim neighbors in America. What is the fuse that, once
ignited, turns normal people into a mob clamoring for Islam and often for
blood?

--
This one definately caught my attention in the wake of the moonbat rage over the NSA program. Seems the Clintons are quite good at spying.
--

Private investigator Anthony Pellicano got out of a federal prison last Friday, but he's now back in jail where he faces celebrity wiretap charges.
It's a big story in Hollywood.
But most of my colleagues in the press continue to downplay a much bigger story – one with political implications that could make everyone forget about Jack Abramoff.
What no one else is telling the American public about this thug is that he worked for the last president – and that he was hired by someone who wants to be the next president.
Pellicano, as WND reported yesterday, was a member of what has been dubbed President Clinton's "Shadow Team." What he did for the White House during the Clinton years remains shrouded in mystery. But he is a private investigator known for ruthless dirty tricks and rough tactics on behalf of celebrity clients.
Pellicano, now 61, made a name for himself by working for Hollywood's elite before and after being commissioned by Hillary Clinton during her husband's administration to spy on their perceived "enemies."

Just for my Arizona buddy, he needs to get out more, I love the desert, especially mesa country.

Lessons To Be Learned

This story has been making the e-mail rounds for awhile now and is the second time I have seen it. There is much to learn from it and tought by children that we as adults should take to heart. (Thanks Harry)
-------
Wishing everyone of you a "Shay" day, love to all!
What would you do? You make the choice! Don't look for a punch line; there isn't one! Read it anyway. My question to all of you is: Would you have made the same choice?
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: "When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?"The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I believe, that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way other people treat that child."
Then he told the following story: Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked,"Do you think they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning." Shay struggled over to the team's bench put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his Father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart.
The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and t he bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the other team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss th e ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay" Shay reached third base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted,"Run to third! Shay, ru n to third" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and those watching were on their feet were screaming, "Shay, run home! Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team. That day, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world. Shay didn't make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his Father so happy and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
AND, NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people think twice about sharing. The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces. If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people on your address list that aren't the "appropriate" ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the "natural order of things." So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up that opportunity to brighten the day of those with us the least able, and leave the world a little bit colder in the process? A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
------
It gives us adults something to think about as the selflessness of children can often do. I am a ex-coach, referee, camp counselor and hero of the special needs kids in the schools I have attended because I stood up for them and by them. If you are a fellow blogger, please repost it, if not copy it and mail it on.

There are times when I just want to go on a rant and have to calm myself with pictures and dreams of simpler times. Sometimes I just wish I could head to the cabin and become a true hermit sealed from the demands of modern life and left with merely the struggle to survive in solitude as the mountain men of old free from the demands of society and lost in the beauty of just living. I guess I was born a few centuries too late.
The mountain in the background of both pictures is Dunderburg, a summit view I posted a few a days ago. The first shows a portion of "Dynamo" pond which powered the first hydro-electric dam in america that ran the stamp mills in Bodie Ca. during its gold boom days. It was a classic lawless frontier town and is now a state historic site and ghosttown. It is easy while exploring there to close your eyes and imagine and hear the gunfights and the tinkling of pianos from the many saloons and bordellos, to smell the opium drifting from the flophouses and feel the history as it invades the senses.
------
And for a good laugh, Karen is always on time.

Hump Day Quotes

The Patriot Post
Founders' Quote Daily
"In such a performance you may lay the foundation of national happiness only in religion, not by leaving it doubtful "whether morals can exist without it," but by asserting that without religion morals are the effects of causes as purely physical as pleasant breezes and fruitful seasons."-Benjamin Rush
(letter to John Adams, 20 August 1811)Reference: Americanism, Gebhardt (12); original Letters, Rush,Butterfield, ed., vol. 2 (1096-97)
--------
"I consider the government of the United States as interdicted by the Constitution from intermeddling with religious institutions, their doctrines, discipline, or exercises. This results not only from the provision that no law shall be made respecting the establishment or free exercise of religion, but from that also which reserves to the States the powers not delegated to the United States. Certainly, no power to prescribe any religious exercise or to assume authority in any religious discipline has been delegated to the General Government. It must then rest with the States."-- Thomas Jefferson
(letter to Samuel Miller, 23 January 1808)Reference: Original Intent, Barton (25); original Memoir,Jefferson, vol. 4 (103-4)
--------
"The churches of America do not exist by the grace of the state; the churches of America are not mere citizens of the state. The churches of America exist apart; they have their own vantage point, their own authority. Religion is its own realm; it makes its own claims. We establish no religion in this country, nor will we ever. We command no worship. We mandate no belief. But we poison our society when we remove its theological underpinnings. We court corruption when we leave it bereft of belief." —Ronald Reagan
--------
"The past few days when I've been at that window upstairs, I've thought a bit of the 'shining city upon a hill.' The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early freedom man. He journeyed here on what today we'd call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free. I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still. And how stands the city on this winter night? More prosperous, more secure and happier than it was eight years ago. But more than that: After two hundred years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness toward home. We've done our part. And as I walk off into the city streets, a final word to the men and women of the Reagan revolution, the men and women across America who for eight years did the work that brought America back. My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger, we made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all." —Ronald Reagan, Farewell Address, 1989
-------
I agree, fellow conservatives we cannot rest on our laurels, we must rise up and stay the tide of big government and socialism. Reagan only started the movement, we must carry it forward with the love and zeal he showed and not back down. We must remember what we are fighting for and why we must remain "That Shining City on the hill".

Quotes courtesy of The Federalist Patriot

Cool Nature News

A team of scientists recently entered the heart of New Guinea's vast virgin forests and discovered a virtual Eden, new species of frogs, birds, insects, and plants and animals thought nearly extinct in abundance. Find the whole story here. This is so cool, New Guinea, Borneo, and New Zealand have always topped my list of places I would love to visit and this is why. I am an amateur naturalist so something like this is a dream, even the tribes that traditionally own the vast tract of land had no recollection of people venturing there. The first bird they saw was a new species and the scientists did not have to venture far from camp to make discovery after discovery. I am a supporter of eco-tourism for some of the poorest nations on earth, there is good money to be made from rich city folks if done in an enviromentally responsible way. The slideshow is here.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Freedom Of Speech And Press

With all the uproar in the muslim world and ensuing discussions of freedom of speech and press I feel compelled to make some observations. We have the right to free speech, we do not have the right to be heard. The press has the right to print what it wants, it does not have the right to be read. The point being is if muslims don't want to see pictures of mohamed, they don't have to look at them just as Christians are free to not look at or read defamatory slanders on our faith. When the "artworks" Piss Christ and the painting of Mother Mary covered in dung came out we didn't go to view them and we didn't issues fatwas for the artists' death, burn down their embassies or threaten jihad. We simply wrote letters to the editors and galleries, and our congressman asking that our tax dollars not fund them through the Endowment for the Arts. The artists' had the right to make those pieces and we had the right to not view them or pay for them.
I will now apply this to the blogosphere, I have the right to publish as I see fit on my blog, if you don't like what I post, you have the right to not visit it or read it. You may choose to comment, I as editor grant that ability, it is not a right. I also have the ability, as editor, to delete what I don't want to see, that is my right. Nonone is forced to read my words, it is a choice you made, your right, just as it is mine to publish them. I would compare it to property laws such as trespassing. You can hurl all the invective you want from outside the fence, the minute you step inside you can be arrested or shot as a threat to my safety. When you are outside the fence, I can choose to go inside and not listen to your free speech. Once you enter my property, you lose that right and mine as the owner prevail and removal becomes my right. In simple terms if some jackass wants to post inane comments insulting me or my readers, they will be deleted and as with haloscan, blocked all together. They can be as infatuated with myself or other blogger buddies as they want on their sites, they just won't be allowed here. I now dub them the South Park Intellectuals or SPI .

A Poem From The Front

I seem to be getting alot of poetry these days which is cool as I have notebooks full of my own sitting in forgotten boxes. This one courtesy of A Dogs Life by Cap'n B at One Marine's View.

Any Given Sunday

For all the free people that still protest,
you’re welcome,
We protect you and you are protected by the best.
Your voice is strong and loud,
but who will fight for you?
No one standing in your crowd.
We are your fathers, brothers, and sons,
wearing the boots and carrying the guns.
We are the ones that leave all we own,
to make sure your future is carved in stone.
We are the ones who fight and die.
We might not be able to save the world ,
well at least we try.
We walked the paths to where we are at
and we want no choice other than that.
So when you rally your group to complain,
take a look in the back of your brain.
In order for that flag you love to fly,
wars must be fought and young men must die.
We came here to fight for the ones we hold dear,
if that’s not respected we would rather stay here.
So please stop yelling and put down your signs,
and pray for those behind enemy lines.
When the conflict is over and all is well,
be thankful that
we chose to go through hell.

Super Bowl XL Sunday

Well the burgers are on the grill and it is almost game time. I am pulling for Seattle only because Sean Alexander plays for them, he was a Crimson Tide star and is a real class act. I like both coaches and have a healthy respect for the Steelers and The Bus Bettis. It should be a good game. I will add commentary and opinions through out the game on all aspects including the commercials.

Update 1: I understand the Motown tribute though it is not my kind of music
UGH, lets play ball not MTV.
Update2: Oh what a trashing of the National
Anthem, it is meant to be belted out with power and pride not tortured ,
absolutely the worst rendition I have ever heard. Whatever happened to
renditions like Whitney Houston's and Vanessa Jackson's that moved you to pride.
Update3: Seattle a couple first downs and punt to open the game Steelers
open with penalties and a punt. So far as usual Budweiser has the best
commercials.
Update4: Seahawks draw first blood and appear to be better
prepared. End 1st quarter 3-0
Update 5: Steelers are finally able to move
the ball, can Seattle stop The Bus on the goal line?
Update6: They stopped
the Bus but not Big Ben, touchdown Steelers.
Update7: Halftime, a pretty
tough defensive dual so far, Seattle definately had the edge but was unable to
capitalize on good field position. Now we get to be serenaded by geriatric drug
addicts, the Rolling Bones, the most overrated band in rock history. Why is a
British band headlining this spot at America's biggest party? It makes no sense
to me, there are plenty of fine american bands to fill this spot. I will just
say they better not spout any anti-american BS.
Update8: I really really
dislike these guys.
Update9: Thank God that is over, lets play some ball!
Update10: Steelers just broke one for 75 yards and a touchdown right out of
the gate. Seahawks now have their work cut out for them as the Steelers are
great closers with a lead.
Update11: Budweiser is easily winning the
commercial game.
Update12: Seahawks intercept inside the ten with huge
return, and Seattle capitalizes with a touchdown, we have a ballgame.
Update13: 3rd Super Bowl record of the game, Jackson ties for most
receptions in 1st quarter, Steelers run from scrimmage for TD and Seahawks
interception return.
Update14: We have a ballgame going into the 4th quarter
and it appears the Seahawks have an edge on the momentum.
Update15: Momentum
turn with Steeler interception, gadget play and Steeler touchdown.
Update
16: It looks like the Steelers can now ride The Bus to the Vince Lombardi trophy
for a well deserved Championship. The deserve it they played hard in the post
season and never gave up. They showed the grit they are famed for.
Final Update: Congratulations Pittsburgh Steelers. They showed their steel
winning their last 8 games with the playoffs on the road as a Wild Card. Coach
Bill Cower is a class act and it was his turn, I always liked him.

I guess we get to see Hugh in a Steelers hat.

Fridays Post

Somehow blogger lost it so here it is again:
Part of an E-mail Conversation
Compared to the loony left's cartoons in our papers of Christians and conservatives they were quite lame. Despite Pat Robertson's verbal gaffes we aren't rioting in the streets shouting death to the NYT and CNN. It only shows their extreme intolerance for freedom. I have not heard of riots in Iraq, Lebanon or our other "friends" in the region, have you? They are showing the true colors of Islam and dhimmitude, we can mock you but if you mock us we want to kill you. Yes , I believe Europe is starting to wake up, the people at least, laissez-faire Europeans will not accept Sha'ria rule if only because it threatens their extreme liberalistic secular society. Have you read Serge Trifkovic's "The Sword of the Prophet", I highly recommend it. Since 9/11 I have been studying to understand Islam as was suggested by the appeasers and what I have learned is notpretty for them or us, it is a battle to the death.Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty" speech rings as loud and clear now as it did then as does Sam Adams' "Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen". There is a reason they are my favorite quotes, they are the plain unvarnished truth unspun by history and the temper in the steel of the spine of the USA. Will the tribes of Abraham lead to humanity's destruction in this war, Christians and Jews on one side Islam the other? I don't know nor can I read the mind of God. I know we as Christians and Jews have failed Him and Christ died so those that truelly believe will be free, Islam proclaims to Him and murders, subjugates and steals in His name, the ultimate blasphemy. I think the secularists and socialist are realizing finally what Sha'ria is, religious rule by fanatics of the 9th century. Let us hope they are!

Saturday Musings

Blogger was down for most of the day today and I have to wonder about the insane times they pick for maintenance, evenings and weekends when traffic is highest. Oh well, I can't complain too much since it is a free service so enough on that.
It seems the hot topic of the day is the Danish cartoons and the riots in the Muslim world. Michelle Malkin has a comprehensive round up of pictures of the rioters burning embassies in Syria and their signs, blogger and news commentary and other bits of info. A Religion of Peace???, I'll have to think about that, I don't think so, that required some real mental energy to assess. What about freedom of speech and thought do these wackos not understand, much like the moonbats here? They want to quash the voices of all but their own failed dogma that has failed to provide even the most basic principles of society. The West is not responsible for the poverty in Islamic or socialistic/communist countries, it is the very essence at the root of their being, no personal responsibilty is allowed and even discouraged and free creative thought is harshly repressed. Even Europe with their extremely tolerant and liberal society is waking up, let us at least hope they are. The American Thinker has posted some interesting perspectives from the Danish point of view and it is refreshing to read them.
So where does the Barnyard sit on this issue? As is well known I am not a fan of Islam, a pseudo religion in my opinion, and support the free speech of Jylands-Posten to print what ever it wants to and believe it may well serve as that wake up call for naive europeans following the Madrid and London bombings , the riots in France and to a lesser but noless important degree, the brutal murder of Theo Van Gogh.
This leads me to Iran, where else but the apocalyptic mullacracy could it lead? (Further reading) . As these articles point out the West is left with few options and none of them are very pretty, diplomacy and the UN, (Iran gets nukes), Israel or the US takes out the facilities, (we are capable), or regime change through popular uprising with western support,(favored by both authors). This is the most serious issue to confront the world in a long time, Al Gore thinks its global warming, well I guess thermo-nuclear war would warm things up a bit. We have the means and the ability to deliver, to annihilate their nuclear infrastructure, do we have the stomach for it? Perhaps with the latest muslim nonsense over cartoons, the rest of the West will move to ourside as well as the East. Perhaps we can send momma moonbat Cindy Sheehan over to talk to Ahmadinejad about peace and love and why we should just all get along , she seems to have a thing for dictators.

PS: Blogger buddy Lores of Just a Woman starts her very own radio show on KRLA in Los Angeles tomorrow night from 12:00 to 2:00 am pac. A hearty congratulations for a great gal, a strong Christian and conservative. I may have to call in late monday to work just to listen in and perhaps give a ring in to the show.

Sometimes when we are on top of things,
We forget how delicate and precarious that may be.

Life is too short and the world around us too beautiful to waste time and miss it.

I am sitting on top of Virginia pass with the Yosemite high country behind me, one of the most incredibly breathtaking trails I have taken. It follows a narrow rill we called silver creek for its color as it splashes over many small falls on its descent. It passes by an old log cabin and remains of old mining exploration so it is gives rise to a ripe imagination as well to how those pioneers lived. This is where I go to escape politics and the hectic intrusions of modern life, time to breakout the x-country skis and seek the solitude of the sierra winter and then chase spring up the slopes into summer. It has been too long since since my Thanksgiving escape, the four walls are closing in with cabin fever building.