Sanity Reigns in 2004

The End of the Affair. This was the year when the civilized world's romance with terrorists ended.

Read the whole thing.

LA Times Dissection

This isn't pretty.

If you have some time to enjoy the disinfectant being applied to blatant bias parading as objective reporting, this is a great read.

Just a couple of teasers:

On August 20, three days after the August 17 hit piece, the L.A. Times printed another blatant falsehood about the Vets, in a story titled "Kerry Starts Firing Back at Critics of War Record." The story contained this howler:

None of the men in the Swift boat group behind the anti-Kerry ad, including [Larry] Thurlow, served on Kerry's patrol boat during the war.

Anyone even slightly familiar with the Swift Vets should have known this was not true. Steven Gardner was a member of the group, and served on a patrol boat with Kerry longer than any of the men supporting him. This mistake was inexcusable.

And:

[O]n the very same segment of Fox News Sunday, a Kerry supporter and a Swift Boat Vet both admitted that they lacked documentary proof to support their claims. But the L.A. Times mentioned only the admission by the Swift Boat Vet.

Oh, there's so much, much, very much more.

Remember, what the LA Times is really saying with all this mischief is: "You're Ignorant, and We're Gonna Keep You That Way," er, "We're Your Objective News Source -- Trust Us!"

Paying for Hatred

Toxic words spew from UN "official":

Speaking on Belgian radio and to the Belgian senate last week, Mr. Brahimi compared [Israeli PM] Sharon to an assassin, urged Europeans to increase their pressure on Israel, and said that the world is too accepting of “cynical and ridiculous” Israeli positions on peace with the Palestinian Arabs. . . .

And we help pay the salary of this "official."

The Price of Hatred

When I read this headline Tuesday, I sighed.

When I read the article, I thought twice about giving to those who turn down assistance. Why would they turn down assistance from Israel?

Ostensibly the party line was:

Sri Lanka Ambassador Diffa Digeratna is quoted by Jerusalem Post as saying that the change was due to the "the lack of accommodations in Colombo".

Hmmm, they couldn't find "accommodations" for 150 people charged with helping the helpless? That obviously means that no country can send help to Sri Lanka, right? Obviously there is no room at the Sri Lankan Inn.

For a sample of vile and conspiratorial anti-Semitism cheering Sri Lanka's stupidity, read this.

Little People

PowerLine (Best Blog of the year as rated by Time magazine) continues to slap around Big Old Media.

You can read about the dustup here and here, but here is the damning quote for the hapless Star Tribune:

I spoke yesterday with Coleman's editor at the Star Tribune to complain about the factual inaccuracies in Coleman's column and to ask the Star Tribune to run corrections. . . .

Among other things, the editor advised me that Coleman's attack on us involved no reporting, and that the column's factual misrepresentations were to be read in that light. Moreover, certain of the misrepresentations were to be construed as sarcasm rather than taken at face value.

Finally, according to the editor, Coleman's false assertion that he didn't know and we didn't say whether we might be on the take from some campaign, political party or anonymous benefactor, appeared to violate no Star Tribune standard. In his meeting with Coleman after my discussion with the editor yesterday morning, Coleman had told the editor that he "assumed" we received a stipend from the Claremont Institute. (Wrong. As we expressly stated here in response to Coleman's slander earlier this month, "we are not paid by anyone" for our work on the site. What part of "not" doesn't Coleman understand?)

I asked the editor what standards Coleman's column was subject to at the Star Tribune. He said he didn't know; he would have to research the answer to that question and get back to me.

Now, just think for a moment on that last sentence.

What would any Big Old Media paper do to any professional who said he didn't know what his professional standards were, but would "get back" to them with an answer?

Crucify is one verb that comes to mind.

Big Old Media is populated with hundreds of little people who cannot withstand, nor tolerate, the bright light of accuracy. They have been playing the American public for stupid sheep for a long time. Problem is, we haven't been stupid, we have been ignorant.

The Internet, and Blogs in particular, allow all of us to read our way out of ignorance like we would have never been able to do thirty, or even ten, years ago.

2005 is going to be a great year for enlightenment.

A lousy year for the lazy elite.

Idiocy Watch

What would have been done to a student who really was a terrorist?

Zero Tolerance policies are for people who cannot reason.

Devastation

Incredible photos of the tsunami catastrophe.

Before and After photos at both Banda Aceh and Sri Lanka.

Ugh

Note the t-shirt in the background -- words cannot begin to describe.

Hat Tip: Jonah Goldberg at NRO.

Uglier UN

More shameless idiocy from the UN (emphasis added):

The president has announced that the US, Japan, India and Australia would coordinate the world’s response.

But former International Development Secretary Clare Short said that role should be left to the UN.

“I think this initiative from America to set up four countries claiming to coordinate sounds like yet another attempt to undermine the UN when it is the best system we have got and the one that needs building up,” she said.

“Only really the UN can do that job,” she told BBC Radio Four’s PM programme.

“It is the only body that has the moral authority. But it can only do it well if it is backed up by the authority of the great powers.”

Ms Short said the coalition countries did not have good records on responding to international disasters.

She said the US was “very bad at coordinating with anyone” and India had its own problems to deal with.

Oh really?

And the UN's record is praiseworthy?

Unfortunately, I can't even say this is unbelievable. Kofi's gang is simply outpacing fiction's ability to keep up.

Turtle Bay used to be such a nice neighborhood. . . .

How Many Souls Have Perished?

Although Jonah Goldberg at NRO asks the reasonable question (in so many words), "How Can We Know?" (read Jonah's comments on the other factors at play in the disaster vis-a-vis the War On Terror), I think Matt Drudge has done a service in taking a step back and looking at the larger question of the mind-numbing body counting.

[Indonesia's Ambassador to Malaysia Drs H. Rusdihardjo] said the estimate was based on air surveillance by Indonesian authorities who found no signs of life in places like Meulaboh, Pulau Simeulue and Tapak Tuan while several islands off the west coast of Sumatera had "disappeared".

If areas and regions have been obliterated, and complete islands have disappeared, shouldn't we stop the body counting box scores for a bit (not that Drudge will of course)?

Trips of a Lifetime

I have been blessed to have many, and the latest with my Dad is being chronicled at Sierra Faith with three entries so far beginning here, next here and most recently here.

Incredible

Wizbang! is on the case.

...We finally decided not to do anything because the tourist season was in full swing. The hotels were 100% booked full. What if we issued a warning, which would have led to an evacuation, and nothing had happened. What would be the outcome? The tourist industry would be immediately hurt. Our department would not be able to endure a lawsuit...

After watching a night of "coverage" by CNN (I forego anything better with basic cable in Tahoe -- that too is a Work In Progress) and not seeing a word nor hearing a peep on this revelation, I'm convinced Big Old Media (some use the quaint phrase "mainstream" media) is simply too slow and biased to be reliable for anyone who thinks.

If this isn't the story on Thursday, CNN and its brethern may be officially deemed brain dead regarding such a critical element of this disaster and how it may have been mitigated.

This real government malfeasance is so much more important to reveal than the current childish nonsense in which Big Old Media is indulging themselves.

Land of the Free?

Charles Colsen provides this disturbing information.

Samples:

A St. Louis public school student was “caught” praying over his lunch. As punishment, he was lifted from his seat, reprimanded in front of classmates, and ordered never to pray in school again.

At a New Jersey Veterans’ cemetery, an honor guard member was fired for telling a deceased veteran’s family, “God bless you and this family.” . . .

McKinney, Texas, “has no problem with people meeting in their homes for football watch parties, birthday parties, or even commercial gatherings to sell Tupperware.” But when a few couples gathered in a pastor’s home, they were told, “The City prohibits a church meeting in a home unless the home sits on at least two acres.”

Our soldiers are not dying abroad for such bureaucratic stupidity.

Freedom is not free. Unfortunately there are costs we must continue to pay to maintain our freedoms, and we must work to calibrate those who wish to steal our freedoms by defining freedom -- specifically reminding people the meaning of the First Amendement:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Please note the absence of a timeworn phrase: "Separation of church and state."

No Embryonic Stem Cells Needed?!

Interesting medical news.

Could it possibly be that Alzheimer’s may be treated without destroying life?

A dietary staple of India, where Alzheimer’s disease rates are reportedly among the world’s lowest, holds potential as a weapon in the fight against the disease.

The new UCLA-Veterans Affairs study involving genetically altered mice suggests that curcumin, the yellow pigment in curry spice, inhibits the accumulation of destructive beta amyloids in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and also breaks up existing plaques.

Reporting in the Dec. 7, 2004, online edition of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the research team also determined curcumin is more effective in inhibiting formation of the protein fragments than many other drugs being tested as Alzheimer’s treatments. The researchers found the low molecular weight and polar structure of curcumin allow it to penetrate the blood-brain barrier effectively and bind to beta amyloid. . . .

“The prospect of finding a safe and effective new approach to both prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease is tremendously exciting,” said principal investigator Gregory Cole. He is professor of medicine and neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, associate director of the UCLA Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center . . . .

“Curcumin has been used for thousands of years as a safe anti-inflammatory in a variety of ailments as part of Indian traditional medicine,” Cole said. “Recent successful studies in animal models support a growing interest in its possible use for diseases of aging involving oxidative damage and inflammation like Alzheimer's, cancer and heart disease. What we really need, however, are clinical trials to establish safe and effective doses in aging patients." . . .

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that occurs gradually and results in memory loss, unusual behavior, personality changes, and a decline in thinking abilities. These losses relate to the death of brain cells and the breakdown of the connections between them.

The disease is the most common form of dementing illness among middle and older adults, affecting more than 4 million Americans and many millions worldwide. The prevalence of Alzheimer’s among adults ages 70-79 in India, however, is 4.4 times less than the rate in the United States.

Widely used as a food dye and preservative, and in some cancer treatments, curcumin has undergone extensive toxicological testing in animals. It also is used extensively in traditional Indian medicine to treat a variety of ailments.

And I love Indian food!

More American Stinginess

Here.

I'm thankful we are "so stingy" to so many in this world.

More importantly, with the UN coming to the rescue, we can all sit back and relax now. After all, there would never be any theft or graft in any UN program designed to help the poor and suffering.

Sorry, my sarcasm is dripping only because I'm weary of the same shameless folks worrying more about keeping score to show that the Socialist European governments give more than the US and micromanaging feel good photo ops (note the article does not mention who is generating "complaints" -- why? Because the "complaints" actually are "repeated inquiries from reporters about his public absence" -- I for one, prefer a President of action, rather than "I feel your pain" words and lip biting) while our President is "biking and strolling around his ranch" while the earth's rotation is altered.

Here's another interesting proposal.

Yet another, although the $1 Billion likely to be provided by the US government is a tangible effect of prayer and reflection by our leaders.

Lastly, we cannot forget to mention a sampling of an AP hatchet job (so many to choose from, so little time) that provides the choice "so stingy" quote. Note, however, that the hatchet is in the form of how we should really be counting our "Look at me and how much I give!" beans:

Measured another way, as a percentage of gross national product, the OECD's figures on development aid show that as of April, none of the world's richest countries donated even 1 percent of its gross national product. Norway was highest, at 0.92 percent; the United States was last, at 0.14 percent.

Such figures were what prompted Jan Egeland – the United Nations' emergency relief coordinator and former head of the Norwegian Red Cross – to challenge the giving of rich nations.

"We were more generous when we were less rich, many of the rich countries," Egeland said. "And it is beyond me, why are we so stingy, really.... Even Christmas time should remind many Western countries at least how rich we have become."

Setting aside the snide obnoxiousness of the elite UN's Egeland, as noted earlier, the most common reason I can think of why the US does not accept the percentage of GDP standard is that it does not account for all that the US government provides for free (e.g. GPS satellites mentioned earlier, or our military's support of relief efforts).

But more importantly, stop and think for a moment about where other money and support in the form of food, shelter and supplies not to mention the time of volunteers of professionals and others comes from in America -- churches, civic organizations and NGOs such as World Vision, etc.

All of this leaves me amazed and asking: Why are such presumably "smart" people at the UN (such as Egeland) so flat out stupid?

(The answer is left as an exercise to the reader.)

Blinding Ideology

This is pathetic coming from a "news" organization.

Of course, The Left's "news" organizations such as CNN have long since lost credibility regarding anything but showing live video from disaster scenes such as the 9.0 Sumatra quake and resulting tsunami (although the videos were on the internet first and blogs have been running circles around the Old Media -- again, it's only a matter of time before CNN goes the way of Green Acres [Hey! I liked Green Acres -- Ed. OK, so did I]).

Reading this one must really ask if CNN editors are moonlighting NARAL activitists (or vice-versa):

While channel surfing over breakfast today, we nearly choked on our toast when the cable network's glamour-puss news reader repeatedly referred to the 9-day-old girl as a "fetus."

How old does this human being have to be before some will recognize her rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Eighteen years old? Twenty-one?

Indeed.

Ugly UN

More evidence the UN simply is a wasteland filled with overpaid, sanctimonious brats who can only flap their jaws.

There are many, both Governmental Organizations (GOs) and Non-GOs that are working very hard to help the devastation in Asia.

The blogosphere is doing its part as well, and Jim Geraghty writes on some of the political mischief that will undoubtedly ensue while trying to keep the peace. While I appreciate and understand Geraghty's efforts, Kevin McCullough is highlighting some inconsistencies in the spirit of some on The Left.

Note the Update in a subsequent Geraghty post which highlights the amount of money Americans give freely to the world without even an accounting (but, will the blogosphere attempt to add up the dollars -- probably, and it will be interesting to see what the final percent of GDP results).

Prayers for those suffering many pains, and for those who have embarked and are about to embark on missions of mercy.

Hate

More sickness -- this time from South America.

The treatment of Jewish communities has always been a crucial indicator of a government's commitment to freedom and rule of law. In the words of prominent Venezuelan journalist Carlos Blanco:

When a Jew is attacked for being such, we enter a zone of total and absolute risk for the free thinking and existence of all, Jews and non Jews alike. Do not believe the official apologies, they are part of the same set up.

Unfortunately, the sickness has also reached the Sierra.

Evil

Which is worse, the mother selling her mentally ill daughter into prostitution, or the judge condemning her to death?

This will not make your day.

Iran is a backward and sick country.

And, they can soon vaporize cities.

We live and will be living in interesting times.

Put It To Bed Already!

Where were those Republican protestors in Pennsylvania?

Oh, Bush won Ohio.

The Fat Lady has sung, and is back in her favorite restaurant slurping down more clam chowder. . . .

Day of Infamy and Rememberance

An excellent link in the last sentence.

A poster for the ages.

Thanks to the many who sacrificed all to keep us free.

You are my Heroes.

UPDATE:

FDR's speech from December 8, 1941.

Imagine the fear, imagine the uncertainty, but listen to the words of strength and resolve.

Would any Michael Moore Democrat today say this:

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.

At Least We Don't Do This. . . .

Yushchenko was poisoned.

This will likely put him over the top in the Ukrainian runoff upcoming.

Office pools are starting: His opponent or Putin?

I'd say the former with a wink (and possibly support) from the latter.

Will Oregon Allow Killing of Children?

It's just the natural progression of euthanasia, right?

As many of you may know, yesterday Matt Drudge shone a bright light on Dutch baby killing, and by extension, the Big Media darkness in failing to cover the story.

Hugh Hewitt is also asking why Big Media aren't discussing the story.

More importantly, Hugh is asking how can civilization tolerate this Hitlerite nonsense:

Under the Groningen protocol, if doctors at the hospital think a child is suffering unbearably from a terminal condition, they have the authority to end the child's life. The protocol is likely to be used primarily for newborns, but it covers any child up to age 12.

Hugh also highlights the fact that parents' requests are not really, well, that important.

A parent's role is limited under the protocol. While experts and critics familiar with the policy said a parent's wishes to let a child live or die naturally most likely would be considered, they note that the decision must be professional, so rests with doctors.

Professional?

Opponents of expanding euthanasia to the young cite a recent Dutch court ruling against punishment for a doctor who injected fatal drugs into an elderly woman after she told him she didn't want to die.

The court determined that he'd made "an error of judgment," but had acted "honorably and according to conscience."

News reports say that since that decision some elderly hospital patients are carrying written appeals not to be euthanized. . . .

Error of Judgement? Honorably?

And, this final bit of irony suggests Adolf is laughing from his ashes.

A German company has proposed a nursing home just across the border from the Netherlands that would be promoted to aging Dutch residents as a safe haven in a country where euthanasia is illegal and likely to remain so.

Will such homes spring up in Idaho?