| |
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Don't Get Used, LadiesNot sure what to think of this news:  Murder victim Robert McCartney's sisters denied their attendance at Sinn Fein's annual conference sent out "mixed signals" .
Paula, Donna, Catharine, Gemma and Claire accepted an invitation to the event by party leader Gerry Adams and sat in the front row when he delivered his keynote address.
The family has accused the IRA of shielding members who murdered Mr McCartney in a Belfast bar on January 30 and of intimidating witnesses.Let's remember, the family is Catholic, and Republican. That said, they should not be lending Gerry Adams any support until he delivers tangible results. And that said, they are the ones who are looking for justice; they can call the shots. But I do worry they are being used.
What a ShockThe IRA thugs interviewed by the police in the Robert McCartney murder have not been singing the full and honest song that Gerry Adams supposedly has requested. The 10 people arrested by police about the murder of a Belfast man have stayed silent under police questioning, a senior detective has said.Hat Tip: Slugger O'Toole
Gerry Adams Under PressureWow. Now this is a nice lede: Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams today faces intense pressure to signal that the party has made a complete break with all criminal activity. Delegates to the party's annual conference in Dublin have been in sombre mood as they reflected on the fallout from recent bank robberies, cash laundering rackets and a brutal Belfast murder six weeks ago. Mr Adams will now have to spell out in clear terms how Sinn Fein can fully commit to democracy in order to join Northern Ireland's power-sharing talks.As others have said, a year or two ago, Adams had hopes of being the Nelson Mandela of Northern Ireland. Right now he's looking at being Robert Mugabe.
Friday, March 04, 2005
Back to the BlogrollLet's welcome back (from KH) Right-Wing & Right Minded. Chris is a great blogger, very prolific, and was one of the very earliest bloggers to link to Kerry Haters. The subtitle of his blog is "Supporting the American Hero", which means that we'll probably come up on a lot of search engines together.
Great EveningHit the big Jack Lord tonight, and my dad and his girlfriend invited me over to dinner. I get there, and they're saying something about how they thought really hard for the best present that they could give me, so I'm getting worried they spent a lot of money. And then my sister from New Jersey comes walking out of the kitchen! She's only in town for the weekend (she has three kids), but that was a GREAT surprise.
Live Blogging the Sinn Fein ConventionRichard Delevan is on the job. McCartney is mentioned several times: "This Ard Fheis:
"Deplores the murder of Robert McCartney in Belfast on Saturday 30th January.
"Fully supports the McCartney family in their quest for truth and justice.
"Believes that whoever killed Robert McCartney should take responsibility and make themselves accountable in the courts.
"Recognises that large sections of the community do not have the confidence in the PSNI.
"Calls on anyone with information regarding this killing to come forward and make a statement through whatever channel they deem appropriate to uncover the truth and to secure justice for the McCartney family."(Ard Fheis = convention) Martin McGuinness: "What pains me most is any suggestion, suspicion or indication that the IRA could be turned into a criminal gang or a tool of individual interest, or otherwise engaged in criminality. And in that context I am both outraged and saddened at the involvement of a small number of IRA volunteers, in the brutal killing of Robert McCartney in Belfast 4 weeks ago."I don't know how anybody could think that the IRA has not degenerated into a criminal gang. They are clearly responsible for the Northern Bank robbery. Although Richard sees that as the lesser of the IRA's problems (compared to the McCartney murder), I see it as the more serious issue long term, because it was approved by the high command. Apparently the White House agrees, as that appears to be the reason that Gerry Adams was uninvited to the WH St. Patrick's Day party.
Ten Favorite TV Shows of All Time?Ankle-Biting Pundits offers their picks and requests yours. Mine are: 1. The Avengers (Diana Rigg years). Great plots, witty dialogue, incredible chemistry between the two stars. 2. The Simpsons (although lately it's a drag, it held my interest for over a decade) 3. St. Elsewhere (sometimes overly PC, but incredibly well done, and the theme song by Dave Grusin remains my favorite) 4. Hill Street Blues (came to this one after the first season and got hooked) 5. The Prisoner (I am not a number!) 6. Monty Python's Flying Circus 7. Fawlty Towers (Were there only 6 episodes? If there had been more this could be #1 as the quality level was incredible.) 8. Batman (idiosynchratic choice from boyhood) 9. The Sopranos 10. Red Green (yes, it's silly and the same thing every week, but I really enjoy it)
My Email to Secretary of State RiceYou can send an email using this form: I am writing to request that Secretary of State Rice bar entry to the United States by Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein president. As you know, the Republic of Ireland has recently announced that Adams is a member of the seven-man ruling council of the Irish Republican Army. This makes him a leader of one of the most dangerous international terrorist/criminal organizations. At a minimum, I would hope that Secretary of State Rice would consider putting pressure on Mr Adams to turn over the men responsible for the brutal murder of Robert McCartney. Thank you for your consideration. I am of Irish Catholic descent, living in the United States and while I support the eventual reunification of a 32-county Ireland, I do not support terrorists and criminals.
Standing Up Against Irish TerroristsThanks to Molten Thought and Daly Thoughts for linking our post on the McCartney sisters and their quest for justice in the murder of their brother Robert. I particularly liked Teflon's comparison of the reception IRA leader Gerry Adams will undoubtedly receive with Cat Stevens.
LA Times, With the RancorHugh Hewitt was all over a ridiculous piece in yesterday's LA Times, entitled "North Korea, Without the Rancor". A lot of people have already blogged on this subject, so rather than hit the big issues (like the fact that the Times is shilling for a corrupt dictatorship), I thought I'd focus on some odd little things I found in the article. He arrived at the entrance to a North Korean government-owned restaurant and karaoke club here in the Chinese capital with a handshake and a request. "Call me Mr. Anonymous," he said in English.Okay, two big issues here. First of all, note that the North Korean government owns the restaurant where the interview took place. Second, this "Mr. Anonymous" bit is hilarious. The writer, Barbara Demick goes on to describe the man's job: This North Korean, an affable man in his late 50s who spent much of his career as a diplomat in Europe, has been assigned to help his communist country attract foreign investment.Now, I'm just guessing here that if there were any reason to protect this man from the potential of reprisals (which is the only reason for calling him Mr. Anonymous), that description should make it pretty easy for Kim Jong-Il to whittle down the potential suspects to about one man. Not that he would be likely to, given the way Mr. Anonymous parrots the party line faithfully. The North Korean, dressed in a cranberry-colored flannel shirt and corduroy trousers, described himself as a businessman with close ties to the government.Uh, what kinds of businesses are there in North Korea? And if he just has "close ties" to the government, then how is it that he "has been assigned" to the task of attracting foreign investment? Because North Koreans seldom talk to U.S. media organizations, his comments offered rare insight into the view from the other side of the geopolitical divide.No, his comments do not offer any rare insight at all. One of Hugh's callers suggested that Demick did not actually interview a North Korean businessman at all, that she just made the column up a la Stephen Glass. I doubt this is true, but the fact is that it could have been done that way. I mean, if I wanted to make up a story about meeting a "businessman" from Cuba, how hard would it be to manufacture quotes that parroted the Fidel line? "Yes, our country is poor, but it is caused by the economic embargo from the United States. If the US would just treat us like any other country in the Caribbean...." This is indeed a pathetic excuse for an article.
Where I Stand On the Irish QuestionSome of the responses to my effort to push the Robert McCartney story up the line have been less than sympathetic. Some have assumed that I'm anti-Irish, or that I oppose reunification. That is not true. My full name is Patrick Michael James Curley, I'm Catholic (mostly lapsed), and I support the eventual reunification of Ireland. What I do not do is support terrorists and criminals who happen to be on the same side of that question. The IRA and Sinn Fein may have been necessary and beneficial at some point; they do not seem so now. Indeed, the folks who are describing them as the "RAfia" seem to have nailed it precisely. And I don't pretend that the reunification is central to my life. I would hope that at some point it happens, but only if it happens peacefully, and only if the rights of all people in both the North and the Republic are respected.
More Gannon CoverageAce scores the second blogger interview with Jeff. Ray Midge concludes with some, uhhh, important questions:
1. In your absence, will conservatism survive or will it simply evolve into something totally unrecognizable? Follow up: Will you be able to remain the conservative 'straw that stirs the drink' now that you have lost your day pass?
JG: I’m here, I’m conservative, get used to it!:) Gotta love a guy who keeps his sense of humor in tough times!
McCartney Stories This MorningHere's a good backgrounder in an Australian paper. Previously unheard of graffiti of "IRA scum out" emerged on Belfast's streets while a new expression was adopted for the paramilitary force: Rafia – a hybrid of the street word for the Provisionals "Ra" and the Mafia. Since then, the half-hearted response of IRA leaders and their Sinn Fein spokesman Gerry Adams have only strengthened the backlash.Sinn Fein takes it on the chin from the combined backlash over the McCartney murder and the Northern Bank robbery. The Irish Times/TNS mrbi poll put support for the party at 9%, down two points since January and three points since last October.
Mr Adams’ personal popularity was put at 30%, down 12 points since January and 21 since October.Note: This reflects their popularity in the Republic of Ireland, not Northern Ireland (where it is higher but dropping). Hat Tip: KittyMore on the troubles facing Sinn Fein as their 100th anniversary as a party is celebrated this weekend. The party has also seen itself frozen out of mainstream politics after it failed to endorse two unanimous Dáil motions calling for an end to all criminality and for witnesses to the McCartney murder to go forward to the PSNI.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Good QuestionGerard Baker asks: “All right, all right. But apart from liberating 50 million people in Iraq and Afghanistan, undermining dictatorships throughout the Arab world, spreading freedom and self-determination in the broader Middle East and moving the Palestinians and the Israelis towards a real chance of ending their centuries-long war, what have the Americans ever done for us?”
Bringing Over Some More Blogs from the Blogroll at KHI'd like to welcome to Brainster's blogroll the following old friends: The Nudnik File is what I would call a "blogger's blogger". During the campaign when I was looking for another post, I'd just pay a call on Nudnik and inevitably he'd have linked to an interesting article. Dynamo Buzz is my New Jersey blog. I grew up there, and still go back 1-2 times a year. Roberto's a great blogger on the Garden State. The Man at GOP & the City is another long-time blog-friend. He's that rare species, a Republican in New York City, which means we forgive him his affection for the New York Yankees.
In Other News, OJ Still Looking for Killer of NicoleColor me unimpressed. Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has vowed he will not rest until those who had 'sullied republicanism' over the Robert McCartney murder are brought to justice.
In his strongest language yet over the crisis gripping the republican movement, Mr Adams said the former IRA member believed responsible for the killing had yet to come forward.
Pressure on Sinn Fein Continues to Get ResultsThe BBC reports that seven members of Sinn Fein (the political wing of the IRA) have been suspended, after the McCartney family provided their names to Gerry Adams. Mr Adams said the family handed him a list of people they say were involved in the murder at a meeting last month.
He said seven of those on the list were Sinn Fein members and have been suspended without prejudice and told "to provide full and frank statements".Hat Tip: Slugger O'Toole
Other US Bloggers Covering the McCartney StoryFound the Heretical Librarian via a Technorati search. His post is quite superb; be sure to read it all the way to the end. I concur with his conclusion 100%. Mark Kilmer was kind enough to link to my post on Gerry Adams below. Kitty has linked to the main McCartney post. I crossposted the main McCartney post over at Lifelike Pundits. If you know of any other US bloggers covering this story, please let me know.
An Interview With the Man Who Ordered McCartney's Murder?--Updated!It looks like the man who was questioned by the police and then released was involved in the incident. Before you left the scene did you give an order that the two men were to be attacked?I would like to get somebody to stand over that. I totally refute that, it's actually an insult to me to say that I was... even that implication, that you ordered somebody to kill a man. I'm from the Short Strand, he's a neighbour of mine, he's a member of my community. There's not a snowball's chance in hell that I would even involve myself in an incident like that. I totally refute that allegation, it's wrong, it's unfair on me. I understand that family is going through hell but there's more than one victim in this. I was stabbed as well. I know they lost their brother. I support their quest for justice, I support it wholeheartedly. I lost a member of my family who was killed by the cops and I argue for justice in that case so I have total support for everything they are trying to do and I do support them, but as I said to you at the outset of all this, this is a political arrest.Update: The McCartney sisters respond. But Mr McCartney's sister Catherine said today: "He seems very keen to exonerate himself. The best way to do that is in court, not in a newspaper."
She also said Mr Davison's account of the incidents that led to the murder contradicts the IRA version released last week.
Catherine McCartney said details of the incident related to the family indicate Mr Davison "knows more than he is telling".
"He is a senior republican. Even if he wasn't there, he has been told what happened. He still knows what happened from start to finish."
As Mr McCartney's sisters and his partner, Bridgeen, prepare to go to America over St Patrick's Day to highlight the case, Mr Davison said he believes intimidation of witnesses to the murder is "non-existent".Hat Tip: Saorse32.
McCartney Sisters to Meet With President Bush?This story could be about to get a whole lot bigger! Having ditched Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley, the White House is contemplating inviting the sisters of murder victim Robert McCartney to grace the upstairs East Room of the White House on March 17.Hat Tip: Ireland Today, via Richard Delevan.
Sound the Alarm!Kitty, with her usual genius for coming up with the absolutely apt picture, came up with this gem for the campaign against Gerry Adams:  Now in order to understand how perfect this picture is for what we are doing, you have to know a little of the history of Northern Ireland. In the 1970s, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the police of that country, often went on raids for IRA members. When the RUC appeared, the Catholic women would beat trash cans and blow whistles to warn the IRA. You can see a picture of a mural depicting this here. So this picture is absolutely marvelous. Remember it is Catholic women from Northern Ireland who are beating the trash can lids on Gerry Adams. Thanks Kit!
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Call For A Major Blogswarm to Find the Killers The boy is Declan McCartney, nephew of the man shown in the background poster. Robert McCartney was savagely beaten and then stabbed to death in and around a Belfast pub by three members of the Irish Republican Army, apparently in a brawl unrelated to IRA activity. After the murder the IRA reportedly swept the crime scene for evidence and warned witnesses not to testify as to what they had seen. The effectiveness of this warning is undeniable; according to this Wikipedia entry on the murder, so many people claim to have been in the pub's bathroom when the fight broke out that it is being referred to as the TARDIS. This might have been the end of the story, except for McCartney's brave sisters.  They have been unrelenting in their demands that the IRA turn over the killers. In another era that might have gotten them killed themselves, but the IRA happens to be under fire right now for their reported involvement in a $50 million bank heist in Belfast in December and clearly needs no more bad press. Although the IRA expelled three members (including two senior members) over the murders they have not identified the killers and the police suspect that the thugs have been moved out of Northern Ireland. Gerry Adams is the leader of Sinn Fein, which for years has maintained a fiction of being just the political wing of the IRA. But the Republic of Ireland (i.e. the rest of Ireland, other than Northern Ireland) has recently announced that Adams is also one of the seven members of the IRA's ruling council. In other words, Adams is a leader (probably the main leader) of a major international criminal and terrorist gang. Adams is currently planning to arrive in the United States on March 12 for a traditional swing down the East Coast. In recent years, due to an apparent cease-fire by the IRA, the highlight of this trip has been a St. Patrick's Day party at the White House. This year, the Bush Administration has already made it clear that Mr Adams is unwelcome, over the issue of the bank robbery. Adams has also been forced to cancel fund-raising this time in the US, for fear that the feds would confiscate any money collected. He's still planning on making speeches and meeting with politicians. Here's my thought. We should all put pressure on the Bush Administration to deny Adams entry to the country at least until the murderers of Robert McCartney are brought to justice. And since Gerry Adams was involved in the expulsion of the three members (two of whom are described as senior IRA), he clearly knows who killed Robert McCartney. And here's the fallback. Robert McCartney's sisters are coming to the US as well unless the murderers are turned in. This is a great human interest story made for talk radio and the blogs. But we gotta start talking it up now so that it has buzz in another two weeks. I am sending this post out to every big blog I can find. Please consider making a post about McCartney's murder, and the necessity that pressure be brought to bear on Gerry Adams by either denying him entry to the country or ensuring that his message gets drowned out by the McCartney sisters. This is not an issue of right or left, Republican or Democrat; I'd hope we can all agree that the killing in Ireland has to stop, and the particular thugs involved in this murder should be brought to justice. Important note: There was a story Tuesday that one man had turned himself in. The man has already been released, so it appears to be a false resolution.
Heroism in HoustonReader GD pointed this story out to me, which fits our hero theme. The citizen, 50 year old Mark Wilson, was one of the two people murdered. As CNN reported, “Everyone here agrees, Wilson saved lives.” Fox News' website quoted the sheriff as saying "if it hadn't been for Mr. Wilson, [Arroyo's son] would be dead."
Wilson, a licensed concealed handgun permit holder, heard Arroyo’s shots and saw the commotion from his apartment window. He grabbed a handgun and headed toward the attacker. Arroyo had already wounded several police officers and there was no one left to prevent his rampage.
Arroyo had also shot his 22-year-old son and was about ready to shoot him again from very close range when Wilson fired his gun, hitting Arroyo several times in the chest. Arroyo was wearing a bullet resistant vest and flak jacket and Wilson's shots did not seriously wound him. Yet, Wilson’s shots forced Arroyo to come after him, and it used up a couple of minutes of his time. Unfortunately, in the exchange of gunfire, Arroyo eventually fatally shot Wilson. With police arriving, Arroyo fled the scene and was later shot to death by police as they pursued him.More here.
We'll See How Much Lefties Stand Up for a Professor's Free SpeechMarathon Pundit does not expect to see the fierce defense they are starting to offer in the Ward Churchill case. I agree.
Churchill a "Neocon Test Case"?Churchill may have stepped down as head of the Ethnic Studies Department at Colorado University, but the goofiness continues, as this article by his replacement makes clear. The general strategy in forcing and then manipulating this "investigation" of Ward's scholarship shares key tactics with the neocon sinking of Emory historian Bellesiles in 2001 www.oah.org/pubs. There are also likely to be parallels with the campaign against Linda Brodkey at UT in 1991 as well as other campaigns through which they have been testing and developing their methods and tactics.Well, Bellesiles and Churchill certainly appear to have fraudulent scholarship in common. Hat Tip: Instapundit
Update on Lorie Byrd's DaughterMy read is that it's good news, but unfortunately it looks like there will be another surgery in about six months. Keep her in your prayers.
Terrorist Leader to Visit US Gerry Adams, who has been identified as one of the seven leaders of the terrorist Irish Republican Army, is planning to visit the United States next week. Originally planned as a fund-raiser, Adams' trip is now being billed as a speaking tour. If there is one common criticism of right-wing blogs, it is that we don't knock the current administration enough. Well, here' my shot: President Bush should issue an executive order barring Gerry Adams from the US. I am pleased that Adams will not be raising funds here, or visiting the White House, as he would have done if faux Irishman John Kerry had been in power. But that's not enough. Adams should be denied entry to this country.
IRA Inmates Running the Prison?That's what this article claims: The officers said the IRA men were "objecting to prisoners serving sentences for sex offences or drugs to work in kitchen or on grounds near to the houses that they occupy".Now, you may think that the IRA prisoners are after all, political, and shouldn't be forced to associate with thugs and murderers. Think again: The IRA prisoners include four men convicted of the 1996 killing of Irish police detective Jerry McCabe during an abortive post office cash van robbery.
Some Funny StuffProfessor Shade has Part II of his History of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy up over at Lifelike.
Swarming the Strib Post #1Took a look at their commentary pages this morning. State Auditor Pat Anderson says that the Minnesota has to make some adjustments to their pay cap on local government workers. Minnesota has a law capping the salaries at 95% of the governor's salary. The governor's $120,303 salary, however, has not changed since 1998, leaving local governments to deal with a salary limit ($114,288) that was set to reflect the fiscal situation seven years ago.
The outdated nature of the cap has caused many local governments to have difficulty recruiting and retaining highly qualified staff. Because no other state in the country has such a limit, Minnesota's best and brightest are frequently tempted to leave for higher salaries in other states. This also puts our state at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting talented people.Now maybe I'm just out of touch with salary scales here, having worked as a small businessman for the last 20 years, but does $114,000 sound like a pretty decent living? I'm guessing that maybe 10% of all households make that much (and quite a few of those are double-income couples). But to listen to this column, it sounds like a lot of county and municipal workers are getting pretty close to that level: In addition, many local governments face salary compression issues, where several levels of senior staff are bumping up against the cap. In these cases, local governments are forced to pay the same amount to top administrators that they pay to other employees the administrators oversee. This sort of compression leaves employees with no financial incentive to accept promotions to positions of greater responsibility. Instead it provides an incentive for qualified employees to look elsewhere for advancement.That's idiotic. I remember in 1979 I was promoted to supervising nine people. I was making $261 a week, and one of my raw trainees was making $253 a week. Yeah, I griped about it, but do you think I said, "I'm not taking that promotion"? Not on your life; I knew that eventually somebody would pay me for that experience. And if multiple levels of county and municipal staff are now butting up against the $114,000 cap, I'd suspect it's because the lower levels at least are being paid far too much.
Welcome Right Wing News Readers!Thanks to John Hawkins for making my little blog the website of the day! I've been covering several stories lately: Ward Churchill and Jeff Gannon, of course, plus a story that most American blogs have been skipping, the IRA's murder of Robert McCartney and their involvement in a huge ($50 million equivalent) bank robbery. But I'm also known to digress into lighter topics, like my ten favorite things about comic books, or my pinball memories. I'll also be engaged in the Hugh Hewitt-inspired swarming of the Strib. In short, you'll find a lot of varied posts at Brainster's, so look around and please, consider making this a regular stop on your blog-hopping by bookmarking the page.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
First Arrest Made in IRA Murder Case--UpdatedThis is good news. "A 29-year old man has been arrested and is in custody in connection with the murder of Robert McCartney," a police spokesman said on Tuesday. He declined to give further details.
The IRA, already under fire over its alleged involvement in a 26.5 million pound Belfast bank robbery, has said it was not involved in McCartney's killing, but admitted for the first time on Friday a number of republicans were.Update: Looks like that particular man was not involved.
I'm Starting to Like Jeff GannonAt first I just felt sympathetic towards him because the folks arrayed against him are an assortment of knuckleheads like Kos, Atrios and Oliver Willis. But I was somewhat turned off by his websites and the appearance that he might have engaged in prostitution. But his responses to Aaron's questions were intelligent and well-thought out, and he's not excusing himself or attempting to lie about his problematic past: I have never asked anyone to defend my personal behavior, that is my responsibility and I will fully deal with that at some point in the future. But for now, I have work to do. I'm bruised but not broken, and I'm ready to get back in there. I think this has moved the ball down the field and look forward to being in the game.On his blog, Jeff has some similar thoughts. Criticism of my work and my journalistic background is fair game, but the intensive scrutiny into my personal life, especially things from the past have startled many in the journalistic community. Now Democrats in Congress are demanding that the White House do more thorough investigation into the personal lives and sexual histories of reporters. Is this what they want, to give the Bush administration a mandate to make this kind of information relevant to the vetting process for journalists? What kind of reaction would there have been if the White House has announced such a plan two months ago?Indeed. One story that never loses favor in America is the guy who's been beaten down, but then rises again. Jeff Gannon looks to me like somebody who's got a second act inside him.
This Just In: Socialism Still Doesn't WorkGerman unemployment is at a new post-Depression record. The news comes as the head of Germany's panel of government economic advisers predicted growth would again stagnate.
Speaking on German TV, Bert Ruerup said the panel's earlier forecast of 1.4% was too optimistic and warned growth would be just 1% in 2005.
Swarming the Strib?Hugh Hewitt suggests an all-out fisking of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. If you've followed the continuing saga of their attempts to slime Power Line, you know that there are few papers who deserve deconstruction like the Strib.
Serendipity?There are some days you come across a blog, and then about ten minutes later you come across it again from another direction. So it is today with Right Wing Sparkle. I first came across her in the comments on Aaron's tremendous interview with Jeff Gannon. She's doing a feisty job of sticking up for our side. Then, literally only a few minutes later, I surfed over to Right Wing News, where John recommended a funny new blog called The Nose on Your Face. So I go over there and check it out to find that it is indeed quite amusing. And a couple posts down, he has a post thanking his referrers, the first one of whom is... Right Wing Sparkle! Okay, that's enough for me. Serendipity or coincidence, Right Wing Sparkle and The Nose on Your Face are going on the blogroll.
I Hate to Say I Told You SoBut Mark Steyn doesn't mind it. Three years ago, those of us in favour of destabilising the Middle East didn't have to be far-sighted geniuses: it was a win/win proposition. As Sam Goldwyn said, I'm sick of the old clichés, bring me some new clichés. The old clichés - Pan-Arabism, Baathism, Islamism, Arafatism - brought us the sewer that led to September 11. The new clichés could hardly be worse. Even if the old thug-for-life had merely been replaced by a new thug-for-life, the latter would come to power in the wake of the cautionary tale of the former.
But some of us - notably US deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz - thought things would go a lot better than that. Wolfowitz was right, and so was Bush, and the Left, who were wrong about the Berlin Wall, were wrong again, the only difference being that this time they were joined in the dunce's corner of history by far too many British Tories. No surprise there. The EU's political establishment doesn't trust its own people, so why would they trust anybody else's? Bush trusts the American people, and he's happy to extend the same courtesy to the Iraqi people, the Syrian people, the Iranian people, etc.
What Full-Time Blogging Looks LikeJohn Hawkins, freed from wage slavery, is blogging up a storm at Right Wing News. Just keep scrolling; tons of intelligent content.
It's Another Selma!Whaddya know, this time it really is another Selma: This weekend in Selma, Ala., marchers will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in that city.And they'll have a pretty easy time of it; no firehoses or police dogs this year.
Aaron Scores!He gets an interview with Jeff Gannon! Great job, Aaron!
Caption Contest Here's an oddball photo to get your creative juices flowing.
Kerry's Foreign Leaders Identified?As a result of the National Bank robbery performed by the IRA, the government has taken the extraordinary step of naming three of the leaders of the terrorist/criminal gang: Gerry Adams, Martin McGuiness and Martin Ferris are members of the seven man ruling IRA Council. Interestingly, this finally gives us an identified foreign leader who met with John Kerry during the primaries:  Unfortunately for John Kerry, it's IRA terrorist leader Martin McGuiness. Hat Tip: Ipse Dixit
Monday, February 28, 2005
Lucianne.Com Donation Time! Lucianne One of my favorite posts at Kerry Haters during the election season was when I saw that Lucianne.Com, the indispensible political website, had asked its readers not to donate to the upkeep of that site, but to send more money to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. As you doubtlessly know, the Swiftees were in many ways the heroes of the 2004 election, and Lucianne's amazing website undeniably helped lift their boats a little higher. Well, it's time to donate to Lucianne.Com. Without Lucianne.com Kerry Haters and Brainster's would never have existed. There is no greater blog in the world than Lucianne; it is truly a unique and amazing place. As always, I pledge to you that I have donated myself when I ask you to donate to somebody else, (as I did with the Swiftees and John Thune last year at KH).
One of My Favorite Campaign Photos Just a phenomenal picture of Barbara.
IRA BloggingCasting about for a new topic now that the humongous Jeff Gannon experience appears to have run its course, given my family history, I thought I'd put up some posts on the Irish Republican Army, news of which seems to be heating up lately. Here's an article on the IRA as a criminal gang engaging in bank robbery. The IRA is no longer made up of volunteers dedicated to the "armed struggle" for a united Ireland but by criminals with their own specialties.
Alan McQuillan, head of the ARA, said the republicans' criminal talents were much more sophisticated than those of loyalist gangs.
"The loyalists are generally very much at the hard end -- drugs, extortion, local armed robberies, prostitution," he said. "Republicans have moved much more towards excise and revenue-type activities and a few big robberies." Here's a story on three sisters who defied the IRA when their brother was murdered in a pub brawl. And check out this courageous (and tart) comment by the Irish Deputy Prime Minister Mary Harney, when asked to acknowledge that Sinn Fein (the political wing of the IRA) rejected criminal activity: Harney replied: "I am certainly not going to engage in convenient fiction."
She said many members of Sinn Fein did not believe it was a crime to murder an Irish policeman or a mother;
"Yours is the only party in this house that can take away the guns, because nobody else has guns. It's in your hands. It's your decision."
Why Not Sununu?Pat Hynes has been busy. Over at Tech Central Station he suggests a dark horse for 2008.
Another Cool Newer BlogCheck out Neo-Neocon. He (DOH! Of course it should be "She") sent me an email a week or two ago with two suggested posts which didn't really fit my interests, but the writing was good enough that I made a mental note to check her blog a couple more times. Glad I did, because this post on intra-personal political change is very interesting. Something that I've been toying with is the idea of how to find good, smaller blogs, and introduce them to a wider audience. I did that over at KH periodically, but we had other fish to fry at the same time. I've been kicking a few ideas around; stay tuned for further developments. Neo-neocon is definitely one of those blogs that deserves a bigger readership.
Our Thoughts & Prayers Are With Lorie ByrdHer daughter is undergoing another surgery.
John Hawkins Takes the PlungeOne of my favorite bloggers has decided that it's time to go full-time at the blogging biz. John's a real professional at this game, one of the bloggers who makes me feel just a tad inadequate. Hat Tip: Kitty at Lifelike.
Rallying the Base, Turning Off the MiddleDean giving a speech in Kansas: "This is a struggle of good and evil. And we're the good."Hat Tip: Polipundit, via Kaus.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Misunderestimating DeanPat Hynes says it's impossible. Leave aside for a moment the fact that "say what you want about …" is political speak for, "look, I know the guy is a jackass, but …" "Misunderestimating" Dean would be impossible. He is a clown. Less than one month in office, he has already provided a lifetime worth of copy for right-of-center bloggers and interested journalists.Yep, I say he's going to be a disaster for the Democrats, but one they need to go through before they can purge themselves of the idiotic left wing bloggers who've taken over the party.
New & RecommendedCheck out Moonbattery. It's a newer blog, but it's got a nice style to it with lots of amusing and well-written posts. I love this one about another sob sister article on how mean we are to the terrorists at the Times. Well worth the click!
An Obvious ConservativeHeh, what else would you call somebody like this: : I voted for John Kerry, though reluctantly.
: I voted for Bill Clinton, eagerly.
: I am dying to vote for Hillary Clinton.
: I vote Democratic in local races in my corner of New Jersey, when they have the guts to run.
: I am pro-choice.
: I opposed the Bush tax cuts.
: I am against school vouchers.
: I am for gay marriage and quit the Presbyterian Church over its bigotry against gays.
: I am for universal health care.
: I fight for free speech in America and elsewhere.
: I wrote a cover story for The Nation.I don't particularly like Jarvis myself (for all those reasons and more), but it's amusing that the left is trying to drive him from the Democrats because he doesn't toe the party line on Iraq and Dean. As Mike G points out in the comments: These days, the Right is looking for converts. The Left is looking for heretics.
|
|
