Life Is Hard...

A Note On The Progress Of The War

So many reporters are talking about what hasn't happened (the fall of Bagdahd, the popular uprising, etc.), that I think we've lost sight of what has happened. Namely, that the Coalition has possesion of the oil fields, (and they are not burning), that scud attacks on Israel have been prevented, and the effective blocking of attacks on Kuwait City.

Also, a thought on troop deployments. I remember reading some speculation about whether the U.S. was keeping significant forces out at sea, in the case that Saddam had chosen to use WMD in the early stages of this war. My point being, that I don't lend much credence to reports that we don't have enough combat troops in the theatre. At least not yet.

One final thought. The first humanitarian relief ship, Sir Galahad, has docked. But where are the rest? I haven't heard peep out of the press about this. What is the status of the humanitarian relief process?

Know Thy Enemy

Various news outlets are reporting that the main square in the Jenin (remember Jenin?) refugee camp has been renamed in honor of Mohammed Nuamani, an Iraqi terrorist who blew up his taxicab at a US checkpoint south of Baghdad, killing four US soldiers.

Hold Him To It

Discredited reporter Peter Arnett has opened his mouth on Iraqi TV to declare that the Coalition has blundered, the Iraqi's will fight to the last man, and the war plan is a mess. Yeah right.

My personal prediction, already noted on this page, is that Saddam Hussien will be out of power by April 30th. I would also add that I believe all of the major battles will be complete by that date. Mop-up operations will be all that is left, similar to what is happening in Afghanistan.

Time will tell. But if Peter Arnett is wrong and I am right, may I calmly suggest that he be added to the trash heap of history, and that Matt Crandall be granted the status of Star Reporter?

Makes You Proud To Be An American

We play fair.

What Are Sand Storms Good For?

Extinguishing oil fires, for one thing.

Style Over Substance at the NY Times

"Boris Johnson (UK MP) wrote for the New York Times, which found some of his words unfit to print."

Excerpt from the Article:

...I started to get a floaty, out-of-body sensation when he [the editor] said that he had made a change to a sentence about donations of US overseas aid to key members of the UN Security Council. I had said something to the effect that you don’t make international law by giving new squash courts to the President of Guinea. This now read ‘the President of Chile’. Come again? I said. Qué?

‘Uh, Boris,’ said Tobin [the editor], ‘it’s just easier in principle if we don’t say anything deprecatory about a black African country, and since Guinea and Chile are both members of the UN Security Council, and since it doesn’t affect your point, we would like to say Chile.’

... How craven and mealy-mouthed can you get?

Boris, Boris, how little you know about the grey lady!

My Analysis of War Casualties

Let me preface this by saying that I view the death of each and every U.S. soldier as a tragedy. But I think some context is needed, too.

This war is six days old. Since the war began, there have been twenty U.S. soldiers killed, and fourteen captured or missing in action.

During that same time, nationwide: (*)

...More than 600 hundred people were killed in automobile accidents.

...More than 1,000 people were killed in other accidents.

...More than 320 people were murdered.

...More than 480 people committed suicide.

...More than 65 people were killed by chronic asthma.

...More than 195 people were killed by chronic alcoholism.

Frankly, considering what it is that we are trying to do, our current casualty rate is amazingly small. I am afraid that it will be growing soon.

(*) All statistics were extracted from the CDC report, "Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2001."

Don't Worry, We'll Find It

It annoys me immensely that certain members of the press are already asking
hostile questions about why we haven't yet found WMD in Iraq.

The U.N. Inspectors were given 8+ years to uncover Iraq's WMD infrastructure.
Perhaps we can give the U.S. Military more than a week?

Ye Olde Double Standard

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

"The city [Euclid] hemorrhages white people, while African-Americans increasingly find Euclid an accessible refuge from Cleveland and other places. The city has lost 25 percent of its white population in the past decade. If another 25 percent flee in this decade, the city will go to seed within a generation."

Does this even need further explanation? Clearly, the author implies that an all-black community has no future.

Dictionary.com says:

Idiom: go/run to seed
1. To pass into the seed-bearing stage.
2. To become weak or devitalized; deteriorate: The old neighborhood has gone to seed.

So, is this the rambling of a racist lunatic? Should we call Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and stage a protest or a sit in? Does someone need to be Trent-Lottified?

Nope. The author, Phillip Morris, is an African-American.

And for the record, I find it insulting and dehumanizing to imply that any community would "go to seed", because of nothing more than its racial diversity, or lack thereof.

Winning And Losing

From Fox News Watch:

Steve Ende, from Flushing, N.Y., makes another point worth considering. Ende believes the "liberal news media" began slanting their coverage even before the fighting began. How? "By rigging the scorecard by which success will be judged," says Ende.

He then goes on to list 10 criteria he believes have been imposed on the war effort by the media. Among them are the following:

— The war must end in about a week, 10 days at the most.

— There must be minimal, if any, U.S. casualties.

— No "innocent" Iraqi citizens can be killed in the process.

— No Iraqi schools, mosques or hospitals can be damaged.

— Our troops should be welcomed by American flag-waving Iraqis.

— We must find weapons of mass destruction.

— We must kill or capture Saddam Hussein and his sons.

— There can be no oil well fires or other environmental disasters.

Of course, for Iraq to win-- or more correctly, for Saddam to win, all he has to do is hold on to power. It doesn't matter how many Iraqi citizens that might die, or how many more kurds that might be gassed, or how many more Shia's are tortured.... all Saddam needs is to continue in his Strongman role.

Nice.

So what's my definition of Victory for the United States? The death of all who would do us deadly harm.

Boo's Little Flower

If you look close, you can see two more little ones growing up.

War Protestors Are Cowards

Instapundit and others have provided excellent coverage of the depravity of the war protestors, but I feel the need to add my two cents: War protestors are cowards.

At least the "human shields", misguided as they are, have the courage to go to Iraq and stand in harms way. But the war protestors? They are just a pitiful procession of emtpy-minded, blank-staring schmucks, who are so amazingly couragous, that they bravely wrote some inanity on a piece of cardboard and stood in a street, in the most liberal cities of a free country.

Bravo.

Enough Already!

If I hear the words 'Shock and Awe" one more time, I think I'm going to scream.

Mom Predicts: War Will Start Tomorrow

I didn't disagree. I guess we'll see.

Nothing New Under The Sun

Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation srikes its jarring gong-- these are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history.

-Winston Churchill

Al Qaeda Kurds: Not For Long?

This article addresses an issue that was raised by Monsier M about a group of Kurds who had links to Al Qaeda. Here is a good quote:

The Halabja Valley, ... close to the mountainous border with Iran ... just inside Iraq had been taken over by radical Islamic Kurds, the Ansar al-Islam, who fielded an estimated 900 fighters and regarded the two secular Kurdish organizations who run the rest of northern Iraq as their enemies."

and also this:

Now, as a U.S. invasion force gathers to fight a war against Iraq, Kurdish officials say the Ansar enclave will be destroyed as part of the larger conflict.

"The situation is ideal for destroying them and capturing them," said Sheik Jafar, commander of the U.S.-allied Kurdish militia arrayed opposite the enclave.

In anticipation, civilians have begun moving out of the Halabja Valley, saying they fear the bombs and missiles they expect U.S. warplanes to aim at the enclave. The Arabs are staying behind and building bunkers, they say.

It's Going to be a Cold Spring

According to this Reuters story, this is the first time in a decade that Lake Erie, Lake Superior, and Lake Huron have all frozen over. Apparently, Lake Superior is about the same size as Austria! I didn't relize that Austria was that small. ;-) Anyway, the resulting "icebergs" could last throughout April. I can only imagine that this will tilt the scales in favor of a cold Spring.

Facts About Fast Food

McDonald's

Order a Big Mac, Large Fries, and Large Coke and you'll get 60 grams of fat. But, you'll also get 201 grams of carbohydrates! That's three times as many grams!

Okay, now order a simple Hamburger, Small Fries and Small Coke. Now you have 20 grams of fat and 81 grams of carbs. Whoa, that's four times as many grams!

The fast food generation may be eating more fat than any other generation, but they are also eating even more carbs, too.

Attention Adelphia: Get A Clue!

If you go here, you get to see this:

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I ask you, do these people look like they are watching Cable TV?

Saddam Sanity-Check and Other Interesting Things

More evidence of Saddam's Narcissism?
http://www.tnr.com/etc.mhtml?pid=236

Has George Bush ( the pre-9/11 isolationist ) really morphed into a Yankee Imperialist?
http://www.samizdata.net/blog/archives/003111.html#003111

Bush: Sincerity = A+, Eloquence = B

President Bush struck me as earnest and deadly serious in his press conference tonight. I loved his response to the question about dissenters in the United States. Ie., that in the United States people are free to disagree, but in Iraq all dissent is crushed.

Fred Saves The Day

Forget about Fitness Freddy, now we have FEMA Freddy! Complete with High Fives for everybody at the end! What a laugh.

From The "I'm Getting Old" Dept.

Last night Laura and I were grocery shopping and I saw THIS on the shelf.

Self-promoting music CD's packaged inside of cereal boxes!? How much do you want to bet that one of the songs is about how Buzz Lightyear starts every morning with a healthy helping of Buzz Blasts for breakfast?

Heh. All I can say is, Don't forget to drink your Ovaltine!

Tired of Cleveland Weather?

Then maybe it's time to move.

Heh!

French Military Advisers Arrive In Iraq

... Or so it would appear, since Iraqi troops are already surrendering!

Rally for America, Cleveland Style

I took these pictures at the Rally for America that was held in Cleveland today at high noon. Inspite of the weather (it was near freezing, windy, and snowing), an overflow crowd of about 10,000 people showed up to chant, sing, and show support for our troops. The rally was organized at the impetus of Glenn Beck, who I was just barely able to catch in one of my pictures. The crowd was packed so tight that I could not get to the front of the stage!

There were some great posters that I didn't catch on camera either, including one that said "War is Terrible, but so is Sheryl Crow."

Perfect.