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Co-founder of GraniteGrok, my concern is around Individual Liberty and Freedom and how the Government is taking that away. As an evangelical Christian and Conservative with small "L" libertarian leanings, my fight is with Progressives forcing a collectivized, secular humanistic future upon us. As a TEA Party activist, citizen journalist, and pundit!, my goal is to use the New Media to advance the radical notions of America's Founders back into our culture.

The sissy-fication of War in the West – Part 1

As promised, here is the update to my Post "The changing nature of war, or is the West just starting to catch up?"  Of course, timing is everything and as I was typing, FOX News just switched to the Kofi Annan news conference.  They are also showing film from Israel military sources showing Hezbullah shooting … Read more

The sissy-fication of War in the West – Part 2

Perhaps the length of time from my first Post until now (have been doing technical work [such as I can do it] on our new blog, GilfordGrok) has been helpful.

Have we become too civilized for the horrors of war? Have we become too timid and pacifistic to wage war or defend ourselves?

I now listen to and watch the commentary of the political elites over the the conflict of Israel and Hezbullah.  I do not hear calls for winning from those in the West; rather, I hear that only from those that would first destroy Israel, and then, the West.  From the West, I hear calls of an immediate cease fire, of cessation of hostilities, of laying down arms, of engaging only through diplomacy and talk. I do not hear calls for winning the battle and destroying the enemy.

What comes to mind is a episode from the original Star Trek series called "A Taste of Armageddon".   Being still of a young age when this first ran, I only understood the story line -the visited planet conducted war solely by computer simulation and "human" casualties had to report to disintegration chambers to die.  This allowed the infrastructure remained intact and life went on. When Captain Kirk destroyed the simulation computers (the Enterprise had become ensnared in this scheme), horror breaks out among the elite of that planet, decrying that real war will break out with real horror being meted out.  Unless of course, Captain Kirk points out, they really talk about and solve the real problems.

The overall point was that if one civilizes war too much the underlying causes will go unaddressed.  It becomes too easy to sweep things under the rug, keep ignoring the problems that pop up, and try to accept things as "that’s the way it is".   It becomes too easy to ignore reality and one will do anything to not upset the status quo.  In other words, settle for stability now and worry about real peace sometime later.  If ever.  Maybe the problems will go away on their own…..uh-huh.

Of the industrialized nations, the US spends more on its military than the next 20 countries combined.  We have capabilities that outshine the rest of the world and that gap is only growing.  While we are the lone superpower of the world, have we assumed the title of "cop of the world" as well?  And if so, why has this happened?  All I have to do is look at what the world is saying in the Israeli / Hezbullah conflict – Hey, US, put a stop to it?

My answer is – Hey, how about your turn?

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TGIF

THANK GOD ITS FRIDAY!!!!! Yup, it’s going to be one of those days……must smile, must chuckle…go ahead! (H/T: Karen)  

Air Taxi – Very Light Jets…..faster please!

          Small jet pix is from Eclipse, larger pix is from Honda (note where the engines are positioned!). I am recently retired as a Frequent Flyer….not that I dislike business travel (when held to a reasonable level) but because my job focus has changed.  However, I’ve had my fill of sitting around in airports … Read more

Discrimination works both ways

I was more than a little disturbed when I read this.  In my opinion, this is nothing more than trying to knuckle down a group that has done far more good "for the children" than not in all its years. (Full Disclosure: I was a Cub Scout for a number of years many years ago, but only stayed a year in the Boy Scouts – just didn’t like the guys in the troop).

Here’s the headline:

Diaz seeks ‘dialogue’ with Boy Scouts

The solicitor says his own homosexuality didn’t enter into the city’s effort to force the local chapter to denounce antigay bias.

City Solicitor Romulo L. Diaz Jr. said a recent push to force the Cradle of Liberty Boy Scouts Council to denounce the national organization’s antigay policy had nothing to do with his own homosexuality.

My problem right off the bat is that I doubt his words that it isn’t based on himself.  And I have a hard time with the phrasing of the tag line, where it tries to protray, automatically, that the Boy Scouts are in the wrong.  And, I believe this is certainly a case where he should be recusing himself because of his sexuality for a conflict of interest. Indeed, this phrase would be screamed out if a "traditionalist" with a chip on his shoulder was persuing a more progressive group. Frankly, this is nothing more than a blatant stab at once again forcing a political correctness mind set on a traditional morals based group that doesn’t want it.

"My own sexuality, my own sexual orientation, has never been hidden and never played into my decision," Diaz said in an interview yesterday with The Inquirer. "It has, perhaps, made me more sensitive to the issues."

"I’m trying to figure out what their policy means. Do they intend to discriminate against openly gay Boy Scouts?" he said.

Ya think? Just a little?  Again, a little "painting" of the issue going on here?  Contrast "…nothing to do with his own homosexuality…" and "….more sensitive to the issues." to "force the local chapter to denounce antigay bias".

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Don’t threaten what is one of my own…

  From Cox and Forkum  Israel pulled back from its south Lebanon buffer zone in 2000 that it had established after Hezbullah kept attacking its northern border, ostensibly trading….land for peace.  Israel pulled out of Gaza, giving in to demands to trade…..land for peace. Hamas from Gaza crosses the border to attack Israeli soldiers.  Hezbullah … Read more

Notable Quotes: Jonah Goldberg

No, Jonah is not of the same "famous" caliber as perhaps our other quoted folks…but I really the quote: "If religion is the opiate of the masses, then the United Nations is the opiate of the elites."  If you want to see what this quote is all about and wrap a contect around it, read … Read more

…are doomed to repeat it

(H/T): The Corner (National Review Online)

From JoshuaPundit:

Once, there was a small nation created by international consensus from the ashes of a world war. It included two main nationalities and it was the only free nation in the region, surrounded by larger neighbors who resented it and coveted its land, which they felt rightfully belonged to them. In spite of that, it was a prosperous and free republic, and its citizens enjoyed one of the highest living standards in that part of the world.

[snip]

The peace plan involved a trade of land for peace, with the former nationals of the larger nation to have an independent state on a large part of the small country`s land.

No one in the Quartet would have considered repatriating the natives of the larger nation back to their original home country, or giving them some of the larger nation`s territory to live on.

When the leaders and diplomats of the small nation protested at this one-sided settlement, they were bullied into acceptance with threats of withdrawal of all aid and military assistance by the very western allies they had counted on for support in preserving their freedom. Instead, they were offered guarantees for the security of their remaining territory.

They were likewise abandoned by the international body that had brought them into existence in the first place. They reluctantly accepted the Quartet`s diktat, counting on the guarantees they were given for their security and territorial integrity. Certain politicians in the small country were even happy at the settlement, since the "occupation" was ended and peace preserved. And the international community congratulated them on making sacrifices and bold moves for peace.

Things are not always what they seem, and history does repeat itself.  Are we willing to put aside Political Correctness, the ability to put aside the equivalence of "stability" for the word "peace"?  

Are we willing to stand up to extortion and blackmail?  I urge you to read the rest….more commentary will happen in a while….. 

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He really thinks OUR taxes are going to fund Mexican development?

Update 2: (7/26/06)

Well, since Carl decided to comment, I needed to do a little more homework… see the comments.  However, I decided to look at the Bill a little bit closer, and indeed, I found two things that allow politicians get off scot-free. See if you can spot them:

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of the Fund shall be–
    (1) to increase the economic competitiveness of North America in a global economy;
    (2) to reduce the income gap between Mexico and Canada, and between Mexico and the United States; and
    (3) to promote economic development in Mexico in the areas of infrastructure, education, technology, and job training.

and

SEC. 7. REPORT.

    Not later than 180 days after the date on which the Government of Mexico complies with the criteria described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 5(b), and once every 180 days after such date of compliance and before the finalization of the agreement described in section 2, the President shall submit a report to Congress detailing the progress made by the Government of the United States to establish the Fund in accordance with this Act.

Notice what is missing?  Accountability. 

This is a project – the Fund is supposed to straighten out Mexico (something it doesn’t seem to be able to do for itself).  But how is that to be measured?  Any project manager worth their salt knows that in order to be successful, you need deliverables on a milestone basis.

What this is setting up is that it can do anything, or nothing.  Sure, there is reporting – looks good on paper, doesn’t it?  The only accountability is setting the stupid thing up in the first place.  

Then what?  If the US gov’t, because of its size and special interests,  cannot get things right in a lot of areas, what gives anyone the idea that three countries (one of which is failing) will succeed?  Yes, NATO succeeds only because its mission is singular.  NO if you look at the UN, and the EU ain’t such a hot place economically or from a democratic standpoint either (ever notice that most of the EU ministers and minions are, for the most part, unelected?).

 

 

 

UPDATE 1: (7/26/06)

The Senate bill can be found here .

 ====================================

Sorry, I am in a real snarky mood today….and now Senator Cornyn (R-Texas) has the gall to try this:

Cornyn wants US taxpayers to fund Mexican development – North American Investment Fund" 

How would this be done?  Listen to his pitch:

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, has quietly introduced a bill to create a "North American Investment Fund" that would tap U.S. and Canadian taxpayers for the development of public works projects in Mexico.

Has all the oxygen gone out of the air in Washington!?!?!?!

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The changing nature of war, or is the West only just starting to catch up?

The kind of war that most of us remember, and that most history books contain, are wars against nations. Armies, navies, air forces – all are the forces of nation-states use to either conquer other nations (re: Iraq taking over Kuwait) or to protect its citizenry (e.g., America after being attacked by Japan in WW II). This is familiar and wars of these nature are “normal”.

The attack by Hamas on Israeli forces, citizens, and land (after evacuating from the Gaza strip in a failed show of trading land for Peace) and then by Hezbullah in the north shows a different type of war…one that the West is almost helpless to wage. It is not the case that the West lacks the military forces; rather, it is the lack of a legal or ethical foundation on which to wage war effectively when at least one side refuses to fight “by the rules”. We are ill equipped to handle a conflict where the other side embeds its forces and logistics within the civilian population. Why is this? There are two reasons.

Let us discuss the first.  How do you wage war by rules that the other side not only ignores, but glorifies in breaking those rules?  How do you fight when hamstrung by guidelines that seem to be no longer valued by both sides (for without both sides honoring them, they aren’t worth the paper on which they are written) ?

An example is this: we hear so much that we must abide by the Geneva Convention so that when our prisoners are captured, they will be well treated.  Can someone tell me, with a straight face, when our folks were treated well?  Seems to me that the Islamofacists seem to enjoy separating heads from necks with long knives (no matter if their captive is military or civilian).  They flaunt their disregard for conventions.  Our response?  The Supreme Court (the Hamdan decision): makes it encumbent upon our military and legal systems to treat these non-state combantants as if they were members of a nation-state that was a signatory to the Conventions when no such agreement with that Convention exists. 

Gee, do we have to continue to make it harder to effectively defend ourselves? 

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Yes, it is all about the children

Red State has a little something that shows what the NEA is doing to enhance the education of our children: Thanks to Jason Riley of the Wall Street Journal, who noted in the Political Diary last Friday the NEA’s Legislative Program for the next (110th) Congress. As we noted a few days ago, according to … Read more

Here’s the difference

Sure, I can pile on!  From CNN this morning, the Bush Administration announces a new push for school vouchers: Congressional Republicans on Tuesday proposed a $100 million plan to let poor children leave struggling schools and attend private schools at public expense.  Face it, there are schools, mostly in poor areas (or simply poorly managed … Read more

Praying to be overturned

I really hope this is brought to the Supremes and is overturned quickly, for if it is not, we are ALL in big trouble.  Right now, the Ninth Circuit Court has handed down a ruling that will start / allow affirmative action in terms of limiting free speech.  From TCS Daily is this:

Recently, in a 2-1 decision, a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals handed down a decision which may provide a foundation for applying preferential treatment to freedom of speech. If allowed to stand, the decision could authorize local governments to set varying limits to free expression, depending on the race, religion, or sexual orientation of the listener. Preferential treatment has proved one of the most divisive policies of modern America. The Ninth Circuit’s decision could radically expand its scope.

Big, big mistake.  Where in the First Amendment are these criteria listed?  You think the PC crowd gets their knickers in a knot about those of us who, while trying to be polite, don’t care if we tick off our listeners or readers?  This could shut us bloggers down rather quickly. 

 Harper v. Poway Unified School District grew out of a decision by a San Diego area high school to hold a "Day of Silence" to "teach tolerance of others, particularly those of a different sexual orientation" (in the words of its Assistant Principal). Participating students wore duct tape over their mouths to symbolize the silencing effect of intolerance. Others wore black T-shirts bearing a purple square and a yellow equal sign. The Gay-Straight Alliance, with the school’s permission, put posters "promoting awareness of harassment on the basis of sexual orientation."

No, this is not teaching tolerance – this avenue leads to demanding acceptance. 

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Notable Quotes: Benjamin Franklin

In this day and age, we often see the quote as: "Those who give up liberties for safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." when the real quote is:  "Those who give up essential liberties for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." – Benjamin Franklin My question is: what are these essential liberties as far … Read more

A case for theology

In the NRO Online forum, Kathryn Jean Lopez made this observation:

Chuck Schumer on the Senate floor earlier today: “There is a group of people in America of deep faith. I respect that faith. I’ve been in enough inner city black churches, working-class Catholic parishes, rural Methodist houses of worship, small Jewish synagogues to understand that faith is a gift. The trouble with this group, which I call the theocrats, is they want their faith to dictate what the government does. That, in a word, Mr. President, is un-American. This exactly what the founding fathers put down their plows and took up muskets to fight.”

As usual, the liberal Sr. Senator (D-NY) is wrong.  Isn’t it just lovely how he insults people of faith that he first says have a gift, and then turns around and calls them un-American?  And he’s wrong as to the founding fathers as well. 

Regardless of what his definitions are, a theocrat (a ruler of a theocracy) can only exist where there is a theocracy which is either (1: a political unit governed by a deity (or by officials thought to be divinely guided) 2: the belief in government by divine guidance – Wikipedia).  In fact, the Founding Fathers all pretty much thanked God for what they were about to do and thanked Him for the strength to do so.  As far as I am concerned, this is another case of another person trying to make political points by redefining words and mangling history.  Yet Senator Schumer prattles along, knowing that no on is going to challenge him on his grasp (or lack thereof) of American history.  After all, who are we to correct him?
 

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So much for so little

And for the general consumer, there is now this for hard disk space….2 terabytes (2,000 gigabytes).  Not so long ago, only huge corporations could afford the purchase and maintenance costs.  Now, a regular guy who is into movies could get one of these.   I go back a ways – I started with computers with … Read more

This looks encouraging

From TreeHugger comes this report: Thanks to a merger, a New Jersey company hopes to be able to provide solar power at prices competitive with traditional electricity without relying on rebates. WorldWater & Power intends to acquire Entech, a manufacturer of concentrating solar photovoltaic technology. Entech has developed concentrator solar power systems, supplied solar power … Read more

Those pesky American Engineers…..

Three guys – a farmer, Osama bin Laden, and an American engineer are together one day.  They come across a lantern and a genie pops out of it. "I will give each of you one wish, which is three wishes total" says the genie. The farmer says, "I am a farmer, my dad was a … Read more

The Vatican has it wrong

Update 1:

The Pope has spoken out on the situation (from Reuters again):

July 17, 2006 — INTROD, Italy – Pope Benedict yesterday condemned Hezbollah’s "terrorist acts" and Israel’s "reprisals," calling the cross-border violence unjustifiable.

In his first public comments on the crisis, he said the violations at its root cannot be used to sanction bloodshed. He called for a resumption of dialogue.

"The causes of such fierce confrontation are, unfortunately, objective situations of violation of law and justice," the pope said from his holiday retreat in the Aosta Valley.

 In my eyes, this is still only 1/2 right.  Hezbollah (or however one wishes to spell it) started this current instance.  Israel, in the past, has ignored most of the past infractions, but has finally (and rightfully) decided to protect its citizens.

There are a number of commenters out in the ‘Sphere that has said the same thing so I will apply it here.  What if it was the case that Italy had entered the Vatican and kidnapped a couple of the Swiss Guards?  What if Italy was lobbing shells or rockets into the Vatican proper?

And if the Vatican had been been under attack for the last 60 years?

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Then what are all those blue helmets doing that are already there?

UN chief  appeals to Israel and Hexbollah to focus their targets narrowly, to spare civilian lives.

Does anyone else see what’s wrong with this picture?  Isn’t Hezbollah known for shooting off records heading into Israeli civilian area? 

Now the UN is trying to get into the act over at the Israeli – Lebanon border.  From this report (H/T: Lucienne.com) at the Middle East Online, Secretary General Annan is trying to get a peace keeping force in there:

UN chief Kofi Annan called Monday for an end to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in order to buy time to put a well-armed "stabilisation force" along the Lebanon-Israel border.

Problem is, they are already there.  So what have they done to help "calm the waters" so far?

The United Nations has a monitoring force on the Lebanese-Israeli border known as UNIFIL, which was set up in March 1978 to oversee an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon that finally only took place 22 years later.

It is made up of 2,000 soldiers and 500 civilians mandated to supervise a ceasefire on the border but is largely powerless. Its mandate, renewed every six months by the Security Council, next expires on July 31

Nothing.  But wait, there’s more!

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