Have I mentioned this Iraqi blog? All kinds of good stuff if you want a feel from an Iraqi who is very glad America is there. 2Slick (who is back home btw!!!!!) mentioned him first. His blog was called "Liberal Iraqi." Which he meant to mean a free Iraqi, so since liberal has a different meaning here he has changed it to....Free Iraqi!

This is the New York Times article about him.

This is what he said about what the NY Times article said about him.

Chrenkoff gives us why we might feel a need to get the story from Iraq straight from an Iraqi.

Speaking of 2Slick, since he has been back people have been asking him what about Fallujah? To which he says this:

"To everybody who's been asking me about what's happening in Fallujah: It should be obvious. You're not hearing anything about it on the MSM. Draw your own conclusions. Remember when Najaf was the hottest topic of the day? Whatever happened to Najaf?"

I guess no news is good news? Welcome back 2Slick. Glad your home safe and sound!

Have yall seen this post over at Blackfive? It shows a photo from Yahoo News of soldiers talking to Kerry in Iraq on Jan. 5th. The woman soldier (Specialist Lacourse) in the middle of the photo is sending the POW hand signal for coercion....LOL!!!

Even funnier...this short video. If only it could always happen that way. via Blackfive.


Iraqi elections will proceed as planned. We will not back down in the face of monsters who seek to kill and destroy democracy.
To the soldiers who stand ready for this leap into freedom for the Iraqi people, God be with you. God be with those who brave their own safety to vote.

Imagine. We here in the U.S. just voted and our biggest fear were long lines. We never feared suicide bombers or kidnappings. There is no doubt that our cultures differ, but just as the yearning for our voices to be heard is the same, the taste of freedom for the Iraqi people will taste as sweet to them as it does to us.

A great moment. Sometimes the fight is worth it. We won. And the world won as well.  

"A fiery warning for the world Bush begins second term with pledge to end ' tyranny in our world'."

This is how The Guardian posts it's story on Bush's speech. Think about it.

"We are WARNING you! Freedom is coming, don't say we didn't WARN you because we did! So BE WARNED! You may just experience freedom in your lifetime. THIS IS A WARNING!!!!!"

The New York Times complains :
The President's Speech Focuses on Ideals, Not the Details

I suppose a long drawn out speech giving details that have to be worked out through Congress through compromise and such would have been thrilling I am sure. THEN the New York Times would have loved it, right?


The New York Times gives us this regarding the protestors:

"We think this is a significant achievement for the antiwar movement," said Brian Becker, national coordinator of a protest coalition called Act Now to Stop the War and End Racism, or Answer. "We have bleachers, a stage, a sound system, and we're right along the parade route. We feel we have succeeded."
Never before had the Park Service granted a protest group dedicated space for the inaugural parade, organizers said, and Mr. Becker's coalition filled it with thousands of people who were as close to Mr. Bush as those who came to cheer him.

Interesting, wouldn't you say? That this President is so confident with himself that he had no problem with protesters being along the parade route FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. You see, this President is all about freedom. Even for those who disagree with him. The article says he and Laura Bush even waved at them as they passed by.

There were 13 arrests Thurs. night. The most interesting being a woman on Pennsylvania Ave nude but for red,white, and blue panties. Considering it was freakin freezing out there as well, I'm putting this one in the true nut category. The police had to use pepper spray to keep several demonstrators back from the barricades as well. But considering the seething hate among them, things went pretty well.

Slate gives us this sarcastic article: "Bush 2.0 His Latest Mission From God: Democracy."

Perhaps Slate should take a look at past inaugural speeches and see if there are references to God and such. They might be surprised. In fact, the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. might send them into a tailspin since Dr. King made it clear that God required equality and freedom for all people regardless of race. Do you think if Slate had been around back in the 60's that they would have had this sarcastic headline?

"King: His Latest Mission From God. Equality of the races."

Hmmmm???

Ah well, here is a quote to remember as we read these things:

Ignorant men don't know what good they hold in their hands until they've flung it away.
Sophocles (496 BC - 406 BC)


The ending of Bush's speech was stirring however and reminded me of this quote:

"Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace."
Amelia Earhart (1897 - 1937), Courage, 1927


President George W. Bush:

"When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, "It rang as if it meant something." In our time it means something still. America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world, and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength tested, but not weary we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.
May God bless you, and may He watch over the United States of America."

We are ready Mr. President.

No blogging today. Kids sick. Guess I will be watching The Inaugural (Yay!) while making chicken soup and giving medicine.

Such is my life.

I'm just grateful to be able to do it.

While running on my treadmill this morning I watched the rerun of the 2004 MTV video awards. The entire show was a please go vote fest. P. Diddy showed up every 10 minutes or so reminding everyone to 'Vote or Die.' People in the audience were given t-shirts with the 'Vote or Die' slogan printed on them. People were holding signs that said "Choose or Lose." They tried really hard not to say anything overtly partisan, but when some of the music stars say things like "we need a change," it isn't hard to figure out which side of the ailse they come down on. When John Mellencamp begs you to vote, you KNOW who he wants you to vote for since he did performances for Kerry, for heaven's sake. You especially know if you saw or heard any of the interviews P.Diddy or Russell Simmons (Hip Hop mogul) gave during the Democratic convention.

If you have ever seen Simmon's house on MTV's 'Cribs,' then you know he has more money than God. I have NEVER seen such a house. Not even the multi millionare sports stars have nothing close. Finally at the end of the program during OutKast's song, they have dancers dressed up like normal people going into 'voting booths' on stage while red, white, and blue balloons come down like they do at conventions.

It gave me great satisfaction watching the show to know that all that money, fame, stardom, and media attention did not buy this election. All that star power, all that money, all that push from the richest well known music industry giants couldn't sway the American people.

That just ROCKS! (pardon the pun)

This is what you get when anything goes. When you don't draw a line about what is decent, then that line gets crossed, even by things liberals hate as much as we do. via Six Meat Buffet.

Well that's too bad, you pervert.

"the president has said no taxpayer money will be involved in financing the lavish festivities celebrating his second inauguration this week, including a parade, candlelight dinners and nine inaugural balls."via Reuters

So the liberals say big corporations with lobbying interest pay. But if the taxpayers funded it, then they would howl as well. There is no way to win.


" A leading U.S. hurricane researcher at NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Dr. Chris Landsea, has resigned from the United Nation's International Panel on Climate Change. The reason: To protest the personal leanings of an IPCC lead author on the subject of climate and hurricanes.
That is no small matter. The IPCC is widely considered by the world's governments to be the most authoritative source for what we know about global warming. It periodically produces reports on the sate of the science of global warming, and is currently working on its Fourth Assessment Report." via Tech Central Station

Can we get politics and agendas out of global warming studies so we can maybe TRUST them???

During the first Inaugural of President Bush most conservatives were just relieved to be rid of Clinton at last. But Texans were ecstatic!!!! Not only did we suffer so during the Clinton years but we had to suffer through Texas Governor Ann Richards as well. When George Bush decided to run against Richards no one thought he could win. I didn't think he could win. Richards was very popular, extremely funny, and witty. But policy wise, she was a classic left wing liberal. Wrong on everything.

I am not a bumper sticker kind of girl. I don't like them on my car. But I put those Bush stickers all over my mini van. I did what I could for the campaign ( I had 3 little ones at the time) and I told whoever would listen to vote for Bush. It was a nasty and dirty fight and the night Bush won was almost as sweet as when he later won the Presidency. The next day I made a poster that said "There is a God, George won!!" and taped it to the back window of my van. SOOOOO unlike me. But I was so happy.

The Clinton years had depressed me. It made me realize that Americans could be charmed away from the real issues. It made me realize what a visual star quality Americans liked now and the issues, they felt, never really changed much. And sometimes it seems that way. But changes do take place, just at a very slow pace. The democrats were very good at increasing taxes slowly and in different ways, where many Americans didn't realize how much of their paycheck was flying out the door to the government. Reagan shook us awake on that one. But it took his star quality to get there as well.

Bush had something more than star quality though. Bush had been a regular guy. Liberals like to paint him as part of American royalty like the Kennedys, but it was so different for Bush. Growing up in Midland Texas no one gets the feeling that your a part of royalty even if your dad is in the Senate. I'll tell a personal story that I think reveals a lot about Bush. The year before Bush ran for Governor I was driving over with my best friend to her mom's house who happened to live in the same neighborhood as Bush. The houses are expensive in this area. But not because of how big or plush they are, they look like normal middle class homes, but because of the location the land is very expensive. We passed by Bush's home and my friend said. "You know what is interesting? My mom says she sees George Bush mowing his lawn. You would think the son of a former President would hire someone to do that." Right then I was impressed with that simple thing that all of us do. Mow our lawn. I am sure Bush could have afforded it, but that is the kind of guy he is. His home in Crawford is big but I have seen pictures of the inside, and you can tell from the outside, it is not fancy or over adorned. It looks like a home you or I might have. No one can ever accuse Bush of being aloof or elite, no matter how much money he has. Part of the reason I think he won is that people sensed that he was more like us (certainly more than Kerry) and his down to earth quality was real.

So I watched every single part of Bush's first Inaugural. But his Inaugural address impressed me so much I kept a copy of it in my hope chest.
Here are my two favorite excerpts.

"...The stakes for America are never small. If our country does not lead the cause of freedom, it will not be led. If we do not turn the hearts of children toward knowledge and character, we will lose their gifts and undermine their idealism. If we permit our economy to drift and decline, the vulnerable will suffer most."

The "cause of freedom" now seem prophetic. At last the conversation is at least being discussed regarding the hearts and character of our children. And Bush did pull us out of recession that threatened our economy and considering what happened 8 months after he took office, it is a miracle that it was achieved.

But the quote Bush sited towards the end of his speech and then referred to at the end is the one that touched my heart. First Bush said:

"After the Declaration Of Independence was signed, Virginia statesman John Page wrote to Thomas Jefferson: "We know the race is not to the swift nor the Battle to the Strong. Do you not think an Angel rides in the Whirlwind and directs this Storm?"

And then a few paragraphs later Bush ended with this:

We are not this story's author who fills time and eternity with his purpose. Yet his purpose is achieved in our duty; and our duty is fulfilled in service to one another.

Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today: to make our country more just and generous; to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.

The work continues. This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm."


Beautiful.

P.J. O'Rourke gives us a different inaugural address Bush might give. And I love it!

Here are excerpts from it:

MY FELLOW AMERICANS, I had intended to reach out to all of you and bring a divided nation together. But I changed my mind. America isn't divided by political ethos or ethnic origin. America isn't divided by region or religion. America is divided by jerks. Who wants to bring a bunch of jerks together with the rest of us? Let them stew in Berkeley, Boston, and Ann Arbor.

We are all sinners. But jerks revel in their sins. You can tell by their reaction to the Ten Commandments. Post those Ten Commandments in a courthouse or a statehouse, in a public school or a public park, and the jerks go crazy. Why is that? Christians believe in the Ten Commandments. So do Muslims. Jews, too, obviously. Show the Ten Commandments to Hindus, Buddhists, Confucians, or to people with just good will and common sense and nobody says, "Whoa! That's all wrong!"

But jerks take issue with every one of the Ten Commandments. Jerks are particularly offended by the first two Commandments. Of course people of faith, decent people, differ on interpretations of the first two Commandments.

"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." How many times, over the last few months, have we heard, "Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod, I can't believe George Bush won"?

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Let's be fair about this. We did see a lot of white, non-Hispanic Democrats in churches in 2004. But they were all running for president. And the churches were inner-city black churches. I happen to know that there are churches in the white, non-Hispanic suburbs where these Democrats live. Apparently jerks can't find them.

"Thou shalt not kill." Why, in the opinion of jerks, is it wrong to kill a baby but all right to kill a baby that's so little he hasn't been born yet? And why do the same jerks who favor abortion oppose the death penalty? We can imagine people so full of loving kindness that they can accept neither the abortionist nor the executioner. We can even imagine people so cold-hearted that they embrace them both. But it takes a real jerk to argue in favor of killing perfect innocents and letting Terry Nichols live.

"Thou shalt not commit adultery." The jerks have begun praising marriage lately. But only if the bride and groom each have a beard.

Read the whole thing here.

You know this is a funny way of looking at the real problem of the democrats. They would do well to take a close look at it.

Bad news for liberals, good news for everyone else.

"the mostly American liberation of Iraq dropped the rate of violent deaths from 50,000 a year under Saddam Hussein to 6,825 a year with the Americans in Baghdad. What Kennedy has labeled as American “savagery” has REDUCED deaths from violence in Iraq by 87%." via The Conservative Voice. H/T Beautiful Atrocities

What I would have said If I were Dr. Rice.

After Barbara Boxer's political hate speech, which I have to say didn't surprise me, Dr. Rice handled herself as the lady and statesman that she is.
I am a lady as well, but I might have answered a little differently. This is how I would have handled Boxer's opening 'statement.'

Dr Rice:

I would like to say first that it is very easy to go through a public political figure's interviews and pull out of context sentences said over the years of such interviews. I am sure that if we went through your interviews Ms. Boxer we could find some contradictions even more glaring.

First I would say that to take a quote from me regarding the horrible tragedy of the Tsunami and imply that I saw that as some sort of a gift to us in able to make the United States look good is both despicable and irresponsible to say the least. To begin with that tsunami quote taken out of context in order to paint a certain picture of me shows your personal feelings towards me instead of the professionalism that should be shown during this hearings. It shows your political bias, your hatred of this administration, and your unwillingness to even show decorum when it comes to hearings that are given in order to confirm nominees. It is not a political soapbox where you can show off your posters and 'outrage' over things that have been discussed and answered in the public arena over and over.

I do not claim to be perfect. But at least I know that I am not a bitter, pitiful, and hateful soul that enjoys political theatre to the point where I will try and discredit a person who has shown nothing but honor and respect for this country.

As far as the war and WMD's and posters and the out of context quotes, I am hoping that the question and answer sessions will give Dr. Rice the opportunity to answer them fully (once again). Her short response to those things was well stated and she handled herself much better than I could ever have hoped to myself in the face of such hate.

To read the transcript of the opening remarks go here.

As you can see I have a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Under my blog name. I think I chose it because I feel that there should be something in every one's life that they feel passionate about. Something bigger than ourselves. Before blogging I was an avid writer of letter to the editors of newspaper and magazines. I also had an occasional article. The following was published in the Fort Worth Star Telegram in January of 1994. I repeat it here in honor of Dr. King.

In 1971 I was in the fifth grade in Jackson, Mississippi. Busing had just begun in order to help integrate the schools and I was bused to a formerly all-black elementary school across town. My best friend was a little girl named Sondra. I was white; she was black. I was well off; she was poor. She had seen a lot of abuse in her short life; I had seen none. But I loved her with a fierceness that only 10 year girls know.

One day, another little black girl whom I didn't know stabbed me with a pencil in the hallway. I told Sondra, and she wasted no time finding that girl on the playground. The girl told Sondra that she didn't like me or my blond hair and that I must think I was really something.

I remember Sondra saying, "No, no, she's not like that. She doesn't care if we're n*ggers."

I grew up in a time when that word was used freely and often to describe blacks, but I remember being shocked that Sondra would describe herself that way. I've always had a lot of self confidence. But Sondra was the strongest person I knew. It made me feel bad that she used that word.

Like most little girls, Sondra and I talked on the phone for hours, but we were never allowed to play at each other's house. It is sad to think that my best friend in the fifth grade never "slept over," never played with my dolls, never played dress up with me. We accepted it though. It was just the way things were.

Sondra and I went to different schools after that year, and I didn't see her again until four years later, when my 9th grade basketball team played her team. We were sitting across the gym from each other before the game. I heard someone scream out my name. I looked up and screamed her name, and we ran across the gym and hugged and danced around as only 14 year old girls can do. I'll bet we were quite a sight in the middle of the gym floor.

Sondra had grown about a foot, and here I was, this little bitty blonde thing being hugged to death by this tall, tough-looking black girl. I don't remember who won the game, but we grinned at each other the whole time.

We got caught up on each other after the game, talking for an hour making our parents wait for us. But in 9th grade your world revolves around your school and friends. We exchanged numbers but we never talked again.

I often wonder what happened to Sondra. I wonder if she pulled herself out of poverty. What kind of life did she make for herself? But, most of all, I wonder if she has a little girl like mine, a little girl who would never think twice about asking another little girl of a different color over to her house to play with her dolls or play dress up.

If that isn't a little of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream come true, I don't know what is.

I haven't blogged on the whole Rathergate Scandal because everyone else was doing a fine job at it. But as usual, the one I wish was my best friend, says it best; Peggy Noonan. Read the whole thing, but this was my favorite part:

"You can complain now, and your complaints can both register and have an impact on the story, as happened with bloggers and Rathergate. You can be a part of the story if you find and uncover new information. You can create the story, as bloggers did in the Trent Lott scandal. American journalism is no longer a castle, and you are no longer the serf who cannot breach its walls. The castle doors have been forced open. Other voices have access. Bloggers for instance don't just walk in and out, they have offices in the castle walls.

Is there a difference between the bloggers and the MSM journalists? Yes. But it is not that they are untrained eccentrics home in their pajamas. (Half the writers for the Sunday New York Times are eccentrics home in their pajamas.) It is that they are independent and allowed to think their own thoughts. It is that they have autonomy and can assign themselves stories, and determine on their own the length and placement of stories. And it is that they are by and large as individuals more interesting than most MSM reporters."

BLOGGERS RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since in the previous commenters section I admonished those about the UN's way of preventing disease and pregnancy, I found an excellent post that reveals a bit of what we have lost in our search of sex without consequences, pleasure without responsibility, and the purpose and gift of sex to begin with. Read Here. (I can't get the trackback to work on the actual post, so scroll down to the Jan. 14th post (2nd one down now)

If you're smart and do not believe in God, this is excellent. (also can't trackback it, scroll down to the Jan. 10th post. It is right below the 14th one...Sorry!)
*Warning* you must be somewhat smart to read it....;-) In full disclosure, I needed to read it twice. But it was worth it.

Thanks to Jay for pointing out the link failure for me!

Here is an excerpt:

"When people choose to be skeptical about God, they are choosing to be skeptical about the existence of an Intelligence and a Wisdom that measures the truth and goodness of their own intelligence and wisdom. It was no accident, then, that people were also beginning to find ways to rationalize a lack of moral integrity. They were beginning to believe in themselves alone---to become self-consciously "self-centered"---and to lose the taste for God. And they had correspondingly more and more reason to desire that the road to God be capable of intellectual dismissal."

I think the part about finding ways to rationalize a lack of moral integrity is at the foundation of most of our societal problems. Today it seems that rationalization has replaced money as the root of all evil.