Some people get what they deserve....

..on this earth.

"Girls Gone Wild" founder claims to have been abused in jail.

Vanity Fair magazine gets sued.

"Enchanted" is Enchanting

Fredica Matthew Greens from NRO agrees with me. It's funny and sweet. It makes a bit of fun of the syrupy goodness of Disney but in a respectful humorous manner. The actress who plays Giselle is perfect. Naive and sweet like Forest Gump. She makes us wish for more innocence in our world. There is a slight feminist twist toward the end, but it didn't bother me at all because it is the type of feminism that we can all agree upon and that is that women can be powerful too.

I don't like movies in general. But this is one that you must take your kids too, because you will enjoy it as well. I promise.

They were right.

President Bush and Rush Limbaugh were right on stem cell research.

Sometimes real life stories end just the way you want them to....

From Mark Steyn via The Chicago Tribune:

Earlier this year, Abul Abed, a disgruntled Sunni insurgent leader, began secret talks with the Americans about ending Al Qaeda's reign of terror in this run-down, formerly middle-class Baghdad neighborhood, renowned as one of the city's most dangerous. He had been gathering intelligence on the group for months.

One day in late May, he said, he decided it was time to act.

He hailed the car carrying the feared leader of Al Qaeda in the neighborhood, a man known as the White Lion, on one of Amariyah's main streets. "We want you to stop destroying our neighborhood," he told the man.

"Do you know who you are talking to?" said the White Lion, getting out of his car. "I am Al Qaeda. I will destroy even your own houses!

"He pulled out his pistol and shot at Abul Abed. The gun jammed. He reloaded and fired again. Again, the gun jammed.

By this time, Abul Abed said, he had pulled his own gun. He fired once, killing the White Lion."

I walked over to him, stepped on his hand and took his gun."

A Democrat who Gets It

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) issued the following statement on his Thanksgiving visit with the troops in Iraq:

"I had the privilege of spending Thanksgiving this year in Iraq with some of our brave men and women in uniform from Connecticut.

It is thanks to the service and sacrifice of these American heroes that the extraordinary progress we have seen over the past months in Iraq has been possible — progress for which all Americans should be grateful.

Over the last several months, our troops have dramatically transformed the security situation in Iraq by rolling back Al Qaeda and Iranian supported extremists. As a result of their courageous efforts, violence is sharply down, and our enemies are off balance and on the run.

My trip reinforced my belief that we must support the mission in Iraq and ensure that our troops receive the resources from Congress they need and deserve. Our troops are bravely carrying out their mission - and we have an obligation not to let them down at this critical moment."

via NRO

And you thought lead paint in toys was bad...

From Powerline:

Wire services and some newspapers have reported that China, at the last possible minute, denied USS Kitty Hawk and her battle group access to Hong Kong for a pre-planned Thanksgiving port visit. What hasn't been widely reported yet is that several hundred families of the Kitty Hawk crew, who live here in Yokosuka, Japan, had flown to Hong Kong to spend the holiday with their spouses. I personally know three wives who made the trip, taking their small children with them. Ever spent $2500 on airfare to fly 10 hours round trip by yourself with two kids under age 4, then found out it was for nothing? PRC's cancellation of the post visit basically destroyed Thanksgiving for thousands of U.S. military personnel and family members. Apart from actually inflicting casualties, there is not much more China could do to hurt military-to-military relations with the US than a stunt like this...

Let's Talk About Iraq

Victor Davis Hanson, once again, paints us a picture the MSM refuses to. This war has been fraught with mistakes (is there a perfect war?) But the results are turning out to have unexpected but important consequences.

The post-war occupation was supposed to be difficult, but few envisioned a bloody four-year struggle. Instead, after the fall of Saddam, al Qaeda chose to escalate its war against the West by sending thousands of jihadists into the new battleground of Iraq — in part, to aid the Sunni and ex-Baathist insurgencies in their wars against the U.S., and the Shiites. The violence that ensued left tens of thousands dead, and resulted in nearly 4,000 American battle fatalities. We spent nearly a trillion dollars, as public support dropped from a 70-percent approval of the war to less than 40-percent. Yet it was not the American military that was ruined fighting an unpopular war in the heart of the ancient caliphate, but most likely al Qaeda who has lost thousands, (and, far more importantly, completely destroyed its Pan-Arabic mystique of religious purity). The more the jihadists fought, the more they were killed by the U.S. military — while kidnapping, murdering, stealing, mutilating, raping, and outraging Iraqi civilians. Nothing is worse in the Arab world than to be seen as weak and cruel, and al Qaeda proved, eventually, to be both on Al-Jazeera.

This is an issue of enormous importance that the media has not mentioned much less focused on. The Arab world, the Arab people have seen al Qaeda for what they really are...cruel monsters, not holy warriors. Do you see how this changes everything for us? By fighting al Qaeda as we did, focusing on trying to protect the Iraq, we changed how they felt about Americans. While the media and the left paint Americans as intruders, the Arabs are seeing close up what our military is really about. Changing things for the better for Iraqi's.

Hanson explains how the Sunni insurgents were defeated and had to be. And how that all has changed.

So there is a sort of tragic irony here too. It may well be that the Sunni tribes have learned, only through their failed insurgency, that they cannot defeat the U.S. military; that their Sunni al Qaeda allies were far worse than we are; that the Shiite government is not going away; and that the United States is an honest broker of sorts that is advancing their interests with the Shiite majority. The unexpected result of all this is that it is only now — after the Sunnis have fought, lost, and learned the futility of continued resistance — that there a better chance for a lasting stability.

This war is far from over. Mistakes were made, but for now we are seeing a promising and wonderful ending to the war. For most of us, this is the ending we wanted. A page of history turned in our favor. A country that was a sworn enemy becomes a friend. An Arab world that views us differently. A western world that understands more about what we need to do in the Middle East. It has come with a high price, a precious price. Which why it is so important that we not give in or give up. We will make a better world, not only for ourselves, but especially for all the men and women who gave all for us to do so.

Nothing is for certain in any war — as the savage ironies of Iraq have shown the last four years. Few envisioned the initial brilliant three-week war, and the utter and rapid defeat of Saddam. Fewer foresaw the ensuing bloody four-year occupation. And the fewest of all anticipated that out of that mess, the present chance at stability and a real reconciliation under a constitutional framework could come.

The lessons are only the eternal ones: that wars won’t be fought as believed and won’t end as planned, but that adaptability, self-critique, and persistence, in an effort believed to be both right and necessary, will eventually prevail.

h/t BigDog

Today I am thankful for men like this...

Don't click until you have a tissue ready.

via TimboJackson

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

If you need me, I'll be cooking.

Remember when...

This all started with that smoking post below. I told my kids that when I was in Jr. High there was big tree on school property where students could go and smoke during breaks. My kids accused me of lying. They can't imagine a school allowing a cigarette on campus much less letting Jr. High students smoke on campus.

So I freaked them out some more. I remember in college my friend giving me her airline ticket because she couldn't go. So I flew under her name. They never asked for I.D. then, much less going through security. I got to wear shoes and had BIG shampoo and conditioner bottles in my bag. Imagine!

I told them that even as young as 5, my brothers and I would wander around the neighborhood until dark. No one had their backyard fenced so all our backyards were like one big playground. There was even a forest across the street I used to go play in by myself.

My brothers and their friends kept their rifle on full display in the back of their trucks as they drove to High School. I suppose it never occurred to anyone that a student would use it against anything but a deer or quail.

When I was 18 it was common to stop and get a beer at the store on your way home from work and drink it until you got home.

In elementary school at Christmas time you could draw the Nativity scene and have it taped to the wall. The teacher would play Christmas music that was.......wait for it.........about the birth of Christ!

I remember in 3rd grade my Mom calling the school because I needed to go home for something in the middle of the day and they just let me walk home.

Is there anything you remember about your childhood that our kids today wouldn't believe?

Rudy's New Ad in Boston and New Hampshire

It's pretty effective.

Fausta's blog brings us this:

The NY Times reports that:

According to an earnest warning on Volumes 1 and 2, "Sesame Street: Old School" is adults-only: "These early 'Sesame Street' episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today's preschool child."...I asked Carol-Lynn Parente, the executive producer of "Sesame Street," how exactly the first episodes were unsuitable for toddlers in 2007. She told me about Alistair Cookie and the parody "Monsterpiece Theater." Alistair Cookie, played by Cookie Monster, used to appear with a pipe, which he later gobbled. According to Parente, "That modeled the wrong behavior" "smoking, eating pipes " so we reshot those scenes without the pipe, and then we dropped the parody altogether."

I was just thinking when I wrote the piece about MTV below that the only "sin" that MTV acknowledges is smoking. Have you seen their smug self righteous commercials on it? And now Sesame Street figures the Cookie Monster appearing with a pipe is appalling!

Look, I hate smoking. I have never touched a cigarette. Having parents who smoked their whole lives turned me off even trying it...ever. But I find it ridiculous that that seems to be the only thing those leftwing idiots who control PBS and MTV think harms our children. I would suggest that MTV programing contributes more mental and physical harm to our kids by their encouragement of sexual activity (including explicit condom commercials) than any smoking could ever do.

Once Sesame Street let the likes of Phil Donahue and Whoopi Goldberg host the show, I never let my kids watch it.

If only these producers thought about the content of their shows more than defeating the tobacco companies, we might actually reach our kids to the real dangers of society..and it ain't smoking.

"Mind of a Warrior, Heart of a Peacemaker"

HADITHA, Iraq – With the number of enemy attacks at an all time low in Al Anbar Province, today’s Marines are able to conduct peaceful operations while rebuilding communities, advising security forces and establishing democracies.

This is heartwarming. This isn't about politics, it's about our warriors making a difference. There is good news out of Iraq, as I have mentioned before, but we have a long road ahead. It's not over yet. Keep praying.

Also, Mosul airport to open in December.

via Mudville

Deer Crossing

Have you seen this video on the news? It's a video of a cop car cam where the car barely misses hitting a deer that jumps out in front of it.

This exact thing happened to me a few years ago. I was driving in the car with my 17 yr old son. I saw the deer out of the corner of my eye as it jumped in front of the car. I was doing about 60 mph (I tend to drive fast) I shut my eyes for the impact, but somehow the deer bounced off. I turned to my son and said "How did we miss it??!" He said, "It barely made it, didn't you see it?" I said, "I closed my eyes." He paused. "Wait, you closed you eyes?????!!!"

Caption Contest!

AP Press photographer may be "terrorist media operative"

BBC News:

The US military says it will recommend criminal charges against an Associated Press photographer detained in 2006 on suspicion of helping Iraqi insurgents.

The Pentagon says additional evidence has come to light proving Bilal Hussein is a "terrorist media operative" who infiltrated the news agency.

The above photo is his Pulitzer winner. The amazing thing about this story is how bloggers were all over it before it was even a story. Back in December of 2004 the Belmont Club wondered how this AP photographer could be at the right place at the right time.

Abdul Hussein Al-Obedi of the Associated Press wrote at the time of the photo:

In Baghdad, dozens of gunmen-- unmasked and apparently unafraid to show their faces-- executed three election officials on Sunday, part of their campaign to disrupt next month's parliamentary ballot. ... The deadly strikes Sunday highlighted the apparent ability of the insurgents to launch attacks almost at will, despite confident assessments by U.S. military commanders that they had regained the initiative after last month's campaign against militants in Fallujah.

A photo that sent a clear message, not to just a few, but to the world.

How convenient. And bloggers took notice.

The AP at the time dismissed any charges against Bilal Hussein as "ridiculous' and to this day defend him.

Go Obama!

I'm rooting for you!!!

I cannot tell you how good it would be to see the Democrats reject the corrupt, money hungry, power hungry political machine for something at least honest and refreshing.

The New York Times discovers the good news in Iraq

On page one!!!

via NRO

MTV In The Middle East??

This should be interesting. MTV debuted over the weekend in the Arab world. It will be a sanitized version, otherwise I think there would be rioting and kidnappings accompanying it. I mean, if there is anything nastier on regular cable for our kids to watch than MTV, I am not aware of it.

But MTV, which is known for airing provocative videos featuring scantily clad women, says the Arab version of the pop-culture channel will show less bare skin and profanity.

I figure they won't be showing the afternoon show "Next" where they regularly show gay young people lining up to prove to a date who is raunchier. Or the bisexual MySpace trollup Tila Tequila's horror show, laced with all that is sexual. "The Real World" and all it's slutty young won't be shown either. I'm also guessing they won't be showing the promo for Alica Key's music where she catches a woman pleasuring a big stuffed rabbit. (Don't ask, I don't get it either)

I'm so glad that MTV decided to tone things down for the sensibilities of the Middle East. If we could only get them to do that here.

Republicans Should Campaign For The Votes of Minorities

In Newsweek, Rove advises the Republican nominee how to beat Hillary. Rove understands that she will be tough to beat. Read the article for his own personal story that just so aptly illustrates who Hillary is. He advises on many things. He makes excellent points, but this one part struck me:

Go after people who aren't traditional Republicans. Aggressively campaign for the votes of America's minorities. Go to their communities, listen and learn, demonstrate your engagement and emphasize how your message can provide hope and access to the American Dream for all. The GOP candidate must ask for the vote in every part of the electorate. He needs to do better among minorities, and be seen as trying.

I could not agree more. I am long tired of Republicans shrugging their shoulders at the black community figuring they will vote Democrat no matter what. I cannot abide that attitude! No one will come to your side if you don't go to them and explain why your position is best for them as well. If I was a Republican candidate there is not a minority invitation that I would reject.

I believe in our message. I believe that our vision and our hopes for America are the same as the black community, the Latino community, the Asian community and all communities in between. Everyone benefits from lower taxes, less regulation on small business, less government intervention, strong leadership on the war on terror, strong border control, strong support of our military, and a belief in the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of marriage.

These beliefs are for all Americans and are not bound by color or religion. I don't care if the nominee's campaign feels they are wasting time with people that won't vote for them anyway. They are not. Reaching out to people is the first step. Convincing them, the second. Bringing them into the fold, the third and final. We will never do this if we do not try.

Whenever I see someone who dresses differently than I do, who worships differently than I do, who lives differently than I do, I remind myself that in so many things we are all alike. We all care about our children, we all want the best for society, we all have the same kinds of problems. We cook and clean. We work and play. We yell and get angry. We love and are frustrated by our children. What binds us are the same. I don't feel it would be very difficult to convince others, who are not on our side now, why our ideals and ideas would benefit them as well.

Politics of Personal Silliness

When I first saw this Huckabee ad with Chuck Norris over at HotAir, I couldn't believe it was a real ad, but it is.

I know it's suppose to be lighthearted, but I find it ridiculous. Running for President isn't a joke. Political ads should not be either.

Democratic Denial

Charles Krauthammer has an excellent piece on how the Democrats are denying our victory in Iraq and for what? Politics, of course. The Democrats also insist that the world hates us, but Krauthammer says not so fast:

(The President of France) "Nicolas Sarkozy’s trip last week to the United States was marked by a highly successful White House visit and a rousing speech to Congress in which he not only called America “the greatest nation in the world” (how many leaders of any country say that about another?) but pledged solidarity with the U.S. on Afghanistan, Iran, Lebanon, the Middle East, and nuclear nonproliferation."

Then there is the pro-American leader of Germany, Angela Merkel. And what about the rest?

"British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who in an interview with Sky News on Sunday noted “the great change that is taking place,” namely “that France and Germany and the European Union are also moving more closely with America.”

As for our other traditional alliances, relations with Australia are very close, and Canada has shown remarkable steadfastness in taking disproportionate casualties in supporting the NATO mission in Afghanistan. Eastern European nations, traditionally friendly, are taking considerable risks on behalf of their U.S. alliance — for example, cooperating with us on missile defense in the face of enormous Russian pressure. And ties with Japan have never been stronger, with Tokyo increasingly undertaking military and quasi-military obligations that it had forsworn for the last half-century.

So much for the disarray of our alliances.

This really is excellent news for America. Not just Republicans. We have effectively defeated Al Qaeda in Iraq. This is tremendous news that isn't making it's way to the headlines of our biggest newspapers or news shows.

As NRO Rich puts it:

"The United States may be the only country in world history that reverse-propagandizes itself, magnifying its setbacks and ignoring its successes so that nothing can disturb what Sen. Joe Lieberman calls the 'narrative of defeat."

We should all be celebrating. The sooner we clean things up, the sooner our boys come home. The news out of Iraq tells us that troop deaths are down and violence is down. Where there was once Al Qaeda strongholds, we have safe neighborhoods. Christians and Muslims are worshiping to gether in Iraq. The world leaders are praising us.

But, there is this unfortunate timing of a Presidential election. And the Democrats placed all their bets on us losing in Iraq. Hillary has positioned herself to be able to claim she was with us along, and she will get away with it, because she plotted her entire Senate career on it. Which is why our victory will not hurt her.

But while the rest of us who understand what is happening, are feeling really good about it all, what must the Democrats be feeling with all the good news? First the enemy used their talking points against us, and now this.

I'd be in denial too.

h/t BigDog

Don't let Hollywood Smear Our Troops

The Case Against Hillary

I watch Obama tell America that Hillary will continue to divide this nation, yet he never says why or describes how it will be. How difficult a task is this? This is what Edwards and Obama should be saying every single day until the primary vote:

No one, not even Bill Clinton, has generated such hatred as Hillary Clinton from the Republicans. If Hillary is elected it will be 4 (or more) years of the same kind of seething disgust that has been a part of the George Bush presidency from the left and from Bill Clinton's presidency from the right.

But it will be worse than those two combined. George Bush may have incurred people's wrath for how he governed with the war or with immigration, but on a personal level, people like him. I've never heard even a Democrat say that Bush is not a warm likable guy. This is certainly not the case with Hillary.

All her scandals (especially those dealing with China), all the rumors of her personal life, all the affairs that Bill Clinton had, and don't forget the infamous list of people who have died mysterious deaths that were involved with the Clintons, all this will be fodder again and again. Bill won't be able to behave himself. Hillary will push through her real agenda and half of America will seethe. No, not just seethe, there will be gnashing of the teeth that hasn't been seen since the Kos Kids realized Karl Rove wouldn't be indicted. But this won't be just the bloggers, this will be middle America. At least half of it. And we will live with that every single day for her entire Presidency.

Are you sick of the terrible division of this country? Are you sick of those who care nothing for the people, but only for the power? Are you sick of those on the opposite side of the political divide trying to destroy the other? Are you sick of the Congressional leaders who do not just disagree with the President, but personally smear the President as well? Will you enjoy the corruption and scandal that follow the Clintons wherever they go? Will you enjoy the weekly insults and mocking of Hillary and Bill on SNL and the late shows? Will you enjoy how much richer Rush Limbaugh will get if Hillary is elected? Are you sick of hearings after hearings that are nothing but witch hunts?

Because all of this and more is exactly what you are going to get with Hillary. The Bush Derangment Syndrome will look like puppy love compared to how so many will feel towards Hillary. The blogosphere will probably explode with the indignation and hate that will spew forth on a daily basis. And it won't be just from the right. Hillary may be many things, but she isn't stupid. She isn't going to pull out our troops immediately. The far left will howl as loud as we do.

Obama and Edwards need to be saying these things every time they open their mouth. They need to paint a visual picture of America under Hillary.

It's not a pretty picture.