Get a load of this. The murse! All I can say is, what is wrong with a regular old briefcase. Well that and do not ever expect me to carry a murse.
I am so tired of the feminization of the American man, Can you imagine Sinatra being handed a murse? Good Lord, he'd probably deck the gifter on the spot. All of us should begin a campaign to cruelly and publicly mock anyone seen with one of these things. We enforced the social code in grade school with wedgies, perhaps that would work here? I mean its not like anyone carrying these things would fight back! If successful the murse would end up on the ash heap of history with Kramer and Mr. Costanza's Bro (Manziere!)
Via the very manly Spoons
Thursday, March 3, 2005
The Forces of Hate; At Home and Abroad
To flourish, a functioning liberal democratic society requires three basic building blocks; Individual rights, a functioning monetary system, and the rule of law to ensure the stability of the first two. Lose any one of these building blocks and its darn near impossible to maintain a modern state and culture.
For this reason, the safety of members of the judiciary has always been sacrosanct in U.S. society. Looking back at our battles with a succession of criminal enterprises over the past century and this principle, with few exceptions, can be scene as the rule by which we lived. Police and criminals may have battled it out in the streets, but once the arrest was made the fight moved to the courtroom and the rule of law took over. Witnesses were deposed, evidence examined and a jury or judge ruled on the fate of the accused. Assassinations of prosecutors or judges was rare for the simple reason that the criminal element knew this would be a losing proposition for their businesses.
On Monday night, this changed in Chicago as the elements of hate attacked. Chicago judge Joan Lefkow's husband and 89 year old mother were found murdered in the basement of their home, and early speculation is that the hit was ordered by a white supremacist previously convicted of ordering the judge's murder. Whether or not this turns out to be the case, the basic truth remains. This murder, as foul a deed as one can imagine, is more than just another murder. It is an attack on our system and why of life, an attempt to intimidate and destabilize the rule of law.
In Baghdad, a similar operation that resulted in the murder of two judicial members of Saddam's tribunal was carried out on Wednesday. As with the Chicago hit, nobody has yet been arrested, but I'm pretty sure we can guess who is at the heart of this crime.
While murder is awful in any form, it is especially heinous in these instances because it is a crime designed to strike at the fundamental building blocks of society. In Chicago, the hit on Judge Lefkow's family was a clear attempt to intimidate the judiciary of a stable country. In Baghdad, the murder of the tribunal judges was a clear attempt to scuttle the courageous efforts of the Iraqi people to form the world's newest democracy which as events in Lebanon and Egypt demonstrated this week is lighting the torch of liberty in the Middle East.
While Baghdad must deal with daily bombings, this attack requires special attention since it represents the old hand of Saddam reaching out one last time attempting to strangle the will of Iraq's people. With each day, however, evidence continues to grow that Iraqis have learned that the monster is no more, and the Iraqi system becomes just a bit more stable
There is a lesson for the U.S. here as well. Over the past decade we were slow to recognize the enemy from beyond. We denied that we were at war, until that day in September when he attacked our homeland. The forces of hate exist in many forms, and whether the Chicago hit was from white supremacists, drug dealers or some other criminal element, there can be no doubt that the murder of Judge Lekow's family members on Monday was an attack from within. Domestic terrorism in its purest form.
Acts such as these cannot be allowed to stand. Common sense tells us where to look for the enemy, and of course the authorities must stay within the rule of law to find the perpetrators and crush them. Both attacks demonstrate that with freedom comes responsibility to stay ever vigilant in the defense against foreign and domestic foes and remove the threat that they pose to our liberty, our freedom, and our way of life in a liberal democratic society.
For this reason, the safety of members of the judiciary has always been sacrosanct in U.S. society. Looking back at our battles with a succession of criminal enterprises over the past century and this principle, with few exceptions, can be scene as the rule by which we lived. Police and criminals may have battled it out in the streets, but once the arrest was made the fight moved to the courtroom and the rule of law took over. Witnesses were deposed, evidence examined and a jury or judge ruled on the fate of the accused. Assassinations of prosecutors or judges was rare for the simple reason that the criminal element knew this would be a losing proposition for their businesses.
On Monday night, this changed in Chicago as the elements of hate attacked. Chicago judge Joan Lefkow's husband and 89 year old mother were found murdered in the basement of their home, and early speculation is that the hit was ordered by a white supremacist previously convicted of ordering the judge's murder. Whether or not this turns out to be the case, the basic truth remains. This murder, as foul a deed as one can imagine, is more than just another murder. It is an attack on our system and why of life, an attempt to intimidate and destabilize the rule of law.
In Baghdad, a similar operation that resulted in the murder of two judicial members of Saddam's tribunal was carried out on Wednesday. As with the Chicago hit, nobody has yet been arrested, but I'm pretty sure we can guess who is at the heart of this crime.
While murder is awful in any form, it is especially heinous in these instances because it is a crime designed to strike at the fundamental building blocks of society. In Chicago, the hit on Judge Lefkow's family was a clear attempt to intimidate the judiciary of a stable country. In Baghdad, the murder of the tribunal judges was a clear attempt to scuttle the courageous efforts of the Iraqi people to form the world's newest democracy which as events in Lebanon and Egypt demonstrated this week is lighting the torch of liberty in the Middle East.
While Baghdad must deal with daily bombings, this attack requires special attention since it represents the old hand of Saddam reaching out one last time attempting to strangle the will of Iraq's people. With each day, however, evidence continues to grow that Iraqis have learned that the monster is no more, and the Iraqi system becomes just a bit more stable
There is a lesson for the U.S. here as well. Over the past decade we were slow to recognize the enemy from beyond. We denied that we were at war, until that day in September when he attacked our homeland. The forces of hate exist in many forms, and whether the Chicago hit was from white supremacists, drug dealers or some other criminal element, there can be no doubt that the murder of Judge Lekow's family members on Monday was an attack from within. Domestic terrorism in its purest form.
Acts such as these cannot be allowed to stand. Common sense tells us where to look for the enemy, and of course the authorities must stay within the rule of law to find the perpetrators and crush them. Both attacks demonstrate that with freedom comes responsibility to stay ever vigilant in the defense against foreign and domestic foes and remove the threat that they pose to our liberty, our freedom, and our way of life in a liberal democratic society.
The Last Gasps of Winter in the Midwest
It snowed overnight Monday. This might be our last snow, so I went out to try and capture some of winter's fleeting beauty.
Wednesday, March 2, 2005
Good Old American Initiative
This is the kind of thing that makes you proud to be an American. Sure he was smuggling ammo and tasers out of the country. Yes, he probabaly should have expected that the pepper spray and bullet proof vest on an airplane might attract some interest from the authorities, but dammit people there's a madman out there with a USD 25 million bounty on his head.
And and Matt Mihsen thinks he is just the guy to get both. Who are we to argue?
And and Matt Mihsen thinks he is just the guy to get both. Who are we to argue?
What Are Liberals To Do?
Sorry for the provocative title, I by no means intend to "gloat" over the recent positive developments in the Middle East, that I've commented on extensively. As my "Domino's Fall" post below mentions, recent developments, while positive are by no means secure and we probably will see setbacks in the future. History seems to progress in a two steps forward, one step back sort of sequence.
None-the-less, evidence continues to build that the Neo-con strategery underlying the Iraq War tactic is producing tangible, positive change in the region. For the first time in decades, we can begin to envision an Arab world subject to the will of the people. With that comes not only freedom from tyranny, but also freedom from poverty and squalor as well.
Sadly, much of the world's left vehemently opposed the Iraq War. Further, the left's strategy of appeasement through the Food for Oil program seems to have devolved to little more than a massively corrupt effort to allow Saddam to continue to exploit his people while lining the pockets of UN insiders.
The Functional Ambivalent, linked in the title above, has posted a powerful, personal look at what this means for the left. More importantly, Tom asks where the left goes from here. While Tom and I probably agree on very little (including some of the things I've said in this post!) we both agree that a vital, thoughtful left is important in the public debate as we move forward.
So Tom asks what can the left do? My simple answer is to "get in the game". Step one is to stop with the BushMcHitlerChimp sort of talk (let me be clear, Tom never did this) that demeans the left more than it does the President, and re-engage on an intellectual level. We have continuing challenges in the Middle East that hopefully include managing our victory and peacefully guiding change in Iran. North Korea, China, and an increasing belligerent Russia are further challenges.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this issue in the comments below, or go over to the Functional Ambivalent and comment there.
None-the-less, evidence continues to build that the Neo-con strategery underlying the Iraq War tactic is producing tangible, positive change in the region. For the first time in decades, we can begin to envision an Arab world subject to the will of the people. With that comes not only freedom from tyranny, but also freedom from poverty and squalor as well.
Sadly, much of the world's left vehemently opposed the Iraq War. Further, the left's strategy of appeasement through the Food for Oil program seems to have devolved to little more than a massively corrupt effort to allow Saddam to continue to exploit his people while lining the pockets of UN insiders.
The Functional Ambivalent, linked in the title above, has posted a powerful, personal look at what this means for the left. More importantly, Tom asks where the left goes from here. While Tom and I probably agree on very little (including some of the things I've said in this post!) we both agree that a vital, thoughtful left is important in the public debate as we move forward.
So Tom asks what can the left do? My simple answer is to "get in the game". Step one is to stop with the BushMcHitlerChimp sort of talk (let me be clear, Tom never did this) that demeans the left more than it does the President, and re-engage on an intellectual level. We have continuing challenges in the Middle East that hopefully include managing our victory and peacefully guiding change in Iran. North Korea, China, and an increasing belligerent Russia are further challenges.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this issue in the comments below, or go over to the Functional Ambivalent and comment there.
Tuesday, March 1, 2005
Syria Out of Lebanon Within "Months"?
Found this link to a Time interview over at VodkaPundit. Apparently the boy optometrist is feeling a little heat.
Pulled from the interview:
UPDATE - Exclusive to Pursuit of Happiness: Reached this afternoon for comment via his chauffeur en-route to his wife's home in Aspen, John Kerry clad in his Bogner Bera-P ski outfit, put Tim Robbins on hold and repeated that Iraq was the wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time. He then asked if this line was beginning to sound a bit hollow.
Pulled from the interview:
TIME: Could you give me a timetable?
ASSAD: It's a technical issue, not political. I could not say we could do it in two months because I have not had the meeting with the army people. They may say it will take six months. You need to prepare when you bring your army back to your country. You need to prepare where you will put the troops.
Translation by Pursuit of Happiness: Timetable? Hell man, I'm just trying to prevent a coup here. I've got to get buy-in from the troops. I can't bring these guys into Damascus! I need to keep them remote and controllable. I'm probably going to have to buy-off a couple Generals if this thing gets any worse just so these guys don't decide the only way to save their buts is to have me hanging in the town square!
More from the interview:
There are two factors. The first is security in Lebanon. The security in Lebanon is much better than before. They have an army, they have a state, they have institutions. The second thing, which is related to Syria, is that after withdrawing we have to protect our border. We need to talk about our borders, because when Israel invaded in 1982, they reached that point. It was very close to Damascus. So we will need [fortifications for the troops] along the border with Lebanon.
Translation by Pursuit of Happiness: Look somebody throw me a bone here. I had no idea blowing Hariri up would cause such trouble. I guess you could call me a short sighted Optometrist, heh, heh.....get it? Ach, you're right, this is no time for jokes! President Bush have you no heart? Give me something to keep me alive here, a border negotiation, some commitment from Israel no matter how insincere......I'm a desperate man!
UPDATE - Exclusive to Pursuit of Happiness: Reached this afternoon for comment via his chauffeur en-route to his wife's home in Aspen, John Kerry clad in his Bogner Bera-P ski outfit, put Tim Robbins on hold and repeated that Iraq was the wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time. He then asked if this line was beginning to sound a bit hollow.
When The Dominos Fall
Its tempting on this day to get carried away with developments in Lebanon and predict that the dominos of Syria and Iran will fall soon. The excitement is palpable since it is the rare person who would have predicted even six short months ago that the murderous regime in Syria would stand down in the face of a popular uprising in Lebanon and permit its puppet regime to resign.
The truth is, that while many of us have long believed in the Iraq mission for the revolutionary change that we knew it could bring to the region, there were some dark days since the fall of Saddam when it seemed that this day would be a long time coming. Now that promise is once again at hand, we eagerly anticipate further progress. Yet now, more than ever, the actions that the U.S. and its allies take are critical to continued momentum.
Today was one step in the right direction. One step filled with the promise of a policy delivered, and a people freed. Tom Friedman in the NYT discussed the concept of tipping points in his Sunday column, and this, no doubt is a very big one. Yet tipping points are just that - moments where change hangs in the balance - and the actions of the United States and the people of Lebanon in the next hours and days are critical to the next phase. Priorty One for the U.S. is to stand with the people of Lebanon and demand, not only free democratic elections, but the immediate and total withdrawl of all Syrian troops as well. The people of Lebanon won a partial victory today, but for that victory to be complete, and for the dominos to continue to fall, Lebanon must become an independent sovereign state.
The strategic importance of Lebanon in this revolution cannot be understated. If Syria is booted from the country, and democratic elections held, Syria will then be surrounded by Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey, all of which are undergoing democratic revolutions by varying but none-the-less, significant degrees. With this weekend's announcement by Egypt's Mubarak to accept multi-party elections, Syria's isolation begins to take on a depth that is historically unprecedented and with continued momentum, geographically irreversable.
Iraq, of course was the lynch-pin to U.S. strategy for two reasons. First, and most importantly, U.S. credibility in the region had been virtually destroyed since the end of the first Gulf War when we encouraged a popular uprising in Iraq and then allowed Saddam to use his helicopters to mow down Iraqi rebels. Its hard to conceive of a greater mistake being made at the time, because it sent a message to our enemies in the region that we were not serious in our intentions beyond securing the continued flow of oil. Following this error we then continued to compound it over the next decade as we looked the other way when Saddam shot at our planes that were legally enforcing the no fly zone, and when terrorist groups attacked the U.S. on our soil both at home and abroad. We were under seige, yet we refused to fight.
The second reason Iraq was critical to Bush's strategy of regime change in the region was its tactical postion against our enemies and friends in the region. Although Iraq had suffered under the regime of sanctions, it continued to maintain the region's largest military force. From our enemies point of view, destroying this force was critical to demonstrating U.S. will and ability, while removing the greatest threat to the forces of freedom. Invading and removing Saddam from Iraq served the added purpose of splitting the two greatest terror sponsors in the world, Iran and Syria. How pathetic did Syria sound last week when they announced they're strengthed alliance with Iran. Instead of an alliance it had the smell of a suicide pact. Iraq was the reason.
Iraq was also critical to the United State's tactical position vs. the Saudi kingdom as well. It escaped nobody's notice that 19 of the 9/11 hijackers came from Saudi, and we all are aware of how our Saudi "friends" have bought off the terror masters in the past with the lives of Americans. Yet without a credible alternative ally in the region, there was little we could do. The Kingdom of Saud wasn't a great friend but it was all past administrations had left us with. The newly ascendant Iraq, democratic in its governance, provides a regional lever from which the citizens of Saudi Arabia can observe freedom and begin to agitate for their own.
September 11th was the catalyst that ignited change. Its incredibly ironic that bin Laden planned the attack on the U.S. for just this reason, but expected an entirely different outcome. He believed that 9/11 would be the catalyst for a pan Arabic moslem resurgance, primarily because the U.S. had been so unwilling to react in the past. Instead the attack forced us to recognize the fact that we no longer had anything to lose in the region.
The U.S. and England along with our other allies now not only had the strength to demonstrate that we meant business, but we also finally had the integrity to give the Iraqi's their country back once Saddam was gone. This message was important in a region where strength is respected and honored. This time, instead of oil, we were there for the people because we have discovered that their liberty is inextricably linked to our security and economic vitality in this ever shrinking world
The left takes great effort to point out that security isn't perfect, people aren't completly safe in the new Iraq and that terrorists continue to kill the innocent. How is it that these people so completely miss the point? Of course Iraq isn't perfect, it's been a basket case country picked clean by a dictator and his priviledged few for forty years. We couldn't possibly fix the country overnight, but we could give it back to the people and give them the opportunity to fix their own country. This is all the Iraqi's want.
How do I know? Because I saw the people of Lebanon demand change today, motivated by the simple imperfect chance at freedom that the people of Iraq now have
This is also why the next few weeks in Lebanon are critical to continue the momentum. Syria knows that Lebanon represents the battle for the survival of its evil regime. Lose Lebanon and the "Wizard of Oz" effect will kick in - pay no attention to the scrawny boy optomatrist behind the curtain, and contine to fear us. Syria depended on Lebanon for trade, and access to the sea. It also systematically picked Lebanon clean having ruined its own economy long ago. Lose Lebanon and Syria loses everything. An opposition will form - assuming one is not already in place - and the people will stop being scared. They will remember George Bush's words in the State of the union:
"America will stand with the allies of freedom to support democratic movements in the Middle East and beyond, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world."
and Syria will become the next domino.
This change will not happen overnight, and it is not assured. Dark days are still on the horizon, but in the distance we will always see the city on the hill. Our friends in the Middle East are just getting their first glimpse.
What is that phrase? Ah, yes. "More please".
UPDATE: VodkaPundit has an interesting historical perspective that you should read. See "Perspective".
The truth is, that while many of us have long believed in the Iraq mission for the revolutionary change that we knew it could bring to the region, there were some dark days since the fall of Saddam when it seemed that this day would be a long time coming. Now that promise is once again at hand, we eagerly anticipate further progress. Yet now, more than ever, the actions that the U.S. and its allies take are critical to continued momentum.
Today was one step in the right direction. One step filled with the promise of a policy delivered, and a people freed. Tom Friedman in the NYT discussed the concept of tipping points in his Sunday column, and this, no doubt is a very big one. Yet tipping points are just that - moments where change hangs in the balance - and the actions of the United States and the people of Lebanon in the next hours and days are critical to the next phase. Priorty One for the U.S. is to stand with the people of Lebanon and demand, not only free democratic elections, but the immediate and total withdrawl of all Syrian troops as well. The people of Lebanon won a partial victory today, but for that victory to be complete, and for the dominos to continue to fall, Lebanon must become an independent sovereign state.
The strategic importance of Lebanon in this revolution cannot be understated. If Syria is booted from the country, and democratic elections held, Syria will then be surrounded by Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey, all of which are undergoing democratic revolutions by varying but none-the-less, significant degrees. With this weekend's announcement by Egypt's Mubarak to accept multi-party elections, Syria's isolation begins to take on a depth that is historically unprecedented and with continued momentum, geographically irreversable.
Iraq, of course was the lynch-pin to U.S. strategy for two reasons. First, and most importantly, U.S. credibility in the region had been virtually destroyed since the end of the first Gulf War when we encouraged a popular uprising in Iraq and then allowed Saddam to use his helicopters to mow down Iraqi rebels. Its hard to conceive of a greater mistake being made at the time, because it sent a message to our enemies in the region that we were not serious in our intentions beyond securing the continued flow of oil. Following this error we then continued to compound it over the next decade as we looked the other way when Saddam shot at our planes that were legally enforcing the no fly zone, and when terrorist groups attacked the U.S. on our soil both at home and abroad. We were under seige, yet we refused to fight.
The second reason Iraq was critical to Bush's strategy of regime change in the region was its tactical postion against our enemies and friends in the region. Although Iraq had suffered under the regime of sanctions, it continued to maintain the region's largest military force. From our enemies point of view, destroying this force was critical to demonstrating U.S. will and ability, while removing the greatest threat to the forces of freedom. Invading and removing Saddam from Iraq served the added purpose of splitting the two greatest terror sponsors in the world, Iran and Syria. How pathetic did Syria sound last week when they announced they're strengthed alliance with Iran. Instead of an alliance it had the smell of a suicide pact. Iraq was the reason.
Iraq was also critical to the United State's tactical position vs. the Saudi kingdom as well. It escaped nobody's notice that 19 of the 9/11 hijackers came from Saudi, and we all are aware of how our Saudi "friends" have bought off the terror masters in the past with the lives of Americans. Yet without a credible alternative ally in the region, there was little we could do. The Kingdom of Saud wasn't a great friend but it was all past administrations had left us with. The newly ascendant Iraq, democratic in its governance, provides a regional lever from which the citizens of Saudi Arabia can observe freedom and begin to agitate for their own.
September 11th was the catalyst that ignited change. Its incredibly ironic that bin Laden planned the attack on the U.S. for just this reason, but expected an entirely different outcome. He believed that 9/11 would be the catalyst for a pan Arabic moslem resurgance, primarily because the U.S. had been so unwilling to react in the past. Instead the attack forced us to recognize the fact that we no longer had anything to lose in the region.
The U.S. and England along with our other allies now not only had the strength to demonstrate that we meant business, but we also finally had the integrity to give the Iraqi's their country back once Saddam was gone. This message was important in a region where strength is respected and honored. This time, instead of oil, we were there for the people because we have discovered that their liberty is inextricably linked to our security and economic vitality in this ever shrinking world
The left takes great effort to point out that security isn't perfect, people aren't completly safe in the new Iraq and that terrorists continue to kill the innocent. How is it that these people so completely miss the point? Of course Iraq isn't perfect, it's been a basket case country picked clean by a dictator and his priviledged few for forty years. We couldn't possibly fix the country overnight, but we could give it back to the people and give them the opportunity to fix their own country. This is all the Iraqi's want.
How do I know? Because I saw the people of Lebanon demand change today, motivated by the simple imperfect chance at freedom that the people of Iraq now have
This is also why the next few weeks in Lebanon are critical to continue the momentum. Syria knows that Lebanon represents the battle for the survival of its evil regime. Lose Lebanon and the "Wizard of Oz" effect will kick in - pay no attention to the scrawny boy optomatrist behind the curtain, and contine to fear us. Syria depended on Lebanon for trade, and access to the sea. It also systematically picked Lebanon clean having ruined its own economy long ago. Lose Lebanon and Syria loses everything. An opposition will form - assuming one is not already in place - and the people will stop being scared. They will remember George Bush's words in the State of the union:
"America will stand with the allies of freedom to support democratic movements in the Middle East and beyond, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world."
and Syria will become the next domino.
This change will not happen overnight, and it is not assured. Dark days are still on the horizon, but in the distance we will always see the city on the hill. Our friends in the Middle East are just getting their first glimpse.
What is that phrase? Ah, yes. "More please".
UPDATE: VodkaPundit has an interesting historical perspective that you should read. See "Perspective".
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