Reflections On The Year

The last day of the year. And no, I won't be staying up to see the New Year.

A lot happened this past year. And I think I finally figured out: it's all about perspective. Attitude. And a thankfulness that the good Lord has deigned to keep me alive to this point.

My biggest blessing for 2007: I got married on Valentine's Day to a woman who, well -- I call marrying her the smartest thing I've yet done in my life.

My father is still alive; he being a member of The Greatest Generation and a WWII pilot. My brother is still alive. I'm still alive. We've all had cancer.

My wife lost her mother this year, to cancer.

But I still stand upright, I have a job, I bought a new car this year, a new car for my wife -- who hadn't had a new vehicle in 17 years.

I've gotten many more readers to my blog. And for each and every one of my devoted readers, and every one of my Usual Suspects, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

So, what to do for 2007?

Job One: lose weight. Diet. Exercise. Hang around one more year.

We're on the cusp of a brand New Year. Who knows what will happen? But of one thing we can be assured: we won't be able to see the bulk of it coming -- that much I can guarantee you.

God bless each and every one of you (hell yes, my agnostic and atheist readers too!), and may you, your families, your loved ones, be safe and healthy in 2008.

And, oh yeah: go Packers!

BZ

Free Cheese

I made a comment recently on Bushwack's blog, "American & Proud," and it got me to thinking, particularly considering the post I made just prior to this one:

Whose fault is all of this? Who shoulders the blame for America's plight? Is it all the responsibility of our politicians?

I submit: it is not.

There are others equally responsible: it is us. The People. The Electorate.

I wrote on A&P:

Is there anyone here willing to be frank enough and realistic enough about our situation?

America GAVE AWAY THE STORE.

When we stopped making OUR OWN STEEL we diminished. When we refused to drill oil ON OUR OWN SOIL and OFF OUR OWN COASTS we diminished. When we drowned and throttled and chopped off the heads of CREATIVE PEOPLE and BUSINESSES and kicked those willing to TAKE RISKS squarely in the groin with all manner of makes and models of LAWSUITS, we diminished.

When we insisted that, collectively, our lives had to be coddled, had to be perfect, untainted by dissension or challenge or (heavens forbid!) COMPETITION, we diminished.

Think about it.

Government has only given Americans what they screamed (and VOTED) for: to be fed pablum and bullshit and to be ensconced in rap, hip-hop, lies, falsehoods, “Deal Or No Deal,” backwards BB caps, the bimbo cunt of the month (Brittany, her sister, Paris, Jessica Simpson, Rosie O’Donnell, et al), “Sicko,” Bill Maher, “The Real World,” and much, much more betrayal.

We’ve KILLED generations of black familes by PAYING black women to keep fathers OUT of the equation.

We’ve created universities that yield people who PRODUCE NOTHING. We’ve MINIMIZED the LABORER, minimized the TRADE WORKER, the mechanic, the repair and service and construction workers, we’ve SOLD OUR SOULS all because we wanted NO RISKS, NO THREATS, NO COMPETITION. We’ve wanted everything minimized, Pasteurized, homogenized, dumbed-down, lower than ANY Lowest Common Denominator.

Who’s to blame? I see only one segment: those who simply want to be catered-to, who want Socialism, who want “free,” who want their “entitlements.”

The government is only providing what the Masses have told them they want: FREE CHEESE.

And MORE OF IT.

BZ

Conservatives: Rejoice!

We either move backwards or we move forewards.

We either prevail or we fall.

But, if defeated, we should be defeated because we fought and not because we refused to fight.

Let me repeat:

If defeated, we should be defeated because we fought and not because we refused to fight.

I aim this post at those Conservatives who would choose some of the following come Presidential Election Day:

1. My person ain't in it; screw ya;

2. I'm not voting for Cthulhu or the lesser of what I perceive to be evils extant;

3. I'm cleaning my fish tank that day, or balancing my checkbook, I ain't showing up;

4. I'm ticking the box for Brian Moore;

5. I'm writing in the name of my dog Ralf.

If you've chosen one of those routes, you're making a big mistake.

Years ago, my (for Christ's sake!) smackingly-liberal red-goateed high school civics teacher (in 1971) said to all of us empty-brainers:

"Democrats don't win elections; Republicans lose them."

It was true then, and it is true now.

IF THE DEMORATS WIN, IT'S BECAUSE WE ALLOWED THEM TO.

All is not a total loss.

We won our share of victories:

• The current SCOTUS is aligned as it should be;
• Dubai Ports: sunk
• Harret Miers: sunk
• Immigration reform bill: sunk
• Demorats: stymied on any number of fronts;

And this despite our current minority in Washington.

It's because the Demorats can't get their collective acts together.

The GOP didn't seem to know how to handle power when they had it; it would appear that same problem exists within the Demorats.

There is an amazing amount of power that exists (for the time being!) which emanates from political magazines, the internet, from e-mails, from blogs, from websites and from Talk Radio. Collectively, Conservatives can amass an amazing amount of power if we can manage to coalesce around the chosen candidate.

And let's be realistic: we'll never get precisely what we want in a candidate, and there will never be another Reagan.

Don't be an "Ain't It Awful!" troop.

Realize and recognize what your power, the grassroots power, has really done.

I'm not talking about the POTUS or the RNC; I'm writing of our actual accomplishments!

On issues we thought we'd lost: we WON.

It ISN'T a LOCK that a Demorat acquires the White House.

And if a GOP candidate makes shy by a few thousand votes, then I'll fall back on my own mantra:

If you fell into categories 1 through 5, then: shame on you! I don't want to hear a PEEP of complaint from you, should you disapprove of the outcome.

Just knock down a big cup of STFU and start posting about goldfish or video games or houseplants.

I'm in the race, folks, and I am not, repeat: NOT voting for a Demorat. I am voting for the person with the (R) behind their name. Simple as that.

Please, realize: it's not that bad. But it can get worse with a (D). Say to yourself: "Five possible SCOTUS appointments, five possible SCOTUS appointments."

BZ

Reflections On The Assassination

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto (54) was killed near a Rawalpindi park on Thursday evening, shot in the head and neck following a speech at an election rally. The photo below was taken seconds before the assassination. Though she rode in a bulletproof vehicle, she stuck her head and torso up through the sunroof to wave at people. Taking advantage, seconds later, shots occurred. Following the shots, the killer activated explosives which blew himself up adjacent her car, and this event killed another 20 people and injured many more.

All of Pakistan is now in chaos. It's al Qaeda 1, Western Nations 0 today.

Over 5 people have died in riots from Islamabad to Lahore and many other cities. Once her death was announced, people began rioting at the hospital to which she had been taken. Rioters turned their anger on police.

This -- in a nation that has a declared 90 nuclear warheads in possession. Perhaps more, undeclared. Some Pakistani scientists had been kicked out of their nuclear program due to Islamist leanings. Some consolation.

Bhutto was the target of a prior assassination attempt this past October, where 140+ people were killed during her "homecoming" parade.

There are, as one might guess, fingers pointing everywhere. The politics and possibilities are, unfortunately, almost endless. And, as you can see from the map, this entire territory is under heavy pressure from every direction.

And at the center is Militant Islam and al Qaeda.

From the CIA World Factbook and The Economist's 2008 Pocket World In Figures:

Pakistan is the 35th largest country in the world, median age 20.3 years, population, 164 million people, religion consists of: Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3%.

It is estimated that of the population, 5% is completely aligned with Islamist leanings -- radical Islam. That is a very conservative figure. The bulk of the country is anti-American. Publicly.

Musharraf has been playing both ends against the middle for too long. He likes the American aid. He holds Western nations and America at arms length publicly because he doesn't want to appear too "in bed" with the West, and Islamists at arms length publicly because he recognizes their innate insanity but knows they are poised and waiting. Fundamentalist Taliban types are just waiting for Musharraf to go down. And Musharraf knows that every level of his government, from the police, the military to his intelligence venues are rife and infiltrated with Taliban. Pervez Musharraf himself has survived 9 assassination attempts since 1999.

Politically, in the U.S., the downside for the Demorats: their mantras ranging from "the war doesn't matter" to "there is no war" has now taken a second seat to reality. Obama said he'd invade Pakistan; Huckabee said he'd invade Pakistan. Both are completely out of touch on this issue. And it is entirely possible that some candidates on the Demorat side won't even mention Pakistan and foreign affairs because, quite truly, their advocates and sycophants are actually that ignorant. They simply don't care. Penguins, polar bears, trees and sodomist's "rights" trump all.

Pakistan was created to be nothing more than the "anti-India," plain and simple. Ruled by Islam. And the Clinton Administration essentially gave Pakistan the nuclear bomb. I already wrote about Pakistan here. And, of course, about the threat that Islam poses to Western Civilization.

And with this move today, we have a de facto kicked-up relationship with India. Period. Whether we like it or not.

Clue to U.S. politicians: this is a clarion call for the ramping up of our U.S. missile defense. We once had a 500 ship blue water navy. We now have a 280 ship navy. Will our potential Presidential candidates spend that needed 4% of our budget to try to re-capitalize our military? China, North Korea, Iran and many other nations are purchasing the most silent of diesel-electric submarines -- quieter than nuke subs. The geopolitical situation can not only change by the day, but by the minute. We've already been surprised by Chinese subs.

Make no mistake: Bhutto was no Mother Teresa; she sacked her country's coffers and then sacked them again. But at this point that's almost immaterial. Bhutto was a representation: in the eyes of Islamists, she was a woman. How horrible. Who wasn't wrapped up in a full beekeepers cocoon. Who wore makeup. Who carried Gucci handbags. Who took second place to no man. Who had opinions and seemed to embrace democratic ideals. In power, she was subservient to no men.

BZ Predicts:
1. Musharraf has about two days to, at most, a week to embrace Democracy and the West. Or even NATO. Absent that, his chances of staying in power are two-fold: slim and none.

2. al Qaeda wants nothing but chaos; they thrive amidst chaos;

3. To achieve that end, expect assassination attempts on not only Musharraf again, but on Nawaz Sharif, Bhutto's political rival (and much more sympathetic to al Qaeda and the Taliban), as well.

Trust me on this, people: Iran is not the central issue right now.

BZ

The Mind Police

Are coming.

They already exist in Canada. They're moving south rapidly. The Demorats welcome them all with open arms and open legs.

In Canada now:

Biblical standards are under attack by the "bastardized courts" of Canada, where activists who claim they have "hurt feelings" are demanding – and getting – penalties imposed against those who oppose the homosexual lifestyle, according to a family organization.

I knew this was coming boys and girls, and it's not just coming -- it's here, right now, in the courts of our neighbors to the north. And if it's present in Canada, guess what's to be on our very own steps shortly:

The majority of the complaints have been related to homosexuals claiming that they've been offended, that hate is being propagated against them. The majority being targeted are religious sectors of society," (CFAC spokesman Brian) Rushfeldt said.

He cited Alberta's provincial requirement as an example. That law requires that, "No person shall publish, issue or display or cause to be published, issued or displayed before the public any statement, publication, notice, sign, symbol, emblem or other representation that (a) indicates discrimination or an intention to discriminate against a person or a class of persons, or (b) is likely to expose a person or a class of persons to hatred or contempt bcause of the race, religious beliefs, colour, gender, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income or family status of that person or class of persons."

But let's also do what I call the "logical extension" -- why stop with homosexuals? Why not extend these protections to cross-dressers, transexuals, paedophiles, misandrists, beastialists?

And at this point, what is the threshold for "offense"? Rushfeldt suggests:

How can I prove my feeling are hurt? I don't need to prove it. I just say it is so and it is so. Do I need to provide truth? No, not under the functions of the Human Rights Act. … Section 3(1) states that if something 'indicates discrimination' and 'is likely to expose to hatred or contempt' is a basis for action."

And friends, trust me, if speech is lost in public -- in Canada, then in the United States -- guess who's, logically, next?

You. Me. Anyone who writes, who has an opinion.



Then we really will be into the Thought and Speech Police.

Aided and abetted by your friendly neighborhood Demorats.

So.

You still want to stay home come election day? Write in "Mickey Mouse"?

Then I suppose you must not care for expressing your opinion or thoughts. Or spending a few days in jail. Or losing your home, your car, your pension. Or more.


BZ

Wanted:

BZ

P.S.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

On Christmas: I Stand With Israel

Declaration of the Jewish People

Sponsored by:
A concerned Jew

To the Nations of the World:

We, the Jewish people, both in Eretz Yisrael and in the various places of our exile, hereby declare:

1. That the Jewish People are the sole heirs to the Land of Israel, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea;

2. That all the Jewish people, each and every Jew, and only the Jews, have the right to return to the Land of Israel;

3. That the Jewish People have the right and duty to settle the Land of Israel in its entirety, to work the land, to build industry on it, and to do so respecting its holiness as the Torah commands;

4. That any individual Jew, even with the claim of representing the Jewish people, the people and/or government of Israel, or any representative or ruling authority; has no right to give away the collective right of the Jewish people over the Land of Israel;

5. That we will not accept any declaration, agreement, legislation, court ruling or decree that contradicts our right to the Land of Israel. This includes any instance where our right is only partially recognized, or where another people or entity alien to our people is said to share rights over the Land of Israel;

6. That the name of our land is the Land of Israel, Eretz Yisrael, and that we do not recognize the sovereign validity of any name imposed by foreign conquerors, or any people called after such imposed name;

7. That the capital of the Land of Israel is the entire city of Jerusalem, and that this is an unconditional truth not subject to debate or negotiation. No other people or entity of any sort has sovereign rights over that city, and even the collection of all the nations of the world has no such right;

8. That the Temple Mount is our most Holy place, and that no one has the right to violate its holiness and physical integrity. The remains of the First and Second Temple shall not be touched unless it is for the specific purpose of building the Third Temple;

9. That the State of Israel has the duty to keep the Land of Israel on Jewish hands, and any violation of this duty is to us of no validity. We do not recognize any territorial concession, and no peace may come from such thing.

This world of falsehood, "alma d'shikra" as is called in the Zohar, is fooled into believing that Israel is in a "peace process," and that the sacrifice of land to establish an Arab Palestinian State in the territories liberated in 1967 will bring about peace, prosperity, and progress to all.

Those of us who are not fooled must reply clearly and with a strong voice. What the Bush and Olmert administrations are doing is most harmful, and in the name of peace, they are setting us in the path to permanent war.

Is this valid? Or is it sham?

I believe that Israel has a right to exist.

That so-called "Palestine" does not.

If there were the slightest mote of altruism in the Middle East, all the surrounding Islamic nations would have been falling all over themselves to provide "Palestinians" with their own land. That has not happened.

Which begs the question: why not provide for your brothers? Unless, in their opinion, their very own flesh and blood, their brethren, were somehow not deserving of a small slice of their own country.

When your brother's house suffers a fire, why would you not offer a comforting place for him to lay his head? Temporarily and then, had you the room, permanently?

But no. Those lands were not offered. They would not do. They were never considered.

Only one tract of land would suffice: what Israel possesses -- though it was only by Middle Eastern aggression that Israel acquired that land; small bits of land only acquired following violent invasion into Israeli territory.

My thoughts: if your own kind will not offer you territory, then why should Israel?

How is it that I am wrong? And moreover: "Palestinians" and the entire Middle East shall not be satisfied with merely turning over land to develop "Palestine." Oh no. It is about the entire eradication of not only Israel (aided and abetted by the UN) but the eradication of every Jew worldwide. Period. This isn't about politics. This is about religion -- which trumps every form of politics extant. Therefore:

I STAND WITH ISRAEL.

BZ

No Links

Today, no links. I've re-written this three times and I think that's enough.

Just thoughts, in a random pouring. At night, from my second floor, listening to Brian Eno's "Another Green World." The window is cracked open slightly, so I can hear the trains as they attempt to ascend the Number Two track over the original Transcontinental line. It's 27-degrees outside but still I feel warm.

This past week a fellow officer died. In a one-in-a-million happenstance. A 16-year-old snap-fired and killed this deputy with a one-in-a-million shot. He is dead but I live on.

I spent four years working our jail system, 7 years in Patrol. 7 years in Detectives. I worked Theft, Child Abuse, Warrants, Robbery, Homicide. I worked for the FBI. For the US Marshal. I've been in literally hundreds and hundreds of life-threatening situations. Effected hundreds of arrests. Written warrants. Brought suspects back on extradition from other states. Been in three shooting situations, one which resulted in the death of a suspect. And yet I'm still here. Writing this tonight. Knocking down a St. Pauli Girl. With a liver the size of Kansas and a congested heart to match. Yet I still walk upright.

What is that, literally, all about? Why is that deputy at 37 gone, and I'm still ambling about? What's the plan? And why can't I see it? And why make that deputy's wife ask the same damned question?

Why wasn't it me on any number of prior occasions? What makes me any "better" than that deputy? Because, certainly, I am not. I am, admittedly, much less.

I don't have kids; I'm too selfish for that. Altruism stayed two states away from me my entire life. I'm about as sociable as Carcharodon carcharias. Every manner of whatever meagre "success" I've achieved in my so-called "career" was acquired by careful study, replication, concentration. I was not by nature either smart, clever or "people-wise." I was and am generally immature and masked. Entering law enforcement was, on one hand, the smartest thing I ever did in terms of life skills. The absolute smartest thing I've done in my life is to marry my second wife.

Even to this point there are days I feel I'm masquerading as a real, caring human being. Sometimes I feel nothing more than a child all masked-up in adult clothing. I am frequently thankful that normal humans are generally so incredibly dense as to not see me for what I truly am. It frequently amazes me that the bulk of humans encountering me, being that ignorant, can conduct any semblance of lives themselves. I have evidently, then, done some kind of excellent job of mimicking real human behavior.

And yet, despite that, years of conducting myself in such a falseness, the truly great continue to fall and I continue to live. To put it in the colloquial: "What's up with that?"

This isn't a plea for sympathy; this is me being, for once, honest.

The Good get taken daily, hourly, by the second. It's not just a cliche. Because here I continue to sit.

If that isn't horrific irony, I don't know what is.

BZ

Winning One

A new Arizona law considered among the nation’s toughest against employers who hire illegal immigrants will go into effect on Jan. 1 after federal judges on Friday refused to block it.

Both a United States district judge in Phoenix and a federal appeals court in San Francisco, ruling on separate lawsuits by business and civil rights groups, declined to stand in the way.

The law calls for suspending the license of an employer found to have knowingly hired an illegal worker, and revocation for a second offense.

Could it be that common sense has won the day?

PHOENIX (AP) — Illegal immigrants in Arizona, frustrated with a flagging economy and tough new legislation cracking down on their employers, are returning to their home countries or trying their luck in other states.

For months, immigrants have taken a wait-and-see attitude toward the state's new employer-sanctions law, which takes effect Jan. 1. The voter-approved legislation is an attempt to lessen the economic incentive for illegal immigrants in Arizona, the busiest crossing point along the U.S.-Mexico border.

And by all appearances, it's starting to work.

Wait. Let me get this right. You mean, if we actually DO something about illegal invaders, they'll actually begin to diminish?

Oh, but wait; that's the rub -- we actually have to DO something!

Sounds like a clue to me.

BZ

Why Religion Is Bad

- Because it sets limits
- Because it advocates discipline
- Because it embraces judgment
- Because it delineates consequences
- Because it promotes hard work
- Because it encompasses responsibility
- Because it suggests independence
- Because it counsels self-reliance
- Because it emphasizes group and not individual
- Because esteem does not factor

If I were logical but Agnostic, I would advocate religion simply for its tenets of Life Living:

The Ten Commandments (or Decalogue):
1. "I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me..." (This commandment is to believe in the existence of God and His influence on events in the world. It prohibits belief in or worship of any additional deities.)

2. "Do not make an image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above..." (This prohibits the construction or fashioning of "idols" in the likeness of created things (beasts, fish, birds, people) and worshipping them.

3. "Do not swear falsely by the name of the LORD..." (This commandment is to never take the name of God in a vain, pointless or insincere oath.)

4. "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy." (the version in Deuteronomy reads shamor, "observe". The seventh day of the week is termed Shabbat and is holy, just as God ceased creative activity during Creation.

5. "Honor your father and your mother..." The obligation to honor one's parents is an obligation that one owes to God and fulfills this obligation through one's actions towards one's parents.

6. "Do not murder." Murdering a human being is a capital sin. As with law, there is differentiated murder and killing.

7. "Do not commit adultery." Adultery is defined as sexual intercourse between a man and a married woman who is not his wife. Apparently, as with the White House, blow jobs don't count either.

8. "Do not steal." This is not understood as stealing in the conventional sense, since theft of property is forbidden elsewhere and is not a capital offense. In this context it is to be taken as "do not kidnap" as well. These are two entirely different levels.

9. "Do not bear false witness against your neighbor." One must not bear false witness in a court of law or other proceeding.

10. "Do not covet your neighbor's wife" Sin, quite frankly, is primarily local. One is forbidden to desire and plan how one may obtain that which God has given to another.

This is how atheists see those who believe:

And this is what Wise Europe thinks of the United States:

So tell me a few things, please:

- Tell me how atheism has improved life on this planet.
- Delineate to me how religion diminishes the overall quality of life experienced on this earth.
- Why it is apparent that so many people seem to think that religion needs to be completely abandoned for secularism?


I have my own answers. What are yours?

Which begs another question: What are the tenets of secularism or atheism for living a Good Life?


Or, in a larger context, are the concepts of "good" and "bad" in and of themselves outdated?





BZ

At Christmas

I just came in from lowering our flag to half-staff. Outside it is dark, cold, a light mist. Mirroring the faces of my fellow officers.

At Christmas.

A newlywed wife lost her husband Wednesday of this week, as he bled out on the street, having been shot in the neck.

At Christmas.

My department has had four deputies killed in two years.

Deputies Joe Kievernagel and Kevin Blount died on July 13th of 2005 in a helicopter crash near Lake Natoma. Pilot Kievernagel, having lost power, managed to maneuver the helo away from the heavily populated recreational area just beneath him at the time, which took him into the side of a hill in full view of hundreds of summer swimmers and boaters.

On October 27th of 2006, Deputy Jeff Mitchell was disarmed and shot to death by a suspect following a traffic stop. The suspect is still at large and unknown. Following his killing, my department began furiously installing in-dash camcorders in vehicles. Deputy Mitchell's car was not so equipped.

And this week, just yesterday, my department lost an undercover narcotics detective. At 37 years old, Vu Nguyen gave up his life for the job he loved. His wife weeps. His family grieves, my department and the community feel the loss.

At Christmas.

Engine 56 and Medic 12 of the Sacramento Fire Department wanted to be anywhere but where they were that day.

Being the first to respond, and hearing that a deputy sheriff had been shot, they threw protocol away. They refused to stage and wait for a suspect to be declared "in custody." They decided, on their own, they were going into the hot area, a completely unknown area, and they were going to apply state-of-the-art lifesaving techniques to that deputy. A man they didn't know at all. They didn't know his ethnicity, his assignment, his religion, his height, his weight. It didn't matter. He was an American and a law enforcement officer and a fellow emergency responder. That is, literally, all they knew. And that they, like he, had valued and loved wives and children at home. And still they went because, frankly, they didn't care. That was their job. That's what they signed up for.

At Christmas.

And what they found was a deputy on top of a chicken coop, shot directly through the front of the neck. The second they placed the leads on him he was in V-fib. And they knew immediately about that 37-year-old deputy, right there. The 37-year-old deputy, Vu Nguyen, who had just gotten married in April of this year. A brand new wife. Who expected her husband back, that day, at the end of his shift.

At Christmas.

Three firefighters climbed into the back of the box rig and headed for the trauma center, performing heroic lifesaving measures. Giving their best. Knowing the truth. Awash in his blood. Vu Nguyen officially died at the hospital in surgery.

And Mrs. Nguyen had to be found, to be notified. Of the death of her husband. By violent gunfire.

At Christmas.

The area became flooded with cops. SSD, SPD, CHP, other local agencies, 100 to 150 officers. Three helos, two SWAT teams, multiple K9 units. Schools were locked down. Anyone callous enough or violent enough or indifferent enough as this killer was certainly capable of finding a child and taking a hostage, or worse.

Finally, many, many hours later the perimeter was taken down. No suspect was in custody.

No one stopped. No one gave up. No one went home. Leads were developed. Evidence documented and collected. Photographs taken. The investigation started. There was a job to do and no one complained or stopped for food or drink. There was only one thought in mind: find the suspect. Take him into custody. Now.

But make no mistake. There were many phone calls made on cells. To loved ones. "That wasn't me, honey," was what the bulk of the calls said. Perhaps a little guiltily. But truthfully. Because their wives deserved to know. Now.

People didn't stop. No one went home, no one slept. More leads were developed. And now, today, there is a suspect in custody.

It is a 16-year-old suspect. A known Asian gangbanger. 5'4" tall, 130 pounds. Who made his bones and will be spoken of, with reverence, in his own cloistered and demented groups. He made his bones, acquired his respect. Respect that will follow him, in the gangs, in the jails, in the prisons, wherever he goes now. Until he dies. Forever.

In the meantime, we'll continue with the investigation, collect more evidence, document, process and do what we are tasked with and what we have sworn to do: our jobs.

We'll don our hats, wear our gloves, a black band over our badges, attend the funeral, watch the motors in the procession. One of our own has fallen.

And then we'll go back to our jobs, every day. And love our wives, our husbands, hold our kids. Shed tears. Probably clutch and hug our dear ones even harder, closer.

Because life is so precious.

Not just at Christmas.

But all the time.


BZ

5 Supreme Court Justices

A number of persons have said, for some time now (actually on both sides of the aisle) that they favor a particular Presidential candidate that may, for whatever combination of reasons, not necessarily be electable -- because the candidate represents their hot-button issue best. Or, absent finding that particular candidate and determining not to vote for the "lesser of two evils," they have either hinted or written outright that they'll be staying home come election day.

On the other hand, I have clearly and continuously written that, no matter the primaries, I'll be voting for the person with the (R) behind their name. Why? some persons have asked.

I would respond: see the title of this post. That is why.

It is anticipated that the next President of the United States may possibly have the opportunity to nominate up to five individuals to fill potential Supreme Court vacancies. The five most senior members of the court are:

-John Paul Stevens, since 12-19-1975

-Antonin Scalia, since 09-26-1986

-Anthony Kennedy, since 02-18-1988

-David Souter, since 10-09-1990

-Clarence Thomas, since 10-23-1991

For me, that's simply reason enough to vote Republican.

In my opinion, what immediate two qualities should we look for in a SCOTUS nominee? How about:

- Someone who has not cited or supported foreign case law in our courts

- A strict constructionist who will not legislate from the SCOTUS chambers

Considering those factors, what kind of a person do you think will be nominated by a Demorat?

See my post explaining why SCOTUS appointments are so incredibly important.

BZ

Jerking Off the American Public

Bloomberg.com says that:

Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Wheat futures gained in Chicago on expectations demand is increasing at a time of shrinking global stockpiles. Corn and soybeans declined as recent advances may have been overdone.

Wheat for March delivery, which reached a record $10.095 a bushel yesterday before settling at $9.66, today rose as much as 1.1 percent to $9.77 in after-hours electronic trading on the Chicago Board of Trade. They traded little changed at $9.6575 as of 12:17 p.m. local time in London. Global wheat inventories may drop 11 percent by May 31 to 110.1 million metric tons, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

But moreover, in America:

Corn reached a nine-month high yesterday at $4.4325 a bushel, while soybeans extended a rally to the highest since 1973 on speculation that U.S. demand for fuel made from grain and oilseeds will surge. The Senate passed a bill Dec. 13 that may boost use of alternative fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.

Let it be known here and now: farmers are producing more and more corn for the creation of ethanol, and turning over their once profitable alternate crops for corn. That means what we once grew, in terms of other crops, must be made up from imports.

And everyone does know that ethanol is one of the most inefficient means of powering an internal combustion engine? Yes? And that the production of ethanol = jerking off the American public to "show" that America "cares" about so-called "Global Warming"?

This is a complete and total farce, not to mention incredibly, incredibly wasteful.

But hey, it "looks" good and makes American Leftist coneheads think "something" is being done. It's all about emotions and not facts.

BZ

My New Mantra

BZ

I Am Legend

Or, perhaps I Am Not. Perhaps the original film, 1971's "The Omega Man" starring Charleton Heston was better, though a bit crankier and, considering the very last scene, just a hair more didactic?

Out of, say, a possible five stars, the 2007 "I Am Legend" rates a paltry **1/2 stars from ol' BZ.

Ostensibly taken from the short 1954 Richard Matheson novel of the same name, the movie starts off with high, high marks and hopes. [Matheson, incidentally, wrote "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (later adapted by Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone and featuring a very young William Shatner as that segment's star), "A Stir Of Echoes," "What Dreams May Come," "The Incredible Shrinking Man" and "Duel," all turned into films or television productions -- and much more.]

Certainly, the film rocketed out of the gate this past weekend, taking in $77.4 million. And certainly its star, Will Smith, is responsible for a huge measure of the movie's success -- he's so damned likeable. I like him. You like him. The movie even throws in a gratuitous shirt-off-Will-doing-pull-ups shot of his rippling abs and flexing biceps. Someone behind me whispered: "Is that actually Will Smith?" I would answer: yes it is. The dude is in fine shape. And he really can be a fine actor. But please don't get me wrong: it's not Will Smith with which I have trouble.

First, if you do see the movie you'll be immediately taken in by the breadth and depth of its cinematic scope. A thoroughly trashed and mortally wounded New York City is portrayed with boggling realism and its city-views are no less than stellar in their graphic representation of a city abandoned at last second. I am wont to admit, I haven't been witness to such staggeringly-realistic CG in some time, encompassing an area with which I am familiar.

And conversely, it is the CG which killed the movie entirely for me -- and its ending (I'll get to that in a moment). Perhaps you can find your way to see around it. For me, I cannot.

The CG involving the Hemocytes (or zombies to the rest of us) left me completely tepid. As good as 2007 CG is, it still doesn't have the human figure down -- despite Beowulf, which was as sterling as it gets to this point.

On one hand, I marveled at the expansive, detailed and entirely believeable horizons of NYC -- on the other hand, the unrealistic speed at which a spiraling helicopter starts to smack into a Coast Guard helo carrying the wife and child of our protagonist strained my "willing suspension of disbelief" and veritably screamed at me: "computer graphics, fake!"

For one thing, none of the Hemocytes (or zombies) are portrayed by actors. They are all CG. They, unfortunately, remind me of the snake in the 1997 film "Anaconda." Anacondas don't move that fast, they're not that adept, they don't scream, they can't wind up a tree faster than a man can run and certainly they can't outrun a human -- as they readily did in the film. An anaconda is not a Black Mamba (which actually can move as fast or faster than a human for short periods of time).

The Hemocytes possess superhuman strength, superhuman speed, are impervious to pain, have superhuman abilities to climb sheer walls, tear through ceilings, and can somehow distend their jaws like an Egg-Eating Snake in order to screech at the top of their lungs.

I'm sorry, that just didn't play for me at all. It was all too convenient, too pat, too over-the-top, particularly in light of the startling realism offered by the rest of the film. The CG zombies were just not believeable.

Finally, I should care to address the ending.

I would portray it like this: ever get into a really good book, the author seems to know what they're doing, they've been ramrodding ahead for the past 300 pages and you notice there aren't many pages left. How will they end it? you wonder. And then, like a hatchet in your brain, it just ends. Bang. And you shut the book and ask: what the hell just happened? Ever read a book like that?

"I Am Legend" is precisely like that book. The movie chugs along (if you can overlook the cheap-ass and unbelieveable Hemocytes -- how'd they figure out how to rig a Crown Victoria to a noose, anyway? Why hadn't we seen evidence of their intelligence before?) and then BANG, it ends, literally. (SPOILER ALERT) It's as if the writers and producers said: "You know, we're only budgeted for 1 hour and 40 minutes, we're at 1:37 already, what do we do?" Following a conference, they concluded: we'll have Robert Neville pull a grenade out of a drawer and kill himself and the Head Dude.

That's cheap. Too easy, too quick, too little thought. The book ran out of pages; the movie ran out of writers. Or cash.

If you go, go for the vast and sweeping cinematic views of New York City. Simply amazing.

THE GOLDEN COMPASS:

My wife wished to attend this movie, with my expressed reticence. At its conclusion we both stood up and walked out. I asked: "what just happened? Can you explain it to me?" She couldn't immediately but said: it was nothing like the book. Absent the fact that I fundamentally disagree with the author, I would recommend complete avoidance of this film. It made no sense. It didn't follow. I couldn't have cared less about any of its characters including the little girl, who was essentially a brat. Luckily I live in the tules, so it didn't cost me much to see. But for those of you obligated to spend $10 or more on a ticket: avoid this piece of shit like the plague. It has no plot, or at least a plot that the average viewer (having not read the book) could discern. I wouldn't even recommend you waste your time on a rental following its press to DVD.

As Nikki Finke wrote:

And in only its second weekend in release, the bottom fell out of costly domestic flop The Golden Compass from New Line, which forked over $200+ million to make it. I know, I know, the pic is doing OK overseas after earning $50.9 mil from 27 territories December 7th-9th. But the fantasy epic is so lost domestically it earned only an anemic $2.6 million Friday and $3.7 million Saturday from 3,528 nearly empty runs for 3rd place and a new cume of just $40.5 mil. I hear studio topper Bob Shaye once again is blaming everyone but himself -- including the movie's director Chris Weitz, and also New Line's own prez of production Toby Emmerich.

It couldn't have happened to a more appropriate movie.

BZ

Back In The USSR

The world is a dangerous place, and Russia's Vladimir Putin is doing his best to ensure this is correct.

Putin, the same man who recently got himself "elected" King (just under a different noun) had his Army Chief of Staff say recently:

THE planned deployment of US interceptor missiles in Poland could trigger a missile strike by Russia if those missiles are ever used, the Russian army's chief of staff has warned.

The United States has outlined plans to site 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic by 2012 as part of a missile defence shield aimed at a possible missile threat from Iran, according to Washington.

And how does Putin treat people who may disagree with his tactics?

A Russian opposition activist has been sent to a psychiatric hospital by authorities a day before a planned demonstration.

Artem Basyrov's detention is the latest in a series of incidents suggesting a punitive Soviet-era practice is being revived under president Vladimir Putin.

Ah, isn't it refreshing to see Russia being led back to the USSR of old? Warms the cockles of my heart, it does.

BZ

Dental Records Match

BZ

What You Get

This is what you get when you compromise with the Demorats.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Friday he will declare a "fiscal emergency" in January to give him and the Legislature more power to deal with the state's growing deficit.

Schwarzenegger made the announcement Friday after meeting with lawmakers and interest groups this week to tell them California's budget deficit is worse -- far worse -- than economists predicted just a few weeks ago.

The shortfall is not $10 billion, but more than $14 billion -- a 40 percent jump that would put it in orbit with some of the state's worst fiscal crisis, those who have met with him said.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected Fornicalia governor following the Gray Davis recall election of 2003 -- and I'll give credit where credit is due: the push for that recall election came primarily from talk show host Eric Hogue of then-KTKZ in Sacramento. Hogue, a former resident of Ohio, is now running for the 4th Assembly District in Placer County, Fornicalia -- having put his thoughts, deeds and actions where his mouth was. I cannot but admire him for that. Quite frankly, I'd vote for him in a second.

Demorat Gov. Gray Davis, the emptiest of empty suits, literally drove Fornicalia into the ground. His policies screwed up our entire power production and distribution system, sent us millions and millions and millions of dollars into debt. The People were completely fed up.

Schwarzenegger ran on the premise that he would REDUCE our government, and that he would REDUCE our deficit. In his first year, right off the bat, he immediately repealed Fornicalia's onerous and recent increase in the vehicle registration fee. He campaigned directly on this promise, and he delivered. He also prevented driver's licenses from being handed out to illegal immigrants. His first smackdown came when some very powerful state unions began to oppose his various initiatives -- including the HUGELY NEEDED re-drawing of legislative districts (which keeps Demorats IN POWER in this state).

Demorats acquired, through the potentially-affected unions involved, millions of dollars in order to defeat every last proposition Arnold managed to place on the very expensive ballot in 2005. Special interest groups spent hundreds of millions of dollars on gathering signatures and advertising for this election. And they essentially lied through their teeth on each and every ad. Arnold failed to strike back. He failed to counter their arguments. So with silence on his part, ignorant and naive voters shot down the entire special election. He would later comment that "no one could win if the opposition raised $160 million dollars to defeat you."

As I wrote on this post in 2005, the result of these propositions going down was:

-- Parents have no right to be notified before abortions can be performed on girls under 18; WRONG
-- Teacher tenure will continue to be 2 instead of 5 years; WRONG
-- Any Fornicalia union can continue to use members' dues for any political purpose against the wish of the individual member, who has no say; WRONG
-- There are no spending limits for the State of Fornicalia; we may continue to spend more than we receive in taxes from the taxpayers; WRONG
-- We like our gerrymandered districts in Fornicalia; it keeps those currently in power and gosh, why should we brook those pesky incumbents? WRONG
-- There should be no discount prescription drug program for the state (fine by me);
-- There should be no incentives paid by the state to prescription drug companies (fine by me);
-- We will not re-regulate our energy market (fine by me).

Following Arnold's Slapdown, he brooded and decided that it was time to allow the Demorat side of him to emerge.

First order of business following his Come To Jesus: the appointment of a Demorat, Susan Kennedy, as his Chief of Staff (against advice of his GOP strategists). Schwarzenegger scrambled toward the political middle, determined to build a so-called "winning legacy" with only a short time to go until the next gubernatorial election.

And now, whilst appeasing the bulk of his Demorat critics at the behest of the Left-leaning "progressive" Fornicalia media, Gov. Schwarzenegger has achieved the very same thing former Governor Gray Davis achieved: the complete and utter tanking of the state's budget.

The only difference now being that, as opposed to Davis, Schwarzenegger ADMITS IT.

The various Demorats, I'll wager, have called him oh-so-discreetly to say: "Shut the fuck up. Don't air our dirty laundry in public."

Which tells me: there is still a shred of decency left in Arnold. Not much. But a bit.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY:

When you lie down with snakes, you will get bitten.

Let this be a lesson to ALL of us: when we compromise our Conservative Principles, past and current history explains: nothing good will happen.

As far as I am concerned, it is True Conservatives vs. RINOs, the GOP and the Demorat party -- which encompasses "progressives," Leftists, Socialists.

My new BZ seal, at the top right of my blog, says it all (thanks Bushwack!).

BZ

Hacking & Slashing on Hillary

Drugs in kindergarten? Old news, eh, but another in a series of attacks by the H. Clinton Machine.

This week:

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - A top campaign adviser to Hillary Rodham Clinton resigned Thursday, a day after suggesting Democrats should be wary of nominating Barack Obama because his teenage drug use could make it hard for him to win the presidency.

Old news, old news, ho-hum.

Why is it that Hillary appears to be receding? ("Wait, wait, I can answer that," many school children respond.)

• First: because Hillary is not Bill;
• Second: Bill was likeable and had a certain charm and karma;
• Third: Bill could turn his attention to you for but a moment and make you feel as if you were the only person in the room;
• Fourth: WJC, in truth, isn't nearly as Left as his wife;
• Fifth: because the electorate (even to a degree, Demorats) seem to have a semblance of actual perception;
• Sixth: because she shot her campaign out early;
• Seventh: because her voice grates on most listeners not unlike nails on a school chalkboard (don't laugh, I know this to be true having asked numerous persons!);
• Eighth: she preternaturally exhibits all the cuddly warmth of a Pecos scorpion;
• Ninth: she and her campaign are as spontaneous as a NASA shuttle launch;
• Tenth: she is Insufficiently Left for the New Moonbat Left.

Hillary Clinton is no longer the Darling Of The Hard Left. And consider this for a moment, if you will: in order to acquire her senator seat, she had to find the most blue state available in order to make her bones.

The Demorats are already finger-pointing for all their failures:

When Democrats took control of Congress in January, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi(D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) pledged to jointly push an ambitious agenda to counter 12 years of Republican control.

Now, as Congress struggles to adjourn for Christmas, relations between House Democrats and their colleagues in the Senate have devolved into finger-pointing.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) accuses Senate Democratic leaders of developing "Stockholm syndrome," showing sympathy to their Republican captors by caving in on legislation to provide middle-class tax cuts paid for with tax increases on the super-rich, tying war funding to troop withdrawal timelines, and mandating renewable energy quotas. If Republicans want to filibuster a bill, Rangel said, Reid should keep the bill on the Senate floor and force the Republicans to talk it to death.

Reid, in turn, has taken to the Senate floor to criticize what he called the speaker's "iron hand" style of governance.

The Demorats, according to the Wall Street Journal, are in gridlock.

And despite the GOP being in complete and total disarray, and led by an absolute dithering idiot in terms of President Bush, the Demorats have "caved" on spending:

Senate and House Democrats backed down Wednesday from a spending showdown with President Bush.

The Democrats’ capitulation Wednesday on the total domestic spending level is the latest instance of Bush prevailing on a major policy showdown. Bush and his Senate Republican allies have repeatedly beat back efforts by Democrats to place restrictions on funding for the war in Iraq as well as Democratic attempts to expand funding of children’s health insurance by $35 billion.

If you think the GOP is in bad shape, you oughta check out the Demorats.

BZ

Pope Benedict's Warming

You can place Pope Benedict XVI in the category of a Global Warming skeptic:

The leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics suggested that fears over man-made emissions melting the ice caps and causing a wave of unprecedented disasters were nothing more than scare-mongering.

The German-born Pontiff said that while some concerns may be valid it was vital that the international community based its policies on science rather than the dogma of the environmentalist movement.

Of course, the Pope was immediately reviled for daring to suggest that facts somehow should manage to prevail over emotions, breast-beating and scare tactics. Wonkette said:

Pope Benedict XVI has decided to stick his little Nazi head directly up Al Gore’s peaceful ass by calling global warming fears nothing but “scare-mongering.”

Some of the more printable comments on this statement include:

• He is just worried about that tax cut for no children thing. Needs more children to feast on.
• Isn't the Catholic Church, and all organized religion in general, based on dubious ideology??
• You son of a bitch, stab your crucifix into the souls of humanity just one more time. Come on, do it... it'll be like the good old days when you were marching up and down the streets wearing your swastikas.
• ...I hate sharing this planet with these azzholes, don't you?

The comments went on and on. Did the comments deal with facts, with studies, with statistics, with science?

No. The responses immediately fell to personal and religious attacks.

Because, you see, that's all The Left possesses.

Isn't it odd that it's Open Season on Western Religions (Christianity) and the Catholic Church (specifically) whilst The Left insists we kiss the ass of Islam and prosyletize for Islam in our schools and society.

BZ

Three Interesting Points

First:

A slap in the face to Hillary -- which is perhaps why she ain't The Beloved One as she's so regimented. Don't you wonder what kind of conversations may occur between Bill & Hill over the phone (considering they likely haven't slept together since 1998)?

From The NY Times:

The poll found that former President Bill Clinton could be an effective campaign weapon for his wife. Forty-four percent of Democrats said Mr. Clinton’s involvement would make them more likely to support Mrs. Clinton.

That equates to this: almost half of those favoring Hillary are doing so because they like Bill. Check it out: I'm not saying she's hard, but there are stories of people being able to roller skate over her face. This just in: "According to the latest WMUR/CNN poll, Hillary Clinton's 20-point lead has vanished. She now has 31 percent support, with Barack Obama in a statistical tie at 30 percent. John Edwards is third with 16 percent, and Bill Richardson has slipped slightly to 7 percent."

Second:

From that same NY Times poll:

Three weeks before the Iowa caucuses, Republicans voters across the country appear uninspired by their field of presidential candidates, with a vast majority saying they have not made a final decision about who to support, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.

That would be generally true of myself. I have not yet committed completely to any one candidate. There are elements of some that I favor. I suspect I am not alone. I suspect that many persons lie to pollsters. I suspect that the bulk of the electorate, on both sides of the aisle, are not yet fundamentally committed to one candidate -- to the point where they are convinced they cannot be swayed to another.


Third:

PRINCETON, NJ -- A new Gallup Poll, conducted Dec. 6-9, finds 37% of Americans approving of the job George W. Bush is doing as president, an improvement from his recent scores in the low 30s. Meanwhile, 22% of Americans approve of Congress, essentially unchanged from last month. Both Bush's and Congress' ratings remain low by historical standards.

Bush's "ratings" are slightly rising -- up to 37% from 31% in November. The "surge" is why. But why are Congressional ratings continuing to plummet? Could it have something to do with PELOSI and REID, who PROMISED to make this session of Congress THE most ethical in the entire history of the United States? Demorats themselves are disappointed with their party. "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." - Thomas Jefferson


BZ

HEROINE

She is The Left's "new worst nightmare."

An armed security guard, hired specifically to guard the New Life Church managed to stop further killing by, oddly enough, doing her job. She shot the assassin in the head and dropped him to the floor like an anvil.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Jeanne Assam appeared before the news media for the first time Monday and said she "did not think for a minute to run away" when a gunman entered the New Life Church in Colorado Springs and started shooting.

Let's see: Westroads Mall shooting, prohibition against regular citizens carrying firearms inside, assassin is not stopped, carnage stops only when AK-47 equipped murderer shoots himself, eight people killed, five wounded.

Church: Two killed, one wounded. The murderer was carrying two handguns, an assault rifle and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition, said Sgt. Jeff Johnson of the Colorado Springs Police Department. From the story:

Assam's actions saved the lives of 50 to 100 people.

The same murderer had killed two persons earlier at a Missionary Center (and wounded two more) where there was no security similar to the New Life Church.

Conclusion: Evil is stopped. By a firearm.

Imagine that.


BZ

Iran No Threat?

Really?

Well of course, if you but ask the Demorats and those who cheered when the newest NIE was released last week. Last Thursday, I posted about my thoughts on the NIE. John Bolton questioned the veracity of its contents. The Israelis questioned its contents as well.

Most recently, an Israeli Minister said (please note my red italics for emphasis):

The manner in which the Americans relate to the intelligence report on Iran is similar to the way in which they viewed those reports they received during the Holocaust on railways transporting hundreds of thousands of Jews to their death at Auschwitz," Minister Yitzhak Cohen of Shas said during a security cabinet meeting Sunday morning on the Iranian nuclear issue.

"It can not be that (US President George W.) Bush is committed to peace as was declared at Annapolis, and then the Americans propagate such an intelligence report which contradicts the information we have proving Iran intends to obtain nuclear weapons," Cohen said. "How can we rely on the Americans if they publish this report that emasculates what the world explicitly knows regarding Iran, and renders impotent the entire struggle against the Iranians?"

This, my dear readers, is what is termed a swift, public kick to the US groin by Israel.

Ynetnews nails it further:

Minister Cohen asserted that the report must have been "ordered by someone who wants dialogue with Tehran" and formulated an historical analogy to express just how serious the situation is: "In the middle of the previous century the Americans received intelligence reports from Auschwitz on the packed trains going to the extermination camps. They claimed then that the railways were industrial. Their attitude today to the information coming out of Iran on the Iranians' intention to produce a nuclear bomb reminds one of their attitude during the holocaust."

Cabinet Member Cohen had this to say to his fellow ministers not present in the meeting: "Whoever thinks that the president of Iran is a lover of Zion, with Kosher certification from the Americans, misleads and is mislead. He is not a lover of Zion, but instead an aspiring strangler of Zion. Someone in America fell asleep on his watch, but we must remain awake and aware."

Earlier a senior security source told Ynet that "Iran will do all in its power to proceed on the path (to a nuclear weapon), while trying to confuse the western world." In the meeting, policy makers attempted to formulate the Israeli response to the American National Intelligence Estimate, published last week, which asserted that Iran suspended its activities for acquiring nuclear weapons in 2003.

In the meantime, a UK Sunday Telegraph report says British intelligence has serious doubts that Tehran has shelved nuclear weapons program. 'Iranian nuclear staff, knowing their phones were tapped, deliberately gave misinformation; they will say anything to throw us off,' a UK official was quoted as saying.

According to senior ministers, Israel has information proving that Iran did not cease in its efforts to obtain a nuclear bomb, and is only acting in secret. Nevertheless, none of the three top ministers, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, or Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni seeks to create a confrontation with the American administration.

A senior security official who has seen the materials Israel possesses claims that there is enough incriminating information regarding Iran's intentions.

"Even if the world lacks clear evidence, the (Iranian) agenda is clear. We have no doubt that it is (President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollahs who are directing the program. Israel has gathered enough information to obligate the international community to continue with its intensive activity against creating a bomb," he said.

As Yoni Tidi wrote in his December 4th blog entry, Israel appears to be quite alone:

So America hangs Israel out to dry at Annapolis, with a follow up visit by President Bush to Israel in January 2008 in an attempt to push forward the birth of a terrorist state and now Israel will have to shoulder the fight against Iran alone.

America may talk the talk but mark my words when the Iranian nuclear program is taken out it will be with missiles that proudly wear a Star of David not Old Glory.

Israel needs to look at our relationship with America with a new honest assessment, about who are our real friends.

To me, Yoni's words hurt; they hurt a great deal. I can only say this to Mr. Tidi: I suspect the bulk of America stands with Israel. Perhaps not our current short-sighted administration, but the rank-and-file American. Make no mistake: I stand with Israel.

Those who believe the NIE is accurate are naive and just plain wrong.

BZ

Truism

From the Associated Press:

ATLANTA (AP) - Civil rights icon Andrew Young says Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is too young and lacks the support network to ascend to the White House.

In a media interview posted online, Young also quipped that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has her husband behind her, and that "Bill is every bit as black as Barack."

"He's probably gone with more black women than Barack," Young said of former President Clinton, drawing laughter from a live television audience.

I believe it.

BZ

This Week, Cartoons Say It All:

BZ