The 500 tons of Iranian rockets, grenades, ammunition and mortar shells that Israel intercepted on the MV Francop was destined for Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon, a fact that Iran's friends in the Obama White House will not doubt seek to downplay if not outright ignore. That means that a media largely compliant to the Administration's wishes will fail to pick up on the alarm sounded by Israel, which noted the weapons they intercepted had first been shipped into an unsuspecting third country, unloaded, transferred, and shipped out again without anyone in that nation knowing.

The weapons were not segregated or controlled, were not properly stored or packed, and highly explosive.

And it could happen any any port at any nation on earth.

"When you deal with those containers without any precautions at all, they can explode almost anywhere. And any one of your ships could carry one of those containers one day, and any one of your ports could deal with those explosives."

This isn't a secret.

So why isn't anything being done about it?

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 09:18 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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The monuments in Washington all seemed false in the cool morning mist. They were big and white and extravagant, yet the tourists cheapened them somehow as they gawked, took photos, and scurried to the next place on their list of things to see. Their attention seemed to focus on what things were rather than why they were. The scene was a poor example of Americana. Even Honest Abe seemed to frown from his throne. Of all the walls of stone only one seemed real.

This wall's long black marble slices into the ground. On it are engraved fifty-eight thousand American names from an undeclared war that no one wants to remember in the jungles of a country half a globe away. There are no ornate scrolls or stenciled directions, no fancy faded pieces of parchment, no self-serving sentiments, just names.

There's also a statue some distance away. Three bronze soldiers stare into the wall, waiting for word of their fellow soldiers, or perhaps morning their loss. The soldiers don't talk; they simply stare. They are all just boys, most of them only six years older than I was then: nineteen.

Under the statue-soldier's gaze, an elderly man lagged behind a tour at the wall. He caressed it and knelt to leave a single rose at its based. He sobbed. He had difficulty standing up. A nearby park attendant helped him and asked, "One of yours, sir?" The old man shook his head and replied, "Not just one of them. All of them."

I penned those words in the fall of 1989... 20 years ago.

They are an excerpt of a story I authored as an 18-year-old college freshman. It was based upon a trip to Washington D.C., and to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, simply known to all as The Wall. It is fictionalized, but only just. To this day it remains one of the most emotional places I've ever visited.

At the time, Vietnam was our most recent "major" conflict, though I know all wars are major are those who fight them. We were still several years away from the first Gulf War, and more than a decade from 9/11 and the wars that followed in Afghanistan and Iraq that we still fight today.

I'm met dozens of veterans since that time, from World War Two, Korea, Vietnam and our current wars. I've tried to thank them for their service, but mere words always feel inadequate to capture the gratitude I feel for all they have sacrificed so that I can live in a land of freedom and liberty.

I've tried to explain the sacrifices they've made as best I can to my older daughter. I've told her some of what I know about my Uncle Bobby's war in Korea, where he had the harrowing duty of splicing damaged communications lines for forward observers while in combat. I tried to tell her of how her grandfather—who we buried just before last Veteran's Day—stood guard against saboteurs in the wet salt spray as victory ships burned from to the torpedoes of German U-boats off the Carolina Coast.

I've told her what I know of some of our local heroes that I know she's heard of and seen, and of those who quietly walk among us with little recognition at all.

Today is the day we thank all veterans who have served this nation and who put their lives on the line to preserve our way of life.

Words are not enough, but all the same, thank you.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:32 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Considering his disturbing performance the afternoon of the massacre at Fort Hood I was nervous that President Obama would get the tone wrong in today's memorial of the fallen.

I should have known better.

There are few things he does well, but reading from a teleprompter is one of those things he excels at, and he gave the soldiers killed in the terror attack the memorial service they deserved.

Allah has the video, and has more to say about the President's address.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 04:38 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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My appearance with Bill Whittle of EjectEjectEject and AfterBurner fame on PJTV, talking about Iran arming terrorist groups, based upon this article from yesterday at Pajamas Media and this one here.

Thanks for having me on, Bill!

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 07:29 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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107mm rockets of recent Iranian manufacture are among the 500 tons of ordnance recovered by the Israeli Navy, and the rockets they recovered precisely matched those captured outside of U.S FOB Hammer in July of 2007.

And in case you are wondering, yes, those same rockets are still being used, and are still killing American soldiers today.

An American logistics contractor known to readers of this blog as "Big Country" says via email that those same rockets are still being used against American bases:

...between the hours of 2000 and 2200 (8pm to 10pm) drop, yep you guessed it, 107mm rockets on us. Some days they don't drop at all, which is even worse. The waiting ya know? The largest number was 6 in short order, and the lowest was a single one. Guess it depends on how confident they are about getting caught. One of them KIA'd a guy on the pad across from me a few weeks backÂ… 4 WIA, 1 KIA. (That one made FOXnews and CNN) I'm getting my intel firsthand on this, (it's pretty common knowledge on post) and the Army is fully aware of the whole thing, but whether or not it helps, I dunno... wheels within wheels as they say. I hope they put the zap these jokers soon.

Will President Obama man-up and stop Iran from supplying weapons being used against our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and against our allies and national interests? Or will he continue to pretend these weapons are not being used against Americans, so he can play at gutless diplomacy?

Somehow, I think we all know the answer.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 03:16 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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I just wish that Fox News had embargoed the story of the visit and honored the former President's wishes of keeping the meeting secret.

I would imagine that visiting the families of servicemen killed and wounded is among the most emotional experiences that any President will encounter, and the fact that George and Laura Bush took the time to be with those impacted by Major Hasan's jihadist rampage says quite a bit about their character.

I hope the visit was able to provide the families and those wounded with some inspiration and comfort.

President and Mrs. Obama are due to make an appearance at a formal memorial service tomorrow. I suspect they will spend time with the troops as well.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:20 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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For once, an anti-gun organization's spurious claims may have saved lives.

My latest article is up at Pajamas Media.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 08:37 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The media is wasting very little time informing us that the weapon used by Major Nidal Malik Hasan in his rampage at Fort Hood was a "cop killer."

Ft. Hood terrorist used a cop killer FN-Five Seven tactical pistol—20 round clip -- Examiner

'Cop Killer" Gun though to Be Used in Ft. Hood Shooting, Offiicals Said -- ABC News

Fort Hood shootings: gunman used 'cop killer' weapon in massacre at US Army base -- UK Telegraph

Ironically, there is no known record of that weapon even being used to kill a police officer in the United States, and there is a distinct possibility that Sgt. Kimberly Munley, wounded while engaging Hasan, may have been the first American law enforcement officer ever shot with a Five-seveN.

How did the Five-seveN get it's "cop killer" reputation, then?

It was created in a Brady Campaign press release in February of 2005.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 09:04 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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My latest article is up at Pajamas Media.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 02:06 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Disdain for the military is a constant theme on the political left, a group that has consistently portrayed soldiers as violent psychopaths and babykillers for far longer than I've been alive. I've noted images of progressive protesters carrying signs attacking the troops on numerous occasions. Among the most galling of their constant steam of obscenities directed at our soldiers are variations of the sentiment, "We support our troops when they shoot their officers."

These same liberals must have been thrilled yesterday afternoon to discover that an officer opened fire on our troops. It's time for them to break out their magic markers and pen new signs to praise Major Nidal Malik Hasan for doing what they've asked.

I imagine that President Obama's old mentors Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn are also pleased with the attack. After all, they sent Ayer's girlfriend and other domestic terrorists of the Weather Underground to attack an Army dance at Fort Dix, an assault thwarted only by their own bomb-building ineptitude. If they had been competent, their attack on Fort Dix would likely have been worse than yesterday's assault.

So what say you, progressives... was the massacre of American soldiers all you dreamed it might be?

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 12:17 PM | Comments (18) | Add Comment
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Here is President Obama's bizarrely flippant address yesterday afternoon in response to the massacre at Fort Hood conducted by Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist.

Robert A. George was quick to call the President for his frightening insensitivity and deep disconnect from the tragedy of the situation. It isn't the end of the world, but it gives us reason—yet again—to doubt his temperament, judgment, and gravitas, and wonder if he is ready for the challenges of the Presidency.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 12:09 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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From the Associated Press:

Investigators probing the death of a Kentucky census worker found hanging from a tree with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest increasingly doubt he was killed because of his government job and are pursuing the possibility he committed suicide, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.

Two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case, said no final conclusions have been made in the case. In recent weeks, however, investigators have grown more skeptical that 51-year-old Bill Sparkman died at the hands of someone angry at the federal government.

The officials said investigators continue to look closely at suicide as a possible cause of Sparkman's death for a number of reasons. There were no defensive wounds on Sparkman's body, and while his hands were bound with duct-tape, they were still somewhat mobile, suggesting he could have manipulated the rope, the officials said.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 07:41 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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With the release of two other possible suspects, it is now starting to look like the shooting at Fort Hood today was the work of a single man, armed with two handguns. He was named as Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who ironically specialized in treating traumatic stress, and who was angry about having to deploy to Iraq at the end of November.

Like another mass murder who targeted young adults, Hasan went to Virginia Tech.

Figures.

Update: Breaking news as of 10:00 PM is that Hasan did not die, and is in custody in stable condition.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 07:16 PM | Comments (29) | Add Comment
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1 I'm a UVA grad who pretends to hate VT, especially every November when you smoke us in football, but I have to agree with you on this one kaceala. Assuming someone is a likely mass murderer because they attend VT, join the Army, practice Islam, or have slanted eyes is offensive. College attendance, military service, religion, and epicanthic folds don't kill people, people kill people.

Posted by: Jim at November 05, 2009 11:15 PM (KD9e1)

2 Assuming someone is a likely mass murderer because they attend VT, join the Army, practice Islam, or have slanted eyes is offensive. Let us know when someone does that. Meanwhile, it seems that people are assuming Hasan is a likely mass murderer because of all the people he appears to have killed.

Posted by: Pablo at November 05, 2009 11:37 PM (yTndK)

3 There are, at the moment, some things relating to this murderous attack (not a "tragedy" as VP Biden said) that we know with certainty: (1) Terrorists and criminals do not obey gun control laws. (2) Gun free zones--surprisingly, this includes military installations--are among the least safe places in America. (3) The police cannot protect any given citizen and have no legal do duty to do so. (4) The only thing that can potentially deter terrorists is the knowledge that there are no gun free zones and that when they attack, there will likely be armed citizens ready to resist. (5) When a lunatic starts shooting, the only thing that can stop him is armed, capable citizens who immediately return fire. (6) In gun free zones, even the most rapid police response will mean nothing to the victims and their loved ones, in this case, 12 dead and 31 wounded at last count. (7) Liberals and Obamites will surely use this situation to clamor for more gun control. ( Liberal and Obamites will suppress any information relating to the shooter that might seem negative toward Islam or any other favored victim groups or nation. (9) Anyone expressing anger toward the shooter will be branded a racist by the press. (10) Should it turn out that the shooter had foreign, jihadist connections, particularly any Iran-related connections, they will be ruthless suppressed by the Obamites so as not to harm "engagement" with those who seek to destroy western civilization.

Posted by: Mike McDaniel at November 05, 2009 11:41 PM (DJR56)

4 Kaceala and Jim, ConYank gave us an interesting tidbit of information and a useful reminder of an instance of another mass murder of people within the murderers daily sphere. Of all the things in the world to get offended about to pick this one is well...picky. On the other hand, Steve had a straight to the core of the matter comment.

Posted by: Jayne at November 05, 2009 11:43 PM (dwIL0)

5 Hi Pablo, Yeah, CY made no comments at all about this guys time at VT having any influence on his crime. Three different times. And capt26thga didn't say anything about muslims being the enemy and that they should not be trusted just like people with slanted eyes were not to be trusted in the Nam (which oddly includes every single Vietnamese person we were fighting to protect, I'm not exactly sure what he thinks we were doing over there). Nope, no one said anything like that here at all.

Posted by: Jim at November 05, 2009 11:48 PM (KD9e1)

6 Yeah, Pablo's right. The assumption that he's a mass murderer is pretty much a result of 12 dead, and 31 wounded. Um, so when you look at this whole situation, the thing you're offended about is that CY pointed out that two mass murderers went to the same college, and not the mass murder itself. Murder is what I find offensive, especially against servicemen, but that's just me. Agree to disagree I guess. I went to DU right away, and of course, they're yucking it up pretty good, and making up lies. Today's a pretty awesome day for Liberals, but a pretty terrible day for America.

Posted by: brando at November 05, 2009 11:49 PM (LjEkE)

7 Jim's just here to gloat.

Posted by: brando at November 05, 2009 11:50 PM (LjEkE)

8 Take your spluttering indignant outrage and direct it at the man who just murdered a bunch of people, Jim.

Posted by: Steve at November 05, 2009 11:53 PM (xdvz0)

9 Gloat Brando? You are one sick person. Get well. Jayne, CY didn't point out a tidbit that the two mass murderers went to the same school, he said, and I quote "frankly wonder if Hasan might have been influenced by the university massacre...Not influenced as it "he made me do it" but more inspired to carry out the same sort of attack." CY says "Went to Tech = more likely to commit mass murder", which is stupid and offensive.

Posted by: Jim at November 05, 2009 11:55 PM (KD9e1)

10 Take your anger and direct it at the man who pulled the trigger, not everyone who happens to practice the same religion, Steve.

Posted by: Jim at November 05, 2009 11:58 PM (KD9e1)

11 >>"Take your anger and direct it at the man who pulled the trigger, not everyone who happens to practice the same religion, Steve." Like you, huh? Run along, you nasty little turd.

Posted by: Steve at November 06, 2009 12:05 AM (xdvz0)

12 Nope, I'm a Baptist. As for the rest you sound like you're full of rage yourself Steve, I wonder if it's due to your religion or race? Or maybe you're just a jerk.

Posted by: Jim at November 06, 2009 12:11 AM (KD9e1)

13 CY says "Went to Tech = more likely to commit mass murder", which is stupid and offensive. I was noting that they both used roughly the same MO of using handguns at point blank range against massed unarmed young adults with little chance of escaping a campus-like environment, but whatever floats your boat.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at November 06, 2009 12:28 AM (WjpSC)

14 CY you said "more inspired to carry out the same kind of attack". The attack was a mass murder, 'more inspired' is the same thing as 'more likely', If there is another meaning for the words "more inspired" I'm all ears.

Posted by: Jim at November 06, 2009 12:42 AM (KD9e1)

15 I shouldn't be sniping at you over this today CY, I apologize. I think your statement was over the top, but, I agree with some others here that this isn't the time or place for an argument, it's a time to think about the families of the victims. I'd appreciate it if you could delete my last post to Steve (the one at 12:11). You deleted his, for obvious reasons, and it would probably be for the best if you deleted my response to the now missing post. That was for sure an exchange that didn't need to happen!

Posted by: Jim at November 06, 2009 12:55 AM (KD9e1)

16 "More inspired" meaning "hey, that guy killed a bunch of people in a place they couldn't defend themselves so maybe I should hit the same sort of target." Oh wait, that doesn't let you get any remarks full of mightily faux outrage at CY so you probably discarded it, if you bothered to think much about it at all.

Posted by: Patrick Chester at November 06, 2009 12:59 AM (RezbN)

17 Patrick, You're leaving out the part where CY said it "figures" that Hasan went to Tech. OK, I'm out, please direct all future comments about faux outrage to the tech grad and vet kaceala.

Posted by: Jim at November 06, 2009 01:09 AM (KD9e1)

18 "I agree with some others here that this isn't the time or place for an argument, it's a time to think about the families of the victims." You expect that to be believed after that show you just put on? I'm against mass murder, and you think I'm sick? What in the world is wrong with you? When you think of what that monster did to those servicemen and their families, you come here to yuck it up, and throw insults? Wow. You really do have negative value.

Posted by: brando at November 06, 2009 01:29 AM (LjEkE)

19 Brando, project much? Quote me gloating and yucking it up or go play somewhere else. As for throwing insults, what's your excuse?

Posted by: Jim at November 06, 2009 01:56 AM (KD9e1)

20 Play? This isn't the time for your Liberal sarcasm and snark, you goon. They. Were. Murdered. Don't ask CY to cover-up your comments again.

Posted by: brando at November 06, 2009 02:15 AM (LjEkE)

21 And yet another follower of the cult of islam murders. Here in Seattle, we are following the trial of the scumbag who shot up the Jewish Federation killing one woman. He apparently was mad at Israel. When will we have had enough of this filthy, violent, expansionist cult?

Posted by: iconoclast at November 06, 2009 02:26 AM (O8ebz)

22 The attack was a mass murder, 'more inspired' is the same thing as 'more likely', If there is another meaning for the words "more inspired" I'm all ears. *facepalm* Jim, put those goalposts down anywhere you like. Just let us know where, k? Then you can Superior Dance your butt on out.

Posted by: Pablo at November 06, 2009 08:10 AM (yTndK)

23 Pablo, let me know what college you attended and I'll get back to you on what awful crime it "figures" you'll be more inspired to one day commit. Of course he wasn't exactly taking a cheap shot at VT. Sorta.

Posted by: Jim at November 06, 2009 09:08 AM (KD9e1)

24 I have to sort of agree with Jim a bit here, though CY did put in some clarifying statements in the comments. As written it is a bit of a shot at VT. "Like another mass murder who targeted young adults, Hasan went to Virginia Tech." There is nothing wrong with that statement by it self. However when you combine it with the following it does imply that there is a link between mass murders and attending VT. "Figures." That being said the murder's religion or mental state probably had a lot more to do with his attack than his college. In typical Muslim/Leftist fashion the man's family is playing the "religion/race card" by saying he was the victim of harassment due to his religion. Disgusting. They need to behead him, IIRC Muslims believe that is a dishonorable and shaming death which is why they do it to infidels. I could be wrong about that though.

Posted by: Scott at November 06, 2009 10:26 AM (6yHgW)

25 >>"I agree with some others here that this isn't the time or place for an argument" And yet you seem to be determined to have one, one in which you focus your anger at we racist intolerant bigots who object to Islamic terrorism.

Posted by: Steve at November 06, 2009 11:35 AM (E/z/c)

26 Back when the Communists were a threat, there were useful idiots like Jim around who saw it as their mission in life to stand up for the poor persecuted Commies. They were "anti-anti-communist". The circumstances may change but the fundamental mindset of the left never does.

Posted by: Steve at November 06, 2009 11:40 AM (E/z/c)

27 Islam has nothing to do with this, if he attacked fellow people of the book then he is not following the religion of peace,

Posted by: MAModerate at November 07, 2009 09:45 PM (SVD0U)

28 MAModerate you are incorrect, "People of the Book" are only protected if they have submitted and have accepted their role as dhimmis. Any resistance or failure to pay the jizya removes that protection and they are often subject to all kinds of brutality. Even if it is only one person the entire community is often punished. Just ask the Christians living in Muslim majority nations.

Posted by: Scott at November 09, 2009 11:28 AM (6yHgW)

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There is breaking news of what sounds like a terrorist attack on Fort Hood.

Early reports are citing 7 dead, 12 wounded, and one shooter taken into custody and another still possibly on base. Some accounts claim there is a third suspect.

While there is no word yet on who is responsible, this sounds very similar to various plots by homegrown Islamic terrorist cells, such as the Willow Springs cell arrested in North Carolina in July.

One gunman may have been killed

Updates as they come in:

Number of wounded revised to 15, and perhaps as many as 20.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram says suspects were armed with M-16s. that could just as easily mean civilian AR-15s, as well.

The shooters are possibly soldiers?

Two suspects captured, four SWAT team members wounded.

FBI rules out terrorism. I think what they meant to claim is that this wasn't the work of an Islamic terrorist cell or an attack by domestic extremists. By any measure, this was a terror attack, no matter who the shooters or victims were.

Casualty figures have grown to 9 dead and 30 wounded.

12 KIA, 31 WIA, shooters confirmed as soldiers, at least one of which had a "Arabic-sounding name".

Briefing:

Twelve people were killed and 31 wounded in a shooting at Fort Hood on Thursday, officials confirmed.

Ford Hood spokesman Sgt. Tim Volkert said the shooting occurred at 1:30 p.m. A military briefing at 4 p.m. said three assailants, all soldiers, fired shots at the Soldiers Readiness Processing Center and the Howze Theater next to it.

The facts of the story have solidified. Thee was one shooter, an American Major who used two handguns. Details here.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 03:41 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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It seems the stress of the health care debate is getting to the delicate Steve Benen of The Washington Monthly today, as he hysterically tries to explain to us that those protesters descending upon Capitol Hill today to do rhetorical battle against the Democratic Party's government-rationed health care bill may as well be terrorists targeting Congress with bombs.

And when has Bachmann scheduled her Capitol Hill soiree? This afternoon -- November 5 -- a date widely known as Guy Fawkes Night. (You know, "Remember, remember, the fifth of November." In other words, Bachmann wants to rally right-wing activists, label them an "insurgency," and encourage them to roam the halls of Congress deliberately "scaring" members of Congress, on the infamous date that marks an attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

From a security perspective, if Capitol Police aren't operating at a heightened state today, they're making a mistake.

Apparently in Benen's mind the dagger-wielding fictional character "V" played by Hugo Weaving in 2005's V for Vendetta is pretty much the same as a real-life middle-aged Congresswoman from Minnesota, and protesting a bloated bill that drags a sixth of the U.S. economy into a raft of 111 new bureaucracies subject to the whim's of government rationing is the same as blowing up the Houses of Parliament.

I suppose it isn't worth noting that the character "V" was created by a power-mad government conducting medical experiments upon its citizens.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 03:22 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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The 1,990-page Democratic plot to enable the government-rationing of your family's health care has grown yet again, and now weighs in a bloating and putrid 2,032 pages long. The additional 42 pages recently added give the government even more control over your lives.

Of course, few—if any— of the Democratic Congressmen and women who are pushing this bill have actually read it.

Scratch that.

Not one member of Congress in either party has read the bill in its entirety. Therefore, none understand it fully, and I'd wager that no one member even understands a majority of the bill in any detail.

The Republicans, God bless them, have enough common sense to refuse to vote to give the government life-and-death control over your lives. The last we've heard, not a single one of them will vote in favor of a bill that is so massive and convoluted that no single human being can understand it.

Democrats in the House of Representatives seem to have far less concern about what the bill actually says. On the whole, they are satisfied that it gives the government more of a role in your lives, and reduces your opportunity to make decisions with which they might disagree. That is enough of an enticement for many, if not most of them.

Some of the more moderate Democrats fear for their seats, however, and want to at least pay enough lip service to hot-button social concerns in the bill, such as the funding of abortion and the inclusion of illegal aliens. The attempts at &qout;compromise" you hear so much about are moderates looking for ways to create language to hide funding for those endeavors. They don't actually want those those provisions made an impossibility. They just want them hidden deep enough in the bill, or relocated to a vaguely-worded Trojan horse clause, so that they can claim they "didn't know" these provisions existed when their next re-election campaign arrives.

It is because no one understands this bill, and because Democrats are trying to cover for their more moderate members that they are now pressuring to rush this still-evolving bill to a vote this Saturday, before anyone has time to read and comprehend it.

There is something truly vile if not down right evil about the Democratic attempt to force through a bill without giving Americans (or their congressional representatives) an opportunity to read and understand it.

That refusal to release a "final" final bill, to constantly revise it and then attempt to force a rushed vote is the antithesis of how our Founders wanted Congress to discuss and debate legislation so that it would benefit the American people.

We don't even know if the bill they are attempting to force down our throats is even vaguely constitutional.

And so I have a simple request for those of you who care about America's future.

Write or call your Congressman, and get them to officially commit to delaying a final vote on a health care bill until:

• the bill is in a finalized, "frozen" form
• they are willing to to claim that they read and understand the entire bill

The reason to ask for this commitment is simple.

No Congressman should vote on a bill they do not understand, especially one that will drastically impact the lives of their constituents and fundamentally alter the social contract between the American people, private enterprise, and government.

If those we elected to Congress cannot commit to this simple request, then they clearly are not act in the best interests of their constituents or of the United States as a whole.

Where is your commitment, ladies and gentlemen of Congress?

We, the People, have a right to know.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 12:24 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Obama '08!
Oh, Crap! '09

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 08:46 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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The Associated Press calls it for the Republican:

In the end, all the stumping in the world from the President of the United States wasn't going to stop regime change in New Jersey's highest office.

Republican Chris Christie ended Democrat Jon Corzine's four-year run in Trenton with a narrow victory on Tuesday, The Associated Press projected. Independent Chris Daggett, thought of by many as the wildcard who could upset the order of things by siphoning off votes from Christie, finished well back.

With 4,507 of 6,305 precincts reporting, Christie led Corzine 50 percent to 44 percent.

Independent voters gave President Barack Obama a huge advantage in the state last year, but they heavily favored Christie on Tuesday.

The Democratic Party and the White House spent a tremendous amount of time and resources campaigning for Corzine in a traditionally Democratic state (outspending Christie 3-1), and they still appear to have lost by a substantial margin.

There are going to be all sorts of attempts by Democrats and the left-leaning media and blogosphere to say this is not a judgement of Barack Obama's short but inept Presidency thus far.

I just wonder if any of those claims will be looked upon with the least bit of credibility.

Jonah at NRO:

Wow. That's just amazing. I don't see how the White House can spin it away. Remember their explanation for Deeds' loss was that Deeds didn't embrace Obama enough. Corzine hugged Obama and made the election about Obama in a state Obama carried by 15 points and where Dems outnumber Republicans by a wide margin. And he lost.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:26 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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Riding Obama to success was a thrill for the Democrats one short year ago.

It isn't looking like such a fun ride anymore.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 09:41 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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We're enduring a battered economy teetering on the edge of a depression. Bankruptcies and foreclosures are growing as the unemployment rate far exceeds unrealistic expectations. Trillions of taxpayer dollars are being blown in reckless government spending. Tremendous tax increases are in our future, and rapid inflation is a distinct possibility.

Amid all this Gallup releases a poll that shows African-Americans are apparently thrilled with it all:

Blacks' satisfaction with the direction of the country has surged since Barack Obama became president in January, while satisfaction among whites has increased by far less. Today close to half of black adults nationwide, 47%, say they are satisfied with the way things are going in the country. In mid-2008, the figure was 10%.

This is compared to the 59% majority of likely voters who feel the country is on the wrong path.

You aren't going to see too many bloggers commenting on this shocking poll result, nor will you see the media do anything but shy away from any criticism that could even vaguely be misrepresented as racist, but seriously... what kind of plantation mentality is this?

African-Americans are among the hardest hit in the Obama economy, finding it more difficult to find work or obtain housing, and yet they profess satisfaction with their diminished opportunities for success, and the likelihood that their children will live a less successful life than their own?

Yes, we all know that they are thrilled that a black man is the President, and they should be proud of the symbolism of Barack Obama's election.

But Barack Obama's inept-to-disasterous term thus far should be another matter entirely. Policies that he and his allies in Congress are pushing will enslave generations under tax burdens are crushing and strong as any cutting iron chain, and especially hurt the possibility of those in the lower and lower-middle income tiers from establishing more comfortable and successful lives for their families.

Are bonds of melanin stronger than the bond of familial love? Of cultural success? Of society's progress? Of true equality?

Or have some simply given up hope of their own success, and only find grim satisfaction in seeing others dragged down to their level of resignation and despair?

There is something deeply perverse about the psychology of people who find solace in the decay of their own nation. It's too bad no one cares enough to address the problem, much less fix it.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 01:17 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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