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Christopher Hitchens nails it. Anti-War, My Foot
The phony peaceniks who protested in Washington.Saturday's demonstration in Washington, in favor of immediate withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq, was the product of an opportunistic alliance between two other very disparate "coalitions." Here is how the New York Times (after a front-page and an inside headline, one of them reading "Speaking Up Against War" and one of them reading "Antiwar Rallies Staged in Washington and Other Cities") described the two constituenciess of the event:The protests were largely sponsored by two groups, the Answer Coalition, which embodies a wide range of progressive political objectives, and United for Peace and Justice, which has a more narrow, antiwar focus.
The name of the reporter on this story was Michael Janofsky. I suppose that it is possible that he has never before come across "International ANSWER," the group run by the "Worker's World" party and fronted by Ramsey Clark, which openly supports Kim Jong-il, Fidel Castro, Slobodan Milosevic, and the "resistance" in Afghanistan and Iraq, with Clark himself finding extra time to volunteer as attorney for the génocidaires in Rwanda. Quite a "wide range of progressive political objectives" indeed, if that's the sort of thing you like. However, a dip into any database could have furnished Janofsky with well-researched and well-written articles by David Corn and Marc Cooper—to mention only two radical left journalists—who have exposed "International ANSWER" as a front for (depending on the day of the week) fascism, Stalinism, and jihadism.
The group self-lovingly calling itself "United for Peace and Justice" is by no means "narrow" in its "antiwar focus" but rather represents a very extended alliance between the Old and the New Left, some of it honorable and some of it redolent of the World Youth Congresses that used to bring credulous priests and fellow-traveling hacks together to discuss "peace" in East Berlin or Bucharest. Just to give you an example, from one who knows the sectarian makeup of the Left very well, I can tell you that the Worker's World Party—Ramsey Clark's core outfit—is the product of a split within the Trotskyist movement. These were the ones who felt that the Trotskyist majority, in 1956, was wrong to denounce the Russian invasion of Hungary. The WWP is the direct, lineal product of that depraved rump. If the "United for Peace and Justice" lot want to sink their differences with such riffraff and mount a joint demonstration, then they invite some principled political criticism on their own account. And those who just tag along … well, they just tag along.
To be against war and militarism, in the tradition of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, is one thing. But to have a record of consistent support for war and militarism, from the Red Army in Eastern Europe to the Serbian ethnic cleansers and the Taliban, is quite another. It is really a disgrace that the liberal press refers to such enemies of liberalism as "antiwar" when in reality they are straight-out pro-war, but on the other side. Was there a single placard saying, "No to Jihad"? Of course not. Or a single placard saying, "Yes to Kurdish self-determination" or "We support Afghan women's struggle"? Don't make me laugh. And this in a week when Afghans went back to the polls, and when Iraqis were preparing to do so, under a hail of fire from those who blow up mosques and U.N. buildings, behead aid workers and journalists, proclaim fatwahs against the wrong kind of Muslim, and utter hysterical diatribes against Jews and Hindus.
Read the whole thing, Mr. Hitchens supplies a solid argument to demonstrate his point.
There is absolutely nothing so evil that it will not be supported by the American and European Left. This is truly an evil political movement that seeks to promote tyranny and destroy the US and Israel.
Harry Reid, the leader of the Democratic Party in the Senate has now come out against the nomination of Judge Roberts to the Supreme Court. Now Mr. Reid is from a conservative state, and is himself opposed to abortion. Judge Roberts has made clear that there is no place on the Supreme Court for ideologues. You would think that a guy like Mr. Reid would like to make his constituents happy by supporting a nominee who reflects the views of Nevada and, at least in part, Mr Reid himself. But no, he has been given other orders.
Top Democrat Says He'll Vote No on RobertsWASHINGTON, Sept. 20 - The Senate Democratic leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, said Tuesday that he would oppose the confirmation of Judge John G. Roberts Jr. as chief justice, surprising both the White House and fellow Democrats still conflicted about how to vote.
In becoming the first Democrat to declare formally how he intended to vote, Mr. Reid may have made it more difficult for fellow Democrats to support Judge Roberts. Many Senate observers expected Mr. Reid, who comes from a Republican-leaning state and is opposed to abortion, to support Judge Roberts.
And the Democratic leader himself said Tuesday that he had earlier given the White House a list of nominees who would be objectionable and that Judge Roberts was not on it.
In announcing his decision in a lengthy speech on the Senate floor, Mr. Reid questioned Judge Roberts' commitment to civil rights and said he was "very swayed" by the civil rights and women's rights leaders who testified Thursday in opposition to the nomination - and with whom Mr. Reid met privately that same day. Liberal advocacy groups, who raise millions of dollars to support Democratic candidates and who have been putting intense pressure on Democrats to oppose the nomination, were elated.
...
One centrist Democrat, Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, said Tuesday that he had "not seen anything that would cause me to vote against" confirmation of Judge Roberts to be the nation's 17th chief justice.
Last Thursday, as Mr. Reid was weighing his decision, representatives of about 40 advocacy groups met with him in the Capitol; the reason, they said, was to underscore the threat they believe Judge Roberts poses to Democrats' core causes, racial and gender equality. Hovering in the background was a political argument, that if Democrats vote in favor of Judge Roberts, they will be held liable by voters for the decisions he makes on the court.
"He got the message loud and clear, didn't he?" Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women, said of Mr. Reid on Tuesday.
Yes, he did. If a nominee who is as nonideolgical as Judge Roberts cannot get Democrat Party support, why would the President think that any nominee of his could? Of course he would not think so, and would have no reason to consider Democrat Party opinion in his next nominee.
The not-so-loyal opposition Party wants to influence the President in his choices of nominees to the Supreme Court. But if Mr. Bush has to count on Democratic Party opposition to any choice that he may make, why should he consider them at all?
Mr. Reid should be careful.
It has been a little while since the grounding of the USS San Francisco (SSN 711) has been in the news. This accident resulted in the tragic death of Machinist Mate 2nd Class Joseph Allen Ashley, 24, of Akron, Ohio. Since then the ship has been fitted with a new sonar dome, as seen in this official U. S. Navy photograph. Get an excellent high resolution copy of this photo here.
She has now arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for permanent repairs. I was standing topside on USS Ohio (SSGN 726) and observed USS San Francisco driving into Sinclair Inlet and then the Shipyard.
The damage that she sustained is extremely extensive. In fact, the ship was very nearly lost. Here are some photographs of her in dry dock after her arrival in Guam shortly after the grounding (with blue tarp installed to cover stuff that is classified).
View from dry dock floor.
View from dry dock wall.
Despite the obviously very serious damage that she sustained in an accident that took a sailor's life, she will be rebuilt and in the end have greater capabilities than she had before. Trust me, I hear things in the shipyard. We will make her better than she was.
How is it that people who hate the United States have such a huge part in memorializing Americans killed in terrorist attacks? It was just a few days ago that I posted on the abomination that is to be part of the "memorial" in New York City. Now we have the obscenity of a giant Islamic crescent to be used as a "memorial" to those murdered onboard Flight. 93 in Pennsylvania. Charles Johnson has been writing on the Flight 93 "memorial" here and here. Read the articles to which he links.
Zombietime has an excellent demonstration that clearly shows that this is, without doubt, to be an Islamic crescent. Flight 93 Memorial Project
Included on zombie's page is "an azimuthal equidistant world map centered on the location of the Flight 93 Memorial which seems to indicate that the crescent is oriented toward Mecca" created by "Etaoin Shrdlu". That is the picture that you see at the top of this post. Were this to be shown on a Mercator projection we would see the great circle route.
Take a look at the PowerPoint presentation used by Paul Murdoch Associates (the architect that designed this obscenity) and see if you don't think that the Tower of Voices isn't a minaret.
In a post at Little Green Footballs, zombie writes:Listen up:
The final decision on this memorial has to be approved by The Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton. I don't agree with some of her policies, but right now we need to set that aside and go straight to the top. Even if every intermediate decision-maker approves of the design, she can veto it. She has the final word.
Let her know that this is completely unacceptable. Gale Norton is one of the most conservative members of Bush's cabinet, so I think she will truly understand why this memorial is unacceptable.
You can send messages to her at the Department of Interior email address
gale_norton@ios.doi.gov
Or use the Web contact from (sic) on her Web page.
Phone and snail mail for her office:
Phone: (202) 208-3100
Gale Norton
Department of the Interior
1849 C St., NW
Washington, DC 20240
Do it today!
Is this any way to remember them?
As it stands now, the memorials to victims of the attacks of Islamic terrorists on 9/11/01 in New York City and Pennsylvania are mockeries. At least the Pentagon Memorial is respectful.
UPDATE 8:17 PM:
Read this splendid piece by Aaron at Pardon My English, The Politics of Architecture: The Flight 93 Memorial
Lee Keller King gets a big tip of the hat for his link to Slugger O'Toole's piece, Ill Wind may not Blow to the Whitehouse which is a reprint of a column by Newton Emerson in the Irish Times.Newton Emerson is on great form in the Irish Times today. Since it deserves a much wider play on the Internet. I have permission from him to republish it on the net. It's a rhetorical gem.
By Newton Emerson
As the full horror of Hurricane Katrina sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if this is the end of George Bush's presidency. The answer is almost certainly yes, provided that every copy of the US Constitution was destroyed in the storm. Otherwise President Bush will remain in office until noon on January 20th, 2009, as required by the 20th Amendment, after which he is barred from seeking a third term anyway under the 22nd Amendment.
As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if the entire political agenda of George Bush's second term will not still be damaged in some terribly satisfying way.
The answer is almost certainly yes, provided that the entire political agenda of George Bush's second term consists of repealing the 22nd Amendment. Otherwise, with a clear Republican majority in both Houses of Congress, he can carry on doing pretty much whatever he likes.
Unlike Slugger O'Toole, I do not have permission to republish the article, so go read the whole thing. This is really good stuff.
The USS Mississippi (CGN-40) is in Dry Dock #3 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. She was decommissioned on the 28th of July, 1997. I walk past the remains of her hull as she is being cut up for recycling. When I started working in the Shipyard most of the hull was there, although the superstructure had been removed. Now there is very little left. The Virginia class of nuclear powered cruiser (CGN) were beautiful ships that were decommissioned before their time. It is a damn shame.
USS Mississippi CGN-40 Official Crew Website
The country which is still the place to which people come when truly oppressed is the United States. That does not prevent the Left from hating, insulting, and inciting violence against us. The New York Daily News had this story on the 21st of August, Another insult to America's heritage at Freedom Center [editing for format only - ed.];A global network of human rights museums is urging the International Freedom Center to downplay America in its exhibits and programs at Ground Zero, the Daily News has learned.
The outrageous request is the latest controversy to torment the Freedom Center, whose leaders have tried to dispel the perception that it would be a home for America bashers.
"Don't feature America first," the IFC has been advised by the consortium of 14 "museums of conscience" that quietly has been consulting with the Freedom Center for the past two years over plans for the hallowed site. "Think internationally, where America is one of the many nations of the world."
What, specifically was the advice that our America-hating "heroes" got?Coalition members gathered for their annual conference at a Holocaust site in the Czech Republic in July 2004 - and assailed the United States for "reasserting its power in an arrogant way," the conference report shows.
Among its suggestions for the place where the United States was attacked and nearly 3,000 innocents massacred: "The Freedom Center must signal its openness to contrary ideas."
Philip Kunhardt, the Freedom Center's editorial director, was in attendance at a session called Bringing Conscience to Ground Zero and was given this advice:
- "Help distinguish between American people and the U.S. government in exhibits ..."
- "Use reports from human rights organizations to examine contemporary abuse of rights."
- "Involve the United Nations, UNESCO and other international bodies."
- "Use the museum as a venue for international meetings, where all views are welcomed and considered."
At the conference, the coalition also leveled barbs at the IFC: "The Freedom Center is a caricature of the typical American response to everything [telling every story from an American viewpoint]."
Members of the coalition also expressed these concerns:
- "It seems that whatever Americans want, Americans get!" the conference report states. "Is the definition of the 'struggle for freedom' simply defined by the victors, or also by those engaged in ongoing struggles? Will Americans really create a balanced vision of freedom?"
- "The WTC was attacked because it was a symbol of power and influence. In building the Freedom Tower, the U.S. reasserts its power in an arrogant way: Does this mean the U.S. will not only build the biggest building, but also define freedom for the world?"
- "Many nonsecular Muslims may be very skeptical about the intent of this museum (e.g. the average Bangladeshi condemns the Sept. 11 attacks, yet at the same time feels his/her human rights have been violated by the U.S.)."
The space being given to these attacks against us is not insignificant. They will be, by far, the largest tenant at the complex with 300,000 square feet of space. The actual memorial is one sixth of that size at 50,000 square feet and one must go through the IFC in order to get to the memorial.
Deborah Weiss, in a excellent piece for The Weekly Standard, describes it, The Memorial They Deserve;...And now the families of many of them are being forced to resist efforts by the left to hijack the memorial at Ground Zero. The plan? An "International Freedom Center," to be filled with a host of anti-American exhibits and exhibits that have nothing to do with 9/11. Debra Burlingame, sister of a 9/11 pilot whose plane was crashed into the Pentagon, and a member of the board of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, first blew the whistle on these plans in a June 8 article for the Wall Street Journal.
Burlingame noted that a "Who's Who of the human rights, Guantanamo-obsessed world" would be programming the International Freedom Center, with exhibits contemplated on topics such as Jim Crow, the Holocaust, the genocide of American-Indians, and pictures from the Abu Ghraib scandal. The message? We have to understand why all these events occurred in order to gain insight into why we were attacked. Seminars will be held at the IFC, presumably explaining how America brought 9/11 on herself and why the terrorists hate us.
The International Freedom Center is to be by far the largest tenant at the World Trade Center Memorial Cultural Complex. It will cover approximately 300,000 square feet, amidst a designer park with foliage, waterfalls, and retail shops. And the Memorial Center itself? Well, that will be squirreled away underground, in an area of only 50,000 square feet: one-sixth the size of the Freedom Center. Moreover, one will have to pass through the International Freedom Center and all its propaganda in order to get to the actual memorial, where the names of those killed will be listed and artifacts from the site will be displayed.
What a perverse spectacle, to see our own citizens working so hard to smear our Country.
Liberalism is entirely and purely about hate. Hatred of all that is America and Israel, coincidentally the western democracies most interested in defending themselves. Now that the UK is defending itself, watch as it is attacked.
Read all of Deborah Weiss' column, it is very well worth it.
I have not blogged on Hurricane Katrina because there are others covering the disaster with resources much greater than mine. I am assuming that most of you, my dear readers, are also readers of Little Green Footballs. Charles' Hurricane Katrina Open Threads and his other posts are excellent sources of information, including safe places to which you can send money without being scammed. See also Glenn Reynolds' superb work at Instapundit.
If you can, please send whatever money you can to help. Be careful to avoid scammers and other disgusting criminals. If your company is starting a fund, that would probably be a good way to help. That is what I will do. The company that I work for (General Dynamic - which owns Electric Boat Corp.) is establishing a fund to which I will donate.
To understand how the Mississippi River Delta got into this state, read Wretchard's series at The Belmont Club;
The Imperfect Storm
The Imperfect Storm 2
The Imperfect Storm 3
And, pray for the victims of this tragedy.
