Top 10 Changes John McCain Will Make If Elected President

10) "Hail to the Chief" will be replaced with the tune "What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor?"

9) Freedom of political speech will be protected, except for the part about speaking freely about politics.

8) Jefferson Memorial will be converted into an Indian casino.

7) To rid politics of the corrupting influence of money, all political contributions will be confiscated and stored for "safekeeping" at McCain Reelection Headquarters.

6) Lincoln Memorial will be converted into overflow housing for the growing hordes of amnestied illegal aliens.

5) "Pussy" landing gear will be removed from Air Force One.

4) In order to keep the public from losing faith in its government, the public will be shot.

3) Whitehouse bathrooms will be stocked with two-ply, super-absorbent copies of the Constitution.

2) "Bunker-buster" nukes will be developed and used against NRA and ACLU headquarters.

1) [This one's up to you. Post your suggestions below.]

THOMAS JEFFERSON IS SPINNING IN HIS GRAVE

From New West Politics, The Voice of the Rocky Mountains
http://www.newwest.net/politics/

COMMENTARY
The Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act: More Anti-Western Muck
By Christian Probasco, 1-21-08
Here’s an idea that should strike most Westerners, old or new, as absolutely un-Western, and it comes in the form of a Senate companion bill to a House bill that passed 404-6, under a temporary suspension of House rules to prevent debate, namely S. 1959, a.k.a. the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act.

The legislation would ostensibly set up a commission to study homegrown terrorism. Civil libertarians have problems with the bill’s premises and wording, which seem vague enough to outlaw free speech and free thought, despite assurances within the bill to the contrary.

Take the definition of “violent radicalization,” for example:
“The term ‘violent radicalization’ means the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance political, religious, or social change.”

The emphasis here being on the “process” of promoting extremist belief systems, which might include books, Internet sites, speech and even ways of thinking.

And then there’s the bill’s definition of “homegrown terrorism”:
“The term ‘homegrown terrorism’ means the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”
That definition, oddly enough, fits the modus operandi of the federal government. What the bill objects to is anybody else using the government’s tactics of intimidation or coercion. Tell a politician that if he doesn’t support eminent domain reform or school vouchers or gun control, he may soon find himself looking for another job and you could be guilty of “intimidation.” You might also be guilty of “intimidation” if you inform someone she risks damnation for cheating on her husband. Threaten to cut off your child’s allowance and you could be guilty of “intimidation.”

Who voted against the original bill? Representative Jeff Flake of Arizona, California (!) Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, Hawaii Rep. Neil Abercrombie, Illinois’ Jerry Costello, Ohio’s Dennis Kucinich and Tennessee’s John Duncan, Jr.. Nobody from what New West Network would define as the “Intermountain West.” All the representatives from Colorado voted “aye.” The representatives from Idaho voted “aye.” Dennis Rehberg of Montana voted “aye.” New Mexico’s three representatives voted “aye.” Chris Cannon and Jim Matheson of Utah—traitors to their nation and especially their homeland as far as I’m concerned, though I don’t want to intimidate anyone--voted “aye,” though Rob Bishop, somewhat to his credit, did not vote. Barbara Cubin of Wyoming also managed to miss the vote.

Pending approval by the Senate Homeland Security Committee, the bill will soon face a vote in the U.S. Senate, and then it will be on its way to our “cowboy” president, who will almost certainly sign it into law.

SHEEPLE EVOLUTION

In today’s fascinating blog entry, we shall cover the Evolution of the American Male Sheeple. This was an agonizing process that did not happen overnight. In fact, in the beginning stages, the American male proved to be highly resistant to the mutations, retaining his brain, spine, guts and testicles throughout the first 200 years or so. As will be evident, this slow process suddenly accelerated, then shifted into an amazingly quick progression in the past 30-40 years. Finally, we shall take a peek into the near future and what the Sheeple of tomorrow might be like.



In 1776, Sheeple as we know them did not exist. Rugged individualists kept government in check and fought for their God-given rights.

The beginning of Westward Expansion found no room for Sheeple evolution. They were eaten by wolves and bears almost immediately when they did manage to emerge.

The 1860’s came, and still Sheeple as we know them failed to evolve. American men still followed their conscience and deeply-held beliefs and were willing to fight for them.

Time passed, but rugged individuals like Theodore (The Good) Roosevelt put a bounty on the tiny amounts of Sheeple trying to sneak westward from New York to keep their numbers in check.


By 1917, Sheeple were still few and far between. Alvin York was a Conscientious Objector because of deeply held Christian beliefs, not because he wanted to stay out of harm’s way, and went on to be one of our country’s greatest heroes.

Under the next Roosevelt Administration, creeping Socialism led to an increase in Sheeple numbers. Real American males were too busy fighting the Germans and the Japs overseas to keep their numbers in check.

The 60’s led to the Hippy Era, starting with a small infestation in up-state New York which led to vast herds of Sheeple suddenly bursting into the mainstream as they began to breed and reproduce exponentially.

As Hippies gained a foothold in American government, the American male soon began his Sheeple-like decline, seen here in the Gelding Stage. This particular mutation was believed to have its roots in the Gun Control Act of 1968.
The Gelding Stage quickly gave way to the Couch Potato Stage, in which American men turned into big fat pussies. As long as they had copious amounts of beer (bread) and 56 TV channels (circuses) they cared not for the future direction of the nation.

By the turn of the century, the American male had finally morphed into a full-blown Sheeple. He mindlessly followed the herd, bleating for government hand-outs, and was willing to be led docilely to the slaughter.

What does the future hold? If the 2008 Presidential Elections are any indication, all Americans are turning into the final stages of Sheeplism. This stage closely resembles the lemming. These creatures are known for their habit of mindlessly, willfully, gleefully charging off cliffs en masse and plummeting to their death and destruction. Early signs of this stage are often manifested in strong support for Hillary Clinton or John McCain. At present, there is no known effective vaccination or anti-dote, although a gifted physician known as Dr. Ron Paul has managed to reverse the effect in a growing number of former Sheeple. Whether it will be enough to save our species is not yet known.

Here we see the only known cure for Sheeplism. Those who wish to be cured, however, must choose between the red pill or the blue pill. Which will you take?

MILITARY CANDIDATE??

"I do solemnly swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against enemies both foreign and domestic."

Many people have taken that oath, to include military personnel, all our beloved politicians, and even the drones and hacks of the Federal bureaucracy. But how many really mean it? How many have actually supported and defended that document? The only horse in the race who has consistenly stood by that oath in thought, word, and deed is Ron Paul. I hate to say it, but I've lost more liberty to the Federal Government that I ever have to any foreign powers.

Some would say Ron Paul is not a military candidate because of his crazy Constitutional stance of not going to war without a Declaration of War. Some would say that just because active duty military members have donated twice as much to Ron Paul as to any other Republican candidate doesn't mean the military supports him.

Well, if you would care to peruse this list, there would seem to be one or two of us who do indeed support him.

http://www.ronpaul2008.com/veterans/

I HAVE TO PASS ON "MAVERICK" McCAIN

Sometimes it is very distressing to me how short the collective memory of the American Public (aka The Sheeple, although in their current headlong rush over the cliff of deficit spending, perhaps The Lemmings is a more appropriate term) truly is. I have seen quite a few "Conservatives" lately stumping for John McCain, but mainly under the mantra of, "Well, maybe he has a shot at beating Hillary." Not "He's the best man for the job" or "He's a true Conservative." Nope, we're back to "The lesser of two evils" voting that has gotten us into the bankrupt nation $9 Trillion debt quagmire we're in.

What do I mean by short memories? How about the big Savings & Loan Scandal back in the late 80's, early 90's? You know, the one that cost thousands of people their life savings and the American taxpayer $124.6 Billion in Federal bail-outs."Campaign Finance Reform Maverick" McCain was one of the infamous "Keating 5", five Senators investigated for the million and change convicted S&L fraud and racketeer Keating lobbied Congress with.

Maybe your memory doesn't go back that far. Let's try the 2000 Presidential Race. At that time, ol' John Boy was slamming the Religious Right, decrying the dangers of "pandering" to them and calling them "agents of intolerance." This go-round, Glory Hallilujah, the Reverend McCain has seen the light, brothers and sisters, and has lately been trying to "Out-Christian" Huckabee with the help of Sam Brownback now that he's dropped out of the race.

Still too far in the distant past? How about 2001 and the McCain-Fiengold "Campaign Finance Reform" bill, more correctly known as the "Incumbant Protection Act". He kicked the First Amendment right in the teeth, yet still reained enough loopholes for himself and other long-time Congresscritters to drive a Brinks armored truck through. That armored truck keeps right on bringing in huge amounts of $$$$ to incumbents via forcible donations from unions, Indian tribes (of which Arizona has quite a few), and for the state-level GOP and Deomocrat parties.

In 2004, Maverick saved us all from the critical dangers of professional baseball players using steroids while the national debt continued to spiral out of control, our Civil Liberties were being eroded, and the "war on Terror" continued sucking the coffers dry.

From 2001 to 2005 Pistolero John got a C- rating for his stances on gun control from Larry Pratt and Gun owners of America, and from 2003 to 2005 his voting record supported the interests of the GOA a whopping 0% of time. In 2006, his support for the Second Amednment miraculously sky-rocketed to 100%. Could this sudden turn-around be as sincere as his recent religious revival, neatly co-inciding with a Presidential run?

Perhaps one can recall waaaayyyyy back to 2007 and the hideous Bush-Kennedy Amnesty for Illegals? The overwhelming majority of the American public hated the thing, and actually got hot enough under the collar to give their duly-elected representaives an earful. A great grassroots campaign started with thousands of people sending bricks to their Congresscitters to start building a wall on the border. The bill was eventually defeated but Juan McCain and Teddy (hiccup) Kennedy said to hell with the will of the people and kept right on trying to get the bill rammed through behind closed doors.

2007 also gave us a McCain who was Conservative Hawk-Man, supporting the "War on Terror". He courageously entered a Baghdad marketplace, wearing body armor and surrounded by fawning generals. At least a hundred fully-armed American troops were present in the marketplace, armored Hummers with mounted weapons were parked there, snipers lined the rooftops, and Apaches and Blackhawks hovered overhead. Upon his return, John proudly proclaimed, "Peace in our time!" No, wait, that was someone else. He proclaimed that one was as safe walking the streets of Baghdad as you would be in any city in America. (Not long after the photo-op, Muslim terrorists kidnapped and killed 21 Iraqis who had been present for the dog-and-pony show.) The aspiring Commander-in-Chief also made the courageous pronouncement that it should be left up to General Petrais to make the decision to go or stay in Iraq.

To be fair, though, McCain has done some things that I truly respect. His service in the Vietnam War is one. He also opposed GW on the Orwellian warrantless wire-tapping the Shrub Administration and the NSA are so proud of. And, in one of the debates I watched, he had the guts to come out against the use of waterboarding as torture.

Still, weighing the pros and cons, the bills sponsored with Deomcrats, the reward-lawbreakers amnesty, a small protest in favor of the 4th Amendment while ignoring the 1st, 2nd and 10th....hmmm. I just don't see him as "The Great Conservative Hope" for the GOP. More like a Bush Third Term, and we all have seen how well the first two worked out.

Are You a Fred Head?

In the comments section of my riveting essay “To Be Or Not To Huckabee,” about GOP candidate Mike Huckabee, was a robust debate about Fred Thompson. Since there seems to be some interest in him, I figured I might as well write about him.

Like I said in my response to the Huckabee entry, I could probably live with Fred Thompson. I have a few sore spots with him, but he doesn’t look too bad. Unfortunately, I think this is because the other leading contenders (Rudy McRomney) are so bad, not because Thompson is so great.

To be fair, I’ll grade Thompson on my same personal hot-button issues that I did for Huckabee:

Second Amendment- Thompson does only fair here. Gun Owners of America (which grades politicians more strictly than the NRA) tracked 33 votes in the Senate during Fred’s tenure there. Of these, Fred voted pro-gun 20 times. While that sounds good, it means Thompson voted against the Second Amendment more than a third of the time. Major dings on Fred’s gun record include voting for the Lautenberg gun ban (an unconstitutional “ex post facto” law in which citizens could be stripped of a basic civil right for committing misdemeanor crimes, even if not convicted by a jury), for restricting gunshows and for the McCain-Feingold Incumbent Protection Act (technically this is an infringement of the First Amendment, but it was designed to bind the hands of pro-Second Amendment groups like the NRA and GOA).

Taxes and Spending- He voted for the Bush tax cuts, which were one of the few things that Bush did right. The National Taxpayers Union gave Thompson an “A” rating 88% of the time he spent in the Senate. Of the GOP candidates, that’s second only to Ron Paul’s 100% rating. So Freddy looks pretty good here.

10th Amendment/Limited Government- Kudos to Fred here too. He often voted against bills that he thought went against federalist principles, even if it ticked off his GOP comrades. He said: “Our government, under our Constitution, was established upon the principles of Federalism -- that the federal government would have limited enumerated powers and the rest would be left to the states. It not only prevented tyranny, it just made good sense.” Once again, I would put Fred behind only Ron Paul in this category. There are some blemishes on Fred’s record here too however. For example, Fred voted for the usurping “No Child Left Behind” law, which violates the Tenth, and for roving wiretaps, weakening of the Posse Commitatus law, and assorted other expansions of federal power. Still, not too bad compared to his Senate buddies.

So, in my book, Thompson does good … but not great. If Ron Paul didn’t get the nomination (perish the thought) and Thompson did, AND if it looked like Iowa was going to be an exceptionally close vote between Thompson and whatever socialist skunk that the Dems run, I suppose I might be persuaded to vote for Thompson instead of the Libertarian candidate. That’s as close to an endorsement as I can muster. Perhaps a nicer (and more succinct) way to say it is: If I had vote for a Republican besides Ron Paul, it would be Fred Thompson.

Not All Pleased With McCain's N.H. Win

On Tuesday, January 8th, thousands of John McCain supporters were jubilant over his win in the New Hampshire Republican primary. Not everyone, however, was quite so pleased with the McCain victory.

This evening, at The Liberty Pub in Washington D.C., a group of 10 grizzled old-timers gather to watch the results. They gather here often to swap war stories, drink, and complain about the younger generation and the direction of their country. But tonight they sit in the dimly lit, smoky, neighborhood bar glumly nursing their beers as the vote tallies from New Hampshire roll in on television.

The ten old-timers, the original ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, who like to call themselves the “Bill of Rights,” have seen many elections before. Still, they watch with rapt attention, knowing full well how elections can affect their lives and their livelihoods.

Especially hard hit by previous administrations is the Tenth Amendment (or simply “Ten” to his friends). He lost his job in the midst of the great depression and hasn’t been able to find work in Washington since. “The Democrats never had the time of day for me, but listening to Ron Paul and Fred Thompson, I thought maybe the Republicans could find work for me again,” Ten laments. He eyes the McCain vote totals on the TV screen, “Now… I don’t know.”

What was his previous employment? “I used to tell the Federal Government to do their own friggin’ job and let the States and the People do theirs. Now nobody listens,” Ten stops to sip his beer sullenly. “Especially John McCain. It’s like every time he gets a new pet peeve, it magically becomes a federal matter. Today it’s steroids in baseball, tomorrow who knows?” When Senator McCain’s smiling visage appears on the screen, Ten launches a handful of peanuts at the television. “Up yours McCain!”

“Quite down you old fool,” a visibly intoxicated Seventh Amendment chides his friend.

“Hey! I can say whatever I want,” Ten counters, turning to the First Amendment to back him up, “tell ‘em One.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” One says, putting down his beer. “If you want to smear animal crap on a picture of the Blessed Virgin or something, I could help you out. But political speech… against an incumbent senator? I don’t know about that, I’d have to check.”

The First Amendment has been down on his luck lately too, ever since the McCain-Feingold "incumbent protection act" went into effect. Number One has been through tough times before. He takes out his dental partial and shows me a toothless grin. “I lost these in the Alien and Sedition Acts. I eventually won though,” he replaces his partial and stands up. “But then McCain-Feingold took these.” He begins to unbutton his trousers, but a chorus of shouts from his comrades stops him.

“Campaign finance reform, ha!" the Ninth Amendment says, rolling his eyes. "McCain wants to keep the corrupting influence of money out of politics. Riiiiight! He sets up all these regulations on how much everybody can contribute to candidates, but he structures it so Indian tribes can give more than others can. By strange coincidence, being on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, guess who some of McCain’s biggest campaign contributors have always been. Indians!”

Startled, the Second Amendment sits bolt upright in his chair. “Huh? Injuns?!” he says excitedly. Momentarily hearkening back to his glory days, his gun-hand instinctively snaps to his long-since-bare hip where once a holster had hung. Realizing his faux pas, Two chuckles at himself and pushes the front of his big ten-gallon hat back a bit higher on his head. The moments levity passed, he takes on a serious tone as he notices me writing in my notepad.

“John McCain?” Two frowns. “He ain’t no friend of mine. One time that ornery galoot tried telling’ me I couldn’t do gunshows anymore. Me! And he wanted to make folks lock up all their guns. How you s'posed to shoot bushwhackers with yer gun locked up? Romney and Rudy ain’t no better neither. Them three city slickers been tryin’ to hogtie me from the get-go!”

Asked if there are any presidential candidates that he does like, he replies, “I like that Ron Paul feller the best, ‘course. He’s from Texas you know. And I kinda like that preacher-man.” The Ninth and Tenth Amendments contort their faces and pantomime gagging themselves at this reference to Mike Huckabee.

Laughing at his friends antics, Two continues, “And that ol’ boy on ‘Law and Order’ has been kinder to me than some of ‘em. But with any of them other mangy critters in the Whitehouse and with a Democrat-controlled Congress…” Looking me in the eyes, Two’s face runs pale with dread, “I’ll be dead quicker’n a jackrabbit in a rattler den.” Trying to chase away the premonition, the Second Amendment slams a shot of whisky, then pours himself another from the bottle in front of him.

The ten friends sit in silence again, watching the New Hampshire vote count on C-Span. Although whatever twists and turns their lives may take after the 2008 election remains to be seen, their immediate plans tonight are abundantly clear. Catching the eye of the waitress, the Second Amendment points around the table with his finger: “Another round here, Lil’ Darlin.”

WE HAVE THE BEST POLITICIANS MONEY CAN BUY

THE M16 SAGA; STILL TRYING TO MAKE A SILK PURSE OUT OF A SOW'S EAR

"The most terrifying sound in the world is not the scream of a descending bomb nor the roar of a charging lion, but rather a click when you expected to hear a bang." Peter Hathaway Capstick

A brief aside from politics here to cater to us gun nuts. I just finished an excellent book entitled US Infantry Weapons in Combat, and to a man the soldiers and Marines from WWII and Korea had nothing but praise for the old M1 Garand. Darrell "Shifty" Powers of Band of Brothers fame said, "The most amazing thing about that M1 is you could throw that thing down in a mud hole, drag it through, pick it up and it would fire. It wouldn't jam; it would fire" and "In combat, when you were right on the line you don't take time out to clean the rifle. You just keep the mud and dirt wiped off the outside of it the best you can." Master Sergeant Earl Green, a veteran of both Korea and Vietnam, said, "I really liked the M1; it was a tremendous rifle and it never failed me." Wade Stevens, another Korean veteran, stated "...I had real faith with that rifle. It could get all dirtied up, muddy or full of dust and you could shake it out and it would work. It never failed me; it was a very durable weapon."

As fewer and fewer people these days know, the original M16 was a bit of a flop in Vietnam, prone to chronic jamming. A Marine squad was found dead near Khe Sahn with all their weapons jammed and cleaning rods down the bore. The late Colonel David Hackworth as much as said the 16 was a POS and he would rather have an AK-47. Marine small arms expert Dick Culver claimed they found a VC document that urged the guerrillas to salvage any weapon they could from the battlefield, with the exception of "the little black rifle". Another Marine, Major Anthony Milavic, reported watching a soldier shoot a tethered goat 15 times with an M16 at point blank range before the animal finally dropped. Rather than admit Robert McNamara's One-Man Band might be wrong about the gee-whiz new weapon, the establishment took up the banner that those dumb-ass soldiers in the field just weren't cleaning their weapons enough.

By the time I began my service in the Army, we had the M16A1 rifle, and "all the bugs from Vietnam" had been worked out. Yet even though we spent more time on weapons maintenance than we did standing in line, no small feat in the Army, we still suffered from chronic jamming problems, most often failure to feed. Just me, but I have to wonder if a great deal of the problem was the magazines and their system of retention. Every other major military rifle one can name has two points of retention for the magazine, usually front and rear, while the M16 has only one side-mounted detente.

Anyway, eventually we got the new & improved M16A2. Ours seemed to work well enough, but then again they were brand-spanking new fresh off the assembly line. The first lesson I learned, though, was that it was not a Heavy Barrel like the Army told me it was. Only the last four inches of the barrel was heavy; the rest was as thin and whippy as the M16A1. The reason the art of shooting with a sling has been lost is that the Army's own studies showed shooting an M16 series rifle with a tight sling will pull your shots as much as 4 inches low at 100 yards...which means 8 inches at 200 and 16 inches at 300. Additionally, the weapons manual stated: "You may have to clean weapon and ammunition numerous times daily in inclimate weather." Funny, I don't recall any veteran of WWII or Korea cleaning their rifles numerous times daily in hopes they would actually work.

My son served in the 82nd in Iraq, and he had little good to say about the new M4 carbine's reliability or lethality either. Rangers in Afghanistan were seen with cleaning rods taped to the forearms of their rifles so they could unjam them quickly, just like the Marines in Vietnam before they "fixed all the bugs". There were eventually enough complaints about the M4s and new M16s that it led to a congressional inquiry, so the Army contracted an official study by the CNA Corporation. I read the study. Their conclusion is that the M4 is a fine weapon that the soldiers all love because of its reliability. By their stats, only 19% of soldiers reported malfunctions of their weapon in combat. Whoo-hoo! Now that's a peach! Fully four out of five rifles work as advertised. I guess that is reliable, since their study showed 26% of the soldiers equipped with the M9 Beretta 9-mm (don't even get me started on the 9mm vs .45 ACP thing) had malfunctions in combat and 30% of M249 SAW users did as well.

Of course, this exhaustive study never did get around to the question of lethality of the 5.56x45mm round, known to us civvies as the .223 Remington. It is a varmint round, suitable for coyotes and prairie dogs and woodchucks, but is illegal for deer hunting in most states as the Fish & Game boys say it's not big enough to give a clean, quick kill on deer-sized critters. In Blackhawk Down, a Delta Force expert complained about how many times he had to shoot Sammies with his M4 to get him to finally go down. Similar reports have been coming out of Iraq and Afghanistan. In Afghanistan especially, the round lacks the range to engage targets at long distances in the mountains. One senior NCO in Operation Anaconda reported that his company could only engage the enemy in plain sight with organic mortars; the only folks who could engage with small arms were some Canadian snipers armed with .50-caliber heavy sniper rifles, visibility and range being what it is in the mountains. Now I see the Marine Corps has revamped their entire marksmanship program and is teaching their folks to double-tap every target in the chest; apparently they don't think one shot is going to do it. I also read of an Army CO recently back from Iraq who had to teach his men to double-tap the enemy in the chest and, if that didn't work, to immediately try for a follow-up head shot.

It amazes me that we can spend billions on the war, and more billions on stealth aircraft and the greatest tanks in the world and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, and yet still not be able to field a reliable, hard-hitting rifle even after 40 some years of polishing the turd. But then again, if the VA is any indication, the military doesn't really give a damn about the PBI (Poor Bloody Infantry) with boots on the ground who's doing all the dirty work anyway.

Personally, if I ever had to go to war again, I'd take either my 1944-manufactured M1 Garand or my FN-FAL. They both go bang when they're supposed to go bang, and that big ol' .308-diameter bullet doesn't require any double-tapping.

Foreign Paulicy vs. Rudy's "War on Us"

During the Republican debate Saturday night, the main sticking point between Ron Paul and the other candidates was once again foreign policy. Dr. Paul tried to explain that our military presence around the globe, as well as our propping up of foreign dictators helps create people like al Qaeda who hate us. Rudy Giuliani countered with the incredible statement that people in foreign countries hating us has nothing to with our foreign policy.

Disagreeing with the mayor’s assessment is Michael Scheuer, a 22-year CIA veteran and expert on bin Laden, Afghanistan and South Asia. He really drives this point home in his book Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror. Scheuer says: "The fundamental flaw in our thinking about Bin Laden is that ‘Muslims hate and attack us for what we are and think, rather than what we do.’ Muslims are bothered by our modernity, democracy, and sexuality, but they are rarely spurred to action unless American forces encroach on their lands. It's American foreign policy that enrages Osama and al-Qaeda, not American culture and society."

According to Scheuer, the six U.S. policies that bin Laden repeatedly refers to as anti-Muslim in his recruiting efforts and fatwas are:
U.S. support for Israel that keeps Palestinians in the Israelis’ thrall.
U.S. and other Western troops on the Arabian Peninsula.
U.S. occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
U.S. support of Russia, India, and China against their Muslim militants.
U.S. pressure on Arab energy producers to keep oil prices low.
U.S. support for apostate, corrupt, and tyrannical Muslim governments.

Here’s some quotes from bin Laden himself:

“Many people in the West are good and gentle people[.] I have already said that we are not hostile to the United States. We are against the system [i.e., U.S. foreign policy] which makes nations slaves of the United States, or forces them to mortgage their political and economic freedom.”

“We say our terror against America is blessed terror in order to put an end to suppression, in order for the United States to stop its support to Israel.”

“Just like you kill us, we will kill you.”

“Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or al Qaeda. Your security is in your own hands. Each and every state that does not tamper with our security will have automatically assured its own security.”

“And as I was looking at those towers that were destroyed in Lebanon, it occurred to me that we have to punish the transgressor with the same, and that we had to destroy the towers in America, so that they taste what we tasted and they stop killing our women and children.”

“It should not be hidden from you that the people of Islam had suffered from aggression, iniquity and injustice imposed on them by the Zionist-Crusaders alliance and their collaborators; to the extent that the Muslims blood became the cheapest and their wealth as loot in the hands of the enemies. Their blood was spilled in Palestine and Iraq. The horrifying pictures of the massacre of Oana, in Lebanon are still fresh in our memory. Massacres in Tajikistan, Burma, Kashmir, Assam, Philippines, Pattani, Ogaden, Somalia, Eritrea, Chechnya, and in Bosnai-Herzegovina took place, massacres that send shivers in the body and shake the conscience. All of this and the world watch and hear, and not only didn't respond to these atrocities, but also with a clear conspiracy between the USA and its' allies and under the cover of the iniquitous United Nations, the dispossessed people were even prevented from obtaining arms to defend themselves. The people of Islam awakened and realized that they are the main target for the aggression of the Zionist-Crusaders alliance. All false claims and propaganda about "Human Rights" were hammered down and exposed by the massacres that took place against the Muslims in every part of the world.”

“Thinking people, when disaster strikes, make it their priority to look for its causes, in order to prevent it happening again.”

Even though we may disagree with bin Laden’s assertions, there are many Muslims who do agree and are willing to die to stop it. Until we recognize that fact, we’re doomed to hemorrhage American blood and treasure into foreign sand. Unfortunately, I don't think even the good doctor can inject this into our political dialogue.

"Good Bye Dirtbags! (See You In Four Years.)"

For a few months every few years, Iowa becomes fly-to country for the politicians and national media, rather than just another anonymous part of “fly-over country.” For a few months the stench of empty neo-conservative rhetoric overpowers the hog lots and the whine of liberals drowns out the grain driers. Of course, I’m talking about caucus time, when the whole nation notices us Iowans for once, and we love it.

The political clamor rises to a crescendo just before our first in the nation caucus. Then, just as quickly as it began, it ends. No more nationally televised speeches at the local gymnasium. No more constant political ads on TV and radio. Silence.

Like a lonely woman after a one night tryst, Iowa cries out, “Promise you’ll call,” to the politicians as they pull on their trousers to dash to the nearest airport. “Yeah, whatever,” they reply, and New Hampshire’s phone number falls out of their pocket. Then they’re gone. For awhile Iowa will bask in the warmth of the beautiful things they told us. (“You’re such a pretty state, and so important… I like pigs too! I hope to have pigs of my own someday, if I could just find the right state.”) Not me. I say, “Good riddance, Dirtbags! See you in four years, bring your checkbooks.”

For anyone who might have been vacationing off-planet at the time, the results for the Republicans were:
(Vote totals are from Friday’s Cedar Rapids Gazette)
1) Mike Huckabee- 35,401votes (34%)
2) Governor Rudy McRomney- 26,167 votes (25%)
3) Fred Thompson- 13, 834 votes (13%)
4) Senator Rudy McRomney- 13,556 votes (13%)
5) Ron Paul- 10,040 votes (10%)
6) Mayor Rudy McRomney- 3,590 votes
7) Duncan Hunter- 457 votes

So the big-government neo-conservatives carried the night here, no big surprise. The media all said that Huckabee winning was a vote for “change.” I can’t see how a candidate that’s a social conservative but a fiscal liberal is much of a change from El Presidente Bush.

“M’bouy” Ron Paul did about like I expected, although I had hoped that he would surprise everyone and finish third, or at least beat Senator Rudy McRomney. (Dr, Paul did beat Mayor Rudy McRomney, but “Dah Mayah” didn’t even campaign in the state.) Looks like Paul is polling higher in New Hampshire than he did here. Hopefully the Free State Project folks will show up to give him a bounce.

The big surprise of the night was on the Democrat side. “The Woman Who Would Be Queen,” Billary Clinton, was soundly stomped by relative newcomer Broccoli Osama. Billary actually finished third, behind Broccoli Osama and John Edwards (I couldn’t think of a way to mess with his name, sorry).

At the risk of a severe pistol-whipping from Bawb, let me just say that I like Broccoli Osama. I’d never vote for him, but he is much more likeable than the reptilian Clinton or that flimflam man Edwards. Broccoli is an inspiring speaker with an uplifting, unifying message. I wish he was a libertarian instead of a socialist. What remains to be seen is, how long will the Clintons let this guy swim in their pool? Broccoli better watch his six or Clinton Inc. might see to it that he has a sudden bout of depression and shoots himself in the back of the head a few times. (I wouldn’t fly in any light aircraft anytime soon either, Broccoli.)

As the limelight fades, we Iowans now return to our normal lives of growing corn. Or do we grow potatoes? Whatever.

NEWMAX POLL IS OUT

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/n...02/61241.html

The Newsmax "Internet Primary" poll has been tallied with over 400,000 votes. The top 5 were, in order, Ron Paul 23.4%, Fred Thompson 18.7%, Mike Huckabee 16.2%, Mitt Romney 14.7%, and Rudy Guiliani 13.9%. Media darling "Maverick" John McCain is pulling a whopping 3.9%.

ONCE MORE WITH FEELING

For those who obivously missed it the first time around..."Only MY pet RINO can beat Hillary!"