Wednesday, April 23, 2008
On Vacation
I am on vacation with the family for the next couple of weeks, so posting will take a temporary hiatus. I expect to be back posting in the second week of May. Until then, enjoy the election silliness!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Koch on Carter = Knave
John Hinderaker of the excellent Power Line blog recently posed the question if former President Jimmy Carter is more a fool or a knave. Mr. Hinderaker's opinion was that
Today, over at Real Clear Politics, Ed Koch, the former Mayor of new York City, weighs in with his memories of the seven Presidents with whom he has worked over his professional career. As one might suspect with a lifelong Democrat, he is forgiving of Lyndon Johnson, but his opinion of Jimmy Carter is one that makes for very interesting reading. Writes Koch of Carter,
Some Democrats do understand just how low Jimmy Carter has sunk in the years since he left the White House. And his comments on George W. Bush are equally interesting. Regarding the current President, Mr. Koch wrote,
Mr. Koch may be a Democrat, but he is clearly a man of honor and believes that 'American' trumps 'Democrat' or 'Republican' identity. And he is able to recognize the good qualities George W. Bush has as a human being- not the portraits so popular in the media, where 'Bushitler' alternates with 'Village Idiot'. Would that the majority of the American media and the Democratic Party could cease their partisan warfare long enough to appreciate that simple fact. If so, we would be a better country and I believe a stronger one.
"...in this instance, with everyone from the Secretary of State to Israel's Prime Minister pointing out the folly of his mission, the balance tilts toward "knave."
Today, over at Real Clear Politics, Ed Koch, the former Mayor of new York City, weighs in with his memories of the seven Presidents with whom he has worked over his professional career. As one might suspect with a lifelong Democrat, he is forgiving of Lyndon Johnson, but his opinion of Jimmy Carter is one that makes for very interesting reading. Writes Koch of Carter,
I came to know Carter well.
When he ran for reelection, he asked me to campaign for him in 1980 - I was by then Mayor of New York City -- and I said that I would vote for him, but not campaign for him because he was then engaging in hostile acts towards Israel. I was popular with the Jewish community and when I would not campaign for him unless he changed his position, he called me to his hotel in New York when attending a fundraiser and said, "You have done me more damage than any man in America." I felt proud then, and even more today, since we now know what a miserable president he was then and the miserable human being he is now as he prepares to meet with Hamas.
Some Democrats do understand just how low Jimmy Carter has sunk in the years since he left the White House. And his comments on George W. Bush are equally interesting. Regarding the current President, Mr. Koch wrote,
Now we come to the last president on this list, George W. Bush. I campaigned for his reelection and have no regrets. I believe that history will treat him more kindly than current public opinion polls indicate. He and Tony Blair recognized the danger of Islamic terrorism to the Western world when most world leaders did not. In addition, he is a very nice guy.
Mr. Koch may be a Democrat, but he is clearly a man of honor and believes that 'American' trumps 'Democrat' or 'Republican' identity. And he is able to recognize the good qualities George W. Bush has as a human being- not the portraits so popular in the media, where 'Bushitler' alternates with 'Village Idiot'. Would that the majority of the American media and the Democratic Party could cease their partisan warfare long enough to appreciate that simple fact. If so, we would be a better country and I believe a stronger one.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Big News in Italy- Press Yawns
Michael Ledeen over at the National Review's Corner reminded me today that the recent elections in Italy resulted in a historic first- for the first time since World War II, no Communist was elected to the Italian Parliament. And in an equally positive corollary, no member of the fellow-traveling Green party won either.
Mr. Ledeen also noticed something that the Big Media around the world managed to miss- the incoming government will be decidedly pro-American and pro-George W. Bush. Ledeen writes,
When many foreign governments were in office that enjoyed spiting Mr. Bush's initiatives, the media reported that Bush's America was 'unilateral', although the U.S. would have liked to work with those countries- it was their incumbent governments who preferred not to co-operate with the United States. Now that Germany, France and Italy are governed by those who are more admiring of Mr. Bush, will the Press report that in fact, the previous issues were mostly caused by the attitudes of the foreign governments, and not Mr. Bush's supposed arrogance and unilateralism? Will the Press admit that from the first, this Administration has worked well with many other countries, though those workings are not always in plain view?
Certainly the Bush Administration has made a great number of mistakes. However, the level of vitriol directed at this Administration by the Press is astonishing, especially considering that there appears to be no logical reason for it. The Press has distorted and downright twisted many of the actions the Administration has taken, and their dishonest presentation of the Coalition and its accomplishments has limited the ability of the American people to understand the magnitude of the task and how things have changed. If not for real journalists like Michael Yon, perhaps the media would have succeeded in twisting the tale of Iraq to match their dark victory in Vietnam.
Perhaps all that loud talk about Bush's 'going it alone' was simply blather. But I won't hold my breath waiting for the media to acknowledge how wrong they were- they never apologize, just move on to the next hit job. Cross-posted on NewsBusters.
Mr. Ledeen also noticed something that the Big Media around the world managed to miss- the incoming government will be decidedly pro-American and pro-George W. Bush. Ledeen writes,
Tomorrow's papers will pretend that this didn't happen, and warn that Berlusconi's allies in the Northern League are mercurial and dangerous, and that his majority isn't as stable as it looks. But it is. And there's an even more annoying feature to these elections, as seen by the chattering classes: Berlusconi is an outspoken, even passionate admirer of George W. Bush and the United States of America. Reminds one of the elections that brought Sarkozy to the Elysee, doesn't it? Best to keep that quiet, or somebody might notice that hatred of America doesn't seem to affect the voters in Italy, France or Germany.
When many foreign governments were in office that enjoyed spiting Mr. Bush's initiatives, the media reported that Bush's America was 'unilateral', although the U.S. would have liked to work with those countries- it was their incumbent governments who preferred not to co-operate with the United States. Now that Germany, France and Italy are governed by those who are more admiring of Mr. Bush, will the Press report that in fact, the previous issues were mostly caused by the attitudes of the foreign governments, and not Mr. Bush's supposed arrogance and unilateralism? Will the Press admit that from the first, this Administration has worked well with many other countries, though those workings are not always in plain view?
Certainly the Bush Administration has made a great number of mistakes. However, the level of vitriol directed at this Administration by the Press is astonishing, especially considering that there appears to be no logical reason for it. The Press has distorted and downright twisted many of the actions the Administration has taken, and their dishonest presentation of the Coalition and its accomplishments has limited the ability of the American people to understand the magnitude of the task and how things have changed. If not for real journalists like Michael Yon, perhaps the media would have succeeded in twisting the tale of Iraq to match their dark victory in Vietnam.
Perhaps all that loud talk about Bush's 'going it alone' was simply blather. But I won't hold my breath waiting for the media to acknowledge how wrong they were- they never apologize, just move on to the next hit job. Cross-posted on NewsBusters.
XP-Yes, Vista-No
Has Microsoft's strategy of forcing users to 'upgrade' whether or not they want to hit a snag? In the case of Windows XP, it seems that may indeed be the case. Microsoft had originally planned to stop selling Windows XP by January 31, 2008, but was forced to extend that deadline to June 30, 2008. However, now a new challenge to Microsoft's plans has surfaced, according to a story posted today on Yahoo! News. yahoo! reports that,
However, as the writers note, the real pressure for Microsoft may be the almost 70 percent of business customers who have not yet 'upgraded' to Vista. The Yahoo! story quotes analyst Al Gillen as saying 'You really can't make 69 percent of your installed base unhappy with you'.
I recall talking to a data storage company recently and inquiring if they had changed over from XP to Vista. The CIO simply laughed and replied that Vista was too buggy to even consider using in the immediate future. I was relieved, since my own interaction with Vista, while limited, has failed to enthuse me about the latest Microsoft operating system.
I think ultimately Microsoft's arrogance, coupled with their less-than-stellar record of product releases may do them in as others work to topple their near-monopoly on the business platform market. Should that occur, they may well point to the failure of Vista as the starting point for their fall. Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds.
Fans of the six-year-old operating system set to be pulled off store shelves in June have papered the Internet with blog posts, cartoons and petitions recently. They trumpet its superiority to Windows Vista, Microsoft's latest PC operating system, whose consumer launch last January was greeted with lukewarm reviews.
No matter how hard Microsoft works to persuade people to embrace Vista, some just can't be wowed. They complain about Vista's hefty hardware requirements, its less-than-peppy performance, occasional incompatibility with other programs and devices and frequent, irritating security pop-up windows.
For them, the impending disappearance of XP computers from retailers, and the phased withdrawal of technical support in coming years, is causing a minor panic.
Take, for instance, Galen Gruman. A longtime technology journalist, Gruman is more accustomed to writing about trends than starting them.
But after talking to Windows users for months, he realized his distaste for Vista and strong attachment to XP were widespread.
However, as the writers note, the real pressure for Microsoft may be the almost 70 percent of business customers who have not yet 'upgraded' to Vista. The Yahoo! story quotes analyst Al Gillen as saying 'You really can't make 69 percent of your installed base unhappy with you'.
I recall talking to a data storage company recently and inquiring if they had changed over from XP to Vista. The CIO simply laughed and replied that Vista was too buggy to even consider using in the immediate future. I was relieved, since my own interaction with Vista, while limited, has failed to enthuse me about the latest Microsoft operating system.
I think ultimately Microsoft's arrogance, coupled with their less-than-stellar record of product releases may do them in as others work to topple their near-monopoly on the business platform market. Should that occur, they may well point to the failure of Vista as the starting point for their fall. Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Those Annoying Economic Facts
The Corner at National Review has posted an interesting and educational reminder of the Democratic Party's hypocrisy regarding the economy. And as a side note, it provides a reminder why the mainstream media is not to be trusted on any topic that might affect their patent desire to elect a Democrat to the White House in 2008.
According to the Corner,
So what is interesting about this? The fact that in 2008 virtually every major indicator of economic health surpasses those of 1996, yet the tone adopted by Democrats and their flunkies in the Press is of unmitigated gloom and doom. A useful chart of the actual numbers is also included in the Corner's posting. Read the whole thing, then ask yourself if the media and the Democrats' lines of economic disaster ring entirely true.
Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds.
According to the Corner,
A Hill staffer sends this along:
It’s the Politics, Stupid:
Comparing Labor Market Data in 1996 and 2008
Democrats on the Economy in 1996:
“Our economy is the healthiest it has been in three decades.” (President Bill Clinton, State of the Union Address, January 23, 1996)
Democrats on the Economy in 2008:
“The bottom line is that this administration is the owner of the worst jobs record since Herbert Hoover." (Senator Charles Schumer, Press Release, March 7, 2008)
So what is interesting about this? The fact that in 2008 virtually every major indicator of economic health surpasses those of 1996, yet the tone adopted by Democrats and their flunkies in the Press is of unmitigated gloom and doom. A useful chart of the actual numbers is also included in the Corner's posting. Read the whole thing, then ask yourself if the media and the Democrats' lines of economic disaster ring entirely true.
Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds.
Friday, April 04, 2008
Absolut Aztlan Asininity
The ideal of Aztlan- the mythical super-country that existed before Mexico lost the 1848 Mexican-American War- enjoys significant support among Mexicans, despite the fact that Aztlan never existed. Mexico was a subsidiary of Spain until 1821, and Texas won its independence in 1832. The territories that became the south-western United States did not all become part of the United States as a single entity- California formed an independent republic, as did Texas. The remainder of the territories were gained as a result of war. For additional information on the mythology of 'Aztlan', please visit mexica.net, as they have a nice explanation of what Aztlan really was- the legendary birthplace of the Aztecs, who never held control over any part of the current United States.
If the Mexicans want to press for the 'return' of south-west United States, I'm sure they will have no problem allowing the secession-minded inhabitants of their own country to split off as well. And they would be delighted to give up all of Mexico to the descendants of the Aztecs- whose defeat allowed the Spanish Conquistadores to establish what would become Mexico. And I'm sure they also would support Spain in regaining governance of most of Latin America as well. After all, most of the countries therein fought their way to independence due to combat. And of course they would support the Islamic insistence that most of Spain, Eastern Europe, Greece and Russia should be 'returned' to them as well.
The entire case is of course ridiculous, but it seems Swedish vodka-maker Absolut either doesn't know much history, or has chosen to deliberately offend the United States- their biggest customer. In a series of new advertisements, running only in Latin America, Absolut presents a map of Mexico that includes a large part of the United States, with a caption stating 'In an Absolut World'. So, in other words, in a perfect world the United States would not exist? It certainly seems that is indeed their message. Of course, that would present the samll problem of a Europe under either Soviet or Nazi domination, since Sweden's role in World War II was neither dignified nor particularly brave- and their subsequent contributions to protecting Europe are nil.
Michelle Malkin has perhaps the best comment on Absolut's absolute idiocy, titling it 'Absolut Arrogance', but even the usually reliably liberal Los Angeles Times is not particularly sympathetic to the racist and historically illiterate claims of La Raza, admitting,
Of course, the LA Times forgets that California also broke away into an independent republic, becoming part of the united States separately from the remainder of the conquered territories. But that is an expected lapse, since most reporters have even less knowledge or understanding of history than do La Raza. And the Times manages to ignore the insult at the heart of the ad- the idea that a Swedish vodka company is advocating the destruction of a free and democratic country- which incidentally is the sole reason Sweden was not absorbed into the Soviet Union's sphere of Europe post-World War II.
I shall not be purchasing Absolut for myself and will advise my friends and colleagues to do the same. If and when Absolut apologizes for their arrogance and anti-Americanism, I might reconsider. Maybe.
If the Mexicans want to press for the 'return' of south-west United States, I'm sure they will have no problem allowing the secession-minded inhabitants of their own country to split off as well. And they would be delighted to give up all of Mexico to the descendants of the Aztecs- whose defeat allowed the Spanish Conquistadores to establish what would become Mexico. And I'm sure they also would support Spain in regaining governance of most of Latin America as well. After all, most of the countries therein fought their way to independence due to combat. And of course they would support the Islamic insistence that most of Spain, Eastern Europe, Greece and Russia should be 'returned' to them as well.
The entire case is of course ridiculous, but it seems Swedish vodka-maker Absolut either doesn't know much history, or has chosen to deliberately offend the United States- their biggest customer. In a series of new advertisements, running only in Latin America, Absolut presents a map of Mexico that includes a large part of the United States, with a caption stating 'In an Absolut World'. So, in other words, in a perfect world the United States would not exist? It certainly seems that is indeed their message. Of course, that would present the samll problem of a Europe under either Soviet or Nazi domination, since Sweden's role in World War II was neither dignified nor particularly brave- and their subsequent contributions to protecting Europe are nil.
Michelle Malkin has perhaps the best comment on Absolut's absolute idiocy, titling it 'Absolut Arrogance', but even the usually reliably liberal Los Angeles Times is not particularly sympathetic to the racist and historically illiterate claims of La Raza, admitting,
Mexico reconquers California? Absolut drinks to that!
The latest advertising campaign in Mexico from Swedish vodka maker Absolut promises to push all the right buttons south of the U.S. border, but it could ruffle a few feathers in El Norte.
Of course, the LA Times forgets that California also broke away into an independent republic, becoming part of the united States separately from the remainder of the conquered territories. But that is an expected lapse, since most reporters have even less knowledge or understanding of history than do La Raza. And the Times manages to ignore the insult at the heart of the ad- the idea that a Swedish vodka company is advocating the destruction of a free and democratic country- which incidentally is the sole reason Sweden was not absorbed into the Soviet Union's sphere of Europe post-World War II.
I shall not be purchasing Absolut for myself and will advise my friends and colleagues to do the same. If and when Absolut apologizes for their arrogance and anti-Americanism, I might reconsider. Maybe.
Islam and Counterfeit Toothpaste
There have been a number of stories on the counterfeit toothpaste and other items like Nike shoes, such as this one on FoxNews.com. However, is this the only aspect to the story?
According to Debbie Schlussel this morning on KSFO radio, apparently not. She reported that police raided a warehouse in her suburb of Detroit, finding a great quantity of the counterfeit items. However, there was a major aspect of the story that somehow didn't make it into the news- the factory's ownership. According to Schlussel, the warehouse was owned by Muslims and was propagating the counterfeit items to Muslim-owned stores all over the United States. Schlussel wrote on her site,
This is a huge issue, if Schlussel's report is true- and it appears that it is. And this is not merely a potential threat to our health, but also to our nation. According to Schlussel, much of the profits from this deadly counterfeit material ends up back in the hands of organizations that are dedicated to our destruction. She writes,
We have well-documented problems with counterfeit items and the fake toothpaste has indeed been well-discussed. But yet in these discussion, the identity of the sellers of this material, and the results of their profits has been left mostly unmentioned. How did the media manage to miss the connection between the Muslim distributors and sellers and the potentially deadly products they are disseminating to the American public? Isn't one of the media's jobs to inform the public about potential threats? Certainly they seem to have no compunction writing articles with screaming headlines about our supposed loss of civil rights. What about the even more important loss of life- which could indeed occur due to these fake products and the use to which their sellers put their ill-gotten profits? Why are the media seemingly so blind to the dangers here? is it because they are afraid, or because they secretly sympathize with the aims of these cowardly weasels?
I fear that it is the latter, and I can only hope that their willful betrayal of their fellow Americans in this dangerous time will not cost us all our lives and freedom.
According to Debbie Schlussel this morning on KSFO radio, apparently not. She reported that police raided a warehouse in her suburb of Detroit, finding a great quantity of the counterfeit items. However, there was a major aspect of the story that somehow didn't make it into the news- the factory's ownership. According to Schlussel, the warehouse was owned by Muslims and was propagating the counterfeit items to Muslim-owned stores all over the United States. Schlussel wrote on her site,
Last night, Detroit's NBC affiliate, WDIV/LLocal 4, reported on the warehouse, but reporter Kevin Dietz left out one detail, which is almost always included--the names of the people who own and operating the warehouse and the stores that sell their counterfeit merchandise. That's because all of them are Arab Muslims. Watch the video--on the middle right side of the link--closely. It's hard, on the small screen, to tell the identity of the owners of the warehouse, but on the big screen, it's quite clear, they are Arabs and they are laughing about their toxic toothpaste . . . all the way to the bank. (The Black man shown is their worker and not an owner of the business.)
What's more, my sources tell me they are Muslim Arabs and are believed to be selling the smuggled counterfeit merchandise for money laundering to terrorists, specifically Hezbollah. But none of that is mentions, even though that's why ICE is involved and it's an "international investigation."
It's well known that Hezbollah has Arab Muslims selling counterfeit Nikes, hip-hop clothing, and other fakes like the toothpaste for profit to fund terrorist operations. I've written about it on this site many times, and it's been documented in the L.A. Times and elsewhere.
This is a huge issue, if Schlussel's report is true- and it appears that it is. And this is not merely a potential threat to our health, but also to our nation. According to Schlussel, much of the profits from this deadly counterfeit material ends up back in the hands of organizations that are dedicated to our destruction. She writes,
There are so many Muslims selling fake hip-hop gear and engaging in the hip-hop lifestyle to respectively fund and pimp their kinship with terrorists that a friend of mine in Dearbornistan calls them Hezbollah's Hip-Hop-bollah.
In those cases, it's fake Nikes and hip-hop clothing, but in the case of the warehouse in my area, it's toxic, counterfeit toothpaste. Many different phony products. Yet the perpetrators are all Muslims, mostly Arabs, and all for the same cause. Yet, you'd never know it if you watched my local newscast.
We have well-documented problems with counterfeit items and the fake toothpaste has indeed been well-discussed. But yet in these discussion, the identity of the sellers of this material, and the results of their profits has been left mostly unmentioned. How did the media manage to miss the connection between the Muslim distributors and sellers and the potentially deadly products they are disseminating to the American public? Isn't one of the media's jobs to inform the public about potential threats? Certainly they seem to have no compunction writing articles with screaming headlines about our supposed loss of civil rights. What about the even more important loss of life- which could indeed occur due to these fake products and the use to which their sellers put their ill-gotten profits? Why are the media seemingly so blind to the dangers here? is it because they are afraid, or because they secretly sympathize with the aims of these cowardly weasels?
I fear that it is the latter, and I can only hope that their willful betrayal of their fellow Americans in this dangerous time will not cost us all our lives and freedom.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
