BRAZEN 30 SEP 07

IRAQ FRONT UPDATE: Coalition forces have launched "Operation Church" in Diyala province, aimed at clearing out insurgents blocking the water supply through the Khalis spillway. At last word, troops in this operation had killed 33 terrorists, captured three others, seized three weapons caches, and restored water flow to the town. On Friday, BG Joseph Anderson let us know that Abu Usama Al-Tunisi, a senior Al Qaeda operative, was killed by a U.S. Airstrike earlier in the week. Al-Tunisi was the leader of a terrorist cell that kidnapped and murdered two American soldiers in June 2006. We can all hope the overpressure that burst his eardrums was extremely painful.

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AGHAN BOMBING: A suicide bomber disguised in an Afghan Army uniform blew himself up Saturday on a military bus in Kabul, killing 28 soldiers and 2 civilians. The Taliban are resorting more and more to this sort of desperate attack. A suicide bomber on (of all things) a motorized rickshaw struck September 10 in Helmand province, killing 28 people, including 13 Afghan cops. Each time the Taliban mass to engage coalition forces, they are destroyed, so suicide bombing is their only means of inflicting significant casualties.

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LETHAL INJECTION UNDER SCRUTINY: The Supreme Court is reviewing an appeal by two Kentucky death row inmates asserting that the three drug cocktail used in lethal injections inflicts enough suffering to be classified as cruel and unusual punishment. On Thursday, an inmate in Alabama and another in Texas were granted reprieves believed to be directly related to the Kentucky appeal. Let's review: shooting, hanging, electrocution, and gassing are all cruel and unusual, according to the Supremes. Now they will decide if lethal injection fits into the same category. The Court should thunderously reject this frivilous attempt to delay justice. It's time the American tradition of hanging be brought back into use, especially for child molestors. Most death sentences are really death row sentences, thanks to endless appeals. Far fewer children would be assaulted and traumatized for life if the death penalty were mercilessly applied to molestors for the very first offense. How many times do we need to hear about a child raped or killed by someone already convicted of assaulting children?

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IRAN ACTION DELAYED: The big players at the United Nations have agreed to delay until November any possible sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program. This comes just days after Iranian President Mahmoud Amadinejad declared the issue "over" in a speech at the U.N. itself. On Saturday the Iranian parliament enacted a measure labeling the CIA and U.S. Army as terrorist organizations. This is likely a response to a Senate resolution last week designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist entity, marking the first time part of a foreign military has been so named. The United Nations will delay and delay until it's too late: the centrifuges in Iran are spinning right along without any delay. As always, we should not entrust American national security to a corrupt and feckless bureaucracy like the Security Council.

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SUCCESSFUL STAR WARS TEST: A target missile launched from Kodiak Island in Alaska at 0400 hours Friday was struck and destroyed by an interceptor launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The successful strike was a test of the system planned for deployment to Eastern Europe. A radar site in the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor missile in Poland should be in place by 2013, the Missile Defense Agency reports.

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SHUT UP HIPPY: Angelina Jolie, speaking (where else) at a Slick Willie led "Clinton Global Initiave" conference, urged the world to get its "priorities in order". Jolie insisted that an entire UNICEF appeal "equals about eight hours of current spending in Iraq". Well, Ms. Jolie, maybe one day we won't need a military to keep the wolves at bay, but that's not today. We can't help anyone if our nation is destroyed. Perhaps she should consider adopting an AMERICAN child next time to bring a little balance. For assinine and naive comments, Angelina Jolie: SHUT UP HIPPY. I still can't believe anyone would leave Americas sweetheart Jennifer Aniston for THAT.

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JINGOCON

BRAZEN 28 SEP 07

MORE GOOD TALIBAN: Continued reports of increasing Taliban casualties are good news from the Afghan front. Today brings us news of 165 Taliban killed in a battle with coalition forces. A story like this completely slipping under the radar is further proof of the total bias and incompetence of the liberal media, as if we needed any more evidence. Each time the terrorists mass together, they are devastatingly struck from the air. This scenario has happened repeatedly, and fortunately for us, the Taliban never seem to learn. The response from the Taliban was to kidnap Red Cross workers. Pathetic.

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MCCAIN COMPLETELY MISSES MARK (PART 147): Arizona Senator John McCain is touting his credentials to be CINC while saying rivals Mitt Romney and Rudi Guliani don't have the experience. He's correct, but perhaps at least one Republican should point out that neither of the two aforementioned gentlemen is even a conservative. It's time for Rudi and Mitt to be described and attacked as social liberals who have found new zeal for conservative causes now that they are running for President. No real conservative is fooled even a little bit. Both Mitt and Rudi are pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, pro-gun control moderates who are attempting to fool the Republican base long enough to get elected. There is only one electable, real conservative in the race: Fred Dalton Thompson.

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MENS ROOM PERVERT HANGING AROUND: Humiliated Idaho Senator Larry Craig is planning to hang on to his Senate seat a bit longer. Arrested in a Minneapolis Airport mens room for soliciting sex from an undercover policeman, Craig is attempting to withdraw his previous guilty plea and somehow worm out of the whole mess. Too late, Senator: you have become an embarrasing joke. It's time to take your pension and disappear into the Idaho woods. Delaying departure only gives another target to liberals looking to point fingers at hypocrites. And if I have to endure yet another revolting detailed description of Senator Craig's actions that day, or listen to the tape of him arguing with the arresting officer, I will suffer an aneurism.

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MERKEL COMING TO BUSH RANCH: German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit the Western White House on November 9 and 10. Topping the discussion agenda will be continued German participation with NATO in Afghanistan and counterterrorism. Invites to Crawford are reserved for those the President personally likes, so this is encouraging considering her predecessor was elected on an anti-American agenda. As one who helped defend Germany from the Soviet hordes during the Cold War, I feel like they owe me in our time of need. Let's just say I have found their performance as an ally since 9/11 to be less than satisfactory. Potential Iranian nukes may not initially be able to strike the continental United States, but they will have the range to target the bulk of Europe. That's another factor in the continuing rapprochement between Bush and Old Europe, so we might as well have a barbecue in Texas.

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FORMER KLANSMAN GRANDSTANDS: Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia chose a Wednesday Senate hearing on the defense appropriations bill to deliver one of his typical ridiculous screeds. "We cannot build democracy at the point of a gun," Byrd said. He should know. As a documented former member of the Ku Klux Klan, he used to be in the business of building democracy with a noose. Byrd is ancient and plans to run again. Here we have an admitted former racist and segregationist as one of the lead members of the Democrat party, yet somehow he gets a pass from the media. The man is well past senility and continues to be reelected. Seniority in the Senate has its perks, and so does seniority in the Democrap party. No one with that sort of record could run as a Republican, because they would be immediately eviscerated by the liberal media bosses.

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NEW U.S. BASE NEAR IRAN: A new U.S. base has quietly been constructed in Iraq "very near" the border with Iran. The post was built to house nearly 200 troops and U.S. Border Patrol agents who will monitor the several hundred trucks from Iran entering Iraq on a daily basis. It will be interesting to see the Iranian response and if any future expansions take place. The evidence proving Iranian support for Al Qaeda and other terrorists in Iraq is overwhelming and undeniable. General Petraeus told Congress Iran is conducting a "proxy war" against American forces in Iraq. The question of what will be done about it remains, but those who attack U.S. forces should be made aware they face certian doom for their foolish actions.

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JINGOCON

DEMOCRATS DEBATE (AGAIN)

The Democrat candidates for President debated for two agonizing hours in New Hampshire last night. Tim Russert of Meet The Press moderated the event, and actually did a fair job of challenging the candidates when they parsed words or strayed too far afield. No real news was made, and once again we see that the number of candidates involved in both parties limits the amount of meaningful debate that can actually occur.
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Russert opened with the Iraq front (of course), asking the candidates what they would do if they were elected and there were still 100,000 American troops in Iraq in January, 2009. Hussein Obama went first, touting his early opposition to all things Iraq and promising a "phased redeployment". Allow me to translate: "phased redeployment" should be read as "gradual surrender". Billary complained about the lack of Pentagon planning for withdrawal, apparently demanding we plan our eventual defeat. Little Lord (Fauntleroy) Edwards pledged to immediately pull out 40 - 50,000 troops, and all troops within "several months". He then strangely proposed leaving a combat brigade of 3,500 soldiers to guard the American Embassy in Baghdad. Let's see, an American island in the middle of Baghdad with no ground support available: sounds like Custers last stand. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson proposed withdrawing all forces within one year, oddly leaving behind "light equipment". I'm not sure what he means by "light", but why would we leave anything to fall into terrorist hands? Senator Chris Dodd projected a withdrawal of two brigades per month, stretching his plan into an excruciating thirteen month retreat. Senator Joe Biden was the lone Dem to acknowledge that the only option Congress has under the Constitution is to cut off funding. Biden crowed about his Senate resolution passed with 75 votes today supporting a three state, Bosnia-style solution for Iraq. Again, it's wonderful the Senate let us know how they feel, but it is, constitutionally, NOT their job to set policy for the executive branch, no matter how much time or effort they expend attempting to do so. Wildman Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich wants all troops out in ninety days, evoking visions of the Oklahoma land rush. Former Arkansas Senator Crazy Mike Gravel finished by suggesting legislators should shut down Capitol Hill for forty days and constantly vote on Iraq matters until they get their way, something of a Congressional temper tantrum on an issue that, again, is not theirs to adjudicate.
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Russert then got into a little verbal sparring with Billary over a potential Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. She acknowledged the basic facts behind a September 6 Israeli attack on a suspected Syrian nuclear facility after a fishy shipment from North Korea arrived. Billary essentialy refused the hypthotical, even after Russert demanded it to be "real world". The remainder of the field was questioned about policy toward Iran, and they all parroted that same old "diplomacy" line, with Richardson and Hussein Obama jousting over who could conduct "personal diplomacy" the best, whatever that means. Little Lord Edwards brought up the ludicrous idea of somehow gaining cohesive European support. Good luck with that.
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One odd question asked of the big three concerned the acceptability of allowing a story of two "princes" getting married to be part of second grade curriculum. Edwards and Obama said they had no problems with it, but oddly enough Billary stood up for the parental right to educate thier own children on sexual matters. My thought was that none of them mentioned the increasingly early sexualization of our children. Children in second grade are eight or nine years old. Do we really want kids of that age to have to deal with adult matters like homosexuality? Can't we let them just be kids until they're a tad older?
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After a yawner of a segment on Social Security, the candidates were asked if they supported a federal law banning smoking in all public places. Billary and Obama stuck to local law, but all the others supported it. Of course, a federal law will create yet another federal agency to enforce said measure, leading me to thoughts of the cigarette police chasing down smokers. Maybe we should let them get chasing down illegal immigrants right before they take on another pursuit.
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Russert then read an unattributed quote supporting the signing of an executive order authorizing torture in the unlikely situation of having a detainee with knowledge of a terrorist nuclear attack on an American city in three days. To their credit, all of the participants rejected the idea of torture in any scenario. Billary went last, and the "busted" moment of the evening came when Russert revealed the author of the quote: Bill Clinton. Billary responded, "He's not standing up here", but it still created a look in her eye suggesting it would not be a good night for Slick Willie. I shrugged off what little sympathy that created for him after briefly recalling his sleaze factor.
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Mike Gravel and Chris Dodd earned the only two KUDOS for the evening. Crazy Mike gets a small one for asserting those old enough to fight should be allowed to drink. Senator Dodd, however, gets a gigantic pat on the back for supporting an embargo on Chinese toys until safety can be assured, and he was aware of the current tidal wave of other tainted, toxic, and defective Chinese imports. Too few in our government are standing up for the American consumer on this immense problem. Senator Dodd has two young daughters ages six and two, so maybe this hits a little closer to home for him. In any event, he deserves at least a small nod.
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JINGOCON

BRAZEN 20 SEP 07

ISRAELI STRIKE ON SYRIA ?: Jane's Defence Weekly is reporting that Israel conducted an air strike on a suspected WMD compound in Syria on September 6th. A suspected shipment of nuclear material from North Korea labeled "cement" was the target. The Syrians claim the facility is a "agricultural resource center". According to Jane's, the strike was ordered after an accident involving a joint Syrian-Iranian team that was attempting to mount a chemical warhead on a missile. The report claims both VX and sarin nerve gas was released, killing "dozens of Iranian engineers and 15 Syrians". President Bush flatly (and I do mean FLATLY) refused to address the matter today during his presser, but Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is claiming it was indeed an Israeli operation.

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DOUBLE THAT: On Thursday the Pentagon doubled its request for MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Proof) vehicles for use in Iraq and elsewhere from 7,500 to 15,000. This does little to ramp up already lagging production, so less than 1,500 will be operational in Iraq by the end of the year. SECDEF Gates will be pushing the funding request on Capitol Hill, and it will be interesting to see if he faces any significant opposition. To date, no troops riding in an MRAP have been killed by an IED. That fact alone should prod Congress along regardless of party.

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SENATE CONDEMNATION FOR MOVEON.ORG: The Senate today voted 72-25 to condemn the MoveOn.org "betray us" ad that last week questioned the loyalty and patriotism of General Petraeus on the day of his testimony to Congress. Billary voted against the measure, no surprise since she basically called the general a liar to his face. In an act of naked pandering, Hussein Obama did not vote at all on the issue. Earlier in the day, a measure that would have cut off funding for combat in Iraq by next June was defeated. Looks like the Democraps will have to take their medicine until the next Petraeus report in April.

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AHMADINEJAD TO GROUND ZERO: It appears Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be denied his requested wreath-laying at Ground Zero. He had requested security arrangements from NYPD for the visit, and was promptly and riggtly rejected. The idea of allowing the president of the worlds biggest state sponsor of terrorism to tread on sacred ground for a photo op dog and pony show is completely unacceptable. Every arm of government at every level should do everything within its power to prevent such a desecration. The only escort we should be providing Ahmadinejad is the one from cell to gallows.

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FRED ON BILLARYCARE: Fred Thompson has posted a commentary on the "new" Billarycare recently unveiled. Fred's right, it's that same old "government knows best" mentality always displayed by the socialist left. Fred describes it as "scary enough to make you sick", and that's about right. You can see the posting at www.fred08.com.

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JINGOCON

BRAZEN 17 SEP 07 PM

1. BUSH PICK FOR A.G. : W has nominated retired federal judge Michael Mukasey to replace Alberto Gonzalez. Mukasey, appointed to the bench in 1988 by Reagan, has lately been serving as an advisor to the Rudi campaign. I keep hearing he's a conservative who is strong on national security issues, but he immediately drew praise from New York Senator Charles Schumer. That scares me. As a rule, if Chuck's fer it, I'm agin' it. I view this nomination with a very skeptical eye, but I'll hold fire for now. Mukasey has endorsed the Patriot Act and other similar measures necessary to safeguard America. On the other hand, his work for the socially liberal Guliani campaign and lightning fast acceptance by Democraps are causes for deep concern.

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2. NINETIES FLASHBACK: Billary has unveiled her proposal for government mandated healthcare today. While throwing around misleading terms like "freedom" and "choice", the junior Senator from New York presented a scheme mandating that all businesses and individuals purchase insurance. Once again Billary is attempting to hide the naked, unadulterated socialism of her own plan. Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney tossed a few rocks at her, which is ironic considering he instituted a similar plan while Massachussets Governor. Here's another proposal by Billary that is essentially an expansion of the size and scope of government, a continuing and pervasive theme with her campaign. For her, there is no problem too small for the feds to take command. Her deafening silence on the MoveOn advertisement and shabby treatment of General Petraeus during testimony last week are despicable. But we already knew that about her. You just can't hide a deep disdain for the military.

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3. BLACKWATER EJECTED: Blackwater USA, the security firm protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq, has been kicked out of the country after eight Iraqi civilians were killed following an IED attack on a convoy. While the facts of the incident are anything but clear, it is clear that our reliance on private security firms needs to end. Private firms established for profit cannot be relied upon for this type of mission. The use of these firms in military and security roles brings up real questions of loyalty, effectiveness, and public relations.

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4. GOOD TALIBAN: Pakistani forces killed 16 terrorists after an attempted ambush of a military checkpoint near the Afghan border. While the press focuses on the number of attacks, they fail to note the complete and total tactical and strategic failure of all their attempts. Any reasonable check of the numbers will show the Taliban and related forces have taken a steady whoopin' this year, and it's good to hear it continues.

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5. FRANCE GETTING AGGRESSIVE: On Sunday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner warned Iran that failure to renounce its nuclear program could lead to war. Kouchner described a nuclearized Iran as "a real danger to the entire world". France has brought itself more and more into the American diplomatic camp since the election of Sarkozy, and it's refreshing to say the least. This may be just an attempt to bring others on board for a tougher sanctions regime, but there may come a day when action will be required. Then we'll see.

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6. SHUT UP HIPPY: Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is out hawking his new book. In it he criticizes Bush for not doing a better job of managing deficits, and says our attack on Iraq was all about oil. Yeah, Al, all that oil is just flowing like water now. That sort of commentary is irresponsible, something Greenspan seems to be specializing in for his golden years. The Fed Chairman has way too much power for one man, I have never believed for one second that Greenspan is any sort of conservative, and his crowning by the liberal media as King of the Economy is detestable. For his foolish comments, balding senior citizen Alan Greenspan has earned an award: SHUT UP HIPPY. Take it to heart, Al. We mean it.

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JINGOCON

PRIME TIME BUSH

W took to the airwaves tonight to endorse the Petraeus recommendations as reported to Congress earlier this week. The big point that sticks with me is that Iraq is now an American ally fighting for its survival against Al Qaeda and Iranian terror forces. We must continue to establish the precedent of sticking with allies. Gaining a reputation for cut and run does not help our security interests in the Middle East or anywhere else. Just when we are beginning to see some progress on the ground, the Democraps are raising a foul stench, but it looks like Bush has swung the argument his way, at least temporarily.
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The real good news is that we're killing an average of 1,500 terrorists a month in Iraq. That fact on top of the bottom up changes occurring on the ground point to solid progress. Iraqis are rejecting the Taliban style of rule imposed by Al Qaeda associated miltants and are seeking American help to expel them and keep them on the run. No, we have not seen the governmental changes in Baghdad necessary for long term success, but that will be expedited by momentum from the bottom. Of all times since the war began, this isn't the time for hesitation or talk of surender.
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Even his enemies will eventually have to admit that Bush is a man that sticks to his guns through thick and thin. The man has a vision for the future of the Middle East, and he has shown himself willing to go down with that ship. The calls for a change in Iraq policy may have been all the rage when things weren't going so well, but those same calls now seem a little politically hollow. In poker terms, Bush is "all in" on Iraq: he has pushed all his chips to the center of the table, and it appears the Dems in Congress don't have the cards to call him.
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There were a few small problems with the speech. The President's call for support of increased United Nations involvement in Iraq is obviously misguided. The last thing we need is a herd of corrupt U.N. bureaucrats descending on Iraq to foul up the good work in progress. Remember, the largest financial scandal in world history involved Iraq and the United Nations ("oil for food"). The President also mistakenly omitted a strong warning to Iran and Syria. Both of those nations are providing arms, ammo, and men to fuel terrorism in Iraq, and they're both begging for air strikes. It's time W let them know our tolerance of their interference in Iraq is over, and the consequences might be explosive, literally.
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The Democrap response was predictably lame. Senator Jack Reid of Rhode Island delivered the immediate response. Both he and Hussein Obama (later on CNN) displayed their usual lack of constitutional awareness. Someone should eventually point out to them that Congress has no role in the entire operation, except to either provide funds or not. That's it. Every Dem Representative and Senator tries to be a combination diplomat and military commander, neither of which is their role under that old, dusty Constitution. Senator Reid even referred to "constitutional duties" while simultaneously proving he has very little knowledge of them. Hussein Obama preached a humanitarian and diplomatic effort. Hey, Senator Emptysuit, let us know when you can point to even a single instance of either of those types of programs having any measurable success anywhere on the globe. We'll be waiting. The Great Hussein Obama thinks "reducing anti-American sentiment" is vital to our security. How naive: if we can just get people to like us, everything will be fine. That sort of approach to war is dangerously hopeful.
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Well, as the President said tonight, "It's never too late to deal a blow to Al Qaeda." And it looks as if W has dealt another blow to the defeatists in Congress, with much assistance from the suicide attack by MoveOn. The Dems simply do not have the stones to do what is within their power, so they reach for powers constitutionally outside their grasp. They have gone so far left and invested so much in defeat, they have no room for maneuver to either side. That leaves them rooting for our enemies, as usual.
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JINGOCON

THE ATTACK TOO FAR

MoveOn.org, the slimiest of defeatist, anti-American groups, saw fit this week to personally attack General David Petraeus in a full-page NY Times add calling him "General Betray Us". This is the depths to which the crybaby left has sunk in the throes of their Bush-hating orgy. Allow me to provide a few details about General Petraeus you probably won't hear in the media.
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Gen. Petraeus has been awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, twice awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and Defense Superior Service Medal, and has been awarded the Legion of Merit four times. He has also received the State Department Superior Honor award, and, most impressively, the Bronze Star with "V" device for valor. He was the top graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (class of '83), and holds a PhD in international relations from Princeton. He has also served as an instructor in that subject at West Point. Here is a good man who has served his country for his entire life, been frequently recognized for superior service, and now somehow qualifies for a political lynching from the left.
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The radical anti-war left have, ironically, shot themselves in the foot again. We have come to expect this sort of treasonous attack from MoveOn. These are the same mental midgets who morph Bush into Hitler, or Nixon, or whoever their boogeyman of the month is. Originally formed to "move on" from the Clinton impeachment, the group has become a frequent reminder of the dangerous policies advocated by Democraps. Bin Laden himself could not have crafted a more cowardly attack on the American military. Of course, the Dems no longer have any respect at all for military service, and we've seen countless examples of it in the past year. the only time they "support the troops" is when they're able to use them as a political cudgel. The left does not support our military, has no appreciation for their service, and has revealed their true, ugly visage to American voters. The radical left has pulled the Dems so far left on Iraq, they are unable to do anything but surrender.
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Every Dem running for President used the Petraeus report to Congress to criticize the entire operation and do everything but call the man a liar to his face. Billary's "suspension of disbelief" comment is beyond the pale, but so is most everything (s)he says. None of the Dems bothered to denounce the scurrilous attack on Petraeus. They might lose all that money from the pacifists and Al Qaeda supporters MoveOn represents. This is an attack too far: never again can the left claim any shred of decency toward our military. Ever. Accusing our Iraq commander of being a stooge for Bush or being guilty of war crimes is not supporting the troops. Actually, it's helping our terrorist enemies. The left does not want to win or properly defend America. Treason has become their modus operandi. It's who they are.
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All Americans should be glad to have men like David Petraeus serving our nation. The man travelled eight thousand miles to brief Congress on a situation he has worked with some success where others have failed, only to be libeled and slandered by the left. I encourage everyone to leave a message of encouragement to the general on the "send a message to our troops" section of the MNF-IRAQ site.
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JINGOCON

STILL ANGRY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

As I watched the World Trade Center Towers collapse on 9/11, I realized that it was both an attack and a warning. It's important to think back on our world before that bright September day. America had grown complacent in a sense of security that now seems incredibly naive. We actually believed the physical position of our nation offered protection from the madmen of the planet. 9/11 literally blew up those notions and became the dividing line between the comfortable past and our uncertain future, a violent exclamation declaring the end of our hesitancy to entangle ourselves in foreign lands. A continuation of the misguided policies of the past became unthinkable. The events of September 11, 2001 were and are a clarion call to the defenders of liberty and to the United States of America, a point past which a passive and timid foreign policy is no longer acceptable.
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We have forgotten the horrors of that day. The media has relegated broadcasting film of the attacks to anniversary use only. The full brutality of people jumping from the towers to escape the flames, the heartbreaking messages left by those fully aware of their impending deaths, and countless other infinitely painful memories have been swept under the liberal media rug. A full realization by the public of the viciousness of 9/11 would not help to further the Bush-hating agenda. Minimization of the day and the promotion of ridiculous conspiracy theories are nothing less than treasonous attempts to distract the American people from the work at hand. Those promulgating the various "our own governement did it" theories are doing the work of Al Qaeda.
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We can no longer afford to remain disengaged from the rest of the world. Doing so invites attack. Many Americans see the world as they want it to be, and not as it really is. As the big kid on the world block, we are a continual target regardless of our actions. The United States must forever remain in a vigilant and forward leaning posture abroad and at home. It often seems as if the left has completely forgotten 9/11, judging by their pacifism and willingness to see America lose the Iraq front. I'm fully aware Iraq was not responsible for 9/11, but the Germans weren't responsible for Pearl Harbor, either. The point in both cases is that the enemies we face are global, and not just isolated to one country.
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Our focus today should be on the victims and heroes of 9/11. The example set by the first responders that day is the definition of what it means to be an American. Our enemies do not understand that kind of love for others. Our sacrifices in saving innocent lives are bewildering to those who murder without compunction or mercy. It's the children of those killed that haunt me. Their parents were taken from them without warning and without rational explanation. The U.S. government should do everything possible to continue to assist the families and those who have suffered health problems from working on the rubble. That is a debt we owe to the victims.
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Conservatives should take a moment today to remember Mrs. Barbara Olson, wife of former Solicitor General Ted Olson. A stunningly beautiful and remarkably talented writer and commentator, Mrs. Olson was on board the flight that crashed into the Pentagon. She was actually able to call her husband during the flight, when both were sadly aware of the situation. Her death brought 9/11 home to me, and her glowing charm and rapier wit are sorely missed.
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Have you forgotten? That is the question for today. For me, anytime 9/11 is even indirectly referenced, I feel a seething anger toward those who perpetrated the attacks and those associated with them. I feel it every day. And after six years, it hasn't diminished at all.
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JINGOCON

BRAZEN 04 SEP 07 AM

CHINESE ANTICS: Reports indicate the Chinese apparently hacked into Defense Department computers serving the office of SECDEF. This follows another Peoples Liberation Army hack of German government computers, and of course the unmitigated flood of contaminated and defective Chinese goods worldwide. Every indication in recent months is that the communist Chinese are pursuing a policy of peripheral attacks on the west, none of which have received adequate media coverage or government response. The time has come to completely reevaluate our relationship with the communist giant, and stop allowing them to run roughshod over American consumers. Now they're even bold enough to hack DOD computers, proving they have no respect for our sovereignty or fear of our response. China is rapidly transforming itself into an enemy of the west, and our reaction so far has been completely insufficient.

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NUKE THE WHALES: A federal appeals court has allowed the U.S. Navy to use powerful sonar during upcoming exercises off the coast of southern California. An earlier ruling had restrained the Navy from doing so, citing possible harm to whales. Note to the federal judiciary: potential harm to humans (i.e., a Chinese or Russian submarine firing a nuclear missile from just off our coast) far outweighs potential harm to animals. It cannot be a coincidence that the same folks defending the whales are the ones always critical of whatever our military does.

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SHUT UP HIPPY # 1: For speaking out on an issue she knows nothing about, actress Charlize Theron has earned the very first SHUT UP HIPPY award. Theron, promoting "In the Valley of Elah" in Venice, expressed her desire for U.S. troops to leave Iraq. Her new flick is about a missing soldier in Iraq, and Ms. Theron plays a detective hired to find him. When will Hollywood realize they are not foreign policy experts? Aside from the fact Theron is about twelve years old and has exactly NO military experience, she's also South African. Let me get this straight: a South African actress says we should leave Iraq? Ms. Theron, SHUT UP HIPPY. Have you ever considered that our troops are insuring you can continue to pump out lame movies and earn exorbitant sums of money? Making a movie about a particular subject does NOT make you an expert.

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IRAN SPINNING: Iran claimed Sunday that it has 3,000 centrifuges enriching uranium. Guesstimates predict that it would take about a year for Iran to produce enough fissile material to make a nuclear bomb. This is just another warning sign on the road to a nuclear Iran, something the United States and Israel cannot allow. Diplomatic efforts to resolve this issue are going nowhere. Now is the time to turn up the military heat. Rest assured Israel will take action if we do not.

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THOMPSON DECLARATION: Fred Thompson will officially announce his candidacy for POTUS on Thursday, with a sneak peek Wednesday night on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. I'm with Fred, and I believe he will be the frontrunner by November. Mitt "Count Chocula" Romney took time this weekend to poke fun at Thompsons late entry, indicating the seriousness of the threat. Fred may be late to the Presidential election party, Count Chocula, but at least he's not late to the CONSERVATIVE party, as some candidates are.

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JINGOCON