Fidel, everyone’s favorite dictator, had to undergo surgery for “stress” and temporarily reliquished his powers to Raul, the brother of Fidel. Fidel is getting old. Even his younger brother Raul is 75. Is this a sign that the regime’s end could be near? Raul talks a good totalitarian game, but will he play like Castro.

In my opinion Fidel himself is subject to the biggest and most deserved grudges that the US government has probably ever had aginst one individual this long. He has sucked since 1959. Opening Cuba up to American business again will not happen while he is there. Cuba relaxing its oppressive political policies cannot happen while Fidel is there, either. When have totalitarian communist dictators ever been cool?

I just think that when Raul takes over for good (or his successor) Cuba will start to relax. We’ll bring back the casinos, the tourists, the oil companies, and enjoy that warm Caribbean island once again.

I picked this story up on Drudge today, and personally think something’s fishy. Over the weekend, Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts referred to the Big Dig as a “tar baby” that he didn’t want to go near. His meaning of “tar baby” was a sticky mess he didn’t want to go near. Apparently, “tar baby” is also a derogatory term for blacks that was first (and to my knowledge only) used in the mid 19th Century.

I have never heard the phrase before. I teach American History, work is a very ethnically diverse school, grew up in a part of town that used racial remarks all the time about everyone, and never had I heard of “tar baby.” Granted, I have never read Uncle Remus stories about Brier Rabbit, either. Have I been living under a rock, or is this a way to try to undermine a potentially strong Republican candidate for 2008 in the black community before campaign season even gets rolling? Seems like a stretch to me.

I picked this story up on Drudge today, and personally think something’s fishy. Over the weekend, Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts referred to the Big Dig as a “tar baby” that he didn’t want to go near. His meaning of “tar baby” was a sticky mess he didn’t want to go near. Apparently, “tar baby” is also a derogatory term for blacks that was first (and to my knowledge only) used in the mid 19th Century.

I have never heard the phrase before. I teach American History, work is a very ethnically diverse school, grew up in a part of town that used racial remarks all the time about everyone, and never had I heard of “tar baby.” Granted, I have never read Uncle Remus stories about Brier Rabbit, either. Have I been living under a rock, or is this a way to try to undermine a potentially strong Republican candidate for 2008 in the black community before campaign season even gets rolling? Seems like a stretch to me.

I picked this story up on Drudge today, and personally think something’s fishy. Over the weekend, Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts referred to the Big Dig as a “tar baby” that he didn’t want to go near. His meaning of “tar baby” was a sticky mess he didn’t want to go near. Apparently, “tar baby” is also a derogatory term for blacks that was first (and to my knowledge only) used in the mid 19th Century.

I have never heard the phrase before. I teach American History, work is a very ethnically diverse school, grew up in a part of town that used racial remarks all the time about everyone, and never had I heard of “tar baby.” Granted, I have never read Uncle Remus stories about Brier Rabbit, either. Have I been living under a rock, or is this a way to try to undermine a potentially strong Republican candidate for 2008 in the black community before campaign season even gets rolling? Seems like a stretch to me.

This picture just says everything about the fighting in the Mideast right now and the broader War on Terror. Instead of Palestine, you could put Hezbollah, or Saddam, or the Taliban, or Bin Ladin. Instead of Israel you could put any of the civilized nations of the world.

Though I have seen this all over the web, I got it from Michelle Malkin’s blog.

Last Friday, Gauvin, our friend Chris, and myself went to the Sean Hannity Freedom Concert, sponsored by the Freedom Alliance. The Freedom Alliance, among other things, raises money for a college fund for the children who lost a parent fighting in the War on Terror. It was founded by American hero and all around good guy, Oliver North, a few years ago.

The Freedom Concert took place at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, to raise money for the Freedom Alliance. Along with the three of us came a wide assortment of conservative-minded people from all over the country who not only support the troops, but support their mission as well. What’s very cool about these kinds of events is that everybody’s on the same page in their belief that not only should we continue to fight the War on Terror, but we should, in fact, win it. Living in NJ, it’s rare that you see a group of 10,000 people in one place who actually like the USA and support the Gold Star families. However, there was one person dressed up like Fidel, but the pictures unfortunately didn’t come out.

Here are a few picts that I took at the show:

The first picture is of the people at the concert, where Sara Evans and Hank Williams Jr. hokeyed the place up for three hours before the fireworks: (I actually heard an authentic “Hee-Haw” by a real person with a Southern accent at a country show… zen…)

The second picture is of the “Great One” Mark Levin, and Tom “The Hammer” Delay having a chat with the crowd while Sean did his show live from the tent: (notice what Mark’s hat says!)

This third picture is of Annie C. Yes, she was this close to me! She even complimented my Club Gitmo gear and had a short conversation with Gauvin about his quoting her in a Law School paper. Very cool. Plus, just for the record, she does NOT look sickly skinny in person. (Those of you in 77 WABC-Land, just behind the pole and in front of the “BC” in WABC is “Flipper“)

A good time was had by all. Standing in a sea of waving flags, hearing Tom Delay, Curtis Sliwa, David Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Sean Hannity, Oliver North, Susan Lucci (!?!), and of course, the lovely and gracious Annie C., speaking about true patriotism and winning the war was inspiring and fun.

Hezbollah’s “parliamentary mouthpiece” has rejected Condi’s plan for a cessasion of violence in the Mideast.
Condi wants two things:

1. Return the captives and let the Lebonese Army in with peacekeepers
2. Get Hezbollah’s militia at least 30 kilometers from the Israeli border

The terrorists want:

1. ceasefire first
2. then they’ll leave their troops and obstruct further

In my opinion, anyone who wants to solve this problem on the Israel-Lebanon border has to agree with Condi on this one. I’d go further– disarm Hezbollah or root them out until their all dead. I agree with Rush’s take on Thomas Sowell’s article here… victory, THEN peace.

William F. Buckley, Jr., considered the father of modern conservatism by many, just gave an interview (…wait for it…) to CBS. Of course, they focused primarily on Buckley’s view of Bush and Iraq, since Buckley thinks Bush’s legacy on Iraq is fuzzy.

My point is this: just like most Libs, the “paleocons” don’t get it. We are living in a post-9/11 world that is unfamiliar to EVERYONE! Just like those early years of the Cold War where we weren’t entirely sure what to think of the rising Soviet scourge, how to fight them, or what “proxy war” would come to mean in the mid-20th Century. Yet, the Pat Buchanan’s and the Libs of the world are on the same page here in their hidebound view that America can retreat inward and go back to “normal” as this Post Cold War World Order gives birth painfully around us: a globalized, connected world that must confront radical Islam in a true clash of civilizations.

Buckley reeks of this backward-looking position in the CBS interview. Limited government: cool. Conservative mores and principles guiding us: fine. Isolationism: this ain’t the 1930s, and we saw how that decade turned out when America turned away from world affairs. I think Buckley’s right in criticizing Bush’s non-security domestic agenda, but he sounds like a antiquated relic on international affairs.

Linc Chafee is now trailing Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse in the latest Rasmussen poll by roughly 5 points. Unfortunately, Laffey trails by a considerably large margin in the People’s Republic when running against Whitehouse. So it looks like RI is probably going to be a Democrat pick-up this November. That’s the bad news. The good news is that a RINO will lose, unless Laffey picks it up and beats him in the primaries. Then, well… we’ll see. A RINO will definitely NOT lose in that case.

Linc Chafee is now trailing Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse in the latest Rasmussen poll by roughly 5 points. Unfortunately, Laffey trails by a considerably large margin in the People’s Republic when running against Whitehouse. So it looks like RI is probably going to be a Democrat pick-up this November. That’s the bad news. The good news is that a RINO will lose, unless Laffey picks it up and beats him in the primaries. Then, well… we’ll see. A RINO will definitely NOT lose in that case.

Linc Chafee is now trailing Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse in the latest Rasmussen poll by roughly 5 points. Unfortunately, Laffey trails by a considerably large margin in the People’s Republic when running against Whitehouse. So it looks like RI is probably going to be a Democrat pick-up this November. That’s the bad news. The good news is that a RINO will lose, unless Laffey picks it up and beats him in the primaries. Then, well… we’ll see. A RINO will definitely NOT lose in that case.

By way of Mrs. Sal:

The bill’s a textbook example of special interest pork barrel politics at
work, and I have no choice but to veto it.

– President Ronald Reagan, on the original funding for the Big Dig.

And now we see what happens when Liberals get their way.

Scientists are going to spend two years trying to decode the DNA of homo sapiens neanderthalenis, a close relative of ours. But, we already know a number of things about Neanderthals– they were mostly from France and they went extinct!

True as that may be, they also had a bigger brain than ours, had rudimentary language and a tribal social structure. In a fist fight they could break our backs very easily, but we were taller, faster, and could hum a spear at them from further away– where was their missile defense shield, huh? Given the proximity of sapiens and neanderthal man in parts of France, it’s probable that we even intermarried… there’s that France thing again, but their is evidence that the recessive genes only came out in the generation of De Villepin and Chirac!

I think its neat. We may not learn anything about us in these studies, but I’ve always been interested in the different ways nature thought it was necessary to make a human, being that we were the only ones that have survived. Also, why us? Any theological issues here? We weren’t the strongest, or had been around the longest, but we made it through ice ages, extinction level events in nature, and the Great Society. There has to be something to that!

Scientists are going to spend two years trying to decode the DNA of homo sapiens neanderthalenis, a close relative of ours. But, we already know a number of things about Neanderthals– they were mostly from France and they went extinct!

True as that may be, they also had a bigger brain than ours, had rudimentary language and a tribal social structure. In a fist fight they could break our backs very easily, but we were taller, faster, and could hum a spear at them from further away– where was their missile defense shield, huh? Given the proximity of sapiens and neanderthal man in parts of France, it’s probable that we even intermarried… there’s that France thing again, but their is evidence that the recessive genes only came out in the generation of De Villepin and Chirac!

I think its neat. We may not learn anything about us in these studies, but I’ve always been interested in the different ways nature thought it was necessary to make a human, being that we were the only ones that have survived. Also, why us? Any theological issues here? We weren’t the strongest, or had been around the longest, but we made it through ice ages, extinction level events in nature, and the Great Society. There has to be something to that!

Scientists are going to spend two years trying to decode the DNA of homo sapiens neanderthalenis, a close relative of ours. But, we already know a number of things about Neanderthals– they were mostly from France and they went extinct!

True as that may be, they also had a bigger brain than ours, had rudimentary language and a tribal social structure. In a fist fight they could break our backs very easily, but we were taller, faster, and could hum a spear at them from further away– where was their missile defense shield, huh? Given the proximity of sapiens and neanderthal man in parts of France, it’s probable that we even intermarried… there’s that France thing again, but their is evidence that the recessive genes only came out in the generation of De Villepin and Chirac!

I think its neat. We may not learn anything about us in these studies, but I’ve always been interested in the different ways nature thought it was necessary to make a human, being that we were the only ones that have survived. Also, why us? Any theological issues here? We weren’t the strongest, or had been around the longest, but we made it through ice ages, extinction level events in nature, and the Great Society. There has to be something to that!

Bush vetoed his first bill today, establishing a record few future Presidents are ever apt to achieve– going roughly 5 1/2 years into one’s administration without vetoing a single bill. Of course, he should have vetoed many crazy spending bills put before him, but he is ideologically and philosophically constrained to all that “new tone” nonsense that has done nothing but harm his presidency. At least he is aware of the “veto” concept now.

The bill is about the government funding the harvesting embryos for their stem cells to appease some well-placed adherents to bunk science. It’s pretty sick, especially given that adult stem cells have actually shown much more promise compared to embryonic stem cells. Maybe in 20 years we might find something that embryonic stem cells actually do. How long will the media and their demagogues continue to deceive people on this issue?
Here are some things I think about on this issue:

• The private sector is by no means banned from doing its own research and development on embryonic stem cells, so what’s the big deal?
• Follow the money and find that adult stem cell research is getting most of the funding. Is this just a chance for scientists to grub money from the feds to support their niche-job when the market denies them that opportunity?
• If embryonic stem cell research is so promising, offering so many benefits, then why do scientists have to beg for funding in the first place?
• What about morality? These embryos were created, should they just be tossed out if not used? Is that really the only choice? What about “Snowflake Adoption” as an alternative?

Bush is slated to meet with the NAA”L”CP at their upcoming meeting. Some people may have forgotten the NAALCP’s position on James Byrd, back in the 2000 Election campaign, for which they have never apologized. Bush boycotted the organization (an organization, I believe, that should lose its tax-exempt status because of its overt partisanship) because of this. So, he’s going to tout his achievements just when the media’s ready to show its “Katrina: One Year Later” pieces to smear Bush further as a racist.

Remember this?

It was unfortunate occasion of the Bush-bashing funeral service of Coretta Scott King.

The NAALCP is not going to be any better for Bush. He goes at his own risk. The press will run with the anti-Bush sentiment in the crowd as further evidence that Republicans are racist, especially Bush, just in time for election season.

We are in the midst of the next World War. Newt calls it WWIII, Norman Podhoretz calls it WWIV (the Cold War being WWIII). Regardless of what you call it, it began in 1979 with the Iyatolla’s taking over of Iran and the hostages, escalated with Al Qaida in the 90s, and went to a new level with 9/11. What we’ve been seeing the past few weeks is an escalation of the war in a way unprecedented until now. Some highlights:

• Iran and Syria are making a play for the destruction of Israel and the wiping out of Iraq’s fledgling democracy through funding of terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Al Qaida in Iraq.
• The moderate Arab states such as Egypt and Jordan are noticeable silent on Israel’s attack on Lebanon (as opposed to previous conflicts, when they outright condemned Israel).
• Israel and Hezbollah are engaged in full-scale conflict.
• Iran is thumbing its nose at the world and working to develop a nuclear weapon, with China and Russia giving silent support to the effort.
• North Korea is threatening the U.S. and Japan with the development of Long-range missiles, and thumbing its nose at the U.N. Security Council’s resolution.

Stay tuned.

The Big Dig. The epitome of Bay State inadequacy, largess, and taxpayer fleecing. The saga continues. How long did it take to complete? How many billions of dollars did the cost run over its original estimates? How many fatcats got fatter as a result? How many more people have to die because of this ineptness? It’s insulting and frightening.

That’s kind of a bold statement, but the evidence piles up every day that passes in this latest Mideast Crisis.

Newt Gingrich on “Hannity and Colmes” last night made a great point, as he usually does. He said that the world needs to wake up from the notion that a “balanced” response is one where one groups kills three people, then your group gets to kill three of your enemies. Therefore, Israel’s actions in Lebanon are over the top. Newt challenges this notion because it does not solve any problems. Hezbollah would still have a safe haven in Southern Lebanon, they’d still be trying to blackmail the Israelis, and the violence would continue indefinitely. Israel is trying to solve a problem related to the greater War on Terror. I think we should let them try.

That’s kind of a bold statement, but the evidence piles up every day that passes in this latest Mideast Crisis.

Newt Gingrich on “Hannity and Colmes” last night made a great point, as he usually does. He said that the world needs to wake up from the notion that a “balanced” response is one where one groups kills three people, then your group gets to kill three of your enemies. Therefore, Israel’s actions in Lebanon are over the top. Newt challenges this notion because it does not solve any problems. Hezbollah would still have a safe haven in Southern Lebanon, they’d still be trying to blackmail the Israelis, and the violence would continue indefinitely. Israel is trying to solve a problem related to the greater War on Terror. I think we should let them try.

That’s kind of a bold statement, but the evidence piles up every day that passes in this latest Mideast Crisis.

Newt Gingrich on “Hannity and Colmes” last night made a great point, as he usually does. He said that the world needs to wake up from the notion that a “balanced” response is one where one groups kills three people, then your group gets to kill three of your enemies. Therefore, Israel’s actions in Lebanon are over the top. Newt challenges this notion because it does not solve any problems. Hezbollah would still have a safe haven in Southern Lebanon, they’d still be trying to blackmail the Israelis, and the violence would continue indefinitely. Israel is trying to solve a problem related to the greater War on Terror. I think we should let them try.

Valerie Wilson/Plame (or whatever name can better keep her in the headlines) has decided that she is going to sue the Veep, etc. That’s one guaranteed way to help Republicans in the Fall for the following reason. The purpose of her nonsense lawsuit is essentially to just smear Republicans during the coming campaign season. Yet, the story is going to get more press and with any chance of “Fitzmas” all but over, it is she and her husband that will look bad. If Joe looks bad, all the Dems who blindly followed his “Yellow Cake” dreams are also at risk of the truth being known by more and more people.

Valerie Wilson/Plame (or whatever name can better keep her in the headlines) has decided that she is going to sue the Veep, etc. That’s one guaranteed way to help Republicans in the Fall for the following reason. The purpose of her nonsense lawsuit is essentially to just smear Republicans during the coming campaign season. Yet, the story is going to get more press and with any chance of “Fitzmas” all but over, it is she and her husband that will look bad. If Joe looks bad, all the Dems who blindly followed his “Yellow Cake” dreams are also at risk of the truth being known by more and more people.

Valerie Wilson/Plame (or whatever name can better keep her in the headlines) has decided that she is going to sue the Veep, etc. That’s one guaranteed way to help Republicans in the Fall for the following reason. The purpose of her nonsense lawsuit is essentially to just smear Republicans during the coming campaign season. Yet, the story is going to get more press and with any chance of “Fitzmas” all but over, it is she and her husband that will look bad. If Joe looks bad, all the Dems who blindly followed his “Yellow Cake” dreams are also at risk of the truth being known by more and more people.

It may sound funny, but firebrand UN watchdog, US Ambassador John Bolton has finally cast a veto on a UN Security Council resolution after a year at the UN! It deals with international condemnation of the Israeli incursion in to Gaza to fetch their kidnapped soldier. GB abstained with three other nations, but it was 10-1 otherwise. Bolton said the language was outmoded and untimely, simply asking (kindly of course, we wouldn’t want to offend anyone) the Palestinians to let the guy go and for Israel to leave Gaza.

It may sound funny, but firebrand UN watchdog, US Ambassador John Bolton has finally cast a veto on a UN Security Council resolution after a year at the UN! It deals with international condemnation of the Israeli incursion in to Gaza to fetch their kidnapped soldier. GB abstained with three other nations, but it was 10-1 otherwise. Bolton said the language was outmoded and untimely, simply asking (kindly of course, we wouldn’t want to offend anyone) the Palestinians to let the guy go and for Israel to leave Gaza.

It may sound funny, but firebrand UN watchdog, US Ambassador John Bolton has finally cast a veto on a UN Security Council resolution after a year at the UN! It deals with international condemnation of the Israeli incursion in to Gaza to fetch their kidnapped soldier. GB abstained with three other nations, but it was 10-1 otherwise. Bolton said the language was outmoded and untimely, simply asking (kindly of course, we wouldn’t want to offend anyone) the Palestinians to let the guy go and for Israel to leave Gaza.

My favorite ex-totalitarian communist dictator, Gorby, is at it again. This time he’s accusing America of having a hubristic “winner’s complex” after the Cold War ended, which continues as the USA oversees the world as its only superpower. Apparently, according to Gorby, this “disease” is more dangerous than AIDS! Of course, I only ask this next question for sincere intellectual clarity… Hey Mr. Gorbachev, is it more dangerous than that stuff on your head?

My favorite ex-totalitarian communist dictator, Gorby, is at it again. This time he’s accusing America of having a hubristic “winner’s complex” after the Cold War ended, which continues as the USA oversees the world as its only superpower. Apparently, according to Gorby, this “disease” is more dangerous than AIDS! Of course, I only ask this next question for sincere intellectual clarity… Hey Mr. Gorbachev, is it more dangerous than that stuff on your head?