And So it Goes in Shreveport

The Kevin Jennings FISTGATE Story Hits the Media

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:26:00 +0000

Michelle Malkin was on Hannity last night to talk about Kevin Jennings and his advocating porn as safe-reading for school children. I'm encouraged that this story is getting out into the main media now and not restricted to conservative blogs. The Washington Times had an editorial about it yesterday which you can read here. There is also a report that Congressman Burgess has written to Obama calling for him to remove Jennings from his job.

Keep up the pressure. This man is not appropriate for this job. Michelle Malkin has contact information for the corporations that support GLSEN, the organization founded by Jennings and which advocates this "safe-school" pornography, including news that GLSEN distributed a guide to "black-leather bars" to teens during one GLSEN conference.

Email: Kevin.Jennings@ed.gov

Email: Arne.Duncan@ed.gov

Oh, No They Didn't!

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:05:00 +0000

Oh my, you've just got to laugh, sometimes!

Via Fox News, Rep. Steve King at Monday's White House Christmas party ... with his ACORN shaped cookie. ROFLMFAO!

Amateurs!

Eric Holder Attends Security Summit for 9/11 Terror Trials

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:19:00 +0000

ABC News reports tonight that Attorney General Eric Holder is in New York for a sort of security summit "with federal prosecutors, the New York City police commissioner and other key officials" in anticipation of the upcoming 9/11 terrorist trials. A federal grand jury is already supposedly hearing evidence and presumably will come back with an indictment. One would hope.

Elements of trial prep underway are reportedly:

* Beefed up counter terrorism and intelligence operations

* Deployment of sniper teams

* Heavy weapons deployment

* Barricades

* Traffic diversions

* Use of undercover officers and surveillance measures

* Coordination with FBI, U.S. Marshalls, and intelligence divisions

All at a price tag of well over the initial $75 million estimate. The cost be damned! Chuck Schumer issued the following statement:

"The bottom line is these are federal terror cases that will bring to justice, in federal court, the evil men behind the attack on our nation on 9-11," Schumer said today. " It's common sense that the federal government pay for security costs because these trials will place a significant burden on the NYPD and the city to keep lower Manhattan safe and secure. Additionally, the tools and resources needed for a trial of this scale are enormous. Attorney General Holder told me he will press to fully reimburse the city's security expenses and I will hold the Administration's feet to the fire to do just that – no matter what the cost."

And all this is for what? For a grandstand for terrorists who hate us, who engaged in activities to kill nearly 3,000 Americans, who can't wait to spew anti-American venom in their now public forum. They will claim that they've been tortured and abused. Poor things. Evil Americans.

Dick Cheney rightly points out that "holding the trial in a lower Manhattan courtroom near ground zero will make Mohammed 'a hero in certain circles, especially in the radical regions of Islam around the world.'"

It's all even more absurd when you recall that KSM had already tried to plead guilty and asked for execution. End of story.

But, no. The man-child Obama and the left-of-liberal Eric Holder want to hold this circus in New York City.

Amateurs. Incompetence. Disgrace.

Update: Donald Douglas has more at American Power.

Christmas Wish List: Edwin Edwards - An Authorized Biography

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:35:00 +0000

Oh well now, I didn't know this was coming! Talk about a MUST READ! Heh!

A biography of Louisiana's colorful ex-governor Edwin Edwards who is now serving time in the federal penitentiary for bribery and extortion in connection with a riverboat gambling scheme.

Via The Dead Pelican, Ville Platte Today writes:

The book, Edwin Edwards: An Authorized Biography, is written by famed writer Leo Honeycutt, who admitted that he was worried at first that Edwards may not want to delve into some of the darker periods of his life in the book.

"I'm too far from the womb and too close to the tomb for that to make any difference now, " replied Edwards in typical fashion.

The book, which originally had over 1800 pages before being cut down to 641, covers everything from Edwards entrance into politics to his entrance into prison.

Honeycutt described the years of research he had done on Edwards as "dizzying, there was little that happened in Louisiana for a quarter century that didn't have his imprint on it."

Serving as Louisiana's governor for four terms between 1972 and 1996, Edwards built a style as a deft politician who battled frequently with federal prosecutors. He said that he was the subject of two dozen investigations during his career and was acquitted on racketeering charges in the 1980's and once again in October 2000.

This should be fascinating stuff. Edwards was one of the most colorful politicians in our state history. Many prominent local politicians were upset when George W. Bush left office without pardoning Edwards. As corrupt as he was, I swear if he was on the ticket today, Louisiana voters would probably put him back in office.

Edwards knew this and was famously quoted as saying, "The only way I can lose is if I'm caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy."

He's now 82 years old and serving time in Oakdale Federal Correction Complex, minimum security, scheduled to be released in 2011.

Col. Van Barfoot Raised His American Flag This Morning

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:18:00 +0000

Updating a story I posted here, word tonight is Col. Van T. Barfoot will be allowed to keep his flagpole. His Homeowners Association has dropped its demand that he remove his flagpole which was a position that no doubt brought incredibly negative attention to their corner of the world.

You will remember that Barfoot, a 90-year old Medal of Honor recipient, had been told to remove the flagpole because it violated the "aesthetic values" of the neighborhood. Mark Levin got hold of the story on December 4 and the response was explosive.

Hot Air posted this clip of Levin's telling Barfoot's story. It's seven minutes well spent:

Now, Barfoot gets to raise the American flag every morning and lower it at sunset, just as he has done all his life, and just as he has earned the right to do.

A victory!

More at Memeorandum.

(Photo credit: AP Photo/Richmond Times-Dispatch, Eva Russo)

Stanley Fish Reviews Palin's Book

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:05:00 +0000

Via Ben Smith, Stanley Fish has posted his review of Going Rogue, and ... he liked it.

I'm reading the book right now and so far I'd have to say that I'm with Mr. Fish on his critique of Going Rogue. The word that sticks in the back of my mind is "breezy." So far, at least, there's nothing really deep or thought provoking on a political level. It's just as its subtitle says, it's the story of "An American Life."

Fish puts it this way - he says that Palin feels that:

Political success is an accident that says nothing about you. Success as a wife, mother and citizen says everything.

Do I believe any of this? It doesn’t matter. What matters is that she does, and that her readers feel they are hearing an authentic voice. I find the voice undeniably authentic (yes, I know the book was written “with the help” of Lynn Vincent, but many books, including my most recent one, are put together by an editor). It is the voice of small-town America, with its folk wisdom, regional pride, common sense, distrust of rhetoric (itself a rhetorical trope), love of country and instinctive (not doctrinal) piety. It says, here are some of the great things that have happened to me, but they are not what makes my life great and American. (“An American life is an extraordinary life.”) It says, don’t you agree with me that family, freedom and the beauties of nature are what sustain us? And it also says, vote for me next time. For it is the voice of a politician, of the little girl who thought she could fly, tried it, scraped her knees, dusted herself off and “kept walking.”

I'm enjoying the book and still recommend it. It's not a "political book" as you would normally think of it; and regardless of how you feel about Palin's politics or viability in the Republican party, she IS an authentic voice and she does have a role to play in the conservative movement.

Read the rest of Fish's review.

Obama's Safe Schools Czar Promotes Porn in Schools

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:31:00 +0000

Surely by now you've heard of the Kevin Jennings brouhaha. I've blogged about him before, several times, starting in September . Pamela Gellar wrote about him before that, in June. Gateway Pundit has been all over the Jennings story this week.

Michelle Malkin has been on the case, too, and yesterday she posted a list of companies and corporations that sponsor, or fund, GLSEN. That's the organization that Jennings founded.

Today, Malkin posts a response she received from Kodak, one of the sponsors, and they, of course, stand by their support.

This is just beyond me. I don't understand a world where the kind of rot that Jennings and GLSEN advocate as appropriate reading for our school children is acceptable. I looked at some of the things that Jim Hoft posted from the GLSEN reading list. Quite honestly, I think if I tried to put some of this mess in my classroom, I'd be fired. On the spot.

In a day and age where teachers are fired from their jobs for sending text messages to students, how does this guy get the job assignment of keeping America's schools safe?

I'd be interested in knowing how many American schools actually use this reading list. I'd be interested in knowing how many schools actually have Queer 13, for example, in their libraries or classrooms.

Teachers in my district are inserviced and have to sign a document stating that they understand what inappropriate contact (including correspondence) is and that we will not participate in such conduct. There is absolutely no doubt that at least some of the items on the GLSEN reading list are pornographic. It's not about tolerance; I mean, some of the books may be. And Tango Makes Three is about homosexual penguins (recommended for grades K-6), and I guess that's about "tolerance." But there are many books on the reading list that are just simply pornographic.

I'm not even going to quote from the books, but you can go here and look at page 44 of Queer 13 and you tell me if that's about tolerance, or if it's porn. It's recommended for grades 7-12.

That's not the only offensive book on the GLSEN reading list. Gateway Pundit has a whole string of them.

And so what it comes down to is that our safe schools czar is promoting, or at least during his tenure at GLSEN, promoted porn.

What in the world will it take for American parents to get angry about this guy and demand his resignation? He has become the poster child for home schooling. As a public school teacher I've never been a rabid advocate for home schooling, even though I've never opposed it either; I see advantages to both, and your choice depends on a number of factors. But if Kevin Jennings is the final word in what is "safe" for our schools, and in developing the tolerance curriculum in our schools, I'd say get the heck out of there.

Email: Kevin.Jennings@ed.gov

Email: Arne.Duncan@ed.gov

Tuesday Quick Links

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Maybe it's the season, but I've been snowed under lately and on the go. I'll get caught up and back to regular blogging shortly, but meanwhile, here are a couple of interesting reads for you:

Matthew Vadum scoffs and dissects the Harshbarger report which found no "pattern of intentional, illegal conduct by ACORN staff." Simply incredible, no? Anyone who saw those videos knows better. We need a review of the review! Don't miss Vadum's takedown.

TMZ is keeping up to date on the breaking news on the Tiger story this morning. All I'm going to say at this point is that speculation is dangerous. Not that TMZ is doing that, but I checked Twitter shortly after I heard that a rescue call had been made, and they already had Elin Woods overdosed and worse. Speculation is not a good thing, folks; at least, not in this case.

If you just can't get enough Tiger, Eugene Robinson spins a column out of the scandal, saying throughout the column that he isn't going to judge, we shouldn't waste time talking about it, and then spends his whole column talking about it, passing judgment in the end.

Memeorandum is all abuzz about the potential expansion of Medicare as an "alternative" to the public option, which theoretically, would give you the option to buy into the same sort of plan that Congress has. Maybe I'm naive, but shouldn't these details already be worked out before we get this far? Why does it seem like this is being done in a slap-dash fashion? Amateurs. Ineptitude.

Via The Dead Pelican, Mitch Landrieu is entering the New Orleans mayor's race.

Sam Tanenhaus at The New Yorker has a review (?) of Sarah Palin's Going Rouge, who concludes that "she is a party unto herself." Okay.

I'll try to finish grading research papers and decorating the Christmas tree and take better care of my blog this afternoon! Until then, hold down the fort.

SEALs Face Arraignment Today

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:18:00 +0000

The Navy SEALs charged for giving a terrorist a fat lip face their arraignment today.

Here's a segment from Virginia's WTKR-TV News:

Here is one petition of support for the SEALs.

December 7, 1941

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:54:00 +0000

Take a moment today to remember...

An Eye on Obamacare

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:18:00 +0000

The debate on Obamacare in the Senate will be worth watching today. Over the weekend Obama gave yet another pep talk to Senators about the "historic" legislation before them.

What's likely up today is an abortion amendment by Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska which aims to "bring the Senate's bill in line with the much more restrictive abortion provisions included in the House bill, which passed last month."

The public option is looking pretty weak right now which is not likely to please Obama's liberal base which is already unhappy about his Afghanistan decision.

Allapundit at Hot Air sums it up nicely:

No wonder Obama’s meeting one-on-one with Queen Olympia in the Oval Office again. If Reid decides he can’t afford to piss off the left by dropping the public option, they’re likely going to need not one but two votes (at least) to get to 60: Lieberman’s a lost cause and Blanche Lincoln would be committing kamikaze by voting yes. Expect to see reports of Oval Office meetings with Susan Collins sometime soon too.

The entire process has been good theater, or would be if the consequences weren't so serious. The video of John McCain last week telling folks to cut up their AARP cards and send them back was priceless.

Robert Costa at NRO's The Corner was monitoring the debate yesterday and had this to say:

While President Obama meets behind closed doors with Democrats, the Senate GOP is on the floor and having a lively health-care discussion. Sen. Mike Enzi (R., Wyo.) calls the tone of the debate "excellent." He's right. The Senate GOP seems informed and united...Topics: malpractice reform, Medicare cuts, taxes, etc. Why this hour matters: Instead of the usual talking points, the GOP senators, if only for a moment, are having a bit of useful back and forth. If they want any chance of defeating Harry Reid's bill, they'll have to all be on the same page. Sometimes it's best to have such debates on the floor, and not in the cloakroom.

Should we start worrying if Olympia Snowe is getting a similar deal to what Mary Landrieu received? What kind of back room shenanigans are going on? We'll know soon enough.

Keep an eye on Memeorandum today for more.

Why Does Kevin Jennings Still Have a Job?

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:56:00 +0000

Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit is all OVER Kevin Jennings this week. I'm glad to see it. I posted on Jennings here, here, and here, among others, as has Michelle Malkin and other bloggers.

The fact that Jennings still has a job, that the taxpayers are still paying his salary, is mind boggling.

The Fruitcake Cookies

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:30:00 +0000

These are an annual tradition around here. I probably told this story last year, but I'll tell it again anyway. One year when I was about 13 or 14, my mother and I were in the kitchen baking these cookies. The recipe comes from a friend of hers named Izzie, and mom calls the recipe Izzie's Lizzies. The original recipe makes a LOT of cookies. Nowadays, I cut it in half, although, I could easily eat them all.

Mom and I started these cookies around 9 a.m. that day, and my godmother, Cissy, came by for coffee. Oh, the kitchen smelled so good - cinnamon, cloves, allspice - just like Christmas. And we baked. And baked. Cissy had her coffee and left. That afternoon, she came by again for a beer ("bee-yah" as she said it; she was VERY southern!) We were still baking. Cissy just died laughing to see us up to our necks in fruitcake cookies.

That story gets told every single year when we make cookies. My mom can't do them anymore, so I've bagged up a lot and will take some to her today. And she will tell me that story again. And we'll laugh!

Is a Little Sensitivity Too Much to Ask?

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:03:00 +0000

Via Bride of Rove, this news caught my eye this morning:

"This holiday season more than 50,000 people will visit the White
House's 17 holiday parties and 11 open houses. Social Office staff will
be present to continue to assist guests and the United States Secret
Service should any confusion arise. As always, the United States Secret
Service will provide security and will control who has access to the
White House grounds."

Doesn't that sound rather excessive? We are in a heavy recession, after all, and unemployment is in double digits. Many Americans are hurting right now - broke, jobless, worried, and scared. And the White House is livin' large. Partying it up.

I can't help but wonder what the backlash would be if it were George Bush?

Actually, the Bushes did party hearty last year with sixty thousand visitors, 25 lavish receptions, seven dinners and White House tours, but unemployment was 7.2%, still high, but not as bad as what we're facing today.

Bush was regularly criticized for playing golf and going to Crawford, Texas.

It seems to me that no matter who is in the White House, we're going to analyze and criticize them. I certainly don't agree with everything Bush did. I don't agree with most of what Obama is doing.

I'm not advocating a joyless White House Christmas. I don't think Christmas should be canceled just because people are unemployed and having a hard time paying for it. But I do think, whether it is the Bushes or the Obamas, or whoever comes next, that some sensitivity is a good thing. Garish excess, like building a heated pavilion for a State Dinner, is poor taste.

All I'm saying is just scale it back a little. The Bushes probably should have, even with lower unemployment figures, and the Obamas should as well.

That's just my two cents.

Here is a nifty little site on how previous administrations have celebrated Christmas, including photos of the yearly Christmas cards (Regan's 1981 card is pictured above).

Full Metal Jacket Saturday: The Okay I'll Put Up a Tree Edition

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:50:00 +0000

Apologies for the silence the past couple of days. Life got busy there for a moment and I had other things I had to concentrate on. Whoever came up with that saying that raising boys is so much easier than girls...well, they never had my teenager.

Beyond that, I decided last night that it was time to get the Christmas stuff out. I bought a tree this week (the one on the left, pictured) and it has stood silently in the living room awaiting lights and decorations. I gave some thought to "going green" and just leaving it be - au naturel - but decided against it. The Christmas spirit still hasn't just bowled me over yet, but I'm working at it. I hauled all the Christmas boxes out of the cedar closet and started working on the tree. I guess the spirit will come later this year.

Meanwhile, I haven't been blogging much over the past couple of days but a lot of other fine folks have, so let's see what's happening:

Professor Jacobson makes note of a possible prisoner exchange, and Troglopundit turns it into a discussion about bacon. Sort of.

Bride of Rove...god. What can I say?! Twenty-eight White House parties this month and 50,000 people!?! . What the hell? Could somebody tell these clods we're in a recession? The old "what if Bush had done this" question comes to mind. I'm speechless on this one.

Disgusting. I first saw this on Michelle Malkin's site, and now Pundette is blogging it as well. Kevin Jennings is absolutely inappropriate for this job. Why is he not fired yet? Another Black Conservative also weighs in.

Doug Ross defines "Islamofascism". With pictures.

The Daley Gator has a nifty Christmas theme and a report on the Copenhagen prostitution plans for the climate change summit. Sex sells, except when they're giving it away.

The Other McCain points to another climate of hate - and a very disturbing trend.

Snow! It was supposed to maybe snow here yesterday, a rarity, but it didn't. It spit a few flurries out for a few minutes. But Fishersville Mike has pretty snow! And The Daily Mush notes the difference between "snow" and "snow job."

Reaganite Republican has the scoop on Max Baucus who nominated his girlfriend for U.S. Attorney.

Donald Douglas has a post and pictures on the Orange County protest against Pelosi.

The blog war between No Sheeples Here and Grandpa John goes to a new level. I'm kind of jealous of that "Will Polka For Beer" sign though. I think I need that.

What's NOT on my Christmas list? A hoof candle. Althouse.

Gateway Pundit reports on a new video and support site for the Navy SEALS who are being prosecuted for giving a terrorist a fat lip.

My brain exploded from trying to figure out what is "religious" about gingerbread houses.

Carolyn Tackett and Ruby Slippers report that most Americans don't believe in global warming.

Wyblog makes note of the Estate Tax vote this week.

I'm done for now, but if you need more, The Camp of the Saints has a most excellent roundup which you should check out - if for no other reason that that crazy cat in the window picture.

I'm off to find candied fruit for my fruitcake cookies and to finish decorating my house for Christmas. Maybe by this evening the Christmas spirit will have arrived. Why am I not into this year, yet? One of life's mysteries.

Silence is Golden

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:54:00 +0000

Blogging will resume later today...life interrupts.

It's a Sign of Things to Come...

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:13:00 +0000

In a sign of things to come, former Gitmo detainee, now housed in New York, has requested that his case be dismissed because he asserts that the constitutional rights we bestowed on him have been violated:

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, the first detainee to be transferred from Guantanamo to New York for trial, says all charges against him should be dismissed because his constitutional rights were violated.

Ghailani, a Tanzanian accused of helping plot the 1998 attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, argues that he has not been given his constitutional rights to a fair and speedy trial.

He also claims to have suffered "abhorrent" physical and psychological abuse at the hands of interrogators, his lawyers said in a court filing.

You knew it was coming.

Medal of Honor Recipient Ordered to Remove Flagpole

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:08:00 +0000

What is the world coming to when a 90 year old Medal of Honor recipient from World War II can't raise his American flag because some asinine neighborhood association has "aesthetic issues" with his flagpole?

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Barfoot received a letter yesterday that orders him to remove a flagpole from his yard. Every morning he raises the American flag but this somehow offends the board of directors of the Sussex Square community where he lives. Barfoot's daughter says there is no provision in the rules that says he can't have a flagpole, but it was ordered removed anyway. It seems that the association prefers short flagpoles fixed to your house instead.

Should he lose his case he will be "subject to paying all legal fees and costs in any successful legal proceeding" taken by the homeowners association.

From the Medal of Honor official site, here is his citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 23 May 1944, near Carano, Italy. With his platoon heavily engaged during an assault against forces well entrenched on commanding ground, 2d Lt. Barfoot (then Tech. Sgt.) moved off alone upon the enemy left flank. He crawled to the proximity of 1 machinegun nest and made a direct hit on it with a hand grenade, killing 2 and wounding 3 Germans. He continued along the German defense line to another machinegun emplacement, and with his tommygun killed 2 and captured 3 soldiers.

Members of another enemy machinegun crew then abandoned their position and gave themselves up to Sgt. Barfoot. Leaving the prisoners for his support squad to pick up, he proceeded to mop up positions in the immediate area, capturing more prisoners and bringing his total count to 17. Later that day, after he had reorganized his men and consolidated the newly captured ground, the enemy launched a fierce armored counterattack directly at his platoon positions. Securing a bazooka, Sgt. Barfoot took up an exposed position directly in front of 3 advancing Mark VI tanks. From a distance of 75 yards his first shot destroyed the track of the leading tank, effectively disabling it, while the other 2 changed direction toward the flank.

As the crew of the disabled tank dismounted, Sgt. Barfoot killed 3 of them with his tommygun. He continued onward into enemy terrain and destroyed a recently abandoned German fieldpiece with a demolition charge placed in the breech. While returning to his platoon position, Sgt. Barfoot, though greatly fatigued by his Herculean efforts, assisted 2 of his seriously wounded men 1,700 yards to a position of safety. Sgt. Barfoot's extraordinary heroism, demonstration of magnificent valor, and aggressive determination in the face of pointblank fire are a perpetual inspiration to his fellow soldiers.

Barfoot fought for that flag. He put his life on the line and saved the lives of others for that flag. It's a sad, terrible day in America if he isn't allowed his flagpole.

(Photo credit: Joe Mahoney: Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Book Review: And The World She Made

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:09:00 +0000

I finally finished And the World She Made today.

Full disclosure - I didn't know a whole lot about Ayn Rand when I bought the book. I'd read her works, but as far as her personal life, not so much. I was familiar with the basics of her philosophy but mostly through her novels.

I'm staying on record as recommending this book even though I have more questions now than when I started. Heller spent a fair amount of time summarizing We The Living and The Fountainhead. I didn't notice it so much with Atlas Shrugged.

I wish Heller had made more of an attempt to explain why Frank O'Conner let Rand so totally dominate him the way she did, but I guess that was just his way. But I don't understand it. He clearly didn't want to leave their California home when she decided they were moving to New York, and he clearly was miserable in New York. Why did he put up with it? Not to mention the long affair with Nathan Branden!

The relationship between the Brandens and the O'Conners was just bizarre to me, but maybe I'm sheltered. For Rand and Branden to have these huge lovers quarrels with Frank O'Conner sitting in the same room, mute, is unreal to me. Even worse, when Branden and Rand finally ended their relationship/affair, she confronts him and his discretions in a scorned-woman, rage infused confrontation that I can't imagine any husband having to sit through. It's your WIFE, man! Why are you putting up with that?!

Branden's wife, Barbara, tolerated the affair as well, so I guess Frank O'Conner wasn't alone in his status.

Heller says that after that final break, Branden never saw or spoke to Rand again, but I wondered if he wrote or tried to contact her when Frank died; Barbara did. Rand and Barbara Branden reconciled, which I thought was nice for them both.

At any rate, it's a fascinating read. I learned a lot about Rand, a lot about her philosophy, and have come off agreeing most, that she was nutty as a fruitcake. Fascinating, but nutty.

No More Tolly-Bohn

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:10:00 +0000

I admit it - I couldn't watch Obama's speech last night. I know it was an important speech. But I just can't stand to listen to him say Tolly-Bohn anymore. Instead I went to Victor Davis Hanson's recap, which you can find here.

71% of Voters Nationwide Are TICKED OFF

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:24:00 +0000

My goodness! This is interesting!

Seventy-one percent (71%) of voters nationwide say they’re at least somewhat angry about the current policies of the federal government. That figure includes 46% who are Very Angry.
But what does it mean?

Ed Morrissey puts it in perspective:

The middle class, which Barack Obama successfully wooed in 2008, have become very disenchanted with the current leadership. Middle-aged people have also gotten angry. The big problem for Democrats beyond the anti-incumbent tilt going into 2010 is the massive anger among independents, which we have tracked for several months. Democrats appear to have completely alienated a key voting bloc, and furthermore, motivated them into action. At the same time, they’re demotivating their own base.

You remember the Tea Parties that exploded this summer? That's them. Those middle class, average folks. Sick and tired of massive government explosion and spending. That's them.

Spies at Guantanamo

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:54:00 +0000

Michelle Malkin posted on this today and I think it's worth noting, so be sure to read her post here.

She points to this New York Post article by Paul Sperry, who is the author of Muslim Mafia; there is also a similar piece in the World Net Daily posted November 6.

Sperry writes:

A number of Arabic and Pashtu interpreters at the terror-war detention center at Guantanamo Bay are under active investigation for omitting valuable intelligence from their translations of detainee interrogations, among other security breaches. This could taint some of the evidence at the "9/11 trial" in New York and proceedings against other detainees.

Remarkably, the Pentagon never cleaned up the "mole infestation" at its highest-security facility after the FBI busted a Muslim spy ring at Gitmo in 2003.

The 2003 probe involved at least two Arabic interpreters with high-level security clearance. Senior Airman Ahmad al-Halabi, a Syrian native, and former Army linguist Ahmed Mehalba, an Egyptian native, were later convicted of stealing or mishandling classified documents.

Six years later comes a new problem with Muslim personnel who have virtually unfettered access to detainees and intelligence at Gitmo. Professional military security and intelligence officials at Gitmo did the preliminary probe, then prepared a classified summary and are now briefing top officials and members of Congress in Washington. An active FBI criminal probe is also under way.

The possible new spy ring involves several Arabic linguists, some also Egyptian and Syrian immigrants. They're suspected of, among other things:

* Omitting valuable intelligence from their translations of interrogations.

* Slipping notes to detainees inside copies of the Koran.

* Coaching detainees to make allegations of abuse against interrogators.

* Meeting with suspects on the terror watchlist while back in the United States.

Officials say some of the suspected "dirty" linguists -- who met privately in a locked mosque at Gitmo -- have had access to 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and other high-value al Qaeda detainees.

Note that Sperry points out that this sort of thing happened once before in 2003. How is it that we are so lax and off our game that it's occurring again? Sperry suggests that there is absolutely no telling what information has been transmitted.

The fly in the ointment, to me, is Eric Holder. Last month Holder spoke in Detroit to a Michigan group which includes the local branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); note that the FBI has said that CAIR is a front group for Hamas terrorists and cut off formal ties with CAIR.

What's the connection between CAIR, Holder, and the Gitmo spies? Many have suggested, and correctly so, I think, that Major Nadal Hasan's anger went undetected largely because of over-the-top political correctness. The red flags in Hasan's correspondence and daily contacts are totally obvious in hindsight, and it would seem it might have been addressed had not we all been so consumed with not offending anyone.

So how far does political correctness go in this case? Were there red flags? Should we have detected that something was amiss, earlier? In his speech in Detroit, Holder said,“We are committed to protecting the rights of all Americans, including Muslims. This is not blind adherence to political correctness. It is devotion to our founding documents.”

He also said, “For the last nine months, I’ve heard from Muslim and Arab-Americans who feel uneasy about their relationship with their government, who feel isolated and discriminated against by law enforcement. This is simply intolerable. No American should feel denied the tenets of our Constitution or of the government that created it… It is inconsistent with what America is all about.”

Never mind, for the moment, that the United States Attorney General is speaking to a group with terrorist ties. That in itself is a problem. As to what he said, it is all well and good on the face of it; nobody is advocating discrimination against any group here, as long as this correctness doesn't go overboard to the point of overlooking or ignoring a potential problem right in front of your face. And of course, it will be Holder's department that prosecutes any spies at Gitmo.

How comfortable are we that he will take tough enough action to see that this problem is handled, the perpetrators prosecuted, and future problems eliminated? How much, especially after his decision to bring KSM to New York, how much do we trust him with our national security?

Oh wait, maybe bringing them all to Thomson, Illinois will solve the problem.

Quote of the Day

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:14:00 +0000

How dare the attorney general suggest that the firefighters who oppose this trial need to "man up" and let this avowed enemy of America mock their brother firefighters in the country's most magisterial setting, a federal court.

Let me refresh the attorney general on the meaning of courage. Courage was going into those buildings that day, knowing they might not come out alive. Courage was digging for nine months on hands and knees, breathing in toxic smoke, to find the ravaged remains of brother firefighters, police officers, citizen responders and office workers. This courage was not summoned from false bravado; it sprang from an abiding love of their fellow human beings and a sense of obligation to them, their families and their beloved country.

Debra Burlingame
"We Must Rise Up Against the Trial"
New York Daily News

Club Gitmo Graduates Four More

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:02:00 +0000

And then there were 211. The Washington Post reports that four Club Gitmo graduates have been shipped out today.

One was Saber Lahmar who is a Bosnian resident and was transferred to France. Mr. Lahmar will be given a chance "to rebuild his life" in France.

He was arrested in 2002 in Sarajevo, along with four others, in connection with a plot to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo. That allegation was later withdrawn but he, along with his compatriots, was then held on suspicion that he planned to travel to Afghanistan to attack U.S. forces. He was associated with a known al Qaeda facilitator who was known to have a direct link with bin Laden.

In April of this year, Thomas Joscelyn wrote of Lahmar,

In my opinion, the court’s ruling with respect to Sabir Mahfouz Lahmar, one of the five the court said should be released, was erroneous and ignored many facts about Lahmar’s past. Lahmar was clearly part of the al Qaeda network in Bosnia in the 1990’s. Lahmar was listed as one of the most wanted criminals in Bosnia at one point and was charged with involvement in various criminal and terrorist acts, including a car bombing in Mostar. He was only freed as part of a general amnesty deal the Bosnian government, which was then incredibly duplicitous in its dealings, cut with “Mujahidin” such as Lahmar.

Two Tunisians, Adel Ben Mabrouk, 39, and Mohamed Ben Riadh Nasri, 43, were transferred to Italy where they will be tried on terrorism charges. Italy had arrest warrants out on them already for various charges.

Another went to Hungary. He is Palestinian but his name has not been released.

So, we're down to 211. The main problem seems to be the Yemini detainees. And on that front, Thomson prison in Illinois is still a possibility. The Hill reports tonight that "Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) will host a closed-door briefing with his state’s congressional delegation on Wednesday about sending Guantanamo detainees to an Illinois prison."

All of this so that the world will like us better for closing Gitmo. How silly. We're going to shut down a perfectly functional, well-run, expensively retrofitted facility because "the world" doesn't like it. Because Thomson Correctional won't be Gitmo. It'll be a prison and the detainees will be worse off than they are in Cuba, but they won't be in Gitmo. Ridiculous.

(Photo Credit: U.S. Army 1st Lt. Sarah Cleveland)

Christmas Wish List: Utopias

paustin110@aol.com (Pat Austin) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:23:00 +0000

Oh well why not!? Who on EARTH would spend $150 for a bottle of beer? And, I mean, I do love my Sam Adams Octoberfest!

Here's the scoop on Sam Adams Utopias:

Truly the epitome of brewing's two thousand year evolution, Samuel Adams Utopias® offers a flavor not just unlike any other beer but unlike any other beverage in the world. Its warm, sweet flavor is richly highlighted with hints of vanilla, oak and caramel. With an alcohol content of 27% by volume, its complexity and sweet, malty flavor is reminiscent of a deep, rich vintage Port, fine Cognac or aged sherry while being surprisingly light on the palate. And like the world’s finest after-dinner drinks, Samuel Adams Utopias is not carbonated and should be served at room temperature.

Yeah, and it's not available in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, or West Virginia, due to "legal restrictions." But it's available in Louisiana...if you can find it.

Hmm. Maybe I'll send some to Stacy McCain.