Monthly Archives: June 2005

Here He Comes Again!

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Yes, my favorite human piniata, of whom I wrote earlier
“I think they should keep him; for the sheer amusement value. Professor Churchill has inestimable value as the bulls-eye for metaphoric target practice; chained to the academic stocks as it were, focus for scorn, derision, for deconstruction of his fraudulent scholarship, vilely insulting writings and speeches, his questionable status as a “native American”, extremely thin academic qualifications, bullying demeanor, and general fuckwittedness. There is just so much good materiel to work with; we could go on laughing at him for years, picking him up in the intervals between bigger and more transient matters for a little more thrashing, much like my cats derive hours of amusement and exercise from batting around palmetto bugs. I’d rather go back and thrash him every once in a while for practice, than have him all over the media being a martyr.”

According to this, it seems that he would like to encourage the conscripted troops to “frag” their officers. No one seems to have pointed out to the dear professor that the forces have been all-volunteer for simply decades. I know that it is an axiom that the military is always fighting the last war, but it looks like the anti-warriors are fighting the one before that….

(PS— Courtesy of Rantburg the source for all things bizarre)

How’s This?

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I don’t think everyone who’s against the way America is fighting the War on Terror is a traitor or an enemy but, like it or not, I believe they’re still aiding the enemy. Not intentionally. I’m not judged by my intentions, I’m judged by my actions and by the results of my actions.

Better?

What Price Haircuts?

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I’ve been paying $10 for a haircut for the last 10 years. But my stylist has just retired. I shudder to think what I might have to pay now.

On May 18, 1999, Bill Clinton had his hair cut in Air Force 1 on the LAX tarmac, by one of Hollywood’s top stylists, Christophe, reportedly holding up air traffic (delays in air traffic later debunked). The word at the time was that Christophe got $300 for a typical haircut. Jose Eber was just on Cavuto, talking about “the $800 haircut” (he gets $400-500). On a recent episode of Bravo’s Blow Out, Jonathan Antin said he gets $500 for a haircut in his shop, and $5000 for a “housecall.”

Those Who Don’t Know History Are Doomed To Repeat It.

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OpinionJournal’s John Fund looks again at America’s deficiency in history education, with an eye towards Philadelphia’s recent requirement for an African-American history course:

Other critics note that schools already put on programs every February for Black History Month, something not done for other ethnic groups. They fear a separate course will diminish student understanding of the overall American experience. Back in the 1960s, novelist James Baldwin testified before Congress that the triumphs and tribulations of black history should be woven into all history courses, rather than segregated. Diane Ravitch, a leading education reformer, agrees that African-American history should be studied but hopes it will be “based on the best scholarship, not ideology or politics.”

Dream on. What’s more likely to happen is that the creation of a specific African-American history course will fuel demands from other groups, such as Hispanics or gays, for similar history mandates.

[...]

We are risking something very basic by failing to communicate the basic ideals of America and instead, as historian David McCullough told me, “raising a generation of students who are historically illiterate.” But many of those students will eventually become curious, and without a solid grounding in the past, they could easily fall prey to revisionist history, whether it be of the Confederate or Oliver Stone variety.

[...]

When Ronald Reagan delivered his 1989 farewell address to the nation, he noted there was “a great tradition of warnings in presidential farewells,” and he would make no exception. He told his audience that the “one that’s been on my mind for some time” was that the country was failing to adequately teach our children the American story and what it represents in the history of the world. “We’ve got to teach history based not on what’s in fashion, but what’s important,” he said. “If we forget what we did, we won’t know who we are. I am warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American spirit.”

As well-meaning as Philadelphia’s attempt to raise the self-esteem of black students may be, we should take time this coming Fourth of July to realize that our failure to teach America’s story demands far more strenuous solutions.

Philadelphia is notorious for having some of the nation’s worst schools. As is typical, the curriculum is being determined by political fad and fancy, rather than an objective look at what’s required to turn out successful graduates.

Not Everyone

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…who thinks moving the war on terror to Iraq is a traitor. They’re just wrong.

Via Dean Esmay who’s got a lot of other links debunking the things that “everybody knows.” Oh…and where did the WMD go? I don’t know either, but it’s coming from somewhere.

Daily Coverage Of Michael Jackson, But For Terrorism…

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…The Al-Arian trial in Florida is perhaps the biggest yet in the Islamofascist War. Yet only hard-core news junkies even know about it. The MSM attitude is typified by the NYTimes’ Eric Lichtblau:

Clearly the Mississippi trial warranted that coverage, but one can make the case that Islamic Jihad is to the 21st century what the Klan was to the 20th and that the trial of Al-Arian is every bit analogous to Killen’s.

The Times, however, after three stories covering the opening of the Al-Arian trial has decided to take it off the daily beat.

Eric Lichtblau, the Times reporter on the case, wrote in an e-mail to The Jewish Week, “It’s uncertain when I’ll be back in Tampa, but we’ll be monitoring the trial and probably doing occasional stories along the way on key witnesses, the start of the defense, closings and the verdict. That’s the norm for a case of interest like this one. There are very few trials that we or other national media cover on a day-to-day or even weekly basis, and the slow start for the prosecution in Al-Arian didn’t suggest there would be enough to warrant frequent coverage. But if you hear of something interesting on it, let me know.”

Hat Tip: Roger L. Simon

IF NOT GITMO, THEN WHERE?

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The raging debate over the use of Guantanamo prison to hold detainees such as those who are there now, whom the government calls enemy combatatants, lacks perspective. There is no sense of judgement on the side of those who oppose Gitmo, as to what we should do with the detainees. According to our military authorities, the 550 or so prisoners there are dangerous, and would kill Americans if released. At least one case of this has been confirmed, with one raghead found on the battlefield who had been released, and there are probably more instances that we ordinary citizens just don’t know about. So, what do we do?

All I hear, coming from the left and from various other America-haters, is that we should close the prison. No one that I’ve heard from, has suggested what we should do with the detainees, and that is the question that must be answered before the controversy moves even one inch from its present position. Unless we put these folks on some uncharted south sea island, with no means of escape, perhaps the best idea is to leave them right where they are. Torture? I don’t think so. The evidence indicates that, from the food they eat, to the deference shown their so-called “holy book,” the qu’ran, they seem to be treated far more humanely and even with more respect, than they deserve. These guys are prisoners for Pete’s sake! And here we are, putting on display just how good they have it, better than the soldiers guarding them. And reports are, that all of them have gained weight! ARRRGGGHH!

Let’s let the President end the debate, leave them at Gitmo, with a few changes: (1) a little less appealing food in the prison diet. I think PBJ sandwiches a couple of days a week for the evening meal, might be appropriate — replacing the fish almondine. (2) Hard labor. Get them out of their cells, put them in a deep rock pit, and give them hammers with the order to make little ones out of big ones. A six-day work schedule of 12-hour days, somewhat like I had to work in Southeast Asia a few years ago, might be the ticket. (3) No TV or radio. Get rid of the luxuries, let them be a bit less informed, and with them tired out from the work schedule, they might not be so interested in starting trouble. (4) Let them have some hope of going home. At the age of eighty-five, provided they have not caused any trouble for the past 20 years, they could be released. Any detainee released, who gets back into trouble fighting against the US, would face automatic execution, no appeals, just fry ‘em.

Maybe, with less pampering and more prison-like environments, these idiot camel jockeys might feel a little less inclined to make jihad against us, and they may quake in their boots instead of grinning when the name of America is mentioned. Just a few ideas, maybe somebody has a few more?

Wow, I MUST Be Getting Old

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I am currently watching A Few Good Men, on TCM. And there is little to be ashamed of with this. After all, in-and-of itself, this is, arguably, Tom Cruise’ best movie – after Rain Man.

But what gets me is: this is a classic? Man – it’s only thirteen years old!?!?! I mean, this certainly has more substance than, say, Mister Roberts. But it doesn’t have the gravitates which comes with age.

Is it just me?

Update: Perhaps what makes this a classic is Nicholson, as Col. Nathan R. Jessep, and the fact that this was released eleven years before Gitmo became a POW camp. I can just see him spitting out in Dick Durbin’s face; “you can’t handle the truth.”

Update II: After watching this movie again, in full, including the loathsome and anticlimactic ending, I must say, it is strictly the questioning of Col. Jessep which makes this film a classic. In an instant, this rises from a petty legal who-dun-it, to high courtroom drama, on a par with To Kill A Mockingbird or Inherit The Wind. Yes, for those few minutes, this film certainly deserves a place among the pantheon of classics.

Talk About Obscure

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I have previously derided the advertisers for HP, for overplaying the all-too-common, and simplistic Ray Davies tune Picture Book, until they’d run it into the ground. Well, I guess they got one on me. Because, for the past couple of weeks or so, they’ve been playing a tune WHICH I KNEW I KNEW, but I couldn’t place it.

Well, I doubt you’ve EVER heard it before, unless you are at least ten years older then I, and likely a West Coast Beat-Nik or Zoot-Suiter. As I only know this song from having been a regular listener to the Johnny Otis show on KPFK.

Anyway, the song is called Out Of The Picture. And it was recorded by a West Coast R&B group called The Robins, in 1956. It was one of their last.

Oh, and the guy lip-syncing: that’s Francois Vogel, the director of the commercial.

The (Stronger And Better) Daily Brief

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Those of you who have had problems accessing The Daily Brief of late will be happy to know that our host has moved us to a new server. And we are assured that, while momentary problems are unavoidable, the extended and repeated downtimes, as well as slow access, are a thing of the past.

At this point, just a few days since the move, I must say that response seems to be MUCH faster. I would like to thank you for bearing with us.

It’s a Choice Really

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For me it’s this simple. I’m an American. America is at war with Islamic Facists who want me and my family dead for whatever reasons they’ve been sold this week.

Am I going to conduct myself in a fashion that supports my country and its leaders as they try to battle these evil fuckers, or am I going to conduct myself in a manner that aids the enemy?

Yeah, I need to keep it that simple. Otherwise they’ve already won. They have a singleness of purpose, defeat America. We have…people complaining that we’re not being nice enough to the bad guys…people saying we’ve already lost…people saying that we’re doing it wrong without providing any answers for a better way…and these are people who claim to be on our side.

I’ll leave comments open for you all to wrestle if you want. I’ve said all I’m going to say about this.