Another Argument Against Government Sponsored Healthcare

Here is what happens when a fully matured version of Hillarycare is allowed to evolve ensuring that the government is responsible to pay for everyone's treatment. When the government controls medicine, treatment priorities emerge, funding shortages arrive, and rationing is inevitable. Traditional rationing as experienced in Canada or the UK are bad enough; look at the collective dental condition of the British. Atrocious. But when rationing is mixed with secular humanism and liberal eugenic ideals, involuntary euthanasia of infants will eventually come into the picture. Government policy in all of its manifestations is a game of incentives, and people will adjust their behaviors good or bad in accordance with the policy landscape in which they live. That is what makes slippery slopes so slick.

UPDATE: Let me lay out a scenario that incorporates this scary confluence of government healthcare, and third party euthanasia committees. An unfortunate child is born in Holland with a serious heart defect that may or may not be correctable, but is certainly fatal if left unresolved. The Death Squad (my affectionate term) meets to consider the case of this deformed child with the goal to determine its candidacy for treatment or extinction.

Initially, the Death Squad must consider the seriousness of the deformity, the prognosis if treated, and ostensibly they are going to make some kind of judgement as to the child's quality of life as well. Liberals love to do that. So having addressed those preliminary issues, they now take into account the fact that they are living in a nation with total government monopoly on healthcare, and that they are themselves government employees. They are certainly well aware of the limitations on the delivery of healthcare in Holland and the effect of rationing on the general public, in fact they are acutely aware of this.

Taking these facts into account the Death Squad now decides whether this quite unfortunate child ought to be allowed to expend precious and finite medical resources. The Death Squad cannot be sure that some other less unfortunate child might come along at any time with a better prognosis, and that child's care could be adversely affected if both children are in the same hospital together. Since this most unfortunate child hasn't much of a shot at a quality life, and since, well, the budget is tighter than usual this year, we had better just euthanize this child. It's nothing personal mind you, it's just the way things worked out. Very unfortunate.

Also unfortunate is the liklihood that as medical gatekeepers (and heaven's gatekeepers for that matter) the Death Squad is under some amount of pressure to take the "economic" issues into account with respect to their decision. Which is the sensible thing to do afterall, deficits and whatnot. Never forgetting but not quite remembering that theirs is a very secular nation, and that they are in a very secular position as doctors, these decisions aren't quite as agonizing as they might be, which is helpful ... for them.

I'm a New Blogfather

Wade over at w8r-g8r claims that I inspired him to start his own blog, and therefore I would like to announce the birth of my first blogchild. As a new blogdaddy, I want to be the first person to give him a link. Many of you will recognize Wade as a regular commenter over here, and now he will be imparting his thoughts on his own site. Wade assures me that he'll keep visiting his blogfather, but I told my parents the same thing when I left the house. Now go over there and visit my boy!

CIA Problems are No Secret

Admittedly, I never had the chance to work with the CIA during my time in the Teams. I guess that’s part of the problem because I did work with Army Special Forces and TF160, AFSOC aviation, Marine Force Recon and even the Secret Service. But we never trained with CIA Paramilitary Officers, like Michael Spann who died in Afghanistan. The CIA in the intelligence arena seems to act similar to the FBI in the law enforcement arena... like their $hit don’t stink. When I was at the Customs Academy, I had a martial arts instructor who was a Customs Intelligence Specialist, and he told us a funny story about how he deals with the CIA. He told us that whenever he meets with a CIA officer, he makes sure to ask him for a hat or coffee mug right off the bat. Why? Because then he will have been able to get something from the CIA instead of telling them all he knows and getting no information in return.

The conventional wisdom about the CIA is that they do an awful lot of personnel recruiting from the Ivy League which explains why their Clandestine Service Officers aren’t very successful at recruiting agents inside terrorist organizations and hostile foreign governments. I don’t understand how some blueblood lefty punk is going to be able to find and recruit someone capable of penetrating the hard targets that we need to be looking at. As a Criminal Investigator for US Customs, I was called on to find and recruit Confidential Informants inside of criminal organizations in order to intercept contraband shipments, and arrest higher level criminals. Funny thing is the only CSO that I have ever met was a guy who quit to join the DEA on the southwest border. He was a sharp DEA Agent that had many good CI s, but he came to the DEA after 10 years at CIA because they let him do his job. Before meeting him, I would have thought that the career path would have lead him in the opposite direction.

The Clandestine Service which is undergoing a period of upheaval meant to get rid of dead wood is in desperate need of experienced operators and courageous management. Porter Goss, the new DCI, is a former CSO and House Intelligence Committee Chairman and knows where the bodies are buried. It may take months or even years to get the stink of rotting flesh out of the carpet at CIA, but I hope that Goss has the stones to get the job done. According to Rich Lowry at NRO the President recently signed an Executive Order that beefs up the Clandestine Service and the management is bailing anyway. This is not the general flow of personnel in government service; usually management follows budget increases instead of running away. That tells me Goss is swinging the axe. Good for him, good for us.

A case in point that demonstrates to even laymen how poorly the Clandestine Service has performed is our blindness with respect to Iranian nuclear programs. This is a nation that is about as ripe for CIA exploitation as they come. It is a cosmopolitan culture that by all accounts has a high level of approval for the United States. We have had a presence in the region for 30 years, and you would think that somebody significant could have been recruited by now. There is a resistance movement with a website that blew the whistle on Iranian nuclear activities this past month. These people are crying out to be recruited by US Intelligence, and when nobody answered, they turned to the internet!

So we have the main intelligence gathering apparatus for the US that doesn’t want to work with the military unless it has to, that recruits pampered brats to do a man’s job, a management that quits when asked to be successful, and CSOs that can’t find a recruit in Iran even though he has a website. No wonder George Tenet told the 9/11 Committee that it would take 5 years to bring the Clandestine Service up to the capabilities required by our circumstances. I am heartened by the whining and whimpering coming out of the CIA leakers that tried to take the President down. It means that the real reform package has already passed, Porter Goss.

Trying to Snatch Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

It is difficult to discern what possible benefit an article such as this could be expected to reap with regard to US efforts in the pacification of Iraq. In it Brian Gifford, a “health policy research scholar” from UC Berkeley argues that …

Our better-prepared troops are taking casualties at a real rate not tremendously lower than their predecessors in World War II, a bloodier, costlier, longer war that was fought on three continents and across three oceans and one that relied heavily on face-to-face combat rather than precision-guided munitions. (Emphasis mine)

Prof. Gifford arrives at this profound discovery by means of a series of logical contortions that nearly lament the outstanding advancements in combat medicine, the development of enhanced body armor, and the reliance on technology as opposed to more direct combat which account for the “historically low” casualty rate. He assures us that his “analysis” does not amount to defeatism, though, so at least we’ve got that going for us. He also admonishes Americans for …

Taking false comfort in the fact that earlier wars claimed a greater number of lives trivializes those sacrifices. We owe them and our nation a realistic discussion about the potential benefits of staying the course in Iraq vs. the probable costs. If history is any guide, those costs will be heavy.

Of course, in the “discussion” that Prof. Gifford seems anxious to encourage, it seems that his mind is already made up.

That the insurgency is nonetheless growing more effective in the face of heavier losses makes it difficult to imagine an exit strategy that any reasonable person would recognize as a "victory."

Obviously Prof. Gifford has every right to use the full measure of his considerable research ability to make this argument, and further, the Washington Post is entitled to publish his “findings”. The question I have, besides the blatant disingenuousness of his “research”, is, “How is a contrived mathematical formula of any use in determining the conduct of US foreign policy with regard to the conflict in Iraq?” Where is the editorial judgment and responsibility at WaPo? Have they decided that months of snarky left wing screeds have failed to alter the present administration’s course in Iraq, so all that remains is some manufactured sociological/statistical research to make the case?

And then there is Prof. Gifford. This scion of sociology received his B.A. (notice, they don’t even consider it a Bachelor’s of Science) from Berkeley in 1995, and his Ph.D from NYU last year. I wonder if he is also the Treasurer of the UCB “Never Left the Ivory Tower” club in addition to his rigorous professorial duties. His bio describes his current activities as, “… focus[ing] on the impact of the Department of Defense's military health system on local-level health care markets.” Well, isn’t that special? Thanks for sharing Dr.

Never quite acquiring the necessary ability or perspective to bridge the gap between the theoretical realm and reality, American academicians are doomed to repeat their mistakes and have their “works” fall on deaf ears. It is often rather amusing to take opportunities such as the one given me by Prof. Gifford to mercilessly mock him to scorn, but in this case the tripe he is characteristically hauling out is not particularly funny. To call it irresponsible and naïve would be more generous than I am inclined to be. With the considerable academic resume enjoyed by Prof. Gifford, it is fair to conclude that he considers himself obligated to avail us with his wisdom for a reason.

h/t RCP

Thank You Dear Readers

Does that make you feel like a North Korean dictator? Seriously, I want to thank my readers for nominating Froggy for Best Overall Blog, Best New Blog, Best Essayist, and Best MilBlog. I am humbled by your support. The interaction that takes place on this site, and the warmth and affection that I receive from my readers fuels my efforts here. I don't know if you have noticed that I do not have a "tip jar" button on this site, but that is a conscious decision on my part. I am not going to criticize bloggers that do, but I receive much more enrichment from the comments and emails from my readers. Yeah, I have ads, and I hope you click em' or use them to buy things you already were going to purchase, but no handouts for Froggy. The bottom line is that I am grateful for the nominations, especially the ones I didn't explicitly solicit!

Rushing Reform is a Recipe for Disaster

This editorial from the Indianapolis Star ought to be taken to heart by the administration and Congress. In it the editors correctly point out that intelligence reform should be carefully considered and debated before implementation. The last time Congress and the President rushed into reforming federal agencies to fight the GWOT, they came up with the total abortion known as the Department of Homeland Security.

I was a US Customs Special Agent when this "reform" took place, and an agency that was one of the most effective law enforcement agencies in the federal government has been destroyed. At the time, it seemed like a good idea, but having made the transition and assessed the damage, it couldn't have turned out much worse. It used to be that Customs Special Agents like me, had the authority and ability to work cases from dope to terrorism to intellectual property to export control violations to child pornography to money laundering. Not now. There was a healthy "team" relationship between Agents, inspectors, marine enforcement officers, air interdiction officers, and canine enforcement officers to attack smuggling from every conceivable angle. Even then, Customs Inspectors were cross-trained as Immigration Inspectors for the purpose of assessing the entry status of people coming to the US. In addition to investigations and inspections, Customs had its own navy and air force. If any federal agency wanted to use aircraft for surveillance in southern California, they had better have a Customs Agent in the squad or it wasn't available. Customs fixed wing aircraft coordinated with investigations by flying "spy missions" over South America in P-3 Orions by eavesdropping on communications from targeted areas and tracking hundreds of airborne and waterborne contacts in an AWACs type platform. Real-time interdiction data was relayed to marine and air assets in the US, and data gathered was used by criminal investigators to build cases against smugglers. Those days are over.

Customs and the infamous INS were merged under the Department of Homeland Security. The INS famously mailed a visa renewal to Mohammed Atta, leader of the 9/11 attacks, six months after the WTC was leveled. Obviously something had to be done to improve the most archaic and inefficient bureaucracy in the federal government, but not this. The inspections functions in Customs and INS were brought together with the Border Patrol to form a new agency called Customs and Border Protection (CBP) under Robert Bonner, the very effective Commisioner of Customs and formerly the DEA. Investigations (Special Agents) from Customs and INS were brought together with the Federal Air Marshalls and Federal Protective Service (protect government buildings) to form Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under Michael Garcia the newly appointed head of the INS. Since Bonner was appointed head of CBP, he kept the already successful law enforcement model that served him well before. But ICE would not be so lucky.

Garcia was appointed the acting head of INS to caretake after the resignation of James Ziglar in August 2002 following his agency's shameful performance culminating in the 9/11 attacks. Prior to that, Garcia was an ASSISTANT US Attorney in New York for 10 years. While he had an impressive case load of anti-terror prosecutions under his belt, the guy was an AUSA, which is hardly a leadership position that might prepare one to run a federal law enforcement agency. I don't know much about the guy, but he must have been one hell of a politicker to have lobbied his way into a job he has no business holding. His weakness as an administrator would serve to perpetuate the failures of the agency whose dissolution was a driving force behind the creation of DHS. While CBP moved forward with a proven model, ICE was forced to adopt all of the administrative policies of the INS because the unprepared Garcia knew no other model but the one he had inherited. He had been carried through his time as Acting INS Commissioner by the hopelessly inept INS career staff, and he brought that band of idiots with him to ICE ensuring that the main investigative agency in DHS would be combat ineffective.

In the days of US Customs, the Air & Marine Division was seen as one of the more well lead and best equipped groups in the agency. They were transferred to ICE in the transition to DHS, but their leadership immediately realized that they had to get out, and they recently got the entire division transferred to CBP. The import of this cannot be overstated. The entire division jumped off the sinking ship in an effort to save itself. Air & Marine worked hand in glove with Investigations, and rarely had any contact with Customs Inspections. No problem, "Just get us the hell out of ICE, and we'll do anything you want," is what they seem to have said. All Customs pilots, MEOs, and AIOs attended the same academy as the Special Agents, but the entire division bailed to the Inspections agency. Staggering.

To give you and example of just how backwards ICE became, I'll tell you a little story about my experience. Customs had a fully automated computer system that controlled all travel claims, property management, and case management amongst other functions. When Customs became ICE, we had to do travel claims, time sheets, and gear issue on paper forms instead of a very simple and effective computerized system that we had before. I used to spend 5 minutes a pay period preparing my timesheet on the computer. I was able to assign my hours worked to specific case numbers and manage overtime, training time, and vacation time all at once. The time sheets would be automatically forwarded to managers for inspecition and approval. Then we got paper time sheets that looked like they were from McDonalds that had to be filled in with a pen and signed. These sheets had to be faxed somewhere by a certain day of the month so that we could get paid! As you might expect, many agents didn't get paychecks because somebody lost their sheet. CBP took those automated functions with them, and the legacy INS people who took ICE over didn't understand it. Our property custodians had to print out the office's inventory on computer and enter it by hand (pen) into log books. This was 2003! This is the lead investigative agency in DHS! Handwritten entries!

It's all gone downhill from there. Customs used to control the accounts from the sale of seized property which was used to fund undercover operations, informant payments, travel expenses, government vehicles, fuel, etc for agents. Think about that, Customs paid for its investigative activities out of the money it generated itself. Because of that, we could pay our informants well, run elaborate UC operations, and agents were rarely constrained by the budget for case related travel. All you had to do was attach a case number to something you needed and voila. Now ICE agents are carpooling their government issued vehicles to work because there are serious budget shortfalls less than 60 days after the beginning of a new fiscal year. Agency morale could not be lower, and the only reason people don't leave like I did is because the pay is so good and you can't be fired. So nobody works anymore, because there's no money for anything. I expect some comments on this post from my former colleagues because they have nothing better to do than surf the web all day and collect $90k a year.

There is no question that the CIA needs to be revamped and reprioritized. The Clandestine Service is a shell of what it needs to be. Think OSS. But let's not move too fast with this intelligence reform, because we will get exactly what we put into it. US Customs has been irreparably harmed, but the CIA still has a chance, let's give it one.

h/t Blogs of War

Terrorist Public Service Announcement

Making "Love Connections" since October 2001. Recent events in Fallujah have made this dating service VERY popular. Who knew US troops were doing so much to "bring the love" to the Iraqi insurgency? Buy it here. h/t Rusty

UPDATE: I get the feeling that some of you aren't getting it. You see islamofascist terrorists are duped into "martyring" themselves by their leaders and complicit clerics (often the same person) with the false promise of 72 virgins for their sexual gratification upon entry into paradise. So this T-shirt design shows the willingness and ability of the US military to arrange these "dates" by shooting these idiots. So there you have it. 72 Virgin Dating Service: We'll Hook You Up/Express Delivery Available

Tis' the Season to Crush the Insurgency

Fa la la la la la la la la

Just like Afghanistan and the initial assault on Baghdad, the MSM has gotten it all wrong. They exaggerated every setback, and hyped the enemy's capabilities until it became abundantly clear that they had been defeated. Remember the sandstorm on the way to Baghdad? Chris Matthews broke out the Vietnam comparison only days into the invasion because of that. They did the same thing in Afghanistan, and most recently in Fallujah. The Marines were supposed to be going into the Lion's den in Fallujah, but they managed to kill 25 terrorists for each Marine or soldier lost. This victory will go down in Marine Corps history with Hue, Guadalcanal, and Inchon as one of the most hard fought and important victories the Devil Dogs have won. When it's crunch time, you can count on the Marine Corps to come through.

The same cannot be said of the pampered chattering classes of blue America. I have always believed that victory in Iraq would come "suddenly" because the MSM can't seem to put away the "imperialist hegemon gets its comeuppance once again" script about the US military. Not until they are kicked in the teeth with reality can they deign to give the troops or the administration credit for battlefield success. The Afghan elections are a perfect example. There was no shortage of speculation about AQ massacres at polling places until they never happened. Then the first peaceful democratic election in the history of this war torn land came off without a hitch and nobody wants to talk about it.

Now Zarqawi is on the ropes, his sanctuary is gone, and he is begging the Chechens and the Palestinians to take a time out from their own terrorist insurgencies to help him out in Iraq defeating the "Great Satan". His weapons are captured (including a chemical weapons lab), his top lieutenant was snatched up in Mosul, and the Sunnis are looking to deal now that the insurgency is looking shaky. Don't expect the MSM to realize what is happening until it's already over. They are already spinning the "election delay" as a threat to elections themselves, instead of the sign of weakness that it really is.

The only real threat to US goals in Iraq now is the lack of will in the Governing Council and the administration to completely crush and destroy the stragglers. Leaving brutal psychopaths alive to negotiate is a recipe for Ramallah. They must all be hunted down and killed or run out of Iraq. There can be no treaties with terror. Hopefully this lesson was learned with Muqtada al Sadr in Najaf, but only time will tell. My battle prayer for the Fallujah assault still holds true even after the victory, and it serves as a guiding light for the greater victory to come.

"I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them;
Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
And I have destroyed them and wounded them,
So that they could not rise;
They have fallen under my feet.
For You have armed me with strength for the battle;
You have subdued under me those who rose against me.
You have also given me the necks of my enemies,
So that I destroyed those who hated me.
They looked, but there was none to save;
Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.
Then I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth;
I trod them like dirt in the streets,
And I spread them out."

Mystery Blogging Status

Who knows how much or how little in the way of blogging I will accomplish during the holiday weekend? You'll just have to check back from time to time. While you are checking, take the time to click the Google ads beneath my blog title. Also, if you are planning on making some Christmas time book purchases, you might as well make 'em from Froggy's Amazon search module or whatever you call it. Froggy's got to buy presents for the tadpole you know. End shameless ad plugging.

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING

The best way to actually BE thankful for the wonderful blessings that we all enjoy as Americans on a daily basis is to pick your head up, reflect on your life, and show God the gratitude and appreciation He deserves for not having zapped you with a lightning bolt years ago for some of the stupid stuff you have done. Or are in the middle of doing...

Ready, Set, Go!

How long will it take moonbat liberals to glom onto this story as Bush hypocrisy? Sec. State Powell has come out with a stern statement about the blatantly fraudulent Ukrainian elections...

"We cannot accept this result as legitimate because it does not meet international standards" and "there will be consequences" for the United States' relationship with Ukraine as a result

While this is clearly a principled stand being taken by the administration, I can hear the squealing already. Who will be next? Calling all Kos? Roly Poly Ollie? Any more takers?

Sheryl Crow Stalker: NOT A NAVY SEAL!!!

I am very glad to report that one Ambrose Kappos has been officially and categorically determined to be a SEAL Imposter!

Matthew,

It's always Great to hear from a Teammate. Thanks for checking with us - we greatly appreciate your interest in upholding the honor of the US Navy SEAL Teams, and your search for theTRUTH. If the name you provided was spelled accurately, we do NOT have a listing for anyone named "Kappos, Ambrose" in our entire database of slightly more than 10,000 names. Please be aware that I also checked for possible spelling variations and alternate pronunciations but found none that matched.

I have been getting contacted by other SEAL buddies on this one because this case is so high profile. When I read the story it was immediately apparent that this guy could not possibly be in the Teams. First of all, he is 38 years old and was discharged from the Navy(?) in 2003 according to media reports. The max age for someone to go to BUD/S is 28, and 38 is pretty much the minimum age that someone could retire from the military. No matter what, he would have to have been a SEAL for at least 10 years. I can't see someone aged 38, 10 years in the Teams approaching Sheryl Crow and saying, "Hi, I'm Ambrose. You are my spiritual twin, and we are destined to have children together." I mean puleeeeaaaase. It takes an extremely unstable idiot to come up with something as creepy and immature as that, and deliver it with sincerity.

The thing that I don't understand is that the media reports that "court papers" say Kappos was a Navy SEAL until discharged in June 2003. I heard about this case this morning and verified it right after my lunch. How is it that the State of New York and the media could'nt figure out how to do this months ago? Because government employees (of which I used to be one), and the MSM are exceedingly lazy, and they could not be troubled with actually verifying the known facts of the case. The Navy SEAL moniker is being blatantly used to hype a celebrity stalking case, and it's probably being used by the DA to inflate the danger Ms. Crow was actually in. The only problem is that there are thousands of actual SEALs like me who would rather not see the Teams dragged through the mud by some psycho poseur on Entertainment Tonight.

Euros Slap Iran Briskly on the Wrist!

Is it just me? Or does anyone else believe that this Iranian agreement to stop enriching uranium is a joke? This announcement touted by UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is absurd on its face. I especially enjoyed this ominous warning from Mr. Straw:

"If there is a failure by Iran to meet its obligations then Britain and also Germany and France reserve our collective right to refer the matter to the Security Council."

Where the Chinese will promptly veto it. First of all the Chinese have recently signed a 30 year agreement with Iran to develop oil fields for Chinese consumption. Make no mistake that in addition to currency changing hands to seal this deal, a UN Security Council veto of any IAEA referrals regarding Iranian nuclear weapons development was thrown in for good measure. In fact, the veto was probably the impetus behind the agreement in the first place. China already buys oil from Iran on the open market, and its not like they or the Iranians are short on cash. "Developing oil fields" looks to be a convenient way to manufacture a plausible economic reason for the Chinese to keep the US frustrated and engaged on the other side of the continent.

China's best interests are served by ongoing American engagement in the Persian Gulf. The more US warships in the Persian Gulf, the fewer in the Straits of Taiwan. The Chinese are a patient people, and their ancient imperial culture is operating on an extended timetable to regain its former glory. The question is whether the forces of economic liberalization can force enough change in China to preclude the natural tendencies of Communist imperialism.

It's a race against time in a sense. The Iranian people are well known to support the US and are ostensibly working to make changes from within. Surely the Chinese people are of a similar mindset, but with the added bonus that American culture and especially cash are drowning the virtues of a Communist People' Republic. Can these populations beat the game clock that their respective governments are playing on? I certainly hope so, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Hunter Safety

This story out of Wisconsin about the hunter that murdered five people and wounded three is truly disturbing. I can't begin to imagine the pain that the families of these victims must be feeling after such senseless and unnecessary murders as these.

This story reminded me instantly of a similar encounter that I had while deer hunting with my father-in-law in Alabama several years ago. We were way out in the woods on the far side of a swamp from the hunting camp when we encountered some other deer hunters right along a marked property line. My father began speaking with the older of the two men, who were similarly a father and son hunting pair. I don't remember a word of the conversation because I was extremely paranoid about having a dispute where all of the parties are armed and out in the middle of nowhere. I do remember my dad recognizing the potential hazards and not being as ornery as usual. I was carrying a pistol in a drop leg holster with me to use on a wounded animal if the need arose. I kept my hand away from it, but I did move off to the side of the conversation and turned 90 degrees so that we had a mini L shape set up. I wanted to make things difficult for the other pair if things happened to get froggy. Fortunately, everyone present seemed to realize that this was no place for settling a property dispute and we all walked away.

Think about the odds a police officer faces on whether each person they encounter on a daily basis is carrying a firearm. I'm not sure how many people that is, but I would expect that it is not a particularly high number. Now consider those odds for Game Wardens or Fish & Wildlife Service Agents. Most of the contacts that those LEOs have in the woods are with armed individuals; so if you know a Game Warden, thank him.

The moral of the story is that like SixMeat says, "If someone is in your tree stand, let them use it. They'll have to come down eventually."

More Stellar Reporting from CBS

My mother-in-law called me last night to tell me that the evening's episode of "48 Hours" was going to feature upstanding citizen and all-around good guy, Greg Haidl. Very little new had happened in the case since my last post on it, so I was interested to see what they would focus on. By the time the hour was up, I was shocked that I hadn't seen a commercial for Don Haidl's used car lot. True to form, the piece was as slanted and petty as the GW National Guard story on 60 Minutes.

The sad thing is that it was slanted to make Greg and his gangraping cohorts out to be the victims and the girl that was raped into a drug addicted slut. I did learn some things about the case that I didn't know. Like Greg and his friends drank a case and a half of his daddy's beer while his daddy was "sleeping" in the house. The untold story in this report was that this was a girl who was desperate for attention from people she thought were "cool". It's not like this is something that went unnoticed by the three miscreants. Putting this vibe out to guys like that is like chumming the waters off of the Farallon Islands. This was a completely premeditated situation on the part of these guys. They invited her over to Greg's house knowing that she would do anything to make some "cool" friends in Newport Beach. They got her drunk, set up the camera, and acted out every cruel and degrading fantasy their filthy minds could think up.

Greg admitted as much on camera when asked if they had considered having sex with her if she came over and he said, "It crossed my mind". Crossed his mind? They were setting the scene up while she was driving the 30 miles from San Bernardino and getting up their liquid courage the whole time. I can see the three of them in my mind's eye drinking, laughing at her, coming up with more disgusting things they could do to her with each beer until she arrives. And then...

By the time the trial came around, her girlfriends that had introduced her, had turned on her as well. Not surprising. Girls are so much more cruel than boys. She wanted to fit in with them too, and they knew it just like Greg and his friends. She was played for a fool from the very beginning, and her impulse to be accepted overrode all of her built in safety mechanisms. Sure she put herself into a bad situation, but that doesn't make it right. Her "friends" testified for the boys. If I was the Orange County DA, I would find out what used car lot those girl's cars came from, and who paid for them. I suspect that a millionaire used car salesman and Assistant Sheriff might want some insurance for his boy at trial.

I was sickened by the tone of the show, and the smugness of the Haidls and the other guy's families as well. The report glossed over Greg's recent arrests for statutory rape, the marijuana incident (and allegations of coverup), never mentioned his drunken car wreck. It made Greg out to be a suicidal teen that "made a mistake". I'm not even sure if they reported that Greg has been thrown back in jail for the car wreck until his retrial in January. They didn't forget to mention the suicide attempts and the mental hospital admission though.

At the very end, 48 Hours delivered a late hit on the real victim saying that she had been recently arrested for methamphetamine possession by printing it under an altered mugshot and then ending the show without comment. That really bothered me because it seems self evident that a young girl who was gangraped on video, humiliated, and abandoned by her friends might resort to drugs in an effort to dull the pain. Obviously it would only further harm her, but how can you drop the drug addict charge on her without comment at the end of the show like that? Disgusting.

I can't wait until these little bastards get taken down in January. They are going to find out what it's like to be on the other side. When the cell block gets together and plans a little interlude for some young men who are no longer the hunters, but the prey. Payback is a bitch.

2004 Weblog Awards

Kevin at Wizbang is hosting the 2004 Weblog Awards. Nominations are in progress. Let your conscience be your guide. There is a Essayist category. Do you really love me? Or are you just using me for my mind?

Pondering the Nightmare

Smash has opened up a discussion about what comes after we get nuked. I agree with him that a nuclear attack will happen in the US within the next 10 years. I had believed that well before 9/11, and the only thing about 9/11 that surprised me was the method of attack. Let me assure you as a former US Customs Special Agent, that there are places on the Southwest border where fissile material could be smuggled with a low probability of detection.

John Kerry was not lying when he said that less than 5% of shipping containers are searched upon entry into US ports. Intelligence analysis and investigative targeting account for the searches that are conducted. Certain companies that have a solid track record and a low percentage of contraband shipments that come from nations that are minimally threatening do not have there containers searched ... ever. Eventually one of these companies is going to be successfully infiltrated, and the nightmare will occur. Or perhaps it will be a dirty Customs inspector or two that are recruited by "narcotics smugglers" to bring in a load of cocaine for $10k a load. The smugglers will cross a few test loads to ascertain the security of their arrangement, and then ... boom!

To be perfectly frank, I yearned to see mushroom clouds over half a dozen arab/muslim capitals around the world in the days following 9/11. I credit the President for his very measured and successful response to the attack, but if he were to preside over a nuclear event in the US I think that his response would be commensurate. I am not sure that the US would have any obligations with regard to the minimization of collateral damage to persons and structures during the retaliation from a nuclear attack.

I hesitate to elaborate further on my personal feelings, and I ask my readers who feel obliged to comment to keep your remarks in a strategic rather than emotional vein. I want to open up a forum for legitimate discussion, not a place for people to vent their retaliatory fantasies.

Calling Good Evil and Evil Good

Corruption, Evil, Bias, Indifference

There are so many sharks swimming in international waters, it’s become very dangerous for the US to keep afloat. When I consider the forces arrayed against us and against the promotion of freedom and justice in the world, it is difficult to not be dismayed. Hardly a day goes by that one of these international scourges fails to commit another outrage that sets back the causes of peace and freedom.

The total corruption of the United Nations at every level cannot be overstated. This institution has not only left a legacy of failure and graft, but it leads the world in incompetence and greed. This is hardly a recent phenomenon, but with the security situation present in the world today, the stakes are so much higher. Finally it seems some amount of accountability will be held by Kofi Annan as he faces a “no confidence” vote by the staff of the UN. The sad thing is that his confidence crisis has nothing to do with his Oil For Food kickbacks or his failure to address Darfur, but it is in response to his exoneration of some UN functionary for sexual harassment charges. This is a perfect metaphor for the UN. An institution that turns a blind eye to massive international security and humanitarian issues, but acts decisively to punish grab assing.

The rise of islamofascist terror in this new century has enlightened the world to an evil that had not been seen for decades. The pretensions by the chattering classes that this is a “Religion of Peace” rings so hollow now that it has become a punchline. A religion that has taken the opportunity to anoint the butchery of innocents and filmed the acts for public consumption can be considered nothing more than an evil death cult. To think that I could shout “God is Great” while sawing off the head of a bound and beaten woman is unimaginable. Any religion that sanctions brutality as a tenet of the faith deserves to be annihilated.

All the while the world media sits on the sidelines constructing moral equivalency arguments and shoving them down our throats that we might be ashamed of our courageous efforts to combat such nihilism and thievery. To even begin to compare the acts of a young Marine in combat to those of the blood lusting butchers of Fallujah is an affront not only to the bravery and service of our forces, but to logic itself. It seems to me that bias is not an adequate description of what the MSM is now engaging in, but rather it is a bastion for cowards and the morally retarded to denigrate daily some of the greatest sacrifices that one human can make for another. Missing no opportunity to call into question the motives of those who put there very lives on the line for our security, the MSM seeks to minimize and conceal the constant and unrelenting cavalcade of atrocities committed by people whose first act if in power would be to slash their throats.

Meanwhile, formerly great nations of the earth continue to make deals with the devil around the globe effectively compromising themselves when faced with a choice to defend freedom and justice. Every permanent member of the UN Security Council beside the US and UK is on the take from some despotic regime. China has new 30 year oil deal with the Iranians which will server to preclude any Security Council action against the development of nuclear weapons into virtual perpetuity. France and Russia opposed our invasion of Iraq to protect lucrative financial dealings with a murderous thug. They even sent weapons to Saddam while we were staging for the war. The Russians built the Iranian nuclear reactors, the Chinese and the North Koreans have close ties. The French bomb civilians in the Ivory Coast while criticizing us for liberating 25 million Iraqis from a genocidal dictator. The indifference of these nations and their dependence on illicit commerce has led them to a place where they contentedly sit on the sidelines and cheer for our enemies while lounging in the freedom of the security we provide them by taking up the fight.

I can’t say that these Four Horsemen are collaborating or conspiring against us, but the coalescence of these dark forces portends of future disaster not only for us but for them as well. Fear not, because we are defeating these foes where we can, and if we stay the course and make it out the other side, we will be able to bask in the sunlight of our victory. On that day we will have no debtors to repay, and yet we will be bloodied but not bowed.

Maybe Assisted Suicide isn't So Bad After All

These knuckleheads need to be put out of their misery. This might sound really Margaret Sanger, but it might be time to conduct some peer review on whether some of our fellow citizens ought to be taking up space on the planet. Is there some kind of clearing house where normal people can nominate "applicants" for removal from the gene pool? Lord have mercy on me, but if some of these yahoos have resorted to immolation can't we as a society do something a little more humane to help these tortured creatures? May I suggest something whiny blue America?

Self Service Only

It seems like everybody wants to hold the vaunted title of “Public Servant” but nobody wants to have to actually serve anyone excepting themselves of course. I’m seeing quite a bit of this peculiar brand of “servitude” these days coming from all manner of servants in many different settings.

One particularly egregious example is the entire management of the CIA. It is clear that the much beloved public has not been particularly well served by this humble caste of public servants, and for quite some time. Notwithstanding the unprecedented record of failure that the current CIA management has racked up including: 9/11, Iraq WMD, AQ Khan nuclear proliferation network, Libyan WMD, Iranian/North Korean nuclear programs, and the hunt for UBL. The Agency is disloyal to the Executive that they are statutorily mandated to serve. The President decided not to clear the decks after 9/11 so that he could maintain continuity of personnel as the Nation hastily prepared for war. Emboldened by the lack of consequences, the failed leader of the pre-9/11 hunt for UBL wrote a scathing book accusing the President of “Imperial Hubris” while employed by the CIA and with the approval of the management. Not to mention the series of well-timed leaks of the National Intelligence Estimate (a Top Secret document) by CIA officials coordinated to discredit the President and defeat him in the election. The CIA’s mission is to provide intelligence information to the President, and to conduct clandestine operations abroad at his behest. Last time I checked, the CIA was supposed to depose FOREIGN heads of state in an effort to benefit US national security, not to attempt a political coup d'état against a President whose policy inclinations they do not share. It appears that Porter Goss is now administering accountability to a passel of “servants” whose “service” has been found lacking.

This is not just a disease of the Bush hating left, however, and there are some right wing elements that are deserving of some measure of humility as well. Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, a man that I greatly respect, has made some comments recently that have me scratching my head. According to Slate (not an unbiased source to be sure), Dr. Dobson threatened the President by saying that if he doesn’t aggressively pursue the family values agenda, he will see to it that Christians stay home next time. Not bloody likely, mate. Dobson seems to think he and his truly outstanding organization single-handedly re-elected the President. Sorry to burst your bubble, Doc, but you are owed nothing by the President although I fully expect and hope that the President does follow through on these important issues. Dr. Dobson knows that he is admonished in scripture to serve the leaders appointed over him, and not the other way around.

Contrast this attitude with the Marines fighting in Fallujah who although wounded want nothing more than to rejoin their comrades in battle. These men truly serve our Nation and more importantly each other. Americans who claim to serve their Nation ought to gain some perspective; instead of prattling on about who owes us, we all should consider who it is that we are in debt to.

Monster Idiot Alert

Duane over at Forest for the Trees has posted an anonymous letter published in some lefty rag in Seattle. It doesn't seem possible that people this stupid exist, but the American left has been hitting new lows for 2 weeks straight now. Check it out.

Calling All Geeks

Froggy is an HTML retard, and I need some help! I want to put another sidebar on the left side of the page, and I want to have some pattern in the background (like powerline). I am totally clueless and any assistance would be GREATLY appreciated. Email me with your advice if you have the know how and the inclination. froggyruminations@gmail.com

Thanks.

Froggy Fatwa

The "Religion of Peace" is so interesting to me, and this story from Drudge highlights the amazing apologetics of Islam. A few years back I spent quite a bit of time studying Christian apologetics. At the time, I was being challenged by family, friends and acquaintances about the reasons behind my faith. In all of my research, I never felt like I had to make an argument that was at all specious or contingent on some illogical or incoherent premise. But when you take a look at some of the "Religious Fatwas" coming from muslim clerics no less, it makes you wonder how they can actually believe the $hit they are shoveling.

According to CIA crybaby Michael Scheuer, who wrote two anti-Bush books under pseudonyms with the consent of his employer, UBL has obtained a fatwa from some Saudi muckety muck approving the use of nuclear weapons against the US. My first reaction to this revelation is ... so what? UBL's intention to attack the US with nukes is hardly news, and I find it amusing that 60 Minutes is going to take the time to "investigate" this. The assumption being that if some Saudi sheik gave UBL the nuclear thumbs down it would actually make a difference.

There are so many of these ridiculous fatwas out there these days that it makes me wonder when "muslim scholars" are going to say, "Uh, excuse me, but chopping off the heads of civilians in Iraq is like totally not islamic." The tortured logic they used to make these pronouncements would be laughable if the edicts themselves were not so grave and evil. All I have ever heard from the American left and "moderate" muslims, is how islam doesn't promote violence, but is in reality a religion of peace. How do we determine the truth of this contention? "Ye shall know them by their fruit." Fruit checking the religion of peace requires a biohazard suit and the lack of all olfactory function because it is some of the most rotten and and putrid fruit that mankind has ever had to bury in the trash heap.

The muslim culture in its totality is so utterly corrupt and morally bankrupt that it seems impossible that anything resembling justice, peace, or morality could be expected to emerge from it. Even tangentially comparing Christianity and its attendant cultural issues to islamofascist fundamentalism is not only slanderous and disingenuous, but it demonstrates the same moral and intellectual bankruptcy as the fatwa issuing mullahs. Particularly when you consider infant homicide bomber Halloween costumes and re-enacting the Sbarro pizza massacre, abortion clinic protests seem downright cheery in comparison.

The entire palestinian society operates on a foundation of lies; the most recent incarnation being that a 75 year old terrorist who has not left his headquarters building in 3 years was somehow poisoned by Israelis. It doesn't take much to fool a palestinian, and generally speaking the vast multitude of muslims are easily duped by anybody in a position of authority. Even after countless acknowledgements on al Jazeera by UBL, Zwahiri, and every other two bit AQ functionary of the 9/11 attacks, most of the muslim world thinks it was a Jewish conspiracy to frame them. This culture of mass delusion spans the globe from Africa to Europe to Asia with the common thread being the religion of mind control, I mean peace.

To be honest with you, I don't know what makes this cult so much more effective and pervasive than the Branch Davidians. Illiteracy, totalitarianism, and extreme anti-Semitism are obviously some of the issues in play. It is unfortunate that we are going to have to destroy a death cult in order to prevent destruction of our own culture. I don't know why they couldn't just be like Heaven's Gate. Where's Hale Bopp when you need it?

Veteran's Day Recognition

The Secretary of the Navy takes pleasure in presenting the

PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION to

COMBINED JOINT SPECIAL OPERATIONS TASK FORCE-SOUTH

for service as set forth in the following

CITATION:

For extraordinary heroism and outstanding performance of duty in action against the enemy in Afghanistan from 17 October 2001 to 30 March 2002. Throughout this period, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-SOUTH/Task Force K-BAR, operating first from Oman and then from forward locations throughout the southern and eastern regions of Afghanistan, successfully executed its primary mission to conduct special operations in support of the United States' efforts as delegated to Commander, U.S. Central Command through the Joint Forces Special Operations Component Command, to destroy, degrade, and neutralize the Taliban and Al Qaeda leadership and military. During its six-month existence, Task Force K-BAR was the driving force behind myriad combat missions conducted in Combined Joint Operations Area Afghanistan. These precedent setting and extremely high-risk missions included search and rescue, recovery dive operations, non-compliant boardings of high interest vessels, special reconnaissance, hydrographic reconnaissance, sensitive site exploitation, direct action missions, apprehension of military and political detainees, destruction of multiple cave and tunnel complexes, identification and destruction of several known Al Qaeda training camps, explosion of thousands of pounds of enemy ordnance and successful coordination of unconventional warfare operations for Afghanistan. The Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and coalition partners of Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-SOUTH/Task Force K-BAR set an unprecedented 100 percent mission success rate across a broad spectrum of special operations missions while operating under extremely difficult and constantly dangerous conditions. They established benchmark standards of professionalism, tenacity, courage, tactical brilliance , and professional excellence while demonstrating superb esprit de corps and maintaining the highest measure of combat readiness. By their outstanding courage, resourcefulness and aggressive fighting spirit in combat against a well equipped, well trained, and treacherous terrorist enemy, the officers and enlisted personnel of Combined Joint Special Operations Task-Force SOUTH/Task Force K-BAR reflected great credit upon themselves and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Armed Forces.

They don't just give these things away either. I am not aware of a PUC having been awarded since the Vietnam War. This award is given to a unit that acts with the equivalent bravery as an individual who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Another very interesting bit of trivia is that this award was given to the JSOTF in total instead of individual units. I am not familiar with that ever having happened before either.

Congratulations SOF Olympians US and foreign for a job well done.

Happy Birthday Jarheads!

Before my Tuefulhunden readers become unglued, be advised that Froggy not only is a corpsman with all the rights and authority to call Marines jarheads, but Froggy is also a former Devil Dog himself. That's correct folks. Froggy joined the Marine Reserves after high school, went to Marine boot camp in San Diego, and went to the School of Infantry to become an 0341 at Camp Pendleton. I left the Corps after reuniting with some high school friends of mine who were SEALs in San Diego. So I dropped out of college, joined the Navy, and the rest is history.

Seriously, I am very proud of my two years in the Marine Corps, and I have always had a great appreciation for the history of the Corps. On this 229th birthday of the Marine Corps, they are making more. Fallujah will go down in history with other great battles that the Corps has fought and won. I want to congratulate my fellow Marines on this day, and continue to pray for God's blessing on today's battles and thanksgiving for yesterday's. From the Chosin Reservoir to Khe Sahn, from Iwo Jima to Inchon, Tripoli to Tikrit, from Belleau Wood to Baghdad the Marine Corps has been defending America for 229 years. On behalf of a grateful nation...

Semper Fi

Do You Mind?

Hey McGreevey, how would you like a nice tall glass of shut the hell up? NOBODY CARES that you are gay, they care that you are a corrupt politician that gave a high paying job to your boyfriend. Not just any job, but a critical homeland security post. You might have had the decency to step down from the governorship in time to actually elect your replacement. But no, that wasn't what the Democratic party bosses told you to do.

If I were gay, I'd be upset that this guy leapt out of the closet on national TV for the sole purpose of saving his bacon from what are likely credible allegations of corruption. What does that say to you "gay Americans"? It says that McGreevey recognized that the scandal of his homosexual infidelity would serve as cover for official misconduct. I used to do this type of thing all the time when I was a kid. Admit to the lesser crime, and hope nobody bothers to look into the real issues at hand. Moreover, the guy is using the "I will not apologize for being a gay American" meme to guilt people into feeling sorry for him.

The hypocrisy and chutzpah of this move is staggering. Admit your'e gay to cover your illegal acts, and then pretend that you are being persecuted for being gay to garner sympathy. What a jackass!

The bottom line is that you are a corrupt scumbag that disenfranchised your entire state. You gay baited your way out of real scrutiny, and now you are lecturing us on intolerance. You are a loser and a crook, and on behalf of America, I hope that you are prosecuted and thrown in jail.

A Prayer for my Brothers in Fallujah

Samuel II Ch:22 2-7 These are the words of David, the greatest warrior the world has even known. He was also described as a "man after God's own heart".
And he said:
"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation,
My stronghold and my refuge;
My Savior, You save me from violence.
I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.
"When the waves of death surrounded me,
The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called upon the LORD,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry entered His ears.


2Sa 22:33-43
God is my strength and power,
And He makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.
He teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
"You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your gentleness has made me great.
You enlarged my path under me;
So my feet did not slip.
"I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them;
Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
And I have destroyed them and wounded them,
So that they could not rise;
They have fallen under my feet.
For You have armed me with strength for the battle;
You have subdued under me those who rose against me.
You have also given me the necks of my enemies,
So that I destroyed those who hated me.
They looked, but there was none to save;
Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.
Then I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth;
I trod them like dirt in the streets,
And I spread them out.

The Real OC

Many of you might not recognize the name Greg Haidl if you don’t happen to live in Southern California, but for Scott Peterson, Beretta, Courtney Love, and other high profile malcontents you would. Haidl, a corporately sponsored skateboarder, is the 19 year old son of wealthy Orange County Assistant Sheriff Don Haidl, and he is a piece of ... work shall we say. Greg and a couple of the OC’s finest took advantage of an opportunity to gangrape a 16 year old female classmate who had become very intoxicated. To add insult to injury (this is not a figure of speech in this case) these fine young men of the OC memorialized the events on videotape for their future enjoyment. Not content to merely film your standard every day gangrape, the boys decided to spice things up by inserting various foreign objects into the young lady while taking turns having their way with her. You may be assuming that these young cretins are at this time languishing in prison for their exertions, but you would be wrong, quite wrong indeed.

You see, Greg Haidl’s daddy is worth approximately $91Million give or take, and as I mentioned, he is a former Assistant Sheriff for the OC. Greg’s legal team was spared no expense as you might imagine, and if you combine that with a scenario tailor made for influence peddling of the worse sort, you get a hung jury and a mistrial. Not just a mistrial, but a mistrial where the defendants are released on $100,000 bail. $100,000 bail bonds can be obtained with the equity increase in an OC home in 60 days; a check written from a home equity line of credit ought to do the trick. Under the circumstances, you might expect that Greg, facing a retrial, would be minding his Ps and Qs and all the rest of the alphabet for that matter. Once again dear reader, you would be incorrect. The litany of entanglements he has had with law enforcement SINCE HIS RELEASE has been quite prolific and profoundly disturbing. Apparently unfulfilled by the gangrape, Greg was arrested again for the statutory rape of another 16 year old he met at a party his daddy put on to celebrate his mistrial. Since this rape was somehow not seen as a violation of Haidl's bail, young Gregory recently managed to maneuver into a head-on collision with his car while driving drunk. That is the incident that we KNOW about. Haidl was also involved in a marijuana possession incident that reeks of official coverup. Greggy Poo has been very busy menacing the OC since he narrowly avoided his own gangrape at the tender hands of the inmates in the California State Correctional facility he so richly deserves to inhabit

You may be saying to yourself that you understood that the OC is the most notable Republican enclave in the Golden State, and this time dear reader, you are correct. In fact Greg’s daddy is a Republican big wig in his own right. And therein it seems lies much of the problem. Sheriff Haidl is deserving of much of the credit for what his miscreant progeny has become. This man’s behavior in this entire incident has been nothing short of despicable, and the man has repeatedly thrown his weight around the OC without compunction in an effort to place his son above the law. I do have a certain amount of compassion for a father whose child is under the threat of prison, but there is a point at which protecting your child becomes threatening mine. Sheriff Haidl has long since leapt across this particular threshold and is now flirting with public corruption.

When I was a US Customs Special Agent, I had a case where I arrested a young man who attempted to smuggle 100lbs of marijuana in various false compartments in his car. I broke him quickly during the interrogation, and he clearly indicated his ability to identify co-conspirators further up the chain (which is rare I might add). He was hesitant to cooperate out of fear of his co-conspirators, and he shared with me that his father was a Sergeant in the Riverside Sheriff’s Department. I called his father and asked him to help me convince his son to cooperate with my investigation in return for a greatly reduced sentence. The father confided in me that his son was a drug addict, that he had smuggled the dope to pay off drug debt, and that his own service assault rifle was stolen by the same people from his house. I offered to bring my ATF colleagues into the case, and that with his son’s cooperation, we could roll up this entire criminal ring. I also noted to him that I had a good relationship with the Coachella Valley Narcotics Task Force which has FBI, DEA, Customs, BNE, and all the county’s local agencies who would be very interested in a case like this. The man refused. As it turned out, the guy had pretty much spiked the weapons theft case with the ascent of his superiors, and he was afraid that the bad guys would hurt his son. So I referred the case to NTF anyway and made sure his son got as much prison time as possible. So his son is a federal felon, and the dirtbags that put him up to it are still running around with a service M-4 assault rifle and a bunch of dope.

I can almost forgive that father for trying to keep his son from being murdered (which I doubt was ever a real threat) by a bunch of dopers. But Sheriff Haidl is merely trying to prevent justice from being meted to a child who deserves it. The hypocrisy of the situation alone is enough to create outrage, but influence peddling that accompanies it ought to be criminal.

The Politics of Fear

While liberals regurgitate ANSWER talking points about the reign of terror to come, there is a real political scare campaign that really will materialize in January. No, Bushitler won’t shuttle homos onto boxcars for shipment into concentration camps in the heartland. But the heartland will have an effect on the Senate next term. The defeat of uber-lefty Minority Leader Tom Daschle in South Dakota sends a message to liberal obstructionists across the nation.

Barbara Boxer and Chucky Shumer could care less, but Kent Conrad (ND), Ben Nelson (NE), and Jeff Bingaman (NM) got the message loud and clear. The first battlefield where the new order will be tested is on judicial appointments, particularly the Supremes. I have a theory that news of Chief Justice Rehnquist’s poor health in the week prior to the election went a long way to ensuring that conservatives would show up on November 2nd. In fact, conservatives have wasted no time admonishing the Senate Judiciary Committee and Leader Frist to disallow Arlen Specter his rotation into the Chairmanship of that critical committee. Specter, a sheep in wolf’s clothing, has the notable infamy of having voted with the liberals in the Senate to block the confirmation of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court during the Reagan administration using a pro-abortion litmus test. His Chairmanship of Judiciary portends more of the same. Watch to see if Specter gets clipped for an indication of Frist’s moxey and the President’s influence. Here’s hoping this early meme campaign is successful.

Nevertheless, heartland libs had better get on the bus and buckle up, or they are going to find themselves getting thrown underneath. I hope and believe that the Daschle Curse is real, and even more so because of the democrat's sudden realization of the significance of "values voters" this year. Democrats from red states can be credibly threatened with early retirement on the specific issue of activist judges. Trent Lott never showed the guts to hold the dems feet to the fire, and take on the Daschle juggernaut. But now? If Bill Frist wants to move up to the big leagues in 2008, he can start by wielding the bat in the next Congress by beating heartland democrats into submission.

Back to Denver

Going to Denver tomorrow until Wednesday. Blogging status unknown. You'll just have to check. Froggy

We Need to Have a Little Talk People

Let me tell you a little more about me so that you understand more clearly where I am coming from. I am a smart ass. I like to bust people’s balls through the use of wit, sarcasm, parody, and hypocrisy. I have strong opinions that I do not hesitate to express to anyone who is willing to listen. I like to debate the issues, and to point out the many illogical and incongruent ideological fallacies of the left.

I am a Christian Navy SEAL, which is a very rare species of human. I recognize that none of you would be reading this blog if I weren’t a Frogman, so I try to infuse my postings with some military and froggy perspective. I am a patriotic person that believes that America is the “greatest nation on God’s green earth”. I have traveled all over the world, and I have spent many months living with the people in Third World countries so I know how special America is.

I was born in California, and I have lived here most of my life. I enjoy living here for many reasons, but chief amongst them are the interesting people who inhabit this place. I have spent quite a bit of time in the South as well, and I have a great fondness for the people there too. I don’t particularly like spending time with liberals, but I certainly don’t hate them. Actually I pity them in many ways, and it is easy to see how lost they are by the way they view the world. I believe that most of them are teachable and uninformed, but their elites are deserving of heaping portions of mockery and scorn.

I began this blog so that I might have an outlet for my thoughts in the hope that other people would respond in kind. The popularity of this site, while insignificant in the greater blogosphere, is well beyond my expectations. I have become increasingly concerned over the past weeks about the level of anger and vitriol that has been showing up in my comments. I really shouldn’t complain because I haven’t been scourged by liberal trolls trying to silence my views, but comrades, the tone is becoming something that I simply cannot abide. I encourage free expression of your reactions to my posts and the issues brought up in them, but I am disturbed by some of sentiments that have been expressed.

This is mostly my own doing I must admit. I write with a hard edge, probably too hard as it turns out. I am going to try to tone down my act, and I would ask you to do the same. I do not want to be the proprietor of a site that can be construed as angry and bitter. And I do not want to provide a forum that panders to hostility and wrath. If that doesn’t work, I will have to re-evaluate whether or not to continue this blog. Froggy OUT.

Swerving to the Left is Not the Answer

First of all sorry about the Wookie post, I couldn’t help myself.

One of the most enjoyable elements of this electoral victory has been the weeping and gnashing of teeth from the moonbats on the left. But make no mistake; there is a method to their madness. The two major talking points that seem to be emerging from their cantankerous screeds appear to be our irrational hatred/fear of gays, and the incantation that we are knuckle dragging, retard bible thumpers that were herded like cattle to the polls. This condescending and vacuous rhetoric serves them no purpose but to salve their open and gangrenous wounds that the President’s re-election ripped open.

As to the issue of gay marriage and gays in general, I’m sure there are people among us that hate them and hope to see them burn in hell. But most people simply are turned off by the more outlandish displays of “pride”, and would rather that we could all just mind our own business and live our lives. Living in California, I have worked with some gay people since I left the Navy, and I found them to be generally nice people but very defensive about being gay.

One person in particular was a female police officer that I worked closely with for about six months in San Diego. I got a job as a psychiatric clinician with the SDPD. I would go out with a PO and assess psychotic transients to see if they needed to be hospitalized, and we generally tried to get transients into rehab and job programs. It was a very interesting job, and I really enjoyed interacting with people out in the streets and beaches of San Diego. Heidi was a very butch cop, so butch that she had this kind of protector instinct over me. It ended up causing a problem between us, because she would try to pull me behind her whenever some psycho would start feelin’ froggy. But it was my job to interact with these people so that I could try to help them. She played the role of “misogynist neanderthal” and tried to pigeonhole me into the “shrinking violet” role. This is what happens when people begin to operate outside of their natural parameters. They end up unhappy and bitter, and they have trouble understanding why people find it difficult to relate to them.

For good or for ill, our society has collectively assigned certain roles to certain people. There is nothing inherently wrong about bucking these societal norms, but there are consequences. Trying to turn 2000 years of western civilization on its head by boisterously informing the nation that 98% of us are intolerant bigots is no way to treat your neighbors. Neither is gay bashing or saying that “God hates fags”, although these attitudes and behaviors are very uncommon. Carving out roles in society takes time, and while I doubt it, maybe someday gay people will be able to do it. But they are going to have to achieve it by convincing people that it’s the right way to go, not by screaming in our faces that we are hatemongering idiots. Keep that up, and you’ll never get anywhere.

Why the Youth Didn't Turn Out for Kerry

Moveon.org, ACT, ACORN, Rock the Vote and others put hundreds of millions of dollars into registering and turning out the Wookie vote. Here is a perfect example of a Registered Wookie. Click the link if you dare. H/T SixMeat

Bringin' the Love From Above

Hi Falluja. My name is Spooky, and I'm here to set you on fire. Welcome to your nightmare. Let me tell you about myself. I have two 20MM Miniguns, two 40MM Cannons, and a 105MM Howitzer. I can deliver my Valentines well outside the range of RPGs, and my optics package can see you having a smoke at 10,000 ft. When my friends call me, I can unleash a curtain of molten steel at a rate of 6000 rounds per minute within 5o meters. When I'm done, all my friends have to do is to wipe your pink mist off their goggles before continuing forward. Don't wait up for me though, because you'll never see or hear me. You'll just see a bright flash of light, and all of a sudden you'll be backstrokin' in the lake of fire.

Campaign Update: Rogers v. Kennedy

Apparently its not all good news for the 2004 election. My comrade, Dave Rogers, took on Patrick Kennedy for the First Congressional District of Rhode Island and he came up short. Dave and I never knew each other, but we traded some emails and as I educated myself about Dave and what his campaign was about, I came to really admire him. He is exactly the kind of person that America needs in Congress, the citizen-legislator. Dave is a middle class guy, veteran, and father of two. While Patrick Kennedy was lecturing Dave about supporting tax cuts for the rich, Dave was expressing how a couple thousand bucks had really helped his family. At the end of the day, Dave lives in a liberal blue state with little appreciation for veteran's sacrifices and family values. The people just couldn't look away from the Kennedy "star power" to see the substantial man they had running to represent them. Millions in Kennedy cash didn't hurt either. The media refused to televise debates during prime time, and Dave was forced to swim the entire coastline of RI to get any free media attention. The real losers are the people of RI 01, they could have had a fellow citizen represent them with courage, creativity and zeal, but they went for the carpetbagger promising pork. Sad.

Hillary Makes a Play for Veterans

I just got an email invitation to attend the Special Operations Warrior Foundation Annual Veteran's Day Dinner featuring Keynote Speaker ... Hillary Clinton! This is a big deal fundraiser for the organization which provides college scholarships to the children of SOF operators killed in the line of duty. This is an extremely worthy and noble outfit, and you may have noticed the link to it has been at the top of my blog since I started it. Tickets are going for a minimum of $5000 for 4 seats on up to $25000 for 2 tables of eight.

I am very glad that this organization bagged one of the biggest fundraisers in DC to stump for them, but the political calculations are difficult to miss. The Clintons were notorious for their disdain for their military aids and Secret Service Agents while in the White House, so let's not delude ourselves that the SOF community loves Hillary or vice versa. Hillary had been notably silent in the election year chorus of condescending criticism of the President's conduct of the GWOT, and the result on Tuesday has only reinforced those always acute political instincts.

She has never been properly vetted by the MSM or held to account for so many of her suspect statements and actions of the past, and she's not likely to be in the coming campaign. So what. 59 Million Americans have demonstrably turned their backs on the MSM, and we have only just begun. Standby dear readers, Froggy will continue to bring you up to speed.

The Great One

Mark Levin on Cavuto. "Neil, can I send a message to Tom Daschle? 'BYE'. I think we should reach across the aisle to some of these liberals ... and slap them." This is fun isn't it?

What Was That About the Redskins?

I watched Monday Night Football this week (I advised my readers to do the same). We were treated to a halftime special about the Redskin's curse. This of course was treated lightly, but the message was clearly sent. Even more interesting is that many people, like me, were watching so that we could get a break from the MSM spin cycle on the day before the election. ABC did this as a small gesture to all of us neanderthal conservative football fans saying, "Don't bother voting tomorrow, the Redskin's curse has sealed it."

This was followed by the bogus exit polling that sent our friends over at the Corner into a girlish and pathetic tizzy fit and panic. Rich Lowry and the folks at NR should be ashamed of themselves for being hoodwinked and going limp at the moment of truth. Many bloggers flinched in the face of adversity yesterday, although I am not going to name names, you know who you are. The Rock for the past months, days, and hours was clearly Hugh Hewitt in the blogosphere and especially on the radio. Some of my readers might have heard Hugh and I discuss this topic last night on his show (I got some emails). The lesson learned is the same thing that the nutjob lefties chanted in the sixties between bong hits and penicillin shots, "Question Authority." That is something that all SEALs automatically do in every situation. Whenever you are told it can't be done, believe me, it can.

Some people say that you shouldn't "kick a man when he's down". And I agree if we're talking about an actual person (mostly). But we need to stomp the terrorists, the MSM, and the liberals left in office mercilessly until they surrender or die. Forget about bipartisanship, let's flatten Fallujah, pack the courts, and let the left know in no uncertain terms that they either have to move right or move to Europe.

Let's bask in the glory of this historic and wonderful election, but don't let the left spin this any other way except total, complete, abject, and unmitigated repudiation.

"It's a Slam Dunk, Mr. President"

Let us not allow the MSM to spin Kerry into a gracious loser, he is just a loser. The indominable laws of Mathematics have caused Kerry to concede, not some new found sense of decency or decorum. He got his A$$ handed to him. The margin in PA is closer than Ohio. NV, NM, and Iowa are in the bag and they just can't let go. Dashle is gone. Standby for the President to PACK the federal judiciary with conservatives to include the Supreme Court. Good morning, Chief Justice Scalia! Bye, Bye Falluja. You are going to pay the man now. Fear in Falluja amongst the terrorists has got to be feverish. Watch for great economic news in the coming months. Oil prices will go down. The stock market will go up. Employment numbers are going to sharply rise. BTW if you are considering refinancing your home, do it before Thanksgiving. This post has no subject, except to offer a glimpse of good things to come. Enjoy your victory, America.

WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First, let's thank God for this victory. From the bottom of my heart I want to thank you, the readers of Froggy Ruminations for carrying out your orders and destroying the target with no casualties. We prevented a traitorous, squishy liberal from taking our country down a very dangerous road. We also fought off attack after attack on our President by the Main Stream Media. These victories are extremely important, and they give us the opportunity to shape the information delivery apparatus in America. We have work to do, so let's do it.

Update: Just saw a Marine in Fallujah say that taking the President away from them would be like taking out the star Quarterback before the big game. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Worried? Don't Be

The MSM and Kerry campaign operatives are pulling out all the stops with an assist from media whore and egomaniac Matt Drudge. Exit polls from unknown source = spin. If you haven't voted yet, WTF? If you have voted, check this out (quicktime required) Buck up little campers! Take off your panties and put your a$$ kickin' boots on and get out to the polls. Call your friends and relatives in swing states and make sure they voted for the President. DO IT NOW, MOVE!

VOTE NOW!!!

If you are reading this post and you have not voted for the President yet, YOU ARE WRONG! Turn off your computer and get your A$$ down to your polling place NOW! That is all. Froggy OUT.

Froggy's Internet Election Update Kit

Megapundit' Unofficial Results page
Electoral College Calculator
2004 Poll Closing times

John Kerry: Al Qaeda Recruiter

Liberals love to run their mouths off about how President Bush by his aggressive stance against terrorism and his avid defense of the Homeland by pre-emptive action in Iraq has increased AQ's recruiting effort. This might have been true early on in the GWOT, but not now. The President has been slaughtering AQ and their minions worldwide for three years at an astonishing pace. The fact that UBL has no other card to play, but some cheesy video threat only 3 years out from 9/11 says this more clearly than anything. Without question Iraq has become the center of the terrorist universe. While liberals whine and bitch about this, it is the single most important factor explaining why the Homeland has not been attacked since 9/11.

Liberals have never understood the concept of human dynamism. They think that if they raise taxes that government revenues will increase, but this is not true. People react to those changes by adapting and making different economic choices to minimize the effect of the tax increase. In the same way, having access to US troops in the region where the majority of terrorists reside makes it more likely that they will simply go to Iraq to act out their jihadi fantasies. This is a tailor-made situation for US forces in Iraq to effect the continued wholesale slaughter of these filthy animals, and that means fewer psychos trying to come over here. Combine this with the fact that the President has led the charge against AQ that has decimated their leadership by 75%, and you see a picture that recruiting cannot be improving while the real recruiters are in the ground or at Guantanamo.

The fact is that the success of 9/11 itself was the biggest recruiting tool that AQ could ever have. Before that successful attack, the majority of potential jihadis never dreamed that something of that magnitude was possible. Remember the celebrations in the Palestinian territories and other terrorist strongholds after the towers fell? There is another moment coming up that will serve a similar purpose for AQ, and that is the Presidential election. The Iraq insurgency and worldwide terrorism would be greatly encouraged by an electoral defeat by the symbol of their hatred. UBL knows this all too well, and that makes his threats against states that support the President make sense. Nothing would embolden these beleaguered jihadis so much as a John Kerry victory. It would be Spain all over again in there eyes and even more so because "the weak and frightened Americans dumped Bush without a drop of blood spilled in the Homeland".

It really doesn't matter if Kerry turned out to be equally or even more aggressive in the GWOT than the President. Besides the fact that he won't be, he will immediately face an enemy that sees itself (correctly) as on a winning streak and with momentum in their favor. Re-energized with this spirit of victory, they would likely redouble their efforts to hit the Homeland again, but with WMD this time around. Facing a less intense warrior in the Oval office, this combination is potentially disasterous for the United States. By the way, New York, California and other "blue states", UBL will hit you if he can no matter who you vote for.

My Advice: Watch the Miami-NY Jets Game

Watch the game. Stay away from the MSM tonite. Vote early tomorrow. Some more interesting reading. If you can, take the day off work, go to GOP HQ and make phone calls. If you can't, pray for the President. Do that no matter what. Wanna feel better about tomorrow? Read this blog as much as you can. Now watch the damn game! Froggy OUT.

This Comes as No Surprise

The fact that no one has pursued this story until now is disappointing, but not surprising. Of course Kerry got an other than honorable discharge; how could he get anything else? Read it and pass it on.

Usama's Bomb the Vote Campaign

Preston over at Six Meat Buffet reveals more about the actual contents in the UBL election commercial. The bottom line is that he is threatening states that vote Bush, and absolving Kerry states. A more blatant endorsement of John Kerry could hardly be made. Let's stand together as Americans shoulder to shoulder, Republican and Democrat, Black and White, Man and Woman and let's all raise our middle fingers to the East in a corporate salute. Let's tell our enemies what we have been told by John Kerry for the past six months...BRING...IT...ON!!!!