Mega-Kudos to Team USA!

After years of being "close" in the Winter Olympics, the Americans have been exceeding all expectations at this year's games in Vancouver. They currently lead the medal count with 18 so far (with 9 days left), and are 7 medals ahead of the number 2 nation, Germany.

This is a leapfrog over the performance in Torino 4 years ago, where the Americans finished 2nd behind Germany (29-25 overall). The United States Olympic team has placed better emphasis in Winter Games in recent decades, and the efforts are showing. Just to give you an idea...

Lake Placid, 1980: 12 medals (3rd place, but 10 medals away from 2nd place USSR, and 11 less than East Germany)
Sarajevo, 1984: 8 medals (tied for 5th place, winner was the USSR with 25 medals)
Calgary, 1988: 6 medals (tied for 6th place, winner was USSR with 28 medals)
Albertville, 1992: 11 medals (6th place, winner was Germany with 26 medals)
Lillehammer, 1994: 13 medals (tied for 5th place, winner was Norway with 26 medals)
Nagano, 1998: 13 medals (6th place, winner was Germany with 29 medals)
Salt Lake City, 2002: 34 medals (2nd place, winner was Germany with 36 medals)
Torino, 2006: 25 medals (2nd place, winner was Germany with 29 medals)

America has only won the overall medal count in the Winter Olympics once, at the 1932 games in Lake Placid. It's nice to see our athletes perform so well on an international stage in a venue that they haven't always been so successful.

On a related note, the Russian team, who predicted they would win 40 medals (including 9 golds), are currently well back with 4 total medals, and only 1 gold.

Go Team USA!!!

Stupid Idea...No Matter How You Slice It

You know, if Barack Obama wins this election, it will be in spite of himself and his campaign.

All partisanship aside, it's pretty easy to see that Obama and/or his campaign leaders have committed some gaffes, mishandled questions and attacks, and have bungled other affairs.

There's already questions about his patriotism, they haven't exactly handled the Ayers/Rezko/Wright associations well, he's now being touted a socialist, he made the "57 states" comment, Biden can't keep his mouth shut, the whole overly-Hollywood presentation at his acceptance speech, and he was blasted earlier for not placing his hand over his heart during the National Anthem.

The latest gaffe...at a rally in New Hampshire, the Obama campaign scrapped the idea of having the National Anthem sung before the event. The reason? According to the article...

Not present, or at least not singing the National Anthem at the rally was Londonderry senior Zach Bencal.

Bencal, who sings the anthem for a number of school events and is actively involved in local community theatre, had been contacted by the Obama campaign to sing the anthem. He agreed to do so, then was told later in the evening the anthem had been scratched from the program. Bencal said he was told by the campaign the decision was a simple programming change to make room for another speaker."I guess it just wasn't meant to be," Bencal said.

Morons...don't these people, who are supposed to know how to create an image that the American people find appealing, know that you just don't do that! It sends a bad message, especially when the press picks these things up. It feeds upon the image that Obama is anti-American.

While I have dozens of reservations about Obama as a President, I've never questioned whether or not he loves his country. However, I do think that Obama and his campaign have shown a serious lack of judgment here, and those who do have reservations regarding Obama's patriotism have just been fed more doubts.

Now, this does feed my perception that Obama lacks good judgment, though...

Sedition in Olympia, Washington

It's one thing to protest the war, it's another thing to stop military shipments from reaching our troops in Iraq so they can be well-equipped to defend themselves and survive in harsh conditions! So much for these anti-war protestors claiming to be "for the troops", they won't even allow the troops to get the equipment they need!!! Blocking convoys, pouring cement over railroad tracks, doing everything they can from stopping these shipments from heading to our troops...and the police are doing NOTHING!

This is beyond protesting, this could be very easily considered to be treason...and the cops are letting these people go without charges!?!?

THESE PROTESTORS ARE PUTTING AMERICAN LIVES EVEN MORE AT RISK! Yet, the liberal media and blogosphere PRAISE these people as being heroes and patriots???

I have my issues with the what's going on in Iraq, but for the love of God...the troops in Iraq have done nothing to have these sniveling little opportunists cut off their supply line!

Michelle Malkin reports on this treasonous activity.

Last Words for Election Eve...

I do a lot of promotion for conservative causes, mainly economically and sensibly conservative causes. However, despite the blustering, the mudslinging, the truths, the lies, the punditry, and the pageantry...I just hope that all of you in Virginia (and in any other state that has elections tomorrow) do one thing at some point during the day tomorrow.

Go out and vote. I truly believe it is your civic duty to do so. It is also your choice to refrain from doing so...and that's your prerogative. However, this country is a great one. The biggest reason why is because people have died defending your right to pull the lever or fill in the appropriate circle. Others have died simply trying to provide that right for people in foreign lands.

Those of you who vote, wear that "I Voted" sticker proudly tomorrow. Encourage others to do the same.

Now I Understand Why G.I. Joe Will Be De-Americanized...

Apparently, George Clooney is in talks to star in this movie. I seriously doubt a single soul who knows anything about G.I. Joe will buy into his pacifist persona as G.I. Joe. Don't get me wrong, Clooney is a great actor...but no, this is one product I can't buy.

This is the plot outline from IMDb...

"A European-based military unit known as Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity (G.I.J.O.E.), a hi-tech, international force of special operatives takes on an evil organization led by a notorious arms dealer."

European-based??? G.I. Joe is a Real American Hero...a U.S. Marine! There are certain symbols you shouldn't tamper with, and the proud depiction of a U.S. Marine fighting for freedom and democracy against terrorists is not one of them. Talk about degrading the American armed forces for a generation of kids in our country...

Have Symbols of America Been Reduced to This?

They're turning G.I. Joe from a "Real American Hero" to a UN Peacekeeping Officer for next year's live-action adaptation of G.I. Joe.

You've GOT to be freaking kidding me. They name claim that G.I. Joe stands for "Global Integrated Joint Operation Entity". WTF is THAT supposed to mean? It definitely does not mean "Real American Hero".

Lest we forget, the whole G.I. Joe character, story, phenomenon...it's all based upon a real-life U.S. Marine from World War II, Sgt. Mitchell Paige. Paige was a recipient of the Medal of Honor...he single-handedly held off a Japanese assault on the hill his platoon was defending after every other man in his platoon was killed.

It's Mitchell Paige's face that is the face of the G.I. Joe action figure. His only request when he allowed them to use his face was that G.I. Joe ALWAYS remain a United States Marine. Now they want to paint him as some kind of United Nations lackey!?!?!?

When I was a kid, I had a G.I. Joe lunchbox...and they definitely were not wearing UN colors.

Oh, that means that he cannot shoot at the Cobra Commander unless Cobra shoots at him first. Hasbro is attempting to backtrack and say "oh, that's not what we're really trying to do with G.I. Joe". However, I highly doubt that.

Here's a transcript from Glenn Beck's satire and discussion of this.

First they make Captain America look weak and then kill him off, now G.I. Joe has to answer to someone other than America...how much longer can we sit back and watch these characters, which were once icons of patriotism and American pride for generations of children, be turned into symbols of weakness and subservience to international bureaucratic organizations that have been miserable failures and whose existence has a tendency to usurp the sovereignty of our nation?

Many of you, mostly liberals, will think I'm making too big of a deal of this. However, this definitely symbolizes something bigger than just the change in a storyline for a fictional character. It's a change in the attitude towards how our country is portrayed to children.

(h/t Podium contributor Paul Cave for passing this along to me)

The Real Larry Sabato: His Heart is in the Right Place...

...but his head...well, I'm not so sure.

In his most recent "Crystal Ball" article, he outlines his idea of "Universal National Service" for all citizens between 18 and 26. This is one of his 23 ideas for a more perfect constitution, which goes along with his proposed "Bill of Responsibilities" to go with the Bill of Rights.

Sabato's "UNS" is drawn mostly from the energy that comes from youth, and born out of John F. Kennedy's famous phrase, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

While that is a great phrase to live by, and certainly an inspiring quote, Sabato takes this one step further. Basically, it makes 2 years of service (which can be done at any time) mandatory. This service is not just military, though. Sabato proposes that service can include time with the Peace Corps, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and suggest we create new programs. His examples include a revived Civilian Conservation Corps and a "National Disaster Strike Force" to accompany FEMA to assist with recovery after incidents such as Hurricane Katrina.

I can really see the positive aspects of this, but...

Despite Sabato's claims that this idea is "less about governmental authority, and more about a renewal of personal citizenship through sustained individual commitment to improving the nation", the problem is that you do create an incredible amount of governmental authority in an area that should not have any governmental authority at all.

Nobody should be "forced" to volunteer their time and services to help others unless absolutely necessary. It should be recommended, encouraged, but not made mandatory as a requirement of citizenship. First of all, it takes away the genuine feeling of "I'm doing some good" and replaces it with the feeling of "Uncle Sam is making me do this".

I feel that if you're going to do public service such as this, one should make a choice in the matter. That's part of what makes our nation so great, the freedom to choose. Another thing that makes our nation so great is the voluntary goodwill of it's citizens to help those around them. How can something be considered to be " done out of your own goodwill towards others" if it is mandatory?

We eliminated the military draft so people had the right to choose whether or not they wanted to serve their country. Now, we're essentially removing that right to choose. When you start making such mandates, you run into very dangerous territory in terms of how the government chooses to use (or abuse) this service.

I understand that Sabato is trying to capture the energy of our college-aged citizens and turn it into positive actions. I also understand that he endorses such a program because it is good for everyone to do something for the greater good of their fellow citizens. However, despite how good it is...I'm not sure if that's something that needs to be government mandated.

Do We Need Another 9/11???

Stu Bykofsky of the Philadelphia Daily News believes we need another 9/11 to heal the wounds of divisive politics. Another terrorist attack, in his opinion, would at least bring some unity to our country. He opens his article with this...

"ONE MONTH from The Anniversary, I'm thinking another 9/11 would help America.

What kind of a sick bastard would write such a thing?

A bastard so sick of how splintered we are politically - thanks mainly to our ineptitude in Iraq - that we have forgotten who the enemy is.

It is not Bush and it is not Hillary and it is not Daily Kos or Bill O'Reilly or Giuliani or Barack. It is global terrorists who use Islam to justify their hideous sins, including blowing up women and children."

However, Bykofsky's next statement says a lot about America...

"Iraq has fractured the U.S. into jigsaw pieces of competing interests that encourage our enemies. We are deeply divided and division is weakness.

Most Americans today believe Iraq was a mistake. Why?

Not because Americans are "anti-war."
Americans have turned their backs because the war has dragged on too long and we don't have the patience for a long slog. We've been in Iraq for four years, but to some it seems like a century. In contrast, Britain just pulled its soldiers out of Northern Ireland where they had been, often being shot at, almost 40 years.

That's not the American way.

In Iraq, we don't believe our military is being beaten on the battleground. It's more that there is no formal "battleground." There is the drip of daily casualties and victory is not around the corner. Americans are impatient. We like fast food and fast war.

Americans loved the 1991 Gulf War. It raged for just 100 hours when George H.W. Bush ended it with a declaration of victory. He sent a half-million troops into harm's way and we suffered fewer than 300 deaths.

America likes wars shorter than the World Series."

I will agree with this to the extent that our society is very oriented towards instant gratification. Of course, it wasn't long before we won the actual Iraq War. What we're dealing with now is a long, drawn out occupation.

Bykofsky makes another point about what's gone wrong since 9/11...

"Because we have mislaid 9/11, we have endless sideshow squabbles about whether the surge is working, if we are "safer" now, whether the FBI should listen in on foreign phone calls, whether cops should detain odd-acting "flying imams," whether those plotting alleged attacks on Fort Dix or Kennedy airport are serious threats or amateur bumblers. We bicker over the trees while the forest is ablaze. "

However, I do think that his final comments below, while true, are a bit reckless and almost seems to be asking for another 9/11...which, honestly, it would be the last thing anyone wants.

"America's fabric is pulling apart like a cheap sweater.

What would sew us back together?

Another 9/11 attack.

The Golden Gate Bridge. Mount Rushmore. Chicago's Wrigley Field. The Philadelphia subway system. The U.S. is a target-rich environment for al Qaeda.

Is there any doubt they are planning to hit us again?

If it is to be, then let it be. It will take another attack on the homeland to quell the chattering of chipmunks and to restore America's righteous rage and singular purpose to prevail.

The unity brought by such an attack sadly won't last forever.

The first 9/11 proved that."

I don't know about the rest of you, but I think we should focus on the singular task of PREVENTING these types of attacks from happening, instead of waiting for another one attack (and who knows how many deaths) to create that focus?

I see his point, I really do...I just think that wanting another 9/11-type of attack to reunite the nation is not the line of thinking we need to have as a society. However, I do agree that our society is too geared towards instant gratification when it comes to these matters, and that we need to focus on the big picture and the important things first.

(h/t Michelle Malkin)

Beauchamp Recants

Pvt. Scott Thomas Beauchamp has come under a lot of criticism for an article he wrote for The New Republic.

From the Weekly Standard blog...(h/t Michelle Malkin for the link)

"THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned from a military source close to the investigation that Pvt. Scott Thomas Beauchamp--author of the much-disputed 'Shock Troops' article in the New Republic's July 23 issue as well as two previous "Baghdad Diarist" columns--signed a sworn statement admitting that all three articles he published in the New Republic were exaggerations and falsehoods--fabrications containing only 'a smidgen of truth,' in the words of our source.

Separately, we received this statement from Major Steven F. Lamb, the deputy Public Affairs Officer for Multi National Division-Baghdad:

An investigation has been completed and the allegations made by PVT
Beauchamp were found to be false. His platoon and company were interviewed and
no one could substantiate the claims.

According to the military source, Beauchamp's recantation was volunteered on the first day of the military's investigation. So as Beauchamp was in Iraq signing an affidavit denying the truth of his stories, the New Republic was publishing a statement from him on its website on July 26, in which Beauchamp said, 'I'm willing to stand by the entirety of my articles for the New Republic using my real name.'"

What a hypocrite, and a traitor to his own country. He recants these serious allegations after once standing proud behind his words that have been used as proof of how evil our military is. To all of the liberals that used this man's false words as a pedestal to stand upon and denounce our military, stand up and say "hey, this guy was wrong and he lied" as well.

If you didn't know, Beauchamp was the "Baghdad Diarist" who wrote under the pen name "Scott Thomas", and wrote several anti-war, anti-military, and anti-conservative blogs stating "facts" that have now turned out to be blatantly false. Of course, part of the reason why he was hired was because he was married to a staffer at The New Republic.

Some of the "facts" Beauchamp stated were that soldiers mocked disfigured women, ran over dogs with military vehicles for fun, and played with the skulls of dead Iraqi children...among others.

Now, I wonder how many other of these "writers" that have said such things will turn out to be liars, as well?

An Interesting Parallel of Propaganda

Courtesy of Ion Mihai Pacepa at OpinionJournal.com.

Pacepa is a former intelligence agent from Romania who used to work with the KGB in West Germany as part of the Soviet bloc's spy games against the West (and yes, we played those spy games, too). Pacepa is actually the highest ranking intelligence officer to ever defect from a Warsaw Pact nation.

Pacepa believes that the liberal left's propaganda machine is very similar in tact to the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc's anti-American propaganda tactics.

The ending of the column says it all...

"On July 28, I celebrated 29 years since President Carter signed off on my request for political asylum, and I am still tremendously proud that the leader of the Free World granted me my freedom. During these years I have lived here under five presidents--some better than others--but I have always felt that I was living in paradise. My American citizenship has given me a feeling of pride, hope and security that is surpassed only by the joy of simply being alive. There are millions of other immigrants who are equally proud that they restarted their lives from scratch in order to be in this magnanimous country. I appeal to them to help keep our beloved America united and honorable. We may not be able to change the habits of our current political representatives, but we may be able to introduce healthy new blood into the U.S. Congress.

For once, the communists got it right. It is America's leader that counts. Let's return to the traditions of presidents who accepted nothing short of unconditional surrender from our deadly enemies. Let's vote next year for people who believe in America's future, not for the ones who live in the Cold War past."

Very, very true.

(h/t to one of The Podium's sources of interesting news and opinion, Paul Cave)

YearlyKos: Opposition Will Be Silenced!

Further proof that orange is the new red...

From The American Prospect, which describes itself as "Liberal Intelligence"...

"As the Military and Progressives panel came to an end, a young man in uniform stood up to argue that the surge was working, and cutting down on Iraqi casualties. The moderator largely freaked out. When other members of the panel tried to answer his question, he demanded they "stand down." He demanded the questioner give his name, the name of his commander, and the name of his unit. And then he closed the panel, no answer offered or allowed, and stalked off the stage,

Wes Clark took the mic and tried to explain what had just occurred: The argument appears to be that you're not allowed to participate in politics while wearing a uniform, or at least that you shouldn't, and that the questioner was engaging in a sort of moral blackmail, not to mention a violation of the rules, by doing so. Knowing fairly little about the army, I can't speak to any of that. But it was an uncomfortable few moments, and seemed fairly contrary to the spirit of the panel to roar down the member of the military who tried to speak with a contrary voice."

Shout down those with opposing voices, that's real "open and honest" discourse.

A lot of mixed reactions at the site the above was posted, too. One reply from someone named Jon Burack summed it up well...

"If you want to know why most people roll their eyes when the Left says it does too support the troops this is the place to start. The Left's love affair with generals who criticize President Bush has been palpable in recent years. But just let a grunt in a uniform speak up in favor of the President's policies and, holy cow, run for the hills because fascist militarism is on the march. What a bunch of Harper Valley Hypocrites."

Well said, in my opinion. It's moments like these where any credibility to the claim of "we're liberals, we're against this whole war, and we're true patriots!" wanes considerably.

Video of the incident at Little Green Footballs.

As for the rule of the soldier not being able to speak in uniform, or even attend such a conference in uniform...this is actually true. However, this is the type of question/comment that this panel that had been assembled was supposed to address. Instead, this soldier was the only one who brought up an opposing view, and when the panel did their job and attempted to address the issue, the moderator freaks out and shouts him down instead.

As many people speculate, if that same uniformed soldier had spoken out against the war, he would have been cheered, saluted, and held up as "the true voice of the American soldier." I would be inclined to agree with this.

Sheehan Rally in C-Ville

The anti-war left is screaming about the success of Cindy Sheehan's "Impeach 'em all" rally. The anti-Sheehan crowd is crowing about the success of their "counter-rally".

My question is this...how successful can you gauge Sheehan's rally when it was a "few hundred people" in a town that has a sizable liberal population? Want to have a successful rally...draw over 1,000 people to see Hugo Chavez's best friend in a more conservative place, then I would call it a "huge success".

Otherwise, I'm inclined to believe it was just the same bunch of people that would've shown up no matter WHO it was that was demonstrating against the war.

John Doe Amendment Killed

Good news, it garnered 57 votes in the Senate. Bad news, the amendment needed 60 votes to pass due to it's non-germaneness to the education bill it was attached to.

Of course, they had to attach it to an education bill because the amendment did not pass in the House as part of new Homeland Security legislation.

All 39 votes against the bill were by Democrats, including Jim Webb. 8 Democrats (including Hillary Clinton) and Joe Lieberman voted in favor of the amendment. So call Sen. Webb's office and thank him for denying you protection should you report suspicious activity that might be related to terrorist activities.

However, this is not over. Keep calling your Senators (Virginians, especially Jim Webb, as John Warner is on board with this), there is a final conference report that needs to be worked out, so this amendment could very well be revived.
Image courtesy of michellemalkin.com.

Enjoy the 4th!

I'll will most likely take the rest of the day and tomorrow off (unless something big happens). I know it seems like I took the previous 2 weeks off, but it was not a vacation (it's due to a promotion at work, and the subsequent training, so kudos to me). I'll be spending the best portion of tomorrow taking in the festivities with my family in New Market. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday.

230 Years of Glory, Beauty, and Honor

Today is Flag Day. In honor of the most glorious symbol of freedom and liberty, here's a short retrospective of "Old Glory"

The Grand Union flag flown on Prospect Hill. January 1, 1776

The "Betsy Ross" flag, adopted by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777


20 star flag, right after the Louisiana Purchase, 1818.

The U.S. Flag at the turn of the 20th century, 45 stars

The current 50-star flag.

Should we ever have a 51st state added to the Union, this is the proposed flag.

Happy Birthday, Old Glory.

A View of America

I've heard many people, mostly on the left, that state that blind patriotism and love for your country is apparently only for morons. Some even say that true patriotism is to exercise your right to question the government and the direction of the country. I know I certainly exercise those rights, that's a large part of why I have this blog.

However, why is it that some people refuse to have any kind of a moment where they simply stand up and say "I love America! It's the greatest country in the world!"

My mother has told me that when she came to this country (which was in 1971, during the Vietnam war), she was amazed that the straight-up, unconditional love American citizens had for their country. Now, she says, unconditional love for our nation is at an all-time low, and it wasn't even this bad during the tumultuous decade of the 1970's.

I'm inclined to agree. To have an unconditional love for America, flaws and all, is something that many people look down upon as being ignorant, or simply out-dated. Some believe that there is no place in modern America for this kind of old-fashioned patriotism.

"Why not?", I ask.

I don't subscribe to the theory the common, everyday liberal hates America. They simply have a different view of it. I do believe that there are some who hate America as she has been and as she is now, and think that rapid changes need to be made to our society...namely, adding in socialist ideologies. There are many instances that liberal ideology can be helpful in guiding America down the right path.

However, other than during the Great Depression, when has the federal government really had (or needed to have) a consistently heavy hand in our day-to-day lives? The answer is really, never. Most recessions and economic downturns have been short-lived, due to the strength of the American economy, not due to large increases in government influence in industry, commerce, and society.

Yes, our nation has it's flaws. Yes, we're not completely rid of racism, religious bigotry, homophobia, and sexism. However, one of the glorious aspects of this nation is the fact that our government is designed to allow the average citizen to live their lives without consistent governmental interference. To change that will change the entire definition of American society.

I still take pride in the fact that I am an American. I am a citizen of the United States of America, and I LOVE it. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the world. I do take offense when other nations attack and denigrate the country that allows me to live as free a life as possible in this world. I truly believe that in this country, we are allowed life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...we might not all get that happiness, but at least we have the opportunity to pursue it.

I support our military, and the need for a strong military to defend our shores and to stop tyrants from encroaching on the established freedom of others. I believe in lower taxes, smaller government, American-style capitalism, and a certain moral standard about our society. I also believe that prejudice against religions, races, sexual orientations, and gender is wrong, but as a nation, we have always moved forward in eliminating those prejudices from our land.

In the end, though, I believe that our nation, in a general sense, does the right thing most of the time. Sometimes we stumble, sometimes we aren't fully prepared, sometimes we have to admit that we messed something up, and once in a long while...we're wrong about something. However, most of the time, we are usually right.

Now I ask you, what's wrong with that?

An Expression of Freedom and Patriotism

Many of you have heard about Freedom Rock in Iowa, and the artist that paints the rock every year for Memorial Day. Ray "Bubba" Sorensen has been doing this since 1999, and every year his work continues to capture the spirit of American patriotism and the respect we hold for those who gave their lives fighting and defending freedom.

Whether you are for war or against it, you have to have respect and admiration for the men and women of our military.


This is one picture from last year's rock...

And from the 2005 rock...

See more pictures of the rock, from 1999 to 2006 here.