A reader wrote in yesterday wondering if we were going to post on Cindy Sheehan. I agree with him that this is an “incredibly rich topic,” so thought I would share a few thoughts.
As least as far back as the Greeks, people noted the particular sadness of the death of a child. In the Fifth Century before the Common Era, the historian Herodotus wrote, “In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons.” I cannot imagine the grief that Ms. Sheehan and thousands of other parents have experienced at the loss of their son or daughter in Iraq or Afghanistan. Just as many parents grieved on September 11, 2001, when their children’s lives were cut short. While some of those parents oppose the war, many continue to support the president even after the loss of their child.
Most of the parents bear their grief in private. Ms. Sheehan has made a public spectacle of herself. As EMT 907 noted last week on his blog, she changed her story about her meeting with the president. Even though she did not support the president’s policies in Iraq, she initially described her meeting with the president in positive terms. Right after the meeting, she said, I now know he’s sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis . . . . I know he’s sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he’s a man of faith.” But, last week (more than a year after the meeting), she claimed on CNN that Mr. Bush treated the meeting “like a party.”
She now thinks that if it were not for the Internet, “we would already be a fascist state.” I can’t think of a single fascist state which allows its citizens to protest so vociferously so close to the chief executive’s summer retreat while that very state does not prevent the media from reporting such protests.
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Malkin Update on 9/11 Fund Scandal by NJ Democrats
As a follow-up to my posting on this subject a few days ago, NJ Democrats Manipulated Post-9/11 Security, Michelle Malkin has an awesome column about the Democrats’ 9/11 Slush Fund.
For the past four years, Democrats have ceaselessly attacked Republicans for “exploiting” the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
When President Bush showed his support for rescue workers at Ground Zero, Democrats cried “exploitation!”
When the Bush administration launched a long-overdue global war on terror, Democrats cried “exploitation!”
When Bush signed the Patriot Act, Democrats cried “exploitation!”
When Republicans held their national convention in New York City last year, Democrats cried “exploitation!”
And when Karl Rove gave a speech to New York conservatives pointing out the Democrats’ passive counterterror strategy, Democrats cried “exploitation!”
But when an investigative reporter exposes Democrats raiding federal homeland security grants and turning 9/11 money into a party slush fund, where, oh where, are all the indignant liberal watchdogs to protest such clear and unconscionable political exploitation?
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com
MSM & Iraq–not telling us about the real war
Just a few weeks ago, I blogged on media bias and noted that reporter Mark Yost was taken to task for reporting that the MSM “ignores positive changes” in Iraq. Well, it’s not only positive changes, they’re ignoring. The MSM is by and large failing to report a major offensive by U.S. & Iraqi forces. Over at Powerline, Paul wonders:
Have you ever read a history of war that focused almost entirely on casualty figures (with an occasional torture story and grieving parent thrown in), to the exclusion of any real discussion of tactics, operations, and actual battles? I haven’t. But that’s what our self-proclaimed “rough drafters” of history are serving up with respect to Iraq.
No wonder more and more people are turning to blogs to get information. Powerline links to Belmont Club which reports on the offensive here.
Torturing them with Harry Potter
I wonder if Osama bin Laden (and other radical Islamicists) would approve that a fictional young wizard has “bewitched” some of his followers detained at Guantanamo Bay. A librarian there told Reuters that “Harry Potter is a popular title among some of the detainee population.” While the reporter, a Carolyn Drees, does note the camp is for “foreign terrorism suspects,” she points out that the prison “which has come under fierce attack by human rights groups for its treatment and indefinite detention of prisoners.” She doesn’t mention that recent reports have dismissed the most serious allegations leveled against the camp.
Although the subject of the article is how much the terrorist detainees enjoy Harry Potter (as well as other books), Ms. Drees seems to dwell on the allegations of torture, concluding by noting that some critics want to shut the place down. (She neither names the critics nor the human rights groups which have “assailed” the U.S. for its policies there.) While she reports that 242 detainees have been released, she neglects to say that some of those have traveled to Afghanistan to take up arms against the government there and its American allies.
While Ms. Drees may be dredging up these charges in an attempt to attack the U.S., her article ends up proving that this detention facility is hardly the terrible place described by many Administration critics. That our military provides the suspected terrorists a library which stocks Harry Potter in four languages as well as “12 different Agatha Christie titles in Arabic“–and even the 1001 Nights–is a sign that we recognize the prisoners’ humanity. The article even notes a prisoner has requested the Harry Potter movies. They can request movies? But, I thought Guantanamo was a torture chamber.
-Dan (AKA GayPatriotWest): GayPatriotWest@aol.com
(Please note that this post also appears on GOP Vixen (under a literary alias) where Bridget has invited me to blog from time to time.)
President gives Bolton recess appointment
Under his powers under Article 2, ?2, ?3 of the Constitution, the president granted a “recess appointment” to John Bolton as Ambassador to the United Nations. We’re already hearing gripes from the usual suspects but even as he expresses some reservations about the appointment, Ohio Republican Senator George Voinovich, whose late opposition to Bolton’s nomination likely prevented that good man’s confirmation said he “will do everything in [his] power to support Mr. Bolton as he takes this new position.” This blogger for one thinks the president did the right thing as Democrats prevented the Senate from voting to confirm Mr. Bolton–although a majority of Senators favor his confirmation.
As terrorists attack Egypt and the United Kingdom and as the U.N. faces it own crises, we need a strong voice there, a man who the confidence of the president and of Secretary of State Rice. John Bolton is such a man and will serve our nation well.
Way to go, Mr. President.
UPDATE: Other bloggers weigh in on Bolton:
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Log Cabin GOP Denounces Hanging of Gay Teens in Iran
Just saw this statement from Patrick Guerriero, head of Log Cabin Republicans:
July 26, 2005
Log Cabin Republicans Denounce Execution of Gay Youth by Iran
International Community Should Denounce Iranian Regime
(Washington, DC)? In the wake of news stories and photographs documenting the hanging of two gay Iranian teenagers, Log Cabin Republicans re-affirm their commitment to the global war on terror. ?Like any decent human being, I am shocked and outraged by the execution of two young gay men by Iranian government officials,? said Log Cabin Republicans President Patrick Guerriero. ?This barbarous slaughter clearly demonstrates the stakes in the global war on terror. Freedom must prevail over radical Islamic extremism.?
Log Cabin Republicans call on the United States government, as well as the broader international community, including the United Nations, to publicly condemn these atrocities. There is a special obligation for those countries with continued economic ties to the Iranian regime to speak out. ?The international community should be outraged, and those countries that continue supporting the Iranian regime have a special obligation to condemn this deplorable act,? concluded Guerriero.
My original posting on the Iranian story, plus the threats by Islamic terrorists to UK gay leaders, is here.
I am still waiting to see if the White House or Department of State issues any formal statement on the matter. Stay tuned…… I’m doing some digging on this….
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com
If Iraq is the cause, why are terrorists bombing Egypt
In his post on Thursday, Bruce noted how Australian Prime Minister John Howard replied to a reporter’s suggestion the war in Iraq had “*increased* the threat of terrorism.” That good man from Down Under reminded the reporter that there had been terrorist attacks before the U.S. military liberated Iraq.
In a post yesterday, Captain Ed noted that Al-Qaeda’s attack in the Egyptian resort of Sharm-el-Sheikh proves that Iraq is not the cause of terrorism. While that terror organization claimed it had bombed this city a response against “global evil powers which are spilling the blood of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Chechnya,” the good Captain notes that Egypt has not stationed its troops in any of those areas.
The terrorists have attacked before the Iraq war and have since attacked nations not involved in the war. Those who might dismiss terrorist actions as responses to this war have blinded themselves to the reality of the terrorist threat. Let me repeat the words of the Australian Prime Minister, words quoted on this blog just a few days ago:
And indeed, all the evidence, as distinct from the suppositions, suggests to me that this is about hatred of a way of life, this is about the perverted use of principles of the great world religion that, at its root, preaches peace and cooperation. And I think we lose sight of the challenge we have if we allow ourselves to see these attacks in the context of particular circumstances rather than the abuse through a perverted ideology of people and their murder.
The Faces of Islamic Evil
Captured by cameras in London during yesterday’s terror attack….
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com
HRC Responds to GayPatriot Terror Posting
Earlier today, I sent an email to the Human Rights Campaign asking for an official statement on their position on the War on Terror, and specifically on the recent actions in the UK and Iran by Islamists against gay men. (Related story here.)
I received a prompt reply from Matt at HRC (Thanks Matt!) and here it is in full. The letter to Secretary Rice is on the HRC website now here.
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BREAKING NEWS: Another Day of Battle in Terror War in London
Is Al-Qaeda in “full attack mode” on London? I don’t know and today’s incident is too early to make any conclusions.. but there is certainly a lot more post-7/7 terror activity in London than there was post-9/11 activity in the USA.
Suspected suicide bomber shot dead on Tube – Daily Mail
Breaking news at 12.20am: A suspected suicide bomber has been shot dead by police at Stockwell Tube station in south London.
The man was shot five times by police at close range, a passenger on the Northern Line train said.
There were unconfirmed reports that the suspect was one of the attackers involved in yesterday’s incidents.
More on yesterday’s attempted bombings…. they are going after schoolchildren now….
A sense of deja vu, but these bombs were aimed at tourists, shoppers and school children – TimesOnline
But whereas the bombs on July 7 targeted London?s commuters at the height of morning rush hour, killing 56 people, yesterday?s attacks seemed intended for very different victims: the tourists, shoppers and schoolchildren using the transport system at midday.
The lack of mass casualties seemed to be the result of incompetence rather than restraint on the part of the bombers. Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said that there was little doubt the intention ?must have been to kill?.
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com
Gay Leaders in UK Targeted By Islamist Terrorists
UK Gay Leaders Receive Death Threats from Muslim Fundamentalists – 365gay.com
“Gay venues could be bombed by Islamic terrorists,” OutRage said Monday. “All gay bars and clubs should introduce bag and body searches. Muslim fundamentalists have a violent hatred of lesbians and gay men. They believe we should be killed. Our community could be their next target. This is no time for complacency.”
Peter Tatchell, the leader of OutRage; Brett Lock its campaign coordinator; and Aaron Saeed, the organization’s spokesperson on Muslim affairs, have been warned they will be murdered, Tatchell said Monday.
In a statement Tatchell said that they have been told they are on a “hit list” and are going to be “beheaded” and “chopped up”, in accordance with “Islamic law”.
Now wait just a minute…. the Human Rights Campaign and National Gay & Lesbian Task Force have drilled it into my head that the biggest immediate threat to my safety and security is President Bush, Dick Cheney, Rick Santorum and the lack of gay marriage in the USA!!!
You mean they don’t know that the Islamist terrorists are waging war against Western society? Why haven’t they told me that Islamists hate gay people? What is their position on the War on Terror aside from marching with anti-American, anti-Western, anti-war groups like A.N.S.W.E.R.?
Oh… and has HRC and NGLTF heard about the hanging of two Iranian gay men earlier this week? Or are they too consumed with their pro-abortion agenda and opposition of Supreme Court nominee [INSERT NAME HERE]?
Iranian Gay Youths Hanged – GayOrbit
Someone explain to me why the international gay community has, by their silence and opposition to the efforts to combat the War on Terror, joined in partnership with the Islamists in at least the public relations side of the War?
Will it take a Muslim attack on a gay bar to wake up our so-called leaders? Log Cabin Republicans needs to take some leadership here, step up to the plate and publicly discuss the fact that gay people are targets for the Islamist terrorists whose even ‘moderate’ leaders conduct the hanging of gay people.
At least the UK gay group “OutRage” seems to “get it”!
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Aussie PM Howard to British Press — Liberating Iraq didn’t start Islamist terror
I know this is on other blogs (hat tip: The Corner, Instapundit), but since one of the GayPatriot blog’s core missions is to cover the “War on Terror”… I wanted to post it here as well.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard (in London as the latest terror attack occurred) responding to a reporter’s suggestion that the War in Iraq has *increased* the threat of terrorism:
Can I just say very directly, Paul, on the issue of the policies of my government and indeed the policies of the British and American governments on Iraq, that the first point of reference is that once a country allows its foreign policy to be determined by terrorism, it’s given the game away, to use the vernacular.
And no Australian government that I lead will ever have policies determined by terrorism or terrorist threats, and no self-respecting government of any political stripe in Australia would allow that to happen.
Can I remind you that the murder of 88 Australians in Bali took place before the operation in Iraq.
And I remind you that the 11th of September occurred before the operation in Iraq.
Can I also remind you that the very first occasion that bin Laden specifically referred to Australia was in the context of Australia’s involvement in liberating the people of East Timor. Are people by implication suggesting we shouldn’t have done that?
When a group claimed responsibility on the website for the attacks on the 7th of July, they talked about British policy not just in Iraq, but in Afghanistan. Are people suggesting we shouldn’t be in Afghanistan?
When Sergio de Mello was murdered in Iraq — a brave man, a distinguished international diplomat, a person immensely respected for his work in the United Nations — when al Qaeda gloated about that, they referred specifically to the role that de Mello had carried out in East Timor because he was the United Nations administrator in East Timor.
Now I don’t know the mind of the terrorists. By definition, you can’t put yourself in the mind of a successful suicide bomber. I can only look at objective facts, and the objective facts are as I’ve cited. The objective evidence is that Australia was a terrorist target long before the operation in Iraq.
And indeed, all the evidence, as distinct from the suppositions, suggests to me that this is about hatred of a way of life, this is about the perverted use of principles of the great world religion that, at its root, preaches peace and cooperation. And I think we lose sight of the challenge we have if we allow ourselves to see these attacks in the context of particular circumstances rather than the abuse through a perverted ideology of people and their murder.
Maybe I should put my Aussie flag up again????
And check out this: Everything That Came Before the Iraq War – The Anchoress
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com
Liberals Discover Iraqi People!
Dirty Harry has the scoop….. Did You Get The Memo? (link fixed!)
Call me cynical, but I don’t think CNN, the BBC, the liberal media, or any liberal for that matter gives a hearty hi-ho-damn about the Iraqi people. I think they just hate America and find this a convenient way to blame us, give the enemy a little more propaganda, and pretend they care.
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com
Terrorists In Their Midst
Britons in the city of Leeds, north of London, are simply shocked that the terror bombers lived all around them.
Police Raids Shock Neighbors of Alleged Bombers – Washington Post
One friend of Tanweer, Azi Mohammed, told the Guardian newspaper that the two had played cricket only 10 days ago. “The idea that he was involved in terrorism or extremism is ridiculous,” Mohammed told the Guardian. “The idea that he went down to London and exploded a bomb is unbelievable.”
This reminds me of some of the comments of Americans after the 9/11 attacks. They had interacted with the 19 terrorists and had no clue they were in our midst. And then we heard reports that Mohammed Atta and his crew were even heavy drinkers and gamblers during their stay in the Land of the Infidels. (Great Muslims, eh?)
Perhaps the Brits who played soccer with the terrorists forget that they were trained to act “normal” and blend in. That is the idea.
But sure, let’s keep stopping babies and little old ladies at airports instead of focusing on real profiling of a group of people who have consistently committed crimes in the War on Terror.
You decide which makes more sense: They are integrated among us to take lives. We need realistic profiling of them to save lives.
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com
Give Something Back to US Troops — AirMiles
Just found out about this from PatriotPartner. A very nice gesture from American Airlines.
American Airlines is celebrating our nation’s Independence Day by teaming with its AAdvantage members to help members of the U.S. armed forces who have been injured or wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. American will guarantee donation of at least 17,760,000 AAdvantage? miles to Operation Hero Miles, which supports hospitalized service members and their loved ones who have sacrificed to ensure United States freedom and independence. American will match its AAdvantage member donations mile-for-mile until the goal is reached. The donation campaign will continue throughout the summer, concluding on Labor Day, September 5, 2005.
Link is HERE.
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com
Gay London Returning to Normal
I wonder if there will be as many rainbow flags at the next A.N.S.W.E.R. anti-American/anti-democracy protest in London?
Gay London Returning to Normal – 365gay.com
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com
24 Hours Later For A Londoner
(POSTED ABOARD THE DISNEY MAGIC OFF THE COAST OF MEXICO)
As we prepared to leave on a land excursion from the Disney Magic yesterday (Wednesday), the organizer of our event was a young British crew member. He was stuttering and messing up the instructions because he was SO excited that his hometown of London had just been awarded the 2012 Olympics. I’d say he is around 20 years old, has a very young face, and was just so ecstatic over the news that it very enjoyable to watch his glee.
And then came the attacks on London today.
This afternoon we saw him for the first time. He stood at the end of the pool and dove feet first straight in, sunglasses still on his head. The joy was no longer on his face.
I extend my sincere sympathies to our civilian brethren in the United Kingdom, Spain, Bali, Australia, Afghanistan, Iraq….all of whom have been touched by the evil hand of Al-Qaeda.
Freedom and liberty will prevail. But we need to have the perserverance of Winston Churchill to make sure we are on the right side of victory.
For those who live in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, I would encourage you to visit the British Embassy and sign the condolence book and leave red, white and blue flowers. (We did that at the Spanish Embassy after the Madrid bombings last year).
Those of you outside of DC, please visit your local British consulate to pay your respects. Here is a link showing where the consulates are across the USA.
Today is a day of mourning. Tomorrow, World War Three continues whether some care to realize it or not….
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com
UPDATE (from GPW): For a great roundup of Bear Flag League postings on the London bombings, click here.
In wake of terrorist attacks in London, the “contrast couldn’t be clearer”
I woke this morning to get back to work a delightful vacation with the PatriotFamilyWest in Vermont to learn the terrible news of the terrorist attacks in London. Our hearts go out to the innocent British citizens murdered and injured by these fanatical dastards.
This is just another example of what we are up against in our war against Islamicist terrorists who tarnish their ancient religion by attacking unarmed civilians. Just moments ago, I heard the president on Fox. The same words struck me and the editors of the National Review: “The Contrast Couldn’t be Clearer.” (Hearing the president’s words, I did a google search for “contrast couldn’t be clearer” and “Bush.”) Speaking at the G8 summit, the president said:
The contrast between what we’ve seen on the TV screens here, what’s taken place in London and what’s taking place here is incredibly vivid to me. On the one hand, we have people here who are working to alleviate poverty, to help rid the world of the pandemic of AIDS, working on ways to have a clean environment. And on the other hand, you’ve got people killing innocent people. And the contrast couldn’t be clearer between the intentions and the hearts of those of us who care deeply about human rights and human liberty, and those who kill — those who have got such evil in their heart that they will take the lives of innocent folks.
The president is exactly right. These terrorists target innocent civilians. They timed their attack to hit London’s transportation system at rush hour so as to kill the maximum number of civilians.
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US Deaths In Iraq by Ethnicity
Iraq Coalition Casualty Center (Hat tip: The Corner)
But wait, I thought only poor minorities were put at the front lines by the racist Bush Administration?!?! (PatriotPooch is REALLY going to be confused about this one!)
The REAL Torture at Gitmo…continued
You may recall in my post last week regarding the hyper-defensive reaction of Democrats to Karl Rove’s correct assessment about their weakness in the War on Terror (Methinks the Dems Protesteth Too Much – June 24)… that I made the following statement:
You have heard liberals/Democrats talk ad nauseum about their “support for the troops” though the oppose the War on Terror’s Iraq Theatre. Really? Then why are elected Democrats wildly exaggerating the abuses at Abu Grahib and Gitmo which, ironically, are the stories Al-Qaeda encourages its members to use in its own “terrorism handbook….I have sources who have contacts within the military who tell me there are abuses going on at Gitmo. People are being punched, people are having feces thrown on them and being spit at regularly.
No, the victims are not the terrorist prisoners….these abuses are happening TO US Armed Forces personnel. You know, the same ones who handle the Koran with rubber gloves. Why don’t we hear the Democrats actually DEFENDING our military men and women instead of just using the words “support the troops, oppose the war.”? Why aren’t Dems outraged at the torture of American troops in our own facilities?
GP Commenter “Dunner” challenged me on that statement here.
I’d love to hear more about your “torture of US troops at Gitmo” stories too, if they’re backed up by more than third-party hearsay (“sources with contacts in the military,” indeed…I have those too, Bruce, and they’re called “the media”). Leave the journalism to the journalists, Bruce. I thought you learned that lesson at SU…?
Well, the details about the real torture going on at Gitmo are emerging…thanks to those who know the truth — US military personnel who have visited Gitmo.
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