- EverVigilant.net - "The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt." - John Philpot Curran
Merely speaking out in favor of free speech isn't enough. If 9/11 taught us anything, it's that symbolic gestures of support are more important than actually doing something constructive.
So, if you feel like you have to do something to show your solidarity with Danish cartoonists, you may want to visit SupportDenmark.com. You will find some very helpful suggestions, such as, "Buy Danish products, ask your local politicians to support Denmark, create leaflets, wear a pin with the Danish flag or order the SupportDenmark.com stickers."
For my part, I had a danish for breakfast today. All right, it wasn't actually a danish, but it was in the danish family. Well, to tell you the truth, it wasn't even close to a danish. But it was edible and sweet. Okay, it was huevos rancheros.
Hear me out. Initially, when I woke up, I planned on having a danish with a steaming cup of joe. Well, Gevalia coffee, to be exact, which is Swedish. But Sweden is close to Denmark. As the morning wore on, I found myself in the mood for iced coffee, and pastry no longer seemed like the appropriate choice. So, I opted for something a little more spicy.
But I think I have shown my support in other ways. For example, I will occasionally read Marmaduke, a cartoon about a Great Dane. (See the parallel here?) That is to say, I would occasionally read Marmaduke if our local paper carried it. But I do own a Victor Borge CD, and once I even tried a pinch of Copenhagen tobacco. Okay, so it was Skoal, but close enough. (And no, I didn't inhale.)
Wait...Back to the huevos rancheros for a moment. That's a Mexican dish. And one newspaper in Mexico, La Crónica, reprinted at least one of the Muhammad cartoons in question.
Come to think of it, I also had a taco a couple of weeks ago. I guess I was able to show my support after all! I feel much better now.
TheMemoryHole.org has posted recently released pictures of the torture and abuse that occurred at Abu Ghraib. The images were aired on Australian public television. If you have the stomach, you can view them here. (Be warned—the images are graphic.)
The sad thing is that the chicken hawks would still have us believe that these incidents were no worse than a fraternity hazing. Sure, they'll admit that the individual soldiers involved should be punished, but they really see nothing wrong with the behavior. If sacrificing a few pawns in fatigues is what's needed to win the game, then that's the strategy they'll take. (My suspicion is that there are some "patriotic" sickos who actually get a twisted pleasure from seeing pictures like this.)
My question is this: If we have to resort to these tactics—i.e., if we have to become like the terrorists—in order to win, then what makes us different from those we're trying to fight? No one seems to have the answer. Most Americans would rather just say, "God bless our brave and wonderful troops!" and move on with their lives, safe behind their impenetrable shield of ignorance.
Apparently we adults aren't doing enough to keep the nation safe. The government wants to recruit your children. Check out the Dept. of Homeland Security's website for kids:
Be Prepared in Every Situatuion
Are you ready to put your planning skills to good use? Are you ready to help your family get prepared for the unexpected? Your family can use this Web site to create a plan that will help you be ready for many different kinds of unexpected situations!
You're already a great planner! Every day you get your homework done, get to music or sports practice on time, and plan where and when you'll meet up with friends. But how do you get prepared for emergencies?
It's simple! It just takes planning and practice, and these fun activities from Ready Kids can help!
Click on these easy steps, talk to your family, and make a plan and put it in a safe place. When you're all through, you'll be ready to graduate from Readiness U!
The site tells kids that they should be prepared for all sorts of natural disasters as well as...yep, you guessed it...terrorism:
Terrorism is the use of threat or violence to scare governments into changing their policies. A terrorist can be an individual or a member of an organization. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, are examples of acts of terrorism.
The word "terrorism" first appeared in France (terrorisme) in 1795.
Talk to your parents or teachers if you have questions about this type of emergency.
So, does that mean the U.S. is a terrorist nation? Doesn't Washington use threat or violence to scare governments into changing their policies?
Maybe it's time for the government to just leave our kids alone. Life can be confusing enough as it is.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 - When the Bushes and Clintons held hands before 15,000 mourners at Coretta Scott King's funeral on Tuesday, it looked like a prayerful moment in the life of the nation. But as almost anyone watching America's two leading political families knew, underneath the tranquil image was a drama of ambition, rivalry, love and alliance that could shape the 2008 presidential election.
The scene, a riveting tableau in the six-hour celebration of Mrs. King's life and the political power of black America, offered complex layers of interconnecting relationships: father and son, husband and wife, president and former president, adversary turned ally and first lady turned senator turned probable presidential candidate. ...
... "They've got this secret handshake that nobody else knows about," said Representative Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois Democrat who was a top White House adviser to Mr. Clinton. ...
The Bush-Clinton Dynasty: Ruling America for a quarter of a century.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush says Bill Clinton has become so close to his father that the Democratic former president is like a member of the family.
Former President George Bush has worked with Clinton to raise money for victims of the Asian tsunami and the hurricane disaster along the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Asked about his father and Clinton, Bush quipped, "Yes, he and my new brother."
"That's a good relationship. It's a fun relationship to watch," Bush said in an interview with CBS News broadcast on Sunday.
While attending Pope John Paul's funeral, Bush said, "It was fun to see the interplay between dad and Clinton. One of these days, I'll be a member of the ex-president's club. ... I'll be looking for something to do."
The Clintons and the Bushes have always been close. As members of the ruling elite—keep in mind that these two families have controlled the Executive Branch of our government for the last 17 years (25 if you include Bush Senior's stint as VP)—they have much more in common with each other than they do with their respective constituents.
What's funny is that, while their leaders spend quality time together, the rank and file Democrats and Republicans continue to tear at each other's throats. It's almost as if they really believe there's a difference between the two major parties.
Judging from what our government considers to be reliable sources of intelligence, one might think that the term "foreign policy" means policy that is defined by foreigners. Do the names Ahmed Chalabi, Silvio Berlusconi, Jumana Michael Hanna and "Curveball" ring a bell? They all played a part in our handling of Iraq.
Now, it seems the Israelis are trying to push us into war with Iran. A recent article in the Jerusalem Post makes a bold claim:
Rafi Eitan suspects that Iran already has enough enriched uranium fissionable material to manufacture at least one or two atom bombs of the Hiroshima type. "Otherwise Iranian President Ahmadinejad would not have dared come out with his declaration that Israel should be wiped off the map," repeating it in various versions. His efforts at denying the Holocaust in which six million Jews were slaughtered prove that there is method in Ahmadinejad's madness. "Don't treat him like a madman," Chief of General Staff Dan Halutz recently cautioned.
Eitan's assessment of the situation is especially important because of his extensive intelligence experience in Israel's struggle for its existence, even before its establishment in 1948. Eitan was among those that laid the operational foundations for the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the Mossad.
Eitan's name may sound familiar to some of you. He was Jonathan Pollard's commander. Pollard, you may recall, was the former Navy intelligence officer who pled guilty to, and was convicted of, spying for Israel.
Eitan now wants our government to take him seriously. Well, if you can't trust a guy who has engaged in espionage against the U.S., whom can you trust? Surely a man of such character would never even think of doing anything to manipulate U.S. policy toward one of his country's most bitter enemies.
