How can one NOT smoke a cigar when one discovers British Airways removed three Arab princesses who demanded to be re-seated away from strangers on a flight from Italy to London, and the passengers refused to abide.
UT: Passengers, and Wizbang.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Monday Afternoon Cigar
How can one NOT smoke a cigar when one discovers British Airways removed three Arab princesses who demanded to be re-seated away from strangers on a flight from Italy to London, and the passengers refused to abide.
UT: Passengers, and Wizbang.
War Story
Michael J. Totten shares the experience of a night patrol in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne.
Do our troops rule, or what?! This story shows that we're fighting a war where most of our effort is spent restraining ourselves. And we're still winning.
Ushanka Tips to Mr. Totten, Mudville Gazette, and to the United States soldiers!
This is what it is like most nights during counter-insurgency warfare. “It’s like we’re Baghdad PD,” one soldier put it. It isn’t always open war and explosions and bang-bang. Much of it entails patient police work and the chasing of ghosts.
Do our troops rule, or what?! This story shows that we're fighting a war where most of our effort is spent restraining ourselves. And we're still winning.
Ushanka Tips to Mr. Totten, Mudville Gazette, and to the United States soldiers!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Sunday Afternoon Cigar
We finished Oliver North's "Under Fire" book along with a Rocky Patel Edge this afternoon. The book is out of print, but you can find a reseller at Amazon
. It is a great book about North, Reagan, The 80's and National Security. Here is one of the many paragraphs we stopped to re-read (P. 179) where North discusses the differences between CIA head Casey and Secretary of State Shultz and the accomplishments of the Reagan Administration: The Casey-Shultz conflict was considerably more dignified than the Shultz-Weinberger rivalry, and was more along the lines of the traditional tensions between secretaries of state and national security advisers. While Shultz's view of the world was hard to discern, Casey had already formulated what later became known as the Reagan Doctrine, which encouraged active American support for anti-Communist movements around the world. Afghanistan, Nicaragua, and Angola became its most vivid manifestations, but Casey wasn't merely anti-Communist; he was enthusiastically pro-democracy. One of his greatest frustrations was that few Americans seemed to know that many new democracies around the world had emerged (or in some cases, reemerged) during the Reagan years, including Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Venezuela, Columbia, Honduras, Guatemala, the Philippines, and South Korea.
Update 7.30:
So what does Fawn Hall look like? That was our question as we read Ollie's book. We'd flip to all the pictures, and not a one of Fawn. Hmm? How could a major player in the scandal not get a picture in the book? Well, a quick Google Images search answers the question. Yep, as we expected...
Friday, July 27, 2007
Weekend Reading
A must-read for Ushanka.us die-hards: Bret Stephens reviews the new Russia in an WSJ editorial: 'For the Sake of One Man': Getting the Facts Straight about the Old-New Russia.
Garry Kasparov explains the real Russia, in his WSJ [$$] editorial: "Don Putin".
Fact No. 2. Russia is acting with increasingly unrestrained rhetorical, diplomatic, economic and political hostility to whoever stands in the way of Mr. Putin's ambitions.
The enemies' list begins with Mr. Putin's domestic critics and the vocations they represent: imprisoned Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky; murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya; harassed opposition leader Garry Kasparov. It continues with foreign companies which have had to forfeit multibillion-dollar investments when Kremlin-favored companies decided they wanted a piece of the action. It goes on to small neighboring democracies such as Estonia, victim of a recent Russian cyberwar when it decided to remove a monument to its Soviet subjugators from downtown Tallinn. It culminates with direct rhetorical assaults on the U.S., as when Mr. Putin suggested in a recent speech that the threat posed by the U.S., "as during the time of the Third Reich," include "the same claims of exceptionality and diktat in the world."
None of these Kremlin assaults can seriously be laid at the White House's feet, unless one believes the lurid anti-Western conspiracy theories spun out by senior Russian officials. And that brings us to Fact No. 3. Russia has become, in the precise sense of the word, a fascist state.
The enemies' list begins with Mr. Putin's domestic critics and the vocations they represent: imprisoned Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky; murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya; harassed opposition leader Garry Kasparov. It continues with foreign companies which have had to forfeit multibillion-dollar investments when Kremlin-favored companies decided they wanted a piece of the action. It goes on to small neighboring democracies such as Estonia, victim of a recent Russian cyberwar when it decided to remove a monument to its Soviet subjugators from downtown Tallinn. It culminates with direct rhetorical assaults on the U.S., as when Mr. Putin suggested in a recent speech that the threat posed by the U.S., "as during the time of the Third Reich," include "the same claims of exceptionality and diktat in the world."
None of these Kremlin assaults can seriously be laid at the White House's feet, unless one believes the lurid anti-Western conspiracy theories spun out by senior Russian officials. And that brings us to Fact No. 3. Russia has become, in the precise sense of the word, a fascist state.
For a little fun, read Fake Steve Jobs' write-up on Global Warming. Our favorite non-political blog, we visit FSJ every day. Another fun read - his write-up of a Hillary visit to Silicon Valley.
Garry Kasparov explains the real Russia, in his WSJ [$$] editorial: "Don Putin".
When another prominent Russian journalist is murdered, when a businessman not friendly to the Kremlin is jailed, when a foreign company is pushed out of its Russian investment, when pro-democracy marchers are beaten by police, when gas and oil supplies are used as weapons, or when Russian weapons and missile technology are sold to terrorist sponsor states like Iran and Syria, what needs to be asked is what sort of government would continue such behavior. This Kremlin regime operates within a value system entirely different from that of the Western nations struggling to understand what is happening behind the medieval red walls.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Cindy vs. Nancy - It Is Official!
Christmas came early for Karl, and we believe in Santa more now than ever!
Nancy Pelosi missed the generous deadline given to her by Cindy Sheehan. 14 days to do what her party ran on as an agenda in 2006 - to de-fund the war. Nancy failed to deliver. Sleepovers, non-binding resolutions, hot air and excuses is all Cindy got, and she's fed up! Seems she knows a little history about the Democratic Party too, and is sharing with the rest of us:
GO CINDY!
We have never considered contributing to a campaign before. (Well, there was that one time when we returned from China with some spare change at about the same time Al Gore was running for president. That would have been SWEET.) We'll keep an eye out for a Sheehan donation site and share when we find it.
Nancy Pelosi missed the generous deadline given to her by Cindy Sheehan. 14 days to do what her party ran on as an agenda in 2006 - to de-fund the war. Nancy failed to deliver. Sleepovers, non-binding resolutions, hot air and excuses is all Cindy got, and she's fed up! Seems she knows a little history about the Democratic Party too, and is sharing with the rest of us:
The Democrats are the party of slavery and were the party that started every war in the 20th century, except the other Bush debacle. The Federal Reserve, permanent federal income taxes, not one but two World Wars, Japanese concentration camps, and not one but two atom bombs dropped on the innocent citizens of Japan -- all brought to us via the Democrats.
GO CINDY!
We have never considered contributing to a campaign before. (Well, there was that one time when we returned from China with some spare change at about the same time Al Gore was running for president. That would have been SWEET.) We'll keep an eye out for a Sheehan donation site and share when we find it.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Gen. Wayne A. Downing, RIP
General Downing passed away today at age 67. Our condolences to his family.
Karl will never forget the thumbs-up and smile the General gave him as the General left the Blackhawk helicopter first with his skydiving buddies. We had the honor to work for the General during his SOCOM command. A great American! We could use more like him.
Karl will never forget the thumbs-up and smile the General gave him as the General left the Blackhawk helicopter first with his skydiving buddies. We had the honor to work for the General during his SOCOM command. A great American! We could use more like him.
Another Putin Hit?
It appears Boris Berezovski, exiled billionaire and Putin critic, owes MI5 and MI6 big as British authorities disrupt an apparent hit on the Russian dissident.
Recent timeline of events:
July 16 - Berezovski notified of possible threat. Leaves Britain. Unidentified Russian arrives, with child, to Britain, and checked into the "Hilton hotel on Park Lane close to Mr Berezovsky’s offices in Mayfair".
July 17 - Britain expels 4 Russian diplomats as response to Russia's refusal to extradite Andrei Lugovoy, the primary suspect in Alexander Litvinenko's Polonium 210 poisoning.
July 18 - Unidentified Russian, arrested, interrogated, and deported back to Russia. Royal Air Force intercepts Russian Bombers!
Sources: TimesOnline1, TimesOnline2, Washington Post, and CNN.
Recent timeline of events:
July 16 - Berezovski notified of possible threat. Leaves Britain. Unidentified Russian arrives, with child, to Britain, and checked into the "Hilton hotel on Park Lane close to Mr Berezovsky’s offices in Mayfair".
July 17 - Britain expels 4 Russian diplomats as response to Russia's refusal to extradite Andrei Lugovoy, the primary suspect in Alexander Litvinenko's Polonium 210 poisoning.
July 18 - Unidentified Russian, arrested, interrogated, and deported back to Russia. Royal Air Force intercepts Russian Bombers!
RAF fighter jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian strategic bombers heading for British airspace yesterday, as the spirit of the Cold War returned to the North Atlantic once again.
The incident, described as rare by the RAF, served as a telling metaphor for the stand-off between London and Moscow over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.
While the Kremlin hesitated before responding to Britain’s expulsion of four diplomats, the Russian military engaged in some old-fashioned sabre-rattling.
Two Tu95 “Bear” bombers were dispatched from their base on the Kola Peninsula in the Arctic Circle and headed towards British airspace.
The incident, described as rare by the RAF, served as a telling metaphor for the stand-off between London and Moscow over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.
While the Kremlin hesitated before responding to Britain’s expulsion of four diplomats, the Russian military engaged in some old-fashioned sabre-rattling.
Two Tu95 “Bear” bombers were dispatched from their base on the Kola Peninsula in the Arctic Circle and headed towards British airspace.
Sources: TimesOnline1, TimesOnline2, Washington Post, and CNN.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
JetBlue
We call SHOTGUN! on the bandwagon to expose JetBlue's sponsorship of the upcoming DailyKos convention in Chicago. With a share price 24% under their IPO price in 2002, and with recent bad press such as that 12-hour tarmac wait, we would think JetBlue would avoid endorsing the unhinged, anti-American Kos Kids and offending the silent majority. We must have gone to a different business school than JetBlue CEO David Barger or 10% JetBlue shareholder George Soros.
UT: Curt at Flopping Aces, and Dan at Riehl World View.
Michelle Malkin is hosting a Photoshop contest for a new JetBlue logo. This one is our favorite. Any guesses why?
UT: Curt at Flopping Aces, and Dan at Riehl World View.
Michelle Malkin is hosting a Photoshop contest for a new JetBlue logo. This one is our favorite. Any guesses why?
Monday, July 16, 2007
A Day of Milestones (Comments)
Our daily assault on the MSM is as fun as it is unfair! Those poor journalists are forced to come up with news when there is none, and all this extra time allows for their commie-instincts to morph their news-reporting into agenda-setting. It will be a never-ending phenomenon, as the job market for ex-journists is... a quagmire.
Today feels different. Did you notice too? We saw a few news items today that appear more like milestones in the project plan for a more peaceful world than empty news stories.
NPR Link - Britain Expels Four Russian Diplomats
They may not refer to terrorists as "muslims" anymore, but the Brits still hold a high standard for justice when it comes to espionage-related murder on their own soil. It appears they will also review their visa-approval process for Russian government officials.
AP Link - North Korea Shuts Down Reactor
We are not celebrating yet, but this major event shows that US policy is working. Does it signal N. Korea is buying the next set of US give-aways with this shutdown, buying time before turning the reactor back on, or responding to the new US pressure such as the recent funds seizure in Macao?
UPI Link - Fatah Terrorists Disarm
Did we just wake up extra optimistic today, or did we wake up at all? Your thoughts?
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Karl's Weekend Reading
"Unfriendly and Potentially Dangerous", Michael Barone at NRO. Mr. Barone compares China's collective leadership (predictive) with Russia's consolidated (unpredictable) leadership.
The Russian political system has come to resemble the political system of Mexico from 1929 to 2000, which was something of an absolute monarchy, with term limits. The candidate of the ruling PRI was always elected president, the legislature was a rubber stamp, and the incumbent president chose his successor.
Journalists(?) Killed in Iraq - New Facts
Namir Noor-Eldeen, a stringer for Reuters and for the New York Times, and his driver Saeed Chmagh, were killed by U.S. forces yesterday in Iraq.
A great July 13 write-up on the 'reporters' killed in Iraq. We'll post updates as they appear.
UT: The Jawa Report
Friday, July 13, 2007
Thursday Night Cigar
A CAO Brazillia met its demise as we put the finishing touches on our first video (coming soon to Ushanka.us...).
We were a bit rushed after a commie-pinko rabbit bit through our laptop power cord. Here is one of the suspects. She has "Guilty" written all over her face!
We were a bit rushed after a commie-pinko rabbit bit through our laptop power cord. Here is one of the suspects. She has "Guilty" written all over her face!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Sunday Afternoon Cigar
Another Rocky Patel Edge (Natural) was burned in tribute to America's fighters.
Video - UT Mudville Gazette
Video - UT Mudville Gazette
A Step Back
Reminiscent of Soviet core values, Russia's State Duma redefined extremism last week with a 311-90 vote. They authorized domestic wiretapping (!), defined new crimes including 'public disturbances', and barred those labeled as 'extremists' from running for office.
Why not call this the Gary Kasparov bill?
We will stand by for the Mainstream Media's outrage over this attack on human rights. The New York Times alone is going to SLAM those heartless commies!
Links: Pravda, WSJ [$$]
Update 7.10: No outrage yet from NYT. Tomorrow for sure!
Why not call this the Gary Kasparov bill?
We will stand by for the Mainstream Media's outrage over this attack on human rights. The New York Times alone is going to SLAM those heartless commies!
Links: Pravda, WSJ [$$]
Update 7.10: No outrage yet from NYT. Tomorrow for sure!
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Weekend Reading
Today it seems that every soldier killed in action and every minor skirmish involving American troops is front-page news. But 231 years after the Declaration of Independence was ratified by the Continental Congress, we seem to have lost sight of the everyday heroics and sacrifices that made this republic possible. The Revolutionary War took eight years to win, with many defeats and setbacks along the way. We owe those who stuck with it and made those sacrifices more than we know.
Ted Nugent doesn't like hippies. Were the 60's about love, or drugs and irresponsibility? Ted shares his memories in his WSJ article "The Summer of Drugs".
...BUT... Debbie Schlussel nukes "Uncle Ted". We're disappointed to find out Ted Nugent does not fully practice what he preaches. Another UT to Debbie.
James Taranto was on a roll Thursday in his Best of the Web column at Opinion Journal. A nice two-page analysis effort, far more than necessary, to identify a common trait, a single common thread among the 8 London terror suspects. Our favorite: "Our son, the doctor. How quickly they blow up!" James also reviews the Clinton outrage over the Libby commuting.
Daniel Henninger suggests terrorism will be issue #1 in the 2008 elections in his WSJ opinion piece: "It's Not the Economy, Stupid." As you know we think taxes will be the top 2008 issue, but we'll gladly defer to Mr. Henninger as either issue will give the commies another four years to come up with an agenda.
...BUT... Debbie Schlussel nukes "Uncle Ted". We're disappointed to find out Ted Nugent does not fully practice what he preaches. Another UT to Debbie.
James Taranto was on a roll Thursday in his Best of the Web column at Opinion Journal. A nice two-page analysis effort, far more than necessary, to identify a common trait, a single common thread among the 8 London terror suspects. Our favorite: "Our son, the doctor. How quickly they blow up!" James also reviews the Clinton outrage over the Libby commuting.
Daniel Henninger suggests terrorism will be issue #1 in the 2008 elections in his WSJ opinion piece: "It's Not the Economy, Stupid." As you know we think taxes will be the top 2008 issue, but we'll gladly defer to Mr. Henninger as either issue will give the commies another four years to come up with an agenda.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
AP Lies, People Die
It appears the AP reported a story about 20 bodies near Salman Pak wasn't completely accurate. Their sources, two anonymous police sources from Baghdad, 12 miles away. One of our Comrade Bloggers was suspicious, and discovered the story was fake. UT: Confederate Yankee
We found a couple more Hammers and Sickles at Townhall.com:
We found a couple more Hammers and Sickles at Townhall.com: