Another Milestone!
We passed the 1200 mark in Bureau 1 today. We process about 1% of the headlines that we capture or receive from site members, so after about 18 months we have reviewed about 12,000 MSM headlines. Only the most biased are posted - a 5 hammer and sickle in our eyes. More than 25% show some bias, but only the best are shown at Ushanka.us.
Thanks to our visitors for their votes, and to our members for their contributions!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Karl's Weekend Reading
Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. proposes three priorities for US policy towards Russia, now six weeks away from Dmitry Medvedev's move to the presidency. "After Putin", a WSJ opinion article, suggests 1) more treaties, 2) protect the small neighbors (Estonia, Georgia, etc.), and 3) US-inspired improved governance within Russia. Our take: 1) stupid - treaties rarely benefit the US. The senator should know this. 2) Yes, protect all freedom-loving states threatened by a powerful neighbor, and 3) encouragement for less corrupt governance is noble, so long as this effort does not come at a cost to the US taxpayer, lessen our nation's security or require other US concessions. Senator Bidens comments re: #2:
In Tuesday's Best of the Web, James Taranto's WSJ daily, James touches on the reduced media attention to Iraq:
Another good catch, James!
We confess. We are having fun watching the Dems spiral in their own primary mess. But while good for the Republicans, these distractions are not good for the country. The country needs as much time as possible to compare the two sides and their priorities. Specifically, we need to hear and watch the Capitalism vs. Socialism debate.
Thursday's WSJ editorial does just this in their review of each candidate's solution to the mortgage 'crisis'. If centrally-managing the mortgage rates doesn't sound like socialism to you, wait until you see the after effects!
The second priority for the West should be to protect the young states of Eastern Europe. The Kremlin invokes the amorphous concept of "sovereign democracy" to explain why Westerners should stay out of Russia's affairs. However, it ignores its own dogma when strong-arming other "sovereign democracies" in Russia's neighborhood.
The Kremlin has tried to force the collapse of democratically elected governments in Estonia and Georgia, and punished the independence of other neighbors by cutting energy deliveries. Russia also snapped up Serbia's state oil monopoly as payback for opposing a United Nations-backed deal to grant Kosovo independence. Any successful strategy for engaging Russia must ensure that the region's young states will remain both sovereign and democratic in the true sense of the words. A coordinated energy security strategy would be a good place to start.
The Kremlin has tried to force the collapse of democratically elected governments in Estonia and Georgia, and punished the independence of other neighbors by cutting energy deliveries. Russia also snapped up Serbia's state oil monopoly as payback for opposing a United Nations-backed deal to grant Kosovo independence. Any successful strategy for engaging Russia must ensure that the region's young states will remain both sovereign and democratic in the true sense of the words. A coordinated energy security strategy would be a good place to start.
In Tuesday's Best of the Web, James Taranto's WSJ daily, James touches on the reduced media attention to Iraq:
News organizations, by and large, are biased against American success in Iraq, as illustrated by this crass bit of editorializing from the Associated Press:
"Fresh off his eighth Iraq visit, Sen. John McCain declared Monday that "we are succeeding" and said he wouldn't change course--even as the U.S. death toll rose to 4,000 and the war entered its sixth year."
That "even as" clause is the reporter's opinion, not McCain's. Yet while this sort of thing still goes on, journalists have paid less attention to Iraq over the past year as the "surge" has succeeded in reducing violence. If the Harvard study is right, we may be looking at a virtuous circle: Less violence means less media coverage, which in turn means less violence.
Perhaps one day we'll wake up to discover that America won the war in Iraq months earlier, but no one noticed because the reporters were all busy with other things.
"Fresh off his eighth Iraq visit, Sen. John McCain declared Monday that "we are succeeding" and said he wouldn't change course--even as the U.S. death toll rose to 4,000 and the war entered its sixth year."
That "even as" clause is the reporter's opinion, not McCain's. Yet while this sort of thing still goes on, journalists have paid less attention to Iraq over the past year as the "surge" has succeeded in reducing violence. If the Harvard study is right, we may be looking at a virtuous circle: Less violence means less media coverage, which in turn means less violence.
Perhaps one day we'll wake up to discover that America won the war in Iraq months earlier, but no one noticed because the reporters were all busy with other things.
Another good catch, James!
We confess. We are having fun watching the Dems spiral in their own primary mess. But while good for the Republicans, these distractions are not good for the country. The country needs as much time as possible to compare the two sides and their priorities. Specifically, we need to hear and watch the Capitalism vs. Socialism debate.
Thursday's WSJ editorial does just this in their review of each candidate's solution to the mortgage 'crisis'. If centrally-managing the mortgage rates doesn't sound like socialism to you, wait until you see the after effects!
...Mrs. Clinton called this week for "immediate, bold" action "to unfreeze our mortgage markets." To that end, she would immediately freeze our mortgage markets. She wants a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures coupled with a five-year rate freeze on adjustable-rate mortgages.
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Mrs. Clinton's proposals do at least fit her far simpler analysis of what went wrong in credit markets: Greedy Wall Street, and predatory lenders who made loans that were "designed to fail." Her remedy is thus to punish lenders and investors, while forgiving and subsidizing borrowers.
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Mrs. Clinton's proposals do at least fit her far simpler analysis of what went wrong in credit markets: Greedy Wall Street, and predatory lenders who made loans that were "designed to fail." Her remedy is thus to punish lenders and investors, while forgiving and subsidizing borrowers.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Wednesday Afternoon Cigar
A Rocky Patel Edge burned as we savored the latest Hillary fumble. The Obama/Rev. Wright story still has legs and instead of playing cool, she goes around telling people she was fired on at the Kosovo airport. Video instead shows her chatting on the tarmac. Ushanka.us' General Zhukov asks, "Wouldn't being shot at be 'seared' into her memory?"
Funny when liberal revisionist history comes back to bite them in the **s! Had the sniper hit his target, we'd have to find something else to laugh about today...
Funny when liberal revisionist history comes back to bite them in the **s! Had the sniper hit his target, we'd have to find something else to laugh about today...
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Ushanka.us Babe Match!
We added Protest Shooter to our blogroll today. He (?) has a great site with photos from San Francisco Bay area protests.
While clicking through the photos looking for good pics of commies, we recognized a protester we had seen in a Zombie gallery.
As we posted (link) on February 21, all she needs is a hat!
The pic on the left is from Zombie's Berkeley Marine Corp Gallery, (link) and the pic on the right is from Protest Shooter's 5th Anniversary of War in Iraq gallery (link).
Our thanks to all those who attend these rallies and stand up for America!
While clicking through the photos looking for good pics of commies, we recognized a protester we had seen in a Zombie gallery.
As we posted (link) on February 21, all she needs is a hat!
The pic on the left is from Zombie's Berkeley Marine Corp Gallery, (link) and the pic on the right is from Protest Shooter's 5th Anniversary of War in Iraq gallery (link).
Our thanks to all those who attend these rallies and stand up for America!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Saturday Afternoon Cigar
Mikhail came over for a cigar and to discuss the latest gossip: 1 in 5 Democrats will defect to McCain if their candidate is not nominated.
Will that number hold when liberals realize the impact a McCain victory will have on their Supreme Court? How can you establish the Utopia of the Proletarians with a bunch of conservatives on the court?
Mikhail is optimistic, Karl less so. Luckily, Mikail has been right more times in the past than Karl!
Will that number hold when liberals realize the impact a McCain victory will have on their Supreme Court? How can you establish the Utopia of the Proletarians with a bunch of conservatives on the court?
Mikhail is optimistic, Karl less so. Luckily, Mikail has been right more times in the past than Karl!
Karl's Weekend Reading
John R. Bolton, an owner of our sexy Ushanka hat, offers five suggestions in the Monday WSJ in his opinion piece, "Salvaging Our North Korea Policy". His outrage our the failure of the US to push our partners to pressure the Communist regime is well founded. As Rwanda is Bill Clinton's biggest regret, this failure, and the continued suffering it has caused, may be Bush's.
The WSJ's Mary Anastasia O'Grady interviewed Yon Goicoechea, a 23 year old student activist in Venezuela who has helped organize the recent protests to Hugo's attempted media grab last year, and to thwart the referendum for dictatorial powers.
The quote below caught our eye for a common component for Communism to take hold - a public so anxious for a change they do not care what change they will get. We see this as a DNC strategy - Bush Fatigue Syndrome - and see a Hillary or Obama election as an unconscious move toward Socialism. Do you see that too?
We missed Obama's speech about the Hate America pastor. Yes, the 'race' speech. But the editorial board at the WSJ didn't. It appears victim status will be something we all have in common if Obama is elected and his vision adopted. From "Discovering Obama":
James Taranto adds to the Obama/Race kerfuffle in Monday's Best of the Web with a review of "Black Liberation Theology":
Another owner of our world famous Ushanka hat, Ann Coulter, addressed the Obama/Race issue in her Thursday Townhall.com article, "Throw Grandma Under the Bus".
Tired of the MSM using polls to push their agenda? Join the club! Karl Rove uses the data from a recent poll to show us how the "Democrats are still Weak on Security". His Friday WSJ article explains that Pelosi, Clinton, Obama and others are in the 18% segment of society that wants the US out of Iraq regardless of the consequences.
Hmm, Democrats out of touch you say?
Declare North Korea's repeated refusal to honor its commitments, especially but not exclusively concerning full disclosure of its nuclear programs, unacceptable,
Suspend the Six-Party Talks, and reconvene talks without North Korea (to apply more pressure on China),
Strengthen international pressure on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs,
Squeeze North Korea economically,
Prepare contingency plans for humanitarian relief in the event of increased North Korean refugee flows or a regime collapse
Suspend the Six-Party Talks, and reconvene talks without North Korea (to apply more pressure on China),
Strengthen international pressure on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs,
Squeeze North Korea economically,
Prepare contingency plans for humanitarian relief in the event of increased North Korean refugee flows or a regime collapse
The WSJ's Mary Anastasia O'Grady interviewed Yon Goicoechea, a 23 year old student activist in Venezuela who has helped organize the recent protests to Hugo's attempted media grab last year, and to thwart the referendum for dictatorial powers.
The quote below caught our eye for a common component for Communism to take hold - a public so anxious for a change they do not care what change they will get. We see this as a DNC strategy - Bush Fatigue Syndrome - and see a Hillary or Obama election as an unconscious move toward Socialism. Do you see that too?
Mr. Chávez won the presidency in 1998 largely because Venezuelans were fed up with the ruling political and economic elite. Over 40 years of so-called democracy, the traditional parties had manipulated the law to grant themselves privilege and loot state coffers. When voters gambled on Mr. Chávez, it seems to have been more about rejecting the status quo than embracing the fiery newcomer.
We missed Obama's speech about the Hate America pastor. Yes, the 'race' speech. But the editorial board at the WSJ didn't. It appears victim status will be something we all have in common if Obama is elected and his vision adopted. From "Discovering Obama":
The Senator noted that the anger of his pastor "is real; it is powerful," and in fact it is mirrored in "white resentments." He then laid down a litany of American woe: "the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man who has been laid off," the "shuttered mill," those "without health care," the soldiers who have fought in "a war that never should have been authorized and never should've been waged," etc. Thus Mr. Obama's message is we "need unity" because all Americans are victims, racial and otherwise; he even mentioned working for change by "binding our particular grievances."
And the cause of all this human misery? Why, "a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many." Mr. Obama's villains, in other words, are the standard-issue populist straw men of Wall Street and the GOP, and his candidacy is a vessel for liberal policy orthodoxy -- raise taxes, "invest" more in social programs, restrict trade, retreat from Iraq.
And the cause of all this human misery? Why, "a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many." Mr. Obama's villains, in other words, are the standard-issue populist straw men of Wall Street and the GOP, and his candidacy is a vessel for liberal policy orthodoxy -- raise taxes, "invest" more in social programs, restrict trade, retreat from Iraq.
James Taranto adds to the Obama/Race kerfuffle in Monday's Best of the Web with a review of "Black Liberation Theology":
Here is a quote from Cone, explaining black liberation theology (hat tip: Spengler, a pseudonymous columnist for the Asia Times):
"Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community. . . . Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love."
Could Obama really have been unaware for all these years that his spiritual mentor follows a racially adversarial theology, one that demands of God that he be "for us and against white people" and that he participate "in the destruction of the white enemy"? It doesn't exactly sound like the sort of change we can believe in.
"Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community. . . . Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love."
Could Obama really have been unaware for all these years that his spiritual mentor follows a racially adversarial theology, one that demands of God that he be "for us and against white people" and that he participate "in the destruction of the white enemy"? It doesn't exactly sound like the sort of change we can believe in.
Another owner of our world famous Ushanka hat, Ann Coulter, addressed the Obama/Race issue in her Thursday Townhall.com article, "Throw Grandma Under the Bus".
So for half of Rev. Wright's 66 years, discrimination against blacks was legal -- though he never experienced it personally because it existed in a part of the country where he did not live. For the second half of Wright's life, discrimination against whites was legal throughout the land.
Discrimination has become so openly accepted that -- in a speech meant to tamp down his association with a black racist -- Obama felt perfectly comfortable throwing his white grandmother under the bus. He used her as the white racist counterpart to his black racist "old uncle," Rev. Wright.
First of all, Wright is not Obama's uncle. The only reason we indulge crazy uncles is that everyone understands that people don't choose their relatives the way they choose, for example, their pastors and mentors. No one quarrels with idea that you can't be expected to publicly denounce your blood relatives.
Discrimination has become so openly accepted that -- in a speech meant to tamp down his association with a black racist -- Obama felt perfectly comfortable throwing his white grandmother under the bus. He used her as the white racist counterpart to his black racist "old uncle," Rev. Wright.
First of all, Wright is not Obama's uncle. The only reason we indulge crazy uncles is that everyone understands that people don't choose their relatives the way they choose, for example, their pastors and mentors. No one quarrels with idea that you can't be expected to publicly denounce your blood relatives.
Tired of the MSM using polls to push their agenda? Join the club! Karl Rove uses the data from a recent poll to show us how the "Democrats are still Weak on Security". His Friday WSJ article explains that Pelosi, Clinton, Obama and others are in the 18% segment of society that wants the US out of Iraq regardless of the consequences.
Asked by CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Feb. 9 if she was worried that the gains of the last year might be lost, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shot back: "There haven't been gains . . . This is a failure." Carl Levin, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee told the Associated Press the same month that the surge "has failed."
This passionate, persistent unwillingness to admit what more and more Americans are coming to believe is true about Iraq's changing situation puts Democrats in dangerous political territory. For one thing, they increasingly appear out of touch with reality, a charge they made with some success at the administration's expense before the surge began changing conditions in Iraq.
This passionate, persistent unwillingness to admit what more and more Americans are coming to believe is true about Iraq's changing situation puts Democrats in dangerous political territory. For one thing, they increasingly appear out of touch with reality, a charge they made with some success at the administration's expense before the surge began changing conditions in Iraq.
Hmm, Democrats out of touch you say?
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Reverend Jeremiah Wright
Now that is a Net Storm! Rush Limbaugh played clips of Wright five days ago. CNN spent Friday night on the subject. And our fellow bloggers/vloggers have put the icing on the cake.
We were shocked at the audio clips. We thought statements like these, when made by a religious person, were only heard in a Mosque. A bit different than the things we heard at our Presbyterian church in the third notch of the bible belt in rural Illinois!
We reacted the strongest to an Obama statement during Friday's CNN Obama spin on the subject. After a clip was played, Obama said that he was not in the church during these hateful rants, but if he had been, he would have "probably" walked out. He used the word "probably" at least twice in that manner. Our follow-up would have been: "Senator, you say 'probably'. So what other things would have influenced that decision to walk out or to stay and participate in the rant?" I'll 'probably' vote for him...
LGF has several posts on the subject:
a) Wright and Israel
b) Wright's "War on Iraq IQ Test"
c) Obama's Church Web Site 'Disappears' the 'Black Value System'
d) Video: Obama Lavishes Praise on Rev. Jeremiah Wright
e) Obama's Church: Accurate Reporting = Character Assassination
f) Obama Web Site 'Disappears' Radical Pastor (see Sweetness and Light link below too)
g) AP Covering for Obama's Pastor
Sweetness and Light has some great before and after screen shots from the Trinity United Church of Christ website. Trinity has a busy webmaster! Here are those S&L posts, and more:
a) S&L Reprise: A Jeremiah Wright 'Jeremiad'
b) UCC: Obama's Racist Church is 'A Great Gift'
c) Pastor Wright Erased from Obama's Website
d) Racist Jeremiah Wright On White Supremacy
e) More on When Obama Met Jeremiah Wright
f) Obama's Church Re-Writes Its Mission Page
Debbie Schlussel expands with documented Obama "lies" about the pastor, and Rezko.
From YouTube:
Obama doing damage control on Fox News
An excellent "words don't matter?" compilation
Ushanka Tips to LGF, S&L and Debbie!
We were shocked at the audio clips. We thought statements like these, when made by a religious person, were only heard in a Mosque. A bit different than the things we heard at our Presbyterian church in the third notch of the bible belt in rural Illinois!
We reacted the strongest to an Obama statement during Friday's CNN Obama spin on the subject. After a clip was played, Obama said that he was not in the church during these hateful rants, but if he had been, he would have "probably" walked out. He used the word "probably" at least twice in that manner. Our follow-up would have been: "Senator, you say 'probably'. So what other things would have influenced that decision to walk out or to stay and participate in the rant?" I'll 'probably' vote for him...
LGF has several posts on the subject:
a) Wright and Israel
b) Wright's "War on Iraq IQ Test"
c) Obama's Church Web Site 'Disappears' the 'Black Value System'
d) Video: Obama Lavishes Praise on Rev. Jeremiah Wright
e) Obama's Church: Accurate Reporting = Character Assassination
f) Obama Web Site 'Disappears' Radical Pastor (see Sweetness and Light link below too)
g) AP Covering for Obama's Pastor
Sweetness and Light has some great before and after screen shots from the Trinity United Church of Christ website. Trinity has a busy webmaster! Here are those S&L posts, and more:
a) S&L Reprise: A Jeremiah Wright 'Jeremiad'
b) UCC: Obama's Racist Church is 'A Great Gift'
c) Pastor Wright Erased from Obama's Website
d) Racist Jeremiah Wright On White Supremacy
e) More on When Obama Met Jeremiah Wright
f) Obama's Church Re-Writes Its Mission Page
Debbie Schlussel expands with documented Obama "lies" about the pastor, and Rezko.
From YouTube:
Obama doing damage control on Fox News
An excellent "words don't matter?" compilation
Ushanka Tips to LGF, S&L and Debbie!
$4300
Absolutely positively our last post on the Spitzer scandal!
Update 6pm: V the K's has a related pic with captions
Update 3.20: The Jawa Report says Spitzer paid too much!
Update 6pm: V the K's has a related pic with captions
Update 3.20: The Jawa Report says Spitzer paid too much!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Karl's Weekend Reading
Communism, and the repression of people, we understand. We can point to it when we see it. We can understand what it feels like to live in fear. And, we remember how Reagan brought the main players to their knees.
So too we understand the need to retaliate with superior firepower against aggressive and violent ideologies like Nazism, Islamo-Facism, the Japanese of WWII, and to pre-empt the future threats.
But when it comes to Israel, we scratch our heads. We watch and wonder. Why do they not eliminate the threat? Why is it tit for tat there - the terrorists kill X innocent citizens, the victims then kill X militants? This self-defense hesitancy is frustrating, and we think we should feel less sympathy for Israel - although we cannot. We see a political structure that limits defense. We understand the dilemma: Do you just go after the militants, or the mothers that encouraged their children to blow themselves up? Many more considerations exist - which is, in essence, the problem. This has been over-analyzed.
This is why we are posting Daniel Doron's WSJ editorial, Israel's No-Win Strategy. He reviews some of those considerations that have led to this stalemate, but concludes, as we do, "History has shown time and again that military confrontation does work." Some other selected lines from his article:
A short and funny piece from Victor Davis Hanson at NRO comparing Obama-mania to the pet rock of the 70's:
Wednesday's WSJ ran a story about the increase in cyber attacks from China - Military Networks Increasingly Are Under Attack [$$]
We'd like to think the untold story is that the US can go on the cyber offensive if the need arises.
Ken Blackwell and Sandy Froman write in part 2 of a 2-part Townhall article, The Roe v. Wade of Gun Rights. They argue that gun rights may be the primary issue of the 2008 election depending on the Supreme Court's ruling of the DC gun ban case, D.C. v. Heller.
So too we understand the need to retaliate with superior firepower against aggressive and violent ideologies like Nazism, Islamo-Facism, the Japanese of WWII, and to pre-empt the future threats.
But when it comes to Israel, we scratch our heads. We watch and wonder. Why do they not eliminate the threat? Why is it tit for tat there - the terrorists kill X innocent citizens, the victims then kill X militants? This self-defense hesitancy is frustrating, and we think we should feel less sympathy for Israel - although we cannot. We see a political structure that limits defense. We understand the dilemma: Do you just go after the militants, or the mothers that encouraged their children to blow themselves up? Many more considerations exist - which is, in essence, the problem. This has been over-analyzed.
This is why we are posting Daniel Doron's WSJ editorial, Israel's No-Win Strategy. He reviews some of those considerations that have led to this stalemate, but concludes, as we do, "History has shown time and again that military confrontation does work." Some other selected lines from his article:
More than in most countries, Israeli politicians are preoccupied with political machinations designed to buy support from powerful interest groups by distributing government largesse. This causes not only the factionalization of politics and growing corruption, but consumes time and energy that leadership should use to address life and death issues.
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Israeli governments have done little to stop the massive rearmament of Hamas in Gaza with Iranian weapons, bought with Saudi money and transported into Gaza with the connivance of Egypt.
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But the worst failures stem from adoption of a no-win strategy. Many in Israel's top political and military echelons have convinced themselves that terrorism cannot be defeated by force, that to stop it one must compromise and accept some of its demands.
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Amazingly, Israel keeps supplying Hamas, for "humanitarian reasons," with subsidized electricity and materiel including the steel and chemicals needed to produce the rockets that attack it. It keeps providing money and weapons to prop up the hopelessly corrupt Palestinian Authority.
---
Israeli governments have done little to stop the massive rearmament of Hamas in Gaza with Iranian weapons, bought with Saudi money and transported into Gaza with the connivance of Egypt.
---
But the worst failures stem from adoption of a no-win strategy. Many in Israel's top political and military echelons have convinced themselves that terrorism cannot be defeated by force, that to stop it one must compromise and accept some of its demands.
---
Amazingly, Israel keeps supplying Hamas, for "humanitarian reasons," with subsidized electricity and materiel including the steel and chemicals needed to produce the rockets that attack it. It keeps providing money and weapons to prop up the hopelessly corrupt Palestinian Authority.
A short and funny piece from Victor Davis Hanson at NRO comparing Obama-mania to the pet rock of the 70's:
And now, as some people wake up from their pet rock purchase, they are seeing they've de facto nominated someone rated about the Senate's most liberal senator based on three years of experience there. The Democrats have boxed them into a situation of running a candidate that has out-sourced all negative attacks to the New York Times, political junkies and columnists, in order to remain above the fray and loyal to the "new" politics of change and hope.
Wednesday's WSJ ran a story about the increase in cyber attacks from China - Military Networks Increasingly Are Under Attack [$$]
We'd like to think the untold story is that the US can go on the cyber offensive if the need arises.
In a report released earlier this month, the Pentagon said that the Chinese People's Liberation Army was expanding its military power from "the land, air and sea dimensions of the traditional battlefield into the space and cyber-space domains."
"The PLA has established information-warfare units to develop viruses to attack enemy computer systems and networks, and tactics and measures to protect friendly computer systems and network," the report noted.
China reacted angrily to the Pentagon report, with a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry labeling it a "serious distortion of facts." Speaking to reporters last week, the spokesman, Qin Gang, also urged the U.S. "to drop its Cold War mentality."
U.S. officials have specifically linked China to several successful cyber attacks against military networks.
"The PLA has established information-warfare units to develop viruses to attack enemy computer systems and networks, and tactics and measures to protect friendly computer systems and network," the report noted.
China reacted angrily to the Pentagon report, with a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry labeling it a "serious distortion of facts." Speaking to reporters last week, the spokesman, Qin Gang, also urged the U.S. "to drop its Cold War mentality."
U.S. officials have specifically linked China to several successful cyber attacks against military networks.
Ken Blackwell and Sandy Froman write in part 2 of a 2-part Townhall article, The Roe v. Wade of Gun Rights. They argue that gun rights may be the primary issue of the 2008 election depending on the Supreme Court's ruling of the DC gun ban case, D.C. v. Heller.
The short-term political impact of Heller might turn the 2008 presidential election. Either Senators Clinton or Obama would the most anti-gun Democrat nominee in American history. The Second Amendment is a pivotal issue in a half-dozen swing states, and other swing states have smaller gun votes, but gun owners could easily tip those states in a close election.
Heller will heat up twice during the presidential campaign, first when the case is argued in March and second when the Court hands down its decision, most likely in June. Gun owners will either be emboldened, pressing forward for policies recognizing their rights, or outraged that an activist Court has denied them their cherished right, holding rallies, and taking to the streets. Either way, gun rights could dominate the news.
Heller will heat up twice during the presidential campaign, first when the case is argued in March and second when the Court hands down its decision, most likely in June. Gun owners will either be emboldened, pressing forward for policies recognizing their rights, or outraged that an activist Court has denied them their cherished right, holding rallies, and taking to the streets. Either way, gun rights could dominate the news.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Spitzer Update
Hopefully our final post on the sordid matter...
Ashley Alexandra Dupre, aka Kristen, has an interesting future as the prostitute that brought down the NY governor and one of the Dems future presidential pics. We're sure Eliot thinks, "If only she had been an employee of the state..."
The Wall Street Journal had some good quotes and information today:
Kimberley A. Strassel - Spitzer's Media Enablers
John Fund - Eliot the 'Enforcer'
And on the Opinion page - Of Martin and Mann
Ashley Alexandra Dupre, aka Kristen, has an interesting future as the prostitute that brought down the NY governor and one of the Dems future presidential pics. We're sure Eliot thinks, "If only she had been an employee of the state..."
The Wall Street Journal had some good quotes and information today:
Kimberley A. Strassel - Spitzer's Media Enablers
Journalists have spent the past two days asking how a man of Mr. Spitzer's stature would allow himself to get involved in a prostitution ring. The answer, in my mind, is clear. The former New York attorney general never believed normal rules applied to him, and his view was validated time and again by an adoring press. "You play hard, you play rough, and hopefully you don't get caught," said Mr. Spitzer two years ago. He never did get caught, because most reporters were his accomplices.
Journalism has many functions, but perhaps the most important is keeping tabs on public officials. That duty is even more vital concerning government positions that are subject to few other checks and balances. Chief among those is the prosecutor, who can use his awesome state power to punish, even destroy, private citizens.
Journalism has many functions, but perhaps the most important is keeping tabs on public officials. That duty is even more vital concerning government positions that are subject to few other checks and balances. Chief among those is the prosecutor, who can use his awesome state power to punish, even destroy, private citizens.
John Fund - Eliot the 'Enforcer'
Mr. Spitzer cloaked his naked devaluation of the rule of law with gauzy rhetoric that was perfectly pitched to make many liberals ignore his strong-arm tactics. He harshly criticized advocates of judicial restraint such as Antonin Scalia as believing in "a dead piece of paper." In a Law Day ceremony, Mr. Spitzer was blunt: "I believe in an evolving Constitution. . . . A flexible Constitution allows us to consider not merely how the world was, but how it ought to be."
And on the Opinion page - Of Martin and Mann
In New York state, patronizing a prostitute is a misdemeanor, so any federal prosecution for money laundering, structuring or violating the Mann Act would greatly raise the legal stakes for the Governor. But he may have other things to worry about, too. Just as Mr. Spitzer once suspected Republican Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno of using state helicopters for non-official travel, legal experts also have questions about whether Mr. Spitzer may have directly or indirectly used public funds to support his alleged assignations.
As Mr. Spitzer knows all too well, the government has many weapons for pursuing its targets. The Governor now has to hope that federal prosecutors show more restraint than he ever did as Attorney General.
As Mr. Spitzer knows all too well, the government has many weapons for pursuing its targets. The Governor now has to hope that federal prosecutors show more restraint than he ever did as Attorney General.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Tuesday Afternoon Cigar
We burned a Santa Damiana as we considered the repercussions of the Eliot Spitzer announcement, and brainstormed possible MSM Headlines:
NYT: Wage inflation rocks oldest profession
Reuters: One man's prostitute is another man's downfall
Hillary: "Eliot who?"
Bush Wiretaps Catch a Big Fish
Time: Are public officials over paid?
NOW: "It is just about sex"
Comments are on. Your suggestions?
Update 3.12 - First biased headline seen at Yahoo. Headline links to a CBS video: In Some Ways Spitzer Done in by Patriot Act
NYT: Wage inflation rocks oldest profession
Reuters: One man's prostitute is another man's downfall
Hillary: "Eliot who?"
Bush Wiretaps Catch a Big Fish
Time: Are public officials over paid?
NOW: "It is just about sex"
Comments are on. Your suggestions?
Update 3.12 - First biased headline seen at Yahoo. Headline links to a CBS video: In Some Ways Spitzer Done in by Patriot Act
Monday, March 10, 2008
Another Chavez Setback
Ever have one of those weeks?
Hugo has! Another FARC leader, Ivan Rios, was dispatched just days after FARC second in command, Raul Reyes, was killed by Columbian forces late last week. Rios died at the hands of his security chief, and his hand was delivered to authorities as proof of his demise.
Link to AP's Rios article.
Link to WSJ's article linking FARC to Chavez.
Hugo has! Another FARC leader, Ivan Rios, was dispatched just days after FARC second in command, Raul Reyes, was killed by Columbian forces late last week. Rios died at the hands of his security chief, and his hand was delivered to authorities as proof of his demise.
Link to AP's Rios article.
Link to WSJ's article linking FARC to Chavez.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Karl's Weekend Reading
With the rush of primaries behind us, and as the Capitalism vs. Socialism debate waits for a Democratic nominee, we'll once again avoid the political articles and return to Communism as our focus.
The WSJ's "Chavez's 'War' Drums" editorial comments on the laptop found in a raid on the FARC guerrillas in Ecuador. The Columbians went across the border into Ecuador last weekend, killed the guerrilla's second in command, Raul Reyes, and recovered his laptop. Why was Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez upset by this raid on the opposite side of Columbia?
Our Dear Leader in North Korea is sending a message to the masses with a public execution of 2 men and 13 women this week. Message: "Stop trying to escape." From Time:
And in a rare link to another blog as part of our Weekend Reading, Little Green Footballs captured a whopper in California: California Dems Introduce Bill to Allow Communist Indoctrination in Public Schools. Blogger Charles Johnson comments:
Ushanka Tip to LGF.
The WSJ's "Chavez's 'War' Drums" editorial comments on the laptop found in a raid on the FARC guerrillas in Ecuador. The Columbians went across the border into Ecuador last weekend, killed the guerrilla's second in command, Raul Reyes, and recovered his laptop. Why was Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez upset by this raid on the opposite side of Columbia?
What may really have upset Mr. Chávez is the capture of Reyes's laptop. According to Colombia's top police official, General Oscar Naranjo, the computer contains evidence supporting the claim that the FARC is working with Mr. Chávez. General Naranjo said Monday that Reyes's laptop records showed that Venezuela may have paid $300 million to the FARC in exchange for its recent release of six civilian hostages. Mr. Chávez had spun those releases as a triumph of his personal mediation.
General Naranjo said the laptop also contains documents showing that the FARC was seeking to buy 50 kilos of uranium, and the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo has reported that the records revealed the sale of 700 kilograms of cocaine valued at $1.5 million. The general added that the military found a thank-you note from Mr. Chávez to the FARC for some $150,000 that the rebels had sent him when he was in prison for his attempted coup d'etat in 1992.
General Naranjo said the laptop also contains documents showing that the FARC was seeking to buy 50 kilos of uranium, and the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo has reported that the records revealed the sale of 700 kilograms of cocaine valued at $1.5 million. The general added that the military found a thank-you note from Mr. Chávez to the FARC for some $150,000 that the rebels had sent him when he was in prison for his attempted coup d'etat in 1992.
Our Dear Leader in North Korea is sending a message to the masses with a public execution of 2 men and 13 women this week. Message: "Stop trying to escape." From Time:
The two men and 13 women were executed Feb. 20 by firing squad on a bridge in Onseong, a northeastern town on the border with China and Russia, the Good Friends private aid organization said in its regular newsletter.
They were accused of crossing the Tumen River into neighboring China or helping others to cross, the aid agency said.
They were accused of crossing the Tumen River into neighboring China or helping others to cross, the aid agency said.
And in a rare link to another blog as part of our Weekend Reading, Little Green Footballs captured a whopper in California: California Dems Introduce Bill to Allow Communist Indoctrination in Public Schools. Blogger Charles Johnson comments:
Yes, that’s right. The headline is no exaggeration. California Democratic Sen. Alan Lowenthal has proposed an amendment to the Educational Code that will explicitly allow the promotion of Communism in schools, and also allow groups who want to violently overthrow the US government to meet on public school property.
Ushanka Tip to LGF.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
President Dmitry Medvedev
No surprise from Dmitry Medvedev's 70% election victory Sunday in Russia. Some suggest the Medvedev-Putin relationship will sour much as previous Russian power hand-offs have. We disagree. The crackdown on protests immediately following the election victory combined with $100+ oil suggest shared ideology and enough cash for everyone.
Our initial questions:
1) Will Medvedev continue the antique air-show that Putin started with renewed bomber patrols?
2) Will Medvedev's reign be smeared with the two-journalists-per-year murder rate that has existed since 2001?
more to follow...
Media Links:
1) Opposition leader, Maxim Reznick, was arrested today.
2) Opposition leader, Nikita Belykh, was arrested yesterday.
more to follow...
Cartoons found at Townhall:
Wednesday Afternoon Cigar Celebration
Karl and Mikhail had two reasons to celebrate today while smoking a Santa Damiana and a Rocky Patel Sun Grown, respectively:
1) The 55 year anniversary of Stalin's death, and
2) Hillary's victory in Ohio!
Hillary and Obama's continued run to the left to attract voters and differentiate themselves only makes the general election that much easier. So we're going to re-negotiate NAFTA, eh? Why not bring back welfare too, and completely undo Bill Clinton's two accomplishments?!
The only good commie is a dead commie!
1) The 55 year anniversary of Stalin's death, and
2) Hillary's victory in Ohio!
Hillary and Obama's continued run to the left to attract voters and differentiate themselves only makes the general election that much easier. So we're going to re-negotiate NAFTA, eh? Why not bring back welfare too, and completely undo Bill Clinton's two accomplishments?!
The only good commie is a dead commie!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Hats in San Francisco
Ushanka.us infiltrated enemy territory over the weekend to come face-to-face with the hammer & sickle enthusiasts of San Francisco. We met up with fellow members of the resistance and returned with unauthorized photos from our visit.
Overheard Saturday morning:
Angry White Male: You need to pack up your booth. They don't allow hate booths here!
Karl: Hate booth? I'm a lover, not a fighter!
AWM: I'm going to get you kicked out of the show!
Karl: What happened to freedom of speech?
Overheard Sunday morning:
Vietnam Vet: I like your hats. I fought the Communists in Vietnam.
Karl: Ask most people, they wouldn't know that the Vietnam War was about containing Communism, nor would they know the evils behind the ideology. I blame the media and their revisionist efforts.
VV: I stayed at a veteran's hospital near here, and people would spit on you when you would walk out.
Karl: [handshake] Thank you for your service.
Overheard Saturday morning:
Angry White Male: You need to pack up your booth. They don't allow hate booths here!
Karl: Hate booth? I'm a lover, not a fighter!
AWM: I'm going to get you kicked out of the show!
Karl: What happened to freedom of speech?
Overheard Sunday morning:
Vietnam Vet: I like your hats. I fought the Communists in Vietnam.
Karl: Ask most people, they wouldn't know that the Vietnam War was about containing Communism, nor would they know the evils behind the ideology. I blame the media and their revisionist efforts.
VV: I stayed at a veteran's hospital near here, and people would spit on you when you would walk out.
Karl: [handshake] Thank you for your service.
Primer: Texas and Ohio Dem Primaries
The Wall Street Journal has a great analysis piece on the differences between Texas (strong economy and employment, right to work state, pro-NAFTA) and Ohio (Union jobs moved to other states).
Texas v. Ohio:
Texas v. Ohio:
So tomorrow the eyes of America will be on these two states moving in different directions. Ohio has an economy burdened by high taxes and work rules that impose heavy costs on employers. Texas embraces free trade, keeps taxes low, doesn't impose unions on business and has tooled itself for 21st century global competition. Ohioans may not like to hear this, but for any company considering where to locate a new plant or move an existing one, the choice between Ohio and Texas isn't even a close call.
