karl's Weekend Reading

Our first Weekend Reading post in over a month. It is nice to be back! Our picks this week cover Israel, the Democrats shameful Senate games, universal [communist] health care, and gay marriage.

Charles Krauthammer reminds us of the differences about both sides, and offers a due helping of criticism towards Israel for allowing the Palestinians to define the "norm", in Townhall on Friday:

For Hamas the only thing more prized than dead Jews are dead Palestinians.
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At war today in Gaza, one combatant is committed to causing the most civilian pain and suffering on both sides. The other combatant is committed to saving as many lives as possible -- also on both sides.
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Hamas' rejection of an extension of its often-violated six-month cease-fire (during which the rockets never stopped, just were less frequent) gave Israel a rare opportunity to establish the norm it should have insisted upon three years ago: no rockets, no mortar fire, no kidnapping, no acts of war. As the U.S. government has officially stated: a sustainable and enduring cease-fire.

If this fighting ends with anything less than that, Israel will have lost again. It can ill afford to lose any more wars.

The WSJ Editorial "Israel's Gaza Defense" provides more history - a history that always seems to be ignored a few days into an Israeli effort to defend herself:

Hamas did agree to a six-month cease-fire earlier this year, during which the rocket attacks declined in number but never completely stopped. But Hamas refused to extend the truce past December 19, and the group has since resumed attacks, firing nearly 300 missiles, rockets and mortars. The 250,000 Israelis in the southern part of the country live under constant threat, often in bomb shelters, and the economy has suffered. Yet the world's media seem to pay attention only when Israel responds to that Hamas barrage.

The Israeli Defense Forces have their own blog and videos. A nice improvement to the once one-sided PR battle.

The WSJ Editorial, "Dynasty", on Wednesday sums up the Democrats' shameful behavior towards the vacated Senate seats. Another example of a party that has no shame. The summary:

So to recap all of this change you can believe in: A Kennedy and Cuomo are competing to succeed a Clinton in New York; the skids are greased for a Biden to replace a Biden in Delaware; one Salazar might replace another in Colorado; and a Governor charged with political corruption in Illinois wants one of his cronies to succeed the President-elect.

Sally C. Pipes is the CEO of the Pacific Research Institute. She often publishes opinion pieces in the WSJ and we have never read one we didn't like. Her latest, "Obama Will Ration Your Health Care", discusses the Tom Daschle vision for universal [communist] care:

It is nearly certain that the process of determining which drugs and which treatments would be approved for use would be quickly politicized. The details of health-care policy may not be kitchen table conversation, but the fact that a Washington committee can deny grandma a hip replacement due to her age, or your sister a new and expensive drug, is. Health care is personal and voters will pressure lawmakers on access to care.

Ushanka owner Mike S. Adams analyzes the tolerance and moral superiority of the left in his Townhall article, "No Gay Mormon Left Behind". Is it selective tolerance to only permit marriage between a man and a man, but not a man and two women, or between a man and an animal?

If one can be morally superior to another by being more tolerant why not be really morally superior by being really tolerant?

Pundit wants to be sportswriter, Part II

We can't help ourselves! This is what we think when we click through the Reuter's slideshows. Besides, New Years Day is for football...

First Down, Israel!

The Gazans, outraged, call for a flag on the play. There is none.

The fourth quarter surge is paying dividends for the Israelis. It appears they have grown tired of the 2000+ "Rocket" plays by the Gazans, and have decided their shrinking end-zone is worth defending. Their fans agree:

Some of the Gazan fans, shocked by the turn of events are blaming another team that isn't even in the same league - the Bush Team...

Whiile other Gazan fans re-use their tried-but-true cheers:

Gazan players taken to the locker room with injuries or equipment failures in the past 24 hours:

Sheikh Nizar Rayyan, Hamas leader and cleric
Mohammad Baroud, a top Popular Resistance Committees operative
Hasim Drili, a northern Gaza Hamas operative
Tafik Abu Raf, a Hamas terror operative in the central Gaza Strip

Not one Reuters player has been hurt despite their presence on the Gazan side of the field. We anticipate the fans' outrage when the first Reuters player is injured...

Pictures from Reuters, Doug Ross and SondraK.

Pundit wants to be sportswriter...

Touchdown Israel!

Deep in the fourth quarter, the Israelis come back with "the bomb". After three and a half quarters of punishing Gaza runs up the field, it appeared the Israelis defense was, after all, just talk. It was if the Gazan offensive players were mowing through the Israeli fans, targeting the weak and defenseless rather than playing their equals on the Israeli team.

The Gazans followed their playbook to a tee, and repeated ad nauseam: the "rocket barrage" play followed by the confusing "cease fire" and "run to the UN" plays. The Israeli defenses were disoriented, with seemingly no leadership on the field. "At what point do we decide to defend?", an unnamed teammate lamented.

Then, in this fourth quarter, the urgency returned to the home team. Realizing their backup QB, a man with the middle name of Hussein, was going to fail them worse, the need to act was now. And act they did. The touchdown run resulted in numerous injuries in the Gaza defense. The Gazans cleared the field of play...

...and are taunting the Israelis to go for the two point conversion.

Here is hoping the Israelis comply.

There is no clock on the field. It will come down to one team deciding to win.

Pictures from Reuters, whose staff miraculously escaped injury...

Merry Christmas

We're back!

It was a long move from a state that will soon have a 13% income tax to a state that is in the process of lowering their income tax - currently around 6%. Our thanks to the loyal Ushanka.us visitors for their patience!

Karl's Weekend Reading

We'll be busy moving our Commie Obama HQ in the coming days. In the meantime, please visit those great blogs in our Blogroll to the left.

Two WSJ editorials from Friday sum up this less than special week:

Obama's Russia Test - Regarding Russia's announcement this week to deploy missiles between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, and the worries that the "Congressional Democrats have given the impression that U.S. support for Poland or NATO aspirants Ukraine and Georgia is negotiable."

[Obama} could help U.S. interests and himself merely by putting on record that an Obama-led America won't be intimidated by threatening outbursts from Russian leaders and will be a reliable partner to its allies in Europe. Any hint of doubt from the next Administration on this point will send shivers through our NATO allies and encourage more bad behavior by Russia and others. The Kremlin is doing Mr. Obama a favor by testing him so early.

Palin and the GOP - a poorly hidden criticism of Palin, and of those who criticize her. We think the Journal is giving too many voters credit for critical analysis of the candidates - thinking Gov. Palin isn't ready for national politics - rather than choosing the guy who promised free stuff and receding oceans. Or maybe we are not ready to read negative opinions about the one candidate that best communicated our frustrations with government and our vision for the future. The WSJ did get these three paragraphs right:

...Mrs. Palin was clearly thrust into the spotlight before she was prepared for the rigors of a national campaign. The McCain camp also did her no favors, initially keeping her under a quarantine that raised the stakes for any media interview she did do. When it finally handed her over to Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric, Mrs. Palin was set up to fail with ground rules that let CBS dribble out her uncertain answers night after night.

The nasty leaks and gossip about Mrs. Palin that are now emerging from sources inside the McCain campaign have the ring of score-settling. Staff aides who mishandled her, or set her up for the Couric embarrassment, are now saying she refused coaching. Perhaps these were the same advisers who told her to cite Alaska's proximity to Russia as a foreign-policy credential.
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As for Mrs. Palin's Republican critics, they might consider if they can afford to write off a young leader with such natural political talent. We don't see a large constellation of other GOP stars on the horizon. Mr. McCain was right to understand that his party needs a new generation of leaders who haven't grown comfortable with the perks of Washington. Especially as Democrats once again grow the Beltway, the next GOP leaders will need to make a better case for entrepreneurship and limited government. Mrs. Palin deserves a chance to see if she has the skill and work ethic to become that kind of leader.

Wednesday Afternoon Cigar

President-Elect Obama, you can have my Camacho SLR Maduro when you pry it from my cold dead fingers.

"Historic"

The election of Barack Obama is "historic" as many of our fellow conservative bloggers posted in a shameful hurried rush.

Yes, the most liberal candidate in the history of the United States is now President Elect. That is historic.

Yes, the candidate that proposes a 25% increase in federal spending, paid for in higher taxes for all, was elected. That is historic.

Yes, the candidate with the most ambitious goals to ignore and override fundamental values written into our Constitution has been elected. That is historic.

Yes, the candidate who will cash out the gains of 232 years of liberty, capitalism, individual initiative, investment risk and spilled blood was elected last night. That is historic.

Obama ran a well organized campaign, put in a maximum effort, and beat McCain-Palin with enough margin to negate the Democratic Party's massive fraud efforts. NOT historic. That is just good campaigning.

If you want to call us racist, get in line. We are a product of the US public school system where we endured years of indoctrination that told us skin color, gender, etc. was to be ignored. That all are equal. Ok - that is what we are doing. Our question to those who want this to be about race is: why weren't you paying attention in public school like we were?

So, while some of our fellow bloggers want to write about race and some "historic" precedent, we'll stick to our assessment methodology that has served us well over the years. We will continue to judge by character, associations, respect for and adherence to the Constitution, and results. Obama is 0-4 in these areas today. Let's see how he does as President.

Our 2008 Election Analysis video:

2008 Election Analysis

Our second Election Analysis video

Click here to see our 2006 Election Analysis Video. Do you see a trend within the MSM?

The News of the Day

Update 10PM: Obama wins, and our Commie Obama Hat Store gets a four-year extension. Stay tuned for our 2008 Election Analysis...

Update 11.5 11am: Found at IBD Editorials:

More Marx

Found these at American Thinker: