Slight Criticism of the Hub Blog:

Just a small bit of criticism about the Hub Blog today.

Blogger Jay Fitzgerald includes this following entry:

'The repeal was gaveled through on a voice vote,' Part III: Brian Moroney makes all the right connections: Clean elections, the smoking ban, bilingual education, charter schools. What the hell else did they put in that bill? ... Moroney makes another interesting connection: Why the hell didn’t Republicans ask for a roll-call vote? Maybe that explains why Mitt has been so quiet on this issue. ... Wayne Woodlief is covering roughly the same ground (pay-to-view).

In the above entry, Hub Blog links to Boston Herald columnist Woodlief's article that bloggers must pay to read.

On principle, I am against bloggers linking to "pay per view" columns. One of the most critical aspects of the Blogosphere is the ability to discuss a subject or column or idea and link to some of the primary sources regarding the topic being discussed. To remain part of the "biosphere dialogue", those whose ideas wish to be included must keep the links to those ideas free and unencumbered. It is for that reason I won't link to pay per view columns nor to Boston Globe or NYTimes pay per view archived articles.

Perhaps this the beginning of a discussion the wider world of blogs should discuss....Blogger Ethics: Pay Per View Links and Archives....discuss amongst yourselves....

UPDATE: Hub Blog responds-

"I usually don't link to pay-to-view columns for the reasons mentioned. But in this case, the Herald columns all dealt with issues I've been hammering away at in recent days. Peter Gelzinis, in particular, broke the Reilly/Billy story in a paid column -- and it's turned out to be one of the biggest stories in Boston in recent days. So I linked to him both yesterday and today. I've been hammering away at the Voice Vote antics of the lawmakers over the past few days, and Wayne was writing about it today. So I linked to him. Sometimes linking to pay-to-view/subscriber material is necessary to further and/or bolster an argument. ... As for your line: "Perhaps this the beginning of a discussion the wider world of blogs should discuss....Blogger Ethics: Pay Per View Links and Archives....discuss amongst yourselves" .... Ugh. Double ugh. Let's end the discussion right here. You're starting to sound like a stuffy non-blogger journalist. No 'Blogger Ethics,' please. To each his own, I say."

One of the All-Time Great Sport Photos:

Liberal Bias Confirmed at LA Times:

Memo from Editor of LA Times:

"...The apparent bias of the writer and/or the desk reveals itself in the third paragraph, which characterizes such bills in Texas and elsewhere as requiring "so-called counseling of patients." I don't think people on the anti-abortion side would consider it "so-called," a phrase that is loaded with derision.

The story makes a strong case that the link between abortion and breast cancer is widely discounted among researchers, but I wondered as I read it whether somewhere there might exist some credible scientist who believes in it.

Such a person makes no appearance in the story's lengthy passage about the scientific issue. We do quote one of the sponsors of the bill, noting that he "has a professional background in property management." Seldom will you read a cheaper shot than this. Why, if this is germane, wouldn't we point to legislators on the other side who are similarly bereft of scientific credentials? "

A Polish Socialist Defends America:

"Many of us participated in the anti-American protests of 1968, which is why we were horrified and guilt-stricken at the image of so many Vietnamese escaping the regime after the communist victory in tiny boats, risking their own lives and those of their families. We also remember the Manichaeism of the supporters of the Viet Cong who burned the American flag but later failed to denounce the regime. We want to avoid this. Today we are not burning the Iraqi flag; we just do not understand those protesting under Saddam Hussein’s portraits."

NYTimes Kills Dissent at the Boston Globe:

Hub Blog picks up a Boston Herald piece about the spiking of a Globe column that takes the NYTimes leadership to task...why am I not surprised.

Great Answer to an American-Hater:

"These are the arguments of idiots or scoundrels. The last thing America wants is to be alone in the world trying to uphold the values of liberal democracy. The problem is that it does find itself alone, forced into unilateralism by Dame Margaret's UN, which would not enforce any of its 17 resolutions on Iraq. But for her and her ilk, everything comes back to the fault of the US.

Castro's executions get a frown from her, but "as far as Cuba's Castro is concerned, his stay in power has been very much facilitated by certain policies... from outside". The last refuge of the totally blinkered Left-liberal is, when faced with the undeniable evidence of a monstrous regime, to say it is all the fault of America."

Bush Never Went AWOL

Important bit of journo/blogging here about the non-story of Bush being AWOL in the Guard.

Lots to Disagree Over:

Be sure to check out Jay at HubBlog today.

It is rare for him to take loss of his senses so often as his insight is usually dead-on, but this day he has faltered on more than one issue:

Quote #1 from Jay:
"Sadly, Bob Ryan deserves what he got."

I disagree. After 33 years of loyal service to the Boston Globe, Bob Ryan deserved the opportunity to apologize and move on. If loyalty is not a two-way street, what is its worth? Bob Ryan deserves plenty of criticism for his stupid remark, but the Boston Globe should stand-by its loyal employee as he makes his contrition - rather than leading his inquisition.

Quote #2 from Jay:
"Yes, legally and technically, the health board acted within its legal authority [to ban smoking in pubs]. But, yes, the system was rigged, as we all know it, to skirt democratic debate and votes by elected officials."

I would suggest that in a democracy, "legally and technically" is all that matters. Further, I believe that the state legislature, in adopting the powers for local boards of health, specifically wished to insulate those boards from the pressures of local governments.

Quote #3 from Jay:
"Tip's Tunnel -- at last: I'm glad they're renaming it after Tip."

Ugh. Can Boston be more insular and small minded? When will we FINALLY stop naming things after Tip, Moakely, and Rose Kennedy?

Oh yes, the wonderfully named "Leonard Zakim - Bunker Hill Blah Blah Blah Memorial Bridge"....."well, you see little Johnny, instead of making a real statment with the naming of the our 'signature' bridge, it broke out into a political squabble between petty pols resulting in a pathetically named, jumble mouthed monstrosity of a name...so instead of being a symbol of what is great about Boston, it is a showcase of how awful Boston politics really is...isn't that nice little Johnny?...San Francisco has the Golden Gate Bridge and we have a bridge named after our inability to name a bridge"

And what might we say to little Johnny about the Tip O'Neil Tunnel, "...well, little guy, when Tip died everyone loved him because he brought home the bacon to the district, like getting the Feds to approve money for the Big Dig, but at that time nobody knew that Tip was getting the Feds to sign on to a financial boondoggle of which they would only pay a fixed amount. You see, Johnny, Tip got the boondoggle started and now the state is stuck with the entire cost of the billions in over-runs. Actually, that is not true. The state moved the boondoggle to an "authority" now they are stuck with the cost overuns and they force people who drive East-West on the Pike in the suburbs to pay for improvement on a North-South corridor in the city...isn't Tip great? So instead of naming a tunnel after something we should be proud of, we've chosen to name it after the person who got the whole debacle started....sweet, eh?"

Fear not everyone, I'm sure Jay will return to his senses shortly, perhaps after a visit to a (now) clear-aired tavern.

Bennett Gambling Losses Top $8,000 Annually!

What is all the fuss?

If Bill Bennett cycles through $8 million over a decade on video poker machines that average returns of 99%, Bennett only loses about eight grand a year. Who cares?

For him to have lost (as some allege) $1.4 million, he would have had to cycle through $140 million dollars! Even if you are betting $500 bucks a hand and each hand takes two minutes,Bennett would have to have been sitting in front of video poker machine for six hours a day, evey day, for over four years to lose $1.4 million at your average Nevada video poker machine! !

The Newsweek numbers just don't add up.

Hillary Knew:

According to Sidney Blumenthal's new book on Clinton, just one moment after being sworn in for the second time as President, Clinton's bible toting wife turned to him and said, "They're going to screw you on the Paula Jones case."

Either this is another Blumenthal lie, or the Clinton's are the most demented people on earth.

The Hawash Scandal: What Do Photos Mean?

As I peruse Left-leaning, Bush-hating, Ashcroft-vilifying Blog sites, it is interesting to note that they chose to show this particular photo of Maher Hawash. It is the one that shows him as the average joe:


These same Bloggers NEVER show this next photo. The face of Maher that so worried his neighbors following 9/11 that they called the FBI. It was soon after 9/11 that Maher allegedly became a virtual recluse and began to grow out his beard, allegedly, in sympathy with the suffering of Arabs around the world.
To be honest, pro-Hawash bloggers should show both pics.

pics via KATU TV

via shortarmguy.com

Hello? Andrew Sullivan?

I'm pretty surprised that Blogger/writer Andrew Sullivan has just now discovered that there is a conservative, non-Libertarian wing to the Republican party. Andrew, have you read the papers over the last twenty years? This is not a secret and I am surprised that you are surprised.

Is there a general right to bedroom privacy in the Constitution? Certainly not as the Founders wrote it.

But should we infer one anyway? Sure, why not? So, I agree with Andrew there.

As for everyone getting all hot and bothered that there is a conservative streak to the, well, conservative US party of Republicans strikes me as odd.

I guess if I were gay and in Texas, I'd probably spend about three minutes a year worrying about the cops.

But I think I would worry much more about the IRS taking 30% of my personal money, the EPA telling me what I can do with my personal real estate, the EOC telling me who I could personally hire for jobs, and the miriad other government agencies whose sole purpose is to tell me what to do every hour of every day that the press and the Left NEVER talk about.

So, if I were a gay Texan, and I had a sense of what is really important day to day, I'd be a Republican and not a Democrat.

Skeptical Iraqis? Skeptical me!

The newspapers this weekend were loaded with stories identifying many "skeptical Iraqis". Not only were they skeptical, some were even "very" skeptical. They were skeptical of the United States' "intentions". Skeptical of our dedication to "a free Iraq". Skeptical of our use of their "oil wealth". They wanted to know if we would stay around long enough to "fix what we broke". And some said they'd be skeptical if "we stayed to long". And of course, the liberal pundits were all-to-ready to chime in with a briskly worded, "The Iraqis have a right to be skeptical?"

No, they don't. The Iraqis have no right to be skeptical...but I sure as hell do.

I'm skeptical of the Iraqis' interest in building their country instead of whining about it to the media. I'm skeptical of their interest in creating a society protective of the rights of minority religions and ethnicities.

I'm skeptical of Iraqis' ability to ward off the influence of Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia as they go about re-inventing their government. And I'm skeptical of Iraqis’ desire to stave off the powers of the conservative Mullahs and clerics who hope to dominate post-war Iraq.

I'm skeptical of Iraqis' ability to construct a modern nation unafraid to experience the market-place of ideas. I'm skeptical of Iraqis ability to be a help, rather than a hindrance, to the Mideast peace process.

Yes, call me a skeptic when I see an entire nation of people who do not (and may not ever) understand that Freedom Isn't Free. Maybe they thought freedom was handed out in breadbaskets delivered by Allah, because they've never shown much interest in fighting for it.

But we in the US know differently. History has shown us that the road to freedom is strewn with sacrifice and blood and because of that we hold precious all that we have fought and died for. The Iraqis of yet have not learned this, they got off easy. Their entire nation liberated with minimal casualties while someone else did all the dirty work.

So pardon my skepticism when it comes to the Iraqi people. And pardon my distrust of a people so quick to become skeptical of the intentions of others while many of their own intentions remain so very unclear.

For Our Dead: No to EU, No to UN

So, now that the blood of Americans has barely dried on the streets of Baghdad, Umm Qasr, Nasiriya and many other cities and towns of Iraq, the delicate elites of the UN and EU wish to give the United States suggestions on how to be a good world citizen in Iraq.

Perhaps the UN would also like to tell the family of Cpl. Bernard Gooden, age 22, of Mt. Vernon, N.Y. who was killed April 4 during a firefight in central Iraq how they should mourn and remember their son and brother?

Perhaps, too, the EU would like to pick out the style casket that will contain the body of Lance Cpl. David K. Fribley, age 26 of Lee, Fla. who was just one of nine Marines killed when a group of Iraqis pretended to surrender but then opened fire on Marines near An Nasiriyah.

No, no, better yet, perhaps President Chiraq has an opinion about which funeral home should be chosen by the family of Spc. James M. Kiehl age 22, of Comfort, Texas who was killed on March 23 when the convoy he was traveling in was ambushed in southern Iraq.

I am certain that German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has a view as to what songs should be sung at the services held for Sgt. 1st Class John W. Marshall age 50, of Los Angeles, who was killed in action on April 8, when he was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade during an Iraqi ambush in Baghdad.

And we would all be interested to know what Kofi Annan thinks the kids should wear to their daddy's funeral, that of Lance Cpl. Donald J. Cline, Jr., 21, of Sparks, Nev. who left a wife and two children.

I could go on. Yes, I could continue to name the leaders of Europe and put with each of their names the name of a father or son, a brother or an uncle who won't be going home to their families this spring.

They won't be going home because they are dead.

For you see, they didn't have "views" about Iraq, they had courage.

They didn't have "policies" about Iraq, they had guts.

These dead soldiers didn't have "conferences" about Iraq, they had battle plans.

The didn't have "carefully crafted statements" about Iraq, they had guns.

And now, here it comes; wafting over the Atlantic like a stench comes the advice, the suggestions, the dictums, the objections, the disquiet, the whispers, and the anger and disgust of Europeans and the UN bureaucracy... and I "No!" to it all.

I have no interest in their opinions any longer. Except for a few countries on the continent, their opinions and thoughts carry no weight in my house, in my country.

Let the memory of Bernard advise teh US how to look for the weapon's of mass destruction.

Let the memory of David inform as to how best to get the water running.

Let the memory of James tell us how we should sell the oil.

Let the memory of John assist us in distributing the medicine.

And, let the memory of Donald tell the United States of America what kind of future the children of Iraq will have.

Remarkable Arab News Article:

AT AN AIR BASE IN KUWAIT, 16 April 2003 — People are curious about being embedded in the Marines. This is my effort to set the record straight. Some readers suspect I was subjected to propaganda while living with these men and women. There was no propaganda campaign. If there had been, there would have been no embeds. Journalists wrote their own stories, and made their own interview requests and interviews. The Marines’ “PAOs” (public affairs officers) would set up the meetings, but not oversee them.

What happened to the majority of journalists living the Marine life is that we experienced it from the inside. I can honestly say that seven weeks as an embed has changed me forever. And I have often found many similarities between Marines and Arabs.

I have passed this around to all I know. I suggest everyone does the same.

genealogy site

A Pro-War Blogger's List of US Errors in the War

Please don't take this as Monday morning quarterbacking, folks. These are errors that annoyed me the very moment they happened and were not deduced as errors with the benefit of hindsight. They are not so much military errors as they are PR errors with regards to playing the "expectations game".

1) The term "Shock and Awe" should never have been used by any US official to describe the air campaign. When used, the term set the expectation bar so high that anything less than immediate capitulation on the part of Saddam's regime would look like a defeat for the US campaign. "Shock and Awe" was always too flippant to be used in any serious discussion of the military strategy and use of the term worked to our disadvantage.

2) "Nasiriya (or Umm Qasr or Basra or Najaf) is now in control". Each time such a thing was said during the first week of the war, I cringed, knowing it was just a matter of hours before a US casualty came from that city and the pundits would have a field day. If I could see the cheap shots coming, why couldn't the Pentagon. It was always better to say that the situation in a particular city remained serious, rather than trying to nuance that city's particular level of safety.

3) "Water and electricity will be turned on soon." Don't say it unless it is absolutely true. Cripes, my cable goes out for 15 minutes and I go nuts. Why are we expending large amounts of our "goodwill capital" and credibility with fanciful predictions on when basic services will return. If it is going to be two weeks, say two weeks and explain why.

4) "Syria has chemical weapons". Can we PLEASE find the one's in Iraq first? Once we do, our credibility will be sky high and we'll be able to convince folks that the Pope has WMD. However, until we find the WMD in Iraq, let's keeping the finger pointing to a minimum.

Much Ado About Hawash

Lots of attention on the Internet about Intel engineer Mike Hawash who is now in custody as a material witness (witness to what, I don't know). Hawash is a Palestinian but has been an American citizen for 15 years. He is getting alot of high-level support from the likes of Intel executives and Oregon's legislative contingent.

Many on the 'Net are using this case as a weapon in their war against Attorney General John Ashcroft, but I suggest they hold their fire. So far Ashcroft is doing very well in the courts (see the Lackawanna cases, the Florida Professor case and the recent Ujaama case).

My money is on Achcroft; betting he has a reason to hold Hawash and that it will all come out well for the AG in the end.

As for the use of "material witness" powers to hold American citizens in jail, I will (at least for now) defer to the judges of the US to determine if these powers are being abused. Until I feel otherwise, I know of no reason to believe these judges are acting in an unconstitutional manner.

UPDATE: Washington Post has suggested in this past article that Hawash may have connection to the Ujaama case in Portland.

Blogging to here now during the war. The Command Post.

Sign the Thank You Note to our Troops. So far, 8.6 million have.