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A Man In Transition

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Helen Thomas, Lynne Stewart, a vat of anchovies and me ... indeed!
-Glenn Reynolds

No Longer Burned Out

Hello all.  I haven't been posting but it's not because I'm burned out.  Actually, I feel great.  Unfortunately, my access to the internet and time to post have both been terribly limited during this past week.  The hotel that I'm at has started charging a ridiculous fee for internet access (and even computer access ... what's with charging an arm and a leg to use Word?!?).  However, I will be back in San Francisco in just a little bit and I promise more posts soon.  To everyone who has kept checking in here over the past few days:

Thank you so much. 

Posted by: Jheka at July 29, 2005 23:01 | link | comments (6) |
miscellaneous musings

Hello ... I'm Burned Out on Blogging

Thoughts?

Posted by: Jheka at July 21, 2005 14:34 | link | comments (18) |
miscellaneous musings

Thoughts From Baghdad - On Kennedy

This is the next installment in a series of essays and musings of an Army officer who is currently serving in Baghdad (and due to come home very soon).  The usual disclaimers apply with the added note that this is long but, for history buffs, well worth the effort. 

Posted by: Jheka at July 15, 2005 13:25 | link | comments |
politics, miscellaneous musings

Posting Update

Posting was slow because of technical difficulties ... I'm back now.

Posted by: Jheka at July 15, 2005 11:08 | link | comments |

Something From the Good News Files

Virginia firefighters have collected DVDs and snacks for troops serving in Iraq.  In addition, businesses have donated movies, shipping boxes and even DVD players.  How about that ... a bit of happy news.

Posted by: Jheka at July 13, 2005 16:34 | link | comments (2) |
the war against islamism, iraq, mensches, what s going right

Random Wednesday Afternoon Art

We've been culture-free for a little while here at TDB as life has made me flake on my poetry and art responsibilities.  Here is where I start to make it up to you.  This painting, entitled "The Empire of Lights" is a 1954 work by Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte.  It hangs in Musée Royaux des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Belgium:

Posted by: Jheka at July 13, 2005 12:33 | link | comments |
art

Do DUers Like Americans?

No, they do not.  They think that we are, generally "a nation of slack-jawed yahoos."  This is a common theme among the hard left.

Now, I'm just a silly ignoramus but someone tell me ... who can be more safely described as "stupid," the average American or the "intellectual" who is publicly declaring how moronic the average American is while simultaneously trying to win her vote?  Yup ... DU, truly it is the land of mental giants.

Posted by: Jheka at July 11, 2005 19:25 | link | comments (4) |
schmucks, politics, leftist idiocy

Thoughts From Baghdad - On Military Life and Divorce

Here is the next post in a series from an American officer's journal.  For context, I should note that the career army officer who wrote the following is very happily married and has been for many years.  I should also note that the author briefly mentions being in favor of a draft.  As it happens, I am also in favor of a draft, for generally non-military reasons.  I hope to blog about that issue when I have a little more time.  On to the thoughts from Baghdad: 

Posted by: Jheka at July 11, 2005 10:47 | link | comments (2) |
the war against islamism, iraq, miscellaneous musings

Thoughts From Baghdad - On The Iraqi Constitution

Here is another excerpt from my the journal that my friend kept during his time in Baghdad.  It relates to a recent news article regarding the Iraqi constitution: 

Posted by: Jheka at July 10, 2005 15:21 | link | comments (2) |
the war against islamism, iraq

More Thoughts From Other People

Since I seem to be repeating the words of others today, here's the latest brilliant piece from Iowahawk, written in the wake of the London atrocity:

Harry Potter and the Practiotioners of Ka-Boom:

An excerpt won't do it justice.  Go and read it.  You won't regret spending the three minutes.

Posted by: Jheka at July 09, 2005 13:07 | link | comments (4) |
the war against islamism

Thoughts From Baghdad - On The European Union

This is the second in a series of posts reprinted from the personal journal of an American officer serving in Baghdad.  All of the comments and disclaimers in the preceding post apply to this one and all of the "Thoughts from Baghdad" posts that will follow. 

Posted by: Jheka at July 09, 2005 12:14 | link | comments |
the war against islamism, politics, miscellaneous musings

Thoughts from Baghdad - On Family Values

My good friend who is serving in Baghdad uses his free time to keep a journal.  He is a prolific writer who covers a lot of topics.  Recently, he has e-mailed me a number of journal entries that he thought I might be interested in.  While much of what he writes about is personal and not for public consumption, he has given me permission to post some of his thoughts on various, less personal issues.  I will do so in the next series of posts.  Two things that apply to all of my friend's writings.  First, these are his thoughts.  While I am happy to discuss my views on them in the comments, I am not endorsing (or denouncing) them or claiming them as my own views.  While I have great respect and affection for my friend, we are different people and have different perspectives on a number of issues.  Second, I am not going to edit what he has permitted me to post in any substantive way except to fix any typos, remove anything that specifically identifies him or his family or to clean up transitions between sections that I am publishing and the personal material that preceded it.  Otherwise, these are 100% his words as he sent them to me.

Posted by: Jheka at July 09, 2005 12:07 | link | comments |
miscellaneous musings

Thoughts on The War

I posted this as a comment over at LGF and I figure that I might as well post it here:

I've said it before but it is worth repeating:

We will not win this war with bombs and bullets alone. It is impossible. Simple mathematics dictates that we cannot kill Islamists as quickly as the Islamists can breed and indoctrinate new Islamists. If we were to try to eliminate them all through more indiscriminate methods the human carnage, including the slaughter of actual, honest to God innocents would be more than the civilized world could possibly stomach ... at least for now.

We need to get serious and refocus our efforts. Do not just try to kill the Islamists who stream from the mosques after the sermons by radical imams. Kill the imams. Raze the mosques. If they build it again, kill his replacement and build something that will forever commemorate the spot as Western Civilization's 457th holiest spot.

Do not just try to stop the child suicide bombers. Kill the authors and publishers and printers of the evil books that have radicalized them. Kill the purveyors of terrorist trading cards and posters and anything else that poisons the minds of children. Raze their warehouses, destroy their printing presses. Turn their office buildings into empty lots that may, if they one day deserve it, be home to a Starbuck's.

A bank knowingly holds or launders money for terrorists? Hang the bank executives. All of them, regardless of nationality. Raze the bank. Distribute the assets to the legitimate customers and seize the rest.

Do not complain to the Egyptian government or the Syrian government or the Saudi government about anti-American or anti-Semitic or pro-terrorist films. Bomb any theatre that shows them. Level any television station that broadcasts them. Hunt down and kill the people who make The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and Mein Kampf among the most popular texts in the Middle East. Freedom of expression is not a right that you extend to your enemy in a time of war.

Print new school books and make sure that they are used; at the point of a gun, if need be. Distribute Hollywood movies and Western literature (or non-hate filled Eastern cinema and literature, as far as that will go). Take control of TV stations or build new ones and broadcast decency and laughter and love of life into every corner of the Middle East and beyond. A Saudi newspaper prints hatred? Wipe it from memory and replace it. The war is a culture war and we have yet to seriously approach it as such. We will kill far more people, with far less effect if we continue to attack just the terrorists instead of the roots of terror.

Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and other groups should never, ever feel that it is safe to gather en masse, as they do now. Terrorist websites, which are plentiful and easily accessible, should only be allowed to exist to the extent that they provide useful information.

It is time to change this war. It is time to actually fight for the hearts and minds of the next generation of Muslims. Because if we can't convince them and save them en masse from the poison of the death cult today, we'll have to kill them one by one tomorrow.

Posted by: Jheka at July 07, 2005 18:45 | link | comments (1) |
the war against islamism, miscellaneous musings

London Attacked

When I saw and commented on this late last night, it looked like it was just a tragic accident.  Apparently not.  The adherents of The Religion of Peace have slaughtered more innocents in their war against Western civilization.  My thoughts and sympathies are with the British people and with all of the victims of this barbarity. 

New York
Virginia
Pennsylvania
Madrid
Moscow
Beslan
Jerusalem
Tel Aviv
Manila
London
. . .

It is all one war.

Posted by: Jheka at July 07, 2005 06:34 | link | comments (3) |
the war against islamism

The Huffington Post Smears Rush Limbaugh

I'm not a fan of Limbaugh, but this is ridiculous.  The Huffington Post headline:

The actual article headline:


NOWHERE in the article is it stated that the documents "reveal doctor shopping."  In fact, the article specifically states that "[n]one of the records' contents were revealed."  Moreover, the prosecutor did not characterize the contents of the documents in any way.  This is a nasty slur by whoever wrote the post title.

Arianna owes Rush Limbaugh and her readers an apology.

Posted by: Jheka at July 06, 2005 23:54 | link | comments |
schmucks, general idiocy

The Best DU Conspiracy Theory Ever

9-11 was an inside job ... by the evil American flag manufacturing industry. 

Oh, those sneaky, sneaky people ...

Posted by: Jheka at July 06, 2005 16:24 | link | comments |
the war against islamism, schmucks, leftist idiocy, humor

DUers ask: Who's Worse, Bush or Osama?

So far, it's unanimous.

It must be getting awfully lonely for the Joe Liebermans of the Democratic party.

Posted by: Jheka at July 05, 2005 11:07 | link | comments |
the war against islamism, schmucks, politics, leftist idiocy

Jacques Chirac is an Idiot

Forget about politics for a moment.  Forget, for the time being, that Jacques Chirac is a Saddam supporting, anti-American nitwit who would have happily allowed the weak and helpless of Iraq continue to suffer and perish under the completely corrupt oil for food program for another generation or two so long as France and certain individuals could continue to profit.  Forget all of that.  Jacques Chirac's greatest gamble, his greatest achievement or failure, is the European Union.  If the EU succeeds and becomes an economic, political and military powerhouse, Chirac will get much of the credit and if it fails, he will be on the receiving end of much of the blame and derision.  In order for the EU to succeed many things have to happen.  One of those is that Britain and the British people absolutely must support the effort.  Without British support, there is no EU in any meaningful sense.  So what does Jacques Chirac do?  He listens to his inner Frenchman and proceeds to gratuitously insult Great Britain and the British people for absolutely no apparent reason outside of an apparent overabundance of personal chauvinism, stupidity and general asshattery.  In other words, he's a complete jerk and is simply too dumb and weak to help himself.  Here some choice Chirac quotes, uttered before two world leaders, several translators and a number of reporters (did I mention that the man is an idiot?):

Heh.  I'm sure that the Fins are just tickled.  The Brits sure aren't amused.  Not at all.

Posted by: Jheka at July 05, 2005 02:17 | link | comments |
schmucks, general idiocy

One Of The People That John Kerry Has Never Met Says That Rove Is Worse Than Bin Laden

Ted Rall, who is among the most noxious human beings in this country (or any other country for that matter) and a walking, talking argument for making U.S. citizenship more easily revokable, has written yet another ugly screed.  This time, while speaking favorably of Ward Churchill, Rall asserts that Karl Rove is worse than Osama bin Laden.  The basis of this assertion?  No actual facts but, rather, the unverified rumors being spread by crazy leftist hack Lawrence O'Donnell.  Except that Rall "reports" these completely unsubstantiated assertions about rumors about notes that Rall hasn't seen about a conversation that he didn't hear as facts.  Which makes him worse than who?  Hitler?  Stalin?  Nah.  That's nuts.  Rall only aspires to be Goebbels, but he lacks the talent.

Posted by: Jheka at July 05, 2005 01:50 | link | comments |
the war against islamism, schmucks, politics, leftist idiocy

John Kerry is a Liar

Those of you who read this blog know that I am not a huge fan of the red meat rhetoric and while I will, on occasion, go on a rant, I think that individuals from any part of the political spectrum who are all-rants-all-the-time are, generally, intellectually lazy (and/or weak) jerks.  Two incandescent examples are Michael Savage from the right and Ted Rall fom the Left (and is anybody else completely unsurprised that they are both calling for immediate troop withdrawal?  The political spectrum is a circle, not a line).  I say all of this as a preface to the following:

John Kerry, Junior Senator from the state of Massachusetts (am I the only one who always has trouble spelling "Massachusetts"? Maybe I am) sent me an e-mail today.  Predictably, it was an e-mail criticizing the speech on Iraq that President Bush gave last night.  You know what?  Fine.  I don't mind the knee-jerk criticisms.  I'm used to them by now.  What bothered me was the blatant lie.  Here it is:

Last night the President had a chance to move the country forward by laying out a specific course of action to make our troops safer and rescue the mission in Iraq.

Instead, the President took us backwards -- backwards to campaign style rhetoric and unshakeable stubbornness.

Let me be clear about something. I've never met an American who doesn't want to see America succeed in Iraq. I've never met a veteran who doesn't fly the flag on the 4th of July with pride in our country. I've never met an American who doesn't believe in the greatness of our country and the strength of our ideals.

Did you get that?  He's NEVER met an American who doesn't want America to succeed.  He's never met Michael Moore, who was at his convention.  He's never any of the the DUers the Kos posters and the thousands of other anti-American Leftists who donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to his campaign.  In all of his campaigns and travels around this nation he's never met people like George Soros, Amiri Baraka, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, Ward Churchill or any other anti-American American.

John Kerry says he's never met an American who wanted America to fail.  Jheka says that John Kerry will tell blatant and obvious lies to score cheap political points.  Only one of us is right.

Posted by: Jheka at July 05, 2005 00:57 | link | comments (3) |
schmucks, politics, leftist idiocy