Lech Walesa - Communist spy???

An article in the London Times Online is titled "Lech Walesa was a Communist spy, says new book." After reading the article I am not convinced he was a Communist spy, but would not completely discount the possibility. While Walesa was a key player in the ending of Soviet rule over Poland in the 1980's, it is possible that he was compromised by the SB (basically the Polish version of the KGB) long before he became the leader of Solidarity Movement and then president of a free Poland. However, I wouldn't put my faith in old files that could very well have been faked to discredit him as Walesa claims.

Over the next couple decades we will probably see many similar stories based on files that are released. The validity or accuracy of the info in the files is anyone's guess. While this story is based on files from the Polish secret police, I'm sure there are more than a few Americans concerned about what might be someday be released from KGB files.

The Supreme Court blows another case

In a 5-4 ruling the Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana is wrong in having the death penalty as a potential punishment for raping a child on the basis of it being cruel and unusual. One can reasonably argue that the death penalty itself is wrong and I can respect that point of view. However, if we allow that the death penalty is constitutional then it is a matter of deciding which offenses against societal norms of behavior warrant that punishment. In my view the death penalty should be reserved for the most heinous of crimes that we need to discourage with the harshest of penalties. If brutally raping an innocent child doesn't meet the minimum standard for imposition of that penalty, then nothing should.

Justices Souter, Ginsberg, Breyer, Stevens and Kennedy voted in the majority. The decision a president makes with the longest lasting impact is nominations to the federal bench including the SCOTUS. The next president will likely name two or three justices. I can not guarantee that Sen. McCain will name justices of the high caliber of Roberts or Alito. However, I can guarantee that Sen. Obama will name ones in line with Ginsberg and Breyer. Obama wouldn't even consider someone for that position unless they were dedicated to protecting the guilty and abandoning the innocent.

UPDATE:

Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online's Corner weighs in:

Evolving Standards
The death penalty used to be constitutional for barn-burning, horse stealing, fairly minor thefts etc. I completely agree that our evolving standards of decency make that seem like overkill, pardon the pun. But is it really a sign of our evolving standards of decency that brutally raping a child is also on that list? Are we more decent because we don't consider that a capital offense? I don't really see it.

Nope.

Breaking the trance of an Obama zombie

We all have friends that are otherwise good people who have fallen for Sen. Obama. Usually if you ask them why you get a frustrating answer like "he's a different kind of politician." Which means nothing. Sadly, some people seem to be choosing a president with the same set of standards they use for voting for American Idol. "He's nice looking." "He's got a smooth way of talking, etc." Obviously. the only way to get through to people is try to get them to focus on issues. Here are a couple articles that break down issues and Obama's distressing positions to help break the spell some have fallen under.

10 Concerns about Barack Obama by William J. Bennett & Seth Leibsohn

Barack Obama's Diplomatic Code Words is an article from American Thinker that demonstrates Obama's naivete on foreign affairs.

Here is Don Luskin's explanation of Obama's scary "solution" for the crisis in the Ponzi scheme called Social Security.

If people try to claim he is a different kind of candidate that transcends politics, explain how he lied about accepting public funding for his campaign (thereby avoiding the spending limits that go with the funding). He's a J.A.P. (no, not Jewish American Princess - Just Another Politician).

In Obamyths Floyd and Mary Beth Brown of Frontpage Magazine look at the soft glove media approach to Obama that resulted in a nominee that has not been fully vetted.

To me, the most vexing Obama fan is the person who professes to be pro-life but intends to vote for Obama anyways. If you run into one of those ask them how they reconcile their beliefs with Obama proudly declaring one of his first acts as president is to sign the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). FOCA, by the way, would invalidate all local laws that place any limits on abortion on demand. In other words even parental notification laws would be invalidated.

If that is too much reading for your busy schedule, you could just listen to this guy:



He is a little goofy and an admitted liberal, but his video's are kind of funny and might help some people formulate their arguments against the more outrageous claims of Obama fans. How to talk to a NObama cultist Pt.1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3, Pt. 4, Pt. 5.

Speaker Pelosi kwitcherbitch'n

I've long been irritated by the whole "I'm a victim" mentality. However, this one just pushed me past my limits:

“I’m a victim of sexism myself all the time,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) discussing Tuesday morning whether sexism played a significant role in the defeat of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) by presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.)

Nancy guess what? You've got it pretty good
You're rich - estimated net worth of over 30 million dollars.
You're powerful - Speaker of the House of Representatives & second in line to succeed to the presidency.

Only idiots (ie: folks like her constituents) would buy the idea that she is a victim.

Cyd Charisse, Rest in Peace

Cyd Charisse who starred in many wonderful musicals in the 1940's and 1950's passed away at 86 years of age.

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Separately, the mainstream press frequently mocks blogs with their biggest criticism being a lack of fact checkers and editors. Well, in the Associated Press piece on Charisse's passing they included the following paragraph:

She also forged a popular song-and-dance partnership on television and in nightclub appearances with her husband, singer Tony Bennett.

Well, that should be surprising news to her husband of 60 years Tony Martin. Not to mention how surprising that has to be to Tony Bennett and the three wives he has had over the years.

Hey, you over there! If you don't vote for my guy you're racist!

Author and erstwhile Catholic priest Andrew Greeley has a column in the Chicago Sun-Times that uses a lot of words to make the case that people who don't vote for Greeley's preferred candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, are most likely basing their decision on race. What BS! Maybe Greeley is basing his decision on race, but it is BS for him to assume others think like he does. That would be like my declaring that Greeley is supporting Obama mainly because of the candidates extreme pro-abortion position instead of because Greeley is a long time Democrat who believes government social programs should provide the answer to all our problems. Likewise, Greeley should accept that some folks will vote for Obama's opponent, Sen McCain, because he believes in a more limited role of the government in our lives. Or some feel McCain has a better grasp of foreign affairs. Some understand that Obama will hurt the economy with massive tax hikes. Others yet, based on Obama's past associations, strongly feel he does not have the judgment to serve as commander in chief. None of those positions are intrinsically tied to his mixed race heritage.

Regardless of how stupid Greeley's assertion is, get ready for a steady stream of similar columns. They aren't trying to influence the intelligent voter anyways. They are hoping to play on lingering white guilt to elect an unqualified candidate. Sadly, it might work.

Met's Willie Randolph is 2008's First Fired Manager

It is often said, you fire the manager because you can't fire 25 players. Did Randolph make some mistakes? Sure, every manager does. However, he wasn't fired for any specific managerial decision. He was fired for the team's collapse last season and struggles this season. If they had won one more game down the stretch last season and made the playoffs he would have more slack this season. Former White Sox manager, Jerry Manuel will take over the helm of the Mets until he is fired at some to be determined time in the future. Will this move strike a spark in a group of underperforming players?

Who is next? Looking at the standing and considering preseason expectations I see the following managers in danger of being next.
John McClaren - Seattle (Yesterday's firing of GM Bill Bavassi may buy him some time)
Eric Wedge - Cleveland (Can use injuries as cover, but team is disappointing nonetheless)
Jim Leyland - Detroit (More likely to resign than be fired)
Ron Washington - Texas
Joe Girardi - NYY (Being Yankee manager and not being in first is definition of being on the hot seat. However, being in his first year Girardi has some slack)
John Gibbons - Toronto (Being in last place in 4th year on job spells danger)
Clint Hurdle - Colorado (World Series last season to last place this year)
Bruce Bochy - Giants (Probably safe since they have no talent and were expected to be awful)

It is the nature of the job. Win or you're fired!

Malik Obama confirms his half-brother Barack grew up a Muslim

With apologies to FOX news, we report - you decide.

"Barack Obama's half brother Malik said Thursday that if elected his brother will be a good president for the Jewish people, despite his Muslim background. In an interview with Army Radio he expressed a special salutation from the Obamas of Kenya."

In a remarkable denial issued last November that still stands on the official campaign website, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs issued a statement explaining that "Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised as a Muslim, and is a committed Christian."

Apparently Malik Obama, himself a Muslim, had not read the press release.

Do I know for absolute certainty that Barack Obama is a Muslim pretending not to be one for political expediency? No. However, that isn't the standard needed to be concerned about electing someone president of the United States. While Islamic extremists are at war with our country we can not seriously entertain the thought of electing this guy. This is not just a case of his brother assuming he is Muslim. There are several things that point to him being less than honest about this question.

Melanie Phillips is the most recent commentator to draw attention to the massive body of evidence that leaves no doubt that Barak Hussein Obama was born a Muslim (Islam is patrilineal) and raised a Muslim (so registered in school, acknowledging attending Islamic classes, reported accompanying his step-father to the mosque, and able to recite the Koran in the original Arabic).

With the United States having a population base of over 300 million, we should be able find a presidential candidate without being concerned over whether the candidate is potentially a member of a fanatical religion which is dedicated (according to the Koran) to forced conversion of all others.

I may have many disagreements with Sen. McCain over policy, but I have no concern as to his allegiance to our country. Right or wrong, I have serious concerns with Sen. Barack Hussein Obama being elected president.

Breaking News: Tim Russert Dead

The closest thing to an objective journalist on NBC, Tim Russert passed away today at 58 years of age. Rest in Peace, Tim.

Can you say "Conflict of Interest" boys and girls?

I don't know about you, but the highlighted portion below screams obvious conflict of interest to me. Headline: LOAN SLEAZE SPREADS

Two influential US senators got "VIP" loans from a leading subprime mortgage lender that saved them tens of thousands of dollars, it was reported last night.

The Democratic pols, Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Kent Conrad of North Dakota, both received the highly favorable loans under the designation "Friend of Angelo," a reference to embattled Countrywide head Angelo Mozilo, Condé Nast Portfolio reported.

Dodd is chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, while Conrad is chairman of the Budget Committee and a member of the Finance Committee. The two senators refinanced properties through the VIP program in 2003 and 2004, the report said.

That is as close to an out right bribe as you can get without doing the full Murtha and being taped. The punchline is these disreputable characters will shape the sub-prime "crisis" bailout legislation.

UPDATE: Called my Representative (Boehner) and U.S. Senators (Voinovich and Brown) asking if they will be taking any action to investigate bribery charges. Also, called Countrywide and asked how I could get the special bribery rate. As it stands right now I don't expect to see Senators Dodd and Conrad investigated and I really don't think I'm going to get the special bribery interest rate. Wasn't really expecting much action from any of the calls, but I hope they get enough calls to understand that regular folks (ie: taxpayers) are disgusted with business as usual in D.C.

Dear Senator Obama

"Dear Senator Obama" is the title of a post from Crazy Politico (a fellow retired Navy Chief) who happens to be a constituent of the junior Senator from Illinois. He addresses the senator's statements of the past few months that stretch the limits of anyones gullibility.

Dear Senator Obama,

Out of curiosity, I thought I'd write this and ask; in all seriousness; has anyone ever told you that you are full of $#!*? Not in a joking, two guys in the bar telling stories sort of way, but instead in a serious, you can't believe that I'd believe that crap sort of way.

Before you click the link bear in mind he uses some strong language. If that would offend you then don't click the link.

President Bush's Approval Ratings

The media frequently cites President Bush's low approval ratings without explaining the cause. Or more accurately incorrectly attributes his low approval ratings to the prosecution of the war on terrorism or another administration policy of which the media disapproves. The problem with that theory is the people who would disapprove of winning the war were not going to approve of President Bush no matter what. I think we can safely say that after the closely decided 2000 election there was a sizable percentage who would not approve of President Bush even if he found a cure for cancer. Where President Bush has seen his approval ratings tumble has been among his base. How has he lost the base? By trying to please the far left, which was never going to win him approval anyways. By being everybody in congress' buddy and refusing to veto any spending measure regardless of how egregiously wasteful. Basically by not being true to conservative principles. His approval ratings are about to go lower. He is losing folks like me who have begrudgingly continued to support him. How did he lose my approval? Here's how:

President George W. Bush today announced recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civil award. Established by Executive Order 11085 in 1963, the Medal may be awarded by the President "to any person who has made an especially meritorious contribution to (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." President Bush will honor these recipients at a White House ceremony on Thursday, June 19, 2008.

Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D., has worked throughout his career to improve the lives of those suffering from neurological disorders. His groundbreaking contributions to medicine and his inspiring efforts to help America's youth fulfill their potential have strengthened our Nation.

Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., has dedicated his life to expanding the horizons of human knowledge. His efforts to advance our understanding and treatment of HIV/AIDS have brought hope and healing to millions around the world.

Tom Lantos was a champion of human rights. The only Holocaust survivor to serve in the Congress, he devoted himself to securing liberty for oppressed people around the world and became a powerful witness for the importance of freedom.

General Peter Pace, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), is one of our Nation's most accomplished and respected military officers. His selfless service and visionary leadership have helped keep our Nation safe.

Donna Edna Shalala is one of our Nation's most distinguished educators and public officials. She has worked tirelessly to ensure that all Americans can enjoy lives of hope, promise, and dignity.

Laurence H. Silberman has devoted his life to promoting, enforcing, and defending the rule of law. He has been a stalwart guardian of the Constitution, and his work to strengthen our national security institutions has made Americans safer.

What would motivate President Bush to award the nations highest civil honor to a person (Shalala) who has worked so hard against some of the things Bush purports to believe in? I'll still argue that Bush was preferable to the other choice in 2000 or 2004, but he has finally lost my support.

Is this even news?

Does this headline seem newsworthy?

Man jumps from plane with no parachute, dies

Now if he jumped without a parachute and lived then you've got a story. Right now, it is just dog bites man.

Is Obama buying into all the hype?

As the primary campaign progressed I assumed Sen. Obama was just enjoying the ride of popularity and understood he isn't actually a/the Messiah. Turns out, after reading the text of his speech after clinching the Dem nomination, I was wrong he does really think he has super-natural powers.

Frank Miele of the Daily InterLake has a column titled "Obama’s wee small promises" which looks at the arrogance on display in his speech.

I see that Sen. Obama in his coronation speech the other night promised to turn back the waters of the ocean — or did he say he had already done it?
In either case, I am happy to report that we are now living in a new era of peace and prosperity, which only the very cynical among us could doubt.

Here are the words of Barack Obama himself, which confirm for all who have ears to hear, that the chains of humanity and nature have at last been thrown aside and mankind can finally claim to be masters of the universe.

Read the rest, it is worth the effort of clicking on the link.

The real danger of "Global Warming"

The majority of Americans don't much care that the much ballyhooed "Global Warming" is a half baked theory masquerading as settled science. Even most of those with enough judgment to realize it is a hoax laugh it off as harmless environmentalism and say what's wrong with taking better care of the planet. I can see that and even agree we should do better about things like littering, etc. What people don't understand is why they should be much more concerned about the proposed solutions to "Global Warming" then the imagined problem.

Former Delaware Governor Pete du Pont has a very good column in today's Wall Street Journal that explains that the real danger of "Global Warming" is the massive government takeover of control of industry as part of the solution to the imagined problem. In the article he details what we would see if the pending Boxer-Lieberman-Warner legislation were to become law. I would cut and paste part of his column, but I don't want to dilute his message. Click the link and read the whole thing.

This silliness is NOT harmless. Millions of jobs will be lost as America become less competitive. Also, don't take comfort in the thought of President Bush vetoing this legislation. Only 13 senators voted Nay meaning it has a veto proof margin of support.

Clint Eastwood tells a racist clown to "shut his face"

Racist film director Spike Lee tried to make a racial attack against actor/director Clint Eastwood for not rewriting history to include black actors in his films, specifically his films Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima. Rather than meekly promising to do better in the future as most do when accosted by race pimps like Lee or Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson, Eastwood responded strongly.

"The story is Flags of Our Fathers, the famous flag-raising picture, and they didn't do that. If I go ahead and put an African-American actor in there, people'd go: 'This guy's lost his mind.' I mean, it's not accurate." Referring to Lee, he added: "A guy like him should shut his face."

Eastwood went on to further make his point thusly:

Eastwood's next project, The Human Factor, will be about Nelson Mandela's attempts to foster national unity in post-apartheid South Africa. Asked if he would remain historically accurate with depictions of the former president, he said: "I'm not going to make Nelson Mandela a white guy."

Lee would do better going after corporations, like Coke, that have lawyers to advise them to pay off complainants rather than stand up for themselves.

Another case of Irresponsible Parenting

There are some who just should not be entrusted with caring for the young. (h/t WallStreetFighter)

We lost a Great American yesterday

When we say our evening prayers, we should give thanks that our country produces men such as Jack Lewis. Rather boys such as Jack Lewis since he was only 14 when he lied about his age to join the Marines and only 17 when he saved his fellow Marines by diving towards a hand grenade on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima. Somehow he survived the over 250 pieces of shrapnel that ripped into his body. For his selfless heroism he was awarded our nation's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.

Not believing that he had used up all his good fortune in surviving in WW II, here is what he did later in life:

After the war, Mr. Lucas earned a business degree from High Point University in North Carolina and raised, processed and sold beef in the Washington area. In the 1960s, he rejoined the military, becoming an Army paratrooper to conquer his fear of heights, Ms. Drum said.

On a training jump, both of his parachutes failed, she said, and Mr. Lucas later said his stocky build and a last-second roll as he hit the ground had saved his life.

Rest in Peace Jack. The rest of us should remember the sacrifices made by your generation to ensure future generations of Americans would be free.

Top Air Force Leadership Resigns

BREAKING NEWS: Top 2 Air Force Officials to Resign. Apparently, they are resigned rather than being fired.

Air Force Chief of Staff Michael Moseley and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne will resign by the end of the day, two sets of sources told FOX News. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is mulling names of possible replacements.

Gates has publicly identified a number of problems recently with the Air Force, including last year's accidental flight of nuclear weapons on a B-52 bomber, and Moseley's ties to contract problems over the Air Force Thunderbird air show.

I can not remember the last time (if ever) that a service secretary and senior uniformed leadership were both pushed out the door. One of the failings of the Bush administration has been a seeming lack of accountability often explained as excessive loyalty. Loyalty is an admirable trait, but it must have its limits in an effective organization.

Two Views on Man Made Climate Change

Let me start by being clear that I've been skeptical of the hysterical claims of our planet being in imminent danger. My biggest beef with the Climate Change movement is how it has taken on the aura of a religious movement instead of staying in the realm of science. People will attack those who don't accept a theory as fact in a way reminiscent of religious persecutions. Well, here are two dissenting articles on the subject.

First we have a calmly stated position from an Army scientist:

Dr. Bruce West, with the Army Research Office, argues that "changes in the earth’s average surface temperature are directly linked to ... the short-term statistical fluctuations in the Sun’s irradiance and the longer-term solar cycles."

Then, we have a disgusting analogy from some religious goof (okay, okay a bishop) in England:

A senior bishop in the Church of England has compared people who ignore climate change to Josef Fritzl, the Austrian who kept his daughter locked in a cellar for 24 years, repeatedly raping her and fathering seven of her children.

The Bishop of Stafford, the Right Rev. Gordon Mursell, made the comparison in a parish "pastoral" newsletter and said that people who fail to act to prevent global warming are “as guilty as” Fritzl and “destroying the future of our children,” the Times of London reported Monday.

So, let's examine the two. Dr. West of the Army Science Dept. thinks the giant ball of fire affects our planet's temperature more than an 8 oz. styrofoam cup. Okay, makes sense. Then we have a English bishop (who, I imagine, lacks any great knowledge in this field) who equates skepticism with the actions of an insane, incestuous pedophile. So, if I use that styrofoam cup I'll likely go to Hell. Hey, way to stay rational there Reverend.

Sadly, regardless of which presidential candidate you vote for you will end up with a president more likely to listen to the nutty bishop than the rational Army scientist.

On to the General Election

Based on recent super-delegate declarations, the AP is reporting that Sen. Barack Obama has clinched the Democrat nomination. He will be facing Sen. John McCain in the general election this November. This, of course, means we will be electing a senator to the presidency for the first time since 1960 when Sen. John Kennedy was elected.
It is too early to make predictions since a lot can happen between now and November. Here are some things to watch for over the coming months to gauge the way the winds will blow.

• Will Sen. Hillary Clinton (and by extension former president Bill Clinton) work aggressively to heal the rifts in the Democrat party? The opposite side of that coin/question is will they work behind the scenes to undermine the Obama campaign?
  
• Will there be other shoes to drop regarding the, as of yet, extremely poorly vetted Sen. Obama?
• Will Sen. McCain work so hard to get crossover Dem's/Independent's votes that he loses the Republican base that isn't too fond of his "Maverick" act?
• How angry will women voters be over Sen. Clinton not getting the nomination? It would be a mistake to underestimate the level of emotional investment some women (particularly older women) had in seeing a woman elected. Here is a quote from a liberal blog I stumbled across:

  I have grown tired of voting for men.
  
  My decision to abstain this year, and in all future years from presidential elections in which men are the only candidates, if I make the decision, will be purely personal and idiosyncratic. I am simply tired of using my right hand to pull a lever, push a button, punch a chad or embed a chip that says, You are so right. I'm not worthy. Not one of us is. Yet again.

  I doubt that person's point of view is very prevalent, but it does show the mindset of some segment of females.
• Will Sen. McCain make any missteps or have any health issues that will be used to demonstrate his advanced age?
• Will the "In The Bag for Obama" media actually report his various gaffes and screw ups with the same glee they normally reserve for Republican slips of the tongue? I guess we already know the answer to that one.
• Will conditions in Iraq improve to the point that Sen. Obama would need to modify his surrender now position?
• Lastly, who will Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama pick as their vice presidential running mates? It is true that running mates don't win elections. However, running mates can cause a ticket to lose. This cycle the VP picks will be more closely scrutinized than in other elections due to McCain's age and Obama's extreme lack of experience.