Old Glory

I love the American Flag. I love what it represents even more. That's why I'm glad the Senate proposal to amend the Constitution that would have outlawed its desecration was defeated today.

During our nation's infancy our founding fathers enshrined freedom of speech in the very First Amendment to the Constution. More recently, the Supreme Court ruled in Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989) that it is unconstitutional to restrict the public expression of political speech which, in this case, took the form of flag burning (this distinction is important because organizations like the Boy Scouts reguarly dispose of Amercian flags by burning them, as a sign of respect and in accordance with the United States Flag Code). Political dissent lies at the heart of a vibrant democracy and, therefore, is precisely the type of speech that requires protection.

The Amercian flag embodies our great nation and, as such, is revered by the vast majority of Americans, regardless of their political, ethnic, social, or religious persuasion. That's why it is so offensive to see it desecrated.

I hate seeing it desecrated.

But, I think Justice William J. Brennan was correct when he wrote for the majority opinion in Texas v. Johnson:

"We do not consecrate the flag by punishing its desecration, for in doing so we dilute the freedom that this cherished emblem represents."

Also, from Zell Miller's RNC speech (h/t: Michelle Malkin):

Never in the history of the world has any soldier sacrificed more for the freedom and liberty of total strangers than the American soldier.

And, our soldiers don't just give freedom abroad, they preserve it for us here at home.

For it has been said so truthfully that it is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the agitator, who has given us the freedom to protest.

It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who gives that protester the freedom he abuses to burn that flag.

MSM Undermining American Security

John Hinderaker @ Powerline quotes Ace of Spades, who makes an interesting point about the incessant publication of national security leaks by the New York Times, Washington Post, etc.:

The left continues to undermine national security in the most despicable, cynical way. I'm quite sure the reasonable liberals at the NYT and WaPo know full well that programs like this are absolutely vital, and their secrecy is likewise vital. However, they have made the most anti-American and evil sort of decision: While tools like this are vital for saving American lives, they will not permit any Republican President to use them. Only Democratic Presidents are permitted to employ the full panoply of powers for protecting American lives.

It's blackmail, pure and simple. Either let a Democrat into the White House, or we will continue to sabotage American security and, in effect, kill Americans. We will keep secrets when a Democrat is in office, but not a Republican. So we offer the American people a choice: Let the politicians we favor run the country, or we will help Al Qaeda murder you.

Hinderaker comments,

I think this is actually the subtext not only of the leaks, but of a lot of news coverage. If you don't want news coverage that constantly deprecates the economy, for example, and thereby undermines consumer confidence, the solution is simple: elect Democrats.

I couldn't agree more with Hinderaker's assessment. Left-wing bias in most of the MSM is well documented (and, yes, there are right-wing media, as well). The MSM's fawning over the Clinton Administration was nauseating (who was that one reporter that said she wanted to give Clinton a blow job?).

During Reagan's years, it was "he's too old" or "too stupid" (sound familiar?). During the current administration, Bush is said to be stupid, uninterested, not curious, secretive, etc. There's a constant drumbeat of dour news, spin, biased headlines that sometimes are utterly misleading, and above-the-fold negativity. I think that has an influence on the public, if even subconsciously. I also think it influences media coverage outside America because it gives the MSM's kindred spirits license to hate, which then infects their populace.

I'm not saying the MSM should like Bush or event treat him with kid gloves. In fact, good investigative journalism is crucial to a vibrant democracy. But they should quit waging a war against the Administration because they don't like his views. We have one president at a time and, like it or not, it's GWB. The MSM must realize that we, as a country, need him to succeed, particularly in wartime. The consequences of failure in the WOT are manifold. The irresponisble, and oftentimes disrespectful, "news" coverage oftentimes plays into the hands of our enemies.

What We Need is More Media Bias?

Donald Sensing has a good take on media bias, arguing in favor of more, not less. It's not what you might think at first, though. Sensing quotes from a study by two academics, Bruno Frey of the University of Zurich and Dominic Rohner of Cambridge University,

"who studied terrorist activity from 1998 and 2005 and concluded, 'Both the media and terrorists benefit from terrorist incidents.” Terrorists gain publicity for themselves and their cause, while the media make money from greater sales and 'buzz.'”

Sensing lays out four scenarios that are likely to play out over time in the War on Terror, ranging from the U.S. suceeding in stoking political reform in the Middle East to the victory of the terrorists, which includes the destruction of Israel and the death of countless Americans (and two choices in between). Sensing then takes on the media directly:

"It is not possible to pretend neutrality here, for the power of the media to frame the public’s debate is too great to claim you are merely being 'fair and balanced.' There literally is no neutral ground here, no 'God’s eye view' of events, and hence no possibility of not taking sides. One way or another, what you print or broadcast, what stories you cover and how you cover them, what attention you pay to what issues and how you describe them - all these things mean that you will support one outcome over another. Which will you choose? How will you support it? These are the most important questions of your vocation today."

A Nude Erection For America

James Lileks has a funny post about the Dems newest slogan.

Mad Jack - Off Base

Jack Kelly analyzes "Mad" Jack Murtha's (D-Pa.) call for redeployment of U.S. forces to Okinawa, Japan in this devastating article. In it he writes,

Let us be clear about the Murtha "strategy." It is insane. It would be easier to defend Germany from Chicago; Alaska from Miami, or Hawaii from Pittsburgh than to defend Iraq from Okinawa.

It would take 10-12 hours -- and six refuelings -- for F-16s to fly from Kadena AFB on Okinawa to Baghdad (assuming China and India would grant overflight rights, a dubious assumption). Mr. Murtha may regard this as "very quickly," but the Air Force does not.

As Bugs Bunny would say: "What a maroon!"

Another howler is Mr. Murtha's assertion that U.S. troops currently serving in Iraq would be "welcomed" in Okinawa. For decades Okinawans have been seeking a reduction in the U.S. military presence, both because they covet the land on which U.S. military bases sit, and because of a long history of pacifism. The U.S. recently agreed to withdraw 7,000 Marines from Okinawa.

"There is no way we can win (the war in Iraq) militarily," Mr. Murtha said. Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the al Qaida chieftain in Iraq until the Air Force liquefied his internal organs, had a different view:

"Here in Iraq, time is beginning to be of service to the American forces and harmful to the resistance," Mr. Zarqawi wrote in a document captured after his death.

The Bush Administration has "no plan" for dealing with Iraq, Rep. Murtha asserted.

Mowaffak al Rubaie, Iraq's national security adviser, begs to differ. Writing in the Washington Post Tuesday, he said: "There is an unofficial 'road map' to foreign troop reductions that eventually will lead to total withdrawal of U.S. troops. This road map is based not just on a series of dates but, more important, on achievement of set objectives for restoring security in Iraq."

If you want to know the truth about Iraq, you should listen carefully to what Jack Murtha has to say -- and believe exactly the opposite.

Mr. Murtha's howlers about Okinawa obscured a more revealing comment he made earlier on CNN. He cited President Clinton's abrupt withdrawal from Somalia after 19 Rangers were killed there in 1993 as an example of the policy the U.S. should follow in Iraq.

Osama bin Laden gave the "change in direction" in Somalia Mr. Murtha applauds as the chief reason why he thought al Qaida could strike the United States with impunity.

"After a few blows...(the U.S.) rushed out of Somalia in shame and disgrace, dragging the bodies of its soldiers," Mr. bin Laden told ABC's John Miller in a 1998
interview.

Because he is a retired Marine Reserve colonel who served in Vietnam, Rep. Murtha is regarded as one of the Democrats' leading strategic thinkers. This, sadly, may be the case.

Mr. Murtha sounds less like a Marine colonel these days, and more like a male Cindy Sheehan. Has he become senile? Or was he always this stupid?

In either case, voters in his district should take a close look at Diane Irey, the Republican who hopes to put an end to the embarrassment to Pennsylvania Jack Murtha has become.

Disneyland Today

The family and I went to Disneyland today. The weather couldn't have been more beautiful and the lines were relatively short. The kids had a blast and, for the most part, were well behaved. The funnest ride for me was the big roller coaster in California Adventure. Hannah and I went on it together and had a blast. The "rapids" ride was really fun, too (everyone got soaked).

Hopefully, I'll have time to post a picture or two tomorrow. All in all it was a happy day at the "Happiest Place on Earth."

The Dodgers Bullpen Sucks

I don't know why I'm posting about this. I just watched the L.A. Dodgers bullpen implode for the umpteenth time. I thought they would be awesome this year with Gagne, Brazoban, and Baez, et. al. Unfortunately, Brazoban is out for the season, Gagne is doubtful and Baez just flat blows. So, we're left with double-A talent (if that).

It's one of the frustrating things about baseball. You invest a couple of hours into watching a game and your team goes into the late innings with a lead, only to see a few bozos who can't throw a strike or, when they do, get whacked. It sucks.

I'm praying for Gagne's return. He's one of the best closers I've ever seen. An absolute freak of nature. I can't wait until it's "Game Over" again.

Feeling the Heat

Old Lakers never die. They just win basketball championships.

Congratulations to Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton, Pat Riley and the Miami Heat for beating the Dallas Mavericks to win the NBA championship. Miami was definitely the better team and, without question, deserved to win.

I just hope Shaq has the class not to let his hatred of Kobe and the Lakers organization get the better of him. Otherwise we'll have to hear him gloat until the end of time. Or, at least until Kobe can win a championship (which might never happen again).

Jihadis Play MSM Like a Fiddle

Captain's Quarters makes an interesting point about the tendency of jihadis to use women and children as human shields during firefights with Coalition forces.

This has two purposes for the Taliban. First, it keeps Western forces from firing on them, as they know that Coalition troops will try to protect civilians where possible. Secondly as just as importantly from a strategic point of view, any women and children killed in the battle will almost certainly be blamed on the Western forces by the Western media. It allows the Taliban to continue their propaganda blitz against the West, one in which the media has unwittingly (in most cases) found themselves a pawn to the Islamists.

Men who throw women and children in the line of fire to protect themselves have no honor, no courage, and no claim to religious righteousness under any circumstances. It's high time that the West grows up and understands the cowardly nature of tyrannies and the people who impose them. It will give us much more clarity in the effort that needs to be made to rid ourselves of the craven ghouls who prey on civilian populations for their own delusions of grandeur.

Absolutely right.

Yorke Admits Hypocrisy

Radiohead front man Thom Yorke admits to being "an environmental hypocrite" because of his tours around the world.

Yorke is a vocal ambassador for the charity Friends Of The Earth, but admits he isn't "flawless", since big concerts, tours and festivals rely on fossil fuel and create tons of unrecyclable waste. He says, "I don't drive a big car, but I don't come out of it dirt-free. "The whole apparatus of big festivals is not cool. If we could go to them and say, you can only use paper cups, you can't use generators, you have to use solar panels. "You technically can't make it happen. That stresses me out, because I am a hypocrite.

At least Yorke is honest enough to admit it. You don't see Al Gore agonizing over the environment as he flies back and forth across the country promoting his new movie. Obviously, no one is perfect and I respect people who care about, and are trying to do something to improve, the environment. It's just irritating when some people get on their moral high horse and act as if they are purer than anyone else. Generally speaking, I think most people care for the environment and want to pollute as little as possible. I have no problem with being encouraged to do better. But, spare me the moralizing. It's refreshing to hear Thom Yorke admit he's human.

It's Unwatchable

The Hatemonger's Quarterly on the World Cup:

Here were two insignificant countries, whose young men would be better served working on their nation’s GDPs, kicking a soccer ball back and forth, standing still for long bouts of time, and generally doing nothing entertaining. All the while, the audience—which clearly loves low scores as much as it savors ties—was enraptured, howling chants and singing rousing songs.

What the heck is going on here? If the people of the world find Americans so stupid, why do they take delight in a game only slightly more pleasurable to watch than golf? Soccer hooligans can’t control themselves over this nonsense? Gosh: Soccer makes curling seem like D-Day. The enthusiasm is baffling. It defies logic.

I couldn't agree more. Admittedly, I love to watch my kids play soccer and compete with other kids. But, they actually score and there's usually some resolution to the game (a.k.a. a winner and a loser). Watching a mind-numbing 3+ hour match end in a 0-0 tie is as exciting as watching paint dry.

I have only two more words to say about the game of professional soccer: It sucks!

They Say It's Your Birthday

Today is Paul McCartney's 64th birthday, a significant date for the former Beatle because of his classic song,"When I'm 64," written when he was just 16 years old.

Paul is a living legend and one of my musical idols. He has had a huge influence on my songwriting. His music has enriched my life and the lives of millions of fans.

Born a poor young country boy-Mother Nature's son. All day long I'm sitting singing songs for everyone.

It's humbling and awe-inspiring to hear the gift of music God granted Paul. I'm thankful that he has shared that gift with the world for the past 40+ years.

Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?

We do still need you, Paul. Happy Birthday to you. And many happy returns.

Conservative Rock Songs

John Miller @ The Corner puts together a list of what he considers the 50 greatest conservative rock songs. I was particularly glad to see Rush's The Trees (No. 11) and Red Barchetta (No . 22), since I was a big fan growing up (and I love those songs). Some of his choices are a stretch (Godzilla by Blue Oyster Cult?) and I'm not really sure what makes Iron Maiden's Rime of the Ancient Mariner (No. 29) conservative. In any event, it's a fun list and, since most rock songs probably have a liberal bent, it was kind of interesting to read.

This article in the Financial Times takes issue with Miller's choice for No. 1 (which I won't reveal) and later makes the point that rock n' roll is inherently conservative because of its fairly rigid format, as well as the static nature of its instrumentation, chord structures, and time signatures. Unfortunately, a subscription is necessary to read the whole FT article. Anyway, Miller was obviously not discussing the structural elements of rock n' roll, but rather the ideological points of view of specific songs.

I think some of these songs can be viewed through either a conservative or liberal viewpoint, which the FT article sort of alludes to in its discussion of the No. 1 song.

My question: What other rock songs do you think express conservative values and why?

One for consideration: Legal Kill by King's X. A song that protests abortion. "I believe the fight for life is always real / I can't believe it's no big deal / it's a legal kill."

UPDATE: I guess 'tis the season for lists. Check out Wizbang's list of 100 best punk songs.

Vaughn Against the Machine

Libertas has posted a review of the Vince Vaughn/Jennifer Aniston thing, The Break-up. Apparently, Vaughn is supposed to be one of the rarest of all earthly creatures: a Hollywood conservative. Here's a selection from the post:

...personally, I would prefer my romantic comedy to come without partisan politics at all, but I suspect that’s almost impossible nowadays. The left has so much control over the narrative assumptions that underlie most movies that merely to work under a different set of assumptions is to declare your position. In movies, the big corporation is always bad, the environmentalist always good; the gun-lover is always crazy, the religious guy always repressed or insane. The patriot is always a jingoist, wise men are always black, gays are always friends and advisors and, if you watch carefully, a poor man’s crimes are almost always traceable back to a rich man’s perfidy. The suburbs are always either comic or stifling, abortion may be rejected but never for moral reasons and – my personal favorite – the United Nations is always a force for truth and justice instead of the loathsomely corrupt gang of child-molesting, sex-trading kleptocratic tyrants we know and abhor.

In short, at the movies, as on the network news, liberal fantasy is the steady state of affairs, conservative truth a more or less ugly aberration. As a result, even the slightest indication that the hero of a movie might be, say, a Heston fan is bracing, a noticeable statement nearly shocking in its aggression. As for patriotism, faith, energetic capitalism – what some of us call normal on a good day – these become ferocious political pronouncements measured against a radical baseline.

Nothing To See Here, People

Via Little Green Footballs:

Two days ago, more than a million people turned out in Madrid to protest the Spanish socialist government’s plan to negotiate with terror gang ETA.

What? You didn’t hear about it? That’s because a million people protesting against a far left government is not news, silly!

Publius Pundit has a report on this non-event, from Stefania Lapenna.

Bad News For Bush

Zarqawi is dead, leadership posts in Iraqi government ministries have been filled, Rove will not be indicted, and the economy is kicking ass. All in all it's been a pretty bad week for President Bush.

Instapundit notes:

MORE BAD NEWS FOR BUSH: "Aided by surging tax receipts, President Bush may make good on his pledge to cut the deficit in half in 2006 — three years early."

The New York Times headline: "Bush deficit reduction plan falls off-schedule."

Glove or Guitar?

Little Man went with me to pick up my Fender Jazzmaster from the repairman today. Turns out the repairman had seen me play at the 8 o'Clock Service in the mid-90s. Small world. While we were in his shop, Little Man spied a small, half-scale Mosrite guitar on the wall that must have been recently repaired. He gets this big grin on his face and asks, "Do you think I want that?" That was his shy way of saying he wanted it -- real bad.

We walked next door to Musician's purgatory, otherwise known as Guitar Center, because I wanted to check out the M-box2. Eventually, we found our way to the guitar section and he checked out a few. He was so excited, like a kid in a...well, you know. I found a black Fender Squire Stratocaster on the wall that was a reduced scale, which seemed to fit him pretty well. It was only $99. I also noticed a tiny Vox amp for like $69. I really wanted to get it for him, but didn't pull the trigger.

Earlier this week he asked if I could get him a new baseball glove and a bat. I told him that, as a reward for doing well in Kindergarten, I would consider getting him those things at the end of the school year, which is this Thursday. The glove/bat would be a cool gift--and a lot cheaper. The guitar would be soooo cool, too. But, in addition to being more pricey, I wonder if he'll have the stick-to-it-ive-ness necessary to practice hard and improve to the point where he enjoys it. I know he loves to rock and digs music. But, I'd hate it if he got discouraged at this young age and never gave it another shot.

So, the question I am pondering is..."Glove or Guitar?"

Paradise Blows

Iowahawk has the transcript of Zarqawi's eventful week, including his introduction into Paradise (hat tip: Little Green Footballs).

Okay, Thursday morning. I clock in at the office, pour a mug of tea, fire up the laptop and check out the latest posts on dKos. Sure, I’ve had my differences with them in the past. But with morale the way it is Allah knows we need a good laugh around here, and that sh*t is funnier than Homestar Runner. They had a new parody up, and I swear it had me roaring so hard I was on the verge of a sh*t hemorrhage. It had Khalid laughing to the point of tears, and when he goes to wipe his good eye he almost puts it out with his hook, and then this makes Mahmoud squirt tea through his nose, and then this gets the whole damn office going. We’re all just f*cking roaring, when suddenly there’s this silence, and then a funny high-pitched noise.

Tariq says, “did you just hear th...”

Now, back in the madrassa when we studied the afterlife, I always wondered what would be the last thing to go through my head. I’m pretty sure now it was one of Mahmoud’s anklebones. And if you’re wondering if it was painless? Imagine a full-frontal 800 degree root canal while listening to a Neil Young record. But hey, I figure no big whoop, just the admission price to heaven’s eternal ho sammich. So Zarkman walks toward the light. No sh*t, it’s a lot like 2001: A Space Odyssey, but in 3-D quadrophonic sensurround. And BOOM, plop, I’m in this gigantic white room, completely empty except for this hooded faceless guy and a totally sweet 47" plasma screen. So I walk across the big empy room to the guy, and I’m like, there is but one God, and Mohammed is his messenger, death to the infidels, yada yada yada. So I’m waiting for him to punch my E-ticket for Magic Ho Mountain, when he whips out a DVD and pops it in. It’s the director’s cut of “This Is Your Life, Zarkman.” Sure, there’s a lot of blooper material in there, but also a pretty badass highlight reel — the rapes, the murders, the IEDs, hour after hour of beheadings. Good times, man. Good times.

You'll have to read the rest to see how things turn out for him. Foul language advisory is in full effect.

He Knew We Got Him

A mortally wounded Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was still alive and mumbling after American airstrikes on his hideout and tried to get off a stretcher when he became aware of U.S. troops at the scene, a top military official said Friday.

"He was conscious initially, according to the U.S. forces that physically saw him," Caldwell told Fox. "He obviously had some kind of visual recognition of who they were because he attempted to roll off the stretcher, as I am told, and get away, realizing it was U.S. military." (via Breitbart)

Is it wrong to feel happy that the last thing that murderer saw before he met his doom was American soldiers? I'm glad he was conscious just long enough to realize who killed him. That sounds horrible, but that's how I feel.

F...UN

When trying to broker a ceasefire between warring factions, do not follow The UN's M.O.:

U.N. official to East Timorese policemen: Ok, you guys give us all your guns and we’ll take them to our headquarters. Then, unarmed and under the UN banner, walk past those soldiers over there with guns. Don’t worry, they’re cool. Meanwhile, some of our staffers are going to go out and rape some 14 year olds in exchange for food and medicine. Cool?

Then, when the stupid Americans get angry with us, we’ll blame the U.S. government for not doing a good enough P.R. job for us. After all, it’s George W. Bush’s fault, right?

Redstate describes why the UN is a failed organization.

The fact that Malloch Brown blames the ignorance of the American public for the monumental failings of the UN is nothing short of stunning.

It wasn’t America who allowed the slaughter of Tutsi to go forward in Rwanda. Rather it was a direct act of his master, Kofi Annan, that permitted this certifiable case of genocide to occur. It wasn’t American peacekeeping troops and officials engaged in the sexual trafficking of Bosnia women and in the sexual abuse of African children. It was not American officials, other that Robert Torricelli, that is, who benefited from the scandalous Oil-for-Food Program: a program that allowed Saddam to rearm while simultaneously starving Iraqi children to death. It was not America who betrayed Muslims at Srbrenicia and who has dashed the hopes of the people of East Timor. America has not allowed Iran, Libya, Cuba, and Zimbabwe to monitor human rights on behalf of the UN.

The UN is a failed organization and the tragedy the members it is failing are those states who are either struggling or moribund. Money to buy food and drugs for the most vulnerable is raked off to buy cars and condos for the various relatives of senior UN staff. States such as Zimbabwe have the same vote as Sweden or even France. A Security Council based on World War II alliances has two Third World bullies sitting as arbiters of international order.

There is a place for the UN. As Winston Churchill said, “Jaw-jaw is better than war-war.” But as the world becomes a place where the danger of a world war is being rapidly supplanted by the danger of failed and failing states, a sclerotic, passive organization dominated by kleptocrats and tyrants, two of which wield a veto, and staffed by people who at the senior level seem interested in nothing as much as feathering their own nests does not inspire a great deal of confidence.

The UN must substantially reform itself or it must go away. Mr. Malloch Brown and Mr. Annan are, sadly but incontrovertibly, part of the problem not part of the solution. An intemperate address such as that given by Malloch Brown demonstrates his contempt not only for the American people, the people who contribute about a quarter of his organization’s revenue and 100% of its spine, the American government, but the very idea that reform is necessary.

For that, and for the fact that we know about it because the UN’s New World Information Order never happened, we can be grateful.

The Wrong Target

"Why are we all anti-Americans now?"

Read this editorial for the answer.

Zarqawi Is Dead!

Major news organizations are reporting that the steaming pile of human excrement known as Abu Musab al Zarqawi has been killed by U.S. and Iraqi forces in Baquba, Iraq. The terrorist finally got the "martyrdom" he wanted/deserved and is now dog-paddling in the Lake of Fire.

Needless to say, the world is a better place today due to his demise.

UPDATE: Gee, it didn't take long for Democrats to piss on the parade.

Fallout From Canadian Terror Arrests

The recent arrest of 17 terrorist suspects in Canada apparently has sent shockwaves through the Great White North, despite the fact that not one soul was lost to violence (thank God). The psychological impact of a successful terrorist attack killing thousands of Canadian citizens is unimaginable.

But, part of me can’t help but wonder how Canadians would have reacted to being hit. Would they turn inward in any orgy of self-flagellation, blaming their own society for the evil inflicted upon them, like so many on the American left? Or would they fight like lions, as their grandfathers did in WWII, to combat the assault on the ideals and institutions that make Canada great?

At the press briefing held by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after the arrests, the suspects who appeared in court--all sporting traditional Muslim male beards and requesting Korans--were described as coming from a "broad strata" of Canadian society (Michelle Malkin observes: "Such a diverse lot! A veritable Benetton ad. Can't think of a similarity among them!). Not encouraging.

However, I am heartened to learn that many Canadians are beginning to question the futility of "playing nice" with people that aren't interested in living peacefully under the dominion of anything other than radical Islam. Real Clear Politics quotes some Canadian columnists grappling with the implications precipitated by the recent arrests.

"For everyone who thought Canada could cower in a corner of the planet, unnoticed and unthreatened by evil men -- even when the most menacing of a very bad lot [Osama bin Laden] has twice referenced this country as a target for attack -- take a good, hard look at what's been presented and what's being alleged," advised Rose DiManno, a columnist for the Toronto Star. Many

Canadians will take refuge in a river in Egypt, predicts journalist Rachel Marsden:

"So why, people here ask, would anyone want to do damage to Toronto? Maybe they don't. No one has been convicted of anything here yet. Maybe the three tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer that the suspects allegedly ordered were going to be used to grow a massive garden that would spell out 'I love Canada' in tulips."

"Canada has been the doofus who keeps getting shoved into lockers, but still figures that if he gives up more lunches and bus money, the haranguing will end. "The new Conservative government...has already denounced Iran and Hamas, deported illegal immigrants and told anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan to shove it."

"There's a new sheriff in town. Will the townspeople back him up?"

I'm hopeful that Canadians are up to the task.

Upcoming LTA Show

Hey, everybody. Lower Than Angels is playing a show at Awakenings Cafe in Lomita, California on Saturday night, June 17th at 8 p.m. All ages are welcome. $3 cover charge. Check out their website here. We hope to see you there!

A Wedding of Firsts

We recently returned from Hawaii where, among other things, we attended the wedding of my brother-in-law Mike and his new wife, Dara. It was a beautiful wedding and, since Mike is a fan of lists, I thought I would post a few things that were "firsts" for me at his wedding. Here goes.

Mike and Dara's wedding was the first time:

1. I saw anyone get married in Hawaii
2. I witnessed a combination Christian/Jewish service (the Hebrew parts were really cool)
3. I met some of Mike and Dara's friends from back east (hmmm...)
4. There were more people in the wedding party than in the crowd
5. That I played "Here, There, and Everywhere" while the bride walked down the aisle
6. Little Man was ring boy and M was flower girl (cutest ones ever!)
7. I saw a bald bridesmaid with a beard (sorry, no picture. Trust me on this one.)
8. I was attracted to the best man, pictured below (well, there was that one experimental time in college...)
   

17 Terrorist Apprehended in Canada

Via Breitbart,

Canadian police foiled a homegrown terrorist attack by arresting 17 suspects. According to a report Saturday in The Toronto Star citing unidentified police sources, the suspects attended a terrorist training camp north of Toronto and had plotted to attack the Canadian spy agency's downtown Toronto office, among other targets in Ontario province. Authorities refused to confirm those reports.

"These individuals were allegedly intent on committing acts of terrorism against their own country and their own people," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement. "As we have said on many occasions, Canada is not immune to the threat of terrorism."

It must have been there support for the U.S. in the Iraq War. Oh, I forgot. They didn't support us in the war. So, what would drive these residents of Canada, a compassionate and peaceful nation known for its generous social welfare benefits, to plan an attack that likely would have resulted in the mass murder of hundreds of its citizens? The article explains,

"The charges came under Canada's Anti-Terrorism Act. It was passed shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 assaults - and after Osama bin-Laden named Canada as one of five "Christian" nations that should be targeted for terror attacks (italics mine]. The other countries, the United States, Britain, Spain and Australia, have all been targeted."

As long as so-called Christian nations continue to hide their head in the sand and not confront the virulent ideology that is militant Islam, it is just a matter of time before another atrocity occurs at the hands of Islamists. We need to defeat these people militarily, financially, and most importantly, philosophically by demonstrating that theirbankrupt ideology leads only to death, destruction, and misery. It's good to see that Canada's new prime minister understands the threat.

UPDATE:

John Hinderaker over at Powerline asks:

Do you suppose that breaking up these terrorist gangs may have involved intercepting some international phone calls and emails? No need to speculate:

Linking the international probes are online communications, phone calls and in particular videotapes that authorities allege show some of the targets the young extremists considered blowing up.

News reports also indicate that the Canadian authorities first became aware of the Toronto group through surveillance of password-protected web sites that promoted Islamic extremism. So the dark night of fascism is falling on Canada, too.