Moving

The new blog is up and running, and can be found here.

I will be leaving this blog open as a backup.

Battlestar Blogging

Timothy Sandefur over at Positive Liberty has an excellent exposition about the BSG season 2 finale.

What are our children learning? Part Deux.

Courtesy of Cox and Forkum

AZ governor orders troops to the border

About damned time.

Ariz. Governor Orders Troops to Border

By JACQUES BILLEAUD, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 43 minutes ago

PHOENIX - Gov. Janet Napolitano on Wednesday ordered more National Guardsmen posted at the Mexican border to help stop illegal immigrants and curb related crimes.

National Guard troops have worked at the border since 1988, but Napolitano signed an order authorizing commanders to station an unspecified number of additional soldiers there to help federal agents.

Once the funding is approved, the troops will monitor crossing points, assist with cargo inspection and operate surveillance cameras, according to the order.

"They are not there to militarize the border," the governor said. "We are not at war with Mexico."

About 170 National Guardsmen are already posted at the nation's busiest illegal entry point, where they assist with communications, fence construction and anti-drug efforts.

Napolitano did not say how many additional troops would be stationed at the border and referred questions to the National Guard, which did not immediately return a call.

Napolitano has asked the military to pay for her plan, but said she would commit state dollars if necessary.

The governor declared an immigration emergency last summer in Arizona's four border counties, citing security shortcomings by the federal government.

LEGO Aircraft Carrier

LEGO Aircraft Carrier.

Rachel Corrie Memorial Pancake Breakfast

No, this isn't a joke. Nor is it a conservative-sponsored event. The left is celebrating Corrie's martyrdom by having a "pancake breakfast".

Sometimes, the jokes just write themselves.

From Indymedia:

The Rachel Corrie Memorial Committee of Victoria Invites you to a pancake breakfast at Denny’s Restaurant Sunday March 12 , 2006 10 am.

The Public is invited to a memorial pancake breakfast at Denny’s Restaurant on Douglas Street near Finlayson, 10 am, Sunday March 12, 2006 to celebrate the life and untimely death of Rachel Corrie, Peace Activist with the International Solidarity Movement.

There will be a reading of selections from Ms. Corrie’s letters and diary, followed by a ceremony at Topaz Park, where a stone cairn will be erected in her honour.

Attendees are encouraged to wear their keffiahs, and to dress in black.

No weapons, drugs, or alcohol please.

http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/

ISM offers many ways for you to get involved in the struggle for Palestinian freedom. Whether you’re thinking of traveling to Palestine to work with us, or you’d like to work to educate your community about the reality in Palestine, we welcome your involvement.

Update on Star

For the last week or so, Star has been steadily getting worse. She was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, and hasn’t made any improvement.

My sister-in-law, Tammy has been married to my brother for almost 6 years now, and has been taking care of Star every day since we got her moved to Abilene at the end of September. Since Star was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, she’s been getting more confused and forgetful as the days go by. Today, Star didn’t recognize Tammy at all. She barely remembered Mike, who has been her boyfriend for more than three years now.

With my background in the medical field, I can immediately identify two things that could be wrong with Star, nether of which is pleasant. The first is a CVA, or stroke. The second, and the worst, is that the cancer has finally moved up into her brain. Both of these have been major concerns, especially since a tumor was found on the spinal cord in her neck.

I think we might be coming up on the end of this ordeal very soon. In a way, I’ll be glad when it’s over; Star’s long suffering will finally be done. But then, who knows; she’s already proven me wrong about this twice.

Gun rights leader needs your help

I got this in an email from Nicki.

Folks, most of you know how decent, passionate, intelligent and dynamic Angel Shamaya is. He has committed himself to freedom, and I know of few people who are as dedicated to the cause of freedom as Angel. He is also a personal friend to many of us, and now he needs our help.

Today he was arrested, and he is currently in jail. Please read the link below and take a few minutes to write the judge on his behalf. I have National Drill this weekend, and I'm sending this from my hotel room. I won't be around much until Sunday night, but I'm counting on you guys to spread the news and help Angel through this. Please!

This link includes an address where to send your letters of reference. Please do so as quickly as you can!

Then, I urge you to pass this email to everyone you know. Post it on your websites and blogs, pass it on to fellow bloggers and help us ensure that this gets the widest possible dissemination. Yes, this is about freedom -- but right now, we need to ensure he is, first and foremost, released and that charges are dismissed, so please toe the line on this one. For Angel.

Thanks!

Nicki Fellenzer

What are our children learning?

Yesterday, I posted about the horrendous lack of knowledge American citizens have about the most fundamental rights as enumerated in and protected by the US Constitution. This, of course, begs the question of "what exactly is being taught in our schools?"

Michelle Malkin has at least part of the answer. Here's the audio.

Iraq is just like Vietnam

I know what you're thinking, but it's true. After all, let's look at the similarity:

Dead soldier's home vandalized

David MacAnally/Eyewitness News

Kokomo, February 27 - For the family who lives in a modest home in Kokomo, the fatal Iraq attack came last week.

Then the attack at home followed.

Vandals defaced the home of Sgt. Rickey Jones' family. Eggs were thrown and flags were stolen. Sgt. Jones, a Kokomo High School graduate, was one four soldier's with the 101st killed west of Baghdad last week.

So who, one week before his burial in his hometown, would vandalize a fallen hero's house?

Neighbor Robyn Ousley is at a loss to explain. "I have no idea, somebody pretty, pretty awful."

Another friend, Bill Swaggerty, says there is more than vandalism for the family to deal with. They're calling here and saying, 'I'm glad your son is dead' and it's wrong."

The family's neighbors have closed ranks, bringing food and flying flags at half-staff. All are signs of respect for Sgt. Jones.

But there is a threat of disrespect from out of state.

The same Kansas church group that has been picketing soldier's funerals around the U.S. and Indiana will be in Kokomo too. The group claims U.S. soldier deaths are punishment for U.S. tolerance of gays.

Kokomo Police will have extra security and are running extra patrols at the house. Swaggerty, a veteran himself, says he convinced Rickey Jones to join up. He can't believe Sgt. Jones' memory would be attacked in this way. "It's wrong. He would come home on leave. His friends (were) very respectful to my wife and my family. He was a very good kid."

Swaggerty supports a move in the legislature to keep protesters back from military funerals.

Neighbor Ousley agrees. "He just went over there for us. I think it is awful."

Services for Sgt. Jones are set for next Monday. In the meantime Kokomo Police have increased patrols around his family's house.

Malkin comes out swinging

Michelle Malkin lays it all on the line in her latest post, entitled We Are All Bigots Now. For the last week or so, Ms. Malkin has been at the forefront of the charge to get the Bush administration to reconsider its sale of US ports to a company based out of the United Arab Emirates.

I've remained silent on this issue because there isn't enough information to properly form an opinion on the matter. However, as Ms. Malkiin states in her article, the race card is being played against those who are criticizing the deal. For many years, I've had the belief that whomever plays the race card (or sex card, or religion card, etc.) first loses the arguement. Playing the race card against the critics of the port deal, the administration has pushed me closer to wondering exactly what they are trying to hide with this proposed deal.

From her Article:

Now, all the proselytizers who tell us to collect the dots and connect the dots want us to throw them all away lest we give offense?

Perhaps Bush should consult with his own Justice Department, which understood the need for heightened scrutiny of Middle Eastern illegal aliens in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, and instituted temporary targeted fingerprinting and registration policies for Middle Eastern tourists, businessmen, and students.

Bigots!

Perhaps he should ask his own Border Patrol, which is on heightened alert for illegal Middle Eastern border-crossers.

Bigots!

Perhaps he should ask his own FBI, which is zeroing in on mosques and Muslim charities instead of Lutheran churches and the March of Dimes in the domestic War on Terror.

Bigots!

(But don't bother asking Transportation Department Norm Mineta anything — well, other, than "Why the heck are you still here, Normie?")

I couldn't have said it better, myself.

People are stupid

Yes, I said it. And, yes, I meant it.

In popular American culture, the moron is upheld as an example to which people should aspire. In fact, an entire section of American culture is emphatically dedicated to the glorification of the idiot.

Case in point, A large portion of Americans know more about The Simpsons than they do the First Amendment.

The study by the new McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum found that 22 percent of Americans could name all five Simpson family members, compared with just one in 1,000 people who could name all five First Amendment freedoms.

I find it utterly appaling to see that people know more about an imaginary family than they do the basic freedoms upon which America was founded. This is also a gross indictment of our public education system, which is allegedly charged with ensuring our young have at least a basic knowledge of our rights and responsibilities in our society.

Appalling though this situation may be, I can't honestly say I'm surprised. This is something I've seen coming for some time now. Unfortunately, as it stands now, it looks as though it's only going to get worse.