Zucker takes on the Iraq Surrrender Group

Those who will not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. It's like deja vu all over again, and again, and again. Can anyone name any diplomatic successes (for the USA, that is) of any of the members of the Iraq Surrender Group?

The Pervert Prophet Video

I like it!

HillaryCare "...may be a bad dream for some."

I heard the Dhimmicretin candidate for lieutenant governor campaigning here in Atlanta, say that small employers couldn't buy health insurance and the dhimmicretins needed to help them. I am an insurance agent that specializes in entrepreneurial companies with less than 50 employees. I consider them small employers. Under current law, a group health insurance company is not allowed to refuse to offer coverage for employee groups from 2 to 50. The rate increase allowed for medical conditions existing in the group must be filed with the state insurance commissioner and the maximum ranges from 48% to 67% increases from the preferred rates. So just whom was he talking about? I don't think he knows other than it sounds good. Which I think is the actual condition of most people that blather about health insurance.

For example, I had a group of 35 that had three cases of HIV in the group. I was able to offer their group single rates from $175 per month to $320 per month. They chose the most expensive because they wanted the insurance company to pay the most. The company also paid all but $10 per month on the single rate. (The normal amount is 50% of the single rate.) The other thing that is worth noting is most people have higher deductibles on their car insurance than they do on their medical insurance, because they do not buy car insurance to pay for their oil changes, but they do buy medical insurance so that they can pay $20 instead of $60, for a physician to say. "Why yes, you do have a cold, no, you don't need antibiotics unless it gets worse, because you'll heighten your resistance to the antibiotics.”

Another thing they need to consider is this new health plan is going to be brought to you by the same people that brought you Medicare and HMOs. Oh did you forget that the much maligned HMO was a creation of the government? You ain't seen nothing yet.

Batiste and Eaton; My take on General stupidity

Flag officers can't imagine being manipulated and refuse to think that anything has changed since the last time they heard shots fired in anger (probably when they were lieutenants or captains). The one utterly asinine adaptation of the 80's & 90's was the concept of management replacing the quality of leadership. These PPRs (power-point rangers) would probably be halfway decent executives in mega-corps except their "management style" was cultured in an environment where disobedience could be punished by a lot more than "you're fired!" Even with that, there are few competing jobs with the same level of purpose.

I think that they actually thought that the Dhimmicretins were interested in what they had to say, or even more foolishly believed that if they had the right "hook", they would get all of their message out.

Do I think the war has been conducted well? No, but then again, I'm no politician, just an old, beat-up retired SF troop. A commenter on this post at Mudville Gazette said the war was won, I beg to differ. Victory only occurs when you have destroyed the will to resist so thoroughly that anyone that might bring the attention of the soldiers will be turned in or shot by his/her own compatriots to avoid the known consequences. An old saying when I heard it in RVN in the 60's. "When you've got'em by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow."

We've been trying to win this war like most of my generation has raised children, with less discipline than is needed to housebreak a puppy.

Management is not the way to win this. Leadership in violence is. Let's do away with Carters EO that extended the previously banned "political assassination" to just "assassination" and start playing whack-a-mole with these "militia leaders" and "clerics" until we have a group more wanting to survive than to impose their will on anyone else. Maybe then they will quit piddling on the carpet.

Politicians should keep telling the media this

Why the media gets it wrong. If you didn't hear Mitt basically said as a response the the overblown statement-question:

Gov. Romney: Do you have a point on this?

Globe Reporter: I represent the people.

Gov. Romney: No, I represent the people…

*laughter from the crowd*

Gov. Romney: You represent the media.

Hey, Ditzy Twits! Listen & Learn!

Remember when you felt the need to discuss your politics onstage and considered it a violation of your free speech when the disapproval cost you? Have you seen how a grown-up handles disagreement? I don’t hear her whining.

Beccy Cole is an Australian singer, who, when she returned from entertaining the troops in the middle east found a letter from a fan, who did not agree with Australia's participation in the war. Beccy has previously commented, “I have a huge amount of respect for our forces, and I'm very proud of the great job they are doing there. Our job was to provide an entertaining break from their grueling routine, and from all reports, we succeeded. I'm happy to report that morale is high amongst the Aussies and if their hard work and commitment is anything to go by peace in the Middle East is achievable.”

Straw Poll

Where is the International Criminal Court on Assassination?

Oliver North makes the claim here, that “The tape of a former president arrogantly proclaiming on international television that he personally authorized the assassination of a foreign foe may be great stuff for the screenplay of "Rambo V," but U.S. and international law specifically forbid it.”

I was personally aware of the first two of the executive orders mentioned because of my military career that ended right after the second of them and Stansfeld Turner’s appointment to be DCI. However, I am not certain of which “international law” Oliver  North speaks. But, if we assume that assassination is against “international law”, shouldn’t all those people that have been braying that we should put our military under the jurisdiction of that august body be sending links to the videos of that interview to the Prosecutor’s Office of the International Criminal Court?

Murtha's lies keep unraveling

More reason to believe that Murtha was shooting from the lip in a purely partisan political attack on the Marine Corps.

There are former Marines and ex-Marines, guess which Murtha is referred to by current Marines?

Support Diana Irey to replace this doddering old fool.

Another Internet Test

You Are a Warrior Soul

You're a strong person and sometimes seen as intimidating. You don't give up. You're committed and brave. Truly adventuresome, you are not afraid of going to battle. Extremely protective of loved ones, you root for the underdog. You are picky about details and rigorous in your methods. You also value honesty and fairness a great deal. You can be outspoken, intimidating, headstrong, and demanding. You're a hardliner who demands the best from themselves and others. Souls you are most compatible with: Old Soul and Peacemaker Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Death Tax Vampires

As an insurance agent that does estate planning as part of my business, I am adamantly opposed to the Death Tax because it is dual taxation. Your estate consists of possessions and earnings that have already been taxed. I think you should have the right to do with them as you will, with no interference, while you live or at your death.

I do think that capital gains are taxed fairly at this moment so I wouldn’t have a problem if basis were to remain the same when property was inherited and taxed at its eventual sale. But until a gain is actually realized why should an heir have to sell the company or the farm that was left to them to pay the taxes on a tranfer in which no gain was realized? Following is a letter to the New York Times that shows the self-interest of some in the financial community. Does this guy's clients really appreciate this pilot fish to the government shark attitude?

To the Editor:

As a financial adviser, I spend much of my time helping clients decide how to handle their estate tax liability.

I draw three boxes on a white board: family, charity, government. I then ask what percentage they want to give to each when they die.

Nearly everybody focuses on family and charity. In conjunction with their other advisers, I then create an estate plan that reduces or eliminates the government's share and redirects it to family or charity.

It's not that hard to structure an estate to avoid the tax. That's what the thousands of accountants, lawyers and financial planners do.

From my perspective, the estate tax is purely optional. So repeal is unnecessary except for the uninformed, the unfocused or those people who are unwilling to pay their financial planning team a little more to make the tax go away or be reduced.

People pay their professionals to avoid lots of income tax legally, and they do it every year. Why is it so hard for them to pay a little every few years to review the estate plan and avoid much or all of the estate tax?

Using this logic, we should push for income tax repeal as well. But that's another story.

Marc J. Lewyn
Atlanta, June 9, 2006

So basically the Death Tax is a tax on the dumb. But, not only are Mr. Lewyn’s services charged for, the products to accomplish it either costs something too, or demands that control of the earned assets be turned over to someone else. This Asshat says, pay me over and over (because the thieves keep changing the rules) so you won't have to pay tax on what you have already paid tax on. A recent case I know has a gentleman paying over $33,000 a year in order to replace the government’s vampire bite and get his estate proceeds going where I believe he should be able to direct them without this additional charge, which is just a different kind of tax only payable to the "thousands of accountants, lawyers and financial planners" membership in which the Asshat above is so proud of. Vultures.

The Death Tax is about envy, pure and simple. Sometimes I think the purpose is specifically punish those people that have the gall to earn enough to accumulate something even after all the reditributionist taxes are paid. The money goes right back into the economy either way. Do you want people making jobs or congressional rapscallions buying votes? That’s the decision. The congresscritters know what they want and only threatening them with retirement can sway most of them.

Is the NYT better than Murtha?

In a New York Times article published today, it quotes several sources to claim that while the investigation is not complete and while, “All of those who discussed the case had to be granted anonymity before they would talk about the findings emerging from the investigation”, several marines are likely to be charged with murder.

I sort of hate to come to the conclusion that I actually believe the NYT more than I believed Murtha when he was spouting off about this, but actually the NYT has written a less inflammatory if just as damning accusation. At least they are couching their terms more as we have come to expect of a liberal newspaper talking about criminals. At least they leave some room for the investigation to conclude.

That makes me ask, if we assume that Murtha were briefed officially before he took to the podium, why couldn’t he have behaved at least as well as the NYT? If he were briefed, he had to know what was coming, so, was he charging to the front of the hounds to yell “follow me!” and appear to be a leader? Was he trying to imply that only by his breaking the news would the investigation be made public? Or was it just the typical politician’s appetite for face time? Any ideas out there?

BTW, Calley should have fried. And so should any marines guilty of murder.

P.S. The campaign site for Murtha’s challenger is here.

Murtha: US troops" killed innocent civilians in cold blood".

The phrase “in cold blood” means with callous disregard or lack of emotion doesn’t it? Whatever the other circumstances, I doubt this very much. The “in cold blood” crack (crock, probably) is political hyperbole.

Over on ESPN we have “analyst” Deborah Robinson complaining that the Duke Lacrosse Team Captain is “tainting the jury pool” by doing a press conference after approximately 70 press conferences held by DA Nifong. Here we have John Murtha, a politician (once you become one of those, why should anyone believe you about anything?), who can have direct influence over a soldier’s career, making charges not yet adjudicated by a court martial board. I have sat on three boards, and I am incensed that this jackass is trying to make political hay before the facts are in.

Wasn’t the way that journalist was injured a while back was not by the IED but by small arms fire coming from surrounding houses immediately after the blast? The soldiers attacked the ambush and suppressed it. Is it just too much TV? Is that why the initiated don’t connect the blast and the followup fire into one event? The operating standard is to attack when you are drawing fire after the opening rounds of an ambush. The fastest way out is through.

Now consider construction values and the ammunition types that might be used to suppress that “possible” fire. I have participated in a “mad minute” put on as a demonstration at Ft. Sill in 1970. Four of us with M60 machine guns totally destroyed  a 10′x10′ brick building (all four walls) in less than sixty seconds. Our sweetness and light enemies do not tend to evacuate their womenfolk or their children from the line of fire and it is harder to see through walls than to shoot through them.

Was it a “My Lai” moment? I don’t know, it could have been. Was it a doctrinaire attack through an ambush? I don’t know. It could have been. But my kneejerk reaction when Time magazine and a politician are on the same page is to cover my wallet and dive for cover. The fact that is still under investigation in this conflict means very little. With all the second-guessing being done by media, I’m quite sure the Marines want to dot every i and cross every t. Back in March, Lieut. Colonel Michelle Martin-Hing, spokeswoman for the Multi-National Force-Iraq, told Time the involvement of the NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) does not mean that a crime occurred. And she says the fault for the civilian deaths lies squarely with the insurgents, who "placed noncombatants in the line of fire as the Marines responded to defend themselves."

Let’s wait for the determination from the people who know something about warfighting and don’t stand to make political points by railing into any loose microphone.

I personally think he is maneuvering for political advantage by getting "face time" and counting on the public to never notice if the findings of the investigation don't lead to any charges. If charges are brought he will be the “crusading leader”. It will be a few months and will never be brought up by the Main Stream Media Party if charges aren't filed and it lasts long enough, only his opponent for November will bring it up and then we will hear from him about "ongoing investigation". So it is pretty much a win-win for him either way. A little sound and fury now may smudge his face time by the election but most voters (they have to be memory-challenged to have kept re-electing him anyway) won't remember it, just that he was "tellin' truth to Power" a few months ago. They'll never even remember what it was about.

The Thirteenth Solution

The Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution says:

• Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

• Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

The House bill wants to make illegal immigration a felony.

Many people have been saying “immigrants do work Americans won’t do.” (Leaving out, of course “at a price that is below market.”)

Gazing into my very cloudy Crystal Ball, I see a question. If a year of slavery was the sentence for illegally crossing the border, and the cheap employers could contract for the slave labor, would that satisfy the labor demand and discourage enough migration to satisfy every one?

Before you go too crazy on me, be aware that some of the immigrants in my family got their ticket from Ireland by volunteering for indentured servitude. Basically slavery with an expiration date.

A Kennedy being a Kennedy

The "late for a vote" routine is why they didn't give him a sobriety test. Article I Section 6 of the US Constitution says "Representatives shall ...be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session ... and in going to and returning from the same".

While you may volunteer to take a sobriety test, you may not be forced to give one without being arrested in any jurisdiction I’m aware of. Since his claim that he was “late for a vote” prevented him from being arrested, he was able to prevent any testing.

We have the same provision in the Georgia Constitution (it is supposed to prevent arrest by opposing political hacks influencing votes), and recently had a case where a state judge threw that defense out because of what time it was.

I think Kennedy had heard about that and used the "late for a vote" for the reason that (if he actually has read the Constitution instead of just watching it burn at Kennedy Coven Meetings) the "returning from" part might not be as familiar to junior officers and getting it on the record that he was impaired might be embarrassing to the boy.

BTW, doesn't DC have a "under the influence" statute? Here, prescriptions are included under the heading of influence.

Donations

Bryan at HotAir.com has an interesting post about sending the Bush Peso back in the business reply envelopes included when the Republican’ts send us those delightful four page surveys with the questions that illustrate the technique of piss-poor push polling. I wish I had registered on there in time to point out this other image that I send in the same envelope. The milk carton with the “have you seen me?” illustration of a spine pretty well sums it up.

Update: Pare Amnistia Ahora! The Cero Peso Campaign

Internet Tests

True English Nerd
You scored 78 erudition!

Not only do you know your subjects from your objects and your definite from your indefinite articles, but you've got quite a handle on the literature and the history of the language as well. Huzzah, and well done! The English snobs of Boston salute you.