Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Watcher's Council Nominations, 11/22/06




Every week, the Watcher's Council nominate two posts each, one from the Council members and one from outside for consideration by the whole Council. The complete list of this week's Council nominations can be found at the site of our fearless leader, Watcher of Weasels.

1. J O S H U A P U N D I T: UN General Assembly condemns Israel for defending itself..again. If your country, whatever it might be, was experiencing rocket attacks on its civilian population from a neigboring state with fatal casualties and this same neigbor was importing heavy weapons and made no question about its disregard for the right of your country's existence, would you be justified in defending yourself? Of course you would...but not if you're Israel, the Jew among nations. Then, special rules apply.

Even more sickening is the behavior of the UN, with its racist obsession with Israel even when it conflicts with its own charter. All one need do is compare the UN's preoccupation with Israel with the UN's behavior towards the real genocide occuring in Darfur.

2. Gates of Vienna: When Good Men Run in the Other Direction Dymphna uses UN Ambassador John Bolton's immolation at the hands of Joe Biden and Lincoln Chaffee as a platform to voice her despair over the current state of American politics, and to explore what changing it might mean.

3. Done With Mirrors: Media Icons I was aware of this story, but it took Calimachus to make a full course meal out of it.

One of the iconic photos of the Vietnam war shows a South Vietnamese police colonel executing a VC terrorist. It won a Pulitzer for the photographer and became a symbol for the anti-War Left.

Callimachus reveals the true story behind the three people involved: the colonel, the VC terrorist and the photographer as an example of exactly how false and pussilanimous `media icons' can be...and of course, that's something to keep in mind whenever the Dinosaur media gets its grubby fingers in the mix when the US is fighting a totalitarian regime..ala' Iraq and the Islamic fascists.

4. Soccer Dad: Bolton for the door Soccer Dad also comments on the John Bolton situation. a sorry scenario where an able, decent public servant runs afoul of the usual gang of self serving political cretins.


5. AbbaGav :: Naming the Price, Waiting for ResponseAbbaGav does a fine job writing about the devil's bargain proposed by Syria to the Baker `realists' for ending their interference in Iraq.


6. Right Wing Nut House : ALL YOUR SMOKING ARE BELONG TO US Borat ummm, Rick writes about a blanket ban on smoking in Belmont, California and what it protends for our individual liberty

7. The Sundries Shack: So, What About The Polar Bears. This week, Jimmie Bise writes on a much debated topic, global warming. As usual, he attacks it with verve and common sense.

8. Rhymes With Right: What The Democrat "Brain Trust" Thinks About America Greg's take on what various Lefist icons think about their country. Oh excuse me, their part of the great international community.

The only thing I would say to Greg is that while he's correct, there are a number of `globalist' conservatives who's views are just as insidious and harmful to our nation.

9. ShrinkWrapped: A Dirty Little Secret ShrinkWrapped examines an article by writer Pat Conroy of `Prince of Tides' and `The Great Santini' fame in which Conroy compares his conduct during the Vietnam war with that of a Citadel classmate who was a POW.

Not surprisingly, Conroy finds his own conduct wanting. Or, to put it in Conroy's own words:

"I found myself passing harrowing, remorseless judgment on myself. I had not turned out to be the man I had once envisioned myself to be. I thought I would be the kind of man that America could point to and say, "There. That's the guy. That's the one who got it right. The whole package. The one I can depend on." It had never once occurred to me that I would find myself in the position I did on that night in Al Kroboth's house in Roselle , New Jersey... an American coward spending the night with an American hero."
ShrinkWrapped provides a superb analysis in the bargain.

10. The Glittering Eye : Unsell it Dave feels that the Democratic New Order, after running on a policy of `phased retreat withdrawal' from Iraq will have to change their policy in the light of reality. Given the anti-military Leftist nature of the people in charge of the new Congress, as opposed to the rank and file Democrats and the importance of the extreme Left in the constituency of the Democratic party, I disagree with him. What's more. given the ingratitude and the pro-Iranian nature of the Shiite government President Bush allowed to take power, there no real reason to keep things as they are.

As you know, I think the win-win scenario, is for the US to support a strong, independent Kurdistan and redeploy our troops there with our only real allies in Iraq, so as to maintain a strategic base for the inevitable confrontation with the Mullahs in Iran and their ilk.

Among other things, it would double our troop strength in the region in one fell swoop, with needing to send a single additional American soldier or Marine there.
The Kurds will fight alongside us for their freedom...as they've said many times.

11. The Education Wonks: Is This How EduCorruption Smells?
Here, EdWonk examines th ecase of a Taiwanese immigrant couple who are suing the local school district because they claim they were forced to pay substantial bribes to officials and teachers in their local school district in order to get their everely autistic son educated.

My take on it is that the teachers and administrators realized that the parents came from a culture where this sort of thing is accepted and took advantage of them.

12. AMERICAN FUTURE - Our Rules of Engagement in Iraq Marc writes an interesting piece on the arcane `rules of engagement' handcuffing our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and comes to the conclusion that forcing our troops to fight a `civilized' war and a bunch of muderous Islamic jihadis who care nothing for human life is ill-advised.

I agree with him, to put it mildly.


That's this week's lineup..enjoy!

2 comments:

Soccer Dad said...

One point that really needs to be emphasized about "Media Icons" is that Eddie Adams greatly regretted the harm his photograph did to Gen. Loan.

Freedom Fighter said...

Yeah, I know..but the harm was already done. All the remorse in the world doesn't change it.