Every week, the Watcher's Council members 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
Council News: We have a smokin' new member of the council,the redoubtable and readable ‘Okie’ on the Lam..be sure to give him a warm Joshua's Army welcome and check out his fine site!
OK, here's this week's Council lineup:
1. J O S H U A P U N D I T: Loyalty and Love: D-Day, 63 years later... There were three major battles in the history of the West that occurred around this time of the year in recent history - Midway,the Six-Day War and the Normandy invasion. I did not ignore the Six-Day War, especially in light of some of the deconstructionist fables written about it. But this post is about D-Day, some personal reminisces,and a tribute to some incredibly brave men by President Reagan in one of his finest speeches ever.
Most importantly, I write about the men who freed a continent,their modern day counterparts and what it says about our country today..that in spite of all our petty differences, we are still the same wonderful country, deep down. And freedom will triumph because of it.
2. Done With Mirrors; Tweedle Callimachus has a typically well written post about the break between President Bush and conservatives over the immigration bill, and points out that there is always a balancing act, in truly thinking people, between the lesser evil and the greater good:
'Always it is a two-handed act. The easy-answer people never have to do balancing acts. Both hands grip firmly the sweat-soaked handle of the sledge they use to beat on their political or class enemies. are a great many people with an ideological `take no prisoners' attitude on both sides of the aisle
(`tweedledum and tweedledee')with an axe to grind regardless...'
What I would add is simply to say that many people have had mounting doubts about President Bush for quite some time,and rightly so. There is an innate loyalty among many people to avoid scabrous criticism of the country's leader during wartime,particularly when some of the opposition prove themselves anytng but loyal to the country's basic interests inthe name of partisan politics,particularly when there are legitimate criticisms that could have been made in more legitimate ways, to the benefit of the nation.
The president's blatant, final contempt for the people that elected him as manifested during his second term is simply the straw that broke the camel's back.
3. Soccer Dad: 3 spies and six daysSoccer Dad has an absolutely wonderful piece this week in honor of the anniversary of Israel's 1967 victory about 3 Mossad legends - The amazing story of Eli Cohen,an Egyptian-born Jew who was ethnically cleansed out of his home country after 1948, came to Israel, joined the Mossad and was able to penetrate the top levels of Syrian military and political society prior to the Six-Day War; Wolfgang Lotz and his wife Waldrud,who went undercover in Egypt and obtained information on Egypt's top secret military bases: and the unnamed female Mossad agent who sweet talked an Iraqi pilot into defecting...complete with a brand spankin' new MIG 21 fighter than nobody had gotten a peek at yet.
4. The Glittering Eye : Almost One of Us This week, The Glittering Eye's Dave Schuler writes a piece centered on Muslim writer Fareed Zakaria's piece `Beyond Bush' in which Zakaria, as one would expect, complains that American Muslims are not radicalized and that the `get tough' rhetoric, particularly that of GOP candidates like Giuliani , Hunter and Romney is liable to do just that. Zakaria, of course. also loves Barack Obama - now, there's a surprise!
Dave makes the cogent point that while he agrees with Zakaria in some respects, he shouldn't shouldn’t blame politicians for doing what’s politically necessary.
I would add that the recent exhaustive Pew poll on American Muslims is not the panacea Zakaria thinks it is,that over a million out of the estimated 2.3 million Muslims in America admit thinking of themselves as members of the Muslim umma first and Americans second; large percentages say that 9/11 wasn't the work of the Arabs, and that the trend is for younger Muslims to be more radical than their elders..thanks to the jihad preaching mosques and madrassahs financed by the Saudis allowed free reign here in America.
Dealing with this situation isn't mere `get tough ' tactics, but part of our national survival in our war against radical Islam. What's more, it benefits moderate Muslims ( who also get murdered by terrorist attacks) and keeps them from being tarred by the same jihadi brush.
There are some Muslims in my life I'm close to, and I don't want to be hiding them in my basement because people like Zacaria are unwilling or unable to deal with reasonable surveillance and taking personal responsibility for dealing with jihadis and wanna-be terrorists in their midst.
5. Right Wing Nut House : IT’S NOT DEAD. IT’S RESTING. Rick writes an obituary for the Republican Party. I think he's premature, given that all of the potential real leadership in the presidential race thus far is on that side of the aisle.One bad president doesn't kill off an entire party.
6. Rhymes With Right : Diplomas Denied Over Family And Friends? Greg fantasizes about being a lawyer and suing the pants off a school district that denied a student a high school diploma she'd earned because her friends and relatives cheered and exhibited `undignified behavior' at the ceremony - no joke.
7. The Colossus of Rhodey: Well, y'see, he has rights! Hube writes about the well publicized case of the infectious TB patient who left the country to get married and then was allowed back in with only a cursory check. Yikesee!
Of course, this also says something to people who insist that the enforcement provisions of the currently proposed immigration bill are going to be implemented.
8. The Six Day War in real time: Bookworm Room MS. Bookworm writes an excellent piece countering the revisionism and outright lies circulating in the dinosaur media in the wake of the 40th anniversary of Israel's heroic victory in the 1967 Six-day War. She uses the classic 1967 wrap of the war by Life magazine..and also reveals how little has changed in the attitude of the Arabs or the so-called `international community'.
Indeed, as she says,if there was no Israel the Arabs would have had to invent one.
9. Cheat Seeking Missiles: Smelt Stink Laer puts another nail in the coffin of the Church of Radical Environmentalism. This time the target is one Kieran Suckling, the founder of what Laer characterizes as an environmental litigation mill, the Center for Biological Diversity.
The aptly named Suckling likes minnows, doesn't like people or their livelihoods and likes the idea of shutting down water supplies to populated areas via litigation because it might disturb the fish.
Laer attacks this simpleton with both barrels, and has some interesting things to say about water supplies to urban areas.
10. Big Lizards: “Salvation ala Mode” Dafydd Ab Hugh writes on what he sees as success in Iraq as the locals in places like Anbar begin opposing al-Qaeda and counter insurgency tactics take hold.
I certainly hope he's right.
One problem, of course is that the party in control of Congress has a major investment in seeing that Iraq is a failure...and the clock's ticking.
11.The Education Wonks: Middle School Teacher Sues Students!
Man bites dog, and EdWonk has the story...in this case, it's a math teacher who claims that a killer teddy bear's portrayal in a student film defamed him.
12.LA Times Jumps the Shark on Global Warming at ‘Okie’ on the Lam In his debut post, Okie has a funny slapdown at what he aptly refers to as `our local catbox liner' (LOL!)for supporting the stoo-pid notion of a `carbon tax'! It would hardly be believable, but then this is the LA... Times...
That's this week's lineup..enjoy
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