Shuttle Launch As Seen From Above!

A fantastic photo of a shuttle launch from Florida via NASA's high altitude research plane.
Via Strategy Page

Hey Mullahs, Are You Awake?

Back in June, during "Valiant Shield 2006," the largest joint Exercise in recent history, held off Guam, three carrier strike groups posed for the camera, something that had not occurred in some 20 years. These shots, taken on June 18, 2006, show the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in the foreground, with the USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), and, in the background, the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), while 17 aircraft from the Air Force, Navy, & Marines fly overhead. Altogehter 28 ships, 300 aircraft, and some 22,000 personnel from the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard took part in the exercises. Official U.S. Navy photos by Chief Photographer's Mate Todd P. Cichonowicz
Via Strategy Page

Osama, Can You Hear Footsteps?

January 17, 2007 An Afghan civilian, Pfc. Willem Schauer and Sgt. Andrew Knauf, from the 102nd Infantry Regiment, look out over Dingak, Afghanistan, Jan. 3, searching for possible enemy activity. Photo by Staff Sgt. Michael L. Casteel

Via Strategy Page

On top Of The World: Radar To Protect Us

From Strategy Page a beautiful photo of antiballistic missile defense radar in Greenland protecting us.

Ten Myths About The Iraq War

Strategy Page has ten myths about the Iraq war here.

Do We Have A Crisis of Courage?

Arizona Senator Jon Kyl has an excellent piece here on what he alleges is America's crisis of courage. He quotes at length from a speech given by Alexander Solzhenitsyn to Harvard graduates in 1978: "Should one point out that from ancient times decline in courage has been considered the beginning of the end?" He lamented that "[N]o weapons, no matter how powerful, can help the West until it overcomes its loss of willpower."

Kyle states, "At stake in the war on terror is nothing less than preserving Western civilization, as Solzhenitsyn sensed almost 30 years ago: "The fight, physical and spiritual for our planet, a fight of cosmic proportions, is not a vague matter of the future; it has already started."

Kyl believes that the "fate of future generations depends on how we answer the enemy's challenge today. To do that, we must clearly understand the nature of the threat we face – and we must marshal the courage and character necessary to prevail."

Hat tip Austin Bay

What Are You Going to Be When You Grow Up?

I am in the kitchen scrubbing some pots and pans. Three-year-old Sara, five-year-old Greg, and six-year-old Jon are at the kitchen table talking about what they want to be when they grow up. Greg summarizes the results of the discussion. "When Sara grows up she is going to be a mom. I am going to be a policeman. Jon is going to be a cowboy. And I have no idea what Dad is going to be!"

Oh Sure, They're All Reaganites!

Jonathan Martin, writing in Politico.com, nails the three Republican front runners, who all now say they are Reaganites, but whose track records reveal otherwise.

How do Our Troops Feel About Criticism of the War?

John Bolton Warns: U.S. Needs To Keep Its Focus On Stopping Iran's Nuclear Weapons Build-Up

"Not only have the diplomatic efforts towards the Axis of Evil been too weak but United Nations negotiations have also been protracted and allowed Iran and North Korea to more fully develop their nuclear and missile delivery programs." These are the opinions of FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog, who brings us these comments made by John Bolton at Japan's National Press Club in Tokyo.

Does Hillary Have Baggage?

Via Fulloneous Flap's Dental Blog

Are You A Patriotic Terrorist?

Want to read a great piece of satire? Go to the Huffington Post and read the latest by Greg Gutfeld. He writes about "patriotic terrorists." A patriotic terrorist is "an American who claims to love his or her country while enjoying the enemy's success against said country. It is a person who gets deeply offended if you question their patriotism, while also appearing to share the same ideals of the more spirited folk who like to blow up innocent people."

There seem to be quite a lot of these folks now-a-days. Gutfeld compares them to Al Qaeda:

"-Both patriotic terrorists and Al Qaeda want the US to abandon Iraq, for that reveals Bush and America to be monstrous, laughable failures.

-For patriotic terrorists and real terrorists, car bombs going off is music to their ears. It proves that you can't offer democracy to troubled countries, as long as you've got terrorists standing in your way. And that's great news for everyone who believes in checks and balances between the haves and the have nots! (Note: "haves" means the US. "Have nots" means those who hate the US)

Are you a patriotic terrorist?

If you are intensely critical of the US, while tolerating homicidal enemies who condemn everything you previously claimed you are for - human rights, voting rights, gay rights, women's rights, porn - then you're a patriotic terrorist.

The only difference between a patriotic terrorist and a real one? Real terrorists are simply patriotic terrorists who've taken the extra step - choosing to actually die for their beliefs - rather than simply talking about them at Spago. If Tim Robbins, Sean Penn, Michael Moore, and their ilk had real cojones, they'd all be wearing cute black vests - but stuffed with more than dog-eared copies of Deterring Democracy."

Read the whole thing here.

SNL Nails Chris Matthews and Hillary Clinton

Via Hot Air

Kids Can Be Kids

There are a couple of parenting items in the news today. I just heard Sean Hannity discussing one of them. Apparently in California some politician wants to criminalize parents who spank children. Some little children need to be spanked, and some do not. Child protection agencies in urban areas get hundreds of child abuse calls weekly, many of them very serious cases of abuse or neglect. Do you really think we need to add spanking to that mix? I do not.

Betsy Hart has a column today about parents posting job charts for kids. We have designated chores for all of our kids, and the system works pretty well to give them an understanding that everyone needs to contribute. We do have to change the jobs every so often to make sure that everyone is carrying their share of the family responsibilities. Believe it or not, some children just want to do the least amount they can get by with! Read Betsy's whole column here.

Brown On Black Gang Violence in L.A.

Jeremiah Marquez of the Associated Press has a story today about Hispanic gang members in Los Angeles targeting blacks. Two young black girls have been killed in separate incidents. Police say they are going to identify the worst gangs and crack down. Alex Sanchez, a former MS-13 member says that all the gangs are going to want to be in the top ten of the identified worst gangs! Gang members outnumber police four to one. Read the whole article here.

Six-Year-Old Sings To Her Brave Brother

This is one that probably will not get much play in the MSM, but I am impressed! Hat tip RightWinged.

The Danes Are At It Again!

The Danes are at it again. They seem to have a marvelous way of playing with people who take themselves too seriously. This time it is Al Gore's cage that is being rattled. Mr. Gore is challenged in the Opinion Journal to answer questions about his catastrophic claims resulting from global warming. You can read the entire excellent article, entitled, "Will Al Gore Melt?"here.

As for us here in Colorado, we have had it up to here with global warming this winter. Just before the first of many snowstorms there was a global warming protest in the local park. Many protesters dutifully put up yard signs after the protest, warning of the dire consequences of global warming. Those signs have been buried in snow since December 20! I'll take a picture of one and post it, if the snow ever melts down to the top of the signs.

Is Your Life Worth Less if You Are Not White?

John Andrews has a column in today's Denver Post that is thought-provoking. He discusses the "widespread lie that if you are not white in America, your choices matter less and your life is worth less." He points out that Dr. Martin Luther King gave his life to prove this lie to be false. Andrews also notes that "gang culture flourishes in the poisonous atmosphere of that lie." Andrews asks us to consider "the moral bankruptcy implicit in our designating gangsters as just another culture in the first place."

Andrews points out that "multiculturalism started out benignly with diverse foods and fashions. But its spineless tolerance for every group's redefinition of right and wrong now invites social suicide." Read the whole column here.

Hillary Clinton Announces Presidential Run

Gateway Pundit has a list of records established by the previous Clinton administration:
"* Number close to the Clinton machine who have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to crimes: 44
* Number of convictions during his administration: 33
* Number of indictments/misdemeanor charges: 61
* Number of imprisonments: 14
* Number of presidential impeachments: 1
* Number of independent counsel investigations: 7
* Number of congressional witnesses pleading the 5th Amendment: 72
* Number of witnesses fleeing the country to avoid testifying: 17
* Number of foreign witnesses who have declined interviews by investigative bodies: 19

The Clinton machine now holds the record for the administration with:

* The most number of convictions and guilty pleas
* The most number of cabinet members to come under criminal investigation
* The most number of witnesses to flee the country or refuse to testify
* The most number of key witnesses to die suddenly
* The greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions
* The greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions from abroad.
But, there is now hope that these records will be broken!...

Hillary '08!"
Photo by Gambits

Colorado Viewed As Lucrative Market For Gangs Who Smuggle Drugs, Guns, and Humans

The Rocky Mountain News finally decided Colorado's gang problem merits a front page story. It is entitled, "Serious,on the rise." Data from law enforcement puts the number of confirmed gang members at 12,741, but that count may be low, because they do not include every city in the state. Gangs from Mexico and Southern California have moved into Colorado, trafficking in drugs, humans, and guns. Mexican drug cartels ship drugs up Interstate 25 to Colorado, and then gang members take over distribution. The other major interstate highway is I-70, giving us the link to California. It is not just the large urban areas. Small towns like Greeley and Longmont have huge populations of gang members. Kansas City and Phoenix have problems similar to Denver.