No Roofers Today

The filled-in skylights continue to dry. They're noticeable, more so than the fellow indicated they would be. It looks like... well, like two skylights filled in.

It's okay, though. We're not selling the house anytime soon, maybe never. I've been considering taking the blown ceiling off and painting instead, starting with the smallest bathroom (where the damage will at least be limited) and seeing how it goes.

So, maybe by the time we sell, if we sell, it just won't matter. And the roof doesn't leak, so, what the hey.

My next project will be installing Attic Dek flooring in the attic, so we can move around up there without having to do the high-wire routine on the joists. More to follow.

Totally Cool Photos

Found at On Location With Rick Lee.

There are several really wonderful photos here. I loved the storm photos, and the picture of the Maxair (he said it was "oddly relaxing" but it looks vertiginous to me, an acrophobe). And he gives advice on taking great pictures. "Use the Light, young Skywalker."

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The Third Rule of War

Found at Blackfive.

This is a story that should be told far and wide. It ought to be front and center on everybody's newspapers. It won't be, but it isn't because the people involved don't deserve recognition, honor and respect.

"The third rule of war should be that we never forget the sacrifices made by our young men and women, and we always honor them. We honor them by finishing what they came to accomplish. We remember them by never quitting and having the backbone and the guts to never bend to the yoke of oppression.

"We honor them and remember them by having the courage to live free."

Go and read, then pray for our servicemembers and their families, that God hold them in the palm of His hand.

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Grief and Anger

Two stories, related by Dadmanly in Iraq.

"As is the practice here in Iraq, the Command shuts down phone and internet connections for 24-48 hours, long enough for the Military to contact affected families.

"Let me tell you why that is so important.

"One of the idiots here who doesn't understand the very good reasons for the blackout, placed an anonymous call just before the blackout was imposed, saying 4 soldiers of our Division were killed, maybe more injured.

"An equally idiotic (no, make that even more idiotic) news editor or reporter called Mrs. Dadmanly at home, told her about the anonymous tip, and asked her if she had heard any news? The reporters involved apparently contacted several family members."

Read both stories, as the second hinges upon the first.

Found by way of Blackfive.

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Ferrets!

This picture is just wonderful. Ferrets have such cute faces. I've heard they make great pets, and I knew a woman in college who had a ferret.

But we have cats. I don't think they mix.

But aren't these guys great? :-)

Note: You have to click on the link to see the photo. I didn't want to steal it without permission. Not that you can steal with permission. Can you? Oh, never mind, just click on the link.

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Inside Is Finished

Blown ceiling done, and drying.  

Boy howdy, does that stuff make a mess. They had plastic down everywhere and cleaned afterward, but I found a large globule of the stuff stuck to the wall next to the window, dried solid. I guess I'll have to figure out a way to get it off of there without damaging the paint.

They had to bring the compressor inside, the hose wasn't long enough to leave it on the front porch. I figured it would wake hubby (he's still working third shift), but when I did wake him to tell him I was going to get my hair cut, he said he never heard it.

One of our cats came out to see me while they were working. Not the one that freaks out (that's Pearl), Zenaida (the blue point Siamese). She wanted her back scratched. She had some of the blown ceiling stuff stuck to her flank. It came off easily, I guess she rubbed up against some of the plastic when she was puttering around while they were taking a break.

It's easy to see where the new stuff is now, but once it dries and draws up, it should look exactly like the rest of the ceiling. We don't smoke, so there shouldn't have been much discoloration over the years, if any. And even if it does look a little irregular, we won't care. It doesn't leak. Hooray!

They didn't get to the last bit on the roof, though. They didn't have the right drill with them. Hmph. Anyway, they hauled off most of the trash, although there is another fairly large pile in the back yard, plus some of their equipment piled on top of the dog house inside the screened-in porch out back. So, even though I gave them a check for the balance this afternoon, they still have to come back to finish up. Maybe tomorrow, maybe Sunday. I didn't expect them to show at all on Sunday, but the prospect didn't seem to bother them at all.

South Carolina Jokes

Sent to me by a former boss.

The owner of a golf course in South Carolina was confused about paying an invoice, so he decided to ask his secretary for some mathematical help. He called her into his office and said, "You graduated from the University of South Carolina and I need some help. If I were to give you $20,000, minus 14%, how much would you take off?" The secretary thought a moment, then replied, "Everything but my earrings."

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A group of South Carolina friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night, one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under the weight of an eight-point buck. "Where's Henry?" the others asked. "Henry had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail," the successful hunter replied. "You left Henry laying out there and carried the deer back?" the hunters asked. "Tough call," nodded the hunter. "But as I figure it, no one is going to steal Henry."

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A senior in South Carolina was overheard saying, "When the end of the world comes, I hope to be in South Carolina." When asked why, he replied he'd rather be in South Carolina because everything happens there 20 years later than the rest of the civilized world.

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The young man from South Carolina came running into the store and said to his buddy, "Bubba, somebody just jumped in your pickup and stole it from the parking lot!" Bubba said, "Did you see who it was?" Young man replied, "Nope, I couldn't tell, but I got the license number."

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NEWS FLASH! South Carolina's worst air disaster occurred when a small two-seater Cessna 150 plane, piloted by 2 University of South Carolina students, crashed into a cemetery earlier today. Search and rescue workers have recovered 300 bodies so far and expect the number to climb as digging continues into the evening. The pilot and copilot survived and are helping in the recovery effort.

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A South Carolina State trooper pulled over a pickup on I-95. The trooper asked "Got any ID?" The driver answered, "'Bout whut?"

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A man in South Carolina had a flat tire, pulled off on the side of the road and proceeded to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the pickup and one behind it. Then he got back in the pickup to wait. A passerby studied the scene as he drove by and was so curious he turned around and went back. He asked the fellow what the problem was. The man replied, "I have a flat tire." The passerby asked, "But what's with the flowers?" The man answers: "When you break down, they tell you to put flares in the front and flares in the back! I never did understand it."

Jihadis on the Net?

Found by way of Michelle Malkin.

Clever. An Al Qaeda forum disguised as an X-Box forum for gamers. From In the Bullpen: "Videos, audio files, pictures and various other forms of propoganda seem to be the only thing the forum contains. It does not appear to have any training manuals and there are 42 registered members of the forum. There may be a special member section that non-members cannot see and appear at invitation only as this specific type of forum does allow for hidden topics and posts. The posters seem to have a fetish with pictures of dead terrorists whom they claim are martyrs."

They may be evil, America-hating, mass-murdering thugs, but they aren't stupid.

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Islamic Thinkers Society is Mad at Robert Spencer

Seems they've taken exception to his publicizing their video of their desecration of an American flag on a New York City sidewalk.

Found at Michelle Malkin.

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Amnesty International Advocates Arresting US Officials

"Statement Of Dr. William F. Schulz Executive Director, Amnesty International USA
May 25, 2005

"Good morning. I’m William F. Schulz, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA. Today, Amnesty International releases its annual report on the state of human rights around the world. What we have found brings shame to governments from Afghanistan to the United States. We have documented that the use of torture and ill treatment is widespread and that the US government is a leading purveyor and practitioner of this odious human rights violation.

"The refusal of the US government to conduct a truly independent investigation into the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison and other detention centers is tantamount to a whitewash, if not a cover-up, of these disgraceful crimes. It is a failure of leadership to prosecute only enlisted soldiers and a few officers while protecting those who designed a deliberate government policy of torture and authorized interrogation techniques that constitute torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. The government’s investigation must climb all the way to the top of the military and civilian chain of command.

"If the US government continues to shirk its responsibility, Amnesty International calls on foreign governments to uphold their obligations under international law by investigating all senior US officials involved in the torture scandal. And if those investigations support prosecution, the governments should arrest any official who enters their territory and begin legal proceedings against them. The apparent high-level architects of torture should think twice before planning their next vacation to places like Acapulco or the French Riviera because they may find themselves under arrest as Augusto Pinochet famously did in London in 1998."

Amnesty International now advocates kidnapping of US government officials.

I'd be interested to see our response at such an attempt. I expect it would be enlightening -- for Amnesty International.

Found at Captain's Quarters by way of Little Green Footballs.

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Yet Another Reason to Be Glad I Don't Live in China

The Chinese government is cracking down on bloggers, requiring all websites be registered.

Found at The Moderate Voice by way of Instapundit.

There but for the Grace of God....

Update: Still more at BlogCritics.org.

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I'm trying to sleep here. Can't you take that flashing-light thing somewhere else?  

Housekeeping Problem? What Housekeeping Problem? (Part 2)

Part 1 is at the link.

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Where Once There Were Skylights....

From this....


.. 


To this....


. 


To this....


. 

They're coming back tomorrow to reapply the popcorn ceiling stuff and finish the last bit of trim on the roof. And we'll be done. Hooray!

Ann Coulter Pokes Holes in the "Deep Throat" Mythology

"Rather more prosaically, Felt leaked details of the Watergate investigation to the Washington Post only because he had lost a job promotion – making him the Richard Clarke of the Watergate era. This will come as small consolation to the Cambodians and Vietnamese tortured and slaughtered as a direct result of Nixon's fall. Oh, well. At least we got a good movie and Jimmy Carter out of it."

Good stuff. Read the whole thing.

Found by way of Neal Boortz.

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CNN - Morale Buster

From Hurl's Blog.

"Some of the troops watching the CNN segment were angry enough at the way they were portrayed as losers that they began hollering out expletives. Some seemed to wonder if maybe we really are losing and perhaps the successes they are having are just an anomaly. Either way, CNN certainly doesn’t contribute to the morale of those of us working hard and sacrificing in order to safeguard a free Iraq – in fact quite the contrary."

It's difficult enough, being at home in front of the television in air conditioned comfort, watching the MSM lie about what is really going on in Iraq (and elsewhere). Imagine being thousands of miles from home, actually doing the heavy lifting, and having to hear the same spurious commentary.

CNN/NBC/CBS/ABC/PBS/etc. etc. etc. -- guilty of giving aid and comfort to the enemy, as far as I'm concerned.

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Take Back the Memorial

The site has all the contact info for sending your concerns and comments to those involved with the World Trade Center Memorial.

Let them know what you think.

Found by way of Michelle Malkin.

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Professor Who Belittled Believers Drops Bid To Head Up a Department

Found at Michelle Malkin.

Article by Jacob Gershman.

"A Brooklyn College professor who described religious people as "moral retards" said he is dropping his bid to become chairman of the department of sociology after the college's president expressed outrage over his views.

"Timothy Shortell, an associate professor in the sociology department at the CUNY senior college, sent a bitter e-mail on Monday to several departmental heads saying he had decided to step down as chairman-elect and claiming he was a victim of a political attack."

Another barking moonbat leftist who is shocked, shocked to find out that freedom of speech hath consequences.

"In his e-mail, Mr. Shortell expressed anger at the treatment he received from some members of his department and at what he called the administration's 'inadequate' defense of his academic freedom."

I guess they didn't recognize their proper role, standing around and nodding their heads in agreement of his wisdom.

Poor baby.

"'If he's dropping his bid, it would be the first recent wise move on his part,' a member of CUNY's board of trustees, Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, said. 'While he's entitled to his voice, the school is certainly better off served by a different chair.'"

A concept foreign to many people -- it's not always about you.

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The Desecration of Ground Zero

Found at Neal Boortz. Column by Michelle Malkin.

More at Chrenkoff.

The PC crowd strikes again. Why is it some people cannot seem to grasp the fact that they are not entitled to government funding to do anything they want to? There is nothing in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights that guarantees federal funding to anybody who sticks their hand out. What's more, there is no right to advertise your particular political cause at any publicly funded institution.

The memorial to the 911 victims in New York City is being hijacked, no exaggeration, by people who want to be able to present "alternative viewpoints" to visitors to the site. As if there were some guarantee of "equal time" at any publicly-funded place. What is wrong with these people? Are they so arrogant that they believe the only criterion an idea has to meet in order for it to be a good one is that they had it?

Yes, I think they do believe that.

I've already left a comment with the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, in the Memorial Comments section. The link is here, if you're inclined to leave a comment also.

Be polite. Don't curse. Remember it's more than likely the person who will be reading your comments lost someone on September 11th. State your viewpoint clearly and concisely; foam-at-the-mouth diatribes probably get deleted, largely unread.

I think it's important that they understand that the PC crowd not only doesn't speak for all of us, they don't even speak for most of us.

If the "Blame America First" crowd wants to have an "alternative viewpoint" site, let them build it on their own dime.

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Where Do These People Come From and How Do We Send Them Back?

From WorldNetDaily.com, which I found at Mr. Minority, which I found by way of Who Tends the Fires.

A publisher of (yet another) version of the Bible changing Jesus to a woman and saying her name was Judith says, "makes the moral message of Christ more accessible to many, and more illuminating to all." He adds, "It is empowering. We published this new Bible to acknowledge the rise of women in society."

Baloney.

He published this version to pander to the politically correct crowd, and knowing of the controversy it will cause, the money it will bring in.

"Illuminating," my foot.

Do these people genuinely believe that their changing the Bible to say what they want it to say changes God's message? That what they profess to believe, because it is diametrically opposed to God's teachings, means God's teachings have to change to suit them?

Mr Minority's comment: "You can't change Jesus to being a woman, just to satisfy your political agenda, Jesus was a man, the Gospels say that, so no amount wishing is going to change that. These CINOs (Christians In Name Only), are out to weaken Christianity, with their heretical teachings and changes to the Bible, which Jesus said not to change. The Bible was written by God, through Men, and Jesus was a Man (and God), and if women don't like that, then too bad, because that is the way it was and is. This is changing of Jesus' gender to meet the urge to be politically correct is wrong, and they will be judged and held accountable for it, not by me, but by God, the FATHER and HIS SON, JESUS (not Judith)!

"Note: Judith is the feminine form of the name Juda - or Judas."

What he said.

God is still in control, and we are all a part of His plan. I take a deep breath and try to remember that just because PC-obsessed twits have the time and fundage to engage in such patently absurd undertakings doesn't make them any smarter than the average pill bug.

I know God allows such things because we all have free will, and can choose to follow Him, or not. But these people just make me tired.

Update: Edited to fix a silly error.

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Psychologists, Psychiatrists, and How Many of Us Really Have Something Wrong With Us?

I got a comment in a previous post, the one about the claim that 25% of Americans have had a mental illness in a past year, that I thought I'd address in another post.

The difference between psychologists and psychiatrists is that psychologists don't have medical degrees and can't prescribe medication. Psychiatrists are medical doctors, went to medical school, did their residencies, all that good stuff, then they take the courses and training and tests to become psychiatrists. They can prescribe medication.

My father was a psychiatrist. He was also an alcoholic, but that's a topic for another time. Maybe. Anyway, if you want to piss off a psychiatrist, call him or her a psychologist. They don't handle it well. :)

I'm not a doctor (not even close), and so I'm stating an opinion here, but it's an informed one based on many years of close observation: Just because somebody has a fancy degree or specializes in a particular field of medicine (like psychiatry) doesn't mean they know what they're doing. And as my mother has told me time and again, half of all the doctors in the world graduated in the bottom half of their class.

My father seemed to think that everybody had something going on that needed therapy. I remember in particular one very contentious family discussion (my older sister was out of the house by then, and I'm not sure if my little sister was there, but I'm pretty sure my brother was and I know my mother was there). I can't remember how we got to this point in the argument, but I piped up with, "You're so busy being a psychiatrist you don't know how to be a father" or words to that effect. My mother leaped up from where she was sitting, pointed at me and shouted to him, "Listen to her!" I confess at the time I was well and truly shocked -- I had thought I was just spouting off, but it seemed I had actually twigged onto something.

It was easier for him, I think, to be a psychiatrist, because there are guidelines and rules and limits on what a person can and cannot do. Being a father is a lot... what's the word... mushier. There's no checklist, no list of rules to follow, no hints on what to say or do in a given situation.

I also think that there is such a thing as too much education. You can think a problem or an issue through too much. Looking back (and our memories change, so maybe what I remember isn't what really happened) it seems to me that at some point he crossed a line in his head, a point past which he was unable to relate to those of us who hadn't made that intellectual trip with him. He didn't understand us anymore.

So, when my commenter says that her doctor prescribed a wholly inappropriate medication for her after the birth of her child, being possessed of absolute certainty that she needed these pills because all new mothers need these pills, unable to picture a situation in which all his medical skill and training didn't mean squat next to a little common sense and decent enough eyesight to perceive his patient's demeanor, I'm not in the slightest bit surprised.

It's too bad she didn't yank his chain a bit -- invent a few weird dreams, or feelings that people were watching her through the television, or something. It probably would only have made things worse -- he might have tried to have her committed. But it might just have been funny to watch him spin himself into the ceiling trying to figure out her ailment.

I couldn't find "cyclothymic", but if periodic mood swings is a mental illness, color me nuts. We're all screwed.

One more comment. I'm trying to learn to play the bagpipes (Why? Because I'm nuts, of course.) and the band I'm learning from is one of the few that take adult students in addition to children. One of the child students we had a couple years back was the most obnoxious child it has ever been my misery to share a room with. He was loud, rude, inconsiderate, narcissistic and in constant need of attention. His parents, both of them, were psychiatrists.

I rest my case.

The Roofers Are Here, and Other Things

Hallelujah.

I was off getting my eyeglasses adjusted and a change to the contact lens prescription when they showed up this morning. They told hubby that they were going to finish the roof today, and get the inside work done tomorrow.

Last night I came home from class, pulled into the driveway and noticed something glowing on the roof. The roofers had left something plugged in. I hadn't given it much thought until I saw that whatever-it-was glowing on the roof. I thought something was about to burst into flame. Hubby explained it's a plug that lights up, so you can find it in the dark. Very ingenious. But since the roofers didn't work in the dark, what's the point?

I unplugged it anyway. Presumably they plugged it back in this morning. They are enthusiastically hammering and thumping away up there. The dogs are snoozing in the laundry room, one cat is fine and the other has disappeared into a hidey hole.

About the eyesight thing -- the glasses are Progressives, which means you have to find the right spot to look through, depending on if you're trying to read, or look at something in the middle distance, or look at something farther away. My previous glasses were also Progressives and it took awhile adjusting at first, but I got used to them eventually and I really like them. But with the new ones, I couldn't crack the code on the things, even after trying for about a month. The eye doctor people adjusted the way they sit on my face and it seemed to help. At the moment, though, my number one priority is getting used to the change in contacts. The bifocal contacts, while a wonderful thing to read with, weren't so good for distance vision. So we're trying the monovision thing. In my right eye I have a contact lens that corrects my vision for what I need to see far away. In my left eye, the lens corrects me for reading. Right eye far, left eye read. It's a bit weird. At any given time, half the world seems out of sync. The contact lens expert at the eye doctor's assured me I should have no trouble adjusting, although it may take awhile. And actually, while it's a tad unsettling, it does seem to be working. Once my brain catches on and figures out which eye to use doing what, I should be fine.

In the meantime, though, I should discourage people from sneaking up on me from the left. Which is always good advice.

John Kerry and Barnabas Collins - Separated at Birth

I hardly know what to say.

Found at Ankle Biting Pundits.

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Bush's and Kerry's Grades at Yale Similar

AP Article, no byline.

"Sen. John F. Kerry's grade average at Yale University was virtually identical to President Bush's record there, despite repeated portrayals of Kerry as the more intellectual candidate during the 2004 presidential campaign."

"Kerry had a cumulative average of 76 and got four Ds his freshman year — in geology, two history courses and political science, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday.

"His grades improved with time, and he averaged an 81 his senior year and earned an 89 — his highest grade — in political science as a senior.

"'I always told my dad that D stood for distinction,' Kerry said in a written response to reporters' questions. He said he has previously acknowledged focusing more on learning to fly than studying."

Right. Hey, Dad, it's not that I'm too busy partying and doing what I want to do rather than what I have to do. I'm distinguished.

I can just picture my mother's response had I used that excuse when I flunked 8 hours out of 13 the first semester of my sophomore year.

"In 1999, The New Yorker magazine published a transcript showing Bush had a cumulative grade average of 77 his first three years at Yale, and a similar average under a non-numerical rating system his senior year.

"Bush's highest grade at Yale was an 88 in anthropology, history and philosophy. He received one D in his four years, a 69 in astronomy, and improved his grades after his freshman year, the transcript showed."

Looks like he did a better job of keeping his eyes on the goal. And that's why he's the president, and Kerry isn't. Thank God.

"Kerry, a Democrat, previously declined to release the transcript, which was included in his Navy records. He gave the Navy permission to release the documents last month, the Globe reported."

Of course. There was no need to come clean about this telling information before the election, after all. Was there?

Found by way of Neal Boortz.

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We're All Victims, Waah, Waah, Waah

Please.

Article by Rick Weiss of the Washington Post, a publication not known for advocating self-sufficiency or objective thought.

"One-quarter of all Americans met the criteria for having a mental illness within the past year, and fully a quarter of those had a 'serious' disorder that significantly disrupted their ability to function day to day, according to the largest and most detailed survey of the nation's mental health."

Define "serious."

Define "disrupted their ability to function day to day."

They surveyed over 9,000 people in 34 states. That's about 265 people per state. Of a nation of 290 million, that means they asked 0.03% of the population how they felt about things. They called it an "exhaustive government-sponsored effort." They interviewed roughly 5.79 people per square mile of US territory (and that's all 50 states plus DC). They only interviewed people in 34 states, but the article didn't say which 34, but even if you make allowances for it being 68% of the states, which isn't accurate without population density, a good guess they still only interviewed a little over 9 people per square mile. In the county I live in, which is definitely not densely populated, there are 152.19 people per square mile.

This is my blog, so I get to be blunt -- this survey is total garbage.

How can anyone claim that surveying 0.03% of a population is anything like a representative sample? And as anyone who has even taken a survey knows, how a question is worded influences how the question is answered.

"Less than half of those in need get treated." And were they in need? Did they need treatment, or did they need a change of scenery or a loving (or not so loving) kick in the behind?

Some days I get sinus headaches so bad functioning at all is extremely difficult. I also get the occasional migraine. If I have things I need to get done, I take as much medication as I safely can and suck it up. That goes for feeling a little blue about things, too. Or being angry, or disappointed in life because your dreams didn't work out, or upset because your boyfriend / girlfriend / significant other dumped you, or you got fired or laid off, or didn't get the job or promotion you thought you deserved. Or the person you thought was the best didn't win on American Idol.

Welcome to adult life. Things are going to get bumpy occasionally; life is lumpy.

Deal with it.

I'm not saying there aren't people who have serious mental illnesses that need medication and / or therapy to deal with what they're going through. I am saying it sure as heck isn't 25% of Americans.

Another quote from the article: "But the rest of the news from the survey — which did not include some of the most serious disorders, such as schizophrenia — is mostly discouraging."

So if they didn't take into consideration serious mental illnesses, real problems, like schizophrenia, what good is the survey?

Answer: None.

I am weary beyond expression of the certain segment of our society that insists we're all victims, we're all wounded, we all need psychotherapy.

Bull.

Nobody gets to adulthood unscathed, adolescence is a miserable transition period for almost everybody, sometimes life sucks. Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug. Some days you get the bear, some days the bear gets you.

Grow up. And stop whining.

Sheez.

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Today Is The 61st Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion

Omaha Beach.

"'As our boat touched sand and the ramp went down, I became a visitor to hell. I shut everything out and concentrated on following the men in front of me down the ramp and into the water.' --Pfc. Harry Parley, 116th Infantry Regiment, US 29th Division"

Utah Beach.

"'There was this barbed wire area and a wounded officer who had stepped on an antipersonnel mine calling for help. I decided that I should go. I walked in toward him, putting each foot down carefully and picked him up and carried him back. That was my baptism. It was the sort of behavior I expected of myself.' -- Lt. Elliot Richardson, medical detachment"

The Rangers of Pointe du Hoc.

"'Located Pointe du Hoc, Mission accomplished, Need ammunition and reinforcements, Many casualties.' --Lt. Col. James Rudder (Aggie, class of 1932), 2nd Ranger Battalion, D-Day message"

Sword Beach.

"'...stamped in my memory is the sight of Shimi Lovat's tall, immaculate figure striding through the water, rifle in hand, and his men moving with him up the beach to the skirl of Bill Millin's bagpipes.' --Commander Rupert Curtis, 200th LCI Flotilla"

Gold and Juno Beaches.

"'It was absolutely like clockwork. We knew it would be. We had every confidence. We had rehearsed it so often, we knew our equipment, we knew it worked, we knew given reasonable conditions we could get off the craft.' -- Lt. Pat Blamey, British 50th Division, Gold Beach"

D Day Photos.

Conservative estimate of casualties: 8,443 of which 4,696 were American. Reasonable guess of casualties: 9,000, of which 3,000 may have been fatalities.

Six million died in the concentration camps: Jews, gays, gypsies, political prisoners.

After D-Day: Nazism was crushed, prisoners in the concentration camps were freed, and the dominant language in Europe and the United Kingdom is not German.

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The "Downing Street Memo" and What It Really Means

Article by James S. Robbins at National Review Online.

What struck me (actually, several things struck me, but let's just look at this for a moment) was this comment: "Contingency planning for military operations against Iraq had begun as early as November 2001. This is no secret; the full timeline along with a wealth of details can be found in General Tommy Franks's memoir American Soldier. The plan that became known as OPLAN 1003V began to be put together in earnest in January 2002. The existence of war planning does not in itself prove that the use of force was inevitable. The purpose was to provide the president with the full range of credible alternatives for pursuing U.S. policy vis-à-vis Saddam Hussein's regime.

"Regime change had been U.S. policy since October 31, 1998, when President Clinton signed the Iraq Liberation Act. It was not a state secret."

Note: In the article, "Soldier" in the title of Gen. Franks' memoir was spelled wrong -- I fixed it here.

When I was a commander at a mobile radar unit in Germany, we had contingency plans for several situations. If you wait until the crisis occurs to come up with a plan, you're starting out behind the power curve and you can expect to catch up never. So plans were created, changed, tweaked before they were needed. And with any luck, whatever plans you had for any bad things that might occur, you wouldn't need to implement them. But waiting until you're up to your proverbial kiester in alligators to drain the swamp is just stupid. And merely having a plan for dealing with a problem does not indicate any propensity for carrying out said plan.

The memo that has so many Democrats' underwear in a bundle "simply contains the impressions of an aide of the impressions of British-cabinet officials of the impressions of unnamed people they spoke to in the United States about what they thought the president was thinking." As Mr. Robbins says, "hearsay thrice-removed."

If this is the best the Democrats can come up with, well, it's sad. It's just very sad.

Found by way of Michelle Malkin.

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Stories Not Told

Article by John Leo. An interesting collection of stories we haven't been hearing about on network news or in the newspapers. We should wonder why.

Go and read, for he is very good.

Found by way of Instapundit.

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Amnesty International Isn't Sure Guantanamo Is a Gulag

Article by Lori Santos.

"Executive Director William Schulz said Amnesty, often cited worldwide for documenting human rights abuses, also had no information about whether Secretary Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved severe torture methods such as beatings and starvation.

"Schulz recently dubbed Rumsfeld an 'apparent high-level architect of torture' in asserting he approved interrogation methods that violated international law.

"'It would be fascinating to find out. I have no idea,' Schulz told 'Fox News Sunday.'"

OK, well, it could be that I heard a rumor the local high schools, in an attempt to deal with budget cuts, have begun grinding abandoned babies into meat served for lunch. Is it true?

It would be fascinating to find out. I have no idea.

Sheez.

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What's Being Done in Our Name

From Riding Sun, by way of Instapundit.

About the court-ordered release of photos depicting abuse by US soldiers inflicted on prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison. Yes, abuse. Not torture. Having underwear placed on your head, or leashed dogs barking at you, or stacked in a naked pyramid does not constitute torture. Having your eyeballs gouged out, fingernails torn out, being beaten to death, being torn apart by vicious dogs -- that's torture.

The idiots who participated in these abuses have been charged and punished. No one died, no one suffered permanent damage, no one was maimed. The people who were responsible were held accountable.

Nevertheless, when the thousands of pages and documents from the 130 investigations (130! Coverup? They can't be serious) are made available to the ACLU we can expect the proverbial poop to hit the fan, again.

There will be no new information, no heretofore unpublicized abuses or humiliations, no evidence of a top-down policy of mistreatment of prisoners.

But there will be a great hue and cry over the new pictures and documents, nevertheless.

For another look at what's being done in our name, follow the link. There is a collection of photographs that you will not see in your local newspaper, on the news, or in any news magazine.

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Howard Dean is Losing His Grip... Such As It Was

Looks like the Democrats have lost their fondness for the man. Joe Biden (D-DE), has stated point-blank that Howard Dean "doesn't speak for me with that kind of rhetoric...." John Edwards (former senator from NC) has said, "The chairman of the DNC is not the spokesman for the party He's a voice. I don't agree with it."

Democratic/Liberal/Left-Leaning commentary on the internet indicates the "party faithful" are now busy throwing rocks at one another. Between the "Dean is a lunatic" bunch and "Dean is the true voice of the Democratic Party" people, the Dems may be on their way out as a credible force in society, never mind government.

Just my opinion.

And actually, it would be better for all of us if the shrieking stopped, so we could get back to talking.

Found by way of Instapundit.

Previous Dean post here.

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A Policy of Rape

An article by Nicholas Kristof.

"One measure of the international community's hypocrisy is that the world is barely bothering to protest. More than two years after the genocide in Darfur began, the women of Kalma Camp - a teeming squatter's camp of 110,000 people driven from their burned villages - still face the risk of gang rape every single day as they go out looking for firewood.

"Nemat, a 21-year-old, told me that she left the camp with three friends to get firewood to cook with. In the early afternoon a group of men in uniforms caught and gang-raped her.

"'They said, "You are black people. We want to wipe you out," ' Nemat recalled. After the attack, Nemat was too injured to walk, but her relatives found her and carried her back to camp on a donkey."

Previous post on Darfur here.

Found by way of Instapundit.

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