Riehl World View

Afghanistan

Photos from the front:

DWF (docweaselforum) member and US soldier stationed in Afghanistan, who goes by the sn Necrotaur on the forum, has posted these great pics of his experiences in Afghanistan.

Rippin' Rick Moran A New One

Okay, I have to do this tactfully, as I've probably been a little hard on Rick Moran in the past. But I find this to be annoying as hell.

LIMBAUGH IS STILL A GOOSE

I see where some on the right disagree with my take on Limbaugh’s comment. Some suggested I watch the video where Rush explains his meaning in the context of bringing up phony soldier Jesse Macbeth.

I watched the video and am more convinced than ever that Limbaugh knew he had goofed when he said “phony soldiers” (plural) and in the context of the moment the comment was made, Limbaugh was clearly referencing and agreeing with the caller’s sentiment that all soldiers who come forward and make known their opposition to the war are not “real soldiers” (caller’s words).

We can parse this thing from here to doomsday and not agree because at bottom, we are arguing about Limbaugh’s intent – an admittedly doomed excursion into the realm of mind reading.

A "goose"? Geesh, Rick, if you want to take a namby pamby position, you could at least spice up the language a bit so you don't come off so bad. A "goose"? Are you writing a blog, teaching Sunday school, or trying to do both? If you think he's a blow hard that jumped the shark on this one, say so. I'd argue you're wrong, but I'd at least respect the sentiment.

You don't need to read Rush's mind to know his intent, not if you've ever listened to him, that is. Yeah, it may have been some loose language in and around the bit, even that's arguable, but Limbaugh has never done anything to malign anyone in uniform, so far as I can tell.

Limbaugh is an entertainer. So, an entertainer does a bit and because you can construct a scenario wherein some potential less than carefully chosen language might suggest he attacked some troops, you feel compelled to denounce him? Where's the conservatism, or libertarianism in that? Because frankly it looks as though you're doing something you do quite often, taking a contrary position to most of us on the Right to somehow set yourself apart.

There's an easier way to do that, Rick. Stop pretending you're "Right wing" as your blog name implies and admit you are angling to be some rather mundane voice of reason that turns all political discourse into more of the same old boring crap one can regularly access in the mainstream media.

Limbaugh isn't an elected official, or running for office - he's independent media on the Right-side of the spectrum and this whole thing was a trumped up hit by the usual suspects on the Left starting with Media Matters. If you're going to feed into that type of garbage, it's extremely difficult to see you as a quality voice on the Right with any serious dedication to fighting the good fight when it comes to media bias. And whatever alleged principles you latched onto to make your argument don't appear to be grounded in anything I can characterize as conservative, or libertarian thought.

We don't need nannies on the Right, we've enough work to do keeping the nanny statists on the Left in check, dude. But if you must continue doing this type of stuff, consider changing your blog's name to Right Wing Nanny's House instead. That would seem to be a little closer to the mark, particuarly as regards the post in question.

Another Nefarious Move On America By MoveOn.org

Sad but not surprising that Eurotrash funded, America hating MoveOn.org would call up their lawyers to try and silence political speech with which they disagree.

Last week it demanded that the site remove eight items, arguing that they violated MoveOn’s merchandising trademarks.

Trademark law doesn’t confer monopoly rights over all uses of a registered phrase or symbol, however, and it wasn’t created simply to protect the trademark owner’s interests. Instead, it’s designed to protect consumers against being misled or confused about brands. The courts have repeatedly ruled in favor of parodies and critiques; that’s why www.famousbrandnamesucks.com doesn’t violate famousbrandname’s trademark. And most, if not all, of the items targeted by MoveOn were clearly designed to razz it, not to trick buyers into thinking they were the group’s products.

Beyond that, it’s amazing that MoveOn would try to squelch political speech.

The only positive thing to say about this freedom-hating, filthy group of Leftists is that their visibility betrays just how dirty is today's Left, which currently dominates the Democrat Party. No one should want the despicable quorum of quislings at MoveOn.org to actually move on. Having them front and center is the best thing that can happen for conservatives.

As the saying goes, scratch a liberal, find a fascist.

Now You Know Edwards Is Really Done

Today John Edwards said "'Pretty Soon We’re Not Going to Have a Young African-American Male Population in America" and it hasn't even risen to a blip on Memeorandum. Video of Edwards here. When he can't even generate a bunch of attention over such a stupid remark, he's done.

Aside from that fact, I believe a majority of America has had their fill of that pathetic sort of rhetoric from the liberal Left. Along with it not being close to accurate, the Nanny state is not the answer for the subset of America's Black population trapped in poverty, primarily in our liberal-run urban centers.

In significant part, the New Deal turned out to be a raw deal for elements of the American population which admittedly had significant challenges to overcome due to our nation's history. Johnson's not so Great Society added insult to injury and only made the problems nearly intractable. The more the government undermines local institutions, churches and families in our inner cities, the more tragic will be the costs of decades of liberal failure.

Fortunately, more and more Black Americans are getting around to figuring that out. And they won't be shut down by rich, white liberal politicians and a few high profile race bating Black scam artists who have been promising them everything and delivering nothing of long term value to them for years.

The particular portion of the Black population suffering as per above has to get over being victims, or victims they will remain.

Sweet Freedom For Al-Qaeda Leader In Iraq

And to think, he didn't even require a lawyer to secure his release.

WASHINGTON —  U.S.-led forces have killed one of the most important leaders of Al Qaeda in Iraq, a Tunisian believed connected to the kidnapping and killings last summer of American soldiers, a top commander said Friday.

Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson said the death of the terrorist in a U.S. airstrike Tuesday south of Baghdad, and recent similar operations against Al Qaeda, have left the organization in Iraq fractured.

Gunman Arrested, Hostages Freed At Oroville HS

via CBS

(CBS 5 / AP) OROVILLE A disgruntled male student, reportedly mad at a teacher, fired shots inside an Oroville high school Friday morning and held two other students hostage in a band room before releasing them and being taken into custody by authorities.

Slavery: Get Over It, Already

Michael Medved has a piece that basically re-states the obvious when it comes to slavery. Any current political discussion of American slavery has nothing to do with what happened in America's past. It's simply fodder for a primarily Democrat liberal agenda that keeps minorities, especially Blacks, as captive today as some were in the early days of America. Get over it already.

Bad News From Burma

A clamp down on media and worse, via Michelle:

As I noted the other day, Burmese bloggers have been crucial whistleblowers and eyewitnesses to history–supplying the world with round-the-clock coverage and photos of their oppressive regime’s crackdown. Now, just as the Western press is lauding their role, the military junta has reportedly cut off Internet access:

MLK's Heirs Battling Discrimination?

Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King had a scheduled speech at an Iowa high school cancelled due to her anti-abortion stance. King insists that is not the primary focus of her message. Video here. At the same time, per link below, Martin Luther King's youngest daughter launched a program she plans to make her life's work in Montgomery, Alabama. Given her focus, she may also run into some trouble with Liberal groups.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The speech for an anti-abortion activist at Roosevelt High School was canceled.

Alveda King, the niece of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., spoke Wednesday about the decision.

Roosevelt's principal canceled King's speech after some parents complained about the message. Principal Kathie Danielson said it was a tough decision.

Additional link:

When the youngest daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. decided to launch a program that she says will become her life's work, it was logical to do so in Montgomery.

Montgomery was where her father started his ministry at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church and where the bus boycott launched the civil rights movement. And the city provides what she called a fertile environment for "Be A King," a free program that Bernice King designed to spread a positive message to youth.

King has been upset by what she calls a lowering of standards and ethics in society, and believes she has been called by God to elevate the next generation.

"The lower (standards) become, it means the more you will be moving into a time when there will be a standard-less, or a 'whatever-goes,' society," she said. "I hope to teach (children) that they have a divine purpose on this earth, and they should set high goals, objectives, dreams and ambitions. Then they can help elevate society to a better place."

Anatomy of a Left-wing Smear

The Left has been working hard to gin up controversies attacking conservatives, this latest one is a hoot, having watched it unfold until none other than John "If I wasn't in Cambodia I'll eat my hat" Kerry weighs in.

As always, it begins with Media Matters here:

During the September 26 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh called service members who advocate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq "phony soldiers." He made the comment while discussing with a caller a conversation he had with a previous caller, "Mike from Chicago," who said he "used to be military," and "believe[s] that we should pull out of Iraq."

Enter the usual band of useless idiots in the form of the foaming at the mouth left-wing blogs with a special guest appearance by the Kerry-coached Jon "someone get me a soapbox" Soltz at the Huffington Post and the stage is set.

As Media Matters reported today, Rush Limbaugh, on his show said that those troops who come home and want to get America out of the middle of the religious civil war in Iraq are "phony soldiers." I'd love for you, Rush, to have me on your show and tell that to me to my face.

That Kerry, of all people, would choose to swiftly weigh in is the real laugher. It's over John not JFK Kerry. If you're lucky Hillary wins in 08 and makes you a secretary and gives you a decent desk.

Late Update: Here's John Kerry's statement:

"This disgusting attack from Rush Limbaugh, cheerleader for the Chicken Hawk wing of the far right, is an insult to American troops.

yawn....