What a way to fight a war?  Is the US in this thing in Afghanistan to win the so-called war against Islamic radicals, or to just make it look like we’re making an effort to fight terrorists?

The State Department confirmed that the Taliban continues to receive “protection money” when asked about the House report, which includes December 2009 testimony from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton told a Senate panel, “one of the major sources for the Taliban is the protection money” for safe passage of U.S. supply convoys.
“Taliban continues to extort protection money as a source of revenue just like via the opium trade,” Darby Holladay, a spokesman for the State Department, the government agency that oversees U.S. civilian forces in Afghanistan, told CNSNews.com.  Read it all and weep.

As this news comes out, I go with the latter, that this country of ours is not really interested in winning the war against Islamic Terrorists.   Why are we there?  For what?  We’re just spending billions, for what?

Our State Department OK’s the payment of “protection money” so that our supply trucks can make it through enemy territory to bring supplies to the troops, so that they can walk through towns trying to make nice, insuring that no civilians will be harmed, so that “insurgents” appearing to be innocent civilians can pick off our troops if they don’t get their protection money.

Heck, they already know when we’ll be pulling out.

If the US tried to defeat Hitler in this manner, we’d all be speaking German, and Israel would be owned by Iran.

Read also:

Mark Steyn: Learning the rules of an unengaged president

Worse Than a Nightmare   By BOB HERBERT

We can’t win this war as it’s being fought, meaning that the Islamics would never cry for peace, never give up, they would never plead with us promising to never invoke terrorist acts ever again, they could never live peaceably alongside the Jews and Christians, and would never allow the west to put our guys in charge submitting to our ways of peaceable co-existence, of living and let live, of causing no harm to others, of respecting and obeying laws and accepting the notion that “all peoples are created equal, that they all are endowed by the creator with certain unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

This is a religious war.  Islam against the world that is not Islam.  When will we the people hear this from the media or from our politicians (who by the way, are elected by us).

Today we remember that time in history when our troops were released onto the shores of Normandy, which eventually led to the fall of the Nazi empire and the end of a terrible, but necessary war.

Before the time of TV’s in every household, FDR gave the following prayer over national radio.  The following day, there were no protests by the ACLU.  There were no protests by members of congress.  There were no protests by the media.  Atheists did not sue.  America was together as one nation.

“My Fellow Americans:

“Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our Allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.

“And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:

“Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

“Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.

“They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.

“They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest — until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men’s souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

“For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.&

“Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.

“And for us at home — fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them — help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.

“Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

“Give us strength, too — strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

“And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.

“And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment — let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.

“With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace — a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.”

“Thy will be done, Almighty God.”

FDR’s D-Day Prayer

June 6, 1944

When you see insects eating away on a rose shrub, what do you do?  When your precious tomato plant is being devoured by insects, what do you do?

All gardeners know that a jar of insecticide must be kept handy to use against the varmints that suck the life out of your beautiful rose or tomato bush.  You’ve got to get those invaders once they start showing themselves.  They can be hand picked and stomped on.  But you won’t get them all, nor will you even see them all.  Better yet is a preventative program that puts up a shield of protection against the enemies; like a pre-mixed solution saturating the ground the plants send their roots into.  But once that’s been accomplished, a continual inspection of your roses and tomatoes for those insects that are still able to get through all of your previous techniques, is needed so that all your hard work will not be spoiled.  

It’s work to bring a tomato plant to harvest.  It diligent work to tend the roses so their beauty will manifest itself.  

Our congress and the federal agencies are full of insects who are sucking the life out of America and they need to be removed.   They can be hand picked and removed, but if that don’t work to revive America the Great, probably then the entire body will need to be sprayed. 

It’s a common practice to spray rose bushes every two weeks, so think of congress as needing to be made insect free every two years.

If you’re against using an insecticidal spray because of purest environmental reasons, then you’d better just forget about taking a salt shaker out to the garden, picking a nice juicy ripe home grown tomato, biting into it and savoring each chew, or enjoying the splendor, the aroma and beauty of a bush full of magnificent roses.  Ride your bike to the store and buy the tasteless canned tomatoes lacking the natural nutrients of a fresh vegetable.  Get a villa or a high rise apartment, stay out of the way, stay home and leave the ground work of building America to the millions of us who are willing, able and with diligence select and elect politicians who will hold the constitution of ours in high esteem with a return to federalism.

We’ve been told many times that the religion of Islam is a religion of peace. The Nations of the west don’t believe it. Israel does not believe it. We’ve both experienced the opposite. Muslims themselves say they can’t live next door to Jews or Christians. Our latest “violent extremist” radical Muslim was caught with his britches on fire. Another radical Muslim successfully used a kitchen knife on his Bingham University professor.

It’s been an on going struggle from the beginning of time and will go on to eternity.

There is a local restaurant nearby where I’ve been a customer for over 20 years that serves good home-style meals at a reasonable price. A restaurant, by the way, that is owned and managed by a Muslim. His wife is often in the place dressed in the usual female Muslim garb, her hair covered along with her ankles. He and his family appear to be practicing a peaceful Islam, while enjoying our American ways.

On the peaceful Muslim side a lone voice in his wilderness speaks up.

This Muslim is a lone ranger riding the bull, or is he spreading a bunch of bull. As it now stands, I can smell the bull and I hope I don’t slip and fall into his crap. But it sounds good, it sounds edible. It really does.

After a decade of having watched our conflict morph, he says, from a thorny Arab-Israeli problem to a seemingly unsolvable Muslim-Jewish one, Sheikh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi, the director of the Italian Muslim Assembly and an outspoken critic of Islamic fanaticism and terrorism, has once again come here with a message of hope: Peace is possible between Islam and Judaism, between Israel and the Muslim world based on the Koran and the traditional Muslim sources. More . . .

But then the terrorizing continues. . . As they have done for generations.

Palazzi says that Israel has the Devine right to exist where it now is. “. . . there is nothing in Islamic law that prohibits non-Muslims from the Temple Mount; Israel must assert its rights there. “Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel, yet Israeli Jews are not allowed to walk freely on the Mount in their own city. Israeli sovereignty of the most important part of Jerusalem is in name only.”

But then we read out of Jihad Watch Report: “Surprise, surprise: “moderate” Muslim TV channel in UK linked to jihadist cleric al-Awlaki”

Our western leaders take the Islamic side and insist that Israel must back down.

Israel wants their rights to their land.

This Muslim leader says Israel must not retreat.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.

From here to eternity, Islam and the infidels (that’s us) will be struggling to find peace. Their peace is the absence of us.  Our peace is a good meal at a reasonable price.

Did you know that polar ice caps, icebergs, and those adorable bears that live in those barren places are being watched by CIA agents?

Why? Is there any relationship between ice caps, polar bears and terrorism?

The National Center for Public Policy Research has discovered that the CIA is diverting intelligence agents and funds to the exploration of icebergs.

Read more . . . 

DHS each year calculates what it calls the “air passenger apprehension rate for major violations.”   For fiscal 2010, which began on Oct. 1, DHS set it sites slightly higher, planning to catch 26 percent of “major” violators entering the U.S. on international flights while letting 74 percent get away.  CNS.

Think about that for a minute.   No, only a split second thought would be enough for the average American to say:  Hey you goof balls, you better get on the band wagon and catch every last one of these people intending to bring harm to Americans.   Do it.  Get back to your desks.  Search and search.  Find them, and then put them out of the country, and keep them out of the country, and keep them from ever coming back onto American soil ever again.   And let the Brits, the French, the Germans and every other Western country know who these would be terrorists are, so they can help eliminate these bastards from ever leaving their home village.

Do it.  Now.  Throw that air passenger apprehension rate stuff in the garbage can and dump it.  

Amazing.  Simply amazing the depths that Nancy and Harry will go to to get the Health Care deform legislation passed.   These people are working for us, or at least that’s what the voters were thinking when they put these two in power.   What do the voters think now?

Despite their claims to the contrary, the way that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have handled the healthcare bill has been anything but transparent. And, if the left-wing blogosphere is to be believed, the two congressional leaders intend to keep the deliberations secret as they try to merge the House and Senate versions of the legislation into something that will pass both chambers. Despite their claims to the contrary, the way that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have handled the healthcare bill has been anything but transparent. And, if the left-wing blogosphere is to be believed, the two congressional leaders intend to keep the deliberations secret as they try to merge the House and Senate versions of the legislation into something that will pass both chambers.

More. . .

They know that their time is soon up, so to make their mark on history, they’ll do anything it takes to get it on the books and part of the national scene, knowing that there is a little historical legal thing in there making the legislation permanent.   It cannot be rescinded.  It cannot be reduced to blubber by another administration.  Permanent folks.   Just as permanent as the IRS.   Just as permanently expanding as the EPA, the Fish and Wildlife Administration, the Center for Disease control, the Health and Human Services commission, the NEA etc. and etc.   Just as permanently part of America as Social Security.   This baby will remain to grow and grow into another monster eating us all alive.

John Cassidy of the New Yorker had this to say about it:

The Obama Administration, like the Bush Administration before it (and many other Administrations before that) is creating a new entitlement program, which, once established, will be virtually impossible to rescind. At some point in the future, the fiscal consequences of the reform will have to be dealt with in a more meaningful way, but by then the principle of (near) universal coverage will be well established. 

Some Vaguely Heretical Thoughts on Health-Care Reform

So, if above board does not get the job done, then do the Bill Clinton thing, get it done under the table.

Every school campus in America has been declared a no guns allowed zone, but does it elicit that safe and secure feeling?   Every airport in America has instituted new rules and regulations for travelers, but does it give you a warm and fuzzy feeling about flying in one of those big jets?   Did you get excited when you heard that the new TSA rules prevent each and every passenger from going to the potty during the last hour of any flight?   Did it send a warm secure feeling down your spine knowing that at one hour before landing, you must, you must remove everything from your lap and sit there still as a mouse caught in a trap?   Ah ha, you thought, finally the government is taking measures to secure the airlines.   You thought, boy this makes the captains and the crews feel good and secure about their passengers, about getting to that destination without a hitch. 

Even the military bases have declared no loaded guns allowed, and it did not prevent a Muslim terrorist from shooting up the place.

What are we to do?

What can the Department of Homeland Security and the TSA do to prevent another Muslim from attacking America in one way or another? 

Profile.  Pick on the Muslims. 

But this is the enlightened area where we desire to see people as individuals and not as part of a group that happens to be radically inclined against America, the western non-Islamic countries and . . . Israel.   All peoples should be given the chance to act responsibly?

Yea, that’s where we are in this educated compassionate progressive area of time.  

In the meantime, while this is all sorted out among the powerful, those who are concerned about the civil rights of every individual and do not want to in any way whatsoever be thought to be discriminating against anyone,  the average citizen suffers through the consequences.   Toughen it up lady.  Obey the rules.   Follow all of the guidelines for safe travel, or else.  

I like what Barbara Simpson had to say today.  I’ve had it. I’m offended and want my government to know it. I’m tired of being treated like a criminal.

Mark Steyn had some remarks too. “The real laugh was the United States government. The global hyperpower spent the next week making itself a laughingstock to the entire planet. First, the bureaucrats at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) swung into action with a whole new range of restrictions.”

I’m really surprised the TSA acted so quickly, as usually the changes have to come down from on top and filter their way down to the agents on the floor through numerous new training meetings etc.   The training materials have to be scrutinized first by the heads, OK’d, then produced and sent around to each facility for them to decide when the next training session could be scheduled.    And with the weather being what it is, frigid cold, all across the country, I’d be hard to get all of the agents, and the trainers to attend the sessions.  

Meanwhile, flights continue and Muslims continue to plot.

What a decade this has been.   But then every decade in the recorded history of mankind has been quite remarkable in it’s own right taken in the context of that particular decade.    The 2000’s started with scare mongering of the masses and the first decade of the 2’s is ending with a hysterical scare mongering of the masses.   On the stroke of midnight 12/31/1999, the computerized world was supposed to go haywire, but airplanes still flew, banks did not have their records scrambled, power companies were cheerful and people did not have to revert to candlepower.   Wall street was still wall street while the government shut down their computers anticipating their own scaremongering.

On this forthcoming stroke of midnight 12/31/2009 the scientific consensus says the world stage could soon go haywire as the ice caps melt sending huge waves of water descending upon Manhattan and the itty bitty Islands of Tuvalu.   That event will never happen either.  It’s more likely that an Islamic person being watched by the Department of Homeland Security could succeed in his wish to gain 72 virgins as he desires to take down 300 innocents. 

A Military base and a university campus have recently been openly fired upon.   We the people ask “What’s next?”

But that’s yet to come as Janet Napolitano said the terrorist prevention system over Detroit worked beautifully before she said the system failed.  

This we do know about the past ten years.    America Changed.   The country is not the same politically, domestically, economically, religiously and definitely not the same defensively and constitutionally.   For the first time ever, an elected official Muslim would not take the oath of office on the Bible.  Yes, America is not the same, but yet it is, as oaths are rarely honored anyway.

The very beginning of the decade found damaged Bill Clinton speaking around the world while Al Gore went on to produce a mystery novel disguised as a documentary.   The beginning of the decade also saw the USS Cole get attacked, but “red flags” were looked over so that on 9/11/2001, 4 high jacked planes woke the world up to Islamic terrorism as nearly 3000 Americans lost their lives.   President Bush declared a war against terror spending billions in taxes to fell Saddam Hussein to the ground.  Congressman Murtha accused our troops of purposely killing Iraqi civilians.  The liberal pols and media declared it a “war for oil” as Iraq was liberated, but the FBI and CIA were both at a loss finding the head terrorist moving from cave to cave. 

Except for Katrina hitting New Orleans head on and a tsunami devastating Indonesia, outlandish climate changes were kind of quiet.   Honoring their code, “if it bleeds, it leads,” the media exaggerated the water depth depicting the welfare dependents screaming for help.

Terror struck the campus of no guns allowed Virginia Tech.

American Idol captured the masses dreams for stardom and dancing with stars played on and on.  Entertainment is more popular with the masses than keeping up with the political scene because there’s actually a chance that it could pay off to be a hard working focused citizen.

Facebook, MySpace, text messaging while driving burned up computer space and swept teens away from textbooks.

Nancy Pelosi makes history and continues to rewrite history with co-conspirator Harry Reid handing out favors for favors.

Fannie Mae gets caught but the inventors of the program get away.  

Oddly enough a rock concert speech in Berlin to Idol worshippers propels an unknown half American and half African man over the top to win his chance to re-organize America with changes.   He starts his term by the appointments of the “C” word and “S” word “czars” to do the dirty work.

The Hannah Giles and James O’Keefe YouTube amateur videos exposed ACORN, a favorite for politicians.

Changes are made to the economic system, the too big to let fail automobile industry is now part of the federal government, as the banking giants, insurance conglomerates have their incentive bonuses cut.   The housing industry goes quiet.    Bridges to nowhere are discarded in favor of creatively stimulating “saved jobs” repairing torn up old bridges and roads to somewhere.   The thousands of new signs along the highways announcing the work cost us billions.  

The unions get boosted by a clunker program that needed re-inventing before being invented.  It stimulated the car crushing companies for the few weeks of the program, then it was back to business slower than usual.

A hockey mom named Sarah captures the imagination of middle America; “she’s speaking what I’ve been thinking all along,” as the silent majority organized tea parties all across the country.

US Airways pilot Chesley Sullenberger creates a miracle in the Hudson River.  

The Chicago Cubs continue to wonder when. . . a change will come killing the goat.

A Tiger is brought to his knees agonizing over his misses. 

Joe the plumber got an honest answer of Obama’s desire to redistribute the wealth, and Joe Wilson had an honest spontaneous “you Lie” moment.

It’s been a decade of politically correct diversity as the elite moralize over “war on terror” and “overseas contingency operation,” because they don’t want to offend anyone, while people of interest without baggage on a one way flight smelling like sulfur board flights while the average citizen traveler gets the full body treatment.

The financial crisis raises the debt for the citizen masses for years and years to come, and Fannie Mae continues to write mortgages that won’t be paid.   We’ll have to wait till next year for the Health Care option and school children are told there’s no use in working hard if capping trade of everything under the sun does not pass.   The new EPA solutions guarantees absolutely clean air forever and ever.

The decade ends just as the decade started with the masses being hysterically scare mongered.   

Over the past ten years we learned how to be politically diverse and correct non-offensively.  Over the past ten years the various governments regulated intrusions into our freedoms by the force of law.    Over the past decade the self reliance of the citizen masses was weakened creating masses of welfare recipients.   Over the past ten years people learned to look to the federal government for help rather than looking within themselves.

There’s one bright spot for the next decade.   The Christian silent majority may not remain silent anymore.

Who could have guessed it?   Two of the Islamic radical terrorist Al Qaeda operatives claiming responsibility for the attempted destruction of the Northwest Airlines Flight #253 into Detroit were released from our prisoner of war camp at Guantanamo in 2007. 

I would guess that enrolling in a rehabilitation program was the condition for their release; that they be enrolled in a program called "art therapy rehabilitation program."   Art Classes.  Looking at the beauty of the world.  Understanding color.  Forms.  Shapes.  Shadows. Relationships.  Getting in touch with their feelings. 

These were guys that were released during Bush’s regime.   Obama is finishing the job of sending prisoners of war back into the world. 

Today Obama called this goon who tried to blow up that flight “an isolated extremist.” 

Yea, like he was acting on his own without help, without encouragement, without training, without support.  

Sure thing Mr.. President. 

American citizens civilians are paying the hefty lost freedom price to keep from offending any Muslim in any part of the world _ _ _ _ as profiling would be wrong.  No, TSA couldn’t pull men who appear to be of Eastern Vintage out of the check-in line at airports and scan them with the body scans.   No, TSA couldn’t pull men with funny Arabic names out of the line to scan.   No, TSA couldn’t pull suspicious men out of the line to completely check before boarding a flight.   No.  No.   No.  They would be offended.   CAIR would sue.  

And so, the check-in proceedings get longer and longer as everyone, including old white grandmothers get the full body scans and full luggage treatment, shoe removal etc etc etc. as you show up for a flight 3 hours early. 

We ought to feel good about these new rules protecting us.    Dam it now, we’re it doing it for your benefit.   Shut up, sit down and wait your turn.