Glass breaking in the night

Seventy years in the future, will the danger of Islamic radicalism in Europe be seen as clearly as we now see the evil of Hitler's facism in the late 1930's?

Across Europe for a few years now, European "youths" have been burning cars as a form of protest. Oh-so-perceptive journalists never seem to be able to put their finger on the profile of the protestors or the reason for the protests. However, after years of review maybe, just maybe, they will be able to connect the dots between perceived slights against Islam and shattered glass on the streets of Europe.

This week in Denmark, "youths" torched more cars and now garbage trucks in the same week that Danish newspapers reprinted the infamous "Mohammed Cartoons."

Here's a clip from a story from one correspondent in Copenhagen:

"Five youths were arrested in the capital after 28 cars and 35 garbage trucks were burned, Copenhagen police duty officer Jakob Kristensen said.

Danish media said arrests in other towns brought to 29 the number of people police were holding.

Scores of cars and several schools have been vandalised or burned in the past week.

Police could give no reason, but said that unusually mild weather and the closure of schools for a winter break might have contributed."

Wait, wait...it's GLOBAL WARMING that's causing the unusually mild weather in Europe that's led to the rioting. Yeah, that's the ticket.

For Crying Out Loud

There she goes again.

"You know, for me, politics isn't a game. It's not about who's up or who's down."

She said it in Virginia yesterday.

She said it on Super Tuesday.

But when she's down...

Three, two, one... cue the tears...

Yesterday in Maine (above.)

In New Hampshire:



And in Connecticut:



Sheesh! The first time, I gave her the benefit of the doubt. The second time, I was becoming skeptical. But three times? Come on, Hillary, buck up.

Why I'll be caucusing for Mitt Romney

There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth on the part of conservative elites at the prospect of John McCain being the GOP nominee for the presidential race this year. They cite things like McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform, and the proposed McCain-Kennedy immigration and Lieberman-McCain anti-global warming bills. In a nutshell, he is accused of not being conservative enough for the Republican party.

It seems, however, that a plurality of the Republican party disagree with the the opinion shapers of talk radio, the blogosphere, and some print media.

Well, I won't be so presumptious as to say that the unwashed masses of the Republican party are wrong and that the deep thinkers at the top have got it right. However, I'll be caucusing for Mitt Romney on Tuesday. Here's why:

When I think of John McCain, I think of this video where he gleefully sings into a mic: "Bomb, bomb, bomb. Bomb, bomb Iran." A few months ago, I heard John McCain using Abu Ghraib as a campaign talking point. I wish I could find the quote, but it was in the context that such things would not happen under his administration. Finally, a Republican congressman from California was praising John McCain last week on Hugh Hewitt's radio show. He was talking about how although he disagreed with McCain on many things, McCain's credentials for the War on Terror overrode all else. This congressman talked about McCain's anger and that he wanted an angry president to sit across the table from our enemies.

Well, I do not.

I do not want an angry president making rash decisions about sending in troops. It seems to me that it is likely to get soldiers needlessly killed.

I do not want a president who uses a one night shift in a stressed out military prison as a talking point. There is no "integrity" in gaining favor with those who have used that scandal to try to bring down the administration's efforts in the War on Terror.

I do not want a president who has such a tin-ear that he does not find anything wrong with publicly joking about bombing a country.

My son is currently part-time Army National Guard. His enlistment is up in October. For a while, it seemed that he would not be reenlisting after ten-years in full-time and part-time service, including one year serving in Iraq. As the time gets closer, he's reassessing the benefits of being in the Guard, and even contemplating going back to full-time service.

I am very interested in who will be our Commander-in-Chief. Mitt Romney has a record of achievements. John McCain is seen as a hero because he spent five years in a prisoner of war camp. Well, I had an uncle who was a prisoner of war. He marched in one of the death marches in Nazi Germany. My uncle was an unsung hero. That did not make him qualified to be President.

I believe that it's going to take more to win the War on Terror than simply killing the enemy, somthing that John McCain seems all too eager to do. It's going to take strategy, a "can-do" attitude, and can I even say - a Godly spirit. That sounds more like Mitt Romney to me.

So, I will be caucusing for Mitt Romney on Tuesday night.

The problem with the left and the war

Many on the left see the war more as a stick to beat President Bush with than anything else. In this article at Mother Jones: Iraq: Dem's Dream Dashed? all of the focus is on "how to confront him on Iraq" or the failure of Congress to make him take a "new direction." Only is it briefly mentioned that the goal is to end the war. There is no thought on how ending the war will benefit the U.S. or Iraq. In their mind, the end goal is simply to humble President Bush by making him end the war, the consequences are not considered.

Well, I would like to see an end to the war, also...after the mission is accomplished. I'll leave it to the generals to decide when that has happened.