12/06 Daily Report

I thought this ”definition of a “Liberal” was pretty accurate. (via Total Chaos) Of course, John had a good right…uummm…write up on modern versus traditional liberalism last month. It’s well worth revisiting. The thing I find distressing about liberals is how they claim to want to help others, but study after study shows they give less generously than conservatives.
(…some how the mantra “we love people but let the government take care of them”…welll…it’s just not inspiring…you now?...)

Meanwhile, over at DeMediacratci Nation, there is an interesting discussion going on over ignorance and racism. It got spawned from the blow-up over Muslim women getting offended at a fitness center. And, it is something of an open comment post for debate. Check it out.

On the subject of personal rights is the very volatile issue of personal privacy. Not to mention the issue of personal information privacy. Monday, there was a great write up at A Keyboard And A .45 on some of the new ways we can be listened to and inspected. A lot of great research went into this—by JR and those he links in. In an earlier post, I linked in an MSNBC series on personal privacy issues. The portion I found most interesting was Part 3, which explored the differences between American and European privacy laws. Basically, in the US, we restrict what government can do with our data, but do not restrict what companies do with it. In Europe, they restrict what companies can do with the information but not what government can do with it.
(…personally, I want to see both in place…like that’s likely to ever happen…)

We’ve been running around today, so I haven’t had time to really dig in and read through the Iraq Study Group’s report. What little I’ve read has been of no real surprise. The bottom line seems to be we should get out now, and let the other Muslim nations (terror sponsors like Iran and Syria) take over the situation. I believe both of those ideas are VERY bad. I did take some time to scan through a couple of reviews. Right Wing Guy had a good one. There are also a lot of links at the end to others who are reviewing it.

Meanwhile, over at the Castle, there was an awesome read on media relations, the military, and things al-Jezeera. This you MUST check out.

And, once again, someone has had to write a history of terrorism and its increase against the west over the last 30 years. Kudos to the Tanker Brothers for the list. I mentioned on their site I had one question. On reflection, I actually have two. First, how come those who hold this stance of Islamic terrorists…uummm…Fundamentalists didn’t have anything against America, and the Western World, prior to the Iraq “invasion” in March 2003 don’t recognize the increase in terror events over time? All events aimed at the West, too. Second, why does this list have to be re-written, re-spoken, and re-shown again, and again and again?

Finally, in sad news via El Capitan yesterday:

Capt. Kermit Evans, an Air Force civil engineer explosive ordnance flight commander, was killed as a result of a U.S. Marine helicopter emergency water landing Dec. 3.

Captain Evans was one of 16 people aboard the Marine CH-46 helicopter when it made an emergency water landing near the shore of Lake Qadisiyah in western Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Twelve people survived, while Captain Evans and three other servicemembers did not survive. The incident does not appear to be a result of enemy action and is currently under investigation.

In a related post today, he posted this:

A website hasn't been set up yet for Capt Evan's family, but I did call the base and a fund has been established at Cannon Federal Credit Union, (505) 791-3353.

Capt Kermit Evans Memorial Fund
PO Box 2080
Clovis, NM 88102

If you can't donate, please help get the word out.

So, Captain Evans, we at our house remember your cry—the cry of all warriors:

"Tell them of us and say,
For their tomorrow, we gave our today."
--The Kohima Epitaph--

We remember what you have given. And we say thank you for the tomorrows you have given others. May God give back to your family more than they have sacrificed and lost.

And, now, we dance In Memoriam.