Archive for the ‘opinion/news’ Category

Back in Aug of 2009 I ran this chart of Vietnam vets against the war on Google news in a story of how Vietnam vets against the war decided not to back up Cindy Sheehan’s protest against the Obama administration:

Funny how they dropped off the radar in Jan of 2009.

I was reminded of that story when I saw this:

Several factors — war fatigue; a deep, lingering recession; and the presence of a Democratic president they helped elect — have drained the energy from organizations that led the fight against the Iraq war. Some of the most influential anti-war activist groups that once summoned half a million people to march against the Iraq war and the policies of former President George W. Bush are straining to raise the money and attention to fight what they see as Obama’s military entrenchment in Afghanistan.
“We don’t have a very vibrant anti-war movement anymore,” lamented Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Codepink, one of the anti-war movement’s most visible organizations. emphasis mine

Politico seems to be confused by this. If they had been paying attention a year ago they would not be so surprised. Have they given the anti war much attention in print themselves? Or perhaps they might remember this famous line:

If George W. Bush becomes president, the armies of the homeless, hundreds of thousands strong, will once again be used to illustrate the opposition’s arguments about welfare, the economy, and taxation.

George Bush is no longer president, those who oppose him politically who provided finances and manpower and media coverage in an attempt to bring him down will absolutely not do the same with Barack Obama.

BTW I figured I’d update my check of Vietnam Vets against the war on Google News since last year.

Vietnam vets against the war updated graph

A blip, we have a blip! Is it a press release, is it a march, is it a national event, no? What can that one blip be?

This is defiantly NOT the time to get out of politics. Some people feel threatened by the Tea Party movement. While I don’t subscribe too many of their viewpoints, I welcome them to the political fray. Their movement is probably the best thing to happen in politics since the Vietnam Vets against the War staged a million person demonstration in West Potomac Park in March of 1973.

One mention in a side article on the tea party in February. That’s it?

Don’t despair Cindy, Medina, it takes time to create true believers. Come November 2012 I’m sure many on the left who decided that American Military power is not something to protest will suddenly come around. Rest assured that you will have all the support and manpower George Soros and the Democratic party can buy.

This is what we used to call “An act of War

Iran is paying Taliban fighters $1,000 for each U.S. soldier they kill in Afghanistan, according to a report in a British newspaper.

The Sunday Times described how a man it said was a “Taliban treasurer” had gone to collect $18,000 from an Iranian firm in Kabul, a reward it said was for an attack in July which killed several Afghan government troops and destroyed an American armored vehicle.

The treasurer left with the cash hidden in a sack of flour, the newspaper said, and then gave it to Taliban fighters in the province of Wardak. In the past six months, the treasurer claimed to have collected more than $77,000 from the company.

While the south was seceding and President Buchannan dithered the cry of unionists was: “Oh but for one hour of (Andrew) Jackson”. When I read this knowing my president; my cry is “Oh but for one hour of Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman or Ronald Reagan”!

If this isn’t a causis belli to at least take out the Iranian Nukes I’d like to know what is!

memeorandum thread here

…they are for democratic congressmen that voted for it:

In the next two weeks, Democratic leaders will review new polls and other data that show whether vulnerable incumbents have a path to victory. If not, the party is poised to redirect money to concentrate on trying to protect up to two dozen lawmakers who appear to be in the strongest position to fend off their challengers.

“We are going to have to win these races one by one,” said Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, conceding that the party would ultimately cut loose members who had not gained ground.

So democratic bureaucrats will decide which sitting congress deserve attention and which should be left to die, all because the congress decided to go ahead with measures like obamacare that the voters didn’t want.

I wrote about this a few days ago, nice to see the Times catch up.

Hey Democrats you didn’t believe Obamacare would have death panels now your campaign lives are before them. Ironic isn’t it?

memeorandum thread here

Dare we say Panic!

You know it’s pretty sad that Jane Harman wanted to buy this magazine when it puts out stuff like this:

September 11 was a shock to the American psyche and the American system. As a result, we overreacted.

I get a feeling they might have overpaid for the rag. As you might guess it’s Christmas in September on the right side of the ‘sphere on this stuff:

Powerline…agrees on the overplaying line and says:

Zakaria tries to dispose of this point in a subordinate clause conceding the efficacy of “serious countermeasures.” Zakaria decries a number of countermeasures that are supposedly excessive, but he nowhere bothers to make the case that they have not contributed to the prevention of another successful attack. He simply assumes the conclusion.

Patterico… has a long memory:

Remember when the New York Times expressed its puzzlement that the prison population was increasing “despite” the drop in crime?

I do. As I observed at the time:

This is like saying “Joe Blow has been continuing to exercise despite the fact that he has been getting in much better shape.”

Fareed Zakaria today has the terrorism equivalent of this idiocy: decrying our proactive anti-terrorist measures — which we have taken despite the fact that Al Qaeda hasn’t hit us with another 9/11.

You know if I’m Mattie Fein I point to this article and declare: “This is the magazine that the Harman’s bought to preserve this editorial slant.”

memeorandum thread here