U.S. And U.K.: More In Common Than A Language

A good friend of this weblog, Gandalf (of Up Pompeii) has written a piece about the leader of the Liberal Democrat Party in Britain, under scrutiny for a drinking problem. At the time of his writing it looks like the man, Charles Kennedy, was the subject of "a should he stay or go" debate.

But now the Telegraph is reporting that he is gone.

Thirty years after Rinka-gate tore the Liberals to pieces, the third party is reeling from Drinker-gate. In 1976, Jeremy Thorpe was forced to resign over allegations that he had conspired to murder his homosexual lover, Norman Scott, and was behind the shooting of Scott's Great Dane, Rinka, on Exmoor. Yesterday, Charles Kennedy stepped down, less than 48 hours after his declaration on Thursday that he has an alcohol problem.

Now, if we could only get OUR "drunken Kennedy" to step down from HIS post.

Dems Charge GOP With Corrupting Congress

The complete AP article is located here.

Democrats accused Republican congressional leaders of corrupting the government, claiming on Saturday that their party has higher ethical standards.

"Under Republican guidance, America has truly been put up for sale to the highest bidder," Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., said in her party's weekly radio address.

If you find the AP an unbiased source of news and information, you will no doubt have no trouble blocking the Dan Rostenkowski and Jim Wright affairs, from your selective memory.

In some ways it's funny and and in some ways it's insulting.

Funny in the sense that the Dems really expect us to take them seriously, when they make charges like this. They have had a long history of expecting free-thinking, intelligent people, to buy into the (weak and faulty) notion that only the GOP is capable of ruining the Congress, because they are in power. And now, they seriously expect us to believe that only Republicans are capable being corrupt.

It's insulting in the sense that they really believe some of us are that gullible and naive. But then again what do you expect from a party that has Howard Dean, as its national chairman, expecting us to take him seriously? No doubt, most all (that care) have seen the list that Abramoff gave money to, by now. A large number of Dems were on that list.

One thing that is conspicuously missing from this short article, is a GOP rebuttal. But none of you are really surprised, are you?

Little Known Spy Trial Set To Begin

One story being followed by the PYY staff this week, will be this one about the upcoming trial of an alleged Iraqi agent. As most PYY readers might guess, the national MSM has not spent a lot of time covering this story. They would rather burn out the Abramoff story or make a mountain out of some other mole-hill, to advance their biased agenda.

An article published today in the Indianapolis Star has the scoop.

With all the intrigue of a spy thriller, a federal trial that begins Monday might include a former high-ranking Iraqi intelligence official, a Russian native named Svetlana and an Arabic speaking undercover FBI agent.

All could be among witnesses called to testify at an Indiana truck driver's trial in Indianapolis on allegations he offered to sell names of U.S. covert operatives to Saddam Hussein's Iraqi government.

This allegedly occurred just prior to the U.S. invasion to topple Saddam.

Stay Tuned.

Merkel On How To Repair Relations With The U.S.

Last month Germany released a Hezbollah terrorist wanted in connection with the death of a U.S. sailor. Today, over at The Logic Lifeline, AICS links to and posts some insightful comments on, a story on Merkel's recent comments about Guantanamo.

I don't know about you, but it looks like business as usual at the Bundestag, to me.

Hopes For 2006

Check out my latest post entitled, My Hopes For 2006, over on the Wide Awakes.

If you are reading this blog and are not reading the Wide Awakes, you have to ask yourself something:

Do I want Hamburger A, a fresh hot burger on a fresh bun, with crisp fresh lettuce, fresh-sliced red ripe tomatoes, and the condiment(s) of my choice? Or, do I want Hamburger B, a burger that that has been sitting for two hours, under a heat lamp, with melted denatured cheese, wilted lettuce, and liquid mush tomatoes, because that's the one I always have?

Jihad: A War On Terror Or A Clash Of Civilizations?

From RCP comes this essay: World War IV As Fourth-Generation Warfare by Tony Corn.

Mr. Corn served as a political analyst at the U.S. embassies in Bucharest, Moscow, and Paris, and in public diplomacy at the U.S. Missions to the EU and to NATO in Brussels. He is currently the Course Chair of Latin Europe Area Studies at the U.S. Foreign Service Institute.

It is a lengthy, but in-depth and thorough examination of the structural components of this theo-political phenomonen, known as jihad. It is not for those that have Attention Deficit Disorder.

The essay speaks for itself, but I would like to call attention to these two excerpts:

...precisely because this insurgency within Islam is an insurgency, the terrorism paradigm — with its traditional focus on the criminal nature of the act and its exclusion of the political dimension — is largely irrelevant, save at the tactical level. The West is no more at war with terrorism today than it was at war with blitzkrieg in World War II or revolution during the Cold War. The West is at war with a new totalitarianism for which terrorism is one technique or tactic among many.

Whoa! Read that carefully.

This is not just a war on terror. It is an ideological war that uses terror, as one method of meeting its objectives. The enemy would love nothing more than to have all of us believe that this is merely, a war on terror.

From the point of view of threat assessment, the much-discussed theological distinction between a greater (spiritual) and lesser (physical) jihad is utterly irrelevant, and the only thing that matters is the praxeological distinction between three modalities of jihad as practiced: jihad of the sword, of the hand, and of the tongue.

Today, the most effective jihadist networks are precisely those that — from Hamas to Hizbullah — have combined these three modalities in the form of urban warfare, relief work, and hate media.

In short:

1. Urban Warfare = Terrorists

2. Relief Work = Muslim Charities

3. Hate Media = al-Jazeera, CAIR, and even the MSM

All three have the same goals and objectives. Only the methods are different. Until these things are properly recognized, the war cannot be fully won.

I highly recommend reading the rest of this article.

Hurricane Castro: 47 Years Old And Still Churning Over Cuba

As always, you can count on Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe to set the record straight. (As far to the left as the Globe is, I still can't believe they haven't fired him yet.) This article about the number of dead as a result of the Castro regime, is no exception.

It amazes me just how many elitists still glamorize this guy and give him credibility, as a leader.

Take a look at the modern day "Eden" that exists today in Cuba. You leftists that wear Che shirts and regard him (and Fidel) as some kind of folk hero will want to peruse this link, very well. See the Cuba that Fidel has fooled the Ted Turner types into believing exists. Then, look at the real Cuba. See the poverty, the deterioration, and the despair. Gaze at the horrid conditions that exist today.

Baghdad looks better than Havana.

After you do that, be real sure to come back and tell me how Castro was misunderstood by the Americans and how well socialism works for the people.

Hat Tip to Les at Living In The Surreal World for posting this Cuba link, way back in May.

PYY Roundup

Here are just a few of the stories your PYY staff is watching today.

Cuba's Sad Anniversary -- 47 Years and Counting by Carlos Alberto Montaner, a columnist for the Miami Herald, has written a piece about Castro and yet another anniversary, of his takeover of Cuba. In it, he describes the reasons for Castro's continued grip on one of the last true communist countries, formed under and molded from the Stalinist model of statesmanship. He also gives a ray of hope for the third-world island nation, once Fidel dies.



The AP has an article about how French President Chirac has had a tough year and can expect a tough one ahead, too.

For the 73-year-old conservative leader, 2006 could hardly be worse than 2005. Last year, a suspected minor stroke, a referendum defeat, three weeks of riots in depressed suburbs, and jockeying to succeed him left Chirac looking marginalized and increasingly unlikely to seek a third term in 2007.

If I were Chirac, I think I'd resign now, for the good of the republique. He has been a dismal failure, even by French standards. One more year cannot erase the damage done, by the years of ineptness and corruption that has become a staple of his administration. It certainly would be in France's best interests to get a jump on repairing the damage, sooner rather than later.



Not surprisingly, the AFP (which will jump at any opportunity to embarrass the U.S.) is reporting that a U.S Border Patrol officer has shot and killed a Mexican citizen trying to enter the U.S. illegally.

CNN and the AP are others that chomp at the bit to exert criticism on this incident. And all I can ask is, how many were killed by the Minutemen?



Reuters is reporting that Congressman John Murtha has said that he would not join the military, today. Not only does his irresponsible comments damage recruiting efforts nationally, he puts himself in a class reserved for the likes of Cindy Sheehan (and others that don't think they get enough attention at home).



Front Page Mag is reporting what some of Germany's immigration officials are trying to do, to toughen up immigration laws, designed to prevent immigration of radical Islamist imams and other jihadists. If you think the U.S. is in danger due to its immigration policies, you won't want to miss this one. But first, one question, does Germany have an ACLU?



Michael Barone of US News and World Report draws stark contrasts between the Wal-Mart model of business and that of corporations of the GM model, over at Town Hall. It's just another bright, shining example of how unions have outlived a great deal of their usefulness in this country.

The negative bias of economic coverage can be seen in stories about the current No. 1 private sector employer in America, Wal-Mart, and the No. 1 private sector employer back in the 1970s, General Motors. The GM story is genuinely grim: The company is laying off thousands of workers and closing plants, and is threatened with bankruptcy. Stories about Wal-Mart tend to focus on allegedly low wages and healthcare benefits, and say less about the company's continual profitability and the low prices that benefit consumers. These companies are not entirely comparable -- they're in different businesses. But some of the differences between them illustrate why the American economy, which seemed to have run out of gas 25 years ago, is now doing so well.

But now, socialist union supporters are wanting to organize Wal-Mart workers, because they feel that the average Wal-Mart worker is getting a raw deal. Last I heard, stock options were being offered to Wal-Mart employees. Those that took the company up on them years ago, are now sitting pretty good. In contrast, those that bought GM stock at the same point in time, cannot say the same thing. You be the judge, on this one.

Some Serious Concerns For 2006

Former Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton has written another op-ed piece for the Indianapolis Star.

(You can catch it and other good articles at Real Clear Politics.)

The historians have their lists of significant events of 2005, the psychics have their lists of predictions for 2006, and now a highly intelligent statesman has compiled a list of things he strongly believes will be serious problems, in the coming year. He calls them worries, I call them serious concerns.

But whatever you call them, they are things that are going to have to be dealt with, sooner or later. And the sooner they are, the better.

Which means there will also need to be a productive meeting or two, where someone (with an office, a desk, and a pen) can formulate some common sense ideas and plans, to combat some of things that Mr. Hamilton says he's worried about.

I don't hear of many. Has anyone?

Now, don't get me wrong. I have a lot of respect for Lee Hamilton. And this essay is an outstanding assessment of the problems we will be facing. But in spite of these astute observations, this essay is weak on solutions. I'd like to think that most Americans have enough sense to know and understand that what Lee is saying, is true. But the fact remains, until we can start to hear some ideas for solutions (coming from somewhere), these things are going to fester out of control and will create havoc for not-so-distant, future generations.

Let's take a look at Lee's take:

There is also no potential rival to U.S. power in the near future...

I strongly disagree. There is one.

China.

Russia is run by the mafia and will never be able to outproduce the United States, with that kind of structure. Europe will probably forever be enraptured with Karl and his writings, and that won't get it done. Iran and other rogue nations have the potential to be dangerous and could do an enormous amount of damage. But China and only China, does have a realistic chance at pulling it off.

If these troubling trends are to be turned into opportunities in 2006, effective governance will be key. We need to implement effective solutions to these emerging problems, so that order replaces disorder, fledgling democracies are inclusive and not divisive, instability is addressed and not ignored, economic opportunity is more widely shared, and the international system is better able to keep pace with international challenges.

But with all due respect to Mr. Hamilton, restating the problems over and over does very little to solve them. Most intelligent Americans that have the ability to think independently of a party dogma, can figure out what the problems are. They are all around us, open and plain for everyone to see.

But, it is that handful of truly great minds that need to step up to the plate and give their best swings. And then, it will be up to the rest of us to support them and not tear them down, for partisan political purposes. This task at hand will require people that don't give a damned about party politics, but care that we remain the greatest nation in the world and that we as a nation are as safe as possible to do what we do best.

And that is, practicing freedom.

Happy New Year

We say it every year. Do we mean Happy New Year's Day? Or, do we mean the whole year? It really doesn't matter, but I'd like to tell something I heard Lou Holtz say on Fox Network's New Year's Eve bash, with Regis Philbin.

Regis asked him to share with the viewers what he thought everyone needed in this coming year. Here is what he said:

Everyone needs to have:

1. Something to do.

2. Someone to love.

3. Something to hope for.

4. Someone to believe in.

He went to say (and I am paraphrasing a bit) that if a person has these three things, they are going to be alright. If you do not have one or more of these things, I sincerely hope that 2006 is the year you find that which is missing.

Lou may only be a football coach, but he is a smart one. Many people can say they owe their success to being a well-rounded person, first. Whatever they do turns to gold, because their well-rounded approach to things gets them through adversity and makes them a stronger person in the process.

If any that read this site are missing any of these four things, I (like Lou) hope that this is the year that you are able to complete this puzzle. Whether it's a job, a special someone, or whatever, I hope this is the year for you.

Stay safe, may God Bless, and Happy New Year!!!