Democrats Renew Push for Show Trials Prosecutions

Glenn Greenwald is outraged at the Eric Holder "trial balloon" over the Bush administration's wartime interrogations (via Memeorandum):

All other things being equal, individual CIA agents who brutalized detainees, using unapproved methods, ought to be prosecuted. If nothing else, our treaty obligations compel that. Even for a country that has rejected the idea of accountability as resoundingly as we have, it seems inconceivable to decide to prosecute nobody in the face of scores of detainee deaths. How can we know that we tortured to death numerous detainees and do nothing? If you were Eric Holder, would you want that decision attached to your name by history?

But just as was true for the Abu Ghraib abuses, many of the worst instances of detainee abuse cannot be extricated from - but rather are directly attributable to - the torture policies authorized at the highest levels of the government. To target low-level interrogators while shielding high-level policy makers would further bolster America's two-tiered system of justice, in which ordinary Americans are subjected to merciless punishment while the most powerful elites are vested with virtual immunity from the consequences of their lawbreaking.

Scott Horton, another extreme-left constitutional lawer, is also on the case with, "Torture Prosecution Turnaround?"

The outcome of such prosecutions is hardly in doubt. The Center for Constitutional Rights, which released an action memo in April, "Impeach Torture Architect Bybee," has basically already convicted top-Bush administration officials. The group's report, "Commission Finds President George W. Bush and His Administration Guilty of War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity," was written by terrorist-sympathizer Michael Rattner, and was co-sponsored by the revolutionary communist organization, Not In Our Name. (But see also, Mark Danner, "The Red Cross Torture Report: What It Means.")

Emptywheel at Firedoglake see legs on this new push for investigations, going potentially to the top of the former Bush administration:

My take - one derived from some weeds - is that if Holder approves an investigation, it'll be unlikely to just take on low-level CIA interrogators.

... consider who we're talking about. We're not, actually, talking about low level CIA interrogators. We're talking about contractors. James Mitchell, to be exact. And if James Mitchell is not the psychologist/interrogator who acknowledged he had exceeded the limits set by John Yoo's Bybee Memo, but justified it by saying he had exceeded those limits (by using way more water, for longer time, and pressing on the detainee's gut) because those things make the simulated drowning technique "for real - and ... more poignant and convincing," then it's almost certainly someone who works for James Mitchell and probably used to work for the DOD entity that administers SERE.

Oh boy, that's some creepy subterraneanism. But as Wizbang points out:

The entire torture prosecution meme, and the Potemkin Panetta "lying to Congress" Theatre, is all part of a two scene drama: the rehabilitation of Nancy Pelosi and the diversion of attention from a failing Obama policy in multiple areas. The torture debate was settled months ago but the egos in the Democratic Congress and a sinking Obama presidency require a new distraction now that Sarah Palin is off the front page.

And Sweetness and Light, calling all of this the "Eric Holder show trials," adds that "no one has yet to enunciate a single law that was ever broken by these interrogations."

See also, Ace of Spades HQ, "Eric Holder: Hey, Let's Jail the People Who've Kept Us Safe for Eight Years."

More commentary at Memeorandum.

Photo Credit: ABC News, "Europeans Rally on May Day Amid Economic Worries" (AP/Dmitry Lovetsky).

McCain on Meet the Press: Palin 'Absolutely Qualified' for Presidency

Here's John McCain on Sarah Palin from this morning's Meet the Press:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

MR. GREGORY: Let me turn to politics. You must have been shocked to see Governor Sarah Palin resign as governor.

SEN. McCAIN: Well, I wasn't shocked. Obviously, I was a bit surprised, but I wasn't shocked. I understand that Sarah made the decision where she can be most effective for Alaska and for the country. I love and respect her and her family. I'm grateful that she agreed to run with me. I am confident she will be a major factor in the national scene and, and in Alaska, as well.

MR. GREGORY: But you say you were surprised a little bit. Why?

SEN. McCAIN: Well, because she had not called me. We've discussed it since and I better understand the reasons for her decision.

MR. GREGORY: What were they?

SEN. McCAIN: Look, there's--well, how could she best serve? How could she most effectively serve Alaska and the country? And that was her decision.

*****

MR. GREGORY: She made a promise to the voters to serve out her term, didn't she?

SEN. McCAIN: I don't know if there was a "promise," but I do know that she will be an effective player on the national stage. And I will say, I have never seen the sustained personal family attacks that were made on Sarah Palin and her family in, in, in my life. Carl Cannon has a very interesting piece about the media establishment and the attacks that were made on her, and I'm sure that that had some impact. Ethics charge after ethics charge, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of, worth of legal fees. But the fact is she is very popular with our Republican base. She will be a strong voice. I chose her because she was a reformer, because she beat an incumbent governor, she was a popular Republican of her own party, she ignited our base, she did a great job as my running mate even under the most sustained personal attacks that...

MR. GREGORY: Right.

SEN. McCAIN: ...in certainly recent American political history.

MR. GREGORY: But, Senator McCain, you have faced personal torture, personal attacks, political attacks, investigations. You have never resigned from anything. Is it consistent with your qualities of leadership to resign an elected post like this?

*****

MR. GREGORY: You think she's qualified to seek the high, highest office in the land?

SEN. McCAIN: I know she's qualified. I know she's qualified.

MR. GREGORY: She is qualified?

SEN. McCAIN: Sure. Absolutely.

MR. GREGORY: No doubt about it.

SEN. McCAIN: No doubt about it. She has all the right instincts, all the right principles. She was a, she was a, a mayor, she's a governor. She understands the challenges that families face. She has, she has a great background, and I am confident that she will continue to play, as I say, a major role.

See also, The Hill, "McCain: Palin Not a Quitter."

Plus, Tammy Bruce, "Palin Hints at Independent Conservative Movement" (via Memeorandum).

Crackdown on Amtrak Mooning in O.C.

It's something of a local tradition, but turnout for this year's "Amtrak mooning" was down. The Orange County Register has the story, "Fewer than 300 show up for annual train mooning":

Outgoing grandmas and beefed-up Harley-Davidson riders were among a few hundred people today who waved their bare derrieres to the trains roaring by the Mugs Away Saloon for the annual Mooning of Amtrak and Metrolink.

Somewhere between 8,000 to 10,000 people participated last year, when officers witnessed sex acts, urination, and defecation in public – prompting the shutdown of the event for the first time in its history.
More law enforcement this year meant fewer mooners.

Dozens of officers on foot, three-wheeled battery-powered vehicles, horseback, motorcycles, bikes, and patrol vehicles were watching nearby aiming to curb illegal behavior.

KABC-TV Los Angeles "covered" the story earlier, "Crackdown on Amtrak mooning in O.C. ":

Southern California may be known for its sunny skies, but the city of Laguna Niguel's reputation for the past three decades has revolved around the moon. Actually thousands of moons.

Each year a crush of people line up along the railroad tracks in the city and bare their backsides to every Amtrak train that passes by. But now the sun may be setting on this mooning tradition.

"Hopefully it will be a much smaller event this year," said Mayor Robert Ming, Laguna Niguel.

Call to Jihad: 'Why Are We Sitting Around in America, Doing Nothing for Our People?'

From the New York Times, "A Call to Jihad From Somalia, Answered in the U.S.":

The Carlson School of Management rises from the asphalt like a monument to capitalist ambition. Stock prices race across an electronic ticker near a sleek entrance and the atrium soars skyward, as if lifting the aspirations of its students. The school’s plucky motto is “Nowhere but here.”

For a group of students who often met at the school, on the University of Minnesota campus, those words seemed especially fitting. They had fled Somalia as small boys, escaping a catastrophic civil war. They came of age as refugees in Minneapolis, embracing basketball and the prom, hip-hop and the Mall of America. By the time they reached college, their dreams seemed within grasp: one planned to become a doctor; another, an entrepreneur.

But last year, in a study room on the first floor of Carlson, the men turned their energies to a different enterprise.

“Why are we sitting around in America, doing nothing for our people?” one of the men, Mohamoud Hassan, a skinny 23-year-old engineering major, pressed his friends.

In November, Mr. Hassan and two other students dropped out of college and left for Somalia, the homeland they barely knew. Word soon spread that they had joined the Shabaab, a militant Islamist group aligned with Al Qaeda that is fighting to overthrow the fragile Somali government.

The students are among more than 20 young Americans who are the focus of what may be the most significant domestic terrorism investigation since Sept. 11. One of the men, Shirwa Ahmed, blew himself up in Somalia in October, becoming the first known American suicide bomber. The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Robert M. Mueller, has said Mr. Ahmed was “radicalized in his hometown in Minnesota.”

An examination by The New York Times, based on interviews with close friends and relatives of the men, law enforcement officials and lawyers, as well as access to live phone calls and Facebook messages between the men and their friends in the United States, reveals how a far-flung jihadist movement found a foothold in America’s heartland.

The men appear to have been motivated by a complex mix of politics and faith, and their communications show how some are trying to recruit other young Americans to their cause.

Read the whole thing at the link.

Video Hat Tip: Atlas Shrugs, "Holder Leaning Towards Appointing Torture Prosecutor."

See also, the Washington Post, "Probe of Alleged Torture Weighed" (via Memeorandum).

Victim? Teen Girl Falls In Open Manhole While Texting

There's no question mark on the screen-cap of that story on Alexa Longueira, who fell into a Staten Island manhole on Wednesday:

We all do it. We fail to pay attention to what we're doing sometimes. But victim?

Maybe so, says Jonathan Turley:

The high school sophomore has a case. While she was negligent in texting and walking, the courts have previously ruled that cities must anticipate inattentive people or people with disabilities who may not see an open manhole or ditch.

Via Memeorandum.

Republicans: Leading America's 2nd Emancipation

From RagingElephants.org, "Urgent: “MLK, Jr. Billboard Project”":

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard good conservatives and Republicans ask the question, “How can we begin sharing with the African-American community the true history of the GOP? We’re the party that freed the slaves!” For many, maybe even you, it’s a concern that so many in the Black community don’t know the history of the party and we’re always looking for a way to get the truth to them. The party that always wanted to keep them down was the Democratic Party. The party that really shares their values is the Republican Party.

We suffer from frustration because it appears that many of our party leaders are at a loss for how to get the message to the communities of color that we have always been the party of equality, prosperity, and individual liberty. Sometimes it appears we are just feeling around in the dark trying to grasp for an answer and we keep coming up empty handed.

The team of RagingElephants.org feels we have a plan that will be effective. Our mission is to focus on “messaging”, to engage the communities of colors with truth, and compel them to learn more about the party of Lincoln and reassess their political affiliations.

Our messaging has to rely heavily on “old media” — radio, TV, periodicals, and billboards. Although the rise of new media has been fast and furious, the facts are it’s still a relatively small number of people that enjoy Facebook, Twitter, and all the other social networking sites. Everyone has a radio, a TV, or passes by billboards most everyday.

Our next big messaging project is a massive billboard in the African-American neighborhood of 3rd Ward/Sunnyside, in Houston.

A few weeks ago when this revelation came to me, this billboard was not available and was being leased. Just a few weeks later, on my way to my church that’s in this neighborhood, what do I notice? — it’s available. I think this is divine intervention and we have to take advantage of this opportunity, NOW!

What’s so special about this billboard? It sits at the Martin Luther King, Jr. exit of the 610 South Loop in Houston. And we want to lease the billboard with the phase, “Martin Luther King, Jr. Was a Republican” to greet everyone that intends to travel on MLK, Jr. Blvd.

We think this is the type of messaging — psychological warfare, if you will — that will go a long way to achieving our goal of compelling voters from minority communities to become aware of the political history of their community, and take a fresh look at the GOP and conservative principles.

See also, KRIV FOX 26 Houston, "MLK Billboard SparksHeated Debate":

Also, see Common Sense Political Thought, "What would Dr King say?"

The Definitive Peggy Noonan Takedown...

From Doctor Zero at Hot Air, "A Seemingly Very Nice Middle-Class Girl":

Peggy Noonan used her Friday column in the Wall Street Journal to throw some dirt on Sarah Palin’s grave. It’s vintage Noonan: airheaded, dripping with condescension, and completely missing the point. No serious conservative needs to hear anything from Noonan except her groveling apology for being so horribly wrong about Barack Obama, who she energetically supported for president. However, it’s worth picking through the flotsam and jetsam of this embarrassing column, to appreciate the kind of intellectual fat that conservatives need to trim from the Republican Party.

The whole thing is here, via Memeorandum.

See also, Robert Stacy McCain, "Doctor Zero vs. Peggy Noonan."

My leftist friend, Tim Gaskill, actually e-mailed me the Noonan piece, saying: "This is a very nuanced article written by a Republican. Go figure. Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Please, no knee-jerk response though."

Anything that confirms the left's Palin derangement syndrome is good, "nuanced" even.

In response, I simply quoted the "by a Republican" portion (i.e., not a conservative) and clicked "send."

But I'll forward the Dr. Zero piece to Tim now ...

I'm testing out the theory in "Ten Commandments For Liberals Who Want to Argue About Politics."

Only Liberals Can Present 'Facts' Without Becoming Evil

It's probably too early to be laughing, but check out Right Wing News, "Ten Commandments For Liberals Who Want to Argue About Politics." This piece is actually a follow-up to an earlier essay at House of Eratosthenes, so let's start at the beginning:

It’s a dicey, personal subject and I don’t like to vent about such a thing on the innerwebs…even on my own, personal pages, which as we’ve said many-a-time before — altogether now — nobody reads anyway. But this time, the aggrieved party was sufficiently gracious to explain her feelings very early on. Not so early that she behaved with consistency. But early enough that it’s pretty simple to retrace what happened here.

I wanted to know if we had a wager in effect about the 2010 midterms. Or if our first upcoming bet was about the President being re-elected.

She presented a chart showing the public debt (as a proportion of GDP) has been going up when Republicans were office, and down when democrats were in office, from Truman onward anyway.

I questioned which party had Congress during those times, and sent her the chart exploring where the debt is projected to go from here-on-out.

She sent back a soothingly scolding retort observing that she “must have hit a nerve,” counseling me that her husband likes to argue but she does not.

How else do I put this? I’m tired of pretending it’s my problem. I understand good manners involve one side acting completely guilty and the other side acting completely innocent. I understand the protocol expected is for the righty-tighty to leap, chest-downward, on the grenade. I understand the expectation is to repeat the scene where Tom Sawyer gets the whipping so Becky whats-her-name’s glorious butt cheeks remain unscathed. I get all that.

I’m just tired of doing it. It comes down to something very simple. ONLY LIBERALS CAN PRESENT “FACTS” WITHOUT BECOMING EVIL ....

**********

I remember years ago I sent a certain family member a particularly well written, fact-supported article that I recall being published by The Heritage Foundation. This family member had always presented herself as proud of being pragmatic and open minded, not left or right, but her pragmatic reasoning just happened lead her to fall squarely to the left side of the divide.

Her reply to the article was something like, well, I see that came from the Heritage Foundation and they are well known for being conservative

That was it. It was an argument for dismissal based upon the fact that it came from conservatives and presented the conservative viewpoint. No rebuttal of facts. Merely being conservative was enough to dismiss it. To say “I don’t believe this.” To say “don’t read this”.

In other words ...

Shut Up.

Now, when you finish that, go back to Right Wing News. The first "rule" of arguing with liberals? "IN, or OUT. Your preference is to argue politics, or not to ..."

Can Community Colleges Save the U.S. Economy?

Here's a little follow-up to my recent post on community college teaching, "Can Community Colleges Save the U.S. Economy?":

Many politicians and their well-heeled constituents may be under the impression that a community college — as described in a promo for NBC's upcoming comedy Community — is a "loser college for remedial teens, 20-something dropouts, middle-aged divorcées and old people keeping their minds active as they circle the drain of eternity." But there's at least one Ivy Leaguer who is trying to help Americans get past the stereotypes and start thinking about community college not as a dumping ground but as one of the best tools the U.S. has to dig itself out of the current economic hole. His name: Barack Obama.

**********

Only 31% of community-college students who set out to get a degree complete it within six years, whereas 58% of students at four-year schools graduate within that time frame. Students from middle-class or wealthy families are nearly five times more likely to earn a college degree as their poorer peers are. In 2007, 66% of white Americans ages 25 to 29 had completed at least some college, compared with 50% of African Americans and 34% of Hispanics.

The whole essay is here.

See my commentary, "Political Science at LBCC: Training the Next Generation of Leaders."

'United States = Culprit': Obama Frees Iranian Terror Masters

From Andrew McCarthy, "Obama Frees Iranian Terror Masters":

You may not have wanted to addle your brain over his tutelage in Hawaii by the Communist Frank Marshall Davis, nor his tracing of Davis’s career steps to Chicago, where he seamlessly eased into the orbit of Arafat apologist Rashid Khalidi, anti-American terrorists Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, and Maoist “educator” Michael Klonsky — all while imbibing 20 years’ worth of Jeremiah Wright’s Marxist “black liberation theology.” But this neo-Communist well from which Obama drew holds that the world order is a maze of injustice, racism, and repression. Its unified theory for navigating the maze is: “United States = culprit.” Its default position is that tyrants are preferable as long as they are anti-American, and that while terrorist methods may be regrettable, their root cause is always American provocation — that is, the terrorists have a point.

See also my earlier essay, "Obama's Apology Tour, Sub-Saharan (Black) African Edition."

Hat Tip: Memeorandum.

Also Blogging: Pat in Shreveport and Power Line.

Full Metal Saturday: Anna Faris

The House Bunny's been on Cinemax lately (or Showtime, or Starz ... I can't remember; we get 'em all). It's a funny movie, but I'm seriously in love with Anna Faris. If she's as nice in person as she is in the film, well, God bless her! So, please enjoy this wonderful woman for this week's Full Metal Saturday.

As always, Smitty's got a fabulous roundup of "Rule 5" bloggers, "Fortunately, My Jaw Rebounded Admirably."

And TrogloPundit's been laying down some impressive rounds of linkage back to this blog, for example, "Man Killed Running the Bulls in Pamplona." But Troglo's got some hot Rule 5 action as well. See, "Hayden Panettiere Was the Unpopular Kid in School." The dude's really generous on the Full Metal Reach-Around principle, and if you send it, he will link.

See also, Pat in Shreveport, "Cold Beer Full Metal Jacket Saturday," and No Sheeples Here!, "Full Metal Jacket Reach-Around For Saturday, July 11, 2009."

At Generation Patriot we have, "Sunday Linkage Beyond Your Wildest Dreams!" Also, at The Daley Gator, "Kinky Linky Saturday Reach Around!." Not to be outdone, check The Classical Liberal, "Ali Larter presents Rule 5 Saturday!" And Chris Wysocki, "Rule 5 Weekend: the girls of LBI."

And for some good ole' conservative blogging, see PA Pundits International, "The Bankrupt Party of Porkulus."

And please don't forget some additional friends of American Power:

Blazing Cat Fur, Robert Belvedere, Sono Annoiato, The Astute Blogger, Chris Wysocki, The Daley Gator, Just One Minute, Dave's World, The Oklahoma Patriot, Right Wing Sparkle, Conservatism With Heart, Dr. Helen, Laura Elizabeth Morales, Charles G. Hill , Blueshelled, The Nose on Your Face, All-American Blogger, Paco Enterprises, Nice Deb, Becky Brindle, Fishersville Mike, Monique Stuart, No Sheeples Here!, Dana at CSPT, Glenn Reynolds, Obi’s Sister, Right Truth, Gold-Plated Witch on Wheels, Chicago Ray, Ace of Spades HQ, Natalie's Blog. Ann Althouse, Pirate's Cove, Diminished Expectations,The Conservatives Who Say F*ck, Joust The Facts, Panhandle Poet, Steven Givler, Moonbattery, Sweating Through the Fog, Three Beers Later, PA Pundits, Sister Toldjah, Duck of Minerva, Wolf Howling, Right Wing Nation, Right Wing Nuthouse, Melissa Clouthier, Steve Bartin's Newsalert, The Western Experience, Jammie Wearing Fool, ShrinkWrapped, The Average American, Paco Enterprises, Ken Davenport, Doug Ross Journal, The Blog Prof, Fausta's Blog, Clueless Emma, Obob's World, Seymour Nuts, Red State, Dr. Sanity, The Desert Glows Green, Not One Red Cent, Vinegar and Honey, Dan Collins, Scott Kingsmore, The Astute Bloggers, The BoBo Files, Grant Jones, Tapline, New Testament News, Wizbang, William Jacobson, Phyllis Chesler, Right View from the Left Coast, Generation Patriot, Macsmind, Flopping Aces, Edge's Conservative Movies, Stop the ACLU, Snooper's Report, Grandpa John's, Cranky Conservative, Jimmie Bise, Little Miss Attila, Moe Lane, Private Pigg, Pundit & Pundette, The Rhetorican, R.S. McCain, Saber Point, Stephen Kruiser, Suzanna Logan, GrEaT sAtAn'S gIrLfRiEnD, TrogloPundit, Villainous Company, PoliGazette, Prying 1, Paula in Israel, Pamela Geller, Vanessa's Blog, Pat's Daily Rants, Bob's Bar & Grill, Power Line, Melanie Morgan, Dave in Boca, Neo-Neocon, Right in a Left World, Flag Gazer, Stephen Green, The Tygrrrr Express, The News Factor, Israel Matsav, The Conservative Manifesto, Gates of Vienna, Sparks From the Anvil, Gateway Pundit, Political Pistachio, Liberty Pundit, Not One Red Cent, Right Truth, Dave's Notepad, The Red Hunter, Maggie's Farm, The Next Right, This Ain't Hell, Stop the ACLU, Politics and Critical Thinking, Riehl World View, Midnight Blue, Caroline Glick, The Griper, FouseSquawk, The Other McCain, Cheat Seeking Missiles, Roger Simon, Classical Values, Samantha Speaks, Grizzly Mama, The Capitol Tribune, The Patriot Room, The Real World, RADARSITE, Serr8d's Cutting Edge, Bloviating Zeppelin, Born Again Redneck The Educated Shoprat, St. Blogustine, Yid With Lid, Pondering Penguin, Betsy's Page, The Anchoress, Ace of Spades HQ, Right Wing Sparkle, Thunder Run, The Classic Liberal, Conservative Grapevine, Cassy Fiano, Jim Treacher, NetRightNation, Q and O, Urban Grounds, Ed Driscoll, Cold Fury, Michelle Malkin, Neptunus Lex, Neo-Neocon, The Liberty Papers, The Monkey Cage, Law and Order Teacher, Mike's America, AubreyJ, Dan Collins, Track-a-'Crat, The Jungle Hut, Wake Up America, Dan Riehl, Nikki's Blog, Big Girl Pants, Maggie's Notebook, Hummers & Cigarettes, Mark Goluskin, Jawa Report, The Skepticrats, Sarge Charlie, Thoughts With Attitude, Kim Priestap, Swedish Meatballs Confidential, Five Feet of Fury, Amy Proctor, Blonde Sagacity, Liberty Papers, TigerHawk, Point of a Gun, Right Wing News, And So it Goes in Shreveport, and Darleen Click.

Unmanned Fighter Aircraft: A Reader Responds to Robert Farley

Robert Farley sent out this tweet today:

I think Donald Douglas is trying to make me cry ... http://bit.ly/RXl5h

The link goes to my recent essay, "Unmanned Fighter Aircraft (And the Left)." That piece takes down Farley's childishness at his post, "F-35: The Last Manned Fighter Aircraft?"

I have received an e-mail from a reader just in time to add to the debate. I'm publishing it anonymously by permission (and note that I have nowhere this kind of operational expertise, just in case folks might think I'm pulling a Sullivan):

Hi Donald,

There's no doubt that we can do more than ever with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and that we should, when possible, continue in that direction. They are cheaper and can get the job done with considerably less risk to our personnel. (I say this having spent over 300 hours above hostile territory in an unarmed surveillance jet. We were once chased by an Iraqi MiG-25, which reached Mach 3 in its attempt to get within weapon range of us before our F-15s could get within range of it.)

The RMA crowd, however, unable as it is to distinguish between science fiction and the cold hard facts of warfare, is only acting true to form when they say we can do everything we need to do using UAVs. The fact is we can't, and we probably never will be able to.

The data infrastructure required to control UAVs and to benefit from the information gathered by their sensors is exactly the sort of center of gravity that will be targeted in the information warfare discussed by Eliot Cohen. He's exactly right when he says that this will be an opening salvo in what will rapidly become a conventional war against a nation with a less-technologically advanced military. There is a reason that China is so heavily invested in anti satellite technology, after all. A nation that can put a million men under arms will realize an advantage very quickly if they can reduce the struggle to a matter of who can field the greatest number of men with weapons in their hands.

And this is what war always comes down to, despite what the RMA folks would like us to believe. Our remote sensing abilities, our celebrated (justly so) capacity for finding, tracking, and destroying targets from afar, our ability to guide a 2,000 pound bomb through a tiny window - all these abilities may revolutionize battles, and the kinds of quick-strike engagements that have characterized warfare in this young century, but in a long-term war, those capabilities will most likely be degraded or neutralized early on. The very things that gave us such an advantage will become a liability if we allow the siren call of the RMA to convince us that war is anything more or less than men with weapons in their hands doing their damndest to kill each other.

The Air Force does some of its best work when it keeps the skies clear of enemy aircraft, so our ground troops can do what they need to do. This is why we need the F-22. The Joint Strike Fighter may do a better job of ground support (I say "may" because I don't know one way or the other.) but we definitely need an air superiority fighter to keep the skies clear of the enemy fighters and bombers that would attack our troops on the ground. Many of my brothers and sisters in blue uniforms will think me a heretic for saying it, but air power is not an end in and of itself. It is most effective when it is used jointly to complement the efforts of the other services, all of which comes down to supporting the man with the rifle. Yes, air power can reap huge strategic effects, and may even, as Col John Warden, the architect of the air campaign in the first Gulf War said, cause "strategic paralysis" all of which is very much in keeping with RMA lines of thinking. What we can't do from the air though, is capture and hold territory; nor can we interact directly with people in a way that turns a foe into a conquored people, into an ally. All of that will always come down to ground forces doing what they have done ever since the long bow represented the greatest revolution in military affairs.

As for the twerp who picked a picture of a toy to represent one of the most fearsome killing machines ever invented, I continue to live seven thousand miles away from my wife and children to safeguard his naivete. May he, and all my countrymen, forever be able to be so ignorant, if they choose. It is my hope, however, that enough fine young Americans will continue to chose otherwise that we will be able to defend those who wish to remain ignorant.

For more on this from the "twerp," see "What are We Saving this Capability For?":

With due respect, I don't really get this ...

Farley is responding to The Progressive Realist, "Pilots vs. Drones."

See Also, Neptunus Lex, "Stuck in the Past," who says we need more F-22s:

Tremendous maneuver advantages accrue to those that can sweep the air above a battlefield, and the F-22 does so better than any other design. One hundred and eighty seven is, however, too few to do so persistently in an away game.

Related: Thomas L. Day, "Debate on F-22s Nearing Climax."

Robert Spencer Smeared as 'Islam Basher' in ALA Panel Controversy

Atlas Shrugs has the main story, "CAIR'S Jihad on the West: Robert Spencer Silenced."

Spencer's report is here, "ALA, Panelists Cave to Pressure from Terror-Linked Group, Panel with Spencer Canceled."

Spencer's participation at the American Library Association's annual meeting was attacked by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). The group has long been under investigation as providing material support to international terrorist organizations. See, "The CAIR-Terror Connection", "CAIR and Islamic Jihad", and "CAIR Served in Federal Fraud and Racketeering Case."

Note something interesting: I'm seeing some articles from the Library Journal identifying Spencer as an "Islam Basher." Notice the slur against Spencer in this piece, "ALA Conference 2009: Panelists Quit Session Featuring 'Islam Basher'." And note especially the complete dishonesty at the Library Journal's follow-up report, "ALA Conference 2009: Organization Behind Islam Panel Issues Statement."

Myra Appel, chair of the Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Roundtable (EMIERT), has released a public statement (below) regarding the recent cancellation of the ALA panel "Perspectives on Islam."

Neither Appel’s statement nor the earlier response from ALA President Jim Rettig address the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR-Chicago) claim that none of the panelists were informed of Spencer’s participation. But on his Jihad Watch web site, the man at the heart of this controversy, Robert Spencer, contests CAIR’s claim, publishing as evidence a month-old email from Appel informing the panelists of his involvement.

The link to Spencer's "Jihad Watch web site" goes to the homepage, but not to the URL at the post with the published evidence ("ALA, Panelists Cave to Pressure from Terror-Linked Group, Panel with Spencer Canceled").

Of course, Spencer's essay publishes all the pertinent information, which fully reveals both CAIR and the ALA as bureaucratic ayatollahs of intolerance.

Also, check out Dave Gaubatz's report on CAIR's activities at the recent meeting of the Islamic Society of North America (www.isna.net/home.aspx):

On my first day at the conference I had noticed an ISNA security officer following me wielding an extended ‘Billy Club'. I stopped and took a picture of him and he scurried off. A couple hours later I observed two clean shaven and well dressed people following me throughout the convention. I continued my shopping for Islamic terrorist manuals.

Finally after an extended time one of the gentlemen stopped me and asked if I was "Dave Gaubatz". I said "Yes". He introduced himself as an FBI Agent and the other person as a local Detective. I shook hands with them and asked them how I might help. They appeared embarrassed, but said CAIR and ISNA officials had asked for me to be followed because I may be a threat.

I asked why. They had no answer, aside from saying they know I support law enforcement and often speak to law enforcement groups. I remarked, "Yes I do." They again appeared embarrassed and said they knew of my background in Iraq. I nodded. We exchanged cards, and as they were beginning to walk away, I handed the FBI agent a stack of violent Islamic manuals calling the FBI racist and other names and calling for Muslims to commit crimes against law enforcement. The FBI Agent turned red.

Swim Club Pres. Denies Racism in Pool Controversy (VIDEO): PA Human Relations Comm. to Investigate; Leftists Still Silent (Mostly)!

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Tuesday's Special Election for the 32nd Congressional District

From the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, "32nd Congressional District Candidates Gear Up for Election":

Democratic congressional candidate Judy Chu says one of her greatest challenges is reminding voters the race to represent a portion of the San Gabriel Valley in Congress isn't over yet.

On Tuesday voters from the 32nd Congressional District will go back to the polls to select from among Judy Chu, Republican Betty Chu and Libertarian Christopher Agrella - the three victors who emerged from the May primary.

"Most voters are surprised that the election is still going on. They thought it was over May 19," Judy Chu said.

Her opponents think she believes it's all over too.

"She acts like she is the incumbent already ... But it ain't over until you know who sings," Libertarian Christopher Agrella said before a candidates' forum Thursday.

It's easy to see how some voters would think the election had been decided.

Most analysts considered the primary the main event because Democrats dominate the district, which stretches from East Los Angeles through Monterey Park, Rosemead, South El Monte, El Monte, Baldwin Park, West Covina, Azusa, Duarte and Covina.

"Judy Chu will be elected, and she will have the seat as long as she wants baring death or scandal," said political analyst Allan Hoffenblum.

Video Hat Tip: CQ Politics.

2001: A Bloggers Odyssey

Or, how to blog, from The Blog Prof, "2001: A Bloggers Odyssey - Or How to Start a Successful Blog":

Since starting this blog back in January (something I should have done much, much earlier), this will be my 2001st post, thus the quasi-clever initial title for which I expect a golf clap. Or not. In any case, starting a blog and writing posts has surely helped focus my thinking on many topics. Before blogging myself, I was an avid blog reader, spending hours each day keeping up on current events. But it is the difference between being a student and being the teacher. When I made the shift to teaching, I had little idea of how much more of a challenge it was, and how much I would learn every time I taught a class, even those that I have already taught many times. That is one aspect that I simply love about my job - learning as I am teaching. I get some of that same benefit from blogging, and would encourage anyone out there to do the same. To this end, this post will serve to be a reference to those that want to start a blog. I will myself lean heavily on the following contributors as they have written many tips:

Stacy McCain at The Other McCain: "How to Get a Million Hits on Your Blog in Less Than a Year."

Donald Douglas at American Power: "How to Become a Successful Conservative Blogger."

Nick De Leeuw at RightMichigan: "Building a Better Blogosphere -or- Where to Start!"

More at the link (lots more!).

Congratulations Blog Prof!