Dann Todd's 'Dain Bramage'^**

Three Years Later

9-11-2001

Another day that will live in infamy. I was hoping that we would only need the one from so many years ago.

There was a story in the CitPat the other day about some people being irritated with a young bride for planning her wedding for today. While I appreciate their spirit, I think they are wrong in the long term.

We have two days that celebrate our victory in WWII. We only have one to specifically remember those that died on December 7th, 1941. People get married on December 7th these days. At least whenever it falls on a Saturday.

We need to remember that we are still in a war. A war not of our choosing, but a war nonetheless.

And we should remember those we first lost in this war in the cities and fields of America. Just as we should remember those most recently lost in lengthy campaigns overseas.

But remembering should not crowd out everything else. For if we become too accustomed to remembering, then we may well forget who we were on September 10th, 2001. We were a peaceful nation that wanted to be friends with every other nation. I believe that we fundamentally still wants those very same things today.

But peace is not purchased by one group earnestly wishing for it while another group quietly plots violence against the first. Peace results either from two nations choosing to treat one another in a respectful manner, or when one nation makes it painfully clear to an aggressor that harming that first nation will result in far greater losses for the second.

The Islamists haven't learned that lesson yet. They haven't figured out that attacking America will cost them more in the long run.

I hope they will before too much longer.

by Dann 

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Civil Campaigns

Wednesday's paper included a Voice of the People letter from Karen Ferency Baker complaining about how responses to her her political telemarketing for a candidate or party (she was purposefully vague on that point) had been rude on most occasions. I don't find this particularly surprising. If fact, the following will go to the CitPat via email in just a few moments.

While I share Ms. Karen Ferency Baker's "plea for civility" (Sept. 8, 2004 Voice of the People) I am unsurprised about the rude behavior she has experienced while performing political telemarketing for her candidate/party. Ms. Baker and other political telemarketers should expect a rude reception in response to their rudeness in placing such calls in the first place.

It is estimated that between 75 to 80% of all households are currently on the FCC's "Do Not Call" list. Signing up for the Do Not Call list is a clear indication that the owner of the line does not wish to be bothered with such calls.

Yet because Congress exempted political and non-profit fundraising telemarketing from the Do Not Call legislation, some politicians and their advertising advisors feel that it is acceptable to make such solicitations. While such calls may be legal, they are socially unacceptable. Such calls indicate that the candidate or party lacks a proper respect for the private property rights of the individual and their fitness to serve in public office is therefore in question.

A wise politician would use the Do Not Call list to purge their calling lists so that their campaigns will not be bothering people that clearly do not want to be bothered. A wise voter would withhold their vote from unscrupulous politicians that fail to take such a simple precaution.

For this very reason, I will not be voting for Leslie Mortimer this fall and her opponent, Mike Simpson, may well benefit from the arrogance demonstrated by Mrs. Mortimer's primary campaign.

Ms. Baker and other volunteers can do a number of things to promote a civil and polite response to their efforts:

1. Ensure that your candidate/party has removed from their calling lists all telephone numbers that appear in the federal Do Not Call registry. If they won't take this simple precaution, then refuse to make the calls.

2. Ensure that all email based advertising is restricted to mailing lists owned by either the candidate or the party and that such lists were generated by a "confirmed opt-in" process. Anything less is spam; and we ALL know how bad that problem has gotten.

3. Before knocking on a door or ringing a doorbell, look for a "No Solicitations" sign. If you see one, then don't pester the people that live there.

Following these three simple rules will demonstrate that a party or politician respects the private property rights of those that they wish to represent. It is a clear indication of a desire to do what is right as opposed to what they can get away with.

And isn't that the sort of person that we really need serving in public office in the first place?

CitPat link while it lasts.

by Dann 

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Middle Eastern Men in Southern Michigan

On Wednesday, the Jackson Citizen Patriot carried a story about two Middle Eastern men claiming to have been doused with gasoline and then set aflame. They also claimed that racial slurs were thrown their way. The cops were a bit suspicious as their story didn't make much sense.

The men claimed to be 'dancing' and there are no rural dance halls open in Jackson county during the week. They also claimed to have been driving for 20 to 45 minutes looking for a hospital when using the nearest pay phone to dial 911 would have been a smarter move.

I was a bit concerned about this episode being some sort of terrorist plot gone awry. Our country is still very vulnerable if one has the imagination to exploit our weaknesses.

However, in Thursday's paper, there was a follow up story about an arson incident in which two men matching the description of those taken to the hospital the previous day. It seems that the building that had been burned down belonged to a Middle Eastern man. It also seems that a witness described to perpetrators with severe burns on their legs leaving the scene of the crime.....just like the burns on the two men in question.

I'm a bit relieved. Crime can be found in every ethnicity. Terrorism is found in but a few these days.

CitPat links for as long as they last.

by Dann 

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First Things First

Lots of stuff to post about, but first things first.

via the Marine War Memorial Yahoo Group

via Michelle Malken

via Marine Corps Moms

from the Benton, AR Courier

Read the links. The basic story is a young female soldier was coming home on leave. There was change of planes in Cincinnati. Delta over booked the flight. Some mildly repugnant excuse for humanity discovered the young soldier in "her seat" and complained to the gate people. The soldier was asked to leave the flight.

A number of good Americans offered to let the soldier have their seats so that she could spend as much time at home as possible. The bonus for this combat veteran being the ability to attend her youngest child's birthday.

Delta operations indicated that they would not permit a 'paying' passenger to be delayed to permit a 'non-rev' (meaning non-revenue producing) passenger to fly. They put their bottom line ahead of being good American corporate citizens. Now I know that the young soldier had to pay for her flight, but she probably got a deal courtesy of the Department of Defense. So it isn't like they were losing money by letting her fly.

As you might guess, Delta just lost my business. I play plan on letting them know via their customer contact form on the Delta website.

Please join me in not flying Delta except when there is absolutely no other alternative.

by Dann 

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The Killing Of Innocents

James Lileks has some appropriate thoughts regarding recent reporting of the Islamic and Chechen terrorists' killing of those Russian schoolchildren. As always, James' Bleat is a daily must read, but in this case you can skip about two paragraphs and start from there.

by Dann 

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The Crowd Booed??

More on the evidence of media bias resulting from the 'Bush crowd boos Clinton' fictional reporting from the AP.

With any luck, someone will get Tom Hays' email address so that we can find out precisely what possessed him to include such a lie in his piece.

by Dann 

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Now This Is Blunt

Ralph Peters writes in the NY Post about the recent events in Russia where Islamic terrorists took a bunch of schoolchildren hostage.

THE mass murder of children revolts the human psyche. Herod sending his henchmen to massacre the infants of Bethlehem haunts the Gospels. Nothing in our time was crueler than what the Germans did to children during the Holocaust. Slaughtering the innocents violates a universal human taboo.

Or a nearly universal one. Those Muslims who preach Jihad against the West decided years ago that killing Jewish or Christian children is not only acceptable, but pleasing to their god when done by "martyrs."

It gets more 'up front' from there. I'd hope that the time for politeness hasn't really ended.

At the same time, he has the essence of the problem nailed exactly. Apologies or condemnations of terrorist activities don't seem to come from Muslims unless they have a golden 'but' attached.

But what about America's CIA activities?

But what about the Palestinians?

But what about America's oppressive foreign policies?

But what about Israel?

I understand that America is not loved in every corner of the world. Most reasonable people try diplomacy to resolve such differences. While we haven't been perfect, we do try to find a mutually agreeable solution to most issues. In either case, we don't purposefully target women and children and we certainly don't hide behind them.

If mainstream Islam is truly a religion of peace, then it is time that its adherents started stepping up to the plate. They need to condemn terrorism without any golden 'buts'. They need to express a preference for individual liberty. They need to encourage their sons to become translators for western countries so that we can better penetrate terrorist organizations.

They need to pick a side.

by Dann 

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Intolerance For Other Points Of View?

I thought the left was opposed to censorship. Or perhaps they are only opposed to censorship when they are speaking.

Hat Tip: Instanpundit....like he needs it.

by Dann 

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