Men Of Valour III.

Michael Yon's latest dispatch, Men of Valor III, is up.

From Micheal's e-mail: "The progress in Iraq could not be clearer. I have never seen so much hope among the Iraqis or our soldiers." If this is what a "quagmire" looks like, we need more of them.

Credibility And Authority.

Matthew has posted an excellent piece on why the Mainstream Media, and other institutions, have little of either anymore.

Another New Blog.

It's not really new, but it is new to me: Kiss My Gumbo is a blog from and about the northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, but also opines on all sorts of things.

Stop by for a look, and tell Greta that Clifford sent you.

Eject. Eject. Eject. Again!

The incomparable Bill Whittle is back at the keyboard:

"I promised I would try to write less, more often. So this is the first in a series of little random thoughts that don’t really belong anywhere, but which I find interesting if only for conversation’s sake., so make it your day's required reading."

FREEDOM versus JUSTICE was posted a few hours ago; its your first assignment.

And browse through his archives. You won't be sorry.

Another Cool Blog.

I've been reading quite a bit of Matthew's "Blog Thingy" of late, and I recommend you do the same. Some recent items:

An excellent piece on the reasons against "Open Communion", and the canonical hypocrisy of liberal Episcopal parishes that practice the same. With video, too.

A video showing why exercising Second Amendment rights could be the end of the horror film genre. And violent crime in general.

What? Me Vote?

Top Ten New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin Excuses for not voting in the October 20th election:

10. “Robert Cerasoli borrowed my car to fight corruption.”

9. “My ‘Dancing With The Stars’ tryout ran long.”

8. “I was in Pensacola giving civic leaders pointers on improving their city.”

7. “Without Oliver Thomas in city government, what’s the point?”

6. “I said I’d support John Georges, not vote for him.”

5. “Pointing out that America has not done right by us is very hard work. I was tired.”

4. “Did you see MY name on the ballot? Me either.”

3. “Eddie Jordan was camped in my front yard begging for money. I couldn’t leave the house.”

2. “I was promoting the New Orleans ‘brand’ in a new ‘K-Ville’ episode.”


And the Number One New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin Excuse for not voting in the October 20th election:

“It’s a long drive from Dallas.”


UPDATE: They say imitation is the sincereist form of flattery. Therefore, I consider myself flattered. UPDATE update: But they also say great minds do think alike, and that seems to be the case here. My thanks, David.

Monday Afternoon Time Waster.

Superhero Personality Test results: You are Superman!

Me? Yeah, right.

You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.



Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

Really??

Mike Huckabee, one of the GOP presidential dwarfs, just hit the nail on the head:

"Every time we put our credit card in the gas pump, we're paying so that the Saudis get rich - filthy, obscenely rich, and that money then ends up going to funding madrassas," schools "that train the terrorists," said Huckabee. "America has allowed itself to become enslaved to Saudi oil. It's absurd. It's embarrassing."

And it's all too true. His solution is one I can support:

"Huckabee said "I would make the United States energy independent within 10 years and tell the Saudis they can keep their oil just like they can keep their sand, that we won't need either one of them."

Maybe this guy isn't such a dwarf after all.

Cool Site Alert.

Via the Blog-Daddy, yet another site that will allow you to rack up hours and hours of "General Office" time on your timesheet: Dark Roasted Blend - "All Sorts of Weird and Wonderful Things, Updated Daily".

UPDATE: Stuff like this, and this.

Men Of Valour II

Part II of Michael Yon's series is here. Today's required reading.

The Man On The Grassy Knoll Leaves A Comment.

Uh'boy. One of the hazards of blogging - weird comments. Very weird comments.

A few months ago, the Ontario Emperor had one of the most bizarre comments I have ever seen posted to a blog. And I do mean bizarre: rambling allegations of mind-control, body-snatching, conspiring Clintons, energy weapon attacks, genital torture, Presidential cross-dressing fantasies, Satanism, and worshiping George Bush, Sr., as a god.

Well, being a fairly new blogger, and looking for a link and some traffic, I put up this post about it. But other interests came to the fore, blog-wise, and this soon faded into the post plankton. I forgot about the whole thing.

Until today. Someone, using the stunningly creative name "Anonymous" (I suppose to throw off the Department of Mind Control and Mattress Tag Enforcement) left the following comment in my two month old post, defending the "commenter" at Ontario Emperor:

"Actually there are many victims of organized electronic harassment and stalking all over the nation who are intelligent and sane, but victims of psychological abuse and torture. The "dirty tricks" and tactics perpetrated on these victims are meant to discredit them and distract them from seeking support or having their voice heard. Because these patterns of abuse span years (some decades) and is so foreign -- burning sensations on their bodies; intimidation and anxiety through surveillance; thefts; vandalism; and sometimes physical harm -- that the victims often are swayed to blaming incorrect sources. This is naturally done by the perpetrators to conceal their nature, and most often suggested to the victims sub-aurally, so their thoughts are distorted without them realizing it. They are not to blame, what is happening to them is real. For these accounts one must dig deeper than their theories of what or whom is causing this programmed harassment, but to documented evidence of crimes and their testimony as to actual occurrences of targeted harassment and stalking. We as intelligent beings need to go beyond the "UFO" and find out exactly what _is_ happening (spy planes). Don't get caught up in the hype, read true victims accounts and then do a little digging, as Ms. Braziel has."

M'kay...... So, if you think Vladimir Putin and Rosie O'Donnell are sending you orders through nano-transmitters embedded in your brain after you ate a Snickers Bar, you are NOT a nut-job. You are "intelligent and sane"; just the victim of "psychological abuse and torture". Oh, and "dirty tricks". (It wouldn't be a world-wide conspiracy without "dirty tricks", now would it?). This is "naturally done" by some unnamed "perpetrators". Naturally. (I am glad to see that the "perpetrators" are going with natural methods these days and dumping the artificial ones. Much more eco-friendly.) Our anonymous commenter says that all of this is real, but gives no proof other than some oblique reference to "spy planes". (It's always the "spy planes"...)

"Anonymous" should know that the "perpetrators" are watching his every move. Here's proof:

Some stats on "Anonymous".
Location: Winona, Minnesota.
IP Address: 205.243.118.# (HIAWATHA BROADBAND COMM).
ISP: Sprint.
Computer: Macintosh.
Operating System: OSX.
Monitor: 1024x768, 32-bit color.
Visit Time: 2:16:45 pm, 9 minutes 18 seconds.
He arrived at Red Stick Rant from: http://mrontemp.blogspot.com/2007/08/reggae-reggie-whatever-you-call-it.html

"Anonymous", I have a special thank you gift for all first-time commenters here at Red Stick Rant. If you just give me your street address, we'll send you a free Snickers Bar....

Iraq Is A Quagmire!!

But not, aparrently, a quagmire for the side the Mainstream Media had hoped predicted: New boss turns the tables on Al Qaeda.

The "Surge" appears to be working. I'll bet with more good news like this, Hillary will be saying she supported the Iraq War all along!

Hattip: Instapundit.

UPDATE: And another reason we seem to have the advantage now: "Kafir Magic".

Children Are Not Healthy For Activists And Other Living Things.

An environmentalist thinks ending the human race is eco-friendly:

"While some might think it strange to celebrate the reversal of nature and denial of motherhood, Toni relishes her decision with an almost religious zeal.

"Having children is selfish. It's all about maintaining your genetic line at the expense of the planet," says Toni, 35.

"Every person who is born uses more food, more water, more land, more fossil fuels, more trees and produces more rubbish, more pollution, more greenhouse gases, and adds to the problem of over-population."

She would make a great Episcopalian.

UPDATE: Transterrestrial Musings has more. Including this obvious point:

"Well, if you hate humans so much, you know where to start, and it's entirely within your own power to end your own existence. Who would possibly miss you?"

UPDATE: A fine example of how they could acheive their ends(!) is here. It's natural, it helps the wildlife, and they would definitely end up one with the earth!

Common Sense? The Stafford Act Does Not Cover Common Sense.

Want to know why the recovery in New Orleans is dragging on and on? It takes 17 months for FEMA and GOSHEP to acknowledge that saving money might be a good thing:

"Reversing a decision that some found bureaucratically absurd, the Federal Emergency Management Agency granted $99,766 to the New Orleans Audubon Aquarium of the Americas on Wednesday for the expense of restocking a fish collection lost to Hurricane Katrina.

FEMA had said that the aquarium should use $616,849 to buy the fish from commercial vendors, a method the agency said would comply with disaster aid laws. But when aquarium staff went out and caught them for $99,766, the agency denied their petition for reimbursement, even though it saved taxpayers over half a million dollars."

Having had first-hand experience with this kind of legalistic, hyper-detailed stupidity bureaucratic mentality from the FEMA / GOHSEP folks, I am surprised they allowed common sense to prevail. The article called it right:

"But state officials say that the majority of 35,000 Katrina rebuilding projects have been stalled in strict interpretations of the Stafford Act, generating mountains of paperwork in which FEMA takes stock of damages as minute as the number of pencils lost at a school."

Think about that - the majority of the 35,000 projects are stalled in government red tape, two plus years after the fact. Just imagine how they will do when Hillary gives them control over our health care.

Men Of Valour.

Michael Yon has new post up, the first in a series called Men of Valor.

Recommended reading today.

Swimming The Tiber? Stand In Line.

Another Episcopal Bishop is calling it quits and heading to Rome. Bishop John Lipscomb joins Retired Bishop Daniel Herzog, Bishop Jeffery Steenson, and Retired Bishop Clarence Pope, all who have left in 2007.

When Bishops - "defenders of the Faith" - can no longer defend your faith, you have a problem as a church. A big problem. Not that those who caused the tear in the very fabric of the Anglican Communion see it that way (they see it is a "prophetic gift", not a problem). Nor is The Episcopal Church (tm) putting much effort into "dialogue" with those that disagree with them, or trying to keep them "at the table". (Do you think +Katherine would ever respond with a "please don't leave, we need you; pleeeeeese" letter? Me, either.)

What Part Of "The People" Do You Not Understand??

The Second Amendment to the Constitution, the one that protects the Right to "Keep and Bear Arms", has been argued over for years. The Supreme Court has not taken a look at it since the 1930's, but yesterday they agreed to review a lower court ruling that overturned a Washington D.C. handgun ban, based on an individuals right under the Second Amendment. Other courts have ruled otherwise in other parts of the US, and there is considerable confusion over the meaning of the Amendment. Eugene Volokh has much, much more on this case, including some very persuasive arguments for the individual rights viewpoint. Just keep scrolling.

Whatever way the Supremes decide, their decision will be monumental - and will be a major factor in the '08 election.

UPDATE: Why I am not supporting Mitt Romney - as governor of a State (sorry, Commonwealth") with some of the most oppressive firearms laws in the nation, some of which he enacted, Mitt had the stones to issue this about the Supreme Court's action yesterday. Flip-flopping Brahmin hypocrite.

And...... INACTION!

From Instapunit - it seems that Hollywood's new spate of anti-American anti-war films are tanking with the Americna Public.

If the US military dropped a bomb this big on a civilian population, they'd be up on charges.

3 BR, 2 BA Boathouse On West End Boulevard....

Remember this confidence-building exercise the next time Hillary, et. al., say the Federal government should be in charge of your health care.

With the people resposible for keeping New Orleans dry having problems with basic addition and subtraction, the boat davit my parents want on the side of their new house in Lakeview is making more and more sense.

Gun = Civilization.

Why a person's right to bear arms is so important to a free society.

UPDATE: And on a realted note, today is National Ammo Day. Bet they don't have that in Cuba.

heresy is orthodoxy.

File this in the "D'oh! Now why didn't I think of that" department.

Take one of my favorite books, George Orwell's 1984, and combine it with one of my worst vices, opposing The Episcopal Church's (tm) march over the cliff of irrelevance, and you get..... this. It is even written in 'Newspeak'.

Kudos for creativity and a wonderful metaphor for what is happening in The Episcopal Church (tm) today. Give it a look.

Hattip: This guy, who has a blog thingy. And give him a look, too. Some pretty good stuff.

Michael Yon: Come Home

Michael Yon posts an incredible series of images, with captions, that you won't find in the Anti-American Mainstream Media. It is today's must read: Come Home.

Are we winning? You decide:

"LTC Stephen Michael at St John’s. LTC Michael told me today that when al Qaeda came to Dora, they began harassing Christians first, charging them “rent.” It was the local Muslims, according to LTC Michael, who first came to him for help to protect the Christians in his area."

True change takes time. Something we Americans do not understand in this, The Instant Age.

Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly..... And Unwelcome.

Question: Why did you friendly neighborhood Red Stick Rant blogger leave Massachusetts and return to Louisiana?
Answer: Things like this.

And the Scouts were tossed because of a complaint from a SINGLE resident. One. Remember this next time some Lefty says they oppose the war, but "support the troops".

If you want to help these Scouts with their donation drive of items to be sent overseas to support our troops, donations can be sent to:

Boy Scouts Of America
Troop 45
Po Box 38-1241
Cambridge MA 02238


Hattip: Instapundit.

Gettin' With The Beat....

Bill Quick is still showcasing some great 50's modern, so give him a look. It's the good stuff, not to be confused with the 60's/70's nightmares James Liliks so wonderfully showcases.

Situational Integrity. Again.

"Gays should be hanged, says Iranian minister"

Bishop John Chane of Washington must be on the phone right now to his good friend, former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, and Rev. Elizabeth Keaton and INTEGRITY are surely planning a protest at the Iranian UN delegation offices.

Or not.

Just another "vehicle to the devine, +Kate?

Is Justice Accountable?

Via Instapundit, the Chicago Tribune reports that some are asking where the money raised for the Jena 6 is really going. After all the hype, I think some answers are in order, if nothing more than to refute the allegations.

But this, if true, doesn't exactly help their cause.

A Convienent "AND"

It used to be the standard mantra on House of Bishops / Deputies Listserv that people may leave The Episcopal Church (tm), but not parishes. To not believe thus will get you labeled as a robber or a thief over at the HOB/D. How Christian.

But in the last few weeks the Archbishop of Canterbury reiterated that it is the diocese and the bishop that are at the center of pastoral life and Communion in the Anglican Communion, not the national church organizations or their leaders. This has not set well with the US national leadership, or their attorneys, as several Orthodox dioceses in the US are now acting on that construct. And rather predictably, the mantra over at the HOB/D has changed as well: people may leave The Episcopal Church (tm), but not parishes AND DIOCESES.

UPDATE: Yes, I know I said earlier that I was sick and tired of blogging about the Current Unpleasantness in The Episcopal Church (tm). But I am more sick and tired of the Orwellian 'newsspeak' of the current national leadership. The Presiding Bishop writes a threatening letter to a fellow Bishop, and they call it "reaching out with open arms." Please. If you could harness their spin, we could power cities.

Blogger's Block.

I hate times like these; I don't know what to blog about.

Yes, me. At a loss for an opinion.

The local elections are (mostly) over, and those that remain are pretty uninteresting. New Orleans, and her recovery, are the same - a joke - but how many times can you point out the obvious? I am sick of blogging about The Episcopal Church (tm), as the politically-correct tailspin seems to be getting more extreme (and the crash everyone wanted to avoid more inevitable). Besides, that is a niche market covered by far better bloggers than me. We seem to be winning the GWOT (aka The War), and the evidence is obvious even for anti-American pessimists and the Press, (Sorry, I repeat myself.) Hurricane season is over, as is baseball season, and both had positive results from this vantage. Yes, the Presidential race is heating up. But do you really need ANOTHER blogger's opinion on that? (My $.02: - If Hillary couldn't keep track of simple personnel files during her last stay at the White House, why should we trust her with the GO codes now?) Plus, we are busy as hell right now, work-wise, and I don't have time to scour the 'Net looking for interesting stuff.

What's a blogger to do?

More later.

UPDATE: Hello to the person/persons from The Episcopal Church's (tm) Domestic Foreign Missionary Society who found this site and this post by doing a blogsearch for "episcopal church" or anglican. Nice to see you. Poke around a bit - we have much more on the fastest shrinking denomination in America.

Veterans Day.

Today is a day to remember those who put on the uniform and served, and to thank them for their sacrifice. We owe our very freedom to their service. Some served during peacetime. Some during conflict. Some sacrificed their time; some sacrificed much more. Some sacrificed all. Where they served doesn't matter; neither does when. They served. And many continue to serve.

So thank you, John, Earl, Morgan, Toby, Keith, Garland, Kicker, Jack, Rick, David, and Lloyd.

Happy Birthday, Mac.

The United States Marine Corps turned 232 yesterday.

"Semper Fi" to all those who have worn the Eagle, Globe and Anchor.

Michael Yon.

I've had several e-mails from Michael Yon lately, and haven't posted on a one. My apologies. His dispatch yesterday is, to me, the picture of the week month year; it's an image of Iraq that the mainstream press works hard to ignore: Thanks and Praise.

This is not the first time Michael has captured an image of the war with more than his pen. Remember that image the next time some Lefty rags on the "cruelty" of the US military.

Michael is a free-lance journalist and he is telling a side of this conflict very few are willing to tell. Please, if just 3 of my readers (that'd be 33% of you) would support his efforts, I'd be ever greatful.

Hi, Jim.

Interesting. Someone from the Shaw Group dropped by tonight at 9:06pm, getting to our little site by Googling "Jindal emperor". The Shaw Group is headquartered in Baton Rouge and run by the former head of Louisiana's Democratic Party and Friend of Bill Clinton, Jim Bernard.

I Was Wrong.

This post originally commented on a post at StandFirm, calling attention to an image here (scroll down near the end) of someone - dressed in clerical garb, with a collar and purple shirt - at an "anti-war" rally in San Francisco. The person in the image is wearing a clerical stole in the "chain-link fence" scarf pattern identified with Palestinian terrorist groups like Fatah and Hamas, with Palestinian national colors as accent. And the person looks remarkably like retired Massachusetts Bishop Barbara Harris, someone who has been critical of Israel in the past and supportive of the Palestinian cause. A number of people at StandFirm agreed with the identity, and I made my comments from that.

I. Was. Wrong.

Bishop Harris says that she was not in San Francisco at the time, and that the person in the image is not her. I have no reason to doubt Bishop Harris. I apologize to her for linking to that information on this site, and I ask for her forgiveness. While we are worlds apart (!) on many things theological, I will not criticize her for something she did not do. The truth is more important than making a point.

I also ask those at StandFirm who jumped to the same conclusion to do the same.

UPDATE: And I make my apology even though this is, according to Sarah Dylan Breuer, what Bishop Harris has to say about the incident:

"But that’s the way it goes in this wonderful racist country of ours and this lovely hate-filled church we know and love.

While I do have a concern for Palestinian people, I also have a deep concern for so called “orthodox Anglicans” who think they have cornered the market on revealed truth and righteousness. (They remind me of Fred Phelps and his squad). It must be a heavy burden to be so freakin’ right all of the time."

Thank you, Bishop, for your loving display of Christian forgiveness. Seems a lot of people "think they have cornered the market on revealed truth and righteousness"....... (the whole thing is in the Standfirm thread here. Scroll down.)

Perfect Is The Enemy Of The Good.

If you read anything this week, read this: NOSTALGIA OF THE WORDSMITH INTELLECTUALS

Hattip: 'Jeffersonian' at Standfirm.

Slidin' Down +Kate's Slippery Slope.

(Note: Several updates posted at the end.)

With the election, World Series, and retreats, I have neglected postings on the Current Unpleasantness in The Episcopal Church™. A lot has happened and, sadly, things aren’t looking good. A quick synopses:

The House of Bishops meeting back in September in New Orleans was supposed to be the “Come to Jesus” meeting with respect to the American church’s giving the finger to the rest of the Anglican Communion over sexuality. It was supposed to end there. But the Bishops, in true Episcopal Church™ style, responded with platitudes, legalisms, and parliamentary mechanics that changed absolutely nothing. In fact, several Dioceses, such as California, have already said they don't care what the Bishops decided in New Orleans, they're gonna go ahead anyway. So far, neither the Presiding Bishop, nor the Archbishop of Canterbury, is calling them on it. Nor are they likely to do so.

Therefore, the dispute remains.

Adding fuel to the fire, a few weeks ago the Archbishop of Canterbury wrote a letter to Bishop Howe in Central Florida concerning churches in Bishop Howe’s diocese that want to leave The Episcopal Church ™ and associate with another province in the Communion. The Archbishop said in the letter that the focus in the Anglican Communion was not the national church organization, but the bishop and the diocese - and that Priests and congregations should look to the bishop for their identity, not to the national church. Finally, some focus from the Archbishop, who is the “Focus of Communion”. As you can imagine, the letter got Episcopal Lefties and New Agers gnashing teeth and rending their (sunrise hued) garments. What’s the point of working for years to take over a respected national organization in order to advance your agenda, if that national organization doesn’t really matter anymore? So the Archbishop’s office, to quiet down their Lefty American cousins, issued a “clarification”. The waters quickly returned to their earlier, muddy state.

And were made even muddier by this report, which says the Archbishop of Canterbury may allow foreign Bishops to take over parishes and dioceses in other countries in order to keep the Anglican Communion from splitting. Hmmmm.

The Executive Council of The Episcopal Church ™ recently met, too, and said several things. First, it said the House of Bishop’s song-and-dance response in September to the Primates requests was just fine with them, but holding off on more gay Bishops and gay marriage should only be a temporary pause - which they don't like. Not at all. Second, they took a look at Anglican Covenant. Short answer: Cute, but.... REALLY. It's SO First Century. And if it doesn't let them charge ahead with their "prophetic gift" thing, they're not too interested. Third, the ever-falling numbers in church membership and attendance were ignored by pointing out that it’s happening to everybody. Well, not quite. While mainline protestant denominations like Methodists and Presbyterians are indeed sliding, the Mormons and Roman Catholics seem to be growing. (But the Presiding Bishop said we’re better than them, so I guess they don’t count.) Wasn't all of this “new thing” approach by the Church supposed to reverse the slide for us? The Millennium Development Goals (peace be upon them), gay bishops, and Clown Eucharists don't seem to be packing ‘em in like they thought. "Full Inclusion" is not resulting in full pews, but who cares - the offerings are up!

It's not all doom and polity, though: in the plus column Bishop-elect Mark Lawrence (finally) received the necessary consents to be consecrated Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina. The National Church leadership does not want him getting a pointy hat as he is not a lockstep-Lefty, but he was elected by the rules so they don't have much choice. I'm sure that the National Church - and their lawyers - will be keeping their Canons at the ready in case he steps out of line.

And speaking of Canons at the ready, yesterday the Presiding Bishop wrote a letter and "reached out" (that is the Episcopal Church's description, not mine) to the dissident Diocese of Pittsburgh, and it's Bishop, Robert Duncan. +Kate is not at all happy that Bishop Duncan is choosing the wrong side in the Current Unpleasantness - he's openly defending the traditional view of Faith and Scripture, and he supports taking the Diocese out of the National Church if necessary in order to keep in Communion with Canterbury. Duncan is taking the Archbishop at his word about that Bishops-and-Dioceses-are-more-important-than-national-churches thing. And +Kate is taking off the gloves - play ball our way, or else. (An interesting aside - the Presiding Bishop's letter mentions "Constitution" and/or "Canon" seven times, but "Christ" is only mentioned once. In closing. What does that tell you....?) The good Bishop Duncan has yet to respond.

Well, that's about it from the trenches of The Current Unpleasantness. If you want more detailed, and far more wry analysis, I highly recommend Chris Johnson over at MCJ.

UPDATE: The good Bishop Duncan has responded to the Presiding Bishop with stunning brevity and clarity. A commentor at StandFirm likened it to the pastoral equivalent of General MacAliffe'a answer to the Germans at Bastogne. Since we orthodox pretty much feel like the we've been surrounded and besieged, I think the comparison is apropos. The gloves are off; it's now mitre to mitre. (For those keeping count, Bishop Duncan's letter mentions "Faith" and "saints" once each, and "Christ" "Jesus" and "Lord" in the closing. He even uses some Latin. "Constitution" and/or "Canon" are nowhere to be seen.)

UPDATE: Bishop Howe of Central Florida, who is mentioned above, has also responded to the Presiding Biishop's letter to Bishop Duncan, and he is not happy. Bishop Howe, while orthodox, has tried to work within the system to find a compromise to The Current Unpleasantness, but I think his patience is wearing out. He criticizes the Presiding Bishop's "thinly veiled threat" of disciplinary action if the Diocese doesn't tow the party line; which Episcopal Life, aparrently The Episcopal Church ™ version of Pravda, actually refers to as an "offer of reconciliation". Read the Presiding Comrade's Bishop's letter (link above), and judge for yourself.