Nuclear Options

Judicial Nuclear Options Revisited

Last April I went out on a limb and predicted that Senate Majority Leader Frist would not be able to muster enough votes to initiate the so called "Nuclear Option" in the Senate. Unfortunately, yesterday with a "compromise" struck in the Senate between "moderate" Senators from both political parties, the nuclear explosion we have all been waiting for never went off. What does this compromise entail for all the parties concerned? Is it a victory for Republicans? Moderates? Democrats? Let us examine each scenario:

Republican Victory? This definately is not a Republican victory by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, 3 nominess out of the 10 are going to be "allowed" an up or down vote in the Senate. However, the fate of the 7 other nominess that have been filibustered by the Democrats hangs in the balance. The Republicans are the majority party and should be using the Force, if you will of their majority status to push these nominees through the Judicial Committee with no problems. There should be an up or down vote on 100% of the nominees, instead we only have a guarantee of merely 30%. Democrats still retain their "terror option" to filibuster thus pushing this problem to another time and place of the minority party's choosing. This is an unacceptable loss of momentum by the majority party. Heads will fall for this egregious strategic error and the first to fall with be Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader. If Frist doesn't fall, then the Republican Party may experience its first losses in the Senate not seen since 1992 due to a lack of conservative support for the Party and Republican moderate candidates alike.

Moderate Victory? This is not a moderate victory. The whole reason why the Republican Party is in this predicament is because of the moderate faction within the GOP. If they think their little stint at crashing the Republican Ship into an iceberg is a virtue, then I must ask what they are smoking? It must be good weed. Delusions of Granduer abound with McCain and company in their suicidal attempt at stealing the Crown from the nominal "conservative" agenda in the Senate. They have in one fell swoop completely alienated the conservative base and now are outcasts in the Party of Abraham Lincoln. McCain can forget about being the next President of the United States for the Republican Party. The moderate faction loves being the pariah in the party and the darlings of the leftwing Main Stream Media. McCain achieved a Pyrrhic Victory and will suffer for his lack of vision by the conservative base.

Democrat Victory? You better believe it! They should have been swept away by the huge Republican majority but instead they have pulled off nearly the impossible: They have retained the filibuster for the coming Supreme Court battle. This is a Strategic Victory for the Democrats that has given them the "moral" highground. At a place and time of their choosing, the perverbial terror attack of the filibuster may strike at any time. This victory is a sweet savor for the new minority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada. His star will rise in the Senate on the Democrat aisle and as the looming battle over the Supreme Court consolidates in the Senate, Harry Reid will confidentally and boldly proclaim the Democrat Jihad against ANY conservative nominee that the President dares to bring before the Senate. The MSM is on their side and even now is preparing the way for the Democrat filibuster at the expense of the Republican/Moderate majority in the Senate. The Democrats are smiling and feel very good. This very well may be the turning point in Democrat losses in the Senate and first time they have defeated the Republicans since 1992. They are the mice that roared and the elephants are in a stampede.

Before

The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS San Francisco (SSN 711) in dry dock to assess damage sustained after running aground approximately 350 miles south of Guam Jan. 8, 2005. The Navy former dry dock known as Big Blue is capable of docking ships that weigh up to 40,000 Long Tons. - DefenseLINK

After

The Los Angeles class submarine USS San Francisco (SSN 711) shown in dry dock is having repairs made on its damaged bow. A new large steel dome about 20 feet high and 20 feet in diameter was put in the place of the damaged bow. - DefenseLINK

Letting 'em know who's boss

A U.S. Army Abrams M1A1 tank takes a defensive position at a staging area during Ready Crucible in Germany, on Feb. 11, 2005. Over 50 tanks from the 1st Armor Division, Humvees, and support vehicles drove through more than 60 kilometers of German roadway and farmlands making Ready Crucible the largest movement of American armor in Germany since the 1980's. - DefenseLINK

En Masse

U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III's fly in a 16 ship formation during a Composite Force Operations (CFO) exercise on May 13, 2005. The historic flight from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., to Biggs Army Air Field, Texas, was the largest C-17 formation ever to fly across the country. - DefenseLINK

The Cause

September 11th, 2001 changed the political calculus in this country and left behind the old order of a leftwing ideaology that made America and even the West the scapegoat for all the worlds evils. Today, most Americans consider themselves to be living in the best country on earth in spite of the Left's feeble attempts to paint us as backward, old, and nativist. This President won re-election primarily because most Americans understand the stakes involved in this current war we find ourselves immersed. The attack upon our country on that fateful day must be avenged if we are to live at ease within our borders which in turn requires an offensive state of war both overt and covert to defeat the terror of our times.

But the Left will not support the Cause. They cloud their position by saying they "support the troops", however, we all know that you cannot support the troops if you are enciting the enemy and encouraging his efforts by attacking the objective of our cause: the defeat of worldwide terrorism. The Left's insistence to show a blind eye to the murderous POLICY of Islamic terrorism which is fully supported and abetted by Islamic Arabic states throughout the Middle East is a symptom of a larger problem: A belief that America is no different than they.

If the Left is not for the Cause, then they are against the Cause. It really is just that simple. They say they supported the overthrow of the Taliban, however, the only reason they "supported" that war was due to the speed at which we executed this manuever. If you recall, it was only 3 or 4 weeks after 9/11 that we attacked and overthrew this moronic and barbaris regime. And after we attacked, it was but a short 3 weeks later that we rolled into Kabul. The left simply didn't have time to mobilize their legions of goons to throwup smoke in our eyes and prevent us from securing victory on the battlefield of Afghanistan.

The Leftwing opposition to the Cause is fully encouraged by America's enemies. Don't be so naive as to think this is about "free-speech". Free-speech requires objectivity and responsibility which is entirely lacking with the Left in America and Europe. The Left is in their own quagmire of moral and political relativity which they are hopelessly and dangerously endangering the rest of us who want our enemies vanquished as quickly and effectively as possible. America is not more righteous than the Middle Eastern regimes, however, they are more evil than us. Thus, America is still the best place on earth and our cause is worthy of support from both the Right and the Left.

A Soldier from the 82nd Airborne Division awaits the command to jump from a C-17 Globemaster III onto drop zone Sicily, at Fort Bragg, N.C., during Joint Exercise Forcible Entry. - DefenseLINK

Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division jump from a C17 Globemaster at Ft. Bragg, N.C., during Exercise Joint Forcible Entry. - DefenseLINK

Iceberg Dead Ahead

Iran insists on building nuclear weapons. Why must this be so? Apparently they are so close to developing the doomsday weapon that they risk being engaged in a land and air war with the United States of America. They have determined that the USA still does not want to risk losing too many men in a ground war and thus are essentially calling our bluff because they don't think we will act against them. Perhaps they have gauged the liberal reaction to war and know that they must walk a fine line; not to entice an American Nuclear counterattack on their WMD sites in Iran in place of a costly conventional ground war. They would prefer the latter for there is no defense in the former.

North Korea was given the pandora's box of nuclear technology from Russia, China and the West and now she is able to deliver a fiery WMD upon the western coast of the United States from Seattle to San Diego. This is most unfortunate and unacceptable. A ground war in Korea would be bloody and costly; a nuclear counterstrike would be even more dangerous with its total devastation and concomitant political and economic reprecussions that would spiral out of control of even the most stable governments around the world. Our options dwindle as time passes.

Our enemies know that to wound the United States would not be enough: they must destroy us in order to survive. They cannot beat us with conventional weaponery nor economic blackmail or technological sophistication. Since they cannot occupy us they will attempt to destroy America by nuclear/biological weapons. We are dealing with an enemy that is willing to die for their cause or for their god. Its all or nothing in their calculations.

How will we disuade them? I believe a public demonstration of our nuclear capability and more importantly our willingness to use it is most timely. A tactical nuclear attack upon Iran/N.Korea will have to be seriously considered and executed in total surprise without warning so as emphasize that a vengeful America is nothing to be trifled with especially in this post 9/11 world. There is historical precedence that when push came to shove the USA was willing to plunge whole cities into a fiery Gotterdamerung of our most fanatical enemies. Where will the War on Terror lead us? Pyongyang? Tehran? Time will tell.

A KC-130J Hercules simulates aerial refueling with an EA-6B Prowler and two AV-8B Harrier II aircraft at the conclusion of the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) demonstration at the 2005 Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point air show. - DefenseLINK

Soldier in a sniper team from Company A, 1st Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team, attached to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, keeps watch as the team moves to a concealed position near an insurgent travel route along the Euphrates River in Iraq. - DefenseLINK

Syria or Bust

As you may know there has been a marked increase in terror attacks throughout the Sunni Triangle in Iraq. Hundreds of innocent Iraqi civilians have been murdered by terror bomb attacks designed to destabalize the nascent democratic government in Baghdad. US Forces have counterattacked with Operation Matador to seek and destroy the Islamic Mercinary Armies moving through the open desert from Syria into Iraq. This is from the AP:

Capitalizing on a lull in fighting Tuesday, hundreds of U.S. Marines pushed through a lawless region on the Syrian frontier after intense battles along the Euphrates River with well-armed militants fighting from basements, rooftops and sandbag bunkers.

The operation was launched after U.S. intelligence showed followers of Iraq's most wanted terrorist, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, took refuge in the remote desert region - a haven for smugglers and insurgent suppliers. The fighters were believed to have fled to Anbar Province after losses in Iraqi cities.

Hoshyar Zebari, the Iraqi foreign minister, said Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and Turkey all could do more to keep foreign fighters from entering Iraq or to prevent the insurgents from obtaining funding.
"Generally, they (Iraq's neighbors) don't like what we are doing to build democracy in that part of the world," Zebari said on the sidelines of the first Summit of Southern American-Arab countries in Brasilia, Brazil. "There is some tolerance for these terror networks on the part of the neighboring countries."

At the Pentagon, Marine Lt. Gen. James T. Conway, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Tuesday that the assault in the northern Jazirah Desert had run into well-equipped and trained fighters.

"There are reports that these people are in uniforms, in some cases are wearing protective vests, and there's some suspicion that their training exceeds what we have seen with other engagements further east," he said.

Although the Iraqi Foreign Minister states that these mercenaries come from multiple countries on Iraq's Western Frontier, it is well known that Syria is the homebase for terror operations throughout Lebanon, Israel and Iraq. The very government itself is a Baathist Socialist ententity along the lines of Saddam's old regime. This is a regime with a long held relationship with Moscow and is heavily equipped with Soviet era weapons, technology and tactics marking the Damascene country as "easy" prey for the glorious Army of the Republic as fielded by the United States of America. It is unwise for Syria to continue their terror policy against the most powerful country on earth. The AP report continues:

Marine commanders in the field told The Chicago Tribune that militants put up an unexpectedly intense fight in villages dotting the Euphrates as it snakes across the desert toward the Syrian border.

As troops erected a pontoon bridge Sunday, mortar fire began to fall on them from the nearby town of Obeidi, 185 miles west of Baghdad, the Tribune said.

Navy and Marine F/A-18 Hornet strike jets strafed the tree line and Marine Cobra attack helicopters fired rockets into insurgent hideouts, the Tribune said.

When Marines entered the town Sunday, they found insurgents prepared for battle. Sandbag bunkers stood in front of some houses, and other gunmen fired from rooftops and balconies, according to a Los Angeles Times reporter also embedded with the troops. As fighting continued into Monday, the insurgents used boats to ferry weapons across the river.

Syria has said it is arresting would-be infiltrators and doing what it can to control the border with Iraq.

I wonder when Syria will realize they have lost the war? Will they holdout to the bitter end much like Hitler's Nazis in Berlin? Perhaps a visit of B-52's or B-2's will persuade them to stand down and to cease and desist from their rather weak position internationally? I honestly believe, that Syria is a paper tiger that only needs to be blown over by a quick offensive manuever which would collapse the Assad regime and bring in a new goverment more friendly to our agenda in the Middle East. The War on Terror continues.

A cartridge is ejected from the chamber of an M4 carbine as Pfc. Michael Freise, from 1st Battalion, 72nd Armor Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, fires at the Rodriguez Range in South Korea. - DefenseLINK

A B-2 Spirit bomber soars over the Pacific Ocean after a refueling operation on May 2, 2005. The B-2 stealth bomber is deployed to Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, from the 393rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., to maintain a continuous bomber presence in the Asia-Pacific region. - DefenseLINK

Revenge of the Sixth

All hail George Lucas! His 6th Star Wars film is manna from heaven for all of us in Geekdom! Coupled with gorgeous film and cgi and immersed with the siren music of John Williams, this movie will no doubt go down as one of the biggest blockbusters of all time. Cool, calm and collective, the eminent George Lucas has built an "empire" of loyal fans spanning two generations and nearly 30 years of all things Star Wars.

Why then is the left so enraged about these movies? I noticed some very left leaning movie critics rip these movies because of their supposed bland and one-dimensional characters, alleged racist overtones, of all things because of its "violent" portrayal and use of righteous violence. They loved Pulp Fiction for all its crass and gross adoration of death, dismemberment and murder and yet, the latest Star Wars movies is "too violent" for young viewers? What? How low can they go with their hypocrisy?

Left leaning Hollywood is just gagging with spit and drool over the coming success of this movie. They know that the Force is with George Lucas and this movie will only make him stronger financially. Why can't the left simply live by their own words? Why not accept Lucas's movies as an "art-form"? If a crucifix in a jar full of piss is considered sacrosanct just because a leftest artist conjured up something so vile and disgusting to all Christendom then why not accept George's movies for what they are? Perhaps its the conservative message they so despise in all of leftdom?

George's message is an eternal one. They who love freedom must FIGHT for it. The left who say they love freedom actually love the power of centralized government which the Emporer here is portraying. Atheistic centralized government is the enemy of freedom of religion, speech and the right to defend yourself.

I love the fact that Lucas has the origin of the Emporer coming from a planet of "peace", the Senator from Naboo. The road to hell is paved with good deeds? Yes indeed it is. The German people historically, contrary to leftist propaganda, were a highly educated and intelligent people and yet for all their education and intelligence, they too VOTED for dictatorship in the man called Hitler and the rest is history. George is simply retelling that story for all of us "educated" masses. Is America heading in this direction? Perhaps....