Americanian

Here Is A Reminder Of Who We Face

It appears that our nation has fallen asleep again.
As terrible as this picture is, the thoughts behind it are even worse-
This man is a childs dad and some mothers son.
He lept because the flames caused by the plane were searing his lungs and he was faced with only two choices- Burn or Jump.
In 2004, my son who was 11 at the time and I traveled from Northern California to Ground Zero. I was required to travel to NYC on a business trip and brought him with me to see The City.
When I asked what he most wanted to do while visiting, he surprised me by asking to go to Ground Zero so he could pray for all of the kids who had lost their parents on 9/11.
As touching as that is, it is even more saddening, 11 year old boys normally are more interested in hot wheels and I-Pods...not the parents of orphaned children.
What do we do to stop this?
Lest we forget, there is a people whom have sworn to wipe us off of the face of the Earth.
They struck on 9/11/01 and they will do so again if given the opportunity.
America appears to be preparing to present that opportunity.
To leave Iraq is to invite our enemies into our backyard.
The frightening thing is that the gate to our backyard has been left wide open.
(For those of you who missed the similie- I mean our border with Mexico)
Why it is left open is a subject for another post...
What matters is that America is acting like a loud, lazy schoolyard bully.
When it suits us, we fight. when it requires sacrifice, we complain.
America needs Men who will fight to restore the values that USED to define her:
Liberty, Freedom, Integrity, Charity, Courage.
It appears that our present values are somewhat less noble:
Wealth, Self-Indulgence, Leisure, Hedonism, Narcissim.
With values like those, why fight?
Is it to enrich the few?
Is it to protect the many?
Based upon what I see every day, our culture has become so corrupt and selfseeking, it makes me wonder where the America went that I was raised in?
Can we ever return to an age where we believe that virtue is to be esteemed and strived for?
You tell me.....

Labels: 9/11

Demand Oil In India And China Fuels U.S. Security Concerns

Increasing demand for oil in India and dollar rich China is creating security problems for the U.S. as it is forced to seek oil from sources with unstable governments.
In countries bordering the Caspian Sea, there is a growing extremist muslim element creating difficulties for oil companies. The U.S. government will spend 100 million dollars on security for the area. In countries on the western coast of Africa, the U.S. is facing massive levels of crime and corruption within the governments of the oil rich nations such as Nigeria and Gabon.
Chinas puchases of oil from countries such as Venezuela and Sudan add the additional difficulty of providing large sums of cash to nations that the U.S. currently has sanctions against. Needless to say, the sanctions have little effect when China is buying more and more oil from them.
America is shooting itself in the foot by continuing to buy products from China.
The very money we use to buy Chinese-made products is being used to purchase oil in increasing quantities by China. This is limiting the supply available to America.
So the next time you start to complain about the cost of gas, look and see where your clothes were made, or your TV, or your DVD player, etc.
If any of them say: Made in China, Shut up, you're part of the problem.
The information in this article was obtained from the Wall Street Journal.

General Motors Pulls Ads From L.A. Times

In a move that warms the cockles of my heart, General Motors has terminated its relationship with the Los Angeles Times, citing a continuing series of articles that provided 'inaccurate' information (Read: they lied...).
If only more companies had the huevos to advertise in media outlets that were proponents rather than adversaries of their products or services...
In today's Wall Street Journal, an article warns that GM's actions could harm it. I disagree. I believe that the attention it gained from its decision to pull its ads will resonate with conservatives who are disgusted with the leftist views advocated by the newspaper. In recent months, subscriptions have fallen due to a number of missteps taken by the paper, such as the recent article promoting the business climate in North Korea.

Further Proof Of L.A. Times/North Korea PR Campaign

I have posted an excerpt from Talk Radio host and author of the bestselling book: Blog, Hugh, Hewitt.
In it, he records a series of questions he posed to Barbera Demick, Los Angeles Times reporter responsible for the propaganda piece that the newspaper printed last week.
The uproar caused by the pro-North Korea article has been loud and prolonged, largely due to the attention being drawn to the article by Mr. Hewitt on daily radio show as well as many writers posting to their blogs.
In my opinion, her responses show that Ms. Demick has a clear understanding of North Korea and the violent, depraved, and harsh government ruled by Kim Jong Il. She also acknowledges the mass deaths, as well as the forced abortions of North Korea's people.
This leads me back to my earlier post where I concluded that the government of North Korea must have contracted the Los Angeles Times to roll out an image improvement campaign.
Her 'article' fails to address any of the verifiable facts that are in direct contradiction to the claims made by the North Korean 'businessman' (read: spy). So one can only conclude that the Los Angeles Times is willingly choosing to ignore the obvious untruths made in the interview.
I wonder what Ms. Demick would be capable of writing should she be tasked with actually reporting on the real circumstances in North Korea? Her answers to Mr. Hewitt's questions show a depth of knowledge that could provide a useful perspective should she actually be allowed to write something true.
Excerpt:

"I contacted Ms. Demick to request an interview on my radio show, and to pose some preliminary questions. Here is her response, which I promised to print in its entirety. The response from Ms. Demick is below. I have forwarded three additional questions and will post her replies when they arrive. The article she references on Kim Jong Il's excessive food tastes is from June 26, 2004, but is not available without a charge. If you post a reaction to her responses, please send me the link:

"Hello. I still need to get permission from my keepers to appear on the program, but I suspect it will not be forthcoming. Sorry about that. Here, though, are my answers to your questions.

Best, Barbara Demick

Do you think Kim Jong Il is an evil man?
- We reported last summer that Kim Jong Il spent millions importing
gourmet foods, cookbooks and chefs for himself while his countrymen
were starving. One can judge from there.

Do you think Kim Jong Il and his government are responsible for the
famine of the '90s.
- Yes

How many people does your research tell you died in the famine?
- Up to 2 million, about 10 percent of the population

Did Kim Jong Il and his government obstruct international relief
efforts during the famine?
- Yes

Do you believe Kim Jong Il and his government breached the 1994
Agreement with the United States by secretly pursuing nuclear
weapons via uranium enrichment?
- technically, no, but in spirit, yes. The original agreement had several loopholes, which is why the administration now is insisting on CVID (Complete, Verifiable, Irreversible Dismantlement)

How many Japanese and Koreans do your researches suggest the Kim Jong Il regime and his father's regime had kidnapped over the past forty years?
- Around 20 Japanese. South Korean intelligence says 486 of their people.

Has North Korea been forthcoming about these kidnap victims?
- Only about some of the Japanese

Is Japan correct to insist on an accounting of these kidnap victims?
- Yes

You have reported on the allegations of chemicals being tested on
prisoners in the North. Do you believe these accounts?
- I believe the guy I interviewed for a story that ran March 2004.
Can't vouch for the others.

Do you believe the accounts that pregnant North Korean women,
caught attempting to escape from North Korea, are subjected to
abortions as punishment? Do you believe the accounts that North
Korean women, caught attempting to escape from North Korea, are forced to watch their children executed?
- Yes to the first. Not sure if it's a direct punishment for trying
to escape the country, but NK women prisoners who are pregnant are
required to abort. I'm not sure about the latter.

If North Korea were to open its borders and pursue an economy with
the same policies as South Korea, do you expect it would be as
successful as the South has been in building an industrial base and economic growth?
- No

Is Kim Jong Il capable of launching an attack on the South or on
Japan without warning?
- Conventional, no. Asymmetrical, yes.

How many people do you estimate are kept in the prison camps of
North Korea and how would you describe conditions there.
- The State Department says 150,000 to 200,0000 are held in
extremely harsh conditions.

Do you believe the man you met with in Bejing and interviewed for
Thursday's story was an intelligence operative of the North Korean
government?
His job is to bring foreign investment and development aid into
North Korea. As all North Korean business is owned by the Workers'
Party, government or military, he is a government official -- or
agent, as it were. He spoke in ways that other people would get
imprisoned for, which means, not necessarily that he was a spook,
but definitely that he is elite with some kind of tie to the top
that is his source of protection."

I have sent Ms. Demick some follow-up questions, and will publish her responses when they arrive."

TheNewFederalistPapers

North Korea's Newest Media Outlet

This week, the North Korean Government was able to secure the services of one of America's most read newspapers, The Los Angeles Times.
In a front page article on Thursday, March 3, 2005, North Korea was able to present as 'news' a propaganda campaign designed to build empathy for its people who are suffering at the hands of the Bush Administration.
The article does not raise any issues that may involve the impact that North Korea's nuclear program has had on the deteriorating relationship between the U.S. and itself.
Of greater concern is the statement in the article that North Koreans are happy with the current leadership under the Kim dynasty. The article states that the North Koreans are 'different' than western civilizations.
This argument has been used for centuries by oppressive governments to justify such reprehensible practices as slavery, apartheid, indentured servitude, and most recently, the potential for a free, democratic government in Iraq.
The American and the European media has been filled with articles and essays outlining a plethora of reasons that a tribal culture was incapable of evolving into a society governed by the principles of democracy.
January 31, 2005 and millions of ink-dipped fingers disproved that notion.
Despite this, on March 3, 2005, an American newspaper advocated the views of a government who is openly hostile towards America.
One can only presume that the editorial practices normally used in journalism were suspended in the crafting and subsequent publication of the articles because the Los Angeles Times has been contracted to provide media services by the North Korean government.
This possibility is not far-fetched when an examination is made of the current financial status of the Los Angeles Times.
In the last two years, the Times have lost substantial numbers of subscribers due to 'inaccuracies' and obvious bias in news reporting. Advertising revenues have fallen due to the loss of so many readers.
This opens the door to more 'creative' ways to recoup revenues lost such as North Korea's recent propaganda campaign being presented as credible news articles within the newspaper.
Recent inquiries to the Newspapers parent- Tribune, have met with no reply.
Perhaps we will begin seeing more 'news' articles on such exciting developments as "China's new evangelical movement", "Survey shows Saudi citizens support peace process in Israel", and even more likely, "Americans support open U.S./Mexican border".
All of these headlines are about as truthful as the recent North Korean article headline- "North Korea, without the rancor.

You Remember This!!!

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I have been listening to many Americans who whine and complain about how we have no business in Iraq or anywhere else for that matter.
I direct your attention to the photo above. It shows three Americans falling to their deaths on 9-11. They left home that morning and said goodbye to their kids for the last time because a group of people have decided that America is the greatest evil on this planet and needs to be wiped out.
I agree that there are many things in America that are evil, but none of them warrant an attack on innocent people.
I kept photos like this to remind me why our soldiers are over in Afghanistan and Iraq.
If we are over there killing them, they are not over here.
That is an excellent strategy as far as I'm concerned.
Our Troops deserve our respect, our prayers, and our support.
I live in a town near Sacramento, California. Recently, a couple hung an effigy of a soldier by the neck from the roof of their house.
I am sickened by the fact that excrement like that dares to refer to themselves as Americans.
If only they knew how lucky they are to live in a country where such dissent is permitted. A part of me wishes they were in Iran, when such an act would result in their being beheaded. But I am an American and we believe in Freedom. Even if it includes displays of such sick and disgusting opinions as those of the couple who hung an effigy of one of our soldiers. They have a right to express their opinion.
Fortunately, most Americans disagree with them.
The majority of Americans believe in the great work being accomplished in Afghanistan and Iraq by our soldiers.
We salute you.
Semper Fi