A Moron of Monumental Proportions

The UWM Times has posted its' second issue today. I broke my own vow of silence on Cindy Sheehan with this latest article. In my defense, listening to her talk is quite amusing - just think, if her and John Madden ever got together! Oh, the possibilities! Here is one of my articles that appears in this month's edition:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Moron of Monumental Proportions

With the return to Crawford, Texas during the Thanksgiving holiday, anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan was presented a monument displaying the words “Sheehan’s Stand” as a tribute to her protests.

So, what has Mrs. Sheehan been doing since arriving outside of Bush’s Texas ranch last August? Her original motive – a second meeting with the president – has not occurred. However, the media had given her such grand coverage that her main goal has taken a back seat to her undeserved fame. It is no surprise, then, when most people who are outraged that Sheehan has not been able to speak with President Bush do not know the comments she made the first time they met.

Let me refresh your memory: Cindy Sheehan met with the George W. Bush at Fort Lewis in June of 2004. What words did she have for our president after the first meeting as reported by her local newspaper in Vacaville, California? “I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis. I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith.” She went on to say that the meeting brought about a sense of normalcy which was something “the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together.”

A year later, Sheehan’s account of the meeting had changed drastically. In an interview on CNN, a sympathetic president never appeared at the meeting. Rather, Bush “acted like it was a party” and "[Cindy’s family] wanted to use the time for him to know that he killed an indispensable part of our family and humanity. And we wanted him to look at the pictures of Casey.” After further questioning on the party comment, Cindy restated that “[Bush] came in very jovial, and like we should be happy that [Casey] died for his misguided policies.” Now, I have not heard such double talk since Kerry voted for the war before he voted against it!

Cindy Sheehan’s comments about her son being tricked into military duty are just plain lies. After serving his first term, Cindy’s son, Casey, actually re-enlisted in the U.S. Army voluntarily when he was 24-years-old. He was attached as a mechanic to the artillery division of the 1st U.S. Cavalry in Iraq and earned a Bronze Star. Perhaps Cindy’s grief has been so overwhelming that she cannot recount the facts correctly.

What makes this woman’s story even better is the fact that liberals allowed this woman to be their loudest spokesperson. No longer did she speak out solely about the war in Iraq. She used this newfound fame to comment on a wide range of issues. This lady is now an expert on everything from history to international diplomacy. Listening to this woman speak is basically hearing slapstick comedy. Let’s take a look at the vast knowledge of Cindy Sheehan verbalized:

Appearing at SFSU, Sheehan claimed that “[the administration is] not waging a War on Terror but a War of Terror,” and “the biggest terrorist is George W. Bush.” Furthermore, Sheehan spewed some anti-American vitriol, “We have no Constitution. We’re the only country with no checks and balances…Let George Bush send his two little party animals to die in Iraq. It’s OK for Israel to have nuclear weapons but we are waging nuclear war in Iraq, we have contaminated the entire country. It’s not OK for Syria to be in Lebanon. Hypocrites! But Israel can occupy Palestine? Stop the slaughter!” It is good to see such a scholar on American history who truly knows how our government system operates. Yea, lady, next you are going to agree with the former Canadian Minister of Defence’s statements that the Bush administration is allowing the military to build a base on the moon, “to keep track of the goings and comings of the visitors from space, and to shoot at them.” Get ready for intergalactic war everybody! Isn’t that right, Cindy?

One comment jammed in between her statements on the U.S. Constitution and Israel is disturbing: “Let George Bush send his two little party animals to die in Iraq.” Now, I thought Cindy was this loving, sweet, caring mother who speaks for the sake of children. So much for that image.

It is amazing that the main stream media chooses to ignore certain comments. During the same SFSU speech, Sheehan proclaimed that “America has been killing people on this continent since it was started. This country is not worth dying for...” Does this comment need justification? I certainly think so, but her lunacy reaches new levels every time she opens her obnoxious mouth. During Hurricane Katrina, Sheehan cried for the National Guardsmen to be brought back from Iraq because they needed to fill in the void left in New Orleans. Yet, a couple weeks later, Sheehan posted this statement on Michael Moore’s website:

“George Bush needs to stop talking, admit the mistakes of his all around failed administration, pull our troops out of occupied New Orleans and Iraq, and excuse his self from power. The only way America will become more secure is if we have a new administration that cares about Americans even if they don’t fall into the top two percent of the wealthiest.”

Make up your mind Mrs. Sheehan! I don’t think she realizes the stupidity of her comments. Either that, or she suffers from short-term memory loss. The liberals in Congress slowly realized that Cindy Sheehan had worn out her welcome after she lambasted the “war hawk” Hillary Clinton. With her comments directed towards favorite liberals, Mrs. Sheehan quickly lost most of the venues that had been so freely bestowed upon her. The proof can be seen with the latest rally attempt in Crawford with Mrs. Sheehan and company managing to garner only two hundred people. Yet, there are still some nutcases that are calling for her to run for Senate or possibly the presidency. I don’t know what is more hilarious, the thought of Cindy Sheehan trying to run our country or Geena Davis’ attempts. At least, Hillary Clinton has already been there!

It is sad to see how Mrs. Sheehan has hurt her son’s noble cause in our military. I truly feel sorry for her loss, yet the exploitation of her son has hurt her credibility enormously. Her husband filed for divorce and members of her family produced a statement that disagreed with the way she has publicly promoted her own personal agenda. The venue for political dissent should always be allowed in our great country, yet Cindy Sheehan has crossed the line with her reckless comments in the name of Casey Sheehan. I suppose the monument given to Cindy with the words “Sheehan’s Stand” was expected to draw parallels with Custer’s last stand. If these people did their homework, they would have recalled that Custer died in the Battle of the Little Bighorn and suffered a major defeat. But, we all know Cindy Sheehan has never been known for fact-checking.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And with her recent book flop (see: Cindy waits), Sheehan is going to continue to fade from public view. It's about time people realize what a moonbat she really is. You might as well let a 3rd grader lead the charge against the war!

Our Troops Must Stay

After picking up my Wall Street Journal today and glancing at the Editorial page, I came across an article by Senator Joe Lieberman (D - Connecticut). Senator Lieberman just returned from his fourth trip to Iraq and has some excellent things to report on that the MSM does not. I challenge these quitters who call for immediate withdrawal to take a deeper look at what is going on in Iraq and then tell me that everything is a disaster. Thank God we didn't have you types of people during World War I or World War II or who knows where our country would be at right now. Here are a few excerpts from Senator Lieberman's report in the Wall Street Journal:

Our Troops Must Stay
America can't abandon 27 million Iraqis to 10,000 terrorists.
By Joe Lieberman

I have just returned from my fourth trip to Iraq in the past 17 months and can report real progress there. More work needs to be done, of course, but the Iraqi people are in reach of a watershed transformation from the primitive, killing tyranny of Saddam to modern, self-governing, self-securing nationhood--unless the great American military that has given them and us this unexpected opportunity is prematurely withdrawn.

It is a war between 27 million and 10,000; 27 million Iraqis who want to live lives of freedom, opportunity and prosperity and roughly 10,000 terrorists who are either Saddam revanchists, Iraqi Islamic extremists or al Qaeda foreign fighters who know their wretched causes will be set back if Iraq becomes free and modern. The terrorists are intent on stopping this by instigating a civil war to produce the chaos that will allow Iraq to replace Afghanistan as the base for their fanatical war-making. We are fighting on the side of the 27 million because the outcome of this war is critically important to the security and freedom of America. If the terrorists win, they will be emboldened to strike us directly again and to further undermine the growing stability and progress in the Middle East, which has long been a major American national and economic security priority.

In the face of terrorist threats and escalating violence, eight million Iraqis voted for their interim national government in January, almost 10 million participated in the referendum on their new constitution in October, and even more than that are expected to vote in the elections for a full-term government on Dec. 15. Every time the 27 million Iraqis have been given the chance since Saddam was overthrown, they have voted for self-government and hope over the violence and hatred the 10,000 terrorists offer them. Most encouraging has been the behavior of the Sunni community, which, when disappointed by the proposed constitution, registered to vote and went to the polls instead of taking up arms and going to the streets. Last week, I was thrilled to see a vigorous political campaign, and a large number of independent television stations and newspapers covering it.

None of these remarkable changes would have happened without the coalition forces led by the U.S. And, I am convinced, almost all of the progress in Iraq and throughout the Middle East will be lost if those forces are withdrawn faster than the Iraqi military is capable of securing the country.

The leaders of Iraq's duly elected government understand this, and they asked me for reassurance about America's commitment. The question is whether the American people and enough of their representatives in Congress from both parties understand this. I am disappointed by Democrats who are more focused on how President Bush took America into the war in Iraq almost three years ago, and by Republicans who are more worried about whether the war will bring them down in next November's elections, than they are concerned about how we continue the progress in Iraq in the months and years ahead.

Here is an ironic finding I brought back from Iraq. While U.S. public opinion polls show serious declines in support for the war and increasing pessimism about how it will end, polls conducted by Iraqis for Iraqi universities show increasing optimism. Two-thirds say they are better off than they were under Saddam, and a resounding 82% are confident their lives in Iraq will be better a year from now than they are today. What a colossal mistake it would be for America's bipartisan political leadership to choose this moment in history to lose its will and, in the famous phrase, to seize defeat from the jaws of the coming victory.

Does America have a good plan for doing this, a strategy for victory in Iraq? Yes we do. And it is important to make it clear to the American people that the plan has not remained stubbornly still but has changed over the years. Mistakes, some of them big, were made after Saddam was removed, and no one who supports the war should hesitate to admit that; but we have learned from those mistakes and, in characteristic American fashion, from what has worked and not worked on the ground. The administration's recent use of the banner "clear, hold and build" accurately describes the strategy as I saw it being implemented last week.

These are new ideas that are working and changing the reality on the ground, which is undoubtedly why the Iraqi people are optimistic about their future--and why the American people should be, too.

These are just a few excerpts from Lieberman's editorial. I wish for once people would drop the bi-partisan banter and open up their eyes to the real progress and dedication taking place with the aid of Americans and Iraqis alike. However, I know that people can be out of touch with reality (see: nutjob Cindy Sheehan) and asking this is usually asking too much from these idiots. Ah well, at least the rest of the American people can hear what is going on!

Oh, and of course the MSM makes it sound like the terrorists and insurgents outnumber the pleased Iraqi citizens with their constant defeatist tone every day. Instead of 10,000 terrorists and 27 MILLION Iraqis, the MSM would have you believe it's the other way around. No, the U.S. CANNOT abandon 27 million Iraqis for the sake of 10,000 terrorists!

Please read Senator Lieberman's full article here.

Update: The UWM Times

Previously, I posted on the publication that we had started at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. Barely 3 hours into distribution, a university official shut us down because of the "UWM" in our title.

This simple action has prompted a series of activity that affects all publications on campus bearing the UWM name. We pointed out the ridiculousness of this policy by bringing forth the publications of "The UWM Post" (www.uwmpost.com) and "The Leader" (www.uwmleader.com). Furthermore, The Leader claims on its publication to be "UWM's Finest Arts and Entertainment Newspaper." Why is it that our publication entitled "The UWM Times" cannot be distributed on campus nor our website be allowed (www.uwmtimes.com) because we incorporate "UWM" in our title when both these existing publications can?

The official with whom myself and Tom Keeley spoke with had little to offer in the way of explanation. He even proclaimed that he didn't know specifically why it was such a big deal. All we can say is that the case is being examined by lawyers from both sides - our own and the University's. What makes this even more ridiculous is that the University claims it would still be responsible for the content we publish even with a disclaimer! That certainly makes no sense when you realize that the previously mentioned publications have disclaimers. Maybe UWM is concerned with our "Writing What's Right Since 2005" tag on our papers. I must admit that these tie-ups related to our publication are very frustrating - we want to publish our next issue in December but the University's lawyers have offered no timetable for coming up with a decision. Meanwhile, as this issue is dragging out, we are drawing attention from other media forms...

Mal Kline from Accuracy in Academia lists the plight of us here at UWM as well as other schools within Wisconsin. Read his article.

Here's to Being Italian

Boy, if some of these statements aren’t the truth when it comes to my childhood!! I’ll highlight the more appropriate ones as they relate to me!

Here’s to Being Italian
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. You have at least one relative who wore a black dress every day for an
entire year after a funeral.
2. You spent your entire childhood thinking what you ate for lunch was pronounced "sangwich."
3. Your family dog understood Italian.
4. Every Sunday afternoon of your childhood was spent visiting your grandparents and extended family.
5. You've experienced the phenomena of 150 people fitting into 50 square feet of yard during a family cookout.
6. You were surprised to discover the FDA recommends you eat three meals a day, not seven.
7. You ate pasta for dinner at least three times a week, and every Sunday.
8. You grew up thinking no fruit or vegetable had a fixed price and that the price of everything was negotiable through haggling.
9. You were as tall as your grandmother by the age of seven. (Sorry nonna, but it’s true!)
10. You thought everyone's last name ended in a vowel.
11. You were surprised to find out that wine was actually sold in stores.
12. You ate your salad after the main course.
13. You were hit at least once with a wooden spoon.
14. You thought every meal had to be eaten with a hunk of bread in your left hand.
15. You learned to play bocce before you went to school.
16. You have at least one relative who came over on the boat.
17. You grew up calling the bathroom the baccausu. And you only had one.
18. You were surprised to learn most kitchen utensils had another name which didn't end in a vowel.
19. All of your uncles fought in a World War.
20. You have at least six male relatives named Tony, Nicky, Frankie, Joey or Louie.
21. You have relatives who aren't really your relatives.
22. You have relatives you don't speak to.
23. You drank wine before you were a teenager.
24. Your grandparent's furniture was as comfortable as sitting on plastic. Wait!!!! You were sitting on plastic.
25. You thought that talking loud was normal.
26. You thought cookie cakes and the Tarantella were common at all weddings.
27. You thought everyone got pinched on the cheeks and money stuffed in their pockets by their relatives.
28. Your mother is overly protective of the males in the family no matter what their age .
29. Every lunchmeat you ate ended in a vowel.
30. Boys didn't do house work because it was women's work.
31. You couldn't date a boy without getting approval from your father.
32. You know what lemon ice is.
33. Your Christmas tree was silver.
34. You have at least one irrational fear or phobia that can be attributed to your mother.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yea, I guess there are a lot of things on that list that relate to me…yikes! Actually, it’s a good thing!

After 2 Weeks, I'm Exhausted!

Well, it has been a very hectic past 2 weeks! During this time, I have gone from East coast to West coast in less than 48 hours. On November 4th, 18 UWM students went to Virginia to work on the close governor's race that was taking place. In its final stages, we assisted the GOP campaign by working on phone banks, walk routes, h.s. football games and urging people to get out and vote on election day. The GOP candidate for governor, Jerry Kilgore , lost his bid for the seat. However, the other top two seats - Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General - were both won by Republicans Bill Bolling and Bob McDonnell respectively.

After leaving Virginia and flying out of D.C. on the 9th, I arrived back home in Milwaukee for just over 36 hours. I left for California in the early morning of the 11th. A group of 4 of us went to attend the West Coast Leadership Conference in Santa Barbara sponsored by the Young America's Foundation. At the conference, we had the pleasure of listening to some of the nation's leading conservatives speak on various issues. A few of the speakers at this year's event were Michael Reagan, Dinesh D'Souza, Steven Hayward, Lt. Col. Scott Rutter and Kate Obenshain Griffin (Chairwoman of the GOP in Virginia whom I had seen just over 48 hours earlier at the Virginia Victory Campaign party). The conference was an awesome experience, not to mention that we were in sunny and warm California staying at the fancy DoubleTree resort for free!

I returned back in Milwaukee on the 13th only to have to submit a paper that was due by 10 pm that evening as well as study and take 2 midterm exams on Monday followed by another make-up exam today! After several all-nighters, I am finally caught up with school and the like. Now, if I can only catch up on sleep!! That's ok, sleep is optional and both trips were well worth it!

You Can't Spell "Unethical" Without UN

We have just started a newspaper at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee called the "UWM Times". Our first edition was just published 2 weeks ago. Needless to say, our paper is more conservative-leaning and the school managed to shut us down in 2 hours and 46 minutes after distribution. I'll mention why they did in a later post - a pretty weak reason. It could possibly be that some of the deans don't like the fact that a Conservative group had put out a publication that offered an alternative to some of the more liberal publications on campus. The article I wrote might have contributed to the agitation of some of our liberal deans. Here it is in full:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You Can't Spell "Unethical" Without UN

What do Cuba, Sudan, Syria, North Korea, Libya, China, Pakistan and Swaziland all have in common? If your answer was that they are all human rights violators and states where liberty and political dissidence is suppressed, you would be correct. However, that is not the answer I was looking for, but we will get back to that later.

Most likely, not a day goes by where the United Nations does not make the news. This comes as no surprise, as the United Nations is the proclaimed international forum to engage in discussion and promote peace and freedom around the world. Yet, it is startling to see that the news covering the UN is not revealing its true nature: The UN is a failure on all levels. International talks at the UN are a joke, the UN is not a powerful advocate of peace nor is it a defender of freedom. Rather, the organization is riddled with corruption, mismanagement and scandal.

I can already sense the anger seeping through some people’s veins as they are reading this. How dare I criticize the international bearer of all that is good! After all, look at all they have done for the many countries in the world. Right, about that, when was the last time the UN did something good that benefited peace and liberty? Oil-for-Food? Well, let’s not bring that up seeing that it didn’t work out so well.

Here are some little known facts about our good friend, the United Nations: Of the 191 members that comprise the UN, fewer than 50 (yes, that number is accurate) are democracies. If we put that number directly at 50, that would mean a whopping 26% of the nations within the UN are democracies. That seems strange doesn’t it?

The United States is the leading financial contributor to the UN. What is the US funding exactly? It is possible that we our providing the 17,000 UN bureaucrats with some very comfortable living arrangements. After all, “directors” and “assistant directors” within the UN (and there are many of them) make anywhere between $126,713 and $186,144. They also get rent subsidies, US tax exemptions, expense accounts for entertainment and numerous other perks. Secretary General Kofi Annan receives $227,253 a year, in addition to his $25,000 entertainment allowance, house, and car. Compare these salaries to our own congressmen who make $158,100 and the average Joe in the US who pocketed about $36,764 in 2002 and there’s a big problem. In fact, American taxpayers pay 22% of the UN's annual budget! These bureaucrats are being way overpaid; or, at the very least, they are not doing nearly enough within the UN to warrant their hefty salaries and perks.

It is amazing that the UN is not laughed out of operation. The UN peacekeeping force is a farce. What other international body overlooks genocide (see Sudan) while brutal dictators massacring their own people are allowed (North Korea, Zimbabwe)? Just examine the Security Council, the UN’s most important organization whose goal is to maintain international peace and security. The Council is comprised of 5 permanent members (US, Britain, France, China and Russia) and 10 members elected to 2-year terms. Any member can be elected to the Security Council, except ONE. Israel, you are not allowed to be nominated or elected to the Council; it does not matter that you are a democracy – you cannot participate. Meanwhile, the Council’s authority seems to be irrelevant. When Saddam Hussein refused to follow the 17 Security Council resolutions demanding him to disarm and allow unlimited access to weapons sites by UN inspectors, the Council reacted with inaction.

The UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) is a joke. Where else would you find flagrant violators presiding on the Commission? In 2001, the United States was thrown out of the UNCHR while the bastion of human rights Cuba was kept on. At the same time, the UNCHR was welcoming the terrorist states of Libya and Syria. In 2005, the Human Rights Commission elected Cuba, Saudi Arabia and Zimbabwe to decide which cases of human rights violations should be brought before the Commission. That’s like allowing sex offenders to choose where they want to live. Am I missing something here?

Perhaps, the UN’s most damaging and dangerous claim is that it is the sole executioner of what is or what is not “legitimate” international action. I cringe at the thought of the US being subjected to a “global test” before we use military action as was mentioned by some candidates during our last presidential election. Does that not blatantly conflict with the US Constitution? Article I Section 8 Clause 11 states that the “Congress shall have power to declare war.” Handing over the constitutional power to declare war to the UN would give the UN the power it so desperately seeks. After all, the UN’s real initiative is to grab as much power as possible while in the process spewing out anti-American garbage.

Remember the question I asked at the beginning of the article? Parade Magazine came out with its most recent list of the ten worst dictators in the world (Feb. 15, 2005). Out of the 10 named in the article, 9 are honored members of the UN! The countries I listed at the beginning of this article are all on this list.

What is the solution to the UN problem? Leave. Immediately. The UN has no accountability when democracies are the minority within its buildings. The US should withdraw from the organization and take with it as many other democracies as possible. The United Nations originally offered the opportunity to establish a forum where the world’s peace-seeking nations could come together and solve international problems. Former US Ambassador to the UN and former Democrat Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan described the UN as “a theater of the absurd, a decomposing corpse, and an insane asylum.” The time has come to start over with a new organization truly committed to establishing freedom and democracy throughout the world.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know...maybe it's just me. However, one thing is certain: look for the next issue of the UWM Times in early December.