An Evening with Lt Dan

Pat and I just returned from a USO show that featured Gary Sinise and his Lt Dan Band. I t was at Maxwell AFB and was just about the best concert I have ever attended (Carman beat them, but only barely). This band ROCKS. They played everything from show tunes to rap with a little Jimmy Hendrix and Bruce Springsteen along the way. Some of the band members wrote songs especially to support the troops.

Opening the show was a local group called the Space Cowboys who did a little country, rock, and easy listening tunes. Starting promptly at 5PM, they performed for an hour before the Lt Dan Band took the stage a little after 6PM.

The Lt Dan Band performed until 7:30, took a 20 minute break and continued until 9PM. Then came back for an encore due to the crowd's cheers and applause. It was truly a great show. One highlight for me was Gary Sinise talking about the good things going on in Iraq. The soldiers are building schools and Gary formed an outreach called Operation Iraqi Children, which provides school supplies to the troops so they can pass them out to the Iraqi children. In the wake of the two major hurricanes, Operation Iraqi Children is expanding its efforts to provide assistance to the many Americans affected.

If you ever get the chance to view a Lt Dan Band concert, take it.

Good News Again

In case you missed it, on Wednesday American forces in the city of Kerbala officially handed over security responsibilities to Iraqi army and police units in the city. This is the second Iraqi province now controlled solely by the Iraqi army and police units. This is good news because the fight belongs to the Iraqis. We are only there to help. It is also an indication that democracy is taking hold in spite of the terrorist attacks and threats. Read the full report at Iraq the Model (see sidebar for the link).

Also, John Roberts was confirmed today by 78 to 22, in spite of bloviating by the usual suspects. Even "moderate" Hillary Clinton voted no. Here are the "Nay" voters:
Akaka (D-HI)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Boxer (D-CA)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Dayton (D-MN)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Obama (D-IL)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
All the Republicans and 23 Democrats voted "Yea"
All I can say is "Yay." Now if only the President will nominate Janice Rogers Brown for "the O'Connor seat".

Content of Character

This is truly an amazing world we live in.  Mark Riner, the student body president, gave this address at the Sep 20, 2005 convocation for Dartmouth freshmen.  His focus was on character.

 

He got this reaction to the speech.  Because Mr. Riner had the audacity to mention Jesus (along with other influential people), his speech was deemed "inappropriate" by some.  Fortunately, Mr. Riner has some of that "character" stuff about which he spoke.

 

A note from Deborah Johns

Hello to all of you wonderful people out there who have stood strongly and resolutely behind our troops.

 

This is Deborah Johns writing to you, the proud mother of a U.S. Recon Marine who has already served 2 tours of duty in Iraq and will soon return for a 3rd tour.

 

Last month I led, in conjunction with Move America Forward, the "You Don't Speak for Me, Cindy" caravan to Crawford, Texas. We had over 3,500 supporters of the men and women of our military, and it was an event that made me feel so proud to be an American. That caravan began in California and stopped in close to 2-dozen cities. So many of you came out to greet us at each stop, and your kind words, hugs, and support gave me the strength to carry on through the long, grueling days on the road.

 

I'm sending you this short note from aboard the tour bus that is spearheading the national "We Support the Troops & Their Mission" bus tour. We've just left Salt Lake City in route for Cheyenne, Wyoming after having made stops in San Francisco, Vacaville, Sacramento, Reno and Elko. Our final destination is Washington, D.C. for a giant pro-troop rally on Sunday, September 25th that we are hoping will draw thousands of supporters.

 

I wanted each of you to know why it is that I have again agreed to such an arduous road trip. Being the mother of 3 beautiful boys, its not easy to give up weeks of your life in order to face hostile questioning from the news media, and long, sleepless days.

 

However, my eldest son, William, has endured far greater discomforts in Iraq. He just re-enlisted with the Marines, having done so he said because he felt like he owed it to the Iraqi people to 'finish the job' in that country.

 

William and his fellow Marines believe strongly they are doing the right thing in Iraq. I worry about him every day that he has been over there; what mother wouldn't worry that every knock at the door isn't one telling them the worst news that they could possibly hear?

 

But, I understand the decision made to serve his country and the risks that it entails. And I am so very proud of him for his bravery, strength and decency. They are the characteristics I see in all of the Marines and soldiers I have had the pleasure to meet.

 

Sometimes the worst possible outcome can occur. Joseph Williams knows this all too well. He is here on the pro-troop bus tour with me. His son, Michael, died in combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and it is clear that Joseph still is dealing with the pain of this tragic loss.

 

Yet, Joseph understands that his son's will only be in vain if we allow the misguided and misdirected individuals like Cindy Sheehan and Michael Moore to dictate American policy.

 

Our nation was attacked by radical Islamic terrorists. They hate America. They hate our allies. They hate our way of life and our values. They constantly change their demands (upon which they promise to end their y, violent, and murderous ways - empty promises made only to influence those weak kneed individuals who will cave to their demands), making it clear that if we do not all embrace their twisted world view then they will continue to target us for terror.

 

America is the only nation in the world with the power, the resolve and the commitment to freedom & liberty to effectively stand up to these thugs.

 

Why those in the anti-military crowd do not understand this I cannot tell you.

 

I wonder why it is that they are so determined to turn this generation into a clone of the Vietnam Era. Do they want our nation to return to a time where our soldiers were spit upon? Do they want to return to a time when American policy was appeasement of those who targeted our citizens and our nation?

 

Well, we cannot let them prevail.

 

And that probably best explains why Joseph Williams and I are on this bus right now.

 

But we are only 2 voices of a nation of almost 300 million people.

 

We need your help.

 

We need you to show up at the rally stops of this bus tour. You can find where we will be and when at the Move America Forward website:

 

And we need to get the word out to as many people as possible.

 

Move America Forward has produced a TV ad that tells people about the tour and the need to stand up for our troops. These TV Ads can reach over 50 million people if they get the funding they need to broadcast these television commercials.

 

And that's what we need right now - to make sure that the silent majority in this nation who stand behind our troops are heard from. Since the mainstream media won't give us the wall-to-wall coverage that they give to the anti-war/anti-military people, we must pay for our message to get out over the airwaves, through TV ads.

 

We have only 24 more hours to send additional payments to the TV networks to get these ads aired.

 

Please make a contribution to this TV ad campaign, you can do so online.

 

Thank you for reading my note. I do hope to see you all at our stops from here to Washington, D.C.

 

And please, continue to keep our troops in your prayers. It gives me and William both great strength.

 

May God Bless you and your families.

 

Warmest Regards,

 

Deborah Johns
Northern California Marine Moms

 

P.S. Please - let us make sure we mobilize Americans to stand up and be heard from. I keep seeing the anti-war activists willing to stand up. Surely we can all muster the strength to stand united and let them know that we will NOT accept defeat in this war against terrorism.

 

Again, I urge you to go support the TV ads that will spread word of our efforts.

Good In-flight Pilot Announcement

This was forwarded to me by the Heirborne Ranger.  This link requires you to have your speakers on.  You will enjoy.

Now I See

Remember John "I have a plan" Kerry? Neal Boortz has discovered the plan.

My wife (smiles proudly) has some thoughts about that plan:

I vote that we pass on the whole Democratic plan, otherwise we will be taking away the reason that people work, and a lot of their self respect. How can you have self respect if you have been excluded from the very programs and practices that make every American a part of the American Way. If I am excluded from participation in providing for my self, my family and moreover my own future, I have been relegated to a different class of citizen. I must in some way be of less worth and dignity than those who have NOT been relegated to this secondary category. Someone has decided for me that I am less able, less worthwhile, and in general a human being of less ultimate value than my fellows. I am not being discriminated on because of the color of my skin, or my ethnicity or religious preference, but simply because it has been decided that I do not earn enough money in the course of a year to qualify for inclusion in all of the rights and RESPONSIBILITIES that my forebears fought and gave their lives to secure and protect. We must look at this from more than one perspective...not only does it unfairly shift the burden from each and every American to a select segment of the population, but it takes away the God given responsibility given at the expulsion from the Garden, to be responsible for your own food, raiment and shelter. You arbitrarily take that responsibility away, and you are on your way to taking away the reason for which we conduct our selves in responsible fashion. For what purpose will anyone strive to better themselves, they will be taken care of but most certainly in BONDAGE to that system. I am a free American, keep your 'second class citizenship'. Should we not take a lesson from the former Soviet Union, if you let part of the people pay for all of the people then no one but the Government will have any money.

Unfortunately, some people would probably want to be kept by the rest of society. Look at the ones from New Orleans that wanted everyone else to solve their problems. That might be why most of Europe is leftist. It's the same thing that I learned when teaching Laubach literacy. If the students did not pay for the materials, they did not value them.

Same as a story that Zig Ziglar tells:

A businessman was rushing to work and saw some disheveled individual selling pencils. Because the businessman was in a hurry, he just dropped some money in the bucket and hurried on. Then he stopped and went back and got his pencil, saying something like: "You are an honest person trying to make an honest living selling pencils. I forgot to take my pencil." Years later, as the story goes, the businessman was at a chamber of commerce function when a neatly dressed man came up to him and introduced himself. He asked if the businessman remembered him. The businessman said no. The other gentlemen then said something like this: "I was that hobo selling pencils a few years ago. When you came back to get your pencil, you gave me my dignity. I am now a success, thanks to your reminding me that I was not a beggar, but a businessman."

Cool story. Ziglar says it is true.

Happy Birthday USAF

This is from Air Force speech writers:

“Yesterday, today and tomorrow – America’s Air Force”

Celebrating the Air Force’s 58th Birthday, Sept. 18, 2005

On Sept. 18 we mark the creation of the world’s most powerful Air Force. With the stroke of President Harry Truman’s pen, our quest to become an independent service became a reality 58 years ago.

In the nearly six decades since it became a separate service, the Air Force has seen the world change in almost unimaginable ways. We fought wars in Southeast Asia – Korea and Vietnam – as well as in Southwest Asia, the Persian Gulf. We witnessed the end of a decades-long Cold War. In every one of these conflicts, whether “hot” or “cold,” Air Force men and women played a vital role.

We are now living in a time of momentous change around the globe. We are seeing the seeds of democracy beginning to take root in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in other nations in the region. The Air Force is continuing to play a pivotal role in making these remarkable changes possible.

Katrina Relief Operations: However, before we get to those issues, let us focus on the situation that has commanded most of the nation’s attention in the past three weeks. We have been transfixed by the images from our Gulf Coast region in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The scope of devastation is unprecedented in American history. This disaster devastated some 90,000 square miles – that’s an area roughly equivalent to the size of Great Britain.

The military response to this disaster has been nothing short of amazing. Every service – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard – has performed magnificently, and thousands of men and women in uniform are still on the job as we speak. Here is what the Air Force, the Air National Guard, and the Air Force Reserve have been doing in the days since Katrina hit.

Day after day, we watched helicopter rescuers pluck men, women and children from rooftops, where they scrambled to escape rising flood waters. This has been the largest search and rescue operation since Vietnam. In the first week alone, Air Force pararescuemen airlifted more than 5,000 people from the New Orleans area. Capt. Grant Paap, an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter pilot, said, “You could fly over New Orleans and it was like a scene right out of a movie. There were helicopters everywhere.”

Rescue helicopters operated around the clock, using night vision goggles to pull people trapped in their houses at night. One of those rescuers was Senior Airman Jack Earnshaw, a pararescueman from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. “Spending eight or nine hours in the air totally wipes you out at the end of the day,” he said. “And when you think about all the obstacles we’re taking on with each mission, it really gets hard.”

They make it look easy, but the fact is these rescues are dangerous. They demand every bit of skill these rescue teams can muster, as they dodge power lines, trees, and confined spaces to reach flood victims. But, Earnshaw said, “There’s nothing more rewarding than giving back to our country. You really feel like you’re giving back and serving Americans.”

There is another team we don’t see, behind the scenes, making sure these helicopters are ready to fly every mission. Our helicopter maintenance troops have done a superb job. Sergeant Robert Marchewka is a production superintendent from the 347th Maintenance Squadron at Moody AFB, Georgia. He said: “We’re putting almost 20 hours a day on these helicopters.” He explained that maintenance crews would normally have 12 to 14 hours to turn around choppers before their next mission; here they get only four or five hours before the chopper is needed for another 20-hour day. He said: “Even in Kosovo we weren’t flying as much as we are here.”

We also saw an amazing effort at the Louis Armstrong Airport, where many of the injured and the elderly of New Orleans were brought for evacuation. More than 5,500 people were treated by military medical teams. Master Sergeant Kem Redic, from the 55th Services Squadron at Offutt AFB, said, “When you are called upon and you roll into a situation like this, you just roll up your sleeves and jump in wherever you can.”

Air Force aeromedical teams from all around the country deployed to Louisiana to help airlift more than 2,500 patients to medical facilities around the country. It’s no easy task to move critically ill patients anywhere, let alone to airlift them. The Air Force team has been doing a magnificent job of saving the lives of our men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq by airlifting them to the U.S. military hospital in Germany. Now those same skills are being put to use here on the home front, saving countless lives in the wake of this devastating natural disaster.

Our aircrews have been delivering an amazing amount of food and critical supplies to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. In the first week alone, Air Force planes delivered nearly 5,500 tons of supplies to Katrina relief sites. They have flown more than 3,500 flights, and have moved more than 23,500 passengers [as of 8 Sept].

Air Force assets are being called on in many other ways, as well. For example, a reconnaissance aircraft from Offutt AFB is being used to capture aerial imagery of the Gulf Region. These images are used by FEMA to quickly assess the status of roads and evacuation routes and evaluate the extent of damage to critical facilities such as oil rigs, hospitals, and military installations.

Guardsmen and Reservists are working side-by-side with their active-duty counterparts, helping with security, law enforcement, medical, aircraft maintenance, communications, civil engineering, and dozens of other specialties. They are conducting search-and-rescue operations, evacuating residents, distributing food and water, and providing communications support to this hard-hit region.

At Maxwell AFB, Alabama, Air Force Reservists from the 908th Airlift Wing came home from a deployment to Iraq on Sept. 6. What’s amazing is that they turned right around and volunteered for hurricane relief duty! Lt Col Ronnie Roberts, commander of the 908th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, said, “We’re professionals. We’re out here, in natural disasters and combat.”

The chief of the National Guard Bureau, Army Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, put it this way: “The first citizen-soldiers responded to the shot heard ‘round the world. Now we’re responding to the storm heard ‘round the world.”

President Ronald Reagan once asked, “Where do we find such people?” And then he answered his own question: “We find them … where we always find them in our hours of need – on [the] main streets and farms of America. They are the products of the freest, fairest, most generous and humane society that has ever been created.”

The Katrina relief operation is a monumental task, but it is only the latest in a series of challenging missions that the Air Force has taken on since its inception. As we mark the creation of the U.S. Air Force, let’s pause for a moment to consider the events that led to our becoming a separate service.

Remembering World War II: This month, and for much of the past year, the world has marked the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in September 1945. It’s no coincidence that the Air Force became a separate service just two years after the end of that global conflict. World War II was the ultimate proving ground for air power. This global war demonstrated as nothing else could that air power deserved its own service – trained, equipped and led by aviators.

One of the Air Force’s most important “founding fathers” was General Henry “Hap” Arnold. As the only five-star general in Air Force history, Gen. Arnold organized and led the world’s greatest aerial armada to victory against the Nazis in Europe and the Japanese in the Pacific.

But it’s also instructive to remember that when “Hap” Arnold became a pilot in 1911, the U.S. military owned just two airplanes! In the three decades that followed, a small band of airpower advocates developed aerial tactics and doctrine and “pushed the envelope” of flight technology. They also lobbied vigorously – and often unsuccessfully – within the military community for the value of aviation assets. World War II effectively ended that debate.

You might say that airpower provided the “bookends” for the Second World War. Our nation was drawn into the war by an unprovoked aerial attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese naval air forces. Four years later, our nation dramatically ended the war by sending two B-29 bombers to drop atomic bombs on the Japanese mainland.

By the time Gen. Arnold retired in 1946, he had built the Army Air Force into a global aviation powerhouse, with more than 78,500 aircraft and nearly 2.4 million men. Their performance during World War II convinced America’s senior leaders – both military and civilian -- that airpower deserved a separate armed service.

But even visionaries like “Hap” Arnold who dreamed of an independent Air Force could hardly have imagined where their vision would take us.

Air Force “blue suiters” have shaped history in many ways in the past six decades. There were the monumental supply efforts of the Berlin Airlift, and the dogfights in “MiG Alley” in the skies over Korea. There were the “Wild Weasels” of Vietnam, deliberately drawing enemy SAMs (surface-to-air missiles) so their fellow Airmen could bomb North Vietnamese positions. And we had the spectacular performance of Stealth fighters and precision-guided weapons during Desert Storm. Wherever America’s interests were threatened, America’s Air Force answered the call.

Global War on Terror: We now find ourselves waging another global war – a global war on terrorism. And like the Second World War, this global war began with a terrible surprise attack on our country.

Just one week ago [Sept. 11], we marked the fourth anniversary of the horrific attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. It is a chilling reminder that airpower is a deadly force that can be used for evil as well as for good. On that terrible day, civilian airliners were turned into weapons of mass destruction, killing some 3,000 innocent men, women and children in less than two hours.

The attacks taught us a painful lesson – that a good defense is no longer good enough. We cannot afford to be hit again, perhaps by even more powerful weapons. We are engaged in a life-and-death struggle with an enemy whose brutality knows no bounds.

In June [2005], President George Bush told the nation, “Many terrorists who kill innocent men, women, and children on the streets of Baghdad are followers of the same murderous ideology that took the lives of our citizens in New York, in Washington, and Pennsylvania. There is only one course of action against them: to defeat them abroad before they attack us at home.”

And that is exactly what the Air Force is doing, along with our sister services. Since Operation Enduring Freedom began in October 2001, followed by Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003, the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command has flown more than 52,000 missions. Those missions have moved 1.4 million tons of supplies to Iraq and Afghanistan, and ferried nearly 3 million troops to the region from the U.S. and Europe, as well as within the region. Our tankers have flown nearly 15,000 missions, during which they refueled nearly 22,000 aircraft.

Just to put these numbers in perspective, these airlift operations are second only to the Berlin Airlift in scope. This is a tremendous undertaking, and our people have done a fantastic job bringing all the people, supplies, and equipment halfway around the world. This is truly “Global Reach” in action.

We have more than 23,000 people deployed to the Persian Gulf region. And not all of them are Active Duty – at any given time, we have roughly 5,000 members of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve serving in theater, as well. This is a Total Force effort, all the way.

In Iraq alone, our fighters have flown more than 30,000 sorties and dropped more than 21,300 munitions, more than 70 percent of which were precision guided. Our aircraft are flying an average of 150 sorties per day over Iraq. Earlier this month, for example, we launched a series of airstrikes on the Iraqi town of Tal Afar, near the border with Syria. These airstrikes were designed to take out insurgents operating in that town.

But these numbers really don’t begin to tell the whole story. Our people are taking on new challenges and new roles, using their ingenuity to help our sister services. You’ve heard the expression “boots on the ground”? Well, today, those boots might just be worn by an Airman. In addition to traditional flying operations, our Airmen are taking on many non-traditional roles, as well.

For example, Air Force people are heavily involved in convoy operations, which is some of the most dangerous duty in Iraq. In July, Airmen at Balad Air Base reached the 3 million-mile mark in convoys driven on the roads of Iraq. These Airmen have supported more than 3,500 convoys since they began helping out the Army in 2004. That means not only loading supplies onto the vehicles, but driving the convoys and providing security for thousands of vehicles. Air Force maintenance crews are repairing and maintaining the trucks used in the convoys, and they are also adding armor plating to these vehicles to provide added protection for the vehicle operators.

We’re making great use of what we call “UAVs,” or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. UAVs like the Predator are being equipped with laser-guided missiles. In the Air Force, we like to talk about shortening the “sensor-to-shooter timeline,” meaning the time it takes for us to spot the bad guys and call in an air strike on them. But in the case of the Predator, the sensor is the shooter. Not only can operators on the ground see the bad guys with real-time video images, but now they can take them out with lethal precision, and that’s a good thing.

Our medical teams are operating closer to the front lines than ever before. Because of that, patients are getting advanced medical care within hours, not days or weeks, as they had in the past. The result is that we’re seeing the lowest death rate of wounded Soldiers in any war in history.

Nevertheless, the loss of any of our men and women is deeply felt. As President Bush said, “We mourn every loss of life,” but he promised, “We’ll honor their memories by completing the mission.”

The road to democracy in Iraq will be a long and difficult one. But however long it takes, you can be sure that the men and women of the U.S. Air Force will be there, both in the air and on the ground, doing whatever needs to be done to achieve our assigned mission.

What Lies Ahead: The Air Force has truly earned its wings in its first 58 years of existence. We cannot know what challenges lie ahead for those who wear the Air Force uniform. After all, who could have predicted the attacks of September 11th, 2001, or the devastation along the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina? But the Air Force has a rich tradition of rising to meet those challenges. We can be confident that America’s Air Force will be up to the task.

N'awlins Clown

That's the title of a new Sean Penn video, according to Jay Dyson of Sacred Cow Burgers. The Hollywood left has been Bush-bashing for years. Sean is the first to be memorialized by Jay for their rants about New Orleans.
What's with these actors, anyway? It's not like they could be a Mayor, Congressman, Governor, or President, for Pete's sake!

Media Bias? You're Kidding, Right?

Some days, even leading questions don't work. ABC's Dean Reynolds "after the speech" report did not go quite as he had hoped. Newsbusters has the complete transcript.
Political Teen has a video excerpt.
Wuzzadem has a hilarious photo essay about it.

This gives me great hope that the constant Bush-bashing will not only fail to have the desired effect, but will expose the media as the propaganda arm of the DNC (as if they haven't already exposed themselves).

The American people are much smarter than the elite think. Common sense seems to have prevailed.

Guess Who is Having a Birthday? - Update

Tune in tomorrow for the details.
Here is a hint:

Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independence of the United States of America the Twelfth In witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names,

Update Sep 18, 2005 at 10:36PM
I wanted to link this cartoon, but could not at the time. Enjoy.

President Bush Accepts Full Responsibility for Government Failures

This just in from Faux News (Dateline Jayson Blair)

The president has admitted that government agencies failed to respond in a timely manner to Hurricane Katrina. He tried to get Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco to mobilize the city on 26 Aug 2005, a mere three days prior to the storm hitting. Bush did not personally fly to New Orleans, organize the municipal and school bus drivers, and determine destinations. Instead, he foolishly left that duty to Mayor Nagin. He failed to medically evacuate the ill and infirm. Bush failed to organize the Louisiana National Guard, instead choosing to leave that duty to Governor Blanco. This is clear incompetence at the Federal level. Sure, the federal forces arrived after Katrina more rapidly than they did for Andrew, Camille, or Hugo (one month) but they were still a full two days after the hurricane landfall. Sure, Bush spent more on New Orleans in his administration than President Clinton did, but don't forget Bush had a FULL FIVE YEARS to do that. President Clinton, on the other hand, had a scant eight years for New Orleans spending. Moreover, President Clinton was distracted by his war in Kosovo. Bush has no such excuse.

And, while the body count was far less than that predicted by Mayor Nagin, it was no thanks to the fascist, racist Bush. Bush has consistently locked blacks out of key staff positions. He... what? Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice? Janice Rogers Brown? They are not REAL blacks, and therefore do not count. We in the media have finally driven Bush's poll numbers down. I mean, the American people are beginning to realize what an incompetent, heartless [deleted] Bush is.
Liberal Larry has it right.
So does Scott Ott.

New Orleans Will Rebuild

Scott Ott has a new plan for New Orleans.

New Comment and Trackback Feature (update)

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.
Previous comments are visible if you go to the post page (click on the time stamp of the post or click the title in the sidebar).

Katrina Relief Buttons - Updated 4:25PM

OK. Technically this is not about Katrina. It is about the layout of this blog. You will note that I added some buttons at the top of the sidebar. They link to organizations that are providing disaster relief. I previously posted about ways to help. These buttons just prevent you from having to scroll or jump to those posts.

At the top is a link to Kenneth Copeland's Partners Helping Partners page.

Next is a link to Samaritan's Purse, followed by the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board.

Last is a link to the American Red Cross.

Feel free to use or ignore the buttons (like you need my permission for that).

And remember what happened on this date four years ago.

Update 11 Sep 2005 at 4:25PM

I added a link to the Salvation Army as well.

Probably My Last Katrina Post

Well, maybe.

I am opposed to the government forcing people to leave, although I realize there is precedent. I am also opposed to people who refuse to leave later blaming the government for their misfortune. Don't want to leave? Fine. Just don't whine later. And don't expect food or water, either.

Here is an excerpt from lengthy article with some Lessons Learned from Katrina.

* The federal government should provide support and assistance only in those situations that are beyond the capabilities of state and local government and the private sector. State and local governments must retain their crucial role as first responders to disasters. The federal government should avoid federalizing state and local first response agencies and activities.
* Federal financial aid, when necessary, should be provided in a manner that promotes accountability, flexibility, and creativity. In general, tools such as tax credits and voucher programs, which allow individuals and families to direct funds, should be utilized to encourage private sector innovation and sensitivity to individual needs and preferences.
* Consistent with genuine health and safety needs, red tape should be reduced or eliminated to speed up private sector investment and initiative in the rebuilding of facilities and the restoration of businesses. Regulations that are barriers to putting people back to work should be streamlined or suspended.

And here is an excerpt from a fine piece by the esteemed Bill Whittle:

Now this next point is so obvious, so simple and so self-evident that there is no way the deep thinkers of the far left will possibly be able to see it.

Let’s not talk about Black and White tribes… I know too many pathetic, hateful, racists and more decent, capable and kind people of both colors for that to make any sense at all. Do you not? Do you not know corrupt, ignorant, violent people, both black and white, to cure you of this elementary idiocy? Have you not met and talked and laughed with people who were funny, decent, upright, honest and honorable of every shade so that the very idea of racial politics should just seem like a desperate and divisive and just plain evil tactic to hold power?

If such a thing is not self-evident to you, please get off my property. Right now. I should tell you I own a gun and I know how to use it. I assure you that the pleasure I would take in shooting you would be temporary, minimal, and deeply regretted later.

Another Katrina Timeline Without Commentary

This is a short synopsis of the life-cycle of Katrina from depression to hurricane. 

The President met with Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco on Friday, 26 August, urging them to ask for federal aid.

The Governor did, on Aug 27.

The President wasted no time in responding.

More later.

Want a Comprehensive Timeline for Katrina?

Me, too.
I was going to construct one when I found this. Works for me.

Another View of the Disaster

An article by Robert Tracinski, which was eMailed to me takes on the root causes of what we are seeing in New Orleans. Worth reading in full.

If this is just a natural disaster, the response for public officials is obvious: you bring in food, water, and doctors; you send transportation to evacuate refugees to temporary shelters; you send engineers to stop the flooding and rebuild the city's infrastructure. For journalists, natural disasters also have a familiar pattern: the heroism of ordinary people pulling together to survive; the hard work and dedication of doctors, nurses, and rescue workers; the steps being taken to clean up and rebuild.

Public officials did not expect that the first thing they would have to do is to send thousands of armed troops in armored vehicle, as if they are suppressing an enemy insurgency. And journalists-myself included-did not expect that the story would not be about rain, wind, and flooding, but about rape, murder, and looting.

But this is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made disaster.

And the Beat Goes On

Pierce Brosnan thinks that he knows what the
score is:

DEAUVILLE, France (Hollywood Reporter) - Pierce Brosnan was
the only big star on hand as the Deauville Festival of American Cinema got off to a quiet start over the weekend, and he took advantage of the spotlight to blast the Bush administration's handling of the carnage caused by Hurricane atrina.

"This man called President Bush has a lot to answer for," the former James Bond actor told reporters Saturday. "I don't know if this man is really taking care of America. This government has been shameful."

And let's not forget our old buddy, Sean Penn:

Penn said he had spent nine hours on Monday searching the water for people and during all that time he saw just three boats carrying US officials.

"There are people that are dying right now and I mean babies and old people and everybody in between - they're dying. There are people dying and (the US government are) not putting the boats in the water, I think that's criminal negligence. I don't think anybody ever anticipated the criminal negligence of the Bush administration in this situation."

Check out this article byWesley Pruden:

The vultures of the venomous left are attacking on two fronts, first that the president didn't do what the incompetent mayor of New Orleans and the pouty governor of Louisiana should have done, and didn't, in the early hours after Katrina loosed the deluge on the city that care and good judgment forgot. Ray Nagin, the mayor, ordered a "mandatory" evacuation a day late, but kept the city's 2,000 school buses parked and locked in neat rows when there was still time to take the refugees to higher ground. The bright-yellow buses sit ruined now in four feet of dirty water. Then the governor, Kathleen Blanco, resisted early pleas to declare martial law, and her dithering opened the way for looters, rapists and killers to make New Orleans an unholy hell. Gov. Haley Barbour did not hesitate in neighboring Mississippi, and looters, rapists and killers have not turned the streets of Gulfport and Biloxi into killing fields.

Strange that the media doesn't focus on the failures of the local government. I guess that isn't newsworthy.

And how strange is it that people actually do not want to leave?

New Orleans police officers are moving through the Hurricane
Katrina- devastated city and trying to get thousands of residents who have resisted moving to leave, a deputy police chief said Monday.

And what is the color of the sky on your world?

President Bush Statement about Judge Rehnquist

PRESIDENT BUSH: Our nation is saddened today by the news that Chief Justice William Rehnquist passed away last night.

Laura and I send our respect and deepest sympathy to this good man's children, Jim, Janet and Nancy. We send our respect to all the members of the Rehnquist family.

William H. Rehnquist was born and raised in Wisconsin. He was the grandson of Swedish immigrants. Like so many of his generation, he served in the Army during World War II. He went on to college with the help of the G.I. Bill.

He studied law at Stanford University. He graduated first in his class. That included his future colleague Sandra Day O'Connor.

Judge Rehnquist and his late wife, Nan, raised their family in Phoenix, where he built a career as one of Arizona's leading attorneys.

He went on to even greater distinction in public service: as an assistant U.S. attorney general, associate justice of the Supreme Court and, for the past 19 years, chief justice of the United States.

He was extremely well-respected for his powerful intellect. He was respected for his deep commitment to the rule of law and his profound devotion to duty.

He provided superb leadership for the federal court system, improving the delivery of justice for the American people and earning the admiration of his colleagues throughout the judiciary.

Even during a period of illness, Chief Justice Rehnquist stayed on the job to complete the work of his final Supreme Court term.

I was honored and I was deeply touched when he came to the Capitol for the swearing-in last January.

He was a man of character and dedication. His departure represents a great loss for the court and for our country.

There are now two vacancies on the Supreme Court. And it will serve the best interests of the nation to fill those vacancies promptly. I will choose in a timely manner a highly qualified nominee to succeed Chief Justice Rehnquist.

As we look to the future of the Supreme Court, citizens of this nation can also look with pride and appreciation on the career of our late chief justice. More than half a century has passed since William H. Rehnquist first came to the Supreme Court as a young law clerk.

All of those years, William Rehnquist revered the Constitution and the laws of the United States. He led the judicial branch of government with tremendous wisdom and skill.

He honored America with a lifetime of service, and America will honor his memory.

May God bless the Rehnquist family.

Thank you all very much.

And You Thought Katrina Was a Storm?

Wait until the Congress resumes with two vacancies on the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice William Rehnquist succumbed to cancer late Saturday.
This could be the opening of three appointment battles. John Roberts, a replacement for William Rehnquist on the Court, and elevation of someone to Chief Justice.
Watch the media storm.

Other Ways to Help

"This ministry is ready. We're prepared. We've got Partners down there in that whole Gulf Coast area that we're close to and they need our help. We're going to be right in the middle of it!"

—Kenneth Copeland

Dear Partners:

As you know, thousands of residents living off the Gulf Coast were forced to evacuate their homes earlier this week in the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina, leaving behind nearly everything they owned. And since then a great number of those people—many of whom are Partners with our ministry—have been rendered helpless and homeless.

Now, they need our help!

I am writing to let you know that we have established the "KCM Katrina Relief Fund" to assist our church brothers and sisters—our Partners and Friends—in the affected areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and to ask you to join us in this effort. I have recorded a special message on this whole disaster, and some of the spiritual reasons behind it. Please take time now to listen to the message, so that you will know how to pray over this situation. Then, be led of the Lord in how you are to respond in helping those affected by this tragedy.

If you would like to make a financial contribution through the "KCM Katrina Relief Fund," you can do so now by clicking here. Or, you can call 1-888-326-011. One hundred percent of all contributions made through the "KCM Katrina Relief Fund" will be sent to the designated relief areas. If you live outside the United States and would like to contribute, please click here. All contributions from outside the United States will be receipted from the USA.

We are currently coordinating with Operation Blessing in an effort to determine what items are needed, and how to get them delivered to those affected by this tragedy. We will make that information available to you on our Web site at kcm.org as soon as it becomes available. Please check there often.

I encourage you to not get into fear over what has happened. Take authority over fear right now, in the Name of Jesus, and put a stop to any kind of fear thoughts that the devil would try to sow into your minds—particularly those of you who have loved ones and friends down there. Instead, be a source of prayer and strength for those who have been affected, and for those who are working to help pull things back together. This thing goes far beyond just what you can see in the news media. The spiritual ramifications of this are enormous. But we are delivered from fear. Don't let it in!

God bless you and remember…:JESUS IS LORD!



Watch Brother Copeland's Message

Contribute to KCM Katrina Relief Fund

Psalms 107