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There are times when political correctness goes to far, the incident that occurred with Imus last Wednesday is one of them.
According to MSNBC.com Imus has had his morning show suspended for two weeks because of the ‘racist’ comments that he made last week. Today on Al Sharpton’s radio show Imus attempted to defend himself and to apologize while Al Sharpton did nothing but ask for his resignation.
Al Sharpton is nothing but a hate monger, if anyone should be arrested for instigating violence it is Al Sharpton who years ago caused a near race riot by exploiting a situation between a Jewish landlord and African-American tenants so that he could get attention. Al Sharpton does nothing but make situations worse by pulling the race card out again and again. His actions and the actions of hate mongers like him do nothing but polarize Americans and directly lead to violence and anger.
Al Sharpton has made many anti-Semitic comments in the past, but more importantly why is it only when a possible “black” racist comment is made that Imus is taken off the air. What does it say about our society as a whole when Imus has in the past made racist comments about Jews and Mexicans, and also sexist comments about women and his wife? Where is Al Sharpton when racist comments about every other group but African Americans are made?
Another important question that I want to ask is, if Imus is not allowed to use national TV and radio to sound his “racist” remarks, then why is Rosie O’Donnell allowed to conduct treason and spread enemy propaganda over a broadcast channel and on radio? Is this the direction our society is heading? One stupid comment on a comedy radio show about a basketball team is turned into a national scandal, while we can have people hurting the very fabric of our nation on daytime television with millions of viewers?
Either way, if Al Sharpton wanted to demonstrate the integrity of the black community he should accept Imus’s apology. Even if he did make one racist remark, Imus has done more for sick children, the armed forces, fundraising, and brining political and cultural awareness to Americans of all skin tones. If I were someone with honor and integrity such as Barrack Obama, I would be ashamed to have someone such as Al Sharpton representing not just my race, but also my country.

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Our favorite San Francisco liberal has done it again with her recent trip to Syria. Nancy Pelosi went against the wishes of the president and met with the President of Syria against the wishes of the White House.

Even if her actions in Syria were beneficial (which they were not), she has set a bad precedent that shows her lack of understanding for the US Constitution. Yes, the Bush administration sometimes seems to treat the Constitution as a scrap of paper, but it is beyond hypocritical for the democrats to claim they will restore the Constitution when they themselves go against the very principles they claim to uphold.

We are in a dangerous place when our Congress threatens to dictate the foreign policy of the President of the United States. If Newt Gingrich had traveled to Bosnia to meet with officials when Bill Clinton was in office, there would have been a tremendous outcry. The overall state of American politics shows how little our politicians know or care about the real issues. It seems that they would all rather fight amongst themselves than protect the nation they have sworn to serve.

Editor’s Note: Some spelling and punctuation fixed at 6PM EST 4/8/07.

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The actions of the British sailors and marines who were captured by the Iranians and recently released were despicable. There is no soldier in the US Military that would have placed such shame upon their country and their own honor.

Not only did the British sailors not resist, but their lack of preparation and protection shows the pathetic nature of the British Navy and brings their military capabilities into question. To put it simply, the conduct of the British sailors was unacceptable from start to finish.

Not only did the British not provide proper air and sea support to protect the sailors conducting the search of the vessel in question, but there also was no effort by the British Military to stop the Iranian forces. When the British saw the Iranians entering international water against the UN mandate they immediately should have fired warning shots across the bows of the Iranian vessels. The fact that the British surrendered themselves without offering any resistance has made the Royal Navy the laughingstock of the international community.

If the Iranian videos of the British sailors are a tell about the British navy it is that the men in the Royal Navy look like back stabbing euro trash and that the British navy has an affinity for recruiting over weight women to conduct military operations (a contrast to the US Navy Seals).

In addition, the British should have explicitly stated that they had military options on the table. The biggest mistake made by Jimmy Carter (one reason he should be tried for treason) was that not only did he not respond to an open declaration of war on the United States, but he also publicly stated that the United States would not engage the Iranians militarily. It is by the pure grace of the Iranians that the sailors were released and will now be used as a huge propaganda device by the Iranian regime.

As soon as the British sailors were taken hostage, Tony Blair should have announced that the Iranians had fifteen days to release the sailors or that they would face severe consequences. Some of these consequences could have included raids by US and British soldiers against Iranian oil and natural gas facilities in the Persian Gulf. In addition, the Iranian Embassy in England could have been seized, and the EU could have banned the entry of any new Iranians into any country in the European Union.

The Iranians have declared war on America multiple times, and they have consistently been met without a response. The failure by the international community to respond to the inappropriate actions by Iran not only signals to Iran that they can get away with anything, but also informs other rogue nations that there are not consequences for their actions. In addition, by allowing the British sailors to go unpunished for their un-soldierly conduct, we demonstrate to Islamic extremists that we no longer have any resolve. I have to wonder if anyone in office has the gall to fight Islamic extremists.

Editor’s Note: Some spelling and punctuation fixed at 6PM EST 4/8/07.

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I was watching a special on Fox News about the six imam incident that occurred last fall. One must wonder, however, why these Imams have acted so inappropriately and then broke the story to the press so quickly that they were discriminated against.

One possibility is that the goal of the imams might not only be to raise funds for terrorism by suing American citizens and corporations, but also to scare people from reporting suspicious behavior aboard flights in the future, which may lead to new terrorist attacks. The United States cannot allow activity by any group to threaten the public and all Americans should be encouraged to report suspicious behavior, especially in sensitive locations.

The six imams are suing US Airways and are threatening to sue the passengers who were concerned by their behavior. Not only should there be a law protecting people who report suspicious behavior and not only should airlines be immune from law suits relating to the removal of passengers on the suspicion of terrorism, but additionally such behavior should not be allowed in the first place.

Liberals in this country are too willing to accept the intolerance of Muslims and that acceptance is what leads to the rise of authoritative regimes and theocracies.

Editor’s Note: Some spelling and punctuation fixed at 6PM EST 4/8/07.

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Aside from Rosie O’Donnell and Mahmoud Admadinejad, most of the world is aware of that it is Iran who has been provoking the West in recent days. I remember reading two Fridays ago about the seizure of the fifteen British sailors and marines before any American media began reporting it. Indeed, it seems that as I predicted the situation has escalated. Aside from historical pretense, it seems that Iran is preparing for a longer standoff.

During the embassy crisis, America had one advantage prior to conducting its failed rescue attempt; the hostages were in one location. The Iranians have learned their lesson and they have apparently scattered the British sailors throughout the country, or at least in multiple locations within Tehran. This makes any British rescue attempt much more difficult. At the same time, the British cannot allow the sailors to be brought to trial, as it will be a propaganda disaster.

The Iranians are hoping that the British will be forced to the negotiating table with the Russians. It is clear that neither America, nor Britain will consider making prisoner exchanges (which would also be a disaster and an incentive for hostage taking in the future). However, there are military options that the United States and Britain could take with the full support of the international community that would give them the upper hand in the negotiating table and it would also demonstrate that such blatant disregard of international law will not be tolerated.

One idea that was considered by the US military during the Iranian hostage crisis was to use naval and sea power to secure several Iranian Islands in the Persian Gulf and to then exchange the Islands for the hostages. Jimmy Carter committed to a failed rescue attempt, but it does not mean such a proposal would not work during this crisis. Britain should immediately begin a massive PR campaign at the United Nations, in the EU, with members of the Arab League, and with the media to use all of their available intelligence to prove that the British sailors were in international waters and kidnapped illegally. Additionally, in a statement to the Security Council and to Iran, Britain should make it clear that Iran will face harsh consequences if the British soldiers are not freed within ten days, or if they are brought to trial.

If the British sailors are not released or if they are brought to trail, American and British naval forces in the Persian Gulf should seize several Iranian islands that provide economic and political significance. This should of course correspond with a total naval blockade of all Iranian ports in the gulf. England could then use this territory to get an upper hand in the negotiating table and offer an exchange of the British sailors for the Iranian Islands.

If the sailors or marines are harmed in any way, coalition air and sea power should decimate all Iranian government and military assets along with using precision air strikes to cripple the Iranian nuclear program. In any case, US soldiers in Iraq should be protected against any Iranian retaliation as all American forces were given proper equipment prior to the invasion incase Saddam used biological, nuclear, or chemical warfare in his defense.

As I write this another news story about growing tensions with Iran seems to be breaking, and I am sure that when I awake tomorrow the situation will be different than when I went to bed. Out of all of this, the most disturbing fact may be the lack of appearance by Iranian President Mahmoud Admadinejad, which may suggest that the country is now in total control of the hard liners and clerics.

Popularity: 30% [?]

A new poll taken by a respectable polling organization in Iraq has found that the majority of Iraqis’ believe life is better now than under Saddam. In fact, since the troop surge in Baghdad many Iraqis’ feel that American and Iraqi security forces can control the militias and end the killing. Of course, it is not even possible to find this story in most of the American press(meanwhile it is being reported in the press all over Europe), and it took me almost 3 minutes to find it on FoxNews.com

Why is it that this story, a story about what actual Iraqis believe is happening in their own country, is not reported? I do not think everything is going well in Iraq, but I have said all along that while violence is occuring within the Sunni Triangle, the rest of the country is relitivly stable (Kurdistan is trying to attract money to build up its ski resorts and has rapidly industrialized without the threat of violence). Why is it that CNN.com only has stories of an American soldier accused of murder in Iraq, anti-Iraq War protests, and chlorine gas attacks? If this does not show an obvious bias in the American media, I do not know what will. If anything, it also shows the bias by the press in the Palestinian conflict, they keep on hoping for peace and calling for a Palestinian state when the Palestinians continue to blow themselves up on a daily basis. Yet in Iraq, where people try to work together, they call that a civil war?

If the Bush administration wants to sway any public opinion, they need to start showing the American public poll results such as these.

Editor’s Note: links and punctuation fixed 3/19 6:30pm

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A recent letter obtained by Fox News reveals that Rudy Giuliani is the only Democratic or Republican candidate not invited to the Firefighters Presidential Forum of 2008. The letter by the New York firefighters blames Giuliani for disgracing their brothers and sisters after the attack of September Eleventh.
The writers of the letter explained their anger with Giuliani by writing,

“Prior to November 2001, 101 bodies or remains of fire fighters had been recovered. And those on the horrible pile at Ground Zero believed they had just found a spot in the rubble where they would find countless more that could be given proper burial.

Nevertheless, Giuliani, with the full support of his Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen, decided on November 2, 2001, to sharply reduce the number of those who could search for remains at any one time. There had been as many as 300 fire fighters at a time involved in search and recovery, but Giuliani cut that number to no more than 25 who could be there at once.”

While I have tremendous respect for the brave men and women who compose the FDNY, I find that the topic and their reasons for disagreement is ridiculous. I cannot imagine that there would be any value to searching for more bodies while putting more men at risk. As it turns out now all of those who worked at ground zero are facing serious health repercussions that for many will prove fatal. There was no need for more firefighters to risk their lives and damage their lungs two months after the towers had fallen so that a few more pieces of DNA could be found. Is it worth finding a partial limb to ease a family members pain if it will cause lung cancer in another healthy firefighter and destroy his family too? No, it is not. In addition, the idea that Giuliani ordered the bulldozing of the site only after gold and silver had been removed is insulting. Two months of mourning is enough for America and by November we were taking the war to our enemy, the families of all those lost got all the closure they would ever get, and it is selfish for those family members to want others to risk their lives on a dangerous pile of rubble to find the remaining molecules of their husbands and fathers.

As someone who has lost a father I can say that it doesn’t matter if you get to bury them, they are still gone. The firefighters should be ashamed of their behavior and it is even a graver insult that they did not at least ask Giuliani to attend the conference so that he could be questioned and justify his actions to the IAFF.

The letter can be seen after the jump.
Lire le reste de cet article »

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The Iraq Study Group report is brief but full of information. The problem I had with the report is that it was far too basic. If you read blogs or watch serious political news shows, the information contained in the Iraq Study Group report will seem boring. There was not any information that I read in the report that I did not already know or that was not easily available, and the summaries I had read online before receiving the book from Amazon covered all of the relevant information. I am keeping this review brief because the book was not worth that much of my time. If you are reading this blog or any political blog you probably know more than the information that is available in the report. That being said, it is a good source to gather figures and statistics from and it summarizes complicated ideas into the lexicon that most Americans can understand. There are some ideas suggested that have merit, but you can find the ideas in the Iraq Study Group report and political theories that contradict them online. If you know little about the situation in the Middle East it is worth reading but to rely on it as an exclusive source of information and opinion would be a mistake.  The report is available online as a PDF courtesy of the United States Institute of Peace.

Book Reports are a feature on New School Politics. In these articles, the author presents his opinion of a book, including its relevance to present day America. The same book may be reviewed multiple times by authors with different perspectives.

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Bruce Bawer’s While Europe Slept is a book that will raise your blood pressure. The book is filled with information that will not only horrify you but will infuriate you. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is that a self-identified liberal who is also a member of the gay community wrote it. The author, Bruce Bawer, left for Europe in the late nineties when he became disgusted with the United States and sought an experience that would better align with his views. He moved to Amsterdam, one of the most liberal cities in the world. What he found shocked him. The level of anti-Americanism were appalling. The Europeans love to hate Americans but they fail to realize the monster that they have created. The Muslim influx into Europe is not only crippling the economies of Europe but it is sharply dividing the culture and raising the crime and murder rates. Europeans hope that Muslims will integrate into their society but many are sending their children back to schools in the Middle East to ensure that they are brainwashed to hate Westerners and follow the teachings of the Koran. The accounts of honor killings, terrorism, and the depictions of simple blind hatred will make you revaluate your views on the world. Lire le reste de cet article »

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Everyday thousands of Americans stand in line at airports, taking off their shoes and removing their laptops to be screened by the joke of an organization known as the TSA. What is stopping a terrorist from blowing himself up in that TSA line with one hundred and fifty people before he even enters security. The fact that Americans need to realize is we can never be secure and our attempts to be secure are costing us lives and treasure. More Americans are killed every year from drunk driving than have been killed in our entire history from Islamic fundamentalists. When the Islamists look at CNN or Fox News and see our attempts to secure ourselves they laugh. Lire le reste de cet article »

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