Gone COMFesting

For the no one that reads this there will be no posts until Monday as I will be spending the weekend (starting in 10 minutes) at the #1 event fo the year in Columbus... COMFest.

VDH sees a real New World Order

Victor David Hanson is right, but that's not saying much, in his accretion of the attitudes of the parts of the world we as Americans have spent the last 50 year defending. Not that the "teenage syndrome" is 100%, it's not and it's overly simplistic nature ignores the deep century old roots of anti-Americanism. However, the course of action America needs to take is to treat the unruly as unruly teens. We must move all our troops out of western mainland Europe. Get every single GI off the Korean peninsula. Only be in places that really truly want us and take the money saved to build 8 or 10 WTC Class super carriers.

Violent Terrorist Mandela condemns US, praises France

Aww gee shucks. It seems Nelson Mandela still doesn't like the US. I don't know why the media referred to this uneducated thug as a "statesman". He was a violent marxist revolutionary that was arrested for opposing apartheid. But not in the non-violent manner that Rev. King taught. No, ol'statesman Mandela was going to blow up buildings with people in them. The only difference between a mass murder and Nelson Mandela is he got caught before he could pull the switch. Mind you these aren't trumped up charges, he freely admits he was about to kill. He admits it because as long as you are fighting "the man" you can employ any means you wish.

Mandela, a man who calls Yasir Arafat and Fidel Castro his friends. A man who calls America the greatest racist nation in the world. A man who was swept from power after one term for damm near running S. Africa into the ground. A man calls all Americans "blood thirsty murders". A man who supported Saddam as the "freely elected leader of Iraq". Why does anyone in the media listen to a word this nimrod says?



I will say this... he's one snappy dresser.

Mamma Bear, Poppa Bear and Baby Bear

Hugh Hewitt's piece, Monday Morning Spooks, shows typical partisan crap. The party out of power simply bitches that the others aren't doing enough or going too far and as in the Dems bitching about Bush and the War on Terrorism, often at the same time and one the same subject. It goes on all the time so no biggie only I think the Dems - while making the party elites happy - are continuing to do themselves serious damage with the swing voters with their constant and inconsistent harping on Bush over his actions to fight terrorism. If the choice is in '04 is between a strong national defense Bush and a Dem who's platform is nothing more than attacking Bush... well that's no choice at all.

Driving Faster = Safer Roads

It's not speed that kills, it's differences in speed that kill. Thus now that those who follow speed limits are able to drive closer to the going rate of speed there are fewer crashes, injuries and fatalities. One thing that Stephan Moore doesn't mention is the Safetyniks prediction that everyone would be driving faster if the limits with up. People will always drive 15mph above the limit was their claim. This is using a child like concolusion from seeing people averaging 70mph when the limits 55 and drawing it that if the limits where 65 traffic would flow at 80mph or even 90mph in states that dared go higher. This is idiot think and the facts have proven them wrong. Traffic, especially heavy traffic, still flows at the same rates only now the police are forced/free to target the real dangerous high speed drivers versus merely randomly writing tickets since everyone was speeding.

Long live the 85th percentile.

Trying to find peaceful Muslims

So there are many sites I find linking to all sorts of sites that make Muslims and Islam look bad. I have never seen any countering links so I thought since I have internet access and my fingers aren’t broken I’d do a Google search myself. I search for “Muslims for peace with Israel”. What I found is not hopeful.

#1 Archived News article about Muslims chanting death to Israel and America.

#2 International Herald Tribune article on anti-war rally turning into anti-Israeli rally

#3 Essay by westerner asking if peace is possible with Islam

#4 Homepage for the AMJ (American Muslims for Jerusalem). A group of American Muslims dedicated to changing US foreign policy in the Middle East and making us anti-Israeli. AMJ is sponsored by American Muslim Alliance (AMA); American Muslim Council (AMC) and Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) all groups that defend terrorists every chance they get. This doesn’t qualify as Muslims wanting peace I don’t think.

#5 Essay by a Muslim blaming the conflict on inept US policy that includes the shameful lie that Islam got along fine with the West until we started the crusades in the 11th century. Either this guy knows no history or somehow to him the Islamic conquests of the Western Roman Empire, Anatolia, the Levant, most of Byzantium, Christian north Africa, all of Spain and Portugal, half of Italy, a third of France plus many islands including Cyprus and Sicily constitute “getting along”. I am interested in his explanation on how the 9th century sacking of Rome and the Holy See by Islamic armies was peaceful co-existence. Seems for this Muslim they where getting along great with us right up until we started to fight back.

#6 A BBC article about options for splitting Jerusalem

#7 A blog on the "peace process" run by a Jew in Israel

#8 Islam.org who claims, "is dedicated to promoting understanding of Islam and Muslim people by providing accurate, unbiased and balanced information." It is a very white washed site that has the feel that "if only you non-believers understood us all would be fine" feel to it. Also it hasn't been updated in a year so they have no say on current "roadmaps".

#9 A blog with a cartoon of Bush and Rumsfeld eating a raw steak and an anti-Daniel Pipes rant.

#10 The Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace (CMIP) who is an NGO base in NY state that looks into school books in the middle east (Israeli and Muslim) to see if kids are being taught hate or tolerance.

#11 A Christian Science Monitor article on how Jews and Muslims get along fine in New York City’s Midwood area.

#12 An evangelical Christian site out to convert Muslims

#13 Article from Taiwan News dated only 3 weeks after 9/11 about the mosque in Taipei. Interviews included typical Islamic denial with back handed anti-American statements about the immorality of the US. Kind of a "No real Muslim would do that but they had it coming anyway" attitude.

#14 Essay by Rabbi Dr. Ron Kronish on why dialog is needed in the "peace process"

#15 Essay by a Muslim and Jew in Hartford, CT about how they wish for a peaceful solution. So that’s one Muslim for peace so far. Not one site mind you, just one Muslim.

#16 A list of articles on the Israeli-Syrian peace talks that where to take place in Shepherdstown, WV that never happened.

#17 The text of the "Road Map for Peace" proposed by the US on 5/13/2003

#18 An Op-Ed piece in the Miami Herald on the issue of splitting Jerusalem

#19 A "pro-Israeli" site called "Agenda" which claims to be a "Weekly bulletin connecting the Jewish world".

#20 A news article from New Zealand dated 5/5/2003 about Mohammed Nour Dachan, president of the Union of Muslim Communities of Italy, fasting one day for peace. Fasting one whole day? This guy is a force for peace.

#21 Homepage of the American Committee on Jerusalem (ACL). ACL claims to be offering an alternative view to the pro-Israeli dominated media and offers what seems to be an equitable solution to the "Jerusalem issue". However two things caught my eye. First they have the PLO flag on the header of the site and secondly well know Islamic Triumphalists Walid Khalidi and Edward Said are on their advisory board. Those are two people that are on public record opposing the existence of the state of Israel itself. I'm sure they give reasoned counsel.

#22 A letter to the Editor in UC Santa Barbara's student newspaper from Joey Tartakovsky (President, American Students for Israel) in which he refutes the idea that Muslims are out to destroy the world.

#23 Answering Christianity, an Islamic evangelical site trying to convert everyone, especially Christians.

#24 Anti-Islamic site warning that Muslims cannot be trusted as the Koran permits them to lie to non-believers. This place is a little to anti-Islam for me but that bit about the Koran is all too true.

#25 A FOR article about Israel blocking a US congressional delegation being blocked at a checkpoint into the West bank on 8/8/2002. FOR is the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a self proclaimed peace group founded in 1915 that has a history of supporting murdering dictators including protesting to defend Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, Communist N. Korea and N. Vietnam. Most recently they were pro-Saddam during the build up to the fight in Iraq. See a pattern?

#26 Op-Ed piece by Thomas L. Friedman on Muslim rage. Hosted on an American site that supports "Shalom Achshav", the Israeli peace movement.

#27 A pdf from MEMRI translating an interview with the Saudi Ambassador to London in which he makes many peace loving statements, like how he "longs to die as a martyr". Can you imagine a US Ambassador stating that he longed to kill women and children while blowing himself up?

#28 Article from IslamOnline on a speech given by the Prime Minister of Malaysia in which he promised there would be no peace as long as Muslims were oppressed and that Muslims are being oppressed everywhere. I wonder if that includes Islamic Maya Asia?

After checking out the first 28 sites Google came back with on this search I have found one Muslim in American that wants peace and one in Italy that didn’t eat for a day. So much for Muslims that want peace with Israel.

Will there really be a Leftist TV channel?

There is a part of me that really enjoys watching the high and mighty fail in spectacular fashion and I do believe that it will not be a commercially viable channel. David Brooks has a write up on the Left's looser and looser grip on reality that is at the heart of the reason I think any LeftTV will crash and burn.

Over the last few weeks Democratic power brokers have been lamenting over the "conservative" control of the media and proposing that it is their obligation to create new station for an alternative voice. Now they have the money and power to get a new station off the ground, of that there is no doubt, but can they sell ads? I doubt it. These are a group of people that feel ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, NPR, PRI, CNN, etc. are controlled be a conservative conspiracy. People that think all news, not just FOX, are under the control of a Republican cabal.

Just what do you think would be discussed on a "Progressive political" news station that thinks ABC are too far right of the American people? I'll tell you. It will show hate. 30 minute shows of hate followed by more 30 shows for a hate. Shows about hating Bush, republicans, America, cars and trucks, meat, hard work and enterprise, the current Supreme Court, Western Civilization and much more. The message of a people that think CNN is a toad for Dick Cheny is a message that is so far left it will at best be cannon fodder for comedians but runs the risk of completely alienating not just the swing voters but even moderate Democrats. And since this TV station will be purporting to represent the Democratic view may spell doom for the party.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the mind set that leads to thinking that there is a "conservative cabal". All one needs do is look at the current political feel in America and the media through the eyes of Conservative Bob and Liberal Joe. Bob sees the gaining rating of FOX news, the feel among other TV news channels that they need to do more to represent an "unbiased" view and the death grip hold on talk radio is the news media simply reacting to the market. Bob would think it's natural that the News Industry will change to meet the needs of a market feeling more and more in line with current conservative views. Bob says, "Long live the free market!" Joe on the other hand sees a completely different world. In Joe's world, a world where people can only improve at the behest of government agencies telling them what to do, change is only wrought when the people are "swayed" but the influence of power brokers. If more people are watching FOX it's because Republicans are doing a better job of swaying them. The idea that the American people looked at the left and the right and of their own free will are choosing the right simply never occurres to Joe. Joe says, "Fight the man!"

It all may come to naught if more business minded cooler heads prevail and explain no one will watch a bunch of wing-nuts on LeftTV and they'll bleed money but I sure hope not.

UPDATE: It would seem Scott Belliveau agrees with me.

Campus Leftism goes on the warpath

If you still aren't sure that Leftism is entrenched in our Universities one needs to look no further than the condemnation of University of Southern Florida by the American Association of University Professors for the firing of Sami Al-Arian.

Sami Al-Arian is a terrorist with a huge list of indictments and charges. Sami Al-Arian has been doing legwork for Hamas for 10 years. When he was arrested and charged the administration of USF decided that they didn't want a terrorist on the faculty and let him go. The AAUP is very upset over the whole incident, which is fine except that they aren't upset that there was a active terrorist among them whom by his actions may have cast a bad light over their profession. NO! They are hoping mad that the University has trampled on his right to free speech.

When the AAUP treats being a terrorist as a free speech issue then campus lefties have gone too far.

VDH Says that we are slowly winning

Victor in his newest NOR piece has, as always, many good points. But I am fearful that he is too optimistic. Not that we are winning, becuase we are. Not that we can win, becuase we can. But rather that we will win.

All 9 Demicratic candidates are basicly in agreement that if they win they are going to undo all that has been done in the War on Terrorism. I am fearful that if one of them gets in we will be looking at another period of emboldenment for the terror masters. Also I think National Security is going to be my #1 concern this election. There's no magor civil deress, though you can bet the Dems will be screaming like some little black girl just got lynched on the White House lawn when the Supreme Court rules against racal preferences this summer. The economy has been improving for 18 months and continues to get strong, slowly but growth is growth. Medicare? Social Security? Health Care? All important but I don't think the Dems have it right on those three issues anyway and besides what's a SSI check worth if you can't spend it on beer because the new Mullah of America just issued a fatwa outlawing all booze.

Security worsens despite arrival of French troops

Gee really? Who would could have possilbly thought that the mere presence of French troops would not instantly wihp the fighting, blood thristy Congolese tribal factions into a civil franco-european society over night.

Here's a bit of news for you Jacque tribal insugents aren't scared off by the might of the US armed forces and we can kick everyones ass so just what makes you think you can accomplish anything with 500 guys?


And here we have a valiant French soldier standing in front of Congolese children who are receiving no help from the French forces at all. Come on, wandering arround and shooting at those dumb enough to shoot first is not how you create stability. But looking at the last few hundred years of french history what do they know of stabilty.

Tressle gets a big green pat on the back

Ohio State Buckeye's football coach has received a new contract worth millions. After taking a program from shameful to national champs in two years the University needs to ensure he stays so no biggie, right? Well the thing I like is aside from on bonus if Ohio State gets back to the Championship game all other bonuses are tied to the team's academic performance and I think that is great.

Go Bucks!

Why is it so easy to find radical Islamist wesites?

In this Front Page Mag article the author, Joe Kaufman, reports that what he found looking into one website called, palestine4ever.net, which doesn't just support the intfada but champions those who wish genocide against the Jews. Joe then does a good job of connecting the dots showing that it's not just a few nut jobs but rather a larger group of people who are all supporting the triumphalism of Islam in one way or another.

The palestine4ever web site is disturbing to view. It's rather amazing how they have in ways become nothing more than a death cult and the rest of Islam is following hot on their trails. There is a gallery on the site dedicated to those who murder women and children or as the Palestinians call them, "martyrs". The site even draws comparisons saying that Che Guevara and the mass murdering terrorist Abu Abbas are fighting the same fight. Che, now there's an upstanding person I'd want to emulate.

But there's more even than Joe Kaufman's article covers.

Take the Zayed Centre for Coordination and Follow-Up for example, an Islamist think-tank that represents a few nuts? No. I think it represents the direction that Islam is heading. Right now as we sit hear Islam is going further and further down the path of insanity. These people believe, actually believe, that the Jews would be better of living under Islamic rule. They are a wonderful example of the Islamic Victimhood Syndrome. At the symposium discussed in the Arab News article those of the Zayed Center keep going back to the idea that if they could only find a way to break the hate the Jews have for all other religions, if they can get the Jews to stop wanting to take over the world then perhaps they can create peace. Classic projection.

I think these site represent a majority of thinking in the Islamic world and the reason I feel that is the ease with which one can find Islamist sites advocating Jihad and the deafening lack of Islamic sites that want to live in peace.

(Thanks: LGF for the links)

Wonky science saves the day

I'm a big fan of the 2nd amendment and have always disputed the claims of one being X number of times more likely to be killed by gun fire if they had a gun in the house. I didn't have a great understanding of statistics or the study of social sciences but what I do have is a good radar or BS slogans.

When a group with an agenda start screaming one number of some 'study' over and over again it sounds entirely too much like they are liars. If you say the same lie enough people will begin to believe it's true.

Well here's a piece that puts a little ammo (pun intended) into the argument my gut has been making for years that the claim "If you have a gun you'll most likely die from gun violence" was crap

UN is still living in a dream world

Maybe the UN has Field of Dreams playing in a loop on TV’s throughout the building. If we build a peace keeping force there will be peace. Does Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham really think that a few hundred inexperienced Canuks wearing blue helmets can stop Hamas from blowing up buses when the IDF can’t? But a peace keeping force can be useful if certain criteria are met.

The force must be strong and willing to go after terrorists. That means US involvement and US leadership but I can’t see that happening as this is really nothing more than a power play by the UN and nations that were opposed to the liberation of Iraq. They want to so they still count and can’t do that by begging the US for help. Which means futility and deaths while they thump their chests at how they are involved in the struggle for peace.

The force cannot be comprised of nations sympathetic to the Palestinians which think it’s Israel that must be stopped. The Israelis do not hold rallies where they scream about pushing the Palestinians into the river or destroying Palestine. A force of Canadians, Belgians, French, etc. will most likely keep their guns pointed at Israel with their backs to the terrorist and sit idlely by while buses keep blowing up.

Put your self in the mind of a Palestinian terrorist and you have two choices of who will be manning the checkpoint to get into Israel. Choice one is a squad of blue beret wearing sophisticated cynical French-Canadians trying to look good for the cameras to show how important the struggle for peace is to their countries and who will happily look the other way so long as you don’t shoot at them. Choice two is a couple M1A2’s flanked by a platoon of arrogant, war mongering, trigger happy US Marines who all remember with astonishing detail that it was you who danced the night away on 9/11 in ecstasy at the murder of 3,000 Americans.

That is why the Palestinians what a UN peace force.

Is Ford really this desperate?

Who’s all ready to line up and shell out 85 large on a P. Diddymobile? Wanting to blatantly court one segment of the market, in this case the Urban Market, is fine but do they really think a couple $85,000 DVD encrusted Navigators is the way to do that? I mean really, do they?

I don’t think so.

The problems with Lincoln’s image can’t be fixed by a few rappers singing about a Navigator instead of an Escalade. Lincoln as always been an also ran to Cadillac and the reason are real, performance, styling and not song titles that are at the root of this. Lincoln best days where in the ‘50s and ‘60s when they were being crushed in the market by Cadillac. In the ‘70s and ‘80s neither maker had much to brag about but in the ‘90s GM started to dust off Cadillac and move them in a positive direction. This has yet to happen over in Dearborn. Lincoln is still stuck in the last quarter of the 20th century, merely taking Fords, adding chrome, and asking a premium price.

The Towncar is a relic that sells to an ever shrinking pool of buyers. The LS is by far Ford’s best car but it’s styling is so subdued and dull you simply miss them on the road. Plus I am talking about the Urban Market here where styling counts for so much more and no matter how solid the mechanics are if it looks bland you’ll sell few. What says flash? A dowdy LS or a Caddy CTS fresh off its big screen photo op in The Matrix: Reloaded?

As for the trucks it’s a joke. Yes yes, the Escalade is based on the same platform as the Yukon/Suburban but it resembles them in no way. No one would confuse the massive edgy design of the Escalade for a Chevy. However if you take that big toothy grill off the nose of your Navigator or Aviator it’s a carbon copy of the Expedition and Explorer. The Lincolns represent the tried and outdate badge engineering of the past while the Cadillacs are the platform sharing of the future.

The Navigator is an inferior product and the market will bear that out no matter how many TV’s old P. Diddy loads in his ride.

Comments

Okay, not that anyone will ever visit let alone leave a comment, I am going to give Enetation a try as a way to add comments to the site. So please feel free to comment away.

Another VDH History lesson

Yet another wonderful read from Victor David Hanson on the current trend of events in the Middle East.

I am with him about 95%. Where I differ is on his assertion that the minds of the terrorists are being awoken to see the writing on the wall. Those after mere political advantage or power can be brought to knee when enough force is provided but those of the strict Islamists can not. One can not deal rationally with those who are without reason. But the zealots aren't blind. They see what is happening and will do what they can to ratchet up their terror strikes. The question for us is what do we do. Do we take VDH's consul and, "press on and give to the terrorists and their abettors no quarter" or do we tire of the fight and fall back?

It is beyond imperative that we strive forward now. The fight we are in now is a result of the terrorists thinking we are a decadent weak country, a paper tiger as the Chinese government likes to say. If we stop now the fight we will have 20-30 years from now will be much worse. The sad truth is that for every 19 year-old we lose now is saving the life's of 2-3 newborns that won't have to clean up a mess left behind by GenX.

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

Jed Babbin's piece on NRO is correct on many levels.

The mood here in "fly-over" country, far from the beltway and the megaopoli of the coasts, is one of righteous indignation. We want to take the fight to the terrorist and not sit around waiting for buses to explode. We want to hit them so hard it sends a message to everyone that, in simple country terms, "You mess with the bull and you get the horns."

I agree with everything Jed says in this piece. If - and I pray it never does - we are hit with another large scale attack there will be no guessing, no delay only action. We would move like the wind over the nations of Islam crushing them under are heel. For any duplicitous allies thinking to hold back American wrath they would do well to step out of the way or be hurt. The mind set here in the heartland would be "kill'em all and let God sort'em out".

Those in Europe wishing to see us do poorly in the war. Those wishing to see us get bloodied again need to realize that they have no grasp on the American mind set. They like to have a simple view of us as war mongers. They have no idea. We get hit again and the world will tremble at the mention of our name. I can say the mood would be, "We've tried working with you $%&*ers since the end of the war. We've tried to do it "your way" for 60 years. We've gone along with the UN and many other multilateral and where has it gotten us? 6,000 dead civilians on our own soil. Well your way is over, now we our going to do it our way. So you sit down, shut up and we will drag this world kicking and screaming into the 21st century."

There would be no where to hide. Lets say France is providing political asylum to a person the US wants and they won't hand him over. We get his again and feeling here in the center will be, "We had troops fighting in France before, lets go get them". Weak nations of the world fear a US so powerful that we will simply put our troops anywhere we want and do as we please. Give the disparity in strength between us and the rest of the world that is a reasonable fear. Unfortunately they are missing the greatest chance to protect themselves by helping us now. Helping us nip this in the bud so we don't get hit. Not only are the missing the chance to help but by dragging their feet they are helping to give the terrorists the time to hit us again and by such their fear of America as a War god is going to be instrumental in the creation of America as a war god.

The world needs to keep an eye on Washington and its ear on the "heartbeat".

Anti-Bushites trying to invent scandal

The lefties and the Dems have had a bug up their collective asses about Bush since the moment he "stole" the election. They have vigorously opposed Bush at every turn regardless of the issue. There is no examination of Bushes stance versus their own. There is no rational discussion on any topic. They knee-jerk disagree and attack everything Bush says and does. I think if Bush was to come out for fuzzy baby rabbits they'd be screaming that they are dangerous to children and need to be outlawed.

Some will say that this is no different than republican attacks on Clinton and while there were plenty of Republicans with a woody to get Clinton - probably cause he was getting more then them - there was still rational debate and work on the other issues. Republican members of congress did not oppose everything Clinton did and justify their attack because he was a "horn-dog". They did not oppose the intervention in Kosovo to stop the genocide taking place there on the grounds that Clinton couldn't keep it in his pants. Plus their attacks centered around the actions of Clintons crouch and not, as in this case, the security and defense of the United States.

Now the anti-Bush crowd are screaming bloody murder and trying to invent what they want to call, "WMDgate". Their reasoning is since no stock pile of WMDs have yet been found then there are none to be found. Bush lied about Iraqi WMD to trick the country into approving an illegal war of conquest. They want to find evidence of the lie and impeach Bush. By talking and talking about this and using well crafted terms like "WMDgate" they are hoping to control the debate. Here's a good NRO piece on this fantasy

He who controls the debate, controls the universe.

By talking about WMDs and only WMDs they want to focus everyone attention on one narrow aspect of the Battle for Iraq, which itself is only one component of the War on Terror. Every prediction they made on Iraq was wrong. There was no revolt by the 'Arab street". There were no long bloody battles. The Iraqi people were happy to be liberated. Saddam was even a worse murderer than anyone had expected with more mass graves being unearthed everyday. But the WMD's! We haven't found any yet... attack attack! Let's impeach Bush because there may have been questionable intel supporting one of the legs of his platform for invasion.

Well that doesn't fly with me. I really don't care if Saddam had 10,000 nukes or nothing he was a cancer in the region and it was in our interests and those of our children that he be removed. He was a big supporter of terrorism and we are still cleaning up terrorist training camps in Iraq. We are at war with the terrorists and back in 2001 when Bush said that we will not distinguish between the terrorists and those who support them everyone, including the Dems, gave a standing ovation. Now that Bush is delivering on that promise they want to use it to hang him with.

UPDATE: The Onion wieghs in on the WMD debate

Iranians Protesting agaisnt the Theocracy

Why we need a gentle hand with Iran. The days of the Mullahs are coming to an end but it won't be because of the 4th Heavy Armor Division. After the revolution in '79 the Mullahs told every one to have big families. They did and now most of the country is under 25 and has lived their entire lives under the fundamentalist theocracy. These kids know one thing and that is if they band together they can oust the Mullahs just like their parents ousted us and the Shah.

And while the current Iranian government is rouge and dangerous the Iranians are more like the Vietnamese then Pakistanis or Saudis. That is to say they don't hate the US the way others do. Sure they think we are heavy handed reactionary dolts who are always shooting ourselves in the foot - and they aren't to far off the truth there - but hate? No, and the reason is simple. Just like Vietnam, even though what came next is unquestionable worse that anything we'd have done, they don't hate us because they won.

So when they overthrow the Mullahs, and they will, we need to be ready to offer any assistance we can and we need to offer that assistance in the most gracious manner we are capable of but most importantly... we need to not move a muscle until they ask. Then we can make friends with both the Iranians and the new government

(Maybe that's why the French act so pissy all the time, they never win.)

First Oldsmobile. Is Toyota next?

It's 1980 and you are the #3 car maker in the United States, behind only Chevy and Ford. You have the golden touch and eveyone wants what you got. Times are so good your plants run 3 shifts a day 24/7 and still can't keep up. Fast forward 20 years to 2000 and GM announces that they will begin phasing you out over the next few years. What happened? You got aged out of the market. While you where selling cars like hotcakes to the WWII generation the Boomers where going elsewhere. So many WWII gen bought an Olds as a retirement car that your image which had once been youthful and innovative became dowdy and boring before anyone knew what was happening. The car that in 1970 was filling the spot Acura fills today was by 1990 considered persona non grata by the Boomers and a 'grandpa-mobile' by GenX. Major changes are made in the '90's and you are on the road to recovery with some GenX'ers starting to take notice when GM has to cut you lose to get rid of dead wieght. After 107 years you will be dead.

Will Toyota be next to be aged out of the market?

They certainly are on track to do just that. With the average Toyota buy approaching 50 Toyota, demographicly speaking, is finding itself in an eerily similar spot that Olds was in the last '70's. Right now they are on top of the world but soon, too soon for us all, many of their buyers are going to stop buying cars. After age 60 few Americans continue to buy new as they switch from wage earnings to retierment ernings. With a average buyer at 50 and no product pulling in GenX the writing is on the wall if they sit and do nothing.

This is where Toyota's new car line Scion comes in. Toyota has the advatage over Olds of forknowledge. Toyota has the time to alter their image before it's too late and bringing in exciting new products is the way to do it. The question is, "Is Scion the right plan?". I'm afriad the answer is no and while this by no need means Toyota will be gone in 20 years at best they are going to waste a lot of time and money before they figure this out.

The problem with their plan is they are giving up on GenX. They want to keep selling to the dying Boomers and are ramming Scion right at GenY. GenX which doesn't want yet another bland Camry or uninspired Corolla also isn't looking for a stripped box that comes in 32 differnet flavors. We (full disclosure: I'm an Xer myself) want fun but can afford much more car than the $13k, 108hp Scions. We are getting WRX's, Mazda6, TSX's, supercharged Pontiacs and the like. Cars that are in Toyota's price range but offer more zoom. Toyota is squeezing GenX right out of the showroom and in return is on the verge of being classified persona non grata by us just as our parents shunned Olds. This is the danger in their plan. If they can get GenY hooked on the Scion they are safe, if not then they are Oldsmobile.

Can colored shift selectors and speaker options make a gereration gowning up with movies like The Fast and the Furious excited about driving a 108hp box that can't get out of it's own way? Toyota loves to ramble on constantly about how "customizable" the Scions are but then fail to mention the only things customizable are the interior trim pieces. There are no perfomance mods for these little econoboxes and according to Car & Driver and other auto mags they desperately need them. The GenYers that want a fast car aren't going to buy a Scion. The GenYers that want to look like they have a fast car aren't going to buy a Scion that everyone in GenY knows damm well is a gutless wonder. These will be left to people wanting a wierd unique car, people that want 'Toyota quality' but are on a budget and out of touch Boomers wishing to appear youthful and that is not a plan that will keep you on top.

Case study: The Honda Element has the unique destinction of being the first car directed at GenY. The hip looking ads protray a bunch of kids that look like they just got out of High School out looking for a cool beach or heading into the mountains. This car is aimed right at GenY with both barrels of Honda's formitable marketing team. Average age of an Element buyer? 41.

Oh what a feeling.

One less bus to follow the 'roadmap'.

Quick take on the 'Roadmap to Peace". Once both groups agreed to the plan they where essentially wiping the slates clean. There is not centuries long history everyone starts fresh now. Since the PLO agreed there have been over 30 terrorist attacks in Israel against civilians. Hamas goes on record saying that they will never stop killing Jews. The US press and Bush Administration say nothing. The new PLO Prime Minister Abbas is asked about Hamas's statement to which he replays that he will, "under no circumstances" do anything to restrain Hamas. Again the US Press and Bush Administration is silent.

Israel then bombs the leader of Hamas, one of the bloodies terror groups in the world, and suddenly the US press and Bush are admonishing them for creating a set back to the peace plan. Disgusting.

Now I want you to look at that bus. That happened today. At least 15 dead civilians and scores injured. Where is the world outrage? Why is this not a setback for peace? It seems the only peace that is politically acceptable is one in which the terrorists get to kill at will and the Israelis get to sit and do nothing.

UPDATE: I just saw a report stating, " Visibly angry, Bush spoke after a suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus in downtown Jerusalem.
"For the people in the world who want to see Mideast peace, I strongly urge all of you to fight off terror," Bush said. He called the attack "a terrible bombing in Jerusalem" and said it was clear that there are people who hate peace. "

I hope Bush is angry because he feels betrayed after totting the PLO line for a few days to now have this happen. I hope he realizes that they can not be dealt with, only removed.

Is France 'withering on the vine'?

In this Frontpage Mag Syposium on the The Death of France most of the discussion - which is full of good points - revolves around the quickening Islamification of France and France's current world view. A good read but I want to know when France forgot Pepin.

Tours, 742

France now is so enthralled with getting praise - and contracts - from Muslim world that I am certain the Franks that died defending France and all of western culture against the invading Muslim armies are turning in their graves. How France has fallen, from the Defender of Christendom against the Armies of Mohammed into the Ax of Islam that is trying to split the West into pieces I wish I fully understood.

They had it easy in WWII.

Victor David Hansen worries that the recent fight in Iraq was over so fast, with so little 'collateral damage' that the Iraqis will not act as they should, as a conquered people, because they won't realize that they've lost. While this French soup we have today has been a long time in making I feel most of their troubles stem from never feeling they lost WWII. Most of the damage in France was caused by British and American planes and tanks trying to free them from the Germans. Everyone thought France a world power when the lights went out in 1940 and the French still believed they where a player in 1945. De Gaulle leading them in their delusions of power. Getting The Bomb and joining in the Nuclear Club. Their permanent seat on the UN Security Council. All reinforcing their view that they matter.

The Napolionic Dream.

After WWII when the Brits realized that Rule Britannia was at an end they mourned the loss, accepted it and moved on. They ruled the world for a solid 200 years and where ready to let go. France has never ruled. They came close. Fighting it out with the Brits but the loss of the French Indian war to their nemesis England chaffed and knocked them into "also ran". They have spent the last 250 years trying to get back on top. They still want it. They thought they might have found a backdoor with the French culture and French language. 100 years ago, 50 years ago even as recently as 25 years ago if you wanted to be in world diplomacy, international business, etc. the language to speak was French. Ah! But in one blink of the eye French became nothing more than another European tongue, no more important than Italian or German. The language that supplemented theirs on the world stage? English.

It was their turn.

Why the anti-American hate coming from France? Didn't they help us against the British? Didn't we help them twice with the Germans? Don't we like French food? Don't they like Jerry Lewis? Why the sudden hate? What, one too many Texas loud mouths on holiday in Paris saying, "Hiyou!" at the top their lungs make them all snap? I think not. I say we aren't experiencing any anti-Americanism but rather anti-english sentiments. The French spent two centuries waiting to the sun to set on the British Empire with the belief that they would take over. Instead the Americans stole in and took the day. So we have simply replaced the British as "Those English speaking dogs we must defeat in order to rule the world" in their minds. Their courting of questionable leaders (re: Muslim despots) to gain support and a bit of wealth, their knee jerk opposition to almost everything America says or does. It's just like when they where vying with the Brits 200 years ago.

We Americans are a reluctant Imperium while the French salivate at the thought of power, however I fear they are blazing a trail to their own destruction.

Title

What I am trying to say is nothing