Monthly Archives: November 2004

November 26, 2004 — Scott Johnson

We hold these truths

It turns out that our friend Jordan Lorence of the Alliance Defense Fund represents the plaintiffs in the lawsuit we wrote about on Wednesday in “Declaration of Independence censored?” In his post on the lawsuit, Rocket Man took the allegations of the complaint with a grain of salt. Now Jordan writes to report: ADF filed the lawsuit against the Cupertino School District. We have checked out the facts that we »
November 25, 2004 — Paul Mirengoff

Taking it to the terrorists

Lots of important news from Iraq the past few days. First, our forces have captured a key lieutenant of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Mosul. The man’s name is Abu Saeed. Second, Iraqi troops searching suspected terrorist hideouts in Fallujah have discovered a laboratory with manuals on manufacturing explosives and toxins, including anthrax. Third, U.S. forces have discovered what they say is the largest weapons cache to date in the city »
November 25, 2004 — Paul Mirengoff

More to be thankful for

Max Boot is thankful for our all-volunteer armed forces. So am I. I’m also thankful that the Democratic scare tactic of claiming that President Bush plans to bring back the draft didn’t carry the day. Boot’s article reminds us how much better off we are with all-volunteers, and thus demonstrates the implausibility of the Democrats’ claim. »
November 25, 2004 — John Hinderaker

Happy Thanksgiving

We’ve had a fine Thanksgiving holiday. Last night we had the whole Trunk family over for dinner; Mrs. Rocket made a great leg of lamb. This afternoon we did something we’ve never done before: we went out for Thanksgiving dinner, with my parents. There have been a number of stories in the news this year about schools that have banned any reference to God in connection with Thanksgiving. Which raises, »
November 25, 2004 — John Hinderaker

Bulletins From the Front

In Kiev, that is. Le Sabot Post-Moderne has the latest: More updates from the Front! 1. The reformers have occupied not only the old Lenin Library, but also the first floor of the mayor’s offices, and the Oktabarskaya Palace. This has all been done legally, with the support of the mayor of Kiev, Omelchenko. He’s thrown in with us unreservedly, which is a huge boost. 3. There are small delegations »
November 25, 2004 — John Hinderaker

Light In the Sandals, Part II

I think it’s going to bomb. The American public has a remarkable ability to sniff out turkeys, no matter how heavily hyped. And Alexander has “turkey” written all over it. Colin Farrell’s response to a threat of a lawsuit by outraged Greeks reveals the sophisticated, nuanced thinking that lies behind Oliver Stone’s portrayal of a gay Alexander: Colin Farrell is challenging a group of Greek lawyers to sue him for »
November 25, 2004 — John Hinderaker

Bloggers Force Retirement of 73-Year-Old Newsman

Scrappleface seems to think that bloggers shouldn’t be too triumphant over the retirement of Dan Rather: (2004-11-24) — The blogosphere, an ad hoc network of news commentary web journals created by pajama-clad scribes who write so well they don’t need editors, claimed another triumph this week, forcing the retirement of Dan Rather, a 73-year-old news anchor whose show ranked a distant third in a field of three. “We have put »
November 25, 2004 — John Hinderaker

What’s Up In Ukraine?

We haven’t said much about the situation in Ukraine because, frankly, we don’t know much about it. The Washington Times has a good summary of the current status. From what I know of the big picture, the situation in Ukraine seems relatively encouraging, in that the people’s commitment to democracy appears strong. I assume there is truth to the claim that Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych “won” the election through fraud. »
November 25, 2004 — John Hinderaker

The Latest From Iraq

For a detailed and inspiring first-person account of the battle of Fallujah, see Lt. Col. »
November 25, 2004 — Scott Johnson

The almost chosen people give thanks

The learned David Gelernter tells the true history of Thanksgiving in a special OpinionJournal column: “A very Christian holiday.” Gelernter writes: [T]hat long-ago First Thanksgiving still speaks to and for every American, and we ought to listen. It speaks to Christians; they thought it up. It speaks to Jews–Pilgrim Christianity was a profoundly “Hebraic” Christianity; the Pilgrims saw themselves as a chosen people arrived in a promised land; their organizations »
November 24, 2004 — Paul Mirengoff

Something to look forward to

World Magazine writes about “the year of the blog.” The piece starts and ends where it should — with Hugh Hewitt. It also reports that Hugh will have a new book out in January called Blog. »
November 24, 2004 — John Hinderaker

More Good News From the CIA

Porter Goss appears to be on his way to becoming a real hero. The New York Times reports that two more senior CIA officials, whose names have not been disclosed because they are under cover, have left the agency rather than comply with Goss’s new, no-leaks regime. Both officials were part of the Directorate of Operations, apparently the division of the CIA most in need of a shake-up. This is »
November 24, 2004 — John Hinderaker

Declaration of Independence Censored?

Via Drudge, Reuters reports on a lawsuit by a fifth-grade teacher in Cupertino, California who says he has been barred from teaching his students about this country’s founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence: A California teacher has been barred by his school from giving students documents from American history that refer to God — including the Declaration of Independence. Steven Williams, a fifth-grade teacher at Stevens Creek School in »
November 24, 2004 — Paul Mirengoff

A rush to bad judgment, Part III

This Washington Times editorial defends the courageous Rep. Duncan Hunter for resisting the rush to enact the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. The Times explains: The truth is that the very idea of shifting control of defense intelligence agencies away from the Pentagon (as embodied in the Senate bill) is a proposal to “fix” a nonexistent problem: When Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, chairman and vice chairman of the September »
November 24, 2004 — John Hinderaker

AWOL Artistes

The murder of Theo van Gogh by Islamic terrorists seems to have galvanized the Netherlands to defend itself against the radical Islamists it has harbored for far too long. Here in the United States, however, there has been curiously little reaction to van Gogh’s brutal slaying. Our filmmakers courageously stand up to non-existent threats to their freedom of speech. They constantly complain that the Bush administration has silenced dissent, notwithstanding »
November 24, 2004 — Paul Mirengoff

A rush to bad judgment, Part II

Tom Donnelly of the American Enterprise Institute argues that Rep. Duncan Hunter is correct in opposing the intelligence reform recommended by the 9/11 Commission. Donnelly agrees with Hunter that by creating a national intelligence director with tremendously broad powers, [the proposed reform] would sever the link between “national” intelligence assets–mostly satellites, now bought, maintained and operated by the Defense Department–and troops in the field. The 9/11 panel and the bill »
November 24, 2004 — Scott Johnson

In memory of Dimitrios Gavriel

Our friends at RealClearPolitics have posted this devastating column from today’s New York Observer: “The Lance Cpl. who left Wall St.” »