"NO to Public Video Surveillance," ACLU Whines

Want to hear the latest from this ridiculous, out-of-touch organization? Public Video Cameras are BAD!

"The use of sophisticated systems by police and other public security officials is particularly troubling in a democratic society." Yeah, because these cameras might capture someone, I don't know...BREAKING THE LAW?

"When citizens are being watched by the authorities - or aware they might be watched at any time - they are more self-conscious and less free-wheeling."
What, as in thinking twice about stealing or vandalizing? Puh-LEASE!

Think about how these public cameras assisted in tracking terrorist movements in London - including this last arrest of a Somalian wannabe bomber (from the the FAILED follow-on to 7-7). What about assistance police and FBI are getting in child abductions, and the subsequent evidence value from these images?

My take is this - Public video surveillance, in public transit stations and major public gathering places, is (for lack of a better word) PUBLIC! Folks should not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in public...I say do those things you are ashamed of in public at your own peril - or wait until you are behind CLOSED DOORS!

You know what strikes me as funny? One of the ACLU's all-time SHINING MOMENTS was due to public video taping - the police beating of Rodney King! It seems to me the ACLU was singing public video PRAISES back then. Now, we can't use technology to keep our citizenry safe, because it makes people "less free wheeling?"

This formerly legitimate, non-partisan club has lost its focus and its place - that being above all politics. With its latest crushing defeat by the Senate, (trying to prevent Boy Scouts from assembling on government-owned property), the ACLU's time has come and gone. Protecting civil liberties? Great idea, but as it is now, this is a corrupt, radically left self-interest group that picks and chooses its targets according to political agenda and NOT necessarily the lack of civil liberties at a given place or situation.

As for Video Cameras in public? I don't see the downside for folks who aren't breaking the law.

Review: 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America

If you read anything at all this Summer, you owe it to yourself to read this book by Bernard Goldberg.

Goldberg, a self-confessed recovering liberal, takes a look at folks who are contributing to the "wronging" of America...and since this Blog is entitled "Righting America," I feel that it is appropriate to share my findings on this humorous, in-your-face book.

It's true, you will recognize the names of many of these folks, but there are some that you probably have never heard of. However, each of these 100 have done significant, far-reaching damage in their own ways. Many concerned only with the "bottom line," others with fame and power. Still others think that "Red Staters" don't have the brains to make their own decisions. The vast majority of this Rogues' Gallery are shallow, narcissistic and simply cannot comprehend that they are hurting LOTS of people.

Fame and celebrity do not make an expert on National Security, and political power does not automatically endow more wisdom than the other side. Just because one has the right to free speech DOES NOT mean one shouldn't consider his/her words first - especially if those words are carried to millions and may be carried to our troops and those who wish them (and us) harm. Ted Kennedy and Howard Dean are great examples of this conspiracy-theory, blow-horn style that does grave damage to American interests.

But wait! This is not just about the liberals, their media and Hollywood (although much of it is! ;-). Number 70 is none other than Jimmy Swaggart...as it should be!

RELATED STORY: Last Wednesday, Donny Deutsch and five "panelists" (read "Liberals") laid into Goldberg on this book that NONE of them had read - including Deutsch. After being interrupted once too many times, Goldberg finally told a babbling feminist to "shut up." Deutsch became livid (along with the crazy woman) and asked for an apology -- to which Goldberg simply said "Why? She really DOESN'T shut up!"

What's Next? A Fake Conservative Blog!

As if some Liberals weren't finding enough nonsense to bitch about, one of them had to take it a step further. A fake conservative blog!

I could tell you all about it, but check it out for yourself at Conservatives for American Values, where "Michael Gregory Steele" takes you on a special round of B.S. (be sure to check out his vague profile, vague sidekick and doctored-up photo).

Then, get yourself over to the liberal blog Bring It On and check out the shit-storm this fake righty made on July 14th...over 100 comments (look for mine at around number 95 and 101). You will find these folks TRIPPING over each other to slam this contrived blogger - definitely good for a laugh!

Al-Qaieda Nukes in America?

Latest question from Homespun Blogger Symposium XXIX:

"Given that this information is true (from Al-Qaida Nukes Already in U.S. posted at WorldNetDaily) - ...for the purpose of this intellectual exercise, give it your best shot to imagine that it is. What do we do about this potential threat not only to the United States, but to the global economy and the history of mankind?"

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The point of this exercise is to address the situation of nuclear warheads hidden in the U.S. today, as if it is a fact instead of an unsubstantiated claim. Please don't be alarmed - we don't want a "War of the Worlds" scenario, do we?

If, as the article suggests, gangs such as MS-13 have succeeded in smuggling nuclear material into the U.S. and have managed to hide it, we are in some DEEP SHIT. As I would hate to contemplate such a disastrous possibility, I will instead discuss what we should do to PREVENT this "American Hiroshima" from ever happening.

It is not practical to pull our military back home to man the borders - that is not what they signed on to do, and they are clearly pretty busy elswhere. As I have pointed out in the past, this is my major beef with the president. Our border security is absolute crap and the likelihood of terrorists simply carrying these suitcases over the border is very high.

Although no one wants to hear it, we need to erect a wall -- make that two walls. No, make it an all out, 24/7 monitered DMZ, with concertina wire, cameras, sensors and border-patrol stations set about every 10 miles. What the hell, get satellite imagery. Allow border crossings every 50 miles or so, with strict procedures and state-of-the-art computers with interpole and federal database access located at those stations. This will force the Al Qaieda (and some other determined illegals) to find other means of crossing....like say Canada (where we should put a second DMZ separating them from us) or entering through our ports, at which we should ALSO radically improve and modernize our screening techniques.

The "Minutemen" want to get involved? LET THEM....in fact, start PAYING THEM for monitoring the walls and the crossings.

Within our borders, we need to SEEK OUT gangs like MS-13 and deport them or, if they have committed crimes, jail them. If they have committed terrorism, send them to GITMO.

The havoc that such coordinated nuclear attacks on the U.S. would have on our economy? Unthinkable. Wall Street would fold like a house of tattered cards.

Do we need another wake up call to act NOW? Terrorism is the enemy, and Iraq might be the front - but there is still MUCH to do here at home.

Courage & Resolve Will Win This War

MajorDad1984 posed this question on Homespun Blogger Symposium XXVVIII:

"This week saw terrorism raise it's ugly head in London killing more than 50 people, wounding over 700. Based on this recent attack...do you feel that we're winning, losing, or holding our own in fighting the Global War on Terrorism?"

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First, let me just say that the so-called "War on Terror" has its work cut out, and mostly due to the fact that it has been declared very late in the game. That's right, the "Sleeping Giant" and our few stalwart friends in this struggle should have waged war on radical islamist terrorism a long time ago, as it was declared against the civilized world decades before 9-11. Yes, decades.

Let me refer you to the Timeline of Terrorism, and just a few "lowlights" leading up to September 11, 2001:

• Dec 1973 - Five Arab Terrorists attacked departing Pan Am 707 in Rome, killing 29 persons (14 Americans) on board and two in the lounge. They killed a customs agent while hijacking a Lufthansa airliner, then killed a passenger on a refueling stop in Athens and threw him onto the tarmac. These men later forced a landing in Kuwait where they escaped.
• Feb 1979 - U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan was kidnapped by four Afghanis. He was later killed along with the terrorists in a firefight with police.
• Nov 1979 - After President Carter agreed to admit the Shah of Iran into the U.S., Iranian students seized the embassy in Tehran, holding 66 diplomats and staff hostage. 13 were soon released, but the remaining 53 were held until Jan 1981. Don't ask about Carter's ridiculous rescue attempt.
• Apr 1983 - The U.S. Embassy in Beirut was destroyed by a 400-pound explosive delivered by an "Islamic Jihad" suicide bomber in a truck. 63 dead, including the CIA's Middle East Director.
• Oct 1983 - The U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut were blown up by a 12,000-pound bomb. "Islamic Jihad" again claimed responsibility; this time for the deaths of 242 Americans.
• Apr 1986 - Two U.S. servicement were killed and 79 wounded when a West Berlin discoteque was bombed by Libyan-sponsored terrorists.
• Dec 1988 - Pan Am 103 was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, by a bomb placed by Libyan terrorists in Frankfurt. All 259 passengers were killed.
• Feb 1993 - (First) World Trade Center bombing in New York by followers of an Egyptian cleric living in New York. Six people died and over 1,000 were injured.
• Apr 1993 - Attempted assassination of U.S. President George H.W. Bush by Iraqi agents while the president was on a state visit to Kuwait.
• Jun 1996 - The Khobar Towers, a U.S. military barracks in Saudi Arabia, was blown up by a massive bomb in a fuel truck. Claimed by several islamic groups, this killed 19 of our servicemen and wounded 515. ((I was over 25 miles away, across the causeway in Bahrain, and it rattled my windows)).
• Aug 1998 - U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were simultaneously bombed by Usama Bin Laden's followers, killing over 300.
• Oct 2000 - The U.S.S. Cole, docked in Aden Yemen for replenishment, was rammed by a small dingy carrying explosives. This killed 17 U.S. Sailors and injured 39. Again, Usama Bin Laden was found to be responsible.
• Sep 2001 - The Wake-up Call of America . (Are we still awake?)
  

(For the sake of brevity, I did not include the islamic terrorist attacks upon Israel - though important, they are simply too many to list here).

Obviously, this has been going on for a very long time. While our leaders have only dared to swat at these bugs, the infestation continued; both literally and figuratively. Should there have been an exterminator to combat this scourge? There is now, and the "insects" are swarming in a frightened and murderous frenzy. God help us if we elect another fly-swatter!

No war is fought in a day. We have chosen the battleground (Iraq) and have had no major attacks on U.S. soil. GREAT THINGS have been accomplished in Afghanistan and Iraq, lest we forget. 50 Million people liberated - and no one anticipated the incredible turnout for voting in both countries. The Iraqi military is getting stronger and more effective every single day.

"Are we winning the war on terror?" Absolutely, but in a measured and gradual struggle. Only with continued resolve and public determination will we prevail - not by backing down in the face of hardship and adversity. As I demonstrated, we have been at war with terror for a LONG TIME...we just didn't want to admit it.

It is the challenge of our generation, and we must defeat this threat - so our children and grand children won't have to.

To the British People: We Are With You

My heart and that of my kin and countrymen go out to our Brothers and Sisters of the United Kingdom. The British heart and soul are kindred to our own ~ we grieve with you.

You have been unjustly savaged and sadly underestimated, as we have. We will prevail against these cowards, and stand with you - whatever the challenge; whatever the cost.

Showdown Approaches - Judicial Filibuster?

The long-awaited "Big Showdown" approaches - but NOT from the anticipated retirement of the aging Chief Justice.

With Justice Sandra O'Connor's surprise resignation from the Supreme Court on Friday, the "Panel of 14" are about to get tested on their May 24th Compromise. Tested hard - and this is just the first one.

For the seven Democrats who joined the renegade group of Senators (Robert Byrd, Daniel Inouye, Mary Landrieu, Joseph Lieberman, Ben Nelson, Mark Pryor, Ken Salazar), this will be a test of their credibility and honor. They pledged to their Republican co-conspirators that "filibusters would be used against judicial nominees only under extraordinary circumstances by the Democratic minority."

On the other hand, the seven Republican senators (Lincoln Chafee, Susan Collins, Mike DeWine, Lindsey Graham, John McCain, John Warner, Olympia Snowe) risk losing respect and political support within their own constituencies and party. They have taken the word of those seven Democrats. Have, in fact, staked their own reputations on a verbal agreement - and that includes presidential hopeful McCain, who will surely lose support should this arrangement go south.

On Sean Hannity's radio talk show today, Lindsey Graham explained this arrangement and his own position on what is looming before Congress in the replacement of Judge O'Connor. Not only did he make clear that "The Supreme Court" does not (of itself) meet the "extraordinary circumstances" requirement for filibuster. When asked if he would stand with Senate Majority Leader Frist, should the seven Democrats break their word, he answered that YES, he would back the so-called "Nuclear Option" to end filibusters on judicial nominees once and for all.

While I do hope that the Senate has grown up a bit over the last few months, given that President Bush has made campaign promises to nominate conservatives to the Supreme Court, methinks that the American public is about to get re-introduced (kicking and screaming) to this judicial filibuster business. All of this caused by a refusal to allow traditioal up-or-down votes due to inexplicable Bush-hating, bitter liberal nonsense and bluster while our young folks in uniform fight on - no doubt scratching their heads with the rest of us.

Happy Birthday, Brave Nation

As I watched the "Rockets' Red Glare and Bombs Bursting in Air" last night at a friend's house (he had purchased lots of colorful things that went boom), I began to reflect on what this day means. After asking several of my fellow party-goers what July 4th meant to them, I realized that to most folks it's a day off from work and a great excuse to act like kids with matches. I am just as guilty of this. It's not that we don't know what day it is, but the significance is somehow lost. For once, I thought a little deeper.

Brave soles had signed what they thought would prove to be their death warrants, which had been adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776. To some, that proved to be the case. I tried to imagine the courage it must have taken to just put pen to paper with so much at stake.

I continued to imagine (as I continued to watch the display) what it must have felt like for Francis Scott Key a generation later to observe such awesome firepower and brutality from his vantage as a "guest" aboard a British Ship almost 200 years ago ~ so moved that he wrote his thoughts down while bearing witness to this unsuccessful (but deadly) barrage from the elite Royal Navy armada upon Fort McHenry. These jotted reflections of a young lawyer later became the National Anthem.

What has become of the spirit in which these were written? I see it in our military and first responders - some of the true heroes of our civilization. I don't see enough of it in our politicians, particularly those on the left. The words of Pelosi, Biden, Durbin, Kennedy, Reid, Boxer, Dean and many others ring hollow, self-serving and at the same time despicably self-loathing. Continued sound-bites dutifully supplied to our enemies in a time of war to be edited and rrebroadcast over the airwaves, hurting our soldiers and national mission. Insidious ad nauseum blather about imagined presidential lies, Abu Ghraib and Gitmo "atrocities" from our soldiers against those who fervently wish our destruction.

And now, with this unrelenting barrage of rhetoric and propaganda, our citizenry is getting worn down - our resolve is eroding. Liberal media and its one-sided coverage is beginning to take its toll on the American psyche. While our civilians happily lose themselves in Television, Movies, MP3s, Chat-rooms, Online Poker and any number of techno-distractions, our young men and women in uniform yearn for our undying support and resolve!

The fireworks over a Pasadena Maryland neighborhood were loud and exciting, but the fire in our ever-expanding bellies is going out.