The Conservative Zone

Well, a lot of Conservative Blogs, including Mike at Half-Bakered (who is a Libertarian) carried a picture that looked like Cindy Sheehan held a book signing party and no one came. Well, that may or may not be true: Cindy Sheehan Claims Photos Falsely Implied Her Book Signing was a Flop.

"Photographer Evan Vucci, queried about the incident today said that he was present at the book signing from about 10 a.m. to about 11 a.m. During that time, he said, people were coming in to have their books signed in small groups of a few at a time.

"At the time the photos were taken 'maybe 5 people had come in,' Vucci says, and Sheehan was waiting for more to stop by, which they did individually as well as in very small groups. Therefore the wording of the caption is accurate in that Sheehan was waiting for people to show up at her signing."

So they were splitting semantic hairs. Was this a bait and switch on Conservative blogs, which was sure to pick this up? You notice that the caption didn't say anything about any people actually coming in, just that she's waiting for them.

By the way, I looked up Cindy's book on Amazon and found it rather far down on the chart, #3, 031. I rather liked the first review:

I tried to read this book but it was so poorly written that I gave up after ten pages. I had sympathy for her but not any more. This grandstanding and egocentric woman needs to shut up and learn to accept what life brings you - sometime good and sometimes bad. Get a grip woman, seriously and stop disgracing your sons name. He had respect and wanted to do his part to protect America. If you hate it here so much then go to Iraq and help the people there.

As for your partially read book, it is now lining my birdcage because the paperboy got hit by a car and hasn't delivered the paper in two days.

MSRP of Cindy's book is $15, but list at Amazon is $10 (free shipping!), and she sold her donated copies at the book signing for $20 each.

Cindy is a rather sad and pathetic figure, who has used up 14 of her 15 minutes of fame. Sure, she will still be covered by the MSM because both she and they are anti-war, but the American people will have moved on and cast her by the wayside. She really needs to get on with her life and honor her son the way he wanted to be honored. Which is to be remembered that he did his best to serve and protect this country.

Posted by Mark at 10:12 AM | Permalink

I was scrounging up some information from the Zone Archives for a comment to a post on Tennessee Guerrilla Women and I came across this snippet. I wanted to share it with you:

Which brings me back around to my old Conservative idea of doing the right thing for the right reasons. This is not an easy task, let me tell you. You can do the right thing for the wrong reasons pretty easily, getting positive short-term results. But then something will come back and bite you in the rear later over it and it will leave you wondering, "What did I do to deserve this?" All must be in positive alignment, action, motivation and intent, to obtain a long-term positive outcome. Remember this always and you will do much good in this world. [emphasis mine]

I have talked about this many times, but not for a long time. I think it's time to start talking about Conservative values again, not just commenting on the news of the day or my wargaming.

That is all (for the moment).

Posted by Mark at 11:59 PM | Permalink

I have three stories here, all of which are connected. It will take a bit of doing, but I will show you how.

Miami Police Take New Tack Against Terror
Refusal to present ID sparks test of rights
President Discusses Border Security and Immigration Reform in Arizona

The first two stories are easy to link together. The first one is how the Miami Police will be doing random shows of force and ID sweeps throughout the city. All well and good, at least on the surface.

But what happens when a citizen doesn't want to show their ID? May SCOTUS be damned for ruling that a police officer has the right to ask for ID, even when the citizen has done nothing to warrant attention. So the second article shows what happens to you if you don't respond properly to the request of, "Papers, please." You get detained for three hours, lose your job and have the sword of Damocles hanging over your head with the possibility of Federal charges.

But here's where it ties together. In the third article, President Bush talks about his "Guest Worker" program. Enter the country illegally, apply for a GW card and get to stay for six years. Yeah, that's a real incentive not to cross the border illegally.

It is this mishandling of the illegal problem that is causing such a security hole that now requires these ID sweeps. I have ideas on how to cut down on the illegal problem, but I would have groups like the ACLU, La Raza and even the Mexican Government screaming for my blood, so I will keep my ideas to myself. Suffice it to say I would make it clearly evident if someone was a caught illegal alien.

Unless the illegal problem is solved swiftly and permanently, this cycle of losing privacy will only intensify.

I fear the police, especially here in Memphis. I am an extraordinarily private person, and do not like my ID checked without probable cause. But if I want to stay out of police custody, I have little choice.

I do not view this as a means of security, but rather a loss of freedom. But I suppose that went out the window when ID's became mandatory. And as always, the tip of the sword doesn't hurt if applied slowly. But the rest of the sword is the part that does the damage.

Posted by Mark at 9:33 AM | Permalink

Ted Turner strikes again. Ted Turner says Iraq 'no better off' after U.S.-led war.

Ted is continuing to spew his Liberal talking points as he always has, without regard for the truth. He basically calls for us to get rid of our nuclear arsenal, as if beating our swords into plowshares will bring peace. It will, in a way. It will being about the peace of the slave, as in those who don't have weapons to defend themselves will become the slaves of those who keep their weapons.

He then goes on to basically question the Presidents sanity:

"You have to question ... the president on a lot of decisions he's made," Turner said. "He might just think launching those weapons would be a good thing to do. ... He thought Iraq was."

Nuclear weapons are a defensive weapon, never an offensive weapon. At least in our hands. You never know about countries such as Iran, which has vowed to "Wipe Israel off the Map." That could certainly be construed as a pre-emptive nuclear strike. Not the words of a sane man.

He does get one thing right, almost:

Turner said war is an outdated form of diplomacy that has stopped working.

War is an extension of diplomacy, which is the stage you spank another country (or group of individuals) until they see things your way. You break things, including their spirit, until they agree with you.

Ted, don't go away angry, just go away.

Posted by Mark at 9:12 AM | Permalink

Yep, my planning skills are impeccable. I got up early, started hacking away at the code, and got done right at 11:00. Since I have to give blood at noon, I don't have time but for this little post. Enjoy the new color scheme, I don't know how to change it. One of the down sides to Moveable Type.

Posted by Mark at 11:15 AM | Permalink

Temp files I didn't know about (about 7.5mb of them) choked my system, crimped the MySQL database and caused Moveable Type to crash. I luckily was able to backup the entries and main template.

After a couple of hours of deleting the old stuff, installing the new and getting it to work, I have pulled out what little hair I have left.

Well, I got it to work, that's the good news. The bad news is the new look. It's 10:30 and I'm going to bed and tackle the rest of this job tomorrow. There may be no posting as I have appointments throughout the day and I might not have the time after getting this thing to behave.

I may have to upgrade to the next level of server so I have a bunch of space to expand, but I don't know if I can afford it. We'll see.

G'night.

Posted by Mark at 10:33 PM | Permalink

In celebration of me having Thanksgiving weekend off, Mike and I engaged in a rather large and bloody fight of 5,000 points of Epic:Armageddon.

It's the kind of game where you take turns moving one unit at a time, instead of your entire force all at once. The number of units is very important. You don't want to have a few big units, or too many small units. If you have a few big units, you can get nibbled to death by ducks, if you have too many small units, you don't have the ability to concentrate enough firepower to accomplish anything.

Well, it seems I am having trouble learning that lesson with my Ork forces. I had 9 large units, including a Great Gargant (think 40 foot tall anime mech, but way uglier. Pictures to come later when he's finished). During this battle, I had 9 units to activate, compared to 17 for Mike. After all of my forces had come to rest and done all they could do, he still had half of his units that he could activate with impunity.

I at least think I'm the better general, but I've been trying to run a marathon with an extra 100lbs of leg weights with my list choices with Orks. I beat Mike on a semi-regular basis when I play Space Marines, and I beat Mike with Orks in a smaller battle when we had the same number of units a couple of weeks ago. In fact, I won last Wednesday with Necrons (Schwarzenegger Terminators) because I had a reasonable amount of activations compared to him.

Well, in the next couple of weeks, I'm going to have a 5,000 point rematch and my Orks will be ready. I'm through with trying new and weird lists, I'm going for the kill and this is my warning to Mike. He hasn't seen a horde of Orks until he sees me line my Orks up next time. Who knows, I might have to buy another box of Orks.

Posted by Mark at 6:40 PM | Permalink

Well, it seems that our Congress is finally starting to address the immigration problem. Bill Would Eliminate Birthright Citizenship.

You see, pregnant women waddle illegally across the boarder, give birth to an American citizen, and get to stay to take care of the child. And the rest of the family gets to come along as well.

This bill in Congress would deny citizenship to children born in the US if the parents are illegal immigrants. This would help cut off the flow of illegals, and stop a major incentive for this illegal immigration.

Good Job Congress. Now all you have to make it SCOTUS proof, because the ACLU or some other Liberal rights advocate group. Of course the 9th Circus will rule against the law, no matter the grounds, so this will have to go to SCOTUS to decide the issue. If SCOTUS strikes it down, it may have to go the Constitutional Amendment process.

Keep it up. We need to secure our borders and stop this flood of illegal immigrants that refuse to assimilate into the American culture and way of life.

Posted by Mark at 10:30 AM | Permalink

Some good news for Black Friday. Hillary Clinton's Left-wing Slip Showing.

Daily Kos, a rather notorious Left-Wing blogger that happens to live in Tennessee, the same state that I live in, has been holding a poll and Hillary, that standard of the Democrat party, is slipping.

The former first lady has now slid to fifth place among likely candidates, with Virginia Gov. Mark Warner leapfrogging past her into third place. She now ranks just above the Koz category "No Freakin' Clue" among top Democrats who are expected to run.

This just goes to show that you can't have your cake and eat it too. She has been increasingly hawkish, for her own reasons, and it is alienating her Liberal base. So she is losing support from those that she will have to go back and try and recapture, but I promise you her words will come back to haunt her.

Unless a miracle occurs, she is going to stay the junior Senator from New York, providing she can get re-elected.

Good Job Hillary.

Posted by Mark at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Some sad news today, 'Mr. Miyagi' Dies at 73

Pat Morita, who made his big breakthrough as "Al" on Happy Days, and who was Oscar nominated for Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid, died yesterday at 73.

We will miss you.

Posted by Mark at 10:10 AM | Permalink

As you gather around the table with friends and family, I will be working, gathering clients that have no family and bringing them to the Center, letting them have a feast that they would otherwise not have had.

Remember to be thankful, for things like freedom, health, family, friends.

And remember those less fortunate than you, they may not have as happy a day as you will be having. But I'm doing my best to take care of that.

Posted by Mark at 9:45 AM | Permalink

Something to deeply consider, in todays climate:

"... if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American and nothing but an American ... There can be no divided allegiances here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag,... we have room for but one language here, and that is the English language ... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Teddy Roosevelt -- 1907

Posted by Mark at 10:12 AM | Permalink

Buckaroo Bonzai once said in his movie, "No, don't tug on that. You don't know what it might be connected to." Well, the Greens have tugged on something they shouldn't have and are now experiencing the Law of Unintended Consequences. Forests paying the price for biofuels.

You know, those beautiful rainforests that have thousands on unnamed species of plants and animals, a possible cure for cancer, etc., etc. That man rapes for his own purposes, clearcutting and planting crops on to feed our burgeoning population.

The drive for "green energy" in the developed world is having the perverse effect of encouraging the destruction of tropical rainforests. From the orang-utan reserves of Borneo to the Brazilian Amazon, virgin forest is being razed to grow palm oil and soybeans to fuel cars and power stations in Europe and North America. And surging prices are likely to accelerate the destruction.

Well, it seems that the rate of clearcutting is increasing to provide more room for more crops... to feed our biofuel needs. So Greens, who are forcing us to use "renewable energy" (which takes more fuel to produce than you get) are now at least partially responsible for the destruction of the rainforests they swore to protect.

So, always be careful in what you do. You never know what it's hooked to.

Posted by Mark at 9:53 AM | Permalink

From FOX News: New U.N. Scheme: Alliance of Civilizations.

It seems that the UN is going to impanel about 20 people to determine why we can't all just get along.

... [UN General Secretary Kofi] Annan described the program more generally as an initiative meant to bridge the divides "between different cultures and religions."

But one lane of the bridge is a lot wider than the other: the panel of 18 "eminent persons" whom Annan named to the Alliance (a 19th, representing all of East Asia, has yet to be named) is weighted heavily on the side of Islamic states, including representatives of Egypt, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Pakistan and the former president of Iran, Mohamed Khatami. There are two representatives from the U.S., but none from Israel.

Nor is it exactly clear what the Alliance is intended to accomplish. According to a statement issued by Annan in July, the Alliance is supposed to "overcome prejudice, misconceptions, misperceptions, and polarization" and assemble by late next year an action plan meant "to promote effective responses to emerging threats to world peace."

So by stacking the deck with Islamic leaders, almost ignoring the entire Asian sphere, and ignoring one of the hottest spots on Earth, this panel hopes to provide solutions to world conflict. Yeah, right.

The article goes on, documenting how well the Oil-For-Food program was run by the UN, named several people and exposed them for what they are: Corrupt bureaucrats who only want personal power.

I don't know if the UN should be abolished or not, I can say it has done at least some good in the world, but their political agendas mean nothing but harm to the United States. Things like global gun control, elimination of sovereign rights, on and on and on.

Posted by Mark at 9:21 AM | Permalink

From Drudge: CNN flashed a big black 'X' centered on the Vice Presidents face during a live speech he gave. They were several quick flashes of the X. There were also a couple of flashes of a white 'X' as well, and some unreadable text was flashed on the screen with the white X.

CNN spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg emails: "We concluded this was a technological malfunction not an issue of operator error. A portion of the switcher experienced a momentary glitch. We obviously regret that it happened and are working on the equipment to ensure it is not repeated."

A rival network news director asks: "When has an 'X' ever aired on CNN before? Who had the graphic sitting in the key signal? Who generated the 'X'?"

Good questions. It reminds me of an incident on The West Wing. The story is too long to go into for the punchline, but it was a joke of the moment that ended up being very embarrassing to those who had done it, and was almost embarrassing to the President on the show.

Someone was more than likely being cute, and someone hit the wrong button or a glitch really did occur. But I have no doubt that someone will get either a pat on the back for embarrassing the VP, or they will get reamed for embarrassing the network. Or both.

Posted by Mark at 10:22 AM | Permalink

This man just loves telling audiences what they want to hear and the truth be damned. Bill Clinton Waffles On Iraq: 'It Could Still Work'.

Speaking to Arab students in Dubai, the capital of United Arab Emirates, Clinton said "Saddam is gone. It's a good thing, but I don't agree with what was done."

Last night however, he told an audience of 700 in Valhalla, New York that the recent vote on an Iraqi constitution went well, and the next test will be whether the once-dominant Sunni Arabs participate in the Dec. 15 elections, according to Westchester County's Journal News.

Pick one side or the other Bill, you're making me dizzy. But then again, you've always said exactly what you think the audience wants to hear. Truth is never a big issue with you, is it?

Posted by Mark at 9:46 AM | Permalink

'Screwball' Chris Matthews shows what a concerned, caring Leftist he really is. He is so concerned about the feelings of terrorists that he had this to say:

"The period between 9/11 and Iraq was not a good time for America. There wasn't a robust discussion of what we were doing. If we stop trying to figure out the other side, we've given up. The person on the other side is not evil -- they just have a different perspective."

The person on the other side is not evil -- they just have a different perspective. Of course he's talking about Al-Zarqari and Osama, because they fight the imperialist US. Now Conservatives, on the other hand, we are evil. Blood for oil and all that.

But then again terrorists kill innocent people with car bombs.

Conservatives just want Iraq to be free.

You decide how much of a screwball Matthews really is.

Posted by Mark at 9:37 AM | Permalink

Here you go. Flint, Mich. Paper Slams Michael Moore's Hypocrisy.

Here's the salient points:

But Moore does his film production in Canada to avoid paying union scale and threatened to fire half of his TV show's writing staff when they wanted to join a union, reviewer David Forsmark reports after reading Schweizer’s book.

"He's a proponent of affirmative action but never has hired a black person to do anything important on one of his projects.

"Moore claims he owns no stock and only puts 'what little I can' in 'something the old-timers call a savings account' - yet Schweizer writes that he owns stock in defense contractors and Halliburton.

"Moore says he gives away 40 percent of his money, but Schweizer reports that his tax returns show his foundations give the minimum necessary to stay tax exempt."

In other words, Moore talks the talk but fails miserably in walking the walk. It's quite disappointing, really. Here is a champion of the Liberal Left, a documented distorter of facts, who doesn't mind using editing techniques (in Canada, no less) to make people say what he wants them to say, when in truth what they said was distorted and taken way out of context.

"Could the reason Streisand, Franken and Moore advocate for affirmative action be because they know from looking at themselves that it is necessary?" reviewer Forsmark concludes.

"After all, if these bitter enemies of racism and sexism can't be trusted to hire a diverse group of people, what hope can there be for corporate America to do so?

"Perhaps Moore rails against globalization because he knows first-hand about the insidious lure of cheap, foreign scab labor."

I agree. Because the Left engages in racist tokenism, glass ceilings, elitism, et. al., then everybody else must be doing it as well! The true hypocrisy of the Left is they accuse Conservatives of doing what the Left is guilty of doing.

Sheesh.

Posted by Mark at 10:36 AM | Permalink

From Slashdot. The FEC has just ruled: The Federal Election Commission today issued an advisory opinion that finds the Fired Up network of blogs qualifies for the 'press exemption' to federal campaign finance laws. The press exemption, as defined by Congress, is meant to assure 'the unfettered right of the newspapers, TV networks, and other media to cover and comment on political campaigns.'

You can find the whole ruling here. A backhanded comment goes thusly:

'...an entity otherwise eligible for the press exception would not lose its eligibility merely because of a lack of objectivity...'

If a lack of objectivity were to prohibit the exemption, then most of the newspapers would be excluded, as they lean so far to the Left they're horizontal.

It's nice to know I can still speak my mind politically without having to worry about getting into too much trouble...

Posted by Mark at 10:17 AM | Permalink

It seems there are some Conservative college campuses out there after all. Prof urges fragging of U.S. officers.

Rebecca Breach, a student was organizing an appearance by an Army Lt. Col. She sent an email to the faculty and this is what she got back from one English professor:

English professor John Daly replied: "Real freedom will come when soldiers in Iraq turn their guns on their superiors."

Daly added that he would ask his students to boycott the event and also vowed "to expose [her] right-wing, anti-people politics until groups like [Rebecca’s] won’t dare show their face on a college campus."

While the Board of Trustees didn't take sides, that alone is good news. Normally the Administration is as Leftist as the professors.

It's nice to see a little fairness for once.

Posted by Mark at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well, it's here, a laptop that costs about $100 and will function anywhere. Hundred-Dollar Laptop Finally Unveiled.

It's hand powered, wireless, and meant for third world countries where there is limited Internet access. It actually costs $110 to produce, but that price will come down as soon as economy of scale kicks in. Anyway, it's meant to be given to children so they can have wireless Internet access anywhere there is a hotspot. Being hand cranked means no electricity needed, no batteries to charge and wear out. I just hope that hand crank holds up to the challenge.

It's nice to see technology work in such ways.

Posted by Mark at 9:45 AM | Permalink

Somewhere on this planet, every 6 seconds, a woman gives birth.

She must be found and stopped.

Posted by Mark at 9:55 AM | Permalink

Well, as many of you know Mike and I play Epic:Armageddon on Wednesdays. I'm going to have to step up my game.

First of all, I tried out a new army, so new it doesn't have any models. I had to use printed pieces of paper representing the units. The models won't be out until 2007 at the earliest.

Anyway, I filled out a list of Necrons (think Schwarzenegger Terminators) and it came out to be 4000 points. Mike and I got to the Memphis World of Battle and proceeded to set up, when a friend showed up with his Eldar (Space Elves). So I spotted the both of them 800 points, which is a lot, and proceeded to get my butt whipped. I made a lot of mistakes, it being my first time with this army, and I was outnumbered, so I shouldn't feel as bad as I do.

Then, some more friends showed up and we played a 5400 point per side take and hold, and this time I played a quick list of my standard Ultramarines. Mike and I faced Tau (anime battlesuits) and Eldar, and we held on valiantly for two turns, but would have fell in turn three if we didn't get called for time with the store closing.

I really have to step up my game, I'm getting beat on a semi-regular basis now. But then again, I am trying many new things instead of sticking to what works. I don't know what to do, stick with the tried and true, or continue to experiment....

Posted by Mark at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is an important article. Read it. Who Is Lying About Iraq?

It documents statements and facts that the Left would prefer that you forgot all about. It's their words on the record, and the words of their opponents.

It's about how President Clinton said the same thing about Saddam that Bush said, it's just that Bush had the backbone to do something about it. It's about Liberals putting words in the mouths of the Administration, while reversing their own words.

Don't let the Left rewrite history.

Don't let the Left forget their own words.

Don't let the Left lie about facts.

Posted by Mark at 7:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

It has been said that a politician is concerned about the next day, while a statesman is concerned about the next generation.

Using that as a standard, there are very few statesmen in the Congress today, if at all. And while few people recognize it, President Bush is in second place, behind Ronald Reagan.

Here is a blast from the past: HISTORIANS OFTEN VIEW PRESIDENTS WHO BEGAN UNPOPULAR WARS DIFFERENTLY THAN PEOPLE AT THE TIME.

The post is from Michelle Malkin who comments on Betsy Newmarks passage about how Presidents get raked over the coals by the days politicians.

Read the post. It's very eye opening. And it tells you that a lot of people can't see the forest for the trees. There will always be nutcases pleading for peace at any cost, not realizing that the opposite of war is not peace, but slavery.

War is not to be entered into lightly, but when it is, you must stay the course and fight to win. To do any less is to defeat yourself and destroy any good you have done.

Remember that.

Posted by Mark at 7:41 AM | Permalink

When you live in a country with no limitations on government. Techies top cops' terror profile.

It's a story about a guy who walked into an Underground station with a backpack and didn't look at the police on his way in. You can read his detailed story here.

Which brings us to the third point in this posts journey, Gatso 2: rollout of UK's '24x7 vehicle movement database' begins.

This one is about basically RFIDing license plates, then tracking the vehicle wherever it goes. And portable detectors will sniff out the antique car you keep in the garage and gig you for not having insurance on a car you don't drive.

This comes from a country that licenses your TV, and drives around looking for unlicensed TV's.

Is Great Britain a fantastic country or what? But it's what you get when you don't have a document such as the Constitution declaring what the government can and, more importantly, cannot do.

But we are heading this way as well, although not quite as pell-mell as Britain is.

But we must always keep watch on our freedoms, lest the government steal them from us in the guise of 'protection.'

Posted by Mark at 7:28 AM | Permalink

Michael Newdow is an avowed Atheist and is quickly becoming a whack job.

First, he challenged the words "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. He managed to win over the 9th Circus, but SCOTUS turned him away because he didn't have legal standing.

Now, he's pushing for the words "In God We Trust" to be struck from US currency. Atheist Plans Lawsuit Challenging Motto on U.S. Currency.

Let's get this straight. The First Amendment provides that the Federal Government shall not organize a Church, nor recognize an established Church, as the official Church of the United States. That means no Church of America, nor the Federal Government giving it's blessing to the Catholic Church, or any Church for that matter.

The First does not exclude all references to God in all things Government. It was our forefathers, the ones who wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, who recognized the Authority of God, and incorporated it into these documents. To strike all references of God from our Government is a slap into all of our Forefathers faces.

Don't go away mad Michael, just go away.

Posted by Mark at 10:00 AM | Permalink

Well, well, well. It seems that Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democrat National Committee, doesn't want to appear anywhere around a Republican.

Mr. Dean was offered to appear on Meet the Press along side Ken Mehlman, the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, but Howard the Duck just walked into the green room and waited until Ken's segment was over. Then and only then did Mr. Dean come out and appear on camera.

Why? Because it would probably show just how far to the Left Mr. Dean really is, if you compared him to a Conservative. But without someone to compare him to, Mr. Dean almost makes sense.

Posted by Mark at 9:50 AM | Permalink

On the Eleventh hour, of the Eleventh day, of the Eleventh month, the guns fell silent along the Western front. An armistice had been reached, followed by the official unconditional surrender of Germany and her allies. It ended more than four years of bloody warfare, in which millions of soldiers died. This was the first time war had been fought on such a scale, and this war became known as The Great War. Today, less than 30 Americans are still around that fought in that war.

Today marks not only the end of the Great War, but a celebration of the service of those who serve or have served our country. Memorial day is to remember the dead, Veterans Day is meant to remember the living.

If you know a veteran, thank them for their service and sacrifice. It is these men and women, who took their turn on watch on that wall that separates us from our enemies, who have made sure that you enjoy the freedoms you have today.

Posted by Mark at 8:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Real life friend Mike seems to have lost his cat, Bennie.

You can read about Bennies story here. Mike truly loves this cat, and she went missing last night. He's worried that she is cold and hungry. Please help. Your thoughts, prayers and good vibes are needed right now to guide Bennie back home again.

I'm right there with you, Mike.

Posted by Mark at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today is the 230th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Happy Birthday to my brothers and sisters in arms. This comes from a former Squid.

You can read the Commandants Birthday message here.

Oo-Rah!

Posted by Mark at 11:01 AM | Permalink

ICANN, Internet Company Assigning Names and Numbers, is the people who basically control the Internet. They hand out IP addresses for web pages and stuff like that.

Well, other countries want in on the act. And like China, they want to censor the Net. Remember, no country other than the US recognizes the right of free speech as something the government cannot take away from the people. While other countries may have "freedom of speech," they usually have caveats to that, such as when you come up against the interests of the government, then you can be silenced. That crap is even in the UN charter. I have talked about it before.

If the control of the Internet passes to the UN, or anything sponsored by the UN, then free speech will be in trouble.

"One mistaken notion is that the United Nations wants to 'take over,' police or otherwise control the Internet," [Kofi] Annan wrote in an editorial in The Washington Post this week. "Nothing could be farther from the truth. The United Nations wants only to ensure the Internet's global reach, and that effort is at the heart of this summit."

After how Kofi got tangled up in the Oil for Food scandal, I think we should trust him, don't you? I just know down deep in the cockles of my heart he has my best interests first and foremost in his list of priorities. [/sarcasm]

Posted by Mark at 10:46 AM | Permalink

Michelle Malkin is a beautiful woman. And she's Conservative to boot. That's two pluses in my book!

Today, she wrote in Townhall.com, this article: The media and the unhinged Marine. Let me quote some of it for you:

Former Marine Staff Sgt. Jimmy Massey was the liberal media's dream come true: An anti-war Iraq veteran who came forward to publicly lambaste the Bush administration and accuse American troops of murdering innocent civilians.

Jimmy Massey was Michael Moore, Cindy Sheehan and John Kerry all wrapped up into one tidy, soundbite-friendly package -- a poster boy for peace topped off by a military uniform and tattoos to boot. But like a lot of the agitators who pose as well-meaning, good-faith peace activists, Jimmy Massey was something else:

A complete fraud.

The article goes on to talk about the "atrocities" that this man had "witnessed," then was refuted by an embedded reporter with his unit.

This is what got my goat and prompted me to bring this to your attention:

The response of [embedded reporter Ron] Harris's colleagues who were duped by Massey? Mostly, a collective shrug. I e-mailed a reporter from The Washington Post asking if he would follow up. No response. A USA Today reporter told me he had no plans to do so. And I spoke with David Holwerk, editorial page editor of the Sacramento Bee, which ran a lengthy freelance interview of Massey by an anti-war activist. "I don't know what we're planning to do," Holwerk said.

Harris noted in a television interview that Massey continues to sell books and DVDs that smear our troops. "[I]t's been profitable for Jimmy Massey to keep telling this lie," he said.

The press are so, committed to proving the war "wrong" and proving the lie, "Bush lied!" that the truth is an inconvenience to them. So, they do what all delusional people do when confronted with reality, they ignore it. They ignore all of the words of Clinton, et. al. who said in the 90's what Bush said about Iraq post 9/11, it's just that Bush did something more than lobbing a few cruise missiles about it.

But then again, journalistic integrity isn't what is used to be.

Posted by Mark at 10:25 AM | Permalink

Thanks AlphaPatriot. He turned me onto a blog, Dr. Sanity with this post.

I will be adding the Doctor to my blog list when I get a chance to update my templates, which should be in a day or two.

Enjoy.

Posted by Mark at 10:20 AM | Permalink

So now we have three Democratic prosecutors going after prominent Republicans.

First, we have Ronnie Earle going after Tom DeLay in Texas. I've talked about that travesty of justice before. Earle likes to extort people by using the power of his office.

Second, Patrick Fitzgerald and his pursuit of the Bush Administration. Libby didn't commit a crime other than not having his story straight.

Now, the latest update on Rush. Prosecutors Argue They Should Talk To Limbaugh's Doctors. At this point in time, the only evidence that Rush committed a crime exists in James Martz's head. Normally, you need evidence that a crime has been committed in order to break the Doctor-Patient privilege, this time Martz wants to break the privilege and gather evidence to see if a crime has been committed.

This is part of a semi-coordinated attack on Republicans, and we must not stand for it.

Because if we don't, then things will only get worse.

Posted by Mark at 10:13 AM | Permalink

Well, San Franciscans are going to learn what it's like to be Washington D.C.. The "good" citizens of SF voted themselves a total handgun ban, 52% to 48%. They have until April 1st to turn them all in.

You would have thought that the example of D.C. would have shown people what happens when only the criminals have guns. Or maybe the people in SF thought the criminals would turn theirs in as well. Heh.

But then again, the Liberal enclave that SF is, I'm not all that surprised. The good citizens who voted against the ban will slowly move out rather than give up their guns, and leave SF to the Liberals and criminals.

Serves them right. You always get what you deserve, and I am quite sure this will hold up the axiom.

Posted by Mark at 9:58 AM | Permalink

She's still at it. Fired CBS Producer Unrepentant.

This right here tells you that Mary Mapes is an idiot:

In her first interview since being fired, former CBS News producer Mary Mapes maintains that her controversial "60 Minutes II" story on President Bush's National Guard service was "true" and that "no one has proved that the documents were not authentic."

When someone could produce an exact copy of the "memo" on Microsoft Word, when detailed analysis shows that there is no ^"th" on any old typewriter out of that era used by the military, when the spacings between the letters were not fixed, as it would with a typewriter rather than a word processor and modern printer, that is pretty clear evidence to me that the document was forged.

With that kind of obstacle, it makes proving things harder, not easier. I am inclined to believe what President Bush's military record says, rather than a forged document dated after the authors death.

But I bring this up because if Mapes gets another job in journalism, this is the first story she will pick up and run with it. She will do everything she can to get the President out of office. That includes continuing to push manufactured evidence.

Just so you know.

Posted by Mark at 9:27 AM | Permalink

It's amazing in the difference you feel in taking or not taking some pills. I miss one days worth of pills and I feel rotten and out of sorts for 2-3 days afterwards. It shows me how precarious my stability is and how important that I be med-compliant.

I am still debating on whether to call in sick or not. I guess I'll go in, but I don't know how well I will be throughout the day. People depend on me for their mental well-being, because being shut in where they live can be a depressing reality. To get out, even for a couple of hours once or twice a week is a big thing to them. Plus, I have new customers coming in today, I can't disappoint them, now can I?

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, it's off to work I go.....

Posted by Mark at 9:52 AM | Permalink

...for me. I want to read this book. Do As I Say (Not As I Do) : Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy.

It has hit #1 in sales at Amazon, and for good reason. It documents how Liberals want us to do things certain ways (or not have certain things, like guns) but then they turn right around and do what they don't want us to do.

I have talked at length about Liberal hypocrisy. The evidence is undeniable. But still the Liberals will complain, whine and generally make like a 4 year old holding his breath to get his way.

I'm glad this book is here to document the two-faced reality of Liberals. Buy and enjoy.

Posted by Mark at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We had a building imploded here early Sunday morning. It was a major hospital in the area for many, many years. In fact, it was the hospital that Elvis breathed his last, and Lisa Marie was born.

You can see video of the imploding here. Have fun.

Posted by Mark at 12:08 PM | Permalink

Don't ask me why, but I wasn't very med compliant this weekend. I just don't know. But I do know I'm feeling the effects. I am edgy and agitated this morning. I did take my meds this morning, hopefully I will feel better tomorrow.

See you then.

Posted by Mark at 10:05 AM | Permalink

Just when you thought Patrick Fitzgerald was an apolitical prosecutor, a "prosecutors prosecutor," this gets sprung on you: Patrick Fitzgerald Planned 2004 October Surprise.

Here it is in his words:

Announcing the Libby indictment on Friday, Fitzgerald made it clear that he wanted to spring his Leakgate October Surprise a year earlier - at the eleventh hour of the 2004 presidential campaign:

"I would have wished nothing better that, when the subpoenas were issued in August 2004, [that] witnesses testified then, and we would have been here in October 2004 instead of October 2005," he told reporters.

So now it seems that the indictments are nothing but spite, "I can't get you for the crime, but I'll get you for not having your story straight" kind of thing.

I said so earlier, if there is no underlying crime, then you shouldn't be able to indict people under this "lying to investigators" law. People are supposed to be safe and secure in their privacy, and any efforts they take, within reasonable laws, should respect that privacy.

Fitzgerald has become nothing more than a party hack, the same as that prosecutor in Texas going after DeLay. They are going after Republicans however they can, by any means necessary, legal or extralegal.

That just shows you what kind of people they are.

Posted by Mark at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It seems someone wants to use a new policy for dealing with graffiti "artists." Las Vegas Mayor: Vandals Should Have Thumbs Cut Off.

The purpose of punishment is to deter someone from breaking the law. But it seems that our present methods are not tough enough.

I've been a fan of Robert Heinlein's work since I picked up his first book. His ideas of punishment left no doubt that you broke the law and you were being punished for it. He advocated public whippings, hanging, and so on. His laws were few, but the punishments severe enough that you thought about it twice before doing it again.

I can't say I'm for this particular form of punishment, but I'm not against it either. If you removed someones thumbs for spraying graffiti, it would certainly make it a lot harder to hold the next can of spray paint.

The object is, of course, never to have to punish someone like this. The threat of this kind of punishment should be enough to deter youths from performing this kind of activity. But then again, this is a crime that is easily committed and hardly caught. So deterrence is negligible. But it's a step in the right direction.

We need to stop coddling the youths that run amuck causing all kinds of damage. The "Johnny can do no wrong" parents don't help either, and if we ever do start caning, doing the parents next to the children might wake them up. But I doubt it. Those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still, as Dave Ramsey says.

You never know. It's worth a try. And for all of those people who are against this idea, just stop for a moment and think how you would feel and what you would want to do if it was your property defaced with graffiti. You'd want a lot more than their thumbs cut off, I assure you.

Posted by Mark at 9:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well, that was quick. I got there and had a short "integrity test." I failed. End of story. Don't need the money. No hope in finding a tech job. Might as well continue on the way I am.

Posted by Mark at 9:36 AM | Permalink

I seem to have hit a bump in the road with this particular job. I passed the initial tests with the first job, then made it through the presentation. I had to miss the second job interview because the presentation for the first job interview was at the same time as the second interview. Which was no big deal, after reviewing the second jobs website, they sell whole life.

Now I'm off to the second level interview this morning and the bad news is I need $1,500 for these licenses in order to work at the job. The good news is, If I pass these classes, they will hire me and I get an immediate reimbursement of the money spent on the classes.

I have blegged (blog-begged) before for help like for a new computer chair and all, but this time I am desperate. I need to borrow this money. If you want to help get a guy off the government dole then this is it. I want this job so bad I can taste it.

I doubt I could go to my bank and get a loan, I haven't borrowed a dime in 6 years and I likely have a credit score of zero. But I will get a substantial tax refund check whenever that comes through. So even if I get all of these licenses and don't get hired, I could still pay you back.

Help. Please. Help a guy up who's flat on his back and wants to get back up. Donate over there to the right.

Posted by Mark at 7:36 AM | Permalink

How many blogs do you know that have three blogaversaries?

I have my first one, September 16th, where I started the blog. Then I didn't discover the Publish button (on Blogspot) until the next day, so that's when the blog actually appeared.

Then we have today, which is the anniversary of this domain, theconservativezone.com.

So there you have it. Let the party commence!

Posted by Mark at 7:01 AM | Permalink

Well, the title pretty much says it all. I've got a job interview first thing this morning (hence the early post) and another in the late afternoon. The bad news is neither of these are in IT. Hopefully one of them will pan out to be a good paying job. I am so desperate to get off disability and get more money that I will do almost anything. Legal that is. And I do have some moral standards that will have to be met as well. But other than that, I'm open to almost any career path.

Wish me luck. I'm going in.

Posted by Mark at 6:55 AM | Permalink