Who Really Cares About Mardi Gras Anyways?

I understand that after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans that Mardi Gras 2006 is a symbolic celebration. But the major media is reporting this like everyone cares. Evidentally people getting wasted and women flashing crowds of men for plastic beads is national news. I didnt get the memo. I have no problem with these people having fun, I mean most of them deserve it after what they've gone through the past few months, but to the rest of the country this is just not that big a deal. CNN, Foxnews, MSNBC, etc, all have Mardi Gras as a headline or a 'top story.' This as Iraq Tinkers on civil war, a US soldier in afghanistan is killed, the Supreme Court makes an important ruling on abortion, and the nation decides whether to allow an Arab government to control major ports. To be honest, most of the guys I know only care about Mardi Gras because they know that the next installment of 'Girls Gone Wild' should be out in the subsequent months, but I doubt CNN will report that, God Bless America.

Oh...and Happy Fat Tuesday!

-Brad

Supreme Court Backs Abortion Protesters

Im telling ya, this abortion thing is gonna just gonna explode over the next year, and we are already seeing the movement's conception. The high court ruled in favor of pro-life demonstrators today, ending nearly 20 years of litigation. Here is some of the story from the Washington Times:

The Supreme Court dealt a setback today to abortion clinics in a two-decade-old legal fight over anti-abortion protests, ruling that federal extortoin and racketeering laws cannot be used to to ban demonstrations.
The 8-0 decision ends a case that the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had kept alive despite a 2003 ruling by the high court that lifted a nationwide injunction on anti-abortion groups led by Joseph Scheidler and others.

This ruling obviously isnt a huge deal to most people, but I believe its certainly a precursor to events to come, count on it.

-Brad

Still Living in a 'September 10th' World

Here is concrete proof that liberals cannot be trusted with national security nor do they ever seem to acknowledge the fact that we are involved in a war on terrorism. A professor from MIT named Barry Posen wrote an op-ed in the New York Times today titled, "We Can Live With A Nuclear Iran." If the title isnt bad enough, here are the first few paragraphs from the NYT:

The intense concern about Iran's nuclear energy program reflects the judgement that, should it turn to the production of weapons, an Iran with nuclear arms would gravely endanger the United States and the world. An Iranian nuclear arsenal, policymakers fear, could touch off a regional arms race while emboldening Tehran to undertake agressive, even reckless action.
But these outcomes are not inevitable, nor are they beyond the capacity of the United States and its allies to defuse. Indeed, while its seldom a positive thing when a new nuclear power emerges, there is a reason to believe that we could readily manage a nuclear Iran.

This poor man must have seriously lost his mind if he actually believes his thesis that at nuclear Iran can be diffused. Iran is a country with a president who himself says he wants to see Israel "wiped off the map." You cannot put weapons capable of distroying entire cities in the hands of an obvious psychopath. Furthermore, what would stop the Iranian's from selling or simply giving them to terrorits? Here is what Posen says about that:

Would Iran give nuclear weapons to terrorists? We know that Tehran has given other kinds of weapons to terrorists and aligned itself with terrorist organizations, like Hezbollah in Lebanon. But to threaten much less carry out, a nuclear attack on a nuclear power is to become a nuclear target.

Once again Posen shows hes living in the past. What he is talking about here is MAD or Mutual Assured Distruction, which is a term from the Cold War. The situtation is totally different and if Iran gave a weapon to the terrorist they could make it easily untracable. Also, Im not saying that a nuclear weapon would find itself on American soil, but what if they use one in Iraq, or Saudi Arabia, or Israel, then what? Iran is one country feeding the insurgency in Iraq, and a recipe to split the atom isnt one I want to see on the menu anytime soon.
Posen does not understand the risk, and unfortunetly he's not alone. Too many people in this country dont grasp the fact that these types of weapons in the hands of tyrants will put us, our troops, and our allies in grave danger. I hope you all read the rest of his article, because it really shows the danger we would all be in if this type of appeasement was mainstream today. 9/11 showed us what can happen if we just wait and hope we can contain things, obviously Mr. Posen wasnt paying attention that morning.

-Brad

Picture Perfect

Found this on Yahoo and thought it was awesome.

So much for Ray Nagin's 'chocolate city.'

Nuff said.

-Brad

Calling All Candidates

Heres the deal, I want to help local candidates get their messages out there for people to hear and read so that everyone is informed come election time. With that said, I have added a new category of links in the sidebar (which is over there ---->), that is for Candidates, hence the creative title, 'Candidates.' I did this so that Republican candidates for elected office in northern Ohio can gain some support and name recognition. So if you are aRepublican candidate running for elected office this year please email me at brad@bradsjournal.com with your website and some info about yourself, and I will put it there so people can read about you, contact you, volunteer, etc.

-Brad

In The News This Weekend

Here are some of the headlines this weekend that interest me:

Iraqi Government puts a curfew into effect and also bans travel in Baghdad to quell violence started this week after a mosque was damaged. People are now saying this could start a Iraqi civil war. Story by AP.

The Bush Administration is defending the sale of 6 US ports to the United Arab Emirates. This has caused controversy withing the Republican Party. The sale is now under review to assure the US that it wouldnt increase a risk of terrorism via the ports. Story by Breitbart.

The 2006 winter Olympics in Turino come to a close. The US team is currently 2nd in total medals with 25, 9 gold, 9 silver, and 7 bronze. Germany is in first place with 29. See all medal totals at My Way.

Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for an attempted terror attack that targeted an oil facility in Saudi Arabia. Luckily the attack was unsuccessful, however crude oil prices still rose more than $2 Friday because of feas of further attacks. Story by the BBC.

Three Arab men who were arrested for having ties to terrorits appear to have been linked to the Muslim charity known as KindHearts. Items from the charity were found in the homes of the men, and the Treasury Dept. has frozen the financial assests of the charity. Story by Cleveland.com.

-Brad

South Dakota Close to Outlawing Abortion

This story is incredible. The state of South Dakota wants to become the first to pass a bill which would outlaw abortion within its borders, however, the Roe v. Wade decision considers that unconstititional. So if Governor Mike Rounds signs the bill into law, which he said he is leaning toward, it looks like the newly conservative Supreme Court will have to intervene. Here is more from argusleader.com:

The bill would ban nearly all abortions in South Dakota. Thats unconstitutional under current U.S. Supreme Court rulings, and the goal of the legislation is to force the high court to take a fresh look at tis 1973 ruling that legalized abortion.
Both chambers of the Legislature now have passed the bill, and it could be delivered to the governor by early next week.

Wow. Opposition is mounting from the usual suspects:

"I have to say Im disappointed in the news that the governor has indicated he would sign the bill," Kate Looby, state director of Planned Parenthood, said Thursday.
"We're still hopeful he'll hear the voices of women and families in South Dakota that say, 'Please dont sign this bill; please protect the health and safety of the women in this state.' "

If Governor Rounds does sign this bill, it could seriously alter politics in our country for years to come. The Supreme Court would have to hear the cause I believe, and with Roberts and Alito now sitting on the bench, it really could go either way. I will stay on this story for sure, because Im thinking this could end up being THE hot button issue come November.

-Brad

President Bush Visits Buckeye State

President Bush was in the Cincinnati area recently to campaign for Senator Mike Dewine. The event was an invatation-only fundraiser for the Senator. Senate seats are extremely important to the President and the Republican Party, so you can bet that he will be here rather frequently to give Dewine the boost that will hopefully allow him to defeat his opponent congressman Sherrod Brown. Heres how the Cincy Post put it:

"Winning the race is important," said John McClelland, a spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party. "Its important for the state of Ohio, but its also important to maintaining our control over the Senate. Its vitally important to the Republican Party as a whole, so I think that's why you see the president coming to Ohio to support Mike Dewine."

Here is something interesting:

Tickets for the fund-raiser- a dinner and reception at the home of Margie and Mark Hauser- are $4,200 per person. People who agree to raise $10,000 for Dewine's re-election campaign will be able to attend a VIP reception with Bush and have their photograph taken with the President."

wow. Let's just hope all the money raised pays off in November, I'll bet the people who paid it sure do!

-Brad

UAE Deal Delayed

The deal that would let an Arab company use and take control of 6 major US ports has now been voluntarily delayed by the company, which is based in the United Arab Emirates. This deal has caused tons of outrage all over the country because many see this as us now 'outsourcing' the security of our ports. I personally have no problem at all with this deal. As long as I know that the government has checked this country out and is absolutely sure this does not threaten our security, then I say bring it on. Thus far, President Bush has been the face on the dart board so to speak. All the fingerpointing has been focused on him because many dont understand how this warrior against terrorism could let a foreign country control our ports. Well, Bush got this one right, and all the opponents of this will be hurt if they continue to disagree with this deal simply because the country that bought it is Arab. Since 9/11, the UAE has been one of our greatest allies against terrorism. I understand that prior to then they were involved in some shady activities, but since they have changed and thats what I care about. We need to reward these nations for helping us in the war on terror, especially when that country is an Arab one. It is imperative for us to get these people to trust us, so what kind of message is Hillary Clinton sending when she says that we should never allow a foreign nation to control our ports? Doesnt the Senator realize that the UAE bought this company from the British? It wasnt even ours to begin with, so its obvious she is against this because they are Arabs. And why isnt Al Gore praising this? He goes to the Middle East to give speeches on how the Bush Administration tortures and illegally treats Arabs, yet now when Bush rewards them, Gore is silent. Republicans need to get united behind this because this could kill Democrats if used to a political advantage. This makes the party of people look like the party of everyone except Arabs. Bill Clinton himself was in Dubai (the capital of the UAE) in December, and he had only the best things to say about the country. The UAE is a friend of the United States, and the proof is in the pudding. We need to show solidarity with our Arab friends if we want to show them that we appreciate what they are doing for the cause. We only have a couple of allies throughout the Middle East, and that wont change unless we are willing to work with the people over there who have proven they are worthy of our praise.

-Brad

Democrat Candidate Doesnt Qualify

Here is an interesting story out of southern Ohio. It seems a Democratic Candidate for Congress from the 6th District failed to get enough signatures to be on the ballet in November. This is a huge boo-boo on their part because now, the Republicans have an open door to win in that historically Democratic stronghold. This is from news.enquirer.com:

The ruling is potentially devastating for Democrats. The Appalachian 6th
District seat has been a Democratic stronghold but has been targeted by national
Republicans as their best chance to pick up a seat.

However, dont think the Dems will let this one go peacefully:

Brian Rothenberg , spokesman for the Ohio Democratic Party, said Wilson
(the candidate who screwed up) would consider legal challenges and could also
file as a write-in primary candidate or as an independent for the November
general election.

The seat is being vacated by Rep. Ted Strickland who gave it up to take a shot at the Governors Mansion, but the Democrats chances to maintain their seat in Congress seems to be fading fast.

-Brad

"We Won't Talk About It"

Sherrod Brown was on the campaign trail Tuesday down in Marietta, Ohio trying to drum up support for his Senate bid come November. According to The Marietta Times, Sherrod spoke to a crowd of 19- yes a whole 19 - Democrats in a restaurant in Marietta touting his usual obsessions like health care, perscription drugs, and Medicare. However at the end of the article, a reporter asked Brown a question regarding the boiling controversy about his campaigns involvment in getting fellow Democrat Paul Hackett to drop out of the race. Heres how they put it:

But when talk turned to speculation that his campaign was responsible for
spreading rumors about the Iraq war service record of Paul Hackett, his former
Democratic opponent, he quickly diffused the rumors and moved on to meeting more
local elected officials.

"My campaign did none of that. I did none of that," Brown said about the
national reports.

"We won't talk about it."

Gee...I wonder why?!?

-Brad

Hackett Helping the GOP?

Former Senate candidate Paul Hackett is lambasting Sherrod Brown's national security record now that Hackett is out of the race for Senate. He is obviously unhappy with the way Brown forced him out of the race, and now he is retaliating by slamming the Congressman. A recent article in the Toledo Blade expresses some of the charges:

Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown voted to cut intellegence funding more than a dozen times before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a record that Paul Hackett's campaign advisers called proff that Mr. Brown could not win in November

Nice stuff...but it gets better:

"For Sherrod Brown, the issue of terrorism presents a big problem," a Hackett consultant wrote in an undated memo. A paragraph later, the consultant called Mr. Brown's intellegence votes "evidence that Brown would be pummeled in a general election match-up, as we already know how Republican use the issue of terrorism against Democrats."

Gotta love it...but check this:

The Hackett researchers also noted that Mr. Brown voted against the entire intellegence appropriations bill in 1998 and voted twice to declassify Congress's intellegence spending levels, which are secret. He opposed creating the Department of Homeland Security, along with establishing and reauthorizing the Patriot Act.

Mr. Brown also voted against amendments to a 2004 intellegence overhaul that aimed to increase the governments power to detain and deport suspected terrorists.

This is great stuff, and the best part is that a Democrat is using his own record to slaughter Sherrod Brown. The guy is a liberal who's obviously incredibly weak on just about any national security issue we have in America Today. After what just happened in Toledo yesterday where they arrested 3 suspected terrorists, we cannot allow Sherrod Brown's way of thinking to determine how we fight the war on terror. Im hoping that Ohio voters will realize this because if Brown get elected, were all in deeeeeeep trouble.

-Brad

Props to CBS

I have to give credit where credit is due, and CBS deserves some for pulling a newstory after the Pentagon urged it to do so. The story was about IED's or Improvised Explosive Devices, which are doing most of the damage to our troops in Iraq. CBS was going to run a story about how the military is dealing with the problem, but senior military officials asked them not to because it might aid the enemy in building better bombs. Here is the story from Contactmusic:

CBS Pentagon correspondent David Martin acknowledged Monday that he killed a report about how the U.S. was dealing with IED's in Iraq after a senior military officer complained that it contained information useful to the enemy. Martin, writing on the CBS blog Private Eye, said that the report had been scheduled to air as the lead story on the CBS evening news on Thursday and that he pulled it just one hour before air time. "Not a good career move," he wrote. Martin further acknowledged that he had set aside other stories at the request of the Pentagon "a number of times over the years, and each time its turned out that going with the story wouldnt have caused any harm." In the latest case he said, he concluded that his report "might conceivably be news the enemy could use to make their IED's more effective. It wasnt clear cut, but it was close enough."

CBS did the right thing in this situation. It does not make up for the whole Bush Air National Guard fiasco, but at least they are doing the right thing by looking out for the troops, more than I can say for most of the rest of the liberal media.

-Brad

HOLY TOLEDO

Here is a story that is pretty scary, 3 Arab men from Toledo have been arrested for aiding terrorists and attempting themselves to hurt military personal in Iraq and Afghanistan and allegedly plotting to kill President Bush! Wow, I never thought the war on terror would come to our back yard. Here is the rest of the story from Cleveland.com:

It appears the men-Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi and Wassam I. Mazloum-wernt successful, although what stopped them is unclear.
The indictment-unsealed today in Toledo-lays out details of a conspiracy that purportedly began in November of 2004 when Amawi and Mazloum met with a third person to discuss violent jihad training.
According to the indictment, the men later trained with weapons at a Toledo firing range, downloaded videos on how to put together suicide bomb vests and talked about shipping chemical explosives for bombs to the Middle East.
In addition, the indictment says some of the men were learning how to make Improvised Explosive Devices-IED's-out of common household items and at least one hoped to fund their training and attacks by opening a non-profit foundation.
In the end, Amawi and another unidentified person from the Toledo area went to Jordan last year and tried to enter Iraq to join the insurgents in their fight against U.S. and allied forces, but they failed, the indictment said. Its unclear what stopped them.
The three men were picked up by authorities some time over the long Presidents Day holiday weekend. Each was schedualed to make an initial court appearence today. But their arrests were only part of the terrorism story in Toledo during recent days.
On Sunday, federal officials raided and seized the offices of KindHearts, accusing it of supporting Hamas. No one connected to KindHearts was arrested and officials at the non-profit have steadfastly denied any terrorist connection.
Its unclear whether the three men accused of planning jihad have anything to do with KindHearts, one of the largest Muslim charities operating in the U.S. and abroad.

Luckily the authorities caught these idiots before they were able to do anyone harm. This story proves how the Federal Government is doing a good job in hunting down these terrorists that are actually living amongst us, which is unbelievable. Stories like these just show that we need the Patriot Act and the NSA program and every other anti-terrorism measure we have to fight these people because they are still out there, and they still have the same goal, to kill us all.

-Brad

Supreme Court Tackles Partial Birth Abortions

Today the Supreme Court agreed to look at the constitutionality of the federal law banning partial birth abortions. The reason this is very interesting is because the court has changed very much recently with the new additions of Chief Justice John Roberts and the news member Justice Sam Alito. Partial birth abortions were outlawed in 2003, but a federal appeals court subsequently said it was unconstitutional. Obviously people on both sides of this issue are becoming very interested in these new developments as abortion is one of the most controversial issues in our nation. I personally dont see how anyone can agree with partial birth abortions. They are dangerous and incredibly barbaric. This decision has nothing to do with regular abortion, but I feel it could be a precursor to a bigger fight on that very issue in the near future, which does not bode well for you for-choicers as the Supreme Court continues to become more conservative. This one could get ugly.

-Brad

Hackett Plays Hardball

Not even a week after being forced to withdraw from the Ohio Senate race, Democrat Paul Hackett is already attacking his fellow Democratic primary opponent, Congressman Sherrod Brown, saying that Brown's campaign was the main force behind the smear job that eventually made Hackett give up. Hackett, who is an Iraq war veteren, said that sources told him that Brown's campaign was making up lies about him to quickly get him out of the race, saying things like they had picture from the war where Hackett appearently was playing with the human remains of a casualty of the war. Hackett obviously denied these charges. Hackett said these things on the Hardball with Chris Matthews, letting a national audience know how nasty Sherrod Brown and his staff can be. I believe the more that Mr. Hackett talks about the way he was portrayed by Sherrod Brown, the more it will hurt Brown as we get closer to the election, so lets all hope he keeps up the good work.

-Brad

Election of 2006: Ohio's 13th District

Ill start with the 13th district since that is where I live. Many...and I mean many people from both party's are looking to win Sherrod Brown's newly vacant seat. Ok here we go...on the Democratic side we have:
Capri Cafaro, Norbert Dennerll Jr., Daniel Goulder, Bill Grace, Gary Kucinich, Micheal Lyons, Tom Sawyer (not the author), John Schira, Betty Sutton, and John Wolfe.
Now for the Republicans we've got:
Ruth Nader Abboud, Paul Burtzlaff, Anthony Cirino, Charles Delorean, Craig Foltin, Laurence Jaycox Jr., David Mcgrew, and Joe Ortega.

Now, obviously most of these people will start to drop out probably within the next couple of months. It is still too early for me to tell you who the front runners are for each party, but Ill get to the bottom of it soon enough. I put links to the candidates websites for those who have them up and running if you want to check out their positions on issues and things like that. This race should be very interesting without an incumbant up for re-election, and Ill be on top of it all the way until November...so stay tuned.

-Brad

Poll: Dewine up 9 over Sherrod Brown

A new Rasumssen poll shows Senator Mike Dewine growing his advantage over Democratic Challenger Rep. Sherrod Brown after fellow Democrat Paul Hackett droped out of the race.

Following Hacketts withdrawl, Republican Senator Mike Dewine has gained ground in his campaign for re-election. Dewine now leads Democratic Congressman Sherrod Brown by nine percentage points, 46% to 37%.

The poll also shows that Sherrod Brown has lost 8 points in Democratic support in the last month. I honestly am not sure what accounts for that sharp drop, although the way Hackett was forced from the race by his own party probably has something to do with it. The poll also says that a majority of Ohioans think that Dewine will be re-elected.

54% of Ohio voters believe Dewine will be re-elected while 29% expect Brown to defeat the incumbant. Republicans overwhelmingly expect a Dewine victory while Democrats are evenly divided.

-Brad

Honoring Lt. Col. "Pappy" Boyington

The University of Washington is making a huge mistake by not honoring the courage and service of Gregory "Pappy" Boyington. I had never heard of this man prior to all this hoopla that is beginning to spread across the country, but the mans story has really intrigued me. Boyington was a war hero during the Second World War. He was a Marine Corps pilot who shot down 28 Japanese aircraft, who then himself was shot down and spent 20 months as a prisoner of war while most people thought he was dead. He is the most successful pilot ever to fly a Marine Corps aircraft. Upon his return the to the US, he was awared the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross as was obviously received by the public as a war hero. Well, times have changed and Boyington is no longer looked at as a war hero by his own alma matter who wont even memorialize him because he was a soldier. A student senator at the U of Washington tried to get him a memorial, but a vast majority of his fellow senators rejected this because of their pacifist anti-war and anti-military stance. Once student said that they should honor his service, but not the fact that he shot down and killed others because killing people is wrong. Another student said something along the lines of that members of the Marine Corps are not the kind of people they want to glorify at U of W. Needless to say this has caused some controversy among WWII vets, regular citizens like myself, and especially other Marines. A famous saying of the Marines is "Semper Fidelis" which means always faithful, so you can bet there are plenty of ticket off Marines at the fact this man is being spit on the way he is. Men like Pappy Boyington are exactly who we need to glorify in our culture, especially today when our country is once again at war. If it wasnt for people like Boyington, we would never have been victorious in World War II, which gives these dumb kids at U of W the opportunity to say the rediculous things they did in denying this man his due respect. This story is starting to get nationwide attention, as well it should. Im sick of these anti-war people denying the fact that brave men fight wars and kill people for the right reasons. If Americans didnt kill people in war there wouldnt be an America, but some on the left are incapable of comprehending this fact. So it is up to the rest of us to make sure the right thing is done, and in this case it is getting Gregory "Pappy" Boyington the recognition he deserves as a war hero to the United States of America. If you or anyone you know would like to contact the President of the University of Washington to show your support, his name is Dr. Mark Emmert and he can be e-mailed at pres@u.washington.edu.

-Brad

One for the Ages

I dunno who thinks up these things but this one is great...not really a story here I just saw this on the web and that it was pretty cool--enjoy!

-Brad

More Stupid Celebrities

When it comes to making rediculous and irrelivant political statements, Hollywood is usually far ahead of the supply curve. This week proved to be no exception when 3 celebs spouted off at the mouth saying just straight up dumb stuff. First was Bryant Gumble, who said during Olympic coverage that the the Turino games are so white that they look like a Republican convention--real funny Gumbie. Keep in mind if a white guy said something similar all hell would have broken loose. Next we come to Richard Doofus--I mean Dreyfus who said during a speech this week that no one should give up the fight of getting President Bush impeached. He went on to say that he realized that ousting the President is probably impossible, but not to give up the fight nonetheless. And lastly we come to Alec Baldwin. This guy is a liberal nutjob to say the least. In 2000, he said that if George W. Bush won he would leave the country, well Bush did win, twice, but Baldwin is still here. I say since Bush won twice we should send Alec to Mars or something, but thats just me. Anyways, Baldwin posted some comments this week on a huffingtonpost.com saying the follwing:

"[Dick] Cheney is a terrorist. He terrorizes our enemies abroad and innocent citizens here at home indiscriminately. Who ever thought Harry Whittington would be the answer the America's prayers. Finally, someone who might get that lying, thieving into a courtroom to answer some direct questions."

Baldwin is correct by saying that Cheney terrorizes our enemies abroad, and Im correct by saying that Alec and his friends help our enemies abroad. Baldwin is just one of many celebrities who have completely lost their minds and who continue to run their mouths and aid our enemies while making us all less safe. If any of you hear about comments like these made by famous people, please e-mail them to me at brad@bradsjournal.com because I want to know. The major media wont cover stories like these, mostly because the majority of the journalists agree with these people, so unfortunetaly its up to the rest of us to hold these people accountable, and we will.

-Brad

Cleric Offers $1million to Kill a Cartoonist

Read below and you will see that I was once again right. As if this Muslim cartoon situation wasnt bad enough, now some Cleric from Pakistan is offering a million bucks to anyone who will kill one of the cartoonists who drew the offensive picks of Muhammed. This is from Breitbart.com:

"Whoever has done this despicable and shameful act, he has challenged the honor of Muslims. Whoever will kill this cursed man, he will get $1 million dollars from the association of jewelers bazaar, one million rupees ($16,700) from Masjid Mohabat khan and 500,000 rupees (8,350) and a car from Jamia Ashrafia," said Prayer leader Mohammed Yousaf Qureshi.

I would love to see what kind of car you would get. Anyways thats beside the point, but I posted this just to show you how outrageous and rediculous this thing has become...thanks

-Brad

Hillary and Wax

Hillary Clinton was forever immortalized with the recent unveiling of her new life-sized waxy replica at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. She is standing and waving right next to her ex-president hubby Bill's waxy body(rumor has it that Bill has a wax replica of Monica Lewinsky that he had fitted with a wick and lights it when he reads late at night, however I can neither confirm nor deny that rumor). During the small ceremony many employees and supporters of hers chanted 'hail to the chief,' while holding up signs reading 'Hillary in 2008.' I find this interesting only for the fact that they chose wax for her statue instead of what she is really made out of...STONE!

-Brad

Muslim Cartoon Controversy

Look, I understand why the Muslim world is upset by these cartoons. I myself get angry when I see Jesus Christ depicted in an offensive way (which happens quite often actually). But aside from the actual cartoons it is the way that Arabs reacted to this that disturbs me the most. Responsible objection is absolutely justified in this case, and some have proven this as many Muslims peacefully protested in London over the weekend--thats fine. But throughout much of the Middle East, people have been taking part in huge, violent protests to these cartoons where flags are burnt and people are actually killed. All this does is make Arabs look like the agressors instead of the victims. These cartoons originated in Denmark and have subsequently been reprinted all over Europe to show solidarity with the the Dutch and their argument of free speech. Free speech is an intersting thing, and that is where the Muslim hypocracy lies. Arabs are upset with these cartoons, so they torch embassies, and destroy symbols of the West like Mcdonalds and KFC fast food joints. However, I dont see them protesting when the Iranian President says that Israel should be wiped off the globe or that the Holocaust was a myth...where the outrage? Or when a suicide bomber walks down the street and detonates himself killing woman and children...still no outrage. But when they are offended by the west, they go ballistic and prove that the Middle East is a ticking timebomb. They could have gotten sympothy if they would have protested respectfully and shown the world that these cartoons are wrong, but no, they overreact and burn the American and Israeli flags on the street when the US anad Israel had nothing to do with it to begin with, and worst of all I heard of newspapers in Iran having a contest for cartoons depicting the Holocaust. This situation just highlights the volatility there is between the Arab world and its Western counterpart. Muslim people have to realize that things might happen that they dont agree with, and if it does violence and agression arent always the answer. Both sides have blown this way out of proportion, but the political ramifications could be very dangerous if the violence continues.

-Brad

U.N at it Again

All I have to say to the United Nations is SHUT UP AND GET A CLUE! Now they want the US to shut down the detainee prison at Guantanamo Bay. maybe if the UN would do its job we wouldnt need to detain and question these people ourselves. The UN has no idea how to fight a war on terror, or do anything right for that matter. As far as Im concerned the UN is totally worthless and should really stand for Un Necessary. It is corrupt from the bottom up and I wouldnt lose a nights sleep if the whole organization closed up shop tomorrow. They are weak and spineless, and the worst is the head hancho Kofi Annan, who is in way over his head without a clue. I hope Bush shrugs this off as well it should be, because anyone with a brain knows the UN simply an agenda driven blunder anymore.

-Brad

I suggest you read the whole article at:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,185076,00.html

Non-Objective Journalism

I just had a little free time so I decided to go to the library and pick up the New York Times. I really didnt care much about the news stories, I just wanted to get to the infamous Op-Ed page. Now, before I continue I must say that for anyone out there who doesnt watch Foxnews because you think it is biased and slants to the right, consider this: In todays edition of the NYT, there is not one positive column about President Bush, his administration, or his policies. There is a column that says Bush is never held accountable for anything that goes wrong on his watch and that 'punishment is meted out to the foot soldiers and middle management.' The next column bashes the Bush Administration and the Office of Homeland Security for doing far too little to protect our ports by allowing a company from the United Arab Emirates to run some of the operations. The third column complains about the No Child Left Behind Act, and says that the Government is under funding it which is causing it to fail, when actually funding for education is higher under President Bush than any other President. The fourth article is about a Pakistani man who is mad that the US isnt helping the Pakistani people nearly enough with economic aid and only giving them military help. Anyone else finding a theme here? Next there was an article writting Bashing Bush's stance on human cloning and stem cell reseach. He is upset that Bush asked Congress to pass legislation outlawing human cloning "in all its forms." And the final editorial in todays New York Times actually asks Vice President Dick Cheney to step down as VP in a lovely little column titled, "Mr. Vice President, its Time to Go."
Ok, all those columns appeared in just one day of print, and some people still believe that this newspaper and its subsidiaries arent bias, yet they always roll their eyes when anyone else mentions Foxnews. Even after this proof, most liberals will still make excuses saying things like "well its not our fault Bush makes so many mistakes," going on to say that they are just telling the truth. Well thats just nice, but at least throw in some other points of view so that your bias isnt so friggin obvious. I hope this makes some of you realize why the Presidents job is so difficult, would you like to sit in the White House making important decision while the people who are reporting the news hate your guts? What makes it worth it for me is that we always get the last laugh...everytime there's an election baby.

More Abu Ghraib Pictures

Here we go again. More photos have appearently surfaced showing US troops humiliating Iraqi prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison in 2003...yeah thats what I said 2003. There is nothing new to the story, except to once again incite anti-Americanism around the world and especially within the Arab community. These photos were shown by a Austrailian television station last night, yet they would not comment on where they got the photos. Now, just like the last time, this story is acting as fuel to the hate-Bush press, whom almost in unacin are plastering the new images all over their newspapers and websites. Just to show the hypocracy here, Ill use CNN as an example. CNN refuses to show the cartoons of the prophet Mohammed that have caused outrage in many Muslim countries, however they have no problem showing these pictures. I dont understand that logic. These pictures put American servicemen and women in danger today, even though these abuses took place almost three years ago and have been corrected. I think I last heard that eight of the troops involved have been prosecuted. The military is obviously unhappy with the release of these pictures as a CNN article illustrates:

Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, spokesman for the US led coalition in Iraq, said he thought the timing of the new report was "unnecessarily provocative" and "irresponsible." He said that any photos from that time period "do not reflect was is happening at Abu Ghraib now."

Obviously this Austrailian TV station just wants the publicity and does not care about the ramifications of their actions, much like Newsweek who printed that false story about US troops flushing the Koran down the toilet in Guantanamo. I hope this story does not become as big of a deal as it did last time, because it really is irrelevant. The military has fixed the problem and moved on and thats all we can ask. But you can bet this will be all over the news tomorrow being used once again as political pull to protest the war in Iraq, dont believe me, I guarentee you this story will be front page news in tomorrows New York Slimes and Washington ComPost.

-Brad

Liberal Media Mad About Nothing

Im sure by now most of you know what VP Dick Cheney's little accident over the weekend where he accidentally shot his friend while quail hunting (if not read below). Now the elite, liberal media in this country does not care about the fact that a man was shot, all they care about is that they were not told about it immediately. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan has been getting just chewed up by reporters everyday because they want to know why the VP is being so secretive about the situation. Now the whole thing is being blown way out of proportion with people saying that this just shows how the Bush Adminstration hides things from the American people and blah blah blah...you know the drill. Here's my question, why does the elite media in this country insist on becoming the story instead of reporting it? This story has no other implications than the fact that the VP of the United States accidentally shot someone while hunting...thats it. This does not effect any other person in the country besides Dick Cheney and the other man involved, but the media would have you believe this is some conspiracy that proves Cheney is evil and hides everything from the public. The way this is being portrayed is that Cheney shot the guy and didnt tell anyone for weeks until someone uncovered it without his permission and then broke the story, which is contrary to the truth. Dick shot the guy Saturday evening and the story was in a local Texas newspaper by Sunday Morning, some conspiracy.
I just wish the media would get back to doing their job by reporting ACTUAL news instead of doing crap like this just to forward their own obvious political agenda. Its no secret that the press does not like Cheney, and the recent fireworks over this non-story prove that point. Just watch CNN and sit there while Wolf Blitzer beats this story to death for hours. The media wont cover the fact that Al Gore is making anit-American comments in Saudi Arabia, or that the Arab World is exploding over a couple of cartoons, no, they lead their newscasts and headline their papers with the fact that Dick Cheney did not talk to the media immediately after his accident. Granted, I do wish the VP would have been more forthcoming right after this whole thing happened, and I still think he should say something publically, but that is where the story ends.

-Brad

San Francisco=Anti America

I just got done watching Hannity and Colmes on Foxnews and what I saw shocked me. The segment aired because the city of San Francisco will not let a World War II battleship, the USS Iowa, to sit on its shores as a memorial to what that ship and its sailors did during that war to protect our freedom. Many of the men who manned that ship during the war are converging on San Fran in anger because the decision was made as a protest to the US military. The man they interviewed who argued in favor of keeping the ship out of the city went on to say that the United States should have no military! He said that many people feel this way in the city and they will not allow this ship to be there because it is a symbol of war. I couldnt believe my eyes as Alan Colmes, who is the liberal anchor on the show, was enraged that this man would say that the US should completely get rid of the military. Colmes also said he hoped that Americans will not think that all Democrats feel this way. When asked how we would protect ourself without a military the man replied we will just use our police forces to protect us.
Obviously what this man said was completely obsurd, but the scary thing is that most people who live in the San Francisco area actually atune to this logic. You want proof, last November, San Francisco residents voted on a measure that would ban military recruiters from schools in the area, as you might guess it passed overwhelmingly which is a disgrace. Even ultra-liberal California Senator Dianne Feinstein supported letting the USS Iowa sit on the waters off the San Fran coast, and she also made it so the city would not have to pay one red cent. But unfortunetly, people like the clown on Hannity and Colmes have final say and are more than willing to undermind our military to make a political point. This type of disrespect for our military today is bad enough, but to do it to WWII veterans who faught with such dignity and courage is just pathetic, and I personally do not consider anyone who agrees with this to be a true American.

-Brad

Hackett Drops Out of Senate Race

The Democrats have made another fatal error in their attempt to regain any power in the State of Ohio come November. The Democratic Party here in Ohio, along with outside influence from powerful party leaders like Sen. Chuck Schumer from New York have forced a viable candidate out of the Ohio Senate race. Paul Hackett is the kind of guy that the Dems need if they want to win anything this year. The man is a Marine Corps Reservist and is a veteran of the war in Iraq. He seems to be a political moderate and someone I believe this state could actually relate to in an election. Many people still dont know who he is, but he actually almost won a congressional seat last year during a special election in one of the most Republican parts of Ohio. Instead of having candidates like Hackett represent their party, the Democrats would rather let people like Sherrod Brown attempt to end the Republican's reign. This could not be more stupid. First of all Sherrod Brown is a Liberal, and his policies will never get him a majority of the moderate vote in this state. All one needs to do is look at the man's credentials for proof that he is a legislative failure. I live in Brown's 13th District, and right now it is a disaster. Jobs are leaving here at an unbelievable rate and Sherrod has been nowhere to be found.
Recently the Lorain Ford Plant, which has been a staple of the community for years, has completely shut down terminating thousands of jobs. During the whole ordeal I did not hear any kind of statement from Brown about the situation, which I do not understand. Sherrod Brown is as weak as they come on national defense and terrorism and his voting record proves it. At a time like this, he is not the kind of person I want representing my state in the Senate. Perhaps his only plus is his experience as a politician. I think he is a 7 term congressman and before that he was a big-wig in state politics. But that alone should not be what makes him a better candidate than Hackett. I personally would not vote for either one of them, Ill take Mike Dewine over both anyday of the week. However this just proves that the Democratic Party fails to understand the type of people it takes to win major elections in this country and they should not expect any success until they wise up.

-Brad

Happy Valentines Day

I just want to wish everyone out there a Happy Valentines Day. I actually hate this holiday because I think its just made up for candy companies and flowershops to make a nice little profit thanks to the need of women to make their men show appreciation. But what can I say, Im just another victim in Cupid's line of sight as I myself bought my girlfriend some roses and took to dinner to celebrate this day. But she is worth it and I hope everyone shows their significant other how much you appreciate them today...unless they arent worth it in which case you should dump their ass!:)

-Brad

Al Gore Unplugged

When I say unplugged I really mean unhinged because I think ol'e Al has finally taken that final plunge off the deep end. I understand the man is still bitter about the 2000 election (I still thank God he lost), but I think six years is plenty of time to get over his personal vendetta against President Bush and regain his marbles. However, he has been making periodical anti-American speeches all over the world, with the most pathetic one coming today when he told a group of mostly Arabs in Saudi Arabia, of all places, that Americans committed "terrible abuses" against Arabs after the 9/11 attacks. He then went on to say that Arabs were "indiscriminately rounded up" and held in "unforgivable" conditions. He failed to cite any specific examples of these terrible abuses and also failed to comment on the terrible abuses that took place on 9/11 when 19 Arab terrorists murdered more than 3,000 innocent American citizens. He went on to discuss how many Arabs were detained following the attacks for violating their Visa's. If my memory serves me right (and it always does) 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi citizens in this country illegally because of expired visa's.
This speech was obviously politically motivated in an area of the world where making Americans look like they target Arabs illegally is incredibly dangerous. Personally, I believe that any American who goes overseas and gives anti-American speeches like this is committing treason because all this does is make those people hate us even more when we need to show that we do treat Arabs with respect in this country, which we absolutely should. Gore must have forgot that during World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt (a Democrat mind you), forced thousands of Japanese people into internment camps for years because of fear they were spies. But Al has yet to travel to Japan to apologize for those atrocities.
All that Gore does with these types of speeches is weaken our country at a time of war. Unfortunetaly, these comments are tolerated by many in our society and media, which only makes the problem worse. Al's comments were wrong, politically motivated, irresponsible, and dangerous. The only positive that comes out of things like this is it makes the leaders of the Democratic party look weak and kills their chances of winning moderate voters. So as much as I hate what Gore says, it only helps the Republicans everytime he opens his big mouth.

-Brad

Feeding Frenzy at White House

Today during the daily White House breifing press secretary Scott McClellan was grilled by the White House Press people who seemed furious that they were not the first to be told about Vice President Cheney's little mishap while quail hunting. The accident appearently happened on Saturday, but the story did not break nationally until sometime Sunday afternoon. The woman who actually broke the story actually owns the ranch where this all took place and she reportedly told a local newspaper in Corpus Christi, Texas, who then broke the story.
Once again we should expect the media to blow this out of proportion just to make Cheney and then Bush (who had absolutely nothing to do with this at all) look stupid. I admit, Cheney's press people should have released a statement soon after the incident took place, however, and McClellan said this today, the first priority was to make sure the man that was shot was ok. It was hilarious to watch the circus today when the reporters went crazy and made a big ta-doo over this thing. One reporter even asked something along the lines of "if the man shot would have died, would this be a more serious situation?" For a response to that the word DUH comes to mind. I just hope this whole thing blows over because as long as the poor man who got clipped is ok, that really is all that matters. Im just waiting for the onslaught of jokes and wise cracks about the VP starting tonight from Leno, Letterman, Corbert, Jon Steward, etc...it should be veeeeeery interesting.

-Brad

Saddams Trial is Becoming a Joke

This whole Saddam Hussein trial thing is beginning to make me a little nervous. The trial itself is a complete disgrace and if things dont change soon I think the tyrant might get off scott free. Today's version of this continuing judicial soap opera proved to be one of the most entertaining with Saddam screaming "down with Bush" and then calling the judges and the prosecution "homosexuals." The trial began on October 19th of last year and has only held sportaic proceedings, today was the first session in 11 days. What I dont understand is why Saddam is not held in contempt or repremanded when he misbehaves, which seems to be constantly. A circus like this would never be allowed in the United States, so why should we expect anything different from the Iraqis? This is arguably the most important trial of our lifetimes, just like the Nuremburg Tribunals were to our grandparents. US troops died when we invaded that country to get Saddam out of power, but now he is once again in charge but this time it is of his own trial. We cannot allow this idiot to go unpunished for what he did to his people during his reign of terror and I personally dont care what the judges in the case have to do to make sure he sees justice. The guy is guilty as hell and as far as Im concerned they should just take him out back and torture him just like he did to people for 20 sum-odd-years. The bottom line is the Iraqis have to get their act together and make sure they get this right, because if the Iraqi people cant even convict Saddam Hussein of these obvious crimes (talk about a no brainer) then how can we ever expect them to responsibly govern themselves at all?

-Brad

Dick Cheney Accidentally Shoots a Guy

Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fellow hunter over the weekend while hunting quail. The man who got shot is 78 year old Harry Whittington who is reportedly "alert and doing fine." A spokesperson for the VP said he was in the hospital with Whittington and his wife on Sunday afternoon. Evidentally this was all just an accident when Cheney, not seeing Whittington, sprayed him with shotgun pellots which hit him in the right cheek, neck and chest. This all happened on Saturday February 11th and this story is still develping...

I suggest you read the whole story at:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/12/cheney.ap/index.html

-Brad

GOP has early edge in '08

New polls done by Foxnews offer some pretty bad news for leading Democratic probables for their party's nomination for President in 2008. The poll focuses on two candidates from each party, Rudy Giuliani and John McCain on the Republican side and Hillary Clinton and John Kerry for the Democrats. The Results of the poll are as follows:

Among registered voters, Giuliani beats Clinton by 11 percentage points and Kerry by 19 points. McCain tops Clinton by 13 percentage points and Kerry by 20 points. These results are with past Foxnews results on these vote questions, with the only real change being a lessoning of support for Kerry.

I know it is still premature for any real prediction on the 2008 election, however these results along with other previous data could not make the Democrats optomistic with their chances. Hillary Clinton especially had a tough month with a poll released recently saying that 50% of Americans would not support her in any circumstance for President. I just hope the Republican Party does the right think in nominating Rudy Giuliani in 2008 because as of today, I do not think any Democrat could beat him.

I suggest you read the whole article at:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184357,00.html

-Brad

Military Action in Iran?

I really dont know what the Iranian Government is thinking. Every other day, Iranian President Ahmadinejad (easy for me to say), keeps saying things like the Holocaust never happened, or that Israel needs to be wipped off the planet. Now, just saying stupid things like that is bad enough, but now these people are snubbing their noses at the world community and attempting to develop nuclear weapons. The United States, obviously concerned with this, has been working with its "allies" to get a peaceful and democratic solution to this problem which is quickly getting out of control. As usual, all that most Government officials are saying is that right now they are fully dedicated to getting a peaceful solution to this problem, however I have been reading that the Pentagon has been secretly making war plans to take out these Iranian nuke sites if diplomacy fails. Iran is a very complex situation, even more so than Iraq. I dont invision any type of full scale invasion of Iran, only a massive attack with American and maybe even Israeli airpower that would completely cripple Irans nuclear program.
Right now, I dont think I support military action against Iran. I hope that we still have enough time to show American superiority and deter Ahmadinejad who is becoming a growing cancer throughout the world. But we cannot allow this man to have any nuclear capabilities whatsoever. He is the most dangerous person in the world right now hands down. Between him, Huge Chavez of Venezuela, and Kim Jong Ill of North Korea I almost see a resemblence of the Axis Powers of World War II. Just like with Iraq, we cannot expect anyone else in the world to actually do the dirty work if it comes down to it. France wont do it, Germany wont, and the Russians and Chinese are friends with the Iranians, so once again we will be on our own to do the right thing. Col. David Hunt who is a Fox News Analyst said that he believes we will see some sort of military action against Iran within the next six months. I disagree with him and hope it does not come to that. But if relations between Iran and the West continue to deteriorate and they go ahead with their nuclear program then we wont have a choice. A nuclear power that is content on distroying Israel with a leader who is obviously dillusional is unacceptable and their day will come when they will feel the wrath of the United States Military.

Kanye Pest

If I had to make a list of the biggest A-holes in America, Kanye West would have to be in the top 5. He solidified his spot when in a recent interview he said that there should be a revised edition of the Bible because he thinks he should be in it. Here is the whole article from contactmusic.com:

Cocky rap star Kanye West is calling for a revised edition of the Bible because he thinks he should be a character in it.
The "JESUS WALKS" hitmaker who picked up three Grammy awards last night, feels sure he'd be a "griot", (West African Storyteller) in a modern Bible.
He says "I bring up historical subjects in a way that makes kids want to learn about them. Im an inspirational speaker."
"I changed the sound of music more than one time...for all those reasons, I'd be part of the Bible. Im definitely in the history books already."

Can this guy possibly be serious? I actually saw his performance at the Grammys and it wasnt even that great. He and Jaime Foxx, another guy who needs a reality check these days, rapped a couple of Kanye's bad songs while dressed up as drum majors with a marching band percussion section providinga backup beat. I love how these singers and actors think just because alot of people know who they are that they are entitled to some sort of historical status. They go to these award shows with egos bigger than the arena their sitting in just waiting to win so they can go up on stage and make their worthless little speech and cry because they never expected this to happen in a million years. During Kanye's performance, he actually made a threat, to whom I dunno, saying how he didnt win the grammy last year so he better get one this year. Well Kanye, your Biblical status is not etched in stone because you won THREE grammys...Jesus would be so proud. And on the upside, with his new awards now maybe Kanye's head will get big enough to make those squirrel-cheaks of his look normal!

Inaugural Post...

Whats up Everyone? I finally got a blog up and running. My website is www.bradsjournal.com so make sure you check that out. I will update this thing as much as I possiblly can. I will mostly discuss my view of politics and whats going on in this crazy world of ours, but dont think I wont throw my 2 cents in when it comes to pop culture or any other issue that mighit arise. Those of you who know me can verify that I am pretty opinionated and that I have never been afraid to speak my mind. Tell everyone you know to check this out, even if you know they wont agree with me because I dont want this to be a partisan thing, I want it to be informative, fun, and intelligent. Alrights its getting late so Im gonna be getting to bed, goodnight. -Brad