Intentionally, they mean.
As an example, they cite the Senator's sudden habit of dropping "Heavens to Betsy", "You bet your boots", or a number of other phrases not widely used since the Eisenhower administration, into his speeches.
Endearingly desperate to make this sound like a positive development, AP writer Nedra Pickler notes:
Even while speaking on the very serious topic of Iraq last week at New York University, Kerry made the audience laugh six times at President Bush's expense.
In other news, Kerry made a room full of dogs salivate by ringing a small bell. Seriously, how hard is it to make an audience at NYU laugh at President Bush's expense? A cadaver could have gotten six laughs.
As an example of Kerry "using the lingo of the younger generation", we get "You're going to hear all this talk, 'Oh, we've turned the corner, we're doing better, blah blah, you know, blah and blah and blah."
I like this one, merely because it gives me an excuse to resurrect this picture:
Now I think of it, that is kinda funny.
Ofc. Krupke at 3:32 AM
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27 September 2004
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27 September 2004
An Iraqi exile blogger has some sharp words for Maureen Dowd, in re Dowd's column on the visit of Allawi to the U.S.:
This is a laughably parochial reaction. Does Dowd think that Allawi is only talking to her and her ilk?
He's right, but I think he's being a little hard on her. She's a New York Times writer, for crying out loud. Laughable parochialism is like oxygen there.
This is a laughably parochial reaction. Does Dowd think that Allawi is only talking to her and her ilk?
He's right, but I think he's being a little hard on her. She's a New York Times writer, for crying out loud. Laughable parochialism is like oxygen there.
Ofc. Krupke at 5:47 PM
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26 September 2004
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26 September 2004
The world is a rotten, stinking place, full of death, war, privation, and misery. Millions suffer and cower under the yoke of tyranny. There is so much suffering and so much danger, but the good news is that you can do something about at least a little of it. For just pennies a day, you can make a difference.
When you give to the Adopt-A-Sniper Foundation, you give more than handi-wipes and drop holsters. You give hope. You give much-needed support to a brave American fighting man serving his country under the toughest of circumstances.
The snipers of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps operate in forward areas, often alone, and constantly in danger. They gather vital intelligence, recon targets ahead of time, and bring the war directly to the enemy. And they do it with a single bullet. No area effect, no talk of blast radius or collateral damage. Every insurgent they engage, every enemy rifleman or RPG-toting thug they drop, is one less to threaten Coalition forces or Iraqi noncombatants. And that's something we can all support. The Marine snipers in Fallujah were so effective that, according to a Los Angeles Times article, "A Web site, linked to the insurgents, attempts to provide information on snipers and their family members."
Because you never know, do you, al-Zarqawi? You just never fucking know.
Please give generously. Think of the children.
When you give to the Adopt-A-Sniper Foundation, you give more than handi-wipes and drop holsters. You give hope. You give much-needed support to a brave American fighting man serving his country under the toughest of circumstances.
The snipers of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps operate in forward areas, often alone, and constantly in danger. They gather vital intelligence, recon targets ahead of time, and bring the war directly to the enemy. And they do it with a single bullet. No area effect, no talk of blast radius or collateral damage. Every insurgent they engage, every enemy rifleman or RPG-toting thug they drop, is one less to threaten Coalition forces or Iraqi noncombatants. And that's something we can all support. The Marine snipers in Fallujah were so effective that, according to a Los Angeles Times article, "A Web site, linked to the insurgents, attempts to provide information on snipers and their family members."
Because you never know, do you, al-Zarqawi? You just never fucking know.
Please give generously. Think of the children.
Ofc. Krupke at 1:42 PM
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24 September 2004
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24 September 2004
And the music stops.
Adios, amigo.
From "Rebel in a Rebel's World", by Steve Miller, appearing in The Washington Times:
Johnny went worldwide public with his partisanship in 2002, when the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the microphone to give props to the peoplewho made it all possible, he offered his own version of a Michael Moore moment.
"God bless President Bush, and God bless America," he said, clad in his trademark T-shirt, ripped blue jeans and leather jacket.
"I said that to counter those other speeches at the other awards," Mr. Ramone says in a phone interview. "Republicans let this happen over and over, and there is never anyone to stick up for them."
1-2-3-4!
Adios, amigo.
From "Rebel in a Rebel's World", by Steve Miller, appearing in The Washington Times:
Johnny went worldwide public with his partisanship in 2002, when the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the microphone to give props to the peoplewho made it all possible, he offered his own version of a Michael Moore moment.
"God bless President Bush, and God bless America," he said, clad in his trademark T-shirt, ripped blue jeans and leather jacket.
"I said that to counter those other speeches at the other awards," Mr. Ramone says in a phone interview. "Republicans let this happen over and over, and there is never anyone to stick up for them."
1-2-3-4!
Ofc. Krupke at 1:34 AM
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14 September 2004
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14 September 2004
ADMINISTRATIVE ANNOUNCEMENT: For the next several days, Analogcabin: The Right will be suspending operations. In other words, I'm going on a much-needed vacation. I'm off to visit my sister, who is possessed of political opinions that make Jimmy Saffron look like Bill Frist, and who is one of my very, very, favorite people in the whole world.
I'll be back when I get back. At that time I hope to actually sit down and address some of what Saffron posed to me here. I retort, you decide. Or something like that. I'm tired.
Well, this is sort of a boring post to hold this position, so I'll add a picture:
That's an actual night-vision image taken on a night patrol in Baghdad.
I'll be back when I get back. At that time I hope to actually sit down and address some of what Saffron posed to me here. I retort, you decide. Or something like that. I'm tired.
Well, this is sort of a boring post to hold this position, so I'll add a picture:
That's an actual night-vision image taken on a night patrol in Baghdad.
Ofc. Krupke at 2:42 AM
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13 September 2004
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13 September 2004
Ding! Dong! The witch is dead!
Ofc. Krupke at 2:35 AM
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11 September 2004
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11 September 2004
Never again.
That is all.
That is all.
Ofc. Krupke at 8:46 AM
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09 September 2004
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09 September 2004
Julian Sanchez at Reason does not like Dick Cheney. Nevertheless, he has examined the Vice President's much-derided recent quote, and determined reluctantly that the Kerry-will-make-the-terrorists-hit-us interpretation is based on a highly selective reading of a fragment of his sentence.
I am shocked. Shocked.
Here's the full quote, from the transcript Sanchez links to:
Because if we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that we'll get hit again, that we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States, and that we'll fall back into the pre-9/11 mind set if you will, that in fact these terrorist attacks are just criminal acts, and that we're not really at war. I think that would be a terrible mistake for us. [Emphasis mine]
He's not saying we'll get hit if Kerry is elected, he's worrying that Kerry will employ the wrong mindset in fighting terrorism.
I am shocked. Shocked.
Here's the full quote, from the transcript Sanchez links to:
Because if we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that we'll get hit again, that we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States, and that we'll fall back into the pre-9/11 mind set if you will, that in fact these terrorist attacks are just criminal acts, and that we're not really at war. I think that would be a terrible mistake for us. [Emphasis mine]
He's not saying we'll get hit if Kerry is elected, he's worrying that Kerry will employ the wrong mindset in fighting terrorism.
Ofc. Krupke at 1:29 PM
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08 September 2004
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08 September 2004
There is no bloodletting so horrific, no cruelty so monstrous, that The New York Times can bring themselves to not say something stupid about it.Speaking about the Breslan schoolhouse massacre, they begin by recounting the sordid history of Russian/Chechen relations, and conclude that the Russians need to make a "bold reach for compromise." For good measure, they also mention "nuance."
Let me first make a concession here: the Times has a point about the war in Chechnya. The Russian campaign there frequently matches the description of the most lunatic negative depictions of Iraq, not that America's scolds, outside of the Arab world, can be bothered to notice or care. More of the same-old is not going to help Russia. It's also refreshing to see Walter Duranty's old paper saying bad things about Stalin. Old bastard must be spinning in his grave.
But the Times' analysis misses a key point: that Chechen independence is almost a side issue here. The attack is blamed on Shamil Basayev, a Chechen radical, whose ultimate aim is to establish an Islamic republic across the Caucasus region of Russia, as opposed to merely an independent Chechen state. Winds of Change has a useful and extensive piece on this. Also check out this interesting interview with Basayev that appeared on the Islamic website Jamiat:
Basayev:As for Usama bin Ladin, he is not one of our financial sponsors and neither do I know him. However, I would love to meet him especially after all this propaganda about him.
The interview's URL notes that it was last updated on June 18, 2001.
It's hard to agree with the Times' belief that negotiating with Chechen moderates, or even making significant concessions, will change anything. It's too simplistic, and - I have been waiting a long time to say this - it lacks nuance.
Then, of course, there's this:
But the terrorists' tactics harden the feelings of the Russian public, diminish international sympathy for them and make innocent Chechens the target of suspicion and fear.
Yesterday's botched rescue attempt by Russian forces at the Beslan middle school left at least 200 hostages dead and raised serious questions about President Vladimir Putin's handling of the crisis.
It's telling that the Times would choose to characterize what happened at Breslan as a "botched rescue attempt." The terrorists inside began setting off bombs before Russian police or Spetznasi made any approach. They had to react, and improvise as best they could to a situation not of their choice. Their "rescue attempt" was "botched" in exactly the same way as the FDNY's heroic charge up into the Twin Towers was "botched". Saying that the "botched" attempt was what killed the hostages, combined with the weirdly mild tut-tutting over "the terrorists' tactics", crosses the line from dumbly self-important to downright contemptible.
Good thing the Times thinks so highly of itself. No one else will.
Let me first make a concession here: the Times has a point about the war in Chechnya. The Russian campaign there frequently matches the description of the most lunatic negative depictions of Iraq, not that America's scolds, outside of the Arab world, can be bothered to notice or care. More of the same-old is not going to help Russia. It's also refreshing to see Walter Duranty's old paper saying bad things about Stalin. Old bastard must be spinning in his grave.
But the Times' analysis misses a key point: that Chechen independence is almost a side issue here. The attack is blamed on Shamil Basayev, a Chechen radical, whose ultimate aim is to establish an Islamic republic across the Caucasus region of Russia, as opposed to merely an independent Chechen state. Winds of Change has a useful and extensive piece on this. Also check out this interesting interview with Basayev that appeared on the Islamic website Jamiat:
Basayev:As for Usama bin Ladin, he is not one of our financial sponsors and neither do I know him. However, I would love to meet him especially after all this propaganda about him.
The interview's URL notes that it was last updated on June 18, 2001.
It's hard to agree with the Times' belief that negotiating with Chechen moderates, or even making significant concessions, will change anything. It's too simplistic, and - I have been waiting a long time to say this - it lacks nuance.
Then, of course, there's this:
But the terrorists' tactics harden the feelings of the Russian public, diminish international sympathy for them and make innocent Chechens the target of suspicion and fear.
Yesterday's botched rescue attempt by Russian forces at the Beslan middle school left at least 200 hostages dead and raised serious questions about President Vladimir Putin's handling of the crisis.
It's telling that the Times would choose to characterize what happened at Breslan as a "botched rescue attempt." The terrorists inside began setting off bombs before Russian police or Spetznasi made any approach. They had to react, and improvise as best they could to a situation not of their choice. Their "rescue attempt" was "botched" in exactly the same way as the FDNY's heroic charge up into the Twin Towers was "botched". Saying that the "botched" attempt was what killed the hostages, combined with the weirdly mild tut-tutting over "the terrorists' tactics", crosses the line from dumbly self-important to downright contemptible.
Good thing the Times thinks so highly of itself. No one else will.
Ofc. Krupke at 1:32 PM
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News reports indicate that President Clinton is through his quadruple bypass and doing well. Some sources are saying it is a good thing his surgery occured when it did, or he might have had a massive heart attack within a few months.
It should come as no surprise that I am hardly a fan of Clinton's, but politics and nasty jokes aside, I was still shocked to hear that he was having such a major operation, and relieved when he came through it okay.
We've lost one president this year, and that's quite enough, thank you. Clinton is only 58 years old, and should have a good number of years left to irritate conservatives.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Mr. President.
Yours,
The gang at The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy (Local #242)
It should come as no surprise that I am hardly a fan of Clinton's, but politics and nasty jokes aside, I was still shocked to hear that he was having such a major operation, and relieved when he came through it okay.
We've lost one president this year, and that's quite enough, thank you. Clinton is only 58 years old, and should have a good number of years left to irritate conservatives.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Mr. President.
Yours,
The gang at The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy (Local #242)
Ofc. Krupke at 1:17 AM
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06 September 2004
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06 September 2004
We get very few vehicle pursuits in Devil's Island. And by "very few", I mean "none". But every so often, one will come to visit.
It started when a K-9 officer with the Industrial City PD attempted to pull over a car with a cracked windshield. The driver refused to stop, and roared onto the interstate, with several ICPD units in pursuit. The suspect fled off the interstate onto one of the ruralesque highways on Devil's Island. When the call came out, I was clear on the other side of the world. I hurried over as quick as I could, although our higher-ups were telling us to take it slow, respond Code 1, and above all, do not pursue.
The reason for this is to comply with the SCPD's rather ridiculous pursuit policy, or more appropriately, our non-pursuit policy. If an SCPD officer has a violator who refuses to stop, he or she must notify the dispatcher of the situation, including location, current speed, traffic conditions, and what the reason for the stop is. It is then the decision of the on-duty supervisor whether or not to continue the pursuit. And, except in the most dire of circumstances, the instinctive response of the supervisor is: cancel the pursuit. In virtually every case, the supervisor making the decision is nowhere near the pursuit itself. They are, however, prone to the following interior dialogue:
Q: Will it have negative repercussions on my career if the suspect gets away?
A: No.
Q: Will it have negative repercussions on my career if the suspect wrecks his car, or runs into someone, or the officer wrecks, or someone complains, or a member of the command staff hears about the pursuit later and decides to second-guess me?
A: You betcha.
So more often than not, the pursuit is curtailed, frequently before the pursuing officer finishes describing it. The bad guys of Southern City are rapidly becoming aware of this, and the knowledge that they can evade the already negligible consequences for their actions if they drive like maniacs encourages them to do exactly that. And thus is the public safety guaranteed, with the minor caveat that any motorized lawbreaker essentially has a unilateral veto on his own capture. An officer on the scene later told me that he had once dealt with a man bearing no fewer than fourteen convictions for possession of stolen motor vehicle/failure to stop when signaled. I imagine he had more time in accumulated suspended sentences than I have been alive. If you look out the window right now, he might well be stealing your car.
Sadly for the miscreant in tonight's story, Industrial City has no such policy. So when he went tear-assing around at speeds that exceeded 100 miles an hour at some points, he was followed closely by several ICPD cruisers. We headed toward them to assist, but if Car A is traveling at 100 mph, and Car B is five miles behind, traveling at 55 mph, this presents an obstacle. So it wasn't long before they had left SCPD jurisdiction before I could catch a glimpse of them. I had the car radio tuned to ICPD freqs, and was listening to the chase, and so when they reported that the suspect had made a giant loop, and was hurtling back toward us, I spun my car around on the blacktop (well, okay, it was more of a hasty three-point turn) and fell in behind Sgt. Rudy as he headed up the road as well. After all, if it's ICPD's pursuit, we can't be blamed for not canceling it, right?
We were about ten miles up the road, and nowhere near the car, when the pursuing officer came over the radio yelling, "He's flipping!" The suspect had attempted to negotiate a curve on wet pavement that his front-wheel-drive family sedan just wasn't up to. After several rolls, he came to rest in a roadside ditch, right-side up as it happened, and essentially unscathed (although, as the state trooper who responded to work the wreck remarked, "He didn't know if he was in China or West Hell.") The pursuing officer and his dog approached the drivers' side, and the suspect bailed out the passenger's side, shouting that he gave up. By the time we got there, he was already in the back of the ICPD cruiser. When asked why he ran, he told the arresting officer that he didn't have a license (suspended, as it turned out). We suspect the electronic scale, the large amount of cash in his pocket, and the several baggies with crack cocaine residue in them might also have had something to do with it.
While we were working the wreck scene, the suspect's mother pulled up. She was angry but somehow unsurprised when the ICPD sergeant told her everything that had happened. "I put him out," she explained, "because he just made his head so hard." The sergeant escorted her to the cruiser where she could speak to her boy through the barred window thereof. I was over a hundred feet away, directing traffic around the scene, and I could hear her screaming at him. "Where are your buddies now?!?" Then another man showed up in his Sunday clothes and took over the duties of screaming for the mother. I presume this was a relative of some sort, but you never know. I'm guessing the guy was just wishing we would roll the window up and take him to jail.
We don't know what happened to the crack. We suspected that he had used the 20+ minute pursuit as an opportunity to swallow it so that he could avoid those particular charges. He denied this, of course, as he denied there had been any crack in the car. Depending on the amount, he may very well be twitching on the floor of the Southern County Detention Center as I write this.
It started when a K-9 officer with the Industrial City PD attempted to pull over a car with a cracked windshield. The driver refused to stop, and roared onto the interstate, with several ICPD units in pursuit. The suspect fled off the interstate onto one of the ruralesque highways on Devil's Island. When the call came out, I was clear on the other side of the world. I hurried over as quick as I could, although our higher-ups were telling us to take it slow, respond Code 1, and above all, do not pursue.
The reason for this is to comply with the SCPD's rather ridiculous pursuit policy, or more appropriately, our non-pursuit policy. If an SCPD officer has a violator who refuses to stop, he or she must notify the dispatcher of the situation, including location, current speed, traffic conditions, and what the reason for the stop is. It is then the decision of the on-duty supervisor whether or not to continue the pursuit. And, except in the most dire of circumstances, the instinctive response of the supervisor is: cancel the pursuit. In virtually every case, the supervisor making the decision is nowhere near the pursuit itself. They are, however, prone to the following interior dialogue:
Q: Will it have negative repercussions on my career if the suspect gets away?
A: No.
Q: Will it have negative repercussions on my career if the suspect wrecks his car, or runs into someone, or the officer wrecks, or someone complains, or a member of the command staff hears about the pursuit later and decides to second-guess me?
A: You betcha.
So more often than not, the pursuit is curtailed, frequently before the pursuing officer finishes describing it. The bad guys of Southern City are rapidly becoming aware of this, and the knowledge that they can evade the already negligible consequences for their actions if they drive like maniacs encourages them to do exactly that. And thus is the public safety guaranteed, with the minor caveat that any motorized lawbreaker essentially has a unilateral veto on his own capture. An officer on the scene later told me that he had once dealt with a man bearing no fewer than fourteen convictions for possession of stolen motor vehicle/failure to stop when signaled. I imagine he had more time in accumulated suspended sentences than I have been alive. If you look out the window right now, he might well be stealing your car.
Sadly for the miscreant in tonight's story, Industrial City has no such policy. So when he went tear-assing around at speeds that exceeded 100 miles an hour at some points, he was followed closely by several ICPD cruisers. We headed toward them to assist, but if Car A is traveling at 100 mph, and Car B is five miles behind, traveling at 55 mph, this presents an obstacle. So it wasn't long before they had left SCPD jurisdiction before I could catch a glimpse of them. I had the car radio tuned to ICPD freqs, and was listening to the chase, and so when they reported that the suspect had made a giant loop, and was hurtling back toward us, I spun my car around on the blacktop (well, okay, it was more of a hasty three-point turn) and fell in behind Sgt. Rudy as he headed up the road as well. After all, if it's ICPD's pursuit, we can't be blamed for not canceling it, right?
We were about ten miles up the road, and nowhere near the car, when the pursuing officer came over the radio yelling, "He's flipping!" The suspect had attempted to negotiate a curve on wet pavement that his front-wheel-drive family sedan just wasn't up to. After several rolls, he came to rest in a roadside ditch, right-side up as it happened, and essentially unscathed (although, as the state trooper who responded to work the wreck remarked, "He didn't know if he was in China or West Hell.") The pursuing officer and his dog approached the drivers' side, and the suspect bailed out the passenger's side, shouting that he gave up. By the time we got there, he was already in the back of the ICPD cruiser. When asked why he ran, he told the arresting officer that he didn't have a license (suspended, as it turned out). We suspect the electronic scale, the large amount of cash in his pocket, and the several baggies with crack cocaine residue in them might also have had something to do with it.
While we were working the wreck scene, the suspect's mother pulled up. She was angry but somehow unsurprised when the ICPD sergeant told her everything that had happened. "I put him out," she explained, "because he just made his head so hard." The sergeant escorted her to the cruiser where she could speak to her boy through the barred window thereof. I was over a hundred feet away, directing traffic around the scene, and I could hear her screaming at him. "Where are your buddies now?!?" Then another man showed up in his Sunday clothes and took over the duties of screaming for the mother. I presume this was a relative of some sort, but you never know. I'm guessing the guy was just wishing we would roll the window up and take him to jail.
We don't know what happened to the crack. We suspected that he had used the 20+ minute pursuit as an opportunity to swallow it so that he could avoid those particular charges. He denied this, of course, as he denied there had been any crack in the car. Depending on the amount, he may very well be twitching on the floor of the Southern County Detention Center as I write this.
Ofc. Krupke at 1:32 AM
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04 September 2004
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04 September 2004
Nice work, guys.
Beer's on me.
Beer's on me.
Ofc. Krupke at 11:57 PM
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I remember reading a quote, which served as the epigraph of a book written about the Soviet war in Afghanistan. It was from an old Russian folk tale, and it went something like:
"And the jackals howled, and gloried at the feast of bones."
I've been thinking about that quote a lot lately.
Wretchard at Belmont Club, as usual, has a very well-written and link-rich piece about the Russian Schoolhouse Massacre. He concludes by quoting the EU's typically lame response:
Valkenburg, Netherlands, Sept 3 (Reuters) - The European Union asked Russia to explain the bloody end to the siege of a school by Chechen gunmen on Friday with huge loss of life. In a statement in the name of the presidency of the 25-nation EU, Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot said all countries should work together to prevent such tragedies. "But we also would like to know from the Russian authorities how this tragedy could have happened," he added.
(via Associated Press):
One gunman, whose pockets were stuffed with grenades, held up the corpse of a man just shot in front of hundreds of hostages and warned: "If a child utters even a sound, we'll kill another one."
When children fainted from lack of sleep, food and water, their masked and camouflaged captors simply sneereed, she said, adding that adults implored children to drink their own urine in the intolerable heat of the gym.
That "explanation" enough for you, Bernie?
There's been some measure of fault-finding with Russian security forces (unsurprising with the memory of the Moscow theater standoff) for not handling the crisis better. There is speculation that this might bring down the Putin government (they said that about the Kursk, too). But the reports are saying that the end came when a number of children went running from the building, and the terrorists began firing at them, at which time the Russian soldiers and cops on the perimeter began shooting back. What the fuck were they supposed to do? They didn't have the benefit of initiative, and they didn't have time to sit back and craft the perfect plan. They had to act, and fast, and they saved over 500 people. I don't blame those guys, and I don't envy them the dreams they're going to have tonight.
It's often said that the invasion of Iraq has only created more terrorism. I think that misses the point. The Russians opposed the Iraq War, as did the French, but it hasn't seemed to do them any good.
I'll conclude with this picture (via Instapundit):
United We Stand.
"And the jackals howled, and gloried at the feast of bones."
I've been thinking about that quote a lot lately.
Wretchard at Belmont Club, as usual, has a very well-written and link-rich piece about the Russian Schoolhouse Massacre. He concludes by quoting the EU's typically lame response:
Valkenburg, Netherlands, Sept 3 (Reuters) - The European Union asked Russia to explain the bloody end to the siege of a school by Chechen gunmen on Friday with huge loss of life. In a statement in the name of the presidency of the 25-nation EU, Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot said all countries should work together to prevent such tragedies. "But we also would like to know from the Russian authorities how this tragedy could have happened," he added.
(via Associated Press):
One gunman, whose pockets were stuffed with grenades, held up the corpse of a man just shot in front of hundreds of hostages and warned: "If a child utters even a sound, we'll kill another one."
When children fainted from lack of sleep, food and water, their masked and camouflaged captors simply sneereed, she said, adding that adults implored children to drink their own urine in the intolerable heat of the gym.
That "explanation" enough for you, Bernie?
There's been some measure of fault-finding with Russian security forces (unsurprising with the memory of the Moscow theater standoff) for not handling the crisis better. There is speculation that this might bring down the Putin government (they said that about the Kursk, too). But the reports are saying that the end came when a number of children went running from the building, and the terrorists began firing at them, at which time the Russian soldiers and cops on the perimeter began shooting back. What the fuck were they supposed to do? They didn't have the benefit of initiative, and they didn't have time to sit back and craft the perfect plan. They had to act, and fast, and they saved over 500 people. I don't blame those guys, and I don't envy them the dreams they're going to have tonight.
It's often said that the invasion of Iraq has only created more terrorism. I think that misses the point. The Russians opposed the Iraq War, as did the French, but it hasn't seemed to do them any good.
I'll conclude with this picture (via Instapundit):
United We Stand.
Ofc. Krupke at 1:33 PM
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02 September 2004
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02 September 2004
The following is a paid political advertisement by Press Release Writers for Kerry. Press Release Writers for Kerry is responsible for the content of this ad. I'm a Press Release Writer For Kerry, and I approve this message.
Ladies and gentlemen, do not be alarmed. the Kerry Campaign is not having trouble. Those are lies spread by the Republican Attack Machine. Or the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. Or maybe the Far-Right Attack Conspiracy. It's kind of hard to keep them straight.
Anyway, there is absolutely no cause to worry. A lot of campaigns replace their senior staff following the convention and two months before the election. Happens all the time. Whatever the Extreme-Wing Smear Cabal might say.
Kerry campaign senior advisor Joe Lockhart assures nervous reporters that "there are no Republicans in New York."
Ladies and gentlemen, do not be alarmed. the Kerry Campaign is not having trouble. Those are lies spread by the Republican Attack Machine. Or the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. Or maybe the Far-Right Attack Conspiracy. It's kind of hard to keep them straight.
Anyway, there is absolutely no cause to worry. A lot of campaigns replace their senior staff following the convention and two months before the election. Happens all the time. Whatever the Extreme-Wing Smear Cabal might say.
Kerry campaign senior advisor Joe Lockhart assures nervous reporters that "there are no Republicans in New York."