9/22/03

The Neal Boortz Show begins today on WINK-WNOG in Naples and Ft. Myers Florida! weekdays from 10:00 to noon!  I am particularly pleased about adding these two fine stations to the growing Boortz lineup because Naples is my second home!  During much of the winter and a good bit of the summer you'll find me relaxing on Vanderbilt Beach, wandering Fifth Avenue or trying to find a golf course that will let me play.  I'm sure this is going to lead to many chances for direct interaction with the WINK-WNOG audience.  Welcome aboard, and spread the word!  By the way, have you folks seen what it costs to join a golf club down there?  Yikes!

ANOTHER SUICIDE BOMBING IN IRAQ

This time the target was another United Nations facility.  The bomber and one Iraqi security guard were killed.  These attacks are being carried out by Saddam loyalists who have lost their positions of power and prestige.  In just a matter of weeks they went from a situation where they were respected and feared to a position where they were hunted.  One week they had virtually anything they wanted because they were close to Saddam. The next week they are being hunted like the dogs they are.  They want that power back.  They want their privileges back.  They know that as long as the Americans are there that power will remain a part of their past, and they could be captured or killed.  These people are the ones who used to do the capturing and killing ... and they don't like the role reversal.

These Saddam loyalists know that for every American soldier they kill the criticism of George Bush increases in America.  Kill enough soldiers, they reason, and Bush will have no option but to pull the soldiers out and leave Iraq open for their return to power.

The motivations behind the attacks are clear.  The Saddamites want to return to power.  Now ... compare the motivations behind the attacks in Iraq to the motivations behind the attacks on Bush in this country.  Do you see any real differences?  Democrats want a return to power, a return to their privileges and perks.  Thank goodness they haven't turned to explosives yet.

EMMYS

"Everybody Loves Raymond" won five Emmys last night.  I've never watched one single episode.   "West Wing" won the Emmy for best dramatic series.  I've never watched an episode of that show either.  Am I a lucky guy or what?

INSTANT LEADER IN THE POLLS

Wesley Clark has been in the race for less than one week, and already he is the leader in virtually every poll of Democrats.  That should give you a good idea as to how inspiring these Democrats found the other Democratic candidates to be. 

Talking about Wesley Clark.  Let's see ...

• He thinks that America was founded on the principal of progressive taxation
• On one day he says he "probably" would have voted for the war in Iraq
• On the next day he says he would "never" have voted for the war in Iraq
• When he was running the Bosnia show his fellow commanders felt he was trying to start World War III
• He was in command of the U.S. Army units that attacked the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas ... a proud moment in our military history.
• His main backers are Bill and Hillary.

So, how's that for presidential material? 

ARE THESE THE GENERAL'S MARCHING ORDERS?

President Bush's approval ratings dropped again last week.  Newsweek shows them at 51%.  Bear in mind, this makes Bush's approval ratings higher than either Clinton's or Reagan's at this point in their first terms, so we're really not seeing anything that unusual here.

In the meantime there are several other things to consider for 2004.

• Bill Clinton said last week that New Yorkers are pressing Hillary to run for the White House even though she promised she would serve out her full Senatorial term.  This is exactly the same line that was used in Arkansas after Clinton pledged to serve his full term as Governor.
• Hillary has taken all of the "please run for president" e-mails off her friendsofhillary.com website.
• A Quinnipiac University poll shows that Howard Dean immediately sinks to 9% as soon as Hillary enters the race for president.  Her initial rating with Democrats would be 45%.

So ... where does Wesley "I would, no I wouldn't" Clark fit into this?  Right now Clark, designated by Bill Clinton as one of two Democrat "shining stars," (Hitlary being the other one) leads all Democratic contenders with 14% in the polls of registered Democrats and those who lean to the left. 

One thing is certain.  At the very least Bill and Hillary have placed Wesley Clark into this campaign to slow down the Howard Dean juggernaut.  Judging from the polls, he's done a rather spectacular job of doing just that.

There are also those who believe Clark to be Hillary's "stalking horse."    Interesting phrase, isn't it?  Hunters used to use their horses to sneak up on their game.  They would hide behind the horse ... stalking (defined as "to walk with strides) behind the horse until they were close enough to step out from behind and shoot the game.  A stalking horse is "A mask to conceal some design; a person put forward to mislead; a sham."  Could this be Clark's marching orders from his principal supporters Bill and Shrillary?  He holds off Howard Dean and John Kerry while the clamor for a Hitlary candidacy increases.  After the New Hampshire primary it will be too late for Hillary to file candidacy papers for many of the other early Democratic primaries.  Now she doesn't have to!  She can continue to sit back and watch the Bush approval ratings while Wesley Clark builds his delegate count.  Then, at the last minute, if Bush's poll ratings show a good chance for Hillary to realize her dream in 2004, she pulls the switch, Clark pledges his delegates to Hillary in exchange for the Veep job, and Hillary steps out from behind her stalking horse to capture the Democratic nomination.

THAT WAS THEN, BUT THIS IS A CAMPAIGN YEAR

Turn the clock back two years.  New York firefighters and policemen are still sifting through the rubble of the World Trade Towers in a desperate hope that they might actually find another survivor.  If someone were to ask you if you thought there would be another terrorist attack on American soil in the next two years you would have answered "yes" without hesitation.

There has been no such terrorist attack.  Al Qaeda, though still a danger, has been largely decimated.  Most of the Al Qaeda leadership is dead or in custody, and the Taliban that ruled Afghanistan and harbored Al Qaeda has been reduced to launching cowardly attacks on Afghan civilians and coalition forces from gullies and ravines.

President Bush has taken the war to the terrorists, and those who harbor and support them.  That would include Saddam Hussein.  Though Bush never claimed that Saddam was behind the attacks of 9/11, his administration has provided ample evidence that Saddam was a supporter, both with money and support, of Osama bin Laden and his terrorist band.  For those of you who insist that any connection between Saddam and Al Qaeda is fiction, perhaps you would like to take a minute to read this article from today's Wall Street Journal.  Then again, maybe not.  The truth can be painful.

Supporting Al Qaeda and having direct involvement in planning the 9/11 attacks are two different things.  On Meet the Press September 14th, Tim Russert was questioning Vice President Richard Cheney about the assumption that many Americans have made that Saddam was involved in the 9/11 attacks.  When asked if there was such a connection Cheney answered "We don't know."

Later that same week George Bush said: "We had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with September the 11th."

OK, I have a question here.  Democrats and their leftist fellow travelers in the media are making quite a big deal about these two statements, as if they were somehow contradictory.  But are they?  Fine, so Bush says that his administration "had no evidence" of such an involvement.  He did not say that Saddam wasn't involved, just that he had no evidence that he was.  Having no evidence that Saddam was involved in 9/11 does not constitute proof that he wasn't, in fact, involved.  This would mean that Cheney's "I don't know" response was perfectly appropriate, and honest.  How, then, do "journalists" and left-wingers manage to make such a big deal of it?  Remember, please, that Czech intelligence said  that September 11th hijacker Mohammed Atta met in Prague with Saddam's top European intelligence operative just four months before the attacks.  Nobody from the left has ever been able to show that this meeting did not, in fact, take place.  The operational leader of the 9/11 hijackings meeting with Saddam's intelligence agents?  You do the math.

Last week Republican Majority Leader Tom Delay nails it when he says "It's disturbing that Democrats have spewed more hateful rhetoric at President Bush than they ever did at Saddam Hussein."  Overstated?  Perhaps not. But it is interesting to compare the leftist rhetoric of today with the statements made by various Democrats over the past years ... before, that is, Bush became president.  This list is circulating the Internet.  I've taken the time to verify that most of the quotations are accurately represented:

• "One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998.
• "If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998.
• "Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face." Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998.
• "He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983." Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998.
• "[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998.
• "Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of Mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998.
• "Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies." Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999.
• "There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies." Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and others, Dec, 5, 2001.
• "We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them." Sen. Carl Levin (d, MI), Sept. 19, 2002.
• "We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002.
• "Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002.
• "We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction."  Senator Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002.
• "The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..." Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002.
• I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force-- if necessary -- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002.
• "There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years ... We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction."  Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002,
• "He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do."  Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002.
• "In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY),  Oct 10, 2002,
• "We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction." Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002.
• "[W]ithout question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real ..."  Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003.

No doubt you've notice that many of the people who were making these strong statements about Saddam are the very same politicians who are now saying things about George Bush that make their statements about Hussein sound positively laudatory. 

SCARY  KIDS

"About the Iraq war, it is the UN's decision, they should be the police of the world, so to speak. The UN should be the decision maker, Not a country who may have other things on their agenda. If America can ignore the UN, what is the point of it?"

"No, I don't think I would work this modern day....there's too much greed in this world.   Here's my idea: Take a country, make it communist, but don't do the dictator thing. Then you have a perfect country, as long as there is a council of 20 or so to oversee the country."

"Ok... I hate Bush but he's not Hitler. He's horrible, and responsible for the deaths of thousands, but he's just not as smart as Hitler."

And this comment about an18 year old homeless male who has been sentenced to 25 years in jail for selling marijuana. "Now I don't think this is right but I want to point out he was homeless and that the government has a responsibility to him."

"Everybody ought to have an equal amount of stuff."

TRAVEL WITH A MEANING

For over 25 years my wife and I have been traveling abroad with a remarkable organization called The Friendship Force.  I've stayed in private homes in Russia and Great Britain.  My wife, without a radio show to interfere with her travels, has been pretty much around the world with this group. 

Several times a year The Friendship Force will host "Festivals" in various locations within the U.S. and abroad.  This affords a wonderful opportunity to spend a few days with a great cross section of people from many different countries.  As you read this one such festival is taking place in San Francisco.  Sorry, you're too late for that one.  In late November, however, another Friendship Force Festival will take place in the beautiful nation of Costa Rica.  If you're looking for an unusual and meaningful travel experience, just click here to learn more about "Tropical Smiles in Costa Rica!" 

CAN YOU READ THIS?

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Now I don't know if Cambridge did any such study, it could be some Internet hoax, but I do know that I didn't have any particular difficulty in reading that paragraph quickly.  So .... just why DOES spelling matter?

SPAM -- GETTING YOU TO OPEN THAT MAIL!

The spamsters on the Internet are constantly looking for new ways to get by spam filtering software and to make you go ahead and open their mail!  Now they are using clever subject lines like "Your credit card will be cancelled" to get you to go that extra step and open the mail.  Then you will invariably see an advertisement for pictures of naked teenage girls or something to that effect.

I have a spam filter that blocks these things before they're downloaded from the server; but I can go take a look at what's being "bounced" every once in a while to make sure there's nothing there I actually want.  This morning I saw a subject line which read "Your credit card has been charged $234.65."  The message read:

Important notice.  We have just charged your credit card for money laundry service in amount of $234.65 (because you are either child pornography webmaster or deal with dirty money, which require us to layndry (sic) them and then send to your checking account). If you feel this transaction was made by our mistake, please press "No".

When you press "No" you are instructed to enter your name, credit card number and expiration date so that the charge can be reversed.  Now just how many people do you think there are out there who are STUPID enough to follow those instructions?  Hint:  There are tens of thousands of people who would do that.  After all, you certainly want to set the record straight when you're suspected of being a child pornographer, don't you?  Oh ... and most of the people who would follow those instructions will be voting Democrat next year.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Islamic terrorist Khalid Sheik Mohammed seems to have a lot to say to American interrogators.  Click here and read what his original plans were for a terrorist attack on America.  How about five hijacked airliners flying into buildings on both the East and West coasts?

What does Martin Sheen, star of "The West Wing" think about the United States?  The Drudge Report knows, and it's not very complimentary.

From Time Magazine's Charles Krauthammer:  "What Makes the Bush-Haters So Mad?  First, it was how he got the job.  Now, it's how much he's doing with it."  This is the second time I've posted this column.  This time you should read it.

Robert Bartley also weighs in on the seething Democratic hatred of George Bush.  He says that Democrats hate Bush almost as much as Republicans once hated FDR.  Bartley says the Democrats are angry because they've lost their birthright.

The revelations about Wesley Clark keep pouring in.  Here we learn that Clark told some Republican friends that "I would have been a Republican if Karl Rove had returned my phone calls."

We are just beginning to learn the extent to which American journalists would downplay the fact that Iraq was a virtual slaughterhouse under Saddam Hussein ... just so that they could keep their access to the Hussein regime.  John Leo writes that criticism of past media coverage of Iraq was "... often shrugged off as sour outbursts by conservatives. What happens now that the outburst is coming from the best reporter to serve in Iraq?"

Uh oh.  Some girl at a California high school wants to start a "Caucasian Club" on campus.  Well, there is an Asian Club and a Black Student Union .. so what's the big deal?

Oh man ... you gotta love it when someone sits down and socks it to the noxious French this well.  Don't miss this one.

Victor Davis Hanson  is one of the finest military historians and annalists out there.  This column puts the current situation in Iraq into perspective.

John McWhorter is black.  When John McWhorter first heard about the fabrications of Jayson Blair, the once New York Times reporter, McWhorter worried that somehow Blair would find a way to "'spin' the story into a tale of discrimination."  Turns out McWhorter's concerns were well founded.  As McWhorter writes: "And once his misdeeds were confirmed and he was dismissed, he dutifully pulled out the race card ..."

You wonder why we can't get our local taxes lowered?  In Cranston, Rhode Island school crossing guards work two half-hour shifts a day.  That's one hour total work.  For this they get free health care for themselves and for their families.  They also get life insurance, a pension, paid sick days and paid snow days.  All this, and they can't even stay awake on the job.

Do you want to get the police to do more to look for your stolen car?  Simple!  Just trigger a hoax  Amber Alert by telling the cops that your two children were in the car when it was stolen.  Where do these idiots come from?

The Sunday Mirror is a London tabloid.  Bearing that in mind, here's an article saying that Saddam has been in secret negotiations with US forces for a surrender and safe passage out of the country to exile.

A few people said last week that it's a shame we still don't have embedded reporters in Iraq.  Perhaps then we would get a true and objective picture of just what is happening over there.  Did you know, for instance, that the violence against American troops is confined to a rather small Sunni area of Iraq?  Did you also know that over 90% of the Iraq people are supportive of the American efforts, and are terribly afraid that we will pull out before their security and freedom is assured?  The picture is brighter than the media is letting on.

I have said, and truly believe, that socialized medicine is inevitable in the United States.  There's a perfect storm out there comprised of two converging fronts.  First we have a public front which believes in increasing numbers that they are entitled to medical care ... that it's a right.  We also have a political front that is in a state of terminal drooling over the possibility of having the entire population of this nation by the political short hairs.  People love to point to Canada as the Shangri La of medical care.  Here's a story of an elderly man  diagnosed with Hodgkin's ... he lived in Canada.

Since Ted Kennedy has been so vocal of late ... calling Bush's efforts against Saddam Hussein a "fraud" and accusing Bush of bribing foreign leaders, perhaps now might be a good idea to provide you with a refresher on Chappaquiddick.  Just trying to help, you know.

Let's stop a moment for praise of the oh-so-glorious government operated school systems in America.  By the way, American high school students trail teenagers from 14 European and Asian countries in reading, math and science.  We're even behind France.  I'll bet we're near the top of the list in self-esteem though.

How would you feel about your local government school measuring the "body fat index" of your child and then sending you a message that your kid is fat and you need to do something about it.  The state of Arkansas is going to do just that with all 447,000 of its kids.  It's all part of a battle against the epidemic of childhood obesity.  And these parents don't already know that their children are fat little pigs?  And just when do they get around to teaching them how to read? 

NEALZ LINKS FOR NUZE

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
World Net Daily
NewsMax
Wall Street Journal opinions
Washington Times
Washington Post
Real Clear Politics
Media Research Center
The Drudge Report
The Associated Press
SF Gate