Mark Bossingham

The issues, what's what?

I HAVEN'T posted anything political for quite awhile. To some degree this, I suppose, is because we are going in circles. Not much has changed. But let's get to it, and see what comes to mind.
    • Illegal immigration. The recent street demos in favor of illegal immigration. A MSM street party. One would think that importing poverty from Mexico was wildly popular among the masses. Get a life. You simply can't spin this issue. Americans are in favor of immigration, but of the legal variety. Hilarious to see the "Viva Mexico" signs. Last time I checked, Congress had not passed a "No Illegal Left Behind" act. This is simply a non-starter with the American people, and will hurt scripture-mangling Hilary at the polls.
    • Jew Hatred. We live in the most dangerous time to be a Jew in Europe since the 1930s. Europe tried to exterminate a race of people and almost succeeded. For a while then, Jew hatred kept its head down. No more. In France, to be young is often to be Muslim and anti-Semitic. Assault on Jews by Muslim "youth" are a daily happening. These members of the religion of death would like to kill you, but they'd rather kill a Jew.
    • Iraq. We won the war a long time ago. The rest is just the Bush hatred. It's more dangerous in parts of South America than it is in Iraq. The U.S. casualty rate is so low the Green Zone Weenies (the press) have given up on that meme and are trying to instigate civil war as a substitute. However, let me take a contrarian point of view. This despite the purple fingers. It's up to the Iraqis. If they can't get their act together, well that's life. We leave and move the war to another front. Syria would be a good place to take the roadshow next. If there is a mess left behind (I don't buy Colin Powell's pottery barn simile--if you break it, you own it. My version is the Old Bekin's motto: Ain't my shit) so be it. When opportunity knocks, you better take it. Saddam was never going to be moved out of there without a fight. He's gone, now, my Iraqi friends, it is really your turn. Nation building is nice; killing terrorists is paramount.
    • Iran. Nothing like a nice 30-day air war. A person I respect wants to somehow talk the mad mullahs into being nice. I think not. Just the fact that they are shipping shaped charges into Iraq that pierce Abrams tanks is reason enough. We have been at war with Iran for decades. Let's get to it. I would rather do them before they do Israel. We wait, and the Mideast will be an abattoir.
    • The Peace Process. Ha-ha.
    • American Journalists. Unhinged by consecutive Bush victories and Republican dominance in all branches of the government. Nine out of 10 journalists are Democrats. Self-important women and unmanly men. The disintegration of a once-great wire service, The Associated Pres, has been particularly disturbing. That the New York Times has to run a retraction nearly daily, excuse me, "an editor's note" is fun, fun, fun. The MSM loves to gin up these phony anti-Bush polls, but the last time I checked via the liberal PEW research group, journalists had slipped in public esteem to below used car salesmen and lawyers. The public hates you, and you have no one to blame--other than maybe Helen Thomas--but yourself. Better yet, instead of cleaning up your act, you simply deliver unto us more leftist histrionics. I would worry if I thought you were getting the message. No chance of that. See Chris Matthews.
    • The Democrats and National Security. They want us to believe they actually care about defense. And I suppose in their own twisted way, they do. But, for this, the unmanly party, defense stops at the water's edge. They are perfectly happy scuttling the Dubai ports deal or talking about more cargo inspections but extend the battle space further out and it's a big no-go. No taking it to the enemy, no pre-emption. Hunker down in fortress America. That's not a plan, that's thinly disguised protectionism, a bone to throw at one of their "gimme, gimme" base groups, the unions. KISS, keep it simple stupid--The Democratic version of national security is one that costs little and defends less.
    • Compassionate Conservatism. A joke. The first major new entitlement program arrives under Republican stewardship? Disgusting. They deserve to lose the House in '06. Lucky for the Repubs, the Democrats can't win an election to save their ass.

UPDATE – Crazy Noise

YO, IT'S that time again. You guessed it, another exciting, if belated chapter, from the heart of the beast--Tokyo, beating to clatter of all its glorious misadventures. As Helen says, "Pretty scary, huh?" You can actually buy the book if you click on the pic on the left. blah blah blah. You can also comment on the book if you look around and find my email address, I know it's somewhere around here. The novel isn't political, so let's just not go there.

Happy Birthday! You're 12!

HERE'S A few pics of our favorite dog in and around her 12th birthday on March 24. She's going strong even if she has a tendency to get a bit grumpy (who doesn't?) now and then. You go, girl!

Japan pushes Narnia back on top

NARNIA OPENED here two weeks ago and the flick is back on top worldwide. I watched Munich in an empty theater on its opening weekened. Watched Narnia yesterday (great) on its second weekend and the theater was packed.
    Reuters says:
    The power of the Japan market for Hollywood films was amply demonstrated last weekend as "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe" propelled itself back into the No. 1 position at the international box office on the strength of its debut there.
    "Narnia," which began its international campaign almost three months ago, bowed Saturday in Japan for a weekend box office estimate of $9.2 million, more than the comparable gross of any other overseas entry. To date, the family fantasy has earned $389 million.
    That $389 million is the international box office. If you include the U.S. the number is closer to $700 million.

AP lies, then "clarifies"

THE INCREASINGLY pathetic Associated Press has issues a "clarification" to it's hysterical report that President Bush somehow knew the levees in New Orleans were to be Katrina-breached, and implied he didn't give a damn. A video-conference tape was the source of the "story." Either the AP reporters are too stupid to know the difference between an overrun and a breach, or more likely, simply lied to amp their story.
     In this case, the AP was forced to run a "clarification" when their misbehavior was exposed. In the pre-media meltdown days, a "correction," not a clarification, would have been issued. A correction is published when an "error in fact" (EIF) is present in a news story; a clarification is issued when a portion of a story is unclear. Obviously, this was an EIF.
     Even the AP's so-called clarification is, itself, duplicitous. The editors conscript the Army Corps of Engineers in order to make it appear that the definitions of breach and overtopping are so complex that it takes experts to tell the difference. Reality: Even my dog knows the difference between water sloshing over the top of her drinking bowl and a hole in the side of the bowl.
    One really can't believe anything this organization prints anymore. Everything has a political agenda. The only positive to come of this is no business can survive forever with a substandard product. That most people now read AP reports with at least a grain of suspicion is the beginning of the end.
    Clarification: Katrina-Video story
    ASSOCIATED PRESS
    WASHINGTON (AP) _ In a March 1 story, The Associated Press reported that federal disaster officials warned President Bush and his homeland security chief before Hurricane Katrina struck that the storm could breach levees in New Orleans, citing confidential video footage of an Aug. 28 briefing among U.S. officials.
    The Army Corps of Engineers considers a breach a hole developing in a levee rather than an overrun. The story should have made clear that Bush was warned about floodwaters overrunning the levees, rather than the levees breaking.

Why Republicans will lose (and deserve to)

FROM THE Patriot Post:
    Increasingly, Americans can't distinguish Republicans from Democrats, on key issues. One can still discern the principled ideological differences between the most conservative and liberal members of Congress, but when it comes to domestic policy, the "great middle" of the legislative branch falls into the "distinction without a difference" category.
    Under Republican leadership, the size and regulatory role of the central government has grown largely unabated since President Bush took office, and his fiscal budget for 2007 reflects spending increases over his tenure of almost 50 percent more than Bill Clinton's last budget. This is disgraceful.
    These truths describe the political realities of modern America. The Republicans will most likely lose the '06 and '08 elections because they have performed like Democrats. The Democrats will mostly likely lose subsequent elections becuase they will perform like themselves.

Just disappear, old fool

GOD WHY won't this old fool just disappear? Christ, it's simply unbearable. I admit I have never heard the term "celebrity activist" before. Hilarious in a make-me-wanna-puke sort of way. There ought to be a neutron bomb that would eliminate my entire generation (except me and a few selected friends) off the face of the Earth. Hippie Baby-Boomers are SO embarrassing. I cringe.
    Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Heather Mills McCartney have denounced Canada's annual harp seal hunt from a ice floe where thousands of pups will soon be killed.
The celebrity activist couple was invited by the US Humane Society to shine a spotlight on the annual cull of the marine mammals that have won the hearts of millions around the world since French film star Brigitte Bardot hugged a fluffy white doe-eyed pup for photographers in 1977.