The Last Helicopter

Amir Taheri is an Iranian-born author who works for Benador Associates. He wrote an excellent article about Hassan Abbasi, an Iranian who many consider to be the "The Dr. Kissinger of Islam." Some Tehran sources claim Abassi is the principal foreign policy voice in President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's new radical administration.

The essence of Mr. Taheri's article is that the U.S. does not have the stomach for a long conflict in its War on Terror and will soon revert to its traditional policy of "running away," leaving Afghanistan and Iraq, indeed the whole of the Middle East, to be reshaped by Iran and its regional allies. The "last helicopter" is the image that Abbasi uses to show the world how the U.S. pulls the last of its military forces out of a trouble spot when the going gets tough: President Ford pulled the last of our troops off the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam, President Carter had several helicopters fleeing from the failed rescue attempt of our hostages in Iran during 1980, President H.W. Bush pulled our troops from Iraq in 1991 which allowed Sadam continue his ways, and President Clinton's helicopter image is a Blackhawk downed in Mogadishu. Abbasi sees the current U.S. President as an aberration, a man whose commitment is out of character with the rest of the U.S. Abbasi tells his Islamic comrades they must simply wait until President Bush's term ends, and then they will see the "last helicopter" that takes the last U.S. troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr. Taheri's theory is that the 9/11 terror attacks have changed the way Americans see the world, and that fewer people believe the "cut and run" strategy is acceptable when our enemies are willing to pursue their campaign within the U.S. President Bush's successor is likely to continue the strategy of defeating terrorists and bringing democracy to the Middle East and Southwest Asia.

"Sapper Seven"
The Story of SFC Paul Smith

Sergeant First Class Paul Smith was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Operation Iraqi Freedom on April 4, 2003. Like all accounts of Medal of Honor recipients, his is a story of courage and selfless service. Read about it here in the Wall Street Journal. Read the Wikipedia article about SFC Smith, which includes the citation read by President Bush.

Une Nation des Clochards

France is a nation of bums, in my Humble opinion. Young adults in France have a 22% unemployment rate, which is about the same as the U.S. unemplyment rate during the Great Depression! The French government is attempting to lower some of the barriers that employers face, including a new law that would allow emplyees under the age of 26 to be fired for any reason. Instead of applying for a job, these kids thought it better to émeute (riot), which involved setting cars on fire and beating random pedestrians. There is a reason that France and other European Union countries have such poor economic growth and standards of living. I hope the French government has the fortitude to continue this path of reform, and not cave due to these protests.

Guests or Gate Crashers?

Thomas Sowell really hits it out of the park with his latest column about illegal immigrants. He really simplifies the issue for everyone. Read his column here on Townhall.com.

PETA Targets Longoria

The zealous activists at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have targeted actress Eva Longoria because she recently revealed on Oprah Winfrey's talk show that she hunted with her father during her childhood. Apparently there are also some photos that show Longoria wearing fur, which is a no-no for the PETA crowd. Read about it here on Contactmusic.com. If I was her, I would be very wary of these animal activists. Many of them care more about animals than humans. Some have suggested that PETA has an alliance with the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). ALF has attacked people in England for working in a facility that uses animals for testing.

Defenseless Decision

Read John Lott's latest column here about how government officials disarmed New Orleans citizens following Hurricane Katrina.

A Book about Chivalry

Gentlemen and chivalry are topics that rarely surface in this century. I must say I had not given either topic much thought during my life, which is perhaps why Brad Miner's book The Compleat Gentleman caught my eye. I heartily recommend this book be read by the modern man. In essence, Mr. Miner suggests that a modern gentleman is a combination of a warrior, a lover, and a monk. This may seem to be an antagonistic combination, but it is fully explained in the book. Here is a passage from the chapter Chivalry in a Democratic Age:

...I once went to pick up my older son, now fifteen, when he was in kindergarten at PS 87 in Manhattan. There had been a fight in his class, I was informed by a student teacher, and Bobby was involved.

"Who started it?" I asked.

The student teacher looked at me with pure loathing. Men!

"I don't think that matters," she said coldly.

I smiled, wishing I had more Zen.

"But of course it matters," I said.

"Why? So we can lay blame?"

"That's part of it. After all, there's a big diference between aggression and self-defense. Or do you want them all to be little Gandhis?"

Well of course she did.

"Don't you?" she asked incredulously.

"No. I want my sons to be little Galahads."

Isn't that a great exchange? What man would not want his son to be a little Galahad? Galahad was all holy business, whose comtemporaries cared more about gluttony and rapine than honor and faith.

Enough already, read the book!

Latest on the Michael Steele Senate Campaign

Michael Steele is currently the Lieutenant Governor for Maryland. Last fall he announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, hoping to replace the retiring Paul Sarbanes. The campaign turned ugly months before Lt Gov Steele even announced his candidacy. Apparently the Democratic Party considers this Maryland Senate seat a "must-win," and is working hard to defeat Steele. Last summer a researcher of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee allegedly obtained Steele's credit report, ostensibly in an effort to "dig up some dirt" on the Senate candidate. This Democratic Party researcher earned herself a criminal investigation by the FBI, and she is expected to plead guilty to a misdemeanor in a federal court. Read about this Democratic Party researcher here. I can't wait to see what else happens in this campaign!

Here are some good Michael Steele links:
Official Senate Campaign
Wikipedia Article
Alleged Oreo Incident

Republicans are Happiest

A study by the Pew Research Center for the Public and the Press tells us that conservative Republicans are the happiest people overall, and not just by a little bit. Read about it here in the Washington Times.

The teachers unions

are mad at him!

John Stossel wrote another zinger about public schools' many problems. He must be doing something right, because the unions are planning a protest at ABC's offices in New York! Here is a link to his article from Townhall.com. Here's something I would like to say about the teaching profession. While I do not have any teaching experience, I'm certain it can be a very rewarding occupation. Just don't expect it to be monetarily rewarding. If you want to make a lot of money, become an investment banker or a lawyer. If you become a teacher your reward will be creating better citizens through education. It will warm your heart, not fatten up your wallet.

Opposition for Hillary

Most everyone knows that Hillary Clinton is likely to run for president in 2008. In order for Hillary to be taken seriously in '08 she must first win reelection to the Senate in 2006. Last summer Jeanine Pirro announced she would oppose Hillary as the Republican candidate for the 2006 election. However, for various reasons Pirro dropped out of the Senate race a few months ago to run for New York Attorney General to replace Spitzer. Now Hillary has a new opponent. KT McFarland is seeking the Republican nomination to go after Hillary's Senate seat. She sounds like a terrific lady, and if she wins it would really take the wind out of Hillary's sails. The Humble Patriot wishes Ms McFarland the best. Read her letter here that was posted today on the Drudge Report. Click KT's photo to see her official campaign website.

Harvard University's
Harvey Mansfield

"I've had a lifelong interest in women," Mr. Mansfield purrs in his smooth classical-radio-announcer voice... Prof. Mansfield has been a professor at Harvard for over 40 years. He recently wrote a book titled "Manliness." Twenty years ago he was the only faculty member to vote against the proposal to have a women's studies major at Harvard, and the feminists have not forgotten his intransigence. The Wall Street Journal's Naomi Schaefer Riley wrote this for the weekend edition's op-ed page.

Oscar Predictions

I think Ann Coulter is fabulous, and her latest column is a quintessential example of her writing. It's a great mixture of polemic, irreverent, and funny. I love it when she makes fun of the Hollywood types who take themselves too seriously. Check out her latest here.

Victor Davis Hanson

Victor Davis Hanson is a very impressive history professor in California. I'm not even going to try to list his accomplishments; you can read the bio on his website here.

I was driving to Dover, DE, yesterday when I heard a portion of Laura Ingraham's radio show. Laura was raving about Victor's recent trip to Iraq and his latest article, At War With Ourselves. Check it out; you'll be a VDH fan too!

Midwest Heroes

A columnist for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis has written three columns that attack the two ads run by Midwest Heroes. These ads give voice to the Gold Star Families and Iraq war veterans who support the war. He dismisses the ads as "propaganda." Apparently the MN state Democratic Party is joining the fray, calling a press conference to denounce the first ad as "un-American, untruthful and a lie." According to the Power Line Blog, the Party has even e-mailed its members urging them to contact TV stations to demand they stop playing the ads. Read Power Line's post from earlier today: link. Here is a link to the Midwest Heroes TV ads.