About
Captain Ed is a father and grandfather living in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, a native Californian who moved to the North Star State because of the weather. He lives with his wife Marcia, also known as the First Mate, their two dogs, and frequently watch their granddaughter Kayla, whom Captain Ed calls The Little Admiral.
Read More
The Crows Nest
Would Early Primaries Allow More Donations?
Jim Geraghty at The Campaign Spot believes that candidates will benefit if primaries and caucuses get pushed into 2007. A loophole in campaign finance regulation appears to allow an extra $2,300 per donor for candidates if those elections are held this year. Be sure to check out Jim's analysis, and the surprising candidate that may benefit the most.
When Tom Met Jeralyn
One of the interesting aspects of politics is finding out that opponents are people, too. Jeralyn Merritt of TalkLeft met Rep. Tom Tancredo backstage at NBC's studios, and found him more likable than she had anticipated. Perhaps it was their mutual interest in Dog, The Bounty Hunter ...
Joe Lieberman A Right-Wing Nut?
That's what CAIR says, according to Joe Kaufman. He has a link to a CAIR official's blog post that calls Lieberman, along with John Bolton, former CIA director James Woolsey, and the Heritage Foundation's Peter Brookes as "extremists". Affad Shaikh also calls Dick Cheney a "fat bastard of a liar," apparently not meant as a pop-culture reference to the Austin Powers movies. (via Let Freedom Ring)
Broadband Homelessness
The Japanese have made homelessness more efficient, and more Net-friendly, too. Their Internet cafés have become homeless shelters for the struggling manual-labor sector. The problem has grown into such a problem that government intervention will shortly become a political priority.
Found My Law Firm
Power Line links twice to this story regarding an attorney at Faegre & Benson who refused to become a victim and helped capture a very dangerous man. Keith Radtke is a partner in the firm as is Power Line's John Hinderaker. Radtke is listed in satisfactory condition after getting shot in the back, but that didn't keep him from locking up his attacker in a wrestling grip until police could arrive. I don't know about you, but that's the kind of man I'd want as my counsel ....
Don't Click That YouTube E-mail
The latest in spam seems to be redirections from YouTube links in e-mail to IP addresses without domain names. They attempt to entice people by making it seem that they have been inadvertently YouTubed. I'm sure most people can see through this scam, but just in case, you've been warned ....
Rick Moran Escapes The Floods
Rick Moran has kept us up to date on his travails along the Algonquin River. Yesterday, the police showed up to get him evacuated before the river flooded his home -- but today, Rick finds that a minor miracle has taken place, and that his house survives ... at least for now. Keep Rick in your prayers, and keep checking in at Right Wing Nut House for updates.
Rule 1: Drag The Corpse On Over First
If I've learned anything in four years of blogging, don't try to be out in front of the death rumors, especially with the villains of the world. Saddam died a hundred deaths before we caught him alive in his spider hole, and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi almost as many before his demise last year. Osama may or may not be alive, but everyone's avoided speculating on his fate for a while now. Maybe Val at Babalu Blog will get luckier with his "Castro Is Dead" story. We all hope so. I'll wait for the announcement ....
Hobbs Choice
Volunteer Voters is holding its annual "Best of Nashville" on-line polls, and one of the categories is for the best political writer. Our friend Bill Hobbs, now posting at Newsbusters, and he'd like his on-line fans to cast their votes. Drop by and put one in for Bill if you get a chance!
Murtha Getting Backlogged On Apologies
Gary Gross of Let Freedom Ring sees another case collapsing on the Haditha charges. He's called for Murtha to apologize earlier, and adds another reason to the tally.
No Such Thing As 'Moderate' Islam?
Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan told a television interviewer that he finds the label "moderate Islam" offensive. Shrink Wrapped has a lot more on this, but at least in the same interview Erdogan acknowledged that "radical Islam" exists, and that it's been a catastrophe. Be sure to read the whole post.
MS-NBC Gets Punk'd
Power Line has a great post on a lack of journalistic effort on the part of MS-NBC. In covering the Michael Vick story, they reported on what they thought was Al Sharpton's website proclaiming Vick's innocence. I guess Alex Johnson and two other MS-NBC reporters couldn't bother to read the title bar of the site, which proudly proclaims it as a "parody site".
New Instapundit Podcast On Pharmaceuticals
I just caught this e-mail from Glenn Reynolds about his new podcast with Richard Epstein, the author of Overdose: How Excessive Government Regulation Stifles Pharmaceutical Innovation. Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but the topic is important enough to make sure I carve out time for it tomorrow. Get their first and tell me what I'm missing ....
Fed Trying A 'Stealth Easing'?
The Federal Reserve seems to have conducted a quiet campaign to steady markets that started spinning out of control, according to King Banaian at SCSU Scholars. He thinks that the Fed has conducted a "stealth easing". Be sure to read his explanation and follow his lnks.
A Shameless Bit Of Sel-Promotion
Gateway Pundit and Val at Babalu Blog note a crass PR move by Hugo Chavez. Venezuela has responded to Peru's eathquake disaster with food shipments -- and with Hugo's smiling picture on the cans. He also uses the tuna-can label to undermine President Garcia of Peru, who narrowly defeated Chavez' pal Ollanto Humalla, whom the labels extol for his "solidarity" with Chavez.
Tacky beyond belief.
Comments (12)
Posted by Angry Dumbo | July 1, 2007 9:09 AM
Michael told the Iraqi and American commanders on this mission that it was important that Americans see this, and he's right.
Amen.
Posted by Seaberry | July 1, 2007 9:21 AM
More great info from Von. This sort of fits in with an article from Small Wars Journal:
David Kilcullen's Call for a "New Lexicon"
It refers to "al Qaeda-style Terrorism (AQST)" tactics, but is mainly about - "the proposed New Lexicon". Example:
MSM and the 'talking heads' (this morning) have absolutely no clue what is happening in Iraq, other than their own limited 'Template'.
Posted by SDN | July 1, 2007 9:24 AM
Libtard claiming the scene was staged in 5...4...3...2...
I "loved" the comment on Michael Yon's that this doesn't mean anything because we didn't intervene in Rwanda and aren't intervening in Darfur.
Idjit has evidently never heard of national interest. We had a national interest in invading Iraq. Getting to kill the scum who did and do things like this, whether Saddam and his spawn or AQI, is commonly referred to as "gravy".
Posted by NahnCee | July 1, 2007 10:37 AM
I look at those pictures and think to myself, everyone in Iraq has a gun ... EVERYone. Why didn't they fight back?
Everyone in Iraq has a cell phone. Why didn't they call their tribe for help?
I simply do not understand how people can allow this to be done to themselves.
You read about Lenin killing people, and Cambodia's killing fields, and Rwanda -- but those people were all unarmed and herdable.
If Al-Queda were to somehow swoop into a village in England, or a town in Kansas, or an outpost in Australia ... would *this* be the result?
Posted by Bennett | July 1, 2007 10:51 AM
Perhaps it is atrocities like this which explains why are now (gradually) seeing stories of how Iraqis are turning against AQ and cooperating with us.
Hopefully that cooperation will continue as the Iraqis learn what the rest of us know already. The only good terrorist is a dead terrorist.
Posted by Bill M | July 1, 2007 11:44 AM
Not only Americans need to see this. Iraqis need tosee it also. To see what AQI is doing to other Iraqis.
And I think all our leftards should be requird to smell the stench of death associated with Al Queda. Maybe then they would wake up....nah, guess not. That would require some smattering of intelligence.
Posted by dougf | July 1, 2007 12:20 PM
If Al-Queda were to somehow swoop into a village in England, or a town in Kansas, or an outpost in Australia ... would *this* be the result?
Yes. With variations of course but ---- Yes.
Armed focused GANGS have all the advantages they need. No-one wants to oppose them as an individual because the odds are stacked against the singular. So everyone just waits and hopes, and by the time it is clear that there is no hope there is no recourse either.
Do you think it was possible to set up and run death camps in Germany, Russia, and Cambodia by sheer accident ? That it was a 'cultural' thing ?
Once you allow yourself to be totally under someone's thumb you must perforce rely on their ' mercy'.
We are always this close to the edge. What civilization relies on is that no-one starts to push. If the rule of law collapsed tomorrow, by the next day we would all be in the same boat as those in this village.
Posted by Dale Michaud aka TexasDude | July 1, 2007 4:56 PM
Not everyone has a gun or cell phone in Iraq. Moreover, sometimes others have more guns or are more willing to kill.
Posted by NahnCee | July 1, 2007 5:27 PM
So you're saying that Gary Cooper facing a band of bad guys by himself in "High Noon", or Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday facing the Clantons at the OK Corral, or John Wayne gripping his reins between his teeth and galloping across a meadow shooting with both hands at the bad guys are all just ... American mythology?
Not to mention the hundreds of fire fighters who swarmed up those stairs on that September morning, even though their inside little voice must have been screaming in their head, "DON'T DO THIS!!!"
That Americans would go as meekly into that bloody and suicidal night if faced by a large or small group of A-Q behaders as the Iraqi's are doing over and over and over again?
I refuse to believe it.
Posted by Bennett | July 1, 2007 6:01 PM
The students at VA Tech didn't seem to be able to find a way to fight back.
And it wasn't until the passengers on Flight 93 knew what had happened to the first 3 plane that they started trying to formulate a "fight back" plan. And they had more time to do it because as I recall their flight was initially delayed.
We'lll never know what the villagers were told, how soon they realized that death was upon them. And for all we know, they did try to resist.
Posted by Lew | July 1, 2007 9:51 PM
Now you know why the Second Amendment matters!
Posted by LRS | July 1, 2007 10:36 PM
Michael Yon's story of Diyala should be sent to AQI's buddies in Congress, the UN, Amnesty International, the Press and other MSM media.
Perhaps it should also be sent to President Bush to help stiffen his resolve and perhaps incite him to fight for the war on terror as he fought for amnesty for the illegals.
Shades of Vietnam. a definite feeling of deja vous, where the military wins the war and the gutless in congress lose it for us...unless we fight congress and the president the same way we fought against amnesty.