A thank you to the Brits

Stephen Green writes a thank you to the British.

IPO

(via Ipse Dixit)

IPO

(via Ipse Dixit)

Dr. Gwong C. Sun

I just found out a little while ago that one of my professors, Dr. Gwong C. Sun, passed away last night. I had him for a couple of classes, both undergrad and graduate level, and found him to be one of the best professors I've had. He was hard, but fair with everything in his class. What I will remember most about him will be his sense of humor. He will definitely be missed by many people.

Baby Saddam?

The Jerusalem Post (free registration required) is reporting that Palestinians are naming their newborn babies after Saddam Hussein. We all knew it was going to happen. The same article also reports:

The correspondent describes the state of euphoria in Nablus each time people hear about a US helicopter that has been downed or American soldiers killed or captured by the Iraqis.

"Drivers start honking their horns, passersby start chanting and others fire shots into the air," he says.

An Egyptian song praising Saddam and Iraq has become the latest hit in the West Bank.

It's sad that they always seem to back the wrong side on these type of things. It just solidifies my believe that a lot of the problems that the Palestinians face is brought on them by their own actions and those of their leaders, not Israel or any other outside source. Maybe they'll figure this out someday and stop acting like victims and realize that they have power over what they do and how they act.

Why the President can't flinch

War American-style -- The Washington Times

Verizon's new ad?

Can you hear me NOW?

(via Br. Nasby - Triangle Fraternity)

Why not. . .

Aaron over at Rantblog has declared April 15th to be Buy a Gun to Spite Michael Moore Day. If you don't own a gun, buy one. If you own a gun, get another one. Exercise your second amendment rights. And if you feel you are currently armed well enough, give a gun to someone that needs one (or you could always donate to this site).

(via Ipse Dixit)

They want a free ride...

James Miller discusses America's free-riding problem.

(via Instapundit)

The Pope

The Associated Press is reporting that the Pope is endorsing the "anti-war" movement. I'm beginning to think that John Paul II's ailments have started to overtake him by his statements or those around him hide a great deal of the truth from who is, or at least once upon a time, a great man.

As I have not been able to find a transcript of his exact statement available anywhere, including the Vatican website, I will give the benefit of the doubt at this point. However, I want to go through the AP report.

Associated Press
Tuesday, March 25, 2003; 1:29 PM

VATICAN CITY -- The vast antiwar movement in the world shows that a "large part of humanity" has rejected the idea of war as a means of resolving conflicts between nations, Pope John Paul II said in a message released Tuesday.

The pope, a staunch opponent of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, sent his message to Roman Catholic military chaplains attending a Vatican-organized course on humanitarian law.

He cited the "vast contemporary movement in favor of peace" around the world and said he took "comfort and hope" from the efforts for peace by various religions.

Let me first state that I don't know anyone that is in favor of war. I seriously doubt that President Bush and his administration doesn't favor peace. However, the absence of war does not equal peace.

The problem with the "peace movement" as it currently stands, is that it's not really a for preace at all. Now, I don't mean that there is no one out there that honestly holds pacifist viewpoints and believes that violence is never the answer. However, the organized movement is filled with apologists for dictators such as Castro, Kim, and even Saddam Hussien. They have no interest in peace, but only an interest in defeating Western Society in general and America in particular. They are Marxists who wish for the violent revolution that Marx predicted. These individuals and groups are not people to be praised, joined, or supported in anyway. They should be opposed by all reasonable means and it is a shame to see the Pontiff falling in line with them.

Conservative Ice Cream?

Star Spangled Ice Cream - Mail Order Ice Cream with a Conservative Flavor

They have flavors such as I Hate The French Vanilla, Iraqi Road, Smaller GovernMINT, and Nutty Environmentalist.

(Seen on NRO)

Thatcher was ahead of her time

NRO has a speech that Lady Margaret Thatcher gave at Westminster College, Fulton, MO., on March 9, 1996. She dicusses the direction that the Western Alliance should take in the post-Cold War and talks about concepts such as the "coalition of the willing." A good read all in all.

Leiberman says no to the U.N.

At a fundraiser in AZ Senator Leiberman said that the US shouldn't feel the need to get the UN involved in postwar Iraq.

(via Instapundit)

Lazy Week

Thank God for spring break. It was really nice to not have to worry about school too much for a week. I spent part of last night and today working on painting the living room and hallway in my apartment. I also did quite a few other repair and odd jobs that I had been putting off for weeks. I still have some more work to do and a little bit of painting to finish, but the place is looking a lot better. (And the front door shouldn't hit the wall anymore, which was about to make a decent size hole)

The class Teresa and I were taking at Southeast on Wednesday nights is now over and the two of us were debating on what we were going to do on Wednesday's from now on. We've been going every week since the beginning of the year that it's become a habit and I'm not sure what I'm going to do now that the time is opened up and they don't have a new set of classes to take right now.

I've been re-reading the appellate brief of the "opposing counsel" for my oral argument in the next week. I can't believe how close we are to the end of the semester. In a few weeks I'll be in the middle of my second semester of law school finals and that is not something I'm looking forward to right now. At least they don't start this week. Well, it's late and I still have stuff to do.

Note on Copyright

As some have noticed, I've decided to license my weblog Shortdaddy under one of the Creative Commons Licenses. Just to make sure there is no confusion, only the entries on this blog are licensed that way. All other sites, including some on the ShortDaddy domain (Chris's Journal, my galleries, etc...) have all rights reserved to me and do not fall under the Creative Commons License.

Pictures from Trip

I've posted some pictures from the trip Teresa and I took to Bardstown in my main gallery. The picture to the right is of Lake Nevin in Bernheim Forest. We several hours there on Sunday. It was a beautiful day outside and perfect for a long walk and just being lazy in a park. Other things in the gallery include pictures from the train and the bed & breakfast.

And they march on...

The war has been going on for several days now and we have finally witnessed the beginning of the "Shock & Awe" campaign that had been much discussed in the press. It is simply amazing what our military is capable of doing. We're three days into combat operations and the coalition has suffered less than 20 casualties to date. I mourn for the loss of the British and American families of those that paid the ultimate price.

I sit here in the safety of my home and I can think of little else but that fact of how lucky I am to live in this country. A country that exists because others that came before me were willing to lay down their lives so that I may think, write, and do just about whatever I please. And I am angry at those that don't seem to understand the blessings of this nation and only see the flaws. For us to ignore the flaws of this country would not be wise, but to ignore the great things about this country is worse. Ignoring those things is what I think leads to people comparing US Presidents to Hitler or the belief that we live in a police state. The members of our armed services are taking on a real police state as we speak.

I pray each day that our troops get to come home soon. Not because I think they shouldn't be there, but because I hope for the day of a free Iraq. A day were Iraqi's no longer have to worry about the "Butcher of Baghdad" sending his minions to their homes and taking there loved ones away never to be seen again. This day is finally coming for those in Iraq and it is my hope that some day no one will live under tyranny and a fear for the very life.

Regardless of whether you supported this war, I hope you understand that it is what needs to be done. Often, the right thing to do is also the hardest thing. This will be one of those instances. May our men and women finish this quickly so that the Iraqi nation can be rebuilt and that they can come home.

Ballad of the Human Shields

"By Fred in Monterey:

BALLAD OF THE HUMAN SHIELDS (to the tune of "Ballad of the Green Berets")

Carrying signs, they scream and curse:
"Saddam is bad, but America's worse!"
As U.S. forces take the field,
Some fools rush in...as human shields.

Huddling where they think we'll bomb,
Misguided souls only help Saddam.
Iraqi troops take to their heels,
But these fools stay...as human shields.

Smart bombs rain down from the sky.
But we don't want innocents to die.
Precision-guided swords we wield,
Much sharper than...the human shields.

War is all hell, how well we know.
But evil falls to the well-aimed blow.
All soldiers cry from the grief they feel,
Tears more sincere...than the human shields.

To speak one's mind is freedom's right.
To win that right, brave warriors died.
They lie unmarked in battlefields.
They gave their lives...for the human shields.

This song is dedicated to all who work constructively for freedom, justice, and peace, with prayers for everyone in harm's way."

(via Jonah Goldberg post on The Corner)

Iraqi Complaince

Iraq is finally complying with UN resolutions on disarmament. Well, sort of.

Shock and Awe

Suman Palit has a rather interesting view on the whole US "shock and awe" campaign. "Shock and awe" a deception? I wouldn't be too surprised.

(via Instapundit)

Command Post

A group of bloggers have started the blog The Command Post to cover the current conflict in Iraq. Looks like they're doing a pretty good job of keeping up with the reports coming off the wires and other new services.

It Begins

Well, the war in the Persian Gulf has officially begun. However, it began with a lot less bang then everyone was expecting. The initial action was going after "targets of opportunity," which hopefully means they got Saddam. They were showing a video on the Fox and MSNBC a few minutes ago that was claimed to have been a life broadcast of Saddam on Iraqi TV. But nothing in the tape would confirm that it was and it could very likely be taped prior to the attacks.

Now that the US has opened the Iraq campaign it doesn't mean they've stopped elsewhere. About 20 minutes after the strikes in Iraq over 1000 troops in Afghanistan launched a raid to seek out terrorists throughout areas of that country.

Must Listen

Kind of painful to listen too, but it shows how much of the "anti-war" movement thinks. An Iraqi caller asks a simple question of a "anti-war" organizer.

(via Instapundit and The Corner)

Rumsfield Answers

ScrappleFace: Rumsfeld Answers Chretien on Regime Change

Moore got Fisked. Who's surprised?

Greg Markle does a rather good fisking of Michael Moore's recent statement concerning the Iraq War. However, I do have a little to add. Moore stated:

6. Finally, we love France. Yes, they have pulled some royal screw-ups. Yes, some of them can be pretty damn annoying. But have you forgotten we wouldn't even have this country known as America if it weren't for the French? That it was their help in the Revolutionary War that won it for us? That our greatest thinkers and founding fathers -- Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, etc. -- spent many years in Paris where they refined the concepts that lead to our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution? That it was France who gave us our Statue of Liberty, a Frenchman who built the Chevrolet, and a pair of French brothers who invented the movies? And now they are doing what only a good friend can do -- tell you the truth about yourself, straight, no b.s. Quit pissing on the French and thank them for getting it right for once. You know, you really should have traveled more (like once) before you took over. Your ignorance of the world has not only made you look stupid, it has painted you into a corner you can't get out of.

Moore seems to think we owe the French a lot. I always thought our Declaration was based on John Locke and other such men of letters who were decidely not French. I didn't realize that French thought was so influential in creating a Constitution that is apparently based on a history of English common law. And silly me, I thought the French took our ideas for their revolution, though they distorted them so badly their in their Fifth Republic?

The trully sad thing about this blowhard is that there are people in and out of this country that take him seriously. They don't realize how he lies and distorts everything, or they simply ignore it. It would have be nice if he actually paid attention to the facts someday.

Janet Reno said what?

Glenn Reynolds posts:

JANET RENO SAYS that you don't deal with a crazed, weapon-accumulating, charismatic leader by sending in tanks.

Sorry -- I'm suffering an irony overload right now.

Yeah, I don't think I can add anything to that.

Blair before the House of Commons

Tony Blair gave an impassioned speach before the House of Commons earlier today. As he correctly points out, there is a great deal more involved then just the fate of Saddam's regime in this soon to be hot conflict.

And if this House now demands that at this moment, faced with this threat from this regime, that British troops are pulled back, that we turn away at the point of reckoning, and that is what it means - what then?

What will Saddam feel? Strengthened beyond measure. What will the other states who tyrannise their people, the terrorists who threaten our existence, what will they take from that? That the will confronting them is decaying and feeble.

Who will celebrate and who will weep?

And if our plea is for America to work with others, to be good as well as powerful allies, will our retreat make them multilateralist? Or will it not rather be the biggest impulse to unilateralism there could ever be. And what of the UN and the future of Iraq and the MEPP, devoid of our influence, stripped of our insistence?

For the US to lose UK support will only force Bush to truly go a "unilateralist" route in the future. If we can not count on our closest ally, who can we count on.

To retreat now, I believe, would put at hazard all that we hold dearest, turn the United Nations back into a talking shop, stifle the first steps of progress in the Middle East; leave the Iraqi people to the mercy of events on which we would have relinquished all power to influence for the better.

Tell our allies that at the very moment of action, at the very moment when they need our determination that Britain faltered. I will not be party to such a course. This is not the time to falter. This is the time for this House, not just this government or indeed this Prime Minister, but for this House to give a lead, to show that we will stand up for what we know to be right, to show that we will confront the tyrannies and dictatorships and terrorists who put our way of life at risk, to show at the moment of decision that we have the courage to do the right thing.

Let's hope that the House passes the motion before it on Iraq. War is now certain and British support is crucial.

A Good Weekend

Had a great beginning to my Spring Break this year. This past weekend Teresa and I took a trip to Bardstown, KY for a couple of days. We spent Saturday night at a really nice Bed & Breakfast, A Rosemark Haven, after having a wonderful dinner on the KY Dinner Train. We woke up early on Sunday because of breakfast and then spent the rest of the day at either Bernheim Forest or Cherokee Park. I'll post some pictures from the weekend very soon, took over 100 with the digital camera. I was a little shutter happy at Bernheim.

Sweet

As pointed out in the comments section in the last post, this site is now at the top of a Google search for "Chris Short".

Field Trip

I wonder why the law professors at UofL don't do things like this.

World-Historical Gamble

Lee Harris has an interesting article on what we face on the world stage over at Tech Central Station.