Finally, Something Obama DIDN'T Apoligize For

Or send someone over to apologize in his place. From FOX News:

The U.S. delegation will not offer an apology for dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki when it attends a ceremony in Japan on Friday marking the 65th anniversary of the attacks, which brought World War II to an end.

State Department spokesman Noel Clay said no apology will be offered by the delegation, to be led by U.S. Ambassador John Roos, at the ceremony in Hiroshima.

Gene Tibbets, son of Brig. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., seen here, says Friday's visit to Hiroshima by U.S. Ambassador John Roos is an act of contrition that his late father would never have approved.

The U.S. delegation will not offer an apology for dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki when it attends a ceremony in Japan on Friday marking the 65th anniversary of the attacks, which brought World War II to an end.

State Department spokesman Noel Clay said no apology will be offered by the
delegation, to be led by U.S. Ambassador John Roos, at the ceremony in Hiroshima.

"As Assistant Secretary [P.J.] Crowley stated, at this particular point, we thought it was the right thing to do," Clay said in an e-mail on Thursday. "Ambassador Roos will attend the ceremony to express respect for all the victims of World War II. From the tragedy of that war, the U.S. and Japan have become close friends and allies. We must continue to work together to ensure that such a tragedy does not happen again."

Some survivors of the bombing had indicated that they hoped Roos would offer an apology at the ceremony.

Terumi Tanaka, who survived the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki at age 13 and is now secretary-general of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Associations, said the "best thing" the delegation could do would be to apologize for the two bombings, which killed roughly 220,000 people.

"We welcome the visit," he told The Associated Press. "But without an apology, it is difficult for us. We aren't asking for reparations. We simply want the U.S. to apologize and get rid of its nuclear arsenal."

"We want America to get rid of all nukes!" Now doesn't that just figure. Some other things come to me out of this, including, did the government consider making the apology or did the Japanese ask them to make it?

The son of one of the men who dropped a bomb said that we were apologizing just by being there. I don't know. Maybe he's right.

On the IMAO post, which is where I first learned about this, one of the commentors pointed out that the Japanese haven't apologized for Pearl Harbor yet. It's a good point, and I'd like to add one more: where's our apology for the Bataan Death March? I don't think the Japanese have to much of a right to be after an apology.

One more thing: just in case Obummer doesn't know about this yet, let's not tell him that no one's apologizing until after this memorial is over.

Whatdaya Know, the Healthcare Bill Kills Jobs, Too.

Why am I not surprised? From Gateway Pundit, who got it from the Washington Post:

The sun hasn’t exactly set on Solar Planet, but anxiety over the fate of the Arlington tanning salon has been running high ever since a “tan tax” took effect Thursday.

One of the less publicized measures in the new health-care law, the tax imposes a 10 percent surcharge on the use of ultraviolet indoor tanning beds.

Supporters — including the Obama administration, congressional Democrats and dermatologists — have argued that the tax will raise an estimated $2.7 billion toward the cost of expanding health coverage to the uninsured, while discouraging a practice that increases the risk of skin cancer by as much as threefold in frequent users, according to scientific research.

But outraged tanning salon owners worry that the levy could deal a death blow to an industry already reeling from the recession.

“In 26 years of business this is the worst I’ve seen it,” said Scott Shortnacy, owner of the Arlington Solar Planet as well as six other branches in the Washington area. “Normally for people who tan, it’s a part of their lifestyle. They keep doing it even in a recession. But everybody has been looking for ways to cut back on those areas. … Our sales are down 20 to 30 percent.”

According to the Indoor Tanning Association, an industry trade group, most of the nation's 19,000 tanning salons are small businesses owned and staffed by women. Shortnacy said all but two of his several dozen employees are women. With business so slow, he opted against hiring the 10 to 15 seasonal workers he normally adds during the spring high season.

This is beyond stupid. This is just so, incredibly, stupid. In the last paragraph, a tanning salon owner points out how he didn't hire additional workers for the spring season. That's fifteen jobs out the door right there. And more jobs will follow; to avoid paying that tax, people will cut back on tanning, and when the patrons go, people who work in tanning salons are going to lose thier jobs.

So thanks, Democrats. Thanks for killing more jobs that people could have used. Thanks for nothing.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

I'm excited. I can be excited, right? It's the Fourth of July, and I can't help but think that even though George Washington would be ashamed that we named the now corrupt seat of government after him, as long as there's still Patriots out there in America somewhere, we'll still be fine, right? That's my big question.

But enough about politics; it's time to celebrate! Have a Happy 4th of July everyone, and may God bless America! Here's to 235 more years!

And thanks also to all the servicemen and women who've kept us free and made our way of life possible. Thank you.

And back to Cynical Book!

Yes, that poor other blog of mine, left abandoned for so long, is finally being put back to work, being used to host a modern events story. Yay! Oh, I have lots of work to do over there, and that's not even counting the work I have to do on the story.

The template designer... man, I hate that thing. What happened to all the old templates? Like the ones I've used on my blogs? I thought that maybe I should see if there are some other templates I'd like to try, but I couldn't find the old ones and all the new ones are just dumb. I prefer the simplistic approach of the old templates; the new ones have no spot for my blog banner and on Cynical Book it takes my sticky post - which is supposed to be at the top of the page - and puts it down on the very bottom. That's annoying.

But enough complaining. I have finally felt secure enough to take my pro-Israel banner down... for now. Much as I love the pretty blue and white, it feels more normal to have the regular, same-old-same-old banner back up.

I ran into some trouble this morning trying to get to Gateway Pundit's blog. Anyone know what the deal with that is? Is it just my computer, or something else? Every time I tried to go over there my virus software said that there was some malware or something there. (This is another annoying thing, because I'd kinda like to see the news.)

Well, i think I'll go try GP's blog again, and see if I can get over there. Also, there is a new banner in the works for New Revolution - Cynical Book. (Which I will most likely continue to refer to only as Cynical Book.) Here's the link to CB. I'd love to have some people reading the story. :D

But I'll close this post for now.

Liberals are Smarter than the Average Box of Rocks

I don't care if the title seems mean, I don' t know how I'm gonna get through I'm gonna handle the rest of Obummer's term. Sheesh.

At least if I post something new on this blog, I won't have to keep staring at Hillary Clinton's face every time I come over to use the song list. I don't want to have to keep looking at her.

Since I'm already tired of staring at Clinton's face, I won't even cross-post the video of Helen Thomas. She went out and said that the Jews should go back to Germany and Poland and then had to resign in disgrace. Fitting, I think. Then Rosie O'Donnell came out and said that Helen Thomas was right. Hmm, I think I fell a song lyric coming on: "... the blind leading the lied too." That, by the way, is from Switchfoot's song "Dirty Second Hands."

My pro-Israel banner will stay up for awhile longer. It would be nice if people realized that Israel was trying to protect itself.

The Religion of Peace is at it again: Read and be sick: Taliban executes 7 year old child for spying
The peaceful left is also at it again: Leftist thug beat Tea Party Protester

This is crazy.

The U.S. was ranked #85 in the list of most peaceful nations. If Iran made any number higher than 85, I'm crying foul. There's already something fishy going on, since Rwanda is higher on the list. What the crap?:

Many Americans may be suspicious of any peace index that has their country behind Nicaragua and Rwanda, McConaghy acknowledges.

Yes, it's good that you acknowledge it. Too bad something else is fishy about this. Let's get that list and have a look.

What? What is Israel doing as number 144? Now I'm mad. Why are they lower than Iran?Someone explain this BS to me.

America being were it is reminds me of the quote I added to this blog the other day:

"This country has shed more blood for the freedom of other people than all the other nations in the history of the world combined, and I’m tired of people feeling like they’ve got to apologize for America."

That is accredited to Fred Thompson, and it's so true.

Moving on.

Here's fun poster that we should all keep in mind between now and November.

And here's a fun story on how Rueters is doctoring their having their photos of the Middle East doctored. From Are You Freaking Stupid?, who got it from FOX News:

The British-based Reuters news agency has been stung for the second time by charges that it edited politically sensitive photos in a way that casts Israel in a bad light. But this time Reuters claims it wasn’t at fault.

The news agency reacted to questions raised by an American blogger who showed that Reuters' photo service edited out knives and blood traces from pictures taken aboard the activist ship Mavi Marmara during a clash with Israeli commandos last week. Nine people were killed and scores were injured in the clash.

The pictures of the fight were released by IHH, the Turkish-based group that sponsored the six-ship fleet that tried to break Israel's blockade of Gaza.

In one photo, an Israeli commando is shown lying on the deck of the ship, surrounded by activists. The uncut photo released by IHH shows the hand of an unidentified activist holding a knife. But in the Reuters photo, the hand is visible but the knife has been edited out.

You got it from some Turkish organization and you didn't wonder the pictures had been edited? Seriously? I'd like to say you're not at fault, but I don't know what British law is. The Constitution protects the right to be stupid, though. (Unfortunate though it may be.)

Speaking of the Constitution, here's a guaranteed blood boiler for you patriots out there. This warning was published on copies of the U.S. Constitution put out by A & D publishing/ Wilder Publications:

"This book is a product of it's time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it was written today."

No it doesn't, thank heaven, because if it did we would be bowing to Mecca to please our Muslim overlords while having everything from our healthcare to food rationed in a socialist utopia. But I digress:

"Parents might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work."

I wonder if I can coherently express myself without expletives. The Constitution is more than just a classic work. It's also the document that protects your freedom, including your right to be an idiot, fortunately for Wilder Publishing. From the Fox News article:

Walter Olson, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, says the company may be trying to ensure that oversensitive people don't pull its works off bookstore or library shelves.

"Any idea that’s 100 years old will probably offend someone or other," Olson told FoxNews.com. "…But if there’s anything that you ought to be able to take at a first gulp for yourself and then ask your parents if you're wondering about this or that strange thing, it should be the founding documents of American history."

If you're so oversensitive that a copy of the Constitution is offensive, do the whole country a favor: get out.

The warning seems to be offending more people than the documents themselves.

There's an understatement for ya.

Amazon.com’s customer reviews of Wilder’s copy of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of Confederation show an overwhelming number of people speaking out against the disclaimer, describing it as “insulting,” “sickening” and “frankly, horrifying.”

Another review for Wilder’s edition of the Federalist Papers calls for an all-out boycott of the publisher, sarcastically pointing out the "dangerous ideas" it’s trying to protect children from: "limited government, checks and balances, constrained judicial review, dual sovereignty of states and federal government, and deliberative democracy."

The publisher could not be reached for comment on this story. How convenient.

Why are liberals so bent on destroying this country? I will never understand their mindsets.


Seriously.

I'm Still with Israel

Guess what's ba-ack? The pro-Israel banner. 'Cause I still support Israel.

In case you missed the news, a bunch of "peace activists" tried to run a blockade in Gaza. IMAO put it best when they said these are "the sort of peace activist who want nothing more than war." Because that's exactly the kind of peace activist that tried to get into Gaza.

All sorts of things have come out about this flotilla attack. Hillary Clinton had to go open her big mouth:



"We support, in the strongest terms, the security council's call for a prompt, impartial, credible, and transparent investigation."

From the U.N.? Don't make me laugh, lady. You and I both know that the U.N. hates Israel and can't do jack squat right.

"We support an Israeli investigation that meets those criteria."

Boy, I wish I could lie like that without my conscious driving me up a wall. Maybe it's a bit early to be calling her words a lie, but I just this feeling that I'm gonna be right. We'll deal with Gaza here in a minute.

(Palestinian authority, what Palestinian authority? Yes I know I'm supposed to keep going but I couldn't help that one.)

One more for good measure:

"Ultimately the solution to this conflict must be found through an agreement based on a two-state solution negotiated between the parties."

Okay. My friend Ron Mossad had a lovely post on the two-state solution so I won't deal with it here. You can go here if you're interested in more on that. Okay, back to the point.

So Mrs. Clinton wants a fair investigation. I wonder, will that investigation include this video:



For the first few seconds of this video you can some soldiers boarding the boat. Then you see a "Peace activist" tossing a rock at a soldier. And the subtitles take care of the rest.

Wow. That's about the same kind of peace I expected from the religion of Islam - oh wait....

Gateway Pundit, through YNet News adds this statement from the soldier who was thrown over the side of the ship:

R. was the soldier who was thrown from the deck, as shown in the footage distributed by the IDF. "I was in front of a number of people with knives and clubs. I cocked my weapon when I saw that one was coming towards me with a knife drawn and I fired once. Then another 20 people came at me from all directions and threw me down to the deck below."

"Then I felt a stabbing in my stomach. It was a knife. I got the knife out, then somehow got down to the lower deck where there were more people. This was when the soldiers had got control of all the boat except the lower deck. Me and another soldier managed to get to the deck, and we jumped into the water, from where our forces collected us. Another soldier who was beaten hard lost consciousness. Other soldiers covered him until we managed to get him out."

Hmm. That doesn't sound so peaceful to me.

Obama came out and condemned Israel. Then again, they did put his friends in danger (Not that that's an excuse):

Former Weather Underground leaders William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, as well as Code Pink founder Jodie Evans, helped organize the Free Gaza Movement, which launched the six-ship flotilla from Turkey to Israel that ended in a violent clash with Israeli Defense Forces, BigGovernment.com reported.

... This wasn’t the first time that the Free Gaza Movement, whose board of directors include well-known leftists Noam Chomsky and Naomi Klein, sent vessels to Gaza to deliberately provoke a reaction from Israel.

... And if there’s any doubt that this was a political set-up instead of a humanitarian mission, the fact that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez promised to join a future convoy should dispel any doubts.

Well isn't that some interesting food for thought. So now that we know this was set up and now that we know that those peace activists weren't peace activists - unless stabbing someone in the stomach is now 'peaceful' - who's fault is it now?

Here's a hint: not Israel.

__________________________________
Further reading:

Ron Mossad: 10 Dead as Israeli forces storm Gaza Freedom Flotilla
Ron Mossad: More info on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla
Gateway Pundit: Netanyahu: This was no Love Boat
And for the people who think that this incident took place in 'International Waters': Click here.