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Friday, April 25, 2003
***** Good luck to all students on finals!! *****
(NOTE: See my two updates to this entry, below. Posting at this site will resume shorty...)
In the meantime, here are some good reading items:
- Change of Heart: Why I now 'believe' the supporters of the war (Response to Josh Claybourn, on Iraq), by "Pro-War Patriot"
- My article from a few months ago: Answers to Ron Paul's Questions on Iraq from a Young Conservative
- From Tom Roeser, Illinois conservative leader: Warmongers have hijacked the GOP
- From Dorothy Anne Seese: An Angry American - Seeking the Restoration of the Constitution
- My past blog entries on war...
From the Drudge Report:
Dixie Chicks explain themselves
One of my fellow collegiate conservative bloggers, Owen Courreges, inadvertently caused his blog to receive an unusually-high number of hits by posting this entry last month, on the Dixie Chicks and their work with PETA (the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). It included a photo of a never-released poster advertisement in which the Chicks posed nude (as part of the infamous "I'd rather go naked that wear fur" campaign). After the photo was pulled from the photographer's website, Owen's hit count skyrocketed. I'm not going to steal that poster photo and post it here (though I could use a lot more traffic during this time period, since I am overwhelmingly swamped with papers, essays, and upcoming exams...), but here is Owen's later post with a bigger photo of the potential PETA poster.
Earlier, LewRockwell.com had published this column by Casey Khan on these 'lady outlaws'...
And Antiwar.com linked to a Florida Today piece on how the Dixie Chicks may get the last laugh...
From last Wednesday's edition of LewRockwell.com:
Sick of Pop-Up Ads?
For present and prospective Alexa users, the new toolbar has the best anti-popup tool ever, and it's free.
This seems like a great new offer from Alexa.com, and we could all use a pop-up blocker. Unfortunately, they do not have that download available for Macintosh computers, which is what I use at school. (Nonetheless, Macs rule!)
Update: Paul Musgrave of Hoosier Review also has some thoughts on the Dixie Chicks (as well as on Muhammed Ali, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Charles Lindbergh, and U.S. Grant).
A Republican, but not blindly partisan, Paul is a principled political pundit, plus a prescient polemicist and a prolific poet.
Update: (Saturday, May 3) - Right now, I am totally swamped with course work - I have a major paper, essays, and other work that has to be completed ASAP. This is the worst academic situation that I've had since I started here at UIS. I am currently trying to get it all done; to make things worse, final exams are next week. I probably won't be posting much during that time, but my last exam is on Friday, so I should be back by then. Until then, best of luck to all students who also have class work and exams coming up. And don't consume too much caffeine ;-)
Update 2: (Friday, May 9) - I finished my last exam for the semester this afternoon, so I am all done now... except for a few things. I still have to move out, and take care of some other business; I'm also somewhat tired - wow, that was a tough week! I'll try to resume posting shorty. Until then, here are some sites to check out:
JoshClaybourn.com - Hoosier Review - Owen Courreges - Lee Ann Millinger - Izzy Lyman
Illinois Leader - LewRockwell.com - TownHall.com - World Net Daily
Antiwar.com - EtherZone - VDare - NewsMax
Also, please run - don't walk - to your nearest bookstore and purchase your very own hardcover copy of Kyle Williams' new book, Seen and Heard. For those of who don't already know (and you should!), Kyle is the brilliant young columnist and political pundit who many of us have been reading and learning from for the past year or so - I first linked to one of Kyle's articles from my blog last November, but I had seen his column on World Net Daily some time before that, last year. Amazingly, Kyle was only 13 years old at the time!! Now 14, Kyle recently finished and had published a new book, and it is sure to be good... I hope it reaches the bestseller lists. I missed his appearance today on MSNBC (I was still taking my final Final), but I was sure to get it taped. I'll probably link to a transcript of it soon. Kyle will have some other televsion appearances shortly, on Fox News and elsewhere; I'll try to post notices here.
Update: Amazon.com has the book for just $13.99 (plus shipping & handling)...!
Update 2: 'Seen and Heard' is currently soaring on Amazon.com's sales list! Check out the transcript from his appearance on Buchanan and Press and the one from his appearance on Scarborough Country on Tuesday.
That's all for now. I'm going to go... and lie down. For those who still have exams, best of luck! And don't stress out too much...
posted by Aakash at 10:24 PM
These are some items that I had wanted to post within the past couple days.
News items found on various news home pages:
From Yahoo's home page:
Our country has lost our oldest person...
Mary Dorothy Christian, 113-years-old, passed away last Sunday.
"Born June 12, 1889, in Taunton, Mass., Christian moved with her family to San Pablo. She was a teenager working at an East Bay chocolate factory when she watched flames engulf San Francisco following the 1906 earthquake..."
She seems like a remarkable woman. Here is another article on Mary Christian from the San Franciso Chronicle. The San Francisco Museum has information and photos on the 1906 earthquake at its website.
And speaking of museums and destruction, the University of Chicago has a good [partial] catalogue of the contents of the now-pillaged Iraqi National Art Museum. From a post at Hoosier Review, I learned that several advisors in the Bush administration have resigned their positions due to this affair.
Update: Charley Reese has a good column dealing with this issue: Poor Sean Hannity
From Netscape's home page:
Fla. Court Strikes Down Bizarre Adoption Law
A Florida court struck down a law that required mothers who want to give a child up for adoption to publicize their sexual histories in newspaper ads. The law required a mother who wanted to put her child up for adoption to take out newspaper ads listing her description, and the descriptions of any men who could have been the father.
This does indeed appear to be a bizarre law.
posted by Aakash at 4:00 PM
Sunday, April 20, 2003
Happy Easter!!
Easter web page from Christianity Today
All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3 NLT
Also check out Focus on the Family ( family.org):
- Easter web page from Focus on the Family
- Make "Resurrection Eggs" for Easter
blogs 4 God has a good post for today. Dean Peters (of the 'Heal Your Church's Website' blog) posted this entry containing a speech by the famous Christian author Josh McDowell concerning the historical evidence that supports the truth of the Resurrection. I haven't read through the speech, but it must be good. Josh McDowell's famous book, More Than a Carpenter, is a very helpful book with important information about Christianity and Jesus. He has also written the well-known Evidence That Demands a Verdict, a book that provides scientific and archeological evidence which supports the claims of the Bible, and the truth of Christianity.
Christian Student Fellowship at UIS did a great deal for "Rez Week" (the week before Easter), with activities reminding students about the true meaning of Easter, and the significance of the Resurrection.
Update - Monday, April 21, 2003
I hope that everyone had a great Easter weekend. I hope that everyone felt free to share the truth about Easter with others as we reflected upon the Resurrection of our Savior.
Update 2:
On a side note, have you ever wondered how the date of Easter is determined? The U.S. Naval Observatory has information here on 'computing the date of Easter'. It lists the dates of Easter for many past and future years on that page, and there is also a neat computer tool on this page that will allow you to get the date of Easter for any year that you enter.
Update 3: John Adams, a brilliant 18-year-old blogger who is currently living in Haiti (where he does missionary work), has written a good "code of ethics" for Christian bloggers. Everyone should take a look.
A. James Boswell has created a set of icons for people to use on their sites for this code of ethics. Many options are available to choose from, if you wish to post a link on your site.
posted by Aakash at 8:31 PM
Saturday, April 19, 2003
Remembering the Past
Today is April 19th. That day is significant as being the anniversary of many terrible things. I would not have posted today, if I had not come across a blog entry a few days ago reminding about the anniversary of a certain event which occured ten years ago on this day. (I was planning on linking to that blog, but I am currently unable to find it again...)
[Update (5/19/03): I finally came across that blog again. It is called "End the War on Freedom," and is run by Bill St. Clair. The entry which reminded me to post about Waco is this one from six days before the anniversary. (See the second to last paragraph in his entry.) I haven't looked around much, but Mr. St. Clair's End the War on Freedom seems to be a powerful pro-liberty web log.]
Anyway, today is the tenth anniversary of the tragedy at Waco, Texas. The Clinton/Reno administration, on this day, in 1993, waged an assault on a compound in that city, killing more than 70 people, including 24 children. Below are some aticles and links about this.
Waco: Rules of Engagement - This documentary film was nominated for an Oscar award, and has also won an Emmy. I have not seen it, but it seems very interesting. The website of the movie is: waco93.com.
Waco Tribune-Herald: Legacy Haunts Nation 10 years after seige
World Net Daily exclusive: Government science failed at Waco
Barbara Grant: Feds on Waco: Shooting in the Dark
Past articles and commentary:
Michelle Malkin:
Focus on the Real Waco, May 8, 2000
Linda A. Prussen-Razzano:
Waco: Only One Credible Source Left, Sept. 14, 1999
U.S. Congressman James Traficant (D-OH):
Calling for a full investigation into the death of Carl Ghigliotti, May 9, 2000
Waco Still a burning question, Oct. 25, 1999
Fear and Intimidation have no place in American government, Sep. 15, 1999
The FBI Lied and the Attorney Gen. Lied, Sept. 8, 1999
Cover-Up in Waco, Texas, Aug. 4, 1999
Prof. Murray N. Rothbard:
Behind Waco, Nov. 1993
American Patriot Friends Network: Who Waco?
Carol Moore: The Davidian Massacre
Vin Suprynowicz: Send in the Waco Killers
Dave Kopel, Independence Institute: No More Wacos
CATO Institute: Policy Analysis on Waco
Big Eye: In Memoriam & The Origin of the Waco fire
PBS Frontline: Waco: The Inside Story
A survivor writes in Salon.com: The truth about Waco
posted by Aakash at 7:32 PM
Tuesday, April 15, 2003
The Taxman Cometh
It's that time of year again! The time when the IRS steals our hard earned income, and gives it to the bureaucrats in Washington, so they can spend it on unconstitutional government programs... Anyway, there's a lot more that I could say about this issue, but the purpose of this entry is to share something that I came across some years ago. When browsing on AOL a few years back, I came across a forum called ParaScope, and found something interesting. It was entitled " The Top 10 Ways to Hassle the IRS."
Disclaimer: I want to make clear that I am not, in any way, advocating that anyone use these ideas. This is provided for entertainment purposes only.
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The Top 10 Ways to Hassle the IRS
by Anonymous
The following list of "tips" on thwarting, annoying and generally badgering workers at IRS processing offers was delivered anonymously to the ParaScope mailbox. The author, who claims to have worked in an IRS mail room, offers the following suggestions for annoying, aggravating or otherwise messing with the IRS. Note: These agitation methods are presented FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. Use at your own risk and discretion.
That said, here are the top 10 ways to hassle the IRS with relative impunity:
1. Always put staples in the right-hand corner. Go ahead and put them down the whole right side. The extractors who remove the mail from the envelopes have to take out any staples in the right side.
2. Never arrange paperwork in the right order, or even facing the right way. Put a few upside down and backwards. That way they have to remove all your staples, rearrange your paperwork and re-staple it (on the left side).
3. Line the bottom of your envelope with glue and let it dry before you put in your forms, so that the automated opener doesn't open it and the extractor has to open it by hand.
4. If you're very unfortunate and have to pay taxes, use a two- or three-party check.
5. On top of paying with a three-party check, pay one of the dollars you owe in cash. When an extractor receives cash, no matter how small an amount, he has to take it to a special desk and fill out many nasty forms.
6. Write a little letter of appreciation. Any letter received has to be read and stamped, regardless of what it is about.
7. Write your letter on something misshapen and unconventional. Like on the back of a grocery sack.
8. When you mail your return, mail it in a big envelope (even if it's just a single form). Big envelopes have to be torn and sorted differently than regular business-sized ones. An added bonus to the big envelope is that they take priority over other mail, forcing them to hurry up and deal with your mess first.
9. Always put extra paper clips on your forms. Any foreign fasteners have to be removed and put away.
10. Sign your name in ink on every page. Any signature has to be verified and then date stamped.
-------------------------------------------
End of list. Obtained from ParaScope.
(I hope I don't get audited for posting this...)
posted by Aakash at 11:06 PM
Wednesday, April 09, 2003
Sorry for not having updated in a while. I have been very busy with school work and with several other things... Please check back soon for more updates.
In the meantime, check out my March 26th entry (a couple posts below) for ways to support our brave servicemen and women abroad.
Update: Also, check out the latest news and opinion from these pro-military, pro-soldier web sources:
Military.com
Soldiers for the Truth
National-Security.org
Citizen Soldier
Our American Heroes
It is vital, as always, but especially now that a new war has started, that we stand behind our brave soldiers totally and wholeheartedly, and support them and their families as they fight to defend liberty and justice throughout the world. I know several students and youth who are serving in the military right now - some of whom have been overseas, or are awaiting possible deployment. I also have had the pleasure of working with several war veterans in recent years who have served our country faithfully and with honor.
Please see my March 26th entry (a few posts below) for links and resources on how to support our troops during this time of war.
Chickenhawks come home to roost
Many reports within the past year have detailed the disagreements between the Pentagon officials, generals, & military leaders vs. the civilians in the Bush administration with regards to war with Iraq, and other issues. One of the Hoosier Review editors posted this entry a couple months ago on the disagreements between the career military officers and Donald Rumsfeld.
Once the war began, many pro-military and veterans groups commented on what transpired. Below are some of those news items:
From Soldiers for the Truth (pro-soldier organization):
- Combat Proves that the Generals were right
- Did we go in too light?
- A Heartfelt Thanks to Our Troops
- We Should All Support Those in War far Away
- Rumsfeld Does Not Support Elderly Veterans
See more from Soldiers for the Truth newsletter here.
Also from Soldiers for the Truth...
An Insider Reports from the Pentagon:
- The Souffle Has Fallen
- Understanding Neocon-Speak
- How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love CBW
- A New World Order?
More Insider Notes from the Pentagon here at SFTT.org...
Also, please check out Hackworth.com, the home page of Col. David Hackworth, the famous war hero, military expert, and soldiers' advocate. Col. Hackworth's newest book, Steel My Soldiers Hearts, was recently published, and his other books are also available for purchase online or at your local bookstore. In addition, many American veterans, military personnel, and others have been reading Col. Hackworth's famous 'Defending America' column for the past few years. The column archive is available at Hackworth.com, and is also published at Military.com, where there is also a forum for discussing the columns. Col. Hackworth bears the distinction of having been decorated more times than anyone else alive today.
A very powerful story, called The Wall, is currently featured at Col. Hackworth's site. Recently written by Alfred A. Hambidge, Jr., this thought-provoking piece on soldiers, sacrifice, and the reality of war is posted at many other places on the web, as well.
From the website of Center for the National Security Interest (another pro-military, pro-defense organization):
- Generals Fault Rumsfeld for Cutting Request U.S. Invasion Force by Half
- Rumsfeld Criticized by Generals
See more at the Center for the National Security Interest home page: www.national-security.org
In recent months, I have enjoyed reading the work of David T. Pyne, Esq., a conservative columnist and the President and CEO of the Center. Mr. Pyne, also currently the Executive Vice President of the Virginia Republican Assembly, is a national security expert who works in the US defense establishment responsible for the countries of the former Soviet Union and the Middle East, among others. Mr. Pyne has briefed Army transformation and related issues at the Pentagon. He is also a licensed attorney and former Army Reserve Officer. In addition, he holds an MA in National Security Studies from Georgetown University. He is also a member of the Council for Emerging National Security Affairs based in Washington, D.C. See an extended bio of David T. Pyne here.
Read more of Mr. Pyne's columns here, here, here, and here.
Updates:
Don Rumsfeld's Army, Robert Novak
The Bloody Road to Baghdad, Col. David Hackworth
Stuck in the Quicksand, Col. David Hackworth
War in Iraq Turns Ugly: That's what wars do, Col. James Webb
(Colonel James Webb is a renowned American naval hero and military writer, and served as Secretary of the Navy and Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan. Visit his home page at JamesWebb.com)
posted by Aakash at 2:51 PM
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