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“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse.”   —   John Stuart Mill

PATRIOT PERSPECTIVE
More Democrat ‘aid and comfort’ to the enemy

By Mark Alexander

From the “keen sense of the obvious” department at Harvard University, researchers at the Kennedy School of Government reported this week what anyone with a lick of common sense already knew: When Democrats and their Leftmedia instruments of propaganda openly condemn Operation Iraqi Freedom, they embolden our enemy.

The research team determined that the more strident the political dissention of OIF reflected in U.S. media stories or polls (read: “Pollaganda”), the more frequent were attacks against civilians and U.S. military forces in Iraq. Notably, in areas with greater access to international news media, the quantifiable increases were greater.

The report, http://people.rwj.harvard.edu/ riyengar/insurgency.pdf" “Is There an ‘Emboldenment’ Effect? Evidence from the Insurgency in Iraq,”, concludes that attacks increased between seven and ten percent following “high-mention weeks,” like the two before the November 2006 midterm elections, when Leftist political rhetoric was at full steam.

Since the onset of hostilities with Jihadistan, and particularly in the wake of 9/11 and our military response (OEF and OIF), I have written a few pointed essays about how Democrats and their Leftmedia minions lend support to our enemy with political fodder designed to appeal to their Leftist constituency.

Of course, there is a distinction between constructive criticism and traitorous rhetoric, but in time of war one must choose words to express dissent very carefully. In this respect, some notable Democrats have been reckless to the point of treason.

Until the current presidential campaign, the benchmark for spewing anti-American rhetoric against OIF was established by John Kerry, whose ‘04 campaign modus operandi went well beyond thoughtful dissent about OIF. He even poked fun at the competence of our warriors, claiming they were “stuck in Iraq.”

Of course, Kerry had plenty of experience providing aid and comfort to the enemy, beginning with his infamous anti-American activities during the Vietnam War, with his comrade “Hanoi” Jane Fonda.

Who better than General Vo Nguyen Giap, supreme leader of the North Vietnamese Army, to outline how Kerry and the Leftmedia embolden the enemy. In a 1989 interview with CBS, Giap recalled: “We paid a high price [during the Tet offensive] but so did you [Americans]... not only in lives and materiel. Do not forget the war was brought into the living rooms of the American people... The most important result of the Tet offensive was it made you de-escalate the bombing, and it brought you to the negotiation table. It was, therefore, a victory... The war was fought on many fronts. At that time the most important one was American public opinion.” (emphasis added)

In ‘04, Kerry was joined in his efforts to embolden Iraqi insurgents by a cadre of congressional Demo-gogues who continued to spew traitorous rhetoric.

A year ago, I participated in high-level security briefings with CENTCOM and SOCOM commanders, one of whom discussed the topic “Media as Terrain”   —   how our adversaries use the media as a battleground.
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Shortly after that briefing, I penned an essay that pointedly condemned Democrats for aiding and abetting the enemy. In “Memo to the American Media from Sheikh Muhammad al-Zawahiri,” I focused on a most revealing quote: “I say to you: that we are in a battle, and that more than half of this battle is taking place in the battlefield of the media.” That quote was part of an intercepted and authenticated communiqué from Osama bin Laden’s chief lieutenant to the now-departed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Read that quote again, and let it sink in.

Yet Democrats and their media organs continue to crank out cover stories like “We’re losing” from Newsweek.

Indeed, Islamist leaders must be thrilled by the support they receive from America’s “useful idiots,” those card-carrying apologists for a socialist political and economic agenda —  essentially, advocates for Marxist-Leninist-Maoist collectivism.

Article III, Section 3 of the United States Constitution notes: “Treason against the United States, shall consist in... adhering to [our] enemies, giving them aid and comfort.”

When I raised my hand in preparation to serve my country, the oath I took was to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic... So help me God.”

According to General Giap, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and now researchers at Harvard, there is plenty of evidence that Demo-gogues and their Leftmedia talking heads have provided ample “aid and comfort” to the enemy.

There is already a petition to prosecute John Kerry for treason. Perhaps it is time to add a few more Demos to the list, starting with Kerry’s lapdog, Barack Obama.

Quote of the week

“Some Democrats... are playing politics with [Iraq] and they are sending mixed signals to our troops and the enemy.”   —   President George W. Bush

On cross-examination

“There ought to be no question that declaring defeat in Iraq will encourage every terrorist organization and nation state that means us harm. Defeat will not be the end of it; it will be the beginning of the end of us. Whatever political victory politicians might achieve by sustaining themselves in office will be lost to terrorists who will make sure that those who think they are secure in their congressional seats will face the ultimate insecurity in their homes and offices. Remember, the 9/11 airplane hijackers would have destroyed the Capitol Building were it not for the surge of the brave passengers on United Flight 93. Why is this so difficult for them to understand? It isn’t difficult and it pains me to say it, but too many politicians would mortgage the nation’s future in exchange for a few more years in office.”   —   Cal Thomas

Open query

“The question occurs: Will it take some further, even more catastrophic attack here at home —  an attack made more likely by the irresponsible behavior of today’s agitators —  to silence their defeatism and reunify the country behind a necessary program for victory?”   —   Frank Gaffney, Jr.

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
News from the Swamp: More Republicans quit

It seems that enough Republicans have announced retirement from Congress to almost guarantee that the GOP will not retake either chamber in November. In the House, Rep. Tom Reynolds of New York became the 29th Republican to retire this session. Reynolds moved up quickly in his decade of service, starting in state politics in the Buffalo region and will leave as chairman of the House Republican Campaign Committee. However, in 2006 he won with only 52% of the vote and his reputation was tarnished when the committee treasurer embezzled millions of dollars under Reynolds’ watch. His retirement will leave the New York GOP delegation with only five of 29 seats should they not be able to defend his seat.
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In the Senate, Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) agreed to step down quietly by letting the deadline for filing for re-election pass last Friday. Craig, whose shenanigans in a Minneapolis airport men’s room became national news, had vowed to fight disorderly conduct charges to which he originally pleaded guilty in June of last year. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Republican Senate Campaign Committee Chairman John Ensign both supported Craig’s decision to step down, but when he made an about-face, he was stripped of his committee assignments and sent to the political wilderness. Craig, with his guilty plea on record and his reputation sullied, will now return to private life, something he should have done in the first place.

New & notable legislation

The Senate voted 54-44 in favor of an amendment sponsored by Lamar Alexander (R-TN) that would bar federal employment regulators from filing suit against small businesses that require English in the workplace. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently sued the Salvation Army and 125 other organizations because English was required on the job, except during breaks. Alexander’s amendment aims to curb such frivolous lawsuits and would require that the money used to finance the lawsuits be used for adult English programs instead.

Meanwhile, Congress is considering doubling or even tripling the H-1B visa cap in 2008 and 2009. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) introduced the Strengthening United States Technology and Innovation Act in the House, which would triple the number to 195,000. “American employers have an urgent need,” Smith said, “for highly skilled foreign workers to fill positions in specialty occupations...[in order to] remain globally competitive.” Not that companies never abuse the H-1B...

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) introduced H.R. 5616, the Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act, which would repeal the unconstitutional congressionally mandated phase-out of the good old incandescent light bulb.

Hillary under fire —  figuratively, of course

Clintons and the truth are like oil and water; they don’t mix. This is an established fact of politics, yet we can’t help but be fascinated with each new yarn that is spun by Hillary and Bill. The latest whopper is one of many attempts to embellish (read: create) Hillary’s foreign-policy record by talking up her numerous trips around the world as first lady. Now she claims to have been dropped into a hot LZ in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in a March 1996 trip to the war-torn nation. “I remember landing under sniper fire,” she crowed. “There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.” For further dramatic effect, she added that the trip was too dangerous for Bill to make, so she went instead.

This story is ridiculous on so many levels that it boggles the mind. First, if a landing zone is too dangerous for the President of the United States, there is no way on earth the First Lady would be sent in his place. Second, members of the international media recorded Hillary’s landing at Tuzla, including this CBS News video, and at no time during the filming of her meet-and-greet on the tarmac do we see people acting as if they are under sniper fire. Sinbad, a comedian who accompanied Clinton to entertain the troops, recalled that the most dangerous part of the whole trip was deciding where to eat. No reporters or armed forces personnel recall any violent incident during Hillary’s trip. Next thing we know, she’ll claim she was named for famed mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary.

When she was called on her lie, Clinton tried to sweep up the mess, stuttering, “You know, I think that, a minor blip, you know, if I said something that, you know, I say a lot of things —  millions of words a day —  so if I misspoke, that was just a misstatement.” Well, by our figuring, Hillary would have to utter more than 11 words per second to get to just one million words a day. A terrifying thought indeed.

Democrats propose more government for economy

On Thursday, Barack Obama declared that the government isn’t doing enough to, er, for the economy. Indeed, the only change he wants is what’s in taxpayers’ pockets. Obama called for $30 billion, as the Associated Press put it, to “rescue homeowners and the jobless.” Peddling the Democrats’ usual victimitis rhetoric, Obama said, “For homeowners who were victims of fraud, I’ve also proposed a $10 billion Foreclosure Prevention Fund that would help them sell a home that is beyond their means, or modify their loan to avoid foreclosure or bankruptcy.” In other words, because borrowers bought homes that were too expensive, other more responsible taxpayers should be forced to bail them out. This forcible redistribution of income is what liberals call compassion. Of course, Obama also derided GOP presidential candidate John McCain for a plan that “amounts to little more than watching this crisis happen.” McCain fired back, “There is a tendency for liberals to seek big government programs that sock it to American taxpayers while failing to solve the very real problems we face.” But isn’t it good intentions that matter?
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Speaking of intentions, the Clinton campaign immediately went on the attack, claiming that Obama has raised more than $1.18 million from employees of 10 major sub-prime lenders. The implication is of course that Obama owes favors to sub-prime lenders. If that’s the case, Hillary’s fundraising total from the same companies might be relevant. That total is $1.32 million. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Adding up donations from mortgage companies, banks, private-equity and hedge-fund firms —  all industries involved in subprime lending —  Sen. Clinton has drawn $2.8 million in donations, compared with $2.67 million for Sen. Obama and $1.28 million for Sen. McCain.” Oops again, Hillary.

This week’s ‘Braying Jackass’ award

“How do you plan to change the tax code when it comes to capital gains? How high will that 15 percent rate go?”   —   CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo to Barack Obama

“I certainly would not go above what existed under Bill Clinton, which was the 28 percent.”   —   Barack Obama

He wants your change, alright.
Campaign watch: No revote for Florida and Michigan

The state Democrat parties in Florida and Michigan both announced this week that they do not have the support necessary to implement a re-vote for their respective convention delegates. In Florida, thousands of party members responded negatively to a mail-in ballot campaign, while state senate Democrats in Michigan could not reach a consensus about what to do with the delegates that have been refused a seat at the national convention in Denver. Hillary Clinton won a majority of the delegates in both states early this year, mainly because no other candidates campaigned there (Barack Obama wasn’t even on the ballot in Michigan). At this late stage, Hillary desperately needs those delegates, but it’s doubtful that she would overcome Obama’s delegate lead even if both states re-run their primaries.

Judicial Benchmarks: Hearings on DC’s gun ban

District of Columbia v. Heller, a Supreme Court case that will be decided in the next few months, will determine whether “the People” mentioned in our Constitution really means “the Government” when it comes to the right to keep and bear arms. The Justices heard arguments last Tuesday.

The Second Amendment to the Constitution states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Using the arguments posited by attorneys for the District of Columbia, this really means only the militia should be armed, not the people. Of course, this argument ignores the plain language of the Amendment, the historical context of the word “militia” (every able-bodied adult male) and several hundred years of practice and precedent.

For more than 30 years, DC has banned all handguns, the cheapest and most common weapon of self-defense, and requires homeowners to either disassemble or unload and lock up all other firearms. The (un)reasonableness of a total ban on handguns, however, is just one of many questions the Court will decide in this landmark case. In the hearing, it seemed the Justices understand the right belongs to individuals, leaving the question as what constitutes reasonable regulation.

As the NRA-ILA reports, 31 state attorneys general, many former senior DOJ officials, and Congress have filed amicus briefs opposing DC’s position in the case. “The congressional brief had the largest number of co-signers of a congressional amicus brief in American history,” the NRA-ILA said, “with 250 House Members, 55 Senators and the Vice President of the United States, acting in his capacity as President of the Senate.” Perhaps the most encouraging sign came during the hearings last Tuesday when Justice Anthony Kennedy said, “[T]here’s a general right to bear arms quite without reference to the militia either way.” It appears the “swing” Justice may have his head on straight for this one. After all, it is clear that this case dealing with what former Justice Joseph Story called the “palladium of the liberties of a republic” is one of utmost importance to our nation.
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NATIONAL SECURITY
Warfront with Jihadistan: Five years in Iraq

This month saw U.S. involvement in Iraq complete its fifth year, and also the number of U.S. war dead reach 4,000 (excluding casualties suffered in Afghanistan). The cost of both wars has passed half a trillion dollars (roughly one percent of GDP), and neither Afghanistan nor Iraq can yet be called a success. In some measure, success will now depend on Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, who was installed as temporary commander of U.S. Central Command on Friday. Dempsey’s extensive experience in Iraq could prove invaluable.

By comparison, during World War II the United States spent approximately 33% of GDP on defense, while losing over 400,000 lives in less than four years, including nearly 7,000 killed in just over three weeks on Iwo Jima. Americans judged the sacrifices of World War II worth the goal of ridding the world of evil in the form of Nazism and Japanese militarism.

Today many Americans seem unable to recognize evil in the first place, leaving them no way to assess the cost of defeating it. The Hollywood glitterati claim that “the war on terrorism is terrorism,” while the Democrat-controlled Congress plays politics with issues like the electronic surveillance of foreign communications. Even with oil holding at over $100 per barrel, America has had nothing resembling a shared sacrifice of money, food, material goods or leisure during a time of war. Both Democrat candidates for president insist that their first order of business will be to pull American troops out of Iraq. All in all, any fair assessment must acknowledge that America’s stomach for a long, hard fight against Islamofascism appears somewhat questionable.

We have serious enemies who wish us harm, we did not create Islamofascism when we deposed Saddam Hussein, and we can still lose this war. Precipitous withdrawal from Iraq can only give new energy to our enemies and ensure further war that may not have historically low casualty rates for the U.S. Napoleon’s maxim, “In war, the moral is to the physical as three to one,” remains as true as ever, both on the battlefield and in the will of the contestants. Something to keep in mind as we near the November elections.

Saddam and al-Qa’ida: To link or not to link

When the Central Intelligence Agency published its “Comprehensive Report of the Special Advisor to the DCI on Iraq’s WMD”   —   also known as the “Duelfer Report”   —   in October 2004, Leftmedia journalists and pundits merely skimmed the 1,000-page tome and, having found what they were looking for, gleefully repeated just one of the report’s conclusions to the exclusion of all others: When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, Saddam Hussein did not have a militarily significant stockpile of weapons of mass destruction (Bush lied!). In fact, to hear most media outlets tell it, the Duelfer Report was a damning indictment of the Bush administration’s rationale for the Iraq War, and Hussein was in fact mostly harmless. Only those who bothered to conduct a deeper analysis of the report (i.e., actually read it) know about the Iraq Survey Group’s more ominous conclusions, such as the fact that Saddam was using the Oil-For-Food program to rearm Iraq and buy off politicians, and that he intended to resume production of weapons of mass destruction once sanctions were lifted.

Thus it should come as no surprise to Patriot readers that the latest government study on Saddam-era Iraq is being subjected to similar spin. Titled “Iraqi Perspectives Project: Saddam and Terrorism: Emerging Insights from Captured Iraqi Documents,” the study was commissioned by Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) and is based on a review of 600,000 documents that were captured by Coalition forces in Iraq. If you believe major media sources like The New York Times and The Washington Post, the study proves that there were no links between al-Qa’ida and Saddam Hussein. (Oh, and Bush lied!)

Of course, the study actually says the opposite, noting that “Captured documents reveal that the [Hussein] regime was willing to support organizations it knew to be part of al-Qaeda —  as long as that organization’s near-term goals supported Saddam’s long-term vision.” The study also says that Iraq had a special relationship with Afghani warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, an ally of Osama bin Laden who allowed al-Qa’ida to train terrorists in his territory. Another recipient of Iraqi support was Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the brutal terrorist organization founded by al-Qa’ida’s number-two man, Ayman al Zawahiri. When Zawahiri aligned himself with bin Laden and al-Qa’ida, most of Egyptian Islamic Jihad’s members went on al-Qa’ida’s payroll. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg: Joint Forces Command’s study contains 1,600 pages demonstrating Saddam’s relationship with jihadist groups in general and al-Qa’ida in particular, causing one to wonder just how much evidence The New York Times needs to prove the existence of “links.”
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The next time someone repeats the myth that Saddam Hussein did not ally himself with Islamic extremists, tell him to stop reading The Times and start doing his own research. To that end, more information on the Leftmedia spin of the USJFCOM study is available in “Saddam’s Dangerous Friends” at The Weekly Standard. To read the full USJFCOM study, go to the Joint Forces Command web site.

Department of military readiness: Save the flag

Last week, U.S. Marine Corps reservist Ray Adam Modisette was leaving Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma when he noticed a protest by the infamous Westboro Baptist “Church” folks, who believe that God is punishing America via military casualties for homosexuality. One of the protesters was in the process of stuffing a U.S. flag down her pants. Police officers at the scene arrested Modisette after he ignored their instructions to move away from the protesters, and instead attempted to rescue the flag. “We believe the act was emotional and not really deliberate,” Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes said. “It caused us to take action, but we hated to have to do it.” The Assistant City Attorney has decided not press charges at the request of police. Modisette posted $850 bail from money he earned while serving in Iraq, though with no charges filed, he will be given a refund. “I think it would have been money well spent,” Modisette later said. “I guess a lot of people on Ol’ Glory’s side felt the same way.” As for the Westboro yahoos, he added, “The way I was raised was the reason I couldn’t drive by and watch that go on. There’s liberty, and then there’s ridiculous.” Semper Fi!

China cracks down on Tibet

Pressure is starting to build on the Red Dragon, as continuing unrest in Tibet spread this week to neighboring provinces. Protests broke out in Tibetan communities in the provinces of Gansu, Sichuan and Qinghai, causing Chinese authorities to mobilize security forces across large areas of western China. In an obvious prelude to a violent crackdown, journalists were ordered out of parts of Gansu and Qinghai provinces, for their own “safety.” In other words, lest they see something that the Communists do not want them to see. Chinese authorities claim about two dozen have been killed, but protesters say more than a hundred have died since the protests began. The UN Human Rights Council, meanwhile, has been too busy condemning Israel to notice.

Tibet’s challenge to Chinese Communist rule comes at a particularly bad time for the Chinese government, just two weeks before China kicks off the Beijing Summer Olympics with the start of the Olympic torch relay, which will pass through Tibet (apparently on a truncheon). The protests even reached Athens, Greece, on Monday when Pro-Tibet demonstrators disrupted the ceremonial lighting of the Olympic torch by attempting to unfurl a banner depicting the Olympic rings as handcuffs, a fitting image. On Wednesday, President Bush personally confronted China’s President Hu Jintao about the crackdown, joining an international chorus of alarm just months before the world heads off to the Olympics. It will be interesting to see how Beijing, with a tremendous amount of money and national pride riding on its Summer Olympics, reacts to further protests for Tibet’s liberty.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Income Redistribution: Corporate farm welfare

According to a recent report by The Wall Street Journal, the House and Senate are about to pass a bill that would give farmers their largest subsidy package ever —  $26 billion over the next five years. Is this because farmers are languishing in poverty as profits are down, and America’s farming community is on the verge of destruction? Far from it —  last year was one of the most profitable ever for American farmers. Nevertheless, soybean and wheat farmers —  currently benefiting from a surge in prices —  will receive increases in subsidies. Corn producers, already highly subsidized by Congress’ promotion of ethanol, will receive $10.5 billion over five years. These aren’t emergency subsidies intended to keep small farms from closing; this is full-fledged corporate welfare, with income limits as high as $2 million per farm before the subsidies are reduced.
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The bill is ostensibly intended to help America’s farmers, but the many unintended consequences loom large. Taxes will be raised on foreign investors in order to fund the subsidies, which will discourage further foreign investment. A massive quantity of land is being converted to corn production, not because of free-market forces, but because of the arbitrary whims of Congress. Conversion to corn, of course, means less of other produce and corresponding higher prices. Lower and middle income Americans will, as usual, be the ones to suffer from congressional meddling in the market, as their budgets get increasingly pinched at the grocery.

Mexico’s oil production to be cut

The United States is poised to lose its third-largest oil supplier. Mexico’s Alejandro Encinas, the expected soon-to-be-leader of the country’s leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), has promised to use the PRD’s congressional influence to halt all oil development in the country. The move stems from Encinas’ staunch isolationism, since mining promising oil fields to replace the country’s once-overflowing Cantarell oil field would require the use of advanced technology available only from other countries. Ignoring the impact both on Mexico’s economy and on the world’s oil supply, Encinas argues he is “defending Mexico’s patrimony and national interest.”

For the U.S. , Mexico’s move should finally create a fire under the seats of Congress to start tapping into the billions of barrels of oil waiting in our Outer Continental Shelf and in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. If we don’t, anti-oil exploration “not-in-my-backyarders” may soon be trimming their lifestyles drastically.

Supreme Court rules on healthcare

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is cheering and the AARP screaming foul over the Supreme Court’s decision Monday to allow employers to cut retirement benefits for seniors once they turn 65 and become eligible for Medicare. The High Court refused to hear an appeal by AARP challenging the Philadelphia U.S. Court of Appeals’ ruling that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) policy of reduced coverage for Medicare-eligible retirees amounts to age discrimination.

According to AARP legislative policy director David Certner, “The Court’s action clears the way for employers to discriminate by reducing or terminating benefits for older retirees simply because they’ve turned 65 years old.” The several groups which filed a brief on behalf of the EEOC claim, however, that “[r]ising costs of health care, together with increases in longevity and changes in accounting rules have placed employers under ever-increasing pressure to reduce expenditures for benefits such as retiree health care coverage.” They argue that not taking Medicare into account “would be contrary to the interest of older workers because it would result in a significant decrease, not enhancement, of health care coverage they would receive in retirement.” One thing certain is the decision will amplify the clamor for healthcare reform and will provide fodder for Leftists longing to dub Uncle Sam the nation’s doctor.

CULTURE
Around the nation: What a party

In the wake of the scandal that took former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer out of power, newly inaugurated New York Governor David Paterson decided to announce that he has had several extramarital affairs, often trysting at the same hotel where he brought his wife to rekindle his marriage. Too much information? Not if you are playing to your constituency. Since the Clinton-Lewinsky affair, Democrats have taken the position that politicians are ordinary human beings and that they should not be held to a higher moral standard.

Michelle Paterson expressed this sentiment in defense of her husband, and presumably, of her own infidelities. “I feel life is very fragile. You never know what could happen. That is why you shouldn’t judge people.” Preaching their own brand of morality, the Patersons said it is important that their children know that they had reconciled, never mind that the kids learned the details in the morning paper. And then there’s the admission of cocaine and marijuana use.

Meanwhile, in Detroit, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was charged this week with eight felonies —  including perjury, misconduct and obstruction —  during the investigation into his affair with his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, who also was charged with seven of the same counts.

Typically, the mainstream media employed a double standard in naming the political party of sexual offenders. When covering the indiscretions of former congressmen Mark Foley and Larry Craig, the media trumpeted the fact that they were Republicans. However, when covering Paterson or Kilpatrick, party affiliation was conspicuously absent. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that they are Democrats. Moral relativism, it seems, is relative to which party is being covered.
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Honoring soldiers is ‘too political’

A national tour that features several decorated Afghanistan and Iraq veterans planned a stop at Forest Lake Area High School in Minneapolis Thursday, but the event was canceled at the last minute by the principal. Why? “The event was structured to be an academic classroom discussion around military service. We thought we’d provide an opportunity for kids to learn about service in the context of our history classes,” the school principal said. “As the day progressed, it became clear that this was becoming a political event... which would be inappropriate in a public setting. We decided to cancel.” The only reason it became political was because of harassing phone calls from anti-war Leftists who threatened to protest.

Vets for Freedom is sponsoring the cross-country tour from 14 March through 9 April. Pete Hegseth, who heads the organization, graduated from Forest Lake and served with the 101st Airborne in Iraq, said, “It’s Iraq and Afghan veterans talking about what they saw and what they did there, and about what it means to put on the uniform of your country.” Among the heroes on the tour is Marcus Luttrell, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and Petty Officer First Class who was awarded the Navy Cross and a Purple Heart for his actions in Afghanistan. We have previously told his incredible story. Finally, Hegseth asked, “Are we saying that patriotism and duty and honor have no place in our public schools?”
Village Academic Curriculum: PC Massachusetts

American culture is becoming so politically correct and hypersensitive that apparently some are offended by the use of the word “failure.” In Massachusetts, the Board of Education is considering switching the label it uses for schools that are failing to meet standards from “ underperforming” to “Commonwealth Priority.” Schools in the worst condition would no longer be called “chronically underperforming,” but rather “priority one.” Due to the fear of offending others it is no longer considered proper to label something what it is and the school board spent parts of more than three meetings haggling over the word choices to avoid hurting students’ and teachers’ feelings. Meanwhile, there are 114 low-performing schools in the state. Of course, as former Chairman of the Board John Silber said, “Changing the name doesn’t change the reality. I think Shakespeare had a good line: ‘A rose by another name would smell as sweet.’ A skunk by any other name would stink.”

’Non Compos Mentis’: Lunatics running the asylum

In Weston, Virginia, a long-vacant mental institution most recently known as Weston Hospital has been purchased by private interests and subsequently renamed The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Needless to say, the name change has sparked crazed bickering. Nonetheless, the new owners have begun offering tours of the sprawling 370-acre 19th-century complex along with plans for mud-truck races, “Psycho Path” dirt-bike races, a reunion of former employees, a “Hospital of Horrors” tour in October, and a “Nightmare Before Christmas” tour in December. “It’s like turning back the clock to a time we don’t want to go back to,” complained the director of a mental-health advocacy group. But what about the mud racing? Somehow, we doubt they had as much fun back then.

And last...

In a recent interview with ABC News, Vice President Dick Cheney, in his usual blunt manner, indicated he didn’t lose much sleep over polling results. “So?” Cheney responded when shown the results of a poll indicating that the majority of Americans were opposed to the Iraq war. When asked, “So you don’t care what the American people think?” he said “I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public-opinion polls.” Given our previous pronouncements on the nature of such “Pollaganda,” we couldn’t agree more.

We also assume that the VP missed the recent poll about polls conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org. A group of 975 Americans were asked if they thought government leaders should pay more attention to polls. Of those surveyed, 81% said they should. Color us skeptical, but we hardly think a poll is going to make politicians pay more attention to polls. Perhaps there should be a poll of pols to see if polls on polls matter.

Veritas vos Liberabit —  Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis! Mark Alexander, Publisher, for The Patriot’s editors and staff. (Please pray for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm’s way around the world, and for their families —  especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who granted their lives in defense of American liberty.)