In the old days, at least according to the stories my mother read to me as a boy, the trolls lived under the bridge and required everyone to pay tribute. My favorite was "The Billy Goats Gruff," and I remember that the troll came to a bad end.

Nowadays, the trolls wear business suits and work the internet. They still get their tribute, but their tactics are more subtle. A few years ago, in Basket of Figs, I wrote an article about a biblical character that fell among thieves. I modernized it somewhat, and you might find it interesting. Click here.

National Review Online (http://www.nationalreview.com): "If ever there was a military action that passed the 'global test'-- which Kerry argued for in the debate -- the Persian Gulf War was it. It overwhelmingly met Kerry's dubious standard -- and still he opposed it. This reveals a credibility problem of the first order. Almost defining credulity, Kerry said in a brief statement on the Senate floor, in an accompaniment to his vote against the Persian Gulf War, that 'The president made a mistake to unilaterally increase troops, set a date, and make war so probable.'

"Clearly, Kerry has a very strong aversion to the use of military power under virtually any circumstance. Of course, this raises serious questions about Kerry's ability to conduct any military operations against our fundamentalist radical-Islamist enemies. Can we really believe that the man who has called the war in Iraq a 'grand diversion,' a 'colossal error,' an 'incredible mess,' and the 'wrong war' in the 'wrong place' at the 'wrong time' -- pessimistic and defeatist statements all -- is capable of waging a strong foreign policy and prosecuting a military action of any sort? What's really left here is the portrait of a politician steeped in ambiguity and equivocation who at bottom has a strong aversion to war of any kind, for any reason. "
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Right on!!!

My Way News:

"Hewitt, 82, was in Vermillion to receive the 2004 Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism at the University of South Dakota.

"During the radio show, Hewitt said he's sorry that '60 Minutes' and Rather were perceived as doing Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's job for him 'by bringing up an old issue, and they weren't careful enough to not make mistakes. And the minute you make one mistake, you're dead.'
Hewitt added that it was 'stupid' for Kerry to have injected his Vietnam service into the presidential race, which opened the door for anti-Kerry groups such as Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

"Not only have previous presidential candidate war veterans avoided such talk, but Kerry had followed up his Vietnam service by becoming an outspoken opponent of the war, he said.

"'You can't play war hero if it's about a war where you threw your medals away,' Hewitt said. "
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Exactly.

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Orgies are the way to ease social tensions, claims US judge: "Challenged about his views on sexual morality, Justice Scalia surprised his audience at Harvard University, telling them: 'I even take the position that sexual orgies eliminate social tensions and ought to be encouraged.' "
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Is there any doubt as to the corruption of the courts, if this is a true quotation?UPDATE: It seems that Justice Scalia was making a joke. Link

The Vietnamization of John Kerry (washingtonpost.com): "Nixon, remember, was vilified by Kerry and his antiwar colleagues for prolonging the suffering and dying in Vietnam for four unnecessary years. Yet here is Kerry, after 30 years of torturous reexamination of Vietnam, coming full circle and running as Nixon 1968: mysterious plan, Iraqification, out in four years. A novelist could not have written this tale. It would be too implausible. "
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Good for Krauthammer. One of the best articles this campaign.

My Way - News: "Nearly nine out of ten French people would back John Kerry if they could vote in the U.S. election, according to an opinion poll on Friday which showed deep distrust of President Bush since the Iraq war."
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Hm, my instincts have been sound. What more evidence is wanting to convince anyone that Kerry should not be president.

USNews.com: John Leo: Making CBS pay (10/4/04): "But the goal should be to make CBS more honest, not to delegitimize it or drive it out of business. Already there are calls for congressional hearings--a bad idea. Do we want an all-out vengeful assault on CBS, or do we simply want the network to come to its senses and play stories straight?"
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Yes, yes, yes. No vengeful response. Certainly not the vengeful and malevolent spirit that has been repeatedly manifested by Rather and his crowd. Let's be sweet and kind and trust that CBS will repent and change its ways, because we are loving to them. It worked for years against Communism didn't it? before Reagan messed it all up. France and Germany are showing us the way against Osama, aren't they?

Don't liberals ever learn?

USNews.com: John Leo: Making CBS pay (10/4/04): "But the goal should be to make CBS more honest, not to delegitimize it or drive it out of business. Already there are calls for congressional hearings--a bad idea. Do we want an all-out vengeful assault on CBS, or do we simply want the network to come to its senses and play stories straight?"
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Yes, yes, yes. No vengeful response. Certainly not the vengeful and malevolent spirit that has been repeatedly manifested by Rather and his crowd. Let's be sweet and kind and trust that CBS will repent and change its ways, because we are loving to them. It worked for years against Communism didn't it, before Reagan messed it all up; and France and Germany are showing us the way against Osama, aren't they. Don't liberals ever learn?

New York Post Online Edition: postopinion: "Dan Rather (and CBS News) got snookered by political malcontents with an ax to grind. Again. Consider: Both President Bush and Sen. John Kerry say they adamantly oppose reinstitution of the military draft, which was ended in 1973. The Pentagon also says it is vehemently opposed to giving up the all-volunteer army.

"But that didn't stop 'The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather' and reporter Richard Schlesinger from airing a story Tuesday about a Pennsylvania woman's fears that her sons will be drafted. "
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But what does have to do with prejudice? And Rather is a prejudiced as they come. Conservatives have known it for years, but now the light in on him and his ilk.

CBS Lies About the Draft. Continues to Kerry water for the Democrats.


"'However, both these bills were introduced not by legislators genuinely seeking to reinstate the draft, but by Democrats seeking to make an anti-war statement,' Snopes.com reports.

"Senate Bill S.89 was introduced in January 2003 by Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D-SC) and had no Republican co-sponsors. A companion bill was introduced in the House of Representatives in January 2003. It was sponsored by Democrats Charlie Rangel (D-NY), Jim McDermott (D-WA), John Lewis (D-GA), Pete Stark (D-CA), and Neil Abercrombie (D-HI)."
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FYI

The Washington Times -- America's Newspaper: "Major League Baseball announced yesterday that the Montreal Expos will move to the District, in one day turning 33 years of frustration and heartache for the Washington area into unbridled joy."
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This may be the best news of the week. If Teddy and the rest will go to a baseball game once in a while, they will have that much less time to mess around with the nation.

This writer grew up in the golden age of baseball. Many and many an afternoon I was glued to the radio, static and all, listening to those great Yankee teams [Ahh... Yogi, Vic, Allie, Whitey, Hank, Phil, Bobby, Joe, Mickey, etc] beating the tar our of the Washington Senators [Washington: First in War, First in Peace, Last in the American League].

In those good old days, the Yankees could use teams like the St. Louis Browns as a farm team, making trades if by chance St. Louis got a good player, to help them with the run for the pennant. There was no socialism in baseball, the rich got richer and the poor got clobbered on a regular basis. I was an unabashed Yankee fan: it was a lot more fun when they won 20-2 than when they won 1-0. I have always loved winners since then--no rooting for the underdog in my psyche. I could never have been a Red Sox or a Cub fan. Who goes to hell on purpose? My best friend was a Cleveland fan, and I felt sorry for him.

Losers like the Washington Senator had a role to play in the cosmic meaning of things: the elevation of the New York Yankees at the top of the baseball world, which meant beating up on the real Dodgers in the World Series; Yogi was better than Roy, Phil was better than Pee Wee, Hank was better than Gil, Joe and then Mickey were better than anyone, and Whitey, Allie, and Vic could pitch a whole game day after day after day, and the Yankees would humilitate the likes of Don Newcombe in spite of his 30 wins. Relief pitchers were has-beens that only got into the game after it was won or lost.

The teams were the same year after year; no socialist dream of parity; and no free aqency. You could afford tickets for the whole family, but I couldn't go, of course: there were no teams within 1500 miles of southern Oregon. But I was glued to the radio whenever I could. My first games on television were the 1956 World Series--Don's perfect game and Yogi Berri destroying Newcombe in the 7th game. A..ah!


So bring back the Senators. Congress will be better, and baseball will be better, especially if the new Senators are as awful as the old ones were.

Mike S. Adams: UNC-Gomorrah admits and hires child pornographer: "But, of course, UNCG will never fire Michael Bishop. That is because UNCG is pro-gay and pro-pornography. The administration is so steeped in the politics of diversity, sexual orientation, and moral relativism that they cannot find a basis for condemning any form of behavior, even pedophilia and the exploitation of children. Not even the rape of eight year old boys.

"Recently, someone asked me to explain the difference between North Carolina's mental institutions and its institutions of higher learning. He couldn't see much of a difference between the two. Come to think of it, neither can I."
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FYI

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Jackson Chides Black Political Leaders: "The HUD secretary, who is black, said he has advised President Bush's campaign to focus its efforts on younger blacks who did not grow up during the civil rights era because older blacks who did ``have been conditioned'' to vote Democratic by Jesse Jackson, NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, NAACP President Kweisi Mfume and others.
``They have made a living telling black people they are victims,'' the HUD secretary said in an interview with The Associated Press. ``As long as they keep them in victim mode, they have liberals who will take care of them.'' "
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Preach it! Brother.

Yahoo! News - Poll Shows U.S. Distrust of Politicians 'Epidemic': "The nationwide telephone survey of 1,100 adults found 61 percent of Americans had lost faith in leaders and institutions over the past four years. "
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Have you ever wondered why the liberal media begins to report stories on the distrust of politicians anytime conservatives are posed to win an election? To ask the question is to answer it, methinks.

Yahoo! News - Jackson Joins Kerry Campaign As Adviser: "WASHINGTON - Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson joined the campaign of Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) on Wednesday as a poll showed support for the presidential candidate slipping among black Americans, a critical Democratic constituency. "
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Jesse Jackson is the Democratic Uncle Tom, who is going out to try to get blacks to get back on the Democratic plantation. It will be a disaster for the Democratic party if blacks think outside the bun and begin to realize that conservativism is the best for them, for their churches, and for their families. If they ever started listening to Walter Williams, Condi Rice, and Clarence Thomas it will be the end of any hope that Democratic liberals have for winning elections anywhere.

From the Wall Street Journal

"And oh what a lot of business the U.N. did. Mr. Annan's Secretariat collected more than $1.4 billion in commissions on Saddam's oil sales, all to supervise the integrity of Saddam's $65 billion in oil sales and $46 billion in relief purchases. The official aim of this behemoth U.N. aid operation was solely to help the people of Iraq, while the U.N. waited for sanctions to weaken Saddam enough so he would be either overthrown from within or forced to comply with U.N. resolutions on disarmament. Instead, Saddam threw out the U.N. weapons inspectors for four years, and, by estimates of the U.S. General Accounting Office, fortified his own regime with at least $10.1 billion grafted and smuggled out of Oil-for-Food.

"But of all the abuses of Oil-for-Food committed by Saddam--and not only allowed but in effect approved and covered up by Mr. Annan's U.N.--the most cynical has to have been the trade in baby formula. This was one of Saddam's imports that few even among the U.N.'s critics dared question. Who could be so heartless as to object to food for hungry children? And given the secrecy with which Mr. Annan ran Oil-for-Food (as hapless servant of a Security Council packed with big-time business partners of Saddam, such as France and Russia), no one outside the U.N. except Saddam and his handpicked contractors knew much in any event about Baghdad's traffic in baby formula."
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FYI

CFIF Files FEC Complaint Against CBS, Kerry Campaign: "ALEXANDRIA, Va. � The Center for Individual Freedom today filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission charging that CBS and Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc., illegally coordinated election communications.
The complaint charges that CBS and the Kerry campaign violated federal campaign finance laws when they colluded to attack President Bush based on claims and documents now believed to be fake.
'It�s obvious that CBS and the Kerry campaign acted improperly. That much is clear to anyone with a pulse,' said Jeffrey Mazzella, the Center�s Executive Director. 'But what�s been lost is that CBS and its executives blatantly violated federal election laws when they overtly ignored basic journalistic ethical standards and coordinated with the Kerry campaign in order to run an attack story in an effort to affect the outcome of the November presidential election. Our complaint makes this very clear,' said Mazzella."
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FYI