Posse Incitatus

It's Friday

Which means that this page probably won't be updated until next week as the Posse likes to take the weekends off from the writing thinking thing.

To tide you over, here's a lovely thank you note from General Giap for John Kerry and his fellow Vietnam-era Fifth Columnists.

(via the Communist dogs at the Politburo Diktat )

Worm Acknowledges Mistake

The pathetic Rene Gonzalez has now realized the error of his ways. As brilliantly documented by Tim Blair, the little crawler is now begging for forgiveness.

Yes, that article should never have been published, much less written.

Underworld, Again

Enough of this heavy lifting; time for a pop-culture digression.

Earlier, the Posse posted about it’s high opinion of Underworld, a movie that truly hasn’t gotten the critical appreciation it deserves.

Compare it with Blade, for example, which is really nothing but Batman with fangs.

The Posse has both of these films on DVD and took the opportunity to watch them back-to-back. What did we find?

Let’s look at Blade:

Supercool hero who hides his eyes and tries never to emote, even when being bled to death? Check.

Otherwise useless female lead whose sole purpose is to demonstrate the power and coolness of the male hero? Check.

Faithful henchman who has to die in order to show just how tough the bad guys are? Check.

Diabolical plot to destroy the world that can only be averted by our hero? Check.

Basically, the thing is nothing more than superhero camp mixed with wire-work and a little vampire cult crap.

Now let us look at Underworld.

The heroine is capable of saving own butt, defeating a variety of foes without a macho hero saving her. (Unlike Trinity, who can only fight unawakened spanks. Put her up against agents, and it's up to Neo to save her bacon.)

There are no faithful lackies to show off the hero’s true skill, a refreshing change.

The world isn’t at stake, meaning we have to care based on the characters, what a concept.

Basically it’s better in every way. It is richer and more satisfying. Even the action scenes are better. The Posse always prefers to see actors handling guns to CGI stunt men doing martial arts.

The fact that the guns are wielded by a total babe who isn’t wearing sunglasses matters even more.

This is because (as the DVD extras explain) sunglasses are used to disguise the fact that the actors are flinching away from the guns. The Posse has long noted the tendency of inexperienced shooters to do this, but never really thought about it in movie terms.

Kate Beckinsale actually was taught to shoot and keep her eyes open the whole time rather than hiding behind a pair of shades.

Plus, she’s way hotter than Trinity.

If you haven’t rented it, the Posse highly suggests you do. Note the most excellent firepower, none of which the Posse owns – yet. Those HKs are definitely on the list, though.

Al Qaeda's First WMD Attack?

Was this it?

Opinion Journal wonders why this isn't bigger news, though the answer is pretty obvious: WMD didn't exist, could never have existed because BUSH LIED.

How might those poll numbers shift if it was suddenly revealed that the war in Iraq actually broke up existing terrorist plans? Not good for the liberal establishment.

No, the press will gloss over this and other hints of Al Qaeda collusion with mideast governments until an attack finally gets through somewhere.

Then the theme will be: "Why didn't we stop this?" and the administration will be beaten up for not being proactive enough.

CBS Tries to Repeat Tet Offensive Success

What to make of the CBSNewYorkTimes poll on public support for Iraq?

They want a repeat of Vietnam.

Why else include a data point from 1968 in their analysis? Was one included form 1942? How about 1952?

For weeks we have been hearing how the "uprising" was "Tet Revisited," and that the administration "has no plan."

Of course they have a plan. Everyone has a plan. One does not supply 130,000 troops over supply lines thousands of miles long without some sort of planning. The question is whether it is working. To the press, the only answer can be: no.

We have now lost less troops than on D-Day, that notorious failure. As I pointed out below, the Union lost ten times as many soldiers in twenty minutes at Cold Harbor in 1864.

Amidst all the doomsaying, there are some remarkable nuggets of information:

Almost two-thirds of Republicans say the U.S. should stay until Iraq is stable; nearly as many Democrats want control turned over to the Iraqis soon, whether or not the country is stable.

There you have it: Democrats want to cut and run, whether or not a new dictator comes to power. That's John Kerry's core constituency, the Party of Cowards.

The analysis pays a great deal of attention to public doubt over the mission and when it should end, but also shows that, despite cold feet, Americans are prepared for the long haul:

However, Americans remain convinced that U.S. troops will be in Iraq for at least two years, and one-quarter say it will be more than five years.

HOW MUCH LONGER WILL U.S. TROOPS HAVE TO STAY IN IRAQ?
Less than a year 8%
One to two years 27%
Two to five years 33%
More than five years 25%

How to reconcile the belief by an overwhelming 85 percent of respondants that we'll be there for at least a year? Pessimism or determination?

The one question CBSNYT did not ask was "Do you think a sudden pullout by the US would be viewed as a defeat?"

Also omitted "Would you support pulling out immediately AND admitting defeat?"

When couched in those terms, public support would certainly change - which is why the biased pollsters don't want to ask those questions.

Ayatollah Williamson?

Vodkapundit offers a fascinating article purportedly on the state of popular feeling in Iran, but which actually alleges that Ayatollah Khomeini wasn’t even Iranian.

He apparently was the child of William Richard Williamson (formerly of Bristol, England) and a Kashmir Indian woman.

The Posse is naturally skeptical about such claims, which are notoriously easy to fabricate. However, if true, this would pretty much set the all-time record for Western self-loathing.

Out in the blogosphere, one regularly sees "read the whole thing." This time do it.

Australia Rocks

Via Tim Blair, the following comment:

Some guy, says he's from al Qaeda, describes Australian Prime Minister John Howard as wicked. Foreign minister Alexander Downer’s response:

"The feeling is entirely mutual."

The Posse Incitatus deeply respects and admires our Aussie friends (except for their gun control buffoonery, but hey, no one's perfect).

But more than any other nation, even the UK, Australia gets it. Maybe it was the Bali bombing, maybe it's because as a "young," rowdy nation like ourselves Australia isn't afraid to fight for what is right and crack a few skulls in the name of peace and justice.

It is clear that the alliance between our nations is growing stronger, and in that vein, the Posse makes the following offer:

Any Aussies in Michigan are welcome to email us and go out the range to experience the full thrill of America's firearms freedoms.

Ammo's on us. While it's unlikely that Tim Blair will return to the states anytime soon, any of his friends are welcome to go out with the Posse and vaporise some targets with high-velocity lead.

The Shell Game Continues

Via Instapundit, we learn that Sudan may be playing host to Syrian WMD:

LONDON [MENL] -- Sudan has ordered the removal of Syrian missiles and weapons of mass destruction out of the African country.

Arab diplomatic and Sudanese government sources said the regime of Sudanese President Omar Bashir has ordered that Syria remove its Scud C and Scud D medium-range ballistic missiles as well as components for chemical weapons stored in warehouses in Khartoum. The sources said the Sudanese demand was issued after the Defense Ministry and Interior Ministry confirmed a report published earlier this month that Syria has been secretly flying Scud-class missiles and WMD components to Khartoum.

The Posse has long believed that hunting for WMDs was ultimately pointless. They are too easy to move, outsource or destroy. Your average college chemistry lab is a WMD facility; certainly the professors have the knowledge and materials to make deadly chemical weapons. The only thing lacking is the will to do so.

Thus WMD are a shell game where the pea always moves. The object of the exercise should not be to destroy random chemicals or hold pointless inspections, but rather to punish regimes that seek to build this technology.

Like gun control, WMD control is a waste of time, a stupid idea based on the concept that if you can just keep the bad people away from inanimate objects, they won't be so bad.

Of course, bad people have a way of getting those objects anyway, so all you do is create a false sense of security while the bad people go about their business.

A New Beginning

The new flag for Iraq is long overdue.

What better to symbolize the break between the old corrupt Baathist tyranny and the odious Arab Nationalism it purported to represent?

If we had heeded the anti-war crowd, Saddam's malignant signature would still flap from every building in Iraq.

A Tale of Two Heroes

Compare, and contrast:

Michael Moore

Pat Tillman

Both are heroes to a certain segment of the population. Both claim to defend freedom.

Physically, the two are quite distinct.

Of course, one was willing to die for his convictions, enduring lengthy family separation, a brutal training regimen and hostile enemy fire do to what he felt was right.

The other is known for abusing his staff, demanding special treatment and all times, and playing fast and loose with the truth.

Let us be blunt: Michael Moore isn’t worthy of licking the dirt off of Pat Tillman’s old army boots.

Unlike Moore, he was willing to truly stand up for his convictions. The next time you see some celebrity prima donna prancing around about how “oppressed” they are and how “brave” it is to call our Commander-in-Chief a Nazi and our fighting men war criminals, scream “TILLMAN WAS TWICE THE MAN YOU ARE!”