So, when I hear of an act of terror, an internal clock starts clicking.

I wonder, how long before we find out the suspect is a radical Islamist.

And then, how long before that affiliation is rejected as vital to the crime.

Witness the murderous acts against our military in Frankfurt: it was only a matter of hours before the killer’s links to radical Islam were exposed.

And it was only a few hours later, that we saw an Administration official dismiss that notion.

Here we have P. J. Crowley, bringing back memories – not only of Tucson, but of Ft. Hood, too.

Reporter: Even if somebody is acting alone, it’s not a terrorist attack?

Crowley: For example, was the shooting of congresswoman Gabby Giffords a terrorist attack. I mean, you have to look at the evidence, you have to look at the evidence and look at the motivation then you make a judgment and that is a process as far as I know that is ongoing.

Yeah. He went there.

P.J., which must stand for “poor judgment,” actually compared a horrible crime linked to radical Islam, to whatever was bubbling in Jared Loughner’s damaged head. (more…)

With the stunning announcement of his pending retirement, Evan Bayh – only recently on the short list to be Barack Obama’s running mate in 2008 – the question of partisanship has once again become central to our national debate. 

The conventional wisdom is that it is mere partisanship that is hampering the progress of necessary legislation in Washington (and in state capitols as well).  This is a both wrong and dangerous conclusion, one that misses the real and important point: Americans are divided not just on policy but on their most basic beliefs about the most fundamental of issues, from the nature of man to the meaning of our existence, from the reality of God to the purpose of governance – and at its core, it is a question of one’s beliefs about the existence of the better.

Proof that our divisions run deeper than a mere “hooray for our side” partisanship is that the culture war is raging outside of the halls of governance, with people with no vested interest in the victory of an “R” or a “D” just as adamant and even militant as are the professionals. (more…)

So while Republicans rejoiced over a huge victory in Massachusetts, a far bigger win took place at the Pentagon. The winner, sadly, was political correctness – that infectious mist of brainlessness that turns normal men into Jell-O. A bastard child of identity politics and the self-esteem movement, political correctness is an ideology based on avoidance of hurt feelings – and its ability to render humans into thoughtless automatons makes “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” look like “Mamma Mia.”

I am speaking of the Fort Hood Report, which the U.S. military’s just released, detailing the shooting that left 13 dead. In the 86 page thingy, here’s what you won’t find: the name of the killer, or his Muslim faith. The dudes who did the review argue that those pieces of information aren’t important – their concern is more with “actions and effects, not…with motivations.”

Here in Sanity Village, we call this “super duper crazy talk.” (more…)

My old writing partner, the Leftist animation writer Steve Marmel, posited a question recently.  He was thrown by the concept of “fairness” in the news, arguing — rightly — that facts and truth, not “balance,” should be the news media’s objective.

And it once was.

All this changed with the “cultural revolution” of the 1960s when objectivity went out of style.  The argument put forth by the Modern Liberals was that the individual is incapable of being objective.  They argue everything a person believes is so tainted by their personal bigotries – bigotries borne of the color of their skin, the color of their hair, the nation of their great-great-great grandfather’s birth, their height, their sex and their weight, etc. — that the only way to eliminate the evils of bigotry is to eliminate all attempts at rational thought.

Since the 1960s, the Modern Liberal has been preaching that rational thought is a hate crime.

Writing about this phenomenon as it relates to one of the communities most infected with the Modern Liberal dogma, the leftist news media, the great Thomas Sowell argued that the quest for objectivity has been replaced with the quest for  ”neutrality.”  What’s the difference between objective reporting and neutral reporting? (more…)

Almost before the echo of gunfire from the massacre at Ft. Hood had faded, the news media launched a pre-emptive rationalization for the slaughter committed by Muslim traitor Nidal Malik Hasan. To divert attention from the shooter’s inconvenient name (“I cringe that he’s Muslim,” said Newsweek’s Evan Thomas), the talking heads began speculating sympathetically about the fragile mental state of poor frazzled Hasan, who had never seen combat but nonetheless must have “snapped.” After all, surely there could be no rational, ideological motive for the mass murder, which President Obama labeled “incomprehensible.”  And “it’s certainly not about his religion, Islam,” denied Senator Lindsey Graham. Indeed, from listening to such “experts” as irrelevant diet book author Dr. Phil (“this is not a well act”), you’d think that Hasan was the victim, not the fourteen dead* and the nearly thirty seriously wounded that he left in his heartless wake. Even as a mountain of accumulating evidence irrefutably exposed Hasan’s act as premeditated violent jihad against the U.S. military, stubborn left-leaning commentators clung to their theory of mental derangement.

George Clooney in 2005’s  Syriana

Meanwhile the national discussion has segued to our own collective insanity, political correctness, which we are now discovering paved the very way for the massacre. It is this cultural and mental straightjacket that forced a U.S. Army general to say diversity is more important than losing American lives; that compelled our Homeland Security Secretary to reassure the Arab world that we’re doing everything we can to protect against a mythical Muslim backlash; that prevented people from speaking out about red flags that could have saved the lives of everyone murdered at Ft. Hood; and that prevents our officials from even naming the enemy. No such ailment afflicts the jihadists, however, who are celebrating Hasan as a hero, who have no problem acknowledging his ideological intent, and who recognize our political correctness as a self-inflicted fatal wound. Unlike our leaders and media elites, they don’t sap their wartime focus with hand-wringing and navel-gazing. (more…)

Nidal “Gary” Hassan – All-American boy was haunted by memories of Gitmo, ‘Nam, Hiroshima INEVITABLY, ANOTHER SOLDIER SNAPS Distraught pacifist conscientious objector tormented by horrors of war, as far as you know Newsroom experts: stress, violence, stupidity, tragedy a way of life for GIs Former M*A*S*H stars say it’s finally time to disarm the military Hollywood insiders: Sean Penn early favorite for lead in planned Oliver Stone biopic

(more…)

And that’s the drill: concern over crimes that have never happened, as opposed to the terror that has.

So, denying the role militant Islam played in the Fort Hood atrocity is like staring at a shark bite and thinking, “bicycle.”

When a fundamentalist kills thirteen innocent people while shouting “allahu akbar,” Islam isn’t just a small player – it’s got a starring role. And now that U.S. intelligence admits Hasan tried to contact al Qaeda, it should make it increasingly hard for anyone to say otherwise.

I say it “should,” but it won’t.

Look at the news.

Over at Time, thoughtful types speculate over a “secondary trauma” that could have driven Hasan to kill. Never mind terror – one news network tells us we should focus more on “a backlash against Muslim soldiers.” On a major website, they want us to ponder the “next McVeigh.” And our very own Homeland Security secretary says she’s hard at work preventing “a possible wave of anti-Muslim sentiment.” (more…)

The warrior cried, but not for himself.

His tears flowed from the blessing of the little girl — the one with the angel-voice. And, as we stood in ovation in the American Legion Hall her lyric, “… I once was lost, but now I’m found. Was blind, but now I see” reminded him why his military service and the forty-odd years since had all been worthwhile: her Freedom, our Freedom.

As our tearful eyes locked, he restrained in a whisper, “See that? That’s why I lost my legs in Vietnam.” But then he smiled, “losing my legs is the best thing that ever happened to me… it’s why I am here right now, and it’s given me a great life.” 

Of course, I can never truly know the depth of my new friend Duane Wagner’s struggles in meeting his post Vietnam war challenges, but I was privileged to share with him a true moment of ‘amazing grace’ in the knowledge that his sacrifices – and all those of his compatriots — were not in vain. (more…)

You can catch us APRIL 3rd on the Dennis Miller Radio Show

Today was really windy…mostly a cross wind…the wind blew at about 40 mph all day….but the American Legion riders came out for the first time on the Texas Challenge and provided excellent support for the R2R riders.

The ride from Ft. Hood to Waco was the longest of the event, but it was on some of the nicest roads in Texas. The group pulled out from the 3rd Corp Command and were greeted by some of America’s finest cheering loudly with Chief of Staff Mike Tarsa hopping on his Harley to help lead the wounded warriors on their way. (more…)

It was the start of another great day in Texas as the R2R group was strengthened by the arrival of several new riders including Preston from the League of American Bicyclist, Ryan from Team Astana, and 12 members of the Army Cycling Club.

As we left Austin, the local elementary school gave us a big sendoff as they lined the road to greet the wounded warriors. They really got into it as we did a second pass through the kids giving high fives and waving signs. (more…)

The day got started with cloudy, cold, and windy weather as the group made its way to breakfast. By the time the ride briefing was over and it was time to start, the skies became blue and the roads dry. It was a beautiful day to ride to Austin. On Day 2, the ride always goes smoother and the pace picks up a bit as everyone settles into their rhythm. Despite a brisk head wind, the groups finally formed and the fun got into full swing….

Each day along the route, the USO Canteen sets up a lunch rest stop which is a great relief for all of the riders. Today, the town of Manchaca hosted the ride. A local insurance agent, Lety Johnson, was so happy to have met us–her son is leaving on Saturday for US Marine bootcamp. She hopes the group comes back next year so she can sponsor lunch. (more…)