All Things Considered

How to Steal a Country.

Exit polling, opinion polling, international election observers, Ukrainian local authorities and the people agree that opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, a pro-Western Democrat, won. But the pro-Moscow government of Ukraine claims that the spectacularly corrupt incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych received the major ity of votes.

I'm sure most of you have heard about this already, but here is the full story. Powerful stuff.

It was that same love of a challenge—combined with a fiery patriotism and a desire to take action after the death of two friends on Sept. 11, 2001—that prompted Mr. Gavriel to enlist in the Marines in October 2003. Last Thursday, Nov. 18, Lance Cpl. Dimitrios Gavriel was killed during a battle in Falluja. His family said he was awarded two Purple Hearts on Tuesday, Nov. 23.

I have been fairly busy this week, so I haven't had a chance to post about the incident in Detroit over the week-end. Absolutely disgusting behavior from both the fans and the players. I actually find it somewhat amusing that Ron Artest wanted absolutely nothing to do with the 6'9 body-building Ben Wallace, who just double fisted him in the face, but did not hesitate to go after the skinny little geek who throws and empty beer cup. What a coward. It is quite obvious that Ron Artest is not all there. He has shown that he does not care about his teammates, his organization or the league that pays his wages. Ron Artest is about Ron Artest. (My bold and italics)

He was contrite and soft-spoken during his interviews, during which he mixed plugs for the CD statements of regret for Friday's brawl with plugs for the new CD.

During the "Today" interview, Artest held up the new CD three times and wore a T-shirt and hat emblazoned with the logo of his record label -- TruWarier Records.

What an absolute joke. How embarassing it must be for Michael, Bird, Magic, Kareem to know that all they worked for is so taken for granted by this idiot. I am personally embarassed for them. Bill Walton explains a little better.

It is a privilege and an honor to play in the NBA, and many people in that game Friday night abrogarted those privileges and disgraced the honor of the NBA.This league has been built on the blood, sweat and tearsof thousands upon thousands of people. The awful nature of the developments Friday night in Detroit - players going into stands, fighting fans - has an incredible impact on every aspect of the game.

Mitch Albom perfectly explains today's athlete. What a shame.

The Sports World announced a passing of the torch this week. Mr. Honored, the founder and CEO, is officially stepping down. Mr. Entitled will be taking his place.

Mr. Entitled, younger and more energetic, has long been rumored a successor to the aging Mr. Honored, who in recent years seemed frail. At certain glitzy industry functions -- such as the NBA All-Star Game or the ESPY Awards -- Mr. Honored was barely able to stand. Mr. Entitled, meanwhile, attended every party and has been featured in TV spots with Gary Payton and Ray Lewis.

The power struggle between Honored and Entitled has been well documented. Mr. Honored rose to prominence a century ago, on the philosophy that playing pro sports was a privilege. Mr. Entitled, a product of the free-agency era, built on the belief that pro athletes should be granted special treatment.

UPDATE: Excellent post on PoliPundit on this subject.

UPDATE II:  I am speechless. I like Skip Bayless normally, but he is way off of the mark here. What a joke of an article.

Even better.

Funny.

You have to see this exchange. Can anyone see Bill Clinton or John Kerry defending their guy like this? I can't. (Hat Tip: Neal Boortz)

The Chileans wouldn't let Bush's bodyguards enter with him. Heated words were exchanged and a pushing-and-shoving match ensued. After posing for pictures inside with Chilean leader Ricardo Lagos and their wives, Bush eventually heard the commotion. He strode to the door, reached through the Chileans and pulled his lead agent through to join the entourage.

Boortz has a great take on why none of us have heard anything from the media about this moment.

There was an interesting little episode down in Chile over the weekend. President Bush was entering a building where a dinner was held, when his secret service agent was detained by over-zealous Chilean security officials. When Bush realized what was happening, what did he do?  Did he just smile, wave and let the agent twist in the wind?

Nope...the most powerful man on Earth and the leader of the free world turned around, and plunged right into the crowd.  He grabbed Secret Service Agent  Nick Trotta, the #2 agent on his security detail, and pulled him out of the fracas and into the dinner with him.  The Chileans were miffed...too bad.

Now take just a second and compare these actions with those of The Poodle on the campaign trail some months ago.  Remember when one of  his Secret Service agents bumped into him while he was snowboarding and John Kerry called him an S.O.B?  Compare that little episode with Bush's actions here. It's obvious that the president appreciates those that risk their lives to protect him.

Absolutely amazing first-hand account of the fighting in Fallujah. (Hat Tip: Andrew Sullivan) (My bold and italics)

It is incredibly humbling to walk among such men.  They fought as hard as any Marines in history and deserve to be remembered as such.  The enemy they fought burrowed into houses and fired through mouse holes cut in walls, lured them into houses rigged with explosives and detonated the houses on pursuing Marines, and actually hid behind surrender flags only to engage the Marines with small arms fire once they perceived that the Marines had let their guard down.  I know of several instances where near dead enemy rolled grenades out on Marines who were preparing to render them aid.  It was a fight to the finish in every sense and the Marines delivered.

Anyone still want to argue about the Marine killing the terrorist in the Mosque?

My whole life I have read about the greatest generation and sat in wonder at their accomplishments.  For the first time, as I watch these Marines and Soldiers, I am eager for the future as this is just the beginning for them.  Perhaps the most amazing characteristic of all is that the morale of the men is sky high.  They hurt for the wounded and the dead but they are eager to continue to attack.  Further, not one of them would be comfortable with being called a hero even though they clearly are.

Thank you all for your service to our country.

The Washington Post has finally dropped Ted Rall from their payroll. The main focus of this firing seems to be this cartoon.

Personally, I cannot stand the guy. He tries to hide behind this blanket of "free speech", when it's really just hate rhetoric. The Washington Post was already tired of his garbage and this was the final straw. I guess he will think twice next time before he spreads more of his hate speech. His explanation for the cartoon:

"The analogy obviously fell flat, or overshadowed the main point of the cartoon," Rall said of his Nov. 4 drawing. "More importantly, I forgot the editorial cartoonist's obligation to comfort the afflicted while afflicting the comfortable. I got the latter in that cartoon at the expense of the former. Special-needs children face a lot of challenges; they don't need, or deserve, mocking from me. ... The cartoon was effective in its way, but it could have been better."

Some might remember Rall for his disgusting attack on Pat Tillman.

I can't stand people like Rall, who hide behind articles and cartoons, attacking people like Tillman for his views and beliefs. Go and tell Pat's fellow soldier or his family that he was an idiot or a sap. No, he wouldn't have the guts to do that - better to hide behind a newspaper cartoon to do it. What a coward. I couldn't be happier that Rall was canned. Ted - you got exactly what you deserved.

Today is the 5th year anniversary of the fall of the Texas Aggie Bonfire.

We remember

Nathan Scott West - Bellaire, Texas

Christopher Breen - Austin, Texas

Jamie Hand - Henderson, Texas

Jerry Self - Arlington, Texas

Lucas Kimmel - Corpus Christi, Texas

Jeremy Frampton - Turlock, California

Christopher Lee Heard - Houston, Texas

Bryan McClain - San Antonio, Texas

Chad Powell - Keller, Texas

Miranda Adams - Santa Fe, Texas

Michael Ebanks - Carrollton, Texas

Tim Kerlee, Jr. - Bartlett, Tennessee

An update on the Fallujah Marine. There is a lot of opinion out there about what happened. I wanted to pass along what I have found. (Hat Tip: Small Town Veteran)

Right on Red

Let’s make a deal: show the Marine shooting the wounded insurgent, but each time you show it, also show Nick Berg being decapitated, or Paul Johnson, or any of the dozens of others, or better yet all of them. Just for Kos’ sake, also show the burned bodies of American contractors hanged in Fallujah. While you’re at it, show the mass graves we’ve found so far in Iraq, along with the footage of the dead women and children Saddam gassed in the streets. Might as well show the 9/11 video again too, just for good measure (especially the people jumping).

2Slick

One thing I will say is that unless you've been in that man's combat boots getting shot at, watching your buddies die, and struggling to stay alive amidst a several-day long journey into pure hell- DO NOT pass judgment on this individual. I know that the Geneva Convention forbids killing enemy combatants who are wounded and unable to pose a threat. I also know that on today's battlefield, with booby-trapped bodies, suicide vests, and an enemy who cares nothing for "rules of war"- the Geneva Convention needs to be reexamined and more specifically defined. A wounded enemy soldier can theoretically pose a significant threat if he simply has the ability to move his finger.

BlackFive

What happened is a nasty, dirty part of war.  For anyone to suggest that these kind of incidents haven't been done by US forces in every war is sadly mistaken.  We follow the Geneva Convention.  So we will always investigate charges of violations of the Convention.  We should.  And those guilty of violations should be punished.

Grim's Hall

The Conventions, in fact, permit you to grenade holes in which insurgents (or children) might be hiding. That is the nearest parallel to this situation that comes to my mind, as regards the ability to know the precise nature of a potential threat, and the power to use lethal force to make certain the way is safe. If that is righteous under the Conventions, surely this is: in that example, dead children as well as dead enemy combatants are a possible result. In this circumstance, the only possible result is a dead enemy combatant. There is no possibility of the force administered killing a noncombatant at all.

UPDATE: Absolutely fantastic read on this subject over at QandO.

We ask an extraordinary amount of 18- and 19-year old kids. We tell them to go over to some place, and start killing as many people as they can, but only to kill the people with guns, and to stop killing them when the enemy stops resisting. We make them yell things like "Ambush is murder and murder is fun!" and then we send them out to do it, with the expectation that they will stop doing it in an instant when it’s no longer strictly necessary. It’s very hard for them to do it with the kind of machinelike precision we demand of them; for a few of them, in the rush of adrenaline, and fear, and happiness just to be alive, and bone-aching fatigue, it’s just not possible.

And the hell of it is, the sheer bloody truth of it for the military commander, is that they all know it, and they all know that someone will occasionally go too far. And that person will have to become an example, pour encourager les autres, about the danger of losing control, of letting discipline go for just an instant. It will be necessary because if you let that kind of barbarity take root, it will destroy the ability to control the troops in battle, and such incidents will become commonplace.

UPDATE II: Oliver North weighs in on the subject.