So far I have not written about the alleged “kill team” in Afghanistan because I don’t really have the facts of that case and thus cannot make a worthwhile judgment. The only thing I can say for certain is that anyone who is forming opinions of the events, the 5/2 Stryker Brigade or the US military based upon photos is a complete idiot. Cameras are the great liars of our time – useful for a lot of purposes, but unless you have the full context of the photograph or footage, you could be easily swayed to a wrong view (one remembers that President Ford decided to pull the plug on South Vietnam after seeing pictures of the disaster at Da Nang…maybe South Vietnam was irretrievably gone by then, but to make a decision based upon a bit of footage and a few photographs, that is just asinine).

Anyway, Michael Yon gets a bit furious at a Rolling Stone report which neatly illustrates why you should never rely upon cameras – and never believe anything in a liberal publication until at least two non-liberal sources confirm it:

Seldom do I waste time with rebutting articles, and especially not from publications like Rolling Stone. Today, numerous people sent links to the latest Rolling Stone tripe. The story is titled “THE KILL TEAM, THE FULL STORY.” It should be titled: “(Expletive Deleted), from Rolling Stone.”…

…The online edition of the Rolling Stone story contains a section with a video called “Motorcycle Kill,” which includes our Soldiers gunning down Taliban who were speeding on a motorcycle toward our guys. These Soldiers were also with 5/2 SBCT, far away from the “Kill Team” later accused of the murders. Rolling Stone commits a literary “crime” by deceptively entwining this normal combat video with the Kill Team story. The Taliban on the motorcycle were killed during an intense operation in the Arghandab near Kandahar City. People who have been to the Arghandab realize the extreme danger there. The Soviets got beaten horribly in the Arghandab, despite throwing everything including the Soviet kitchen sink into the battle that lasted over a month. Others fared little better. To my knowledge, 5/2 and supporting units were the first ever to take Arghandab, and these two dead Taliban were part of that process.

The killing of the armed Taliban on the motorcycle was legal and within the rules of engagement…

Of course, if your goal is to insult the United States military and denigrate our effort in Afghanistan and the larger War, then you would twist a bit of dramatic seems-like-its-bad video with a story which was entirely unrelated to the video. In this, Rolling Stone is just following the finest traditions of the MSM – namely, that of supporting the anti-American narrative whenever you can. In this case, as in so many others, the hook is something which was bad – it may be that a few of our soldiers did commit first degree murder in Afghanistan (though, once again, let’s wait for the trial…lots of these cases have collapsed when the evidence was examined). Using that hook, they then extrapolate out to turn a few bad apples in to the whole barrel…and then indict the whole effort, and demand that America be defeated as that will set the books square for all our crimes.

Don’t listen to them. Retain faith in the men and women of the United States armed forces. As in any group as large as that – and especially when placed under the severe stress of war – some will end up going bad. It happens. It is part of human nature. Anyone who commits a crime will be dealt with. But a few do not indict the whole. One can be in favor of or opposed to US military actions, but only a scoundrel would believe negative reports about our military personnel unless the evidence clearly shows that one of our boys went bad.

From the AP:

Libyan government tanks and rockets pounded rebel forces into a panicked full retreat Tuesday after an hourslong, back-and-forth battle that highlighted the superior might of Moammar Gadhafi’s forces, even hobbled by international airstrikes.

No such strikes were launched during the fighting in Bin Jawwad, where rebels attempting to march on Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte ended up turning around and fleeing east under overcast skies. Some fleeing rebels shouted, “Sarkozy, where are you?” — a reference to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, one of the strongest supporters of international airstrikes…

Putting yourself in an insane dictator’s shoes, what would you do? Well, once your primary opponent has announced that (a) no US troops would ever be engaged on the ground and (b) that he was turning over command to an alliance of weak and easily bribed powers, you attack. Your enemy has just announced to the world that he will not do what is necessary to ensure that you are defeated…and, so, you roll the dice and try to take back as much as you can. Sure it could fail…but if it fails, then you’re doomed, anyways…might as well try.

Now, we can still stop this – but we’ll have to resume at least some aerial bombardment and, most importantly, put US ground troops back on the table. Not necessarily deploying them, but making the announcement that we will not allow the rebels to be defeated and, if it proves necessary, we will deploy US ground forces to prevent such an event. That would, at least, preserve the rebels. Getting rid of Gaddafi will probably require more…like training a couple regiments of rebels and air/sea lifting them to right outside Tripoli and then using US air and naval power to help them conquer the city.

What will we actually do? I don’t know, but I lack all confidence in Obama’s ability to figure it out.

Sorry, boys and girls, just couldn’t get it together to write something for you this AM – I’ll have something later. Meanwhile, you can discuss lots of things…how lousy Obama’s speech was last night; how dumb his policies are; how much weaker he’s made America; how our enemies are laughing at us…lots of things!

It is because she’s a RINO tool of the Ruling Class – from Life News:

…Murkowski already publicly staked a position favoring continuing taxpayer financing of the nation’s biggest abortion business and she said today the fight is not over.

“I think there are some that feel very strongly and will continue the effort to defund. I think that is a fight that is not yet resolved,” she told the Anchorage Daily News.

“More fundamentally, without the care Planned Parenthood provides — without access to Pap smears, pelvic exams and breast exams — women will die,” she said in a statement with pro-abortion Deocratic Alaska Sen. Mark Begich…

Which is a lot of hogwash – PP doesn’t save lives, it takes them…hundreds of thousands of innocent lives per year, with PP being able to devote resources to butchering because taxpayers provide massive subsidies. Being in the “care” of Planned Parenthood is akin to being in the “care” of Dr. Mengele. Medical stuff might happen, but it won’t be helpful.

Well, we blew it in 2010. We beat her in the primaries but then didn’t realize just how far the Ruling Class would go in trying keep such a loyal poodle in office. We’re stuck with her now until at least 2016. Fine. But this doesn’t mean we have to make nice with her, or pretend she’s a Republican. It is said that we need four seats to win a Senate majority in 2012. Forget it. The magic number is five – we do that then we can just kick Murkowski the heck out of the party and be done with her.

In a world beset by disasters, there is still some time for decency:

I did catch quite a bit of it as I drove home from work today. I don’t know how it looked on television, but he sounded quite strong on radio. His speech as an impassioned defense of justice, courage and doing what is right even when it is difficult…but it fell flat on my ears because (a) he is still not setting the goal of actually getting rid of Gaddafi and, meanwhile, they are waiting for us in Syria and Iran and wonder why we don’t get rid of those dictators who use military force to massacre the people.

In short, it was a simply bizarre speech. We had to get in there to help…but if you happen to find yourself still in territory controlled by Gaddafi, then that is too bad. Also too bad if your dictator doesn’t rule a country easily accessible to US air and naval power. Double too bad if your dictator is still on good terms with the other Arab States ’cause we won’t move without their permission. Triple bad if we do, indeed, move but don’t get the job done in a week, we’re still outta there…

Additionally, the speech as a bit of a victory lap by Obama. A “told you so” to his critics – both those who urged no intervention and those who urged earlier or more vigorous intervention (I’m in the latter camp). Trouble is, the job is, at best, half done. Only part of Libya is freed from Gaddafi’s troops…and while we all hope that the rebels will now prevail (with a bit of trepidation because we don’t know what happens if they do…other than that it can’t be must worse than a wounded and angry Gaddafi remaining in power), there is no assurance of that. In the end, Gaddafi might be able to gain full control…or at least hold out in Tripoli and its hinterland, defying us and stirring up trouble for us for years.

The goal in Libya is clear – get rid of Gaddafi. The goal of US policy regarding the revolutionary ferment in the Moslem world is also clear – we will assist the rebels every chance we get. Obama has refused these two easy and logical goals and substituted for them a nebulous we’re kinda there kinda not there policy of spasmodic action here, kowtowing to dictators there. This is a recipe for disaster. We might still draw an inside straight and find Gaddafi forced out of power…but if we don’t cut ourselves loose from the rest of the dictators then any victory in Libya will be hollow. Revolutionary times call for bold action and a willingness to break out of pre-conceived notions. Obama is locked in to a dead, liberal notion of UN resolutions and always figuring that the dictator is legitimate until he does something horrific on television.

UPDATE: Reports of a “pre-genocidal” situation in Ivory Coast. What do we do?

A few fascinating data points Michael Barone dug out of the United States census data:

…The eight states with no state income tax grew 18 percent in the last decade. The other states (including the District of Columbia) grew just 8 percent.

The 22 states with right-to-work laws grew 15 percent in the last decade. The other states grew just 6 percent.

The 16 states where collective bargaining with public employees is not required grew 15 percent in the last decade. The other states grew 7 percent…

That all referring to population growth. Now, our Culture of Death liberals are probably pretty pleased with that…people having such a negative impact on the environment, and all that. But the fact of the matter is that if you’re population isn’t growing, then you’re starting to die.

My bet is that when you break it down by counties, it will become even more stark. That is, I bet that when you get California taken apart piece by piece, it will be shown that the liberal enclaves of Los Angele, San Francisco and Sacramento had even less growth than California, as a whole (with the understanding that LA might dodge this because so many illegals have poured in there…but as LA deteriorates, I bet the illegals start moving out). In fact, I’ve already seen some data which indicate that San Francisco has been suffering a net loss of population, year by year, for several years now (no surprise…who could raise a child in that city? On the one hand the cost of living is outrageous, on the other hand you have to deal with nauseating filth like this – warning , NSFW).

Liberalism is a pact with death – an ideology of essential selfishness married to despair. It is a demand to be taken care of when you’re too indolent to take care of yourself. It is a demand to be considered wise when you’re acting a fool. It is a demand to be considered loving when each act is another bit of spite and hatred. And it doesn’t work. Places where liberalism is dominant become like Detroit – urban wastelands. Or like London this past weekend – the abode of spoiled layabouts rioting for welfare. In neither case does liberalism allow what is most natural to humanity – hard working, sober and thrifty men and women just getting together to start families and raise kids in a decent society. The census data just demonstrates what common sense already knows.

And this is why we must win – because if we don’t, then we die. It really is just as simple as that. Give America two generations of what the liberals really want (high taxes, high welfare, anti-business policies, weak military, subordinate to the UN, rampant pornography and abortion) and this nation will be firmly on the path to extinction, as most of Europe is now…after two generations of applied liberalism (yes, I know it some times calls itself socialism over there – tomato, tomahto…). The rot hasn’t gone that far in the United States. There is still in America a sufficiently large population convinced that traditional morality is best – with this leaven, we can entirely restore American greatness. But not for two much longer…each year, the number of such Americans decreases while the number of State dependents grows. We must act quickly, and win such a crushing victory that we obtain the power to start rolling the left back.

With that in mind, get ready for 2012…

From Rasmussen:

…Just 10% of American adults rate the U.S. economy as good or excellent. Fifty-two percent (52%) say it’s in poor shape…

That 10% is a combination of bailed out bankers, public sector union bosses and lobbyists…Obamunism has been good for them.

Really, though, if you just look around you can see how bad it is. Gasoline prices continue to sky rocket. How many of you have started, as I have, to say at the grocery store “if it isn’t on special or I don’t have a coupon, it isn’t getting bought”? New and existing home sales continue to plummet – half of all home sales in Las Vegas are cash purchases as investors snap up foreclosed properties (probably foolishly – I think we’ve got at least another 40% to drop out here before we hit bottom). The Japanese disaster is starting to idle plants around the world – and Japanese investment funds are returning home to pay for reconstruction. European nations teeter on the edge of sovereign default. China continues to overheat with inflation as their real estate bubble goes from stupid to idiotic. Here at home, we can’t even get the Democrats to discuss entitlement reform, and even trying to cut a piddling $60 billion provokes a huge fight.

The good news is that if you can get through the next three years without losing your job or having to take a significant pay cut, then things will start to get rosy for you. With the coming crash, everything will get a lot cheaper for anyone who has money…trouble is, quite a lot of people won’t have any. I’m crossing my fingers and trying to guess how long it will be before my employer gets hit by the crash…and how deep the employment cuts will go (ie, whether or not they’ll stop before they get to me). I figure I’ve got a 50/50 shot of making it until 2014.

We can still fix this, of course – I just don’t think we’ll be able to while Obama runs the White House and Reid the Senate. They, on their part, worry that any attempt to get rational about taxes and spending will irreparably split the left…with the kooks going off to form their own party, thus ensuring Democrat defeat in 2012. As such, the Democrat party would rather risk a bad defeat in 2012 instead of being utterly destroyed as their party splits. So, we’re rather stuck. Hunker down, save as much as you can and be prepared for anything.

This is just a crushing defeat for Germany’s ruling party – from AFP:

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives lost power in their German heartland after nearly six decades, initial poll results showed Sunday, with the Greens likely to lead their first state government.

Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) have ruled Baden-Wuerttemberg since 1953, but anger over her nuclear policy in light of the Japan crisis as well as decisions on Libya and the euro drove away voters in the run-up to the poll.

The anti-nuclear Greens claimed about 24 percent of the vote — about 12 point higher than five years ago — and were likely to form a coalition with the Social Democrats, who garnered about 23 percent in the rich state…

Merkel’s party still scored, by far, the largest share of the vote, but not enough to prevent the Greens from emerging as part of victorious coalition. Baden-Wuerttemberg is the base of Germany’s CDU…to illustrate, what happened in Baden is akin to a socialist coalition out polling the GOP in Utah….or a conservative/libertarian coalition beating the Democrats in San Francisco. It just isn’t done. It just isn’t possible…except, it is.

To be sure, recent events regarding nuclear power – and Merkel’s pandering on the issue – played a role, but I doubt as much a role as the MSM wants us to believe. My bet is that the Germans are getting madder and madder about having to bail out the European Union. Remember, the next move in the European bail out was just agreed to…and now the politicians have to go back home and convince their constituents that they should tax themselves in to poverty to pay bonded debt to bankers who made idiotic investments. Merkel’s constituents were just first off the mark in the ability to register their feelings about all this.

Merkel’s only bit of luck right now is that the national government doesn’t have to face the voters for two more years…but the spreading electoral revolt over bail outs (Ireland a couple of weeks ago utterly crushed the ruling party which had negotiated a banker bail out with the EU) hasn’t even got rolling, yet. And, in the end, the people are right about this: heck with a bunch of bankers and career politicians. Bail outs only help the entrenched – and it was the entrenched people who made the mess. Time to clean house…we got 1/3 there in 2010, we’ll finish the job in 2012…hopefully everyone around the world will soon turn out the idiots who got the world in to such a screwed up condition.

While our kinetic military operation proceeds in Libya, the crucial theater seems to be shifting to Syria – from the AP:

Gangs of young men, some armed with swords and hunting rifles, roamed Sunday through the streets of a Syrian seaside city, closing alleys with barricades and roughly questioning passersby in streets scarred by days of anti-government unrest.

The scenes in Latakia, a Mediterranean port once known as a summmer tourist draw, were a remarkable display of anarchy in what had been one of the Mideast’s most tightly controlled countries…

While getting rid of Gaddafi’s regime is a worthy object – and could have been done with ease three weeks ago – the greater threat in the Moslem world is from the Iranian/Syrian axis…and it must be noted that President Obama seems to have no inclination whatsoever to do anything about it. Indeed, Hillary Clinton absurdly claimed that Syria’s dictator is a “reformer”.

Not since the Carter Administration have we seen US foreign policy more confused – more weak and pointless, that is. Syria, the standing threat to Israel and Lebanon – the Iranian ally in the middle east – teeters on the brink of revolution which could only work to our advantage, and we’re doing nothing. In fact, less than nothing: we’re pledging in advance that we won’t intervene, at all.

Here’s the nightmare – we spend years bogged down in Libya either trying to leverage Gaddafi out of power or cleaning up the post-revolution mess while Iran and Syria maintain and increase their power…that is the course we’re on right now, and I hope we change it swiftly.