January 17, 2005

Is There Another 'Tet' in Our Future?
By Michael Gaddy

Could it be the end of January 2005 will come to resemble the end of January 1968, in more ways than just the date? Information that I am receiving from connections inside Iraq, and reading between the lines of news published here, and in the foreign press, the likelihood seems to be growing for a repeat performance of that military debacle of 1968.

In 1968, the Communists launched a major surprise offensive against American and South Vietnamese forces on the eve of the lunar New Year celebrations. Provincial capitals throughout the country were seized, garrisons simultaneously attacked and, perhaps most shockingly, in Saigon the U.S. Embassy was invaded. While actually a military defeat for the communist forces, Tet marked the turning point in the war for the hearts and minds of the American public. (Read the rest here)

Skin Deep
By Lady Liberty

I woke up this weekend to a winter winderland outside my window. Mother Nature had conspired to provide exactly the temperature, humidity, stillness, and cloud saturation to result in a winter scene right off the front of the most beautiful holiday card. The ground was covered in a blanket of several inches of pristine white. Every tree branch was outlined in sparkling snow; power lines were coated not heavily enough for danger of outages but just thickly enough for beauty. Even the grey cloud cover wasn't enough to prevent all of that whiteness from reflecting what little light there was and turning the view into something out of a backlit snow globe.

Even as I looked in appreciation at the scene framed by my window, puffy fat snowflakes continued to float to earth. The natural sound-dampening properties of a thick, wet coat of snow made the noises generated by those few people already out and about a distant consideration. I took an extra moment at my window just to look around and take mental snapshots of what I saw. Everywhere I looked, the beauty was flawless and exquisite. (Read the rest here)

Libertarian Commentary on The News
By Nathan A. Barton © 2004

Liberty and the law! What a lengthy history and subject that is - but law IS essential for liberty, whatever we may call it: tradition, custom, agreement, compact, whatever But not any law will do - it has to be good law, and what is being served out today in the Union and elsewhere, is well, a bit on the rancid side, to be tactful. At least that is what I read and agree with, but it may not necessarily be your opinion or that of TPOL, RRND, FND, or any of the contributors to this column..

I’m going to start out with something that’s really NOT a news item (as we usually define it), but is still worth thinking about:

Poll finds John Brown a “fanatic terrorist”
The History Channel
A recent poll of readers and viewers - mostly historians and laymen well-versed in American and world history, were asked to state their opinion: Was John Brown a “fanatic terrorist” or a “heroic figure”? 55% chose “Fanatic terrorist” and only 24% “Heroic figure” with smaller amounts saying “neither” or “no opinion.” For those who are products of GRTF-schools and haven’t had time to correct their education yet, John “Potawatamie” Brown was the abolitionist preacher who created “Bloody Kansas” in the years before the War Between the States” and conducted a raid on the US Government Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now WV) in an attempt to trigger a slave revolt, just a couple of years before the election of Lincoln triggered the fratricidal war. He was deemed a popular hero to the millions of Union (Northern) troops who marched to war singing “John Brown’s Body” (which later became the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”), after he was convicted and executed for his raid.

John Brown is, indeed, the archetype of the radical liberal today, who believes that “gesture” and “publicity” are all important, and ignores substance. --- Now, on to the “real news” today - (Read the rest of the Commentary here)

Domestic Violence Law Fuels Big Government
by Wendy McElroy, mac@ifeminists.net

The Violence Against Women Act, a hand-me-down from the Clinton administration based on gender myths, anti-male bias and an infatuation with Big Government, expires this year.

A new appropriation request for over $360 million will soon hit Congress, but a chance for gender sanity is coming. The answer to renewing VAWA should be a thundering "NO!"

What is the Violence Against Women Act? In 1994, Congress passed the act as part of an Omnibus Crime Bill. VAWA pitted the sexes against each other by focusing on "crimes of violence motivated by gender;" victims were defined as female and only women were offered the massive tax-funded benefits. (Read the rest here)

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