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This is gonna freak my kids out

Mary Katharine found something really cool in Texas -- besides the cowboys.  You really need to check out the picture she posted on this one.

Stand by the Mission

Sign the Victory Caucus petition. Don't miss this post at Protein Wisdom about the way the media have covered the war in Iraq.

Gwen Stefani Dresses Down

Check out my new column at Townhall about Gwen Stefani's dressing down.

Recently pop singer Gwen Stefani made news by making what she referred to as a “major sacrifice” by performing her concert in Malaysia with shoulders, legs and belly completely covered. The reason for ditching her usual attire, which often consists of short skirts and midriff-revealing halter tops, was in reaction to protests from the 10,000-member National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students who said such clothing would clash with Islamic culture and values and provide a poor role model for Malaysian youth. The revealing costumes routinely worn by Stefani and other performers are not only found offensive by Muslims. There are many Jewish, Christian and other religions and cultures that discourage immodest clothing, too. Some groups representing those religions have even complained in the past about the bad example being set for girls and young women by so many in the entertainment industry.

So why would Stefani respond to the protests from a Muslim group, while ignoring similar complaints from Christian and other groups? About 60 percent of Malaysia's population is Muslim, while those in the United States identifying themselves as Christian is over 75 percent. The reason Stefani would bow to Muslims protesting her dress therefore could not be about numbers.

Read it all at Townhall.

Stop Whining

                    

I love this quote from Kathryn Lopez directed to Ellen Goodman (link via Michelle Malkin):

My reaction to Goodman-like complaining is: It's 2007, you live in the United States. You have a pen, phone and Internet connection. Stop whining. It's unattractive. If you want to have an impact, just work. That's how the guys do it. That's how we gals do it.

Sad News about Merv Griffin

I love Merv Griffin.  I used to watch his talk show as a kid and have enjoyed his game shows in the years since, but mostly just love they guy's spirit.  This report says he is in grave condition as a result of a recurrence of prostate cancer. 

Drugs to go generic in next five years

Singulair, Aciphex and Prevacid are some that I have used which will be available in generic form over the next few years.  Check out the list here.

Some Advice for Congressional Democrats

I know it is not likely they will take it, but I offer a little advice for congressional Democrats in my most recent column at Townhall.

If congressional Democrats seem a little hysterical these days, it just might be due to news that the surge counteroffensive in Iraq is yielding some progress.
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For many months we heard that the war in Iraq was a huge failure with the evidence cited including that parts of the country were being taken over by terrorists, that there was increasing violence between different factions within the country, that the Iraqi police and military were not stepping up and were not being trained quickly enough, and that there was lessening support across the country for the mission of coalition and Iraqi forces.

Now that it appears progress is being made on many of those fronts, with much of the credit going to efforts of the surge counteroffensive, the focus is being shifted to the national political arena in Iraq, which has not experienced the same progress that is being seen on the local level. There is little praise to be heard from most Democrats for the progress that has been made - only talk about the areas in which the same progress is not being realized.
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I will offer the following advice to Democrats in Congress knowing it is unlikely that they will accept it: Instead of ignoring, or worse denigrating, every word of progress our forces have worked to accomplish in Iraq, acknowledge that progress and celebrate it. You can still point out the areas in which progress is lacking. Just be honest about the good news there is to report.

If our mission in Iraq were to ultimately be deemed a success, everyone would know that most Democrats had been wrong to want to abandon the mission. But if Democrats would actually start celebrating our victories, maybe the majority of the public would forget that for a time they appeared to be actively working for defeat. Just maybe if Democrats in Congress would begin working to ensure that the progress that is being made in Iraq is built upon and encouraged, rather than belittled and abandoned and defunded, they would be able to share the credit for any resulting success.

If Democrats decided to encourage and support the things in Iraq that are going right, rather than trying to reverse them, even if the the ultimate mission was eventually deemed a failure they would not be blamed because they would have only supported the actions that were producing results. It seems like a win-win for me. Good for Dems and good for America. Click here to read it all.

Supporting the Troops -- Kos Style

Rick Moran has an interview with Sergeant David D. Aguina, the soldier who was told to stand down at YearlyKos.

When Sergeant David D. Aguina stepped up to the microphone at the YearlyKos forum on the panel on "The Military and Progressives: Are they that Different?" and began to quietly rebut many of the points that had been made about the failure of "The Surge," he knew he wouldn't have an easy time of it. That is why he prepared a four-inch thick loose leaf binder full of charts, graphs, releases from the Department of Defense, the State Department, and Central Command, as well as articles from the mainstream media.

But for all his preparation, he was still taken by surprise when one of the panelists, John Soltz, founder of the anti-war group Votevets.Org, took him to task and silenced him on the grounds that Aguina was wearing his uniform while expressing his political opinions.

"Technically, he was right," Aguina concedes. "He is a commissioned officer in the army and I follow the rules. I will respect his authority which is why today, I came in civilian uniform."

Aguina spoke to Pajamas Media on Saturday, returning to YearlyKos the day after he was led away from the panel by Soltz, now blending into the crowd in a charcoal gray suit with a white shirt and a black tie.

Despite his change of wardrobe, he remains boiling mad at Solz for angrily chastising him in public for violating military regulations. If he wants to get technical about it, Aguina counters, two can play at that game.

"If I'm in violation of AR670-1 which is the regulation he brought up, then he's in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 88 which says no commissioned officer can criticize a government official."

Read the entire interview at Pajamas Media.