Monthly Archives: January 2010

Our cowardly Army

The terrorist attack on Fort Hood wasn’t really a terrorist attack. The Army’s public report does not use the words Islam or Muslim, let alone terrorist, despite witness accounts that Maj. Nidal Hasan shouted “Allahu Akbar!” as he opened fire with two personal pistols at a health center.

The whitewashed report shows the Army is like every other public institution these days, so hopelessly mired in political correctness that truth plays no role. It would be a mistake to encourage anyone to serve, since the military obviously will not bother to protect its own. If this continues, someday soon it will be too cowardly to protect the rest of us.

Via Power Line.

Battle at the Kotel

Israel_Western_Wall

Phyllis Chesler, Pajamas Media’s chief warrior against “honor” killings of Islamic women by their fathers, husbands and brothers, takes on the battle between the Israeli feminists and Israeli Ultra-Orthodox men:

“Compared to Saudi Arabia or Iran, Israel is a paradise on earth for women. However, just like the rest of the Middle East, and like Europe, Israel is being rapidly Arabized and Islamified in terms of women and religion.”

Worth a read. (See also the battle of the commenters at the end. You know, two Jews, three opinions.)

The return of King Farouk

Not really. It only seems that way, when every Web site I visit flashes a new “Farouk for Governor” ad at me. Usually with a photo of the Colorado River meandering through downtown Austin. “New Ideas. New Jobs. New Hope for Texas.”

I thought that hope business was passe by now? It’s for sure the Farouk in question, second name Shami, has zero hope of being nominated by the Dems, let alone elected governor. Which is probably good. King Farouk, indeed.

Reprieve for those Himalayan glaciers

Hundreds of feet thick ice in the Himalayas has been under threat of melting for two years now from, what else, global warming. Now the United Nations is riding to the rescue. Their agency for “climate change” is, uh, reconsidering.

Seems they had zero proof after all. Just an old New Scientist clipping they liked. So they made it the centerpiece of their alleged “latest research” report in 2007. Now they’ve been caught out. Oops. Al Gore, call your publicist!

UPDATE:  Why the mistake? A number of reasons, including a typo: “…predicted date for shrinkage of the world total from 500,000 to 100,000 km2 is 2350, not 2035.” More here. Hee.

The Last Time

Speaking of DC-3s (see below), it seems the largest gathering of them (about 53 are expected) will be flying into Oshkosh, WI, this summer to celebrate the silver bird’s 75th anniversary. All the recent snow up there should have melted by then.

Gooney Bird

airshows

Was thrilled to read that some folks are packing a DC-3 with relief supplies to ferry to Haiti. The venerable (75-year-old) transport (first one was named the “Flagship Texas”) was my favorite plastic model when I was a kid. I even have a new kit of one in the closet awaiting Mr. B.’s interest in such things. Well. Hoping. I last flew in one years ago in the Bahamas. It was painted pink. Flamingo Airlines, as I recall.

In Viet Nam 18,000-rpm mini-guns were mounted in their open cargo doors to support MACV advisory outfits like mine, a role now filled by the C-130. This outfit (making the semi-aerobatic, one-wheel landing above) teaches single-engine pilots to fly them. No, the DC-3 was never called the Gooney Bird. That was the Army Air Force’s C-47. But DC-3/C-47 is a distinction without (much of) a difference.

Next: Global Warming causes dandruff

Well, sure, since Danny Glover says it caused the earthquake in Haiti. Doh.