We have spent a great deal of time in the Southwest U.S.  Amazing sunsets and an equivalently amazing diversity of environment make the area appealing to such a broad brush of humanity.

In that soup of culture I have been often surprised at how many people are so much smarter than most of the "mainstream" media (MSM), smarter than the general staff at the U.N., and apparently smarter than much of the French population across the globe.

In the face of continued and typical U.N. treachery and corruption  we are still being pummeled daily with exhortations to allow the U.N. to take the lead in dealing with Hezbollah.  Have they not been at that task for the past ummm.... 11 years?

I have talked to many, many Arizonans who think that repeatedly allowing the same horse to throw you, let alone kick you, without changing your approach is, well, kind of stupid.

In a truly amazing display of journalistic prowess, we have seen heralded how really, truly sorry Nasrallah really is about kidnapping Israeli soldiers.  If he had only known the consequences, he would have never allowed the mission.  Hmmm.  What a great guy.

I did not have to have deep conversations with folks from New Mexico to find out that they generally disapproved of people who set out to kill the children of others (or worse - their children) or who were actively engaged in terrorism.  They did not have a problem with polite mis-labelling either (i.e. - no guerilla or freedom-fighter ephitet).  They pretty much thought such folks were lower than shower mildew.

Now that we have been treated to a great round of Russian/Chinese technology, packaged in Iran and displayed in testing  in the Sea of Oman, maybe we should throw money at the wealthy Iranians to see if they will talk before nuking Tel-Aviv?

It is funny that the cattle ranchers from Colorado I talked with a few weeks ago saw things as pretty clear.  It simply does not make sense to save your anger until after your enemy has killed you dead.  It is hard to do anything at that point.

So how about we deal with the Iranian nuclear realities.  So how about we sit down and talk in terms the U.N. does not understand - honest negotiation.  Stements like, "If you continue to pursue nuclear weapons we will make very sure that you do not come into possession of them" would clarify some muddled thinking.

Iranian actions, their support and use of terror, and their irresponsible use of the power they have had to date presuppose that the world can take no chance in allowing this to continue any further.  They will use anything they can to destroy "infidels" - Israel first and any other country or group thereafter.

Do not pass "GO", do not collect $200.  Meet G.I. Joe.  And we HAVE taken the high road - we have been talking to Iran through channels for years.  Now those channels need to be very clear in what they communicate.  We will stop you.  We have to stop you because you are not mature enough to act like an adult with adult toys.  Sorry. 

Beyond all else that these past few days have placed on our vista, our hearts are very laden and our prayers are with those families and friends of the victims of the tragedy in Kentucky .

A vicarious thanks to all those who responded to the scene and valiantly did their best to render aid in a nightmare.

When I was a kid (which was really NOT that long ago - no really), in one place we lived we had about as fancy of a bathroom as anyone in the neighborhood.  Not only was our bathroom the neighborhood envy, it was actually set apart from our house on display (if you took a bit of a turn coming up the drive) for most all to see.

I am one of the few (and proud apparently) of anyone near my age to have experienced a bathroom at the base of the garden.  Not only did we have that separate building, it was roofed and shingled and had a working door with a latch.  Beyond all else, it was dually ported - i.e. a two holer (pronounced "2 whole-er"). 

You learned very quickly on which side to set the flashlight or you lost it.  Not that I ever did that.

Being that close to the reality of offal in life's journey imbedded some basic concepts.  You just get helpful insights such as the fact that there are things that you do not allow in your living space.  And other intuitive lessons - no good thing could come of getting in the pit under the outhouse.

Maybe we need to setup some outhouses to begin to imbibe the rudiments of basic wisdom to groups of our citizenry.  No matter what effort you make, the stuff in the pit simply has to be dealt with as what it is.  Bury it, burn it, compost it, grow mushrooms in it, dump it in the river, whatever.  It is what it is.  No matter how you categorize it, refer to it, illustrate it, or re-characterize it - it is what it is.

You don't get any points for pretending it is something it is not.  If you don't deal with the offal as what it is, you could get pretty sick.  You could endanger the health of your family.  It could even endanger your life (remember the guy last year who was cleaning his septic tank and fell in?).

The point is this, there are people in this world who simply belong in the pit.   They are evil.  Yes Virginia, I mean evil.  They cannot be molded, shaped, colored, trained, compromised or taught to be anything else.  Am I a fatalist?  In no possible way.

It is demonstrable that people can make decisions that, due to their elimination of any options for rescue, cannot be reversed.  There are people who have chosen to be so evil in the process of how they view man, God, women, children, or whatever, that there is no saving them from themselves.  At least by man.

Their only objective in negotiation is to put you in a position of weakness so they can take your life.  They believe your life is an impurity on their planet and must be purged.  They believe that blowing up planes over the ocean will win them favor with God (thank you MI5 and all others involved - a big Yankee  thanks). 

(momentary diatribe here - let's just get this out there - you can't win favor with God guys, get over it.  Nothing you can do is going to impress God, no matter how stupid, vile, valiant or impressive among mortals.  Hmm - the Guy that hung old Sol is going to recognize you going splat as something impressive...  If mercy and grace gave you air which doesn't kill you, how can anything you do earn a thing from Him when your very life is already a gift?)

Again - yes Virginia, there is evil.  You don't move evil into your house.  You don't negotiate with evil.  There is always room for genuine repentance/change of heart.  BUT, evil you hunt down and destroy.  You deal with it, you don't wallow in it, befriend it or send your sons and daughters to live with it.

I think Israel is just about to about to, at long last, deal with some offal in a direct and appropriate fashion.  Don't give me moral equivalence Mr. Annan.  There is none.  Israel has not blown up planes, trains and automobiles for the PR value.  Israel has not forced civillians into a house so they can be blown to pieces for the benefit of international media.  Israel has not setup the international community to receive their relatives in pieces after being blown up over the Atlantic.

By the way, when you insist on calling good evil and evil good, when you persist in painting refuse as an ideal our youth should hold in high esteem, you come precariously close to belonging in the pile under the out house yourself.

Cheerio and High-ho to the blokes across the pond.  Keep on your toes and good hunting.

For years and years we have all had to put up with the continuous parade of excuses for the antics and atrocities of the fascists in drag.  Often the murders of children and targeting of the unarmed was explained as a, "retaliation for the atrocities of Israel".

Sunday talking heads have made it plain that they will force the idea of moral equivalence between what was the only functional democracy (for over 40 years) in the middle east and a terrorist organization.

The unquestionable evidence of multiple instances of misreporting, suppression of facts, and even doctored photos and video seems to indicate that ethical icons are being shattered in sacrifice to ideologies akin to those that cost us entire cultures in history.

It would be easy to be fatalistic and depressed in the face of this constant wash.  Don't do it.  What these who appear to have ransomed their soul do not understand is that we have longer memories than the last episode of Seinfeld.
 
I wasn't alive during World War II but I remember it.  I missed the sweltering heat and mortal cold of Korea, but I remember it.  I did not get sucked down into the mud or trapped in the enveloping jungles of Vietnam, but I remember it.

I remember that the Nation was afraid of some unruly State (like Iran, Syria, or North Korea) holding democracy hostage by going nuclear.  We, on the right, were concerned that the next generation would have to clean up what was left behind, if they could,  if the job did not get finished there and then.

When I see weaponry reports on Hizbollah that demonstrates they have been equipped like a State army, I remember all the work that was done, and all the lives that were sacrificed so our brightest and best wouldn't have to do this again.  But it is being brought to us and pushed in our face.

No matter how many times I hear the bells chimed in praise of the rainment of Nazrallah, Kim Jong-il,  Ahmadinejad, Castro, or others, I remember the naked truth.  We are winning.  We will win.

We must still fight.  From the stupidity of the elitist media to the very real battle for life and liberty in Israel now.  But we will win.

One more thing.  I like Secretary Rummy.  He gets it.  Keep up the fight - don't lose sight of the prize.