Happy Memorial Day

My Solemn Thanks and Gratitude to America's Fighting Men and Women Past, Present and Future.

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The Star Spangled Banner
~ by Francis Scott Key

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave

The New "Framework"

We are now hearing the mysterious lexicon of "Framework" being uttered with regard to solving the Iran issue. We have heard of the "Framework" before.

Yes. The Warren Christopher endeavor of October, 1994. The Agreed Framework. This was the vague and oddly named diplomatic initiative that accomplished none of the goals laid out by it's authors.

Fitting actually. "Agreed Framework" is where we still find ourselves with DPRK. We dither and delay, they lie and deceive. An intentionally meandering and aimless title for a course of now apparent inaction to attempt to prevent a rogue regime from acquiring nukes. In other words, a failure.

Now the Europeans are pushing the "Middle East Regional Framework" as a solution to Iran.
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States and Europe are divided over negotiations with Iran, with the Bush administration resisting a new European offer that includes a proposal for a Middle East security "framework" for Iran if it gives up its nuclear activities, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

Citing diplomats from each side as well as other officials, all of whom requested anonymity, the Times reported that the Bush administration was also resisting the idea of protecting European companies from punishment by Washington if they did business with Iran, an idea put forth in the European proposal, the Times said.

The newspaper said the disagreements in the negotiations are clouding the possibility of a deal with Iran on its nuclear program at a time when tensions are increasing over Tehran's inflexibility. The diplomats also told the newspaper that Europe, the United States and Russia have not agreed on the need to impose sanctions on Iran if it continues its defiance.

Both U.S. and European officials told the Times that the European proposals for dealing with Iran were transmitted to the United States on Thursday, and the newspaper said the proposals were being studied by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and others.



"The U.S. has received a European proposal but has not yet responded to it," the Times quoted a senior administration official as saying before adding that the American answer would be conveyed on Wednesday at a meeting of senior envoys in London. Also slated for discussion are sanctions if Iran continues activities believed to be part of a weapons program.

The envoys were meant to have met Friday to discuss the European ideas but disagreements on the details were said to have postponed the session until next week, the Times said. Some European officials predicted that talks may continue into the summer.

The Times said that Bush administration hard-liner are also not eager for any kind of security guarantees for Iran, including talk of a Middle East "regional" framework put forward by the Europeans. Citing European officials, it said the plan would include some sort of guarantee that the government would not be overthrown, through either outside attack or subversion.

And while the Europeans are persisting in the view that there will eventually have to be talks between the United States and Iran on security matters, administration officials say Washington would flatly reject any such proposal.

Sawtuna

A new Muslim Newspaper in Cleaveland.

The Bovine Protesti

Saw some pictures of the anti-Israel protest at Brandeis University in Andover Mass.

Shame on them. This school was founded by the Jews in 1948. Same year as the Israeli nation It's a non denominational Jewish Ivy League University.

And they looked really stupid.

Brandeis Hoot
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Synonyms for Protest:

affirm, argue against, assert, asseverate, attest, avouch, avow, back-talk*, be against, beef, bitch, blackball*, blast*, buck, combat, complain, constate, contend, cry out, declare, demonstrate, demur, disagree, except, expostulate, fight, holler*, howl, insist, inveigh against, kick*, maintain, object, oppose, pop off, predicate, profess, remonstrate, resist, revolt, say no*, sound off*, squawk*, take exception*, testify, thumbs down*, vow

* = slang

United 93

This film will be watched by terrorists too. It has a similarity to Blackhawk Down in terms of both movies being acccurate depictions of terror operations and American responses.

Blackhawk Down was/is watched studiously by terrorists.

Know that if they have plans for aircraft for the future the means they use will be different from United 93.

Americans in general are extra-aware now.
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John Bolton

The right man at the right place at the right time.

US could seek Iran sanctions outside UN: Bolton
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He complained that developing nations last week adopted a resolution "which, for all intents and purposes, tanks" U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's management reform plan.

Bolton said he hoped those nations, which he said provide around 12 percent of the U.N. budget, realize "that repudiating the countries that contribute the overwhelming bulk of the U.N. budget isn't a way to win friends and influence people."

Under questioning by Democrats, Bolton said he had not read an article in the New Yorker magazine that the United States had covert military operations in Iran "because I don't have time to read much fiction."

Happy Day of No Pay

So far I've not noticed in one way the "Boycott America / Pinko De Mayo" march through LA and some cities in OC.

The credit I'll give them is for galvanizing Middle America against them.

I'm sure they'll take credit for the 23 point drop in the DOW today.

I'll be going to Circuit City tonight after work and purchase a camcorder.
(That's probably made in China - arrggh)