Passing Thoughts In Life's Rearview Mirror

The Month That Was - April

Editor's Note: Thomas's commentary is in blue, and Marcie's is in purple

Welcome to our monthly recap of the top stories of the month. April started out fairly slow, with the occasional story here and there -- Debates over whether or not Nancy Pelosi should be charged under the Logan Act for meeting with Bashar Assad; Don Imus fired for comments he made about the Rutgers' women's basketball team; more rhetorical debate over global warming. On the 16th, the month was shattered when a young man decided to take out all of his rage, hate, and anger on his fellow, unsuspecting students at Virginia Tech. And, of course, NBC's mistake of airing his manifesto ; much to the dismay of the general public and the families of the victims of that fateful day. We would love to discuss that, but I think we have already handled it more on our site than we could ever do it justice here. But that is not to say the news ended there ...

Rudy Irritates The Left

Rudy Guiliani, still the GOP's chief front-runner, recently gave an address at the Rockingham County Lincoln Day dinner that ruffled some Democrat feathers. In his speech he stated that prior to 11 September, America had "been on defense" rather than offense. He spoke in stark, black-and-white terms to the sound of thunderous applause. See, Rudy gets it, and he's not going to let the Democrats off the hook. He reminded the audience what was at stake in 2008, and that if we return to a Democrat President, this nation will go back to its defensive posture. He stated that our enemies hate us for our freedom and our tolerance, and that the Democrats seem to have misunderstood this glaring fact. Afterwards, Senators Obama and Clinton fired off sharp retorts to the speech. Obama even dragged out the ineffective "you're questioning our patriotism" straw man argument. Well, what do they expect with the sort of defeatist, dhimmi-like response to the enemy we're still engaged with? Rudy hit a bulls-eye with his speech, and the Democrats didn't like being slapped in the face with the truth.

The Surge Has Its Successes, But The Democrats Do Not Care

A hot-button issue arose in the waning days of April, and it had quite a few people irked. The Democrats purposefully avoided briefings from the Pentagon and directly from General David Petreus. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid even stated on "Good Morning America" that he would not believe what General Petreus had to say. While General Petreus did cite a number of good things from Iraq -- such as the significant decline in sectarian violence, the situation in Anbar province is improving, a number of cells shattered by the surge troops, and numerous IED/car bomb factories rolled up -- he also stated that there had been some setbacks. Those setbacks had forced him to change some tactics in certain areas, and those improvements are already showing signs of success. It is reprehensible that the party in power in Congress is ignoring these briefings, still proclaiming the war to be lost, and refusing to see that the new strategy is working. These people are doing their best to lose this war as fast as they can despite the improvements on the ground in Iraq. Their actions of late border on the criminal, at worst. At best, they are governing without the right information, which shows their vast incompetence.

Twelve Days Under Ahmadinejad

On 23 March, fifteen British sailors and Marines were taken into custody by an Iranian patrol under the claims they had violated Iranian waters. The Brits claim they never left Iraqi waters, and in fact it was the Iranians first confirming that with the GPS coordinates they relayed to Britain. They later amended those coordinates (a clear sign someone screwed up in Iran), and began parading a number of hostages across Iranian TV. The twelve days of captivity were no picnic for these people, which included stretches of being separated from one another, and forced to endure psychological duress. The soldiers, from the debriefing, were told by the Iranians that they either confessed, or would face "seven years in prison" for espionage. Berate the soldiers if you wish, but I hold Tony Blair responsible for not beinf forceful enough with Iran. Likewise, that disdain extends to the UN, the EU, and yes, even America. The House couldn't even put together a sttement condemning Iran the way the Senate did. In the zero-sum game against terrorist regimes, Iran won this round, and the West looks weaker, more complacent, and ambivalent towards the use of force than ever before.

Never Pay Blackmail; Never Negotiate With Terrorists

Golda Meir is rolling over in her grave right now because Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel is contemplating a prisoner swap with Hamas.The deal is simple and deadly, and already does not sit well with the Israeli people. In exchange for fourteen hundred prisoners -- known terrorists and murderers; all convicted of such crimes -- the Israelis will get back Gilad Shalit. He is the soldier kidnapped by Hamas just prior to the outbreak of the Israeli/Hezbollah conflict late last year. Honestly, ladies and gentlemen, this trade is not worth it. While we agree that Israel should try to get their kidnapped soldier back, cutting a deal with the Devil, if you will, is not the answer. Israel can expect to see these men facing them down, once again, once this deal is done. As Thomas pointed out above in the "zero-sum game of terrorism," Israel will be the loser when this deal goes through, and that does not bode well for a nation already hated and despised in the region; one that is the focus of so much hatred for simply being Jewish.

It Seems They Made Good On A Promise

The problem is that it's the one promise we were holding our breath they wouldn't keep. I'm speaking about Iran and the fact that their centrifuges -- the 3000 they promised to be online by May of this year -- are complete, and they're starting them up. While I admire President Bush for his sudden turn to diplomacy (not!), we can't play games with Iran. They want us dead and buried on the ash-heap of history; a relic of bygone days trampled under the feet of Islamic radicals. This goes against what the UN, and the West, has demanded of Iran -- and end to their enrichment. This should also force all the intel guys to reassess how long it would take for Iran to develop a bomb. I'm hedging bets that Christmas will be greeted with a very dire announcement from the Islamic Republic, and one the world doesn't want to hear. Ahmadinejad's a nutter, but he's not stupid. When he makes his announcement, you can bet he won't just have one. He'll have a few and that's because you don't play chicken with just one nuke. However, the last thing we want to see is that announcement punctuated by an attack on an ally. That's the worst way to find out he's not kidding around.

Whatever Happened To "Never Again?"

I distinctly recall reading that phrase in history after World War II, and it referred to the death the Jews had to endure at the hands of the Nazis. So atrocious were those crimes, so evil were the thoughts that were acted upon, that over six million people were killed by the Nazis based on their hateful ideology. Backed up by the Nuremberg Laws co-authored by Dr. Wilhelm Stuckart, the Nazis took it upon themselves to create a "Jew-free world," in the words of Reinhard Heydrich -- the man in charge of the Final Solution. Why am I going over this? Because in Great Britain the schools have decided to drop their Holocaust education because it runs the risk of offending too many Muslims. Yes, Muslims. The same ones that deny the Holocaust ever took place. The British government is afraid that if it is taught, Muslims might get upset, begin protesting, or worse. The glaring point of this piece is that Great Britain -- one of the allies during World War II that witnessed the horrors of the concentration camps -- has decided to bury history. And when you bury history it is difficult for the current generation to honor a promise made so many years ago; even one as simple as "never again."

The Supreme Court Begins Realizing It's Mistake

In 1973 the United States Surpeme Court in Roe v. Wade handed a grossly misinterpreted victory to the Left. They allowed them to commit infanticide under the guise of a gruesome procedure known as abortion. Since then, the debate has raged on both sides of the aisle -- with activists for and against the procedure making it the end-all, be-all issue for political candidates and politicians today. On 17 April, the Supreme Court upheld the ban on the most disgusting of abortion procedures called "partial-birth abortions." In such a procedure, the baby is partially delivered, then a surgical instrument is pushed through the back of its skull. The Supreme Court ruled that such a procedure is unnecessary in the form it was in. That being, it can't be used "on demand" or as a form of birth control. With their decision, the high court has struck the believed constitutionality of the procedure, except in cases where the mother's life is in danger. Furthermore, the doctors must provide proof that such a procedure is absolutely warranted. We may not get rid of Roe in one fell swoop, but we are following Justice Scalia's strategy: To ultimately be rid of Roe, you've got to kick in one door at a time.

The Burden Of Innocence

The three Duke lacrosse players accused of raping a stripper in Durham, North Carolina have been cleared of all charges. On Aprill 11th North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper announced their innocence after his office conducted a thorough investigation into their case. He was asked by Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong, who is facing an ethics investigation by the state bar for his actions during the initial investigation of the case, to take over after he admitted in court that he had purposefully withheld exculpatory evidence from the court, and the men's defense team. Many observers of this story have a predilection that nothing further should arise from this case, I disagree. Mike Nifong sullied the names of three innocent men; a reputation they will be hard-pressed to win back. Additionally, his actions show that he had no qualms with the possible conviction and imprisonment of three men proclaimed by Mr. Cooper as "innocent" of all charges.

Like most months, the scope of news wasn't in shortage. The quality, however, had something to be desired, until the middle of the month with the Virginia Tech massacre. Words can't describe what happened that morning. But while that tragedy served as a reminder of mistakes made, it also reminded us that the human spirit still lives on. Heroes were made that morning, especially in the form of Liviu Librescu -- a Romanian Jew who gave his life so his students could escape the carnage. What we're assured of each month is that we will always have a chance to reflect on what we watched go by in the rearview mirror ...

He is a scholar of history, especially American history, and the United States Constitution. She is finishing her undergrad studies before moving onto law school where she will specialize in Constitutional Law. Together, Thomas and Marcie form the vanguard of conservative opinion at The Asylum--a blogging site devoted to advancing the conservative cause by challenging the liberal lies and deceit spread by the media, and espoused by the Left in general. Both are expert debaters, and have beaten many liberals into submission with their collective wit, and unmatched knowledge. The pair is married, resides in Arizona.

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