Marine Corps For Kerry... Not Likely

John Kerry had a recent run in with some U.S. Marines, approaching them at a Newburgh, New York, Wendy's. Their comments were not kind.

The Marines — two in uniform and two off-duty — were polite but curt while chatting with Kerry, answering most of his questions with a "yes, sir" or "no, sir."

But they turned downright nasty after the Massachusetts senator thanked them "for their service" and left.

"He imposed on us and I disagree with him coming over here shaking our hands," one Marine said, adding, "I'm 100 percent against [him]."

A sergeant with 10 years of service under his belt said, "I speak for all of us. We think that we are doing the right thing in Iraq," before saying he is to be deployed there in a few weeks and is "eager" to go and serve.

"I speak for all of us. We think we are doing the right thing in Iraq". John Kerry is certainly not going to get the vote nor the respect of the U.S. Military. The overwhelming majority of those in the military share these four marines' opinion. Kerry voted down crucial funds that would buy equipment for the troops to make them safer, and he wants to tie the military's hands and this country's sovereignty by seeking foreign countries' approval for us to take military action. John Kerry doesn't have the military's respect. President Bush does.

Semper Fi: In Memoriam Of Staff Sergeant Mike Clark

Here are some snippets from the latest email from Major David Bellon, USMC. I am near tears reading about this Staff Sergeant that gave his life defending not only this country, but the lives of the Marines that he was stationed with and the lives of the Iraqi people themselves. My prayers go out to the family of this man and am thankful for his service.

In addition to Major Bellon's rememberance of Mike Clark, here are some other highlights from his email:

The city remains divided. It is a lawless sanctuary for all kinds of criminal and enemy elements. It has a history of being relatively incorrigible and Iraqis from outside the city regularly tell us that "the only solution is to level the city." The history of the city and the animosity of other Iraqis toward it has cultivated a level of xenophobia that results in astounding levels of paranoia and isolationism.

Today the city is dominated by three different elements. The most dangerous are the extremists who are religious ideologues. These would be your classic Islamic Terrorist who's twisted view of the world is one that cannot coexist with anyone who does not only agree with their beliefs, but who willingly submit to the severe limitations of individual freedoms that the beliefs entail. To be frank, these elements will never accept a peaceful coexistence with free people. Their rhetoric and will to enforce their extremist beliefs are mutually exclusive with anything but direct conflict. We will be fighting them until a clear winner is determined.

Like so many of history's failed villains, these terrorists truly believe that free people can be broken and do not possess the will to persevere in the face of real adversity. For this very reason, they have adopted terrorist tactics and publicly celebrate their violent acts like filming beheadings and flying airliners into buildings. On the local level, they put these filmed execution on videos and sell them in the markets. In less supportive areas, they give them away. They specifically target disenfranchised young men who feel as though they have no real hope of ever overcoming their current circumstances. These men are without any real opportunity and latch onto the first real thing that A) offers them something to do; and B) gives them a sense of belonging. It is very similar to how gangs recruit and survive back in the states.

However, these "gangs" are much more lethal and committed to a global agenda of spreading their fundamentalist ideas. There is no reasoning with these groups. In fact it is alarming that mature nations have succumbed so quickly to their terror tactics and have withdrawn their troops in the face of threats. No doubt it is a cultural issue because it is impossible to fathom how these nations can believe that the very people who have acted so wickedly against them and compelled them to bend to the enemy's will on a globally humiliating stage are now capable of restraint and possibly compassion. The unfortunate reality is that by breaking ranks, these nations have diminished their own security and those of other nations committed to fight terrorism around the globe.

The second element in the city is the criminals. There are many of them. These are no different than the criminals that run loose in all of our cities except that they are better armed. The city is known throughout Iraq as a haven for criminals, smugglers and hijackers. It has been this way forever. There is simply no way that on our watch, we are going to change the criminal culture of the city. We will have to endure the second group until we can build up the Iraqi Security Forces to the point where they can police themselves.

The third and final element is the unemployed men and those who have had family members killed by the coalition. These guys fight us for a variety of reasons: to overcome their humiliation of watching their country be "occupied" so quickly; to avenge the death of a brother or son; or simply because they have very little else to do.

We are working hard to reach out to the third group and overcome the world media that fans the hatred and resistance in these men. To date we have been relatively ineffective in communicating our vision for Iraq to this element (one of a free and prosperous people who are completely autonomous). Most of us still believe that if we continue to weigh in and work at establishing a dialogue with this group, they may be less hostile and less willing to pick up arms against us. What they need now are jobs and opportunity to do something other than hang out and fight us.

The first group we will fight. There is no doubt that we must win this fight. I was going to say that if we lost, the fight would follow us home. However, the reality is that it already has. Hopefully this group will continue to underestimate our resolve. We will continue to destroy them where ever we find them while we work painstakingly to reduce the conditions that permit the third group. This week we have found many and eliminated them from the fight.

Major Bellon is currently stationed in Fallujah. Read the entire letter here.

Superman #207

I'm now realizing why I never picked up the comic 100 Bullets written by Brian Azzarello. I don't like his writing and I don't think he is doing the Superman title any favors. His script isn't doing Jim Lee's artistic abitlities any favors either. I was intrigued with some of his ideas in the first Superman issue he wrote (#204), but now I'm just ticking off the months until he is off the book. I was doing a litte surfing and read about a forum where you could complain (not the exact wording but cleaned up to keep the rating G) about how much of a better writer Azzarello was than Jeph Loeb, an incredible Superman writer. Hah! Loeb can write circles around Mr. Azzarello. Last Year's Batman: Hush series was awesome. Written by Loeb and drawn by Lee. It was a brilliant combination and it catapulted Batman to the top of the comic heap. Not the case with Azzarello. As soon as he took over the Batman writing, I stopped buying the book. But enough cracking on Azzarello. I'll move onto the this month's issue of Supes.

Issue #207 is at least better than last month's fare. The Superman Homepage really blast the story last issue, and notes that Azzarello's story did nothing for Jim Lee's talent. Some will say that comics are about story, which is obviously nice, but comics are a visual medium, and if the art is awful or there isn't some action then why read a comic. I can buy a novel and get a great story. The two need to go hand in hand.

In the last issue we are introduced to a new villian called Equus. Some action between Supes and this new baddie, but not much. This issue is the rematch. Some seriously cool fight sequences between the two. This saves the book. Mr. Azzarello might consider giving up writing for comics and move to novels. He has the potential to be a great writer, writing his own material, not trying to adapt to such an iconic figure as Superman or Batman.

Hopefully this creative team will come up with something that will ultimately be an incredible work of art with a great surprise ending. Until then I an crossing the months off until Azzarello is gone and they replace him with... Jeph Loeb? I could only hope.

Wictory Wednesday

I'll start of this Wictory Wednesday post with an opinion piece from my new favorite paper, The Boston Herald. Cosmo Macero Jr. on why John Kerry must never become president:

1. He serves a constituency of one: Himself.
Kerry's behavior in the run-up to the Democratic National Convention has been disgraceful. Where Gov. Mitt Romney [related, bio] showed courage in helping Mayor Thomas M. Menino navigate a fierce contract dispute with Boston police, Kerry showed zero leadership by weakly dancing the middle ground.
His flirtation with not accepting the nomination as a money ploy was an insult. His insistence on a concert that will squander precious safety resources? Selfish.
2. He promises U.S. acquiescence to foreign interests.
Kerry has pledged to give us ``a new era of alliances.''
Never has the dilution of U.S. sovereignty been so boldly forecast. After all, it was Kerry who boasted that foreign leaders want him to win the presidency.
To Kerry - who once told the Harvard Crimson that U.S. troops should be dispersed ``only at the directive of the United Nations'' - America is but a sliver in some grand, global pie.
3. His wife most certainly hopes to heavily influence the American health-care system.
Teresa Heinz Kerry has used Massachusetts, Vermont, Mississippi and other states as her personal laboratories for health-care policy. That her ``HOPE'' plan for prescription drugs has gone wildly overbudget apparently doesn't matter.
Meanwhile, John Kerry's own health-care plan is littered with ideas and influence drawn from Teresa's hobby-time handiwork.
Consider: First lady Teresa Kerry and U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Together.
For the first time.
On a mission.
4. He will punish companies such as Microsoft for returning huge reserves of cash to investors.
The record Microsoft dividend payout of $32 billion may be large enough to be felt by the U.S. economy. But John Kerry's inclination to repeal the preferential rate on dividends would cause companies to think twice about such action. Dividends are more important than ever to everyday investors.
Betting on stock appreciation alone went out with the Internet bubble. Much like the last Democratic president.
5. He has shirked his responsibilities as a U.S. senator.
Kerry missed 64 percent of Senate roll call votes in 2003, according to Congressional Quarterly, and 87 percent of Senate roll calls through June 2 of this year.

If this is the kind of man you want as the leader of the free world, then go ahead and support John Kerry. But if not, make sure you join in the effort to re-elect President Bush. Volunteer or donate to the Bush campaign. If you have a blog and want to participate, go to Blogs for Bush and sign up for their blogroll and then get yourself on the Wictory Wednesday blogroll.

Vacation is over...

Vacation is over, and now I can get some rest. I spent a few days at a beautiful park here in Maine called Peaks-Kenny, which is on Sebec Lake in Dover-Foxcroft. A great place to camp. They have running water (toilets and showers) , so it's camping with a hint of civilization. Of course, after spending the weekend outside I have come to the conclusion that modern man isn't supposed to spend this much time outside. I have the ultra-swanky LL Bean tent that is designed to keep you dry in inclement weather (it always rains when I go camping) and the ultra-comfy air matress for my sleeping comfort, but when I got home I was exhausted. I got the camping stuff up over the stairs and collapsed in my luxurious bed for four hours, and could have slept longer. Of course, what would camping be without the sunburn (I only sat in the sun for 15 minutes and it was overcast!), and dehyradration.

I did enjoy the time with my wife without the distration of the TV, internet, and cell phone (no reception). And watching Campfire TV is great (most just call it a fire but as the wood chars and the fire blazes there is a real fascination that takes over). I am glad I have returned to civilization. The DVD player is calling to me...

Now on to something a little different. OpinionJournal.com features some commentary on Sandy Berger's "docs-in-socks" incident. President Clinton tries to shrug the comment aside attributing Berger's actions to absentmindedness rather than subterfuge, but for cryin' out loud, he shoved a specific document in his sock. That shows focus, not just using an article of clothing as a filing cabinet. From the piece at Opinion Journal:

Which raises the obvious question: What was in that document that Mr. Berger so badly wanted to keep under his hat, er, trousers? The only way to answer that question is for the Justice Department to release it.

The 9/11 Commission report offers a tease. It records Mr. Berger's objections to at least four proposed attacks on al Qaeda between 1998 and 2000. A footnote on page 500 puts it this way: "In the margin next to Clarke's suggestion to attack al Qaeda facilities in the week before January 1, 2000, Berger wrote 'no.' "

The Clarke in that footnote, of course, is Richard Clarke. He is the author of the document Mr. Berger pinched from the archives, an after-action review of the Clinton Administration's response to al Qaeda's 1999 threats against the U.S. In his own testimony to the Commission, Attorney General John Ashcroft--who has the advantage of having read the document--says that in it Mr. Clarke attributes such success as the Clinton Administration had against al Qaeda to luck rather than skill.

That belies the public line taken by both Mr. Berger and Mr. Clarke, which is no small matter given how critical both have been about the Bush Administration these past few months. Certainly their own credibility is an issue, as is that of Mr. Clinton, who has also claimed that he told Mr. Bush how consumed he was with al Qaeda.

Still, the main public interest here has nothing to do with fixing blame on either Mr. Berger, Mr. Clarke or the Clinton Administration for what they did or did not do pre-9/11. To the contrary, it has to do with the single largest question of this election: How America ought to respond to the terror threat.

While this might mean nothing to Mr. Kean, surely it has some implications for voters in this election. The Bush Administration has been taking knocks for not having made al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden the priority Mr. Berger said it was during the Clinton years. Yet neither Attorney General Ashcroft nor National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice even saw this Clarke report until after the 9/11 terrorists had struck.

Perhaps if they had, America would have been on a more aggressive footing earlier on. At the least, releasing the Clarke after-action report now would provide better context for weighing such ongoing political accusations as the charge that the Bush Administration's concern about Iraq was simply a fantasy of a "neoconservative" cabal.

And former president Bill Clinton thinks that Bush ruined all the advances of his eight year reign in office? I think it is the other way around. President Clinton and those like Berger/Clarke kept the Bush administration from performing their jobs successfully and protecting the people of this country from a terrrorist attack.

Vacation

It is apparently Summer (cloudy and rainy since May) in the state known as Vacationland, so I am going to check out some of the natural wonders that the state of Maine has to offer. Blogging will resume on Monday, July 26th.

Protest Warrior

A guy I work with came across this group, Protest Warrior, on FoxNews.com. These guys are awesome. They go to liberal anti-war and anti-Bush protests and protest against the protestors. Here is the link to their website. Slogans, t-shirts, bumper stickers, information and even posters that can be downloaded and used at protests. They've got it all and they are using it on the left. No longer will only the liberals' voices be heard.

I was surprised to see a couple of local chapters already existing in my dear state of Maine, and more being created daily. Sign me up. Next time the liberals are out protesting in front of the Federal Building, I'll be there with them holding up my conervative signs. For instance:



Nice! Check out the signs section here.

I hope to hear alot about this group in the future. Make sure you check out their website and take some time perusing it.

The Will Of The People

Senator Susan Collins and Senator Olympia Snowe, Republican representatives from Maine, joined with 43 Democrats and one Independent to shoot down the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment that would nationally define marriage as being between one man and one women. I voted for both women because they were Republicans and were going to Washington to represent what the people of Maine wanted, not to follow their own personal agendas. I know, I sometimes look at the political world with rose-colored glasses, thinking that a politician is going represent the will of the people.

On our local news channel, WABI, interviewed Senator Collins and she said that she felt that the matter should be handled by state government rather than federal mandates. The problem I see is this: What do the people of Maine want?

I, along with at least 200 other people at my church sent cards and letters to Senators Snowe and Collins strongly suggesting that they vote in favor of the FMA. That is just our small congregation. There were many others from the Bangor area that contacted our "representatives" urging them to support the FMA. They went with the Democrats and voted against. Maybe my views and those of the people that I know that contacted our senators and wanted the FMA passed were in the minority, but were we? Or did our delegates vote "their" will, and not those of our state?

When the local city council completely bypassed the citizens of our fair city and changed local ordinances to allow a strip club to come in, the people voiced their opinion against their decision, called the city council members urging them to change their minds, and signed petitions. The city council overturned its decision and kept the strip club from opening. When the councilors realized that their will didn't reflect what the people wanted, they aligned themselves with the people that they were elected to represent.

When Senator Collins and Snowe are up for re-election, I probably won't vote for them. Hopefully some strong Republicans will step forward and have enough support to replace these two senators that I feel are Republican in name only.

If you disagree with our senators decision to vote against the FMA contact them and express your disappointment with their decision. It is about the will of the people, not their personal agendas.

Senator Susan Collins
(202) 224-2523

Senator Olympia Snowe
(800) 432-1599

Slublog on Instapundit

The Godfather of the Blogosphere, Glenn Reynolds over at Instapundit, has linked to my buddy Peter's blog (at Instapundit click on "The Gloating Continues") because of a real cool Photoshop workover of Joe Wilson's book. He can retire from the blogosphere knowing that the King of Bloggers linked to him, should he ever desire. (Don't see that happening soon. Still plenty to rant about.) Congratulations!!!!

"At the end of the service, each Marine in attendance marches in front of the rifle, clutches the dog tags and pays his last respect, one at a time."

Excerpts from the latest email from USMC Major David Bellon:

Earlier in the week, we were having a memorial service for another Marine that was lost in an ambush just outside of Baghdad. These services are always very moving as the Marines step out in front of the gathered masses and share their memories of the fallen. It always strikes me how heartfelt and well spoken the Marines are when they talk about their buddies. The stories are vivid and often funny and almost always heartbreaking.

There is always a picture of the Marine and out in front of the gathering is a single rifle stuck into the deck by its bayonet crowned with a helmet. The fallen Marine's dog tags hang from the rifle's handgrip and a pair of boots sit in front of the rifle. At the end of the service, each Marine in attendance marches in front of the rifle, clutches the dog tags and pays his last respect, one at a time.

The final man to speak at this service was our Regimental Commander. Again, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. Of all the commanders that I have seen, I have never seen one that has cultivated more loyalty among his Marines.

He stepped out in front of the Marines and in a very poignant way reminded them that even though their friend and fellow Marine had died at a very young age, he died selflessly, among his brothers and with his honor in tact. The CO spoke of honor briefly and reminded the Marines that it is the one gift that a man gives himself and the one character attribute that makes each man a king. The fallen Marine's buddies should feel proud that the Marine that was lost was so fondly thought of and that even in his young life he was able to give himself the gift of honor. He ended his piece by referencing a recent article in a national publication. The author had gotten himself into a number of insurgent cells from southern Iraq to Baghdad to Fallujah. The author spoke about the terrorists' commitment and motivation to continue their cause. Surprisingly, it was not religion or ideology; it was hate for American and the West. Toward the end of his article, he asked one terrorist what he would do if the Americans were driven from Iraq and went back to America. The terrorist stated after some reflection that he and his men would follow us there....

Regardless of why we came to Iraq, and how much mud will be slung in the upcoming political season, we cannot lose site of the fact that as a nation we are here and we must have the courage and conviction to see this mission through. The burden cannot be carried indefinitely by a few. In the end, our success will be determined by the conviction of the people as a whole and specifically, whether or not they are willing to show some selflessness, put their personal feelings aside and draw together.

It strikes me how short our memories are as a nation. Mike made it by our position tonight and we were wondering out loud how the people and the opinion polls would look if the law enforcement, intelligence community and military had not done such a good job over the past three years of preventing another 9/11? That is, if we would have suffered another tragedy like the one we suffered in 2001, would there be so much second guessing and hand wringing over whether or not what we are doing is right?

I watch men like our Regimental Commander and the company commander who lost his Marines this week and I realize that they do not suffer from the angst of wondering if we are doing the right thing or not. The price of continuing is horrible. The cost of losing is unthinkable.

I think Major Bellon's email speaks for itself. Read the entire letter here.

Fifty Nine Deceits In Farenheit 9-11

Dave Kopel takes apart Farenheit 9-11 in a lengthy article.

Courtesy of Slublog.

Wictory Wednesday

Today is Wictory Wednesday!!! "Kedwards" will ruin this country. Nationalized healthcare, support of gay marriage, raised taxes, and appeasing terrorists and dictators around the world. If you don't like the sound of this, join in the effort to re-elect President Bush. Volunteer or donate to the Bush campaign. If you have a blog and want to participate, go to Blogs for Bush and sign up for their blogroll and then get yourself on the Wictory Wednesday blogroll.

Joe Wilson Is A Liar...And You Won't Hear This On The News

Joe Wilson, who spent so much time and got so much coverage in the major media oulets, is a liar, plain and simple according to The Washington Post and a bi-partisan Senate Intelligence committee.

Former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, dispatched by the CIA in February 2002 to investigate reports that Iraq sought to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program with uranium from Africa, was specifically recommended for the mission by his wife, a CIA employee, contrary to what he has said publicly.

Wilson last year launched a public firestorm with his accusations that the administration had manipulated intelligence to build a case for war. He has said that his trip to Niger should have laid to rest any notion that Iraq sought uranium there and has said his findings were ignored by the White House.

Wilson's assertions -- both about what he found in Niger and what the Bush administration did with the information -- were undermined yesterday in a bipartisan Senate intelligence committee report.

The panel found that Wilson's report, rather than debunking intelligence about purported uranium sales to Iraq, as he has said, bolstered the case for most intelligence analysts. And contrary to Wilson's assertions and even the government's previous statements, the CIA did not tell the White House it had qualms about the reliability of the Africa intelligence that made its way into 16 fateful words in President Bush's January 2003 State of the Union address.

Yesterday's report said that whether Iraq sought to buy lightly enriched "yellowcake" uranium from Niger is one of the few bits of prewar intelligence that remains an open question. Much of the rest of the intelligence suggesting a buildup of weapons of mass destruction was unfounded, the report said.



Kevin Patrick on Blogs for Bush writes:


Now when Joe Wilson had tons of fabricated things to say against the Bush White House he was a media darling, getting top billing on all news shows and evening news programs. How much time do you imagine any of these news shows or evening news programs will spend telling the public that everything they reported was lies?

The Elite Media once again shoots their own credibility in the foot by using any anti-Bush rhetoric in an attempt to discredit President Bush. When are you going to hear Tom, Peter, or Dan report that Joe Wilson fabricated information and is a "publicity seeking liar"? Never, so that is why you are getting it here.

Lileks on Moore

Lileks levels both barrels at Michael Moore and gladly pulls the trigger. Lileks is awesome!!!!

Link courtesy Slublog.

Double Dip Of Double H

A little late night blogging (I know it's not late for some of you, but for me it is). I just finished perusing my weekly dose of Hugh Hewitt. To start, Hugh has a new book out. Despite what Amazon says, apparently the book is shipping now.

The first article I checked out was Hugh's article over at WorldNetDaily.com. All about John Edwards and how poorly qualified he is to be vice president.

So it is John Edwards, Sen. Lightweight. Kerry's slippage in the polls dictated that he pick someone with flash and energy, but this choice won't wear well because the country knows it is wartime, and it knows that John Edwards is no more prepared to run a war than he is to run a small state or a large corporation. He spent four years in the Senate positioning himself to run for president and two years running. That's it. Aside from a talent for persuading juries to award money to injured people, John Edwards brings nothing to the debate except an ability to debate.

Mike Erlandson is the chair of the Democratic Farm-Labor Party in Minnesota. He's very excited. He compares Edwards to Elvis. Great. Another serious American focusing on what it takes to be president when tens of thousands of Islamist fascists want to blow up the Americans they can't behead. Read John Mintz's assessment of the terror targets that the conventions provide in Monday's Washington Post after reading the stories on Edwards' selection. The anti-terror professionals have to be shaking their head. John Kerry could have picked anyone with any smattering of national-security credentials – even Hillary has more than Edwards – and there would be an argument that the veep was ready to step into the office if necessary.

Even Moore disturbing (oops, I mean more) is the Time Magazine piece, "The Making of John Kerry". Read this one in full.

The next dose of Hugh comes from The Weekly Standard. Highlighted in this article is Michael Moore/Tom Daschle coziness, the Argus Leader loosing all objectivity because it is in Daschle's pocket, and how the South Dakota blogs, Dashcle v. Thune, South Dakota Politics, and Sibby Online are going to give the people of South Dakota the real scoop on Daschle's liberal shenanigansns and help propel John Thune to victory in that state.

The influence of blogging on politics is nowhere more obvious than in South Dakota. Tom Daschle has long sold himself as a moderate to South Dakota voters, and has done so with the assistance of a very friendly local press. But now thelocals get the news via a stream of serious reporters trawling the national press and internet sites for the real news on the hyper-partisan Daschle. The result is that, for the first time in Daschle's political life, he will have to run on his record, not on what he presents as his record.

Wictory Wednesday

I am proud to announce that I have joined Wictory Wednesday in an effort to defeat Kerry/Edwards or as I call them "Kedwards" (of course we remember Bennifer and this is its newest incarnation) and re-elect President Bush. To make sure this happens you need to volunteer or donate to the Bush campaign. If you have a blog and want to participate, go to Blogs for Bush and sign up for their blogroll and then get yourself on the Wictory Wednesday blogroll as well.

Blogs For Bush

Blogs For Bush is making a push to make sure that the voice of the bloggers are heard in the November election. If you are currently on the Blogs for Bush blogroll and you get an email asking you to sign up to be part of an offensive to rapidly respond to news stories that get limited attention in the mainstream media and maximize the number of bloggers who blog about them, highlight books that support the Pres, and tell the real truth about John Kerry, reply to the email and get on board. If you have a blog or are thinking about starting a blog and support the President, go to Blogs For Bush and sign up to be added to their blogroll.

From the email:

"Will blogs have an impact on this election? Yes, Blogs Can."

Zarqawi Threatened

A group of Iraqis have threatened to kill Zarqawi if he did not immediately leave Iraq. The "Salvation Movement" accused Zarqawi of attacking innocent people and defiling the Muslim religion, citing the misuse of Islam to attack government officials and beheading foreigners.

The Iraqi people are starting to take ownership of their country and are saying that they are no longer going to tolerate insurgents who really have no legitimate right to be in Iraq attacking the military and killing civilians. Good for them.

Spider-Man 2

If you are going to the movies this weekend, you have to see Spider-Man 2. The second installment of Spidey is even better than the first. The script is well written, weaving intricate storytelling with great humor. The screen story is brought to us by Gough and Millar, who write for the Smallville WB series. No wonder the movie is so good. Doc Ock is an incredible villain and is well played by Alfred Molina. Though the fight scenes are CGI, they look great and the battles are so epic that you don't care if they are computer animated.

This movie is flawless. I haven't been this impressed with a movie since The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

A New Low

Just when I was thinking that Zarqawi and his boys couldn't sink any more into the mire of cowardice, they find a way. They are now attempting to kidnap an American female service member to further horrify the U.S. What is it going to take to hunt this guy down the put a bullet in him?

Zarqawi is the most wanted man in Iraq, with a $10 million U.S. reward for his capture or death. The Jordanian-born international terrorist has made killing Americans and their allies his chief goal as a way to prevent Iraq from moving to a moderate democratic state.

The defense source said Zarqawi's network apparently wants to further shock the Western world by kidnapping servicewomen and displaying them on videotape. Part of the terrorists' strategy is to cause so much bloodshed that President Bush loses public support for the war and is forced politically to bring the troops home.

The good news is that the U.S. is aware of Zarqawi's plans are attempting to thwart them and protect the 11,000 women of the Armed Forces serving in Iraq.