No, not the batteries, but anti war Democrat party members,and their fellow travellers…
The DANE pointed out this great piece by Mackubin Thomas Owens in the NRO Online:
The book, Copperheads: The Rise an Fall of Lincoln’s Opponents in the North, by journalist-turned-academic-historian Jennifer Weber, shines the spotlight on the “Peace Democrats,” who did everything they could to obstruct the Union war effort during the Rebellion.
Weber demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt that the actions of the Copperheads materially damaged the ability of the Lincoln administration to prosecute the war. Weber persuasively refutes the view of earlier historians such as the late Frank Klement, who argued that what Lincoln called the Copperhead “fire in the rear” was mostly “a fairy tale,” a “figment of Republican imagination,” made up of “lies, conjecture and political malignancy.” The fact is that Peace Democrats actively interfered with recruiting and encouraged desertion. Indeed, they generated so much opposition to conscription that the Army was forced to divert resources from the battlefield to the hotbeds of Copperhead activity in order to maintain order. Many Copperheads actively supported the Confederate cause, materially as well as rhetorically.
It is certain that the Union soldiers tired of hearing from the Copperheads that the Rebels could not be defeated. They surely tired of being described by the Copperheads as instruments of a tyrannical administration trampling the legitimate rights of the Southern states. The soldiers seemed to understand fairly quickly that the Copperheads preferred Lincoln’s failure to the country’s success. They also recognized that the Copperheads offered no viable alternative to Lincoln’s policy except to stop the war. Does any of this sound familiar?
Gateway Pundit also has a great piece on the similaities of the Copperhead movement:
On Aug. 29, 1864, the Democratic National Convention assembled in Chicago, Ill., The Democratic Party Platform presented a plan of “Compromise with the South”, which became known as “The Chicago Platform”. They nominated General McClellan for the Presidency on the following declaration of principles:
Resolved… that in the future, as in the past, we will adhere with unswerving fidelity to the Union under the Constitution, as the only solid foundation of our strength, security, and happiness as a people, and as a framework of government equally conducive to the welfare and prosperity of all the States, both Northern and Southern.
Resolved… that this convention does explicitly declare, as the sense of the American people, that after four years of failure to restore the Union by the experiment of war, during which, under the pretence of military necessity, or war power higher than the Constitution, the Constitution itself has been disregarded in every part, and public liberty and private right alike trodden down, and the material prosperity of the country essentially impaired, justice, humanity, liberty, and the public welfare demand that immediate efforts be made for a cessation of hostilities, with a view to an ultimate convention of the States or other peaceable means, to the end that at the earliest practicable moment peace may be restored on the basis of the federal Union of the States.
Resolved… that the direct interference of the military authorities of the United States in the recent elections held in Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, and Delaware, was a shameful violation of the Constitution, and a repetition of such acts in the approaching election will be held as revolutionary, and resisted with all the means and power under our control.
Resolved… that the aim and object of the Democratic party are to preserve the federal Union and the rights of the States unimpaired ; and they hereby declare that they consider the administrative usurpation of extraordinary and dangerous powers not granted by the Constitution; the subversion of the civil by the military laws in States not in insurrection; the arbitrary military arrest, imprisonment, trial, and sentence of American citizens in States where civil law exists in full force; the suppression of freedom of speech and of the press; the denial of the right of asylum; the open and avowed disregard of State rights; the employment of unusual test oaths, and the interference with and denial of the right of the people to bear arms in their defense, as calculated to prevent a restoration of the Union and the perpetuation of a government deriving its just powers from the consent of the governed.
The democratic party was not fit to run this country in 1864. And, the democratic party is not fit to run this country in 2006, either.
It’s time to call the a spade a spade (if I can say that without having to publically apologize, and go to rehab), and call the anti-war on terror Democrat Party members and the looney left what they are: Copperheads.
Wikipedia: The Copperheads were a faction of Democrats in the North who opposed the American Civil War, wanting an immediate peace settlement with the Confederates. The name Copperheads was given to them by their opponents the Republicans, probably derived from the venomous snake (the American copperhead) that strikes without warning — Copperheads reinterpreted this insult as a term of honor, and wore copper liberty-head coins as badges. They were also called “Peace Democrats” and “Butternuts“. The most famous Copperhead was Ohio’s Clement L. Vallandigham, who was a vehement opponent of Lincoln’s policies.
Wow.
First, on an artistic and techincal level, this is the finest merging of CGI and live action I have seen to date, and sets the bar high for future competitors. I would recommend this movie for the sheer spectacle, if for no other reason. Visually, the film is wonderfully detailed and imagined, and almost feels like a Boris Vallejo painting come to life.
*SPOILER ALERT*: Last night, leaving the theater, I think I heard the only person alive that didn’t know they story, actually admit that to a friend. In case you, too, are totally ignorant of this event, READ NO FURTHER.
The story itself is a retelling (though it is dangerously close to a ‘reimagining‘) of the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans, and some 4000 other greeks from various citiy-states, battled the host of Xerxes, king of the Persian Empire, in 480 B.C. While the Persians eventually won the day, through shear force of numbers, the moral victory for the Greeks was enormous, and the Persian army was finally defeated in 479 B.C. at Platea, and forced to return home. This loss was a psychic wound for Xerxes and Persia, and the empire began it’s decline, until it was conquered by Alexander the Great, and his Greek army, in 333 B.C.
Frank Miller’s take on the story makes some rather interesting changes. The Spartan’s, while still the masters of battle, and hard men and women that they truly were remains intact, he completely wipes away the Helot’s, and their contribution to Spartan society. It was the lab or of the Helot’s (much like a medieval Serf) that enabled Spartan citizens to devote themselves to the art of war. The clearest example of Millers changes is the test of manhood that Leonidas faces. In reality, the test included the undetected murder of a helot, not a wild animal. Miller’s Spartans are both the ideal warrior, and lovers of freedom and liberty.
The Persians, in contrast, become even darker and more alien to the Greeks than they really were. Accompanied by mishapen and misfigured creatures, as well as wild beasts, and twisted bodies. And more jewelry, studs, ring, and piercings than a San Francisco Gay Pride parade.
But the feeling and thrust (sorry) of the story is the same as the history is retells. A small group of men, holding the line, bleeding the enemy, to buy time for their people, and strike a blow against darkness, and tyranny.
One warning though, for younger folks, and the squemish. This film does not make any attempt to make any attempt to mask the effects or battle in the days of spear, sword, and arrow. Blood flies with abandon.
Former Senator, and former -and once again - Actor Fred Thompson is considering tossing his hat into the Presidential ring.
I have no opinion as to whether Fred is serious about running for President (though I believe he has played one on TV or in a movie), or is just trying to get himself into the VP pool.
While he has the conservative credentials, and the face/name value that would serve him well, I do not think he can realistically compete with Rudy or Mitt Romney for the top spot. He is NOT the next Ronald Reagan, at least in that sense.
He could very well be the next Vice President, though. Combining his previously noted positives, with his Southern roots, would make him a wonderful balance for either Rudy or Mitt.
No change to the official prediction yet, as Fred has not done more than toe the water to this point.
Stay tuned!
Courtesy of MEMRI.ORG, we have excerpts of a poem titled “When”, by Saudi author and journalist Wajeha Al-Huwaider:
“When you cannot find a single garden in your city, but there is a mosque on every corner - you know that you are in an Arab country…
“When you see people living in the past with all the trappings of modernity - do not be surprised, you are in an Arab country.
“When religion has control over science - you can be sure that you are in an Arab country.
“When clerics are referred to as ’scholars’ - don’t be astonished, you are in an Arab country.
“When you see the ruler transformed into a demigod who never dies or relinquishes his power, and whom nobody is permitted to criticize - do not be too upset, you are in an Arab country.
“When you find that the large majority of people oppose freedom and find joy in slavery - do not be too distressed, you are in an Arab country.
“When you hear the clerics saying that democracy is heresy, but [see them] seizing every opportunity provided by democracy to grab high positions [in the government] - do not be surprised, you are in an Arab country…
“When monarchies turn into theocracies, and republics into hybrids of monarchy and republic - do not be taken aback, you are in an Arab country.
“When you find that the members of parliament are nominated [by the ruler], or else that half of them are nominated and the other half have bought their seats through bribery… - you are in an Arab country…
“When you discover that a woman is worth half of what a man is worth, or less - do not be surprised, you are in an Arab country…
“When you see that the authorities chop off a man’s hand for stealing a loaf of bread or a penny, but praise and glorify those who steal billions - do not be too surprised, you are in an Arab country…
“When you are forced to worship the Creator in school and your teachers grade you for it - you can be sure that you are in an Arab country…
“When young women students are publicly flogged merely for exposing their eyes - you are in an Arab country…
“When a boy learns about menstruation and childbirth but not about his own [body] and [the changes] it undergoes in puberty - roll out your prayer mat and beseech Allah to help you deal with your crisis, for you are in an Arab country…
“When land is more important than human beings - you are in an Arab country…
“When covering the woman’s head is more important than financial and administrative corruption, embezzlement, and betrayal of the homeland - do not be astonished, you are in an Arab country…
“When minorities are persecuted and oppressed, and if they demand their rights, are accused of being a fifth column or a Trojan horse - be upset, you are in an Arab country…
“When women are [seen as] house ornaments which can be replaced at any time - bemoan your fate, you are in an Arab country.
“When birth control and family planning are perceived as a Western plot - place your trust in Allah, you are in an Arab country…
“When at any time, there can be a knock on your door and you will be dragged off and buried in a dark prison - you are in an Arab country…
“When fear constantly lives in the eyes of the people - you can be certain that you are in an Arab country.”
Deep Storm starts with an interesting premise: A physician is brought to a deep sea oil rig to investigate a rash of medical problems. When he arrives, he is told that the actual site is on the ocean floor, and that they project has discovered the remains of Atlantis. Shortly after arriving at the site, and the full and real story begins to reveal itself of what they have found, the book begins a breakneck pace.
Like my last review, I picked this book up in the airport, on my way outbound. I probably would have purchased it anyway, as I have read one of Child’s previous novels (Utopia), and most of his collaborations with Douglas Preston (starting with Relic), so it was not really an impulse buy.
All in all, it was a pleasurable read, and I finished it (well, except for about 40 pages that I got through at home) on the trip. Not a light read, but fun, and keeps you interested.
Child shows some great characterization, and a change from what has become the gratuitous “quick blossoming relationship with obligatory sex scene” that is in almost EVERY book these days.
A fun read that keeps up a good level of suspense, and throws in a few surprises.
Small Dead Animals points out that:
POPE IS WARNED OF A GREEN ANTICHRIST
An arch-conservative cardinal chosen by the Pope to deliver this year’s Lenten meditations to the Vatican hierarchy has caused consternation by giving warning of an Antichrist who is “a pacifist, ecologist and ecumenist”.
Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, 78, who retired as Archbishop of Bologna three years ago, quoted Vladimir Solovyov (1853-1900), the Russian philosopher and mystic, as predicting that the Antichrist “will convoke an ecumenical council and seek the consensus of all the Christian confessions”.
The “masses” would follow the Antichrist, “with the exception of small groups of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants” who would fight to prevent the watering down and ultimate destruction of the faith, he said.
Cardinal Biffi said that Christianity stood for “absolute values, such as goodness, truth, beauty”. If “relative values” such as “solidarity, love of peace and respect for nature” became absolute, they would encourage “idolatry” and “put obstacles in the way of salvation”.
And to support the argument:
Hmmm. Do the ASCII values of the letters “al gore” add to 666?
Todays food for thought 
Back in High School, in Western Civilization class (back before Western Civ was a BAD thing), when learning about the conditions that led to the Protestant Reformation (yes kids, Martin Luther was a person, not just an informal name for Martin Luther King).
One of the things that Luther was upset about was the selling of Indulgences.
Now, from a striclty Capitalist viewpoint, I can see Indulgences as a stroke of genius. One of the basic things that makes Capitalism work, is a flow of goods. People with an abundance of one thing sell or trade it to people who don’t have enough of that thing, but have too much of something else. IN this case, it was SIN.
Sinners could purchase and indulgence from the church, who theoretically had no sin, and a surplus of good acts available to sell. Sinners got absolution, and the church gained money, property, goods, whatever.
So you could be a truly vile person, and still be assured of getting to heaven, if you had the cash or other goods to trade to the church for absolution.
Today, the Church of the Global Warming has reinstituted the Indulgence. They call it Carbon Offsets.
With Carbon Offsets, I could, if I were, let’s say, a forcibly retired Vice President, jet around the country in a private jet, ride in limos and SUVs, and have a huge house complex that uses 20x the average amount of utilities for a home in America, and still declare myself Carbon Neutral.
And, like the old Church, the Ponitff of the Church of Global Warming, AlGore I, is getting a piece of the pie, becuase he buys his Carbon Offsets from a company Generation Invesment Management, of which Gore is Chairman. As Bill Hobbs notes:
Gore is chairman of the firm and, presumably, draws an income or will make money as its investments prosper. In other words, he “buys” his “carbon offsets” from himself, through a transaction designed to boost his own investments and return a profit to himself. To be blunt, Gore doesn’t buy “carbon offsets” through Generation Investment Management - he buys stocks.
Of course, this is all the worse, because, like Indulgences, there is a growing tide of realization that Carbon Offsets are little more than wishful thinking and promises. For some “lite” reading, check out this report at Carbon Trade Watch:
Carbon Offsets are nothing more, at their heart, than a transfer of wealth from the rich and guilty, to hucksters and charlatans. The unfortunate thing is that, unlike Indulgences, which fleeced sinners who had niether the time or inclination to truly make amends for their lifestyles, Carbon Offsets will fleece more than a bunch of Hollywood mental lightweights. It will also fleece numerous well meaning people, who truly think they are helping the planet.
There is a basic rule of capitalism that you should never pay someone for something intanglible, with no way to prove its value. You may as well stuff you mattress with the money.
Instead of buying carbon offsets, change your lightbulbs to CFLs (and LED bulbs coming soon). Wash most laundry in cold water. Turn off TVs and set computers ot Sleep or Hinernate when not in use.
And if you really want to put your money up front, invest in companies installing Wind Farms, or Nuclear Power, or other Clean technologies… But don;t be fooled into buying Indulgences.
Where is the Global Warming Martin Luther when we need him?