Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

Rumsfeld may have the detainee problem solved.

I wonder how many leftist volunteers we’ll get?

Bill Whittle has written some really good things, most of which will soon be released in book form (buy it!). His two latest essays, Strength, clarify some of the reasons this war on jihadis must be seen to conclusion. He talks about the cultural imperatives of Islam, and the mentality of the enemy we face:

Honor and shame trump everything in that world. A pithy sentence, eh? So instead, think about what it would take for you to kill your own daughter with a knife, with your bare hands, because she was seen in the company of a man not her husband or a relative? Think about that. Think long and hard. What kind of hatred and shame could drive a human being to do such a thing? What kind of pressures does that society bring to bear on an individual to make him capable of that? How different is their view of women, of family, of honor and shame? What would it take for you to murder your daughter with a knife, or a knotted cord–with your own two hands and against her pleading, her protestations, and her begging for her life? If your response wasn?t “there is nothing that could make me do that,” then stop reading right here and get the hell off my property.

Honor? More like “I better do something or the neighbors will begin to talk.” And the thing Americans have difficulty in realizing is that the neighbors will talk! And they will expect someone to kill his own daughter. And liberals seem to think this is okay. “Who are we to judge their culture?”

How many young girls have been killed by their fathers in this country for getting pregnant? I’m not talking about simply being seen in public with a male. I mean pregnant. This was a mark of shame for many years, although the “shame” part of that is overblown in retrospect. People went on with their lives. I’m sure some father somewhere probably did murder his daughter in that situation. In this country and our culture, he would have been prosecuted, and probably convicted. In the Islamic culture, he is expected to act this way.

This is who we would like to see prevail?

Reporters and many people in this country are quick to believe anything bad about our military. In particular, reporters have been pounding on the doings at Abu Ghraib ad nauseum in hopes of uncovering this war’s My Lai.

From the first, the reports coming in about the US attack on a wedding party in western Iraq were given instant credibility. Media types were quick to attribute this attack to the military (“poor dears, they didn’t know any better”) not realizing that the people shooting at them were actually shooting in the air in celebration. Wretchard has been on top of this from the beginning. Now, this offers more clarification of the situation.

I understand each news organization wanting to break a story. I simply wish they would not automatically assume the worst of our troops. We have a far better record than anyone else in the world, at any point in history you care to choose.

Thanks, Oda Mae!

I’ve been busy today. Meetings this morning, and and the first round of the Army Aviation Association of America golf tournament this afternoon. The standard 40+ MPH wind beat me up badly today. But the enchiladas and fajitas afterwards were pretty good.

No time to really catch up on the news of the day, but Rob has a pretty good wrap-up of the Chalabi case.

I’m sorry I missed Mansoor Ijaz’s appearance this morning. He is the top analyst for events in the Muslim world, and has better contacts than anyone else.

Chalabi, the darling of the State Department, is toast. Read Rob’s post for the best info. If I can find something by Ijaz, I’ll certainly link to it.

Contractors offering bids for some construction work I’ve got on the plate all tell me their quotes are tentative due to the cost of steel. What they are dealing with is a pricing structure from their vendors that changes daily. Steel continues to get more expensive each day. China is buying all the steel they can, and that drives the cost.

This morning’s radio news talked about the cost of concrete, and shortages in Florida particularly. The report also cites higher costs for plywood. Again, China was mentioned. But this time as a supplier of concrete rather than consumer.

I did a quick Google search for China Construction to see if I could find the reason for all this, but nothing jumped right out. I know they are building a huge dam, but would that cause these items to shortfall? I doubt it, and I also doubt the Cinese government has suddenly become altruistic and is building new housing for it’s billion-plus population.

There’s more to the story here, but the reporter either couldn’t or didn’t want to explore it further. Sitting here in my cubicle, I can’t do much more than wonder.

President Speaks to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee:

I’m told there are over 850 students here from 50 states. (Applause.) Make sure the Texas students behave well. (Laughter.) Your mothers are watching. (Laughter.)

This President can say powerful things well. Yet he can put people at ease, as well. I just can’t picture John Kerry saying something like that.

The speech was focused on the relationship with Israel, but covered broader territory:

My resolve is firm. (Applause.) The resolve of the American people is solid. Our military is skilled, spirits are high. They are determined to succeed. We understand the stakes are high for America and for the world. We will not be intimidated by thugs and assassins. We will win this essential important victory in the war on terror. (Applause.)

The speech is very much worth a read.

I just checked the Hamas website and found this:

The website has been downed for a short period because of DDoS attacks against our server. Special request to any Muslim living in a Muslim country to inform with his/her ISP if they have the facilities to host our site, Muslims not living in Muslim countries are also welcome to try inform about freedom of speech policy with their ISP hosts and to setup mirror accounts, web hosting space where we could place mirrors to make sure the site stays up. Anyone else supporting our cause are also welcome to do the same.

I wonder why they need an ISP that has a “freedom of speech” policy? I thought that’s what they wanted to deny everyone else.