G.I. Joe's face came from a true American hero, Sgt. Mitchell Paige. Paige won the Medal of Honor for his actions on Guadalcanal, 65 years ago this week.

When Hasbro asked to use his likeness, his only condition was that G.I. Joe must always remain a United States Marine. Hollywood wants to make a live-action movie based on G.I. Joe, but they don't think it will sell well overseas, so they're going to call him "Action Man."

Making him a metrosexual isn't enough; apparently red-blooded American fighting men frighten overseas moviegoers, too…

"G.I. Joe is now a Brussels-based outfit that stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, an international co-ed force of operatives who use hi-tech equipment to battle Cobra, an evil organization headed by a double-crossing Scottish arms dealer."

Well, thank goodness the villain — no need to offend anyone by making our villains Arabs, Muslims, or foreign dictators of any stripe these days, though apparently Presbyterians who talk like Scottie on "Star Trek" are still OK — is a double-crossing arms dealer. Otherwise one might be tempted to conclude the geniuses at Paramount believe arms dealing itself is evil.

Read the whole story, by Vin Suprynowicz, at the Las Vegas Review Journal.

British schools are going to avoid teaching about the Holocaust or the Crusades. Why? Because some mosques teach that the Holocaust didn't happen, and a different version of the events of the Crusades… and the once-proud British empire now wets its panties at the thought of offending some Muslims.

"Why bother to rewrite history when you can just avoid teaching it altogether?" Get pissed off at The Other Side of Kim du Toit.

William Shakespeare's witches in Macbeth had the famous lines:

Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

I couldn't find the nutritional information, but it sounds low-carb.

(from www.TheSconce.com) 

Several months ago Jeff suffered three new fractures of his vertebrae. This has caused him severe and constant pain and he has been unable to do anything but concentrate on pain relief — this is why there have been no Commentaries since Vol. 14, No. 4, April/May, 2006.

The doctors suggested kyphoplasty, a procedure to separate the spine at the fracture sites and relieve the pain — unfortunately, this does not normally work on old fractures, or it would have been done a long time ago. Jeff went into the hospital with the goal of getting prepped for having this procedure done, but the doctors pronounced that he is not strong enough to have it done. As it stands now, Jeff has a partially collapsed lung and has been on oxygen for several months, and additionally his heart is now showing signs of distress.

On Wednesday 13 Sept, Jeff came home from the hospital and hospice care has been arranged to assist Janelle and the family with Jeff's care. While Jeff is alert and in good spirits it is likely he will will not be out of bed much in the future. Right now everyones' focus is on keeping him as comfortable as possible. While phone calls are not a good idea, cards and short letters for both Jeff and Janelle would be greatly appreciated. The family has asked that flowers not be sent.

You can send cards and letters to them at:
    Jeff Cooper
    2950 W Gunsite Rd
    Paulden AZ 86334-4301
    USA

***New Update - Col. Cooper has passed away. Details are here.

Over the next few days, my family will be praying for the family and friends of Ruth Sheila Lapin.

Ruth was a resident of East Windsor, NJ, and was 53 years old when she was killed by terrorists at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. She was a senior business analyst at Baseline Financial Services.

From one of her friends: "Ruth knew how to have a good time. She appreciated the power of a witty remark and a good laugh. She had a unique spirit that doesn't come along frequently and a deep love for her children. Ruth was a person who left a lasting impression on you. She enjoyed her life."

Rest in peace, Ruth - we will never forget. 

The 2996 Project

Seriously! 

Well, it was back in 1945, but it's a true story.

Katrina demonstrated the best and worst in people. Unfortunately, the worst were the people in charge.

The best were the people whose names we will never know.

– Rich Galen — Mullings 

I heard someone on the radio a few days ago that applauded President Bush's finally using the term "Islamo-Fascism," instead of "War on Terror." He pointed out that terror is a way of waging war, and that we didn't fight the War on Blitzkrieg in WWII, we fought the Germans. 

Please note the definition of fascism:

A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.

We're not in danger of Muslims in general, but there is definitely a clear and present danger from those who practice Islam in very specific ways and demand that everyone do so, or die. 

So, Muslims are okay. But since we believe strongly in freedom — not only for Americans but for all people, Islamo-fascists must desist or be destroyed. 

And as a footnote, I just changed the category "War on Terror" to "War on Islamo-Fascism" here at Acme Anvil Co.

Sign up today to help memorialize the 2,996 people killed during the 9/11 attacks. I'll be featuring Ruth Sheila Lapin, who was killed at the World Trade Center. 

Sign Up Here

After helping to create the atomic bomb at the Los Alamos, New Mexico, facility, many of the scientists and engineers remained in the area, leading to the creation of America's first Federal Nerd Sanctuary.

Read the rest at IMAO. 

Swiped from Here

I've seen lots of comparisons of the political climate of the US now and during WWII, but Thomas Sowell knocks it out of the park, as usual. Read the article at Townhall.com.

7-7-05