Support for your gasbag

In the spirit of the political season, I have been contemplating gasbags.

Purely in a Naval sense, of course.

How I Voted & Why

Cross posted at OPFOR. I'm not usually one for essays, that's my boy Grim's department, but in this case I felt one was warranted.

Election day for me actually came a few weeks ago, I voted absentee in the Virginia Senate election.

Bottom line up front, I voted for George Allen. Here's why.

Since 9/11, my political views have become laser focused on security. I don't hate Democrats and I don't think that they're bad folks. I've even voted for a few of em, like Mark Warner and his successor Tim Kaine for Governor of Virginia.

But this election, like in 2004, my vote went to the party that demonstrated the highest committment to the national defense. Democrats, for all their passion, seemed to have lost their way in national security. Their opposition to the President has taken a higher priority than defeating our enemies, a political shift that I find inexcusable.

I cannot entrust my vote to a party that I cannot entrust with the protection of the American people.

Looking back, it wasn't Democratic opposition to the Patriot Act or their calls to withdraw from Iraq. It wasn't their demands that the NSA cease and desist their monitoring of Al Qaeda communications into the United States or their fight to shut down our detainee facility at Gitmo. It wasn't even their insistance that we grant trials in US courts to terrorists captured in Afghanistan. It was their abadonment of Joe Lieberman that hammered the final nail into their coffin.

There's still a fighting spirit in the Democrats, the moderate pro-victory camp does exist. The problem is that the current balance of power lies in the hands of the folks who abadoned Lieberman soley for the sin of supporting the war in Iraq.

That makes me nervous, and nervous is an emotion that I shouldn't be feeling when it comes to defense. Especially in this brave new world. I challenge all voters on Tuesday to ask themselves: can the Democrats do better? With the economy and the defense? If so, what exactly will they do different? A vote for a Democrat is a for what?

Make the right decision on Tuesday folks, too much lies in the balance.

Also went off on a little historical segue in the post, but I think this satisfies my basic point. In short, I'm the type of voter that Democrats should be fighting to embrace, yet they're pushing me away. I sincerely hope another electoral defeat with force them to look inward, instead of blaming voting machines and Karl Rove.

Get a Rope

Saddam sentenced to hang; celebrations erupt in Baghdad.

Valour-IT Auctions

Ever need a flight suit? Or one of those snazzy coin thingies, or a poster, or a signed copy of Lex's "Rhythms" serial?

The auctioning is going hot and heavy, and Navy's section is here. We're donating the stuff, and it's all for a good cause. Might be more items to come, too.

Stolen Valor Update

Michelle Malkin has an update/recap on an apparent "stolen valor" story we've mentioned here before.

All credit to Gateway Pundit for the real work on this one. Check out his post on a real hero, too.

The Left fell for Jesse MacBeth, they fell for Jonathan Hutto, they've fallen for Josh Lansdale, too.

It's called gullibility - that's what really happens when you don't study hard in school.

More: Dan Kennings, Jeff Englehart, Jeremy Hinzman, Jimmy Massey, Micah Wright, Janis Karpinski's dead soldiers

As for how real soldiers are treated by leftists: dead soldiers, wounded soldiers, living and dead soldiers, still more soldiers...

The rest, of course, are all uneducated thugs committing atrocities.