I want to say coming out of the chute on this that I am very heartsick for the families of the latest two soldiers killed in Iraq.  I won’t dwell on their brutal deaths, enough other people are doing that. What I am concerned about is the reactions.

There are a lot of conflicting emotions that people are going thorugh on this.  I have seen reactions from the simple heartfelt comments of a friend of mine in my comments to the blistering calls for retaliation I read in another blogger’s trackbacks.  Obviously I consider one a bit more appropriate then the other.

As another of my commentors has said noted, this kind of brutality thing tends to inflame even the pacifist into action.

But it does once again illustrate just how differently we and the terrorists see conflict.  Our goal is to have the terrorists stop, either by capture (preferred) or death (acceptable).  There goal is just for us to die.  There is no effort made to capture the enemy (us) and hold us in camps, our people, whether contractors, soldiers or reporters are just slaughter victims.

Let’s also be clear, and this is brutal but true:  In the end death is death, and it is normally pointless to debate the moral superiority the method.  In other words, asking "Was it more humane to drop a bomb on Zarqawi’s head then it was for them to behead these two soldiers?" leads us into a kind of moral relevency that has no practical benefit.  And even if we did make that comparison, and if we all agree they are cruelanimals, I don’t feel comfortable suggesting we can take the gloves off now and nuke Mecca, or to make Gitmo into a killing field.

Part of my beliefs aer that we do as a rule hold our actions to a higher standard.

Jerhad.com and Sister Toldjah have the story about one of the greatest moments in ML Baseball, when Rick Monday of the Chicago Cubs made this play:

Best Play in Baseball History: Rick Monday Saves the Flag

CLICK HERE FOR FULL VIDEO

(Just added- Youtube link to a short clip of the above video)

The story continues today.

Itinerary for the Florida Special Mission: Rick Monday Flag Ride

** The Patriot Express **

On April 25, 2006 there was a flag flown by the 101st Airborne Medvac unit in Iraq, to pay honor to Rick Monday, a Marine Corps veteran, who committed an unselfish act of Patriotism in 1976 on a ball field as protesters were about to burn our American flag. The flag that was flown in Iraq was sent to Mrs. Monday in hopes that she would forward it to her husband as a token of his support for his beloved country.  To pick up this very flag in Florida and take it to Los Angeles, California to Dodger stadium to present it to Rick in a post-game ceremony on 4th of July, preceding the 4th celebration.

Yes, I understand all the arguments about flag burning, and freedom of speech and all that.  In the present discussions of the good and bad of patriotism, I am sure many people are disdainful of such blind patriotism, such reverence to the flag.

To them it must seem like a pointless excercise, the worship of a scrap of colored cloth. 

My view is that all of my life, at school, at church (yes at church), and in the military, I have learned to show respect and reverence to the flag of the United States and in my home, we show respect to the flag, not for any intrinsic holy elements in the flag itself.  It is a flag, not the Shroud of Turin.  It is what the flag represents, the values and ideals of America, that which makes our country great that I respect.

And as this clip shows, this is not a new thing, this has been the prevailing attitude for generations.

Sadly updated

Killed (see below)

Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston

Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore.

LSU extends heartfelt condolences to the families.

Michelle Malkin has the complete story:

They were "barbarically" killed, according to the Washington Post. Allah has more–and notes that the next of kin have yet to be notified. Keep them in your prayers.

She has more, but this is the relevent part. I will blog later about my feelings on this, as well as the growing reaction to the story.

I will note that one of the men’s uncles is now complaining the US did not have a plan to rescue them, and did not offer 100 million to ransom them.   I don’t have a pretty answer for him.  If the above report is true, ransom does not seem like it was a possibility.  But it is too late now, and we shall never know.

I hope he and the other families find comfort and peace in their time of loss.

Ever since the SCOTUS nominations we have been hearing the liberals grumble about the anticipated reversal of Roe v Wade.  While I have blogged previously why I do not think a reversal of Roe is imminent, the nay sayers have painted lurid tales of back room abortions and grim visions of young girls braving disgusting conditions to avoid bearing the child of a rapist. 

Ted Kennedy even managed to make abortion a part of the Immigration debate and the English language debate, a hat trick in political terms by lumping 3 separate issues into one.

The truth is they could be right.  I know in the case of late term abortion the public sentiment is strongly opposed to it, as well as in the cases involving parental notification.  That one I can understand.  It seems fairly ignorant that a girl in this state, for example, can get an abortion without permission or notification of her parents, but cannot get her ears pierced without a signed consent and a parent in attendance.

The law banning abortion that was passed in South Dakota back in March is being closely watched, and is obviously considered to be the Abortion Litmus Test of the new court.  Will they uphold the venerable Roe Wade decision?  Or will they lift a finger to stare decisis and overturn it? 

To be fair, Roe Wade is by almost all evaluations a terrible decision, but even the bad has the power of precedent now.  But, also to be fair, stare decisis is also a lousy excuse to keep a law on the books.  To fall back on "stand by that which is decided" is nice, but how many people today would be happy falling back on stare decisis when Dred Scott is considered?  The decision to overturn a ruling is a cautious one, but not without possibility or reversal, or even a feeling of necessity to do so.

So why did I bore you with all that?

Well keeping all that considered, did you know that the Lousiana Legislature has just passed a law banning all abortions, except in the case of the life of the mother?  This includes rape and incest. 

Rep Cynthia "Checkpoint" Mckinney has beaten the rap.

The Grand Jury has declined to indict her for the alleged assault on a police officer several months ago.

From CNN:

A grand jury has declined to indict Rep. Cynthia McKinney who was accused of punching a Capitol Police officer in March.

The grand jury’s decision ends the investigation into the incident, according to U.S. Attorney Kenneth Wainstein.

Interesting.  Didn’t the prosecutor going after Delay have to present the charges to many grand juries before getting an indictment?

The March 29 altercation occurred at a security checkpoint in a congressional office building after officer Paul McKenna, a three-year veteran of the force, failed to recognize the six-term Georgia Democrat and tried to stop her from bypassing a metal detector.

Members of Congress are allowed to go around the detectors. However, they are supposed to wear pins that identify them as representatives or senators. McKinney acknowledged she was not wearing her pin.

According to an incident report filed by Capitol Police last month, McKinney "physically assaulted" McKenna, hitting him in the chest with a "closed fist."

After hearing testimony from at least four congressional aides who saw the incident, the grand jury declined to return an indictment, according to a statement issued by the U.S. Attorney’s office.

No further details were given. Grand jury proceedings generally are kept secret.

McKinney said Friday that she was "relieved that this unfortunate incident is behind me."

"I accept today’s grand jury finding of ‘no probable cause’ as right and just and the proper resolution of the case," she said in a statement.

Convenient in that it gets you off the hook.

Wainstein said he respected the grand jury’s decision.

"We ask the U.S. Capitol Police to protect our Capitol and to do so in a way that minimizes disruption and makes all feel welcome," Wainstein said in a statement.

"This is a tremendously difficult job, and it is one that officer McKenna and his colleagues perform with the utmost professionalism and dignity."