While many Americans might not be aware of it, today, May 8, is still known as V-E Day.

That's Victory in Europe.

Yay!

Yes, 62 years ago today, President Truman proclaimed victory in Europe.

In Russia, it's still celebrated by parades in Red Square:

The parade, to mark the 62nd anniversary of Russia's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, will take place on Moscow's Red Square. The Frunze airfield, on the northern outskirts, was used as the dress rehearsal's venue.

Some 7,000 troops will march along the Russian capital's central square next Wednesday, and nine Su-27 and MiG-29 Flankers will fly overhead in a lozenge-shaped configuration.

The parade will also include a historical pageant, with servicemen featuring military uniforms and flags from the WWII era.

I don't know that the Americans would dare engage in such a provocative display. (I mean, what if the Germans took it the wrong way and brought up all the awful things the Americans did like bombing Dresden, and America's incredible ongoing guilt?)

Anyway, V-E Day is still a big deal in Europe (especially in Russia) and disgruntled Russians in Estonia are grumbling about V-E Day in the context of the recent riots in Estonia.

A different kind of victory in France led to recent rioting there, and Jules Crittenden has a great piece in Pajamas Media -- by way of advice as to how the victorious Nicholas Sarkozy might address France's "fearfulness about alienating the Muslim immigrant masses risk making it a third-world nation, ultimately a failed state we may need invade (again) someday":

If you want to restore France to a place of greatness, Nicolas Sarkozy, I'd suggest starting with some French humility. I suggest looking at not just about what France can do for France, but what France can do for the world. Ditch the accordion.

Is it my imagination, or is a French crowd actually waving the U.S. flag?

(The mind can play games at times.... Maybe it's just an old OSS Photoshop!)

Of course, some countries make France look like the beacon of civilization. Jane at Armies of Liberation has a post about how the Yemeni government denying newspaper licenses to tens of people who applied to open a newspaper:

Female Reporters Without Chains used to be called Women Journalists Without Borders, until a government stooge NGO took over that name in an effort to diminish the impact of the authentic organization which is very active and effective in the civil rights field. And now they can't get a newspaper license after trying for a year or more.

And need I mention what Yemenis do to the poor Rhinos again?

Sigh.

If only we could celebrate Victory in the Mideast Day.

But as a Typical Joe (News, views and musings from a gay New Yorker living in the rural south) reminded me in a post titled "God's destruction in Georgia," it is undeniable that there are some nutcases in this country who resemble Islamists in certain respects. In particular, Joe singles out Michael Marcavage -- a man who believes in the death penalty for homosexuality -- and who declared that Hurricane Katrina had been sent by God to punish New Orleans. Joe wonders why Marcavage has been so silent about wildfires in Georgia. FWIW, I've been writing about the Philadelphia-based Marcavage (whom I suspect him of being an agent provocateur) for years. He no more typifies Christianity than Fred Phelps, and I do wish both Marcavage and Phelps would go to Yemen where they could celebrate the execution of homosexuals and then attempt to convert the natives and see what happens.

Funny that I would just mention natives, because Dan Amato (author of the one and only Digger's Realm -- and the man who is keeping the RINOs going right now) is dedicated to the struggle to enforce over the out-of-control United States border with Mexico. Natives being people who are born in a country, I think all native born United States citizens ought to be more concerned than they are.

I thought I should point out another amazing coincidence. In addition to being V-E Day, today commemorates the Battle of Palo Alto:

the first major battle of the Mexican-American War and was fought on May 8, 1846, on disputed ground five miles (8 km) from the modern-day city of Brownsville, Texas

As an official blogger for the Hold Their Feet To The Fire event ( at which citizen lobbyists from across the country hit Congressional offices lobbying against amnesty and illegal immigration) Dan has a 30 post category of his coverage with lots of pictures, videos and stories. It's quite interesting, and includes pitures of Dan with presidential candidates like Tancredo and Hunter, wives of Border Patrol agents Ramos and Compean, and more.

Not only that, but Dan met up with fellow RINO Rachel of Tinkerty Tonk and wrote about it in a post called Meeting Tinkerty Tonk. Cool!

Be sure to check out Dan's video interview with Melanie Kortlang, the mother of Amy Kortlang, who was killed by an illegal alien drunk driver in October, 2006. Dan covered Amy's death and the trial and says that "I think as a blogger you don't expect to actully ever be personally involved like that." No, you don't expect such a thing, and I admire any blogger who has the balls to step up to the plate to do actual reporting. (I've tried it, but usually people never call me back, and the few who do leave messages on my machine, which I then return -- but I never seem to get past the telephone tag stage.)

Dan, however, does a lot more than play telephone tag, and in addition to being a blogger reporter, he's an effective lobbyist. Fourth, is coverage of how my reporting from the event of the treatment of a lobbyist team by a congressional staff member set off a firestorm of calls to a congressman's office and resulted in the signing of a bill.

In a post called "How Bloggers And American Citizens Are Changing America," Dan explains how he managed to get past a hostile congressional staff and actually persuaded a Congressman to sign on to HR 563 -- a bill to pardon agents Ramos and Compean:

So, why did I write this entry? Because I want every single one of you out there to know that you can make a difference, but only if enough of us get together. In my 4-5 years or so of running this website I've always had in the back of my mind "Yeah right like anything will ever get done about this bill or that bill", but you know what? Things can get done.

Last but not least, Digger's Realm documents that the open border group "Sin Fronteras" is openly calling for calling for revolution in the United States and allies itself with terroristic groups, while operating as a church front group in Portland. AMong other things, the group states:

Sin Fronteras Portland is building a network of autonomous working groups in the Portland area with the goal of bringing the anticapitalist and antiauthoritarian struggles of Latin America to the USA. We see groups like the Zapatistas, the Magonistas in Oaxaca, and many others as examples of revolution in action.

We recognize that until we overcome white supremacy, capitalism, the state, and other forms of domination, there will not be real justice for migrants, for the poor and oppressed here and elsewhere. We live in the heart of a global empire of misery and it is our responsibility to destroy the imperialism that starves and devastates the world...

As if calls for open revolution in the United States weren't bad enough, poisonous anti-semitism is spreading in the universities. An important post on the subject is Dane at Danegerus's "Genocide rationalization as scholarship 'Postmodernizing' Archaeology at Barnard." It has long sickened me that Islamist crackpots and Arab governments attempt to deny the existence of the Israelites in Israel (despite the fact that ancient Roman coins plainly and undeniably illustrated these events.) So it's especially horrifying that this profound -- even insane -- illogic would be getting a toehold in American universities. But it is, and a denier of the existence of Israelites is poised to get tenure -- at Barnard College, which Dane notes is "a Liberal arts college for women affiliated with Columbia University" (home of course to the late Edward Said, inventor of the pernicious idea that identity politics immunizes "groups" from criticism). Dane also links an incredible video I'd never seen before that everyone should watch which has film footage of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem with Adolf Hitler, and which explores the strong historical ties between Islamism and Nazism.

Hell, it's so damned good I'll embed it here (with my thanks to Dane):

Anyone interested in why we fought in World War II (and why we should still observe V-E Day) ought to watch it. (And weep.)

This all leaves me wondering.... If crackpots who spout Israelite denial can get tenure, what's next? Will Barnard and Columbia start offering courses in Holocaust Denial Studies? (A department, perhaps?)

Considering the toxicity of the left, I need to pause for a breath of some fresh air of freedom.

Economic freedom, perhaps? In yet another amazing coincidence, it so happens that today, May 8, is also Friedrich Hayek's 108th birthday, Dan Melson of Searchlight Crusade has a submission that's a breath of fresh air! While Dan apologizes for not having a political theme (he's recovering from a separated shoulder, so he's not doing anything more than essential primary theme material right now), economic freedom is his primary theme, which is always a fine theme, especially on Hayek's birthday. In a detailed post explaining why Gravity Is Not a Major Determinant Of Housing Prices, Dan explains that economic regulation is contributing to the housing problem:

Environmental regulations have taken on a whole new life of their own since 1973. Tests, reports, studies. It can take over a decade to get approvals to build new housing, and if it fails any of the tests, studies reveal any likely issues, or people use environmental issues as a cover for NIMBY or BANANA behavior and sue in court, the whole thing goes down the drain. I happen to agree that we need environmental regulations, but they need to be re-written with more consideration that all economic choices are trade-offs, because the way they are written right now, they form an excellent basis for anyone who wants to stop any development at all to do so legally. Every time we stop a new development, the people who would have lived there need to find some other housing somewhere else. Going along the chain of A prices B out, who then prices C who is lower income than B out of lesser housing, every time we have a new American without building new dwelling space for them, somebody is going to end up homeless, and the price of housing goes up incrementally.

"If we wish to preserve a free society," Friedrick Hayek once wrote, "it is essential that we recognize that the desirability of a particular object is not sufficient justification for the use of coercion." These are words worth remembering this year, on the 60th anniversary of Hayek's seminal work, The Road to Serfdom.

Hayek's maxim is a bedrock principle of American liberty. Simply because a majority of Americans may prefer chocolate ice cream to vanilla, we don't demand that the government ban all sales of vanilla. Although one may not appreciate the personal preferences of others, we typically realize that they're not any of our concern.

Last but not least, Mog submits "Shiites Unite" -- a disturbing post about a report that Iraq's Prime Minister is working with Al-Sadr and the Iranians. "Not very encouraging for the prospect of the war ending anytime soon," says Mog, and I agree.

Victory sometimes consists of just staying put -- even hanging by a thread.

That's it for the RINOs, a group so diverse in their views that they defy my ability to define the tent, much less explain how they can all fit into it.

(Hell, I'm feeling so optimistic that I'd be willing to say we can still celebrate Victory in Europe -- even if by a thread.)

Happy V-E Day everyone!

NOTE: Any RINOs I missed (or who may have last minute submissions), simply let me know.

UPDATE: While it's bad that historical denial can be a fast track to getting tenure, Clayton Cramer reminds us that quoting George Washington can lead to losing tenure. (Cramer is not a RINO, but I think the post belonged here anyway.)

UPDATE: My thanks to Clayton Cramer for the link.

UPDATE (05/15/07): Those interested in a detailed examination of the bogus scholarship behind postmodernized Archaeology at Barnard should also read this detailed analysis by Diana Muir and Avigail Appelbaum.