CALIFORNIA YANKEE

Hungry?

A couple on the Atkins Diet, dining at a Chuck-A-Rama in a Salt Lake City suburb, were asked to stop when one of them went up for a twelfth slice of the roast beef.

According to the Associated Press the general manager became concerned about having enough for other patrons:

"We've never claimed to be an all-you-can-eat establishment," said Johanson. "Our understanding is a buffet is just a style of eating."

[. . .]

Johanson said there's no written policy for what patrons can or can't eat, or for the size of their portions. But the restaurant reserves the right to talk to patrons if they abuse the buffet — a rare occurrence, he said.

The police were called after couple argued with the manager, were denied a refund and refused to leave the restaurant.

There He Goes Again

I didn't see Kerry this morning on ABC's Good morning America. The posts I have read discussing Kerry's appearance reveal that he did not perform well. Trogers at Broken Masterpieces did see it and posts that Kerry was a disaster. Drudge has posted this transcript of Kerry's interview.

Kerry has managed to make a major issue out of an event which occurred over thirty years ago.

On April 23, 1971, Kerry led the group Vietnam Veterans Against the War in a protest against the Vietnam war. Many veterans threw their medals over the fence in front of the U.S. Capitol.

According to the New York Times in a 1971 television interview Kerry claimed that he threw away as many as nine of his Vietnam medals:

When the interviewer asked, "How many did you give back, John?" he answered, "I gave back, I can't remember, six, seven, eight, nine."

When the interviewer pointed out that Mr. Kerry had won the Bronze and Silver Stars and three Purple Hearts, Mr. Kerry added, "Well, and above that, I gave back my others."

Running for the U.S. Senate in 1984 Kerry revealed he still had his medals. According to a Boston Globe report on April 15, 1984, union officials had expressed uneasiness with Kerry's candidacy because he had thrown his medals away. Kerry acknowledged the medals he threw away were, in fact, another soldier's medals. He reportedly invited a union official home to personally inspect his Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts, awarded for his combat duty as a Navy lieutenant

ABCNEWS reports that in the 1971 television interview, Kerry made no mention of the ribbons or the medals belonging to another veteran. Kerry has been nuancing this story ever since:

And in 1988, Kerry again clarified his statement by saying he threw out ribbons he had been awarded for three combat wounds, but not his medals. "I was proud of my personal service and remain so," he told the National Journal.

Eight years later in 1996, Kerry said while he did throw out his ribbons, he didn't throw out his own medals because he "didn't have time to go home [to New York] and get them," he told The Boston Globe.

Throughout his presidential campaign, Kerry has denied that he threw away any of his medals during an anti-war protest in April 1971.

Last Friday, responding to the question of whether he threw away his medals in protest, Kerry told the Los Angeles Times:

"I never ever implied that I did it," Kerry says wearily, adding: "You know what? Medals and ribbons, there's almost no difference in distinction, fundamentally. They're symbols of the same thing. They are what they are."

Yesterday on CNN's "Late Edition" Karen Hughes, the former White House communications director, took exception to Kerry's actions during the 1971 protest during which veterans threw away their medals:

He only pretended to throw his. Now, I can understand if, out of conscience, you take a principled stand, and you would decide that you were so opposed to this that you would actually throw your medals. But to pretend to do so -- I think that's very revealing.

During his appearance on "Good Morning America" Kerry, unable or unwilling to give a straight answer to Charlie Gibson, Kerry attacked President Bush by trying to resurrect the discredited AWOL charges.

Kerry's shameful and unfounded attack on President Bush's National Guard Service was "Much Ado About Nothing" back in February and it is even more so now. President bush's disclosure of his entire service record brought an end to that kerfuffle.

The vast majority of Americans would not be offended by Kerry's actions thirty odd years ago. It just wouldn't matter. It only continues to be a nagging issue for Kerry because he keeps changing his story in his obvious efforts to be on all sides of this issue. Kerry should just admit that he threw medals away in 1971 when he was an angry young man and this issue would finally disappear. His constant nuancing reinforces his image as a waffler and diminishes his credibility.

Its a pity Kerry can't address this issue in a straight forward manner as President Bush did with the irresponsible attacks on his National Guard service. If Kerry would only do that the campaign could focus upon the much more important issues that we should be discussing such as which candidate can better defend the country.

UPDATE: Steven Taylor, at Poliblog posts that this medal issue may be important in the campaign because it focuses on honesty the capacity to present moral clarity on key issues.

James Joyner at Outside The Beltway agrees that Kerry should simply admit what he did so this issue can fade away.

Safeguarding Airliners from Shoulder-Launched Missiles

The Hartford Courant reports on efforts to defend airliners from shoulder launched missiles.

U.S. Representative Steve Israel of Long Island says a shoulder-launched missile attack against an airliner could kill hundreds and paralyze the U.S. aviation industry:

"This is the most glaring vulnerability that we have," said Israel, whose 2nd District is a few miles from New York's major airports. "It wouldn't even have to hit. A attack would be the effective end of the aviation industry as we know it, and that would have a catastrophic effect on our economy."

Israel, a Democrat, and Representative John Mica, the Florida Republican who heads the House subcommittee on aviation, introduced a bill calling on the Federal Aviation Administration to put approval of airliner defense systems on a fast track.

The bill would expedite installation of defense systems in about 300 airliners used by the military to move troops overseas. The legislation also calls for stronger efforts to "buy back" those SAMs on the black market.

Not everyone is convinced the threat of shoulder fired missiles is worth the expense.

Connecticut Representative Christopher Shays, chairman of a House subcommittee on national security and emerging threats, favors a gradual approach to installing defense systems that would cost an estimated $1 million for each airliner equipped:

"Right now I would much prefer to put our resources into inspecting for explosives in the cargo [carried by] airliners. Twenty percent of what goes into the hold of jetliners is cargo, and right now it's not [all] inspected," Shays said. "We have to weigh one threat against another."

So how serious is the threat? According to the Congressional Research Service, 35 of the 36 known attacks on commercial planes in the last 25 years took place in war-torn areas, mainly in Africa. Only three jetliners were brought down by the attacks:

In 1983 and 1984, Angolan rebels shot down two Boeing 737s. In the first incident, all 130 people on board died, but in the second attack, the plane managed to land without fatalities after being hit at an altitude of 8,000 feet. In 1998, a Boeing 727 was shot down in the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing 41.

I agree with Congressman Israel, even an unsuccessful attack will have a catastrophic effect.

More Ketchup Version 8

While I was on vacation Sean Hackbarth at The American Mind posted Kerry's House of Ketchup #8.

Kerry's House of Ketchup is a periodic gathering of interesting John Kerry posts throughout the blogosphere. Go check it out.

The Letter of the Day Was P

Electric Venom's letter of the day was P. My favorite link was to "Pravda perfidy?," a post at All AgitProp, all the Time... about well you will have to figure out how to describe it. If you haven't done so yet, check out all of Kate's links for the letter P.

ON VACATION

Bonds Away

Barry Bonds, blasted his 660th career home run on Monday. Homer number 660 ties Bonds with Willie Mays, Bonds' godfather, for third place in baseball history. According to Reuters, the record tying came in the Giant's home opener against Milwaukee Brewers right-hand pitcher Matt Kinney:

"It was like a weight was just lifted off of my shoulders," Bonds told a joint post-game news conference with Mays. "Just a relief to now just stand next to my godfather and say, you know, I finally feel that I accomplished something in the game of baseball."

[. . .]

As fans cheered after the home run, the great Mays himself emerged from the dugout and handed Bonds an Olympic torch studded with diamonds in tribute. "Barry, Barry, Barry," the fans chanted.

"I've been there since he was 5 years old," said Mays, who played with Bonds' father Bobby. "Whatever he does, I'm always available there for him whether it's right or wrong."

"It's history and history keeps going. His next role is Ruth: Can he get that?"

Go Barry!

, Hizbullah and The Wider War

Eric at Classical Values has a comprehensive post detailing why the blogosphere should spend more time considering 's role in the wider war. Go read "Facing the Music". It will inspire some serious contemplation.

Welcome David Anderson

Robert Prather has invited David Andersen to be a co-blogger at Insults Unpunished. Based upon David's first post he is an outstanding addition to one of my favorite blogs. Good move Robert.

Go visit Insults Unpunished and welcome David to this corner of the blogosphere.

Hundreds of Insurgents Killed

American troops killed hundreds of insurgents in and around Baghdad in fighting over the past week.

From the Associated Press:

"I got to tell you, we've killed a lot of people carrying weapons and RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) this week," Hertling, a deputy commander of the Germany-based 1st Armored Division said Monday. "And when I say a lot, I am talking in the hundreds."

Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said Monday that U.S. troops killed about 700 insurgents across Iraq since the beginning of the month. Around 70 coalition troops - almost all Americans - were also killed.

[. . .]

Fighting was most intense Saturday and Sunday when, according to Hertling, an average of 42 engagements took place on each day.

"There was a lot of RPG firing and a lot of ambush activities," he said. At one point late last week, he added, soldiers fought insurgents continuously for 72 hours in Abu Ghraib, a neighborhood near the airport on Baghdad's western outskirts. An Apache attack helicopter was shot down Sunday and its two crew members were killed.

Most of the fighting in and around Baghdad took place in Abu Ghraib, the eastern Shiite district of Sadr City and the restive Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah.

Hertling said most of those who fought U.S. troops last week were members of al-Sadr's al-Mahdi Army and the Sunni Mohammed's Army, an organization widely suspected to be an umbrella group of former intelligence agents, army and security officials and members of the banned Baath party. In Abu Ghraib, they included Sunni extremists, criminal gang members and unemployed youths.