I recommend a viewing of the homegrown turncoat who went on a seven minute rant on vedeotape about how he and his al-Qaeda buddies were going to cause us much death and destruction if we do not give in to their demands.
If it wasn't so sad it would be funny. How can this young man a product of the United States end up hating us so much that he throws in with a bunch of cowardly thug terrorists. In the videotape he was wearing a white robe and turban as he spouted on about how if we did not leave their country we could see more horrors then September 11th, Afghanistan, Iraq and Virginia Tech and that al-Qaede would not negotiate on their demands.
I was reading that Mr. Gadahn, has been charged in a United States treason indictment with aiding al-Qaeda. In the videotape he spoke in English and the video carried Arabic subtitles. The video appeared on a Web site often used by Islamic militants and carried the logo of al-Qaeda’s media wing, as-Sahab.
Some of you might remember that Mr.Gadahn, appeared in an al-Qaeda video last September in which he called on Americans to convert to Islam, demanded that Bush remove all United States military forces and spies from Islamic countries, free all Muslims from United States prisons and end support for Israel. He said a withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq alone would not satisfy al-Qaeda.
Mr. Gadahn is a Caifornia native and he is the frst American to be charged with treason in more than 50 years and could face the death penalty if he is ever caught and convicted. He was also charged with providing material support to terrorists.
Now I guess we are supposed to see the videotape and his fair warning about what will happen if we do give into their demands.There is no way we are going to give into to these demands, so I guess we need to be more vigilant, because maybe he knows of an impending attack. Hopefully at some point United States military will get their hands around his terrorist neck and wring it.
Anyway I hope you get a chance to view it for yourself it is on many sites and see the American face of al-Qaeda. I guess we can only be thankful that they have not a very good job of recruiting in this country if there are so few turncoats. May Mr. Gadahn be allowed to meet Allah in the very near future.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Spc. David Berhle Is A Hero
I just finished reading a very tough story about another Iowa killed in Iraq and laid to rest yesterday in Woodbridge Cemetary in Tipton. The story said that over 1200 people were in attendance and that the service was conducted in the Tipton Middle School gymnasium.
On May 19th Specialist David Berhle was killed during combat operations, when an explosive device detonated next to the vehicle he was operating. Specialist David Berhle had enlisted in the United States Army in June 2005 and was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and was later deployed to Iraq in October of 2006.
It is a heartbreaking story anytime, but particularly coming as it does just after Memorial Day, when the nation paid tribute to everyone who has sacrificed their lives, so that we could remain free.
It is a good story of what sounds like a great young man, as people who knew him from 1st grade and into adulthood related their stories of David Berhle, the hardworking and happy person that they had known and loved.
I only know of this young man from this story and I wish to send my sincerest regrets and condolences to his family and friends. He is a hero and shall be remebered for the ultimate sacrifice of giving his life so that we might be free of terror on our home soil again, by fighting the terrorists overseas.
I hope you will give the story a read, and let his family and friends know how much you thank Specialist David Berhle, for what he was doing to protect us all.
The story ends with a note that a David Berhle Memorial Fund has been set up. Please contribute as a gesture of your appreciation for his life and too early death, thank you.
David is a hero
On May 19th Specialist David Berhle was killed during combat operations, when an explosive device detonated next to the vehicle he was operating. Specialist David Berhle had enlisted in the United States Army in June 2005 and was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and was later deployed to Iraq in October of 2006.
It is a heartbreaking story anytime, but particularly coming as it does just after Memorial Day, when the nation paid tribute to everyone who has sacrificed their lives, so that we could remain free.
It is a good story of what sounds like a great young man, as people who knew him from 1st grade and into adulthood related their stories of David Berhle, the hardworking and happy person that they had known and loved.
I only know of this young man from this story and I wish to send my sincerest regrets and condolences to his family and friends. He is a hero and shall be remebered for the ultimate sacrifice of giving his life so that we might be free of terror on our home soil again, by fighting the terrorists overseas.
I hope you will give the story a read, and let his family and friends know how much you thank Specialist David Berhle, for what he was doing to protect us all.
The story ends with a note that a David Berhle Memorial Fund has been set up. Please contribute as a gesture of your appreciation for his life and too early death, thank you.
David is a hero
Monday, May 28, 2007
Americans Rescue 42 Iraqi's From al-Qaeda
In a very hopeful sign, the people in Diyala a province in the north of Iraq that has been very violent have tipped off American troops to the presence of an al-Qaeda hide-out.
It is being reported that American troops raided the al-Qaeda hide-out and freed some 42 Iraq's who had been imprisoned inside. Some of the freed Iraq's had been tortured and suffered broken bones as a senior military official related the story to the press.
There has been a very intense security crackdown that included the deployment of some 3,000 American troops into the Diyala province. There has been a lot of heavy fighting in this area for the last couple of weeks as reported by news outlets and the wire services.
It is also being reported that some of these captives had been held for as long as 4 months. The youngest was a fourteen year old boy who when found was blindfolded and suspended from the ceiling with rope.
The 42 freed Iraqi's were the largest group of captives ever found in a single al-Qaeda prison and as mentioned at the beginning, this site was found , because the local populace tipped off our American troops to its' presence.
So on a Memorial Day weekend which has seen the deaths of at least 8 more Americans, we can see what some of the faces of the innocents look like. These people are who our troops are fighting and dying to save. This in addition to making sure that the fight with the terrorists stays contained in Iraq and does not follow us home if we cut and run as the Democrats and some Republicans would like us to do.
Anyway just a nice way to cap this somber weekend!! Good Day All!!
It is being reported that American troops raided the al-Qaeda hide-out and freed some 42 Iraq's who had been imprisoned inside. Some of the freed Iraq's had been tortured and suffered broken bones as a senior military official related the story to the press.
There has been a very intense security crackdown that included the deployment of some 3,000 American troops into the Diyala province. There has been a lot of heavy fighting in this area for the last couple of weeks as reported by news outlets and the wire services.
It is also being reported that some of these captives had been held for as long as 4 months. The youngest was a fourteen year old boy who when found was blindfolded and suspended from the ceiling with rope.
The 42 freed Iraqi's were the largest group of captives ever found in a single al-Qaeda prison and as mentioned at the beginning, this site was found , because the local populace tipped off our American troops to its' presence.
So on a Memorial Day weekend which has seen the deaths of at least 8 more Americans, we can see what some of the faces of the innocents look like. These people are who our troops are fighting and dying to save. This in addition to making sure that the fight with the terrorists stays contained in Iraq and does not follow us home if we cut and run as the Democrats and some Republicans would like us to do.
Anyway just a nice way to cap this somber weekend!! Good Day All!!
Biden Supports The Troops
I was just reading the story of Senator Joe Biden's visit to Iowa City as he spends the next six days traveling through Iowa. I thought that I could not support any of the Democrats who are running, but after reading his views on the war and on funding the troops while their in harm's way I can say that I will watch more of what he has to say on the issues.
In fact, years ago I liked Senator Biden when he was trying to run for President in 1988, but he got into trouble concerning charges of plagiarism while in college as well as some speeches while he was a Senator. Biden had given a stump speech which was caught on video and apparently it was a speech that Neil Kinnock of the British Labor Party had given with minor alterations. Even though in previous speeches he had credited Mr. Kinnock with the speech, in this particular one he did not. It was video taped and released by the Dukakis campaign and compared to a similar incident that had occurred during Biden's first year at Syracuse. He had received an F in in an introductory class on legal methodology for writing a paper which relied almost entirely on a single Fordham Law Review article which he cited. He was allowed to repeat the course and passed. The two controversy's caused Senator Biden to withdraw from the race and Michael Dukakis went onto win the nomination, but then lost in the general election to George H. Bush.
So reading that he has promised to be honest even if it costs him the nomination is a plus for him, as his fellow Democrats try to tap dance themselves away from the vote to authorize the war in Iraq. All except for Barack Obama who said he was always against the war, which cannot be confirmed, because he was not a Senator at the time of the original vote.
The speech at Lower City Park brought out a gaggle of Anti-War protestors that wanted the Senator to know how disapponted they are that he chooses to side with the troops instead of with them. He very correctly said that even though we should get out of Iraq that while our children are in harm's way they deserve the best that we can give them to survive in this war.
I also like his plan for Iraq, which would have three distinct areas and a strong central government, because this is the only way Iraqi is going to survive as a nation. We should have partitioned the country as soon as the war was over and before the insurgents and terrorists got a foothold. We were too optimistic that the Iraqi's would want a democratic government, even though they have never known one before.
In the end I probably will not support Biden this time as he sometimes is so full of himself that he cannot answer a simple question without going into blowhard mode and just blabbing on and on, and never getting to the heart of the question. I have watched him on news talk shows and even The Daily Show and he could not give a straight, concise answer to anything he was asked. Maybe he will learn and adjust, because his voice of moderation is sorely needed in the Democratic Party as they vie for the support of the furthest fringes of the Left and leave the moderates with no one to support.
Biden
In fact, years ago I liked Senator Biden when he was trying to run for President in 1988, but he got into trouble concerning charges of plagiarism while in college as well as some speeches while he was a Senator. Biden had given a stump speech which was caught on video and apparently it was a speech that Neil Kinnock of the British Labor Party had given with minor alterations. Even though in previous speeches he had credited Mr. Kinnock with the speech, in this particular one he did not. It was video taped and released by the Dukakis campaign and compared to a similar incident that had occurred during Biden's first year at Syracuse. He had received an F in in an introductory class on legal methodology for writing a paper which relied almost entirely on a single Fordham Law Review article which he cited. He was allowed to repeat the course and passed. The two controversy's caused Senator Biden to withdraw from the race and Michael Dukakis went onto win the nomination, but then lost in the general election to George H. Bush.
So reading that he has promised to be honest even if it costs him the nomination is a plus for him, as his fellow Democrats try to tap dance themselves away from the vote to authorize the war in Iraq. All except for Barack Obama who said he was always against the war, which cannot be confirmed, because he was not a Senator at the time of the original vote.
The speech at Lower City Park brought out a gaggle of Anti-War protestors that wanted the Senator to know how disapponted they are that he chooses to side with the troops instead of with them. He very correctly said that even though we should get out of Iraq that while our children are in harm's way they deserve the best that we can give them to survive in this war.
I also like his plan for Iraq, which would have three distinct areas and a strong central government, because this is the only way Iraqi is going to survive as a nation. We should have partitioned the country as soon as the war was over and before the insurgents and terrorists got a foothold. We were too optimistic that the Iraqi's would want a democratic government, even though they have never known one before.
In the end I probably will not support Biden this time as he sometimes is so full of himself that he cannot answer a simple question without going into blowhard mode and just blabbing on and on, and never getting to the heart of the question. I have watched him on news talk shows and even The Daily Show and he could not give a straight, concise answer to anything he was asked. Maybe he will learn and adjust, because his voice of moderation is sorely needed in the Democratic Party as they vie for the support of the furthest fringes of the Left and leave the moderates with no one to support.
Biden
Sunday, May 27, 2007
8 Americans Added To Memorial Day Remembrances
This Memorial Day weekend is seeing the addition of 8 more fallen soldiers to the many being remembered at ceremonies around the nation. The figures will continue to rise as the surge and new strategy of getting out of the protected compounds and taking the fight to the insurgents escalates.
I saw General Petraeus on a news program yesterday and he acknowledged that it could be a bloody summer.
The news report included the following information about troop casualties:
Nearly a 1000 United States troop have been killed since last Memorial Day and in the period from Memorial Day 2006 through Saturday, 980 soldiers and Marines died in Iraq, compared to 807 deaths in the previous year. And with the Baghdad security operation now three and a half months old, even President Bush has predicted a difficult summer for U.S. forces.
As more American soldiers are patrolling the streets and living in isolated outposts across Baghdad, leaving them more vulnerable to attack. The increase in raids on extremist Shiite militiamen had brought a wave of retaliatory attacks.
It was further stated that by the end of Saturday at least 100 American troops had died in the first 26 days of May, an average of 3.85 deaths a day. At that deadly pace, 119 troops will have died by the end of the month, the most since 137 soldiers were killed in November 2004, when U.S. troops were fighting insurgents in Fallujah.
As of Saturday, May 26, 2007, at least 3,451 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,817 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military.
On Monday, Bush will mark his sixth Memorial Day as a wartime president with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. He is to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns to honor those who have died in past and current conflicts.
In his weekly radio address he personalized the death of a young man from Ohio and his desire to not let his sister and brother grow up in fear. The link below will take you to the full story of Bush’s comments.
There are many moving ceremonies taking place to honor the sacrifices of those who paid the price of freedom with their lives. I hope that we demand of our politicians that these men and women did not die in vain.
Bush radio story
I saw General Petraeus on a news program yesterday and he acknowledged that it could be a bloody summer.
The news report included the following information about troop casualties:
Nearly a 1000 United States troop have been killed since last Memorial Day and in the period from Memorial Day 2006 through Saturday, 980 soldiers and Marines died in Iraq, compared to 807 deaths in the previous year. And with the Baghdad security operation now three and a half months old, even President Bush has predicted a difficult summer for U.S. forces.
As more American soldiers are patrolling the streets and living in isolated outposts across Baghdad, leaving them more vulnerable to attack. The increase in raids on extremist Shiite militiamen had brought a wave of retaliatory attacks.
It was further stated that by the end of Saturday at least 100 American troops had died in the first 26 days of May, an average of 3.85 deaths a day. At that deadly pace, 119 troops will have died by the end of the month, the most since 137 soldiers were killed in November 2004, when U.S. troops were fighting insurgents in Fallujah.
As of Saturday, May 26, 2007, at least 3,451 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,817 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military.
On Monday, Bush will mark his sixth Memorial Day as a wartime president with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. He is to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns to honor those who have died in past and current conflicts.
In his weekly radio address he personalized the death of a young man from Ohio and his desire to not let his sister and brother grow up in fear. The link below will take you to the full story of Bush’s comments.
There are many moving ceremonies taking place to honor the sacrifices of those who paid the price of freedom with their lives. I hope that we demand of our politicians that these men and women did not die in vain.
Bush radio story
Are We Spying On Iran
It seems that the Intelligence Ministry of Iran has uncovered spy rings inside their country that are being run by the Iraqi occupiers as the news release states. This would be the United States, Great Britain, and other western allies.
This news release comes just two days before American and Iranian ambassadors are to meet in Baghdad to discuss ways to ease the crisis in Iran. It seems likely that this news was released today so that Tehran can take a tougher stand in the talks.
The White House neither confirmed nor denied the spying allegations, but it would seem silly to think that we are not conducting some type of spying in light of the fact that the Iranians are assisting the Shiite in Iraq through direct material and aid, to fight and kill our troops. Also the continued acceleration of their nuclear program would make it a prime object of our attention. If we are not spying I would be more worried.
The news of the spy rings comes just days after a report stated that President Bush had authorized the CIA to use covert action to destabilize the Iranian government. Again another laudable goal, but obviously someone in our government just had to get the news out and now our enemies know our plans, again, as usual.
It was just a few months back that five of Iran’s elite Quds Force were captured by American forces in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil. They were accused of arming and training Iraqi militants. Iran said they were part of a government liaison office and has demanded their return.
There have been numerous Iranian-Americans who have gone back to Iran and are now unable to leave, either through detention or outright imprisonment. The Iranians are seeing spies everywhere and have often accused America and Great Britain of trying to overthrow them through covert means such as inciting member’s of Iran’s many ethnic and religious minorities to unseat the Shiite-led government.
From the news cast I saw it seems that several men were caught crossing the border with over half a million dollars, and sophisticated spying devices. It should be interesting to see how this plays out as more details become available.
I am sure we will be hearing more about the alleged spy rings later this week as the news media grabs the story and runs with it. The coverage will no doubt be mostly one sided, with President Bush and America being the bad guys again.
Lest we forget, Iran is one of the Axis of evil countries as defined by President Bush’s first year speech, with Iraq and North Korea completing the triad, so it should be no surprise that we are spying in Iran and perhaps doing much more than is being currently reported.
This news release comes just two days before American and Iranian ambassadors are to meet in Baghdad to discuss ways to ease the crisis in Iran. It seems likely that this news was released today so that Tehran can take a tougher stand in the talks.
The White House neither confirmed nor denied the spying allegations, but it would seem silly to think that we are not conducting some type of spying in light of the fact that the Iranians are assisting the Shiite in Iraq through direct material and aid, to fight and kill our troops. Also the continued acceleration of their nuclear program would make it a prime object of our attention. If we are not spying I would be more worried.
The news of the spy rings comes just days after a report stated that President Bush had authorized the CIA to use covert action to destabilize the Iranian government. Again another laudable goal, but obviously someone in our government just had to get the news out and now our enemies know our plans, again, as usual.
It was just a few months back that five of Iran’s elite Quds Force were captured by American forces in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil. They were accused of arming and training Iraqi militants. Iran said they were part of a government liaison office and has demanded their return.
There have been numerous Iranian-Americans who have gone back to Iran and are now unable to leave, either through detention or outright imprisonment. The Iranians are seeing spies everywhere and have often accused America and Great Britain of trying to overthrow them through covert means such as inciting member’s of Iran’s many ethnic and religious minorities to unseat the Shiite-led government.
From the news cast I saw it seems that several men were caught crossing the border with over half a million dollars, and sophisticated spying devices. It should be interesting to see how this plays out as more details become available.
I am sure we will be hearing more about the alleged spy rings later this week as the news media grabs the story and runs with it. The coverage will no doubt be mostly one sided, with President Bush and America being the bad guys again.
Lest we forget, Iran is one of the Axis of evil countries as defined by President Bush’s first year speech, with Iraq and North Korea completing the triad, so it should be no surprise that we are spying in Iran and perhaps doing much more than is being currently reported.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Ammunition To Lebanon
In a story of another fight against militant terrorists the army of Lebanon continues to fight heavily armed Islamists of the Fatah al-Islam group in Beirut. The United States sent three United States Air Force cargo planes full of ammunition to assist them in there fight. The story can be read in its’ entirety by following the link.
The militants said that there was nerve gas and cluster bombs amongst the cargo and that they would fight back with unconventional weapons if they were attacked with the unconventional weapons. There was no comment from our American spokesman as he said the accusations were groundless.
The militants continue to hide in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp and according to a 1969 Arab agreement the Lebanese army is banned from entering the refugee camp. So these cowards hide behind women and children and bring destruction upon these refugees who have already been through so much suffering.
This is just another example of the destruction that al-Qaeda and fellow terrorists have in store for the whole world. Here they are fighting their Islamic brothers and they do not care that they are destroying their “brothers” homes and lives by their refusal to leave the refugee camp.
The Lebanese leadership says that the Fatah al-Islam group is being directed by the Syrian intelligence agency, so perhaps Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi can call her new buddies in the Syrian government and tell them to back off and leave the refugee camp. After all she did take a trip to Damascus and believes it is alright to talk to a leaders of a nation such as Syria, which actively supports terrorists and kills political rivals at will.
A special note to all “peace” activists that in addition to ammunition coming from the United States, there were Arab allies that also sent ammunition and supplies to Lebanon on this trip and have offered further assistance as needed. So we are not trying to get entangled in another Mideast country, at least not with troops on the ground.
The last time our troops were in Beirut many of them were killed. On October 23, 1983, a truck bomb drove into a Marine barracks and killed 241 marines, sailors, and soldiers. It was the worst terrorist attack on Americans until September 11th, and shortly thereafter we left Lebanon. So staying out of Lebanon is probably a pretty good idea seeing as how this poor nation has seen violence and destruction for a long time and our troops would become a focal point for violence.
Lebanon is just another in a long line of nations that must face Islamic extremists who will not be satisfied until only their particular vision of the world is all that is left.
Hopefully mediators will convince these terrorists to leave the refugee camp, but if they cannot, the Lebanese army should be allowed to enter the camp and end their occupation of the camp.
Truck bomb kills 241
ammunition
The militants said that there was nerve gas and cluster bombs amongst the cargo and that they would fight back with unconventional weapons if they were attacked with the unconventional weapons. There was no comment from our American spokesman as he said the accusations were groundless.
The militants continue to hide in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp and according to a 1969 Arab agreement the Lebanese army is banned from entering the refugee camp. So these cowards hide behind women and children and bring destruction upon these refugees who have already been through so much suffering.
This is just another example of the destruction that al-Qaeda and fellow terrorists have in store for the whole world. Here they are fighting their Islamic brothers and they do not care that they are destroying their “brothers” homes and lives by their refusal to leave the refugee camp.
The Lebanese leadership says that the Fatah al-Islam group is being directed by the Syrian intelligence agency, so perhaps Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi can call her new buddies in the Syrian government and tell them to back off and leave the refugee camp. After all she did take a trip to Damascus and believes it is alright to talk to a leaders of a nation such as Syria, which actively supports terrorists and kills political rivals at will.
A special note to all “peace” activists that in addition to ammunition coming from the United States, there were Arab allies that also sent ammunition and supplies to Lebanon on this trip and have offered further assistance as needed. So we are not trying to get entangled in another Mideast country, at least not with troops on the ground.
The last time our troops were in Beirut many of them were killed. On October 23, 1983, a truck bomb drove into a Marine barracks and killed 241 marines, sailors, and soldiers. It was the worst terrorist attack on Americans until September 11th, and shortly thereafter we left Lebanon. So staying out of Lebanon is probably a pretty good idea seeing as how this poor nation has seen violence and destruction for a long time and our troops would become a focal point for violence.
Lebanon is just another in a long line of nations that must face Islamic extremists who will not be satisfied until only their particular vision of the world is all that is left.
Hopefully mediators will convince these terrorists to leave the refugee camp, but if they cannot, the Lebanese army should be allowed to enter the camp and end their occupation of the camp.
Truck bomb kills 241
ammunition
Finally Money For The Troops
It has been 109 days since President Bush sent his emergency spending request to Congress and today, May 25th, he finally was able to sign a bill to fund our troops through September 30th of this year. This after repeated attempts by the Al-Qaeda Democratic Party to tie the emergency money to United States troop withdrawals.
The mullahs, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority leader Harry Reid had to disappoint their terrorist buddies by not being able to deliver the white flag of surrender, that they so desperately fought for these past three months. They tried everything they could think of to undermine the President and the troops, but as seen today it was all for nothing as the troops will get the much needed emergency funds. However, as expressed by Speaker Pelosi, it is not over, we will see the President’s policy begin to unravel now, she said with delight.
No doubt the debate will again flare up as summer ends and bills for next years funding begin to move through the halls of Congress.
There is some speculation that their may even be a change in the President’s direction in Iraq in the fall. Many of the members in his own party are talking this way as they wait to see how things will go through the summer and if Iraqi politicians can make the tough calls and get their government in order.
The president applauded the bipartisan effort to get an emergency supplemental bill to his desk by the Memorial Day recess. He expressed how much can get done in a short time if people are really trying and not playing politics with issues.
The war spending bill provides about $95 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through Sept. 30 and billions in domestic projects, including more than $6 billion for hurricane relief. The House voted 280-142 Thursday night to pass the bill, followed by a 80-14 vote in the Senate.
In an effort to please MoveOn, Al-Qaeda, and other ultra-liberal primary voters, Democratic Presidential rivals Senators Clnton and Obama voted against the funding bill, even as they professed to fully support the troops. Wow guys, way to show how much you support the troops!
By September there will be an assessment by General Petraeus and a report to Congress on whether or not the troop surge is having the desired results. There will also be an independent assessment of the progress being made by the Iraqi government, which I think will be of more importance than what the General tells Congress. Hopefully, the Iraqi’s will see how precarious their situation is here in America, with public opinion and many politicians against them. They really need to take this three month reprieve and use it to their full advantage.
The President and the troops won round one after much frustration and delay. They may not be so lucky in round two, which starts in September when the Congress returns. May much progress be made by then.
Our best to the troops this Memorial Day weekend!
The mullahs, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority leader Harry Reid had to disappoint their terrorist buddies by not being able to deliver the white flag of surrender, that they so desperately fought for these past three months. They tried everything they could think of to undermine the President and the troops, but as seen today it was all for nothing as the troops will get the much needed emergency funds. However, as expressed by Speaker Pelosi, it is not over, we will see the President’s policy begin to unravel now, she said with delight.
No doubt the debate will again flare up as summer ends and bills for next years funding begin to move through the halls of Congress.
There is some speculation that their may even be a change in the President’s direction in Iraq in the fall. Many of the members in his own party are talking this way as they wait to see how things will go through the summer and if Iraqi politicians can make the tough calls and get their government in order.
The president applauded the bipartisan effort to get an emergency supplemental bill to his desk by the Memorial Day recess. He expressed how much can get done in a short time if people are really trying and not playing politics with issues.
The war spending bill provides about $95 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through Sept. 30 and billions in domestic projects, including more than $6 billion for hurricane relief. The House voted 280-142 Thursday night to pass the bill, followed by a 80-14 vote in the Senate.
In an effort to please MoveOn, Al-Qaeda, and other ultra-liberal primary voters, Democratic Presidential rivals Senators Clnton and Obama voted against the funding bill, even as they professed to fully support the troops. Wow guys, way to show how much you support the troops!
By September there will be an assessment by General Petraeus and a report to Congress on whether or not the troop surge is having the desired results. There will also be an independent assessment of the progress being made by the Iraqi government, which I think will be of more importance than what the General tells Congress. Hopefully, the Iraqi’s will see how precarious their situation is here in America, with public opinion and many politicians against them. They really need to take this three month reprieve and use it to their full advantage.
The President and the troops won round one after much frustration and delay. They may not be so lucky in round two, which starts in September when the Congress returns. May much progress be made by then.
Our best to the troops this Memorial Day weekend!
War Is For Revenge Not Oil
I know many people have expressed their opinion that this was a war for oil, but I think that is purely a dig at the President as he was an oilman and so it might make sense for him to wage a war to gain the oil under Iraq’s sands.
I still do not believe that is the case, I have always favored the view that it was a war of revenge for his father. Bush the senior screwed up and did not finish the job when we had the chance after we chased Iraq out of Kuwait. I believe that Bush lost the election because of that decision and I think his son was going to find a way to take care of Iraq when he came to office. The fact that many people still think that Iraq had anything to do with bin Laden’s bunch and the destruction of the Trade Centers is further proof as to how well the Bushies sold the idea that Iraq was behind the attacks. The supposed WMD’s were just icing on the cake, and voilà were defeating Saddam, taking control of the country and building a democracy in the middle east.
Mission accomplished! Well not quite accomplished as we are finding out with the insurgents,terrorists, sectarian violence, civil war, etc., this mission will not be accomplished for quite awhile. We own this war and need to see it through to completion or all hell will break loose in the region and probably around the world .
Have a safe Memorial Day weekend, with Respect and Honor to all who have died for our nation and to all our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, who are still in harm’s way throughout the world.
I still do not believe that is the case, I have always favored the view that it was a war of revenge for his father. Bush the senior screwed up and did not finish the job when we had the chance after we chased Iraq out of Kuwait. I believe that Bush lost the election because of that decision and I think his son was going to find a way to take care of Iraq when he came to office. The fact that many people still think that Iraq had anything to do with bin Laden’s bunch and the destruction of the Trade Centers is further proof as to how well the Bushies sold the idea that Iraq was behind the attacks. The supposed WMD’s were just icing on the cake, and voilà were defeating Saddam, taking control of the country and building a democracy in the middle east.
Mission accomplished! Well not quite accomplished as we are finding out with the insurgents,terrorists, sectarian violence, civil war, etc., this mission will not be accomplished for quite awhile. We own this war and need to see it through to completion or all hell will break loose in the region and probably around the world .
Have a safe Memorial Day weekend, with Respect and Honor to all who have died for our nation and to all our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, who are still in harm’s way throughout the world.
Friday, May 25, 2007
University of Iowa's Bells To Toll For Fallen Soldiers
I was just reading a story on the Iowa Press-Citizen.com concerning the University of Iowa’s decision to ring the bell 59 times as a tribute to the number of Iowan’s that have died in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as honoring all who have died in past conflicts.
It will be rung at 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, the 30th, which was the traditional Memorial Day from 1868 to 1971, until Congress passed the National Holiday Act, creating a three day weekend for federal holidays.
This decision was made after a Veteran’s group wrote a letter to the University Interim President approved the request and sent a letter to Governor Culver stating it would be an honor to show tribute to these fallen soldiers with the bell tolling.
I think this is wonderful as we owe these fallen heroes much more than a tolling bell, but I was happy to see this touching story. I know that tolling a bell does not take away the sorrow of the friends and family of these soldiers, but it does show that we honor them as well. I hope that the anti-war protestors will allow this to be a peaceful Memorial Day weekend all the way through to the tolling of the bells on wednesday, and allow these soldiers to be honored with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Then Thursday morning you should absolutely get right back to your protesting, for everyday you are trying to end the war before it is over, is another day you put a smile on Osama bin Laden’s face.
Have a safe Memorial Day weekend, with Respect and Honor to all who have died for our nation and to all our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, who are still in harm’s way throughout the world.
Bells to toll 59 times
It will be rung at 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, the 30th, which was the traditional Memorial Day from 1868 to 1971, until Congress passed the National Holiday Act, creating a three day weekend for federal holidays.
This decision was made after a Veteran’s group wrote a letter to the University Interim President approved the request and sent a letter to Governor Culver stating it would be an honor to show tribute to these fallen soldiers with the bell tolling.
I think this is wonderful as we owe these fallen heroes much more than a tolling bell, but I was happy to see this touching story. I know that tolling a bell does not take away the sorrow of the friends and family of these soldiers, but it does show that we honor them as well. I hope that the anti-war protestors will allow this to be a peaceful Memorial Day weekend all the way through to the tolling of the bells on wednesday, and allow these soldiers to be honored with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Then Thursday morning you should absolutely get right back to your protesting, for everyday you are trying to end the war before it is over, is another day you put a smile on Osama bin Laden’s face.
Have a safe Memorial Day weekend, with Respect and Honor to all who have died for our nation and to all our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, who are still in harm’s way throughout the world.
Bells to toll 59 times
Israel Responds To Rocket Attacks
What a twisted world this continues to be when many call on Israel to stop attacking “innocents” in the Gaza Strip. This completely ignores the fact that the Israeli’s are trying to protect their citizens from continued rocket attacks from the Hamas militants. It is Hamas that started these rocket attacks and it is Hamas who can stop firing the rockets and Israel would in turn stop attacking targets in Gaza. To put the onus of stopping the fighting on Israel is ridiculous. They are merely doing what any nation that comes under attack would do, which is to defend itself, and any government that did not respond would not be in power very long.
The White House on Friday urged Israeli’s and Palestinian’s to spare “innocents” from attacks, but said it expected that Israel would defend itself from rockets launched at it by the Islamist movement Hamas. You think, why make any statement if it is going to be a nonsensicalstatement like that, If “innocents” are injured in attacks by Israel it is only by accident as they attempt to stop the people firing the rockets, whereas the “innocents” being attacked by Hamas are intentionally targeted.
No matter what happens it seems that Israel is always supposed to be the ones to stop fighting first, which makes absolutely no sense when rockets continue to rain down on their citizens. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas is obviously not strong enough to force Hamas to stop attacking Israel with the rockets.
An Israeli woman was killed on Monday by a rocket and Israel warned Hamas ,of which Prime Minister Ismail Haniya , is a prominent member that neither he nor any of the Hamas leadership were immune from attack.
They should in fact be primary targets as they allow the militants to continue assaulting Israel with the rockets. Perhaps if some of the leadership was killed it might encourage them to commit to a ceasefire with Israel.
We should not issue statements like the one mentioned above from the White House which almost equates what each side is doing as the same. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that we stand with our friends. And Israel is a friend that has taken a great deal of punishment from many of the nation’s of the world over the years. They have had many of their innocent citizen’s killed by militants, suicide bombers, etc.,. America has long stood by them in their time of need and we should not be giving anything to the militants in the form of words or encouragement that their cause is just, or in anyway makes them doubt our resolve to stand by Israel.
There are innocents on both sides, but while Israel is defending itself, the “innocents” on the Palestinian side allow the militants to use them as human shields, and many actively support Hamas, so they bring the death and destruction on themselves by this misguided support for the terrorists in their midst.
I hope Abbas can convince Hamas to stop firing their rockets, but until they stop Israel must be allowed to protect its people from this reign of terror and we need to give them our full support.
The White House on Friday urged Israeli’s and Palestinian’s to spare “innocents” from attacks, but said it expected that Israel would defend itself from rockets launched at it by the Islamist movement Hamas. You think, why make any statement if it is going to be a nonsensicalstatement like that, If “innocents” are injured in attacks by Israel it is only by accident as they attempt to stop the people firing the rockets, whereas the “innocents” being attacked by Hamas are intentionally targeted.
No matter what happens it seems that Israel is always supposed to be the ones to stop fighting first, which makes absolutely no sense when rockets continue to rain down on their citizens. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas is obviously not strong enough to force Hamas to stop attacking Israel with the rockets.
An Israeli woman was killed on Monday by a rocket and Israel warned Hamas ,of which Prime Minister Ismail Haniya , is a prominent member that neither he nor any of the Hamas leadership were immune from attack.
They should in fact be primary targets as they allow the militants to continue assaulting Israel with the rockets. Perhaps if some of the leadership was killed it might encourage them to commit to a ceasefire with Israel.
We should not issue statements like the one mentioned above from the White House which almost equates what each side is doing as the same. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that we stand with our friends. And Israel is a friend that has taken a great deal of punishment from many of the nation’s of the world over the years. They have had many of their innocent citizen’s killed by militants, suicide bombers, etc.,. America has long stood by them in their time of need and we should not be giving anything to the militants in the form of words or encouragement that their cause is just, or in anyway makes them doubt our resolve to stand by Israel.
There are innocents on both sides, but while Israel is defending itself, the “innocents” on the Palestinian side allow the militants to use them as human shields, and many actively support Hamas, so they bring the death and destruction on themselves by this misguided support for the terrorists in their midst.
I hope Abbas can convince Hamas to stop firing their rockets, but until they stop Israel must be allowed to protect its people from this reign of terror and we need to give them our full support.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Are Young American Muslims To Be Suicide Bombers?
I was just reading the story on line about the new Pew Research Center survey which shows that one in four younger U.S. Muslims said in a poll that suicide bombings to defend Islam are acceptable in at least some circumstances, although most Muslim Americans overwhelmingly rejected the tactic and said they are critical of Islamic extremism and al Qaeda.
It is one of the most exhaustive ever of the country's Muslims, revealed a community that in many ways blends comfortably into society. Most of the members express nearly as much happiness with their lives and communities as does the general public. They are mostly willing to adopt American customs and have income and education levels similar to others in the U.S.
The trend that is most disturbing is that while nearly 80 percent of U.S. Muslims said suicide bombings of civilians to defend Islam cannot be justified, 13 percent said they can be, at least rarely.
That sentiment was strongest among those younger than 30. Two percent of them said it often can be justified, 13 percent said sometimes and 11 percent said rarely.
At first read I was very concerned about this view, that it is alright to use suicide bombers to kill civilians, but it is a view that can be understood in the context of the question asked. The bases of the question was to defend their religion if it was under attack. Now we all know of homegrown terrorists, like the Columbine kids, and other young who “have” already killed, in kill and die scenarios, and they did it for much less laudable goals than protecting their religion. The hypothetical attack on religion might provoke a similar response if asked of any young person of any religious background if it were put in the right context.
I think we, all of us are more fearful of this scenario from muslims, because of the 9/11 attacks than anything else. I know that was my first thought when I read this report, but after a little more thinking I realized that most of the young people attacking and killing people in this country are school children, who are killing their peers, because they were picked on or some other reason to satisfy their feelings or a need to “go out in a blaze of glory”. These people choose the more bloody course of killing and then being killed by police or killing themselves if they are trapped. The better choice would be to just kill themselves if they are so miserable, but they are too selfish to do that.
The point of this is that while we should be alert to potential trouble from this sector of society, we should not automatically assume they will carry out suicide bombings. We were all young and made outrageous comments on occasion, or at least most of us did.
The truth is that no matter the number of people who believe this way, the majority are just people trying to live their lives as normally as possible. This is true of violence everywhere, from the KKK, Aryans, Latino gangs, Bloods, the Crypts, other black gangs, and groups in every nation on this planet have a minority who will kill for their beliefs, whatever those beliefs may be. Many are about religion as the Catholics against the Protestants in Ireland, or Sunni against Shiite in Iraq, but others are about money, turf, drugs, and other causes. The sad truth is people who want to commit violence will always find a reason to justify their actions and still the majority in each case do not believe this way.
We should just be thankful that so far these young “suicide bombers to be” have not felt sufficiently under attack to carry out any such bombings. This means there is still time to assimilate and Americanize these young people and then perhaps the only violence they will perpetrate will be through their video game systems.
Hopefully, they will discover over time that there is no war against Islam, except in the minds of the Islamic terrorists who want to over turn Western Civilization, and who see infidels everywhere.
Young Muslims
It is one of the most exhaustive ever of the country's Muslims, revealed a community that in many ways blends comfortably into society. Most of the members express nearly as much happiness with their lives and communities as does the general public. They are mostly willing to adopt American customs and have income and education levels similar to others in the U.S.
The trend that is most disturbing is that while nearly 80 percent of U.S. Muslims said suicide bombings of civilians to defend Islam cannot be justified, 13 percent said they can be, at least rarely.
That sentiment was strongest among those younger than 30. Two percent of them said it often can be justified, 13 percent said sometimes and 11 percent said rarely.
At first read I was very concerned about this view, that it is alright to use suicide bombers to kill civilians, but it is a view that can be understood in the context of the question asked. The bases of the question was to defend their religion if it was under attack. Now we all know of homegrown terrorists, like the Columbine kids, and other young who “have” already killed, in kill and die scenarios, and they did it for much less laudable goals than protecting their religion. The hypothetical attack on religion might provoke a similar response if asked of any young person of any religious background if it were put in the right context.
I think we, all of us are more fearful of this scenario from muslims, because of the 9/11 attacks than anything else. I know that was my first thought when I read this report, but after a little more thinking I realized that most of the young people attacking and killing people in this country are school children, who are killing their peers, because they were picked on or some other reason to satisfy their feelings or a need to “go out in a blaze of glory”. These people choose the more bloody course of killing and then being killed by police or killing themselves if they are trapped. The better choice would be to just kill themselves if they are so miserable, but they are too selfish to do that.
The point of this is that while we should be alert to potential trouble from this sector of society, we should not automatically assume they will carry out suicide bombings. We were all young and made outrageous comments on occasion, or at least most of us did.
The truth is that no matter the number of people who believe this way, the majority are just people trying to live their lives as normally as possible. This is true of violence everywhere, from the KKK, Aryans, Latino gangs, Bloods, the Crypts, other black gangs, and groups in every nation on this planet have a minority who will kill for their beliefs, whatever those beliefs may be. Many are about religion as the Catholics against the Protestants in Ireland, or Sunni against Shiite in Iraq, but others are about money, turf, drugs, and other causes. The sad truth is people who want to commit violence will always find a reason to justify their actions and still the majority in each case do not believe this way.
We should just be thankful that so far these young “suicide bombers to be” have not felt sufficiently under attack to carry out any such bombings. This means there is still time to assimilate and Americanize these young people and then perhaps the only violence they will perpetrate will be through their video game systems.
Hopefully, they will discover over time that there is no war against Islam, except in the minds of the Islamic terrorists who want to over turn Western Civilization, and who see infidels everywhere.
Young Muslims
Monday, May 21, 2007
New 7 Wonders Of The World Contest
There is an excellent story at yahoo news today about an internet campaign to choose the “new” wonders of the world. It states that over 45 million people have already voted for the top seven out of twenty-one from which to choose.
I had never heard of this campaign but it sounds like fun and I am going to go vote as soon as I finish this post, and I encourage you to do the same. Even though it is a quick bit of fun, it is founded on serious events. Swiss filmmaker, curator, and traveler, Bernard Weber, begin this contest to raise global awareness of the world’s heritage after the destruction of the giant Buddha statues at Bamyan, Afghanistan, by the Taliban in 2001.
As of May 7, the top 10 were the Acropolis in Greece, the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza in Mexico, the Coliseum in Rome, the Eiffel tower in Paris, the Great Wall of China, the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, Petra in Jordan, the statues on Easter Island, Britain's Stonehenge and the Taj Mahal in India.
The second tier of choices are the Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia, the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the Kiyomizu Temple in Japan, the Kremlin and Red Square, Neuschwanstein Castle in southern Germany, New York's Statue of Liberty, the statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooking Rio de Janeiro, Sydney Opera House and the ancient city of Timbuktu in Mali.
You would think that everyone would be onboard, but there are serious misgivings, by the Egyptians in particular, due to the “popularity” vote aspect instead of historical significance. There has been awarded “honorary” New 7 Wonders status given to the Pyramids so they will not be on the list to vote for as the Egyptians said there importance could not be put into question by such a publicity stunt contest. I think no matter what that this contest isn’t hurting anyone and if it brings awareness of the sites listed and to others not listed it can only be a good thing.
It was nice to see the Statue of Liberty as one of the choices, but I am sure that all of the sites listed are important as historical reference points. We receive too little history in school and I hope that school officials will read about this contest and get their children involved so they may appreciate our world history more then is currently the case.
I know that too a great many people history is boring and who needs to know about it, but I guess because I do like history I want others to enjoy it too. I think that we are better people when we know of how we got to this point in time. The other day in my rant on amnesty I let anger guide my words and was rightfully called on it by varsity blogger James Eaves-Johnson in his From Right 2 Left blog.
Part of being an American is knowing that we can be a great nation, but our past is full of pride, arrogance, atrocities, lots of blood, prejudice of other immigrants, races, religions, and cultures. We are in imperfect country that has on occasion risen above the evil of our past and did great good, such as defeating Nazi Germany and Japan, and championing the cause of freedom and democracy. We have had many failures as we saw with Vietnam, another war that should not have been fought, and we have done evil such helping Saddam remain in power when he was gassing his own people, because he was fighting our enemy Iran, and the contras in Nicaragua, etc. We need to be a little longer sighted when we decide to help or intervene, because invariably it sets in motion events that often turn around and bite us.
Anyway I think that anything that gets people thinking about history is good, so if you have a chance read the story and then perhaps you will want to vote as well. Thanks.
NEW 7 WONDERS
I had never heard of this campaign but it sounds like fun and I am going to go vote as soon as I finish this post, and I encourage you to do the same. Even though it is a quick bit of fun, it is founded on serious events. Swiss filmmaker, curator, and traveler, Bernard Weber, begin this contest to raise global awareness of the world’s heritage after the destruction of the giant Buddha statues at Bamyan, Afghanistan, by the Taliban in 2001.
As of May 7, the top 10 were the Acropolis in Greece, the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza in Mexico, the Coliseum in Rome, the Eiffel tower in Paris, the Great Wall of China, the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, Petra in Jordan, the statues on Easter Island, Britain's Stonehenge and the Taj Mahal in India.
The second tier of choices are the Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia, the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the Kiyomizu Temple in Japan, the Kremlin and Red Square, Neuschwanstein Castle in southern Germany, New York's Statue of Liberty, the statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooking Rio de Janeiro, Sydney Opera House and the ancient city of Timbuktu in Mali.
You would think that everyone would be onboard, but there are serious misgivings, by the Egyptians in particular, due to the “popularity” vote aspect instead of historical significance. There has been awarded “honorary” New 7 Wonders status given to the Pyramids so they will not be on the list to vote for as the Egyptians said there importance could not be put into question by such a publicity stunt contest. I think no matter what that this contest isn’t hurting anyone and if it brings awareness of the sites listed and to others not listed it can only be a good thing.
It was nice to see the Statue of Liberty as one of the choices, but I am sure that all of the sites listed are important as historical reference points. We receive too little history in school and I hope that school officials will read about this contest and get their children involved so they may appreciate our world history more then is currently the case.
I know that too a great many people history is boring and who needs to know about it, but I guess because I do like history I want others to enjoy it too. I think that we are better people when we know of how we got to this point in time. The other day in my rant on amnesty I let anger guide my words and was rightfully called on it by varsity blogger James Eaves-Johnson in his From Right 2 Left blog.
Part of being an American is knowing that we can be a great nation, but our past is full of pride, arrogance, atrocities, lots of blood, prejudice of other immigrants, races, religions, and cultures. We are in imperfect country that has on occasion risen above the evil of our past and did great good, such as defeating Nazi Germany and Japan, and championing the cause of freedom and democracy. We have had many failures as we saw with Vietnam, another war that should not have been fought, and we have done evil such helping Saddam remain in power when he was gassing his own people, because he was fighting our enemy Iran, and the contras in Nicaragua, etc. We need to be a little longer sighted when we decide to help or intervene, because invariably it sets in motion events that often turn around and bite us.
Anyway I think that anything that gets people thinking about history is good, so if you have a chance read the story and then perhaps you will want to vote as well. Thanks.
NEW 7 WONDERS
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Suffering Did Not End For Holocaust Survivors
There is a must read story on yahoo news about the plight of the Jews who were “freed” from the concentration camps after World War II. The Associated Press has been access to the International Tracing Service in the central German town of Bad Arolsen, which is the repository of 16 miles of shelves, containing documents concerning the Jews and other displaced persons. There is also some 3.4 million names on its’ card index of persons who sought refugee relief.
The story reports that these people were treated just as bad by the liberators , as they had been by the Nazi’s, except as one presidential envoy stated “we are not exterminating them”.
I started reading this story as I like history and It is increasingly difficult to find accurate historical documents, and you cannot read approved history books, because they usually distort history to fit their political beliefs.
Many of these people had to stay in the same camps or other hastily set up camps for another brutal winter, with thousands dying daily from hunger, disease, and exhaustion. They were despairing of their situation and many had lost most or all of their families in the death camps.
The reports states that between 500,000 and a million Germans participated in the extermination of the concentration camp victims fewer than 15% were prosecuted and many received displaced person status and came to America among other countries, while many countries refused to allow them entry. Great Britain refused them entry into Palestine as there was a ban on Jewish immigration to the Israeli-state in waiting. Ireland would not allow unmarried mothers into their mostly Catholic country, others rightfully feared returning to the Soviet controlled nations they were from, many Nazi’s made it through with the truly displaced persons into America and no one really looked into it more closely until 1979 when the Justice Department created the Office of Special Investigations to chase former Nazi’s in this country and has successfully prosecuted 104 cases, but many more need to be resolved.
I hope that this huge archive will be digitized at some time so everyone can access it and see how bad these people were treated during the war and after.
I hope you will read the story and send comments to our elected representatives to perhaps provide funds so that this information can be made available. Just the other day I heard a man on the radio making the absurd comment that there was never a Holocaust and that it was a fairy tale made up to allow Jews to get special treatment when they were trying to form the state of Israel. It is morons like that who are particularly dangerous for they often find weak minded people who will believe this type of “truth”. Whether it be David Duke going to the summit on Holocaust myths in Iran to the skinheads defacing synagogues, or even some evangilist’s who preach that Jews will be punished for having killed Christ, even though he too was a Jew. I guess they missed that part of the bible.
Anyway the point of this is to make sure we do not allow this myth of the Holocaust to take hold. There are fewer and fewer people who fought in World War II and liberated the camps as advancing age and death takes these witnesses from us. The documentation must be protected and disseminated, lest as we see in Darfur, and other nations around the world where history is repeating itself and millions are dying as genocide occurs. There is definitely not enough news coverage of this type of story and hopefully as the AP digs into the archives more reporting will be done and more of that time in history can be understood.
The Full Story!
The story reports that these people were treated just as bad by the liberators , as they had been by the Nazi’s, except as one presidential envoy stated “we are not exterminating them”.
I started reading this story as I like history and It is increasingly difficult to find accurate historical documents, and you cannot read approved history books, because they usually distort history to fit their political beliefs.
Many of these people had to stay in the same camps or other hastily set up camps for another brutal winter, with thousands dying daily from hunger, disease, and exhaustion. They were despairing of their situation and many had lost most or all of their families in the death camps.
The reports states that between 500,000 and a million Germans participated in the extermination of the concentration camp victims fewer than 15% were prosecuted and many received displaced person status and came to America among other countries, while many countries refused to allow them entry. Great Britain refused them entry into Palestine as there was a ban on Jewish immigration to the Israeli-state in waiting. Ireland would not allow unmarried mothers into their mostly Catholic country, others rightfully feared returning to the Soviet controlled nations they were from, many Nazi’s made it through with the truly displaced persons into America and no one really looked into it more closely until 1979 when the Justice Department created the Office of Special Investigations to chase former Nazi’s in this country and has successfully prosecuted 104 cases, but many more need to be resolved.
I hope that this huge archive will be digitized at some time so everyone can access it and see how bad these people were treated during the war and after.
I hope you will read the story and send comments to our elected representatives to perhaps provide funds so that this information can be made available. Just the other day I heard a man on the radio making the absurd comment that there was never a Holocaust and that it was a fairy tale made up to allow Jews to get special treatment when they were trying to form the state of Israel. It is morons like that who are particularly dangerous for they often find weak minded people who will believe this type of “truth”. Whether it be David Duke going to the summit on Holocaust myths in Iran to the skinheads defacing synagogues, or even some evangilist’s who preach that Jews will be punished for having killed Christ, even though he too was a Jew. I guess they missed that part of the bible.
Anyway the point of this is to make sure we do not allow this myth of the Holocaust to take hold. There are fewer and fewer people who fought in World War II and liberated the camps as advancing age and death takes these witnesses from us. The documentation must be protected and disseminated, lest as we see in Darfur, and other nations around the world where history is repeating itself and millions are dying as genocide occurs. There is definitely not enough news coverage of this type of story and hopefully as the AP digs into the archives more reporting will be done and more of that time in history can be understood.
The Full Story!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Shut Up President Carter
Here is a good one. I just finished reading an article about former President Jimmy “the killer rabbit” Carter has come out with harsh criticism of President Bush, calling him the worst President in history. Wow he should know because if President Bush is the worst President in history then that chair is mighty cramped, because he would be sitting side by side with former President Carter.
President Carter took a pretty good country and in one short term turned it into a basket case, with high unemployment, high gas prices, high inflation, high deficits, need I go on, and the laughing stock of the world for allowing a minor nation like Iran to make fools of us.
The only people President Carter helped during his time in office were comedians and newscasters, as the hostage taking and subsequent 444 day crisis gave newspeople something to do everyday. Some like Ted Koppel of Nightline were able to turn it into a career. All the while our image around the world was turned into an image of incompetence, stupidity, timidity, and impotence like never before.
Is it any wonder that by the time Ronald Reagan came to power that the only nation we could be sure to attack and win was Grenada, and that was a quick in and out insertion and departure to “save” some students from several cubans on holiday. We were lucky we didn’t need the military for anything important at the time as they were so messed up by the Carter administration that it took well into Reagan’s era to get it strong again. And we know how far overboard the Reagan loonies took the military. We were so strong, that we nearly bankrupted the country. It is funny that Carter was followed by Reagan, another worst President, then by Bush the First, a lackluster President who failed to finish Iraq and caused the tiles to be lined up for Bush the 2nd to knock down. Then we had Clinton who was a good President, even though he was a lousy husband and a moral leper. And now we have President Bush, who while being a good person by all accounts, is dedicated to finishing this war in Iraq.
Now I believe that this war should never have been fought, unless we would have done so after Saddam gassed the kurds, but he was our buddy at that time, and so Reagan/Bush could not invade a sovereign nation, at least not one we were using to keep Iran pinned in place.
So as I have said in the past and will say again, “President Carter, shut the hell up and just go away”. This sorry representative of our country has gone overseas too many times and said bad things about our country and he should not be allowed to get away with it. For having one of the worst administrations ever you have no authority, moral or otherwise to say President Bush is the worst president in history. All your help with building homes for the less fortunate is a nice thing to do, but your anti-American comments whether it be about the current President or our troops being the terrorists and murderers is atrocious, embarrassing and wrong.
So again, Mr. “President”, “SHUT UP”!!!
President Carter took a pretty good country and in one short term turned it into a basket case, with high unemployment, high gas prices, high inflation, high deficits, need I go on, and the laughing stock of the world for allowing a minor nation like Iran to make fools of us.
The only people President Carter helped during his time in office were comedians and newscasters, as the hostage taking and subsequent 444 day crisis gave newspeople something to do everyday. Some like Ted Koppel of Nightline were able to turn it into a career. All the while our image around the world was turned into an image of incompetence, stupidity, timidity, and impotence like never before.
Is it any wonder that by the time Ronald Reagan came to power that the only nation we could be sure to attack and win was Grenada, and that was a quick in and out insertion and departure to “save” some students from several cubans on holiday. We were lucky we didn’t need the military for anything important at the time as they were so messed up by the Carter administration that it took well into Reagan’s era to get it strong again. And we know how far overboard the Reagan loonies took the military. We were so strong, that we nearly bankrupted the country. It is funny that Carter was followed by Reagan, another worst President, then by Bush the First, a lackluster President who failed to finish Iraq and caused the tiles to be lined up for Bush the 2nd to knock down. Then we had Clinton who was a good President, even though he was a lousy husband and a moral leper. And now we have President Bush, who while being a good person by all accounts, is dedicated to finishing this war in Iraq.
Now I believe that this war should never have been fought, unless we would have done so after Saddam gassed the kurds, but he was our buddy at that time, and so Reagan/Bush could not invade a sovereign nation, at least not one we were using to keep Iran pinned in place.
So as I have said in the past and will say again, “President Carter, shut the hell up and just go away”. This sorry representative of our country has gone overseas too many times and said bad things about our country and he should not be allowed to get away with it. For having one of the worst administrations ever you have no authority, moral or otherwise to say President Bush is the worst president in history. All your help with building homes for the less fortunate is a nice thing to do, but your anti-American comments whether it be about the current President or our troops being the terrorists and murderers is atrocious, embarrassing and wrong.
So again, Mr. “President”, “SHUT UP”!!!
Loss of Good Neighbor
A very nice man died this week and it gives a person a different perspective on life. Our neighbor Gale D. Stone, of 1013 Dover Street, Iowa City, died suddenly at him home on Monday, May 14, 2007. He was just 62 years old and had retired in March of this year after having served in the Navy for twenty years as a cryptologist and twenty-two years as a supervisor at the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center in Iowa City.
I never knew that about him until after he died, because he was one of those people we know as acquaintances, but not in depth. I have lived next door to him and his wife Alice, for a few years, and have spoken to them briefly, but it is usually just a smile, a wave, a quick hello and then I am off, rushing, usually to work, but it could be anywhere.
In our times we do not usually take the time to know our neighbors like people did when I was growing up. Our lives get so cluttered with all sorts of minor things and we are so busy we can barely breath, let alone take the time to sit on the porch with the neighbors or anyone for that matter. Perhaps your lives are drastically different and you do know the neighbors well and they are like family too you. If that is the case I congratulate you and hope that after this week I can get to know the other neighbors better.
This nice man died just weeks after another nice neighbor down the street lost his wife; again just a wave and a hello kind of acquaintance, but the loss left this world a little darker. I knew him mostly through walking my friends dog as he was out walking his two dogs, but to see these people and the smile and wave was a nice way to start or end a long day.
So if your life sounds like mine and you are always rushing around and don’t know your neighbors, maybe grab a treat, stop by a neighbors place, knock on the door and say hello. Perhaps you’ll get to know them a little better than just a smile, a wave, and a hello.
The world is a little darker for the loss of these nice people, may they rest in peace.
I hope to get to know my other neighbors better.
I never knew that about him until after he died, because he was one of those people we know as acquaintances, but not in depth. I have lived next door to him and his wife Alice, for a few years, and have spoken to them briefly, but it is usually just a smile, a wave, a quick hello and then I am off, rushing, usually to work, but it could be anywhere.
In our times we do not usually take the time to know our neighbors like people did when I was growing up. Our lives get so cluttered with all sorts of minor things and we are so busy we can barely breath, let alone take the time to sit on the porch with the neighbors or anyone for that matter. Perhaps your lives are drastically different and you do know the neighbors well and they are like family too you. If that is the case I congratulate you and hope that after this week I can get to know the other neighbors better.
This nice man died just weeks after another nice neighbor down the street lost his wife; again just a wave and a hello kind of acquaintance, but the loss left this world a little darker. I knew him mostly through walking my friends dog as he was out walking his two dogs, but to see these people and the smile and wave was a nice way to start or end a long day.
So if your life sounds like mine and you are always rushing around and don’t know your neighbors, maybe grab a treat, stop by a neighbors place, knock on the door and say hello. Perhaps you’ll get to know them a little better than just a smile, a wave, and a hello.
The world is a little darker for the loss of these nice people, may they rest in peace.
I hope to get to know my other neighbors better.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Amnesty, Honor Fallen As Edwards Dishonors Them
Read this and be very afraid, your country is in jeopardy and our politicians are responsible.
Key US legislators clinched a deal with the White House Thursday on a sweeping immigration reform package that would bring 12 million illegal immigrants out of the shadows and bolster security along the US borders.
The pact, announced by a group of Democratic and Republican senators, would provide a path to permanent residency and citizenship for the vast majority of illegal workers, establish a merit-based points system for future immigrants, and set up a low-wage temporary worker program.
The bill would also provide 18,000 more Border Patrol agents, and scores of radar and camera towers on the US border with Mexico.
The measure, which emerged from exhaustive round-the-clock talks, is aimed at defusing a fiercely polarizing issue and fast-tracking reform before US political life is consumed by the 2008 congressional and presidential campaign cycle.
The bill still needs to be approved by the entire Senate, where debate is to begin Monday, and the House of Representatives. Approval in either chamber is still uncertain, though it has strong support from President George W. Bush.
Here we go again, another amnesty program and more supposed law enforcement that will come about. We have been fooled and lied to by politicians who see all these illegals as new voters for their parties and not as the criminals which they are. The Ridiculously Honored former President Ronald Reagan was easily led into giving amnesty to illegals on the promise that no more would come here. That really worked didn’t it.
We have 12 to 20 million illegals in this country and once they get the Z card; wow that is scary, now they have used up all the letters of the alphabet, so of course this will be the bill that will end any further illegal immigration and everyone else will respect the borders of our country. This Z card should have been named the Omega card for it will be the end of our country as the America that we know it. We shall see the end of Caucasians as the majority race and the illegals will become the controlling force in America.
I can understand why Senators like Reid and Kennedy would be for the bill, but why would Senators like Kyle of Arizona, say this is the best they can do. Well fine, if this is the best you can do, then do nothing. At least then you will not be taking a serious and deadly issue and making it worse, which is what you will be doing if you pass this legislation. I even understand President Bush’s support as he has always been weak on border enforcement, because his wife is a latino, but we should not allow him to give illegals, even those such as the men who were going to attack Fort Dix a pathway to citizenship.
What’s next, do we really get a card of options about which laws we can obey and which we can ignore, because I am sure there are a lot of real Americans who have laws which they don’t like and we could have blanket amnesty for them as well.
They could even have a “deadline” to break those laws before they receive amnesty, and if there are too many still breaking those laws, they could pass another scary bill with which to fix the defects in the previous bill. After all that is what they are trying to do right now.
Contact your Representatives and Senators and tell them to vote against this amnesty bill. We may not get a second chance to save our nation as our politicians, mostly Democrats, but also many Republicans are hell bent on destroying this nation and it is up to the citizenry to stop them from making it happen.
These are scary times and it should anger all of us that we are going to give law breakers the huge political advantage over us that is being proposed by our “representatives” in the government.
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A story this afternoon related that many of the gravestones of men who fought in earlier wars were being neglected and falling apart.
Thanks to a fundraiser sponsored by the Soldiers Monument Association of Cedar County slated for Sunday, James W. Bagley, a 1800’s lawyer and Civil War soldier’s gravestone and others like it may get the restoration they need.
Soldiers Monument Association of Cedar County’s president Sandy Harmel, 65, of Bennett, said the process of restoring the gravestones, as well as others in need of work throughout the county, began in 2001.
This is great, and a process for repairing and overseeing the war monuments and the gravestones of these men of past wars and conflicts should be set up all over the country. It is nice that in many areas of the country there are associations such as the Cedar County one, but it should be also be a state and federal responsibility to assist in taking care of these historical reminders of the price that has been paid to preserve and protect this nation.
This is particularly true when we have troops in harms way in many areas of the world. I know this is going to turn into another rant on the failure of certain politicians, ok , you made me say their names, Mullahs Reid and Pelosi, too provide much needed funds for our troops in Iraq and the dishonor they toward the young men and women who have and are dying for our nation. It is people like that who will undoubtedly not support any kind of association which might honor our fallen warriors by providing funds to keep the monuments and gravestones from deteriorating into the ground. They wish to wash our past away and make it out that we are the bad guys and the aggressors in every conflict in which we have participated.
We have Memorial Day fast approaching and it befitting these fallen warriors are appropriately honored.
It has come to my attention from a Fox news report among others that John Edwards, one of the Al-Qaida Democratic Party Presidential candidates, not the psychic from late night t.v., is trying to organize people to demonstrate against the war on Memorial Day. The protestors are told to demonstrate, have their photos taken and send them to Edwards campaign offices where they will be posted on his website.
I was wondering if Senator Edwards could possibly find any other way to dishonor the fallen warriors, but I am sure he will come up with something else in the coming weeks. My god, how can people like Senator Edwards, not have any respect for the families, or friends of these dead men and women, even if they do not have respect for the dead themselves. Everyone knows that your against the war Senator Edwards, so please just give it a rest for one damn day.
Please allow the families, friends and others who want to honor all of the fallen warriors from this and past conflicts one day not without being hated, harassed, shouted at, disrespected, and dishonored.
It has always amazed me that some of the most ferocious, hateful people I have ever seen are so called peace activists. Are you really mad at the people that are fighting and dying to protect your right to be morons or are you just mad that we do not live in a utopia where only your ideas and values exist. Personally I think it is the latter more so than the former. People who think that there can be a world completely at peace are obviously delusional and should be medicated or put away for their own good.
I would like peace too, but reality is that there has been conflict since the beginning of the universe, whether you are an atheist or a believer in a higher power, there has been conflicts, from one on one violence, as people tried to be the master of another, too nation’s, as they tried to rule their neighbors. Utopia is not even a dream, merely an illusion that can cause many more deaths than actually fighting a war, in particular if you are fighting real bad/evil guys such as Al-Qaida and their like minded terrorist buddies.
The Neville Chamberlains of yesterday are the “peace” activists of today and we must protect ourselves as much from them as we do the violent enemies that exist out there, waiting for us to drop our guard. 9/11 was not that long ago and yet we see people from the politicians to the Hollywood elite willing to misrepresent what happened so they can forget and move on. What a deadly thing forgetting may be for us. After all it took two attacks on the World Trade Centers to bring them down and our enemy is not anything if he is not patient and persistent.
May our luck hold, but don’t count on it. Have a nice day!!
Key US legislators clinched a deal with the White House Thursday on a sweeping immigration reform package that would bring 12 million illegal immigrants out of the shadows and bolster security along the US borders.
The pact, announced by a group of Democratic and Republican senators, would provide a path to permanent residency and citizenship for the vast majority of illegal workers, establish a merit-based points system for future immigrants, and set up a low-wage temporary worker program.
The bill would also provide 18,000 more Border Patrol agents, and scores of radar and camera towers on the US border with Mexico.
The measure, which emerged from exhaustive round-the-clock talks, is aimed at defusing a fiercely polarizing issue and fast-tracking reform before US political life is consumed by the 2008 congressional and presidential campaign cycle.
The bill still needs to be approved by the entire Senate, where debate is to begin Monday, and the House of Representatives. Approval in either chamber is still uncertain, though it has strong support from President George W. Bush.
Here we go again, another amnesty program and more supposed law enforcement that will come about. We have been fooled and lied to by politicians who see all these illegals as new voters for their parties and not as the criminals which they are. The Ridiculously Honored former President Ronald Reagan was easily led into giving amnesty to illegals on the promise that no more would come here. That really worked didn’t it.
We have 12 to 20 million illegals in this country and once they get the Z card; wow that is scary, now they have used up all the letters of the alphabet, so of course this will be the bill that will end any further illegal immigration and everyone else will respect the borders of our country. This Z card should have been named the Omega card for it will be the end of our country as the America that we know it. We shall see the end of Caucasians as the majority race and the illegals will become the controlling force in America.
I can understand why Senators like Reid and Kennedy would be for the bill, but why would Senators like Kyle of Arizona, say this is the best they can do. Well fine, if this is the best you can do, then do nothing. At least then you will not be taking a serious and deadly issue and making it worse, which is what you will be doing if you pass this legislation. I even understand President Bush’s support as he has always been weak on border enforcement, because his wife is a latino, but we should not allow him to give illegals, even those such as the men who were going to attack Fort Dix a pathway to citizenship.
What’s next, do we really get a card of options about which laws we can obey and which we can ignore, because I am sure there are a lot of real Americans who have laws which they don’t like and we could have blanket amnesty for them as well.
They could even have a “deadline” to break those laws before they receive amnesty, and if there are too many still breaking those laws, they could pass another scary bill with which to fix the defects in the previous bill. After all that is what they are trying to do right now.
Contact your Representatives and Senators and tell them to vote against this amnesty bill. We may not get a second chance to save our nation as our politicians, mostly Democrats, but also many Republicans are hell bent on destroying this nation and it is up to the citizenry to stop them from making it happen.
These are scary times and it should anger all of us that we are going to give law breakers the huge political advantage over us that is being proposed by our “representatives” in the government.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
A story this afternoon related that many of the gravestones of men who fought in earlier wars were being neglected and falling apart.
Thanks to a fundraiser sponsored by the Soldiers Monument Association of Cedar County slated for Sunday, James W. Bagley, a 1800’s lawyer and Civil War soldier’s gravestone and others like it may get the restoration they need.
Soldiers Monument Association of Cedar County’s president Sandy Harmel, 65, of Bennett, said the process of restoring the gravestones, as well as others in need of work throughout the county, began in 2001.
This is great, and a process for repairing and overseeing the war monuments and the gravestones of these men of past wars and conflicts should be set up all over the country. It is nice that in many areas of the country there are associations such as the Cedar County one, but it should be also be a state and federal responsibility to assist in taking care of these historical reminders of the price that has been paid to preserve and protect this nation.
This is particularly true when we have troops in harms way in many areas of the world. I know this is going to turn into another rant on the failure of certain politicians, ok , you made me say their names, Mullahs Reid and Pelosi, too provide much needed funds for our troops in Iraq and the dishonor they toward the young men and women who have and are dying for our nation. It is people like that who will undoubtedly not support any kind of association which might honor our fallen warriors by providing funds to keep the monuments and gravestones from deteriorating into the ground. They wish to wash our past away and make it out that we are the bad guys and the aggressors in every conflict in which we have participated.
We have Memorial Day fast approaching and it befitting these fallen warriors are appropriately honored.
It has come to my attention from a Fox news report among others that John Edwards, one of the Al-Qaida Democratic Party Presidential candidates, not the psychic from late night t.v., is trying to organize people to demonstrate against the war on Memorial Day. The protestors are told to demonstrate, have their photos taken and send them to Edwards campaign offices where they will be posted on his website.
I was wondering if Senator Edwards could possibly find any other way to dishonor the fallen warriors, but I am sure he will come up with something else in the coming weeks. My god, how can people like Senator Edwards, not have any respect for the families, or friends of these dead men and women, even if they do not have respect for the dead themselves. Everyone knows that your against the war Senator Edwards, so please just give it a rest for one damn day.
Please allow the families, friends and others who want to honor all of the fallen warriors from this and past conflicts one day not without being hated, harassed, shouted at, disrespected, and dishonored.
It has always amazed me that some of the most ferocious, hateful people I have ever seen are so called peace activists. Are you really mad at the people that are fighting and dying to protect your right to be morons or are you just mad that we do not live in a utopia where only your ideas and values exist. Personally I think it is the latter more so than the former. People who think that there can be a world completely at peace are obviously delusional and should be medicated or put away for their own good.
I would like peace too, but reality is that there has been conflict since the beginning of the universe, whether you are an atheist or a believer in a higher power, there has been conflicts, from one on one violence, as people tried to be the master of another, too nation’s, as they tried to rule their neighbors. Utopia is not even a dream, merely an illusion that can cause many more deaths than actually fighting a war, in particular if you are fighting real bad/evil guys such as Al-Qaida and their like minded terrorist buddies.
The Neville Chamberlains of yesterday are the “peace” activists of today and we must protect ourselves as much from them as we do the violent enemies that exist out there, waiting for us to drop our guard. 9/11 was not that long ago and yet we see people from the politicians to the Hollywood elite willing to misrepresent what happened so they can forget and move on. What a deadly thing forgetting may be for us. After all it took two attacks on the World Trade Centers to bring them down and our enemy is not anything if he is not patient and persistent.
May our luck hold, but don’t count on it. Have a nice day!!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
MySpace Protects Sex Offenders Privacy, Iraq Defunding Bill Fails
I have been reading a story on MSN in which MySpace is refusing to give the names of sex offenders to Attorney General’s from eight states.Citing federal privacy law, MySpace.com said Tuesday it won’t comply with a request by attorneys general from eight states to hand over the names of registered sex offenders who use the social networking Web site.
MySpace’s chief security officer said the company regularly discloses information to law enforcement officials but the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act says it can only do so when proper legal processes are followed. In a letter Monday, attorneys general from North Carolina, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania asked MySpace to provide information about registered sex offenders using the site and where they live.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal on Tuesday blasted MySpace for refusing to share the information and said no subpoena is needed for MySpace to tell the attorneys general how many registered sex offenders use the site or other information relating to possible parole violations.
Christian Genetski, an attorney who has represented MySpace, said the Electronic Communications Privacy Act requires subpoenas, court orders or search warrants, depending on the information sought.
There was a quote from North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said “it’s sad that MySpace is going to protect the privacy of sex offenders over the safety of children.”
Mr. Cooper is absolutely right and MySpace should be embarrassed to be siding with the sex offenders instead of the children who are being victimized be these scum bags.
Nigam said MySpace is serious about identifying and removing sex offenders from its Web site and wants to work with the attorneys general.
In December, MySpace announced it was partnering with Sentinel Tech Holding Corp. to build a database with information on sex offenders in the United States. It is also supposedly working with Sentinel to share the sex offender database and technology with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which works directly with law enforcement officials, Nigam said.
MySpace, which is owned by News Corp., and other social networking sites allow users to create online profiles with photos, music and personal information, including hometowns and education. Users can send messages to one another and, in many cases, browse other profiles.
MySpace’s policy prevents children under 14 from setting up profiles, but it relies on users to specify their ages.
We should flood MySpace with calls, letters, emails informing them that we do like there attempt to help the sex offenders by keeping their information secret. In fact, they should publish their names and address and let all of us know who they are and where they live. They should forfeit all right to privacy once they are convicted of sex crimes and receive sex offender status.
It never ceases to amaze me how little anyone cares about the children. You have laws that are too lenient on sex offenders, judges who will not punish them enough, lawyers who defend them, and companies like MySpace that assist them in injuring more children by keeping their identities hidden from law enforcement. What the hell is wrong with this country, we need to pull our heads out of the clouds there in and start protecting the children from these parasites. There should not be three strikes and your out it should be one strike and your done. There should be no more chances to hurt more children for these people.
Even if it is breaking the law as MySpace says it is, they should break the law and do the right thing and then the law should be changed, because it is ridiculous to allow criminals to use the law against us this way. There is right and wrong and this is wrong!
This effects us all and in particular if you have children who are using MySpace when you are not home, so be careful when and how you allow them to be online. Make sure you check their history on the computer and see if they behave strange or have hidden contacts with anyone that you do not know. These predators know how to push the right buttons with the children and we are all responsible to protect the children as best as we can.
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Thankfully the Senate rejected a plan to end funding of the Iraq war by a 67-29 vote against the Democrats' measure left it far short of the 60 needed to advance. But more than half the Senate's Democrats supported the move, a marked change from last summer when only a dozen members of the rank and file backed a troop withdrawal deadline.
The Al-Qaida Democratic Party was still happy too embarrass our troops and our President by even allowing this bill to come to the floor of the Senate for their view that anything they do even if it does not pass will help them win more seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as the Presidency in 2008.
For the first time, Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Barack Obama of Illinois and Joe Biden of Delaware joined Sen. Chris Dodd in lending support to the notion of setting a date to end U.S. participation in the war.
Senator Clinton said it was a procedural vote, as usual more double talk to try and be on both sides of the issue. I had planned on voting for her, because I thought she would be a good first female President as she is pretty ruthless and she would have made it interesting, but her flip flop on the Iraq War has put her in my “I would not vote for her if she was the only candidate running column” with the rest of the Al-Qaida Democratic Party Presidential hopefuls who want us to lose in Iraq and let their terrorist brethren take over there and here.
These craven, cowardly politicians should be removed from office for aiding our enemies around the world. You can be sure they will receive congratulatory remarks from the terrorists for putting on this show of support for their cause of killing more troops and more Iraqi civilians. As a matter of fact, I just saw were another vehicle blew up and killed 32 Iraqis and wounding even more. How sad that we cannot get the politicians to understand how these kind of votes lends itself to the cause of keeping the terrorists from giving up, as they can see if the keep killing we will leave as we do not have the resolve to see this through to the end. Thank God that we did not have these politicians in power in World War II or they would have pulled our troops home after D-Day, hell they might just surrendered after Pearl Harbor so there would not be anymore bloodshed.
We owe these fine young men and women who are fighting the support of their country and our respect and gratitude.
Now pass the funding bill, without all of the domestic pork barrel projects and let the troops know that even if you disagree with the war, you are not going use them for your political games. Argue with the President all you want, but fund the troops and fund them now!
MySpace’s chief security officer said the company regularly discloses information to law enforcement officials but the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act says it can only do so when proper legal processes are followed. In a letter Monday, attorneys general from North Carolina, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania asked MySpace to provide information about registered sex offenders using the site and where they live.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal on Tuesday blasted MySpace for refusing to share the information and said no subpoena is needed for MySpace to tell the attorneys general how many registered sex offenders use the site or other information relating to possible parole violations.
Christian Genetski, an attorney who has represented MySpace, said the Electronic Communications Privacy Act requires subpoenas, court orders or search warrants, depending on the information sought.
There was a quote from North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said “it’s sad that MySpace is going to protect the privacy of sex offenders over the safety of children.”
Mr. Cooper is absolutely right and MySpace should be embarrassed to be siding with the sex offenders instead of the children who are being victimized be these scum bags.
Nigam said MySpace is serious about identifying and removing sex offenders from its Web site and wants to work with the attorneys general.
In December, MySpace announced it was partnering with Sentinel Tech Holding Corp. to build a database with information on sex offenders in the United States. It is also supposedly working with Sentinel to share the sex offender database and technology with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which works directly with law enforcement officials, Nigam said.
MySpace, which is owned by News Corp., and other social networking sites allow users to create online profiles with photos, music and personal information, including hometowns and education. Users can send messages to one another and, in many cases, browse other profiles.
MySpace’s policy prevents children under 14 from setting up profiles, but it relies on users to specify their ages.
We should flood MySpace with calls, letters, emails informing them that we do like there attempt to help the sex offenders by keeping their information secret. In fact, they should publish their names and address and let all of us know who they are and where they live. They should forfeit all right to privacy once they are convicted of sex crimes and receive sex offender status.
It never ceases to amaze me how little anyone cares about the children. You have laws that are too lenient on sex offenders, judges who will not punish them enough, lawyers who defend them, and companies like MySpace that assist them in injuring more children by keeping their identities hidden from law enforcement. What the hell is wrong with this country, we need to pull our heads out of the clouds there in and start protecting the children from these parasites. There should not be three strikes and your out it should be one strike and your done. There should be no more chances to hurt more children for these people.
Even if it is breaking the law as MySpace says it is, they should break the law and do the right thing and then the law should be changed, because it is ridiculous to allow criminals to use the law against us this way. There is right and wrong and this is wrong!
This effects us all and in particular if you have children who are using MySpace when you are not home, so be careful when and how you allow them to be online. Make sure you check their history on the computer and see if they behave strange or have hidden contacts with anyone that you do not know. These predators know how to push the right buttons with the children and we are all responsible to protect the children as best as we can.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Thankfully the Senate rejected a plan to end funding of the Iraq war by a 67-29 vote against the Democrats' measure left it far short of the 60 needed to advance. But more than half the Senate's Democrats supported the move, a marked change from last summer when only a dozen members of the rank and file backed a troop withdrawal deadline.
The Al-Qaida Democratic Party was still happy too embarrass our troops and our President by even allowing this bill to come to the floor of the Senate for their view that anything they do even if it does not pass will help them win more seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as the Presidency in 2008.
For the first time, Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Barack Obama of Illinois and Joe Biden of Delaware joined Sen. Chris Dodd in lending support to the notion of setting a date to end U.S. participation in the war.
Senator Clinton said it was a procedural vote, as usual more double talk to try and be on both sides of the issue. I had planned on voting for her, because I thought she would be a good first female President as she is pretty ruthless and she would have made it interesting, but her flip flop on the Iraq War has put her in my “I would not vote for her if she was the only candidate running column” with the rest of the Al-Qaida Democratic Party Presidential hopefuls who want us to lose in Iraq and let their terrorist brethren take over there and here.
These craven, cowardly politicians should be removed from office for aiding our enemies around the world. You can be sure they will receive congratulatory remarks from the terrorists for putting on this show of support for their cause of killing more troops and more Iraqi civilians. As a matter of fact, I just saw were another vehicle blew up and killed 32 Iraqis and wounding even more. How sad that we cannot get the politicians to understand how these kind of votes lends itself to the cause of keeping the terrorists from giving up, as they can see if the keep killing we will leave as we do not have the resolve to see this through to the end. Thank God that we did not have these politicians in power in World War II or they would have pulled our troops home after D-Day, hell they might just surrendered after Pearl Harbor so there would not be anymore bloodshed.
We owe these fine young men and women who are fighting the support of their country and our respect and gratitude.
Now pass the funding bill, without all of the domestic pork barrel projects and let the troops know that even if you disagree with the war, you are not going use them for your political games. Argue with the President all you want, but fund the troops and fund them now!
Monday, May 14, 2007
Two Good Arrests, But Officers Injured
I have just finished an excellent story in the Iowa Press-Citizen concerning six people who were arrested after a melee in which two officers were injured.
Please read the whole story in the paper or online, but the short story is that Iowa City Police were called to 921 N. Dodge for a domestic abuse situation. They arrived and after arriving the situation escalated and resulted in an attempt to arrest James Michael Willis, 27 of that address. He pushed officer Laura Wood down injuring her back. Another officer , Matt Hansen, was punched in the face and other officers were injured in minor ways. The following people were arrested for interference with the officers as they tried to arrest Mr. Willis: Demetrius James Bledsoe, 26, same address, Antonio Maurice House, 27, of 913 Willow St., Kimberly Rachel Willis, 24, Adam M. Melcher 31, and Lakisha D. Thomas, 24 of Coralville. Miss Willis was also arrested on escape charges as she fled after being handcuffed and was found 15 minutes later a few houses away.
I went to the reader comments after reading this story and it looks like most of them were favorable toward the police reaction in the situation. In fact, one of the comments was by the person who called the 911 complaint in and he said the man arrested was screaming about killing everyone in the residence, he was using the N word even though he is African-American. In the story it says he was yelling about killing white people when the police arrived, so the situation was bad and while it seems that this young man’s friends like him a lot, as evidenced by their stupidity in trying to interfere with the police, it is also illegal as they now know.
From all of the reporting I think they should be happy that someone did not get shot, because being attacked by several assailants at once would in my estimation make it imperative to stop the violence as quickly as possible. I find the restraint used by these officers as evidence of the high quality training that they receive and the discipline with which they control their emotions. I know that it their job, but think about yourself, if you were in a situation that put you in grave danger would you not react on emotion and not rational thought, it would be “flight or fight time”.
So congratulations to the police on this incident and perhaps it will educate some people not to attack the police. I know a few officers and find them to be good people who do a hard and sometimes dangerous job for and they get too little respect for it most of the time. I quibble sometimes about the occasional speeding tickets which I have received, and that they could be doing something better, but in reality everything that they do to keep the rule of law upheld is the true and right thing to do. These young people better wake up and realize that breaking the law is wrong for anyone, no matter their age or their race, that is what civilized society is all about.
So remember kids alcohol or other substances, loud voices, mingled with threats of bodily violence, will invariably bring a knock at your door by the police, how you respond can get you either a warning or if you choose to be stupid, a night in jail, followed by charges, fines , and perhaps even serious jail or prison time. Worst of all if you escalate it too far, it could have ended in serious injury or even death. May Officers Wood and Hansen get well soon.
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Eleven peace activists who claimed they were justified in staying in the federal courthouse after hours because they wanted to end the war in Iraq were found guilty of trespass by a Linn County judge.
“While wanting to end the further loss of lives is a goal of the utmost importance, the
Court does not find that this goal amounts to justification for the Defendants' actions given the completely speculative nature of the outcome in this case,” Magistrate Judge Jill Ableidinger said in a written order issued Monday afternoon.
She tried all 11 together on April 25, each on a single simple misdemeanor trespass charge.
Ableidinger said the defendants didn't know if Grassley would speak to them, secondly had no way of knowing that a conversation would cause him to act and lastly that if the Senator did what effect, if any, the action would have on saving lives.
Frank Cordaro of Des Moines, a former Catholic priest and seasoned activist, expressed disappointment in the judge's decision. It's been his experience that the judicial branch of the U.S. government sides with the executive branch in war making, Cordaro said. His first arrest dates back to a 1977 protest at the Pentagon.
About two dozen protesters waited outside the office of Sen. Chuck Grassley, which is on the second floor of the federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids, on Feb. 26 hoping to talk to the Senator by phone to convince him to push for an end to the war.
They were participating the Occupation Project, part of the Voices for Creative Non-Violence campaign, which is an effort to stop the war in Iraq.
Grassley was on a plane to Washington, D.C. The war protesters waited, hoping to speak with him by phone. They were repeatedly asked to leave. An hour and a half after the courthouse closed to the public, Cedar Rapids police were called in to arrest the 11 who remained in the hallway.
Ableidinger said they could have attempted to contact the Senator earlier, or waited until the next day.
Sentencing is set for July 6th in Linn County District Associate Court and they face up to 30 days in jail.
In addition to Codaro those convicted include:Andrew Alemeo,19,of Cedar Falls Joshua Casteel, 27, of Cedar Rapids; Megan R. Felt, 20, of Iowa City; Timothy L. Gauger, 36, of Eugene, Ore.; David A. Goodner, 26, of Iowa City; John P. Hornbeck, 25, of Iowa City; Ryan D. Merz, 20, of Maple Plain, Minn.; Conor A. Murphy, 29, of Madison, Wis.; Rosemary M. Persaud, 47, of Iowa City; and Justin N. Riley, 19, of Crystal, Minn.
So we have had two good outcomes in two different stories dealing with law breakers, which shows that no matter what you think your goals are you do not get to violate the law and expect to get away with it.
I am proud of Senator Grassley not caving in and actually talking to these whack jobs. I know if you really want to stop the war in Iraq why don’t you hop a plane and talk to your Al-Qaida buddies and ask them to stop killing our troops and the Iraqi citizens. I am sure if you are so in touch with your feelings about stopping the war, then you really need to go to the source and I am sure you can hold hands in brotherhood with the terrorists, they’ll agree, the killing will stop and then our troops can come home.
There see it really is that easy, isn’t it? Oh right, No it is not! I hope you enjoy your jail time, it will be easier if you pretend you’re the victim’s! Right, I already know that you do, but you are wrong, the victim’s are the poor citizens of Iraq and our troops being killed by your terrorist brethren, or in the story our fine police officers, who were only doing their jobs.
Please read the whole story in the paper or online, but the short story is that Iowa City Police were called to 921 N. Dodge for a domestic abuse situation. They arrived and after arriving the situation escalated and resulted in an attempt to arrest James Michael Willis, 27 of that address. He pushed officer Laura Wood down injuring her back. Another officer , Matt Hansen, was punched in the face and other officers were injured in minor ways. The following people were arrested for interference with the officers as they tried to arrest Mr. Willis: Demetrius James Bledsoe, 26, same address, Antonio Maurice House, 27, of 913 Willow St., Kimberly Rachel Willis, 24, Adam M. Melcher 31, and Lakisha D. Thomas, 24 of Coralville. Miss Willis was also arrested on escape charges as she fled after being handcuffed and was found 15 minutes later a few houses away.
I went to the reader comments after reading this story and it looks like most of them were favorable toward the police reaction in the situation. In fact, one of the comments was by the person who called the 911 complaint in and he said the man arrested was screaming about killing everyone in the residence, he was using the N word even though he is African-American. In the story it says he was yelling about killing white people when the police arrived, so the situation was bad and while it seems that this young man’s friends like him a lot, as evidenced by their stupidity in trying to interfere with the police, it is also illegal as they now know.
From all of the reporting I think they should be happy that someone did not get shot, because being attacked by several assailants at once would in my estimation make it imperative to stop the violence as quickly as possible. I find the restraint used by these officers as evidence of the high quality training that they receive and the discipline with which they control their emotions. I know that it their job, but think about yourself, if you were in a situation that put you in grave danger would you not react on emotion and not rational thought, it would be “flight or fight time”.
So congratulations to the police on this incident and perhaps it will educate some people not to attack the police. I know a few officers and find them to be good people who do a hard and sometimes dangerous job for and they get too little respect for it most of the time. I quibble sometimes about the occasional speeding tickets which I have received, and that they could be doing something better, but in reality everything that they do to keep the rule of law upheld is the true and right thing to do. These young people better wake up and realize that breaking the law is wrong for anyone, no matter their age or their race, that is what civilized society is all about.
So remember kids alcohol or other substances, loud voices, mingled with threats of bodily violence, will invariably bring a knock at your door by the police, how you respond can get you either a warning or if you choose to be stupid, a night in jail, followed by charges, fines , and perhaps even serious jail or prison time. Worst of all if you escalate it too far, it could have ended in serious injury or even death. May Officers Wood and Hansen get well soon.
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Eleven peace activists who claimed they were justified in staying in the federal courthouse after hours because they wanted to end the war in Iraq were found guilty of trespass by a Linn County judge.
“While wanting to end the further loss of lives is a goal of the utmost importance, the
Court does not find that this goal amounts to justification for the Defendants' actions given the completely speculative nature of the outcome in this case,” Magistrate Judge Jill Ableidinger said in a written order issued Monday afternoon.
She tried all 11 together on April 25, each on a single simple misdemeanor trespass charge.
Ableidinger said the defendants didn't know if Grassley would speak to them, secondly had no way of knowing that a conversation would cause him to act and lastly that if the Senator did what effect, if any, the action would have on saving lives.
Frank Cordaro of Des Moines, a former Catholic priest and seasoned activist, expressed disappointment in the judge's decision. It's been his experience that the judicial branch of the U.S. government sides with the executive branch in war making, Cordaro said. His first arrest dates back to a 1977 protest at the Pentagon.
About two dozen protesters waited outside the office of Sen. Chuck Grassley, which is on the second floor of the federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids, on Feb. 26 hoping to talk to the Senator by phone to convince him to push for an end to the war.
They were participating the Occupation Project, part of the Voices for Creative Non-Violence campaign, which is an effort to stop the war in Iraq.
Grassley was on a plane to Washington, D.C. The war protesters waited, hoping to speak with him by phone. They were repeatedly asked to leave. An hour and a half after the courthouse closed to the public, Cedar Rapids police were called in to arrest the 11 who remained in the hallway.
Ableidinger said they could have attempted to contact the Senator earlier, or waited until the next day.
Sentencing is set for July 6th in Linn County District Associate Court and they face up to 30 days in jail.
In addition to Codaro those convicted include:Andrew Alemeo,19,of Cedar Falls Joshua Casteel, 27, of Cedar Rapids; Megan R. Felt, 20, of Iowa City; Timothy L. Gauger, 36, of Eugene, Ore.; David A. Goodner, 26, of Iowa City; John P. Hornbeck, 25, of Iowa City; Ryan D. Merz, 20, of Maple Plain, Minn.; Conor A. Murphy, 29, of Madison, Wis.; Rosemary M. Persaud, 47, of Iowa City; and Justin N. Riley, 19, of Crystal, Minn.
So we have had two good outcomes in two different stories dealing with law breakers, which shows that no matter what you think your goals are you do not get to violate the law and expect to get away with it.
I am proud of Senator Grassley not caving in and actually talking to these whack jobs. I know if you really want to stop the war in Iraq why don’t you hop a plane and talk to your Al-Qaida buddies and ask them to stop killing our troops and the Iraqi citizens. I am sure if you are so in touch with your feelings about stopping the war, then you really need to go to the source and I am sure you can hold hands in brotherhood with the terrorists, they’ll agree, the killing will stop and then our troops can come home.
There see it really is that easy, isn’t it? Oh right, No it is not! I hope you enjoy your jail time, it will be easier if you pretend you’re the victim’s! Right, I already know that you do, but you are wrong, the victim’s are the poor citizens of Iraq and our troops being killed by your terrorist brethren, or in the story our fine police officers, who were only doing their jobs.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Mother's Day, And Senator Harkin's Meth Treatment Bill
I just finished reading the “different kind of Mother’s Day” story from the Iowa Press-Citizen online page and wanted to make a few comments.
First, thanks to the Press-Citizen for running another nice story with good people instead of the usual bad people, bad things happening stories.
I recommend you all go to the story to read the entire text, but I shall give a brief recap of it.
A 31 year old woman named Maur-ine Orwa is not a mother. Miss Orwa is a sister who helped raise her three younger brothers after he mother died in 1995. Miss Orwa is from Kenya and was encouraged to come here for an education by her relatives right after her mother died, so she could do better in her life. Some time after that her father found he was too busy working to care for the three boys and they were sent to live with her in this country.
Her youngest brother was 6 and the oldest 11, so she had quite a lot to handle with taking care of them and with her continuing to attend college for her higher degrees.
Miss Orwa’s comments upon arriving in Iowa in 1999 were totally appropriate. She said Iowa is crazy cold and obviously a great difference from her homeland, but she stayed and continued her education and is currently in a doctoral program which was completed Saturday as she received a Ph.D in Community and Behavioral Health from University of Iowa’s College of Liberal Arts and Science.
She found the task of raising her brothers quite daunting what with trying to make rules and not go overboard between being a “mother” and a sister. She made sure they ate properly, did their homework and everything else one expects of a mother and from the story it sounds like she did a fine job.
Her father died in 2005 not able to see her receive her Masters degrees and was sad that he could not be here. Miss Orwa and her brothers can be proud of how well they have turned out and it is befitting to honor this young woman with this special story.
May we wish Miss Orwa and her brothers happy lives as they are truly people to be looked upon with goodness and respect for them having graced our fair city. Anyone who reads this story cannot help but be the better for having read and heard the message she leaves to think about others, sometimes before yourself. It is a good message in these times when it seems everything is about self, to know that there are others out there who want to help, whether it be a relative, a friend , or even a total stranger, if they are in need.
I know it is one of my strange concepts to think about others first, but what can I say other than it seems to work out pretty well. There is the occasional person who takes advantage of it, but that is part of the practice of believing that most people are good. Do a random act of kindness and see what a positive effect it will have on that person and what a positive effect it will have on you. After that you might even want to take the training wheels off and do it all the time. What’s the harm, the worst that can happen is that you do not like feeling good about yourself and then just go back to your old way of thinking and write it off as another bad idea.
I hope more people will write the press-citizen about positive people who have raised them, or helped them in some way and we can all share in the happiness that this kind of news would generate.
May everyone Mother have a wonderful Mother’s Day with their children and may all of the children appreciate their Mother’s whether living or dead. My mother is dead and I think how much better she should have been treated when she was alive and hope that others will read this and think about how they treat their mother’s. If you are not treating her well you still have time to change, because thinking back on it often after she is gone is no way to remember her.
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In another bit of light into dark corner thinking I just finished reading a story about how Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is promoting new initiatives in the fight against methamphetamine.
Senator Harkin introduced the Methamphetamine Abuse Treatment and Prevention Act in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, and was in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines to discuss his ideas with law enforcement and drug treatment professionals Saturday.
The premise of the Harkin bill is that every dollar spent on treatment and prevention of meth abuse will lead to a $7 savings in the end. His goal is to increase family- and
jail-based treatment, and disassemble barriers to drug treatment for individuals.
Senator Harkin said Saturday ``With proper treatment, meth addicts can recover and go on to lead productive lives,'' to a group of around 15 drug treatment and law enforcement officials. He added that the problem with current treatment programs is that individuals often spend less than a month there, when four to six months minimum is necessary.
Ideas were discussed to encourage treated users to stay off of the highly-addictive
drug, including making sure they receive professional training at places like Kirkwood Community College, or at least get a GED.
This is an approach which should be pursued as vigorously as law enforcement, because without treatment these messed up people are going to end up in a the revolving door of prison once they have gotten to a certain point in their addicted lives.
I am sure we all know or know someone who knows a person who has used or been used up by methamphetamine or other hard substance. You may even have tried to intervene with no success. These people get in such a state of mind that there is nothing else that they live for, but the rush that this drug gives them even as it is destroying their body and mind. I remember reading an article a long time ago about how methamphetamine works on the brain and that it creates a physical need more so that any other drug.
I think the heavy emphasis on law enforcement is necessary for the people who make methamphetamine, but I believe that treatment is much more essential than locking them in already over crowded prisons. If they need to be locked up it should be in “prison-like” treatment centers, but not in actual prisons were they are mixed in with other prisoners who do things to others. Many of the addicts do commit other crimes and should be treated accordingly, but many of these addicts are merely hurting themselves and those who care about them.
Good luck to Senator Harkin in pushing his bill through and having it implemented and the sooner the better. Let your politicians know that we need more treatment and urge them to vote for the bill. Thanks!!
First, thanks to the Press-Citizen for running another nice story with good people instead of the usual bad people, bad things happening stories.
I recommend you all go to the story to read the entire text, but I shall give a brief recap of it.
A 31 year old woman named Maur-ine Orwa is not a mother. Miss Orwa is a sister who helped raise her three younger brothers after he mother died in 1995. Miss Orwa is from Kenya and was encouraged to come here for an education by her relatives right after her mother died, so she could do better in her life. Some time after that her father found he was too busy working to care for the three boys and they were sent to live with her in this country.
Her youngest brother was 6 and the oldest 11, so she had quite a lot to handle with taking care of them and with her continuing to attend college for her higher degrees.
Miss Orwa’s comments upon arriving in Iowa in 1999 were totally appropriate. She said Iowa is crazy cold and obviously a great difference from her homeland, but she stayed and continued her education and is currently in a doctoral program which was completed Saturday as she received a Ph.D in Community and Behavioral Health from University of Iowa’s College of Liberal Arts and Science.
She found the task of raising her brothers quite daunting what with trying to make rules and not go overboard between being a “mother” and a sister. She made sure they ate properly, did their homework and everything else one expects of a mother and from the story it sounds like she did a fine job.
Her father died in 2005 not able to see her receive her Masters degrees and was sad that he could not be here. Miss Orwa and her brothers can be proud of how well they have turned out and it is befitting to honor this young woman with this special story.
May we wish Miss Orwa and her brothers happy lives as they are truly people to be looked upon with goodness and respect for them having graced our fair city. Anyone who reads this story cannot help but be the better for having read and heard the message she leaves to think about others, sometimes before yourself. It is a good message in these times when it seems everything is about self, to know that there are others out there who want to help, whether it be a relative, a friend , or even a total stranger, if they are in need.
I know it is one of my strange concepts to think about others first, but what can I say other than it seems to work out pretty well. There is the occasional person who takes advantage of it, but that is part of the practice of believing that most people are good. Do a random act of kindness and see what a positive effect it will have on that person and what a positive effect it will have on you. After that you might even want to take the training wheels off and do it all the time. What’s the harm, the worst that can happen is that you do not like feeling good about yourself and then just go back to your old way of thinking and write it off as another bad idea.
I hope more people will write the press-citizen about positive people who have raised them, or helped them in some way and we can all share in the happiness that this kind of news would generate.
May everyone Mother have a wonderful Mother’s Day with their children and may all of the children appreciate their Mother’s whether living or dead. My mother is dead and I think how much better she should have been treated when she was alive and hope that others will read this and think about how they treat their mother’s. If you are not treating her well you still have time to change, because thinking back on it often after she is gone is no way to remember her.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
In another bit of light into dark corner thinking I just finished reading a story about how Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is promoting new initiatives in the fight against methamphetamine.
Senator Harkin introduced the Methamphetamine Abuse Treatment and Prevention Act in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, and was in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines to discuss his ideas with law enforcement and drug treatment professionals Saturday.
The premise of the Harkin bill is that every dollar spent on treatment and prevention of meth abuse will lead to a $7 savings in the end. His goal is to increase family- and
jail-based treatment, and disassemble barriers to drug treatment for individuals.
Senator Harkin said Saturday ``With proper treatment, meth addicts can recover and go on to lead productive lives,'' to a group of around 15 drug treatment and law enforcement officials. He added that the problem with current treatment programs is that individuals often spend less than a month there, when four to six months minimum is necessary.
Ideas were discussed to encourage treated users to stay off of the highly-addictive
drug, including making sure they receive professional training at places like Kirkwood Community College, or at least get a GED.
This is an approach which should be pursued as vigorously as law enforcement, because without treatment these messed up people are going to end up in a the revolving door of prison once they have gotten to a certain point in their addicted lives.
I am sure we all know or know someone who knows a person who has used or been used up by methamphetamine or other hard substance. You may even have tried to intervene with no success. These people get in such a state of mind that there is nothing else that they live for, but the rush that this drug gives them even as it is destroying their body and mind. I remember reading an article a long time ago about how methamphetamine works on the brain and that it creates a physical need more so that any other drug.
I think the heavy emphasis on law enforcement is necessary for the people who make methamphetamine, but I believe that treatment is much more essential than locking them in already over crowded prisons. If they need to be locked up it should be in “prison-like” treatment centers, but not in actual prisons were they are mixed in with other prisoners who do things to others. Many of the addicts do commit other crimes and should be treated accordingly, but many of these addicts are merely hurting themselves and those who care about them.
Good luck to Senator Harkin in pushing his bill through and having it implemented and the sooner the better. Let your politicians know that we need more treatment and urge them to vote for the bill. Thanks!!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Exotic Animals,PETA And Another Day In Iraq
I have just been reading the Iowa Press-Citizen story concerning an upcoming show at the Sycamore Mall which incorporates exotic animals in its’ show and the trouble that is being caused by People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who want the city council to intervene and stop the show.
According to the story a letter was sent to the council by Lisa Wathne, a captive exotic animal specialist who alleges that the show seriously mistreats the animals. She says in her letter that staffers with the show were untrained and intentionally cruel to several animals.
This from a group of well meaning whack jobs who believe that animals deserve not just equal treatment as humans, but better treatment than humans. They think that the major problem on this planet is the is the life form known as humans and that the planet would be better off without us. While that would indeed be a boon for the planet, but it would not be so hot for everyone of us. There is no logic in that form of thinking and that is why these people should be ignored.
I do not believe in being cruel to animals and believe everything should be done to make animals comfortable and respected, but the bottom line is that they are still animals. We use them for food sources, clothing, entertainment, companionship in some cases and that is the state of the world. PETA can do their boycotts, petitions, etc., but they are a crazy minority and should be treated accordingly.
There was a comment by Kevin Digmann, the Sycamore Mall Manager, that he had checked out this show which has performed at other malls across the country, and found no such abuses.
G.W. Exotic Animal Memorial Park, based in Wynnewood, Okla., is scheduled to produce its "Mystical Magic of the Endangered" show May 30 to June 3 at Sycamore Mall.
Jennifer Ross of Sycamore Mall's management said the show's feature act, Joe Exotic, will perform magic tricks to spread a message to school-age children about the dangers of drugs and drunken driving as well as the importance of saving the environment. The show features animals such as lions and tigers that people can pose with for photos for donations to benefit endangered animals.
The council will discuss the letter at its work session Monday and decide whether to discuss a new ordinance at later meetings, assistant city manager Dale Helling said.
I for one believe this is going to be a great show and plan to attend and support the people who care for such beautiful creatures, perhaps even get a photo with my astrological symbol; the Lion. How cool is that, I think way cool!! Let us all turn out and enjoy the show, and let PETA know that you can take care of animals and still enjoy them, without being a monster.
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In another story there have been more american deaths in Iraq. U.S. and Iraqi troops searched house-to-house and combed fields with their bare hands Saturday after American troops and their Iraqi interpreter came under attack in the notorious "triangle of death" south of Baghdad, leaving five dead and three missing.
The military said the patrol was struck in a pre-dawn explosion near Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad — an al-Qaeda area where two U.S. soldiers were found massacred after disappearing at a checkpoint nearly a year ago.
A nearby unit heard the blast and the search was launched after communication could not be established with the patrol, the military said. Shortly after the blast, a drone observed two burning vehicles.
An emergency response unit arrived at the scene and found five members of the team dead and three others missing.
Checkpoints were established throughout the area, while helicopters and jets buzzed overhead. AP Television News footage showed Iraqi soldiers picking through cattails and other weeds as they searched fields and canals for clues.
The military refused to specify whether the Iraqi interpreter was among those killed or missing and would not give more details about where the bodies were found.
One possible reason is that this interpreter could have been in collusion with the terrorists.
An Iraqi army officer who was familiar with the search said he saw five badly burned bodies inside a Humvee at the site, suggesting the remains may not have been recognizable. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information.
He also said joint U.S.-Iraqi forces had sealed off the area and were conducting house-to-house searches, rounding up dozens of suspects. The military declined to comment on detentions but said troops were looking for suspects.
The Iraqi officer said U.S. troops singled out seven suspects out of as many as 50, including a wounded man who was hiding in a house and confessed to participating in the attack. He said most of the houses searched near the attack contained only women and children because the men had fled, fearing arrest.
The attack occurred at 4:44 a.m. about 12 miles west of Mahmoudiya, a town of about 65,000 in a Sunni area dubbed the "triangle of death" for the frequent attacks against Shiite civilians and U.S. and Iraqi forces.
It has been quite awhile since american soldiers have been kidnapped rather than killed. On June 16, 2006, two American soldiers — Pfc. Kristian Menchaca of Houston and Pfc. Thomas Tucker of Madras, Ore. — went missing after their Humvee was ambushed at a checkpoint near Youssifiyah, north of Mahmoudiya.
Their bodies were found days later, tied together with a bomb between one of the victim's legs. But the remains were not recovered until the next morning, after an Iraqi civilian warned that bombs had been planted in the area.
A third soldier, David J. Babineau, 25, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was found dead at the scene of the attack.
Also Saturday, the military announced the death of an American soldier from a bomb attack Friday near Iskandariyah, 30 miles south of Baghdad.
At least 30 Iraqis were reported killed or found dead elsewhere in Iraq, including a Sunni physician shot to death on his way home from work in the northern city of Mosul.
The last U.S. soldier known to have been captured was Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie, whose name is also spelled Ahmed Kousay Altaie, an Iraqi-born reserve soldier from Ann Arbor, Mich., who was abducted while visiting his Iraqi wife on Oct. 23 in Baghdad.
Sgt. Keith M. Maupin of Batavia, Ohio, was taken on April 9, 2004, after insurgents ambushed a fuel convoy. Two months later, a tape on Al-Jazeera purported to show a captive U.S. soldier being shot, but the Army ruled it was inconclusive proof of Maupin's death.
Both are still listed as missing.
We have been told that as the “surge” takes place there will be an uptick in violence as we take the fight to the insurgent terrorists, so this attack should be no surprise. They are rooting the rats out of their hiding places and so do not listen to the nightly newscasters who will surely portray this attack as another sign that we are failing instead of showing that the plan is working. It is sad that our troops die, but if they can end this insurgency then their deaths will not have been in vain. They will be remembered as the heroes that they are for they defend our country by fighting in a distant land. May their families know how that we grieve with them and mourn the loss of these brave young men.
According to the story a letter was sent to the council by Lisa Wathne, a captive exotic animal specialist who alleges that the show seriously mistreats the animals. She says in her letter that staffers with the show were untrained and intentionally cruel to several animals.
This from a group of well meaning whack jobs who believe that animals deserve not just equal treatment as humans, but better treatment than humans. They think that the major problem on this planet is the is the life form known as humans and that the planet would be better off without us. While that would indeed be a boon for the planet, but it would not be so hot for everyone of us. There is no logic in that form of thinking and that is why these people should be ignored.
I do not believe in being cruel to animals and believe everything should be done to make animals comfortable and respected, but the bottom line is that they are still animals. We use them for food sources, clothing, entertainment, companionship in some cases and that is the state of the world. PETA can do their boycotts, petitions, etc., but they are a crazy minority and should be treated accordingly.
There was a comment by Kevin Digmann, the Sycamore Mall Manager, that he had checked out this show which has performed at other malls across the country, and found no such abuses.
G.W. Exotic Animal Memorial Park, based in Wynnewood, Okla., is scheduled to produce its "Mystical Magic of the Endangered" show May 30 to June 3 at Sycamore Mall.
Jennifer Ross of Sycamore Mall's management said the show's feature act, Joe Exotic, will perform magic tricks to spread a message to school-age children about the dangers of drugs and drunken driving as well as the importance of saving the environment. The show features animals such as lions and tigers that people can pose with for photos for donations to benefit endangered animals.
The council will discuss the letter at its work session Monday and decide whether to discuss a new ordinance at later meetings, assistant city manager Dale Helling said.
I for one believe this is going to be a great show and plan to attend and support the people who care for such beautiful creatures, perhaps even get a photo with my astrological symbol; the Lion. How cool is that, I think way cool!! Let us all turn out and enjoy the show, and let PETA know that you can take care of animals and still enjoy them, without being a monster.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
In another story there have been more american deaths in Iraq. U.S. and Iraqi troops searched house-to-house and combed fields with their bare hands Saturday after American troops and their Iraqi interpreter came under attack in the notorious "triangle of death" south of Baghdad, leaving five dead and three missing.
The military said the patrol was struck in a pre-dawn explosion near Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad — an al-Qaeda area where two U.S. soldiers were found massacred after disappearing at a checkpoint nearly a year ago.
A nearby unit heard the blast and the search was launched after communication could not be established with the patrol, the military said. Shortly after the blast, a drone observed two burning vehicles.
An emergency response unit arrived at the scene and found five members of the team dead and three others missing.
Checkpoints were established throughout the area, while helicopters and jets buzzed overhead. AP Television News footage showed Iraqi soldiers picking through cattails and other weeds as they searched fields and canals for clues.
The military refused to specify whether the Iraqi interpreter was among those killed or missing and would not give more details about where the bodies were found.
One possible reason is that this interpreter could have been in collusion with the terrorists.
An Iraqi army officer who was familiar with the search said he saw five badly burned bodies inside a Humvee at the site, suggesting the remains may not have been recognizable. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information.
He also said joint U.S.-Iraqi forces had sealed off the area and were conducting house-to-house searches, rounding up dozens of suspects. The military declined to comment on detentions but said troops were looking for suspects.
The Iraqi officer said U.S. troops singled out seven suspects out of as many as 50, including a wounded man who was hiding in a house and confessed to participating in the attack. He said most of the houses searched near the attack contained only women and children because the men had fled, fearing arrest.
The attack occurred at 4:44 a.m. about 12 miles west of Mahmoudiya, a town of about 65,000 in a Sunni area dubbed the "triangle of death" for the frequent attacks against Shiite civilians and U.S. and Iraqi forces.
It has been quite awhile since american soldiers have been kidnapped rather than killed. On June 16, 2006, two American soldiers — Pfc. Kristian Menchaca of Houston and Pfc. Thomas Tucker of Madras, Ore. — went missing after their Humvee was ambushed at a checkpoint near Youssifiyah, north of Mahmoudiya.
Their bodies were found days later, tied together with a bomb between one of the victim's legs. But the remains were not recovered until the next morning, after an Iraqi civilian warned that bombs had been planted in the area.
A third soldier, David J. Babineau, 25, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was found dead at the scene of the attack.
Also Saturday, the military announced the death of an American soldier from a bomb attack Friday near Iskandariyah, 30 miles south of Baghdad.
At least 30 Iraqis were reported killed or found dead elsewhere in Iraq, including a Sunni physician shot to death on his way home from work in the northern city of Mosul.
The last U.S. soldier known to have been captured was Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie, whose name is also spelled Ahmed Kousay Altaie, an Iraqi-born reserve soldier from Ann Arbor, Mich., who was abducted while visiting his Iraqi wife on Oct. 23 in Baghdad.
Sgt. Keith M. Maupin of Batavia, Ohio, was taken on April 9, 2004, after insurgents ambushed a fuel convoy. Two months later, a tape on Al-Jazeera purported to show a captive U.S. soldier being shot, but the Army ruled it was inconclusive proof of Maupin's death.
Both are still listed as missing.
We have been told that as the “surge” takes place there will be an uptick in violence as we take the fight to the insurgent terrorists, so this attack should be no surprise. They are rooting the rats out of their hiding places and so do not listen to the nightly newscasters who will surely portray this attack as another sign that we are failing instead of showing that the plan is working. It is sad that our troops die, but if they can end this insurgency then their deaths will not have been in vain. They will be remembered as the heroes that they are for they defend our country by fighting in a distant land. May their families know how that we grieve with them and mourn the loss of these brave young men.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Good Samaritans, Bad Laws, And More
I was just reading the story of the good samaritans who helped after a roll-over accident on Interstate 80.
Julie and Brian Davie as well as their 4 children were traveling home in Normal, Illinois, after a camping trip in Lincoln, Nebraska, when the camper they were towing began to swerve and threw there Ford Expedition into the ditch. She said that a large highway sign stopped their towed camper from rolling over their vehicle after they went into the ditch.
She was so happy to see a young man’s face after the accident and commented how everyone remained calm as they did whatever it took to get her family out of the vehicle. She said “ It was an amazing chain of events that happened just the right way.” as reported in the Iowa Press-Citizen.
Davie said she and her husband always been sticklers for their children to wear their seatbelts. Everyone was buckled up when the crash took place, she said
A short time later, Davie said paramedics arrived and took the family to University Hospitals. Davie, who is six months pregnant, and her son, Alex, 9, stayed at the hospital overnight for observation. Alex had a slight concussion and some stiffness, but other than that, Davie said everyone escaped with a few scratches and bruises.
I believe the best in people until they prove otherwise, and I think that good samaritans are the rule, not the exception. We more often than not read or see the stories about the rude and bad people, because that is how news works. I have always thought that more news should be about the good and positive things which occur daily, but do not get reported on, so I was very happy to see such a good story when I checked the local news from the Iowa Press-Citizen today. This is good for us all.
One thing I wish we could have done in our community and in particular on Interstate 80 is to have much more law enforcement. This should be at the on ramps where truly rude, obnoxious driver’s, semi-trucks in particular almost always refuse to move into the left lane so that you can merge on the interstate. They fly past here in excess of 80 miles per hour and rarely is their a law enforcement presence. If they wish to enforce some laws it would be nice if they started there instead of giving tickets to people riding bikes on sidewalks, or young people skateboarding, which I have seen often when I lived downtown. In fact, one day when I was downtown, their was an officer ticketing two skateboards, while a person went the wrong way on washington street, went around the block and did it again, all the while the officer was writing the ticket and did nothing to stop the more dangerous person.
So please give us a little help and police the more important roads once in awhile.
__________________________________________________________________________
I just finished reading that nearly 4,300 people signed a petition seeking to set the age limit in Iowa City bars to 21, organizers said today.
Members of the Committee for Healthy Choices submitted 4,258 signatures to the City Clerk's office at 1 p.m. That's almost 28 percent more signatures than the 3,333 they need to force the City Council to act on the measure.
The group wants to make it illegal for people younger than 21 to be in Iowa City bars after 10 p.m. The current ordinance puts the age limit at 19.
The City Clerk's Office will take until the end of the month to verify the signatures. If the petition is deemed sufficient, the council would have 60 days to either enact an ordinance or send the decision to voters.
This is a perfect example of people who have too much time on their hands. I would like to see how old these people are as I would bet the majority of them were able to drink at age 18 and have now turned into everyone’s nanny’s as they get older and more bitter. It is insane that a young man or woman can go and fight for and possibly die for their country, but they cannot consume alcohol legally. If this is the law , which it is,then they should not be able to join the military until they are 21 and the people who pass these laws should be mandated by law to be in the military for at least two years, possibly more. This would insure that our politicians were in the pool of service members and perhaps there would be less conflicts if they were potentially being sent to fight and die.
If they can get a petition to stop anyone under 21 from entering bars, can we get a petition with more signatures and allow the existing law to continue without the city councils meddling. I don’t know, if you do please let me know.
__________________________________________________________________________
I am a committed supporter of the troops overseas and urge all citizens who feel this way to write your elected officials, because right now the only ones getting any voice our the anti-war nuts that think if we leave Iraq all will be right with the world. A view which will cause the deaths of thousands if not millions if their view is allowed to prevail.
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama was saying yesterday that Senator Grassley needs to support withdrawing from the war in Iraq and called on Iowans to force Senator Grassley to help in Obama’s and other democrats efforts to help the Al-Queda terrorist’s and Iraqi insurgents in defeating our american troops.
Do you really want to listen to a defeatist like Obama or to anyone with Hussein as a middle name. Trying to help our nations enemies used to be called treason and if you took actions to insure that defeat it was sedition and now its’s called getting more seats in the next election. What nonsense how can anyone in Washington think that we will let them get away with not funding the troops and allowing the terrorist’s to not only win in Iraq, but cause the neighboring nations to be destroyed as they rush toward their ultimate aim of conquering all civilized nations and succeeding in restoring the Caliphate. The Caliphate is the one ruler over all Muslims and the last one was during the Ottoman Empire which ended after World War I and the broken into the nations which exist today. We do not want a world run my Islamic fascists which is what we will get if Obama and fellow traveler’s Senator Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi are allowed to help the terrorist’s defeat our troops by bringing them home now. Wake up people we do not have much time to do the right thing, please do so today, and thank you in advance for being good americans.
Julie and Brian Davie as well as their 4 children were traveling home in Normal, Illinois, after a camping trip in Lincoln, Nebraska, when the camper they were towing began to swerve and threw there Ford Expedition into the ditch. She said that a large highway sign stopped their towed camper from rolling over their vehicle after they went into the ditch.
She was so happy to see a young man’s face after the accident and commented how everyone remained calm as they did whatever it took to get her family out of the vehicle. She said “ It was an amazing chain of events that happened just the right way.” as reported in the Iowa Press-Citizen.
Davie said she and her husband always been sticklers for their children to wear their seatbelts. Everyone was buckled up when the crash took place, she said
A short time later, Davie said paramedics arrived and took the family to University Hospitals. Davie, who is six months pregnant, and her son, Alex, 9, stayed at the hospital overnight for observation. Alex had a slight concussion and some stiffness, but other than that, Davie said everyone escaped with a few scratches and bruises.
I believe the best in people until they prove otherwise, and I think that good samaritans are the rule, not the exception. We more often than not read or see the stories about the rude and bad people, because that is how news works. I have always thought that more news should be about the good and positive things which occur daily, but do not get reported on, so I was very happy to see such a good story when I checked the local news from the Iowa Press-Citizen today. This is good for us all.
One thing I wish we could have done in our community and in particular on Interstate 80 is to have much more law enforcement. This should be at the on ramps where truly rude, obnoxious driver’s, semi-trucks in particular almost always refuse to move into the left lane so that you can merge on the interstate. They fly past here in excess of 80 miles per hour and rarely is their a law enforcement presence. If they wish to enforce some laws it would be nice if they started there instead of giving tickets to people riding bikes on sidewalks, or young people skateboarding, which I have seen often when I lived downtown. In fact, one day when I was downtown, their was an officer ticketing two skateboards, while a person went the wrong way on washington street, went around the block and did it again, all the while the officer was writing the ticket and did nothing to stop the more dangerous person.
So please give us a little help and police the more important roads once in awhile.
__________________________________________________________________________
I just finished reading that nearly 4,300 people signed a petition seeking to set the age limit in Iowa City bars to 21, organizers said today.
Members of the Committee for Healthy Choices submitted 4,258 signatures to the City Clerk's office at 1 p.m. That's almost 28 percent more signatures than the 3,333 they need to force the City Council to act on the measure.
The group wants to make it illegal for people younger than 21 to be in Iowa City bars after 10 p.m. The current ordinance puts the age limit at 19.
The City Clerk's Office will take until the end of the month to verify the signatures. If the petition is deemed sufficient, the council would have 60 days to either enact an ordinance or send the decision to voters.
This is a perfect example of people who have too much time on their hands. I would like to see how old these people are as I would bet the majority of them were able to drink at age 18 and have now turned into everyone’s nanny’s as they get older and more bitter. It is insane that a young man or woman can go and fight for and possibly die for their country, but they cannot consume alcohol legally. If this is the law , which it is,then they should not be able to join the military until they are 21 and the people who pass these laws should be mandated by law to be in the military for at least two years, possibly more. This would insure that our politicians were in the pool of service members and perhaps there would be less conflicts if they were potentially being sent to fight and die.
If they can get a petition to stop anyone under 21 from entering bars, can we get a petition with more signatures and allow the existing law to continue without the city councils meddling. I don’t know, if you do please let me know.
__________________________________________________________________________
I am a committed supporter of the troops overseas and urge all citizens who feel this way to write your elected officials, because right now the only ones getting any voice our the anti-war nuts that think if we leave Iraq all will be right with the world. A view which will cause the deaths of thousands if not millions if their view is allowed to prevail.
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama was saying yesterday that Senator Grassley needs to support withdrawing from the war in Iraq and called on Iowans to force Senator Grassley to help in Obama’s and other democrats efforts to help the Al-Queda terrorist’s and Iraqi insurgents in defeating our american troops.
Do you really want to listen to a defeatist like Obama or to anyone with Hussein as a middle name. Trying to help our nations enemies used to be called treason and if you took actions to insure that defeat it was sedition and now its’s called getting more seats in the next election. What nonsense how can anyone in Washington think that we will let them get away with not funding the troops and allowing the terrorist’s to not only win in Iraq, but cause the neighboring nations to be destroyed as they rush toward their ultimate aim of conquering all civilized nations and succeeding in restoring the Caliphate. The Caliphate is the one ruler over all Muslims and the last one was during the Ottoman Empire which ended after World War I and the broken into the nations which exist today. We do not want a world run my Islamic fascists which is what we will get if Obama and fellow traveler’s Senator Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi are allowed to help the terrorist’s defeat our troops by bringing them home now. Wake up people we do not have much time to do the right thing, please do so today, and thank you in advance for being good americans.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Veto Part Deux
We are going to revisit the Bush veto as we heard from the President and the nonsense that the Democrats are going to pull by only funding the troops until July is not going to go anywhere.
The warnings came as Gates also told reporters that his evaluation of force levels in Iraq in September will not lead to a rapid troop withdrawal, and that at least some U.S. forces are likely to be in Iraq for a protracted period of time.
He said he didn't know if it will take 25,000 troops or another number, but it would probably include intelligence officers, logistical support and air power, and they would be needed to maintain stability in the war-wracked country.
"The evaluation in September will not lead to a precipitous decision or actions, but would point us in a new direction ... either because the surge is working, or because the evaluation is that it's not," said Gates. Earlier Wednesday he told senators he would consider reducing U.S. troop levels in Iraq in the fall if the Iraqi government begins to make progress.
The developments occurred as officials disclosed that 11 moderate House Republicans had met unannounced with the president and top aides at the White House on Tuesday. Several participants described a remarkably blunt discussion in which lawmakers told the president the war was unsustainable without public support and was having a corrosive effect on GOP political fortunes.
Rep. Charles Dent of Pennsylvania said he told the president that many of his constituents are "impatient, and in some cases have a sense of futility" about the war.
Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia said he presented recent polling data from his suburban Washington district showing Bush's unfavorability ratings exceeded his approval ratings.
"We asked them what's Plan B. We let them know that the status quo is not acceptable," he said. Davis said the president responded that if he began discussing a new strategy, the current one would never have a chance to succeed.
Defiant Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill, meanwhile, wrestled with how to support the troops but still challenge Bush on the war. Bush has requested more than $90 billion to sustain the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through September.
"With this latest veto threat, the president has once again chosen confrontation over cooperation," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
House Democratic leaders are pushing legislation that would provide the military $42.8 billion to keep operations going through July, buy new equipment and train Iraqi and Afghan security forces. Congress would decide shortly before its August recess whether to release an additional $52.8 billion to fund the war through September.
"In essence, the bill asks me to run the Department of Defense like a skiff, and I'm trying to drive the biggest supertanker in the world," Gates told senators Wednesday. "And we just don't have the agility to be able to manage a two-month appropriation very well."
The veto threat came from White House spokesman Tony Snow, traveling aboard Air Force One with Bush to tour tornado damage in Kansas.
"There are restrictions on funding and there are also some of the spending items that were mentioned in the first veto message that are still in the bill," Snow said.
House members planned a vote Thursday, just two days after David Obey , D-Wis., chairman of the Appropriations Committee, briefed White House chief of staff Josh Bolten on the plan.
The stern White House response reflected the high stakes involved for Bush, who is struggling to beat back congressional skepticism about his Iraq strategy. In recent days, Bush has tried to shore up support by personally reaching out to moderate Republicans and Democrats.
Democrats face their own uphill battle. Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., say they want to provide troops the resources they need. But other Democrats are pushing to cut off funds for the unpopular and costly war.
Democratic leaders acknowledge the new Iraq bill might pass in the House only to sink in the Senate, where Democrats hold a slimmer majority and are more reluctant than their House counterparts to restrict war funds.
In testimony before the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Gates left open the possibility of bringing troops home soon, even as the Pentagon orders deployments that could maintain a buildup of U.S. forces in Iraq through the end of the year.
"If (we) see some very positive progress and it looks like things are heading in the right direction, then that's the point at which I think we can begin to consider reducing some of those forces," Gates said.
Senators pressed Gates on when a decision will be made.
"What are the prospects for having some light at the end of the tunnel, to see some encouragement which would enable the Congress to have the fortitude to support the president and go beyond September and the full funding of the $500 billion?" asked Sen. Arlen Specter , R-Pa.
Gates replied: "I think that the honest answer is, senator, that I don't know."
Gates told the panel that proposals for a short-term funding bill would be very disruptive and "have a huge impact" on contracts to repair and replace equipment. And if Congress votes in July to pull the plug on war funding, "I would have to shut down significant elements of the Department of Defense in August and September because I wouldn't have the money to pay salaries."
So we can see by this turn of events that they should not even waste our time to play more political games. The troops have already been treated with such contempt and disrespect by the Democrats over this issue that there should be no more showboating.
I sent an email to Hillary Clinton over her recent remarks to undo the war and told her in no uncertain terms that a once strong supporter is no longer a supporter. She is humiliating herself by kowtowing to the hollywood elite cowards and the far left nut bags who think you can reason with the terrorists. They want to kill us! Do not let yourselves believe that if we surrender and leave Iraq that these people will stop killing americans. Just the opposite will be the effect. There will be open season on all of us and this time they’ll be coming to our homes to kill us, not on the other side of the world.
There are brave men and women trying to keep that from happening and they deserve our support and the funding that they will need to see this through to a successful, stable Iraq.
Write your representatives and Senators and tell them to stop disrespecting the troops and fund them. If they want to fight with Bush that is fine, but not on the backs of our troops in harm’s way.
The warnings came as Gates also told reporters that his evaluation of force levels in Iraq in September will not lead to a rapid troop withdrawal, and that at least some U.S. forces are likely to be in Iraq for a protracted period of time.
He said he didn't know if it will take 25,000 troops or another number, but it would probably include intelligence officers, logistical support and air power, and they would be needed to maintain stability in the war-wracked country.
"The evaluation in September will not lead to a precipitous decision or actions, but would point us in a new direction ... either because the surge is working, or because the evaluation is that it's not," said Gates. Earlier Wednesday he told senators he would consider reducing U.S. troop levels in Iraq in the fall if the Iraqi government begins to make progress.
The developments occurred as officials disclosed that 11 moderate House Republicans had met unannounced with the president and top aides at the White House on Tuesday. Several participants described a remarkably blunt discussion in which lawmakers told the president the war was unsustainable without public support and was having a corrosive effect on GOP political fortunes.
Rep. Charles Dent of Pennsylvania said he told the president that many of his constituents are "impatient, and in some cases have a sense of futility" about the war.
Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia said he presented recent polling data from his suburban Washington district showing Bush's unfavorability ratings exceeded his approval ratings.
"We asked them what's Plan B. We let them know that the status quo is not acceptable," he said. Davis said the president responded that if he began discussing a new strategy, the current one would never have a chance to succeed.
Defiant Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill, meanwhile, wrestled with how to support the troops but still challenge Bush on the war. Bush has requested more than $90 billion to sustain the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through September.
"With this latest veto threat, the president has once again chosen confrontation over cooperation," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
House Democratic leaders are pushing legislation that would provide the military $42.8 billion to keep operations going through July, buy new equipment and train Iraqi and Afghan security forces. Congress would decide shortly before its August recess whether to release an additional $52.8 billion to fund the war through September.
"In essence, the bill asks me to run the Department of Defense like a skiff, and I'm trying to drive the biggest supertanker in the world," Gates told senators Wednesday. "And we just don't have the agility to be able to manage a two-month appropriation very well."
The veto threat came from White House spokesman Tony Snow, traveling aboard Air Force One with Bush to tour tornado damage in Kansas.
"There are restrictions on funding and there are also some of the spending items that were mentioned in the first veto message that are still in the bill," Snow said.
House members planned a vote Thursday, just two days after David Obey , D-Wis., chairman of the Appropriations Committee, briefed White House chief of staff Josh Bolten on the plan.
The stern White House response reflected the high stakes involved for Bush, who is struggling to beat back congressional skepticism about his Iraq strategy. In recent days, Bush has tried to shore up support by personally reaching out to moderate Republicans and Democrats.
Democrats face their own uphill battle. Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., say they want to provide troops the resources they need. But other Democrats are pushing to cut off funds for the unpopular and costly war.
Democratic leaders acknowledge the new Iraq bill might pass in the House only to sink in the Senate, where Democrats hold a slimmer majority and are more reluctant than their House counterparts to restrict war funds.
In testimony before the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Gates left open the possibility of bringing troops home soon, even as the Pentagon orders deployments that could maintain a buildup of U.S. forces in Iraq through the end of the year.
"If (we) see some very positive progress and it looks like things are heading in the right direction, then that's the point at which I think we can begin to consider reducing some of those forces," Gates said.
Senators pressed Gates on when a decision will be made.
"What are the prospects for having some light at the end of the tunnel, to see some encouragement which would enable the Congress to have the fortitude to support the president and go beyond September and the full funding of the $500 billion?" asked Sen. Arlen Specter , R-Pa.
Gates replied: "I think that the honest answer is, senator, that I don't know."
Gates told the panel that proposals for a short-term funding bill would be very disruptive and "have a huge impact" on contracts to repair and replace equipment. And if Congress votes in July to pull the plug on war funding, "I would have to shut down significant elements of the Department of Defense in August and September because I wouldn't have the money to pay salaries."
So we can see by this turn of events that they should not even waste our time to play more political games. The troops have already been treated with such contempt and disrespect by the Democrats over this issue that there should be no more showboating.
I sent an email to Hillary Clinton over her recent remarks to undo the war and told her in no uncertain terms that a once strong supporter is no longer a supporter. She is humiliating herself by kowtowing to the hollywood elite cowards and the far left nut bags who think you can reason with the terrorists. They want to kill us! Do not let yourselves believe that if we surrender and leave Iraq that these people will stop killing americans. Just the opposite will be the effect. There will be open season on all of us and this time they’ll be coming to our homes to kill us, not on the other side of the world.
There are brave men and women trying to keep that from happening and they deserve our support and the funding that they will need to see this through to a successful, stable Iraq.
Write your representatives and Senators and tell them to stop disrespecting the troops and fund them. If they want to fight with Bush that is fine, but not on the backs of our troops in harm’s way.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Luck Foils Terrorist Attack
To the Hollywood elite and the politicians who think we are safe, pay attention to the story out of New Jersey, with the 6 would be islamic terrorists and their plot to kill soldiers at Fort Dix.
If this does make you morons see the dangerous world that still exists then there is no hope for any of you. Now couple this plot with the idea of pulling out of Iraq and surely you can see what would happen. If we were not fighting them in Iraq, there would not be 6 terrorists here, there would be thousands upon thousands here all wanting to kill americans for Allah.
Six foreign-born Muslims were arrested and accused Tuesday of plotting to attack Fort Dix and slaughter scores of U.S. soldiers — a scheme the FBI says was foiled when the men asked a store clerk to copy a video of them firing assault weapons and screaming about jihad.
The defendants, all men in their 20s from the former Yugoslavia and the Middle East, include a pizza deliveryman suspected of using his job to scout out the military base.
Their goal was "to kill as many American soldiers as possible" with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and guns, prosecutors said.
"Today we dodged a bullet. In fact, when you look at the type of weapons that this group was trying to purchase, we may have dodged a lot of bullets," said FBI agent J.P. Weis.
"We had a group that was forming a platoon to take on an army. They identified their target, they did their reconnaissance. They had maps. And they were in the process of buying weapons. Luckily, we were able to stop that."
Authorities said there was no direct evidence connecting the men to any international terror organizations such as al-Qaida. But several of them said they were ready to kill and die "in the name of Allah," according to court papers.
Investigators said they infiltrated the group with two informants well over a year ago and bided their time while they secretly recorded the defendants, five of whom lived in Cherry Hill, a Philadelphia suburb about 20 miles from Fort Dix.
"This is what law enforcement is supposed to do in the post-9/11 era — stay one step ahead of those who are attempting to cause harm to innocent American citizens," U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said.
Weis saluted the unidentified New Jersey store clerk who noticed the suspicious video as the "unsung hero" of the case. "That's why we're here today — because of the courage and heroism of that individual," the FBI agent said.
In addition to plotting the attack on Fort Dix, the defendants spoke of assaulting a Navy installation in Philadelphia during the annual Army-Navy football game and conducted surveillance at other military installations in the region, prosecutors said.
One defendant, Eljvir Duka, was recorded as saying: "In the end, when it comes to defending your religion, when someone ... attacks your religion, your way of life, then you go jihad."
The six were arrested Monday night trying to buy AK-47 assault weapons, M-16s and other weapons from an FBI informant, authorities said.
They appeared in federal court Tuesday in Camden and were ordered held without bail for a hearing Friday. Five were charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. military personnel; the sixth was charged with aiding and abetting illegal immigrants in obtaining weapons.
Four of the men were born in the former Yugoslavia, one was born in Jordan and one came from Turkey, authorities said. All had lived in the United States for years. Three were in the United States illegally; two had green cards allowing them to stay in this country permanently; and the sixth is a U.S. citizen.
One defendant, Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer, spoke of using rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons to kill at least 100 soldiers, according to court documents.
"My intent is to hit a heavy concentration of soldiers," he was quoted as saying. "You hit four, five or six Humvees and light the whole place (up) and retreat completely without any losses."
"It doesn't matter to me whether I get locked up, arrested or get taken away," another defendant, Serdar Tatar, was alleged to have said. "Or I die, it doesn't matter. I'm doing it in the name of Allah."
The men trained by playing paintball in the woods in New Jersey and taking target practice at a firing range in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, where they had rented a house, authorities said.
They often watched terror training videos, clips featuring Osama bin Laden, a tape containing the last will and testament of some of the Sept. 11 hijackers, and tapes of armed attacks on U.S. military personnel, erupting in laughter when one plotter noted that a Marine's arm was blown off in an ambush, authorities said.
Asked if those arrested had any links to al-Qaida, White House spokesman Tony Snow said it appears "there is no direct evidence of a foreign terrorist tie."
The FBI's Weis said the U.S. is seeing a "brand-new form of terrorism," involving smaller, more loosely defined groups that may not be connected to al-Qaida but are inspired by its ideology.
"These homegrown terrorists can prove to be as dangerous as any known group, if not more so. They operate under the radar," Weis said.
In court documents, prosecutors said the suspects came to the attention of authorities in January 2006 when a Mount Laurel, N.J., shopkeeper alerted the FBI to a "disturbing" video he had been asked to copy onto a DVD.
The video showed 10 young men "shooting assault weapons at a firing range ... while calling for jihad and shouting in Arabic 'Allah Akbar' (God is great)," the complaint said. The 10 included six of those arrested, authorities said.
Within months, the FBI had managed to infiltrate the group with two informants, according to court documents.
One of the suspects, Tatar, worked at his father's pizzeria and made deliveries to the base, using the opportunity to scout out Fort Dix for an attack, authorities said. "Clearly, one of the guys had an intimate knowledge of the base from having been there delivering pizzas," Christie said.
The men also allegedly conducted surveillance at other area military installations, including Fort Monmouth in New Jersey, Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, and a Philadelphia Coast Guard station.
Besides Shnewer, Tatar and Duka, the other three men were identified in court papers as Dritan Duka, Shain Duka and Agron Abdullahu.
Fort Dix is used to train soldiers, particularly reservists. It also housed refugees from Kosovo in 1999.
The arrests renewed worries among New Jersey's Muslim community. Hundreds of Muslim men from New Jersey were rounded up and detained in the months after the Sept. 11 attacks, but none were connected to that plot.
"If these people did something, then they deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law," said Sohail Mohammed, a lawyer who represented scores of detainees after the 2001 attacks. "But when the government says `Islamic militants,' it sends a message to the public that Islam and militancy are synonymous."
"Don't equate actions with religion," he said.
This has got to be paid attention too, we were so lucky that these idiots decided to dub a video and a great american chose to put his life on the line, otherwise their could be scores of dead soldiers right now. This man will now have to fear for his life as the terrorists know who he is and I am sure some moronic media elite type will leak his name as quickly as they find out who he is, for the do not care anymore about this country then do the hollywood elite and the politicians who choose surrender and retreat over victory.
This is life or death, and words and nonsense that you people spout will not save you anymore. The terrorists want all of us dead, we need to understand that, and know it is true, because they pray to Allah for that to be the case everyday. The next time they may be smarter and then we will have another bunch of dead americans.
If this does make you morons see the dangerous world that still exists then there is no hope for any of you. Now couple this plot with the idea of pulling out of Iraq and surely you can see what would happen. If we were not fighting them in Iraq, there would not be 6 terrorists here, there would be thousands upon thousands here all wanting to kill americans for Allah.
Six foreign-born Muslims were arrested and accused Tuesday of plotting to attack Fort Dix and slaughter scores of U.S. soldiers — a scheme the FBI says was foiled when the men asked a store clerk to copy a video of them firing assault weapons and screaming about jihad.
The defendants, all men in their 20s from the former Yugoslavia and the Middle East, include a pizza deliveryman suspected of using his job to scout out the military base.
Their goal was "to kill as many American soldiers as possible" with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and guns, prosecutors said.
"Today we dodged a bullet. In fact, when you look at the type of weapons that this group was trying to purchase, we may have dodged a lot of bullets," said FBI agent J.P. Weis.
"We had a group that was forming a platoon to take on an army. They identified their target, they did their reconnaissance. They had maps. And they were in the process of buying weapons. Luckily, we were able to stop that."
Authorities said there was no direct evidence connecting the men to any international terror organizations such as al-Qaida. But several of them said they were ready to kill and die "in the name of Allah," according to court papers.
Investigators said they infiltrated the group with two informants well over a year ago and bided their time while they secretly recorded the defendants, five of whom lived in Cherry Hill, a Philadelphia suburb about 20 miles from Fort Dix.
"This is what law enforcement is supposed to do in the post-9/11 era — stay one step ahead of those who are attempting to cause harm to innocent American citizens," U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said.
Weis saluted the unidentified New Jersey store clerk who noticed the suspicious video as the "unsung hero" of the case. "That's why we're here today — because of the courage and heroism of that individual," the FBI agent said.
In addition to plotting the attack on Fort Dix, the defendants spoke of assaulting a Navy installation in Philadelphia during the annual Army-Navy football game and conducted surveillance at other military installations in the region, prosecutors said.
One defendant, Eljvir Duka, was recorded as saying: "In the end, when it comes to defending your religion, when someone ... attacks your religion, your way of life, then you go jihad."
The six were arrested Monday night trying to buy AK-47 assault weapons, M-16s and other weapons from an FBI informant, authorities said.
They appeared in federal court Tuesday in Camden and were ordered held without bail for a hearing Friday. Five were charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. military personnel; the sixth was charged with aiding and abetting illegal immigrants in obtaining weapons.
Four of the men were born in the former Yugoslavia, one was born in Jordan and one came from Turkey, authorities said. All had lived in the United States for years. Three were in the United States illegally; two had green cards allowing them to stay in this country permanently; and the sixth is a U.S. citizen.
One defendant, Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer, spoke of using rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons to kill at least 100 soldiers, according to court documents.
"My intent is to hit a heavy concentration of soldiers," he was quoted as saying. "You hit four, five or six Humvees and light the whole place (up) and retreat completely without any losses."
"It doesn't matter to me whether I get locked up, arrested or get taken away," another defendant, Serdar Tatar, was alleged to have said. "Or I die, it doesn't matter. I'm doing it in the name of Allah."
The men trained by playing paintball in the woods in New Jersey and taking target practice at a firing range in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, where they had rented a house, authorities said.
They often watched terror training videos, clips featuring Osama bin Laden, a tape containing the last will and testament of some of the Sept. 11 hijackers, and tapes of armed attacks on U.S. military personnel, erupting in laughter when one plotter noted that a Marine's arm was blown off in an ambush, authorities said.
Asked if those arrested had any links to al-Qaida, White House spokesman Tony Snow said it appears "there is no direct evidence of a foreign terrorist tie."
The FBI's Weis said the U.S. is seeing a "brand-new form of terrorism," involving smaller, more loosely defined groups that may not be connected to al-Qaida but are inspired by its ideology.
"These homegrown terrorists can prove to be as dangerous as any known group, if not more so. They operate under the radar," Weis said.
In court documents, prosecutors said the suspects came to the attention of authorities in January 2006 when a Mount Laurel, N.J., shopkeeper alerted the FBI to a "disturbing" video he had been asked to copy onto a DVD.
The video showed 10 young men "shooting assault weapons at a firing range ... while calling for jihad and shouting in Arabic 'Allah Akbar' (God is great)," the complaint said. The 10 included six of those arrested, authorities said.
Within months, the FBI had managed to infiltrate the group with two informants, according to court documents.
One of the suspects, Tatar, worked at his father's pizzeria and made deliveries to the base, using the opportunity to scout out Fort Dix for an attack, authorities said. "Clearly, one of the guys had an intimate knowledge of the base from having been there delivering pizzas," Christie said.
The men also allegedly conducted surveillance at other area military installations, including Fort Monmouth in New Jersey, Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, and a Philadelphia Coast Guard station.
Besides Shnewer, Tatar and Duka, the other three men were identified in court papers as Dritan Duka, Shain Duka and Agron Abdullahu.
Fort Dix is used to train soldiers, particularly reservists. It also housed refugees from Kosovo in 1999.
The arrests renewed worries among New Jersey's Muslim community. Hundreds of Muslim men from New Jersey were rounded up and detained in the months after the Sept. 11 attacks, but none were connected to that plot.
"If these people did something, then they deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law," said Sohail Mohammed, a lawyer who represented scores of detainees after the 2001 attacks. "But when the government says `Islamic militants,' it sends a message to the public that Islam and militancy are synonymous."
"Don't equate actions with religion," he said.
This has got to be paid attention too, we were so lucky that these idiots decided to dub a video and a great american chose to put his life on the line, otherwise their could be scores of dead soldiers right now. This man will now have to fear for his life as the terrorists know who he is and I am sure some moronic media elite type will leak his name as quickly as they find out who he is, for the do not care anymore about this country then do the hollywood elite and the politicians who choose surrender and retreat over victory.
This is life or death, and words and nonsense that you people spout will not save you anymore. The terrorists want all of us dead, we need to understand that, and know it is true, because they pray to Allah for that to be the case everyday. The next time they may be smarter and then we will have another bunch of dead americans.
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