« April 2006 | Main | June 2006 »
May 31, 2006
Lawyer: Haditha Marines Were Fired On
Lawyer: Haditha Marines Were Fired On
Tuesday, May 30, 2006 11:38 p.m. EDT
Contrary to claims from Rep. John Murtha,
Marines accused of executing 24 innocent Iraqis in the village of Haditha last November were indeed fired upon after their convoy was hit by a roadside bomb - according to a lawyer involved in the case.
"There's a ton of information that isn't out there yet," the lawyer said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity to the Washington Post.
He said contemporaneous radio messages reviewed by military investigators will show that Marines accused of unprovoked retaliation after the blast had, in fact, come under small-arms fire.
Rest of story HERE
Posted by Wild Thing at 03:27 AM | Comments (5)
No Leniency for Supporting Terrorists
BACKGROUND:
Throughout her legal career, Lynne Stewart has represented terrorists, both domestic and international. From the notorious Weatherman of the 1960s to the islamic terrorists who bombed the World Trade Center in the 1990s, Lynne Stewart has made a career out of representing and supporting those who are sworn to destroy our Country.
On February 10, 2005, Lynne Stewart was convicted of helping terrorists by smuggling messages of violence from one of her imprisoned clients -- a radical Egyptian sheik -- to his terrorist disciples on the outside.
Lynne Stewart was convicted of providing material support, through a press conference and allowing access by her translator, to a terrorist conspiracy to kill persons outside of the United States and conspiring to defraud the U.S. government when acting as counsel to Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind Egyptian cleric who was convicted in 1996 of plotting terrorist attacks against various sites in the New York City area. Finally caught in the snares of justice, Lynne Stewart is now facing sentencing for her crimes, and your help is needed to be sure she receives the maximum sentence allowable by law.
This woman is truly an enemy of America.
In her own words:
"I don't have any problem with Mao or Stalin or the Vietnamese leaders or certainly Fidel locking up people they see as dangerous. Because so often, dissidence has been used by the greater powers to undermine a people's revolution." Lynne Stewart
"I don’t believe in anarchistic violence, but in directed violence. That would be violence directed at the institutions which perpetuate capitalism, racism, and sexism, and the people who are the appointed guardians of those institutions, and accompanied by popular support." Lynne Stewart
NO LENIENCY - LOCK HER UP AND LOCK HER DOWN!
ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2006, LYNNE STEWART WILL BE SENTENCED AND YOU CAN HELP LYNNE RECEIVE THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE ALLOWED FOR HER CRIMES AGAINST AMERICA.
The sentencing is now set for September 25, 2006 and we can help lock Lynne up for life by writing the Judge and asking him to show no leniency to Lynne Stewart for her crimes and asking him to impose the maximum sentence allowed for plotting with terrorists.
The Judge's address is:
Honorable John G. Koeltl
United States District Judge
Southern District of New York
United States Courthouse
500 Pearl Street
New York, New York 10007
Also you can send a copy of your letter to the lawyers who prosecuted Lynn, so they can present them all to the Judge at sentencing time, they will have the maximum impact as he considers the matter:
Joseph E. Bianco, Esq.
Christopher T. Morvillo, Esq.
Assistant United States Attorneys
Southern District of New York
United States Attorney's Office
One St. Andrews Plaza
New York, NY 10007
* Something....and Half of Something
Posted by Wild Thing at 02:55 AM | Comments (6)
More Are Speaking Out For Marines
A CNN reporter who traveled with these accused Marines and just can’t believe what they are being accused of.
A reporter's shock at the Haditha allegations
"I was with them in Husayba as they went house to house in an area where insurgents would booby-trap doors, or lie in wait behind closed doors with an AK-47, basically on suicide missions, just waiting for the Marines to come through and open fire. There were civilians in the city as well, and the Marines were always keenly aware of that fact. How they didn’t fire at shadows, not knowing what was waiting in each house, I don’t know. But they didn’t."
And then there is this.......
Drone's Video May Aid Marine Inquiry
Footage Shot on Day of Iraq Incident
A Drone drone recording and recordings of radio contacts show the Marines were under small arms fire at the time of the incident that Congressman Murtha calls ‘cold-blooded murder.
This is from the article.......
There's a ton of information that isn't out there yet," said one lawyer, who, like the others, would speak only on the condition of anonymity because a potential client has not been charged. The radio message traffic, he said, will provide a different view of the incident than has been presented by Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) and other members of Congress. For example, he said, contrary to Murtha's account, it will show that the Marines came under small-arms fire after the roadside explosion.
Also this...........
War In Iraq Duncan Hunter To Murtha
But Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, also a Vietnam Veteran, who served in the 173rd Airborne and 75th Army Rangers, who got all the briefings on the matter Murtha got, says the "in cold blood" allegations by Murtha are all wet.
In early May, the Marine Corps announced that a Marine charged with shooting an apparently injured and unarmed Iraqi in a Fallujah mosque that had been used as a sanctuary and an armory for jihadists would not face court-martial. The Marine was found to be justified in perceiving a threat and using deadly force.
The next time you surf the Internet, do a Google search on Rafael Peralta. In that same November 2004 battle for Fallujah, Marine Sgt. Peralta was shot in the head and chest at close range as they went house to house clearing the town of jihadists. As he lay dying on the floor of a terrorist hideout, he saw a yellow, foreign-made grenade that if it had detonated would have taken out his entire squad. To save his fellow Marines, he reached out, grabbed the grenade and tucked it under his abdomen, where it exploded.
Lt. Pantano and Marines such as those at Haditha face a death sentence every day in a war with an enemy that obeys no rules. They are heroes, not war criminals. Yet there are some who think their reward for putting their lives on the line for their country and doing their duty to the best of their ability should be a murder charge, just because they don't like the policy that put them there.
There's one thing these men are that many in the media and Congress are not — and it is shown in the Marine motto. Semper fi.
Posted by Wild Thing at 01:55 AM
May 30, 2006
Hamas Enforcer Rails Against U.S. Gov't ~ Hey Hamas, Back at 'ya!
In a back-alley interview, the top Hamas enforcer in the Gaza Strip railed against the U.S. government, said he's happy whenever American soldiers are killed and vowed not to take Hamas' 3,000-strong militia off the streets.
Jamal Abu Samhadana, a 43-year-old explosives expert, is a key target for Israel and moves stealthily, switching cars and hideouts, despite his promotion to security chief by the Hamas-led government.
In an interview Monday with The Associated Press, Abu Samhadana called the U.S. and Israeli-led boycott of the Hamas-run Palestinian Authority "cheap extortion" and said it will only serve "to make our people more attached to the government."
"The American government and people will pay a dear price for this aggressive and criminal policy against the Arab and Muslim people," he said.
It was some of the toughest rhetoric from any Palestinian official since the Islamic Hamas movement took power in March. And it came at a time when the Palestinian government is struggling to stave off a humanitarian disaster resulting from the international aid boycott.
The interview took place in a small room on the second floor of a backstreet building in the Gaza Strip town of Rafah. Abu Samhadana's men led an AP reporting team there after a long labyrinthine drive that included various stops and an order to remove a "press" sign from a vehicle.
Sitting before a photo of an Islamic Jihad militant killed by Israel, the black-bearded Samhadana, himself one of the most renowned militants in the Palestinian territories, denied old allegations he was behind a deadly 2003 bombing of a U.S. Embassy convoy in Gaza that killed three American security guards.
Still, he saved his harshest words for the U.S. and President Bush.
"We are happy when any American soldier is killed anywhere in the world, because the American Army is an aggressor against all the people in the world, particularly the Arab and Muslim worlds," he said. "The American people are known to be peaceful, so they are asked to move to bring down this terrorist government in Washington, so that the American people are safe from any attacks or retaliation."
Abu Samhadana, No. 2 on Israel's wanted list, wore a loose-fitting shirt and a baseball cap instead of his trademark guerrilla-style, black-belted uniform. His right hand and arm were burned and mangled in an explosion during what he said was an attack against Israel five years ago.
He spoke softly and at times cracked jokes, making eye contact only rarely with an American reporter. Aides served hot tea and roasted pumpkin seeds.
Abu Samhadana's appointment as director general of the Hamas-led Interior Ministry infuriated both Israel and Hamas' Fatah rivals, led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. It helped set the stage for recent Hamas-Fatah violence that has killed 10 people and raised the specter of all-out civil war.
In the interview, Abu Samhadana accused Israel and the U.S. of fomenting unrest among the Palestinians, but predicted new talks among the Palestinian factions would succeed in calming the situation.
"We are certain that there are American and Israeli plans to provoke a civil war here like what is happening in Iraq," he said.
After Hamas' victory in Jan. 25 legislative elections, the moderate Abbas — who was elected separately — moved to take control of most of the Palestinian security forces. In response, Hamas deployed its 3,000-strong militia, whose rifle-toting black-clad members guard streets throughout Gaza, at times staring down Fatah rivals on opposite corners.
Abu Samhadana said the force, which Fatah activists refer to as the "black militia," will remain in place despite criticism by Hamas' detractors that it's a major source of friction and instability.
Unlike Fatah-led forces, which have occasionally acceded to Israeli and international demands to crack down on militants, the Hamas force will not move to prevent attacks against Israel unless the Jewish state withdraws from all land it captured in the 1967 Mideast War, Abu Samhadana said.
"The previous government's first mission was to protect Israel and not protect the Palestinian people. Through my work in this government, I will protect my people," he said, adding that a top policy goal is to move against Palestinians who collaborate with Israel.
Abu Samhadana graduated from a military school in then-communist East Germany in 1988. He was loyal to Fatah and Yasser Arafat for many years, but was later expelled from Fatah.
Abu Samhadana formed the Popular Resistance Committees, a violent group consisting of militants from various factions, after the latest Palestinian uprising broke out in 2000.
He said this background puts him in a position to help bridge the differences between the battling sides. At the same time, however, he blasted two senior Fatah security chiefs, saying they "are supported by America, implementing an American agenda and not a Palestinian agenda."
Posted by Wild Thing at 07:55 PM
Guard the Borders Blogburst
TRAITORS!A total disconnect
'Twixt rulers and the ruled.
The country will be wrecked.
Who do they think they've fooled?Both Parties I accuse,
The Elephant and Mule;
Together in this ruse,
United in misrule.A flood tide of those who
Assimilate will not!
Both Parties know 'tis true
And still they say: So What!They think that they can hide
Behind their guards and gates;
Escape the rising tide
And leave us to our fates.But when our culture falls
And Dear beset by Dire
Is dashed against the walls --
None will escape entire.All this for labor cheap --
Undone our way of life
By alien hatred deep,
Sundered in alien strife.What makes them act this way?
Have they not eyes to see?
The People they betray!
Is this Democracy?
~ © Richard Sutta
(used with permission)
WHAT THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT SENATE BILL S. 2611
by Heidi at Euphoric Reality
The new immigration bill (the most "sweeping reform in 50 years") S. 2611 is an amalgam of petty causes, illogical provisions, unstructured "solutions" with zero allowances for implementation, and self-contradictory language. Despite the mess, it was passed by self-righteous politicians who repeated the mantra "it's better than doing nothing." This from the same gaggle of do-nothings who outright rejected the House's law enforcement bill.
The Senate bill has our President's full support - this same bill is a derivative of one structured by Ted Kennedy and John McCain, and supported in full by the majority of Democrats. That alone ought to give one pause - President Bush, a Democrat?
Peggy Noonan says, "The disinterest in the White House and among congressional Republicans in establishing authority on America's borders is so amazing--the people want it, the age of terror demands it--that great histories will be written about it."
She opines that it is possible that..."the administration's slow and ambivalent action is the result of being lost in some geopolitical-globalist abstract-athon that has left them puffed with the rightness of their superior knowledge, sure in their membership in a higher brotherhood, and looking down on the low concerns of normal Americans living in America.
I continue to believe the administration's problem is not that the base lately doesn't like it, but that the White House has decided it actually doesn't like the base."
S. 2611 is less about law, and more about a weird, mutant agenda that melds licentiousness with an utter disregard for the end result. There are quite a few details in S. 2611 that the media has ignored and that the legislators would rather you know nothing about. Some were provisions germane to the original Kennedy-McCain bill or the pseudo revision of Hagel-Martinez, the rest are amendments that required separate votes to accept or reject. Here's what you need to know about the Senate's fiasco.
Posted by Wild Thing at 07:40 PM
Marine ....Ilario Pantano Speaks Out
Mr. Murtha's Rush to Judgment
May 28,2006
A year ago I was charged with two counts of premeditated murder and with other war crimes related to my service in Iraq. My wife and mother sat in a Camp Lejeune courtroom for five days while prosecutors painted me as a monster; then autopsy evidence blew their case out of the water, and the Marine Corps dropped all charges against me.
So I know something about rushing to judgment, which is why I am so disturbed by the remarks of Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) regarding the Haditha incident. Mr. Murtha said, "Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."
In the United States, we have a civil and military court system that relies on an investigatory and judicial process to make determinations based on evidence. The system is not served by such grand pronouncements of horror and guilt without the accuser even having read the investigative report.
Mr. Murtha's position is particularly suspect when he is quoted by news services as saying that the strain of deployment "has caused them [the Marines] to crack in situations like this." Not only is he certain of the Marines' guilt but he claims to know the cause, which he conveniently attributes to a policy he opposes.
Members of the U.S. military serving in Iraq need more than Mr. Murtha's pseudo-sympathy. They need leaders to stand with them even in the hardest of times. Let the courts decide if these Marines are guilty. They haven't even been charged with a crime yet, so it is premature to presume their guilt -- unless that presumption is tied to a political motive.
ILARIO PANTANO
Jacksonville, N.C.
Pantano served as an officer.... a Lt. and he was a Platoon leader. He served in the Persian Gulf War and most recently as a platoon commander in Iraq.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
More on Marine Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano
During the peak of insurgent violence in mid April of 2004, hundreds of Marines and soldiers were being killed and wounded throughout the "Sunni Triangle." Terrorists, captured while trying to recover a vehicle used in an earlier attack on the Marines, had given detailed information about a supply of weapons and terrorist hideout.Marine Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano and his platoon were hastily dispatched to search. Their search revealed weapons, ammunition, mortar equipment, bomb-making material and two fleeing terrorists. In an ensuing search of the terrorists’ vehicle, Lt. Pantano, concerned for his safety and the safety of his men, shot them both in self defense and then disabled their vehicle so it could not be used in further attacks. He and his men went on to fight with distinction and honor in Fallujah and the surrounding areas and, when possible, aided in the reconstruction effort.
Marine Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano faced murder charge for his actions in Fallujah, actions that not only saved his life, but the lives of his men and, the lives of countless innocent Iraqi civilians.
Posted by Wild Thing at 02:55 AM | Comments (4)
The Media Helping The Enemy Needs To Stop
Most of the Speech Given at the American Enterprise Institute
To get home, or back to work, you have to go through those doors there. Now, lets pretend those doors may be booby trapped and the first person and anyone within 5 feet of the doors is going to get some shrapnel. But, you gotta cross the threshold. And, on the other side of the doors, there might be a guy with an RPK machine gun waiting to throw some lead at you. And down the hall, there may be a guys hiding around the corners with AK-47s. But, after all that, you make it outside, where there could be snipers. Then you make it to your car or cab, and then there is a chance someone is waiting to blow you up with an IED. And, once you have made it home, there is a good chance someone is going to try and lob a mortar or rocket into your subdivision.
That is what it is like to be a Marine infantryman, or, a photographer who spent 5 months with a Marine infantry platoon in Al Anbar province.
Now, after hearing that scenario, if you said, ‘no thanks,’ congratulations: you are normal. But if you heard that and said, ‘heh, whatever’ I know some recruiters who may want to talk to you. Most reporters, being normal, aren’t exactly eager to chase grunts around Al Anbar.
In spring of 2005, I left my life behind and traveled to Iraq as an embedded reporter.
I spent 5 months living with a Marine infantry platoon, walking the streets of places like Karmah, Amiriya, and Ferris. I spent days and weeks outside the wire, sleeping on the dirt, lining up in the stack as the Marines hit target houses and all the time those nights and days punctuated with the call to prayer.
I drank tea and smoked cigarettes with sheiks and Imams. I sat down and ate with men who led villages and families. I bartered with shop keepers for sodas and cigarettes, played soccer with kids. And, I spent a lot of time getting sun burned.
Punctuated by the rare few minutes of intense violence, most of the time the Marines chatted up the locals, gathered intel and chased leads.
I have concluded, based both on my experience, and the reports of other newsmen, that an unconscionable amount of what we in the press have been feeding the American public regarding the war in Iraq is fashioned by the propaganda arms of our enemies. Ba’athist kidnappers and Jihadi bombers are planning their operations not to win the war in Iraq, but to win it in America. To that end, they are assessing what American reporters are willing to cover, and what American news organizations are willing to risk.
This has been made abundantly clear in Al Qaida documents recently released by Centcom and the Coalition. An excerpt of the translated document reads:
The policy followed by the brothers in Baghdad is a media oriented policy without a clear comprehensive plan to capture an area or an enemy center. In other words, the significance of the strategy of their work is to show in the media that the American and the government does not control the situation and there is resistance against them.
Stated simply: Al Qaida is not even trying to win the war on the ground anymore. It is attempting to win the war in the press.
And they’re doing pretty well. On April 2, 2005, when Al Qaeda in Iraq attempted to assault Abu Ghraib prison, I was the only reporter there. The unit I was with was patrolling the area as part of a week-long op, and caught the tail end of the assault. The Marines didn’t think much of it. The main result was a bunch of dead insurgents. The next day, when the sun came up, we saw the v-beds that didn’t even make it off the highway and the remnants of so-called lions of taweed.
It wasn’t until we were back in base, watching TV in the chow hall, that we discovered that the failed assault was “BIG NEWS” and reporters were showing up after the fact. Two-to-three days after the fact.
As a Marine Colonel told me. Al Qaeda lost that fire-fight in Iraq, but they won on CNN.
In the Spring of 2005 -- before I went to Iraq -- while I was going from TV station to TV station selling my syndicated news reports to local News Directors, I used a very simple sales pitch:
I would ask: How often do you air coverage of the war? Every day, in some form right? They would nod yes. Then I would ask: how often do you get a local tie-in? They would think about it, but I already knew the answer. For local TV stations there are only 4 Iraq stories:
Local Units leaves, local boy killed in action, wife of local boy being screwed over by the mortgage holder, local unit comes home. On one station I saw them hit the Superfecta with all four stories in one night.
Then, I would ask: How often do you have footage and an interview with a local boy, a grunt out there fighting the war on terror with video of him in action?
The answer was invariably never.
Some of the stations bought my feeds on the spot. And if I could make money going to Iraq as a one person shop, and Michael Yon, Bill Roggio and Michael Totten can report from Iraq with support only from tip jars on their blogs, then there is obviously a market for news beyond the daily car bombing.
But you wouldn’t know it from the war coverage on network and cable news.
The two most common are the Balcony shot of a reporter recapping the latest car bombing, and the computerized map showing the latest bombing. Less often, you get an interview with some Iraqis, nearly always in Baghdad invariably saying how bad things are. And in the rarest of these a real live U.S. newsman reports with a coalition unit, usually long after a major event, as in “Tal Afar six months later,” “Mosul six month later,” and the one I saw most, “Fallujah Six months later.” And of course, “Abu Ghriad, two days after a major attack.”
Al Qaida and its fellow travelers have used violence, kidnappings and the ever present threat of violence against reporters to lock down news coverage.
With Western reporters holed up in bunkers, their view of the war is filtered by Iraqi stringers, who as noted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, may be plants for the terrorists, terrorist sympathizers or feeling the same pressures of violence felt by Western reporters.
The only thing this kind of news-gathering yields is the result of terrorist violence. But that, of course, is the insurgents’ goal —to create the perception in the western media that Iraq is out of control.
What you will not see in the media is what I saw in Iraq…a lot of every day life.
For every minute of violence and danger, there would be days of eating flat bread, drinking tea, and sitting around in positions hoping to get shot at.
Yes, trying to get shot at. At least one third of the operations I went on with the Marines were bait and kill operations—why my platoon was always the bait, I don’t know, it just worked out that way.
In the media, you never hear of the units where everyone came home alive. There are no stories about an operation in which the high-light was the tribal Sheik insisting the Platoon come to his son’s wedding. There is never the tag line—In other news, most Iraqis went about their business of saving up enough money to buy a satellite dish and pay their cell phone bill—yes, every mud hut seems to come equipped with a satellite dish—so they too can watch the latest news about a car bombing in Baghdad in between Jordanian soap operas.
The terrorist goal of winning through the media has worked.
The result is a picture of Iraq in which small slices are accurate-- the basic facts about the recent bombing are accurate—but where the majority of the canvass is left blank, turning the small slices into the entire portrait.
“Iraq is unquestionably the biggest story of our time, and one which will affect American foreign and domestic policy for the rest of our lives -- but if news organizations won't invest the money and manpower to cover it from top to bottom, it will end up becoming a story told only through its major disasters and victories, without many of the small, personal narratives and struggles that give the story its humanity.”
Posted by Wild Thing at 01:55 AM | Comments (4)
John Kerry Watched Apocolypse Now One Too Many Times
Kerry Pressing Swift Boat Case Long After Loss
John Kerry starts by showing the entry in a log he kept from 1969: "Feb 12: 0800 run to Cambodia."He moves on to the photographs: his boat leaving the base at Ha Tien, Vietnam; the harbor; the mountains fading frame by frame as the boat heads north; the special operations team the boat was ferrying across the border; the men reading maps and setting off flares.
"They gave me a hat," Mr. Kerry says. "I have the hat to this day," he declares, rising to pull it from his briefcase. "I have the hat."
Three decades after the Vietnam War and nearly two years after Mr. Kerry's failed presidential bid........
Wild Thing's comment...........
( the rest of the article has photos and more Kerry propaganda)
Have you ever met a nag? I hope not but if you have they never stop. My brother-in-law is married to one. Ugh! They are like chalk screeching on a chalkboard, a dripping faucet through the night and your waiting in between for the last bit of nagging to be the last but it never is. Drip, drip, drip, nag nag nag. There is an insanity to it without being labeled such and it can drive others away and it should! Well Kerry is that, he is his own special pathetic joke. A bad joke that just won't go away, a fodder for cartoons and a traitor to America.
When we think we have heard the last of him he pops up again with more of his BS. Does he do what has repeatedly been asked of him? NO that would be too easy, too honest, and too honorable. He also said on the Senate floor that Nixon sent him into Cambodia. The only problem is that Nixon wasn't President at the time. Just more lies!
John O'Neill was on Hannity's show last week and Bob Beckel started foaming at the mouth all over again. Bob ("I Call Escort Services") Beckel started literally chanting that the Pentagon has "discredited" the Swift Boat Vets. He must have used the word "discredited" about 40 times.
O'Neill finally got a word in and explained again in detail how Kerry's first purple heart was faked. Beckel went bananas. The MSM still can't accept that a little 527 spending a measly $200K per ad could have counteracted their months and months of spin for Kerry.
The Swift Boat Vets did a fabulous job of exposing him, along with tons of other Vietnam Veterans joining in. To even think that these MEN had to do this shows how strong evil is in America. The evils of the John Kerry's and Hanoi Jane’s getting press and notoriety and backed by those that hate America.....the enemy from within.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:55 AM | Comments (4)
May 29, 2006
Can You Give One Day For Them?
In Honor of all our Veterans
and our troops serving today.
This post will remain at the top until sunset on Memorial Day.
I want to take you to a place,
the weather is hot, beyond hot and sticky.
It is like wearing a scuba suit and
pouring hot Karo syrup down inside of it.
You give up wiping the sweat off your face and arms
because it does not do any good.
You learn to own it, the heat and humidity, the stickiness.
Own it and become it. Then it is bearable.............almost.A boy really but a man because of the war
is laying in a hospital in a bed.
Not a hospital like we know, this is make shift .
He has his right leg gone, pieces of it left in the jungle.
His other leg missing just above the knee.
His right hand gone as well.
His shoulder a huge chunk gone so even with bandages
the deformity is obvious. His face, he may have been a great
looking heartthrob in the past, maybe a girl kissed his tender cheek on
a date and his soft lips lingering for just one more kiss at the door.
But now it was like mashed potatoes. The only thing noticeable
.................his eyes.The thousand yard stare was there, but behind them the clear sharp
sight of what had happened. And the doubt of what his future held
for him if anything.You take his hand and sit for hours, just being.
Trying to let him know you care.
The touch is all the words that need to be said. Then you start to
hum a song softly and the hand in yours tightens a little for approval.
Then the words of the song , and ever so gently you sing,
music from your heart right into his.He is a Hero just as the soldier at the desk at the base is a hero. All
willing to serve their country and keep their land the land of the free.
--- Wild Thing
This soldier's name was Michael and I was the girl that was honored to get the chance to sit with him and sing to him. To hold his hand and let our hearts and souls speak of better times. A few days later Michael died. But Michael lives on with every breath in freedom that we take each day. His name will never be forgotten nor will he.
I am not in any way writing about this experience I had in Nam to compare Iraq and Vietnam. To me they are very different and should never be compared. But this is an experience that I will live in my heart and soul forever and it expresses best why we should never let one moment in time pass by without thanking our troops, and our Veterans. You may only get one chance and that moment will last a lifetime. They deserve more then a thank you but when those two words come from your heart they carry the weight of a proud and grateful Nation.
In a few days it will be MEMORIAL DAY. A day where the people of the United States pledge to remember those who gave their all. A day that had been set aside to remember all the sacrifice....and all the pain...and all the death that has kept this Nation safe. Please honor the sacrifices of our servicemen and women, they work so hard and take all the risks and live in tremendous danger 24/7 for our freedom, for our security.
It is NOT about a three day weekend.
It is NOT about picnic's and barbecue's.
It IS about this Nation keeping it's word.
It IS about remembering the Michael's in our past who gave up their future so everyone could be Free.
I guess the question is...can YOU give up one day for them????
Also I invite you to visit my Vietnam Page where I pay tribute to our Vietnam Veterans.
There is an awesome video titled' Until Then". I have ordered from this place, I hope you do to. They truly support our troops and are also grateful to our Veterans.
If you would like to get this and other videos on DVD you can contact GCS distributing
gcs@gcsdistributing.com
I have had email contact with a very kind lady, Elaine Clegg of GCS Distributing and she is very helpful.
Posted by Wild Thing at 02:55 AM | Comments (25)
My Gift to our Veterans and Our Troops On This Memorial Day
I have made
something special for all of you
please CLICK on the Flag picture above
and turn up your volume.
Thank you Veterans and all of you serving now, thank you that I am able to live in the land of the free.
Posted by Wild Thing at 01:47 AM | Comments (4)
Unit in Afghanistan Honors Americans Who Made Ultimate Sacrifice
Army Staff Sgt. Wayne A. White plays taps during a Memorial Day ceremony at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, May 28. White is a native of Park Hills, Mo., assigned to the 10th Mountain Division Band, based in Fort Drum, N.Y. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Robert R. Ramon, USA)
For the past 138 years, our nation has paused at this time of year to commemorate Memorial Day, a day that we set aside to remember those who have died in our nation's service," said Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Freakley, Combined Joint Task Force 76 commander.
Standing near the flag-draped, open hull of a Hercules C-130 on the flight line here, where some of the earliest battles of the global war on terror were fought, Freakley's words served as a reminder of the meaning of Memorial Day.
"What does this day mean to us as we stand here at Bagram, Afghanistan, fighting in the global war on terror?" Freakley asked the hundreds of servicemembers in attendance.
"It is important, he said, for military members to pause and remember those who went before. "We stand on the shoulders of giants," he added. "From those who fought in the earliest days in the American military, to those who fell in Vietnam, in operations in the 90s in Panama, Grenada and Operation Desert Storm, to those who have fallen in the global war on terrorism, beginning with those members of our nation who fought right here in the opening days of Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as those who have recently fallen on our watch as CJTF 76."
After the 10th Mountain Division Band played renditions of the Afghan and American national anthems, Freakley said the sacrifices made by Americans on the battlefield were made not only for the citizens of the United States, but for the citizens of other nations as well.
"Simply put, their lives meant sacrifice and dedication to something greater than themselves -- their nation, their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, and dedication to a cause -- freedom," Freakley said.
"Not only freedom for the American people, but freedom for over 55 million Iraqis and Afghans who have had oppression and tyranny lifted from their shoulders and given the opportunity to form their nations to stand tall and live life in freedom and peace," he added.
Freakley said it is because of those who made the ultimate sacrifice that Americans back home are able to live tranquil lives.
"Those who have died have also guaranteed our own freedoms in the United States of America," he said. "Thankfully, since September the 11th, 2001, America has not been attacked. Some people could say, 'Well, we're just lucky.' I don't believe in that.
"I believe that we have taken the fight to the enemy worldwide, focused in Iraq and Afghanistan, and have prevented the enemy from returning to our shores, thereby ensuring our businessmen and women can go to work in buildings without fear that an airplane will crash into it; our children can go to school and not be concerned about being killed; our citizens can go to baseball games, cookouts, and picnics and have fun this Memorial Day weekend because it has been delivered to them by those who fell and those who stand in the ranks today."
To those attending the ceremony today, Freakley's message was clear.
"Today we dedicate ourselves, as we did before we deployed, to continuing the fight in the global war on terror and guaranteeing the American people freedom as well as the people in Afghanistan and Iraq," he said. "Remember those who gave their all to our nation. They did not die in vain, for they have given us a better world, a better Afghanistan, a better Iraq, a better United States of America."
The color guard stands at attention just prior to the start of a Memorial Day ceremony at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, May 28. Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines here took time during the ceremony to remember their fellow Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the freedom of the United States. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Robert R. Ramon, USA)
Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Freakley speaks during a Memorial Day ceremony at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, May 28. Freakley, Combined Joint Task Force 76 commander, along with soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, took time during the ceremony to remember their fellow Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their nation. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Robert R. Ramon, USA)
Posted by Wild Thing at 01:18 AM | Comments (4)
Thank You Blue Star Chronicles ~ Prayers for Our Troops
This weekend we learned that two of our nephews have sons that are serving now. One has enlisted in the Marines and the other in the Army. We call them our nephews as well, but I suppose the correct way to say it would be great nephews. I really am not sure of the exact wording on that.
We are very proud of them and will be praying for their safety along with the very special family members of those here at Theodore's World that have loved ones serving now and all the rest of our troops as well.
There was no further information at this time as to where they will be but I just wanted to let you know.
Blue Star Chronicles it is a wonderful blog that supports our troops. They have a Blue Star Banner and the Carnival of Blue Stars. They are for those with family members serving now and also for those that support the families of those serving now and our troops. I am using the Blue Star Friend logo because not only do we have family members serving now but there are so many friends of our serving now as well. And there are sons of those of you here that are a big part of the team at Theodore's World serving now too. We are all in this together and I love you all.
Blue Star Blogroll is to facilitate a network of bloggers who have a special and sincere interest in the well-being of soldiers serving as part of the United States Armed Forces.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:55 AM | Comments (2)
May 28, 2006
A Land of Checks and Balances Thanks To Our Constitution
Please CLICK the image above to hear a message
from John Wayne about the Constitution.
House Speaker Denny Hastert, having presumably checked his In box and re-read the Constitution, now agrees that the FBI can conduct searches of Congressional offices when armed with a valid search warrant:
House leaders acknowledged Friday that FBI agents with a court-issued warrant can legally search a congressman's office, but they said they want procedures established after agents with a court warrant took over a lawmaker's office last week.
"I want to know exactly what would happen if there is a similar sort of thing" in the Senate, Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said Friday, shortly after summoning Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to his office.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., concurred: "I am confident that in the next 45 days, the lawyers will figure out how to do it right."
Gonzales was similarly optimistic. "We've been working hard already and we'll continue to do so pursuant to the president's order," he told The Associated Press.
That apparently comes as a change in tone for the Attorney General. According to the New York Times, Gonzalez, FBI director Robert Mueller, and some of their staffs threatened to walk off the job if the President ordered the return of the seized materials to Jefferson.
Wild Thing's comment......
So what happened here, instead of letting the attention be directed at the POS William Jefferson where it needed to be. Hastert in his overreacting and his letting the world know he felt he was above the law, above the Constitution. That he lived in some bubble of protection because he was a politician and a long term one at that.
This might be only my opinion but NO one is above the law. At least they shouldn't be and once our laws and our Constitution have no meaning then we might as well say good-bye to the land formerly known as the United States of America.
Posted by Wild Thing at 01:55 AM | Comments (3)
Russia to Honor Iran Arms Deal
BBC News
Russia's defence minister has confirmed that Moscow intends to honour a controversial deal to supply Iran with surface-to-air missiles.
The contract for up to 30 missile systems would be fulfilled except in "extraordinary circumstances", Sergei Ivanov said, without elaborating.
He stressed that, because of their technical characteristics, the missiles could not be used by terrorist groups.
The $700m (£380m) deal, signed last year, has been condemned by the US.
Washington wants all countries to stop exporting weapons to Iran. Russia insists its short-range Tor-M1 system is purely defensive.
"As far as Russia's position is concerned, we strictly abide by all non-proliferation regimes, and when we hear reproaches that Russia is secretly helping Iran - it is just propaganda," the Interfax news agency quoted Mr Ivanov as saying.
He made the comments following a meeting with his German counterpart, Franz Josef Jung in St Petersburg.
Russia, along with China, is strongly against attempts to impose United Nations sanctions on Iran, which the US accuses of pursuing nuclear weapons.
The U.S. State Department quickly called on Ivanov to reconsider the deal.
The Tor-M1, also known as Gauntlet SA-15, is designed to intercept targets at medium and low altitudes, including war planes and helicopters as well as cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The system is carried on a tracked vehicle that can be moved from place to place. Ivanov characterized the weapons as purely defensive and dismissed suspicion they could make their way into the hands of Islamic terrorists.
Once deployed, however, the weapons would be added to the strategic mix as the United States and Iran posture in a diplomatic tussle over Iran's nuclear power program, which the Bush administration insists is a cover for nuclear weapons development.
While Washington says a military attack against Iran's nuclear facilities is not an option, fielding the Tor-M1 would no doubt make it tougher for anyone to destroy the controversial sites, or spy on them from low altitude.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:55 AM | Comments (3)
May 27, 2006
Time For His Dirt Nap or a Blanket Party
Fort Lupton Mayor Resigns After 7NEWS Investigation ( Kept dead marine's personal money )
DENVER -- The mayor of Fort Lupton has resigned citing health issues and media attention.
Jim Bostick was under the microscope for taking money from a dead U.S. Marine.
Bostick was not only the mayor, but operates a funeral home in Fort Lupton. The personal savings account of Marine Jason Sepulveda was sent to Bostick for Sepulveda's funeral after he was killed in an accident.
The U.S. government paid for the Marine's funeral, yet Bostick refused to return the dead Marine's personal savings to his family.
Bostick even ignored a court judgment that totaled more than $7,500. 7NEWS' stories caused a national uproar against Bostick. Hundreds of e-mails were sent to the city of Fort Lupton calling for his resignation.
In his letter to the Fort Lupton City Council he said, "It is with great sadness that I am writing this letter but with all that has gone on with the recent events and my health, I feel it is the best interest of the city and myself to resign my post as mayor for the City of Fort Lupton. I believe in this town and I am very proud of the way the town is moving ... It has been a great pleasure to have served and worked with each and every one of you."
Bostick told 7NEWS Investigator John Ferrugia that threats against his life, and pressure from constituents, caused him so much stress he had to be taken to the hospital in the past few days with high blood pressure.
He said his doctor told him to continue as mayor could kill him.
However, Bostick said he doesn't have the money to pay back the Sepulvedas and has not paid them yet.
Wild Thing's comment......
This scum, Jim Bostick resigned, but still will not give back the money. Bostick should be criminally prosecuted for theft, fraud, and whatever else sticks. He must be a Democrat otherwise the media would be screaming "Republican Mayor."
The Marines have a time honored tradition used to deal with scum like this...the blanket party.
Posted by Wild Thing at 10:10 AM | Comments (13)
An Email That Brightens Ones Day
When I was 12 years old I learned to drive with my Dad's Willie Jeep. It would have been 1959 when I was 12 years old, so the Willie Jeep my Dad had was a lot older then that. But I loved that jeep! My parents home was in the country and I would drive it up and down our lane, barefoot and learning that feel of the clutch, the jeep and the driver as one. hahaha
So jeeps have always been a favorite of mine. They don't have to sell me on buying one I go in knowing exactly what I want. A few months ago we bought the new version of what I had been driving for several years. Another Grand Jeep Cherokee. This time and maybe it is just the dealership here where we live now, but they gave a $500 check if Nick showed them his proof of service in the military. Of course Nick was delighted and so was I. They told us they did this for any Veteran or active duty service member.
This morning in my email I received this from the dealership. I am posting it here, not to sell you on a Jeep but because I am so sick of all the negative press on our troops and to see something positive needs recognition.
The email had nothing else in it except this graphic. No click on this to go to their site, nothing, Just this to honor our Veterans and the troops today.
Posted by Wild Thing at 08:55 AM | Comments (11)
May 26, 2006
Capitol Police Investigating Sounds Of Gunshots
Capitol complex locked down after reports of gunfire
Friday, May 26, 2006; Posted: 10:58 a.m. EDT (14:58 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Capitol Police said Friday they were investigating reports of shots fired in the garage of the Rayburn Office Building, where members of the House have their offices.
The entire Capitol complex has been locked down, CNN's Dana Bash reported.
Tunnels connect all of the buildings in the complex.
Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Michigan, was conducting a House Intelligence Committee hearing at the time, according to an Associated Press report. Hoekstra interrupted a witness to tell those at the hearing to remain in the room and said doors must be closed.
Capitol police probing reports of gunfire
Capitol police were investigating "the sound of gunfire in the garage level of the Rayburn House Office Building," said an announcement on the internal Capitol voice alarm system.
There was no confirmation of gunfire. The FBI and D.C. Fire Department said there have been no injuries reported.
Dozens of police officers, many of them armed with assault rifles, milled around ouside the entrance to the garage.
Rep. Peter Hoekstra (news, bio, voting record), R-Mich., conducting a House Intelligence Committee hearing, interrupted a witness to request those attending the meeting to remain in the room and said the doors must be closed.
"It's a little unsettling to get a Blackberry message put in front of you that says there's gunfire in the building," he said.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:07 PM | Comments (2)
Pegasus Marines Continues With Same Aircraft
Marine grunts exit their transportation, a CH-53A Sea Stallion with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463, to begin a search and destroy operation 17 miles southeast of Phu Bai, Vietnam, Nov. 18, 1967. Initially a World War II bomber squadron, HMH-463, Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, flew the first CH-53s in Vietnam with the main mission of providing assault support transport, which they still do today. (Photo by: DoD Photo National)
Pegasus' 40-year-old legacy of service continues in Iraq
Submitted by: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story by Lance Cpl. James B. Hoke
AL ASAD, Iraq (May 25, 2006) -- In December 1966, the first personnel with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 touched down in Da Nang, Vietnam, without any aircraft. It wasn't until Jan. 8, 1967, that the ship carrying four CH-53A Sea Stallions arrived for the Marines.
Nearly 40 years later, Pegasus Marines are serving their country in another war under the same aircraft group, Marine Aircraft Group 16, with the same aircraft that were presented to them during the Vietnam War two years after their initial landing -- the CH-53D Sea Stallion.
The squadron was originally a fixed-wing bombing squadron during World War II that has served on each coast of the United States, including Hawaii. Having served in more than nine MAGs and all three Marine Aircraft Wings, the squadron has been deactivated three times before it was finally activated again as HMH-463.
"HMH-463 was the first CH-53 helicopter squadron in the Marine Corps," said Lt. Col. Randel W. Parker, commanding officer, HMH-463, MAG-16 (Reinforced), 3rd MAW. "We have always been an assault support platform since this helicopter was introduced in 1966."
According to retired Marine Col. Charles A. Block, the commanding officer of HMH-463 in 1970, the ground commanders loved to use Pegasus because of the number of Marines the, at the time, new helicopters could carry in one trip.
"We would normally carry around 50 combat Marines," said the 72-year-old veteran who resides in Enterprise, Ala. "With four helicopters, we would put an infantry company on the ground at one time, ready to fight."
Block recalled one night when the squadron helped conduct the largest night tactical assault ever accomplished by Marine Corps aviation.
"We had 15 CH-53s leading about 20 CH-46s with simultaneous landings under flares from a C-47 flare ship," he said. "The troops not on the assault had climbed on top of the hardback parking revetments to watch us return. You have to realize that these same observers were going to be on the flight line at (5 a.m.) and it was about (2 a.m.) when we returned.
"Nobody asked or even suggested that they welcome us back, but they did it on their own," Block added. "I would describe the Marines in this squadron as being the most dedicated, hard-working bunch of folks I have ever seen in my 28 years in the Marine Corps. They broke every record for cargo and troop hauling that had ever been set up to that date."
However, the Pegasus Marines continue to grow and improve on the inheritance set upon them.
"The squadron improves with every new Marine we get," said Parker, a 44-year-old native of Littleton, Colo. "You try to build onto the legacy of the Marines who came before you and improve on that. Hopefully, in a year when people rotate out of here and we get new people in, they'll continue to build upon that.
"The Marines here are highly motivated and dedicated," the graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University continued. "They understand their mission and do it the best that I've ever seen. It is truly amazing. It is a testament to themselves and their families. Basically, it just shows you what kind of great young Americans we have."
Although the squadron has a fruitful legacy to live up to, it has already begun to set its own records, as it is the first full Delta helicopter squadron to deploy to Iraq in nearly 15 years.
"It's quite an honor to be the first, but our main goal in being the first is to be able to maintain a strong presence and represent the CH-53D community," said Parker. "As soon as we're done with our deployment, (HMH-363) will replace us, which is another CH-53D squadron, and then they'll be replaced by (HMH-362). We kick this off for the community, but it is also our job to sustain operations."
According to Sgt. Maj. Karl Villalino, sergeant major, HMH-463, the squadron's guest speaker before departing their home station at Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, was a retired sergeant major who used to be a crew chief for the squadron during the Vietnam era.
"He gave his lessons that he had learned during that time frame to the Marines who were literally about to leave in three weeks after the ceremony," said Villalino, a 37-year-old native of Long Beach, Calif. "I think it had significance, as the Marines understand that this platform we have and use has done great things before in Vietnam and Desert Storm."
Although the Vietnam era has left its lessons and records with HMH-463, the Pegasus Marines continue to strive for excellence.
"You have a group of Marines who are excited and committed to support operations out here in (Operation Iraqi Freedom)," said Parker. "They have great people, whether it's immediate family, moms and dads or brothers and sisters, back home to support them. They understand that what we are doing is really great for the American people."
"Some people say, 'How can an old aircraft like this continue to do what it's doing?'" he concluded. "My simple response to that is that it says Marines on the side of it, and Marines do great things."
Two CH-53D Sea Stallions with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 sit at the hot pits on Al Taqaddum, Iraq, May 18. Initially a World War II bomber squadron, HMH-463, Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, flew the first CH-53s in Vietnam with the main mission of providing assault support transport, which they still do today. (Photo by: Lance Cpl. James B. Hoke)
Marines from various units and squadrons sit idly by during transport from Al Taqaddum, Iraq, to Al Fallujah, Iraq, May 18, on a CH-53D Sea Stallion with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463. Initially a World War II bomber squadron, HMH-463, Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, flew the first CH-53s in Vietnam with the main mission of providing assault support transport, which they still do today. (Photo by: Lance Cpl. James B. Hoke)
Posted by Wild Thing at 03:55 AM
"Hezbollah, Hezbollah," Chanted The Iranian Crowd of Suicide Bombers
An Iranian woman and her daughter wearing headbands reading 'there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet' as they attend a suicide bombers gathering in southern Tehran
.
Iranian men wear white shrouds to indicate their willingness to give their lives to defend their country and Islam, during a gathering in Tehran on Thursday, May 25, 2006
Iranians Pledge to Become Suicide Bombers
05.25.2006
Under a banner showing coffins draped with American, British and Israeli flags, more than 100 Iranian men and women pledged Thursday to become suicide bombers - if necessary - to defend their country and Islam.
The event, held in a burial area for war dead and martyrs, was similar to others in recent years, with Islamic chants and songs and volunteers donning white coverings to symbolize their willingness to die.
But this gathering - coming at a time when many Iranians worry their country could come under attack by the United States or Israel - was tailored to send a message of defiance against any possible military action over Iran's nuclear program.
The threats from America have swelled our ranks and given us added conviction," said 27-year-old Margess, who like the other volunteers would only give her first name and used a scarf to cover all but her eyes. "We will stand up against them with our lives."
No weapons or explosives were displayed, but the ceremony was organized by a shadowy group believed to have links to the Basiji paramilitary group that is backed by Iran's Islamic regime.
A huge banner used as a backdrop showed flag-covered coffins. And a message - in English - promised to "damage the U.S. worldwide" in retaliation for any attack on Iran.
"If asked by Iran's leaders, we will fight anywhere," said Hussein, 56, a volunteer with a wife and four children. "The world should know that Iranians embrace martyrdom."
One of the organizers - from a group calling itself the Headquarters for Commemorating Martyrs of the Global Islamic Movement - shouted out names and handed out silver dog tags.
Volunteers mingled around monuments to attackers, including a Palestinian suicide bomber, an Iranian militiaman killed by the U.S. forces in Iraq and two commandos who helped carry out the 1983 blast at Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 U.S. servicemen. An almost simultaneous bombing killed 56 French peacekeepers.
Hezbollah, Hezbollah," the crowd chanted as a singing group supported by the Lebanese guerrilla group began songs calling for Islamic resistance. Iran is one of the key backers of the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah.
The volunteer bombers waved Qurans, the Muslim holy book, and one held up a placard paraphrasing Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution: "Our nation is the first to prove that America can't do anything."
"We are here to prove that Muslims - that Iranians - have solidarity and we will willingly shed our blood," said Azadeh, a 20-year-old volunteer who wore a postcard of Khomeini and his successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pinned to her white cloak.
On each postcard a message was stenciled: "Those who are ready to die."
"I only have one son and he's volunteered as a martyr," said Marium Nematzadeh, 56. "I have deep belief in my religion and my leaders. I would even become a bomber if asked."
Posted by Wild Thing at 01:55 AM | Comments (10)
Galloway Says Murder of Tony Blair Would Be Justified
Let us not forget this one of Galloway............
Galloway says murder of Blair would be 'justified'
The Respect MP George Galloway has said it would be morally justified for a suicide bomber to murder Tony Blair.
In an interview with GQ magazine, the reporter asked him: "Would the assassination of, say, Tony Blair by a suicide bomber - if there were no other casualties - be justified as revenge for the war on Iraq?"
Mr Galloway replied: "Yes, it would be morally justified. I am not calling for it - but if it happened it would be of a wholly different moral order to the events of 7/7. It would be entirely logical and explicable. And morally equivalent to ordering the deaths of thousands of innocent people in Iraq - as Blair did."
The Labour MP Stephen Pound, a persistent critic of Mr Galloway during previous controversies, told The Sun that the Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow in east London was "disgraceful and truly twisted".
He said: "These comments take my breath away. Every time you think he can't sink any lower he goes and stuns you again. It's reprehensible to say it would be justified for a suicide bomber to assassinate anyone."
Mr Galloway yesterday made a surprise appearance on Cuban television with the Caribbean island's Communist dictator, Fidel Castro - whom he defended as a "lion" in a political world populated by "monkeys".
Mr Galloway shocked panellists on a live television discussion show in Havana by emerging on set mid-transmission to offer passionate support for Castro. The Cuban president, in his customary military fatigues, looked on approvingly as the British MP said Mr Castro was a symbol of dignity. Looking approvingly into each others' eyes, the pair embraced.
Looks like a sequel to "Brokeback Mountain" in the making.
Wild Thing's comment......
Galloway is utterly reprehensible, completely despicable. George Galloway should be taken to the Tower of London and "shortened".
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:17 AM | Comments (17)
May 25, 2006
Veterans Fight Decision Not To Observe Veterans Day
Veterans battle to keep their day
STAMFORD -- They've stormed the beaches of Normandy, fought the Vietcong and defended their country against the "axis of evil."
Now, local veterans are taking on the city's Board of Education, fighting its decision not to close for Veterans Day next year.
By requiring school children to attend classes, veterans say the board has decided not to observe the holiday.
Representatives of the local American Legion, Marine Corps League, Disabled American Veterans, Jewish War Veterans, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars are planning to protest the change in the school calendar at the school board meeting Tuesday night at the Stamford Government Center.
"This is not Memorial Day for the guys who have been killed, to remember them. This is for the guys who are alive," said John Rubino of the local Marine Corps League. "Veterans Day is for living, breathing veterans of all armed forces. These guys have gone though a lot and they have earned that one day of the year."
Veterans say having school on the holiday is disrespectful to the men and women who served their country.
"Our day is a sacred day," said Pat Battinelli, chairman of Stamford's Patriotic and Special Events Commission and leader of the local Marine Corps League. "It's like taking Good Friday away from the church."
Opponents have set up a Web site, www.saveveteransday.com
The school board voted 8 to 1 Feb. 28 in favor of opening on Friday, Nov. 10, to cut one day off the end of the year in June. Friday is the holiday this year because Veterans Day falls on a Saturday.
School board President Susan Nabel said students should get a lesson in civics and history instead of a day off.
"We all felt the real meaning of Veterans Day has been lost for students for quite a few years," she said.
Board members also felt it was more productive to have an extra school day in November rather than June, she said.
Nabel said the two veterans on the board -- Archie Elam and Charles Conway -- voted for the change. She also said members of the Jewish War Veterans and the VFW had been consulted and approved of the plan.
"As a matter of fact, a couple of them said they were very much for it and said they wanted to be involved in the planning of the assemblies at the schools, so I am very distressed now that veterans groups are accusing us of disrespect and accusing us of making a hasty decision," Nabel said.
She said the discussion about whether to hold classes on Veterans Day began last summer.
If the holiday fell on a school day, Nabel said she personally would have opposed the change, but that's not the case this year.
"Veterans Day is actually Nov. 11. We are having school on Friday, Nov. 10. Having school that day in no way prevents students from participating in the events that happen on Veterans Day," she said. "They'll march in the parades and play in the orchestra with a better idea of why they are doing what they are doing."
Board member Martin Levine said the whole purpose was to create a Veterans Day curriculum for the schools.
"Now we seem to be accused of being unpatriotic for what was supposed to be a patriotic thing," he said.
Democrat Marggie Laurie was the only member to vote against the change. She said it would violate union contracts that give some school employees the day off.
At a Republican Town Committee nominating convention last week, Kurt Zimbler, commander of the local Jewish War Veterans post, voted against running two Republican school board members for re-election -- Angela Lorenti and Charles Conway -- because they voted for having school on Veterans Day.
The day's been lost in terms of the importance of it," said Conway, a former Marine. "Ask half the kids what Veterans Day is and they have no idea."
Lorenti said teaching students about veterans is a better way to honor their service to the country than giving kids a day off to play video games or go to the mall.
"Kids are not really acknowledging veterans on their day off. They are at home doing whatever," she said. "We were concerned that it's just another day off and no one was really honoring the veterans."
Public schools in Connecticut are not required to have the day off.
In Wilton, where the schools were in session last Veterans Day, students interviewed veterans, wrote letters to veterans or watched a video about the seriousness of war. School also was in session in New Canaan and Westport last Veterans Day.
"It can't happen here," Battinelli said. "We're not a little country-bumpkin town anymore, and the veterans take the holiday very seriously. There is the American way, and there is this way."
If learning about a holiday is a better way to celebrate than taking a day off, veterans say school should be in session on all holidays, including Labor Day, Columbus Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
"How can you have that one school holiday stricken from the school calendar and not the others?" said Rubino, who will have two sons at Toquam Magnet Elementary School in the fall. "You could imagine the outrage if they tried to remove Martin Luther King Day and say, 'We are going to come to school and talk about who Martin Luther King was.' "
Wild Thing's comment.........
First of all, if kids are not acknowledging Veterans Day and we are being told they don't have a clue what it is about then WHY NOT! Why aren't they being taught what Veterans Day is about by their parents, and their teachers!!!!
And what the hell is this.............Democrat Marggie Laurie concerned it would "violate union contracts that give some school employees the day off".......She could care less about our Veterans she is ONLY worried about violating union contracts and that it might mess up their allowed days off???!!!!!
First we have to put up with, listen to, hear endlessly about the LEFTIES protesting the war and our troops. Having signs that say Kill your officers and we will support you crap and now we have to ignore Veterans Day? Ignore a day that is set aside, one freaken day out of the year to say Thank you from America to our Veterans.
Because they, the parents and the teachers did not want the extra day off, because they said the kids have no clue what Veterans Day is anyway? OMG!!!!
Well our TROOPS are NOT expendable, our VETERANS are NOT expendable and neither is Veterans Day expendable! The liberals will stop at nothing in their disdain for all things military or American.
They skip it this year when it's on a Saturday, then skip it next year when it's on a Sunday. Now they have a precedence for skipping it when it's on a weekday.
Here is a page at my website called......Veterans Never Forgotten
NO Veteran will ever be forgotten as long as I am alive. Thank you Veterans for serving our country. Thank you Troops today too.
Posted by Wild Thing at 01:27 AM | Comments (11)
Iraqi Insurgent Gives Chilling Confession
Iraqi Insurgent Gives Chilling Confession
An alleged agent of the group al-Qaeda in Iraq told a chilling story of hijacking, kidnapping and murder in the name of holy war Tuesday.
In a videotaped confession broadcast on Jordanian state television, Khalaf al-Kerbouly related his deeds without a trace of emotion. Though Jordan's government billed him as a high-ranking al-Qaeda operative arrested in the murder of a Jordanian citizen, Kerbouly's account made him sound more like a simple foot soldier for Iraq's most prominent insurgent organization.
His confession gave a rare glimpse into the mentality of the combatants.
Kerbouly said he was an Iraqi customs agent along the western border with Jordan and was in a position to know who was entering and leaving Iraq, and to kill them if it suited al-Qaeda's purposes. Among his targets was a Jordanian truck driver.
"His name was Khalid al-Dasouqi," Kerbouly recalled in a flat tone. "He said, 'What will you do?' I said, 'I will kill you.' He started to beg me, 'Please, do not kill me,' and so I said, 'I must kill you.' He kept on begging me, and I pulled my personal pistol and said to him, 'Say your prayers.' He said them as he was begging.
"Immediately I shot him twice in the head. I left him in that spot and he was handcuffed and blindfolded. I made sure that he was dead, put his passport and papers over him and went away."
Dasouqi's wife, interviewed separately in the broadcast as one of her daughters wept, suggested that Kerbouly be executed in front of a mosque.
Kerbouly also said he had hijacked trucks, killed four Iraqi soldiers and kidnapped two employees of the Moroccan Embassy in Baghdad, who were killed after he handed them over to his superiors.
Al-Arabiya television, quoting the Jordanian government, said Kerbouly was captured in Iraq by Jordanian intelligence agents, carried across the border and eventually arrested at Queen Alia International Airport near Amman, the capital.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:47 AM | Comments (2)
A Street Vendor and His Sheep
Street vendor Abdulhamid pulls a face while looking at the camera as a sheep nuzzles him in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Wild Thing's comment.....
I saw this photo and the comment with it and just had to share it with you. The man's look on his face is so funny.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:07 AM | Comments (5)
May 24, 2006
Gen.Georges Sada Says WMD Were Flown To Syria
Thank you Jack for sending this to me. Jack has a blog called Conservative Insurgent.
'Good news' from northern Iraq
By Julia Duin
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
May 23, 2006
Retired Iraqi Gen. , a former fighter pilot-turned-Christian evangelist, says Kurds are converting to Christianity "by the hundreds" in northern Iraq.
Gen. Sada earlier reported that he had been told that Iraqi pilots, flying private planes, took weapons of mass destruction to undisclosed locations in Syria in 2002.
The "good news" from Iraq's turbulent religious scene, consisting mainly of Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim militias battling each other, is from the Kurds, he said. Kurds are creating a constitution that does away with Shariah, or Islamic law, a move counter to trends in other Muslim countries such as Afghanistan and Iran, where leaving Islam is a capital offense and Christian converts are often killed.
"No Christians in the Kurdish territory are persecuted," he said yesterday in an interview.
Gen. Sada, 66, who lives in Baghdad, cited growing numbers of evangelical Christians in the Kurdish city of Irbil and a recent church conference of 854 Christians at the city's Salahaddin University as demonstrations of the Kurds' willingness to protect religious freedom.
He added that Nechervan Idris Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdish regional government in Irbil and nephew of former Iraqi Governing Council President Massoud Barzani, was extremely positive about evangelical Christians' efforts among Iraq's 4 million Kurds.
"He told me he'd rather see a Muslim become a Christian rather than a radical Muslim," the general said.
He spoke last night at McLean Bible Church, Northern Virginia's largest congregation, about his new vocation as director of the Iraqi Institute for Peace and president of the National Presbyterian Church in Baghdad.
"My foundation for peace is Christianity," said Gen. Sada, who was born an Assyrian Christian. "We must learn to love. Muslims will say they've got love and forgiveness, but I want to emphasize what Jesus Christ has said."
Gen. Sada has his work cut out for him. Outside the Kurdish areas, "Christians are in a very tough situation," he said. "Their children are kidnapped, and their money is taken by terrorists."
A fighter pilot like his father, Hormis Sada, Gen. Sada rose quickly in the Iraqi military in the 1960s and 1970s and was made a general in 1980. During the 1991 Persian Gulf War, he was responsible for interrogating U.S. and allied pilots shot down over Iraq.
The foreword to his recent book, "Saddam's Secrets," is written by retired Air Force Col. David Eberly, whose plane was shot down Jan. 19, 1991. Col. Eberly evaded capture for three days before he was found and taken to Baghdad.
"Suddenly I found myself in the presence of a man who, despite the power he had over me, still seemed to respect my human dignity," Col. Eberly wrote of Gen. Sada.
When Saddam Hussein's younger son, Qusay, demanded that the 24 pilots in Gen. Sada's custody be killed, the general refused. He was imprisoned for a week, released, then discharged from the military on Feb. 5, 1991. But he kept his extensive military contacts, who told him of Saddam using private planes to fly weapons of mass destruction to Syria in 2002.
But it was not until April 2004, when Jordanian intelligence reported foiling an al Qaeda plot to unleash 17.5 tons of explosives, including sarin nerve gas, in downtown Amman, that he decided to go public with what he knew.
"I thought, 'Wait a minute,'?" he recalls. "The weapons must have fallen into the hands of terrorists." About the same time, he encountered Terry Law, the Tulsa, Okla., founder of World Compassion, a Christian aid group, who put him in touch with a book publisher."God had brought this together," the general said, "and I prayed about this and decided to go ahead. But this decision was not easy, as there's a vacuum of security in Iraq."
A week after the general's book came out in January, he was summoned by Rep. Peter Hoekstra, Michigan Republican and chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, to talk about weapons of mass destruction under Saddam. No one knows where they are in Syria, the general said, because the men who flew the lethal weapons into Syria aren't talking.
"It's not easy for pilots to say, 'Yes, I transported weapons of mass destruction,'?" he said.
Posted by Wild Thing at 03:09 PM | Comments (4)
Why Be Concerned About Keith Ellison as Congress’s First Muslim
Suricou Raven here is something I am posting for you to read.
Pour yourself a cup of
English tea, sit back and you might like
to read this. We are not your enemy, but Islam is and all the
wishful thinking will not change that fact.
Islam’s “Plan” To Take Over the USA in 20 Years
As reported by Dr.Anis Shorrosh, author of “Islam Revealed”
Dr. Anis Shorrosh said....
"Islam is not a religion of peace," Shorrosh said. "It is an ocean of blood of those who didn't agree
with Mohammed and his cohorts."
1. Terminate America 's freedom of speech by replacing it with
statewide and nationwide hate-crime bills
2. Wage a war of words using black leaders like Louis Farrakhan,
Rev. Jesse Jackson and other visible religious personalities who
promote Islam as the religion of African-Americans while insisting
Christianity is for whites only. What they fail to tell African-Americans
is that it was Arab Muslims who captured them and sold them as slaves.
In fact, the Arabic word for black and slave is the same, ''Abed.''
3. Engage the American public in dialogues, discussions, debates in colleges,
universities, public libraries, radio, TV, churches and mosques on the
virtues of Islam. Proclaim how it is historically another religion like Judaism
and Christianity with the same monotheistic faith.
4. Nominate Muslim sympathizers to political office to bring about favorable
legislation toward Islam and support potential sympathizers by block voting.
5. Take control of as much of Hollywood , the press, TV, radio and the
Internet as possible by buying the related corporations or a controlling stock.
6. Yield to the fear of the imminent shut-off of the lifeblood of
America – black gold. America ’s economy depends on oil and 41 percent
of it comes from the Middle East .
7. Yell ''foul, out-of-context, personal interpretation, hate crime, Zionist,
un- American, inaccurate interpretation of the Quran'' anytime Islam is
criticized or the Quran is analyzed in the public arena.
8. Encourage Muslims to penetrate the White House, specifically with Islamists
who can articulate a marvelous and peaceful picture of Islam. Acquire
government positions and get membership in local school boards.
Train Muslims as medical doctors to dominate the medical field, research
and pharmaceutical companies. (Ever notice how numerous Muslim doctors
in America are, when their countries need them more desperately than
America ?) Take over the computer industry. Establish Middle Eastern
restaurants throughout the U.S. to connect planners of Islamization
in a discreet way.
9. Accelerate Islamic demographic growth via
-Massive immigration (100,000 annually since 1961).
-Use no birth control whatsoever – every baby of Muslim parents is
automatically a Muslim and cannot choose another religion later.
-Muslim men must marry American women and Islamize them (10,000 annually).
Then divorce them and remarry every five years – since one can't legally
marry four at one time. This is a legal solution in America
-Convert angry, alienated black inmates and turn them into militants
(so far 2,000 released inmates have joined al-Qaida worldwide). Only a few
''sleeper cells'' have been captured in Afghanistan and on American soil.
10. Reading , writing, arithmetic and research through the American educational
system, mosques and student centers (now 1,500) should be sprinkled with
dislike of Jews, evangelical Christians and democracy. There are currently
300 exclusively Muslim schools in the U.S. which teach loyalty to the Quran,
not the U.S. Constitution. In January of 2002, Saudi Arabia ’s Embassy in
Washington mailed 4,500 packets of the Quran and videos promoting Islam to
America 's high schools – free of charge. Saudi Arabia would not allow the
U.S. to reciprocate.
11. Provide very sizeable monetary Muslim grants to colleges and universities in
America to establish ''Centers for Islamic studies'' with Muslim directors to
promote Islam in higher-education institutions.
12. Let the entire world know through propaganda, speeches, seminars, local and
national media that terrorists have hijacked Islam, when in truth, Islam
hijacked the terrorists
13. Appeal to the historically compassionate and sensitive Americans for
sympathy and tolerance towards Muslims in America who are portrayed
as mainly immigrants from oppressed countries.
14. Nullify America 's sense of security by manipulating the intelligence
community with misinformation. Periodically terrorize Americans with
reports of impending attacks on bridges, tunnels, water supplies, airports,
apartment buildings and malls.
15. Form riots and demonstrations in the prison system demanding Islamic
Sharia as the way of life, not America 's justice system.
16. Open numerous charities throughout the U.S. , but use the funds to
support Islamic terrorism with American dollars.
17. Raise interest in Islam on America 's campuses by insisting freshman
take at least one course on Islam
18. Unify the numerous Muslim lobbies in Washington , mosques, Islamic
student centers, educational organizations, magazines and papers by
Internet and an annual convention to coordinate plans, propagate the
faith and engender news in the media.
19. Send intimidating messages and messengers to the outspoken individuals
who are critical of Islam and seek to eliminate them by hook or crook.
20. Applaud Muslims as loyal citizens of the U.S. by spotlighting their voting
record as the highest percentage of all minority and ethic groups in America.
Wild Things' comment......
America has already seen the spillover of Islamic terrorism... the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut with the loss of hundreds of U.S. marines, the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole naval ship off Yemen and then the 9-11-01 World Trade Center bombing in New York. Yet America has received but a small taste of what Islam has in store for them! Until a nation has embraced Islam, it is legally considered a battlefield (Dar-ul-Harb).
Posted by Wild Thing at 08:15 AM | Comments (4)
UPDATES ~ Saudi Men Arrested After Bus Ride
Update : Tuesday May 24
Foreigners Cleared In Bus Scare
TAMPA - Two Saudi men jailed last week after being accused of boarding a school bus and riding to a New Tampa high school could be released as early as today after federal and local authorities determined the pair are in this country legally and are not a security risk.
Monday, ICE Special Agent in Charge Robert Weber said investigators found Almanajam and Alsidran are here legally on student visas and that immigration holds would not be imposed.
"In a nutshell," he said, "we determined what their status was and that it did not require any immigration detention. They are not here illegally."
"We determined that they were apparently just confused," Callaway said. "There is nothing else to lead us to file more criminal charges."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
UPDATES:
Please look further down this post for the updates to this story.
Thank you, Wild Thing
.......
Saudi Men Who Rode School Bus Arrested
Published: May 20, 2006
TAMPA - Two Saudi men were arrested Friday after they boarded a school bus and rode to Wharton High School in New Tampa.
Students on the bus became alarmed, as did the bus driver, who called ahead. Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies met the bus at the school and detained the men. No one was injured and nothing out of line occurred on the bus, deputies said.
Mana Saleh Almanajam, 23, who lives in Apt. 302 in The Point apartments, and Shaker Mohsen Alsidran, 20 Monticello Gardens, Apt. 304-A, each were charged with trespassing on school property. Both remained in Orient Road Jail on Friday evening. Bail for each was set at $250.
"Both defendants gave several versions of the reason they took a school bus to a high school," said Hillsborough County sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway.
"They said they wanted to go to Wharton to look around, and then they said they wanted to go there to have some fun, and then they said they wanted to enroll in the English classes there," Callaway said.
"We're not sure if this was a situation of them just being new to this country, or if they were confused or what it was," Callaway said. "We were unsure as to exactly what the final reason was, but it did cause great concern for the students on the bus and for us. One of the guys was wearing shorts with a black trench coat."
While on the bus, the men laughed and spoke in Arabic, Callaway said.
Ahmed Bedier, Tampa director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said the men likely meant no harm and that because "they were from Saudi Arabia, that escalated the situation."
He blamed the incident on cultural differences.
"They didn't differentiate between a school bus and public transportation," he said.
The bus picked up the students and the men at about 7 a.m. Friday at the corner of Fletcher Avenue and 42nd Street, deputies said.
The bus driver, a substitute, reached her supervisors by telephone. They relayed the information to Wharton High resource Deputy Mike Eastman, who met the bus when it arrived at school at about 7:30 a.m., and detained the men.
The sheriff's Homeland Security Division, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Regional Domestic Security Task Force, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the FBI all were notified.
Almanajam and Alsidran at first told deputies they were from Morocco, but later admitted being from Saudi Arabia, deputies said. They said they were enrolled at the English Language Institute at the University of South Florida.
Both arrived in the United States about six months ago and have student visas that require them to be enrolled at the English Language Institute, Callaway said.
Authorities searched the apartments of the two men and found nothing of concern, he said.
Wild Thing's comment.........
Was this deliberate to show how easy it is for possible 'illegals up to no good' to have access to America's children? I wonder.... above are their photos.
.
UPDATES: 5/22/06 Monday 12:05a.m.
Judge Revokes Bail For Saudi Bus Riders
Circuit Judge Monica Sierra decided to hold them at a court appearance Saturday so investigators could dig deeper into their pasts. The prosecutor said neither man carried identification when they were arrested at Wharton High School, and authorities haven't had an opportunity to gather background information beyond a check of state records.Ahmed Bedier, Tampa director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations ( CAIR) said the men likely meant no harm and that because "they were from Saudi Arabia, that escalated the situation."
He blamed the incident on cultural differences.
"They didn't differentiate between a school bus and public transportation," he said.
Bond review hearing is Tuesday.
Wild Thing's comment.......The two Saudi’s are supposedly enrolled in the University of South Florida, which is around 8 miles from the High School they were apprehended.
Other Blogs discussing this.
* Florida Masochist * Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler * Six Meat Buffet
Posted by Wild Thing at 08:07 AM | Comments (33)
Iran Test-fires Long-range Missile Again
Iran test-fires long-range missile
Iran conducted a test launch Tuesday night of the Shihab-3 intermediate-range ballistic missile, which is capable of reaching Israel and US targets in the region, Israel Radio reported. The test came hours before Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with US President George W Bush in Washington to discuss the Iranian threat.
Military officials said it was not clear if this most recent test indicated an advance in the capabilities of the Shihab 3.
They said the test was likely timed to coincide with the Washington summit and with comments made by Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah during celebrations in Beirut marking the 6th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
"What deters the enemy from launching an aggression is the resistance's continuous readiness to respond," Nasrallah told scores of supporters. "Northern Israel today is within the range of the resistance's rockets. The ports, bases, factories and everything is within that range."
The Shihab test was only "partly successful," according to news reports. The nature of the difficulties was not clear. The Iranians have been working to extend the Shihab 3's current maximum range of 1,300 kilometers. A year ago, they successfully tested a solid fuel motor for the missile.
The Shihab test was only "partly successful," according to news reports. The nature of the difficulties was not clear. The Iranians have been working to extend the Shihab 3's current maximum range of 1,300 kilometers. A year ago, they successfully tested a solid fuel motor for the missile.
In December, Israel's defense against an Iranian ballistic missile strike, the Arrow 2 missile system, succeeded in intercepting an incoming rocket simulating an Iranian Shihab 3 at an altitude higher than in the previous 13 exercises.
Maj. Elyakim, commander of the Arrow missile battery at Palmahim, told The Jerusalem Post last month that the missile crews were always on high alert, but that they were recently instructed to "raise their level of awareness" because of developments on the Iranian front.
The Arrow missile, he said, could intercept and destroy any Iranian missile fired at Israel, including ones carrying non-conventional warheads. Experts believe that if Iran is attacked by Israel or the US, Teheran would respond by firing long-range ballistic missiles at Israel.
Posted by Wild Thing at 01:44 AM
Condi Rice Wants Iran To Play Role in Iraq
Rice: Iran should play a role in Iraq
The US recognizes that Iran has a role to play in Iraq, but wants Teheran to help stabilize the country, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an interview aired Tuesday on Arab television.
Rice's comments came ahead of planned talks between the United States and Iran over the situation in Iraq.
"Iran will clearly play a role," Rice told the Al-Arabiya satellite channel. "The question is: Will it be a positive role? Will it be a role that is befitting a good neighbor?"
"If Iran chooses to play a stabilizing role, chooses to play a transparent role, chooses to play a neighborly role, that would be a very good thing for Iraq," Rice said.
US ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad has been authorized to hold discussions with Iran - the most public bilateral exchanges by the countries since soon after the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
US and Iranian officials said the talks would focus on the situation in Iraq, not on broader subjects like Iran's controversial nuclear program or Iran's renewed verbal hostility to Israel since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won power last summer.
No date for such talks has been set.
In an apparent shift from prior policy, Iran's conservative government this year announced it was willing to begin a wide dialogue with the United States.
Wild Thing's comment.......
So now we are encouraging an axis of evil superstate made up of Iraq and Iran? UGH!
Quran....Fight and slay the unbelievers wherever you find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war. (Surah IX:5)
Qur’an 9:3 “Allah is not bound by any contract or treaty with non-Muslims, nor is His Apostle.”
Qur’an 8:12 “I shall terrorize the infidels. So wound their bodies and incapacitate them because they oppose Allah and His Apostle.”
Posted by Wild Thing at 01:27 AM
Keith Ellison May Become Congress’s First Muslim
June 30 2005 - Keith Ellison at an anti-war Rally The Iraq Peace Action Coalition, an organization made up of Twin Cities area peace and justice groups initiated the event under the call of "End the war in Iraq - End the Occupation - Bring the Troops Home Now!" See complete PRESS RELEASE and PHOTS HERE.
With a fast-growing U.S. population estimated around 5 million, Muslims are increasing their voice in local and national politics every year. But thus far they haven’t had one of their own in a national position of power in Congress, the Cabinet or the Supreme Court.
He didn’t know it at the time, but Keith Ellison took a large step toward changing that earlier this month when he won the Democratic endorsement for the seat of retiring Rep. Martin Sabo (D-Minn.) in one of the safest Democratic districts in the country.
Ellison, a black Muslim, still faces a September primary challenge that could feature Sabo’s chief of staff, a former state Democratic party chairman. But he has already gotten closer than any other Muslim candidate in recent years and would be the first Muslim in Congress, according to several national Muslim groups.
He said that he’s not running on his religion and hasn’t thought much about what it would mean to be the first but that he sees the positives that could come from it. He would also be the first black congressman from Minnesota.
Ellison, who supports abortion rights, is calling for an immediate withdrawal of troops in Iraq because, he said, Iraqis and Americans both want them out and the war has cost too much. He disagrees with the route the House has taken on illegal immigration — turning “hardworking immigrants into felons” — and added that he supports a path to citizenship.
“I think it’s time for the United States to see a moderate Muslim voice, to see a face of Islam that is just like everybody else’s face,” Ellison said. “Perhaps it would be good for somebody who is Muslim to be in Congress, so that Muslims would feel like they are part of the body politic and that other Americans would know that we’re here to make a contribution to this country.”
Ellison is a 42-year-old two-term state representative who took the endorsement from a crowded field in surprisingly swift fashion at the 5th District’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party convention May 6. The district covers Minneapolis and some nearby suburbs.
Two other primary candidates skipped the convention, and Sabo Chief of Staff Mike Erlandson, whom the congressman endorsed, withdrew from the convention after being heckled and hasn’t yet said whether he’ll run in the primary. His campaign did not return phone calls.
David Schultz, a Minnesota politics expert at Hamline University in St. Paul, said Erlandson is Ellison’s top competition but will have a tough time making up lost ground.
“His strength has always been among the party leadership, if he had any strength whatsoever,” Schultz said. “And if you couldn’t get the endorsement with the party leadership, I don’t think he’s going to get it among the rank and file.”
According to the American Muslim Alliance, which supports Muslim candidates and educates Muslims about politics, four Muslims ran for Congress in 2004 — two for the Senate and two for the House. One was a Libertarian, and the other three lost in the primaries.
Overall, about 100 Muslims ran for public office in 2004, with close to half winning. One of them, a black Muslim Democratic state senator in North Carolina, is the highest-ranking Muslim elected official.
At least two others Muslims have run for the House this year, both in Texas. Republican Ahmad Hassan is a long shot running against Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) in her Houston district, and Republican Amir Omar lost a primary in the Dallas district.
Agha Saeed, chairman of the American Muslim Alliance, said getting a Muslim in Congress would be a step forward, but he emphasized that it must not be tokenism and should be part of a larger shift toward inclusion of Muslims in American politics and life.
“One person is not going to make any change, unless that victory for the individual marks the beginning of a new attitude and a new approach,” Saeed said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is at the forefront of Muslim get-out-the-vote efforts nationwide. Spokesman Corey Saylor said CAIR put together substantial efforts in Ohio and Florida in 2004 and will broaden its scope in the upcoming midterms.
He said most of the progress in getting candidates elected has been on the local level but an Ellison victory would be a breakthrough.
“I think it would be huge, no questions asked — particularly for a community that feels very much like its presence in the United States is being questioned,” Saylor said. “This would be a tremendous assertion of the fact that we’re Americans and we’re just as interested in public service as anyone else, and here’s the proof — we have somebody in Congress.”
Saylor attributed the fact that there have been no Muslims in Congress to two things: The Muslim political movement in America is in its infancy, with the first groups having started less than two decades ago, and the lasting effects of Sept. 11 and the negative perceptions about Muslims that have resulted.
Ellison, who converted to Islam when he was 19 years old at Wayne State University in Detroit, said he doesn’t think district voters are afraid to vote for a Muslim, as long as they know he’s concerned about their welfare.
Wild Thing's comment.....
God help us!!! God Help America! How would this be different then electing a Nazi during WWII. Answer: its not.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is at the forefront of Muslim get-out-the-vote efforts nationwide.
Everything seems to be going according to plan.
"Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Koran . . . should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on earth."-CAIR chairman, Omar M. Ahmad (as reported by the San Ramon Valley Herald in July 1998
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:55 AM | Comments (4)
Military Loather Attacks Caspar W. Weinberger’s New Book
Media Lib Attacks Caspar Weinberger Troop Tribute
The Washington Post raised eyebrows when it assigned Ann Scott Tyson to review former Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger’s posthumously published new book, "Home of the Brave: Honoring the Unsung Heroes in the War on Terror."
Weinberger’s last work has already been widely praised by former Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman, the 28th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, General P.X. Kelley (ret.), the 2.4 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and conservative media superstar Sean Hannity, among others.
Released just days before Memorial Day, "Home of the Brave" recounts the stories of 19 of the most highly decorated soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines fighting in the War on Terror. The book also criticizes the liberal media for its appalling lack of positive and hopeful stories coming out of Afghanistan and Iraq.
But writer Ann Scott Tyson slammed Weinberger’s tribute to the nation's men and women in uniform calling it "disappointing,” "embellished,” "overblown.”
"I know,” the writer declares, "I was there.”
Some say the Post’s decision to have Tyson review a positive portrayal of the U.S. Armed Forces seems odd considering her consistently negative portrayal of the U.S. military.
Past reports by the controversial scribe have included headlines like: "Troop morale in Iraq hits 'rock bottom.'” / "U.S. troops facing extended deployments amid the danger, heat, and uncertainty of an Iraq occupation are suffering from low morale that has in some cases hit 'rock bottom,'" / "Two Years Later, Iraq War Drains Military,” / "Strain of Iraq War Means the Relief Burden Katrina Will Have to Be Shared” / and "Suicides in Marine Corps Rise by 29%: Fast Pace of Operations Are Believed to Contribute.”
Asked about the Washington Post hit piece, Weinberger co-author Wynton C. Hall told NewsMax: "I think it’s great! It makes our argument about liberal media bias for us.”"Frankly, having Ann Scott Tyson review a pro-military book is like having a fan of the Boston Red Sox review the New York Yankees,” he added.
The 2.4 million member Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) calls "Home of the Brave," "A potential bestseller” that can "go a long way in changing public perceptions and thus popular culture.”
Sean Hannity has labeled the book "One of the most important books yet written about the war on terror.”
Former President George H.W. Bush said about Home of the Brave, "These real-life heroes remind us of American history's most enduring lesson: ‘Ours would not be the land of the free if it were not also the home of the brave.’"
Wild Thing's comment.......
People like this Ann Scott Tyson should be sent to the caves in Afghanistan and Iraq and let her do reporting FOR the enemy since she already is doing just that now anyway.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:02 AM | Comments (4)
Happy Birthday Sebastian ~ 2 Years Old Today
This was written for Sebastian by a friend that writes poetry when he first came got him.
SebastianSuper little pooch as cute as the Dickens,
Eloquent speaker for def