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January 31, 2008
The Human Car ~ Gore Must Be Pleased
The Human Car has the power to revolutionize transport
The Human Car launched on April 22rd 2008 (Earthday) in South Menlo Park, Ca. This bi-directional human power interface harnesses all the large muscle groups of up to 4 people allowing users to easily cruise at speeds of up to 20 mph (45 mph with power assist). The machine offers a viable (preferable) alternative to the car in a wide range of scenarios.
A prototype vehicle (aka The Trouble Maker) can be seen on YouTube. This vehicle has been taken up to 80 mph on downhills. As well as cooperative power drive, coordinated leaning from the front is required to steer the vehicle. There are currently 4 pre-production prototypes of The Imagine, the next generation of HumanCar. This includes features such as: a exoskeletal safety cage and chassis that has been tested at up to 100 mph on salt flats; duel electric motors and variable human power input. It will also carry regular vehicle extras like a radio a trunk and wi-fi. It will retail at $15,000.
The HumanCar started life as a flash of inspiration in the mind of Charles Samuel Greenwood, an engineer and drag racer in the late sixties. The project has been passed down a generation to Charles’ son Chuck. Chuck has been making the most of the Silicon Valley’s explosion of clean-tech resources.
He is a member of the Green Technology Alliance and part of the Green Alley Project, which is taking over defunct car dealerships in South Melno and turning them into green-tech showrooms (including for the Tesla and Zap cars). His passion has made the HumanCar a reality and he clearly believes the machine has more to offer then simple transportation; test drivers regularly come back with their friends the following day, desperate for another ride. By all accounts the act of moving the vehicle together is a powerfully unifying and life affirming activity.
We have highlighted the multiple benefits of human powered transport before. The ubiquity of cheap energy from trapped sunlight, captured by prehistoric plants and now distilled into gas, has retarded the evolution of human powered transportation devices.
Our mass dependence on this cheap energy has profoundly changed the landscapes in which we live (urban sprawl, congested cities and out of town shopping malls) as well as the landscapes of our bodies. Rising gas prices (and the threat of peak oil), environmental damage (including global warming), new urbanism and health concerns now present a real opportunity to go back to the drawing board to explore new ways of getting around using human power.
The bicycle remains a triumph of human ingenuity and a supremely efficient way of moving from a to b. However, there are drawbacks for the cyclist, you are alone and vulnerable on your bike and when it rains… you get wet! The HumanCar changes all that by offering communal pulling power and a roof. In the future we may return to walkable communities in which we can shop, work and live without the need for machine transportation.
Until this time the HumanCar offers a great solution, allowing us to travel on existing road infrastructure without emitting green house gasses and with a range of personal benefits, from exercising the heart to putting an enormous smile on your face. Something tells me that even if we construct walkable eco-communities we will keep the HumanCars not for efficiency… just because they are fun.
Wild Thing's comment........
Yabba-Dabba-No-Frigging-Way! It reminds me of those old see-saw, hand pump railroad cars in Buster Keaton type movies.
I love my bicycle and ride it a lot, but I wonder how they get car up a hill. LOL
Posted by Wild Thing at 01:55 AM | Comments (25)
Anti-Military and Anti-American City of Berkeley Council Tells Marines To Leave
Berkeley council tells Marines to leave
Hey-hey, ho-ho, the Marines in Berkeley have got to go.
That's the message from the Berkeley City Council, which voted 8-1 Tuesday night to tell the U.S. Marines that its Shattuck Avenue recruiting station "is not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders."
In addition, the council voted to explore enforcing its law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation against the Marines because of the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. And it officially encouraged the women's peace group Code Pink to impede the work of the Marines in the city by protesting in front of the station.
In a separate item, the council voted 8-1 to give Code Pink a designated parking space in front of the recruiting station once a week for six months and a free sound permit for protesting once a week from noon to 4 p.m.
Councilman Gordon Wozniak opposed both items.
The Marines have been in Berkeley for a little more than a year, having moved from Alameda in December of 2006. For about the past four months, Code Pink has been protesting in front of the station.
"I believe in the Code Pink cause. The Marines don't belong here, they shouldn't have come here, and they should leave," said Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates after votes were cast.
A Marines representative did not respond to requests for comment.
The resolution telling the Marines they are unwelcome and directing the city attorney to explore issues of sexual orientation discrimination was brought to the council by the city's Peace and Justice commission.
The recommendation to give Code Pink a parking space for protesting and a free sound permit was brought by council members Linda Maio and Max Anderson.
Code Pink on Wednesday started circulating petitions to put a measure on the November ballot in Berkeley that would make it more difficult to open military recruiting offices near homes, parks, schools, churches libraries or health clinics. The group needs 5,000 signatures to make the ballot.
Even though the council items passed, not everyone is happy with the work of Code Pink. Some employees and owners of businesses near the Marines office have had enough of the group and its protests.
"My husband's business is right upstairs, and this (protesting) is bordering on harassment," Dori Schmidt told the council. "I hope this stops."
An employee of a nearby business who asked not to be identified said Wednesday the elderly Code Pink protesters are aggressive, take up parking spaces, block the sidewalk with their yoga moves, smoke in the doorways, and are noisy.
"Most of the people around here think they're a joke," the woman said.
Wozniak said he was opposed to giving Code Pink a parking space because it favors free speech rights of one group over another.
"There's a line between protesting and harassing, and that concerns me," Wozniak said. "It looks like we are showing favoritism. We have to respect the other side, and not abuse their rights. This is not good policy."
Ninety-year-old Fran Rachel, a Code Pink protester who spoke at the council meeting, said the group's request for a parking space and noise permit was especially important because the Marines are recruiting soldiers who may die in an unjust war.
"This is very serious," Rachel said. "This isn't a game; it's mass murder. There's a sickness of silence of people not speaking out against the war. We have to do this."
Anderson, a former Marine who said he was "drummed out" of the corps when he took a stand against the Vietnam War, said he'd love to see the Marines high tale it out of town.
"We are confronted with an organization that can spend billions of dollars on propaganda," Anderson said. "This is not Okinawa here; we're involved in a naked act of aggression. If we can provide a space for ordinary people to express themselves against this kind of barbarity, then we should be doing it."
Wild Thing's comment........
I wish the Marines would get orders to clear the area of rebels. Oh YEAH! I believe that we need to give the Marine Corps very specific orders regarding Berkley. “Secure the city.” They will know what to do, and I do not mean securing a 20 year lease.
Bastardly, traitorous, leftists. They are not worthy to tie the bootlaces of these Marines who defend their freedom to act in such an atrocious way. My contempt for these Berkley bastards is so strong.
Berkeley needs to be beaten at its own game. Someone needs to buy up property near or next to the Marine Recruiting Station and offer it to the Army, Navy and Air Force for recruiting offices also.
This is the ONLY COUCIL MEMBER that stood up for the Marines:
Wozniak, Gordon
GWozniak@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Phone: (510) 981-7180
Fax: (510) 981-7188
Posted by Wild Thing at 01:47 AM | Comments (29)
Madeleine Albright At Hillary's SF Campaign Headquarters
Madeleine Albright visiting Hillary's SF campaign headquarters
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright walked through the door of the San Francisco campaign headquarters, and made a beeline to the tables of phone bankers. Secretary Albright thanked all the volunteers in the office, posed for photos and shared praises for Senator Hillary Clinton. Secretary Albright listened to the volunteers' concerns on diplomatic issues.
Wild Thing's comment.........
Bill and Hillary are really stuck in their past. Madeline Albright was also on stage with them ( photo op) after one of the primaries.
Posted by Wild Thing at 01:40 AM | Comments (15)
January 30, 2008
Sometimes Deciding Is not Easy
This is my take on McCain and Romney and why Romney is the one I will vote for in November.
Sen. John McCain
There is no way I can vote for McCain, my first issue with him is what he did blocking the release of classified POW/MIA documents from the Vietnam War. I want him to burn in hell for what he did. Men left behind and he could have done something about it. He is vile and horrible.
To read about McCain and Senate Select Committee on POW and MIA
Go Here:
http://www.theodoresworld.net/archives/2008/01/mccain_and_senate_select_commi.html
My other huge issue about McCain is his in our face demand about his Amnesty for illegal's. I can feel his lies about building the fence, he is just saying that to try and appease we conservatives and even the few dems that are against it as well. He wants the illegal’s here and won't even be honest enough to use the word Amnesty just like Romney has pointed out several times how McCain is not being honest about this.
Add in to these above things all the other things McCain has done and NOT done. And the 'my friend' term every time he feels he might be stepping on toes or to do what calm his own temper down or something? hmmmm odd and I get sick of hearing it.
Mitt Romney
Former Independent then changed to Republican. Had the guts to run for office in the liberal State of Massachusetts. He has also been coming around to conservative views, slowly yes but at least there is hope there unlike the others. Much like Reagan did when he switched from a Democrat to a Republican. They can see the light sometimes and there is a ray of hope that Romney has and will continue to.
There are more positives about him then the others. And I am trying to be realistic too about him.
We all know how we loved Reagan and he did Amnesty which ticked me off, but then he said he made a mistake doing it. I admire Reagan for admitting his mistake, something Bush will never do nor McCain either.
When Romney has talked about change and vision, he's actually been specific in what he wants to do. Unlike others that just use the word change like lingo letting the audience put in their own desires of what is meant by their saying "change".
I realize wanting the perfect conservative “candidate" is just not possible. I guess there are a lot of reasons, and most of them come down to a much weakened RNC and GOP. A party that has caved in to PC and rino's over the years, backing rino's instead of conservatives when they run for the same office against a Democrat. It happened here in Florida with a few of the candidates when we got stuck with rino Crist, Mel Martinez ( a total jerk) and others. And Crist is not a popular Governor, so his support in Florida for McCain is not that big a deal to conservatives. But it worked for the half hearted ones I suppose to throw their vote to McCain. Lord knows!
I read this as well that was interesting......
Re: The Federalist Society:“...the Federalist Society, the expanding network of conservative lawyers who over the past quarter-century have played a leading role in reshaping the nation’s judiciary and setting high-level Republican administration policy."
But as the Federalists have grown, they haven’t been immune to internal fissures. Federalists have key figures in both the Romney and Thompson campaigns who believe their candidate is a more worthy vessel for their legal philosophies. And they say they haven’t had to make the sort of compromise that Giuliani’s conservative supporters have.
David McIntosh, a former Indiana GOP congressman and gubernatorial candidate, is vice chairman of the Federalist Society, and he’s a domestic policy adviser to Thompson. Douglas Kmiec, another high-ranking official in the Reagan Justice Department, has gone with Romney, whom he calls “authentic.”
Back in 1980 conservatives thought Reagan was a disastrous choice to face incumbent Jimmy Carter in November. After all, Reagan used to be a Democrat, one of those "Hollywood liberals" in fact, who not only admired Franklin Roosevelt but supported the New Deal and all the other big-government programs that FDR put into place. He would have been called a rino for sure if he was running today.
Then we have the divorce with Reagan's first wife. Many conservatives at the time called Reagan's morality into question. Now divorce in 2008 might not be such a big deal but in 1980, it was still something to be ashamed about, especially if you were running for President of the United States. In fact, even to this day, Ronald Reagan is the only U.S. president to ever have been divorced.
Now that was the atmosphere in which Ronald Reagan sought the GOP nomination back in 1980. When it looked like Reagan was the front-runner, the Republican establishment was in a panic. Many of them got behind a certain George H.W. Bush and in the Iowa caucus, Reagan got, well, bushwhacked.
Republicans urged Ronald Reagan to drop out after the Iowa loss but Reagan pulled himself off the mat and started racking up victory after victory.
But the GOP was still worried they were nominating the wrong man to go up against Carter. One of the GOP candidates (John Anderson) was so convinced that Reagan couldn't beat Carter that he decided to run an insurgent Independent campaign of his own. And suddenly he was polling 25% and Reagan was in danger of having his base eroded.
Reagan achieved wealth and success outside of politics.
Reagan earned his political stripes by getting elected governor of a large state that normally goes Democratic. A very liberal State.
Reagan was hated by other politicians. Reagan was his own man. He didn't owe anybody anything. Reagan, didn’t even need politics.
You could go back to January of 1980, and say try telling the conservative base that this Ronald Reagan is about to become the greatest president of our time. You might have gotten a few people to agree with you but the rest of them would have laughed at you and mocked you for your naivety and your stupid worship of this cardboard cutout of a presidential candidate from right out of central casting in Hollywood.
I'm not saying Romney will be another Reagan, but these would be the similarities I see as to how Reagan was treated and how Romney as well has been treated by the media and the others still in the running in the Republican party. Also as to how Reagan was a registered Democrat before switching to Republican and Romney was an Independent before becoming a Republican.
This has taken a lot of thought and discussions with Nick too. He felt this way for awhile and I think he is right. He is the one that mentioned about being in another party before becoming a Republican.
I am not gung ho, it is more like proceed with caution kind of feeling. One day at a time and we will see what happens.
What I do know is that our party is the best, it is injured now, weakened and the conservative base, (you and I) have been slapped in the face by the very President we voted for, campaigned for, worked to get elected. That being George Bush. He did this with his Amnesty bill, and twice he did this to us. He tried with his thinking of nominating Harriet Miers and we let him know it was a no go for us. His behavior with the Saudi's etc. has been disgusting to the max as well. And his being a weak friend to Israel well there are words for a friend that is not a friend and that is Bush.
Yes even with all of this it still has been better then having Gore or Kerry instead , NOT MUCH but God help us if they had won. BUT Bush compared to McCain is on several issues is still more of a conservative then McCain will ever be.
Regarding Romney becoming more conservative. One thing about being in office and saying you have changed from being a left thinker to a conservative. It is very public, and he can never switch back to liberalism. If he did, his political career would be over. A good example is Bush and how he has let us down switching on several things to liberal decisions and actions. He is screwed now because the respect once given him is gone. IF Bush had a second term coming up he would never be voted for again.
Flipping can only endure one exercise in politics, and so Romney is stuck over here on the right with those of us who care about pre-born children and the value that marriage offers to society and knowing what amnesty means and are against it.
Romney is a fiscal genius, and I feel he can be trusted to turn the Executive Branch back in the right direction. He would be the smartest president we’ve had since Ronald Reagan, and he might be the most successful businessman to serve in the Oval Office. Romney is big enough to admit he was on the wrong side in the past and that he is on the right side now. Out of all the remaining candidates, he elicits the most trust and respect. Not that it is abundant but it is there.
Romney is not perfect, and I sure have learned that is not possible for any politician to be perfect. I am writing this with my eyes wide open. Like it is said, 'trust but verify', well I am going to put my trust in him to do the right thing more then I would the others. It is a HUGE thing for me to do this, especially after having Hunter and Thompson pull out when I was so much for them. I will not defend Romney when he is wrong, just as I have never defended Bush when he has been so wrong and that has been often unfortunately.
We know Romney is good with economics and here is what he has said about Israel and the terrorists we both fight. From all the things I have read Mitt is the only candidate who has unabashedly expressed support for Israel, openly condemned enemies of the United States and Israel (like Iran) and does not come up with anti-Semitic, anti-dual citizenship ideas.
Mitt Romney delivered the following remarks on April 26 at Yeshiva University in New York.
"Today, America faces a number of critical challenges. In my view, at the top of the list is the threat of radical, violent Jihad and the associated threat of nuclear proliferation."I think many of us, including some of our leaders, fail to comprehend the extent of this threat. Take former President Jimmy Carter. President Carter thinks that Israel's security fence is the thing that keeps peace from coming to the Holy Land.
"Having just been to Israel, I came to the opposite conclusion: the security fence keeps peace in Israel - it's helping - that fence is helping prevent bloodshed and terror and violence.
"What Jimmy Carter fails to understand is what so many fail to understand. Whether it's Hamas or Hezbollah; Al Qaeda or Shia and Sunni extremists, there is an overarching goal among the violent Jihadists - and it transcends borders and boundaries. That goal is to replace all modern Islamic states with a religious caliphate, to destroy Israel, to cause the collapse of the West and the United States, and to conquer the entire world."
"I think it's important for us to isolate Iran diplomatically. Their leaders should be made to feel exactly like those of Apartheid South Africa, or worse. That's why I ordered the state police of Massachusetts to refuse security details for former Iranian President Khatami when he came to Harvard."
And this from Powerline dated January 28.2007: ....for complete article and speech
Joel Mowbray continues his reports from the three-day conference in Herzliya, Israel that concluded this past Wednesday. Today Joel provides his take on Governor Romney's speech at the conference. Joel titles his report "Romney REALLY gets it."What I had not seen from him before, though, was any real indication that he had more than a passing knowledge of foreign policy or a decent handle on the global struggle in which we are engaged.
After what I witnessed, however, it’s hard not to be a Romney cheerleader.
What was most extraordinary was how clearly Romney articulated the nature of the common enemy Israel and the United States both face. It was, by far, the most remarkable speech on the topic given by an American politician of either party, on television or in person.
One line in particular captures how thoroughly Romney understands our jihadist enemies:
“Contrary to the Baker-Hamilton Commission, resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict will not magically mollify the jihadists.”
Don’t let the clever phrasing hide the serious message. The origins of modern Islamic fundamentalism long precede the creation of the Jewish state of Israel, and Palestinians merely serve as convenient propaganda to rile the masses. And as the world has seen, radical Islamic propaganda can be found just about anywhere: ultimately untrue stories about the flushing of a Qur’an, quoting a medieval scholar, or even cartoons. Romney gets that.
It’s not just that Romney strongly supports Israel—that would hardly distinguish him in American politics—it’s that his support is rooted, at least in part, in a textured comprehension of Islamic fundamentalism. For proof, read the next few paragraphs of Romney’s remarks:
“No, what we should have realized since 9/11 is that what the world regarded as an Israeli-Arab conflict over borders represented something much larger. It was the oldest, most active front of the radical Islamist jihad against the entire West. It therefore was not really about borders. It was about the refusal of many parts of the Muslim world to accept Israel’s right to exist – within any borders.
“This distinction came into vivid focus this summer. The war in Lebanon had little to do with the Palestinians. And it had nothing to do with a two-state solution. It demonstrated that Israel is now facing a jihadist front that from Tehran through Damascus to Southern Lebanon and Gaza.
“As Tony Blair astutely put it, Hizbullah was not fighting ‘for the coming into being of a Palestinian state…but for the going out of being of an Israeli state.’
“Yet we have still not fully absorbed the magnitude of the change. As far as our enemies are concerned, there is just one conflict. And in this single conflict, the goal of destroying Israel is simply a way station toward the real goal of subjugating the entire West.”
On the topic of the most pernicious present threat, Iran, Romney also offered a coherent strategy for nonviolently combating Ahmadinejad and the mullahs. He laid out a 5-point plan that included economic and diplomatic isolation of the regime, prodding Arab states to lock arms with the West, and working with “progressive” Muslims in Iran and elsewhere to “defeat radical Islam.”
You can see the entire speech at the Powerline link.
The thing that I think I understand now that can never be changed is that like Tom, Mark, Rhod, Steve, Darth, Jack, Les, Lynn, John, John 5, Bob, Yankeemom, everyone, gosh all of you have explained is how we are Global now. Reagan was the only President that as far as I know was not a globalist. But both Bush's have been and are, Clinton, Carter etc. I think we are stuck with it and boy howdy do I ever hate it with a passion.
I have been saying a lot how America has changed and it has, but so has the entire world. I wish it was like it used to be. Manufacturers here at home and our own citizens working in them. Borders meaning something and right being right and left being the distance of the Grand Canyon apart in the differences of the two parties. Political correctness not even being a word in our vocabulary would be nice too.
I pray for our country, for our military that it keeps getting funded first and foremost. That people will keep tearing up with our Anthem and seeing our Flag fly freely in the breeze to pay tribute to the lives that gave us our freedom like no other land. And pray for our leaders to have shame when they even try to take us down a road of destruction of our country.
We still live in the best country in the world and it is because of each one of you that has been a part of making this possible. I adore your hearts and passion for wanting things to be right and fighting back the left when we can, it is awesome. You all fought and served this country, and deserve so much better then what has been offered up to vote for.
Thank you for letting me share my thoughts with you. So ii he makes it to the next time I get to vote, I will be voting for Mitt Romney.
(((( hug ))))
Posted by Wild Thing at 02:47 PM | Comments (18)
Finale Republican Presidential Debate Before Super Tuesday ~ Tonight
Republican Presidential Debate at the Reagan Library
Time 8:00 EST
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation will host the final GOP presidential debate before the 2008 “Super-Tuesday” primary in California and several other key states. Mrs. Ronald Reagan will extend invitations to the front-runner GOP Presidential candidates to return to the Reagan Library for this final debate, which will be held on Wednesday, January 30, 2008. The event will give voters one last opportunity to hear the GOP front-runner candidates discuss their positions in a debate format before casting their votes in the February 5, 2008 primary.
“Ronnie always believed that debates are a great way for voters to hear candidates discuss the issues,” said former first lady Nancy Reagan. “He would be so pleased that his Presidential Library is serving such an important role in the election process.”
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:55 PM | Comments (4)
Edward to Drop Out of Race ~ Bye Bye
Edwards to quit presidential race
Democrat John Edwards is exiting the presidential race Wednesday, ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voter's sympathies but never diverted his campaign, The Associated Press has learned.
The two-time White House candidate notified a close circle of senior advisers that he planned to make the announcement at a 1 p.m. EST event in New Orleans that had been billed as a speech on poverty, according to two of his advisers. The decision came after Edwards lost the four states to hold nominating contests so far to rivals who stole the spotlight from the beginning — Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:14 PM | Comments (4)
Traitor and Manchurian Candidate McCain Comes In First In Florida ~ WTF
"McCain, in his victory speech, made a very clear attempt to be gracious towards all of the candidates, including Romney, and reach out to Reagan-coalition conservatives." ......From the 'Captain's Quarters' blog.
Wild Thing's comment........
I'd rather be waterboarded than vote for John McCain. McCain has betrayed conservatism at nearly every turn in his career and is definitely in bed with the illegals. The left and the so called conservatives already love his traitorous carcass!
I wish that the WOT people would understand that securing our borders is completely a part of the war. Oh sure he wants to reach out to us, but it will be with a One-Way sign pointed from Mexico to America.
McVain considers himself a Conservative because he's 2 degrees right of Karl Marx. Hey little Johnny, just TRY and convince the guys you abandoned in Nam to vote for you! So IF McCain does win the whole shabang then we will have 2 Soros candidates—the Dem and McCain.
"It shows one thing: I'm the conservative leader who can unite the party," the Arizona senator said in a brief interview with The Associated Press
TOTAL BS! There is NO way McCain can unite the Republican party. Like I would unite with a traitor to our soldiers left behind in Vietnam.
The Ass-Hat in his speech last night thanked the people of Pensacola for taking care of his family when he was away, during Viet Nam. He conveniently leaves out what happened to this family when he got back. He dumped them!
One thing to remember, the Election isn’t over yet.
Current delegate count after Florida:
Magic Number 1,191
McCain -97
Romney- 74
Huckabee-29
Paul-6
Giuliani-2
McCain has 97 of 1191 delegate. NOT EVEN 10%.
The media has been fawning all over this guy and they got their man selected, didn't they? And they are just gushing all over the cable news channels. They're just so in love with Captain McQweeg. Mark my words, though, this guy is going to be raving about strawberries before this campaign is done.
I sure hope that Romney roars back on Super Tuesday and McCain’s own McCain-Feingold bill prevents him from the necessary funds. Romeny's speech last night was great and in comparison to McCain's speech a night and day difference. He’s right about Washington, Reps and Dems alike, that is for certain.
Posted by Wild Thing at 04:55 AM | Comments (24)
Barack Hussein Obama's Aide Wants TALKS With Terrorists
Obama aide wants talks with terrorists Foreign adviser's 'anti-Israel policies,' sympathy for Hamas, raise concerns
JERUSALEM ....for complete article
While officials here largely maintain a policy against interfering in U.S. election politics, some Israeli security officials quietly expressed "concern" about an adviser to Sen. Barack Obama who has advocated negotiations with Hamas and providing international assistance to the terrorist group.
The officials noted Robert Malley, a principal Obama foreign policy adviser, has penned numerous opinion articles, many of them co-written with a former adviser to the late Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, petitioning for dialogue with Hamas and blasting Israel for numerous policies he says harm the Palestinian cause.
Malley also previously penned a well-circulated New York Review of Books piece largely blaming Israel for the collapse of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations at Camp David in 2000 when Arafat turned down a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and eastern sections of Jerusalem and instead returned to the Middle East to launch an intifada, or terrorist campaign, against the Jewish state.
Malley's contentions have been strongly refuted by key participants at Camp David, including President Bill Clinton, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and primary U.S. envoy to the Middle East Dennis Ross, all of whom squarely blamed Arafat's refusal to make peace for the talks' failure.
"We are noting with concern some of Obama's picks as advisers, particularly Robert Malley who has expressed sympathy to Hamas and Hezbollah and offered accounts of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that don't jibe with the facts," said one security official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official stated he was not authorized to talk to the media about U.S. politics, noting Israeli officials are instructed to "stay out" of American political affairs.
In February 2006, after Hamas won a majority of seats in the Palestinian parliament and amid a U.S. and Israeli attempt to isolate the Hamas-run Palestinian Authority, Malley wrote an op-ed for the Baltimore Sun advocating international aid to the terror group's newly formed government.
"The Islamists (Hamas) ran on a campaign of effective government and promised to improve Palestinians' lives; they cannot do that if the international community turns its back," wrote Malley in a piece entitled, "Making the Best of Hamas' Victory."
Ed Lasky, a contributor to the American Thinker blog, calls Malley a "[Palestinian] propagandist" who, he charged, bends "the truth to serve an agenda that is marked by anti-Israel bias. ... Malley's writings strike me as being akin to propaganda."
Lasky points out Malley's father, Simon Malley, was a personal friend of Arafat and wrote in support of numerous struggles against Western countries. Simon Malley founded Afrique Asie, a French magazine that was known for its advocacy for "liberation" struggles throughout the world, including the Palestinian cause.
"Robert Malley has seemingly followed in his father's footsteps: He represents the next generation of anti-Israel activism," wrote Lasky.
Jerusalem Post columnist Caroline Glick noted in a column last week, "Obama has taken no steps to moderate his church's anti-Israel invective. Obama's affiliation with Wright aligns with his choice of financial backers and foreign policy advisers. To varying degrees, all of them exhibit hostility towards Israel and support for appeasing jihadists."
Wild Thing's comment........
And here is more on Malley, and Soros, here Barack Obama's Middle East Expert.
Obama’s choice of company explains his hiring of Malley who, revealed in this article, is an apparent Jew hater and terrorist sympathizer and boldly so.
Obama should have his feet held to the fire on these issues! And why isn't he, he shouldn't be allowed to hold office or run for President. Everyone that he has for advice hates Jews and Israel.
Damn!
....Mark, thank you so much for this article. I hope a lot of people read it and keep learning how dangerous Obama is and his empty suit is not so empty but filled with danger for America and Israel.
Posted by Wild Thing at 04:48 AM | Comments (14)
John McCain Democrats' Favorite Republican
McCain's political strategist, John Weaver, admitted that McCain talked to democrats about moving across the aisle. John Kerry said that McCain approached him with the idea.
John Kerry Said McCain Approached Him About Being His Vice President. CNN’s SUZANNE MALVEAUX: “In an online interview, Kerry says Senator John McCain approached him about being his running mate…” (CNN’s “The Situation Room,” 4/3/07)
McCain Said He Would Entertain Being John Kerry’s Vice President. SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: “John Kerry is a very close friend of mine. We’ve been friends for years. Obviously, I would entertain it.” (ABC’s “Good Morning America,” 3/10/04)
McCain’s Chief Political Strategist Said McCain Talked To Democrats About Leaving The Republican Party. FOX NEWS’ BRIT HUME: “McCain though denies he ever considered leaving the party. But, his chief political strategist, John Weaver, tells the paper that McCain did indeed talk to Democrats about moving across the aisle.” (Fox News’ “The Special Report,” 3/29/07)
The New York Times Endorsed John McCain. “Still, there is a choice to be made, and it is an easy one. Senator John McCain of Arizona is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe. With a record of working across the aisle to develop sound bipartisan legislation, he would offer a choice to a broader range of Americans than the rest of the Republican field.” (Editorial, “Primary Choices: John McCain,” The New York Times, 1/25/08)
Wild Thing's comment........
The fact that we’re even talking about John McCain in the context of presidential primaries perplexes me: This is the same John McCain that tried to ram amnesty down our throat about six months ago. This is the same John McCain that keeps conservatives from using their first amendment rights.
This is the same John McCain that derailed numerous conservative judges. This is the same John McCain that was censored by the Congress in the Keating Five scandal. This is the same John McCain that was nearly recalled by the voters of Arizona not that long ago.
Posted by Wild Thing at 04:47 AM | Comments (6)
John McCain Is A Loose Cannon Not Good For A President
A Top 10 List…
1. Defending His Amnesty Bill, Sen. McCain Lost His Temper And “Screamed, ‘F*ck You!’ At Texas Sen. John Cornyn” (R-TX). “Presidential hopeful John McCain - who has been dogged for years by questions about his volcanic temper - erupted in an angry, profanity-laced tirade at a fellow Republican senator, sources told The Post yesterday. In a heated dispute over immigration-law overhaul, McCain screamed, ‘F— you!’ at Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who had been raising concerns about the legislation. ‘This is chickens—stuff,’ McCain snapped at Cornyn, according to several people in the room off the Senate floor Thursday. ‘You’ve always been against this bill, and you’re just trying to derail it.’” (Charles Hurt, “Raising McCain,”New York Post, 5/19/07)
2. In 2000, Sen. McCain Ran An Attack Ad Comparing Then-Gov. George W. Bush To Bill Clinton. SEN. MCCAIN: “I guess it was bound to happen. Governor Bush’s campaign is getting desperate, with a negative ad about me. The fact is, I’ll use the surplus money to fix Social Security, cut your taxes and pay down the debt. Governor Bush uses all of the surplus for tax cuts, with not one new penny for Social Security or the debt. His ad twists the truth like Clinton. We’re all pretty tired of that. As president, I’ll be conservative and always tell you the truth. No matter what.” (McCain 2000, Campaign Ad, 2/9/00)
3. Sen. McCain Repeatedly Called Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) An “A**hole”, Causing A Fellow GOP Senator To Say, “I Didn’t Want This Guy Anywhere Near A Trigger.” “Why can’t McCain win the votes of his own colleagues? To explain, a Republican senator tells this story: at a GOP meeting last fall, McCain erupted out of the blue at the respected Budget Committee chairman, Pete Domenici, saying, ‘Only an a–hole would put together a budget like this.’ Offended, Domenici stood up and gave a dignified, restrained speech about how in all his years in the Senate, through many heated debates, no one had ever called him that. Another senator might have taken the moment to check his temper. But McCain went on: ‘I wouldn’t call you an a–hole unless you really were an a–hole.’ The Republican senator witnessing the scene had considered supporting McCain for president, but changed his mind. ‘I decided,’ the senator told Newsweek, ‘I didn’t want this guy anywhere near a trigger.’” (Evan Thomas, et al., “Senator Hothead,” Newsweek, 2/21/00)
4. Sen. McCain Had A Heated Exchange With Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) And Called Him A “F*cking Jerk.” “Senators are not used to having their intelligence or integrity challenged by another senator. ‘Are you calling me stupid?’ Sen. Chuck Grassley once inquired during a debate with McCain over the fate of the Vietnam MIAs, according to a source who was present. ‘No,’ replied McCain, ‘I’m calling you a f—ing jerk!’ (Grassley and McCain had no comment.)” (Evan Thomas, et al., “Senator Hothead,” Newsweek, 2/21/00)
5. In 1995, Sen. McCain Had A “Scuffle” With 92-Year-Old Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC) On The Senate Floor. “In January 1995, McCain was midway through an opening statement at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing when chairman Strom Thurmond asked, ‘Is the senator about through?’ McCain glared at Thurmond, thanked him for his ‘courtesy’ (translation: buzz off), and continued on. McCain later confronted Thurmond on the Senate floor. A scuffle ensued, and the two didn’t part friends.” (Harry Jaffe, “Senator Hothead,” The Washingtonian, 2/97)
6. Sen. McCain Accused Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Of The “Most Egregious Incident” Of Corruption He Had Seen In The Senate. “It escalated when McCain reiterated the charges Oct. 10 in a cross-examination, calling McConnell’s actions the ‘most egregious incident’ demonstrating the appearance of corruption he has ever seen in his Senate career.” (Amy Keller, “Attacks Escalate In Depositions,” Roll Call, 10/21/02)
7. Sen. McCain Attacked Christian Leaders And Republicans In A Blistering Speech During The 2000 Campaign. MCCAIN: “Unfortunately, Governor Bush is a Pat Robertson Republican who will lose to Al Gore. … The political tactics of division and slander are not our values… They are corrupting influences on religion and politics, and those who practice them in the name of religion or in the name of the Republican Party or in the name of America shame our faith, our party and our country. Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance, whether they be Louis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton on the left, or Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell on the right.” (Sen. John McCain, Remarks, Virginia Beach, VA, 2/28/00)
8. Sen. McCain Attacked Vice President Cheney. MCCAIN: “The president listened too much to the Vice President . . . Of course, the president bears the ultimate responsibility, but he was very badly served by both the Vice President and, most of all, the Secretary of Defense.” (Roger Simon, “McCain Bashes Cheney Over Iraq Policy,” The Politico, 1/24/07)
9. Celebrating His First Senate Election In 1986, Sen. McCain Screamed At And Harassed A Young Republican Volunteer. “It was election night 1986, and John McCain had just been elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time. Even so, he was not in a good mood. McCain was yelling at the top of his lungs and poking the chest of a young Republican volunteer who had set up a lectern that was too tall for the 5-foot-9 politician to be seen to advantage, according to a witness to the outburst. ‘Here this poor guy is thinking he has done a good job, and he gets a new butt ripped because McCain didn’t look good on television,’ Jon Hinz told a reporter Thursday. At the time, Hinz was executive director of the Arizona Republican Party. … Hinz said McCain’s treatment of the young campaign worker in 1986 troubled him for years. ‘There were an awful lot of people in the room,’ Hinz recalled. ‘You’d have to stick cotton in your ears not to hear it. He (McCain) was screaming at him, and he was red in the face. It wasn’t right, and I was very upset at him.’” (Kris Mayes and Charles Kelly, “Stories Surface On Senator’s Demeanor,” The Arizona Republic, 11/5/99)
10. Sen. McCain “Publicly Abused” Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL). “[McCain] noted his propensity for passion but insisted that he doesn’t ‘insult anybody or fly off the handle or anything like that.’ This is, quite simply, hogwash. McCain often insults people and flies off the handle…. There have been the many times McCain has called reporters ‘liars’ and ‘idiots’ when they have had the audacity to ask him unpleasant, but pertinent, questions. McCain once… publicly abused Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama.” (Editorial, “There’s Something About McCain,” The Austin American-Statesman, 1/24/07)
Wild Thing's comment........
McCain's arrogance is a vile thing, driven by madness and unbridled ego, and he has directed his platform against the mother ship, America.
Posted by Wild Thing at 04:45 AM | Comments (11)
Obama Covets George Soros' Support
By Robert B. Bluey
July 27, 2004 PLEASE note the date of this article, I didn't have a blog back then but it is interesting to learn this information more then ever with his desire to be President.- Wild Thing
Boston (CNSNews.com) - Without a formidable Republican opponent in his U.S. Senate race, Barack Obama has little reason not to take money from billionaire liberal financier George Soros, a man other Democrats keep at a distance.
When Obama takes the stage Tuesday night for a prime-time address at the Democratic National Convention, the candidate for Senate in Illinois will be introduced to a wider audience for the first time, bringing heightened scrutiny to the relative political newcomer's campaign.
Democrats expect him to pass any test he faces. They view Obama as a rising star within their party, touting his good looks and ability to connect with voters. If elected Nov. 2, he would become the first black to hold a Senate seat since Carol Moseley Braun, also from Illinois.
Obama, however, is different from most Democrats because of his willingness to embrace the controversial Soros. Shortly after Soros equated the abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Obama joined him for a New York fund-raiser June 7.
The event, held at Soros' home, boosted Obama's campaign at a time he was still facing a challenge from Republican Jack Ryan. After news broke about information in Ryan's divorce records, the candidate was forced to drop out. The Illinois GOP has yet to find a replacement.
Obama is one of only a handful of candidates to get a personal contribution from George Soros. The others include Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), Bob Graham (D-Fla.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, and former Vermont governor Howard Dean.
On issues like health care, education, energy and the economy, Obama has articulated defined positions on his campaign website. But on other matters, the candidate hasn't been challenged to say where he stands. Obama's campaign didn't return CNSNews.com's calls.
"He's more of a socialist than he is even a Democrat," said a critic, Cathy Santos, co-founder of the Chicago-based Republican Young Professionals. "A lot of his policies have the government taking care of people. Instead of giving people a leg up, he would rather give them a leg."
Wild Thing's comment........
Obama.... bought and paid for, there is a word for that but I don't want to get fired like Don Imus was. I would have to fire myself anyway so maybe it is ok.
This does explain something I have been wondering about. The extremely fast rise in Obama's political career in such a short time. How many politicians ran for President after being in politics' for the short length of time that Obama has been? I don't know the answer, but it is something to take note of for sure.
I found this article while looking for something else and thought you all might like to see it too.
Posted by Wild Thing at 04:40 AM | Comments (8)
January 29, 2008
Kennedy Dumps On Clinton's
First a look at Kennedy's LACK OF CHARACTER!
Ted Kennedy making excuses for driving drunk and causing Mary Jo Kopechne to drown in his overturned car. The water was only about 6 feet deep with no current based on police reports at the time. Police diver John Farrar's testimony suggested that she survived for as long as two hours in the submerged automobile by breathing a pocket of trapped air. Kennedy spent the nine hours after the accident attempting to cover-up his involvement, while Mary Jo Kopechne was left to die in his submerged automobile.
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WASHINGTON
AP
Ted Kennedy did more than welcome Barack Obama into the warm embrace of his legendary family. He also consigned the Clintons and their brass-knuckle brand of politics to the past.
"With Barack Obama, we will turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion," the Massachusetts senator said Monday in endorsing Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. "With Barack Obama, we will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay."
In an eloquent speech laced with stinging subtleties, Kennedy called Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton a friend who "has been in the forefront of issues." But he might as well have called her a "has-been" — a legacy of 1990s-style politics that rewards distortion, cynicism, self-aggrandizement and even failure.
Because that must be what Kennedy believes; there is no other way to interpret the clues tucked between the lines of his address.
Kennedy is ticked at Sen. Clinton and her husband, Bill, for trying to marginalize Obama after his triumph in Iowa's caucuses, according to officials close to the senator. Like many other Democratic leaders, Kennedy worries that playing the race card will divide blacks, whites and Hispanics — and cause irreparable harm to the Democratic coalition.
Kennedy's endorsement helps Obama on a number of fronts: It lends him a measure of the family's political aura; it provides cover to Democratic operatives who were afraid of bucking the Clintons; and it signals to Hispanic voters, who historically are reluctant to support black candidates, that Obama is a rightful heir to the support and adulation earned by the late Robert Kennedy during his 1968 presidential campaign.
But the endorsement also says something about how the Clintons are viewed by many institutional Democrats — some of whom never cottoned to the couple from Arkansas, and only grudgingly accepted their dominance of the party since 1993.
Look at how Kennedy compared Obama to his brother, John F. Kennedy — and, by inference, Bill Clinton to a curmudgeonly Harry Truman.
"There was another time, when another young candidate was running for president and challenging America to cross a New Frontier," Kennedy said. "He faced public criticism from the preceding Democratic president, who was widely respected in the party. Harry Truman said we needed 'someone with greater experience' — and added: 'May I urge you to be patient." And John Kennedy replied: 'The world is changing. The old ways will not do ... It is time for a new generation of leadership.'"
Kennedy didn't have to remind the crowd that Bill Clinton said that Obama was asking voters to "roll the dice" and back him.
Or that Obama has replied that he has the right experience to respond to "the fierce urgency of now."
Line after line of the speech contained a coded criticism of the Clintons, or a defense of Obama.
He said Obama's campaign is "not just about himself," a dig at Bill Clinton, who talks as much about himself as his wife on the campaign trail.
He said Obama will "break the old gridlock and finally" provide universal health care, a jab at Sen. Clinton, who failed to reform health care when given the opportunity during her husband's first term.
He said Obama had the courage to oppose the war in Iraq from the start. "And let no one deny that truth," he added, knowing full well that the Clintons have questioned Obama's courage.
The irony is that Bill Clinton could have made a credible case that Obama's anti-war stance was not a risky move to take during a Democratic primary in Illinois. Instead, the former president smugly dismissed Obama's assertion as a "fairy tale," and some black leaders thought Clinton was dismissing a black man's chance of being president.
Kennedy pointedly said Obama would not be "trapped in the patterns of the past" and could fight for Democratic causes "without demonizing those who hold a different view." Could he be talking about Sen. Clinton, who falsely accuses Obama of not wanting to give all Americans health insurance?
Or perhaps he was referring to Bill Clinton, who acknowledged Obama's landslide victory in South Carolina by noting that another black man, Jesse Jackson, had won the state in the past — so, big deal.
Or he might have had in mind the fact that that Clinton surrogates raised the issue of Obama's drug use as a youth.
Maybe he had both Clintons in mind. The Democratic Party's most powerful couple twisted Obama's admiration of Ronald Reagan's political success — sentiments they themselves have expressed — into an endorsement of GOP ideas.
Kennedy certainly had the Clintons in mind when he said Obama would be "ready to be president one Day One."
Sen. Clinton likes to say that about herself.
Bill Clinton likes to say that about his wife.
They're a powerful, talented couple and odds are at least 50-50 that Sen. Clinton will win the nomination and extend the Clintons' grip on the Democratic Party. That is, unless the young lion Obama and old lion Kennedy have their way.
"I feel change in the air," Kennedy said.
He has now cast his lot with the promise of a new brand of politics, not knowing whether it will lead to victory — much less any real change.
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Wild Thing's comment........
Old time ‘rats are fleeing the good ship Clinton. Ted knows he can pull more strings with Obama than he can with the Clintons.
Paging Al Gore, your endorsement microphone is awaiting!
Rush Limbaugh said that the Swimmer makes sure he has his insurance policy by praising Mrs. Clinton first...just protecting his kneecaps. Rush said that the Dems are longing for another Camelot but the Clintons are not Camelot—they are the evil knights hiding out in the woods.
Posted by Wild Thing at 03:55 AM | Comments (24)
Obama's Racist Pastor Disses Natalee Holloway
Barak Hussein Obama with his unashamedly racist spiritual mentor. Obama was mentored by this man for 20 years in his unambiguously racist "church"
Obama's pastor disses Natalee Holloway
Sen. Barack Obama's longtime friend and spiritual adviser trashed the memory of a missing and presumed dead American teenage girl, according to church publications reviewed by WND.
Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the controversial minister of Obama's church in Chicago, cited the case of Natalee Holloway's disappearance in Aruba in complaining about what he sees as the media's bias in covering white victims of crime over black victims.
"Black women are being raped daily in Darfur, Sudan, in the Congo and in Sub-Saharan Africa. That doesn't make news," Wright said in the August 2005 edition of Trumpet Magazine, a publication of his Trinity United Church of Christ.
But, "One 18-year-old white girl from Alabama gets drunk on a graduation trip to Aruba, goes off and 'gives it up' while in a foreign country, and that stays in the news for months!" he added. "Maybe I am missing something!"
The circumstances involving the coed's disappearance remain unclear, and the case remains unsolved. Holloway left Mountain Brook, Ala., on a May 2005 senior class trip to Aruba.
Attempts to reach her family for comment were unsuccessful. But her mother, Beth Holloway, has written a book, "Loving Natalee," in which she reveals her daughter named Jesus Christ as one of the most influential people in her life in a trove of writings she found in her bedroom.
In the same 2005 church publication, Wright suggested "white America" had the 9/11 attacks coming, while calling for business "divestment from Israel," which he refers to as a "racist" state along with America.
"In the 21st century, white America got a wake-up call after 9/11/01," he wrote on page 7. "White America and the Western world came to realize that people of color had not gone away, faded into the woodwork or just 'disappeared,' as the Great White West kept on its merry way of ignoring Black concerns."
Obama says he is "proud" of Wright and values their 20-year friendship.
Though Wright has nurtured Obama's political career as a close adviser and mentor, the Democrat presidential hopeful says they don't agree on everything. Wright married Obama and baptized his daughters.
In the November/December 2007 issue of Trumpet, Wright sang the praises of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has described whites as "blue-eyed devils" and Jews as "bloodsuckers."
"He brings a perspective that is helpful and honest," Wright said. "Minister Farrakhan will be remembered as one of the 20th and 21st century giants of the African-American religious experience."
Wright then held Farrakhan up as a pillar of "integrity."
"His integrity and honesty have secured him a place in history as one of the nation's most powerful critics," he continued. "His love for Africa and African-American people has made him an unforgettable force, a catalyst for change and a religious leader who is sincere about his faith and his purpose."
Farrakhan's photo is splashed across the cover of the church magazine, which gushes "the Minister truly epitomized greatness."
On Nov. 2, 2007, Wright presented Farrakhan with a "lifetime achievement" award during a Trumpet gala held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. The tribute included a three-and-a-half minute video lionizing "the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan."
For his commitment to truth, education and leadership, we honor Minister Louis Farrakhan with the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award," the video announces.
Last week, Obama distanced himself from Farrakhan, but did not distance himself from Wright or disavow his praise for Farrakhan.
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Wild Thing's comment........
That is terrible and very disrespectful to a dead American teenager.
How does he know she “gave it up” when most published reports suggest the Aruban boys slipped her a date rape drug and panicked when she died during or after a gang rape.
This man’s comments are despicable and racist in origin, and if Obama is a real man he will publcly denounce them as such.
I don't see Jeramiah flying to Darfur to protect those women. Oh, and "Reverend"? Who is raping those women? More of your followers perhaps? Or followers of Farrakhan? Islam freaks!
And his hate for Israel and love for Calypso Louie are very disturbing as well!!!!
....Thank you Mark so much for sending this to me. I wish this would be seen by everyone and let them know how awful this church of Obama's is and what his pastor is about.
Posted by Wild Thing at 03:50 AM | Comments (11)
Barak Hussein Obama's Hate Filled Preacher
Rev Jeremiah Wright's Message
Wild Thing's comment........
A that incites a racial tensions, guess it would be just too hard to be a good preacher and preach the Gospel and motivate his church members to be better people. Naw, so instead it is preach hate, rascism and go out and hate the white peoople. sheesh I truly hate this stuff. Not only becauae it spreads hate but it is also sad to see a person ooogiven power of any kind and then use it for hate.
Posted by Wild Thing at 03:48 AM | Comments (4)
‘Legends of Wrestling’ Tour Rolls Into Bagram
Diamond Dallas Page and the group of servicemembers and civilians who were tough enough to survive the intense "Yoga for Regular Guys" workout give the wrestling legend's famous "Diamond Sign."
Former professional wrestler Diamond Dallas Page checks a soldier's posture during an hour-long session of his "Yoga for Regular Guys" workout. Page, along with other wrestling greats, visited troops at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, Jan. 26, 2008
By Spc. George Welcome, USA
Army Spc. George Welcome serves in public affairs with 101st Combat Aviation Brigade
Special to American Forces Press Service
DOD
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan,
Jan. 28, 2008
When the “Legends of Wrestling” tour rolled in here Jan. 26, servicemembers and civilians gathered at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation clamshell to take part in the festivities.
Professional wrestling greats Nicholai Volkoff, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Diamond Dallas Page, and legendary manager “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart took pictures and signed autographs for wrestling fanatics. Trivia questions were asked of the crowd, those who gave correct responses won hats and T-shirts.
For some die-hard wrestling fans, the event was a dream come true.
“I became a wrestling fan in 1999 after constantly seeing it on TV,” said Army Pfc. Michael Grandi Jr., a member of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, who has attended numerous live wrestling events.
“I had constant adrenaline pumping during the event,” he said of meeting his idols. “It was really cool how laid-back they were. And none of the soldiers were bothering them; they took pictures, got their autographs and moved along. There was a mutual respect.”
The meet-and-greet session lasted for just over an hour, with the stars posing and chatting with all comers.
Afterward, those who stayed were treated to an inspirational speech by Page, former three-time World Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. In his address, Page told of how he overcame a turbulent family life, a learning disability and other issues to achieve his dreams through a process he called “living life at 90 percent.”
“I once heard (football coaching legend) Lou Holtz say, ‘Life is 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent of how you react to it,’” Page said. “In our personal lives and our professional lives, we are constantly hit with one adversity after another, most of which we have no control over. The one thing we have control over is our mindset.”
Page introduced the audience to his no-impact workout system, which he calls “Yoga for Regular Guys.” Page said he scoffed at the idea of yoga until a spinal injury threatened to keep him out of the ring.
“When I got injured, my wife tried to get me to do yoga,” Page said. “But I always thought yoga was for sissies. I learned that flexibility was the key to youth, not just in the body, but in the mind. I wanted to get back to wrestling so badly that I started doing it. ”
At the completion of his rousing speech, Page received a standing ovation from the audience. After signing more autographs and taking photos with fans, he led all those who stayed behind through an intense hour-long session of Yoga for Regular Guys.
The program, which consisted of slow-count isometric exercises, static holds and various yoga poses, managed to raise heart rates and get the crowd sweating.
“I liked it a lot, it was an awesome workout,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer Stephen Cranford, Company C, 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade. “I am going to get the DVD and keep doing it. Once I get better, I will introduce it to my guys for (physical training).”
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Wild Thing's comment........
Thank God for our troops and thank God that people go to see them. They truly LOVE it so much! This is so great, our troops are physical people and so are wrestlers so the match up of fun and respect is appreciated by our troops I am sure.
For those that are blessed to be able to go see our troops it leaves a place in a persons heart for eternity.
Posted by Wild Thing at 03:47 AM | Comments (6)
The Founding Fathers wonder should we???
In case it is hard to read the print on this here is what it says......
" I keep thinking we should include something in the Constitution in case the people elect a fucking moron."
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Wild Thing's comment...........
LMAO this is such a good cartoon and so appropriate.
....Thank you so much John 5 (VN 69/70) for sending this to me. LOL It is perfect.
Posted by Wild Thing at 02:45 AM | Comments (12)
Old Butch
Subject: Old Butch
John the farmer was in the fertilized egg business. He had several
hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets,' and ten roosters, whose job it was to fertilize the eggs.
The farmer kept records and any rooster that didn't perform went into
the soup pot and was replaced. That took an awful lot of his time, so he
bought a set of tiny bells and attached them to his roosters. Each bell
had a different tone so John could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing.
Now he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report simply by listening to the bells.
The farmer's favorite rooster was old Butch, a very fine specimen he was, too.
But on this particular morning John noticed old Butch's bell hadn't rung at all! John went to investigate.
The other roosters were chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing. The pullets, hearing the roosters
coming, would run for cover.
But to Farmer John's amazement, old Butch had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring.
He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.
John was so proud of old Butch, he entered him in the Renfrew County
Fair and he became an overnight sensation among the judges.
The result .
The judges not only awarded old Butch the 'No Bell Piece Prize' but they also awarded him the 'Pulletsurprise' as well.
Clearly old Butch was a politician in the making: who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most highly coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention.
Vote carefully ...the bells are not always audible!
....Jack thank you so much, this is great. Jack's blog is Conservative Insurgent.
Posted by Wild Thing at 01:44 AM | Comments (4)
Sharpton to Bill Clinton: 'Shut Up'
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Sharpton weighs in........
abc news blog
Al Sharpton on Monday weighed in on the raging debate inside the Democratic Party over former President Bill Clinton's advocacy on behalf of his wife's campaign, with two choice words for the former president: "Shut up."
On ABC's "The View," Sharpton said voters are hearing "race charges, race-tinged rhetoric" in the Democratic primary campaign, and called on the former president to cease.
"I think it's time for him to just be quiet," said Sharpton, who was a Democratic presidential candidate in 2004. "I think it's time for him to stop. As one of the most outspoken people in America, there's a time to shut up, and I think that time has come."
Sharpton didn't say which comments in particular bothered him. But many Democrats were particularly upset that the former president made an explicit comparison of Obama's campaign to Jesse Jackson's victories in South Carolina in 1984 and 1988, in an apparent attempt to explain why his wife didn't win the South Carolina primary on Saturday.
For his part, Jackson told The New York Times that he wasn't bothered by the comparison. Still, he told the newspaper that he had spoken to both Obama and President Clinton over the weekend, and told both to "take it to a higher ground."
Wild Thing's comment........
The Clintons are losing all of their "friends". No honor among thieves and all of that stuff.
“Jackson told The New York Times that he wasn’t bothered by the comparison.”
Jesse Jackson was just delighted his name was in print!
LOL I have to say. . .I’m loving all this drama going on in the Democrat party. Quite entertaining.
Posted by Wild Thing at 01:40 AM | Comments (12)
January 28, 2008
Ice Queen Breaks Ranks With Democrats And Comes To Florida
Hillary Clinton comes to Florida, but is it campaigning?
MIAMI BEACH
A day after losing big in South Carolina, Hillary Clinton jetted into Florida for private events Sunday, raising money and hopes that her campaign is still on track.
In South Florida, Clinton was greeted by Miami Mayor Manny Diaz outside the Lucky Strike Lanes, a bowling alley on South Beach, site of the night's first fundraiser in the area.
"She emphasized having enough turnout (Tuesday) to see that the Florida delegates are seated," said Mike Garretson, deputy superintendent of the Broward County Schools. Garretson and his wife, Patricia, were among those who paid $500 each to attend.
Clinton, who earlier attended a fundraiser in Sarasota, spoke for about 30 minutes at the Lucky Strike before heading to a developer's house for the second fundraiser.
Clinton and the other Democratic presidential hopefuls pledged not to campaign in Florida after the state's primary was scheduled in January. The party also stripped the state of delegates to the party's convention, but Clinton on Friday issued a statement saying she would urge seating delegates from Florida and Michigan, another state that scheduled an early primary.
Clinton said Sunday she was going to Florida to assure Democrats that "their voices are heard" and to underscore her commitment to seeing the state's delegation seated at the national convention.
"Hundreds of thousands of people have already voted in Florida (in early voting) and I want them to know I will be there to be part of what they have tried to do to make sure their voices are heard," Clinton said in Memphis, Tenn., before heading for Florida.
She arrived in Sarasota taking care to abide by the details of the agreement not to campaign, because events in Sarasota and later in Miami were not open to the public.
With a wink at the deal, Clinton carefully staged her arrival so she left her airplane with palm trees in the background for photographers. Asked if she was happy to be in Florida, she said: "How could you not be. It is absolutely glorious. It is a perfect day here in Florida."
At least two Obama supporters charged that Clinton's presence in Florida constituted campaigning.
"She's campaigning by her presence here. She's telling Florida voters she cares," said Brooke Gaebe, 24, of Miami Beach. "That's campaigning."
She stood outside the bowling alley holding a homemade sign that read, in part, "We want a president that can keep a promise."
Among Clinton supporters at the first fundraiser was Michael John McCann, 52, of Delray Beach. He said the results in South Carolina didn't worry him: "That was expected. She's going to take Florida like (Barack Obama) took South Carolina."
Wild Thing's comment........
Oh my gosh! LOL This is sooooo rich!! Now that Hillary is in Florida, I hope the Oranges don’t get frost bite.
There you have it ... Hillary pulls a rope-a-dope on her opponents. She is after the delegates and will now claim they are disenfranchied - even though she was instrumental in the disenfranchisement as a party bigwig.
Dem candidates had agreed NOT to campaign here in Florida because they moved their primary date.
This FL & MI play is a "Hail Mary" pass if ever there was one.
Once again the Clintons PROVE that they can’t be trusted, no promise is binding, and it all depends on what the definition of “is” is.
The analysis by a CBS news political correspondent on tonight's CBS Evening News to Clinton's complete disregard of the rules that the rat's put in place for the seating of Florida and Michigan's delegates was, and I quote.........
"It is what it is"
That was the entire explanation.
And THIS quote is the best part of the entire article ROTFLMAO
She stood outside the bowling alley holding a homemade sign that read, in part, "We want a president that can keep a promise."
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:55 AM | Comments (21)
"What are you, some kind of Republican?" ~ LOL
Christopher Walken does his comedic-intimidating thing as Michael Rapaport's mob caretaker in "Kiss Toledo Goodbye." Rapaport says he wants out, and it turns into a political argument.
Wild Thing's comment........
LOL Christopher Walken is so funny and this is a great little political scene. heh heh
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:48 AM | Comments (6)
Kennedy to Hit Trail For Barak Hussein Obama
Kennedy For Obama: Intends to campaign aggressively with Western trip this week, followed by appearances in Northeast... Kennedy upset over attempts by Clinton campaign to highlight Obama's race and distortions of statements, record... made views known in call with former president.
Wild Thing's comment........
Memo to HUSSEIN Obama:
Don't let Teddy drive.
How many times will Obama now hear, “Drinks are on me”, from Kennedy. Let' see, Kerry is for Obama, now Kennedy, who is next Al Gore?
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:47 AM | Comments (21)
Romney Sticks It To Obama On The War
Wild Thing's comment........
This is from and older debate, but it had me laughing back then and I thought you all might like a good laugh too.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:45 AM | Comments (4)
McCain's Gay Marriage Flip Flop
Wild Tihing's comment........
Um McCain, asking if you fixed it is sure telling. Why not just say what you believe in and deal with it you jerk.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:44 AM | Comments (6)
January 27, 2008
Obama Gives Hillary A "reality check" In S.C.
Obama overwhelmingly beat Hillary Clinton with 55 percent support to her 27 percent, and former Sen. John Edwards, trailing with 18 percent support, with almost all preccints reporting.
Wild Thing's comment........
Hillary has used the phrase "we need a reality check", in two of the debates so far. This reality check today was one she is not going to be happy with. LOL
Remember what Clinton 42 was like? Hell has no fury like a Clinton scorned! It probably isn't healthy to win an election against a Clinton.
Obama is evil too, but he hides it well. His vision for this country is akin to a Marxist state.
Edwards is gone as far as how he has been donig, but his hair is still running. heh heh
LOL this still makes me laugh!! Kennedy saying Obama's name.
Posted by Wild Thing at 04:55 AM | Comments (19)
Sheriff Arpaio To Campaign In Tucson For Romney Not McCain
Sheriff Arpaio to campaign in Tucson for Romney
Political action is heating up as Arizona's Feb. 5 primaries near - from both ends of the spectrum.From the right, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio will headline a rally Friday for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Romney is one of Sen. John McCain's chief competitors for the Republican presidential nomination.
Arpaio is the honorary chairman of Romney's Arizona campaign and will be in Tucson on Friday for a series of pro-Romney events.
He'll begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Sheraton Tucson Hotel and Suites, 5151 E. Grant Road, then at 3:30 he'll be at Broadway Proper Retirement Community, 400 S. Broadway Place. He'll finish up at a 6:30 p.m. rally at the Medicine Man Art Gallery, 7000 E. Tanque Verde Road.
Who is Sheriff Joe Arpaio?
Many Republicans, maybe even a few Democrats, believe there is a real problem. One of them is Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona. He’s nationally known for tough measures like taking away prisoners’ movies, their girlie magazines, and their hot meals. The philosophy he espouses is jails should be places people want to avoid.
When motorists are stopped in his jurisdiction, their immigration status is checked. They’re arrested if they’re here illegally. He’s also instituted a hot line for citizens to report employers suspected of hiring illegals. The New York Times offered its own imprimatur of the sheriff’s actions Sunday, editorializing that he “hounds immigrant day laborers as aggressively as he chases headlines.”
Sheriff Joe journeyed to Iowa last week to campaign for the person he’s supporting for president. He didn’t endorse fellow Arizonan John McCain. He didn’t express approval for Mike Huckabee.
Inside America's toughest jail (Brit paper says Sheriff Joe Arpaio's ideas would be great for U.K.)
The Sun
HIGH above the Arizona desert, a pink neon sign flashes the word “vacancy” from a watch tower manned by armed guards.Surrounded by 25ft barbed wire fences, this is the welcome offered by America’s toughest jail ? Tent City in Phoenix.
Inside, nearly 1,000 prisoners live in army surplus tents, baking in temperatures of 122°F (50°C) in summer and freezing during winter.
No matter how many criminals are locked up here, the vacancy sign is never turned off.
Instead, if prisoner numbers increase, jail supremo Sheriff Joe Arpaio simply orders extra tents. He says: “I will build tents to house 100,000 people before I ever let anybody out of jail early. If I have to, I will put up tents from here to Mexico.”
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Wild Thing's comment........
Sheriff Joe is known nationally as one of the toughest law-and-order guys around, and someone of impeccable conservative credentials. I wonder if this shows the lack of McCain's non appeal to his fellow Arizonans. Like we heard New York is no fan of Rudy. That would be so embarassing when your own State does not want you to be President. I think Gore's as well did not vote for him when he ran for President.
Posted by Wild Thing at 04:47 AM | Comments (13)
Congressman Asks Prez To Support 2nd Amendment
Congressman asks prez to support 2nd Amendment (Rep. Virgil Goode)
'Administration should reflect right to keep and bear arms'
A Republican congressman from Virginia is asking President Bush to order the Justice Department to submit a brief in a U.S. Supreme Court case that supports the rights afforded U.S. citizens under the Second Amendment.
The request from Rep. Virgil Goode concerns a filing submitted by the Justice Department in a Supreme Court case over the legality of a handgun ban imposed by the District of Columbia.
A similar request already has been submitted by officials for the Gun Owners of America, whose executive director, Larry Pratt, warned:
"If the Supreme Court were to accept the Solicitor General's line of argument, D.C.'s categorical gun ban of virtually all self-defense firearms could well be found to be constitutional. ..."
But worse than that, he said, the new precedent to affirm any and all gun restrictions would be "reasonable," constitutionally the lowest rung of the qualifications ladder.
"In contrast to other provisions in the Bill of Rights, which can only be trumped by 'compelling state interests,' the Second Amendment would be relegated to an inferior position at the lowest rung of the constitutional ladder, should the Justice Department prevail," said Pratt.
Goode now has weighed in on the issue, sending Bush a letter this week about the arguments submitted in the case.
"If this view prevails, a national ban on all firearms – including hunting rifles – could be constitutional, even if the court decides – on ample historical evidence – that the Founders intended the Second Amendment as an individual right," his letter said.
"I would ask that you direct the Justice Department to withdraw this unfortunate brief and to replace it with an opinion which reflects the right of law-abiding Americans to keep and bear arms," Goode wrote.
Wild Thing's comment........
First of all can you imagine that ANY President would have to be asked to support our 2nd Amendment. God hlep us!!
... rights afforded U.S. citizens under the Second Amendment.
God given rights guarenteed by the Second Ammendment. I wish they would get that right.
Our Founders clearly recognized the 'right' of self-defense in forging the 2nd Amendment. They recognized that the 2nd Amendment protects all the other Amendments from governmental tyranny, particularly the 1st, 4th, and 5th. If the 2nd Amendment falls, then so will all the others in rapid succession.
Is there any constituency left in the party that Bush hasn't stabbed in the back yet?
Posted by Wild Thing at 04:45 AM | Comments (8)
The Hero Bear Who Went To War
The hero bear who went to war (and loved a smoke and a beer)
Like any soldier, he loved to relax with a cigarette and a bottle of beer when out of the firing line.
But in the heat of battle, he became an inspiring figure - bravely passing ammunition along to supply the guns.
All the men in the Second Polish Transport Company agreed that the recruit they called Voytek was the perfect comrade.
As for Voytek, he was just happy to be part of the unit... ever ready to lend a helping paw.
The 250lb brown bear, standing more than 6ft tall, was possibly the most remarkable combatant of the Second World War, seeing action amid the hell of Monte Cassino in Italy.
After the war, he and his fellow troops were billeted in Scotland and he lived out his days in Edinburgh Zoo, dying in 1963.
Now a campaign is under way to build a permanent memorial to the remarkable animal who fought so valiantly for the Allied forces.
Voytek was just a tiny bundle of fur when he was discovered wandering in the hills of Iran by the Second Polish Transport Company when they were driving through Persia towards Palestine in 1943.
Having lost his mother, he attached himself to the men, who fed him on condensed milk and gave him an old washing up bowl to sleep in.
Little wonder that the troops adopted him, and soon found he could be a useful addition. As he grew he was trained to carry heavy mortar rounds.
Story has it that in the heat of summer he learned to work the shower, and used it so often that the Nissen hut had to be locked to prevent him exhausting the water supply.
On one occasion, Voytek was delighted to find the door ajar. Entering the bear discovered a cowering Arab who had come to spy out the lie of the land for a raiding party, intending to steal all the weapons and ammunition.
The spy confessed all, the raiding party were rounded up, and Voytek became a hero. He was given two bottles of beer and allowed to spend all morning splashing happily in the bath hut.
When Polish forces were deployed to Europe the only way to take the bear with them was to enlist him.
He was given a name, rank and number and when the Polish II Corps arrived in Italy in 1944 to supply their own and British frontline soldiers with desperately needed ammunition and food, Voytek was their secret weapon.
Despite almost constant heavy fire, Voytek travelled in the munitions trucks, his head hanging out of the window.
He helped the supply side by cradling 25lb shells or boxes of ammunition in his arms and passing them down the line.
Off-duty, he loved nothing more than a bottle of beer, a cigarette and to wrestle with the men - in between raids on the cookhouse.
By the end of the war, Voytek had become a symbol of ursine courage, but his country was under Soviet domination, so he travelled with other Polish troops to Scotland and the Berwickshire village of Hutton.
Soldiers who were stationed with him say that he was easy to get along with.
Voytek soon took on many human characteristics, crying when left alone and covering his eyes with his paws if chastised.
As he grew, he became a key member of the unit, being trained to carry mortar shells.
In the heat of summer, he reportedly learned to work the shower of the unit's bath hut.
On one occasion, Voytek was delighted to find the door ajar - and discovered an Arab who was spying for a raiding party.
The intruder confessed all, and the enemy were rounded up. Hailed a hero, Voytek was given two bottles of beer and allowed to spend all morning splashing happily in the bath hut.
When the Poles were deployed to Italy in 1944 to supply Allied troops with desperately-needed food and ammunition, the only way to take their furry friend with them was to officially enlist him - so he was given a name, rank and number.
As the bitter battle for the monastery of Monte Cassino was fought, the bear travelled in the munitions trucks, his head hanging out of the window, ignoring almost constant shellfire.
Cradling 25lb shells or boxes of ammunition in his arms, he would effortlessly pass them down the line. Off-duty, he loved a bottle of beer, a cigarette and to wrestle with the men - in between raids on the cookhouse.
At the end of the war, the transport company was stationed in the village of Hutton, Berwickshire, where Voytek became a local legend.
"He was like a big dog, no one was scared of him," said Polish veteran Augustyn Karolewski, 82, who still lives near the site of the camp.
"He liked a cigarette, he liked a bottle of beer - he drank a bottle of beer like any man." When the troops were demobilised, Voytek moved to Edinburgh Zoo.
Mr Karolewski went to see him and found he still responded to the Polish language.
"As soon as I mentioned his name, he would sit on his backside and shake his head, wanting a cigarette.
"It wasn't easy to throw a cigarette to him - I made several attempts until he got one."
Teacher Garry Paulin has written a book, Voytek - The Soldier Bear, which will be published next month.
Aileen Orr, who lives in Hutton, is campaigning for a memorial. "The story is totally amazing and it would be good if we could have some memorial in Scotland, perhaps at Holyrood, to celebrate the bear's life," she said.
And like any other combatant, he is even said to have had an official name, rank and number.
Now a campaign is underway to build a permanent British memorial to the remarkable bear who fought so valiantly for the Allied forces and lived out his final days in Edinburgh Zoo.
Polish veteran Augustyn Karolewski, 82, who still lives near the site of the camp in Berwickshire, said: 'He was like a big dog, no-one was scared of him.
"He liked a cigarette, he liked a bottle of beer - he drank a bottle of beer like any man."
When the troops were demobilised, Voytek spent his last days at Edinburgh Zoo, where died in 1963.
Mr Karolewski went back to see him on a couple of occasions and found he still responded to the Polish language.
He explained: "I went to Edinburgh Zoo once or twice when Voytek was there.
"As soon as I mentioned his name he would sit on his backside and shake his head wanting a cigarette. "It wasn't easy to throw a cigarette to him - all the attempts I made until he eventually got one."
Teacher Garry Paulin has written a book Voytek -The Soldier Bear, which will be published next month. Campaigner Aileen Orr, who lives in the village of Hutton, said she first heard about Voytek as a child from her grandfather who served with the King's Own Scottish Borderers.
She said: "I thought he had made it up to be quite honest but it was only when I got married and came here that I knew in fact he was here, Voytek was here.
"It is just amazing, the story is totally amazing and it would be good if we could have some memorial in Scotland, perhaps at Holyrood, to celebrate the bear's life."
Voytek in the zoo: He soldiered on there until 1963
Wild Thing's comment........
You know I love, LOVE, this story. I also loved how Polish veteran Augustyn Karolewski went back to the zoo to visit Voytek.
...Thank you Tom for sending me this story. I am smiling so big reading about this bear and the soldiers.
Posted by Wild Thing at 04:44 AM | Comments (12)
Outback's ' bloomin onion' Favorite Of Troops
Smells of secret sauces and spices filled the inside of the dining facility as employees from Outback Steakhouse prepared Bloomin’ Onions, calamari, and pasta. Outside, the scent of sizzling steaks rose from the grill and wafted throughout the base.
A task force of 22 employees from Outback Steakhouse and its sister company Carrabba’s Italian Grill fed the troops of Al Asad during Feeding Freedom Five.
To complete their mission they had to reach one goal: give the service members the best meal of their deployment.
“We came to show our support and it’s a way for us to say thank you from Carrabba’s and Outback,” said Josh Upton, a national food technician for Carrabba’s Italian Grill and the team leader for the operation. “One of our philosophies is to give for the sake of giving, not to get something back.”
Outback Steakhouse began arranging Feeding Freedom Five in November of 2006. The tours, which are semi-annual, are designed to feed deployed service members throughout the Middle East, feeding troops in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Salerno and Iraq.
According to Shanda Breedlove, a service technician at Outback Steakhouse in Atlanta, Ga., the point of the tour was to bring service members a taste of home and give them a good meal.
“It’s been very exciting, it’s nice to see their faces, they really appreciate this and it’s not enough thanks for what they do for us,” said Breedlove. “It’s very simple, but I’m glad it means a lot to them.”
To achieve the same freshness and food quality as a steakhouse from home, the company donated all of the food. The rib eye steaks, potatoes, onions, and calamari we’re flown over to provide the highest degree of freshness and satisfaction for the troops.
In order to produce a meal for approximately 13,000 service members and contractors on Al Asad, the Outback employees took a lesson from the troops; they learned to adapt and overcome.
The biggest challenge the Outback employees faced was making sure everything came together including preparation time and ingredients, added Matt Bregner, a food quality control technician for Outback restaurants in the Penn. region.
The team spent the night before the dinner preparing the Bloomin’ Onions, Bloomin’ Onion sauce and potatoes at all three base dining facilities. They cut the fresh onions with a special press and then made the Bloomin’ Onion sauce by mixing secret ingredients. Finally, they rinsed the potatoes in salt and butter before baking them.
“Preparation wise, it takes about eight hours for this many people,” said Upton. “We cook the steaks non-stop from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. to get them all done. We have 14,000 steaks. The last feeding we had, we served fillets and every Marine came up for two steaks and a potato.”
The Outback employees had mixed predictions on what the troops would like the most, but they had it cornered to either the Bloomin’ Onion or the steak. The votes weren’t quite unanimous among the service members, but the two most popular menu items were the Bloomin’ Onion and the rib eye steak.
“The bloomin onion was the best part of the meal,” commented Lance Cpl. Jeff Harris, a data network specialist with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 163.
After reflecting on the meal with a full belly, service members found they appreciated more than just the steak.
“The steak is juicy, it’s tender and it’s not overcooked,” said Lance Cpl. Arthur Watson, a Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 29 avionics technician. “It reminds me of back home and this shows us that there are actually people out there who care.”
Wild Thing's comment........
I absolutely love when business's do things for the troops. It sets them above the others in so many ways. And our soldiers appreciate it so much.
Posted by Wild Thing at 04:40 AM | Comments (12)
January 26, 2008
Who is Juan Hernandez?
WND for complete article
The Hispanic outreach director for Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign is a dual American-Mexican citizen known for his "Mexico first" declarations to immigrants in the U.S..
...Juan Hernandez's position in the campaign belies the Republican candidate's attempt to position himself as an advocate of border security.
"Juan works with us to reach out to the Hispanic community to meet with the folks in the various states," Rogers said.
Asked if the McCain campaign has repudiated Hernandez's "Mexico first" declarations, Rogers did not give a direct answer.
In an appearance on ABC's Nightline in 2001, Hernandez said, referring to Mexican immigrants in the U.S., "I want the third generation, the seventh generation, I want them all to think 'Mexico first.'"
Hernandez told the Associated Press the same year, "I never knew the border as a limitation. I'd be delighted if all of us could come and go between these two marvelous countries."
Last August, Hernandez published a book entitled "The New American Pioneers: Why Are We Afraid of Mexican Immigrants?" in which he argued Mexican immigrants, both legal and illegal, were at the forefront of establishing a new North American market combining the U.S. with Mexico.
Mark Krikorian, director for the Center for Immigration Studies:
"Has McCain offered Hernandez, a former high-level foreign government official who presumably swore an oath to uphold the Mexican constitution, a place on a future McCain Administration? That's not a rhetorical question."
While McCain is now emphasizing border security, the policy posted on his website repeats many of the "flexible labor market" arguments advanced in the Kennedy-McCain comprehensive immigration reform bills, arguing for the necessity of a guest-worker program.
No fence
Hernandez has appeared on various cable news talk shows aggressively arguing against building any fence on the Mexican border, insisting the frontier need to remain wide open so illegal immigrants can easily cross into the U.S.
Hernandez was the first U.S.-born cabinet member to serve President Vicente Fox, operating from Los Pinos, the Mexican White House. Hernandez represented the 24 million Mexicans living abroad whom Fox then called "heroes" for representing Mexico in the foreign nations in which they lived.
In 1996, Hernandez was responsible for inviting Fox, then governor of the Mexican state of Guanajuanto, to speak at the University of Texas, Dallas, where he met George W. Bush, then governor of Texas, for the first time.
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Wild Thing's comment........
The Republicans are committing suicide if McCain wins the nomination. I see no distinction between Clinton, Obama or McCain. Is John McCain campaigning to become the 44th President of the United States, or is he really running to become the 1st President of the North American Union?
The two biggest at illegal pandering, US citizen destroying, are McCain or Huckabee.
Wtih McCain or Huckabee, we will need big wallet, for taking care of Mexican and South American citizens.
McCain and Huck are the same, but for professed different reasons. McCain, is an establishment bought and paid for elite, likes cheap human capital. Huck is a Christian Democrat who will rob your wallet by imposing state charity to take care of the poor illegals he will provide to the elites.
Hernandez is smarmy. Very condescending. He and Lou Dobbs went a few rounds. This dual citizenship stuff is just the worst.
....Thank you so much Mark for this article.
Posted by Wild Thing at 11:55 AM | Comments (9)
Hillary ~ Rules? We don’t need no stinkin’ rules!
Statement by Senator Hillary Clinton on the Seating of Delegates at the Democratic National Convention
Press release from Hillary for President
"I hear all the time from people in Florida and Michigan that they want their voices heard in selecting the Democratic nominee."I believe our nominee will need the enthusiastic support of Democrats in these states to win the general election, and so I will ask my Democratic convention delegates to support seating the delegations from Florida and Michigan. I know not all of my delegates will do so and I fully respect that decision. But I hope to be President of all 50 states and U.S. territories, and that we have all 50 states represented and counted at the Democratic convention.
"I hope my fellow potential nominees will join me in this.
"I will of course be following the no-campaigning pledge that I signed, and expect others will as well."
Wild Thing's comment........
Both Michigan and Florida were penalized delegates by the DNC for moving forward in the calendar against party rules. Clinton won Michigan unopposed, and is expected to win Florida as well. By now asking that all these delegates be seated, Clinton is trying to grab extra votes at the convention that shouldn’t be competed for. If Obama would have won she would not be doing this. The Clintons CHEAT!
More very dirty tricks by the Clinton's to try to win. Maybe the Clinton Campaign is seeing REAL TROUBLE on the Horizon for FEB. 5, and are trying to lock this up, now. The rest of this year is going to be unbelievably nasty.
One of the stuntmen a friend of Nick's sent this link to from Daily KOS oh my gosh. LOL They have a thread there called..."Hillary Clinton to Howard Dean: Screw you." and as of right now there are 1190 comments in the thread and they are furious. hahahaha
Intro to thread
...."Hillary Clinton's campaign is actively and, for the first time, openly seeking to undermine Howard Dean.
The context, of course, is the seating of the Michigan and Florida delegations. Where no one has campaigned. And, in the case of Michigan, where Clinton was the only one on the ballot.
And where the DNC made a decision, at great cost and pain, to strip them of delegates for violating party rules.
But, rules don't apply if they don't help the Clintons"
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:55 AM | Comments (17)
Walk Right In ~ LOL
Extremist sniper walks into Coalition hands (Baghdad)
BAGHDAD
Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldiers were given a gift when a sniper walked into their control during a small arms engagement in West Rashid, Jan. 22.
“Black Lions,” of Company B, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, were hunting for three men believed to have been firing at them, when two men attempting to flee the cordon entered a house occupied by MND-B Soldiers.
One of the men was positively identified at the scene as a known sniper, while the other is an alleged extremist.
The suspected sniper and extremist were taken to a Coalition Detention Facility for further questions.
This is part of Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldiers’ on going offensive operations in support of Operation Phantom Phoenix, to kill or capture al-Qaeda and Shia/Sunni extremists to deny them rest and sanctuary in Baghdad and the surrounding rural areas.
Wild Thing's comment........
LOL I LOVE this, the bad guiy sniper walked right into their control. heh heh. God bless our troops.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:47 AM | Comments (8)
Our Awesome Military
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Tyler Carroll fires an AT-4 during live-fire training, Jan. 18, 2008, at the Udairi Range Complex in Kuwait. Marines with Company C, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Camp Pendleton, Calif., are training as part of their current deployment to the Pacific and Arabian Gulf. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Bryson K. Jones
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