Huffington Post Wishes For Another Republican To Die

Remember the vile things said about Rep. Norwood? That wasn't the first time HuffPo advocated the murder and/or death of a Republican, and it wasn't the last.

As word spread about the attempted assassination of VP Dick Cheney HuffPo posters sprung into action to let the world know how sad they were that the attack wasn't successful.

With Rep. Norwood ... the Democratic Underground chose to conduct themselves honorably in their mentions of Norwood. Something that HuffPo, and Daily Kos refused to do.

Not this time.

Nine Facts About Climate Change

This is a Newsbusters thing that is well worth reposting.

It is a pdf file with some interesting tidbits about global warming called Nine Facts About Climate Change.

Enjoy the read.

Kent State Professor Endorses Jihad

Via Mike Adams:

I'm telling you guys ... Ohio is imploding upon itself. You can rape children there, put disabled kids in cages for weeks on end, and endorse jihad with little or no punishment.

Here's a taste:

"We are a jihadist news service, and provide battle dispatches, training manuals, and jihad videos to our brothers worldwide. All we want is to get Allah’s pleasure. We will write ‘Jihad’ across our foreheads, and the stars. The angels will carry our message throughout the world."

"We were born free. We will live freely and when death comes to us, we will die freely. Jihad is changing all that can be changed; freeing ourselves through our own efforts; and the conviction that truth will prevail, inshallah."

Make sure you read the whole thing for all the goodies on this "professor" of jihad. His site is here.

Why I Like Brit Hume

I hate Murtha's guts. If you don't understand that Murtha is literally mentally unstable by now ... you should have your own psychiatric evaluation.

Murtha has lost his marbles dozens of times, and should not be taken seriously. Most Democrats can even see this, but moonbat websites are filled with ... well ... loons. For some reason they gravitate to Murtha as if they were cavemen seeing fire for the first time.

Brit is the first mainstream guy to nail the Murtha syndrome on the head ... with no apologies.



Bravo Brit ... bravo.

We Finally Know Why Mexicans Illegally Cross Our Border

I have jokingly implied this several times in the past, but now I have been vindicated.

By Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published February 26, 2007

The women of Tecalpulco, Mexico, want the U.S. government to enforce its immigration laws because they want to force their husbands to come back home from working illegally in the United States.

They have created an English-language Web page where they identify themselves as the "wetback wives" and broadcast their pleas, both to their men and to the U.S. government.

"To the United States government -- close the border, send our men home to us, even if you must deport them (only treat them in a humane manner -- please do not hurt them)," it reads.

In poignant public messages to their husbands, the women talk about their children who feel abandoned, and worry that the men have forsaken their families for other women and for the American lifestyle.

"You said you were only going to Arizona to get money for our house, but now you have been away and did not come back when your sister got married," one woman writes to a man named Pedro. "Oh how I worry that you have another woman! Don't you love me? You told me you love me."

It's a stark reminder of an often forgotten voice in the U.S. immigration debate -- the wives, children, parents and villages left behind as millions of workers come to the U.S., many of them illegally. The plea also underscores the dual effects of migration on Mexico: Its economy needs American jobs as an outlet for workers, but determined, able-bodied workers get siphoned out of Mexico.

More than 10 million Mexican-born people, or nearly one out of every 10, was living in the United States in 2005. And as a percentage of the work force it's even higher: One in seven, or 14 percent, were here, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The institute said 77 percent of Mexican workers in the U.S. were younger than 45, and 70 percent were men.

Villages devoid of men between 20 and 50 are common in many parts of the country. The stories of single mothers struggling to raise their children are just as frequent.

The women of Tecalpulco have come up with one way to cope. They run an artists' cooperative to sell traditional-style jewelry, including through the Internet. The page where they make their personal pleas, www.artcamp.com.mx/venga/, is a part of their Web site.

One of the women writes to "Ruben" telling him their children haven't seen him in three years and ask where he is.

"I know we agreed you should try your fortune in the United States, but I didn't know that it would be so lonely and that you would be gone for such a long time, please return to us," she writes.

Mexican officials are aware of the social and economic consequences to their towns and villages. But businesses and government officials on both sides of the border also acknowledge a sort of grand bargain -- the U.S. gets cheap labor, while Mexico has an outlet for its unemployed, who in turn send cash back home.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon in December, while visiting Nogales on the U.S.-Mexico border, said his country needs more foreign investment to try to keep jobs at home.

"The generation of well-paid jobs is the only long lasting solution to the migration problem," he said, according to the Associated Press.

But for now, Mexico is also addicted to the influx of cash. In 2006, Mexican workers in the United States sent $23 billion back to their families in Mexico, an amount that rivals Mexico's foreign income from oil sales.

Steven Camarota, research director for the Center for Immigration Studies, which backs less immigration and a crackdown on illegal aliens, said the women's stories show that the huge migration flow is "very disruptive to the lives of those other countries."

He said it also proves that the men aren't fleeing poverty.

"These women would not be asking their husbands to come back if they themselves were starving," he said. "It's really more of people wanting more, a better life. It's perfectly understandable. But that's different than these people fleeing such desperation there's no way you could enforce the law."

Big Surprise Al Gore Produces More Greenhouse Gases Than Average Person ... Again

Seriously I am getting tired of having to hear/write this repeatedly. Everyone needs to understand that Al Gore's "30 year journey" is a load of crap. I will update later with more.

POWER: GORE MANSION USES 20X AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD; CONSUMPTION INCREASE AFTER 'TRUTH'
Mon Feb 26 2007 17:16:14 ET

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization committed to achieving a freer, more prosperous Tennessee through free market policy solutions, issued a press release late Monday:



Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy.

Gore’s mansion, [20-room, eight-bathroom] located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).

In his documentary, the former Vice President calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home.

The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average.

Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.

Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.

Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.

“As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk to walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.

In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.

For Further Information, Contact:
Nicole Williams, (615) 383-6431
editor@tennesseepolicy.org

The Ultimate Scam

You would think/hope that there wouldn’t be people out there stupid enough to fall for this … buuuttt.

Enlightened individuals, those who stay awake at nights wondering what they can do to prevent the polar caps from melting, at least have a growing menu of choices.

Sydney-based Easy Being Green says it will mitigate your cat’s flatulent contribution to global warming for A$8 ($6). The same company could also make your granny “carbon-neutral'’ at A$10 a year.

BWAAAAHAHAHAHA!!!! It gets better!

Then there’s Carbon Planet Pty … if you are hopping on a short-haul flight between Sydney and Canberra, and feeling bad about the damage you are doing to the ecosystem, you can buy credits worth A$23, for which the Adelaide-based company will guarantee to keep 1 ton of carbon dioxide out of the air for 100 years.

That’s right … if you feel guilty that you aren’t “carbon-neutral” you can send money to these companies, and they “guarantee” that “they” will reduce carbon dioxide. They, of course, don’t tell you how they will do it (I checked), but they’ll take your money just the same.

I have sent an email to Easy Being Green in order to understand just how they will reduce carbon dioxide.

With companies like this telling you your cat’s fart will destroy the world … no wonder kids can’t sleep at night. I’m waiting for some children to go Jeffrey Dahmer on their pet in order to save the world. What happens when they turn on Granny?

Al Gore didn’t invent the carbon-neutral lifestyle … though he might tell you he did. Gore did help propel it as modern day chic. At least his website is free to calculate your carbon-neutrality. Fact is … some entrepreneur scam artist saw Gore’s website and understood that many morons are, in fact, idiots.

The idea that anyone can believe that a cat’s, dog’s, cow’s, or human’s farts/burps can destroy the world is uber asinine. To come to that conclusion you will have to believe one of two things:

1. (If religious) God has no long term plan for us, and designed us specifically to destroy the world, or worse yet … he made a mistake.
2. (If not religious) Mother Earth is suicidal. Why would Earth foster the creation of creatures whose own natural bodily functions would eventually destroy it?

Neither of those options make any sense. There is a third option you might want to explore:

• It’s all … ahem … hot air.

Even if you do believe mankind is responsible for some global warming (volcanoes contribute more than we do) … you can’t possibly believe that the flatulence of our pets and ourselves has doomed us … can you?

If you really feel so guilty about contributing to global warming … why not make an effort to curb your habits? Perhaps give Beano to every animal you come in contact with.

Why would you be so stupid as to send money to a company that will pinkie-swear “promise” that they will reduce greenhouse gases by several to hundreds of tons on your behalf? They don’t send you any products to help you become more carbon-neutral, or even go into detail about how they will use your money for that said purpose. Instead … they send you a certificate that they will “promise” to do as they promised.

I’m even willing to bet the certificate doesn’t come on recycled paper.

Like I always say: “Save the planet … eat a cow.”

Mexico Mad That Americans Are Crossing Border

This is rich ... REAL RICH!

I guess Americans went too far into Mexico for their liking ... 10 meters.

No big surprise ... the US caved.

Mexico's Congress has condemned what it says is a border violation by US workers building a controversial barrier between the two countries.

Legislators say workers and equipment building a section of the barrier have gone 10 metres (yards) into Mexico.

The alleged border violation comes ahead of a high-level meeting in the Canadian capital Ottawa.

US, Mexican and Canadian foreign ministers are to discuss border security and trade issues.

Mexican legislators said they had photographs and video, taken on Monday, of the workers and heavy-duty construction equipment that showed them about 10 metres inside Mexico near the border city of Agua Prieta and the town of Douglas, Arizona.

The Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa said she had complained to the US authorities and that the men and equipment had been withdrawn.

Continental trade concerns

In a statement, the US Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza said: "The US is sensitive to Mexican concerns... [and] has the deepest respect for the integrity of the sovereignty of Mexican soil".

He said US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff had not been in the area of the alleged incursion and recent photographs of him welding a section of the fence had been taken in a different part of Arizona on the US side of the border.

The US says it is building 700 miles (1,125km) of fencing along its border with Mexico to stop illegal immigration.

Many Mexicans see the fence as offensive and say it will be ineffective and potentially cause more deaths in border crossings.

An estimated 1.2 million illegal immigrants were arrested in 2005 trying to cross into the US via the border states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

About 11 million Mexicans are thought to live in the US, more than six million of them illegally.

Later on Friday, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is meeting her Canadian and Mexican counterparts - Peter Mackay and Patricia Espinosa - in Ottawa.

They are to discuss concerns that security measures put in place after the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US may hamper trade between the three countries.

The officials will also look at co-ordinating responses to emergencies such as a pandemic outbreak of avian flu.

Tony Garza's statement that we have the deepest respect for the sovereignty of Mexico is complete joke. While your at it Tony ... get some Mexican respect for ours.

Meanwhile ... we are allowing Mexicans to penetrate deeper into the US.

Albright - "Iraq is going to go down in history as the greatest disaster in American foreign policy"

This is laughable!

The Associated Press - ATLANTA

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Thursday that through the war in Iraq the United States has lost its moral authority, and it will be up to the next president to restore the "goodness of American power."

"I think that Iraq is going to go down in history as the greatest disaster in American foreign policy," Albright said, with former President Jimmy Carter at her side in one of a series of "Conversations at the Carter Center."

First of all ... Jimmy Carter has no business criticizing anyone else's middle east policy. He played a huge role in showing weakness to the enemy, and they grew in strength all these years in part to his inaction.

As for Albright ... he she believes we've lost our "moral authority" and "goodness?" How? In what way?

Is it that we are fighting a war at all? No that can't be. We fought a couple of conflicts under her watch.

Perhaps it's because innocent Iraqi children are getting hurt in Iraq (by the terrorists). No ... that can't be it. She doesn't care about innocent Iraqi children. She went on 60 Minutes in 1996, and was asked about the 500,000 innocent Iraqi children that have died as a result of US sanctions on Iraq ... here is her response:

Lesley Stahl on U.S. sanctions against Iraq: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price--we think the price is worth it.

--60 Minutes (5/12/96)

Worth it? That doesn't sound like the US had "moral authority" or "goodness" under her administration either. Perhaps we didn't lose our "goodness" during this administration.

Then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's quote, calmly asserting that U.S. policy objectives were worth the sacrifice of half a million Arab children.

Alexander Cockburn, New York Press, 9/26/01

Not only can she not back up her "goodness" comments with anything substantive, but she was partly responsible for North Korea's nuclear success.

As for her comment that Iraq will go down in history as the greatest disaster in American foreign policy ... I guess we'll have to see if we end up in a shooting/nuclear war with North Korea won't we?


If the picture of Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam was a smoking gun ... what is this? At least Rummy didn't have drinks with the enemy.

Iran To Get Half Of Iraq In Deal

I'm skeptical of her claim, but this is developing.


February 23rd, 2007
by Eric Black

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann claims to know of a plan, already worked out with a line drawn on the map, for the partition of Iraq in which Iran will control half of the country and set it up as a “a terrorist safe haven zone” and a staging area for attacks around the Middle East and on the United States.

She said this in a taped interview with St. Cloud Times reporter Lawrence Schumacher, which is available as a podcast. (If you go to this link, look down on the right for “download Capitolcast.”)

There are other interesting and provocative statements in the interview. But the most amazing is at the end, when the discussion turned to Iran and Iraq, Bachmann’s reasons for sticking with the stay-until-victory camp, and her beliefs, stated as established fact, that Iran has reached an agreement to divide Iraq and set up a free-terrorism zone.

Here’s the extended excerpt:

“Iran is the trouble maker, trying to tip over apple carts all over Baghdad right now because they want America to pull out. And do you know why? It’s because they’ve already decided that they’re going to partition Iraq.

And half of Iraq, the western, northern portion of Iraq, is going to be called…. the Iraq State of Islam, something like that. And I’m sorry, I don’t have the official name, but it’s meant to be the training ground for the terrorists. There’s already an agreement made.

They are going to get half of Iraq and that is going to be a terrorist safe haven zone where they can go ahead and bring about more terrorist attacks in the Middle East region and then to come against the United States because we are their avowed enemy.”

Bachmann did not say how she knew about this plan, nor with whom Iran has made this deal.


Mr. Black says he may be interviewing her later today ... we'll see.

The Death Of Common Sense

I got this in my email today, and felt it was worthy of reposting.

OBITUARY

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Mr. Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth record was long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
Why the early bird gets the worm;
Life isn’t always fair;
And, Maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.
Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate;
Teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch;
And, a teacher being fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense took a turn for the worse when parents attacked teachers for doing what they; the parents failed to do; disciplining their unruly children. He declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Tylenol, sun lotion or a Band-Aid to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 3 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else To Blame, and I’m A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, please pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Terrorists Use Another "Dirty" Bomb

Yet there is still a crowd out there that doesn't think terrorists want chemical weapons. Of course, the argument is that they wouldn't use chemical weapons if we weren't in Iraq. Kinda like they wouldn't use airplanes if we weren't in Iraq ... right?

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Insurgents exploded a truck carrying chlorine gas canisters Wednesday - the second such "dirty" chemical attack in two days - while a U.S. official said ground fire apparently forced the downing of a Black Hawk helicopter. All nine aboard the aircraft were rescued.

The attacks offer a sweeping narrative on evolving tactics by Sunni insurgents who have proved remarkably adaptable.

Military officials worry extremists may have recently gained more access to firepower such as shoulder-fired anti-aircraft rockets and heavy machine guns - and more expertise to use them. The Black Hawk would be at least the eighth U.S. helicopter to crash or be taken down by hostile fire in the past month.

The gas cloud in Baghdad, meanwhile, suggests possible new and coordinated strategies by bombers trying to unleash toxic - and potentially deadly - materials. "Terrorists are using dirty means," said Brig. Gen. Qassim Moussawi, an Iraqi military spokesman.

You can read the full article here.

More Hurricane Katrina Pork

Pork Barrel Funding

By Nick Roy, MBA, MAHRM
HR Consultant, Researcher, Business Writer

The Responsibility of Government

The U.S. Government is the largest employer in this country. It has a classic organizational structure designed to be able to run an entire country. This is a classic bureaucracy as Max Weber envisioned it in his many works. It has a CEO (the President of the United States), board of directors (Congress), and the shareholders (the registered voters of the United States).

We the people (i.e. the shareholders) vote certain people into Congress (i.e. the board of directors) to represent our interest. This the same as the board of directors of a large publicly traded company that is supposed to represent the interests of the shareholders, the people who invest their hard earned money so that corporation can operate. U.S. citizens are much like the shareholders of a corporation in that we pay taxes from our hard earned money. The shareholders expect the board of directors and top management to spend their money in a responsible manner, the same goes for Congress spending our tax dollars in a responsible manner. If they fail to perform these basic responsibilities, we the people can vote them out of office and put someone else in who can do the job.

Government Not Being Responsible

Two Louisiana senators (i.e. members of the board of directors) are each proposing a bill requesting $250 billion to rebuild the hurricane ravaged areas. What is going to get your blood boiling is how they plan to spend this money if they get this bill passed. They are planning on using your hard earn money that we pay in the form of taxes for pork. This is wasteful and irresponsible spending and they must be held accountable, much like the shareholders of a large corporation holding the board of directors and executives accountable when they don’t perform. This same concept exists here.

Here is just a sampling of the pork barrel funding that is in this proposed bill.

* $8 million for alligator farming. It seems that they care more about alligators than about people?
* $25 million for building a sugar cane research lab. This is a lab that has not even been built and therefore was not affected by the hurricane.

Oink! Oink!

These two Louisiana Senators are not acting in our (i.e. the shareholders) best interests. This is nothing more than a wish list by exploiting a tragedy and taking advantage of those that lost everything. This is not helping our fellow Americans who lost their livelihood. This is absolutely selfish. Would we be doing a disservice by allowing them to give money to do this? The money raised needs to be given to the people that lost property in the hurricane ravaged areas, such as the casino boats in Mississippi.

Yes, Louisiana and Mississippi need to be rebuilt. This is contrary to what some people are saying that we should not do. However, a system needs to be put into place that will make sure that our tax dollars are spent wisely and given to the people that need it. What if these two senators would have said this in their bill? “We want to give every homeowner who lost their home $100,000 to rebuild it.” I would be ok with that, and evaluate their performance on how well these homeowners receive their money to rebuild.

Giving $8 million for alligator farming is not how you would want your hard earned tax dollars spent. These two senators need to be held accountable much the same way as the board of directors of a major publicly held corporation. This would be a challenge since the majority of those that we the people vote to represent us are not even business people. Most of them are career politicians or lawyers. We know that these types of people don’t know how to run a business as you can see the results so far.

As Emeril Lagasse says it, “pork fat rules.” Well, it is ruling the day in Washington alright.

About The Author
Nick Roy is an HR Researcher, Consultant, and freelance business writer. His website, www.nickroy.com, currently serves 20,000 visitors every month in an effort to be a quality resource for human resources management in their companies. He currently holds a Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts in Human Resources Management from Hawaii Pacific University, and a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from Florida Metropolitan University, Fort Lauderdale. He is also currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Organizational Change from Hawaii Pacific University, with theses research on “The Impact of Technology on Human Resources and Organization Effectiveness.”

Guess What ... The Iraqis Want Us To Stay ... Again

It never ceases to amaze me how often the Iraqis say this, and are ignored. Much like the terrorists are ignored when they tell us they want to kill us, or that they support the Democrat plan.

Heads up to Michelle Malkin for the lead.

In Iraq Journal has the interview with Iraqi soldiers. Here are some excerpts:

INDC: What do you think of the American presence here? How do you feel about the Americans, and has this feeling changed over time?

Mohaned F: "We work well with them. The MiTT team teaches my soldiers something new every day. We have classes with them."

Mohaned N: "I wish to keep the US here because it is good for us. We can learn new things every day, and if we work together a long time, it will be good for the Iraqi Army."

Jabbar: "I want the US to stay a long time. We need weapons, we need training we want to work with the Americans for a very long time."

INDC: How do you view Iraq's future? What do you think is going to happen here?

Jabbar: "We have a good future."

Mohaned N: "It will be good."

Check out the whole thing. It's worth it.

Reid Is Completely Out Of Touch

So many things to touch on here. Let's start with "there isn't a Democrat calling for withdrawal." Really now. Funny thing is you mosey on over to Hillary's campaign site the same day and she has a new message discussing her proposal to "redeploy" out of Iraq (Which IS withdrawal), or she will make sure congress ends the war.

Then there is Murtha who has openly called for immediate withdrawal for some time now.

You also have Nancy Pelosi who called for quick withdrawal from Iraq. Let's see ... who else do we have?

• Al Gore
• Barack Obama
• John Kerry
• Carl Levin
• Wesley Clark
• Charlie Rangel
• Barbara Boxer
• Tom Harkin
• Here's a small list

There is more, but you get the point ... Reid lies. Even though Gore and Clark aren't in congress ... they are very influential in the Democratic party. Hence their inclusion.

Next we have Reid saying that we don't need a surge of troops, but a surge of diplomacy. Yeah Harry ... cause diplomacy worked so well before the war. It also didn't work too well when we used diplomacy with Sadr instead of killing him. Guess who the number two problem in Iraq is. Yep ... Sadr's mahdi army. We've also used diplomacy to offer amnesty for all Iraqis who committed terrorist acts, and that didn't work either. You can't chit chat Harry ... you have to kill.

Then there is the statement that Iraq is America's worst foreign policy blunder ever. Wow! How clueless can you get. I wonder what he has to say about slavery. Well, what do you expect from yet another leader who doesn't even know how long we've been in Iraq.

Remember William Jefferson? Yeah... He's Been Promoted.

Not William Jefferson Clinton, but Rep. William Jefferson (D-Louisiana). This is the same William Jefferson who:

• Five days after hurricane Katrina made landfall, utilized a National Guard detachment to recover personal effects and belongings from his home.
• This was after the truck in which he and the detachment traveled became stuck.
• The National Guard then had to mount search and rescue operations ... which included a second truck and helicopter.
• Jefferson is alleged to have received over $400,000 in bribes through a company maintained in the name of his spouse and children. This was a bribe to get the US Army to test equipment.
  
• He has been named in the guilty pleas of two associates.
• On 30 July 2005, Jefferson was videotaped by the FBI receiving $100,000 worth of 100 dollar bills in a leather briefcase at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Arlington, Virginia.
• Lori Mody, who was wearing a wire, got Jefferson on tape discussing bribing Nigerian officials.
• On 3 August 2005, FBI agents raided Jefferson's home and found $90,000 cash in the freezer, in $10,000 increments wrapped in aluminum foil and stuffed inside frozen-food containers. Serial numbers found on the currency in the freezer matched serial numbers of funds given by the FBI to their informant.
• On May 24, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi publicly requested his immediate resignation from the House Ways and Means Committee ... he refused.
• On 15 June 2006, House Democrats voted to strip Jefferson of his committee assignment.

Now Pelosi has decided to put him on the Homeland Security panel?

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) criticized the move.

"They couldn't trust him to write tax policy, so why should he be given access to our nation's top secrets or making policy for national defense?

"Members of the committee have access to intelligence secrets, plots here in the country, overseas, and people under suspicion. This shows how unimportant the Democrats think homeland security is," King said.

In true "you can't pick on anyone from New Orleans" fashion Jefferson's chief of staff, Eugene Green shot back calling King's comments:

"Ridiculous and just politics."

"Representing New Orleans as he does, we're very concerned as to what happened in the wake of Hurricane Katrina," Green said. "It's just natural for the congressman to serve his constituents on a committee of this nature."

Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA) is serving eight years and four months in prison for much the same thing as Jefferson is accused of. Cunningham pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion.

Shredding Bank Of America Cards

Guess some people are really getting ticked off.

SAN DIEGO -- A local radio show wants people to shred their Bank of America credit cards to protest the bank’s decision to offer credit cards to illegal immigrants.

A credit card shredding party was held in front of the KOGO studios in Serra Mesa.

Bank of America said the credit card is open to people without a Social Security number or credit history as long as they have had a checking account with the bank for three months.

The bank said the program would help undocumented workers build good credit.

I actually gave a similar homework assignment to my listeners on my show. I didn't want anyone to shred their cards, but simply refuse to give their social security number to the bank while doing their banking.

Several people called and told me that they were required to give their social in most circumstances. Some challenged the bank ... some didn't.

Bernie gave me a call to tell me about a fight he had with his B of A manager. He's been banking there for years, and was clearly upset about this new policy. He tried to make a deposit into one of his accounts. When he was asked for his social security number ... he refused. They said they would not take his deposit unless he has his social security number (which is odd anyway). Bernie asked for a manager after arguing with the teller about the new policy.

The manager didn't even try to give an excuse. They told Bernie that they were trying to help "these people" out. They never gave a clear reason why they didn't need a social security number from them, but they did from Bernie. He made a big enough stink that they took his deposit.

B of A doesn't have stellar security anyway, and has a history of compromising their customer's identities.

Taliban Use Children As Human Shields

Big heads up to Shawn over at BKP!

KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban fighters used children as human shields to flee heavy fighting this week during an operation by foreign and Afghan forces to clear rebels from around a key hydro-electric dam, NATO said on Wednesday.

The Taliban have used human shields before, but never children, local residents say.

The fighting occurred during Operation Kryptonite on Monday, an offensive to clear insurgents from the Kajaki Dam area in southern Helmand province to allow repairs to its power plants and the installation of extra capacity.

“During this action … Taliban extremists resorted to the use of human shields. Specifically, using local Afghan children to cover as they escaped out of the area,” Colonel Tom Collins, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), told reporters in Kabul.

The Kajaki Dam fighting was in an area where 700 mainly foreign fighters, including Chechens, Pakistanis and Uzbeks, arrived from Pakistan this week to reinforce Taliban guerrillas.

Nothing new, but needs to be repeated over and over again.

Col. Ken Allard Leaves NBC In Arkin Disgust

Big thanks to Hotair for putting it together with a tip from Olbermann Watch.

Arkin has really exposed NBC for who they are, and several of their employees have been expressing their anger with what's going on. Now Col. Allard has given a giant F.U. send off to NBC.

Nicely done Colonel ... nicely done.

Can A Comic Book Be A Textbook?

What happens when our public educational system focuses more on socio-political issues than reading, writing, math, and science? Well, you get surpassed by Europe, Asia, and several third world countries in test scores ... that's what.

To be honest ... we should have known we were in trouble when public education began talking about the three r's ... reading, writing, arithmetic. Maybe this is just the public education I received talking, but only one of the three r's actually starts with an r.

We've all heard the stories, and know there is a definite trend to NOT focus on education in many parts of the US.

• We have "textbooks" that teach about transgender society.
  
• Teachers are undergoing sex change operations during the school year in front of children.
  
• Teachers are showing movies produced by politicians that have admitted to manufacturing data because "we just don't know."
  
• Teachers giving students extra credit to skip school and protest (sometimes organized by the teachers themselves), and even making such activity a requirement.
  
• The stifling of free speech of students who don't agree with a purely political action by the school administration.
• Strict vegans and PETA are paid to speak at schools, and students are required to attend the assembly ... often several times a year.
• Four year olds are suspended for hugging teachers.
• Five year olds are accused of sexual harassment.
  
• Twelve year olds with disabilities are arrested for wetting themselves.

Then there is San Francisco dumping the JROTC program that has been there for over 90 years. We all know SF's anti-war past, and that it is the accepted birthplace of hippies. This newest endeavor is just further proof that SF is doing everything they can to alienate the rest of the population.

In spite of what you think of this war, this president, or any political party ... this, or this, is not acceptable.

Ronald Reagan hugging Osama Bin Laden, corporate America celebrating the spoils of war, a cartoon view of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal isn't off limits in this comic book -- "Addicted to War -- Why the U.S. Can't Kick Militarism."

Who would put in the effort to make sure this anti-military comic book gets used in the classroom?

Four thousand copies of Addicted to War: Why the U.S. Can't Kick Militarism, by Joel Andreas, have been purchased and donated to the San Francisco Unified School District using contributions gathered by local peace activist Pat Gerber.

So a peace activist can purchase a comic book, and get it approved as supplemental curriculum?
Really? Can a pro-war activist do the same?

Is it possible to get "The Blog of War" approved as a first hand look at what it's like in Iraq? How about "Because They Hate" to give us an insiders look at terrorism. Perhaps "Defeating Jihad: How the War on Terrorism Can Be Won, in Spite of Ourselves" ... that one would be particularly fitting to counter this comic, or does it have to be in comic book form?

Maybe we can start playing movies to help make the case of why we went into Iraq. Movies like "Weapon of Mass Destruction, The Murderous Reign of Saddam Hussein." After all, Fahrenheit 9/11 has been played in schools.

Of course you won't find that kind of acceptance because San Francisco hates the military.

The San Francisco School Board voted out the JROTC program because they said "public schools are no place for the military." This is, of course, flawed. Especially since the district gets federal funds dealing with this matter. Yet they won't give up those funds without a fight. If there is no place for the military ... then there is no place for military discussion. If you are going to have an anti-military discussion ... you should have a pro-military discussion as well. Let the kids make up their minds by giving them a level playing field. What are you so scared of?

I do not find it to be a coincidence that SF gets rid of JROTC, and approves an anti-military comic book a few months later.

This isn't an issue with the Iraq War or (R) vs (D). This comic bashes the entire military history of the United States back to the Revolution. It's not anti-Bush ... it's anti-history. The irony is that Democrats will end up on the losing end of the conflict debate in this comic. Why? Because more Americans have died as a result of wars conducted by Democrats than Republicans.

Sooner or later both parties are going to have to listen to parents on these issues. Not only because our education system is on the slide ... but because they pay the bills. If both parties are comfortable with a pacifist giving anecdotal history lessons that hold them both in a bad light rather than focusing on world class education ... then this country may pay a price.

Myspace Not Guilty In Sex Assault

The Washington Post reports that Myspace has been found to NOT be liable in a case where a teenage girl was assaulted. Finally ... we have a judge who can make a coherent decision in frivolous lawsuit cases.

Yesterday, a Texas judge tossed out a lawsuit against MySpace, the world's biggest social-networking site brought by the family of a 13-year-old girl assaulted by a man who found her through her MySpace page.

The man, 19-year-old Pete Solis of Texas, lied about himself on his MySpace page to gain the trust of the girl, who is identified as Julie Doe in the suit. He was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a child last year.

Doe's family sued MySpace for $30 million and their case was joined by other families who had experienced similar assaults. MySpace is owned by Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp, and is fighting legislative efforts to restrict access to the site at school and library computers.

In dismissing the suit, the judge wrote: "To impose a duty under these circumstances for MySpace to confirm or determine the age of each applicant, with liability resulting from negligence in performing or not performing duty, would of course stop MySpace's business in its tracks and close this avenue of communication..."

In the end, according to the judge, "If anyone had a duty to protect Julie Doe, it was her parents, not MySpace."

I can't believe a judge actually held parents responsible for protecting their children in this day and age. Any assault by a sexual predator is horrendous, and I wish they would execute this guy. However, to blame a website for your child's indiscretions is ludicrous.

There have been several parents who seem unable to find the time, or admit their children are whoring around with strangers, who have been suing Myspace because the site hasn't been doing a proper job of supervising the parent's kids. All of these lawsuits are frivolous, and should be dismissed with little effort.

I have often asked people what their reaction would be if an adult man were to sue Myspace because he was assaulted by a teenage girl. The reaction is always one of confusion that such a case would ever exists. Yet ... that is exactly what happened in Jacksonville.

A Jacksonville man says he was duped and robbed by two girls after attempting to meet with a woman he met on the internet.

The victim says he chatted online with a woman, known on her MySpace.com profile as “Natalia”, for two weeks before deciding to meet with her. He says her profile showed sexy photos, and a blurb which said “just lookin’ for something fun”.

They decided to meet at what she called her home at the Bentley Green Apartments.

“I went to [the apartment] and knocked on the door, and there was no answer. So I called her and said, ‘I'm here’ and there was no answer."

That is when two girls who were 14 and 15-years-old, approached him saying they knew Natalia, the girl he thought he'd be meeting. They also said they knew where he worked at what car he drove.

"This was not the girl that the picture was of on MySpace," the victim said.

Now sensing something was wrong, he was ready to take off, but was stopped by a shocking discovery.

"[One of the girls] took [a] gun out and put it to my head and told me to empty my pockets."

Police did a search of the area and found the two teens with another male suspect. They searched a purse and found two loaded handguns.

Myspace.com may have been developed for friends and music, but this victim had to find out the hard way that not everyone is logging on for the right reasons.

The so-called Natalia did tell the victim that she was 18, so he was shocked to learn he was actually talking to a 14-year-old.

Those teenagers are now charged with armed robbery and carrying a concealed firearm.

This story broke just a day or two after the Texas story. Guess which one got the media attention? In fact ... several other stories about young girls too stupid to not meet up with strangers from Myspace broke in the next few weeks. There were also several lawsuits filed against Myspace for not preventing these young girls from being assaulted, but no mention of this poor GUY who was robbed at gunpoint by a couple of teenage girls.

Why is it that the little media coverage available on this guy says that "this victim had to find out the hard way?" Why didn't the girls who were assaulted have to find out the hard way? What makes it so ok for them to sue Myspace for their own lack of judgement, but it's taboo to suggest that this guy should sue Myspace as well for not protecting him? Oh yeah ... parents exploiting their kids for money ... I forgot.

Even Al-Zawahri Knows The Dems Aren't Accomplishing Anything

AQ's number two guy is smarter than we give him credit for. He basically said that the Dems won't change anything in Iraq, and he's right. At least as long as they keep debating non-binding resolutions on our dime.

"The people chose you due to your opposition to Bush's policy in Iraq, but it appears that you are marching with him to the same abyss," al-Zawahri told the Democrats according to the transcript.

Perhaps he is pushing the Dems into more action to get us out of Iraq. Now why would he want to do that? Hmmm ... I wonder.

Meanwhile the debate in the House on the non-binding resolution opposing the troop surge got underway today.

Each of the House's 435 members and five delegates were being allotted five minutes to speak on the issue.

5 x 440 = 36.66 hours of potential debate that you and I are paying for. And for what? Nothing ... literally. This is equivalent to over 4 1/2 8 hour days that they are wasting to prove a point.

Based on the average salary of $165,200 per representative (high ranking officials get more) we will have literally thrown more than $2,661,555 down the toilet because the Dems want to prove a point. This whole "debate" amounts to little more than a campaign commercial. To top it off ... the Dems aren't allowing amendments, or a GOP alternative. So it really isn't a debate after all.

The funny thing is that there doesn't seem to be an outcry against this non-action action. Remember when Republicans were debating the flag burning amendment, and the public heat they got for not dealing with "more important" issues? Hell, at least that would have been a law. This is nothing at all!

Pelosi and her colleagues are fumbling all over themselves to get some coherent statement together, but all they do is contradict themselves.

"No more blank checks for President Bush on Iraq," Pelosi declared.

Meanwhile ... she continues to give Bush blank checks for funding every time he asks.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md, insisted:

"There will be no defunding of troops in the field. There will be no defunding which will cause any risk to the troops."

Does that amount to a blank check?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called the House resolution "perfect." Kind of like his ability to get away with ethics violations.

Teacher Convicted In Porn Malware Case Was Not Allowed To Turn Off Computer

This is an update about Julie Amero ... the teacher facing 40 years for pornographic pop-ups on her computer in class. Read more about the case here.

It now seems she was told not to turn the computer off.

Amero, who calls pornography exploitative, says she was under strict orders not to shut the computer off. "I did everything I possibly could to keep them from seeing anything," she said.

Even the principal admitted the computer wasn't protected against malware because they didn't pay a bill.

Principal Scott Fain, who said he was surprised Amero was prosecuted, said the computer lacked the latest firewall protection because a vendor's bill went unpaid.

You can go over to boston.com and read the latest.

Rep. Norwood Dies ... Guess What HuffPo Is Saying

Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA) has passed away -- RIP.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood, 65, passed away this morning at his Augusta home following an extensive battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and non-small cell lung cancer.

Michelle Malkin has more on his career and passing today.

I figured I'd poke around some of the liberal blogs to see what they were saying, and found typical hate-filled butt-vomit. Check out some of the comments at the Huffington Post

1 down, 201 left!

By: DeltaTango


A lung transplant recipient shows how pig headed and stubborn this GOP must have been. He reserved his right to smoke up to the bitter end. NO attempt to reform his eating and drinking habits I suspect, just trust the Expensive Doctors to bail him out time after time, and to hell with all the poor who cant afford proper medical and dental treatment.

While Medicare covers most medical procedures approx. 80%, it still does NOT cover dental needs. He voted to send the money to Iraq rather than spend it on his own fellow Americans. He voted to cut the budget to the VA and send said money to Iraq.

We now have one less Compassionate Conservative.

By: PeacePilgrimPerson


Wow. A bible-thumpin', gun-totin', tobacky-chawin', Jeezis-lovin', homo-hatin' Republican, and God didn't save him? I thought God was supposed to save him! Oh wait, I'm sure he'll be rewarded in "Heaven" for all of the above. My bad.

Any death of a human is to be mourned, but it is harder for me when it is someone who has belonged, proudly, to a party who has hurt so many.

By: charlot


ZZZAP...evil minus one.

By: razzldazzle

Gotta love the compassionate, caring, understanding liberal left. You know you can always count on them to attack someone personally. Even if that person has passed away THAT DAY!

Update:

I want to direct you over to the Democratic Underground for their treatment of Norwood's death. They have been very respectful, and I would like to thank them sincerely. Even if they are using the opportunity to attack other sites on "what if" scenarios. At least for this moment in time the DU has shown themselves to be above their peers.

Illegals Can Get Credit Cards ... While Many Americans Can't

Bank of America is taking it to the next level when it comes to making illegals feel at home ... well, actually better than home. The Wall Street Journal is reporting today on a program that gives credit cards to people without social security numbers, or credit history.

In the latest sign of the U.S. banking industry's aggressive pursuit of the Hispanic market, Bank of America Corp. has quietly begun offering credit cards to customers without Social Security numbers -- typically illegal immigrants.

Rueters is also picking up on it.

The new Bank of America card is open to people who lack both a Social Security number and a credit history, as long as they have held a checking account with the bank for three months without an overdraft.

I guess B of A tested it last year in LA, and plans to go national with the program later this year.

This is really the ultimate insult to Americans ... especially low-income households that have gotten themselves into financial trouble in the past, and no longer qualify for credit. I don't know if this is going to be a high interest prepay card, or if it is equal to typical credit cards. Either way it's a no bueno idea.

Illegals can already get houses when many Americans can't qualify, and now it's being expanded to credit as well.

You can look at this in two different ways. Either it is a money grab scheme by a large bank to make money off of people who don't fully understand our credit system, and will no doubt get into trouble. Plus they have to open a bank account at B of A, and anyone who has banked with them before knows they are a fee happy vacuum. Or you can look at it as giving another privilege to illegals that many Americans can no longer get without serious headaches.

It amazes me that you must have a good credit history (accessed by your social security number) to qualify for credit, but if you don't have a social security number you can get that same credit.

Funny thing is how many of these illegals will get credit from this bank after stealing American's identities, and ruining their credit standing. Can you say two for the price of one? While hard working Americans struggle to clean up their credit, in an already corrupt credit system, because of identity theft ... their attackers will be getting a shiny new credit card from Bank of America.

Iran To Drop Nuclear Program?

Iran no longer needs their nuclear program to accomplish what they wanted to accomplish. Could it be possible that they will dismantle their program in order to avert a potential conflict with the west?

In my previous column "The Myth Of Iran's Nukes" I told you why Iran was so determined to have heavy-water nuclear reactors. Remember that Iran has turned down several offers from the west to receive free light-water reactors. If you aren't aware ... it is far easier to manufacture nuclear weapons if you have heavy-water reactors. Light-water reactors make it extremely difficult and expensive to manufacture nuclear weapons ... it is also much easier for the global community to monitor your actions. Since Iran turned down several free light-water reactors the world naturally believed that Iran was not interested in nuclear power, but rather becoming a nuclear power.

Iran, however, cleared all of those fears up in August 2006 by outlining the true reason they wanted heavy-water reactors ... to cure cancer and AIDS.

Mohammad Sa’idi, International Affairs Deputy in the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, was interviewed on the Iranian News Channel (IRINN) on August 27, 2006.

Interviewer: You just said that in some cases, heavy water can even be used for drinking.

Mohammad Sa’idi: Yes.

Interviewer: Could you elaborate on this?

Mohammad Sa’idi: One of the products of heavy water is depleted deuterium. As you know, in an environment with depleted deuterium, the reception of cancer cells and of the AIDS viruses is disrupted. Since this reception is disrupted, the cells are gradually expelled from the body. Obviously, one glass of depleted deuterium will not expel or cure the cancer or eliminate the AIDS. We are talking about a certain period of time. In many countries that deal with these diseases, patients use this kind of water instead of regular water, and consume it daily in order to heal their diseases.

In other words, the issue of heavy water has to do with matters of life and death, in many cases. One of the reasons that led us to produce heavy water was to use it for agricultural… medical purposes, and especially for industrial purposes in our country.

There you have it! The reason Iran refused to accept several offers of free nuclear energy via light-water reactors is that they wanted to cure disease by drinking deuterium water. As you know ... the world was immediately set at ease, and threw in their unyielding support for Iran's attempts to cure diseases that even the best modern medicine cannot cure. What a selfless act by a fine upstanding member of the global community. Iran put us all to shame with such a noble gesture.

Literally a couple of weeks later Iran announced a major breakthrough in AIDS research.

TEHRAN, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Iran's Ministry of Health claimed to have made a medical breakthrough with a formula to control symptoms of AIDS.

The state-controlled IRNA news agency quoted an unidentified ministry employee as saying, "The research studies to find out a formula to cure AIDS was initiated during the tenure of two former health ministers and have led to useful results."

Former Minister of Health and Medical Education Dr. Mohammad Farhadi said the chemical and herbal treatment appeared effective on other immune disorders as well.

"The theory was to determine whether or not it is possible to boost the immunity system of the body. Some 60 projects were initiated to attain the result," Farhadi said in the IRNA report.

The announcement came a day before an international meeting to discuss U.N. sanctions against Iran for refusing to curtail the enrichment of uranium or allow its monitoring.

Wow ... what an announcement! Just a few short weeks after telling the world they wanted to cure cancer and AIDS ... they had a major breakthrough in the research. While all of this was happening ... Iran's nuclear program has continued to go forward in its efforts to cure these diseases. Finally, we've been rewarded for our patience with Iran.

Fars News Agency, Feb. 3 -- After 7 long years of arduous work, Iranian scientists here on Saturday introduced a herbal medicine which cures Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

"The drug named 'IMOD' is completely effective and safe with no proved side effects," Iran's Minister of Health, Treatment and Medical Training Kamran Bagheri Lankarani said during a ceremony at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Hospital.

The Iranian AIDS drug strengthens immunity system of the patients against HIV and provides a more qualitative life for the affected population.

The Islamic Republic News Agency confirmed the claim.

IRNA, Feb 3 -- Minister of Health Kamran Baqeri Lankarani on Saturday said that Iran's young scientists have discovered herbal medicine that can control the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus in an infected person.

"The medicine is produced from herbs using nano technology," he said.

"The herbal medicine effectively controls the spread of the AIDS virus in the blood system and increases a person's immunity," he said while addressing a ceremony to honor great achievements of young Iranian scientists.

The medicine, called IMOD, was invented by 15 research centers after four to five years of work. It has been tested on 200 volunteer patients.

IMOD is the fifth generation of medicines against AIDS in the world. The first generation of medicines prevents the spread of the virus and the second prevents infection with the virus.

The third generation prevents the spread of the AIDS virus in a patient while the fourth boosts the body's immunity.

Deputy Health Minister for Food and Medicine Rassoul Dinarvand told IRNA here Saturday that the herbal medicine against AIDS will be mass produced and made available to the public.

He added that the medicine will not kill the HIV virus but will effectively block its spread in the body.

They've done it! I can't believe we all doubted the honorable intentions of Iran's nuclear program. Since their admitted goal was to cure cancer and AIDS by drinking by-products of heavy-water reactors, and that goal has been attained, they no longer need the heavy-water reactors. Which means they will surely accept the light-water reactors the west has offered them on numerous occasions. In fact, they didn't even need any of the nuclear by-products. They said the medicine is herbal which means they didn't use any nuclear material at all. Thank God this crisis is now over.

Surely Iran will abandon their current nuclear program in favor of a more accepted program with the west ... in order to bridge relations ... unless.

Wait a minute ...

• Iran threatened Israel and the U.S. several times recently.
  
• Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the U.S. and Israel will be destroyed.
  
• Weapons grade uranium has been found in Iran.
• Iran has kicked out several weapons inspectors.
• Iranian supported Hezbollah started a war with Israel.
• The U.S. has caught high ranking Iranian military personnel, and diplomats assisting the terrorists.
• Newly manufactured Iranian weapons have been found with insurgents in Iraq.
• There are reports that North Korea is sharing their nuclear weapons test info with Iran.
• Iranian officials were present for those tests.
• No nuclear technology was necessary for the AIDS research.
• And now a top Iranian cleric is saying that the U.S. is within firing range.

OH MY GOD! IRAN IS SEEKING NUCLEAR WEAPONS!

Another Letter From A GI In Iraq

Here is another letter from some boots on the ground in Iraq on just what they really think.

The following is a commentary by Spc. Todd Selge. His unit, the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, is currently deployed to Iraq.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Nov. 8, 2006) – When you hear news about the war in Iraq you usually hear it from a high-level Army spokesperson or you hear the media describe it as “another deadly day.” The view on the ground from the Soldier’s perspective is often overlooked.

We are the ones who live the conflict every day, who see the progress day-to-day. We are the ones who experience the sorrows, who interact with the people, and who see the enemy’s effort to undo every good thing the Iraqi people and coalition forces have done.

What every Soldier wants is to succeed in our mission and go home to our families. The things we do each day allow us the ability to do just that. My unit, 3rd Platoon, Company A, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry, has seen many successes.

The most important is getting the Iraqi security forces organized and capable of handling every problem that may arise in the future. Accomplishing this happens on all levels, from the commanders down to the average private.

We have a training program through which Iraqi Army soldiers learn the same basic tasks every U.S. Army Soldier knows. The American Soldiers develop friendships with the Iraqi soldiers and police. We joke, eat, talk about family and conduct missions together. Every day, Soldiers are working hand-in-hand with Iraqis, teaching them to succeed in their jobs.

Since we have been here, the Iraqi security forces have been the main effort – finding countless caches, killing or capturing anti-Iraqi personnel and thwarting attacks targeted at coalition forces. They continue to undermine the enemy and gain the confidence of their fellow countrymen.

We are also building important and long-lasting relationships with the residents of surrounding communities. We go to schools and neighborhoods giving the kids backpacks full of supplies, handing out candy and hearing the concerns of the people. We ask about their basic services, such as food, water, electricity and fuel. We hand out cards with hotline numbers to address any problems, and we share handshakes.

We see the smiles of a hopeful generation and we see the efforts of the anti-Iraqi forces to shatter these dreams. There has been a major effort by AIF to sell and hand out a wide variety of realistic-looking toy guns. The AIF’s hope is for the Iraqi army and coalition forces to engage the children, but with constant training and the help of the communities, we will yet again foil their plans to promote chaos and hatred.

Every day we interact and help Iraq grow, we are one more day closer to success and one day closer to seeing our families.

What does the average Soldier think every day?

He wants to accomplish the mission. He wants to see the smiles of the Iraqi people last. He is grateful for everything he has back home and he wishes the very same freedom he is fighting for upon the country of Iraq.

Bush Requests Record Budget For VA

President Bush's new VA budget is a landmark request which will make the VA budget 77% higher than when he took office. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs:

President Bush will seek a landmark budget of nearly $87 billion in fiscal year 2008 for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), with health care and disability compensation for veterans receiving the majority of the spending.

Though many liberals have attacked Bush for reducing benefits ... he has, in fact, been increasing them since he took office.

Former Border Agent Attacked In Prison

According to the El Paso Times:

Family members of Ignacio Ramos, the former El Paso Border Patrol agent imprisoned for shooting a drug smuggler in the buttocks and not reporting it, said Ramos was beat up by other inmates Saturday.

WND has more on the incident:

Ramos's wife Monica and father-in-law Joe Loya confirmed that Ramos says he was assaulted in prison on Saturday night by a group of five Spanish inmates who Ramos took to be illegal immigrants.

You can read the full WND article here.

It also appears the bullet was never matched to Ramos' weapon. WND is all over this case. It is particular interesting that Davila attempted to smuggle even more drugs into the US, was caught again, and was extended amnesty for that charge as well in exchange for his testimony. NOT ONE THING about the case makes sense. Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of WND's articles to find more stories on the case.

Military To Get Pay Raise

One reason why the military overwhelmingly likes Bush is that he keeps giving them a pay raise. An E-1 now starts off at $1203.90 ... compared to the $830 something I received under Clinton. In 2000 the National Defense Authorization Act directed that pay raises for 2000 through 2006 would automatically be one-half percent above the private-sector wage increases.

This was a huge change in the way the military gets paid. Prior to that time the cap was one-half percent below the private-sector. The military just got a 2.2% pay increase in January, and Bush has asked for an increase of 3% next year. That is, of course, if his budget is approved.

New Baghdad Offensive Set To Begin

I've been telling everyone on my show that something big was going to happen in early 2007. Most of the intel has been pretty quiet until recently. This isn't really a surprise, but there will be some surprises for everyone beyond this new offensive.

By Dean Yates

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S.-Iraqi campaign to stabilize Baghdad will begin soon and the offensive against militants will be on a scale never seen during four years of war, American officers said on Sunday.

Briefing a small group of foreign reporters, three American colonels who are senior advisers to the Iraqi army and police in Baghdad said a command center overseeing the crackdown would be activated on Monday.

"The expectation is the plan will be implemented soon thereafter," Colonel Doug Heckman, senior adviser to the 9th Iraqi Army division, said at a U.S. military base in Baghdad.

"It's going to be an operation unlike anything this city has seen. It's a multiple order magnitude of difference, not just a 30 percent, I mean a couple hundred percent," he added, referring to previous offensives that failed to stem bloodshed.

The plan will involve U.S. and Iraqi forces sweeping the capital's neighborhoods for militants and illegal weapons and then holding cleared areas. But some analysts fear that as in previous crackdowns, militants will simply melt away and wait them out, or strike in areas where they are not deployed.

All three officers sought to talk up the ability of Iraq's forces to perform better than in previous crackdowns.

Their comments came a day after a suicide truck bomb killed 135 people in a mainly Shi'ite area of Baghdad, the single biggest bombing since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

The joint offensive is seen as a last-ditch effort to halt all-out civil war between minority Sunni Arabs and politically dominant majority Shi'ites.

President Bush is sending 21,500 reinforcements, most earmarked for the Baghdad offensive.

Critics of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki say an offensive last summer failed because the Iraqi army committed too few troops and because he was reluctant to confront the Mehdi Army of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

The firebrand cleric is a key political ally of Maliki.

NO BARRIERS

Asked if the Mehdi Army's stronghold in Sadr City would be cleaned out, Heckman acknowledged the political sensitivity but said all options were open.

"If we feel we need to clear Sadr City to bring stability, we will do that. Are there restrictions that will not allow us to do that? Right now there are not," Heckman said.

Maliki has vowed the crackdown will tackle militants across the sectarian divide. The Pentagon has said the Mehdi Army poses a greater threat to peace in Iraq than Sunni Islamist al-Qaeda.

The Baghdad command center that will begin operations on Monday will be headed by an Iraqi general. However, U.S. troops will not take orders from Iraqi officers.

Colonel Chip Lewis, senior adviser to a national police division in Baghdad, said the Iraqi security forces were more confident than they were before the last offensive. At that time, some Iraqi units did not show up.

Heckman said the offensive would gradually build up.

There was anecdotal evidence some militias had sought to melt away ahead of the campaign, the officers added.

"The end of the summer is when we should see some concrete results and be able to say is this working or not," Heckman said. That would be around September.

One problem that bedeviled last summer's offensive was the reluctance of Iraqi soldiers in the regionally recruited army to be deployed in the capital, far from their homes and families.

This time soldiers will get pay bonuses to come to Baghdad and will be given a finite tour of duty, so they know their deployment will not be open-ended, the American officers said.

Another difference would be the establishment of what the officers called joint security stations, which will be set up in nine Baghdad districts and where Iraqi and American troops will live and patrol side-by-side.

A GI's View Of Iraq

A listener, and friend, of mine recently sent this letter to me. It was written by SPC "Doc" Shurley of 2/5 Cav, 1st CB in Iraq. It's basically his thoughts on the surge, and the whole situation over there.

Since the lefties refuse to listen to the military, and attack them when they speak out against the anti-war movement ... I figured I would give our people a voice here. Enjoy.

Following the article I sent about Bush's national address and troop increase, I thought it was a good idea to let you all know what the perspective is over here. I'm tired of hearing the media's skewed version, the politicians squabbling over what they read in a report, and the average ill-informed American ranting about things he knows NOTHING about.

I've been over here a couple of months now, and I've learned more about this country than a year's worth of watching CNN. I've sat in mission briefs with Colonels, talked with village elders, had tea with Shieks, played with the kids. And I agree with the President. We need more troops and we need to take greater action.

There are 3 major factions here. The Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. The Shiites are in the majority, but Saddam was a Sunni, so he kept the Shiites in check. Everyone hates the Kurds, who are Christian and in the vast minority. The Kurds received the brunt of Saddam's murderous tyranny. Now that Saddam is gone, the Shiites have taken control of Baghdad . The largely peaceful Sunnis are now the victims of radical Shiite terrorism. So the young Sunni men, who can no longer go to work and support their families, do what all young men would do. They join the Sunni militia and battle the Shiites. And thus the country sits on the brink of civil war.

But this war is between them. They largely do not concern themselves with the U.S. troops. The insurgents who battle the Coalition Forces are from outside the country. And the biggest problem down here isn't the insurgents. Its the politicians. The local politicians. Even though the country is controlled by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, downtown Baghdad is controlled by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The Shiites follow al-Sadr and thus the Prime Minister does what al-Sadr says. Think of it as if a warlord controlled New York and blackmailed the President into diplomatic immunity.

When 1st Cav (mainly 2/5 Cav) came here in 2004, they took downtown Baghdad (known as Sadr City ) by force. It cost many lives, but after a year, we held an iron grip on the largest insurgent breeding ground in Iraq . The insurgents were afraid of the Horse People, and rightfully so. But when 1st Cav left, al-Sadr influenced the Prime Minister to kick out the Coalition forces from that area of Baghdad .. He said the Iraqi military forces could hold the city. But all that happened was al-Sadr regained control of his cty, and it is now a heavily guarded fortress. A place where insurgents and terrorists can train and stockpile arms. And we cannot go back in becuase the Prime Minister won't let us. Our hands are tied.

So where does al-Sadr get his backing? From Iran and Syria . Iran supplies him with money and Syria supplies the terrorists. The insurgents that battle the Coalition Forces are from Syria , Somalia and dozens of other places outside of Iraq . Iraq is literally a terrorist breeding ground. They have terrorist and sniper schools here. Why not? They train by teaching them to attack the military forces here. And they have an endless supply of these training tools. They have factories in Sadr City to build bombs. Both Iran and Syria have openly proclaimed their number one goal in life is to destroy the great Western Devil and the little Western Devil ( America and Britain ). Iran wants to control Iraq to further this purpose. Al-Sadr will get to "run" the country and live like a king, but in reality Iran will pull the puppet strings. Iran will have access to thousands of radical Shiites who will do whatever al-Sadr tells them to. And Iraq will be used as a breeding ground for terrorism. Terrorism that will be targeted directly at America and Britain . The Iraq Study Group advised we should let Iran and Syria help with rebuilding? Bravo to President Bush for striking that idea down and vowing to keep those two countries out of Iraq.

So how do the Iraqi people feel about everything? Of course they don't want the Americans here. But they would far rather have us here than the Iranians. My platoon visited an average Sunni village on a patrol a few days ago. Their only source of income was to farm, as they could not go to the city to work for fear of violence. Many of the young men had already run off to join the militia for no other reason than to feed their families. They had no school or hospital near them and the community was dying. The village elder's granddaughter was very sick and I was able to treat her. Afterwards he invited me and my Platoon Leader to sit in his house and have tea with him, and we talked about the situation.

The people want peace. The Shiites kill the Sunnis because al-Sadr tells them to do so The Sunnis fight back because they have no choice. They are glad Saddam is dead (Sunni or not), but do not want to replace him with another dictator in a politician's clothes (which is what al-Sadr will become). And they especially don't want Iran in charge. Many innocent Iraqis will die if this happens. These are the words that came out of the elder's mouth:

"We do not want America here, and America does not want to be here. But you cannot leave because the militias controll the country. America must use the might of its giant army and sweep through, root out and destroy the militias. Then Iraq can be free and you can leave."

What appears to have happened within our diplomatic community, is that Prime Minister finally realizes that his days are numbered. If al-Sadr remains, he will be kicked to the curb. So hopefully he is about to allow us to reenter Sadr City , root out and destroy the enemy. A dramatic troop increase will allow us to do this. And the Horse People are back and ready to finish what they started over 2 years ago.

If leave now, it will be a failure for democracy. Iran will contoll Iraq and the end result will be more terrorist attacks on America . The American people don't want soldiers dying over here, but its better than American civilians dying over there. Do NOT forget 9/11. They will do it again. The moment we loosen our grip on the noose, they will do it again. And the only way to root out the evil here is to stop beating around the bush, increase troops and destroy the insurgents once and for all. The Iraqi government cannot do this on their own. The Iraqi security forces are inadequate for this task. We are the only ones who can stop al-Sadr.

Feel free to share this with whomever wants a real soldier's opinion about the war.


SPC "Doc" Shurley
2/5 Cav, 1st CB

Teacher Convicted Of Being A Victim Of Cyber Crime

In one of the most disgusting abuses of law ... a substitute teacher was sentenced to up to 40 years in prison for exposing her class to porn. Julie Amero was convicted of four counts of exposing a minor to injury.

She is the victim of a broken legal system, inept police work, and a school needing to pass the buck to an innocent person.

It appears that the school wasn't monitoring their PC's for spyware, and had shut off their spyware programs, and adult filters on the day in question. Well, guess what happened? Spyware infected the system, and began displaying pop-ups of adult material. Amero tried to close the windows that popped up on the screen ... only to find more pop-ups ... well, popping up. This is a common issue with spyware that is designed to generate "click" revenue.

Computer expert W. Herbert Horner tried to explain this very simple concept to the court. However, he was contradicted by an ignorant, inept police detective named Mark Lounsbury. Lounsbury claimed someone had accessed adult material by clicking on links. WELL NO F---ING DUH ... MORON! DON'T YOU THINK YOU WOULD PANIC A LITTLE IF YOU WERE A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER AND PORN STARTS POPPING UP ON A COMPUTER? DON'T YOU REALIZE THAT WHILE YOU WERE FRANTICALLY TRYING TO CLOSE THE WINDOWS YOU MIGHT INADVERTENTLY CLICK ON A LINK?

Oh yeah ... Lounsbury admitted there was no search made for adware, which can generate pop-up advertisements. You've got to be kidding me! Why wouldn't you check for malware of any kind in a case like this?

According to prosecutor David Smith, the police didn't check for malware because the defense didn't raise the possibility of a malware attack during the pretrial phase, as required by law.

So what exactly did Herbert Horner, the proprietor of the consulting firm Contemporary Computing Consultants, testify to in court?

His exhaustive independent forensic analysis of Amero's hard drive showed that the machine had been infected with multiple pieces of malicious software before she arrived at the school, and that these hidden programs were responsible for the pornographic deluge.

Horner arrived in court with two laptops filled with the voluminous records of his investigation. However, the judge only let him present two slides. Prosecutor Smith objected because his team hadn't been previously informed about the malware defense.

According to AlterNet:

ComputerCOP Pro, the software the police used to audit Amero's computer, is an automated user-friendly tool search tool designed for routine monitoring. It is not designed to definitively distinguish between user-generated clicks and the effects of malware.

Compared to Horner, the prosecution's expert witness has little formal IT training. Detective Lounsbury has completed two two-week FBI training seminars on computer security and other continuing education programs.

Another program called Pasco showed that malware had automatically redirected Amero's browser. Horner stressed that this particular form of hijacking is invisible to ComputerCOP Pro.

There is tons more to the case, and you can read the full article here. It also explains where the malware came from.

She also notified the school of the problem that day which is hardly the actions of a guilty porn addict.

Some of the discrepancies of the case was that she physically pushed a students face away from the screen when she noticed he was looking at it, and that she didn't unplug the computer. I'm thinking she pushed him away because she was protecting him, and not unplugging the computer is hardly worth 40 years.

I myself went to school, and graduated, for network systems administration. Basically, setting up computer networks, and protecting them from malicious attacks ... including malware. I have certifications, and real world professional experience in this particular matter. I assure you ... she was the scapegoat for the school involved, and the victim of a police department with inferior IT knowledge to handle the most basic of cyber cases.