A Sailor in the Desert

The VP Debate

2008-10-04T16:53:00.004-04:00

I have been off working some weird hours and working for McCain/Palin here in the swing state of Nevada. Naturally I have been following the campaign and I am of the opinion that Sarah cleaned Joe's clock. The thing that is pissing me off, however, is how the Obama surrogates in the MSM have let old Joe get away with the lies he told during the debate. The NY Post has them listed so here they are!

For all the focus on Sarah Palin's graceful performance in Thursday's vice presidential showdown, a more significant spectacle was taking place behind the other rostrum.
That's where Joe Biden, speaking with the pompus self-importance befitting his 36 years in the Senate, told one baffling fib after another.

Some, of course, were just Biden being Biden. He smeared Dick Cheney as "the most dangerous vice president we've had probably in American history."

To which we must take specific offense: After all, the founder of this newspaper, Alexander Hamilton, was killed in a duel by then-Vice President Aaron Burr.
(Certainly Burr was a better shot than Cheney.)
But that's a matter of opinion.

Not so, some other Biden gems:
* It's "simply not true" that Barack Obama said he'd meet Iran's president without preconditions, Biden insisted.

Yet when Obama was asked if he would in a debate during the primaries, he said yes - a position Biden back then termed "naive."

* Biden said he's "always supported" clean-coal technology - after stating emphatically only last month, "We're not supporting clean coal."

* Biden asserted - repeatedly - that the US spends more money on three weeks' combat in Iraq than it's spent in Afghanistan since the war began.
That claim's only remotely intelligible if he limits Afghan expenditures merely to US rebuilding efforts - and even then, he's off by a factor of three, according to State Department numbers.

* Also on Afghanistan, Biden insisted - repeatedly - that "our commanding general in Afghanistan said the surge principle in Iraq will not work" there.
That may not be an out-and-out lie, but it took supposed foreign-policy neophyte Sarah Palin to bring any context or nuance to the statement.
What Gen. David McKiernan had said was that tribal realities in Afghanistan are very different than in Iraq - requiring a different form of cooperation.
But he flatly said more troops, and more local engagement, are needed.
Sounds like a surge to us.

* Then there was what might have been the biggest head-scratcher of the night. Said Biden of the Bush administration's supposed Middle East follies:
"When . . . along with France, we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon, I said and Barack said, 'Move NATO forces in there. Fill the vacuum, because if you don't, Hezbollah will control it."

Huh?

Assuming that Biden was referring to when, in 2005, American and French pressure helped the Lebanese people kick Syrian troops out of Lebanon, who ever thought NATO occupation of that deeply divided country was a good idea?

As if America's NATO allies would have gone in the first place.

But hey, as long as it makes Biden sound presidential.

At some point, Americans have to wonder: Is this a fellow who should be a heartbeat away from the White House?

Sarah beat old Joe hands down, by being Sarah! Time the McCain campaign lets her loose! - Sailor

Help Our Wounded Troops!

2008-07-31T19:09:00.004-04:00

Our troops have given their all and more to keep us safe and free. It has not been an easy thime for them or their families. Now, for some of our troops and their families, things have gone from bad to worse. Many of our troops, especially the one's that have been severely wounded, are in danger of losing their homes.

Now it is our turn to step up and protect those that have been protecting us from losing their homes. The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes needs our help to fill their Wounded Troops Foreclosure Fund, so they can help prevent these foreclosures. I know things are tough out there, what with the price of fuel and food, but these are our heroes. They have sacrificed more than many of us can imagine. I am asking you to give up a couple of movies, that case of beer, that dinner out or night out with the boys or girls. I cannot say this enough, these severely wounded troops and their families have made sacrifices we can never fathom. I am asking you to dig deep and help with all you can. Thank you! - Sailor

Wounded troops hit by foreclosure crisis need your help to avoid losing homes!
Dear Patriotic American,
The number of calls have skyrocketed.
"Ever since I got out of the hospital, I've been unable to work. My wife can't work because she has to take care of me and the kids."
"Now, I'm holding a foreclosure notice on my home and I don't know what I am going to do."
It started out as a trickle. Just a few of the hundreds of calls the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes receives every week.
Wounded troops, many paralyzed, brain-damaged, burned or blinded asking for someone to help them save their homes and keep their families from being tossed out into the street.
Now, that trickle has turned into a flood and it is threatening to drown many of these wounded warriors.
Please click here to help prevent them from losing their homes.
My name is General Chip Diehl (Ret.) and I'm writing to you on behalf of the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. The Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded to help troops who have been severely wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan.
So far, the Coalition has rushed over $11 million in emergency aid to more than 6,000 of our severely wounded troops and their families.
Because of this surging need, we've just launched the Wounded Troops Foreclosure Fund, an effort to raise $1 million to help as many wounded troops and their families as possible who are facing foreclosure or eviction.
By clicking here you can make a generous, tax-deductible donation to the Coalition's Wounded Troops Foreclosure Fund.
I also want to ask you to take just a few seconds to sign a special THANK YOU and GET WELL card for a severely wounded young Marine, Soldier, Sailor or Airman.
When you make a donation, a special THANK YOU and GET WELL card with your name on it will be hand-delivered to a severely wounded hero who needs some cheering up. You can even type in a personal greeting if you like!

Click here to send your greeting to a disabled hero.
Your greeting card and donation may be helping someone just like Frank G.:

"On November 28, 2004, while on patrol in Iraq, I was wounded by an IED. I lost some of the use of my left lower leg and have partial paralysis. Soon after retiring, my wife and I discovered we couldn't make ends meet on the pension I was receiving.

"I sold personal belongings on E-bay and tried to find work. For the first time in my life,I had bill collectors calling me. I felt incredible shame and anger that I wasn't able to provide for my family, and I was afraid of losing everything I had worked for.

The day I called CSAH was the best move I have made for my family. The Coalition has given us the chance to keep our home. And because of all the people out there who donate to this incredible organization, we have time to find the solution."

So far, the Coalition has been able to help every single wounded troop who has placed an emergency call to the Coalition.

But this latest surge has completely busted our budget.

We've had to cap our emergency aid grants for foreclosures at $25,000 a week.

That's all we can afford to send.

But for the past couple of months, we have been averaging $36,000 a week in emergency aid payouts!

So, you can see, we are facing a shortfall of $11,000 a week . . .

. . . just as the need has risen to historic levels.

Two recent headlines on the front page of USA Today caught my attention, and they may have caught yours as well.

The first headline was, "Soldiers risk ruin while awaiting benefits checks." The article described how government red tape was holding up benefits checks for so long that many soldiers were winding up in homeless shelters.

The second article was headlined, "More U.S. troops battle foreclosure." It pointed out how America's foreclosure crisis is having a devastating impact on our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A little extra help may be all many of these wounded heroes need to turn their financial situation around, so please click here to make a generous donation right now.

These wounded heroes have protected our freedom, our families and our homes. Now it's our turn to protect theirs.

Please click here to make a generous, tax-deductible donation to the Coalition's Wounded Troops Foreclosure Fund.

Thank you,

Brigadier Gen. Arthur F. "Chip" Diehl

U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

P.S. The skyrocketing number of disabled servicemen and women facing foreclosure has wiped out our ability to help every single paralyzed, burned, blinded or brain-damaged soldier who needs help saving their home.

Many of these troops are unable to work, and nearly half their spouses have been forced to leave the work force and become full time caretakers for their injured spouse and kids.

Can you imagine how you'd pay your rent or mortgage under those circumstances?

That's why the Coalition has created a Wounded Troops Foreclosure Fund to help these families, and I hope I can count on your support!

Please click here to make an emergency donation.

Iraq’s Interior Minister Thanks U.S. Troops for Liberating Iraq

2008-07-30T23:08:00.002-04:00

Unlike the Commander-in-Chief wannabe, Barrack Obama, who seems to have been too busy on his "World Victory Tour", Iraqi Interior Minister, Jawad Karim al-Bolani, made the time to visit and thank our wounded troops at Walter Reed for liberating Iraq. You have read that correctly, liberating, which dumps a lot of cold water on the leftists that have been calling our troops occupiers.

Minister al-Bolani also thanked the families of our troops for their sacrifices. In the meantime Obama could not find the time to enter into a town hall style debate with John McCain, that was to be sponsored by military family and veterans groups. Sort of tells you who appreciates our troops more. - Sailor

“We have come … to express our gratitude and appreciation for the sacrifices made by these great warriors, soldiers, in freeing the Iraqi people and in helping us in Iraq recover from tyranny and dictatorship,” Jawad Karim al-Bolani, Iraq’s minister of the interior, said through a translator to a handful of journalists in the lobby of the medical center.

“We also want to express our gratitude to the families of all these great men and women and express how important their sacrifices are for our nation,” he added.

Bolani’s visit with troops comes on the heels of Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) recent trip to the Middle East, where the Democratic presidential candidate caused a stir when he canceled a planned visit to wounded American soldiers.

Barrack Obama: Socialist

2008-07-29T19:53:00.002-04:00

While you would never know it from the puff pieces in the MSM, Obama is letting his socialist roots come to the forefront. He keeps droning on and on about how he has worked all his life for economic justice, which is a code word for socialism. Is it any wonder that the likes of the editors at Der Spiegel have already anointed Obama as the 44th President? Gerhard Spörl, the chief editor of Der Spiegal's foreign desk, has coronated Obama 44. Erich Follath, also of Der Spiegel, weighed in with another puff piece on Obama in which it is very possible Erich had an orgasm writing.

Why is it that these two have decided the election? It is rather simple, they want a socialist in the White House. I do have a little bit of cold water to throw on their party. We here, in America, really do not give a rat's rear end what the European socialists think or want for that matter. Reality is that the only time these socialists want us around is when they are in trouble., or they need their low growth economies pumped up by the military bases we have there.

Investors Business Daily makes a great case on Obama being a socialist. Remember, the rich that Obama wants to tax so badly, already pay more then 50% of the taxes in this country. To pay for his socialist programs, Obama will need far more tax revenue then that. Guess where that money will come from? You, the middle class! - Sailor

Of course, Obama is too smart to try to smuggle such hoary collectivist garbage through the front door. He's disguising the wealth transfers as "investments" — "to make America more competitive," he says, or "that give us a fighting chance," whatever that means.

Among his proposed "investments":

• "Universal," "guaranteed" health care.

• "Free" college tuition.

• "Universal national service" (a la Havana).

• "Universal 401(k)s" (in which the government would match contributions made by "low- and moderate-income families").

• "Free" job training (even for criminals).

• "Wage insurance" (to supplement dislocated union workers' old income levels).

• "Free" child care and "universal" preschool.

• More subsidized public housing.

• A fatter earned income tax credit for "working poor."

• And even a Global Poverty Act that amounts to a Marshall Plan for the Third World, first and foremost Africa.

His new New Deal also guarantees a "living wage," with a $10 minimum wage indexed to inflation; and "fair trade" and "fair labor practices," with breaks for "patriot employers" who cow-tow to unions, and sticks for "nonpatriot" companies that don't.

That's just for starters — first-term stuff.

Obama doesn't stop with socialized health care. He wants to socialize your entire human resources department — from payrolls to pensions. His social-microengineering even extends to mandating all employers provide seven paid sick days per year to salary and hourly workers alike.

You can see why Obama was ranked, hands-down, the most liberal member of the Senate by the National Journal. Some, including colleague and presidential challenger John McCain, think he's the most liberal member in Congress

Obama Disses Our Troops Again

2008-07-24T18:03:00.003-04:00

Once again, Barrack Obama has dissed our troops. First, he ducked the opportunity to have a Town Hall style debate with John McCain, near Fort Hood, Texas, that was to be sponsored by veterans' and military family support groups. The head of the group, Carissa Picard, managing director of the Fort Hood Presidential Town Hall Consortium, even asked the Obama campaign for a suitable date, they never gave her one. Now, Obama has canceled a trip to visit our wounded troops in Germany. The very lame excuse is that Obama did not think it was appropriate to visit them on a campaign sponsored trip. There is never an inappropriate time to visit our wounded troops, unless, of course, you are just playing lip service to the claim of supporting them. I guess using the troops for photo ops on a Congressional sponsored trip was okay then.

Seems some of our troops are not buying into Obama's so called concern. They have been e-mailing comments on the staged activities in Afghanistan and Iraq (hat tip rbees at ChronWatch). Here is a typical comment;

“Dude showed up in a suit”, one email reads describing clothes Obama wore. Generally visits - as with McCain are in some type of Kaki or other uniform. Obama and all his entourage looked like they were going to a dinner party, or perhaps just trying to project that “authority” thing he’s always talking about.

This sort of leads into a commentary by Ralph Peters, in the NY Post today. Mr. Peters points out the hypocrisy of the left and their mantra of support the troops, bring them home.

So here are three straightforward questions for all the march-in-step lefties who howled, "Support our troops, bring them home!" before their new messiah decided that war's not so bad, after all:

* Given that your candidate acknowledges the need for more combat troops in Afghanistan, will you enlist and do your part? Or do you expect other young Americans to continue to bleed in your place?

* If your man is elected president and orders ground troops into Pakistan - which could lead to a much wider conflict - will you enlist and do your part? We'll need a lot more troops to occupy those badlands.

* If the next president yanks our troops out of Iraq, all the progress disintegrates, Iran moves in and we have to re-invade to clean up the mess, will you enlist and do your part?

I know, I know: Educated people like you are too smart and too important to serve in uniform. The military's for dummies, for losers. Serious players stay home and blog and bitch over double espressos.

Inhabitants of the left-wing blogosphere, have you no shame? Was your pacifism nothing more than a hipster pose? Bush is on the way out - are your principles leaving with him? Have you stopped to wonder if BHO might not be your LBJ?

As far as I am concerned, Barrack Obama and his leftist supporters could give a rat's ass about our troops. All these claims of supporting our troops is just so much political posturing. - Sailor

Fat Jack Murtha on His Way Out?

2008-07-23T17:38:00.002-04:00

I am sure you remember Rep. John Murtha (D, PA), the one who went over the top when Marines were accused of a massacre at Haditha. Murtha said back then that "overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood." Since then, seven Marines have been either cleared or won dismissals in that case. You may also recall that Murtha was on tape considering accepting bribes during the Abscam sting. Looks like the chickens have come home to roost in the person of William Russell, a Gulf War veteran, who survived the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, is challenging Murtha in November. Michelle Malkin has written a great article on this. Too bad the MSM his trying to keep it out of the public eye. I have already made a small donation to Mr. Russell's campaign. Oh, here is the really amazing thing, the Russell campaign raised 670,000.00 last quarter and Russell has not been able to campaign until he active duty commitment ends on 1 August! - Sailor

The 18-term congressman's challenger, staunch conservative Republican newcomer William Russell, raised nearly $670,000 in the second quarter. Earmark king Murtha scraped together a measly $119,000.

Russell's underdog campaign bested Murtha without the perks of incumbency, national name recognition, big PAC donations or mainstream media support.

Even more amazing: The challenger, a Desert Storm veteran and Army reservist who survived the 9/11 Pentagon attack, wasn't even publicly campaigning during the quarter. Russell, 45, is on active duty with the Army until after Aug. 1 and is barred from actively campaigning until then.

If all that didn't make this enough of an inspiring story: In February, a Pennsylvania judge ruled that Russell had failed to collect enough signatures to make the primary ballot. But he refused to give up on his goal of defeating Murtha. The GOP neophyte persevered on a shoestring budget and won more than 4,000 write-in votes in the spring to earn a spot on the general-election ballot. Russell's campaign manager, veteran GOP activist Peg Luksik, says most second-quarter donations were less than $50.

Russell's clear on where he stands. "I am a conservative," he says in his defining campaign statement. "I believe in the sovereignty and security of this one nation, under God. I believe the primary role of government is to provide for the common defense and a legal framework to protect families and individual liberty."

The New York Times Censors John McCain

2008-07-21T18:39:00.002-04:00

On 14 July of this year, Barrack Obama wrote an Op-Ed piece in the New York Times, presenting his plan for Iraq and Afghanistan. John McCain wrote and offered a rebuttal as an Op-Ed piece for publication by the Times. Drudge and other media outlets are reporting that this has been rejected by the Times, claiming it was not acceptable as written and should have "mirrored" Obama's piece. The Times Op-Ed page editor, David Shipley, apparently wants editorial input and control of the McCain opinion. It should be noted that Shipley was part of the Clinton Administration from 1995 to 1997.

Is it any wonder that the Times has taken a beating in circulation? This can be described as nothing less than partisan censorship. The American people a wising up to tactics such as this. In a recent Rasmussen poll, 49% of voters believe reporters will try and help Obama with their reporting, 14% believe they will help McCain, but a mere 24% believe they will be unbiased. These numbers are quite frightening, considering the influence media outlets such as the Times have.

McCain and his campaign are refusing to make any changes to the Op-Ed piece. The rival NY Post has approached the McCain campaign about publishing the piece. I will beat the Post to it and post McCain's piece here.

It is my opinion that the Times has now forfeited it's claim to be America's paper of record, forfeited any pretense on impartiality, forfeited any journalistic integrity it may have had left and is now merely the propaganda arm of the DNC and the Obama campaign. It is obvious to me that Shipley is taking marching orders from the DNC. - Sailor

In January 2007, when General David Petraeus took command in Iraq, he called the situation “hard” but not “hopeless.” Today, 18 months later, violence has fallen by up to 80% to the lowest levels in four years, and Sunni and Shiite terrorists are reeling from a string of defeats. The situation now is full of hope, but considerable hard work remains to consolidate our fragile gains.

Progress has been due primarily to an increase in the number of troops and a change in their strategy. I was an early advocate of the surge at a time when it had few supporters in Washington. Senator Barack Obama was an equally vocal opponent. "I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence there,” he said on January 10, 2007. “In fact, I think it will do the reverse."

Now Senator Obama has been forced to acknowledge that “our troops have performed brilliantly in lowering the level of violence.” But he still denies that any political progress has resulted.

Perhaps he is unaware that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has recently certified that, as one news article put it, “Iraq has met all but three of 18 original benchmarks set by Congress last year to measure security, political and economic progress.” Even more heartening has been progress that’s not measured by the benchmarks. More than 90,000 Iraqis, many of them Sunnis who once fought against the government, have signed up as Sons of Iraq to fight against the terrorists. Nor do they measure Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki’s new-found willingness to crack down on Shiite extremists in Basra and Sadr City—actions that have done much to dispel suspicions of sectarianism.

The success of the surge has not changed Senator Obama’s determination to pull out all of our combat troops. All that has changed is his rationale. In a New York Times op-ed and a speech this week, he offered his “plan for Iraq” in advance of his first “fact finding” trip to that country in more than three years. It consisted of the same old proposal to pull all of our troops out within 16 months. In 2007 he wanted to withdraw because he thought the war was lost. If we had taken his advice, it would have been. Now he wants to withdraw because he thinks Iraqis no longer need our assistance.

To make this point, he mangles the evidence. He makes it sound as if Prime Minister Maliki has endorsed the Obama timetable, when all he has said is that he would like a plan for the eventual withdrawal of U.S. troops at some unspecified point in the future.

Senator Obama is also misleading on the Iraqi military's readiness. The Iraqi Army will be equipped and trained by the middle of next year, but this does not, as Senator Obama suggests, mean that they will then be ready to secure their country without a good deal of help. The Iraqi Air Force, for one, still lags behind, and no modern army can operate without air cover. The Iraqis are also still learning how to conduct planning, logistics, command and control, communications, and other complicated functions needed to support frontline troops.

No one favors a permanent U.S. presence, as Senator Obama charges. A partial withdrawal has already occurred with the departure of five “surge” brigades, and more withdrawals can take place as the security situation improves. As we draw down in Iraq, we can beef up our presence on other battlefields, such as Afghanistan, without fear of leaving a failed state behind. I have said that I expect to welcome home most of our troops from Iraq by the end of my first term in office, in 2013.

But I have also said that any draw-downs must be based on a realistic assessment of conditions on the ground, not on an artificial timetable crafted for domestic political reasons. This is the crux of my disagreement with Senator Obama.

Senator Obama has said that he would consult our commanders on the ground and Iraqi leaders, but he did no such thing before releasing his “plan for Iraq.” Perhaps that’s because he doesn’t want to hear what they have to say. During the course of eight visits to Iraq, I have heard many times from our troops what Major General Jeffrey Hammond, commander of coalition forces in Baghdad, recently said: that leaving based on a timetable would be “very dangerous.”

The danger is that extremists supported by Al Qaeda and Iran could stage a comeback, as they have in the past when we’ve had too few troops in Iraq. Senator Obama seems to have learned nothing from recent history. I find it ironic that he is emulating the worst mistake of the Bush administration by waving the “Mission Accomplished” banner prematurely.

I am also dismayed that he never talks about winning the war—only of ending it. But if we don’t win the war, our enemies will. A triumph for the terrorists would be a disaster for us. That is something I will not allow to happen as president. Instead I will continue implementing a proven counterinsurgency strategy not only in Iraq but also in Afghanistan with the goal of creating stable, secure, self-sustaining democratic allies.

More Phony Energy Plans

2008-07-19T19:46:00.003-04:00

The dems continue to be beholding to one of their special interest groups, the environmental wackos. The dems are trying to push to bills into law that are feel good measures, This does not include their drive to go after the commodities markets. The so called "Drill" bill is pure nonsense and does nothing to help increase supply. I have a press release from the Institute for Energy Research that puts this bill into perspective. John, over at the Power Line blog adds additional information on this bill. His insight is worth reading.

The dems other plan is an attempt to reduce demand. While reducing demand is not a bad thing, it will do nothing to increase supply. Any small reduction in demand in the US, will be quickly gobbled up by China and India. Here is a snippet of the plan:

According to the Environmental Defense Fund, the bill -- called the Transportation and Housing Options for Gas Price Relief Act of 2008 -- would allocate taxpayer money to:

-- expand public transportation;

-- encourage “pay-as-you-drive” auto insurance policies that reward low-mileage drivers with lower insurance premiums;

-- reduce commuting costs by providing incentives to employers and employees to take transit, bicycle, carpool, walk, or telecommute to work;

-- help local governments create "walkable, bikeable" communities;

-- help Americans make "smart" transportation and housing choices by educating them about their options;

-- create “location efficient mortgages" that would make owning a home near transit more affordable.

The bill also would require the federal government to upgrade key Web sites so Americans would have easier access to government services without leaving home or work.

Please note the folks describing what the plan would do - the Environmental Defense Fund, one of the groups the dems are beholding to. This plan will help in the large metropolitan areas, which really is the dem base. But, does nothing for those that live in rural areas. Nor does it do anything to help farmers, truckers, the airline industry or the railroads. Those that are trying to push this through, likely live in those large metropolitan areas and could care less about the rest of the country. They can go to bed at night feeling good about their efforts, however, their efforts will solve nothing. - Sailor

Consumers Need Energy, Not Political Slogans and Lawsuits

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2008
CONTACT:
Brian Kennedy (202) 434-8200

706% inrease in lease protests threatens American energy supplies

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With consumers and the economy suffering the consequences of skyrocketing energy prices, lawmakers in Washington continue to advance sound bites instead of solutions. Daniel Kish, senior vice president of the Institute for Energy Research (IER), issued the following statement:

“While Americans struggle to pay their fuel and utility bills, their government continues to play political games that will only weaken our nation’s economy and our family budgets,” Kish said. “Today’s ‘Drill’ bill is yet another chapter in the epic disconnect between the American people – who understand that more supply is the solution to shortage driven high prices – and their elected leaders, who refuse to lift restrictions on new areas of the country to increase energy supplies.”

On those few areas the government attempts to lease for additional energy production, protests, appeals and lawsuits appear faster than politicians scrambling for a camera. According to the Bureau of Land Management, lease protests averaged 167 per year between 1997 and 2000; between 2001 and 2007, they numbered 1,180 per year. This is a 706% increase.

Yesterday in New Mexico, the Department of Interior held a 78 parcel lease sale on lands already available for drilling. 100% of them were protested by groups opposed to U.S. energy production. These protests will no doubt delay new energy supplies and increase costs to consumers.

Drilling for Real Solutions in the ‘Drill’ Bill: Section by Section, Just More Dry Holes

Section 1: Bill Title

The Act has been dubbed the Drill Responsibly in Leased Lands – or DRILL - Act of 2008. However, nothing in its following sections will increase domestic energy production beyond what is already scheduled.

Section 2. Lease Sales in the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska

This section requires that lease sales be conducted once a year. This is something that is currently allowed, but not done because NPR-A’s Indiana-sized area has no infrastructure. In addition, a history of dilatory lawsuits has made it an area of limited interest to energy producers. This section also seeks to expedite permits in the NPR-A, a positive step. However, it does nothing to tackle the biggest problem with developing new energy: dilatory protests and lawsuits. Any genuine effort must involve putting a stop to the legal blocking and tackling of groups opposed to American energy production. Incidentally, Congress should address this issue nationwide.

Section 3: Pipeline Construction in the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska

Pipelines in NPRA have been held up by appeals, protests and lawsuits, not energy producers.

Section 4: Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Project Facilitation

This section authorizes the president to exercise authority he already has to facilitate something he is already facilitating. In short, this section achieves nothing.

Section 5: Project Labor Agreements

A last minute bonus prize for organized labor, but creates no new energy whatsoever.

Section 6: Ban on Export of Alaskan Oil

A nice talking point, but the United States does not export any Alaskan oil, and has not since 2000. California exports more petroleum products than Alaska.

Section 7: Issuance of New Leases

This section was crafted using synonyms to restate existing laws, including:

The Mineral Leasing Act (for onshore production), which stipulates that an oil company must have a producing well within 10 years or surrender the leases. Source: 30 U.S.C. 226(e)
The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act: (for offshore production), which stipulates that an oil company must produce energy between 5 to 10 years (in the government’s discretion) or surrender the lease. Source: 43 U.S.C. 1337(b)
Penalties in U.S. Code: The federal government can cancel a lease if a producer fails to live up to the terms of the lease, the law or federal regulations. Source: 30 USC 188(a) and (b) and 43 CFR 3108.3 (a) and (b).

Section 8: Fair Return on Production of Federal Oil and Gas Resources

This section restates current law and practice. In fact, the government increased royalties on outer continental shelf leases by 50% last year, making it more expensive to produce energy in America.

The Institute for Energy Research (IER) is a not-for-profit public foundation that conducts intensive research and analysis on the functions, operations, and government regulation of global energy markets. Founded in 1989, IER is funded entirely by tax deductible contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations. No financial support is sought for or accepted from government (taxpayers).

Al-Qaeda's Bad Investments

2008-07-19T18:00:00.002-04:00

Ralph Peters has a great column on the sad shape al-Qaeda is in. Since Barrack Obama continues his ignorance, (or perhaps it is merely his pandering to his leftist base), on Iraq and the war on terror, this is a timely column. Obama continues to make the false claim that Iraq is not, nor never has been the central front on the war on terror. He seems oblivious to the claims of al-Qada and bin Laden that it is. By making Iraq the central front, bot Qaeda and bin Laden made a serious miscalculation, So serious, that Qaeda has been defeated in Iraq. It appears Qaeda has now decided to try their fortunes in Afghanistan, I suspect mainly because of the areas of refuge provided in Pakistan. With Iraq stabilizing, it is too late for Qaeda to make a stand any where. Even with sanctuaries in Pakistan, their defeat is inevitable. - Sailor

Where do Osama & Co. stand today? They're not welcome in a single Arab country. The Saudi royals not only cut off their funding, but cracked down hard within the kingdom. A few countries, such as Yemen, tolerate radicals out in the boonies - but they won't let al Qaeda in. Osama's reps couldn't even get extended-stay rooms in Somalia, beyond the borders of the Arab world.

And the Arab in the (dirty) street is chastened. Instead of delivering a triumph, al Qaeda brought disaster, killing far more Arabs through violence and strife than Israel has killed in all its wars. Nobody in the Arab world's buying al Qaeda shares at yesterday's premium - and only a last few suckers are buying at all.

Guess what? We won.

The partisan hacks who insisted that Iraq was a distraction from fighting al Qaeda have missed the situation's irony: Things are getting worse in Afghanistan and Pakistan not because our attention was elsewhere, but because al Qaeda has been driven from the Arab world, with nowhere else to go.

Al Qaeda isn't fighting to revive the Caliphate these days. It's fighting for its life.

Unwelcome even in Sudan or Syria, the Islamist fanatics have retreated to remote mountain villages and compounds on the Pakistani side of the Afghan border. That means Afghanistan's going to remain a difficult challenge for years to come - not a mission-impossible, but an aggravating one.

Obama is Clueless

2008-07-16T18:23:00.002-04:00

Barrack Obama has presented his plan for Iraq and Afghanistan. Essentially, he plans to surrender in Iraq and try to win in Afghanistan. Here is a guy that has been to Iraq only once and has never stepped foot in Afghanistan. He also claims that Iraq has never been the central front in the war on terror. I guess he did not hear bin Laden say it was. Obama needs a serious reality check here. We are winning in Iraq, Qaeda in Iraq is defeated and the government there is meeting most of the benchmarks set by Congress. Of course, Obama has to continue to pander to his leftist, defeatist base. Reality does not matter, as long as his base his pissed off at him.

I am simply amazed that he is about to go off on a so called "fact finding" trip, when he has ignored the facts to date. Why bother? He has no use for facts. He has already decided to surrender in Iraq.

Here is an article by people that have just returned from Iraq. They have published their assessment on the situation there. This should be must reading for Obama and his campaign advisers. This assessment was written by people that are well respected for their objectivity. Mr. Kagan is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Ms. Kagan is president of the Institute for the Study of War. Mr. Keane is a former vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army. All have just returned from their most recent visit to Iraq.

Here are a few excerpts from their assessment. - Sailor

All of the most important objectives of the surge have been accomplished in Iraq. The sectarian civil war is ended; al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) has been dealt a devastating blow; and the Sadrist militia and other Iranian-backed militant groups have been disrupted.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi government has accomplished almost all of the legislative benchmarks set by the U.S. Congress and the Bush administration. More important, it is gaining wider legitimacy among the population. The attention of Iraqis across the country is focused on the upcoming provincial elections, which will be a pivotal moment in Iraq's development.

AP
A boy enjoys a ride at a park in Baghdad, Wednesday, July 9.

The result is that we have an extraordinary – but fleeting – opportunity to advance America's security and the stability of a vital region of the world.

As far as the civil war is concerned, there have been virtually no sectarian killings recorded for the past 10 weeks. Violence is still perpetrated by organized groups, but AQI, the remnant Sunni insurgents and Shiite fighters are now focused on attacking their own members who have defected to our side. This is a measure of their weakness. The Iraqi population is increasingly mobilizing against the perpetrators of violence, flooding American and Iraqi forces with tips about the locations of weapons caches and key militant leaders – Sunnis turning in Sunnis and Shia turning in Shia.

This is some thing that Obama has blissfully ignored and, quite frankly, denied has happened. Listening to his latest rant on Iraq, one would get the impression that nothing has changed there. He is still claiming it is a civil war!

The larger strategic meaning of these military and political advances must be kept clearly in mind. Iraq remains a critical front in al Qaeda's war against the U.S.

Discussions in the American media about whether AQI is "really" al Qaeda are puerile. AQI's leadership, largely foreign, is part of the global al Qaeda network operating in support of Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden and his lieutenants in Pakistan and around the world send support (including foreign fighters) to Iraq and closely follow the situation there, as their repeated public pronouncements show no less than their actions. Al Qaeda's central leadership is not prepared to lose in Iraq, and has been seeking ways to regain lost ground.

The Tin Foil Hat is Awarded To.........

2008-07-16T00:19:00.002-04:00

Every now and again, I award a tin foil hat to the person that comes up with the most idiotic story or conspiracy theory, that they actually believe. This tin foil hat award goes to Congressman Edward Markey (D-Mass.), who is the chairman of the House (Select) Energy Independence and Global Warming Committee. This fellow recently told a group of teens that global warming was the cause of Hurricane Katrina and, get this, the cause of that black hawk helicopter, (made famous by the movie “Black Hawk Down”, being shot down. You cannot make this stuff up! So Rep. Markey, this tin foil hat is for you! - Sailor

But Myron Ebell, director of Energy and Global Warming Policy at CEI, told Cybercast News Service that Markey’s remarks reveal his ignorance about the science of global warming.

“Yes, that part of the world is subject to drought at times, but it has very little to do with global warming,” said Ebell. “It is subject to drought whether the global average temperature is going up, down, or staying the same. To say you know the conflict was caused by global warming is to show how really ignorant you are of the scientific issues involved.”

What Is Obama Afraid Of?

2008-07-15T18:40:00.003-04:00

The New York Times has reported that Barrack Obama has turned down an invitation to a Town Hall style debate with John McCain that would have been sponsored by a coalition of military family and veterans groups, to be held outside of Fort Hood, Texas. John McCain, of course accepted the invitation and CBS was willing to air the event. For a candidate that claims to support our military and their families, it is beyond belief that Obama could not find a date that would work into the campaign schedule. Carissa Picard, managing director of the Fort Hood Presidential Town Hall Consortium, initially offered 11 August as a date. The Obama campaign claimed they had an event already scheduled. Then Ms. Picard asked the campaign to give an acceptable date, which as of this posting, the Obama campaign has not given. There is some more commentary on this matter here and here.

In my opinion, this is a slap in the face to our military families and veterans, both groups of which I am a member of. Obama is all talk about supporting the military, their families and our veterans. When it comes time to walk the walk, it seems Obama runs away! - Sailor

Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has not agreed to participate.

“Senator Obama strongly supports America’s veterans and military families and has worked hard on their behalf in the Senate,” said Phillip Carter, director of Mr. Obama’s veterans effort and an Iraq war veteran. “While we unfortunately had a previously scheduled commitment on the date proposed, Senator Obama looks forward to continuing the dialogue he’s been having throughout the country with veterans on how we can better serve our men and women in uniform as they serve us.”

Carissa Picard, managing director of the Fort Hood Presidential Town Hall Consortium, said she had suggested Aug. 11 and asked the campaign to suggest other dates if that was not convenient, but after several conversations she had not been able to work anything out.

“I’m having extreme difficulty getting the Obama campaign to commit to this event, and we do not understand why,” said Ms. Picard, whose husband is deployed in Iraq. “We made it very clear to them that if they would commit to the event, we would work with them on dates.”

The organizers released details about the event in hopes that it would pressure the Obama campaign to agree to the event.

“This was a decision that was made with tremendous difficulty, to publicize it,” Ms. Picard said. “We were at a point where we had no other option. We got the impression that they could talk us to November.”

The meeting would be at the Expo Center in Belton, Tex., about 25 miles from Fort Hood.

RIP

2008-07-13T08:20:00.002-04:00

Tony Snow has lost his battle with cancer. He was 53.

Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of our dear friend Tony Snow," President Bush said in a written statement. "The Snow family has lost a beloved husband and father. And America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character.
Snow died at 2 a.m. Saturday at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Snow joined FOX in 1996 as the original anchor of "FOX News Sunday" and hosted "Weekend Live" and a radio program, "The Tony Snow Show," before departing in 2006.

"It's a tremendous loss for us who knew him, but it's also a loss for the country," Roger Ailes, chairman of FOX News, said Saturday morning about Snow, calling him a "renaissance man."
As a TV pundit and commentator for FOX News, Snow often was critical of Bush before he became the president's third press secretary, following Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan. He was an instant study in the job, mastering the position — and the White House press corps — with apparent ease.

"One of the reasons I took this job is not only to work with the president, but, believe it or not, to work with all of you," Snow told reporters when he stepped into the post in 2006. "These are times that are going to be very challenging."

Tony was an articulate voice for conservative ideals. He was a genuinely nice guy. My deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

Bobby Murcer lost his battle with brain cancer. He was 62.

Yankee icon Bobby Murcer died yesterday at the age of 62 because of complications from brain cancer. He passed away at Mercy Hospital in his hometown of Oklahoma City, surrounded by family, including his wife Kay and children Tori and Todd. He was first diagnosed with the disease on Christmas Eve, 2006.

"Bobby Murcer was a born Yankee, a great guy, very well liked and a true friend of mine," George Steinbrenner said in a statement. "I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife Kay, their children and grandchildren. I will really miss the guy."

Murcer starred in the field and in the broadcast booth and treated everyone with kindness. His death brought tears to the eyes of Yankee manager Joe Girardi, a former broadcast partner on YES.

"Bobby tried to make life better for people around him," Girardi said.

That was the essence of Bobby Ray Murcer, who played 17 years in the majors with the Yankees, Giants and Cubs, batting .277 with 252 home runs. He was a five-time All-Star, a starting outfielder four times. The final All-Star Game to be played at Yankee Stadium will be Tuesday. There will be sadness in the air with Murcer's passing.

I always enjoyed watching Bobby patrol centerfield, even though those were lean years for the Yankees. Later, as a broadcaster, Bobby brought to the viewers, a sense of being part of that game. My heart felt condolences to his family and friends. - Sailor

12 Democrats in Pennsylvania Facing Corruption Charges

2008-07-12T08:15:00.002-04:00

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette is reporting 12 democrats are facing charges of corruption as well as attempts to keep Ralph Nader off the ballot in 2004. State money was also allegedly used to provide a no-show job for a top ranking aide's mistress. Among those facing charges are former state Rep. Michael Veon, current Rep. Sean Ramaley. Grand jurors called this a "culture of corruption". Do take note Ms. Pelosi. Naturally, since these officials are not Republicans, you may have difficulty finding reporting on this in the MSM. Any public offical that steals from the hard working taxpayers of this country needs to be severely punished, no matter what political affiliation they have. The investigation is ongoing and other may be facing charges. - Sailor

Along with Veon and Ramaley, here are the others that have been charged.

• Michael L. Manzo, 39, former chief of staff to Majority Leader Bill DeWeese. Mr. Manzo is accused of conspiracy in connection with the bonus scandal, engineering ballot challenges using state workers and hiding a girlfriend on the state payroll in a phony state office above a cigar store on Pittsburgh's South Side.

• Jeff Foreman, 57, currently legal counsel to House Minority Whip Keith McCall. He is accused of participating in the bonus plot while chief of staff to Mr. Veon and of directing an ongoing, partisan political operation from inside Mr. Veon's Capitol office.

• Rachel Hursh Manzo, 27, an aide to state Rep. Todd Eachus and wife of Mr. Manzo. She is accused of organizing House employees to work on legislative campaigns on state time and doing so herself during Mr. Veon's unsuccessful re-election campaign in 2006.

• Scott V. Brubaker, 43, former director of administration for the House Democrats. He is accused of playing a key role in arranging the illegal bonuses, directing state workers to perform political tasks and helping to orchestrate challenges to opponents' petitions for ballot spots.

• Jennifer Brubaker, 36, who is married to Mr. Brubaker and who directs the House Democratic Office of Legislative Research, the scene of a search warrant execution last August. She is accused of directing legislative employees to do political work in her office, including opposition research.

• Brett W. Cott, 36, a top aide to Mr. Veon, who is accused of widespread corruption, including conspiracy in the bonus scandal and running an ongoing political operation out of Mr. Veon's state office. "Brett Cott's title on Veon's staff was policy analyst, but according to numerous witnesses he was hired because of his campaign skills and was one of the lead promoters of the culture of using taxpayer funds for campaign purposes," the grand jury said.

• Patrick J. Lavelle, 29, who the grand jury described as a full-time political operative in Mr. Veon's Harrisburg office who had no other duties beyond fund raising.

• Annamarie Peretta-Rosepink, 45, director of Mr. Veon's Beaver County district office. She is accused of directing state employees to work on an array of political campaigns, including those of state Rep. Thomas Tangretti and state Sen. Wayne Fontana, as well as for other Democratic candidates. She also is accused of roles in the Nader and Romanelli petition challenges.

• Stephen A.H. Keefer, 38, former director of information technology for the House Democrats. He is accused of directing state employees to work on political campaigns, using state equipment to design political materials and creating a special Leaders' Communications Office with public funds to transmit political messages.

• Earl J. Mosley, 53, former director of personnel for the House Democrats. Grand jurors said he helped arrange payment of the illegal bonuses, and obtained a bonus himself for campaign work.

Slave Labor at the UN?

2008-07-09T20:09:00.003-04:00

For all the high minded nonsense that spews forth from the so called UN Human Rights Commission about conditions in the US, perhaps they need to turn inward and investigate the UN. Seems the UN has been looking the other way when they or member states use what amounts to slave labor. This past Tuesday the New York Sun, published an article, about the Ambassador from the Philippines enslaving some one.

In the report, The Sun claims that Marichu Baoanan, a Filipino immigrant, had filed a lawsuit against the former Philippine U.N. ambassador Lauro Baja who served at the world body from 2003-2006.
According to the Sun, Baoanan claims that she was held as a de-facto slave during a three-month period in 2006 when she worked as a "domestic" for the Baja family in New York City.
In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Baoanan claimed that her employment amounted to "involuntary servitude, forced labor, debt bondage, slavery, and psychological abuse," when she worked at the ambassador's residence on the Upper East Side.
New York City officials say such complaints are not surprising.
A key member of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's staff (who wished to remain anonymous) explained that diplomatic immunity may protect the Baja family. While diplomatic immunity normally covers only those engaged in official activities, it can cover others related to but not directly involved in such activities.
"It all depends on what kind of visa she entered the U.S. with," the source explained. It also depends on what kind of visa the Philippine government requested.
In other words, if Baoanan entered the U.S. on a diplomatic visa, there is little U.S. courts can do to help her. "The State Department is always reluctant to get involved in such situations because of the fear of retaliation against U.S. personnel serving in the country at issue," the source told Newsmax.

Back in the 1990's, the Chinese imported their own labor to construct their UN consulate in NY. They paid these workers 1.00 an hour. Mayor Rudy Giuliani took them to court and put an end to that.

It seems Giuliani convinced the court that the Chinese construction site was not occupied by diplomats and as such, did not yet enjoy diplomatic status. The site was part of a real estate swap with a local developer who had yet to turn the title over to Beijing.
Today, China's U.N. mission staff is among the lowest paid of the so-called "Perm 5" (the United States, France, Russia, Britain, and China — the five veto-wielding nations in the U.N.) yet China’s U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya enjoys the life of a modern emperor as presides over one of the largest apartments in Donald Trump's World Tower overlooking U.N. headquarters.
At China's consulate on the West Side, more than 300 staffers from the mainland run one of Beijing's largest operations overseas under little pay and questionable working conditions, but officials can do little about it.
Smaller nations, such as North Korea, literally shield their staff from outside contact preferring to move in supervised groups around Manhattan and living in communal apartments.
It is not known if their staff receive any pay at all.

All in all, it looks like there needs to be some internal investigating going on over at that cesspool of corruption, called the UN. - Sailor

Qaeda On The Verge of Defeat

2008-07-08T19:46:00.006-04:00

Not that you would know it if you read or view the MSM, but Qaeda is on the ropes. The final thrust in Iraq is about to defeat Qaeda and more than that, devastate it. There are those like Huffington and The Nation and most dems, terrorist ass kissers and appeasers that are still in denial. All you need do is read Huffington's post on how the surge failed. I think she has really lost it on this one. Interestingly, it was John McCain that advocated the surge about 2 years before it was implemented. Perhaps that is why Huffington, who is seriously in the tank, for Obama is in denial. To let you know how deep in the tank the MSM is for Obama, none of this news was reported any where in the American media. Andy McCarthy reports on this. One had to read it in the Times of London. Here are a few snippets. No wonder Obama is lurching to the right on Iraq! - Sailor

After being forced from its strongholds in the west and centre of Iraq in the past two years, Al-Qaeda’s dwindling band of fighters has made a defiant “last stand” in the northern city of Mosul.

A huge operation to crush the 1,200 fighters who remained from a terrorist force once estimated at more than 12,000 began on May 10.

Operation Lion’s Roar, in which the Iraqi army combined forces with the Americans’ 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment, has already resulted in the death of Abu Khalaf, the Al-Qaeda leader, and the capture of more than 1,000 suspects.

After being forced from its strongholds in the west and centre of Iraq in the past two years, Al-Qaeda’s dwindling band of fighters has made a defiant “last stand” in the northern city of Mosul. A huge operation to crush the 1,200 fighters who remained from a terrorist force once estimated at more than 12,000 began on May 10. Operation Lion’s Roar, in which the Iraqi army combined forces with the Americans’ 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment, has already resulted in the death of Abu Khalaf, the Al-Qaeda leader, and the capture of more than 1,000 suspects. . . .Major-General Mark Hertling, American commander in the north, said: “I think we’re at the irreversible point.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article4276486.ece
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NDdkMzY1YWNkMTM4YzlkYTA3ZTQxMWY2ZmZkMDBkYTU=

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/07/surge_amnesia_the_medias_newes.html

http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=9E9A119C-16A9-4A12-A542-12A2036225F0

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

2008-07-04T10:07:00.001-04:00

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. -- Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton
John Hancock
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll
of Carrollton
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
Matthew Thornton

Obama Got Discount on Home Loan

2008-07-02T17:10:00.001-04:00

Looks like Obama got on the special treatment bandwagon. Another Democrat gets a preferential, below normal interest rate mortgage. Is it any wonder why Pelosi and Reid will not call for a special prosecutor on this? Check out the Obama campaign's lame defense! - Sailor

Obama Got Discount on Home Loan
Campaign Defends Lower Rate as Lender Competition for Business

By Joe Stephens
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 2, 2008; A03

Shortly after joining the U.S. Senate and while enjoying a surge in income, Barack Obama bought a $1.65 million restored Georgian mansion in an upscale Chicago neighborhood. To finance the purchase, he secured a $1.32 million loan from Northern Trust in Illinois.

The freshman Democratic senator received a discount. He locked in an interest rate of 5.625 percent on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, below the average for such loans at the time in Chicago. The loan was unusually large, known in banker lingo as a "super super jumbo." Obama paid no origination fee or discount points, as some consumers do to reduce their interest rates.

Compared with the average terms offered at the time in Chicago, Obama's rate could have saved him more than $300 per month.

Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt said the rate was adjusted to account for a competing offer from another lender and other factors. "The Obamas have since had as much as $3 million invested through Northern Trust," he said in a statement.

Modest adjustments in mortgage rates are common among financial institutions as they compete for business or develop relationships with wealthy families. But amid a national housing crisis, news of discounts offered to Sens. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), chairman of the banking committee, and Kent Conrad (D-N.D) by another lender, Countrywide Financial, has brought new scrutiny to the practice and has resulted in a preliminary Senate ethics committee inquiry into the Dodd and Conrad loans.

Within Obama's presidential campaign organization, former Fannie Mae chief executive James A. Johnson resigned abruptly as head of the vice presidential search committee after his favorable Countrywide loan became public.

Driving the recent debate is concern that public officials, knowingly or unknowingly, may receive special treatment from lenders and that the discounts could constitute gifts that are prohibited by law.

"The real question is: Were congressmen getting unique treatment that others weren't getting?" associate law professor Adam J. Levitin, a credit specialist at Georgetown University Law Center, said about the Countrywide loans. "Do they do business like that for people who are not congressmen? If they don't, that's a problem."

Under financial disclosure rules, members of Congress are not obliged to disclose debts owed to financial institutions for personal residences. Names of lenders and rates paid on mortgages sometimes can be determined by scrutinizing property transaction records. In March, in response to media questions, Obama posted on his campaign Web site records related to his house purchase.

Last week, during debate on a bill to help homeowners caught in the foreclosure crisis, some members of the Senate ethics committee proposed an amendment to require that lawmakers disclose their mortgage lenders and loan terms in annual financial forms starting next year.

In Obama's case, he received a lower rate than the average offered at the time in Chicago for similarly structured jumbo loans. He secured his final mortgage commitment on June 8, 2005, and during that week, rates on similar loans for which information is available averaged 5.93 percent, according to HSH Associates, which surveys lenders. Another survey firm, Bankrate.com, placed the average at 6 percent.

"It's certainly safe to say that this borrower did better than average," said Keith Gumbinger, an HSH vice president, noting that consumer rates vary widely. "It's a good deal."

The Obama campaign called the rate "consistent with Northern Trust policies, and it reflected the base rate set for that period discounted to address the competition for the account and other opportunities, such as personal financial services, that the relationship would bring to Northern Trust."

When the Obamas secured the loan, their income had risen dramatically. Obama assumed his Senate seat in January 2005, with an annual salary of $162,100. That same month, Random House agreed to reissue an Obama memoir, for which it originally paid $40,000, as part of a $2.27 million deal that included two future nonfiction books and a children's book.

Around the same time, the University of Chicago Hospitals promoted Michelle Obama to a vice president and more than doubled her pay, to $317,000.

The couple wanted to step up from their $415,000 condo. They chose a house with six bedrooms, four fireplaces, a four-car garage and 5 1/2 baths, including a double steam shower and a marble powder room. It had a wine cellar, a music room, a library, a solarium, beveled glass doors and a granite-floored kitchen.

The Obamas had no prior relationship with Northern Trust when they applied for the loan. They received an oral commitment on Feb. 4, 2005, and locked in the rate of 5.625 percent, the campaign said. On that date, HSH data show, the average rate in Chicago for a 30-year fixed-rate jumbo loan with no points was about 5.94 percent.

Jumbo loans are for amounts up to $650,000, but the Obamas' $1.32 million loan was so large that few comparables are available. Mortgage specialists say that many high-end buyers pay cash.

Obama's Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, has no mortgages on properties he owns with his wife, Cindy, who is a multimillionaire.

Unlike Countrywide, where leaked internal e-mails documented a special discount program for friends of chief executive Angelo Mozilo, Northern Trust says it has no formal program to provide discounts to public officials. Loan officers may consider a borrower's occupation when establishing an interest rate, the bank said.

"A person's occupation and salary are two factors; I would expect those are two things we would take into consideration," said Northern Trust Vice President John O'Connell. "That would apply to anyone seeking to get a mortgage at Northern Trust." He added that the rates offered to Obama were "consistent with internal Northern Trust rates at that time."

"The bottom line is, this was a business proposition for us," he said. "Our business model is to service and pursue successful individuals, families and institutions."

O'Connell referred additional questions to the campaign.

Since 1990, Northern Trust employees have donated more than $739,000 to federal campaigns, including $71,000 to Obama, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Obama's house purchase has been a source of controversy. In 2006, the Chicago Tribune reported that on the day of the closing, the wife of Obama's longtime friend and fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko closed on an adjoining lot that had been the estate's side yard.

The Obamas bought the house for $300,000 less than the asking price of $1.95 million, while Rezko's wife, Rita, bought the neighboring lot for the full asking price of $625,000. Rita Rezko later sold a portion of the undeveloped lot to the Obamas, enlarging the senator's yard.

Tony Rezko already had been linked to a grand jury investigation involving public corruption. Last month, he was convicted of 16 counts in an influence-peddling scheme that reached the highest levels of Illinois state government.

Source Washington Post

Time To Drill

2008-07-02T14:20:00.009-04:00

It is high time that we tell Congress it is time to drill, develop our oil shale potential and get into clean coal technologies. Yes, we also need to develop alternate energy technologies such as wind, solar, geothermal, fuel cells and longer life batteries for electric cars. Of course we will need to build nuclear power plants to provide for the future electric demand. Reprocessing spent fuel will reduce the waste we need to dispose of. To those who claim that it will take too long to get the oil to the refineries, I ask this simple question, how long will it take to get these new alternative energy sources on-line? Further, how many religious nuts, worshipers of Gaea, you know them, they call themselves environmentalists, will try and go to court to stop these? They are already whining about transmission lines going through what they perceive as pristine areas. Then there are the Kennedy's, who stopped a wind farm from being funded in Nantucket Sound, claiming hazards to navigation. Fact is, Teddy himself was quoted as saying he sails his boat there.

Bottom line here, is that we the people, need to get on Congress to stop kowtowing to these environmental wackos and start selling those off-shore leases!

Sign the petition started by Newt Gingrich! To date there are 1,251,436

Sign here http://www.americansolutions.com/actioncenter/petitions/?Guid=54ec6e43-75a8-445b-aa7b-346a1e096659 people who have signed the petition. The goal is to deliver 3 million signatures by time the party conventions start. Spread the word ! - Sailor

You can listen to Dingy Harry Reid whining about oil and coal making us all sick!

Webb Jumps In

2008-07-02T14:08:00.002-04:00

Jim Webb has jumped into the fray over McCain's service record. He is a guy that used his service as part of his successful run for the Senate. Now he is out there telling McCain to cool it. What a hypocrite! This is a guy that wore his son's desert boots on the campaign trail. In my opinion, this is a well orchestrated attempt by the Obama campaign to use surrogates to attack McCain on leadership. Let's face it, Obama has no resumé to speak of and his judgement has been question by the associations he has kept. You cannot tell me that sitting in a pew for 20 years and not knowing what Wright was preaching is believable. As for Webb, keep talking, because all this does is show that Obama is just another Chicago politician and it focuses more attention on his lack of experience. - Sailor

Mr. Webb, a Virginia Democrat who is often mentioned as a possible running mate for Mr. Obama, said Mr. McCain should "calm down" about his military record. "Don't be standing up and uttering your political views and implying that all the people in the military support them, because they don't," he said on MSNBC.

A Marine who served in Vietnam - a fact he mentioned often as he campaigned for the Senate, occasionally while wearing his son's desert combat boots - Mr. Webb said "we need to make sure that we take politics out of service."

The comments followed those of retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, an Obama supporter, who used a Sunday talk show to criticize the presumptive Republican nominee's experience as a Navy pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam.

Read the rest of the article and note the comments. - Sailor

Keep Talking Wesley

2008-07-01T13:36:00.002-04:00

It is time for the Sailor to add my 2 cents to the comments by retired General Wesley Clark. Remember this is the man Bill Clinton relieved of command and the man that almost started a shooting war with the Russians in Kosovo. All Clark has managed to do with this smear of John McCain's service is to highlight Obama's lack of experience. McCain, unlike John Kerry, has never made his service his reason for him to be President. So I say to the good General, keep talking Wes! - Sailor

Here is an editorial on this matter from the New Hampshire Union-Leader.

Clark on McCain: Keep talking, general

13 hours, 33 minutes ago

HERE IS HOW retired Gen. Wesley Clark chose to peddle Barack Obama for President over John McCain:

Click for Editorials & Op-Eds

"(McCain) hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded -- that wasn't a wartime squadron. I don't think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become President."

Hasn't held executive responsibility? Let's see, Obama's executive responsibilities have included what? Right. The answer is: nothing. And thank you, Gen. Clark, for pointing out that John McCain commanded the largest fighter squadron in the U.S. Navy. He didn't just command it; he turned it around.

"Although plagued by fatal accidents in the past, the squadron had no fatalities under his command . . . and won its first meritorious unit citation. Mr. McCain's success attracted notice among the admirals in Washington," The New York Times reported in 2000.

McCain's qualifications do not come from being shot down. They come from a career in military and foreign affairs in which McCain displayed an uncommon strength of character and developed a sound judgment in those fields, which are so critical to the United States in this dangerous world.

His opponent, a career lawyer and politician, has shown that his own judgment in those areas is naive and ill-considered. Clark highlights those differences every time he seeks to denigrate McCain's service.

The Lexington Projet

2008-06-25T21:15:00.002-04:00

While I do not agree with all this man made global warming hype and quite frankly, con job, this plan of McCain's has a great deal of merit. I still believe we should be drilling in ANWR. To those who claim we cannot drill our way out of this crisis, I say to them, you cannot tax your way out of it either. Nor can you repeal the law of supply and demand. This is a multi faceted approach to energy independence. What say you Obama? - Sailor

Our nation's future security and prosperity depends on the next President making the hard choices that will break our nation's strategic dependence on foreign sources of energy and will ensure our economic prosperity by meeting tomorrow's demands for a clean portfolio. John McCain has made the necessary choices - producing more power, pushing technology to help free our transportation sector from its use of foreign oil, cleaning up our air and addressing climate change, and ensuring that Americans have dependable energy sources. John McCain will lead the effort to develop advanced transportation technologies and alternative fuels to promote energy independence and cut off the flow of oil wealth to repressive dictatorships like Iran.

"In recent days I have set before the American people an energy plan, the Lexington Project -- named for the town where Americans asserted their independence once before. And let it begin today with this commitment: In a world of hostile and unstable suppliers of oil, this nation will achieve strategic independence by 2025."
John McCain, June 25, 2008
Read the entire speech...

Expanding Domestic Oil And Natural Gas Exploration And Production

John McCain Will Commit Our Country To Expanding Domestic Oil Exploration. The current federal moratorium on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf stands in the way of energy exploration and production. John McCain believes it is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions and to put our own reserves to use. There is no easier or more direct way to prove to the world that we will no longer be subject to the whims of others than to expand our production capabilities. We have trillions of dollars worth of oil and gas reserves in the U.S. at a time we are exporting hundreds of billions of dollars a year overseas to buy energy. This is the largest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind. We should keep more of our dollars here in the U.S., lessen our foreign dependency, increase our domestic supplies, and reduce our trade deficit - 41% of which is due to oil imports. John McCain proposes to cooperate with the states and the Department of Defense in the decisions to develop these resources.

John McCain Believes In Promoting And Expanding The Use Of Our Domestic Supplies Of Natural Gas. When people are hurting, and struggling to afford gasoline, food, and other necessities, common sense requires that we draw upon America's own vast reserves of oil and natural gas. Within the United States we have tremendous reserves of natural gas. The Outer Continental Shelf alone contains 77 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas. It is time that we capitalize on these significant resources and build the infrastructure needed to transport this important component of electricity generation and transportation fuel around the country.

Taking Action Now To Break Our Dependency On Foreign Oil By Reforming Our Transportation Sector

The Nation Cannot Reduce Its Dependency On Oil Unless We Change How We Power Our Transportation Sector.

John McCain's Clean Car Challenge. John McCain will issue a Clean Car Challenge to the automakers of America, in the form of a single and substantial tax credit for the consumer based on the reduction of carbon emissions. He will commit a $5,000 tax credit for each and every customer who buys a zero carbon emission t car, encouraging automakers to be first on the market with these cars in order to capitalize on the consumer incentives. For other vehicles, a graduated tax credit will apply so that the lower the carbon emissions, the higher the tax credit.

John McCain Will Propose A $300 Million Prize To Improve Battery Technology For Full Commercial Development Of Plug-In Hybrid And Fully Electric Automobiles. A $300 million prize should be awarded for the development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars. That battery should deliver a power source at 30 percent of the current costs. At $300 million, the prize is one dollar for every man, woman and child in this country - and a small price to pay for breaking our dependence on oil.

John McCain Supports Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) And Believes They Should Play A Greater Role In Our Transportation Sector. In just three years, Brazil went from new cars sales that were about 5 percent FFVs to over 70 percent of new vehicles that were FFVs. American automakers have committed to make 50 percent of their cars FFVs by 2012. John McCain calls on automakers to make a more rapid and complete switch to FFVs.

John McCain Believes Alcohol-Based Fuels Hold Great Promise As Both An Alternative To Gasoline And As A Means of Expanding Consumers' Choices. Some choices such as ethanol are on the market right now. The second generation of alcohol-based fuels like cellulosic ethanol, which won't compete with food crops, are showing great potential.

Today, Isolationist Tariffs And Wasteful Special Interest Subsidies Are Not Moving Us Toward An Energy Solution. We need to level the playing field and eliminate mandates, subsidies, tariffs and price supports that focus exclusively on corn-based ethanol and prevent the development of market-based solutions which would provide us with better options for our fuel needs.

John McCain Will Effectively Enforce Existing CAFE Standards. John McCain has long supported CAFE standards - the mileage requirements that automobile manufacturers' cars must meet. Some car makers ignore these standards, pay a small financial penalty, and add it to the price of their cars. John McCain believes that the penalties for not following these standards must be effective enough to compel all car makers to produce fuel-efficient vehicles.

Investing In Clean, Alternative Sources Of Energy

John McCain Believes That The U.S. Must Become A Leader In A New International Green Economy. Green jobs and green technology will be vital to our economic future. There is no reason that the U.S. should not be a leader in developing and deploying these new technologies.

John McCain Will Commit $2 Billion Annually To Advancing Clean Coal Technologies. Coal produces the majority of our electricity today. Some believe that marketing viable clean coal technologies could be over 15 years away. John McCain believes that this is too long to wait, and we need to commit significant federal resources to the science, research and development that advance this critical technology. Once commercialized, the U.S. can then export these technologies to countries like China that are committed to using their coal - creating new American jobs and allowing the U.S. to play a greater role in the international green economy.

John McCain Will Put His Administration On Track To Construct 45 New Nuclear Power Plants By 2030 With The Ultimate Goal Of Eventually Constructing 100 New Plants. Nuclear power is a proven, zero-emission source of energy, and it is time we recommit to advancing our use of nuclear power. Currently, nuclear power produces 20% of our power, but the U.S. has not started construction on a new nuclear power plant in over 30 years. China, India and Russia have goals of building a combined total of over 100 new plants and we should be able to do the same. It is also critical that the U.S. be able to build the components for these plants and reactors within our country so that we are not dependent on foreign suppliers with long wait times to move forward with our nuclear plans.

John McCain Will Establish A Permanent Tax Credit Equal To 10 Percent Of Wages Spent On R&D. This reform will simplify the tax code, reward activity in the U.S., and make us more competitive with other countries. A permanent credit will provide an incentive to innovate and remove uncertainty. At a time when our companies need to be more competitive, we need to provide a permanent incentive to innovate, and remove the uncertainty now hanging over businesses as they make R&D investment decisions.

John McCain Will Encourage The Market For Alternative, Low Carbon Fuels Such As Wind, Hydro And Solar Power. According to the Department of Energy, wind could provide as much as one-fifth of electricity by 2030. The U.S. solar energy industry continued its double-digit annual growth rate in 2006. To develop these and other sources of renewable energy will require that we rationalize the current patchwork of temporary tax credits that provide commercial feasibility. John McCain believes in an even-handed system of tax credits that will remain in place until the market transforms sufficiently to the point where renewable energy no longer merits the taxpayers' dollars.

Here is another part I do not agree with at all. Some one needs to educate McCain that this supposed man made global warming is a crock of bovine excrement - Sailor

Protecting Our Environment And Addressing Climate Change: A Sound Energy Strategy Must Include A Solid Environmental Foundation

John McCain Proposes A Cap-And-Trade System That Would Set Limits On Greenhouse Gas Emissions While Encouraging The Development Of Low-Cost Compliance Options. A climate cap-and-trade mechanism would set a limit on greenhouse gas emissions and allow entities to buy and sell rights to emit, similar to the successful acid rain trading program of the early 1990s. The key feature of this mechanism is that it allows the market to decide and encourage the lowest-cost compliance options.

How Does A Cap-And-Trade System Work? A cap-and-trade system harnesses human ingenuity in the pursuit of alternatives to carbon-based fuels. Market participants are allotted total permits equal to the cap on greenhouse gas emissions. If they can invent, improve, or acquire a way to reduce their emissions, they can sell their extra permits for cash. The profit motive will coordinate the efforts of venture capitalists, corporate planners, entrepreneurs, and environmentalists on the common motive of reducing emissions.

Greenhouse Gas Emission Targets And Timetables:

2012: Return Emissions To 2005 Levels (18 Percent Above 1990 Levels)
2020: Return Emissions To 1990 Levels (15 Percent Below 2005 Levels)
2030: 22 Percent Below 1990 Levels (34 Percent Below 2005 Levels)
2050: 60 Percent Below 1990 Levels (66 Percent Below 2005 Levels)

The Cap-And-Trade System Would Allow For The Gradual Reduction Of Emissions. The cap-and-trade system would encompass electric power, transportation fuels, commercial business, and industrial business - sectors responsible for just under 90 percent of all emissions. Small businesses would be exempt. Initially, participants would be allowed to either make their own GHG reductions or purchase "offsets" - financial instruments representing a reduction, avoidance, or sequestration of greenhouse gas emissions practiced by other activities, such as agriculture - to cover 100 percent of their required reductions. Offsets would only be available through a program dedicated to ensure that all offset GHG emission reductions are real, measured and verifiable. The fraction of GHG emission reductions permitted via offsets would decline over time.

Promoting Energy Efficiency

John McCain Will Make Greening The Federal Government A Priority Of His Administration. The federal government is the largest electricity consumer on earth and occupies 3.3 billion square feet of space worldwide. It provides an enormous opportunity to lead by example. By applying a higher efficiency standard to new buildings leased or purchased or retrofitting existing buildings, we can save taxpayers substantial money in energy costs, and move the construction market in the direction of green technology.

John McCain Will Move The United States Toward Electricity Grid And Metering Improvements To Save Energy. John McCain will work to reduce red tape to allow a serious investment to upgrade our national grid to meet the demands of the 21st century - which will include a capacity to charge the electric cars that will one day fill the roads and highways of America. And to save both money and electrical power for our people and businesses, we will also need to deploy SmartMeter technologies. These new meters give customers a more precise picture of their overall energy consumption, and over time will encourage a more cost-efficient use of power.

Addressing Speculative Pricing Of Oil

John McCain Believes We Must Understand The Role Speculation Is Playing In Our Soaring Energy Prices. Congress already has investigations underway to examine this kind of wagering in our energy markets, unrelated to any kind of productive commerce, because it can distort the market, drive prices beyond rational limits, and put the investments and pensions of millions of Americans at risk. John McCain believes that where we find abuses, they need to be swiftly punished. To make sure it never happens again, we must reform the laws and regulations governing the oil futures market, so that they are just as clear and effective as the rules applied to stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments.

John McCain Does Not Support A Windfall Profits Tax. A windfall profits tax on the oil companies will ultimately result in increasing our dependence on foreign oil and hinder investment in domestic exploration. Jimmy Carter put a windfall profits tax in to place with little to no useful results.

On the whole, this is a good, comprehensive plan. At least one candidate has a plan. Of course, Pelosi and Reid did say they had a plan to lower gas prices, if we voted the Dems in back in 2006. I wonder what ever happened to that one? - Sailor

Help Our Toops Get A Little Piece of Home!

2008-06-24T22:23:00.004-04:00

Received this in an E-Mail today. I know things are tough out there with energy and food prices being what they are. But, try and dig deep and get our troops a little piece of home. If you think we have rough here, you should see how rough they have it! - Sailor

PRO-TROOP GROUP ASKS

FOR BLOGGERS' HELP!

This Thursday, June 26th is the huge "From the FrontLines" 8-hour telethon hosted by the nation's largest pro-trooporganization Move America Forward - http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org

Our goal: to send the largest single shipment of care packages in U.S.history. We're hoping to collect sponsorships in excess of $500,000 forcare packages by the end of the day Thursday.

* Today Rush Limbaugh promoted the effort on his nationally syndicated show:

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_062408/content/01125111.guest.html

* Also, The San Francisco Chronicle wrote about it:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=27546

* And the Sacramento Union has two stories about the broadereffort:

Here: http://www.sacunion.com/pages/california/articles/9981/

And Here: http://www.sacunion.com/pages/sacramento/articles/9974/

Now we're looking for help from the blogosphere. Weare asking for your help to get the blogosphere to explode with mentions ofthis effort - so that any American patriot who loves our military and issurfing the Net the next two days is sure to know about this effort. If nothing else, please ask your readers on June 26th to tune in to"From the Front Lines" via http://www.HotAir.com http://www.ustream.tv/channel/from-the-frontline s

Supporters of our troops can sponsor care packages at: http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org

P.S. If you want some more inspiration, check out what SuperBlogger Spree did.

First she blogged on Wake Up America:

http://wwwwakeupamericans-spree.blogspot.com/2008/06/protests-and-counter-protests-in.html

And then had this piece published at DigitalJournal.com

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/256477

Now please be sure to do your part to help! :-)

MCCAIN & THE COURTS

2008-05-14T14:22:00.002-04:00

Many in the conservative base have issues with Senator McCain, and I am one of them. However, I believe that Senator McCain is a man of his word, that being said, I trust that he will appoint strict constructionist judges in the mold of Justices Roberts and Alito. This is an election that could well shape the Supreme Court for damn near a generation. the next president will have at a minimum two appointments to SCOTUS and possibly three. Many of the issues that conservatives are concerned about, abortion, gun rights, campaign finance reform and possibly immigration reform will be decided in the courts and will almost assuredly come before SCOTUS. Do you really want a President Obama making those appointments? Here are some excerpts from a New York Post editorial on this crucial matter. - Sailor

"Often, political causes are brought before the courts that could not succeed by democratic means," he said, "and some federal judges are eager to oblige."
McCain also took the two Dems to task for joining in their party's effort to delay approval of more than 30 federal judicial nominations solely for reasons of ideology and politics.
McCain, by contrast, worked with a bipartisan group of senators - "The Gang of 14" - to forge a compromise. The deal allowed President Bush to seat two judges of his choosing, John Roberts and Samuel Alito, on the Supreme Court, while blocking a GOP attempt to ban Senate filibusters for federal judges.
McCain vows to tap "accomplished men and women with a proven record of excellence in the law and a proven commitment to judicial restraint."

Palestinians in Gaza Are Phonebanking for Barack Obama

2008-05-13T21:16:00.002-04:00

I wonder how the Obama campaign will deal with this? I imagine Dingy Harry Reid and his cohorts will whine, gnash their teeth and look for some one supporting McCain to blame for all of this. Harry has already tried to blame McCain for mud slinging. Hey Harry, have any more land deals? - Sailor

Phil Klein calls our attention to an al-Jazeera news report that sounds like a parody, but is genuine: A report on Palestinians in Gaza who are phonebanking in support of Barack Obama's campaign.
I transcribed the most jaw-dropping parts:
REPORTER: It may be hard to believe, but working in this tiny Internet cafe in Gaza City may just be one of Barack Obama's biggest fans.

Before every U.S. primary, 23-year-old Ibrahim Abu Jayyab gathers 17 of his friends to try and rally support for Obama's campaign in the U.S.

So why does a young Palestinian living in Gaza spend so much of his time and money on an election thousands of miles away?

ABU JAYYAB: [translated] It all started at the time of the U.S. primaries. After studying Obama's electoral campaign manifesto, I thought, 'this is a man that is capable of change inside America.' As for potential change in the Middle East, he can also do that. I think he can bring peace to the area, or at least this is what we hope.

REPORTER: And the game plan? Ibrahim and his friends call random numbers in the U.S. before every primary to deliver one simple message:

ABU JAYYAB: [in English] Elect Senator Obama. I will change. I will achieve... the justice in the Middle East.

So Much for Free Speech

2008-05-13T15:37:00.002-04:00

I really should not be surprised by this, after all leftists like those at this university only believe in free speech when that speech conforms with their world view. I hope Ms. Dixon files a law suit and federal charges for the violation of her Constitutional rights. University officials of this kind have no right to intimidate employees from expressing their opinions, especially outside of their job duties. It is my opinion that not only was her firing improper, but illegal as well. - Sailor

Cybercast News Service has learned that a University of Toledo administrator has lost her job because she wrote a newspaper commentary that questioned whether homosexuality is a civil rights issue.

Crystal Dixon, the associate vice president of human resources at the state university, had earlier been put on paid administrative leave for the Apr. 18 column published in the Toledo Free Press, as detailed in a previous CNSNews.com report.

"She has been fired," said Brian Rooney, spokesman for the Thomas More Law Center, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based legal-defense group which is representing Dixon.

Rooney told Cybercast News Service that the university had offered Dixon "another position, in a different part of the university, not in human resources" because she had argued in her editorial that sexual orientation is not an immutable characteristic like race or sex and should not be afforded the same protection under civil rights laws.

"She said no, that's when she was fired," Rooney said. "We are going to do everything we can within the law to try to show that the firing was improper and potentially illegal."

Spells Cast at Anti-Marine Rally in California

2008-05-10T23:08:00.002-04:00

Looks like Code Pink is really reaching now. On Friday they tried to play witch and cast spells at the Marine Recruitment Center in crazy Berkeley. When this does not work, I have to wonder if they will resort to voodoo. Just a word to the Marines there, keep a close eye on your personal belongings, they need those for the voodoo dolls. Of course Code Pink does have a big problem with making voodoo dolls. They need locks of hair. Just a news flash to the pink ladies, Marines do not have enough hair to make a lock from. So Marines keep it high and tight! This is just a suggestion from an old Frogman, get a boom box and serenade the Code Pink witches a few tunes such as Witchcraft, Witch Queen of New Orleans, Season of the Witch, Witchy Woman and Black Magic Woman. I am sure they will enjoy them! - Sailor

Members of the anti-war group Code Pink gathered Friday with a cauldron of flowers outside a controversial Marine Corps Recruiting Center in Berkeley, Calif., to use witchcraft to rally against the Iraq war.

Code Pink members unfurled a pink banner reading "Troops Home Now" and waved signs as they began the protest, which they promised would include incantations and pointy hats for a "witches, crones and sirens" day.

"Women are coming to cast spells and do rituals and to impart wisdom to figure out how we're going to end war," Zanne Sam Joi of Bay Area Code Pink told FOXNews.com.

Dan Rather Says Other TV Networks Refused to Hire Him

2008-05-08T21:57:00.002-04:00

Gee whiz, Dan. What did you expect after running with a story that used falsified documents, that were never properly vetted. Then to top it off, you ran around saying that you knew it was true, but never offered a single shred of evidence. You real intent was to impact the election. You gambled that no one would figure out that those documents were faked. You tossed the dice and you lost. Get over it and move on! Here are a few snippets from the article. - Sailor

Rather and his agents also met later with Fox, A&E, History Channel, HBO, Discovery Channel and National Geographic television networks, court papers say, but all passed, saying he was "too hot to handle" or "words to that effect."

Rather's papers say he could have defended the Bush story, but, relying on CBS' promises to defend him and extend his contract, he was "misled into remaining silent and unfairly taking the brunt of the blame for misconceptions about the broadcast."

He left CBS on June 16, 2006, after more than 40 years at the network. He has since signed with HDNet, a cable network with limited distribution.

"Although now working, Mr. Rather's (on air) exposure is dramatically limited and, accordingly, his reputation and standing in his trade and profession have not recovered from the damage caused by the defendants' conduct," court papers say.

The Great Global Warming Race

2008-05-07T21:38:00.002-04:00

In my mind this is a scam that would make P. T. Barnum proud! It is time that people wake up and see this so called man made global warming for what it is, a move to take down the economies of the Western nations and open the way for UN controlled socialism. With the latest data from NASA, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is scrambling to explain it all away. These fellows have their livelihood on the line after all. When man made global warming is debunked, they will need to find new sources of grants and research money. Here are a few snippets from an article by Steven Milloy. No doubt Al Gore will call Mr. Milloy a heretic! - Sailor

The bottom line of global warming — and that is why so many are behind it — is that its many vested interests are on the verge of a financial and political bonanza, something that scientific facts and climatic realities are likely only to spoil.

So when global temperature doesn’t behave as predicted, excuses and explanations must be found to prevent the almost-mature golden goose from being roasted for dinner. The spin on the Nature study provided by its authors to The New York Times is that, "We’re learning that [natural] climate variability is important and can mask the effects of human-induced global change. In the end this gives more confidence in the long-term projections."

The attempted logic here is that even though the alarmists have been wrong in the past — been there, done that — their failure somehow sets them up for more certain future success. We look past this logical fallacy at our own peril. I can’t wait for their Orwellian pronouncement that global cooling is the new global warming.

McCain's Judicial Philosophy

2008-05-07T13:43:00.002-04:00

Many conservatives, the Sailor included, have issue with McCain on immigration, campaign finance reform and so called global warming. The next President will likely have the opportunity to appoint 2 and perhaps 3 Justices to the Supreme Court. These appointments will shape the court for at least the next 20 years. I know many also have issues with McCain being part of the Gang of 14, but in retrospect, it did get Roberts and Alito confirmed.

We all now the type of judges that Obama and Hilary would confirm. So it is important to understand McCain's judicial philosophy. Here are some excerpts from his speech yesterday.

Here, too, Senators Obama and Clinton have very different ideas from my own. They are both lawyers themselves, and don't seem to mind at all when fundamental questions of social policy are preemptively decided by judges instead of by the people and their elected representatives. Nor have they raised objections to the unfair treatment of judicial nominees.

For both Senator Obama and Senator Clinton, it turned out that not even John Roberts was quite good enough for them. Senator Obama in particular likes to talk up his background as a lecturer on law, and also as someone who can work across the aisle to get things done. But when Judge Roberts was nominated, it seemed to bring out more the lecturer in Senator Obama than it did the guy who can get things done. He went right along with the partisan crowd, and was among the 22 senators to vote against this highly qualified nominee. And just where did John Roberts fall short, by the Senator's measure? Well, a justice of the court, as Senator Obama explained it – and I quote – should share "one's deepest values, one's core concerns, one's broader perspectives on how the world works, and the depth and breadth of one's empathy."

These vague words attempt to justify judicial activism – come to think of it, they sound like an activist judge wrote them. And whatever they mean exactly, somehow Senator Obama's standards proved too lofty a standard for a nominee who was brilliant, fair-minded, and learned in the law, a nominee of clear rectitude who had proved more than the equal of any lawyer on the Judiciary Committee, and who today is respected by all as the Chief Justice of the United States. Somehow, by Senator Obama's standard, even Judge Roberts didn't measure up. And neither did Justice Samuel Alito. Apparently, nobody quite fits the bill except for an elite group of activist judges, lawyers, and law professors who think they know wisdom when they see it – and they see it only in each other.

I have my own standards of judicial ability, experience, philosophy, and temperament. And Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito meet those standards in every respect. They would serve as the model for my own nominees if that responsibility falls to me.

If Senator McCain is true to his word, and I have no doubt of this, these are the type of judges that fit well into the conservative philosophy. - Sailor

Stephen King Update

2008-05-07T00:57:00.002-04:00

Looks like King cannot take the heat. He has shut down his message board. Typical leftist hypocrisy here. Free speech is only for those that agree with their point of view. Here is a little snippet of what you will find over at NewsBusters,

Roughly an hour later, the Moderator posted the following:
Steve asked me to post this reply:

"That a right-wing-blog would impugn my patriotism because I said children should learn to read, and could get better jobs by doing so, is beneath contempt. Noel Sheppard says, “Nice sentiment when the nation is at war, Stephen.” I guess he feels ignorance and illiteracy are OK when the country needs cannon-fodder. I guess he also feels that the war in Iraq has nationwide approval. Well, it doesn’t have mine. It is a waste of national resources. . . and that includes the youth and blood of the 4,000 American troops who have lost their lives there and for the tens of thousands who have been wounded. I live in a national guard town, and I support our troops, but I don’t support either the war or educational policies that limit the options of young men and women to any one career—military or otherwise. If you agree, find Sheppard on the internet, and send him an email: “Hi, Noel—Stephen King says to shut up and I agree.”

Steve"

__________________

Last edited by Moderator : 17 Hours Ago at 04:21 PM.
And, roughly two hours after that, the boards were closed.

Now, assuming Ms. Mod was indeed going on vacation, and the message boards are closed during such, wouldn't it have been more appropriate for King to wait until she came back BEFORE sending his dogs out to attack me?

You can read more comments at NewsBusters. Just a word to this moderator, Stephen King and the one Stephen King fan. I will not shut up and there is not one damned thing you can do about that. - Sailor

Stephen King Disses the Military

2008-05-05T21:46:00.002-04:00

Stephen King has disrespected our brave man and women seving in the military, He sounded a lot like John Kerry! Here is what King had to say:

"I don't want to sound like an ad, a public service ad on TV, but the fact is if you can read, you can walk into a job later on. If you don't, then you've got, the Army, Iraq, I don't know, something like that. It's, it's not as bright. So, that's my little commercial for that."

So another leftists makes his true feelings known. Just another example of their hypocritical, lying words when they tru to make us believe they support our troops. King is just another lying leftist sack of crap! - Sailor

See the video here!

Obama Plans to Disarm America!

2008-05-04T21:30:00.002-04:00

You have to see this video of Obama's plans for our military and military preparedness. It is very scary! Why is that leftists always think if you sit down to tea and pastries with those who want us dead, all will be worked out? Do they not understand that those that wish to kill all of us, have no intention of negotiating? Living overseas for a period of time does not make you a foreign policy expert. Hat tip to Aristotle over at Cronwatch for this info! - Sailor

Obama's plans to gut our military.

A Note to Al Gore

2008-05-01T18:49:00.002-04:00

Well Al, looks like you have been busted on this global warming thing. NASA is reporting the possibility of 20 to 30 years of global cooling! Read the full article. Guess Al may need to do some thing about those carbon exchange businesses. - Sailor

The allegedly warming earth is in for about 30 years of cooling according to NASA, one of the leading global warming theory advocates.

NASA has confirmed that a developing natural climate pattern will likely result in much colder temperatures, according to Marc Shepherd, writing in the April 30 American Thinker. He adds that NASA was also quick to point out that such natural phenomena should not confuse the issue of manmade greenhouse gas induced global warming which apparently will be going on behind the scenes while our teeth are chattering from a decade and a half long cold spell.

"A cool-water anomaly known as La Niña occupied the tropical Pacific Ocean throughout 2007 and early 2008. In April 2008, scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced that while the La Niña was weakening, the Pacific decadal Oscillation – a larger-scale, Slower-cycling ocean pattern – had shifted to its cool phase."

Notes Shepherd "This shift in the PDO, which could last for 20 or 30 years, can have significant implications for global climate, affecting Pacific and Atlantic hurricane activity, droughts and flooding around the Pacific basin, the productivity of marine ecosystems and global land temperature patterns."

And the greatest impact here in the states, he adds, will likely be on west Coast residents, particularly growers.

Getting to Know John McCain

2008-05-01T07:05:00.003-04:00

Karl Rove has some insights and commentary on John McCain. I have to say I had never heard any of this before and it shows Senator McCain to be a man of great courage. Leaders are made of this mettle. Read the rest of the commentary. - Sailor

Mr. Day relayed to me one of the stories Americans should hear. It involves what happened to him after escaping from a North Vietnamese prison during the war. When he was recaptured, a Vietnamese captor broke his arm and said, "I told you I would make you a cripple."

The break was designed to shatter Mr. Day's will. He had survived in prison on the hope that one day he would return to the United States and be able to fly again. To kill that hope, the Vietnamese left part of a bone sticking out of his arm, and put him in a misshapen cast. This was done so that the arm would heal at "a goofy angle," as Mr. Day explained. Had it done so, he never would have flown again.

But it didn't heal that way because of John McCain. Risking severe punishment, Messrs. McCain and Day collected pieces of bamboo in the prison courtyard to use as a splint. Mr. McCain put Mr. Day on the floor of their cell and, using his foot, jerked the broken bone into place. Then, using strips from the bandage on his own wounded leg and the bamboo, he put Mr. Day's splint in place.

Years later, Air Force surgeons examined Mr. Day and complimented the treatment he'd gotten from his captors. Mr. Day corrected them. It was Dr. McCain who deserved the credit. Mr. Day went on to fly again.

The DNC ShowsTheir True Colors

2008-04-29T00:36:00.003-04:00

The DNC has an ad out on Iraq. They are showing video of American soldiers being blown up! I urge each and every one of you to call the DNC , your representative and your senators, demanding that this ad be pulled immediately! Hat tip to Frogg at Chronwatch! - Sailor

See the Video here!

Petraeus: Al Qaida trying to 'come back in'

2008-03-05T13:42:00.002-05:00

Just a note to Obama, looks like you would have to do some thing in Iraq, if you were elected. You would not be able to surrender now would you? Provided of course, any thing you have said trying to get the nomination has any basis in truth.

"Al Qaida is trying to come back in," U.S. military commander Gen. David Petraeus said. "We can feel it and see it, and what we're trying to do is rip out any roots before they can get deeply into the ground."

Al Qaida has even resorted to using women as homicide bombers. I wonder where NOW is on this?

The general said Al Qaida was turning to women suicide bombers because the insurgency network failed to drive car bombs through military and police checkpoints.
"Al Qaida is incredibly resilient, and they are receiving people and supplies through Syria — although numbers through Syria are down as much as 50 percent," Petraeus said.

You can read the full article here .

The minute we prematurely remove our troops from Iraq, Qaida will go on a rampage. All of the efforts and sacrafices our troops had made will have been wasted. - Sailor

Poor Obama!

2008-03-04T20:24:00.002-05:00

Looks like it is time for the old Sailor to get back to blogging. Seems Obama is whining about tough questions. About damned time some one started asking them!

"Come on! I just answered, like, eight questions," Obama, looking surprised, told shouting reporters as he fled the room. "We're running late."

The Clinton campaign has long complained that Obama gets soft treatment from the press corps. But Monday's exchange was no pillow fight."

I wonder what he will do when he has to deal with that crazy Iranian or the nut case in Venezuela. I have long maintained that Barrack is not ready for prime time, and now he is proving me right.

You can read some more of his whining right here. - Sailor

Operation Stars and Stripes

2007-06-09T11:18:00.000-04:00

For those of you that want to help support our troops and see that they get those much appreciated goodies from home, please support Operation Stars and Stripes. You can help them get these care packages out to the troops by going here - http://www.operationstars.com/ - and making a donation.

We here at CCR Radio are heavily supporting this group! - Sailor

Hillary Clinton Calls for Gonzales' Resignation

2007-03-14T03:55:00.000-04:00

ADDITIONAL UPDATE

UPDATE

Hillary has joined Chuckie Cheese Schumer and the rest of the democrat hypocrites in calling for the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Seems to me, it was her husband that fired all the US Attorneys when he took office. We certainly did not hear Hillary or Chuckie Cheese complain. Then again Bill Clinton is one of theirs, so it was okay. The stink of hypocrisy extends to the usual suspects in the MSN, the NY Times, Washington Post and AP, each of whom never bothered to mention this inconvenient fact in their front pages stories.

US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President. He can fire 1, 2, 3 or all of them. This nonsense emanating from the dems is nothing more then political grandstanding. - Sailor

Hillary's remarks

Today's Wall Street Journal reminds Hillary of the Hubbell Standard. For all her hot air, old Hillary knows all about firing US Attorneys. After all, by her own admission she was co-President when Billy Clinton fired all of the US Attorneys. The artilce in the WSJ lays out some of the reasons for the recent firings and unlike the usual MSN suspects, takes Hilklary to task over her hypocrisy. - Sailor

"The supposed scandal this week is that Mr. Bush had been informed last fall that some U.S. Attorneys had been less than vigorous in pursuing voter-fraud cases and that the President had made the point to Attorney General Albert Gonzales. Voter fraud strikes at the heart of democratic institutions, and it was entirely appropriate for Mr. Bush--or any President--to insist that his appointees act energetically against it.

Take sacked U.S. Attorney John McKay from Washington state. In 2004, the Governor's race was decided in favor of Democrat Christine Gregoire by 129-votes on a third recount. As the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and other media outlets reported, some of the "voters" were deceased, others were registered in storage-rental facilities, and still others were convicted felons. More than 100 ballots were "discovered" in a Seattle warehouse. None of this constitutes proof that the election was stolen. But it should have been enough to prompt Mr. McKay, a Democrat, to investigate, something he declined to do, apparently on grounds that he had better things to do.

In New Mexico, another state in which recent elections have been decided by razor thin margins, U.S. Attorney David Iglesias did establish a voter fraud task force in 2004. But it lasted all of 10 weeks before closing its doors, despite evidence of irregularities by the likes of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or Acorn. As our John Fund reported at the time, Acorn's director Matt Henderson refused to answer questions in court about whether his group had illegally made copies of voter registration cards in the run-up to the 2004 election."

Wall Street Journal Article

" 3-2.120 Appointment

United States Attorneys are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate for a four-year term. See 28 U.S.C. Sec. 541. Upon expiration of this term, the United States Attorney continues to perform the duties of the office until a successor is confirmed. United States Attorneys are subject to removal at the will of the President.See Parsons v. United States, 167 U.S. 314 (1897)."

Which part of "at the will of the President" do the dems and the MSN not understand? - Sailor

US Code Pertaining to US Attorneys

AFL-CIO bullying Colorado on Dems’ 2008 convention

2007-03-12T12:22:00.000-04:00

It stands to reason, based on the success of the far left of the dem party, getting the Nevada Dem Party to drop the debate to be aired on Fox, that the AFL-CIO would try and bully to have the Dem Convention moved out of Denever. Seems the union doesn't like that Gov. Bill Ritter vetoed a bill that would no longer permit secrect ballots when emplyees are voting to unionize or not. Since the dems have been in bed with big laober for decades, it will be interesting to see how they deal with this.

"WASHINGTON - National AFL officials seem determined to remove any remaining doubt in anybody’s mind that Gov. Bill Ritter did the right thing in February by vetoing Colorado House bill 1072. That hurriedly approved measure repealed a long-standing Colorado law requiring that, once a company’s employees approve a union, they have a second, secret-ballot vote on how dues will be assessed, with a 75 percent supermajority required for approval.

Why is the AFL-CIO so worried about an obscure Colorado bill? Because the vetoed measure was of a piece with the “Employee Free Choice Act of 2007” now being rushed through Congress by national Democrats, led by Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. That bill abolishes all secret ballot voting in union representation contests. Doing away with workers’ right to cast a secret ballot when voting on whether to unionize is the AFL-CIO’s top national priority because union leaders think it will help them reverse their decades-long slide in membership. Less than 10 percent of all private sector workers now belong to unions.

AFL-CIO officials say they will urge Democrats to move their 2008 national convention from Denver if Ritter doesn’t agree to sign a re-introduced version of 1072. Since a quarter of the delegates to a typical Democratic National Convention are union representatives, the AFL-CIO threat is not a hollow one for DNC officials. But the AFL-CIO’s threats against Ritter and Colorado workers shows exactly why secret ballots must be protected in all workplaces nationwide. Otherwise, workers will be exposed to endless threats and intimidation from thuggish union organizers."

What is it that scares big labor about secret ballots? Could it be it limits the amount of intimidation they can use? Their claims that companies can do the intimidation is bogus. Intimindating workers is a two way street. It will be interesting to see if the dems cave on this as well - Sailor

Editorial

Court strikes down D.C. ban on guns

2007-03-10T14:52:00.000-05:00

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

For years, the anti-gun lobby has claimed that the Second Amenedment, does not guarantee an individual's right to keep a fire arm. Now a Federal Court has decided that in fact, the Second Amendment does indeed make that guarentee.

"A federal appeals court yesterday struck down the District's 30-year-old gun ban, ruling that the right to bear arms as guaranteed in the Second Amendment applies to individuals and not only to militias.

"The Second Amendment would be an inexplicable aberration if it were not read to protect individual rights as well," the 58-page ruling said.

The 2-1 decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturned a 2004 lower-court decision against six D.C. residents who filed suit to keep guns for self-protection.

"The District insists that the phrase 'keep and bear arms' should be read as purely military language, and thus indicative of a civic, rather than private, guarantee," the ruling said. "The term 'bear arms' is obviously susceptible to a military construction. But it is not accurate to construe it exclusively so." "

ARTICLE

In her dissent, Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson argued that the Second Amendment does not apply to DC, because it is not a state. By her reasoning then, the rest of the Constitution does not apply either. Think about the ramifications of that! - Sailor

PDF of Ruling

Nevada Dems Nix Fox Debate

2007-03-09T18:17:00.000-05:00

Once again, the dems cave in to their ultra left wing. Then they wonder why they have problems winning Presidential elections. More interesting then the article itself are some of the lefty comments.

"by kaitlin on 03.09.2007 at 05:42 PM

bravo to the Dems. It's about time they started pushing back against their enemies! Fox News is the most deceitful, partisan and bigoted faux-news channel in the history of television and only FoxNews has the unmitigated gall to claim other news outlets are bigoted. Insanity reigns in the rightwing, neocon world.

by Ohio Poboy on 03.09.2007 at 05:41 PM

Truth, like Beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. I behold little truth on Faux News because each sentence spewing from the talking head of the moment is predictable. Nothing our Feuhrer says or does is improper or incorrect. All who doubt him are weak, ignorant lesser beings, or agents and supporters of the Terrorists.

For those 30 percent who still need to see this enormous blunder of a war in rosy tones, there is a network. This is not the network, however, on which to have an objective political debate. Roger Ailes deserves the scorn and spiteful rejection of those he has so often mischaracterized and pilloried.

Why reward this behavior? Why not stand for something in the face of his red-faced, right wing invective that blasts forth from his bull horn parroting the same singular note every day?

by Vaughan on 03.09.2007 at 05:38 PM

Fox News isn't news, it's completely an arm of the Repuclican party. It is about time that the Democratic Party refuses to be bullied by Fox. Roger Ailes has repeatedly smeared dems, and it's about time for them to stop participating in spreading the Republican talking points. Maybe Fox news will learn what Fair really means."

I am sure these folks believe CBS is unbiased! - Sailor

Article

UPDATE

Here is an excerpt from the Los Vegas Review-Journal editorial on this.

"The approach of outfits such as MoveOn.org is so juvenile it's laughable. Imagine if every political organization created litmus tests for news organizations before agreeing to appear on their programming. Republicans would have boycotted PBS, CBS, NBC, ABC, National Public Radio and The Associated Press decades ago.

This hyperventilation results from the fact that far-left Democrats have no comparable media outlet, nor any widespread national appeal, for their radical views in favor of heavy-handed regulation, wealth redistribution, diplomatic capitulation and economic protectionism. So they attack their rivals' messenger with a reckless barrage of rhetoric that cuts down their own allies with friendly fire."

Full Editorial

The Edwards camp is acting like this is some big victory. This just goes to show what a girly man Edwards is. You can read that here , if you need a laugh. Edwards is pandering to the nutroots. These are nothing more then a group of intolerant leftists, which Edwards has decided to join up with. I guess some people will do anything to attempt to get the nomination. Edward should go back to chasing ambulences. - Sailor

Insurgent Leader Nabbed in Iraq Raid

2007-03-09T17:29:00.000-05:00

Another good day for the good guys in Iraq. Abu Omar al-Baghdadi has been captured in a raid near Baghdad. One less terrorist big shot on the streets. - Sailor

Full story

"BAGHDAD (AP) - The leader of the al-Qaida-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq was captured Friday in a raid west of Baghdad - his identity revealed by a fellow insurgent detained with him, an Iraqi military spokesman said.

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi was captured in a raid in Abu Ghraib on the western outskirts of Baghdad, said Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, spokesman of the Baghdad security operation. U.S. officials had no confirmation of the capture.

"One of the terrorists who was arrested with him confessed that the one in our hands is al-Baghdadi," al-Moussawi said.

Al-Baghdadi has been identified in statements posted on Islamic extremist Web sites as the head of the Islamic State, which was proclaimed last year after the death of the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi."

Hilary gets Another Shill

2007-03-09T11:39:00.000-05:00

As if the NY Times was not enough, Hilary has a new shill at CBS News. CBS has hired Clinton crony, Rick Kaplan to help stop the Katie Couric's ratings bleeding. Look out Obama, the Clinton machine has a new member! - Sailor

Golf with Bill, overnights in the Lincoln Bedroom, a personal two-and-a-half-hour tour of the White House by the president for his 21-year-old daughter are among the perks Kaplan has enjoyed. His response to press questions about the conflict of interest: "It's nobody's business." And CBS news viewers are now asked to believe it will have no effect on the former "World News Tonight" and "PrimeTime Live" producer's coverage of Hillary.

Kaplan, in fact, has long lacked professionalism and traded in bias:

• CNN had to retract its 1998 "Tailwind" report in the very first edition of the Kaplan-created "NewsStand" news magazine show. The program claimed the U.S. military used nerve gas in a mission to kill American defectors in Laos during the Vietnam War.

• In the 1993 Food Lion lawsuit against ABC's "PrimeTime Live," a jury demanded ABC pay the supermarket chain $5.5 million for fraud — and that executive producer Kaplan personally pay $35,000. Food Lion had accused the show's producers of deceiving the public with "staged events and selective editing." (ABC successfully appealed the verdict.)

• Vanity Fair reported in 1998 that Kaplan in October 1994 killed an ABC "World News Tonight" segment on the Clintons' Whitewater scandal featuring an exclusive interview with an Arkansas state trooper who claimed a Clinton aide had tried to silence him, and that Kaplan discouraged other Whitewater coverage.

• It also revealed Kaplan advised Bill on how to bounce back from his disastrously tedious speech to the 1988 Democratic National Convention, in which he was practically booed off the stage.

• The magazine also reported that Kaplan even once hired Hillary "to work on coverage of the 1980 Democratic convention."

• According to a CNN producer quoted in the Washington Monthly in 1993, Kaplan arranged for Bill to appear on New York's Don Imus radio program during the 1992 campaign.

http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=258250369428152

Help Internet Radio Avoid Extinction

2007-03-08T17:45:00.000-05:00

Seems that no matter where you turn these days, some entity is trying to make a bif financial grab and by doing so, putting some one out of business. Now, The Copyright Royalty Board, has made a ruling to increase royalties paid to artists for their music when it is played to some ridiculous percentage. A percentage only the big corporate interests can afford, and they are making it retroactive to 1 January 2006. This, if not stopped, will be the death knell of internet radio - Sailor.

Corporate interests are hard at working making sure you don't have a choice because they make more money when you have no choices. Protect Your Right To Diversity Protect your right to hear eclectic indepenent radio and discover new artists.You can save Internet radio with less than five minutes of your time. Write your congressional representative today.
Pass the word to anyone you know that loves or makes music. Also, please bookmark this page and check back frequently for updates. We need your continued support and action as the situation further develops.
Tell your representative: I do not support The Copyright Royalty Board's (CRB) March 2nd decision to substantially increase royalty rates. Not only will it impact my choices, but the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) manipulation of these rates, and the CRB's indifference will hurt working artists, damage small record labels and force law abiding small webcasters, already paying a large portion of their revenue per month in royalties, out of business. This decision will also damage hundreds of small businesses providing goods and services to working artists, small record labels and small webcasters.
I respectfully ask that you evaluate the CRB decision and do whatever is necessary to establish a reasonable royalty rate for all the parties involved. Who, What and When On March 2, 2007, The CRB approved royalty rates that will bury any small webcaster, and create a heavy burden even for big broadcasters like Yahoo, AOL Music and Pandora. How high will these rates be? Around 100% of a small webcasters revenue, give or take a few points, in most cases. What?! That's impossible to pay! Yep, it sure is.. How did this happen? The RIAA told the CRB thats what they wanted, and the CRB just gave it to them.
Your're probably thinking, hey that's awful, but who are the the RIAA and CRB? RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is a lobbying group formed by the five largest record labels. They are embedded in Washington D.C. They make sure laws are written to keep them rich, no matter what. They made headlines a few years ago opening lawsuits against elderly people, single mothers and children for trading music online, even though some of them didn't even have computers. Check out the latest RIAA headlines.
The CRB (Copyright Royalty Board) is part of the US Copyright Office. The Board is charged with determining the royalty rates that would be determined by a willing buyer and a willing seller in a marketplace transaction. They decided to jack the rates beyond a broadcasters means despite decades of royalty rates being 1 - 2% of broadcaster revenue. Raise your right hand if you want to take away consumer choice, hurt working artists, damage small record labels and put small webcasters out of business.
Take Action Now Write your congressional representative
Add your name to a petition

http://savenetradio.org/

Cadence Calls Rock Radio

2007-03-02T10:57:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Cadence Calls Rock Radio! I am DJ Dark and this station is dedicated to supporting our troops and their families and the troops and families of our allies. Please visit our home page http://www.ccr-radio.us/. Sit back and relax and enjoy the great music! - Sailor

Bolton must be confirmed

2006-07-25T23:52:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know I have been AWOL. But, I am back now and will have much to say about the current situations and issues that we face now.

I will be starting with the Bolton nomination as the US Ambassador to the UN. I have been a supporter of Mr.Bolton since his name was first whispered as a possible selection for the post. All you need to do is look through my archives to see this. Mr. Bolton has more than proved his effectiveness. David Limbaugh has some observations in his article which supports the Bolton nomination.

"Liberals don't like it one bit that Bolton sees his role as vigorously representing the national interests of the United States, just as every other U.N. ambassador advocates the positions of his own country. They don't support Bolton's efforts to reform the United Nations, a corrupt organization that has consistently mistreated the United States and made a mockery of human rights -- a cause it purports to champion. They cringe when Bolton exposes U.N. hypocrisy, such as when he pointedly challenged Louise Arbour, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, on his threat to charge Israeli leaders with war crimes.

They don't like Bolton's unambiguous defense of Israel's actions in response to Hezbollah's unprovoked attacks, in which they killed and kidnapped Israeli soldiers and shot missiles indiscriminately into Israeli civilian populations. They resent Bolton's rejection of the U.N.'s moral perversion in giving the terrorists a pass for their atrocities and portraying Israeli acts of self-defense as war crimes. "

I guess those on the left, who thin the UN is the answer to all the world's ills, do not like some one that is willing to point out the Emporer is naked. When will the UN commissioner of human rights condemn terrorist groups? Not in his lifetime you can bet on that. For those who whine that other countries do not think Mr. Bolton is not doing a good job, ask me if I care what they think. No doubt they would prefer a panty waisted roll over for an ambassador.

Mr. Prager ends his article with this:

"As Bolton knows, it's hard to negotiate with savages of that mindset. That's why in an interview with Fox News' Brit Hume, Bolton dismissed Syria's requests for dialogue with the United States. Bolton told Brit, "Syria doesn't need dialogue to know what they need to do. They need to lean on Hezbollah to get them to release the two captured Israeli soldiers and stop the launch of rockets against innocent Israeli civilians." Exactly.

To put it bluntly, Republicans support Bolton's nomination precisely because of his clarity of thought and speech -- and his unapologetic representation of America's interests. Democrats oppose him because they sympathize with the negative view of Bolton held by foreign envoys who have anything but the best interests of the United States in mind.

If it bothers you that we have a staunch defender of America's interests serving as our ambassador to the United Nations and believe, instead, that we should routinely subordinate our interests to other nations openly hostile to us and contemptuous of the very idea of human rights, then you, too, should join the liberal chorus against confirmation of this fine public servant."

Mr.Bolton's nomination should be confirmed without delay. Natuarlly, the dems, lefists and terroist supporters, ass kissers and appeasers will try and filibuster this nomination. I hope that their attmpts will be in vain. Write or e-mail your Senator demanding that Mr. Bolton be confirmed. - Sailor

Is Rat Jack Murtha in Trouble at Home?

2006-06-29T18:19:00.000-04:00

Is the left's favorite Marine in trouble at home? Could be Rat Jack Murtha may have a fight on his hands to keep his seat in Congress. Murtha's recent comments about the US being the biggest threat to peace and his totally asinine comments on the redeployment of US forces to Okinawa, have some people thinking it may be time for Rat Jack to be voted out of office. Robert Novak has some insights in his recent column.

"Murtha's opposition to the war has never been the real issue. His assertion that the U.S. is the greatest danger to world peace is only the most recent and perhaps most striking example of his potentially dangerous venture into the great left. Even more offensive were his statements condemning Marines who allegedly participated in a massacre in Iraq, which gave no regard to the presumption of innocence or the existence of evidence (the Marines involved maintain their innocence).

In fact, by stating that he had high-level confirmation that a massacre occurred, Murtha may have set a trap for himself. As the court martial begins, he is likely to be subpoenaed in the pre-trial hearings to testify to allegations of inappropriate command influence on the trial. He risks having his high-level sources of information exposed, or exposed as flimsy -- or even non-existent."

One of the defense lawyers in the Marine case have already stated they will call Murtha as a witness. Just a little note here to Rat Jack, the people of Okinawa will not welcome more US forces as Rat Jack claimed. For years now, these folks have been demanding a reduction in US forces. One other thing, Okinawa is over 4000 miles from Iraq. Looks like Rat Jack has forgotten his logistics. - Sailor

New York Times: Grey Lady Traitor

2006-06-29T01:58:00.000-04:00

Doc Farmer weighs in on the NY Times and their callous disregard for the safety of Americans, all in the quest to advance their political agenda. It is high time the Department of Justice got off their collective asses and openned up an investigation into this affair. - Sailor

New York Times: Grey Lady Traitor
Written by Doc Farmer
Wednesday, June 28, 2006

I have a very
simple question. Has American gone completely insane?

No, I'm not posing this query because of the latest episodes of "The Jerry Springer Show," although I still marvel at the number of trailer parks our great nation must have supplying the "guests" on that program.

On September 11, 2001, America was attacked in a brutal and cowardly manner by 19 evil men following another evil man (Usama bin Laden) and an evil ideology (Islamofascism). While UBL had declared war on America years before, it took this abomination to finally get America to sit up and take this threat seriously. George W. Bush took immediate action and followed terrorists' declaration of war with one of his own. Not a war against Usama, or his followers, or even Al Qaeda, but a war against terrorism itself.

This is a World War. Whether Congress has or hasn't "declared"
war in the constitutional manner, it have given its vocal, and repeated, approval to this war. It is World War IV (World War III was the "cold" war, which Reagan won). America has, with its allies, won every World War in history. However, this may be the first World War that America could conceivably lose. Not because of our lack of military might. Not because our enemies are right, either morally or ethically. Not because our president, or this administration, or our brave troops, are lacking in will or determination.

No, we may well lose this war because of the New York Times.

The Grey Lady, as the New York Times has been called in the past, is a traitor. Its reporters are traitors. Its editors are traitors. Its publisher is a traitor.

Please note that I do not use this term lightly. I am speaking strictly from a legal and
constitutional basis. The New York Times is purposefully, willfully, and with malice aforethought, providing aid and comfort to our enemies in a time of war.

Why?

Why is the New York Times doing this? Why is it being aided and abetted by other members of the so-called "mainstream" media? Why is it being defended by politicians, pundits, and the putrid pukes of lib/dem/soc/commie-dom? What possible gain could the Times garner from America's defeat?

Probably the only thing about which the Times cares: the defeat of Bush. Lord knows, the newspaper has been doing everything possible to undermine the president, this administration, and the political party/ideology to which they belong. The so-called "right," or
rep/con/tairs as I prefer to call them. For that, the paper misuses the freedoms of this great nation in order to ensure that everyone potentially loses those freedoms.

Including, ironically, itselves.

The editors never seem to consider that, however. Do they truly believe that "freedom of the press" (or any other freedoms, for that matter) would still apply to them should Islamofascism win this war? Would the New York Times still exist, say, if Nazi fascism had won the day over six decades ago?

This is the dichotomy of a free press controlled by a lib/dem/soc/commie ideology. The Constitution, which the MSM hide behind no matter what crime they commit, would be the first thing destroyed if America loses World War IV. Free speech for the media would be gone, just as it is now for rep/con/tairs who speak up against the media's abuse. Oh, we're not jailed, but we are
vilified, ridiculed, and (wherever possible) ruined and defamed by the lib/dem/soc/commie press. Don't believe me? Ask Ann Coulter (Hubba! Hubba!), who is constantly slandered, libeled, misquoted, importuned, and attacked by her political, immoral, and unethical opponents. Luckily, Miss Coulter (Hubba!Â²) is quite able--and ever so willing--to defend herself from this collection of liars and misanthropes (or would they be misgynothropes in this case?).

Can we as a nation defend ourselves from the dangers created by a press hell-bent on our nation's destruction?

Well, putting aside the unfortunate irony that the New York Times can take every opportunity to demolish this country and all it stands for, while Americans cannot burn the New York Times building to the ground, crush the ashes and salt the
earth so that nothing may ever grow there again, then take the staff and publishers of said media monument (more a tabloid turd, actually) and do to them what Al Zarqawi did to Nick Berg, there are a limited number of options available to us.

Option One: Arrest Arthur Sulzberger Jr., Janet L. Robinson, Leonard P. Forman, the editors and (ir)responsible reporters involved in this story on the charges of Treason, aiding and abetting terrorism, sedition, jay-walking, bad breath, chewing their own toenails, farting in elevators, and anything else the government can throw at these bastards. Don't just throw the book at these toe-rags, dump an entire law library on their heads. Sadly, this will never happen. Why? Because the federal government in general, and the Bush administration in particular, don't have the testicular fortitude necessary to do the right thing. Dubya will gladly defend this nation abroad, but for some reason he
(and every president since Lincoln) doesn't believe it is right to bring traitors to task for their treason. Which is why Hanoi Jane, Hanoi John, Baghdad Jim, and Slick Willie are still walking the streets. Note to administration: First Amendment protections do not extend to illegal acts. Please try to keep this in mind.

Option Two: Boycott the New York Times and all of its other affiliated newspapers and broadcasters (the list is at the end of this article). Also, contact all of its advertisers and tell them what you think of their financial support of traitors. Granted, the NYT has had dropping circulation (even when it fakes its own numbers), but it has been a gradual decline. I think the words "screaming plummet" would
be a nicer outcome.

Option Three: File a class action suit against the New York Times Company for ten times its asset base. However, this option includes the use of effing lawyers, who will get 33% of the take, so it's not really the most preferred alternative. Unless, of course, we figure out a way to get rid of the lawyers right after the verdict, that is. Hmmmmm.

Option Four: Invade the New York Times Building with a well trained and heavily armed strike force, make the entire staff strip naked, and march them down the middle of West 43rd Street to the catcalls and ridicule of as many rep/con/tairs as can be bussed in, until they are locked in stocks outside the mayor's office and pelted with rotting vegetables, sprayed with eau de skunk, injected with the
Ebola virus, and forced to watch Paulie Shore movies until their eyes explode. (Hyperbolic? Yes. But as you might have guessed, this is a personal favorite....)

Option Five: All of the above.

Sounds extreme? Oh, it is, absolutely. But if it comes to a choice between their freedom to destroy the Constitution, the Nation, and our way of life, or our freedom to preserve the Constitution, the nation, and our way of life, I choose the latter.

Oh, one more thing to consider. If the mainstream media gets their way, and they force America to lose this war as they forced it to lose in Vietnam, you can pretty much be assured that ALL of America will face Option Four. Including the mainstream media.

~~oo0oo~~

Want to take Option Two? Here are the holdings of the New York Times Company:

The New York Times (New York, NY)
The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
The Courier (Houma, LA)
The Daily Comet (Thibodaux, LA)
The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)
The Gadsden Times (Gadsden, AL)
The Gainesville Sun (Gainesville, FL)
International Herald Tribune (Global)
The Ledger (Lakeland, FL)
The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA)
Petaluma Argus-Courier
(Petaluma, CA)
Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Sarasota, FL)
Spartanburg Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC)
Star-Banner (Ocala, FL)
TimesDaily (Florence, AL)
Times-News (Hendersonville, NC)
The Tuscaloosa News (Tuscaloosa, AL)
The Star-News (Wilmington, NC)
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA)
KFOR-TV (Oklahoma City, OK)
KAUT-TV (Oklahoma City, OK)
KFSM (Fort Smith, AR)
WHNT (Huntsville, AL)
WHO-TV (Des Moines, IA)
WNEP (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA)
WQAD (Moline, IL)
WREG-TV (Memphis, TN)
WTKR (Norfolk, VA)
Discovery-Times Channel (Cable)
About.com
The New York Times
Syndicate and News Service

About the Writer: Doc Farmer is a writer and humorist who is also a moderator on ChronWatch's Forum. He formerly lived in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but now resides in the Midwest. Doc receives e-mail at docfarmer9999@yahoo.co.uk.

Rebuild the Towers

2006-06-27T01:38:00.000-04:00

This stalling and political posturing has gone on long enough. I an asking all of you to sign the petition at the Twin Towers Alliance. Here is their mission statement:

"Who Are We?
We are Democrats and Republicans, New Yorkers and Californians, Northerners and Southerners. We come from Idaho and Michigan, Canada and Hungary, Japan, Australia, and China. We live in Italy, Denmark, New Zealand, Mexico and Holland. In other words, we’re from diverse backgrounds and probably disagree on a number of things — but, we are united in believing that the Twin Towers should rise again.

We are the millions who cheered last year when Donald Trump called for new Twin Towers and who then had to watch as he was lampooned by clueless, self-important critics.

We are people with common sense, who recognize that failure to rebuild the Twin Towers would be seen around the world as capitulation and cannot resign ourselves to that undesirable and unnecessary fate.

It doesn’t have to end that way - nothing insurmountable stands in the way of building dazzling new Twin Towers as the crown jewels of a vibrant new World Trade Center.

If you are one of us, please do not hesitate to take a stand. You can either be part of the solution or part of the problem. We need you now. Lend your name to this cause and encourage others to do the same. The timing could not be better.

The power structure at Ground Zero is falling apart at the very time we are prepared to come together in record numbers! The groundwork has been laid for a victory of idealism over cynicism and resolve over apathy. We have a rare opportunity to stand together and be counted or we won’t count at all.

The People are speaking - our leaders should listen:

REBUILD THE TOWERS!

Why do anything else?

Please spread the word by adding the following signature to your emails and suggesting others do the same. And please do bypass the gatekeepers and make our case in the blogosphere. Thank you.

VOTE TO REBUILD!

www.twintowersalliance.com"

The sooner we get the towers rebuilt, the sooner we tell this terrorist scum that we will not be intimidated! - Sailor

So Much for the Tolerance of the Left

2006-06-26T22:49:00.000-04:00

Amanda Doss purchased the domain Murthalied.com. Since then, she has been bombarded with some of the more vile attacks I have seen. The left always preaches tolerance, so much for that. I am going to post what is on Amanda's site and I am going to ask all of you to go there and send a message supporting her. - Sailor

"Have you been wondering whether you should support the Democrats or the Republicans? Do you think that both parties have some positive traits and some negative?
Let me introduce myself. I am Amanda Doss, web designer by profession. I have created websites for many different businesses and people. I have created websites for child care centers, autobody shops, Catholic churches, Methodist churches, screen-printing businesses, and more. I have also created websites for both Democrats and Republicans.

At the bottom of each the websites I design, I put copyright information as well as designer information, including my email address for professional responses. From the websites that I created for Democrats, I have NEVER received a negative, hateful, or inappropriate email from their Republican opponents.

However, shortly after I purchased the domain name MurthaLied.com, my personal information (including where I live, my picture, my client list, and my email address) was posted on several "Liberal" blogs. Keep in mind, this information was posted BEFORE I had even created a website for MurthaLied.com.

I would like to share some of hateful and even threatening emails I have recently received due to these blogs, before this website was even created. Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, please feel free to email these "sweethearts" and let them know how proud of them you are for the way they represent the Democratic party.

Please note: the information below is very graphic in nature. Please do not continue reading if you are not over the age of 18, or if you will be offended by graphic language.

Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 11:52:22 -0400
From: "Ryan Gibbs"
To: amandapdoss@yahoo.com
Subject: Swift Boat Trash

No matter what your father did for this country, you have none of these qualities..You know nothing about the military from your own personal experience other than some officer's brat. You seem to want to attack Senator Murtha but be be careful who you attack Ms. Doss, this isn't John Kerry. This is a decorated Marine with many, many credentials to back him up. Please continue to try though, we will bury your threats, expose your lies, and most of all we will make it personal about you too. It is real easy in this day and age to find out people's spending habits, their comings and goings, and all the little things such as ex-boyfriends,ex-friends, and ex-colleagues in between. We will dig dirt up on you, it has already started.

As they say in wingnut land... "Bring 'em on.."

Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 12:46:01 -0400
From: "Dean Bowling"
To: amandapdoss@yahoo.com
Subject: streetwalking

Interesting that a political whore would pick a name like "streetcorner". I've wonder who you'll be doing on the corner. (ick!)

From: "ohm made"
To: amandapdoss@yahoo.com
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 10:04:44 -0500
Subject: Swiftboating

Hi

I've got a great idea. Why don't YOU go to Iraq? You seem to take joy in the
killing of innocent "brown people", so why are you here in this country making
websites eh? Too much of a sissy to stand up for what you allegedly believe in?
Or too much of a total windbag pussy to put your money where your lying mouth
is?

Come on Amanda!

Just as Murtha said about Rove, you sit in your air-conditioned trailer-home in
Texarkana, telling the troops we'll "stay the course". You're wrong. They will
do the fighting, they will do the killing and they will do the dying. While
you, waste our air, pollute our politics, and lie your conniving and ugly and
slowly deteriorating face off.

Go fuck yourself. Better yet, prepare for the swiftboating we're about to do to you!

jpb
Los Angeles / Berlin

From: Srogercox@aol.com
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 11:44:19 EDT
Subject: History will smear you
To: amandapdoss@yahoo.com

S
Swiftboating moron,
You will be remembered as the shit on Murtha's boot heel.
Roger Cox

Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 10:32:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: "bart bennett"
Subject: HEY!
To: amandapdoss@yahoo.com

You now have millions and millions of people all over your disgusting attempts to smear a decorated Veteran and patriot like John Murtha, millions who will be after your disgusting lies every second of the day. You vile "swiftboaters" (translation: idiot cowards and despicable liars) will get your asses kicked all over the media this time, you are the lowest form of human beings there could possibly be, and on top of that YOU are just plain ugly. Please crawl under a rock and die. You know nothing about war, you know nothing about this insane occupation, all you know is lies, smears and absolute BULLSHIT. The Bush "administration" is packed from top to bottom with the most pathetic collection of draft dodging/deserting cowards ever assembled in one place, and the fact you lowlife scum actually think ANYONE would beleive in these men anymore is laughable. Truth hurts, doesnt it, you fucking freaks? You are DONE. The rock awaits, scum.

Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 06:46:49 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Chad Boyer"
Subject: BURN IN HELL, FASCIST!
To: amandapdoss@yahoo.com

From: "healthscript psychotherapy"
To: amandapdoss@yahoo.com
Subject: stop creating garbage
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 08:41:52 -0400

You are really mentally ill, seek treatment now.

Jan Falk, LCSW (mother of three and sick of this kind of real moral depravity)

From: "healthscript psychotherapy"
To: admin@kerrystreason.com
Subject: morons, inc/
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 08:45:58 -0400

you need treatment, seek it quickly. very very sick.

Jan Falk, LCSW
(mother of three, real Americans don't fight in STUPID illegal Wars you ignorant slut)

From: Bozoshow21@aol.com
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 10:06:26 EDT
Subject: Thank God for John Murtha.....
To: amandapdoss@yahoo.com

my father, grandfathers, uncles who faught courageously for our country while the cowards who fill your wallet sat back and let them risk their lives. Every day you right wingers show you have no shame or decency.

From: "Lynn"
To: oscregistration@yahoo.com
Subject:
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 13:59:17 -0400

You people are scums liar rats pigs cowards. Murtha & Kerry are more patriotic than Bush and faggot draft dodging piece of shit Cheny will ever be! You type of people should have come back from vietnam in bags...

Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 07:53:51 -0400
From: "Rob Chudzik"
To: amandapdoss@yahoo.com
Subject: Swiftboater!!!???

Nice try....trying to impugn Jack Murtha now? You'll be burning in hell soon....

--
rob@chudzik.com

For comments or questions, please email

MurthaLied@yahoo.com"

So much for civility.

The New York Times at War With America

2006-06-26T16:50:00.000-04:00

Here is another oponion piece on the how the NY Times is putting the lives of all Americans at risk. Michael Barone takes the NY Times to task in his opinion piece. I will post the last two paragraphs of his piece and then a link to the salf serving and overly officious answer to e-mails from Bill Keller.

"The counterargument is that it is a dangerous business for the government to prosecute the press. But it certainly is in order to prosecute government officials who have abused their trust by disclosing secrets, especially when those disclosures have reduced the government's ability to keep us safe. And pursuit of those charges would probably require reporters to disclose the names of those sources. As the Times found out in the Judith Miller case, reporters who refuse to answer such questions can go to jail.

Why do they hate us? Why does the Times print stories that put America more at risk of attack? They say that these surveillance programs are subject to abuse, but give no reason to believe that this concern is anything but theoretical. We have a press that is at war with an administration, while our country is at war against merciless enemies. The Times is acting like an adolescent kicking the shins of its parents, hoping to make them hurt while confident of remaining safe under their roof. But how safe will we remain when our protection depends on the Times?"

This is a link to Bill Keller's defense on printing this. Keller is obviously blinded by his hatred of the Bush Administration and does not give a rat's ass as to how he places us all in greater danger. - Sailor

In Rememberance

2006-06-26T00:27:00.000-04:00

This past Monday I received the sad news that a dear friend of mine passed away at the all too young age of 44. To Jerry's family and especially to the love of his life, Kathi, I wish to convery my deepest sympathies for your loss. Jerry was a good and close friend and some one I respected greatly. I said this morning and I will say it again, Jerry has not left us, he has merely moved on. Rest in peace my friend and know you were loved and respected. Go Sooners! - Sailor

NY Times Gives Away Secrets to Terrorists

2006-06-24T19:02:00.000-04:00

What is it with the NY Times? Are they so blinded by their hatred of the President that they willing put all of us in jeopardy? Revealing the secret and legal program of sifting through bank records in an attempt to smoke out those financing terrorists, the NYT has put us all in greater danger. It is time that there was a crackdown on these intelligence leaks. this is not a whistle blower, whom ever leaked this information is a traitor and should be dealt with accordingly. The reporter involved should have their carcass tossed in jail until they reveal their source.This is not about freedom of the press, this is about an irrespomsible press, willing to go to any lengths to promote their own agenda. No wonder the Times is losing readership

Here are some snippets from a Washington Times editorial on this issue.

"Once more the spoiler. Despite the earnest persuasion of the White House to preserve a useful weapon in the war against the terrorists, the New York Times has revealed the workings of a covert surveillance program, indisputably within the law, to use administrative subpoenas to examine, through a Belgian financial consortium known by the acronym SWIFT, the financing of international terrorism. Once the story was out, the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal covered it as well. Now the program is damaged, perhaps severely so, and the financing of terror is harder to track. This is another unnecessary leak, six months after the New York Times revealed a secret National Security Agency terrorist surveillance program.

In its earlier scoop, the New York Times could reasonably argue legal uncertainty. Not this time. The Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Miller in 1976 that no right to privacy attaches to the type of third-party financial-transaction information SWIFT has provided to the Treasury Department. The Right to Financial Privacy Act, enacted by Congress in 1978 in the wake of United States v. Miller, allows just the administrative subpoenas Treasury has been using. So does the Patriot Act. The SWIFT transactions that Treasury has been examining are international in nature. The searches are specifically targeted at suspected or known terrorists, a "sharp harpoon aimed at the heart of terrorist activity," as Treasury Secretary John Snow puts it. The claim that the rights of American citizens are infringed is irrational, unduly partisan, or both."

The Times was absolutely irresponsible here. This is a legal program. Unfortunately the editors of the Times have no problem putting us all in danger if it meests their agenda to do so. Shame on the Times. They have no ethics what so ever. - Sailor

Remind Me: Who Are the Bad Guys Again?

2006-06-22T15:15:00.000-04:00

I know I have been away for a bit. Reality and some PC issues have kept me on my toes. I am back and I am going to mark my return with a fine article by my good friend, Doc Farmer. - Sailor

Remind Me: Who Are the Bad Guys Again?
Written by Doc Farmer
Wednesday, June 21, 2006

I'm a bit ticked off today. Yeah, I know; that seems to be the normal state of affairs for a columnist/commentator/curmudgeon.
But I believe that my ticked-ness is more than justified.

Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston Texas, and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras Oregon, were kidnapped by Al Qaeda operatives the other day. Not captured in battle and taken to a prisoner of war camp. The driver in their convoy was killed, and they were taken at gunpoint to an unknown location.

They were definitely tortured.

They may have been disemboweled.

They were almost certainly beheaded.

Their bodies were dumped and the area surrounding them was booby-trapped, in the hope of killing more US/Coalition troops.

Now, let me ask you a very simple question: Where is the outrage on the part of the media? Why haven't we seen photo after photo of their corpses on the news? Why haven't the editors over at the vaunted New York Times started publishing a steady stream of cover stories--complete with graphic images at a wide variety of angles--to be continued every
single day over the next two months? Where are the demands for inspections of Al Qaeda detention facilities? Why haven't there been calls for investigations of the practices of these terrorists? Why hasn't Jack Murtha (D-JackA**Ville) demanded that the heads of Al Qaeda (with or without their bodies attached) be brought before a congressional committee?

Because Al Qaeda, to the lib/dem/soc/commies, the peace-activists (see also: morons), the mainstream media, and the political portsiders have already decided who the bad guy is.

Bush.

Yup, that's right. The MSM and their cohorts could waste NO time trying to figure out ways to blame Dubya for the death of these two servicemen. I guess constantly (and gleefully) yelling "2,500 Dead! 2,500 Dead!" wasn't getting them enough attention. They've even shopped around and found an uncle of
one of these soldiers so they could get their "Let's All Blame Bush" sound-byte. From Mother Sheehan to Father Pearl to (now) Uncle Mario. I wonder if he'll camp out in a Crawford ditch or hug South American dictators to keep up his facetime in the various news outlets.

The mainstream media won't be overly bothered with the facts. God knows, they haven't let the truth get in the way of a good story (in their eyes, anyway) for quite some time. So, they'll use these two heroes to advance their point.

Yes. Heroes. Like every single soldier, sailor, airman, marine, guardsman, and merchant marine out there today. The Mainstream Media will USE them to put forward THEIR agenda: we're bad, terrorists are good, and the soldiers
wouldn't have been put in danger in the first place were it not for Dubya.

Note to the Mainstream Media, lib/dem/soc/commies and turncoat politicians: You bastards!

I am sick to the back teeth of you, your lies, your half-truths, your mis-directions, your obfuscations, your spin, your (im)moral relativism, your arrogance. I'm sick of you USING our troops--especially the dead ones--in order for YOU to claw back power, and at the same time to empower and embolden our enemies.

There was a discussion on the ChronWatch Forum recently, asking whether
journalists have to abide by any kind of a code of ethics. My view on that was similar to my view on the extended lists of oxymorons--House Ethics, Senate Ethics, F*****g Lawyer Ethics, etc. They claim to have ethical guidelines, they say the words, but words alone are not evidence of ethics. Following those words, living those words, ARE evidence of ethics--or, at least, ethical behavior. One of our more well-informed posters, who goes by the moniker of "CodeMoose" (he's obviously a programmer with antlers--I wonder if his boss is a flying squirrel) actually provided a list, from a group called the "Society of Professional Journalists." You can read it here. The point is, if you go through that list, and think of the recent history of the mainstream media, I
don't think you'll find ONE ethical standard that they've followed. But it's Bush and the rep/con/tairs who are evil and corrupt, and the MSM isn't biased, oh no no no no no....

Let me give you a couple of points to work with here. The people responsible for the death of those soldiers, and the other soldiers and innocents, who have died before them, ARE THE TERRORISTS! Not the other soldiers, not their field commanders, and not their commander in chief. We are WINNING the war against terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan, while you in the MSM are doing everything possible to make us LOSE the war against terrorism in the headlines and the
broadcasts. The number of dead terrorists (which you never seem to tout) is FAR higher than the number of dead soldiers. This is one of the lowest per-capita and raw-number casualty wars for U.S. forces in history, but you're bent on making it seem like the highest. Here's a news flash, MSM: more U.S. soldiers died in a TRAINING EXERCISE for D-Day--in a single day--than have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

You talk about being unbiased. You lie. You are extremely biased. Yet you lie to us and yourselves about this obvious -- and documented -- truth. You constantly try to make Iraq another Vietnam. Why? Because YOU guys won the Vietnam War. America lost, but YOU won. So what if over 3 million innocents were slaughtered
because we were forced out of South East Asia by the media, huh? WE -- America -- were the bad guys, after all. How many more will need to be sacrificed at the alter of lib/dem/soc/commie beliefs and Blame America First doctrines? And will it bother you if/when an American city is nuked, gassed or otherwise WMD'd by your terrorist compatriots?

Naw, you'll just blame Bush.

We are in the midst of a war. A war not of our choosing. A war brought to our shores by men who have corrupted an entire religion in order to develop their thirst for power, blood, and attention. Instead of focusing on how the United States should treat terrorists like soldiers and give them full GenÃ¨ve Convention status, perhaps you should focus on how closely the terrorists are following those doctrines of war (see also: not at
all). Instead of posting photos of near-naked terrorists with panties on their heads, perhaps you should post the photos of the slaughtered remains of those two soldiers after they had been tortured--REALLY tortured. Instead of publishing the photos of the head of Al Zarqawi and wondering if he had been beaten, or if we possibly harmed any innocents when we dropped two 500-pound bombs on his not-so-safe house, perhaps you should publish the photos of Daniel Pearl's head. His severed head. As well as the video of Zarqawi SAWING his head off.

And then, you can come back and tell America who the real enemy is.

Besides yourselves, that is.

About the Writer: Doc Farmer is a writer and humorist who is also a moderator on ChronWatch's Forum. He formerly lived in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but now resides in the Midwest. Doc receives e-mail at docfarmer9999@yahoo.co.uk.

Source

Updated Radio Schedule

2006-04-06T18:34:00.000-04:00

Here is my updated radio schedule. Just click on the Hear Sailor banner on the right. - Sailor

"Thursday 06 April 06
10pm to Midnight CDT

Friday 07 April 06
8am to 10am CDT

Saturday 08 April 06
9am to noon CDT Oldies with Sailor and Meg
4pm to 6pm CDT

Monday 10 April 06
10am to Noon CDT

Wednesday 12 April 06
8am to 10am CDT"

Salvaged WTC Steel Put to Good Use!

2006-04-04T00:08:00.000-04:00

Steel salvaged from the World Trade Center is being put to good use. It is being used to build the USS New York, and amphibouis assualt ship, with a miision to seek out and deal with terrorists. I will post the entire article with a link to the source.

" Reprinted from NewsMax.com

Monday, April 3, 2006 4:05 p.m. EDT

Navy Ship Built With World Trade Center Steel

With a year to go before it even touches the water, the Navy's amphibious assault ship USS New York has already made history - twice. It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center, and it survived Hurricane Katrina.

That combination of disasters gives the ship a unique standing among the 500 or so Avondale, La., shipyard workers building it, said Tony Quaglino, a crane superintendent who postponed retirement to have a hand in the New York's construction.

"I think Katrina made us more aware of the tragedy in New York," said the 66-year-old Quaglino. "One was manmade, one was natural, but they're both a common bond."

USS New York is about 45 percent complete and should be ready for launch in mid-2007. Katrina disrupted construction when it pounded the Gulf Coast last summer, but the 684-foot vessel escaped serious damage, and workers were back at the yard near New Orleans two weeks after the storm.

The ship was an impetus for many of the yard's thousands of workers to return to the job, even though hundreds lost their homes, Quaglino and others said.

Northrop Grumman employed 6,500 at Avondale before Katrina. Today, roughly 5,500 are back on the job, working on the New York and three other vessels. More than 200 employees who lost their homes to Katrina are living at the shipyard, some on a Navy barge and others in bunk-style housing.

"Their dedication and devotion to duty has been, to say the least, epic," Philip Teel, a vice president for Northrop Grumman Corp. and head of its ship systems division, told a Navy League dinner audience in New York on March 22.

"It sounds trite, but I saw it in their eyes," Teel said in a separate interview. "These are very patriotic people, and the fact that the ship has steel from the trade center is a source of great pride. They view it as something incredibly special. They're building it for the nation."

USS New York is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

"It would be fitting if the first mission this ship would go on is to make sure that bin Laden is taken out, his terrorist organization is taken out," said Glenn Clement, a paint foreman. "He came in through the back door and knocked our towers down and [the New York] is coming right through the front door, and we want them to know that."

When terrorists crashed two jetliners into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, destroying the twin towers and killing nearly 2,800 people, the $700 million ship was already on the drawing board but had not been assigned a name.

Months later, New York Gov. George Pataki asked the Navy to commemorate the disaster by reviving the name New York for a ship whose role would include fighting terrorism. That required an exception to Navy policy of assigning state names only to nuclear submarines, as they had been to battleships in earlier era.

Then-Navy Secretary Gordon England, in announcing the decision, said the New York would "project American power to the far corners of the Earth and support the cause of freedom well into the 21st century." Its motto is "Never Forget," a slogan among New Yorkers since Sept. 11.

Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite, La., to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept. 9, 2003, "those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence," recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. "It was a spiritual moment for everybody there."

Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the "hair on my neck stood up."

"It had a big meaning to it for all of us," he said. "They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back."

The next big event came on March 14, when shipyard cranes lifted that bow section and guided it into place with the rest of the hull.

Later ships in the class will include USS Arlington, the location of the Pentagon, also struck by a hijacked jetliner on Sept. 11, and USS Somerset, named for the Pennsylvania county where United Flight 93 crashed after its passengers fought off hijackers apparently planning to attack another Washington target.

The New York revives a name borne by at least seven previous ships - most recently the nuclear submarine SSN New York City, retired in 1997 after 18 years service.

© 2006 Associated Press."

Fair winds and a following sea to her and her crew. Haze grey and away! - Sailor

Pictures the MSM Will Not Show You

2006-03-31T02:12:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of the LA Immigration protests the MSM did not publish(hat tip to Doc Farmer). You are not going to be happpy. - Sailor

The Tipping Point of Truth

2006-03-27T09:56:00.000-05:00

For month upon month, we have heard that mantra of the left, MSM, so called experts and pundits, that Saddam had no ties to al-Qaida. Even the 9/11 Commission was not able to connect the dots. Now we have actual captured documents, CD, PC's and other hard data, clearly showing ties between Saddam's Iraq and al-Qaida. These documents also detail Saddam's drive for nuclear weapons. In the coming weeks and months, as more are translated, we should have a much clearer picture of both Saddam's ties to al-Qaida and his WMD programs. Of course, do not hold your breath waiting for the aforementioned groups to admit they were in error. Lt. Col. Gordon Cucullu has a few things to say in his commentary on this matter.

"Many editorialists, columnists, and talking heads in the media, backed by like-minded management and production staff, picked up these themes and ran with them. Consequently even people who know better seem willing to concede the leftÂs foreign policy talking points. But how much longer will this travesty persist in the face of overwhelming counter-evidence?

Reams of documents - ultimately numbering in the millions of pages by the time CDs, hard drives, and computer memories are downloaded and printed - are slowly beginning to be translated and released for analysis. These documents - though only 2% or so are translated and available - substantiate without doubt the following allegations: Saddam Hussein and bin Laden, the Baathist regime and Qaida had extensive, wide reaching ties. Saddam was, at a minimum, a supporter of the 911 attacks if not a sponsor of them. Saddam's intelligence services trained more than 8,000 Qaida terrorists, primarily from Somalia and Sudan, at camps such as Salman Pak and Ansar al-Islam within Iraq. And Saddam helped finance Qaida and similar terrorist groups.

Further, the documents substantiate a broad, on-going program Iraq had to develop nuclear weapons. Indeed, Saddam had instructed his minions to begin preparing to re-energize the program after UN sanctions were lifted, a hope he had reinforced by French, Russian, and German diplomats, and traitors like British Parliamentarian George Galloway, all of whom convinced him that delay and obfuscation of the UN would get him off the hook. "

Mind you, as the Colonel staed, only 2% of these documents have been translated and there is already a clear picture of how deep Saddam's ties were Qaida-Qaeda. I am sure there are those on the far left that will decry all of these documents as forgeries. But then again, some of them think 9/11 was a Bush plot.

"In addition to the air sorties an uncounted amount of WMD were transported to Syria by commercial trucks - familiar 18-wheelers - and other civilian vehicles, including ambulances. "Saddam was convinced," according to Sada, "that commercial trucks could pass right through security checkpoints" ... and they did." American CIA overhead assets - spy satellites - were on the lookout for military trucks and ignored "routine" commercial traffic.

General Sada is not a lone voice in this matter. The Mossad, Israeli intelligence service, has long claimed that the weapons were transferred out of Iraq. American generals Paul Vallely and Thomas McInnerny noted in their 2004 book, Endgame, that extensive stockpiles of WMD were hidden in three locations within Syria and in the Syrian-controlled terrorist camps of the Bekka Valley in Lebanon. Included in the stocks were nerve agents like Tabun, Sarin 1, and Sarin 2. They did not remain hidden for long.

Up to 20 tons of these chemical agents were intendQaidar use by al Qaeda terrorists in attacking three targets in Amman, Jordan in 2004 Â the Jordanian Ministry of Defense and Intelligence Service buildings, and the American Embassy. These were to be simultaneous truck bomb attacks that were thwarted by good counter-intelligence work. The trucks were large 15-ton capacity powerful vehicles that could power through barriers and obstacles to crash into the buildings. At that time the homicide drivers would detonate the ammonium nitrate load triggered by plastic explosives - probably C-4. Resting atop the explosive load were SaddamÂs chemicals, sufficient to kill upwards to 100,000 people in downtown Amman, by conservative.

Supporting these allegations are details from post-war weapons inspectors Kay and Duelfer Reports that speak extensively to plans for continuing special weapons programs that they uncovered along with scientists who testified that they were told to memorize their research and destroy documents with the intention of reconstituting their nuclear programs "after the crisis passed." Shockingly, the mainstream media has intentionally overlooked these data, preferring to advance its own agenda."

If the media admits they were wrong on WMDs, their entire political agenda to discredit the President goes out the window. So much for finding the truth. In many media outlets, therattemptalready been an attmpt todismissnalize Sada and dimiss what he has said and written as fiction created to sell his book. Had Sada affirmed what the MSM has been telling us, you bet your last dollar the MSM would be touting him as some sort of hero.

9/11 Commissioner, Bob Kerrey has some comments as well.

""This is a very significant set of facts," Kerrey told the New York Sun.

"I personally and strongly believe you don't have to prove that Iraq was collaborating against Osama bin Laden on the September 11 attacks to prove he was an enemy [of the U.S.] and that he would collaborate with people who would do our country harm," the Nebraska Democrat explained.

While Kerrey cautioned that the 1995 pact doesn't implicate Saddam directly in the 9/11 attacks, he contended: "It does tie him into a circle that meant to damage the United States."

"Saddam was a significant enemy of the United States," Kerrey said, adding that the relationship between the Iraqi dictator and the al Qaida chief would become clearer as more materials from the former regime get translated and analyzed.

The newly released Iraqi intelligence document - first reported by the Weekly Standard last Sunday - details a February 19, 1995 meeting between an official representative of Iraq and Osama bin Laden, who is said to have requested Iraq's help with "carrying out joint operations against foreign forces" in Saudi Arabia. "

Both articles make for some very thought provoking reading. It remains to be seen if the MSM will admit to their errors, though I think it hiforeseeableely for the forseeable future. - Sailor

New FEC Rules Would Regulate Paid Web Ads UPDATE

2006-03-25T18:51:00.000-05:00

I found this article buried in AP Tech News. I am trying to find out more, but on the surface, it looks like the FEC will keeps it's hands off the blogosphere.

"There has been an explosion of political activity on the Internet and political bloggers who offer diverse views say they should be free of government regulation.

n a summary of the proposal, the FEC said the rules "are intended to ensure that political committees properly finance and disclose their Internet communications, without impeding individual citizens from using the Internet to speak freely regarding candidates and elections."

The revised definition includes paid Internet advertising placed on another person's web site, but does not encompass any other form of Internet communications.

A recent federal court decision on campaign finance law held that the previous definition of "public communication" impermissibly excluded all Internet communications."

If anyone has more on this, a clarification or the actual text, please use my comments to leave a URL. - Sailor

UPDATE: I found the text of the FEC ruling. It is in .PDF format and 96 pages. - Sailor

50,000 Visitors

2006-03-24T13:52:00.000-05:00

The 50,000th viewer to this blog came today. For the big boys of the blogosphere, this is a mere drop in the bucket. For this sailor, it is nothing short of a miracle! Thank you! - Sailor

Bloggers Beware

2006-03-24T06:08:00.000-05:00

Looks like the attempt to protect bloggers from regulation by the FEC, under the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, is about to hit the House floor for debate. There are many who oppose this attempt to allow myself and my fellow bloggers our rights to free political speech. Free political speech is the cornerstone of democracy and bloggers are no different than that fellow standing on a soap box, in the public square, so many years ago. Any attempt to regulate his free political speech, would have met with a firestorm of protest. The blog, is merely electronic version of the soap box and public square. If the FEC is going to regulate the blogs, by using some sort of formula to figure out how much a blogger has "contributed" to a candidates' campaign, then the FEC should have to do the same to a campaign volunteer handing out a candidates' literature, or to any organization that provides volunteers to any candiates' campaign (are you listening Big Labor?). Jason Barnes provides some details on those for protecting the free political speech of bloggers and those that are opposed.

"Bloggers - The Second Front

The House, meanwhile, is considering the Online Freedom of Speech Act proposed by Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, The "blogger protection bill," as it is known in some circles, simply codifies the current status of Internet bloggers. Senators Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Harry Reid, D-Nev., are co-sponsoring a similar bill in the Senate.

Blogger-backers believe the bills are necessary because the Federal Election Commission is considering whether to apply the rules of McCain-Feingold to Internet communications. In fact, FEC Chairman Michael Toner delayed a long-awaited decision on the matter until the end of March to allow the House to consider Hensarling's bill.

Given Toner's public support for the measure, bloggers believe the delay was a warning. "It couldn't be more clear," wrote Michael Krempasky, one of the founders of Red State, a popular conservative blog. "Pass [this bill] or face regulations on the Internet, period."

Instead, the House passed on the opportunity to vote on the bill. It was held up in committee. At present, it does not appear that it will pass before the FEC decision. A staffer in Hensarling's office told NewsMax they anticipate floor debate sometime during the week of March 28, but it's still unclear whether it will pass at that point."

It makes one wonder why Congress is so hesitant to protect the basic American right of free political speech. What is it that they are afraid of, or who is behind the efforts to block this type of legislation?

"Traditional media organizations have come out in favor of increased regulation. "It is imperative," wrote the New York Times in an editorial, "that the courageous lawmakers who supported the McCain-Feingold reform law four years ago stand together against making the Internet a cornucopia of political corruption."

Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, countered, "A better argument for the New York Times would be to tell America that they really want to end political conversation on the Internet to resurrect their power over political commentary.""

It is not really surprising that the New York Times favors restricting the free politicall speech of the blogosphere, they are likely afraid of the competition. Typical of the types at the Times and other opponents of keeping the blog free from FEC regulation, their view issimplyy stated as 'free speech for me, but not for thee'. Any FEC regulations that stifle the free political speech rights of bloggers, is sure to end up in a court battle. This is about your First Amendment rights!

As for me, should the FEC makes rules that limit my First Amendment right to express my opinion on core political issues, I will not obey those rules. - Sailor

Internet Radio Update

2006-03-21T23:38:00.000-05:00

I will be on air, Wednesday, 22 March 2006, from 8pm to 10pm CST. Just click on the banner to the right. See you on the radio! - Sailor

Best job market in 5 years for grads

2006-03-21T21:09:00.000-05:00

Much to the chagrin of the left, democrats and the leftist MSM, the economy counties to grow and expand. If their efforts to minimize this fact, the aforementioned group makes claims that the jobs being created are all low paying one. Here is a report that takes the air out of that balloon.

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. college graduates are facing the best job market since 2001, with business, computer, engineering, education and health care grads in highest demand, a report by an employment consulting firm showed on Monday.

"We are approaching full employment and some employers are already dreaming up perks to attract the best talent," said John Challenger, chief executive of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

In its annual outlook of entry-level jobs, Challenger, Gray & Christmas said strong job growth and falling unemployment makes this spring the hottest job market for America's 1.4 million college graduates since the dot-com collapse in 2001.

The firm pointed to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers which showed employers plan to hire 14.5 percent more new college graduates than a year ago."

The article also pointed out that there have been increases starting salaries in several job categories. Unemployment now stands at 4.8%, which is some what better than it was under the previous administration.

Collapsing economies, do not create jobs, a fact that has been over ignored by the MSM. This economy continues to expand despite the higher costs for energy. A note to those claiming the economy is crashing, the facts do not support your conclusions. - Sailor

Sunshine for the Iraq Files

2006-03-20T19:12:00.000-05:00

Finally, massive numbers of documents, audio and video tapes have been released for scrutiny. These items were captured in Iraq and Afghanistan and may contain insights into alliances, WMDs, terrorist links and other vital information that will help aid fighting terrorists world wide. An article at OpinionJournal, maps out the struggle to get these items released.

"Mr. Hoekstra told us last week he's been talking to Mr. Negroponte and other senior DNI officials in recent days, and that they've committed to begin "aggressively" releasing documents on the Internet. He says he also senses a spirit of openness and compromise that he hadn't before. For example, DNI officials initially balked at releasing their own potentially flawed translations of the largely Arabic-language documents. But they have now agreed to do so with the caveat that interested parties would be well-advised to double-check the accuracy of the DNI's work.

The Congressman has also been told that documents won't be kept secret because of mere uncertainty about possible--and vague--"national interest" implications. And, finally, Congress will have an oversight role regarding documents that the DNI decides should remain classified for whatever reason.

We don't think Mr. Hoekstra is exaggerating when he says that removing these materials from the exclusive domain of the U.S. intelligence community and offering them to all interested analysts will cut years off the amount of time it takes to extract the important information they contain. While some of what's uncovered may be misleading, we trust an open process to discover the truth more than we do intelligence services with a stake in defending their previous (mis)judgments.

This information may well shed light on whether Saddam planned the insurgency that we and the Iraqis are now fighting, or whether he canoodled with Islamist terrorists, as some of the documents already translated suggest. We are learning from the new book on Iraq by Michael Gordon and Bernard Trainor that many of Saddam's own generals believed he had weapons of mass destruction and was prepared to use them. So much for the allegation that "Bush lied" about WMD; Saddam lied to everyone."

It took a great deal of effort By Mr. Hekstra and Mr. Santorum to get a fire lit under the asses of the DNI. You can find the documents on-line. They are in PDF format, so you will need Adobe Reader to view them. Be warned that the vast majority of the documents have not been translated and are still in Arabic. - Sailor

Censure Feingold?

2006-03-18T19:26:00.000-05:00

Senator Russ Feingold has been hemming and hawing about censuring President Bush over the NSA wire tapping. Quite frankly, Feingold is a presidential wannabee, trying to impress the far left of the dem party, of which he one of. Naturally, wire tapping done without warrants, by Roosevelt, Truman and other dems was all quite legal. Lets not forget Carter's warrantless searches either. I have yet to hear Feingold whine about the illegalities there. There was also Clinton's wide ranging electronic eaves dropping whish the NY Times supported in an editorial. Terence P. Jeffrey asks if Feingold should be censured and provides some insight as to why in his article.

"There is a difference, however, between the eavesdropping Roosevelt and Truman authorized and the Bush eavesdropping. Roosevelt and Truman did it in peacetime without congressional authorization. Mr. Bush is doing it during a war Mr. Feingold voted Sept. 14, 2001, to authorize.

Nonetheless, Roosevelt and Truman acted within their constitutional authority to defend the nation against attack. They were doing their duty, as is President Bush.
But in the Senate on Monday, while introducing his censure resolution, Mr. Feingold said, "The president's claims of inherent executive authority, and his assertions that the courts have approved this type of activity, are baseless."

Franklin Roosevelt could not have agreed. On May 21, 1940, the United States was at peace, but Roosevelt wasn't taking chances. "It is too late to do anything about it after sabotage, assassination and 'fifth column' activities are completed," Roosevelt wrote Attorney General Robert Jackson in a memorandum cited by Senate Intelligence Chairman Pat Roberts in a letter he sent last month to Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter. "You are, therefore, authorized and directed in such cases as you may approve, after investigation of the need in each case, to authorize the necessary investigation agents that they are at liberty to secure information by listening devices directed to the conversation or other communications of persons suspected of subversive activities against the government of the United States, including suspected spies. You are requested furthermore to limit these investigations so conducted to a minimum and to limit them insofar as possible to aliens."

Truman went further. Testifying before the Church Committee Oct. 29, 1975, Attorney General Edward Levi quoted a letter Attorney General Tom Clark sent Truman in 1946. Clark wanted to continue Roosevelt's program. Warrantless eavesdropping, he argued, was needed "in cases vitally affecting the domestic security, or where human life is in jeopardy."

In his letter to Mr. Specter, Mr. Roberts notes that "Truman broadened the scope of the authorization by removing the caveat that such surveillance should be limited 'insofar as possible to aliens.' "

Federal appeals courts have upheld the authority Roosevelt and Truman used. "[B]ecause of the president's constitutional duty to act for the United States in the field of foreign relations, and his inherent power to protect national security in the context of foreign affairs, we reaffirm... that the president may constitutionally authorize warrantless wiretaps for the purpose of gathering foreign intelligence," the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the 1973 case of United States v. Brown. "

Even the Courts have upheld the President's authority to conduct warrantless wire taps to collect foreign intelligence. Feingold and the rest of the left is quite selective in what they consider illegal wire taps and high crimes and misdemeanors. Perhaps Feingold should be censured for bringing nonsense like this to the Senate floor. - Sailor

Forever Blue Projects

2006-03-14T23:40:00.000-05:00

A dear friend, and the lady of one of my brethren, is putting together some events to honor Navy SEALs. As some of you may know, the SEAL Community lost 11 members not that long ago. This loss was staggering, especially to such a small community. Navy Blue's (that is the name she uses to post with), project is threefold:

"To partner with the Naval Special Warfare Foundation in educating the public about the history and role of America's Naval Special Warfare Sailors.

To raise funds that directly benefit the Naval Special Warfare Foundation in its mission to serve active duty naval special warfare personnel and their families, and the children of fallen US Navy SEALs.

To honor the US Navy SEALs for their service to our country and remember their fallen comrades, including the eleven SEALs who died during combat/rescue operations in June 2005."

Please support Navy Blue by visiting the web site she has created and by helping and participating as you can. - Sailor

Myths of Iraq

2006-03-14T11:51:00.000-05:00

We have all seen the reporting on Iraq by the MSM. I have posted about this here numerous times, especially pointing out the distortions, spin, half-truths and outright lies. I will continue to do so, as long as the MSM tailor's their information to meet their world view and agenda. Of course, there are still those that believe there is no media bias. I fully believe it is because their agenda and world view is the same as the MSMs. Once again, Ralph Peters, explodes the myths on Iraq the MSM is trying to force feed us.

" Consider just a few of the inaccuracies served up by the media:

Claims of civil war. In the wake of the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, a flurry of sectarian attacks inspired wild media claims of a collapse into civil war. It didn't happen. Driving and walking the streets of Baghdad, I found children playing and, in most neighborhoods, business as usual. Iraq can be deadly, but, more often, it's just dreary.

Iraqi disunity. Factional differences are real, but overblown in the reporting. Few Iraqis support calls for religious violence. After the Samarra bombing, only rogue militias and criminals responded to the demagogues' calls for vengeance. Iraqis refused to play along, staging an unrecognized triumph of passive resistance.

Expanding terrorism. On the contrary, foreign terrorists, such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, have lost ground. They've alienated Iraqis of every stripe. Iraqis regard the foreigners as murderers, wreckers and blasphemers, and they want them gone. The Samarra attack may, indeed, have been a tipping point--against the terrorists.

Hatred of the U.S. military. If anything surprised me in the streets of Baghdad, it was the surge in the popularity of U.S. troops among both Shias and Sunnis. In one slum, amid friendly adult waves, children and teenagers cheered a U.S. Army patrol as we passed. Instead of being viewed as occupiers, we're increasingly seen as impartial and well-intentioned.

The appeal of the religious militias. They're viewed as mafias. Iraqis want them disarmed and disbanded. Just ask the average citizen.

The failure of the Iraqi army. Instead, the past month saw a major milestone in the maturation of Iraq's military. During the mini-crisis that followed the Samarra bombing, the Iraqi army put over 100,000 soldiers into the country's streets. They defused budding confrontations and calmed the situation without killing a single civilian. And Iraqis were proud to have their own army protecting them. The Iraqi army's morale soared as a result of its success.

Reconstruction efforts have failed. Just not true. The American goal was never to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure in its entirety. Iraqis have to do that. Meanwhile, slum-dwellers utterly neglected by Saddam Hussein's regime are getting running water and sewage systems for the first time. The Baathist regime left the country in a desolate state while Saddam built palaces. The squalor has to be seen to be believed. But the hopeless now have hope.

The electricity system is worse than before the war. Untrue again. The condition of the electric grid under the old regime was appalling. Yet, despite insurgent attacks, the newly revamped system produced 5,300 megawatts last summer--a full thousand megawatts more than the peak under Saddam Hussein. Shortages continue because demand soared--newly free Iraqis went on a buying spree, filling their homes with air conditioners, appliances and the new national symbol, the satellite dish. Nonetheless, satellite photos taken during the hours of darkness show Baghdad as bright as Damascus."

Indeed there are still problems and all is not the picture o peace and tranquility. But, the Iraqi people are making it quite clear that they will no longer tolerate the violence and sectarian strife. This is evidenced by the number of Iraqis coming forward and supplying information to the authorities on suspected terrorists and others. Iraqi forces were the ones that responded after the mosque bombings, US forces stayed in reserve. Those that want to see democracy fail in Iraq are going to be very disappointed. - Sailor

US CENTCOM

2006-03-13T18:37:00.000-05:00

I have added a link to United States Central Command in the right margin. - Sailor

Internet Radio Schedule

2006-03-12T23:38:00.000-05:00

For any of those interested in hearing the Sailor on internet radio, here is my schedule: (all times are CST)

Friday 10am to Noon and 8pm to 10pm

Saturday 9am to Noon for Oldies with Meg and Me
and 4pm tp 6pm

Sunday 6pm to 8pm

Monday 10am to Noon

Tuesday 2pm to 4pm

Wednesday 10pm to Midnight

Click Here to select your player and bandwidth.

See you on the radio.

Be there or be square! - Sailor

All bad news, all the time

2006-03-12T11:50:00.000-05:00

The continuous stream of bad news about the war on terror continues to dominate the MSM. A good deal of this is distorted, spun and in some cases downright incorrect. Of course there are those that actually believe there is no media bias, likely because what they read and see, concurs with their own world view. Jack Kelly points out some of the media distortions in his column. The fact that this distorted reporting lends aid and comfort to those that want us dead, is lost on many.

""Some lawyers who represent deserters say the war in Iraq is driving more soldiers to question their service and that the Pentagon is cracking down on deserters to discourage antiwar sentiment," wrote reporter Bill Nichols.

'The last thing (Pentagon officials) want is for people to think ... that this is like Vietnam,' said Tod Ensign, head of Citizen Soldier, an antiwar group that offers legal aid to deserters."

Mr. Ensign is full of horse manure, as Mr. Nichols demonstrates in his story. The data show desertions have plunged since 9/11, and are much lower than during the Vietnam war.

The Army, Navy and Air Force reported 7,978 desertions in the 2001 fiscal year, but only 3,456 in 2005, Mr. Nichols noted. In 1971, the Army reported 33,094 desertions, 3.4 percent of its total force. In 2005, desertions represented just 0.24 percent of 1.4 million of active service members."

The headline of the USA Today article would have led one to believe that desertions had increased because of the Iraq War, when in fact they were decreasing from the years prior to the war. The full article did point this out. But too many never bother to read past the headline

"For instance, The Washington Post reported on Feb. 25 that 120 Sunni mosques had been attacked in retaliation for the destruction of the Golden Mosque, holy to the Shiites. In a March 3 news conference, Gen. George Casey, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, said:

We can confirm attacks on about 30 mosques around the country, with less than 10 of those mosques moderately damaged, and only two or three severely damaged. We visited eight mosques (in Baghdad) that were reportedly damaged. We found one broken window in those eight mosques."

Exaggeration and misinformation are hallmarks of chaotic situations, and it is hard for journalists who do most of their reporting from the safety of their hotels to sort fact from fiction. But Secretary Rumsfeld noticed a pattern in the errors:

"Interestingly, all the exaggerations seem to be on one side," he said. "The steady stream of errors all seem to be of a nature to inflame the situation and give heart to the terrorists.""

Mr. Kelly has more and is well worth the time to read. The media seems to be going out of their way to have us believe that Iraq is in a civil war. - Sailor

Missing The Boom, The Duping of the American People

2006-03-11T09:28:00.000-05:00

To read and listen to the leftist MSM, one would think that the economy is in a shambles. You can read the same nonsense on the leftist blogs and of course, any web site that has the DNC's stamp of approval. The facts, do not bear any of this out, though the American people have been duped, by these distortions, half-truths and in some cases, outright lies. Investor's Business Daily points out some of the facts, that do not fit into the agenda's of the aforementioned groups.

"So before the data are spun beyond recognition by others, let's recount the good news: Since May 2003, when President Bush's tax cuts became law, the U.S. has created 4.7 million jobs. Payrolls have now expanded for 30 straight months. The jobless rate, though up a tick at 4.8%, is still near its five-year low.

Worker pay is also on the increase. Average weekly earnings rose 3.5% last month from a year earlier Â the best gain in more than four years.

Last summer, we all were fretting about the economic impacts of higher interest rates, surging energy prices and Hurricane Katrina. But over the last year, including the hurricane season, monthly job gains have averaged 197,000 - more than enough to sop up the 130,000 to 150,000 monthly growth in the U.S. labor force.

Based on the continued job growth and powerful gains in retail spending, most analysts now expect GDP to jump at least 4.5% in the first quarter and 3% for all of 2006 Â even as the Federal Reserve continues to tighten credit.

In spite of all the great news, Americans remain strangely downbeat. A Gallup Poll taken earlier this year found just 38% who viewed the economy as "excellent" or "good" Â down from 46% at the start of the last recession.

Our own IBD/TIPP Polls have shown sharp drops in economic optimism and consumers' six-month outlook. (Results of our March survey are due Tuesday.)

No doubt about it, the economy keeps powering along. Yet many Americans seem to think it's all a mirage and are sold on the idea that these are the worst of times.

Why the gloom? Much of it, no doubt, stems from misreporting by the media. Against the backdrop of surging payrolls, for example, we keep seeing story after story, in print and on TV, about job "losses."

A recent study by the Media Research Center bears this out. It looked at TV news coverage of jobs in 2005 - 151 stories in all - carried on all three major networks.

This, mind you, was a year that saw the creation of 2 million new jobs, the addition of $350 billion to gross domestic product and an increase of $2 trillion in the value of household financial assets.Yet more than half of the networks' job reports focused on losses, not gains - a picture that wasn't just distorted, but wrong."

I, for one, am getting sick and tired of the MSM pontificating on the public's right to know. The American people do have the right to know, we deserve the facts from the media, not spin and distortions. - Sailor

The Perils We Face

2006-03-10T15:53:00.000-05:00

Congressman Curt Weldon,(R-PA), recently gave a speech on some of the perils we now face and how these perils came to be. It is rather lengthy, but well worth yout time to read. I will post a few excerpts here.

"I think of Dr. Gordon Oehler. Buried in the bowels of the CIA, Dr. Gordon Oehler was in charge of non-proliferation. When Benjamin Netanyahu came out in 1997, Dr. Oehler told us that Israel had evidence that Russia was working with Iran on the Shahab missile system. He came over to brief Congress and made a fundamental mistake that you didn’t make during the Clinton years: he told us the truth. He said, “We have the same information that Israel has: that in fact there is cooperation between Russian engineers to allow Iran to build a missile system that will one day threaten Israel directly and will eventually threaten all of Europe and the U.S.”

Because of Gordon Oehler’s work, we introduced the Iran Missile Sanctions bill. I was a prime sponsor and had bipartisan support. In spite of Al Gore personally lobbying against the bill, we passed it in the House with 398 votes. I got called back down to the White House a second time. The vice president lobbied us for another 90 minutes, before the Senate voted and passed it with 98 votes. That was four months before Clinton vetoed the bill.

As you all know, last summer, Iran paraded the Shahab-3 missile system down the streets of Tehran. It’s now complete. In 1997, we could have stopped it. Gordon Oehler was that patriot who told us the truth, and for that, he lost his job."

Then there is this on Able Danger.

"When the data-mining operation was shut down, General Lambert was in charge of the Special Forces operation, and he saw one of the military analysts in an airport a month or so later and said, “Why did you destroy my data? That data was being used to understand where al-Qaeda cells were worldwide.” Eric Kleinsmith, who has testified before my committee that he was ordered to destroy that data, said, “General, I had no choice. I was told that data had to be destroyed.” The Clinton administration didn’t want that data kept at Fort Belvoir because of the Chinese proliferation study that had been done in the months leading up to that revelation.

Unbeknownst to me, that team, known as Able Danger, was doing unbelievable work on al-Qaeda cells in 1999 and 2000. Now, I knew the operation of data mining, but I didn’t know the specifics of what they were doing until last May, when I went to publish my book, Countdown to Terror, and I called them back in to give me a chart they had given me after 9/11 occurred. They said, “Congressman, let us tell you what we were doing in Able Danger.”

Now, these weren’t people off the street. These are career military intelligence officers:

* Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Schaffer, a 23-year Army veteran, bronze star recipient; letters of commendation in his file from every DIA director; deployed in Afghanistan with our troops under cover under an assumed name as an intelligence officer.
* Scott Philpot, Navy Captain, commanding one of our newest destroyers next month. An able intelligence officer working as the point person for the head of SOCOM.
* General Schoomaker, leading Able Danger.

The two of them – Schaffer and Philpot, came to me privately and said, “Congressman, our unit identified five cells of al-Qaeda a year and a half before 9/11.”"

All and all a must read! - Sailor

Rep. Curt Weldon, R-PA, delivered the following speech at Restoration Weekend, which took place at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix February 23-26, 2006

The Ground Zero Scandal

2006-03-09T11:23:00.000-05:00

Why is it that monies, into the form of Liberty Bonds, are being spent on projects other than at Ground Zero? The Bank of America has received money from Liberty Bonds and they are building in midtown Manhattan, miles away from Ground Zero,. So is Goldman Sachs, as is the Museum of the American Indian. An editorial in the New York Sun, delves into to this scandal.

"Meanwhile, those organizing the memorial to those killed at ground zero are being asked to resort to private fundraising. It's a scandal - downtown rebuilding money for Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, the Museum of the American Indian, and the South Ferry subway station, but Larry Silverstein, who bought a 99-year lease to the trade center site fair and square, is being forced to practically beg for rebuilding money he needs, and the families of victims are being asked to raise money privately for a memorial.

This story is more about the dangers of throwing around large quantities of federal tax dollars than about anything else. The availability of so much "free" money - at least free to the politicians themselves, although certainly not to the taxpayers who elect them - has distorted and delayed the debate over ground zero. That debate, in turn, has led to a delay of years, not months, in redeveloping ground zero itself. Mr. Silverstein likes to note that while ground zero has been mired in bureaucratic strife, he is ready to sign leases on 7 World Trade Center, a site across the street that was also destroyed but that the private sector, in the person of Mr. Silverstein, has already succeeded in building. Yet Mr. Silverstein's is not the only private-sector vision for Lower Manhattan; private developers are already realizing the mayor's dream of a 24/7 residential neighborhood around Lower Manhattan by converting obsolete office space into apartments."

When the Feds throw out monies like this, there needs to be some oversight. After all, politicians of any party will try and curry favor, using Fed dollars, if and when they can. - Sailor

Iraqi Mayor Thanks US Troops

2006-03-08T11:11:00.000-05:00

Here is another item you will not see in the leftist MSM. (Hat tip to Old_Salt at ChronWatch)

"Iraqi Mayor Thanks U.S. Troops

From: Mayor of Tall 'Afar, Ninewa, Iraq

In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful

To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall' Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life.

To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months.

To those who spread smiles on the faces of our children, and gave us restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and gave new life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days, and stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city.

Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al Zarqawi. The city was completely held hostage in the hands of his henchmen. Our schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every corner. Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpses of children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young. This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered unto them the courageous soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of Zarqawi's followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists, and forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3d ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zuma and Avgani finally destroyed them.

I have met many soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment; they are not only courageous men and women, but avenging angels sent by The God Himself to fight the evil of terrorism.

The leaders of this Regiment; COL McMaster, COL Armstrong, LTC Hickey, LTC Gibson, and LTC Reilly embody courage, strength, vision and wisdom.

Officers and soldiers alike bristle with the confidence and character of knights in a bygone era. The mission they have accomplished, by means of a unique military operation, stands among the finest military feats to date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and truly deserves to be studied in military science. This military operation was clean, with little collateral damage, despite the ferocity of the enemy. With the skill and precision of surgeons they dealt with the terrorist cancers in the city without causing unnecessary damage.

God bless this brave Regiment; God bless the families who dedicated these brave men and women. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the families. They have given us something we will never forget. To the families of those who have given their holy blood for our land, we all bow to you in reverence and to the souls of your loved ones. Their sacrifice was not in vain. They are not dead, but alive, and their souls hovering around us every second of every minute. They will never be forgotten for giving their precious lives. They have sacrificed that which is most valuable. We see them in the smile of every child, and inevery flower growing in this land. Let America, their families, and the world be proud of their sacrifice for humanity and life.

Finally, no matter how much I write or speak about this brave Regiment, I haven't the words to describe the courage of its officers and soldiers. I pray to God to grant happiness and health to these legendary heroes and their brave families.

NAJIM ABDULLAH ABID
AL-JIBOURI

Mayor of Tall 'Afar, Ninewa, Iraq "

I guess this was not newsworthy. Or more likely, it just does not fit into the agendas of the leftist MSM, the defeatists or the terrorist ass kissers. - Sailor

SOURCE

An Act concerning the posting of certain Internet messages

2006-03-07T10:09:00.000-05:00

Leave it to the State of New Jersey to find a way to line the pockets of lawyers. Assemblyman Peter J. Biondi is proposing a bill that will make the operators of interactive computer services and Internet service providers liable to persons injured by false or defamatory messages posted on public forum websites. Here is the proposed bill:

"ASSEMBLY, No. 1327

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

212th LEGISLATURE

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2006 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman PETER J. BIONDI

District 16 (Morris and Somerset)

SYNOPSIS

Makes certain operators of interactive computer services and Internet service providers liable to persons injured by false or defamatory messages posted on public forum websites.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

As introduced.

An Act concerning the posting of certain Internet messages and supplementing chapter 38A of Title 2A of the New Jersey Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. As used in this act:

"Information content provider" means any person or entity that is responsible, in whole or in part, for the creation or development of information provided through the Internet or any other interactive computer service.

"Interactive computer service" means any information system, service, or access software provider that provides or enables computer access by multiple users to a computer server, including specifically a service or system that provides service to the Internet.

"Internet" means the international computer network of both federal and non-federal interoperable packet switched data networks.

"Internet service provider" or "provider" means any person, business or organization qualified to do business in this State that provides individuals, corporations, or other entities with the ability to connect to the Internet through equipment that is located in this State.

"Operator" means any person, business or organization qualified to do business in this State that operates an interactive computer service.

2. The operator of any interactive computer service or an Internet service provider shall establish, maintain and enforce a policy to require any information content provider who posts written messages on a public forum website either to be identified by a legal name and address, or to register a legal name and address with the operator of the interactive computer service or the Internet service provider through which the information content provider gains access to the interactive computer service or Internet, as appropriate.

3. An operator of an interactive computer service or an Internet service provider shall establish and maintain reasonable procedures to enable any person to request and obtain disclosure of the legal name and address of an information content provider who posts false or defamatory information about the person on a public forum website.

4. Any person who is damaged by false or defamatory written messages that originate from an information content provider who posts such messages on a public forum website may file suit in Superior Court against an operator or provider that fails to establish, maintain and enforce the policy required pursuant to section 2 of P.L. , c. (C.) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), and may recover compensatory and punitive damages and the cost of the suit, including a reasonable attorney's fee, cost of investigation and litigation from such operator or provider.

5. This act shall take effect on the 90th day following enactment.

STATEMENT

This bill would require an operator of any interactive computer service or an Internet service provider to establish, maintain and enforce a policy requiring an information content provider who posts messages on a public forum website either to be identified by legal name and address or to register a legal name and address with the operator or provider prior to posting messages on a public forum website.

The bill requires an operator of an interactive computer service or an Internet service provider to establish and maintain reasonable procedures to enable any person to request and obtain disclosure of the legal name and address of an information content provider who posts false or defamatory information about the person on a public forum website.

In addition, the bill makes any operator or Internet service provider liable for compensatory and punitive damages as well as costs of a law suit filed by a person damaged by the posting of such messages if the operator or Internet service provider fails to establish, maintain and enforce the policy required by section 2 of the bill.

As if the courts are not already filled with frivolous lawsuits, this can only add to that logjam. Note that it is the providers that will be liable as well as those posting comments that might be construed to be injurous. Leave it to NJ. - Sailor

Internet Radio

2006-03-05T12:42:00.000-05:00

I have been informed that there have been some problems accessing the station from the Naughty Radio page. So, here is a direct link to Loud City.

I do some Internet radio shows. So, if you like Classic Rock, Oldies, R&B, Soul and a little Country, please tune in. This is some thing I do for fun, I receive no compensation. If you would like to listen, click here. Then click on the blinking sign, which will take you to Loud City, where you can select your player and bandwidth. Loud City is the licencing agent for Naughty Radio, so the artists that I play will receive what ever compensation they are entitled to. My schedule for this week, all times are CST, is below. If you have any requests, let me know in the comments area. Thanks for listening! - Sailor

Sunday - 6pm to 8pm
Monday - 10 am to Noon and 4pm to 6pm
Wednesday 8pm to 10pm
Saturday 7am to 10am for Oldies with Sailor and Meg

A Real Challenger for Hillary?

2006-03-05T09:01:00.000-05:00

There was Ed Cox and Jeanne Piro, now there may very well be a real challenger in New York for Hillary to contend with. Kathleen Troia McFarland is seriously considering taking one Clinton. McFarland has some very serious credentials, having been the highest ranking Pentagon official in the Regan Administration. She was also one of the architects of Regan's cold war policy. She is what most would call a moderate Republican, which is what is needed to win in a red state such as New York. Any debates between her and Clinton will be most interesting, especially on foreign policy.

John Avalon, of the New York Sun and Independent Thinker has some more on this possible match up.

"While Mrs. McFarland is, like the vast majority of New Yorkers, pro-choice, she is an unabashed fiscal conservative of the kind we see too few of these days, concerned about government spending and the national debt. "Anyone who keeps the family's accounts knows that you cannot just keep borrowing money," she says, while raising a red flag over countries like China owning a disproportionate amount of our debt, sensibly asking: "Is that a leverage that we really want them to have down the road?"

Likewise, Mrs. McFarland seeks to distinguish herself from Senator Clinton not through personal attacks - what she calls "Gotcha! Politics" - but on policy debate. One point of contrast comes in her support of school vouchers. "As a kid who put herself through college on a combination of student loans, scholarships and jobs, we as a society need to encourage the maximum opportunity and responsibility."

"I am in the sensible center" she says, referring to Republicans like Mayor Giuliani and Senator McCain as contemporary political heroes, showing why some party leaders feel she would be able to build the broadest coalition in a campaign. There are many hurdles on the road ahead - a pivotal meeting in June of Republican county chairmen, followed by a September primary and a November general election against an incumbent who is planning to use the campaign as a launching pad to the presidency - but in terms of style and substance, KT McFarland may be the best candidate to beat Hillary Clinton. "

This could make the NY Senate race a lot closer than many would have ever imagined. - Sailor

Those WMDs

2006-02-22T06:58:00.000-05:00

Recently, more and more has come out about WMDs in Iraq. Of course, the dem/leftists would have you believe that these weapons never existed, even though Saddam used them against his own population and Iran. ABC recently aired some tapes of Saddam, where he discusses WMDs and his nuclear program as late as 2000.

"News that Saddam had an ongoing enrichment program comports with the account of Dr. Mahdi Obeidi, the nuclear physicist who ran Iraq's nuclear centrifuge program.

After turning himself in to U.S. forces in July 2003, Dr. Obeidi revealed that he had successfully hidden centrifuge parts and blueprints from U.N. weapons inspectors on Saddam's orders.

Despite the staggering implications of the audiotaped uranium revelation, only one mainstream media outlet had covered the news as of Monday morning.

Noting that Saddam's enrichment program was "totally unknown to U.N. weapons inspectors," the Washington Times editorialized on Monday: "It is apparent that the American public has much more to learn about . . . . precisely when Saddam's nuclear weapons programs actually stopped." "

There has been more reported on Iraq's attempts to enrich uranium using a technique called plasma separation.

There has also long been speculation that Iraq's WMDs were moved to a friendly country, Syria being the likeliest place.

""The short answer to the question of where the WMD Saddam bought from the Russians went was that they went to Syria and Lebanon," former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense John A. Shaw told an audience Saturday at a privately sponsored "Intelligence Summit" in Alexandria, Va. (www.intelligencesummit.org).

"They were moved by Russian Spetsnaz (special forces) units out of uniform, that were specifically sent to Iraq to move the weaponry and eradicate any evidence of its existence," he said.

Shaw has dealt with weapons-related issues and export controls as a U.S. government official for 30 years, and was serving as deputy undersecretary of defense for international technology security when the events he described today occurred.

He called the evacuation of Saddam's WMD stockpiles "a well-orchestrated campaign using two neighboring client states with which the Russian leadership had a long time security relationship." "

A former Iraqi General, Georges Sada also claims that Iraq's WMDs were moved to Syria and that Syria has given some of them to al-Qaeda. I have some reservations about his claims, as I do with anyone hawking a book.

Joe Mariani has an excellent article on this subject. You need to read, Iraq's WMD Redux. I will post an excerpt here. Also, be sure to see Joe's blog, Guardian WatchBlog.

"The idea that every inch of Iraq has been examined and pronounced clean is ludicrous. Reports are still coming in of storage sites that were completely ignored by the Iraq Survey Group, which concentrated heavily on previously known WMD storage sites. Simple common sense would tell anyone that a place marked on every inspector's map "WMD Storage Facility" might not be the best place to hide your WMDs. Instead, something like buried and locked concrete bunkers not marked on any map might be a more likely location. Lo and behold, several such sites were reported to the ISG, and totally ignored.

David Gaubatz, a former member of the U.S. Air Force's Office of Special Investigations, was assigned to do intelligence research. He was shown four sealed underground concrete bunkers in southern Iraq with the tunnels leading to them deliberately flooded. His sources told him that the facilities had contained stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons. He filed reports with photographs, grid coordinates, and testimony from multiple sources. But the ISG never unsealed the bunkers. "We agents begged and begged for weeks and months to get ISG to respond to the sites with the proper equipment," Gaubatz told the New York Sun. Yet the ISG felt comfortable filing a final report, in effect closing the case."

Too bad none of these revelations fit into the world view of the MSM. Some good investigative reporting is really needed here. - Sailor

Some Good News

2006-02-20T22:33:00.000-05:00

My son has informed me that he is getting married and that I am a proud grand dad. I have a grand daughter, her name is Annabelle. Pictures to follow as soon as I get them. - Sailor

Able Danger

2006-02-19T21:40:00.000-05:00

Here is some commentary on the recent public hearings on the Able Danger project. Jack Kelly has some interesting things to say.

"Through computer scanning of some 2.5 terabytes of classified and unclassified data, the Able Danger team identified five "nodes" of al-Qaida activity. One was in Brooklyn, N.Y. Another was in the port of Aden in Yemen, where the USS Cole was attacked.

Able Danger linked Mohamed Atta and three other 9/11 hijackers to the Brooklyn cell, said Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, who was the liaison between the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Able Danger team.

"It shocked us how entrenched a presence al-Qaida had in the United States," Mr. Kleinsmith said.

Lt. Col. Shaffer testified he tried three times to have Able Danger data on the Brooklyn cell presented to the FBI, but that on each occasion Pentagon lawyers forbade the meeting.

In a commentary in The Wall Journal last November, Louis Freeh, who was FBI director at the time, said that if he had been told about what Able Danger had learned, 9/11 likely would have been prevented.

In March 2000, Maj. Kleinsmith was ordered to stop all work on Able Danger, and, later, to delete all the information collected."

One has to wonder why this project was terminated and why the insistence that all of the data be deleted. Seems to me that data mining would be an excellent tool to co-ordinate all of the data collected by the various intelligence agencies. One also has to wonder why the 9/11 Commission did not look deeper into the data gathered by the Able Danger group. Further, as Jack Kelly wonders, why is the Bush administration seemingly covering up this fiasco. After all, this did occur under the watch of the Clinton Administration. A deeper investigation into this is certainly warranted. - Sailor

Those Cartoons

2006-02-19T07:59:00.000-05:00

As you all have heard and seen by now, the Islamofacists are using some cartoons of Mohammed to inflame the Moslem street. Unlike the US media, who claim they do not want to offend Muslims, I will post those cartoons here and now. It is my opinion that the US media is just plain afraid to show these cartoons. What a bunch of cowards.

So here they are. I have seen far more offensive cartoon made about Christians and Jews. - Sailor

Close Guantanamo?

2006-02-18T07:19:00.000-05:00

The a bunch of so called human rights "investigators" have told the UN that the prison at Gitmo should be closed immediately. Now did these "investigators" go to Gitmo? No. They rejected an invitation to inspect the facilities and the treatment of prisoners there. So exactly where did they get their "investigative" data from? Your guess is as good as mine. The New York Post has some ideas on where they got their data from.

"Says the U.N. team: What happens at Gitmo is nothing less than torture Â and those responsible should themselves face the long arm of the law "up to the highest level of military and political command."

And how do these gumshoes know this?

Why, they read all about it in The New York Times and watched it on CNN. Oh, and they talked to former detainees.

What they did not do, however, is visit Guantanamo and see things for themselves.

After all, it's so much easier when you only need to get one side of the story.

Indeed, as Kevin Moley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N.'s Geneva offices, wrote in a letter last month, the report "selectively includes only those factual assertions needed to support those conclusions and ignores other facts that would undermine those conclusions." "

Has anyone ever met a lawyer that said his client is guilty, unless of course he is planning adiminishedd capacity defense. As for the New York Times and CNN, well their reporting is slanted to their world view. How can anyone claim they have done an investigation, when they have not visited the facility in question? Looks to me that these "investigators" when and found datathatt supported their preconceived conclusion.Typicall of the UN.

Deroy Murdock makes the case for keeping Gitmo open, which I fully support.

""The process of assessing detainees is difficult and involves a certain degree of risk," says Pentagon spokesman Commander Flex Plexico. "Many detainees later identified as having returned to their terrorist activities falsely claimed to be farmers, truck drivers, cooks, small-scale merchants, or low-level combatants."

Plexico says that detainees "are required to sign a form agreeing that they will not take part in anti-U.S. or terrorist activities after release." It is a bit odd to suppose that the kinds of people who deliberately blow up Muslim weddings and applaud the stoning of adulteresses also obey contracts with people they aim to kill.

While staying mum on details, the Pentagon says that after leaving Guantanamo, former enemy combatants killed an Afghan judge as he departed a mosque. Others have shot at U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, while even more have been killed in action there."

As long as we are at war, and yes this is a war, it will be necessary to keep Camp Delta open. - Sailor

University of Washington Disses WWII Hero

2006-02-17T22:39:00.000-05:00

In another example of how the left despises the military, two Student Senators tried to have a memorial to U of W graduate Marine Col. Greg "Pappy" Boyington shelved. To bad these two bimbettes have no knowledge of history. Had it not been for men like Pappy Boyington, they both would likely be speaking Japanese now. One has to wonder exactly what they teach in high school about the history of World War Two. It is obvious from the comment these two made that they are clueless. Ralph Kinney Barret over at Tech Central Station has a short biography of Pappy's exploits along with a dose of reality for Jill Edwards and Ashley Miller.

"In March 1944, Boyington was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. His comrades thought it was a posthumous decoration. But Pappy survived the prison camp, was freed at the end of the war, and stood in the White House on October 5, 1945, still recovering from the physical and psychological effects of his imprisonment, as President Harry S Truman draped the nation's highest award for bravery around his neck.

Flash forward 61 years. A move is afoot, naturally enough, one would think, to honor Greg Boyington, Class of 1934, at his alma mater, the University of Washington. A resolution comes before the august Student Senate for a statue honoring the Medal of Honor winner. Not "a large statue, but rather something on a small scale" (according to the minutes of the senate).

Ahem.

A distinguished "Senator," Jill Edwards moves to table the matter. Discussion ensues on who this Boyington is and why he should be honored. One student says he had read about Boyington and thought the university should be proud of him.

Distinguished Senator Jill Edwards questions "whether it was appropriate to honor a person who killed other people."

She further wonders whether "a member of the Marine Corps was an example of the sort of person UW wanted to produce."

Another distinguished Senator, Ashley Miller, "commented that many monuments at UW already commemorate rich white men.""

Just a note to Ms. Edwards, do you think that freedom comes for free? It takes the blood of warriors to secure the liberties you so enjoy. Of course, it is those warriors that you disdain that allow you to make an ass of yourself. As for you, Ms. Miller, Pappy was part Souix, which makes him not totally white. And by the way, when did I miss the memo, that as a white man I am supposed to be rich?

I first saw this over at Neal Boortz, Neal's Nuze. Neal was right on top of this as usual. He has more on his site about this incident, including a proposal that Edwards make an apology, in writing.

Quite frankly, forcing an apology from either of these "geniuses" is a waste of time. I doubt they would be sincere about it, like so many of their ilk on the left, they too despise those that wear and have worn the uniform. - Sailor

More on Al Gore

2006-02-17T13:36:00.000-05:00

The commentary on Al Gore's recent comments in Saudi Arabia continue. The Las Vegas Review-Journal calls Al's remarks bizarre.

"Mr. Gore said Arabs in the United States have been "indiscriminately rounded up, often on minor charges of overstaying a visa or not having a green card in proper order, and held in conditions that were just unforgivable."

This goes beyond being politically unwise. It is bizarre.

In an Arab world where torture, beheadings and the cutting off of hands are considered normal sanctions not just for real felonies but also for "heresy" and other thought crimes, what on earth must Mr. Gore's listeners have imagined he meant by "terrible abuses"? What must an audience familiar with prison conditions in Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia picture when Mr. Gore speaks of "unforgivable" conditions?

One doubts they were picturing a warm dry cot, indoor plumbing and three square meals a day while an illegal immigrant who had knowingly outstayed his visa waited for a scheduled court hearing.

In the excess of caution following Sept. 11, were a few American residents of Arab extraction interrogated or even picked up and held incommunicado? Yes. Is it acceptable to criticize such abuses? Of course. Go to it.

But Al Gore clearly has a problem. The son of a famous father, Mr. Gore is "deeply insecure about his ability, stature and credentials," political consultant Dick Morris wrote in the New York Post during the 2000 campaign, in an essay headlined "Why Gore lies."

"He feels that he needs to go the extra mile to burnish his image even if he has to make things up," wrote Mr. Morris -- himself no paragon of rectitude, let us hasten to add."

I have some serious concerns about the statr of Mr. Gore's mental health. One has to wonder about that. given his propensity to make wild eyed accusations and just plain idiotic comments.

Jack Kelly offers has a few things to say on Al's speech.

"Whatever Mr. Gore's speaking fee was, his hosts likely thought it a bargain, considering what the former vice president had to say. The U.S. committed "terrible abuses" against Arabs after 9/11, Mr. Gore said. Arabs were "indiscriminately rounded up, often on minor charges of overstaying a visa and not having a green card in proper order, and held in conditions that were just unforgivable."

According to the Arab American Anti Discrimination Committee, about 1,200 Arabs were arrested after 9/11. Of these, 725 were held on immigration violations, 100 on unrelated criminal charges, and 360 for possible links to terrorism.

The Census Bureau says there are about three million Arabs in the United States. The number "indiscriminately rounded up" after 9/11 is much less than one tenth of one percent of that number.

Mr. Gore didn't say what he thought was "unforgivable" about the conditions in which the Arabs were held, but his source probably was a June, 2003 report by the Justice Department's inspector general, or, rather, erroneous news accounts of the report.

The Los Angeles Times said most detainees were held for months without charges. In fact, only 24 were held for more than a month before being charged, and 59 percent were charged within three days, the IG report said.

Most Americans remember that 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudis, but Mr. Gore seems to have forgotten. He deplored the cancellation of "Visa Express," the expedited program without background checks through which several of the hijackers entered the United States.

In a footnote on page 492 of its report, the 9/11 Commission said Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who planned the attacks, told interrogators most of the hijackers he selected were Saudis because they had the easiest time getting visas. According to statistics gathered by the Government Accountability Office, before 9/11 only three percent of Saudi applicants were interviewed prior to being issued a visa, and only one percent were refused."

Al made some wild assed accusations and Mr. Kelly easily refutes those accusations with facts, some thing Al has not been near in recent years. The 9/11 Commission specifically faulted the ease of immigration from Saudi Arabia as one of the conditions that permitted 9/11 to occur. How soon old Al forgets. Perhaps Al's ties to Occidental Petroleum had some thing to do with his memory loss.

Tom Bevans over at RCP has a couple of comments as well.

It is my opinion that Gore is sucking up to the far left of the dem party. The part of the party controlled by moveon.org, George Soros and supported by Kos and his ilk. Sadly, Al still thinks he is Presidential timber. Sorry to tell you this Mr. Gore, but what you are is just a pile of discarded wood with serious dry rot. - Sailor

More on Able Danger

2006-02-15T05:27:00.000-05:00

More revelations continue to come from from the Able Danger project. (Hat tip to Froggie over at Chronwatch). The New York Post in an article, that Mohammed Atta's name surfaced 13 times in the data gathered by Able Danger. Congressman Curt Weldon(R-PA), held a news conference detailing the latest revelations. A full transcript is available at the Able Danger Blog. Here are some excerpts:

"Thank you for coming out. I'm Curt Weldon and I'm here to announce the hearing that everyone said would never occur, that will begin tomorrow."

It is about time that hearings were held on Able Danger. Rep. Weldon has been tireless in his efforts to see that these hearings occur.

"WELDON: Now, since this whole process began, you saw Louie Freeh, former FBI director, on "Meet the Press" in October respond to Chris Matthews and say publicly, "If I would have had the kind of information Able Danger had, we in the FBI may well have been able to stop 9/11 from ever occurring."

How the 9/11 Commission can call Able Danger historically insignificant is just beyond my imagination.

In addition, several months ago, General Hugh Shelton came out for the first time publicly and has said that he was the one who personally authorized the creation of Able Danger; that it was a top- secret, elite organization of approximately two dozen individuals whose total purpose was to identify Al Qaida operatives around the world and in the U.S.

So we have General Shelton testifying that he created it. You have Louie Freeh saying if he'd have had the information it could have helped stop 9/11, perhaps. And now we have information that will be testified to under oath that there were attempts to transfer information to the FBI on at least three occasions, and on all three of those occasions in September of 2000, lawyers within the administration denied those meetings from taking place.

I've learned some additional things that are new. You saw the Arlen Specter hearing in Judiciary that occurred in September. It's very troubling to me that it appears as though the DOD witness did not tell the truth.

We had testimony that all of the Able Danger data-mining material was destroyed. I now know that that's not the case. In fact, I now know there's data still available. And I am in contact with people who are still able to data mining runs on pre-9/11 data. In those data runs that are now being done today, in spite of what DOD said, I have 13 hits on Mohammed Atta, spelled Mu and Mo. Not Mohammed Attif, not Mohammed Attel; Mohammed Atta. Thirteen times we have hits in the data that's still available, that we were told was destroyed. That was pre-9/11 data, where Mohammed Atta's name was spelled two different ways, but it was Mohammed Atta.

It is outrageous to me that the Defense Department would say, as we will hear from Eric Kleinsmith tomorrow, that, yes, he did destroy the LIWA data, but the LIWA data wasn't all the data. There was other massive data mining that was collected, that we just don't know the whereabouts of."

Some one really needs to find out why the 9/11 Commission refused to even consider the Able Danger data. Having read the Commission's Report, it seems to me that they considered other less verifiable data. Of course, one also has to wonder why Jamie Gorelick was on that Commission, considering her involvement is creating the so called "wall" document. This document effectively kept intelligence organizations from sharing data.

If DOD witnesses were not forthcoming or truthful during the Specter Hearings, then this issue needs to be addressed as well. It will be very interesting to see what comes out of this set of hearings. Stay tuned! - Sailor

Please welcome the Able Danger Blog to my blogroll.

Al Gore Loses It...Again

2006-02-14T09:16:00.000-05:00

It is not bad enough that Al Gore foams at the mouth when addressing lefties here in the States, now he is exporting his idiotic rhetoric overseas. Speaking at the Jiddah Economic Forum, old Al did his usual rant, this time tailoring it to his audience. Of course, as always, Al was long on accusations and short on specifics and proof. Typical Al Gore. The thought that this man was almost elected President is frightening. Investor's Business Daily has some comments on Al.

"The chief demon, of course, surely must be Gore's continuing quest for the presidency. Embittered he may well be by his loss of the highest office six years ago. But showing such supreme disloyalty to his country, as he did in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, cannot be condoned as an honorable means of pursuing the prize once more.

Speaking at the Jiddah Economic Forum, an event staged by oil-rich Saudi royalty, Gore indicted the American government for its "terrible abuses" of Arabs since the 9-11 attacks on New York and Washington. Such treatment, he charged, played into the hands of al-Qaida.

And just what was the nature of these abuses? Arabs had been "indiscriminately rounded up, often on minor charges of overstaying a visa or not having a green card in proper order, and held in conditions that were just unforgivable."

Understand: Fifteen of the 19 al-Qaida hijackers on that fateful day, a day that saw 3,000 Americans go to their fiery deaths, a day that created thousands more orphans, were Saudi citizens. Those hijackers lived undetected in this country precisely because immigration authorities had been permissive.

So Gore believes the tightening of the rules, post-9-11, was one of a series of "terrible abuses"?

And just what, in Gore's theology, is "unforgivable"? His outburst came on the heels of an absurd United Nations report accusing the U.S. of torturing wartime captives at Guantanamo, where guards, struggling to keep hunger strikers alive, reportedly have resorted to intravenous feeding."

I guess I missed the big round up of Saudis. As for immigration, this country's immigration policy has been far too lenient. I shudder to think what Al's reaction to 9/11 would have been had he been elected.

I will have more on this bogus UN report later. What I will say, is that the people that created this report, were invited to see the conditions at Gitmo and not one of them bothered to go. So much for that report. - Sailor

Some Democrats Do Get It

2006-02-14T05:48:00.000-05:00

It would seem that two leading Democrats, Jane Harman and Tom Daschle, have come out in favor of this so called "domestic" spying. Calling this domestic spying is a misnomer. One would be led to believe that there is wide spread electronic surveillance of US citizens. That is not the fact of the matter. If a known terrorist, whether al-Qaida or not, calls a number in the US, that is when some one in the US may be subject to these wire taps. It is only reasonable and within the bounds of presidential war time abilities to listen in on that sort of conversation.

In the case of Tom Daschle, it may just be political expediency, as Tom is considering a presidential run and the most recent polls show that the majority of Americans favor the NSA wire tapping.

David Limbaugh has some things to say on this in his column.

"They went on to mislabel the NSA intercepts where at least one party was not located in the United States as "domestic spying." Both words, "domestic," and "spying," were calculated to paint the president in a negative light and to taint what these Democrats now acknowledge is a program that is "necessary for fighting terrorism."

The "domestic" label was clearly misleading in that it implied that all parties to the communication were located on American soil, which is not the case. By coupling it with "spying," they intended to conjure up images of Dan Aykroyd impersonating a paranoid Richard Nixon mulling his enemies list in the Oval Office, then equating George Bush with this ugly practice.

It fit nicely with their long-running scheme to depict the president as the autocratic "King George," who acts unilaterally, beyond his constitutional authority and in derogation of the people's rights, to spy on innocent American citizens. This has always been a pernicious lie. The NSA surveillance program specifically excluded purely domestic communications and was never targeted at innocent citizens but at conversations where at least one party was a known or suspected terrorist."

This is the point that needs to be made. This is not domestic spying at all. It is the gathering of intelligence, with the focus on who may be working with known or suspected terrorists. Of course there are those dem/leftists that want you to believe it is, as well as there willing accomplishes in the MSM, most notably the New York Times. It is the NYT that broke this story and in doing so, has compromised the ability of the US to gather intelligence that may be crucial in stopping the next terrorist attack in the US. An investigation into whether the NYT has broken the law is indeed necessary. - Sailor

Roberts' Letter to the Committee on the Judiciary

2006-02-04T08:06:00.000-05:00

Senator Pat Roberts has written and sent a 19 page letter (this is in PDF format and you will need Adobe Reader to view it), to Senators Specter and Leahy of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. The letter presents the Constitutional argument for the President's powers to use warrantless wire taps during time of war. Included in the letter are legal decisions that uphold those powers. It is worth the read with the upcoming hearings on this issue. - Sailor

Howard Dean's Egregious Comments on Terrorist Surveillance

2006-02-03T23:36:00.000-05:00

Finally, some one from the GOP has taken Howard (Dr. Demento) Dean to take on his over the top comments on the NSA domestic wiretapping. Senator Pat Roberts has rebutted the DNC Chairman's exaggerations and out right lies. This is not, as Howie tried to portray it, domestic political wire tapping, nor is it Billy Clinton's ECHELON. Here are Senator Roberts' comments in full.

"February 3, 2006
Howard Dean's Egregious Comments on Terrorist Surveillance
By Pat Roberts

I was recently apprised of your assessment of the President's terrorist surveillance program - an "early warning" capability to intercept the international communications of al Qaeda terrorists to and from persons within the United States. With respect to this important program, you stated, "President Bush's secret program to spy on the American people reminds Americans of the abuse of power during the dark days of President Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew." As Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, I find your statements to be irrational and irresponsible.

Any suggestion that a program designed to track the movement, locations, plans, or intentions of our enemy - particularly those that have infiltrated our borders - is equivalent to abusive domestic surveillance of the past is ludicrous. When Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson approved the electronic surveillance of Martin Luther King, those Presidents were targeting American citizens based on activities protected by the First Amendment. When President Richard Nixon used warrantless wiretaps, they were not directed at enemies that had attacked the United States and killed thousands of Americans.

I believe Americans understand that the careful and targeted program authorized by President Bush has no relation to the abuses of the past. Indeed, its closest antecedent is the direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Attorney General Robert H. Jackson on the eve of World War II. With war looming and reports of lurking enemy saboteurs, President Roosevelt ordered the use of domestic electronic surveillance to target "persons suspected of subversive activities." As President Roosevelt noted, "It is too late to do anything about it after sabotage, assassinations and 'fifth column' activities are completed." Significantly, President Roosevelt's direction was issued despite a statute (Section 605 of the Communications Act of 1934) and Supreme Court precedent (United States v. Nardone, 302 U.S. 379 (1937)) that prohibited such wiretapping.

When President Bush exercised his constitutional authority and responsibility as Commander-in-Chief to target international communications between potential terrorists within this country and al Qaeda members overseas, he recognized, just like President Roosevelt, that after a terrorist attack occurs '[i]t is too late.' Our nation had been attacked on September 11, 2001, by foreign enemies. We were, and are still, at war with an enemy that Congress identified in an Authorization for Use of Military Force (Pub. L. No. 107-40 (Sept. 18, 2001)). Much of the war against al Qaeda is being fought overseas - Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq. But the war against terrorism is not confined to foreign lands. The war against terrorism is being fought every day in our own backyard. America is a battlefield.

In peacetime and especially when our nation is at war, our leaders, including the chairmen of our political parties, should be more careful and better informed before they criticize the intelligence programs that protect our nation. Vibrant debate is important in our free society, but that debate should be serious and rational, especially where national security is concerned. Too many are looking at national security issues through partisan lenses. I have seen it on the Intelligence Committee for the past three years. Our nation, and the men and women of the military, law enforcement, and the intelligence community, deserve better.

Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) is Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence."

SOURCE

Strikes me that if someone in the US is in phone contact with known al-Qaeda operatives, that constitutes probable cause. To me it is no different than a cop stopping a car on a traffic violationodoren smelling the oder of weed in the car. The Courts have held that that officer can do a warrantless search, based on that probable cause. It is the same with any of the various child protection agencies of the several states. The can, without a warrant, and without due process, enter a home and take the children away, based on as little as an anomynous phone call or calls. This country is at war, no matter what the left wishes to think. The President has the power to order these warrantless wire taps, under the Constitution. - Sailor

Time to End Earmarks!

2006-01-29T09:32:00.000-05:00

Earmarks are those little tricky things that our so called representatives use to sneak their pet projects in. This is where lobbyists get what they want, without the scrutiny these wasteful projects need. These earmarks as usually tacked on to an appropriations bill that is hundreds of pages long. Let's face it, most of those in The House and Senate really never read the full bill, which allows these items to get passed. Mind you, I am not a big fan of John McCain, but ont his issue he is right on target. Attempting any ethics reform, without killing off earmarks, will not be any more effective then the laws and rules that are already on the books. All this handwringing about gifts and trips is not where the problem is. It is with earmarks and those donations they bring into a candidates coffers.

In addition, I strongly believe that the time has come for terms limits for the House and Senate. From the moment a House member is elected, he or she is running for re-election. Talk about an openning for corruption. I suggest two solutions here. First, change the length of the term from 2 years to 4 years. This will cut down on that perpetual election cycle. Second, limit the number of terms to 3, for a total of 12 years. As for the Senate, the 6 year term is fine, the limit should be 2 terms, totally 12 years. Our Founding Fathers were of a mind that citizens would take turns running the government, not a slew of professional politicians.

Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl of Arizona have wrttien an Op Ed piece on earmarks. Here are a few exceprts.

""Earmarks" are single provisions in spending bills that often run into the hundreds of pages, provisions that few members of Congress have read or even heard of and often don't find out about until days or weeks after the bills have passed. Earmarking breeds corruption. It's a practice that can tempt even good people to do bad things.

Years ago, President Reagan vetoed a major highway bill because, as he put it, it included "unjustifiable funding for narrow, individual special-interest highway and transit construction projects." That bill included a grand total of 152 such projects that would have cost $1.4 billion over five years.

Fast-forward to 2005: Congress passed a highway bill that was packed with more than 6,500 special-interest projects costing more than $24 billion. We objected to this special-interest feasting at the public trough. We were among just four senators to vote against the bill. We were among the few who similarly opposed last year's energy bill, which was also loaded with special-interest spending and tax provisions."

This is where that bridge to no where in Alaska was added as an earmark.

"Although there are a variety of lobbying reforms that Congress should consider, going after earmarks is key. They are the "prize" lobbyists are after, a prize that comes at the expense of the American taxpayer. That said, it also is perhaps the most difficult practice to end because many politicians perceive it to be the bread and butter that preserve their incumbency.

We're proud that when watchdog groups such as Citizens Against Government Waste rate Congress, we are always ranked among the most careful with tax dollars. CAGW's latest ranking puts us as the best Senate delegation in the nation in watching out for taxpayers' interests.

We have long stood up for the taxpayers, and now it is time for the rest of Congress to join us in putting an end to wasteful spending that benefits politicians and lobbyists but hurts our country. Limit spending, and the influence of lobbyists will diminish with it. If the latest lobbying scandal in Washington proves anything, it is that the time to put an end to special-interest earmarking is now."

It is high time we tell our Congressmen and Senators that they work for us and not some narrow special interest group or lobbyist. All of us need to flood thier offices with e-mails and faxes, telling them that earmarks have to go. While you are at it, you might want to mention that terms limits plan I wrote about. - Sailor