The Democratic Legacy

Go see the past and the future of the Democratic party over at In The Right Place A Halloween offering from Frankie! I would say more, but I don't want to spoil the fun!

Who is Who?

Here is a little game for Halloween. Let's put together the DC politician with their alter egos...I'll go first.

Bothersome

Is anyone else bothered that Reuters was correct in their assumption of Bush's choice for SCOTUS? How is it that they had such sure knowledge at 6:43 this morning? I don't like the implication that Reuter's positive attitude indicates. I suppose that DC is just the leakiest town around, but I still don't like it.

SCOTUS

Seems AP can't decide between Luttig or Alito and will even speculate that it could be Karen Williams, Priscilla Owen, Alice Batchelder, Michael McConnell, or even Michigan Supreme Court Justice Maura Corrigan.

Reuters, on the other hand, is betting on Alito and that we are just waiting for Bush's announcement.

Washington Post is siding with Reuters and going with Alito, but also lists the problems that the Democrats will have with him.

Wonder what happened to Janice Rogers Brown. Think maybe Bush got burned on Miers, so he's going with a man this time? We shall see. Hopefully sooner today than later. Something good has got to happen!

Eerie

You Should Learn Swedish

Fantastisk! You're laid back about learning a language - and about life in general. Peaceful, beautiful Sweden is ideal for you... And you won't even have to speak perfect Swedish to get around!

What Language Should You Learn?

Took this little test and wouldn't you know, I'm a quarter Swedish! Maternal family name...Hanson (formerly Hansson)! My mother's aunt called her a little "snernessa" (sp?). It means "snot nose!"

A Trip to the Library

My daughter had to go to the library to work on a project with a friend. For the last several months, she has been borrowing CDs from the library. She has quite an eclectic taste in music. She doesn't like current pop or hip hop or rap. She likes soundtracks, music from the 40s, classical, and old rock...Queen and the Beatles to be specific. Today's choice was by far the most amusing. She picked up Monty Python's Spam-a-lot! Yes, "spam, spam, spam, spam...."

PLEASE HELP!

There is an evil man inviting himself to the funerals of our hero soldiers and his is yelling and disrupting these funerals with signs that say, "God Hates Fags" and "Thank God for Sept. 11." Yes, he is exercising his rights of free speech, but the way that he is doing it makes him the lowest form of slime. How dare he invade the funeral of these soldiers and upset their families.

Soldier's Mom has found out that he is planning on attending the funeral of SPC Timothy D. Watkins, a friend of her son, Noah, and she is asking for anyone who can come, to please do so! The help that is needed is for anyone who lives in the Yucca Valley area in California to please attend the funeral to help buffer the family from these people. But, do not engage them, he likes to sue!

Read the post and article that Soldier's Mom has on her site describing this amazing young man. This is really important. Don't let this horrible person get away with hurting these wonderful people who only wish to bury their son. If I didn't live 2,500 miles away, I would be there!

Information from:
In The Right Place
THIRDWAVEDAVE
Marathon Pundit has more information on this horrible person.

Have You Noticed?

Have you noticed how many Democrats refer to the Libby indictment as "tip of the iceberg" in the "Administration of Corruption?" Now I know that they are lumping in Tom DeLay and Bill Frist, but can we please be honest here? The last time there was a special counsel it was for Bill Clinton...Bill Clinton The President. And if you'll remember, there was more than just "Monicagate."
*Travelgate
*White Water
*Paula Jones
*Monica Lewinsky/Linda Tripp

"But I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I'm going to say this again: I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie, not a single time -- never. These allegations are false. And I need to go back to work for the American people."

*Impeachment

About two hours after his acquittal, President Clinton made a brief appearance in the White House Rose Garden and stated: "Now that the Senate has fulfilled its constitutional responsibility, bringing this process to a conclusion, I want to say again to the American people how profoundly sorry I am for what I said and did to trigger these events and the great burden they have imposed on the Congress and on the American people."

This is all on one man. We won't even go into the crimes and misdemeanors of his cronies in the Democratic party some of whom are still in office.

It's the pious attitude of Ted Kennedy and John Kerry over the indictment that really makes me ill. They act as though they have led perfect, guiltless lives and have the right to stand in judgment. (Chappaquittick? Vietnam?) And they are standing in judgment against Bush, not Libby. Who, by the way you Democrats, is innocent until proven guilty! Makes me want to smack them! (Sorry, but people who act like idiots make me want to smack 'em up-side the head!) Then there is something else I don't understand. Why is the MSM saying that this indictment proves that Bush made up WMDs in Iraq to start a war there? And it's because Joe Wilson said there weren't? Oy!

Quotes and info: The History Place

UPDATE: Seems I touched the tip of the iceberg with the last two questions. Thanks to Bookworm Room for sending me to Flopping Aces to read what Curt has found out about our illustrious CIA and the MSM! Seems I've heard several former CIA agents interviewed on Fox News state that Joe Wilson loved going around town introducing his wife as "My little CIA agent wife!" Note the photo and article that was at the beginning of all this garbage! Like she's really hiding!

(Photo via Slate 12/03 from —Vanity Fair, January 2004. The photograph, by Jonas Karlsson, was taken Nov. 8 and "styled by" Ann Caruso. Hair, makeup, and grooming by Terri Grauel for T.H.E. Artist Agency.)

Drive the ACLU Crazy!

Jay over at Stop the ACLU wants to drive the ACLU crazy with Christmas paraphernalia, so he has a couple of ways to decorate your own blog. I really liked the Homeland Holiday Advisory System. You can find the code here. So decorate your blog with all kinds of decorations for Christmas, or Hannakah, Kwanza, or whatever religious holiday that you celebrate and have fun!

Hmm, just thinking of the possibilities when Easter rolls around! Mwaahhhahahaha!

And So It Begins

Here comes the Left with their false sympathy or rather sanctimonious attitudes.

Here's a bit from CNN:

The event that triggered the legal and political quagmire that has put the White House on edge was a syndicated newspaper column by Robert Novak, published on July 14, 2003, about Joe Wilson.

They (the liberals) certainly like that word, don't they? Here's something with a twist from Matt Crenson of AP:

Today's News Haiku: The Libby Indictment (We'll Be Doing These Occasionally)
Skip directly to the full story.
By Matt Crenson The Associated Press Published: Oct 28, 2005

Today's news haiku:
Veep staff chief in soup
over covert agent gal.
Bush Svengali next?

(The rules: a first line of five syllables, a second line of seven and a third line of five. No opinions. Be oblique. Try it yourself! Send us some!)

It's very interesting that an AP reporter would think that the whole situation is worth an online poetry party. The Washington Post has some quotes from Democrats that are interesting (or rather typical)...

Democrats suggested the indictment was just the tip of the iceberg. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the case was larger than Libby and "about how the Bush White House manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to bolster its case for the war in Iraq and to discredit anyone who dared to challenge the president."

or this...

Sen. John Kerry, who ran unsuccessfully against Bush last year, called the case "evidence of White House corruption at the very highest levels, far from the 'honor and dignity' the president pledged to restore to Washington just five years ago."

I'm sure that the rest of the day will bring golden platitudes from the Democrats.

Indictment

"It's not the crime, it's the cover-up."

Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's Chief of Staff, has been indicted on charges of misleading the grand jury or making false statements. He said he learned about Valerie Plame's CIA connection from the media, yet his notes showed that VP Cheney had told him about her. The eventual jury in a trial will have to prove that Libby intentionally lied to the grand jury. This is no more than a charge at this time, but the charge is a felony and carries fines and possible jail time. Libby will be required to step down as Cheney's chief of staff according to previous statements from the White House. Carl Rove is still under investigation, but Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald apparently does not have enough evidence against Carl Rove to indict him at this time.

Even if Libby and possibly Rove are found not guilty by a jury, it still leaves a cloud over the Bush White House.

Fitzgerald will be making his statements at 2 pm this afternoon.

UPDATE: (12:30 pm) The above was reported as "our sources have informed us." The actual word is expected any moment.

UPDATED UPDATE: (12:44 pm) Reuters and AP have reported that Libby has been indicted on 2 counts of making false statements, 2 counts of perjury AND 1 count of obstruction of justice. Fox News confirmed it. A total of five counts (up to 25 years in jail for all 5 counts).

INDICTMENT: Read it here

Note: 1:05 pm Libby has resigned.

One of Those Days

You Are 50% Weird

Normal enough to know that you're weird... But too darn weird to do anything about it!

How Weird Are You?

This is just the kind of day I've had today! Weird!

Quotable Quote

"The Liberals are the flying saucers of politics. No one can make head nor tail of them and they never are seen twice in the same place."
--John G. Diefenbaker
(Prime Minister of Canada 1957 to 1963)

I saw this quote and just had to share it!

Scary!

Couldn't resist posting this. Saw it on RightMarch but it is from Linda Eddy at Iowa Presidential Watch.

Upcoming Election

Sometimes it's the issues that keep people from voting when there isn't a general or mid-term election. The issues don't always have commercials and they are not widely promoted, so we often find out what the issues are as we are standing in the voting booth. We all know that the way the issues are written can easily be misunderstood, so the best thing to do is be informed before you vote. Project Vote Smart is one place that you can get information on the issues. They are a non-partisan group that gathers information from every state and every candidate for the specific reason of keeping voters informed. It is a great resource when there is a general or mid-term election too, because they have information on the candidates including their past voting records.

Election information can also be found on your state's website. If your state site is like mine, you may have to dig for it a little bit, but it's there. You can also visit candidates' websites, but there, you definitely have a bias.

So be informed before you vote.

No Announcement Today

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald has stated that he will not be making any announcement today in the CIA leak case.

There may be one tomorrow as the Grand Jury will be released then, and if there are going to be indictments it will have to be done before they are gone.

Bill Kristol of The Weekly Standard believes that there will be one or two indictments issued tomorrow, but he doesn't want to speculate on who those indictments will be for, though he does feel it will not be a good day for the Bush administration.

Harriet Miers Withdraws

Yes, that's right, Harriet Miers has withdrawn her nomination for Supreme Court Justice. This follows her second submission of the questionnaire that the Senators demanded. I'm sure that Ann Coulter is doing a jig right now. (or being very smug)

"Today I have reluctantly accepted Harriet Miers' decision to withdraw her nomination..."
--President Bush

Bush feels that she is withdrawing because the senators wouldn't be satisfied until they got the answers and documents that they wanted to see. This, Miers felt, would jeopardize her ability give the president adequate counsel. Those documents would not have to be released not only because of Executive privilege, but also because of attorney/client privilege.

"The senators would not be satisfied until they gained access to internal documents concerning advice provided during her tenure at this White House."
--President Bush

Miers will stay on as White House Counsel.

Comments and quotes released by Fox News.

A Soldier's Story

Many posts on many blogs have discussed the use of the soldiers' names that have died in Iraq being used for possible political purposes. For example on the crosses the code pinkos use, as a rolling list of names at the end of the news, even on many liberal/anti-war blogs for "shock" value. Those names belong to the love ones of people across the country. They have not just names, but faces, loved ones, the lives they led before the war. By "name dropping" the respect that these soldiers so richly deserve is not considered.

Recently, a soldier came home to my area of Ohio. He was an Army sergeant who is being remembered by parents, daughters, cousins, friends, and as a local hero. His name is Sergeant Bryan W. Large. More than 550 people attended his funeral. The church where the service was held is also a school and they closed the school so that the children could come to the service, too.

He was in the 307th Forward Medical Company of the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan on his first tour of duty in 2002. And he was serving a second tour as the lead medic for Company D of the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne. He was a hero to many who lost his life when an IED hit his vehicle on October 3rd of this year.

He was many things to many people, but his favorite role was that of a father to his two daughters. He was described as a hero, a devoted son, a loyal friend, a loving brother, and a as a father who adored his girls. A family member said, "Bryan has left a legacy for which he may be very proud."

I did not know this soldier, but his loss is felt by all. So when you see or hear the name of a soldier lost, find out what you can about him or her. People are only lost to us when we forget them. Remember the fallen, thank the living, and live your life in such a way that their sacrifice will have meaning.

Photo: Legacy Guest Book and information from our local paper

Numerology

Your Expression Number is 4

Practical and down to earth - everything in your life is organized. You are a great writer and teacher. You never forget a detail. Very patient, you have the ability to cultivate talents in difficult fields. You also tend to have an artistic side. You'd make a great architect or classical musician. You face your responsibilities with a positive attitude - and you always get things done. You are serious, sincere, honest, and faithful. Sometimes your strong sense of responsibility leads to frustration. You also tend to develop strong likes and dislikes, which border on dogmatism. At you're worst, you can be a dominant disciplinarian.

What's Your Expression Number?

Well, most of it fits, some of it not, but my kids would definitely agree with the last line!

h/t: FbL at Fuzzilicious

Jumping on the Bandwagon!

Mudville Gazette has a great piece on the reenlistment rate of the Utah National Guard and quotes as to why they are doing it. There are a lot of great patriotic-love-of-country answers, but this one is by far the best!

But the best quote of the piece comes from 1Lt Bruce Bishop, a Salt Lake County firefighter and Afghanistan veteran who's currently deployed to Louisiana. I can hear Dave Letterman introducing this one: The number one reason for staying in the Guard is:

..."because as I look around at the state of this nation and see all of the weak little pampered candy-asses that are whining about this or protesting that, I'd be afraid to leave the fate of this nation entirely up to them."

Hat tip to: Turkeyhead via Bookworm

Curiosity

I'd like to find out what people are paying for gas in their area. Neil Cavuto had a guy on his show today ranting and raving about how the big oil companies are gouging the public. He's a congressman (Democrat, of course) from New Jersey, but I didn't catch his name. ANYWAY...

I'd just like to know what everyone is paying for gas these days and about what you were paying almost two months ago (A.K.-After Katrina). Do you think the oil companies are gouging you or is it the distributors, or even the station owners? The highest prices I've seen are the stations that are independently owned.

I live in NE Ohio (Summit County) and we are paying $2.25 right now and at the height right after Katrina was $2.98. All-in-all I don't think the price right now is that bad, but then I remember having to sit in line in the 70s to fill up the car. (Well, for Mom or Dad to fill up our car.) And if I'm not mistaken, by cost of living increases, we were paying more then.

UPDATE: It was Rep. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Democratic Caucus Chairman.

Speech & Debate

My daughter is in Speech & Debate and they had a parent's meeting this evening. Ew, I know, speech and debate...very boring (a la Academic Challenge as just about any Northern Ohioian will remember), but I found it very interesting. First of all, it is not what I thought it would be. There are more speeches these days than debates and they range from politics, to humor, to drama, to public policy. There were several students who performed their pieces so the parents could see what the club was all about.

One of the students did a piece which started with a fictional ad for "Pounds-Be-Gone." "You can eat all your junk food while watching a Happy Days marathon and the pounds will just melt away." It was very funny, but that was only the beginning. It was just a metaphor for the lack of personal responsibility in our society today. We want the rewards without the work. We accept leaders and business owners who cheat and lie and steal and we do not hold them accountable for it. Her example was Martha Stewart. We accept that she was found guilty and had to serve time, but we also allowed her to be rewarded after her release with a prime time television show! What kind of an example is that?

It made me think about the recent riot in Toledo. There are "leaders" in the black community who are saying that the kids that did the rioting should not be held accountable for their actions because it is a result of their social problems and we should just understand and help them. I'm sorry, but the biggest help we could give anyone who breaks the law is to make them take responsibility for doing so.

I was raised with a very strict father. He used corporal punishment and we minded because there were consequences (sometimes painful) if we didn't. Mom showed us that shame is a good thing. If we didn't do our homework, chores or our grades were bad or we hurt someone with cruel actions or words, Mom would give us "that look" and say "I am so disappointed in you." And we would be ashamed and make amends. Of course, when my brother and I got older, we would try to use a similar ploy back on Mom, but it never worked because we didn't use shame, we were trying to do it with guilt. But everyone else is going! But I'll be the ONLY one without those designer jeans! Well, Mom's favorite saying when we tried it was, "I don't do guilt!" And so we learned the difference between shame and guilt.

I believe that my parents brought us up right. We have always had to take responsibility for our actions and I have tried to instill that in my girls. I just wish that more parents would at least try to do the same. I see these kids at the high school who have no shame. They speak to their parents as though they are the lowliest serf and the parents allow this behavior. And should little Johnny or Jane get into trouble, it is because they are going through "a rough spell." Parents need to be parents, not friends to their children.

I fear that if we do not take responsibility for our own actions and we do not teach our children that they must do the same, we will slide down the slippery slope of immorality and degradation and not be able to find a way out of that hole. The author Marcia Muller said this:

She was the archetypal selfless mother: living only for her children, sheltering them from the consequences of their actions -- and in the end doing them irreparable harm.

Irreparable harm...think on that.

I Shall Be A Wombat!

I have reached a new level in the Ecosystem (I have to enjoy it, because it may be gone tomorrow!) I am now a Marauding Marsupial! So I have chosen to be a wombat. I'm on the short side, so kangaroo was out and so is the wallaby and I am not overly fond of the oppossum tail and koalas are cute, but alas, I am not! So I went with the wombat, and no, it is not related in ANY way to the moonbat!

Galloway Guilty?! Oh, yeah!

I can believe it. We've all heard George Galloway's vitriolic rants against the war in Iraq, America and Bush in particular. Well, good ol' George had reason to keep the war out of Iraq and Saddam in power...he was getting paid off. Senator Norm Coleman and Independent Inquiry Committee have found a paper trail leading right to Galloway that proves he was getting money from the Oil for Food program through the UN. He, of course, is blustering and posturing, and crying foul:

A spokesman for Galloway, Ron McKay, said in an interview from London that the lawmaker denies the accusations and if charged with perjury is willing to appear in an American court.

"Put up or shut up," McKay said of Galloway's accusers, calling the report derogatory and defamatory.

In an interview on Fox News, Galloway said:

"It is just the despicable Republican Committee who accused me in May..."

It was your typical "I did nothing wrong, they are all out to get me" deal. But the "proof will be in the pudding" and he will have to face possible charges of purjury, making false statements, and obstructing a congressional proceeding, because this is what was found:

Coleman, a critic of the United Nations, said his panel's evidence shows that Galloway personally solicited and was granted oil allocations totaling 23 million barrels from 1999 through 2003. Those allocations could be sold for a profit.
...
The report also alleges that Galloway's friend, Jordanian businessman Fawaz Zureikat, funneled money from the oil-for-food program to Galloway's wife, Amineh Abu-Zayyad, and to the Mariam Appeal, a political organization that Galloway established in 1998 to help a 4-year-old Iraqi girl with leukemia.

Coleman said his investigators confirmed their evidence in interviews with former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, a friend of Galloway's, and former Iraqi Vice President Taha Yasin Ramadan.

Personally, I think he should not only have to pay the $250,000 in fines and do the 5 years in jail, but he should also have to pay back the $600,000 he got in kick backs!

Fox News

Statistics 101

Harvey over at Bad Example has a great set of numbers regarding the Iraqi vote 10 days ago. Things are so much better than the MSM and liberals would have us believe and here is the proof:

Election Comparison January 30th vs. October 15th

Registered voters:
Jan 30th - 14.3 million voters registered
Oct 15th - 15.6 million voters registered

Numbers of polling centers:
Jan 30th - 5,677 polling centers
Oct 15th - 5,852 polling centers, with most of the new centers going to Sunni regions.

ELECTION SECURITY

Total attacks in Iraq:
Jan 30th - 299 attacks
Oct 15th - 89 attacks

Total polling place attacks:
Jan 30th - 108 attacks
Oct 15th - 19 Attacks

Total number of Civilians killed:
Jan 30th - 30 Deaths (34 overall)
Oct 15th - 3 Deaths (10 overall)

Harvey has even more numbers that he gleaned from CentCom. See Harvey's more extensive post and read the news at CentCom. There are always interesting stories there that you won't see in the MSM.

Rosa Parks

Rosa Louise Parks
1913-2005

"I do the very best I can to look upon life with optimism and hope and looking forward to a better day, but I don't think there is anything such as complete happiness. It pains me that there is still a lot of Klan activity and racism. I think when you say you're happy, you have everything that you need and everything that you want, and nothing more to wish for. I haven't reached that stage yet."

Academy of Achievement

Bombings in Baghdad

Three explosions in Baghdad today. The first one took out part of the barrier surrounding the area so that the second one could come in. The second one was a cement truck and it was one he!! of a blast. That one was right next to the Palistine Hotel where all the international journalists have stayed over the last two years. The third (they believe) was a rocket launched grenade into the Sheraton Hotel across the circle from the Palistine Hotel. According to Fox News' report:

Iraq's national security adviser, Mouwafak al-Rubaie (search), said the attack — which appeared well-planned — was a "very clear" effort to take over the hotel and seize journalists as hostages.

According to that same report the three trucks came in and blew up about two minutes apart. So far the death toll is up to 20 and may rise. At this point they are saying that no US troops are among the dead.

Carnival of the Insanities

Grab the kiddies, it's Carnival time again!

It's Carnival of the Insanities at Dr. Sanity's place. I thought I would add the opposite end of the spectrum from Kambon and his extermination plan for white people and throw in two cute blond 13-year-olds with a message of their own! (see this)

See all the other Carnivals you can join at In The Right Place and enjoy!

Haloscan

Someone else with this problem figured out that if you say "no" for Enable Redirect in Beta Settings, it will work again, but you will probably get spam. This should work though until Haloscan can get us a real solution.

UPDATE: Haloscan says the problem has been taken care of...I sure hope so. They suggest that if you disabled the redirect, you go back and enable it again because you will be vulnerable to lots of spam.

Well, that was aggravating and I'm having some publishing problems off and on with Blogspot, too! It's a never ending headache!

Federal Reserve Chairman Nominee

Ben Bernanke nominated to take over for Greenspan in January when his term expires. The Senate, of course, will get their 2 cents in before anything happens. And we know what their 2 cents is worth!

Bernanke is well respected in the financial community. Cavuto says there will be issues because of his position now as one of Bush's Economic advisors.

Forced Silence

It's probably just me, but I tried to leave comments at both Bookworm Room and The Conservative UAW Guy and Haloscan is letting me look at the comments, and even write one out, but when I hit "publish" the comments box goes blank! So, I close it, and check, and my comment is not there! This is very aggravating. Anyone else having this problem? (Probably ironic of me to ask since I have Haloscan, too, and you may not be able to comment here!)

UPDATE: Well, I can't even get a message to Haloscan because they use "Comments" to request help in the forums! This is ridiculous. I will keep trying to let Haloscan know, but so far, I can't get through the FAQ/Troubleshooting/etc.! If anyone knows anything, contact me through my email...listed in profile. THANKS!

UPDATED UPDATE: Seems that Haloscan is down around the world. There is a message forum that I was able to get into, but there has been no reply from Haloscan.
We know they are aware of the problem because a question re: getting an error message, but there has been nothing since then...about 11 hours ago! Hope they get this working very soon!

Unbelievable

Here's a story that every parent should read. If your kids start talking about a band called "Prussian Blue" and the cute twin singers, Lamb and Lynx, then you need to intervene! Yes, they may be very adorable, but they are not what they appear to be. They are members (born into) the White Nationalist Movement. Their music is all about praising the Aryan race, praising Hitler and the sacrifices he made for the white race. These girls live in Bakersfield, CA, with their Mom, but she says it isn't white enough, so they are looking for an all white community in the Northwest!

Read this sad story. This is just how Hitler got the German children into his clutches. He appealed to them with children of their own age. These children would then bring in other children. Do these poor girls even stand a chance? ABC News

What Was This Kid Thinking?

I hate snakes. I didn't used to, but when I was in high school, I got bit on the finger by one. It wasn't a poisonous snake, but it still hurt like a son-of-a-gun and swelled. So I can somewhat relate to this poor girl, though the snake that bit me wasn't a copperhead brought to school (on a non-school day!) in a shoe box by a 17-year-old student! I really can't imagine what this kid was thinking bringing a snake to school, much less a copperhead!

POTTSTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A 14-year-old girl may lose her arm after being bitten by a poisonous copperhead snake at school, authorities said.

The snake was caught in Valley Forge by a 17-year-old male student, who took it in a shoebox to a drama club gathering at St. Pius X High School on Friday, Lower Pottsgrove Police Chief Ray Bechtel said. No regular classes were held that day, which was designated for staff development.

The boy was showing the reptile to other students when it bit the girl's finger, Bechtel said.

The girl, whose name was not released by police, apparently threw the snake across the room and the boy threw it outside. The snake was not found, but authorities were able to identify it because the boy photographed it with his camera cellphone, said Bechtel.

The girl was bitten on the finger, but may end up losing her arm due to the damaging effects of the bite.
AP News

No More Wavering

Okay, here I go...I am neutral on the Miers nomination. Not a concrete stand, I know, but I can see both sides of the argument. I can also see that the only way Miers would no longer be a nominee is if she bows out herself. There will even more problems caused if Bush pulls her nomination. I will wait to see what or if the hearings happen.

A Very Thorough Analysis

Mike at Mike's America has a very detailed, interesting, and thought provoking post about the Harriet Miers nomination. I have wavered both for and against her being a Supreme Court Justice, but based only on persuasive arguments from other people. Mike lays down a few things that I hadn't heard from anyone else. Such as:

President Bush's Record on Nominations
President Bush has appointed a series of known and respected conservatives, Priscilla Owen , Janice Rogers Brown , Thomas B. Griffith, William H. Pryor Jr., Richard Allan Griffin, David McKeague. And that's just those confirmed since May.

Are conservatives happy with those nominees, now sitting judges?

Or about how we made a choice in November of 2004 knowing that there would most likely be at least one Supreme Court Justice spot opening up. George W. Bush was chosen and we must trust that he knows what he is doing.

Would conservatives be happier with President Kerry's foreign policy? Global test anyone?

And what about federal spending under Kerry? How about illegal immigrants receiving expanded rights at the expense of citizens?

When one of the current crop of carping conservatives gets elected President, then he or she can do it their way. And the rest of us will be free to complain.

But if you voted for Bush, and respect his accomplishments and have faith in his leadership, then you should support your man. If you don't support him, you support the Democrats by default.

Then there are the consequences if Bush withdraws Miers as a nominee.

After Robert Bork was defeated by Senate Democrats in his bid to join the Supreme Court in 1987, President Reagan nominated Federal Judge Douglas Ginsburg to take his place. It was later learned that Ginsburg admitted to smoking Marijuana earlier in his life and his nomination was withdrawn. At that point, the presidency was so politically weakened that a "unity" nominee, Anthony Kennedy was selected.

Want the Justice Kennedy History to Repeat Itself?

It's perhaps more true that this whole conservative dustup will be forgotten shortly after Miers is confirmed, and votes on the court as President Bush expects her too, in the mold of Scalia or Thomas. Should she later be the deciding vote to overturn Roe versus Wade and return the power to decide that issue to the states, the Holy Grail of conservatism, those currently opposing here will, as Ricky Ricardo used to say to Lucy :"have some 'splainin' to do."

Many of those who would withdraw this nomination before it even came to a hearing before the Judiciary Committee were among those calling loudest for President Bush's previous nominees to receive an "up or down vote."Should we know turn that notion on it's head simply because we have an entrenched view of who or what a Supreme Court justice should be?

Just a few more things to think about where Harriet Miers and her nomination is concerned.

Thank you Mike for the great post!

A Sign of Hope?

Pakistan and India have battled each other since they became independent nations in 1947. The latest of these battles over the Kashmir border area and who is the bigger nuclear power, has left the entire area in a tense and frightened state. Then came the earthquake on October 8, 2005 which destroyed so much and killed so many. In an act that would have been unheard of just a month ago, the Indian and Pakistan governments have decided that the victims of the earthquake are more important than their on-going feud.

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (AP) - In another sign of growing cooperation between South Asia's nuclear rivals, India and Pakistan on Saturday proposed setting up aid camps along their disputed border in Kashmir, allowing earthquake victims to cross the frontier for medical treatment.

India suggested setting up three camps in the quake-hit zone of Kashmir that would provide food, drinking water and tents to Pakistani victims.

Pakistan made its own proposal hours later, suggesting five points along the disputed border for setting up aid camps and saying those visiting its portion of Kashmir would be allowed through immediately if they had proper travel documents, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
Islamabad had reacted cautiously to New Dehli's announcement, saying the two sides would have to meet to discuss the proposal, which followed calls from Pakistan's president to open up the heavily militarized frontier for Kashmiris seeking relief. AP

Could this be a step towards peace in this area, or is it just a temporary pulling together until things get back to normal? I, for one, am hoping for the step towards peace. Can you imagine what it would be like to have peace in that area? What it would do for the surrounding countries not to live in a constant fear that Pakistan and India would "push the button" against each other?

Gold Star Mothers

Pretty much everything Cindy Sheehan has done irritates me, but I have always felt that she had no right to use the names of those soldiers lost in Iraq and Afghanistan without the consent of their families. I also felt that the Gold Star Mothers would not participate in political events because they are for remembering their children, not furthering a political position. Now, I know that is true and The American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., Gold Star Wives of America, Inc., Sons and Daughters In Touch and American WWII Orphans Network are requesting that their name not be used in this manner. Here is the press release from American Gold Star Mothers:

“The American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., Gold Star Wives of America, Inc., Sons and Daughters In Touch and American WWII Orphans Network object to ‘American Gold Star Families for Peace’ misusing the term ‘Gold Star’ in its political demonstrations.

“These four organizations - representing the mothers, wives and children of U.S. service personnel killed in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and other U.S. military conflicts – are nonpolitical and do not take a position on the merits of the political demonstration being carried out by the group calling themselves ‘American Gold Star Families for Peace.’

“Our loved ones gave their lives to protect the freedom to protest, and we know all too well the pain that these families are now suffering. However, the Gold Star symbol – authorized by Congress to honor a family’s loss in service to our nation – must not be tarnished by partisan political demonstrations.”

The Department of Defense awards gold star pins to family members who have lost a loved one in military service to their country.

Go the the American Gold Star Mothers website and learn about these wonderful families and what they really care about...

Information thanks to Military Families Voice of Victory.

Open Posts

It's Open Post Friday, so send your trackbacks to:
Mudville Gazette
Soldiers' Angels Holly Aho

I'm late getting to this, but hey, better late than never, right? Please say right!

Guilty Until Proven Innocent?

I know that there were abuses at Abu Ghraib. They have been proven and the guilty (to a certain extent) have been or are being punished. This latest story of the soldiers burning the bodies of Taliban fighters and then taunting the Taliban hiding in the caves above, really bothers me. I am cynical enough to have my doubts about this reporter's story. For one thing, it is an Australian journalist (Stephen Dupont) and they, like our own MSM, are biased to the left and are, on a civilian level, against the US. For another, he does not back up his allegations with his video. Yes, the video shows something burning, but there are the "American accented" soldiers, the supposed taunting when there is no audio of the taunting on his video, and he claims that the taunting was translated for him by "someone" with Army Psych Ops. There are just so many "he saids."

Shortly after the bodies were burned, the soldiers from the psychological operations unit allegedly read out taunting messages about the act over a loudspeaker to the nearby village, according to a transcript of the program.

"Taliban, you are all cowardly dogs. You allowed your fighters to be laid down facing west and burned. You are too scared to come down and retrieve their bodies," said one message read by a soldier, according to the transcript.

The footage did not show the messages being broadcast, though it did show some military vehicles were fitted with speakers and playing loud music.

Dupont told the AP the messages had been broadcast in the local dialect but were translated into English for him by members of the Army psychological operations unit.

He declined to provide further information, however, saying his agent was now handling all queries about the footage.CNN

It doesn't seem, to me, like this story is on the up and up. Maybe there is a reason the dead had to be cremated, or maybe they weren't even bodies, but just a fire? I couldn't tell, though I am not a forensic scientist, so what do I know? It just doesn't seem legit to me.

I pray that the soldiers didn't do something that will hurt their credibility with the Afghans. But I will wait to find out what the investigation reveals. I just hope this isn't true or that it isn't another case of rumor spread as fact hurting the soldiers and their mission. I feel the same way about the soldiers being charged with murder or being investigated for murder charges. People die in war. People get scared, even soldiers, and they may do something out of that fear. (I am referring to the soldier who shot the man in the mosque because he believed the guy was booby trapped.)

Okay, so I could be completely wrong and these soldiers thought they would use "whatever means necessary" to get the Taliban out of the caves, or they just went "around the bend" because of the war, or maybe it is all a lie to make our soldiers look like inhumane criminals, but I just cannot bring myself to believe Dupont's story.
__________
Bookworm Room wrote about this, too. It's a much better post. Please go read it!

When all else fails...

Okay, I have way too much on my mind and nothing is coming out the way I want it to, so while I am untying my thought thread, take a silly quiz!

Your Blog Should Be Green

Your blog is smart and thoughtful - not a lot of fluff. You enjoy a good discussion, especially if it involves picking apart ideas. However, you tend to get easily annoyed by any thoughtless comments in your blog.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

Another "Vintage" Ad

I really liked these. My cousin sent them to me. She had gotten half a dozen magnets with these pics on them. They are great! Here's another one...and tell me, aren't most of you the same way before your morning coffee??

Blogging or Clean House...

As anyone who's been here a few times can see, I have been playing with the look of my blog. I am actually trying to teach myself some HTML and figure this would be a good place to play. Anyway, that's why the blog is annoyingly different every time you come here! I apologize, but hey, it's my blog, right?! Oh, and this is why my house is dirty...I'm here instead of cleaning!

Pakistan

Poor Pakistan (in many ways). They have been having aftershocks over the last hours. One a 5.8 closely followed by a 5.6. Enough to topple already unstable buildings and cause landslides. These people are scared and hundreds of thousands are now homeless. They have raised the death toll up to 79,000. This is such a horrible catastrophe. I can only imagine how many families have been ripped apart by this death and devastation! And there are still so many thousands of people who have yet to receive any help because they live in such remote mountainous areas and the weather has not been very cooperative at some points.

The US has had a lot of devastation this year, but despite everything, our death toll is nowhere near Pakistan's. I'm sure there are some who would say I have no place to say anything because I don't live on the Gulf Coast, but I would think that we should be thanking our lucky stars for living here in the US where there are building codes and national services to turn to when something disasterous happens.

Picture via Pakistan Link Aftershock info from Reuters.

wilma?....whimper

Wilma's gone from a little bitty tropical storm into "the strongest" hurricane the Atlantic has ever seen?! Yikes!

WTNT34 KNHC 191158
TCPAT4
BULLETIN
HURRICANE WILMA INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 16A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
8 AM EDT WED OCT 19 2005

...WILMA MAINTAINING CATEGORY FIVE STATUS...RECORD PRESSURE
CONFIRMED BY AIRCRAFT CREW...

A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE EAST COAST OF THE YUCATAN
PENINSULA FROM CABO CATOCHE TO PUNTA GRUESA.

A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT IN CUBA FOR THE PROVINCES OF
MATANZAS WESTWARD THROUGH PINAR DEL RIO...AND FOR THE ISLE OF
YOUTH. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS.

882 mb of pressure. This is the lowest ever. Gilbert in 1988 was 888 mb. That is apparently what makes it stronger or weaker.

I used to think that living on a tropical island would be so great, but I will stay with the snow, thank you very much!


National Hurricane Center

UPDATE: Just for perspective: Katrina was the 6th most powerful hurricane, Rita was the 4th and now Wilma is the most powerful hurricane on record!
The NHC is also saying that there is a chance that once Wilma goes across the Keys of Florida, it could not only head out into the Atlantic and regain strength, but that it could also come right back into the US coast...at about New England! Where they are still trying to recover from their recent deluge of rain and flooding!

(chanting to myself...there is nothing wrong with snow, there is nothing wrong with snow, there is nothing wrong with snow...)

Thank you Cox & Forkum!

Yup, that's pretty much what happened!

Tid Bit-update

I am not crazy, despite what some of you may think! (grin) Here is the story about ol' Teddy Kennedy and his "rescue" of the fishermen yesterday.

Another Silly Quiz

I don't know why I do these, but they can be pretty funny. This one is "What's Your Blogging Personality?" This is me:

Your Blogging Type is Logical and Principled

You like to voice your well thought out opinions on your blog. And if someone doesn't what you write, you really don't care! Serious and blunt, sometimes people take your blog the wrong way. But you're a true and loyal friend to those who truly get you.

What's Your Blogging Personality?

Tid Bit

How is this for irony? Ted Kennedy, while walking his dog by the sea in Hyannis Port, good ol' Ted notices that there are fishermen stuck on the sea wall by the high tide waves. He and a friend jump in a small boat to go rescue them, but they can't get close enough. They came back and got the fishermen help.

Now that was a decent thing for Ted to do, but where was he in 1969 when Mary Jo was drowning. Oh, yeah, that's right, he was saving himself and then running away!

UPDATE: I have been trying to find this story online, but I can't! I swear I'm not losing my mind...they showed fat Ted getting in a boat that was too small to pick up the three fishermen. I really did see this bit of news on Fox this afternoon, but now I can't find it! ARGH!

Suing the Government

I do not understand how anyone can take Louis Farrakhan seriously. If a white leader said the things that he has said, that person would be put in a straight-jacket and sent off to the loony bin! But Louis Farrakhan can get away with it somehow. And now he and his friends over at the New Black Panthers are suing Homeland Security, FEMA and the state of Louisiana over the deaths of blacks in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. They are claiming homicidal negligence and they are calling for a Federal investigation, a congressional investigation, and an independent investigation into the allegations that the Federal Government blew up the levees. (They supposedly have incendiary residue from the levees that will prove their point.)

If you didn't see the interview with a member of the New Black Panther party on O'Reilly, tune in to the repeat at 11 pm (EST) or read the story tomorrow under The O'Reilly Factor.

UPDATE: It was Malik Shabazz on O'Reilly and then Hashim Nzinga on Hannity & Colmes. The story on H&C was that the Millions More Movement is going to set up their own Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, etc. so that they can live free from the bondage of their white oppressors. Alan Colmes actually got pissed at Nzinga because he was name calling and using the race card on Hannity instead of answering the questions. Whackos!

WILMA!

Seems we have reached the end of the Hurricane alphabet. Tropical storm Wilma is sitting between Jamaica and Honduras. "They" (forecasters) are saying that it will become a hurricane, so the big question is will it come into the Gulf of Mexico? And if so, where will it hit?

Once again, I am glad that I don't live on the Gulf Coast or even the East Coast!

Interesting it is...

A venerated sage with vast power and knowledge, you gently guide forces around you while serving as a champion of the light.

Judge me by my size, do you? And well you should not - for my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life greets it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, and binds us. Luminescent beings are we, not this crude matter! You must feel the Force around you, everywhere.

Yoda is a is a character in the Star Wars universe. More Yoda information is available at the Star Wars Databank.

Ramsey Clark

Is it me, or has Ramsey Clark really gone around the bend? Or is he simply a misunderstood defender of the underdog? I'm thinking the former and not the latter, but that's just my opinion based on his sound clips on several news broadcasts and the people he has defended over the years.

A Miracle

Eight days after the earthquake in Pakistan which killed tens of thousands, a baby girl was found alive and pulled from the rubble. Her brothers brought soldiers to their home which had collapsed and killed their parents. With the help of the soldiers, they were able to pull their little sister, alive and well, from the rubble despite being without food or water for eight days. What makes this even more amazing is that the little girl already suffers from polio. It is events like this that make you believe in miracles again.

Fox News

Protesting Turns to Riots

This is just so ridiculous. A Neo-Nazi group was setting up to have a rally in Toledo, Ohio. Now, I can't stand these types of groups, but they do have a right to assemble. I would have probably protested their presence, but only verbally.

The protesters are there. Some were Skin Heads, but the majority were black gang members and young black men. They were yelling at the Nazi group. The yelling turned to throwing eggs, and then rocks. The cops who had assembled to keep the peace found themselves having to deal with the protesters and not the rally members. In fact, the Nazi group was actually escorted out of town.

Well, the protesters decided they weren't done yet. They started throwing rocks and even injured a few of the police. They broke windows of the police cars, the media vans were attacked and then the protesters then became looters! The helo news cameras showed a huge group of them tearing down a fence and then breaking the windows of a gas station and throwing items (looked like packs of cigarettes) out to other "protesters" outside.

What is it with these people? I can completely understand them protesting the Neo-Nazi group and not wanting them there. But why in the world would they then go through the neighborhood and nearby park, ransacking and trashing everything within their sight? From what one of the reporters stated, these people were not necessarily from that neighborhood. There were protesters from other areas who came in just to protest the Neo-Nazis. But who were the ones wreaking havoc on the neighborhood? What is the point of these people trashing the neighborhoods where some of them probably live? It just doesn't make any sense to me!

Now they are throwing rocks through the windows of someone's home. Apparently there are people holed up in their houses and are afraid to go out. Staying in their houses doesn't seem to keep them safe either. These creeps are breaking into the houses now. Breaking down the doors. I pray that there aren't any people in these houses. The one apartment has been ransacked and the other one is being literally attacked now. These people are complete criminals and idiots! They are on tape, their fingerprints will be everywhere, do they think they will get off scott free? What goes through their minds? (Probably nothing...that's the problem!)

Fox News

Sometimes I am saddened by the these situations that put Ohio in such a bad light. It seems that some of the worst people find their way into or out of Ohio. I have to wonder what our society is coming to when people lose complete control like this.

Update: In rereading this post, it sounds as though I am being racist. But if you see the video from the news helos, you can see that the people rioting, looting, breaking and entering, trashing property have dark skin.

The people that live in this particular neighborhood area are older white families and they have complained to the city about the gangs roaming the streets. The Neo-Nazis from West Virginia heard about it and decided they would come and "take back the streets" in this neighborhood. None of this is right, but it is not a reason for the destruction that's happening. The Neo-Nazis didn't even get their rally. They were shut down before their rally even started and escorted out of town. Why then was it necessary to destroy everything? The apartment they were looting is now on fire. Do these people have no conscious? No morals? No sense?

Too funny!

Fuzzy has had it with politics and decided to lighten the mood. I went and took the little test and almost snorted when I got the answer! This is me:

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

Very popular, one of you is not enough.

What Kind of Candy Are You?

I was eating Reese's Peanut Butter Cups at the time!!

Pandemic

We have all heard about the bird flu that is hitting Asia right now. 117 infected and 60 dead so far. It is frightening because it brings to mind the 1918 flu that killed up to 50 million people! Will we be able to deal with an outbreak of this flu if it comes to the US or North America?

The drug being used to treat people who have contracted the disease is called Tamiflu. There are several problems with this drug. 1) There are not enough doses to treat everyone, nowhere near the number of doses needed. 2) It is not the cure-all that the scientists would like it to be, because 3) They have come across a girl in Vietnam* in whom the flu seemed to be resistent to the drug. She has since recovered, but the prophylactic doses did not keep her from getting the full-blown disease.

This is all news that makes us uneasy about the future, but there is something else that can drop us into a nightmare. Charles Krauthammer** wrote his Op-Ed article about the news that a laboratory has recreated the flu that killed all those people in 1918. The is an amazing feat. This is something that the movie Jurassic Park delved into...the recreation of long dead organisms. A benefit of recreating this disease is that it is teaching the scientists more about the bird flu we have now, but it is also showed them that this recreation killed the quarantined lab mice faster than any other flu ever tested!

Here is what will keep you up at night: The entire genome for the "Spanish Flu" has been published! This means that someone with ambitions could send out a Superflu that will kill millions. Why bother with a nuclear weapon that only takes out a city, when you can have something that can wipe out an entire country? All it would take is one bribeable or angry lab employee to get the disease out of the laboratory and into the hands of an enemy.

So what does this mean? Well, the bird flu is scary because it's already killed many people and it hasn't even mutated into a human-to-human passed disease. The recreated flu, though, has already mutated to that point and should it be released could cause deaths on a scale of biblical proportions! That is our nightmare...

Read the full stories on both the Vietnamese girl and Charles Krauthammer's article:
* AP Breaking News
** Charles Krauthammer's Op-Ed article.

Oh, and if you have dogs....don't leave them in a kennel. Dog flu is running rampid in 11 different states and it is killing many dogs who have been taken care of in kennels. There is no vaccine and no cure for this canine flu and can be passed through the air and even on inanimate objects. Keep an eye on Rover!

Should I Draw You A Map?

This is for the people saying that we should get out of Iraq. The ones who think that by leaving Iraq we will have peace and things will be cool. Let me share a little snippet of a letter that has made it's way to the blogosphere as well as some mainstream media:

So we must think for a long time about our next steps and how we want to attain it, and it is my humble opinion that the Jihad in Iraq requires several incremental goals:

The first stage: Expel the Americans from Iraq.

The second stage: Establish an Islamic authority or amirate, then develop it and support it until it achieves the level of a caliphate- over as much territory as you can to spread its power in Iraq, i.e., in Sunni areas, is in order to fill the void stemming from the departure of the Americans, immediately upon their exit and before un-Islamic forces attempt to fill this void, whether those whom the Americans will leave behind them, or those among the un-Islamic forces who will try to jump at taking power.

There is no doubt that this amirate will enter into a fierce struggle with the foreign infidel forces, and those supporting them among the local forces, to put it in a state of constant preoccupation with defending itself, to make it impossible for it to establish a stable state which could proclaim a caliphate, and to keep the Jihadist groups in a constant state of war, until these forces find a chance to annihilate them.

The third stage: Extend the jihad wave to the secular countries neighboring Iraq.

The fourth stage: It may coincide with what came before: the clash with Israel, because Israel was established only to challenge any new Islamic entity.

This is Bin Laden's plan. Think he will stay in his little cave if we leave Iraq? Get your head out of the sand and realize that we have been thrown into this mission and it will be completed because to not do so is to sign not only our death warrants, but the death warrants of Iraqis. The terrorists get off killing innocents now, what do you think they will do if they are given free reign of the country? Do you think they will leave us alone? Wake up and smell the coffee! This is a mission that MUST be completed!

h/t: Jay at Stop the ACLU

Sentimentally Patriotic (Warning: writer veers into sappiness at times!)

Fuzzybear Lioness had a sentimental moment on Sunday and had a post with the lyrics from Have You Forgotten? and that just got me going. Went on Rhapsody and pulled out all these great patriotic country songs. I came across an album called, appropriately enough Patriotic Country and it has some of the best songs on it. It's one that, if you are a country music fan (and maybe even if you aren't), will give you that heart-swelling patriotic pride. Songs like God Bless the USA, Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagles Fly, America Will Always Stand, American Child, and one that put tears in my eyes, One Last Time. The last one isn't your typical patriotic song, but it is certainly about a hero.

Dusty Drake - One Last Time Lyrics

When she picked up the telephone
His voice came on the line
She said this can't be happening
And tears fell from her eyes
She said 'What am I supposed to do
I can't handle losing you?'
He said 'I just had to call and say goodbye
One last time'
He said 'There are some things in this life
That are out of our control
Like who we fall in love with
And when it's time to go'

She said 'What about the plans we had'
He said 'This connection's gettin' bad
Now, c'mon baby let me hear you smilev One last time'

She started to apologize for
All the things that she'd done wrong
She said 'I would've loved you better
If only I'd known'

He said 'You were the perfect wife
Promise me you'll go on with your life'
She says 'The boys won't understand'
He says 'Tell them Daddy loves them and Be strong'

He said 'Hon, I've gotta go'
She said 'Don't you dare hang up
There's so many things I need to say
"I love you so much"

It was almost like she felt him leave
She cried out 'Can you still hear me'
She fell down on the kitchen floor
When the signal died
As the pilot tried to pull out of the dive
One Last ....

There are so many great patriotic songs that have come from the country music world.
Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning? Alan Jackson
God Bless the Mother Charlie Daniels Band
Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue Toby Keith
Arlington Trace Adkins
Some Gave All Billy Ray Cyrus
American Soldier Toby Keith
Somebody's Someone Lonestar
Well, you get the idea. I've been wallowing in country sentimentality and I just thought I would share. I think the other reason I got to listening to patriotic songs was because of Major K and one of his posts about how the Cindy Sheehan's and Jane Fonda's are hurting our military men and women. They are on a mission that they are proud to do, though, and we really need to support them. This post kicked me in the butt to "adopt" a soldier, too. I'd been thinking about it for a while, but hadn't done it.

...When a Soldier is asked what he thinks of these protestors by a reporter, he will usually say something to the effect of, "I'm glad they have the freedom to do that in the USA. Most of the places we go, they kill people for things like that." What the Soldiers don't say, but overwhelmingly think is: "I wish they would quit working against us and abusing their freedom." I don't speak for all fighting men anymore than Cindy speaks for all of our parents. But I can tell you that I have spoken to more than she has, and very few of us here like her, and we wish she would honor her son, Casey's noble sacrifice. He truly was a hero.

While many of us have questioned the wisdom of coming here at one time or another before our arrival, I can say that most everyone that I have spoken to and commiserated with has become a believer in the mission since arriving here inspite of the cost. How we execute the mission can often be the subject of much debate and discontent, but seeing the kids run to our HMMWV's, or cleaning up after a VBIED that has killed numerous innocents has a tendency to make one believe in the mission. This is what I think of when I have the urge to gripe - the mission. Through all the tactical errors, diplomatic mistakes, corruption in the interim government, and fallen brothers, the mission remains constant. It is the among the most sacred things we have here...

'Nuff said.

Hypocrisy!

Don't you just hate it when people condemn others for sinning when in fact, they are just as guilty? Case in point: Nancy Pelosi. Here is what she had to say about Tom DeLay and the indictment against him...(from Democratic Leader of the House-Press Release)

“The criminal indictment of Majority Leader Tom Delay is the latest example that Republicans in Congress are plagued by a culture of corruption at the expense of the American people.”

And then there's the word on her...(from NLPC)

FEC Fines Pelosi Committees as Result ot NLPC Complaint;
Hypocrisy of “Reformer” Exposed

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has fined two leadership PACs associated with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in response to a Complaint filed by the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) on October 25, 2002. The FEC also has fined three campaigns that failed to return excessive contributions from Pelosi’s PACs within 60 days, as required by law.

Under conciliation agreements reached with the FEC, Pelosi’s two committees — PAC to the Future and Team Majority — will pay $21,000. Julie Thomas for Congress Campaign Committee (D–IA) and Van Hollen for Congress (D–MD) will each pay $2,500, and Joe Turnham for Congress (D–AL) will pay $2,000. The three campaigns also agreed to disgorge $5,000 each to the U.S. Treasury.

Law Circumvented (emphasis mine)

In its Complaint, NLPC alleged that Pelosi violated federal election law by operating two “leadership” political action committees (PACs) in order to circumvent contribution limits. Members of the Democrat and Republican leaderships in the House and Senate may legally have one so-called leadership PAC in addition to their own campaign committee. The purpose of leadership PACs is to make contributions to the campaigns of other Congressional candidates.

Then there's Jesse Jackson. The Civil Rights leader who likes to think that he is following in Martin Luther King Jr.'s footsteps (or rather wearing his shoes) is being sued in Civil Court for violation of the civil rights of Jesse Lee Peterson...(from US Law Forum)

Judicial Watch announced that Jesse Jackson was personally served with the complaint for civil rights violations filed by its client, Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson of BOND.

Peterson was assaulted and attacked by Jackson and his followers at a recent meeting with Toyota officials who were providing $700 million in minority assistance. Before the assault, Peterson had simply pointed out that Toyota did not have to give all the money to Jackson and his followers, as the African American community had other venues for the aid.

The complaint was filed in California state court in Los Angeles and likely go to trial within the next year or so. In California cameras are allowed in the courtroom and the trial will likely be televised. It will be most instructive for the public to see the real Jesse Jackson defend himself and brought to justice for violating the civil rights of other African Americans. When it comes to money, Jackson is second to none in putting greed ahead of principle. But now he will pay the price in the form of damages, stated Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman. (emphasis mine)

"Judicial Watch stands for the principle that no one, not even Jesse Jackson, is above the law," added Judicial Watch President Thomas Fitton.

I doubt you will find anything about either one story in The New York Times or on CNN or MSNBC. But we all know that the main stream media isn't biased! (/sarcasm)

Iraqi Troops

I was going through my favorite blogs and dropped in on Fuzzy Bear at Fuzzilicious Thinking and once again she pointed me to another wonderful blog.

This one, Major K, has an awesome report on the real state of affairs with the Iraqi troops. It is not, as almost all things, being reported accurately in the MSM. I will trust the "boots on the ground" over the MSM any day!

In light of the resulting carping from people back in the US about this "regression." I would like to explain the difference between "fully capable" and "operational" and explain what "operating with US support" means as far as the reality on the ground based on my experience. My experience includes conducting joint operations with Iraqi units as a member of a US unit and acting as a US adviser to Iraqi units conducting operations here in Baghdad.

This tells you a little something about what Major K does in Iraq and he explains about the state of affairs there. Here is the real story, not the vinegar coated news the MSM would feed us:

When I first arrived here back in January, 2005, all sectors of Baghdad were "controlled" by US Forces. Very few operations other than manning checkpoints were conducted by Iraqi Security Forces(ISF - This is an umbrella term that covers both the Iraqi Army and Police). In the initial months of our operations here, most major raids and searches were conducted jointly by an Iraqi unit with an equivalent-sized US unit, a company with a company or a battalion with a battalion. US units were still in the stage of carrying their Iraqi counterparts through these operations as the Iraqis still had a reputation for cutting and running if enemy contact got hairy. Support for Iraqi units was needed in almost every area; mobility, communications, logistical support, tactical employment, training and intelligence. Training continued, and change has occurred over time.

Now, 9 months later, the way many Iraqi units require US support has changed significantly. Battalions and companies are seldom, if ever matched with US battalions and companies for "strike operations" - raids, searches, etc. Many Iraqi Battalions operate with a small US MiTT(Military Transition Team) that is squad-sized (9-15 mmen). The MiTT advises, rides along, and provides limited training, logistical and communications support.

Read the whole report here. Actually, read the whole blog. It is refreshing to get an eye witness account of what is really going on in Iraq.

Another Laugh

Here's another fun site to go to...The People's Cube.

The People's Research Institute (PRI) has found a way of stopping right-wing ideology in America and ending our losses at the ballot box: we need to face our opponent's "facts" and "logic" by learning how to frame the debate. The Progressive Truth Generator™ will help you to set the terms of debate on issues in your favor and quickly terminate all discussion!

Attention progressive, socialist, liberal, pacifist, anarchist, feminist, or environmentalist debaters! Whether you are fighting class enemy over the Internet, in school, or at your parent's house over dinner, this tool is for you. No more awkward mumbling or looking for the right word! Just enter your ideological opponent's name and generate a Progressive Truth that will render your enemies speechless!

This is what it came up with for me:

Anna @ A Rose, you are a two-faced McCarthyist because you read The Fountainhead and despised Ellsworth Toohey!

What's really funny about this is that I'm reading The Fountainhead right now! (not sure how I feel about Ellsworth Toohey, though!)

This was unabashedly stolen (or as she likes to say, "pimped") from Wonder Woman at A North American Patriot .

A Heartfelt Thank You!

I must take a moment and thank Harvey at Bad Example. I was having some blogging problems and he took quite a bit of time today to help me out with it! So, thank you, Harvey!





Thank you graphic from: Thank You in Over 465 Languages

Weekend Fun

Thought I would keep it light for the weekend since I am too brain tired to think of anything more in-depth!

So, are you a nerd? I think I would prefer to be a geek. Well, I am working towards geekness, anyway! But here is my Nerd score:



What is your nerd score?

Stop the ACLU-trackback party

Dust off your best anti-ACLU rant, story, or humor and link it to Stop the ACLU for the Weekend Trackback Party. Don't be a wallflower! We know there are some great pieces out there, so share them with everyone again!

Overloaded!

I never realized how many really interesting blogs were out there until I started my own. I have been having a lot of fun with it, but I'm now finding that there are not enough hours in the day! I can spend literally all day on the internet reading my "favorites," whether they are political blogs, the military blogs, or the just for fun blogs. And inevitably, someone will link to another really great post on someone else's blog. Then there are the blogrolls. Of course, I had to check out all the blogs on the Alliance Blogroll and the Victory Blogroll. Pretty soon my "favorites" will consist entirely of blogs!

Actually, I do have other things I should be doing, but I so enjoy the writings found on my favorite blogs. As you can see, I have a list of blogs that I read everyday. Then there are the other blogs that I enjoy and the military blogs that everyone should read. I end up looking through almost all of them when I am online, but when I don't have a lot of time, it's the "Daily Reads" that I head to.

Which blog is your "gotta read"? I'm a glutton for punishment, send me your favorite. I'll check out all of them and end up adding most to my favorites list! Eventually, I will be found with my cold dead fingers poised over my keyboard in the middle of a comment to a particularly wonderful post! My epitaph will read, "She died at her keyboard, reading a favorite blog!"

An Insider's Story

So much has been made of the "disgraceful lack of action" on FEMA's part, but here is someone who adamently disagrees with that assessment. Her name is Jodi Witte. She is a member of the Veterinary Medical Assistant Team (VMAT) and was sent in to help with the animals lost or abandoned or hurt because of the hurricane. She was put "on alert" two days before hurricane Katrina hit. Her account gives a whole new view of what happened in the days immediately before and immediately following Hurricane Katrina's hit on the Gulf Coast.

"Dear Friends and Family,

I just got home from 15 days in New Orleans and the surrounding areas. I am tired, and I am emotional. But mostly I am angry. I am angry at the news--the television stations, the newspapers--for what I view is a grossly misrepresented placement of blame. For those of you who know me, you know I work for FEMA as an "intermittent employee" of a disaster response team. My team, called VMAT or Veterinary Medical Assistance Team, is part of the response branch of FEMA known as the National Disaster Medical System.

Let me tell you how "awful" FEMA's response was from someone who was there on the front lines working for FEMA.

President Bush declared a state of emergency prior to Katrina's landfall due to its strength and location. This is not normally done before a hurricane makes landfall. Damn good work by George W., in my honest opinion. This opened the door for our federal teams to pre-deploy assets in nearby locations so that we were ready when Katrina did hit. I was contacted by FEMA before the hurricane hit, asking for my availability and to place me on alert. Many teams were moved into the region including 2 VMAT teams. My team was mobilized immediately after landfall and I arrived in the area before New Orleans had completely filled with water, before we even realized how bad it was truly going to be. FEMA responded immediately and with unprecedented numbers of responders. There were DMAT teams inside the Super Dome before the levee broke. Never before had so many FEMA teams and personnel been sent into a disaster..."
***

Please read the rest of her account here.

And in case you have doubts as to her existance, which is understandable, you can see more about her here. With the copious numbers of misleading articles out there, not to mention the "urban legends" that arise after a disaster, it is always best to check your sources! Another story about the heroic efforts of FEMA's veterinary team can be found here

h/t: JamulBlog

Ms. Coulter

Well, it seems I wasn't the only one that thought Ann Coulter was going a little far on her dislike of Harriet Miers. Kevin McCullough has an interesting article in regards to Ann's reaction of Bush's choice. He writes in regards to Coulter's latest article found here.

I realize that she has a wonderful education and quite the legal background, but what gives her the right to believe that Bush should listen to her above all others and change his mind about the nomination (otherwise he is an idiot). It is amazing how much she despises the choice that he made. It's a bit much.

Duct Tape

(rant)

I would love to take a very large, industrial-sized roll of duct tape and use it on a few mouths who cannot seem to stop spewing crap about Iraq! Can I get some good words about Iraq? How about the fact that girls are going to school? Iraqis having access to doctors and medicine? Iraqis taking control of their lives and towns? I'm sick of the references that Iraq is on the "brink of civil war" or that the "insurgents" are taking over or "we'll never get out of Iraq." And my number one pet-peeve remark "Iraq is a quagmire"! Doesn't anyone have faith in our fighting men and women, the mission, that freedom is always worth the fight?!

(/rant)

Blogosphere, What's That?

Well, it's been proven. O'Reilly has no clue about the world wide blogosphere! He had Paul Mirengoff from Powerline on his show this evening and he just couldn't grasp that Powerline was not the same as the "basher blogs" out there. He asked, rephrased, and asked again about whether Powerline was a smear tactic blog that went for defaming people. Poor Paul wasn't able to get through to him that they are not a "smash and dash" blog like Smoking Gun or Media Matters. All of this just goes to show that O'Reilly, despite having a website of his own, knows nothing about blogs, the blogosphere, or anything about any specific blogs, other than the ones that have ranted about him. (And those, only because his research crew tells him.)

Poor man.

As an aside on the Harriet Mier nomination:
O'Reilly had Ann Coulter on his show and she completely despises Harriet Mier. Ann believes that Harriet has absolutely no business being nominated for "The Supreme Court, The Highest Court In The Land". As if Harriet is unworthy of even being in the same room as a Supreme Court Justice! I couldn't believe how virtiolic she was being.

My Two Cents

Okay, everyone else seems to have put in their opinion on Harriet Miers. I thought I would wait and see what other people had to say and to hear what the President had to say about her and to get a good look at her before I made up my mind.

Many people are saying that the President is just "rewarding" her and it is all about cronyism. I don't think that's the case at all. Ms. Miers had a very distinguished career long before she even met George W. Bush. She didn't become one of the top 100 lawyers in the nation on someone else's coattails. Nor did she receive the myriad of awards she acquired because she's a nice lady with powerful friends.

Law is one of the last bastions of the "All Boys Club." I worked at a large corporate law firm for almost 12 years and I saw the female attorneys come and go. The only ones that stuck it out, that eventually made partner, were the ones willing to work twice as hard as their male colleagues. Yes, twice as hard! And this was in the '90s. For Ms. Miers to make it to partner in six years, in 1978 no less, when she was the very first woman to ever be hired by that particular firm says a lot about her skills as a lawyer. And seeing that she is not married and has no children, shows that she has dedicated her life to her work because it is important to her.

Harry Reid likes her but that is because, I suspect, he sees a "little ol' lady" that should be easy to push around. I think most Democrats, some Republicans, and a lot of other detractors are going to be amazed at her tenacity. I believe that she has a spine of steel. I think that she may look sweet and grandmotherly, but we all know that looks can be deceiving. I don't think she'd be called a "pitbull in size 6 six shoes" if she's really just a marshmallow. Oh, and 60 is not "old."

The cases that she had as a practicing attorney do not necessarily mean that is her base set of beliefs. You can be against something or for something on a personal level yet represent someone with the opposite view because that is the law. (i.e. you can be against abortion but represent someone in a case for abortion because that is the law.) Judges and lawyers are supposed to work within the law, not on their emotions, wishes, or desires. Well, that is the way it's supposed to work.

I could very well be wrong about everything, but I hope that I'm not. I hope she is able to sit at that table in front of those (some very ugly) Senators on the judicial committee and not flinch. To be able to answer their questions without giving anything away and have them believe that she is "leaning" their way.

It was once said that Condi Rice is such a great leader because she has the ability to get people see things her way even when they are completely against her. She knows that if someone can see both sides of a situation they are more apt to come to an agreement on how to resolve the issue. I hope that Ms. Miers is like that.

Photo: Fox News.com

Update: hat tip to Bookworm Room for pointing me to The American Thinker to get another perspective on Ms. Miers.

Blogs as Weapons?

Uh, oh, Bill O'Reilly on Fox News has a story tonight about how some bloggers are using their "blogs as weapons." They are spreading lies and rumors across the internet in "smear campaigns" against people. Hmmm, have to see which blogs he's talking about. It's gotta be the lefties! I'm sure he's had his fair share of dirt thrown at him on the blogs. I'll have to see who he's talking about tonight...

Photo: Fox News.com

Just for Fun

Fuzzilicious Thinking took this test and it looked cute. I always wondered who I would be. I knew it wouldn't be Lucy or Sally. Marcie's good...she's the brains behind Peppermint Patty!

You are Marcie!


Which Peanuts Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Dine For America

Tomorrow, Wednesday October 5th is "Dine For America" day. If you like to eat out anyway, or are thinking about eating out at least once this week, do it tomorrow. The profits from thousands of restaurants across the country will go to The Red Cross to benefit Hurricane Relief. So have a nice lunch or dinner and help those in need at the same time!

If you want to see a list of the restaurants in your area participating check the Dine For America website. Some restaurants are donating all their profits, while others are donating a dollar amount per customer.

Please go...eat out....help out!


Update: 10/5 Had a nice lunch at Macaroni Grille with my husband today. A nice and tasty way to donate! Yum!

Civil Liberties

Gary at Bear to the Right posts an article from LA Daily News regarding Michael Newdow, God, and the ACLU. It started me thinking about the true meaning of civil liberties and how the ACLU has gone from defending the individual from being bowled over by the government and big business to banning the rights of freedom of expression and freedom of religion for millions of people.

Webster's New World College Dictionary defines civil liberties this way-
civil liberties: liberties guaranteed to all individuals by law, custom, judicial interpretation, etc.; rights, as of speaking or acting as one likes, without governmental interference or restraint except as determined necessary for the public welfare.

When did saying the pledge of allegiance (including "under God"), the singing of Christmas carols, moments of silence, prayer, and the displaying of the ten commandments become a hindrance to public welfare? Oh, and make note, the court that sided with Michael Newdow (The 9th Circuit "Circus" Court of California) has the ten commandments displayed in their seal and prominently in their courtroom.

The 9th Circuit's seal portrays a woman known as "the Majesty of the Law" reading a large book. At her feet is a tablet, shaped like the Ten Commandments, with 10 unreadable lines on it. It has been the court's seal for decades, circuit clerk Cathy Catterson said.

The courtroom mural — a tile mosaic of the seal — clearly shows the Ten Commandments on the tablet. SFGate.com

I find it interesting that the ACLU went from a group that defended individuals against the unfairness of business or government to becoming a business that defends groups' rights against the rights of the individual. This is how the ACLU defines themselves:

The mission of the ACLU is to preserve all of these protections and guarantees:

Your First Amendment rights-freedom of speech, association and assembly. Freedom of the press, and freedom of religion supported by the strict separation of church and state.

Your right to equal protection under the law - equal treatment regardless of race, sex, religion or national origin.

Your right to due process - fair treatment by the government whenever the loss of your liberty or property is at stake.

Your right to privacy - freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into your personal and private affairs.

We work also to extend rights to segments of our population that have traditionally been denied their rights, including Native Americans and other people of color; lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered people; women; mental-health patients; prisoners; people with disabilities; and the poor.

If the rights of society's most vulnerable members are denied, everybody's rights are imperiled.

The ACLU was founded by Roger Baldwin, Crystal Eastman, Albert DeSilver and others in 1920. We are nonprofit and nonpartisan and have grown from a roomful of civil liberties activists to an organization of more than 400,000 members and supporters. We handle nearly 6,000 court cases annually from our offices in almost every state.

The ACLU has maintained the position that civil liberties must be respected, even in times of national emergency. The ACLU is supported by annual dues and contributions from its members, plus grants from private foundations and individuals. We do not receive any government funding. Learn more about joining the ACLU.

You can read more about the ACLU in our position paper "Freedom Is Why We're Here." (emphasis mine)

The pendulum has swung to the complete opposite side with the ACLU in that you do not have rights unless you are one of "society's most vulnerable members." And no, the ACLU is telling the truth in that they are not funded by the Federal Government. What it has done is become such an intimidating war horse that the small city governments and school systems end up paying off because they cannot afford to fight them in court. So, in effect, they are being funded by the government. They are just not getting that funding in a "monthly check" from the Federal Government. But, of course, they would argue this point.

Like most unions, the ACLU had it's place decades ago when it helped the individual against big business and big government, but that is not the case anymore. Today, it has become such a monster that it is crushing our American values and demoralizing our lives. If we do not take back our rights, our children will not be able to say anything in public without being afraid of sanctions by the ACLU. Political Correctness will take over completely and we will be afraid to express our opinions, practice our religion, and enjoy many of our other freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.

Please see these websites and make up your own mind...while you still can!
Stop the ACLU Coalition, Stop the ACLU-blog, and The Center for Reclaiming America.