House Resolution 571-The U.S. House of Representatives Puts On a Show
Despite my favored normal Friday night line-up of favored television shows, I remained glued to C-Span this past Friday evening, 11/18/05, from 6:30 pm through to almost midnight.
For the United States House of Representatives put on a show that alternatively shocked, embarrassed, elated, and ultimately pleased me greatly.
First, please let us lay lie to the upcoming Democratic talking points next week that will moan and complain that the Republican proposal was NOT the same as Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) originally proposed. Much more on this alleged military loyalist Murtha later. In Murtha’s own words:
From Noendbutvictory.com:
“The United States will immediately redeploy — immediately redeploy. No schedule which can be changed, nothing that’s controlled by the Iraqis, this is an immediate redeployment of our American forces because they have become the target." And: "My plan calls for immediate redeployment of U.S. troops (consistent with the safety of U.S. forces)."
Indeed Murtha’s proposal, introduced with great hoopla this past Thursday, was for immediate “redeployment” of our troops from Iraq and don’t let the Democrats tell you otherwise.
Although by my watching and even in front of my lying eyes I heard Democrat after Democrat complain that the Republican proposal then up for vote was NOT the same as Murtha’s.
They were madder then wet hens folks. Their anger was palpable. The picture below shows House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi and indeed she was ready to join “Heaven’s Gate”.
It’s just not right. It’s not right now, it wasn’t right yesterday and it won’t be right tomorrow. Specifically that political players, in this case the Democrats, get to go out on the international stage and lie that the President, whom they characterize as totally dumb, lied and fooled them and this nation into war in Iraq. A dumb President who managed to fool every one of them.
Rep. Murtha’s proposal, presented to the public and hyped by the Mainstream media with great frenzy, was, well it wasn’t really serious. It was a political ploy only, egads, don’t you get it?
Meanwhile our soldiers sleep in grainy sand in hot and almost inhumane conditions, fighting for victory, and well on their way to winning never mind the lies and spittle emanating from the Mainstream media and Democrats, hear the same politicians who voted to send them there out and about and proclaiming the President’s lies sent them there. By implication, thus, those soldiers are fighting an illegal war.
It was time for the Republicans, a majority in the House of Representatives, that institution which most represents the American people in that part of congress filled with elected representatives based on a state’s population, to throw down the gauntlet.
And so they did.
I’m not sure why the Republicans changed the text of Murtha’s proposal but such changes were minor. House resolution 571, put to a vote late into the night on 11/18/05, specifically called for an immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq. Exactly what Murtha proposed. The Republican proposal did have a caveat that it was “non-binding”, as such a thing would be. The U.S. House of Representatives does NOT have the authority to manage a war. That task is charged to the executive branch as called for in our constitution. The House CAN, as we know by the Vietnam war, refuse to provide funding for military ventures, essentially achieving the same end.
Below is the outcome of the vote.
The House voting on the "Immediate Troop Withdrawal From Iraq” Resolution - 571: Democrats: Yea = 3 present = 6 Nay = 157 Republicans: Yea = ZERO Nay = 215 Final count at 11:33p.m. 11/18/05 |
The entire episode was enlightening and in some aspects, quite entertaining. The House erupted into boos and catcalls when Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) read a letter from a marine who stipulated that marines do not quit the battle. The Democrats considered this, I must conclude, a slap at the vaunted Rep. Murtha, a fellow whose patriotism and devotion to the troops is questionable based on more information coming out about him.
I learned a lot about House procedure through the watching. Did you know that the House has to hold a VOTE just to VOTE? By me this is an incredible waste of time especially with each step toward the final vote requiring an hour of debate.
The House’s parliamentarian looks exactly like Dan Akroyd and the Republicans showed way more passion and emotion than I thought they had in them.
There was much drama, orchestrated for the viewing audience I must conclude. The Republicans brought out a few war heroes of their own, including the eloquent Sam Johnson-(R-Texas). I thought it was cool.
Republicans are notorious for being firm, emotionless, concise and clear. Those Republican representatives last night were damn mad and they weren’t going to take it anymore.
Perhaps I’ve seen too many bloviating Senators, members of that clubby group of 100 who proudly carry their little rule books and name bridges, buildings and roads for their handsome selves.
What I saw last night in the U.S. House of Representatives were angry and passionate representatives of the American populace.
All of them, yea even the Democratic representatives, have to go home to face a district of military bases, soldier constituents and families of soldiers. Having a supposedly loyal military representative go out and call for a removal of our forces in an active war zone, hey it was a good idea initially. The Democrats could collect their Move-On.org George Soros contributions while going all around denying that THEY agreed with Murtha. Yet still sending this demoralizing message to our troops as the Republican base saw it. Not to mention our enemies who sit in their caves and await, as they have plenty of time, for America to chicken out. Already Al-Jazeera’s been quoting Representative Murtha as if he were Allah.
When pushed to the limit, heh, as was the plan, only three of them, and they were Moonbats, actually VOTED to immediately remove our troops from Iraq. This gives them little wiggle room for such an obvious politically opportunistic ploy to appease their base and collect their Mooonbat contributions.
The Republicans called their bluff is what I’m saying here and it was necessary. If the Democrats don’t know how to behave during war time, then someone has to show them.
Given the administration’s recent push back at the “Bush lied and led us to war” meme by the President and others in the administration, and given that the noisy House of Representatives had their bluff called over this Murtha drama, their talking points condemning our military out of the right side of their mouth while the other mouth side claims to support the military, will be few and far between.
For when the time came to put their money where their big mouths are, heh, only three of them had the courage to vote what they’d been saying for the past few weeks.
John Murtha
Now about this Murtha character. By what standard is this fellow considered a military loyalist? By the standard that his brother owns a lobbying company that got millions of dollars in contracts from the Clinton administration? For it’s certainly not indicated by the man’s prior voting record.
John Murtha who voted NO on House resolution 557 on 3 -17 -2004. The resolution passed 327-93. Here is the text of the resolution which Rep. Murtha found to be so distasteful: States that the House of Representatives: (1) affirms that the United States and the world have been made safer with the removal of Saddam Hussein and his regime from power in Iraq; (2) commends the Iraqi people for their courage in the face of unspeakable oppression and brutality inflicted on them by Saddam Hussein's regime; (3) commends the Iraqi people on the adoption of Iraq's interim constitution; and (4) commends the members of the U.S. Armed Forces and Coalition forces for liberating Iraq and expresses its gratitude for their valiant service. |
Let me understand this. John Murtha, vaunted “hawk” by CNN and his Democratic soul mates in the House of Representatives, voted AGAINST House resolution 557, an innocuous resolution as quoted above, that simply confirms our decision to remove Saddam, commends the Iraqi people, and note that number (4)…I’ll type it again (4) commends the members of the U.S. Armed Forces and Coalition forces for liberating Iraq and expresses its gratitude for their valiant service.
This loyal military guy voted AGAINST number 4? I am just an ordinary Grandma Blogger here but, silly me, I’d consider a vote against the above proposal to be anything but pro-military.
Oh. And there’s more. The Blogosphere is just beginning to buzz about it but it would seem that Murtha’s got some ghosts in his closet.
In due course, we’ll be hearing more about this guy. Meanwhile, the Dems already brought out military “hero” John Kerry, and this didn’t work. Now they trotted out this questionable pro-military relic and they got called on it.
It’s time the Democrats root for our side for a change. Both in how they vote AND how they present themselves to the international and national community.
Republican lawmakers say that ties between Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) and his brother's lobbying firm, KSA Consulting, may warrant investigation by the House ethics committee... According to a June 13 article in The Los Angeles Times, the fiscal 2005 defense appropriations bill included more than $20 million in funding for at least 10 companies for whom KSA lobbied. Carmen Scialabba, a longtime Murtha aide, works at KSA as well.  KSA directly lobbied Murtha's office on behalf of seven companies, and a Murtha aide told a defense contractor that it should retain KSA to represent it, according to the LA Times. In early 2004, Murtha reportedly leaned on U.S. Navy officials to sign a contract to transfer the Hunters Point Shipyard to the city of San Francisco, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. A company called Lennar Inc. had right to the land, and Laurence Pelosi, nephew to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was an executive with the firm at that time. Murtha also inserted earmarks in defense bills that steered millions of dollars in federal research funds toward companies owned by children of fellow Pennsylvania Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D). .. |
More Editorials HERE
Daily Update: Day-Friday Date-11/18/05
-Jay Rockefeller Responds
...it was HIS Freudian slip on Fox News Sunday 11/13/05.
.......his response is very lame.
-Joe Wilson, husband of Natasha Plame, calls for investigation of Woodward
...still confused by the Woodward revelation, if Joe's mad about it, I'm happy.
...Because there's more to life than politics. Auxiliary Blog Post ====================== Time for some Gossip/Rumination and Speculation. Click in to see a hamburger you won't believe. Also, more Condi eyes madness, Trump and the American Music Awards. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here's a Delaware post and we're stomping mad this week. Nanny Minner's approvals tanking, now she wants to inflict another Biden on us. Oh, and Mike Castle. I'll travel to the ends of the earth to throw this RINO out of office. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Y'all have got to see this Pic of the Week. Only it's not for the squeamish. For a wild pack of dogs take on an alligator. It's not pretty. The alligator loses. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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Jay Rockefeller Responds
Below, a quote from this Blog's daily update this past Tuesday, 11/15/05. It is a quote of Jay Rockefeller made, and heard with mine own lying ears, on Sunday's "Fox News Sunday". Rockefeller responded to a question by Mike Wallace regarding pre-intelligence on Iraq. Rockefeller, although he voted to go to war with Iraq and is a member of the Senate Intelligence committee, responded:
SEN. ROCKEFELLER: No. The - I mean, this question is asked a thousand times and I'll be happy to answer it a thousand times. I took a trip by myself in January of 2002 to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria, and I told each of the heads of state that it was my view that George Bush had already made up his mind to go to war against Iraq - that that was a predetermined set course which had taken shape shortly after 9/11. |
Below is my own wise narrative regarding this admission by the lying Jay Man.
Does Jay Rockefeller mean what he said in the bolded text? Let me see if I understand this correctly. Jay Rockefeller, member of the U.S. Senate Intelligence committee, went to the Mideast in January 2002 and told each head of state that George Bush was already predetermined to go to war with Iraq?
Did he do this? Is the sort of thing United States Senators should be doing?
Could be that Rockefeller, frustrated by the exposure of his own ineptitude, exaggerated the trip. If so, he should explain just what the hell he meant by that statement.
And so Jay DID respond. His response below.
"It is ridiculous to suggest that any sensitive information was revealed during my January 2002 Middle East trip. Every aspect of this trip was sanctioned by and coordinated with the State Department and the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. I was accompanied in each country by either our U.S. Ambassador or our Deputy Chief of Mission, and each of our U.S. officials specifically praised my meetings and the message I delivered. I conveyed my belief that President Bush was very serious about taking action in Iraq. I had no knowledge of specific Bush Administration plans to invade Iraq, and I certainly never suggested that I did. I raised this issue on Sunday to make the point that while I hadn't made up my mind until October of 2002, I believe the president had decided to go to war long before, and continued down that path into 2003 - even as some of the intelligence was being called into question. Once again, it appears that Republican defenders of the president are trying to distract from the real issue - whether the president was straight with the American people about the war in Iraq." |
Yon ladies and gem, it would be a waste of time for me to repeat genius. Genius and wisdom in the form of questions posed by Scott Johnson at one of my fave Blogs, Powerlineblog.com
1. While Senator Rockefeller stated on Sunday that he took his trip to Syria "by myself," he now claims that it was "sanctioned and coordinated" by the State Department, as well as the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Intelligence Committees. Which was it? Did he act alone or did he act with approval and coordination of his committee and the Department of State? If the latter, who approved the trip? 2. Senator Rockefeller now claims each of the public officials involved "specifically praised my meetings and the message I delivered." Really? To whom? And if this is true, is Senator Rockefeller saying that it was State Department policy to allow and approve of individual Senators to visit with certified state sponsors of terror (who in this case were allied with Saddam) in order to convey the message to Saddam's ally that we were going to war with Saddam -- all before Bush made any public case at all? If so, we should know that too. The State Department should confirm or deny this. 3. To repeat the facts as we know them: Syria is and was a state sponsor of terror, on the Department of State's list as being so; Syria was an ally of Iraq; Syria is a place now contemplated by serious people as a haven for Iraq's WMDs; and a known place from whence terrorists travel into Iraq. Just why would a respected United States Senator tell a sponsor of terrorism and an ally of the regime we were to liberate something they otherwise had not heard, something the President had not said? And just what might that ally of the Iraqi regime have done with that information? In sum, what business of Senator Rockefeller's was it to speculate openly to the head of an enemy regime, and a sponsor of terror (when we were at war with terror), that the President was to go to war with that enemy's ally? |
Jay ole buddy, your Freudian slip on Fox News Sunday is NOT going to go away anytime soon.
Heh. Joe Wilson Calls for Investigation of the WAPO
This lying sleaze bucket thinks he can just call for investigations such is his importance.
I'm still shocked by this Woodward thing, ladies and gems. Still not sure what to make of it all. But if Joe Wilson is mad about it, them I'm happy.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Joseph Wilson, the husband of outed CIA operative Valerie Plame, called on Thursday for an inquiry by The Washington Post into the conduct of journalist Bob Woodward, who repeatedly criticized the leak investigation without disclosing his own involvement. "It certainly gives the appearance of a conflict of interest. He was taking an advocacy position when he was a party to it," Wilson said. Woodward testified under oath on Monday to special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald that a senior Bush administration official casually told him in mid-June 2003 about Plame's position at the CIA. The surprise testimony appeared to contradict Fitzgerald's assertion that Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, was the first government official to divulge information to reporters about Plame. The disclosure could prolong the leak investigation as Fitzgerald pursues new leads in the case, lawyers said. |
W/E 11/6/05
W/E 11/13/05
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Killer Instinct (New) FOX Friday, November 18 9:00 PM Drama, Crime Forget Me Not? A serial killer's intended victim has amnesia and cannot remember his attacker. Cast: Johnny Messner, Chi McBride, Kristin Lehman Executive Producer(s): Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dateline NBC (New) NBC: Friday, November 18 8:00 PM Newsmagazine The life and legacy of musician John Lennon; interviews with people close to the former Beatle and with those who knew his killer; excerpts from audiotapes made by Mark Chapman in 1991. |
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Daily Update: Day- Thursday Date-11/17/05
...Because there's more to life than politics. Daily Update: Spy VS. Spy Heats Up Again ..WAPO's Bob Woodward testifies. Can Chris Matthews' heart take it? The U.N. wants to control the Internet ...sure, give those most inept in charge of what America invented ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Auxiliary Blog Post ====================== For fun and smiles, here's a Pampered Pet post. IT's all squirrel-rodents all the time. Plus a very interesting missive from a Vet that will inform and make you smile. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ABC's "Commander in Chief" is alleged to be the pre cursor to a Hillary Clinton presidency. Here's a TV Review and update on the series. The writers get some things wrong and some things right. From a certified political junkie. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Time for a Fishgiggle. Why can't the drunk driver take a breath test? Better, why can't he walk the white line? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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Spy versus Spy Meets Watergate
Just when we thought it was safe to go back in the water, up rises, of all people, Bob Woodward of WAPO Watergate fame.
Woodward releases a statement that he testified this past Monday, 11/14/05, before Patrick Fitzgerald, special prosecutor on the Wilson/Plame CIA leak case. According to this statement, Woodward recalls distinctly telling Walter Pincus, another WAPO reporter who wrote the first lying piece led by the very honest Joe Wilson, that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA.
Two years. Millions of dollars. Scooter Libby, Cheney's Chief of Staff, gets indicted, NOT for the original crime, but for lying to the grand jury.
Now folks, lying to the grand jury, indeed lying to most any investigator, is not only wrong, it's a really dumb thing to do.
It is NOT outing a covert CIA agent, however, given that the very sexy and treasonous Valerie Plame was but a desk jockey over there.
And now Fitzgerald has a problem. For according to the indictment, Libby gave two contradictory statements to the grand jury. So now it would seem that perhaps a few other reporters also gave conflicting testimony. Specifically one Walter Pincus who already reported a bunch of lies. Now he's in a quandary as Pincus allegedly told the grand jury that it was LIBBY who first told him about Valerie Plame's CIA status. And yet doesn't his colleague at the WAPO refute this by testifying that HE (Woodward) told Pincus about Wilson's wife.
It's still not clear what prompted Woodward to come forward, voluntarily understand and not subpoenaed, to testify to Pincus' lie. I do know Woodward was writing a book about the Iraq war and counted on administration cooperation to finish it.
Could REPORTERS, gasp, really have LIED before the grand jury?
Well they lie in their newspapers every day so why is this so hard to believe?
NEW YORK Walter Pincus, the longtime Washington Post reporter and one of several journalists who testified in the Valerie Plame case, said he believed as far back as 2003 that Bob Woodward had some involvement in the case but he did not pursue the information because Woodward asked him not to. "He asked me to keep him out of the reporting and I agreed to do that," Pincus said today. His comments followed a Post story today about Woodward's testimony on Monday before special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, in which Woodward reportedly disclosed that a senior White House official told him about Plame's identity as a CIA operative a month before her identity was disclosed publicly.  In today's Post story, by reporters Jim VandeHei and Carol Leonnig, Woodward is quoted as saying he told Pincus that he knew about Plame's true identity as a CIA operative in 2003. Pincus said, in the same story, that he did not recall Woodward telling him that, but believed he might have confused the conversation with one they had in October 2003 after Pincus wrote a story about being called to testify. |
The U.N.
Heads up, yon ladies and gems!
The United Nations, yes those same folks who bought you the vaunted "oil-for-food" program that had every thug, thief and son of camel raking in the dough. Everyone save the Iraqi people, who were supposed to receive food and medicine from their country's natural resources.
God Bless America.
Let that gang get a hold of the Internet and you may bend over right now and kiss your butt goodbye. For there will be no more Bloggers, save those who carry water for the vermin of our planet. URL names, forget about it. For a very handsome fee, you MIGHT get one.
OF all the news flying under the radar this week, THIS bit of scuttlebutt threatens our freedom more than any CIA leak, any lies about weapons of mass destruction, any nonsense orchestrated by the congress critters.
The United States of America, salute proudly here please, told the U.N. to take a long hike up a short pole.
For anyone who cares about the vast freedoms and opportunities afforded by the Internet--for pajama-clad bloggers, for journalists, for businessmen and especially for people in the poorest countries--it is time for a call to arms. Sen. Norm Coleman, whose investigations into U.N. corruption have provided him with more insight than most into the cracks and chasms of that aging institution, has already warned in The Wall Street Journal against the possibility of Tunis becoming a "digital Munich." Whether America retains control over the root directory or some other setup ultimately evolves, the clear bottom line right now is that allowing the U.N. to involve itself in these questions is the wrong answer. A U.N. unable even to audit its own accounts or police its own peacekeepers has no business making even a twitch toward control of the Internet.  Worse, the corruption and incompetence at U.N. headquarters, however disturbing, are the least of the problems linked to the U.N.'s bid to control interconnectivity. The deeper trouble is that the U.N. has embraced the same tyrants who in the name of helping the downtrodden are now seeking via Internet control to tread them down some more. |
W/E 11/6/05
W/E 11/13/05
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The Apprentice (New) NBC: Thursday, November 17 9:00 PM Reality One Hit Blunder The remaining six candidates must write and produce an original song for satellite radio; the winning team gets to see what work is like for the original apprentice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ER (New) NBC: Thursday, November 17 9:55 PM Drama, Medical Two Ships While Neela goes on a routine ambulance ride with Gates (John Stamos), a plane crashes, injuring many and trapping others inside a burning building. NBA Basketball -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TNT: Thursday, November 17 7:00 PM Sports event, Basketball Washington Wizards at Minnesota Timberwolves -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Daily Update: Day- Wednesday Date-11/17/05
-Severe weather hits the Midwest
...as yet another hurricane brews in the Gulf of Mexico
-Senate kills trees demanding more information from Bush on Iraq
...good idea if they read all what they're asking for.
-Lindsay Grahm, cuter than a button, tries to bridge the gap between the recent Supreme court granting blanket court access to enemy combatants and something called common sense.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...Because there's more to life than politics. Auxiliary Blog Post ====================== Here's a new Ad We'd Like to See. Click in and you too can contribute to the Saddam Hussein Defense Fund. For he's innocent, haven't you heard? He should be restored as rightful ruler of Iraq. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's a Miscellany post. We've postal hike warnings, info on training suicide bombers and a pic of the Delaware writing class of Fall 2005. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Take a little "E.T.", a little "Close Encounters". Add some teenage sexiness and boom, here's a TV Review of "Surface". ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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Severe Weather
The Midwest tornado season is upon while yet another hurricane brews down south.
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 866 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 1010 AM CST TUE NOV 15 2005 THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS WESTERN INDIANA EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON FROM 1010 AM UNTIL 500 PM CST. ...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION... DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER... THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 100 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES WEST OF SAINT LOUIS MISSOURI TO 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BLOOMINGTON INDIANA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU6). |
Senate on Iraq War
And now, yon ladies and gems, we have the Senate managing the war.
It occurs to me that what with the President's ratings allegedly tanking, I wonder what the public approval is on the congress. And save for Virginia, I have a hunch many Governators across the country are not held in that high an esteem.
The petty politicians, with their manufactured claims over the war, are more serving to bring down public esteem for their wasted time on the taxpayer dime then they are bringing sympathy for their admitted lack of oversight.
For if they didn't read the intelligence on WMD's on Iraq, as they are currently boo-hooing across the cable TV wires, then what the hell were they doing?
Today, the Senate moved on two issues. One was what appears to be a rather silly exercise that requires the President to provide scores of data on a quarterly basis on the progress of the Iraq war.
Not a bad notion, mind you. The more minds applied to a subject the more ideas and solutions will evolve.
Except the congress critters themselves, particularly the Democrats, admit they were fooled by the administration.
Thus they demand that more trees be killed and more paper generated, that they may ignore it all and continue their election campaigns at the expense of our standing in the world while risking our troops' morale in the process.
Below are two takes on this development. The top paragraph is from the NY Times. The paragraph below is from a favored Blogger of mine, the Captain from Captains Quarters.
NY Times
Captains Quarters Blog
The Times' report is fairly straightforward. The Captains' take is a bit more in depth.
And he may have a point.
Said point being that Republicans in the senate are disgusted with the White House's plummeting ratings, its failure in properly presenting positive progress in the war, its failure to defend itself thereby allowing the vicious hounds who would change history to possibly alter public perception of how the war began.
I love the Captain. He's smart, knows much about everything, and is a damn good writer.
Maybe he's right.
The bill did pass 79 to 19 so the pubbies seem to have a hair up their nose about it.
NY TIMES
The proposal on the Iraq war, from Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader, and Senator John W. Warner, Republican of Virginia, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, would require the administration to provide extensive new quarterly reports to Congress on subjects like progress in bringing in other countries to help stabilize Iraq. The other appeals related to Iraq are nonbinding and express the position of the Senate. |
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CAPTAIN
It isn't unreasonable to have Congress call for some accounting from the White House on the status of Iraq, given the 150,000 troops currently deployed on a police mission there. It doesn't have to be a net negative for Bush to come to the Senate to present his side of the story; as the events this past week have shown, the President can use that kind of platform to correct many distortions of his record and the state of the effort in Iraq. Given the frustration many in the GOP feel with the White House in communicating all the good that our intervention has created, it sounds like a very good idea indeed, one that might be cast as a long-overdue bullhorn. |
Senate on Torture
The Supreme Court prompted this move. The Court ruled that detainees had a right to try their case in federal courts. As the Captain details, this would result in a mess, with soldiers being brought into court for testimony and possible public availability of intelligence data.
Our elected legislators do have the right, indeed an obligation, to pass law that nine unelected people don't run this country.
Lindsay Graham, whose side one is never clear he is on, introduced a bill that would set standards for when detainees have a right to this country's public court system.
There are times when citizens in our own country might be arrested, say as a result of an FBI surveillance operation.
The Senate bill is an attempt to fill the void between the blanket ruling of the Supreme Court and, well, common sense.
Lindsay Graham is cute as a button and we love his drawl.
The man is not to be trusted. He smells like a RINO.
NY Times
that would allow terror detainees some access to federal courts. The Senate had voted last week to prohibit those being held from challenging their detentions in federal court, despite a Supreme Court ruling to the contrary. Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who is the author of the initial plan, said Monday that he had negotiated a compromise that would allow detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to challenge their designation as enemy combatants in federal courts and also allow automatic appeals of any convictions handed down by the military where detainees receive prison terms of 10 years or more or a death sentence. |
CAPTAIN
We do not want to treat battlefield captures as arrests, and have defense attorneys issuing subpoenas to American soldiers for courtroom testimony. Terrorists captured under these circumstances should either be shot on capture -- as provided by the Geneva accords -- or handled strictly within the military. I can see a point in making a distinction for those caught by the CIA and FBI, however. Those do not qualify as enemy combatants in the manner of the detainees described above, and really fall into the category of espionage/sabotage agents, which traditionally have had their cases heard in civilian courts. If the  Lindsay Graham measure allows for strict secrecy on agents and methods, and only allows access to the appellate system for its public review and not fact-finding, then it could be an acceptable compromise. |
When all is said and done, consider this. There are three branches of our government to provide checks and balances. Typically it is the executive branch who runs a war, via the Pentagon and with prior approval of congress although that's not mandatory.
How about the administrations takes this meddling into the war by congress before the Supreme Court? For THIS is exactly the sort of thing the Supreme court should be ruling on.
The question is: does congress have the right to over-ride the administration's management of the war? Although the Frist-Warner-Paperwork bill doesn't yet go that far, what happens when congress critters get it in their head that the army should not bother with Fallujah but should go after some other small Iraqi town? Or any other such meddling in day-to-day war operations based mostly on appeasing their political base but NOT related in any way to actually WINNING the war?
Everyone in DC wants the power, ladies and gems. The administration at times I think gets a bit snippy and considers congressional questions but a bother.
The Supreme Court, nine unelected people who think they should make massive federal law based on what they "think" is the right thing, is rapidly losing their Moonbat control over this nation's destiny.
Now the congress, heh, until now mostly robots whose every move is based on getting re-elected, wants to run the war and rightfully, over-ride the silly Supreme Court rule that would have our enemies represented by Perry Mason in the American court system, funded by the taxpayers and FOR American taxpayers.
Let the Supreme Court rule on this separation of powers issue.
It's their job after all.
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A Video to Watch
Seems the GOP compiled a montage of Democrats hyping Saddam's weapons of mass destruction. Democrats singing this tune waaaaaay before Bush was even President.
You're gonna love this ladies and gems.
Democrat Sound and Sight Bites on the Iraq War
W/E 11/6/05
W/E 11/13/05
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The Apprentice: Martha Stewart (New) NBC: Wednesday, November 16 9:00 PM Reality The Coffee Achievers When the teams are tasked with creating a pop-up retail space to sell a new coffee machine, one candidate spends the team's budget on an expensive public relations firm. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I Walk the Line: A Night for Johnny Cash CBS: Wednesday, November 16 8:00 PM Special, Music Sheryl Crow, the Foo Fighters, Shooter Jennings and Jessi Colter, Norah Jones, Kid Rock, Alison Krauss, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Martina McBride, U2 and Brad Paisley are scheduled to perform in honor of Johnny Cash. |
Daily Update: Day-Tuesday Date-11/15/05
-Pennsylvania adolescents captured.
...one alleged to have murdered two people. The other? No one's sure.
-Jay Rockefeller's strange statement of fact on Sunday's Fox News Sunday
...if true he should be arrested and jailed for treason
-7.3 Earthquake off coast of Japan.
...minor tsunamis expected. Bush visiting area. It's his fault.
...Because there's more to life than politics. It's a True Crime post. With an update on what's going on in Aruba, and really, a pirate attack on a cruise ship. Also, he was allegedly jailed though innocent. So he gets out. Now he's in jail for murdering a woman horrifically. This whole story smells. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Still documenting Katrina for Kaitlyn. Because now the truth comes out about those levees. And some good citizen gets killed by Katrina evacuees. Finally, a heartwarming story about pets getting new homes after Katrina. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Some Comments on my review of "The Ghost Whisperer" and an especially bizarre comment about Michael Jackson. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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ESCAPE!
From no more benign a place than Lancaster, Pa., in the most ordinary of suburbs, under circumstances played out in living rooms across the country, it all ended bizarrely.
A young adolescent female, Kara Borden, stayed out way past her curfew with a young adolescent male, David Ludwig.
Her parents pitched a fit. One can only imagine the yelling, screaming, tears and recriminations. Many of us who are parents have been there and done that.
Through most of the weekend Amber alerts poured from the air waves. David Lugwig allegedly shot and killed Kara's parents. BOTH of the adolescents were missing. The Amber alert was for Kara.
From KYW1060:
Pennsylvania State police are searching for a 14-year-old girl reportedly kidnapped at gunpoint after her parents were murdered. Authorities have issued an Amber Alert for Kara Beth Borden, who was last seen at 8 a.m. in Warwick Township, Lancaster County. Police reported that the teen was taken by 18-year-old David G. Ludwig. Authorities say he was last seen driving a red Volkswagen Jetta with Pennsylvania registration E-H-H-0-9-9-4.  Borden is described as white, 5-feet-1, and 100 pounds, with brown hair with blond highlights. She was last seen wearing a black sweat shirt with "Pillar" across the front, blue jeans and black sneakers. Ludwig is a white male with brown hair and brown eyes. It was not immediately clear how authorities discovered the killings. |
It became clearer not only how authorities discovered the killings, but where the pair were. Capture came on Monday afternoon, 11/14/05.
CAPTURED!
From the AP:
"He's in custody and we have the girl," Bursten said. Earlier, police said Ludwig and Borden were spotted at a central Pennsylvania truck stop. A worker at the truck stop told The Associated Press the girl appeared to have been crying. Police said Ludwig killed Borden's parents, Michael F. and Cathryn Lee Borden, early Sunday after they and their daughter argued about her curfew. The shootings took place at the family's home in Warwick Township, about 60 miles west of Philadelphia. Lititz Police Chief William Seace said Monday afternoon that Ludwig and Kara Beth, who is believed to be Ludwig's girlfriend, had been "positively identified" at a truck stop in Lamar, about 90 miles from the Borden home. Amanda Workman, the shift manager at the Subway sandwich shop at the truck stop, said she sold the couple an Italian sub at about 9 a.m. Monday, and thought they matched a radio description she had heard earlier. "Her face was all puffy, her eyes were puffy," Workman told The Associated Press. "You could tell she was crying." Workman called police right away, first to get a better description and then to report a possible sighting. It took police about 20 minutes to respond, she said. Officials have said that until they can determine otherwise, police are operating on the assumption that Kara Beth has been kidnapped. Kara Beth's 13-year-old sister, Katelyn, told investigators her father and mother were shot after they argued with Ludwig for about an hour, according to a police affidavit filed in court. "As they got near the front door, Katelyn Borden saw David Ludwig with a handgun pointed toward her father and Katelyn saw David Ludwig pull the trigger, heard a gunshot, and then she ran into the bathroom," the affidavit said. She heard a second shot -- presumably the one that killed her mother -- while hiding in the bathroom, it said. Ludwig then ran through the house calling for Kara, she told investigators. The couple's 9-year-old son ran to the home of neighbors, who called 911, police said earlier. |
So the son ran to the neighbors and police were contacted. Kara's younger sister, Katelyn, ran to the bathroom in fear.
Other Information
Video of Capture Kara's Journal Kara's MySpace David's Journal David's MySpace |
We still don't know to what extent Kara was a part of this scheme. According to the above report, Ludwig ran through the house calling for Kara. Hardly any sort of forced abduction. If Ludwig had to call her then she couldn't have been close by for forceful removal from the house.
What did Kara know and when did she know it? THAT has yet to be answered.
Jay Rockefeller-Heard In My Own Disbelieving Ears
Scuttlebutt in the Blogosphere is that Jay Rockefeller performed poorly in defense of criticism from the President over Democratic attempts to re-write history. Rockefeller particularly wants to re-write history in that he was on the Senate Intelligence Committee and if anyone should have known the facts it was his.
Indeed Rockefeller was out and about proclaiming the danger of Iraq as vociferously as anyone. Now he says he didn't know, he was hoodwinked, he was bamboozled.
One exchange found quite interesting, at least by the citizen journalists, is Rockefeller's response to a question by Fox's Mike Wallace on Fox News Sunday this past 11/13/05 in this year of our Lord.
I heard the questions with my lying ears and Jay the lying rich boy, personal coffers filled with the oil wealth of his family, answered the questions quite lamely. We'll give him credit, it's not easy admitting to the world how you didn't do your job, were a total fool, were so easily misled by a bunch of lying neo-cons.
Below is the transcript of a Rockefeller response that leaves citizen journalists puzzled.
SEN. ROCKEFELLER: No. The - I mean, this question is asked a thousand times and I'll be happy to answer it a thousand times. I took a trip by myself in January of 2002 to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria, and I told each of the heads of state that it was my view that George Bush had already made up his mind to go to war against Iraq - that that was a predetermined set course which had taken shape shortly after 9/11. |
Does Jay Rockefeller mean what he said in the bolded text? Let me see if I understand this correctly. Jay Rockefeller, member of the U.S. Senate Intelligence committee, went to the Mideast in January 2002 and told each head of state that George Bush was already predetermined to go to war with Iraq?
Did he do this? Is the sort of thing United States Senators should be doing?
Could be that Rockefeller, frustrated by the exposure of his own ineptitude, exaggerated the trip. If so, he should explain just what the hell he meant by that statement.
7.3 Japanese Earthquake Reported
President Bush now visiting the area.
Obviously, it is his fault.
From NOAA:
TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 001 PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS ISSUED AT 2148Z 14 NOV 2005 THIS BULLETIN IS FOR ALL AREAS OF THE PACIFIC BASIN EXCEPT ALASKA - BRITISH COLUMBIA - WASHINGTON - OREGON - CALIFORNIA. ... TSUNAMI INFORMATION BULLETIN ... THIS MESSAGE IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS ORIGIN TIME - 2139Z 14 NOV 2005 COORDINATES - 38.2 NORTH 144.8 EAST LOCATION - OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU JAPAN MAGNITUDE - 7.3 EVALUATION NO DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS BASED ON HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DATA. HOWEVER - EARTHQUAKES OF THIS SIZE SOMETIMES GENERATE LOCAL TSUNAMIS THAT CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS LOCATED WITHIN A HUNDRED KILOMETERS OF THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES IN THE REGION OF THE EPICENTER SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION. THIS WILL BE THE ONLY BULLETIN ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE. THE WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WILL ISSUE BULLETINS FOR ALASKA - BRITISH COLUMBIA - WASHINGTON - OREGON - CALIFORNIA. |
W/E 11/6/05
W/E 11/13/05
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Commander In Chief (New) ABC Tuesday, November 15 9:00 PM Drama, Politics Rubie Dubidoux and the Brown Bound Express After announcing a new direction for her administration, President Allen finds herself in need of allies within the West Wing and decides to appoint her closest adviser, Rod, to an official position. Cast: Geena Davis, Donald Sutherland, Harry J. Lennix, Kyle Secor, Ever Carradine, Caitlin Wachs, Matt Lanter, Jasmine Anthony Director(s): Jeremy Podeswa Executive Producer(s): Rod Lurie, Marc Frydman, Dee Johnson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 39th Annual CMA Awards CBS: Tuesday, November 15 8:00 PM Music special, Awards Festivities honor excellence in country music at Madison Square Garden in New York; Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich, Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, Rascal Flatts, Faith Hill and others are scheduled to perform; hosted by Brooks & Dunn. |
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Daily Update: Day- Monday Date-11/14/05
Failed Jordanian suicide bomber publicly confesses.
Oh, and Delaware GOP Chairman phoned me up yesterday. It's about Mike Castle and how he betrayed us, our children and our grandchildren. Check in to see what Terry Strine had to say.
France still rioting. Down to 300 cars a night now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...Because there's more to life than politics. Auxiliary Blog Post ====================== It's the Week Just Passed. We've tornados, the President's Speech, the CIA leak we think came from traitor John McCain, and France. Ah, France. The "Lost in Space's" Dr. Smith of the planet Earth. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's a Notable/Quotables and there's a bunch. The White House responds to Ted Kennedy. CBS' John Roberts has no class. Some quotes from alleged "journalists" that prove they are anything but. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Have you heard their commercial? Very heartwarming. In this Web Site of the Week, the people of Kurdistan promote their country and thank America. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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Rinos and Traitors All
Folks, the Republicans in the House beat us all over the head with a baseball bat this past week. A bunch of them, including mine own Representative Mike Castle, removed drilling in ANWAR from the congressional budget.
If ANWAR, a tiny frozen bit of ice populated by a few antelope, is so important, how many of you, yea how many of these congress critters, are going to visit there anytime soon?
We've got oil wells all over this country, including one on the ground of Beverly Hills High School. The craziness over ANWAR doesn't have one damn thing to do with the environment.
The sons of camels don't want the U.S. drilling in its own country, simple as that. Why they'd be nothing without our dependence on their oil.
We can understand Democrats, who get big contributions from the environmentalist whackos, for voting against drilling in ANWAR. But Republicans? Those guys we elected to represent our interests?
Got a call yesterday from Terry Strine, chairman of the Delaware Republican party.
Yes I did.
Because I not only wrote to him but every member of the Delaware GOP council and let my anger be known.
Lots of "can't quote me on this", which I won't. But the Delaware GOP did inquire of Mike Castle why he voted like he did. I was told that Castle's office responded that NO ONE IN DELAWARE HAS COMPLAINED.
Below is all contact info for Mike Castle as well as the Delaware GOP. Below that is a listing of all the traitorous RINOs who also voted against ANWAR. The listing includes their name, state and percentage by which they won the last election. IF you find your representative is one, contact him or her immediately and express your anger. Did you elect these people to do what THEY want and not what YOU want?
My wrath has no limit here, folks. As for Mike Castle, well I've been on to him for a while now. Whatever it takes, out there, somewhere, is a REAL Republican in Delaware. Anyone but the lying Mike Castle.
No one believes more in the beauty of this planet more than I. Here's a recent review I wrote on the NWF's Backyard Habitats recently. I am a member of the Delaware Nature society, have a yard certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a "Backyard Wildlife Habitat". No one could love the bird fellows and animal life that make this planet beautiful. If I believed that drilling in ANWAR would in anyway hurt just one animal I'd be all over the place stopping it.
It won't and the whole issue is just a political one, nothing more.
Because the whole concept of a Backyard Wildlife Habitat is that hey, PEOPLE LIVE HERE TOO!
Mike Castle
More Mike Castle
More Mike Castle
Mike Castle's Web site  Contact information for the RINO below Wilmington Office 201 N. Walnut Street Suite 107 Wilmington, DE 19801-3970 (302) 428-1902 300 Dover Office South New Street Dover, Delaware 19904 (302) 736-1666 1233 Washington Office Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-4165 Georgetown (302) 856-3334 While You're At It- Contact these folks at the Delaware GOP and ask them why Castle's against this country. Who's contributing to his campaign. Why did he sell our children's future? Republican State Committee of Delaware 3301 Lancaster Ave, Suite 4B Wilmington, DE 19805 302-651-0260 302-651-0270 (fax) David A. Crossan, Sr. Executive Director 302-651-0260, ext. 3 dcrossan@delawaregop.com Terry A. Strine Chairman 302-651-0260, ext. 2 terryastrine@i-realty.com Chris DuHadaway Office Manager 302-651-0260, ext. 1 cduhadaway@delawaregop.com Ken Grant Communications Director 302-651-0260, ext. 4 302-588-4151 (cell) kgrant@delawaregop.com =============== Charles Bass, New Hampshire, 2nd; 20% Sherwood Boehlert, New York; 24th; 23% Jeb Bradley, New Hampshire; 1rst; 26% Mike Castle, Delaware; 1rst; 39% Vernon Ehlers, Michigan; 3rd; 36% Mike Ferguson, New Jersey; 7th; 16% Mike Fitzpatrick, Pennsylvania; 8th; 13% Rod Frelinghuysen, New Jersey;11th; 37% Jim Gerlach, Pennsylvania; 6th; 2% Wayne Gilcrest, Maryland; 1rst; 52% Bob Inglis, South Carolina; 4rth; 49% Nancy Johnson, Connecticut; 5th; 22% Sue Kelly, New York; 19th; 34% Mark Kennedy, Minnesota; 6th; 8% Mark Kirk, Illinois; 10th; 28% Jim Leach, Iowa; 2nd; 20% Frank LoBiondo, New Jersey; 2nd; 32% Jim Ramstad, Minnesota; 30% Dave Reichert, Washington; 8th; 4% Jim Saxton, New Jersey; 3rd; 28% James Sensenbrenner, Wisconsin; 5th; 34% Christopher Shays, Connecticut; 4rth; 4% Robert Simmons, Connecticut; 2nd; 8% James Walsh, New York; 25th; 80% |
France- the Riots Continue
Although Lamestream media coverage is practically non-existent. This weekend, the rioters entered the revered French city of Lyons. Note that bit about "communist protesters".
In separate incidents Saturday night in the southern city of Carpentras, rioters crashed cars into a retirement home and a school before setting the vehicles on fire, the national police said. A primary school was also set ablaze in Carpentras. ... The emergency measures in Paris came a day after cell phone text messages and Internet blog postings called for "violent actions" in Paris on Saturday evening. Authorities banned public gatherings considered risky in an effort to keep the unrest from reaching inside the capital. "This is not a rumor," National Police Chief Michel Gaudin said The protesters, many from left-wing political groups and Communist-backed unions, called for the resignation of Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been accused of inflaming the violence by calling troublemakers "scum." |
Odd. Suicide Bomber Makes Public Confession
Guess Jordan wants the world to know that it wasn't a Jordanian involved in the actual attack. Although, heh, Zarquawi is Jordanian and he takes credit for the attack.
On the Sunday talk shows yesterday, it was mentioned that this woman did NOT have on her suicide bomb belt when arrested.
Odd. It's all very odd.
My name is Saijida Mubarak Atrous, born in the 70s. I am an Iraqi national. I reside in Ramadi. "On November 5, I accompanied my husband to Jordan carrying a fake Iraqi passport. "His was under the name of Ali Hussein Ali, and mine was Saijida Abdel Kader Latif. "We waited in Iraq, and a white car picked us up. There was a driver and a passenger. We entered Jordan together. My husband is the one who organized everything. I don't know anything else.  "We rented an apartment. My husband wore an explosive belt and put one on me. He taught me how to use it. "The targets were hotels in Jordan. We took a car, and we went on November 9 to a hotel. "There was a wedding ceremony in the hotel. There were women, men and children. "My husband took a corner and I took another one. "My husband detonated his bomb, and I tried to detonate mine but failed. "People fled running, and I left running with them." |
W/E 11/6/05
W/E 11/13/05
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NFL Football ABC: Monday, November 14 9:00 PM Sports event, Football Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Medium (New) NBCMonday, November 14 10:00 PM Drama, Paranormal Too Close to Call While Devalos runs for re-election, Allison has a vision that could jeopardize both of their futures; Joe runs into an old girlfriend who is still interested in him. Cast: Patricia Arquette, Jake Weber, Miguel Sandoval, Sofia Vassilieva, Maria Lark Executive Producer(s): Glenn Gordon Caron, Kelsey Grammer, Steve Stark, Ronald L. Schwary |
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