Don Imus Confused by O'Reilly's Troop Support

The Fairness Doctrine at work: See the Imus video at Hot Air Don Imus this morning calls Fox News' Bill O'Reilly a "disgrace" and an SOB. He's amazed that O'Reilly is giving away free books to soldiers fighting the War on Terror. For every copy of O'Reilly's Culture Warrior you or I buy, a free book is sent to a soldier. Imus doesn't get this charitable act. While Imus doesn't explain why he is outraged about "books for soldiers," we can assume some or all of the following: 1) he thinks O'Reilly's book will brainwash the troops, 2) he thinks O'Reilly is putting more-liberal-thought at risk, and 3) he believes any support for the troops is also support for the Bush administration and a win for this country. Of course, the result of Imus' rant will be increased sales for O'Reilly's book, and more free books for the military. That's the self-imposed Fairness Doctrine at work for you and me. BTW, Imus refers to O'Reilly's show, The Factor, as a "fah LAW-fall" or some such - we can see why Imus hasn't written any books lately. If you are a radio listener and tv watcher, read What the FCC and the Media has in Mind for You The following articles have linked back to this article: Linkfest Haven, Many thanks for my first Linkfest Third World Country: You Do the Math, Faultline USA: Cut, Cut, Run, Run... The Mad Pigeon Diary: Let's Get it Done" at Blackfive Freedom Folks: UIC Anti-Marine Recruiting Protest, Rashbre Central: OTA Wordless Wednesday Ask Andrea: For All the Eves Longing for an Adam (and vice versa) Planck's Constant: A Summer Poem - June 1950 Mark My Words: Rational Response Squad... A Blog for All: Idiocy Abounds Today Perri Nelson's Website: Nature About to be Penalized for Violating Endangered Species Act Adam's Blog: Truth and Hope Report: Black History Month Pregame Show RightTruth: Immigrants, This is What We Expect of You Stop the ACLU: Senator Mary Landrieu "...better off if the terrorists had blown up our levees. The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns: Open Trackbacks Wednesday, The Hill Chronicles: Egyptian Blogger Maintains His Innocence Renaissance Blogger: I'm Not Offended, I Just Don't Like What You're Saying High Desert Wanderer: Deadlines Renaissance Blogger: Can You Help a Code Impaired WP User The High Desert Wanderer: The Sky is Falling The Virtuous Republic: Hell Freezes Over: Parts One and Two Technorati Tags: Fairness Doctrine Free Press Free Speech Don Imus Bill O'Reilly War on Terror U.S. Military

The Fairness Doctrine: Hush Rush

Senator Dennis Kucinich is discussing the Fairness Doctrine on Hannity and Colmes at this moment. His explanation of the Fairness Doctrine is simple: the "airwaves are to serve the public interest." He skirts Hannity's question: "who is the arbiter of the public interest?" His statements are just simple enough for supporters to "repeat" because it sounds so right, so righteous. A shout-out to the Democrats: "If you want liberal radio to succeed, tune-in, listen and support the advertisers. No one but the listening audience is impeding liberal radio. The audience can "fire" the show host anytime by tuning-out as they routinely do to Liberal radio talk.. The obvious problem for liberal radio? No one listens. Still speaking...Kucinich is quite serious as he declares the "airwaves belong to the public and not to the corporations," and he thinks neither you or I know this. And more...the Senator is pointing out that a Fairness Doctrine law will aid in "achieving a free exchange and a multiplicity of ideas," and finally, with a new law, we will be able to determine "if there is a balanced and fair representation" (in the media). A simple spreadsheet or pie chart will answer that question. We don't need a law. For background on the Fairness Doctrine, history from the 1930's and 1940's through the dissolution in 1987, and the new agenda of the FCC and the media, read What the FCC and the Media Has in Mind for You and TheFairness Doctrine: A Chilling Effect, and then a brush-up on the The Fairness Doctrine, The First Amendment and all that. Technorati Tags: Fairness Doctrine Free Press Free Speech Dennis Kucinich Conservative Radio Conservative Radio Hosts Rush Limbaugh

Restoring Iraq's Factories: The Good News

Paul A. Brinkley, U.S. Dep. Undersecretary of Defense for Business Transformation, at a press conference concerning the status of the Iraqi economy in Baghdad, January 19, 2007.
Brinkley is at far right. Source: BlackAnthem.com

Photo Credit: Sgt. Gary A. Witte, Ready First Combat Team PAO
Al Anbar Governor Ma'moun Sami Rashid al-Awani (center) talks through a translator to Brinkley (far right) and Sheikh Abd Al-Sattar Bezia of the Rishah tribe (far right).

(I didn't find this "Good News" story anywhere except on government or military sites. It's a few days old, the press conference was held on January 20th, but it deserves some attention. Read an earlier related Fox News report at the end of this article.)

*Paul A. Brinkley "commits to working together" with local officials, to restore and open two factories in an industrial complex by the end of 2007.

*Al Anbar Governer Ma'moun, said “I think we are fighting the insurgents on two fronts, one economic and one by force", noting the employees who will be put back to work when the factory opens. “That means 3,300 families. That means we will have 3,300 people who will be useful to their families.”

After touring several existing factories in Iraq, Brinkley speaks of a hopeful manufacturing environment in Iraq, and makes these points:

1. "...in almost every factory we visited, there were some extremely savvy business people who used to run these factories."

2. "We have found...factories, that in many cases, had very modern equipment, modern automation that manufactured goods that could be competitive in a world market...."

3. Of the factories toured so far, Brinkley says there is a Top 10 List that are geographically distributed, will employ the most people the fastest, and have the fewest constraints...to go "...back into full production, which means the investment up front is relatively low." "Under $10 million for those first ten factories", Brinkley said.

4. "I find, in many cases, businessmen who are just ready to get their factory running again if we could just get power restored or secure their supply of raw material or secure their shipment of finished goods, or generate demand for them." "They just want that, and they can take care of it from there."

Read the full stories at BlackAnthem.com Defend America

A January 9, 2007 report at FoxNews.com reported "one factory restarted operations in the last two weeks, and nine more are to open by the end of this month, adding some 11,000 Iraqis to employment rolls, a Pentagon official said...." "The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the information had not been released yet. Read this story at FoxNews.com.

Technorati Tags: Iraqi Economy Iraq Iraq Reconstruction War on Terror

Remembering Soldiers: Have you Lately?

Frankie Mayo, a soldier's mom, had us all scrambling for air conditioners for the troops, in the early days of our entry into Iraq. With the stakes higher than ever in the War on Terror, our military men and women need our support more than ever. If you no longer have an "adopted soldier," or need to get organized to send cards, letters and goodies to our troops, visit the Soldier's Angels Homepage to find out how easy it can be. You can adopt a soldier at the Angels' Adopt-a-Soldier Page. You can purchase and send the Soldier's Angels Totebag, First Response Backpacks, good-quality beef jerky, sand scarves, calling cards, and even a teddy bear at the Soldier's Angels Store. You'll also find links to other organizations actively supporting our troops. I recommend a visit to the Blackfive, a group of former military, passing along their take on today's politics and our soldiers. Uncle Jimbo's post: Iran's Latest Attack in our 30 Year War will rekindle the memories that are all-to-often forgotten in our busy lives. That's what so great about the blogosphere, there's always someone out there remembering important things. Technorati Tags:Iran Iraq Islam War on Terror U.S. Military soldiers

GOP Signers: No $ for "No Troop Surge"

As Senator John Warner prepares to submit an alternative to the Democrat "Sense of Congress - No Troop Surge" Resolution, Republicans across this country are signing their own resolution. If you want to let our Senators know that you will withdraw your support from any Senator signing anything that "criticizes the commitment of additional troops to Iraq that General Petraeus has asked for and that the president has pledged,..." then you must go the website of Texas Fred and sign the National Republican Senatorial Committee Pledge (NRSC). At Texas Fred's, you'll see the entire text of the pledge, can sign the pledge, see the many others who have signed, and view a map showing the number of signers by state. Sign this important message to those attempting to diminish our President and our military leaders. And....it looks like we need signers from the Heartland states...come sign-up. Technorati Tags: U.S. Senate Senate Congress Senator John Warner War on Terror Iran Iraq National Republican Senatorial Committee Republican President Bush U.S. Troops Troop Increase Troop Surge

Al-Qaeda in Somalia: "Becoming a Jihadi Hotbed"

Erick Stakelbeck is a Journalist and Terrorist Analyst. His articles on Islamic extremism have appeared in the Weekly Standard, Washington Times, New York Post, and National Review Online. He has appeared on the Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, several nationally syndicated talk radio programs and has served as a contributing editor for FrontpageMagazine.com.

Interviewed today by Martha McCallum on FNC, he describes an Al-Qaeda-Somalie-Pakistani connection with Iran and Hezbollah mining for uranium in Somalia. Here's the video of the New Terror Front at Fox New Channel.

A few summary details of Stakelbeck's interview:

1. 1,000's of Al Qaeda members and sympathizers are in Somalia now.
2. 1,500 Ql Qaeda flowed over borders from Pakistan.
3. Iranian and Hezbollah members - mining for uranium in Central Somalia.

Linked to: Blue Star Chronicles


Technorati Tags: Jihad Somalia Iran Iraq Islam War on Terror Erick Stakelbeck Islamic Courts Union

What the FCC, and the 'Media,' has in Mind for You

Reading between the lines, there's some reason to believe that the term "Fairness Doctrine" is on the way out, with FCC Commissioner, Michael Copps' term, "American Media Contract," the new nuance. To see the FreePress article and the headline, click on American Media Contract, and for more in-depth background on the original doctrine, how it came to be and why it isn't around anymore see, The Fairness Doctrine: A Chilly Effect. If the Fairness Doctrine (or some version of it) becomes law, here's some tid-bits from the Jan. 12-14-07 National Conference for Media Reform in Memphis, and what the FCC wants for you and me: This from FCC Commissioner Michael Copps' speech: "We expect these: 1. A right to media that strengthens our democracy 2. A right to local stations that are actually local 3. A right to media that looks and sounds like America 4. A right to news that isn’t canned and radio playlists that aren’t for sale 5. A right to programming that isn’t so damned bad so damned often" My questions about Copps' expectations are this: 1. Who decides what America looks and sounds like? 2. Who decides the news is "canned" or not?...and most importantly, 3. Who decides what strengthens our democracy, or doesn't? This is how Mr. Copps describes the television you and I have access to now: "And what do the American people — who own the public airwaves, by the way — get in return? Too little news, too much baloney passed off as news. Too little quality entertainment, too many people eating bugs on reality TV. Too little local and regional music, too much brain-numbing national play-lists. Too little of America, too much of Wall Street and Madison Avenue...." Guest speakers for the conference were Jane Fonda, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Danny Glover, Helen Thomas, Geena Davis, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Bill Moyers as keynote. There were others but I do not have background on them. Go to The National Conference for Media Reform to read it on their website, which is also a FreePress URL. Technorati Tags: Fairness Doctrine Free Press Free Speech The First Amendment FCC Federal Communications Commission

The Fairness Doctrine, The 1st Amendment and all that...

For some fairly in-depth background and good solid links, go to The Fairness Doctrine: A Chilly Effect. With some Democrat leaders interested in "reinstating" the Fairness Doctrine, and actually making it a law this time, it bears some looking at that one, long sentence that is our Constitution's First Amendment under The Bill of Rights: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. " A codified Fairness Doctrine is law, so how does a new law reconcile with the Constitution's: "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;..." The issues of the 1930's and '40's are much different today. The original doctrine was declared unconstitutional by the FCC in 1987 (see those issues in the above link). Should it be constitutional now? After discussing The First Amendment with my 9 year old neighbor, Karen, and its use of the word "abridging," I added some synonyms to illustrate. When it comes to The First Amendment, we need to adopt a "purist" attitude, and I do, indeed - but "abridging" isn't one of those "every day" words. So here it is: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment (enactment, endowment, formation, setting-up) of religion, or prohibiting (forbidding, preventing, suppressing) the the free exercise (pursuit) thereof; or abridging (abbreviating, compressing, curtailing, decreasing, lessening, omitting) the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition (ask, call upon, request, seek, urge) the government for a redress (adjustment, amendment, rectification, reformation) of grievances (damages, injustices) Technorati Tags: Fairness Doctrine Free Press Free Speech The First Amendment FCC

Dems say "No" to Big Fines for Employers Hiring Illegals

From Hot Air, posted by Allahpundit (1-26-2007): "Jeff Sessions, a member of the “party of big business,” wanted to jack up the minimum penalty by a factor of 20. That put our new majority in a bit of a pickle: are they the party of the working man or the party of “the undocumented”? Can’t really be both, as Kaus has pointed out repeatedly. So they had to choose. And they chose." Read the full story here. And from The Washington Times posted by Charles Hurt (1-26-2007): "Sen. Jeff Sessions, Alabama Republican, offered the amendment to the bill now being debated that would increase the federal minimum wage. Ridding the economy of illegal aliens, he argued, would do far more to help low-income wage earners than simply raising the minimum wage. Not only do aliens displace U.S. citizens in the work force, he said, they also artificially suppress wages. "Our whole purpose of the minimum-wage act is to increase the wages of working Americans, particularly low-skilled workers," Mr. Sessions said. "That's a noble goal." One of the reasons "that those salaries have lagged behind is because of a large influx of illegal immigrant labor," he said. "That is indisputable, and it's not been discussed much here. People apparently don't want to talk about it, but we're going to talk about it." Read the full story at Alien Hiring Fine Fails on Hill. Technorati Tags: Illegals Minimum Wage Illegal Aliens Border Safety Protecting our Borders Border Control Senator Jeff Sessions

Fairness Doctrine: "A Chilling Effect"

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), in an interview on the Lou Dobbs Show (1-20-2007), discussed his interest in reinstating the Fairness Doctrine (dissolved by the Federal Communications Commission in August 1985). Kucinich posed this question: "How in the world did we end up in this war in Iraq?" One study said that only three news sources who opposed the war were able to get on the air, out of 393 in the study. What does that say? Was there an uninhibited exchange of ideas?" No reference to what or which study was given - and Dobbs did not inquire. A background article from The Museum of Broadcast Communications says this on page two, regarding the dissolution of the Fairness Doctrine by The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in August 1985: "The doctrine, nevertheless, disturbed many journalists, who considered it a violation of First Amendment rights of free speech/free press which should allow reporters to make their own decisions about balancing stories. Fairness, in this view, should not be forced by the FCC. In order to avoid the requirement to go out and find contrasting viewpoints on every issue raised in a story, some journalists simply avoided any coverage of some controversial issues. This "chilling effect" was just the opposite of what the FCC intended. By the 1980s, many things had changed. The "scarcity" argument which dictated the "public trustee" philosophy of the Commission, was disappearing with the abundant number of channels available on cable TV. Without scarcity, or with many other voices in the marketplace of ideas, there were perhaps fewer compelling reasons to keep the fairness doctrine. This was also the era of deregulation when the FCC took on a different attitude about its many rules, seen as an unnecessary burden by most stations. The new Chairman of the FCC, Mark Fowler, appointed by President Reagan, publicly avowed to kill to fairness doctrine. By 1985, the FCC issued its Fairness Report, asserting that the doctrine was no longer having its intended effect, might actually have a "chilling effect" and might be in violation of the First Amendment. In a 1987 case, Meredith Corp. v. FCC, the courts declared that the doctrine was not mandated by Congress and the FCC did not have to continue to enforce it." To read the entire document by Val E. Limburg and to find a reading list, go here. Eight years after the dissolution, Adam Thierer, writing for The Heritage Foundation, discusses "Why the Fairness Doctrine is Anything but Fair." To read the entire article, and especially Thierer's last paragraph, the Simple Solution, go here. For a more current take on both sides of the issue, Fred Lucas of the CSNNews.com posts Democrats' New 'Fairness" Push May Silence Conservative Radio Hosts, Critics Say. Then for a livelier and more current view (1-17-2007), with a focus on internet regulations (or the lack of them), check-out The Only Republican in San Francisco. Technorati Tags: Fairness Doctrine Free Press Free Speech Ronald Regan Dennis Kucinich Lou Dobbs Conservative Radio Conservative Radio Hosts The First Amendment FCC Federal Communications Commission

An American Response to a Jihadist Islam

As controversy spirals around our handling of Iraq, Iran and a Jihadist-Islamic response to the free world, Robert S. Kraft, attorney and writer, posting at The New Media Journal.us, offers background on the world's attempts to appease Hitler, why it didn't work then and why it won't work now. "Groveling for peace, the national leaders of America and Israel seem to be begging their enemies for what should be the obvious, that "peace in our time" can only be secured by maintaining - and asserting - both the ability and the will to inflict a decisive and devastating defeat on any enemy." On "...peace in our time,..." Mr. Kraft says: "Now, it is up to the people of Islam...." "...a decision that will be made, overtly or implicitly, by choice or by conduct,.... "And they, and we, will have to live with the consequences." While Islam may or may not be at a crossroads, America certainly is. No matter what the Islamic world decides, the American mindset must be that America is the "decider," and that we have decided to maintain freedom from the open Jihad on this country, and other free countries, as well. To read Mr. Kraft's entire article with the countdown to Hitler's advance, beginning with the Munich Pact ("The meeting was a futile attempt to preserve the dignity of France and Britain, while allowing Hitler to seize the Czech borer regions.") and his full take on "...peace in our time...," go here. Technorati Tags: Jihad Iran Iraq Islam War on Terror Hitler Germany France Peace in our Time

America's New Non-Lethal Super Weapon: The Heat-Ray Gun

The U.S. is about 3 years away from production of a new non-lethal weapon. Read the story by Daniel Freedman, blogging for The New York Sun. We need one of these in each major city in the U.S. A great assist for police - gang-related violence - no longer a problem. Technorati Tags: America U.S. American Weapons The Heat-Ray Gun Super Weapons Non-Lethal Super Weapon The New York Sun Daniel Freedman gangs Gang Related Crime War on Terror U.S. Military

Baghdad AP War Headline Insidious: Who's the Enemy?

This deceitful headline U.S., Iraqi Troops Clash in Baghdad is shocking. U.S. troops clashing with Iraqi troops? If you get past the headline, you'll read: "U.S. and Iraqi troops battled Sunni insurgents hiding in high-rise buildings on Haifa Street in the heart of Baghdad Wednesday, with snipers on roofs taking aim at gunmen in open windows as Apache attack helicopters hovered overhead." "Kim Gamel, Associated Press" gets the byline credit. Who's the enemy in Iraq, anyway? Gamel is the newly appointed Associated Press Baghdad news editor. Our troops do not deserve this. What an insult to the privilege of a free press. Technorati Tags: Baghda Jihad U.S. Military Iraq Iraqi Military Iraqi Troops War on Terror AP Associated Press Kim Gamel Free Press Sunni Insurgents Baghdad Bureau

Blogging for Beginners

As a new blogger, I was pleased to find this terrific blog. The writer is "Brice" and he's a student at Rutgers. On his easy-to-read site, I was reminded to copyright my blog and to back-it up. He offered valuable information on exactly how to do both. The Backing Up Your Blog section includes five methods of back-up, and at least one is a link to a site that downloads your entire blog, including text and images, and safely stores it, at no cost. Under How to Get Traffic to Your Blog I learned about "Ping-O-Matic," a free service that lets you choose among numerous "services to Ping" (some I didn't know were out there). I clicked the link from Blogging for Beginners and made my first visit to "Ping-O-Matic. After making my selections, I "pinged" with one click, and then got right back to Brice's blog page. (Two other services are linked as well). Blogging for Beginners recommends free software which Brice says "contains a set of tools that no blog can go without." I haven't checked that one out yet, but plan to. His overview of how this tool helps the blogger is intriguing. Tracking Your Visitors shows images of various tracking tools, and Brice offers his opinion of each. If you need help naming your blog, or lighting your creative fire, you'll find solid suggestions. Making Your Blog Look Good is there, and he says his most popular topic is (no surprise here!!) How to Make Money with Your Blog. There's much more, including the invitation to request a topic for him to address. Visit Blogging for Beginners. If you need inspiration, you may find it on this helpful blog. Technorati Tags: Blog Blogging Blogging for Beginners Blog Help Copyright Help Back-up Help Get Traffic Track Visitors Newbie

Living Freely: The Undeniable Truth of Liberation

Over the past few years I’ve seen and heard discussions/interviews claiming that some women from, or connected to, “oppressed countries,” like their oppression and wouldn’t change their circumstances, even if possible. These exchanges have been passionately defensive and at the same time, eerily timid. I admit that I can’t tell you when or where I’ve seen these interviews (and occasionally, something similar in print), but they generally revolve around religion and “wearing a veil.” We can argue over what “living freely” means, but I don’t think it has anything to do with wearing a veil. I don’t believe these women’s assertions. I don’t think even one was being honest, and with good reason; they’d pay for it later. The interviews have lingered with me, though, not because of their expected words, but because of the questions we cannot ask and the circumstances we accept. Here’s a probable scenario of one of these women, followed by a fantasy, that in its root, is an undeniable truth: There’s a woman living somewhere in oppression, with her husband, children, and maybe parents and in-laws. Her husband's political affiliations have no power. She cannot vote and have her vote count. She cannot send her children to school: there are no schools, she cannot afford to send her children to school, the schools do not accept females, and if they do, the girls may serve as someone’s personal gratification. Perhaps she is forced to send her male children to be schooled in dangerous ways, ways that teach him to be cruel, to kill others, to kill himself...ways she cannot bear to think about. She, her family and friends, may live in tremendous fear. Perhaps her religious beliefs are not compatible with her Government; perhaps they’re not compatible with her husband or father-in-law. Neighbors have disappeared on the way to the market, or walking to work. Gangs aren’t the problem – the Government “disappears you” on a whim, and you can’t go to the press because there isn’t one that is free. She has an unmarried daughter who has brought great shame on the family. The daughter was raped by a neighborhood store owner when she stopped-in to buy bread. The family can’t live with the dishonor. Every single way to punish the girl is extreme, and putting her to death is an option that’s definitely on the table. She endures because she must. If her husband is a good man, they take solace in one another – there’s no other choice. Now imagine this fantasy: it’s possible to snap your fingers and get this woman to a meeting of powerful people from somewhere, where people live freely. The powerful people convince her that she can choose how to live (wealth, or the lack of it isn’t in this scenario) – it will be like magic. Whatever decision she makes, her husband, children – all those dear to her, will accept her decision as though it is nothing new or strange. They will move into a new life, somewhere of her choice, where people live freely – or not. If she doesn’t know of places where people live freely, all the world’s choices will be given to her, in complete honesty, and once she makes her choice, no one can ever harm her or her family. The undeniable truth is this: her decision is always to live freely. No matter how many women you slip into this scenario, every one of them will choose freedom, whatever freedom means to her, wherever freedom is, for her. Without unbearable consequences, every one chooses freedom – and that’s what liberation is all about. Technorati Tags: Freedom Liberty Liberation Women Families Family Living Freely Oppression Children Undeniable Truth Choose Freedom

Debra J. Saunders: Free the Border Patrol Two

President Bush has agreed to look into the cases of Border Agents Ramos and Compean. If you have not already signed a petition, faxed or called the White House, read Debra J. Saunders Townhall.com article. It will hasten you to the aid of these men and their families (contact info at the end of this post). Here's a snippet from Ms. Saunders: "Americans should not put men in frustrating and dangerous law-enforcement positions, then lock them up and throw away the key if those men do one wrong thing, as angry, scared men sometimes do. It is not as if Ramos and Compean were crooked agents running criminal enterprises and betraying their fellow agents. If they were, they'd probably be facing a shorter sentence." And another sobering thought from Saunders: "As T.J. Bonner of the agents' union, told me: "It's going to be terrible. These are good cops going to prison. It's not as if they're bad cops who are going to be accepted into the community. The very people they put away are going to be in the next cell to these guys." My thoughts: Much of this case hinged on whether or not the drug runner (Osvaldo Adrete-Davila) had a gun. Aldrete-Davila said he did not have a gun; Agents Ramos and Compean said he did. Aldrete-Davila fled the scene in a van and it was approximately two weeks before any of this became an issue. So, what was in that van? We don't know, but the U.S. Prosecuting Attorney convinced a jury that there was no gun. There are other issues said to surround this case, but none of them warrant 11 and 12 year sentences, in my opinion. Let your voice be heard and stand-up for the protection of our borders and our border guards: Sign a petition at grassfire.org, and Fax the White House @ Fax 202-456-2461, or call the Comment Line (which seems to be chronically busy) @ 202-456-1111 or the White House Switchboard @ 202-456-1414 Technorati Tags:Illegals Illegal Immigration Illegal Aliens Border Safety Protecting our Borders Border Control Agent Ramos Agent Compean Debra J. Saunders Townhall Townhall Columinsts Border Patrol Sentenced President Bush Injustice

From Michelle Malkin's Trip to Iraq

Let's not forget the "Oil for Food" debacle, those who corrupted the program, or those who have suffered because they did not get "food" for their "oil." Read this post by Bryan and visit Michelle Malkin for more. If you haven't read my related post "War on Terror" from January 19th, please take a look. Technorati Tags:Oil for Food Baghdad Michelle Malkin War on Terror U.N. United Nations

Speaker Nancy Pelosi in an Interview with Diane Sawyer

The Speaker's words:" The president knows that because the troops are in harm's way, that we won't cut off the resources. That's why he's moving so quickly to put them in harm's way," Pelosi said on ABC's "Good Morning America." When asked whether she thought the president manipulated the deployments to avoid congressional action, Pelosi said she hoped he did not but thought "he could have told us about it sooner. ... We found out about it as the troops were going in." My thoughts: In December, it was urgently reported that the President would reveal his new Iraq strategy before the end of the year. It was suspected that there would be increased troops sent to Iraq in the near future - then, the "reveal" date changed to January, and so there were a couple of more weeks to speculate. Everyone knew! I think that no matter how you feel about the troop-increase, Speaker Pelosi's assertions: "...moving quickly to put them in harm's way..." is outrageous (no matter who the U.S. President may be) and "...he could have told us about it sooner..." is without validity. Technorati Tags: Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House Speaker Pelosi President Bush U.S. Troops Troop Increase Troop Surge Diane Sawyer Good Morning America

The War on Terror: First Principles & Why We Fight

"So what is really going on here?" asks Lawrence Henry's American Spectator article on First Principles: Why We Fight. Many Americans just cannot bear to ponder this issue any longer. The basic facts of 9/11 have fallen into an accusatory abyss: "There were no weapons of mass destruction," or "Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11." If we want to ponder the past, here's an issue at the root of this global war: What if Russia and France were not directly complicit, with Saddam Hussein, in what we refer to as the "Oil For Food Scandal." Without their relationship with Saddam, they would have nothing to hide. With their appalling complicity, they had to hide everything. Both countries thought they could keep secret their repugnant behavior (be darned those who desperately needed "the food for the oil,") because the U.S. would surely not go into Iraq without their approval. We did, and when we did, either the clouds cleared or the sky fell, depending on your perspective. We needed the world-body to stand-up. They didn't, although -- for the whole world to see, they resolved to do so and even put it down on paper through United Nations Resolutions. There would have been no war, at least not the war we have today. In addition to the Hussein-Russia-France-connection, we now have these "allies," Russia and France, furthering the aims of China, North Korea and Iran. We have some European leaders not giving a thought to the 9/11 casualties: American Airline's Flights 11 and 77 and United Airline's Flights 175 and 93, and those who died in the horror of The World Trade Center collapses. The "United Nations." What in the world does that mean? It should mean a uniting of Nations, but instead, it is a path to personal power and wealth. Resolutions are meaningless, so let us not work toward them, and then the United States can send the U.N headquarters to France, use the U.N. aid for something worthwhile and get on with business of keeping this country free, forever. Technorati Tags: Jihad Iran Iraq Islam War on Terror Saddam Hussein Oil for Food U.N. United Nations The American Spectator China North Korea Russia France United Flight175 United Flight 93 American Flight 11 American Flight 77 9/11 World Trade Towers World Trade Center Lawrence Henry

2 Border Patrol Agents to Turn Themselves in Today for Shooting Mexican Drug Runner

For additional background: Border Patrol Agents Sentenced to Prison My Short Summary: Two U.S. Border Guards, covering an area about 30 miles from El Paso, TX, are sentenced to 11 and 12 years in Federal Prison for attempting to defend our borders against an illegal bringing 743 lbs. of marijuana into the U.S. Agent Ramos came to the aid of Agent Compean, who Agent Ramos saw lying on the ground and bloodied. Agent Ramos also heard shots. He pursued the illegal, who appeared to have a gun. He shot at the illegal. He hit the illegal in the buttocks but did not realize that he had actually hit him (the illegal - who continued running and jumped in a waiting van). The illegal, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila was eventually treated at a U.S. hospital and has been granted immunity by U.S. courts, the guards are going to prison and the illegal is suing the United States government. The U. S. District Judge denied a request that the two Border Guards remain free on bond until appeals or a pardon are accomplished. To speak-out, Fax the White House @ Fax 202-456-2461, or call the Comment Line (which seems to be chronically busy) @ 202-456-1111 or the White House Switchboard @ 202-456-1414 Technorati Tags: Illegals Illegal Aliens Border Safety Protecting our Borders Border Control Agent Ramos Agent Compean Border Patrol Sentenced Injustice