free web counter

Maries Two Cents

Far Right Conservative And Proud Of It!..... Stories That I Think Need Special Attention, And, Of Course, My Two Cents :-)

My Photo
Name:
Location: Del City, Oklahoma, United States




Click for Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Forecast





Homeland Security Advisory

January 30, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

They Came, They Saw, And Boy Did They Vote





---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Congradulations Iraq!!!

January 29, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Ready Set Vote



It's Your Day Iraq, Go get em!!!

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Iraqi's In US Cast Votes In Historic Election

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

NEW CAROLLTON, Md., Jan. 28, 2005 -- Iraqi citizens, many
who fled their native
country for the United States to escape Saddam Hussein's
brutality, came here
today to take part in something they never thought they'd
live to see: Iraq's
first free elections in more than six decades.

Shihab Shamma, whose family fled Baghdad 30 years ago, said
he remembers
dreaming night after night that a coup might some day
topple the brutal
dictator. But never in his wildest dreams did he imagine
that his country might
one day hold national elections that paved the way to
democracy.

"This is just fantastic," said the University of Maryland
professor, as he left
the polling station in this community just outside
Washington, D.C. The site is
one of five in the United States where Iraqis can cast
their votes through Jan.
30. "It's something I never dreamed possible," Shamma said.

An estimated 25,000 Iraqis registered earlier this week to
vote here and at the
other four polling stations in Chicago; Detroit; Nashville,
Tenn.; and Los
Angeles, according to Roger Bryant, director of the U.S.
office for the Iraq
Out-of-Country Voting Program.

Absentee votes cast in the United States and 13 other
countries in the Middle
East, North America, Europe and Australia will be tallied
and added to those
cast in Iraq on Jan. 30. Iraq's Independent Electoral
Commission will certify
the results.

More than 2,000 Iraqis, many of whom Bryant said had
"waited a lifetime" for
this opportunity, were expected to vote at the New
Carrollton site during the
next three days.

"There's a measure of determination" among the voters,
Bryant said. "They
recognize that they're reshaping the future of their
homeland."

One voter after another, most of whom had seen family
members and friends
killed under the Saddam regime, reiterated their amazement
that they were
getting the opportunity to elect their country's new
Transitional National
Assembly. That 275-member body, in turn, will write Iraq's
permanent
constitution and elect a president and two vice presidents.

"I'm shocked. I never thought this would happen," agreed
Rozh Mutabchi, a
native of northern Iraq who arrived with his family in the
United States in
1997, when he was 16, to escape Saddam's persecution.

Eight years later, Mutabchi, a student at George Mason
University in the
Virginia suburbs of Washington, was among about 40 Iraqis
who helped man the
polls at the New Carrollton site. "This makes me feel
really good," he said.
"I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of Iraqis voting. This
is an important
time for Iraq."

The opportunity to vote had a deeply personal meaning for
Hardi Nuri, a Kurd
who escaped northern Iraq in 1996, after Saddam had had
Nuri's brother and
father killed. The Fairfax, Va., resident was so excited
that he arrived at the
polls an hour before they opened and waited in the frigid
cold to ensure he'd
be the first person in the United States to cast his vote.

"It's a day of freedom," Nuri said. "It's a day that means
there's no more
Saddam and a chance for democracy. It's a great day."

As they entered the polling station, each Iraqi dipped an
index finger in
indelible ink to assure no double voting. Votes were
registered on large paper
ballots. Many said they were hopeful Iraqis in their
homeland would turn out in
force on Jan. 30.

Halsho Amin, who traveled from Boston to vote, said he
spoke with his brother
and sister in northern Iraq by phone and urged them to go
to the polls despite
fears of violence. "I told them, 'You have to go no matter
what's happening,'"
Amin said.

Najat Abdullah, a mechanic living in Manassas, Va., said he
felt assured that
his mother, sister and brother still in northern Iraq would
go to the polls.
"Of course they'll go," he said. "This has been our dream,
and it's the first
step toward our democratic future."

Abdullah said he recognizes the elections won't spell an
immediate end to the
insurgency in Iraq. Recovering from the Saddam regime "will
take time and
patience," he said. "But today is an important step toward
peace and democracy
for Iraq, and I feel great about it."

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Upcoming Elections Represent "Historic Moment" Iraqi Minister Says

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2005 – Iraq's Jan. 30 elections mark
"the beginning of the
end of the miseries and difficulties that the people of
Iraq have endured for
so many decades," Iraq's interim deputy prime minister told
Pentagon reporters
today during a videoconference from Baghdad.

The elections will select 275 assembly members who will
write Iraq's new
constitution.

The interim Iraqi government has implemented several
emergency procedures to
enhance public safety during the voting period, observed
Barham Salih. They
include closing the borders and airports, imposing a
countrywide evening
curfew, placing a ban on civilian-carried weapons, and
declaring Jan. 29-31
public holidays.

"No weapons may be carried by civilians on the 30th of
January, even if they own
weapons cards," Salih said, noting there will also be
restrictions on vehicle
traffic during the election period.

Iraqi and multinational security services have labored over
the past month "to
make sure that we disrupt the ability of the terrorists to
destabilized the
political process," he said.

The deputy prime minister announced that Iraqi security
forces recently seized
another close associate of Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al
Zarqawi. The new
detainee, he noted, "served as a military adviser to
high-ranking Zarqawi
affiliates and assisted in financing terrorist operations
in Baghdad."

Salih said the recent detainee joins two other suspected
senior terrorists
caught in Iraq in recent weeks. During the past two months,
he observed, Iraqi
security forces have picked up "at least a dozen senior
Zarqawi associates."

More than 20 other suspected Zarqawi network operatives
have been rounded up as
part of a national dragnet that has led to the arrest and
questioning of nearly
2,000 suspects over the past two weeks, Salih said.

Iraqi citizen-provided tips precipitated most of the
arrests, the deputy prime
minister noted. It is important, Salih emphasized, that
Iraqi citizens and
government agencies work together "to eradicate this
terrorist plague and make
sure that Iraq will be a safe and secure place, not only
for the elections, but
beyond."

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Observing Iraq

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 29, 2005 -- Editor's Note: AFPS
reporter Jim
Garamone has traveled in Iraq since early January, covering
the many news
aspects about multinational and Iraqi security forces'
efforts in preparation
for upcoming Jan. 30 elections. During his travels, he's
come upon interesting
aspects of life in Iraq.

Expatriot Vote has Effect in Iraq

While the big day here is Jan. 30, Iraqi elections overseas
have already begun.
The coverage of these overseas elections is having an
effect on the homeland.

Officials said the extensive Arab media coverage of the
expatriate voting
process is encouraging Iraqis to vote here. "They see the
real happiness that
Iraqis in the other countries exhibit at being able to
vote," said an Iraqi
official. "It is contagious."

No official will forecast what the voter turnout might be.
"In some areas of
the country it will be very high," the official said. "In
others, it depends on
what the security situation is as the people decide to go
out."


Iraqi Suicide Bombers

Terrorists are turning to car bombs -- "vehicle-borne
improvised explosive
devices" in military-speak. They pack the car or truck with
artillery shells or
plastic explosive and attach a triggering device.

Most VBIEDs are driven to a point and the drivers leave.
Someone triggers the
explosions remotely via a timer.

But in 30 percent of cases, said Army Gen. George Casey,
the drivers drive the
vehicles into targets. In the past, Iraqi officials said
drivers of these
vehicles must be foreigners because Iraqis don't commit
suicide. "I'm not sure
that's the case," the commander of multinational forces in
Iraq said during an
interview. "I think there are Iraqi Islamic extremists who
are capable of
getting in a car and blowing themselves up."


Dirt Equals Work

Army Spc. Chris Ott, a tank mechanic with the Louisiana
National Guard's 199th
Forward Support Battalion, may have the filthiest set of
coveralls in Iraq.

Ott, who goes by the nickname "Pig Pen," is one of the
mechanics responsible
for ensuring the 256th Brigade Combat Team's Abrams tanks
work well for the
soldiers who take them "outside the wire."

He takes the state of his coveralls in stride. "If you
ain't dirty, you ain't
working," the specialist said. "You do what you have to to
make sure the
equipment works."

Conditions in the motor pool are Spartan to say the least.
Ott's coveralls are
impregnated with the Iraqi dirt and mud that he works in
and are saturated with
all the fluids that are used in M1A1s.

It's been noticed that no one lights a match around Ott
when he's wearing the
coveralls. If they caught on fire they would probably burn
for three days.


Mardi Gras Parade for Baghdad?

Americans bring their traditions and celebrations with them
wherever they go,
and Baghdad is no different.

Louisianans with the 256th Brigade Combat Team are
preparing for Mardi Gras on
Feb. 8. Mardi Gras decorations are starting to appear on
doors and desks
throughout the brigade, and some units have already
received their supplies of
beads. "I'd like to pass most of them out to Iraqi kids,"
said Army Capt. Chris
Armstrong, commander of Headquarters Company, 1088th
Engineer Battalion.
"Wouldn't that be great?"

The main focus for the brigade has been on providing
security for the
elections, Armstrong said. "But after the elections, we can
celebrate our
Louisiana heritage here," he said.

And who knows? Perhaps for the day the main road in Camp
Victory will be
renamed Bourbon Street.

January 27, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Ted Kennedy Is At It Again

Kennedy Calls for Troop Withdrawal in Iraq

WASHINGTON (AP) - The American military's continued presence in Iraq is fanning the flames of conflict, and signals the need for a new detailed timeline to bring the troops home, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy said Thursday.

Just three days before the Iraqi people go to the polls to elect a new government, the Massachusetts Democrat said America must give Iraq back to its people rather than continue an occupation that parallels the failed politics of the Vietnam war.

"The U.S. military presence has become part of the problem, not part of the solution," Kennedy said in remarks prepared for delivery at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. "We need a new plan that sets fair and realistic goals for self-government in Iraq, and works with the Iraqi government on a specific timetable for the honorable homecoming of our forces."

While not the first member of Congress to call for a withdrawal of the troops, Kennedy is the first senator to do so. And his remarks continued what has been a long and blistering assault on the administration's Iraq policies.

Republican National Committee spokesman Brian Jones criticized Kennedy's timing.

"Its remarkable that Sen. Kennedy would deliver such an overtly pessimistic message only days before the Iraqi election," said Jones. "Kennedy's partisan political attack stands in stark contrast to President Bush's vision of spreading freedom around the world."

He has called the war a "fraud made up in Texas," and said the administration misled the people about the threats leading up to the war.

Now, Kennedy said, the United States and the insurgents are both battling for the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people and the U.S. is losing.

"There may well be violence as we disengage militarily from Iraq and Iraq disengages politically from us, but there will be much more violence if we continue our present dangerous and destabilizing course," said Kennedy. "It will not be easy to extricate ourselves from Iraq, but we must begin."

Administration officials have so far declined to discuss a timeline for troop withdrawal, saying the goal is to ensure the Iraqis are capable of maintaining their own security before military forces are scaled back.

Kennedy, who has called Iraq "George Bush's Vietnam," drew parallels between that failed conflict and the current deadly battle against guerrilla insurgents. He said the United States must learn from the mistakes of Vietnam - which he termed a misguided war that carried on too long and was not honestly portrayed by officials to the American people.

Kennedy said the first goal in the current situation should be for the United Nations - not the United States - to convene an international meeting to help the new government take shape and draft a constitution.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
What the hell is Kennedy thinking?
This is NOT the first time people have been threatened not to vote in other countries rocked with insurgents when they tried to vote.
But they went out and voted, and what do you know Democracy came! Not overnight but it came.
And giving a timetable for our troops to leave, that seems to me to be giving the insurgents a way to say "Oh the Americans are going to leave on ....Date Lets kill as many of them as we can before they depart".
Kennedy also has alot of nerve calling this George Bush's Viet Nam, when it was his own brother (JFK) that got us in to Viet Nam to begin with. And this sure as hell is NOTHING like Viet Nam.
Why doesnt Kennedy just crawl back into Boston Harbor with his bottle of Scotch!

January 26, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Ted Turner Compares Fox News To Hitler



TED TURNER COMPARES FOXNEWS TO HITLER
Tue Jan 25 2005 15:53:55 ET

Ted Turner called FOX an arm of the Bush administration and compared FOXNEWS's popularity to Hitler's popular election to run Germany before WWII.

Turner made the controversial comments in Las Vegas before a standing-room-only crowd at the National Association for Television Programming Executives's opening session.

His no-nonsense, humorous approach during the one-hour Q&A generated frequent loud applause and laughter, BROADCASTING & CABLE reports.

While FOX may be the largest news network [and has overtaken Turner's CNN], it's not the best, Turner said.

He followed up by pointing out that Adolf Hitler got the most votes when he was elected to run Germany prior to WWII. He said the network is the propaganda tool for the Bush Administration.

"There's nothing wrong with that. It's certainly legal. But it does pose problems for our democracy. Particularly when the news is dumbed down," leaving voters without critical information on politics and world events and overloaded with fluff," he said.

A FOXNEWS spokesperson responded: "Ted is understandably bitter having lost his ratings, his network and now his mind -- we wish him well."

In 1996, Turner apologized to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for comments he made comparing FOX head Rupert Murdoch to Hitler.

Developing...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Can we say Sore Loser?
Fox is an arm for the Bush administration?
Fox News has been around for only 8 or 9 years in Cable syndication, President Bush has only been around for 4 years where he (Ted) draws that conclusion I have no clue.
Showing or reporting BOTH sides of a story GOOD and BAD, and letting the public decide is a bad thing? Unlike the Communist News Network (CNN) who only show "The Sky Is Falling" part of any story and we are suppose to accept that as fact without hearing the other side? !@#$#@!
But comparing them to hitler?
Then what can anyone expect coming from the man who married Jane (Hanoi) Fonda?
I think Fox News is owed an Apology!!
Drudge Has This One.

January 25, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Michael Moore Snubbed At Acadamy Awards Nominations

Michael Moore was snubbed at the Acadamy award nominations today.
Even though Passion Of The Christ should have been nominated for best picture or Drama, at least it was nominated for best director etc. But seeing that the biggest crackpot of all time get snubbed across the board is poetic justice!!

I will still be boycotting the Acadamy Awards anyway until Hollywood decides to stick to making movies and stay out of the business of Polotics!

The only message Hollywood needs to get out should have to do with promoting an actual movie. Not a "Crockumentary" a real movie! Polotics should be left to the Poloticians. There are enough groups out there to get the poloticians message out. They dont need Hollywood to interfere. That could explain why alot of folks arent visiting the movies like they were a few years ago because Hollywood cant keep thier mouths shut about Polotics!

Anyway Good Show!!!
Boycott The Acadamy Awards!!

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Barbara Boxer "I'll Call Condi A Liar Again"

Boxer: I'll Call Condi a Liar Again

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said Sunday that when the full Senate debates on Tuesday the nomination of Dr. Condoleezza Rice for secretary of state, she intends to repeat charges that Rice deliberately misled the nation about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

"I will lay out again on the Senate floor [why] I do not believe [she] has been candid with the American people," Sen. Boxer told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer."

"[She's] gone on shows like yours and made statements that I don't think were true, or they were half-true, didn't tell the whole story, didn't level with the American people."
Reacting to criticism from White House chief of staff Andy Card, who called her attacks on Rice last week "petty politics," the Marin County Democrat taunted, "Even though Andy Card would like me to go away, I'm not going to go away."

"[Rice] said things that were flat-out not true," Sen. Boxer continued. "When she said only one agency thought the aluminum tubes could not be used for nuclear weapons, that wasn't true."

As she did during last week's hearings, the Bush administration critic justified her personal attacks on Rice by saying that the Iraq war is especially important to Californians "because we've lost 25 percent of those who died in Iraq."

According to OpinionJournal.com, however, the actual proportion of deaths of U.S. troops from California is 11.5 percent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Isnt this the same Senator Boxer that said "Condi attacked her?"
While granstanding on Capital hill, grilling Condi about the same stuff we heard a year ago over and over again, The Liberals havent even mentioned a word about what is about to happen in Iraq! History will be made in 5 days in Iraq, but it seems the party who used to claim they were the "Civil and Human Rights Group" Have lost that title. Its the Republicans that now put a new face on Democracy.
Where is Richard Gere? He told the Palestinians he "Spoke for ALL of us incuding the ENTIRE world" and for them to get out the vote.
I dont see the Liberals with a "Get out the vote campain" in Iraq!
Where are the Liberals in all this? I Know!!!!! Up on Capital Hill going over the same crap over and over and over again and holding up progress as usual which is going to for sure leave them on the ash heap of history, after this one.
The Liberals are never going to change, and all that talk from them about "They agree we need elections in Iraq, we must win in Iraq" was all a lie.
They arent interested in Civil or Human rights anymore, they are just interested in holding up EVERY single nominee, holding up progress and are determined to see that nothing gets done in the next 4 years. Witnessing History in 5 days hasent even entered thier minds!!!!

January 24, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Barbara Boxer Claims "She Is The Victim"

Sen. Boxer takes victim role after hearing for Rice

By Audrey Hudson
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Sen. Barbara Boxer says she is the real victim of last week's confirmation hearing for Secretary of State-designate Condoleezza Rice, yet continued yesterday to question the national security adviser's honesty.
"She turned and attacked me," the California Democrat told CNN's "Late Edition" in describing the confrontation during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.
"I gave Dr. Rice many opportunities to address specific issues. Instead, she said I was impugning her integrity," Mrs. Boxer said.

The heated exchange between the two women during the two-day hearing began Tuesday during Mrs. Boxer's question-and-answer period with Miss Rice.
"I personally believe — this is my personal view — that your loyalty to the mission you were given, to sell this war, overwhelmed your respect for the truth," Mrs. Boxer told Miss Rice, who has been President Bush's national security adviser since 2001.
Miss Rice responded that she "never, ever lost respect for the truth in the service of anything. It is not my nature. It is not my character."
"And I would hope that we can have this conversation and discuss what happened before and what went on before and what I said without impugning my credibility or my integrity," Miss Rice said.
Mrs. Boxer yesterday called that response a "good debating technique."
"When you really don't know what to say about a specific, you just attack the person who is asking the questions," Mrs. Boxer told CNN.
The final Senate vote on Miss Rice's confirmation to head the State Department was delayed because of objections by Sen. Robert C. Byrd, West Virginia Democrat. The Senate begins nine hours of debate tomorrow on Miss Rice's confirmation, with a vote expected Wednesday.
Mrs. Boxer accused Miss Rice and the Bush administration of misleading the nation before going to war with Iraq, and along with former Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, voted against Miss Rice's confirmation in committee.
On CNN, Mrs. Boxer accused Miss Rice of intentionally "frightening every American, and that was the point."
"She didn't hesitate to go out and sell this war to the American people," Mrs. Boxer said. "She said things that were flat-out not true."
California's other Democratic senator, Dianne Feinstein, declined on "Fox News Sunday" to comment on Mrs. Boxer's questioning, but said her colleague "was within her rights" to question a presidential nominee.
"I don't happen to agree; I happen to strongly support Condoleezza Rice," Mrs. Feinstein said. "I don't want to see her diminished in the eyes of the world. I want to see her confirmed. She will be."
Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., Delaware Democrat and ranking Foreign Relations Committee member, said he will support Miss Rice but is leaning toward voting against Mr. Bush's pick to head the Justice Department, Alberto Gonzales.
"The president gets a chance to pick the person who he thinks will implement his policies," Mr. Biden said. "He got elected. She's an honorable person.
"The Gonzales nomination may be a different thing," Mr. Biden said of the attorney general nominee. "The Gonzales nomination may very well do us more harm internationally because of his relationship with the terror memo, and that is a different story."
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Mr. Gonzales' nomination this week.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Is Barbara Boxer just INSANE!!???
And I can see the Liberals moaning and whining about EVERY Nominee Our President gets up there in front of them for conformation.
What a miserable example the Liberals will set by holding up/and/or denying all these nominations. But then That is why they are the "Jackass" Party. Move Slow, and hold things up, and let out a little heeehaww now and then which is begining to amout to a groan.
Barbara Boxer give new meaning to the word "Jackass"
Drudge has this one.

January 22, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Michael Moore's Bodyguard Arrested On GUN Charge

Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005 3:56 p.m. EST

Moore Bodyguard Arrested on Gun Charge!!

A bodyguard who has protected outspoken moviemaker and gun-control advocate Michael Moore was arrested at Kennedy International Airport for allegedly carrying a pistol without a New York license, authorities said Thursday.

Patrick Burk, 34, faced arraignment on a felony charge of criminal possession of a weapon. Prosecutors did not have his attorney's name.

Burk was questioned by police Wednesday night after he notified a United Airlines ticket agent that he wanted to carry his weapon - unloaded and in a bag - on a flight to Los Angeles, said Port Authority spokesman Tony Ciavolella.
The bodyguard, who works for the California-based security firm Gavin de Becker & Associates, told police he had traveled to New York with Moore earlier this month, Ciavolella said. He produced licenses for his Mauser handgun from California and Florida, but not New York, which prompted his arrest.

Burk has been assigned to protect Moore at times in the past, but is not his personal bodyguard, Gavin de Becker said.

De Becker defended Burk, saying he had followed proper procedures at the airport. He called him "a leading professional in his field."

A call to a spokesman for Moore was not immediately returned.

Moore, the director of "Fahrenheit 9/11," won the documentary Academy Award for 2002's "Bowling for Columbine," a scathing look at the gun culture in America.

In an interview last year with Playboy magazine, Moore called the National Rifle Association a "radical, freaky group."

"Most Americans are with me on this," he said about stricter gun controls. "They understand duck hunters don't need Uzis and cop-killer bullets."

© 2005 The Associated Press
----------------------------------------------------------------------
What a hypocrit!!

January 21, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

MoveOn.Org Is At It Again

MoveOn: Liberals Will 'Take Back Congress, Make 2006 Our 1994'
By Jimmy Moore
Talon News
January 21, 2005

SPARTANBURG, SC (Talon News) -- Liberal political online action group MoveOn.org sent a message to its supporters on the same day President George W. Bush was having his second inauguration, announcing their plan to "take back Congress and make 2006 our 1994."

"Today, as Bush's corporate donors celebrate their victory, it may feel like the progressive America we're all fighting for is very far away," MoveOn.org bemoaned in the e-mail on Thursday. "But it doesn't have to be that way."

Making a parallel to the recent past, MoveOn.org said two years after then-President George H.W. Bush was defeated by Bill Clinton in the 1992 presidential election, the Republican Party came back "with a pro-corporate, right-wing agenda swept to power in the House."

"From there, they gained control of all three branches of government," MoveOn.org noted, citing 2000 when Republicans took control of the presidency, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House.

MoveOn.org declared to its supporters that now it's "our turn."

"If we can convert the passion and energy of the progressive movement we've built together into power on the ground, we can take back Congress and make 2006 our 1994," MoveOn.org explained.

A new plan was launched on Thursday by MoveOn.org to "build an organized network of neighbors and friends in every Congressional district to stop the Bush agenda."

"We'll organize press events, we'll hold living room meetings with our neighbors, and we'll meet with local leaders on the issues we care about most -- Social Security, right-wing judges, media reform, and more," MoveOn.org declared.

Acknowledging Newt Gingrich's "Contract With America" in 1994 was the key to the success seen by Republicans with 54 new representatives elected, MoveOn.org said they will help "develop a national message together" with their liberal members to make the same thing happen for Democrats in 2006.

"And then we'll use this field network to take back the House in 2006," MoveOn.org predicted. "It's bold, it's audacious, and it's yours: the plan comes directly from tens of thousands of your comments about MoveOn's future."

Describing this plan as a potential "watershed moment" in the liberal movement, MoveOn.org estimates it will need to raise at least $5 million by next year.

"We'll be spending the next months getting the program off the ground -- hiring organizers, building infrastructure, and recruiting the grassroots leaders who will make it all happen," MoveOn.org asserted.

The goal of MoveOn.org's campaign is to win 15 seats in 2006 by taking advantage of three alleged barriers the Republicans have working against them.

First, MoveOn.org says GOP leaders have "dramatically overreached" because "they've staked the [Republican] Party's future on a deceptive and extreme agenda."

"And now that they control all three branches of government, they're responsible for everything that happens," MoveOn.org said. "By exposing right-wing corruption and deception one community at a time, we can block their agenda and turn their strength against them."

Second, MoveOn.org argues their impact in 2006 will be even better than it was during the 2004 presidential election because of a "good team of dedicated volunteers" who will work more intently on getting Democrats elected in their home states.

"Our energy in 2006 will have an ever larger impact," MoveOn.org contended.

Third, MoveOn.org claims it has "momentum" from the 2004 election and will use that to rally grassroots support in 2006.

"Today, the progressive movement is bigger and stronger than it has been in decades," MoveOn.org said. "Hundreds of thousands of new leaders got involved in politics in 2004, and we developed new tools that revolutionized grassroots organizing and fundraising."

Taking credit for "turning out more voters than [Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John F.] Kerry's victory margin in at least three key battleground states, and turning out hundreds of thousands more in battleground neighborhoods nationwide," MoveOn.org said its organization across the country will propel them to victory in 2006.

"We'll ask MoveOn members and their friends to form local teams and commit a few hours a month, starting now. We'll use a variety of new and creative tactics to reach millions of people at their homes and through the media, to build the broad, national momentum for change that it will take to sweep aside our opposition," MoveOn.org detailed.

Targeting "conservative incumbents [who] are vulnerable," MoveOn.org says it will "publicly hold them accountable for every vote they cast against the public interest."

MoveOn.org said their vision to take back Congress in 2006 was borne out of the "thousands of e-mails and conversations with MoveOn members, both online and at house parties and in-person gatherings."

"You told us to focus on key issues like Social Security, election reform, and energy policy. And we will, with a combination of high-profile, coordinated national grassroots actions and constituent pressure in targeted swing districts," MoveOn.org promised.

Making this their "national message" for the 2006 campaign, MoveOn.org said it was confident they will "stop the Republican agenda, win at the ballot box, and put the country on a progressive path."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ha! You Wish! With your anti-Bush demonstrations yesterday at his 2nd Inaugural you have proven yourselves to be absolute MANIACS whom no one wants anything to do with!
With the exception of the Lunatics that support your Idiotic agenda.
People are seeing through you, and realize you people are CRAZY! And that is not the party they remember or support! You weirdos come to my door and you will be meet with a shotgun! Us Midwest and Southern states dont want a damn thing to do with you fools.
Our President couldnt even have 1 Inauguration in Peace!
I wish someone would pass a law that for one day, "Inaugural Day" NO PROTESTORS on Inauguration Day, No Matter WHO is getting sworn in as President, Republican or Democrat (God Forbid).
Why dont you people do as your name says, and MOVE ON!!!!!!!

January 20, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Inauguration Day

It's Your day Mr. President. And you wear it well.
Dont pay any attention to any of the nay sayers about how much this costs and crap like that, they never mentioned how much it cost for Clinton's second Inaugural when we had troops in Kosovo.
Our President throught history has been the closest thing to Royalty we can get in this Country.
I'm sure the Gipper is looking down with a big grin on his face. You have done the Gipper proud!!!!!
Go get em President Bush!!!

January 19, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Are Liberals Destroying The Democratic Party

Are Liberals Destroying the Democratic Party?
By Joe Mariani

Frustrated and unhappy at losing yet another election, and angry about losing power in general, Liberals are now trying to convince America that President Bush should not hold an inauguration celebration while the country is at war and South Asia is recovering from a tsunami. The funny thing about Liberals is, they always manage to sink just a little bit lower than anyone expects. They're back to pretending to care about the troops, as some Liberals are suggesting that Bush appropriate the $40 million that private donors have given to fund the various inaugural activities and spend it on military equipment. This marks one of the few times in history that Liberals have advocated an increase in military spending, which makes it an indication of how much they really hate President Bush. Others believe Bush should take the money and spend it on tsunami relief efforts, which are already being heavily funded by the same private donors who contributed to the inaugural events. (Most Hollywood Liberals, for instance, instead of giving their own money to tsunami relief as Sandra Bullock has done, are simply putting on a show to convince you to give more of your money.) I don't remember them -- or anyone -- arguing that Bill Clinton should cancel his 1996 inauguration because of the violent conflict in the Balkans or the terrible genocide in Rwanda, in which 800,000 were murdered while the UN and the US did nothing. The Liberal arguments against holding an inauguration have nothing to do with war and disaster, however. It's just a symptom of a larger illness. President Bush is not under attack because he's having an inauguration during a war. He's being attacked solely because Liberals hate the man personally, along with everything he stands for. For crying out loud, even the anarchists are organising against him -- now THAT'S a serious animosity!

Democrats have a choice to make. How much longer will they continue to allow these frustrated, angry children to speak on their behalf? Where are the Democrats who love this country, celebrate its achievements, honor its traditions, support its troops and realise that the best defense is a strong offense? Where are the Democrats to whom "morality" is not a dirty word? Where are those who believe that our laws must be made by elected officials and comply with the Constitution, not subject to change at will by activist judges relying on foreign laws or public opinion? Don't think that it hasn't already happened -- in Lawrence v. Texas, Justice Kennedy cited a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the decision to overturn a Texas sodomy case. In Atkins v. Virginia,which struck down laws regarding death sentences for the mentally retarded, Justice Stevens claimed his decision was based on "a national consensus" which he felt had developed. That's the sort of thing that has been causing the Democrats to lose power, and rightly so.

Democrats as led by Liberals are dissolving into a party of the shrill minority, an obstructionist party with shrinking power to obstruct. Real Democrats like Senators Joe Lieberman and Zell Miller are shoved aside by the radicals, to the point where Zell Miller spoke at the 2004 Republican National Convention instead of addressing the Democrats, as he did in 1992. If the true Democrats don't take back their party now, the 2006 election may see the Republicans with a bulletproof majority in the Senate. It only takes 60 votes in the Senate to defeat any filibuster, and the Republicans currently have 55 seats. 17 Democratic Senators are up for re-election in 2006 (as well as 15 Republicans and 1 Independent). Five of those Democratic Senate seats are from states that voted for Bush in the 2004 election -- Florida (Bill Nelson), Nebraska (Ben Nelson), New Mexico (Jeff Bingaman), North Dakota (Kent Conrad) and West Virginia (Bobby "Sheets" Byrd). It doesn't require a great stretch of the imagination to see how easily the Democrats could be marginalised for decades to come. The ability to block any Senate bill from coming to a vote is their last real power, and unless the Liberals running the party into the ground are stopped, it's likely they will lose even that. Of course, given the way they've abused the privilege, using the filibuster to block judicial nominations from coming to a vote instead of blocking bills, perhaps that wouldn't be a bad thing.

When most Americans think about Democrats, they think of gay "marriage," high taxes, peace at any cost, antipathy to religion, government control and nanny-state politics including welfare expansion and socialised medicine. The Democrats are seen as anti-gun, anti-industry, anti-military, anti-free trade, anti-capitalism, and anti-American sovereignty. Democrats are viewed as the party undermining public support for the war on terror, a war that most Americans understand we must fight and win. There's a reason for this, and it's not some vast right-wing conspiracy. Those are the policies of the Liberals who speak for the Democrats in every public forum. If you're a Democrat, and those policies don't sound like your views, then you'd better take your party back from the Liberals before it's too late. That doesn't mean allowing your leaders to pander to the center, pretending to be more conservative than they really are, as John Kerry did (though too late for the 2004 election) and Hillary Clinton will spend the next four years doing. You need to stand behind leaders who really DO represent your views.

It would be a shame to see America become a one-party political system, but that would still be better than allowing Liberals to take charge. As the last decade's worth of election results show, a majority of Americans agree with that.

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

For Senators Biden, Kerry, And Boxer and for that matter Newbie, Obama

You have shamed your party once again!
Well you are new Obama but I'm sure you will be taught well by Kerry, Kennedy,Biden, and Boxer how to put your party firmy on the back burner of what this country wants and is looking for.
It was pretty much no surprise after hearing the INCOMPETANT senator from California Barbara Boxer, and the INCOMPETANT Senator from MA (Kerry) that those 2 would not confirm Condi Rices nomination.
As a matter of fact last night I had a bet going with a few of my friends as to which ones we all thought would probably not nominate her. I picked Kerry and Boxer, I won, and you know who you are that lost and I do believe you owe me 100.00
APIECE lol.
But the point of this matter is: You all Liberal Senators are still showing the Country and the World for that matter how you are just sore losers, still attacking every polocy of Our President, and his cabinet, and no matter if you want to be saved from another attack on this country they will wind up saving your asses from terrorism wether you like it or not.
I sure wish some of you Liberals would participate in helping to save your asses from another attack, but instead you just continue to attack the one that is trying to save your asses from another attack Our President!
But hey keep up the good work! The entire Country except the pinheads that cant let go see right through you.

That is why YOU LIBERALS will continue to LOSE and lose BIG!
You cant let it go so when life isnt going YOUR way I am going to suggest something to you:

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Dems Resist White House Call For Bipartisanship

Dems Resist White House Call For Bipartisanship
January 19, 2005

WASHINGTON (Talon News) -- Ever since he was reelected in November, President Bush has been talking about reaching across the aisle to enlist Democrats to take on big issues. But Democrats appear to be more determined than ever to oppose the Republican chief executive who claims to have a mandate going into his second term.

The Washington Post recently reported that Democrats were "organizing for a year of confrontation and resistance, aimed at blocking the president's major initiatives." The most important of those is Social Security reform. Democrats are digging in their heels on the issue, denying that the retirement program is in trouble.

On Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told ABC's George Stephanopoulos, "Here's a crisis that doesn't exist ... we have no crisis. For the next 50 years, people on Social Security, if we do nothing, will draw a hundred percent of their benefits. Even after the 50 years, if we decide to do nothing, congressionally they can still draw 80% of their benefits. That's not a crisis."

Reid went on to list other problems that he considered to be more pressing, saying, "But we have so many real crisis in America today, real crisis, 45 million Americans have no health care. Is that a crisis? I think so. Our public education system is teetering on the brink of real despair as a result of leave no child behind act not being taken care of. Those are two crises that I see. Let's take care of those, let's take care of the staggering debt we have, that is a crisis. Social Security is not a crisis."

Reid was emphatic about the Democrats' position, saying, "We're not going to be part of a scheme to destroy the most successful social program in the history of the world, Social Security."

Democratic opposition to any changes to Social Security has produced a turnaround in the media's presentation of the issue.

Washington Post columnist Harold Meyerson recently wrote about Bush, "To attain goals that he has set for himself before he took office -- the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, the privatization of Social Security -- he concocted crises where there were none."

But in 1998, when President Bill Clinton was talking about the importance of "saving Social Security first," another Washington Post columnist David Broder wrote about the "financial crisis" being faced by Medicare and Social Security.

The debate so far has been sidetracked by semantics.

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told Talon News, "We can debate the word 'crisis,' but the reality is Social Security faces fundamental structural problems. And they only get worse over time."

Reid also indicated that his leadership of the smaller, but still filibuster-capable, Senate minority would be every bit as contentious as that of his deposed predecessor, Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD). Voters fired the South Dakota Democrat in November and believed he was responsible for obstruction of the Bush agenda while presiding over the caucus.

Reid said that Bush should approach the minority with some degree of "humility" if he wanted to get them to cooperate. But he suggested that Bush had gotten off on the wrong foot by renominating 10 judges that Democrats filibustered during the last session.

Despite Reid's recalcitrance, the White House said that it still expects Democrats to get on board with the President's major policy initiatives. McClellan pointed out that Bush had accomplished many big things during his first term with bipartisan support, including tax cuts, the No Child Left Behind Act and a prescription drug benefit for Medicare.

McClellan intimated that Bush would be talking about the importance of coming together to work on big things in his inaugural address. He said that the president would focus on the obligation to lead in confronting challenges now -- instead of passing them to future generations.

Last week, McClellan claimed that the 2004 election provided a mandate to move forward with Social Security reform, saying, "Both candidates presented their views on the issue. One candidate was saying that there's not a problem, ... the other candidate (Bush) said, this is a growing problem ... we need to act now. And he won, running on that position."

McClellan told Talon News, "Now, the president wants to work closely with members of Congress to move forward on that agenda. It would be very unfortunate if there are Democratic leaders who simply want to block and obstruct the agenda."

President Bush warned those Democrats during a conference on Social Security, "I happen to believe people who have been elected to office who ignore problems will face the price at the ballot box."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reaching across party lines for Bush is already OVER almost before it has begun.
The Liberals have proven thier incompetance, and unwillingness to reach across to our President no matter what he does.
Someday the Liberals are going to want a bill passed in the next 4 years, Senator Kerry bitched that "President Bush hasnt Veto'd 1 bill that has been sent to his desk" (Said on Kerry's losing campain bid for the White House in one of his boring speeches to the American public)
Well look out Kerry, and Boxer, you may get what you asked for.
President Bush WILL use his VETO power on anything the Liberals want passed in the next 4 years due to the lack of respect, and common decency you have been showing his nominees.
You guys want harball from our President? You got it.
It's VETO time for you Liberal Jackasses.

January 14, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Dirty Harry Slams Michael Moore

Clint Eastwood: I'll Kill Michael Moore

'Dirty Harry' actor Clint Eastwood says if Michael Moore ever shows up at his door with a camera, he will kill the controversial movie director.

Eastwood stunned a New York filmmaking audience with his comments, the New York Daily News' Lloyd Grove reported today in his must-read column.

"Michael Moore and I actually have a lot in common - we both appreciate living in a country where there's free expression," Eastwood was quoted as telling the National Board of Review awards dinner in New York Tuesday night.

With a cold glare Eastwood took notice of Moore sitting in the audience and said bluntly and without a smile: "But, Michael, if you ever show up at my front door with a camera - I'll kill you."

The Daily News reports the audience erupted in laughter, and Eastwood grinned. "I mean it," Eastwood said again.

One of the few Republicans in Hollywood, Eastwood had once served as Mayor of Carmel, Calif.

Eastwood made his comments while accepting the Special Filmmaking Achievement prize for "Million Dollar Baby."

Moore was said to be in the rear of the audience when Eastwood made his biting remarks.

Moore also won the group's "Freedom of Expression" award for his Bush-bashing "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Apparently, Moore has not taken kindly to death threats in the past.

The News notes that last year "Moore was outraged when CNN anchor Bill Hemmer suggested during an interview that some folks might want to see him dead."

"Can you think of any other interview in the history of television where a politician or a movie director was asked about people wanting to see him dead?" Moore was quoted as saying.

Moore may have lightened up a bit. His agent told the News: "Michael laughed along with everyone else, and took Mr. Eastwood's comments in the lighthearted spirit in which they were given."

Still, we hope Michael Moore won't put Eastwood to the test and show up at his door with a camera.

"Go ahead, punk, make my day."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The truth is coming out Mickey!
Everyone knows you are just a crackpot!!!!

Newsmax.com has this one

January 12, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Heads Roll At CBS But The Main Chicken Stays

Dan Rather: 'I have read the report, I take it seriously, and I shall keep its lessons well in mind.'
Tue Jan 11 2005 14:56:11 ET
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 People get fired over "Memogate" and Dan Rather gets to stay?
Why?
Half the staff at CBS should have gone. ESPECIALLY Dan Rather
Were they not the lead source for "Abu Garaib"? And arent they the ones who keep pounding it in our heads how the detainees in Iraq that took up Arms against, and intended to kill our Soldiers got tortured? (If you call that torture) Yet drop the entire story of 3000 of our people that died on 9-11!
And are they not the ones who tried to play on our sympathies by showing Flag Drapped Coffins of our Fallen that had been killing terrorists so they could be free to broadcast thier nightly news discracing those Soldiers memories?
Are they not the ones who insisted the infamous "Memo" slandering, and lieing about our President was oh so true? Hoping they could change peoples minds and not re-elect our President?
I just hope the 4 people that got fired spill the beans on all the rest of the CBS corrupt news channels employees that DID know those Documents/Memos etc. were a fraud. I hope they name names and people are actually brought up on charges. Whether President Bush wants to do anything about this or not.
I wouldnt be the least bit surprised if Dan Rather forged those documents himself. Either way I hope he pays.

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

These Folks Need Slapped

A very sad e-mail:

Subject: Marine refused service at local store

Thought I would pass this along.

On December 19th, 2004, my brother Jason F. Young Lance Corporal in the United States Marines was refused service at a convenience store named One Stop Grocery and Grill at 2001 8th Ave. in downtown Fort Worth, Texas.

He was refused service because he is a Marine.

He went in to the store and asked the clerk (a man of middle eastern descent) for a can of tobacco, at which point the clerk asked him if he was in the military. (He had on a USMC shirt) After my brother replied, "yes sir" the man said nothing to him and looked at the other middle eastern man in the back of the store. Then both men proceeded to go in to the storeroom and did not come out. My brother yelled back to them a time or two and they did not respond.

Jason waited a few minutes and finally left the store.

I am very proud of the way that my brother reacted to the situation. I can honestly say if it had been me I would have cleared their counter and taken my can of tobacco. It is not fair that these people come into our country and enjoy the freedoms that my brother and so many others have fought for. They do not respect our service men and women who have died for them to be able to be here. They do not respect our country, and personally I think they need to go back to where they came from.

My main point in writing this is to get the word out about this particular store and discourage people from shopping there. If they can't respect or even sell to the people that are responsible for the rights they have, then they don't deserve to be in business.

Please email this to everyone you know to discourage them from shopping at this store.

Heather M. Dowell
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I guess I would land my butt in jail over this kind of crap.
If I ever see a Soldier treated in this manner I would take matters into my hands and probably wind up in jail over it, and it would be worth it.
These Soldiers fight and die for our rights to even post on a blog in Freedom and they get treated like this?
Not in front of me they wont!!!!!

January 11, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

What A Great Choice



Now That would be my pick to head up the DNC.
Drudge has this one.

January 10, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Moving Tribute To Our Soldiers

http://www.clermontyellow.accountsupport.com/flash/UntilThen.swf
--------------------------------------------------------------
Or click the Title Of this Blog

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

This Will Make You Sick

I recieved this in an e-mail:
It makes me sick what she has done, and I never knew about this. She shouldnt be elected, nominated or talked about as a woman of anything but Treason.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A TRAITOR IS ABOUT TO BE HONORED KEEP THIS MOVING ACROSS AMERICA

This is for all the kids born in the 70's who do not remember, and didn't have to bear the burden that our fathers, mothers and older
brothers and sisters had to bear.

Jane Fonda is being honored as one of the "100 Women of the Century."

Unfortunately, many have forgotten and still countless others have never known how Ms. Fonda betrayed not only the idea of our country, but specific men who served and sacrificed
during Vietnam.

The first part of this is from an F-4E pilot.

The pilot's name is Jerry Driscoll, a River Rat.

In 1968, the former Commandant of the USAF Survival School was a POW in Ho Lo Prison the "Hanoi Hilton."

Dragged from a stinking cesspit of a cell, cleaned, fed, and dressed in clean PJ's, he was ordered to describe for a visiting American
"Peace Activist" the "lenient and humane treatment" he'd received.

He spat at Ms. Fonda, was clubbed, and was dragged away.
During the subsequent beating, he fell forward on to the camp Commandant's feet, which sent that officer berserk.

In 1978, the Air Force Colonel still suffered from double vision (which permanently ended his flying career) from the commandant's frenzied application of a wooden baton.

From 1963-65, Col. Larry Carrigan was in the 47FW/DO (F-4E's). He spent 6 years in the "Hanoi Hilton," the first three of which his family only knew he was "missing in action." His wife lived on faith that he was still alive. His group, too, got the cleaned-up, fed and clothed routine in preparation for a "peace delegation" visit.
They, however, had time and devised a plan to get word to the world that they were alive and still survived. Each man secreted a tiny
piece of paper, with his Social Security Number on it, in the palm of his hand.

When paraded before Ms. Fonda and a cameraman, she walked the line, shaking each man's hand and asking little encouraging
snippets like: "Aren't you sorry you bombed babies?" and "Are you grateful for the humane treatment from your benevolent captors?"
Believing this HAD to be an act, they each palmed her their sliver of paper. She took them all without missing a beat. At the end of the line and once the camera stopped rolling, to the shocked disbelief of the POWs, she turned to the officer in charge and handed him all the little pieces of paper.

Three men died from the subsequent beatings.
Colonel Carrigan was almost number four but he survived, which is the only reason we know of her actions that day.

I was a civilian economic development advisor in Vietnam, and was captured by the North Vietnamese communists in South Vietnam in
1968, and held prisoner for over 5 years.

I spent 27 months in solitary confinement; one year in a cage in Cambodia; and one year in a "black box" in Hanoi. My North Vietnamese captors deliberately poisoned and murdered a female missionary, a nurse in a leprosarium in Ban me Thuot, South
Vietnam, whom I buried in the jungle near the Cambodian border.
At one time, I weighed only about 90 lbs. (My normal weight is 170 lbs.)

We were Jane Fonda's "war criminals."

When Jane Fonda was in Hanoi, I was asked by the camp communist political officer if I would be willing to meet with her.

I said yes, for I wanted to tell her about the real treatment we POWs received ... and how different it was from the treatment purported by the North Vietnamese, and parroted by her as "humane and lenient."

Because of this, I spent three days on a rocky floor on my knees, with my arms outstretched with a large steel weights placed on my hands, and beaten wi th a bamboo cane.

I had the opportunity to meet with Jane Fonda soon after I was released. I asked her if she would be willing to debate me on TV.
She never did answer me.

These first-hand experiences do not exemplify someone who should be honored as part of "100 Years of Great Women."
Lest we forget..." 100 Years of Great Women" should never include a traitor whose hands are covered with the blood of so many patriots.

There are few things I have strong visceral reactions to, but Hanoi Jane's participation in blatant treason, is one of them.
Please take the time to forward to as many people as you possibly can. It will eventually end up on her computer and she needs to know that we will never forget.

RONALD D. SAMPSON, CMSgt, USAF
716 Maintenance Squadron, Chief of
Maintenance
DSN: 875-6431
COMM: 883-6343

PLEASE HELP BY SENDING THIS TO EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK. IF ENOUGH PEOPLE SEE THIS MAYBE HER STATUS WILL CHANGE.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel Free to send this to everyone.
Hanoi Jane should live with what she has done forever.

January 07, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Just When You Thought It Was Over

To The Left:
What you pulled yesterday with the counting of the electoral votes has got to be the most Stupid, Idiotic thing I have ever seen.
Do you really want to be known as the "Whining Jackasses"?
You really do need help.
If you are going to continue to let Michael Moore lead you around with a leash like little puppy dogs you need more help than maybe any medical plan can cover.
And NO we arent paying for the treatment you people so badly need.
You people really remind me of followers of a Jim Jones cult, they are right when they call you Kool-Aid drinkers!!!
And you people will probably give ol Mickey his little Acadamy award because you are being led like blind men into the mouth of the volcano.
We will never be able to reach you people no matter how hard we try to reach across party lines. And quite frankly I'm tired of trying already.
I was feeling bad for you guys a little. But not anymore. You continuously let nutjobs like Michael Moore lead you into the depths of hell you brought this all on yourselves.
Oh, but what am I saying? (NM) Keep up the good work!!!!!!!
Feel Free To Whine!! I expect it.

January 05, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

To Slow? To Stingy? I THINK NOT!!!

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, – The top U.S. commander in the
Pacific described his
command's response to the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster to
reporters at the Pentagon
today and praised the work of servicemembers involved in
the relief effort.

Navy Adm. Thomas Fargo, head of U.S. Pacific Command, said
PACOM began planning
its relief efforts within 24 hours of the catastrophe. By
Dec. 27, he said,
command officials were communicating with ambassadors and
senior military
leaders in the countries most affected. The goal, the
admiral told reporters,
was to understand how U.S. military resources could be best
used to assist the
countries.

"We see our job as one of assistance," Fargo said. "We are
in support to the
host nation who is responsible for its citizens."

From experience in disaster relief, Fargo said, the command
knew the immediate
needs would be drinking water, shelter, food and medical
support. That
experience, he added, also taught officials the value of
helicopters in the
aftermath of natural disasters that obliterate roads and
scatter debris.

About 45 helicopters are deployed to the region now, with
about that many more
on the way, Fargo said. These will join the mix of those
from the USS Lincoln
and the USS Bonhomme Richard as well as foreign aircraft
supporting the
disaster relief mission.

Joint Task Force 536 -- now designated as a combined
support force – was set up
under the command of Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Rusty Blackman.
From that force,
damage assessment teams were deployed to Indonesia,
Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Those teams provided some immediate relief and reported the
scope of the
devastation, Fargo said.

The admiral added that sending the USNS Mercy, a Navy
hospital ship, is a
serious consideration. The ship is intended to treat trauma
cases, but the
admiral said the relief operation "may be an opportunity to
use the Mercy
creatively."

Fargo praised the efforts of those assisting in relief
operations. "We should
all be proud of our servicemembers as well as the other
government and
(nongovernmental organizations), all of whom are responding
quickly, with great
energy and compassion," Fargo said. "They are putting an
extraordinary
humanitarian face on a particularly large undertaking."

The admiral promised the best possible effort in an
endeavor that will take
time to accomplish. "Over the next days, weeks and months,
we will push forward
to provide aid and comfort, responding with a team of
dedicated countries and
organizations," he said. "And we will continuously improve
our efforts as we go".

January 04, 2005

Feed Shark Turbo Tagger

Belated:

Belated: Happy New Year!!!
I hope those that have the Flu have a full and speedy recovery!
Blah, this stuff is nasty.

RepublicanGOP.com The Ring of Republican Websites
Ring Owner: Republicans Site: republicangop.com/ - The Ring of Republican Websites
Free Site Ring from Bravenet Free Site Ring from Bravenet Free Site Ring from Bravenet Free Site Ring from Bravenet Free Site Ring from Bravenet
Free Site Ring form Bravenet

Proud Member Of The Alliance

........In Memory Of President Ronald Wilson Reagan....................................................................In Memory Of President Ronald Wilson Reagan........


Click for Harbor City, California Forecast


Click for Carthage, Tennessee Forecast


Click for Dekalb, Illinois Forecast