Saddam the Swinger
Swing from the end of that rope you rat bastard! Saturday, December 30, 2006
Saddam defiant up until the end.
Saddam is "in the garbage of history"
Saddam Hussein put up a brief struggle as American military guards handed him over to Iraqi executioners and in one final moment of defiance, refused to have a hood pulled over his head before facing the same fate he inflicted on countless thousands during a quarter-century of ruthless power.
"Now, he is in the garbage of history," said Jawad Abdul-Aziz, who lost his father, three brothers and 22 cousins in the reprisal killings that followed a botched 1982 assassination attempt against Saddam in the Shiite town of Dujail.
The Iraqi nightmare of the "Butcher of Baghdad" is finally over...
official videographer to Execution says Saddam was Afraid. No desicion on release of execution tape.
Ali Al Massedy, witness and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's official videographer, was responsible for filming the late dictator's execution. He was 3 feet away from Saddam when he died and says he saw fear and that Saddam was afraid.
The execution was video taped and handed over to Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki's chief of staff. The video is considered top secret and it has not been decided if it will be released for public viewing.
Be patient, I predict it will be widely available by Monday..
The execution was video taped and handed over to Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki's chief of staff. The video is considered top secret and it has not been decided if it will be released for public viewing.
Be patient, I predict it will be widely available by Monday..
Iraqis dance as Saddam swings
The violence and the fighting in Iraq is far from being over and the hanging of Saddam will probably have little or no effect on the overall situation in Iraq, but the streets in Iraq did not erupt into violence as many so-called experts predicted would happen when Sadaam was executed..
Saddam's Atrocities Exposed On Video. Veiw At Your Own Risk!!!!
Back in January of 2006 during the trial of Saddam Hussein the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies posted 4 videos of actual torture and murder that took place under Saddam Hussein’s regime.
FDD President Cliff May noted: “Television news, understandably, will not broadcast such videos. But they are, nevertheless, an important record of Saddam Hussein’s crimes against humanity that should be available to the public as his trial resumes.”
Now before I give you the link to these videos I must warn you. This material is extremely shocking and graphic in nature. It should not be viewed by children or anyone who thinks that such images might be to disturbing to witness.
I for one, didn't learn my lesson from watching the Al Qaeda beheading videos and I am now left with the same disgusting sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that I felt then. The images will bother me for days as the former images of torture from before did.
The video is broken down into 4 chapters.
Chapter 1 has footage of cane beatings, and people being thrown off of buildings.
Chapter 2 is where it starts to get bad. It contains footage of limb amputations and cutting off toungues.
Chapter 3 has footage of executions. Everything from blowing people up to a beheading.
Chapter 4 is a video of the nerve gas victims in Northern Iraq from 1985.
Folks, if there was any doubt that we were wrong for invading Iraq, taking this mad man out of power, and allowing the Iraqis to put him on trial and execute him, it has been completely erased from my mind. After veiwing this video, I beleive Iraq not to be just a mission of national security and fighting terrorists but also a humanitarian mission.
The world should be ashamed for letting atrocities go on like this without ever doing anything about it. People who think that Iraqis had it better under Saddam Hussein than they do now should take note: at this video that has been released that shows some of Saddam's atrocities. I warn you again, it is not pretty.
FDD President Cliff May noted: “Television news, understandably, will not broadcast such videos. But they are, nevertheless, an important record of Saddam Hussein’s crimes against humanity that should be available to the public as his trial resumes.”
Now before I give you the link to these videos I must warn you. This material is extremely shocking and graphic in nature. It should not be viewed by children or anyone who thinks that such images might be to disturbing to witness.
I for one, didn't learn my lesson from watching the Al Qaeda beheading videos and I am now left with the same disgusting sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that I felt then. The images will bother me for days as the former images of torture from before did.
The video is broken down into 4 chapters.
Chapter 1 has footage of cane beatings, and people being thrown off of buildings.
Chapter 2 is where it starts to get bad. It contains footage of limb amputations and cutting off toungues.
Chapter 3 has footage of executions. Everything from blowing people up to a beheading.
Chapter 4 is a video of the nerve gas victims in Northern Iraq from 1985.
Folks, if there was any doubt that we were wrong for invading Iraq, taking this mad man out of power, and allowing the Iraqis to put him on trial and execute him, it has been completely erased from my mind. After veiwing this video, I beleive Iraq not to be just a mission of national security and fighting terrorists but also a humanitarian mission.
The world should be ashamed for letting atrocities go on like this without ever doing anything about it. People who think that Iraqis had it better under Saddam Hussein than they do now should take note: at this video that has been released that shows some of Saddam's atrocities. I warn you again, it is not pretty.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Saddam scheduled to hang tonight!
It is now official Saddam will hang tonight and be sent to his eternal desert sand nap. The "Butcher of Baghdad" will hang at approximately 6 am Iraqi time or 10 pm EST.
It will be filmed for official use, but will not be released to the public... Yeah....any bets on how long it will be before we are all enjoying the satisfaction of watching Saddam dangle from a rope on you tube... I know I am looking forward to it.
I still think my idea of putting it on world wide pay-per-view was a good one...but it looks like we are running out of time... as is the murderous thug dictator Saddam.
and I am runnig out of time to plan my Saddam Hanging Party!!! The party begins at 10 pm tonight... as Toby Keith and Willie Nelson say: We will lift up our glasses against evil forces and give whiskey for my men and beer for my horses! Justice will be served.
Now, for all you folks out there that are thinking poor Saddam. The death penalty is wrong and torturous here is a thought.
Doesn't Saddam believe he will be getting his 72 virgins after he hangs? If that is the case it seems almost torturous not to hang him don't you think?
Anyways, I got to go get ready for the party! New Years Eve Weekend too...man those Iraqis sure know how to bring in the new year...
Thursday, December 28, 2006
MTCW: Pic of the Day
Not much humor here...I know...but I haven't been feeling all that chipper lately. John Edwards announces run for presidency.
Tomorrow Begins Today...Former Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards is running for president for a second time.The former North Carolina senator formally announced his candidacy Thursday from New Orleans' 9th Ward, which was hard hit by Hurricane Katrina.
I find it completely ironic that a Democrat would announce his candidacy for the presidency at the site of one of the biggest Democrat political failures in history? I'm speaking, of course, of the failure of Democrat Mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin and of Democrat Governor of Louisiana Kathleen Blanco to handle the Katrina disaster in anything relatively close to a responsible manner then passing the buck to the federal government and President George W. Bush.
I find it completely ironic that a Democrat would announce his candidacy for the presidency at the site of one of the biggest Democrat political failures in history? I'm speaking, of course, of the failure of Democrat Mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin and of Democrat Governor of Louisiana Kathleen Blanco to handle the Katrina disaster in anything relatively close to a responsible manner then passing the buck to the federal government and President George W. Bush.
Oh .. and Edward is also announcing in the home district of Congressman William Jefferson, the Democrat who is on his way to an indictment. What a great place for an announcement of a campaign, Senator Edwards!
Anyways the campaign slogan is "Tomorrow begins today." Whatever the hell that means…I suppose that is better than “Hope is on the way.”"This campaign is about changing America," the Web site read, listing five priorities that fit with Edwards' message of economic equality: "Providing universal health care for all Americans," "Rebuilding America's middle class and eliminating poverty," and "Creating tax fairness by rewarding work, not just wealth."
So, I got a question for John Edwards: How do you eliminate poverty? The only way you can eliminate poverty is to eliminate wealth in a complete socialistic system where everybody has the same amount of everything…a task that has been tried and failed to work…it was called Communism.
Pope asked to let Muslims pray in cathedral
A group of Muslims from Spain has asked Pope Benedict XVI for permission to pray alongside Christians in the former Great Mosque of Córdoba that was turned into a cathedral in the 13th century.
In a letter sent on Christmas Day to the Pope's ambassador in Spain, the Spanish Islamic Board requested that the world heritage site be opened for prayer by all religions as a model of tolerance and a way to foster inter-faith dialogue.
Have you ever noticed that it is always all of the other religions other than Islam in the world who has to be tolerant and accept inter-faith dialogue?
Do you suppose the Muslims would open the doors to former St. Sophia in Constantinople for prayer by all religions as a model of tolerance and a way to foster inter-faith dialogue?
Afterall the orignal state of St. Sophia was a Christian cathedral to the glory of the one true God.
In a letter sent on Christmas Day to the Pope's ambassador in Spain, the Spanish Islamic Board requested that the world heritage site be opened for prayer by all religions as a model of tolerance and a way to foster inter-faith dialogue.
Have you ever noticed that it is always all of the other religions other than Islam in the world who has to be tolerant and accept inter-faith dialogue?
Do you suppose the Muslims would open the doors to former St. Sophia in Constantinople for prayer by all religions as a model of tolerance and a way to foster inter-faith dialogue?
Afterall the orignal state of St. Sophia was a Christian cathedral to the glory of the one true God.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
MTCW Pic of the Day
Former President Gerald Ford, dead at 93.Former President Gerald Ford died yesterday at his desert home in Rancho Mirage, California at the age of 93 this morning.
Ford took over Nixon’s presidency after Nixon resigned in disgrace due to the Watergate scandal. Ford later made a controversial desicion to pardoned Nixon.
The desicion to Pardon Nixon would hang over the remainder of his presidency and many wonder the age old question: Should Ford have pardoned Nixon?
Right or wrong, I believe it took a lot of courage for Ford to pardon Nixon, knowing it would end his political career, but the alternative would be to paralyze the government with a trial that would have only grew the divisions in our country at the time. Ford was one of the last real leaders, who could put the Country before his own political career.
Lots of bloggers paying tribute to Ford today can be found here.
My thoughts and prayers are with the Ford family today.
RIP, Mr. President.
THIS IS A MUST READ!!! Iraq's Economical Success.
Almost everyone is in agreement that we are not winning in Iraq. Everyone except Kevin McCullough. He says we are winning in Iraq and that it is because of Iraq's economical progress.
McCullough says that the United States is excited about our 4 percent GDP (Goss Domestic Product) but compare that to Iraq's GDP growth of 13% in 2006.
He also says salaries of average Iraqis have risen in excess of 100 percent. In addition, the Iraqi government has slashed the income tax rates from 45 percent to just around 15 percent.
And gasoline is only 56 cents a gallon!!! and could be lower but Iraq is using some energy profits to pay off debt. There is more but you will have to read it here.
McCullough says that the United States is excited about our 4 percent GDP (Goss Domestic Product) but compare that to Iraq's GDP growth of 13% in 2006.
He also says salaries of average Iraqis have risen in excess of 100 percent. In addition, the Iraqi government has slashed the income tax rates from 45 percent to just around 15 percent.
And gasoline is only 56 cents a gallon!!! and could be lower but Iraq is using some energy profits to pay off debt. There is more but you will have to read it here.
Hundreds of Iraqis Apply to be Hangman
Hundreds of Iraqis have inquired about the hangman's job. The adviser, Bassam al-Husseiny, told the US network ABC News that he received about eight to 10 phone calls a day -- and 20 to 30 e-mails -- by Iraqis who wanted to execute Saddam. The candidates came from all three of the country's major religions and from all walks of life, he said -- from high-level government officials to "the tea boy."
Now, that is what I call comming together... people from all three major reeligions... I just want to know if we can televise it. I still think it would be a great idea to put it on world wide pay-per-view at $100.00 a pop all proceeds going to the reconstruction effort...
I know... too pick the hangman they could have a gameshow leading up to the televised pay-per-view event of the century!
Now, that is what I call comming together... people from all three major reeligions... I just want to know if we can televise it. I still think it would be a great idea to put it on world wide pay-per-view at $100.00 a pop all proceeds going to the reconstruction effort...
I know... too pick the hangman they could have a gameshow leading up to the televised pay-per-view event of the century!
Country Boy's Suggested Reading...
Is universal health care truly on its way? God I hope not! David Limbaugh thinks it is....he says the unthinkable is now upon us. Get ready for socialized medicine, where the best policy is not to get sick, ever. It is on its way unless people realize the problem with the current health care system is a lack of free market pressures.
Does the majority of people even know what free markets mean anymore? Thanks to our failing government ran public school system probably not.
Does the majority of people even know what free markets mean anymore? Thanks to our failing government ran public school system probably not.
So now President Bush is calling for more troops in Iraq. Rowan Scarborough says it's because the generals on the ground and in the Joint Chiefs told him that is what is needed. Imagine that...listening to the generals that are actually fighting the war... What a hell of a concept!
I just hope there is a new strategy to go along with more troops.
I just hope there is a new strategy to go along with more troops.
Victor Davis Hanson takes a look at radical Islam around the world and says you'll find it in more places than you might expect. In country after country, extreme jihadist are striking fear into their victims. So is there anything that can be done about it? Hanson has some pretty good ideas.
Outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair says the world needs to wake up to Iran's extremism. Too bad nobody is waking up to it...and in fact, are tolerating it. Then again the UN Security council did pass sanctions against Iran. Maybe they are starting to come around…or not.
Larry Kudlow is speaking out in support of John McCain, who has been pushing the unpopular position that we need more troops in Iraq. He calls him "Senator Backbone."
It is no hidden fact that I have my disagreements with John McCain, but I am in complete agreement and have been for a while with McCain on the issue of more troops. I don't know if I would go as far to call him "Senator Backbone." Perhaps on this issue, but McCain has had problems making up his mind in the past on several other issues.
It is no hidden fact that I have my disagreements with John McCain, but I am in complete agreement and have been for a while with McCain on the issue of more troops. I don't know if I would go as far to call him "Senator Backbone." Perhaps on this issue, but McCain has had problems making up his mind in the past on several other issues.
Saudi Arabia says it will back the Sunnis in Iraq if the country collapses. Evidently King Abdullah read Dick Cheney something called the riot act during his recent trip there. You know, if it weren't for their oil and our money, the Saudis would be just another terrorist country and an enemy to the United states.
Frank Gaffney, who has no qualms with the war in Iraq, takes aim at James Baker and his Iraq Study Group report. He calls the recommendations a poisonous offering, and assails Baker's arrogance in presenting them.
Some U.S. Border Patrol agents who have been prosecuted for doing their jobs are going to ask President Bush for a pardon. One agent and his partner were sentenced to a combined 23 years for shooting a drug smuggler.
Oh yeah...thought you might like to know the illegal alien drug dealer got immunity and was released for testifying against the agents! What the hell!!!
Grassfire.org has an online petition calling on Bush to pardon the agents, with more than 130,000 signatures including mine.
Oh yeah...thought you might like to know the illegal alien drug dealer got immunity and was released for testifying against the agents! What the hell!!!
Grassfire.org has an online petition calling on Bush to pardon the agents, with more than 130,000 signatures including mine.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Hang'em High!
The Butcher of Baghdad will be no more. An Iraqi appeals court has rejected Saddam Hussein's appeal and upheld the death sentence imposed on Saddam Hussein at his first trial, and he will hang within 30 days.Saddam was convicted on November 5 for the murder of 148 Shiites and was sentenced to death.
You know we could learn a lot from the Iraqis on this issue. From verdict to hanging it is only going to take 4 months. How do we get that system in this country?
Some people wait on death row for 20, sometimes 25 years before they're executed in this country. Then we go through this lengthy process of lethal injection with witnesses and all that nonsense.
Anyways, I just got one suggestion here, and it is something that I have brought up before. How about televising Saddam's execution world wide on pay-per-view? That's right, I think they should put it on pay per view and take all the proceeds and use it to help pay for the war. I would pay $100.00 to watch the butcher of Baghdad dangle from a rope. C’mon…you know you would too, or am I the only sick twisted freak.
Ethiopia Bombs Mogadishu, Ethopian PM: We were "forced to enter a war" with Somalia's Council of Islamic Courts.
Ethiopian fighter jets bombed Somalia's main airport Monday, the first direct attack on the city that serves as the headquarters of an Islamic movement attempting to wrest power from the internationally recognized government.
So, you might be thinking: What does this mean to me??? Why should I care about what happens in Somalia and Ethiopia??? No concern of mine, right?
Well, it should be a concern, this is just a small part of a World War against Islamic Fascism. Rememebr the whole goal of islam is to put the whole world under islamic law. That is why this is important. read the rest of this story followed by some more of my comments.
"The Ethiopian government is bombing non-civilian targets in Somalia in order to disable and prevent the delivery of arms and supplies to the Islamic courts," said Bereket Simon, an adviser to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Ethiopia and the Somali government have long accused the Islamic council of recruiting foreign fighters into its ranks.
The Somali government started sealing its borders Monday in an attempt to keep foreigners from joining the Islamists. Residents living along Somalia's coast have seen hundreds of foreign Islamic fighters entering the country to answer calls by religious leaders to wage a holy war against largely Christian Ethiopia.
Ethiopia's prime minister said Sunday that his country was "forced to enter a war" with Somalia's Council of Islamic Courts.
Ethiopia supports Somalia's U.N.-backed government, which has been losing ground to the Islamists since June.
"Our defense force has been forced to enter a war to defend against the attacks from extremists and anti-Ethiopian forces and to protect the sovereignty of the land," Meles, the Ethiopian prime minister, said in a television address Sunday night. "Our intention is to win this war as soon as possible."
Ethiopia dropped bombs on several towns held by the Council of Islamic Courts and its soldiers used artillery and tanks elsewhere.
You may not believe that we are in the first stages of World War but the Islamic Facist Terrorist believe that we are and they are 100% dedicated to there cause.
Look folks there are over 120 "hot wars" (wars with shots being fired) going on accrossed the globe today. In over 90% of them you have a defined Islamic force against a non-islamic force.
Isn't it time we realize the goals of islam? The world must unite and confront Islamic Fascism or we will all be living under Islamic law.
We really need to look at the whole picture of the war we are in and not just focus on Iraq and Afghanistan.
So, you might be thinking: What does this mean to me??? Why should I care about what happens in Somalia and Ethiopia??? No concern of mine, right?
Well, it should be a concern, this is just a small part of a World War against Islamic Fascism. Rememebr the whole goal of islam is to put the whole world under islamic law. That is why this is important. read the rest of this story followed by some more of my comments.
"The Ethiopian government is bombing non-civilian targets in Somalia in order to disable and prevent the delivery of arms and supplies to the Islamic courts," said Bereket Simon, an adviser to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Ethiopia and the Somali government have long accused the Islamic council of recruiting foreign fighters into its ranks.
The Somali government started sealing its borders Monday in an attempt to keep foreigners from joining the Islamists. Residents living along Somalia's coast have seen hundreds of foreign Islamic fighters entering the country to answer calls by religious leaders to wage a holy war against largely Christian Ethiopia.
Ethiopia's prime minister said Sunday that his country was "forced to enter a war" with Somalia's Council of Islamic Courts.
Ethiopia supports Somalia's U.N.-backed government, which has been losing ground to the Islamists since June.
"Our defense force has been forced to enter a war to defend against the attacks from extremists and anti-Ethiopian forces and to protect the sovereignty of the land," Meles, the Ethiopian prime minister, said in a television address Sunday night. "Our intention is to win this war as soon as possible."
Ethiopia dropped bombs on several towns held by the Council of Islamic Courts and its soldiers used artillery and tanks elsewhere.
You may not believe that we are in the first stages of World War but the Islamic Facist Terrorist believe that we are and they are 100% dedicated to there cause.
Look folks there are over 120 "hot wars" (wars with shots being fired) going on accrossed the globe today. In over 90% of them you have a defined Islamic force against a non-islamic force.
Isn't it time we realize the goals of islam? The world must unite and confront Islamic Fascism or we will all be living under Islamic law.
We really need to look at the whole picture of the war we are in and not just focus on Iraq and Afghanistan.
US Military meets and exceeds recruiting goals.
With the unpopularity of the war in Iraq, you would think that the military is having problems recruiting people. That is just not the case. Not only are the services meeting their recruiting goals, but they're exceeding them.
The Navy and Air Force met their recruiting goals last month while the Army and Marine Corps exceeded theirs. Perhaps there are enough people out there that realize we are in a struggle for our way of life.
Of course According to Democrats Charlie Rangel and John Kerry they are probably all poor and uneducated and have no choice but to join the military.
The Navy and Air Force met their recruiting goals last month while the Army and Marine Corps exceeded theirs. Perhaps there are enough people out there that realize we are in a struggle for our way of life.
Of course According to Democrats Charlie Rangel and John Kerry they are probably all poor and uneducated and have no choice but to join the military.
Who are the military recruits?
According to John Kerry, if you don't study hard, do well in school and go to college, you will get stuck in Iraq...So, Kerry must believe that the recruits are uneducated.
Charlie Rangel says the recruits are poorest of the poor, the underprivledged and that is why we need the draft, so that it is not just the poor fighting the war.
So, that leaves the question who are the troops???
The Heritage Foundation has answered that question in a report by Tim Kane entitled "Who Are the Recruits? The Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Military Enlistment, 2003-2005." You have the link, go and read the report for yourself.
According to the report a higher percentage of military recruits have graduated from high school than the general population. In 2004 82.7% of recruits were high school graduates while another 7.03% had their GEDs. The national high school graduation rate that year was 79.8%. Even today, in 2006, the high school graduation rate for recruits is still higher than the high school graduation rate for the civilian population.
Looks to me like the recruits are doing pretty well. You'll also find that "the Department of Defense reported that the mean reading level of 2004 recruits is a full grade level higher than that of the comparable youth population."
You will also find in the report that Charlie Rangel's arguement does not hold water either. As it turns out the poorest of the poor does not make up the majority of the military. The middle and upper middle class does.
Charlie Rangel says the recruits are poorest of the poor, the underprivledged and that is why we need the draft, so that it is not just the poor fighting the war.
So, that leaves the question who are the troops???
The Heritage Foundation has answered that question in a report by Tim Kane entitled "Who Are the Recruits? The Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Military Enlistment, 2003-2005." You have the link, go and read the report for yourself.
According to the report a higher percentage of military recruits have graduated from high school than the general population. In 2004 82.7% of recruits were high school graduates while another 7.03% had their GEDs. The national high school graduation rate that year was 79.8%. Even today, in 2006, the high school graduation rate for recruits is still higher than the high school graduation rate for the civilian population.
Looks to me like the recruits are doing pretty well. You'll also find that "the Department of Defense reported that the mean reading level of 2004 recruits is a full grade level higher than that of the comparable youth population."
You will also find in the report that Charlie Rangel's arguement does not hold water either. As it turns out the poorest of the poor does not make up the majority of the military. The middle and upper middle class does.
In fact, the poorest of the poor are declining to enlist faster than any other group. The income group of $0-$29,375 has had a decline in enlistment of over 5% a year since 2003. If Charlie Rangel had his way and enforced a draft there would actually be more of the poorest of the poor in the military. (Forced to be in the military I may add.)
The income group with the highest growing number of recruits since 2003 is the $52,071-$2000,001. Of course this is not shocking news to me. After all, I came from the high end of the middle of this bracket.
NC Gov. Easley going back on his word to NC taxpayers again.
In 2001, Governor Easley and state lawmakers agreed to increase the income tax and statewide sales tax for a “temporary” period of two years; however, the two “temporary” tax hikes were extended in 2003 and again in 2005. This year, leading up to November’s election, lawmakers voted to end the “temporary” tax hike, but now Governor Easley has said he is open to going back on his word and making the state sales tax hike permanent. The “temporary” tax hikes are set to expire on July 1, 2007 if the legislature does not act to make them permanent or extend them.
Governor Easley is just another Democrat that thinks he knows how to spend the money you earned better than you do...
Governor Easley is just another Democrat that thinks he knows how to spend the money you earned better than you do...
Monday, December 25, 2006
MTCW Pic of the Day
Merry Christmas from Iraq
Please remember to keep the soldiers deployed overseas in your prayers today. They will not be home for Christmas this year. God Bless them, their families, and the USA.Here is an excellent column from yestrdays Iowa Des Moines Register by John Carlson titled They won't be home for Christmas.
Country Boy's suggested reading asssignments for Christmas
Peter Worthington has wrote a column "Tis the season to be stressed" about some of his past Christmases. His dad really knew how to respond to a communist at his table! This is definately worth the read...highly entertaining.
Do you know who Che Guevara is? You know the person that is on those t-shirts that you see a lot of kids wearing... but who is he really??? I wonder if they know he was a communist socialist who ended up as a rebel commander for Fidel Castro terrorizing the people of cuba and executing christians in the 50's and 60's.
If they do know who he is, then why not bring out the Hitler and Stalin shirts?
Mary Anastasia O'Grady gives us a little history lesson of Che Guevara.
Maria Mercer tells us what the greatest gift of all is this Christmas. A heartwarming story of how a community comes together for a injured soldier and his family. A true example of the Holiday spirit.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
MTCW Pic of the Day
"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" -- which means, "God with us."
Matthew 1:23
Matthew 1:23
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you and your families from Country Boy Tony Spain. I would like to say thanks for all of your support and for coming to My Two Cents Worth and a special thanks to all of you who have passed this Blog on to other people. Thanks to you guys, I have readers from all corners of the planet. Way too cool! I appreciate that more than you know!!
I stand by my comments on Obama.
Well, it appears that I have struck a nerve with a whole lot of people with my reference to Barrak Obama in explaining why Hillary Clinton is going to be the next president and that Obama can’t beat her because he is inexperienced and has never ran a real campaign or been in a political fight.
Here are some of your responses:
Why the cheap shot at Obama? You didn't have to put that in there??? I doubt you know what you are talking about with Obama. How did he become a Senator without a real political fight or campaign?
And this one is my favorite and gave me a good laugh:
I hate you and your stupid blog. You [write] an article about Hillary Clinton and take a pot shot at a black rising star in the Democrat Party. Everyone knows what you said about him holds no factual evidence...I bet it is cause he is black! You wouldn't have done that if he was white! You are nothing but a conservative country boy racist.
I just love it when people who oppose my views call me a racist. I find a great deal of humor in it actually. The accusation could not be further from the truth. Those that know me best know I am not a racist and will tell you that there is not an ounce of hate in me. (Unless of course you are threatening my life)
I have no beef with Obama personally, for I have never met the man. I can tell you he is the Senator from my home state and I am very much aware of who he is politically and know his political career quite well. The only thing I was trying to point out is that Obama can’t beat Hillary.
The fact is that Obama is very, very inexperienced. He was elected to Illinois' state Senate in a district that is over 90% democrat, then won the Democratic U.S. Senate primary because his opponent was caught in a messy divorce scandal just as the campaign was peaking. Obama then won in the general election of '06 because months before the election the republican candidate dropped out of the race because of a marital scandal of his own. This making Obama's victory almost guaranteed.
Also, if you read Obama’s book "The Audacity of Hope," he confesses that in his Senate campaign "no candidate ran a negative TV ad about me." That is unheard of in today’s politics. That's as close as you will ever get to a political equivalent of virginity.
The bottom line is if Obama hopes to be a serious contender he is going to have to learn the bumps and curves in the road very quickly. His book is filled with irrelevant feel good fluff about his background, eloquent philosophizing on the state of our nation and its history, and a hopeful naiveté about the political process. But it lacks any substantive ideas, policy innovations or even any insightful analysis of public issues.
Unless he can step beyond such Oprah-level content, Hillary Clinton and the national press corps will eat him for breakfast.
Don’t get me wrong Obama could grow into the role of a national candidate, but don't count on it happening this election campaign.
Here are some of your responses:
Why the cheap shot at Obama? You didn't have to put that in there??? I doubt you know what you are talking about with Obama. How did he become a Senator without a real political fight or campaign?
And this one is my favorite and gave me a good laugh:
I hate you and your stupid blog. You [write] an article about Hillary Clinton and take a pot shot at a black rising star in the Democrat Party. Everyone knows what you said about him holds no factual evidence...I bet it is cause he is black! You wouldn't have done that if he was white! You are nothing but a conservative country boy racist.
I just love it when people who oppose my views call me a racist. I find a great deal of humor in it actually. The accusation could not be further from the truth. Those that know me best know I am not a racist and will tell you that there is not an ounce of hate in me. (Unless of course you are threatening my life)
I have no beef with Obama personally, for I have never met the man. I can tell you he is the Senator from my home state and I am very much aware of who he is politically and know his political career quite well. The only thing I was trying to point out is that Obama can’t beat Hillary.
The fact is that Obama is very, very inexperienced. He was elected to Illinois' state Senate in a district that is over 90% democrat, then won the Democratic U.S. Senate primary because his opponent was caught in a messy divorce scandal just as the campaign was peaking. Obama then won in the general election of '06 because months before the election the republican candidate dropped out of the race because of a marital scandal of his own. This making Obama's victory almost guaranteed.
Also, if you read Obama’s book "The Audacity of Hope," he confesses that in his Senate campaign "no candidate ran a negative TV ad about me." That is unheard of in today’s politics. That's as close as you will ever get to a political equivalent of virginity.
The bottom line is if Obama hopes to be a serious contender he is going to have to learn the bumps and curves in the road very quickly. His book is filled with irrelevant feel good fluff about his background, eloquent philosophizing on the state of our nation and its history, and a hopeful naiveté about the political process. But it lacks any substantive ideas, policy innovations or even any insightful analysis of public issues.
Unless he can step beyond such Oprah-level content, Hillary Clinton and the national press corps will eat him for breakfast.
Don’t get me wrong Obama could grow into the role of a national candidate, but don't count on it happening this election campaign.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
MTCW: Pic of the Day
MERRY CHRISTAS FROM DIXIEonly 2 shopping days left!
Get out there and Get R Done.
What happened to those classified document Sandy Berger stole?
How many remember the former National Security Adviser during the Clinton Administration Sandy "Paper in your Pants" Berger and the little stunt he pulled at the National Archives?
Well here is a little refresher in case you don’t remember. Back in 2003 Sandy “paper in your pants” Berger was at the National Archives in Washington DC reviewing some documents in preparation for his testimony to the 9/11 Commission Panel. During one of those visits employees at the National Archives witnessed Berger stuffing top secret classified documents into his pants and walking out.
So, what was Berger’s punishment for such an endeavor? Nothing, He did not even get a slap on the wrist. The story made national headlines for about three or for days and then was gone. We never heard about “Paper Gate” again.
But now we have more information. As it turns out Berger immediately hid classified documents under a construction trailer. According to the Inspector General's report, here's what Berger did when he left the National Archives:"He headed toward a construction area. Mr. Berger looked up and down the street, up into the windows of the Archives and the Department of Justice, and did not see anyone," says the report. “Berger then slid the documents under a construction trailer. He came back later to pick them up.” Parts of the report were censored to protect national security.
OK…now, I have some concerns about all of this.
First of all, these were top secret documents, where are the documents now? What did Berger do with the documents? Why has Berger never been charged with anything in this case?Second, where is the mainstream media on all of this? Do you think it would have been a 3 day story and died if it had been a republican? Of course not…if a Republican had done this...we would have never heard the end of it.
Finally, and my biggest concern...what exactly was Sandy Berger up to? What was he hiding? Why take such a huge risk to protect a former boss and administration that he was a part of? It must have been something pretty significant to go through all of that effort to hide something? Up to this point, we don't know.
What we do know is that Berger was in preparation to testify to the 9/11 commission panel on what the Clinton Administration did or did not know about any links between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda … and a lot of other things.
Does anyone know what was in those documents? There had to be a reason Sandy Berger was stealing top-secret documents. Unfortunately, we’ll probably never know.
Well here is a little refresher in case you don’t remember. Back in 2003 Sandy “paper in your pants” Berger was at the National Archives in Washington DC reviewing some documents in preparation for his testimony to the 9/11 Commission Panel. During one of those visits employees at the National Archives witnessed Berger stuffing top secret classified documents into his pants and walking out.
So, what was Berger’s punishment for such an endeavor? Nothing, He did not even get a slap on the wrist. The story made national headlines for about three or for days and then was gone. We never heard about “Paper Gate” again.
But now we have more information. As it turns out Berger immediately hid classified documents under a construction trailer. According to the Inspector General's report, here's what Berger did when he left the National Archives:"He headed toward a construction area. Mr. Berger looked up and down the street, up into the windows of the Archives and the Department of Justice, and did not see anyone," says the report. “Berger then slid the documents under a construction trailer. He came back later to pick them up.” Parts of the report were censored to protect national security.
OK…now, I have some concerns about all of this.
First of all, these were top secret documents, where are the documents now? What did Berger do with the documents? Why has Berger never been charged with anything in this case?Second, where is the mainstream media on all of this? Do you think it would have been a 3 day story and died if it had been a republican? Of course not…if a Republican had done this...we would have never heard the end of it.
Finally, and my biggest concern...what exactly was Sandy Berger up to? What was he hiding? Why take such a huge risk to protect a former boss and administration that he was a part of? It must have been something pretty significant to go through all of that effort to hide something? Up to this point, we don't know.
What we do know is that Berger was in preparation to testify to the 9/11 commission panel on what the Clinton Administration did or did not know about any links between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda … and a lot of other things.
Does anyone know what was in those documents? There had to be a reason Sandy Berger was stealing top-secret documents. Unfortunately, we’ll probably never know.
Congressman not apologizing for comments
Virginia Congressman Virgil Goode is really stirring the pudding over his recent comments in which he said more Muslims will be sworn into Congress unless immigration laws are changed. As you might imagine, the politically correct class in Washington is up in arms. But the best part is this: Virgil Goode refuses to retract his comments and will not apologize for what he said…well good!
I love this, here we have a politician, who finally has the backbone to flip the bird at the media and the Left in Washington. He said what he said, means it and if they don't like it, then that's their problem. CAIR is naturally wetting their pants over the whole thing, but Goode isn't budging…Priceless.
Could this be the first case of a politician actually saying something controversial, then not apologizing?We'll see how long he holds out.
I love this, here we have a politician, who finally has the backbone to flip the bird at the media and the Left in Washington. He said what he said, means it and if they don't like it, then that's their problem. CAIR is naturally wetting their pants over the whole thing, but Goode isn't budging…Priceless.
Could this be the first case of a politician actually saying something controversial, then not apologizing?We'll see how long he holds out.
Everybody is missing the point
So, Keith Ellison, the freshmen congressman from Minnesota and the first Muslim elected to the US Congress is causing all kinds of controversy, because he wants to put his hand on the Koran instead of the bible during his swearing in ceremony.
This is controversial? Sorry, I fail to see any controversy here.
First of all there is no official religion in the United States. There is no official book of the United States either. Who cares if Ellison puts his hands on the Quran during the swearing-in ceremony… What is that going to change? He's a Muslim. Get over it. Besides members of Congress are officially sworn in on the floor without a Bible, therefore Ellison could put his hand on a phone book while grabbing his manhood and say help me Allah or whatever.
Everybody is so caught up in him swearing in with the Koran that everyone is missing the point.
The issue here isn't how Keith Ellison is going to take his oath for a ceremonial picture, but rather how he's going to vote as a member of congress!
From what I've read from the Quran, it is the duty of every devout Muslim to bring Islamic law and teachings to the country in which he lives. Many of the leaders of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) have openly expressed their desire to see the United States under Islamic Law. It is part of their devotion to Islam.
Instead of asking Keith Ellison what he's going to place his hand on during a meaningless ceremony, how about asking him if he would like to see the U.S. under Islamic law?
Journalist should be asking one important question. The question is simple:
"Mr. Ellison. As a devout Muslim would you like to see the United States under Islamic law, and how would you reconcile that with your oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States?"
Of course this question will never be asked of Ellison, but if it was I will bet that you would not get a yes or no answer on that one.
This is controversial? Sorry, I fail to see any controversy here.
First of all there is no official religion in the United States. There is no official book of the United States either. Who cares if Ellison puts his hands on the Quran during the swearing-in ceremony… What is that going to change? He's a Muslim. Get over it. Besides members of Congress are officially sworn in on the floor without a Bible, therefore Ellison could put his hand on a phone book while grabbing his manhood and say help me Allah or whatever.
Everybody is so caught up in him swearing in with the Koran that everyone is missing the point.
The issue here isn't how Keith Ellison is going to take his oath for a ceremonial picture, but rather how he's going to vote as a member of congress!
From what I've read from the Quran, it is the duty of every devout Muslim to bring Islamic law and teachings to the country in which he lives. Many of the leaders of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) have openly expressed their desire to see the United States under Islamic Law. It is part of their devotion to Islam.
Instead of asking Keith Ellison what he's going to place his hand on during a meaningless ceremony, how about asking him if he would like to see the U.S. under Islamic law?
Journalist should be asking one important question. The question is simple:
"Mr. Ellison. As a devout Muslim would you like to see the United States under Islamic law, and how would you reconcile that with your oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States?"
Of course this question will never be asked of Ellison, but if it was I will bet that you would not get a yes or no answer on that one.
Friday, December 22, 2006
*BREAKING NEWS* Iran: We are a nuclear power Israel, US, Britain will vanish
Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahamdinejad, (golly I love copy and paste) has announced that Iran is a nuclear power.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is now a nuclear power, thanks to the hard work of the Iranian people and authorities," said Ahamdinejed.
The announcement of Iran as a "nuclear power" is bound to significantly escalate tensions between the West and Iran, and marks a dramatic stage in the Islamic Republic's nuclear campaign.
Ahmadinejad was also reported to have announced that "Iranian young scientists reached the zenith of science and technology and gained access to the nuclear fuel cycle without the help of big powers."
OK so Iran is a nuclear power, but this is the real scary part.
The Iranian news agency reported that, during his speech in western Iran, the Iranian president said that the US, Britain and Israel are doomed to disappear.
"The aggressive forces will vanish, while the Iranian people will survive – since all who chose God will survive and those who distance themselves from God vanish like Pharaoh," said Ahmadinejad in his speech.
"The US, Britain, and the Zionist regime will vanish since they have distanced themselves from God. This is a divine promise," he added.
These are the people that the Iraq Study Group says we are suppose to talk with. Are you kidding me!
It is perfectly clear that we will be fighting a war with Iran. The only question is: Is it going to be on our terms or theres? In other words are we going to wait until they hit us with a nuke or will we eliminate the threat. Oh, and just so you know we are already fighting Iranian terrorist in Iraq and Afghanistan. Isn't it time we look at the big picture for what it is in the "war on terror"
Whether you like it or not these bastards are going to fight us.
On Tuesday, Iran demanded that the UN Security Council condemn what it said was Israel 's clandestine development of nuclear weapons and "compel" it to place all its nuclear facilities under UN inspection.
If Israel refuses to comply, Iran said the council must take "resolute action" under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter which authorizes a range of measures from diplomatic and economic sanctions to military action.
It will be interesting to see how the UN responds to Iran.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is now a nuclear power, thanks to the hard work of the Iranian people and authorities," said Ahamdinejed.
The announcement of Iran as a "nuclear power" is bound to significantly escalate tensions between the West and Iran, and marks a dramatic stage in the Islamic Republic's nuclear campaign.
Ahmadinejad was also reported to have announced that "Iranian young scientists reached the zenith of science and technology and gained access to the nuclear fuel cycle without the help of big powers."
OK so Iran is a nuclear power, but this is the real scary part.
The Iranian news agency reported that, during his speech in western Iran, the Iranian president said that the US, Britain and Israel are doomed to disappear.
"The aggressive forces will vanish, while the Iranian people will survive – since all who chose God will survive and those who distance themselves from God vanish like Pharaoh," said Ahmadinejad in his speech.
"The US, Britain, and the Zionist regime will vanish since they have distanced themselves from God. This is a divine promise," he added.
These are the people that the Iraq Study Group says we are suppose to talk with. Are you kidding me!
It is perfectly clear that we will be fighting a war with Iran. The only question is: Is it going to be on our terms or theres? In other words are we going to wait until they hit us with a nuke or will we eliminate the threat. Oh, and just so you know we are already fighting Iranian terrorist in Iraq and Afghanistan. Isn't it time we look at the big picture for what it is in the "war on terror"
Whether you like it or not these bastards are going to fight us.
On Tuesday, Iran demanded that the UN Security Council condemn what it said was Israel 's clandestine development of nuclear weapons and "compel" it to place all its nuclear facilities under UN inspection.
If Israel refuses to comply, Iran said the council must take "resolute action" under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter which authorizes a range of measures from diplomatic and economic sanctions to military action.
It will be interesting to see how the UN responds to Iran.
Condi Rice says America ready for black president.
Is Condi Rice thinking about a presidential run! I hope I hope!!! O.K. probably not...but I sure would like to see her on the ticket.
America is ready to elect a black president, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The nation's highest-ranking black government official, Rice has said repeatedly she will not run for president despite high popularity ratings and measurable support in opinion polls.
"Yes, I think a black person can be elected president," Rice said in an Associated Press interview Thursday.
The top U.S. diplomat also said Iraq is "worth the investment" in American lives and dollars. She said the United States can win in Iraq, although the war so far has been longer and more difficult than she had expected.
C'mon Condi, run!
America is ready to elect a black president, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The nation's highest-ranking black government official, Rice has said repeatedly she will not run for president despite high popularity ratings and measurable support in opinion polls.
"Yes, I think a black person can be elected president," Rice said in an Associated Press interview Thursday.
The top U.S. diplomat also said Iraq is "worth the investment" in American lives and dollars. She said the United States can win in Iraq, although the war so far has been longer and more difficult than she had expected.
C'mon Condi, run!
Eight US Marines Charged in Haditha "killings"
Four Marines and four officers were charged yesterday for their roles in the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha last year. The soldiers say they were just following the rules of engagement after a roadside bomb killed one of their fellow Marines.
The four Marines are accused of rampaging through Iraqi houses and killing civilians. The four officers are accused of covering it up. The Marines were reacting to the death of one of their own, killed in a roadside bombing, and claim they were following the rules of the war. They were fired upon from the house where they were attacked, so they went in using standard house-clearing techniques to eliminate the threat. There is an argument that they did the right thing. In fact, one of those charged was later recommended for a medal...
So, what happened here? Well, I don't know I wasn't there. I do know that the media and some members in the Democrat Party will have these Marines tried and convicted in the court of public opinion before the trial ever starts.
Like I said, I don't know what happened, I wasn't there. However, they are innocent until proven guilty and right now I have seen no evidence of any wrongdoing.
Remember before you do judge these Marines, war is hell, one of the ugliest things you can ever encounter, and until you have tried walking in there shoes, you shouldn't be so quick to judge.
I know one thing...in what ever situation I find myself in. If it comes down to where I might be carried by six or tried by 12... I will shoot the bastards and let the courts figure it out later. I can write my family and friends from a jail cell. It's pretty hard to do that when you are taking your eternal dirt nap in a grave six feet under.
The four Marines are accused of rampaging through Iraqi houses and killing civilians. The four officers are accused of covering it up. The Marines were reacting to the death of one of their own, killed in a roadside bombing, and claim they were following the rules of the war. They were fired upon from the house where they were attacked, so they went in using standard house-clearing techniques to eliminate the threat. There is an argument that they did the right thing. In fact, one of those charged was later recommended for a medal...
So, what happened here? Well, I don't know I wasn't there. I do know that the media and some members in the Democrat Party will have these Marines tried and convicted in the court of public opinion before the trial ever starts.
Like I said, I don't know what happened, I wasn't there. However, they are innocent until proven guilty and right now I have seen no evidence of any wrongdoing.
Remember before you do judge these Marines, war is hell, one of the ugliest things you can ever encounter, and until you have tried walking in there shoes, you shouldn't be so quick to judge.
I know one thing...in what ever situation I find myself in. If it comes down to where I might be carried by six or tried by 12... I will shoot the bastards and let the courts figure it out later. I can write my family and friends from a jail cell. It's pretty hard to do that when you are taking your eternal dirt nap in a grave six feet under.
Americans lining up for jobs they won't do??
You may remember a little while ago President Bush saying that, "illegal immigrans are doing the jobs Americans won't do," while proposing amnesty for the 12 million Mexican invaders currently in this country. So do they do jobs Americans won't do?
Doesn't seem to be the case with the Swift Meatpacking Company...
That's where the feds went in last month and busted all those illegals aliens working there for identity theft. It turns out applicants are lining up all the way out the door to take those jobs. These are actually legally employable Americans. They didn't jump the border and commit fraud....they just want to work. One man showed up with his driver's license, his Social Security card and a picture of himself as a young Naval officer, just to erase any doubts that he might be here illegally.
All of this exposes the lie our economy needs illegal aliens. It is just not true. The price we pay in higher crime, payments for social services and law enforcement far outweighs any cheap labor we might benefit from. So from now on, when you hear President George W Bush say illegals do the work Americans won't, just know that it's a lie.
Illegal aliens just do the work Americans won't do for what they pay illegals. There you have it. Roll that up into your poncho and smoke it.
Doesn't seem to be the case with the Swift Meatpacking Company...
That's where the feds went in last month and busted all those illegals aliens working there for identity theft. It turns out applicants are lining up all the way out the door to take those jobs. These are actually legally employable Americans. They didn't jump the border and commit fraud....they just want to work. One man showed up with his driver's license, his Social Security card and a picture of himself as a young Naval officer, just to erase any doubts that he might be here illegally.
All of this exposes the lie our economy needs illegal aliens. It is just not true. The price we pay in higher crime, payments for social services and law enforcement far outweighs any cheap labor we might benefit from. So from now on, when you hear President George W Bush say illegals do the work Americans won't, just know that it's a lie.
Illegal aliens just do the work Americans won't do for what they pay illegals. There you have it. Roll that up into your poncho and smoke it.
Stop the insanity already!
Kenneth Mott drives a school bus on Long Island. He sports a long white beard and for the past five years he has been wearing a Santa Hat during the Christmas season.
Well ...long and behold here comes a parent to complain. Now you just KNOW that this parent was a female, probably a single mother with a baby daddy somewhere.
Anyway she complains that her child doesn't believe in Santa Clause and is offended by the hat. So the school district orders Mott to remove the hat...
Thankfully, other parents overruled this pathetic woman and the hat is now back on. God save us from these idiots!
I just want to know what makes this woman think she has the right to ruin something for everyone else.
So what is the biggest destroyer of the environment? The SUV???nope, how about jet airplanes???wrong again...oooh I know George W. Bush??? no, but there are a lot of these in Texas..
A United Nations report has identified the world's rapidly growing herds of cattle as the greatest threat to the climate, forests and wildlife. And they are blamed for a host of other environmental crimes, from acid rain to the introduction of alien species, from producing deserts to creating dead zones in the oceans, from poisoning rivers and drinking water to destroying coral reefs.
Perhaps this explains Al Gore's rapid weight increase. He is out there trying to save the world eating more than one burger at a time.
A United Nations report has identified the world's rapidly growing herds of cattle as the greatest threat to the climate, forests and wildlife. And they are blamed for a host of other environmental crimes, from acid rain to the introduction of alien species, from producing deserts to creating dead zones in the oceans, from poisoning rivers and drinking water to destroying coral reefs.
Perhaps this explains Al Gore's rapid weight increase. He is out there trying to save the world eating more than one burger at a time.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Introducing the next President of the United States: God help us if I am right!
I am not going to beat around the bush and just come right out and say it. Hillary Rodham Clinton will be the next President of the United States. Hey, I am moaning and groaning with you, for I definitely do not want to see this happen. I think Sen. Clinton is one of the most dangerous politicians to our country and that her presidency would be a complete disaster wrapped in a European Socialistic style domestic policy and a complete appeasement foreign policy approach to dealing with our Islamic fascist terrorist enemies.
Interestingly enough most of my friends and colleagues who follow politics as closely as I do are in complete disagreement with me and will call me a complete dope for even saying that Sen. Clinton has a chance. Although most believe the democratic nomination is hers for the taking, most in her own party doesn’t even believe she can win the general election claiming she is too liberal, too polarizing, male voters will never vote for her, she has to much baggage to tote to the White House…She is too…Clinton.
However, what seems to be even more interesting is the reaction of the liberal mainstream press and democratic pundits who, with some exceptions, are pretty negative about Sen. Clinton’s chances and state the usual conclusions about her around the table: She can't be elected in a general election; men aren't willing to vote for a woman like her; women don't think much of her marriage - or her, for staying in it; which red state could she possibly carry? What swing voter would she convince? So, almost everyone thinks that a Hillary Clinton ticket is a loser but me.
Let’s start with the idea of her being to “Clinton” to win. This does not actually hurt Sen. Clinton’s chances of wining. A recent poll shows that Americans have around a 46 percent favorable view of Bill Clinton and democrat voters hold around a 78 percent favorable view of the former President. A lot of those voters believe that a Hillary Clinton presidency would mirror that of her husbands even though it would be very different.
There are many fundamental differences between Bill and Hillary. One Bill is extremely creative, constantly coming up with new issues to talk about. Hillary rarely has a new idea, but specializes in activism, taking on the roll of using talking points from her advisors and the party.
Bill cares deeply about being popular and loved by all. Hillary seeks popularity to get elected and then puts her nose in the air as she carries out her socialistic agenda.
Bill viewed a critic as a potential convert whom he hoped to charm to his side. Hillary has a naughty and nice list with a plot for revenge for the naughty and a demand for complete loyalty and silence from the nice as she tries to destroy her enemies. Hillary Clinton is a Democratic version of Richard Nixon when it comes to her enemies.
Bill is a moderate, who seeks change and will raise taxes when he feels necessary to do so. Hillary is a devoted European style socialist, who believes government should take much more of the national income to provide more government services and benefits. In other words she praises the idea to raise taxes and redistribute the income.
So, as you can see a Hillary Clinton presidency would definitely not be a mirror of Bill’s but in politics reality does not matter as much as perception does on Election Day.
As far as Hillary Clinton being too liberal and polarizing with to much baggage to tote to the White House, while that argument seems plausible, it sure hasn’t hurt her in the state of New York. Then again it is New York.
Maybe the political pundits and the so called experts in the press are right about Sen. Clinton, but I don’t think so.
They certainly were not right about Ronald Reagan in 1978 when he announced his campaign for the White House for the 1980 election. No one took Reagan’s chances of winning the White House in 1980 seriously except himself and the devoted “Goldwater Republicans” who handed him the nomination. The Washington insiders and the press wrote him off as too conservative, too old and just a movie actor.
Conservatives and liberals alike are going to blast me for even bringing up Ronald Reagan and Hillary Clinton in the same sentence as a comparison between the two but the situations between 1978 and now are similar.
No doubt Reagan will certainly be a hard act for Hillary to follow. Reagan was able to capture the sensibilities of Main Street America and use his charisma and uplifting vision of America to appeal to the Middle in a world that was going terribly wrong. This earned him a stunningly decisive victory in 1980 and 60 percent of the vote in 1984. There is no doubt that Hillary Clinton is more of a polarizing figure than what Reagan was, but we live in a much more polarized time. Just like Reagan though, Hillary has the devoted followers of a die-hard grass roots effort of her party that will give her the democratic nomination. There has not been a candidate since Reagan, with the exception of incumbents and vice presidents, that has had the nomination of there party in the bag this long before the election. Just like Reagan, the charisma gap between her and any challengers is palpable.
Yes, there is Barrak Obama, who is riding one hell of a wave, and no offense to Obama, but he is very inexperienced who has never been in a real campaign or political fight. He will not win against a veteran politician like Hillary Clinton.
Also, all the available data suggests that Hillary Clinton can win and that she may not appear to be too liberal to win. In a recent Gallup poll the question was asked If Hillary Rodham Clinton were to run for president in 2008, how likely would you be to vote for her –very likely, somewhat likely, not very likely or not at all likely?
Very Likely 29%
Somewhat Likely 24%
Not at all likely 40%
No opinion 1%
So, if you take the 29 percent and the 24 percent you have a 53 percent majority that says they might vote for Hillary Clinton. I can hear my friends already claiming, well yeah, but that is before the conservatives unleash the attack dogs and bring out her scandalous past.
The thing is the conservative attack dogs have already been unleashed. Let’s face it, conservatives, like myself, have been going after Hillary Clinton with a full arsenal for 12 years now. What could she possibly have drugged out of her closet that has not already seen the light? Hillary Clinton is in a similar position that President George W. Bush found himself in 2004. Democrats had attacked Bush so much for four years that the voters had already taken his past into consideration by the time 2004 came around. Any additional attacks never penetrated the surface. This is why conservatives must be careful about attacking Hillary hard and instead focus on issues.
When you look further into the poll numbers you will also find that 30 percent of voters polled consider Hillary a moderate, while 9 percent consider her a conservative. Now, I don’t know where they found the 9 percent that describe her as conservative (San Francisco maybe?), but the point is that almost 40 percent of those polled doesn’t tag her liberal, and as I said earlier in politics reality does not matter as much as perception, making the argument that she is too liberal to win obsolete.
Then there is the electoral map issue. Some claim that Hillary can’t win in red states. What red state can Hillary win in 2008? Well, I don’t know for sure. Perhaps the better question might be which red state will the republicans lose? The Republican Party is going and has been going through a huge split between the Reagan conservative base and the present moderate part of the party. The Reagan conservative base of the party has been leaving the party for some time. Many voting for third party candidates or just not voting at all.
It has been going on for a while, since the 90s actually, and it helped President Bill Clinton get elected twice with less than 50 percent of the vote both times. If Ross Perot would have never run for president, Bill Clinton would have never been elected president.
The conservative base of the Republican Party tried to send a message to the republicans during the midterm election. They tried to tell the Republican Party to get back to their “conservative roots” by either voting libertarian or not voting at all. However, so far, it seems the message has not been received or has fallen on deaf ears. If the Republican Party does not find a true conservative candidate for 2008 and nominates John McCain or Rudy Giuliani they risk the same faith they suffered in the midterm election. However, at the same time, there has never been a better fundraiser or energizer of the base for the Republican Party than Hillary Clinton. Just writing this column makes me want to pull out my checkbook for the republicans.
Here is the main reason that Hillary Clinton will be the next President of the United States. There are not enough males to oppose her. Yes, it is true, Hillary Clinton is not popular amongst males, especially white males. Recent polls show that among registered white males Hillary Clinton gets 29 percent of the vote. However when you add minorities into the mix Hillary Clinton gets around 38 percent of all registered male voters. Still a low number and no candidate has ever won the presidency without winning the male vote. So how does Hillary Clinton win with only 38 percent of the male vote? Easy, Hillary doesn’t need the male vote to win. I know…you think I am a complete dope! I told you that you would.
In our male-dominated political world, where pundits and the so called experts speak mainly to one another and confirm each other’s wisdom, we do not fully appreciate or understand the full power of a woman candidate.
Remember that women make up 52 percent of the population in the United States, 54 percent of all registered voters are woman and they show up to the polls to vote. Women usually make up 53 percent to 55 percent of the voter turnout on Election Day and they vote democrat.
Since the 90’s women have voted democrat at an overwhelmingly higher rate than men. In 1996 women favored Bill Clinton over Bob Dole by 16 percentage points and in 2000 women favored Al Gore over George W. Bush by 11 percentage points. Even in 2004 women still favored Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry, but only by 3 percentage points, not the usual +10 point advantage.
What is even more significant than those numbers above is how single women vote. Single women especially, single mothers tend to vote overwhelmingly democrat. In 1996 single women favored Bill Clinton 62 percent – 28 percent over Bob Dole. In 2000 Single women favored Al Gore 63 percent – 32 percent over George W. Bush. In 2004 single women favored John Kerry 63 percent – 36 percent over President George W. Bush. When you poll just single mothers the numbers are even higher for the democratic candidates. (If you care to understand why read my column: Why the Democrat Party loves single mothers. Archived nov 2004).
There is even more good news for Hillary Clinton. Single women make up the fastest growing voting block today. Nineteen million single women voted in 2000 and 27 million came out in 2004. If a woman runs for president, it stands to reason that such turnout will rise still further. If single women vote in proportion to their share of the national population, they could account for over 32 million votes in 2008. Since women who are divorced, widowed, or never married vote Democrat by a two-to-one margin the single women, especially the single mom vote will be crucial to Hillary’s candidacy.
A lot of single moms in society are disproportionately in poverty, burdened by the need for good daycare and schools, often stuck in minimum-wage jobs. Most aren’t interested and do not follow politics, but then here comes Hillary Clinton, a woman who can relate and capture the feelings of their daily struggles. A woman Democrat who can identify and focus on their needs, suddenly Hillary Clinton becomes their champion. Many of these women will come out in droves to register and vote for their short term economical interests and participate in the political process for the first time.
There may be something that may hurt Hillary Clinton’s chances from reaching the White House and that is “angry rhetoric.” Party activist love her and admire her for this, but successful presidential candidates learn to calm down the “vast right-wing conspiracy” outbursts. During her campaign for the Senate in New York Hillary was able to charm independent farmers in upstate New York and small town republicans by running an upbeat campaign. Clearly a dress rehearsal for the presidential campaign, but when Hillary Clinton gets on the national stage; she seems to have a break down and fall into attack mode and seems to hold a Nixonian paranoia feeling with her.
Hillary Clinton needs to understand that she has paid her dues to the Democratic Party, and she doesn't have to prove herself through angry tirades and personal attacks anymore. From now on, she only needs follow the Reagan plan, a fellow Illinois native, who campaigned with positive rhetoric and a smile on his face, trusting that the work he'd done cultivating his base would pay off, and that he needed mainly to reassure independent-minded voters.
When the media tried to bait Reagan into going negative by asking why he'd abandoned the party of his youth, he invariably smiled, cocked his head, and gave the line. “I didn't leave the Democrat Party,” Reagan would say. “The Democratic Party left me.”
Surprisingly in her youth, Hillary Rodham was a Goldwater Republican. She could use the same line in reverse. It should remind swing voters why they are looking, once again, at casting their vote with a candidate named Clinton. Of course it would all be a scam, but in politics reality is not as imprtant as perception.
Interestingly enough most of my friends and colleagues who follow politics as closely as I do are in complete disagreement with me and will call me a complete dope for even saying that Sen. Clinton has a chance. Although most believe the democratic nomination is hers for the taking, most in her own party doesn’t even believe she can win the general election claiming she is too liberal, too polarizing, male voters will never vote for her, she has to much baggage to tote to the White House…She is too…Clinton.
However, what seems to be even more interesting is the reaction of the liberal mainstream press and democratic pundits who, with some exceptions, are pretty negative about Sen. Clinton’s chances and state the usual conclusions about her around the table: She can't be elected in a general election; men aren't willing to vote for a woman like her; women don't think much of her marriage - or her, for staying in it; which red state could she possibly carry? What swing voter would she convince? So, almost everyone thinks that a Hillary Clinton ticket is a loser but me.
Let’s start with the idea of her being to “Clinton” to win. This does not actually hurt Sen. Clinton’s chances of wining. A recent poll shows that Americans have around a 46 percent favorable view of Bill Clinton and democrat voters hold around a 78 percent favorable view of the former President. A lot of those voters believe that a Hillary Clinton presidency would mirror that of her husbands even though it would be very different.
There are many fundamental differences between Bill and Hillary. One Bill is extremely creative, constantly coming up with new issues to talk about. Hillary rarely has a new idea, but specializes in activism, taking on the roll of using talking points from her advisors and the party.
Bill cares deeply about being popular and loved by all. Hillary seeks popularity to get elected and then puts her nose in the air as she carries out her socialistic agenda.
Bill viewed a critic as a potential convert whom he hoped to charm to his side. Hillary has a naughty and nice list with a plot for revenge for the naughty and a demand for complete loyalty and silence from the nice as she tries to destroy her enemies. Hillary Clinton is a Democratic version of Richard Nixon when it comes to her enemies.
Bill is a moderate, who seeks change and will raise taxes when he feels necessary to do so. Hillary is a devoted European style socialist, who believes government should take much more of the national income to provide more government services and benefits. In other words she praises the idea to raise taxes and redistribute the income.
So, as you can see a Hillary Clinton presidency would definitely not be a mirror of Bill’s but in politics reality does not matter as much as perception does on Election Day.
As far as Hillary Clinton being too liberal and polarizing with to much baggage to tote to the White House, while that argument seems plausible, it sure hasn’t hurt her in the state of New York. Then again it is New York.
Maybe the political pundits and the so called experts in the press are right about Sen. Clinton, but I don’t think so.
They certainly were not right about Ronald Reagan in 1978 when he announced his campaign for the White House for the 1980 election. No one took Reagan’s chances of winning the White House in 1980 seriously except himself and the devoted “Goldwater Republicans” who handed him the nomination. The Washington insiders and the press wrote him off as too conservative, too old and just a movie actor.
Conservatives and liberals alike are going to blast me for even bringing up Ronald Reagan and Hillary Clinton in the same sentence as a comparison between the two but the situations between 1978 and now are similar.
No doubt Reagan will certainly be a hard act for Hillary to follow. Reagan was able to capture the sensibilities of Main Street America and use his charisma and uplifting vision of America to appeal to the Middle in a world that was going terribly wrong. This earned him a stunningly decisive victory in 1980 and 60 percent of the vote in 1984. There is no doubt that Hillary Clinton is more of a polarizing figure than what Reagan was, but we live in a much more polarized time. Just like Reagan though, Hillary has the devoted followers of a die-hard grass roots effort of her party that will give her the democratic nomination. There has not been a candidate since Reagan, with the exception of incumbents and vice presidents, that has had the nomination of there party in the bag this long before the election. Just like Reagan, the charisma gap between her and any challengers is palpable.
Yes, there is Barrak Obama, who is riding one hell of a wave, and no offense to Obama, but he is very inexperienced who has never been in a real campaign or political fight. He will not win against a veteran politician like Hillary Clinton.
Also, all the available data suggests that Hillary Clinton can win and that she may not appear to be too liberal to win. In a recent Gallup poll the question was asked If Hillary Rodham Clinton were to run for president in 2008, how likely would you be to vote for her –very likely, somewhat likely, not very likely or not at all likely?
Very Likely 29%
Somewhat Likely 24%
Not at all likely 40%
No opinion 1%
So, if you take the 29 percent and the 24 percent you have a 53 percent majority that says they might vote for Hillary Clinton. I can hear my friends already claiming, well yeah, but that is before the conservatives unleash the attack dogs and bring out her scandalous past.
The thing is the conservative attack dogs have already been unleashed. Let’s face it, conservatives, like myself, have been going after Hillary Clinton with a full arsenal for 12 years now. What could she possibly have drugged out of her closet that has not already seen the light? Hillary Clinton is in a similar position that President George W. Bush found himself in 2004. Democrats had attacked Bush so much for four years that the voters had already taken his past into consideration by the time 2004 came around. Any additional attacks never penetrated the surface. This is why conservatives must be careful about attacking Hillary hard and instead focus on issues.
When you look further into the poll numbers you will also find that 30 percent of voters polled consider Hillary a moderate, while 9 percent consider her a conservative. Now, I don’t know where they found the 9 percent that describe her as conservative (San Francisco maybe?), but the point is that almost 40 percent of those polled doesn’t tag her liberal, and as I said earlier in politics reality does not matter as much as perception, making the argument that she is too liberal to win obsolete.
Then there is the electoral map issue. Some claim that Hillary can’t win in red states. What red state can Hillary win in 2008? Well, I don’t know for sure. Perhaps the better question might be which red state will the republicans lose? The Republican Party is going and has been going through a huge split between the Reagan conservative base and the present moderate part of the party. The Reagan conservative base of the party has been leaving the party for some time. Many voting for third party candidates or just not voting at all.
It has been going on for a while, since the 90s actually, and it helped President Bill Clinton get elected twice with less than 50 percent of the vote both times. If Ross Perot would have never run for president, Bill Clinton would have never been elected president.
The conservative base of the Republican Party tried to send a message to the republicans during the midterm election. They tried to tell the Republican Party to get back to their “conservative roots” by either voting libertarian or not voting at all. However, so far, it seems the message has not been received or has fallen on deaf ears. If the Republican Party does not find a true conservative candidate for 2008 and nominates John McCain or Rudy Giuliani they risk the same faith they suffered in the midterm election. However, at the same time, there has never been a better fundraiser or energizer of the base for the Republican Party than Hillary Clinton. Just writing this column makes me want to pull out my checkbook for the republicans.
Here is the main reason that Hillary Clinton will be the next President of the United States. There are not enough males to oppose her. Yes, it is true, Hillary Clinton is not popular amongst males, especially white males. Recent polls show that among registered white males Hillary Clinton gets 29 percent of the vote. However when you add minorities into the mix Hillary Clinton gets around 38 percent of all registered male voters. Still a low number and no candidate has ever won the presidency without winning the male vote. So how does Hillary Clinton win with only 38 percent of the male vote? Easy, Hillary doesn’t need the male vote to win. I know…you think I am a complete dope! I told you that you would.
In our male-dominated political world, where pundits and the so called experts speak mainly to one another and confirm each other’s wisdom, we do not fully appreciate or understand the full power of a woman candidate.
Remember that women make up 52 percent of the population in the United States, 54 percent of all registered voters are woman and they show up to the polls to vote. Women usually make up 53 percent to 55 percent of the voter turnout on Election Day and they vote democrat.
Since the 90’s women have voted democrat at an overwhelmingly higher rate than men. In 1996 women favored Bill Clinton over Bob Dole by 16 percentage points and in 2000 women favored Al Gore over George W. Bush by 11 percentage points. Even in 2004 women still favored Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry, but only by 3 percentage points, not the usual +10 point advantage.
What is even more significant than those numbers above is how single women vote. Single women especially, single mothers tend to vote overwhelmingly democrat. In 1996 single women favored Bill Clinton 62 percent – 28 percent over Bob Dole. In 2000 Single women favored Al Gore 63 percent – 32 percent over George W. Bush. In 2004 single women favored John Kerry 63 percent – 36 percent over President George W. Bush. When you poll just single mothers the numbers are even higher for the democratic candidates. (If you care to understand why read my column: Why the Democrat Party loves single mothers. Archived nov 2004).
There is even more good news for Hillary Clinton. Single women make up the fastest growing voting block today. Nineteen million single women voted in 2000 and 27 million came out in 2004. If a woman runs for president, it stands to reason that such turnout will rise still further. If single women vote in proportion to their share of the national population, they could account for over 32 million votes in 2008. Since women who are divorced, widowed, or never married vote Democrat by a two-to-one margin the single women, especially the single mom vote will be crucial to Hillary’s candidacy.
A lot of single moms in society are disproportionately in poverty, burdened by the need for good daycare and schools, often stuck in minimum-wage jobs. Most aren’t interested and do not follow politics, but then here comes Hillary Clinton, a woman who can relate and capture the feelings of their daily struggles. A woman Democrat who can identify and focus on their needs, suddenly Hillary Clinton becomes their champion. Many of these women will come out in droves to register and vote for their short term economical interests and participate in the political process for the first time.
There may be something that may hurt Hillary Clinton’s chances from reaching the White House and that is “angry rhetoric.” Party activist love her and admire her for this, but successful presidential candidates learn to calm down the “vast right-wing conspiracy” outbursts. During her campaign for the Senate in New York Hillary was able to charm independent farmers in upstate New York and small town republicans by running an upbeat campaign. Clearly a dress rehearsal for the presidential campaign, but when Hillary Clinton gets on the national stage; she seems to have a break down and fall into attack mode and seems to hold a Nixonian paranoia feeling with her.
Hillary Clinton needs to understand that she has paid her dues to the Democratic Party, and she doesn't have to prove herself through angry tirades and personal attacks anymore. From now on, she only needs follow the Reagan plan, a fellow Illinois native, who campaigned with positive rhetoric and a smile on his face, trusting that the work he'd done cultivating his base would pay off, and that he needed mainly to reassure independent-minded voters.
When the media tried to bait Reagan into going negative by asking why he'd abandoned the party of his youth, he invariably smiled, cocked his head, and gave the line. “I didn't leave the Democrat Party,” Reagan would say. “The Democratic Party left me.”
Surprisingly in her youth, Hillary Rodham was a Goldwater Republican. She could use the same line in reverse. It should remind swing voters why they are looking, once again, at casting their vote with a candidate named Clinton. Of course it would all be a scam, but in politics reality is not as imprtant as perception.
Country Boy's Suggested Reading
Jimmy Carter went on Jay Leno to push his book about Palestinians and bash Israel. Of course President Carter prescribes to the pro-Islamic terrorist fantasy thatIsrael should give up more land and that the Palestinians actually want peace. Columnist Michael Kinsley, himself a liberal, says Carter is full of nonsense.
Pat Buchanan says the war in Iraq is about to split the Republican Party apart. On one side, those that believe in sending more troops and actually winning the war in Iraq. On the other side, those that are backing the Iraq Study Group's version of events.Yeah, well that is not the only thing splitting the Republican Party!
Donald Rumsfeld retired on Friday...after 6 years running the Pentagon. Cal Thomas has an exit interview with some interesting sound bites. How about this one: Rumsfeld regrets using the phrase "war on terror." He says that was a mistake. Yeah…I couldn’t agree more. It should have been called what it is WWIV. What happened to WWIII you ask? Well that was the “Cold War” Don't miss this one. Here's a full transcript of Thomas' interview with the secretary of defense.
George Will takes a peek at all the hoopla surrounding Barack Obama and his potential 2008 presidential candidacy. Surprisingly, Will says if Obama wants to be president, there is no better time than now. He gives very four reasons why. I disagree but still an interesting read.
Country Boy's Christmas Kewl Beans
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2005 11:09:46FROM: Lori Szabo, Human Resources DirectorTO: All EmployeesDATE: December 1RE: Christmas Party
I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take place on Friday, December 23, starting at noon, in the banquet room at Luigi's Open Pit Barbecue. No-host bar, but plenty of eggnog! We'll have a small band playing traditional carols...feel free to sing along. And, don't be surprised if our CEO shows up dressed as Santa Claus! A Christmas tree will be lit at 1:00 P.M. Exchange of gifts among employees can be done at that time, however, no gift should be over $10.00 to make the giving of gifts easy for everyone's pockets. This gathering is only for employees! A special announcement will be made by our CEO at that time!Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Lori=============================================FROM: Lori Szabo, Human Resources DirectorTO: All EmployeesDATE: December 2RE: Holiday Party
In no way was yesterday's memo intended to exclude our Jewish employees. We recognize that Chanukah is an important holiday which often coincides with Christmas, though unfortunately not this year. However, from now on we're calling it our "Holiday Party." The same policy applies to employees who are celebrating Kwansaa at this time. There will be no Christmas tree and no Christmas carols sung. We will have other type of music for your enjoyment.Happy now? Happy Holidays to you and your family.
Lori=============================================FROM: Lori Szabo, Human Resources DirectorTO: All EmployeesDATE: December 3RE: Holiday Party
Regarding the note I received from a member of Alcoholics Anonymous requesting a non-drinking table ....You didn't sign your name. I'm happy to accommodate this request, but if I put a sign on a table that reads, "AA Only" you wouldn't be anonymous anymore. How am I supposed to handle this? Somebody?Forget about the gifts exchange, no gifts exchange are allowed since the union members feel that $10.00 is too much money and executives believe $10.00 is very little for a gift. NO GIFT EXCHANGE WILL BE ALLOWED.
Lori=============================================FROM:
Lori Szabo, Human Resources DirectorTo: All EmployeesDATE: December 7RE: Holiday Party
What a diverse group we are! I had no idea that December 20 begins the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which forbids eating and drinking during daylight hours. There goes the party! Seriously, we can appreciate how a luncheon this time of year does not accommodate our Muslim employees' beliefs. Perhaps Luigi's can hold off on serving your meal until the end of the party-the days are so short this time of year-or else package everything for take home in little foil swans. Will that work? Meanwhile, I've arranged for members of Overeaters Anonymous to sit farthest from the dessert buffet. Pregnant women will get the table closest to the restrooms. Gays are allowed to sit with each other. Lesbians do not have to sit with Gay men, each will have their own table. To the person asking permission to cross dress, no cross dressing allowed, though. We will have booster seats for short people. Low-fat food will be available for those on a diet. We cannot control the salt used in the food thus we suggest for those people with blood problems to taste first. There will be fresh fruits as dessert for Diabetics, the restaurant cannot supply "No Sugar" desserts. Sorry!Did I miss anything?
Lori=============================================FROM: Lori Szabo, Human Resources DirectorTo: All EmployeesDate: December 9RE: Holiday Party
People, people!Nothing sinister was intended by having our CEO dress up like Santa Claus! Even if the anagram of "Santa" does happen to be "Satan," there is no evil connotation to our own "little man in a red suit." It's a tradition, folks, like sugar shock at Halloween, or family feuds over the thanksgiving turkey, or broken hearts on Valentine's Day. Could we lighten up? Please?????????Also, the company has changed their mind in announcing the special announcement at the gathering. You will get a notification in the mail sent to your home.
Lori=============================================FROM: Lori Szabo, Human Resources DirectorTO: All #&$**@ EmployeesDATE: December 10RE: The #* &^@*^Holiday Party
I have no#&*@*^ idea what the announcement is all about. What the *&^!@ do I care...? I KNOW WHAT I AM GOING TO GET!!!!!!!!!!!! You change your address now and your are dead!!!!!!!!!!!! No more changes of address will be allowed in my office. Try to come in and change your address, I will have you hung from the ceiling in the warehouse!!!!!!!!!!! Vegetarians!?!?!? I've had it with you people!!! We're going to keep this party at Luigi's Open Pit Barbecue whether you like it or not, so you can sit quietly at the table furthest from the "grill of death" as you so quaintly put it, and you'll get your @ #$^&*! salad bar, including hydroponic tomatoes. But you know, they have feelings, too. Tomatoes scream when you slice them. I've heard them scream. I'm hearing them scream right now!HA! I hope you all have a rotten holiday!Drive drunk and die, you hear me!!!!!!!!!!!The B---h from HELL!!!!!!!!
=============================================FROM: Terry Cameron, Acting Human Resources DirectorTo: All EmployeesDATE: December 14RE: Lori Szabo and Holiday Party
I'm sure I speak for all of us in wishing Lori Szabo a speedy recovery from her stress-related illness and I'll continue to forward your cards to her at the sanitarium. In the meantime, management has decided to cancel our Holiday Party and give everyone the afternoon of the 23rd off with full pay.
I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take place on Friday, December 23, starting at noon, in the banquet room at Luigi's Open Pit Barbecue. No-host bar, but plenty of eggnog! We'll have a small band playing traditional carols...feel free to sing along. And, don't be surprised if our CEO shows up dressed as Santa Claus! A Christmas tree will be lit at 1:00 P.M. Exchange of gifts among employees can be done at that time, however, no gift should be over $10.00 to make the giving of gifts easy for everyone's pockets. This gathering is only for employees! A special announcement will be made by our CEO at that time!Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Lori=============================================FROM: Lori Szabo, Human Resources DirectorTO: All EmployeesDATE: December 2RE: Holiday Party
In no way was yesterday's memo intended to exclude our Jewish employees. We recognize that Chanukah is an important holiday which often coincides with Christmas, though unfortunately not this year. However, from now on we're calling it our "Holiday Party." The same policy applies to employees who are celebrating Kwansaa at this time. There will be no Christmas tree and no Christmas carols sung. We will have other type of music for your enjoyment.Happy now? Happy Holidays to you and your family.
Lori=============================================FROM: Lori Szabo, Human Resources DirectorTO: All EmployeesDATE: December 3RE: Holiday Party
Regarding the note I received from a member of Alcoholics Anonymous requesting a non-drinking table ....You didn't sign your name. I'm happy to accommodate this request, but if I put a sign on a table that reads, "AA Only" you wouldn't be anonymous anymore. How am I supposed to handle this? Somebody?Forget about the gifts exchange, no gifts exchange are allowed since the union members feel that $10.00 is too much money and executives believe $10.00 is very little for a gift. NO GIFT EXCHANGE WILL BE ALLOWED.
Lori=============================================FROM:
Lori Szabo, Human Resources DirectorTo: All EmployeesDATE: December 7RE: Holiday Party
What a diverse group we are! I had no idea that December 20 begins the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which forbids eating and drinking during daylight hours. There goes the party! Seriously, we can appreciate how a luncheon this time of year does not accommodate our Muslim employees' beliefs. Perhaps Luigi's can hold off on serving your meal until the end of the party-the days are so short this time of year-or else package everything for take home in little foil swans. Will that work? Meanwhile, I've arranged for members of Overeaters Anonymous to sit farthest from the dessert buffet. Pregnant women will get the table closest to the restrooms. Gays are allowed to sit with each other. Lesbians do not have to sit with Gay men, each will have their own table. To the person asking permission to cross dress, no cross dressing allowed, though. We will have booster seats for short people. Low-fat food will be available for those on a diet. We cannot control the salt used in the food thus we suggest for those people with blood problems to taste first. There will be fresh fruits as dessert for Diabetics, the restaurant cannot supply "No Sugar" desserts. Sorry!Did I miss anything?
Lori=============================================FROM: Lori Szabo, Human Resources DirectorTo: All EmployeesDate: December 9RE: Holiday Party
People, people!Nothing sinister was intended by having our CEO dress up like Santa Claus! Even if the anagram of "Santa" does happen to be "Satan," there is no evil connotation to our own "little man in a red suit." It's a tradition, folks, like sugar shock at Halloween, or family feuds over the thanksgiving turkey, or broken hearts on Valentine's Day. Could we lighten up? Please?????????Also, the company has changed their mind in announcing the special announcement at the gathering. You will get a notification in the mail sent to your home.
Lori=============================================FROM: Lori Szabo, Human Resources DirectorTO: All #&$**@ EmployeesDATE: December 10RE: The #* &^@*^Holiday Party
I have no#&*@*^ idea what the announcement is all about. What the *&^!@ do I care...? I KNOW WHAT I AM GOING TO GET!!!!!!!!!!!! You change your address now and your are dead!!!!!!!!!!!! No more changes of address will be allowed in my office. Try to come in and change your address, I will have you hung from the ceiling in the warehouse!!!!!!!!!!! Vegetarians!?!?!? I've had it with you people!!! We're going to keep this party at Luigi's Open Pit Barbecue whether you like it or not, so you can sit quietly at the table furthest from the "grill of death" as you so quaintly put it, and you'll get your @ #$^&*! salad bar, including hydroponic tomatoes. But you know, they have feelings, too. Tomatoes scream when you slice them. I've heard them scream. I'm hearing them scream right now!HA! I hope you all have a rotten holiday!Drive drunk and die, you hear me!!!!!!!!!!!The B---h from HELL!!!!!!!!
=============================================FROM: Terry Cameron, Acting Human Resources DirectorTo: All EmployeesDATE: December 14RE: Lori Szabo and Holiday Party
I'm sure I speak for all of us in wishing Lori Szabo a speedy recovery from her stress-related illness and I'll continue to forward your cards to her at the sanitarium. In the meantime, management has decided to cancel our Holiday Party and give everyone the afternoon of the 23rd off with full pay.
Need Your Daily Sports Fix? Check out the American Legends blog.
If you like sports then you need to check out American Legends to read news and comentary about whats going on in the sports world. You can even drop your two cents worth in the comment sections about what you think.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
A Terrible Tragic Loss: Tom Parent worked hard to make Fayetteville a better place.
Local politician in Fayetteville, NC killed on motorcycle in 3 car accident.
"I might not have always agreed with his politics but I don’t know anyone with any more love for this city or more personal commitment to help make it better...
He was articulate and passionate and left no confusion about where he stood on an issue...
Fayetteville is a better city because of Tom Parent. For that
we owe his family, and his memory, our gratitude.” ~Mayor of Fayetteville Tony Chavonne
You definitely meet all kinds of interesting people in the world of politics. Sometimes they are outspoken citizens at a town hall meeting fighting for a cause, sometimes they are a volunteer working on a candidate’s campaign or sometimes they are the candidate themselves running for office. One thing is for sure though. It is not everyday you meet a man in this game like Tom Parent.
I can't say that I knew Tom Parent personally all that well, because I only knew him for a short period of time. I can say I knew him well enough to realize he was definately a class act.
I can't say that I knew Tom Parent personally all that well, because I only knew him for a short period of time. I can say I knew him well enough to realize he was definately a class act.
I was blessed to first meet Tom at a Cumberland County Citizens Unite meeting in the spring of 2005. At the time we at CCCU were working to try and stop the “Big Bang” forced annexation of 27 square miles and 40,000 people into the city of Fayetteville. An effort we took all the way to the North Carolina Supreme Court, but the court refused to hear our case and we became forced citizens of the city of Fayetteville on September 20, 2005.
I became aquanted with Tom Parent during those meetings and later volunteered on his unsuccessful campaign for city council. He lost to incumbent DJ Haire by only 900 votes.
Tom never cared about the power of the office he was running for; instead he was more focused on empowering the people. He was also the type of person who wanted results and didn’t care who got the credit. He was very outspoken, and spoke passionately about his love and vision for the city of Fayetteville. He never once left any confusion about whom he was or where he stood.
Even though he lost the election for city council he continued to play an active roll as a citizen. Attending city council meetings and voicing the concerns of thousands of people’s views in his district. He never asked the city council for much. He just asked them to be consistent and I will forever remember Tom Parent standing before the city council telling our city leaders that we need to make our government “better not bigger” to “Set the standard” and “follow the standards that you have already put in place.”
We need more people like Tom Parent to take action, to hold government officials accountable and to make government officials do their jobs.
The city of Fayetteville lost a true American citizen and we will all miss Tom Parent.
May God watch over and be with his family during these troubled times.
Visitation for Parent is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home, 545 Ramsey St., with a memorial service to follow. Burial will be in Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery in Spring Lake.
I became aquanted with Tom Parent during those meetings and later volunteered on his unsuccessful campaign for city council. He lost to incumbent DJ Haire by only 900 votes.
Tom never cared about the power of the office he was running for; instead he was more focused on empowering the people. He was also the type of person who wanted results and didn’t care who got the credit. He was very outspoken, and spoke passionately about his love and vision for the city of Fayetteville. He never once left any confusion about whom he was or where he stood.
Even though he lost the election for city council he continued to play an active roll as a citizen. Attending city council meetings and voicing the concerns of thousands of people’s views in his district. He never asked the city council for much. He just asked them to be consistent and I will forever remember Tom Parent standing before the city council telling our city leaders that we need to make our government “better not bigger” to “Set the standard” and “follow the standards that you have already put in place.”
We need more people like Tom Parent to take action, to hold government officials accountable and to make government officials do their jobs.
The city of Fayetteville lost a true American citizen and we will all miss Tom Parent.
May God watch over and be with his family during these troubled times.
Visitation for Parent is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home, 545 Ramsey St., with a memorial service to follow. Burial will be in Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery in Spring Lake.
What others are saying about the Reilly Road accident and Tom Parent.
Can tradgedy bring change..... by Tim White
Tom Parent was not afraid of a fight..... Fayetteville Observer
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Country Boy's Random Thoughts
Does anyone know what is going on or what to do in Iraq??? I have heard we need to get out gradually…We need to get out now…Why did we ever get in the first place?…We need more troops…We have too many troops…The policy is a failure…We are staying the course…We need a new policy…Change the course…Al Qaeda says they’re in Iraq…Nancy Pelosi says they’re not in Iraq…If we don’t fight Al Qaeda in Iraq we will fight them here…Al Qaeda is already here…Iraq is a civil war...Iraq is not a civil war…We are losing the war…We are winning the war…We must win...can’t afford to lose…We have already lost…
One thing is for sure…Iraq is a mess…and Iran is smiling.
What ever happened to uniting together and achieving VICTORY…and not just in Iraq but the whole war as a whole…Iraq is just a small piece of the puzzle in a much larger war against the ideology of Islam.
In a recent speech Barrak Obama made the comment:
"Are there some voters who would not vote for an African American candidate because of race? I'm sure there are. Those are the same voters who probably wouldn't vote for me because of my politics."
So according to 3 key members of the Democrat Party I am just an uneducated, poor, racist who is going to get stuck in Iraq.
NFL football players make millions of dollars to play a game and sometimes not to play it well. Shouldn’t they be punished for poor performance…If you get paid 3 million dollars to catch a football and you drop the ball after it hits you in the hands is it not fair to doc your pay?
If you are going to have an Iraqi Study Group wouldn’t it make sense to have at least one military analyst, perhaps a general or someone who has actually partaken in the fight on the ground? I mean this panel was about as bright as hiring a plumber to do electrical work.
Hillary Clinton has said she would not have voted for the war in Iraq if she knew what she knew now. How convenient is that? Unfortunately, presidents don’t get to rewind the tape, go back and make tough decisions like unimportant senators do I guess.
Presidents have to make the decisions with the information they have at the time. It’s called leadership.
I just wonder if Hillary would have still married Bill, you know, if she would have known then what she knows now???
In the history of the world there have only been two defining forces that have offered to die for you. One was Jesus Christ and the other is the American Soldier. Christ died for your soul, and the American soldier for your freedom. Unfortunately, too many people have forgotten both.
Some folks say we need to start a dialogue with Iran to help us in Iraq and work a diplomatic solution. Iran has stated on several occasions that they want the destruction of America and Israel. How much more of a dialogue do we need?
A year ago Ahmadinejad said the end of the world would happen within three years and just recently in a speech he said this:
“Oh, almighty God, all men and women are your creatures and you have ordained the salvation. Bestow upon humanity that thirst for justice. And make us among his followers and among those who strive for his return.”
Ahmadinejad is talking about the return of the messiah here, which according to the Quaran only can happen after the world has been cleansed with the blood of infidels. This, when he returns, it will unite the whole world under justice and peace, Islamic law.
It seems to me that we have an Armageddon style war on the horizon and Ahmadinejad and Iran are going to be the center of it unless something is done to stop it.
Look folks, it doesn’t matter if you or I don’t believe that it’s the apocalypse. The important thing is these people do believe, and they’re dead serious.
I don't know about you guys but I would prefer for Jesus to stay at his father's house a little bit longer.
One thing is for sure…Iraq is a mess…and Iran is smiling.
What ever happened to uniting together and achieving VICTORY…and not just in Iraq but the whole war as a whole…Iraq is just a small piece of the puzzle in a much larger war against the ideology of Islam.
In a recent speech Barrak Obama made the comment:
"Are there some voters who would not vote for an African American candidate because of race? I'm sure there are. Those are the same voters who probably wouldn't vote for me because of my politics."
So according to 3 key members of the Democrat Party I am just an uneducated, poor, racist who is going to get stuck in Iraq.
NFL football players make millions of dollars to play a game and sometimes not to play it well. Shouldn’t they be punished for poor performance…If you get paid 3 million dollars to catch a football and you drop the ball after it hits you in the hands is it not fair to doc your pay?
If you are going to have an Iraqi Study Group wouldn’t it make sense to have at least one military analyst, perhaps a general or someone who has actually partaken in the fight on the ground? I mean this panel was about as bright as hiring a plumber to do electrical work.
Hillary Clinton has said she would not have voted for the war in Iraq if she knew what she knew now. How convenient is that? Unfortunately, presidents don’t get to rewind the tape, go back and make tough decisions like unimportant senators do I guess.
Presidents have to make the decisions with the information they have at the time. It’s called leadership.
I just wonder if Hillary would have still married Bill, you know, if she would have known then what she knows now???
In the history of the world there have only been two defining forces that have offered to die for you. One was Jesus Christ and the other is the American Soldier. Christ died for your soul, and the American soldier for your freedom. Unfortunately, too many people have forgotten both.
Some folks say we need to start a dialogue with Iran to help us in Iraq and work a diplomatic solution. Iran has stated on several occasions that they want the destruction of America and Israel. How much more of a dialogue do we need?
A year ago Ahmadinejad said the end of the world would happen within three years and just recently in a speech he said this:
“Oh, almighty God, all men and women are your creatures and you have ordained the salvation. Bestow upon humanity that thirst for justice. And make us among his followers and among those who strive for his return.”
Ahmadinejad is talking about the return of the messiah here, which according to the Quaran only can happen after the world has been cleansed with the blood of infidels. This, when he returns, it will unite the whole world under justice and peace, Islamic law.
It seems to me that we have an Armageddon style war on the horizon and Ahmadinejad and Iran are going to be the center of it unless something is done to stop it.
Look folks, it doesn’t matter if you or I don’t believe that it’s the apocalypse. The important thing is these people do believe, and they’re dead serious.
I don't know about you guys but I would prefer for Jesus to stay at his father's house a little bit longer.
Country Boy's suggested reading assignments.
Dr. Walter E. Williams asks the question: what exactly is prejudice? He makes the case that the word is misunderstood and offers some interesting examples. Think you're not prejudiced? You better read this column before answering.
John Stossel takes on the myth that big business wants big government to stay out of its affairs. Stossel actually says the opposite is true and that big business has never been happier with big government. He says there has never been a time in history when big business didn't get favors from the government. Excellent read.
Historically, since the mid 60's blacks have been some of the most reliable Democratic voters there are. The reason? Because it's always been thought that government programs help people of color get ahead. But Walter E. Williams isn't so sure...and has his research at the ready. Interesting read.
It looks like voters may be losing confidence in the Democrats already. A new poll finds that 57% of the public say Democrats do not have a plan for Iraq. This shows one of two things: either a whole bunch of voters stayed home last November or the American people are a fickle bunch.
Conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer says Barack Obama should run for president in 2008. However, Krauthammer says he will lose...but that will put him on the path to the presidency. How does Obama better his chances for the presidency by losing? Read on to find out.
Country Boy's Christmas Kewl Beans.
Have you ever seen the Christmas Laser Light Show??? Yule want to see this folks.
The Christmas lights in this Laser Light Show were synchronized to flash in time to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's musical score "Wizard In Winter" (from 'The Lost Christmas Eve' album). The inventor of this display is Carson Williams, a Mason, Ohio electrical engineer who spent 3 hours sequencing 88 Light-O-Rama channels that controlled 25,000 Christmas lights in his annual holiday lighting spectacular. He spent nearly 2 months and $10,000 to hook up the system.
The Christmas lights in this Laser Light Show were synchronized to flash in time to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's musical score "Wizard In Winter" (from 'The Lost Christmas Eve' album). The inventor of this display is Carson Williams, a Mason, Ohio electrical engineer who spent 3 hours sequencing 88 Light-O-Rama channels that controlled 25,000 Christmas lights in his annual holiday lighting spectacular. He spent nearly 2 months and $10,000 to hook up the system.
Country Boy like you have never seen him before....as an elf....and they say I can't dance!!! This is hilarious...
Monday, December 18, 2006
So it was longer than two days....
Yeah, I know I said I wouldn't be blogging for two days, but the two days ended up being a week! Hey, it happens... Especially when work gets a little crazy... We spent this week loading up all of our gear and equipment for our deployment to Afghanistan in February.
We basically had to do 2 weeks of work in 5 days...so I just didn't have much time, and when I did have time I was exausted and resting.
So that is why I didn't blog last week...
We basically had to do 2 weeks of work in 5 days...so I just didn't have much time, and when I did have time I was exausted and resting.
So that is why I didn't blog last week...
The accomplishments of Donald Rumsfeld.
DOD honors Donald Rumsfeld with full military honors in farewell.
You know I have often not been a fan of the outgoing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Many of times I have felt that his Iraq pol
icy is simply wrong. Now don’t misunderstand, I completely agree with and share the same ideals for a free and democratic Iraq. I just don’t agree on how to get there.Of course, if you are a frequent reader of My Two Cents Worth you already new that.
Let me also say that I think a lot of the criticizm given to Rumsfeld came unfairly.
Donald Rumsfeld took over a military that had not had any significant upgrades since Reagan was President.
He took on the job of reorganizing and rebuilding the military structure while trying to fight a war that we were clearly unprepared for. A job that I am glad I didn't have too do, but Rumsfeld took the challenge and did the job well in the over all scheme of things.
However you feel about Rumsfeld you can’t take away the fact that in his two terms as Secretary Of Defense he accomplished a lot more than most ever have or ever will. Rumsfeld leaves our military in a lot better shape than what it was when he found it and for that he should be rewarded.
Here is a list of Rumsfeld’s accomplishment's over the last 6 Years:
I. WAR ON TERROR
- Overall: A multinational coalition has liberated 50 million people in Afghanistan and Iraq, with formation of representative governments and security forces.
- -Liberated 31 million Afghans from Taliban control and destroyed Al-Qaeda sanctuary – conquering elements that successfully fought off the Soviet Union for over nine years – and stood up a Loya Jurga governing council eight months after operations began.
- -Liberated 26.7 million Iraqis from a brutal dictatorship and turned over sovereignty of the country to an Iraqi government in 16 months.
- -Conducted hundreds of intelligence and tactical operations—many with partner nations—t
hroughout the world against terrorist organizations directly or loosely affiliated with Al-Qaeda.
-NATO has expanded its reach in Afghanistan—the first time the Alliance has acted outside of its traditional boundaries.
- -Suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have revealed information that has helped thwart attacks against our troops, the American people and our allies.
Recruited, Organized, Trained, and Equipped Iraqi and Afghan Security Forces:
- 129,000 for Iraqi Ministry of Defense
- 165,100 for Iraqi Ministry of Interior
- 33,000 for Afghan National Army
- 37,000 for Afghan National Police
Conducted safe and secure elections in Afghanistan and Iraq:
Elections in Iraq January 30, 2005 election
- 55 percent turnout October 15, 2005 constitutional ratification
- 63 percent turnout December 15, 2005 election
- 78 percent turnout March 16, 2006—permanent Iraqi Government seated
Elections in Afghanistan
- October 9, 2005 election—roughly 80 percent of voters turnout
- December 7, 2005—Afghan President inaugurated
Senior leadership members of America’s enemies that have been captured, killed, or made to run:
- Khalid Sheik Mohammad, Al-Qaeda’s Director of Operations—captured March 1, 2003
- Saddam Hussein’s sons—killed July 22, 2003
- Saddam Hussein—captured December 13, 2003
- Ali Hassan Mahmud al-Tikriti, AKA Chemical Ali—captured August 21, 2003
- Al Zarqawi, leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq—killed June 7, 2006
- Forty-five of fifty-five of Saddam’s top regime—the deck of cards—have been killed or captured.
II. SHAPING THE JOINT FORCE FOR ASYMETRIC WARFARE
Army-Most significant reorganization in a generation, from a division-based structure to 70 modular brigade combat teams.
- -$21 billion invested in the National Guard for equipment and modernization so that, for the first time, the Guard will be fully manned, equipped, and funded.
- -Shift of thousands of troops from Institutional Army “tail” to Operational Army “tooth.”
- Development of Future Combat System.
- Ended Cold War legacy programs, such as the Crusader artillery and Comanche helicopter programs.
Navy
- New Fleet Response Plan doubles the number of Carrier Strike Groups that can be deployed at short notice.
- “Sea swaps” of crews allow longer deployment of ships.
- Started the development of the new Littoral Combat Ship designed to satisfy the urgent requirement for shallow draft vessels to operate in coastal waters.
- Conversion of Trident ballistic missile submarines to vessels that can carry Special Forces and launch UAVs.
Marines
- Created expeditionary strike groups with U.S. Marine Corps with many capabilities optimized for GWOT operations.
- Created Marine Corps Special Operations Command.
Air Force
- Created Air Expeditionary Groups for better efficiency and flexibility.
- Increased Unmanned Aerial Vehicles from 130 to over 3,000.
- More than 100 satellites and nearly 100 aircraft are controlled and flown daily by 26,000 Airmen to provide valuable intelligence, warning, and precision navigation to forces around the globe.
- Provide the joint / coalition force with global networking and space-based communications, navigation, weather, and surveillance information.
Irregular Warfare
- 107 percent budget increase in Special Forces.
- New technologies and tactics to counter IED threat.
- Foreign-language skills and area expertise increased throughout the force.
- Increased focus on stability operations.
- New counterinsurgency manual and doctrine issued.
Missile Defense
- Limited operating capability implemented: Emplaced 11 ground-based interceptors in Alaska and 2 in California to address long-range threats (ICBMs with range of approximately 10,000 miles).
- The first operational patrol of Aegis BMD long-range surveillance and tracking equipped destroyers was in the Sea of Japan in September 2004; today, 10 Aegis BMD Destroyers are Long-Range Surveillance and Track capable; one Aegis BMD Destroyer is Engagement capable and two Aegis BMD Cruisers are Engagement capable.
- Since 2001, 22 hit-to-kill intercept tests have destroyed their targets.
- On September 1, 2006, the last test of the ground-based interceptors exceeded its objectives by destroying a mock ballistic missile in space.
- The BMDS transitioned from developmental to operational status.
- Nuclear Triad: New structure of offensive weapons, defensive weapons bound together by an enhanced command and control, and intelligence systems.
Humanitarian Operations & Disaster Relief
Hurricane Katrina/Rita
- More than 2 million pounds of food, 34,000 MREs, and almost 180,000 bottles of water were distributed.
- Military forces peaked at nearly 72,000--50,000 National Guardsmen and 22,000 active-duty personnel—a total deployment for Katrina more than twice the size of the military response to Hurricane Andrew.
- DoD military personnel evacuated more than 80,000 Gulf Coast residents and rescued another 15,000.
- Military forces provided significant medical assistance, including 10,000 medical evacuations by ground and air and the delivery of medical treatment to more than 5,000 sick and injured people.
Asian Tsunami
- More than 24 million pounds of supplies delivered since the disaster.
- USNS Mercy cared for more than 60,000 patients and performed more than 1,000 surgeries.
Pakistan Earthquake
- 4,300 people needing medical attention. Delivered more than 7,000 tons of medical supplies, food, shelter material, blankets, and rescue equipment.
- Delivered more than 4.5 million kilograms of relief supplies to the disaster area and transported more than 15,000 people, including over 4,300 people needing medical attention.
III. MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION
- Transformed Unified Command Plan
- Northern Command for homeland defense and domestic emergencies.
- Joint Forces Command to focus on Transformation.
- Strategic Command replaces Space Command—missions include ballistic missile defense and WMD.
- Finalizing plan for new combatant command for Africa.
- Developing mechanisms for Combatant Commanders to have dual-responsibilities in key countries, e.g. Mexico.
- Reorganized Department Leadership
- Created an Undersecretary for Intelligence.
- Created an Assistant Secretary for Homeland Defense.
- Created an Assistant Secretary for Network Information Integration/Chief Information Officer.
- Budget:Consolidated the program/budget process into a 2-year cycle.
- National Security Personnel System (NSPS): About 10,000 civilian employees incorporated into a system that allows for greater flexibility in hiring, promotion, and assignment.
- Military to Civilian Conversion: About 20,000 positions previously held by uniformed military personnel are now performed by civilians, freeing up troops for military tasks and assignments.
- Business Processes:Created the Business Transformation Agency to improve DoD’s business processes, systems, and investment governance Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC): Implemented largest BRAC round in history, saving taxpayers $5.5 million per year.
- Transportation: Established TRANSCOM as owner of the distribution process from factory to foxhole, as opposed to from port to port.
- Defense Logistics Agency: Established as sole entity for supply chain.
- Senior Level Review Group: Established to improve civilian-military interaction.
- Headquarters Staff: Decreased by 10 percent to reduce unnecessary overhead and duplication
IV. ALLIANCES AND PARTNERSHIPS
- Global Posture Cold War arrangements overseas being updated to reflect new threats and circumstances.
- Thousands of troops and families being moved from Germany, Japan, and South Korea.
- NATO Stood up new NATO Response Force.
- Created Allied Transformation Command.
- Deployment of ISAF to Afghanistan and training mission to Iraq.
- Headquarters and overhead reduced.
- Proliferation Security Initiative: Implemented a 60-nation partnership to interdict dangerous weapons and materials.
- New Security Partnerships: Developed in the Pacific, Central and South Asia, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, and South America.
- Georgian Train and Equip Program.
- Restructure Defense Attaché program to align with new Security Cooperation Guidance.
- Global Peacekeeping Operations Initiative
V. PEOPLE
- Medical Military Amputee Training Center.
- State-of-the-art medical care for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Smallpox Vaccination Program.
- Quality of Life: Longer tours at home bases to provide less disruption to family life.
- Housing: Privatized several housing programs and built thousands of military housing units.
- Active Component / Reserve Component: “Rebalanced” thousands of personnel spaces both within and between the components to reduce stress on the forces.
- Targeted Pay Raises: Aimed to attract most talented skilled people in high demand.
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