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.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
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.
Monday, December 11, 2006
MTCW Pic of the Day
Remembering A Good Friend
Spc. Marshall James (Edge)Edgerton September 24 1976 - December 11, 2006
Well Edge it has been 3 years… Sure doesn’t seem like it though. It seems just like yesterday we were in Iraq at the “Ramadi Inn” wishing and joking about how there was no room service in this God forsaken place!!! You always new how to make the best out of a bad situation “Edge.”
I miss you “Edge” You died way too young, but we will meet again. We will have to go fishing liked we talked about when I make it up to heaven. I know we will be in heaven because we have both already been to hell...
Spc. Marshall Edgerton was killed on December 11, 2003 by a suicide truck bombing while on guard duty in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. The blast injured 14 others and sent debris flying over 400 yards away.
Marshall died as a hero. But not just because he died on the battlefield fighting for his country, but because of the actions he took right before he died. In the moments before his death, he used every last breath to warn all those around him, because he saw it coming and new he couldn't save himself. He did not choose to coward in fear, but instead chose to sacrifice himself so that others may live. He saved many lives that day, and will forever be remembered for his courage, and bravery, and for making the ultimate sacrifice for his Country, and for his comrades. God Bless you "Edge." There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about you. I am honored to have been able to call you friend.
It has been 3 years now since I lost my friend “Edge” in Iraq, but I remember it as if it was yesterday. It’s a day I will never be able to forget.
Just like all paratroopers, Spc. Edgerton was aware of the dangers when he became a part of this elite group. After all the 82nd Airborne Division is one of the most deployed divisions in the military. We know what can happen when something goes wrong. You just never believe that it will happen to you or someone you know.
Spc. Edgerton loved his family and country and was one of the finest soldiers I have ever met. He served for a year in Afghanistan and had only been home for a couple of months before being deployed to Iraq. He was proud to serve his country and believed strong heartedly in the cause he died for. He was the type of guy that would always be there ready and willing to help no matter what.
I leave you with the airborne creed in memory of Spc. Edgerton who believed in it and lived it better than most.
I am an Airborne Trooper! A PARATROOPER!
I jump by parachute from any plane in flight. I volunteered to do it, knowing well the hazards of my choice. I serve in a mighty Airborne Force- famed for deeds in war- renowned for readiness in peace. It is my pledge in all that I am- in all that I do.
I am an elite trooper- a sky trooper- a shock trooper- a spearhead trooper. I blaze the way to far- flung goals- behind, before, above the foe's front line. I know that I may have to fight without support for days on end. Therefore, I keep in mind and body always fit to do my part in any Airborne task.
I am self- reliant and unafraid. I shoot true,and march fast and far. I fight hard and excel in art and article of war. I never fail a fellow trooper. I cherrish as a sacred trust the lives of men with whom I serve. Leaders have my fullest loyalty, and those I lead never find me lacking.
I have pride in the Airborne! I never let it down!
In peace, I do not shrink the dullest of duty, not protest the toughest training. My weapons and equipment are always combat ready... I am neat of dress- Military in courtesy- proper in conduct and behavior.
In battle, I fear no foe's ability, nor underestimate his prowess, power and guile. I fight him with all my might and skill- ever alert to evade capture or escape trap. I never surrender, though I be the last.
My goal in peace or war is to succeed in any mission of the day- or die, if need be, in the try. I belong to a proud and glorious team, the Airborne, the Army, my country. I am its chosen, with pride to fight where others may not go- to serve them well until final victory.
I am a trooper of the sky! I am my nations best! In peace or war I never fail. Anywhere, anytime, in anything- I AM AIRBORNE!
May you rest in peace my dear friend...
Almighty God, Father of all mercies and giver of all comforts, deal graciously with us who mourn, that casting all cares on You, we may know the comfort of your love and presence. Make us aware of the brevity of life and the need to live it with a noble purpose. Keep us in this hour of need and enable us to find Your strength sufficient.
Amen.
There will be no blogging today or tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
The real agenda of the Democrat Party
You need to read this if you are or ever plan to be a home owner. It could affect your wallet and back account drastically!
Have any of you actually considered what the newly elected democrat congress has planned now that they are in control? What exactly is their main agenda?
Let’s begin with a few things that I don't think many will disagree with. Democrats are the party of big government and promote a social welfare state. They want to make more Americans dependent on government, because they know that the more people who rely on the dependency of government the weaker the people become and the stronger the government gets. It goes without saying that the stronger and more powerful government becomes the stronger and more powerful the politicians who control that government become. This isn't brain surgery or rocket science here.
In order for Democrats to make Americans dependent on government they must figure out how to take money out of the hands of the people who earned it. When people are allowed to keep what they earn that contributes to their personal independence. Independent people don't need politicians. Money taken from those who earn it and used to build the social welfare state robs people of their independence. This is why Democrats love the idea of tax increases.
Of course Democrats will tell you that they only want to raise taxes on the so-called "rich." They will probably come up with some figure around $200,000 or $250,000 range to describe "rich" when they start to work on their tax increase plans. The democrats know that their “making the rich pay their fair share” idea works well with their voter base. Playing to wealth and class envy will always earn votes. The democrats also know that nothing earns votes better than perceived free social handouts. I mean who doesn’t like a free lunch, right…
Giving away all those perceived free social programs costs a lot of money though. The only way the democrats can cover the tab is through over taxation but not to the point of a tax revolution.
Now just because you happen to fall below that "rich" category, does not mean they will not come after your wallet. They have a little scheme planned that will potentially put you right in the middle of the "rich" category, thus setting you up for some pretty substantial tax increases, especially, if you own your home or property.
The scheme is called "imputed income," and it’s a brilliant and devious idea on how to tax and punish your home and property ownership. If you own your home or are a real estate investor / entrepreneur, this tax will have a dramatic impact on your wealth.
Here's how it works.
Let's say that you've owned your home for about 20 years. For 20 years your home has been appreciating in value ... big time in recent years. Your monthly payments on that home are about $550 a month. Since it's a 20-year-old loan made when the cost of your home was much less there isn't much of a home mortgage tax deduction left, because you almost have the home paid off, and the bulk of your payments go to principal instead of interest.
So the fact that you're living in a nice home, and paying very little, attracts the interest of Democrats. They know that there are a lot of people in your neighborhood that paid a lot more for their homes than you did, and their mortgage payments are a lot higher. Not only that, but there are other people renting homes in your neighborhood and they're paying much more than you are every month. It's obvious that you're enjoying some great economic benefit due to the fact that you've owned your home for so long and your payments are so low. Well, where there's an economic benefit, there must be a tax!
Enter the concept of imputed income!
Under this plan, first proposed by Clinton Democrats before the voter revolution of 1994, the government would figure out how much your home would rent for every month. To do this they would use all of that census data they've gathered, plus any information that they can develop on current sale and rental prices up and down your street.
Let's say that the government and the IRS determine that your home would rent for $3,250 a month. That would add up to $39,000 a year. But the IRS discovers that you're only paying $550 a month or $6,600 a year in mortgage payments. Well, there's that economic benefit you're enjoying by virtue of your long-term home ownership. The economic benefit of your home ownership is the difference between the $39,000 you should be paying to live there, and the $6,600 you're actually paying. Do the math. You're getting $32,400 every year in non-taxed economic benefits!
The Democrat plan is simple. Just take that $32,400 and add it to your taxable income on your next tax return. Then you get the privilege of paying income taxes to the federal government on the economic benefit you derive from your long-term home ownership. The IRS has "evened the playing field" in your neighborhood ... so to speak. Your neighbors had to pay taxes on the full $39,000 they're paying to live down the street ... now you will have to do the same. After all ... it's only fair, right!
Now imagine if you own more than one home. Wow that can add up fast!!!
Just remember this. Democrats actually believe that the best use for every single penny you earn is for it to be spent by government for what they love to call the "common good." They will allow you to keep just enough of your earnings to avoid your participation in a full-scale tax revolt. A good Democrat knows that only Democrats and the government know what is good for you, and that you will be so much better off and your life oh so much better if you will just succumb to the power of government and it's ability to care for you much better than you can care for yourself.
Have any of you actually considered what the newly elected democrat congress has planned now that they are in control? What exactly is their main agenda?
Let’s begin with a few things that I don't think many will disagree with. Democrats are the party of big government and promote a social welfare state. They want to make more Americans dependent on government, because they know that the more people who rely on the dependency of government the weaker the people become and the stronger the government gets. It goes without saying that the stronger and more powerful government becomes the stronger and more powerful the politicians who control that government become. This isn't brain surgery or rocket science here.
In order for Democrats to make Americans dependent on government they must figure out how to take money out of the hands of the people who earned it. When people are allowed to keep what they earn that contributes to their personal independence. Independent people don't need politicians. Money taken from those who earn it and used to build the social welfare state robs people of their independence. This is why Democrats love the idea of tax increases.
Of course Democrats will tell you that they only want to raise taxes on the so-called "rich." They will probably come up with some figure around $200,000 or $250,000 range to describe "rich" when they start to work on their tax increase plans. The democrats know that their “making the rich pay their fair share” idea works well with their voter base. Playing to wealth and class envy will always earn votes. The democrats also know that nothing earns votes better than perceived free social handouts. I mean who doesn’t like a free lunch, right…
Giving away all those perceived free social programs costs a lot of money though. The only way the democrats can cover the tab is through over taxation but not to the point of a tax revolution.
Now just because you happen to fall below that "rich" category, does not mean they will not come after your wallet. They have a little scheme planned that will potentially put you right in the middle of the "rich" category, thus setting you up for some pretty substantial tax increases, especially, if you own your home or property.
The scheme is called "imputed income," and it’s a brilliant and devious idea on how to tax and punish your home and property ownership. If you own your home or are a real estate investor / entrepreneur, this tax will have a dramatic impact on your wealth.
Here's how it works.
Let's say that you've owned your home for about 20 years. For 20 years your home has been appreciating in value ... big time in recent years. Your monthly payments on that home are about $550 a month. Since it's a 20-year-old loan made when the cost of your home was much less there isn't much of a home mortgage tax deduction left, because you almost have the home paid off, and the bulk of your payments go to principal instead of interest.
So the fact that you're living in a nice home, and paying very little, attracts the interest of Democrats. They know that there are a lot of people in your neighborhood that paid a lot more for their homes than you did, and their mortgage payments are a lot higher. Not only that, but there are other people renting homes in your neighborhood and they're paying much more than you are every month. It's obvious that you're enjoying some great economic benefit due to the fact that you've owned your home for so long and your payments are so low. Well, where there's an economic benefit, there must be a tax!
Enter the concept of imputed income!
Under this plan, first proposed by Clinton Democrats before the voter revolution of 1994, the government would figure out how much your home would rent for every month. To do this they would use all of that census data they've gathered, plus any information that they can develop on current sale and rental prices up and down your street.
Let's say that the government and the IRS determine that your home would rent for $3,250 a month. That would add up to $39,000 a year. But the IRS discovers that you're only paying $550 a month or $6,600 a year in mortgage payments. Well, there's that economic benefit you're enjoying by virtue of your long-term home ownership. The economic benefit of your home ownership is the difference between the $39,000 you should be paying to live there, and the $6,600 you're actually paying. Do the math. You're getting $32,400 every year in non-taxed economic benefits!
The Democrat plan is simple. Just take that $32,400 and add it to your taxable income on your next tax return. Then you get the privilege of paying income taxes to the federal government on the economic benefit you derive from your long-term home ownership. The IRS has "evened the playing field" in your neighborhood ... so to speak. Your neighbors had to pay taxes on the full $39,000 they're paying to live down the street ... now you will have to do the same. After all ... it's only fair, right!
Now imagine if you own more than one home. Wow that can add up fast!!!
Just remember this. Democrats actually believe that the best use for every single penny you earn is for it to be spent by government for what they love to call the "common good." They will allow you to keep just enough of your earnings to avoid your participation in a full-scale tax revolt. A good Democrat knows that only Democrats and the government know what is good for you, and that you will be so much better off and your life oh so much better if you will just succumb to the power of government and it's ability to care for you much better than you can care for yourself.
Is Nancy Pelosi really this stupid?
It seems that Nancy Pelosi condemned the president last week for saying that Al Qaeda was involved in the insurgency in Iraq. She said that "the 9/11 Commission dismissed that notion a long time ago and I feel sad that the president is resorting to it again."
Pelosi made that statement on November 28th. However on November 10, two and one-half weeks earlier, Al Qaeda released a video tape claiming that they had 12,000 fighters working in Iraq. Perhaps, Nancy Pelosi forgot in 18 days about the video.
Al Qaeda brags of the number of fighters it has mobilized to battle American troops in Iraq, and Pelosi says she is sad that the president is saying that Al Qaeda has fighters in Iraq.
Gimme a break…
I am sad that this stupid woman is going to be the new Speaker of the House. That is third in line to the presidency for those of you who didn’t know…kind of think of it that is sad too, Americans who do not even understand how their own government works.
Pelosi made that statement on November 28th. However on November 10, two and one-half weeks earlier, Al Qaeda released a video tape claiming that they had 12,000 fighters working in Iraq. Perhaps, Nancy Pelosi forgot in 18 days about the video.
Al Qaeda brags of the number of fighters it has mobilized to battle American troops in Iraq, and Pelosi says she is sad that the president is saying that Al Qaeda has fighters in Iraq.
Gimme a break…
I am sad that this stupid woman is going to be the new Speaker of the House. That is third in line to the presidency for those of you who didn’t know…kind of think of it that is sad too, Americans who do not even understand how their own government works.
Republicans not the party of big government...Say What???
Outgoing Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman says the GOP is not the party of big government.
Say what? You got to be kidding me.
C’mon Mehlman, government has expanded faster and bigger than ever on the republican’s watch.
Look at all of the new agencies that have been created and/or expanded. The Department of Homeland Security? That was a Republican idea. No Child Left Behind? So much for getting rid of the Education Department...the Republicans expanded it. What about prescription drug coverage for Medicare...that's another one. The list goes on and on.
The fact is in the 12 years since Republicans took over the House of Representatives, the size of the federal government has doubled. That's right...it's now twice the size of what it was in January of 1995.
There is no question that the Republican Party became the party of big government. The only difference between them and the Democrats is they like to borrow money instead of raise it through taxation.
Say what? You got to be kidding me.
C’mon Mehlman, government has expanded faster and bigger than ever on the republican’s watch.
Look at all of the new agencies that have been created and/or expanded. The Department of Homeland Security? That was a Republican idea. No Child Left Behind? So much for getting rid of the Education Department...the Republicans expanded it. What about prescription drug coverage for Medicare...that's another one. The list goes on and on.
The fact is in the 12 years since Republicans took over the House of Representatives, the size of the federal government has doubled. That's right...it's now twice the size of what it was in January of 1995.
There is no question that the Republican Party became the party of big government. The only difference between them and the Democrats is they like to borrow money instead of raise it through taxation.
Country Boy's Suggested Reading
According to Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki, Iraqis plan to take over their own security in June of 2007. That's just next year...well now that seems a little bit optimistic, doesn't it? Maybe we should take them up on it.
Here is some good news, the United States government is considering ending its outreach program to Sunni insurgents in Iraq. Good. How about instead of trying to reach out to these Islamic terrorists bastards, we just blow them up and kill them.
Charles Krauthammer takes on those that are now pretending to have realistic solutions in Iraq. Where have they been for the past couple of years? And just what have we been doing the last 4 years? Has what we're doing not been realistic? good read.
George Will, has never been a supporter of the war in Iraq, but says the problem is there aren't enough troops on the ground in Iraq to do the job. agreed!!! And he also says the powers-that-be may finally be realizing it. good!!! But at this point, would sending more troops actually win the war? or is it too late??? well 2 out of 3 points isn't bad.
Charlie Rangel is pushing the idea of a draft and insinuating that our men and women in uniform wouldn't be there if they had better opportunities elsewhere. Rebecca Hagelin says the facts prove Rangel wrong. Hell, I am living proof that Charlie Rangel is wrong. great column.
Now people are comparing the war in Iraq to World War II.....and Jonah Goldberg is having none of it. He says that other than the length of the conflict, there is absolutely no comparison between the war in Iraq and the biggest war in our history.
Jonah Goldberg, who has always been a strong supporter of the war, has now decided that invading Iraq and overthrowing Saddam Hussein was a mistake. But is he ready to run right out and join the anti-war Left? Not at all...and he isn't calling for the U.S. to cut and run, either.
In 1984....some 22 years ago at the height of the Cold War....Donald Rumsfeld made a speech about terrorism. In it, he said terrorism was growing and he predicted many of the problems we're having today. Cal Thomas makes note of the speech and says it's all coming true. verry interesting... If we listened to Rumsfeld then we wouldn't be in his mess now... how is that for ironic.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Iran President writes letter to America
The president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written you a letter just in time for the holidays. It's a long one too, 5 pages long. So you may want to make some time to read it. Of course, you know that I have read the whole thing and will break it down for you in a more concise matter. The letter is addressed to "Noble Americans." Aww….How special is that...so touching ….it truly warms my heart…the president of Iran likes us after all!
It seems that Ahmadinejad doesn't think the American people support the Bush Administration.
"Undoubtedly, the American people are not satisfied with this behavior and they showed their discontent in the recent elections. I hope that in the wake of the mid-term elections, the administration of President Bush will have heard and will heed the message of the American people," said Ahmadinejad.
Well…it looks like the Democrats have the president of Iran on their side!
Ahmadinejad then went off the deep end as usual, going into a rant about America's support of Israel and the injustices against the Palestinian people. Oh, and don't forget that the Holocaust was a myth...and he also wants you to know that he supports the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah who are dedicated to the destruction of Israel.
There goes that warm and touching letter.But in reading the letter I quickly noticed it seems a lot similar to what we heard from people like Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid during the recent campaign. Very interesting.
It seems that Ahmadinejad doesn't think the American people support the Bush Administration.
"Undoubtedly, the American people are not satisfied with this behavior and they showed their discontent in the recent elections. I hope that in the wake of the mid-term elections, the administration of President Bush will have heard and will heed the message of the American people," said Ahmadinejad.
Well…it looks like the Democrats have the president of Iran on their side!
Ahmadinejad then went off the deep end as usual, going into a rant about America's support of Israel and the injustices against the Palestinian people. Oh, and don't forget that the Holocaust was a myth...and he also wants you to know that he supports the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah who are dedicated to the destruction of Israel.
There goes that warm and touching letter.But in reading the letter I quickly noticed it seems a lot similar to what we heard from people like Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid during the recent campaign. Very interesting.
The most important story, but the most under reported strory of 2006: 500 CHEMICAL WEAPONS MUNITIONS FOUND IN IRAQ
You would have thought that this would have been one of the biggest stories of the year, but the media just was not interested. In fact they were so uninterested there was only 5 reporters at the press conference.
According to declassified information from a National Ground Intelligence Report on the recovery of chemical munitions in Iraq hundreds of chemical weapons have been found there.
You can read whats in the report below, but don't take my word for it. Here is a link to the declassified section of the report in pdf format.
Since 2003 Coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent.
Despite many efforts to locate and destroy Iraq's pre-Gulf War chemical munitions, filled and unfilled pre-Gulf War chemical munitions are assessed to still exist.
Pre-Gulf War Iraqi chemical weapons could be sold on the black market. Use of these weapons by terrorists or insurgent groups would have implications for Coalition forces in Iraq. The possibility of use outside Iraq cannot be ruled out.
The most likely munitions remaining are sarin and mustard-filled projectiles.
The purity of the agent inside the munitions depends on many factors, including the manufacturing process, potential additives, and environmental storage conditions. While agents degrade over time, chemical warfare agents remain hazardous and potentially lethal.
It has been reported in open press that insurgents and Iraqi groups desire to acquire and use chemical weapons.
This is an old story but I thought you could use a reminder. Especially since the news media reported this story for about a three day period back in June and did everything they could to discredit it.
When they did cover it was burried on page 13.
Critics claimed that the weapons were not the ones that the US was looking for and that they were old and useless, but former U.N. weapons inspector Tim Trevan, who said some of the weapons could still have posed a danger, even in a deteriorated state.
"Sarin could be a danger," he said. "The mustard, the problem is when it sits in the munition for a very long time in these high temperatures, it polymerizes. It goes from a liquid to a gooey mass."
The news media had an easy time spinning this story because the Bush Administration never made this story public as soon as it happened. Something that I myself never quite understood until I found this quote.
"Probably more important is why has the administration not made this public beforehand," retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Tom McInerny said of the report. "I think the fact is that the Russians moved large stocks [of WMDs] out in the fall of 2002. ... They went into three locations into Syria, in one location in the Bekaa Valley. If you get in there and if you found those weapons and found the precursors, the fingerprints would go back to Russia, China and France. Now those are the three countries that had the most conventional weapons sales to Saddam Hussein. ... I believe they were complicit. So I don't think the administration wants to trash three of the five members of the [U.N.] Security Council."
The point is that stories like Abu Ghraib and bad news from Iraq gets continues coverage even after the story is not even a story anymore.
However, any story that might actually legitamize our presence in Iraq, like finding chemical weapons gets burried.
I wonder how many people are even aware that we found chemical weapons in Iraq? I am willing to bet that it is not many.
Friday, December 01, 2006
MTCW Pic of the Day
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Time to get your yee haw on, Country Boy turns 30 today!!!
All my rowdy friends are gettin down tonight!
inspired by Hank WIlliams Jr.
Do you wanna drink, hey, do you wanna party!!!
This is ole Country Boy here and were goinna do it right.
We got a pig in the ground barbequin real nice.
So bring out the Tequila, Budweiser on ice
cause all my rowdy friends are getting down tonight.
We got Jose here, Jack and Johnny Walker too.
a little bit of Jim Beam just for you.
Captain Morgans just walked through the door.
Margaritta and Tia Maria out on the dance floor.
St. Pauli Girl just asked me for a light.
all my rowdy friends are here tonight.
so grab you a shot glass, some lemon and salt
but what happens next ain't gonna be my fault.
some will cut it loose, others will get mean.
but leave the trouble at home, caues you aint lookin for a fight
especially with all my rowdy friends here tonight.
My Birthday
Celebrating 30 years on the journey of life
Today is my Birthday, but before we start the party I would like to take a moment and reflect. I have been on this journey of life for 30 years now. It truly is a Journey, almost like a bus ride, with people getting on and getting off the bus all the time.
Through out my thirty year journey I have met some interesting people along the way and left some behind.
Some were passengers on the bus with me for short periods of time, got off never to return. Others were passengers for a while and then got off and later got back on again. While some just come and go never riding for very long at all. Then there have been some that have been on the bus for the whole journey so far or got on the bus along the way and stayed. All at the same time they were all making their own journey on their own bus.
Everyone’s bus ride is different. Some will complete their intended journeys smoothly. Some will encounter more bumps in the road than others on their journey. Others will get lost on the way and start another journey. Yet, some may just travel along with no clear destination in sight. While others journey will be cut short never getting a chance to complete it.
Some will have many passengers traveling with them along the way, while others may choose to keep the bus door shut and travel alone or only with a few passengers.
However my journey should turn out I would just like to thank everyone that I have met along the way. Each and every one of you has in some way shaped, formed or molded me into the complete person I am today, some for the better, some for the worse.
Some of you brought me joy, others sadness and grief. Some brought disappointment, while some of you just straight made me mad along the way.
Some of you brought comfort and support, always there for me in times of need along the way no matter what, while others have brought betrayal and deceit. As I know I have done all of this to the people I have met as well.
Whatever it was that you brought me along the way, whether it was bad or good I thank every one who has encountered me on my journey. I have learned valuable lessons from each and every one of you through my journey.
So thank you for the good times and the bad times… You have to be thankful for the bad times. I mean without bad times how would you know what good times are?Anyways, thanks for all the memories that make up my life so far.
Now let’s get some damn beer!!!
Who wants to shoot tequila with me???
Thursday, November 30, 2006
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