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Thursday, August 6, 2009
See I Could Do It
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Martinez Taking A Cue From Benedict Arlen
Martinez is backing Sotomayorrr. Gee.... I wonder if her name was Johnson if he still vote for her?
"It is a momentous and historic opportunity," Martinez (R-Fla.) said.
For him or the rest of us?
Republican senator backs Sonia Sotomayor
9:45 AM PDT, August 5, 2009
"It is a momentous and historic opportunity," Martinez (R-Fla.) said. "Her 17-year judicial record indicates that she will apply the law without bias."
Sotomayor has been criticized by some Republicans for suggesting in speeches that a "wise Latina" would "reach a better conclusion" in some cases than a white male.
Martinez charged that some Republicans were using Sotomayor's speeches as "an excuse" not to vote for her confirmation. Her critics, he said, "have yet to produce objective evidence that she has allowed personal bias to influence her judicial decision-making."
After Martinez spoke, veteran Sen. Christopher S. Bond (R-Mo.) took to the floor and announced that he would also vote for Sotomayor, saying that President Obama was entitled to appoint his choice of judges. He said a Republican president similarly had the prerogative to appoint conservatives to the court. "She has proven herself to be a well-qualified jurist," Bond said. "The country is tired of partisanship infecting every debate."
Bond's announcement means that at least seven Republican will vote to confirm Sotomayor.
Earlier, Sen. Richard M. Burr (R-N.C.) embraced what has been the more traveled Republican path on Sotomayor's nomination, saying that he did not believe Sotomayor would stick to "the letter of the law" and said he would not vote to confirm her.
At the start of the debate today, several female Democratic senators banded together on the Senate floor to ensure that the other history-making nature of Sotomayor's nomination would not go unnoticed.
While much attention has been paid to the fact that Sotomayor would be the first Latino on the high court, she would also be just the third woman to serve as a justice, noted Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
Klobuchar was joined on the floor by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Kristen Gillibrand (N.Y.) and Patty Murray (Wash.).
Martinez Taking A Cue From Benedict Arlen
Not Another Jimmy!
This is a win win for Clinton. If the women are released ( I hope they are) Clinton is back in the limelight and is viewed as a hero. This guy could fall in shit and come out smelling like a rose.
Not Another Jimmy!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
NFL..... Its Only A Character Flaw
To start allow me to clarify my position. I am not a member of PETA. I like dogs as long as they belong to somebody else. In other words I do not own a dog. With that out of the way I would like to address the Michael Vick situation since he has been reinstated in the NFL.
As a football player Michael Vick is very talented. You would not be going out on a limb by saying he has talent to burn. So the question is, should we as a society put that above all else and throw our moral compass out the window; as it seems the NFL has done? Are we so obsessed with winning nothing else matters? Some may say he paid his debt to society by going to jail and we should forgive Vick, and all of us should move on with our lives. Looking at the above picture I can not bring myself to do that. Putting aside, for a moment, the heinousness of his actions if you could be put in jail for stupidity Vick would be serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Here's a guy who signed a 10 year contract for $130 million dollars (not counting endorsements that would exceed his contract) and he threw all that away to be involved in dog fighting! I don't know how much money you can make in dog fighting but it damn sure ain't $130 million!
I ask you. As a player would you want to be on a football team with this guy? Next time you have a BBQ would you feel... just a little uneasy... inviting him? Would you feel comfortable with Michael Vick watching your children so you could take your wife out to dinner???
I submit to you this guy is about as reprehensible as you can get. Psychologically, he is seriously derailed. He callously shot, electrocuted, and drowned the dogs. Think about it. If he can do that what else is he capable of?
Instead of joining the NFL he should be joining the Taliban where he would fit right in.
NFL..... Its Only A Character Flaw
Thursday, July 23, 2009
End of Dodd???
July 23, 2009
Categories: Connecticut
By Josh Kraushaar 07:32 AM
Dodd continues to struggle
Embattled Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) has begun a media campaign to rehabilitate his reputation, but his poll numbers haven't improved much at all over the last two months.
A newly-released Quinnipiac poll shows Dodd still trailing Republican Rob Simmons by nine points, 48 to 39 percent – a worse margin than his six-point deficit in the firm's last poll on May 28.
A 52 percent majority of voters still disapprove of Dodd's job performance, while only 42 percent of voters approve of him. That's only a slight improvement over the May numbers, when he held a 38/53 approval-disapproval rating. A 55 percent majority of voters still believe that Dodd is "not honest and trustworthy."
And a 49 percent plurality said that he does not share their views on issues important to them. – a surprisingly high total in a solidly-Democratic state like Connecticut.
"Dodd's most glaring weakness continues to be that a majority of voters say he is not honest and trustworthy. This is not something that will be easy for Dodd to reverse," said Quinnipiac pollster Douglas Schwartz. "Another problem for Dodd is that the bad economy has put voters in a grumpy mood. Consequently, voters have little patience for politician's missteps."
The one silver lining for Dodd is that he's improved his numbers among registered Democrats, and now holds a 72 percent job approval rating in his own party. But among independents, a whopping 60 percent disapprove of his job performance and only 33 percent approve.
The poll also found that President Obama would have little impact on Dodd's re-election – with 71 percent of voters saying an Obama campaign appearance wouldn't make a difference in their opinion.
For his part, Simmons is still largely an unknown quantity -- 48 percent of voters said they're unfamiliar with him. He holds a high net approval rating, with 39 percent viewing him favorably and just 12 percent unfavorably.
Among Republicans his fav/unfav is 57/2, suggesting his moderate profile won't be a problem with the GOP base. Simmons is facing a competitive primary against former Ambassador Tom Foley and state senator Sam Caligiuri, both of whom are near-total unknowns to the Connecticut electorate.
End of Dodd???
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor. You can't pronounce it S-O-T-O....M-A-Y-O-R. Like a Mayor of a city. No...you have to pronounce it with a certain Spanish inflection.... rolling the R. Thusly..... Soto-Mayorrrr.
Lindsey Grahamesty (Rush's name for him after he tried to pass the Shamesty Bill with McCain) tried to grill her but then added "he liked her". He also said, "unless there was a complete meltdown she was a shoe in to be confirmed". A real grill-master that one.
Republicans are in a war they can not win.Strategically, Obama really gave us the high hard one. For starters he could have appointed someone akin to Adolph Hitler and there is nothing the Republicans can do about it! But now, as the they oppose Soto-Mayorrr, they will be perceived in the spotlight as being against women and Hispanics.
Besides the "wise Latino" comment she made:
"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life."
Imagine if a white guy said:
"I would hope that a wise Caucasian male with the richness of his experiences would, more often than not, reach a better conclusion then a Black or Hispanic who hasn't lived that life"."
There would be no confirmation hearing because he would have been ridden out of town on a rail!
I think what sticks out is 8 out of 10 of the most important legal decisions she ever made were later overturned by a higher court. It is good in one way because the bad decisions she made were corrected. The killer is she was born June 25, 1954. She has a projected life expectancy of 27.1 years. Since Supreme Court Justices serve a life term (something that should be corrected) she has 27.1 years of making bad decisions.
In the future the fireman are revisited:
In 2010 the FRA (better know has the Fireman Reform Act) is passed by congress. It dictates that White fireman that take a test for a promotion and pass, while Black an Hispanic fireman take the same test and fail. The test then will be deemed invalid. Another law suit is filed and it goes to the Supreme Court. Soto-Mayorrr sides with congress.
In 2011 the FRA is amended by congress what is commonly called The Pelosi-Reid Amendment. It now is amended to read: If all White fireman take a test for promotion and fail, and all Black and Hispanic fireman pass the test, the test is deemed valid. A lawsuit is filed. Soto-Mayorrr sides with congress.
When asked how she came up with that decision she said, Hey.... What's fair is fair.
In 2012 you won't have to press one for English because that option will no longer be available. All boxes containing merchandise in Home Depot and Lowes, as with all retailers, will have Spanish on all four sides; thus avoiding the aggravating problem of turning the box around to find out what the hell it says in English. Once inside the box no more turning the directions up side down and inside out to read it in English because there won't be any.
Thank God that problem is resolved.
PS: I would like to extend my congratulations to Stuart Smalley on becoming a senator. From the fine state that also gave us Jesse Ventura.
Thanks Minnesota!
Sonia Sotomayor
Friday, July 10, 2009
This Proves What An Incompetent Asshole Barney Frank Is
This is a statement released 2 days ago from the WSJ.
By DEBORAH SOLOMON
The Treasury Department expects an initial payback from the nation's largest banks of at least $50 billion in bailout funds, according to people familiar with the matter, double the amount the government initially expected to recoup.
(In more ways then one)
Already Barney Frank has announced he intends to use this money to bailout foreclosed homeowners. Isn't that why we are in the trouble in the first place??? Does this fucking asshole ever read statistics!
(Should be his mug shot. Makes Madoff look like a rank amateur)
In general, the more loans you modify, the higher the percentage of redefaults: In the first quarter of 2008, 68,001 loans were modified, and 40,206, or 59 percent, of those have ended up 30 days late again, or worse. In the first quarter of 2009, 185,156 loan mods were done, and of those, 120,067, or 64 percent, ended up in trouble.
Our government is like a dog trying to catch its own tail. Giving money to a Democrat is like crack to a drug addict. Why not use the money to bring down the debt? Pure and simple. This is just a blatant attempt to buy votes with taxpayer money!
There is no Earthly reason why Frank should be re-elected. Yet it will happen. Kerry, Kennedy, and Frank. Provided by Massachusetts; a state noted for stupidity.
This Proves What An Incompetent Asshole Barney Frank Is
Monday, June 29, 2009
Cussing In Church
A crusty old man walks into the local Baptist Church and says to the secretary, "I would like to join this damn church." The astonished woman replies, "I beg your pardon, sir. I must have misunderstood you. What did you say?" Listen up, damn it. I said I want to join this damn church!' 'I'm very sorry sir, but that kind of language is not tolerated in this church.
The secretary leaves her desk and goes into the pastor's study to inform him of her situation.
The pastor agrees that the secretary does not have to listen to that foul language. They both return to her office and the pastor asks the old geezer, 'Sir, what seems to be the problem here?' 'There is no damn problem,' the man says. 'I just won $200 million bucks in the damn lottery and I want to join this damn church to get rid of some of this damn money.'
"I see," said the pastor. "And is this bitch giving you a hard time?"
Cussing In Church
Monday, June 22, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
What A Waste Of Time And Money
Point No. 1
Highlighted below in red he admits providing the explosives to blow up the US Embassy in Tanzania in 1998 killing more then 200 people. He offered up some lame excuse that he was the one who delivered the explosives; but he didn't know they would actually use it. Sounds like he is taking a cue from Pelosi.
We are at war folks! These guys are not your run of the mill criminals. They are POW's. They should be tried at Gitmo by a military tribunal and if found guilty they should receive whatever they deem necessary including the death penalty.
Point No 2.
Timothy McVey was a home grown terrorist. As you know he blew up the Murrah building killing 168 people. There was a day care center in the building. When asked how he felt about killing the
children his response was "collateral damage". He was rightfully put to death.
His sidekick Terry Nichols was somehow spared the death penalty. He was sentenced to 161 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. His trial cost 17 million dollars. There are about 250 POW's who are going to be brought here and tried individually. Do the math.
Didn't both Democrats and Republicans just vote against funding this?
from BBC News
Profile: Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani
Ghailani denies being a member of al-Qaeda.
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani faces charges of war crimes over the US embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998, which killed more than 200 people.
Mr Ghailani, a Tanzanian, was arrested in Pakistan in July 2004 and handed over to the US at the beginning of 2005.
He was one of 14 detainees transferred in September 2006 from secret CIA prisons abroad to the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba.
Charges brought by the Pentagon in March 2008 include murder, attacking civilians, conspiracy and providing material support to terrorism.
The Pentagon was reported at the time to be seeking the death penalty if the conviction is successful.
According to the transcript of a closed-door hearing in March 2007, Mr Ghailani admitted delivering explosives used to blow up the US embassy in Tanzania in 1998.
However, he said he did not know about the attack beforehand and apologized to the US government and the victims families, the transcript said.
'Scouting the embassy'
A short, squat man in his 30s, Mr Ghailani is said to have had dozens of aliases, including "Foopie" and "Ahmed the Tanzanian".
He was number eight on the FBI's most wanted list - his baby-faced photograph belying the severity of the charges on which he was indicted by New York authorities in 1998.
The Tanzania and Kenya bombings were almost simultaneous |
The Tanzanian national is accused of buying the truck that carried the bomb used in the Dar es Salaam attack.
He and his accomplices are also accused of buying oxygen and acetylene tanks used to enhance the force of the explosion.
He is also said to have escorted the bomb maker between Dar Es Salaam and the Kenyan city of Mombasa after the bomb was made as well as scouting the US embassy with the suicide bomb driver.
The near-simultaneous bombings in August 1998 killed 213 people in Nairobi and 11 people in Dar Es Salaam as well as injuring thousands more.
'Significant arrest'
Mr Ghailani is thought to have been born on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar in 1970 or 1974 - making him 39 or 35 years old. He is said to speak fluent Swahili and English.
Analysts described him as a very important figure, who was probably sent to east Africa at the time of the bombings by Osama Bin Laden's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
It is suggested that Mr Ghailani fled to Afghanistan after being indicted in 1998.
According to the US transcript, he admitted visiting an al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan after the bombings. But he denied being a member of al-Qaeda.
Mr Ghailani was reported to have been in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, in 2001, with another suspect in the embassy bombings, a Kenyan man Fazul Abdullah Mohammed.
The UK's Observer newspaper reported in 2002 that the two men allegedly ran a lucrative al-Qaeda financing operation, trading illegal "blood diamonds" for cash.
The paper said the operation ran into trouble in June 2001, when reports reached al-Qaeda that Mr Ghailani and Mr Mohammed were lavishing money on women, presents and alcohol.
In May 2003, the FBI named Mr Ghailani on a list of seven people it suspected of concocting a fresh al-Qaeda plot, and increased the bounty on his head to $5m.
On 25 July 2004 he was arrested in Pakistan along with his Uzbek wife.
Pakistani officials at the time said Mr Ghailani's arrest was the most significant since the detention in March 2003 of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the 11 September attacks on the US.
What A Waste Of Time And Money
Monday, June 8, 2009
545 vs 300,000,000 Revisited
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red .
If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
What you do with this article now that you have read it.......... is up to you.
545 vs 300,000,000 Revisited
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Laptops for detainees! Have we gone mad?
It is well documented Muslims have an affinity for cutting peoples heads off. For this vile (beyond what words can convey behavior) the United States government in a act of supreme retaliation are now giving Gitmo prisoners laptops.
First they were offered a colonoscopy for anyone 55 years of age or older. There are US citizens without health care who cannot afford a colonoscopy! Now we're giving them laptops!!!
Some Guantánamo detainees to get laptops
To better prepare them for life in asylum, the U.S. military is setting up a virtual computer lab for some Guantánamo captives now cleared for release.
BY CAROL ROSENBERG
crosenberg@MiamiHerald.com
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba -- These captives already get to order fast-food takeout from the base and have access to a phone booth for weekly calls. Now some 17 Uighur Muslims awaiting a nation to grant them asylum are about to go high-tech, with laptops and web training.
While awaiting details of President Barack Obama's order to close the prison camps by Jan. 22, commanders here have ordered 20 laptops for the captives of Camp Iguana.
''As you know, detainees are leaving this place,'' said Army Lt. Col. Miguel Mendez, who oversees detainee classes, a multilingual library and now-emerging virtual computer lab. "We're getting them computer classes to prepare for their return.''
A federal judge last year ordered that the men be set free after reviewing the American military's reasons for holding them in habeas corpus petitions that reached the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. by order of the Supreme Court.
But the Chinese citizens in exile have no place to go.
As devout Muslims, they fear religious persecution in their homeland, in part because of the stigma of having been held at Guantánamo for allegedly getting paramilitary training in Afghanistan before Sept. 11, 2001.
Attorney General Eric Holder said some could come to the United States for resettlement, triggering protests from members of Congress around Virginia, where other Uighurs live and have offered to settle them.
Nury Turkel, a Washington, D.C.-based Uighur rights activist, hailed the computer training development. Internet access could allow the men to listen to Uighur broadcasts of Radio Free Asia, he said.
Moreover, laptops would help the men ''be reintroduced into a modern society,'' said Turkel, who noted that after eight years in U.S. custody the computer training "also would give hope to the men that their freedom is nearing.''
Some Uighurs sent from Guantánamo to asylum in Albania several years ago now e-mail with Turkel regularly, he said.
Attorneys for the men did not respond to requests for comment.
Laptops for detainees! Have we gone mad?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
One angry woman
This is a letter from a woman who lives in New Brunswick, Canada. I don't know who she is; but she damn sure makes sense.
Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001 and have continually threatened to do so since?
Were people from all over the world, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from the nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania?
Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?
And I'm supposed to care that a few Taliban were claiming to be tortured by a justice system of the nation they come from and are fighting against in a brutal insurgency.
I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.
I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere belief of which is a crime punishable by beheading in Afghanistan.
I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.
I'll care when the cowardly so-called 'insurgents' in Afghanistan come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.
I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.
I'll care when the Canadian media stops pretending that their freedom of speech on stories is more important than the lives of the soldiers on the ground or their families waiting at home to hear about them when something happens.
In the meantime, when I hear a story about a CANADIAN soldier roughing up an Insurgent terrorist to obtain information, know this:
I don't care.
When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank:
I don't care.
When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed 'special' food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being 'mishandled,' you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts:
I don't care.
And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled 'Koran' and other times 'Quran.' Well, Jimmy Crack Corn you guessed it,
I don't care!!
If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your E-mail friends Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behaviour!
If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great Country!
I wonder how she feels about closing Gitmo?
One angry woman
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Chandra Levy Scandal Revisited
This is Chandra Levy. She was found murdered
at Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC
A married Democratic Congressman from California.
gift box for her in the dumpster. The media went crazy with speculation. It was front page news in the newspapers. It was the lead story on all the network news stations.
Did her kill? Did he pay someone to kill her? Why? Was she going to the press with the story to ruin his career? Where's the body? He had motive. He had to do it! The variety of stories was endless!
Fast forward to March 2009:
Chandra Levy Scandal Revisited
Friday, May 22, 2009
Obama calls Gitmo 'a misguided experiment'
Obama calls Gitmo 'a misguided experiment'
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Now It Has Come To This!
Now it has come to this!
If I was one of these Supervisor's I would file a multi-million dollar law suit.
A 36 second video. You won't believe what you hear
Now It Has Come To This!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Taliban's Alternative To Waterboarding
This video gives new meaning to the word graphic!!!!
(No BS)
We all know Pelosi said she knew nothing about waterboarding. Liberals condemn it. However, no one has ever died from waterboarding.
Now it is time to look at what goes on..... on the other side of the fence.
How do you feel now? Do you feel like throwing up? I was so repulsed I turned it off.
Now image what's going to happen if Gitmo is closed down. Some of these butchers are going to be released into our American society. Your taxes are going to them in the form of a Welfare check!
As sickening as this video is it is a reminder of what animals they truly are.
How comfortable are you going to be with these butchers living next door?
Write your Congressman or Senator now and demand they not be released!
Taliban's Alternative To Waterboarding
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Shocking.....Specter A Democrat!
The shock of a lifetime!!! .........Someone cut me some slack.
There are two constants in life:
Every time the Republican Party needed his vote on a pivotal issue... The Bailout... Illegals getting Social Security... Abortion.... The Ted Kennedy inspired Shamnesty Bill.... to name a few, he always went the other way.
Shocking.....Specter A Democrat!
Monday, April 27, 2009
READ THIS NOW!...In Case You Forgot
Security Before Politics
By Porter J. Goss
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Followed by an excellent commentary by Ed Kilbane
Since leaving my post as CIA director almost three years ago, I have
remained largely silent on the public stage. I am speaking out now because I
feel our government has crossed the red line between properly protecting our
national security and trying to gain partisan political advantage. We can't
have a secret intelligence service if we keep giving away all the secrets.
Americans have to decide now.
A disturbing epidemic of amnesia seems to be plaguing my former colleagues
on Capitol Hill. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, members of the
committees charged with overseeing our nation's intelligence services had no
higher priority than stopping al-Qaeda. In the fall of 2002, while I was
chairman of the House intelligence committee, senior members of Congress were
briefed on the CIA's "High Value Terrorist Program," including the development
of "enhanced interrogation techniques" and what those techniques were. This
was not a one-time briefing but an ongoing subject with lots of back and
forth between those members and the briefers.
Today, I am slack-jawed to read that members claim to have not understood
that the techniques on which they were briefed were to actually be
employed; or that specific techniques such as "waterboarding" were never mentioned.
It must be hard for most Americans of common sense to imagine how a member
of Congress can forget being told about the interrogations of Sept. 11
mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. In that case, though, perhaps it is not
amnesia but political expedience.
Let me be clear. It is my recollection that:
-- The chairs and the ranking minority members of the House and Senate
intelligence committees, known as the Gang of Four, were briefed that the CIA
was holding and interrogating high-value terrorists.
-- We understood what the CIA was doing.
-- We gave the CIA our bipartisan support.
-- We gave the CIA funding to carry out its activities.
-- On a bipartisan basis, we asked if the CIA needed more support from
Congress to carry out its mission against al-Qaeda.
I do not recall a single objection from my colleagues. They did not vote
to stop authorizing CIA funding. And for those who now reveal filed
"memorandums for the record" suggesting concern, real concern should have been
expressed immediately -- to the committee chairs, the briefers, the House
speaker or minority leader, the CIA director or the president's national
security adviser -- and not quietly filed away in case the day came when the
political winds shifted. And shifted they have.
Circuses are not new in Washington, and I can see preparations being made
for tents from the Capitol straight down Pennsylvania Avenue. The CIA has
been pulled into the center ring before. The result this time will be the
same: a hollowed-out service of diminished capabilities. After Sept. 11, the
general outcry was, "Why don't we have better overseas capabilities?" I
fear that in the years to come this refrain will be heard again: once a
threat -- or God forbid, another successful attack -- captures our attention and
sends the pendulum swinging back. There is only one person who can shut
down this dangerous show: President Obama.
Unfortunately, much of the damage to our capabilities has already been
done. It is certainly not trust that is fostered when intelligence officers
are told one day "I have your back" only to learn a day later that a knife is
being held to it. After the events of this week, morale at the CIA has
been shaken to its foundation.
We must not forget: Our intelligence allies overseas view our inability to
maintain secrecy as a reason to question our worthiness as a partner.
These allies have been vital in almost every capture of a terrorist.
The suggestion that we are safer now because information about
interrogation techniques is in the public domain conjures up images of unicorns and
fairy dust. We have given our enemy invaluable information about the rules by
which we operate. The terrorists captured by the CIA perfected the act of
beheading innocents using dull knives. Khalid Sheik Mohammed boasted of the
tactic of placing explosives high enough in a building to ensure that
innocents trapped above would die if they tried to escape through windows.
There is
simply no comparison between our professionalism and their brutality.
Our enemies do not subscribe to the rules of the Marquis of Queensbury.
"Name, rank and serial number" does not apply to non-state actors but is,
regrettably, the only question this administration wants us to ask. Instead of
taking risks, our intelligence officers will soon resort to wordsmithing
cables to headquarters while opportunities to neutralize brutal radicals
are lost.
The days of fortress America are gone. We are the world's superpower. We
can sit on our hands or we can become engaged to improve global human
conditions. The bottom line is that we cannot succeed unless we have good
intelligence. Trading security for partisan political popularity will ensure that
our secrets are not secret and that our intelligence is destined to fail
us.
The writer, a Republican, was director of the CIA from September 2004 to
May 2006 and was chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence from 1997 to 2004.
We wholeheartedly agree with the premise of this article by Porter Goss. Please use your influence to put a stop to these political "gotcha games". Go back and look at the pictures of the trade towers, look at the poor people, jumping hand-in-hand from them to their death in order to escape the searing heat and end their misery. Look at the Berg and Pearl beheading video's. Enhanced interrogation techniques didn't cause this, they prevented more of it.
I guess you can't say it any better then that. Thanks Ed.
READ THIS NOW!...In Case You Forgot