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'So happy they killed that SOB'
Kerry Keeps Backpedaling
Terrorists plan attack on German leaders?? But I thought....
Richard Clarke
Hamas Founder Killed
You want names?
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March 25, 2004
Noonan's Quiet Voice of Reason
Why did the government fail to see 9/11 coming? Some individuals did--writers, thinkers, military experts. But those we elected, and those they appointed, by and large did not. Why?
This is the great question. The hearings did not answer it.
It was a failure of imagination, a failure to envision that a terrible thing could happen, that a particular terrorist group meant to do what it said it would do. There was a sunny and empty-headed assumption that America would stay lucky; after all, we'd been lucky since terrorists hit the World Trade Center in 1993, and that wasn't so bad--just a handful killed. It was a failure to take our enemies seriously. All of us each day have so much we want to do, but the terrorists each day wanted to do one thing: get America. That was an advantage. There was a pass-the-buck mentality that prevails in government, with everyone quick to go on record warning of a threat and then letting the warning itself act as a replacement for action.
And to make it all worse we had, from 1993 to 2001, an essentially unserious president who had no clue what to do with the power he had accrued, or even the popularity, and who squandered both in a need for personal drama and trauma. He had eight solid years to move, but he did not do the hard things he had to do. He left it for the next guy.
The hearings should not have been held, for one reason: Our country at this moment in history should not be focusing time and attention on who made mistakes and why and when. Not that these things don't matter; they do, desperately, and history will be full of the story. But we have a war to fight, a country to protect, and that is what should have precedence.
As government officials last week rehearsed their testimony the enemy was planning new horrors for Americans to endure. Right now we should be preparing--taking protective action in our ports and around our nuclear facilities, at our borders, etc. American officials should not be busy testifying; they should be busy making sure every citizen has a CBN suit, a regulation gas mask and data on how to recognize and respond to a chemical, biological or nuclear incident.
The most pressing thing at the moment is making America safer. Instead, our officials are otherwise engaged.
As they were before 9/11.
The entire article is a worthy read. Peggy Noonan speaks softly - but carries a large stick. However, I disagree on one point - - I don't agree with her that this nation can't walk and chew gum at the same time. I do hope these distractions are NOT distracting this nation's leaders away from the most pressing issue: The safety of America and her people.
Hard to predict what will happen in the world. Hamas has recently threatened the United States. Should we commit troops to go in and take out Hamas? I bet 10 to 1 says NO WAY!
It takes a strong leader to look away from the polls and take a hard stance on doing what he feels is right to protect America from danger and threats of danger. It takes a strong leader to spend his efforts convincing the American people to do what needs doing. Clinton played the polls. Bush didn't.
Yet, another reason my vote for President in the 2004 elections is already cast for George W. Bush to lead us for another 4 years.
Posted by LisaS at 12:54 PM | Comments (27) Trackbacks (0)
Economy on the rise!
Economy Grows at Solid 4.1 Percent Pace
America's economic recovery ended 2003 on a good note, growing at a solid 4.1 percent annual rate, and is expected to do even better in the opening quarter of this year.
This is great news!
Now, do something about this, and I'll be happier:
What are the gas prices in your area? It's $1.85 here.
How much will you pay for a gallon of gas before you start to re-think your driving habits?
And, dammit - if this was a war for oil -- where's the oil?
Posted by LisaS at 09:02 AM | Comments (27) Trackbacks (0)
March 24, 2004
OH NO! Jobs!
Just when you thought Howard Dean and anonymous world leaders were successfully rallying Americans to John Heinz-Kerry's side, comes news of a horrible, horrible disaster: jobs!
The economy is suddenly making jobs. University of Michigan economists have predicted nearly 1 million will be added before year's end.
This is tragic, coming on the heels of the lowest unemployment figures since 2001 and all. In fact, like an earthquake, the blue-and-gold's economic team added this horrific aftershock: More than 3 million folks will be added to American payrolls by the end of 2005. Oh, the humanity!
Yes, things just got worse for the Democrats, who hoped that bad news about the domestic economy would help them win the presidency.
It's all Bush's fault!
Posted by LisaS at 08:33 PM | Comments (18) Trackbacks (0)
UN $tall
U.N. Stalling Iraq Gov't Probe Of $ecret Oil Acct
U.N. bureaucrats are stonewalling requests from Iraq's new government for records from the scandal-plagued oil-for-food account set up in Saddam Hussein's handpicked French bank, officials said yesterday.
The mysterious activities over the handling of the U.N. account at the French banking giant BNP Paribas, where $100 billion worth of oil-for-food transactions flowed until the war, has emerged as a central focus of several investigations....
Gee - - why would the UN officials stall the process of investigation?
If the UN decides to cover this up - - who is going to be there holding them accountable? The French have equal veto power as the U.S. - and OF COURSE the French don't want this Oil For Food Program investigation to go any more further than it already has! If I were an Iraqi citizen I would demand a full accounting of this mess...and demand a full refund immediately of all "stolen" money!
Posted by LisaS at 08:27 PM | Comments (18) Trackbacks (0)
Fox Nails It
Fox nails it with Richard Clarke
RICHARD CLARKE: Actually, I've got about seven points, let me just go through them quickly. Um, the first point, I think the overall point is, there was no plan on Al Qaeda that was passed from the Clinton administration to the Bush administration.
Second point is that the Clinton administration had a strategy in place, effectively dating from 1998. And there were a number of issues on the table since 1998. And they remained on the table when that administration went out of office — issues like aiding the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, changing our Pakistan policy -- uh, changing our policy toward Uzbekistan. And in January 2001, the incoming Bush administration was briefed on the existing strategy. They were also briefed on these series of issues that had not been decided on in a couple of years.
And the third point is the Bush administration decided then, you know, mid-January, to do two things. One, vigorously pursue the existing policy, including all of the lethal covert action findings, which we've now made public to some extent.
And the point is, while this big review was going on, there were still in effect, the lethal findings were still in effect. The second thing the administration decided to do is to initiate a process to look at those issues which had been on the table for a couple of years and get them decided.
So, point five, that process which was initiated in the first week in February, uh, decided in principle, uh in the spring to add to the existing Clinton strategy and to increase CIA resources, for example, for covert action, five-fold, to go after Al Qaeda.
The sixth point, the newly-appointed deputies — and you had to remember, the deputies didn't get into office until late March, early April. The deputies then tasked the development of the implementation details, uh, of these new decisions that they were endorsing, and sending out to the principals.
Over the course of the summer — last point — they developed implementation details, the principals met at the end of the summer, approved them in their first meeting, changed the strategy by authorizing the increase in funding five-fold, changing the policy on Pakistan, changing the policy on Uzbekistan, changing the policy on the Northern Alliance assistance.
And then changed the strategy from one of rollback with Al Qaeda over the course [of] five years, which it had been, to a new strategy that called for the rapid elimination of al Qaeda. That is in fact the timeline.
(via DogSnot via Rosemary - thanks!)
Posted by LisaS at 08:08 PM | Comments (17) Trackbacks (0)
'So happy they killed that SOB'
Diana Campuzano & a Small Moment of Joy
For one New Yorker grievously injured in a Hamas suicide bombing, Israel's assassination of Sheik Ahmed Yassin brought something that's been all-too-rare for years."I'm so happy they killed that son of a bitch," Diana Campuzano said yesterday. "I was so excited, so excited.
"I hate them. They changed my life. As far as I'm concerned, they can kill them all."
Six years ago, Campuzano was a Manhattan fashion retailer nearing the end of an Israeli vacation when she picked the wrong outdoor spot for lunch. She was sitting on Jerusalem's Ben Yehuda St. when three suicide bombers attacked nearby.
The blast fractured her skull, destroyed her left eardrum, pushed her nose inside her nasal cavity and left burns on her arms and legs.
The three Hamas bombers killed four in the Sept. 4, 1997, attack, but wounded 180.
Campuzano just endured her 10th surgery and has cataracts on her right eye, no sense of taste or smell, and wears special stockings. But more than that: she's wary of crowds, scared of loud noises, can't concentrate and panics easily.
It is my opinion that there are those who hear the words on the news that a suicide bomber attacked a shopping square, grocery store, bus stop or shopping area and injured however many and killed however many others and that these news listeners have become so accustomed to such news that they aren't affected by the tragedy that has really just occurred.
And just as there are those who aren't affected by the murder of many by a terrorist some of them even felt bad for Ahmed Yassin being killed a few short days ago by Israel. Thinking to themselves and some even sharing their thoughts with us of how awful it is that he was killed in such a horrible way.
He was a terrorist and people like Diana Campuzano and the countless others throughout the world have to deal with that reality each and every day. Terrorism is real and it changes and steals lives in a moment.
So for those who felt sorrow over the death of a terrorist who was responsible for so many deaths and for the maiming of countless others - - do you still?
Posted by Reilly at 11:45 AM | Comments (26) Trackbacks (0)
Kerry Keeps Backpedaling
Kerry Says He Wasn't There - - Then Suddenly He Was
Kerry at first denied attending the November 1971 meeting of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) in Kansas City, Mo. According to FBI files obtained by CNSNews.com, that 1971 meeting included talk of possibly assassinating U.S. senators. VVAW members discussed targeting then-Senators Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, John Tower of Texas and John Stennis of Mississippi because of their continuing support for the Vietnam war.
Early last week, Kerry's presidential campaign spokesman David Wade told the New York Sun, "Kerry was not at the Kansas City meeting." Wade added that Kerry had resigned from the VVAW "sometime in the summer of 1971."
But following the March 18 publication of the CNSNews.com report, in which the FBI files were used to corroborate Kerry''s attendance at the meeting, Wade reversed himself. "If there are valid FBI surveillance reports from credible sources that place some of those disagreements in Kansas City, we accept that historical footnote in the account of his work to end the difficult and divisive war," Wade said in a statement late last week.
Kerry also retreated from an earlier comment he made in response to a CNSNews.com question about former VVAW executive director Al Hubbard. Kerry and Hubbard appeared together on an April 18, 1971 broadcast of the news show Meet the Press to discuss their anti-war efforts.
But Hubbard, who had passed himself off as a decorated Air Force captain, was later shown to have lied about his military record. An investigation in 1971 by a CBS News reporter revealed that there were no military records showing that Hubbard had either served in Vietnam or was injured there.
When asked about his relationship with Hubbard at a televised press conference two weeks ago, Kerry said, "I haven't talked to Al Hubbard since that week" of the April 1971 Meet the Press appearance.
But after CNSNews.com reported that FBI files and eyewitness accounts from former VVAW members had placed Kerry and Hubbard in the same place on several occasions after the Meet the Press appearance, the Kerry campaign conceded that the senator was also incorrect on that point.
What a great piece of investigative journalism.
For all that Kerry and his camp have tried to say about President Bush's military record I think this shows all the more they are just trying to keep the spotlight off of John Kerry and his anti-war ways.
They discuss endlessly his months in Vietnam and then want to jump the period of time after his return to the United States when he was an anti-war activist who was apparently involved in a group that had much more than world peace on their minds.
I think Camp Kerry would like to erase 1971 from his past. Everything from him being present at an anti-war meeting with the VVAW in Kansas, his being on "Meet The Press" with Al Hubbard, to his having given a speech in front of the New York Stock Exchange where he morphed himself into judge and jury and stated that as far as war crimes in Vietnam were concerned (including murder) "that the real guilty party is the United States of America."
Keep backpedaling John - - 1971 was a long year and I think your backpedaling is the only way you'll stay afloat with all of this explaining you need to do.
Posted by Reilly at 11:24 AM | Comments (40) Trackbacks (0)
March 23, 2004
Terrorists plan attack on German leaders?? But I thought....
Assassination of German president foiled
German President Johannes Rau has cancelled a planned visit to Djibouti after German security services warned him of an assassination plot, his office says. The statement said the security services had received information that an Islamist group planned to kill him during a visit to the Horn of Africa state to meet German troops stationed there.
Islamist group planning an assassination of the German President?
Tsk, tsk, tsk - - this is what Germany gets for supporting the war in Iraq.
Er...wait a second.....
I thought the appeasing countries who didn't support the effort in Iraq were immune from attacks? Isn't that the reason Spain was attacked...because they support the U.S. effort in Iraq? How can this be explained?
Somehow, somewhere, somone will make this Bush's fault. 10..9..8..7......
Posted by LisaS at 07:13 PM | Comments (14) Trackbacks (0)
March 22, 2004
Richard Clarke
Where were they during the Clinton years?
The press is abuzz with reports that former Clinton staffers are set to testify before the September 11 commission next week that "they repeatedly warned their Bush administration counterparts in late 2000 that Al Qaeda posed the worst security threat facing the nation — and how the new administration was slow to act." The Clinton officials expected to so testify include Sandy Berger, Madeline Albright and Richard Clarke.
Where to begin: the mind boggles at such shamelessness. To state the obvious, in late 2000 the Clinton administration was STILL IN OFFICE. If there were steps that needed to be taken immediately to counter the al Qaeda threat, as they "bluntly" told President Bush's transition team, why didn't they take those steps themselves?
More broadly, of course, the Clinton administration was in power for eight years, while al Qaeda grew, prospered, and repeatedly attacked American interests:
*1993: Shot down US helicopters and killed US servicemen in Somalia
*1994: Plotted to assassinate Pope John Paul II during his visit to Manila
*1995: Plotted to kill President Clinton during a visit to the Philippines
*1995: Plot to to bomb simultaneously, in midair, a dozen US trans-Pacific flights was discovered and thwarted at the last moment
*1998: Conducted the bombings of the US Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, that killed at least 301 individuals and injured more than 5,000 others
*1999: Attempt to carry out terrorist operations against US and Israeli tourists visiting Jordan for millennial celebrations was discovered just in time by Jordanian authorities
*1999: In another millenium plot, bomber was caught en route to Los Angeles International Airport *2000: Bombed the USS Cole in the port of Aden, Yemen, killing 17 US Navy members, and injuring another 39So what, when they had the power to act effectively against al Qaeda, did these Clinton administration officials do? Little or nothing. Their most effective action was to bomb what turned out to be an aspirin factory in Sudan. They had the opportunity to kill Osama bin Laden, but decided not to do it because they were not sure their lawyers would approve.
For any one of these people to criticize George W. Bush and/or the current administration for the efforts they've made in order to protect the United States and it's citizens from terror attacks is disturbing and disgusting.
Richard Clarke is a bitter leftover from the Clinton years who was demoted by President Bush for good reason and could only find a position as a professor and supporter of the Kerry campagin.
He is sour grapes and has been discredited in numerous venues and will continue to be discredited throughout the next several months through hearings and his book tour.
Posted by Reilly at 05:29 PM | Comments (84) Trackbacks (0)
Hamas Founder Killed
Israel killed Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin
Israel killed Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin in a helicopter missile strike outside a Gaza City mosque Monday, prompting threats of unprecedented revenge by Palestinian militants against Israel and the United States.
Yassin was the most prominent Palestinian leader killed by Israel in more than three years of fighting, and his assassination was seen as a major escalation.
More than 200,000 Palestinians, some carrying billowing green Hamas flags, flooded the streets for the funeral procession, the largest gathering in Gaza City in recent memory. Thousands also took to the streets in the West Bank.
The World Reacts
U.S. Says Israel Has Right to Self Defense
Iran’s Khatami Blasts Assassination
France condemns Israeli killing of Hamas leader
Alleged Qaeda Letter Threatens U.S. Over Yassin Death
Hanegbi: ""The time came for someone to close accounts with Yassin"
U.N. Secretary-General condemns killing of Hamas leader
Arafat concerned he might be next
There are many reactions throughout the world about the death of Ahmed Yassin - - the accounts are numerous as to who is right and who is wrong.
My question is this: If we, in the United States and other nation's around the world, are fighting against those who are terrorists and murderers - - then why do some think Israel doesn't have that same right?
This is a man who blessed every attack against the Jews - - Yassin was not the local boyscout leader - - he was a terrorist.
Posted by Reilly at 04:53 PM | Comments (40) Trackbacks (0)
You want names?
Memo to Republicans: Sen. Edward Kennedy has a deal for you.
After the back-and-forth over which foreign leaders support John Kerry for president and his refusal to name them as Republicans would like, Kennedy offered what sounded like a possible deal on Sunday.
The Massachusetts Democrat and supporter of his Senate colleague's presidential bid offered to let the White House go first by naming members of the vice president's energy task force and the Bush administration officials who revealed the identity of a CIA employee whose husband has criticized the administration's Iraq policy.
They will do anything at this point to get the spotlight off of Kerry and those words he spoke:
"I've met foreign leaders who can't go out and say this publicly, but boy they look at you and say, "You've got to win this, you've got to beat this guy".
Posted by Reilly at 03:02 PM | Comments (53) Trackbacks (0)
Johnny's Potty Mouth Continues
Days after coming under sharp criticism for his inappropriate use of four-letter words Kerry has cursed a Secret Service agent whose job is to take a bullet for the politician.
It was a tough assignment from the start for Secret Service agents dispatched to guard Kerry as he vacations in star-studded Sun Valley, Idaho because they couldn't find hotel rooms, and Kerry couldn't seem to find a couple of spare beds within the $8 million vacation estate owned by his wife.
If bunking down wasn't difficult enough for Uncle Sam's bodyguards, the New York Times buried way down in its story: "His next trip down", that a reporter and a camera crew were allowed to follow along on skis — just in time to see Mr. Kerry taken out by one of the Secret Service men, who had inadvertently moved into his path, sending him into the snow.
"When asked about the mishap a moment later, [Mr. Kerry] said sharply, 'I don't fall down,' then used an expletive to describe the agent who 'knocked me over.' "
This guy and his temper - - let alone that mouth of his are just head shaking material that never seems to stop. Do the people of this nation really want a man who curses at the secret service and gets this upset about a spill in the snow to be the President of the United States?
I think not.
Posted by Reilly at 02:39 PM | Comments (33) Trackbacks (0)
Dear Senator Kerry
In the interests of your campaign and your party's desire to unseat George W. Bush, you have some explaining to do. During the primary campaign, your Democratic opponents accused you of flip-flopping on several important issues, such as your vote in favor of the Iraq War resolution.
Certainly your sensitivity to nuance, your ability to see shades of gray where George Bush sees only black and white, explains some of your difficulty. Shades of gray don't do well in political campaigns, where primary colors are the rule. And your long and distinguished service in the Senate has no doubt led to genuine changes in some positions. But the denial that you are a liberal is almost impossible to reconcile.
When the National Journal said your Senate record makes you one of the most liberal members of the Senate, you called that "a laughable characterization" and "the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen in my life." Wow! Liberals, who make up a substantial portion of the Democratic Party and a significant portion of the independent vote, are entitled to ask, "What gives?"
What gives is John doesn't have the necessary backbone to stand strong for the issues he has voted for or against. He doesn't even have the strength to stand up for those who are supporting him - namely liberals.
John isn't sure what he is on any given day - - but don't worry for he isn't completely without his place because there is one thing he most certainly is without fail every day. That is being an expert of the flip-flop.
He'll never explain any of this in terms that anyone who doesn't speak the flip-flop language can understand.
Posted by Reilly at 02:21 PM | Comments (15) Trackbacks (0)
Unarm The Secret Service
Left-wing politicians want Secret Service to be disarmed while in Ireland
Ireland's opposition lawmakers denounced the government's confirmation that Bush's bodyguards would be allowed to open fire if deemed necessary to protect the president during a U.S.-European Union summit scheduled for June 25-26 in Ireland.
Justice Minister Michael McDowell, speaking during a two-day meeting of European police chiefs in Dublin, said U.S. Secret Service agents would be allowed to open fire if deemed necessary "to save lives."Opposition leaders critical of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq called for Ireland's national police force, the Garda Siochana, to have sole responsibility for Bush's security.
There is no way the United States is going to allow another country to be in charge of the security for our President. For them to even suggest that the Secret Service be unarmed and that they would take "full responsibility" for the protect of George W. Bush is beyond ignorant.
Where he goes - - the Secret Service goes - - armed and ready to protect him. That is what they do. I wouldn't never want President Bush to be in a situation where the Secret Service wasn't there to protect him.
Posted by Reilly at 02:05 PM | Comments (15) Trackbacks (0)
Kerry's Spinning Compass
Kerry Promises 'New Direction' in TV Ad
John Kerry introduces himself to voters in a television ad unveiled Monday, promising "a new direction for America" from a war-tested Democrat.
War tested? Are we seriously going to have to deal with more of his few short months in Vietnam?
Titled "Fought for America," the 30-second ad airing in 17 states beginning Tuesday says Kerry has "the military experience to defend America" and the policies to improve health care and the economy.
"We need to get some things done in this country: affordable health care, rolling back tax cuts for the wealthy, really investing in our kids. That's why I'm running for president," Kerry says in the commercial, which includes footage of him emerging from the jungles of Vietnam more than 30 years ago.
Why doesn't he use the footage of when he returned from Vietnam and was tossing medals into the water in Washington DC?
Why doesn't he use footage of him taking part in anti-war rallies?
Why doesn't he use footage of a speech he gave in 1971 in front of the New York Stock exchange where he was discussing war crimes and atrocities committed during the Vietnam war and he is quoted as saying, "Guilty as Lt. Calley (of war crimes) might have been of the actual act of murder" - - "the verdict does not single out the real criminal. Those of us who have served in Vietnam know that the real guilty party is the United States of America."
Bush spokesman Schmidt: "John Kerry has never passed a major piece of health legislation in his Senate career. He voted against body armor for soldiers in Iraq and against increased combat pay (in protest of Bush's policies) and does not explain in this ad how he will address the $1 trillion tax gap that will lead to a massive tax increase on every American family."
So to protest something else, as though he hasn't done it enough already, he would rather our military not be properly protected nor their families able to live during deployments. This is how John Kerry is going to care for those who are serving in our military and their families. This is how he is going to care for our elderly and those others in need of health care. This is how he is going to take care of hard working Americans from paying higher taxes.
Posted by Reilly at 01:49 PM | Comments (10) Trackbacks (0)
March 21, 2004
Q & A
Kerry still can't get his stories straight
Q: How many John Kerrys does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: At least four. One to unscrew the old lightbulb. One to simultaneously announce his courageous commitment to replacing the old bulb. One to vote against funding the new light bulb. And one to denounce George W. Bush and America's Benedict Arnold CEOs for leaving everyone in the dark.
Q: Why did John Kerry cross the road?
A: He didn't cross the road. He crossed to the middle to demonstrate his grasp of the nuances and subtleties involved in crossing the road, and was still explaining them to the New York Times reporter when the logging truck hit him.
Ask John Kerry anything and he brings it back to Vietnam. When asked about his favorite pets -- Kerry brought us back to those four months in Vietnam and the dog named "VC" that accompanied him on his swift boat missions. He brought a dog named "VC" into enemy territory.
That seems rather odd, doesn't it?
"Here VC! Over here VC!", calling after the dog -- while in the midst of the enemy named....ummmm....VC?
I imagine Kerry would drape a banner around the new World Trade Center that says "Kick Me".
This guy is beyond hilarious.
Hey, Mom - thanks for sending me the link to the article! :)
Posted by LisaS at 08:12 PM | Comments (19) Trackbacks (0)
The World of Megaterrorism
It's curious to me how some people, including the bizzare statements from Dr. Dean, have pinned the Madrid bombings on America, more specifically, George W. Bush. Even though Al Qaeda claimed responsibility - - the ultimate accountability lays on Bush's shoulders? This is because of the statement issued by the terrorist themselves? Do people actually garner the knowledge before spewing hatred?:
Read carefully the statement that claimed responsibility for the Madrid massacres. Al Qaeda puts everyone, from the Crusaders to the Jews, all countries who sent troops not just to Iraq but to Afghanistan as well, in their gun sights. In other words, all of Europe--Berlin and Paris, no less than Rome, London or Warsaw. France merits special condemnation for its ban on the Islamic veil in public schools.
Mad is the European who thinks himself immune for having opposed Saddam Hussein's overthrow. No accommodation provides insurance against attack. No public building, no train platform, no sidewalk is spared by the Islamist butchers. "Death train," "death's black smoke," "the wind of death," the bleak metaphors fly over the borders in the name of al Qaeda. The bombs in Madrid, they say, are the "answers to the crimes you have committed worldwide . . . in Iraq and in Afghanistan."
In manipulating the Spanish election, terrorism proclaims its gospel and applies it in practice. The perfect timing of March 11 is the monstrous example. Little does it matter that the 201 dead and the 1,500 wounded were working-class people, most likely opposed to an intervention in Iraq--as were some 90% of the Spanish. The "human material" has no value for the terrorists who prove the strength of their convictions and the power of their weapons with the murder of the disarmed, whoever they may be and whatever they may think, whether believers or not. It was an encore, as everyone said: On this March 11, 2004, Europe lived its own September 11, the horror of Manhattan all over again.
People across the world, depending on what country they live in, are either relieved that their government didn't get involved in Iraq - - or they are scared because their country is involved in Iraq. The foolish thinking that the countries that are not involved are somehow immune to terrorism. You see it in Spain, currently - - a reaction to the terrorist bombings in Madrid, they elect the socialist party in and immediately begin talks of taking the troops out of Iraq.
As if that is a solution. Somewhere, a terrorist laughs.
Posted by LisaS at 11:55 AM | Comments (23) Trackbacks (0)
March 19, 2004
Foreign Leaders 4 John Kerry
Alex sent me this link, and I see that Geoffrey posted it on his site. Which foriegn leaders support John Kerry? Go visit the website and find out
Posted by LisaS at 05:55 PM | Comments (25) Trackbacks (0)
March 18, 2004
The Iraq War - One Year Later
I'm sitting here this evening - enjoying some quiet time in the house. Chris is on a business trip, the kids are busy with their teenage pursuits of phoning friends and computer games. It's almost bedtime for them. It's closing in on bedtime for me. I'm on the couch, in my bedroom - I had put a fire on earlier because it's cold and snowing outside. It's quiet.
I flipped on the television and turned on the History Channel. They are running a continuing series called "Iraq War - One Year Later". I'll tell you, the house may be quiet - but the storms that rage inside aren't so much.
In the business of debating politics - it's easy to get caught up in the petty, day-to-day-ness of it all. Who is attacking who? Who said what? Who lied? Who waffled? Who misrepresented? Who got dirty first? It goes on and on, constantly. I'll admit - the heat of it all is part of what attracts me to the debate and discussion. Taking part in the exchange of ideas, from all sides of the coins, is a never-ending pursuit of mine.
Again, it's easy to get lost in the day-to-day.
Over the year since the war began - I don't want to lose sight of what's gone past in that year. This year saw Saddam sympathizers; people, leaders and countries willing to appease, tolerate and support the regime of Saddam. When I sit back and realize and fully understand and try to comprehend what the people of Iraq had been living through during the decades of Saddam's rule - it's truly appalling and astonishing.
Those of us in a free society can hardly comprehend it. The fear. The paranoia. The sheer terror of everyday life was as normal to them as is our assumption of freedom and liberty. We barely give our freedoms a moment's pause in our daily life. These people in Iraq probably never gave it a moment's pause either -- because they didn't know freedom, they could not comprehend it - in the same way I cannot comprehend their utter fear.
There are people in this country who call the U.S. a 'terrorist state'. People who claim their personal civil liberties are being trampled on. People who speak out endlessly against the government of the U.S. - the same people who then turn around and say their freedom of speech is being threatened and, somehow, taken away from them. And yet, they drone on about their freedoms being taken away -- all the while, they are free to speak out.
Tonight, on the History Channel - I watched the documented terror that Saddam's regime inflicted on their people. Video taped executions. Documented beatings, torture, sadistic and psychotic murders and brutal mistreatment of it's people.
One year after the start of the war in Iraq and it's people still suffer the physical and mental scars left by the cruelty of Saddam Hussein and his regime. A brutalized society so afraid to speak out and give voice to their feelings and needs. They are now just beginning to start the healing process - - I can only imagine it will take a lifetime to heal, if they ever do. With their freedom, they will learn to be self-confident citizens joining fully in the march of history.
Then I think of human rights advocacy groups who are now all of the sudden very concerned about whether or not Saddam is being treated well in prison. The same advocacy groups who cried out that it was inhumane to display Saddam's son's beaten and dead bodies to the world. They worry about the Hussein's - - I have to really wonder about their priorities?
A sampling of things I watched tonight on the History Channel - civil torture was simply not enough for this regime. I watched video tapes of interrogation, torture, flagellation and citizens beaten while bound.
A man sentenced to 50 lashes for misusing food vouchers - videotaped for Udai's viewing pleasure and to send a message to other Iraqis who might plot against the regime, directly or indirectly.
Another man tortured in ways that I could never conjure up in my worst nightmares. They brought in tigers and cougars to torture him - stripped the man naked, covered his head and left him with the animals...whipped him so blood would stream from his body, then poured salt on the open wounds. They left him in a cage with the cats and allowed the cats to feed on him -- the man died the worst, most agonizing slow death - - and made his family watch.
Uday, as head of the Iraqi Olympic Committee, made the athletes sign agreements that they will bring medals home. When they did not - they were imprisoned, beaten, tortured, shot and sometimes killed.
Uday and Qusay solved Iraq's prison over-population by taking over 3,000 human beings in their prison and killing them and buried them in mass graves - - some of them were buried alive. In the United States -- we provide our prisoner's with health clubs, libraries and other amenities. In Iraq - prisoner's were murdered due to over-population.
For this, Qusay was handsomely rewarded by their father by being appointed in charge of all of Iraq's intelligence agencies, while Uday found ways around the strict sanctions. While the people of Iraq suffered and starved - Uday was selling oil on the black market and the money went directly into rooms of their palaces.
Then endless displays of utter violence with tactics reminiscent of the Nazi SS. All of Iraq felt and witnessed the wrath of Saddam and his sons. They kept detailed records of it's people's irreparable losses - records that are now being combed through as they archive the history of this murderous regime.
A year after the invasion - the Iraqi people are free of this terror inflicted upon them by it's leaders. For the twelve years following the Persian Gulf war - the people of Iraq suffered unimaginable and brutal torture - either upon their person or on their psyche, while the rest of the world turned their heads and issued resolution after resolution after resolution.
The intelligence on weapons of mass destruction was inaccurate. Our President fell victim to inaccurate intelligence - just as the rest of the world had. Most politicians, leaders and countries were of the opinion that Saddam had them - and he never fully opened his country up to prove that he did not.
WMD aside - I can only imagine that the people of Iraq are still incredulous with the knowledge that the regime is no longer there to inject fear, terror, and utter fright into their every day life.
The next time you're sitting in your comfortable home, enjoying quiet moments - drinking your coffee...logging onto your computer to discuss the latest happenings on the American political front - give a thought to the freedoms you enjoy in this country. Take comfort that you don't live in fear that your government is going to bring you into the streets and shoot you in the head for dissenting, complaining and insulting the government of this country.
I'm proud and relieved that George W. Bush was our President during this time of this world's history. I will be voting for him once again - and my hope that he wins the election in 2004 is strong and solid. If, by chance, George W. Bush is not my President come January 2005 - yes, I will be upset. I will be sick with the knowledge that someone like John Kerry will have the charge of this country.
However - George W.'s legacy will be the relief of the Iraqi people from the brutal regime of Saddam's Iraq. The death of Uday and Qusay - followed by the capture of the murderous dictator, himself - - was all George W. Bush and his administration, and their coalition of the willing. The UN cannot take credit for an ounce of relief felt by those people.
I will forever be proud of George W. Bush and his achievements in his time in office. I am very optimistic that he will enjoy another 4 years in office - and remain thankful for the freedoms I enjoy in this country, as compared to what people in other countries and other parts of the world have had to endure.
Respond what you will to this post. Tell me that George W. Bush lied about WMD, tell me that Bush's unilateral approach made world-wide enemies, tell me that Bush's war on terror is breeding more terror world-wide. I've heard your arguments - I've listened to your side. I'm left with a more solid conviction about this President than I was when I opened this website and welcomed your views. The Saddam supporting, appeasing group of people opposed to this action in Iraq do not move me and have served to solidify my footing exactly right where it is. In solid support of this President, period.
Keep bringing it on President Bush!
Posted by LisaS at 10:21 PM | Comments (40) Trackbacks (0)
They love him
Bush Thanks Soldiers for 'Job Well Done'
A year after he sent troops to Iraq, President Bush thanked thousands who have returned home for "a job well done" and said the United States must persevere in the war against terrorism.
"Welcome home!" exclaimed the president, wearing a military-style jacket as he spoke Thursday to thousands. Troops in camouflage uniforms responded with roars of "hoo-ah" as Bush spoke under a brilliant sunshine at this sprawling Southern Army base.
After the pep talk for the troops, Bush was meeting privately with survivors of some who never made it home.
When was the last time you donated to President Bush's campaign? Have you ever? There's no time like the present!!
Posted by LisaS at 08:44 PM | Comments (5) Trackbacks (0)
Mel Has Doubts
Mel Gibson has his doubts about President Bush
Mel Gibson has become the latest in a line of celebrities to question the war in Iraq.
"It's all to do with these weapons (of mass destruction) that we can't seem to find, and why did we go over there?" he said.
Usually a Bush supporter, Gibson said a lot of what the President had done during his term in office had been good, but he said he is "having my doubts of late".
Why do so many lose sight of the fact that a murderous tyrant and his regime have been removed and a nation and it's people have been liberated?
I have to admit I am somewhat surprised by this.
Posted by Reilly at 06:12 PM | Comments (22) Trackbacks (0)
He Thinks He's So Smart
Saddam believes he has outsmarted interrogators
Saddam Hussein thinks he is smarter than his interrogators, but the United States has extracted from the world's most famous captive much that might be used at his trial, a U.S. official said on Thursday.
"He's turned out (to be) a pretty wily guy who seems to be enjoying the give-and-take with his interlocutors. He sure thinks he's smarter than everyone else, that's for sure," U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said in an interview.
Then here is a question for Saddam:
Saddam, if you are so much smarter than everyone else - - then why were you living in a hole and now in a cell?
Posted by Reilly at 06:04 PM | Comments (12) Trackbacks (0)
Teresa Just Keeps Talking
Teresa Heinz Kerry detests the way Wal-Mart does business, saying last month that "they destroy communities." But that didn't stop her from investing at least $1 million in stock of the company she so despises.
Heinz Kerry's comments on Feb. 17 to a group in Minnesota have gotten little media coverage, but they so incensed Arkansas Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee that he included a stinging rebuttal. That in turn prompted Wal-Mart on March 5 to include Huckabee's words in a message to a number of its employees, including its managers throughout the country.
"It was especially interesting to note the comments of the wife of one of the presidential candidates, who claimed Wal-Mart was 'destroying communities' despite the fact she has more than $1 million in Wal-Mart stock and has a personal fortune that was built in large part by a company whose products are sold in Wal-Mart stores," the letter said.
Christine Anderson, Heinz Kerry's spokeswoman, would not talk about Wal-Mart or her boss's words, other than to say, "She did not own Wal-Mart stock at the time she made those comments."
According to the Center for Public Integrity, John Kerry's most recent financial disclosure statement showed his wife owned $1 million to $5 million worth of Wal-Mart stock. The disclosures don't require a more precise accounting, and any sale within the last year will not show up until later.
What John Kerry isn't doing to himself - - his wife is.
Teresa would have made a great deal of money from her Wal-Mart stock and then turned around and criticized them - - seems the "democratic" thing to do.
Let alone she makes money from Wal-Mart on a daily basis due to the fact they sell Heinz products. If she doesn't like how they do business then why does her company allow Wal-Mart to have so many of the products on their shelves?
What a hypocrite. I'll bet she doesn't criticize them when her profits are rolling into the bank.
Posted by Reilly at 05:55 PM | Comments (13) Trackbacks (1)
Ipse Dixit linked with Marie Antoinette Heinz Kerry
Top Al Qaeda Target Surrounded
Pakistani officials said Thursday they have a "high-value target" in the war on terror surrounded near the Afghan border where a fierce gunfight has been underway for days.
Early reports suggested it may be Al Qaeda's No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri but the person's identity remains uncertain.
Three senior Pakistani officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said intelligence indicated the Egyptian-born al-Zawahri has been cornered in an operation that began Tuesday in South Waziristan involving hundreds of troops and paramilitary rangers.
The United States has offered a $25 million reward for information leading to al-Zawahri's capture.
Posted by Reilly at 02:04 PM | Comments (3) Trackbacks (0)
Jobless claims lowest in 3 years
Jobless claims lowest since January 2001
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits dropped for the third consecutive week last week, pushing jobless claims to the lowest level in more than three years.
Let me hear just ONE Democrat stand up and say this is a POSTIVE thing for the United States. Just ONE? Come on down - you're the next contestant on "What's Good For America is Bad for The Democrats" show!
Posted by LisaS at 09:50 AM | Comments (20) Trackbacks (0)