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THE GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED NATIONAL MEDIA, DECEIDED TO SPEND 3 OR 4 DAYS COVERING MICHAEL  JACKSON’S DEATH BY “DRUG OVERDOSE” NO NEWS OUTLET COVERED  THE “CAP AND TAX BILL” THE LARGEST TAX BILL IN” HISTORY”. WHAT A DISGRACE!!

THE NEXT THING IS TO MAKE “JACKSON DAY” A NATIONAL HOLIDAY. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUTRY????. THE BAD GUYS ARE HEROES AND THE GOOD GUYS ARE NOW THE BAD GUYS

THE PATRIOT

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Today Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) President Grover Norquist condemned the passage of H.R. 2545, the “American Clean Energy and Security Act” also known as “cap-and-tax” or the National Energy Tax bill.. The bill passed 219-212, with 211 Democrats siding with Nancy Pelosi to support the broadest tax increase this year.  Eight Republicans crossed party lines to support the Democrat bill.

ATR notes American citizens can look forward to the following as a result of this vote:

•    Direct energy costs will go up $1,500 per year for the typical family of four.

•    Even with a 26% reduction is use, electric bills will be $754 higher in 2035 than in the absence of Waxman-Markey, and $12,200 higher in total from 2012 to 2035.

•    Even with a 15% decrease in gas consumption – prices will still go up! A family of four will still pay $596 more in 2035 and $7,500 more in total from 2012 to 2035.

•    From 2012-2035, a family of four will see its direct energy costs rise by $22,800.
 
•    On average, employment will be lower by 1,105,000 jobs per year. In some years, cap and trade will reduce employment by nearly 2.5 million jobs.

•    Waxman-Markey will drive up the national debt 26 percent by 2035. This represents an additional $29,150 per person, or $116,600 for a family of four.

“Every member who voted for this massive tax on every single American family just committed a criminally stupid and politically dangerous act,” said ATR president Grover Norquist.Americans might forget a vote to regulate some business is the mid-West, but once a month they will be reminded of this vote when they get their increased utility bill.”

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But America is caught up with “Hey, did you hear? Michael Jackson is dead!”

Concentrate on things that are important, like those who are pushing this energy bill stand to gain the most from it:

Nancy Pelosi has $50,000 to $100,000 in Clean Energy Fuels Corp.

• Rep. Edward Markey — hmm, why does that name sound familiar? — has investments between $51,000 and $115,000 in the Firsthand Technology Value Fund (which as three solar-energy manufacturers)

Al Gore — Mr. “Inconvenient Truth” himself — his venture capital firm is heavily invested in a new software company that’s making software to help companies track their carbon footprint. He, and companies like his, will make a fortune.

Not only will this bill make politicians rich, it will increase their power as well. The government will control what you can and cannot do.

Want an SUV? Oh, sorry. Gas mileage isn’t good enough.

How about incandescent light bulbs? They use too much energy.

Quarter-pounder with cheese? Meat is even more harmful than the SUV!

This bill is a gateway; it will be used as justification to regulate every industry or product the government can get their grimy little fingers on.

Politicians get rich. Government gets more power and control. Businesses just pass on the cost — so there is only one loser: you, the consumer.

The worst part is, we aren’t breaking new ground here. While we’re busy marching towards more socialism, the rest of the world is running away from it because they’ve tried it.

Australia is killing their carbon tax proposals and it’s already a complete failure in Spain, where it’s resulted in an 18.1 percent unemployment rate (more than double Europe’s average) and they are losing 2.2 jobs per every one “green job” created.

I think The New York Times quote on the European Union’s cap-and-trade program (that started in 2005) says it all: “Their plan unleashed a lobbying free-for-all that led politicians to dole out favors to various industries, undermining the environmental goals. Four years later, it is becoming clear that system has so far produced little noticeable benefit to the climate, but generated a multi-billion dollar windfall for some of the continent’s biggest polluters.”

THE REASON NANCY PELOSI WANTS THE BILL SIGNED TODAY IS BECAUSE SHE IS GOING ON VACATION THIS WEEKEND. SOUND FAMILIAR

They are voting on this bill today. Call your representatives now, while you can still afford to have the lights on and actually see the phone numbers.

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300 Page Amendment to 1200 Page Bill Added at 3:09AM

 
House GOP Leader John Boehner (OH) describes the rush Democrats imposed on consideration of this bill so that few would have the chance to read it and object:

Dems had 30 years to write this bill, but left only hours to read it or debate it.

Graphic from House Leader Boehner’s blog shows complexity of Democrat bill:

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Eight Republicans Screwed You On Cap And Tax

by Big Dog on Jun 26, 2009 at 22:52 Political

The House voted on the cap and trade bill today bringing it closer to reality. It will have a tougher time in the Senate but it will probably eventually pass. This was a big Democratic bill and the agenda for this is strictly on the Democrats even though a number of them voted no today. They are people who are worried about the next election. It was a given that Democrats would largely support this bill but it would not have passed if eight Republicans had not defected. The bill passed 219-212 and would have failed 220-211 has the eight Republicans not voted for it. This bill will raise the cost of energy. People will not be able to afford their energy and all increases on companies will be passed on to the consumer. If it passes you have eight Republicans to thank.

Obama himself clearly said that his cap and trade program would necessarily cause energy prices to skyrocket. Everyone will pay for that. This is not a tax on the “rich” or some offset that the middle class and poor will not have to pay. This will be a massive increase in energy prices so folks better start paying attention and forcing their elected officials to listen. The Senate needs to halt this or it will be a catastrophe.

You know it has to be bad because they are ramming it through before anyone can read it. Does anyone see a pattern here? The stimulus was rammed through and no one read it. Now there are things popping up that no one was aware of. This is not even counting the fact that the stimulus is not working.

The Democrats have a bill that is over 1000 pages. No one had time to read it. At the last minute a 300 page amendment was added and no one could read that. This is irresponsible government and those Republicans who voted for this need to be removed from office. I expect irresponsibility from the Democrats and their messiah but I expect better from Republicans and if they do not do what is right I expect them to be removed from office. Here are the people YOU need to vote out of office in the next election:

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The absolute largest tax increase in the History of our Republic, coupled with an easily corruptible “trading” system which will further politicize and relinquish control of our industrial sector in the hands of over a DOZEN different Federal Regulatory agencies.
And EIGHT REPUBLICANS SOLD OUT YOUR FUTURE.
Find out how your representatives voted here (you shall know their names) and here is what they voted for (HR2454).
For: 219
Democrat: 211
Republican:  8
Against: 212
Democrat:  44
Republican:  168
Which Republicans sold you out:
Reichert-Washington–8th District
Bono-California–45th District
Castle-Delaware–
Kirk-Illinois–10th District
Lance-New Jersey–7th District (who has a whole section on his website on how to reduce gas prices!!)
LoBiondo-New Jersey–2nd District
McHugh-New York23rd District
Smith-New Jersey–4th District
And let’s not forget the sane (43) Democrats who voted against the bill:
Altmire-Pennsylvania
Arcuri-New York
Barrow-Georgia
Berry-Arkansas
Boren-Oklahoma
Bright-Alabama
Carney-Pennsylvania
Childers-Mississippi
Costa-California
Costello-Illinois
Dahlkemper-Pennsylvania
Davis-Alabama
Davis-Tennessee
DeFazio-Oregon
Donnelly-Indiana
Edwards-Texas
Ellsworth-Indiana
Foster-Illinois
Griffith-Alabama
Herseth Sandlin-South Dakota
Holden-Pennsylvania
Kirkpatrick-Arizona
Kissell-North Carolina
Kucinich-Ohio
Marshall-Georgia
Massa-New York
Matheson-Utah
McIntyre-North Carolina
Melancon-Louisiana
Minnick-Idaho (I da ho, you da ho…sorry, couldn’t help myself)
Mitchell-Arizona
Mollohan-West Virginia
Ortiz-Texas
Pomeroy-North Dakota
Rahall-West Virginia
Rodriguez-Texas
Ross-Arkansas
Salazar-Colorado
Stark-California
Tanner-Tennessee
Taylor-Mississippi
Visclosky-Indiana
Wilson-Ohio
Now that it goes to the Senate, if you haven’t already contacted them, get to it.  If you live in one of the Districts represented by one of the Eight Republicans, please get started fighting to get them fired in 2010, while building a base of Conservatives in your District who won’t put up with it anymore.

WAKE UP AMERICA CHINA AND INDIA ARE LAUGHING AT US!

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“Conservatives are outraged about the special access given to ABC News to broadcast a series of programs from the White House on Wednesday. ABC is scheduled to broadcast “Good Morning America” from the White House lawn, “World News” its nightly news show from the Blue Room and a special prime time “Questions for the President: Prescription for America” on President Obama’s health care reform proposal from the East Room.
Many fear objective and balanced coverage of the president controversial health care plan will be the casualty of “ABC day” at the White House. The transformation of a major news network from watchdog to Obama lapdog would threaten the very nature of an independent press that is vital in maintaining liberty and a civil society.

Co-opting corporations, especially media giants such as ABC News, to promote his policies appears to be part of Obama’s political strategy. General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt, for example, is a member of the president’s Economic Recovery Board (PERB) and the company’s media units NBC News, CNBC and MSNBC frequently advance Obama’s energy policy through its programming and news coverage which would also benefit GE’s investment in green technologies.

While financial opportunism may be the driver of GE’s favorable media coverage of Obama’s energy policy, ABC’s interest in health care may represent a deep seeded liberal bias that goes to its parent company, The Walt Disney Company.

Disturbingly, Disney CEO Bob Iger has shown a willingness to put his personal political views over company profits. Under his direction, Iger refuses to sell the DVD or its distribution rights of the ABC miniseries “The Path to 9/11,” a program that was based on the federal government’s “9/11 Commission Report.” The miniseries was criticized by liberal politicians and advocacy groups when it aired in September 2006 because they felt it made President Clinton look responsible for the terrorist attacks in 2001.

Despite losing about $ 40 million on the project because the left-wing generated controversy intimidated commercial sponsorship, Iger keeps the production under lock and key thus denying shareholders an opportunity to recoup their investment in the miniseries.

Disney can’t claim the controversial nature of “The Path to 9/11″ as a reason to not profit from the film. Disney profited from Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” — a highly politicized view of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. According to Slate, Disney “booked a $46 million net profit” while “it paid Moore a stunning $21 million” for his documentary.

Because of concerns that Iger’s political views are harming its investors, a mutual fund I’m affiliated with filed a shareholder proposal with Disney to increase transparency of the company’s political donations.

At Disney’s annual meeting, shareholders applauded my explanation of the political basis for the company’s refusal to sell “The Path to 9/11″ but it clearly upset Iger. When I approached Iger to shake his hand after my presentation, he rejected my offer and instead launched what some in media circles refer to as an “F-bomb.”

In response to our shareholder proposal, Disney tried to save face by saying it was indeed willing to sell the distribution rights of the miniseries but I have recently learned that a new, legitimate offer to buy the miniseries was rejected by the company. Previously, inquiries from our company to Iger, and Disney’s chairman about purchasing the rights of the miniseries went unanswered.

Iger has impeccable liberal credentials. He gives about 90 percent of his personal political contributions to Democrats and special interest groups; his wife, former news anchor Willow Bay, has a senior position with the Huffington Post.

Disney also has connections to Obama through PERB. Monica C. Lozano, CEO of La Opinion, a major Spanish-language newspaper in the U. S., is a member of Disney’s board of directors and the president’s economic board.

Given today’s volatile political climate and the diverse array of media sources including the Internet and cable TV, Disney/ABC’s liberal bias could backfire on the company. After all, a reputation for credibility and trustworthiness is a news organizations only asset.

Moreover, if conservatives, frustrated over Obama’s assault on liberty and his coziness with ABC rally against the company, they could pressure its sponsors not to advertise on the network.

Plus, why would conservatives want to attend Disney theme parks and movies if their hard earned money is going to be used to support policies and politicians that are opposed to their values?

Why would conservatives support Disney when it promotes government run health care and Michael Moore’s biased view of the 9/11 terrorist attacks while silencing “The Path to 9/11?”

Choosing politics over profits is a dangerous game. If the president is using corporatism to advance his policies, public backlash against Disney and other corporate members of Team Obama may find themselves feeling the heat of an increasingly frustrated and disenfranchised public.

The mid-term elections are still more than a year away but Americans may choose to vote with their wallets by punishing companies that threaten their principles.

Tom Borelli, Ph.D., is director of the Free Enterprise Project at the National Center for Public Policy Research.”

 Read More…

 

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No wonder respect for authority has decreased in this country.children adopt attitudes from adults, their parents, politicans,news media,sports figures,movie stars, t.v. radio the legal system, and so on. WHAT are we teaching them. one of the worst things is if you can get away with it do it even if it is against the law. this is not a message of being responsible for what you do. If you live long enough and follow two paths POLITICES or CAREERS IN CRIME you can get away with almost anything. Children are infested with corrupt ideals. Colleges like harvard  and georgetown are teaching the Islamic doctrine to the kids . Talk about confusion in a childs mind!! These kids know what is going on in the world. No respect for anything. life,country,the people fighting for us. The President being beat up every day, everything going on bad in the world is being thrown in his face., even the bridge that collapsed in Minnasota is his fault.!!

computer detective

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Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML):

Regardless of one’s view of marijuana use as normal or immoral, healthy or unhealthy, the fact is that over 70 years of government prohibition has done little to nothing to achieve the long-stated public goals of increasing youth perception of harm from marijuana use, reducing youth access to untaxed and unregulated marijuana, increasing treatment for marijuana abuse and marijuana-related emergency room visits, and incarcerating users and dealers. In 2003, the Office of Management and Budget presented the Drug Enforcement Administration with a zero rating on a hundred-point scale for achievement of the bureau’s stated goals — an utterly failing grade.

Hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent by the government since 1937 to both enforce and prolong marijuana prohibition. Meanwhile, over 19 million people have been arrested since 1965 (830,000 marijuana-related arrests in 2006 with 89 percent on possession-only charges), and an estimated 45,000 to 65,000 marijuana-only prisoners are currently incarcerated. There are more marijuana arrests annually than arrests for all violent crimes combined. As such, the moral and economic imperatives are clear in seeking logical and pragmatic alternatives to prohibition.

If prohibition is such a desirable policy, why is marijuana America’s number one cash crop? Prohibition is an abdication of policy making, leaving an otherwise popular commodity to the problems and vagaries of contraband markets. In a country where alcohol and tobacco products are legal and taxed by all levels of government, what are the common sense, social, economic, public health, and safety reasons not to legally control marijuana in the same manner as other so-called “vice” products for responsible adults?

The fact is that our government can’t muster better than an “F” in its marijuana control efforts even after employing mandatory minimum sentences, civil forfeiture, ineffective school campaigns such as DARE, high-tech interdiction methods, and controls on the borders and ports, while at the same time overtly discriminating against patients who possess a physician’s recommendation to use medical marijuana and American farmers who, absent prohibition, would cultivate and prosper from industrial hemp (i.e., non-psychoactive marijuana, which is lawfully grown in most of the world including Europe and Canada). As such, it’s worth it to ask: why not adopt low-tech but otherwise effective control mechanisms such as tax stamps and other government controls, similar to how we currently control alcohol and tobacco products?

There is nothing wrong with the responsible use of marijuana by adults — reformers and prohibitionists alike concur that marijuana is not for children, and that logical and reasonable civil and criminal sanctions are necessary for non-compliant sellers and abusers. However, the continued arrests and legal harassment of adults who responsibly use marijuana punishes behavior where there is no discernible victim, and therefore should be of no public concern or cost to the taxpayer.

The Dare program is not a failed program,It is one of the best in the country.

The kids have enough to deal with without leagalizing drugs.

THE “HTC” IN MARIJAUNA IS AN HALLUCINOGENIC.

I HAVE  WORKED WITH KIDS FOR 30YRS IN LAWENFORCEMENT AND LEGALIZING MARIJUANA IS NOT GOING TO HELP ANYONE. MOST OF THE USERS ARE DROPOUTS.

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

I think it is time for clean sweepin washington. Time to get ride of all the hatered,bickering, corruption, spending, incompetent people, money grabbing and power hungry politicians. The tax payers are the ones suffering. The pols. are spending billions to get into office. I wonder what the reward is!! We have enough Independent voters and none voters, and under-sided voters to support a third party. If we take away the billions of dollars that it costs to run, the corporate money, the lobby money. We could get some qualified people to run for office if they could all start even.

NOW WE ARE A ONE PARTY SYSTEM. DEMOCRATS HAVE ALL THE POWER. THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS NO LEADERSHIP, AND IS IN COMPLETE DISARRAY.

p3rd-partymickmck707.wordpress.com

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The middle class in this country is being fazed out by big government,big business, corporate America, Politics. They do not want a middle class in this country. Just rich and poor. Outsourcing, and Illegal aliens are getting all the work that the middle class used to get. It is time for the middle class to take the country back. Put new people in government. I think it is time for a” third party” an” INDEPENDENT PARTY” It is time to put people in Washington that will do what is right for us, not them. Time to get ride of big” corporate lobby’s” that own the politicians. Everything is going up in price in the country but the” working man’s pay”. Heating oil and fuel are going sky high. Interest rates are out of control. food prices are way up, and it is not going to stop until we are all in the poor class, and the rich get richer. The democrats will not be happy until all the working class is the”POOR” class. There is no insentive in the country to get a job, pay your mortage, pay your taxes. The obama people will take care of you.

WAKE UP AMERICA BEFORE IT IS TO LATE!!!

mickmck707

decorpurpleheart.gifdecorbs-v.gifcib.gif101stairbornedivision.png2_sfpatch.jpgSFC Michael S. McElhiney isn’t a hero because of the Bronze Star Medal with “V” Device and Purple Heart on the left pocket of his battle dress uniform. Like other soldiers from the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) who received awards from Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki at a Fort Campbell, Ky., ceremony for their service in Afghanistan, he’ll tell you that medals don’t really make heroes. What makes SFC McElhiney heroic is the fight he’s in now and the way he’s waging it.
He received his awards with an empty BDU sleeve at his side. He lost his right hand and part of his forearm to the errant bomb blast that killed three Special Forces (SF) soldiers on a hill outside Kandahar. His left arm suffered nerve damage, and he also was hit in the chest.
He was well enough to leave Walter Reed Army Medical Center and attend the award ceremony, but he returned to continue rehabilitation soon after it was over. SFC McElhiney faces a long, hard comeback.“You wish it didn’t happen to you, but that isn’t a regret,” he said. “We’re all volunteers in Special Forces, and there is no better unit to serve with,” he said, explaining that he knew what he was getting into when he put on the Green Beret and what could happen. He said that he went to Afghanistan with the attitude that it was “payback for the American people.”“I feel sorry for the loss of teammates,” he added.SFC McElhiney’s wife, Judy, is his ally in the fight. She’s a Special Forces wife, through and through. “This is the first time that Special Forces has been recognized this way,” Mrs. McElhiney said following the ceremony. “The Army has taken really good care of us during this,” she said.

“Mike has been given the option to stay in,” she added, “but we’ll figure that out when he’s finished rehabilitation. Regardless, he’ll stay in the SF community in some way. He might be involved in training or liaison work…something like that,” she explained.

SFC McElhiney and his teammate from Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 574, SFC Ronnie L. Raikes were in high demand for television interviews following the ceremony… largely because of their unfortunate circumstances of being the most severely and visibly wounded of the soldiers receiving awards.

SFC Raikes wore BDUs, too, because he was on temporary release from treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. His right arm was in an elaborate brace because of nerve damage he received in the accidental bombing. He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star Medal.

Gen. Shinseki awarded the 5th Special Forces Group soldiers their Bronze Star Medals and Bronze Star Medals with “V” (for valor) at the Fort Campbell ceremony. SFC Gilbert Magallanes Jr., remained hospitalized for treatment of his wounds.
The ceremony honored the soldiers who were involved in the accidental bombing incident and those who helped put down the prison revolt at Mazar-e-Sharif and who returned to the United States because of their wounds. Other Special Forces members will be honored when they return from the fighting.

During one of the many television interviews, SFC Raikes said, “We don’t consider ourselves heroes. Our families are heroes. The people supporting us back in the States are heroes.”

SFC Raikes said the accidental bombing incident was just that…an accident.

“Accidents happen,” he said. “I just hope it’s the last accident that happens. It was a freak accident, and it
just happened to us. Everybody’s not perfect…and everything is not peaches and cream wherever we go. I’m just glad that SF and the Army let us do our job in Afghanistan.”

What surprised every soldier at the ceremony was the support of the American people they received when they came home.
“Until I got back, I didn’t realize how intense the support was,” SFC Raikes said. “It’s overwhelming, and it’s great to have the support of the American people.” SFC McElhiney said, “I think the support of the American people has always been there, but sometimes it takes a disaster like September 11 to bring it out.”

“I have never seen so many American flags,” SFC Raikes added. “We are proud to have gone to Afghanistan to take care of these people who attacked America. And we’re going to get the bad guys, including bin Laden. They won’t get away with it.”

Maj. Gen. Geoffrey C. Lambert, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne), spoke at the awards ceremony. Talking about the accomplishments of his soldiers in Afghanistan, he said, “They had to conquer the differences in language, culture and religion, and they had to conquer centuries of differences in technology…
and finally they had to conquer the Taliban, and they’ve done that.”

SFC McElhiney said, “We’re doing this now so people can live without fear later. That’s in everybody’s hearts. I know that’s what was in my heart.”

AWARDS

Silver Star

MSgt. Jefferson D. Davis*
SFC Daniel H. Petithory*

Bronze Star Medal w/V-Device
Capt. Jason L. Amerine
SFC Gilbert Magallanes Jr. **
SFC Michael S. McElhiney
SFC Christopher A. Pickett
SSgt. Wesley A. McGirr
SSgt. Brian C. Prosser*

Bronze Star Medal
Capt. Kevin C. Leahy
Capt. Paul R. Syverson
SFC Paul Beck
SFC Vaughn A. Berntson
SFC Ronnie L. Raikes
SSgt. Bradley J. Fowers
1st Sgt. David B. Betz

Purple Heart
Capt. Jason L. Amerine
Capt. Kevin C. Leahy
Capt. John F. Leopold
Capt. Paul R. Syverson
CW2 Terry W. Reed
MSgt. Jefferson D. Davis*
SFC Paul Beck
SFC Vaughn A. Berntson
SFC David C. Kennedy
SFC Gilbert Magallanes Jr.**
SFC Michael S. McElhiney
SFC Daniel H. Petithory*
SFC Christopher A. Pickett
SFC Ronnie L. Raikes
SSgt. Hamid Fathi
SSgt. Bradley J. Fowers
SSgt. Wesley A. McGirr
SSgt. Craig A. Musselman
SSgt. Brian C. Prosser*
SSgt. Alan Yoshita
1st Sgt. David B. Betz
Spc. John A. Menefee

Combat Infantrymen Badge
Capt. Jason L. Amerine
Capt. Kevin C. Leahy
Capt. Paul R. Syverson
MSgt. Jefferson D. Davis*
SFC Vaughn A. Berntson
SFC Michael S. McElhiney
SFC Daniel H. Petithory*
SFC Ronnie L. Raikes
SSgt. Bradley J. Fowers
SSgt. Wesley A. McGirr
SSgt. Hamid Fathi

Combat Infantryman Badge
(2nd Award)
CW2 Terry W. Reed
SFC Paul Beck
SFC Gilbert Magallanes Jr.**
1st Sgt. David B. Betz

Combat Medical Badge
SFC Christopher A. Pickett

Combat Medical Badge (2nd Award)
SFC David C. Kennedy

*Posthumous  

 

Absolute Abuse of Taxpayer Money

WCBSTV has uncovered a story that is beyond belief and it involves the waste of taxpayer money by members of the House of Representatives. It seems there is a loophole that allows them to lease vehicles at the expense of taxpayers and there appears to be no limit as to how much they spend on the lease. Taxpayers also foot the bill for registration, insurance and the GAS. No wonder these chowder heads are not concerned about the price of gasoline. It is not bad enough we have to pay a fortune to fill our vehicles but we also pay to fill theirs.

Charlie Rangel of New York drives a Cadillac DeVille, and taxpayers are charged $774 per month ($9288 a year) to cover the lease.

Then there was Congressman Jose Serrano, getting out of his Buick LaCrosse, which he leases for $317 per month. And how about this one: Congressman Gregory Meeks was recently seen waiting for Congressman John Conyers to step out of Meeks’ Lexus LS460, which Meeks leases for $998 per month.

Charlie Rangel justified his extravagance by saying that his car is an office and that his constituents appreciate driving in comfort. I wonder how many of them are comfortable enough to have someone else paying for their cars? Rangel’s explanation was absolutely pathetic and it, along with the other members and their expensive leases, shows the contempt members of Congress have for the American public and our hard earned money. If Rangel’s car is paid for by taxpayers and he uses it as an office (his reasoning for havng the car) then it begs the question, has he ever conducted campaign business while in the car? If so, did he violate the Hatch Act?

The story tells of several members who lease much less expensive cars as if we are supposed to hail them as great people looking out for our money. Some people stated that they should all drive cheaper cars.

Wake up people and ask the right questions. Why in hell are they driving cars we pay for? Why are they not paying for their own vehicles just like the rest of us do. This is why these idiots think people are entitled to benefits paid for by others (health care, mortgages, education); because they get extravagant things paid for by us. To top it off, that jackass Rangel is always pushing for tax increases. How dare this maggot waste money and then demand more?

This also points out the hypocrisy of these idiots with regard to the environment. The vehicles mentioned are larger ones that use a lot of fuel. They are not “green” and they leave large carbon footprints. At the same time these jackasses are asking us to conserve they are driving around in gas guzzlers that we pay for.

This is absolutely criminal and everyone of these jackasses should be removed from office immediately. It is high time Americans revolted against this kind of abuse and the attitudes exhibited by people like Charlie Rangel. Perhaps we need to organize and refuse to pay taxes until ALL wasteful spending is eliminated and ALL members of Congress are replaced. They must all resign or they don’t get one stinking cent. We need to throw tea in a harbor and take back this country.

I am at the point where I absolutely hate every stinking one of the members of Congress. They are criminals and they abuse us every chance they get. They waste our money and then take more of it and they do not bat an eye. They come up with excuses as if they are privileged elite and how dare we peons ask them about their abuses. Rangel’s response demonstrates that he is out of touch. It is not like these people don’t make enough money to afford a car. They only work 100 days a year and they get $167,000. They are worthless, ineffective, and smarmy.

I am sure that members from both parties do this but it is worth mentioning that the ones mentioned are all Democrats. You know, the party OF the people…

It is absolutely ironic that the only people who would not have been missed were spared death on 9/11.

BIG DOG

my daughter lives in littelton colorado, the town that danny Dietz was from. I went to visit the memorial with my daughter and her kids. It was well worth the trip. the memorial was very done and well taken care of. The statue is bronze. The people of littelton are very proud of danny. Dietz was a member of a 4 man seal team that was ambushed in afganistan by 300 taliban. Dietz and two others were killed after along fire fight. The team was lead by Lt. Murphy a medal of honor recipent. 16 other seals were killed trying to rescue them. Luttrell was the only suvivior. He wrote the best seller”lone suvivior” a great book!

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

Housing CrisisPosted Jul 22, 2008 05:42pm EDT by Aaron Task in Newsmakers, Recession, Banking

Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson has been putting on a full-court press in the last 24 hours, making the case for his plan to shore-up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

“I would rather not be in the position of asking for extraordinary authorities to support the GSEs,” Paulson said in a speech Tuesday in NYC.  “But I am playing the hand that I have been dealt. There is a need to support efforts that strengthen Fannie and Freddie’s ability to continue to play their important role in financing mortgages and in our capital markets more broadly.”

The timing of Paulson’s speech — and various and sundry media appearances — is not coincidental. This week, Congress is expected to vote on housing legislation that includes Paulson’s plan, which a GAO report said is likely to cost the government $25 billion.

But $25 billion — or even the GAO’s worst-case $100 billion estimate — pales in comparison to the cost of doing nothing, says Nouriel Roubini, NYU professor and chairman of RGE Monitor.

“We have to find a solution where government intervention prevents a disorderly outcome” in the housing market that leads to a “systemic banking crisis,” Roubini says.

The housing bill, which earmarks $300 billion to backstop mortgages after lenders agree to lower mortgage payments, is “a step in the right direction” but “doesn’t do enough,” he says, predicting the government will ultimately need to spend more than $1 trillion.

Roubini’s main concern stems from a view that the “housing recession is not bottoming by any standards,” in contrast to hopeful comments from Paulson on Fox News and Barron’s last weekend.

The economist believes U.S. home prices will ultimately fall 30% from their peak — vs. 18% to date according to the S&P Case-Shiller Index — “before bottoming out some point in 2010.”

In the interim, the negative wealth effect of declining home values and increase in “underwater” mortgages will lead to more Americans walking away from their homes. Such “jingle mail” threatens to ultimately cost $1 trillion in credit losses, wiping out 75% of the capital of U.S. financial institutions, Roubini warns.

It is that “disorderly” outcome Roubini says the government cannot afford to let happen. With “the charade” that Fannie and Freddie weren’t already government agencies over, he believes a nationalization of the 50% of mortgages not owned or guaranteed by Fannie and Freddie will be necessary, and the Frank-Dodd Bill is a small step down that road.

From Roubini’s view, nationalizing housing avoids the government having to nationalization the entire banking system, making it the lesser of two evils

THIS IS TAXPAYER MONEY!!!

we are now bailing out!!

Lehman Brothers bail out imminent – it can cost hundreds of billons of dollars in the long run
Karen Zuba
Sep. 13, 2008

Another rotten apple is about to fall into the US Tax payers burden basket. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York held an emergency meeting Friday night with top Washington policymakers and major financial institutions to discuss the future of Lehman Brothers.

The meeting, which was attended by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, was held at the offices of New York Federal Reserve Bank president Timothy Geithner. Fed spokeswoman Michelle Smith confirmed the meeting.

Smith refused to disclose what financial institutions participated in the meeting or whether the group had reached any conclusion over how to resolve the crisis facing Lehman Brothers.

Lehman Brothers, the

 

Another Good Military Story Missed by the Media

Posted: 26 Jul 2008 07:09 AM CDT

Heck, we here at B5 even missed it….almost.

CPT Brian Erickson received the Distinguished Flying Cross two weeks ago, for action in Afghanistan against an enemy who had pinned down a German Reconstruction Team.  Good flying CPT Erickson.

On Oct. 16, 2006, Erickson and a wingman were called in to help six German soldiers pinned down by insurgents firing rockets, machine guns and small-arms.

As Captain Erickson flew his A-10 deep into the moonless valley, the only light on the ground was from insurgent weapons-fire,” the Air Force reported.

And then there’s this one.

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PRESIDENT HOWARD OF AUSTRALIA SAYS,

MUSLIMS WHO WANT TO LIVE UNDER ISLAMIC SHARIA LAW TO GET OUT OF AUSTRALIA, THE GOVERNMENT TARGETED RADICALS IN A BID TO HEAD OF POTENTIAL TERROR ATTACKS.

HOWARD ANGERED SOME MUSLIMS BY SAYING HE SUPPORTED SPY AGENCIES MONITORING THE NATIONS MOSQUES. HOWARD ALSO SAID IMMIGRANTS NO AUSTALIANS HAVE TO ADAPT. TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT. I AM TIRED OF THIS NATION WORRYING ABOUT WHETHER WE ARE OFFENDING SOME INDIVDUAL OR THEIR CULTURE.

THIS COUNTRY SPEAKS ENGLISH NOT SPANISH,ARABIC,CHINESE,JAPANESE,RUSSIAN, OR ANY OTHER LANGUAGE. THEREFORE IF YOU WISH TO BE PART OF THE COUNTRY LEARN THE LANGUAGE!

MOST AUSTRALIANS BELIEVE IN GOD. THIS IS NOT SOME CHRISTIAN RIGHT WING POLITICAL PUSH BUT A FACT, BECAUSE CHRISTIANS FOUNDED THE NATION THIS IS DOCUMENTED. IT IS APPROPRIATE TO DISPLAY IT ON WALLS OF OUR SCHOOLS. IF GOD OFFENDS YOU  I SUGGEST YOU CONSIDER ANOTHER PART OF THE WORLD AS YOUR NEW HOME.

  THIS IS OUR COUNTRY OUR LAND AND OUR LIFESTYLE, BUT ONCE YOU ARE DONE COMPLAINING, WHINING,GRIPING ABOUT OUR FLAG, OUR PLEDGE,OUR CHRISTIAN BELIEFS, OR OUR WAY OF LIFE, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ONE OF OUR OTHER GREAT FREEDOMS.

  “THE RIGHT TO LEAVE”

AMERICAN CITIZENS SHOULD FIND THE BACKBONE TO START SPEAKING AND VOICING THE SAME TRUTH

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

Matt Urban died at age 75. He was a World War II hero who earned 7 Purple Hearts, the Legion of Merit, the Croix de Guerre with a Silver Star and the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Friends said they were prepared for the worst. “The veterans community is gearing up for what’s going to happen next,” said Roger Jansen, a friend of Urban and state treasurer for the Disabled Veterans of America. “We’re a small city and it’s going to be a big loss.”

Urban collapsed while working in his office Friday. The nature of his illness was not disclosed.

Since retiring as Holland recreation director five years ago, Urban has traveled nationwide to speak to veterans groups. He wrote an autobiography, “The Matt Urban Story: Our Most Decorated Combat Soldier.” Urban’s raspy voice was the result of a bullet wound to the neck. He was shot during a gun battle between U.S. and German infantry. After his neck wound, Army doctors gave Urban no hope for survival. But he recovered two years later with damaged vocal cords.

Urban received the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Jimmy Carter years after he was recommended for the honor. Officials discovered they mistakenly had overlooked awarding the medal to Urban. His exploits on WWII battlefields earned him as many citations as the legendary Audie Murphy, thereby making him one of America’s most-decorated soldiers.

He died on Saturday, 4 Mar 1995, at Holland Community Hospital in Holland, Michigan. He was 75 and lived in Holland. The cause was complications from a collapsed lung brought on by one of his 7 war wounds, a spokesman for the family said.

Urban was called the Ghost by his German foes because he kept coming back to fight despite his wounds, his record was capped with the Medal of Honor in 1980 after a long-lost recommendation for the nation’s highest military honors was unearthed and acted upon by President Jimmy Carter. According to the Total Army Personnel Command in Alexandria, Virginia, both Murphy and Urban were awarded 29 medals.

His Medal of Honor citation for referred to ten separate acts of bravery that spanned almost the entire Normandy campaign. Early in the fighting in northern France, he was wounded twice battling tanks with a bazooka. After shrapnel ripped his leg, he was shipped back to England to an Army hospital, but within six weeks he had made his way back to the front. Once there, he found his unit bogged down by German fire. He ran across open ground to an unmanned American tank, and with machinegun bullets ricocheting around him, mounted the turret, climbed in and returned the enemy fire, routing the German position.

He fought with 9th Division’s 60th Regiment in North Africa, Sicily, France and finally in Germany.

His citations, besides the Medal of Honor, included the Bronze Star with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Silver Star with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, Legion of Merit, Croix-de-Guerre, Presidential Unit Citation, American Campaign Medal and Purple Heart with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters.

He is survived by his wife, Jennie; a daughter, Jennifer Helen Urban of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a brother, Dr. Stanley T. Urban of Buffalo, New York.


From a press report: March 6, 1995: 

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Matt Urban — perhaps the most decorated soldier in US history — died of complications from a collapsed lung Saturday in Holland, Michigan. He was 75 and had won 29 medals for valor in World War II, three more than war hero Audie Murphy. The 1989 Guinness Book of World Records gave the record to Colonel Urban.

He waited a long time to get the nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor. “When I came home, I never thought about war,” he said in 1988. “That’s why the medal was 35 years late. . . . I just never pursued it.” But a friend did, and in 1980, Col Urban got the medal. Perhaps more amazing than the Medal of Honor were the seven Purple Hearts — one for each wound –Colonel Urban earned in the war. By the time he hit the beach at Normandy, France, he’d been wounded three times in North Africa. The Germans nicknamed him the Ghost. “I guess it was because I kept coming back,” he said. While still recovering from a leg wound, he performed the act that earned the Medal of Honor.

Carrying a cane in one hand and a gun in the other, he came on American troops pinned down by German fire. A sergeant later said: “One of the craziest officers suddenly appeared before us, yelling like a madman and waving a gun in his hand. . . . He got us on our feet, though, gave us our confidence back and saved our lives.” A couple of months later, Colonel Urban was shot through the neck, his seventh and final combat wound.

After the war, he served as recreation director for Port Huron for seven years, then director of the Monroe Community Center for 16 years. His last job was director of the civic and recreation department of Holland. He retired in 1989 to promote his book, “The Matt Urban Story: Life and World War II Experiences.”

Survivors include his wife, Jennie; a daughter, Jennifer, and a brother. Visitation will be 1-4 and 7-9 p.m. today at Dykstra Funeral Home, 188 W. 32nd St., Holland. A funeral mass will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Francis de Sales Church, 284 Maple Ave., Holland. Colonel Urban will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.


Aug 25, 1919-Mar 4, 1994.

He is buried in Section 7-A of Arlington NationalCemetery, near both the Memorial Amphitheater and the Tomb of the Unknowns.


URBAN, MATT

Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel (then Captain), 2d Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division, World War II. Place and date: Renouf, France, 14 June to 3 September 1944. Entered service at: Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 2 July 1941. Date and place of birth: 25 August 1919, Buffalo, New York. 

Citation:
 

Lieutenant Colonel (then Captain) Matt Urban, l 12-22-2414, United States Army, who distinguished himself by a series of bold, heroic actions, exemplified by singularly outstanding combat leadership, personal bravery, and tenacious devotion to duty, during the period 14 June to 3 September 1944 while assigned to the 2d Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division.

On 14 June, Captain Urban’s company, attacking at Renouf, France, encountered heavy enemy small arms and tank fire. The enemy tanks were unmercifully raking his unit’s positions and inflicting heavy casualties. Captain Urban, realizing that his company was in imminent danger of being decimated, armed himself with a bazooka. He worked his way with an ammo carrier through hedgerows, under a continuing barrage of fire, to a point near the tanks. He brazenly exposed himself to the enemy fire and, firing the bazooka, destroyed both tanks. Responding to Captain Urban’s action, his company moved forward and routed the enemy.

Later that same day, still in the attack near Orglandes, Captain Urban was wounded in the leg by direct fire from a 37mm tank-gun. He refused evacuation and continued to lead his company until they moved into defensive positions for the night. At 0500 hours the next day, still in the attack near Orglandes, Captain Urban, though badly wounded, directed his company in another attack. One hour later he was again wounded. Suffering from two wounds, one serious, he was evacuated to England.

In mid-July, while recovering from his wounds, he learned of his unit’s severe losses in the hedgerows of Normandy. Realizing his unit’s need for battle-tested leaders, he voluntarily left the hospital and hitchhiked his way back to his unit hear St. Lo, France. Arriving at the 2d Battalion Command Post at 1130 hours, 25 July, he found that his unit had jumped-off at 1100 hours in the first attack of Operation Cobra.” Still limping from his leg wound, Captain Urban made his way forward to retake command of his company. He found his company held up by strong enemy opposition. Two  supporting tanks had been destroyed and another, intact but with no tank commander or gunner, was not moving. He located a lieutenant in charge of the support tanks and directed a plan of attack to eliminate the enemy strong-point. The lieutenant and a sergeant were immediately killed by the heavy enemy fire when they tried to mount the tank. Captain Urban, though physically hampered by his leg wound and knowing quick action had to be taken, dashed through the scathing fire and mounted the tank. With enemy bullets ricocheting from the tank, Captain Urban ordered the tank forward and, completely exposed to the enemy fire, manned the machine gun and placed devastating fire on the enemy. 
His action, in the face of enemy fire, galvanized the battalion into action and they attacked and destroyed the enemy position.

On 2 August, Captain Urban was wounded in the chest by shell fragments and, disregarding the recommendation of the Battalion Surgeon, again refused evacuation. On 6 August, Captain Urban became the commander of the 2d Battalion. On 15 August, he was again wounded but remained with his unit.

On 3 September, the 2d Battalion was given the mission of establishing a crossing-point on the Meuse River near Heer, Belgium. The enemy planned to stop the advance of the allied Army by concentrating heavy forces at the Meuse. The 2d Battalion, attacking toward the crossing-point, encountered fierce enemy artillery, small arms and mortar fire which stopped the attack. Captain Urban quickly moved from his command post to the lead position of the battalion. Reorganizing the attacking elements, he personally led a charge toward the enemy’s strong-point. As the charge moved across the open terrain, Captain Urban was seriously wounded in the neck. Although unable to talk above a whisper from the paralyzing neck wound, and in danger of losing his life, he refused to be evacuated until the enemy was routed and his battalion had secured the crossing-point on the Meuse River. Captain Urban’s personal leadership, limitless bravery, and repeated extraordinary exposure to enemy fire served as an inspiration to his entire battalion. His valorous and intrepid actions reflect the utmost credit on him and uphold the noble traditions of the United States.


ED
WWII hero Lt. Col. Matt Urban is no longer ‘The Ghost’ in his native city
Monument honors Buffalo-born legend 
By Tom Buckham
Courtesy of the Buffalo News
14 June 2008

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Jump wings of a World War II veteran of 2nd Ba...
Image via Wikipedia
ranger
ranger

paratrooper jump wings/glider wings

paratrooper jump wings/glider wings

 

BONG SON- Lieutenant Colonel Anthony B. Herbert assumed command of the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry during recent ceremonies at LZ English.
   Colonel Herbert takes over from LTC John W. Nicholson, who commanded the Battalion since August. Prior to his new assignment, Colonel Herbert served as the Brigade's Inspector General (IG). He came to Vietnam in August.
   Born in Herminie, Pa., Colonel Herbert joined the Army in 1947 and went on to distinguish himself heroically in the Korean War as a Master Sergeant, where he was wounded four times, he came out of the war as the U.S. Army's most decorated enlisted man. In addition to the Purple Heart with 3 Oak Leaf clusters, Colonel Herbert has been decorated with the Silver Star, two Oak Leaf clusters, the Bronze Star with V, Soldier's Medal, Army Commendation Medal with 2 Oak Leaf clusters and and he is the only non-Turk in the world to receive the coveted Turkish Ozanu. He has also earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Jump Wings from the German and British Armies, Pathfinder's Badge and Ranger Tab.
   Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1957, Colonel Herbert's colorful career has taken him to Japan,. Korea, Alaska, Iceland, the Azores, Canada, Saudi Arabia, 51 African Nations and across Europe. He is a qualified interpreter in Portuguese. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 1956, the 38-year old Lieutenant Colonel went on to earn a Masters Degree and PHD from the University of Georgia in Psychology.

 

 

 

Trooper Risks Death 5 Times for Men

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paratrooper jump wings/glider wings

paratrooper jump wings/glider wings

 

 

 
 

 

 

AIRBORNE HISTORY

 

 
 

 

Perhaps no military development has been so revolutionary as the employment of paratroopers.

Certainly none has been so spectacular or singularly effective. The history of the American

paratrooper is one of the most colorful in American military history.

General Billy Mitchell conceived the idea of parachuting troops from aircraft into combat. Shortly

after WW I, Gen Mitchell arranged for the first display of this concept at Kelly Field, Texas. In the

demonstration, six American soldiers parachuted from a Martin Bomber, landed, assembled their

weapons on the field, and were ready for action in less than 3 minutes after they left the plane.

Unfortunately, the officials who witnessed this historic event dismissed the whole idea as a folly.

Not all of the observers arrived at the same conclusion. Representatives of Soviet Russia and

Germany were greatly impressed with the demonstration. In August 1930, at Veronezh, Russia,

paratroopers participated in military maneuvers for the first time. German observers also quickly

grasped the potential of parachute troops and planners worked feverishly to develop an effective

military parachute organization.

Early in 1940, America awoke from its dream of isolation, and all branches of the armed forces

began an all-out preparedness program. In April 1940, after much controversy among the

branches of the armed forces as to who would assume command of a proposed “Air Infantry,” the

War Department approved plans for a test platoon of Airborne Infantry. The platoon was to

function under the direction and control of the US Army Infantry Board. The test platoon was

organized in July 1940 with 2 lieutenants and 48 enlisted volunteers. The first jump by members

of the platoon from an aircraft in flight was made from a Douglas B-18 over Lawson Field,

Georgia, on 16 Aug 1940. On 29 August 1940, at Lawson Field, members of the platoon made

the first platoon mass jump in the United States. As more airborne units were activated, it

became apparent that a centralized training facility should be formed. As a result, the Parachute

School was established at Fort Benning, Georgia, on 15 May 1942. Volunteers attend this same

school. It is a 3-week TDY course and when possible, students attend en route to their duty

assignment. Air Weather Service “jumpers” have been used since 1944, seeing action during

World War II at Normandy Beach, France; and, in the Netherlands and Yugoslavia. Since that

time, they have proven themselves in other parts of the world as well.

In Oct 1990 the first Air Force female graduated from jump school. In Nov 1990, MSgt Brenda

Frazier was assigned to an operational jump unit at Fort Bragg NC.

As with many elite groups, truths become distorted, traditions become altered, and it becomes

difficult for the newcomer to separate facts from fiction. Here is some information that should be

revealing and helpful to the potential weather jumper.

The overwhelming majority who arrive at Fort Benning and subsequently fail the course are

eliminated because they are not in good physical conditions. The remainder fails to complete the

course because they are not highly motivated or because they lack the courage to overcome their

natural fears. Approximately 10 percent of all students who enter the course fail to graduate.

Those who are in good physical condition and are properly motivated will complete the course.

Remember that this course is intentionally designed to tax a person both physically and mentally.

Those who meet the challenge will indeed value their parachute badge — the “Badge of Courage.”

In the 50 years that the Fort Benning Jump School has been in existence, more than 600,000

parachutists have graduated after completing more than 3,000,000 jumps. Since 1942, the injury

rate has declined to its current level of less than four-tenths of one percent. This extremely low

injury rate is due to two factors — superior training and superior equipment.

 

 

Ask yourselves what does this corrupt, heinous, villainous,
despicable group of individuals see in Obama.
Why do they drool at the thought of an Obama presidency?
If they support an Obama presidency, should that not give the rest of us pause?

Louis FarrakhanProfile
The Nation of IslamProfile
Raul Castro
HamasProfile
HezbollahProfile
British MP George GallowayProfile
Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Communist Party USA
The New Black Panther Party
Rev. WrightProfile
William AyersProfile
Raila Odinga
Libyan Leader Mu’ammar Al-QadhafiProfile
Nicaraguan Leader Daniel Ortega
Al SharptonProfile
Tony “the indicted one” Rezko
Father PflegerProfile
Rev. MeeksProfile
Korean Tyrant Kim Jong-IlProfile
*added 8/11/08
George SorosProfile
Bernie SandersProfile
Kwame Kilpatrick
Hugo ChavezProfile
*added 8/12/08
A.C.O.R.N.Profile

BARACK’S WORLD

This section of DiscoverTheNetworks examines Barack Obama’s connections to a number of key individuals and organizations. In some cases, these affiliates are notable for the leftist views and objectives they share with Obama. In other cases, they are notable for their collaboration with Obama in controversial or unethical activities. In all cases, they offer a window into Barack Obama’s values and priorities. Taken as a whole, they verify Thomas Sowell’s observation that Obama has “spent decades aiding and abetting people who hate America.”

Think before you vote.

STOLEN FROM SCARLET SWORD

X-Posted here

    Petty Officer Danny Dietz (SEAL Team 1)
    Petty Officer Matthew Axelson (SEAL Team 1)
    Navy Lt. Mike Murphy (SEAL Team 1)
    Chief Warrant Officer Corey J. Goodnature (pilot, US Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment)
    Chief Warrant Officer Chris J. Scherkenbach (pilot, US Army 160th SOAR)
    Sgt. Kip A. Jacoby (US Army, 160th SOAR)
    Sgt. 1st Class Marcus V. Muralles (US Army, 160th SOAR)
    Chief Petty Officer Jacques J. Fontan (SEAL Team 10)
    Lt. Cmdr. Erik S. Kristensen (SEAL Team 10)
    Petty Officer 2nd Class James Suh (SEAL Team 1)
    Petty Officer First Class Jeff Taylor (SEAL Team 1 medic)
    Master Sgt. Michael Russell (US Army, 160th SOAR)
    Maj. Steve Reich (pilot, US Army 160th SOAR)
    Sgt. 1st Class James “Tre” Ponder III (US Army, 160th SOAR)
    Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric Shane Patton (SEAL Team 1)
    U.S. Navy Lt. Michael McGreevy (SEAL Team 10)
    Petty Officer Jeffrey Alan Lucas (SEAM Team 10)ion
    Senior Chief Petty Officer Dan Healy (SEAL Team 1)
    SSgt. Shamus Goare (US Army, 160th SOAR)these men all died in this operaton(OPERATION REDWING)

     

Should The US government bail out American corporations?

Does corporate America share its profits with the tax payers? The answer is absolutely not.
Do they share the profits with the with their employees? The executives are paid millions.
The US Government should bail out all corporations large and small is that right? The answer is no. If it is a viable business, they can raise the money from investors, if not, let them close shop.
If the government decides to bail them out if should be at a cost (like shares in the company) where the government will make money and have a say in running the company. Even better have a public referendum where the voters decide.
Carmakers want money from the government; the financial institutions want money – where does it stop.
It is about time corporate America should learn they have to stand on their own feet. Where is corporate America financial responsibility?
They claim the government is abusing its financial responsibility; it seems Corporate America is no better. They also go to their workers to take a pay cut, is that fair? It seems the little guys are the ones that always pay the price for corporate financial abuse and miss-management.
Other corporations in the world are not asking to be bailed out – they go out of business.
Jay Draiman
PS
The corporate barracudas have no conscience they will step on anyone, stab anyone in the back and fudge the numbers to climb up the corporate ladder and receive the hefty bonuses.
As family values have declined in the last half a century so has corporate integrity and honesty, it seems that corporate America will do almost anything for the buck ($) no holes barred.
What a shame that corporate America has sunk so low.
The government is no different, honesty and integrity is a foreign language, they only serve the special interest groups. (We all know why).
What happened to the American people who placed their trust in the government? (The public officials they voted for).
We are faced constantly with another corporate or governmental scandal of wrongdoing. When is the American public going to wake up and demand an honest government and honest corporate America? Americans wake up before it is too late. I AM A SENIOR CITIZEN ON A FIXED INCOME. I CAN NOT GO TO SEE MY GRANDCHILDREN IN COLORADO, I USUALLY GO ONCE A YEAR. I WISH THE GOVERNMENT WOULD BAIL ME OUT!!!

MICKMCK707

Y


TOKYO – The steep decline in U.S. stocks sent Asian stock markets tumbling sharply Tuesday as investors were rattled by concerns over an expanding global financial crisis.


Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index fell 4.8 percent to 11,632.99, falling under than 12,000-point level for the first time since mid-March.

South Korea’s Kospi shed 6.2 percent, and Taiwan’s benchmark was off 4.6 percent. The battering in Australia and New Zealandwasn’t quite as severe, with key indices down 2.4 percent and 2.7 percent respectively.

The early bloodletting in Asia followed a bleak Monday for world stock markets, which were hard hit after a double-fisted blow from Wall Street — news that Lehman Brothers had filed for bankruptcy and Merrill Lynch would be sold to Bank of America.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 500 points in its largest point drop since after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

In Europe, the FTSE-100 share index closed down 3.9 percent in London, the Paris CAC-40 slipped 3.7 percent and Germany’s DAX 30 index of blue chips sagged 2.7 percent.

Asia’s biggest stock exchanges in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea were closed Monday for national holidays.

In Tokyo, Kyodo news agency reported that the Japanese unit of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. has requested bankruptcy protection at a Tokyo court after the 158-year-old firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in New York on Monday.

The company, crippled by $60 billion in soured real-estate holdings, was unable to find an investment partner to throw it a lifeline despite a flurry of last-minute negotiations over the weekend.

Share prices in Tokyo fell across the board, with banking issues taking a particularly hard hit in the wake of Lehman’s collapse. Investors unloaded shares in major Japanese banks listed as some of the biggest lenders, including Aozora Bank, Mizuho Financial Group and Shinsei Bank.

Japan’s central bank issued a statement Tuesday that it will carefully watch the development and take appropriate measures to stabilize the market.

Downturns on the Australian and New Zealand markets were not as sharp as in some countries, in part because they had already absorbed some of the shock of Lehman and Bank of America news.

New Zealand Finance Minister Michael Cullen sought to reassure investors in his country but also warned that the turmoil may not be over.

“This is probably the worst financial crisis for a very long time … that doesn’t make it the same as the worst economic crisis,” he told reporters. “The U.S. economy itself has continued to grow during the current year. The financial sector is in very serious difficulty and that has implications for the wider economy, but not what happened in 1929 to ‘31.”

He said the latest round of turmoil in the United States “will tend to lower GDP forecasts for the world for the next year or two.” THE ASIAN STOCK MARKET IS PROPING UP OUR ECONOMY NOW. SO THIS IS NOT GOOD NEWS.

MICKMCK707

__

Monday decided the fate of Lehman Bros. The same will happen at AIG by tomorrow. It’s the latest in a series of formerly unthinkable collapses by the biggest names on Wall Street this year.

Shares of AIG, formerly the world’s large insurer, are off another 50 percent today in the $2.50-a-share range after last night’s downgrade by credit rating agencies. Its shares have lost more than 95 percent of their value this year.

That downgrade may be the last straw. Lower ratings by Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s mean AIG’s trading partners can demand it raise more capital to fund what are now deemed riskier investments in an amount that could total more than $14.5 billion in new collateral. Counterparties could also unwind their business with AIG and demand some $5.4 billion in payment, filings with the SEC show.

Meanwhile, New York Gov. David Paterson, who offered $20 billion in loans to keep AIG afloat, told CNBC this morning the firm has one more day to come up with capital worth some $75 to $80 billion.

Former AIG Chairman and CEO Hank Greenberg told CNBC today that if it can’t arrange funding, either from the Fed or another party, it would have “no alternative” but bankruptcy.

The threat AIG poses is this: Much like Bear Stearns, it’s involved in untold amounts of transactions with the largest banks in the world. The combination of Lehman’s bankruptcy and a failure of AIG would put the largest strain ever on the complex system of derivatives contracts that have never gone through upheaval this severe. DO WE LET THESE COMPANY’S GET TO BIG????.” NO OVERSITE”.

ARE THESE BIG MORGAGE CO. BAILING OUT BECAUSE OF THE HURRICANES?????

MICKMCK707

Citigroup says:

The Federal Reserve is poised to rescue insurance giant AIG with an $85 billion loan, MSNBC reports. In return, the Fed will take an 80% stake in the company, which is one of the world’s biggest insurers. The move is a reversal for the US government, but federal officials determined that AIG’s failure would be “catastrophic” in the current financial climate, the Wall Street Journal notes. AIG’s board approved the deal late today.

ANOTHER COMPANY THE TAXPAYER IS GOING TO OWN. THIS IS NOT THE TAXPAYERS FAULT!!!

THIS IS THE FAULT OF CONGRESS!!

If AIG went bust, it could affect small investors who have money-market funds that invest in the company, the Journal notes. Fed chief Ben Bernanke and Treasury chief Henry Paulson decided to act after trying unsuccessfully to drum up help from the private sector. AIG shares closed at $3.75 today, down from $70.13 in the past year. HOW CAN THESE COMPANY’S GO BANKRUPT, SINCE DAY ONE THEY HAVE BEEN MAKING MILLIONS????

MICKMCK707

Sources MSNBC, Wall Street Journal

I THINK IT IS TIME TO PUT A STOP TO THIS DRAIN ON THE “ FEDERAL RESERVE” TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO BAIL OUT MORGAGE COMPANYS. THE “NATIONAL DEBT” IS UP TO “$10,000,000,000,000″ WHERE IS THIS COUNTRY GETTING THIS MONEY FROM?? COUNTRYS LIKE CHINA, AND JAPAN, MIDDLE EAST COUNTRYS.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THESE COUNTRYS DESIDE TO PULL THEIR MONEY? OUR ECONEMY COULD BE IN BIG TROUBLE.

I THINK  IT IS TIME TO CALL ALL  THE “CEO’S” AND THE RECORDS OF ALL THE COMPANYS  GOING BANKRUPT BEFORE A CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE, AND FIND OUT WHERE ALL THIS MONEY WENT!!!

MICKMCK707

Below is an editorial that appeared in the New Hampshire Union Leader that talks about Barney Frank and Chuck Schumer and their roles in the failure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

 Here is the editorial in it’s entirely:

One month from tomorrow, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., will be the keynote speaker at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner. It is a coveted and high-profile role previously filled by such notables as Hillary Clinton and Al Gore. The Democrats’ choice of House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank is, therefore, very revealing.

The party announced Frank as the keynote speaker on Sept. 11 — three days after the U.S. government took control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, costing taxpayers untold billions. That takeover probably could have been prevented had Frank not worked to thwart every attempt to limit the risks taken on by the two government-sponsored mortgage giants.

For 16 years reformers in Congress have tried to improve oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and prevent the government-chartered companies from putting the housing market and the whole economy at risk. All that time, Frank was involved in efforts to block those attempts, and in the last eight years he was a leader of those efforts.

In 2002, shortly before accounting irregularities were exposed at both companies, Frank said, “I do not regard Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as problems,” The Wall Street Journal reported. After the Freddie Mac accounting scandal in 2003, Frank said, “I do not think we are facing any kind of a crisis.”

But there was a crisis, thanks in large part to Frank, Sen. Charles Schumer and others on the leash of these companies. In Congress, they made sure there was no additional oversight, no additional limit on executive behavior and compensation, and no further restraint on the growth of the companies’ mortgage-backed-securities portfolios, among other changes.

(All of these needed reforms, by the way, have been championed for years by Sen. John Sununu.)

In fact, Frank & Co. made matters worse by pushing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to take on greater risk. They wanted more loans to people who might not qualify for traditional bank financing. And, as The Wall Street Journal has pointed out, Frank “pressured regulators to ease up on their capital requirements — which now means taxpayers will have to make up that capital shortfall.”

Even now, after the government took the companies over (which Frank repeatedly said over the years was not a possibility), Frank opposes limits on the amount of money they can risk on mortgage backed securities — the one reform that might have done the most to prevent the current meltdown and probably would do the most to keep it from happening again.

Barney Frank is the very symbol of Washington’s deliberate refusal to prevent the collapse — the predicted collapse — of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And this is the guy the New Hampshire Democratic Party showcases at its most prestigious annual event. That ought to tell you a lot right there.

 Besides their total ignorance about the troubles that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were headed towards is the fact that these two men, and other Democrats, helped to make the problem worse.

In fact, Frank & Co. made matters worse by pushing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to take on greater risk. They wanted more loans to people who might not qualify for traditional bank financing. And, as The Wall Street Journal has pointed out, Frank “pressured regulators to ease up on their capital requirements

 These companies were forced to loan money to people who couldn’t afford it in the interest of “being fair.” Rules were relaxed and money was loaned and predictably low income families defaulted on loans that they never had any business getting in the first place and now you and I have to pay for it.

 Another liberal policy and another liberal failure. And now we must all pay for it. But hell, they meant well.

Preserving An Independent American Nation

“The globalists, with their ideas of a common currency here in the United State with a North American Union and a NAFTA Superhighway are after our sovereignty, our freedom and our national independence.”
—Chuck

President Reagan said, ‘A nation without borders is no nation at all.’ He was right, of course, and now the globalists are seeking to erase our borders and merge the United States into a North American Union with Canada and Mexico that would be the end of the United States as a sovereign nation and would be a stepping stone toward the merger of the United States into a World Government dominated by the United Nations.

“As President, I would take the preservation of our nation’s sovereignty and independence extremely seriously. This means that the burgeoning North American Union is dead on arrival the day I am sworn in as President. Upon taking office I would request that Dr. Jerome Corsi, the foremost expert on the danger posed by the North American Union, accept a special assignment to ensure that every single “working group” and any other bureaucratic remnant of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (under whatever name) be completely eliminated from every Federal agency so that this danger is put to rest for good.

“Gone, too, is the NAFTA superhighway. And for that matter, I would lead the United States out of NAFTA and CAFTA altogether. And any prospect for the FTAA would be dead as well.

“I oppose all international trade agreements which have the effect of diminishing America’s economic self-sufficiency and of exporting jobs, the loss of which impoverishes American families, undermines American communities, and diminishes America’s capacity for economic self-reliance, and the provision of national defense.

“We see our country and its workers as much more than bargaining chips for multinational corporations and international banks in their ill-conceived and evil New World Order. At every turn I will stand up for the economic security and well being of the American people and for the independence and sovereignty of our American republic.

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  • LEHMAN BROS. CEO RICHARD FULD-$22MILION RETIREMENT
  • BEAR STEARNS.CEO JAMES CAYNE-    $60MILLION-STOCK SALES
  • AIG CEO “3 MONTHS”-ROBERT WILLUMSTAD $7MILLION
  • FREDDIE MAC CEO RICHARD SYRON-$15.5MILLION
  • COUNTRYWIDE CEO ANGELO MOZILO-$250MILLION
  • FANNIE MAE CEO DAN MUDD-$8.4MILLION
  • MERRILL LYNCH-CEO’S-STANLEY O’NEAL “FORMER CEO” $157MILLION
  • JOHN THAIN CEO-$11MILLION
  • THOMAS MONTAG CEO-$76MILLION
  • PETER KRAUS CEO-$97MILLION’S
  • THESE PEOPLE WILL WALK AWAY WHILE THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER PAY’S!!!!

MICKMCK707

The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group; otherwise known as NAVSPECWARDEVGRU, the NSWDG, or simply as DEVGRU; is the United States Navy’s premier Counter-Terrorism unit. It is officially stated to have been formed after United States Navy SEAL Team SIX was disbanded and SEAL Team 8 was tasked with maritime deployments and take-downs. Unofficial accounts say that DEVGRU is simply SEAL Team SIX and MARESFAC restructured and renamed, but officers deny this to this day; these rumors are supported by DEVGRU being under the command of NAVSOC and also a component of JSOC along with such units as the U.S. Army’s 1st SFOD-D and and other Counter-Terrorism units.

Description

DEVGRU is a naval counterpart to the Army’s Combat Applications Group (CAG), commonly known as Delta Force. It is considered to be one of the world’s premier Maritime Counter-Terrorism units. Its operators are drawn from the current SEAL and EOD ranks. Navy EOD technicians assigned to DEVGRU are rumored to operate during counter-proliferation missions.

The DEVGRU compound, located on Fleet Training Center Dam Neck, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, is similar to Delta Force’s at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with a focus on operations at sea. It has firing ranges and shooting houses, a section of aircraft fuselage, and other likel

               Copyright © 2008 ShadowSpear.com . Revised: 05/10/08 12:17:11 -0400.

y hostage rescue locations. DEVGRU uses some unusual weapons because of their maritime environment, and the shooting ability of a DEVGRU operator is naturally among the best in the world.

DEVGRU’s mission is to provide intelligence and Counter-Terrorism services for the Department of the Navy and the overall U.S. Special Operations Command, and to create, test, and evaluate new tactics, weapons, and equipment for use by Naval Special Warfare forces such as SEALs. These responsibilities make it obvious that DEVGRU is the Naval equivalent of the Army’s elite Delta Force. Both units train together from time to time and deploy together when the need arises. The unit is currently based in Naval Air Station Oceana Dam Neck Annex, Virginia and administrative control is under Naval Special Warfare Command.

The US government has described the Naval Special Warfare Development Group as having been established to oversee development of NSW tactics, equipment, and techniques. This, of course, is only partly true. The unit is under the direct command of NAVSPECWARGRU, however it is also a component of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC – Pope AFB, North Carolina), along with other CT units such as Delta Force. It is believed that DEVGRU maintains its own helicopter support unit (2 Sqns. with 18 HH-60H for SEAL transport and support), but trains frequently with the 160th SOAR, especially in support of ship assaults, which frequently make use of the small MH-6 Little Bird, operated exclusively by the 160th.

Organization and manpower of the Group is secret, and can only be guessed at. It is estimated that NSWDG now has about 200 operators, broken down by teams, much like the British SAS and Delta Force. Most recently, it has been reported that there are currently three such teams within the group, assault units Red, Blue, Gold; with Gold being the premier assault team. There is also a special boat unit, Gray, the transportation unit containing the SDVs and boats used to transport the assault teams. Green Team consists of the new operators who have just joined DEVGRU and are in training. Each operator inside the Teams has a specialty, but all are experts in underwater and HALO insertion. The missions of these units are, again, a cause for speculation, however it is logical that they are specialized amongst themselves, perhaps along the lines of the SAS; Mountain, Mobility, Boat, and Air (HALO) troops (within a single Squadron). It is also possible that these units may have a focus on specific target types instead, such as shipping, oil rigs, and structures, (although this scenario seems less likely due to the obvious need for all members of the Group to be current and proficient if a large scale operation arises).

What weapons and equipment DEVGRU uses has not been revealed. Given their tactical development goal and SEAL background, the HK MP5 submachine gun, the M4 Carbine, SOPMOD accessory kit, and the H&K USP probably figure highly in their weapons menu. Traditionally, units such as DEVGRU are allowed wide latitude in their choice of weapons, and often select weapons as appropriate for the specific mission or task. It is also common for information about issue weapons to be closely held.

There is also an administrative and testing section, which has about 300 personnel. These individuals are responsible for the testing and development of new NAVSPECWAR equipment, including weapons.

It has been reported that DEVGRU is one of only a handful of US units authorized to conduct pre-emptive actions against terrorists and terrorist facilities (NOTE: Red Cell once shared this charter, although it was never put into practice before the unit was apparently disbanded). DEVGRU operators reportedly fire an average of 2,500 to 3,000 rounds per week in training, amounting to more than the entire US Marines per year according to creator Dick Marcinko.

In 1997, per 5 USC §7103(b) President Clinton signed Executive Order 13039 excluding NSWDG from the Federal Labor Management Relations Program.

It is unknown what the exact qualifications are to be given the opportunity to undergo the DEVGRU selection process, but a few obvious ones can be inferred. All applicants come from SEAL and EOD teams, unless they are applying for support positions. It can be inferred from the quality of their pool of applicants that those considered are in peak physical condition, maintain an excellent reputation as an operator within the community, and stand out in their ability to shoot both quickly and accurately. Applicants are only eligible for review if they have completed at least one full deployment cycle with their platoon. It is thought that those who are selected attend six months of Operator Training, are assigned to a platoon, and spend a year becoming a qualified member of the unit. It is safe to say that these individuals are selected based upon their born and built abilities to be the best combat fighters.

Timeline

  • (In or before 1980): The existing SEAL teams, including all 12 platoons in SEAL Team One on the West Coast, began Counter-Terrorism training.
  • On the East Coast, elements of the SEAL Team Two went a step further and anticipated a scenario at sea needing a Counter-Terrorism response and formed a dedicated two-platoon group known as “MOB Six” (Mobility Six) and began training to that end.
  • 1980: The failed 1980 attempt to rescue American hostages at the American Embassy in Iran (Operation Eagle Claw). During an assignment to the National Military Command Center during Operation Eagle Claw, Richard Marcinko saw the need for a unit focused exclusively on Maritime Counter-Terrorism.
  • October 1980: SEAL Team 6 was created as part of the Joint Special Operations Command. An accelerated training program made the unit mission-ready 6 months later. At the time there were only two SEAL Teams; popular knowledge and SEAL claims say the name was chosen to confuse Soviet intelligence as to the number of SEAL Teams in operation.
  • 1981: SEAL team 6 became officially operational.
  • (later): Marcinko retired, and afterwards revealed much about SEAL methods in his autobiography Rogue Warrior and in its fictional sequels, causing public exposure which the Navy was not thankful for.
  • 1987: The Navy renamed SEAL Team SIX as ‘Naval Special Warfare Development Group’ (NAVSPECWARDEVGRU, or simply DEVGRU), to drop the unit out of the public eye. This effort has been surprisingly successful, with most people unaware that SEAL Team Six no longer exists within the Navy under that name, although most military servicemen and many civilians still call them SEAL Team Six.
  • 1991: In the Persian Gulf DEVGRU men raided and occupied oil rigs to defend against Iraqi forces.
  • 1996: DEVGRU men were active in Bosnia, where they helped hunt down PIFWC’s (Personnel Indicted For War Crimes: pronounced “piff wic”); see war criminals.
  • 2003: DEVGRU men are believed to have participated in Task Force 121, the secretive group of elite troops charged with the capture of high-ranking Iraqi personalities. Similarly, many believe that DEVGRU was the primary assault force involved in the rescue of Army PFC Jessica Lynch.

 

OJ WAS CONVICTED IN LAS VEGAS ON ALL COUNTS OF ARMED ROBBERY, KIDNAPPING. HE COULD SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIVE IN PRISON. I’LL BET THE GOLDMAN’S ARE HAPPY.

MICKMCK707

THIS BAILOUT WILL NEVER WORK WHEN OUR GOV. IS GIVING TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THE SAME PEOPLE WHO CAUSED THE CRASH. UNTIL WE GET RID OF PAULSON, ” FRANK,”DODD, COX. THE VERY PEOPLE WHO WERE IN “ BED” WITH THE PEOPLE WHO BANKRUPTED THE MORTGAGE COMPANYS, AND MADE BIG MONEY FROM THE COMPANYS. WHAT ARE THE TERMS OF THE “HANDOUT”.???

IS THE GOV. AND TAXPAYERS BUYING THE BAD PAPER FROM WALL ST. OR ARE WE GOING TO GET INTEREST ON LOANS. THIS SHOULD NOT BE A “HANDOUT” THIS SHOULD BE AN INVESTMENT WITH INTEREST. WALL ST. DIDN’T GIVE ANY MONEY AWAY WITHOUT INTEREST. THE TAXPAYER SHOULD GET ALL THIS HANDOUT BACK WITH INTEREST!

computer detective

Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter announced today at a ceremony in Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y., the name of the newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer will be USS Michael Murphy. Designated as DDG-112, the name honors Lt. Michael Murphy who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during Operation Red Wing in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005.

Navy SEAL (Sea, Air, Land) Lt. Michael P. Murphy lead a four-man team tasked with finding a key Taliban leader in the mountainous terrain near Asadabad, Afghanistan, when they came under fire from a much larger enemy force with superior tactical position. Mortally wounded while exposing himself to enemy fire, Murphy knowingly left his position of cover to get a clear signal in order to communicate with his headquarters. While being shot at repeatedly, Murphy calmly provided his unit’s location and requested immediate support for his element. He returned to his cover position to continue the fight until finally succumbing to his wounds.

USS Michael Murphy will be one of the U.S. Navy’s most advanced, state-of-the-art warships in the fleet. With the combination of Aegis, the vertical launching system, and advanced anti-submarine warfare system, advanced anti-aircraft missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles, the Arleigh Burke-class continues the revolution at sea. Utilizing a gas turbine propulsion system, Michael Murphy will be able to operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups, and underway replenishment groups.

USS Michael Murphy will be the 62nd Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. The 9,200 ton ship is being built by Bath Iron Works, a General Dynamics Company and will be 509.5 feet in length, have a waterline beam of 59 feet, a crew size of 323 (23 officers and 300 enlisted) and she will make speed in excess of 30 knots.

THE PRESIDENCY OF THE U.S.A. IS UP FOR SALE, THE PRESON WITH THE MOST “MONEY” WILL BE PRESIDENT.

HE WILL NOT BE PUT IN OFFICE BY THE VOTERS.

OBAMA HAS RAISED $600MILION DOLLARS. $66MILLION IN AUG. $150MILLION IN SEP.  HOW DOES THIS MAN RAISE THIS KIND OF MONEY, WITH THE COUNTRY GOING INTO A RESSESION, PEOPLE LOSING THEIR RETIREMENT SAVINGS, THEIR HOUSES, THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING SKY HIGH???. OBAMA WANTS TO SPREAD THE WEALTH! THE POOR PEOPLE THAT ARE HOMELESS AND DON’T HAVE FOOD COULD USE SOME OF THOSE CAMPAIGN FUNDS!!!!

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

This is just the latest expressed insanity of the “Ward-Churchill brand of indoctrination” plaguing Colorado and other states. The leftist-indoctrinators (AKA “educators” or “teachers”) are no longer relegated to college campuses but, are now inculcating our children at the high school and even middle and grammar school levels with their brand of communist appeasement propaganda. On the flip side, we’ve already seen, in myriad ACLU lawsuits, that teaching from a US patriotic standpoint or (horror of horrors!) even deigning to bring up the concept of Intelligent Design (in “polite conversation”) is forbidden.

A stern warning to parents: If you do not become immediately involved in what is occurring with the education of you children, there will soon be another generation of adults who have both no concept as to what America is really about and will practice anarchy against the US. These kids are also being raised to fight everything America stands for and to offer up no resistance, whatsoever, to the enemies of our country. In fact, these “teachers” are programming their students to believe that the enemies of the US are their “friends” and that the US, itself, is the enemy. Is this what you want? If not, GET INVOLVED! Tell those who allow these contemptible behaviors to continue that they are not only unacceptable but, that you will refuse to send your children to school unless the indoctrinators either stop their brainwashing or are removed from classrooms.

Premiere Nikita Khrushchev of the former Communist Soviet Socialist “Republic” said: “We will destroy you from within!” If parents do nothing, it will become a reality. And there is another enemy of freedom who is now saying much the same thing — radical Islam. If our children are being taught to believe that the barbarians are their friends, the kids will be easier for this enemy to destroy and, ultimately, result in a murdered or converted-to-Islam generation. Remember, your children are now being raised to embrace appeasement and hate their own country. If you don’t intercede — and now — this will be yours and our entire legacy.

The end of the US’ beliefs and way of life is closer than it has ever been. Parents’ immediate involvement and participation in their children’s education is essential

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

The Roman Empire was strong for a time. It was founded on geography, family values, military strength, and wise leadership. It flourished because of social, economic, political, military and religious strengths. However, when the very things that make a civilization flourish start to decline, the civilization will also lead to a downfall.
The first reason for the fall was economic decay. The rulers of Rome had expensive lifestyles. To aid their image, they needed money. They gained money through taxation on the poor. In response to the torment of tax collectors, the poor fled to barbaric lands. The poor made up a large percentage of the Roman population. Barbarians disrupted trade on the Mediterranean sea. Rome’s gold and silver were being drained into buying luxuries from China, India, and Arabia. The government decreased the silver content in money. The value of the money also decreased. Diocletion attempted to curb the inflation. He issued an edict that fixed maximum prices and wages throughout the Empire. It was an unrealistic and unenforceable idea which failed. The emperors still felt the tax issue needed to be addressed. They decided to make the hereditary class of tax collectors pay the difference. In other words, if a poor person could not pay their full share, the tax collector paid the rest. This concept wiped out a whole class of moderately wealthy people.

Later, slavery split communities. Rome believed the workers of society should not benefit from slavery. Slaves then had to reason to try hard or improve. Eastern slaves started doing technical work. Thus, all technical work was looked down upon. Labor was cheap and worthless. Upper-class Romans were content with what they had become. They felt no need to improve their inventions, they were content with slaves.

Another reason for the fall of Rome was political issues. Citizens no longer displayed patriotism, they were indifferent. Only the rich ran for office. Only the rich could run for office. It had become too expensive to hold office. The officers were forced to pay for publicengagements themselves. The wealthy men destroyed Greco-Roman civilization. The loss of Greco-Roman civilization led to the decline of classical civilization. The general pattern of the classical civilization was based upon slavery being at the root of society. The army had proven itself to produce many leaders. The army needed to be maintained. Again, taxes were forced mainly on the poor or made more people impoverished. Soon the Pax Augusta came. It brought prosperity, but failed to release new productive forces. It also didn’t contribute to industrialization. The whole political system was put on display when gladiator shows and public executions were held. They reaffirmed the moral order.

The third and final reason reason for the decline of Rome was religion. Rome religion deteriorated because of conflicts between Christianity and Pagan gods. Constantine recognized Christianity as a religion. Because of him Christians wouldn’t suffer persecutions for their beliefs. Rather ironically, later Christians would persecute Pagans. Nevertheless Pagans were afraid. They thought Roman gods would leave because of the Christians. For example, their environment could go into ruin. The Pagans killed Christians. After a time, both sides realized the other wasn’t trying to overthrow them. Constantine legalized Christianity. Later Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. The army didn’t like Christ. Romans didn’t like Christians saying that they protected Rome through prayer. Some soldiers gave up. Some Christians believed soldiers performed sacrilegious acts.

In conclusion, the Roman Empire declined based upon the same factors that had caused it to flourish. It fell because the social, economic, political, military, and religion strengths were no longer viable. The Roman Empire came gradually and fell gradually.

DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR??????

 

How to Cite this PageThe Roman Empire was strong for a time. It was founded on geography, family values, military strength, and wise leadership. It flourished because of social, economic, political, military and religious strengths. However, when the very things that make a civilization flourish start to decline, the civilization will also lead to a downfall.
The first reason for the fall was economic decay. The rulers of Rome had expensive lifestyles. To aid their image, they needed money. They gained money through taxation on the poor. In response to the torment of tax collectors, the poor fled to barbaric lands. The poor made up a large percentage of the Roman population. Barbarians disrupted trade on the Mediterranean sea. Rome’s gold and silver were being drained into buying luxuries from China, India, and Arabia. The government decreased the silver content in money. The value of the money also decreased. Diocletion attempted to curb the inflation. He issued an edict that fixed maximum prices and wages throughout the Empire. It was an unrealistic and unenforceable idea which failed. The emperors still felt the tax issue needed to be addressed. They decided to make the hereditary class of tax collectors pay the difference. In other words, if a poor person could not pay their full share, the tax collector paid the rest. This concept wiped out a whole class of moderately wealthy people.

Later, slavery split communities. Rome believed the workers of society should not benefit from slavery. Slaves then had to reason to try hard or improve. Eastern slaves started doing technical work. Thus, all technical work was looked down upon. Labor was cheap and worthless. Upper-class Romans were content with what they had become. They felt no need to improve their inventions, they were content with slaves.

Another reason for the fall of Rome was political issues. Citizens no longer displayed patriotism, they were indifferent. Only the rich ran for office. Only the rich could run for office. It had become too expensive to hold office. The officers were forced to pay for publicengagements themselves. The wealthy men destroyed Greco-Roman civilization. The loss of Greco-Roman civilization led to the decline of classical civilization. The general pattern of the classical civilization was based upon slavery being at the root of society. The army had proven itself to produce many leaders. The army needed to be maintained. Again, taxes were forced mainly on the poor or made more people impoverished. Soon the Pax Augusta came. It brought prosperity, but failed to release new productive forces. It also didn’t contribute to industrialization. The whole political system was put on display when gladiator shows and public executions were held. They reaffirmed the moral order.

The third and final reason reason for the decline of Rome was religion. Rome religion deteriorated because of conflicts between Christianity and Pagan gods. Constantine recognized Christianity as a religion. Because of him Christians wouldn’t suffer persecutions for their beliefs. Rather ironically, later Christians would persecute Pagans. Nevertheless Pagans were afraid. They thought Roman gods would leave because of the Christians. For example, their environment could go into ruin. The Pagans killed Christians. After a time, both sides realized the other wasn’t trying to overthrow them. Constantine legalized Christianity. Later Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. The army didn’t like Christ. Romans didn’t like Christians saying that they protected Rome through prayer. Some soldiers gave up. Some Christians believed soldiers performed sacrilegious acts.

In conclusion, the Roman Empire declined based upon the same factors that had caused it to flourish. It fell because the social, economic, political, military, and religion strengths were no longer viable. The Roman Empire came gradually and fell gradually.

 I’m fed up with either party’s “bullshit

I can not make it anymore simple than that. I no longer can sit here, and let Democrats and Republicans whittle away our precious Constitution. As a patriot, I love my nation to much, to let it go four more years, or even four more minutes.

I don’t have all the answers. In fact, I honestly must admit, I only have a few. But I know this, all the tools we need, are right in the Constitution. We’ve allowed the government to do for us, and control our destiny. This needs to stop, right here, right now. Every social, religious, political, economic problem in America will never be solved by the government. It’s a very unique moment in world history. For the first time, a mighty nation will either save itself or be destroyed, and have it broadcast in real-time, around the globe.
I think we are, as a nation, fearful of looking outside our two party system. Democrats and Republicans have all the “experienced” candidates, and we must have them in office. Only they can run the world, because of their experience. This has become a dangerous circular thought process, wouldn’t you agree?
Well, it is not the job of the U.S. Government to run the world. Its not even their job to run America. Its our job. I know how that may sound in this small press release. Its true, and it is me looking at the big picture. Many people in this country have the qualities and patriotism to properly administrate a public office. Political experience has nothing to do with it.
I look at the hundreds of political parties in this country, and wonder why the presidential race is not far more inclusive. I have taken the time, and read through many of their platforms. Some are good, some I don’t agree with, but I respect all of them. The position of President is far too important, for it to go to one of two parties, every election cycle. The same holds true with our Congress. The elections should not always go to only the major parties.It takes maybe five minutes, to click around a political party’s website, thumb through their literature, and see if there are some ideas in there, that you want to see debated on a national level. There certainly is no shortage of information on all of America’s political parties. I really hope that all 200 million eligible voters will look at the 2008 presidential campaign from an open perspective. As a citizen, patriot and candidate, I am willing to hold up my end. I am willing to do my part of the hard work, to make sure I let all of you know, about my respect for the Constitution, and eliminating every part of the federal government, that falls outside the Constitution.

Every election cycle we get bogged down in clichéd politics and clichéd sound bites. I could, and am more than willing, to spend hours talking intelligently on any one issue.

It all starts with thoughtful discussion and debate. Communication, on genuine issues, leading to simple solutions. This is what will bring America back from the edge. More taxes, more laws and more politicians will NOT do a lick of good. I’ve spent 23 years, being an activist, always trying to help my nation.

Again, I say it, I don’t know all the answers.

I would encourage all of you, to realize that the individual can make the biggest difference, always. I hope scores more, of “average citizens” hear my call. I want to see a whole roster full of patriots and thinkers, run for office; at every level.

We are Americans. We can do anything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THINGS WE CAN’T  DO

  • RUN FOR PRESIENT-YOU NEED $6MILLION DOLLARS
  • THE RIGHT TO VOTE-GAY MARRIAGE IN MA. NOT PUT ON A BALLET THE FAMILY STRUCTURE IS BEING DISTROYED.
  • WE CAN NOT CLOSE OUR BORDERS. THIS IS CAUSING A CULTURAL DILUTION
  • WE CANNOT STOP THE ONE PARTY RULE, WHEN OBAMA GETS IN OFFICE THE DEMOCRATES WILL CONTROL THE GOVERNMENT. ONE PARTY RULE CAN LEAD TO COMMUNISM. OBAMA IS ALREADY A CARD CARRING SOCIALISTS.
  • OUR MONEY IS BEING DEFALUED.
  • OUR MILITARY IS BEING EMBARRASSED.
  • WAKE UP AMERICA. WE HAVE TO MUCH APATHY!!!!!

COMPUTERDETECTIVE

 To have participated in Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy in World War II, now that’s something.

To have waded ashore through a deathly brew of bullets, blood and floating bodies, well, that’s a feat of a totally different stripe.

But to have been a Navy frogman, the first to touch beach the morning of June 6, 1944, that’s the stuff legends are made of.

A forerunner to the Navy special operations force known as the SEALs, Naval Combat Demolition Units cleared the way for the initial invasion force on that historic day.

“There was stuff blowing up all over the place,” Dennis Shryock recalled.

This week, the 85-year-old veteran is returning to northern France for the first time since he stepped ashore at Utah Beach as a 21-year-old explosives specialist. His daughter, Donna Barlow, a DODDS teacher, and her family arranged the trip to Normandy from their home near Heidelberg, Germany.

“We’re all very aware of what these guys went through, without inflating or overdramatizing anything,” said Kelly Hampton, of Carterville, Ill., another of Shryock’s daughters.

Hampton, who accompanied her father to Europe, her brother-in-law, Randy Barlow, and nephew Jesse traveled with Shryock to Normandy this week. Friday marks the 64th anniversary of the Allied landings, one of the iconic events of World War II.

Shryock’s trip would have coincided with the dedication of the U.S. Navy D-Day Monument at Utah Beach, but its unveiling has been pushed back to Sept. 27. Instead, U.S. commemorative events for this year’s anniversary will feature a midmorning wreath-laying ceremony at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer. Sword Beach in the British sector will host the main remembrances this year.

As always, any D-Day veteran should draw crowds of well-wishers, no matter the nationality. The landings allowed the Allies to get a foothold in northern France, from which men and materiel poured in to overwhelm and defeat Nazi Germany. The war in Europe ended 11 months later.

For Shryock — who after the war worked as a law clerk and raised five children with his wife, Blanche — there’s a stark difference between this foray and the last expedition.

“The Germans were cutting into us, too,” Shryock said of the landings on Utah. The ocean water around him “looked like pure blood. That was sickening.” But he added, “we couldn’t stop doing our job.”

Despite the bloodletting, Utah Beach fared far better than Omaha, the other beach in the U.S. sector. Demolition teams suffered six dead and 11 injured on Utah, according to Navy statistics. Thirty-one died and 60 were injured on Omaha.

Shryock is proud of the role he played in the battle. While his memory may fail him from one sentence to the next, the Springfield, Ill., native remains upbeat and engaging, a proud and consummate gentleman from a bygone era.

“He’s a survivor and he does it with a wonderful attitude,” Hampton said.

Before the war, Shryock was a member of the Illinois Reserve Militia. He joined the Navy days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and signed on to become a Seabee, or a member of a Navy construction unit. Shortly thereafter, the Navy, with an eye toward the pending invasion, created an unconventional warfighting unit at Fort Pierce, Fla. One of the specialties needed was demolition, which Shryock took on.

He recalled 5-mile swims and training in hand-to-hand combat. But Shryock said he didn’t fully realize how valuable underwater demolition teams were until he was ready to ship out for Europe.

His team had done some additional training on Long Island, N.Y., and was waiting to go to Europe by sea when it was told the military would be flying them, instead. He laughed heartily as he recalled how a group of officers protested vehemently when they had to give up their seats to enlisted personnel.

In all, 34 demolition units were deployed to England for the invasion. Shryock and others who served at Utah Beach participated in the landings in southern France two months later.

When the Normandy landing was delayed by a day because of the weather, Shryock said his boat circled around in the English Channel on June 5 waiting for the word.

The seas “were bad, but I never did get seasick,” Shryock said.

Working off of maps of the coastline supplied by the French Resistance, Shryock’s unit arrived off shore at least an hour before the 6 a.m. invasion. Despite the maps, his team landed a few miles off target, but adjusted and worked to clear the way for the incoming landing force.

“I don’t know why,” Shryock said, “but I didn’t think anybody would shoot me.”

Utah Beach was not as heavily defended as Omaha Beach, but there still were pockets of resistance and men were falling all around Shryock as he moved from obstacle to obstacle, lacing each with 60 pounds of explosives. At times he was so close he could hear German soldiers talking and even saw one of their remote-controlled mini-tanks packed with explosives roving across the sand. The only injury he sustained was a chipped tooth from a piece of shrapnel.

Shryock remembers the channel being packed with boats and the blood and chaos, but also remembers things like a woman waving hello from a seafront house. He’s hoping on this trip to visit the house, assuming it’s still there, and to see what else he can remember from that historic day.

“I want to see if my footprint is still there,” Shryock said.

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

 

http://objllc.com/USSA.htm

COPY AND PAST

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

Is your Security Clearance up to date?

 

 

 
Question:  What is America ’s first line of missile interceptor defense that protects the entire United States ? 

 

 

 
Answer: 49th Missile Defense Battalion of Alaska National Guard

 

 

 
Question:  What is the ONLY National Guard unit on permanent active duty? 

 

 

 
Answer: 49th Missile Defense Battalion of Alaska National Guard 

 

 

 
Question: Who is the Commander in Chief of the 49th Missile Defense Battalion of Alaska National Guard? 

 

 

 
Answer: Governor Sarah Palin, Alaska  

 

 

 
Question:  What U.S. governor is routinely briefed on highly classified military issues, homeland security, and counter terrorism? 

 

 

 
Answer: Governor Sarah Palin, Alaska 

 

 

 
Question:  What U.S. governor has a higher classified security rating than either candidate of the Democrat Party

 

 

 
Answer: Governor Sarah Palin, Alaska 

 

 

 
According to the Washington Post, she first met with McCain in February, but nobody ever found out. This is a woman used to keeping secrets.  She can be entrusted with our national security, because she already is. 

 
Now you know too, please, pass it on! 

After listening to either uninformed or patently lying Democrat operatives on Fox News, this Saturday morning — Mary Anne Marsh and other multiple Democrat Obama-supporters — blame the Bush administration and Republicans for the current financial crisis, I felt it imperative to be one more voice in at least attempting to set the record straight. As they are backing Obama for POTUS and actively working against McCain, the leftist mainstream media certainly will not do it.

The current financial crisis facing the United States of America and the world began with the US home ownership debacle and President William Jefferson Clinton. In 1994, Clinton signed a bill to promote low-income home ownership that Business Week calls “one that argues for creative measures to promote homeownership” for those applicants who did not qualify for fixed mortgages. And these applicants came in droves and were almost always approved — no matter their credit histories or ability to pay. Said “creative ownership” began the heavy distribution of ARMs (Adjustable Rate Mortgages) that ensued. These ARMs began low but, are based on the market. As the market changed, the rates — and subsequent monthly payments for homeowners — rose to rates that the homeowners could no longer afford. Foreclosures on the ARM properties began and, like Dominos cascading onto one another, the current financial meltdown began.

Both Fannie Mae and Freddie MAC were essentially and quietly taken over by the Clinton Administration and his operatives and supporters — including Franklin Raines who ran Fannie Mae and ended up with over $6M his first year — raided both corporations which had become their personal slush funds. From his days of running Fannie Mae, Franklin Raines is reported to have accumulated a personal net worth of over $100M. Another Clintonian buddy — Jamie Gorelick (remember her from the CIA/FBI fiasco?) — is also said to be personally worth in excess of $100M. It appears that some in government service CAN achieve wealth beyond the wildest dreams of most of us! They just have to sell their souls to the highest bidder and be willing to betray their fellow Americans. This fortune was accumulated during her years (1997-2003) as Vice Chairman of Fannie Mae. The fraudulent accounting scheme which apparently allowed for Democrats Raines, Gorelick and other Clinton supporters to achieve vast fortunes in a very short period of time was brought to light in 2004.

As mortgage firms and investment banks heavily leveraged by ARM mortgages started to be adversely affected by the number of foreclosures, the current financial crisis began in earnest.

Democrats Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) also the Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee — of all things — and Democrat presidential Candidate Barack Obama (who is reported to be the 3rd largest recipient of Fannie Mae political contributions — said to be over $100K in less than 4 years) have also benefited greatly from these Democrats’ personal slush funds. However, in the worst cut to We the People from the knife of corruption, the very people who created this problem will now be in charge of “correcting” it! Does this make any sense to anyone except those who have received and continue to receive funds from these institutions?

If we really want to get rid of these corruptions we have to vote these sleazes out of office. That requires courage. The only question remaining is: Do we have the internal fortitude to do it? If the answer is “No,” you can kiss your money and your country good bye and prepare for an inevitable serfdom.

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

liberty-dies

And so it is official. President Barack Obama.

Amazing how we came here, isn’t it? A year and a half ago, we all believed this election would be Hilary Clinton vs. Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee. But alas, on that cold February night in Iowa, Barack Obama stormed on to the scene like a teen-pop sensation who just struck it big in a Disney Channel original movie. Hope. Change. Magazines, newspapers, cereal boxes, billboards, television commercials, Keith Olbermann’s bedside. It was, and still is, impossible to escape the man’s face. It is everywhere. For months, I refused to embrace him. I refused to ignore his connections with anti-American, anti-Semitic connections. I refused to ignore his policies of socialism and “trickle-up economics.” I refused to ignore his blatant disrespect for the troops in Iraq, referring to their efforts as a “mistake.” Let it be known, that on election day, my views have been changed. Barack Obama’s overwhelming number of shortcomings no longer play a part in my decision.

Aaron Weber has officially accepted Barack Obama as his own personal Lord and Savior

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

Either we can spend the next several months — or years — trying to figure out what just happened, excusing our defeat away as a temporary blip or the result of a poor environment, and waiting for Barack Obama to trip up. Or we can refuse to take this defeat lying down, and start building the future of our party now.

2008 made one thing clear: if allowed to go unchecked, the Democrats’ structural advantages, including their use of the Internet, their more than 2-to-1 advantage with young voters, their discovery of a better grassroots model — will be as big a threat to the future of the GOP as the toxic political environment we have faced the last few years.

The time is now to set in motion the changes needed to rebuild our party from the grassroots up, modernize the way we run campaigns, and attract different, energetic, and younger candidates at all levels.

We must be conservative in philosophy — but bold in our approach. We don’t need a slight tweak here or there. We need transformation. We can’t keep fighting a 21st century war with 20th century weapons.

This is a document about bringing the Republican Party into the future — and it isn’t just about strategies and tactics.

Revitalizing the party will have much to do with how we talk about issues and standing on principle. And, above all, it will require leadership.

At the same time, waiting for a political savior to materialize out of thin air is not an option. Eventually, strong new leaders will emerge. And when they do, they must inherit a party stronger than the one in its current state. Our grassroots must be stronger and more open. We must inspire young leaders to want to run for office as Republicans.

We are asking all the candidates for RNC Chairman to pledge their support for this plan as a starting point for our way out of the wilderness.

Our focus will not end with the current party leadership race. We will continue advancing the tenets of this plan throughout the next election cycle. We will hold our leaders accountable for implementing the plan. And we’ll continue to refine with feedback from smart, up-and-coming leaders in the GOP, and help our local parties implement this strategy at the local level.

Change starts now. Complacency is no longer an option.

The Internet: Our #1 Priority in the Next Four Years

Winning the technology war with the Democrats must be the RNC’s number one priority in the next four years.

The challenge is daunting, but if we adopt a strongly anti-Washington message and charge hard against Obama and the Democrats, we will energize our grassroots base. Among other benefits, this will create real demand for new ways to organize and route around existing power structures that favor the Democrats. And, you will soon discover, online organizing is by far the most efficient way to transform our party structures to be able to compete against what is likely to be a $1 billion Obama re-election campaign in 2012.

Our near loss in the 2000 election sparked the 72 Hour program, after a brutal realization that we were being out-hustled in GOTV activities in the final days. Our partial success in the 2000 election didn’t blind us to the need for change, and our eyes must be wide open now. Barack Obama and the Democrats’ ability to build their entire fundraising, GOTV, and communications machine from the Internet is the #1 existential challenge to our existing party model.

Change is never easy, but as in the post-2000 period, it begins with tough love and a focus on what must be done at the local level.

What’s Wrong — And How to Fix It

  • Recruit 5 million new Republican online activists. Even a compelling message won’t go anywhere if we have no one to communicate it to. The next Chairman must undertake a crash program to grow the RNC’s email file organically — no spam and no “e-pending” from voter files. This will likely require a two-pronged strategy — 1) engaging grassroots Republicans directly in the fight against the Obamaagenda, withcreative grassroots actions that make Republicans want to stand together with members of their party, and 2) integrating e-mail signups into everything we do at the grassroots level, ensuring that everyone who goes to an event and or is contacted by a volunteer is given the opportunity to join our network.This goal seems daunting, but it forces us to think creatively about creating the sharpest, most compelling messages that will make people want to join us by the millions. If Newt Gingrich and T. Boone Pickens could each build an army of 1.4 million activists around energy, and Barack Obama could recruit 3 million to receive his VP selection by text message, then we know this is possible. If anything, given where the Internet will be in 2 or 4 years, we are low-balling the potential to create a new Republican online army.
     
  • Hold campaigns and local parties accountable. As important as it is that we invest in new technology at the national level, we must remember that the RNC’s primary objective is to win races state by state and district by district, not build up its own brand.To pursue this essential mission, individual campaigns must be held accountable for the number of emails they collect and the money they raise online. As much high-level attention must be paid to candidates’ onlinestrategy as with the number of voter contacts made into a particular district or if the right media strategist is working the race. We must end a sense of dependence on the RNC at all levels — in which the RNC simply turns over its lists — and set goals that the campaigns must find creative and aggressive ways to meet:

    In target 2010 Congressional races, we recommend setting a standard of at least 5,000 in-district online activists recruited, and a minimum of $100,000 raised online.

    In target 2010 Senate races, we recommend a standard of 7,500 in-district online activists recruited and $150,000 raised online for each Congressional district.
     

  • A more open technology ecosystem.As tempting as it is to believe that there is a silver bullet to solve all our technology problems, this is very rarely the case. The technology gap will not be solved by funding multimillion dollar white elephants, but by unleashing free market competition among trusted entrepreneurs and volunteers who want to help the party. The RNC should open its technology ecosystem so that trusted partners can develop on top of GOP.com and Voter Vault. We must build a corps of outside technology volunteers who compete to write applications that actually improve party operations — and invest in the best ones. We must look beyond conventional political approaches to the Web, learning from technology hubs like Silicon Valley, and being unafraid to be the first in politics to adopt the changes in technology that are revolutionizing the consumer market.

Changing the Way We Run the Party

Everywhere we look, we see ordinary Americans using the connective power of the Internet to organize and take control of party politics. Look at what happened in our own primary with Ron Paul and Mike Huckabeecoming out of nowhere largely with the help of the Internet, winning surprising political and fundraising victories. Before the Internet, Barack Obama would never have defeated Hillary Clinton to become the Democratic nominee and the next President.

The power of traditional connections is being replaced by the power of mass connectedness. Politics is taking place on a grander stage than ever before, with millions, and not just tens of thousands — participating directly in the process. Millions of people can not only vote, but they can organize with each other across geographic boundaries to build political power in real time. Their sheer scale allows them to rapidly outflank traditional power brokers in a way that simply wasn’t possible before.

The Republican Party can no longer survive in a modern era if we resist this new reality. With our power in Washington waning, our grassroots are the source of our greatest strength — not a problem to be managed. To revitalize ourselves, we must invite the crowd back in and tap their energy and creativity.

This isn’t just about the Internet — it’s about recognizing that in a people-powered era, with the power of technology-empowered grassroots movements on the rise — everything about the way we mobilize voters changes. Campaign plans that called for a few hundred or thousand volunteers making phone calls in the final days are hopelessly quaint and limiting in an era when millions of people want to feel connected and involved 24/7.

What’s Wrong — And How to Fix It

  • Rebuilding Our Grassroots Infrastructure. The fabric of the Republican Party at the local level is rending. We saw it this spring when a small and energized base of Ron Paul supporters succeeded in taking over many local party organizations.The reality is that this happened because our existing local party institutions are not all they could be. The Republican Party must be a civic institution again, with a volunteer base that is active year-round and is given real responsibility beyond showing up at a phone bank. In this last election, it should have been possible for volunteer leaders to organize their precinct or neighborhood for McCain, tasking them with knocking on doors, distributing signs, and most crucially, recruiting other volunteers to build the party exponentially. Instead, virtually all volunteer activity was channeled towards driving casual phone contacts, not personal neighbor-to-neighbor door knocks.

    Our technology should give Republican activists the ability to connect with fellow activists at the precinct level. We must encourage the growth of standalone volunteer communities, giving them the tools to organize themselves online, with the official party taking a step back and not trying to control them. We can’t anyway.

    Initially, the most important mode of contact will be volunteer-to-volunteer. It is only once we have built this army — one small group at a time — that we’ll be ready to go out in the field and talk to our voters.  In the last campaign, the Republican Party banked on its strong get-out-the-vote (GOTV) operation, but even the strongest turnout operation could not have overcome the Democrats’ stronger recruitment, registration and persuasion efforts in the early phases of the cycle.
     

  • Time for a new fundraising model. The ability to raise startup capital precedes virtually everything else on a campaign. But those of us who worked the 2008 campaigns saw how everything — including political travel and grassroots outreach — was subsumed to maintain an aggressive high-dollar events schedule.Contrast this with the new President-elect. In addition to doing high-dollar events early on, he held rallies in major cities and required an e-mail address to attend. The 20,000 e-mail addresses collected at each of these events probably produced hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions down the line, not to mention countless hours of volunteer time. By the end of the campaign, Obama didn’t have to do events, because he could raise virtually unlimited sums from a network of millions that his campaign continued to grow at every opportunity. The campaigns of the future will be infinitely scalable, blurring the lines between fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and message, and require more resources than traditional sources can possibly raise.

    This means kick starting a generational transition to the new fundraisingmodel. Right now, we cannot compete with the Democrats’ scalable online fundraisingmachine and if this is not corrected our party will face a long-term financial deficit. A big part of this will be growing a millions-strong network of supporters and giving them something to rally around. Moreover, our candidate recruitment should focus less on a candidate’s ability to collect $2,300 checks or to self-fund than on the strength of their message — which will ultimately attract more small and high dollar donors online and off. Traditional fundraising is still important, but in modern campaigns, it’s more like startup venture capital money than a long-term cash cow. We must change the culture of how we fundraise. The end goal of this effort must be clear: put our 2012 Presidential nominee in a position to raise over 50% of their money from the Internet.
     

  • A 25,000-strong Nationwide Campaign Force. It isn’t just our candidate recruitment that’s wanting. We must replenish our pool of trained campaign workers who know how to win races from school board to the Senate, and who know how to integrate new media into their field and communications efforts.To do this, we propose that the next RNC Chair make it a priority to train 25,000 high-level activists by 2012. A few thousand of these will go on to run races. The rest will form the nexus of a permanent volunteer corps that keeps the Republican Party strong and relevant in local communities. And this training must occur in all 50 states and over the Internet, and not just in Washington, D.C.
  • I THINK WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE WAY WE EDUCATE OUR YOUNGER GENERATION OF VOTERS.
  • OUR TEACHERS ARE MOSTLY LIBERAL, ESPECIALLY IN OUR COLLEGES.
  • STUDENTS DON’T LEARN ABOUT CIVICS.
  • POLITICAL SCIENCE
  • GOVERNMENT
  • WORLD ECONOMY’S
  • CONSERVATIVE VIEWS
  • MILITARY HISTORY
  • THE DIRTY WORLD OF POLITICES

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

During this election year let’s be reminded of these words:
 
* You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
 
* You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
 
* You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
 
* You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
 
* You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
 
* You cannot build character and courage by taking away men’s initiative and independence.
 
* You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should, do for themselves.
 
Do you recognize the author?  
 
It was Abraham Lincoln
 
Very, very wise words, written years ago and we still don’t get it …
COMPUTER DETECTIVE
 

THE TAXPAYERS OF THIS COUNTRY ARE GOING TO GIVE A.I.G. A SECOND BAILOUT!!!!!!. THIS IS A DISGRACE

WAKE UP AMERICA.

THE AUTO INDUSTRY IS NEXT.

IS THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY NEXT??????

HOW MUCH MONEY DO WE OWE CHINA NOW!!!

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

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amerherowe train young adults to kill, and send them into combat where they could possibly have to kill little kids, mothers, grand mothers. On return to this country we discharge those with combat fatigue or stress. what happens next. The vets turn to drinking and drugs. Remember the last major wars, Vietnam ect. Why do we not have help for these men and women. they need to be rehabilitated, they need to be taken care of by this country not ignored. we have had plenty of time to set up programs!!! Some of these vets commit suicide. If they are having these kind of thoughts and do not have insurance or money to seek help Iam sure if they go to the v.a. or any hospital that some one would help them. that is the least that could be done  for them.

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

82ndairbornedivisionThe career of Ann E. Dunwoody ascended Friday from humble beginnings 33 years ago at Fort Sill, Okla., to a peak never before reached by a woman in the U.S. military: four-star general.

At an emotional promotion ceremony, Dunwoody added a fourth star and, looking back on her years in uniform, said it was a credit to the Army that she was given a chance to rise through the ranks in a male-dominated military.

“Thirty-three years after I took the oath as a second lieutenant, I have to tell you this is not exactly how I envisioned my life unfolding,” she told a standing-room-only auditorium. “Even as a young kid, all I ever wanted to do was teach physical education and raise a family.”

“It was clear to me that my Army experience was just going to be a two-year detour en route to my fitness profession,” she added. “So when asked, `Ann, did you ever think you were going to be a general officer, to say nothing about a four-star?’ I say, `Not in my wildest dreams.’

“There is no one more surprised than I — except, of course, my husband. You know what they say, `Behind every successful woman there is an astonished man.’”

Later, at Fort Belvoir, Va. — her birthplace — Dunwoody was being sworn in as commander of the Army Materiel Command, responsible for equipping, outfitting and arming all soldiers. Just five months ago, she became the first female deputy commander there.

Dunwoody, 55, has made it clear that she feels no need for special acclaim for her historic achievement.

“The recognition makes her a little bit uncomfortable from the standpoint of the gender aspect — that we’re making a big deal (that) she is the first female general officer,” Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said Thursday in announcing that Defense Secretary Robert Gates would attend her promotion ceremony.

When she was nominated by President George W. Bush in June for promotion to four-star rank, Dunwoody issued a statement saying she was humbled.

“I grew up in a family that didn’t know what glass ceilings were,” she said. “This nomination only reaffirms what I have known to be true about the military throughout my career — that the doors continue to open for men and women in uniform.”

She also told an internal Army publication, “While I may be the first, I know I won’t be the last.”

Her nomination was confirmed by the Senate in July.

There are 21 female general officers in the Army — all but four at the one-star rank of brigadier. It was not until 1970 that the Army had its first one-star: Anna Mae Hays, chief of the Army Nurse Corps.

Women now make up about 14 percent of the active-duty Army and are allowed to serve in a wide variety of assignments. They are still excluded from units designed primarily to engage in direct combat, such as infantry and tank units, but their opportunities have expanded over the past two decades.

Dunwoody received her Army commission after graduating from the State University of New York in 1975.

Her first assignment was to Fort Sill, as supply platoon leader in June 1976, and she remained at Sill in various positions until she was sent to quartermaster officer school at Fort Lee, Va., in July 1980.

She later served in Germany and Saudi Arabia.

After graduating from the Command and General Staff College in 1987, she was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C., where she became the 82nd Airborne Division’s first female battalion commander.

She has numerous decorations, including the Distinguished Service Medal and Defense Superior Service Medal. she also was a qualified paratrooper

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

We have a winner: Austal wins coveted Joint High Speed Vessel contract!

H/T Defense News article here. 

Congratulations to Austal USA for (finally!) receiving the contract for the Joint High Speed Vessel!  As I’ve discussed in previous posts, this is a program near and dear to my heart and I fully intend to write a book about this someday (and of course a movie deal will be forthcoming).  The High Speed Vessel program began in the late nineties and many observers (myself especially) noticed a very unusual ship operated by the Royal Australian Navy, the HMAS Jervis Bay.  The RAN leased an aluminum commercial car ferry and used it for relief operations to East Timor.

 

What captured my attention, after months of research, was the open nature of the vehicle deck, coupled with a large passenger area, all with a low draft hull but with the ability to make better than 30 knots. My research was focused on capability, not hull form, type, manufacturer, none of that stuff that maritime designers and naval architects become obsessed with.  I was obsessed with its potential.  As someone who spent much time and many sleepless nights waiting on broken C-5’s throughout the Pacific, I really thought this type of ship was a potential game changer and my boss at the SEAL headquarters also immediately understood the potential and before long, with no money but a lot of enthusiasm, we were part of the team of organizations which would eventually lease the HSV X-1 Joint Venture.

 

Eventually, the US military would operate four high speed vessels, technically, the first was the Westpac Express and a sister ship to the design chosen today.  Built by Austal in Western Australia, they operated in direct support of the Marines of III MEF on Okinawa.  Then, we got the HSV X-1, followed by the Army’s lease of the TSV 1X Spearhead, and finally the HSV-2 Swift, the best design of all with the most capability.  The latter three ships were all built by Incat in Tasmania Australia.  Only the Swift and WestPac Express are still operated by the US military.  While assigned to the Pacific Command as a reservist, I also convinced the theater Special Operations Commander there to get another HSV and while successful in convincing the SECDEF and SOCOM Commander of the need, the decision was made to go after the original HSV X-1 Joint Venture and while it performed fairly well (from what I hear) the decision was made to allow it to go back to the manufacturer.

 

Later, I also did work as a contractor on the program and throughout the entire process, was amazed at the institutional opposition, mostly because it didn’t look like traditional navy grey steel single hulled ships.  Then along came the Littoral Combat Ship and when the Navy selected Austal’s trimaran as one of the two designs, I thought there was still hope. Now today, to see one of the two original companies selected, is a very good day indeed. The program looks to be five ships for the Army and five for the Navy.  I’m going to go out on a limb and say this will not be the end of this program, either for the US military or foreign buyers.  In today’s’ world, buying a vessel that’s part multi-mission ship, part helicopter carrier, part afloat staging base, that can do 30 plus knots and costs 180 million, will be a hit.

 

Two final comments:  When we had our first major meeting at the Navy Warfare Development Command and we went around the room and asked, what each of us thought about this concept’s potential I said it will be the C-130 of the sea.  It could be a relief or rescue vessel, a command post, a helo carrier, an amphib like ship, and most important to me, a special operations forces afloat staging base.  The most succinct comment ever uttered on the high speed vessel was the first Navy SEAL SDV platoon commander who embarked and at the end of his brief wrote: you are only limited by your imagination.

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

LOOKS LIKE WE THE TAXPAYER ARE GOING TO HAVE TO PUT UP THE MONEY TO BAILOUT THE AUTO INDUSTRY (SIC) FRANK IS TELLING THE PEOPLE IF WE DON’T BAIL THEM OUT WE COULD GO INTO A DEPERSSION!!! WHAT ARE WE IN NOW??? FRANK GETS BIG MONEY FROM THE CAR MAKERS UNION THAT IS HIS MOTIVATION. THE SAME AS THE HANDOUT TO “FANNIE” & FREDDIE”. FRANK WAS IN THE TOP 5 POLS. TO RECIEVE MONEY FROM THE BANKS.

COMPUTER DETECTIVE.

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SOMALI AND THE ARAB NATIONS ARE NOT THE ONLY NATIONS HAVING TROUBLE WITH “PIRATES”

AMERICA HAS A GOVERNMENT IS FULL OF “PIRATES”!!!!

EXAMPLES-CEO’S ON WALL ST SUPPORTING SENATERS BARNEY FRANK, CHRIS DODD, CHUCK SCHUMER, SEC. PAULSON, PELOISE, ECT.

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

THE BOSTON CELTIC’S AND THE BRUINS ARE IN FIRST PLACE IN THEIR LEAGUES. THE PATRIOTS ARE DOING MUCH BETTER THAN EXPECTED WITH BRADY DOWN WITH AN INJURY!!!!!

COMPUTER DETECTIVEboston-sportsbos-bruins

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On a mission in Afghanistan, then-Specialist Jack Bodani was in an up-armored humvee column when a massive explosion ripped through his vehicle, engulfing it in a fireball. Simultaneously, automatic weapons fire and well-aimed mortar rounds began hitting dangerously close to the convoy. Bodani, burned on the face and neck from the conflagration, got out of the vehicle and immediately helped another trapped soldier escape.

Safely evacuating the first soldier away from the vehicle, Bodani realized there was another unaccounted for, so he disregarded his own wounds and again ran back to the burning vehicle. At the humvee, the heat of the fire reached a critical temperature and ordinance and rifle ammunition began exploding in every direction. From the east, insurgent attacker became increasingly accurate with their weapons fire. Ignoring all of this, Bodani, and with the aid of another, extracted the dazed soldier.

Still in the height of the ambush and far from safety, Bodani reached for a rifle at the casualty collection point and provided vital security from the brazen enemy fighters. Because of Bodani’s brave acts, the wounded soldiers survived to receive a medevac and receive the urgent care they needed.

Then-Specialist Jack Bodani was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor for his courageous actions.

COMPUTER DETECTIVEdecorbs-v

 

Earlier today we noted with some surprise that Obama had lowered his definition of “wealthy” from those earning $250,000 a year to those earning more than $200,000 a year.

Now there’s a report from Fox News quoting running mate Joe Biden saying that wealthy begins above $150,000. Biden told a Scranton, Pa., TV station on Monday that Obama’s tax break “should go to middle class people — people making under $150,000 a year.”

John McCain attacked the downward trend in the Obama-Biden definition of wealthy:

“You getting an idea of what’s on their mind, huh? A little sneak peak,” McCain said, pointing to Biden’s comment. “It’s interesting how their definition of rich has a way of creeping down. At this rate, it won’t be long before Senator Obama is right back to his vote that Americans making just $42,000 a year should get a tax increase.” 

As I noted earlier today –

We’ve heard his promise to taxpayers so many times, it is permanently etched into our brains: “If you make less than $250,000, you will get a tax cut.”

Thanks to Obama’s cash-flush campaign, he ran those ads so often, we can recite the numbers by heart. We were all pretty clear that $250K was the thresh-hold. Below that, and you were on the Obama dole — the check was as good as in the mail! If you earned more than $250K, you were out of luck, buster! Just hand over your paycheck or business revenues to the Obama enforcers and be done with it.

Now we have this new Obama ad — I call it “The Case of the Missing $50,000.” Just 30 seconds into the ad and now Obama is promising that “If you earn less than $200,000, you will get a tax cut.”

What happened to the $50,000?

Did someone in his campaign finally do the math and realize that he needed to punish more people in order to redistribute sufficient wealth to the rest of the country?

Rest assured, no one will fail to catch this last-minute switcheroo. But I sense that those who were supporting Obama in the first place generally earned much less than $200K a year. This is not going to change their vote.

What people should really be concerned about is how Obama’s definition of wealthy is likely to keep shifting downward –$100,000? $75,000? A warm body with a steady job?

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

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I HAVE HAD TO HAVE MY CREDIT CARD BLOCKED AGAIN. THIS IS ABOUT THE 6TH TIME IN TWO YRS. I AM GETTING CHARGES PUT ON MY CARD BY COMPANYS THAT I HAVE GIVEN MY INFORMATION TO SO  I COULD GET A SERVICE OR A PRODUCT. THESE COMPANYS SIGN YOU UP TO OTHER SERVICES THAT YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT UNTIL YOU GET YOUR CREDIT CARD BILL EACH MONTH. IF YOU DON’T CHECK YOUR CARD EVERY MONTH YOU WILL MISS THESE CHARGES. (EXAMPLE) ASK FOR A CREDIT CHECK ON LINE. THIS COMPANY PUT A CHARGE OF$149.00 ON MY CREDIT CARD. WHEN  I CALLED MY CREDIT CARD THEY TOLD ME THIS WAS A COMMON PRACTICE!!!!

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

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Another day, another heart-stoppingly huge Wall Street bailout.

The federal government stepped in Monday and guaranteed $300 billion of Citigroup’s assets to keep the sprawling megabank from collapsing under waves of investor panic.

That brought the total of promised government outlays and guarantees to a staggering $7.7 trillion, a Bloomberg News analysis found. That figure dwarfs the whopping $700 billion Wall Street bailout.

RELATED: DOW HAS BIG MONDAY, THANKS TO OBAMA, CITIGROUP

It represents $24,000 for every American man, woman and child and is nine times what Washington has spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The vast pledges of taxpayer money are meant to shore up the faltering economy, and in the short term anyway, the stock market greeted the latest bailout with another giddy 400-point rally.

Citigroup, which lost 60% of its market value in a three-day run on its shares last week, rebounded 58%.

President Bush, in an appearance that was strikingly brief and blithe, said Citigroup had to be helped and he expects more bailouts may be in store.

“The decision was made to safeguard Citi … Citicorp,” he said, forgetting that the bank was renamed 10 years ago. “We have made these kind of decisions in the past. And if need be, we’re going to make these kind of decisions to safeguard our financial system in the future.”

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who stood with Bush, said nothing. Ten days ago, Paulson said the banking system “has been stabilized” and that “no one is asking themselves anymore, is there some major institution that might fail.”

Under the details of the latest rescue, the government will put $20 billion into Citigroup and guarantee $300 billion of its toxic assets. In return, taxpayers will receive up to $7 billion in preferred shares.

The management team that drove the once-mighty bank to its knees will stay put, even as the firm lays off 53,000 employees.

Citigroup plans to go ahead with a scheme to pay the New York Mets $400 million to name their new stadium “Citi Field,” a decision that drew fire from taxpayer groups.

“When they’re already going back to the trough for more money from the taxpayers, Citigroup should be reevaluating all spending – from pens and pencils to naming a baseball field for themselves out of sheer corporate ego,” said Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense.

THIS IS RIDICULES!!!!

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

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Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Image via Wikipedia

history_rv_chain_en_44035

1. Atlantis, 1931-1964
Atlantis was the first Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel and the first ship built specifically for interdisciplinary research in marine biology, marine geology and physical oceanography. Columbus Iselin, her first master and a major influence in her design, felt that speed was not essential; steadiness, silence and cruising range were of primary importance.Once built WHOI searched for an appropriate name for the research vessel. A trustee of the Institution, Alexander Forbes, had recently bought a schooner named Atlantis from Iselin. Mr. Forbes rechristened his schooner so the new research vessel could be named Atlantis.The “A- boat” made 299 cruises and covered 700,000 miles, doing all types of ocean science. In 1966, Atlantis was sold to Argentina, refurbished, and renamed El Austral. It is used as a research vessel and is crewed by Argentine naval personnel.Specifications
Built: 1931 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Designed by Owen and Minot specifically for WHOI
Length: 143′ 6″
Rig: Marconi Ketch
Sail Area: 7,200 sq. ft.
Beam: 29′
Main: 144′ from water line
Draft: 18′
Mizzen: 100′ from water line
Capacity: crew- 19, science- 9

(Photo courtesy of WHOI Archives)

2. Asterias, 1931-1980
Named for the local starfish, Asterias was built of white and southern hard pine and was similar in design to commercial fishing boats of the era. The Asterias and the Atlantis were built as the Institution’s first vessels.The first Asterias made at least 10,000 short trips, from Maine to New York, primarily for the testing of scientific gear. Nearly every member of the scientific and technical staff had a need for Asterias at some time. Her excellent design and construction made her a natural seaboat.Asterias was sold to Ocean Research Engineering in 1980. In 1985 Edwin Athearn, her former captain saved her from destruction and together with Dave Lewis restored the ship’s name and condition.Specifications
Built: 1931 by the Casey Boat Building Co., Fairhaven, MA, for WHOI
Length: 40.5′
Beam: 13.6′
Draft: 5′3″

(Photo courtesty of WHOI Archives)

3. Anton Dohrn, 1940-1947
Anton Dohrn was given to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in June 1940 for local-area scientific work. The vessel made at least 40 cruises from the Gulf of Maine to the coast of New Jersey, testing bathythermographs, underwater cameras, and other newly designed instruments, and conducting underwater sound transmission experiments and harbor studies. According to Dick Edwards, WHOI Marine Superintendent for many years, it took eight bilge pumps to keep Anton Dohrn afloat.The vessel was sold in April 1947 and was to be used as a mail boat between New Bedford and Cuttyhunk Island.Specifications
Built: 1911 in Miami, Florida, for the Carnegie Institution
Length: 70′
Beam: 16′9″
Draft: 6′
Capacity: crew- 29, science – 17(Photo courtesty of WHOI Archives)
4. Balanus, 1946-1950
Balanus was used during the war years as a harbor transport. WHOI purchased the vessel in 1946 from Vita Lo Piccola of Boston for use primarily in coastal waters. Balanus made 26 cruises. Her work was mainly for physical oceanography, but also included plankton tows, camera work, instrumentation tests and current measurements. Balanus was sold in 1950 to D.L. Edgerton, a MD fisherman.Specifications
Built: 1940-41 by Reid, Winthrop, MA.
Designed: Eldredge-McGinnis Co., Boston, MA, as a dragger
Length: 75′
Beam: 18′
Draft: 8′
Capacity: crew – 8, science – 5
Names: Little Sam (Q-68) 1941-1946(Photo courtesty of WHOI Archives)
5. Caryn, 1948-1958
Rumor has it that Caryn was originally built specifically for smuggling. When the vessel was first launched, she carried 4,000 square feet of canvas. WHOI purchased Caryn in 1947 from her third owner, C.R. Hotchkiss of New York.At WHOI, Caryn made 110 cruises, mostly along the East Coast through the Caribbean and around Bermuda. All types of oceanography were undertaken. The vessel was sold in 1958 to S.H. Swift, was renamed Black Swan, and engaged in charter trade. On New Year’s Eve, 1974, at St. Maarten’s Island, West Indies, the vessel burned.Specifications
Built: 1927 in Singapore by C.E. Nicholson
Length: 97.9′
Beam: 21′”
Draft: 11′3″
Names: Black Swan 1927-1930,
Santa 1930-1935,
Marie 1947-1948,
Caryn 1948-1958(Photo courtesty of WHOI Archives)
6. Albatross III, 1948-1958
The vessel first sailed under the name Harvard for the North Atlantic Fishery Investigations. In 1941 she was rebuilt, renamed Bellefonte and used by the US Navy for war patrol. Upon her return to Woods Hole in 1944, under the name Albatross III, the vessel was used intermittently until 1955, when funding became available. Albatross III was under full operation until 1959, when decommissioned and sold to a Hyannis, MA, fisherman.Albatross III was loaned to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from 1951-1952, and was also used jointly on other cruises from 1948-1959. Albatross III made a total of 128 cruises, all in the North Atlantic. Most of these were part of fisheries investigations, but many cruises included hydro stations, bottom photographs, drift bottle exercises, and current measurements.Specifications
Built: 1926 as a steam trawler
Length: 179′
Beam: 24′
Draft: 12′
Capacity: crew – 21, science – 6
Names: 1926 as a steam trawler Harvard 1926-1941, Bellefonte, 1941-1948, Albatross III 1948-1959(Photo courtesty of WHOI Archives)
7. Bear, 1951-1963
Built during WWII as a troop carrier in the South Pacific, Bear was chartered by WHOI in 1951 and purchased in 1952. The vessel made 192 cruises in the western North Atlantic, venturing as far east as Bermuda. Bear made acoustic, bathymetric and seismic measurements, and participated in fish observations.The vessel was sold in 1963 to a New Bedford fisherman and refitted as a scalloper.Specifications
Built: 1941-1942 by Herreshoff, Bristol, RI, as a coastal transport
Length: 103′
Beam: 21′
Draft: 10′
Capacity: crew-23, science-36(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
8. Crawford, 1956-1969
Crawford, a former US Coast Guard cutter, was transferred to WHOI in 1956. The ship underwent considerable renovation at Munro Shipyard in Boston, including an increase in her fuel capacity giving her a range of 30 days and 6,000 miles. She worked in the North and South Atlantic, including the Caribbean Sea amd carried specialized gear for studying hurricanes. The vessel was mainly used for working on hydrographic stations, in long line fishing studies, and in surveying for Texas Towers.In a novel attempt to increase working space on the vessel, an aircraft wing was attached to her port side in 1980, though it was later dismantled and the experiment was never repeated.Crawford made 175 cruises for WHOI until 1968. In 1970 the vessel was sold to the University of Puerto Rico.Specifications
Built: 1927, Great Lakes
Length: 125′
Beam: 23′
Draft: 12′3″
Capacity: crew-17, science-9

(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

9. Aries, 1959-1960
The Aries, a 93 foot ketch, arrived in Woods Hole in March 1959 as a gift from R.J. Reynolds. She was refitted as a research vessel by June 1959 and was then used continuously on current measuring cruises off Bermuda as part of a joint project shared by WHOI and the British National Institute of Oceanography until August 1960. Her longest stay ashore was from December 14th, 1959, until February 2nd, 1960, when her engine was replaced by the a spare reconditioned and brought from England. Bermuda proved to be a particularly good base for the Aries since her fresh water storage limited her time at sea to about two weeks. Aries spent a total of 206 days at sea, 186 days of which were on cruises to deep-water, and of this deep-water time 129 days were spent in the selected working area. Captain J. W. Gates was in charge until after the refit when Captain H. H. Seibert took over until the end of the project. Mr. C. L. McCann was mate for the entire period.Specifications
Built: 1953
Length: 93′
Beam: 19′6″(Photo courtesty of WHOI Archives)
10. Chain, 1958-1979
In 1958, the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS), took over the operation of Chain, a Navy salvage vessel, and under an agreement with the Navy, the ship came to Woods Hole. Chain’s first nine cruises at WHOI were made with an MSTS crew. In 1959, WHOI assumed operation of the vessel.Chain made a total of 129 scientific cruises, including a cruise that took her around the world in 1970-1971. She traveled some 600,000 miles and was used in every type of ocean science. Long a favorite for her seaworthiness, Chain’s last cruise ended in December 1975. In June 1979 the vessel was towed away for scrap.I SERVED ON THE CHAIN FOR 5YRS, AS A SEAMANWOODS HOLE SCIENTIST ARE THE GROUP THAT FOUND THE “TITANIC”

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug on the planet. In most countries, this plant is illegal; some brand it as dangerous; others seem to look the other way. In the U.S. the federal government places it in the same category as heroin. Across the globe, bold growers plant gardens in national forests, national parks and suburban homes converted into greenhouses. Scientists who study this plant consider it among the most complex in the plant kingdom with 400 active chemicals and compounds. And in California alone, the marijuana trade out paces the entire wine industry, placing it among the largest cash crops in the United States. Intertwined with culture, economics, law enforcement and perhaps medical miracles, this plant holds both peril and promise. Join National Geographics EXPLORER as we investigate the state of marijuana

THE PEOPLE THAT ARE BUYING AND USING THE ILLICIT DRUG ARE SUPPORTING THE MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS AND TERRORISTS, AND MURDERS, AND KIDNAPPERS.

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

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82ndairbornedivisiondecorsilverstarAwarded Silver Star

Several paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division received the Silver Star, the nation’s third-highest award for combat valor, last week.

On Friday, five troopers from the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry, received the award from Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell. The men had recently returned from a fifteen-month tour in Iraq that cost their unit 22 Troopers. Receiving the citation for gallantry in action were:

First Sergeant John R. Croomer

Machine gun fire erupted less than 20 feet from Croomer’s position. The executive officer, Capt. Rhett Schiller, and an Iraqi soldier, were both shot during the ambush, Croomer said. Insurgents — hidden in holes near the dried out canal — continued to pepper Croomer and his men with gunfire.

The clearance team was pinned down and unable to provide medical attention to Schiller and the Iraqi soldier. Croomer tried going over a berm to get to Schiller, but the volume of gunfire was too fierce. Instead Croomer threw a grenade, killing the insurgents.

Sgt. Justin L. Young

As a reconnaissance squad leader in the enemy-controlled town of Quabba, Young was shot in his chest plate and received shrapnel wounds to his neck, knocking him off his feet. While under direct fire, he managed to fire his damaged M4 weapon, killing the enemy. Young refused treatment for his neck wound and took up an AK-47 and three extra magazines and continued to lead his team. For the next five days, Young continued clearing Qubbah and Zaganiyah. He never once sought medical treatment for his injuries.

Spc. Andrew S. Harriman

Harriman was a platoon Medic.

On March 5, he was shot multiple times while running to help injured soldiers.  Machine gun rounds hit his body armor and medical bag. Much of his medical supplies were destroyed. He applied two tourniquets and an IV on a man whose femoral arteries had been severed, all while taking on fire.

Capt. Stephen G. Dobbins

For four days, Dobbins’ group endured combat gunfire south of Balad Ruz, near the village of Turki. Around 8 p.m. on Nov. 15, 2006, Dobbins was maneuvering his soldiers when his vehicle hit an anti-tank mine, destroying the vehicle and wounding him and his crew. Injured and refusing medical evacuation, Dobbins helped move the wounded soldiers from the damaged vehicle. He then made his way across a minefield, taking enemy gunfire and vomiting along the way from a head concussion.

He called in close air support from helicopters and F-16 jets, which succeeded in destroying the enemy. He crossed the minefield again and was instrumental in calling in enemy coordinates. In all, 18 insurgents were killed.

Spc. Jeremiah A. Church

As a reconnaissance platoon machine gunner, Church was in an intense firefight with 30 entrenched insurgents north of Baqouba near the village of Naqeeb on Aug. 8. He was part of a convoy of 11 gun trucks.

He was shot though his left wrist. Although bleeding, he continued to load his 50-caliber gun and return fire. While reloading with one hand, he put his wounded hand into the turret so another soldier could tend to the hole in his wrist. The bleeding continued and he applied a tourniquet to himself.

Twice, he dismounted his vehicle under a torrent of gunfire to gather more ammunition.

Also on Friday, Spc. Thomas Barbieri, from the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, was awarded the Silver Star, posthumously, for his actions during an enemy ambush in Iraq last year. The citation was accepted by his brother, David.

“I am proud of him,” said David Barbieri. “He gave his life to save others.”

Barbieri’s unit was ambushed in August 2006. With his unit under fire, Barbieri exposed himself to fire as he flanked a group of heavily armed enemy fighters who were firing on his platoon. He killed one fighter and flushed the other one out so his unit mates could kill him. But it cost him his life.

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Combat Zone: Delta Force in Panama
Delta Force in Panama
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Consider a special operations force that’s trained to the highest level in the United States military. The force is armed with cutting-edge weaponry, well-funded and answers only to one man. How can a group — trained as professional assassins and approaching the status of mercenaries — be reeled in if the U.S. government won’t even confirm that the group exists? Does such a force make the United States safer or more vulnerable? It’s questions like these that swirl around the United States’ most elite tactical combat group, the Delta Force.

A Delta Force operator prepares for a HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) jump exercise.
Photo Greg Matheison/Mai/
Time LifePictures/ Getty Images

A Delta Force operator prepares for
a HALO (High Altitude Low Opening)
Exercise. See more military images.

Delta Force is often referred to as Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta. It’s also known as the Combat Applications Group (CAG). While it often draws its ranks from the Army Special Forces (the Army Green Berets) and shares Fort Bragg, N.C., headquarters with them, it isn’t an Army Special Forces detachment. Delta Force is a unit unto itself, composed of members from all branches of the military.

They’re not called soldiers, but operators and are said to shun the traditional philosophies of military life. They wear civilian clothes. They work for whomever needs them — for the Army, the FBI and the CIA. Mark Bowden, author of the book “Blackhawk Down” — for which he interviewed several Delta Force members — famously said of the operators, “They are professional soldiers who hate the Army” [source: Military.com].

 

 

It must be said that neither the United States government nor the military officially acknowledges the existence of Delta Force. To this end, almost all of the information contained in this article is unsupported by any official reports from the United States. It’s only in recent years that vague references by the government to the group’s existence have been allowed to go uncensored. These references have turned up in transcripts from Congressional hearings and biographies of high-ranking military leaders.

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Shortly after 9/11, the Pentagon ordered a top secret team of American commandos into Afghanistan with a single, simple order: kill Osama bin Laden. It was America’s best chance to eliminate the leader of al Qaeda. The inside story of exactly what happened in that mission, and how close it came to its objective has never been told until now.

The man you are about to meet was the officer in command, leading a team from the U.S. Army’s mysterious Delta Force – a unit so secret, it’s often said Delta doesn’t exist. But you are about to see Delta’s operators in action.

Why would the mission commander break his silence after seven years? He told 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley that most everything he has read in the media about his mission is wrong and now he wants to set the record straight.



“Our job was to go find him, capture or kill him, and we knew the writing on the wall was to kill him because nobody wanted to bring Osama bin Laden back to stand trial in the United States somewhere,” the mission commander tells Pelley.

In 2001, just 10 weeks after 9/11, he was a 37-year-old Army major leading a team of America’s most elite commandos. Even now, 60 Minutes can’t tell you his name or show you his face. 60 Minutes hired a theatrical make up artist to take this former Delta officer through a series of transformations to disguise him. He calls himself “Dalton Fury,” and is the author of “Kill Bin Laden,” a new book out this week.

Dalton Fury is used to disguises. In fact in 2001, his entire team transformed themselves in Afghanistan. “Everybody has their beard grown. Everybody’s wearing local Afghan clothing, sometimes carrying the same weapons as them,” he explains.

“The idea was that if this all worked out Osama bin Laden would be dead, and no one would ever know that Delta Force was there?” Pelley asks.

“That’s right,” Fury says. “That’s the plan. And that always is when you’re talking about Delta Force.”

And there was no mission more important to the United States. “We’ll smoke him out of his cave and we’ll get him eventually,” President Bush had vowed.

But the administration’s strategy was to let Afghans do most of the fighting. Using radio intercepts and other intelligence, the CIA pinpointed bin Laden in the mountains near the border of Pakistan. Following the strategy of keeping an Afghan face on the war, Fury’s Delta team joined the CIA and Afghan fighters and piled into pickup trucks. They videotaped their journey to a place called Tora Bora.

Fury told 60 Minutes his orders were to kill bin Laden and leave the body with the Afghans.

“Right here you’re looking at basically the battlefield from the last location that we had a firm on Osama bin Laden’s location,” Fury explains to Pelley, looking at a ridgeline with an elevation of about 14,000 feet.

Asked how tough it would be to attack such a position on a scale of one to ten, Fury tells Pelley, “In my experience it’s a ten.”

Delta developed an audacious plan to come at bin Laden from the one direction he would never expect.

“We want to come in on the back door,” Fury explains. “The original plan that we sent up through our higher headquarters, Delta Force wants to come in over the mountain with oxygen, coming from the Pakistan side, over the mountains and come in and get a drop on bin Laden from behind.”

But they didn’t take that route, because Fury says they didn’t get approval from a higher level. “Whether that was Central Command all the way up to the president of the United States, I’m not sure,” he says.

The next option that Delta wanted to employ was to drop hundreds of landmines in the mountain passes that led to Pakistan, which was bin Laden’s escape route.

“First guy blows his leg off, everybody else stops. That allows aircraft overhead to find them. They see all these heat sources out there. Okay, there a big large group of Al Qaeda moving south. They can engage that,” Fury explains.

But they didn’t do that either, because Fury says that plan was also disapproved. He says he has “no idea” why.

“How often does Delta come up with a tactical plan that’s disapproved by higher headquarters?” Pelley asks.

“In my experience, in my five years at Delta, never before,” Fury says.

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a href=”http://mickmck707.wordpress.com/?attachment_id=1426″ rel=”attachment wp-att-1426″>shop-american_2030_0

TIME TO STOP BUYING TOYS FROM CHINA THAT ARE NOT SAFE FOR OUR CHILDREN!

YORK (Reuters) – Bernard Madoff, a quiet force on Wall Street for decades, was arrested and charged on Thursday with allegedly running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme in what may rank among the biggest frauds ever.

The former chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market is best known as the founder of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, the closely-held market-making firm he launched in 1960. But he also ran a hedge fund that U.S. prosecutors said racked up $50 billion of fraudulent losses.

ANOTHER THIEF ON WALL ST.

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

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The most unqualified – inexperienced President of all time

America has elected Islamobama – the most inexperienced and unqualified President of all time. Now he, coupled with the most “do-nothing” congress in American History – are going to fix all our woes.

Bush’s fault

We can expect nothing for the next four years except a constant drum beat of how the incompetent Islamobama coupled with the do-nothing congress is all Bush’s fault. When nothing could be further from the truth.

The Bush administration tried 17 times to get congress to regulate, tighten up on “Fannie Mae” and “Freddie Mac,” but the Damn O Craps would not have it – which makes their current lies on George Bush’s policies of no regulation ludicrous!

Democrats threw a hissy-fit when Republicans wanted to fix the looming crisis

This is not up for argument – it is a matter of record. Watch as they attack the regulator for fear-mongering and proclaim that “Fannie Mae” and “Freddie Mac” are healthy and do not need regulating.

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

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 this Blago scandal is just what we needed to brighten our holidays and distract us from the screwing we’re getting from Congress via the Big 3 Bailout circus. I’m not going to rehash and re-post all the reports on the “Intertubes” because it would take 3 days to gather it all together. But a couple of points from someone “outside the beltway”…

 

 

Jesse Jackson Jr – AKA Candidate #5 – fileting himself in front of the cameras and throwing out the race card – “judge me by the content of my character”. Coming from the son of the original shakedown artist, that is really a damning indictment. Does anyone really believe JJJ is an innocent pawn in this case? If you do, I have a Senate seat I’d like to sell ya. Especially now that Jesse “nut-cutter” Jackson has lawyered up… hmmmm

 

 

The Ballerina Factor – I don’t think I’ve ever heard such deafening silence from Rahm Emmanuel. Where is all the outrage and disgust that was so quick to rear it’s head when it was Mark Foley or any other GOP member on the scandal pages? Meanwhile Illinois and DC seafood distributors are reporting quite a run on Cod Sales. Who will be the first one to get “fished” by Rahm in this saga? Or will Rahm get the fish ticket under the bus?

 

 

The leftoid syncophants are just outraged that anyone could imply that an acquaintance with a scandalmonger could be significant. How many years did we have to hear about Abramoff’s signature in the White House guest book? How many articles were written about a picture of President Bush posing with Abramoff? Damn but that karma hurts.

 

 

Nice to see the media has finally gotten a clue and started doing some investigating on its own. Too bad it’s post-election investigation. Not too bad that they’re bank accounts are suffering for their lemming-ness.

 

 

300 hours of wire-tapped telephone conversations…. don’t you know that the Illinois and DC convenience stores sold out of Depends and Pepto-Bismol after the Fitzpatrick presser? This little bit of scandal has deep tentacles and is similar to the Titanic iceberg – so much more under the surface to bite ya.

 

 

BO is getting an intensive pre-inaugueration schooling on how not to handle a scandal. Man oh man, I would have loved to hear the wire-tapped conversation between BO and Axelrod after the cross-messages from the two of them. Axelrod’s eyebrows were working so hard that they knitted him a sweater to wear for his trip under the bus.

 

 

The popcorn machines are going to be working overtime while this drama unfolds. Rezko is singing like a canary. And just wait until Crazo-Blago loosens his lips in order to save his booty – it could be carnage. Everyone waiting for the next shoe to drop and getting in line for the Under the Bus party. It’s almost like Clinton-Lewinsky II but without the blowjob – well as far as we know now.
Heh-Heh – this Blago scandal is just what we needed to brighten our holidays and distract us from the screwing we’re getting from Congress via the Big 3 Bailout circus. I’m not going to rehash and re-post all the reports on the “Intertubes” because it would take 3 days to gather it all together. But a couple of points from someone “outside the beltway”…
Jesse Jackson Jr – AKA Candidate #5 – fileting himself in front of the cameras and throwing out the race card – “judge me by the content of my character”. Coming from the son of the original shakedown artist, that is really a damning indictment. Does anyone really believe JJJ is an innocent pawn in this case? If you do, I have a Senate seat I’d like to sell ya. Especially now that Jesse “nut-cutter” Jackson has lawyered up… hmmmm
The Ballerina Factor – I don’t think I’ve ever heard such deafening silence from Rahm Emmanuel. Where is all the outrage and disgust that was so quick to rear it’s head when it was Mark Foley or any other GOP member on the scandal pages? Meanwhile Illinois and DC seafood distributors are reporting quite a run on Cod Sales. Who will be the first one to get “fished” by Rahm in this saga? Or will Rahm get the fish ticket under the bus?
The leftoid syncophants are just outraged that anyone could imply that an acquaintance with a scandalmonger could be significant. How many years did we have to hear about Abramoff’s signature in the White House guest book? How many articles were written about a picture of President Bush posing with Abramoff? Damn but that karma hurts.
Nice to see the media has finally gotten a clue and started doing some investigating on its own. Too bad it’s post-election investigation. Not too bad that they’re bank accounts are suffering for their lemming-ness.
300 hours of wire-tapped telephone conversations…. don’t you know that the Illinois and DC convenience stores sold out of Depends and Pepto-Bismol after the Fitzpatrick presser? This little bit of scandal has deep tentacles and is similar to the Titanic iceberg – so much more under the surface to bite ya.
BO is getting an intensive pre-inaugueration schooling on how not to handle a scandal. Man oh man, I would have loved to hear the wire-tapped conversation between BO and Axelrod after the cross-messages from the two of them. Axelrod’s eyebrows were working so hard that they knitted him a sweater to wear for his trip under the bus.
The popcorn machines are going to be working overtime while this drama unfolds. Rezko is singing like a canary. And just wait until Crazo-Blago loosens his lips in order to save his booty – it could be carnage. Everyone waiting for the next shoe to drop and getting in line for the Under the Bus party. It’s almost like Clinton-Lewinsky II but without the blowjob – well as far as we know now.
Heh-Heh – this Blago scandal is just what we needed to brighten our holidays and distract us from the screwing we’re getting from Congress via the Big 3 Bailout circus. I’m not going to rehash and re-post all the reports on the “Intertubes” because it would take 3 days to gather it all together. But a couple of points from someone “outside the beltway”…
Jesse Jackson Jr – AKA Candidate #5 – fileting himself in front of the cameras and throwing out the race card – “judge me by the content of my character”. Coming from the son of the original shakedown artist, that is really a damning indictment. Does anyone really believe JJJ is an innocent pawn in this case? If you do, I have a Senate seat I’d like to sell ya. Especially now that Jesse “nut-cutter” Jackson has lawyered up… hmmmm
The Ballerina Factor – I don’t think I’ve ever heard such deafening silence from Rahm Emmanuel. Where is all the outrage and disgust that was so quick to rear it’s head when it was Mark Foley or any other GOP member on the scandal pages? Meanwhile Illinois and DC seafood distributors are reporting quite a run on Cod Sales. Who will be the first one to get “fished” by Rahm in this saga? Or will Rahm get the fish ticket under the bus?
The leftoid syncophants are just outraged that anyone could imply that an acquaintance with a scandalmonger could be significant. How many years did we have to hear about Abramoff’s signature in the White House guest book? How many articles were written about a picture of President Bush posing with Abramoff? Damn but that karma hurts.
Nice to see the media has finally gotten a clue and started doing some investigating on its own. Too bad it’s post-election investigation. Not too bad that they’re bank accounts are suffering for their lemming-ness.
300 hours of wire-tapped telephone conversations…. don’t you know that the Illinois and DC convenience stores sold out of Depends and Pepto-Bismol after the Fitzpatrick presser? This little bit of scandal has deep tentacles and is similar to the Titanic iceberg – so much more under the surface to bite ya.
BO is getting an intensive pre-inaugueration schooling on how not to handle a scandal. Man oh man, I would have loved to hear the wire-tapped conversation between BO and Axelrod after the cross-messages from the two of them. Axelrod’s eyebrows were working so hard that they knitted him a sweater to wear for his trip under the bus.
The popcorn machines are going to be working overtime while this drama unfolds. Rezko is singing like a canary. And just wait until Crazo-Blago loosens his lips in order to save his booty – it could be carnage. Everyone waiting for the next shoe to drop and getting in line for the Under the Bus party. It’s almost like Clinton-Lewinsky II but without the blowjob – well as far as we know now.
Heh-Heh – this Blago scandal is just what we needed to brighten our holidays and distract us from the screwing we’re getting from Congress via the Big 3 Bailout circus. I’m not going to rehash and re-post all the reports on the “Intertubes” because it would take 3 days to gather it all together. But a couple of points from someone “outside the beltway”…
Jesse Jackson Jr – AKA Candidate #5 – fileting himself in front of the cameras and throwing out the race card – “judge me by the content of my character”. Coming from the son of the original shakedown artist, that is really a damning indictment. Does anyone really believe JJJ is an innocent pawn in this case? If you do, I have a Senate seat I’d like to sell ya. Especially now that Jesse “nut-cutter” Jackson has lawyered up… hmmmm
The Ballerina Factor – I don’t think I’ve ever heard such deafening silence from Rahm Emmanuel. Where is all the outrage and disgust that was so quick to rear it’s head when it was Mark Foley or any other GOP member on the scandal pages? Meanwhile Illinois and DC seafood distributors are reporting quite a run on Cod Sales. Who will be the first one to get “fished” by Rahm in this saga? Or will Rahm get the fish ticket under the bus?
The leftoid syncophants are just outraged that anyone could imply that an acquaintance with a scandalmonger could be significant. How many years did we have to hear about Abramoff’s signature in the White House guest book? How many articles were written about a picture of President Bush posing with Abramoff? Damn but that karma hurts.
Nice to see the media has finally gotten a clue and started doing some investigating on its own. Too bad it’s post-election investigation. Not too bad that they’re bank accounts are suffering for their lemming-ness.
300 hours of wire-tapped telephone conversations…. don’t you know that the Illinois and DC convenience stores sold out of Depends and Pepto-Bismol after the Fitzpatrick presser? This little bit of scandal has deep tentacles and is similar to the Titanic iceberg – so much more under the surface to bite ya.
BO is getting an intensive pre-inaugueration schooling on how not to handle a scandal. Man oh man, I would have loved to hear the wire-tapped conversation between BO and Axelrod after the cross-messages from the two of them. Axelrod’s eyebrows were working so hard that they knitted him a sweater to wear for his trip under the bus.
The popcorn machines are going to be working overtime while this drama unfolds. Rezko is singing like a canary. And just wait until Crazo-Blago loosens his lips in order to save his booty – it could be carnage. Everyone waiting for the next shoe to drop and getting in line for the Under the Bus party. It’s almost like Clinton-Lewinsky II but without the blowjob – well as far as we know now.
Heh-Heh – this Blago scandal is just what we needed to brighten our holidays and distract us from the screwing we’re getting from Congress via the Big 3 Bailout circus. I’m not going to rehash and re-post all the reports on the “Intertubes” because it would take 3 days to gather it all together. But a couple of points from someone “outside the beltway”…
Jesse Jackson Jr – AKA Candidate #5 – fileting himself in front of the cameras and throwing out the race card – “judge me by the content of my character”. Coming from the son of the original shakedown artist, that is really a damning indictment. Does anyone really believe JJJ is an innocent pawn in this case? If you do, I have a Senate seat I’d like to sell ya. Especially now that Jesse “nut-cutter” Jackson has lawyered up… hmmmm
The Ballerina Factor – I don’t think I’ve ever heard such deafening silence from Rahm Emmanuel. Where is all the outrage and disgust that was so quick to rear it’s head when it was Mark Foley or any other GOP member on the scandal pages? Meanwhile Illinois and DC seafood distributors are reporting quite a run on Cod Sales. Who will be the first one to get “fished” by Rahm in this saga? Or will Rahm get the fish ticket under the bus?
The leftoid syncophants are just outraged that anyone could imply that an acquaintance with a scandalmonger could be significant. How many years did we have to hear about Abramoff’s signature in the White House guest book? How many articles were written about a picture of President Bush posing with Abramoff? Damn but that karma hurts.
Nice to see the media has finally gotten a clue and started doing some investigating on its own. Too bad it’s post-election investigation. Not too bad that they’re bank accounts are suffering for their lemming-ness.
300 hours of wire-tapped telephone conversations…. don’t you know that the Illinois and DC convenience stores sold out of Depends and Pepto-Bismol after the Fitzpatrick presser? This little bit of scandal has deep tentacles and is similar to the Titanic iceberg – so much more under the surface to bite ya.
BO is getting an intensive pre-inaugueration schooling on how not to handle a scandal. Man oh man, I would have loved to hear the wire-tapped conversation between BO and Axelrod after the cross-messages from the two of them. Axelrod’s eyebrows were working so hard that they knitted him a sweater to wear for his trip under the bus.
The popcorn machines are going to be working overtime while this drama unfolds. Rezko is singing like a canary. And just wait until Crazo-Blago loosens his lips in order to save his booty – it could be carnage. Everyone waiting for the next shoe to drop and getting in line for the Under the Bus party. It’s almost like Clinton-Lewinsky II but without the blowjob – well as far as we know now.
Heh-Heh – this Blago scandal is just what we needed to brighten our holidays and distract us from the screwing we’re getting from Congress via the Big 3 Bailout circus. I’m not going to rehash and re-post all the reports on the “Intertubes” because it would take 3 days to gather it all together. But a couple of points from someone “outside the beltway”…
Jesse Jackson Jr – AKA Candidate #5 – fileting himself in front of the cameras and throwing out the race card – “judge me by the content of my character”. Coming from the son of the original shakedown artist, that is really a damning indictment. Does anyone really believe JJJ is an innocent pawn in this case? If you do, I have a Senate seat I’d like to sell ya. Especially now that Jesse “nut-cutter” Jackson has lawyered up… hmmmm
The Ballerina Factor – I don’t think I’ve ever heard such deafening silence from Rahm Emmanuel. Where is all the outrage and disgust that was so quick to rear it’s head when it was Mark Foley or any other GOP member on the scandal pages? Meanwhile Illinois and DC seafood distributors are reporting quite a run on Cod Sales. Who will be the first one to get “fished” by Rahm in this saga? Or will Rahm get the fish ticket under the bus?
The leftoid syncophants are just outraged that anyone could imply that an acquaintance with a scandalmonger could be significant. How many years did we have to hear about Abramoff’s signature in the White House guest book? How many articles were written about a picture of President Bush posing with Abramoff? Damn but that karma hurts.
Nice to see the media has finally gotten a clue and started doing some investigating on its own. Too bad it’s post-election investigation. Not too bad that they’re bank accounts are suffering for their lemming-ness.
300 hours of wire-tapped telephone conversations…. don’t you know that the Illinois and DC convenience stores sold out of Depends and Pepto-Bismol after the Fitzpatrick presser? This little bit of scandal has deep tentacles and is similar to the Titanic iceberg – so much more under the surface to bite ya.
BO is getting an intensive pre-inaugueration schooling on how not to handle a scandal. Man oh man, I would have loved to hear the wire-tapped conversation between BO and Axelrod after the cross-messages from the two of them. Axelrod’s eyebrows were working so hard that they knitted him a sweater to wear for his trip under the bus.
The popcorn machines are going to be working overtime while this drama unfolds. Rezko is singing like a canary. And just wait until Crazo-Blago loosens his lips in order to save his booty – it could be carnage. Everyone waiting for the next shoe to drop and getting in line for the Under the Bus party. It’s almost like Clinton-Lewinsky II but without the blowjob – well as far as we know now.
Heh-Heh – this Blago scandal is just what we needed to brighten our holidays and distract us from the screwing we’re getting from Congress via the Big 3 Bailout circus. I’m not going to rehash and re-post all the reports on the “Intertubes” because it would take 3 days to gather it all together. But a couple of points from someone “outside the beltway”…
Jesse Jackson Jr – AKA Candidate #5 – fileting himself in front of the cameras and throwing out the race card – “judge me by the content of my character”. Coming from the son of the original shakedown artist, that is really a damning indictment. Does anyone really believe JJJ is an innocent pawn in this case? If you do, I have a Senate seat I’d like to sell ya. Especially now that Jesse “nut-cutter” Jackson has lawyered up… hmmmm
The Ballerina Factor – I don’t think I’ve ever heard such deafening silence from Rahm Emmanuel. Where is all the outrage and disgust that was so quick to rear it’s head when it was Mark Foley or any other GOP member on the scandal pages? Meanwhile Illinois and DC seafood distributors are reporting quite a run on Cod Sales. Who will be the first one to get “fished” by Rahm in this saga? Or will Rahm get the fish ticket under the bus?
The leftoid syncophants are just outraged that anyone could imply that an acquaintance with a scandalmonger could be significant. How many years did we have to hear about Abramoff’s signature in the White House guest book? How many articles were written about a picture of President Bush posing with Abramoff? Damn but that karma hurts.
Nice to see the media has finally gotten a clue and started doing some investigating on its own. Too bad it’s post-election investigation. Not too bad that they’re bank accounts are suffering for their lemming-ness.
300 hours of wire-tapped telephone conversations…. don’t you know that the Illinois and DC convenience stores sold out of Depends and Pepto-Bismol after the Fitzpatrick presser? This little bit of scandal has deep tentacles and is similar to the Titanic iceberg – so much more under the surface to bite ya.
BO is getting an intensive pre-inaugueration schooling on how not to handle a scandal. Man oh man, I would have loved to hear the wire-tapped conversation between BO and Axelrod after the cross-messages from the two of them. Axelrod’s eyebrows were working so hard that they knitted him a sweater to wear for his trip under the bus.
The popcorn machines are going to be working overtime while this drama unfolds. Rezko is singing like a canary. And just wait until Crazo-Blago loosens his lips in order to save his booty – it could be carnage. Everyone waiting for the next shoe to drop and getting in line for the Under the Bus party. It’s almost like Clinton-Lewinsky II but without the blowjob – well as far as we know now.
Heh-Heh – this Blago scandal is just what we needed to brighten our holidays and distract us from the screwing we’re getting from Congress via the Big 3 Bailout circus. I’m not going to rehash and re-post all the reports on the “Intertubes” because it would take 3 days to gather it all together. But a couple of points from someone “outside the beltway”…
Jesse Jackson Jr – AKA Candidate #5 – fileting himself in front of the cameras and throwing out the race card – “judge me by the content of my character”. Coming from the son of the original shakedown artist, that is really a damning indictment. Does anyone really believe JJJ is an innocent pawn in this case? If you do, I have a Senate seat I’d like to sell ya. Especially now that Jesse “nut-cutter” Jackson has lawyered up… hmmmm
The Ballerina Factor – I don’t think I’ve ever heard such deafening silence from Rahm Emmanuel. Where is all the outrage and disgust that was so quick to rear it’s head when it was Mark Foley or any other GOP member on the scandal pages? Meanwhile Illinois and DC seafood distributors are reporting quite a run on Cod Sales. Who will be the first one to get “fished” by Rahm in this saga? Or will Rahm get the fish ticket under the bus?
The leftoid syncophants are just outraged that anyone could imply that an acquaintance with a scandalmonger could be significant. How many years did we have to hear about Abramoff’s signature in the White House guest book? How many articles were written about a picture of President Bush posing with Abramoff? Damn but that karma hurts.
Nice to see the media has finally gotten a clue and started doing some investigating on its own. Too bad it’s post-election investigation. Not too bad that they’re bank accounts are suffering for their lemming-ness.
300 hours of wire-tapped telephone conversations…. don’t you know that the Illinois and DC convenience stores sold out of Depends and Pepto-Bismol after the Fitzpatrick presser? This little bit of scandal has deep tentacles and is similar to the Titanic iceberg – so much more under the surface to bite ya.
BO is getting an intensive pre-inaugueration schooling on how not to handle a scandal. Man oh man, I would have loved to hear the wire-tapped conversation between BO and Axelrod after the cross-messages from the two of them. Axelrod’s eyebrows were working so hard that they knitted him a sweater to wear for his trip under the bus.
The popcorn machines are going to be working overtime while this drama unfolds. Rezko is singing like a canary. And just wait until Crazo-Blago loosens his lips in order to save his booty – it could be carnage. Everyone waiting for the next shoe to drop and getting in line for the Under the Bus party. It’s almost like Clinton-Lewinsky II but without the blowjob – well as far as we know now. (GREAT ARTICAL)
AUTHOR CHICKENHAWK EXPRESS
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noincumbents1CORRUPT POLITICANS AND WHITE COLLAR CRIME “WALL ST. AND CORPORATE CEO’S AND ALL OTHER WHITE COLLAR THIEF’S  IN THE COUNTRY MAKE “ORGANIZED CRIME” LOOK LIKE PENNEY ANTI PUNKS. POLITICS AND COPORATE AMERICA ARE CORRUPT.

IT IS TIME FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO TAKE THE COUNTRY BACK! BOTH POLITICAL PARTY‘S ARE CORRUPT OR UNABLE TO LEAD THE COUNTRY IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE NEED A NEW SYSTEM. WE NEED A POLITICAL PARTY THAT WILL REPRESENT THE PEOPLE. WE NEED TO CHANGE THE WAY WE HOLD ELECTIONS WHO WANTS TO GO THROUGH TWO YRS. OF CAMPAIGNING AGAIN AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS SPENT.

   WE ARE NEVER GOING TO HAVE HONEST POLITICANS UNTIL WE STOP GIVING THE POLITICAL OFFICES TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER. WE HAVE TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD. TAKE MONEY OUT OF THE PROCESS. WE NEED  TERM LIMITS, WE NEED TO ELECT OUR JUDGES. NO MORE LIFE TIME JOBS.

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bfblogo3-blogs-for-bordersTHE MEXICAN DRUG SMUGGLERS NOW CONTROL ALL THE MAJOR DRUG DISTRIBUTION IN AMERICA. THEY ARE IN EVERY CITY IN THE COUNTRY. THEY ARE DISTRIBUTING, HEROIN, CRACK COCAINE AMPHETAMINES, AND ANY OTHER DRUG THEY CAN MAKE MONEY ON. THESE CARTELS ARE MURDERS, KIDNAPPERS, AND TERRORIST.

   THE SMUGGLERS AND MURDERS, KIDNAPPERS, AND TERRIORIST ARE COMING INTO THIS COUNTRY THROUGH THE OPEN BORDERS OF MEXICO AND THE US.

WHAT IS OUR GOVERNMENT WAITING FOR,IT IS TIME TO CLOSE THE BORDERS AND DEPORT ALL THE ILLEGAL ALIANS. THEY ARE DRAINING OUR WELFARE SYSTEM, THEY ARE FREE MEDICAL CARE, JOBS, AND THEY DON’T HAVE TO PAY TAXES. SOON WE WILL BE SPEAKING SPANISH.

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bail2

WHY DON’T THEY ASK FOR A BAILOUT LIKE EVERYONE ELSE :-)

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Perfect for the Europeans, that is. Let me count the ways:

For the far and, more often than not, extreme Left: these lunatics live in a web of propaganda, conspiracy theories and economic fallacies so dense that they actually have a very limited knowledge of hard facts, particularly when it comes to America. However, they can and do recognize the universal signs of International Marxism dropped by the new President-elect, and they just know Obama is one of them, even if the average American voter doesn’t. For the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union, (Old) Europe’s appallingly numerous Marxist-Leninists, Trotskyites and Stalinists see the winds of change blowing in their favor.

Perfect.

For the Socialists1 and Social Democrats: these people are obsessed with “countering American hegemony”1. Part of them are deluded1, the rest is cynical1 but all of them realize that said “hegemony” is a direct result of the U.S. building wealth and power by embodying what they oppose1: (comparatively) limited government, strong defense, free market economy, work ethics, self-reliance and individual responsibility2. All of them realize that their own antagonist policies are the primary cause of their poor economic and geostrategic performances—the only Socialists who advocate Socialism are those on top of the social ladder who actually benefit from this thieving system—and that they cannot “beat” America without becoming like her—thus renouncing their apparatchiks’ privileges. All of them know that Obama will set America adrift from the social model that made her such a successful nation, and sail towards the fetid and primeval swamps of Socialism, where Old Europe is still stuck. All of them1, in short, expect his presidency to weaken America, and all of them1 sees anything that weakens America as a good thing.

Perfect.

For the Far-Right3: take the class-warfare component out of the Far-Left and replace with race-warfare (OEM spare part #1936). For the rest, they are exactly the same brand of anti-American and anti-Capitalism Collectivists (sharing identical conspiracy theories and economic fallacies with the Marxists). They broke open the Champaign at France’s National-Front’s offices on that bright day of September 11, 2001—a fact I wish that side of the U.S anti-Jihad front that advocates an alliance de circonstance with Old Europe’s white supremacists (and regards Jean-Marie Le Pen as “acceptable”) would consider. They too, like the Socialists1, see every opportunity to weaken America as a good thing. In addition to that, the new President-elect vindicates one of the pillars of their ideological framework: these folks, after all, define America as an infamous melting pot run by “Kikes” and “Niggers”, and they will go “Ha-ha! Told you so!” It’s quite ironic though… You can’t really blame these f*tards for looking at the U.S. election from the racial point of view: everybody on the Left did, starting with the happy winner himself4

Finally, the Right, conservative & libertarians (or classical liberals as we call them here). You know, these guys who harbor the crazy ideas that the government should be limited, taxation drastically reduced, the market freed of State intervention and the people left to their own devices and the pursuit of happiness under the protection of a strong defense. For them, needless to say, Obama is a very, very bad news (I mean, picture yourself manning an isolated outpost deep inside enemy lines, and suddenly learning that Central Command has been overrun. See what I mean?)

Well, they have no political significance whatsoever—as a matter of fact they don’t exist at all, at least not as a political force per se. Just a bunch of isolated guys like yours truly, hunkered down in their compounds and ideological ghettos, who know that as far as their countries are concerned they are, and always have been, on the wrong side of History5. They won’t cast much of a shadow on the current worldwide Socialist renewal.

Perfect…

  1. For the last time, yes, that includes Nicolas Sarkozy. I’m way beyond tired with those pundits and columnists in France and abroad who persist to tag him as a “right-wing conservative” when everything he says and the little he does demonstrate the exact opposite. However, don’t take my word for it, and listen to an expert in Socialism and Socialists: “Sarkozy, you are getting to Socialism, welcome to the club, these are interesting ideas.” End of quote—An Hugo Chavez quote that is.
  2. Yes dear U.S. reader, it’s become worse than it was in America, and if Obama’s election is any indication it will get worse before it gets better. However, no matter how bad things look from your end, you still have a long way to go before you reach the depth of Statism at which we lurk down here. And I pray you never will.
  3. That includes the Brussels Journal skinnerds who blabber on the “disappearance of the white” and label themselves Europe’s “conservatives”.
  4. Leftists of all persuasion are head over heels with the historical election of a black American. What’s truly historic—and dramatic— here is that for the first time, Americans elected a radical Socialist at the head of the Republic.
  5. And incidentally that when Democracy is regarded as an end in itself, it always is the tyranny of the majority.

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FROM THE FROGMAN

82ndairbornedivisiondecorsilverstardsc

medal of honor winner

medal of honor winner

decorpurpleheartJames Megellas, a World War II officer and author of All the Way to Berlin: A Paratrooper at War in Europe, will be at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum 2nd floor Education Center on Wednesday, August 23 at Noon. He’ll talk about his experiences during the European campaign, and his most recent adventures in Afghanistan when he visited paratroopers in his former unit, the 504th Parachute Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. Megellas will also sign copies of his book following the lecture in the Museum’s Gift Store.

Megellas joined the 82nd Airborne as a platoon leader in 1942. In the years to follow, he participated in several significant campaigns including Anzio and Operation Market Garden, earning the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts for his service. Megellas finished the war as the most decorated officer in the 82nd Airborne Division. His book has been printed six times since its initial 2003 release, and he has traveled the world to speak to groups regarding his experiences. James Megellas, a World War II officer and author of All the Way to Berlin: A Paratrooper at War in Europe, will be at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum 2nd floor Education Center on Wednesday, August 23 at Noon. He’ll talk about his experiences during the European campaign, and his most recent adventures in Afghanistan when he visited paratroopers in his former unit, the 504th Parachute Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. 

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asfpatchOn November 4, 1979 a mob in Iran stormed the US Embassy and took the staff and USMC security contigent hostage. In all, 52 Americans were captured and were being held by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and it was unclear whether they were being tortured or readied for execution. Within hours, the newly certified US Army Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Airborne) was on full alert and plans were being drawn up for a rescue.

Delta’s commander, Colonel Charles Beckwith, was intimately involved with the rescue attempt. The Americans faced a daunting task. Tehran is well inside Iran and away from friendly countries. The hostages were not held at an airport as in Israel’s earlier Entebbe raid. Good intelligence was hard to come by about forces inside the embassy and in Tehran. And of course, all the planning and training had to be carried out in complete secrecy.

What was ultimately decided on was an audacious plan involving all four services, eight helicopters (USMC RH-53’s), 12 planes (four MC-130’s, three EC-130’s, three AC-130’s, and two C-141’s), and numerous operators infiltrated into Tehran ahead of the actuall assault. The basic plan was to infiltrate the operators into the country the night before the assault and get them to Tehran, and after the assault, bring them home.

The first night, three MC-130’s were to fly to an barren spot in Iran and offload the Delta force men, Combat Controllers, and translators/truck drivers. Three EC-130’s following the Combat Talon’s would then land and prepare to refuel the Marine RH-53’s flying in from the US Carrier Nimitz. Once the helicopters were refuled, they would fly the task force to a spot near the outskirts of Tehran and meet up with agents already in-country who would lead the operators to a safe house to await the assault the next night. The helicopters would fly to another site in-country and hide until called by the Delta operators.

On the second night, the MC-130’s and EC-130’s would again fly into the country, this time with 100 Rangers, and head for Manzariyeh Airfield. The Rangers were to assault the field and hold it so that the two C-141’s could land to ferry the hostages back home. The three AC-130’s would be used to provide cover for the rangers at Manzariyeh, support Delta’s assault, and to supress any attempts at action by the Iranian Air Force from nearby Mehrabad Airbase. Delta would assault the embassy and free the hostages, then rendevous with the helicopters in a nearby football stadium. They and the hostages would be flown to Manzariyeh Airfield and the waiting C-141’s and then flown out of the country. All the aircraft but the eight helicopters would be flown back, the helicopters would be destroyed before leaving.

What actually happened was far different from what was planned.

A month before the assault a CIA Twin Otter had flown into the first landing area, known as Desert One. A USAF Combat Controller had rode around the landing area on a light dirt bike and planted landing lights to help guide the force in. That insertion went well, with no contact, and the pilots reported that their sensors had picked up some radar signals at 3,000 feet but nothing below that.

Despite these findings, the helicopter pilots were told to fly at or below 200 feet to avoid radar. This limitation caused them to run into a haboob, or dust storm, that they could not fly over without breaking the 200 foot limit. Two helicopters lost sight of the task force and landed, out of action. Another had landed earlier when a warning light had come on. Their crew had been picked up but the aircraft that had stopped to retrieve them was now 20 minutes behind the rest of the formation.

Battling dust storms and heavy winds, the RH-53’s continued to make their way to Desert One. After recieving word that the EC-130’s and fuel had arrived, the two aircraft that had landed earlier started up again and resumed their flight to the rendevous. But then another helicopter had a malfunction and the pilot and Marine commander decided to turn back, halfway to the site. The task force was down to six helicopters, the bare minimum needed to pull off the rescue.

The first group of three helicopters arrived at Desert One an hour late, with the rest appearing 15 minutes later. The rescue attempt was dealt it’s final blow when it was learned that one of the aircraft had lost its primary hydralic system and was unsafe to use fully loaded for the assault. Only five aircraft were servicable and six needed, so the mission was aborted.

Things got worse, though, when one of the helicopters moved to another position and drifted into one of the parked EC-130’s (in the pilot’s defense, it was dark and his rotors kicked up an immense dust cloud, making it difficult to see). Immediately both the C-130 and RH-53 burst into flames, lighting up the dark desert night. The C-130 was evacuated and the order came to blow the aircraft and exfiltrate the country.

However, in the dust and confusion the order never reached the people who would blow the aircraft. There were wounded and dying men to be taken care of and the aircraft had to be moved to avoid having the burning debris start another fire. Because of this failure to destroy the helicopters, top secret plans fell into the hands of the Iranians the next day and the agents waiting in-country to help the Delta operators were almost captured.

 

The Aftermath: broken aircraft at Desert One.

All told, five Air Force personnel and three Marines lost thier lives and dozens more were injured. The Iranians scattered the hostages around the country afterwards, making any further rescue attempts impossible. They would be released later, after ??? days of imprisonment.

 

Lessons LearnedInsufficient information and bad planning played a key role in the failure of the rescue. The planners had calculated that it would take the eight RC-53’s four hours and twenty minutes to make the flight; it had taken five hours twenty minutes. The Air Weather Service had not been able to predict the low level dust storms that hampered the mission. If they had, some more low-level bad weather flight training might have made the flight easier and have prevented the fatal crash that killed eight people.

Also, the helicopter crews had been thrown together at the last minute after it was discovered that many of the Marine pilots lacked the skills necessary to complete the mission. It was a combination of Air Force, Navy, and Marine pilots who flew the mission. In one case, unfamiliarity with the aircraft caused one pilot to ground the aircraft when it could have flown the mission.

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OK it has to be said……….enough with these losing whiny multi millionaire sports franchises.  Their job is to win  games, right?….but if they don’t they still get their salary, right?

Ok, here is my solution.  If you win a game, you get paid.  If you lose, you don’t get a paycheck.  I will bet that would put some motivation in their overpaid asses. 

When you don’t do your job, do you stay hired?….unless you are in Congress or any form of politics.

I am sick and tired of million dollar thugs not giving a damn, and at best, doing a mediocre job on the playing field.  

Listen to the local sportscast and you will hear Head Coaches with the same soundbite night after night, trying to explain why their team lost AGAIN! 

Make no mistake, I could give a damn about organized sports.   It has never made sense to me, how anybody can yell support for their team, when their team could give a bigger damn about them.

These over active thyroid behemoths will charge a kid for an autograph, and nothing is ever done for the greater good…….there is always an angle.  MONEY!

Screw em’.  They lose games and still get paid, and YOU Mr and Mrs fan, foot the bill. 

Wise up! 

Times are hard and going to get harder.  Do you really want to make sure that these so-called athletes stay supplied with drugs, fighting dogs, strippers and loaded pistols?, …….and all on YOUR dime.

After all of your support by buying tickets, t-shirts and hats, what is the thanks that you get?  Increased prices on everything from parking to nachos. 

Have you ever gone to the mailbox and got your team support check in the mail as a thank-you?  I didn’t think so. 

Just remember, your favorite sports hero would never endorse anything or anyone for free…….why should you?

I GUESS NO ONE TOLD THEM THAT THE REST OF THE COUNTRY IS IN A DEPRESSION.

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MOSCOW — For a decade, Russian academic Igor Panarin has been predicting the U.S. will fall apart in 2010. For most of that time, he admits, few took his argument — that an economic and moral collapse will trigger a civil war and the eventual breakup of the U.S. — very seriously. Now he’s found an eager audience: Russian state media.

[Prof. Panarin]

Igor Panarin

In recent weeks, he’s been interviewed as much as twice a day about his predictions. “It’s a record,” says Prof. Panarin. “But I think the attention is going to grow even stronger.”

Prof. Panarin, 50 years old, is not a fringe figure. A former KGB analyst, he is dean of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s academy for future diplomats. He is invited to Kremlin receptions, lectures students, publishes books, and appears in the media as an expert on U.S.-Russia relations.

But it’s his bleak forecast for the U.S. that is music to the ears of the Kremlin, which in recent years has blamed Washington for everything from instability in the Middle East to the global financial crisis. Mr. Panarin’s views also fit neatly with the Kremlin’s narrative that Russia is returning to its rightful place on the world stage after the weakness of the 1990s, when many feared that the country would go economically and politically bankrupt and break into separate territories.

A polite and cheerful man with a buzz cut, Mr. Panarin insists he does not dislike Americans. But he warns that the outlook for them is dire.

“There’s a 55-45% chance right now that disintegration will occur,” he says. “One could rejoice in that process,” he adds, poker-faced. “But if we’re talking reasonably, it’s not the best scenario — for Russia.” Though Russia would become more powerful on the global stage, he says, its economy would suffer because it currently depends heavily on the dollar and on trade with the U.S.

Mr. Panarin posits, in brief, that mass immigration, economic decline, and moral degradation will trigger a civil war next fall and the collapse of the dollar. Around the end of June 2010, or early July, he says, the U.S. will break into six pieces — with Alaska reverting to Russian control.

In addition to increasing coverage in state media, which are tightly controlled by the Kremlin, Mr. Panarin’s ideas are now being widely discussed among local experts. He presented his theory at a recent roundtable discussion at the Foreign Ministry. The country’s top international relations school has hosted him as a keynote speaker. During an appearance on the state TV channel Rossiya, the station cut between his comments and TV footage of lines at soup kitchens and crowds of homeless people in the U.S. The professor has also been featured on the Kremlin’s English-language propaganda channel, Russia Today.

Mr. Panarin’s apocalyptic vision “reflects a very pronounced degree of anti-Americanism in Russia today,” says Vladimir Pozner, a prominent TV journalist in Russia. “It’s much stronger than it was in the Soviet Union.”

Mr. Pozner and other Russian commentators and experts on the U.S. dismiss Mr. Panarin’s predictions. “Crazy ideas are not usually discussed by serious people,” says Sergei Rogov, director of the government-run Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies, who thinks Mr. Panarin’s theories don’t hold water.

Mr. Panarin’s résumé includes many years in the Soviet KGB, an experience shared by other top Russian officials. His office, in downtown Moscow, shows his national pride, with pennants on the wall bearing the emblem of the FSB, the KGB’s successor agency. It is also full of statuettes of eagles; a double-headed eagle was the symbol of czarist Russia.

The professor says he began his career in the KGB in 1976. In post-Soviet Russia, he got a doctorate in political science, studied U.S. economics, and worked for FAPSI, then the Russian equivalent of the U.S. National Security Agency. He says he did strategy forecasts for then-President Boris Yeltsin, adding that the details are “classified.”

In September 1998, he attended a conference in Linz, Austria, devoted to information warfare, the use of data to get an edge over a rival. It was there, in front of 400 fellow delegates, that he first presented his theory about the collapse of the U.S. in 2010.

“When I pushed the button on my computer and the map of the United States disintegrated, hundreds of people cried out in surprise,” he remembers. He says most in the audience were skeptical. “They didn’t believe me.”

At the end of the presentation, he says many delegates asked him to autograph copies of the map showing a dismembered U.S.

He based the forecast on classified data supplied to him by FAPSI analysts, he says. He predicts that economic, financial and demographic trends will provoke a political and social crisis in the U.S. When the going gets tough, he says, wealthier states will withhold funds from the federal government and effectively secede from the union. Social unrest up to and including a civil war will follow. The U.S. will then split along ethnic lines, and foreign powers will move in.

California will form the nucleus of what he calls “The Californian Republic,” and will be part of China or under Chinese influence. Texas will be the heart of “The Texas Republic,” a cluster of states that will go to Mexico or fall under Mexican influence. Washington, D.C., and New York will be part of an “Atlantic America” that may join the European Union. Canada will grab a group of Northern states Prof. Panarin calls “The Central North American Republic.” Hawaii, he suggests, will be a protectorate of Japan or China, and Alaska will be subsumed into Russia.

“It would be reasonable for Russia to lay claim to Alaska; it was part of the Russian Empire for a long time.” A framed satellite image of the Bering Strait that separates Alaska from Russia like a thread hangs from his office wall. “It’s not there for no reason,” he says with a sly grin.

Interest in his forecast revived this fall when he published an article in Izvestia, one of Russia’s biggest national dailies. In it, he reiterated his theory, called U.S. foreign debt “a pyramid scheme,” and predicted China and Russia would usurp Washington’s role as a global financial regulator.

Americans hope President-elect Barack Obama “can work miracles,” he wrote. “But when spring comes, it will be clear that there are no miracles.”

The article prompted a question about the White House’s reaction to Prof. Panarin’s forecast at a December news conference. “I’ll have to decline to comment,” spokeswoman Dana Perino said amid much laughter.

For Prof. Panarin, Ms. Perino’s response was significant. “The way the answer was phrased was an indication that my views are being listened to very carefully,” he says.

The professor says he’s convinced that people are taking his theory more seriously. People like him have forecast similar cataclysms before, he says, and been right. He cites French political scientist Emmanuel Todd. Mr. Todd is famous for having rightly forecast the demise of the Soviet Union — 15 years beforehand. “When he forecast the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1976, people laughed at him,” says Prof. Panarin.

THE MORAL COLLAPSE AND THE FANINCIAL COLLAPSE HAVE ALREADY STARTED

WAKE UP AMERICA.

[Igor Panarin]

, COMPUTER DETECTIVE

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 A federal judge has awarded more than $65 million to several men of the USS Pueblo, who were captured and tortured by North Korea back in the 1960s.

U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. issued the judgment against North Korea on Tuesday.

North Korea did not respond to the lawsuit accusing it of kidnapping, imprisonment and torture.

The USS Pueblo was seized off North Korea while it was on an intelligence-gathering mission on Jan. 23, 1968. North Korea says the ship was inside its coastal zone. U.S. Navy records say it was in international waters.

The men on the ship were held and sometimes tortured for 11 months.

COMPUTER  DETECTIVE

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200-hsas-chart-home-landSECURITY LEVELS CHART

LESLIE STAHL THE AIRHEAD DOES AN INTERVIEW WITH BARNEY “THE FAG” FRANK, WHO IS ALSO ONE OF THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CRASH ON WALL ST’
THERE MUST SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT GOING ON IN THE COUNTRY THAN A SOFT INTERVIEW WITH FRANK!!!!!

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

According to a tally by The Associated Press, at least 314 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq in 2008, down from 904 in the previous year.

In Chicago, however, it’s looking like they need an exit strategy:

Chicago closed out the year with 509 homicides, an increase of about 15 percent over 2007.

Will Obama be calling efforts to stop crime in his hometown a failure like the called Iraq?

COMPUTER DETECTIVE

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Capt. Kyle Walton remembers pressing himself into the jagged stones that covered the cliff in northeast Afghanistan.

Machine gun rounds and sniper fire ricocheted off the rocks. Two rounds slammed into his helmet, smashing his head into the ground. Nearby, three of his U.S. Army Special Forces comrades were gravely wounded. One grenade or a well-aimed bullet, Walton thought, could etch April 6, 2008 on his gravestone.

Walton and his team from the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group had been sent to kill or capture terrorists from a rugged valley that had never been penetrated by U.S. forces — or, they had been told, the Soviets before them.

He peered over the side of the cliff to the dry river bed 60 feet below and considered his options. Could he roll the wounded men off and then jump to safety? Would they survive the fall?

By the end of the six-hour battle deep within the Shok Valley, Walton would bear witness to heroics that on Friday would earn his team 10 Silver Stars, the most for a single battle in Afghanistan.

Walton, a Special Forces team leader, and his men described the battle in an interview with The Associated Press last week. Most seem unimpressed they’ve earned the Army’s third-highest award for combat valor.

“This is the story about Americans fighting side-by-side with their Afghan counterparts refusing to quit,” said Walton, of Carmel, Ind. “What awards come in the aftermath are not important to me.”

The mission that sent three Special Forces teams and a company from the 201st Afghan Commando Battalion to the Shok Valley seemed imperiled from the outset.

Six massive CH-47 Chinook helicopters had deposited the men earlier that morning, banking through thick clouds as they entered the valley. The approaching U.S. soldiers watched enemy fighters racing to positions dug into the canyon walls and to sniper holes carved into stone houses perched at the top of the cliff.

Considered a sanctuary of the Hezeb Islami al Gulbadin terrorist group, the valley is far from any major American base.

It was impossible for the helicopters to land on the jagged rocks at the bottom of the valley. The Special Forces soldiers and commandos, each carrying more than 60 pounds of gear, dropped from 10 feet above the ground, landing among boulders or in a near-frozen stream.

With several Afghan commandos, Staff Sgt. John Walding and Staff Sgt. David Sanders led the way on a narrow path that zig-zagged up the cliff face to a nearby village where the terrorists were hiding.

Walton followed with two other soldiers and a 23-year-old Afghan interpreter who went by the name C.K., an orphan who dreamed of going to the United States.

Walding and Sanders were on the outskirts of the village when Staff Sgt. Luis Morales saw a group of armed men run along a nearby ridge. He fired. The surrounding mountains and buildings erupted in an ambush: The soldiers estimate that more than 200 fighters opened up with rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and AK-47s.

C.K. crumbled to the ground.

Walton and Spc. Michael Carter dove into a small cave. Staff Sgt. Dillon Behr couldn’t fit so the Rock Island, Ill., native dropped to one knee and started firing. An F-15 made a strafing run to push back the fighters, but it wasn’t enough.

Sanders radioed for close air support — an order that Walton had to verify because the enemy was so near that the same bombs could kill the Americans.

The nearest house exploded; the firing didn’t stop.

“Hit it again,” Sanders said.

For the rest of the battle, F-15 fighters and Apache helicopters attacked.

Behr was hit next — a sniper’s round passing through his leg. Morales knelt on Behr’s hip to stop the bleeding and kept firing until he, too, was hit in the leg and ankle.

Walton and Carter, a combat cameraman from Smithville, Texas, dragged the two wounded men to the cave. Gunfire had destroyed Carter’s camera so Walton put him to work treating Morales who, in turn, kept treating Behr.

Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer, a medic from Pullman, Wash., fought his way up the cliff to help.

“Heard some guys got hit up here,” he said as he reached the cave, pulling bandages and gear from his aid bag.

Walton told Walding and Sanders to abandon the assault and meet on the cliff. The Americans and Afghan commandos pulled back as the Air Force continued to pound the village.

Walding made it to the cliff when a bullet shattered his leg. He watched his foot and lower leg flop on the ground as Walton dragged him to the cliff edge. With every heartbeat, a stream of blood shot out of Walding’s wound. Rolling on his back, the Groesbeck, Texas, native, asked for a tourniquet and cranked down until the bleeding stopped.

The soldiers were trapped against the cliff. Walton was sure his men would be overrun. The narrow path was too exposed. He sent Sanders to find another way down. Sometimes free-climbing the rock face, the Huntsville, Ala., native found a steep path and made his way back up. Could the wounded make it out alive? Walton asked.

“Yes, they’ll survive,” Sanders said.

Down below, Staff Sgt. Seth E. Howard took his sniper rifle and started climbing with Staff Sgt. Matthew Williams.

At the top, Howard used C.K.’s lifeless body for cover and started to shoot. He fired repeatedly, killing as many as 20 of their attackers, his comrades say. The enemy gunfire slowed. The Air Force bombing continued, providing cover.

Morales was first down the cliff, clutching branches and rocks as he slid. Sanders, Carter and Williams went up to get Behr, then back up to rescue Walding. As Walton climbed down, a 2,000-pound bomb hit a nearby house. Another strike nearly blew Howard off the cliff.

Helicopters swooped in to pick up the 15 wounded American and Afghan soldiers, as well as the rest of the teams. Bullets pinged off the helicopters. One hit a pilot.

All the Americans survived.

Months later, Walding wants back on the team even though he lost a leg. Morales walks with a cane.

The raid, the soldiers say, proved there will be no safe haven in Afghanistan for terrorists. As for the medals, the soldiers see them as emblems of teamwork and brotherhood. Not valor.

“When you go to help your buddy, you’re not thinking, ‘I am going to get a Silver Star for this,’” Walding said. “If you were there, there would not be a second guess on why.”

COMPUTER DETECTIVEdecorsilverstar

 

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I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat
> down in my
> assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight.
> ‘I’m glad I have a
> good book to read Perhaps I will get a short nap,’ I
> thought.
> >
> > Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the
> aisle
> and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I
> decided to
> start a conversation. ‘Where are you heade d?’ I
> asked the soldier
> seated nearest to me.
> >
> > ‘Chicago – to Great Lakes Base. We’ll be there
> for two weeks
> for special training, and then we’re being deployed to
> Iraq
> >
> > After flying for about an hour, an announcement was
> made that
> sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be
> several hours
> before we reached Chicago, and I quickly decided a lunch
> would help pass
> the time.
> >
> > As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask
> his buddy
> if he planned to buy lunch. ‘No, that seems like a lot
> of money for
> just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn’t be worth five
> bucks. I’ll wait
> till we get to Chicago ‘
> >
> > His friend agreed.
> >
> > I looked around at the other soldiers. None were
> buying lunch.
> I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight
> attendant a
> fifty dollar bill. ‘Take a lunch to all those
> soldiers.’ She grabbed
> my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she
> thanked me.
> ‘My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it’s almost like
> you are doing it for
> him.’
> >
> > Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where
> the
> soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked,
> ‘Which do you
> like best – beef or chicken?’
> >
> > ‘Chicken,’ I replied, wondering why she asked.
> She turned and
> went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a
> dinner plate
> from first class. ‘This is your thanks.’
> >
> > After we finished eating, I went again to the back of
> the
> plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. ‘I
> saw what you
> did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.’ He
> handed me
> twenty-five dollars.
> >
> > Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight
> Captain
> coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he
> walked, I
> hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking
> at the
> numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row
> he stopped,
> smiled, held out his hand, an said, ‘I want to shake
> your hand.’
> >
> > Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the
> Captain’s
> hand. With a booming voice he said, ‘I was a soldier
> and I was a
> military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an
> act of
> kindness I never forgot.’ I was embarrassed when
> applause was heard
> from all of the passengers.
> >
> > Later I walked to th e front of the plane so I could
> stretch my
> legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me
> reached out
> his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another
> twenty-five dollars in
> my palm.
> >
> > When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and
> started
> to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man
> who stopped
> me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked
> away without
> saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!
> >
> > Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers
> gathering for
> their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed
> them
> seventy-five dollars. ‘It will take you some time to
> reach the base. It
> will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.’
> >
> > Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and
> r espect of
> their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I
> whispered a
> prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving
> their all for
> our country. I could only give them a couple of meals.
> >
> > It seemed so little…
> >
> > A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life,
> >
> > wrote a blank check made payable to ‘The United
> States of
> America
> >
> > for an amount of ‘up to and including my
> life.’
> >
> > That is Honor, and there are way too many people
> >
> > in this country who no longer understand it.’

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Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were.  A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall.
When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must Have stung quite a bit.
The complaint:
‘Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base:
Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune!  Do the
 Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special?
Any response would be appreciated.
The response:
Regarding ‘A wake-up call from Luke’s jets’ On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques.