Nancy Pelosi invests in Iran-linked company

Why am I not surprised?

Fred Says "It Was A Good Day for America"

This has been a good day for America.

For a while, it didn’t look like Washington was going to listen to us regarding real immigration reform. Thankfully, we’ve been spared a serious mistake, but I wonder if things would have turned out the way they did without the work done by the bloggers, talk radio and the American people. Rush, Hannity, Laura Ingraham, RedState, Powerline, Pajamas Media and a lot of others have done a great job. Take that, Fairness Doctrine.

I’m up in New Hampshire today. Met some great people and got to help the state GOP up in the Granite State. I did want to clarify something coming out of my time yesterday in Columbia, South Carolina.

Anybody who knows my track record or has read some of the things I’ve written about the Cuban-American community knows where I stand. While the communist dictatorship has been a tragedy for Cuba, America has been in some ways, at least, the beneficiary.

One of those benefits is the presence of the great Cuban-American artist, Gloria Estefan. She co-wrote a song called “No hay mal que por bien no venga” which I understand translates something like — there’s no bad that doesn’t bring some good. The bad that is Castro’s tyranny has given America one of the greatest communities in the Western Hemisphere.
And no one knows better than that community that the Castro regime remains dedicated to infiltrating American institutions to spread his ideology of tyranny. Castro admitted it himself in an interview with CNN in 1998.

This is why the Cuban government rightfully remains on the State Department’s terrorist list for its continued support of terrorism. It’s also why we must oppose the illegal immigration of Castro’s agents into the United States while welcoming the vast majority who immigrate legally and with legal intentions.

It seems to me that few Americans understand the threat that the illegal entry by Cuban spies represents to our country, though Cuban-Americans have never forgotten or stopped pointing it out. Ambassador Otto Reich, the former Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere has called Castro’s efforts to penetrate U.S. intelligence networks “relentless.”

The best-known incident involving Cuban espionage, which many believe may have provided U.S. secrets to hostile Middle Eastern regimes, is probably that of former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst Ana Belen Montes — convicted of espionage in 2002. Now, our intelligence picture has been further complicated by the emergence of oil-funded Hugo Chavez and his anti-American, pro-Castro regime. We know that Cuban intelligence officers, for instance, are in South America — presumably training Venezuelans and others in the intelligence arts.

Our national security is too important an issue to let folks twist words around for a one-day headline. Cuban-Americans are among the staunchest opponents of illegal immigration, and especially so when it’s sponsored by the Castro regime. We know we have a porous southern border in which they can currently slip through easily. Our enemies know it too.

All of us should be rightfully concerned about Castro and his ideological pal Chavez sending agents and provocateurs into the United States through Mexico. I’m sure that Cuban-Americans share this concern as well.

We’ve seen today what the voice of the people can do in Washington. Let’s hope similar voices can do the same thing for Cuba.

Fred Thompson at his Best

H/T to redstate, haystack and tennyson

Right now we live in times of great challenges. There are key issues that will forever shape the face of the world we live in and the nation that our children and grandchildren grow up in.

(1) The Threat to Western Civilization Posed by Radical Islam

We have to recognize the degree and severity of the threat posed by Radical Islam. They have already killed thousands of us and, if allowed to, would kill millions. They see this as a many centuries struggle. We must be resolved to fight this war as long as it takes so that they do not achieve their hopes and dreams. They are willing to sacrifice millions of people to see the end of Western Civilization and we must understand this. We must be unrelenting in our advance and be fully committed to winning this long war.

The consequences of failure are an end to life as we know it today.

/snip

I truly believe that we are at a crossroads as a country on these issues and others. But, we are not without a guide in this journey. We have something we can look to.

(4) The Wisdom of the Founders

We should turn our thoughts and attention back to out two founding documents - the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. In the Declaration we find our common values - a nation under God where our rights our given to us by our Creator.
It is not in the powers of men or government to take them away. Governments and men are to uphold and defend these rights - that is why they are instituted. We are to be a free people - holding properties, participating in free commerce, respecting the liberties of others, and fostering a culture of Life.
It is in our founding.
We are not just given principles by our founders, but a form that tries to ensure that those principles will be made manifest and maintained for generations to come. That is where we must look to the Constitution as a system designed to ensure and guard those liberties for a long, long time.
With its clear sets of checks and balances, separation of powers, and delineation of power and responsibility of Federal and State governments, it gives us a rich and true guideline for guarding and nurturing the rights of a free people into a prosperous state.

(5) Eternal Truths and a New American Political Coalition

Many things are changing in this world, but we must also remember that there is much about man and human nature that does not change. Our founders understood this and we must understand it again. We must rise to this time and these challenges. With a common commitment, we can build a new coalition of Republicans, some Democrats, and many Independents to our common American creed.

That is what I think is possible. Challenges that are great but that can be overcome together by an attention to the wisdom of those that came before us. We have faced it before in wars, depressions, and many other times. We can and must face up to this again. We are the hope of the Western World. It is our calling and duty to respond.
Thank you all.
I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and will do my utmost to fulfill the mission ahead of us.

Final Days of Rolling Victory Fast

Tonight at 0000 hours, I begin my last 24 hour fast for my good friends at TankerBrothers.
I spent the early evening with some very fine people for the first time.
We had great discussion of current events and we seem to agree on most everything.
I had a BLT and two Coronas.
I'm going to make coffee now.

This one is for RCT-6
THEY WANT MAIL!!!
TELL THEM YOU SUPPORT THEM!!!

and a good friend who allowed me the honor of witnessing his promotion and get his rocker at Cherry Point.
He just arrived in the sandbox.
First tour.
Our prayers are with you.

NEW PRO-VICTORY IN IRAQ GROUP TO RALLY AT FORT MONMOUTH

There is nothing that can prepare you for this experience. The sight of 1500 to 3000 veterans, proudly displaying their history with every patch, every ribbon, every medal, on their leather vests.

Bikers
Veterans

Imposing, menacing, serious, dedicated to one message:

"NOT AGAIN,
NOT THIS TIME,
NOT THIS WAR,
NOT ON MY WATCH"

This one is important. This one we have to win.

When: 12 noon, Saturday, June 30, 2007
Where: Main gate to Fort Monmouth
Main St. at Tilton Avenue, Eatontown, NJ

Hackensack, New Jersey - This Saturday, June 30, 2007, at 12 noon, members of the New Jersey and North Carolina chapters of the new pro-victory in Iraq national organization, Gathering of Eagles, will join the Coastal New Jersey chapter of the Protest Warriors at Fort Monmouth to rally in support of our military and victory in the war on terror.

Gathering of Eagles was founded earlier this year by Vietnam veterans who do not want this generation of America’s servicemen and women to be betrayed on the battlefield by their country as they were when they served in Vietnam.

Gathering of Eagles has held numerous rallies across the country in recent months to counter so-called antiwar protests including those held at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. and the graduation ceremonies at the Coast Guard Academy and West Point.

The NJ Coastal Warriors is a local chapter of the national organization Protest Warriors, and is headed by Karl Singer, a resident of Bayville, NJ. Singer formed the chapter four years ago in response to weekly Saturday gatherings of so-called anti-war protesters at Fort Monmouth’s main gate. Singer and his group have maintained their weekly counter-protest and plan to continue to do so until “the day the protesters no longer show up”.

The North Carolina Gathering of Eagles contingent is being lead by Lawrence B. Hoffa, Gunnery Sergeant, USMC (Ret.) Hoffa has served as National GoE Executive Officer and National Director of Eagle Affairs/Recruiting, and is presently an “Eagle foot soldier”. The North Carolina Eagles will be arriving in Fort Monmouth on June 30, after having spent Friday evening in Washington, D.C. attending the weekly FreeRepublic.com pro-troops rally at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

For additional information, contact:

Karl Singer
Coastal NJ Protest Warrior Chapter Leader

Senator Thompson on the Fairness Doctrine

Posted by Fred Dalton Thompson on 5/17/2007 5:12:34 PM:

I had planned on talking a bit today about Venezuela. The president there doesn't like the way his media is covering him, so he's doing away with the free press. He's established rules on what he thinks is fair, and he’s denying licenses to television and radio stations that don't play by government rules.

I can't criticize him now, though. After all, how would it seem for me to complain about another country, when our own congressional leadership is trying to put the same sort of rules in place here? To do so, they're pulling the Fairness Doctrine out of the dustbin of history.

The Fairness Doctrine is an artifact from the days when there were only a handful of television channels and radio stations on our dials. Then, there might have been something to the fear that somebody might get control of all the media outlets in an area -- so equal time rules were put in place.

As television and radio stations increased, it became clear that the rule was a bust. Instead of protecting free speech, it imposed costs on broadcasters that killed political discussion entirely. Why run the risk of dealing with anything controversial and having the regulators and the lawyers come down on you? Instead of talking about issues, news directors used stopwatches to measure candidates' airtime.

Finally, in 1987, the Federal Communications Commission ended the antiquated policy. Today, with more cable and local access channels than anybody can keep track of -- the equal time rule makes even less sense. Throw in the Internet, and it's absurd.

The real issue here is not what you "can" see or hear -- which is what the Fairness Doctrine was about originally. It's what you're "choosing" to see or hear.

Insiders say it was the collapse of the radio show "Air America" that led to this attempt to retool the Fairness Doctrine as a form of de facto censorship. I guess the idea is that, if you can't compete in the world of ideas, you pass a law that forces radio stations to air your views. In effect, it would force a lot of radio stations to drop some talk show hosts -- because they would lose money providing equal airtime to people who can’t attract a market or advertisers.

The funny thing is that the success of the current crop of radio talk show hosts is due, in part, to a lot of people’s perception that broadcast television doesn’t give the views of their audience a fair shake. Maybe I shouldn't admit it, since I dabble in radio myself, but this media used to be viewed as a kind of broadcast ghetto. The bi-coastal elite had such a grip on the major newspapers and television networks; they pretty much ignored the hinterlands. It was media flyover country.

Now congressional leaders say they want to “level the playing field” there too – meaning they want to diminish the importance of conservative talk radio. In other words, they don’t trust the results of freedom and the marketplace. Why am I not surprised?

So what's next, or rather, who is next, to fall victim to the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" if it's allowed to make a comeback? Will bloggers be targeted if they don't post, or allow others to post, views which are 180 degrees opposed to what they normally post?
How about milbloggers? Will they be forced to allow anti-military views, like the ones espoused by code pink or will they just shut-down?
My guess? They'll tell whomever says that to go have winged intercourse with a round mobile pastry.

Can a devout Muslim be a "good" American

I received this from a friend this morning, and thought I'd pass it along. Keep this in mind, the moonbat liberals scream and rant about "seperation of church and state". Anytime a Boy Scout troop uses a public building, anytime a Veteran's organization erects a cross to remember the fallen in a Military Cemetary, anytime a judge has the Ten Commandments posted in his courtroom, the moonbats rant and rave about theocracy and forcing religion down our throats. Yet, they condone Islam, the very essence of which is forced belief through intimidation and call us bigots and racists if we point out the obvious discrepencies.

Have you ever thought -- Is Muslim-American really an oxymoron?
Can a devout Muslim be an American patriot and a loyal citizen?
I forwarded that question to a friend who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years. The following is his forwarded reply:
"Theologically, no. Because his allegiance is to Allah, the moon god of Arabia.

Religiously, no. Because no other religion is accepted by his Allah except Islam (Quran, 2:256)

Scripturally, no Because his allegiance is to the five pillars of Islam and the Quran (Koran).

Geographically, no. Because his allegiance is to Mecca, to which he turns in prayer five times a day.

Socially, no. Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews.

Politically, no. Because he must submit to the mullah (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America, the great Satan.

Domestically, no. Because he is instructed to marry four women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34).

Intellectually, no. Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.

Philosophically, no. Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran do not allow freedom of religion and expression. Democracy and Islam cannot co- exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.

Spiritually, no. Because when we declare "one nation under God," the Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in the Quran's 99 excellent names."

Therefore after much study and deliberation.... perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country. They obviously cannot be both "good" Muslims and good Americans. Call it what you wish.....it's still the truth.
The more who understand this, the better it will be; for the religious war is
bigger and more complex than most Americans currently know or
understand

Tax Cuts for Kids

The link above takes you to the Townhall Column written by Senator Thompsom. I've put the entire column on this site, but the link includes the comments section. Comments posted by people who I assume are ordinary citizens, just like me.
Some of these comments are interesting in the fact that the people posting them seem to have some twisted view of Senator Thompson's credentials, his morals and his history.

One of the reasons I keep ringing the bell about the Bush tax cuts is that they’ve been so good for our country in so many ways. Letting them expire would amount to a tax hike of historic proportions -- a tax hike that would take a higher share of our total economy than any year but one since the end of World War II.

Prosperity is a wonderful thing in many ways. When societies have strong economies, people voluntarily take care of all kinds of problems, and the quality of life improves for everybody. This may be particularly true for children. Look around the world and you see healthy, growing economies have cleaner environments and better educational systems. The wealthier a society is, the better its children are in terms of nutrition, health care and even crime.

The Wall Street Journal recently ran a story about an article in the Journal of Social Issues. It documents the drop in the rates of crime against children from the early 1990s. Let me give you just a few examples.

Since 1993, according to Justice Department statistics, the juvenile homicide rate was cut in half. For kids between the ages of 14 and 17, the reduction was even greater. The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System shows child abuse declined by 43 percent and childhood sexual abuse by almost half. Sexual assaults against adolescents dropped by more than two thirds and aggravated assaults by almost 75 percent.

This is dramatically good news, especially for children and their parents. And the reasons behind these improvements in the lives of American children are linked to economic growth. With increased revenues on a state and local level, more police were hired. Financially healthy families took their children to doctors more often, who were more likely to prescribe medications and other treatments. The study even pointed out that increased financial health reduces family tensions and produces happier children -- less prone to problem behaviors.

The irony is that we got these improvements in our children’s lives from a strong economy driven by tax cuts. Now we're being told that tax cuts have to end, so that the government can tax us and spend the money on programs to accomplish what Americans already did for themselves. And they did it far better than any bureaucracy ever could.

My First Meeting With Young Republicans

at Black Finn resturant/bar was very enlightening and educational.
The young people I met tonight are dedicated, driven and for the most part, FDT supporters.

The high point was meeting Delegate Bill Janis, a former Marine, Navy veteran and graduate of VMI, and his lovely wife. (It's a good thing I'm spoken for, and have a few scruples.)

I have to say that I was very impressed with Mr Janis. My cynicism about politicians was muted somewhat. He is, IMAO, a good man, and has great taste in footwear.

Thank You Sir, for your service to our country, and your continued service to the citizens of the Commonwealth.

Now I have to find a house in Goochland so I can vote for you, darn it.

I will be meeting with Goochland/Louisa Republicans this Tuesday.
Looking forward to meeting Nickfinity and others in "the country".
Picks and Pigs, Bro.

Marines Need To Know

we support them.

RCT-6lettersfromh@gcemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil

H/T to Coop and Blackfive

Roundtable with Col. Simcock, Commander USMC RCT-6 Posted By Grim

We spoke with Col Simcock of Regimental Combat Team 6 on the same day as the bombing in Samarra. While the conversation was overtaken by events, it was one of the best we've had.

RCT-6 has a blog, by the way.

After the jump, how Anbar is succeeding... how we need fewer heavy weapons and armor than ever... and how the Colonel wants you to support our Marines. The short form? HE WANTS EMAIL.

GRIM: Is there anything that you and your Marines need that we could send you?

COL. SIMCOCK: (Chuckles.) I'll tell you what, the one thing that all Marines want to know about -- and that includes me and everyone within Regimental Combat Team 6 -- we want to know that the American public are behind us. We believe that the actions that we're taking over here are very, very important to America.
We're fighting a group of people that, if they could, would take away the freedoms that America enjoys.
If anyone -- you know, just sit down, jot us -- throw us an e- mail, write us a letter, let us know that the American public are behind us. Because we watch the news just like everyone else. It's broadcast over here in our chow halls and the weight rooms, and we watch that stuff, and we're a little bit concerned sometimes that America really doesn't know what's going on over here, and we get sometimes concerns that the American public isn't behind us and doesn't see the importance of what's going on. So that's something I think that all Marines, soldiers and sailors would like to hear from back home, that in fact, yes, they think what we're doing over here is important and they are in fact behind us.

New Poll Puts FDT in Virtual Tie With Rudy

There’s change at the top in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson earning support from 28% of Likely Republican Primary Voters. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani attracts support from 27%. While Thompson’s one-point edge is statistically insignificant, it is the first time all year that anybody but Giuliani has been on top in Rasmussen Reports polling.

A week ago, Thompson and Giuliani were tied at 24%.

I Don't Care If They're Legal or Not

All I want is a secure border and everyone paying their fair share, just like me.
The following is totally my personal opinion, from my persepctive as a non-union construction worker.

You want to solve the immigration problem? Forget it. It won't happen. As long as this country offers the freedom to succeed and prosper based on your own initiative, we will have people fighting to get here. As long as we have construction projects, we will have the need for workers.

My concern is not Hispanics who want to come here to work.
I have three words for them:
COME ON DOWN!!!
We have the work, and we need unskilled as well as skilled labor.

Make money, live free, obey the laws, pay your taxes, send as much money home as you want. You earned it, it's yours. Just like me.
Thats the beauty of America.

However, if you're here to cause trouble, hurt people, or otherwise act like an asshole, then I have two words:
STAY HOME!!!

My concern is the open border and the opportunity it presents for islamoassholene'erdowells
to come across with WMD's bent on the destruction of my home and the murder of my fellow citizens in the name of a false prophet who preferred little boys instead of full grown women.
You just know this guy was a flake and anyone who follows him is a bigger flake.

Seal the effing border, NOW!!!!!
Once that is done, we have one more little problem to address:
TAXES!!!!
How do we make sure everyone pays their fair share?
Two Words....
SALES TAX!!!
Well actually four words:
National Retail Sales Tax or NRST.
Everyone has to live. Everyone has to buy stuff.
Let everyone keep every penny they earn, and collect taxes as they spend their money.

We have an underground economy in this country that is staggering in terms of cash flow;
and when I say CASH, I mean hard currency, not numbers on a balance sheet.
Trillions of dollars change hands every year that will never see the tax man or a savings account.
It will however buy gas, food, clothing, cars, boats, motorcycles, stereos, and TV's.

Start running the country like you're serious about security and paying down the debt.

Disclaimer - The above is the express opinion of a God fearin, USA lovin, military supportin, gun totin, conservative leanin, camo wearin, country listenin, nascar watchin, pickup truck drivin, blue collar, monogamous, heterosexual, former Marine, redneck, male.
No one says you have to agree.

New Content on ImWithFred

Here it is FRiends and neighbors, a new page on the Fred Thompson site.

Want to know how the Senator feels about taxes? Check here

Immigration?? Here ya go

2nd Amendment? Got it covered

We need this man NOW!!!

FRED D. THOMPSON
The right man at the right time for the right reasons.

FREE Campean, Ramos, Hernandez, & Scooter Libby

Senate Continues to Bypass We-The-People

More on the Bill to Dismantle Border Security and Grant MFN Status to Terrorists

Still unconcerned with supporting the will of the American people, our globalist US Senators are again meeting behind closed doors in order to twist arms for the pro-illegals’ Amnesty Bill. Members of Congress and the President of the United States have, apparently, made the conscious, irresponsible and incongruous decision to—again—go behind the backs of we-the-people in order to affect another end run around us.
Interestingly, virtually every recent poll responses from US citizens, regarding illegal immigration, shows that over 50% of those polled want the border fence to be built and illegals’ entry into the US stopped. The poll numbers against illegal immigration are continuing to rise and do not appear to be political-party based. Of those queried in a recent Rasmussen poll, 69% said they favor an immigration plan that concentrates "exclusively on securing the border and reducing illegal immigration." Only 20% of those surveyed said they wanted the Senate immigration bill to be passed.
Nevertheless, both the Senate and the Executive Branch of government are hell-bent on pushing it through before the 4th of July congressional recess. If there is any clearer evidence that our elected lawmakers have now decided to apply totalitarian practices against the directives and desires of the legal electorate, I would be interested to know what it is. Congress and our president have essentially declared war against the majority of the American people. Members of the Senate are also telling us that they (both Democrats and RINOs alike) know what’s best for us—as well as their own self-absorbed political careers.
Note: I presume the reason for the Senate’s attempts to shove this amnesty bill down our throats—as quickly as possible—is so that their new voting bloc will be made "legal" before the next general elections. Unfortunately for them, the less-than-intelligent RINOs who will be running don’t seem to be aware of the fact that the new voters will vote Democrat. And the Democrats who will be running don’t seem to realize that the majority of their base doesn’t want a blanket amnesty for illegals either. And, Congress and Mr. President please don’t continue to insult our intelligence by telling us this amnesty isn’t really amnesty. Of course it is.
Of additional interest is that instead of paying any attention to the will of we the people Congress is listening intently to racist organizations who want to annex the US Southwest for Mexico. The racist and reconquista organization La Raza (whose motto is: "For the race everything, for those not of the race—nothing!") was, apparently, not only allowed to have unfettered input into the Senate Amnesty Bill but, is also reported to have had veto power over it. RealClearPolitics reports that Sen.
Ted Kennedy (D-MA) gave La Raza the power of said veto, prior to many Senators having even seen the bill!
The Kennedy-McCain-Bush-Graham Illegal Alien Amnesty Bill has already failed twice. But, our globalist president and members of Congress have now told us that they will pass it—with or without the blessing of legal (native and naturalized) American citizens. Are our own elected officials now competing with Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez? Chavez has recently taken over Venezuela’s oilfields, its broadcast stations, banks—and he has even gone so far as to attempt to insinuate himself into the position of the head of that country’s church. If our elected "leaders" are allowed to get away with this illicit sham, the Chavez-way of government could be what we in the USA are looking toward in the very near future.
If you want to stop this open-borders-for-all-time plan of our president and both houses of Congress, it is mandatory that you contact your senators and congress people and tell them a polite but, resounding "No! Do not vote for this amnesty bill!" And we must do it now. We must warn our representatives that they won’t again be elected to office if they vote for amnesty for illegals—and against the sovereignty of the United States of America.
This truly is a bill that has the potential to effect the decision as to whether or not we survive as an independent nation. If amnesty passes—we don’t. Our leaders are already refusing to build the border fence that was approved and funded last year. I wonder where the money went—don’t you?

Something from "The Tank"

I'm just rummaging through some old bookmarks:

al-Askaria II: What To Watch For
[Steve Schippert]

With al-Qaeda's second bombing of the al-Askaria mosque and shrine in Samarra, all eyes are turned 60 miles south to Baghdad, on the lookout for an expected spike in sectarian violence. Here are some things to consider and look for in the ensuing 72-hour period.
In the same period after the first al-Askaria bombing in 2006, the immediate Baghdad sectarian death toll was somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000. If 'numbers' (forgive, please) between now and Saturday do not approach this, things may turn quite differently this time.

The number of dead in Baghdad on the day of the bombing was 26. That number may be off by one or two, but immaterial to the following point... Keep in mind that the average number of Iraqis killed in Baghdad since the 'surge' began has been somewhere between 20 and 25.
While Muqtada al-Sadr 'called for peaceful demonstrations' in response, he called for the same things last year immediately following the Samarra bombing.

Since General Petraeus arrived in Baghdad with his unapologetically forward-leaning demeanor, Muqtada al-Sadr saved his own skin by retreating to the friendly confines of Iran. With that, his loose gaggle called the Mahdi Army did what loose gaggles do without leadership: They fractured and disintegrated. If Muqtada al-Sadr can leverage this to reconstitute his (over-hyped in 2005 & 2006) Mahdi Army band of thugs, this would bode trouble. But his retreat to Iran and abandonment of his footsoldiers leaves a mark that makes this difficult at best.

The cohesive core of the Mahdi Army (once a group of an estimated 60,000, according to the Iraq Study Group) remained (and remain) in his absence. This group, about 3,000 hard core Shi'a militants, is comprised of the EJK cells (Extra-Judicial Killing), professional assassins trained, supported and - according to General Petraeus, not me - directed by Iran's Quds Force. Expect much of the reprisals against Sunnis (again, primarily civilians) to be the handywork of these Iranian-backed crews.

Watch carefully for the language used in Sunni and Shi'a Friday prayers tomorrow. Most important to watch are the Baghdad area mosques, where the Shi'a and Sunni population lines most visibly meet and blur, and where the majority of the sectarian violence 'score settling and re-settling' cycle in 2006 played out its deadly track.

In his report at the New York Sun today, the indispensible Eli Lake quoted Dr. Mary Habeck on the situation going forward. Those looking for reason to see other than despair should consider her words.

A professor of strategic studies at the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies, Mary Habeck, yesterday said she thinks the implications of the mosque bombing won't be the same as last year. "If this was last year and this was the first time this happened, I would think this was the end of the world," Ms. Habeck said. She added that Iraqis have the bitter experience of turning to al Qaeda and Mr. Sadr's Mahdi Army in the last year. "When people ran to them for support and protection, they found themselves being forced to live in a way that does not match with their understanding of Islam, and they found themselves being killed and intimidated by al Qaeda," she said.

As she says, it is not 2006. For those not familiar with Dr. Mary Habeck, rest assured, she knows the enemy.

When it comes to defining and quantifying the sectarian violence expected to ensue to some degree, listed above are the key indicators to look for. Judge for one's self. Be wary of scanning headlines and opening paragraphs and arriving at an emotional conclusion. It's not going to be good. But the question is one of true relativity to 2006, and the key to assessing this is context.

The September assessment of 'the surge' is coming. Al-Qaeda knows it. Iran knows it. The attack on the mosque is not a message to Iraqis. It's a message to the American public and political class. They want you to sit back and watch the show.
September is their finish line - timeline, anyone? Iran and al-Qaeda should be expected to ratchet up the violence and mayhem accordingly. The question is, will Iraqis indulge their inciting ways?

Gen Pace Under the Bus Driven by Dhimmicrats

From Drudge:

A Democratic challenge to Gen. Peter Pace indicates that uniformed officers no longer are exempt from the partisan fire on Capitol Hill once reserved for civilian policymakers.
On Friday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates made the stunning announcement that he would not recommend Pace to serve a second two-year term as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Marine Corps four-star general had not been a target previously of Democrats' ire on the war, but Gates said lawmakers made it clear the confirmation process would be ugly.
"It would be a backward looking and very contentious process," Gates said at a Pentagon news conference.

The announcement was a surprise, particularly because the Senate in recent months confirmed other military officers with close ties to the Iraq war with little fuss.
In January, Senate Democrats helped confirm Gen. David Petraeus to take over the Iraq war despite their opposition to Petraeus' recommendation that the U.S. send thousands more combat troops into Iraq. The following month, Democrats endorsed Gen. George Casey as Army chief of staff after he led the Iraq war for 2 1/2 years.

Their approval kept with a long-held tradition on Capitol Hill that lawmakers level any stinging critiques at civilians and praise uniformed officers for their service to the nation.

"General Casey knows Iraq and the challenges the Army faces there," Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in February. "The principal failures that led to the chaos in Iraq were due to the civilian leaders."
But when it came to Pace, Levin signaled a new era in which uniformed officers close to the president would be held accountable.

In an interview with reporters this week, Levin said Pace's nomination would have been more contentious than other uniformed officers because he was the closest military adviser to the president on a failing war.

Levin also noted the White House had hammered Democrats for approving Petraeus' nomination while opposing the general's recommendation to send more troops to Iraq.
"So by the president's and the White House's own logic, a vote for or against Pace then becomes a metaphor for where do you stand on the way the war is handled," Levin said.
Other senators expressed a similar view, indicating Democrats would no longer back the once popular Marine Corps general.

"General Pace has served the nation and the Marine Corps with great fidelity for over 30 years," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. "But, at this time, I believe that Secretary Gates has made the right decision."

Although House members lack the power to confirm military officers, they too appear willing to break from the tradition of not criticizing the military leadership. Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher said Wednesday she thought Pace was guilty of a dereliction of duty because of his support for President Bush's Iraq policy.

US intercepts Iranian arms to Taliban

From the Jerusalem Post:

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday shrugged off the West's criticism of Tehran's controversial nuclear program and said that eventual new UN sanctions would not harm Iran.

Meanwhile, the United States said Wednesday it had "irrefutable" evidence that Iran is transferring weapons to the Taliban in Afghanistan, with the knowledge of the Iranian government, and NATO has intercepted some of the shipments, said a senior US diplomat on Wednesday.

"There's irrefutable evidence the Iranians are now doing this," said Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns on CNN. "It's certainly coming from the government of Iran. It's coming from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard corps command, which is a basic unit of the Iranian government."

VP's Daughter Joins Thompson Team

NewsMax is reporting, and I heard it this morning on Fox, that Liz Cheney has joined Fred D. Thompson's Exploratory Committee as a foreign policy advisor.

According to the Weekly Standard, Elizabeth Cheney, a former top official in the State Department's Near East and South Asia department, will be joined by:
Mark Esper, national security adviser to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
Joel Shin, a top policy staffer for the Bush-Cheney 2000 presidential campaign.

Cheney also has worked at the World Bank and as a U.S. AID officer in Poland and Hungary.
She, Esper, Shin -- all considered hawks -- will give Thompson foreign policy advice. The informal group will hash out current foreign policy issues and make recommendations.

FDT Mentions

.......with the entry of Thompson into the race, many conservatives will feel -- rightly or wrongly -- that they may have a conservative alternative and need not settle for someone they merely distrust or dislike less than the others. This is the key to Thompson's effortless success so far, his climb from nowhere to 21 percent nationally. (It is also a reason Thompson could suddenly implode once he is defined.) With Thompson's candidacy all but declared, the outlook becomes even more bleak for McCain. The big money that McCain has been courting could instead flow to the newcomer. Romney, who will never be without money, is sprinting ahead in the early states. Giuliani remains the overall frontrunner.
Thompson is luring McCain supporters into his camp.

Fred Thompson on Jay Leno Last Night

From Townhallblog.
I watched it; he looked good, fielded the softballs, and came within a sentence of declaring.
Close, but no cigar.

This Is Funny

Random Picks from Cyberspace

Michael Fumento has a great story from Afghanistan here
Realitycheck has the latest on the "Bill to Dismantle Border Security and Grant MFN Status to Terrorists" HERE

From GOPUSA:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fred Thompson's expected entry into the tight Republican presidential race is drawing crucial strength from conservatives and older men, vaulting him into the thick of the nomination fight, an Associated Press-Ipsos poll says.
The survey shows the top Democratic contender, Hillary Rodham Clinton, has twice the support from women as her nearest rival, Barack Obama, but dwindling strength among men. Her margin over the Illinois senator has eroded slightly since the last AP-Ipsos poll, in March.
Thompson, who has sandwiched an acting career around a largely anonymous eight years as Tennessee senator, has not formally entered the race. But he already has impressed many people. One in four of his supporters cites his strong character, more than any other GOP candidate.
''He can be kind of Reaganesque in his engaging with people,'' said Ronald Coppinger, 47, a carpenter from Indianapolis, describing a plainspoken style like the late President Reagan's. ''I think that's important.''

A Message from the Ghost of General Patton

A Message from the Ghost of General Patton....
ATTENTION!

To those whining, panty-waisted, pathetic Maggots, it's time for a little refresher course on exactly why we Americans occasionally have to fight wars.

See if you can tear yourself away from your "reality" TV and Starbucks for a minute, pull your head out of your flabby ass -- and LISTEN UP!!

Abu Ghraib
is not "torture" or an "atrocity." This is the kind of thing frat boys, sorority girls, and academy cadets do to newcomers. A little fun at someone else's expense. Certainly no reason to wring your hands or get your panties in a wad. Got that?
THIS IS an atrocity!

So Was This!!!

WHICH PART DON'T YOU GET?
Islam a peaceful religion???

Millions of these sons-of-bitches are plotting, as we speak, to destroy our Country and our way of life any way they can. Some of them are here among us now.
They don't want to convert you and don't want to rule you. You are a vile infestation of Allah's paradise. They don't give a shit how "progressive" you are, how peace-loving you are, or how much you sympathize with their cause.

They want you dead and think it is God's will for them to do it.

And you think Bush and Cheney are your worst enemies?
Some think if we give them a hug or listen to them, then they'll like us... and if you agree? Then you are a dumb ass! If they manage to get their hands on a nuke, chemical agents, or even some anthrax, you will wish to God we had hunted them down and killed THEM while we had the chance. Stop bitchin' about your damn Health Care, Social Security, gas prices, and your measly 3.25% unemployment rate...and start worrying about you, your family's, and your friends' asses. How many more Americans must be beheaded before you stop blaming Bush for all your troubles -- You've fallen asleep AGAIN , maggots! And you may not get another chance! NOW GET OFF YOUR SORRY ASS - and pass this on to any and every person you give-a-damn about.. if you ever gave a damn about anything
DISMISSED!
You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.

FDT Is the Right Man at the Right Time

The threat we face from islamofascists who will die to advance/force upon the rest of the world, their mis-guided religious beliefs is more serious than any threat this Nation, and the civilized world, has ever faced.

Communism, while it still exists in some rogue countries, (and in the minds of the moonbats and anti-war useful idiots as a pipe dream), has pretty much been proven a failure and cast on the ash heap of history. It no longer poses the threat it once seemed to pose. During the 50's we had numerous "sleeper agents" posing as Americans, living and working normal lives waiting for the glorious revolution to erupt so their handlers in Moscow could install a communist government.
Most of them found out over time that Amercia was actually a better place the way it was, and disappeared.

The enemy we now face will not be converted by the freedoms and opportunities our Nation provides. Our enemy now consists of individuals who have no rules, give no quarter, show no mercy. They will slaughter 100, 1,000, 10,000 "infidels", (thats us) without compunction, without remorse, and will sacrific their own worthless lives to accomplish that. They desire no land, no riches, no glory. They are not fighting for the right to live peacefully or to protect their country. They are not defending innocents against aggressors.

Their only goal is the elimination of Western Civilization and the establishment of a world religion using fear and murder as instruments of enforcement.

Fred D. Thompson understands the serious nature of this threat.
Fred D. Thompson will do the things necessary to counteract that threat.

Senator Thompson is not a politician. He has not devoted his life to politics or elections.
He has established himself as a man with conservative values. He speaks with the conviction and sincerity of a man who cares more for the future of his country, his children, and the world than his own.

The quote in the box is from Winston Churchill. It makes as much sense now, it is more poingant now, than when Churchill first spoke the words.
The sentence about the alligator has been attributed to Churchill, but I can't find a valid reference. It's an analogy about appeasement. Hitler was the alligator, and most of Parliment justed wanted to negotiate and appease Hitler, in the hopes he wouldn't come after Britain.
How'd that work out???? NOT TO GOOD!!!!!!

I believe that Senator Fred Thompson is my generation's Sir Winston Churchill.

Disclaimer - The above is the express opinion of a God fearing, USA loving, military supporting, gun toting, conservative leaning, camo wearing, country listening, nascar watching, pickup truck driving, blue collar, monogamous, heterosexual, former Marine, redneck, male. No one says you have to agree.

THROWING GEN. PACE UNDER THE TANK

Muth's Truths
June 9, 2007

Back in July 2003, President Bush, in response to a question about stepped up attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq, famously and defiantly declared, "Bring 'em on!" Oh, how that tune has changed.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates - using the old tactic of releasing controversial news just before the weekend in the hope of minimizing press coverage - announced Friday afternoon that "he will advise President Bush to replace Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (this fall), fearing that a contentious renomination hearing in the Senate would focus too heavily on six years of war."

Apparently, President Bush has accepted the advice.

So let me get this straight, and borrow a famous scene from the movie "Animal House." The Bush administration's old attitude toward mass-murdering tyrants and terrorists around the world has been akin to this: "Hussein. Dead. Bin Laden? He's a dead man. Kim Jung ll? AHMADINEJAD!!!"

But when it comes to standing up to pasty-faced Harry Reid and the Democrats in the Senate?
"I have decided that at this moment in our history, the nation, our men and women in uniform, and Gen. Pace himself would not be well-served by a divisive ordeal in selecting the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," said Gates.

What a crock.

Pace was/is eminently qualified to run the nation's joint military operations. Which is not to say Pace's replacement isn't an eminently qualified military professional, as well. He is. But the success or failure of the U.S. effort in Iraq will ultimately be determined by what happens over the next year or so following the "surge." Why change horses midstream?

As CBS News reports, "Pace's departure will put nearly an entirely new slate of leaders and military commanders in charge of the war." Why oust Pace at this critical juncture and bring in a whole new team? It makes no sense.

And it's a first-degree insult for Gates to suggest that he's trying to save this Marine general from "a divisive ordeal" before Congress, as though Gen. Pace might not be able handle such a traumatic experience. Get real.

We're talking about a guy with military decorations up the wazoo, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, with two oak leaf clusters; Defense Superior Service Medal; the Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal with Combat V; the Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal with gold star; Navy Commendation Medal with Combat "V"; Navy Achievement Medal with gold star; and the Combat Action Ribbon.

I'm pretty sure Gen. Pace didn't earn all those medals for baking cookies.

A lot of us have been losing faith in this administration's ability to wage this war for some time now, fearing that political considerations were taking precedence over military ones. If President "Bring 'em On!" Bush is willing to throw Gen. Pace under the tank for the sole reason of avoiding a political fight with Senate Majority Leader Harry "The War is Lost" Reid and his band of cheese-eating surrender monkeys, then maybe it IS time to bring the troops home immediately.
Semper fi.

Gates May Have Done Something Right

Switching course, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Friday he has recommended Adm. Mike Mullen, currently chief of naval operations, to replace Gen. Peter Pace as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Gates said he had originally intended to seek another two-year term for Pace, but concluded that would have resulted in a divisive Senate confirmation focusing on the Iraq War.
"It would be a backward looking and very contentious process," Gates said at a Pentagon news conference.
Pace has been either chairman or vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs for the past six years—a period that covers the Iraq war.

I thought General Pace did as well as could be expected "given the givens."
But it's the vice-chairman postions which had to be shuffled that makes this reasonably acceptable:

He put Marine General James Cartwright in as one of the vice-chairmans.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8PKQOU02&show_article=1

Fred Thompson on Scooter Libby

Sentencing of Scooter Libby
By Fred Thompson

The sentencing of Scooter Libby was the last in a series of acts that has resulted in a shocking injustice – one created by and enabled by federal officials. As I've been saying for many months, this is a "he said-she said" case about political infighting that would have never been brought in any other prosecutor's office in America.

The CIA started the ball rolling by sending the Democratic partisan husband of one of its employees to Niger on a sensitive mission. Knowing an opportunity when he saw one, he returned and blasted the Bush Administration (the fact that he blatantly falsified a few important things along the way is another story). It should not have been a shock to CIA officials when people then asked, "Who is this guy and why was he sent to Niger?"
The only mystery in Washington is why the CIA employee-wife's name, Valerie Plame, took as long as it did to leak. Nevertheless, the CIA demanded that the Department of Justice investigate the leak of her name (not surprisingly, the fact that the CIA was making such a request was leaked). This put pressure on the DOJ. The DOJ, in turn, promptly caved to the media and Congressional pressure to appoint a Special Counsel to investigate the Plame leak. However, there were two glaring problems for anyone with a sense of justice, or who may have gone to law school for one semester.

The Justice Department and the new Special Counsel knew that:
1.) The leaking of Valerie Plame's name did not constitute a crime because she was not a "covered person" under the relative criminal statue and,
2.) They already knew the name of the leaker: State Department official Richard Armitage. Yet small matters such as these do not matter much to Justice Department officials trying to cover their own fanny, or to a newly minted Special Prosecutor with a reputation to make and members of the media to satisfy.

Yet small matters such as these do not matter much to Justice Department officials trying to cover their own fanny, or to a newly minted Special Prosecutor with a reputation to make and members of the media to satisfy. Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald proceeded to make public statements and employ tactics that would have brought condemnation in any other setting. He moved heaven and earth for a year and a half in order to come up with some sort of "process" crime against a high-level Administration official -- so that he could try them in one of the most anti-Bush Administration places in America, Washington DC. /snip

During his closing arguments, Fitzgerald did what has caused many a prosecutor to get a mistrial: He asked the jury to consider "facts" that had not been placed into evidence or proven in any way. It was so egregious it was even too much for the judge, who admonished him.

Mr. Libby was convicted of perjury and false statements. For sentencing, the federal probation office filed a statement that the applicable federal guidelines called for a sentence of from 15 to 21 months. He also identified several grounds for what is known in the law as a "downward departure" from that range. In this case, Mr. Libby had led an exemplary life, and had sacrificed in order to serve his country and will presumably lose his law license. In other words, under the law, the judge would have had ample reason for giving Mr. Libby less than 15 months, including probation.

Fitzgerald, seeing this probation report and reverting to form as someone without professional judgment or scruples when it comes to landing his prey, weighed in. Throughout the trial, Fitzgerald insisted that Valerie Plame's status was irrelevant and that the defense could not use her status in any way. But now that it came time for sentencing, Fitzgerald insisted that her status be considered, and that Mr. Libby be treated as if he'd violated the law he'd never even been charged with.

Proving once again that Fitzgerald can get away with practically anything in Washington, the judge apparently accepted Fitzgerald's argument, contrary to all notions of basic fairness. The judge rejected his own probation office's recommendation, not only doubling the 15-month minimum to 30 months, but also fining Mr. Libby $250,000 and giving him 400 hours of public service. Apparently, the judge is going to make Mr. Libby start serving his sentence in the near future, before he can get his appeal heard.

Unfortunately, this is an example of what Washington is all about these days. All too often the intersection of politics, law and the media results in a lack of responsibility by practitioners in all three areas. Having all this crashing down on the head of one man and his family, in a time when national security leaks are published regularly on the front pages of the newspapers without consequence, will justifiably add to the cynicism and outrage on the part of all observers.

For the preamble to our Constitution, our founders stated explicitly the purposes for our Constitution. Listed even before providing for domestic tranquility or for the common defense was the establishment of justice. Official behavior, with regard to matters like the Scooter Libby case, are not what our framers had in mind. Now this excessive sentence, given by the Federal District Judge is just another in a long line of reasons why Mr. Libby should be pardoned.

The Bill to Dismantle Security on the Border Falls

H/T to Eagle Forum PA
and my friend in PA

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 110th Congress - 1st Session
as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate
Vote Summary
Question: On the Cloture Motion (Upon Reconsideration, Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Kennedy Amdt. No. 1150, As Amended )
Vote Number: 206
Vote Date: June 7, 2007, 08:24 PM
Required For Majority: 3/5
Vote Result: Cloture Motion Rejected
Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 1150 to to S. 1348 (Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 )
Statement of Purpose: In the nature of a substitute.

Vote Counts:
YEAs 45

NAYs 50

Not Voting 4

Petraeus says Iraq changes 'breathtaking'

I'm sitting here in my pickup at the power plant reading the news. Thank you Verizon

BAGHDAD, June 8 (UPI) -- Gen. David Petraeus says the new U.S. approach is resulting in "breathtaking" improvements in security in some areas of Iraq.
But the commander of U.S. forces told CNN in an interview al-Qaida remains "well-entrenched" in some parts of Baghdad. Petraeus said Anbar, a Sunni province west of the capital, has been "transformed." Tribes there are joining the coalition in opposing al-Qaida and violence has decreased, he added.
The coalition approach focuses on trying to "determine who are the reconcilables and to separate them from the extremists," he said.
However, Petraeus admits there is tough work ahead in Diyala north of Baghdad. He says al-Qaida is still capable of using neighborhoods to build and detonate car bombs and the general confirmed sectarian killings rose again in May after decreasing between January and April.
Petraeus visited the CNN bureau in Baghdad without advance notice. He had visited Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and they decided to "talk a walk" in a safe area. The minister suggested the two of them "knock on CNN's door," CNN reported.

From FishWrap

Fred knows the Internet? Fred knows the Internet!

Fred Thompson may already be making a case for himself as the transformative Republican candidate who, like so many Democrats do already, can use the Internet as a potent fundraising tool.
Patrick Ruffini reports that Thompson's "testing-the-waters" Web site, "I'm With Fred" raised $220,000 in the first 18 hours since going live.
It also averaged close to 1,500 people per hour signing up as friends.
As I've previously reported, Republicans have consistently struggled to keep pace with the Democrats in their online fundraising prowess.
Part of that reason is that social conservatives play a commanding role in the Republican base, while maintaining a less significant online presence.
Meanwhile, conservative libertarian bloggers carry a more measurable weight in the political blogosphere, but represent a smaller fraction of the actual Republican base.
Could Fred Thompson be the candidate to bridge that financial and ideological gap? He's making online outreach a cornerstone of his emerging campaign.
Right now, the Web site is virtually devoid of content and is strictly a measure of his immediate appeal. So $220,000 raised in less than 24 hours is certainly reason to feel good if you're a Thompson booster.
-- Eric Pfeiffer, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington

Charlie Daniels Has Something He'd Like To Share

I don't know how everybody else feels about it, but to me I think Hispanic people in this country, legally or illegally, made a huge public relations mistake with their recent demonstrations.

I don't blame anybody in the world for wanting to come to the United States of America, as it is a truly wonderful place. But when the first thing you do when you set foot on American soil is illegal, it is flat out wrong and I don't care how many lala land left heads come out of the woodwork and start trying to give me sensitivity lessons.
I don't need sensitivity lessons; in fact, I don't have any-thing against Mexicans! I just have something against criminals and anybody who comes into this country illegally is a criminal, and if you don't believe it, try coming into America from a foreign country without a passport and see how far you get.
What disturbs me about the demonstrations is that it's tantamount to saying, "I am going to come into your country even if it means breaking your laws, and there's nothing you can do about it." It's an “in your face" action, and speaking just for me, I don’t like it one little bit, and if there were a half dozen pairs of gonads in Washington bigger than English peas, it wouldn't be happening.
Where are you, you bunch of lily-livered, pantywaist, forked-tongued, sorry excuses for defenders of the Constitution? Have you been drinking the water out of the Potomac again?
And even if you pass a bill on immigration it will probably be so pork-laden and watered-down that it won't mean anything anyway. Besides, what good is another law going to do when you won't enforce the ones on the books now?
And what ever happened to the polls, guys? I thought you folks were the quintessential finger wetters. Well you sure ain't paying any attention to the polls this time because somewhere around eighty percent of Americans want something done about this mess, and mess it is and getting bigger everyday.
This is no longer a problem; it is a dilemma and headed for being a tragedy. Do you honestly think that what happened in France with the Muslims can't happen here when the businesses who hire these people finally run out of jobs and a few million disillusioned Hispanics take to the streets?
If you, Mr. President, Congressmen, and Senators, knuckle under on this and refuse to do something meaningful it means that you care nothing for the kind of country your children and grand-children will inherit. But I guess that doesn't matter as long as you get re-elected.
Shame on you.
One of the big problems in America today is that if you have the nerve to say anything derogatory about any group of people (except Christians) you are going to be screamed at by the media and called a racist, a bigot, and anything else they can think of to call you.
Well I've been pounded by the media before, and I'm still rockin' and rollin' and when it comes to speaking the truth, I fear not.
And the truth is that the gutless, gonadless, milksop politicians are just about to sell out the United States of America because they don't have the intestinal fortitude to stand up to face reality.
And the reality is that we would never allow any other group of people to have 12 million illegals in this country and turn around and say, "Oh it's OK, ya'll can stay here if you'll just allow us to slap your wrist."

And I know that some of you who read this column are saying, "Well what's wrong with that?"

I'll tell you what's wrong with it. These people could be from Mars as far as we know. We don't know who they are, where they are, or what they're up to, and the way the Congress is going, we're not going to.
Does this make sense? Labor force you say?
We already subsidize corporate agriculture as it is. Must we subsidize their labor as well?
If these people were from Haiti, would we be so fast to turn a blind eye to them? Or if they were from Somalia or Afghanistan? I think not.
All the media shows us are pictures of hard working Hispanics who have crossed the border just to try to better their life.
They don't show you pictures of the Feds rounding up members of MS 13, the violent gang who came across the same way the decent folks did.
They don't tell you about the living conditions of the Mexican illegal some fat cat hired to pick his crop.

I want to make two predictions.

No. 1: This situation is going to grow and fester until it erupts in violence on our streets while the wimps in Washington drag their toes in the dirt and try to figure how many tons of political hay they can make to the acre.

No 2: Somebody is going to cross that border with some kind of weapon of mass destruction and set it off in a major American city, after which there will be a backlash such as this country has never experienced, and the Capitol building in Washington will probably tilt as Congressmen and Senators rush to the other side of the issue.

I don't know about you, but I would love to see just one major politician stand up and say, "I don't care who I make mad, and I don't care how many votes I lose, this is a desperate situation, and I'm going to lead the fight to get it straightened out."

I don’t blame anybody for wanting to come to America, but if you don't respect our immigration laws, why should you respect any others?

And by the way, this is America and our flag has stars and stripes
Please get that other one out of my face.
God Bless America
Charlie Daniels

Poll: Fred Thompson Gains in Florida

THE RACE: The presidential race for Republicans, Democrats in Florida
THE NUMBERS _ DEMOCRATS
Hillary Rodham Clinton, 34 percent
Barack Obama, 16 percent
Al Gore, 13 percent
John Edwards, 11 percent
___
THE NUMBERS _ REPUBLICANS
Rudy Giuliani, 31 percent
Fred Thompson, 14 percent
John McCain, 10 percent
Mitt Romney, 8 percent

Thompson Surges Into Second Place

While former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson has simply formed an exploratory campaign committee, the mere expectation that he will enter the field of GOP presidential candidates has vaulted him into second place in the polls focused on those Republican contenders.

A new InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion national survey is the first one taken after Thompson made his move toward a probable, eventual announcement that he's running. It showed Rudy Giuliani still leading at 28 percent, but Thompson had surged into second place with 19 percent, followed by John McCain and Mitt Romney with 17 percent each.

Now the critical question is whether Fred Thompson can take the political capital he's already gained by simply saying he's ready to run, and turn it into an overtaking of Giuliani and the other contenders in a Republican slugfest.

The Thompson campaign is a textbook example of how political rumor can become political reality. Few candidates ever enjoy the opportunity of truly being "drafted" into a presidential campaign.

In April and May, many Republican insiders who consider themselves conservative, but not the wacky right, burned up telephone lines in search of an alternative to what many view as an uninspired group of candidates. When Thompson's name emerged, those close to him seized the moment.

Former U.S. Senator and Ambassador Mack Mattingly of Georgia was one of them. He was an early architect of the "draft Fred" movement.

Early Thompson supporters like Mattingly are Reagan Republicans to the core. They don't talk about reducing the cost of government; they obsess about it. They're skeptical of the influence of special-interest groups, and of government intervention in our lives. These are not "neocons," but rather the last lions of the Reagan era. They're soft-spoken, but passionate.

Mattingly refuses to categorize the Thompson movement as being the sole responsibility of any one group's effort. Instead, a look at early Thompson supporters shows a broad range of experienced Republicans that fully expect their candidate to talk plainly and display Reagan-like leadership traits.

Remarks by Senator Fred Thompson

Thanks to Ala

"I look at congressional Democrats, and I see the only debate going on in Congress is what our surrender date will be," Thompson told about 400 GOP activists attending the state Republican Party's annual Commonwealth Gala dinner.

"I see Democratic leaders talking about how many seats this war is going to win them," he said.

"This is what passes as policy in today's Congress.""We've got to convince our friends around the world that this is a battle between the forces of civilization and the forces of evil."

"We're a little bit down right now, but we shouldn't be," he said."We're going to cut some new ground over the next year or so," he said.

"I think we're ready to say to the American people that we're ready to form a new coalition, that we're ready to turn the cynicism around."

"If a person craves power for the sake of power, if he craves the office for the sake of holding the office, he's got his priorities mixed up," Thompson said. "It's a desire to do something not to be something."

"I am married now, have two children at home. I spend a lot of time thinking about the kind of world that they're going to grow up in, spend a lot of time talking to my wife about that," he said. "And I think the country's different. I think we have challenges now that we didn't have in 2000."

Fred Thompson Seeks $4.6 Million

From NewsMax.com:

Supporters of Fred Thompson are seeking to raise $4.6 million to help launch the former senator and "Law & Order” star’s expected run for president in 2008.
A group called the First-Day Founders got the ball rolling when all 100 members each donated the primary maximum of $2,300 on June 1, the day Thompson’s exploratory committee filed with the Tennessee secretary of state, allowing the committee to begin fundraising.

Fred Thompson's Web Wiz

From Redstate

The launch of Fred Thompson's website last night was welcome news for his legions of online supporters. Now comes word that Jon Henke, the newest hire at New Media Strategies, will be working on Thompson's account for the firm. The Henke hire is a major coup for New Media Strategies, which needed someone of Henke's stature to manage Thompson's online operation.

Fred Thompson: The Phantom of the Debate

by Ericka Andersen (More by this author)
Posted: 06/06/2007

A phantom stood behind an invisible podium in the New Hampshire Republican debates last night. But unlike the first two debates, no one tried to pretend former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson wasn’t a key player in the 2008 presidential race.

It was another Thompson who introduced Fred to the audience by saying he was, “Thompson -- Tommy -- not the other one.”

Some say the stalling to officially announce a candidacy could be crippling to fundraising while others insist it is downright smart. Nevertheless, the silence was a golden emphasis of Fred Thompson’s near-prominence in the race last night.

Tidbits from Evans Novak

Former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.): The case for Thompson, we have argued many times, is based on the fact that Republican voters disagree with Giuliani, dislike McCain and distrust Romney. Although he did not appear in the debate, Thompson did appear on Fox News's "Hannity and Colmes" afterward. While endorsing a reversal of Roe v. Wade, Thompson appeared ready to say that he did not approve of criminalizing abortion. Hannity stepped in and interrupted, saving him from a gaffe. Although he still trails in most polls, Thompson now leads in the futures markets, with Giuliani and Romney close behind and McCain a distant fourth place.

Even before the official announcement of candidacy by the former senator, an all-star team of GOP operatives is gathering around him -- Lawrence Lindsey, Ken Khachigian, Tim Griffin, Dave Bossie and Victoria Toensing, with more to follow.

Fred Thompson goes international AND rings the register

From American Politics:
The Fredheads have to be in love. Is there anything this man can’t do? Seems Fred’s going over to Israel to meet with Olmert and other ministers, this will undoubtedly be used to try and show foreign policy skills all the while he’s been bringing in about $12,000 an hour through his ImwithFred.com website.
For transparency purposes, I did sign up there but have not donated as of yet (I did say that I would utilize bumper stickers and a sign in the yard).

For the record, I have also registered at I'm With Fred.com, have not donated, but have purchased t-shirts, a hat, and some bumper stickers from CafePress.


Fred Thompson coming to Israel
Fred Thompson, US presidential hopeful and former star of the hit television series “Law & Order,” is scheduled to make his first visit to Israel in the coming days.
Thompson, who is said to have a fair chance of winning the Republican presidential nomination, will meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and various other senior officials during his tour of Israel.
Of the dozen or so candidates contesting the nomination, Thompson is among the most supportive of Israel.
The former actor, who has also served as a US senator, bucked popular international sentiment by insisting in a hard-hitting editorial column that Israel has been almost too careful in its war on Palestinian terrorism.
“Israel is at war,” Thompson wrote for the conservative website Townhall.com. And the Jewish state has gone to “incredible lengths to stop the war against them without harming Palestinian non-combatants.”
Thompson is also on record as supporting an Israeli military strike against Iran should international diplomacy fail to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining nuclear arms.
More liberal political elements in Israel fear Thompson may be too far to the right, and therefore end up harming Israel. During his time as a senator, Thompson was one of the sponsors of the Jerusalem Embassy Act demanding that the US government move its embassy to the Israeli capital in defiance of Palestinian claims to the city.

This just SCREAMS for a caption

Original text from news story "Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards gestures at Google headquarters...."

That all by itself is hilarious...but, I think we can do better

Highlights from the column:

Even if you choose to dismiss the Democrats' own bumper stickers about how evil America is (from Gitmo to domestic spying) because you swallow their excuse that they are only criticizing the Bush administration, not America, then you'll still have to explain how they can insist that America has the burden of proving it is not immoral.

Democrats apparently believe we are not justified in taking military action to address evil in the world unless our national interest is not at stake, like in Darfur.

Frankly, I've had my fill of these people trashing America and everything good and decent for which it stands, asserting moral equivalence between us and the terrorist barbarians, denying there's a real war going on and contending we are not performing humanitarian deeds and engaged in a noble cause in Iraq -- in short, telling the world we're evil, then lamenting that we have acquired that reputation.

AMEN, Brother Dave, AMEN.

Fred Thompson Faces Critics on the Right

This is the last paragraph of the linked article:

While it is not in the realm of public policy, Thompson's reputation as a lady's man between the nearly two decades he was divorced and remarried could also come up in the presidential race.

During a meeting with House Republicans in April, he reportedly said: " I was single for a long time, and, yep, I chased a lot of women ... And a lot of women chased me. And those that chased me tended to catch me."

Wright is not sure the issue will be a liability for Thompson. "I've heard a lot of people respond that at least he did it when he was single," Wright said. "He seems to have been a faithful husband when he was married."

Ya gotta love it...Fred's da MAN!!!!!!!!!

Phone Cards for the Troops

The quiz takes a few minutes and AT&T wil send a 20 minute phone card via Operation Shoebox. I scored 7 out of 10, but I read too much.
Hint for the first question:
Remember the opening scenes from "Man on Fire".

Flight 327

President Bush the other day lashed out at opponents of the Senate immigration "compromise," declaring that opponents were "trying to frighten our citizens." By the very act of criticizing a bill granting legal status to tens of millions of illegal aliens, he added, critics are attempting "to scare the American people" about things they shouldn't worry their little heads about. Back in the real world, there are dangers that should be very alarming to anyone with common sense.

September 11 and thousands of grisly attacks in Iraq and other locations since drive home that civilized people all over the world -- Muslim and non-Muslim -- are under siege from violent jihadists who would welcome the opportunity to carry out more attacks on American soil. Any immigration proposal -- especially one that grants legal status to millions and millions of illegals -- could prove catastrophic if we lack the ability to screen out terrorists and criminals who engage in document fraud and other criminal activity to get into the United States, to board airplanes or enter government buildings. And, unfortunately, we are awash in government studies, reports and other data which make clear that nearly six years after September 11, the government bureaucracies that are supposed to keep out terrorists are in many ways as incompetent and dysfunctional as they were before Mohammed Atta and his associates killed nearly 3,000 people that morning.

A newly released report from the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about the government's handling of 13 suspicious passengers on a June 29, 2004, Northwest Airlines flight serves as a reminder of why so many Americans are rightly skeptical of Washington's ability to manage a mass-amnesty program. The report, which details what happened on the flight 327 from Detroit to Los Angeles, confirms eyewitness accounts describing suspicious behavior on the part of 12 Syrian musicians before and during the flight.

Initially, Homeland Security officials tried to downplay its seriousness and suggested that other passengers had overreacted. But the report corroborates the passengers' accounts and suggests that what took place was a dry run for a terrorist attack -- which first was reported by Audrey Hudson of The Washington Times. The report raises disturbing questions about the handling of the case by several agencies: Homeland Security, the Federal Air Marshal Service and the Citizenship and Immigration Services, which will play the lead role in overseeing the amnesty program for illegals.

Read the rest here Washington Times.

Idiots, all of them. Every damn one of them needs a bitch slap or an old fashoined ass-whuppin' IMAO.

What's Putin Afraid Of

Putin COULD know something he's not sharing with the rest of the world.
A former (current) KGB who won't tell the truth. What are the odds?

But all the posturing and threats issued by Putin regarding the proposed missle DEFENSE system..i.e. protection from INCOMING missles, leads one to make all sorts of suppositions regarding Putin's state of mind, his current level of knowledge regarding rogue states and their capabilities, his vision of the future of "Mother Russia" and how to make it so.

Who is Putin to make a fuss about NATO's defense?
(Putin missile remarks "unwelcome": NATO)

Why would you NOT want a defense against missles?

A Story of Vigilance

Senator Thompson's latest article from Townhall.com
Circuit City is based in Richmond, VA

We’ve all heard by now about the plot by Muslim extremists to use jet fuel tanks and pipelines in a terror attack on JFK Airport and Queens, NY. One reason the incident is interesting is that the suspects have mostly Caribbean origins. The roots of the group arrested for plotting an attack on Fort Dix in April were European. This is obviously an international movement.

We’re still learning about the details of the JFK Airport plot, but it appears that an informant was crucial to preventing the scheme. Time and again, we’re seeing how important it is that we’re vigilant.

You remember the young electronics store clerk whose tip led the FBI to the six men plotting to murder American soldiers at Fort Dix. While copying a video tape onto DVD, he saw images of men firing guns and shouting Islamic slogans.

For a while after the story broke, he kept his head down. Now Brian Morgenstern has come forward -- and his story is eye-popping. For a full day after seeing the evidence, he debated with himself about whether he should report what he knew. He was concerned about violating the privacy of his customers and that telling the police might be looked upon as "racist."

I can understand his regard for customer privacy. Worrying that he’d be viewed as a racist, though, is troubling -- because there are people trying to use that charge to keep Americans from reporting potentially deadly behavior. This was the case with the so-called "flying imams." They provoked real concern among airline passengers – and some think purposely. Then they filed suit against the airline and the passengers who reported them -- claiming they were racists.
Most Americans take the charge of racism very seriously -- as they should. It becomes a problem, though, if false accusations are used to keep us from reporting suspicious activities. It looked for a while that legislation to protect sincere whistleblowers from lawsuits would never make it to a vote. The chair of the House Homeland Security Committee held up the legislation, saying it would promote racial and religious profiling. Fortunately, he’s changed his mind. I'm happy about that and congratulate him. I'll be happier, though, when the bill is enacted.

I was also glad to hear that Morgenstern was rewarded by his employer, Circuit City, for his part in preventing the attack on Fort Dix. And I was impressed that he told those who called him a "hero" that the real heroes are our soldiers in the field. A second man, also credited with the tip, has chosen to remain anonymous. Maybe when he's protected from expensive and frivolous lawsuits, we'll hear his story too

FDT Defends Conservative Policies

and Ala has some notes on the speech from Saturday night's RPV event.
and here is the link to C-SPAN's coverage.

Key Bush backers rally to Fred Thompson

So reports the website Politico.com

George P. Bush, a nephew of President Bush, has contributed to the prospective presidential campaign of Fred Thompson and signed an e-mail asking friends and associates to do the same, The Politico has learned.

"In a field of candidates without a clear favorite among our fellow Republicans, my sincere hope is that you consider joining us in this effort to encourage Fred to run," the e-mail says.