Army Meets June Numbers

Well after a whopping four months, disastrous isn't it, the Army meets their June recruting numbers... Time will tell if there is a crisis or not, but declaring an "gloomy" end to the "volunteer military" was and is jumping the gun over "four" months. It was not and will not be the first time the military has shortfalls during the year. I have always thought claiming the "end" and predicting "gloomy" recruiting woes showed how liberals desperately grasping at straws.

PENTAGON After months of declining enlistment, the Army has more than met its recruitment goals for the month of June.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Richard Myers announced the turnaround during a "town hall" meeting this afternoon at the Pentagon. (read more here)

Interesting Poll Results

United Press International -The Washington Times
Like I have said before -- I hope the democrats keep their current hate fest going... The current Deanisms are better for the Republican party then any strategy a political strategist can come up with.

A poll on the political mood in the United States conducted by the Democratic Party has alarmed the party at its own loss of popularity.
Conducted by the party-affiliated Democracy Corps, the poll indicated 43 percent of voters favored the Republican Party, while 38 percent had positive feelings about Democrats.
'Republicans weakened in this poll ... but it shows Democrats weakening more,' said Stanley Greenberg, who served as President Clinton's pollster.

Blair Speaks on Downing Street Memos

Blair Denies Memos Prove Iraq Decision - Yahoo! News
Well I wonder exactly how this will be spun by liberals on both sides of the pond... I see it as a sound "ah shucks" for US liberals and the media.

'People say the decision was already taken. The decision was not already taken,' he said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press.
Blair added he was 'a bit astonished' at the intensive U.S. media coverage about the leaked memos, which actually were leaked minutes of a July 23, 2002, meeting between Blair and top government officials at his Downing Street office.

PM Blair and President Bush -- Agree

USATODAY.com - Blair: Troops must stay in Iraq 'until the job is done'
Hear much about this on the the major news networks -- didn't think so.

LONDON (AP) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday that it was 'vitally important' for coalition troops to remain in Iraq 'until the job is done.'

Sunnis Will Nab Zarqawi - IF

Sunnis will nab Zarqawi
This is interesting and if an accurate and honest claim by "Sunni 'fence sitters" it is good news. What do you think?

Sunni 'fence sitters' in Iraq say they would be willing to take on master terrorist Abu Musab Zarqawi and rid the country of foreign saboteurs if the Shi'ite-run government's new political structure is acceptable to them, according to a senior U.S. official.
'The Iraqis will kill every foreigner who comes into their neighborhood when they're ready,' said the senior official who has spent months in Iraq. 'They don't want foreigners in Iraq.'
The official, who has held numerous meetings with what he called 'influential fence sitters,' said the representatives have told him they are only tolerating foreign terrorists because they are a 'pressure tool' to force the Shi'ites and the U.S. to consider Sunni political demands for more representation in the Baghdad government.
'We'll catch him when we're ready,' the official quoted one Sunni as telling him, referring to Zarqawi.

Coming Home

Remains of U.S. airman returning from Vietnam War
Lest we forget!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The remains of a U.S. Air Force pilot shot down and killed 39 years ago on a bombing raid in the Vietnam War have been identified and are being returned to the United States for burial at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
Lt. Col. Darel Leetun of Hettinger, North Dakota, will be buried with full military honors on July 8 at the cemetery in rolling hills near the Pentagon.

A Point From a Member of our Air Force

via Conservative Thinking - Support the Troops and Their Wishes
This is worth mentioning -- I believe it represent the feelings of a majority of our men and women currently serving our country around the world. Please go and read the entire post.

Another reason liberals want failure in Iraq (pulling the troops out before the mission is complete is failure) is because it will give them a talking point during the 2008 Presidential election campaign. Could you imagine Senator Hillary Clinton standing at a podium saying that she was the reason our troops came home and that she won't send our troops anywhere they aren't needed. The fact of the matter is the world is a better place with US military forces projected around it. There is no greater deterrent than a contingency force sitting off a nation's coast or B-2s and B-52s on standby. But there are also no greater servants to the spread of Democracy and freedom than soldiers, sailors, Airmen, and Marines.
Some say they support the troops and they also want them to come home immediately. That's not true support. I'm willing to say (with no research, polling, etc.) that a vast majority of the troops want to finish the mission in Iraq no matter how long it takes. No timelines, no Iraq goal checklist, nothing. I know I want Iraq to be a powerful Democratic Republic able to defend itself and to maintain peace in a region of the world that is in such turmoil. I'm not asking you to support the troops and their mission; you can hate the fact we're in Iraq all you want. What I am asking every, single American to do is to support the troops and their wishes. We want to finish what was started in Iraq. We want Iraq to be a model to the rest of the Middle East and the world as to what great things can happen when your country listens to the majority of its people.
I'm sure every soldier, sailor, Airmen, and Marine wants the MC (mission complete) in the final block in section 15, column d of their DD Form 1351-2 (travel voucher) to mean more thathan, "Our politicians told us to tuck tail and run." I know us troops don't want our fallen brothers and sisters to have died for absolutely nothing. Please, support the troops and our wishes.

Aiding the Enemy

Al-Jazeera to look at open U.S. border
Haven't I heard US media praise Al-Jazeera? This is a crime against our country and if accurate any "press passes" should be immediately revoked, period, no further explanation needed. By the way, kudos to Chris Simcox for rejecting their request.

The Arab TV news network criticized by the new Iraqi government and others for its anti-American bias and willingness to carry the messages of terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida, is headed for the U.S.-Mexico border to document how easy it is to enter America illegally.

Al-Jazeera has contacted Minuteman Civil Defense Corps leader Chris Simcox to try to arrange interviews. Simcox, who rejected the request for cooperation with the TV network, says al-Jazeera, seen by millions throughout the Arab world and elsewhere, is producing an hour-long documentary news special on lack of security at the U.S. southern border.

Google Earth -- Neat! and Free!

Some may remember Google acquisition of Keyhole -- they offered a 30-day trial but then you had to subscribe. Well Google has released a free version now called Google Earth. Go here to download Google Earth. Travel the world from your home!

Interesting Review of Liberal Thinking

Herald Sun: How the Left gets loonier
I found this article describing one of Australia's "liberal media elites" comments interesting -- if we did not know it was a Australian liberal one could easily think it was a United States liberal.

Jaspan is editor-in-chief of The Age, Australia's most Left-wing daily newspaper, and on ABC radio on Wednesday said how 'boorish' and 'coarse' Wood was at his press conference this week when he called his captors 'a---holes'.
You might wonder whether Jaspan, the Englishman whose paper on that same day published a big picture on page one of naked girls from Big Brother, has the right to call anyone else 'coarse'.

Amnesty International - "Hyperbole" - Pavel Litvinov

Amnesty's gulag idiocy
Very interesting opinion by Pavel Litvinov who knows about Gulags. I believe this was published in the US earlier when I was unable to blog and felt it worth mentioning.

Several days ago I received a telephone call from an old friend who is a long-time Amnesty International staff member. He asked me whether I, as a former Soviet 'prisoner of conscience' adopted by Amnesty, would support the statement by Amnesty's executive director, Irene Khan, that the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba is the 'gulag of our time'.
'Don't you think that there's an enormous difference?' I asked him. 'Sure,' he said, 'but after all, it attracts attention to the problem of Guantanamo detainees.'
[...]
There is ample reason for Amnesty to be critical of certain US actions. But by using hyperbole and muddling the difference between repressive regimes and the imperfections of democracy, Amnesty's spokesmen put its authority at risk. US human rights violations seem almost trifling in comparison with those committed by Cuba, South Korea, Pakistan or Saudi Arabia.

Farewell and God Bless "Good and Faithful Servant"

CNN.com - Graham kicks off last U.S.crusade
I can remember going to my first Billy Graham crusade in Liberty Bowl memorial stadium before my teens and my Mom remembers listen to Billy Graham when she was young... This man was and is truly a servant of God and many of todays evangelist can and should learn something from Billy Graham... Mr. Graham met with many presidents but never repeated what was said, never clamored for the spotlight to prove he had the ear of the president -- would that not be refreshing today, to know that our president asked the counsel of a Godly man and that man proved his Godliness by not seeking fame. Just my opinion. Reverend Graham if this is your last crusade good luck, farewell, and God bless.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Despite illnesses that have diminished his once powerful voice and left him frail, the Rev. Billy Graham vowed to preach each night of his final American crusade.
He kept that promise Friday night, the start of a three-day event at a city park that marks the completion of his six decades of mass meetings.

The President Doesn't Bend

Bush Says No Timetable for Iraq Withdrawal - Yahoo! News
I believe the President is right, let's not make the enemy smarter by giving them a date they need to "try and hold out till"... Give me a break, setting a timetable is not an "exit strategy" like it is touted... An exit strategy is a definition of when we are done, finished, war won -- which was sorely lacking in Vietnam, but not Iraq. The finish has been defined by the President and everyone in the administration -- short version, when the country is secure, when Iraq security forces can provided adequate security, or both.

WASHINGTON - Despite growing anxiety about the war in Iraq, President Bush refused to set a timetable Friday for bringing home U.S. troops and declared, 'I'm not giving up on the mission. We're doing the right thing.'

Dubin's Non-Apology

BostonHerald.com - Opinion & Letters: Durbin's wimpy apology...
This was not an apology at all -- Mr. Durbin I was offended and I don't accept your apology unless you choose to apologize for saying it and thinking it -- if you are simply sorry I took offense then it is not an appology... I agree with the writer here; he needs to be "removed from his leadership post".

Having equated the conduct of American soldiers serving as prison guards at Guantanamo Bay to Nazis, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) finally apologized on the Senate floor this week.
Well, sort of. As apologies go, it was nothing to write home about.
"Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line,'' he said. "To them I extend my heartfelt apologies.''
[...]
A party with a real conscience would still insist on removing him from his leadership post.

Added Social Security NOdometer

I have added a "Social Security Nodometer" to the main page (top right). It shows what continuing to say "NO" to Social Security reform is costing us!

Military Leaders Have had it With Teddy

Military brass hit Kennedy for saying war is 'quagmire'-The Washington Times
I am glad to see the Military leaders letting it be known they are not taking these comments by democratic leaders lying down -- it says something when the military leaders actually have to step up and talk back to our political leaders when historically they have quietly allowed politics to be politics... Just a polite way of telling Teddy to "put a sock in it".

Army Gen. George Casey then injected himself into the debate.
'As the commander in Iraq, I would like to put myself on the record, Senator Kennedy, as saying that I also agree with the secretary that to represent the situation in Iraq as a quagmire is a misrepresentation of the facts,' Gen. Casey said. 'Senator, that is not a quagmire.'

Interesting Story Not Covered in MSM

WorldNetDaily: Allstate terminates manager over homosexuality column
Read the below information and preferably the entire article linked above. Do a Google News search for Matt Barber and see how much of this is covered in the MSM (Mainstream Media). Now suppose the rolls were reversed and a homosexual was fired for writing something on their personal time against Christians -- just use your imagination -- don't want to hurt my job efforts.

'I explained to Allstate that the article was a reflection of my personal Christian beliefs, and that I had every right to both write it and to have it published,' Barber told WND. 'I further explained that I had written the article while at home on my own time, that I never mentioned Allstate's name and that I neither directly nor indirectly suggested that Allstate shared my Christian beliefs or my views on same-sex marriage.'
Three days later, on Feb. 3, Barber, who had worked for Allstate for five years, says he got a call informing him he was fired 'for writing the article,' he said. Now, with the help of the Christian Law Association and David Gibbs III, who represented Terri Schiavo's family in the final weeks of her life, Barber is challenging Allstate in federal court.
[...]
Said the agency's report: "The claimant was discharged from Allstate Insurance Company because an outside organization had complained about an article he had written while on his own time."

The state agency also ruled Barber did not engage in misconduct, saying, "The term misconduct means the deliberate and willful violation of a reasonable rule or policy of the employer. … In this case, the claimant's action which resulted in his discharge was not deliberate and willful."

Shocker - Game Continues

North Korea Refuses to Make a Commitment on Talks
If this was not so serious it would be funny. I keep pointing out the North Korean shuffle because I have followed this for decades and the game being played about the "on again, off again" talks is nothing new -- but it is a much more serious game now -- not that I believe nuclear options are just now available to North Korea but their (North Korea) willingness to boldly claim intent and our military resources being stretch makes this a more serious matter... Just keep in mind the North Korean government simply wants to keep the option of "blaming the US" open when it again refuses to attended bilateral talks.

SEOUL - A high-level North Korean delegation headed home today after rejecting South Korean pleas for a commitment to return to international nuclear disarmament talks.
Despite the nuclear impasse, the two Koreas agreed during two days of high-level reconciliation talks to restart reunions of families separated by their border, and to hold meetings in coming months to boost economic and military cooperation.
But at the same time, the communist North dealt another setback to disarmament efforts, lashing out at President Bush for meeting with a prominent defector.

Gitmo - Rummy's Response

Policies already transparent on Yahoo! News
I have been "off blogging" for awhile now, but wanted to go back to last Friday and comment on this letter... Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld has answered the criticism of Gitmo in this short and sweet message. He accurately points out that no "military detention facility" has ever been as open to the public, a fact (opened to media) I have always had issues with for the exact reasons we are discussing now. Further, he points out the declassification of documents and the distribution to appease this need for information. Lastly he defines the reason for a detention facility -- it is not a prison for criminals, a fact that misses many liberals...

Arguably, no detention facility in the history of warfare has been more transparent and received more scrutiny than Guantanamo. There have been numerous visits from members of the news media, congressional representatives and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Last year, the Department of Defense declassified highly sensitive memorandums on interrogation techniques. Unfortunately, they were documents that are useful to terrorist operatives, but we posted them on the Internet specifically to set the record straight about U.S. policies and practices.
[...]
It is important to remember that the purpose of detaining these enemy combatants is not to punish them for committing a crime, but to gain intelligence about terrorist operations and to prevent them from attacking again. We have gained intelligence at Guantanamo that have stopped terror attacks and saved American lives.

Sorry For No Blogging

I have not feel good for awhile and therefore did not blog -- I am getting better and plan to start the routine up again tonight... Thanks for the loyalty.

There it is!

Well when I posted about Senator Dubins comments, This is Deplorable, I predicted, "Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin, will come out next and say how much supports the military" -- well here it is.

Our soldiers around the world and their families at home deserve our respect, admiration and total support. (source)

He and democratic supporters are attempting to spin his comparison of US Military Personal to Nazis with the "that is not what I meant" defense -- that is what you said -- "which make no mistake has been done since the Military is in charge of these camps".

Durbin had said Thursday that he had never brought U.S. soldiers into the comparison in the first place, and that he was criticizing the approved interrogation methods

Senator in your lust and your parties lust to "get President Bush" you have disregarded all caution, disregard what harm comments made in you "lust to get Bush" could cause to this nation or our military, OR you are just stupid -- either way you have no right being a US Senator and should resign immediately.

If anyone is still unclear of what Mr. Durbin said -- "If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis" - Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat. You can read it in the congressional record here.

What Will be Criticized

US claims success in Iraq raids
Oh no -- success, rebels [terrorist for those that aren't liberal or a member of the press] killed or captured, and no losses of civilian [possibly ten] or military... What will the democrats criticize about this and what can the US media possibly harp on, nothing bad happened, wait I know they will go to their 'ole standby' -- Gitmo.

Some 50 rebels have been killed and another 100 captured since the start of a joint US-Iraqi offensive in western Iraq, the US military says.
It reported no military or civilian losses since Operation Spear began on Friday, but Iraqi doctors spoke of at least 10 civilian deaths.
The operation - involving some 1,000 troops - aims to root out rebels and foreign fighters on the Syrian border.

The Durbin Method

(via Cox & Forkum)

US House Demands UN Reform

VOA News - US House Demands Funding Cuts, if UN Fails to Reform
Well I personally like this -- "money talks and ...." I have mentioned and agreed with this approach before (here). What do you think?

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation by a vote of 221 to 184 proposing wide-ranging reforms of the United Nations. The bill, which was opposed in its current form by the Bush administration, calls for mandatory reductions of up to 50 percent in U.S. contributions to the United Nations.

This is Interesting -- Besides for Obvious Reason

Army says GI killed 2 officers - Chicago Tribune
I found this interesting -- yes the story is interesting and it will be interesting to follow... Also interesting is the highlighted paragraph -- read with the paragraph then without the paragraph. Why is the paragraph there -- I think the media wishes to keep their liberal readers happy keeping the body tally in the forefront. By the way, for good measure the five marines and sailor or mentioned in closing also.

TIKRIT, Iraq -- A 37-year-old staff sergeant will face charges in the deaths of two superior officers, the military announced Thursday in the first case in which a U.S. soldier is accused of intentionally killing comrades in Iraq.
The announcement came amid persisting violence in Iraq against U.S. and Iraqi security forces. Eight Iraqi police officers were killed in a car bombing on Airport Road in Baghdad, and the U.S. military reported the deaths of five Marines and a sailor in violence in western Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez of the 42nd Infantry Division was charged Wednesday with two counts of premeditated murder in the June 7 attack that killed Capt. Phillip Esposito, 30, and 1st Lt. Louis Allen, 34.
Martinez, a National Guardsman from Troy, N.Y., was a supply specialist in the division's Headquarters and Headquarters Company. Esposito and Allen were that unit's top two commanders.

Wasn't This the Stated That Started the Discussion

A New Challenge to Same-Sex Marriages - New York Times
Just found this interesting since Massachusetts brought the issue to the forefront.

'My view is that marriage should be defined as a relationship between a man and a woman,' Mr. Romney said at a news conference, adding, 'I hope that this amendment will ultimately be the one which the citizens have an opportunity to vote on.'

Now Back to The War

U.S. forces storm Iraq rebel stronghold
Well if we can break from the "military atrocities" and the "loving concern for terrorist" that the liberals wish to discuss -- let us get back to the war!

RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. aircraft and ground troops launched heavy attacks on Iraqi insurgents on Friday near the city of Qaim, near the Syrian border, local residents and the U.S. military said.
'Operation Spear ... began in the early morning hours with the objectives of rooting out insurgents and foreign fighters and disrupting insurgent support systems in and around Karabila,' Captain Jeffrey Pool of the U.S. Marines said in a statement from Ramadi, capital of the surrounding Anbar region.

This is Deplorable

Gitmo called death camp - washingtontimes.com
Comparing the United States Military to Nazis, which make no mistake has been done since the Military is in charge of these camps, is inexcusable... Liberals/Democrats care little about dragging our military through the mud or our country to make President Bush look bad -- watch, Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin, will come out next and say how much supports the military... Hey right -- he needs something "whipped".

The Senate's No. 2 Democrat has compared the U.S. military's treatment of a suspected al Qaeda terrorist at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay with the regimes of Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and Pol Pot, three of history's most heinous dictators, whose regimes killed millions.

The Good Fight Continues

Afghans say joint operation with US kills 7 Taliban
With all the rhetoric over Gitmo, the Koran, and of course Iraq -- I am afraid we are forgetting those honorably "fighting the good fight" in Afghanistan.

KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. and Afghan forces killed seven Taliban insurgents and detained 10 in an operation in southern Afghanistan aimed at containing rising guerrilla violence, a senior Afghan army officer said on Wednesday.
The militants were killed on Tuesday in a joint operation in Mian Nishin district of Kandahar province, said General Muslim Amid, the senior Afghan army officer in the southern region.

Spain Arrests Terrorists

Spain arrests 16 suspected terrorists - Terrorism & Security - MSNBC.com
Where is Amnesty International -- this is possible abuse isn't it?
Of course, I am kidding! I am glad to see Spain taking an active role by capturing terrorist even though they wavered when threatened.

MADRID, Spain - Spanish police arrested 11 people linked to the Islamic terror network run by Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi, and another five suspects in the Madrid train bombings of last year, police said Wednesday.

Shucks -- No Bad News for Liberals!

Iraq 'military operation' frees Australia hostage - Iraq's New Chapter - MSNBC.com
To bad for liberals, but this hostage situation turned out for the best and with the HELP, got that HELP, of military members -- amazing what can be accomplished when you enlist the help or at a minimum notify the US military.

"Mr. Wood was recovered a short while ago in Baghdad in a military operation that I am told was conducted by Iraqi forces in cooperation in a general way with force elements of the United States," Howard said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp."

Annan -- It's (Oil-for-food) Back

CNN.com - Oil-for-food memo raises questions for Annan
Well thank goodness this "Oil-for-Food scam" is not going away -- and I believe Annan is knee deep in it. He at a minimum knew what "sonny boy" was upto... I cannot help but remember this is the organization (The UN) and man that liberals wanted us to cater to and wait for their approval before moving forward with the "War on Terror" -- by the way, have they (The UN) agreed on the definition of terrorist yet?.

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Investigators probing the United Nations' oil-for-food program said Tuesday they are reviewing an e-mail that suggests a communication between Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the company that won a lucrative contract and employed his son.

Fred Phelps Christian? - Not My Definition

Kansas Preacher Announces Plans To Protest Idaho Soldier's Funeral
This is what hurts conservative Christians -- I grantee this will be a rally cry for many liberals and I will be lumped in with this ______, I don't like that one bit!

(BOISE - AP) - The Kansas preacher who tried to erect an anti-gay monument in a Boise city park says he's coming to Idaho this week to picket the funeral of a fallen soldier.
Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, says God killed Idaho National Guard Corporal Carrie French with an improvised explosive device. Phelps says God is retaliating against America for a bombing of his church six years ago.
[...]
Phelps says there is no reason he is targeting French specifically. He says his church will protest any public funeral of soldiers killed in Iraq.

(Hat tip: Mudville Gazette)

More Pressure

The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Pressure to close Guantanamo grows
I think Senator Chuck Hagel needs to place some of the blame, if not all, on the media -- reporting every single incident as a negative even before any investigation is STARTED... Amazing the same people that "say"(?) they care so much about world opinion, the left, are the same ones that drag the US military and the country through the mud just to "get President Bush" (yet another example of the ends justifying the means in their minds and hate-filled hearts).

But Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. said the situation in Guantanamo is one reason why the United States is 'losing the image war around the world,' and suggested closing the prison could help.
'It's identifiable with, for right or wrong, a part of America that people in the world believe is a power, an empire that pushes people around; we do it our way, we don't live up to our commitments to multilateral institutions,' Hagel told CNN's 'Late Edition.'

Just drive my point home -- 32 successive New York Times front page articles on Abu Ghraib since May 1st, unbelievable. (Hat tip: Little green footballs)

Good - Not Caving to Pressure

No plan to close Guantanamo prison: Cheney - Sify.com
Like I said last week, here, "I am fine if Guantanamo is closed because it has run it's due course and we have found other means. However, to cave to pressures...." -- I am they/we are not caving.

Washington: The US government has no plans to close its prison at Guantanamo Bay, Vice President Dick Cheney said in an interview airing Monday, as controversy about the 'war on terror' detention camp flared anew over the latest revelation of detainee treatment.
'At present, there's no plan to close Gitmo. The president says we review all of our options on a continuous basis,' Cheney told Fox News, using a slang term for the site.

New Way to Spread Computer Worms

Mytob worm turns to phishing - ZDNet UK News
I know a few that were not fully protected and did not practice common sense with their e-mail and got 'hit' -- so I thought I would share this.

The emails masquerade as a legitimate email from the recipient's IT department or Internet service provider, and include references to the recipient's domain name and email address to give the message more legitimacy. Recipients are told that a security problem has been found with their account and they should click on the link to confirm the account.

Google it

Public Service Announcement

Interesting way to get the message out.

Click on the picture to view the announcement.

Good Sign for Republicans

Dean Pledges to Talk Tough - Yahoo! News
Well this is good news for future elections -- I continue to say "I hope he[Dean] continues to make asinine comments like this and insulting the very people he is charged with enticing to vote Democrat."

NO RETREAT: Howard Dean says positive responses from supporters have reinforced his determination to keep talking tough. Some congressional Democrats have suggested that the party chairman tone down his rhetoric.

Winning

CNN.com - Marines: 40 insurgents killed
Our men and women are continuing to do their job -- I hope all, weather you agree or disagree with the reasons for Iraq, remember they are doing their job, doing it well, and need our thanks, always.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. Marine airstrikes in western Iraq killed about 40 insurgents Saturday, the Marines said.

Vast Right Wing Conspiracy Theory Back!

Durbin blames 'right wing'- Washingtonians.com
Here we go again -- grab the tinfoil hats! Let's not blame Dean no it's a conspiracy.

The No. 2 Democrat in the Senate yesterday blamed 'the right wing' and elements of the press 'in service to it' for repeating Howard Dean's remarks about Republicans and inflating them out of proportion.
'I think we all understand what's happening with you all,' said Senate Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin, in remarks echoing Hillary Rodham Clinton's blaming a 'vast right-wing conspiracy' for her husband's legal-ethical woes.

Got to Love Dean - Will He Last

Dean's Remarks Draw Fire From Both Sides of Aisle - New York Times
I truly like Dean in his current role -- as I said on March 10th -- "Well I cannot tell you how excited I continue be of Howard Dean's DNC position! I hope he continues to make asinine comments like this and insulting the very people he is charged with enticing to vote Democrat"... Well I stand behind that statement and looks like some democrats believe I might be right and want him muzzled... Will he make it the mid-term election? That is the question.

WASHINGTON, June 9 - Just four months into his tenure as chairman of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean has found himself on unforgiving - if familiar - terrain. As he visited Capitol Hill on Thursday, he faced a growing number of critics and received a private scolding from leading members of his party for several derogatory remarks he has made about Republicans in recent weeks.

"Say it Ain't So"

ABC News: Bush Open to Possibly Closing Gitmo Camp
I am fine if Guantanamo is closed because it has run it's due course and we have found other means. However, to cave to pressures from Amnesty International, Jimmy Carter, and liberals -- say it ain't so!

WASHINGTON Jun 8, 2005 � President Bush on Wednesday left open the possibility that the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, could be shut down following mounting criticism from former President Carter and others.
'We're exploring all alternatives as to how best to do the main objective, which is to protect America,' Bush said when asked in an interview with Fox News Channel's Neil Cavuto if he would close the detention center.

More Social Security Discussion

Don't raise taxes - Yahoo! News
I also found this interesting today -- the effects that are sold as a gotcha to the "rich"(whoever defines that), by liberals, actually has a broader impact.

According to the Heritage Foundation, raising the payroll tax cap would directly raise taxes on 9.8 million American workers, including 3 million small-business owners. This would also reduce Gross Domestic Product by $33 billion per year, on average, over its first 10 years and reduce total employment by an average of 340,000 jobs per year over that period. For these reasons, House conservatives vigorously oppose proposals to 'reform' Social Security by raising taxes.
The American people now see a very clear choice before them: The president's bold vision for reform based on fiscal discipline and choice, and the Democrat vision for reform based on higher taxes. The cure for what ails Social Security is new ideas, not higher taxes.

Interesting Insight on Social Security

Taxing the rich won't solve Social Security's problems - Yahoo! News
This is an interesting take on increasing the social security tax and it comes from people that have criticized the Bush tax cut. Note that it mentions the 'small business owner" that liberals supposedly care about and a segment they wish to grow... Well I thought it interesting anyway.

But as with a lot of things that seem easy, this tax-the-affluent-minority idea has real drawbacks. Any plan that would fix Social Security solely by taxing a relatively small number of wage earners would undermine its support. Social Security enjoys broad public backing because it is seen as a retirement savings and disability program, not a welfare program. Workers contribute while they work, then collect when they retire.
If the nearly 10 million people who make more than $90,000 a year are asked to pay in a great deal more than they will get out, that principle would be shattered. A 12.4% Social Security tax on all income, combined with other federal and state taxes, would result in affluent self-employed people paying more in taxes than they keep for themselves. That is hardly the way to bolster support for a program about which Americans are expressing increasing doubts.
[...]
That fellow behind the tree isn't responsible for the problem. Making 6% of earners responsible for the whole solution would only show that the other 94% don't care enough about the program to make the necessary sacrifices to save it.

At Least Someone May See the Game.

N.Korea seen buying time on nuclear talks-analysts - Boston.com - Asia - News
Maybe some know the history of the game.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's signal to Washington that it is willing to return to nuclear talks could be a tactic to buy time and block Washington from referring the issue to the United Nations, analysts said on Wednesday.
[...]
"This is probably a diplomatic tactic to stall while hanging on to its nuclear programs," said Lee Dong-bok, senior associate with the CSIS think-tank.
"North Korea basically is not going to give up its nuclear programs, so it will come to the talks with demands not acceptable to the United States," he said.

It's On -- Yet Again!

N. Korea agrees to 6-party talks - The Washington Times
Well we have them back on again, at least until the next round of the game -- and as I have stated and proven when it is off again it will be blamed on the US by both North Korea and the media.

North Korea told the United States it would return to six-party talks on its nuclear weapons program but no date was set, U.S. officials said yesterday. China said negotiations are likely to resume in the next few weeks.
The Bush administration played down the message it received from Pyongyang, saying it lacked specificity.
The message was delivered in New York on Monday, but the administration kept silent about it until yesterday, when officials offered differing and confusing accounts.

Deserter Returns - I Say Stay Out

BBC NEWS - Deserter Jenkins plans US visit
I prefer if this gentlemen stays out of the United States. He gave up mom, apple pie, and baseball four decades ago -- just my opinion.

A former US soldier who deserted to North Korea in 1965 is to visit the US for the first time in four decades.
Charles Robert Jenkins, who now lives in Japan after being given a dishonourable discharge from the US military, wants to visit his mother.

The Rest of The Story - Guantanamo

Guantanamo prison guards attacked - Webindia123.com
There are two sides to every story -- however, US media proves that they don't care... This is covered in one US newspaper as I write this (or at least I could only find it in one after searching Google News and Yahoo News).

Two U.S. Army guards have told of being attacked by a terror suspect at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Speaking with the Washington Times on the condition of anonymity, the soldiers said the attack came last month after they discovered a jagged rectangular piece of metal hidden in a cell while its occupant was taking a shower.
[...]
It's an extreme slap in the face to me frankly that the American public is being led to believe that we're abusing, or mistreating detainees, said Col. Michael Bumgarner, the senior officer at the prison, which holds 585 enemy combatants on suspicion of working for the Taliban and al-Qaida.

Have No Idea

'Don't know for sure' about Guantanamo: Amnesty USA - Yahoo! News
Can you believe this -- after making outrageous claims we get the "we really don't know"... Again an example of liberals attempting to justify their means, false accusations, outrageous claims, etc., with what they define as 'well intentions'...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Despite highly publicized charges of U.S. mistreatment of prisoners at Guantanamo, the head of the Amnesty International USA said on Sunday the group doesn't "know for sure" that the military is running a "gulag."
"Executive Director William Schulz said Amnesty, often cited worldwide for documenting human rights abuses, also did not know whether Secretary Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved severe torture methods such as beatings and starvation.
Schulz recently dubbed Rumsfeld an 'apparent high-level architect of torture' in asserting he approved interrogation methods that violated international law.
'It would be fascinating to find out. I have no idea,' Schulz told 'Fox News Sunday.'

CNN at Least Gets Headline Correct

CNN.com - Detainees, not soldiers, flushed Quran
Weather they believe or support it they got the headline correct -- the headline contains no innuendo opposing the military's statement - refreshing; however, I am not holding my breath that the usual spin is gone.

(CNN) -- A U.S. military investigation into the mishandling of the Muslim holy book at the Guantanamo Bay prison for suspected terrorists has determined that detainees -- not U.S. soldiers -- attempted to flush the Quran down the toilet there.

and Another Bites the Dust

CNN.com - Suspected al-Zarqawi associate nabbed
Although some may not want to admit it, but the "War on Terrorism" continues with progress.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A suspected deputy of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been captured in the restive city of Mosul, the Iraqi military said Saturday.
Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition forces on Friday arrested Mullah Mahdi and five other suspected terrorists -- Mahdi's brother, three other Iraqis and a Syrian, Iraqi Maj. Gen. Khalil al-Obeidi said.

Game Continues - Right Again

Remember my post, On Again, Off Again, It's On Again (NK), where I said "However, I can assure you when the "off again" is given to South Korea, North Korea will again blame the United States" -- well here it is.
CNN.com - North Korea demands U.S. apology

(CNN) -- North Korea has vowed not to return to the nuclear bargaining table unless it receives an apology from the United States for making hostile remarks about its leadership.

The Picture Says it All

(via Cox & Forkum)

Did This Sneak in Under the Radar

Israel frees nearly 400 Palestinian prisoners - Reuters.com
Well with the mass coverage of the old news known as 'deep throat' it appears many may have missed this... I believe it is significant.

BETUNIA, West Bank (Reuters) - Israel freed nearly 400 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday in a long-delayed gesture that fulfilled a ceasefire pledge to President Mahmoud Abbas, but Palestinians said the release did not go far enough.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon acted under U.S. pressure to help strengthen Abbas, who faces a Hamas challenge that could undermine Israel's plans to evacuate Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip starting in August.

Who Would Have Guessed - ME for one!

Amnesty leadership aided Kerry - The Washington Times
This story just confirms what I already assumed -- so no big news here just validation:)

The top leadership of Amnesty International USA, which unleashed a blistering attack last week on the Bush administration's handling of war detainees, contributed the maximum $2,000 to Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign.
Federal Election Commission records show that William F. Schulz, executive director of Amnesty USA, contributed $2,000 to Mr. Kerry's campaign last year. Mr. Schulz also has contributed $1,000 to the 2006 campaign of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat.

No Means Yes for Dollar?

'No' votes harmful to euro, good news for U.S. dollar - insider.washingtontimes.com
Interesting theory - what do you think?

The U.S. dollar is getting a boost from the slide in the euro caused by voters' resounding rejection of a European constitution in France and the Netherlands.
The respite from the dollar's three-year tailspin offers a bit of hope for travelers who are looking to hold down the shocking cost of a European vacation since the dollar lost nearly half its value against the euro at the end of last year.
'Americans will eat out more in Paris, buy more Burberry coats in London and more diamonds in Amsterdam,' said Bob Whitley, president of the U.S. Tour Operators Association.

Planned Parenthood Give Up the Records

Planned Parenthood Is Told to Show Children's Files

CHICAGO, May 31 - Planned Parenthood of Indiana has to show state investigators the medical records of some of its youngest patients, a judge ruled on Tuesday. The judge rejected the organization's contention that disclosing such records could have a chilling effect on patients across the state.
Since March, Attorney General Steve Carter has been seeking the records of more than 80 patients younger than 14, saying his Medicaid fraud unit is trying to determine whether children have been neglected because molesting incidents were not reported to the authorities as required. Under Indiana law, anyone under 14 who is sexually active is considered a victim of sexual abuse, and health providers are required to report such cases to the state authorities.

Just a few questions:

1. Arguments I hear for not requiring parental notification is parental abuse and by REPORTING this abuse these animals can get what they so richly deserve under the law; so why wouldn't they want to?
2. Are they attempting to prove a point?
3. What would Planned Parenthoot say about a conservative religious organization that defied a current law to make a point?

How Many Korans Desecrated?

CNN.com - At least 14 dead in Afghan blast
Really, I am not kidding... Everyone seems to be more outraged about the Koran then by Muslims killing Muslim or the loss of human life. I wonder if we will hear about the desecrated Korans caused by the bombing of this mosque.

(CNN) -- An explosion inside a mosque in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar has killed at least 14 people and wounded about 40 others.
The death toll from Wednesday's blast is expected to rise, said Nic Downie, head of the Afghanistan NGO security office.