John Edwards "Marshall Corps" Plan

This is one of John Edwards plans for dealing with his so called Bumper Sticker War on Terror:

As commander-in-chief, Edwards will employ a more effective strategy to hunt down those who would threaten us, including Islamic extremists, and to shut down terrorism where it startsin weak and failing states, which breed instability and radicalism. Edwards will:

* Rebalance our force structure for the challenges of the new century
* Ensure our intelligence strategy adheres to proven and effective methods
* Hold regular meetings with top military leadership
* Create a "Marshall Corps" to stabilize weak and failing states
* Rebuild equipment
* Create a National Security Budget

What is this "Marshall Corps" business?

"Marshall Corps": Weak and failing states create hotbeds for terrorism and create regional instability that creates security dangers for the U.S. and our allies. As president, Edwards will create a "Marshall Corps" of 10,000 professionals, modeled on the Reserves systems, who will work on stabilization and humanitarian missions. He will also implement new training for future military leadership and create a undersecretary for stabilization and a new senior stabilization position within the Joint Staff.

Oh we see now. It sounds like this plan, this new Corps, will be under the leadership of our Military. Just what they need: A group of non fighting, under-trained men and women who will run to the hot beds, be kidnapped, beheaded and otherwise tortured. SMART MAN, this John Edwards. This shows his total lack of understanding of just who our enemies are and what lengths they have and will go to- just to get us OUT.

Paris Hilton: Grow Up You Spoiled Brat

Just because it's breaking news right now:

LOS ANGELES — A screaming, crying Paris Hilton was ordered back to jail on Friday to serve out the remainder of her 45-day sentence for a parole violation in a reckless driving case.

"It's not right!" shouted the weeping Hilton. "Mom!" she called out to her mother in the audience.

What is not right Ms. Paris the Pathetic, Pitiful Princess?
Oh the drama. If Paris were MY daughter I would slap her upside the head a few times and tell her she deserved what she's getting; I would tell her she deserves more punishment than she's getting. Then I would take away all the money she has been trusted with. I might buy her a little trailer in the hills of West Virginia though, just to show some compassion. She would fit right in- trailer trash queen that she really is.

Her body also shook constantly as she dabbed at her eyes. Several times she turned to her parents, seated behind her in the courtroom, and mouthed, "I love you."

Assistant City Attorney Dan F. Jeffries argued that Hilton should be returned to jail, and said that was purely the judge's decision to make. "Her release after only three days erodes confidence in the judicial system," Jeffries said.

Hilton's attorney, Richard Hutton, implored the judge to order a hearing in his chambers at which he would hear testimony about Hilton's medical condition before making a decision.

The judge did not respond to that suggestion.

Another of her attorneys, Steve Levine, said, "The sheriff has determined that because of her medical situation, this (jail) is a dangerous place for her."

"The court's role here is to let the Sheriff's Department run the jail," he said.

A former district attorney, Robert Philibosian, also represented Hilton. He said that the law supports the sheriff in making an independent decision on her custodial situation.

The judge interrupted several times to say that he had received a call last Wednesday from an undersheriff informing him that Hilton had a medical condition and that he would submit papers to the judge to consider. He said the papers never arrived.

Every few minutes, the judge would interrupt proceedings and state the time on the clock and note that the papers still had not arrived.

He also noted that he had heard that a private psychiatrist visited Hilton in jail and he wondered if that person played a role in deciding her medical needs.

Oh more drama. Medical needs? As in: Paris won't eat the peon prison food? That she might have trouble urinating in the private prison cell toilet made of simple porcelain rather than gold? I KNOW WHAT IT IS. She will die of mental breakdowns because she cannot bathe in a hot tub! This is in California, right? I think Judge Sauer should order the guards to dig a hole in the grounds of the privileged section of this jail house where Ms. Paris is staying- and line it with tin foil and fill it up with water. There. Instant hot tub for the shining Princess.

What's really sad is this. I am watching FOX news now and listening to Geraldo defend poor pathetic pitiful Paris; he wants to know WHAT WOULD HAPPEN if she REALLY did have a nervous breakdown? A true medical emergency you know! He wants to know how Paris is going to be protected. From what?

Paris Hilton is no better than any other criminal. She deserves no special accommodations or treatment; no other young woman her age with similar criminal convictions is allowed to get away with what she gets away with. Hollywood needs swift kick in the ass, and we can start with Ms. Hilton. Corruption of culture starts when we look UP to people like Ms. Hilton. We should and can expect better.

My Marines were doing the right thing

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) - An officer who saw the corpses of Iraqi women and children sprawled across a bed in a home said Wednesday in recorded testimony that he believed that "my Marines were doing the right thing" when they killed them.

Marine 1st Lt. Max Frank, whose deposition was recorded in March before his return to Iraq, was the first witness to be heard at a preliminary hearing for Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, the commander of the Marine battalion involved in the deadly sweep of the village of Haditha.

The sweep led to the deaths of 24 people on Nov. 19, 2005, after a roadside bomb killed a lance corporal driving a Humvee. In the aftermath, Marines went house to house looking for insurgents.

"From my perspective at the time, my assumption was my Marines were doing the right thing," Frank said. "I rationalized it to myself as they were taking fire. The Marines could have come in, yelled at them to come out, and when they didn't come out they cleared the room with a fragmentation grenade."

This isn't a war crime. It's war. Marines were attacked. They fought back.

(Image stolen from ARS)

Run Fred, Run

Is Fred really, finally going to take the leap?

"Law and Order" star Fred Thompson will make his flirtation with a White House bid official this week, forming a presidential committee and launching a fundraising effort that could culminate in a formal announcement over the July 4th weekend, advisers to the former senator said.

I like Fred. I think he holds a lot of the same values I do. I also think it's way too early for people to get caught up in the Presidential Race for 2008. But since this seems to be the way of things, I looked into Thompson's record and people should know where he stands on issues:

Abortion:
* Voted YES on maintaining ban on Military Base Abortions. (Jun 2000)
* Voted YES on banning partial birth abortions. (Oct 1999)
* Voted YES on banning human cloning. (Feb 1998)

Jobs, Economy and Free Trade:
* Voted YES on extending free trade to Andean nations. (May 2002)
* Voted YES on granting normal trade relations status to Vietnam. (Oct 2001)
* Voted NO on removing common goods from national security export rules. (Sep 2001)
* Voted YES on permanent normal trade relations with China. (Sep 2000)
* Voted YES on expanding trade to the third world. (May 2000)
* Voted YES on renewing 'fast track' presidential trade authority. (Nov 1997)
* Voted YES on imposing trade sanctions on Japan for closed market. (May 1995)
* Voted YES on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress. (Mar 2001)
* Voted YES on killing an increase in the minimum wage. (Nov 1999)
* Voted YES on allowing workers to choose between overtime & comp-time. (May 1997)
* Voted YES on replacing farm price supports. (Feb 1996)

Foreign Policy:
* Voted YES on enlarging NATO to include Eastern Europe. (May 2002)
* Voted NO on killing a bill for trade sanctions if China sells weapons. (Sep 2000)
* Voted YES on cap foreign aid at only $12.7 billion. (Oct 1999)
* Voted YES on limiting the President's power to impose economic sanctions. (Jul 1998)
* Voted NO on limiting NATO expansion to only Poland, Hungary & Czech. (Apr 1998)
* Voted NO on $17.9 billion to IMF. (Mar 1998)
* Voted YES on Strengthening of the trade embargo against Cuba. (Mar 1996)

Gun Control:
* Voted NO on background checks at gun shows. (May 1999)
* Voted NO on more penalties for gun & drug violations. (May 1999)
* Voted YES on loosening license & background checks at gun shows. (May 1999)
* Voted YES on maintaining current law: guns sold without trigger locks. (Jul 1998)

National Security:
* Voted NO on adopting the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. (Oct 1999)
* Voted YES on allowing another round of military base closures. (May 1999)
* Voted YES on cutting nuclear weapons below START levels. (May 1999)
* Voted YES on deploying National Missile Defense ASAP. (Mar 1999)
* Voted YES on military pay raise of 4.8%. (Feb 1999)
* Voted NO on prohibiting same-sex basic training. (Jun 1998)
* Voted YES on favoring 36 vetoed military projects. (Oct 1997)
* Voted NO on banning chemical weapons. (Apr 1997)
* Voted YES on considering deploying NMD, and amending ABM Treaty. (Jun 1996)
* Voted YES on 1996 Defense Appropriations. (Sep 1995)

The ONE area that I don't agree, totally, with Fred and yes, this could kill any votes from me, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION:
* Voted YES on allowing more foreign workers into the US for farm work. (Jul 1998)
* Voted YES on visas for skilled workers. (May 1998)
* Voted YES on limit welfare for immigrants. (Jun 1997)

Source

The Man With TB

One man can cause a lot of trouble for so many people.

ATLANTA (AP) - A man with a form of tuberculosis so dangerous he is under the first U.S. government-ordered quarantine since 1963 had health officials around the world scrambling Wednesday to find about 80 passengers who sat within five rows of him on two trans-Atlantic flights.

The man told a newspaper he took the first flight from Atlanta to Europe for his wedding, then the second flight home because he feared he might die without treatment in the U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Julie Gerberding said Wednesday that the CDC is working closely with airlines to find passengers who may have been exposed to the rare, dangerous strain. Health officials in France said they have asked Air France-KLM (AKH) for passenger lists, and the Italian Health Ministry said it is tracing the man's movements.

He is claiming he didn't realize HOW serious a form of TB he had; his actions don't equate with the words of his doctors and other medical professionals familiar with this case. I think he knew, and I think he disregarded the advice. The CDC and medical community rely on the citizens to be honest partners when it comes to the spread of deadly infection. They may have to reconsider this blind trust now. The man is not being charged with any crime and I'm not sure why. This is turning out to be one expensive trip he took. A lot of people have been put at risk. Also, we need to learn HOW he was able to board flights after his name was put on the NO FLY list.

The Hooksett Four

When you gossip about the boss in a derogatory manner, you open yourself up to trouble. The Hooksett Four have become known nationwide, famous for getting fired for gossiping about their boss.

HOOKSETT – An initiative petition has been delivered to Town Hall asking the town council to reverse its decision to fire four longtime town employees.

The council now has 30 days in which to schedule a public hearing.

"By signing this petition, you are urging the Hooksett Town Council to reverse their decision in the firing of four longtime and dedicated employees, Sandra Piper, Joanne Drewniak, Jessica Skorupski and Michelle Bonsteel, (and allow them) to return back to work," reads the petition, signed by 419 registered voters, 5 percent of the town's voters.

Town Clerk Leslie Nepveu said the petition, authorized under Article 8.2 of the town charter, was delivered Friday.

The number of signatures is fewer than the 1,000 that petition organizer Michelle Gannon hoped for.

One wonders why so many, or few, signed this petition? Should the women be re-hired? What would it be like for them, to settle back into their jobs surrounded by people who potentially don't want them back?

Dry Runs

As John Edwards declares the War on Terrorism a bumper sticker phrase, we read articles like this:

The inspector general for Homeland Security late Friday released new details of what federal air marshals say was a terrorist dry run aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 327 from Detroit to Los Angeles on June 29, 2004.

Several portions of the report remain redacted. The release stems from a Freedom of Information request by The Washington Times in April 2006. The Times first reported on July 22 that this and other probes and dry runs were occurring on commercial flights since the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Look for the full report in Wednesday's edition of The Times.

Other probes and dry runs? But we're not at war with an enemy who happens to present itself as young Muslim men who are angry, according to so many Democrats.

Briefly, the following events occurred. Thirteen Middle Eastern men were traveling together as a musical group, 12 carrying Syrian passports and one, a lawful permanent resident of the United States of Lebanese descent, purchased one-way tickets from Detroit to Los Angeles. Six of the men arrived at the gate together after boarding began, then split up and acted as if they were not acquainted. According to air marshals, the men also appeared sweaty and nervous. An air marshal assigned to Flight 327 observed their behavior and characterized it as "unusual," but made no further reports at the time.

If I saw a group of Muslim men together at an airport I would watch them like hawks. I wouldn't let them out of my sight and I would report, loudly, anything "odd" which just being together qualifies. Remember the 19 terrorists on September 11 2001??

During the flight, the men again acted suspiciously. Several of the men changed seats, congregated in the aisles, and arose when the fasten seat belt sign was turned on; one passenger moved quickly up the aisle toward the cockpit and, at the last moment, entered the first class lavatory. The passenger remained in the lavatory for about 20 minutes. Several of the men spent excessive time in the lavatories. Another man carried a large McDonald's restaurant bag into a lavatory and made a thumbs-up signal to another man upon returning to his seat.

These men should never have been allowed to access the flight. Since strange behavior was noted before boarding the plane, the men should have been removed from the airport and questioned at the very least. Imagine if this wasn't a dry run?

Flight attendants notified the air marshals on board of the suspicious activities.
In response, an air marshal directed a flight attendant to instruct the cockpit to radio ahead for law-enforcement officials to meet the flight upon arrival. After arriving, Flight 327 was met by federal and local law enforcement officials, who gathered all 13 suspicious passengers, interviewing two of them. An air marshal photocopied the passengers' passports and visas. The names of the suspicious passengers were run through FBI databases, indicating the musical group's promoter had been involved in a similar incident in January 2004. No other derogatory information was received, and all 13 of the men were released.

THIS flight had an air marshal...most do not.
The men who plan and plot terrorist attacks surely learned lessons on 9-11. Like how to avoid any trouble with law enforcement. How to leave a trail UN-littered with dots that might connect them. I will post more about this after the Washington Times prints the detailed article this coming Wednesday. This makes us all wonder how many plots are already into the final stages; how many dry runs have the terrorists accomplished so far? This also proves why we are at war with an enemy who loves people like John Edwards and Hillary Clinton- they who will not even label the enemy for what it is.