"...everyone is bored,and devotes himself to cultivating habits..these habits are not peculiar to our town.." Albert Camus "The Plague"

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Super Delegates Key: Brokered Convention?

Brokered Convention and Super Delegates: Hillary's Firewall?

Photobucket

Even though Clinton won ___ primaries on Tuesday, even though many of them concede there is probably no stopping Candidate ___ now, dozens of Democratic senators and representatives remain reluctant to endorse h__.

Senator R. scheduled a news conference for Friday to announce his backing. Senator D. told news organizations in his home state that the moment had come to rally around Clinton. But beyond that there was little movement.

Of 264 superdelegates in the House and Senate, 93, or 35 percent, have endorsed Clinton so far, according to a continuing survey by The New York Times.... and most made their statements some time ago. A much larger number remain officially uncommitted.

Clinton's press secretary, insisted that "people are starting to rally around the flag," and she mentioned Mr. R. as an example. She also said the Governor plans to meet with uncommitted superdelegates on Capitol Hill on April 29, the day after the Pennsylvania primary, when Congress will return from the Easter recess.

But Representative E.of Ohio, more willing perhaps to speak on the record than many of his colleagues because he has announced his retirement from the House, said that he and some of his colleagues had constituted an informal "Missouri caucus -- a show-me caucus" -- and would do nothing for now.

"The voters haven't embraced Clinton, so I don't see any reason why I should endorse h__," Mr. E. said. "Look at the exit polls. People have terrible doubts about this ___, and we're talking about Democrats."

In the State N. primary Tuesday, the turnout was exceptionally low, 29 percent of the electorate backed Candidate T.,.... two-thirds of the voters said they were dissatisfied with the choice presented to them, and 4 in 10 said they doubted Clinton had the integrity to be President.

.... the party chairman, has been phoning uncommitted delegates and others, "discussing the lay of the political territory," as he described it. He denied putting pressure on anybody, but others in the party said he was sending a subtle but clear message that it was time to halt the squabbling.

"There's a real tug-of-war up here," said one House member. "Especially on this side, there are a lot of people who are terrified that all the character questions, all the negatives about Clinton that showed up in N, make h__ so weak that a lot of people will lose their seats."

A prominent Senator, who also asked not to be identified, added, "lots of people are hearing from home, 'Keep it open, even if the odds make it look impossible,' because Candidate X may self-destruct before the convention."

... a leading Democratic money-raiser, has called together 65 big party contributors to discuss "how a brokered convention might work."

Ha Ha, sound familiar? See the original NY Times (April 10, 1992) article which we have reworked above.
h/t Free Republic for photo
Tags:campaign 08,hillary clinton,bill clinton,brokered convention,super delegates,democrat doubts,candidate self destructs,campaign '92,hillary firewall

Friday, April 18, 2008

Global Warming Greater Than WW II:Time Mag....

Time Magazine's use of the iconic Iwo Jima flag raising photo in the cause of climate change propaganda has caused a storm of protest from veterans.



For only the second time in 85 years, Time magazine abandoned the traditional red border it uses on its cover. The occasion – to push more global warming alarmism.....

Donald Mates, an Iwo Jima veteran, told the Business & Media Institute on April 17 that using that photograph for that cause was a “disgrace.”



“It’s an absolute disgrace,” Mates said. “Whoever did it is going to hell. That’s a mortal sin. God forbid he runs into a Marine that was an Iwo Jima survivor.”

Mates also said making the comparison of World War II to global warming was erroneous and disrespectful.

“The second world war we knew was there,” Mates said. “There’s a big discussion. Some say there is global warming, some say there isn’t. And to stick a tree in place of a flag on the Iwo Jima picture is just sacrilegious.”
Source: Business and Media Institute

Additional information about the flag rasing on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima:

Photographer Joe Rosenthal is unfortunately no longer with us; he passed away in August 2006. I believe all of the men depicted are also deceased, three of them having been killed within days after the photo was made..

The Raising of the Flag on Iwo Jima, was published throughout the world. Rosenthal was later accused of staging the photograph. In fact, this was untrue. "On February 23, having captured Surabachi, a small volcanic hill and the highest point on the island, some marines raised a small flag at its summit. They were photographed by Sergeant Louis Lowery for the marine magazine, Leatherneck. Rosenthal, having talked with Lowery, decided to get a shot of the flag himself. When he arrived, he found the marines raising a larger flag, attached to a pole so heavy it took six men to lever it into place in a small mound of rocks. He stepped just inside the volcano's crater and snapped the photo with his Speed Graphic."

Source: Spartacus Educational
See also: Jewish Virtual Library




Two flags went up that day. The above photo by Marine photographer Bob Campbell, shows the smaller coming down and the larger going up. For reasons unknown it was decided to replace the original flag with a larger one and for this reason Joe Rosenthal was dogged throughout his life with accusations he staged the flag raising, something he adamantly denied.

Tags: climate change propaganda,time magazine,iwo jima,world war two,global warming, veterans outrage,joe rosenthal

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Michael Monsoor Medal of Honor Presentation...


Appended below is the transcript of the April 8, 2008 ceremony, and the citation whereby Michael Monsoor, a Navy Seal, was awarded a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor, our nation's highest military honor. (there is video at the above link or a larger down loadable version here)

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, and welcome.

The Medal of Honor is America’s highest decoration for military valor. Over the years, many who have received the medal have given their lives in the action that earned it. The name of Petty Officer Michael Anthony Monsoor will now be among them.

In September 2006, Michael laid down his life for his brothers in arms. Today, we remember the life of this faithful Navy SEAL. And on behalf of a grateful nation, we will present Michael Monsoor’s family with the Medal of Honor that he earned.

I welcome the Vice President. Secretary of Defense Gates, thank you for coming. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Peake; Secretary Don Winter of the Navy; Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and wife, Deborah; General James Conway, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and Annette; Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, and wife, Ellen; Senator John McCain; Congressman Ed Royce; Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.

Previous Medal of Honor recipients, thank you for joining us.

I appreciate Chaplain Burt; Navy SEALS — the finest warriors on the face of the Earth; the Monsoor family, and everybody else.

The Medal of Honor is awarded for an act of such courage that no one could rightly be expected to undertake it. Yet those who knew Michael Monsoor were not surprised when he did. This son of Orange County, California, grew up in a family where helping others was a way of life. Mike’s father was a Marine; his mother a social worker. Together, they raised their four children to understand the meaning of service and sacrifice.

From a very early age, Mike showed the strength of his own convictions. Apparently going to kindergarten wasn’t one of them. Mike had no complaints after the first week of school — until someone broke the news to him that he had to go back the next week. (Laughter.) Many mornings, Mike refused to put on the nice clothes for school. Instead, he insisted on wearing mismatched outfits. Mike’s mother soon discovered there was no stopping the determined young boy from mixing plaids and stripes. And years later, there would be no stopping an even more determined young man from donning a uniform of Navy Blue.

In some ways, Mike was an unlikely candidate for the Navy. He suffered from terrible asthma as a child. On some nights, his coughing fits would land him in the hospital. But Mike would not lie low for long. He strengthened his lungs by racing his siblings in the swimming pool. He worked to wean himself off his inhaler. He built himself into a superb athlete — excelling from sports like football to snowboarding.

After enlisting in the Navy, he began preparing for the ultimate test of physical endurance: SEAL training. Less than a third of those who begin this training become SEALs. But Mike would not be denied a spot. In September 2004, he earned the right to wear the Navy SEAL trident.

The newly minted frogman became a beloved member of the SEAL team community. His teammates liked to laugh about the way his shiny Corvette would leave everybody in the dust. But deep down, they always knew Mike would never leave anybody behind when it counted. He earned their confidence with his attention to detail and quiet work ethic. One of Mike’s officers remembers an instructor once asking after an intense training session, “What’s the deal with the Monsoor guy? He just says, ‘Roger that,’ to everything.”

When Mike deployed with his team to Ramadi in the spring of 2006, he brought that attitude with him. Because he served as both a heavy machine gunner and a communications operator, he often had a double load of equipment — sometimes more than a hundred pounds worth. But under the glare of the hot desert sun, he never lost his cool.

At the time, Ramadi was in the clutches of al Qaeda terrorists and insurgents. Together, the SEALs and the Army 1st Battalion of the 506 Infantry Regiment took the offense against the enemy. The SEALs carried out a broad range of special operations — including providing sniper cover in tough urban conditions, and conducting raids against terrorists and insurgents. Overall, Mike’s platoon came under enemy attack during 75% of their missions. And in most of these engagements, Mike was out front defending his brothers.

In May 2006, Mike and another SEAL ran into the line of fire to save a wounded teammate. With bullets flying all around them, Mike returned fire with one hand while helping pull the injured man to safety with the other. In a dream about the incident months later, the wounded SEAL envisioned Mike coming to the rescue with wings on his shoulders.

On Saint Michael’s Day — September 29, 2006 — Michael Monsoor would make the ultimate sacrifice. Mike and two teammates had taken position on the outcropping of a rooftop when an insurgent grenade bounced off Mike’s chest and landed on the roof. Mike had a clear chance to escape, but he realized that the other two SEALs did not. In that terrible moment, he had two options — to save himself, or to save his friends. For Mike, this was no choice at all. He threw himself onto the grenade, and absorbed the blast with his body. One of the survivors puts it this way: “Mikey looked death in the face that day and said, ‘You cannot take my brothers. I will go in their stead.’”

Perhaps the greatest tribute to Mike’s life is the way different service members all across the world responded to his death. Army soldiers in Ramadi hosted a memorial service for the valiant man who had fought beside them. Iraqi Army scouts — whom Mike helped train — lowered their flag, and sent it to his parents. Nearly every SEAL on the West Coast turned out for Mike’s funeral in California. As the SEALs filed past the casket, they removed their golden tridents from their uniforms, pressed them onto the walls of the coffin. The procession went on nearly half an hour. And when it was all over, the simple wooden coffin had become a gold-plated memorial to a hero who will never be forgotten.

For his valor, Michael Monsoor becomes the fourth Medal of Honor recipient in the war on terror. Like the three men who came before him, Mike left us far too early. But time will not diminish his legacy. We see his legacy in the SEALs whose lives he saved. We see his legacy in the city of Ramadi, which has gone from one of the most dangerous places in Iraq to one of the most safest. We see his legacy in the family that stands before us filled with grief, but also with everlasting pride.

Mr. and Mrs. Monsoor: America owes you a debt that can never be repaid. This nation will always cherish the memory of your son. We will not let his life go in vain. And this nation will always honor the sacrifice he made. May God comfort you. May God bless America.

Come on up. And now George and Sally Monsoor will be here — a Military Aide will read the citation.

The citation is read:

The President of the United States, in the name of the Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor, posthumously, to Master At Arms Second Class, Sea, Air and Land, Michael A. Monsoor, United States Navy. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Automatic Weapons Gunner for Naval Special Warfare Task Group Arabian Peninsula, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM on 29 September 2006.

As a member of a combined SEAL and Iraqi Army sniper overwatch element, tasked with providing early warning and stand-off protection from a rooftop in an insurgent-held sector of Ar Ramadi, Iraq, Petty Officer Monsoor distinguished himself by his exceptional bravery in the face of grave danger. In the early morning, insurgents prepared to execute a coordinated attack by reconnoitering the area around the element’s position. Element snipers thwarted the enemy’s initial attempt by eliminating two insurgents. The enemy continued to assault the element, engaging them with a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. As enemy activity increased, Petty Officer Monsoor took position with his machine gun between two teammates on an outcropping of the roof. While the SEALs vigilantly watched for enemy activity, an insurgent threw a hand grenade from an unseen location, which bounced off Petty Officer Monsoor’s chest and landed in front of him. Although only he could have escaped the blast, Petty Officer Monsoor chose instead to protect his teammates. Instantly and without regard for his own safety, he threw himself onto the grenade to absorb the force of the explosion with his body, saving the lives of his two teammates. By his undaunted courage, fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of certain death, Petty Officer Monsoor gallantly gave his life for his country, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

h/t Michelle Malkin

Tagged:michael monsoor,medal of honor,military bravery,navy seals,iraq war,posthumous medal of honor award

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Heros Bus Tour: Vets on Capitol Hill....


Pete Hegseth, Executive Director of Vets for Freedom writes:
Yesterday was a great day for our country, and for Vets for Freedom. Not only did General Petraeus testify to incredible progress in Iraq, but Vets for Freedom was joined at a press conference on Capitol Hill by Senators McCain, Lieberman, and Graham; as well as Democrat Jim Marshall and two dozen other Senators and Representatives.


As the press conference concluded, over 400 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and members of Vets for Freedom descended on Capitol Hill, where over 300 meetings were held with their representatives in the Senate and the House. The message was simple: support the commanders on the ground and let the troops win!

Now it''s off to New York City for the final day of the Tour. Join us this evening on the "Glenn Beck Show" on CNN Headline News as three Vets for Freedom members discuss highlights from the tour, Vets on the Hill, and the Petraeus testimony. The message is getting to America, and with your continued support, we will ensure that America understands the truth of what is really happening in Iraq and Afghanistan.




Audio from the Jim Vicevich (WTIC) radio program here.
Tags: iraq war,afghanistan,vets for freedom,pete hegseth,heros bus tour

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Government Gluttony....


Tags: conservativepunk,government spending,congressional hearings,big government,big oil

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Boring Family Sues for Lawn Care Money....


The Smoking Gun is reporting that Google is being sued by a Pennsylvania couple who claim their privacy has been violated by Google's Street View feature which offers panoramic street level views of many locations in the U.S.
Aaron and Christine Boring accuse Google of an "intentional and/or grossly reckless invasion" of their seclusion and privacy since they live on a street that is "clearly marked with a 'Private Road' sign," according to a lawsuit the couple filed this week in Allegheny County's Court of Common Pleas.....The Borings are seeking in excess of $25,000 in damages and want a court order directing Google to destroy images of their home....while they are litigating, perhaps the Borings should consider suing Allegheny County's Office of Property Assessments, which includes a photo of their home (which was built in 1916 and sits on 1.82 acres) on its web site. (click here for that photo)

Googling the address, 1567 Oakridge Lane, Pittsburgh PA no longer brings up the images of the property. The photographs above are from The Smoking Gun article.
We'd say the 25 grand would go a long way towards fixing up that lawn!
h/t The Smoking Gun
Tags:frivolous lawsuits,invasion privacy,the smoking gun,lawn care

Obama v Hillary: Racism or Sexism?

Is America ready for a Black or a Woman in the White House? Recent polls show Americans somewhat ready for a Black president or a woman president although they seem to be more ready for a Black as president. (76% to 63%)
Joan Walsh at Salon weighs in:

Make a Point at Current.com
Tagged:barack obama,campaign 08,hillary clinton,racism,sexism,salon,joan walsh