Pelosi's Spring Fling: Bling Blanket Bingo!

From Perish the Thought ......... indeed, Perish the Thought!

Most of us head to the beach on spring break. Not Nancy Pelosi and a delegation of congress-critters. They're off to the Middle East to engage in goodwill and fact-finding.

Oh, dear. Are we about to witness a Pelosi "deer in the headlights" scenario?

It will prove interesting to learn how she will balance (flip-flop?) her opinion(s) on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

In prior times, Pelosi told the AIPAC: "There are those who contend that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is all about Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza," Pelosi said as she rallied AIPAC loyalists. "This is absolute nonsense. In truth, the history of the conflict is not over occupation, and never has been: it is over the fundamental right of Israel to exist."

In that speech to the American-Israeli lobby group -- the second largest in Washington -- Pelosi declared: "The greatest threat to Israel's right to exist, with the prospect of devastating violence, now comes from Iran. For too long, leaders of both political parties in the United States have not done nearly enough to confront the Russians and the Chinese, who have supplied Iran as it has plowed ahead with its nuclear and missile technology."

Will Pelosi flip-flop her position on Israel's plight to accommodate a revised view of the Palestine issue?

It will be interesting to see ....

After all --- she (like many others) has changed her opinions on Iraq and Saddam:

"As a member of the House Intelligence Committee [December 1998], I am keenly aware that the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons is an issue of grave importance to all nations. Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."

Today, however, she recants: "There was never anything in the intelligence that said Iraq posed an imminent threat to the United States, never."

It's likely no coincidence that Pelosi will be speaking to the Israeli Parliament on April 1.

They do recognize April Fools Day in Israel, don't they?

Pelosi's Great Adventure

Will Pelosi's Ploy be a spring break bonanza for the moonbat brigade?

Give us a break, prancy-Nancy. Your tactics are a bit too obvious to the O-T-H oracles. Plus you're costing taxpayers millions in jet fuel.

If rumors are correct, Pelosi has her sights on reshaping U.S. foreign policy, including but not limited to peace in the Middle East! Wow. Finally. Going where no man has gone before.

And while you're at it, Madame Speakah, find a cure for jet-lag. You're going to need it!!!

credit: Perish the Thought

Senate Swine Slop Themselves

I'm already sick of them. The swine in the senate have slopped additional pork in with the war funding.

Harry Reid et al can make all the excuses they want, but the bleeding of our military will be on the hands of every Senator who votes for this bill.

Porky Pelosi Gets Her Wish ....BUT --

President Bush speaks about today's vote in the House:

"...The purpose of the emergency war spending bill I requested was to provide our troops with vital funding. Instead, Democrats in the House, in an act of political theater, voted to substitute their judgment for that of our military commanders on the ground in Iraq. They set rigid restrictions that will require an army of lawyers to interpret. They set an arbitrary date for withdrawal without regard for conditions on the ground. And they tacked on billions for pet projects that have nothing to do with winning the war on terror. This bill has too much pork, too many conditions and an artificial timetable for withdrawal.
As I have made clear for weeks, I will veto it if it comes to my desk. And because the vote in the House was so close, it is clear that my veto would be sustained. Today's action in the House does only one thing: it delays the delivering of vital resources for our troops. A narrow majority has decided to take this course, just as General Petraeus and his troops are carrying out a new strategy to help the Iraqis secure their capital city...."

What "pork" was attached?

Check out these for starters:

$500 million for emergency wildfires suppression; the Forest Service currently has $831 million for this purpose;
$400 million for rural schools;
$283 million for the Milk Income Loss Contract program;
$120 million to compensate for the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the shrimp and menhaden fishing industries;
$100 million for citrus assistance;
$74 million for peanut storage costs;
$60.4 million for salmon fisheries in the Klamath River region in California and Oregon;
$50 million for asbestos mitigation at the U.S. Capitol Plant;
$48 million in salaries and expenses for the Farm Service Agency;
$35 million for NASA risk mitigation projects in Gulf Coast;
$25 million for spinach growers;
$25 million for livestock;
$20 million for Emergency Conservation Program for farmland damaged by freezing temperatures;
$16 million for security upgrades to House of Representatives office buildings;
$10 million for the International Boundary and Water Commission for the Rio Grande Flood Control System Rehabilitation project;
$6.4 million for House of Representative’s Salaries and Expenses Account for business continuity and disaster recovery expenses;
$5 million for losses suffered by aquaculture businesses including breeding, rearing, or transporting live fish as a result of viral hemorrhagic septicemia;
$4 million for the Office of Women’s Health at the Food and Drug Administration; and
A minimum wage increase, which is the subject of separate legislation.

In the Senate, these are the anticipated pork attachments:

$1.5 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers for recovery along the coast, including funding for Hawaii for an April 2006 flood;
$850 million for Department of Homeland Security grants ($625M for rail/transit grants, $190M for port security grants, and $35M for urban area security grants);
$660 million for the procurement of an explosives detection system for the Transportation Security Administration;
$640 million for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program;
$425 million for education grants for rural areas;
$388.9 million for a backlog of Department of Transportation projects;
$165.9 million (including $60.4 million for salmon fisheries in the Klamath Basin region) for fisheries disaster relief;
$75 million for salaries and expenses for the Farm Service Agency;
$48 million in disaster construction money for NASA;
$25 million for grants through the Safe and Drug Free Schools program;
$25 million for asbestos abatement at the Capitol Power Plant;
$24 million to sugar beet producers;
$22.8 million for geothermal research and development;
$20 million for reimbursements to Nevada for “insect damage;”
$12 million for Forest Service money requested by the president in the non-emergency FY2008 budget
$3.5 million for guided tours of the Capitol;
$3 million for sugar cane; and
Allows the transfer of funds from holiday ornament sales in the Senate gift shop.

Updates later .....

LONG OVER-DUE --

The Victory Caucus -- a consortium of bloggers working to defeat Congressional defeatists. Visit the site. Check it out. If you agree with the premises of the Victory Caucus --- join.


If we are to restore respect and support for our troops and their mission in Iraq -- as well as the war against terrorism, we must be willing to work together to replace the Defeatists in Congress.

The Eagles Have Landed

First Gull caws a live blog of the anti-war rally.


Then Reveller beefs up a look at the protest mooooooovement.


No matter how you slice it -- last weekend's protest organizers may soon be put out to pasture.


THANKS, EAGLES!!

Reving Up for Romney

Mitt Romney is moving up in polls and in endorsements --- Check out his progress at

Romney in the News

GATHERING OF EAGLES

Join a GATHERING OF EAGLES in Washington, DC on March 17, 2007 ..... Participants will be gathering at The Wall and other memorials to protect them from anti-war vandals.

MSM Tourniquet for the Slow Bleeding Dems

From the (gasp!) Washington Post:

Not the 'Real Vote'
Or so Rep. John Murtha says of the House's Iraq resolution.

Saturday, February 17, 2007; Page A30

REP. JOHN MURTHA (D-Pa.) has a message for anyone who spent the week following the House of Representatives' marathon debate on Iraq: You've been distracted by a sideshow. "We have to be careful that people don't think this is the vote," the 74-year-old congressman said of the House's 246-182 decision in favor of a resolution disapproving of President Bush's troop surge. "The real vote will come on the legislation we're putting together." That would be Mr. Murtha's plan to "stop the surge" and "force a redeployment" of U.S. forces from Iraq while ducking the responsibility that should come with such a radical step.

We'll return to Mr. Murtha's plan, but first it's worth considering the five days of debate that he so breezily dismissed. It's true that nonbinding resolutions won't stop the troop surge, which is already underway. But after years of minimal debate and oversight of the war, the House Democratic leadership was right to allow scores of representatives to speak at some length on Iraq. Some of the speeches were little more than partisan rhetoric, but there were also intelligent and heartfelt interventions, especially from veterans of Iraq and Vietnam.

The House vote does matter: It ought to increase the pressure on Mr. Bush and the Iraqi government to follow through on their pledges to accompany the military campaign with tangible steps toward political accords and economic reconstruction. Senate leaders would be wise to reach an agreement today allowing a similar debate. And both chambers should aggressively conduct oversight hearings aimed at holding the administration to its promise to link continued U.S. troop deployments to Iraqi performance.

Mr. Murtha has a different idea. He would stop the surge by crudely hamstringing the ability of military commanders to deploy troops. In an interview carried Thursday by the Web site MoveCongress.org, Mr. Murtha said he would attach language to a war funding bill that would prohibit the redeployment of units that have been at home for less than a year, stop the extension of tours beyond 12 months, and prohibit units from shipping out if they do not train with all of their equipment. His aim, he made clear, is not to improve readiness but to "stop the surge." So why not straightforwardly strip the money out of the appropriations bill -- an action Congress is clearly empowered to take -- rather than try to micromanage the Army in a way that may be unconstitutional? Because, Mr. Murtha said, it will deflect accusations that he is trying to do what he is trying to do. "What we are saying will be very hard to find fault with," he said.

Mr. Murtha's cynicism is matched by an alarming ignorance about conditions in Iraq. He continues to insist that Iraq "would be more stable with us out of there," in spite of the consensus of U.S. intelligence agencies that early withdrawal would produce "massive civilian casualties." He says he wants to force the administration to "bulldoze" the Abu Ghraib prison, even though it was emptied of prisoners and turned over to the Iraqi government last year. He wants to "get our troops out of the Green Zone" because "they are living in Saddam Hussein's palace"; could he be unaware that the zone's primary occupants are the Iraqi government and the U.S. Embassy?

It would be nice to believe that Mr. Murtha does not represent the mainstream of the Democratic Party or the thinking of its leadership. Yet when asked about Mr. Murtha's remarks Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered her support. Does Ms. Pelosi really believe that the debate she orchestrated this week was not "the real vote"? If the answer is yes, she is maneuvering her party in a way that can only do it harm.

Thank you, WP. It's about time MSM woke up and told the world what is REALLY happening.

Hillary's Health Care Plan

All we need. Socialized medicine. Quick fixes. Long lines. Just check out this secret plan in Hillary's universal health care package ...

1. Stare into the cat's eyes.


2. Now watch these puppies.



3. Take the elevator down to the medical assessment area, please.



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4. Come back in six months. Your cat scan and lab work will require FURRther assessment!






hee hee hee hee hee.

Beyond THE PLEDGE

I stand with Perish the Thought and our troops.

If democrats want to place politics and personal ambition above supporting our military mission in Iraq, let them be bound by their defeatist "un-binding" resolution.

I signed THE PLEDGE.

Happy Holidays!

Learning that Iraqi militia leaders are discussing the possibility of halting their assaults on one another may be the gift of a life-time for Iraqis, for the Middle East and for our troops in harm's way .... It is a long-overdue step in the right direction. Iraqis SHOULD soon be assuming responsibility for their own security, economic welfare and progress. While I'm not one to believe that our troops will ever literally be "brought home enmass," i.e., without some in-country support system to aid the Iraqis -- I pray that my positive feelings about the region are a sign of the future.

Moving to the middle, after all -- should be the goal of most societies and religions and politicians .... with respect for all .... May there be peace throughout the region of the birthplace of Christ ....

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and especially warm wishes for a more peaceful New Year!

Al-Qaeda Congratulates Democrats --

.... then reaffirms their intent to bomb the White House.

That sure caught everyone by surprise. I refer to the threat, of course. Here's what the AFP reports:

Another alpha-bet chief in Iraq threatened (in an audio message posted on the Internet) that the Al-Qaeda et al terror network will "blow up the White House" among other rants and warnings.

"We announce today the end of a phase of the jihad (holy war) and the start of a new one... to usher in the project of an Islamic caliphate and restore Islam's glory," Abu Hamza al-Muhajer said in the message.

"We swear we will not rest from our jihad... before blowing up the filthiest house, dubbed the White House," in the course of establishing the caliphate which began with the proclamation of an Islamic state in Iraq, he said.

"The location chosen by your mujahedeen brethren to set up their state... is but a stepping stone for the leap," Muhajer said, referring to the "Islamic state of Iraq" proclaimed last month.
An alliance of Sunni insurgents headed by the Iraq branch of Al-Qaeda announced the creation of an independent Islamic emirate in Iraq in a video posted on the Internet on October 15, after parliament in Baghdad approved a federal constitution for the war-ravaged country.

In Friday's message, Muhajer said he had mobilized 12,000 fighters for the Islamic state and was grooming 10,000 more.

"I tell the commander of the faithful, the honorable Sheikh Abu Omar al-Baghdadi: I have put 12,000 Al-Qaeda fighters at the disposal of the Islamic state of Iraq," Muhajer said, pledging allegiance to the state's emir.

The Al-Qaeda chief appealed to major Iraqi Sunni insurgent groups, notably the Army of Ansar al-Sunna, the Islamic Army of Iraq and the Mujahedeen's Army, to endorse the self-styled state and pledge allegiance to its emir.

Muhajer slammed US President George W. Bush, gloated over his Republican party's defeat in mid-term elections widely attributed to US involvement in Iraq, and said US forces occupying the country were preparing to cut and run.

"The enemy is now teetering under the blows of the mujahedeen... and preparing to pack up and flee," he said.

"I thank the most stupid and worst president America -- the country of slaves and drugs -- has ever had for giving us this great historic opportunity," said the voice.

"The American people have taken the first step on the right path in order to get out of their impasse and have started to realize the treachery of their president and his subordination to Israel, voting for a measure of reason in the latest elections," Muhajer said.

"I tell (Bush): don't hurry to flee like your defense minister (Donald Rumsfeld, who resigned Wednesday). We have still not quenched our thirst for your blood."

Muhajer also charged that Bush's policies had enabled Shiite Iran to spread its influence in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries.

Alphabet-man's rhetoric has a familiar ring ....... Many of his observations appear to have been lifted right out of recent campaign speeches .... You don't think ..... nahhhhhh .... no way.

No way.

Ya think?

Armistice (Post-Election) Time

With rumors that Allen will concede the VA election (though Burns is still holding out), what we need is to call for an election armistice and get back to the business of politics -- I mean, governing.

Saturday is the real Armistice Day, by the way. It's now called Veterans Day.

Here, let Garrison Keillor explain it for you. He's a liberal, but he at least surrounds himself with what appears to be a down-homesy staff that edits politics from his newsletter (can't say the same for his live shows).

November 11 was originally called Armistice Day because it was on this day in 1918 that the First World War came to an end. After four years of brutal trench fighting, 9 million soldiers had died and 21 million were wounded. It was called "The War to End All Wars," because it was the bloodiest war in history up to that point, and it made many people so sick of war that they hoped no war would ever break out again.

Many intellectuals and artists were disillusioned by the war. The philosopher Bertrand Russell said, "All this madness, all this rage, all this flaming death of our civilization and our hopes, has been brought about because a set of official gentlemen, living luxurious lives, mostly stupid, and all without imagination or heart, have chosen that it should occur rather than that any one of them should suffer some infinitesimal rebuff to his country's pride."

Fly a flag on Saturday. If there is a Veterans parade or commemorative service in your area, take the kids ..... Appreciation, honor, respect, etc., begin at home.

Please Vote -- Here's Why

Bush Derangement Syndrome

It doesn't take much to entertain me, so I thought I'd play along with this BDS alert icon. Problem is, if I used it everytime it was relevant --- I'd overload my free bandwidth!
I'll make it simple ......

Everytime you see or hear one of the following politicos:

Evan Bayh (1955), U.S. senator from Indiana
Joseph Biden (1942), U.S. senator from Delaware, candidate for the Democratic nomination for president
Kathleen Blanco (1942), Governor of Louisiana
Barbara Boxer (1940), U.S. senator from California
Phil Bredesen (1943), Governor of Tennessee
Jerry Brown (1938), mayor of Oakland, California, former governor of California, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Robert Byrd (1917), U.S. senator from West Virginia, former Senate Majority Leader, candidate for the Democratic nomination for president
Wesley Clark (1944), former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Bill Clinton (1946), Attorney General of Arkansas 1976-1978, Governor of Arkansas 1978-1980, 1982-1992, President of the United States of America, 1993-2001
Hillary Clinton (1947), U.S. senator from New York, former First Lady
Jimmy Carter (1924), State Senator, Georgia 1962-1966, Governor of Georgia 1971-1975, Chairman, Democratic National Committee Congressional and Gubernatorial Elections 1974, President of the United States, 1977-1981, Founder, Carter Center, 1982- ,Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, 2002
Richard Codey (1946), Governor of New Jersey, 2004-2006
John Conyers (1929), U.S. congressman from Michigan
Jon S. Corzine (1947), Governor of New Jersey and former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
Richard M. Daley (1942), mayor of Chicago, Illinois
Tom Daschle (1947), former U.S. senator from South Dakota, former Senate Minority Leader
Howard Dean (1948), former governor of Vermont, candidate for Democratic nomination for president, current chair of the Democratic National Committee
Richard Durbin, (1944), U.S. senator from Illinois, Senate Minority Whip
Mike Easley, (1950), Governor of North Carolina
John Edwards (1953), former U.S. senator from North Carolina, candidate for Democratic nomination for President, Democratic Vice Presidential nominee 2004
Russ Feingold (1953), U.S. senator from Wisconsin
Albert Gore Jr. (1948), Former U.S. senator and congressman from Tennessee, former Vice President of the United States, 1993-2001, Democratic Presidential Candiate, 2000, filmmaker
Tom Harkin (1939), U.S. senator from Iowa, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Jesse Jackson (1941), civil rights activist, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Tim Kaine (1958), former Lieutenant Governor and current Governor of Virginia
Ted Kennedy (1932), U.S. senator from Massachusetts, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
John F. Kerry (1943), U.S. senator from Massachusetts, 2004 Democratic nomminee for president, possible 2008 candidate
Dennis Kucinich (1946), U.S. congressman from Ohio, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Frank R. Lautenberg (1924), U.S. senator from New Jersey
Patrick Leahy (1940), U.S. senator from Vermont
Zell Miller (1932), former Governor and former U.S. senator from Georgia
Norman Mineta (1931), Secretary of Transportation, only Democrat in the Bush cabinet.
James E. McGreevey (1957), Governor of New Jersey, 2002-2004
Cynthia McKinney (1955), U.S. congresswoman from Georgia
Barack Obama (1961), U.S. senator from Illinois
Martin O'Malley, mayor of Baltimore, candidate for governor of Maryland
Nancy Pelosi (1940), House Minority Leader from California
Harry Reid (1939), Senate Minority Leader from Nevada
Bill Richardson (1947), governor of New Mexico, former Energy Secretary
Charles Schumer (1950), U.S. senator from New York, chairman of Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Al Sharpton (1954), civil rights activist, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Louise Slaughter (1929), U.S. congresswoman from New York, Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee
Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General of New York, candidate for governor of New York
Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles, California
James Hahn, Los Angeles City Controller 1981-1985, Los Angeles City Attorney 1985-2001, Mayor of Los Angeles 2001-2005
Tom Vilsack (1950), governor of Iowa, chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council
Mark Warner (1954), former governor of Virginia
Anthony A. Williams (1951) , mayor of Washington, D.C.

and their lips are moving ---- consider yourself on

Remembering Sept. 11, 2001

I intended to volunteer to write a tribute to one fallen victim, but my life was topsy-turvey during the original sign-up. I did end up reading the tributes, however, and finally decided that what I might do was compile links to articles written by the survivors of 9-11. They, too, are part of the remembrance .....

* Attack on America: Eleven personal stories by people who escaped the Pentagon or the World Trade Center with links to many other accounts and from people who share their stories and thoughts.

* Voices of 9/11: Video testimonies by survivors and victims' family members.

* My Story: Stories, essays and images from around the world.

* Images and Headlines: From news reports around the world.

* Flight 93: The story of their lives and their destiny.

* New York City: After the fall.

* Where Were You?: 2000 stories by individuals from around the world.

* Missing Pieces: Witness Testimonies and Reflections

I plan to continue to add sites. It's the least I can do to honor the memory of those lost and affected by 9/11 .....


Also see Honoring 9/11 Victims.

Honoring 9-11 Victims

What an amazing event.

2,996 bloggers contributing tributes to victims of the 9-11 tragedy. I'm actually amazed that bloggers from all walks of life are/have been able to do this a-politically.

Some have walked a thin line, but altogether, the overwhelming majority of posted tributes are focused on an assigned victim.

The target date for all posts to be online is Tuesday, September 11.

Here's some music Gullspirit found online and has posted with her tribute to Lynn Goodchild at Perish the Thought. It's an original composition by Lynn Skinner.


VOICES FROM THE SKY download

Flocks of paper flying
Faces bent from crying
Traces of a skyline
On a morning that will never die

Smoky silence burning
Broken sky returning
Echoes in a stairwell

On a morning that will never die
Missing voices whisper through the broken sky
Live your lifeand we will never die...

Let it play as you read the tribute to Lynn Goodchild. It will definitely put you in a reflective mood.

Hezbollah Bunker at UNIFIL Post

If there had been any doubt that UNIFIL "peacekeeping" forces were objective in their duties to monitor the Israel-Lebanon border -- fugeddaboutit.

There is something rotten in Lebanon and in the United Nations .....

This is a digital animation of the expansive Hezbollah bunker system being destroyed near the Israeli border by IDF troops. It's located within yards of a UNIFIL outpost:




Credits and links to videos of these bunkers being destroyed by IDF are at Perish the Thought .....

Perish the Thought ...

Rhet invited me to post here while PtT and Blogdrive are down ..... bummer. Bummer that blogdrive is down, I mean. Blogspot rules -- regardless of where I officially hang my blogging hat!

Thanks, Rhet. And thanks, Blogspot for your reliability!