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The phones have been ringing of the hooks this morning in the UT1992 family (across the US and around the world). It is official that my nephew (oldest brother's son) is being shipped out to Afganistan. My nephew called us this morning to break the news. Although we are all a solid military family, with family members having served in the military and/or seen action in every war/conflict since the civil war, it is still difficult news to hear. He told me told he was scared, but knows that it is his duty and that he is proud to serve....

RFFM.org NEWS CHICAGO, IL -- Do Ask, Do Tell / U.S. Military announced what founder Dan Zanoza is calling a political counterinsurgency movement to fight against homosexual activists. Do Ask, Do Tell / U.S. Military is an organization formed to fight the effort by some which would lead to homosexuals openly serving in the United States Armed Forces. "Hillary Clinton said she would strive to do away with 'Don't ask, don't tell' which was implemented by her husband and former President Bill Clinton during his first term in office," stated Zanoza. "If Hillary planned to use our Armed Forces for...

Video. Obama takes one on the chin. Smart mouth.

OBAMA LV: SHOWING THE EFFECTS OF NEUTERING? Published in July 25th, 2008 Senator Barack Hussein Obama, currently on his premature victory tour, declined to visit our brave and wounded troops in Germany. Basking in the adulation of Germans who, unfortunately for him, cannot vote in American elections–except, maybe, in Chicago–Obama’s camp announced that his sort of scheduled visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center had been scrapped. “Obama decided ‘it would be inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign,’” to which a McCain spokesman Brian Rogers...

Susan Estrich and USA Today slam Barry for ducking the question.

Blackfive posted this email yesterday and has another supporting account (added below in an update) from another member of the military who was also present during Obama's carefully scripted P.R. World Tour. I think you should read it. Hello everyone, As you know I am not a very political person. I just wanted to pass along that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan for about an hour on his visit to "The War Zone". I wanted to share with you what happened. He got off the plan[sic] and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to meet...

A coworker recieved this email from a soldier he knows in Iraq today. ******************************** Hello everyone, As you know I am not a very political person. I just wanted to pass along that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan for about an hour on his visit to "The War Zone". I wanted to share with you what happened. He got off the plan and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at Bagram. As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand he...

Fox News just released their Opinion Dynamics poll showing that Barack Obama's lead over John McCain has shriveled to just 1%, echoing repeated tracking polls by Gallup and Rasmussen that also show Obama with the narrowest of leads. In the poll, Fox News and Opinion Dynamics also found that ...

With the press dubbing Senator Obama's trip as a "Tour of Duty" I was inspired to cobble together this png file for a 3x10 bumper sticker (blanks can be obtained at Office Depot, I believe). It's resolution is 150 ppi. The phone nunber in the disclaimer is really "so sue me". http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/4247/tourofdoodyqy5.png Also, here is an older, smaller png that is only 75x300 and is good for web use: http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/4247/tourofdoodyqy5.png

In a 2 way race, NBC reports that Barack Obama earns 47% of the vote, with McCain earning 41% and 12% of registered voters remaining undecided. NBC claims that these results were based upon a simple question asking which candidate respondents would vote for. But where the polling data becomes perplexing is when NBC asks ...

First, I appreciate, as always, the service of all the troops protecting America's freedom. That, however, does not make all of their opinions accurate or even well stated. They are throwing away $100,000 on this piece of trash.

I can understand Obama traveling to Iraq and Afghanistan to meet with the troops, talk to military leaders, a listen and learn trip – so to speak, as the presumptive Democratic nominee and as Illinois Senator. Sure it is odd that he laid out his plans for Iraq and Afghanistan in an op-ed piece in the New York Times one week before he left, but I will not criticize him for that. I also do not mind his traveling to Israel, our closest ally in the region, knowing full well that he must garnish more support from the Jewish community...

Pete Wehner has a great piece about Obama, Democrats, and the Surge. He has gone through the records of nearly every prominent Democrat, pulled their public comments on the issue, and makes them eat 'em. First Chef Wehner serves Obama a big plate of bitch-slap. Sayeth the Messiah: I don't think the president's strategy is going to work. We went through two weeks of hearings on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; experts from across the spectrum--military and civilian, conservative and liberal--expressed great skepticism about it. My suggestion to the president has been that the only way we're going to change...

On the campaign trail Senator Obama has been quick to invoke the names of the great Democratic Presidents: Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy, but in reality, perhaps its time that Obama opens a history book and begins to learn why these men were great leaders. Obama's position on Iraq has morphed from a 4 year long stance of 'we cannot win, bring our troops home' to a position of 'we are winning, time to redeploy our troops to Afghanistan'. First,...

Suddenly within the past month, it feels like we’re returning to the Cold War. It’s obvious that the Russians are quite annoyed by the attempts of the U.S. deploying a missile shield in Eastern Europe — the former backyard of the Russians.

I missed this one. In May, the military had an “apology ceremony” after a soldier allegedly used the Qur’an as target practice. Now before I get going, it was definitely a stupid thing to do. I want to make that clear. The soldier says that he didn’t know it was the Qur’an, and that is entirely possible (the art of deception has long been mastered by our enemies, plus they have the assistance of our own media – think Haditha and the Qur’an flushing hoaxes). Whatever the case, he has been sent back to the States. The Commander of U.S....

The son of Egyptian and Palestinian parents who raised their son on a steady diet of anti-Western mantra, the Holy blessings of the act of martyrdom, and other radical Islamic virtues, Khadr was captured by U.S. troops far from his Toronto home.....

A friend of a friend produced this video, one of the best I’ve seen when it comes to documenting the anti-Americanism of the radical left. Complete with an upside down flag, spitting on an Iraq War veteran and calling him a rapist, it’s sure to make your blood boil. Good gosh, can we please rid our country of this kind of human garbage? You know, the Left would like to turn almost anything now into a hate crime. Do you think we could get the Dems in Congress to include US servicemen and women in their next piece of hate...

I'm certainly glad that Senator Obama has taken the time to finally pay some respect to our forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. In what was technically to be a fact-finding mission, paid with taxpayer funds, the Senator overstepped his authority on Monday by engaging in political negotiations without any granted authority to do so. But the Obama campaign, preoccupied with creating the appearance of foreign policy savvy, failed to utilize his new-found leadership role to further American interests in the Middle East. Back at home, middle class Americans continue ...

Video. And Amateur Hour continues apace. ABC's Terry Moran asks Obama about what Petraeus thought about Barry's 16 month pullout plan. Obama breaks out the leisure suit, starts dancing, and finally says, "You know, I, I, umm, uhh, I mean, uhh, you know, well . . . Screw Petraeus, I'm the boss and I'll decide when the hell we're gonna pull out."

The New York Times has turned down an op-ed written by Republican Presidential candidate John McCain. They are a private organization, and I suppose it is fair to say that they are welcome to publish or turn down whomever they want. His article, Getting Iraq Right, can instead be found at the New York Post. I felt compelled to expand on a couple points in his article. One: McCain makes the point that the Bush Administration waved the “Mission Accomplished” banner “prematurely” as is Barack Obama with his Iraq withdrawal policy. Well, the thing is: the banner did not signify...

Last night on Anderson Cooper 360, two CNN political analysts charged that Senator Obama overstepped his authority as a United States Senator in acting as a negotiator with the Iraqi government and publicly disclosing statements made during those interviews. During an interview with Anderson Cooper, David Gergen, CNN's Senior Political Analyst stated,...

THE OLD GRAY B*TCH: CENSORSHIP AT THE NEW YORK TIMES Published July 22nd, 2008 The New York Times, which last week printed an op-ed piece by Senator Obama on the Iraq War, has rejected an article on the same subject by Senator John McCain. Says editorial page editor, David Shipley, “It would be terrific to have an article from Sen. McCain that mirrors Sen. Obama’s piece.” (http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/07/mccain-oped-not.html) As our Black brethren might say, “Say what???” Since the “paper of record,” “the old, gray lady,” has now become a senile, old, corrupt, censorial b*tch determined to dictate rather than report and...

Video. Yeah, the left supports the (Rapist) troops all right. They also support (Fascist) America, and George W. (Hang Him) Bush. If you can muscle through and keep lunch down, the last minute will make you feel better.

According to new sources, Barack Obama will be meeting with Palestinian officials in Ramallah during his current Middle East Tour. After visiting with Israeli officials, Obama will be escorted by Israeli defense forces until security is handed over to...

The Pakistani Stumbling Block by: Rachel Paulk, July 21, 2008 The largest obstacle facing the NATO troops in Afghanistan is Pakistan. Afghanistan’s most volatile area is its porous northeastern border with Pakistan because the mountainous terrain prohibits enforcement of a secure border between the two countries. This terrain also provides safe breeding ground for the terrorist organizations forced to relocate. Osama bin Laden hid in this area following the Taliban’s removal from serious control of the country after the September 11, 2001 attacks. On the other side of the border, Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) contains poor ethnic tribes...

Karachi Kids by: Robin Beshear, July 21, 2008 California-born Muslim Imran Raza takes Americans behind the doors of the radical madrassa Jamia Binoria in his upcoming documentary, The Karachi Kids. The film focuses on the story of two American boys from Atlanta who were sent by their Islamic father to the Taliban-affiliated madrassa in Pakistan. The film takes place over a four-year time period, showing the progression of brainwashing that happens at these madrassas. At the beginning of the film, the boys are eager to go back to America and be with their families. By the end, they want to...

Whether or not Hezbollah will disarm peaceably is the central issue in the current peace process between Israel and its Arab neighbors: Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza. The answer to the question may prove to be the lynchpin of stability in the Middle East. Israel's recent offering of direct peace talks with Lebanon, a second round of Turkey mediated negotiations with Syria, as well as its Egyptian brokered truce with Hamas in Gaza all seem to bode well for the prospect [1]. Condoleeza Rice's surprise visit to Beirut to pledge monetary and military support for the forming government...

In perhaps the most distasteful and contrarian effort yet, stories are surfacing through news agencies this morning of a private congressional talks that would actually raise the Federal Gas Tax by ...

Democratic presidential hopeful, Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.), took his campaign east over the weekend. The three major television networks (ABC, CBS and NBC) accompanied him to “document this historic occasion.” Obama characterized the move as a bid “to reach out to all of the 57 states and bring them the same message of hope and redemption that I have shared with the three dozen or so states within the continental United States.” “This is definitely thinking ‘outside-the-box,’” gushed ABC News anchor Charles Gibson. “Lesser men may be content to be president of America. Senator Obama has a real chance to...

The world was well aware of Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) stockpiles. Politicians from both parties admitted that Saddam would not disarm voluntarily, and that military force was the only solution. Intelligence sources estimate that Iraq had 100 million tons of munitions, which is an astonishing 60 percent of our own arsenal. According to the House Armed Service Committee, Saddam himself admitted to possessing thousands of tons of WMD. Since we have not found the “smoking gun” proof of a WMD arsenal, they must have gone somewhere else. Prior to our liberation of Iraq, it was clear we...

There's been much ado about Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki's interview with German newsmagazine Der Spiegel about a timeframe for withdrawal of U.S. troops. Here's the key text: SPIEGEL: Would you hazard a prediction as to when most of the US troops will finally leave Iraq? Maliki: As soon as possible, as far as we're concerned. U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes. SPIEGEL: Is this an endorsement for the US presidential election in November? Does Obama, who has no military background,...

KABUL (Reuters) - Presidential candidate Barack Obama called the situation in Afghanistan "precarious and urgent" on Sunday after meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai during an overseas trip meant to burnish his foreign policy credentials.

http://www.enewsreference.blogspot.com

KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama met the commander of U.S. troops in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday to talk about the war he says is not getting enough attention from the Bush administration.

Nathan Whitling and Dennis Edney, who are representing Omar Khadr, a 16-year old Canadian being held at Guantánamo Bay, released 10-minutes of snippets from videotaped interrogations by Canadian Security Intelligence Services agents “with hopes that public reaction to the footage will prompt Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to lobby for his repatriation” reports The New York Times. “The video was made public under Canadian court orders … after intelligence reports made public last week showed Khadr was abused in detention at the U.S. naval base.” Abused? Puhleeze! The Stiletto has watched more brutal questioning on “Homicide: Life on the Street.”...

...So let me get this right... We have no respect for and refuse to associate ourselves with a Vietnam Veteran who lost 3 limbs in service to this great nation, has served as a member of Congress and whom works for a company who provides treatment too and develops new technologies to treat our wounded soldiers. Meanwhile, we will proudly associate ourselves with and allow fundraising from...

Hi everybody, I’m excited to be posting on BlogHer. Not only because blogging is something I’ve actually been able to beat my daughters to; but because it gives me the opportunity to tell you a little bit about them, my husband, myself, and our experiences traveling all over this great country. Over the course of this campaign, I’ve been hosting roundtable discussions with working women all across America. I’m there to talk about my husband, of course – but more importantly, I’m there to listen. We talk about what it’s like to play multiple roles at once and what it’s...

PDOP Guest Post: ...Tom Daschle said, on June 22nd, on Fox News Sunday that we would have no oil until 2030. Is he is actually stating that it would take 22 years to find oil and drill for it? Just last week I was hearing ten years to bring oil to the pumps as gasoline....These sides all seem to feel that energy from renewable or from depleting resources is an all or nothing proposition.Here are some basics to consider to ease the frustration:

Israel, Ireland, and International Law by: Daniel Smith, July 18, 2008 Experts on Middle Eastern nuclear affairs met July 14 at the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) to discuss the September 2007 Israeli airstrike against Syria. Daryl Kimball, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association, described the event as “troubling”; David Albright and Avner Cohen discussed the “strange” and “bizarre” issues surrounding the event. Albright is the President of the Institute for Science and International Security and Dr. Cohen is a Senior Fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Dr. Cohen encapsulated the chief concern among the panelists: the...

On Wednesday we initiated a Drill Now Email Initiative designed to work in conjunction with the Drill Here, Drill Now Petition. The effort is to force a handful of Democratic Congressional Leaders, along with some Republicans, to stop their attempts to block the "Gas Price Reduction Act of 2008" a bill that would remove the moratorium on offshore drilling, remove the moratorium placed on Oil Shale Exploration by congress last year, Offers incentives and investment in electric vehicle and alternative energy development, and increases funding and oversight provisions within the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the group that monitors commodities activities...

This morning the papers were overloaded with positive stories proclaiming that Barack Obama was back on his A-Game and raising money like there was no tomorrow. Unfortunately the MSM once again failed to look at the actual numbers that should be of concern for the Obama campaign. It is true that the Obama campaign did raise $52 million in June, along with DNC fundraising that added another $22 million to their coffers. That's a total haul of $74 million for the Democrat party in the month of June. But...

DAVID REMES: TERRORIST DEFENDER Published July 18th, 2008 in KIERAN LALOR FOR CONGRESS 19TH CD NY, POLITICS Is this a class act, or what? Actually, it’s David Remes, a partner with the Covington & Burling law firm, demonstrating the effects of stuffing a sock into his jockeys at a news conference in Dubai. http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/07/16/to-protest-gitmo-punishment-covington-parnter-drops-trou-in-yemen/. (Click on the link if you wish to see Mr. Remes trying to expose himself.) “In a recent interview with the Yemen Observer, David Remes, a Covington & Burling partner who was in Yemen working on his representation of 15 Yemeni detainees at Gitmo, told the...

You see, the problem with holding a particular ideology is that, unless you’re a total recluse, someone in your inner circle will eventually reveal your intentions (albeit, unintentionally). There has been a lot of scrambling behind the scenes then in public to try and cover up the mess Michelle Obama made when she declared, “for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback." She made this statement in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Later the same day in Madison Wisconsin, she said, “For the first time in my...

...The bill initially failed within the house, but reports surfaced yesterday that Pelosi and Reid had been holding private meetings with moderate congressional Democrats who have refused to support the bill, in an attempt to revive the legislation. Of course, with my inquisitive mind, I decided to actually look into the bill and determine why Pelosi and Reid are pushing so hard. What I discovered, is that hidden deep inside the bill are some ...

PEACENIKS AND THE PRICE OF SURRENDER Gene’s Blog Problems in America — Solutions for America! PEACENIKS AND THE PRICE OF SURRENDER http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/07/17/code_pink/?source=newsletter PEACENIKS! “Why does the peace movement have to dress and act like an irritating children’s birthday party?” headlines this Salon.com article. What else would this author expect? The so-called “peace movement” is populated with the remnants of the “Flower Children” of the 60’s and 70’s and the “Woodstock Generation” and their progeny and fellow travellers. This is the same misguided group which senselessly prolonged the Vietnam War and caused untold losses of American troops in the process. (Think...

The Million Mom Marcher-types would have you believe that guns are just nasty – the playthings of rednecks and brutes, and certainly of no use to decent people. But Col. Colt's revolver earned the nineteenth-century nickname "the equalizer" for good reason. As a weapon of self-defense, it ended the age of brawn and put clerks and school-teachers on a par with bruisers for the first time since ... well, ever. With a loaded pistol in hand, the frailest woman could fend off the meanest thug, and a black sharecropper might persuade a racist mob to play nice – somewhere else....

Welcome to the party boys. Maybe next they'll be calling for a grown-up like Hillary to take the helm.

This is brutalization by American interrogators? Please.