“I think the ’surge’ is working,” Congressman Jackass John Murtha said in a video conference from his Johnstown office, describing the president’s decision to commit more than 20,000 additional combat troops this year.
Be sure to read the comments.
Great. Another millionaire jackass politician being paid millions of dollars for his lying autobiography.
I'll bet Fatboy Teddy Kennedy mentions Mary Jo Kopechne just as many times as Bubba mentioned Eileen Wellstone and Juanita Broaddrick in "My Lies" and Hillary mentioned Monica (et al) in "Lying History".
What else might be left out / glossed over?
His expulsion from Harvard in 1951?
(for cheating)
Why the US Army denied him a commission?
(cheating, again)
Why he was nicknamed 'Cadillac Eddie' in law school?
(cited four times for reckless driving -three times in 1958 and once in 1959- running red lights and driving with his lights off at ninety miles per hour in a suburban area. Teddy was convicted of three violations and fined, but for some reason -can we guess why- his driver's license was never revoked. Not even later, when he killed Mary Jo.)
How Daddy Joe bought / procured a Senate seat for Baby Boy?
(when JFK became POTUS, his Massachusetts Senate seat became vacant. But Teddy was not eligible to fill Bro's vacant seat until February 22, 1962, when he would turn thirty. So Daddy Joe persuaded the Massachusetts governor to name a Kennedy family friend to fill out Jack's term, keeping the seat available for Teddyboy.)
"Look, I paid for it," Joe explained. "It belongs in the family."How about how he tried to sell this country out to the Russians?
A Bridge Over Troubled Water (sorry, taken);
No Right Turns Since Chappaquiddick (definite possibility);
Booze, Broads and Bridges (has a ring to it);
and my personal favorite - Fatboy: an Autobiographical Fantasy
"Do we operate under a system of equal justice under law?
Or is there one system for the average citizen and another for the high and mighty?" -- Edward Kennedy, 1973
Those idiot women should be named and shamed in the paper, on the telly, on billboards, on posters on the tube, and wherever else.
"A proper response to this self-centered woman would have been that although she may have paid in the coin of the realm for a single visit to this public swimming pool these patriots had paid for a lifetime pass to that facility with their blood and missing limbs." - trinitytim
"And the same should be done here for every single one of those traitorous types you see protesting in the streets of America, spitting on troops, sitting in front of trucks, dropping babies on their heads etc." - RetFireman
"As I have previously stated, I have never over all the years of my public service, accepted payment from anyone for the performance of any act or duty for which I have been elected."Witnesses against the Defense:
On the question of resigning Jefferson said ... "Far from it. I have come to declare, among other things, my continued intention to serve."
Capt Ronald M Mayercik, Edison, NJ (Pic: Left)
Check out the Club for Growth RePORK Card:On the Senate side
Democrats regained power in Congress this year, promising to create the most honest, open Congress in history. "We will bring transparency and openness to the budget process and to the use of earmarks," Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi said in December 2006, "and we will give the American people the leadership they deserve."The Clinton campaign has refused to respond to requests that Ms Clinton identify her earmarks.
Calvan: To exhibit consistently pushy, arrogant, and condescending behavior, oblivious to what a complete and total asswipe one actually is but which is readily apparent to everyone else.
Sacramento Bee reporter Bobby Caina Calvan, whom the world revolves around, was trying to enter Baghdad's Green Zone but wasn't carrying sufficient ID."With nothing to lose I decided to get pushy."Long story short, Calvan insulted, belittled and intimidated the US Army soldier doing his job at the entry post. He eventually was allowed through.
"If I could offer a correction, you did not have “nothing to lose.” Fabritsio Kuattrokki, the Italian hostage who said, “I will show you how an Italian dies”, while trying to tear off his hood and look into the eyes of the men who were about to put a bullet through his head, had nothing to lose.So, what do the folks at the Sacramento Bee think of their ace reporter and his people skills?
You, sir, had nothing to fear. The hostage defied his murderers because he knew nothing he did could make the consequences any worse. The reporter antagonized an American soldier because he knew nothing he did would have any consequences.
The first is the act of a hero, the second the act of a child who feels brave for throwing pebbles at a well-trained guard dog."
"The real shame, of course, is how this Internet conniption fit over something so minor overshadows the serious journalism from Iraq."No, Mr. Acuna, the real shame is the contempt, disrespect and derision that selfish arrogant asshole journalists like Bobby Calvan have and show for our selfless patriotic men and women serving their country in uniform.
Last month “The View” co-host Joy Behar appeared on the Bill Maher show and called Michelle Malkin a “selfish bitch”. WHOOPI GOLDBERG: A woman at a John McCain rally said to him, “how do we beat the bitch?”
JOY BEHAR: He is a gentleman, usually, McCain. It would have been nice for him to say “Well, you know, I think you’re referring to my opponent and I don’t particularly like the way you’re refer to her.” That’s all. It would have been nice and respectful to say that. That’s all. [Applause]
SHEPHERD: What I’m saying is the same could be said, she felt Hillary Clinton was a bitch. And so she said it.
BEHAR: No, that’s a personal assault on the woman.
SHEPHERD: You do personal assaults on President Bush.
BEHAR: Yes, I do.
SHEPHERD: So what’s the difference? What’s the difference?
BEHAR: The difference is that I don’t like him. [Laughter]
Apparently the rules about calling people "bitch" are extremely complex, involving gender tensions and social dynamics as well as depending on who's addressing whom.
Hope Rides Alone
Sgt. Eddie Jeffers, USA (Iraq)
February 1, 2007I stare out into the darkness from my post, and I watch the city burn to the ground. I smell the familiar smells, I walk through the familiar rubble, and I look at the frightened faces that watch me pass down the streets of their neighborhoods. My nerves hardly rest; my hands are steady on a device that has been given to me from my government for the purpose of taking the lives of others.
I sweat, and I am tired. My back aches from the loads I carry. Young American boys look to me to direct them in a manner that will someday allow them to see their families again…and yet, I too, am just a boy….my age not but a few years more than that of the ones I lead. I am stressed, I am scared, and I am paranoid…because death is everywhere. It waits for me, it calls to me from around street corners and windows, and it is always there.
There are the demons that follow me, and tempt me into thoughts and actions that are not my own… but that are necessary for survival. I've made compromises with my humanity. And I am not alone in this. Miles from me are my brethren in this world, who walk in the same streets… who feel the same things, whether they admit to it or not.And to think, I volunteered for this…
And I am ignorant to the rest of the world…or so I thought.But even thousands of miles away, in Ramadi, Iraq, the cries and screams and complaints of the ungrateful reach me. In a year, I will be thrust back into society from a life and mentality that doesn't fit your average man. And then, I will be alone. And then, I will walk down the streets of America, and see the yellow ribbon stickers on the cars of the same people who compare our President to Hitler.
I will watch the television and watch the Cindy Sheehans, and the Al Frankens, and the rest of the ignorant sheep of America spout off their mouths about a subject they know nothing about. It is their right, however, and it is a right that is defended by hundreds of thousands of boys and girls scattered across the world, far from home. I use the word boys and girls, because that's what they are. In the Army, the average age of the infantryman is nineteen years old. The average rank of soldiers killed in action is Private First Class.
People like Cindy Sheehan are ignorant. Not just to this war, but to the results of their idiotic ramblings, or at least I hope they are. They don't realize its effects on this war. In this war, there are no Geneva Conventions, no cease fires. Medics and Chaplains are not spared from the enemy's brutality because it's against the rules. I can only imagine the horrors a military Chaplain would experience at the hands of the enemy. The enemy slinks in the shadows and fights a coward's war against us. It is effective though, as many men and women have died since the start of this war. And the memory of their service to America is tainted by the inconsiderate remarks on our nation's news outlets. And every day, the enemy changes…only now, the enemy is becoming something new. The enemy is transitioning from the Muslim extremists to Americans. The enemy is becoming the very people whom we defend with our lives. And they do not realize it. But in denouncing our actions, denouncing our leaders, denouncing the war we live and fight, they are isolating the military from society…and they are becoming our enemy.
Democrats and peace activists like to toss the word "quagmire" around and compare this war to Vietnam. In a way they are right, this war is becoming like Vietnam. Not the actual war, but in the isolation of country and military. America is not a nation at war; they are a nation with its military at war. Like it or not, we are here, some of us for our second, or third times; some even for their fourth and so on. Americans are so concerned now with politics, that it is interfering with our war.
Terrorists cut the heads off of American citizens on the internet…and there is no outrage, but an American soldier kills an Iraqi in the midst of battle, and there are investigations, and sometimes soldiers are even jailed…for doing their job.
It is absolutely sickening to me to think our country has come to this. Why are we so obsessed with the bad news? Why will people stop at nothing to be against this war, no matter how much evidence of the good we've done is thrown in their face? When is the last time CNN or MSNBC or CBS reported the opening of schools and hospitals in Iraq? Or the leaders of terror cells being detained or killed? It's all happening, but people will not let up their hatred of President Bush. They will ignore the good news, because it just might show people that Bush was right.
America has lost its will to fight. It has lost its will to defend what is right and just in the world. The crazy thing of it all is that the American people have not even been asked to sacrifice a single thing. It's not like World War II, where people rationed food and turned in cars to be made into metal for tanks. The American people have not been asked to sacrifice anything. Unless you are in the military or the family member of a servicemember, its life as usual…the war doesn't affect you.
But it affects us. And when it is over and the troops come home and they try to piece together what's left of them after their service…where will the detractors be then? Where will the Cindy Sheehans be to comfort and talk to soldiers and help them sort out the last couple years of their lives, most of which have been spent dodging death and wading through the deaths of their friends? They will be where they always are, somewhere far away, where the horrors of the world can't touch them. Somewhere where they can complain about things they will never experience in their lifetime; things that the young men and women of America have willingly taken upon their shoulders.
We are the hope of the Iraqi people. They want what everyone else wants in life: safety, security, somewhere to call home. They want a country that is safe to raise their children in. Not a place where their children will be abducted, raped and murdered if they do not comply with the terrorists demands. They want to live on, rebuild and prosper. And America has given them the opportunity, but only if we stay true to the cause and see it to its end. But the country must unite in this endeavor…we cannot place the burden on our military alone. We must all stand up and fight, whether in uniform or not. And supporting us is more than sticking yellow ribbon stickers on your cars. It's supporting our President, our troops and our cause.
Right now, the burden is all on the American soldiers. Right now, hope rides alone. But it can change, it must change. Because there is only failure and darkness ahead for us as a country, as a people, if it doesn't.
Let's stop all the political nonsense, let's stop all the bickering, let's stop all the bad news and let's stand and fight!Isn't that what America is about anyway?Requiescat In Pace, Soldier
The images accompanying this article are taken from a CBS News Archives video to show key points observed during the collapse. As seen in the photos, a kink develops in the east penthouse before it falls into the building. The west penthouse then fails, followed by a kink in the entire facade of the building. Total collapse follows.
This sequence of events, with roof elements sinking into a building with an intact facade, suggests an interior failure. An interior failure would explain the appearance of a “controlled” collapse with a relatively small debris field, as seen with WTC 7.
Rafael Peralta was a Mexican American.
He joined the Marines the day after he got his green card and earned his citizenship while in uniform.
Only three items hung on his bedroom walls in his parents' home: a copy of the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and his Marine Corps boot camp graduation certificate.
Rafael Peralta was a 25-year-old sergeant in Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.
What he did in Fallujah, Iraq, on November 15, 2004, was an unbelievable act of selfless sacrifice and faithfulness to his fellow Marines.
A week into the battle for Fallujah, the Marines were still doing the deadly work of clearing the city, house by house.
Sgt. Peralta regularly volunteered for assault teams that were more dangerous than his assignment would have been otherwise. And he volunteered to go out with the assault team that day.
According to Marine combat correspondent Lance Cpl. T.J. Kaemmerer, who witnessed the events that day, the squad had cleared 3 houses without incident. The Marines entered the 4th house and kicked in the doors of two rooms that proved empty. But there was another closed door to an adjoining room. It was unlocked, and Peralta, in the lead, opened it. He was immediately hit multiple times with AK-47 fire in his face and upper torso by three insurgents. As he fell, severely wounded, he managed to wrench himself out of the doorway to give his fellow Marines a clear line of fire. The gunfire was deafening. During the firefight, ''a yellow, foreign-made, oval-shaped grenade bounced into the room, rolling to a stop close to Peralta's nearly lifeless body."
The uninjured Marines tried to scatter out of the way, two of them trying to escape the room, but were blocked by a locked door. At that point, barely alive, Peralta grabbed the grenade and cradled it to his body. His body took most of the blast. One Marine was seriously injured, but the rest sustained only minor shrapnel wounds.
"Most of the Marines in the house were in the immediate area of the grenade. We will never forget the second chance at life that Sgt. Peralta gave us." -- Lance Cpl. KaemmererOn April 4, 2006, Sgt. Peralta became an honorary police officer with the San Diego Police Department. Police Chief William Lansdowne said the department felt strongly about honoring Peralta, who always wanted to wear the badge.
"He is exactly what we would have been looking for. In his name and memory, they will always have a badge. He truly is, in our hearts, a member of this police department."Rafael wrote to his brother, Ricardo, then 14:
''Be proud of being an American. Our father came to this country and became a citizen because it was the right place for our family to be."It was the first letter he ever wrote to Ricardo - and the last.
It arrived in San Diego the day after he died.
Requiescat In Pace, Marine.Sources:
January 11, 2005 National Review Online Rich Lowry: "Everyone Should Know His Name"
May 29, 2005 Boston Globe Jeff Jacoby: "Death of a Marine"
"It was news to me."
So sayeth Hillary in response to the accusation of question-planting at a campaign public appearance."And neither I nor my campaign approve of that. And it will certainly not be tolerated."Well, maybe not more than, say, TWICE.
“If had I had to pick any road in the state of Georgia to strip the name from, this would be it.
The original name of the road is Memorial Drive, which is named for the men and women who died protecting our freedom.
Who’s more deserving? I think the question answers itself.
And in light of the fact that her commitment to the state of Georgia is nil, we should re-double our efforts to remove her name from a state road.”
The Wall
"If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go.Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own.
And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind."
Major Michael Davis O'Donnell
1 January 1970
Dak To, Vietnam
Listed as KIA
November 13th, 1999
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you are reading it in English, thank a member of the United States military."
"Because as I look around at the state of this nation and see all of the weak little pampered candy-asses that are whining about this or protesting that, I’d be afraid to leave the fate of this nation entirely up to them." -- A US soldier in Iraq on why he re-enlisted.
"We sometimes forget, but freedom isn't free."
-- Johnny Spann, father of CIA officer Mike Spann,
the first American casualty in the war against terror
It is the Soldier, not the reporter who has given us freedom of press
It is the Soldier, not the poet who has given us freedom of speech
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer who gives us freedom to demonstrate
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and who's coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.
-- Father Dennis Edward O'Brien
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. The Marines don't have that problem."
Ronald Reagan, President of the United States; 1985
On November 10, 1775, the Continental Congress commissioned Samuel Nicholas to raise two Battalions of Marines.
The US Air Force Chief-of-Staff would never be called Airman.
The Flag raising on Mt Suribachi, Iwo Jima, February 23, 1945
"I've always been proud of being a Marine. I won't hesitate to defend the Corps."and ... Bugs Bunny
-- Jonathan Winters
Marine Lore:
