Bush doing the traditional Arab Sword Dance in Saudi
Wild Thing’s comment……..
I really am uncomfortable seeing this, I wish this kind of friendliness was seen with a good strong leader for Israel instead of a Saudi anything. But alas not only do we have a globalist leader that once was strong on the axis of evil, but Israel as well has a leader that misses the mark in being strong for his people.
Troops ignore cold to finish Victory 455
By Army Spc. Stephanie Homan, MNC-I PAO
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq
About 400 runners showed up at the Victory main stage on the morning of Jan. 6 to battle the chilling temperatures together as they participated in the Camp Victory 455 Run.
The creation of the run, which followed a 4.55-mile course around the camp, began in November when a group of avid runners, who try to participate in all the runs around Victory Base Complex and in the International Zone, decided they wanted to jump off the track for once and organize a run for others.
Army Staff Sgt. Corey Fink, Information Assurance NCOIC, Multi-National Corps-Iraq, and Huntersville, N.C. native, enjoys running to stay fit. She said the group wanted to give back to all those who have organized runs.
“We wanted to prove that any individual, unit, or group can organize a run,” Fink said.
The group had shirts promoting the race designed and located a sponsor.
Because the NASCAR Performance Network agreed to sponsor shirts for the run, Army Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Coble, Joint Fires Cell Information Operations Assessments Chief, MNC-I, said they named their run similar to that of a NASCAR race.
“Once we knew NASCAR was going to sponsor the T-shirts we wanted to have a race theme,” said the Tulsa, Okla. native. “Ultimately we decided that 455 would be a perfect number in honor of our 455 day ‘extended vacations’ here in Iraq. It seemed like a great way to wind down this tour for many of us.”
The first 250 runners to finish received an official Camp Victory 455 T-shirt, while the rest received Morale, Welfare and Recreation Fun Run shirts.
The 1st place male and female runners were awarded a trophy and a gift certificate. The 2nd and 3rd place finishers were awarded a silver medal with a gift certificate and a bronze medal with a gift certificate, respectively.
However, the prizes didn’t stop there. At the end of the award presentation, the group raffled off other prizes to all participants, to include an iPod Shuffle, a Fossil watch, gift cards from AAFES and an autographed NASCAR hat.
Finishing first for the males was Army Staff Sgt. Roderick Reeves, 535th Military Police Battalion, Raleigh, N.C., with a time of 27:47. Army Capt. Hilary Mann, 716th MP Bn., 18th MP Brigade, took 1st place for the female category.
Wild Thing’s comment……..
I love that NASCAR supports our troops. All of this is so good for our troops, to get a break in what they do, the competition and awards. This is all just great.
Labor leaders boo McCain on immigration, Iraq
msnbc
Sen. John McCain threatened Tuesday to cut short a speech to union leaders who booed his immigration views and later challenged his statements on organized labor and the Iraq war.
“If you like, I will leave,” McCain told the AFL-CIO’s Building and Construction Trades Department, pivoting briefly from the lectern. He returned to the microphone after the crowd quieted.
“OK, then please give me the courtesy I would give you.”
It was a contentious session that tested McCain’s commitment to the straight-talking image he honed during his failed 2000 presidential bid. An underdog six years ago, the Arizona Republican is expected to seek the 2008 GOP nomination as a front-runner.
“I loved it. I love mixing it up like that,” McCain said after the speech to a Democratic-leaning crowd of several hundred.
He did seem to enjoy the back and forth that began minutes into his address, when he mentioned campaigning on behalf of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a fellow Republican. The crowd booed the reference to Schwarzenegger but laughed at McCain’s self-effacing joke that followed.
He said somebody came up to him at the Schwarzenegger event and said,
“Do people tell you look like John McCain?”
“Yes, they do.”
“Doesn’t that make you madder than hell?”
Guest worker talk stirs crowd
Later, the senator outlined his position on the Senate immigration debate, saying tougher border enforcement must be accompanied by guest-worker provisions that give illegal immigrants a legal path toward citizenship.
Murmurs from the crowd turned to booing. “Pay a decent wage!” one audience member shouted.
“I’ve heard that statement before,” McCain said before threatening to leave.
Afterward, the senator said he offered to cut his speech short “because I wanted to be heard.”
In the speech, McCain also argued that withdrawing U.S. troops prematurely from Iraq would turn terrorists loose on the United States.
This time, there was no booing — though one audience member cursed from the back of the crowd.
McCain got another laugh when he finished the speech and asked whether anybody had “questions, comments or insults.”
The first questioner seemed to challenge his commitment to organized labor. When McCain started to praise a particular labor group in Arizona, the crowd booed again.
“Stop!” he said with a smile, drawing laughter from the crowd. “I surrender.”
But he took more questions, including a pointed one on his immigration plan.
McCain responded by saying immigrants were taking jobs nobody else wanted. He offered anybody in the crowd $50 an hour to pick lettuce in Arizona.
Shouts of protest rose from the crowd, with some accepting McCain’s job offer.
“I’ll take it!” one man shouted.
McCain insisted none of them would do such menial labor for a complete season. “You can’t do it, my friends.”
Some in the crowd said they didn’t appreciate McCain questioning their work ethic.
Impressed by McCain’s moxie
“I was impressed with his comedy routine and ability to tap dance without music. But I was impressed with nothing else about him,” said John Wasniewski of Milwaukee. “He’s supposed to be Mr. Straight Talk?”
Others said McCain showed some moxie, if not the best political judgment.
“Most of us don’t agree with him on immigration, but I give him credit for trying,” said Chris D. Schoenbeck of Milwaukee.
With his profile rising, a growing number of Democrats are accusing McCain of flip-flopping on issues to court conservative GOP primary voters.
McCain denied that charge later Tuesday — after addressing the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a GOP-leaning group that backs his immigration views. There were no boos. Just laughter, and at the end of his remarks, a standing ovation from the Hispanic leaders.
Yet McCain’s mind was still on the labor activists and their prickly reception.
“I can’t tell you how much fun that was,” he said.
Wild Thing’s comment……..
Good, McCain is hearing back from America on illegal immigration. I think McCain’s famous temper will have him explode in a fit of fury at some point. It is inevitable.
LOL well it’s about time the unions realize that illegals are taking their jobs, as well.
IF McCain cared about the security of this nation he would just say he learned his lesson from the overwhelming public reaction, and will truly clamp down on illegal immigration. But nope!
McCain needs to be made to understand that he can’t stab the GOP base in the back over and over again and still have them trust him.
Fred Thompson on Hannity and Colmes 01-15-08
Wild Thing’s comment……..
The show was on late, after the vote count was in and after the Democrats debated on CNN.
SECOND VIDEO
The Augusta Chronicle
Fred Thompson visits Aiken
This is also an excellent video. Sorry you have to go to the location of the video on this next one, but it is worth it.
VIDEO
AIKEN – Undecided voters stood on chairs and bumped elbows just to hear Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson on Monday.
Although his visit to Aiken was delayed by a couple of hours, the 200 to 250 residents who came to Papa Russ’s Barbecue for his campaign stop wanted to see for themselves if he would get past his television persona and hit on real issues.
“I think we may have decided on a candidate, but we wanted to experience him personally,” Mark Thompson, of Aiken, said of his family’s wait for the visit.
Mr. Thompson acknowledged that he needs a South Carolina win in the state’s Republican presidential primary Saturday but was unapologetic about his campaign, telling voters that if he’s too laid back for their tastes there are plenty of other candidates to choose from.
While some voters were looking for the right answers from Mr. Thompson, diehard supporters drove to Aiken in an effort to sway the undecided.
“I’m not from South Carolina, but I’ll be contacting people in South Carolina because the alternative is unacceptable and I’ll have to pay for it,” said Dianne Thomas, of Charlotte, N.C. “He has more depth that’s not always shown in a sound bite.”
The former U.S. senator from Tennessee is on a tour bus campaign in South Carolina this week.
A Hooters restaurant sign referring to former President Bill Clinton and Democratic presidential candidate and US Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is seen in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina January 16, 2008. REUTERS/Joshua Lott (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008
(USA)
Wild Thing’s comment……..
Thank you Hooters, LOL
Hahahahahaaha
If McCain or Huckabee Gets the Nomination, It Will Destroy GOP
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Mark in Standish, Michigan, I really appreciate your holding on. Welcome to the program.
CALLER: Hello, Rush.
RUSH: Hi.
CALLER: Sorry to deviate from your monologue for just a minute, but you had a woman call yesterday that just frosted me to no end that if either Huckabee or McCain won the nomination she was going to sit the election out.
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: People like her, I coined a term, a call them TV Republicans, and it doesn’t stand for television, it stands for tunnel vision, because they need to take the blinders off and see the bigger picture. If they sit out the general election, the Democrat wins it by default, whichever one of the Three Stooges wins it. Guess what? In the next four years, there’s going to be probably one, maybe two Supreme Court vacancies come up. Do they really want one of the three bozos over there appointing the next two Supreme Court justices? Is Clinton gonna appoint another Ginsburg, or is she going to do another Scalia? Is Obama going to appoint another Justice Thomas or is he going to do somebody like Breyer or Stevens? Do they really want a liberal appointing the next two Supreme Court justices? They need to take the blinders off, Rush. They need to look at the bigger vision and quit being tunnel vision Republicans.
RUSH: I understand what you’re saying. I hate to tell you this, but she’s not alone. I’m here to tell you, if either of these two guys get the nomination, it’s going to destroy the Republican Party, it’s going to change it forever, be the end of it. A lot of people aren’t going to vote. You watch.
END TRANSCRIPT
Wild Thing’s comment……..
The GOP is walking away from their conservative base and ticked because we won’t follow em down the path of destruction. So we will see what happens.
Mosque’s plan to broadcast call to prayer from loudspeaker ‘will create Muslim ghetto’
Daily Mail
Muslim elders at an Oxford mosque have said they intend to push ahead with plans to broadcast a call to prayer from a loudspeaker despite fierce opposition.
Local residents have attacked the idea saying it would disrupt the peace and turn the area into a ‘Muslim ghetto’.
But the elders said they still intend to seek planning permission to install the loudspeaker.
If granted, they would broadcast a two-minute long call three times a day from the Central Mosque, where up to 700 people gather to worship every Friday.
The idea has gained support from the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev John Pritchard, who last week said those in opposition to the idea should “relax” and “enjoy community diversity”.
But residents, who packed out a council meeting last month to signal their outrage, remain set against the plan which they say is an “un-neighbourly intrusion”.
They said they would rally to block the proposal when it is submitted to the council in nine months time, when construction on the mosque is complete.
Dr Allan Chapman, 61, who lives near the building, said:
“The response against this has been incredible, we have been indundated with calls ranging from stiff upper lip outrage to sheer screaming fury.
“The universal message is what an utter cheek to inflict this on a non-Muslim area of Oxford. If this application goes forward then a large number of angry people are poised to form an opposition to it.”
Dr Chapman added the broadcast is not to comparable to the ringing of church bells because: “They are just a signal. The Muslim call is a theological statement.”
Residents have said the main objection is the loud amplification of the broadcast.
Elizabeth Mills, 56, said: “We don’t have a problem with the Imam climbing to the top of the minaret and shouting.
“But we object to electronic amplification. The Bishop of Oxford might say it’s ok but he doesn’t have to listen to it.”
Martin Stott, 53, a member of the Oxford Oratory, added: “This is not an anti-Muslim thing, it is more about community cohesion.”
A spokesman for the Central Mosque said that sounding the call to prayer is a traditional part of the religion.
Sadar Rana, 68, said: “Building work will take another nine months to a year, it is then that we plan to make an application to the council.
“We want to fix a loudspeak to our minaret to broadcast our call to prayer. We would like to have it three times a day but if that is not accepted, then we would like to have it at least on Fridays.
“We do not need the volume to be loud but we want to have the call in some form because it’s our tradition.”
Wild Thing’s comment……..
Sorry, formerly-“great” Britain, but your dhimmi government is more concerned with showing these religious thugs how tolerant you are. And what the heck kind of religion has to yell at its members so they will pray? LOL
What did they do before loud speakers, holler?
How about broadcasting 5 minutes of Billy Graham across Oxford 5 times a day? The BBC and the PC police in the UK would go nuts. heh heh
Can anyone remember this but didn’t the city of Detroit, or somewhere up around there, go thru this same thing? If I remember correctly, the city and courts gave the Muzzies permission for this crap right here in the good ole US of A.
I know this is a serious situation, but the irony of how letting PC rule, and then accepting and even inviting these creep Muslims in their country and ours, and not expecting this kind of thing to happen?? Well heads in the sand anyone!
On a lighter note a little something for you………..
Thinking of Elvis from yesterday a little re-write of one of his songs………..(giggle)
In The Ghetto
“As the snow flies
On a cold and gray Ol’ Oxford mornin’
A poor little Muslim child is born
In the ghetto
And his imam cries
’cause if there’s one thing he surely needs
is another little fragile mind to mislead
In the ghetto ”
Thank you, Thankyouvrymuch
New US Weapons Sale for Saudis
WASHINGTON
AP
The Democratic-led Congress is unlikely to block U.S. plans to sell $123 million worth of sophisticated precision-guided bomb technology to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns from some members that the systems could be used against Israel.
The Bush administration on Monday notified Congress of its intent to sell the bomb-delivery systems as part of a multibillion-dollar arms package to bolster the defense of U.S. allies in the Gulf.
Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, does not intend to consider a resolution of disapproval, said spokeswoman Lynne Weil. Otherwise, Lantos declined to comment.
The arms deal creates a dilemma for lawmakers, especially for Democrats eager to challenge President Bush’s handling of foreign policy. At the same time, they see Saudi Arabia’s cooperation as crucial to the war on terror and in deterring aggression from Iran.
“We need to be convinced that the sale makes sense militarily and ensure that it in no way harms our security or those of our allies,” said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We must also make certain that the administration does not just try to use a few arms sales to substitute for the comprehensive, coherent strategy we need for the region.”
Timed to coincide with Bush’s trip to Saudi Arabia, the notification opens a 30-day window during which lawmakers can object to the sale, which envisions the transfer of 900 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, to the Saudis, the State Department said.
The proposed deal follows notification on five other packages to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, and brings to $11.5 billion the amount of advanced U.S. weaponry, including Patriot missiles, provided to friendly Arab nations under the Gulf Security Dialogue, spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.
Administration officials say the total amount of sales as part of the dialogue is estimated at $20 billion, but they also have cautioned that the figure is subject to what equipment the receiving countries actually purchase.
The sale is a key element in the U.S. strategy to bolster the defenses of its Arab allies in Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing majority Sunni Muslim Gulf nations against threats from Shiite Iran.
A principal aim of Bush’s Mideast visit is to convince the Saudi leadership as well as those in Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates that he remains committed to preventing Iran from destabilizing the region, despite U.S. intelligence findings that Tehran halted its nuclear weapons development in 2003.
Congress has already been briefed on the entire Gulf Security Dialogue arms package, which includes the sale of the Navy’s Littoral Combat system as well as the JDAMs kits. During these meetings, the administration assured lawmakers that there would be proper restrictions on the JDAMs sale to ensure that the weapon would not pose a threat to Israel.
“We’ve spent a lot of time ensuring that we abide by our commitments to a qualitative military edge for Israel,” McCormack said. “We are committed to maintaining that qualitative military edge for Israel.”
Members who still oppose it say they are concerned it would give Saudi Arabia a technical edge that could be used to attack Israel.
Democratic Reps. Anthony Weiner of New York and Robert Wexler of Florida said they will push for a resolution condemning the sale. Their resolution already has some three dozen co-sponsors.
“It’s mind-bogglingly bad policy because the Saudis at every turn have been uncooperative” regarding U.S. interests in the Middle East, Weiner said in a statement on Monday.
At least one Republican, who previously registered his concerns with the deal, said he wasn’t ready to support the deal just yet.
“The administration must guarantee to Congress’ satisfaction that selling JDAMs to Saudi Arabia will not harm U.S. forces or our democratic ally Israel,” said Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. “At this time, I do not have enough information to support the sale.”
Still, senior congressional aides said it was considered unlikely that the required two-thirds majority in Congress could be found to stop the sale.
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said the Israeli government would not comment on the arms deal.
Previously, Israel has indicated it does not oppose the deal and Washington plans to counterbalance the sales to Arab nations with $30 billion in military assistance to the Jewish state — a more than 25 percent increase over the next 10 years.
Notifications to Congress of specific transactions are made in “piecemeal” fashion, McCormack said. He added that the 30-day deadline for lawmakers to raise opposition to the previous five sales had passed.
The five earlier agreements included two sales to the United Arab Emirates for a Patriot missile system and support for an airborne early warning system; one to Kuwait for Patriot missile system upgrades and two to Saudi Arabia for “targeting pods” and upgrades to AWACs airborne warning and control aircraft.
Wild Thing’s comment……..
Arming the Saudis with anything more advanced than slingshots does not appeal to me.
Bush is in legacy mode….desperate to salvage his Roadmap full of Potholes.
Maryland Gov. OKs Driver’s Licenses for Illegals
newsmax
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration is drawing up plans for a two-tiered licensing system that would issue different driver’s licenses to undocumented aliens and legal residents.
Maryland is currently one of eight states that permit illegal immigrants to get licenses.
Under the new system, undocumented immigrants would have to prove only that they live in Maryland, but they would not be able to use their licenses to board airplanes, enter federal buildings or cross borders, the Washington Post reports.
Maryland Senate Minority Leaders David Brinkley, a Republican, is critical of the plan backed by the Democratic administration.
“The state is endorsing people to skirt the law,” he said. “Then Maryland becomes a haven for people that are here illegally.”
As other states, including neighboring Virginia, have tightened requirements for documentation in obtaining a license, Maryland has seen an increase in demand for driver’s licenses from foreign-born individuals, according to the Post.
The two-tiered system is similar to one proposed earlier by Gov. Eliot Spitzer in New York, which does not allow illegal immigrants to obtain licenses. He was forced to abandon the plan in the face of political opposition, and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was criticized for saying it was a good idea.
Wild Thing’s comment……..
Conveniently located just next door to the nations Capitol. sheesh Can I renounce my citizenship and live here illegally so I won’t have to pay taxes and yet be able to vote and drive?
And illegal alien will be stupid enough to accept such a license that publicly brands him as such. As was pointed out in the Spitzer version.
The ONLY reason the Left wants illegals to be able to obtain a drivers license in America is so that they can then go to the next window at the DMV and REGISTER TO VOTE!!
Army Chinooks Help Carry Work Load
By Cpl. Andrew M. Kalwitz
2nd Marine Logistics Group
AL TAQADDUM
Though they are a flock of merely eight, the Army’s CH-47 Chinooks move thousands of pounds of gear and scores of personnel daily. Despite their small number of aircraft, the 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment has handled a large workload since beginning operations in August. With greater capacity, the Army’s Chinooks have spared the Marine Corps’ aircraft approximately 28,000 passengers and almost 2 million pounds of cargo.
“They just needed something to fill the gaps until they could get another stateside unit into the rotation,” said Capt. Nelson Gray, a Milan, Ohio native.
Gray said the battalion’s Chinooks have already flown more than 300 missions. The overachieving aircraft can already carry 2,000 lbs. more than the Marine Corps’ Sea Knight, but that’s not all.
The Chinooks can also lift an external payload of nearly 13,000 lbs. by hooking the gear up to a sling under the belly of the aircraft. That’s more than twice the Sea Knight’s maximum lifting capability.
“It’s the best aircraft in any military inventory that I’ve seen yet,” said Capt. Zachariah Morford, a commanding officer for one of the battalion’s companies. “Our aircraft flies faster, higher, farther than anything in the Army inventory and now that we’re stacking up against Marine aircraft, we’re more than holding our own.”
The Soldiers are on a constant flight rotation, taking to the skies both day and night for the entirety of their deployment. A lot of maintenance comes with that kind of tempo, especially if the battalion plans to sustain it for the remainder of their 15-month deployment.
“Without us, we couldn’t move troops or supplies so it’s satisfying to see these things take off and go,” said Staff Sgt. Samuel Ayres, a Chinook mechanic with the battalion.
Morford said he especially enjoys working in a Marine environment as many of the few and the proud are unfamiliar with the Chinook’s capabilities.
“People wear a couple different uniforms, but all haircuts look the same and the food tastes the same,” said the Gainesville, Fla., native. “There are fewer differences than I would’ve at first imagined. They have a very mission focused perspective and we’ve been able to fit right into that.”
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