Theodore's World

Presidential candidates diverge on U.S. joining war crimes court
SFGate (San Fran Chronicle)
…..for complete article

The International Criminal Court isn’t discussed much in the presidential campaign, but few issues are more revealing of a candidate’s perspective on the United States’ legal and political relations with the rest of the world.
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Unlike the rest of the Republican field, Sen. John McCain has said he would like to see the United States join the international court, although he would first require more protections for U.S. personnel.
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At the other end is Ron Paul, a Republican congressman from Texas, who said in 2002 that both the court and the United Nations “are inherently incompatible with national sovereignty. America must either remain a constitutional republic or submit to international law because it cannot do both.”
McCain, who has expressed more willingness than other Republicans to consider court membership, also has spoken up for international law in other contexts, notably the nation’s duty to follow the Geneva Conventions on the humane treatment of foreign prisoners.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has condemned the abuse of prisoners. But he has not responded to The Chronicle’s inquiries about the international court and seems unlikely to support it, if his comment on another pending treaty is any indication: He referred to the Law of the Sea Treaty, a less-controversial pact that Bush supports, as a “crazy” plan that would “give away our sovereignty.”
Other Republicans who haven’t answered queries about the court are former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has criticized the United Nations; former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has suggested that the United States look for alternatives to the United Nations; and Hunter, a congressman from San Diego, who has denounced “treaties that infringe on basic U.S. sovereignty.” Former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee opposes U.S. membership in the court.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Oh, but McCain would get “guarantees” of “protection” first… excuse me while I roll my eyes.
Excuse me McCain, but ah you are against waterbolarding and prefer to just talk nicely to the prisoners to get important informtion out of them. And now this? I don’t think so.
McCain is like Bush and has an incessant need for approval from libs and independents!

Apache’s 30mm Cannon Takes Out Insurgents and their Truck

Wild Thing’s comment……..
This video was added on December 28, 2007 so it is recent. Good one troops!
Have a wonderful New Years Day everyone.

New Year’s movie for you Ahmadinejad

Numa Numa as done by the crew of the USS Enterprise

Fred’s Message to Iowa Voters

Wild Thing’s comment………
This is excellent well worth watching and listening to.

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Praying we are blessed with a Conservative President this year. We ask Lord, that You guide the leaders of our great country in their hour of decision. The burden that has been placed on their shoulders is overwhelming. We ask that with Your infinite wisdom You guide them gently to the right decisions. Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask that no Airman, Coast Guardsman, Marine, Sailor, Soldier or National Guardsman, feel alone or forgotten.

Anti-Military Lawyer Damages Marine’s Car on Eve of Deployment
This ought to make your blood boil. And this Marine should receive a commendation for not kicking the living crap out of the guy…seriously.
Marine Sgt Mike McNulty is on activation orders to Iraq (second tour). On December 1st, 2007, Mike went to visit a friend in Chicago before deploying to say goodbye. In order to get to his friend’s residence, and keep in mind that Chicago is a myriad of diagonal and one-way streets, the front entrance (right way) to the one-way street was blocked. Mike, being a Marine, overcame and adapted by driving around the block to the other end of the street and backing up all the way to his friend’s place.
While saying goodbye, at about 11am, he noticed a man leaning up against his car. Mike left his friend’s apartment and caught the man keying his car on multiple sides.
After caught in the process, the man told Mike, “you think you can do whatever you want with Department of Defense license plates and tags”. (In Illinois you can purchase veteran, Marine, or medal plates. Mike has Illinois Marine Corps license plates.) During the exchange, he made additional anti-military comments.
Mike called the Chicago police and had the man arrested. A citation against the man was issued for misdemeanor criminal damage to private property.
The police report (and I have copies if needed) states:

Victim related to P/O that as he walked back to his vehicle, he observed the offender leaning up against his vehicle and rubbed/dragged his left arm and hand across the passenger side. As offender walked away from victim’s vehicle, victim observed a scratch along the rear trunk and passenger’s door area where offender dragged his arm and hand over. Victim and witness stopped offender and confronted him. Victim has military plates and decals on his vehicle and offender made anti war and military comments to victim. Upon P/O’s arrival to scene, offender denied scratch victim’s vehicle, but did admit to rubbing past it. Victim at this time did not sign complaint, because he is leaving tour for military duty. Offender said they accused him of scratching the car because he is Jewish. Offender’s statements/responses to P/O’s questions unreasonable.

As it turns out, the man is Chicago lawyer Jay R. Grodner, who owns a law firm in the city and has offices in the suburbs.
After sending the car to the body shop, it was determined there is $2400 in damage, making this a felony. Mike went to court Friday morning to collect the damages against Mr. Grodner and file felony charges. Though the damages are over $300 (the amount which determines felony or misdemeanor) Grodner offered Mike to pay his deductible, $100, and have Mike’s insurance pay for it.
The Illinois States Attorneys tried to coerce Mike into accepting the offer. Appalled, Mike said he wanted this to be a felony. The state told Mike that it was not worth pursuing felony damage against Grodner because they don’t have the time. In addition, the state prosecutors told him that he would never it ‘would be difficult to recover the damages’ from Grodner because he is a lawyer.
Instead, the State asked Mike if he would accept probation for Grodner. Mike accepted, probation was offered to Grodner, and Grodner declined the offer, saying within ear shot of Mike, “I’m not going to make it easy on this kid”. Mike’s next court date is tomorrow, Monday, December 31st, to pursue misdemeanor charges against Grodner.
Mike’s leave is over on January 2nd when he reports to Camp Pendleton before heading to Iraq.
Jay Grodner knows this and is going to file for a continuance until Mike is gone and cannot appear in court.
By account of the Illinois State’s Attorneys, Grodner is likely to get away with defacing Mike’s car with no penalty because, 1) Mike is about to deploy to Iraq and will not be available to appear in court, and 2) Grodner is a lawyer and can get out of this very easily.
So, does anyone have any ideas about how to proceed? All peaceful and rational ideas are welcomed. We are contacting the media about this, too.
Please pass this story on to anyone you know that might be able to help. Contact me [Blackfive] if you have any information or ideas.
Thanks!
Matt (Blackfive)

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Wild Thing’s comment……..
What a world that this kind of thing would happen to one of our soldiers. That lawyer could so easily have been appreciative of this soldier and thanked him for his service. But NO way, not for a low life like this lawyer. This is so horrible!

* Blackfive

UPDATE

Information on the Lawyer

Lawyer name: Jay R Grodner and Assoc
Jay R. Grodner
Law Offices of Jay R. Grodner
Principal Office-Deerfield
625 Deerfield Road –Suite 406
Deerfield, IL 60015
Phone: (847) 444-1500
Fax: (847) 444-0663
Downtown Chicago
30 N. LaSalle St. – Suite 1210
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: (312) 236-1142
Fax: (312) 236-6036
Email: jayrg8@aol.com

2007 DMN ( Dallas Morning News) Texan of the Year: The Illegal Immigrant
DMN ….for entire article

He is at the heart of a great culture war in Texas – and the nation, credited with bringing us prosperity and blamed for abusing our resources. How should we deal with this stranger among us?
He breaks the law by his very presence. He hustles to do hard work many Americans won’t, at least not at the low wages he accepts. The American consumer economy depends on him. America as we have known it for generations may not survive him.
He’s the Illegal Immigrant, and he’s the 2007 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year – for better or for worse.

And this…………….

If critics are correct, we could be seeing the advent of the kind of fractiousness that bedevils public life in Canada and other nations where peoples who speak different languages, and come from different cultural backgrounds, live together only with mutual suspicion and unease.
On the other hand, perhaps the alarmists are wrong. Maybe these ambitious, hard-working immigrants, whatever their documentation, will write the next great chapter of a story that’s still deeply American, though with a different accent. If the optimists are right, much work remains to be done to incorporate all immigrants fully into new cultural traditions.
We end 2007 no closer to compromise on the issue than when the year began. People waging a culture war – and that’s what the struggle over illegal immigration is – don’t give up easily. What you think of the illegal immigrant says a lot about what you think of America, and what vision of her you are willing to defend. How we deal with the stranger among us says not only who we Americans are today but determines who we will become tomorrow.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
This article is so wrong in so many ways. First of all to give illegal’s a nod in any way is wrong from the get go. They are illegal, they are law breakers, they show NO respect for our country and the laws set up already for immigration. Immigration for GOOD people that wait and wait as they follow the legal way to enter our country.
Illegal’s that many are not only Mexican but also terrorists and a major threat to our United States of America.
My grandparents, my husband’s parents, your relatives all came here obeying our immigration laws. Our leaders, our news media are making excuses for these illegal’s and it only encourages them like a high five to keep pouring in by the droves.
A fence unfinished when it was promised to Duncan Hunter and others. Border Patrol Agents in jail for doing their job. WTF
And now this to make the illegal immigrants the Texan of the year is treasonous!

…..Thank you Mark for the heads up on this article.

* Michelle Malkin

Fred Thompson’s closing argument to the people of Iowa.
National Review Online
By Peter Robinson
Whereas Romney is saturating the airwaves with attack ads, Thompson pays the voters the courtesy of speaking calmly, and in detail—the video runs to just over 15 minutes. Why should the good Republicans of Iowa support Thompson? Because, the candidate argues, he can win.

” I believe I am the only candidate in this race who can bring our party to victory in the fall. First, because of the firmness of my principles and the trust that that engenders. Secondly, because of the detailed program I’ve put before the people. Third, because I’ve been tried and tested — and I’m a known quantity in public life.
But, most of all, I think I know how to talk to the American people about the opposition and the danger their victory would pose to the principles we hold dear.”

In the passage I found the most striking, Thompson does something no other Republican contender has attempted: appeal to Democrats.

” You know, when I’m asked which of the current group of Democratic candidates I prefer to run against, I always say it really doesn’t matter…These days all those candidates, all the Democratic leaders, are one and the same. They’re all NEA-MoveOn.org-ACLU-Michael Moore Democrats. They’ve allowed these radicals to take control of their party and dictate their course.
So this election is important not just to enact our conservative principles. This election is important to salvage a once-great political party from the grip of extremism and shake it back to its senses. It’s time to give not just Republicans but independents, and, yes, good Democrats a chance to call a halt to the leftward lurch of the once-proud party of working people.
So in seeking the nomination of my own party, I want to say something a little unusual. I am asking my fellow Republicans to vote for me not only for what I have to say to them, but for what I have to say to the members of the other party—the millions of Democrats who haven’t left the Democratic party so much as their party’s national leadership has left them.”

This is reminiscent of Reagan’s talk to the people of North Carolina in 1976. Simple, straightforward, modest production values—just the candidate in front of an American flag and an Iowa flag—but (to use the word again) compelling. Reagan’s 1976 talk enabled him to recover after a string of primary defeats, winning in North Carolina, then going on to come within a handful of delegates of wresting the nomination from Ford. Will Thompson’s talk move voters in Iowa? Does his campaign have the money to get it on the air? Throughout the state? Or even in a few of the most important markets? Beats me. But we have here a serious man, making a serious case—and doing so in the context of a campaign that has otherwise descended into mere caterwauling.
Even at this late hour, I wouldn’t count Fred out.

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Wild Thing’s comment……..
Maybe the tortoise is going to beat the hares. Slow and steady just might win the race.