Fred Thompson on Federalism
Before anything else, folks in Washington ought to be asking first and foremost, “Should government be doing this? And if so, then at what level of government?” But they don’t.
– Fred Thompson
http://www.fred08.com/Virtual/Federalism.aspx
There is a video at his site and also a lengthy article he wrote on the subject of Federalism. Both are very good.
Texas town plays Santa for Kunsan troops
Stars and Stripes
Servicemembers at Kunsan Air Base awoke Christmas morning to find gifts left not by Santa, but by the people of Lubbock, Texas.
Volunteers from the city made, filled and shipped about 3,000 Christmas stockings for the airmen and soldiers in an effort to spread holiday cheer.
Spearheaded by the mother of a Kunsan-based Air Force officer, the donation began as a church project then ballooned into something much larger.
“The amazing thing about this project is that after hearing about it, so many people wanted to become a part of it,” project coordinator Dona Nussbaum said during a phone interview Thursday.
She said the project began as part of Westminster Presbyterian Church’s missionary outreach program, but businesses and people statewide quickly became involved.
One business donated 100 yards of denim. Another, she said, donated 100 yards of felt.
Others donated candy, promotional items, compact discs and sundry items. Local schools and World War II veterans made Christmas cards.
Lubbock mayor David Miller and Congressman Randy Neugebauer also sent letters to be included in the stockings.
“Once it started getting that big it’s hard to say how many people were involved or how much it costs,” Nussbaum said. “We had so many people praying for the project or donating candy, donating money or helping to make stockings.”
She said 300 people showed up at the Lubbock Volunteer Center on Nov. 17 to begin putting stockings together. After about 3½ weeks of work, Nussbaum said, her group had 606 boxes ready to ship, for about $6,000 in postage.
The bulk of it was paid with donations after she gave an interview on a local radio station asking people to “adopt a box” by contributing $8.95 to buy a flat-rate box at the post office.
Nussbaum’s daughter, 1st Lt. Rachael Nussbaum, 8th Civil Engineering Squadron, hid the stockings in an empty dorm to keep them secret.
On Christmas Eve, she and 20 to 30 volunteers, including unit first sergeants and chief master sergeants, hung the stockings on dorm room doors.
The gifts were appreciated, she said.
“We’re really grateful to Lubbock for sending this stuff,” she said. “There are a lot of kids here that are away from home at Christmas for the first time. This lets them know that someone is thinking of them.”
Wild Thing’s comment……..
God bless America and the people that appreciate our troops and our awesome men and women in the service to our country.
Yesterday we had to take Sebastian to the Vet. He was due for his yearly shots and also for 24 hours he was behaving like he wasn’t feeling good. I wasn’t sure he could get his shots or not, and didn’t want anything to happen to him. There are several Vets where we go so sometimes we never know which one we will end up with taking care of our animals. It is ok they are all excellent.
The Vet checked him out and all was ok, so he went ahead with his shots and boosters etc. When he had to given Sebastian the one that is done with a dropper in his nostrils, that was the only one he didn’t like.
So he shook his head after the Vet put the drops up his nose and Nick said…….
” What is that waterboarding?.”
The Vet laughed and said, are you a Republican? And Nick and I laughed and said yes. He laughed again and said “yes, so am I. And now Sebastian here has officially been through the test to be a good warrior”.
I asked him had he been in the military and he said he was in Special Forces and did two tours in Iraq. He was a veterinarian before he enlisted, got injured and was still going through threapy for his injuries. He was there that day since he owned the Animal Hospital and was just trying to keep busy till he could go back to Iraq for another tour. He misses his buddies and wants to get back to finishing the mission.
So the message from Sebastian is: “waterboarding” is uncomfortable but it is NOT torture so kiss my flufffy puppy ass Pelosi and Reid.
GOOOOOOD MORNING Cradle of Civilization Crusaders! This is your wake-up call from your #1 Babylon Babe of the Euphrates and Tigress of the Tigris, RAMADAN ROSIE!
Due to my new freedom and my love for your American troops I will pop in here when I can, but please don’t waterboard me again if I am not here every Friday as I had promised when I was still under the Allah the moon gods laws. Just know Ramadan Rosie is thinking of you.
So the presidential election is only 11 months away? Our mission still continues to destroy islamofascism and slam it’s democratic sympathizers daily, despite Defeatocrat Senaturd Harry Reid’s claims that “We have already lost this war….” How about these bumper stickers and tee shirts:
* Our troops are over there so they won’t cut your head off over here!
* Land of the free because of the brave!
* U.N. American? United Nothings!
* After Iraq, let’s get SYRIAous!
* Iran Kryptonite: Shaving Cream & Pork Chops!
* Democrats make an ASS of AMERICA since 1968!
* Liberalism is a no brainer!
* If guns kill people, then spoons make Ted Kennedy fat!
www.ThoseShirts.com and www.RightWingStuff.com
If I offended the politically correct kooks… that’s tough shiite on a shingle! And no your Ramadan Rosie is not owner of these sites. So you terroriosts lovers don’t think I am pushing anything but Love for our troops and how awesome your America is. Got that camel breath.
I’m praying to God for a Hillary & Obama 2008 ticket and their bumper sticker:
HIPS ‘N Q-TIPS 2008!
Gotta go now and shave my legs. Since I ditched the burka, I feel like a born again lamb chop without the wool. That was BAAAAAA D ! Continue to be MERRY and celebrate your wonderful
‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ too. Happy New Year 2008 and our freedom isn’t free. Thank-You all for your patriotism, heroism, selflessness, sacrifices and compassion….
Your Tigress of the Tigris – Ramadan Rosie !
Brought to you by Darth and Wild Thing and of course the troops.
THIS below is Bolton from this last November…..kind of telling…….
Bolton at Hugh Hewitt blog
November 6, 2007
Townhall
HH: And we have a very precarious position, a situation in Pakistan today, Ambassador Bolton, and we’re getting conflicting signals, not surprising having read Surrender Is Not An Option, from the State Department and from the President. What ought to be the reaction of the United States to Musharraf’s declaration of military rule?
JB: Well, I don’t think it’s anything we should celebrate, of course, but I think we have to be practical about this. This is a regime in control of a number of nuclear weapons, it’s a regime we need to fight the remainder of al Qaeda and Taliban along its border with Afghanistan. And I don’t think we ought to be pushing Musharraf out the door, or necessarily in a direction of coalitions with the likes of Benazir Bhutto, if he thinks it would weaken his position, because the alternative is not a nice Jeffersonian democratic government. The alternative to Musharraf right now is an Islamo-fascist government in control of nuclear weapons, and that’s definitely something to fear.
HH: Is there a danger that Musharraf could become Bush’s Shah or his Diem?
JB: Well, I think that’s entirely possible, and I think part of the reason is the State Department was pushing Benazir Bhutto on him, and I think it was a very foolish strategy, because you can’t say take on some of the democratic opposition and not take on the rest of it. This trying to read internal Pakistani politics is hard for the Pakistanis, let alone for people at the State Department.
Wild Thing’s comment……..
Bolton is a wise man and I look forward to reading his book. He has been speaking out a lot about various topics and I wish, hope and pray he will stay in the forefront always. His input in the world today I think is most important. No one is 100 % right all the time, but Bolton seems so honest and his love for America always comes through and his respect for our troops as well.
Terrorists’ new mission: Protect President Bush
Most active West Bank militant group in security team for Middle East visit
WND
JERUSALEM – Members of the most active West Bank terror organization are set to participate in security forces being deployed to protect President Bush during his visit to the Palestinian territories next month.
Bush is due in the region Jan. 9 as part of a follow-up to last month’s U.S.-led Israeli-Palestinian Annapolis summit.
During his trip, the American president is scheduled to hold talks with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem, and meet quickly with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
According to Israeli security officials coordinating deployments of forces with the PA for Bush’s Ramallah visit, members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah’s declared military wing, have been called upon by the PA to participate in the protection of Bush’s convoy and in securing the perimeter during the meeting with Abbas.
The Brigades is listed as a terror organization by the U.S. State Department. The group took credit along with the Islamic Jihad terror organization for every suicide bombing in Israel between 2005 and 2006, and is responsible for thousands of shootings and rocket firings. Statistically, the Al Aqsa Brigades perpetuated more terrorism from the West Bank than Hamas, according to the Israeli Defense Forces.
Many Brigades members, including the group’s chiefs, serve openly in Fatah’s Force 17 presidential guard units and the Palestinian Preventative Security Services; thousands of Force 17 and Preventative officers are slated to secure Ramallah during Bush’s visit there.
The Israeli Defense Forces will protect the main West Bank highway Bush’s convoy will use to approach Ramallah. Security for Bush will be largely turned over to the Palestinians once he enters Ramallah, although security plans are being heavily coordinated with the U.S.
According to Israeli security officials, over 6,000 Fatah forces will be deployed in three rings in central Ramallah to secure the area during Bush’s brief stay, including Palestinian security officers who also serve in the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
Wild Thing’s comment……..
I hope this pans out to be one of the NOT true articles from WND, but many of theirs have been true. Either way this is horrendous that the President would be protected at all by terrorists. Why can’t they have Blackwater if it is too much to get ONLY the IDF to guard Bush. sheesh I would never want to be guarded by terrorists no matter what.
….Thank you Les for the link and information.
LAAF Arms arriving- english version
Dutch government firework safety ads featuring a spoof Islamist terrorist group have been criticised as insensitive and depicting a negative stereotype of the Muslim community.
The online ads, made for the Dutch government’s consumer safety institute, have been made to look like a video message filmed by an Islamist military organisation called the Liberation Army Against Freedom.
Featuring a group led by an Osama bin Laden lookalike figure at their camp, the viral ads are dubbed into Iraqi-accented Arabic and have versions with subtitles in Dutch and English.
The tone is intended to be humorous, with the terrorist group seen receiving a shipment of fireworks like an arms cache, wearing suicide vests made of firecrackers, and bungling efforts to “demonstrate to you our true power” by blowing themselves up.
LAAF Mother of all Rocket – english version
Wild Thing’s comment……..
These are so funny and applause to the Dutch Government for not being PC about their ads. hahahaha These will be making Moslems seething again, but heck they are always seething about something.
There are more at the YouTube page that have these. Just click on the upper left corner of either video to go to the page that has more of them if you like.
DES MOINES, Iowa
CNN
In comments to reporters after Barack Obama’s first speech Thursday, his chief strategist David Axelrod seemed to link Hillary Clinton’s vote on Iraq and the death of Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan’s former prime minister.
“Barack Obama had the judgment to oppose the war in Iraq. And he warned at the time that it would divert us from Afghanistan and Al Qaeda, and now we see the effect of that,” said Axelrod.
“Al Qaeda is resurgent. They’re a powerful force now in Pakistan….There’s a suspicion they may have been involved in this. I think his judgment was good. Sen. Clinton made a different judgment. Let’s have that discussion.”
Axelrod was responding to reporters’ questions whether Bhutto’s assassination enhances claims that Clinton’s foreign policy experience may make her more fit to serve as commander-in-chief.
“I mean, she was a strong supporter of the war in Iraq, which we would submit is one of the reasons why we were diverted from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Al Qaeda who may have been players in this event today. So that’s a judgment she’ll have to defend.”
Clinton spokesman Jay Carson criticized Axelrod’s remarks. “This is a time to be focused on the tragedy of the situation, its implications for the U.S. and the world, and to be concerned for the people of Pakistan and the country’s stability. No one should be politicizing this situation with baseless allegations,” he said.
UPDATE: When asked about Axelrod’s remarks late Thursday, Obama told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that “This is one of those situations where Washington is putting a spin on it. … He in no way was suggesting Hillary Clinton was somehow directly to blame for this situation.”
The Illinois senator added that “it’s important for us to not look at this in terms of short-term political points scoring.”
Wild Thing’s comment……..
So if we never went into Iraq….Pakistan would be Disneyland right now? So until America decided to take out Saddam Hussein, Pakistan was a magical land where gumdrops grew on trees and everyone held hands and danced a happy jig each afternoon.
Obama is an un-patriotic leftist! And obviously his team are idiots! Desperate and idiots not a good combination. I could care less about evil commie Hillary and I am in no way defending her. I just thought this was too funny to pass up. hahahaha
sierra vista herald
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — They are separated by a 30-minute helicopter ride but in this war-torn country it might as well be a continent away.
But Sgt. 1st Class Francisco Ramirez and his son, Spc. Donald Ramirez, were given a special Christmas gift — time with each other at dad’s place.
“He called me a day before (Christmas Eve) saying he was coming to visit,” said the 45-year-old father.
Donald, 21, said “It was my unit who was sending people on four-day passes.” Most headed to Qatar, but the younger soldier used the time to be with his dad.
Dad remarked, “I was happy. We were trying to get together before we left (Iraq).”
The older Ramirez, who has 22 years in the Army, has a year left on his 15-month deployment, while his son has six months remaining with the 4th Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, a Stryker unit out of Fort Lewis, Wash.
Calling Forward Operating Base Warhorse at Baquba home, the former Buena High School baseball pitcher said, like his father, he is a Signal Corps soldier. Francisco is the plans non-commissioned-officer-in-charge for the 11th Signal Brigade. Donald is a 2004 graduate of Buena High School.
“I worry about his safety,” dad said. “But, he’s a good, level-headed kid.”
Christmas day was a time to call family members, especially another son, Donald’s 20-year-old brother Daniel, who works at the Barnes Field House on Fort Huachuca.
Family members got a two-for-one when they answered, dad said — him and Donald.
“We spent most of our time catching up,” Francisco said. “He’s planning to get married.”
As for his future wife — who hasn’t been formally asked to marry him — Donald said “she has a promise ring, as I do.” The ring is on the finger where eventually the wedding band will be after he and Melissa Dangel marry.
For fatherly advice, Francisco told his son “Be good to her and treat her with respect.”
The father and son exchange movies as Christmas gifts, with Donald giving his dad “Knocked Up,” and Francisco giving “War” to his son. The two lived in dad’s billets, as the older Ramirez’s roommate was on leave.
Unlike most GIs at this camp, the Ramirezes did not partake in the Christmas feast at the dining facility.
“We went to Burger King for brunch and had pizza for dinner,” the father said.
The two hadn’t seen each other for more than a year and although Francisco was supposed to retire in June 2008, he pulled his papers to deploy in the hopes of connecting with Donald in Iraq.
The older Ramirez had only been back from an Iraqi deployment for year before heading out on his current stint.
When he returns in early January 2009, he will resubmit his retirement papers.
As for Donald, whether he will make the Army a career is up in the air. Part of the decision is based on Melissa, he added.
If the answer is yes, then he will re-enlist while in Iraq so his bonus will be tax free.
As for advice from a noncommissioned officer, which is mixed with the feelings of a father, Francisco said he told Donald to find a good NCO “and stay away from the knuckleheads.”
Friday, the two will say their farewells again.
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