Theodore's World

Photo – One hundred forty-one paratroopers from 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, re-enlisted Oct. 14 on Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq, in a ceremony conducted by Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commanding general of Multi-National Division–Center. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Marcus Butler

Paratroopers Sign Up for Another Tour Deployed soldiers participate in mass re-enlistment ceremony
By Sgt. Marcus Butler
4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne)
25th Infantry Division
BAGHDAD— One hundred forty-one paratroopers decided to stay Army in a mass re-enlistment ceremony held on Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq.
The paratroopers from 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, made the decision to continue their service in the Army after being deployed for over a year.
Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commanding general of Multi-National Division–Center, made a special trip to FOB Kalsu to lead the oath of enlistment for these paratroopers.
“To re-enlist this many paratroopers after being deployed for a year is truly amazing,” said Master Sgt. Douglas Goodwin, senior career counselor for the 4th BCT (Abn.), 25th Inf. Div. “It says a lot about the leadership and the patriotism of these paratroopers.”
After the ceremony, Lynch thanked each paratrooper and posed for pictures.
To this date, the Spartan Brigade has re-enlisted nearly 1,300 soldiers; approximately 70 percent of them have decided to stay with the brigade for another tour.

“Soldiers are special people and to see these paratroopers making a commitment to continue serving their country when the operational tempo is so high proves they trust in their leadership,” Goodwin said. “It also shows how much they believe in what they are doing and stand proud as United States paratroopers ready to defend our country against the ever-growing threat of terrorism.”

Wild Thing’s comment……..
We support you and thank you for all you do.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez(L) and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attend the opening session of the OPEC summit in Riyadh. OPEC leaders began a summit on Saturday with Chavez issuing a chilling warning about oil prices in a speech that also urged the group to be actively involved in foreign policy.

RIYADH (AFP) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez opened an OPEC summit on Saturday with a chilling warning about 200-dollar oil if the United States attacks Iran in a speech that also urged the cartel to be more political.
But internal divisions about the role of the oil exporters’ group were highlighted when King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, OPEC kingpin and key US regional ally, sounded a moderate note, saying oil “must not become an instrument for conflict.”
Chavez, a fiery leftist and fiercely anti-US leader, warned that crude prices could double from their current already-record level of near 100 dollars a barrel if Washington attacked Iran or aggressed Venezuela.
“If the United States was mad enough to attack Iran or aggress Venezuela again the price of a barrel of oil won’t just reach 100 dollars, but even 200 dollars,” he said.

………BUT look at this…………
Oil leaders’ private debate televised by mistake
Tim Webb in Riyadh
Sunday November 18, 2007
Observer/guardian
‘Kill the cable, kill the cable,’ shouted the security guard as he burst through the double doors into the media room at the Intercontinental Hotel in Riyadh, followed by Saudi police. It was too late.
A private meeting of Opec leaders, gathered this weekend in Riyadh for the cartel’s third meeting in its 47-year history, had just been broadcast to the world’s media for more than half an hour after a technician had mistakenly plugged the TV feed into the wrong socket. The facade of unity that the cartel so carefully cultivates to a world spooked by soaring oil prices was shattered.
Sometimes, such innocent mistakes can have far-reaching economic and political consequences. Commodity and currency traders said this weekend that oil prices would surge again tomorrow – possibly breaking the $101 per barrel record set in the late 1970s – while the already battered dollar would fall further on the back of the unintentional broadcast.
On Friday night, during what the participants thought were private talks, Venezuela’s oil minister Venezuela Rafael Ramirez and his Iranian counterpart Gholamhossein Nozari, argued that pricing – and selling – oil using the crippled dollar was damaging the cartel.
They said Opec should formally express its concern about the weakness of the dollar when the cartel makes its official declaration at the close of the summit today. But the Saudis, the world’s largest oil producers and de facto head of Opec, vetoed the proposal. Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, warned that even the mere mention to journalists of the fact that leaders were discussing the weak dollar would cause the US currency to plummet.
Unfortunately his words and those of everyone at the meeting were being broadcast via a live television feed to a group of astonished reporters. ‘I couldn’t believe it,’ said one who was there. ‘When I realised they didn’t know they were being broadcast live, I frantically started taking notes.’
Opec only realised that the leaders’ row was being broadcast to the world when the Reuters news agency put out a report of the argument.
The weakness of the dollar is one reason why oil prices are so high, as cartel members seek to compensate for their lower earnings. This means a further drop in the dollar is likely to be accompanied by a rise in oil prices.

Petraeus Helping Pick New Generals
washington post.com …for complete article
The Army has summoned the top U.S. commander in Iraq back to Washington to preside over a board that will pick some of the next generation of Army leaders, an unusual decision that officials say represents a vote of confidence in Gen. David H. Petraeus’s conduct of the war, as well as the Army counterinsurgency doctrine he helped rewrite.
The Army has long been criticized for rewarding conventional military thinking and experience in traditional combat operations, and current and former defense officials have pointed to Petraeus’s involvement in the promotion board process this month as a sign of the Army’s commitment to encouraging innovation and rewarding skills beyond the battlefield.
Some junior and midlevel officers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan have been particularly outspoken in their criticisms, saying the Army’s current leadership lacks a hands-on understanding of today’s conflicts and has not listened to feedback from younger personnel.

“It’s unprecedented for the commander of an active theater to be brought back to head something like a brigadier generals board,” said retired Maj. Gen. Robert Scales, former head of the Army War College. A senior defense official said Petraeus is “far too high-profile for this to be a subtle thing.”

The board, composed of 15 Army generals, will examine a pool of more than 1,000 colonels to select about 40 brigadier generals, expected to lead the service over the next decade or longer. Although each board member has an equal vote on the candidates, Petraeus will be able to guide the discussion.
Petraeus, a four-star general with a doctorate in international relations, has spent three of the past four years in Iraq and has observed firsthand many of the colonels under consideration for promotion. He is well-regarded by military officials for his political skills in Iraq and at home, including winning support from a skeptical Congress for a U.S. troop increase in Iraq.

“Dave Petraeus in many ways is viewed as the archetype of what this new generation of senior leader is all about,” Scales said, “a guy . . . who understands information operations, who can be effective on Capitol Hill, who can communicate with Iraqis, who understands the value of original thought, who has the ability through the power of his intellect to lead people to change.”

Wild Thing’s comment……..
I hope this mean they are going to retire the last of the Clinton mushhead Generals. and the POS like Wesley Clarke.

The US Army’s Golden Knights Parachute Team visited the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Camp in San Antonio, TX and took some of the women on a tandem skydiving jump

Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders visit our troops at Camp Arijan Kuwait

A Blonde’s First Football Game – I love blonde jokes and this is a good one. Thanks To Lynn for sending this to me.

A guy took his blonde girlfriend to her first football game.
They had great seats right behind their team’s bench.
After the game, he asked her how she liked the experience.
“Oh, I really liked it,” she replied, “especially the tight pants and
all the big muscles, but I just couldn’t understand why they were
killing each other over like 25 cents.”
Dumbfounded, her date asked, “What do you mean?”
“Well, they flipped a coin, one team got it and then for the rest of
the game, all they kept screaming was: ‘Get the quarterback! Get the
quarterback!’ I’m like…Helloooooo? It’s only 25 cents!!!!

Here are the matchups for Sunday, November 18 Time (EST)
CAR @ GB 1:00 PM
OAK @ MIN 1:00 PM
SD @ JAC 1:00 PM
ARI @ CIN 1:00 PM
KC @ IND 1:00 PM
NO @ HOU 1:00 PM
NYG @ DET 1:00 PM
CLE @ BAL 1:00 PM
MIA @ PHI 1:00 PM
TB @ ATL 1:00 PM
PIT @ NYJ 4:05 PM
CHI @ SEA 4:15 PM
WAS @ DAL 4:15 PM
STL @ SF 4:15 PM
NE @ BUF 8:15 PM
Monday, November 19 Time (EST)
TEN @ DEN 8:30 PM
Byes: None

These are the teams I think everyone is for. I will add to this as you tell me your favorite teams.
(Some names are those deployed in Iraq)
Lynn – Broncos, Bears, Browns
Tom – Cowboys, Broncos
Darth – New York Giants, Tampa Bay Bucs, (ABP – ‘anybody’ but Philly )
Mark – Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Bears
Bob – Buffalo Bills
Billy – Jets, NY Giants, Bears
Nick – Cowboys, Rams and Raiders
Karsten – Tampa Bay Bucs, NY Giants
navycopjoe – Chicago Bears
LindaSOG – Miami Dolphins
Jonathan – Raiders
Dawn – Seahawks, Bronco’s ….(husband USARMY delpoyed, Iraq)
Amber – Green Bay Packers …..(husband USMC delpoyed Iraq)
Cuchieddie – Raiders
Sierrahome – Colts
patrickdaniel – Chargers, Cowboys
Eve – Colts ….(husband USARMY deployed Iraq)
Beth – Bears , Saints
Chief – Seahwaks
Chrissie – Bears, Broncos and Cowboys
Deployed:
Andy ( USMC) – Colts
Mike ( USARMY) – Seattle Seahawks
Sand Man ( (USMC) – Bronco’s
Dave (USARMY) – Patriots
Tim ( USMC) – Bears
Jean ( USARMY) – Atlanta Falcons
Max ( USARMY- Cowboys
Pete ( USMC) – Bronco’s

Sunday FINAL Scores
OAK 22 @ MIN 29 FINAL
KC 10 @ IND 13 FINAL
MIA 7 @ PHI 17 FINAL
TB 31 @ ATL 7 FINAL
ARI 35 @ CIN 27 FINAL
SD 17 @ JAC 24 FINAL
CLE 33 @ BAL 30 FINAL
CAR 17 @ GB 31 FINAL
NO 10 @ HOU 23 FINAL
NYG 16 @ DET 10 FINAL
PIT 16 @ NYJ 19 FINAL
WAS 23 @ DAL 28 FINAL
CHI 23 @ SEA 30 FINAL
STL 13 @ SF 9 FINAL
NE 56 @ BUF 10 FINAL

Ellison (D-MN) seeks bill to let ex-felons vote
star tribune
Rep. Keith Ellison said Friday he’ll pursue legislation that would require states to let ex-felons vote in federal elections once they’re out of jail or prison, which would nullify laws in states across the country, including Minnesota.
Ellison, a freshman Minnesota Democrat, had introduced legislation to let ex-felons vote when he was in the Minnesota Legislature. Now he’s aiming for a bigger impact.

“Allowing felons to vote signals our value on redemption,” he said in an interview. “We should believe in second chances. We should believe in redemption.”

The question, Ellison said, is whether people who serve their sentences can join their communities’ civic life.

“If what we want people to do is reintegrate, to rehabilitate,” he said, “I can think of very few things that are more public-spirited than voting.”

A report by The Sentencing Project last year found that almost 4 million Americans who have completed their prison terms remain unable to vote, because laws in most states prevent them from doing so.
According to the group, which supports criminal justice reform, there are 10 states in which a felony conviction can result in a lifetime voting ban. Minnesota and many other states let ex-felons vote once they have finished their parole and probation. Only two states — Maine and Vermont — let prison inmates vote.
Ellison isn’t pushing the issue that far.

“I’d be happy if people could vote once they’re out,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any real good reason to deny you the right to vote once you’re in, but, once you’re out and you can vote — that would be a system that would make sense to me.”

Ellison said he’s still polishing the legislation, along with other lawmakers.
The Minnesota Republican Party expressed opposition to Ellison’s idea.

“Felonies are so serious that there have to be serious consequences,” said Mark Drake, a party spokesman.

Ellison said one reason he’s pushing the issue is because of the effect that banning ex-felons from voting has had on black voters. Last year’s Sentencing Project found that in 2004, about 1 in 12 African-Americans was disenfranchised because of a felony conviction — nearly five times the rate of non-blacks.

“It has a real disproportionate racial impact,” Ellison said.

He said that many ex-felons made errors in judgment but are not bad people.

“It’s easy to say they’re all just monsters — which is completely untrue,” he said. “I’m not saying that people don’t deserve sanctions. I spent 16 years doing criminal defense. And Lord knows I represented a lot of clients who need to be in prison. I hate to say it, but it’s true. Some of them were out of their mind and needed to be locked up.”

But he said many people were just “messed up, and needed a break, and needed a chance.”

Ellison has already introduced bills that would ban requiring photo IDs to vote in federal elections, and would require states to have same-day voter registration for federal elections.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Instant Democrat voting bloc brought to you by Muslim Ellison. He’s probably in favor of giving all his brothers at Gitmo the vote, too! I guess Keith (Hakeem) Ellison’s next bill will seek free explosive vests along with unlimited det cord for all muzzies that voted for him in MN’s fifth district.

Wow I just had my first electrical shock.
We were putting up lights on the bushes in front of our house and along the white picket fence along the patio. Apparently I was holding the plug in my hand and part of the sting of lights while Nick was draping the light strand over the arbor.
ZAAAAPPPPPP! and there I was screaming and my jaw dropped open, and I couldn’t close it for a few seconds.
All I could feel was a hard zap into my fingers, hand and up my left arm.

Whew, what a weird and very scary feeling. Well I guess I have been recharged now for another year. haha
Anyway I am gonig to sit quietly and relax for awhile whew. It scared the heck out of me. Nick works a lot with electricity since he was in the military and he said it has happened to him every so often, but just little zaps.
I hope all of you had a wonderful day.

Walter Cronkite returning to TV
Reuters
NEW YORK
Walter Cronkite, the TV news icon often described as “the most trusted man in America,” is returning to television, signing on as a regular contributor to the startup cable network Retirement Living TV.
Beginning November 20, the former CBS Evening News anchor will contribute weekly editorial commentaries during the channel’s two-hour noontime program, Daily Cafe. Each of Cronkite’s videotaped messages will run between seven and 10 minutes in length.
The “Cronkite’s Commentaries” segments will provide the veteran newsman a platform from which to offer his take on a host of issues, ranging from politics to the environment.
Retirement Living made the announcement Thursday morning, capping months of negotiations with the 91-year-old Cronkite. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
While Cronkite signed off from CBS News for the last time on March 6, 1981, he has stayed true to his parting words, “old anchormen, you see, don’t fade away; they just keep coming back for more.” Over the years, he has made occasional appearances on TV, including Discovery Channel documentaries and specials.
Retirement Living reaches some 29 million U.S. households, primarily through DirecTV. Its broadcast day runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST

Wild Thing’s comment……..
This little s.o.b. went to Hue City fairly late in the battle and saw what he wanted to see, but refused an invitation to see the massacred the communists had killed and tossed in a mass grave.
He will more then likely call the Iraq surge a losing battle (like he did the Tet Offensive) and call for the aging hippies to ride to Washington. Which goes to prove that old communists never die,,they just fade away. He should have guests like Alan Greenspan, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, Cindy Sheenan, and all of those other people who just won’t go away.
When you really need to end a war, Who would you look for?. Bob Hope?..nope. He was an American patriot. Che Guevera? Already taken. Cindy Sheehan? She and her smelly friends are still in my basement! Ewww. Get the a@@hole who lied and distorted the Vietnam war from start to finish. there ya go!!!!

Senate Votes to Block Iraq War Money
WASHINGTON
(AP)
The Senate on Friday blocked a Republican proposal to pay $70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan without strings attached.
The 53-45 vote was 15 votes short of the 60 needed to advance.
The measure was aimed at countering Democratic legislation that also would bankroll the operations, but would additionally require that troops start coming home in 30 days.
The Democratic bill, passed by the House on Wednesday, set a goal of ending combat by December 2008.

“We need to get the funds to the troops and we need to do it now,” said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the only way to get troops the money was to approve the restrictions outlined by Democrats.

“Anything else is political posturing,” said Reid.

Democrats also were expected to fall short of the 60 votes needed to advance their bill.
Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said this week that if Congress cannot pass legislation that ties war money to troop withdrawals, they would not send Bush a bill this year.
Instead, they would revisit the issue upon returning in January, pushing the Pentagon to the brink of an accounting nightmare and deepening Democrats’ conflict with the White House on the war.
In the meantime, Democrats say, the Pentagon can eat into its $471 billion annual budget without being forced to take drastic steps.

“The days of a free lunch are over,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that unless Congress passes funding for the war within days, he will direct the Army and Marine Corps to begin developing plans to lay off employees and terminate contracts early next year.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
“The days of a free lunch are over,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
The country is at war and this is what the al qaeda operative in the Senate from New York said about our military ??? WTF
Here is the vote on the Democrat bill. RINOS Snow, Hagel and Smith voted with the Dims
And Chris Dodd, and Joseph Leiberman voted with the Republicans on this. what the heck, Chris Dodd? Well good.
If a single soldier is killed because they lacked the funding and equipment due to political posturing Harry Reid, and all those that voted against our troops, I will hold you PERSONALLY responsible!!!!

Reid to Keep Senate in Session to Prevent Recess Appointments
Roll Call
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has decided to keep the chamber in session over the Thanksgiving break to block President Bush from making any unsavory recess appointments while Senators are out of town.
In a statement inserted in the record Friday, the Majority Leader said he will hold the Senate in a series of pro forma or nonvoting sessions to prevent the controversial practice. In the statement, Reid argued that nominations need to get on track, and that Bush has not met the Democrats “halfway” in agreeing to Democratically backed nominees to “important commissions.”

“While an election year looms, significant progress can still be made on nominations,” Reid said. “I am committed to making that progress if the President will meet me halfway.

“But that progress can’t be made if the President seeks controversial recess appointments and fails to make Democratic appointments to important commissions.”

Senate sources said Reid made the decision after he was unable to strike a deal with White House officials that would have allowed swift consideration of several key Democratic picks for the executive branch. In his statement, Reid points to the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Nuclear Regulatory Commission as examples where Democratic choices have not been moved along.

“Up until recently, the President has generally discharged that obligation,” Reid said. “In the last several months, however, the administration has been stalling progress on Democratic appointments.”

Democrats have feared Bush would look to use the upcoming break to appoint some of his own nominees that may not otherwise clear the Senate. In particular, concerns have centered on the appointment of James Holsinger as surgeon general, who has met criticism from gay rights organizations and opposition from key Senate Democrats.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Here we go again! I swear I think Harry Reid is LONELY! He pulled this crap with the all-night debate, and here it is again. And now he wants to keep them during Thanksgiving. LMAO This is going to go over like a lead balloon in the Senate!

John Kerry Accepts $1M Swift Boat Bet
abc
Sen. John Kerry, whose 2004 presidential campaign was torpedoed by critics of his Vietnam War record, said Friday he has personally accepted a Texas oilman’s offer to pay $1 million to anyone who can disprove even a single charge of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
In a letter to T. Boone Pickens, the Massachusetts Democrat wrote: “While I am prepared to show they lied on allegation after allegation, you have generously offered to pay one million dollars for just one thing that can be proven false. I am prepared to prove the lie beyond any reasonable doubt.”
Kerry, a Navy veteran and former prosecutor, said he was willing to present his case directly to Pickens, who provided $3 million to bankroll the group during Kerry’s race against President Bush. Kerry said he would donate any proceeds to the Paralyzed Veterans of America.
The senator said Pickens issued the challenge Nov. 6 in Washington, while serving as chairman of a 40th anniversary gala for American Spectator magazine.
In the letter, Kerry offered to travel to Dallas to meet with Pickens in a public forum or to invite him to come to Massachusetts. He suggested the two could visit the Paralyzed Veterans of America in Norwood to see firsthand how Pickens’ money could be used to help veterans. A copy of the letter was provided to The Associated Press.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Kerry will have to authorize the release of his service records in order to win the 1 million bucks. Fat chance that will happen though, Kerry is blowing smoke.