Theodore's World

Tancredo Criticizes Bush Decision to Appeal Illegal Alien Murder Case
( WASHINGTON, D.C. )
Tom Tancredo website
Representative Tom Tancredo (R-Littleton) today criticized the decision by President Bush to allow an appeals case to move to the Supreme Court regarding an illegal alien who was convicted of gang-raping, sodomizing and murdering two 14 year old girls.

“It’s astonishing that this president would give into international pressure from the Mexican government and possibly set this convicted gang member free,” Tancredo said.

Jose Medellin confessed, along with a handful of other gang members, to gang raping, sodomizing and murdering two 14 year old girls. He even took a wristwatch from one of the girls as a souvenir.
At issue is whether or not Medellin and the others were denied their right to contact the Mexican consulate prior to confessing their crimes. The International Court of Justice at The Hague ruled in favor of the Mexican government and asked that the United States reconsider their sentences.

Concluded Tancredo, “If the decree of some international tribunal were to trump our judicial system it would be a national embarrassment.”

Father of Murdered Girl Questions Bush’s Support to Halt Killer’s Execution
Fox News

The father of a 14-year-old Texas girl who was raped, sodomized and then strangled with a belt and shoe laces, wants to know why President Bush supports halting the execution of the Mexican national who confessed to killing his daughter and her friend.
“Our daughters are just pawns in a game that we have no control over,” Randy Ertman, father of Jennifer Ertman, told FOX News. “What can I say to the president of the United States or the Supreme Court that would make any difference?”
Jennifer Ertman, 14, and her classmate, Elizabeth Pena, 16, were brutally raped and killed in 1993 after stumbling upon a gang. Jose “Joe” Ernesto Medellin, who was born in Mexico but spent much of his childhood in Texas, confessed to the killings and was sentenced to death. But 14 years later, Medellin still sits in a Texas prison cell as the White House argues that his conviction was flawed because Houston police failed to tell him of his right to seek help from the Mexican consulate.
Medellin’s right to seek legal advice from Mexican diplomats is protected by the 1963 Vienna Convention, an international treaty that President Bush must follow under the U.S. Constitution, said Susan Gzesh, director of the human rights program at the University of Chicago.
A Father’s Plea “If the U.S. is going to disobey the obligations we’ve undertaken under the Vienna Convention, then other countries could retaliate,” Gzesh said. “Bush is following the treaty.”
The Supreme Court heard an oral argument Wednesday in the case of Medellin v. Texas, where the State of Texas presented arguments to counter those from the Bush administration and Medellin’s attorney asked the court to set aside Medellin’s conviction and death sentence and grant him a new hearing.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Good for Tancredo. Bush’s action is outrageous.
We certainly wouldn’t want to do anything to jeopardize our great working relationship with our neighbor to the south . . .
They might, Mexico, gee, I dunno—they might start flooding our country with tens of thousands of their undesirable, unemployable, grade school drop-outs.
Or they might start smuggling tons of illegal drugs into our country, while their mealy-mouthed president says things like, “Mexico is wherever you find Mexicans.”
Also, how are we ever to integrate into a North American Union if we don’t learn how to kow-tow to the dictates of a European kangaroo-court?
Mexico and the Euros can go pound sand

Members of the left-wing Workers’ Party wave Turkish flags, while a man, second from left, holds a banner reading, “Genocide is a lie and it’s an American game”, as they chant slogans during a protest against the U.S. and its passing of a bill describing World War I-era killings of Armenians as genocide, Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2007. Despite intense lobbying by Turkish officials and opposition by U.S. President George W. Bush, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the bill by a 27-21 vote, a move likely to be considered an insult by most Turks. (AP Photo/Murad Sezer)

Turkey Threatens Repercussions for US
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)
Turkey, which is a key supply route to U.S. troops in Iraq, recalled its ambassador to Washington on Thursday and warned of serious repercussions if Congress labels the killing of Armenians by Turks a century ago as genocide.
Ordered after a House committee endorsed the genocide measure, the summons of the ambassador for consultations was a further sign of the deteriorating relations between two longtime allies and the potential for new turmoil in an already troubled region.
Egeman Bagis, an aide to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told Turkish media that Turkey – a conduit for many of the supplies shipped to American bases in both Iraq and Afghanistan – might have to “cut logistical support to the U.S.”
Analysts also have speculated the resolution could make Turkey more inclined to send troops into northern Iraq to hunt Turkish Kurd rebels, a move opposed by the U.S. because it would disrupt one of the few relatively stable and peaceful Iraqi areas.
There are steps that we will take,” Turkey’s prime minister told reporters, but without elaboration. It also wasn’t clear if he meant his government would act immediately or wait to see what happens to the resolution in Congress.
He declined to answer questions about whether Turkey might shut down Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, a major cargo hub for U.S. and allied military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Iskenderun is also used to ferry goods to American troops.
“You don’t talk about such things, you just do them,” Erdogan said.
The measure before Congress is just a nonbinding resolution without the force of law, but the debate has incensed Turkey’s government.
Continued article HERE

Turkey recalls ambassador over genocide resolution
cnn

Turkey recalled its ambassador to the United States in response to a House resolution that uses the word “genocide” in reference to what it calls the Turkish massacre of Armenians during World War I, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

“Yesterday some in Congress wanted to play hardball,” said Egemen Bagis, foreign policy adviser to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “I can assure you Turkey knows how to play hardball.”

Gates Expresses Concern About Resolution’s Impact on U.S.-Turkey Relations
Despite appeals from President Bush and other top U.S. officials to reject the measure, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday voted 27 to 21 in favor of a nonbinding resolution that characterized the mass killings of some 1.5 million Armenians, which began in 1915, as genocide.
“This is a very sensitive subject for a close ally, an ally that is incredibly important to the United States in terms of our operations in Iraq,” Gates said during a news conference in London with British Secretary of State for Defense Desmond Browne.
Seventy percent of America’s air cargo for the war effort goes through Turkey, along with 30 percent of the fuel. Ninety-five percent of mine-resistant, ambush-protected heavy vehicles being flown into Iraq go through Turkey as well, the secretary said.
In response to the passage of yesterday’s damning resolution, Turkey has threatened to cut off its support of coalition operations in Iraq, a move that has enormous implications for American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in Iraq and must be taken seriously, Gates said.

What next……this do you suppose? amazing

Empire State Building to go green for Muslim holiday
NEW YORK
New York’s iconic Empire State Building is to be lit up green from Friday in honor of the Muslim holiday of Eid, the biggest festival in the Muslim calendar marking the end of Ramadan, officials said.
“This is the first time that the Empire State Building will be illuminated for Eid, and the lighting will become an annual event in the same tradition of the yearly lightings for Christmas and Hannukah,” according to a statement.
Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month, is expected to be celebrated in New York from Friday, depending on when the new moon is sighted, and the city’s tallest skyscraper will remain green until Sunday.
Built in the early 1930s, the 443-meter-tall (1,454-feet-tall) Empire State Building was first lit up with colored lighting in 1976, when red, white and blue lights were used to mark the American Bicentennial.
An estimated seven million Muslims live in the United States.

Special Lighting Requests:
The Empire State Building has developed an annual lighting schedule which honors National Holidays, seasons, the myriad ethnic groups living in the New York City area and many worthy causes
list of the upcoming Tower Light themes
http://www.esbnyc.com/tourism/tourism_lightingschedule.cfm?CFID=24723090&CFTOKEN=32005848

Wild Thing’s comment……..
I think the Mussies have lit up enough US buildings thank you very much!
Appease the lunatics and they won’t make you a target, doncha know? It is the Muslimization of American that has grown since 9/11. Commit terrorist acts and we will love you kind of message. If they came out with a press release tomorrow stating that they are installing a crescent moon on top of the building, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit. The surrender monkeys will be putting a burka on the Statue of Liberty soon enough.

.

….Thank you Tom for the link to this information.

A familiar administration divide: Vice President Dick Cheney says Israeli intelligence was credible, while Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice questions whether there was a real threat.

An Israeli Strike on Syria Kindles Debate in the U.S.
NYT ….for complete article
WASHINGTON
A sharp debate is under way in the Bush administration about the significance of the Israeli intelligence that led to last month’s Israeli strike inside Syria, according to current and former American government officials.
At issue is whether intelligence that Israel presented months ago to the White House — to support claims that Syria had begun early work on what could become a nuclear weapons program with help from North Korea — was conclusive enough to justify military action by Israel and a possible rethinking of American policy toward the two nations.
The debate has fractured along now-familiar fault lines, with Vice President Dick Cheney and conservative hawks in the administration portraying the Israeli intelligence as credible and arguing that it should cause the United States to reconsider its diplomatic overtures to Syria and North Korea.
By contrast, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her allies within the administration have said they do not believe that the intelligence presented so far merits any change in the American diplomatic approach.

“Some people think that it means that the sky is falling,” a senior administration official said. “Others say that they’re not convinced that the real intelligence poses a threat.”

Several current and former officials, as well as outside experts, spoke on the condition of anonymity because the intelligence surrounding the Israeli strike remains highly classified.
It has long been known that North Korean scientists have aided Damascus in developing sophisticated ballistic missile technology, and there appears to be little debate that North Koreans frequently visited a site in the Syrian desert that Israeli jets attacked Sept. 6. Where officials disagree is whether the accumulated evidence points to a Syrian nuclear program that poses a significant threat to the Middle East.

Mr. Cheney and his allies have expressed unease at the decision last week by President Bush and Ms. Rice to proceed with an agreement to supply North Korea with economic aid in return for the North’s disabling its nuclear reactor. Those officials argued that the Israeli intelligence demonstrates that North Korea cannot be trusted. They also argue that the United States should be prepared to scuttle the agreement unless North Korea admits to its dealing with the Syrians.

Since North Korea detonated its nuclear device, Ms. Rice has prodded Mr. Bush toward a more diplomatic approach with North Korea, through talks that also include Japan, Russia, South Korea and China.
That deal angered conservatives who believed that the Bush administration had made diplomacy toward North Korea too high a priority, at the expense of efforts to combat the spread of illicit weapons in the Middle East.

“Opposing the Israeli strike to protect the six-party talks would be a breathtaking repudiation of the administration’s own national security strategy,” said John R. Bolton, former United States ambassador to the United Nations.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Cheney is right, Rice is wrong. Bush should fire her pronto – her policy predilections are far too dangerous to US and world security, she is another Powell or worse.
It is past time that Condi should shut up and accept N. Korea for what it is.
Condi opposed the plan over the summer, and still insists on going on the diplomatic dance even when N. Korea is caught outsourcing their nuclear program. Now that the incontrovertible evidence was secured as she or Bush insisted, she should stop ignoring the reality. N. Korea crossed the red line: proliferating nuclear weapons/materials, the very thing she claims to stop by her diplomatic approach.

Death Penalty Case Puts Bush and Texas at Odds Over Mexican’s Fate
Fox News
WASHINGTON
President Bush, who presided over 152 executions as governor of Texas, wants to halt the state’s execution of a Mexican national for the brutal killing of two teenage girls.
The case of Jose Ernesto Medellin has become a confusing test of presidential power that the U.S. Supreme Court, which hears the case this week, ultimately will sort out.
The president wants to enforce a decision by the International Court of Justice that found the convictions of Medellin and 50 other Mexican-born prisoners violated their rights to legal help as outlined in the 1963 Vienna Convention.
That is the same court Bush has since said he plans to ignore if it makes similar decisions affecting state criminal laws.

“The president does not agree with the ICJ’s interpretation of the Vienna Convention,” the administration said in arguments filed with the court. This time, though, the U.S. agreed to abide by the international court’s decision because ignoring it would harm American interests abroad, the government said.

Texas argues that neither the international court nor Bush has any say in Medellin’s case.
Medellin was born in Mexico, but spent much of his childhood in the United States. He was 18 in June 1993, when he and other members of the Black and Whites gang in Houston encountered two teenage girls on a railroad trestle.
The girls were gang-raped and strangled. Their bodies were found four days later.
Medellin was arrested a few days later. He was told he had a right to remain silent and have a lawyer present, but the police did not tell him that he could request assistance from the Mexican consulate.
Medellin gave a written confession. He was convicted of murder in the course of a sexual assault, a capital offense in Texas. A judge sentenced him to death in October 1994.
Medellin did not raise the lack of assistance from Mexican diplomats during his trial or sentencing. When he did claim his rights had been violated, Texas and federal courts turned him down because he had not objected at his trial. Mexico later sued the United States in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, on behalf of Medellin and 50 other Mexicans on death row in the U.S.

Notice that the story says, “two teen aged girls” and doesn’t provide further details of the crime. The girls have names and there are details of the gang rape and murder of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena.
What happened…
Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena were 14 and 16 years old, respectively. There is a website telling all that happened and photos of the girls.
http://www.murdervictims.com/Voices/jeneliz.html

Wild Thing’s comment…….
So once again we see that Bush an un-registered lobbyist for Mexico. Bush is pushing the envelope, seeing how far he can go. What is next?

Joint effort turns terrorist recruiting center into school
LUTIFIYAH — For American schoolchildren, libraries, restrooms and desks and chairs in the school are a given. For many Iraqi children, however, those elements of school life would be regarded as luxuries.
Thus, the exuberant celebration surrounding the re-opening of the Jolen School, reclaimed from terrorists who had overtaken the building.

“This school was once used as an al Qaida recruiting facility,” explained U.S. Army 1st Lt. Aaron Hall, civil affairs officer, 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Military Transition Team. “I remember when this building was covered with graffiti.”

Hall asked his battalion commander, Lt. Col. Bob Morschauser, to approve the use of Commander’s Emergency Response Program funds to renovate the school for the children after the terrorists were driven out and the area was secured.

Once the project was approved, the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) worked with the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division and Iraqi contractors on the renovation project.

“We used a contracting company that was widely known for its work before the war started,” Hall explained.

Within a few months, the fruits of everyone’s labor showed as hundreds of Iraqi children gathered to see their newly renovated school.

“This really makes me happy,” said Mustafar, a student at Jolen School. “Our school has never been this nice.”

The two-story school is now large enough to house 1,200 students; 600 during the day and 600 at night. The school is equipped with a computer lab, new desks, renovated classrooms and even a playground in the school yard.
But it is the small amenities that really make the school special.

“Before the school had broken windows and only one bathroom that all 1,200 students used,” Hall said. “Now there are several bathrooms and all of the windows are fixed.”

School renovations are just a small way to show Iraqis the importance of their future, Hall said.

Iraqi Army Brig. Gen. Muhammad Ali Jassim al-Frejee, commander of the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, concurred, smiling as he walked through the schoolhouse and pausing to chat with students and to reflect on what the opening of a renovated school means to the local citizens.

“All of this is for our future. Our time is gone,” Ali said, speaking of the Iraqi elders as he looked at the children, “but our future is right here.”

Marines with 1st Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, sweep through the desert on the outside of the city. The company, known as the Animals, frequently goes on patrols lasting more than six hours and regularly covers a dozen miles each day.

EXPEDITIONARY PATROL BASE – DULAB, Iraq
(Oct. 10, 2007)

“Enjoy it while you can maggots,” rasped the drill instructor into the darkness of the squad bay, “This is the most sleep you will see in the Corps, especially if you are allowed to become grunts.” The Marines with Company A, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, now agree with the phantom from boot camp.

In the small patrol base which borders on the village of Dulab, near the edge of the Euphrates River, sleep truly is a commodity. The Marines of Company A, known as the “Animals,” spend most of their time on foot patrols in or around the city or in overwatch positions for Iraqi Security Forces. Any free time is spent trying to catch up on their shut-eye.

“We have a lot of area to cover and not an abundance of people to cover it,” explained 2nd Lt. Andrew D. Markoff, a platoon commander with the company. “We try to push into the desert, cover the river, and steal the night from the enemy, plus it’s all on foot. It adds up after a while.”

The platoon who occupies the patrol base, 1st Platoon, is constantly on the move.

“I would say the average length is about five to eight miles per patrol,” said Markoff, Raleigh, N.C., native. “And if we are doing an overwatch position, you can tack about six hours on to the middle of that patrol.”

Most of the Marines agree the lack of sleep is a welcome price for the progress being made in the area.

“The Iraqi Security Forces are much easier to work with this year,” said Lance Cpl. Patrick K. Mason, a squad leader with the platoon. “Last deployment we were focused on creating the IP force, but now these guys have experience. You don’t have to be afraid to go on patrols with them anymore because you’re more confident in their capabilities.”

The Iraqi soldiers and police have begun operating on their own with either little or no support from the Animals.

“Compared to last year, this is a pretty big step,” said Lance Cpl. Cameron J. Jensen, a team leader with the platoon. “This proves were doing our job here. They aren’t perfect yet, but it won’t be long. They lack the natural discipline that Marines have, but slowly they are learning not to talk during an operation, take a knee when you stop, keep a low silhouette on the horizon, stuff like that.”

The Marines in the company are being urged to foster the differences between the two security forces. Their goal is to get the Iraqi police away from a military mindset, and into the local police mindset.

The job sounds much easier than it really is. It is common for a group of police to arrest someone, and bring them to the Marines to be detained. The Marines ask what the crime was and if there is proof. The police will vouch that ‘this man is bad.’ When asked for witnesses, more police will agree ‘everyone knows he is bad.’ The legal process is, however, making headway.

Coalition forces kill nine terrorists; detain 21 suspects
Oct.10,2007
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed nine terrorists and detained 21 suspects during operations Monday and Tuesday to disrupt al-Qaeda in Iraq networks operating in central and northern parts of the country.
South of Baghdad, Coalition forces conducted an operation targeting an associate of al-Qaeda in Iraq operating in the southern belt. The targeted individual is reportedly responsible for providing guidance on operations against Coalition forces. Upon arriving to the target area, the ground force was engaged by an armed individual throwing a grenade. Responding in self-defense, Coalition forces returned fire and observed several individuals maneuvering from the target area. The ground force called for supporting aircraft to engage the fleeing men, killing three terrorists. Eight suspected terrorists were also detained during the operation.
In an operation south of Mahmudiyah, Coalition forces targeted an associate of al-Qaeda in Iraq believed to be a military leader in Yusufiyah. Reports also indicate he is responsible for coordinating the movement of foreign terrorists and suicide bombers for attacks against Coalition forces. Upon arrival to the target area, the ground force discovered three armed individuals in a field. Coalition forces called for the individuals to come out from their location, but they did not comply. Perceiving a hostile threat, the ground force engaged, killing two of the three armed terrorists. The third armed man fled the area and was engaged and killed by supporting aircraft. One of the terrorists killed was wearing a military-style assault vest. The ground force also discovered grenades and blasting caps which were safely destroyed on site. As Coalition forces continued to secure the area, they encountered an individual armed with several grenades. Responding in self-defense, the ground force engaged and killed him. In addition, one suspected terrorist was detained during the operation.
Near Bayji, Coalition forces captured an associate of al-Qaeda in Iraq believed to be involved in weapons facilitation and providing false documentation to facilitate travel for senior terrorist leaders. In addition to the targeted individual, the ground force detained four other suspected terrorists on site without incident.
Farther north in Mosul, Coalition forces detained three suspected terrorists while targeting an associate of al-Qaeda in Iraq believed to be responsible for security for the terrorist network in the city. Reports also indicate that the targeted individual is involved in kidnapping operations in the area.
Coalition forces captured another wanted individual during an operation west of Samarra. The suspect is alleged to be a leader of a Sunni extremist group affiliated with al-Qaeda in Iraq and is involved in kidnappings and improvised explosive device production. Intelligence reports indicated that the target area was used as a weapons cache site. In addition to the targeted individual, the ground force detained three other suspects.
South of Samarra Monday, Coalition forces conducted a precision operation targeting associates of al-Qaeda in Iraq alleged to have ties to senior terrorist leaders. Acting on time-sensitive intelligence, Coalition forces pinpointed the exact location of the wanted individuals and supporting aircraft engaged, killing two terrorists.

“Terrorists who attempt to attack civilians, Iraqi security forces and Coalition forces will be found, and they will be captured or killed,” said Maj. Winfield Danielson, Multi-National Force – Iraq spokesman. “We will not allow criminals to interfere with the progress the Iraqi people and their elected government are making.”

Political Correctness On Display In Washington As U.S. House Passes First-Ever Resolution Honoring Islam and Ramadan.
The resolution acknowledging the importance of Muslims in America, the first of its kind, was introduced by Texas Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson and co-sponsored by 30 legislators, including Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota. Ellison is the first Muslim to be elected to the U.S. Congress.

Congressman Tom Tancredo, one of 42 voting “present,” in a press release after the vote cited the resolution as “an example of the degree to which political correctness has captured the political and media elite” in America. He further stated: “I am not opposed to commending any religion for their faith. The problem is that any attempt to do so for Jews or Christians is immediately condemned as ’breaching’ the non-existent line between Church and State by the same elite.”

Congressman Scott Garrett commented that in his five years in Congress he could not remember a resolution honoring Christmas or Easter. As of this morning, a search by the ACT for America staff had not uncovered any resolution in the past 20 years honoring a Jewish holiday.

Other Members of Congress expressed being “troubled” by the resolution. Yet it passed without a single “no” vote. Why? And why the special treatment of an Islamic holiday?

Because politically correct treatment of Islam is growing, and the pressures in Washington to knuckle under to this political correctness have become extremely intense.

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said, “I voted ‘present’ because I read somewhere that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion.”

Joining Tancredo in his “present” vote were:
Republican Reps. Robert Aderholt (Ala.), Todd Akin (Mo.), Gresham Barrett (S.C.), Jo Bonner (Ala.), Mary Bono (Calif.), Paul Broun (Ga.), Ginny Brown-Waite (Fla.), Michael Burgess (Texas), Steve Buyer (Ind.), John Carter (Texas), Mike Conaway (Texas), Nathan Deal (Ga.), Terry Everett (Ala.), Mary Fallin (Okla.), Randy Forbes (Va.), Trent Franks (Ariz.), Scott Garrett (N.J.), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Virgil Goode (Va.), Kay Granger (Texas), Robin Hayes (N.C.), Sam Johnson (Texas), Jim Jordan (Ohio), Steve King (Iowa), Doug Lamborn (Colo.), Kenny Marchant (Texas), Jeff Miller (Fla.), Randy Neugebauer (Texas), Tom Price (Ga.), Mike Rogers (Ala.), Mark Souder (Ind.), Mac Thornberry (Texas), Todd Tiahrt (Kan.), Tim Walberg (Mich.), Zach Wamp (Tenn.), Dave Weldon (Fla.), Lynn Westmoreland (Ga.), Don Young (Alaska) and Bill Young (Fla.), as well as Democrat Mike McIntyre (N.C.).
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HE00635:@@@L&summ2=m&
Recognizing the commencement of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, and commending Muslims in the United States and throughout the world for their faith. (Introduced in House)
HRES 635 IH
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 635
Recognizing the commencement of Ramadan , the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, and commending Muslims in the United States and throughout the world for their faith.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 5, 2007
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas (for herself, Mr. MEEKS of New York, and Mr. ELLISON) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the commencement of Ramadan , the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, and commending Muslims in the United States and throughout the world for their faith.
Whereas since the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, threats and incidents of violence have been directed at law-abiding, patriotic Americans of African, Arab, and South Asian descent, particularly members of the Islamic faith;
Whereas, on September 14, 2001, the House of Representatives passed a concurrent resolution condemning bigotry and violence against Arab-Americans, American Muslims, and Americans from South Asia in the wake of the terrorist attacks;
Whereas it is estimated that there are approximately 1,500,000,000 Muslims worldwide;
Whereas Ramadan is the holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal for Muslims worldwide, and is the 9th month of the Muslim calendar year; and
Whereas the observance of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan commences at dusk on September 13, 2007, and continues for one lunar month: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That—
(1) during this time of conflict, in order to demonstrate solidarity with and support for members of the community of Islam in the United States and throughout the world, the House of Representatives recognizes the Islamic faith as one of the great religions of the world; and
(2) in observance of and out of respect for the commencement of Ramadan , the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, the House of Representatives acknowledges the onset of Ramadan and expresses its deepest respect to Muslims in the United States and throughout the world on this significant occasion.

FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 928
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll928.xml

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Have you seen the America I knew and loved so dearly?
Yes, there are still children playing with glee, kites flying in the wind, picnic’s in the park, friends and family get together’s and parades in most cities celebrating our wonderful Veterans and our troops today for our Freedom.
But slowly right before our very eyes the America that we knew and loved is slipping through our fingers like water running through an open hand.
Open borders, pandering to illegal’s from the very top positions of leadership down, abundant information available to one and all about the enemy we are fighting, Islam, and yet we have a President that says it is a religion of peace. Misguided I think not. Deliberate catering to the enemy is more like it.
Those of you here, Team Theodore, are very knowledgeable of what has been happening. Your love for America and your passion is seen and shared with the thousands of hits I get each day at this blog. We are not alone in our disappointment, sadness, frustration and anger.
I don’t know what our future holds for our country, but it feels like our country is being put to a test of strength. Will we pass this test or fail? I know our Veterans sure as hell deserve better, you served and did your amazing part to keep us a land of the free, and I think that is where my heart hurts the most when I see what has been happening.
Our troops of today, deserve better too. They are fighting an enemy that want to rule the world.
I won’t give up on America she is worth fighting for. This may be the most important election in my lifetime. I pray America gets another chance.

Capitol flag policy assailed
washington times
A group of Republican lawmakers is demanding the architect of the U.S. Capitol reverse a policy that bans the use of the word “God” on flag certificates sent to constituents.

Rep. Michael R. Turner of Ohio said one of his constituents, Paul Larochelle, recently requested to receive a flag that had flown over the Capitol. Mr. Larochelle’s son had hoped to present the flag and the accompanying certificate to his grandfather, an Army veteran.

The Larochelles wanted the certificate’s inscription to read, in part: “In honor of my grandfather, Marcel Larochelle, and his dedication and love of God, country and family.” However, when the flag and the certificate arrived at Mr. Turner’s office from the architect of the U.S. Capitol’s office, which handles the Capitol flag program, the word “God” had been eliminated.

Mr. Turner said he requested an explanation from the architect’s office, which cited one of its 14 Flag Office Services rules. The rule states, “… religious expressions are not permitted on flag certificates.”

The bureaucrats at the Architect of the Capitol’s office, which is controlled by Speaker Pelosi, removed the word God from the certificate. They have apparently, without the proper legislative authority, created new rules to prevent the word God from appearing on their certificates.

Mr. Turner — along with fellow Republican Reps. Steve King of Iowa, Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado, Randy Neugebauer of Texas and Steve Pearce of New Mexico — complained in a letter this week to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that the architect’s office had “informed several congressional offices that the use of the word ‘God’ violates the rule.”

“This is an abuse of power, plain and simple,” Mr. Neugebauer said. “Using the nonpartisan position of maintaining the Capitol to decide what citizens can have written on their flag certificates is unacceptable.”

Stephen T. Ayers has been acting architect of the U.S. Capitol since February, when his predecessor, Alan M. Hantman, retired. Mr. Ayers’ spokeswoman was unavailable for comment yesterday.
The lawmakers are asking Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat, to review the authority under which the architect’s office made the rules and that the policy “which censors our citizens’ right to expressions of their faith” be reversed.
They also point out that as the custodian of the Capitol, the architect is responsible for a building inscribed with many religious references, including “In God We Trust” in the House and Senate chambers.

“The architect’s policy is in direct conflict with his charge as well as the scope of his office and brings into question his ability to preserve a building containing many national religious symbols,” the lawmakers stated.

A spokesman for Mrs. Pelosi said a Democratic proposal may help solve the problem.
The proposal would have the architect certify that the flag was flown, and then a member of Congress could add the constituent’s message separately, Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said.

“It will be resolved in the near future,” he said.

Lawmakers receive more than 100,000 requests from constituents each year for flags that have flown over the Capitol.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Several years ago, BEFORE Pelosi was in charge, I got one of these Flags for Nick on the anniversary of his service in the Navy. It has meant a lot to him.
This Congress and those in charge are so horrible. Recognizing the muHAMadan time of Ramadamadingdong is a farce. Not including all of the text of the flag honor is sick. They have turned their back on God and this country.
They are all pandering to a bunch of deep rooted anti-Christian muggers. Look at the organizations that represent the Moslems in this country and you will see that they are nothing but terrorist front groups. Not saying that every member is a terrorist but that the groups themselves present a danger to this country.

This is a wonderful video and I wanted to share it with you all.