Theodore's World

WASHINGTON (AP)
Chief Justice John Roberts suffered a seizure at his summer home in Maine on Monday, causing a fall that resulted in minor scrapes, Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said.
He will remain in a hospital in Maine overnight.

“It’s my understanding he’s fully recovered, said Christopher Burke, a spokesman for Penobscot Bay Medical Center, where Roberts was taken.

Roberts, 52, was taken by ambulance to the medical center, where he underwent a “thorough neurological evaluation, which revealed no cause for concern,” Arberg said in a statement.
Roberts had a similar episode in 1993, she said.
Doctors called Monday’s incident “a benign idiopathic seizure,” Arberg said. The White House described the January 1993 episode as an “isolated, idiosyncratic seizure.”
A benign seizure means that doctors performed an MRI and other tests to conclude there was no tumor, stroke or other explanation.
In addition, doctors would have quickly ruled out simple explanations such as dehydration or low blood sugar.
By definition, someone who has had more than one seizure without any other cause is determined to have epilepsy, said Dr. Marc Schlosberg, a neurologist at Washington Hospital Center, who is not involved in the Roberts’ case.
Whether Roberts will need anti-seizure medications to prevent another is something he and his doctor will have to decide.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
My prayers are with Justice Roberts. America needs him.

Chinese helicopter unit flies to Russia for military drill
ynet
A Chinese helicopter unit flew to Russia on Sunday to take part in a six-nation Central Asian anti-terrorism drill, a government news agency reported.
The 16 helicopters took off from a base in the Xinjiang region of China’s northwest on a 2,700-kilometer (1,700-mile) flight, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The Aug. 9-17 drill is being held by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, created by Moscow and Beijing to counter U.S. Influence in resource-rich Central Asia.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
You know things happening like this make me very uncomfortable. Two countries that truly are not our buddies, two counties that I would not want in my foxhole.

Reports: Iran to buy jets from Russia
Jerusalem Post
Israel is looking into reports that Russia plans to sell 250 advanced long-range Sukhoi-30 fighter jets to Iran in an unprecedented billion-dollar deal.
According to reports, in addition to the fighter jets, Teheran also plans to purchase a number of aerial fuel tankers that are compatible with the Sukhoi and capable of extending its range by thousands of kilometers. Defense officials said the Sukhoi sale would grant Iran long-range offensive capabilities.
Government officials voiced concern over the reports. They said Russia could be trying to compete with the United States, which announced over the weekend a billion-dollar arms sale to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
Despite Israeli and US opposition, Russia recently supplied Iran with advanced antiaircraft systems used to protect Teheran’s nuclear installations. At the time, Moscow said it reserved the right to sell Iran weapons, such as the antiaircraft system, that were of a defensive nature.
The Sukhoi-30 is a two-seat multi-role fighter jet and bomber capable of operating at significant distances from home base and in poor weather conditions. The aircraft enjoys a wide range of combat capabilities and is used for air patrol, air defense, ground attacks, enemy air defense suppression and air-to-air combat.
After years of negotiations, the Indian Air Force in 1996 purchased 40 Sukhoi-30s and in 2000 acquired the license from the company to manufacture an additional 140 aircraft.

Wild Thing’s comment………
An ugly scenario continues to build. Putin has picked a dictatorship to back.

Secy. Rice: Israel Must End Occupation of ‘West Bank’
(IsraelNN.com)
Speaking with Arabic-language Radio Sawa, based in Washington and Dubai, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice went further in her demands on Israel than President Bush did in his recent speech on Israel.

Rice, about to depart for the Middle East to prepare an upcoming international meeting of regional leaders, said that President Bush recently stated “very clearly that Israel’s future will rest in Israel, in places like Galilee and in the Negev – and that the occupation of the West Bank will have to end, and a Palestinian state will need to be established.”

In fact, however, in his recent speech, President Bush did not phrase this as a demand upon Israel, but rather cited Prime Minister Olmert as having “made clear that Israel’s future lies in developing areas like the Negev and Galilee – not in continuing occupation of the West Bank. This is a reality that Prime Minister Sharon recognized, as well. So unauthorized outposts should be removed and settlement expansion ended.”
Rice Sets New Standard
Pres. Bush also stopped short of saying Israel must withdraw from all of Judea and Samaria. Bush said rather that future Israel-PA negotiations must “lead to a territorial settlement, with mutually agreed borders reflecting previous lines and current realities, and mutually agreed adjustments.”

By stating so clearly that the “the occupation of the West Bank will have to end,” Rice has set a new standard for United States officials of her stature in opposition to Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria.

Secretary Rice did not deal with the question of what to do with the 240,000 Jews living in the non-annexed areas of Judea and Samaria (nor the roughly equal amount living in the outlying neighborhoods of Jerusalem beyond Israel’s pre-1967 borders). Israel has not yet been able to solve the problems of the fewer than 10,000 Jews it evicted from Gaza two years ago; those Jews are still living in transient camps of temporary pre-fab houses, with no long-term housing or employment solutions in sight.
No Invitations Yet

Secretary Rice also told Radio Sawa that “no invitations have gone out yet” for the planned meeting. “I want to talk to our allies in the region and our friends in the region about how they see and what they would see to be a useful international meeting,” she said. “[It] will be, as the President said, an opportunity to review our progress. It will be an opportunity to make commitments to support the Israelis and Palestinians in their discussions, in their future negotiations… The United States doesn’t want Made-in-America solutions. We need the entire population of states that are devoted to the two-state solution to work with us. And so these will be very important consultations.”

For complete article you can see it HERE

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Not a chance. How stupid would that be? What is she thinking? Bush et.al. seems to look more and more like Democrats everyday.
Condi The Clueless thinks if Israel surrenders more territory there will be peace in our time. That formula worked so well in Gaza….NOT. But the Secretary Of State wants to try it again, on the theory that repeating the same failed policy will lead to a different outcome this time around. In a word, her prescription is insane – and a recipe for Israel’s demise.
Duncan Hunter said Israel must not withdraw from “one inch” of territory as part of an Arab peace accord. I agree!
Condoleeza Rice is nothing more than Colin Powell disguised in a skirt.

You are invited to visit my page on Israel if you like.

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Arab princesses kicked off British Airways plane to jeers and whistles after refusing to sit next to male strangers
dailymail.co.uk
Three Arab princesses were thrown off a packed British Airways flight after refusing to sit next to male passengers they didn’t know.
The dispute – in which the three princesses from the ultra-conservative Qatar royal family demanded segregated seating – left the London-bound plane delayed on a baking Italian runway for nearly three hours.
Furious passengers whistled and clapped as the row intensified before the captain eventually ordered the women to be escorted off the plane.
The princesses, wearing traditional Arab dress, were returning from a day’s shopping in Milan. They arrived at the city’s Linate airport and boarded Heathrow-bound flight BA 563, which was due to take off at 4pm on Thursday.
The women, all relatives of the oil-rich emir of Qatar, Bader Bin Khalifa Al Thani, were booked into business class in a party of eight which included the emir and an entourage of cooks, servants and other staff.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani: related to the Princesses
After passengers had fastened their seat-belts and the plane had taxied on to the runway, two male passengers in the entourage got up to protest about where the women were sitting.
According to the customs of Qatar and other Gulf states, women are not allowed to mix with men who are not relatives.
Cabin crew tried to rearrange the seats but passengers travelling together refused to give up their allotted places. The captain tried to mediate but after more than two and a half hours of wrangling he ordered the bulk of their royal party off the plane.
It is understood that five of the eight – including the princesses and the men who left their seats to protest – were removed.
Police and diplomats from the Qatar consulate in Milan were also called in before the plane eventually took off. The rest of the Qatar party left Milan later on an Alitalia flight.

A BA spokesman said: “The people were offloaded because they failed to comply with safety instructions when the aircraft was taxiing. Two passengers stood up and refused to sit down.”

A spokesman at the Qatar embassy in Rome said: “This was a private matter and we have nothing to say.”

Wild Thing’s comment……..
They had to have been aware beforehand, that men they might not know they might be sitting next to. They still “won” by grounding the plane for over frickin’ hours while they went Sharia on the airline. I think the Muzzies were doing it for the sake of being annoying to the infidels and seeing how far they could push.
Stay home and follow your customs.or come to the West and learn to follow ours. Coming to the West and expecting us to change our ways is not an option.
Bottom line is I have ZERO tolerance for Muslims, ALL Muslims!!!

Thank you Russ!

Not Even a Contest
I’m a soldier; haven’t been in uniform in forty years but the six years of active duty I did serve and the ensuing thirty-plus years I’ve spent working with the U.S. military, instilled in me certain qualities and beliefs that have grown and persisted within me all these decades and provide me with the basis for my stance on the war on terror. I may now be only an armchair warrior, but I’m still a soldier. As such, I understand the value of a rapid counterattack when your enemy has struck and badly hurt you. I say this as a brief, prefatory explanation of why I believe the Bush Administration has done the right thing in carrying the war on terror into the heart of terrorism itself. Yes, I know there are legions of liberals, so blinded by their certainty that the Supreme Court cheated Al Gore out of the presidency that they actually profess to believe that there were no ties between Al Qaeda and Iraq. To them I would say consider this: Syria had ties to Al Qaeda; Jordan had ties to Al Qaeda; Egypt had ties to Al Qaeda; Yemen had ties to Al Qaeda; Somalia had ties to Al Qaeda; Saudi Arabia had ties to Al Qaeda; the various Gulf monarchies had ties to Al Qaeda; Iran had ties to Al Qaeda; Pakistan had ties to Al Qaeda; Indonesia, the Philippines, North Korea and several of the former Soviet satellites under Muslim rule had ties to Al Qaeda.
But not Iraq.
That’s right, according to Democrat politicians and the liberal Left in America and Europe, only one country in the Middle East, Iraq, a country under the iron-fisted control of an absolute dictator who had reason to hate the American government far more bitterly than any of the leaders of the above nations, and yep, sitting smack dab in the middle of all these other terrorist harboring countries, only America-hating Iraq, was lily white clean according to liberal Democrats when it came to affiliation with Al Qaeda.
Excuse me folks, but Old Sarge’s bullshit detector is going off like a Geiger counter at ground zero in Chernobyl.
Now, of all the countries listed above, one of you Democrats, real quick, tell me which of them is absolutely known to have used weapons of mass destruction against a foreign enemy and dissident elements within its own borders. Hmmm, only one? Really? Only Iraq? Imagine that…chemical weapons used in conjunction with modern weapons delivery systems against Iranian forces and rebellious Kurds? Trust me folks, Old Sarge’s specialty in the Army was chemical, biological and radiological warfare and he knows quite well that the use of lethal, disabling and disfiguring gases in bombs, rockets and artillery warheads constitutes the use of weapons of mass destruction under the rules of land warfare. Never mind that Saddam Hussein blew the world a huge raspberry as he was gassing his enemies without and within. Nah…this guy didn’t have any weapons of mass destruction. Ask any Bush-hating Democrat.
So, contrary to all these liberals, whose only chance of seeing the light is when some proctologist’s probing proctoscope finally manages to locate their deeply-embedded eyes, this old grunt sees the value in hitting our enemies smack-dab in the middle of the threat; and that central target, folks, in this war on terror, just happened to be Iraq. And yes, Iraq has become a killing field, but far more so for radical Jihadists than for America and her allies. Potential bombers of Western cities flock like flies to the flypaper of a martyr’s death, not in New York or London, but on the killing field we have created for them. Remember one thing very well, Senators Reid, Durbin and Schumer: every single jihadist who dies in Iraq will never have the opportunity to die in one of our cities taking hundreds if not thousands of your potential voters with him.
And for all you armchair, liberal strategists who continue to throw up that canard that our military efforts should be entirely focused on capturing or killing the Al Qaeda leadership, Osama bin Laden and Zayman Al Zawahiri, in Afghanistan and Pakistan; may I inquire as to where you obtained your advanced degrees in military science? Madam Chair, would perhaps that have been at Berkeley’s famed War College? We know Congressman Murtha obtained his multiple military degrees from a rural Pennsylvania diploma mill, established and funded entirely by earmarks in federal legislation, but that’s a topic for another essay.
So, a simple question: did George Washington seek to capture King George? Did Abraham Lincoln focus all his military strategies on the capture or elimination of Jefferson Davis? In WWI, if we were hell-bent on capturing the Kaiser, why did we spend so many months in the hellish, intransigence of those trenches? Why on earth did MacArthur spend all that time and those American boys’ lives to move systematically up the Pacific archipelago in WWII if all we had to do was focus on capturing Emperor Hirohito? Would modern-day Democrat strategists label Eisenhower a fool and a loser for moving indirectly through Africa, Italy and the soft underbelly of Europe, Southern France, when all he had to do was attack Berlin directly and put Hitler in chains?
The truth is, all you Democrat military geniuses, is that none of those enemy leaders was captured until the fighting was over and the respective war was won; truth is, most of them never suffered any ill effects other than the ignominy of losing. Hell, if we did capture Osama, you liberal turkeys would be clamoring for the Bush administration to give him a fair and speedy trial, afforded all the rights of a U.S. citizen, and the ACLU would be appealing his conviction long beyond his natural death.
So what does this show America about its Democrat leadership? Well, it shows this old combat infantryman that you liberal wienies don’t know jack about fighting wars. It’s a far cry from forging voters’ registration certificates, stuffing ballot boxes and buying minority votes to standing solid under fire and defeating a lethal enemy on the battlefield. But since so very few of you have ever even worn the uniform, much less served in combat, you wouldn’t have any way of knowing that would you, ladies? I’ll make a wager right now: the average, enlisted, American military volunteer has more courage, integrity and patriotism than the U.S. congressman who supposedly represents him.
Hell, forget the bet; that’s not even a contest.
Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66

Soldiers of Company D, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., pose for a photo with a cache of weapons they unearthed after several local citizens near Patrol Base Inchon chased away anti-Iraqi forces from the cache and told U.S. forces about it. The cache was full of explosives. Courtesy photo.

Local residents lead Soldiers to huge weapons cache
2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) PAO
PATROL BASE INCHON — The rural areas south of Baghdad have long been a trouble spot for Coalition Forces. The fertile land was given by Saddam Hussein to Baath Party members and close friends, and the ties made it a hotbed of terrorism.
Increasingly, however, residents are combating terror in their areas.
On July 23, a local Iraqi man came to Patrol Base Inchon, near the Euphrates River, staffed by Company D, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., and elements of the 4th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division. He told troops that several other residents had chased a group of anti-Iraqi forces away from a weapons cache. He asked Soldiers to remove the weapons.
Several local residents guarded the cache and placed a fluorescent marking cloth to alert helicopters that they were not hostile.
Soldiers of Company D moved out to find the cache and were met on the road by some of the local residents, who guided them to the cache, which was next to a canal.
The cache contained 210 57mm rockets, 25 82mm rockets, eight 120mm mortars, a large rocket, and a bag of homemade explosives.
An explosive ordnance disposal team detonated the contents of the cache with a controlled explosion.
Although most rockets and mortars found in caches are not suitable for firing as intended, they are commonly used as improvised explosive devices.

“It’s a significant breakthrough in one of our most problematic areas,” said Maj. Kenny Mintz, 2nd BCT’s operations officer. “We have had a series of people turn in caches in the Qarghuli tribal area, which has historically been a source for supplies for IEDs and munitions for terrorist attacks.”

Mintz, a San Diego native, said he feels the change in residents’ behavior is due to a realization that al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations are not what they had bargained for.

MUQDADIYA, Iraq — A group of Soldiers need to clear a tall, dark building, possibly housing terrorists in the city of Muqdadiya, just north of Baqouba, Iraq. The Soldiers have received reports of booby-traps in the area and are unsure if the building itself is a trap. What are they to do?
This is where the Soldier’s four-legged friend, Nero, comes in.
Nero is a military working dog serving with Staff Sgt. Zeb Miller, his handler, at Forward Operating Base Normandy, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08. Nero’s job – search the building, its doorway and the surrounding area, making sure no explosives are around to harm the Soldiers trying to clear the building.
With Nero’s efforts, and the efforts of many other military working dogs serving in Iraq, Soldiers’ lives are being saved everyday.

Ultimate Fighting Champions (from left to right) Heath Herring, Jorge Rivera, Kenny Florian and Amber Nicole Miller, the Octagon Girl, greet and sign autographs for the maintenance crews of the C-130 Hercules July 24 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Master Sgt. Kim Allain)

Aggressor at Red Flag Alaska Strike Eagle fully loaded – An F-15C Aggressor from the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., flies over a mountain range on a refueling mission at Red Flag-Alaska July 25. Red Flag-Alaska enables aviation units to sharpen their combat skills by flying simulated combat sorties in a realistic threat environment. More than 80 aircraft and 1,500 servicemembers from six countries are participating in the exercise July 12 to 27. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Tana Stevenson)

Hundreds of mortar rounds were uncovered by troops from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment July 23 in Baghdad%u2019s Rashid District. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the munitions in place. (U.S. Army Photo)

Baghdad troops seized a large cache consisting of mortar tubes, munitions and significant amounts of homemade explosives in the southern portion of the Iraqi capital July 23.
Troops from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, attached to the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, discovered an 82mm mortar tube, along with 260 82mm mortar rounds, 11 120mm mortar rounds, 120 blocks of homemade explosives amounting to more than 31 lbs., and numerous components for explosively-formed penetrators and other improvised explosive devices in the eastern portion of the Rashid District, near the Tigris River.
“The discovery of today’s weapons cache will reduce sectarian indirect fire attacks on both sides of the Tigris River in southeast Baghdad,” said Maj. Robert Picht, the 4th IBCT’s fire support coordinator and a native of Bergenfield, N.J. “It also sends a strong signal to the insurgents that we will remain vigilant in our pursuits to identify and cut off their supply lines.”
An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the cache in place after troops cordoned off the area.

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., speaks during a forum on energy and the environment in Portsmouth, N.H.

…..

Blue Moon
You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
Blue Moon
You know just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for
And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked to the Moon it turned to gold
Blue Moon
Now I’m no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own

Another one……………….

LCS Platform Cutaway

U.S. Set to Offer Huge Arms Deal to Saudi Arabia
WASHINGTON, July 27

The Bush administration is preparing to ask Congress to approve an arms sale package for Saudi Arabia and its neighbors that is expected to eventually total $20 billion at a time when some United States officials contend that the Saudis are playing a counterproductive role in Iraq.
The proposed package of advanced weaponry for Saudi Arabia, which includes advanced satellite-guided bombs, upgrades to its fighters and new naval vessels, has made Israel and some of its supporters in Congress nervous. Senior officials who described the package on Friday said they believed that the administration had resolved those concerns, in part by promising Israel $30.4 billion in military aid over the next decade, a significant increase over what Israel has received in the past 10 years.

Saudi Arabia Eyes Heavily Armed, Aegis LCS
DOD
Saudi Arabia could be poised to become the newest member of an exclusive naval club: those countries who operate warships fitted with the advanced Aegis combat system.
Even more surprising is the ship the Saudis want to ride in on: the General Dynamics (GD) version of the U.S. Navy’s new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).
Sources familiar with the proposal said Riyadh has examined several surface warship designs, including an Aegis variant of the Lockheed Martin LCS.
But while Lockheed Martin designers were able to fit the system into their monohull design, the results have left little margin for growth or design changes, and the Saudis prefer the greater margins found in GD’s trimaran.

“The Saudis love it,” said one industry source familiar with the proposal of the GD Aegis LCS. “They love the volume” in the design “and the ability to operate multiple helicopters.”

“They have expressed a clear preference for Aegis,” said another industry source.

If the deal goes through — and all sources interviewed emphasized that no agreement has been reached — Saudi Arabia would become the seventh operator of the world’s most advanced naval combat system and the first Arab customer.
The Aegis system was created by Lockheed Martin in the late 1970s and has been updated ever since. Today, the system is fitted on all current U.S. Navy cruisers and destroyers, and one of the latest versions has been adapted for ballistic missile defense.
Japan, Spain and Norway operate Aegis ships today, while South Korea is building a new class of destroyers with the system and Australia has committed to install it aboard its new Air Defence Destroyers.
Israel also has received U.S. approval to buy it, but so far has not. An Israeli Navy proposal to build a large amphibious ship fitted with Aegis was rejected in 2004 by the Israeli government as too expensive.
Israel also is considering buying the LCS. In April, the U.S. Navy gave Lockheed a $5.2 million contract to study the feasibility of an Israeli LCS.
U.S. officials said no similar contract has been issued for any other country, although Malaysia and Norway, among others, have expressed interest.
The Foreign Military Sales potential of the LCS has been a prime element of the program. U.S. Navy officials touted the ship’s adaptability to multiple customer requirements and said the modular mission concept would attract foreign buyers.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
OMG! We are selling them the rope to hang us, this is arming the enemy.
With crap like this and the ILLEGAL ALIEN mess – I don’t believe that we’re willing to do ALL we need to do to stop the terrorist threat. I pray there will be a resounding NO WAY when this comes up for a vote. For Israel it is a great idea I am all for standing side by side with Israel always!
To our awesome troops, I am so sorry.
To our warrior Veterans please accept my apology for what America has done to punch you in your hearts of heroes, you warriors of today and of yesterday, as our government today….our leaders want to open our door at the borders, arm our enemies and those enemies of Israel as well, and allow our enemy within to use our precious freedom you fought for to destroy this country.

New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer, a powerful member of the Democratic leadership, said Friday the Senate should not confirm another U.S. Supreme Court nominee under President Bush “except in extraordinary circumstances.”

“We should reverse the presumption of confirmation,” Schumer told the American Constitution Society convention in Washington. “The Supreme Court is dangerously out of balance. We cannot afford to see Justice Stevens replaced by another Roberts, or Justice Ginsburg by another Alito.”

Schumer said there were four lessons to be learned from Alito and Roberts: Confirmation hearings are meaningless, a nominee’s record should be weighed more heavily than rhetoric, “ideology matters” and “take the president at his word.”

Wild Thing’s comment……..
The GOP has never made ideology is an issue. The liberals did with Bork, Thomas, Alito, and Roberts. When will the GOP wake up? The Democrats want different rules when they are in power.
I have to wonder if it will come to the point where the citizens will have to demand a change….just like they did a 230 years ago.
Schumer is vicious, dishonest partisan scum. It was perfectly clear who Roberts and Alito are – the President nominates people he respects highly and the Senate confirms them.
The deliberate, cynical character assassination of Robert Bork was a threshhold moment, for me, when the Left began openely to wage unlimited warfare on conservatives and traditional America, using every low and dishonest technique to get their way, not just in politics but EVERYwhere.
Now they are dropping any pretense of following the constitution…if the presidents sends up a nomination, he gets an automatic rejection.