Theodore's World

Al-Qaida No. 2 Mocks American ‘Failure’
CAIRO, Egypt – A new video of al-Qaida’s No. 2 leader released on Saturday mocks President Bush and U.S. legislation requiring the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, saying the bill would rob the group’s fighters of the chance to kill more Americans.
Osama bin Laden’s deputy Ayman al-Zawahri derided the new U.S.-backed Baghdad security plan, recounting an April 12 suicide bombing in Baghdad’s heavily protected Green Zone when an attacker slipped through security and killed a Sunni legislator in the Iraqi parliament’s cafeteria. An al-Qaida-led amalgam of Sunni insurgents in Iraq claimed responsibility.

Actual photo from Video

“And lest Bush worry, I congratulate him on the success of his security plan, and I invite him on the occasion for a glass of juice, but in the cafeteria of the Iraqi parliament in the middle of the Green Zone,” al-Zawahri said.

The video was obtained Saturday by U.S.-based monitoring groups who released a transcript to media.

“This bill will deprive us of the opportunity to destroy the American forces which we have caught in a historic trap,” al-Zawahri said, according to a transcript released by the monitoring group SITE. The bill is evidence of American “failure and frustration,” he added.

“We ask Allah that they (U.S. troops) only get out of it after losing 200,000 to 300,000 killed, in order that we give the spillers of blood in Washington and Europe an unforgettable lesson,” he said.

He made no mention of Bush vetoing the bill on Thursday _ an indication the video may have been made beforehand.
Al-Zawahri encouraged minorities around the world to join the holy war, or jihad.

“Al-Qaida is not merely for the benefit of Muslims,” he said. “That’s why I want blacks in America, people of color, American Indians, Hispanics, and all the weak and oppressed in North and South America, in Africa and Asia, and all over the world.”

Al-Zawahri claimed al-Qaida fighters in Iraq were “nearing closer to victory over their enemy, despite this sectarian fighting” that has convulsed the country.

He discussed other topics as well in the 67-minute video, including fighting in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Algeria, and Somalia. He made references to Saudi Arabia, Egyptian constitutional changes meant to cement the government’s hold on power, and the Pentagon’s release of the confessions of al-Qaida No. 3, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed _ the alleged Sept. 11 mastermind who was captured in Pakistan in March 2003.
Saturday’s video was the fifth message _ including posted video and audio tapes _ by al-Zawahri this year.

Wild Thing’s comment……
Besides being a terrorist, this guy is the typical liar that Muslims have been taught to be. He is so full of it and himself. He can take his Allah the moon god and himself and put everything to do with his cult where the sun does not shine.

New Immigration Rules Could Allow Foreign Terrorists to Live in U.S. as Refugees
Fox News….for complete article
WASHINGTON — Today’s foreign terrorists could become tomorrow’s U.S. refugees if the Bush administration gets its way.
The intent is to grant refugee status to rebels who have fought repressive governments or advanced U.S. foreign policy objectives, particularly in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America.
But proposed changes to immigration rules also could cover U.S. enemies such as Al Qaeda members and fighters for Hamas and Hezbollah.
To some lawmakers, the revisions under consideration by the administration are too broad and potentially dangerous.
Officials say the changes are meant to reverse the unintended consequences of post-Sept. 11 restrictions that have kept thousands of otherwise eligible people from a haven in the United States.
The administration wants the authority to waive those restrictions so it has as much flexibility as possible in deciding who can and cannot enter the country.
Under current law, virtually all armed nongovernmental groups are classified as terrorist organizations and the U.S. is prohibited from accepting their members and combatants as refugees.
There is limited ability to grant waivers to supporters of those groups who can prove they were forced to provide assistance. But more than 10,000 people have been barred. That includes many from Burma, Laos and Vietnam, including some of whom fought alongside U.S. forces in Vietnam.
Last year, the government planned to accept 56,000 refugees; the actual number was 12,000 less, primarily due to the restrictions.
In addition, about 5,000 people already in the United States as refugees have been blocked from seeking U.S. citizenship because of the rules. Some 600 people asking for political asylum have had their cases put on hold.

“This has had a devastating impact on the admission of refugees and asylum seekers,” said Jennifer Daskal, U.S. advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, which supports the proposed changes.

Amendments to the Immigration and Naturalization Act would permit the government to waive the rules for active members and fighters of terrorist groups on a case-by-case basis.
They would cover any foreigner who has engaged in terrorist activity, said Gonzalo Gallegos, a State Department spokesman.

“This amendment thus provides the executive branch with the authority to admit aliens who have engaged in armed action against oppressive regimes or in furtherance of U.S. foreign policy or both,” he said.

Lawmakers, however, are skeptical of the need for such expansive changes.

“The provision in this bill would extend the waiver authority in current law to groups that are definitely not friends of the United States,” said Republican Sen. John Kyl, who is leading an effort to revise the amendment.

“I do not think that there is a single member of this body who believes that any member of al-Qaida, Hamas or Hezbollah should ever be considered for admission to this country,” he said.

Acting on behalf of a bipartisan group, Kyl in late March blocked the amendment from appearing in the Iraq war spending bill that President George W. Bush vetoed on Tuesday.
Kyl’s office is working on wording that would cut out what he called the bill’s “excesses.”
A new version, giving the executive more limited waiver authority, could be ready as early as this week, according to aides.
The State Department and advocacy groups see no reason for concern, saying that members of Al Qaeda, Hamas or Hezbollah never would benefit.

Wild Thing’s comment…….
Oh My God, ok I am not an alarmist but some things make sense and some things don’t! And this has got to be one of the worst ideas to do something like this.
Sure let’s let a few good ole boys come in as Refugees. They only want to be Americans and oh yes they also want to learn how to fly planes. But they are so sincere about being Refugees so they must be OK. Good giref!
“keeping one’s enemies close,” but this may be taking it a bit too far. ….to put it mildly. How far can the American public, THAT CARES ABOUT AMERICA, be pushed by a utopian administration and Congress? Where does the line get drawn in the sand ?
Some quotes from over the recent years:

“Islam is a revolutionary faith that comes to destroy any government made by man. Islam doesn’t look for a nation to be in better condition than another nation. Islam doesn’t care about the land or who own the land.
The goal of Islam is to rule the entire world and submit all of mankind to the faith of Islam. Any nation or power in this world that tries to get in the way of that goal, Islam will fight and destroy.”
-Mawlana Abul Ala Mawdudi, founder of Pakistan’s fundamentalist movement

Do you remember this quote????
Osama bin Laden on one of his fatwas on al-Jazeera TV. On
February 14, 2003 — about six weeks before troops from the
United States and Britain entered Iraq, bin Laden said:
“The interests of Muslims and the interests of the socialists coincide in the war against the crusaders.”

“We do not differentiate between those dressed in military uniforms and civilians; they are all targets in this fatwah.”- Osama Bin Laden

” We are not fighting so that you will offer us something. We are fighting to eliminate you.” – Hussein Massawi, former leader of Hezbollah

The Kansas Adjutant General’s Department said it had confirmed reports of eight tornadoes touching down.
Vienna Janis, spokeswoman for Osborne County Emergency Management, said the twister hit around 6 p.m., ripping the roof off the Circle N restaurant and smashing windows in a Pizza Hut.

“It touched down and would then go back up and then touch down and go back up,” Janis said.

The National Weather Service said it had received reports “well into the double digits” of twisters touching down in six southwest Kansas counties. Numerous tornadoes were reported from South Dakota south into Oklahoma as forecasters scrambled to keep issuing warnings.
The new storms forced rescuers to abandon search efforts Saturday in southwest Kansas, where crews had spent the day hurrying through the wreckage from Friday night’s giant tornado. That twister left little standing in Greensburg beyond the local pub.

UPDATE in last few minutes ( 23:30 Saturday)…………..

GREENSBURG, Kan. — A fresh wave of tornadoes ripped through southwest Kansas on Saturday evening, a day after a tornado destroyed this town, killing nine and injuring dozens more.
The National Weather Service said it had received reports “well into the double digits” of twisters touching down in six counties.
Among them were a series of half-mile wide “wedge” tornadoes — similar to the one that devastated Greensburg on Friday night, meteorologist Mike Umscheid said.
“We’re going to expect quite a lot of damage,” he said.
The twisters were reported just after emergency crews called off the search for more victims of Friday night’s tornado.
Rescuers had spent the day hurrying through the wreckage from that giant tornado, which left little standing beyond the local pub.
City Administrator Steve Hewitt estimated 95 percent of the town of 1,500 was destroyed and predicted rescue efforts could take days as survivors could be trapped in basements and under rubble.

Wild Thing’s comment………
Prayers for all that have lost a loved one, have friends and familiy missing and injured. And praying too for those that physically are OK but have lost everything they have. This is so sad.

Wild Thing’s comment………
The female violinist should have gone and changed into a burka like this.
Below is the story of why.

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Iranian Walks Out Of Dinner With Condi
(CBS/AP)
Iran’s foreign minister walked out of a dinner of diplomats where he was seated directly across from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on the pretext that the female violinist entertaining the gathering was dressed too revealingly.

“I don’t know which woman he was afraid of, the woman in the red dress or the secretary of state,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday, regarding the actions of Iran’s Manouchehr Mottaki.

Rice herself was questioned by reporters about the lack of a direct conversation with Mottaki, even though it appeared she was “chasing” him.

“Uh, well, you could ask him why he didn’t make an effort,” she replied. Then she laughed. “Look, I’m not given to chasing anyone.”

So the face to face between Rice and Mottaki never happened, reports CBS News correspondent Charlie D’Agata. Instead, U.S. and Iranian delegations met at a lower, “expert” level, which while significant, is not a first.

“Our officials did, as they did in Baghdad, have an opportunity to exchange views about the substance of this meeting,” Rice said.

The dinner episode Thursday night amid a major regional conference on Iraq perfectly revealed how hard it was to bring together the top diplomats of the two rival nations.
Going into the summit, the Iraqi government had hoped for a breakthrough meeting between Rice and Mottaki. Instead, their only direct contact was a wary exchange of pleasantries over lunch Thursday, punctuated by a wry, somewhat mysterious comment by Mottaki.
Mottaki walked out of the diplomats’ dinner on the pretext that the female violinist entertaining the gathering was dressed too revealingly.

Don’t Abandon Us
By Hoshyar Zebari
Washington Post
Friday, May 4, 2007
The writer is foreign minister of Iraq

Last weekend a traffic jam several miles long snaked out of the Mansour district in western Baghdad. The delay stemmed not from a car bomb closing the road but from a queue to enter the city’s central amusement park. The line became so long some families left their cars and walked to enjoy picnics, fairground rides and soccer, the Iraqi national obsession.
Across the city, restaurants are slowly filling and shops are reopening. The streets are busy. Iraqis are not cowering indoors. The appalling death tolls from suicide attacks are often high because of crowding at markets. These days you are as likely to hear complaints about traffic congestion as about the security situation. Across Baghdad there is a cacophony of sirens from ambulances, firefighters and police providing public services. You cannot even escape the curse of traffic wardens ticketing illegally parked cars.
These small but significant snippets of normality are overshadowed by acts of gross violence, which fuel the opinion of some that Iraq is in a downward spiral. The Iraqi people are indeed suffering tremendous hardships and making grave sacrifices — but daily life goes on for 7 million Baghdadis struggling to take back their capital and country.
Today, at an international summit on the future of Iraq in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, my government will ask the international community to maintain its engagement in our country to help us achieve our goals of security and stability. We recognize that our request conflicts with a plethora of voices decrying the situation in Iraq and those in the British and American publics who seek an expeditious withdrawal from a war they claim is all but lost.
So why should the world remain engaged in Iraq?
There is no denying the difficulties Iraq faces, and no amount of good news can obscure the demons of terrorism and sectarianism that have risen in my country. But there is too much at stake to risk failure, and everything to gain by helping us protect our hard-won democratic achievements and emerge as a stable, self-sustaining country.
We remain determined in spite of our losses. Spectacular attacks may dominate foreign headlines, but they cannot change the reality that Iraq has made steady political, economic and social progress over the past four years. We continue to strengthen our nascent democratic institutions, pursue national reconciliation and expand Iraqi security forces. The Baghdad security plan was conceived to give us breathing space to expedite political and economic development by “securing and holding” neighborhoods across the capital. There is no quick fix, but there have been real results: Winning public confidence has led to a spike in intelligence, a disruption of terrorist networks and the capture of key leaders, as well as the discovery of weapons caches. In Anbar province, Sunni sheikhs and insurgents have turned against al-Qaeda and to the side of Iraqi security forces. This would have been unthinkable even six months ago.
Contrary to popular belief, most government ministries are located outside the Green Zone, and employees drive to work every day despite death threats and attacks on colleagues and families. We government ministers are always at risk of assassination. When a suicide bomber attacked parliament last month, the legislators sat in defiance in an extraordinary session the following day. I am particularly inspired by the commitment of the young diplomats in the Foreign Ministry, a diverse mix of Sunni, Shiite, Christian, Arab and Kurdish men and women who serve their country without subscribing to religious or sectarian divisions.
Iraqis are standing up every day, and we persevere because there is no other option. We will not surrender our country to terrorists. They have failed to cripple the elected government, and they have failed to intimidate us into submission. Iraqis reject their vision of a future whose hallmarks are bloodshed and hatred.
Those calling for withdrawal may think it is the least painful option, but its benefits would be short-lived. The fate of the region and the world is linked with ours. Leaving a broken Iraq in the Middle East would offer international terrorism a haven and ensure a legacy of chaos for future generations. Furthermore, the sacrifices of all the young men and women who stood up here would have been in vain.
Iraqis, for all our determination and courage, cannot succeed alone. We need a healthy and supportive regional environment. We will not allow our country to be a battleground for settling scores in regional and international conflicts that adversely affect stability inside our borders. Only with continued international commitment and deeper engagement from our neighbors can we establish a stable democratic, federal and united Iraq. The world should not abandon us.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
An interesting article. I would add this is that the Iraq’s need to do more and more on their own, they are I realize that and that is a BIG thanks to our awesome troops training them. But their hearts need to be in it and a courage to take a stand on their own too is needed.

Sorry had to delete the video
it was not working right.

Thank you

Hillary Clinton 1984 in 2008: The Big Lie That Won Her Election to the Senate

This is a very interesting documentary trailer that exposes the lies Hillary made to the voters and her opponent through the Washington Post and to the FEC in 2000 about who her largest contributor was, ( Spider Man creator Stan Lee’s partner Peter F. Paul) how much he gave and why he gave more then $1 million to her so he could have Bill Clinton work with his public company, Stan Lee Media, when Clinton left the White House.

Wild Thing’s comment……….
Nothing will ever surprise me about either of the Clinton’s. In this video the Clinton’s Travelgate is mentioned and other things as well. TravelGate was one of the gates that really ticked me off, they destroyed lives, but then they always did and will continue to do so.
The Clinton’s are pure evil, criminals,traitors, treasonous, dead bodies strewn along their path to power, and when I saw how they got away with every crime they committed it was the first time in my life that I knew that the America I had known and loved so much was truly doomed as I knew it. And that feeling has never changed. I pray with all my heart it does. I pray the good guys take America back and that people like the Clinton’s and their ilk will one day be punished for their many crimes.

When it came to defeating the Soviets, Ronald Reagan made it simple: “We win, they lose.” Now more than ever, the defeatists in Congress must hear that same message. America will never surrender.
If you would like this is what the Petition says:
To: Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
Harry Reid, U.S. Senate Democrat Leader
Congress has passed and President Bush has vetoed H.R. 1591, the Iraq Surrender Act of 2007.
This legislation, which you worked to pass, sets a timetable for surrender. It pulls the rug out from under our troops. That is shameful and wrong.
Your actions have already emboldened the enemy. Violent jihadists now know that the elected leadership of Congress would undermine the troops by holding their funding hostage to demands for surrender.
This Congress would bring us back to the dark days of the 1970s, when the world doubted our staying power. Except only much worse. Withdraw in April 2008, and on May 1, Iraq becomes an unchecked den of terrorism at the heart of the Middle East — a new base for the same people that struck our homeland on September 11th.
I stand with our troops. I stand for victory. I support the President’s veto and will urge my representatives to vote to sustain it.
There can be one and only one outcome in Iraq: We win, they lose.
Please go to their website HERE.

Marine’s father gives Bush pen, support
Washington Times
It was just a regular, black-inked ballpoint pen that President Bush used to sign his veto yesterday, instead of his usual personalized Cross pen.
The pen was a gift from the father of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq, who asked Mr. Bush last month to use it when he vetoed a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq.
Robert Derga, of Uniontown, Ohio, gave Mr. Bush the pen after an April 16 speech by the president at the White House.
Mr. Bush invited a number of “Gold Star Families” — families who have lost a U.S. military member in Iraq — to the speech, and met with them afterwards in the Oval Office. Mr. Derga, 53, had brought the pen with him. It was the pen he had used to write letters to his son, Marine Cpl. Dustin A. Derga.

“It was just a common run of the mill … I don’t even remember the brand name,” Mr. Derga said, in a phone interview last night. “It was just a $2 pen. Nothing special.”

Mr. Bush met with the Dergas and other families for about 45 minutes, and spoke directly with each family.

“I looked the president square in the eye,” Mr. Derga said. “I looked at him and said, ‘Mr. President, if this Iraq supplemental comes down to a veto I want you to use my pen to do it.”

Mr. Bush “kind of looked at me funny for a moment and then said, ‘Absolutely,’ and then handed the pen to his assistant,” Mr. Derga said.

“He assured me he would use it,” Mr. Derga said.

Dustin was killed in Iraq on May 8, 2005, while leading house-to-house searches in Ubaydi, Iraq. He was 24. Dustin was the first Marine killed in Lima Company, with the Marine Force Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, out of Columbus, Ohio.
But Lima Company, a group of 160 reservists, suffered the highest casualty rate of any company so far in the Iraq war. They lost 23 Marines during their seven-month deployment in 2005.
Yesterday afternoon, Mr. Derga was shutting off his computer at work, around 5:30, when he received a call from Jared Weinstein, Mr. Bush’s personal aide.

Mr. Weinstein was calling “to tell me that the president had signed the veto with my pen.”

“They wanted to again give their heartfelt condolences on our loss of Dustin,” Mr. Derga said. “I was pretty blown away is one way of putting it. I couldn’t believe he actually did it.”

Mr. Derga, a manager for Diebold, Inc., said that it was gratifying to be able to show his support for Mr. Bush and for the war, even if it has not always been easy to support the U.S. mission in Iraq.

“It’s been painful for this nation and me personally but I still feel strongly about getting the job done over there and getting it done right,” said Mr. Derga. “It meant a lot to us that we were able to make our position known, that we continue to support him.”

But Mr. Derga said he is frustrated that many Americans do not believe Iraq is part of the U.S. fight against terrorism.

“I really feel strongly that this nation needs to wake up and understand what’s at risk here and what’s in the balance,” he said.

As for Dustin, his son, Mr. Derga visits his grave in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, about two hours away, every few weeks, he said.

“He had a wonderful smile and a great dimple. He was a great kid. He loved to play baseball. He just loved working with his hands. And he was always interested in military service and public service,” Mr. Derga said.

Dustin was a volunteer firefighter and steel worker. He was working toward a degree in EMS and fire science from Columbus State University.

“Probably his smile I miss more than anything,” Mr. Derga said. “I think about him every day. I know I’ll see him again, so it’s just a matter of time.”

Mr. Derga said that about 80 percent of the other Gold Star Families he knows agree with the president’s decision to send more troops to Iraq to try to stabilize the country.

“We have given the ultimate sacrifice in terms of our sons, and if we can still stand in the trenches with the president and support him, why can’t the rest of the nation do it?” Mr. Derga said.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
This Father is an awesome man and so was his son. Thank you President Bush for doing this and thank you for the Veto.

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
White House
May 2, 2007
Finally, this legislation is unconstitutional because it purports to direct the conduct of the operations of the war in a way that infringes upon the powers vested in the Presidency by the Constitution, including as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. For these reasons, I must veto this bill.

“Good evening. Twelve weeks ago, I asked the Congress to pass an emergency war spending bill that would provide our brave men and women in uniform with the funds and flexibility they need. Instead, members of the House and the Senate passed a bill that substitutes the opinions of politicians for the judgment of our military commanders. So a few minutes ago, I vetoed this bill.”

GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
May 1, 2007.

The first Republican presidential primary debate for this next Presidential election will air tonight. This first debate for Republicans will be on MSNBC, and the next one on May 15th will be on Fox News Channel.
NBC’s Brian Williams and MSNBC’s Chris Matthews will moderate the debate. Nancy Reagan is supposed to be there.
The Ronald Reagan Library announced that Sam Brownback, Jim Gilmore, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Tom Tancredo and Tommy Thompson are all confirmed to attend the Library’s debate on May 3rd.
The debate will take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, and will air live on MSNBC from 8:00 to 9:30 pm (ET)

Wild Thing’s comment………
I can’t stand Chris Matthews so I will be busy yelling at him I can promise you that. He is absolutely horrible.

President Bush shakes hands with head of the U.S. Central command, Navy Admiral William J. Fallon before a speech to coalition forces.

On Tuesday, President Bush Addressed The CENTCOM Coalition Conference At MacDill Air Force Base In Tampa, Florida.
America is joined in the fight against terrorists by more than 90 nations, including every country represented in the CENTCOM Coalition. The work of these countries has helped liberate millions of people, has kept brutal enemies on the defensive, and has helped keep millions of our citizens safe.
The Video may be viewed here of Bush speaking to the CENTCOM Coalition.

Wild Thing’s comment………
It is an excellent speech.
It has now been 85 days since President Bush requested that Congress pass emergency funds for our troops.
President Bush vetoed the UNCONSTITUTIONAL pork filled monstrosity of an excuse for an emergency funding bill for our beloved troops.