Theodore's World

Pelosi says no to C-SPAN request on floor proceedings
El Paso Times
Washington
Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi cited the need to preserve the ”dignity and decorum” of the House as she rejected a request Friday that C-SPAN operate its own cameras in covering the chamber.

Pelosi said in her response Friday, ”I believe the dignity and decorum of the United States House of Representatives are best preserved by maintaining the current system of televised proceedings.”

The public service network has provided gavel-to-gavel television coverage of House proceedings since 1979. But the House leader has kept control of the cameras, with coverage generally limited to tight shots of the speaker or the podium.
The situation is similar in the Senate, which C-SPAN has televised since 1986.

C-SPAN’s chairman and chief executive told Pelosi, D-Calif., that under this arrangement, cameras are prevented ”from taking individual reaction shots or from panning the chamber, leaving viewers with an incomplete picture of what’s happening in the House of Representatives.”

Wild Thing’s comment……
”I believe the dignity and decorum” …….Since when have Democrats been concerned about dignity and decorum?

Iran ordered to pay $254 million in Khobar Towers bombing
WASHINGTON, Dec 22 (Reuters) – A U.S. federal judge on Friday ordered the Islamic Republic of Iran to pay $254 million to the family of 17 U.S. servicemen killed in the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers residence at a U.S. military base in Saudi Arabia.
The default judgment was entered against the Iranian government, its security ministry and the Revolutionary Guards after they failed to respond to the lawsuit, which was initiated more than four years ago.

In issuing the $254.4 million judgment in the case, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth concluded that “the Khobar Towers attack was carried out by people recruited by Gen. Ahmed Sharifi of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.”

The decision relied heavily on an investigation of the attack by the FBI under director Louis Freeh. The FBI probe led to the grand jury indictment of 13 members of Hezbollah in June 21, 2001.

“The totality of the evidence at trial, combined with the findings and conclusions entered by this court … firmly establishes that the Khobar Towers bombing was planned, funded and sponsored by senior leadership in the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Lamberth wrote.

“The sheer gravity and nature of the attack demonstrate the defendants’ unlawful intent to inflict severe emotional distress upon the American servicemen as well as their close relatives,” he added.

Wild Thing’s comment…….
We will see if Iran steps up to the plate and pays this. Not holding my breath though.

Hill Drive For 55
NYPost
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton called for “most of the country” to return to a speed limit of 55 mph in an effort to slash fuel consumption…
“The 55-mile speed limit really does lower gas usage.
“And wherever it can be required, and the people will accept it, we ought to do it,” Clinton said at the National Press Club.

Wild Thing’s comment…….
Liberals have been screaming about this ever since the 55 limit was lifted back in ’92 (or ’94 maybe? I don’t remember). hmmmmmm…….not sure, but wasn’t it during the Carter years? The 55 limit was a joke to begin with .. almost nobody ever payed attention to it, not even the cops. Will Illegal Aliens be required to obey the 55-mile per hour speed limit as well?
Every time she makes a pronouncement, it is as though we travel backwards in some sort of evil time warp.

Here is how I feel about Hillary’s idea.

I Can’t Drive 55 – Sammy Hagar

Dec. 21, 2006
Boot Murtha.com
… While the world watched (and Murtha partisans gloated), John Murtha won his 17th election back in November. Many of us were disheartened that we didn’t beat him, but we knew that we had won a moral victory in greatly lowering his usual margin of victory.
There was a morale up-tick last month when, on a national news program, Murtha blamed a bunch of “outsiders” for his difficulties in being elected House Majority Leader by his fellow Democrats. He said they came to his district and “swiftboated” him! Yessiree—that was our group of dedicated veterans!
Then we were further gratified when the corrupt old geezer was resoundingly defeated for the Majority Leader post by Cong. Steny Hoyer (D-MD). Some of us thought that our war had been won, despite losing the November election. VFTT members were significantly encouraged by this news, knowing that their efforts had not been in vain.
But there’s more! Just today we have learned that the House Ethics Committee is actively investigating Murtha’s wheeling and dealing with Paul Magliocchetti Associates, or PMA, his favored lobbyists. And guess what? The Justice Department is also aware of these goings-on, as is a major newspaper!
Murtha is dead meat as a House leader of any sort, or so says our “Congressional” source providing this information. Stating, short of a full Justice Department investigation, a very real likelihood, that the BEST Murtha can expect is to be censored by the House of Representatives and stripped of his soon-to-be chairmanship of Defense Appropriations, and emphasized that this information came from “the highest sources,” adding that, it was only after the removal of Congressman Mollohan — ranking Democrat on the Ethics Committee and CLOSE friend of Murtha — that the Committee was able to go forward with an investigation. Mollohan is under investigation on corruption charges.
Speaker-elect Pelosi and Majority Leader-elect Hoyer are aware of what is happening, but it is not known if they are actively involved in uncovering Murtha’s corruption. Given Pelosi’s close relationship with Murtha (she openly supported Murtha’s bid for Majority leader), this certainly raises questions about her covering for Murtha’s dirty dealings? “Our” source suggests that VFTT members write letters and e-mails to Pelosi and Hoyer reminding them that we have previously written them about Murtha and nothing has been done—not even answering our communications.
Pelosi’s e-mail address is: sf.nancy@mail.house.gov
Hoyer’s is: www.hoyer.house.gov/contact/email.asp

Wild Thing’s comment…..
My fingers are crossed and there is always some hope on this. Murtha is feeling heat. He has ratcheted up his rhetoric against the war. He’s now saying we’ve lost militarily.
But at the same time the odds of a Democrat Congress removing one of their own senior members are next to nothing. The best we can do is expose Murtha for what he is, a cowardly, prejudiced (against OUR troops), enemy-supporting traitor, from a party of traitors.
Thank you Jack of Conservative Insurgent blog for sending this to me.

McCain-Feingold’s Electioneering Communication Prohibition Held Unconstitutional as Applied to Genuine Grassroots Lobbying
James Madison Center for Free Speech

Today the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia held that the ban on corporate electioneering communications is unconstitutional as applied to the three grassroots lobbying ads for which Wisconsin Right to Life (“WRTL”) sought judicial relief in WRTL v. FEC. Judge Leon wrote the opinion and was joined by Judge Sentelle in the majority of the three-judge court.
The ads were run in 2004 when WRTL did radio and television ads urging people in Wisconsin to contact Senator Kohl and Senator Feingold and ask them to oppose the ongoing filibusters of President Bush’s judicial nominees. Because Senator Feingold was a candidate, WRTL had to stop running its ads when the electioneering communication prohibition period began. WRTL sought judicial relief to continue running its ads, which was denied at the time.
Today the District Court first decided that the grassroots lobbying ads were not the functional equivalent of express advocacy, as the U.S. Supreme Court had required in its analysis in McConnell v. FEC (which upheld the electioneering communication only against a facial challenge). Second, the District Court held that the FEC had not met its burden of proving that the prohibition was narrowly tailored to a compelling state interest as applied to the ads. So the Court held that the prohibition was unconstitutional as applied to these ads.
James Bopp, Jr., attorney for WRTL comments: “This is a victory for the right of the people to lobby their members of Congress on upcoming votes even if there is a pending election. This grassroots lobbying is simply self-government at work, which is protected by the First Amendment.”

Wild Thing’s comment……
I wish this whole idiotic law would be overturned. How can free speech be bound by so many rules and restrictions, and still be free? It cant!!! McCain teaming up with Fiengold tells you everything you need to know about McCain.

As all of you know this blog is very pro military and we support the troops always. This is a special time of year being the Christmas Holidays. We would like to thank all of our soldiers that are returning home. You have been in our prayers and we are so grateful to you. Thank you!
America soars proud and free because of the hard work, courage and dedication of heroes like you. God bless you.
A special thank you to Rhod’s son who has just returned from Iraq. WELCOME Home!
Rhod has two other son’s that are still away from home as well. One in Iraq and another in Afghanistan.
— Wild Thing and everyone here at Theodore’s World

Report Says Berger Hid Archive Documents (under a construction trailer)
WASHINGTON (AP) –
President Clinton’s national security adviser removed classified documents from the National Archives, hid them under a construction trailer and later tried to find the trash collector to retrieve them, the agency’s internal watchdog said Wednesday.
The report was issued more than a year after Sandy Berger pleaded guilty to unlawfully removing and retaining classified documents.
Berger took the documents in the fall of 2003 while working to prepare himself and Clinton administration witnesses for testimony to the Sept. 11 commission. Berger was authorized as the Clinton administration’s representative to make sure the commission got the correct classified materials.
Inspector General Paul Brachfeld reported that National Archives employees spotted Berger outside the building, bending down and fiddling with something white around his ankles.
The employees did not feel at the time that there was enough information to confront someone of Berger’s stature, the report said.
Later, when Berger was confronted by Archives officials about the missing documents, he lied by saying he did not take them, the report said.
Brachfeld reported that on one visit, Berger took a break to go outside without an escort while it was dark outside.

“He headed toward a construction area. … Mr. Berger looked up and down the street, up into the windows of the Archives and the DOJ (Department of Justice), and did not see anyone,” said notes prepared by the inspector general’s office.

“He then slid the documents under a construction trailer, according to the inspector general. Berger acknowledged that he later retrieved the documents from the construction area and returned with them to his office.”

“He was aware of the risk he was taking,” the inspector general’s notes said. Berger then returned to the Archives building without fearing the documents would slip out of his pockets or that staff would notice that his pockets were bulging.

The notes said Berger had not been aware that Archives staff had been tracking the documents he was provided because of earlier suspicions from previous visits that he was removing materials. Also, the employees had made copies of some documents.
In October 2003, the report said, an Archives official called Berger to discuss missing documents from his visit two days earlier. The investigator’s notes said, “Mr. Berger panicked because he realized he was caught.”

The notes said that Berger had “destroyed, cut into small pieces, three of the four documents. These were put in the trash.”

After the trash had been picked up, Berger “tried to find the trash collector but had no luck,” the notes said.

The significant portions of the inspector general’s report were redacted to protect privacy or national security.
Berger’s lawyer, Lanny Breuer, said in a statement that the contents of all the documents exist today and were made available to the commission.
For his guilty plea, Berger was fined $50,000, ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and barred from access to classified material for three years.

Wild Thing’s comment……
Just 3 years! How the heck could they give him such as light sentence when he admitted that he stashed the documents and retrieved them later. Not only is he NOT going to jail for the rest of his life for taking documents that have the same classification as our nuclear secrets (probably to modify them to protect Clinton’s legacy), he’ll also be able to access classified documents after 3 years? Berger is a common thief. He did this intentionally. He should never get a security clearance again. I don’t care who he is. And what is even more concerning is what Berger put in the files than what he took out of them.
Remember when we used to execute people for this sort of behavior? Not only is he walking free…but he was included in on the ISG.
There have been reports in the past how Berger was a “workaholic” as Clinton’s National Security Adviser —-always seen surrounded with top-secret documents—often working late.
(1) He was on-duty when our technology was sold to China.
(2) He was on-duty when we bombed the aspirin factory, advising Clinton it was manufacturing deadly chemicals.
(3) He was on-duty during Somolia, and Kosovo, and Hatti, and all the other wonderful military success stories of the Clinton administration.
(4) And then there’s the infamous Clinton pardons, including the biggest tax cheat in US history—Mark Rich—who absconded, then renounced his US citizenship to evade US prosecution.
(5) Clinton also pardoned 16 terrorists—members of the FALN—- so Hillary could get Latino votes for her Senate run in NY’s large Puerto Rican population. The Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN) was involved in more than 100 bombings in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s.”
(6) And let’s not forget the bombing of the Chinese embassy. Then-Pres Clinton went to Norfolk making a “solemn promise” to the families, friends and shipmates of the USS Cole to avenge their deaths. But when the opportunity presented itslef, he squandered it. Clinton flunky Burger blamed the misstep on the Pentagon. As if anyone in the Pentagon would pass up the chance to avenge the sailors of the USS Cole.

Muslims addition on the wall above the men praying. This IS what their so called religion is about, death and destruction. And their Muhammad is no one to respect, unless of course you are Bash Pharoan in article below.
Muslims claim curriculum on Islam is inaccurateNortheast Booster.com
Some Muslims in Baltimore County say lessons involving Islam being taught to seventh- and 10th-graders in public schools are inaccurate.
Bash Pharoan, president of the Baltimore chapter of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, says resource sheets, called “Islamic Life,” given to seventh-graders studying world cultures and “World Religions” for 10th-graders in world history classes, not only misrepresent Islam, but show disrespect to the prophet Muhammad.
For three years, Pharoan says, he has unsuccessfully petitioned the Baltimore County school board to review the way Islam is presented in public school classrooms.
Joe Hairston, county school superintendent, said his “teachers do not use materials that contain inaccurate information.”
Pharoan disagrees, saying the resource sheet on Islam belittles the prophet by referring to him only as “Muhammad.”
“We always say ‘Prophet Muhammad,’ ” Pharoan said. “Omitting the word ‘prophet’ is disrespectful.”
The resource sheets state the Muslim prophet’s “main goal was to get people to accept Allah and to spread the faith of Islam. Muhammad justified his attacks to his followers by explaining that to weaken those who opposed the spread of God’s word was a virtue, and that those who fell in battle would be rewarded in heaven. Thus, the idea of the jihad became the holy war of the Muslims against ‘the unbelievers.'”
This reference, Pharoan says, inaccurately portrays Islam as a religion that embraces the use of force.

Wild Thing’s comment……
It will be accurate if they teach about how Muhammad was a slave master, rapist, murderer, thief and pedophile. Pharoan says he wants it to be an accurate depiction. Ok so they should also be teaching about the planes into buildings that kill 3000 people. Bombing trains in Madrid. Bombing subway cars in London, chopping thousands of heads off. Be sure to include those things, cuz you want to be accurate.
Personally I don’t think Muslims really want an accurate historical depiction of Muhammad. I am sick of Muslims wanting this, wanting that , enough is enough. Or if he is going to be taught in public schools tell the kids the whole truth about this pervert. I can not recall ever being taught about religion when I was in school except for the crusades.
There will be no end of this if the folks in Baltimore give an inch. Everything offends these people. Quit even trying to appease them. When they complain, say ya-ya-ya and drop the complaint in the toilet, flush, wash hands and get on with real life.

Barbara Walters Nabbing Exclusive With Fidel Castro
Jossip
While ailing Fidel Castro has been keeping the press at bay to avoid the off chance they might, like, hint that he’s nearly dead, we hear 20/20’s Barbara Walters is on her way to scoring an exclusive get with Cuba’s leader. Not only that: She’s taking Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez along for the ride.
An insider tells us the ABC queen is set to fly down to Venezuela for a meeting with Chavez and then galavant northeast to the island nation for a sit down with Castro. We checked with a well-placed insider at ABC, who says the plans are moving ahead and that the interviews could take place as early as next week (Christmas time, y’all), but the details are not yet a definite go.
Meanwhile, another tattler tells us ABC staffers, at least, have been on Castro death watch as recent as last week, standing by waiting for the “red alert” newsroom wire chime. Which would’ve put a real damper on Babs’ very merry, very Communist Christmas

Wild Thing’s comment……
Well we will see if she does this or not. The stupid part is that she wants to. I’m not surpirsed she already picked sides when she said the day after 9-11 that she would not wear a Flag pin because it might show taking sides. Taking sides????? WTF
I would take sides anyway I could, any day, all day 24/7 against Islam. How hard has that got to be to take sides against this vile enemy of Islam. Amazing!

The Washington Post
President Bush acknowledged for the first time yesterday that the United States is not winning the war in Iraq and said he plans to expand the overall size of the “stressed” U.S. armed forces to meet the challenges of a long-term global struggle against terrorists.
As he searches for a new strategy for Iraq, Bush has adopted the formula advanced by his top military adviser to describe the situation.

“We’re not winning, we’re not losing,” Bush said in an interview with The Washington Post. The assessment was a striking reversal for a president who, days before the November elections, declared, “Absolutely, we’re winning.”

In another turnaround, Bush said he has ordered Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to develop a plan to increase the troop strength of the Army and Marine Corps, heeding warnings from the Pentagon and Capitol Hill that multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan are stretching the armed forces toward the breaking point. “We need to reset our military,” said Bush, whose administration had opposed increasing force levels as recently as this summer.
Bush chose a different term than Powell. “I haven’t heard the word ‘broken,’ ” he said, “but I’ve heard the word, ‘stressed.’ . . . We need to reset our military. There’s no question the military has been used a lot. And the fundamental question is, ‘Will Republicans and Democrats be able to work with the administration to assure our military and the American people that we will position our military so that it is ready and able to stay engaged in a long war?’ ”
Wild Thing’s comment…….
Morale alone, how do you think all the troops in Iraq feel when they hear their commander in chief telling the world that they’re not winning? It’s doubly bad when the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs says the same thing.
Even during the worst days of the summer of 1940, Churchill never said “we aren’t winning”. FDR never said “we aren’t winning”. Neither did Lincoln during the Civil War. Acknowledging challenges and struggles is one thing. Coming out and and saying that we’re not wining is another. Instead Bush should mention how Saddam and his whole regime was rolled up in a few weeks, how tens of thousands of terrorists have been killed or captured, how terrorist leaders continue to be eliminated!! the US now has Iran and Syria encircled by air, ground and naval units orders of magnitude greater than they were on 9/10/01.
For entire article you can read it here…….

(more…)