Theodore's World

Vice President Dick Cheney launched one of Washington’s sharpest attacks on President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ( May 4th,2006) , accusing Russia of backsliding on democracy and using its energy supplies to blackmail neighbors.
“Russia has a choice to make,” Cheney told Baltic and Black Sea leaders in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, calling on Moscow to return to democratic reforms at a time of increasingly chilly relations between the two former Cold War rivals.
“America and Europe want to see Russia in the category of healthy democracies, and yet opponents of democracy in Russia are seeking to reverse the progress of the past decade,” he said. “In many areas of civil society — from religion and the news media to advocacy groups and political parties — the Government has unfairly and improperly restricted the rights of the people.”
was addressing leaders of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Georgia — all former Warsaw Pact countries that are at varying stages of integration with the EU and Nato. He voiced particular support for Ukraine, criticising Russia for cutting off gas supplies to Kiev in January in what was widely seen in the West as punishment for the Orange Revolution of 2004.
Cheney criticized Moscow for playing power politics with its vast energy reserves at a time of record world prices and accused it of bullying neighboring countries, many of which were dominated by the Kremlin in the Soviet era.
“No legitimate interest is served when oil and gas become tools of intimidation or blackmail, either by supply manipulation or attempts to monopolise transportation,” he said. His comments reflect the growing tensions between the White House and the Kremlin. With his own ratings low, President Bush is under pressure to take a harder line with Mr Putin, who has reasserted central control over media, parliament, business and regional government since 2000. Some US politicians are even calling for Russia’s expulsion from the G8.
Russia drew international criticism earlier this year when it briefly turned off its gas taps to Ukraine in a pricing dispute that disrupted supplies to Europe.
Moscow has also warned Europe the Russian state gas monopoly Gazprom, the world’s top producer, could divert supplies to Asia if it is barred from the European market.
Update:
The White House on Friday backed Vice President Dick Cheney’s tough speech on Russia and said Russian President Vladimir Putin should move on democratic reforms before hosting a major international summit in July.
Bush and Putin had a strong relationship in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, but the ties have cooled in the last year or so and Washington has been disappointed at what it sees as backsliding on democracy in Russia.
“You have to be blind and obtuse not to understand that some of our hopes for the U.S.-Russian relationship in the beginning of the administration have not been realized,” said a second senior administration official.
The official said no formal review of U.S.-Russia relationship was under way but that the Bush administration was troubled by Russia’s “distrust of democracy and Russia’s unconstructive relations with many of its neighbors.”
Wild Thing’s comment…..
Cheney nailed it and I am proud of him! Cheney is right and it’s time we told the Russians that this is not going to be tolerated. Cheney is a favorite of mine.
Putin’s a dyed-in-the-wool commie. Always has and always will. The Clinton/Albright/Berger crew helped destroy any chances of a Western-friendly Russia, and gave us the America-phobic monstrosity that is Russia today.

Part of me died when I saw this cruel killing
Times Online
EVEN by the stupefying standards of Iraq’s unspeakable violence, the murder of Atwar Bahjat, one of the country’s top television journalists, was an act of exceptional cruelty.
Nobody but her killers knew just how much she had suffered until a film showing her death on February 22 at the hands of two musclebound men in military uniforms emerged last week. Her family’s worst fears of what might have happened have been far exceeded by the reality.
Bahjat was abducted after making three live broadcasts from the edge of her native city of Samarra on the day its golden-domed Shi’ite mosque was blown up, allegedly by Sunni terrorists.
Roadblocks prevented her from entering the city and her anxiety was obvious to everyone who saw her final report. Night was falling and tensions were high.
Two men drove up in a pick-up truck, asking for her. She appealed to a small crowd that had gathered around her crew but nobody was willing to help her. It was reported at the time that she had been shot dead with her cameraman and sound man.
We now know that it was not that swift for Bahjat. First she was stripped to the waist, a humiliation for any woman but particularly so for a pious Muslim who concealed her hair, arms and legs from men other than her father and brother.
Then her arms were bound behind her back. A golden locket in the shape of Iraq that became her glittering trademark in front of the television cameras must have been removed at some point — it is nowhere to be seen in the grainy film, which was made by someone who pointed a mobile phone at her as she lay on a patch of earth in mortal terror.
By the time filming begins, the condemned woman has been blindfolded with a white bandage.
It is stained with blood that trickles from a wound on the left side of her head. She is moaning, although whether from the pain of what has already been done to her or from the fear of what is about to be inflicted is unclear.
Just as Bahjat bore witness to countless atrocities that she covered for her television station, Al-Arabiya, during Iraq’s descent into sectarian conflict, so the recording of her execution embodies the depths of the country’s depravity after three years of war.
A large man dressed in military fatigues, boots and cap approaches from behind and covers her mouth with his left hand. In his right hand, he clutches a large knife with a black handle and an 8in blade. He proceeds to cut her throat from the middle, slicing from side to side.
Her cries — “Ah, ah, ah” — can be heard above the “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest) intoned by the holder of the mobile phone.
Even then, there is no quick release for Bahjat. Her executioner suddenly stands up, his job only half done. A second man in a dark T-shirt and camouflage trousers places his right khaki boot on her abdomen and pushes down hard eight times, forcing a rush of blood from her wounds as she moves her head from right to left.
Only now does the executioner return to finish the task. He hacks off her head and drops it to the ground, then picks it up again and perches it on her bare chest so that it faces the film-maker in a grotesque parody of one of her pieces to camera.
The voice of one of the Arab world’s most highly regarded and outspoken journalists has been silenced. She was 30.
As a friend of Bahjat who had worked with her on a variety of tough assignments, I found it hard enough to bear the news of her murder. When I saw it replayed, it was as if part of me had died with her. How much more gruelling it must have been for a close family friend who watched the film this weekend and cried when he heard her voice.
The friend, who cannot be identified, knew nothing of her beheading but had been guarding other horrifying details of Bahjat’s ordeal. She had nine drill holes in her right arm and 10 in her left, he said. The drill had also been applied to her legs, her navel and her right eye. One can only hope that these mutilations were made after her death.
There is a wider significance to the appalling footage and the accompanying details. The film appears to show for the first time an Iraqi death squad in action.
The death squads have proliferated in recent months, spreading terror on both sides of the sectarian divide. The clothes worn by Bahjat’s killers are bound to be scrutinised for clues to their identity.
Bahjat, with her professionalism and impartiality as a half-Shi’ite, half-Sunni, would have been the first to warn against any hasty conclusions, however. The uniforms seem to be those of the Iraqi National Guard but that does not mean she was murdered by guardsmen. The fatigues could have been stolen for disguise.
A source linked to the Sunni insurgency who supplied the film to The Sunday Times in London claimed it had come from a mobile phone found on the body of a Shi’ite Badr Brigade member killed during fighting in Baghdad.
But there is no evidence the Iranian-backed Badr militia was responsible. Indeed, there are conflicting indications. The drill is said to be a popular tool of torture with the Badr Brigade. But beheading is a hallmark of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, led by the Sunni Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
According to a report that was circulating after Bahjat’s murder, she had enraged the Shi’ite militias during her coverage of the bombing of the Samarra shrine by filming the interior minister, Bayan Jabr, ordering police to release two Iranians they had arrested.
There is no confirmation of this and the Badr Brigade, with which she maintained good relations, protected her family after her funeral came under attack in Baghdad from a bomber and then from a gunman. Three people died that day.
Bahjat’s reporting of terrorist attacks and denunciations of violence to a wide audience across the Middle East made her plenty of enemies among both Shi’ite and Sunni gunmen. Death threats from Sunnis drove her away to Qatar for a spell but she believed her place was in Iraq and she returned to frontline reporting despite the risks.
We may never know who killed Bahjat or why. But the manner of her death testifies to the breakdown of law, order and justice that she so bravely highlighted and illustrates the importance of a cause she espoused with passion.
Bahjat advocated the unity of Iraq and saw her golden locket as a symbol of her belief. She put it with her customary on-air eloquence on the last day of her life: “Whether you are a Sunni, a Shi’ite or a Kurd, there is no difference between Iraqis united in fear for this nation.”
Wild Thing’s comment…….
How anyone does not believe we are dealing with demons from hell itself when it comes to the terrorists is beyond me. They are minions of satan! The most horrifying thing about this is the knowledge that there are over one billion Muslims in the world who, if they read this account, will shout “Allahu akbar.”

Others discussing this:
* Michelle Malkin
* Mudville Gazette
* The Jawa Report

MULTI-NATIONAL DIVISION – NORTH
101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION
TIKRIT , IRAQ (FOB SPEICHER)
APO AE 09363
May 7, 2006
TIKRIT, Country – Two terrorists were killed May 6 near Tikrit when the improvised explosive device they were attempting to emplace detonated.
An explosive ordnance disposal team investigated the site of the explosion and determined that the two artillery shells that composed the bomb detonated while one of the men was placing it along the road, killing both men.
Evidence gathered by Iraqi police officers at the scene led them to the home of one of the bombers where the officers discovered equipment used to make the IED.
Wild Thing’s comment…….
Sounds like they were trained by Zarqawi. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha…….I love a happy ending.
“Now, hook up the red wire”
“The yellow wire?”
“No, the red one. No wait…..”

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Confident Democrats Lay Out Agenda Party Plans Probes Of Administration If It Wins the House
By Jonathan Weisman Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, May 7, 2006; A01
Democratic leaders, increasingly confident they will seize control of the House in November, are laying plans for a legislative blitz during their first week in power that would raise the minimum wage, roll back parts of the Republican prescription drug law, implement homeland security measures and reinstate lapsed budget deficit controls.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said in an interview last week that a Democratic House would launch a series of investigations of the Bush administration, beginning with the White House’s first-term energy task force and probably including the use of intelligence in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. Pelosi denied Republican allegations that a Democratic House would move quickly to impeach President Bush. But, she said of the planned investigations, “You never know where it leads to.”
Wild Thing’s comment……..
A few days ago I received an email from Ken Mehlmen and I replied to him a scathing email back telling him strongly how I felt about being let down as a Republcian, about what the heck has happened to We The People. But at no time would I consider not voting and let the Dems gain a hold again in power.
I hope those who want to punish the Republicans by voting third party, or by staying home, read this carefully and decide, whether they really want to stay away and not vote, and check out all that the Dems are planning and WILL do, if they get back into power. We have to vote out the weak kneed Republicans. No longer can we compromise. And if the current Republican leadership can’t get it done. We will find other Republicans and put them in leadership. At least this is what I wish for. We must never give up.

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KABUL, Afghanistan — A U.S.-led coalition military transport helicopter crashed while conducting combat operations in the remote mountains of eastern Afghanistan, killing all 10 American soldiers on board, a U.S. military spokeswoman said Saturday.
The CH-47 Chinook crashed late Friday while on a mission in support of Operation Mountain Lion, an offensive to root out Taliban and Al Qaeda militants near the border with Pakistan. The crash was not the result of hostile fire, said Lt. Tamara D. Lawrence, a coalition spokeswoman.
“The remains of all the 10 soldiers have been found and there are no survivors,” she told The Associated Press. “There is no indication that the helicopter came down due to some enemy action.”
The soldiers were part of a more than 20,000-strong coalition force, mostly operating in the volatile south and east of Afghanistan. About 18,000 of those forces are American.
The helicopter was conducting “operations on a mountaintop landing zone” when it crashed near Asadabad in Kunar province, about 150 miles east of Kabul, the capital, the military said in a statement. Rescue and recovery operations began at daybreak Saturday, Lawrence said. An investigation into the crash is under way.
(Story continues below at…….”continued”…….)

It is hard to post about injuries or death’s of our service men and women. It rips my heart out. Such hard and sad news to read. Heroes, every one of them and I’m humbled by their service and sacrifice. You will be missed. You will not be forgotten.
One of the guys I write to it is his 3rd deployment into Afghanistan and he’s in that region of ‘stan.
He’s been in this fight from the get go…he’s also had 2 tours in Iraq. He just had a birthday this past week. I pray he is ok and all of those here that have loved ones serving in Afghanistan and Iraq I pray every day several times a day they will always be ok too.

(more…)

Stars and Stripes – Mideast edition
This Mother’s Day, servicemembers at 191 phone and Internet cafes on bases throughout Iraq will have a chance to call home for free.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars’ “Operation Uplink” program — which normally provides phone cards to deployed troops — will provide free Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls for 24 hours on May 14. The program is designed for troops at “isolated” locations in Iraq.
“There are some locations overseas where phone cards do not work. Sponsoring free call events for the military-operated telephone service allows us to fill that gap and extend free calling time to any servicemember virtually anywhere U.S. forces deploy,” said Linda Ferguson, manager of the Operation Uplink program.
For the past seven years, the program has provided millions of free phone cards to deployed troops; but at many locations, the Morale, Welfare and Recreation phone banks do not run on that service. So, for one day, all those calls will be covered by the VFW.
“It’s the least we can do,” Ferguson said.
For more information on the program, visit their site HERE

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Kerry accuses Bush of creating ‘spirit of intolerance’ on war
GRINNELL, Iowa —Sen. John Kerry accused the Bush administration on Saturday of stirring up a “spirit of intolerance” to suppress dissent over the war in Iraq.
The Massachusetts Democrat said the Bush administration is targeting opponents of the Iraq war in much the same way he was attacked for protesting failed policies in Vietnam in the 1970s.

“Dismissing dissent is not only wrong but dangerous when America’s leadership is unwilling to admit mistakes, unwilling to engage in honest discussion and unwilling to hold itself accountable for the consequences of decisions made without genuine disclosure or genuine debate,” Kerry said.

He added, “The spirit of intolerance for dissent has risen steadily, and the habit of labeling dissenters as unpatriotic has become the common currency of the politicians currently running our country.”

Sarah Sauber, a spokeswoman for the Republican Party of Iowa, rejected Kerry’s claims.
“John Kerry continues to bring his record of hypocrisy and flip-flopping back to the state that rejected him in 2004,” Sauber said. “Iowans know that John Kerry doesn’t share their values.”
Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president in 2004, spoke at Grinnell College. During his visit to Iowa he repeated his call for a deadline for American troops to be pulled out of Iraq by the end of the year.

“The Iraqis have shown they only respond to deadlines,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I think you’ve got to be tough here.”

Kerry first drew public attention 35 years ago when, as a decorated Navy veteran, he testified to Congress in opposition to the Vietnam war. Some fellow veterans criticized him then, and his opposition to the war has been a point of controversy throughout his political career.
In the last campaign, Kerry was criticized for being slow to respond to the attacks on his patriotism, and his speech Saturday blasted those who sought to suppress dissent from the war.

“Once again, we are imprisoned in a failed policy,” he said. “And once again we are being told that admitting mistakes, not the mistakes themselves, will provide our enemies with an intolerable propaganda victory.”

Kerry has shown interest in seeking the Democratic nomination again. He’s made several trips to Iowa, where precinct caucuses launch the presidential nominating season. His surprising win in those caucuses in 2004 gave him momentum which led to the nomination.
Wild Thing’s comment…….
I wish we would follow what Abe Lincoln said.

“Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime
that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs
and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged.”
President Abraham Lincoln –

Wishing you a very special Birthday GUY
As most of you know that are regulars here at Theodore’s World
GUYK has the blog Charming Just Charming.
He served 22 years in the USAF. Thank you GUY.

* Charming Just Charming

PARIS: (REUTERS) France may ask the United States to allow 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui to serve his life prison sentence in a French jail, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

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Moussaoui, a 37-year old French citizen of Moroccan origin, was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison with no possibility of release, a day after a jury spared his life and rejected US government arguments that he should be executed.
France and the United States signed two agreements in the 1980s about the transfer of convicts. Moussaoui’s mother and his lawyer want him to be allowed to serve his sentence in France.
A possible demand for transferring Zacarias Moussaoui could be looked at within this framework,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said at an electronic press briefing.
“But in any case, we have to wait for the American justice system to provide a definitive sentence and to define the conditions of the sentence,” he added.
Wild Thing’s comment…….
Islam is a death cult, it is not a religion, it is the purest and most widespread manifestation of demonic power yet seen on this Earth.
my September 11, 2001 page ….it was a Tuesday…
France would do well to remember what its government said when we asked them to honor their extradition treaty and send murderer Ira Einhorn back to Pennsylvania. He killed his girlfriend, stuffed her in a trunk, and skipped bail once he was charged with her murder. He was tried and convicted in absentia. France declined to honor the treaty they signed and instead gave us a song and dance about the evils of the American justice system. It wasn’t until the PA legislature passed a special law granting Einhorn a new trial, and Pennsylvania DA took the death penalty off the table that France sent him back, and that was after lengthy proceedings in French courts.

Kennedy compound

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Kennedy’s first statement, released by his press secretary:
“I was involved in a traffic incident last night at First and C Street SE near the US Capitol. I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident. I will fully cooperate with the Capitol Police in whatever investigation they choose to undertake.”

His car….

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Like Father like son

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According to the police report, Patrick Kennedy drove his green 1997 Ford Mustang convertible into a security barrier near the Capitol. The officer listed alcohol influence as a contributing factor in the crash and noted that Kennedy was “ability impaired,” with red, watery eyes, slurred speech and unsteady balance.
It was Kennedy’s second auto crash in three weeks. His car struck the rear passenger door of a car while he was making a left turn from a roadway into a pharmacy in Portsmouth, R.I., according to a police report on the April 15 accident. No injuries were reported and Kennedy was not cited.
In the Capitol Hill accident, police observed Kennedy’s car, with no headlights on, swerve into the wrong lane and strike a curb. Kennedy nearly hit a police car, the report said, and did not respond to the officer’s efforts to pull him over. He continued at a slower speed before hitting a security barrier head-on, the report said.
Kenney said he was on sleep medication, I wonder if it is something popular with the Democrats?

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Hmmmmm very odd but very typical of a Kennedy….Kennedy now says he has no memory of that night, but has made a detailed statement previously.