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October 31, 2007
Valour-IT - The Few ~ The Loud ~ The Marines!
From October 29th until November 11th I'm raising my voice with the Marine Corps fundraising team, for Project Valour-IT.
What is Project Valour IT? Well, first you get the background... the story behind Valour-IT:
Project Valour-IT began when Captain Charles "Chuck" Ziegenfuss was wounded by an IED while serving as commander of a tank company in Iraq in June 2005.
During his deployment he kept a blog. Captivating writing, insightful stories of his experiences, and his self-deprecating humor won him many loyal readers. After he was wounded, his wife continued his blog, keeping his readers informed of his condition.
As he began to recover, CPT Ziegenfuss wanted to return to writing his blog, but serious hand injuries hampered his typing. When a loyal and generous reader gave him a copy of the Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred software, other readers began to realize how important such software could be to CPT Ziegenfuss' fellow wounded soldiers and started cast about for a way to get it to them.
A fellow who writes under the pseudonym FbL contacted Captain Ziegenfuss and the two realized they shared a vision of creating libraries of laptops with voice-controlled software that could be brought to the bedsides of wounded soldiers whose injuries prevented them from operating a standard computer. FbL contacted Soldiers' Angels, who offered to help develop the project, and Project Valour-IT was born.
When I made this post in July of 2005, my goal was to cheer up Chuck as he recovered from wounds he received while defending our freedom in Iraq. Yes, its the same Chuck, and many of you sent cards and letters to him during his stay at Walter Reed. I thank you for that. But, our work is not done yet. Now I'm asking you to help Valour-IT.
Project Valour-IT accepts donations of any amount to supply the "libraries" of laptops at major medical centers and gifts to individuals, but has also added the option of an individual or organization directly sponsoring a wounded soldier by completely funding the cost of a laptop and continuing to provide him or her with personal support and encouragement throughout recovery. Thanks to the efforts of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Valour-IT is also able to reach patients in VA hospitals who would benefit from a Valour-IT laptop.
Every cent raised for Project Valour-IT goes directly to the purchase and shipment of voice-activated laptops for wounded servicemembers. As of October 2006, Valour-IT has distributed nearly 600 laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines across the country.
Project Valour-IT is a simple idea with profound impact. It's grateful Americans, providing laptops with voice-activated software for severely wounded troops. Project Valour-IT offers a way for us to tell them we have not forgotten their sacrifices, and that is truly priceless. In many, many ways what we are trying to do is reconnect them to the world; remind them that they are not alone. That they still have something to contribute, that they are still a vital part of this nation, and that even though they may have lost parts of themselves that they can never recover, though they may temporarily be feeling hopeless, helpless, even alone, they aren't.
Someone remembers. Someone still cares. And when they get out of the hospital, America will find a way for them to rejoin the community and be useful again. For a wounded vet facing traumatic and painful injuries, that knowledge alone is beyond price.
Please dig deep. You cannot know the value of the hope your small contributions can bring to those who have already given so much on our behalf.
If you wish to donate, you can use the button below or the one in my sidebar, or send a check (with MARINES in all caps on it!) to:
Soldiers' Angels
Project Valour-IT Fund
1792 E. Washington Blvd
Pasadena, Ca 91104
If you're a blogger, join a team, any team will do. Tell your friends, family and neighbors about Valour-IT, challenge your co-workers or employer to match donations, consider involving clubs, churches, or charitable organizations. If you have any contacts in the media, local or national newspapers, radio, TV, whatever, whoever, however, spread the word!
I know I can count on your support for this, just hit the button so my team gets credit! and... Thank you!
Yes, there's a good bit of good-natured interservice rivalry fun in the interests of raising some money for a good cause, but at the end of the day what really matters is not which team you support, but that you find it in your hearts to support a worthwhile cause. Because our wounded vets have given more in the service of our country than most of us will ever be able to repay.
If you were wondering why I chose the Marines Fundraising Team, well, I love tanks, and I love fighter jets, and I love those great big ships and subs, but in the end, I joined the Marines Fundraising Team because of the Marine you see right there, down on one knee...
He served in Korea, as Infantry, in the Military Police and he was a proud member of the Marines' Drum and Bugle Corps.
And he just happens to be my Dad! Handsome, isn't he? Of course he is, that's why they let him be a Marine! and I bet you thought it was a coincidence that Marines are so darn good looking!
I'm proud of my Dad, and I'm proud of each of every one of our troops serving in the United States Military, whether its the Army, Navy, Air Force or the Marines. These brave men and women deserve our support, and Project Valour-IT is a great way to say Thank You!
Posted by LindaSoG at 06:18 AM | Comments (4)
October 30, 2007
Why Jew-haters love Ron Paul
When you want an answer to a question like that... well, you can only get an answer from the 110th Congress:
H CON RES 21
BILL TITLE: Calling on the United Nations Security Council to charge Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the United Nations Charter because of his calls for the destruction of the State of IsraelFinal Vote: 411 YEAS, 2 NAYS, 11 “PRESENT,” 8 NV.
Who are those two “nays?” None other than Congressmen Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich.
H RES 548
BILL TITLE: Expressing the ongoing concern of the House of Representatives for Lebanon’s democratic institutions and unwavering support for the administration of justice upon those responsible for the assassination of Lebanese public figures opposing Syrian control of Lebanon.Final Vote: 415 YEAS, 2 NAYS, 15 NV.
Who are those two “nays?” Again, Congressmen Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich.
H RES 557
BILL TITLE: Strongly condemning the United Nations Human Rights Council for ignoring severe human rights abuses in various countries, while choosing to unfairly target Israel by including it as the only country permanently placed on the Council’s agendaFinal Vote: 416 YEAS, 2 NAYS, 14 NV.
Who are those two “nays?” You guessed it–Congressmen Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich.
I found that over MVRWC, where Beth asks... "So is Ron Paul anti-Semitic? Racist?" and answers... "Maybe, maybe not. He sure votes like someone who is, but that may be purely coincidental."
Beth has more. Run over and read it, and don't miss the comments.
Posted by LindaSoG at 06:29 AM | Comments (5)
October 28, 2007
Hearts and Minds
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20071026-01
October 26, 2007
Iraqi Army at Besmaya Installation Support San Diego Fire Victims
By U.S. Army Sgt 1st Class Charlene Sipperly
Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Members of the Iraqi Army in Besmaya collected a donation for the San Diego, Calif., fire victims Thursday night at the Besmaya Range Complex in a moving ceremony to support Besmaya's San Diego residents.
Iraqi Army Col. Abbass, the commander of the complex, presented a gift of $1,000 to U.S. Army Col. Darel Maxfield, Besmaya Range Complex officer in charge, Multi-National Security Transition Command Iraq, to send to the fire victims in California.
The money was collected from Iraqi officers and enlisted soldiers in Besmaya. In a speech given during the presentation, Col. Abbass stated that he and the Iraqi soldiers were connected with the American people in many ways, and they will not forget the help that the American government has given the Iraqi people. Abbass was honored to participate by sending a simple fund of $1,000 to the American people in San Diego, to lower the suffering felt by the tragedy.
That is awesome! Just awesome!
Hat tips: OpFor, by way of And Still I Persist (who reminds us that the average pay in the Iraqi Army is about $300 a month), by way of Wollfe.
Posted by LindaSoG at 10:11 PM | Comments (8)
October 27, 2007
An Exchange of Words
Last week, Israeli MK Yossi Beilin introduced a bill into the Knesset calling for the expulsion of all Jews from Hebron. But, before the vote, MK Arieh Eldad announced he had prepared an identical bill... with one slight but important difference.
Mk Eldad exchanged the words "Jewish Community of Hebron" for the words "Hebron Palestinians." Otherwise, the bill was exactly the same. Beilin's bill called to expel the the Jews of Hebron and Eldad's bill called to expel the Palestinians of Hebron.
and... oh! the outrage of the left! He called for the expulsion of Palestinians!?! Oh! Voices were raised, cries of racism rang out, to which, I have been told, MK Eldad replied, "What about you?"
Indeed. Expel the Jews, that's okay, but expel the Palestinians, that's racist. Why? Why is it racist to expel the Palestinians and not racist to expel the Jews?
Beilin's bill to expel the Jews from Hebron was defeated 47 to 11. Eldad's bill was not put to vote.
Thank you MK Arieh Eldad!
Posted by LindaSoG at 07:30 PM | Comments (1)
October 26, 2007
Shabbat Shalom
Our Father in Heaven, Rock and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the first manifestation of the approach of our redemption. Shield it with Your loving kindness, envelop it in Your peace, and bestow Your light and truth upon its leaders, ministers, and advisors, and grace them with Your good counsel. Strengthen the hands of those who defend our holy land, grant them deliverance, and adorn them in a mantle of victory.
Ordain peace in the land and grant its inhabitants eternal happiness. Lead them, swiftly and upright, to Your city Zion and to Jerusalem, the abode of Your Name, as is written in the Torah of Your servant Moses: “Even if your outcasts are at the ends of the world, from there the Lord your God will gather you, from there He will fetch you. And the Lord your God will bring you to the land that your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will make you more prosperous and more numerous than your fathers.”
Draw our hearts together to revere and venerate Your name and to observe all the precepts of Your Torah, and send us quickly the Messiah son of David, agent of Your vindication, to redeem those who await Your deliverance.
Manifest yourself in the splendor of Your boldness before the eyes of all inhabitants of Your world, and may everyone endowed with a soul affirm that the Lord, God of Israel, is king and his dominion is absolute.
Amen
Posted by LindaSoG at 06:42 PM | Comments (2)
Wild Pigs
Hmmm...
There was a chemistry professor in a large college that had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Prof noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back And stretching as if his back hurt.
The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.
In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, ' Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'
The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. "You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in The last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.
Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves so they accept their captivity.
The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America . The government keeps pushing us toward communism/socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, farm subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops, welfare, medicine, drugs, free medical care, etc. - while we continually lose our freedoms, just a little at a time.
One should always remember, "There is no such thing as a free lunch!" Also, you can never hire someone to provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.
If you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America , you might want to send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life then you will probably not tell anyone about this post, but God help you when the gate slams shut!
Hillary Care, anyone?
Posted by LindaSoG at 06:39 AM | Comments (3)
October 24, 2007
UN-Happy Birthday
It was sixty-one years ago on October 24, 1945 that the United Nations came into existence as an instrument of peace with a vision to make the world a better place for succeeding generations - a world where nations are at peace with one another, where people's human rights are protected, where the equal rights of men and women are guaranteed, where the rule of law is observed and respected, and social progress and better standards of life are ensured for all.
Sadly, the United Nations has not only failed miserably, but has become a protector of terrorists and a supporter of the regimes which breed them.
When the President of the United States spoke to the United Nations in October of 2004, he spoke of the need for change and called for a new course of action against the threat of terrorism, to stop the killing of school children in Russia, the beheading of construction workers in Iraq, the murder by suicide bombers. He spoke of how, rather than engineers, doctors, scientists and social workers, the Muslim world has become the world's largest exporter of hatred and murder. He spoke of how Muslim equality for women has emerged under the guise of female suicide bombers. He spoke of the consequences of terrorism that have been perpetuated by the Muslim world for over a decade in New York, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Kenya, Tanzania, and Bali, Jakarta, Moscow, Madrid and Istanbul.
The President urged action against terrorism, admitting that "for too long, many nations, including my own, tolerated, even excused, oppression in the Middle East in the name of stability." He promised to implement the radical changes that would lead to freedom, to take the fight to the enemy instead of waiting for them to come to us. He acknowledged that it would not be easy and he urged the world to unite in the effort.
What effect could such powerful words have when most of those oppressors, most of those violators of human rights and decency, most of those dictators that our President was referring to in his speech sat before him as members in good standing of the United Nations?
Sitting on UN Commission on Human Rights are some of the world's worst mass murderers and violators of the very human rights they are supposed to protect, including Cameroon, China, Congo (DRC), Cuba, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. The Chairman of the Commission is one of the worst human rights offenders, Libya. These are the very same human rights violators that the Commission is supposed to investigate and expose.
No wonder, then, that the UN has failed to even criticize China's human rights violations, failed to even discuss slave labor when the former Soviet Union existed, failed to even consider the sale of white women and children in Saudi Arabia, failed to investigate the denial of the most basic human rights to women in Asia and Arab countries, and failed to examine the slave trade in Arab countries.
The Commission voted against "special observation" of Zimbabwe's violations of human rights; and voted for the upgrading of the human rights status of Sudan, even while its dictatorship committed genocide against its southern black Christians, carried on slavery, and approved of systematic rape.
Consider the actions of Commission member Cuba. Castro had thrown into prison seventy-five dissidents, including journalists and librarians; and it had executed three men who hijacked a ferryboat to escape from this communist hellhole. No matter. The Commission reelected Cuba to another three-year term, "undoubtedly a recognition of the Cuban Revolution's work in human rights in favor of all our people," so Cuba proclaimed.
Ever careful to protect itself and its member dictatorships, the UN went so far as to terminate its relationship with the free speech organization Reporters Without Borders after it criticized the UN's human rights record. Reporters Without Borders had the audacity to suggest reforms that included the restricting of voting by dictatorships and claimed "that granting the chair to Qadhafi's [Libyan] regime has been a disgrace to the commission." The Commission voted 27 to 23 to suspend its relationship with the organization. All of the democratic members voted against it.
As Victor Davis Hanson said in the Wall Street Journal, "It is not the same United Nations of decades past, helping the poor nations with hunger, and sending troops around the world to keep the peace. Gone are the days when UNESCO and UNICEF provided selfless service around the world to fight disease and famine. Now it is a political body with a different agenda. Its membership is rife with tyrannies, theocracies and Stalinist regimes."
Immediately prior to the President's speech, Kofi Anan declared the Iraq War illegal to a BBC reporter. No surprise, considering that at the time of Iraq's blatant defiance of the United Nations resolutions on its weapons of mass destruction, one of Saddam Hussein's henchmen chaired the May sessions of the UN Conference. No surprise considering Kofi Anan's participation the Oil for Food scandal currently under investigation. No surprise considering the UN was silent while Saddam Hussein starved, tortured, maimed and murdered his own people.
Indeed, the UN was silent while Slobodan Milosevic methodically practiced ethnic cleansing in his country. The UN was silent while the Taliban systematically murdered their own people, repressed all human rights, and enslaved women. The UN was silent while in Rwanda and Burundi, half a million lives were lost in civil war.
The UN was silent while 800,000 people were murdered in 1994 during a systematic genocide organized by the Hutu government, and carried out against the Tutsi minority by its troops, police, and specially trained death squads. In 1999, an independent report condemned the UN's reluctance to accept evidence of a genocide, and reluctance to act once the genocide was undeniable.
The UN was silent while in North Korea hundreds of thousands have been murdered in the last decade, and possibly three million have been starved to death in a government created famine.
The UN was silent while 8,000 Muslim men and boys were murdered in Srebrenica, Bosnia, during the Bosnian war of 1995. Another UN commissioned report on this asserted that the UN peacekeepers stood by while Serb troops massacred those to whom the UN had promised protection. The UN had refused to reinforce their peacekeepers with enough troops, and even then severely restricted the action of those that were there.
The UN was silent while over three million were killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with UN peacekeepers standing by and watching.
And the UN remains silent through the genocide in Sudan.
By its own admission in the Report of the Panel on UN Peace Operation, the UN recognized that its peacekeeping efforts have failed. It undertook peacekeeping in only a third of the conflicts during the 1990s, and when the UN did do something, it failed or was not effective.
And yet, the UN raises its voice, loud and clear, in consistent and constant condemnation of Israel. In the last few decades, more than half of the UN resolutions passed were against Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. Israel scores as high as the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom on political rights. On civil liberties, Israel scores much higher than the dictatorship members of the UN.
Consider the dictatorships of Algeria, China, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Syria, all of whom are members of the UN Commission on Human Rights. The dictatorship of Egypt is a member of all six UN committees concerned with human rights treaties. The dictatorships of Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan participate on the Governing Council of the International Labor Organization. The bloody dictatorship of Iran is on the five-member UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Dictatorships who treat women as second class citizens or slaves like Egypt, Iran, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates are all members of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
"So Americans' once gushy support for the U.N. during its adolescence is gone. By the 1970s we accepted at best that it had devolved into a neutral organization in its approach to the West, and by the 1980s sighed that it was now unabashedly hostile to freedom. But in our odyssey from encouragement, to skepticism, and then to hostility, we have now reached the final stage--of indifference. Americans do not get riled easily, so the U.N. will go out with a whimper rather than a bang. Indeed, millions have already shrugged, tuned out, and turned the channel on it." - Victor Davis Hanson
The United Nations is still investigating about 150 allegations of sexual abuse by its staff and soldiers in the Congo. The charges include accusations of pedophilia, rape and prostitution, some of which have been recorded on videotape.
"I am afraid there is clear evidence that acts of gross misconduct have taken place," said Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
It has been years since the UN promised a full investigation and to hold those involved accountable, the fact is that the UN has never been open or honest and has been known to ignore evidence in the past – including accusations of rape and murder by "peacekeepers."
In a June 21, 2004 speech at the Conference on Confronting anti-Semitism: Education for Tolerance and Understanding sponsored by the United Nations Department of Information, human rights scholar and activist Anne Bayefsky made the following points:
- There is only one entire UN Division devoted to a single group of people: the United Nations Division for Palestinian Rights (created in 1977).
- The only UN day dedicated to a specific people is November 29, the annual UN Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
- There is only one refugee agency dedicated to a single refugee situation: UNRWA (in operation since 1950).
- The General Assembly operates through six committees of the whole. One of them, the Fourth Committee, routinely devotes 30 percent of its time to the condemnation of Israel.
- The General Assembly emergency sessions... began in 1956, and since then six of the ten emergency sessions ever held, have been about Israel. The 10th such session began in 1997 and has been reconvened 13 times. One might think that a million dead in Rwanda or two million dead in Sudan might have warranted one General Assembly emergency session.
- The UN's primary human-rights body is the UN Human Rights Commission. 30% of the resolutions condemning specific states ever adopted over 40 years are directed at Israel.
and finally...
UNIFIL (United Nations Forces In Lebanon) announced yesterday that it will be compelled to [try] to shoot down Israeli reconnaissance jets flying over Lebanon as a violation of "the deal." The flights have revealed the extend to which Hizbollah is re-arming in Southern Lebanon and from where the ballistics are coming.
It has been said that an alien observing the United Nations' debates, reading its resolutions, and walking its halls would conclude that its principal purpose is to censure, condemn and destroy first the country of Israel and second, the United States of America, and that its way to accomplish its purpose is through the protection and nurturing of terrorism throughout the world. That is most certainly true.
UN-Happy Birthday United Nations, may this one be your last.
Posted by LindaSoG at 08:40 AM | Comments (4)
October 23, 2007
In Honor of Islamofacsist Week
I thought you might like to meet the man who has dubbed himself "Osama Bin London."
An Islamic leader who called himself "Osama Bin London" groomed and corrupted young Muslims - including the 21/7 bombers - at terror training camps across Britain, a court has heard.
Mohammed Hamid told his followers the 52 deaths in the July 7 attacks on London were "not even breakfast to me", the jury was told.
Hamid organised Friday prayer groups at his home in East London and went on a camp in the Lake District with all four of the men convicted of the July 21 attempted bombings, Woolwich Crown Court was told.
He ran an Islamic bookstall on Oxford Street with Muktar Ibrahim, one of the guilty bombers, where he was arrested for being aggressive to members of the public and making a racist comment to a policeman, the jury was told.
Hamid was said to have given his name as Osama bin London and to have told the police officer: "I’ve got a bomb and I’m going to blow you all up."
The court heard that Hamid, 50, of Clapton, east London, is accused of soliciting to murder, a charge to which co-accused Atilla Ahmet has already pleaded guilty.
"It is the prosecution’s case that Hamid, assisted by Ahmet, was a recruiter, groomer and corrupter of young Muslims,” David Farrell QC, prosecuting told the jury.
"His purpose was to convert such men to his own fanatical and extreme beliefs and having given them such a foundation, thereby enabling them to move on to join others in the pursuit of jihad [holy war] by acts of terrorism.
"The fact that some did exactly as he desired is, we suggest, highly relevant to his real purpose and his continued purpose after July 21 2005.”
A few of Bin London's followers (the ones that got caught):
Osama Bin London. Sounds like the start of a bad joke, doesn't it? You think there is no terrorist threat? Think again.
What this man accomplished, the death of 52 innocent people, by using his so-called religion to encourage others to kill for him, is what islam is all about. Laughing at him won't save your life, because he, and others like him, are dead serious about killing you. If you think their grand plans are laughable, you need only remember 911. I am sure that in 1990s, Clinton and his ilk scoffed at the thought of a few terrorists hijacking a few airplanes and flying them into the WTC. It likely seemed as farfetched as the idea that they might blow up our tunnels in New York.
Those are the faces of islam and make no mistake, these men want to kill you. There is no use in trying to figure out why they want to kill you, normal, rational people will never understand or relate to the kind of person who would worship an illiterate and epileptic mass murderer, rapist, pillager, thief, terrorist and pedophile. Those who follow the teachings of a terrorist can only be terrorists themselves. Their goal is to dominate the world, reduce it to ashes, and bring forth the evil that is islam.
You can choose to help them, or fight them.
Posted by LindaSoG at 06:44 AM | Comments (2)
October 22, 2007
A thousand words about Barack Hussein Obama
According to the United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Sec. 171:
During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. Men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.
Disrespectful, to say the least. This is a man who would be president? A man with nothing but contempt for our traditions, our values, and our country?
Posted by LindaSoG at 06:41 AM | Comments (3)
One term - $274 Billion Dollars
After Only 9 Months on the Campaign Trail, Hillary Has Pledged to Spend Over $724 Billion in Taxpayer Dollars.
Hillary's Health Care Plan Would Cost $110 Billion Per Year, Multiplied By 4 Years (One White House Term) = $440 Billion. "Clinton's price tag is $110 billion a year, but analysts say her [health care] plan will cost a lot more than that." (Donald Lambro, Op-Ed, "Health Care Nightmare," The Washington Times, 9/24/07)
Hillary Pledged To Create A "$50-Billion Strategic Energy Fund." "As president, Clinton said she would ... Create a $50-billion strategic energy fund to research ways to boost energy efficiency and reduce reliance on fossil fuels." (Beth Fouhy, "Clinton Would Fund Stem Cell Research," The Associated Press, 10/4/07)
Hillary Has Proposed 401(k) For All Americans, Funded In Part By The Government At A Cost Of Up To $25 Billion Per Year, Multiplied By 4 Years = $100 Billion. "Hillary Clinton unveiled her second-biggest proposal of the campaign so far - after health care -- a plan to make 401(k) retirement savings plans available to all Americans. ... Clinton's 'American Retirement Accounts' would cost about $20 to 25 billion each year, Clinton's advisors said yesterday." (Marcella Bombardieri, "Clinton Targeting Middle Class," The Boston Globe, 10/9/07)
Hillary's Baby Bond Proposal Would Give $5,000 To Each Of The 4 Million Babies Born In The U.S. Each Year, Totaling $20 Billion Per Year, Multiplied By 4 Years = $80 Billion. "Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said ... that every child born in the United States should get a $5,000 'baby bond' from the government ... Approximately 4 million babies are born each year in the United States." (Devlin Barrett, "Clinton: $5,000 For Every U.S. Baby," The Associated Press, 9/28/07)
"It Would Be Expensive -- About $20 Billion A Year -- And Clinton Offered No Way To Pay For It." (Editorial, "Clinton's Baby Boondoggle," The Chicago Tribune, 10/2/07)
For Public Transit, Hillary Would Spend $1.5 Billion Per Year, Multiplied By 4 Years = $6 Billion. "[S]he proposed spending $1.5 billion per year for public transit ..." (Christina Bellantoni, "Democrats Can't Afford '08 Promises," The Washington Times, 9/20/07)Hillary Would Spend $10 Billion On Bridges Over 10 Years, Equal To $1 Billion Per Year; $1 Billion Multiplied By 4 Years = $4 Billion. "After the Minnesota bridge collapse last month, she proposed ... $10 billion over 10 years to redesign and reconstruct ailing bridges." (Christina Bellantoni, "Democrats Can't Afford '08 Promises," The Washington Times, 9/20/07)
Hillary Plans To Spend $1 Billion For At-Risk Mortgage Borrowers. "She has proposed $1 billion to help at-risk mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure." (Christina Bellantoni, "Democrats Can't Afford '08 Promises," The Washington Times, 9/20/07)
Hillary Would Commit $10 Billion For Education In Developing Countries Over 5 Years, Equal To $2 Billion Per Year; $2 Billion Multiplied By 4 Years = $8 Billion. "Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton wants the U.S. government to commit $10 billion over five years to get young children in developing countries into school ..." (Amy Fagan, "Hillary Seeks 'Education For All,'" The Washington Times, 5/2/07)
Hillary Pledged $300 Million For "Second Chance Education." "Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, vowing to 'stop the revolving door from the streets to prison,' pledged to invest $300 million as president into public-private programs for 'second chance education' and reintegrating ex-offenders into communities." (Peter Hecht, "Clinton Vows To Back Programs For 'Second Chance Education,'" Sacramento Bee, 10/1/07)
Hillary Committed $36 Million For School Phys-Ed Programs. "Smaller-ticket items ... [include] $36 million for school physical-education programs." (Christina Bellantoni, "Democrats Can't Afford '08 Promises," The Washington Times, 9/20/07)
Hillary's Universal Pre-K Would Cost $5 Billion The First Year, And Over The Next 5 Years Annual Expenditures Would Increase To $10 Billion, Meaning At A Minimum It Would Cost $5 Billion Per Year Over The First 4 Years; $5 Billion Multiplied By 4 Years = $20 Billion. Hillary Clinton's "Fact Sheet" On Universal Pre-K: "The federal government will allocate $5 billion in the first year to states to establish and administer universal Pre-K. Over the next five years, the federal commitment will increase to $10 billion as states increase their commitment to Pre-K." (Hillary Clinton For President Website, hillaryclinton.com, Accessed 9/28/07)
Hillary Would Increase The Number Of National Science Foundation Fellowships And Increase The Size Of Each Award, At An Annual Cost Of $378 Million; $378 Million Multiplied By 4 Years = Over $1.5 Billion. "Triple the number of NSF fellowships and increase the size of each award by 33 percent. ... It is estimated that this would increase the annual cost of the program from $122 million to $500 million." (Hillary Clinton For President Website, hillaryclinton.com, Accessed 10/10/07)
She Would Double The NIH's Budget Over 10 Years - An Additional $28 Billion, Equal To $2.8 Billion Per Year; $2.8 Billion Multiplied By 4 Years = $11.2 Billion. "At a recent cancer forum, Mrs. Clinton said she would 'double' the National Institute of Health's $28 billion budget ... over 10 years." (Christina Bellantoni, "Democrats Can't Afford '08 Promises," The Washington Times, 9/20/07)
And Would Double The National Cancer Institute's Budget Over 10 Years - An Additional $5 Billion, Equal To $500 Million Per Year; $500 Million Multiplied By 4 Years = $2 Billion. "At a recent cancer forum, Mrs. Clinton said she would 'double' ... the National Cancer Institute's nearly $5 billion budget over 10 years." (Christina Bellantoni, "Democrats Can't Afford '08 Promises," The Washington Times, 9/20/07)
Now, where do you suppose that money would come from?
Posted by LindaSoG at 06:26 AM | Comments (3)
October 21, 2007
Get your foot off the gas
Or you might arrested for racist revving...
UK: Jail Time for Revving Engine in a Racist Manner
A motorist in Scotland, UK is fined $238 and sent to jail for two days for the crime of revving his Lotus Esprit in a racist manner.
Scottish motorist Ronnie Hutton, 49, was jailed for two days for the crime of "revving his car in a racist manner" last September. After waiting more than a year to try the case, the Stirling Sheriff court finally convicted Hutton last week of breach of the peace and fined him £150 (US $282).
An off duty officer, Chief Inspector Eoin Jenkins, said Hutton had revved the engine of his Lotus Esprit near two Muslims last year. After Hutton dismissed Jenkins' concern with an expletive, Jenkins immediately dispatched two police officers to Hutton's home where he was taken and thrown in jail for two days without formal charges. Hutton explained that his revving had nothing to do with nearby pedestrians, rather, he was keeping his temperamental and expensive V8 engine from stalling and being damaged.
"To be convicted for revving my car in a busy street is hard to take," Hutton told the Sunday Mail newspaper. "Does this mean anyone driving a noisy car in Scotland is now a criminal?"
Asked in court why the man may have revved his engine, Hana Saad, 23, said through an interpreter, "Maybe because we are Muslim."
Amazing.
Posted by LindaSoG at 10:35 AM | Comments (4)
October 20, 2007
Pantie Power!
BANGKOK, Thailand - Women in several countries have begun sending their panties to Myanmar embassies in a culturally insulting gesture of protest against the recent brutal crackdown there, a campaign supporter said Friday.
"It's an extremely strong message in Burmese and in all Southeast Asian culture," said Liz Hilton, who supports an activist group that launched the "Panties for Peace" drive earlier this week.
The group, Lanna Action for Burma, says the country's superstitious generals, especially junta leader Gen. Than Shwe, also believe that contact with women's underwear saps them of power.
To widespread international condemnation, the military in Myanmar, also known as Burma, crushed mass anti-regime demonstrations recently and continues to hunt down and imprison those who took part.
Hilton said women in Thailand, Australia, Singapore, England and other European countries have started sending or delivering their underwear to Myanmar missions following informal coordination among activist organizations and individuals.
"You can post, deliver or fling your panties at the closest Burmese Embassy any day from today. Send early, send often!" the Lanna Action for Burma Web site urges.
"So far we have had no response from Burmese officials," Hilton said
---
Ah.. the power of the pantie! Its probably safe to assume that worn panties have more than power than brand new panties, but you'll have to make up your own mind on washed vs. unwashed and once you make up your mind, if you are so inclined...
Burmese Embassy
132 Sathorn Nua Road
Bangkok 10500
or... worldwide
Posted by LindaSoG at 09:37 PM | Comments (4)
October 19, 2007
Shabbat Shalom
Our Father in Heaven, Rock and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the first manifestation of the approach of our redemption. Shield it with Your loving kindness, envelop it in Your peace, and bestow Your light and truth upon its leaders, ministers, and advisors, and grace them with Your good counsel. Strengthen the hands of those who defend our holy land, grant them deliverance, and adorn them in a mantle of victory.
Ordain peace in the land and grant its inhabitants eternal happiness. Lead them, swiftly and upright, to Your city Zion and to Jerusalem, the abode of Your Name, as is written in the Torah of Your servant Moses: “Even if your outcasts are at the ends of the world, from there the Lord your God will gather you, from there He will fetch you. And the Lord your God will bring you to the land that your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will make you more prosperous and more numerous than your fathers.”
Draw our hearts together to revere and venerate Your name and to observe all the precepts of Your Torah, and send us quickly the Messiah son of David, agent of Your vindication, to redeem those who await Your deliverance.
Manifest yourself in the splendor of Your boldness before the eyes of all inhabitants of Your world, and may everyone endowed with a soul affirm that the Lord, God of Israel, is king and his dominion is absolute.
Amen
Posted by LindaSoG at 05:24 PM | Comments (2)
I wish I hadn't seen this
This is so wrong, on so many levels. I've been arguing with myself all morning, ever since I saw this blurb. The big shocker is not that Israel is considering giving up prisoners for Galit, Israel is always releasing terrorists back into the wild for some reason, or for no reason. But permission? Israel has to seek permission to try negotiate to get Gilad Shalit back? Is it true? Probably, but who can say for sure?
I don't want to argue over a maybe, so as upsetting as that little blurb is, I'll just let it be... until I get confirmation from somewhere that its true.
But the release of yet more terrorists is troubling, Olmert let a few hundred go just last month for no good reason at all. So, I guess somewhere between 200 and 1000 terrorists will be released in exchanged for Gilad Shalit, be he dead or alive. Alive I pray, but... we are dealing with Hamas, remember? I haven't forgotten the kidnapping and murder of 18 year old Eliyahu Pinchas Asheri in June of 2006, and I haven't forgotten that Hamas tried to negotiate for his life after they put a bullet through his head.
And, I haven't forgotten what happens when you negotiate with evil:
These are the faces of 177 Jews, all of whom were murdered by palestinian terrorists after the terrorists were released from Israeli prisons.
With permission from the United States or without, when you consider what we know the aftermath will be, should Israel release more terrorists to obtain the freedom of Gilad Shalit?
Well, consider that we know the Israeli left will release those terrorist eventually anyway, as they have in the past, for the stupid, ineffective and meaningless negotiations with terrorists who want only to kill us. They have before, and they will again.
Gilad Shalit is only one life. But perhaps Gilad Shalit is the one Jewish life that can be saved.
Still, the terrorists will continue to kill us no matter what.
And... this exchange will surely encourage more kidnappings of more Israeli soldiers.
But then, there would likely be more kidnappings anyway.
I look at those faces, and I want to cry.
I could argue with myself all day about such things, one Jew, three opinions.
I'll say it again. My solution would be to take the list of prisoners the palestinians want released, and I would execute one a day, until Gilad Shalit is released, or I run out of prisoners.
That way, the end result is a good one, either way.
But, that's just me.
Posted by LindaSoG at 11:52 AM | Comments (1)
Oh the horror!
If you like pictures of American Troops torturing innocent Iraqi children... you'll love this site. Here's a sample:
There's lots more "torture" to be seen... so run along now and enjoy...
H/T and smooches to my friend Wollfe, who made my day with that one!
Posted by LindaSoG at 06:33 AM | Comments (2)
October 18, 2007
Why I don't watch TV
Because of people like Rebecca Aguilar:
She ambushed a 70-year-old man who was forced to do something he never wanted to do when, over a three week period, criminals broke into his home to steal, and he shot both of them, in separate incidents, on separate days. One of them, the last one, died.
"Are you a trigger happy kind of person? Is that what what you wanted to do? Shoot to kill?"
Talk about unfair and unbalanced reporting from a woman who was just named one of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists' Broadcast Journalists of the Year. I guess the second runner up was Giraldo.
I take little to no comfort in the fact that she has been suspended from her job for her behavior during this interview, suspended ain't fired and it means she'll be back to do it again.
I have no desire to hook up that TV again.
UPDATE: The video is dead because, In an orgy of shame, the station is demanding its removal from the internet.
Posted by LindaSoG at 07:01 AM | Comments (3)
October 17, 2007
Today's Islamotard Moment
H/T: IsraellyCool
Posted by LindaSoG at 07:19 PM | Comments (3)
October 16, 2007
Children's Health Fact of the Day
From the Republicans' House Energy and Commerce Committee Website:
A few other Schipp facts:
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that 50 percent of the upper-income enrollees added to SCHIP under the Democrats’ proposal currently have private health insurance but will drop their current health insurance coverage and shift these costs to the taxpayers.
and...
People who broke the law to come to America aren’t eligible for welfare, including Medicaid and SCHIP, and nearly everyone thinks that’s a good idea except Democrats in Washington. They want an SCHIP extension bill that removes the pesky requirement for checking the identity and citizenship of people who apply for Medicaid and SCHIP benefits.
H.R. 976 says that simply writing down a Social Security number is good enough to prove you are a citizen, although the commissioner of the Social Security Administration says emphatically that Social Security numbers are laughable as proof of citizenship because thousands are issued every year to non-citizens. Moreover, the Democrats’ SCHIP bill doesn’t even require that an applicant flash an ID to demonstrate that he or she could be the actual owner of the number.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that erasing the mechanism that reserves welfare for Americans instead of illegal aliens will cost U.S. taxpayers an extra $3.7 billion in federal spending and $2.8 billion in added state spending.
No need to make a fuss over $6 billion in American taxpayer dollars for healthcare for illegal immigrants, by golly, let's get some free government health care going here... because pulling your own teeth with a pair of pliers sure does sound like fun!
Yeah! Let's do it for the children!
According to the states’ budget projections, 13 will spend more than 44 percent of their SCHIP funds in 2008 on people who are neither children nor pregnant women.
Michigan tops the list with 71.6 percent of its SCHIP money earmarked for adults who have no kids. In New Mexico, 52.3 percent of the state’s SCHIP dollars will be spent on childless adults.
Let's do it for the poor children...
Census Bureau data (2004-2006) show that 1 in 5.5 children living under 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level don’t have health care coverage even though they’re eligible for government programs.
Republicans propose requiring states to cover at least 90 percent of these neediest kids before trying to find any more. The Democrats’ plan has no requirement to cover the poorest kids first. Instead, it just leaves them behind.
Posted by LindaSoG at 07:24 AM | Comments (3)
Name that Presidential Contender
National polls place him in the GOP's bottom tier, with between 1 percent and 2 percent support. His base partly consists of -- in no particular order -- people who want prostitution legalized, taxpayers who oppose paying taxes, a white supremacist running for the Florida state House, and those who think the Sept. 11 attacks were a government conspiracy.
*snort*
Go Ron Go!
Posted by LindaSoG at 07:11 AM | Comments (4)
The Forgotten People
This video has been selected for screening along with 100 films during the 11th Annual Hollywood Film Festival, October 17-22, with award to be presented on October 22, 2007.
From Galilee of the Nations Music, a Christian music company.
Posted by LindaSoG at 12:02 AM | Comments (1)
October 15, 2007
Presented without commentary
Because this horror has left me speechless:
A mother who tried to stop her son from carrying out a suicide bomb attack triggered an explosion in the family's home in southern Afghanistan that killed the would-be bomber, his mother and three siblings, police said Monday.
The would-be bomber had been studying at a madrassa, or religious school, in Pakistan, and when he returned to his home in Uruzgan province over the weekend announced that he planned to carry out a suicide attack, Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary said.
Surviving family members told police that the suicide vest exploded during a struggle between the mother and her son, said Juma Gul Himat, Uruzgan's police chief. The man's brother and two sisters were also killed.
Family members said the would-be bomber gave his family $3,600 before telling them he intended to carry out the attack, Himat said.
Posted by LindaSoG at 07:53 PM | Comments (3)
Brothers in Battle
Many of you will remember HBO's "Band of Brothers" miniseries which told the story of members of 101st Airborne Division. The miniseries did honor to those brave troops, and now, two surviving members have written a book about their experience called "Brothers in Battle: Best of Friends," which was recently published by the Berkley Publishing Group.
I just read an article about it, and I wasn't halfway through before my blood pressure went up and a cold, dark anger ran through me. It wasn't the article itself, that was well written, and summed up the book admirably. It was this quote from the publisher that got me ticked off.
And the book comes at just the right time, says Berkley's Natalee Rosenstein. "It's a period of time when we're all looking for real heroes," she said.
There's never a wrong time to do honor to this Nation's heroes, no matter which war they fought in, but that statement implies that there are no heroes to be found during this period of time, during this war.
Whatever period of time you're talking about Natalee, it ain't this one, and whoever "we" is, it ain't me.
There is no shortgage of real heroes from this period of time and you don't have to look far to find them:
Air Force Staff Sgt. Joshua J. Abrahamson
Army 3rd Armored Cavalry
Marine Corps 1st Lt. Elliott L. Ackerman
Marine Corps Sgt. Jarred L. Adams
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Adlesperger
Air Force Staff Sgt. Edward B. Albietz
Army Spc. Jose Alvarez
Army Special Forces Maj. Jason L. Amerine
Marine Corps 1st Sgt. Paul T. Archie
Army Pfc. James J. Arellano
Army National Guard Capt. Joel Arends
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew G. Axelson
Army Cpl. Nathaniel S. Baughman
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Benito E. Baylosis
Air Force Capt. Johnathan E. Bennett
Army National Guard Sgt. Robert Betterton
Air Force Staff Sgt. Timothy Bishop
Army Sgt. 1st Class Raymond E. Bittinger
Marine Corps 1st Lt. Stephen J. Boada
Army Reserve Maj. Derek P. Bonaldo
Navy Lt. Bryan Boudreaux
Former Army Spc. Teresa Broadwell
Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan B. Bruckenthal
Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Joseph P. Buhain
Army Master Sgt. Richard Burnette
Marine Corps Capt. Alfred L. Butler IV
Marine Corps Reserve Cpl. Mark A. Camp
Air Force Maj. Kim N. Campbell
Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Carpenter
Air Force Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman
Marine Corps Maj. William D. Chesarek Jr.
Marine Corps Capt. Brian R. Chontosh
Army Reserve Spc. Jeremy Church
Navy Chief Petty Officer Brian Cissell
Army Col. James H. Coffman Jr.
Marine Corps Sgt. Willie L. Copeland III
Marine Corps Reserve Cpl. Todd J. Corbin
Army National Guard Capt. Matthew W. Cousins
Air Force Staff Sgt. Earl I. Covel
Air Force Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham
Army Master Sgt. Tracy L. Cutler
Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Reginald Dean
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Alan P. Dementer
Marine Corps Lt. Col. Todd S. Desgrosseilliers
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny P. Dietz
Marine Corps Maj. Frank Diorio
Army Sgt. Maj. William J. Doherty
Marine Corps Cpl. Jason L. Dunham
Marine Corps Maj. Armando Espinoza
Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Michael Frady
Army Reserve Capt. Brian S. Freeman
Marine Corps Sgt. Jason A. Gagliano
Army Reserve Sgt. Ryan Gallucci
Air Force Chief Master Sgt. John Gebhardt
Air Force Maj. Matthew R. Glover
Army Capt. Brennan S. Goltry
Army Special Forces Sgt. 1st Class B. Charles Good
Navy Reserve Capt. Matthew C. Gratton
Army National Guard Pfc. Justin Hair
Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Max Hamlin
Former Army Reserve Chief Warrant Officer 3 Karl Hannan
Army Reserve 1st Sgt. Karen Henderson
Army National Guard Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester
Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lori Hill
Air National Guard Maj. Pat Houtman
Marine Corps Reserve Sgt. Jeff Hunter
Army National Guard Spc. Cheryl Ivanov
Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bradley A. Kasal
Air Force Master Sgt. Michael L. Keehan III
Air Force Senior Airman Phillip M. King
Army Staff Sgt. Shane M. Koele
Army Spc. Kraig Lemme
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathaniel R. Leoncio
Army National Guard Sgt. Nathaniel ‘Brad’ Lindsey
Air Force 1st Lt. Brian Lomax
Former Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Marcus Luttrell
Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Lynn
Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Chad Malmberg
Army Reserve Maj. Christopher Matson
Army National Guard 1st Lt. Michael McCarty
Marine Corps Sgt. Aubrey L. McDade Jr.
Army National Guard Spc. Christopher Merchant
Army National Guard Sgt. Jason I. Mike
Army Special Forces Master Sgt. David Miles
Marine Corps Reserve Sgt. Luke Miller
Former Marine Corps Sgt. Robert J. Mitchell Jr.
Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 2 Marcus Moore
Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Timothy F. Nein
Army National Guard Warrant Officer 3 Austin Norris
Marine Corps Reserve Staff Sgt. Kent Padmore
Army Staff Sgt. William Thomas Payne
Army National Guard Capt. Brian J. Pipkin
Air Force Capt. Craig D. Prather
Army National Guard Sgt. Joseph E. Proctor
Army Special Forces Master Sgt. Anthony S. Pryor
Former Army National Guard Spc. Ashley Pullen
Army Spc. Gregory Pushkin
Army Spc. Ignacio Ramirez
Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Martin K. Richburg
Army Sgt. Tommy Rieman
Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Joshua P. Roller
Army Sgt. Michael Row
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Juan M. Rubio
Army National Guard 1st Lt. Matthew Salo
Army Sgt. Micheaux M. Sanders
Army Special Forces Master Sgt. Sarun Sar
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Bradley Sapp
Former Marine Corps Capt. Jason P. Schauble
Air Force Senior Airman Adam P. Servais
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael Shropshire
Navy Lt. Brian Skubin
Army National Guard Sgt. Keith L. Smette
Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith
Army National Guard Maj. Scott H. Southworth
Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 4 Robert Stacy
Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Chad M. Stephens
Army Col. Michael E. Stout
Air National Guard Master Sgt. Henry Stroisch
Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Jason D. Taggart
Army Reserve Sgt. Ryan Taylor
Navy Chief Petty Officer James R. Theriault
Army National Guard 1st Lt. David Tiedeman
Army Spc. Anthony Tonasket
Army National Guard Sgt. Seth Randell Trahan
Former Air Force Airman 1st Class Charity Lee Trueblood
Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jo Turner
Arkansas Army National Guard Capt. John Vanlandingham
Coast Guard Petty Officer Sarah A. Vega
Air Force Reserve Sr. Master Sgt. Paul S. Veresko
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Anthony L. Viggiani
Army Cpl. Clinton A. Warrick
Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Kevin Whalen
Air National Guard Master Sgt. Letitia Whitaker
Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer William White
Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy Wilzcek
Marine Corps Sgt. Chadwick L. Winegar
Army Lt. Col. Brian E. Winski
Air Force Maj. Keith M. Wolak
Marine Corps Sgt. Jeremiah Workman
Army Maj. Ryan L. Worthan
Army Special Forces Staff Sgt. Jonathan A. Zapien
Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Matthew W. Zedwick
Marine Corps Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec
Shame on you Natalee, for using the publishing of this book to insult today's heroes who have given their all for this Country and for your freedom.
Posted by LindaSoG at 05:59 AM | Comments (4)
October 14, 2007
45-14
Bwahahahaha!
Yeah it sucks. But then... this sucks even more.
dagnabit.
Posted by LindaSoG at 02:17 PM | Comments (4)
Karate Nuns
click
Posted by LindaSoG at 12:05 PM | Comments (1)
A Light in the Darkness of War
A year has passed but First Lieutenant M. has not forgotten about the activities of Migdal Ohr which had been discreetly accomplished. With minor changes, we publish here for the first time in English, Lieutenant M's written recording of his experience.
"I remember the two weeks of near face-to-face combat, the confused orders and insufficient combat gear, the intense hunger, physical and emotional exhaustion and toughest of all, the self-imposed silence and disassociation with our surroundings."Now is not the right time to complain, but when it is over," we thought to ourselves, "when the air raid sirens stop and we are out of these fatigues, we can talk and the truth will be known."
When the news came that we were receiving a day off, our hearts soared. We suffered so much stress and hardship. Where would we go? How should we take full advantage of this gift? Rumors begin to circulate that we were going to some school in Migdal Ha'Emek. "This must be a joke! Who ordered ten buses to bring us to some yeshiva with some Rabbi who is just going to try and brainwash us?"
Then, a few of the guys remembered. "Rabbi Grossman, that's the Disco Rabbi right? The guys all give him great respect." But what do they know? He is still some rabbi. Tired and emotionally drained, we got off the buses and stood face to face with an old-world looking Jew, complete with a white beard, side locks and long jacket.
"So here it comes," I thought, "the push to put on tefillin or to say prayers together. Some day off." "Boys," the rabbi's words thundered, "I suggest that first thing you do is take a dip in the pool and freshen up. In the meantime, we will make you something to eat."
In amazing simplicity, Rabbi Grossman heard in passing that the brigade was looking for a home for a day, and he immediately volunteered his campus. "What's the problem? 600 soldiers? They should all come, of course we have room!"
With the echoes of war from the battlefield still in our ears, it seemed like a mirage or hallucination. Soft music came from everywhere and flowing water and greenery surrounded us. Within minutes, the tables were set with cold refreshing watermelon, cakes, and beverages, followed by cheeses, fresh vegetables, and soft rolls.
Then we heard, "Out of the pool, get dressed and eat something."We saw piles of new undergarments. 600 new undershirts and underwear appeared as if out of nowhere, laid out on tables for our choosing.
Rabbi Grossman sat with us and laughed, "Have a good time boys! Have a great time! This evening, I will put on the most spectacular performance you have ever seen."
I am not a religious person by any means, but I can't help but envision the first Jew, Avraham, standing and personally serving his guests perfectly naturally and without the slightest hint of condescension. He respected each individual and cared for all their needs. Like Avraham, Rabbi Grossman saw in this an obvious act of kindness, a mission of a Mitzvah that had fallen into his hands.
As the evening continued, we learned quickly that this was the essence of who Rabbi Grossman is and what he is all about. He loves everyone and accepts everyone as they are with all his heart and soul. "Tell me friends," Rabbi Grossman said, "I heard you are lacking different pieces of equipment. Do me a favor. Here is a pencil and paper, just write down everything you are missing and leave the paper on the table."
That night, we enjoyed the entertainment and afterwards, slept in soft beds and air-conditioned rooms. Like in a fairytale, we awoke in the morning and could not believe our eyes. Mounds of gear which we so desperately needed had arrived at Migdal Ohr. Attached, was a small note from Rabbi Grossman, "To my dear soldiers, from all my heart!"
Rabbi Grossman personally and immediately raised over $60,000 worth of equipment from friends literally overnight! The essential equipment included ceramic bulletproof vests, helmets, canteens, knee pads, backpack water canteens, night vision goggles, toothbrushes, socks and more.
Interestingly, a few months before the war broke out, a special friend of Rabbi Grossman from France was interested in donating a new Torah scroll to the main Migdal Ohr Beit Midrash (studyhall).
For some reason, Rabbi Grossman requested to postpone the event until an unspecified later date."Now is the right time!" Rabbi Grossman realized. He immediately made arrangements and in an early evening ceremony, we participated in the completion of writing the Torah.
While the scroll was carefully laid on the table next to a special pen and ink, Rabbi Grossman addressed the soldiers. "My holy ones! I am going to bestow upon you the merit of a holy mitzvah, which can be considered a once in a life time opportunity. Each one of you will complete a letter in the Torah scroll. While you are executing this holy task, each one of you should pray the prayer of his heart and request from G-d that the merit of the letter he has completed will protect him in battle. Holy sparks will emanate from these sacred letters and disperse around you, creating a protective shield which will keep you safe and bring you home safely.
"Those moments were the most exciting and emotional ones in my life. Shaking from the intensity of the immeasurable experience,still not believing, we held the edges of the Torah scroll while our hearts beat rapidly. There was complete silence all around. One after the other, we dipped the quill in the ink and completed a letter in the Torah scroll.
A bystander would have seen a breathtaking scene of incredible elation and spiritual exuberance. The world seemed as if shrouded in silence. The strings of our heart felt strummed and the tears flowed freely down our cheeks.
"Mother!" cried one of the soldiers into his cell phone, "you wont believe what I have done! I have written a letter in a Torah scroll! Mother, are you there? Can you hear?! Me, a Shmutznik (a member of a non- religious Kibbutz), who can't differentiate between Shabbat and the rest of the week, who has not seen tzizit (ritual garment) in my life. Me, I wrote a letter in a Torah scroll! I can't believe it. I can't believe it. "
After the completion of the Torah, the ceremony continued. Leading the procession was a decorated car with multi-colored lights strung all over it and with a crown of lights spinning around on its roof. Following the car, bearers of a decorated canopy marched while people danced around it. Under the canopy, others held the Torah scroll, which was clothed in white and crimson with a silver crown at its top. 600 soldiers and thousands of the town residents marched and danced in the procession, a loud speaker accompanying them, playing traditional Jewish music.
As the ceremony came to a close, Rabbi Grossman approached every soldier and kissed him while placing a half-shekel coin in his hand and said "shliach mitzvah aino nezok," messengers of a mitzvah are not harmed. Rabbi Grossman concluded, "When you return, G-d willing, healthy and unharmed, you will fulfill this mission I am placing upon you, and you will donate this money to charity.
"The night came. Twelve buses made their way atop the Galilee Mountains. Heavy darkness engulfed us, yet behind, in the growing distance, a bright flame pierced the night sky. In the midst of war and violence, we found love and unending human compassion at Migdal Ohr, the educational center established in Migdal Ha'Emek by Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman. Rabbi Grossman speaks "This was an immense "Kiddush Hashem."
For a long period of time, I cried and was very emotional." Thus Rabbi Grossman recalled the moment when he first read the words above written by First Lieutenant M.Rabbi Grossman has what to add to the end of this exciting memoir. "A moment before they returned to Lebanon, I told the soldiers, 'in the merit that you said "shema" and put on tefillin, wrote a letter in the torah, and are messengers of a mitzvah, I promise you, that you will all return safe and sound. None of you will be wounded or killed.'"
"Wasn't the Rabbi scared to commit to 600 soldiers that they would return home safe and sound?" asked Shula Weissfer, a journalist. "That is what came out of my mouth word for word," he replied. "This was a moment of exuberance."
"I continued and told them," Rabbi Grossman relates, "if this does actually happen that you come back safely, the first place you must come back to - before you go home - is Migdal Ohr. We will thank G-d together and from there we will say goodbye." I told them, "think of this as an emergency call-up. Do you accept?" The commanding officer replied in the affirmative.
Two weeks later, around midnight, Rabbi Grossman received a phone call. "Rabbi, your blessing has come true!" exclaimed the commander over the phone. "Everyone is safe and we are on our way to you. We will be there by two 'o clock in the morning"
Rabbi Grossman immediately contacted the kitchen staff and asked them to prepare a meal while he worked to organize a band. People asked him 'You need a band at 2 a.m.? Is Moshiach here?'
"At 2:30 a.m. the soldiers disembarked from the buses, each one carrying 60 kilo of equipment on his back. The band started playing music and the soldiers approached Rabbi Grossman, each one lovingly received with a hug and a kiss. This continued for two hours.
"I felt as I had never felt before," recalls Rabbi Grossman. "Each one told me his personal miracle. "One soldier, a kibbutznik and a lawyer in civilian life, relayed an incredible miracle. A group of soldiers were gathered in an empty house in a Lebanese village when one of them forgetfully lit a cigarette. Hezbollah terrorists immediately noticed the light and fired an anti-tank missile at the house. Coincidentally, two horses from the village ran in front of the house and were hit and killed. The missile, deflected by the horses, veered away from the house, landing elsewhere. Incredibly, the horses miraculously saved the soldiers inside the house.
After the warm reception, the soldiers recited "birkat hagomel,"and together with Rabbi Grossman, sang and danced until daybreak.
"To this day," says Rabbi Grossman, "we maintain contact with each soldier and have thus become one family."
Rabbi Grossman is a recipient of the "Award of Recognition for his Actions on Behalf of Soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces and the Second Lebanon War"
Original article written by Shula Weissfer
Rabbi Grossman is an Israel Prize laureate and often referred to as the "disco rabbi" for his work reaching out to youths at clubs.
Posted by LindaSoG at 08:43 AM | Comments (2)
October 12, 2007
Shabbat Shalom
Our Father in Heaven, Rock and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the first manifestation of the approach of our redemption. Shield it with Your loving kindness, envelop it in Your peace, and bestow Your light and truth upon its leaders, ministers, and advisors, and grace them with Your good counsel. Strengthen the hands of those who defend our holy land, grant them deliverance, and adorn them in a mantle of victory.
Ordain peace in the land and grant its inhabitants eternal happiness. Lead them, swiftly and upright, to Your city Zion and to Jerusalem, the abode of Your Name, as is written in the Torah of Your servant Moses: “Even if your outcasts are at the ends of the world, from there the Lord your God will gather you, from there He will fetch you. And the Lord your God will bring you to the land that your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will make you more prosperous and more numerous than your fathers.”
Draw our hearts together to revere and venerate Your name and to observe all the precepts of Your Torah, and send us quickly the Messiah son of David, agent of Your vindication, to redeem those who await Your deliverance.
Manifest yourself in the splendor of Your boldness before the eyes of all inhabitants of Your world, and may everyone endowed with a soul affirm that the Lord, God of Israel, is king and his dominion is absolute.
Amen
Posted by LindaSoG at 04:48 PM | Comments (1)
In Memory of the USS Cole
United States Navy Personnel
Who lost their lives
on the USS Cole (DDG 67)
12 October 2000
On Thursday, October 12, 2000, 17 of our Nation's finest were killed in a terrorist attack on the USS Cole, docked in the port of Yemen to take on fuel.
We must never forget these brave young men and women, they gave us their all.
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Cherone Louis Gunn Signalman Seaman Recruit Rex, Ga. |
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James Rodrick McDaniels Seaman Norfolk, Va. |
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Timothy Lamont Saunders Operations Specialist 2nd class Ringgold, Va. |
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Lakiba Nicole Palmer Seaman Recruit San Diego, Ca. |
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Richard Costelow Chief Electronics Technician Morrisville, Pa. |
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Andrew Triplett Ensign Macon, Miss. |
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Craig Bryan Wibberley Seaman Apprentice Williamsport, Md. |
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Gary Graham Swenchonis Jr. Fireman Rockport, Texas |
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Kenneth Eugene Clodfelter Hull Maintenance Technician 3rd class Mechanicsville, Va. |
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Lakeina Monique Francis Seaman Mess Management Spec. Woodleaf, N.C. |
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Timothy Lee Gauna Seaman Information Systems Technician Rice, Texas |
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Marc Ian Nieto Engineman 2nd Class Fond du Lac, Wis. |
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Ronald Scott Owens Electronics Warfare Technician 3rd Class Vero Beach, Fla. |
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Joshua Langdon Parlett, Engineman Fireman Churchville, Md. |
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Patrick Howard Roy Fireman Apprentice Keedysville, Md. |
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Kevin Shawn Rux Elect. Warfare Tech 1st Class Portland, N.D. |
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Ronchester Mananga Santiago Mess Management Specialist 3rd Class Kingsville, Texas |
"Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidst the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea."
Amen
The bombing of the USS Cole was a deliberate act of war by al-Qaeda, and it went ignored and unavenged by the Clinton Administration. I'm sure he pointed his finger as he said "If, as it now appears, this was an act of terrorism, it was a despicable and cowardly act. We will find out who was responsible and hold them accountable." Strong words from a weak man, in the end, Clinton did nothing.
On November 3, 2002, under the Bush Administration, the CIA fired a AGM-114 Hellfire missile from a Predator UAV at a vehicle carrying Abu Ali al-Harithi, a suspected planner of the bombing plot. Also in the vehicle was Ahmed Hijazi, a U.S. citizen. Both were killed. This operation was carried out on Yemeni soil.
On September 29, 2004, a Yemeni judge sentenced Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri and Jamal al-Badawi to death for their roles in the bombing. Al-Nashiri, believed to be the operation's mastermind, is currently being held by the U.S. at an undisclosed location. Al-Badawi, in Yemeni custody, denounced the verdict as "an American one." Four others were sentenced to prison terms of five to 10 years for their involvement, including one Yemeni who had videotaped the attack.
On February 3, 2006, 23 suspected or convicted Al-Qaeda members escaped from jail in Yemen. This number included 13 who were convicted of the USS Cole bombings and the bombing of the French tanker Limburg in 2002. Among those who reportedly escaped was Al-Badawi. For more on this, please read this article on the escape by Jane Novak, of Armies of Liberation.
Meanwhile... Clinton is still pointing his finger and his wife has her eye on the White House.
Posted by LindaSoG at 12:04 AM | Comments (3)
October 11, 2007
Et tu Ann?
There I was... merrily surfing my way around my favorite blogs... and out jumps Ann Coulter:
DEUTSCH: ... we should just throw Judaism away and we should all be Christians, then, or –
COULTER: Yeah.
DEUTSCH: Really?
COULTER: Well, it’s a lot easier. It’s kind of a fast track.
DEUTSCH: Really?
COULTER: Yeah. You have to obey.
DEUTSCH: You can’t possibly believe that.
COULTER: Yes.
DEUTSCH: You can’t possibly — you’re too educated, you can’t — you’re like my friend in –
COULTER: Do you know what Christianity is? We believe your religion, but you have to obey.
DEUTSCH: No, no, no, but I mean –
COULTER: We have the fast-track program.
DEUTSCH: Why don’t I put you with the head of Iran? I mean, come on. You can’t believe that.
COULTER: The head of Iran is not a Christian.
DEUTSCH: No, but in fact, “Let’s wipe Israel” –
COULTER: I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention.
DEUTSCH: “Let’s wipe Israel off the earth.” I mean, what, no Jews?
COULTER: No, we think — we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say.
DEUTSCH: Wow, you didn’t really say that, did you?
COULTER: Yes. That is what Christianity is.
Amazingly, it appears she was trying to make a point about Christian tolerance.
I found that over at IsraellyCool, and he has more. It ain't pretty.
I am not going to toe the party line here. She was not just talking "shock" to sell her books or get attention and she was not misquoted or misunderstood. Ann said what she meant and she meant what she said.
Posted by LindaSoG at 09:04 AM | Comments (17)
October 10, 2007
Yup.
Posted by LindaSoG at 06:57 AM | Comments (1)
October 07, 2007
Happy Columbus Day!
Okay, I'm a tad late... but I bet ya didn't realize that Christopher Columbus was the world's very first democrat. Yup.
Really, consider this: Christopher Columbus had no idea where he was going, when he got there, he had no idea where he was, so he went home not knowing where he had been. And he did it all on government money!
Later, he was credited for doing what he did not do for Columbus was not the first to discover America, nor was he the first European to land at America. In fact, that Columbus never even saw North America.
However, Columbus was the first to exploit, enslave and slaughter the Arawak Indians of Haiti, and syphilis was introduced into Europe by his crew.
So. A democrat for sure!
Posted by LindaSoG at 07:39 AM | Comments (8)
October 02, 2007
Yup!
NSFW or kids:
Me too. Especially today. Today will be spent in preparation for tomorrow.
You see, tomorrow, at the crack of dawn, while the rest of you are hopefully sleeping soundly in your bed, I get to collect the grand prize that I won in the SoFla Dead Rat Jumping Contest last June. I missed the rat, but I racked up my knee doing it. It took the judges a few months to decide, but the grand prize is mine.
Yes, I have been specially selected to receive, practically free and courtesy of United Health Plan, arthoscopic surgery on my knee. The grand prize comes complete with anesthesia, after which, for the price of a co-payment, I will given a one way hobble on two, count 'em, two crutches to the nearest bed, where I will remain on my back, with my leg elevated above my heart, for the next few days, with complimentary rotating ice packs and vicadin.
But wait... there's more! Once my knee is approved for weight bearing, I will then receive hours of physical therapy, applied several times a week, until I can run fast enough to escape or, until I tell them where Osama Bin Laden is hiding.
Weeeee! I can hardly wait!
I'm sure I'll be fine, its really non-invasive surgery and everyone I've talked to who has already been through it has told me its really not all that painful or horrible. And to tell the truth, compared with brain surgery, it sounds like a walk in the park.
Still, I might be gone for a day or two or three, but sooner or later (and likely sooner), I'll be back!
Keep the fires going, kay?
Posted by LindaSoG at 05:45 AM | Comments (10)
October 01, 2007
When is enough, enough?
Daniel Katz was born on January 3, 1969. In 1983, at age 14, he was kidnapped, brutally raped and murdered, his badly beaten body found days later in a cave in Carmel. In 1991, five palestinian men confessed to the crime, and were sentenced to life imprisonment for abducting, sexually assaulting and murdering Katz. According to the original indictment against the five, they met a few days before the murder and decided to kidnap and kill a Jewish child.
Today, Shimon Peres released Danny's confessed killers, he set them free to kill again. Why would Peres do such a terrible thing? Well, there are those who believe he did it in return for the arab votes that gave him the Presidency, and it could be true. What other explanation is possible?
Fifty-five terrorists released this morning, and another thirty will be released later today. As Shimon Peres rewards palestinian terror with the release of convicted terrorists who have killed and who will now kill again, palestinians will celebrate their victory, while rockets continue to rain down on Israeli civilians, molotov cocktails are thrown, and people are shot at in the streets and in their homes. In schools and shopping malls and on buses, innocent people are blown to bits.
The ultimate irony, all of the terrorists released today are Fatah terrorists, all of whom are part of the terrorist regime of Mahmoud Abbas, the so-called moderate terrorist and Israel's "partner in peace." Its a funny thing about terrorists, whether you call them extremist or moderate, no matter which one kills you, you are still dead. Danny Katz was killed by Fatah's moderates, and he is still dead.
When you consider what we know the aftermath will be, why would and why should Israel release more terrorists to bolster the terrorist forces of Mahmoud Abbas? The very idea is ludicrous and suicidal.
There are 11,000 murderous, psychotic, cold-blooded palestinian terrorists waiting in Israeli prisons for their release into the wild, waiting for the day they can continue the systematic murder of innocent Israeli citizens. Chrad al Yahood, they see the light at the end of the tunnel, their day is coming. One by one, bit by bit, Israel's government will release those terrorists, as they have today, and as they have in the past, for the stupid, ineffective and meaningless negotiations with terrorists who want only to kill.
And meanwhile, Gilad Shalit, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser remain in terrorist hands, no one knows if they are dead or alive, although according to reports one of them is in fact, dead:
One of the two kidnapped IDF soldiers in Lebanon are dead, according to estimates by German security sources, who were quoted in the Lebanese newspaper, An-Nahar, Saturday.
“Security forces understood that one of the kidnapped soldiers is still alive, however, the other is dead,” An-Nahar reported.
There is nothing like a little psychological warfare, "they're dead" or "no, they're alive" or "they are desperate need of medical attention" as they said last June, when we suffered through reports that Gilad Shalit was in dire need of medical attention. There was no international outcry or outrage, no pressure put on Hamas to give him the medical attention he needs, oh no. The world was too busy worrying about the kidnapped BBC reporter who of course was released in perfect health, as he was obviously not Jewish.
Two years ago, we gave up the Gush as a show of good faith. And in return, we got thousands of rockets raining down on Israeli civilians, women, children, schools.
Last year, Israel should have fought until these men were released or until every single square inch of Lebanon and Gaza was buried under rubble. Hezbollah, Hamas, and Fatah should have been destroyed, completely destroyed.
Instead, Israel gave up and accomplished nothing, and now, Israel has again released palestinian terrorists from its prisons in exchange for nothing, calling it a show of good faith to the evil bastards who hold these men captive. Originally, the plan was to negotiate the release of prisoners in exchange for the release of Gilad Shalit, but in the end, they just let the terrorists go free.
The Israeli government has again closed its eyes to what happens when you appease terrorists and negotiate with evil:
These are the faces of 177 Jews, all of whom were murdered by palestinian terrorists after the terrorists were released from Israeli prisons. Look at their faces. Did they not deserve to live? Do they not deserve justice?
I look at those faces, and I want to cry.
There is no death penalty in Israel, except for Nazi war criminals. But when is enough, enough? An act of terrorism should merit the death penalty. There should be no prisoners to release.
I've said it before, I've said all of this before, many times. I'll say it again now, and I'll likely say it again... my solution would be to take the terrorists locked up in Israeli jails and execute them, one by one, until all our soldiers are released, or I run out of prisoners. That way, the end result is a good one, either way.
Enough is enough right now.
Posted by LindaSoG at 07:30 AM | Comments (2)
Hippie Say What?
Posted by LindaSoG at 06:00 AM | Comments (12)
