Rick Roberts: Just the Facts

Just The Facts theReposted with permission from Rick Roberts, 760 KFMB AM radio, San Diego, California. For further information about Rick or his points of view, please visit Rick's Blog at 760 KFMB.

DISCLAIMER: The different points of views on the Rick Roberts Blog are not supported nor do they reflect the views and beliefs of the Bosun Locker or any entity affiliated with the Bosun Locker.

Email: rickroberts@kfmb.com
Phone: 1-800-760-KFMB (1-800-760-5362)
Mon-Fri, 6am to 10am, PST.

Newsletter: Sign up for Rick's Newsletter

Hundreds of you have requested a transcript of the “I Want My Country Back” rant. You can get to the blog entry by CLICKING HERE. Feel free to post it on every blog you read, and e-mail it to every friend you have. If you would like to listen to it, CLICK HERE. You can also sign our ONLINE PETITION and get a sticker by CLICKING HERE.

JUST THE FACTS
Published By Rick Roberts,
April 27th, 2006



Not everyone breaking into America is coming here to pick lettuce and fulfill the American dream.

Here are some facts you should know:

40% of all workers in L.A. County (L.A. County has 10 million people) are working for cash and not paying taxes. This was because they are predominantly illegal immigrants, working without a green card.

95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.

75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.

Over 2/3’s of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal whose births were paid for by taxpayers.

Nearly 25% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally.

Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages.

The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most likely illegal aliens from south of the border.

Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.

21 radio stations in L.A. are Spanish speaking.

In L.A.County 5.1 million people speak English. 3.9 million speak Spanish (10.2 million people in L.A.County).

(All 10 from the Los Angeles Times)

Less than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops but 29% are on welfare.
http://www.cis.org/

Over 70% of the United States annual population growth (and over 90% of California, Florida, and New York) results from immigration.

The cost of illegal immigration to the American taxpayer in 1997 was a NET (after subtracting taxes immigrants pay) $70 BILLION a year, [Professor Donald Huddle, Rice University].

The lifetime fiscal impact (taxes paid minus services used) for the average adult Mexican immigrant is a NEGATIVE .

29% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens.

Just thought you should know.

As heard on the show this morning…

Hello Rick,

Wanted to make you aware of our fence building project this coming weekend. We will be constructing a section of border fence where none exists near Jacumba, CA on Saturday at 9am.

Here is a link to the press release.

More information is available on Come Build the Fence.Com ***CHECK OUT THE PICTURES***

Warm regards,

Carl Braun

Minuteman Civil Defense Corps Of California

Help these guys if you can.

Technorati tags: Inmates, Gang, America, Rick Roberts, immigration, California, Detention, Illegal, Arizona, Tancredo, Los Angeles, 760 KFMB Flag, SoCal, Patriotism, American flag, Flag, Illegals, Mexican Flag, Mexico, Wanted, Democrat, Hispanic, Murder, Immigration, President Fox, President Bush, Mexico, Minutemen, Welfare, patriotism, Border Control, Border Fence, Politically Correct, Liberalism, Journalists, Opinion

The New Kid on My Block is Pretty Cool!

I have come across a blogger who is pretty cool. She is very talented, but she has been around for a while. Some of you may know Debbie, but I am just getting to know her. She is great, isn't she?!

Let me share with a few of her most recent articles:

• Democracy, it's a funny thing... April 27, 2006. She backtracked to me, and that is how I found her. lol.
• The Jesus Cartoons v. The Mohammad [sic] Cartoons April 27, 2006. This is one to ponder...
• American Jihadis April 28, 2006. I knew about this before it hit the air, because she wrote about it first! lol.
• Condi Says United Nations To Lose Credibility...hahahahahaha April 28, 2006. I concur!
• United 93, I saw the movie... April 29, 2006. It still leaves me chilled to the bone.
• A New Political Party??? April 29, 2006. Hmm...

These are definitely good reads. You may want to take some time this weekend to pay her a visit and while you're there, why don't you leave her a polite comment? I'm sure she would welcome all points of view, just as long as they are polite and constructive. Thanks!

MEMRI: Iranian Nuclear Energy Organization Head Reveals Details About Iran's Nuclear Project

Special Dispatch - Iran/ Jihad & Terrorism Studies Project
April 28, 2006
No. 1151

Iranian Nuclear Energy Organization Head Reveals Details About Iran's Nuclear Project

To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit: Iran Nuclear Program .

The following are excerpts from an interview with Iranian Nuclear Energy Organization head Gholam-Reza Aghazadeh, which aired on Iranian Channel 2 on April 13, 2006. It is followed by excerpts from a speech by Aghazadeh which aired on IRINN on April 11, 2006.

TO VIEW THIS CLIP VISIT: Nuclear Iran.


Aghazadeh (Channel 2 on 4/13/2006): "In the early stages of our work we realized that our centrifuges had many malfunctions. We could not determine the reason, because there were no references or books we could consult to solve this. After considerable effort, we noticed that when our experts assembled the centrifuges, they did not wear cloth gloves. We realized that if you assemble the centrifuges with bare hands, a little bit of sweat from between the fingers may transfer to the rotor, and increase the mass. When the rotor spins, it becomes a problem, which completely unbalances the centrifuge, causing it to explode. When I say that it explodes, it doesn't merely explode, but turns to powder."

Interviewer: "With the high speed rotation..."

Aghazadeh: "Yes."

[...]

"As for the centrifuges we possess, 48,000 such centrifuges can supply 30 tons of enriched uranium. As for more advanced machines - we indeed have plans to develop such machines. Having the advanced type of centrifuges and the new technology enables one to multiply production."

Interviewer: "If the enrichment is only 3.5% to 5% - which is permitted according to the NPT - why are the Americans concerned that Iran has reached this level, saying it may reach enrichment of a higher percentage?"

Aghazadeh: "This has a dual use... Since this is the same technology... Let me explain this. The simple way is to inject 0.7% [uranium] and obtain 3.5%, right? Now, if you take this 3.5% and inject it again into the chain (of centrifuges), the result will be 20%. If you inject the 20% back into the chain, the result will be 60%. If you inject this 60%, the result will be 90%. This process has a dual use."

[...]

Aghazadeh (IRINN on 4/11/2006): "In the framework of the development of Iran's nuclear power plants, Iranian experts have begun to plan a 360 MW nuclear power plant. During this year, they will issue an international tender for the construction of two additional units, with a capacity of 1,000 MW each. Iran's growing need for various radioactive medicines for the purposes of diagnosis and treatment, and its need for radioactive isotopes for industrial and research use, and the restrictions Iran encountered when it tried to obtain these isotopes from sources outside the country, have led Iran's senior officials to a resolute decision: to establish a new nuclear research facility to replace the old one [in Tehran]. This will be a heavy water facility with a capacity of 40 MW. This type of reactor is called RR-40 and it will be operational, God willing, in the beginning of 2009."

[...]

"I am proud to announce that 110 tons of UF6 have already been manufactured at the [UCF] facilities."

[...]

"The heavy water production project involves some of the most complex technology known today. Only a few countries have the ability to produce heavy water. This project is currently in its initial stages. We have begun the initial accumulation of heavy water, and the eventual output of this important project will be 16 tons of heavy water annually."


*********************
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request.

MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with proper attribution.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-Mail: memri@memri.org
Search previous MEMRI publications at MEMRI

Technorati tags: Khamenei, Iran, Threats, War, US, ElBaradei, IAEA, Aghazadeh, Ahmadinejad, Tehran, uranium enrichment, Nuclear, clandestine, Opinion

Ingraham Interviews Secretary Rumsfeld

U.S. Department of Defense

Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

Transcript

On the Web: Defense Link News Releases - 2006
Public contact: DoD Military Questions and Comments

Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld

April 28, 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Radio Interview with Secretary Rumsfeld on the Laura Ingraham Show

INGRAHAM: Joining us now - delighted to talk to him again - the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld just back from Iraq, where he was with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Historic times in Iraq; after finally moving forward toward a unified government there.

Mr. Secretary, it's good to have you with us.

SECRETARY RUMSFELD: Well, thank you and congratulations on your fifth anniversary of your show and your top ratings.

INGRAHAM: Well, we're happy to still be alive. A lot of people were predicting we'd be off the air in a few months, so that's -- They're predicting your demise all the time too, Mr. Secretary, so we're in the same boat.

SECRETARY RUMSFELD: [Laughter]. There you go.

INGRAHAM: First of all, tell us, there seemed to be an extra sense of optimism coming from the delegation that was over there, both you and the Secretary of State, on this most recent trip. Why the optimism, given the fact that we're still seeing so much of these reprisal killings on the streets and obviously militia still active.

SECRETARY RUMSFELD: It is an historic event for the Iraqi people to vote and then for a new government to be formed with the top seven officials announced. The meetings we had with them could not have been better. One listens to their comments and you can't help but come away encouraged that they understand the importance of having a unified government; of governing from the center; of having non-sectarian ministers administer the government on behalf of the Iraqi people. The recent remarks by Sistani against militias and the government's announcement that they intend to address the militia issue. It is clearly an encouraging time in Iraq and it's important that it be noted.

INGRAHAM: What happened with the Iraqi media coverage of all of this? I'm always curious about how they're covering these events. We understand where the American media often is coming from and their focus, we don't even have to belabor that, but what about the way they're sending the message to their own people?

SECRETARY RUMSFELD: I asked that question and I came away with the impression that they have been handling it very directly. We had a rather lengthy and interesting press roundtable - Condi Rice and I did - with the Iraqi media. Their questions were thoughtful and substantive and had dimension to them, in contrast to some of the questions we hear elsewhere.

INGRAHAM: And how many of the American reporters were actually with you this entire time? How many people did you have with you?

SECRETARY RUMSFELD: Goodness, I don't have any idea. I'm going to guess we must have had six or eight with us and Condi Rice certainly had a large number with her. Then there's a population of American media in Baghdad itself.

INGRAHAM: One thing that struck me is when you had all the historic happenings in Iraq over the past week, some of the focus, oddly, especially in the Washington Post, Glenn Kessler's piece, he focused on how, he said "Rice and Rumsfeld often seemed in separate orbits and the visit had little of the warmth of the earlier one." It described your styles, the differences, as "sometimes very jarring."

What do you make of that? Are you and Condoleezza Rice on the outs or something?

SECRETARY RUMSFELD: Oh, absolutely not. What nonsense. It's just fairly typical Washington Post stuff.

INGRAHAM: One of the things that struck me was a comment made by the brother of one of the former government officials who was killed recently in Iraq. And, he made a comment basically saying, look, my life is not important any more. The lives of Iraqis, if I can do something good for all of them, I will not hesitate at all. It's that kind of bravery and that kind of courage I think that unfortunately gets under-reported in our media all too often.

SECRETARY RUMSFELD: You're exactly right. These people do live in a violent nation at a violent time and by accepting leadership responsibilities they put themselves at risk and their families at risk and it does take a lot of courage and a lot of conviction and desire to see this effort succeed.

Condi and I both came away from the visit confident that the Iraqi people are going to succeed. I must say we were - to the extent that she was focused on the embassy, understandably, and I was focused on the Iraqi security forces and the military forces we have there - we spent a good deal of time together but we also spent a good deal of time working on our respective areas of concern. In each case we came away very confident that terrific progress is being made.

I met with the advisors to the Ministry of Interior and the Iraqi Minister of Defense and the progress they're making there is notably faster and better than I had appreciated from Washington.

INGRAHAM: What was the new Prime Minister like as a man and as someone who has such a tough task ahead of reigning in the sectarian violence and the insurgent activity and also restoring basic services?

SECRETARY RUMSFELD: Well, I spent I suppose, several hours with him. We had a meeting and then we had dinner and spent a good deal of time talking. In some instances we were talking alone with him. In other instances we were talking in front of the people who had been his competitors and who represented different elements of the Iraqi government so we could watch him in both settings. He clearly is a person of conviction and determination. He has views. He speaks directly. And I think that he appears to me at least at this early stage to have the kind of strength and fiber that it's going to take to lead a country during a tough time in the history of that nation.

INGRAHAM: And Condoleezza Rice yesterday did something to calm the fears of some of the European leaders about using European bases to launch any military strikes against Iran. Can you tell us anything about that? A lot has been written about the convenience of having bases, air bases inside Iraq for any possible military action that we would have to launch.

SECRETARY RUMSFELD: I have not seen what she said, I'm not aware of it. But we've not had any discussions with the prior governments or the new governments with respect to any longer term bases there. The bases we have we've been systematically turning over to the Iraqi security forces. We've not initiated any discussions yet with the new Iraqi government on that subject and certainly wouldn't until such time as they form their government completely and selected their ministers and raised the issue with us - which they haven't.

INGRAHAM: Mr. Secretary, we're glad you made the trip and the fact that Muqtada al-Sadr said it was a flagrant interference in Iraqi affairs, means you must have done something right.

SECRETARY RUMSFELD: [Laughter]. Did he really?

INGRAHAM: Yeah, he did say that. He was meeting with Maliki yesterday and he said that. He wanted to give you a little goodbye as you were winging your way back to the United States.

SECRETARY RUMSFELD: [Laughter].

INGRAHAM: Mr. Secretary, we appreciate you joining us and I know this continues to be a very difficult time for the people of Iraq, and our military which is working so hard, and they all appreciate it when our leaders go and visit them so we appreciate the fact that you went there.

SECRETARY RUMSFELD: Thank you very much. The military's doing a superb job over there, God bless each one of them.

INGRAHAM: All right, you take good care, and we'll talk to you soon I hope.

SECRETARY RUMSFELD: Good. Thank you so much. Bye.

INGRAHAM: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on the Laura Ingraham Show.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• News Releases: Defense Link Releases
• DoD News: Defense Link News
• Today in DoD: Defense Link DoD Today
• U.S. Department of Defense Official Website: Defense Link
• U.S. Department of Defense News About the War on Terrorism: Defend America War on Terror
  

Technorati tags: Navy, Armed forces, Defense, Military, security, al-Sadr, Iraq, Combat, DoD, Sistani, Condoleezza Rice, Ingraham, government

NATO ponders Darfur support role

Unnamed Author

Nato says it will consider a request by the African Union (AU) for support in Sudan's Darfur region, in what could be the alliance's first mission in Africa.

The USA has been trying to get help from NATO a lot longer than the AU has.

Nato said the AU - whose troops monitor a fragile truce between Darfur rebels, government forces and pro-government militias - is seeking logistical help.

The truce is with Southern Sudan, not Darfur. Maybe if you took a trip there you would know this.

About 180,000 people have been killed in the two-year-old conflict in Western Sudan, according to the UN.

The actual number is over 400,000 people! When, tell me dear Lord, will these people understand there is a racist genocide happening here?

If they do not, if we do not, step up to the plate and stop this genocide, then we should never again say, "Never again."

It continues to happen, and I am sick to death of it. Words are cheap. You cannot eat them. They do not clothe you. They do not shelter you. For shame, all of you governments. If you want my tax dollars, earn them. They are not cheap, either.

Category: Africa and Sudan.

Rally for Darfur April 30, 2006

If you would like to help in anyway and cannot make it to the rally, please post this on your site. If you need help posting it, e-mail me or click on the picture. Thank you.

Want this badge?

This one is for the English speaking people,

Want this badge?

and this one is for bloggers!

Want this badge?

Making Democracy Work

Omar has several good points we should all take into account when it comes to this new government in Iraq.

In the first place, voting alone does not a democracy make. Not on it's own. There needs to be classes provided to all Iraqis.

How did our ForeFathers determine this Republic? They looked back over history to see what worked and what did not work. They took some from here, some from there, and at first they failed. The second go at it, they failed. Did they give up?

No, of course not. We had to learn about a representative republic, however. One that would work for us. Many died in the process, but we did not quit.

The French try to lay claim to our success, and as for their help, thank you. What have you done lately? That's what I thought. End of that. See, each nation looks after its own best interest, as it must.

Iraq needs books about Socrates, Plato, the Roman Empire, etc. to learn from other's mistakes. They may even learn from our very own mistakes!

This is why they need to stop fighting each other over religion. It shouldn't matter what the other person believes. As long as you are free to believe as you wish, would you want that right taken away? If not, do not take it away from someone else.

It seems nowadays that the Republicans have become the more liberal people when it comes to human rights. It would be a mistaken concept, however. Republicans have always been liberal on human rights. It is just amazing how the Democrats have given up their concern for others.

Let us hope that the opposition party in Iraq opposes bad policies because they are bad for the whole country, and they are not just opposed to policies because the other people thought of them first. We must learn to work together for the betterment of all, not just our party. After all, we all belong to the party of the human race, no matter what sex, religion, color, place of birth, etc. Thank you.

Update: Right Truth has a wonderful round-up of many others who are speaking on the same topic: Democracy. He/she is doing a wonderful job. Please go check it out. It is enlightening. Thank you.

Category: Middle East and Iraq.

'Secret' report issued on Dubai acquisition

The U.S. Treasury's Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States, or CFIUS, has submitted its reported to President Bush regarding the purchase by Dubai International Capital of the Doncasters Group Limited - a move that would put a U.S. defense contractor in the hands of the United Arab Emirates government.

The Dubai acquisition impacts U.S. national security issues because two U.S. factories owned by Doncasters produce precision parts for the U.S. military's new generation F-35 fighter jet and for the M1 Abrams tank, which is currently the U.S. military's mainstay tank. Doncasters also has close corporate relations with Boeing, GE, Rolls-Royce, Honeywell and Seimens.

Read the latest now on World Net Daily at the following link: Dubai Doncasters Group Report

Technorati tags: Dubai, Doncasters, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Trade, Foreign Investments, Treasury, CFIUS, Defense, President Bush, Contract, Contractor, Security, International, Invest

Number of Armed Conflicts on the Decline

With all the chicken littles running around chirping about how the sky is falling, here's something that is little known about:

The first Human Security Report documents a dramatic, but largely unknown, decline in the number of wars, genocides and human rights abuse over the past decade. The Report argues that the single most compelling explanation for these changes is found in the unprecedented upsurge of international activism, spearheaded by the UN, which took place in the wake of the Cold War.

KEY FINDINGS

Patterns of Political Violence Have Changed

The number of armed conflicts has declined by more than 40% since 1992. The deadliest conflicts (those with 1000 or more battle-deaths) dropped even more dramatically—by 80%.

Let's say it altogether now: "THE NUMBER OF ARMED CONFLICTS HAS DECLINED BY MORE THAN 40% SINCE 1992".

With all the negative, tragedy news reporting, you'd think otherwise. This reminds me of a book I picked up last year, called "The Progress Paradox", where things seem to get worse, when in fact, the opposite is true. Even though people feel worse, life is actually improving.

Here are more statistics to chew on:

The number of international crises, often harbingers of war, fell by more than 70% between 1981 and 2001.

Wars between countries are more rare than in previous eras and now constitute less than 5% of all armed conflicts.

The number of military coups and attempted coups has declined by some 60% since 1963. In 1963, there were 25 coups or attempted coups; in 2004, there were 10. All failed.

This is also fascinating:

Most armed conflicts now take place in the poorest countries in the world, but as incomes rise the risk of war declines.

The period since the end of World War II is the longest interval without wars between the major powers in hundreds of years.

The UK and France, followed by the US and Russia/USSR have fought most international wars since 1946.

Burma and India have suffered the greatest number of ‘conflict-years’ since 1946. (If a country fights two separate wars in one calendar year this counts as two ‘conflict-years’.) In 2003, India suffered more ‘conflict-years’ than any other country in the world.

Most of the world’s conflicts are now concentrated in Africa. But even here there are signs of hope. A new dataset compiled for the Human Security Report finds that between 2002 and 2003 (the last year for which there is data) the number of armed conflicts in Africa dropped from 41 to 35.

The drop in armed conflicts in the 1990s was associated with a worldwide decline in arms transfers, military spending and troop numbers.

Wars have become dramatically less deadly over the past five decades. The average number of people reported killed per conflict per year in 1950 was 38,000; in 2002 it was just 600––a decline of 98%.

In the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s by far the highest battle-death tolls in the world were in the wars in East and Southeast Asia. In the 1970s and 1980s, most of the killing took place in the Middle East, Central and South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. By the end of the 1990s, more people were being killed in sub-Saharan Africa’s wars than the rest of the world put together.

The new dataset created for the Report finds that between 2002 and 2003 the number of reported deaths from all forms of political violence fell by 62% in the Americas, 32% in Europe, 35% in Asia and 24 % in Africa.

The biggest death tolls do not come from the actual fighting, however, but from war-exacerbated disease and malnutrition. These ‘indirect’ deaths can account for as much as 90% of the total war-related death toll. Currently there are insufficient data to make even rough estimations of global or regional ‘indirect’ death toll trends.

Not withstanding the horrors of Rwanda and Srebrenica, Bosnia, the number of genocides and other mass killings plummeted by 80% between the 1989 high point and 2001.

International terrorism is the only form of political violence that appears to be getting worse. Some datasets have shown an overall decline in international terrorist incidents of all types since the early 1980s, but the most recent statistics suggest a dramatic increase in the number of high-casualty attacks since the September 11 attacks on the US in 2001.The annual death toll from international terrorist attacks is, however, only a tiny fraction of annual war death toll.

Why We Have Fewer Wars

The Human Security Report identifies three major political changes over the past 30 years that, Andrew Mack says, “have radically altered the global security landscape.”

First, was the end of colonialism. From the early 1950s to the early 1980s, colonial wars made up 60-100% of all international conflicts depending on the year. Today there are no such wars.

Hmm...what about the U.S.? Aren't we imperialistically taking over Iraq for oil?

Second, was the end of the Cold War, which had driven approximately one-third of all conflicts in the post-World War II. This removed any residual threat of war between the major powers, and Washington and Moscow stopped fueling “proxy wars” in the developing world.

Third, was the unprecedented upsurge of international activities designed to stop ongoing wars and prevent new ones starting that took place in the wake of the Cold War. Spearheaded by the UN these activities included: A six-fold increase in UN preventive diplomacy missions (to stop wars starting).

A four-fold increase in UN peacemaking missions (to end ongoing conflicts).

A four-fold increase in UN peace operations (to reduce the risk of wars restarting).

An eleven-fold increase in the number of states subject to UN sanctions (which can help pressure warring parties into peace negotiations).

Ok, enough UN-stroking, please. It makes me ill.

The UN did not act alone, of course. [Thank you!-wordsmith] The World Bank, donor states, regional organizations and thousands of NGOs worked closely with UN agencies––and often played independent roles of their own. But the UN, the only international organization with a global security mandate, has been the leading player.

As this upsurge of international activism grew in scope and intensity through the 1990s, the number of crises, wars and genocides declined, despite the much-publicized failures. The evidence that these initiatives worked is not just circumstantial. A recent RAND corporation study, for example, found that two thirds of the UN’s peace building missions had succeeded. In addition, the sharp increase in peacemaking efforts led to a significant increase in the number of conflicts that ended in negotiated settlements. Approximately half of all the peace agreements negotiated between 1946 and 2003 have been signed since the end of the Cold War.

The annual cost of these changes to the international community has been modest––well under 1% of world military spending. In fact, the cost of running all of the UN’s 17 peace operations around the world for an entire year is less than the United States spends in Iraq in a single month.

Hey, sometimes you have to invest in the undesirables, to keep the world safer over the long haul. And I consider the mission in Iraq to be a "peace operation". We're trying to end the violence there; what are the terrorists and insurgents doing by blowing up mosques, infrastructures, and Iraqi citizens?

The Report argues that, in the long run, equitable economic development, increased state capacity and the spread of inclusive democracy play a vital role in reducing the risk of political violence. But it also argues that these factors cannot explain the dramatic post-Cold War reduction in armed conflicts.

Rather interesting report, isn't it? But of course, how silly of me talking about armed conflicts and terrorism. We all know the real threat is global warming. If Vanity Fair reports it, you know it must be true. What a load of ecological excrement they have gracing their May issue cover.

Anyway, the world is not going to hell in a handbasket. And George Bush is not the instigator of the violence in the world today. If it weren't the war in Iraq and global terrorism, people would find something else to bitch about. War and violence came to us. George Bush did not create it; he is effectively dealing with it. Blaming George Bush for the times we live in and the difficult challenges facing us is misguided. If you want to blame anyone, it's the terrorists and their psychotic ideology which they are masquerading before the world as a religion.

Ann Coulter Op-ed: It's hard out here for a pump

DISCLAIMER: The different points of views of Ann Coulter are not supported nor do they reflect the views and beliefs of the Bosun Locker or any entity affiliated with the Bosun Locker.

In Ann Coulter's latest column, "It's hard out here for a pump," posted at World Net Daily, the take-no-prisoners commentator hammers the Dems for thier massive hypocrisy on high gas prices.

In today's commentary, titled "It's hard out here for a pump," Ann Coulter drills into Democrat posturing on high gasoline prices by exposing their long history of trying to force consumers to pay more at the pump.

In particular, Coulter notes: "I would be more interested in what the Democrats had to say about high gas prices if these were not the same people who refused to let us drill for oil in Alaska, imposed massive restrictions on building new refineries, and who shut down the development of nuclear power in this country decades ago ... For decades Democrats have been trying to raise the price of gasoline so that the working class will stop their infernal car-driving and start riding on buses where they belong, while liberals ride in Gulfstream jets.

"Among those Coulter goes after for their massive hypocrisy is Al Gore, who she says "defended the gas tax, vowing that it was 'absolutely not coming out' of the energy bill regardless of 'how much trouble it causes the entire package.' And mind you, this was before we knew Gore was clinically insane. Back then we thought he was just a double-talking stuffed shirt who seemed kind of gay. The important thing was to force Americans to stop their infernal car-driving, no matter how much it cost.

"You don't want to miss this one. This is Coulter at her best! And you can find her commentary right now on WorldNetDaily, "It's hard out here for a pump"

Technorati tags: gas prices, fuel, Gore,car-driving, energy, tax, congress, democrats, environment, leftist, coulter, Gulfstream, liberal

When you straddle the political fence on Immigration

When you straddle the political fence as hard as President Bush does on illegal immigration, you’re sure to get a rash.

President Bush's immigration speech in Irvine turned out to be a mixed bag of messages. Link to: President's Immigration Speech Irvine, CA 04/24/2006

Link to Rick Robert's Blog at The Bosun Locker: Bos'un permanent link

Technorati tags: Bush, President, America, Rick Roberts, immigration, yeeehaw, political, illegal, Maricopa, Arizona, 760 KFMB

It's Official

Breaking news: All day rumors have been flying. Bill O'Reilly felt certain that Tony got the job. Bill and Juan were dueling and both felt that an announcement was about to be made. Fox News commentator Tony Snow has accepted the position of press secretary to President Bush, replacing the outgoing Scott McClellan, the cable network confirmed this evening.

Congratulations Tony!! May the force be with you, you'll need it.

Find out more at WorldNetDaily.com now! Bush Taps Tony Snow for Press Secretary

Technorati tags: Tony Snow, Press Secretary, Scott McClellan,Bush, GW, Fox News, commentator, News, Politics, Press, news feed, journalists, Opinion

Terrorists Strike Egypt

At 7:15 Egyptian time, there were several bombs that detonated in a resort area named a Dahab, a seafront resort about 200 miles southeast of Cairo. It is still unclear how many people were injured and killed, but the figures as of this writing are 85 injured and 24 dead. The number was 23, but one man died in the hospital from his injuries.

Of the people murdered, twenty were Egyptian and three were foreigners. They are withholding some of the nationalities, however. Possibly until they accurately know.

President Hosni Mubarab stated, "...sinful terrorist attacks." This was followed by President Bush's condemnation of these attacks.

"I strongly condemn the killings that took place, the innocent life lost in Egypt," he said. "This is a heinous act against innocent civillians.

He continued, "We keep those [who] were injured in our thoughts and prayers and I assure the enemy this--we will stay on the offensive, we will not waver, we will not tire, we will bring you to justice for the sake of peace and humanity."

Walid Phares was on MSNBC yesterday trying to give some insight. He believes it was an inside job, because it was rather sophisticated. There could be al Qaeda links, but he does not wish to jump to conclusions. That would be too easy, and he takes his work very seriously.

Israel's Ambassador to Egypt believes it was a pre-set time-bomb, and not a suicide bomber.

Andrew Cochran has written a fine article on this topic. He is an expert in matters such as counter-terrorism. I highly recommend you visit the site he writes with.

Here are two more sources for this article: Bombings Kill 23 in Egyptian Resort, by Steven R. Hurst, AP. 10 Arrests Made in Egypt Resort Attack, by Miriam Fam, AP.

I have tried to reach my Egyptian friends, but unfortunately I have been unable. If you pray, would you please say a pray for Sandmonkey and Big Pharaoh? I would truly appreciate it. Thank you.

Wow! That was quick. Before this went to print, I was able to find out that they are BOTH alright! Thank God.

Category: Terrorism, Middle East, and Egypt.

Rick Roberts Op-ed: Will the real George Bush stand up

WOULD THE REAL GEORGE BUSH PLEASE STAND UP? Reposted with permission from Rick Roberts, 760 KFMB AM radio, San Diego, California. For further information about Rick or his points of view, please visit Rick's Blog at 760 KFMB.

DISCLAIMER: The different points of views on the Rick Roberts Blog are not supported nor do they reflect the views and beliefs of the Bosun Locker or any entity affiliated with the Bosun Locker.

Email: rickroberts@kfmb.com
Phone: 1-800-760-KFMB (1-800-760-5362)
Mon-Fri, 6am to 10am, PST.

Newsletter: Sign up for Rick's Newsletter

Hundreds have requested a transcript of the “I Want My Country Back” rant. You can get to the blog entry by CLICKING HERE.

Feel free to post it on every blog you read, and e-mail it to every friend you have. If you would like to listen to it, CLICK HERE.

You can also sign our ONLINE PETITION and get a sticker by CLICKING HERE.


When you straddle the political fence as hard as President Bush does on illegal immigration, you’re sure to get a rash.

His immigration speech in Irvine turned out to be a mixed bag of messages.

On one hand you had the soft and sweet Bush who loves immigrants (soft language for illegals) saying “they are the backbone of this country” and “they are struggling to feed their families so they take the jobs American’s won’t do.”

And then in the next breath he’s talking about hunting them down with night vision and lasers at the border.

Okay…I’m exaggerating on the lasers…but you get the idea.

How can he say that they are wonderful beautiful hardworking people that deserve respect, and then 5 seconds later put on his yeeehaw cowboy hat and yell we rounded up 6 million of dem illegals crossing into the US?

What gives? You either believe in enforcing the laws of this country, or you don’t. And I’m just not sure with this President.

I’m pretty sure he’s fuzzy on it too.

And speaking of fuzzy, how about that fuzzy math of his? He bragged about what a great job the border patrol was doing in rounding up those 6 million illegals, but doesn’t he realize that some 10 million got past him.

I mean, is that really something to brag about?

I wish President Bush had half the backbone of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Recently the legislature in Arizona passed a law against smugglers. It puts teeth in the law against coyotes.

But instead of just blaming the smuggler, the Sheriff is using it on the illegals. He’s arrested 90 so far on suspicion of conspiracy to smuggle themselves into the United States!

DON’T YOU JUST LOVE THIS GUY!

And then he points out the hypocrisy of the catch and release program by saying “It would be nice if law enforcement agencies provided these illegals a free ride to my jails rather than turning them over to U.S. immigration officials for a free ride back to Mexico,” he said. “I can’t clean up the county by myself.”

I say Sheriff Joe for President and Tancredo for VP!

Technorati tags: Bush, President, America,Rick Roberts, immigration, yeeehaw, political, illegal, Maricopa, Arizona, Tancredo, Arpaio, 760 KFMB

Civil Trial of the Year

According the an article in World Net Daily, Bill and Hillary Clinton head an all-star cast of witnesses in a lawsuit by business mogul Peter Franklin Paul that alleges the former president reneged on a $17 million deal in which he promised to promote a business in exchange for massive contributions to his wife's Senate campaign.

The potential witness list includes celebrities such as Muhammad Ali, Brad Pitt, Barbra Streisand, James Brolin, Cher, Whoopi Goldberg, George Hamilton, Olivia Newton John, John Travolta, Diana Ross, Shirley McLaine, Michael Bolton, Toni Braxton, Paul Anka and Larry King.

Find out more about this story at WorldNetDaily: Clintons top all-star cast

Saudi facing USA tribunal, defense charges torture.
By David Morgan

Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base, Cuba (Reuters)
Saudi Jabran Said bin al Qahtani, Algerian Sufyian Barhoumi, and Saudi Ghassan Abdullah al Sharbi are scheduled to appear seperately this eek in front of a Military Tribunal. Qahtani and his co-conspirators were captured in Pakistan by Pakistani forces in the city of Faisalabad as he was preparing to join in the fight against the USA.

He is charged with writing two instruction manuals on how to assemble circuit boards to be used as timing devices for bombs. He is facing life without parole, along with the other two captured with him.

Prosecutor AFCol. Moe Davis stated there are dozens more to be charged than the ten already in progress. Some of the charged may be eligable for the death penalty.

Defense Attorney Army Lt. Col. Bryan Bryoles stated this pre-trial hearing would be uneventful, even though he has to has to raise motions to throw out evidense captured through 'torture.' There is a directive from the DoD which states, "...tribunals to prohibit the use of evidence found to result from torture."

Editor's Note: Are we at war or not? Are we not supposed to kill them? Life without parole? I am shaking my head.

Chavez - Ortega alliance

Chavez backs former US foe in Nicaragua election
Mon Apr 24, 2006

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday backed the favorite to win Nicaragua's November presidential election, days after Washington warned the country not to vote for its former cold war foe. Full Article

Bosun's analysis: Let’s get the facts strait. America has become complacent in our western hemisphere. We saw how Clinton Administration's falling asleep at the wheel on terrorism got us into the present situation with al-Qaeda. It seems like each administration develops a sleeping disorder on important issues. The American people have also grown weary at remaining situationally aware. It appears that we have fallen asleep to Nicaragua's Creeping Coup and other problems in the Americas. North Americans falsely assumed that Daniel Ortega's Marxist Dictatorship political career ended 15 years ago. Suprise, Suprise!!

America has not done a good job shoring up free democracy in Central and South America. And, we are probably going to pay the price for it again. With the lunatic jackass lefti dictator, Chavez, firmly in place in Venezuela and raising the ante with his trade agreements with North Korea and Iran, his buddy, Ortega, is also planning a comeback.

Thanks to the weakness of Nicaragua's democratic government (and America not helping the people of Nicaragua) Daniel Ortega is close to regaining power and broadening the Latin alliance of undemocratic states; Cuba and Venezuela.

Could it be that our State Department and the mindset of America Congress, the Administration, and others in the Americas take for granted our southern neighbors? Do we devote more diplomatic attention to the world community that our own backyard?

Perhaps we should soul search our foreign policy and take an objective look at what is going on in the Americas. I am not sure it is too late, but, our Latin neighbors will remember what we have and have not done for them. We must follow through on commitments.

Technorati tags: Hugo Chavez, Lunatic, Venezuela, jackass lefti, Foreign Relations, Cuba, Washington, imperialist, antagonism, Americas, oil fields, Daniel Ortega, Marxist,Caracas, Dictator, Castro, CIA, Gen. Alberto Muller Rojas, Cuba, paranoid

Iran Threatening to Pull Out of NPT

By Nasser Karimi, AP--Ahmadinejad has taken the stand that the UN does not have the backbone to stop them from doing whatever they choose with nuclear products.

IMHO (In my humble opinion), the UN has proven Iran to be correct in this area. This is a very bad thing for the world. Not that this treaty (non-proliferation treaty) would have stopped Iran from moving forward with their plans of destroying Israel and gaining access to nuclear weapons, but people seem to feel more secure with a piece of paper to point to.

Category: Iran.

al-Jazeera releases transcript of bin Laden recording

Bin Laden: West waging a crusade

Aljazeera has aired an audiotape attributed to Osama bin Laden in which he attacks the West for boycotting Hamas and accuses Western governments of waging a "crusader war" against Islam. FULL STORY -->

• Transcript: Bin Laden accuses West
• Hamas distances itself from Bin Laden
• Timeline: Al-Qaeda tapes

A full Arabic transcript of the audiotaped message can be read here on Aljazeera's Arabic website.

However, an interesting development from Hamas after the release of bin-Laden's rant:

Hamas Distances Itself From Bin Laden AP - Sun Apr 23, 2:45 PM ET
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - The Islamic militant group Hamas distanced itself Sunday from purported comments by Osama bin Laden accusing the United States and Europe of supporting a "Zionist" war on Islam by cutting off funds to the Palestinian government.

Could it be that bin-Laden is not as appreciated has he thought he was. It is convenient that he did not give a damn about the Palestinian people until after 9/11. He tried to use them to justify killing 3000 people in New York. Hamas may not want bin-Laden's help.

Technorati tags: bin-Laden, Hamas, terrorist,hostage, al-Qaeda, United States, Iraq, Aljazeera, Islamic, heretic, Muslim, Muhammad, Arab peninsula

Aljazeera

Osama Bin Laden Tape Released

Reposted with permission from Northeast Intelligence Network

Filed under: Top Stories : New Osama Bin Laden Audio Tape Released

23 April, 2006: A new Osama Bin Laden audio tape has been released, and is currently being aired on Al-Jazeera. While not officially authenticated, reports are that the tape is authentic, and created within the last four to five weeks.

During the recording bin Laden also said the Western public shared responsibility for the actions of their governments, particularly for what he called their attacks on Islam.

The main message of this tape appears to be that by cutting off its funds to Hamas, the West has proven it is "at war with Islam". Bin Laden describes a "long battle" with the west, and that the war is the responsibility of citizens, as well as governments.

More information will become available, as analysis and translation continue.

Technorati tags: Bin - Laden, Hamas, terrorist,hostage, al-Qaeda, United States, Iraq, Aljazeera, Islamic, heretic, Muslim, Muhammad, Arab peninsula

Aliens vs. Predator

Credit for this find goes to Mike's America:



I hope the Gubernator of Mexifornia sees the video.

Déjà Vu: Terrorism's strange bed-fellows

According to World Net Daily, when Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad traveled to Damascus in January, he took a special guest with him on the flight from Tehran – one of the world's most wanted terrorists. Imad Mugniyah

Intelligence experts have told the London Times Ahmadinejad has recruited Imad Mugniyah, the Lebanese commander of Hezbollah's overseas operations, to oversee retaliation against Western targets if the U.S. orders a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. World Net Daily reported that Mugniyah and the Iranian President Ahmadinejad met with other leaders of Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas in Damascus in what has been called a "terror summit." Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas all have carried out attacks on Israel and Israelis over the years. Link to World Net Daily article, Ahmadinejad recruits Hezbollah terror chief

And, Ahmadinejad has regularly "threatened to "wipe Israel off the map."

Lets take a trip down memory lane in terrorism in the Middle East in regards to Mugniyah: Do you rememeber Mohammed Hamadi? Hamadi was serving a life sentence in Germany for the 1985 hijacking of a TWA flight 847 from Athens, Greece, to Rome. The hijacked plane landed in Beirut, Lebanon, where hijackers beat, shot and killed 23 year old United States Navy Petty Officer Stethem and dumped his body on the tarmac. Stethem was the only casualty during the hijacking ordeal, in which 39 Americans were held hostage for 17 days. Hamadi was paroled to Lebannon in November 2005, much to the dismay of the United States.

Now lets recall Mohammed's brother Abbas. Abbas, was arrested in Germany in 1987 and charged with helping to kidnap two German businessmen in a bid to use them as bargaining chips for Mohammed Hamadi's freedom. Abbas Hamadi was released in 1993 after serving half of his sentence. At the time, German news media reported, that he was let go as part of a deal between the German government and Hezbollah to release two other Germans held hostage in Lebanon. Guess who was the Hezbollah Security Chief at the time, Imad Fayex Mugniyah.

Both of the Hamadi boys are linked to Mugniyah. And it looks like the Hezbollah Security Chief has a new buddy, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Here is some background that was posted in previous artiles in The Bosun Locker about Mugniyah; a terrorist who has been active on the terrorism circuit for the past 20 years:

According to Laura Mansfield's Notebook, America's Truth Forum, there appears to be striking similarities between Mugniyah's terrorism for the past 20 years with the practices of the present-day terrorists in Iraq. It is quite possible that the Hezbollah terror syndicate in the middle east is closely related.

Mugniyah allegedly has been tied to kidnappings and bombings throughout the world over the past two decades, including the following:

▪ April 18, 1983 bombing of the United States embassy in Beirut, which killed 63
people including 17 Americans
▪ October 23, 1983 simultaneous truck bombings against the French paratroopers and US Marine killing 58 French soldiers and 241 Marines.
▪ September 20, 1984, he attacked the US embassy annex building and is believed to have killed William Buckley, the CIA station chief in Beirut
▪ Linked to the numerous kidnappings of Westerners in Beirut through the 1980s – some were killed, some by beheading, and a few were eventually released.
▪ Orchestrated the 2000 abductions of three Israeli soldiers in the southern part of Lebanon
▪ Abduction of Israeli Colonel Elchanan Tenenbaum.

And he has been active in the western hemisphere, too.

▪ March 17, 1992 bombings of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires Argentina, which killed 29
▪ July 1994 bombing of the AMIA cultural building in in Buenos Aires Argentina, killing 86 people Source: Laura Mansfield

It would be fair to say that these terrorists are brothers for the cause and may be part of a larger crime and terror synidcate. There is still so much intrigue in the Middle East, who knows who is doing what to whom over there. The real kicker to the Hezbollah and radicalized islam story is that they are also established in South America.

In 2002, Jeffrey Goldberg, reporter-at-large for The New Yorker magazine did an interesting 2- part article, "IN THE PARTY OF GOD" about Hezbollah operations in South America and the United States:

• Part 1 - Are terrorists in Lebanon preparing for a larger war?
• Part 2 - Hezbollah sets up operations in South America and the United States

You gotta read these articles which provide open source information by Jeffery Goldberg who went into the bush in both the Middle East and South America where the bad guys live. Here is a brief quote from his article in The New Yorker:

"Roughly two hundred thousand people live in the Ciudad del Este region, including a substantial minority of Arab Muslims; in the Triple Frontier zone, there may be as many as thirty thousand. According to intelligence officials in the region and in Washington, this Muslim community has in its midst a hard core of terrorists, many of them associated with Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite group backed by the Iranian government; some with Hamas, the Palestinian fundamentalist group; and some with Al Qaeda. It is, over all, a community under the influence of extreme Islamic beliefs; intelligence officials told me that some of the Triple Frontier Arabs held celebrations on September 11th of last year and also on the anniversary this year. These officials said that Hezbollah runs weekend training camps on farms cut out of the rain forest of the Triple Frontier. In at least one of these camps, in the remote jungle terrain near Foz do Iguaçu, young adults get weapons training and children are indoctrinated in Hezbollah ideology—a mixture of anti-American and anti-Jewish views inspired by Ayatollah Khomeini.

In the Triple Frontier, Hezbollah raises money from legitimate businesses but, more frequently, from illicit activities, ranging from drug smuggling to the pirating of compact disks. Unlike the other radical Islamic groups in the Triple Frontier, Hezbollah, it is said, has the capability to commit acts of terror."

Keep in mind that Part 2 of the series takes place in South America, not the Middle East.

Now we potentially have Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad traveling to Damascus in January, with a special guest, Mugniyah – one of the world's most wanted terrorists.

Be ever vigilant.

Technorati tags: Hezbollah, Germans, hostage, Laura Mansfield's Notebook, Iraq, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jeffrey Goldberg, Ahmadinejad, Damascus, Mugniyah, terror summit, journalists, Opinion

The Slippery Slope of political correct society.

Is America being destroyed from with?

A New York rally by the Islamic Thinkers Society outside the Israeli consulate yesterday featured chants of "The mushroom cloud is on its way! The real holocaust is on its way!" Read the latest now on WND.com.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean's recent comments calling on groups in the religious community "to decide whether they want to be tax exempt or involved in politics" drew the ire of a Catholic-based advocacy group on Friday. Dean's remarks were made during an interview with the Christian Science Monitor on Wednesday. "Howard Dean's statement makes it clear that he wants to muzzle America's churches and religious groups from professing what they believe on important issues facing our society," said Joseph Cella, president of Fidelis, a Catholic-based advocacy organization. Full Story

School administrators in Montgomery County, Md., were read the riot act for encouraging students to take part in illegal immigration rallies. Although the rallies took place during spring break when school was not in session, readers found it inappropriate for the school system to offer students credit towards graduation for rallying in support of an illegal act. Read Letters to the Editor

A renewed effort by several members of the American Library Association's governing council would sever all ties with the Boy Scouts of America until the youth organization stops "discriminating" against avowed atheists and homosexuals. Read the latest Sever ties with Boy Scouts

Warning him that "retaliation in any form is prohibited," Ohio State University yesterday officially informed a Christian librarian that charges of sexual harassment leveled at him by two homosexual professors - just for recommending "The Marketing of Evil" to the freshman class - were without merit. Read the latest Christian Liberian is the Harrasser??

Kerry, another butthead in the wood pile after Harry Reid

Hat tip to Red State PAPA, of the Hannity Forum

Kerry Accuses Bush of Stifling Dissent
By MARK PRATT, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 49 minutes ago

"I have come here today to reaffirm that it was right to dissent in 1971 from a war that was wrong. And to affirm that it is both a right and an obligation for Americans today to disagree with a President who is wrong, a policy that is wrong, and a war in Iraq that weakens the nation," Kerry said to a standing ovation Saturday at Boston's historic Faneuil Hall. Link to the AP article

So says John Kerry, another enabler in the dysfunctional jackass lefti community. This the same guy who's impeachment comments were inappropriate, and has made a lot of other nonsensical statements:

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA): "There Is No Reason, Bob, That Young American Soldiers Need To Be Going Into The Homes Of Iraqis In The Dead Of Night, Terrorizing Kids And Children , you know, women, breaking sort .... historical customs, religious customs. Whether you like it or not..." (CBS' "Face The Nation," 12/4/05)

Don Surber of DonSurber Blogspot said this about the Republican video, Retreat and Defeat, "The video is excellent, using the very soundbites that Dr. Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi and John Kerry the Silver Star winner are so proud of. Especially eerie is Kerry's claim that our soldiers are terrorizing Iraqi children in the middle of the night. It is reminiscent of his Vietnam rhetoric -- which the Swift Boat Veterans proved to be a naked lie. Americans may not be happy about this war but they learned one thing from Vietnam: Retreat and Defeat Is Not An Option."

I am not going to devote the rest of my evening writing more about this jackass lefti, John Kerry. Just go the the Winter Soldier hearing and throw up.

Technorati tags: politically correct, John Kerry, Iraq, Opinion, Treasonous, Liberal Left, Anti-American, Anti War, Democratic Congressman, Democratic Senator, Democratic Alternative

The "patriotic" Harry Reid??

Reid blasts Bush during Reno visit

Laura Ingram was discussing Harry Reid on her talk show on Friday evening. Unfortunately, there had not been much action in the left coast mainstream media. So, a quick search of the internet revealed "the rest of the story" behind Harry inserting his foot into his mouth, again.

Apparently most of the mainstream media (MSM) pundits do not think Harry's comments were out whack or they just want to give him a carte blanc pass to say anything he wants. MSM also loves Michael Moore and other "patriotic" Americans.

RRRight!

A quick scan of the internest located articles in the Los Vegas Sun and GOP's website revealing Reid's irresponsible behavior and moronic comments:

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) Goes Against Many in Own Party and Rules Out Military Option in Iran

"The U.S. military is the world's most innovative and effective fighting force and it is critical that those who oppose peace and democracy understand that all options are in play. The President, many senior Democrats, and many of America's most respected military experts have not ruled out military action and it's irresponsible when Harry Reid puts politics ahead of a thoughtful approach to solving the serious issues that face us in dealing with Iran." - Tracey Schmitt, RNC Press Secretary

When asked by reporters about the U.S. Military Option In Iran, Reid responded, "We don't have the resources to do it." Reid went on to say, "Our not being involved diplomatic in trying to solve the situation in Iran shows the Bush failure in foreign policy there and elsewhere."

Excuse me Senator Reid, but just where are you coming from? You are aiding and encouraging Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to continue his rhetoric. You sir, are an "enabler" in this dysfunctional world community and it sounds to me that you are contributing to Ahmadinejad's lunacy.

You have encouraged Ahmadinejad with your inappropriate and thoughtless statements. The average Iranian is between a rock and a hard place with thier lunatic President and the radicalized clerics in charge. Even President Bush would like the see the situation resolved through diplomatic means and a regime change by the people. However, you do not appear to be smart enough to figure it out. And, you continue to make thoughtless statements. Even members of your own party, are in disagreement with you.

My questions to you sir, are:

Senator Reid, what is your position on the US - Iran issue? What do you think about the prospect of confrontation? How can it be avoided? What would you do to encourage Iran to comply with other countries desires to live in peace? What is Bush doing wrong in Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan? How would you do differantly? How would you resolve the issues developing in the world arena? What are your solutions to this dsyfunctional world community we live in?

Just answer the damn questions, Senator, and quit with the BS that you spew. Sure wish that we would hear those answers rather than your attacks on President Bush during a time of war.

Leaders (of both parties) should lead. Unpatriotic partisans should clear the decks.

Technorati tags: Harry Reid, Democrats, Liberals,Leftists, Unpatriotic, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ahmadinejad, Bush, Military Option, confrontation, Opinion

Tax Time

Hat tip to a good blogging friend, Jerry W.

This would be a lot funnier if it wasn't so true




Tax his land, tax his wage,
Tax his bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor, tax his mule,
Teach him taxes is the rule.

Tax his cow, tax his goat,
Tax his pants, tax his coat.
Tax his ties, tax his shirts,
Tax his work, tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco! , tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his booze, tax his beers,
If he cries, tax his tears.

Tax his bills, tax his gas,
Tax his notes, tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.

If he hollers, tax him more,
Tax him until he's good and sore.
Tax his coffin, tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.

Put these words upon his tomb,
"Taxes drove me to my doom!"
And when he's gone, we won't relax,
We'll still be after the inheritance TAX

Hey maybe you'll get a refund!!

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel permit tax
Gasoline Tax (42 cents per gallon)
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Interest expense (tax on the money)
Inventory tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax
Road usage taxes (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone federal excise tax
Telephone Federal universal service fee tax
Telephone federal, state and local surcharge taxes
Telephone minimum usage surcharge tax
Telephone recurring and non-recurring charges tax
Telephone state and local tax
Telephone usage charge tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax


COMMENTS: Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago and our nation
Was the most prosperous in the world, had absolutely no national debt,
Had the
Largest middle class in the world and Mom stayed home to raise the
Kids.

What? Happened?

Technorati tags: Humor, Satire, Taxes,Tax, Compensation, Paycheck, Greenback, Money, Conversation, Quick-witted, journalists, Opinion

"Alleged" Terrorists Among Us...

Obtained with permission from Northeast Intelligence Network:

Top Stories: US : Georgia Tech Student Indicted on Terrorism Charges

The "Alleged" Terrorists Among Us...

21 April 2006: The Northeast Intelligence Network is following the case of Syed Haris AHMED, the Pakistani Georgia Tech student who was arrrested by federal authorities on March 23 on charges related to terrorism. According to developing information, AHMED, 21, who was under investigation and surveillance for the last 12-14 months, has been indicted on charges of providing “material support” to a terrorist organization. AHMED appeared before US Magistrate Joel Feldman Wednesday, pleading not guity to the charges contained in the indictment. For the complete story link to: Terrorist among us

Additional news link from Reuters via Yahoo! News:
Georgia student held on terrorism charge Friday, 21 Apr 2006 12:13 PM PDTU.S. authorities in the southern state of Georgia have charged a 21-year-old engineering student at Georgia Tech in Atlanta with supporting terrorism.


Technorati tags: Georgia Tech, Terrorism, AHMED,terrorism, Atlanta, Pakistani, Pakistan, material support, Northeast Intelligence Network, Joel Feldman, US Magistrate, indictment, Opinion

Ilya Shapiro Op-Ed: Overqualified Immigrant

DISCLAIMER: The different points of views on the TCS Daily website and its contributors are not supported nor do they reflect the views and beliefs of the Bosun Locker or any entity affiliated with the Bosun Locker.

Re-posted with permission from the editors of TCS Daily. For news , Op-eds, and points of view visit TCS Daily, a Bos'un must read website.

'Overqualified Immigrant'
By Ilya Shapiro : BIO 21 Apr 2006

If the federal government ever gets its act together and passes a much-needed immigration reform, I'm giving up my legal career and taking up a profession that will actually allow me to become a U.S. citizen. Like gardening. Or construction. Or anything else that counts as "unskilled."

And maybe I'll also fly to Cancun for some sun-and-fun. And come back illegally. (I'm tan and speak fluent Spanish; think I could pass?) Or I'll have a Miami friend take me out on a boat -- so I can come back on a raft.

Because I sure ain't gonna get a green card the way I'm going: English-speaking, highly educated, law-abiding, and patriotic. I'm precisely the type of person Uncle Sam would never dream of inviting to be a permanent resident. Unless I got married --which'll happen sooner or later, right?

You see, as I follow the overheated rhetoric about guest-workers and homeland security, legal versus illegal immigrants, and the needs of American business and American labor, I can't help but smile and shake my head. And then go home and cry.

Because no matter how hard I work, how good I am at my job (my day job or this writing thing), how brilliant (and sincere) a personal statement I write espousing my love for this country, its people and values, I will never be able to achieve that which is being offered to certain classes of "undocumented" aliens under any of the proposals being batted around Congressional water coolers. That is, every plan under consideration -- save the "enforcement only" ones that don't even attempt to deal with the reality of 12 million illegal aliens -- contains a measure that allows unskilled foreign workers to be put "on the path to citizenship." This path is simply unavailable to skilled workers like me.

I'm not trying to be cute here: from President Bush to Kennedy-McCain to Kyl-Cornyn, every immigration policy proposal would allow a certain number of unskilled laborers to obtain legitimate work visas for a number of years. As one or two terms of such a visa run out, those who are still gainfully employed would be able to apply to convert their work visas into permanent resident (green card) status -- holders of which can apply for citizenship five years later.

This seems to me a perfectly reasonable reform -- even if you don't grant any amnesty whatsoever for existing illegals; and if these visas are only available to people applying from outside the United States -- there should be some mechanism for importing workers for jobs that can't be filled by Americans at prices Americans employers want to pay (because of limits to what American consumers want to pay). And if these "guest-workers" prove themselves to be good citizens, they should be able to become, well, citizens.

The problem for me -- and for the mere tens of thousands of professionals like me -- is that our visas don't work that way. Under an H1-B -- of which only 55,000 new ones are statutorily authorized for each year -- a highly skilled individual (like a software engineer from Bangalore) can work for a particular American employer for six years (two three-year periods). At the end of that time, unless the employer is willing to begin the arduous process of green card sponsorship and can convince the Labor Department that no American possesses even the minimal qualifications for that job -- it is irrelevant if that hypothetical American is far less qualified than the non-American -- the foreign professional has to leave the country. No exceptions.

For those of us who are that special brand of foreign professionals known as Canadians, there's also the option of a TN (NAFTA-created) visa. (A TN differs from an H1-B only in that it lasts one year instead of three, and can theoretically be renewed an infinite number of times instead of once.) Either way, there is no "path to citizenship" -- and thus, for me, no way to fulfill the higher purpose that has long been my dream: the service of my adopted country.

Despite living here my entire adult life and career, despite my fancy degrees, I cannot work in the State or Defense Departments, in the challenging and critical Justice Department jobs for which I am otherwise qualified, in Executive Office positions, or in any other legal or policy-making posts for which this country has trained me. I cannot even "put my money where my mouth is" (in terms of my support of our engagement in Iraq) by serving in the military JAG Corps -- or even enlisting as a simple infantryman.

Nothing in any proposed immigration reform changes any of this.

Which is why my resolution to come in on the ground floor of the landscaping industry is only partially in jest. After all, America is worth spending time on your knees in the dirt for. But, really, why have such perverse incentives in the first place?

Ilya Shapiro, whose parents took a wrong turn at the St. Lawrence Seaway when immigrating from the Soviet Union, is a Washington lawyer who writes "Dispatches from Purple America." If you are a producer or reporter who is interested in receiving more information about this article or the author, please email your request to interview@tcsdaily.com

Technorati tags: Ilya Shapiro, TCS daily, America, Immigrating, Illegals, Green card, Federal Government, Political, Patriotism, Immigration Reform, Naturalized, Opinion, Border, Language, Culture, Politically correct, Unskilled, Labor, Education,English-speaking, Permanent resident, Uncle Sam, Amnesty, Diversity, Undocumented, Kennedy-McCain, Kyl-Cornyn, President Bush, Congress