Off on vacation for awhile...

Don't know if I'll be able to check in or not.

Have a great weekend!

Lower than scum...**(UPDATED & BUMPED)**

Jim Lynch from bRight & Early alerted me to this.

A site that purports itself as a military recruiting web site is anything but. The url, officialarmy.com, looks official enough.

But it asks for personal information, including social security number, and it's not even on a secure server.

I put down an assumed name, address, etc., to see what would happen. The site stated that a "army recruiter" would be calling me within the next 24 hours. When I tried emailing the contact addy provided, the email came back as undeliverable.

I've contacted various branches of the FBI...


One of my friends provided a WHOIS on the site as follows:

Here is the "whois" 411.

network: Class-Name: network
network: ID: NET-207360016
network: Auth-Area: 207.36.0.0/16
network: Network-Name: AFFI-207.36.0.0/16
network: IP-Network: 207.36.238.208/29
network: IP-Network-Block: 207.36.238.209 - 207.36.238.214
network: Org-Name: Ryan Russell Investments
network: Street-Address: 6500 Champion Grandview Way
network: City: Austin
network: State: TX
network: Postal-Code: 78750
network: Country-Code: US
network: Phone:
network: Tech-Contact;I: ZA94-ARIN
network: Admin-Contact;I: ip-admin@affinity.com

network: Created:
network: Updated:
network: Updated-By: ip-admin@affinity.com

network: Class-Name: network
network: ID: NETBLK.207.36.0.0/16
network: Auth-Area: 207.36.0.0/16
network: Network-Name: AFFI-207.36.0.0
network: IP-Network: 207.36.0.0/16
network: IP-Network-Block: 207.36.0.1 - 207.36.255.255
network: Org-Name: Affinity Internet Inc
network: Street-Address: 3250 W Commercial Blvd. Suite 200
network: City: Ft Lauderdale
network: State: FL
network: Postal-Code: 33309
network: Country-Code: US
network: Phone:
network: Tech-Contact;I: ip-admin@affinity.com

network: Admin-Contact;I: ip-admin@affinity.com

network: Created:
network: Updated:
network: Updated-By: ip-admin@affinity.com

I've reported this to several branches of the FBI, but if someone who is good at cyber-detectiving (is that a word?) can shed some quick light on these cockroaches, all the better.

I'll keep you posted as details develop.

***UPDATE 1:54pm CDT****

BTW--the whois lists an address of 6500 Champion Grandview Way, in Austin, TX...

Here is the website for the apartment complex. (LINK)

How much you wanna bet that his pad is paid for with stolen credit and identities?

...developing

***UPDATE 6:35pm CDT***

A friend of mine (a civilian contractor with military connections) relays the following:

The DoD Webmaster forum has given me all kinds of information as to the ownership of this website. It is registered to GoDaddy.com and covered by a company known for hosting phishers and spammers. I have been advised to report this to Army Legal counsel as everyone on the forum has come to the conclusion it is a phishing site- one that needs to be shut down.

Thanks again!

....developing

***UPDATE 4:13 am*****

Another friend of mine, who is retired NCIS, will also take this up with his buddies today.

This slimebucket does not know what he's gotten himself into.

...developing

****UPDATE 2:11 pm CDT****

From my contractor friend....

It seems that it was shut down.

I will now tell you a bit more of things that happened here. We received an email from one DOD site that stated that this site was indeed on their scope, had been shut down before and that it did appear to be a pfishing site. They would look into it again.

We then got another response from an Army organization that stated it was an official pilot program for the Army Recruiting command. Since our office does digits for the Army, all have served and more than half are retired, we quickly listed many of our concerns. Security, type of info requested, site management, ISP hosting and no links to verify validity of the site were key but not not even half of our issues. The issue was then readdressed to the DOD and DOA certification areas as well as TRADOC.

If it was a pilot program and they intend to continue or readdress the issue of this site, we have asked them to provide better compliance with DOD and DOA security requirements and oversight to ensure the person(s) developing and managing have better oversight as well as the ability to validate such sites and links to their COR email.

The site is still up.

There is no way that this is an official site, especially given what we have found regarding it.

....Developing

****UPDATE 2:35pm******

Again, from my contractor friend:

The IA Division of Army Recruiting Command has confirmed that www.officialarmy.com is not an official Army website and is operated by a non-government source. It is not an Army sanctioned website.

....Developing

*****UPDATE 10:00pm******

Reader BlkOps states:

Rgr, we have big Army looking into it. They are moving fast!Included in this action is, and not limited to : the FBI, Homeland Security, and Organizations within the US Army. Officialarmy.com is NOT an Army Sanctioned website!

Looks like the cavalry is here!

BTW--I will be on vacation through the middle of next week, and will be out of range of internet for the most part.

Thanks to everyone for all the work that is being done to get this scumbag out of cyberspace and behind bars!

-Leo-

Calling all MOBsters...and other interested parties..(bumped to top)

Gary, King and I will be hosting our annual SCBA/MOB summer road show here in St. Cloud at Granite City Food & Brewery, today (Friday) starting at 5pm. Along with a couple of area bloggers who haven't been "made" yet, we'll also double the event as a "Thank you Heroes" tribute to area legislators who stood up to DFL tyranny and put a halt to the $5 billion in new taxes that the DFL tried to shove down our throats wallets. Attending will be Representative Steve Gottwalt from 15a, as well as Dan Severson from 14a. Additionally, Assistant GOP minority leader Laura Brod will be attending as well, as will District 15b hopeful Josh Behling. The event is open to the public, so come on down!

Fred Thompson: A Good Day!

Especially with regard to the hopefully-never-to-be- resuscitated immigration bill:

This has been a good day for America.

For a while, it didn’t look like Washington was going to listen to us regarding real immigration reform. Thankfully, we’ve been spared a serious mistake, but I wonder if things would have turned out the way they did without the work done by the bloggers, talk radio and the American people. Rush, Hannity, Laura Ingraham, RedState, Powerline, Pajamas Media and a lot of others have done a great job. Take that, Fairness Doctrine.

Make sure to read the rest of Fred's post. And note what Fred says... "For a while it didn't look like Washington was going to listen to us..." and, "Take that, Fairness Doctrine."

Fred knows that grassroots America has found its voice on the internet and on talk radio, and Fred understands its value!


In the post, also note Fred's stance on Cuba:

While the communist dictatorship has been a tragedy for Cuba, America has been in some ways, at least, the beneficiary.

One of those benefits is the presence of the great Cuban-American artist, Gloria Estefan. She co-wrote a song called “No hay mal que por bien no venga” which I understand translates something like — there’s no bad that doesn’t bring some good. The bad that is Castro’s tyranny has given America one of the greatest communities in the Western Hemisphere.

And no one knows better than that community that the Castro regime remains dedicated to infiltrating American institutions to spread his ideology of tyranny. Castro admitted it himself in an interview with CNN in 1998.

This is why the Cuban government rightfully remains on the State Department’s terrorist list for its continued support of terrorism. It’s also why we must oppose the illegal immigration of Castro’s agents into the United States while welcoming the vast majority who immigrate legally and with legal intentions.

It seems to me that few Americans understand the threat that the illegal entry by Cuban spies represents to our country, though Cuban-Americans have never forgotten or stopped pointing it out. Ambassador Otto Reich, the former Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere has called Castro’s efforts to penetrate U.S. intelligence networks “relentless.”

The best-known incident involving Cuban espionage, which many believe may have provided U.S. secrets to hostile Middle Eastern regimes, is probably that of former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst Ana Belen Montes — convicted of espionage in 2002.

and...

Our national security is too important an issue to let folks twist words around for a one-day headline. Cuban-Americans are among the staunchest opponents of illegal immigration, and especially so when it’s sponsored by the Castro regime. We know we have a porous southern border in which they can currently slip through easily. Our enemies know it too.

All of us should be rightfully concerned about Castro and his ideological pal Chavez sending agents and provocateurs into the United States through Mexico. I’m sure that Cuban-Americans share this concern as well.

Why the Fred Thompson appeal? Is it because he's an actor? I doubt it. Sean Penn is an actor, and I sure as hell wouldn't want him for President.

It's much larger than that. Fred understands and speaks with the heart of America, pure and simple. No putting on airs, no gobbledygook. What you see and hear is what you get. As Christopher Adamo at Chron Watch put it:

Meanwhile, the greatest challenge Thompson faces (and it may not be a difficult one for him) is simply to remain true to the conservative principles which he has consistently presented as sincere and heartfelt. He is not prone to backtracking or apologizing, and need not do so now.


As the other candidates bob and weave, attempting to capture the allegiance of one constituency group without alienating another, Fred Thompson only needs to keep being Fred Thompson.

It is my sincere belief that Fred will be just that.

You can take that to the bank!


(Also posted at Minnesotans for Fred!!)

AMNESTY BILL DEAD!!!! (Again)

Just heard it right now.

Details to follow!!!

***UPDATE**** ROLL CALL VOTE BELOW*****

(Cue the Music!!)


Time for another happy dance!!!



Vote Summary

Question: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on S.1639 )
Vote Number:	235	Vote Date:	June 28, 2007, 11:04 AM
Required For Majority:	3/5	Vote Result:	Cloture Motion Rejected
Measure Number:	S. 1639
Measure Title:	A bill to provide for comprehensive immigration reform and for other purposes.

Vote Counts:	YEAs	46
	NAYs	53
	Not Voting	1

YEAs ---46
Akaka (D-HI) Bennett (R-UT) Biden (D-DE) Boxer (D-CA) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Clinton (D-NY) Conrad (D-ND) Craig (R-ID) Dodd (D-CT) Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI) Feinstein (D-CA) Graham (R-SC)	Gregg (R-NH) Hagel (R-NE) Inouye (D-HI) Kennedy (D-MA) Kerry (D-MA) **Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Kyl (R-AZ) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (ID-CT) Lincoln (D-AR) Lott (R-MS) Lugar (R-IN) Martinez (R-FL)	McCain (R-AZ) Menendez (D-NJ) Mikulski (D-MD) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Obama (D-IL) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Salazar (D-CO) Schumer (D-NY) Snowe (R-ME) Specter (R-PA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---53
Alexander (R-TN) Allard (R-CO) Barrasso (R-WY) Baucus (D-MT) Bayh (D-IN) Bingaman (D-NM) Bond (R-MO) Brown (D-OH) Brownback (R-KS) Bunning (R-KY) Burr (R-NC) Byrd (D-WV) Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) **Coleman (R-MN) Collins (R-ME) Corker (R-TN)	Cornyn (R-TX) Crapo (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC) Dole (R-NC) Domenici (R-NM) Dorgan (D-ND) Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Grassley (R-IA) Harkin (D-IA) Hatch (R-UT) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Landrieu (D-LA) McCaskill (D-MO) McConnell (R-KY) Murkowski (R-AK)	Nelson (D-NE) Pryor (D-AR) Roberts (R-KS) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Smith (R-OR) Stabenow (D-MI) Stevens (R-AK) Sununu (R-NH) Tester (D-MT) Thune (R-SD) Vitter (R-LA) Voinovich (R-OH) Warner (R-VA) Webb (D-VA)

Not Voting - 1 Johnson (D-SD)

Thank you, Norm Coleman!!!



As a side note, Harry Reid, citing a story (literally) about a "fauxn" call from "Tommy," who feared his friend would be deported, said that the bill will be back.

Heh. Little Tommy.

Tell me another story, Uncle Harry.

Separated at Birth?

DNC presidential hopeful Barack Obama, and Malcolm in the Middle's "Dewey":

A blog more than worth reading...

Kerry is an underrated wordsmith extraordinaire, who deserves a helluva lot more traffic than he gets.

Please check out Smoothing Plane. Often.

That is all.


A entonces, en espanol: (¡cuente la música!)

El Kerry es un extraordinaire subestimado del wordsmith, que merece una porción del helluva más tráfico que él consigue.

Compruebe por favor fuera de alisar el plano. A menudo.

Ése es todo.

Because I said so, Dammit!

They said so, so it must be true!:

House passes bill affirming global warming exists

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, aiming to put an end to the debate over whether global warming is actually occurring, passed legislation recognizing the "reality" of climate change and providing money to work on the problem.

Well.. that settles that.

NOT.

A entonces, en espanol: (¡cuente la música!)

¡Porque dije así pues, Dammit!

¡Dijeron así pues, así que debe ser verdad!

La cuenta de pasos de la casa de US que afirma

calentarse global existe

ESTADOS UNIDOS la cámara de WASHINGTON (Reuters) - de representantes el miércoles, apuntando poner fin al excedente del discusión si está ocurriendo el calentarse global realmente, pasado legislación que reconoce la "realidad" del cambio del clima y que proporciona el dinero al trabajo en el problema.

Pozo. ese settles eso.

¡NO!

h/t bRight & Early

The Amnesty Bill is much like...

A dead parrot.



Got that, Norm?

Oh yes, for our dear illegal soon to be legal alien friends:

¡cuente la música!

"La legislación de la amnistía está como un loro muerto.

¿Conseguido eso, Norm?

Just getting in practice here...

(Cue the music!--opens in a new window)

The cloture vote to end debate on the comprehensive "Immigration reform" bill passed; debate has been stopped.

WASHINGTON — The Senate agreed to proceed with a controversial immigration reform bill Tuesday, just a few hours after President Bush pumped up the rhetoric on the fragile bipartisan compromise to overhaul the nation's immigration laws.

The Senate voted 64-35 on cloture — a key test designed to shut down a filibuster and bury a bad bill. Supporters needed 60 votes to continue working out the legislation.

Even President Bush himself said:

"You know, I've heard all the rhetoric—you've heard it, too—about how this is amnesty," Bush told advocates of his immigration overhaul. "Amnesty means that you've got to pay a price for having been here illegally, and this bill does that."

Freudian slip, George?

Anyway, as a public service, and as a means of getting in step on the shape of things to come, I'll start translating each post I do in Spanish:

"El voto del cloture para terminar el discusión sobre "la cuenta comprensiva de la reforma de la inmigración" aprobada; se ha parado el discusión. Presidente uniforme Bush mismo dijo: "usted sabe, yo ha oído que todo el reto'rico-you've lo oyó, demasiado-sobre cómo ésta es amnistía," abogados dichos Bush de su reacondicionamiento de la inmigración. la "amnistía significa que usted tiene pagar un precio estar aquí ilegal, y esta cuenta hace eso." ¿Resbalón freudian, quizás? De todas formas, como servicio público, y como los medios de conseguir en paso en la forma de cosas venir, comenzaré a traducir cada poste que hago en español."

Gracias... err.. thank you.

****UPDATE*****

Norm Coleman voted for cloture.

¡Vive el Norm!

**Update el dos**

Here's the roll call.

No Skeletons in This Closet.

When looking for mud to sling, democrats can often count on ex-lovers and wives to dredge up dirt on their opponents.

When it comes to Fred Thompson, however, the democrats will have to look in another closet:

Republican Thompson endorsed by ex-girlfriends

By Steve Holland

Reuters
Monday, June 25, 2007; 6:46 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Things must be going well for prospective presidential candidate Fred Thompson because even his ex-wife and former girlfriends are endorsing him.

One-by-one they've said the Tennessee Republican is their man -- at least for president, according to London's Sunday Times newspaper.

On being a pig...

Maybe it's not so bad after all. I can't vouch for the veracity, but interesting nonetheless:

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.
(Hardly seems worth it.)

If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.
(Now that's more like it!)


The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to
squirt blood 30 feet.
(O.M.G.!)


A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes.
(In my next life, I want to be a pig.)

A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death. (Creepy.)
(I'm still not over the pig.)

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour
(Don't try this at home, maybe at work)


The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.
(Honey, I'm home. What the...?!)

The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.
(30 minutes..lucky pig! Can you imagine?)


The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.
(What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?)


Some lions mate over 50 times a day.
(I still want to be a pig in my next life...quality over quantity)

Butterflies taste with their feet.
(Something I always wanted to know.)


The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
(Hmmmmmm......)


Right-handed people live, on average , nine years longer than left-handed people.
(If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?)

Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.
(Okay, so that would be a good thing)

A cat's urine glows under a black light.
(I wonder who was paid to figure that out?)

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
(I know some people like that.)

Starfish have no brains
(I know some people like that too.)

Polar bears are left-handed.
(If they switch, they'll live a lot longer)

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
(What about that pig??)

1st Amendment Resuscitated (but still in critical condition)

The Supreme Court today re-instated some political speech stifled by the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance bill:

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court loosened restrictions Monday on corporate- and union-funded television ads that air close to elections, weakening a key provision of a landmark campaign finance law.

The court, split 5-4, upheld an appeals court ruling that an anti-abortion group should have been allowed to air ads during the final two months before the 2004 elections. The law unreasonably limits speech and violates the group's First Amendment rights, the court said.

The decision could lead to a bigger role for corporations, unions and other interest groups in the 2008 presidential and congressional elections.

The case involved advertisements that Wisconsin Right to Life was prevented from broadcasting. The ads asked voters to contact the state's two senators, Democrats Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl, and urge them not to filibuster President Bush's judicial nominees.

Feingold, a co-author of the campaign finance law, was up for re-election in 2004.

The provision in question was aimed at preventing the airing of issue ads that cast candidates in positive or negative lights while stopping short of explicitly calling for their election or defeat. Sponsors of such ads have contended they are exempt from certain limits on contributions in federal elections.

Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by his conservative allies, wrote a majority opinion upholding the appeals court ruling.

The majority itself was divided in how far justices were willing to go in allowing issue ads.

Three justices, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, would have overruled the court's 2003 decision upholding the constitutionality of the provision. (Yep... SCOTUS appointments do make a difference, do they not?--ed)

Although today's decision breathes a little bit more life into a dying Amendment, that, after all, was only first on a list of priorities granted our citizenry by our Founding Fathers (and incidentally by our Creator), Diane Feinstein and other democrats (and possibly RINOs) are still trying their damnedest to murder that pesky Amendment once and for all:

WASHINGTON, June 24 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., said Sunday she is "looking at" the possibility of reviving the fairness doctrine for U.S. broadcasters.

Feinstein, speaking on "Fox News Sunday" with Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., said talk radio in particular has presented a one-sided view of immigration reform legislation being considered by the Senate.

U.S. talk radio is dominated by conservative voices.

"This is a very complicated bill," said Feinstein. "Most people don't know what's in this bill. Therefore, to just have one or two things dramatized and taken out of context, such as the word amnesty -- we have a silent amnesty right now, but nobody goes into that. Nobody goes into the flaws of our broken system."

Feinstein said the measure before the Senate "fixes those flaws" but that doesn't get presented on talk radio, which she said "pushes people to ... extreme views without a lot of information."

Asked if she would revive the fairness doctrine, which used to require broadcasters to present competing sides of controversial issues, Feinstein said she was "looking at it."

"I remember when there was a fairness doctrine," she said, "and I think there was much more serious correct reporting to people."

You mean much more unquestioned reporting to people, Ms. Feinstein.

Yes, I know you pine for the glory days of Uncle Walter spoon feeding events so that they are palatable to the left-leaning palate, and you'd do anything to get those days back.

Right now, left-leaning folks have had (and continue to have) every bit of opportunity to have their voices heard in talk radio. They can, and have accessed deep pockets. They, like the dinosaurs, have had their moment in the talk radio sphere, and have been found wanting:

(click for full size)

Not to mention the liberal monopoly found here, here, here or here, or of course here.


The "Fairness Doctrine" has nothing to do with fairness at all. The current market is a more than fair arbiter of what the people want to listen to or for that matter will listen to. The Fairness Doctrine is nothing more than a government coup on one of our most basic rights as United States Citizens--that is our right to freedom of political speech. However, equally important as the right to freedom of political speech is the concomitant right for citizens to listen to what they want, and to not have the type of information that they are privy to dictated by government mandate. Such an intrusion into the marketplace of ideas by default stifles the very freedom of political speech that the First Amendment demands, and renders a new, even more nefarious meaning to the term "excessive entaglement."


Yes, the Supreme Court today gave half a breath back to our First Amendment, but there continue to be (and probably always will be) those who would see our most important Freedom we can have as citizens become null and void.


When our very government stifles our freedom of political debate (which, incidentally, serves as its citizens' primary check and balance against tyranny), look for the remainder of our Constitutionally- "guaranteed" Freedoms to become nothing more than a meaningless quaint sidebar in what will certainly be the downward march of what was the Great American Experiment.

On Fruits, Nuts, and Bottled Water...

This is presented, I believe, without the need for comment:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Citing environmental concerns, Mayor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order prohibiting city departments from buying bottled water.

In a decision announced yesterday, Newsom says the ban will go into effect July first and extend to all city and county water coolers by December first.

A spokesman for the San Francisco public utilities commission says Newsom's decision will save tax payer money and combat global warming.

GAWWWD!!!!

From Nancy Pigliosi's own mouth (and through her anus):

PELOSI: The biggest -- and so when we talk about conducting Congress in the highest -- to the highest ethical standard, with the most fiscal discipline, no new deficit spending and in the most civil way, we have to recognize that the biggest ethical challenge facing our country is the war in Iraq. (Cheers, applause.) Let's look at this not only in that opposition to the war, as I voted against it almost five years ago. (Cheers, applause.)

At the time I was the senior Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, senior Democrat. And therefore I was part of something called the Gang of Four: House, Democrat and Republican; Senate, Democrat and Republican. And we saw all of the intelligence, and I read it all.

And after I saw it, I said I'm voting against the war because the intelligence does not support the threat. (Applause.) There was nothing -- there was nothing -- in the intelligence that said that Iraq posed an imminent threat to the United States -- nothing. (Applause continues.)

So what their scare tactics -- as they were scare tactics -- that's why I say this is the most unethical -- how we sent our troops into war without the proper training, without the proper equipment, without a plan for success.

Nice leadership there. You saw the intelligence, why didn't you convince the rest of your democrat colleagues who nearly unanimously voted for the war?!?

First of all, Nancy Pelosi preaching about ethics is a bit like Saddam preaching that we need to be nicer to the Kurds.

BTW--nice try in trying to re-define what operating in "the highest ethical standard" means.

You pig!

You have no friggen clue what "ethics" means, you absolute MORON!

You want to know what ethics is, scumbag? Try looking to our soldiers who are putting it all on the line for freedom--the freedom that you and the rest of your self-righteous, self-serving, self-centered , self-absorbed leftist lemmings take for granted, in trashing the mission that they're willing to eat bullets for.

You've got some nerve, bitch!

The Jig is up...

More and more folks are questioning whether global warming is really that bad, and are starting to recognize the whole trumped-up fiasco for the ruse that it is. This is leading "Team Global Warming" to do an end around, and come up with the next impending global catastrophe:

Global cooling.

Heh.

Keith Ellison and his ties to radical Islam

KEITH ELLISON TO SPEAK AT (UNINDICTED CO-CONSPIRATOR) CAIR EVENT TONIGHT

AMERICANS AGAINST HATE CALLS ON ELLISON TO RESIGN

(Coral Springs, FL) Tonight, June 16, 2007, Congressman Keith Ellison will be a featured speaker at the First Annual Banquet of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Minnesota). This, after CAIR had just been named an “unindicted co-conspirator” in a Hamas financing case put forward by the United States government.

Ellison, less than three weeks ago, was the keynote speaker at the 4th Annual Convention of the Minnesota chapter of the Muslim American Society (MAS-Minnesota). While he spoke, MAS-Minnesota had on its website material discussing waging war against non-Muslims and the murdering of Jews. The material is still located on the group’s site.

Following his appearance, Americans Against Hate (AAH) demanded that Congressman Ellison denounce MAS for its anti-Semitic and anti-Christian statements or resign from office. Ellison has remained silent on the issue.

AAH Chairman Joe Kaufman, stated, “Being that Keith Ellison refuses to denounce the Muslim American Society, and being that he is now going to be speaking at an event sponsored by a group named by the U.S. government as a co-conspirator to Hamas, we have no choice but to call on Keith Ellison to resign from his held office as United States Representative. Congressman Ellison, by openly cavorting with bigoted and pro-terrorist elements in our society, can no longer work for the best interests of our nation.”

Also speaking at the CAIR-Minnesota banquet will be CAIR’s National Executive Director, Nihad Awad, and CAIR’s National Communications Director, Ibrahim Hooper. The event will be taking place at 6:30 pm, at the Central Park Ballroom, in Woodbury, Minnesota.

Joe Kaufman is available for interview. E-mail: info@americansagainsthate.org.

BTW--Fred Thompson is on to CAIR.

Hopefully, everyone else is catching on to their sham for what it is.

Vote for Christian Bagge!

Vote for SSG Christian Bagge

Finalist in the
Energizer "Keep Going" Hall of Fame

http://www.energizerkeepgoinghalloffame.com/

Click the link, click on 'Vote Today',
chose Christian's picture and follow the directions.

Vote through August 1, 2007.

To read Christian's story, click here

h/t Gazing at the Flag!

Philly: Love the brothers; hate the boy scouts.

Philadelphia, the "City of Brotherly Love," and the land of the tolerant, has itself taken a stand against tolerance:

Philadelphia has big city problems.

The murder rate is on the rise, and gangs make some areas unsafe even in the daytime. It's no secret that fatherless, undisciplined boys are the main reason the streets are deadly.

So what is the city doing about it? Let's imagine for a moment that we're in a Philadelphia City Council discussion.

"How about a crackdown on gangs? Or a crackdown on drug dealers?"

"Nah. Those people shoot back. I've got it! Let's persecute the Boy Scouts! They won't give the police any trouble."

"Yeah, this will be a great way to pay back those gay groups for donating to our campaigns. The media will love us, too. Watch how they'll frame this: 'Enlightened Officials Reign in Hateful, Bigoted Boy Scouts!' Good for us! Now, let's take a Starbucks break!"

So it was that on May 31, the real-life City Council, without debate, and under pressure from an organization that promotes the rights of "sexual minorities," stabbed the Scouts in the back. They voted 16 to 1 to break a 79-year-old agreement allowing the Cradle of Liberty Council of the Boy Scouts to occupy a building in a city park. The Scouts built the building in 1928, and turned it over to the city in exchange for a rent-free lease "in perpetuity." Apparently, "perpetuity" in Philadelphia now means, "until gay groups boot you out." The Scouts can stay only if they will open their ranks to open homosexuals.

Well, how about intolerance toward those who don't think like you do?

Councilman Darrell L. Clarke, the Democrat who introduced the motion, is urging the Scouts to "compromise. Honestly, no one wants to see them out of there."

Bullshit, Darrell. The very charter and tenet of the Boy Scouts demand that they keep themselves, "morally straight," a characteristic which necessarily precludes homosexual behavior. Unlike you, the Boy Scouts is an organization that actually runs on principle, not on what sounds good, or on what is expedient.

But a lib like yourself cannot possibly fathom that concept, can you?

When will the time come when liberals will cease trying to shove their godless religion down everyone else's throats?

Larry Haws has some serious competion..

Larry Haws, who can best be described as a sort of Jekyll & Hyde version of Wilford Brimley, (no kidding!)


now has some real competition for his Minnesota District 15 B legislative seat:

A St. Cloud Republican began his bid for a state legislative seat Tuesday, almost 17 months before next year's election.

Joshua Behling, 26, said he filed paperwork with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Disclosure Board that would allow him to raise money and run for a House District 15B seat occupied by Rep. Larry Haws, DFL-St. Cloud.

"I considered running in the last election, but I didn't feel it was the right time," said Behling, who became co-chairman of the Senate District 15 Republican Party earlier this year. "I'm frustrated with the way things happened at the Capitol this year. I'm frustrated by the amount of tax increase proposals that came out."

Behling, a Buffalo native, owns a small business that provides marketing and sales assistance to other small businesses. If he runs, it would be his first attempt at public elected office.

Having personally met Mr. Behling, I can tell you that along with being a young man, he has a "fire in the belly" that has led him to stand out in his administration of MN Senate District 15 BPOU.

Mr. Haws, who likes to present himself as a kindly, grandfatherly moderate, has received a dismal rating from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, and actually has chosen to endorse the way-out-left-whacko Al Franken for Minnesota's open U.S. Senate seat in 2008.

Although Mr. Haws would state otherwise, the differences couldn't be more stark, and MN SD 15 B residents will have a real choice in November of 2008.

No shit, Sherlock?!?

From Fox:

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Police on Wednesday were investigating how a naked couple fell 50 feet from the roof of a downtown office building to their deaths.

The bodies were found on the road by a passing cabdriver around 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Clothing was discovered on the roof, leading authorities to suspect the man and woman, in their early 20s, may have been having sex. (GEE--ya think so??--ed) Their identities were not released.

"It's too early to rule out anything," Columbia police Sgt. Florence McCants said, but McCants said a preliminary investigation didn't show any sign of foul play.

There did, however, appear to be quite a few signs of foreplay.

Wednesday Hero Blogburst 6/20/2007

Lance Cpl. Hatak Yuka Keyu M. Yearby
21 years old from Overbrook, Oklahoma
3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force
May 14, 2006

Hatak Yuka Keyu Martin Yearby was remembered in funeral services as a small town boy who balanced his Choctaw tribal heritage and his military life.

He did traditional American Indian dances with grace, compassion, discipline and free spirit — "the way he lived his life," the Rev. Timm Emmons said Monday.

"He had a desire to be in the military since he was a young boy. And he believed in what he was doing. He was a warrior, and he was a hero and he finished the course."

Yearby was killed by a roadside bomb, along with fellow Lance Cpl. Jose S. MarinDominguez Jr., in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, two months after he arrived in that country.

Friends and family, fellow American Indians, teachers and classmates filed past his open casket for an hour after the funeral while a U.S. Marine Corps honor guard stood at attention.

About 1,000 people attended a funeral service meant to celebrate the life of the 21-year-old newlywed from Overbrook in southern Oklahoma’s Love County.

Those who spoke in the packed Marietta High School auditorium talked of how he loved to hunt, but never came back with anything. He played tricks, won dancing awards at powwows and appeared on a recruiting magazine for Upward Bound because of a headdress he made from a T-shirt.

Nine of his friends stood on stage to remember Yearby. Jake Barber spoke for them, pausing several times to regain his composure.

"Many great words describe Hatak. The only real word you need to say is 'brother'. He will always be known to us as the ace of spades, the most important card in the deck. He touched us so dearly that words cannot explain,".

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.

On Coming Home....

Our son Doug will soon be home...

He did his time in hell:

From the Brainerd Dispatch:

...

ST. PAUL — The Red Bulls are coming home.

Almost two years after they got their mobilization orders to go to Iraq, the 2,600 Minnesota National Guard troops in the 1st Brigade Combat Team are set to return by Aug. 1, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito said Tuesday.

The unit is the longest-serving in the Iraq war. And it's served longer in combat than any other Minnesota unit since World War II. Nine of its members have been killed in Iraq. Its one-year mission in Iraq was extended by 125 days when President Bush decided to boost U.S. forces there.

The Red Bulls' path home will lead from Iraq to Kuwait to Fort McCoy, Wis., to their hometown armories, where they'll be dismissed into the company of their loved ones.

"Until these soldiers arrive at Fort McCoy, they are still in harm's way," said Shellito, the state's adjutant general. "I ask our soldiers to stay focused on the mission at hand and I ask Minnesotans to keep our troops in their prayers to ensure a safe trip back to their families."

Seventy-five soldiers from Grand Rapids got to leave early. They arrived Monday at Fort McCoy for a demobilization process that generally lasts about eight days. The bulk of the rest are expected in waves in mid- to late July, but Shellito wouldn't give exact dates for security reasons.

About 600 other Minnesota National Guard soldiers and airmen are either serving in or scheduled to go to Iraq or Afghanistan, and another 400 will leave for a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo next month. Pawlenty said it's important not to overlook them even though their deployments are smaller.

The Red Bulls went to Camp Shelby, Miss., in October 2005, and shipped to Iraq in March 2006. With the extension, they will have served 16 months in the war. They drove more than 2.2 million miles on more than 4,500 convoy missions and helped build $22 million worth of roads, schools and water and electricity infrastructure in Iraq, Shellito said.

"These individuals are tremendous heroes," Pawlenty said. "They have served our state and our nation with incredible courage and patriotism and honor and we are very, very grateful for them and their families, for all the burdens that they have endured."

Meanwhile, Minnesota is about to see an unprecedented reintegration of soldiers into civilian life. The Guard's "Beyond the Yellow Ribbon" program aims to help them adjust, bringing them back together for training, workshops and seminars every month for their first three months at home.

"Never before have so many troops come home in so short a period of time," Shellito said.

For some, adjusting back to life here could take months or even years, Pawlenty said. He urged Minnesotans to show their support and to remember those who won't be coming back.

Thank you Doug! It'll be great to have you home again!

The Sopranos and Clinton, Inc.--Birds of a Feather?

As I reported here, Hillary Clinton chose a knock-off of a Sopranos episode to unveil her new campaign song.

My training in psychology has led me to ponder a few ramifications of Clinton's choice for her little '08 debutante preview.

Was it any accident that Clinton, Inc., chose to emulate a series about a ruthless mob crime family? (I don't think that the Clintons have ever done anything by accident).

Or was it a not-so-veiled warning to those who would cross them?

I mean--think about it-- of all their choices, why choose to emulate the Sopranos?

Perhaps on a conscious level, the Clintons thought it would merely be fun to do a knock off of what was a much-discussed episode of a popular cable TV show.

But on an unconscious level, I think it possible (nay, probable) that Clinton, Inc., in their decades-long lust for power, actually feels an affinity for and identifies with the Soprano ethos.

At any rate, it should leave one thinking, shouldn't it?

Oh boo-friggen hoo.

From here:

Muslim world inflamed by Rushdie

knighthood

Sir Salman Rushdie celebrates his 60th birthday today in familiar circumstances: he is once again the subject of death threats across the Islamic world.

Eighteen years after the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling on Muslims to kill him, a government minister in Pakistan said yesterday that Rushdie’s recent knighthood justified suicide bombing.

The question of blasphemy in The Satanic Verses, Rushdie’s 1988 tale of a prophet misled by the devil, remains a deeply sensitive issue in much of the Muslim world and the author’s inclusion in the Queen’s Birthday Honours last week has inflamed anti-British sentiment.

So cry me a river, Muhammed.


Tell you what--when I see headlines that the "Muslim world" is inflamed by this, this or this, then we'll talk.

Meanwhile, save your "outrage" for someone who gives a damn.

I mean what I said here: your religion sucks.

Hillary Clinton's Smoking Gun....

Long has it been suspected that Hillary Clinton engaged in shady deals that if not outright illegal surely brought on the appearance of impropriety.

This CNS News Story has the evidence that our 2008 President-In-Waiting is not only wanting in the ethics department, she was actually caught on tape committing a felony:

(CNSNews.com) - A video tape shows New York Sen. Hillary Clinton committing felonies and should be admitted as new evidence in a California civil case, a forthcoming legal brief to be filed by Friday argues.

The tape shows Clinton - currently the leading Democratic presidential contender - speaking in 2000 with Peter Paul, a Hollywood mogul, and comic book icon Stan Lee about a massive fundraising event for her 2000 Senate race. Paul spent about $2 million of his own money to produce the event. The legal contribution limit to a candidate then was $2,000.

"The evidence is of that rare type that captures the very commission of a crime, namely, that of knowingly soliciting, coordinating and accepting federal campaign contributions far in excess of the legal limit of $2,000," says the brief to be filed by Paul's attorney with the Court of Appeal, 2nd Appellate District arguing in favor of including the tape as evidence.

Cybercast News Service first reported the existence of the tape in April.

A portion of the videotape captures the closing words of a lengthy conversation in which Paul was present.

The voice of Hillary Clinton is heard telling Lee that Paul and her chief campaign aide "talk all the time, so she'll be the person to convey whatever I need." She is then heard adding, "I wanted to call and personally thank all of you ... [and] tell you how much this means to me. It's going to mean a lot to the president, too."

Hillary, of course, had another one of her blonde moments (recorded in a sworn affadavit available at Free Republic), But this video tape appears to prove otherwise.

Will this prove to be the final undoing of Clinton, Inc? Certainly, they've slimed away from even more shady scandals. But at that time, they were the hungry ones, climbing up the ladder of the power structure of the DNC. But now there are those who may be more than willing to throw the Clintonistas under the bus and in doing so become the new focus of power in the democrat party.

That old saying comes to mind... be careful how you treat those on your way up. They'll be the same folks you'll be meeting on your way down.

***UPDATE****

In what can only be described as pure irony in light of this story, Clinton spoofs the Sopranos in her unveiling of her campaign song.

Thompson Tops ' em all!

The heretofore undeclared candidate has now topped the field.

There’s change at the top in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson earning support from 28% of Likely Republican Primary Voters. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani attracts support from 27%. While Thompson’s one-point edge is statistically insignificant, it is the first time all year that anybody but Giuliani has been on top in Rasmussen Reports polling. A week ago, Thompson and Giuliani were tied at 24%.

It remains an open question as to how Thompson will hold up once he actually enters the campaign and has to compete directly with other candidates. To date, he retains the allure of the new kid in town while GOP voters already know the things they don’t like about the others. Still, Thompson’s rise to the top provides a telling measure of how the other GOP hopefuls have failed to capture the imagination of the party they hope to lead.

Thompson's genius is inherent in the fact that he has chosen to sit out the formal process enough to get his message out in a clear manner, that stood above the din of the current field of 10 candidates. Thompson's solo appearance on Hannity & Colmes on a night when 10 other Republican hopefuls were duking it out for their literal 15 seconds of fame, when you come to think of it, was a sheer stroke of genius.

Of course, Fred will sooner or later need to declare. But you can bet that he'll remain head and shoulders above the rest, literally and figuratively, when he does.

Bestow an honorary title, and what should the muzzies do?

Why, blow people up, of course!

TEHRAN, Iran — Pakistan on Monday condemned Britain's award of a knighthood to author Salman Rushdie as an affront to Muslim sentiments, and a Cabinet minister said the honor provided a justification for suicide attacks.

In the eastern city of Multan, hard-line Muslim students burned effigies of Queen Elizabeth II and Rushdie. About 100 students carrying banners condemning the author also chanted, "Kill him! Kill him!"

On Saturday, Britain announced the knighthood for the author of "The Satanic Verses" in an honors list timed for the official celebration of the queen's 81st birthday. It has also drawn condemnation from Iran.

[SNIP]

"The West is accusing Muslims of extremism and terrorism. If someone exploded a bomb on his body he would be right to do so unless the British government apologizes and withdraws the 'sir' title," ul-Haq said, also urging Muslim countries to break diplomatic ties with London.

...Anyone else get the irony just dripping from that last paragraph?

Word to the muzzies: If you think that the bestowing of a title on someone you don't like is justification for taking innocent lives, then I have no other conclusion to draw than the fact that your religion sucks!

Pat Dollard's MAXIM interview

Read the whole thing at Pat Dollard.com.

Caucus of Corruption: An exclusive interview with Matt Margolis and Mark Noonan

Part of a perk of being a guest blogger over at Blogs for Bush is that I was able to score an exclusive interview with the blog's main contributors, who are incidentally authors of Caucus of Corruption: The Truth About the New Democratic Majority.

LEO: With such a "target rich environment" provided by the topic of your book, Caucus of Corruption: The Truth About The New Democratic Majority, how did you choose where to begin? Did you use the alphabet method?

MATT: The first step was determining how the book would be organized. There was plenty of information out there, but a lot of it is very complicated... lots of individual links in a really large chain. We organized the book essentially into two parts, "Who?" and "What?"... The first chapters each focus on one member of the Democratic Leadership (Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Charles Schumer and Rahm Emanuel) and the rest of the chapters take a look at a particular offense (connections to Jack Abramoff, sex scandals, bribery, etc.) and explain who in the Democratic Party are guilty of it.

LEO: To borrow a term from the liberal lexicon, the two of you come from geographically-diverse locations. What were some of the logistical difficulties encountered in your collaboration efforts?

MARK: Well, we're pretty much on different sides of the country, Matt lives in Massachusetts, and I live in Nevada. So, not only was there an issue with geography, but also a 3-hour time difference. Much of the research was done individually, and we shared it via email and such, but, Matt also came out to Las Vegas twice last year (a week in March, and a week in November), and spent that time working together, adding more material, writing and rewriting...

MATT: And going to the casinos.

LEO: What kind of legwork did you have to do in order to acquire your material? Was it largely available on the internet?

MATT: We're by no means super-sleuths, but it did take some digging to find a lot of the information. We discovered some skeletons in the closets of several Democrats, particularly Senator Charles Schumer, that we weren't aware of until we were doing the research for Caucus of Corruption, so we're sure it will be news to most people.

MARK: We did notice that quite a bit of the information came from wire stories that did not get picked up by the MSM. Where we would see a story of Republican corruption carried on prime news outlets, stories of Democratic corruption were placed in the "State and Local wire", which doesn't carry nearly the impact in the news cycle. It certainly helped us see how biased the media is when it comes to reporting on corruption.

LEO: Did you have any DNC "inside sources" (names would be cool-heh)?

MATT: Unfortunately Democrats are more concerned with party loyalty and their own power... they have no desire to hold their own accountable. So, no... no DNC inside sources were used or harmed in the writing of Caucus of Corruption.

MARK: That plus the fact that we didn't need the sort of inside and anonymous sources Democrats use in their efforts to defame — as we were seeking merely to tell the truth and bring balance to the debate, the public record was sufficient, and quite devastating.

LEO: As readers of Psycmeistr's Ice Palace, Blogs for Bush, and Murtha Must Go! know, I'm no fan of Jack Murtha, and tales of his corruption are legion. What do you think are the main factors behind his many re-elections in PA-12, despite his sleazy past (and present)?

MARK: Republicans don't live in the muck of the politics of personal destruction as Democrats do. Over the years the Democrats have had a great deal of success in convincing everyone that their muckraking is common to both sides, but the fact of the matter is that Republicans like to fight it out on ideas — and thus Murtha's long trail of corruption hasn't been used to full effect. Democrats go for the dirt right from the start, Republicans tend to go for it only in response to attacks. Another interesting discovery we made in researching the book is that no matter what the crime committed by a Democrat, their supporters very easily choose to ignore those transgressions for the sake of reelecting the Democrat. Former Congressman Mel Reynolds (D-IL) was indicted on statutory rape and child pornography charges in August 1994... was reelected overwhelmingly that November. He was later convicted on those (and other) charges, but was pardoned by Bill Clinton just before he left office.

MATT: Then of course, there's Gerry Studds, the Democrat from my home state of Massachusetts, who was revealed to have had a sexual affair with an underage male page in 1983, but was reelected six times afterwards by the voters of his district until he retired. The bottom line is Democrats couldn't care less about sleaze and corruption in their party. They'd rather ignore it, pretend it doesn't exist, or accuse Republicans of being worse.

MARK: The bar is, indeed, set higher for Republicans. Which is a good thing for the party. The real question is why don't Democrats -- who have campaigned against corruption -- hold themselves to a standard.

LEO: It would appear that many Democrats are "teflon" offenders; that is, the consequences of their deeds, no matter how serious, appear to slide off of them like teflon, while relatively minor offenses by conservative Republicans are dragged through the media ad nauseum. In your research for the book, have you gained any insight (other than liberal media bias) as to the reasons for the double standards? Is it that Democrats are necessarily held to lower expectations?

MATT: The reason is this: Republicans have a popular agenda, and Democrats don't; if Democrats were to tell the American people the truth about what they want to do — things like gay marriage, federally funded abortion on demand, more surrenders of our sovereignty to the UN — then they'd lose 100 seats at the next election. Lacking an agenda they can run on, Democrats will only run against the GOP. Republicans care about issues and not only fight for a conservative agenda but are proud to declare themselves "conservative." When was the last time you saw a Democrat even admit to his liberalism?

MARK: Heck, even admit to being a Democrat? Reid ran for re-election in 2004 as "an independent for Nevada"...

MATT:...and that is because Democrats and their supporters only care about power... Democrat voters have shown that they will continue to vote for corrupt Democrats regardless of whether they've committed rape, accepted bribes, killed someone, funneled money to their family, whatever... they will reelect them over and over. There is no desire for accountability within the Democratic Party.

So, I wouldn't even say that Democrats hold themselves to lower standards... I don't think they have any standards at all.

MARK: Of course, Democrats would probably say the same thing about Republicans, but let's look at the facts. Bob Ney is no longer in Congress. Randy "Duke" Cunningham is no longer in Congress. Reps. Doolittle and Renzi are under investigation, but haven't been indicted yet, but they still stepped down from their committees anyway.

Now let's look at some Democrats. We already mentioned Gerry Studds and Mel Reynolds. But there are several Democrats mentioned in Caucus of Corruption that are still serving. William Jefferson, who was reelected last year even though he was under investigation for bribery. Senator Bob Menendez was elected to a full term in the Senate even with several scandals he was involved in and a federal probe launched into his financial dealings. Rep. Alan Mollohan was overwhelmingly reelected in spite of an ongoing federal investigation. Democrats have repeatedly and consistently shown that even the most egregious crimes, if they are committed by Democrats, they get a free pass.

LEO: In doing your research, have the McCain-Feingold "Campaign Finance Reform" laws been effective in their original intent? What sort of loopholes inherent in the bill have been utilized to skirt its restrictions? What parts of the bill have been completely ignored?

MATT: The ironic thing about campaign finance reform is that Democrats are the biggest proponents of campaign finance reform and also some of the worst violators of campaign finance laws. And some, like Nancy Pelosi, might not be in power today if they hadn't broken laws to get ahead.

MARK: It's not even just a question of loopholes in most cases, we found several examples of flagrant violations of campaign finance laws. But the loopholes are also quite interesting — want to know how to bribe a politician? Its really quite simple: you donate to his campaign, and he pays his wife/brother/kid/lover/etc for being some sort of a campaign consultant — the money still winds up in the politicians pocket, and all perfectly legal. Neat job, if you can get it — and be dishonorable enough to be able to sleep at night after you do it. It also shows that the Democrats alleged desire to "get money out of politics" is really a desire to get conservative money out of politics — the laws severely hamper grassroots organizations from raising money and being heard, but they really do nothing to prevent Democrats ensconced in power from doing whatever they please.

LEO: Of all the scandals that you covered, which do you think was the most damaging to the welfare of the United States and its national security, and why?

MATT: Certainly, if you look at the way Democrats treat the military, particularly in the context of the war in Iraq, there is little doubt that Democrats been emboldening our enemies, which is a major threat to our national security.

MARK: This goes back several years. Back to Vietnam, in fact. You have the future Senator from Massachusetts John Kerry accusing American soldiers of war crimes, and participating in a meeting of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War during which a plan to assassinate pro-war senators was discussed. The of course there's Ted Kennedy corresponding with the KGB in the 1980s with the intent of undermining Ronald Reagan's foreign policy and reelection. It seems like Democrats are willing to go to any length, even actions that could be considered treasonous, in order to undermine Republicans in power for the sake of their own ambitions.

LEO: While I understand that keeping up with the continuing flow of corruption coming from D.C. and elsewhere can be a bit like herding cats, are there nonetheless plans to update your book? If so, do you see an update in time for the 2008 elections?

MATT: We're definitely keeping tabs on ongoing revelations of corruption in the Democratic Party. Since the book has come out, there's been more information revealed about Dianne Feinstein's conflicts of interest for chairing the Military Construction Appropriations subcommittee, Barack Obama's ties to Tony Rezko, and even a Nancy Pelosi earmark that will likely financially benefit her family. We hope that our book will help make people (especially partisan Democrats) aware that corruption occurs on both sides of the aisle and there's no use in pretending that one side is guilty and the other is not. Caucus of Corruption would not have been necessary if Democrats were being held to account to the extent Republicans have been.

MARK: Now, that doesn't mean we don't think Republicans should be held accountable for corruption. On the contrary, we believe the Republican Party ultimately benefits when its corrupt members are let go. The problem is that they're the only ones being held accountable, while the other side aisle gets away with anything and everything. Government will never be rid of corruption if one party (the Republican Party) is taking all the heat, and the other party (the Democrats) are allowed to continue being corrupt while gaining more and more power.

LEO: In terms of writing, I harken back to P.J. O'Rourke, who once stated, "I hate writing, but love having written." What were your biggest challenges in writing the book?

MATT: Finishing it. It was hard to know when and where to stop, there was so much to put in there.

MARK: That was a problem; but I also found it a challenge to not get too angry — to not allow bile to build up and flow into the work. We're watching our country being sacrificed to the personal ambitions of petty-minded politicians, and getting down into that muck was hard at times.

LEO: What were your greatest rewards?

MATT: Holding the final print version of the book for the first time was really exciting. Also, going to the book store and seeing it on the shelf was a great moment for me.

MARK: It is a humbling thing to think that what you've written is actually being purchased by people — and purchased by people who have many other things they can spend their money on. My reward for this is the thought that at some level I am helping to move people towards doing the right thing — Republican or Democrat, it doesn't really matter, in the end: we want corruption stamped out, and my hope is that this book plays at least a small part in helping that happen.

LEO: What are your future plans in promoting the book?

MARK: We're just going to do everything we can to make sure as many people know about the book as possible. We particularly hope that bloggers will play a big part in getting the word out!

LEO: Thanks, Matt & Mark-- Best of luck to you!

***UPDATE***

Welcome Blogs for Bush readers. Please click here for latest posts..

Are you listening, Washington? (Updated & Bumped)

Only 20 percent of American voters want the Immigration Reform Amnesty bill passed.

Just 20% of American voters want Congress to try and pass the immigration reform bill that failed in the Senate last week. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 51% would like their legislators to “take smaller steps towards reform” while 16% believe they should wait until next year. The surve

y was conducted on Monday and Tuesday night as the President was publicly attempting to rally support for the legislation.

Sixty-nine percent (69%) of voters would favor an approach that focuses exclusively on “exclusively on securing the border and reducing illegal immigration.” Support for the enforcement only approach comes from 84% of Republicans, 55% of Democrats, and 69% of those not affiliated with either major party.

Overall, just 21% are opposed to the enforcement-only approach.

Just 30% would favor legislation that focused “exclusively on legalizing the status of undocumented workers already living in the United States.” Fifty-seven percent (57%) oppose that strategy, including 63% of Republicans, 52% of Democrats, and 55% of unaffiliated voters.

Fifty-seven percent (57%) favor a proposal giving “all illegal aliens up to three years to leave the United States. After leaving, the illegal aliens would have to get in line and wait their turn for legal entry into the United States.” Support for that concept comes from 67% of Republicans, 49% of Democrats, and 56% of unaffiliated voters.

The Senate immigration reform bill that failed last week was far more popular in Congress than among the American people. It was strongly opposed by a cross-section of the nation’s voters. At the end, just 23% of voters favored the legislation.

If this travesty is resurrected, mutiny in both parties can be the only logical conclusion.

***UPDATE***



From here:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Left for dead a week ago, legislation to strengthen border security while bestowing legal status on millions of illegal immigrants is showing signs of life.

Senate leaders announced plans Thursday night to revive the White House-backed measure as early as next week, although neither Majority Leader Harry Reid nor his GOP counterpart, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, issued any predictions the bill ultimately would pass.

Instead, they issued a statement that said in its entirety: "We met this evening with several of the senators involved in the immigration bill negotiations. Based on that discussion, the immigration bill will return to the Senate floor after completion" of sweeping energy legislation that has occupied the Senate this week.

There was no immediate reaction from the bill's numerous Senate critics, who have consistently attacked the legislation as conferring amnesty on the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the country.

At the White House, spokesman Scott Stanzel said, "We are encouraged by the announcement from Senate leaders that comprehensive immigration reform will be brought back up for consideration."

And as Kevin says:

So make sure to call Senator Coleman and the rest of the Republican Senators and let them know that regardless of what backroom deals they’ve made with Ted Kennedy, this is not the bill you want.

Coleman’s office

Numbers of other key senators:

Richard Burr (R-NC)
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
John Ensign (R-NV)
Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
Trent Lott (R-MS)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
John Warner (R-VA)

This is HUGE! Early signs for Ovarian Cancer found

My mother, who was taken from this world oh, so soon 11 years ago, died from ovarian cancer. Two months after receiving an otherwise "clean bill of health," she went in with gastrointestinal difficulties; did an MRI, underwent exploratory surgery, and was given 6 weeks to live.

Despite the odds, my mother chose to be treated, and actually walked out of hospice two weeks later, and was back home in three weeks; at some points tests showed her free of cancer. She spent the next two years ministering to others before ovarian cancer re-claimed her at the age of 71 years.

Thing about it is, my mother didn't know she had ovaries. She had a hysterectomy in the mid 1960s, at which time she thought they took her ovaries, along with her uterus.

There was no warning sign for ovarian cancer. That is why it is often called, "The Silent Killer."

This article from Fox News, however, suggests that there is hope for women avoiding the insidious suffering that my mother went through:

ATLANTA — For the first time, cancer experts are advising women of certain symptoms that might alert them to ovarian cancer, a medically infamous "silent killer" that is hard to spot early and is one of the deadliest tumors.

Suddenly experiencing weeks of bloating, the need to urinate frequently, eating changes and abdominal or pelvic pain — either one of these or a combination — could be a tip-off to early ovarian cancer, according to several groups of cancer experts.

The American Cancer Society and other organizations released a consensus statement Wednesday listing the symptoms. Historically, doctors have believed there are no early signs of ovarian cancer, which is expected to kill about 15,000 American women this year.

"There's been this myth about ovarian cancer being silent and people saying there's nothing you can do about it. Well, that's simply not true anymore," said Dr. Barbara Goff, a University of Washington cancer specialist.

There is no early screening test; a regular pelvic exam is considered the main way to detect the cancer early.

The cancer society wrote the consensus statement along with the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation and theSociety of Gynecologic Oncologists.

The experts say women should see their doctor if they suddenly experience any of these symptoms daily for at least three weeks:

—Bloating.

—Pelvic or abdominal pain.

—Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly.

—Frequent or urgent urination.

But the guidelines are problematic, said Debbie Saslow, the cancer society's director of breast and gynecologic

cancer.

Many women with these symptoms are more likely to have irritable bowel syndrome than ovarian cancer, she said. Also, there are no highly accurate tests to clearly confirm ovarian cancer at such an early stage.

That means pursuing the symptoms as a harbinger of ovarian cancer may, in some cases, lead to biopsies and other treatments that will do more harm than good.

"That was the frustration with this," Saslow said. But experts decided to issue the statement anyway, because important recent studies by Goff have indicated the sudden appearance of these symptoms in healthy women may be an important indicator.

Doctors said they expect media coverage of the guidelines will unleash a flood of queries from nervous women.

"I would expect an increase in calls from people wanting to come in and find out what is the cause of their symptoms. But if a patient is properly evaluated, it should not lead to an undue increase in diagnostic testing," said Dr. George Mussalli, chairman of the obstetrics and gynecology departments at St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan.

Proper evaluation includes asking whether a woman has a family history of breast or ovarian cancer or has tested positive for a genetic mutation associated with those conditions, said Jane Langridge, who heads the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, an advocacy group.

Women should initially be evaluated by a gynecologist, but they should go to a specialist in gynecologic cancers if more testing and treatment is contemplated, she added.

Doctors check for ovarian cancer with ultrasound, a blood test and an exam in which a doctor feels for a mass. Unfortunately, none are considered highly accurate. The blood test — which checks for a protein that can indicate ovarian cancer — is particularly problematic, some doctors said.

"In premenopausal women, it's almost useless. So many other factors can elevate it," said Dr. Stuart Pancer, an obstetrician/gynecologist at DeKalb Medical, an Atlanta-area hospital system.

Still, Pancer and others said it's important that more women and their doctors practice vigilance.

"We hope this is going to save lives," Goff said.

Among cancers, ovarian is the fifth leading killer of women. It accounts for about 6 percent of female cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society.

Lung cancer is No. 1, accounting for more than a quarter of all female cancer deaths. Cancers of the breast, colon and rectum, and pancreas also kill more women.

Survival rates vary by age: Women younger than 65 are about twice as likely to survive at least five years after diagnosis. The overall survival rate is 76 percent after one year and 45 percent after five years.

Survival rates are much higher if the cancer is caught at an early, localized stage, but only one in five ovarian cancers are detected at that point, according to the cancer society.

Ovarian cancer is an insidious affliction, and is an extremely painful way to die. Despite the fact that there may be many false positives as far as early identification, at least in my personal experience, it would have been well worth it if my mother had the knowledge to go in early.