Not Jane Fonda
After I wrote the post about Hanoi Jane, I got to thinking about another story, about another actress from the Vietnam Era.

But Ann-Margaret was not Jane Fonda.

From "Truth or Fiction?"

Full size

Ann-Margret's Spontaneous Tribute to Vietnam Vets at a Book SigningTruth!
Summary of the eRumor:   A warm story about a Vietnam vet who wanted actress Ann-Margret to sign a snapshot he had taken of her when she once performed for troops in Vietnam. He and his wife went to a bookstore where Ann-Margret was autographing books, but an announcement was made that she would be signing books only, not other memorabilia. The vet decided to get in line anyway to at least show her the picture and tell her how much visits like hers meant to troops so far from home. When she saw the photo, tears came to her eyes and she called him one of her "gentlemen from Vietnam" and said she would sign the photo for him. She gave him a kiss and told the crowd how much she appreciated the veterans for what they had done. It was emotional for those in the crowd, but especially so for the vet who later told his wife it had been the first time anyone had thanked him for his service in the Army. Like other Vietnam vets, he returned to an America that had been tormented by the controversial conflict and did not offer the warmth, gratitude, and enthusiasm enjoyed by soldiers returning from other military actions.
The Truth:   This story is true. We have confirmed it with both a spokesperson for Ann-Margret and a member of her family.  Her web site receives hundreds of emails from veterans asking about the story as well as many emails from former soldiers who appreciated Ann-Margret's trips to Vietnam or Korea to entertain troops.
A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:
From a Viet Nam veterans' wife Richard, (my husband), never really talked a lot about his time in Viet Nam other than he had been shot by a sniper. However, he had a rather grainy, 8 x 10 black & white photo he had taken at a USO show of Ann Margaret with Bob Hope in the background that was one of his treasures.  A few years ago, Ann Margaret was doing a book signing at a local bookstore. Richard wanted to see if he could get her to sign the treasured photo so he arrived at the bookstore at 12 o'clock for the 7:30 signing. When I got there after work, the line went all the way around the bookstore, circled the parking lot, and disappeared behind a parking garage.  Before her appearance, bookstore employees announced that she would sign only her book and no memorabilia would be permitted. Richard was disappointed, but wanted to show her the photo and let her know how much those shows meant to lonely GI's so far from home.  Ann Margaret came out looking as beautiful as ever and, as 2nd in line, it was soon Richard's turn. He presented the book for her signature and then took out the photo. When he did, there were many shouts from the employees that she would not sign it. Richard said, "I understand. I just wanted her to see it".  She took one look at the photo, tears welled up in her eyes and she said, "This is one of my gentlemen from Viet Nam and I most certainly will sign his photo. I know what these men did for their country and I always have time for "my gentlemen". With that, she pulled Richard across the table and planted a big kiss on him. She then made quite a to do about the bravery of the young men she met over the years, how much she admired them, and how much she appreciated them. There weren't too many dry eyes among those close enough to hear. She then posed for pictures and acted as if he was the only one there.  Later at dinner, Richard was very quiet. When I asked if he'd like to talk about it, my big strong husband broke down in tears. "That's the first time anyone ever thanked me for my time in the Army", he said.  Richard, like many others, came home to people who spit on him and shouted ugly things at him. That night was a turning point for him. He walked a little straighter and, for the first time in years, was proud to have been a Vet. I'll never forget Ann Margaret for her graciousness and how much that small act of kindness meant to my husband. I now make it a point to say Thank You to every person I come across who served in our Armed Forces. Freedom does not come cheap and I am grateful for all those who have served their country.  If you'd like to pass on this story, feel free to do so. Perhaps it will help others to become aware of how important it is to acknowledge the contribution our service people make.

Technorati Tag:Jane Fonda***Hanoi Jane***Vietnam***Ann-Margaret

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There Is No Such Thing As An Ex-Marine
I chose that title to emphasize that the friend at work who emailed me the following missive is a Retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant. You can be Ex-Army, Ex-Navy or Ex-Airforce, but once a Marine always a Marine particularly Gunnys ;-) and they have been known to hold grudges.


Dan, have you seen this before ?????
Marv

Subject:: A Traitor Soon to be Honored
> >
> > IF YOU NEVER FORWARDED ANYTHING IN YOU LIFE, FORWARD THIS SO
>THAT
> >EVERYONE WILL KNOW!!!!!!.......
> > She really was a traitor
> >
> > A TRAITOR IS ABOUT TO BE HONORED
> > KEEP THIS MOVING ACROSS AMERICA
> > This is for all the kids born in the 70's who do
> > not remember, and didn't have to bear the
> > burden that our fathers, mothers and older
> > brothers and sisters had to bear.
> > Jane Fonda is being honored as one of the
> > "100 Women of the Century."
> > BY BARBRA WALTERS
> > Unfortunately, many have forgotten and still
> > countless others have never known how Ms.
> > Fonda betrayed not only the idea of our country,
> > but specific men who served and sacrificed
> > during Vietnam.
> >
> > The first part of this is from an F-4E pilot
> > The pilot's name is Jerry Driscoll, a River Rat.
> > In 1968, the former Commandant of the USAF
> > Survival School was a POW in Ho Lo Prison
> > the "Hanoi Hilton."
> > Dragged from a stinking cesspit of a cell,
> > cleaned, fed, and dressed in clean PJ's, he was
> > ordered to describe for a visiting American
> > "Peace Activist" the "lenient and humane
> > treatment" he'd received.
> > He spat at Ms. Fonda, was clubbed, and was
> > dragged away.
> > During the subsequent beating, he fell forward
> > on to the camp Commandant's feet, which
> > sent that officer berserk.
> > In 1978, the Air Force Colonel still suffered from
> > double vision (which permanently ended his
> > flying career) from the Commandant's frenzied
> > application of a wooden baton.
> > From 1963-65, Col. Larry Carrigan was in the
> > 47FW/DO (F-4E's). He spent 6 years in the
> > "Hanoi Hilton",,, the first three of which his
> > family only knew he was "missing in action".
> > His wife lived on faith that he was still alive.
> > His group, too, got the cleaned-up, fed and
> > clothed routine in preparation for a
> > "peace delegation" visit.
> > They, however, had time and devised a plan to
> > get word to the world that they were alive
> > and still survived. Each man secreted a tiny
> > piece of paper, with his Social Security Number
> > on it, in the palm of his hand.
> > When paraded before Ms. Fonda and a
> > cameraman, she walked the line, shaking each
> > man's hand and asking little encouraging
> > snippets like: "Aren't you sorry you bombed
> > babies?" and "Are you grateful for the humane
> > treatment from your benevolent captors?"
> > Believing this HAD to be an act, they each
> > palmed her their sliver of paper.
> > She took them all without missing a beat. At the
> > end of the line and once the camera stopped
> > rolling, to the shocked disbelief of the POWs,
> > she turned to the officer in charge and handed
> > him all the little pieces of paper.
> > Three men died from the subsequent beatings.
> > Colonel Carrigan was almost number four
> > but he survived, which is the only reason we
> > know of her actions that day.
> > I was a civilian economic development advisor
> > in Vietnam, and was captured by the North
> > Vietnamese communists in South Vietnam in
> > 1968, and held prisoner for over 5 years.
> > I spent 27 months in solitary confinement; one
> > year in a cage in Cambodia; and one year
> > in a "black box" in Hanoi.
> > My North Vietnamese captors deliberately
> > poisoned and murdered a female missionary, a
> > nurse in a leprosarium in Ban me Thuot, South
> > Vietnam, whom I buried in the jungle near the
> > Cambodian border.
> > At one time, I weighed only about 90 lbs.
> > (My normal weight is 170 lbs.)
> >
> > We were Jane Fonda's "war criminals."
> > When Jane Fonda was in Hanoi, I was asked by
> > the camp communist political officer if I would
> > be willing to meet with her.
> > I said yes, for I wanted to tell her about the
>real
> > treatment we POWs received... and how
> > different it was from the treatment purported by
> > the North Vietnamese, and parroted by her as
> > "humane and lenient."
> > Because of this, I spent three days on a rocky
> > floor on my knees, with my arms outstretched
> > with a large steel weights placed on my hands,
> > and beaten with a bamboo cane.
> > I had the opportunity to meet with Jane Fonda
> > soon after I was released. I asked her
> > if she would be willing to debate me on TV.
> > She never did answer me.
> > These first-hand experiences do not exemplify
> > someone who should be honored as part
> > of "100 Years of Great Women."
> > Lest we forget..." 100 Years of Great Women"
> > should never include a traitor whose hands are
> > covered with the blood of so many patriots.
> > There are few things I have strong visceral
> > reactions to, but Hanoi Jane's participation in
> > blatant treason, is one of them.
> > Please take the time to forward to as many
> > people as you possibly can.
> > It will eventually end up on her computer and
> > she needs to know that we will never forget.
> > RONALD D. SAMPSON, CMSgt, USAF
> > 716 Maintenance Squadron, Chief of
> > Maintenance
> > DSN: 875-6431
> > COMM: 883-6343
> > PLEASE HELP BY SENDING THIS TO
> > EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK. IF
> > ENOUGH PEOPLE SEE THIS MAYBE HER
> > STATUS WILL CHANGE
> >

Now I grew up Navy Bases, back home the oldtimers refer to my Dad as Chief, he retired as a Chief Warrant Officer. When a Bosun or a Gunny tells you to do something you just do it.

Besides I agree with the message I got sent. I don't think Hanoi Jane deserves the accolade.

Being for Peace is one , doing a photo op in an anti-aircraft gun emplacement with a Power we are at War with, used to be called Giving Aid and Comfort to the Enemy. What's the difference between Hanoi Jane and Tokyo Rose?

Technorati Tag:Jane Fonda***Hanoi Jane***Vietnam***Hanoi

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Those Who Bite The Hand That Feeds Them
From IRIS to my email in box to you.

Abbas' Fatah Declares War on US "Without Mercy"

Last week, IRIS was probably the first to ask the question whether the universally reported Hamas-Fatah civil war is a scam. Certainly America and Israel have been snookered by Arafat and Abbas' good cop (Fatah) / bad cop (Hamas) routine for years. When speaking in Arabic, however, Fatah is as just as bad a cop as any, as this story shows:

Fatah's Al-Aksa Brigades and Others Declare War on America
Four Palestinian Authority terrorist groups, including that of PA President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah organization, called on Muslims worldwide to attack America "with no mercy."

In a joint statement issued on Sunday, the four groups announced that the United States will be a target for them to the same extent Israel is....

The statement more specifically called on the Arab states to support the terrorist groups financially and materially, to "enhance the resistance against the Israeli and American enemy."

Fatah's Al-Aksa Brigades and Others Declare War on America
16:18 Nov 13, '06 / 22 Cheshvan 5767
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

Four Palestinian Authority terrorist groups, including that of PA President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah organization, called on Muslims worldwide to attack America "with no mercy."

Defense/Middle East

Fatah's Al-Aksa Brigades and Others Declare War on America
16:18 Nov 13, '06 / 22 Cheshvan 5767
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz


Four Palestinian Authority terrorist groups, including that of PA President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah organization, called on Muslims worldwide to attack America "with no mercy."


In a joint statement issued on Sunday, the four groups announced that the United States will be a target for them to the same extent Israel is. They warned that they will attack American targets because of "American support for Israeli crimes and acts of massacre, such as the one in Beit Hanoun."

In the joint communique, the terrorists call on "all free people of the world, and all the mujahadeen [jihadists] to hit the US with no mercy." They added that "Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan are all being destroyed by American weapons; they who plant the bombs and destruction in the region should reap the results of what they planted with their soldiers and warplanes."

The statement more specifically called on the Arab states to support the terrorist groups financially and materially, to "enhance the resistance against the Israeli and American enemy."

The communique was released in reaction to the US veto on Saturday of a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have condemned Israel's counter-terrorism offensive in the Gaza region, which apparently led to the deaths of at least 18 Arab civilians. The resolution also would have established a UN fact-finding team, as well as creating "an international mechanism" tasked with "protection of the civilian populations." In their joint statement, the terrorist groups called the UNSC a "false council... to protect Israel and its security, to the detriment of Palestinian blood."

In addition to the Fatah's Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades, the call to attack the U.S. was issued by the Popular Resistance Committee's Salah A-Din (Saladin) Brigades, the ad-hoc Abu Rish Brigades and the Tawheed Brigades. The last-mentioned group may be affiliated with the international terrorist organization Al-Qaeda.

The four terrorist factions declared: "America, of the false civilization, ignores yet again the blood of innocent people. They have no guilt, yet the Americans look at it [Palestinian blood] as cheaper than Jewish blood. Beit Hanoun was a massacre committed by Israeli hands, using American weapons under US official supervision, with a green light from the US, completed by the Americans' use of the veto in the Security Council

You can go here to see the amounts and kind of assistance USAID provides to these ingrates.




Is U.S. policy pro-Israeli and anti-Palestinian?

The US Government has long maintained a close relationship with the Government of Israel. However, this support for Israel does not imply that the U.S. is anti-Palestinian. Indeed, as stated repeatedly by President Bush, the U.S. supports the establishment of a Palestinian state that will exist side-by-side with Israel in peace. The extraordinary amounts of assistance provided to Palestinians by USAID since 1994 is intended to further that policy.

How much is the USAID WB/G budget?
Since 1994, the regular USAID annual budget has been approximately $75 million. In 2000, the U.S. Congress provided an additional $400 million to USAID for the Palestinian people to facilitate the implementation of the Wye River Peace Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Therefore, between 1994 and 2002, USAID received approximately $1.1 billion for development assistance programs in the West Bank and Gaza. The $1.1 billion appropriated during this period constitutes the third largest amount provided by the U.S. Government for any foreign assistance program. Moreover, according to the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation 's (MOPIC) comparative data, the U.S. is the highest disbursing bilateral donor in the West Bank and Gaza.

I don't know about you, but I want my money back. If not that, at least when a dog bites the hand that feeds it we can stop.

Technorati Tag:IRIS***Gaza***Arafat***Abbas***Palestinian Authority
***Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades***Fatah ***USAID

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The Great Brand Space Race

The Great Wall of China has for some 600 years reigned alone as the solitary example of Human Endeavor visible from outer space.

Recently it was joined in the Terrestrial Pantheon by the Col Sanders KFC logo.

The SOUTH SHALL RISE AGAIN! Shiver in fear you Yankee and Euroweenies!

KFC seeks 'alien customers'

by JOEL TAYLOR - Monday, November 13, 2006

For decades the Great Wall of China was rumored to be the only man-made structure visible from space but now it has been joined by a fast food chain.

KFC, with its new self-styled astrovertisement – a huge face of its founder Colonel Sanders – can now be seen by extraterrestrials peering down at Earth. Lucky old them.

The American food giant built the face in the Nevada desert, near Area 51, notorious for its UFO sightings, as part of a global rebranding.

It is made up of 65,000 tiles – 6,000 red, 14,000 white, 12,000 eggshell, 5,000 beige and 28,000 black – a n d was p u t together by a 50-strong team working round the clock for more than three weeks.

The face is 8,120 sq metres (87,500 sq ft) and nearly seven times the size of the London Eye. Photos of the logo were taken last week by a satellite circling Earth at an altitude of 490km (300 miles).

But, despite claims that KFC is 'boldly going where no brand has gone before', the advert may have been beaten in the space race.

Earlier this year lads magazine Maxim claimed its 30m (100ft) poster of Desperate Wives star Eva Longoria near Las Vegas could be seen on Google Earth.

And Coca-Cola also entered the space race with a 120m logo made from 70,000 bottles near the town of Arica, Chile.

Quite what ET might make of these adverts remains unknown. Launching the new KFC logo, president Graham Allen boasted: 'The Colonel is a global icon and we want everyone in the universe to see his new look.'

The new logo sees Colonel Sanders keep his famous string tie but replaces the white suit with a bright red apron.

It is only the third time since the chain was launched in 1952 that the logo has changed.

But the project nearly didn't happen when torrential rain forced designers to move the giant face from flatlands in Utah to Rachel, Nevada. Perhaps ET doesn't like KFC after all.

The Die is cast I would expect McDonalds to make their move in the near future.

Update:My buddy Gabe and I were talking about his at work on break and he came up with an interesting question.

Could the Faces on Mars be Ads? Are ETs Capitalists?

Been Here Before?

Technorati Tag:KFC***Col. Sanders***Great Wall of China***Coca-Cola

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By All Means, Don?t Connect the Dots
"You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you."
Lev Davidovich Bronstein AKA Leon Trotsky

Hat Tip !No Pasaran!

the fuse is lit!

This seems to be some clips from the Movie Obsession. It is worth viewing the entirety.

MEDIA: TRAILER & EXCLUSIVE CLIPS

Download the trailer to your computer:
- Quicktime version (~2.2 megs)
- Windows Media version (~1.7 megs)



To download a trailer with a higher resolution, please email us at info@obsessionthemovie.com


View the 12 minute version!

EXCLUSIVE CLIPS


The Culture of Jihad (1:26)

How Jihad is taught and praised in Arab classrooms.

Hitler & The Mufti (0:56)

The historic links between the Nazi leader and radical Islamic ideology.

The Media Of Terrorism (1:33)

How a pervasive, propaganda-based Arab media teaches hatred to adults and children alike.

The War Against The West (1:40)

Radical Islam is waging a war against western culture and Judeo-Christian values.

If you have problems viewing any of these clips, they can also be seen here.

There are two speakers in this trailer, who were born into Terrorism, were raised in Terrorism and freed themselves from that Ideology,Walid Shoebat and Nonie Darwish, it would also be worthwhile going to their websites and reading their thoughts.

Biography of Walid Shoebat
Born in Bethlehem of Judea, Walid's grandfather was the Muslim Mukhtar (chieftain) of Beit Sahour-Bethlehem (The Shepherd's Fields) and a friend of Haj-Ameen Al-Husseni, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and notorious friend of Adolf Hitler.

Walid's great grandfather, Abdullah Ali Awad-Allah, was also a fighter and close associate of both Abdul Qader and Haj Amin Al-Husseini, who led the Palestinians against Israel. Walid lived through and witnessed Israel?s Six Day War while living in Jericho.

As a young man, he became a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and participated in acts of terror and violence against Israel, and was later imprisoned in the Russian Compound, Jerusalem's central prison for incitement and violence against Israel.

After his release, he continued his life of violence and rioting in Bethlehem and the Temple Mount. After entering the U.S, he worked as a counselor for the Arab Student Organization at Loop College in Chicago and continued his anti-Israel activities.

In 1993, Walid studied the Tanach (Jewish Bible) in a challenge to convert his wife to Islam. Six months later, after intense study, Walid realized that everything he had been taught about Jews was a lie. Convinced he was on the side of evil, he became an advocate for his former enemy.

Driven by a deep passion to heal his own soul, and to bring the truth about the Jews and Israel to the world, Walid shed his former life and his work as a software engineer and set out to tirelessly bring the cause of Israel to tens of thousands of people throughout the world: churches and synagogues, civic groups, government leaders and media.

Walid has written several online books including "Dear Muslim, Let Me Tell You Why I Believed" and "Israel, And The World's Mock Trial?, where he exposes anti-Semitism and the hatred of Jews in both the Islamic Christian and secular worlds.

Walid is an American citizen and lives in the USA with his wife and children, under this assumed name



Now They Call Me Infidel : Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror (Hardcover) is Nonie Darwish's personal story of tragedy and redemption, as well as a scholarly analysis of Middle-Eastern culture. Every Western statesman, indeed every European and American citizen will benefit from Ms. Darwish's unique insights into the danger to Western civilization posed by Radical Islam and sustained by deep-rooted Arab/Muslim cultural dynamics

Technorati Tag:WTC***Walid Shoebat***Jihad***Nonie Darwish>***Obsession: The Movie

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The Open Trackback Alliance XLX
UPDATE: Denmark Exports Soaring

After blogger Judith Klinghoffer and an army of Davids declared a "Buy Danish" campaign to combat the Muslim boycott. The Guardian says "fervent rightwing Americans" participated in the buying spree and implies that the cartoonists were responsible for the deaths of 139 people.(like it was the cartoonists who killed those people instead of the ones who shed their blood, how like the Progressive TransNazi viewpoint)

For your listening pleasure while you browse

"Der er et yndigt land" (There Is A Lovely Land)

Words by: Adam Gottlob Oehlenschlager
Music by: Hans Ernst Kr?yer
Adopted: 1844

"Derer et yndigt land" was first performed for a large gathering of Danes in 1844, and became popular quickly with the Danish people. It was adopted later that year by the Danish government as a national anthem, but not the sole national anthem. This anthem is on equal status with "Kong Christian",which is both the national and royal anthem.

When the Danish anthem is usually performed or sung, the first verse is played in its entirety, then it is followed by the last four lines of the last verse. (This is true whether the lyrics are sung or not



Recentlty I have been posting music to Illustrate the Diversity of America, this week I have a different motive to express Solidarity with DENMARK

I maintain my Support of Denmark, and will later today, post links to and my thoughts about a Danish Editorial "We are being pissed upon by Per Nyholm "

I think I shall title my Post, "There is no "But" in "Freedom of Speech".




When I first started upon my journey through the blogverse I created a Statement of Purpose
Now upon reading it, one can realize that I did not hold to every detail of that original statement, but from it's basic premise, I have never swayed, in my belief that the Blogs are in fact the Committees of Correspondence of the Second American Revolution.

And that it is a Revolution of Information, no longer can we afford and allow elite gateways to control what we can see, hear and discuss.

For I believe that those bloggers who find their way, here and in particular from the Blogs associated with Sam.

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.

Some of us are more Serious, some of us are more lighthearted and some post the common ordinary things that make one smile and recall that Life without the simple things to treasure is meaningless.

And it is important that all have a platform from which to speak.

As I understand this process you can link to this post and trackback to this post on ANY subject or post you think important. It is open. I will repeat this every Monday.

The Committees of Correspondence welcomes your intelligent comments. And also welcomes you to join the

OPEN TRACKBACK ALLIANCE

This week I also have shortened my usual introduction for a more inportant message.

In it's struggle for Freedom of Speech.

Sign the Petition NOW!

JEG opstille hos Danmark!

46932 Total Signatures 12:36 AM CDT November 13, 2006 We can do better pass the word~!

From Agora a call to Support the Manifesto online by signing another Petition, why not sign both?


MANIFESTO: Together facing the new totalitarianism
Created by Mark Jefferson on March 1st, 2006 at 5:42 pm AST

After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new totalitarian global threat: Islamism.
We, writers, journalists, intellectuals, call for resistance to religious totalitarianism and for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values for all. "

Blogs that Trackback to this Post:

On Monday
The New Senate from 123beta
The Threat of Escalating Lawlessness from Freedom Folks
Breaking News --> Saddam has escaped!!! from Planck's Constant
OTA - Employee of the Month from Planck's Constant
Michael Jackson Dead? from Planck's Constant

Y'al come back now, Y'heah? ;-)
Technorati Tag:Denmark***Free Speech***Jihad***Army of Davids

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The Great Party Chairman Face Off
Now this could really make the next two years interesting.
Howard Dean and Michael Steele
faced off at ten paces across the American Political Landscape.




From Captain's Quarters in Steele For RNC Chief

The Washington Times reports this morning that Michael Steele will have his choice of high-profile jobs after losing a tough race to Benjamin Cardin for Maryland's open Senate seat. With Ken Mehlman's announcement of his resignation as Republican National Committee chair, many have openly speculated that Steele will get the nod as his replacement. However, Karl Rove wants Steele in Bush's Cabinet, possibly to lead HUD:

Also last night, Republican officials told The Times that Mr. Steele, who lost his bid for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, has been sought out to succeed Mr. Mehlman as national party chairman. Those Republican officials said Mr. Steele had not made a decision whether to take the post, as of last night.

Other Republican Party officials said some Republican National Committee (RNC) members, including state party chairmen, have mounted a move to have Mr. Steele succeed Mr. Mehlman

Now I like this idea, because Mr Steele impressed me quite a bit. Let's hope they carry through and then let Howard Dean make cracks like:

"You think the Republican National Committee could get this many people of color in a single room?," Dean asked to laughter. "Only if they had the hotel staff in here."
It would be a lot different if he is faced off with the Michael Steele "in the entire history of the state of Maryland, exactly one person of African-American heritage has been elected to any statewide office. His name is Michael Steele."

One thing is certain National Chairmanship of the Republican Party is not a token position. It would be Power sharing and a commitment to the future in a big way.
Technorati Tags:Election ***RNC
***Michael Steele

Linked to
Open Trackbacks Weekend from The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns

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Posted by ky/kentuckydan at 8:51 AM CST
| Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post
Updated: Friday, 10 November 2006 9:21 AM CST

Bragging Rights
I just got back from the polls. I cast my vote and now in the words of Michael Valentine Smith, "Waiting is."


I do know one thing. The average outcome of a 6 year, second term, bielection is a loss of some 30 seats in the House, and 6 seats in the Senate by the Party holding the Presidency.
Now tommorrow when we know how this election turns out we will hear a lot of spin.

I want you to consider this.

Where I come from?

Doing worse than average?

Does not give you Bragging Rights.

Update: It is 6:00 AM the day after the Election

Here are the headlines from the Washington Times

Democrats take control of House; Senate hinges on race in Virginia

Democrats captured control of the House last night for the first time in more than a decade while control of the Senate remains up for grabs.
In early results, Democrats had stripped from Republicans at least 18 seats in the House, with at least nine more Republican seats in danger of takeover. The wins were three more than the 15 needed to win the chamber and set the stage for Rep. Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, to become the nation's first female speaker of the House.
"We are on the brink of a great Democratic victory," Mrs. Pelosi said last night.
In the Senate, Democrats captured three Republican seats but still needed to sweep the three seats still in doubt this morning -- Virginia, Missouri and Montana -- to take control.

So it appears the best the Democratic Party will do is the average result for an Election of this type.

Make no mistake, this has been a Victory for the Democratic Party, but the aveage outcome for a 6 year second term, bielection, can that be called a Great Victory?

I heard Nancy Pelosi say, "We are prepared to Govern".

There is one hitch to that attitude. It is called the Constitution.

I am sorry Madame Speaker, control of 1 of the 3 co-equal branches of Government does not equal YOU Governing.

It means you take part in the Government of the Nation.
Technorati Tags:Election ***Senate
***House

Linked to

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The Only Issue This Election Day
By Orson Scott Card

Orson Scott Card has for some time been one of my favorite authors, it is nice to know we think alike.

There is only one issue in this election that will matter five or ten years from now, and that's the War on Terror.

And the success of the War on Terror now teeters on the fulcrum of this election.

If control of the House passes into Democratic hands, there are enough withdraw-on-a-timetable Democrats in positions of prominence that it will not only seem to be a victory for our enemies, it will be one.

Unfortunately, the opposite is not the case -- if the Republican Party remains in control of both houses of Congress there is no guarantee that the outcome of the present war will be favorable for us or anyone else.

But at least there will be a chance.

I say this as a Democrat, for whom the Republican domination of government threatens many values that I hold to be important to America's role as a light among nations.

But there are no values that matter to me that will not be gravely endangered if we lose this war. And since the Democratic Party seems hellbent on losing it -- and in the most damaging possible way -- I have no choice but to advocate that my party be kept from getting its hands on the reins of national power, until it proves itself once again to be capable of recognizing our core national interests instead of its own temporary partisan advantages.

To all intents and purposes, when the Democratic Party jettisoned Joseph Lieberman over the issue of his support of this war, they kicked me out as well. The party of Harry Truman and Daniel Patrick Moynihan -- the party I joined back in the 1970s -- is dead. Of suicide.

The rest of this article is well worth reading, but I will muse a little on my own before returning to it.

Zell Miller said, "I did not leave the Democratic Party; the Party left me." Notice how the right's most articulate spokesmen today used to be Democrats back when Democrats were centrists. Today, to be in the center is to be called a right-wing nut by the leadership of the once-great Democrat party.


I too followed the same path. My Great-Grandfather named his son after his beloved Commander in the War Between the States. Stonewall Jackson Puckett was his name. Kentucky is where my Mother's family hails.

That should tell you a little about their politics. I recall as a small boy hearing my Great Aunts and Uncles (we are longed lived on both sides 100 and over not unusual) discussing the Great War and Reconstruction, with bitterness.

My Mother told me a story once about the time My Grandmother voted for a Republican. My Grandfather was horrified. "But Stonewall" she said, "You always told me to vote for the Best Man, not the Party." Mammie he replied "The Best Man is always a DEMOCRAT!"

But I think Stonewall was thinking of a different kind of Democrat than we see now. Wilson, FDR, Truman, JFK. I truly think that if he were alive today, the Democratic Party would have left him to.

About 10 years ago I moved from Kentucky to Iowa, work, you see, and for the second time in 30 years I had to register to vote. When I did so, I decided to register with the Party I had been voting for, I no longer had anything in common with the Party of my ancestors. Because that Party in my opinion, no longer existed.

I will never be ashamed of being an American, but I have at times been ashamed of things done in our name. Some make that statement about the Iraq War.

My thoughts go back further. I was going to write my own version, but found the identical thoughts in Orson Scott Card's essay

You know: If America withdrew from Iraq and Afghanistan and exposed everyone who had cooperated with us to reprisals.

As happened in South Vietnam. The negotiated peace was more or less holding after American withdrawal. But then a Democratic Congress refused to authorize any further support for the South Vietnamese government. No more armaments. No more budget.

In other words, we forcibly disarmed our allies, while their enemies continued to be supplied by the great Communist powers. The message was clear: Those who rely on America are fools. We didn't even have the decency to arrange for the evacuation of the people who had trusted us and risked the most in supporting what they thought was our mutual cause.

Some look back on our withdrawal from Vietnam with pride, I am haunted by visions of people trying to cling to the runners of helicopters leaving Hanoi.

I am haunted by visions of Pol Pot and the Killing Fields, of the Vietnam Boat People, the 2 million who tried, the less than 1 million who survived the attempt.

I am haunted with visions of the Montagnards our stanched allies in that War.

Who are the Montagnards?

The Montagnards, or "Degar," are one of the oldest native peoples of Southeast Asia. They have inhabited the peninsula of Indochina for more than 2,000 years.

Although the majority live in Vietnam, there are several hundred thousand Montagnards also in Cambodia and some tens of thousands in Laos. During the French colonization, which began in the 19th century, it is estimated that the Montagnard population was over 3.5 million. Today the survivors number between 700,000 and 800,000.

We have read recently justified calls for action against the genocide in Dafur. Have the same voices ever been raised in denunciation at the loss of human life described above, which pales Dafur by comparison. I wonder why not.

When we cut off Aid to the South Vietnamese the North BROKE the Paris Peace Accords. And we did nothing.

I do not wish Baghdad to fall like Hanoi.

I do not wish Free Kurdistan to fall to the fate of the Montagnards.

I do not wish the like of Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi and John Murtha to determine the fate of the Iraqi People.

And now the Polls are opening here.

I will finish this and go and place my vote.

And since I work nights and sleep days,


I will then sleep with a clear conscience.

I will have done my part,

I only hope enough others do their's.
Technorati Tags:Election ***Iraq
***Vietnam ***War On Terror

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And the digger fights for freedom"
Hat Tip to No Pasarn! and Blackfive at Beccy Cole - "Poster Girl" on the Wrong Side of the World

A touching tribute to those fighting for Freedom in distant parts of the world

To view the video go to either of the above links.

I have the lyrics posted here.

You won’t listen to my songs anymore
You ripped my poster off the wall
‘Cause I’m the singer that went to the war
You see no good in me at all

Well pardon me if I believe
I haven’t got it wrong
And before you turn your back on me
I’ll sing you one more song

‘Cause I shook hands with a digger
on the wrong side of the world
With a wife at home who holds her breath
and brand new baby girl
And the digger fights for freedom
in a job that must be done
And I let go of his hand
so proud to be Australian

And if unlike me you feel no pride at all
Then go ahead and take me off your wall
’cause I prefer to be a poster girl
on the wrong side of the world

And I’m just the girl who sings the crazy songs
not qualified to sit and judge
I’ve been right and I know I’ve been wrong
But I’m for peace and I’m for love

And I admire the burning fire
that causes you to fight
I only wish the wrong side of the world
had the same right.

’cause I listened to the wisdom
of the Aussie Brigadier
He spoke of widows and of orphans
and the need to dry their tears
And he leads the fight for freedom
in a job that must be done
And I’ve never be more proud
to say that I’m Australian

And if unlike me you feel no pride at all
Then go ahead and take me off your wall
’cause I prefer to be a poster girl
on the wrong side of the world

Maybe I’m naive to think we all could get along
But sir I read your words and all I ask
is hear my song…

I shook hands with a digger
on the wrong side of the world
With a wife at home who holds her breath
and brand new baby girl
And the digger fights for freedom
in a job that must be done
And I’ve never be more proud
to say that I’m Australian

And if unlike me you feel no pride at all
Then go ahead and take me off your wall
’cause I prefer to be a poster girl
on the wrong side of the world

I’m so proud to be a poster girl
on the wrong side of the world

As it turns out Beccy Cole did not always have the sentiments expressed above. So what made the shift?

Well let's listen to her own words of explanation in.

Beccy is Diggers' poster girl

Her song was written as a response to a letter she received from one of her fans, after Cole had made a two-week visit to Australian servicemen in Iraq over Christmas and New Year.

"He said, 'I've taken your poster off of my wall and I won't be listening to your music any more'," Cole said. "I wanted to return his letter and tell him, 'You don't know'."

Cole, who has a young son, sings about soldiers missing their families, including Diggers who have become parents during their tour of duty.

It was only by going there, she said, that she could fully understand what it was like for servicemen overseas.

"When I met the troops I became patriotic and really proud. I met young, enthusiastic Australians and I couldn't help but be proud," she said.

"I didn't know exactly what my stance was until I went over there. People are quick to judge these situations without knowing fully what it's about. Prior to that I think I would have said I'm staunchly anti-war, but aren't we all?"

Ironically, Cole is a big fan of the Dixie Chicks.

It would appear the she went there, talked to those who are there and know what is really happening and its importance. What a refreshing change from those who have never been there, never talked to the troops and tell us how ashamed they are. Beccy Cole is not ashamed, she is proud.

Welcome to Airborneranger.com readers, stay awhile and Y'al come back y'heah? ;-)
Technorati Tags:Digger Fights For Freedom ***Beccy Cole
***Iraq ***Wrong Side Of The World

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