"Top military officials warned Congress yesterday that a quick withdrawal of American troops from Iraq could cause the country to spiral into even deeper chaos that would destabilize the region and create a safe haven for Al Qaeda."

 

The New York Times has even finally come to the same conclusion - that a premature withdrawal from Iraq is ill-advised.

 

"“The logic of this is you put pressure on Maliki and force him to stand up to this,” General Zinni said in an interview, referring to Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister. “Well, you can’t put pressure on a wounded guy. There is a premise that the Iraqis are not doing enough now, that there is a capability that they have not employed or used. I am not so sure they are capable of stopping sectarian violence.”
Instead of taking troops out, General Zinni said, it would make more sense to consider deploying additional American forces over the next six months to “regain momentum” as part of a broader effort to stabilize Iraq that would create more jobs, foster political reconciliation and develop more effective Iraqi security forces."

 

 

The following is making the rounds via email.

"just sent a personal message to all my representatives in Congress, I hope you will join me!http://www.democrats.com

Ten Reasons to Impeach George Bush and Dick CheneyI support the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney for the following reasons:
1. Violating the United Nations Charter by launching an illegal "War of Aggression" against Iraq without cause, using fraud to sell the war to Congress and the public, and misusing government funds to begin bombing without Congressional authorization.
2. Violating U.S. and international law by authorizing the torture of thousands of captives, resulting in dozens of deaths, and keeping prisoners hidden from the International Committee of the Red Cross.
3. Violating the Constituton by arbitrarily detaining Americans, legal residents, and non-Americans, without due process, without charge, and without access to counsel.
4. Violating the Geneva Conventions by targeting civilians, journalists, hospitals, and ambulances, and using illegal weapons, including white phosphorous, depleted uranium, and a new type of napalm.
5. Violating U.S. law and the Constitution through widespread wiretapping of the phone calls and emails of Americans without a warrant.
6. Violating the Constitution by using "signing statements" to defy hundreds of laws passed by Congress.
7. Violating U.S. and state law by obstructing honest elections in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006.
8. Violating U.S. law by using paid propaganda and disinformation, selectively and misleadingly leaking classified information, and exposing the identity of a covert CIA operative working on sensitive WMD proliferation for political retribution.
9. Subverting the Constitution and abusing Presidential power by asserting a "Unitary Executive Theory" giving unlimited powers to the President, by obstructing efforts by Congress and the Courts to review and restrict Presidential actions, and by promoting and signing legislation negating the Bill of Rights and the Writ of Habeas Corpus.
10. Gross negligence in failing to assist New Orleans residents after Hurricane Katrina, in ignoring urgent warnings of an Al Qaeda attack prior to Sept. 11, 2001, and in increasing air pollution causing global warming.

http://www.democrats.com
Thank you"

With the help of my dear friend Doc Farmer, I thought I would answer some of these "charges".

1. Violating the United Nations Charter by launching an illegal "War of Aggression" against Iraq without cause, using fraud to sell the war to Congress and the public, and misusing government funds to begin bombing without Congressional authorization. If you are going to charge anyone with fraud, let's start with the people who were telling us all through the 1990's that Saddam had WMD's. We can start with former President William Jefferson Clinton, move to former Secretary of State Madeline Albright and (if there's time) maybe Senator John Kerry. Let's not forget that Russian, French, German and British intelligence all told us that Saddam had WMD's. Is that really where you want to start?

2. Violating U.S. and international law by authorizing the torture of thousands of captives, resulting in dozens of deaths, and keeping prisoners hidden from the International Committee of the Red Cross. I think I'll let Doc do the talking here..."Torture - REAL torture - isn't putting panties on somebody's head, or spraying water up their nose (look up how Muslims perform pre-salat ablutions), or making them stand in a cold or hot room. REAL torture is what Saddam did. REAL torture is what the Viet Cong did. REAL torture is what Hitler/Tojo did. There is a marked difference between interrogation techniques which use intimidation, and torture...Also, the ICRC have NOT been denied access to battlefield prisoners (NOT prisoners of war, since they did not wear any uniform nor did they belong to any organised or recognised armed military group under any national flag), they've been to Club G'itmo several times." The only thing that I will add to this is REAL torture is what the Islamists did to poor Nick Berg. Remember the screams as they sawed his head off....the screams that finally were drowned out by his own blood?????

3. Violating the Constituton by arbitrarily detaining Americans, legal residents, and non-Americans, without due process, without charge, and without access to counsel. Doc "What part of "we're at war" escapes your admittedly limited comprehension? We can very easily detain "non-Americans" when we pull them off a battlefield where they are SHOOTING AT AMERICANS. Non-Americans who are terrorists or even suspected terrorists don't get the protections of the US Constitution, and never were intended to. Due process? They DO get that in military courts under Genevè Conventions and UCMJ, but only IF they are legal combatants. In other words, actual military personnel captured during or after battle. Terrorists get NO such protection, and were never intended to. They're like spies. We (and any other signatory of the Conventions) can summarily execute them on the spot if we so wish. " 'nuff said...

4. Violating the Geneva Conventions by targeting civilians, journalists, hospitals, and ambulances, and using illegal weapons, including white phosphorous, depleted uranium, and a new type of napalm. When the terrorists start playing by the Geneva Convention, maybe we can do the same for them. We are above that you say. I agree - which is why we are not BEHEADING the terrorists the minute we capture them. As far as civilians being "targeted". That is because they are allowing the terrorists (in many cases encouraging) to hide in their midst. As we saw in the last Israel/Lebanon conflict - the terrorists have no qualms about stationing their artillary among the civilian population. Are we supposed to not defend ourselves in these instances?

5. Violating U.S. law and the Constitution through widespread wiretapping of the phone calls and emails of Americans without a warrant. There was no domestic spying!!!! Period end of discussion. The calls that were monitored were initiated by foreign combatants to their collaborators in the US - no American citizens were targeted - unless they were plotting with the terrorists to kill their fellow Americans. Doc adds "I'd also remind you that during WWII, FDR's administration would regularly violate "privacy" (which does NOT exist under the Constitution) by opening, reading and censoring paper mail, as well as wiretapping ACTUAL domestic communcations."

6. Violating the Constitution by using "signing statements" to defy hundreds of laws passed by Congress. "Doc "Presidential orders have been a mainstay of the Executive Branch for DECADES, and do NOT violate the law, the Constitution or the actions of Congress. Clinton used plenty of them, as did Carter, LBJ and Kennedy. So, also, did Bush41, Reagan, Ford and Nixon (and many before them). This has been upheld by SCOTUS.

7. Violating U.S. and state law by obstructing honest elections in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006.
Ummmm - hello....last I looked you people won last week!!!! Are you saying that you won as a result of dishonest elections. Hmmmm....Perhaps we should call the FBI after all.

8. Violating U.S. law by using paid propaganda and disinformation, selectively and misleadingly leaking classified information, and exposing the identity of a covert CIA operative working on sensitive WMD proliferation for political retribution. That's funny. If the Administration was "leaking classified information" why didn't they leak information that was helpful to the cause. Oh, and Valerie Plame was outed by her own husband. (see update)

9. Subverting the Constitution and abusing Presidential power by asserting a "Unitary Executive Theory" giving unlimited powers to the President, by obstructing efforts by Congress and the Courts to review and restrict Presidential actions, and by promoting and signing legislation negating the Bill of Rights and the Writ of Habeas Corpus. Doc "When it comes to the Executive Branch, the President IS the Unitary Executive. It's not a theory. It has been a fact of this nation since it's inception. Clinton used Unitary Executive power when he went into Bosnia WITHOUT UN OR CONGRESSIONAL approval or even consultation. Furthermore, for the Legislative branch to try to interfere with the Constitutional activities of the Executive branch, THEY are in violation of the law and the Constitution. Want to impeach/eject Pelosi or Murtha or Kennedy or Clinton?"

10. Gross negligence in failing to assist New Orleans residents after Hurricane Katrina, in ignoring urgent warnings of an Al Qaeda attack prior to Sept. 11, 2001, and in increasing air pollution causing global warming. As I have noted here, here, here and here pollution caused global warming is not a scientific fact. There is still much research that needs to be done. And if you are going to talk about negligence in failing to assist the residents of New Orleans, don't you think that the Mayor of New Orleans has some responsibility...or perhaps the Governor of Louisiana? Oh, silly me, they are Democrats and can't be held responsible because they are too helpless. I tell you what - if you want the federal government to be responsible for your stupidity - then you need to cede all authority over the federal government. Let's make New Orleans a federal protectorate - under the rule of a federal appointee rather than under the rule of the elected government. What do you say to that?

Now that we have just a little FACT to go with the rhetoric, what do you say we table the talk of impeachment once and for all. Then maybe we can FINALLY get back to the people's business?????

UPDATE BUMP AND LINK: Thanks to Doc for reminding me that legally (as far as the Grand Jury is concerned) Valerie Plame was "outed" by Richard Armitrage a Clinton era holdover in the State Department and vocal critic of the Bush Administration. Doc has posted his lengthy response over at ChronWatch as well and it is a must read.

The irony in this is so very rich.

 

"Speaker-in-waiting Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) threw her support behind Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) for majority leader Sunday, giving a significant boost to Murtha in his race against Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.)."

 

What is ironic about this you ask?  Ms. Pelosi, the unchallenged heir apparent to the Speakers Chair in the House of Representatives said that she was going to "clean up" the House.  Yet she chooses to throw her support behind the last remaining ABSCAM conspirator in the House of Representatives.  You can even watch video (part 1 and part 2)of the esteemed Congressman pitching to get the bribers to invest in his district in order to get him to work with them (we invest in your district and you help us get our Sheiks into the US)!  You Tube even has this Hannity and Colmes report on the subject.  The American Spectator also has a story and partial transcript.

 

I've been sitting on this, waiting for the right time to bring it out.  I think that time is today.

 

"Asserting “the science is settled” ignores the debate that still rages. Proclaiming that “climate change is real” ignores Earth’s constant, natural warming and cooling.
Vikings raised crops and cattle in Greenland 1000 years ago, while Britons grew grapes in England. Four hundred years later, the Vikings were frozen out, Europe was gripped in a Little Ice Age, and priests performed exorcisms on advancing Swiss glaciers. The globe warmed in 1850-1940, cooled for the next 35 years, then warmed slightly again.
Detroit experienced six snowstorms in April 1868, frosts in August 1869, a 98-degree heat wave in June 1874, and ice-free lakes in January 1877. Wisconsin’s record high of 114 degrees F in July 1936 was followed five years later by a record July low of 46. In 1980, five years after Newsweek’s “new little ice age” cover story, Washington, DC endured 67 days above 90 degrees.”

 

Now, I am not going to tell you that there isn't global "warming", I'm just not conviced that greenhouse gases are the cause of the warming.  However...if greenhouse gases DO have something to do with global warming (as celebs such as Julia Roberts, George Clooney and others tell us) then don't you think we should ALL share in the sacrifice.  Sure it is fine to drive a Prius, but when you are jetting all over the globe (like Al Gore has been while promoting his book/movie on global warming) in a private jet, well don't you think that is just a tiny bit wasteful?  I'm just saying.... 

 

is your business right?  Not if you live in Minnesota.  In Minnesota, we have a thing called "Tobacco Free Community Grants" a government subsidy that is given to communitys to use in preventing tobacco use - as a matter of public health.  The Dakota County Tribune (article not available online) ran a story in it's November 2 issue (front page above the fold too) about two Dakota County (MN) commisioners who were fighting the county's application for a "Tobacco Free Community Grant" to be used to promote smoke free homes and cars.  Both board members were absent from the October 17 meeting when the board approved the grant application.  Their concern is that government would involve itself with legal activities that go on inside a private home....you know - like consensual sex between same sex couples maybe?????

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have tried to show my fellow Conservatives all the reasons why they must show up and vote on Tuesday.   I leave the last word to Doc Farmer as he sums it all up succinctly.

 

" So why should you even bother to get out of your chair, drive to a polling station, wait in line, and do your duty as a Citizen of this Constitutional Republic? 
     What follows are the reasons you MUST vote tomorrow.
  ·    Nancy Pelosi:  You’ve not heard anything from this banshee from San Francisco in the past few weeks.  For good reason.  The lib/dem/soc/commies KNOW that if you see her for what she truly is, you’ll run screaming to the polls begging to vote against her philosophy.  A philosophy that will further assist the terrorists--and yes, she has actively helped terrorists and terrorism over the past few years.  Why?  Because (wait for it, folks) she doesn’t like Dubya.  If the lib/dem/soc/commies get into power, she will be THIRD IN LINE for the presidency.  She wants power.  She doesn’t care how many bodies she has to crawl over to get it.  Those bodies, by the way, could quite easily include yours.
 
  ·   Harry Reid:  He’s been a bit low-key, too, but for different reasons.  The MSM have been actively suppressing his real estate fraud for several weeks now, because they want to focus on the “culture of corruption” in rep/con/tair-land.  Are there crooks on the right?  A few, yes.  What happens to them?  They get fired, they get tried, they get convicted and they get JAILED.  What happens to lib/dem/soc/commies that are crooks?  They get promoted into senior positions, or protected by their buddies, or they blame [insert addiction / character flaw / unfortunate childhood experience here] and go into rehab.
 
  ·    William Jefferson: See above (but don’t ask too many questions about why he keeps his bribe money in the freezer).
 
  ·    Teddy Kennedy:  He’s a murderer.  He’s a liar.  He’s a fool.  He’s a danger to our nation.  And he’s one of their ''elder statesmen''?  ‘Nuff said.
 
  ·    John Kerry, aka Hanoi John, aka Jean François Kerrée:  He’s a traitor.  He has taken every opportunity to diss our troops, to bad mouth them, to accuse them of unspeakable crimes, while protecting the enemy.  And then, when he makes a “joke” that openly states our soldiers in Iraq are stupid, he makes a faux apology that basically says, “I’m sorry that you’re too stupid to understand my nuanced sense of humor.”  His own website even has an op/ed from the Seattle Post/Intelligencer which clumsily reaffirms Kerry’s own belief that he is correct, thereby nullifying that bogus act of contrition.  He even tries to make the excuse that he was talking about Bush being dumb.  Considering the fact that Bush got better grades than he, his excuse sounds like most of what he’s spreading.  A hot, steamin’ load of male bovine excrement.
 
  ·    John Murtha:  A former Marine (I know, there’s supposedly no such thing as a former jarhead, but in this case I think they should make an exception) who doesn’t even know where Okinawa is in relation to the Middle East, and he’s their spokesman on military matters?  A man who decides, before any evidence is presented to the proper authorities, that our military is guilty, and MUST be guilty, thereby avoiding all that annoying “innocent until proven” stuff.  This from a guy who was implicated in ABSCAM (look it up) but wasn’t arrested because he didn’t want to accept a bribe “at this point”--his words, on video (go here).
 
  ·    Hillary Clinton: Because she’s Hillary Clinton.  No other explanation is necessary.
 
  ·    Immigration:  Look, I’m honked off about Dubya’s terrible handling of illegal aliens (they’re not guest workers, dammit!)  However, rep/con/tairs in the House were the ONLY thing that kept his “all-inclusive” bill about immigration “reform” being put into play.  Instead, they forced the creation of a security-fence bill.  Granted, it’s only 700 miles, but that’s a start compared to what the opposition would provide.  Lib/dem/soc/commies actively encourage illegal aliens and will provide them with amnesty followed by citizenship, because 1) they figure they’ll get their vote and 2) they further the creation of an underclass, which provides lib/dem/soc/commies with a powerbase.  Allow them to come into power, and you can kiss the borders, your job, the English language and America ‘s culture goodbye.
 
   ·    World War IV:  It’s not about Iraq.  That is one front in an overall war against terrorism.  Moreover, WE ARE WINNING IT with rep/con/tairs at the helm.  Lib/dem/soc/commies, if allowed into power in the House or Senate, will pull another Vietnam.  Remember that?  LBJ micromanaged the war, which screwed things up badly.  Nixon got in, and actually started winning the war by letting the generals run the show.  The mainstream media (and Jean François Kerrée) LIED about our actions and involvement there.  Nevertheless, winning was something the lib/dem/soc/commies in Congress couldn’t abide.  As a result, they PULLED THE FUNDING.  More of our troops died because of that.  Millions of Cambodians died because of that.  An entire region ended up under the thrall of communism.  More millions died or were imprisoned and tortured.  Lib/dem/soc/commies have done this to us before.  They will do it again.  Instead of having a war fought far away from us, terrorists will again come to our shores.  Am I fear mongering?  Yes.  Why?  Because sometimes, you need to be reminded of things that you SHOULD fear.    "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There have been rumblings already out of the Democrats about potential voter fraud in this upcoming election.  However, there are are very real instances of voter fraud being perpetuated on the American people, and it is not Republican supporters that are doing it.

 

"Four people have been indicted on charges of voter fraud in Kansas City, officials said Wednesday.
Investigators said questionable registration forms for new voters were collected by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, a group that works to improve minority and low-income communities."

 

A little history on ACORN here.  ACORN "employees" have been caught with "questionable" registration forms in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado and Minnesota. 

 

What is interesting is that the current "top cop" in Minnesota and the woman running to replace him have both been endorsed by ACORN.  It makes you wonder just how serious Mike Hatch and Lori Swanson are about "watching out for the middle class".

There have been rumblings already out of the Democrats about potential voter fraud in this upcoming election.  However, there are are very real instances of voter fraud being perpetuated on the American people, and it is not Republican supporters that are doing it.

 

"Four people have been indicted on charges of voter fraud in Kansas City, officials said Wednesday.
Investigators said questionable registration forms for new voters were collected by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, a group that works to improve minority and low-income communities."

 

A little history on ACORN here.  ACORN "employees" have been caught with "questionable" registration forms in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado and Minnesota. 

 

What is interesting is that the current "top cop" in Minnesota and the woman running to replace him have both been endorsed by ACORN.  It makes you wonder just how serious Mike Hatch and Lori Swanson are about "watching out for the middle class".

I have heard all of the arguments regarding the wearing of the niqab, but this article is probably the most cogent one against it that I have ever read.
 
"I look at myself in my full-length mirror. I'm horrified. I have disappeared and somebody I don't recognise is looking back at me. I cannot tell how old she is, how much she weighs, whether she has a kind or a sad face, whether she has long or short hair, whether she has any distinctive facial features at all.... At the supermarket a baby no more than two years old takes one look at me and bursts into tears. I move towards him. "It's OK," I murmur. "I'm not a monster. I'm a real person." I show him the only part of me that is visible - my hands - but it's too late. His mother has whisked him away....I'm stuck looking aloof and inhospitable, and am not surprised that my day lacks the civilities I normally receive, the hellos, thank-yous and goodbyes...The women I have met who have taken to wearing the niqab tell me that it gives them confidence. I find that it saps mine. Nobody has forced me to wear it but I feel like I have oppressed and isolated myself."
 
There is much, much more.  As a woman, I highly recommed this.  Should the radical Islamists get their way, every woman in the world will be subject to wearing the niqab.

How many cliches and DFL talking points can you fit into one 30 second TV slot?  Plenty if you are candidate Coleen Rowley.