The Republicans are just plain old. Their party is old, their ideas are old and I don't care whom the candidate is. When it comes to Romney, his ideas are not only old, but, disingenuous. He simply mimicks Bush in everyway and most of the candidates do as well. Romney is attempting to 'buy' the presidency with his own money and that spells trouble. He is for sale by anyone that can replenish his personal treasury after being elected.
Today, Rudy Giuliani made a very dangerous statement:
Giuliani promotes disaster readiness plan (click here)
Republican Presidential contender Rudy Giuliani said today he wants to remake the Department of Homeland Security and provide better disaster-response training to local officials. Giuliani spoke today at Hinds Community College in Pearl.He proposed dividing the the Department of Homeland security into regions to better respond to disasters and terrorist attacks. Giuliani is the latest 2008 presidential candidate to pass through Mississippi raising money. He attended a luncheon in the home of Jill and Richard Beneke.
Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Every 'region' of the country with it's own 'decentralized' Homeland Security Department. Sounds like it's exactly what we need.
"W"rong.
The Republicans are notorious for decentralizing the federal government. If Giuliani was successful in his presidential bid, which he won't be, but I'm willing to 'entertain' the idea to make a point. If Giuliani was successful in his presidential bid to actually 'lead' this nation, he would decentralize Homeland Security. That is exactly what this country does not need and is more of the same mistake of the Bush White House.
Bush's administration 'cherry picked' the federal monies distributed through the country in order to play favorites to Republican cronies. The Giuliani 'idea' would lead not only to decentralization, but, would in 'the beginning' cherry pick the funding to 'special centers' throughout the country to act as 'Regional Homeland Security Centers.' Anyone can guess whom would get the funding and where the 'centers' would be; namely; strongly Republican districts that supposed his candidacy.
Additionally, the regionalization of Homeland Security would lead to removing it from a Cabinet level position. In that, the federal funding would no longer be available and the 'regions' would have to fund their own Homeland Security. The 'decentralization' of authority would lead to 'specialized interests of the region' and would preclude effective response to the country in general if required. There is nothing to say the federal government would cut the tax burden to facilitate regional funding. The funding would not be equitable as some areas of the country as some states just can't supply the tax base others can and some Americans would face 'short falls' in their preparedness because of this lack of funding.
This is simply Giuliani 'skirting' the issue of responsibility for the national security of the USA. There are many credible people whom fault his performance before, during and after the events of September 11, 2007. By decentralizing his authority at Homeland Security he is putting the burden of responsibility on the shoulders of others. Giuliani isn't even elected yet and he is 'outsourcing' Homeland Security for fear he could cause another September 11th or Hurricane Katrina. Amazing.
I would think, as a candidate, anyone would be anxious to express ideas that would instill confidence in leadership rather than running from the issues of National Security by 'farming out' that responsiblity to other.
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So, after trying to 'make it go away' now Senator Craig wants to reverse his position. No surprise there, a familiar Republican strategy, when a lie won't do, try the truth and ask for forgiveness. Except at this point, we don't know if Senator Craig is masking the truth by attempting to make it go away or by stating he is not guilty after stating he was guilty. Very Confusing.
The 'thing' that puts a smile on my face is Senator Craig has decided to stand up to the 'Alphas' of the Republican Party and FOX News. That alone in confronting a controversial 'gay rights' issue is refreshing. Could it be the Republicans will actually have to come to terms with another Barney Franks? That would really be refreshing.
Craig Moves to Block Senate Ethics Panel Complaint
By DUFF WILSON
Published: September 5, 2007
Lawyers for Senator Larry E. Craig of Idaho delivered a letter to the Senate ethics committee today asking the committee to reject a complaint relating to his guilty plea in an airport sex sting operation. The move opens a potentially ugly battle between Mr. Craig and the Republican leadership, as Mr. Craig reconsiders his plans to resign from the Senate.
Mr. Craig stunned Washington late yesterday with an announcement through his spokesman that he may return to the Senate despite announcing Saturday “my intent to resign from the Senate effective September 30.”
His spokesman, Dan Whiting, said Mr. Craig is fighting the ethics and misdemeanor charges “and should he be cleared before then, he may, and I emphasize may, not resign.”...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/05/washington/05cnd-craig.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Regardless, the 'idea' a Republican Senator would actually find a strategy against 'the truth' of any circumstance in trying to 'make it go away/stop a distraction' is more than troubling and in and of itself is an ethical issue needing address.
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Does everyone realize how large a B-52 Bomber is? They are huge and when they fly across the sky there is no missing them. Now, what is a B-52 is doing flying over the USA at all is enough of a question but to realize the one catching the nation's attention today, was carrying nukes is more than unnerving. I am not sure the people handling the nukes were completely incompetent either. Someone either 'shelved' these things "W"rong and treated them as munitions for transport or someone made a cognitive decision to 'teach the nation a lesson' for the degree of incompetency that exists under this administration. There is even a better chance that both those statements are TRUE and the 'stunt' occurred 'on purpose' to alert the nation to the level of 'National Insecurity' that actually exists. Chilling.
Air Force confirms bomber was based at Barksdale
September 5, 2007
From Staff Reports
The Air Force has released an official statement on an incident that occurred Aug. 30 when a Barksdale Air Force Base B-52 traveling home from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., transported nuclear missiles unintentionally.
Here is the statement from Lt. Col. Ed Thomas, Air Force spokesman, from the office of Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne:
"The commander of Air Combat Command has directed an immediate investigation, led by a general officer, into a situation involving the transfer of weapons from Minot Air Force Base, N.D. to Barksdale Air Force Base, La, on Thursday, Aug. 30. The transfer was safely conducted and the weapons were in Air Force custody and control at all times. The Air Force takes its mission to safeguard weapons seriously. This investigation is being conducted to find facts, determine causes, and to identify any appropriate corrective actions. No effort will be spared to ensure that the matter is thoroughly and completely investigated.
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070905/BREAKINGNEWS/70905032
What is even more chilling, is the fact, it's reported in that media that no one knew these 'ready weapons' were on the B-52. Where was this bomber headed for? What if it made a stop in Venezuela? What if the folks in Venezuela 'armed' the bombs, loaded them onto the B-52 and sent the bomber back to the USA to drop the bombs on sensitive areas of the USA? I don't know if the White House qualifies as a sensitive area anymore, but, that would have been a possibility. Hm? Any of these folks involved former citizens of Venezuela or somewhere in Arabia? Perhaps some were illegal aliens seeking citizenship and recruited to serve the USA. It's getting scary.
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On Saturday Night past I mentioned the fact Osama bin Laden has been ramping up his rhetoric 'on the net.'
Germans say they've halted terror plot (click here)
BERLIN -- Police have prevented the most ambitious Al Qaeda-linked attack in Europe to date, authorities said today, accusing three suspects allegedly trained in Pakistan of plotting multiple car-bomb attacks on U.S. military personnel near the Frankfurt airport and American bases.After more than nine months of surveillance during which police surreptitiously diluted explosive material stockpiled by the suspects, a SWAT team raided a vacation home in a wooded area of central Germany on Tuesday and arrested two Germans and a Turk, one of whom wounded an officer in the hand during a struggle over a gun.Coming a day after Danish police seized bomb materials in Copenhagen and charged a Pakistani and an Afghan with plotting an attack in league with Al Qaeda leaders, the German operation by 300 officers intensified fears that a resurgent Al Qaeda network is using hide-outs near the Afghan-Pakistan border to train Europe-based militants for attacks on an expanding range of Western targets....
This is proof there is a reason for the rhetoric, but, the average Western citizen has to realize there is strong history regarding the increase in 'activity' surrounding political events such as elections. We have seen it over and over again, the latest in Great Britain with their more recent elections. The reason the terrorist network chooses these strategies is for the same reason, Mohammad Atta, chose the date September 11th (911). It was a strategic move, contemplated to impact the psychi of the citizens of nations. This is a legitimate strategy by these terrorist networks to the point where it is nearly predictable. As before, when Germany once tried to warn Bush/Cheney of the plot of September 11th, it would seem they have a great deal of insight to the 'activities' of the terrorist networks in the EU. If one recalls, Mohammad Atta was a resident of Germany before he participated as a leader to the attacks of September 11th.
One aspect of all this is that al Qaeda and it's sympathizing networks are very thwarted to their 'abilities' to carry out attacks such as happened on September 11th. Airports are different, security is different and the West has done incredible 'infrastructure' design to prevent any such tragedy again.
The reason I bring this up, is because the USA has to realize these reports are going to appear over and over again in the media. They are sensational news items by nature of their alarming quality. What 'lacks' in the media with the reporting of these events are the measures that 'have worked' in catching the terrorists, the measures the West has taken that would have stopped the attacks even if they were successful, ie: pointing to the Scotland Airport and the security measures that prevented deaths and tragedy. As we learn more and more about the terrorists attempting attacks the less and less successful they will become.
The other aspect to this that bothers me, is the way the media doesn't point to the fact, these terrorist networks continue to be a concern 'in the face' of a war that is supposed to be the 'central front on terror.' These plans by terrorist networks continue to manifest and be discovered by Western Intelligence with targets that are nowhere near Baghdad. That reality only enforces the fact that the Iraq War had absolutely nothing to do with September 11th and continues in the face of that reality costing Islam more and more concern to the point where Iran is activating 3000 centrifuges.
In order to stop the mischief of these terrorist networks, the West has to find a way to make Islam a full partner in stopping murderers. The 'mission' of Islam does not include killing, it is however that of peace and the one religious sect more strongly anchored in that Islamic Peace belief are the Shi'ites. One needs to realize, the more the Shi'ites suffer, the more they will (as a minority religion) seek to fight back irrationally to survive a long lived bias by The West against them.
At this point, the only enemy to The West, realizing the competency of it's 'intelligence networks,' is 'fear itself.'
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Last for this evening, but hardly least is the continued enthusiasm "SiCKO" continues to attract. Michael Moore is every American's best friend. Yesterday, he featured a statement by Senator Clinton as if she had to pretend about the nation's focus on health care.
The topic of national health insurance is an appropriate focus. One that is benevolent toward Americans to stop incompetent commercial insurance companies from literally causing the deaths of their subscribers while racking in money for their stockholders.
At any rate, Michael asked his readership to write to the good Senator. I did. I want to list it here to encourage others to do the same. I think Hillary Clinton has been sufficiently 'beat up' as a First Lady over the issue of national health insurance to allow her to feel vanquished before she gets started. I also believe she is an expert on the issue and needs to realize the nation is different today regarding national health insurance due to "SiCKO" and we deserve her attention again. So, if you will:
"You can't pretend the system doesn't exist."
-- Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
With speech, Clinton lays out goals as president
Democratic says she is willing to work for change from within system
By Patrick Healy / New York Times
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York unveiled a new stump speech on Sunday, outlining the “four big goals” she would have as president and saying she was willing to “work within the system” and make “principled compromises” to achieve them.
Praising the leadership styles of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson, Mrs. Clinton described herself as a pragmatist and an alliance-builder. Without naming names, she said her strategies would yield more results than those of her two chief rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina.
“From my time in the White House and in the Senate, I learned you bring change by working in the system established by the Constitution,” Mrs. Clinton said at an early afternoon rally in Concord, drawing a pointed contrast to the outsider messages of Mr. Obama and Mr. Edwards. Referring to the Roosevelts and Johnson, she said, “They got big things done because they knew it wasn’t just about the dream, it’s about the results.”
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10198
Tell Hillary No One is Asking Her to Pretend
Contact Us Online
Please fill out the form below to contact us by email.
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/help/contact/
This was my entry to "Tell Hillary"
Dear Senator Clinton,
I realize you have been dragged through every opposition to national health care the Republican Party could conjure up when you were First Lady.
To begin, you have to know how admirable it was as a First Lady to take on compassionate care of the nation in seeking a resolve to good quality health care. There is no other First Lady with the leadership skill you exhibited in taking on the entire reform of our nation's well being.
It wasn't your fault the Clinton Initiative on National Health Care failed. With the airing of Michael Moore's "SiCKO" it was completely obvious the initiative would fail to the profiteers backed by the "W"rong-headed Republicans.
I first apologize to you for having a nation on your conscience while being faced with such overwhelming corporate forces that would see your compassion be dealt an unjust end. It is difficult to realize from where I sit why any level of compassion which you exhibited at that time would be ridiculed and defeated. Your efforts were more than correct and if they had succeeded many Americans would have received timely care and would be with us today. You have to realize, Senator Clinton, the efforts you made was to save lives of the most vulnerable Americans. We all know that now more than ever.
I ask you, if you would please take up the nation's health again. I believe you will find far more support this time than ever before. There is an idea of the perfect form of American Health Insurance and it is published for your consideration at Michael Moore's website. He has been a force to contend with regarding this issue. It is a vital issue, Senator Clinton. But, those of us that believe in Michael need for you to take him seriously and kindly consider his well researched ideas.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/health-care-proposal/
We appreciated you as a First Lady, we appreciate you as a Senator and we offer you a chance as a Presidential Candidate to change the health care outcomes of America. I know you won't look the other way.
Best regards,
Elisa Barrett
The Michael Moore Health Care Proposal
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/health-care-proposal/
I encourage everyone to write to the Former First Lady/Senator Clinton/Presidential Candidate to express their views regarding the need for a national health insurance. Thank you, Michael.
