HR1591 - Pelosi’s Stink Bomb

HR1591, the Emergency Supplemental Spending Bill that includes funding for the Iraq war, would also require a withdrawal (retreat) by August 2008. Pelosi and Democrats stuck the unacceptable provision into the bill.

No problem, Bush will veto the bill. Well…if he does, troops in Iraq will be left without any funding for ammunition, equipment, etc. In other words, Democrats are happy to ensure our defeat or let our soldiers twist in the wind. Clearly this is designed to be a “catch 22″.

The only way to stop this from harming our troops and their mission is to defeat the bill in its current form and have a ‘clean’ appropriations bill pass. Fortunately, this is reasonably likely (rumor has it that Pelosi is not making headway on this and will allow a clean bill through if it fails). Apparently, her stink bomb malfunctioned.

Anyway, your representative needs to hear from you on this. This bill must be stopped! Contact your Representatives (especially Democrat Reps) and ask them to oppose the current bill:

List of Representatives (there is also a zip code box on the top left of the page to find your Representative).

For those of us in Utah (I recommend everyone contact Matheson):

Jim Matheson
email/contact page (local and DC phone/fax numbers - at bottom of page)

Rob Bishop
email page
main page (local and DC phone/fax on left side)

Chris Cannon
Contact page (email plus local and DC phone/fax numbers)

UPDATE: Bishop and Cannon will oppose the bill. Matheson is “trying to work something out”. Again, it is important that Matheson be contacted and encouraged to oppose this bill.

Gathering of Eagles Video/Pics/Info

Now that the dust has settled, it appears that NPS estimates had the Eagles at 25,000-30,000 while the wacky left only mustered a measly 5,000-15,000 (sorry about the range here, news reports vary widely but 15,000 appears to be the absolute, unlikely, max).  The  left had some pro PR firms working for them, while the GOE was strictly a grassroots, word of mouth (and blog) effort.

The Eagles were very successful, clearly outnumbering the ’surrender now’ crowd and preventing them from defacing any monuments as they did at their last DC rally.

For a run down of the event including photos I’ve posted links to video and blog posts related to the event.  Note: you won’t see a massive crowd of 30,000 - they were spread out into large groups to protect memorials.  Nevertheless, their numbers are obvious in the videos etc.

Hold on to your hats, here they come:

FreeRepublic.com - Gathering Of Eagles Threads - Scroll down to the threads posted on the 17th and 18th, in particular.  Plenty of information and pictures.  There is also a thread with videos (Gathering of Eagles Videos Thread).

Hot Air also has video, summaries, and pictures, here and here.  You can also type in “Gathering of Eagles” in their search.

Michelle Malkin has blogged about the event and currently has pictures of Portland protesters burning a soldier in effigy (warning: only scroll to the last pic if you want to see the F word), they were not the only ones to use effigies of our troops.  Anyway, here is a post with pictures and Malkin’s commentary on the GOE event.

There are several YouTube Videos as well: Malkin reporting from GOE and Pro-Freedom Rally in DC, among many others.

Finally, don’t forget to keep an eye out at the main Gathering of Eagles website including the Mission Accomplished post.

Parting shot - Move America Forward’s Commercial that began airing on Monday:

O’Reilly and Rocky (I’m still laughing)

With condolences to rational Salt Lake City residents:

Complacency Kills

I was able to attend the Gathering of Eagles - Salt Lake City rally. About 40-50 others attended (all were war veterans and former military).

It was great. Three veterans spoke (two vets of several wars including Iraqi Freedom and one was a Vietnam veteran). Here are some highlights:

• The Vietnam vet asked the combat infantry vets what was the greatest cause of casualties. All responded, “complacency”. He likened that to the current PR war stating that the silent majority is too complacent and allowing the leftists get away with their disingenuous rhetoric. It is time to start standing up for the troops and the war effort. Whether it is finally piping up and saying you support the war when anti-war folks at work etc engage you in conversation (rather than just nodding and walking away) or finally countering some of the rhetoric and outrageous statements they make or attending a pro-troop/freedom rally…

• Iraqi war vets noted that while the soldiers moral is high and they understand that the majority do want victory, they are still affected by the anti-war people and feel they are not supported due to the fact that servicemen/women overwhelmingly do support their mission.

• They mentioned that they were involved in community efforts. Schools have been built (noted that girls, in particular, have much more opportunity now), roads constructed/improved, infrastructure (electricity in areas that never had it, sewer lines rather than holes etc) is also being built and improved. Iraq is a far different place from the one portrayed in the main stream media. They are very optimistic about Iraq’s future if allowed to complete their mission. They expressed frustration about the old media entirely ignoring the positive stories and improvements that have been made, feeling that the media tends to pander to the leftist crowd. The old media folks stay in the ‘green zones’ making only rare, brief visits to FOBs and relying on ’stringers’ to bring reports. They do not feel the old media is producing an accurate picture of Iraq. [note: every Iraq war vet I've talked to has expressed the same frustration; also, several stringers CBS/AP/CNN used were found to have ties to insurgent groups see here and here, among others].

• Things are tough in the field. There are long days and little sleep. Bombs designed to fly a few times (prior to being dropped) are being constantly refurbished in order to maintain their reliability (they are trying to avoid duds, and they do occur). The same, obviously, applies to other equipment. Despite the challenges and long hours, they feel the mission is worth it.

• The Vietnam vets feel Jane Fonda’s apology a few years ago, was insincere given her recent actions involving another difficult war. [Vietnam Vets call her "Hanoi Jane", Iraq Vets are calling her "Jihad Jane"]

I guess that about sums it up. It is time to stop ‘hiding your light under a bush’ and stand for your convictions, even if it simply means saying “I support the troops and their mission, I believe in victory“.

Moral of the story: Complacency kills.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that one of the vets had recently served at Walter Reed. He said, due to increased demands on hospital facilities, some maintenance was delayed and did need to be addressed. However, he noted, Walter Reed remains a top notch facility providing excellent care.

Multi-National Force Iraq - Now On YouTube

If you want a “boots on the ground” view of the war, MNF-Iraq’s YouTube site is the way to go.

No offensive material (no overly graphic videos, no terrorist propaganda garbage, and no dhimmi wingnut stuff). Here’s one video they have (Haifa Street Combat):

Also, don’t forget to come show your support for our troops and vets at the Gathering of Eagles - Salt Lake City tomorrow!

(Alabama) Gov Riley Proposes State Laws Against Illegal Immigration

Here are snippets from the press release:

“Alabama will always welcome those who follow the law when they enter our country, but we will not stand idly by and do nothing about those who don’t,” Governor Riley said. “During the past four years, our state has been a leader in a growing national effort to combat illegal immigration, and those efforts will continue and expand.”

The three bills:

Require adults seeking a government benefit from a state agency to be in the country legally. The verification of legal status includes three steps: producing a secure photo identification, having a sworn affidavit and having the application approved through the SAVE program – Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements. SAVE enables government agencies and licensing bureaus to obtain immigration status information on individuals. Senator Beason and Representative Hammon are the bill’s sponsors.

Require employers to attest that they do not knowingly employ illegal aliens before their companies could qualify for state economic development grants or do business with state agencies. Senator Orr and Representative Hammon are the bill’s sponsors.

Require that government entities issue and renew commercial and professional licenses, permits and similar authorizations only for those lawfully present in the U.S. Senator Orr and Representative Hammon are the bill’s sponsors.

This follows Missouri Governor Blunt’s Executive Order on March 6th.

Meanwhile, Utah remains a welcome state offering up lucrative State contracts and economic development funds to businesses encouraging illegal immigration and enabling identity theft.

Big Update - Fly With the Eagles

See the original post (Gathering of Eagles - Salt Lake City) for confirmation of the event and new location (time is the same) information!

Matricula Card NOT accepted at Mexican Banks

Irony:

Note: Wells Fargo and Zions Bank also accept the card.

Gathering of Eagles - Salt Lake City

<UPDATED: SEE MEETING LOCATION CHANGE - Just confirmed location/event with Marines MC - they will be present>

Can’t attend the Gathering of Eagles in Washington DC this weekend? No problem.

Come show your support for the troops and their mission by coming to MEMORY GROVE (at the of 2nd Ave and to the end of Canyon Rd. see the map for details). The previous meeting spot (Vietnam Memorial) is behind the construction fence.

According to the Utah board on GatheringOfEagles.org, patriots will be gathering at the Memorial at Noon this Saturday (March 17th):

I’m a member of Marines MC, ourselfs and members of the Viet Nam Vets MC/Legacy Vets MC are going to have a gathering at the State Capital in Salt Lake by the Vietnam Vet memorial at 12:00. Please join us and pass it on to friends and family.

Semper Fi, Ken

Several others besides the above have noted that they will be in attendance as well (see the above link).

Looking at the weather, it will be partly sunny and around 67 degrees. Perfect for the family and a picnic (don’t forget to bring the red, white and blue)!

Lastly, consider signing the appropriate petition (from Gathering of Eagles):

There are two petitions now up online. One for people to sign only if they WILL be at the Gathering of Eagles on March 17th:

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/GOE31707/petition.html

The second petition is for those who will be with us in spirit:

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/GOE317/petition.html

This will be very helpful in giving us some idea of how many Eagles will be in attendance on the 17th and how many will be supporting us from home.

If you plan to be there, sign in. Those who just can’t attend but stand with us in spirit are asked to sign the second petition.

The Sweet Intoxication of Taxation

Seems like the local governments can’t get enough.

The Standard Examiner reports that Centerville Mayor Ronald Russell, along with the same South Davis County cities who recently raised taxes for a recreation center, are moving closer to setting up another push for a RAMP tax (Rec, Arts, Museums, Parks).

Apparently, the Centerville council approved $37,165 for a study to see how much more money they can suck out of south Davis residents for special pet projects. They plan on trying to get the tax as an issue on the November ballot.

My favorite line in the article is (this is tongue-in-cheek):

“Russell said in terms of culture, the new facility won’t create anything that doesn’t already exist.”

My thought: I guess it’s worth increasing everyone’s taxes for more of the same.

The writing’s on the wall. This will probably end up on the ballot. Before voting for this ask yourself:

• Should we further burden ourselves (and those below) when our taxes have already been significantly raised for a new jail, the operation of the jail, flood controls, elderly care facilities, a recreation center, the operation of the recreation center,  increased school district funding, and the increased vehicle registration fee?

• It is fair to further increase taxes (financial burdens) on young families, the elderly, the handicapped, and people on fixed incomes? Remember, this raises all sales tax, including food (to support pet projects of politicians and the cultural elites).

• Why should we subsidize things that can’t stand on their own and that not all can benefit from (you pay tax for a theater but then must pay an entrance fee not all can afford)?

• Is it right for me to force others to pay for my hobby (be it a museum, shooting range, or bungee jumping facilities)? How would I feel if I am forced to pay for someone else’s hobby, no matter how off-the-wall it may be?

• Should wants be given priority over needs? Is it worth the risk of finding it difficult to fund a legitimate need in the future because everyone is being heavily taxed for the wants of a few?

• Is it ok to allow further government intrusion and control into things we already can do for ourselves? Should we allow government to take another bite out of ownership by the community?