December 26, 2006
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
December 22, 2006
I don't want to say it - but...
Let's get something straight - whatever happens here - good, bad or indifferent they take it and twist it so the story benefits them. But, to them the Dems line the path to their victory!!
Let's give them the middle finger....
"We are offering you the opportunity to withdraw your troops in complete
safety and we are expecting your response within two weeks," said the voice
purporting to be that of Baghdad, leader of a self-proclaimed Islamic emirate
in western and north-central Iraq that is dominated by Al-Qaeda
supporters.
"The giant has begun to collapse and is seeking to negotiate through
various parties, particularly through its agents," it said. "It conveyed to us
through the Saud family (the royal family in Saudi Arabia), the dictators of the (Arabian) peninsula, its desire (to negotiate), claiming already to have sat down with all parties apart from us. "But we told it: 'We don't negotiate with those who have shed the blood of our children.'"
Your offering us the opportunity? Guess what - we have had the opportunity. We choose not to take it.
US officials have expressed readiness to open up communications withAwww, did we hurt your feeling by not including you?
insurgent groups in Iraq but have always excluded those with links to
Al-Qaeda.
Grab a tissue....
There are many acts of selflessness and heroism in this war and this is a prime example of what does go on that doesn't get the attention that it should. While all those that are in Iraq are heroes to me, this just goes beyond that. A group of men that added more responsibility to their mission. I am left in awe! It is a bittersweet story.
December 21, 2006
NORAD at Christmas
December 20, 2006
I am inclined to say..."Your a wack job!"
Here is the thing - this guy is saying in essence the same thing that Al Queda is saying without coming right out and threatening the US and Britain. Now that he claims to have nuclear power. Hummm, anyone else think Bush should just sit down and have a meeting with him? Me neither.
I just found this...
I find it ridiculous that we have men and women trying to protect us and our freedoms and there are other Americans that are sending Christmas cards to the very people who try and take that away.
The guards at Gitmo are just as much a part of this fight as our men and women that are in country. Since Christmas is going to be here in about 5 days and cards probably wouldn't get there in time...I am sure they would probably be just as happy with a "thank you" note or "your doing a great job and I support you" note.
I find it even more ridiculous that Americans are sending Christmas cards to Muslims but hey...they are sending them in the first place so I probably shouldn't expect to much!!
December 19, 2006
December 14, 2006
Job Well Done....
Authorities Probe Foreign Student Seeking Commercial Truck-Driving HAZMAT
License
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
By Liza Porteus
NEW YORK — Mohammed Yusef Mullawala wanted a license to
transport hazardous materials and to learn how to drive commercial tractor
trailers. There was nothing unusual about that, until he told his teacher that
he only wanted to learn how to drive forward, and he wanted to learn
fast.
That was enough to raise a red flag with Darleen Crawford, president of
the Nationwide
Tractor Trailer Driving School in Smithfield, R.I., where Mullawala took
driving classes.
Federal and state authorities are investigating why
Mullawala was seeking a commercial trucking license after his behavior raised
flags at the Rhode Island driving school. Crawford said he was also insistent on
taking the test necessary to earn a license to transport hazardous
materials.
Mullawala, a 28-year-old citizen of India who is of Pakistani
descent, is now in federal custody in Massachusetts on immigration violation
charges.
"We are still digging into his background, digging into where he
lived in Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey," Major Steven O'Donnell with the
Rhode Island State Police told FOXNews.com on Wednesday. "A lot of still doesn't
make any sense, why he would be doing what he was doing."
Crawford said Mullawala came to the school with a Rhode Island driver's
license inquiring how to obtain a commercial driver's license within a month. It
normally takes around eight weeks for a student to go through all of the
required courses before he or she obtains a permit, she said.
"We've been
doing this for quite a long time and a lot of things just didn't add up,"
Crawford said.
Crawford started documenting suspicious activity: Mullawala
lived in New York City but traveled to Rhode Island for the driving classes; he
missed his first day of classes; and he was very insistent on getting his
hazardous material transport license.
But the fact that he only seemed
interested in driving forward was the most concerning.
"We tell them from Day
One, 'you will be backing up,' 'you'll be backing up every single day,'"
Crawford said, adding that it normally takes two to three weeks of practice
backing up before drivers get road permits and learn how to drive forward, among
other things.
The situation was reminiscent of when some of the Sept. 11,
2001, hijackers told their flight-school instructor they were only interested in
how to fly planes at certain altitudes, not so much how to land or take
off.
"He was just really pushing to get out of here," Crawford said. "I've
been doing this for 30 years so you just sort of know when something doesn't
feel right."
After Mullawala took two classes, Crawford contacted Highway
Watch, which had conducted an anti-terrorism and safety program at her
school.
Jim Sutton, director of the Highway Watch's Information Sharing and Analysis Center, said
it was the "calibrated judgment" of his five-person staff of former military,
national intelligence and security officers that caused them to pass Mullawala's
information on to federal authorities.
"Over a period of time, you learn that
certain indicators are very valid, that they just stand out," Sutton said.
"They're so anomalous to the norm that you say to yourself, 'there is something
here. We need to pursue, we need to follow up.'"
In Mullawala's case, Sutton
said, "there was a sense of urgency he had in finishing the course."
"Well,
you don't learn those type of mechanical skills very fast," he added.
The
ISAC contacted the Department of Homeland Security, which contacted Rhode Island
state police.
A joint investigation was then launched by investigators from
the Rhode Island State Fusion Center, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force
(JTTF) in Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement.
Investigators learned that when Mullawala obtained his
driver's license from the Rhode Island Registry of Motor Vehicles, he gave a
false statement indicating he was a Rhode Island resident. ICE then determined
he was a citizen of India and in the United States on an expired temporary
student visa.
On Tuesday, Mullawala went to state police headquarters
thinking he was responding to another matter. He was then apprehended and turned
over to ICE.
He's being held in the federal Suffolk County detention center
in Boston until his immigration hearing in Boston, which is expected to be
sometime within the next few weeks. He will be charged with overstaying his visa
and is facing possible deportation back to India.
O'Donnell said his
department, as well as the New York and New Jersey JTTFs, are investigating
Mullawala's background and the residences he had in those three
states.
Authorities have not yet turned up the names of any other specific
individuals Mullawala may have been conspiring with.
"He didn't have family,
he did have friends," O'Donnell said, adding that authorities are trying to
track down people Mullawala was associated with in New York, where his most
recent address is located.
That address is 161 84th Road in Jamaica, Queens,
according to Rhode Island police. He also has a residence on Carpenter Street in
Providence, R.I., which he apparently hasn't lived at since 2003.
Police are
also studying a computer taken from one of Mullawala's residence, O'Donnell
said, adding that the man apparently was a computer expert. They will look at
his e-mails, as well as any Web sites he frequented. Any potential overseas
connections will be handled by the FBI and DHS, O'Donnell said, although none
have yet turned up.
An official at the New York JTTF office contacted by
FOXNews.com said he could not comment on the status of this or any ongoing
investigation.
More than 500,000 transportation workers — including
school-bus drivers to mass transit workers — call in tips as part of the Highway Watch program,
said spokesman John Willard. The Highway Watch ISAC vets the calls to determine
which ones are substantial enough to pass on to federal authorities.
"We get
a few hundred [calls] a month," Willard said. "They range from anything from
'there's a guy in his car on the side of a road' ... to 'I'm witnessing a crime'
... to 'there's this person who seems suspicious.'"
He added: "We've gotten a
few of those we believe have led to very credible investigations."
The
Highway Watch ISAC was first established by DHS in March of 2004. The original
Highway Watch was set up in 1998 as a safety program and run by the American
Trucking Association up until 2004. It added an anti-terrorism and security
training program in the spring of 2002, which almost every major trucking
company in the United States is now mandating for their drivers, Willard
said.
The course teaches drivers how to keep themselves safe by always
keeping their trucks locked, and not keeping the vehicles running when they're
not in them. It also provides various emergency contact and tipline
numbers.
But it also tells people what kinds of activity to be on the alert
for.
"Casing," for example, can include activities such as an individual
inquiring about details, of hazardous material deliveries. There was one
situation in Florida where a man was seen videotaping hazardous material
dropoffs, Willard said.
"We talk to them about how a typical terrorist act is
carried out," he added. "Terrorists typically don't wake up on Tuesday morning
and blow something up on Tuesday afternoon. It normally goes through an
extensive process of targeting, casing, etc… The first thing we do is make
drivers aware of that process."THANK YOU!!! Great looking out!!
December 13, 2006
December 11, 2006
More good news....
Take the time to check out their blog. It is written by a couple Iraqi gentleman and is really a great read.
December 09, 2006
This goes to show you.....
December 08, 2006
Yet another story you won't see in the MSM....
December 07, 2006
No matter what we do....I'm just rambling
I consider myself a realist. Optimist when I can be but a realist none the less. The article from World Net Daily talks about a whole other part of being in Iraq that I think many people miss. And they miss it because our President is saying if we pull out of Iraq before it is stabilized it is going to get worse. I think so many people just ignore him because they hate him and don't think about the big picture.
When I hear him say we will finish when the job is done, I know that it isn't just about Iraq and its people it is about the Islamic extremist also. They believe they are doing so well and the more negative reports and talks of "failure" the more those running the jihad think they are winning over a super power.
We are the "invaders" however we don't make it a point to go and blow up as many people as we can. The majority of the Iraqis that have died have died and the hands of those that share their religion. We don't share much with the Iraqis as far a culture goes but when it comes to respect of human life we have a hell of a lot more than those that do understand their culture and share in it. Some Iraqis are offended by our talk of "collateral damage". That is what we call it when civilian could be hurt in a military engagement. My question is why is that so offending when men, women and young people are walking in public areas with bombs strapped to them with the purpose of murdering anyone in close proximity. I guess that is something I will not ever understand.
Pearl Harbor - say a prayer and thanks
It is a very unique experience when you visit the memorial. And if you ever get to go to Hawaii it is a stop one should make. I have actually been there a couple time and each time I was over come with emotion. It is a very somber experience.
unfortunately, those that survived the attack are meeting for the last time. There will be no more reunions after this year. I have so much respect for that generation and it really is a shame that we are watching them pass on.
Another example of our wonderful media....
December 06, 2006
A great piece of news...
December 05, 2006
Just for fun...
You are supposed to bold all the things that you've done...
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I Love You" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Built your own PC from parts
11. Hit a home run
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse (saw the shadow - didn't want to burn my eyeballs)
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Visited Paris
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking (have you ever drank to much? Not hard to do)
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan (if Okinawa counts)
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gotten married
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gone scuba diving
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised child(ren) (Currently raising children)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds (if it wasn't all at once)
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Had a snake as a pet
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol (all of the above)
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Broken a bone (two - they were my toes and I was 25)
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper (I was 12 in a lip sync contest, I lost but I got my picture in the paper)
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school (I am on the 15 - 20 year program for my BA - I always go back)
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one 'important' author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions (cause I only had one so far)
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Bungee jumped
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life
December 01, 2006
Rating travelers according to travel patterns - What a concept!
"The scores are assigned to people entering and leaving the United States after computers assess their travel records, including where they are from, how they paid for tickets, their motor vehicle records, past one-way travel, seating preference and what kind of meal they ordered."
Of course there is the typical reaction:
"Still, privacy advocates view ATS with alarm. "It's probably the most invasive system the government has yet deployed in terms of the number of people affected," David Sobel, a lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group devoted to electronic data issues, said in an interview."
First off, I don't care that anyone knows three years ago I went to Cancun to watch my friend get married and get really drunk or that I make routine travels to visit relatives. I really don't care that they find out how I pay for my tickets or that I got a speeding ticket last year. The one way travel doesn't apply to me because I have to go back to where I came from and actually if I could see the results of the findings that may even help me is traveling next time so I can remember what seats worked the best for the family and I don't make the same mistake and order that nasty hot food plate I did the last time!!
Enough about me - it's the rest of the people they are worried about - OK! How about this then:
Terrorist getting drivers licenses Somehow I am sure that system could assist in at least raising some flags.
Especially when you have stories like this one.
Tracking travel seems to be a good thing:
Targeting travel is at least as powerful a weapon against terrorists as
targeting their money. Th e United States should combine terrorist travel
intelligence, operations, and law enforcement in a strategy to intercept
terrorists, find terrorist travel facilitators, and constrain terrorist mobility.
Th e 9/11 Commission Report
July 22, 2004
"how they paid for tickets" - refer to previous paragraph; This would be some good information.
Maybe there is some worry about profiling based upon what people order for the meal.
