Sorry, I have been busy with school work. Well, I still am! But, I thought I would post this:
I think it's funny/ironic. I do not agree with our invasion of Iraq at all, but the Iraq people should be grateful. This reporter obviously isn't happy with being free. He would rather live under dictatorship. However, lucky for him, he is in a free Democracy. If Saddam still was dictator, or any dictator for that matter, he would have been tortured, killed, and his family the same. So, does anyone else see the irony in this?
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and ROBERT BURNS The Associated Press Wednesday, August 20, 2008; 5:11 PM
BAGHDAD -- Iraqi and U.S. negotiators have completed a draft security agreement that would see American troops leave Iraqi cities as soon as June 30, Iraqi and American officials said Wednesday.
In Washington, a senior military official said the deal has been accepted by the U.S. side, short of formal approval by President Bush, but is subject to final acceptance by Iraqi leaders. Some members of Iraq's Cabinet oppose some provisions.
Also completed is a companion draft document, known as a strategic framework agreement, spelling out in broad terms the political, security and economic relationships between Iraq and the United States, the senior military official said. The official discussed the draft accords on condition that he not be identified by name because the deals have not been publicly announced and are not final.
In addition to spelling out that U.S. troops would move out of Iraqi cities by next summer, the Iraqi government has pushed for a specific date _ most likely the end of 2011 _ by which all U.S. forces would depart the country. In the meantime, the U.S. troops would be positioned on bases in less visible parts of the country, and would be ready to assist Iraqi forces as needed.
U.S. officials have resisted committing firmly to a specific date for a final pullout, insisting that it would be wiser to set a target date linked to the attainment of certain agreed-upon goals.
It was not clear Wednesday how that has been settled in the draft security accord, which the two governments are referring to as a memorandum of understanding.
The senior U.S. military official said the draft is consistent with U.S. objectives, which include setting a "time horizon" rather than a firm date for the future withdrawal of American forces.
In Washington, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said talks with the Iraqis were ongoing and "we are trying to bring the agreement to a close. It is not done yet."
An Iraqi official who was involved in the protracted negotiations said the latest draft was completed last week and sent to the two governments.
The official said a compromise had been worked out on the contentious issue of whether to provide U.S. troops immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law, but he did not give details. In Washington, the senior military official said the draft agreement reflects the U.S. position that the United States must retain exclusive legal jurisdiction over its troops in Iraq.
Looks like the Democratic promise of pulling the troops from Iraq has already been put into motion. Sorry Barack, but they just stole your platform. Now all you have is Universal Health Care...
Communists of America unite! We finally have a real presidential candidate who holds our values dear. We support Obama because he wants to nationalize health care, take money from the rich to give to the poor, and make one class of people. Hooray for communism! Hooray for Obama! Hooray for Obamunism! (That whole democracy thing just wasn't working out anyway.)
Wow. I have to say, this is a great ad... very smart and very funny.
I think McCain is starting to hit his stride with his campaign. Even though I do not like McCain, put up against Obama... I easily pick McCain. Too bad Ron Paul didn't have a chance. McCain is not a true conservative, such as Ron Paul, but he does have some good stances on energy and taxes. Let's just hope he wins and that he doesn't switch his stances. Anything is better than socialism...
Sen. Barack Obama's campaign announced yesterday that his wife, Michelle, will be the star attraction on the opening night at the Democratic National Convention in Denver on Aug. 25.
Following Michelle Obama on Monday, the "headline speakers" for the rest of the convention will be Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday, Obama's vice presidential choice on Wednesday, and Obama on Thursday. The convention will move that day to Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium, and Obama will officially accept the party's nomination before a crowd expected to reach 75,000.
Two of the dates will be rich with symbolism. Clinton, who came closer than any woman to winning a major-party nomination for president, will speak on the 88th anniversary of women receiving the right to vote, and Obama will give his acceptance speech on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
The Obama camp had previously said that Clinton would speak on Tuesday night, although negotiations continue about whether her name will be placed in nomination. The New York Daily News reported that Clinton has raised the idea of being introduced by her daughter, Chelsea. Former president Bill Clinton is scheduled to address the delegates on Wednesday night.
The Obama camp and the Democratic National Committee said additional details about the convention and speakers will be released this week.
This is great, Clinton to speak on the anniversary of women suffrage, Obama on the anniversary of King’s famous speech. Any other symbolic dates the Democrats want to touch on? But, most importantly, Michelle Obama is going to be the opening act on Monday night. Are they setting her up for a great speech and to have it catapult her to the president race in future years? Let’s hope not…
Wonder why this is the first time she is proud of being American? Is it because of the "change" he is going to bring to America? Exactly what change is that? Definitely not good change... I can tell you that. Social and Economic justice is not a good idea. Sorry, if you don't succeed then it's because of your choices and decisions. The people who make it in this world are the people who make good choices and decisions. Why should successful people be punished? Isn't it the American dream to succeed? Last I heard, the American dream definitely wasn't sitting on your ass, popping out babies, and living off welfare. Unfortunately, it seems to be moving towards that more and more.
SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST, California (CNN) -- Beyond the towering trees that have stood here for thousands of years, an intense drug war is being waged.
Illegal immigrants connected to Mexico's drug cartels are growing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of marijuana in the heart of one of America's national treasures, authorities say. It's a booming business that, federal officials say, feeds Mexico's most violent drug traffickers.
"These aren't Cheech and Chong plants," said John Walters, director of the National Drug Control Policy. "People who farm now are not doing this for laughs, despite the fact Hollywood still thinks that. They're doing it to make a lot of money."
Walters spoke from a "marijuana garden" tucked deep into the Sequoia National Forest, a two- to four-hour hike from the nearest road, far removed from the giant sequoias the region is best known for.
Ten thousand marijuana plants, some 5 feet tall, dotted the mountainside's steep terrain amid thick brush, often near streams. This garden's street value is an estimated $40 million, authorities said.
Walters clutched three plants he said were worth $12,000 on the streets.
"This is about serious criminal organizations," Walters said. "They're willing to kill anybody who gets in their way. They're taking money back to those who kill prosecutors, judges and law enforcement."
Over the past eight days, a federal, state and county law enforcement initiative called Operation LOCCUST has eradicated 420,000 marijuana plants here worth more than $1 billion on the street. By comparison, authorities eradicated 330,000 plants over the six-month growing season last month, said Lt. Mike Boudreaux of the Tulare County Sheriff's Department.
Authorities have arrested 38 people and seized 29 automatic weapons, high-powered rifles and other guns, Boudreaux said.
For years, Mexican drug cartels have used the remote forest to conduct and conceal their business. But the pot production has intensified because it has become harder and harder to smuggle marijuana across the U.S.-Mexico border, Walters said.
"They come into our own national parks and risk the lives of sheriffs and others," Walters said.
Sequoia National Forest is more than 350 miles from the border, named in honor of its 38 groves of giant sequoia trees dating back thousands of years. The forest covers 1.2 million acres in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Some of the workers have established residency in the United States, Boudreaux said. Most are in the country illegally, he said, many brought for the sole purpose of growing pot, maintaining production and protecting the camp.
"They're using family or very trusted family friends. They don't just use anybody," he said.
Authorities arrested nine people in one bust recently, all of them brothers or cousins ranging in age from 20 to 27, Boudreaux said.
Boudreaux described a sophisticated web in which workers and supplies are delivered to the camps by separate groups of people who don't know all the details about the marijuana operation.
"You're recruited in for that purpose as long as you're trusted. ... Each person has his function."
Once at the national forest, the growers carry with them everything they need: tents, food, guns, fertilizer, irrigation hose and marijuana seeds. Armed men keep watch over the gardens day and night during planting season, officials say.
They dam mountain creeks to create pools and then siphon the water into miles of gravity-fed hoses that lead to smaller tubing to irrigate the plants. Nearly all of the marijuana plants have individual drip lines.
"The people that are growing this are good at what they do," said Boudreaux. Don't Miss
* Legislators aim to snuff out penalties for pot use * iReport.com: Is it time to legalize pot? * Pot bill sparks debate among iReporters * KMPH: Pot gardens in massive bust
The battle is being waged by a coalition of local, state and federal agencies. They rip up and remove the intricate irrigation systems, eradicate the plants and develop intelligence on the workers.
"The goal is not just to eradicate the plants but to go after the organizations," Walters said.
What's different this year from years past, officials say, is that they're working to destroy the entire infrastructure of the marijuana grown in this region, from the irrigation systems to capturing the growers to ripping up the plants. And they're trying to get at the heart of the cartels.
Walters said they have a "unique relationship" with Mexican law enforcement to go after organized crime -- that they will take names of those arrested here and try to work back to the crime families.
"In the past, all we've been able to do is what we call 'whack and stack,' " said Bill Wittman, sheriff of Tulare County.
Wittman says he has had "well over 200 people in the field every day" eradicating the plants and removing the irrigation systems as part of the operation.
"We're not just pulling the plants, we're targeting mid-level and upper-management of these trafficking organizations," Boudreaux said.
How do they find the gardens in such remote areas? They use aerial surveillance, human intelligence and other means. "Often times, we have people who will lead us to these gardens," Boudreaux said.
Allen Ishida, a member of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, said the illegal activity is alarming.
"I want to state that the guys growing the marijuana are not the guys I went to college with," he said. "These are organized drug cartels out of Mexico." advertisement
Boudreaux says authorities are furious that cartels are operating in a U.S. forest.
"It's something that's troubling for many of us in law enforcement," he said. "You have illegal criminal activity in the mountain regions not only destroying the natural beauty of the landscape but as well as the potential for this product to reach the children of this community."
It’s kind of funny because it’s illegal Mexicans planting and harvesting marijuana in a US National Forest. Maybe we should have a better border (aka a huge fence, etc) and make drugs (such as marijuana) legal. Does anyone else find this story funny or have any comments?
Barack Obama is the Democratic Party Nominee for President. He is a great speaker, wooing his crowd and supporters with his graceful rhetoric. He is said to stand for change, which I definitely think this country needs. But, unfortunately, Barack Obama does not stand for true change or the right change for that matter. All he wants to do is tinker the system to lean more towards the Socialist Welfare State that we have been nose diving towards for some time. He beats around the bush with the specifics of his plans, is inexperienced, is/was a member of a controversial church with a racist creed and is/was close friends with the pastor who he declared his spiritual advisor, is a flaming socialist, and worst of all… he is a dick and truly doesn’t love his country.
So, how does someone vote for a presidential candidate that does not respect his own country… which he wants to lead? Barack Obama even started to wear the American flag lapel again. This is obviously a move to increase his image of patriotism and elect ability. Last year he said, “As I've said about the flag pin, I don't want to be perceived as taking sides,” Obama said. “There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all. It should be swapped for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song 'I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing.' If that were our anthem, then I might salute it.” Too bad this isn't a real quote... but I wouldn't doubt if that's truly how he feels.
That whole town hall is full of these socialist, false intellectuals, and ignorant little kids who are caught up in the hype. Barack Obama acts like he didn’t realize that they hadn’t recited the pledge of allegiance... how would someone think that they already did that when they hadn’t? Then on top of that, he starts to recite the allegiance without telling anyone that he is going to recite. He didn’t allow for anyone to stand up and get ready. And that smirk on his face while he is reciting the pledge. What a dick.
I can’t stand people who believe in “Global Warming”. Just a decade ago there was propaganda saying we were going into an ice age! But now, 10 years later, we are burning all to hell?
I can’t stand people who want Universal Healthcare. They complain about the DMV and post office... just wait till it’s that way for medicine and health care. How do shortages of aspirin and antibiotics sound? How about waiting 18 months to get your torn ACL fixed?
I can’t stand people who think there needs to be tighter gun regulations and especially an outright firearm ban. You take the guns from the law abiding citizen and you make it easier for the person who goes against the law to commit crimes. Why would a criminal worry about a gun law if he is going to be committing a crime as it is?
I can’t stand non-conformist. You look stupid with all those earrings and tattoos. Why must you go against anything and everything mainstream? It’s to the point where being non-conformist is actually mainstream. Isn’t being non-conformist conforming to an idea of being non-conformist?
There are many other issues that I have strong stances on… actually probably most issues. But this is a manifesto allowing the vision of this blog to be seen clearly. My opinion is my opinion… you may learn from it and/or you may disagree with it. You may be offended by it and/or you may be comforted about it. But, one thing is certain… I am always right.
This is a new blog designed to investigate the different facets of the society we live in, partial and whole. I will commence writing entries as soon as I have some extended free time. Please tune in and see what comes of this blog... all opinions are welcome to be roasted.
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