:: Da' Militant One's Lair ::

:: Friday, December 31, 2004 ::

Another Blast from the Past

Saturday, June 21, 2003 ::

Memo to Sheep:These are the words of leading conservative republicans in the matter of presidential lies and misleading statements:Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Illinois), “There is a visibility factor in the president's public acts, and those which betray a trust or reveal contempt for the law are hard to sweep under the rug...They reverberate, they ricochet all over the land and provide the worst possible example for our young people.” Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin) “The truth is still the truth, and a lie is still a lie, and the rule of law should apply to everyone, no matter what excuses are made by the president's defenders…We have done so because of our devotion to the rule of law and our fear that if the president does not suffer the legal and constitutional consequences of his actions, the impact of allowing the president to stand above the law will be felt for generations to come…laws not enforced are open invitations for more serious and more criminal behavior.” Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) “It would be wrong for you to tell America's children that some lies are all right. It would be wrong to show the rest of the world that some of our laws don't really matter.” Steve Buyer (R- Indiana) “I have also heard some senators from both sides of the aisle state publicly: I think these offenses rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors. Now, to state publicly that you believe that high crimes and misdemeanors have occurred but for some reason you have this desire not to remove the president -- that desire, though, does not square with the law, the Constitution, and the Senate's precedents for removing federal judges for similar offenses.” Rep. Lindsey Graham (R - South Carolina, Now Senator) “The president of the United States sets atop of the legal pyramid. If there's reasonable doubt about his ability to faithfully execute the laws of the land, our future would be better off if that individual is removed. And let me tell you where it all comes down to me. If you can go back and explain to your children and your constituents how you can be truthful and misleading at the same time, good luck.” Of course, the president that they were speaking of was Bill Clinton. The president that their words apply to is George Bush. Lying about sex: Number of casualties - 0. Lying about war: 190+ killed, hundreds wounded and counting. Who are you going to believe Bush, or your own lying eyes?::

Da' Militant 1 6/21/2003 01:41:35 PM [+] :: ...

Email address is: militant.one@att.net
I read all responses. I will post responses along with my reply. Watch raw language. Remember Michael Powell runs the FCC.

:: DM1 12/31/2004 06:48:00 AM [+] ::
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What does it take?

After arguing that C+ Augustus was getting a bum rap by not commenting on the Tsunami disaster, the right wing is now pointing fingers at Kofi Annan for staying on a ski vacation instead of heading back to the UN. What Kofi Annan did or did not do in no way absolves the "village idiot" from his failure to show leadership. The standing U.S. pledge in $35 million for Tsunami relief. Bush's inauguration costs $40 million. Does anybody see anything wrong with this picture. I know Bill Clinton only wishes that Monica did to him what the right wing is doing to Bush.

Email address is: militant.one@att.net
I read all responses. I will post responses along with my reply. Watch raw language. Remember Michael Powell runs the FCC.

:: DM1 12/31/2004 06:32:00 AM [+] ::
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Hillbilly Armor

Soldiers Must Rely on 'Hillbilly Armor' for Protection

Updated 10:34 PM ET December 8, 2004

They call it "hillbilly armor" -- U.S. military vehicles protected with scrap metal salvaged from landfills. And now U.S. soldiers want to know how long they will have to scavenge for junk to protect themselves in combat.
At Camp Buerhing in Kuwait, a Tennessee Army National Guardsman with the 278th Regimental Combat Team put the question directly to visiting Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

"Why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to up-armor our vehicles?" asked Spc. Thomas Wilson of Ringgold, Ga. His question was met with shouts of approval and applause from the estimated 2,300 soldiers who had gathered to see Rumsfeld.
"It isn't a matter of money, it isn't a matter on part of the Army of desire," Rumsfeld responded. "It's a matter of production and capability of doing it. As you know, you go to war with the Army you have."
Soldiers say trucks and transport vehicles that lack sufficient armor leave them vulnerable for attack.
"What we basically have is what we call hillbilly steel, hillbilly armor," said Col. John Zimmermann, a senior officer with the Tennessee National Guard. "It's real frustrating for these soldiers."

Zimmermann said 95 percent of the unit's 300 trucks do not have appropriate covering. In October, Army reservists refused an order to deliver fuel in Iraq, saying their vehicles were unsafe. Army Spc. Blaze Crook, a 24-year-old college student who will be heading into Iraq within days, was taken aback when he saw the condition of the vehicle that will take him there. "It's got huge windows on the front of my truck," he said. "It's basically like a window of opportunity to get shot, or shrapnel or anything like that to come through. It just doesn't make me feel good that I'm riding up there without the proper armor." Rumsfeld said soldiers can still be injured even in armored vehicles, but he said the Army is doing the best they can to protect them.
Improvised Armor In the meantime, the Marines of Fox 2/5 Company have learned to improvise, using scrap metal to shore up their transport trucks in Iraq. "One of the main problems [soldiers] have is exposure from the shoulder up, and that is one of the main reasons they came over to us and asked us to raise their sides and high-backs," said Kurt Hendler, a reservist serving with the Seabees, the Navy's construction force.
Hendler and his welding partner, Joe Parrot, are customizing the standard equipped personnel trucks with new steel doors, higher sides and deflecting roofs -- all fashioned from steel plates intended for road repairs in Iraq.

"We cover up the doors and put on some three-inch plate to protect the passenger and driver's side from IED [improvised explosive device] attacks, sniper fire and any other small-arms fire," Hendler said.
This makeshift armor ended up saving the life of a crew whose vehicle took a direct hit from a rocket-propelled grenade. They say it will take 2 ½ months to get a new door to replace the one that was damaged. While the Pentagon works on supplying troops with more armored vehicles, replacement parts, and modification kits to combat units in the field, similar improvising is springing up in bases throughout Iraq. It has become a matter of life and death.

ABC News' Martha Raddatz in Kuwait and Mike Cerre in Iraq filed this report for "World News Tonight."

Email address is: militant.one@att.net
I read all responses. I will post responses along with my reply. Watch raw language. Remember Michael Powell runs the FCC.

:: DM1 12/08/2004 10:43:00 PM [+] ::
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From the Associated Press

A Daily Look at U.S. Iraq Military Deaths
By The Associated Press

As of Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2004, at least 1,280 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq (news - web sites) war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1001 died as a result of hostile action, the Defense Department said. The figures include three military civilians.

The AP count is four higher than the Defense Department's tally, last updated at 10 a.m. EST Wednesday. The British military has reported 74 deaths; Italy, 19; Poland, 13; Spain, 11; Ukraine, nine; Bulgaria, seven; Slovakia, three; Estonia, Thailand and the Netherlands, two each; and Denmark, El Salvador (news - web sites), Hungary and Latvia one death each.
Since May 1, 2003, when President Bush (news - web sites) declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 1,142 U.S. military members have died, according to AP's count. That includes at least 892 deaths resulting from hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

Email address is: militant.one@att.net
I read all responses. I will post responses along with my reply. Watch raw language. Remember Michael Powell runs the FCC.

:: DM1 12/08/2004 10:37:00 PM [+] ::
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Donald Rumsfeld Revisited

I gave him a break after prisoner torture fiasco and now he pretty much has told the troops who are going to Iraq that they are expected to go regardless if they are properly protected or not. What arrogance and callousness. Time to go. U.S. killed and wounded amount toat least 10,000. How do we lose more men and women AFTER major combat operations are declared over? My white conservative friends have a hundred and one excuses, but in reality they are trying to rationalize their vote for an administration that is one of the most incompetent in U.S. history. I hope you all remain bothered by your consciences for the next four years. Of course Kerry was a "reed in the wind," but he was also a fresh start and that is what we as a country need. It should be about all of us not just you. While I voted for Kerry, I was concerned that he was too much of a stateman and while there is a time to fight, the fight must first be preceeded by a proper amount of discernment. That quality is sorely lacking from this administration. We are all up the creek now. May I borrow a paddle?


Email address is: militant.one@att.net
I read all responses. I will post responses along with my reply. Watch raw language. Remember Michael Powell runs the FCC.

:: DM1 12/08/2004 10:17:00 PM [+] ::
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