Strained, Army Looks To Guard For More Relief

While this is going on there is also a proposal to eliminate consent of the governors to mobilize National Guard troops. The nation's governors are closing ranks in opposition to a proposal in Congress that would let the president take control of the National Guard in emergencies without consent of governors. The measure would remove the currently required consent of governors for the federalization of the Guard, which is shared between the individual states and the federal government. This of course only applies to disasters and civil emergencies. Militarily for defense, the President has always had the authority to federalize the guard. This is a double edged sword. On the one hand it provides a centrally managed front to manage disasters (would have helped with Katrina) and relieves the states of tons of financial burden. On the other hand, federalizing the Guard would prevent them from performing in a law enforcement capacity. The Posse Comitatus Act (18 U.S.C 1385) passed in 1878. This proposal is a direct result of Governor Blanco never officially requesting federal help, so what we have now is each side shaking their perspective fingers at each other. This of course solves nothing. The real problem with this proposal is that the president decides what constitutes a crisis, as seen by some of his recent comments about what he feels he has the authority to do this will only result in the guard being used and abused. So the result is people can’t go home but the contractors keep getting richer…ahh the American dream

By Thom Shanker and Michael R. Gordon
WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 —
Strains on the Army from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have become so severe that Army officials say they may be forced to make greater use of the National Guard to provide enough troops for overseas deployments.
Senior Army officers have discussed that analysis — and described the possible need to use more members of the National Guard — with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld’s senior adviser on personnel, David S. C. Chu, according to Pentagon officials.
While no decision has been made to mobilize more Guard forces, and may not need to be before midterm elections, the prospect presents the Bush administration with a politically vexing problem: how, without expanding the Army, to balance the pressing need for troops in the field against promises to limit overseas deployments for the Guard.
The National Guard has a goal of allowing five years at home between foreign deployments so as not to disrupt the family life and careers of its citizen soldiers. But instead it has been sending units every three to four years, according to Guard officials.

Gay translators

Soldiers versus Bush

GLOBE EDITORIAL
Soldiers versus Bush
September 18, 2006
IN THE FIGHT over rules for the interrogation and trials of terrorism suspects, there is a split -- not so much between Republicans and Democrats or the White House and the Senate, but between leaders like President Bush with no combat experience and those like Colin Powell who know combat and want to maintain the Geneva Conventions as a protection for US troops. Powell prefers the bill before Congress sponsored by Republican Senators John McCain, John Warner, and Lindsey Graham, all of whom have considerable military experience. Their bill, which the Senate Armed Services Committee approved Thursday, has deep flaws of its own, but it is a better basis for legislation than Bush's proposal to gut the Geneva Conventions.
The military has to take the long view because it knows that if the United States strays from the Geneva Conventions, other countries will, too. As McCain said yesterday on ABC-TV, ``We are more exposed than any other nationality because we have more people all over the world." The military also knows that harsh interrogations often yield false information from prisoners eager to say anything to win better treatment. One terrorism suspect, Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, ``confessed" knowledge of links between Al Qaeda and Iraq after the Central Intelligence Agency handed him over to Egyptian authorities. According to the recently released Senate report on prewar intelligence, Libi had made up the information to avoid cruel treatment by the Egyptians.
Neither Bush's bill nor the Senate committee's deserves passage as written. Each would strip the 400 or more detainees at Guantanamo of any right to appeal their cases to federal courts. Except for a handful of them, none has been charged with war crimes or terrorism. Some undoubtedly would present a threat if released and should be held longer, but others were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. All of them deserve recourse to courts to challenge their continued detention.
At his press conference Friday, Bush challenged Powell's statement that Bush's redefinition of the Geneva Conventions would encourage the world to ``doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism." Bush construed this to suggest a comparison between US behavior and that of ``Islamic extremists who kill innocent women and children to achieve an objective." The proper comparison, though, is not with the conduct of terrorists but with the principles the United States has maintained in every war it has fought since adoption of the Geneva Conventions.
Those are the principles the Supreme Court upheld in June. Congress should follow suit by passing an amended version of the Senate committee bill that does not subject detainees to the limbo of Guantanamo with no access to the courts.

Financing and education

There's been a lot of talk lately about the high cost of education and increasing levels of student debt. With all the fuss, you would expect that lucky high school seniors receive a bill with their acceptance letters for the expensive educations they are about to pursue. Undoubtedly, this is the case for some students. But for most of us, our plunge into student debt is much slower and more insidious. Like drug dealers, the loans start small and cheap, lulling students into a false sense of security where they can focus on their studies – for a while. By the time the full effects of debt creep in, it is too late.

Show me the money

After kvetching for more than 12 months I have been paid leave (3.5 days) that the army (guard) has owed me since 2003. It was 11.5 days last year right before New Orleans. Such incompetence makes one wonder how these idiots keep getting promoted. I think the answer is rather simplistic; when dealing with a problem soldier a commander has three choices: try to fix the problem, attempt to discharge the soldier, or promote the soldier and send this person elsewhere.

a dog will fly

The train was quite crowded, so a U. S. Marine walkedthe entirelength looking for a seat, but the only seat left wastaken by a well dressed, middle-aged, French woman's poodle.
The war-weary Marine asked,"Ma'am, may I have that seat?" The French woman justsniffed and saidto no one in particular "Americans are so rude.
My little Fifi is using that seat.
"The Marine walked the entire train again, but the only seat leftwas under that dog. "Please, ma'am. May I sit down?I'm very tired."She snorted, "Not only are you Americans rude, you are also arrogant!
"This time the Marine didn't say a word; he justpicked up the little dog, tossed it out the train window, and sat down.
The woman shrieked, "Someone must defend my honor! this American should be put in his place!
"An English gentleman sitting nearby spoke up, "Sir, you Americans often seem to have a penchant for doing the wrong thing. You hold the fork in the wrong hand. You drive your autos on the wrongside of the road. And now, sir, you seem to have thrown the wrongbitch out the window.

A short clarification

For some my politics might seem a little odd being that some of my thoughts that I have posted here represent someone who might be a “gasp” liberal or at very least a person with liberal leanings. More surprisingly is that I used to belong to the Republican Party. Most responsible individuals become affiliated with a political party that closely meshes with their values. Once upon a time it was the GOP; but over the years the Republican Party has been taken over by the religious right. I firmly believe that religion and politics are a volatile mixture; and of course with the events of the last 24 months have left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Also I have always been a little quirky from time to time. While many of my comrades in arms thought that placing illegal combatants in Cuba without charge or due process, I felt this is wrong after all how long it will be before the fine folks in Washington trim a little fat of off the constitution and just eliminate due process all together. It bothered me to no end being told by an Officer do violate the constitution like what happened while we were in New Orleans (4th Amendment).I often look at my understanding of all matters political to be a work in progress. One of my core beliefs comes from Judaism’s concept of social justice or justice should be evenly distributed to all persons not just the wealthy.

Crap i'am a jewish socalist how did that happen

You are a Social Liberal (80% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (20% permissive) You are best described as a: Socialist Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Khatami says 9/11 attackers will not go to heaven

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has condemned the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States and said those who carried them out will never go to heaven.
"During the calamity of September 11, two crimes were committed: one was the killing of innocent people and the second was making this crime in the name of Islam," said the former president, who is on a speaking tour of the United States.
"We, Muslims, should condemn this atrocity even more strongly," Khatami told the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"Terrorism, which means killing civilians in whatever name or title, lacks morality, and nobody who lacks such principle will go to heaven," Khatami continued. "Those who kill others and commit acts of terror, if they identify themselves with Islam, they are lying." Americans mark the fifth anniversary of the attacks on Monday.

zum sein oder nicht

In my years of military service I have had the pleasure to serve with men and women from all segments of American society. I have also encountered my share of bigots one of these sticks in my mind as we approach Yom-Kippur I will not mention his name because after all I wouldn’t want to out him as the ignorant boob he is. We were deployed at Ft. Carson Colorado and many of us had just returned from leave. So this Sergeant walks up to me and shows me his new hunting knife and strike me dead on the hilt was what appeared to be a swastika. On closer examination it turned out to be the 45th infantry division’s old insignia and Indian symbol for good luck. But the knife itself was an exact replica of a Hitler youth knife. This really bothered me so I emailed and then called my Rabbi in Colorado Springs she of course had never dealt with such an issue before. I then talked to my squad leader and as I told him what happened he actually got really angry so he then went to the Sergeant major who told me that “you can’t be religious because you curse” This had little to do religion as far as I was concerned; this guy decided for whatever reason that it would be humorous to flaunt a symbol of tyranny in my face, after all everyone know I am Jewish and at times rather vocal about having time off to go to a synagogue. I can’t get kosher MRE’s without kvetching to someone outside of my chain of command, but this moron can decide what level Yiddishkeit I can or can’t display. He then goes on to tell me that I shove my religion down the throats of others, hmmm sounds like a bit of projection going on to me. I constantly have to deal with references to Jesus this and Jesus that. But if I try to educate people on why we Jews do the things we do then I am forcing my opinions on others. Now that I am back in Oklahoma and just a Guardsman I still can't get kosher rations I still have violate the Shabbos at least once a month and still have to deal with people who seem for all intensive purposes to be Stuck On Stupid.

Goodbye GOP

Its official I am no longer affiliated with the Republican Party. I took the liberty of redacting some personal information to protect my identity from any unscrupulous persons. I initiated this process as a protest to the commander in chief signing memos to circumvent U.S law, for the illegal C.I.A detention facilities outside the united states and the lastly the spineless republican law makers who wont stand up to the boss out of fear of being labeled an appeaser. Now if my new party can actually focus on the matter at hand. Keeping Dick Chenny out of white house in 2008.

OKLAHOMA OK

A first grade teacher explains to her class that she is a Texas LongHorn fan. She asks her students to raise their hands if they are fans too.

Not really knowing what a Texas fan was, but wanting to be liked by their teacher, their hands fly into the air. There is, however, one exception.

A little girl named Janet has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different. "Because I'm not an a Texas fan" she reports.

"Then," asks the teacher, "what are you?"
"I'm a proud Oklahoma University - Boomer Sooner fan" boasts the little girl.

The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Janet why she is an Oklahoma fan.

"Well, my Dad and Mom are Sooner fans, so I'm a Sooner fan too" she responds. The teacher is angry now "That's no reason," she says loudly.

"What if your mom was a moron, and your dad was an idiot. What would you be then?"
Janet smiles and says, "Then I'd be a Texas fan."

GO SOONERS!!!!

Denzel Visits Brooks Army Medical Center

I Don't know whether you heard about this but Denzel Washington and his family visited the troops at Brook Army Medical Center, in San Antonio, Texas (BAMC) the other day. This is where soldiers who have been evacuated from Germany come to be hospitalized in the United States, especially burn victims. There are some buildings there called Fisher Houses. The Fisher House is a Hotel where soldiers' families can stay, for little or no charge, while their soldier is staying in the Hospital. BAMC has quite a few of these houses on base, but as you can imagine, they are almost filled most of the time.While Denzel Washington was visiting BAMC, they gave him a tour of one of the Fisher Houses. He asked how much one of them would cost to build. He took his checkbook out and wrote a check for the full amount right thereon the spot. The soldiers overseas were amazed to hear this story and want to get the word out to the American public, because it warmed their hearts to hear it. The question I have is why does: Alec Baldwin, Madonna, Sean Penn and other Hollywood types make front page news with their anti-everything America trash and Denzel Washington's Patriotism doesn't even make page 3 in the Metro section of any newspaper except the Local newspaper in San Antonio

Corn

This is from my visit to Germany in 1998 We had been divorced less than a year and I was participating in training in Hohenfels Germany at the CMTC combat maneuver training center. On a weekend pass I took a train from Hohenfels to Rothenburg to call on the Ex wife. Mainly this was to achieve closure and to visit some friends in Rothenburg. I did manage to deal with some unresolved issues and am a better person for it. When I moved from Germany in 96 the plan was I would find an apartment then once that had happened she would join me; well she deviated from the plan found a boyfriend got pregnant and asked for a divorce. For months and months I pondered what I did wrong or why she suddenly changed. So when I heard that my unit was sending 12 bodies to Germany I raised my hand and said sure the Thomas will go. At the end of the day I realized that the problems were always there I just refused to acknowledge them. Also it came up that she also has issues with abandonment as her father left when she was young; so in her mind I had deserted her when I moved back to the states and as a result reached out for companionship of any sort. Not much of an excuse for adultery but after all she is European and they do view things just a tad bit differently than Americans. So I acceptance of each others short comings we barbequed some corn and had a nice quiet evening. I wonder sometimes if Kerstin is somewhere in Europa still searching for corn.