Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Tommy "runaway" News

Never debate, NEVER respond. ALWAYS run like a girl (no offense,
girls, you rock!)

Brave, brave Sir Robin!

(yea, Monty Python is way over that head!)

Duh! Sorry

Oh wait, here's another one for Tommy:

Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam...

LOL!!!!

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Test tube hamburgers to be served this year


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Holiday Weekend Shooting Gallery: Gun Violence News Roundup

Holiday Weekend Shooting Gallery: Gun Violence News Roundup


Links to articles here:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&btnmeta_news_search=1&q=shooting&oq=shooting&aq=f&aqi=d1g9d-o1&aql=&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=58354l60797l0l62660l8l8l0l3l3l1l661l2112l3-4.0.1l5l0

Police hunt for 'cold blooded killers' in shooting death of 9 month old ...
Fox News - 36 minutes ago

A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the
suspects involved in the shooting death of a Detroit baby. Police said
9-month-old ...
Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee: Shooting that killed 9-month ... - MLive.com
Detroit police seek tips in baby's fatal shooting - Chicago Tribune
Fatal Detroit shooting of baby gang-related, police say - The Detroit News
Detroit Free Press - Boston.com
all 341 news articles »
Polk pastor dies five months after church shooting
Tbo.com - 1 hour ago

By AP A pastor was found dead in his home five months after he was
wounded during a shooting at Lakeland church that also wounded another
pastor.
Pastor found dead 5 months after church shooting - MiamiHerald.com
Pastor dies 5 months after Fla. church shooting - Sacramento Bee
all 183 news articles »
Forest Hill shooting: Police hit man three times
BBC News - 1 hour ago

... eyewitnesses we can piece together bit-by-bit as much information
as possible to form a clear sequence of events." Scene of the shooting
in Forest Hill.
Police face public following Forest Hill shooting - News Shopper
Officer's accountable for every single shot Lewisham residents are ...
- EastLondonLines
Forest Hill Shooting: Officers Fired Five Times - LBC 97.3
The Guardian - IBTimes.co.uk
all 396 news articles »


A domestic-related shooting early Sunday has left a 22-year-old woman
dead and three others, including the gunman, ...
Chester restaurant closed after recent shooting - Philadelphia Inquirer
all 4 news articles »
DCI mum on shooting circumstances
DesMoinesRegister.com - 5 hours ago

A witness says she heard the suspect say he didn't mean to shoot
Nathan Greene. An Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation special
agent said Monday that he ...
One Killed in Adel Shooting - WOI
ADEL SHOOTING: An Adel man is dead after police say he was shot ... - WHO-TV
1 Dead In Adel Apartment Shooting - KCCI Des Moines
The Republic
all 34 news articles »

Lansing shooting victim dies, suspect sought
Lansing State Journal - 54 minutes ago

Police on the scene of a shooting on Glenburne Boulevard in Lansing on
Monday. The victim died Tuesday. / Rod Sanford | Lansing State Journal
LANSING — A ...
Lansing Shooting Proves Fatal - WILX-TV
UPDATE: Lansing shooting victim in stable condition - MLive.com
all 11 news articles »

Friends shocked, saddened by shooting victim's death
WFMZ Allentown - 1 hour ago

Police said, at this point, they are investigating the shooting as a
self-inflicted accident. Family members say Michael's organs will be
donated to help ...
Fatal shooting at Pa. gun club investigated - Philadelphia Inquirer
Death following shooting at Pa. gun club probed - The Sheboygan Press
Accidental shooting reported at gun club - Reading Eagle
all 35 news articles »

Between 2 shootings, ICE agents struggled over gun
Seattle Post Intelligencer - 20 hours ago

This shooting at the federal building of a high-ranking Immigration
and Customs Enforcement official was over an unspecified disciplinary
matter, ...
Pending divorce may be cause for shooting - United Press International
- San Francisco Luxury News
Federal office shooting reveals more problems in US judicial system -
People's Daily Online
New details released in shooting of Calif. ICE agent - USA TODAY
all 78 news articles »

Man killed in Paramount in deputy-involved shooting
Long Beach Press-Telegram - 1 hour ago

The deputy-involved-shooting in the 16400 block of Paramount
Boulevard, just north of the Long Beach border occurred about 12:30 am
Tuesday.
LA County sheriff's deputy fatally shoots man in Paramount - Los Angeles Times
Suspect killed in Paramount deputy-involved shooting - abc7.com
all 26 news articles »

Judge grants new trial in fatal shooting
Appleton Post Crescent - 3 hours ago

APPLETON — A man convicted of shooting a Minnesota man to death
outside a Grand Chute apartment in 2008 has been granted a new trial.
Michael D. Potts, 28, ...
Second shooting victim in Boston on Sunday succumbs to injuries
Boston.com - 13 hours ago

The other shooting victim, a man in his early 20s whom police did not
identify, was fatally shot about a half hour later Sunday in
Blackstone Square Park in ...
Woman dies from gunshot wounds - Boston Herald
Boston woman dies following Alabama Street shooting - My Fox Boston
all 4 news articles »

Six Juveniles Arrested In Shooting Of Teen Near School
NewsChannel5.com - 4 minutes ago

Police have arrested six juveniles and are searching for one more in
connection with the shooting of a 14-year-old boy near a Murfreesboro
school.
7 juveniles in custody in possible gang related shooting - The Tennessean
Youth, 14, shot near city school - The Daily News Journal
all 11 news articles »

Police actively searching for shooting suspect
The Republic - 2 hours ago

John Michael Smith, 35, is suspected of shooting at an Indiana State
Police trooper Monday night in Seymour. Police are searching for Smith
this morning and ...
Police looking for man after he shot at state trooper - 14 News WFIE Evansville
Police-involved shooting in Seymour; shooter on the loose - WAVE
Suspect in Seymour officer involved shooting still on the loose - WDRB
WLKY Louisville - Chicago Tribune
all 36 news articles »

4th shooting in Yuba City worries residents
Appeal-Democrat - 7 hours ago

By Rob Parsons/ADcrimebeat Anxiety is mounting for some residents in
southwest Yuba City following the Sunday night shooting of a local man
on Franklin ...
South Shore shooting victim mourned
Chicago Tribune - 13 hours ago

My son is dead," she said Monday, a day after the shooting. "I was
just devastated. This is just really crazy." Gregory Glinsey was a
well-known community ...
Store Shooting Leaves 2 Dead and 5 Wounded - Gather.com
all 2 news articles »

Fatal overnight shooting in Harrisburg
CBS 21 - 24 minutes ago

Harrisburg City police are investigating a fatal shooting. It happened
just after midnight on Thompson Street in the Allison Hill section of
the city.
Harrisburg fatal shooting followed heated argument inside Allison ...
- PennLive.com
Shooting kills one man in Harrisburg - FOX43.com
Harrisburg police investigate fatal shooting - Patriot-News
all 6 news articles »

Fatal shooting suspect due in court
kjrh.com - 2 hours ago

TULSA - A man accused in a deadly shooting is due in court Tuesday.
Twenty-three-year-old DeAndre Bethel is facing charges of first-degree
murder, ...
Blotter: SPD releases name of shooting victim
Shreveport Times - 1 hour ago

The man found dead in Shreveport's Highland neighborhood Sunday
morning has been identified as Anthony Crain, according to a
Shreveport PD news release.
Shooting Death In Shreveport - KTBS
Police identify victim of fatal shooting in Shreveport who was ... -
The Republic
Police release name of Highland neighborhood shooting victim - KSLA-TV
all 23 news articles »

Police Investigate Shooting Outside Home In West Nashville
NewsChannel5.com - 3 hours ago

Police continue to investigate a shooting in West Nashville that left
a man wounded. It happened around 3:45 am on Louisiana Avenue.
Shooting outside West Nashville home investigated - The Tennessean
all 9 news articles »

Southampton shooting: Two more arrests
BBC News - 5 hours ago

... and have renewed their appeal for anyone who was in the vicinity
of Vanguard Road at 19:50 GMT on Sunday to get in touch. The scene of
the shooting.
Police hunt for gun after shooting in Southampton - Daily Echo
all 10 news articles »

Late night shooting under investigation
Providence Eyewitness News - 1 day ago

By Jeremy Brown Officers were called to Loveday St. around 10 pm
Sunday for reports of a person shot. There is no word on the victim's
condition or if ...

Two charged in shooting death of 2 Pontiac women
Detroit Free Press - 14 hours ago

He is accused of being the shooter. Arnold Howard, 22, was charged
with one count of each of felony murder and first-degree home
invasion.
Deaths shock kin of women - Port Huron Times Herald
The Oakland County Sheriff's department is investigating the ... - WXYZ
Suspects Identified In Pontiac Double Murder - CBS Local
WSBT-TV
all 68 news articles »

South Capitol Street shooting survivor recalls surprise, panic
Washington Post - 14 hours ago

In the first interview she's given describing one of the District's
worst mass shootings in decades, Brown said she was chatting with her
friends and ...
Trial of five in DC's South Capitol St. killings to open Tues. -
Washington Times
all 2 news articles »

Women, girls taking up guns, shooting in higher numbers
USA TODAY - 21 hours ago

All of this is aimed at women who want to own a gun — for protection,
for hunting or for sport shooting — a rapidly growing demographic.
Jacksonville police: Shooting after argument leaves man with life ...
Florida Times-Union - 2 hours ago

One of the witnesses told police they were inside out of the cold when
the shooting took place. Coarsey said the shooter left in what may be
a dark or ...
Police Find Gunshot Wound Victim in Northside Vehicle - First Coast News
all 7 news articles »

In a way, Laptop Shooting Dad is on target
Chicago Tribune - 15 hours ago

Laptop Shooting Dad has just surpassed you as America's toughest
parent. In case you haven't seen the viral video sensation, Tommy
Jordan, ...
Tommy Jordan, Who Shot Daughter's Laptop, Defends Himself - ABC News (blog)
Laptop-shooting dad - Worcester Telegram
all 13 news articles »
Shooting Victim, Suspect Had Been Friends
KRDO - 7 hours ago

Police have identified the victim in a deadly shooting near Academy
Boulevard and Galley Road as 22-year-old Joshua Bueno. Bueno, whose
family said was ...
Man, 22, identified as homicide victim - Colorado Springs Gazette
all 4 news articles »

Campuses review security after TSU dorm shooting
The Tennessean - 7 hours ago

Monday, campus police were still investigating the Sunday morning
shooting of an unidentified 18-year-old freshman from Memphis. TSU
police were looking for ...
COMMISSIONER CRITICIZED FOR SHOOTING MOUNTAIN LION IN IDAHO
U-T San Diego - 2 hours ago

Dan Richards, a state Fish and Game commissioner from Upland, is being
criticized by some animal-rights groups for legally hunting and
shooting a mountain ...
Jury picked, in case of man accused of fatally shooting Columbia ...
The Augusta Chronicle - 8 hours ago

By Valerie Rowell A jury chosen Monday will hear opening statements
today in the case of a Hephzibah man accused of shooting a Columbia
County wastewater ...
Prosecutors want jurors to visit waste water plant where deadly ... - WRDW-TV
LIVE UPDATES: Opening arguments begin in murder trial - Columbia
County News Times
Thomas Eugene Bradford Trial: Day 2 - WJBF-TV
all 24 news articles »

Between 2 shootings, ICE agents struggled over gun
The Associated Press - 2 days ago

(AP) — A federal agent accused of shooting a supervisor engaged in a
serious struggle for his gun with another colleague who subsequently
shot and killed ...
Victim in ICE shooting was a high-ranking manager - Los Angeles Times
California shooting latest woe for immigration agency - Fox News
CBS News
all 2099 news articles »

Dorchester man accusedof shooting teen at club
The Star Democrat - 3 hours ago

An East New Market man faces charges including first-degree assault
after allegedly shooting an 18-year-old man outside a club Sunday
morning.
Delaware Shooting Leaves Teen In Serious Condition - WBOC TV 16
Md. man under arrest in connection with shooting - WDEL 1150AM
Man charged in shooting outside Del. nightclub - 6abc.com
The Republic - Sussex Countian
all 24 news articles »

Northern Minn. courthouse shooting prompts security upgrades
Crookston Daily Times - 10 hours ago

By AP A courthouse shooting in northern Minnesota that left two men
injured has prompted other courthouses in the state to beef up their
security.
Police: Man dies after shooting in Grand Rapids
MLive.com - 8 minutes ago

The Grand Rapids Press and TV stations WOOD and WWMT report the
shooting happened Tuesday morning. The man was pronounced dead at an
area hospital.
Grand Rapids police responding to shooting after reported road rage -
The Grand Rapids Press - MLive.com
One killed in Tuesday AM shooting - WZZM
all 13 news articles »

Family of Superior Shooting Suspect Speaks
WDIO-TV - 11 hours ago

The 34-year-old was killed in an officer-involved shooting in Superior
on Friday. Police said that just before, Anderson attempted to take a
car from a ...
Superior authorities await autopsy results in police involved shooting - WTAQ
Duluth man in Superior police shooting died much like his brother ...
- The Republic
all 132 news articles »

Suspect in Omaha shooting booked on murder charge
NTV - 4 hours ago

Hill is suspected of fatally shooting 47-year-old Anthony Carter,
whose body was found in a backyard nearby. The officers involved have
been placed on leave ...
Search for shooting suspect continues
WLBT-TV - 1 hour ago

By Brandon Artiles - bio | email A Jackson man is fighting for his
life after being shot late Monday night and the search for the
suspected shooter ...
Man Critically Injured In Shooting - WAPT Jackson
all 2 news articles »

One dead, one hurt in shooting outside North Side club
Chicago Tribune - 2 days ago

One person was killed and another critically wounded in a shootout
outside a North Side nightclub early this morning, one of a group of
overnight shootings ...
Two people killed, five others wounded in South Side shooting -
Chicago Sun-Times
2 dead, 5 wounded in Chicago drive-by shooting - Fox News
2 killed, 5 wounded in drive-by shooting - UPI.com
CBS Local - The Republic
all 62 news articles »

Prosecutors clear Miami cop in New Year's shooting, question SWAT ...
MiamiHerald.com - 16 hours ago

Weatherspoon, 27, was one of seven black men whose fatal shootings by
police in Miami's inner-city angered community activists and marred
the tenure of ...
Officer involved in fatal shooting cleared - 7Online WSVN-TV
all 2 news articles »

2 dead, 5 wounded in store shooting: 'This is just really crazy'
Chicago Tribune - 20 hours ago

My son is dead," she said Monday, a day after the shooting. "I was
just devastated. This is just really crazy." Glinsey was among seven
people shot outside ...
2 Dead, 5 Injured in Shooting at Liquor Store - NBC Chicago
2 Dead, 5 Wounded in South Side Shooting - MyFox Chicago
7 Dead, 18 Wounded By Weekend Gunfire In Chicago - CBS Local
all 36 news articles »

India/Italy: Shooting deaths 'can't be taken lightly'
Adnkronos International English - 4 hours ago

(AKI) - The shooting deaths of two fisherman off the shore of southern
India is no diplomatic incident, but a crime that must be brought to
justice, ...
Catholic cardinal intervenes in Italy-India shooting row - AsiaOne
all 14 news articles »

Diplomatic row as India arrests Italians 'for shooting fishermen ...
Telegraph.co.uk - 5 hours ago

Italy is sending a top envoy to India to negotiate with the government
after two Italian marine security guards were arrested for allegedly
shooting to ...
India: Diplomatic envoy sent to oversee shooting incident - Adnkronos
International English
Italy sends top diplomat to India in shooting row - Oneindia
all 55 news articles »

Oakland cop on leave for shooting robbery suspect
Sacramento Bee - 17 hours ago

Officer Johnna Watson, a police spokeswoman, said Monday that the
shooting occurred after police stopped a vehicle with two passengers
inside in East ...
Police respond to report of shooting at 100th and International - KTVU
San Francisco
all 33 news articles »

CHICAGO (WLS) - A suspect in a "work-related" shooting in the South
Shore neighborhood Monday morning has turned himself in to
authorities, police said.
Gadget Magnet - Shooting Accenture - Don't blame the photographer
Explorer News (blog) - 15 hours ago

The first year I was pretty excited to shoot it. I have played golf
occasionally and a few times had the opportunity to play on the very
course that the top ...
SX: Villopoto Shooting For Four In A Row
SPEEDtv.com - 18 hours ago

Ryan Villopoto is starting to distance himself from the Supercross
pack, a trend he'll look to further this weekend in Atlanta.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Round 8 of ...
COURTS: Hanover Apartments shooting highlights list of indictments
The Daily News Journal - 6 hours ago

According to police, Muriel Glimps, 40, and Lokesial Sanders, 31 were
shot by Smith following what witnesses to the shooting described as a
brief ...
Barber shop shooting arrests made
CBC.ca - 1 hour ago

In the week after the shooting, police released surveillance video
showing a man removing what appears to be a shotgun from a bag and
entering the shop ...
Arrest made in Scarborough barber shooting - CTV.ca
all 9 news articles »


Links to articles here:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&btnmeta_news_search=1&q=shooting&oq=shooting&aq=f&aqi=d1g9d-o1&aql=&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=58354l60797l0l62660l8l8l0l3l3l1l661l2112l3-4.0.1l5l0
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum

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* Read the latest breaking news, and more.

Re: Gay News Roundup

The Senate passed the gay marriage proposal on Monday. Christie, a
Republican who opposes gay marriage, had vowed "very swift action"
--------------------------------------------------------

And Clinton's DOMA, has been ruled unconstitutional THRICE, and Obambi
has done absolutely nothing "swift".

DEMOCRATS tried VERY hard to overrule the Massachusetts high court
ruling for gay marriage.

Ain't it odd how you always leave that stuff out?

No, its not. Its gravy.

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Re: New Baseline for discussion

And apparently a tough question

On Feb 21, 8:36 am, GregfromBoston <greg.vinc...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> The real question is who do you want to enforce the numbers?
>
> On Feb 20, 2:08 pm, JDR <jdrwarh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > Rather than all this left vs right, Dem vs Repub, Conserv vs Liberal
> > bantering, where one of two choices must be made - and thus limiting
> > the discussion and possibilities, and dividing us, I would like to
> > suggest ways we can talk outside this arena.
>
> > I am interested in what discussion may come from the following
> > economic scenarios:
> > First, a good or service is offered, which is purchased by a
> > consumer.  What is an acceptable amount of "profit" that should be
> > made?  Should there be any limit to what the "seller" can make?  If
> > someone can produce a good or service for say $1 and sell it for
> > $1,000 - is that okay?  If it is not, then what would be an acceptable
> > amount of "profit"?  Let's use percent, rather than any specific
> > dollar amount - so they we can talk about any scenario, not just the
> > example I listed.  For example, a 50% profit would mean having sold
> > the item for $1.50
>
> > The next question then is what should happen to the profit?  I am
> > talking profit, after all expenses are paid for, beyond funds needed
> > to keep the business running.  How should the profit be split up - or
> > - redistributed/ or not?  Again, let's talk numbers (percentages)
> > here, not political rantings.  For example, should 100% stay with the
> > owner?  Should it be split amongst all who work for the "company or
> > ownership"?  If so, who should get what?
>
> > Remember, if we stick to using percentages, what we answer to question
> > 1 shouldn't impact our thoughts/answers on question 2.  Some might
> > feel differently about $1mil in profits vs. $10 in profits - but by
> > using percentage, it's the same difference.  Percentage should level
> > the playing field.
>
> > Lastly, we shouldn't need to note our political leanings here, just
> > numbers.  I feel that by using numbers (something we should all be
> > able to agree on -not necessarily the final number, but just what a
> > number is - a value) maybe we can come closer to finding agreement or
> > compromise....vs using words to keep us divided.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

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Re: Happy Mardi Gras! Laizzer Les Bon Temps Rouler!

"starting Lent a day early"
----------------------------

How dumb is THAT!?!

Nuff said

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Happy Mardi Gras! Laizzer Les Bon Temps Rouler!

Happy Mardi Gras! Laizzer Les Bon Temps Rouler!

Go Here for Much More:

http://www.nola.com/


Get your Mardi Gras on: An editorial

Maybe when you first woke up today, you thought, for a brief moment,
that you have already done your bit for Mardi Gras, that today it
would be nice to just take it easy. Maybe your feet are a little tired
from a weekend of standing on the parade route waiting for Bacchus or
Selene.

They're ready for Mardi Gras. Are you?
Maybe your neck is sore from the 10 pounds of beads that you caught at
Muses. Maybe you caught a vicious head cold standing in the rain
during Endymion or Isis. Maybe beads are spilling out your front door,
and a month-long diet of king cake makes starting Lent a day early
sound like a great idea.

Snap out of it!

No matter how many parades you caught, no matter how much bling you
collected, no matter whether you rode in a parade or your dog did, you
can't say "mission accomplished'' until you do one final thing: mask.

Mardi Gras wouldn't be Mardi Gras without people all over the metro
area out and about in outrageous, colorful and clever costumes. This
is our show, and becoming part of the moving spectacle is infinitely
better than just watching.

Sure, a lot of those people have spent weeks and months creating their
Mardi Gras get-ups. Good for them. Take their picture and tweet it to
your friends who live in places where dress-up is something that only
children do. But don't let their creativity and hard work discourage
you. Even if you didn't decide to get your Carnival on until this
morning, you can still pull something together that will turn a few
heads.

Make a cave man outfit -- a ragged bedsheet and felt-tipped markers
could create a quick Fred Flintstone look -- and go as Stone Age LLC.

Dig out the hunting gear and hip waders and go as "Swamp People.''
Don't forget the toy alligators -- and poster boards with subtitles.

Don an apron and chef's toque, grab a spatula and go as one of our
great local chefs. If all you have is a frilly apron, add a frilly cap
and go as the "Downton Abbey" kitchen staff.

In honor of Will Ferrell, wear a sweater vest and blazer and go as
"Old School.'' Or salute "Talladega Nights'' by gluing company logos
to a pair of coveralls.

Take a plain white T-shirt and use a marker to write, "I sued BP, and
all I got was this crummy T-shirt'' on the front.

Grab your camera, make a stop sign for your shirt and go as a walking
traffic camera. Or if you'd rather be popular, pass out traffic camera
waivers.

Make a rotary dial out of poster board, attach an old receiver to a
hat and go as a not-very-smart phone.

Give a nod to the film industry: a beret, a megaphone and a camera can
transform you into a director. Leave the lawn chairs at home and grab
director's chairs to make it more authentic.

Dress in red from head-to-toe and go as the red carpet. Get a snarky
friend to dress as Joan Rivers and critique other people's costumes.

Men, put on your Buddy D dress in anticipation of next year's Super Bowl.

Get a shinier jacket, shorter shorts and a midriff-baring shirt and go
as the 6.1 Stompers, the upgraded version.

Turn a shoebox into a miniature version of the Crescent City
Connection. Wear it as a hat and ask everyone who walks past you to
pay a toll.

You get the idea. Now get busy.

Go Here for Much More:

http://www.nola.com/


More:
http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2012/02/get_your_carnival_on_an_editor.html

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
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Old Political jokes








 

Here is a collection that has been around but is worth  a second look during this "political season".

 

Subject:  Old Political jokes

 


 

The problem with political jokes is they get elected. ~Henry Cate, VII 

* We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. ~Aesop 

* If we got one-tenth of what was promised to us in these acceptance speeches there wouldn't be any inducement to go to heaven. ~Will Rogers 

* Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber. ~Plato 

* Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river. ~Nikita Khrushchev 

* When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President; I'm beginning to believe it. ~Clarence Darrow 

* Why pay money to have your family tree traced; go into politics and your opponents will do it for you. ~Author Unknown 

* If God wanted us to vote, he would have given us candidates. ~Jay Leno 

* Politicians are people who, when they see light at the end of the tunnel, go out and buy some more tunnel. ~John Quinton 

* Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other. ~Oscar Ameringer 

* The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then they get elected and prove it. ~P.J. O'Rourke 

* I offer my opponents a bargain: if they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them. ~Adlai Stevenson, campaign speech, 1952 

* A politician is a fellow who will lay down your life for his country. ~Texas Guinan 

* Any American who is prepared to run for president should automatically, by definition, be disqualified from ever doing so. ~Gore Vidal 

* I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians. ~Charles de Gaulle 

* Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks. ~Doug Larson 

* Don't vote, it only encourages them. ~Author Unknown 

* There ought to be one day - just one - when there is open season on senators. ~Will Rogers

 

 

 


 


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FBI submits, removes 1,000+ documents on Islam; Islamists suggest overseeing future training



New post on Creeping Sharia

FBI submits, removes 1,000+ documents on Islam; Islamists suggest overseeing future training

by creeping

The Muslims and their media-aided blitzkreig on FBI's anti-terror training has reaped results for the stealth jihad. h/t @SarahRoman11 and others via Islamist Lobbies' Washington War on Arab and Muslim Liberals :: Other Articles :: The Investigative Project on Terrorism. It was just revealed two days ago that FBI Director Mueller secretly met on February 8 [...]

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What happens when a fly lands in a cup of coffee?







 What happens when a fly lands in a cup of coffee?

The Italian - throws the cup, breaks it, and walks away in a fit of rage. 

The German - carefully washes the cup, sterilizes it and makes a new cup of coffee. 

The Frenchman - takes out the fly, and drinks the coffee. 

The Chinese - eats the fly and throws away the coffee. 

The Russian - Drinks the coffee with the fly, since it was extra with no charge. 

The Israeli - sells the coffee to the Frenchman, sells the fly to the Chinese, sells the cup to the Italian, drinks a cup of tea, and uses the extra money to invent a device that prevents flies from falling into coffee. 

The Palestinian - blames the Israeli for the fly falling into his coffee, protests the act of aggression to the UN, takes a loan from the European Union to buy a new cup of coffee, uses the money to purchase explosives and then blows up the coffee house where the Italian, the Frenchman, the Chinese, the German and the Russian are all trying to explain to the Israeli that he should give away his cup of tea to the Palestinian.

 

 


 


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Re: New Baseline for discussion

The real question is who do you want to enforce the numbers?

On Feb 20, 2:08 pm, JDR <jdrwarh...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Rather than all this left vs right, Dem vs Repub, Conserv vs Liberal
> bantering, where one of two choices must be made - and thus limiting
> the discussion and possibilities, and dividing us, I would like to
> suggest ways we can talk outside this arena.
>
> I am interested in what discussion may come from the following
> economic scenarios:
> First, a good or service is offered, which is purchased by a
> consumer.  What is an acceptable amount of "profit" that should be
> made?  Should there be any limit to what the "seller" can make?  If
> someone can produce a good or service for say $1 and sell it for
> $1,000 - is that okay?  If it is not, then what would be an acceptable
> amount of "profit"?  Let's use percent, rather than any specific
> dollar amount - so they we can talk about any scenario, not just the
> example I listed.  For example, a 50% profit would mean having sold
> the item for $1.50
>
> The next question then is what should happen to the profit?  I am
> talking profit, after all expenses are paid for, beyond funds needed
> to keep the business running.  How should the profit be split up - or
> - redistributed/ or not?  Again, let's talk numbers (percentages)
> here, not political rantings.  For example, should 100% stay with the
> owner?  Should it be split amongst all who work for the "company or
> ownership"?  If so, who should get what?
>
> Remember, if we stick to using percentages, what we answer to question
> 1 shouldn't impact our thoughts/answers on question 2.  Some might
> feel differently about $1mil in profits vs. $10 in profits - but by
> using percentage, it's the same difference.  Percentage should level
> the playing field.
>
> Lastly, we shouldn't need to note our political leanings here, just
> numbers.  I feel that by using numbers (something we should all be
> able to agree on -not necessarily the final number, but just what a
> number is - a value) maybe we can come closer to finding agreement or
> compromise....vs using words to keep us divided.

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Veterans for Ron Paul protest at White House

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The most amazing airplane in history



New post on Fellowship of the Minds

The most amazing airplane in history

by Dr. Eowyn

In the 1930s the Soviet Union was obsessed with the idea of huge planes. So they built a mammoth flying fortress that looked like something out of a Jules Verne novel.

Designed by Konstantin Kalinin, this plane was the size of the Empire State Building lying on its side, but equipped with cannons. It had 12 engines facing front and propellers even on the back of the wings. The propellers were needed to help lift the gigantic fortress because jet propulsion had not yet been invented.

Kalinin wanted to build two more planes but the project was scrapped because the first and only one built flew 11 times before crashing and killing 15 people. So Stalin had Kalinin executed. It was not good to fail on an expensive project under Stalin.

Not many photos were saved from those times because of the high secrecy levels of such projects

Can you imagine what it would be like sitting in this thing when those cannons go off?

Quite an airplane! Makes the B-36 look like a toy. Can you imagine dog-fighting with one of these?

Click here to read more about the Kalinin airplane.

H/t my friend Robert Wilcox.

~Eowyn

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**JP** Firon ki Nakaam Siasat


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**JP** Benefits of not having any email Id. ای میل آی ڈی نہ ہونے کا فائدہ




 ضرووی ںہی يہ کہانی ہر کسی کی حقيقی زندگی سے جڑی ہو
 
ایک بے روزگار نے مائیکروسافٹ کمپنی میں چپراسی کی نوکری کی اطلاق کِیا۔
مینیجر نے انٹرویو ميں ٹیسٹ کے طور پر اُسکی فرش کی صفائی دیکر مطمئن ہوکر کہا ۔ ۔ ۔
میں تم کو اِس کمپنی میں منتخب کرتا ہوں"۔
آپ کا ای میل ایڈریس دے دو، آپ کو اِس کمپنی میں شامل ہونے کا درخواست فارم بھیج دیا جائے گا۔۔۔
اُس بے روزگار نے جواب میں کہا،
"لیکن میرے پاس تو کوئی ای میل ایڈریس نہیں ہے."
مینیجر نے کہا "میں معافی چاہتا ہوں "
ہماری کمپنی اُن لوگوں کو روزگار پیشکش نہیں کرتی جن کے پاس ای میل ایڈریس نہیں ہے۔
وہ وہاں سے بغیر کوئی امید کے ساتھ باہر آ گيا۔
اس کے جیب میں صرف 10 ڈالر تھے
اب اُن 10 ڈالر کا کیا کرنا ہے اُسکو  سمجھ میں نہیں آ رہا تھا۔
اس حالت کے دوران ٹماٹروں کی بہت مانگ تھی۔
تو، اس کو اُن  ڈالروں سے کچہ کاروبار کرنے کا ‍‍خيال آيا۔
اور اُسنے مارکیٹ  جاکر 10 ڈالر کے ٹماٹر کے کریٹ خریدکر
گھر گھر جاکر اُن  ٹماٹروں کو کچہ ہی دير ميں فروخت کر دیا۔
اور آپنی  سرمایہ کاری کو دگنا کرنے میں کامیاب ہوگیا۔
اُسنے وہی سرگرمی کو 3 بار دہرایا، اور 60 ڈالر کے ساتھ گھر واپس لوٹ آيا۔
اب اُس بے روزگار کو آپنی زندگی گزارنے کا زریا مِل گيا.
خريد و فروخت کے لئے وہ ہر صبح  مارکیٹ کو پہلے جانا  شرو کر دیا، اسی طرح اُس نے آپنی سرمایہ کاری کو بہت جلد دن دوگنا اور رات چوگنی کر ديا۔
کچھ ہی دنوں میں، اس نے ایک بیل گاڑی ، بعد میں ایک ٹرک، پھر کچھ  ڈیلئویری گاڑیا اپنے کاروبار کے لئے خرید ليا۔
15 سال بعد،  وہ آدمی کا نام امریکا کے کھانے کی ریٹیل آئٹمز میں  سب سے بڑے  بڑے  خريددار میں شُمار ہو گيا۔
کچہ دنوں کے بعد وہ اپنے بیوی اور بچے کے مستقبل کے لۓ ايک انشورنس بیمہ پالِيسی کرنے کا فیصلہ کیا۔
اسی لیے اس نے ایک انشورنس بیمہ ایجنٹ کو طلب کيا۔
جب ان دونوں کی گفتگو ایک نتیجہ پر پہنچی تو انشورنس بیمہ فارم بھرنے کے دوران وہ ایجنٹ بہی اس آدمی سے ای میل ایڈریس پوچھا۔
جواب مے اس آدمی نے کہا ميرے پاس ای میل ایڈریس نہی ہے۔
يے بات سنکر ایجنٹ حیران ہو گيا۔
اور کہنے لگا " آپ کے پاس ای میل نہیں ہے،  پھر بہی آپ اپنی خود کی ایک سلطنت قائم کرنے میں کامیاب ہو گے۔
اور بولا۔۔۔۔۔  تھوڑا سوچیے اگر آپ کے پاس ای میل آی ڈی ہو تا
تو آپ اور بہی کچہ بن سکتے تھے۔
تو وہ آدمی تھوڑی دير بعد سوچ کر جواب دیا،
اگرميرے پاس ای میل آی ڈی ہوتی تو
آج ميں مائیکروسافٹ کمپنی مے ايک چپراسی بنکر رہ جاتا۔
کہانی کا اخلاقی ذمہ
انٹرنیٹ اور ای میل آی ڈی ہر کسی کی زندگی کا حل نہیں ہے۔
کڑی مہنت سے بہی ايک کامیاب اربپتی بن سکتے ہے۔
Translation Of This Story in English 
 
A jobless man applied for the position of office boy at Microsoft.
The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.
"You are employed." He said." Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start."
The man replied "But I don't have a computer, neither an email."
I'm sorry", said the HR manager, "If you don't have an email, that means you do not exist. And who doesn't exist, cannot have the job."
The man left with no hope at all. He did not know what to do, with only $10 in his pocket. During that season, tomatoes were in great demand. So, he thought of doing some business with it. He then went to the supermarket and bought a 10Kg tomato crate. He sold the tomatoes in a door-to-door round. In less than 2-3 hours, he succeeded to double his capital.
He repeated the Operation three times, and returned home with $60.
The man realized that he can survive by this Way, and started to go every day earlier, and return late Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.
15 years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US.
He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance.
He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him his email.
The man replied, "I don't have an email".
The broker answered curiously, "You don't have an email, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?!!"
The man thought for a while and replied, "Yes, I'd have been an office boy at Microsoft!"
MORAL OF THE STORY:
Internet is not the solution to your life. If you do not have Internet, and work hard, you can still be a millionaire.

 
 
  



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Navy SEALs: Obama's Secret Army




Navy SEALs: Obama's Secret Army
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/02/19/navy-seals-obama-s-secret-a
rmy.print.html
At a time when many Americans think their government is inept, the 'Special
Operators' get the job done. Just ask the President, who is doubling down on
the Navy SEALs.
by Daniel Klaidman  | February 20, 2012 12:00 AM EST

One of President Obama's earliest kills came in April 2009. Somali pirates
had stormed the Maersk Alabama, a U.S. container ship steaming across
lawless waters off the Horn of Africa. The American crew of the ship had
tried to overwhelm the pirates, who fled on a covered lifeboat, taking with
them a 53-year-old hostage: ship captain Richard Phillips. Armed with AK-47s
and pistols, the pirates stashed Phillips below deck and threatened to kill
him if they didn't get $2 million in ransom.

Barack Obama, not yet three months into his presidency, had already
undergone a crash course in battlefield management. He had authorized drone
strikes in Pakistan and sent 17,000 troops into Afghanistan. But until now,
he had not experienced the personal immediacy and political risk of a kill
operation involving an American hostage-one that would play out largely in
public view. Nor had he worked with SEAL Team 6, the elite "tier one"
commandos who carry out many of the darkest missions in the shadow wars.

Early on in the standoff, the Navy had requested permission to use force,
but the White House held back. Military commanders had already dispatched a
small armada to the scene, including a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, and a
frigate, the USS Halyburton. Transport planes ferried in the SEALs, who
parachuted into the Indian Ocean with inflatable boats. On April 11, three
days after the hostage taking began, Obama agreed to the use of military
force-but only if the captain's life was in imminent danger.

As Obama's military advisers monitored events in the White House Situation
Room, the president popped in for regular updates. SEAL Team 6 snipers were
positioned on different ships to maximize the chances of getting off clean
shots. At one point, the Navy laid a kind of a trap for the hostage vessel,
but the pirates, by sheer luck, "waltzed" around it, according to a source
involved in the operation. All the while, the pirates were drifting toward
shore. If they were able to reach a Somali beach with their hostage, a
rescue operation would be much more difficult. SEAL boats began zooming
around the pirates, using "shouldering and blocking" tactics to keep them
away from shore.

By dusk on April 12-Easter Sunday-SEAL snipers on the fantail of the USS
Bainbridge were in position to shoot the pirates. But with the covered
lifeboat bobbing on the water, it was still difficult to get clean shots.
They attached night-vision scopes to their rifles and waited. At one point,
two of the pirates came into plain sight. The sharpshooters could see a
third pirate through a window pointing his gun at Captain Phillips. Each
sniper fired a single round, and it was over. Three shots, three dead
pirates. A SEAL assault team boarded the lifeboat and took Phillips to
safety.

Back in the White House, officials quietly celebrated. So much could have
gone wrong. For a young president with little experience overseeing military
operations, a botched job would have invited charges of fecklessness from
Republicans and drawn inevitable comparisons to Jimmy Carter. The generals
also expressed relief. "Mr. President, it worked out. But if it hadn't, it
would have been my ass," one military adviser told Obama. "It would have
been our ass," the president responded.

Obama has come to rely more and more on "special operators" for many types
of missions. In an era of dwindling budgets and dispersed, hidden enemies,
when Americans have become fatigued by disastrous military occupations, the
value of pinprick operations by elite forces is clear. The budget for the
Special Operations Command has more than doubled since 2001, reaching $10.5
billion, and the number of deployments has more than quadrupled. Now the
head of that command, Adm. William H. McRaven, is calling for more resources
and more autonomy. The New York Times reported on Feb. 12 that McRaven is
"pushing for a larger role for his elite units who have traditionally
operated in the dark corners of American foreign policy." He wants to expand
Special Operations Forces in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and have the
authority to move forces and equipment as needed, assuring greater
flexibility and speed.
Photos: Navy SEALs
navy-seals-fe04-klaidman-main-tease

sealswcc.com

Who can blame him? This is a Special Ops moment. The Navy SEALs, in
particular, have never appeared so heroic and effective. They killed Osama
bin Laden in Pakistan last year, and just last month rescued two aid workers
held hostage in Somalia. At a time when many Americans think their
government is incompetent, the SEALs are public employees who often get the
job done. They're a morale booster, and they know it. Which may help explain
why they collaborated in an upcoming full-length feature film starring
active Navy SEALs called Act of Valor-a controversial undertaking,
originally intended to bolster recruitment, that some in the military regard
as foolish and helpful only to the enemy.

Obama wants to balance the need for the increasingly valuable services of
special operators with a clear-sighted assessment of the strategic
implications of expanding their missions. He's right to be mindful of the
dangers: mission creep, hubris, a messy "Black Hawk Down" disaster. Act of
Valor represents its own kind of overreach: the military knows little about
moviemaking, and the film reflects that. The kinetics will doubtless
impress, but the acting and the script will not. (One SEAL, about to
parachute into a dangerous mission, says to another: "I'll tell you what,
the only thing better than this right here is being a dad. Except for that
whole changing-diapers thing.") A better movie is likely to be one starring
Tom Hanks, scheduled for release in 2013, about the Maersk Alabama episode.

Other kinds of hubris get people killed, and can tarnish America's standing
for years. That's partly why some U.S. diplomats, and even a few officers
among the military brass, have expressed misgivings about expanding the role
and power of Special Ops. Some of these critics worry that the Special
Forces, if their numbers bloat further, won't be so special anymore. "The
whole idea of Special Ops is quality, not quantity," says Peter Singer of
the 21st Century Defense Initiative at the Brookings Institution. "But there
are concerns in that community of, how big could it reasonably get before it
gets bogged down?"

The challenges of secret missions are many: legal, moral, practical. Few
people are more aware of that than the man who ultimately pulls the trigger.
Obama's generally balanced approach to such missions is captured in the
story of an operation against a key al Qaeda terrorist in September 2009.

The CIA and military had been hunting Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan for years. He
was a suspect in the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and
Tanzania, and had been directly implicated in other deadly terrorist attacks
in East Africa, including a suicide bombing of an Israeli-owned resort in
Mombasa. He was an important link between al Qaeda and its Somalia-based
affiliate, and a potential wealth of information on how the jihadist
networks operate. Killing him would have been a significant victory, but
capturing him alive could have been even better.

After months of patiently watching him, American intelligence officers
suddenly learned that Nabhan was preparing to travel along a remote desert
road in southern Somalia. There wasn't much time to act. Early one September
evening, more than three dozen officials assembled by secure videoconference
to consider options. The meeting was led by Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of
the Joint Chiefs. After a short introduction, he called on Admiral McRaven,
then head of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and one of the
military's most experienced terrorist hunters. Nabhan had been under close
surveillance for months. He had stayed mostly in heavily populated areas,
where the risk of casualties, either to civilians or American soldiers, was
too great to launch a raid. But now it looked as if Navy SEALs had the
narrow window of opportunity they'd been hoping for.

McRaven told the group that Nabhan's convoy would soon be setting out from
the capital, Mogadishu, on its way to a meeting of Islamic militants in the
coastal town of Baraawe. The square-jawed Texan and former Navy SEAL crisply
laid out the "Concepts of Operation" that had been developed in anticipation
of this moment. Several options were spelled out, along with the military
hardware that would be required for each, as well as collateral-damage
estimates:

The military could fire Tomahawk cruise missiles from a warship off the
Somali coast. This was the least dangerous option in terms of U.S.
casualties but not the most precise. (Missiles have gone astray, hitting
civilians, and even when they strike their target, they don't always take it
out.) Such missile strikes had been a hallmark of the Bush administration.
For all of its "dead or alive" rhetoric, the Bush White House was generally
cautious when it came to antiterrorist operations in anarchic areas like
Somalia. The second option was a helicopter-borne assault on Nabhan's
convoy. There was less chance of error there: small attack helicopters would
allow the commandos to "look the target in the eye and make sure it was the
right guy," according to one military planner. The final option was a
"snatch and grab," a daring attempt to take Nabhan alive. From a purely
tactical standpoint, this was the most attractive alternative. Intelligence
from high-value targets was the coin of the realm in the terror wars. But it
was also the riskiest option.

Unstated but hanging heavily over the group that evening was the memory of
another attempted capture in Somalia. Many on the call had been in key
national-security posts in October 1993 during the ill-fated attempt to
capture a Somali warlord that became known as "Black Hawk Down," after a
book of the same name. That debacle left 18 dead Army Rangers on the streets
of Mogadishu, and inspired al Qaeda leaders to think they could defeat the
American superpower. As Daniel Benjamin, the State Department's coordinator
for counterterrorism, said during the meeting: "Somalia, helicopters,
capture. I just don't like the sound of this."
navy-seals-fe04-klaidman-2ndary

sealswcc.com

As everyone left the meeting late that evening, it was clear that the only
viable plan was the lethal one. Obama later signed off on Operation
"Celestial Balance." The job was given to SEAL Team 6, officially known as
United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU, under the
command of JSOC. (DEVGRU is the most elite team in the SEALs; its members
refer to others as the "vanilla" teams.) The next morning Somali villagers
saw several low-flying attack helicopters emerge over the horizon. Several
AH-6 Little Birds, deployed from U.S. naval ships off the Somali coast,
approached the convoy, strafing Nabhan's jeep and another vehicle. Nabhan
and several other militants were killed. One of the helicopters landed just
long enough for a small team of commandos to scoop up some of Nabhan's
remains-the DNA needed to prove he was dead.

One of the debates around such operations, then and now, concerns something
called Sensitive Site Exploitation (SSE). From their experiences in Iraq and
Afghanistan, Special Ops Forces had learned that the best intelligence often
comes from sifting through after-action debris. They wanted not just to kill
terror targets but to rummage through their belongings-what the spooks call
"pocket litter." "This is where the [political] fight comes," says a
Pentagon official involved. "From that day forward we wanted to put our
boots on the ground to do SSE, but the president was not supportive ... That
would become the issue between Special Operations Forces and the
administration." An official involved in such issues says the Pentagon
misinterpreted many of the questions the president had about such
operations. He was not opposed-as the Nabhan case illustrates-he just wanted
to do cost-benefit analysis on a case-by-case basis.

Obama has certainly been impressed with the Special Ops-their precision and
their professionalism. A wooden board that hangs above the SEAL training
grounds in Coronado, Calif., is inscribed with a line that all newbies
internalize: "The only easy day was yesterday." Instructors make sure
"everything goes wrong" on a training mission, says Don Mann, 53, a retired
SEAL and author of Inside SEAL Team Six. Mock raids include surprise booby
traps, faulty equipment, and unexpected snipers. Special operators "will get
off [a real] mission and say that was a piece of cake, only because they
were used to difficult training," Mann says.

Still, no amount of training can teach fighters what they can learn in
life-and-death situations. Better-honed skills are one clear benefit of the
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where special operators carried out mission
after mission. Some of those went badly, of course. In one such case in
2010, SEAL Team 6 conducted a predawn raid to rescue Scottish aid worker
Linda Norgrove and three Afghan colleagues from their Taliban captors.
Tragically, a grenade thrown by one of the commandos killed Norgrove. Many
special operators have also sacrificed their lives, including 22 on a
helicopter that was shot down in Afghanistan last August. Howard Wasdin, a
former SEAL whose memoir, Seal Team Six, came out a week after the bin Laden
raid, says the high risk of death is built into the job. "We used to have a
saying," he remarks: "Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking
corpse."

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan also accustomed the special operators-and
their political bosses-to cross-border operations. There was hesitation at
first. In 2007, for instance, when the insurgency was raging in Iraq, al
Qaeda fighters were pouring across the Syrian border to join the fight
against America. U.S. intelligence believed the Syrian government had either
helped or looked the other way. The Bush administration placed diplomatic
pressure on Damascus to try to end the terror pipeline, but the problem
persisted. Something had to be done.

In October 2008 Gen. David Petraeus ordered a bold helicopter-borne assault
inside Syria. Two dozen commandos dropped out of Black Hawk helicopters into
the village of Sukkariyah, about six miles from the Iraqi border. Their
mission was to kill or capture Abu Ghadiyah, an al Qaeda cell leader who was
coordinating the movement of foreign fighters into Iraq. A gun battle
erupted and as many as nine terrorists were killed, including Abu Ghadiyah.
The Americans returned to base unharmed. Syria closed down several U.S.
institutions in Damascus and protested to the United Nations.

There were more such raids that the military has never discussed. Over time,
the al Qaeda pipeline was effectively shut down, at least for a while.

In some lawless places, or countries that harbor terrorists, such operations
may be necessary. But what about elsewhere? The Act of Valor movie shows the
SEALs moving from place to place-Costa Rica, the high seas, Somalia,
Mexico-treating the world as their war zone. (They cooperate with Mexican
forces, but elsewhere they seem to march to their own music.) In real life
they do a lot of collaborating, but there are risks even in projecting a
more aggressive Hollywood image to the rest of the world.

The Rambo approach doesn't always sit well with diplomats. "If you start
taking out people all over the world in other people's countries, some of
whom we are at peace with, I think you'll get into some serious diplomatic
issues of people saying the U.S. isn't the global police," says Ronald
Neumann, a former deputy assistant secretary of state who now runs a
Washington nonprofit. "There is also the risk a mission will eventually go
wrong and we'll end up with lots of prisoners somewhere in the world."

Others worry that the military is conducting spy missions without the same
kind of scrutiny that is given to the CIA or other civilian agencies. "The
challenge is, how do you balance operational efficiency, JSOC's main talent,
against the need for oversight?" says Marc Ambinder, coauthor of a recent
e-book on Special Ops. Military critics have their own concerns. "One of
these days, if you keep publishing how you do this, the other guy's going to
be there ready for you," fumed retired Army Lt. Gen. James Vaught at a
recent conference in Washington. He was speaking directly to Admiral
McRaven: "Mark my words. Get the hell out of the media!" Vaught knows a
thing or two about how things can go wrong. He ran the task force that tried
to rescue the U.S. hostages in Iran in 1980, which became a fiasco after
aircraft ran into dust storms and encountered other unexpected problems.

McRaven responded to Vaught's criticism by saying that the military is in a
different era now and needs to be more open. "With the social media being
what it is today, with the press and the 24-hour news cycle, it's very
difficult to get away from it," he said, adding that "not only does the
media focus on our successes, we've had a few failures. And I think having
those failures exposed in the media also kind of helps focus our attention,
helps us do a better job." McRaven also defended Act of Valor as a natural
progression from earlier portrayals of Special Ops in Hollywood. He
recognized the value of such images as a recruitment tool, and related them
to his own experience. His infatuation with the military and Special Ops
began, he said, when he saw John Wayne in The Green Berets.

With Daniel Stone and Aram Roston in Washington, D.C., and R.M. Schneiderman
in New York

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