Gov. "Super" Strickland & His Sidekick, AG "Damsel" Dann, Flip-Flop

Several months ago, with the assistance of Gov. Strickland, Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann went on a personal crusade to wipe out skill-based gambling machines called tic-tac-fruit. Because these machines were 51% skill-based, they were exempt from the anti-gambling establishment laws. Somehow, AG Dann figured out a way to make these machines illegal for cash payout's or prizes over $10. Many businesses closed because of this new rule and tax dollars were lost. All because it wasn't sanctioned by the State of Ohio.

Now, because of a budget deficit, Gov. Strickland and AG Dann have decided that gambling machines are not such a bad idea...as long as the state controls all the profit. They want to introduce Video Keno Machines to bars and restaurants as an extension of the Ohio Lottery.

Give me a friggin' break!

Personally, I think it's time to cash in on the gambling dollars that are lost to Detroit-Windsor and the Ohio River gambling boats. The Ohio Lottery is supposed to be "for the schools", I guarantee casino's would contribute a whole lot more to schools than the Ohio Lottery.

Microsoft Offers $44.6 Billion For Yahoo!

Yahoo! Microsoft! I can see a lot of people screaming monopoly over this, but even with the combination of Yahoo and Microsoft, they're still not even close to Google. Yahoo has been floundering for some time now and this is good chance for a lot of people to keep their jobs. The real winner here is the consumers. This means more free stuff.

Microsoft Corp. has pounced on slumping Internet icon Yahoo Inc. with an unsolicited takeover offer of $44.6 billion in its boldest bid yet to challenge Google Inc.'s dominance of the lucrative online search and advertising markets. The Justice Department says it is interested in reviewing antitrust issues associated with it. The surprise offer of $31 per share, made late Thursday and announced Friday, seizes on Yahoo's weakness while Microsoft tries to muscle up in a high-stakes battle with Google likely to define the technology landscape for years to come. In a statement Friday, Yahoo said it will "carefully and promptly" study Microsoft's bid. With its profits steadily sliding, Yahoo's stock slipped to a four-year low earlier this week and a new management team has been trying to steer a turnaround but sees more turbulence through 2008. The announcement lifted Yahoo's share price by almost 50 percent in morning trading, while Google fell almost 8 percent, dragged down by a fourth-quarter earnings report that missed Wall Street expectations.

Fear Doesn't Control My Vote

I found this article from WorldNetDaily over at Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler. I so glad to find someone that thinks the same way regarding the current Republican party.

I am a conservative, but I'm not an ideologue – nor is my vote governed by fear. That is to say, I will not vote for a Republican nominee to whose positions I am vehemently opposed and/or whom I do not trust, just to keep Obama or, more likely, Clinton out of the White House. Fear is a powerful motivator that can be used to coerce well-intentioned persons, groups or even the entire nation into making incredibly poor decisions – and the Republican National Committee is not above using same. The idea that I must abandon my moral compass and vote for a candidate I could not find more objectionable – in order to shut out a liberal candidate who bears little or no substantive difference to the one I voted for – is offensive to me. Some have told me they will vote for whomever the Republican candidate is, for fear of those whom a Democrat president will appoint to the Supreme Court – to which I respond: Who was the president that appointed Anthony Kennedy and Sandra Day O'Connor? Who was the president that appointed David Souter, and who appointed John Paul Stevens? Here's a hint – they weren't Democrats. [...] As my grandmother used to say, "No good is no good," to which I add, my voting for one "no good" over another "no good" doesn't make same less "no good." Thus, as I have been forthright in stating from the beginning, I plan to write in the name of my choice, devil be damned, if Democrats win in the meantime. I survived Carter and Clinton. I can endure whomever and whatever they come up with this time, including the certainty of their punitive tax increases.

I do not want to vote for any of the remaining candidates. I am still writing in Duncan Hunter in the primary.

McCain Really Wants To Be A Dem

He abandoned the Republican party a long time ago, why not make it official. It appears that McCain suffers from BDS also. He wanted to leave after losing to Bush in 2000.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was close to leaving the Republican Party in 2001, weeks before then-Sen. Jim Jeffords (Vt.) famously announced his decision to become an Independent, according to former Democratic lawmakers who say they were involved in the discussions. In interviews with The Hill this month, former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and ex-Rep. Tom Downey (D-N.Y.) said there were nearly two months of talks with the maverick lawmaker following an approach by John Weaver, McCain’s chief political strategist. Democrats had contacted Jeffords and then-Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) in the early months of 2001 about switching parties, but in McCain’s case, they said, it was McCain’s top strategist who came to them. [...] Daschle noted that McCain at that time was frustrated with the Bush administration as a result of his loss to George W. Bush in the 2000 Republican primary.

Good News From The War On Terror 1/29-30

Coalition forces target al-Qaeda in Iraq networks, 18 suspects detained

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces detained 18 suspected terrorists today during operations to disrupt al-Qaeda networks operating in central and northern Iraq. North of Samarra, Coalition forces captured an alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq associate responsible for supplying improvised explosive devices and weapons to terrorists operating throughout the region. Reports indicate the suspected terrorist operates between ad-Dawr and Samarra and has ties to senior al-Qaeda leaders throughout those areas. In addition to the wanted individual, the ground force detained four suspected terrorists on site. Coalition forces detained nine suspected terrorists during continued operations targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq networks in the central regions of the country. North of Baqubah, six suspects were detained while targeting associates of an alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq headquarters tied to the suicide attack cells and media networks in the region. In Tarmiyah, Coalition forces targeted the alleged leader of the al-Qaeda in Iraq network operating north of Baghdad and detained two suspects. Southwest of Baghdad, one suspected terrorist was detained during an operation targeting an alleged IED cell leader in Karkh. Further north in Sharqat, Coalition forces detained an additional four suspected terrorists during an operation targeting the alleged leader of an al-Qaeda in Iraq affiliated insurgent group responsible for attacks on U.S. forces.

 

Scouts recover weapons cache in Narwhan

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Scouts from Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment uncovered a large cache near the home of a recently captured individual in Narhwan Jan. 25. Troop B, currently attached to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery, apprehended the high-value target two days earlier in a night-time raid. The individual was wanted for allegedly smuggling large amounts of weapons and ammunition through Narhwan. The cache was found buried in a black casket behind the home of the arrested suspect. The cache contained eight rocket-propelled grenades, 20 OG rounds, 30 RPG expellant charges, three RPG launchers, a tactical vest, three AK-47 magazines, 5,200 rounds of small arms ammunition and one PKC machine gun.

 

Iraqi, U.S. Security Forces detain extremist leader, terrorist financier in separate operations

BALAD, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces, advised by U.S. Special Forces detained an extremist leader and a terrorist financier in separate operations Jan. 27. In Safwan, Iraqi and U.S. Forces detained the leader of an extremist group believed to be responsible for mortar and explosive projectile attacks against Iraqi and Coalition Forces. According to intelligence reports, the group is also responsible for weapons smuggling and attacks against Iraqi citizens. In Mosul, Iraqi and U.S. Forces detained a terrorist financier believed to be involved in several attacks against Iraqi and Coalition Forces. Additionally, three persons of interest, believed to be associates of the terrorist financier, were detained.

 

Coalition forces detain four suspected criminals

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces wounded two suspects and detained four total suspected criminals early this morning during operations in the Baghdad area. The targeted individual reportedly facilitated financial support to Special Groups criminal element leaders throughout Baghdad. The funds were reportedly used as payment to various criminal element members. The wanted individual was also reported to be an associate of several senior-level criminal element leaders involved in attacks on Coalition forces. During assault of the target building, two armed suspects maneuvered against Coalition forces, displaying hostile intent. The assault force engaged the armed men in self-defense, wounding them. Coalition forces then detained the two wounded suspects and two additional suspects without further incident. The identities of the suspects are still being determined.

 

Coalition disrupts al-Qaeda networks; four terrorists killed, 18 detained

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed four terrorists and detained 18 suspects today during operations to disrupt al-Qaeda networks operating in central Iraq. In continued efforts to degrade al-Qaeda in Iraq networks operating in the Diyala province, Coalition forces targeted individuals associated with an alleged terrorist training facility north of Baqubah. During the operation, the ground force called for the occupants of the target buildings to come out, but they did not comply.  Coalition forces entered one of the buildings and encountered armed terrorists who maneuvered toward them. Perceiving hostile intent from the armed men, the ground force engaged, killing two terrorists.  In another building, the ground force encountered armed terrorists using women and children as human shields. While taking extra precautions to ensure the safety of innocent civilians, Coalition forces engaged the men, killing an additional two terrorists.  As the ground force continued to secure the area, they detained two suspected terrorists and discovered a cache of improvised explosive device materials, grenades, machine guns and several military-style assault vests. A vehicle found in the target area contained IED materials and camouflage uniforms, and was destroyed along with the weapons cache to prevent further use by terrorists. During operations in Baghdad and west of Tarmiyah, Coalition forces targeted al-Qaeda in Iraq members involved in weapons facilitation. In Baghdad, the ground force detained three suspected terrorists, including an alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq associate believed to be involved in the facilitation of weapons, IED materials, vehicles and suicide bombers for use by terrorist networks throughout the capital city region. The suspect is reportedly associated with foreign terrorists and a senior level weapons smuggler for al-Qaeda in Iraq, whom Coalition forces targeted during an operation west of Tarmiyah. Reports indicate the alleged weapons smuggler and terrorist leader is responsible for bringing truckloads of weapons into northern Iraq on a monthly basis for distribution to al-Qaeda in Iraq networks throughout the Tigris River Valley. Reports also indicate the targeted individual is a direct associate of the al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri. Two suspected terrorists were detained during the operation. South of Salman Pak, Coalition forces detained eight suspected terrorists during an operation targeting an alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq cell leader reportedly involved in car bombings and foreign terrorist facilitation.  Further north in Tikrit, Coalition forces targeted suspected associates of the leader of the city’s al-Qaeda in Iraq network, who was captured Jan. 25 for his involvement in the facilitation of weapons and foreign terrorists. Three suspected terrorists were detained during the operation.

 

Villagers lead ANSF to more weapons cache recoveries in Nangarhar Province

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Reporting from villagers in Nangarhar Province led to the recovery of several weapons caches by Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition forces Jan. 27. In Bonta, Dara Noor District, in the northernmost section of Nangarhar Province, villagers reported a weapons cache consisting of 30 rocket-propelled grenades and five anti-personnel mines. A week earlier, in Trelay Village, Achin District, on the Pakistan border, reports led to another weapons cache, this one containing 20 anti-personnel mines. In December and January, Nangarhar citizens have provided information leading to the recovery of several other weapons caches hidden in villages by suspected insurgents.In Deh Bala District, which borders Pakistan, villagers discovered a weapons cache consisting of five anti-tank mines, 20 120mm mortar rounds, five 82mm mortar round and three 82mm recoilless rifle rounds Jan. 14.In the Jalalabad District of northern Nangarhar Province, the combined force recovered nine blocks of TNT, 22 fuses and a Chinese-made projectile Jan. 14. The cache in Khogyani District, recovered Jan. 16, consisted of 68 82mm and 25 75mm recoilless rifle rounds. Insurgents frequently use these weapons to attack ANSF or Coalition forces, or terrorize Afghan citizens throughout the province.In December, villagers in nearby Paktya Province turned in more than 700 weapons and munitions, including 247 rocket-propelled grenades and three launchers, 99 hand grenades, 124 anti-personnel mines, 11 82mm recoilless rifle rounds, 14 82mm mortars, 10 anti-tank mines, 200 anti-tank mine fuses, three remote-controlled improvised explosive devices, four Kalashnikov machine guns, and two RPD machine guns.

 

Airpower summary for Jan. 28

A Wonderful Day At Work

I manage a grocery store, I have become accustomed to problems developing of every type. Today however, was a once in a lifetime thing. A garbage truck was emptying the dumpster at the business next to my store. The driver lifted the dumpster up to dump it in the back of his truck. Said dumpster gets hung up in power lines and pulls the electrical mast off the side of the building. This event required that pull out my cellphone and snap a picture.

The guy in the yellow coat is the driver of the truck. He is lucky to be alive. That was 10,000 volts he stumbled upon. He was also not happy that I laughed at him for being an idiot.

This event occurred about 12:15pm today. The damage was so significant, the electric company said it would be days to get it fixed. We can't go a few days to get electricity, we have perishable items (meat, deli, dairy, frozen, etc.) So we request a generator to power the store until the electricity can be fixed.

We are told it would be 2 hours to get the generator there and have it hooked up. In the meantime, the business next to us was on a different transformer and had power. We run extension cords from next door, through our store, and to the cash registers. We had no lights so each customer had to get a flashlight to shop.

Two hours go by and no generator. The electricians tell us it will be another 30 minutes. We were told it would be 30 more minutes every time we asked. Seven and half hours later, the generator arrives and is connected. Everything was working perfectly, except for the cash registers. The surges caused the memory to fry in the registers.

So, if the day wasn't long enough already, I have to call tech support to come out and help fix the registers. That meant sitting around and waiting some more. At 9:30pm, we have the registers up and running correctly. It was also this time that we noticed that there wasn't enough power going to the compressors that run the refrigerated meat cases. All the meat had to be pulled out of the cases and put in the big walk-in cooler.

After that, I locked the store and ran out before anything else happened.

Of course, during this whole time, we had no heat. It around 20 degrees outside today, by the time the electricity was turned on, the store was 51 degrees.

 

P.S. No, the guy didn't lose his job despite costing his company thousands of dollars. I talked to one of his co-workers, a customer, and he said the guy was suspended for three days.

We will be sending a bill to the garbage company demanding payment for lost sales, payroll expenses, the generator, electrical repairs, cash register repairs, and product that was lost, along with anything else that should come up.

Hospital Cafeteria's Special Of The Day, Human Tongue Risotto

You have to do something with all the spare body parts laying around. You don't want them going to waste.

A human tongue has been served up in a hospital canteen's chicken risotto — and bosses reckon it was accidentally dropped into the food by a doctor. Slovenian officials are investigating after a doctor complained about a strange piece of meat on his plate. Ananova.com revealed the doctor insisted it was not chicken and after some intense bickering it was sent away for tests — and found to be part of a human tongue. Inspectors have closed the canteen in Izola, southern Slovenia, to review hygiene standards. Bosses believe a doctor could have unwittingly dropped the tongue in the food after treating a patient.

"Silky Pony" John Edwards Drops Out Of The Race

He's dropping out of the race, but not out of the picture.

Picture this...Attorney General John Edwards, doesn't that just make you shiver? After whoring himself out all night long, Edwards will end up getting the attorney general gig from Obama. The mans gotta keep a job, he's got another kid to support.

Democrat John Edwards is exiting the presidential race Wednesday, ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voters' sympathies, The Associated Press has learned. The two-time White House candidate notified a close circle of senior advisers that he planned to make the announcement at a 1 p.m. EST event in New Orleans that had been billed as a speech on poverty, according to two aides. The decision came after Edwards lost the four states to hold nominating contests so far to rivals who stole the spotlight from the beginning — Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. The former North Carolina senator will not immediately endorse either candidate in what is now a two-person race for the Democratic nomination, said one adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the announcement. Both candidates would welcome Edwards' backing and the support of the 56 delegates he had collected.

Giuliani To Drop Out, Endorse John McShamnesty

Question: Who could run a worse campaign than Fred Thompson?

Answer: Rudy Giuliani

For crying out loud Rudy was leading in early national polls and has now plummeted to Ron Paul standings.

Rudy Giuliani, who bet his presidential hopes on Florida only to come in third, prepared to quit the race Tuesday and endorse his friendliest rival, John McCain. The former New York mayor stopped short of announcing he was stepping down, but delivered a valedictory speech that was more farewell than fight-on. Giuliani finished a distant third to winner John McCain and close second-place finisher Mitt Romney. Republican officials said Giuliani would endorse McCain on Wednesday in California. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the public announcement.

 

I'm guessing by the end of the week, Huckabee is out too.

Good News From The War On Terror 1/27-28

MND Soldiers, Iraqi Police conduct combined operation with CLCs in support of Operation Phantom Phoenix

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, conducted a two-day combined operation with the Iraqi 3rd Brigade, 1st National Police Division and Concerned Local Citizens in Zelig, Iraq Jan. 20 and 21. Thirteen insurgent fighters were killed, two enemy trucks destroyed and 14 improvised explosive devices were found during the combined operation, which is part of the country-wide Operation Phantom Phoenix. Capt. William Clark, the commander of Company A, said Concerned Local Citizens took the lead in the operation. The Wheeling, Ill. native said the majority of IEDs were found in Zelig and the group cleared homes along major routes in and out of the city. Company A assisted the Concerned Local Citizens in setting up operation checkpoints.

 

Sixteen IEDs, cache turned in by CLCs

BAGHDAD – Concerned Local Citizens turned in numerous improvised explosive device components and a munitions cache to Multi-National Division-Center Soldiers in Arab Jabour Jan. 25. The CLCs approached Soldiers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Stewart, Ga., with 16 pressure plate switches and numerous blasting caps. The CLCs then pointed out where the IEDs were found, allowing Coalition Forces to safely eliminate the threat. The CLCs also turned in a cache of weapons to the Soldiers. The cache consisted of 340 57 mm projectile fuses, three 57 mm projectiles and 500 DSHKA heavy machine gun rounds. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the munitions in a controlled detonation.

 

Anti-Coalition forces operative captured; criminal networks disrupted

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces captured a suspected anti-Coalition forces operative early Monday during operations in the Risalah area of Baghdad. The targeted individual reportedly aided in Special Groups criminal element attacks on Coalition forces as a reconnaissance operative. The suspected criminal is assessed to be a specialist in intelligence-gathering, computers and forging documents. The wanted individual was also reported to be an associate of Special Groups criminal element leaders involved in attacks on Coalition forces. Intelligence led ground forces to the target area where they captured the wanted individual without incident.

 

Coalition forces target al-Qaeda in central Iraq; 18 suspects detained

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces detained 18 suspected terrorists Sunday and today during operations to disrupt al-Qaeda networks operating in central Iraq. During an operation east of Tikrit near the Hamrin Mountains Sunday, Coalition forces captured an alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq associate who serves as an interrogator at a terrorist prison and training camp in the region.  The suspected terrorist also reportedly facilitates the purchase of weapons and the movement of fighters in the area.  The targeted individual’s brother was killed during a Coalition forces operation Sep. 30 for his involvement in leading a terrorist cell responsible for running illegal checkpoints, emplacing improvised explosive devices, and kidnapping Iraq citizens in the Hamrin mountain region.  During the operation, the wanted individual identified himself to the ground force and was subsequently detained, along with 12 suspected terrorists. In Baqubah early this morning, Coalition forces captured a wanted individual believed to be involved in an al-Qaeda in Iraq suicide IED network operating in the Diyala province.  Reports indicate the suspected terrorist is associated with the al-Qaeda in Iraq leader killed Jan. 22 for his role in the same network.  In addition to the wanted individual, the ground force detained three suspected terrorists on site. Farther north near Mosul today, Coalition forces detained one suspected terrorist while targeting an alleged associate of an al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leader formerly responsible for the networks in northern Iraq.

 

Jan. 26 airpower summary

 

Jan. 27 airpower summary

Iran Warns Of Serious Consequences If U.N. Resolution Passes

Two toothless dogs fighting it out. The U.N. won't enforce the sanctions and Iran won't stop nuclear production. Hasn't Iran learned anything from the Saddam follies?

Iran warned on Monday of "serious consequences" if the UN Security Council adopts fresh sanctions against Tehran over its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear work. "If a resolution is passed... it will have serious and logical consequences and we will announce them later," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told a press conference. His comments came as the Security Council was due on Monday to discuss a proposed third set of sanctions over Iran's long-standing refusal to halt uranium enrichment. The sanctions package was agreed upon last week by foreign ministers of the five veto-wielding permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany. Iran is already under two sets of UN sanctions for its refusal to halt enrichment, the process which makes nuclear fuel but can be extended to make the fissile core of an atom bomb. Iran insists it has a right to enrichment to make fuel to meet increasing energy needs of its population and denies charges its nuclear programme has military aims. The proposed new measures include an outright travel ban by officials involved in Iran's nuclear and missile programmes and inspections of shipments to and from Iran if there are suspicions of prohibited goods. Diplomats said approval of the package, presented to the council's 10 non-permanent members on Friday, was likely to take several weeks.

Pakistani Gunmen Hold 32 People In Paki High School Hostage

Original reports stated 300+ people, then it was 200 people. Now it has been whittled down to 32 people that Pakistani gunmen took hostage before turning themselves over to "tribal negotiators".

Gunmen briefly seized control of a high school in northwestern Pakistan on Monday, officials said, holding more than two dozen students and teachers hostage before surrendering to tribal negotiators in exchange for safe passage from the area. The six gunmen gave themselves up after a five-hour standoff, with security forces ringing the school, Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said. One negotiator, former lawmaker Shar Abdul Aziz, said in return for releasing the captives and giving up their weapons, the gunmen received safe passage and left. Local police declined to comment on that report. The gunmen barged into the school near the town of Bannu after a chase and firefight with police that killed a seventh gunman and wounded a policeman. The chase began after they abducted the health chief of a neighboring district and two of his relatives, who were later freed, also unharmed.

WOOHOO! Free Legal Music Downloads

You can download the software at 12:00am Monday Jan. 28th. I am so excited to hear this news. My ISP will probably shut off my service by the end of the week.

After a decade fighting to stop illegal file-sharing, the music industry will give fans today what they have always wanted: an unlimited supply of free and legal songs. With CD sales in free fall and legal downloads yet to fill the gap, the music industry has reluctantly embraced the file-sharing technology that threatened to destroy it. Qtrax, a digital service announced today, promises a catalogue of more than 25 million songs that users can download to keep, free and with no limit on the number of tracks. The service has been endorsed by the very same record companies - including EMI, Universal Music and Warner Music – that have chased file-sharers through the courts in a doomed attempt to prevent piracy. The gamble is that fans will put up with a limited amount of advertising around the Qtrax website’s jukebox in return for authorised use of almost every song available. The service will use the “peer-to-peer” network, which contains not just hit songs but rarities and live tracks from the world’s leading artists.

***UPDATE 12:25AM 1/28/08***

So...I still haven't been able to download it. The website is being hit pretty hard, most of the time I cannot connect.

 

***UPDATE 1:12PM 1/28/08***

The record companies bailed. No free music.

 

***UPDATE 2:37PM 1/29/08***

Well I was able to download and install the software. It appears that, for now, some record company is providing music. The program does not work very well. It runs very slow and is a system resources hog, probably worse than AOL software. When the server didn't time out, It didn't return a search for the songs I was looking for. So far, I find it useless. Maybe it will get better.

A Backwoods Town In Vermont Vote To Arrest Bush, Cheney On War Crimes

Will you please secede and join Canada already. We don't care about your teddy bears, ice cream, or maple syrup. So you want to arrest Bush and Cheney should they ever step foot in Vermont. The question I have is; why would they bother? Bush hasn't been there since he was elected. Coincidence? I think not.

Brattleboro residents will vote at town meeting on whether President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney should be indicted and arrested for war crimes, perjury or obstruction of justice if they ever step foot in Vermont. The Brattleboro Select Board voted 3-2 Friday to put the controversial item on the Town Meeting Day warning. According to Town Clerk Annette Cappy, organizers of the Bush-Cheney issue gathered enough signatures, and it was up to the Select Board whether Brattleboro voters would consider the issue in March. Cappy said residents will get to vote on the matter by paper balloting March 4. Kurt Daims, 54, of Brattleboro, the organizer of the petition drive, said Friday the debate to get the issue on the ballot was a good one. Opposition to the vote focused on whether the town had any power to endorse the matter. "It is an advisory thing," said Daims, a retired prototype machinist and stay-at-home dad of three daughters. So far, Vermont is the only state Bush hasn't visited since he became president in 2001.

Terrorist Cells In The United States

I found this map at The Investigative Project on Terrorism. I found it to be shocking that within a 60 mile radius of my city, there is 10 known terrorists cells from 7 different terrorist groups.

The original map can be found here in .PDF

Not Quite Howard Dean

...but Hillary Clinton is giving it a good try to emulate the ever famous "Screaming Dean"

Army Pfc. Monica Brown, Heroism In Afghanistan

Of course, they always say, "I was just doing my job". But, Army medic, Pfc. Monica Brown, is an exceptional person.

An American convoy near Jani Khel, Paktya, struck an IED and came under small-arms fire from insurgent positions 100 yards away.  Army Pfc. Monica Brown ran forward through small-arms fire toward the burning vehicle to render aid to fellow Paratroopers. After she moved the casualties to a dry creek bed next to the burning vehicle, the convoy came under insurgent mortar attack. Brown placed her body over the wounded to shield them from mortar fire landing less than 100 yards away. At this point, the ammunition in the burning vehicle began to explode, again she shielded the casualties with her own body as chunks of shrapnel flew from the burning vehicle. After moving the wounded a second time, she continued treatment and again used her body to protect them from enemy small-arms fire.

Brown’s bravery, unselfish actions and medical aid rendered under fire saved the lives of her comrades and represents the finest traditions of heroism in combat!

 

  ***UPDATE 3/11/08 12:25AM***

She will be receiving the Silver Star, the third highest medal for valor.

A 19-year-old medic from Texas will become the first woman in Afghanistan and only the second female soldier since World War II to receive the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest medal for valor.

[...]

"I did not really think about anything except for getting the guys to a safer location and getting them taken care of and getting them out of there," Brown told The Associated Press on Saturday at a U.S. base in the eastern province of Khost.

Brown, of Lake Jackson, Texas, is scheduled to receive the Silver Star later this month. She was part of a four-vehicle convoy patrolling near Jani Kheil in the eastern province of Paktia on April 25, 2007, when a bomb struck one of the Humvees.

Good News From The War On Terror 1/26

Extremist sniper walks into Coalition hands (Baghdad)

BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldiers were given a gift when a sniper walked into their control during a small arms engagement in West Rashid, Jan. 22. “Black Lions,” of Company B, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, were hunting for three men believed to have been firing at them, when two men attempting to flee the cordon entered a house occupied by MND-B Soldiers. One of the men was positively identified at the scene as a known sniper, while the other is an alleged extremist. The suspected sniper and extremist were taken to a Coalition Detention Facility for further questions. This is part of Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldiers’ on going offensive operations in support of Operation Phantom Phoenix, to kill or capture al-Qaeda and Shia/Sunni extremists to deny them rest and sanctuary in Baghdad and the surrounding rural areas.

 

Iraqi citizens’ tips lead Iraqi Security Forces, U.S. Special Forces to 2 weapons caches (al Kut)

BALAD, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces, advised by U.S. Special Forces, uncovered two weapons caches during separate patrols Jan. 24. An Iraqi Special Weapons and Tactics team from Al Kut was conducting a patrol with U.S. Special Forces near Badrah. At a stop in one village, a group of Iraqi civilians informed Iraqi and U.S. Forces of a possible munitions cache. Iraqi and U.S. Forces discovered and secured a cache consisting of 321 anti-personnel mines, two 155mm artillery rounds and one 120mm mortar round. In the village of Shawq Sha Alan, a team of 8th Iraqi Army Division Soldiers and U.S. Special Forces recovered a cache after receiving a tip from an Iraqi citizen. The cache included one SVD rifle, one RPG-7 launcher with sight, two RPG-7 rounds with boosters, three hand grenades, two PKC machine guns, one flare gun, two shot guns, two pistols, 150 DSHK heavy machine gun rounds, 800 PKC rounds, 250 AK rounds and two boxes of propellant charges.

 

Three terrorists killed, two detained during operations targeting al-Qaeda

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained two suspects Friday and today during operations to disrupt al-Qaeda networks operating along the Tigris River Valley. Intelligence reports led Coalition forces to conduct an operation Friday southwest of Samarra, targeting several individuals reportedly associated with a known al-Qaeda in Iraq meeting location. During the operation, Coalition forces observed three armed suspects maneuvering in the target area. Coalition forces fired warning shots in an attempt to get the armed men to stop their movement, but they did not comply. Coalition forces engaged, killing the terrorists. As the ground force secured the area, they found multiple machine guns, a pistol and two barrels of ammunition. In Tikrit Friday, Coalition forces captured the alleged senior leader for the al-Qaeda in Iraq network in the city. Reports indicate the suspected terrorist is involved in the facilitation of weapons and foreign terrorists. The wanted individual is allegedly associated with numerous al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders, as well as another suspected terrorist who was detained Jan. 21 for similar involvement in the Kirkuk network. During continued efforts to disrupt al-Qaeda operating in northern Iraq, Coalition forces detained one suspected terrorist this morning while targeting an alleged leader for the network in east Mosul.

 

MND-North Soldiers uncover large caches west of Bayji

BAYJI, Iraq – In the desert area west of Bayji Multi-National Division – North Soldiers uncovered two large caches after a helicopter spotted multiple white bags being covered by tarps and blankets Jan. 25. When Soldiers arrived at the location, they discovered two different sites where tarps were being used to cover the caches. The first contained approximately 60, 50- kilogram bags of a substance used in the making of homemade explosives and the other had nine of the 50-kilogram bags. The other site also housed various types of plastic explosives, anti-tank mines, an improvised platter charge, a suicide vest packed with TNT and miscellaneous detonation wire and remote detonation devices. Military explosive experts destroyed all the munitions at both sites. After detonating the bags, the result of the hole was much larger than the EOD personnel had calculated. According to the EOD personnel, this may have been a result of more bags being buried underneath the discovered cache.

 

Jan. 25 airpower summary