Mexican Army Crosses Into US, Detains Border Agent

Act of war or simple misunderstanding? The AP version of this story is quite different from the Washington Times version. From history, I lean toward the Washington Times article being a more accurate depiction of what occurred.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent was held at gunpoint Sunday night by members of the Mexican military who had crossed the border into Arizona, but the soldiers returned to Mexico without incident when backup agents responded to assist.

Agents assigned to the Border Patrol station at Ajo, Ariz., said the Mexican soldiers crossed the international border in an isolated area about 100 miles southwest of Tucson and pointed rifles at the agent, who was not identified.

It was unclear what the soldiers were doing in the United States, but U.S. law enforcement authorities have long said that current and former Mexican military personnel have been hired to protect drug and migrant smugglers.

 

Here's the AP version:

Four Mexican soldiers crossed into Arizona and held a U.S. Border Patrol agent at gunpoint before realizing where they were and returning to Mexico, federal authorities said Wednesday.

The confrontation occurred early Sunday on the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation, about 85 miles southwest of Tucson, in an area fenced only with barbed wire, said Dove Crawford, a spokeswoman for the Border Patrol.

The soldiers, outfitted in desert camouflage, pointed their rifles at the agent and shouted at him not to move, Crawford said. They lowered their weapons after about four minutes when the agent convinced them of who he was and where they were, she said. The soldiers then retreated into Mexico.

The Mexican government has sent soldiers north along sections of the border in efforts to tamp down drug-related violence.

Russia, Georgia Fighting Escalating To War

The occasional skirmishes between Russia and Georgia have now escalated to war, or close to it. Russia is trying to keep control of a old Soviet state and Georgia is trying to keep its independence. Russia begins bombing Georgia and sends in150 armored vehicles. Georgia beings shooting down Russian jets and destroying anything Russian, including people.

Parts of Russia's 58th Army — including 150 tanks and armored vehicles — reportedly were moving Friday on the capital of South Ossetia after Georgian troops entered the city in an attempt to crush separatist forces seeking to control the breakaway province.

[...]

"If it's not war, then we are very close to it," Lamaia said. "The Russians have invaded Georgia and we are under attack."

President Bush and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin reportedly were discussing the Georgia crisis after attending the opening of the Beijing Olympic games.

[...]

Fighting escalated between Georgian and Russian forces escalated earlier in the day with Georgia claiming to have downed four Russian combat warplanes, and Russian planes bombing the Vaziani airbase outside the Georgian capital of Tblisi.

Why Comerica Bank Sucks: Part II

Part I can be found here. A brief explanation of Part I, Comerica bank demanded Norwalk Furniture immediately pay their $11M loan for no other reason than they didn't want any accounts left in Ohio. Comerica demanded all the manufacturing plants and retail store closed so they could be liquidated. Thousands of employees were without job instantly.

Norwalk Furniture has been family owned for 106 years. Now, because of Comerica's actions, Norwalk Furniture was required to take on investors. The investment companies have purchased the loan from Comerica and taken over the company. No doubt these investment companies will replace the family with executives of their choosing.

The good news is, at least the thousands of Norwalk Furniture employees still have a job.

I hope people will never do business with Comerica, and those that do, will move to a different bank.

Al-Qaeda Leader gAyman Al-Zawahiri Injured, Possibly Killed

Since Bin Laden is dead, Ayman al-Zawahiri is al-Qaeda's leader. A letter that was intercepted indicated he was injured in a strike in Pakistan on Monday, possibly even dead now. This was the same missile strike that killed al-Qaeda's bio/chem weapons expert.

Ayman al-Zawahiri - the second most powerful leader in al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden's No. 2 - may be critically wounded and possibly dead, CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan reports exclusively.

CBS News has obtained a copy of an intercepted letter from sources in Pakistan, which urgently requests a doctor to treat al-Zawahiri. He's believed to be somewhere in Pakistan's remote tribal areas of Pakistan.
The letter refers to Sheikh Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri by name - and says that he is in "severe pain" and his "injuries are infected."

It is reportedly written by local Taliban leader, Baitullah Mehsud, whose signature and seal are visible on the letter.

The Taliban logo and the Mehsud's seal have been confirmed by experts as legitimate.

The letter is dated July 29 - one day after a U.S. air strike that killed al Qaeda weapons expert Abu Khabab al-Masri, and five other Arabs in South Waziristan.

The Censorship Of Obama Hatin' Blogspot Blogs To End...Supposedly

When I logged on to Blogspot tonight, I noticed this news update from Blogspot:

While we wish that every post on this blog could be about cool features or other Blogger news, sometimes we have to step in and admit a mistake.

We've noticed that a number of users have had their blogs mistakenly marked as spam, and wanted to sound off real quick to let you know that, despite it being Friday afternoon, we are working hard to sort this out. So to those folks who have received an email saying that your blog has been classified as spam and can't post right now, we offer our sincere apologies for the trouble.

We hope to have this resolved shortly, and appreciate your patience as we work through the kinks

Anti-Obama blogs were being flagged as spam by the Obamabots and being were being shut down. I'm not holding my breath as to how effective Blogspots fixes will be.

Sitemeter & Internet Explorer Are Not Playing Nice With Each Other

Thanks to Gateway Pundit for pointing this out. Sitemeter has to be removed in order for IE users to read blogs. I tried it out myself, and sure enough IE couldn't load the page while Sitemeter was installed. Will try and see if it works again tomorrow. I don't know if this is just affecting Blogspot blogs, or everyone.

Dems Answer To Energy Problems: Censorship & Retreat, Leave GOP In The Dark

Pelosi had enough of this "solving the nation's problems" issue and decided since the Dems can't solve the problems, they would prevent the Republicans from doing it. She called for adjournment while Republicans were debating and demanding a vote for off-shore and ANWR drilling. The microphones, cameras, & lights were turned off. The only Democrat that remained on the floor...Dennis Kucinich.

The C-SPAN cameras were gone and the microphones were off, but that didn’t stop a small group of Republicans from taking over the House floor after the House adjourned for five weeks to attack Democrats for leaving town without doing something to lower gas prices.

“Madame Speaker, Where art thou?’’ Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, shouted from the well of the House. “This room is vacant of most members of Congress. Where, oh where, has Congress gone?’’ he yelled to about a dozen other Republicans, the tourists in the gallery, some House pages, and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, the lone Democrat who witnessed the unusual proceeding.

Republicans want Speaker Nancy Pelosi to all the House back into session to vote on the GOP’s energy plan, which calls for an end to a longstanding moratorium on drilling along the outer continental shelf and also seeks to boost conservation and research on alternative energy sources. “Bring the Congress back. Let’s have a real up or down vote,’’ Minority Leader John A. Boehner said after coming into the chamber from a press conference.

Hezbollah In Iraq

Only two members of the Hezbollah propaganda wing were captured, but you have to wonder is there more, or is this just the beginning. al-Qaeda in Iraq is receiving a through whipping and have mostly lost the will to fight. Iran surely cannot have a stabilized and strong Iraq next door.

BAGHDAD – Coalition forces captured two suspected criminals associated with Kata’ib Hezbollah Thursday morning in east Baghdad.

Based on intelligence information, Coalition forces targeted the location of an individual suspected of being a part of a propaganda cell for Kata’ib Hezbollah. This propaganda cell is suspected of making videos of attacks on Coalition and Iraqi forces, which are then used to raise funds and resources for additional attacks against Coalition forces and Iraqis.

Coalition forces approached the targeted individual’s residence, where they entered the structure and detained the two suspected criminals.

HOO-RAH SSGT. DRAGONSLAYER!

The husband of a longtime friend of mine, is once again being to deployed to Iraq for his third tour. He just completed his second tour in September of last year. He hasn't even been home an entire year and he is being deployed again. He left Thursday night to arrive in Camp Pendleton, from there, he will head to Iraq. He is a Marine stationed in Yuma. His nickname, SSGT. DRAGONSLAYER, has a long story behind it, and I doubt he would want to me tell it. But it's hilarious, believe me.

Anyways, I will once again post an email address where regular readers and stragglers can send him a note of thanks, a joke, or anything else. It will be located here and in the right sidebar. However; this time it goes to a email that I set up, then I will forward it.

It's unfortunate I have to do this, but last time there was one too many jackasses that felt a need to spew their anti-war nonsense. Others felt the need to chastise him about this dumb blog, even when I made it clear what the email link was for.

For those that violate the code of decency, you will receive a reply from me filled with profanities and my thoughts about your mother.

Click the button above to send an email. It will open your email client with the address and subject already filled in. Do not change the subject line or it could be caught in the spam filter.

Once again, the messages are reviewed by me before they are forwarded to him.

House Of Representatives Apologizes For Slavery

I find it a bit odd and disturbing that members of Congress apologize for something that happened long before any of them were born. See, slavery officially ended in 1865, that's not to say there were some stragglers that didn't immediately comply, but It's now 2008, 143 years later. If people want an apology for slavery, go to Africa and dig up the tribal leaders that sold the slaves to the slave traders and see if they give you one.

Not to sound callous, but shouldn't they be working on more important matters?  Like, the War on Terror, dependence on foreign oil, the sham known as NAFTA, etc.

Anyways; here's the stupid apology.

H. Res. 194

In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

July 29, 2008.

Whereas millions of Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the United States and the 13 American colonies from 1619 through 1865;

Whereas slavery in America resembled no other form of involuntary servitude known in history, as Africans were captured and sold at auction like inanimate objects or animals;

Whereas Africans forced into slavery were brutalized, humiliated, dehumanized, and subjected to the indignity of being stripped of their names and heritage;

Whereas enslaved families were torn apart after having been sold separately from one another;

Whereas the system of slavery and the visceral racism against persons of African descent upon which it depended became entrenched in the Nation's social fabric;

Whereas slavery was not officially abolished until the passage of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1865 after the end of the Civil War;

Whereas after emancipation from 246 years of slavery, African-Americans soon saw the fleeting political, social, and economic gains they made during Reconstruction eviscerated by virulent racism, lynchings, disenfranchisement, Black Codes, and racial segregation laws that imposed a rigid system of officially sanctioned racial segregation in virtually all areas of life;

Whereas the system of de jure racial segregation known as `Jim Crow,' which arose in certain parts of the Nation following the Civil War to create separate and unequal societies for whites and African-Americans, was a direct result of the racism against persons of African descent engendered by slavery;

Whereas a century after the official end of slavery in America, Federal action was required during the 1960s to eliminate the dejure and defacto system of Jim Crow throughout parts of the Nation, though its vestiges still linger to this day;

Whereas African-Americans continue to suffer from the complex interplay between slavery and Jim Crow--long after both systems were formally abolished--through enormous damage and loss, both tangible and intangible, including the loss of human dignity, the frustration of careers and professional lives, and the long-term loss of income and opportunity;

Whereas the story of the enslavement and de jure segregation of African-Americans and the dehumanizing atrocities committed against them should not be purged from or minimized in the telling of American history;

Whereas on July 8, 2003, during a trip to Goree Island, Senegal, a former slave port, President George W. Bush acknowledged slavery's continuing legacy in American life and the need to confront that legacy when he stated that slavery `was . . . one of the greatest crimes of history . . . The racial bigotry fed by slavery did not end with slavery or with segregation. And many of the issues that still trouble America have roots in the bitter experience of other times. But however long the journey, our destiny is set: liberty and justice for all.';

Whereas President Bill Clinton also acknowledged the deep-seated problems caused by the continuing legacy of racism against African-Americans that began with slavery when he initiated a national dialogue about race;

Whereas a genuine apology is an important and necessary first step in the process of racial reconciliation;

Whereas an apology for centuries of brutal dehumanization and injustices cannot erase the past, but confession of the wrongs committed can speed racial healing and reconciliation and help Americans confront the ghosts of their past;

Whereas the legislature of the Commonwealth of Virginia has recently taken the lead in adopting a resolution officially expressing appropriate remorse for slavery and other State legislatures have adopted or are considering similar resolutions; and

Whereas it is important for this country, which legally recognized slavery through its Constitution and its laws, to make a formal apology for slavery and for its successor, Jim Crow, so that it can move forward and seek reconciliation, justice, and harmony for all of its citizens: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) acknowledges that slavery is incompatible with the basic founding principles recognized in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal;

(2) acknowledges the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow;

(3) apologizes to African Americans on behalf of the people of the United States, for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow; and

(4) expresses its commitment to rectify the lingering consequences of the misdeeds committed against African Americans under slavery and Jim Crow and to stop the occurrence of human rights violations in the future.

Attest:

Clerk.

CIA Calls Out Pakistani ISI For Ties To Terrorists

It shouldn't come as a surprise to most that members of the Pakistani government is corrupt. The CIA has uncovered links between the Pakistani intelligence agency (ISI) and terrorists operating in Pakistan and has now confronted them about it. It's no wonder why so many sure hits in Pakistan, turn out to be misses.

A top Central Intelligence Agency official traveled to Islamabad and confronted senior officials with evidence of ties between Pakistan's spy agency and militants operating in that country's tribal areas, the New York Times reported in Wednesday editions.

The CIA envoy presented information linking members of Pakistan's Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) with some militant groups responsible for a string of attacks including the suicide bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul this month which killed 58 people, the newspaper said.

The report, based on accounts by U.S. military and intelligence officials, described the decision to confront Pakistan over ISI's activities as the bluntest warning to Islamabad since shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Sen. Ted Stevens Indicted On Seven Counts Of Making False Statements

Sen. Ted Stevens (NJ*)-Alaska is in a whole mess of trouble right now. He's been indicted on seven counts of making false statements. One of those counts include the false statement that he's a Republican.

Sen. Ted Stevens from Alaska, the longest serving U.S. Republican senator ever, was indicted on Tuesday on seven counts of making false statements, according to a federal grand jury indictment.

The U.S. Justice Department has scheduled a news conference for 1:20 p.m. to make an announcement "regarding a significant criminal matter."

A federal law enforcement official said the news conference would discuss the criminal charges against Stevens. The 28-page indictment outlining the charges against Stevens was released by the Justice Department right before the news conference.

Before I get an official breakdown of the charges, by watching a little bit of the DOJ press conference, it seems that Sen. Stevens received gifts which were not reported, then lied about them to investigators. The total of these gifts were about $250,000.

Here's more detail:

Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. Senate and one of the chamber's most powerful members, was indicted Tuesday in Washington for failing to disclose more than $250,000 worth of gifts that he received from businessmen who were seeking his help on federal issues and projects.

The seven-count indictment charges Stevens with making false statements by failing to disclose things of value he received from the Veco Corp., an Alaska-based oil services company, and from its CEO, Bill Allen, over an eight-year period.

The indictment charges that among the undeclared items were substantial improvements to Stevens' home in Girdwood, Alaska; automobile exchanges in which he received new vehicles that were worth far more than the old ones he exchanged; and household goods, including a Viking gas grill.

At the same time, according to the indictment, Stevens received solicitations for official actions from Allen and and other Veco employees, and used his office on behalf of Veco.

Top Al-Qaeda Biological & Chemical Weapons Expert Killed In Pakistan...Maybe

Another errant missile landed in Pakistan, and just so happened to land on a house where al-Qaeda's top bio/chem weapons expert was staying. You would think with all our technology we would have missiles that would hit their intended target instead of landing in another country.

Security officials in Pakistan were seeking confirmation Tuesday that a top Al-Qaeda expert on chemical and biological weapons had been killed in a suspected US missile strike.

The news came as Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani held his first talks with US President George W. Bush, centered on how to tackle Islamic militants based in the lawless tribal zones.

Gilani, whose new government has been facing intense US pressure to crack down, urged the United States not to act "unilaterally" against militants in his country.

There was no immediate confirmation from Washington or the US-led coalition in Afghanistan about Monday's strike in the South Waziristan tribal district, which a senior Pakistani official said was thought to have killed Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar.

The Egyptian militant -- who is also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri -- had a five-million-dollar bounty on his head and is alleged to have trained hundreds of extremists at camps in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region

Why Comerica Bank Sucks!

There's a company here in Norwalk called Norwalk Furniture. You may have heard of them since they are one of the largest custom furniture companies in the United States. They have been one of the largest employers in the city. Hundreds of people and families work there. Since 1902, generations of people have called Norwalk Furniture their work and family.

Comerica Bank, the same company that spent millions for naming rights to the Detroit Tigers Stadium, have now found themselves in the middle of a storm. See, Comerica is one of those banking companies that just shelled out loans to everyone regardless of credit history. Now, with record foreclosures, Comerica is feeling the pinch. The stock is dropping and they're losing money. They recently closed the last Comerica branch in Ohio. Before they completely leave Ohio though, they demanded Norwalk Furniture immediately pay their $11million loan and line of credit. This was for no other reason other than they didn't want to have any accounts left in Ohio. In fact, Norwalk Furniture was Comerica's first Ohio customer.

Most companies don't just have $11M sitting around for the heck of it. Neither did Norwalk Furniture. Comerica demanded the company close and liquidate all assets. That means thousands of employees without a job in Norwalk, Ohio, plants in Tennessee, Mississippi, and at the retail stores all over the United States. That's exactly what has happened. Norwalk Furniture has been trying to communicate with Comerica, and so have potential investors seeking to pay Comerica $9M instead of liquidating the company. Comerica has refused to accept the calls. Yes, Comerica was refusing to even discuss the matter with Norwalk Furniture or investors.

Now, the state steps in and offers the company a low-interest loan, the story has made it all the way to the UK, Rep. Sherrod Brown is involved and the Dept of Labor has been contacted. Former Ohio Attorney General & current Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher recently toured the plant to get an idea of what was happening. Thursday, a group of 50 Norwalk Furniture employees went to Detroit to protest in front of the company headquarters and were met by private security and Detroit Police.

Guess what? Comerica has finally decided that it's not in their best interest to keep screwing over customers. The bad publicity has hit them hard and they have finally agreed to sit down with the company. Norwalk Furniture was allowed to open temporarily to complete and ship current orders.

But, it shouldn't end there. This company would not "rethink" their position unless there was public outcry and bad publicity. They would have forced thousands of people into unemployment causing a tremendous drain on local governments. I don't believe they should be able to slink away without any repercussions.

 

***UPDATE***

Friday, July 25th, Norwalk Furniture issued a press release. It's the biggest bunch of ass-kissing I've ever seen. I'm sure this was Comerica's #1 demand before renegotiating the loan.

NORWALK, Ohio, July 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Comerica Inc. is offering its assistance to Norwalk Furniture to continue operations and help save the jobs of as many as 2,000 workers across Ohio, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Financial issues forced a shutdown of Norwalk Furniture operations on July 21. Since the shutdown, a number of private equity firms and state governments have come forward with investment and loan proposals to allow the company to resume operations and pursue its restructuring plan. Friday, Comerica extended its help as well to resolve debt issues related to the company.

"On behalf of Norwalk Furniture, its employees and their families, we'd like to thank Comerica for its willingness to work through a tough situation on a tight schedule," said Domenic Aversa, acting CEO of Norwalk Furniture. "We are grateful that Comerica understands the importance of helping save these jobs and keeping this 106-year-old company in business."

This is sickening. This bank was had no problems whatsoever in shutting down this business. The financial issues were caused by Comerica demanding an immediate repayment of an $11M loan for no other reason besides they didn't want any Ohio customers.

The Gospel According To Obama

I seen the headline on Drudge, but didn't have time to click over and read it until tonight. This has to be one of the most brilliant pieces of journalism ever. The headline is enough to get you in the mood, "He ventured forth to bring light to the world".

And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.

The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.

When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?”

Please, please, read the rest.