Obama on 11-11

I hope Tammy Duckworth is appointed to the Senate position. She would be a great Senator.

How about stashing the Obama hatred and conspiracy theories for a day and remembering and honoring the veterans.

I am an afterschool English tutor for high school students. I asked a group yesterday (11/11) what was special about this day. I drew blank stares. When I was a child, my grandmother always flew the flag on national holidays. This one was no exception. My grandfather was a veteran of WWI.

In a discussion of this day on public radio, one commentator noted that this day has been relegated to a day of "Veterans' Day Sales"--go shopping for specials on this day. It isn't this day only that this has happened. Look what goes on in January for MLK's birthday, in May for Memorial Day, in JUly for Independence Day, etc. We no longer celebrate our freedoms in a manner that teaches our children what it means to be a free people---what it means to "a government of the people, by the people, and for the people."

Even the day of general election (11/4) is not important to some. A business man here in Dallas said in a letter to the editor that he already gives his workers paid holidays and he'd "be damned if he was going to pay them to take time off to go vote."

I thought to myself, "How patriotic is that!"

We must never forget the price of freedom.

beleive me,,,,, nobody likes obama or biden in the military....what a sorry leader JUST WAIT AND SEE.

SGT USAF

robert b
re: "Perhaps you want all opposing organizations that are clearly, in your words, supporting "militaristic ultra-nationalism" to be made illegal."

... come to think of it,... that "militaristic ultra-nationalism" would include the far-right Republicans and 'conservatives' ....

just havin' some fun.....

robert b

like many on the 'right', your first impulse is reactionary, and you avoid reading what is posted. I said nothing about making anything illegal. I merely pointed out that many who espoused the policies that led us to the Iraq blunder and the American 'pre-emptive' foreign policy seem to be getting back into action.

Now, if you are implying that you believe Bush & PNAC's foreign policy has been successful over the last 8 years, and should be continued, you are certainly entitled to your beliefs.

Our Present President (Bush) is one of the most honorable--historic presidents I believe America has ever had and it is YET to be seen. Too many people believe what they hear through the big media rather than spending time getting educated with the facts especially when it comes to war on terrorism. Nice words don't always amount to much until they are proven. I believe too many have already forgotten 911

And today President Bush, who is, Mr. Tapper, still president, as you may recall, also honored veterans in a ceremony in New York. Why is the statement by president-ELECT Obama newsworthy but the President's is not? Please show the man some respect. He is still our president and commander-in-chief and he is being incredibly gracious to the incoming president. Let's try not rush him off the stage quite so fast, okay? You will have the next four years to gush over Obama doing what political leaders do-- attending ceremonies and making statements. In the meantime, there is another good man doing the same things and it would be nice to have that noted.

Don't know what the "70's" and the infamous Church committee have to with it except the creation of the unwieldly FISA structure since streamlined in the post 9/11 era. I'm glad Slade is so forgiving of a fellow committee member but 1)why was she not forthcoming on how the "wall" memo which after all dealt with the first WTC bombing of 1993, 2) while of course she or no one policy is culpable in "causing" 9/11, it is clear that DOJ policy "barred anti-terror investigators from accessing the computer of Zacarias Moussaoui, the 20th hijacker, already in custody on an immigration violation". Frankly I don't understand Slade Gorton's comment ""nothing Jamie Gorelick wrote had the slightest impact on the Department of Defense " Dept of Defense!!!??? She was a DOJ official and Moussaoui was detained by immigration and investigated by FBI. The problem of the "wall" is not so much intelligence talking to prosecutors though all intelligence agencies were hesitant to do so because their secrets could then be evidence in court (this may happen again with CIA and other evidence GITMO terrorists revealed in US courts!!!) BUT what happened with Moussaoui - prosecutors investigating not wanting to lose evidence under the 4th amendment by "breaking into" Moussaoui computers without judicial involvement. This lost time meant 9/11/01 passed before investigators found the incriminating evidence which has since convicted Moussaoui.

robert b,

YOu are mistaken. Your view of Goerlick and the memo was first espoused by Ashcroft, who unfortunately had no idea what he was talking about.

In fact, according to Republican Slade Gorton of the 9/11 commission, "nothing Jamie Gorelick wrote had the slightest impact on the Department of Defense or its willingness or ability to share intelligence information with other intelligence agencies."

He also noted that the "wall" you talk about was in place since the 1970's and that it absolutely does not stop information going from intelligence agencies to prosecutors.

No serious observer has ever thought that anything Gorelick did damaged information sharing on terrorist activities.

Ryan,

Some of my "compatriots" are really losing it, as we have discussed.

Moving comments...

Blue - what are you nattering on about Project for a New Century. Obama and the Dems are answerable not to any such organization except Move On - God help us all!!!

Perhaps you want all opposing organizations that are clearly, in your words, supporting "militaristic ultra-nationalism" to be made illegal. Good luck with that!!

Actually 11/11 is verrry appropriate of course because Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, Veteran's day marks when major hostilities of World War I were formally ended and the guns fell silent on the Western front at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the signing of the Armistice

they're baacccccccccccccck

PNAC

PNAC’s militaristic ultra-nationalism is implicated in some of the worst mischief of the Bush years, from the “global war on terror” to the invasion of Iraq to President Bush’s support for Israel’s refusal to negotiate with the Palestinians. Many of its members served as advisers to John McCain’s presidential campaign. Bill Kristol is still listed as PNAC’s chairman, and is known to be “exceptionally close” to the senator. McCain’s top foreign policy aide, Randy Scheunemann, serves as PNAC’s project director. McCain spokesperson Michael Goldfarb is also listed as a PNAC research associate.

Obama considering Jamie Gorelick as AG, now turns out she's turning down - she's smarter than Obama's team!!

Jamie Gorelick codified the "wall" between intelligence and prosecution related to Justice and FBI, and Justice / FBI and CIA that 1) directly caused the ball to be dropped with the 19th hijacker Moussaui(sp), 2) no communication on incoming AQ operatives and 3) untold missed opportunities.

In addition, if that's not enough, when she left DOJ as Asst AG, she was Vice Chair and Gen Counsel of Fannie Mae from 1996- 2003, getting out when the getting was good.

And the conflict of interest of serving
on the 9/11 commission was atrocious.

So what were the Obama transition and vetting staff thinking?!!

note:

a moment to say thanks to the brave American men and women in our armed forces...and a hope they return safely back home....

I too pray that the next President will act courageously and with honor.

As to buzz and follower, it may not have struck you yet that Barack will have the same need to protect us from terror as Bush does and that may involve spying on the resources that terrorists may use - banks, information systems, communications. I'm sure we would all like it to be directly solely at "bad guys" but that's not how reality is and I am comfortable with Barack doing the same "data mining" as our current administration to get at those who must be stopped BEFORE they act,

It may also not have occurred to you that Barack will likely keep current Sec Def and D CIA at least for a year or more. Think about that.

Gates is more measured and less ideological than Rummy but consider the secret missions and missile strikes talked about have accelerated during his service.

Let's all hope and pray this President will be a good one. We have had an embarrassing loser the past 8 years who trashed America mercilessly. Including the needless deaths of thousands of our kids in made up wars and rhen treating them to roaches and scum in Walter Reed and many VA hospitals. Our armed forces deserve better. America deserved better. God speed Barack Obama.

To all you right-wingers-
The reason that you are not taken seriously and often thought as fringe nutballs is that you have people like the examples below speaking for you.
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Bush and his 'eloquence'?

'President Bush is an excellent model; Obama should take a lesson from his example. Bush never gets sloppy when he is speaking publicly.

He chooses his words with care and precision, which is why his style sometimes seems halting. In the eight years he has been President, it is remarkable how few gaffes or verbal blunders he has committed. If Obama doesn't raise his standards, he will exceed Bush's total before he is inaugurated.'
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this woman, determines education material?

In a column posted on the Christian Worldview Network Web site, Dunbar wrote that a terrorist attack on America during the first six months of an Obama administration "will be a planned effort by those with whom Obama truly sympathizes to take down the America that is threat to tyranny."

She also suggests Obama would seek to expand his power by declaring martial law throughout the country.

"No matter who you support for president, we should all be able to agree that Ms. Dunbar's disgusting attack is a shocking example of the extremism that has infected the state board," TFN President Kathy Miller said.

"It's stunning that a board member who helps decide what Texas children learn in their public schools would say something so disgusting and reprehensible