WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrat John Edwards said the Bush administration’s plan to sell $20 billion worth of weapons to friendly Arab states amounted to a foreign policy of convenience and he will take a tougher stance with Saudi Arabia if elected president.

Edwards said the United States should require the Saudi government to shut down the movement of terrorists across its borders, help stabilize the Iraqi government and participate more seriously in regional security before they are offered weapons.

“Whether it’s Iraq or terrorism, the Saudis have fallen way short of what they need to be doing,” the 2004 vice presidential nominee told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “And the Bush administration’s response is to sell them $20 billion worth of arms, which is short-term and convenient and not what the United States should be doing.”

Edwards is the first Democratic presidential candidate to speak out against the deal. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Saudi Arabia Tuesday as part of a two-day visit with Arab allies that opened talks on the proposed U.S. arms package.

Edwards said the arms deal could backfire by giving Iran an incentive to build its nuclear strength.

Full Story Here:
Edwards Assails U.S. Arms Sales to Arabs

This is really scary, this is the 1st time I have ever been in agreement with John Edwards, ever, and I never expected it would happen, but for whatever reason he’s saying this about Saudi Arabia, he’s correct, 100% correct in this assessment, now it may just be him playing politics, but this time, he IS correct in his statement…

George W. Bush accepts the Saudis as if they were his long lost family, he embraces them, he supports them, he welcomes them into his home and now he’s going to sell them $20B in arms…

I, and many others have pointed out, and we didn’t bite our words in doing so, we have spoken our minds and stated our opinions of the Saudis and what we feel is their less than direct involvement in the attacks of 9-11-01, I and many others feel that Saudi Arabia was the under the radar power behind the attacks, we know that the attackers were trained in Saudi Arabia, that is a fact, not a supposition, but many feel the Saudis were very involved in those actions…

And I seem to remember Mr. Bush saying that we would deal harshly with ANY nation that trained or supported terrorism, in ANY way, I guess he meant any nation other than Saudi Arabia…

Mr. Edwards has hit this one square on the head, oh well, as I have heard on several occasions, even a blind hog finds truffles every now and then…

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WASHINGTON (AP) - The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to make lawmakers disclose more details of their efforts to fund pet projects and raise money from lobbyists, responding to a rash of recent scandals.

The Democratic-drafted legislation followed cases that sent two GOP lawmakers and a big-time lobbyist to prison and saw a House Democrat charged with bribery.

Senate leaders hope to give it final passage this week, even as the chamber’s most senior Republican faces questions about Monday’s federal raid of his home as part of a bribery probe in Alaska.

The bill, which the House passed 411-8, would require lawmakers to disclose those lobbyists who raise $15,000 or more for them within a six-month period by “bundling” donations from many people. The requirement would cover party-affiliated campaign committees as well.

What a marvelous idea, to enact legislation that would make our esteemed Senators and Congresscritters adhere to something called honesty, what a concept, why hasn’t anyone thought of this before??

I have said this on more than one occasion in the past, none of them are above the law, I don’t care what party they belong to or which state they represent, if they are suspected of wrong doing, regardless of what wrong doing it may be, investigate the allegations, get to the bottom of it and if the accused is found innocent, leave him/her alone and let them get on with their lives, but if found to be guilty of any form of malfeasance in office, if they truly have broken the public trust and let their constituents down, drum them out of D.C. or their state office, send them to prison for the maximum time prescribed, take away ALL there government benefits and pensions and make them work for a living once they do get out of jail…

Self-styled watchdog groups noted that the bill was less stringent in some respects than were earlier versions. But they hailed it as a major leap by an institution generally loathe to police itself.

“These are big-time fundamental reforms that will end the secrecy surrounding the multiple ways in which Washington lobbyists use money to curry favor and gain access and influence with members of Congress,” said Fred Wertheimer, president of the nonprofit group Democracy21.

And there lies the spoiler for the entire deal, where are you going to find a group of politicians that are going to not be inclined to ‘look the other way’ if there’s some serious money involved, especially if he’s going to be the one receiving it??

I know our lawmakers should follow the exact letter of the law but I’m not so naive that I think they’re all going to be Boy Scouts, it’s just not built in to human nature for all people to be totally honest, and some folks get elected that should already be doing time, and likely would if there had been a FULL disclosure of their past before they were elected…

I’m having problems maintaining ANY confidence in our government of late, I seriously feel we’ve been used, abused, lied to and ignored, I somehow think that our lawmakers in D.C. need a forceful wakeup call of some kind, they need to be reminded, often, that they work for US, it’s not the other way around, we pay the bills, they administer the money, but it’s OUR money, and they ALL need to be glaringly aware of that little fact…

Common Cause said the bill “should change the way business is done in Washington by shining the light on the often mutually dependent relationships between lobbyists and members of Congress.”

We can only hope…

Full Story Here:
House Votes to Embrace Ethics Overhaul

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Chief Justice John Roberts walked out of a hospital in Maine Tuesday, released a day after he suffered a seizure. The White House said he told President Bush he was doing fine.

Roberts strode briskly out of the Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport, Maine, wearing a blue sport coat, open collar shirt and slacks. He waved to onlookers before getting into a waiting sports utility vehicle for a short trip to a dock, where he then took a pontoon boat to his summer home on Hupper Island, near Port Clyde, Maine.

Roberts had no response when a reporter hollered, “How are you feeling?”

The chief justice, 52, plans to continue his summer vacation, Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said. She said that doctors found no cause for concern after evaluating Roberts.

Full Story Here:
Justice Roberts Checks Out of Hospital

I certainly wish the very best to Justice Roberts in his health and life in general, I seriously don’t think he could be replaced, I know that’s a selfish reason but having men like him on the SCOTUS has been a start to heading this nation back in the right direction…

The only thing that perplexes me about this entire thing is the fact that he had had a seizure in the past…

Does anyone remember hearing about that during the nomination and approval process?? I know I don’t recall hearing it…

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OK boys and girls, I am going say this as nicely as I know how, put you keyboard where your mouth is and stop bitching about Fred D. Thompson on your blog, my blog or anyone else’s blog…

Below is the comment I just left on Sen. Fred D. Thompson’s personal blog, and I challenge each and every one of you to go there and do the same, if you have something you want Fred D. Thompson to see, that is the place to get YOUR voice and opinion heard BY Fred Thompson, then post your comments to FDT in comments here for ALL of us to see if you like, that would be awesome…

Who has the guts to tell HIM personally exactly what you’re saying HERE??

I did… Do you??

It’s NEVER too early to stand up and be brave, it’s NEVER too early to take a STRONG stand for America, campaigns and party loyalty be damned, GUTS, that’s what we need now, Guts and Courage, not rhetoric, and anyone that says it’s too early, anyone that thinks he’ll burn out before the elections had better re-examine THAT assumption, if ANYONE burns out on the topic of saving this nation, if ANYONE burns out on the idea of AMERICA 1st, then they NEVER had the FIRE in them to begin with…

Timid and/or lukewarm bloggers won’t get the job done, how could some of you be SO vocal and so intense regarding the amnesty bill, and in your feelings for, or against President Bush in regards to that bill and then not have the DRIVE to make it abundantly clear to Mr. Thompson, of ANY OTHER candidate, exactly how YOU feel as you make them aware of what YOU expect from them if they want a vote from you??

It’s only our future folks, and the future of our children and grandchildren, and it’s NOT too early to make ALL the candidates understand what WE expect from them, and it’s not too early for those candidates to make a commitment to us either…

I had MY say here:
The Friends of Fred Thompson Blog » Blog Archive » Eminent Domain

Fred D. Thompson’s Blog Address
Fred File – The Friends of Fred Thompson Blog

Comment by TexasFred

2007-07-30 21:44:10

You guys can do the ‘Rah-Rah’ all you want to, I can support FDT too, and I really want to, but what’s the deal?? Why won’t he come out and say something definitive?? I don’t mean the announcement, I mean some serious SMACK DOWN and tell it like it is, not these beat around the bush rhetorical generalities…

In THIS post, and many others, FDT says what others think, what the Senators and Congressmen say, and what the MSM says, he presents the obvious, but he NEVER commits to what HE will do, THAT is what I want to hear, I want FDT to speak from the heart, I want to hear him say “If I am elected president I will move heaven and earth to do this, or this or that… And you have my word on it..”

I am damned tired of lukewarm, noncommittal rhetoric, the waters don’t need to be warm Sir, the waters need to be boiling and by God, you need to be stoking the fire, your decision to hold off on the announcement is something I can live with, I see why you’re doing that, but if I don’t see some real FIRE, and I mean soon, my support, and the support on many that read MY blog, will be gone, and not because I would ever speak out against you, but because my readers feel like I do, it’s time for some FIRE and time to raise a little hell…

My readers comments can be found HERE and HERE, and none of my readers were bashful in their opinions either…

I have a Fred for Prez blog roll I sponsor, I am on several other Fred for Prez blog roll support sites too and at this time I still see FDT as the best hope this nation has but I also see the need for some HARD LINE taking it to em, and very soon…

TexasFred’s

IRNA - Iran and Mexico reached an agreement to set up a joint economic commission next year.

In a meeting between Iran’s new Ambassador to Mexico Mohammad Hassan Qadiri-Abyaneh with Mexican Deputy Foreign Minister Lurdes de Aranda the agreement was achieved.

Qadiri also invited Mexico to attend the Non-Aligned Movement foreign ministers meeting in Tehran on human rights and cultural diversities.

Iran’s plenipotentiary and extraordinary ambassador to Mexico expounded on Tehran stances on regional issues, especially Iraq and the results of Iran-USA negotiations about Iraq security and said Islamic Republic of Iran policy is to support national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Iraq.

Mexico deputy FM, for her part, said her country’s policy is to support peace, security and independence of the countries and has always defended negotiation and dialogue as a way to solve disputes between the countries.

The Mexican senior diplomat also expressed her country’s readiness to expand ties with Iran especially in cultural and economic fields.

SOURCE:
Iran-Mexico reach agreement on creating joint economic commission

Is there any doubt in anyone’s mind as to the seriousness of our border situation with George W. Bush’s buenos amigos Mexico??

Is there any doubt that this nation is in the most dangerous position in it’s entire history and our own political leaders are the very ones that are directly responsible FOR this imminent danger??

Our President, his predecessor, Mr. Clinton, and his father before him, George 41 are ALL globalists that seek to make the United States of America disappear, and they are not going to secure our border with Mexico, in fact, they are all but ignoring the border right now, our National Guard troops leaving, Border Patrol filling void, and this my friends is a total CROCK, the Guard was sent to the border to fill the void, to help in covering the areas that our seriously undermanned Border Patrol can’t cover…

The Guard wasn’t allowed to be armed, they weren’t allowed to have arrest powers, they were pretty much in position to be targets and observers, and that IS a sad state of affairs, the National Guard is exactly the force we need on the border, that job is well within their scope of duty and legality and the Bush administration sent them to the border as a dog and pony show, in an attempt to appease the Conservatives and Conservative Republicans in an effort to get some of us to stop blasting him so hard on border issues in our blogs and to our legislators…

As with many other weak-assed attempts to appease us, this one has failed too, and now we not only have the Bush administration telling us that they KNOW there are terror cells in the USA, they also KNOW that terrorists have, and likely continue to cross our borders every day, and now Iran and Mexico are going to form an alliance??

What in the hell kind of FOOLS do we have running this nation?? Are they that anti-America?? Are they scared to stand up for this nation?? Is their dream of ‘One World Government’ and globalism the driving force behind their ignorance??

You can draw your own conclusions but I will say this, if the true patriots of this nation don’t take a stand and stop this foolishness, and I mean VERY SOON, we won’t have an America left to save, or one that will be WORTH saving…

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LOS ANGELES, July 27 — The search for the self-described pedophile in the large-brimmed black hat commences nearly every day here, with findings posted on chat rooms frequented by mothers.

He was spotted at a fair in Santa Clarita. He recently emerged from the Social Security office on Olympic Boulevard. He tapped away on a computer at the library in Mar Vista. Warnings have gone out. Signs have been posted.

Are these mothers engaging in vigilante activities?? Are they profiling a man who is guilty of nothing other than expressing himself through his own erotic writings, or are they taking any steps necessary to protect their children from a pedofreak monster??

Is this man being profiled, is he having his right to free speech impeded or even denied?? It’s quite possible that he is, and to the mothers and police officers that are instigating these actions against him I say Oh Hell Yeah, take this guy down any way you can, he is, in MY opinion, a danger to every child in the area, the children may not be in direct danger from him personally, but surely, at the very least they are in danger from other perverts that use his blog-site as a learning ground so they too can practice their perversions on the most innocent among us, our children…

And yet unlike convicted sex offenders, who are required to stay away from places that cater to children, in this case the police can do next to nothing, because this man, Jack McClellan, who has had Web sites detailing how and where he likes to troll for children, appears to be doing nothing illegal.

But his mere presence in Los Angeles — coupled with Mr. McClellan’s commitment to exhibitionistic blogging about his thoughts on little girls — has set parents on edge. One group of mothers, whose members by and large have never met before, will soon band together in a coffee shop to hammer out plans to push lawmakers in Sacramento to legislate Mr. McClellan out of business.

He may appear to have done nothing illegal, or, maybe he just hasn’t been caught in an illegal act yet, maybe he’s impotent and can only fantasize about the perverted thrill he WOULD get if he could molest a child, maybe he gets his ‘jollies’ by helping other pedofreaks gain the knowledge they need to successfully engage in child molestation, in any case, McClellan is a very sick and dangerous individual, but it appears that at least one police officer is trying to take this pervert off the street…

“If you look at things he has posted, he clearly is a pedophile,” said Lt. Thomas Sirkel, who works in the Special Victim’s Unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“Has he acted on it? I can’t say,” Lieutenant Sirkel said. “But I’ve been in this business for 20 years, and I have never seen one who has not.”
(snip)
Lieutenant Sirkel would not say whether his department had Mr. McClellan under surveillance.

“Why should I tell him about our tactics?” Lieutenant Sirkel said. But he added: “I’d like to know where he is at, what he is doing and watch him awhile. I think he is possibly a dangerous man. In my opinion, he is a threat to children in this community, and people in the community are real concerned about him.”

And to Lt. Thomas Sirkel I say, use every tool in your possession to take this guy down, if it takes information from the neighbors, the mothers, wherever you can get it, USE it and make you community safer by getting this pedofreak off of your streets…

Recently I had some discussions with a group called Corrupted-Justice.com over the actions of Xavier Von Erck, the 27-year-old founder of Perverted-Justice, and while I do agree with the folks at Corrupted Justice in their assertion that Von Erck is a rude and egotistical little smart ass, I also see where Perverted Justice is doing some good too, but, they have not done so well on all of their operations either, and whether that is their fault, or the fault of the police agency involved, or NBC and Dateline is very much up in the air, as is documented HERE, I believe in laying it all out there, not just part of the problem, not just the “I hate P-J because Von Erck is a prick”, and well he may be, as is evidenced in this story HERE, with film footage as documentation HERE, once you get past the brief commercial, but I am going to give fair coverage to ALL sides involved…

Personal feeling against Von Erck aside, do groups like P-J need to exist, do they need to be gathering and documenting the online solicitations of perverts and child molesters?? Absolutely…

Does Xavier Von Erck need to be schooled in manners and civility?? Yes he does, but as much as I dislike Von Erck’s social skills and personally think him a 2-bit chump for exhibiting those poor social graces in his crass confrontation with investigative reporter Byron Harris, his lack of reasonable communication skills is not the issue, removing perverts and child molesters from decent society IS the issue…

Does the removal of those perverts need to be a national TV broadcast as done by Dateline NBC?? I am not at all convinced that it should be, use whatever information you can gather, from ANY source, document the evidence and swear out arrest warrants, but once the operation is about to be executed, keep the media OUT of it, I honestly believe the media involvement in the Murphy, TX sting was a major contributor to the failure of ANY indictments being returned by the Collin County D.A., media involvement and shoddy police work…

Pedophiles have got to be removed from decent society, people like this Jack McClellan, someone that empowers pedophiles through his blog postings by telling them how and where to find victims, even if it’s done through ambiguous writings, he, and others like him must be stopped, by any means necessary…

If by supporting that action, the removal of pedofreaks from our society, if I am to be branded a vigilante by Corrupted Justice, or I am labeled a supporter OF vigilantes because of my beliefs, so be it…

Full Story Here:
Parents’ Ire Grows at Pedophile’s Unabashed Blog

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