[Alas Babylon!]

As always, soliciting FReeper comments, observations, and opinions.

To FReeper Dads, Happy Father's Day!

[TomGuy]

MTP

Murtha: The VP and President of Iraq have said "give us a timetable to get out."

[Have they said that? I've only heard them say 'yes, they want the US out ----- eventually.]

[snugs]

Good morning and always thanks for the thread and Happy Father's Day to all freeper fathers.

Better give my dad his card and present.

[TomGuy]

MTP

Timmy has his frowny face on with the Oil Executives.


[This could be series!]

[DTogo]

FNS: What a tapdance around Iraq by Podesta and that other clown.

[GRRRRR]

Happy Father's Day to all...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1651386/posts

Tony Snow coming on now CENTRAL TIME...

[Lazamataz]

You have done this job for 6 years, without missing one.

I'm so glad you do it.

[FreedomNeocon]

I am LOVING Chrissy Matthews today.

He is SOOOOOOOo biter about the news this week.

Making stupid comments how Tony Snow was "wearing his Ducaucus helmet.... dur da dur"

Shows his poll and says "54% a solid majority, now say it was an mistake to go to war in Iraq", funny cause 54% is never a 'solid majority' when Bush wins, but also the poll graphic even showed +-3.3% error.. lol.

They asked their panel if the war will end up helping Bush in '06 elections (like he is running), of course 10 said no. He asks one panelist why won't Iraq help, and the reasons is "because it won't"

I love these guys...

[AliVeritas]

Hey AB, stopping through... Ever see this?
Check out this chart
http://pointfiveblog.com/wp/wp-content/200605/perfectplan.pdf

[Solamente]

Jesus H. eFing Christ! Murtha makes Teddy Kennedy lucid by comparison!

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Proud Patriots - Sending care packages, e-mails, and snail mail to US Military worldwide.
Proud Patriots is a group of private Americans who are working to ensure
that our brave military heroes receive the support we believe they deserve.
CLICK GRAPHIC BELOW to Visit proudpatriots.org

[kellynla]

Re Fox News Sunday, what a waste of time! Instead of Wallace asking Snow why troops in Iraq are having to spend a $1,000 of their own money for better helmets and armament; Chris Wallace has a kissy face with a Snow on his picture with a helmet.

And finally, why didn't Wallace ask Snow why Bush has my fellow Marines incarcerated WITHOUT BEING CHARGED at the Camp Pendleton Brig!


Semper Fi,
Kelly

[rockrr]

G'morning and Happy Father's Day to y'all!

I'm gonna treat myself to a Father's Day gift and avoid the barking moonbats today in favor of your observations and analysis.

[mannie]

I have just done watching the press With Tim Russert interviewing Jack murtha.

Jack Murtha is a big blowhard plain and simple.
I used to live around that area that Murtha represents in pennsylvania in Johnstown Altoona and Bedford.


I was originally born in Bedford Pennsylvania.

I have not lived in this area for over twenty years and today i live in california where i am employed at a Marine corps in the mojave desert.

I had always thought my birthplace in Bedford as being staunchly conservative but the big blowhard has been representing the southwest area of pennsylvania since 1974.

He is wrong about the Iraq war.

The United states can't cut and run from Iraq.

Jack Murtha's irresponsible statements about The Camp Pendleton eight and the so called "massacre" at Hamdaniya Iraq would lead into the accused marines not getting a fair trial.

JACK MURTHA A FORMER MARINE ?

YEAH RIGHT..................


It's is no secret that Mike Savage has been very critical of the Marine Corps and their handling of the Hamdaniya incident. I like mike's style. He don't sugarcoat nothing. There are times he is very critical about the republican party.

A lot of people do not understand that under the Uniform Code of Military Justice If a serviceman is accused of a crime THEY ARE GUILTY TILL PROVEN INNOCENT.

Hanging a few good enlisted people out to dry to placate people in congress for serious lack of leadership in the Marine Corps hierarchy is just appalling.

I used to be in the Marine corps Thirty years ago and they are just a shadow of their very honorable past.

As far as their civilian workforce is concerned they would never admit they have a gigantic image problem with corruption and graft in the civil service attachment in the Marine Corps.

Actually the whole place should have been outsourced to a contractor.


Shackles removed from confined Marines, sailor

By Gidget Fuentes
Times staff writer

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Military officials on Friday said they have decided to remove shackles put on seven confined Marines and one sailor whenever they’re outside their individual cells at the Camp Pendleton brig, a Marine Corps spokesman said.

The eight men, confined at the brig since May 24, were being held with “maximum” restraints based on their battalion commander’s decision following an initial investigation into the shooting. As of Friday, they were shifted into what’s called “medium-in” restraint in pre-trial custody, which does not require shackles to be worn, although they remain escorted anytime they are outside their cell, according to 2nd Lt. Lawton King, a base spokesman.

Under “medium-in,” they won’t have any personal restraint while inside the brig, but once outside – such as to go to a court hearing – each “is restrained with handcuffs attached to a leather belt … and their respective escorts carry along leg cuffs in the event they are needed,” King said.

The decision to lower the restraint level came after a June 15 review by the brig commander, he said.

The seven Marines and Navy corpsman, all members of the Pendleton-based 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines currently deployed in Iraq, were first confined to quarters in Iraq on May 12 after allegations rose over the April 26 death of an Iraqi man in the village of .

Families and defense attorneys representing three of the men had been complaining publicly and to base officials about the confinement measures that were imposed. The brig houses Marines and sailors who are awaiting court hearings or courts-martial as well as those convicted and serving a sentence.

Each of the men are in an 8-foot by 9-foot cells, alone, in a section called “special quarters,” where they receive their meals. Each gets one hour a day to spend at an enclosed outdoor courtyard, where they could exercise if they want, and they can meet with their attorneys in a small private room and with family members in a visitors’ room during weekend and holiday visiting hours.

Jeremiah Sullivan III, a San Diego attorney representing the sailor, a 20-year-old third-class hospital corpsman, has likened the conditions to worst than what convicted felons at the federal “Supermax” prison must endure.

David M. Brahms, a retired brigadier general and attorney in Carlsbad, Calif., who’s met with many of the families, is representing a 21-year-old lance corporal.

The men are “shafted and shackled in the worst conditions being imposed,” Brahms said June 14. “Saddam [Hussein] has a better circumstance than these guys.”

The eight men will remain in special quarters in individual cells, said Maj. Jeffrey Nyhart another base spokesman. Base officials say the brig, which is a Level II confinement facility, does not have “solitary confinement,” unlike prisons including Fort Leavenworth.

[evad]

RE: Murtha

It's hard for me to understand how distinguished people with such promise can go so wrong. In the case of Murtha it's especially puzzling.

The one constant is that once they enter the political arena, all integrity and credibility are up for grabs.

[Graymatter]

Democrats are unusually stupid lately (say, since the early '70's). Usually, even stupid people learn quicker.
They look at the polls and---big/IF the President's approval ratings are accurately reflecting reality, the Dems seem to think people are going to restore them to power in November.

Now, I am not always happy with the President's every move, but even if I were a great deal unhappier, it's one thing to disapprove of him and quite another to vote Democratic.

I had a choice in '04, and I wouldn't have traded GWB for the best Democrat in America. (That would be Zell Miller.) It'll be the same in '06 for most Americans who will have the opportunity to stick with a flawed Republican or switch to a clueless jackass Democrat. The message they'll send to the Dems will be, "He spends my money and steps on my toes, but I'm not going home with you."

[Seattle Conservative]

If you all haven't seen this - it's great news. The President will be the FIRST sitting President to visit the US Merchant Marine Academy and is giving the commencement address tomorrow; AND, they're very excited about it :-)

Getting things shipshape
President's planned visit for commencement has U.S. Merchant Marine Academy preparing for larger-than-usual crowd, extra security

BY OLIVIA WINSLOW
Newsday Staff Writer

June 15, 2006

When the president comes calling, the normal way of doing things is supplanted and a big makeover is in order.

That's what the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point is experiencing as it gets ready for a visit Monday by President George W. Bush, who is scheduled to deliver the commencement address to 202 midshipmen, their families, faculty, staff and guests - many, many guests.

Some 4,400 people are registered to attend the ceremony - nearly three times the usual number of around 1,500, said Capt. Eric York Wallischeck, the academy's director of waterfront activities, who has taken on the additional assignment of presidential visit coordinator. Because of security concerns, the academy has the names of every single guest.

"It's a big event for us," Wallischeck said. "I'm honored to be involved and to take it on."

>snip

Bush's scheduled visit also has attracted the attention of the Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives, which said in a news release this week two dozen organizations plan to hold a peace vigil Monday "near the academy to send a message to the president: Give the graduates a future without war."

Wallischeck said the president's planned visit would confer on the academy a new level of status, which he likens to that of the Boston Red Sox. Alluding to the team's World Series victory in 2004, its first title since 1918, Wallischeck said, "We're going to be like that now. ... We can put away the 63 years of saying we never had the president."

Bush would be the first sitting president to visit the academy since it was established in 1943, though it has had visits by two men who went on to become president: Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

Numerous government officials have delivered commencement addresses at the college, though, including Bush's former chief of staff Andrew Card, who attended the academy and who personally delivered the news of Bush's visit to the academy's superintendent, Vice Admiral Joseph D. Stewart in March, Wallischeck said.

The reaction on campus? "The place went wild."

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-limerc154781843jun15,0,2534141.story?track=rss

---

Also, the President has a very busy week ahead (the following courtesy of the Daily Dose thread):

THE WEEK AHEAD: From yesterday's WH press gaggle aboard Air Force One.

_ Monday the Commander in Chief delivers the commencement address at the United States Merchant Marine Academy, King's Point, New York. Afterwards, he will return to Washington where he will make remarks at the 2006 President's Dinner at the Washington Convention Center that evening.
_ Tuesday through Thursday the President and First Lady are traveling to Europe for the annual U.S.-EU summit. When the summit concludes, the President will travel to It will be followed by a visit to Budapest, Hungary, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian revolution. The full itinerary follows after The Week Ahead segment.

_ Friday, the first White House tee ball game of the season will be played. It will be the first weekday game of the series started by President Bush in 2001. The teams are from McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey and the Naval Submarine Base in New London, Connecticut.

_Saturday the President and First Lady will attend the Ford's Theatre Gala in Washington.


EUROPEAN TRIP ITINERARY: From National Security Advisor, Steve Hadley's press briefing June 15th.


_ Tuesday, June 20, the President and Mrs. Bush will depart Washington for Vienna, Austria, arriving late in the evening.
_ Wednesday, June 21, President Bush will start his day by greeting U.S. Embassy staff, followed by a meeting with the President of Austria, Heinz Fischer. GWB will then have a bilateral meeting with Austrian Chancellor and European Council President Wolfgang Schuessel. Upon conclusion of this meeting, President Bush will participate in the formal U.S.-EU Summit meetings, and then have lunch with European leaders, Chancellor Schuessel, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. After lunch, the President will join the EU leaders for a press availability.

Later in the afternoon, GWB will participate in a roundtable with foreign exchange students from various nations to discuss with them the importance of freedom and democracy in advancing the future of their countries. The roundtable will be followed by a tour of the historic National Library and a performance by the Vienna Boys Choir.

_ Thursday, June 22nd, President Bush will start his program in Hungary by greeting the staff of the U.S. Embassy in Budapest. He will then participate in an arrival ceremony at Sandor Palace [click to see photo], followed by a meeting with the president of Hungary, Laszlo Solyom. GWB will then move to the Parliament, where he will meet with Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany. The President will then greet the Speaker of the Parliament, Katalin Szili, followed by a meeting with the leaders of the five political parties represented in Hungary's parliament.

The Hungarian president and prime minister will host President and Mrs. Bush for a social lunch, after which they will lay a wreath at the eternal flame to pay respects to those who lost their lives during the 1956 revolt against communism.

Later that day, the President will deliver remarks commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution. He will also highlight the inspiration and lessons offered from Hungary's remarkable transition and will welcome efforts to further advance reform in the region today.

_ President and Mrs. Bush will return to Washington on Thursday evening.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1651189/posts

[Phsstpok]

Mark Kilmer has posted his review on Redstate.COM:

The Sunday Show Review

By: Mark Kilmer · Section: Other Politics

Sunday, June 18, 2006.

Jack Murtha, the Congressman, was Tim Russert's guest on NBC's Meet the Press. He made the usual deranged Murtha statements we've come to know and love, but he seemed to add a new, very special twist: that as U.S. forces stand down (flee), Iraqi forces will stand up; Where's the horse, where's the cart, and who will clean the resultant mess?

Tony Snow described an enjoyable White House on FNS. He would not discuss with host Wallace the rumored "new evidence" of Saddam's WMD. He told Wolfe Blitzer on LE that he had no plans to shut off the cameras at the White House press briefings, which is good news for those, like NBC's David Gregory, who covet airtime for pontificating..

On FNS, former boss Clinton staffer John Podesta accused the Republicans of "politicizing the war." Simon Rosenberg of some new Dem outfit accused the Republicans of "confusing politics with governance." Neither had any solutions, of course, but they took credit for doing their patriotic duty by getting people to talk about it. (Wasn't that Cindy Sheehan? I can't keep up with the versions of their story.) Host Wallace asked about JF Kerry being for the vote to authorize force before he was against it. Neither could defend Kerry.

Joe Biden certainly didn't defend Kerry on FTN, telling host Schieffer that the vote for the authorization was not a mistake, but it was a mistake to "assume" that the Administration wouldn't botch it so badly. Biden, Biden, Biden.

Also on LE, Snow grabbed the WashPost from host Blitzer and read from it to disagree with them. It was wonderful aggression of the kind for which many had been waiting for a while.

And finally on LE, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, while stating that he was neither commenting on or confirming the Time mag story about al Qaeda gassing the New York subway system, credited the NSA surveillance program for breaking it up. Diane Feinstein agreed. Without saying it directly, Roberts also told Blitzer that the NSA program was keeping tabs on the al Qaeda sleeper cells in the United States.

Read the complete, show-by-show report beneath the fold.

(2894 words in story) Read Story & Discuss

Jun 18th, 2006: 10:52:00

Having missed most of CNNLE I hadn't picked up on the Pat Roberts, Diane Feinstein comments crediting Bush's "illegal domestic spying program" with having broken up the atempt by Al Qaeda to gas the NY subway system.

Way to go, Dubya!!!!!!