Mover Mike

Talking Dogs Mover Mike

Update:

From Congressman Ron Paul

The Pentagon recently reported that it now spends roughly $8.4 billion per month waging the war in Iraq, while the additional cost of our engagement in Afghanistan brings the monthly total to a staggering $10 billion. Since 2001, Congress has spent more than $500 billion on specific appropriations for Iraq. This sum is not reflected in official budget and deficit figures. Congress has funded the war by passing a series of so-called “supplemental” spending bills, which are passed outside of the normal appropriations process and thus deemed off-budget.

This is fundamentally dishonest: if we’re going to have a war, let’s face the costs-- both human and economic-- squarely. Congress has no business hiding the costs of war through accounting tricks.

As the war in Iraq surges forward, and the administration ponders military action against Iran, it’s important to ask ourselves an overlooked question: Can we really afford it? If every American taxpayer had to submit an extra five or ten thousand dollars to the IRS this April to pay for the war, I’m quite certain it would end very quickly. The problem is that government finances war by borrowing and printing money, rather than presenting a bill directly in the form of higher taxes. When the costs are obscured, the question of whether any war is worth it becomes distorted.

Congress and the Federal Reserve Bank have a cozy, unspoken arrangement that makes war easier to finance. Congress has an insatiable appetite for new spending, but raising taxes is politically unpopular. The Federal Reserve, however, is happy to accommodate deficit spending by creating new money through the Treasury Department. In exchange, Congress leaves the Fed alone to operate free of pesky oversight and free of political scrutiny. Monetary policy is utterly ignored in Washington, even though the Federal Reserve system is a creation of Congress.

The result of this arrangement is inflation. And inflation finances war.

Economist Lawrence Parks has explained how the creation of the Federal Reserve Bank in 1913 made possible our involvement in World War I. Without the ability to create new money, the federal government never could have afforded the enormous mobilization of men and material. Prior to that, American wars were financed through taxes and borrowing, both of which have limits. But government printing presses, at least in theory, have no limits. That’s why the money supply has nearly tripled just since 1990.

For perspective, consider our ongoing military commitment in Korea. In Korea alone, U.S. taxpayers have spent $1 trillion in today’s dollars over 55 years. What do we have to show for it? North Korea is a belligerent adversary armed with nuclear weapons, while South Korea is at best ambivalent about our role as their protector. The stalemate stretches on with no end in sight, as the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the men who fought in Korea give little thought to what was gained or lost. The Korean conflict should serve as a cautionary tale against the open-ended military occupation of any region.

The $500 billion we’ve officially spent in Iraq is an enormous sum, but the real total is much higher, hidden within the Defense Department and foreign aid budgets. As we build permanent military bases and a $1 billion embassy in Iraq, we need to keep asking whether it’s really worth it. Congress should at least fund the war in an honest way so the American people can judge for themselves.

Inflation Ron Paul Federal Reserve Mover Mike

MAP 4.4 2007/01/31 15:24:47 42.366 -126.719 10.0 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON

Update:

Update:

Update:

Citing the controversy surrounding the Dakota Fanning film Hounddog, the leader of the state Senate Republicans, Sen. Phil Berger, says he wants the government to review scripts before cameras start rolling in North Carolina.

That system would apply only to films seeking the state's lucrative filmmaker incentive, which refunds as much as 15 percent of what productions spend in North Carolina from the state treasury.

"Why should North Carolina taxpayers pay for something they find objectionable?" said Berger, who is having proposed legislation drafted.

We want to see if this film is doable and a good investment for the people of the state.

Dakota Fanning Hounddog Sen. Phil Berger North Carolina Censorship
Property Rights Mover Mike

Moreover, aircraft losses throughout 1944 had been so heavy that, even if war production was not affected by American air attacks, combined Japanese air strength was not expected to increase to 3,000 aircraft until March or April of 1945. Even then, these planes could not be used from bases in the home islands against Iwo Jima because their range did not exceed 550 miles (890 km); besides, all available aircraft had to be hoarded for possible use on Taiwan and adjacent islands near land bases.

The mushroom cloud over Hiroshima after the dropping of Little Boy.

The Fat Man mushroom cloud resulting from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rises 18 km (11 mi, 60,000 ft) into the air from the hypocenter.

Letters from Iwo Jima was a powerful movie that made a good case against war.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton American Idol Mover Mike

Update:

ANONYMOUS LAWYER is a fantastic black comedy (and perhaps uniquely a fictional blog which morphed into a novel?) that exposes the madness which lies at the heart of so many corporate institutions in a Bonfire of the Vanities kind of way. Its references are completely up to the minute – ANONYMOUS LAWYER can truly be described as a novel of the moment.

Please do let me know if you would like to see a copy.

The reference to Bonfire of the Vanities is totally apt. Here's a man who is at the top of the heap, billing at $675 per hour, and is mainly concerned with power and appearences. He has the power to f--k with peoples lives and thinks of almost every possible way to do it, yet he is powerless to make himself chairman of his firm.

I cringed at the story of the partner that offered a weekend at his vacation home in a silent auction. When a lowly maintenance man was high bidder, the partner was mortified that someone like a janitor would be sleeoing in his bed on his sheets. He thought he would have to have the house fumigated afterwards.

The style of the writing in a blog format leads me to believe that there is a book in all my postings on Mover Mike. Now I have to go call some publishers.

You can read more at the web site: http://www.anonymouslawyer.blogspot.com/

Jeremy Blachman Anonymous Lawyer Mover Mike

Scientists have discovered that damage to the brain can lead the ability to quit smoking quickly and easily. And I thought it was a brain damage that caused a person pick up a cigarette, despite all the evidence about the dangers of smoking.

Smoking Brain Damage Mover Mike

The book is a tale of her journey as an artist fascinated by light and her quest to capture on film the feelings she had about the light. She quit college and took a train back to Scotland and she writes

...the light enveloped and caressed me as it throbbed across the dusky expanses of maroon hills and midnight valleys...Once again my pulse, like a thousand bouncing marbles, filled my ears, my veins, my heart, until I thought I would burst.

Just as each photograph I stopped to take was the key that opened my eyes to the next image, I am convinced that what we see along our path is a reflection, a manifestation, of everything we have seen up until that moment.

Ford's new entry in the SUV market is the Edge, a name seemingly appropriate for a company that recently borrowed $18 Billion.

Ford F Mover Mike

(Click chart to enlarge in PDF format)

Then came this article from GATA:

Raw material prices in general have skyrocketed in the last five years, sending copper prices to record highs of $4.16 a pound in May. Copper pennies number 154 to a pound.

Since 1982, the Mint began making copper-coated zinc pennies to prevent metals speculators from taking advantage of lofty base metal prices.

Save all those pre-1982 pennies, they may be worth a nickel!

Copper Penny Mover Mike

Update:

"My name is -------. I noticed you are using the article that I wrote on ---------and -------- for Ultimate Magazine in the Oregonian. I know you did not receive permission from me to use that article. Did you receive permission from the Oregonian? Thank you for responding to this email."

Blogs all over the internet quote from media sources all the time without seeking permission and we never use the information as if it were our own. We have quoted from an article of yours in the past about ----- on ------, an article that appeared in Homes & Gardens. Our understanding was that it was ok to quote as long as we did not change the thrust of the piece and gave credit to the author.

Allrighty, I have talked with the Oregonian. As a contractor to the Oregonian, I own the rights to my work after the Oregonian prints the article. Writing books and articles is how I make my living. When I write articles or books contracts are signed, payments are made. When another newspaper/organization re-prints my articles, they pay me.

... I would like you to remove my articles from it (your blog) unless you want to pay me for my work. I am assuming you do not. When people lift my articles to promote their business, products, etc. I'm essentially working for that organization for free. Although I do free work for charities sometimes, this is not one of those cases.

I can only liken this to my coming into your store, taking a piece of furniture out of it, featuring it in my own store to promote my business, and not paying you.

Thank you for taking my work off your website.

I will be happy to remove your articles from our blog. Let me mention that when I Googled (Your Name) Portland, the first mention of you was on page 2 and the next two entries were (the two articles attributed to you on our blog). Our site gets 80 visitors a day from all over the world and I assume that more know (Your Name) now than before because our audience is more world wide than The Oregonian's and especially since the piece was in Ultimate which has a circulation of what, 50,000?

I don't think your (Furniture store) analogy is apt. If you take a piece of furniture from our shop and put it in yours, no one knows about our shop. By using your work to support our business more people are learning about (Your Name). What is the difference between using parts of your article and singling you out, and reviewing a book and quoting parts of the book and giving attribution to the author and even recommending the book. Like a book review, we didn't quote the entire article, which encourages those who want to go online to read the whole thing. However, in the case of the Ultimate article, it is NOT online.

I have never thought that I was taking and not giving something in return. Sometimes I am amazed where links to our blog show up. One more thing, each quarter we email (our mailing list) reminding them of the articles we have posted on our blog. It's one more shot at someone reading your article, another shot a recognition that could lead to another article on which you get paid.

Quotes Attribution Copyright Mover Mike

1.) Why do we value our gold at $42.22 per ounce when Euroland and Russia value it a market;
2.) Who’s gold is it; the citizens?, the Treasuries?, or the Federal Reserve’s?
3.) How is it we are using unconstitutional money that is not even redeemable instead of the Constitutional mandate that a dollar is 371.25 grains of fine silver?

Congressman Paul has proven he is the only Federal politician who supports these issues. Congressman Ron Paul’s email is the following: http://www.house.gov/paul/contact.shtml.

Ron Paul Ron Paul for President Gold Mover Mike

Did you notice that both President Bush and VP Cheney drank water at the same time last night. Bush put his down first and started speaking while Cheney was still drinking. That Cheney is pretty talented!

What's with Russ Feingold and Kucinich being buddy buddies with Bush last night?

I saw Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the audience with her cold smile:

I was reminded of the Daily Show's Jon Stewart remark after viewing Hillary's smile, "That look...is where boners go to die."

Did you notice two things in the speech.

First, Bush said

And to further protect America against severe disruptions to our oil supply, I ask Congress to double the current capacity of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).

Second, for all the talk lately about Bush doing a 180 on Global Warming, Bush only said one sentence about it, calling it "climate change":

These technologies will help us become better stewards of the environment - and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change.

For the second time in two months Illinois Senator Barack (Hussein) Obama, who plans to run for president in 2008, is defending his strong and unethical ties to a shady political fundraiser indicted for taking hefty kickbacks on government deals.

Cold Weather U.S. Mover Mike

Where Bush is especially good is his use of code words: morality, liberty, honor, sacrifice. The speech about Iraq was chilling. I think one must be blind not to see the heavy, black, war clouds in the background. He outlined the stakes: it is our civilization and our freedoms at stake. He outlined the pending civil war between the Sunnis, supported by Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and the Shias, supported by Syria and Iran, with only the U.S. able to keep the Middle East from sliding into chaos. Then most chilling of all, the words Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons and then seeing Nancy Pelosi stand to applaud. I see no good end from all of this. With all that's at stake, do we pull out if the 20,000 new troops fail or do we escalate again? And does someone in Iran lose his head over our ships in the Gulf precipitating a massive exchange of weapons?

One more observation: The Democratic response was quite good. Webb acknowledges something that is in the craw of many of us in the middle class, when he said that the CEO's salary has increased to 400 times the yearly salary of the worker. Many of are upset over this widening gap. I don't think government has a solution. What are they going to do deflate the income of the CEO and inflate the wages of the worker and make our products even more uncompetitive?

On the war all I heard from Webb is get the hell out and no acknowledgement of what we stand to lose if the Islamofacsists win. State of the Union Speech Bush Webb Iraq Syria Iran Mover Mike

I have the following movies or performances still left to see:

Leonardo DiCaprio - BLOOD DIAMOND
Ryan Gosling - HALF NELSON
Peter O'Toole - VENUS
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
CARS
HAPPY FEET
MONSTER HOUSE
CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
MARIE ANTOINETTE
DELIVER US FROM EVIL
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
JESUS CAMP
MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY
AFTER THE WEDDING
DAYS OF GLORY (INDIGÈNES)
THE LIVES OF OTHERS
WATER
APOCALYPTO
THE GOOD GERMAN
POSEIDON
BORAT...

My work is cut out. The ones in Bold are the ones we'll probably see.

Academy Awards Oscar Nominations Mover Mike Mover Mike

BTW, Prying1 has this quote at the top of his blog:

It is not a sin to be ignorant but it is a sin to remain ignorant. - - prying1, 2006

...beyond the dirty politics of this, this case has some outrageous elements to it that HAVE NOT BEEN REPORTED! Did you know that the US Attorney gave the drug smuggler immunity not once, but TWICE? Did you know that the drug smuggler also got a green card, and a free car - courtesy of American taxpayers? Did you know that the drug smuggler used that vehicle to run back and forth to Mexico, and was caught - once again - transporting 1,000 pounds of pot IN THAT TAX-PAYER FUNDED CAR??! The US Attorney gave the drug smuggler immunity for that, as well!

Dirty Texas Politics Taint Border Patrol Agents' Trial

I have to give huge kudos to Shawn Christopher Phillips, of the Wry & Coy Report, for compiling some of the least known and most misreported facts surrounding the case of the two Border Patrol Agents prosecuted for shooting a drug smuggler. Shawn has raised some very troubling questions surrounding the case - questions worth asking and investigating. He has also connected the dots in a way that the media has been unable (or unwilling) to do.

Shawn's original research material can be found at www.patgray.com here and here. I have supplemented the accounts with further information from my own research and from Pat Gray's radio show on KSEV, since he and his co-host, Edd Hendee have been investigating the anomalies surrounding this very muddled case.

I have taken the liberty of condensing Shawn's material from several posts to place it into a rough timeline of events as they occurred. As well, I wanted to include information about some of the major players in this case, from the drug smuggler himself all the way up to U.S. Congressmen and Senators.

The central perpetrator in this travesty of justice is the U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, who has old boy Texas connections from the judge overseeing the case all the way up to President George W. Bush. These connections, though not openly disclosed, have greatly impacted the case, as highly placed government officials look the other way while testimonies, evidence, and statements are manipulated behind the scenes.

By Shawn Christopher Phillips

Edited and Supplemented by Heidi Thiess for syndication by the Guard the Borders Coalition.

Did US Border Patrol Agents, Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos actually shoot Mexican national, career drug smuggler, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila?

That is what we have been told, that's what has been reported, that is what the trial was about, and that is what Compean and Ramos are in federal prison for right now.

Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila... drug smuggler

Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila is a Mexican national, career drug smuggler. On February 17th, 2005, U.S. Border Patrol Agents Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos shot Aldrete-Davila once in the buttocks saying that they thought the suspect was armed. This claim has been supported by two of Aldrete-Davila's family members, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation. They stated that Aldrete-Davila had been dealing drugs since age 14 and, according to one, he “wouldn't move drugs unless he had a gun on him.”

U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton responded, “There's this impression that all these dopers carry guns,” but mules - smugglers such as Aldrete-Davila - "almost never carry guns," because federal law "tacks on five years to their sentence. In this one statement, US Attorney Johnny Sutton admits to knowing that Aldrete-Davila is “doper” and a “[drug] mule smuggler”.

An Office of Inspector General memorandum contradicts US Attorney Sutton's claim that Ramos and Compean reported Aldrete-Davila was unarmed.

The memorandum of activity was written April 4th, 2005, by Christopher Sanchez, the OIG investigator who questioned Compean about the Feb. 17, 2005, shooting.

Christopher Sanchez memo notes:

Compean said that Aldrete-Davila continued to look back over his shoulder towards Compean as Aldrete-Davila ran away from him. Compean said that he began to shoot at Aldrete-Davila because of the shiny object he thought he saw in Aldrete-Davila's hand and because Aldrete-Davila continued to look back towards his direction. Compean explained that he thought the shiny object might be a gun and that Aldrete-Davila was going to shoot at him because he kept looking back at him.

Osvaldo [Aldrete-Davila] had told [Border Patrol agent] Rene Sanchez that his friends had told him they should put together a hunting party and go shoot some BP [Border Patrol] agents in revenge for them shooting Osvaldo. Osvaldo advised Rene Sanchez that he told his friends he was not interested in going after the BP agents and getting in more trouble.

According to the memo, Aldrete-Davila told investigators the agents shot him in the buttocks when he was trying to enter the country illegally from Mexico.

But according to Aldrete-Davila's later testimony and that of the agents, he was shot after trying to evade the agents upon his re-entry into Mexico.

The memo never was disclosed to the jury.

Shots rang out, changing, in Ramos’ mind, the danger level of the chase. Ramos would later testify that “... at some point during the time where I'm crossing the canal, I hear shots being fired. Later, I see Compean on the ground, but I keep running after the smuggler.” Through the thick dust Ramos saw Aldrete-Davila, who was turning to face him. Ramos testified that he saw what appeared to be a nickel-plated gun in his hand.

Believing his life was in danger, he fired. “I shot,” Ramos continued. “But I didn't think he was hit because he kept running into the brush and disappeared. Later we all watched as he jumped into a van [on the other side of the border] waiting for him. He seemed fine. It didn't look like he had been hit at all.”

Was Aldrete-Davila shot that day by a U.S. Border Patrol agent?

US-Mexico Sanchez Connections

US Border Patrol Agent, Rene Sanchez

Upon returning to Mexico, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila complained of his misfortunes to his mother, who contacted the mother-in-law of Border Patrol agent Rene Sanchez in Wilcox, AZ. According to a document, Rene Sanchez stated “that Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila's mother, Marcadia Aldrete-Davila, contacted Rene Sanchez's mother-in-law, Gregoria Toquinto, and advised her about the BP agents shooting Aldrete-Davila. Toquinto told her son-in-law, Rene Sanchez, of the incident, and he spoke to Osvaldo via a telephone call.”

Why would a Mexican drug smuggler's mother call the mother-in-law of a US Border Patrol agent, Rene Sanchez, and tell her that her son was shot by the Border Patrol after dumping a million dollars worth of marijuana?

Agent Rene Sanchez repeatedly called the Fabens Border Patrol Station requesting information to see if there were any seizures or shootings. However, according to the Department of Homeland Security in a memorandum of activity document, Rene Sanchez stated that he queried the Border Patrol Tracking System (BPETS) and found that the Fabens Border Patrol Station seized a load of marijuana on February 17, 2005.

(Note: Agent Rene Sanchez also assisted with securing an attorney for Aldrete-Davila to sue Agents Compean and Ramos in a civil case.)

Office of Inspector General Agent, Christopher Sanchez

Agent Christopher Sanchez served as an ICE agent in Arizona before lateraling over to OIG.

In March 2005, Rene Sanchez calls the Office of Inspector General at DHS and speaks to Agent Christopher Sanchez who was a four-month trainee in OIG. Agent Christopher Sanchez began investigating the case, and eventually went to Mexico to bring Aldrete-Davila back to El Paso. The chain of evidence, including custody gets really murky at this point and Compean and Ramos are subsequently arrested, charged, and arraigned within days.

When Compean and Ramos were arrested, protocol would dictate that their supervisors would have called them in to the office where they would have peacefully surrendered to the FBI or U.S. Marshals. Instead, the Department of Homeland Security staged a simultaneous SWAT assault on the Compean and Ramos homes. You know... the type of arrest scene one would expect to see when arresting a criminal illegal alien drug smuggler from Mexico with a million dollars worth of marijuana hidden in his house.

Was there an ulterior motive in using a SWAT team to arrest Compean and Ramos? Were they sending a message to other Border Patrol agents and their families? Will Border Patrol agents now think twice before doing their jobs on the border?

(W&C Report wonders about the damage done.)

Meanwhile, Aldrete-Davila was given full immunity to testify against US Border Patrol Agents Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos. How did this happen? U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton's office would have us believe that his office was so convinced with the integrity and credibility of Aldrete-Davila, that Sutton thought the third party allegation of an illegal alien drug smuggler who was forced to leave 743 pounds of marijuana in a deserted van on the levee was more than enough to prosecute two US Border Patrol Agents – Compean and Ramos.

Almost a month after the alleged shooting, Agent Rene Sanchez’ mother in-law, Gregoria Toquinto, drove Aldrete-Davila to the William Beaumont Army Medical Center, where he had a fragment of a bullet removed, at taxpayer expense.

How badly could he have been shot, if that much time passed before he required “treatment”? How could anyone even be sure he was shot on February 17^th by the Border Patrol agents? He did, after all, run and jump into a waiting get-away van! And where is that bullet fragment? Did it get lost in that murky chain of evidence? That fragment could be crucial evidence in proving whether it came from Compean or Ramos’ guns. Was it brought up in court? We don’t know because the court has failed to complete the court transcripts.

It would be important to the case to know how the drug smuggler's mother knew the mother-in-law of a Border Patrol agent, and whether or not she or her son-in-law had any personal ties to the drug runner. You would think that both the Border Patrol and the DEA would have wanted to tap their telephones to see who Aldrete-Davila and Sanchez were talking to on both sides of the border.

(Note: During the trial, the connection between Rene Sanchez and Aldrete-Davila confused the Ramos family, and "we questioned how an agent from Arizona would know or want to defend a drug smuggler from Mexico," said Monica Ramos.)

Furthermore, Aldrete-Davila was given a green card AND a car, at American taxpayer expense, so that he could drive back and forth between Mexico. Aldrete-Davila later broke his immunity agreement in October 2005, when officers say he attempted to smuggle 1,000 pounds of marijuana into America, while driving this tax-payer funded vehicle! U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton further extended immunity to this additional felony and sealed the indictment from jurors. Aldrete-Davila’s arrest record was expunged, and a gag order was issued. The jury was not informed of the second smuggling arrest, and Sutton issued a public statement that Aldrete-Davila was “never arrested” on drug charges.

U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton

Recent Statements made by U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton -

I would much prefer to be here discussing the prosecution of the drug dealer, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, and how we put him in prison for 20 years.

(Note: Sutton calls Aldrete-Davila a drug dealer.)

But, unfortunately, we had no case against him, because there was no evidence tying him to that van.

(Note: Sutton says there was NO EVIDENCE tying Aldrete-Davila to the van containing the marijuana.)

We would not even know about him had he not come and the investigators for Homeland Security been able to find him through his family. The way we found him is that he came forward and was in Mexico with a lawyer. So, the only way to get him to testify was to give him immunity from being prosecuted. He wasn't going to agree to come to the United States, he wasn't going to agree to talk, unless he had some kind of immunity from being prosecuted for that load.

(Note: Sutton thought this was a good deal.)

Again, we have to have evidence that we can prove in court. And we don't have any evidence.

(Note: Sutton referring to Aldrete-Davila.)

But the thing is that he refuses to talk. He wouldn't come to America. He refuses to talk. We had to persuade, like we do all the time in court, we have to persuade witnesses to come to court to testify. There are all kinds of witnesses who come forward in court all the time to testify in court because they're persuaded.

(Note: Sutton leading or coaching the witness?)

I can't tell you what's inside Aldrete-Davila's head.

(Note: Aldrete-Davila has 5-million reasons to lie.)

I mean, there are many times we persuade witnesses to come forward to testify in court. But, remember, he didn't make an admission. He refused to make an admission until his lawyer had an agreement for use immunity. He wouldn't come to the United States and we couldn't extradite him because, number one, we didn't have any evidence against him, and, number two, we didn't have a case.

It's one of those situations where we gave up very little by giving him use immunity in this case, because we couldn't prove a case against him. He did not make admissions until we agreed to give him immunity for what he was saying.

(Note: Sutton gave up very little? Only Compean and Ramos.)

Unfortunately, the case against Aldrete-Davila was not prosecutable because of these agents. There was no way to link Aldrete-Davila with that load of marijuana.

(Note: Sutton contradicts himself.)

Apr. 13, 2005, from a statement by U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton's office:

According to the criminal complaint, on or about February 17, 2005, a Mexican National attempting to flee back into Mexico near Fabens, Texas, was shot at by the defendants.

This case is being investigated by the office of Inspector General - Department of Homeland Security.

Aug. 11, 2006, from statement US Attorney Johnny Sutton's office:

“At the initiation of their investigation, the DHS Office of Inspector General contacted Aldrete-Davila who was at the time in Mexico. Aldrete-Davila was at first reluctant to cooperate with the investigation because he feared that should he return to the United States, he could be prosecuted for the offenses committed in relation to the load of marijuana he was driving on February 17, 2005. In order to secure his cooperation and appearance at trial in the United States, this office agreed that in return for his truthful testimony he would not be prosecuted for the February 17, 2005 offenses. The agreement does not immunize any other conduct.”

Later, Sutton issues a fact sheet that makes it sound like the Aldrete-Davila couldn’t possibly be tied to the van of marijuana he was driving - this despite the fact that multiple Border Patrol agents saw him driving the van. No fingerprints? Not even a hair or an eyelash? Doubtful.

On January 17th, 2007, from the misnomered "fact sheet" issued by U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton's office:

Myth: THE GOVERNMENT LET A DRUG SMUGGLER GO FREE

Reality: My office would have much preferred to see Aldrete convicted and sent to prison for his crimes. We are in the business of putting guys like Aldrete behind bars. In fact, this office leads the nation in the number of drug smuggling cases we prosecute. Because the agents could not identify him, found no fingerprints, could not tie him to the van and did not apprehend him after shooting him, the case against Aldrete could not be proven.

How is this a MYTH? By Sutton’s own admission, Aldrete-Davila is a drug smuggler, and he is free (though two of our own law enforcement officers are now in federal prison)! It is NOT a myth, it is fact. Sutton’s spin on it doesn’t make it less factual!

On September 19^th, 2006, in a meeting with various Congressmen who were looking into the case, Sutton’s office told the Congressmen (including Ted Poe, John Culberson, Dana Rohrbacher, and others) that Compean and Ramos had made some incriminating admissions and signed statements concerning their own guilt. The Congressmen requested to see those signed statements, and Sutton’s office agreed to produce them immediately. They have failed to do so after repeated demands from the Congressmen’s offices, and four months later, the Congressmen are now doubtful that such statements exist. Did Sutton’s office knowingly LIE to U.S. Congressmen?

It is interesting to note that Johnny Sutton has also aggressively prosecuted a Sheriff’s deputy in Rock Springs, Texas, for allegedly violating the civil rights of illegal aliens he had apprehended. The 23 year old sheriff’s deputy, Deputy Hernandez, had a sterling record, and the Edward County sheriff said Deputy Hernandez was doing exactly what he was told to do. How did the deputy violate the civil rights of the illegal aliens he was trying to apprehend? He shot out the tires of their vehicle when they tried to run over him. One of the bullets struck an illegal alien in the back of the vehicle (he was not killed). Johnny Sutton recommended that the deputy be held without bond. He is sitting in the Del Rio jail today, without bond, and awaiting sentencing.

US Assistant Attorney, Debra Kanof

U.S. Assistant Attorney, Debra Kanof bristled when asked about the Rene Sanchez/Aldrete-Davila connection.

“It's an unconscionable accusation that Sanchez is associated with a drug dealer,” she said. “Most BP agents who are Hispanic have family from Mexico. He was born in the U.S. and raised in Mexico and came back to do high school and later became an agent.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Kanof claimed out that pursuing suspects is not part of the Border Patrol's job. "Agents are not allowed to pursue," she said. "In order to exceed the speed limit, you have to get supervisor approval, and they did not." Additionally, in the words of Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Kanof, “It is a violation of Border Patrol regulations to go after someone who is fleeing.”

That's right.

Assistant US Attorney Debra Kanof decreed that if an illegal immigrant, even a drug kingpin or terrorist, flees from a Border Patrol agent, regulations demand that he not further pursue or apprehend the fugitive. US Border Patrol Agents widely disregard this because their own edicts say things like “detouring illegal entries through improved enforcement” and “apprehending and detouring smugglers of humans, drugs and other contraband.”

Judge Kathleen Cardone

Judge Kathleen Cardone - a part-time fitness instructor - was nominated by President George W. Bush on May 1, 2003, to a newly created seat, and was sponsored by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Judge Cardone was confirmed by the Senate on July 28, 2003, and received commission on July 29, 2003. Her prior experience had been as a family court judge.

Several of the jurors came forward, a few days before the sentencing of Compean and Ramos in October, to say they had been holdouts against a guilty verdict and only voted with the majority when other jurors told them the judge wouldn't allow a hung jury. They expressed they felt severely pressured.

Judge Cardone denied the motion for a new trial.

Agents Compean and Ramos had filed a motion with the court to remain free on bond while they appealed their case. Despite the fact that the two agents were not deemed a flight risk, Judge Cardone, U. S. District Court, Western District of Texas denied the motion, ordered them to surrender to the US Marshall, and thus, ordered the agents to begin serving their sentences.

US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

As governor, George W Bush brought Alberto Gonzales into his administration in 1994 as a senior adviser to the governor, chief elections officer, and the governor's lead liaison on Mexican and border issues. Gonzales later became White House Counsel in 2000, when George Bush became President, and was eventually nominated by Bush for Attorney General of the United States. On November 24, 2004, Gonzales, got the backing of the National Council of La Raza:

The NCLR promotes driver's licenses for illegal aliens, no immigration law enforcement by local and state police and amnesty programs broader than the administration's proposal.

La Raza supports legislation such as the Civil Liberties Restoration Act, which would roll back policies adopted after Sept. 11 designed to protect national security. It supports the "DREAM Act," which would mandate states to offer in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens” thus, providing them with benefits not available to U.S. citizens from other states.

The group opposes the “Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal Act of 2003” and the “Homeland Security Enhancement Act” would give state and local police officers the authority to enforce federal immigration laws.

The group also supports legislation to ensure illegal immigrants' ability to obtain driver's licenses.

On March 29th, 2006, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales named U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton to serve as chair for the Attorney General's Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys. (The Advisory Committee plays a vital role in furthering the Department's law enforcement efforts and represents the voice of the United States Attorneys in making Department policy.) Sutton has been a member of the Advisory Committee since 2002.

Johnny Sutton also serves on the Advisory Committee's Border and Immigration Law Enforcement Subcommittee.

Texas Senator John Cornyn

John Cornyn refused to sign a petition presented by Texas Congressman Ted Poe requesting that the Border Patrol agents be released on bond pending their appeal. He has also refused to look at the case further.

Pat Gray, of KSEV radio, called Senator John Cornyn’s office in D.C. to clarify his perspective on the Border Patrol case

He's not taking a stand. He's not taking ANY stand. "As a former Supreme Court Justice, Senator Cornyn believes in the justice system...these agents had their day in court, and if errors were made, they should come out in the appeals process", said Cornyn staffer, Brian Walsh.

A staffer also told a caller that “the Senator had no power to affect anything in the case…he believes these men got what they deserved, and he will not get involved.” That is a quote verbatim from Senator Cornyn’s office.

While Johnny Sutton worked on George Bush’s team in Austin, during Bush’s governorship, John Cornyn was Bush’s Attorney General. As well, Cornyn appointed a John Sutton, dean of UT Law School (and of the age to be Johnny Sutton’s father or uncle), to be a member of his D.C. transition team.

Texas Congressman Michael McCaul

Michael McCaul refused to sign the petition presented by Congressman Ted Poe requesting that the Border Patrol agents be released on bond pending their appeal. As well, McCaul is Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Investigations and in that capacity he refused to subpoena documents concerning the case, and refused to hold a hearing to review the case, which was within his purview.

What’s interesting is that Michael McCaul is a former employee of U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton.

Full circle…

U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton gave immunity to Mexican national, career criminal, drug smuggler, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila in order to pursue his prosecution of U.S. Border Patrol Agents Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos.

A criminal by definition does not follow or obey the law. Since he was given immunity from prosecution, Aldrete-Davila has violated his immunity deal at least twice.

Federal Judge Kathleen Cardone agreed with Sutton to not allow the jury to see or know about:

● The sealed indictment of Aldrete-Davila for his second arrest for drug smuggling in October 2005, after the incident when he was supposedly the victim of agents Ramos and Compean.

● Aldrete-Davila's agreeing to not withhold any information, then refusing to divulge the names of his fellow smugglers who picked him up at the border.

What does a cartel drug lord, with the audacity to put a bounty on the heads of the US Border Patrol Agents, do to a drug mule that loses his merchandise - $1 million dollars worth? Is it possible that within the weeks after Aldrete-Davila abandoned his load of drugs on the American side of the border, that he was shot by the drug cartel for whom he worked? Is it possible that he allowed himself to be “persuaded” by Johnny Sutton to be taken into protective custody in order to gain sanctuary from his employer? Alternatively, did this cartel drug lord have friends high enough in the Vicente Fox government to apply pressure on the Bush Administration?

Think about it: If Compean had shot Aldrete-Davila, a blood trail would have started at the levee.

If Ramos had shot Aldrete-Davila, a blood trail would have started closer to the border.

Based solely on Aldrete-Davila's testimony, with NO EVIDENCE or even a mention of a blood trail, both Compean and Ramos were convicted of shooting him. That's right. There was NO EVIDENCE of any blood to indicate which officer shot him.

It is just as likely that Aldrete-Davila was shot by the drug cartel boss in Mexico who would have been irate about losing over a million dollars in contraband.

● How much tax-payer money was used for this case?

● If there is no way to connect Aldrete-Davila to the van-load of marijuana, then why does Johnny Sutton keep tying him to the van-load of marijuana?

● If, as Sutton claimed in one statement, Aldrete-Davila was merely illegally entering the country, why was there a get-away van waiting for him on the Mexican side of the border?

● If there was no evidence – no blood, no fingerprints – from the scene, and no way to prove he was there, then why would Sutton accept every word of Aldrete-Davila?

● With the extremely lax chain of custody that occurred, with only a partial fragment of bullet removed, who shot Aldrete-Davila?

● Where is the bullet fragment?

● Where are the court transcripts? Repeated requests by Congressmen have been met with statement from the court that they are not yet transcribed. Why have they not been completed almost half a year after the conclusion of the case?

● Why was Aldrete-Davila given immunity - TWICE - plus a green card, and a car?

(W&C Report declares that Johnny Sutton's explanations smell like 3-day old mackerel left to rot in the sun.)

Edd Hendy, of KSEV radio, spoke with the Sheriff of El Paso County, the highest ranking law enforcement officer in the county, and asked if the proceedings were legitimate or should the case be objected to and reviewed. The Sheriff said, “These guys are getting screwed.”

Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila is now suing the US Border Patrol for $5-million for violating his civil rights, and Compean and Ramos are each doing over 12 years hard time.

It's rumored inside the beltway that President Bush will appoint Johnny Sutton to the federal bench before he leaves office on Jan. 20, 2009.

Breaking News...

No word yet on whether President Bush contacted and spoke with the families of Compean and Ramos.

Congress is considering passing its own pardon powers.

Read Rep. Michael McCaul's letter.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or a tsunami after the underwater tremor off the eastern coast of Sulawesi island.

Earthquake Tsunami Mover Mike

I hurried downstairs hoping not to miss some happy diversion showing up at my door. I saw through the glass door panes that indeed there was someone at my door clad in a dark green sweater. I opened the door to a bearded gentlemen with Sierra Club on his sweater.

"Can I help you," I said.
"We are working on solving the problem of...Global Warming," he said.
I made this disgusted looking face, shook my head and said, "Naaaa!" and shut the door. Was I too abrupt?

I went to the Sierra Club website and read

After years of debate, a near consensus among the world's scientists has concluded that we are warming the planet, and unless we take steps now to curb global warming, our way of life, our planet, and our children are all in grave danger.

Now every year men die of heart attacks shoveling the snow from their sidewalks. The Oregonian has a nice chart of snowfall in Portland going all the way back to 1873. It shows a declining trend of snowfall "due" to global warming. We used to average 14 inches of snow a year, now we average 3.5 inches. Some recent years there has been no snow. So it appears to me that the grave danger of global warming has decreased for Portland snow shovelers.

Give me a break!

Global Warming Sierra Club Hoax/a> Mover Mike

Nike lobbied viciously, and successfully, for the single-sales factor, which dramatically cut income taxes for companies with significant property and payroll in Oregon but a majority of sales outside the state.

According to the state's 2007-09 Tax Expenditure Report, that tax break -- two-thirds of which benefits 17 companies in Oregon with taxable incomes of more than $1 billion -- will reduce the general fund by $77.6 million in the current biennium and another $65.6 million in 2007-09.

Duin didn't tell you that May of 2003, Ernst & Young issued a report titled The Economic and Fiscal Effects of Single Sales Factor Apportionment for Massachusetts Manufacturers . One of the key findings of moving to a single sales factor:

the sales only apportionment formula provides corporations with an incentive to increase payroll and property within the state.

Nike puts about $360M into the local economies via employee salaries and fringe benefits. Nike salaries bring in additional doctors to service these employees. Additionally, these 6000 employees require dentists, supermarkets, gas stations, schools, houses, banks, credit unions, teachers…all the goods and services that 6000 people use in the course of their daily lives. The $360M that Nike employees earn and distribute within our communities is multiplied across the families that are supported in the spending of those wages.

Is it possible that Nike is already doing its part in generating revenue for the State of Oregon? Those same Nike employees likely contribute about $12M, or more, to local property taxes (if you average a low estimate of $2K per year), and likely another $21M, or more, in state income taxes (Oregon rate of 9%).

NIKE Steve Duin Single Sales Factor Ernst & Young Michael McBride Major Mike Mover Mike

Can you believe this? Fannie Mae misstated earnings by about $10.6 billion from 1998 through 2004. Now, James B. Lockhart, director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), said Fannie Mae (And Freddie Mac), "...unfortunately have very, very large problems. They have a long way to go; there are still significant worries."

He announced that Fannie Mae had a loss in its third quarter.

Freddie Mac, the smaller of the two, recently forecast a loss of about $550 million for the quarter due mainly to declines in interest rates, compared with a profit of $880 million in the third quarter of 2005.

These two publicly traded companies are only now giving us financial information about third quarter of 2006 (You know, July through September of 2006) and will not have audited financials of 2004 to 2006 ready until next year. And Lockhart is worried! How can anyone invest with that lack of information?

Fannie Mae Freddie Mac OFHEO James B. Lockhart Mover Mike

ABC-TV Meteorologist: I Don't Know A Single Weatherman Who Believes 'Man-Made Global Warming Hype'...

MAP 6.0 2007/01/17 04:28:26 -3.325 139.904 100.0 PAPUA, INDONESIA

Earthquakes CARLSBERG RIDGEe PAPUA Mover Mike

The White House invited all the network anchors, and some cable anchors, along with the Sunday political show hosts to a meeting with unnamed VERY senior administration officials. (Obviously I know their names, but the agreement was that in order to attend the meeting, we couldn’t reveal the people who spoke to us.)

And even though I’ve been in this business for more years than I’d like to admit, and interviewed countless Presidents and world leaders, it’s still thrilling—and even a little awe-inspiring—to get “briefed” at the White House, no matter who is sitting in the Oval Office.

And yet, the meeting was a little disconcerting as well. As I was looking at my colleagues around the room—Charlie Gibson, George Stephanopoulos, Brian Williams, Tim Russert, Bob Schieffer, Wolf Blitzer, and Brit Hume—I couldn’t help but notice, despite how far we’ve come, that I was still the only woman there (aside from some support staff)

Katie Couric CBS Mover Mike

Somehow some mal-formed html got into the post on "Mexican Gunmen in Arizona Border Incident". In particular, you had a less than symbol, forward slash, p, and no closure or greater than symbol which Firefox correctly identified as a mistake, but I.E. parsed until it took up the next less than symbol, forward slash, div, greater than symbol tag as well, which threw off the DOM, putting the sidebar inside of the main column (since the main column was never closed off because the a less than symbol, forward slash, p, and no closure or greater than symbol took out a previous closing div). HTML can be a PITA, especially with I.E.

I know you are all waiting for Mover Mike's take on last night's two hour special of Americam Idol coming from Minneapolis. It was the same gig we've seen in the past, very little talent and a lot of wannebes with no ability to be self-critical. Maybe they've been singing to their iPods and can't hear themselves.

And, the contestants keep mentioning their goal of being famous. Is it any stretch to think that the ends justify the means. I worry that there will be a whole slew of young people sitting in prison reading stories about their crimes.

Most don't have a clue about the work involved to get to the top or the odds against success. Most show up at these auditions, from what we see, with very little preparation. One other thing, it can be easy to imitate a Joe Cocker or Elvis or Mick, but the real creative work work was done first by those artists. It is hard to be original.

The reactions of those told, "Sorry!" ranged from outrage and disbelief to nerves or victim. Yeah, my heart went out to some, only because they appeared naive about their talent.

Randy, Paula and Simon were joined by Jewel in the judges box. At first Jewel seemed embarrassed by the disrespect shown by her fellow judges. Later, even she appeared to be appalled by the contestants.

Several weeks from now we will have our top twelve and the debate will begin at the water coolers and dog parks over who is the best. You know you'll be here each Tuesday and Wednesday getting my take on the competition and reaction to the one voted out.

BTW, Katharine McPhee's new album is almost out. You can pre-order for $12.99:

American Idol Randy Simon Paula Katharine McPhee Mover Mike

Update:

Last thursday, school officials canceled school after anywhere from 1/16 of an inch to three inches of snow fell in the Portland area and was roundly criticized for the call.

Today, our bus drivers were driving to work in falling snow that continued to thicken as we mounted our big yellow beasts. We have "on-spots" which are automatic chains that worked great. We continued to wonder how come we are driving today when school was cancelled Thursday. I reached my first stop five minutes early and was boarding the first child as the radio crackled with the announcement, "School is cancelled, return to the yard!" The snow started around 5:00 AM and continued non stop to about 1:00. I probably have at least three inches of snow in my backyard. The Oregonian says

While both storms hit early in the morning, the big difference today was that snowfall totaled up to 6 inches in what is shaping up as the biggest winter storm in three years.

Yes our guilty pleasure is about to return beginning Jan. 16th. That's what we'll be talking about at the dog park in the mornings. And to get you ready, the New York Post has an inside look at the living quarters and the goings on of past American Idols.

AmericanIdol Mover Mike

Update:

Both countries fought a "clear and withdraw" strategy until Israel and the IDF changed tactics with operation Defensive Shield.

...the chosen strategy works to prevent terrorists located in specific, limited areas from rebuilding their capabilities by first defeating them and then remaining in place to block them from rearming or operating openly. Israel's experience since April 2002 in Judea and Samaria demonstrates its success. By maintaining IDF control over the areas, Israel has succeeded in limiting and delaying the development of the Palestinians' fighting capabilities in Judea and Samaria.

While IDF units capably tie down the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria, they are incapable of wiping out the Palestinian terror infrastructure.

Outside of Judea and Samaria, in places like Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran, our enemies continue to develop and diversify their capabilities and today those capabilities span the terror and weapons of mass destruction spectrums.

IMO, we will be tied down in Iraq to act as a lid on the pressure cooker, unless we take the war to Iran and Syria which means that the U.S. will be tied down in the mideast for a long time.

Bush or the next presidemt must convince Americans that For the safety of our people, America must succeed in Iraq. Otherwise, we are just wasting our time, manpower and money.

Caroline Glick Israel Iran Syria Mover Mike

His chart of oil supply and demand courtesy of BCA Research leads to only one conclusion long term: oil prices will go higher!

A second chart shows where that demand may come from:

The gap between the oil consumption of China and the industrialized nations of the U.S. and Japan shows the potential strain on the global energy economy that will be faced in the future as China continues its industrialization, shifting from a population of bicycles to cars.

Competition for capital could be intense.

Financial Sense Online Chris Puplava Oil Mover Mike

The implications for this are enormous on the food chain here in the US. Corn is the primary feed source for the broiler and the livestock sector. Along with feed wheat and soymeal, the increase in price has a significant effect on the profitability of chicken, hog and cattle producers. Simply put, those guys are in direct competition with ethanol plants for available corn. The rising cost of corn has taken a huge toll on their profit margins and threatens the livestock and broiler industries. The only way they are going to be able to maintain current levels of production is to receive higher prices for their finished product since the cost of the grains to feed them is at a new higher level which looks to be here for some time. That in turn is going to require the packers being able to get higher prices for meat and chicken at the wholesale level so that they can offer more money to the producers. Of course, it goes without saying that prices must rise at the retail level to keep grocer margins profitable as well. In other word, brace yourself for higher meat and chicken prices in the months ahead.

Whatever the source, burning ethanol instead of gasoline reduces carbon emissions by more than 80% while eliminating entirely the release of acid-rain-causing sulfur dioxide. Even the cautious Department of Energy predicts that ethanol could put a 30% dent in America's gasoline consumption by 2030.

[...]

It takes about 30% more ethanol than gasoline to drive a mile, and the stuff is more corrosive, but building a car that's E85-ready adds only about $200 to the cost.

Dan Norcini Corn Prices Ethanol Gasoline Mover Mike

A tsunami warning has been issued for the eastern part of Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido facing the Pacific Coast and Sea of Okhotsk, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Saturday.

A tidal wave as high as 1 meter is forecast, according to the agency.

The warning was issued at 1:36 p.m. after a magnitude 8.3 earthquake occurred in the northwestern Pacific at 1:24 p.m.

Update:

The MSM gets upset over 3,000 killed in Iraq, but not so much about the source of the violence. Bush labeled these two countries part of the Axis of Evil, yet he didn't close the borders with them. Why isn't the MSM upset as I am at the lousy way we have fought this war? We did the same thing in Vietnam, declaring areas across the border from Vietnam safe zones where we couldn't go after the enemy. Who thinks up these ways to fight a war and who ends up paying the ultimate price?

Iraq Iran Syria Mover Mike

Checking with Inside Futures,

However, evidence of a pick-up in consumer buying interest helped corn futures launch a rebound Wednesday, and that set the stage for Thursday's steep climb. The rally was given extra fuel by a bullish weekly export sales release early Thursday of around 1.5 million metric tons that came in well above the trade's expectations, as well as news that a USDA official expects ethanol production to consume 1 billion bushels of corn of 2007.

Corn Futures Wheat Futures Soybean+Futures Ethanol Mover Mike

The London Central Mosque, also known as Regent's Park Mosque, is "the spiritual focal point for Muslims" throughout Great Britain, the European Jewish Press reported. It is also home to the Islamic Cultural Center, which educates Muslim children.

Muslim extremism Britain Barack Hussein Obama Mover Mike

Our paper is filled with stories about the storm, as are the TV stations:

No new rain or snow, just brrr

A dry arctic air mass is expected to hang around for the rest of the week and into the weekend.

How much snow did we get that caused so much havoc?

Snowfall amounts Wednesday were anywhere from none to 3 inches, depending on where you lived.

Portland Oregon Snowfall Mover Mike

We are still running a bigger deficit than last year by 7.5%. The good news is that 7.5% is a lot better than the 14%+ we were running earlier in the year, but an estimated $760 Billion for 2006 and over $820 Billion for 2007, is a huge pile of USDs sent overseas and fits in with my prediction of a much lower USD and much higher Gold prices.

Trade Deficit USD Gold Mover Mike

The consequences of failure are clear: Radical Islamic extremists would grow in strength and gain new recruits. They would be in a better position to topple moderate governments, create chaos in the region, and use oil revenues to fund their ambitions. Iran would be emboldened in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Our enemies would have a safe haven from which to plan and launch attacks on the American people. On September the 11th, 2001, we saw what a refuge for extremists on the other side of the world could bring to the streets of our own cities. For the safety of our people, America must succeed in Iraq.

President Bush not only laid out the stakes, but served notice on Syria and Iran that they will not be allowed to funnel men and material into Iraq to put our mission at risk.

Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial integrity – and stabilizing the region in the face of the extremist challenge. This begins with addressing Iran and Syria. These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq. Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq.

We are also taking other steps to bolster the security of Iraq and protect American interests in the Middle East. I recently ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group to the region. (emphasis added)

Gerard Baker in Startling and Clear: Bush Defies Critics at Real Clear Politics writes that

Mr Bush's message was startling and clear - there is No Turning Back under this presidency.

President Bush Iraq Iran Syria Mover Mike

MAP 1.4 2007/01/10 04:20:34 45.943 -119.934 17.8 22 km ( 14 mi) WNW of Boardman, OR