Governors closing ranks on Bush for trying to Federalize the National Guard sm
Posted By: LVMT on 2006-08-06
In Reply to:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060805/ap_on_re_us/governors_guard
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Bush was sort of in national guard but never showed for the physical... that counts? Cheney was nev
duh?? ya'll?
There's more than 8,000 National Guard
on standby right now waiting for the call. They are not all in Iraq like some people are falsely reporting.
National Guard
Strain of Iraq War Means the Relief Burden Will Have to Be Shared
By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 31, 2005; A14
With thousands of their citizen-soldiers away fighting in Iraq, states hit hard by Hurricane Katrina scrambled to muster forces for rescue and security missions yesterday -- calling up Army bands and water-purification teams, among other units, and requesting help from distant states and the active-duty military.
As the devastation threatened to overwhelm state resources, federal authorities called on the Pentagon to mobilize active-duty aircraft, ships and troops and set up an unprecedented task force to coordinate a wider military response, said officials from the Northern Command, which oversees homeland defense.
National Guard officials in the states acknowledged that the scale of the destruction is stretching the limits of available manpower while placing another extraordinary demand on their troops -- most of whom have already served tours in Iraq or Afghanistan or in homeland defense missions since 2001.
More than 6,000 Guard members were mobilized in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida when the storm struck on Monday, with the number rising to 8,000 yesterday and hundreds more expected to be called to active duty, National Guard officials said yesterday.
Missing the personnel is the big thing in this particular event. We need our people, said Lt. Andy Thaggard, a spokesman for the Mississippi National Guard, which has a brigade of more than 4,000 troops in central Iraq. Louisiana also has about 3,000 Guard troops in Baghdad.
Mississippi has about 40 percent of its Guard force deployed or preparing to deploy and has called up all remaining Guard units for hurricane relief, Thaggard said. Those include the Army band based in Jackson, Miss. They are mustering transportation to move them south, he said. Soldiers who have lost their homes are exempt, he said.
Mississippi has requested troops and aircraft from about eight other states -- including military police and engineers from Alabama, helicopters and crews from Arkansas and Georgia, and aircraft-maintenance experts from Connecticut, who are filling in for a Mississippi maintenance unit that is heading to the Middle East.
This is the biggest disaster we've ever had, so we're going to need more aircraft than we've got, said Col. Bradly S. MacNealy, the Mississippi Army National Guard's aviation officer. Mississippi has had to borrow from Arkansas UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters fitted with hoists, using them together with the Coast Guard to pluck to safety several dozen people stranded by floodwaters, he said.
Chinook helicopters from Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi are flying the equivalent of 18 large truckloads of critical supplies -- including ice, water, food and chain saws for road-clearing crews -- to Mississippi's coast, he said.
In Alabama, all the major Guard units activated for the disaster have already served in Iraq, and some still have contingents there, said Alabama Guard spokesman Norman Arnold.
Capt. Richard Locke of the Guard's 1st Battalion 167th Infantry headed toward Mobile yesterday with a force of 400 soldiers cobbled together from four units because the rest of the battalion is in Iraq.
Carrying M-16 rifles and 9mm pistols, the soldiers are assigned to control traffic at unlighted intersections, and patrol in Humvees and on foot to prevent looting.
Recruiting and retention problems are worsening the strain on Guard forces in hurricane-ravaged states. Alabama's Army National Guard has a strength of 11,000 troops -- or 78 percent of the authorized number. We're just losing too many out the back door, Arnold said.
What do you think the national guard is
Our national guard is supposed to be the first responders if needed for natural disasters. Remember them? That's their job.....not the Army.
Ask yourself why you have never seen it scrolled across your evening news....they know people will explode over it but do it quietly and without OUR permission (remember this is OUR country?) and no one will be the wiser until it's done and in place.
It is on an Army website, not something the average citizen will be looking for. "Homeland tours" my butt. Permanent part of the active Army. The last thing this country needs is a full-time military brigade TOURING our country.
The National Guard already watches them.
Had a friend who was in Arizona for 6 months doing just that.
I bet that New Orleans, Biloxi and everyplace else could sure use some National Guard help right now
Bush is not busy with this hurricaine. He is biking in Idaho or Montona or somewhere after giving a speech to the VFW about how we have to stay in Iraq to honor those killed in Iraq. But wouldn't it be really really helpful if the National Guard was in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama instead of Iraq being killed to honor those already killed. Another thing, if he talked to Sheehan or this soldier, he would have to talk to ALL of them, God forbid.
Bush paid Harriet $19,000 in 1998 re his Guard AWOL status
Guess he owes her big time, huh?
I happened to find this link, which provides a LOT of interesting facts about Bush.
http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/jphuck/Book4Ch.3.html
Bush first became concerned about his alleged AWOL status in 1998, when he was running for a second term as governor, about allegations that he was given preferential treatment to land a slot in the Air National Guard. So he retained an attorney, Harriet Miers who was paid $19,000 to investigate the issue. She and her aides concluded that Barnes had helped Bush land a slot in the Air National Guard in 1968 after being lobbied by Adger. Miers spoke with Barnes who acknowledged that he had never talked to Bush’s father about asking for the favor. Adger was already deceased, and since that time Barnes passed away. Bush knew that he was off the hook.
Dissension in the Ranks
Now on 60 Minutes....active duty soldiers in Iraq discussing the futility of Iraq. Good insight into what's happening in Iraq from soldiers who feel they are patriotic and not even anti-war. They state we are not accomplishing anything with this war, just the daily deaths of more soldiers.
Oh my gosh... let's call out the guard!!
Found this on a web site reporting tea party in front of the white house yesterday....
"Protesters even threw what appeared to be a box of tea bags toward the White House, causing a brief lockdown at the compound." 
Fortunately, there are governors who...
...need to answer to their citizens. I personally have a brand new respect for Governor Charlie Crist. He has refused to play the GOP obstructionist game and has PUBLICLY gone on record and placed the needs of his citizens first. I believe they call this bipartisanship.
I just love the gall of the obstructionist GOP in Congress (particularly the ones who find "Barack, the Magic Negro," etc. entertaining), those who publicly beat their chests and say they're against it, yet have no problem with their states taking the money. After eight years of Bush, they must still think Americans are stupid. We're NOT.
GOP Governors Support Obama
By Jackie Calmes ![](http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/Art/nyt_logo_140x252.gif")
updated 2:43 a.m. ET, Tues., Feb. 17, 2009
WASHINGTON - President Obama must wish governors could vote in Congress: While just three of the 219 Republican lawmakers backed the $787 billion economic recovery plan that he is signing into law on Tuesday, that trifling total would have been several times greater if support among the 22 Republican state executives counted.
The contrast reflects the two faces of the Republican Party these days.
Leaderless after losing the White House, the party is mostly defined by its Congressional wing, which flaunted its anti-spending ideology in opposing the stimulus package. That militancy drew the mockery of late-night television comics, but the praise of conservative talk-show stars and the party faithful.
In the states, meanwhile, many Republican governors are practicing a pragmatic — their Congressional counterparts would say less-principled — conservatism.
Governors, unlike members of Congress, have to balance their budgets each year. And that requires compromise with state legislators, including Democrats, as well as more openness to the occasional state tax increase and to deficit-spending from Washington.
Across the country, from California’s Arnold Schwarzenegger to Florida’s Charlie Crist and New England’s Jim Douglas in Vermont and M. Jodi Rell in Connecticut, Republican governors showed in the stimulus debate that they could be allies with Mr. Obama even as Congressional Republicans spurned him.
“It really is a matter of perspective,” Mr. Crist said in an interview. “As a governor, the pragmatism that you have to exercise because of the constitutional obligation to balance your budget is a very compelling pull” generally.
With Florida facing a projected $5 billion shortfall in a $66 billion budget, and social costs rising, the stimulus package “helps plug that hole,” Mr. Crist said, “but it also helps us meet the needs of the people in a very difficult economic time.”
Click for related content |
Mr. Obama’s two-year stimulus package includes more than $135 billion for states, to help them pay for education, Medicaid and infrastructure projects. Yet even that sum would cover less than half of the total budget deficits the states will face through 2010, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal research and advocacy organization.
The states’ reliance on the federal government in times of distress will be showcased this weekend, when the governors come to Washington for their annual winter meeting. Their focus will be on infrastructure needs and home foreclosures.
GOP Governors Support Obama
By Jackie Calmes
updated 2:43 a.m. ET, Tues., Feb. 17, 2009
WASHINGTON - President Obama must wish governors could vote in Congress: While just three of the 219 Republican lawmakers backed the $787 billion economic recovery plan that he is signing into law on Tuesday, that trifling total would have been several times greater if support among the 22 Republican state executives counted.
The contrast reflects the two faces of the Republican Party these days.
Leaderless after losing the White House, the party is mostly defined by its Congressional wing, which flaunted its anti-spending ideology in opposing the stimulus package. That militancy drew the mockery of late-night television comics, but the praise of conservative talk-show stars and the party faithful.
In the states, meanwhile, many Republican governors are practicing a pragmatic — their Congressional counterparts would say less-principled — conservatism.
Governors, unlike members of Congress, have to balance their budgets each year. And that requires compromise with state legislators, including Democrats, as well as more openness to the occasional state tax increase and to deficit-spending from Washington.
Across the country, from California’s Arnold Schwarzenegger to Florida’s Charlie Crist and New England’s Jim Douglas in Vermont and M. Jodi Rell in Connecticut, Republican governors showed in the stimulus debate that they could be allies with Mr. Obama even as Congressional Republicans spurned him.
“It really is a matter of perspective,” Mr. Crist said in an interview. “As a governor, the pragmatism that you have to exercise because of the constitutional obligation to balance your budget is a very compelling pull” generally.
With Florida facing a projected $5 billion shortfall in a $66 billion budget, and social costs rising, the stimulus package “helps plug that hole,” Mr. Crist said, “but it also helps us meet the needs of the people in a very difficult economic time.”
Click for related content |
Mr. Obama’s two-year stimulus package includes more than $135 billion for states, to help them pay for education, Medicaid and infrastructure projects. Yet even that sum would cover less than half of the total budget deficits the states will face through 2010, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal research and advocacy organization.
The states’ reliance on the federal government in times of distress will be showcased this weekend, when the governors come to Washington for their annual winter meeting. Their focus will be on infrastructure needs and home foreclosures.
LoL! Must be changing of the guard in crasher-trasher land.
The solution is pretty simple. If you don't like the liberal sermon, then don't attend the liberal church.
Other than that, I couldn't care less what you think. Have a nice day.
And I as well. especially those on the front line...the mayors...the governors...
and at the federal level as well...it will take all of them. This is somewhere where party lines need to disappear. This is where we all need to pull together.
Good grief, BB. If this had been Republican governors.... sm
you'd be screaming bloody murder and calling for their heads on a platter for mismanagement of state funds and poor economic plans as the reason for their situations.
This has nothing to do with whether the parties involved or Dems or Pubs. It has all to do with the fact that everyone and his daddy are lining up at the White House steps with their hats in their hands. Likely, the only reason this story surfaced is because the governors ARE Dems and it makes Obama "look good" just as you believe it does.
I bet if all government budgets were scrutinized closely enough, the fat would suddenly float to the top and everything would be hunkydory. Some of the criteria for the Big 3 automakers getting their handouts were that the top executives either be fired or have their salaries cut as part of the plan for solvency. You don't see top government officials taking any pay cuts or even offering to, now do you?
Government has become nothing more than a money machine, and it's time something were done about those 6-figure salaries for a start.
GOP governors: Stimulus May Hurt in the Long Run
Of course, that doesn't stop my governor from taking the temporary money, probably raising our taxes after the states have to fend for themselves. As he said, he doesn't care. Know why? It's his last term. He's going to let the next governor be the bad guy. We've been suffering since he became governor. He juggles the money all the time, yet the people of this state do not see any relief. He promised property tax relief after the casinos were up and running. We have yet to see a dime of it.
"I'm not sure that we can, over the long run, cope with the high unemployment compensation standard that this mandates for states," Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, the head of the National Governor's Association, told "Fox News Sunday."
"But I don't care. My people are suffering," he added. "They need that extra money. And right now that's paramount in my mind."
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/22/stimulus.governors/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
It would seem to me that when two neighboring states governors join forces
and declare a state of emergency, that the President would have to pay attention. It's lunacy for him not to. Yes, I totally agree with you in that our borders must become better secured and that's why I posted the petition. If you want to see more about illegal immigration also visit www.numbersusa.com
Democratic governors seeking $1 trillion bailout...sm
Democratic governors seeking $1 trillion bailout
Obama and his staff receptive to ideas, Doyle says
By SCOTT BAUER • The Associated Press • January 3, 2009
MADISON — Five Democratic governors are asking the federal government for a $1 trillion bailout package, including $250 billion for education and $150 billion in middle class tax cuts.
Advertisement
The governors from Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Ohio on Friday said they have presented their plan to President-elect Barack Obama's transition team as well as congressional leaders.
They said that level of federal aid is needed to deal with unprecedented state budget shortfalls in 41 states and Washington, D.C., that the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities pegged at $42 billion for the current fiscal year alone.
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle said congressional leaders and the Obama team have been receptive to the governors' ideas.
"That's not to say they've told us this is what they'll do or they're with us all the way," Doyle said. He also said other governors were involved in creating the plan, which grew out of an early December meeting that Obama had with the nation's governors.
Obama's aides and congressional leaders have been talking about a package roughly half the size of the two-year plan the five governors proposed Friday.
A $1 trillion is equal to 6.7 percent of the gross domestic product, the U.S. economy's total output in a single year. A package of that size is likely to draw significant opposition from congressional Republicans and concern from moderate and conservative Democratic lawmakers who oppose large budget deficits.
In addition to the money for education and tax cuts, the governors said their plan includes $350 billion for road construction and other infrastructure projects and $250 billion for social service programs such as Medicaid.
The governors all said their states are facing unprecedented budget shortfalls that will require deep cuts to services and possibly irreparably harm their education systems.
"We aren't crying wolf," Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland said. "These are real circumstances, unprecedented situations we are facing."
Ohio's budget deficit could grow to $7.3 billion even after $1.9 billion was cut from its current budget, Strickland said.
A forecast from Global Insight shows that the economy hasn't hit bottom yet.
National economic growth is now expected to drop 1.8 percent this year, rather than increase 1 percent.
The U.S. labor market is expected to lose 3.7 million jobs during the downturn, with unemployment reaching 8.7 percent in the first half of 2010, it said.
That forecast assumes there will be a $550 billion federal stimulus package, roughly half of what the governors requested.
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090103/GPG0101/901030590/1978
It appears to me that the governors are just walking in lockstep to politics......
It's all about politics - screw the people! Pretty sad when a political party wants to see our country fail......
Closing time.......... sm
Would the last one out, please turn out the lights. 
Actually their leads are closing in - sm
Yes Obama is ahead but actually only by 5 points. This is according to the Rasmussen poll today, which is usually what everyone follows. I say their leads are closing in because last week Obama was ahead by 11 points, now he is ahead by only 5 points. Again, this is according to the Rasmussen report. I've said once and I'll say again, polls do not matter. The actual votes will count on November 4th. I'm at a point now that I don't care who wins. In honesty I hope McCain wins, but if Obama gets in that's the way it goes. But if you want to post a truly honest post, you should cite the poll that most everyone goes by and it is showing that their leads are narrowing. They've still got a couple weeks to go before the election and a lot can happen between now and then. Like I say I do hope McCain will win, but I am also realistic that Obama could win too, but to already project a winner could lead to devastating results in the end. Remember Tom Bradley? I would seriously think twice before stating false and misleading information as fact.
I'll tell you what I would like to see. I would like to see Obama drop out and Biden then become the nominee and Hillary as VP. Now that's a ticket I might vote for.
Stores are already closing.....sm
This is probably not an up-to-date list.
Ann Taylor closing 117 stores nationwide. A company spokeswoman said the
company hasn't revealed which stores will be shuttered. It will let the
stores that will close this fiscal year know over the next month
Eddie Bauer to close more stores. Eddie Bauer has already closed 27 shops
in the first quarter and plans to close up to two more outlet stores by the
end of the year.
Cache closing stores. Women's retailer Cache announced that it is closing
20 to 23 stores this year.
Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Catherines closing 150 stores nationwide. The
owner of retailers Lane Bryant , Fashion Bug , Catherine's Plus Sizes will
close about 150 under performing stores this year. The company hasn't
provided a list of specific store closures and can't say when it will offer
that info, spokeswoman Brooke Perry said today.
Talbot's, J. Jill closing stores. About a month ago, Talbot's announced
that it will be shuttering all 78 of its kids and men's stores. Now the
company says it will close another 22 under performing stores.. The 22
stores will be a mix of Talbot's women's and J. Jill , another chain it owns
The closures will occur this fiscal year, according to a company press
release.
Gap Inc. closing 85 stores. In addition to its namesake chain, Gap also
owns Old Navy and Banana Republic . The company said the closures - all
planned for fiscal 2008 - will be weighted toward the Gap brand.
Foot Locker to close 140 stores. In the company press release and during
its conference call with analysts today, it did not specify where the future
store closures - all planned in fiscal 2008 - will be. The company could not
be immediately reached for comment
Wickes is going out of business. Wickes Furniture is going out of business
and closing all of its stores, Wickes, a 37-year-old retailer that targets
middle-income customers, filed for bankruptcy protection last month. They
have already closed the Minnesota stores.
Goodbye Levitz / BOMBAY - closed already. The furniture retailer, which is
going out of business. Levitz first announced it was going out of business
and closing all 76 of its stores in December. The retailer dates back to
1910 when Richard Levitz opened his first furniture store in Lebanon , PA.
In the 1960's, the warehouse/showroom concept brought Levitz to the
forefront of the furniture industry. The local Levitz closures will follow
the shutdown of Bombay ..
Zales, Piercing Pagoda closing stores. The owner of Zales and Piercing
Pagoda previously said it plans to close 82 stores by July 31. Today, it
announced that it is closing another 23 under performing stores. The company
said it's not providing a list of specific store closures. Of the 105
locations planned for closure, 50 are kiosks and 55 are stores.
Disney Store owner has the right to close 98 stores. The Walt Disney
Company announced it acquired about 220 Disney Stores from subsidiaries of
The Children's Place Retail Stores. The exact number of stores acquired will
depend on negotiations with landlords. Those subsidiaries of Children's
Place filed for bankruptcy protection in late March. Walt Disney, in the
news release, said it has also obtained the right to close about 98 Disney
Stores in the U.S. The press release didn't list those stores.
Home Depot store closings. (E. Brunswick, Rt 18 just put up their closing
sign) ATLANTA - Nearly 7+ months after its chief executive said there were
no plans to cut the number of its core retail stores, The Home Depot Inc.
announced Thursday that it is shuttering 15 of them amid a slumping U.S.
economy and housing market. The move will affect 1,300 employees. It is the
first time the world's largest home improvement store chain has ever closed
a flagship store for performance reasons. Its shares rose almost 5 percent.
The Atlanta-based company said the under performing U.S. stores being closed
represents less than 1 percent of its existing stores. They will be
shuttered within the next two months.
CompUSA (CLOSED) clarifies details on store closings. Any extended
warranties purchased for products through CompUSA will be honored by a
third-party provider, Assurant Solutions. Gift cards, rain checks, and
rebates purchased prior to December 12 can be redeemed at any time during
the final sale. For those who have a gadget currently in for service with
CompUSA, the repair will be completed and the gadget will be returned to
owners. http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9834177-7html < http://www.news
com/8301-10784_3-9834177-7.html
Macy's - 9 stores
Movie Gallery - 160 stores as part of reorganization plan to exit bankruptcy
The video rental company plans to close 400 of 3,500 Movie Gallery and
Hollywood Video stores in addition to the 520 locations the video rental
chain closed last fall.
Pacific Sunwear - 153 Demo stores
Pep Boys - 33 stores
Sprint Nextel - 125 retail locations. New Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse
appears to have inherited a company bleeding subscribers by the thousands,
and will now officially be dropping the ax on 4,000 employees and 125 retail
locations. Amid the loss of 639,000 postpaid customers in the fourth quarter
Sprint will be cutting a total of 6.7% of its work force (following the 5
000 layoffs last year) and 8% of company-owned brick-and-mortar stores,
while remaining mute on other rumors that it will consolidate its
headquarters in Kansas . Sprint Nextel shares are down $2.89, or nearly 25%,
at the time of this writing.
J. C. Penney, Lowe's and Office Depot are scaling back
Ethan Allen Interiors: The company announced plans to close
12 of 300+ stores in an effort to cut costs.
Wilsons the Leather Experts - 158 stores
Pacific Sunwear will close its 154 Demo stores after a review of strategic
alternatives for the urban-apparel brand. Seventy-four under performing Demo
stores closed last May.
Sharper Image: The company recently filed for bankruptcy protection and
announced that 90 of its 184 stores are closing. The retailer will still
operate 94 stores to pay off debts, but 90 of these stores have performed
poorly and also may close..
Bombay Company: (Freehold Mall store closed) The company unveiled plans to
close all 384 U.S.-based Bombay Company stores. The company's online
storefront has discontinued operations.
KB Toys posted a list of 356 stores that it is closing around the United
States as part of its bankruptcy reorganization. To see the list of store
closings, go to the KB Toys Information web site, and click on Press
Information
Dillard's to Close More Stores. Dillard's Inc. said it will continue to
focus on closing under performing stores, reducing expenses and improving
its merchandise in 2008. At the company's annual shareholder meeting, CEO
William Dillard II said the company will close another six under performing
stores this year.
Bailing out the auto industry....or any other industry for that matter....would be like shutting the barn after the horses are already out. The damage has already begun and it's not going to go away or get better. The automakers are just one more domino in the row.
U.S. air base closing which is a key to
This is not good. Just heard on the news that we need McCain, Romney, and Obama to talk to Russia about this special base closing. But of course, the senate and congress are too busy with this stimulus, stated the ex-FBI agent to fight terrorism.
Supposedly Russia prime minister stated he was FOR (not against) helping fight terrorists, but instead, Russia is actually working with Taliban. Basically, "Russia is bullying Obama." This needs to be worked out soon or terrorists are going to get stronger and attack when we are at our weakest, which I say is about now. We have already lost 150 vehicles for fighting because of base closing and do we seriously have 15,000 troops? Or are some of our young ones in high school and college going to be drafted soon.
MOSCOW — Kyrgyzstan's president said Tuesday his country is ending U.S. use of an air base key to military operations in Afghanistan_ a decision with potentially grave consequences for U.S. efforts to put down surging Taliban and al-Qaida violence.
A U.S. military official in Afghanistan called President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's statement "political positioning" and denied the U.S. presence at the Manas air base would end anytime soon.
The United States is preparing to deploy an additional 15,000 troops in Afghanistan and Manas is an important stopover for U.S. materiel and personnel.
Ending U.S. access would be a significant victory for Moscow in its efforts to squeeze the United States out of Central Asia, home to substantial oil and gas reserves and seen by Russia as part of its strategic sphere of influence.
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev spoke on a visit to Moscow minutes after Russia announced it was providing the poor Central Asian nation with billions of dollars in aid.
Bakiyev said when the U.S. forces began using Manas after the September 2001 terrorist attacks, the expectation was that they would stay for two years at most.
"It should be said that during this time... we discussed not just once with our American partners the subject of economic compensation for the stationing (of US forces at the base)," he said on Russian state-run TV. "But unfortunately we have not found any understanding on the part of the United States.
"So literally just days ago, the Kyrgyz government made the decision on ending the term for the American base on the territory of Kyrgyzstan," he said.
Col. Greg Julian, the U.S. spokesman in Afghanistan, denied there was any change in U.S. use of the base and he noted that Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, just recently traveled there.
"I think it's political positioning. Gen. Petraeus was just there and he talked with them. We have a standing contract and they're making millions off our presence there. There are no plans to shut down access to it anytime soon," he told The Associated Press.
As recently as Jan. 19, Petraeus said he had received Kyrgyz assurances that Russia was not pushing for the base to close.
In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said: "I have seen nothing to suggest, other than press reports, that the Russians are attempting to undermine our use of that facility."
The United States set up Manas and a base in neighboring Uzbekistan after the September 2001 attacks to back operations in Afghanistan. Uzbekistan expelled U.S. troops from the base on its territory in 2005 in a dispute over human rights issues, leaving Manas as the only U.S. military facility in the immediate region.
Moscow, which fought a 10-year war in Afghanistan during the Soviet era, was initially supportive of U.S. efforts to keep Afghanistan from collapsing into new anarchy and stem the spread of militancy northward through ex-Soviet Central Asia.
But as Kremlin suspicions about U.S. foreign policy have grown, so has Russian wariness about the U.S. presence in Central Asia. Russia also uses a military air base in the ex-Soviet nation.
During his visit last month, Petraeus said that Manas would be key to plans to boost the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan. He also said the United States currently pumps a total of $150 million into Kyrgyzstan's economy annually, including $63 million in rent for Manas.
About 1,200 U.S. troops are based at Manas.
Russia, however, agreed Tuesday to provide Kyrgyzstan with $2 billion in loans plus another $150 million in financial aid.
Kyrgyzstan is one of Central Asia's poorest countries and has been buffeted by political turmoil for years. Its economy has been strained to the limit this winter after neighboring Uzbekistan significantly raised prices for natural gas.
Most Kyrgyz have been supportive, or at least accepting, of the U.S. presence, though in 2007, widespread anger erupted after a U.S. serviceman at Manas shot and killed a Kyrgyz man during a security check. Kyrgyz investigators had asked the serviceman face criminal prosecution in their country.
Petraeus said during a trip to the region last month that the investigation will be reopened.
Central Asia is key to U.S. efforts to secure an alternative supply line to forces in Afghanistan. The main route, through the Khyber Pass in Pakistan's northwest, has occasionally been closed in recent months due to rising attacks by bandits and Islamist militants, including one on Tuesday that destroyed a bridge.
During his visit, which included a stop in Kyrgyzstan, Petraeus said Washington had struck deals with Russia and several Central Asian states to allow the transhipment of supplies heading to Afghanistan.
NATO spokesman Eric Povel said the alliance could not comment because use of the base was an issue for the U.S. and Kyrgyzstan.
"It's not a NATO base," he said.
The car dealerships are closing every day. SM
Mervyn's, a long-time, great dept. store, is gone. Soon Circuit City will be history, if it's not already. Construction work has dried up. With the drought, farm work has, too - even the Mexicans are leaving. Food prices skyrocketing. Lots of empty business offices from a few years back when the tech-bubble burst. Even Starbucks stores are closing. (Maybe putting one on EVERY street-corner wasn't such a great idea, after all.) People moving out of all the foreclosed homes have driven rent-prices sky-high. Animal shelters filled to overflowing by animals left behind in foreclosed homes. All we need now is another big 7.1 earthquake. That's probably next.
Other than that, things are great out here.
He even voted AGAINST closing tax loopholes
would give them loopholes to avoid paying taxes. HE VOTED "NAY". Yea, this guy is the real deal alright.
The closing argument that lifts us up
what it really means to be an American. No amount of harsh rhetoric or divisive tactics can touch the hope I hold nor the joy I take in knowing that the country I love, which has lost so much of late, is still there, is on the mend and that better and brighter days are just around the bend.
Closing Gitmo is also a priority.
It will reduce the cost to the taxpayer of holding these suspects indefinitely and, more importantly, be a significant step in restoring our international standing. The only question will be whether or not the creation of a new court system to process these suspects come to pass.
This may surprise you, but most presidents multitask and can work on more than one issue a day. His administration will address your concerns too. Our domestic and international dilemmas must all be addressed. Although this is not important to you, it is to many who voted for him.
I'm thrilled that he is closing Gitmo!
This is just the first step in undoing the damage that George Bush has done! Can't wait to see what President Obama will do next!
All of it. Hello. Closing Gitmo is not the end of the story.
This subject has been exercise all morning long below. Care to speculate on just why there is a review of operations of Gitmo and what the intent is behind that review? You cannot exercise a debate on a subject where policy on the issue is YET TO BE DETERMINED.
Chrysler closing all 30 plants for 1 month.
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Yeah, and the closing of Gitmo could be disastrous.
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Obama had every intention of closing Gitmo
I suppose he just didn't expect soldiers to speak up and out against the government. How dare they go up against the great and almighty Obama!
Now with all their voices speaking up, he has to figure out another way to get it done!
Pay close attention folks....quit closing
Hershey closing York Peppermint Patty plant in PA
And is moving their plant to MEXICO. It's situations like this where NAFTA should be renegotiated and remove any profit incentive for companies to take away American jobs like this.
Although I really like York Peppermint Patties, I don't think I'll continue to buy this product.
Hershey closing York Peppermint Patty plant in Pa.
By Associated Press
POSTED: 03:30 p.m. EST, Feb 20, 2009
READING, Pa.: Production of York Peppermint Patties and other candy brands is coming to an end at The Hershey Co. plant in Reading.
After 23 years in Reading, the chocolate maker is closing the plant today and moving production to a new factory it has built in Monterey, Mexico. Hershey says it will mean the loss of about 260 jobs in the southeastern Pennsylvania city.
The plant also makes 5th Avenue and Zagnut candy bars and Jolly Rancher hard candies.
The nation's largest candy manufacturer announced two years ago that the plant would close as part of a wider move by Hershey to eliminate 1,500 jobs and one-third of its existing production lines, shifting more manufacturing to contractors in the United States.
Some workers will stay on for a few more weeks to close the plant.
READING, Pa.: Production of York Peppermint Patties and other candy brands is coming to an end at The Hershey Co. plant in Reading.
After 23 years in Reading, the chocolate maker is closing the plant today and moving production to a new factory it has built in Monterey, Mexico. Hershey says it will mean the loss of about 260 jobs in the southeastern Pennsylvania city.
The plant also makes 5th Avenue and Zagnut candy bars and Jolly Rancher hard candies.
The nation's largest candy manufacturer announced two years ago that the plant would close as part of a wider move by Hershey to eliminate 1,500 jobs and one-third of its existing production lines, shifting more manufacturing to contractors in the United States.
Some workers will stay on for a few more weeks to close the plant.
http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/39968037.html
National ID.......
Not only won't you be able to fly, you won't be able to go into any federal building without one. A few states have said they will not do national ID cards (drivers license) and then some liberal idiots in Congress said well, if you don't go along with this government-backed pulling of your civil rights right out from under your nose, your state will receive NO government funding of any type, schools, roads, etc. Now if that ain't forced servitude into government, what is???? So many people really don't believe that is a problem. Since when do you feel you need a national ID card, for what purpose? As the government usually does, they mandate garbage on the citizens of this country in order to protect us......yea, right. No national ID card is going to protect us. If we can't protect the southern or northern borders of this country, how in the world will a little 'old card do that? It won't.....plain and simple. But then again, any time our dear old government mandates anything, the citizens of this country are screwed with fewer and fewer rights. Constitution is going down the tubes quickly.
Two Border State Governors Declare Illegal Immigration State of Emergency
Two Border State Governors Declare Illegal Immigration State of Emergency
SIGN THE PETITION!
CLICK HERE!
THANK YOU!
Considering our national debt is now......... sm
sitting at, what, $3 trillion dollars, I doubt government oversight would be of much benefit to the auto industry. In fact, I kind of feel like the government really has the audacity to ask a private industry to prove a solvent plan when the government can't even balance their own books. Either way, the auto industry is going under. It's just a matter of whether it is now or 6 months from now.
its from the national review -
not worth reading, notorious right wing organization.
Well, when you look at the national polls
and see that 37% of Americans are in favor of the bill, I guess you can say that *most* people don't want this stimulus!
So you don't believe we have national security concerns?
If you do believe we have national security issues then what is your answer to keeping us safe?
McCain and National Security
McCain Lobbyist Scandal Continues: Government Warned Senator That Campaign Manager Was Undermining National Interests
The lobbying firm of McCain campaign manager Rick Davis acted in direct opposition to American foreign interests, which prompted a warning to McCain's Senate office from the United States government, according to a recent New York Times article.
Much has been reported about Rick Davis, top McCain adviser and lobbyist whose company, Davis Manafort, made its fortune in part by accepting jobs that didn't require employees to register as lobbyists. Davis has been in particular hot water for his company's work with pro-Russian Ukranian political candidates; Davis arranged for one of Putin's allies to meet with McCain during the time.
However, the New York Times has managed to take that already embarrassing story and make it even worse:
Mr. McCain may have first become aware of Davis Manafort's activities in Ukraine as far back as 2005. At that time, a staff member at the National Security Council called Mr. McCain's Senate office to complain that Mr. Davis's lobbying firm was undercutting American foreign policy in Ukraine, said a person with direct knowledge of the phone call who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A campaign spokesman, when asked whether such a call had occurred, referred a reporter to Mr. McCain's office. The spokesman there, Robert Fischer, did not respond to repeated inquiries.
Such a call might mean that Mr. McCain has been long aware of Mr. Davis's foreign clients. Mr. Davis took a leave from his firm at the end of 2006.
This isn't the only time when Davis' business interests have appeared counter to those of the United States: Davis' Ukranian contacts shared several business ties with Iran.
McCain suffered from a perception problem last month when the extent of his lobbying connection caused his campaign to fire several key staffers, as well as institute a new conflict-of-interest policy. The McCain camp has said that Davis is unaffected by the policy, as its implementation is not retroactive. Davis is no longer registered as a lobbyist.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/12/mccain-lobbyist-scandal-c_n_106832.html
Does he even know the words of the National Anthem? sm
I don't remember him singing either, in the clip I saw.
Just wondering if anybody knew?
threat to national security
and YOU have undisputed proof of this?
National security and low taxes.. For me, that
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Right..and without strong National Security, the
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A ? for those in favor of national healthcare
What is your rationale for wanting government in charge of your healthcare? You have to know that if this happens, healthcare in this country IS going to be rationed, the same as it's been rationed in Great Britain, Sweden, and Canada. There will be long waits for procedures that we now take for granted being done in a very short time. I know Obama promised the same healthcare as he now has in the senate...do you believe him?
cancer and national health
It's these sort of false concerns -- LOOK OUT, SIX TO TWELVE MONTH WAITS AND BY THEN YOU'RE DEAD! DEAD!!!! -- that impede progress toward a fair healthcare system. They're repetition of talking points, nothing more. A ten-second internet search would tell you, for instance, that in the UK:
-Over 99% of people with suspected cancer are now seen by a specialist within two
weeks of being urgently referred by their GP.
-Over 99% of patients with cancer are receiving their first treatment within one
month of diagnosis.
-Over 96% of patients with cancer are receiving their first treatment within two
months of being urgently referred by their GP.
Now I'll leave it to you and Google to find the comparable numbers for the US.
The larger point is, though, that if you decide this nation doesn't need universal healthcare, then you need to say exactly who it is you don't want care provided to. Because that's all this ever comes down to: Who do you include, and who do you leave out?
It's called national security. sm
jm is correct, in that the current administration's plans and policies have kept us safe.
A lot will be revealed, when it is safe to do so, so that our national security is not compromised.
You and I, as citizens, do not have the security clearance to be made aware of what has been averted.
Our new national anthem --- for all you Obots.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l46t_nrySg4
Not the same at all! The man inherited a national crisis,,,,,,sm
the likes of which have not been seen since the Great Depression, he had no hand at all in creating it. But he was brave enough and altruistic enough to come forward and TRY to bring changes that WOULD HELP OUR COUNTRY IN THE LONG RUN. Do you like instant Cup-A-Soup and coffee, because you and so many others are putting the RIDICULOUS load on Obama's shoulders to INSTANTLY come up with the perfect answer to all the crises (and yes, this is a multi-dimentional problem, no quick fix here), make everyone happy, snap his fingers, and poof the big bad depression that has been brewing for a LONG TIME since the Bush administration, and I say that because under President Clinton we had record surpluses in our nation, and by the by, you think W. was well-polished, well-experienced to head this country just cuz Daddy did? Come off it, he hired most of Daddy's friend and cabinet, he took his cues, but the poor guy could not even speak well, even with his Yale education. This man has been in office 4 months versus the past 8 years, a bit of inequity here?
Speaking of National Security,
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30107040/
I hope we are not having a war on US soil soon.
WASHINGTON - Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
The spies came from China, Russia and other countries, and were believed to be on a mission to navigate the U.S. electrical system and its controls, the newspaper said, citing current and former U.S. national security officials.
The intruders have not sought to damage the power grid or other key infrastructure but officials said they could try during a crisis or war, the paper said in a report on its website.
"The Chinese have attempted to map our infrastructure, such as the electrical grid," a senior intelligence official told the Journal. "So have the Russians."
The espionage appeared pervasive across the United States and does not target a particular company or region, said a former Department of Homeland Security official.
"There are intrusions, and they are growing," the former official told the paper, referring to electrical systems. "There were a lot last year."
Authorities investigating the intrusions have found software tools left behind that could be used to destroy infrastructure components, the senior intelligence official said. He added, "If we go to war with them, they will try to turn them on."
Officials said water, sewage and other infrastructure systems also were at risk.
Protecting the electrical grid and other infrastructure is a key part of the Obama administration's cybersecurity review, which is to be completed next week.
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