Memories - And a Happy New Year to All

Every December 31st I break out the photo albums and take notice. Be it one from 1961 or 78', I reflect upon my role in this world. The good thing is that tonight, I am going over with my wife and two boys to our friends house. Eric & Debbie are neighbors of ours. They have a young son and both are "the bestest" Debbie's favourite word LOL.. Anyway, I'll make this one short. To George, Curt, Karen, Charlie and anyone else I have pissed off, I am sorry. My resolution is to be a nicer person, from the inside first. No outer shell glossed over with fresh paint on this Man. Happy New Year to all, and may God bless you and yours. A Picture of my Wife Liz, Nephews Tommy & Joey (Stephen is not there),Son Franny, My Dad Pete, Son Eric, Sister Kathy,& Son Nicky. Cheers! And DONT DRIVE DRUNK! (Take it from one who knows)

Cheap Skate

U.S. Aid For Victims Of Tsunami $35 Million: Cost Of Bush Inauguration $30 Million: Read On and THINK! 14 give $250,000 each to Bush fete Inauguration likely among costliest Manny Fernandez Washington Post Dec. 19, 2004 12:00 AM WASHINGTON - More than a dozen wealthy Bush supporters have donated $250,000 each to help pay for the president's second inauguration, which is shaping up as one of the most expensive. According to a major donor list on the Presidential Inaugural Committee's Web site, 14 companies and individuals each have given $250,000, and 10 have contributed $100,000. The list, which includes all donations made as of Thursday, also shows a contribution of $25,000 and another of $50,000. The $250,000 donors include former Enron President Richard Kinder, Dell Computer founder Michael Dell and Texas oilman and corporate takeover specialist T. Boone Pickens. Also on the $250,000 list are ExxonMobil Corp.; Sallie Mae Inc., a Reston, Va.-based company that annually provides billions of dollars in student loans; United Technologies Corp., a unit of which manufactures Army Black Hawk helicopters; the utility Southern Co.; and Stephens Group Inc., an Arkansas venture capital company. "We've seen a lot of enthusiasm from people wanting to help make the 55th inaugural a success," said Tracey Schmitt, spokeswoman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, which coordinates most inaugural activities. Oh, how nice Tracey.. You twat.. "People understand that the inauguration of our president is a great tradition, a tradition that transcends partisan politics." Schmitt said the donations help pay for the venues, vendors, parade-route bleachers, entertainment and other costs associated with staging the Jan. 20 inauguration, as well as lead-up events beginning Jan.18. The inauguration is estimated to cost $30 million to $40 million, which private donations will cover. The estimate includes security costs not covered by the federal and local government. Security is expected to be tight for the inauguration, the first since the Sept.11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Mean While, GWB pledges a paltry 30 million for helping the families of over 120,000 dead people? Hey Duyba, Do the right thing like this Republican would. Divert some of those Billions from Halliburton to those REALLY in need. OK? Link Here

GIs can be forced to wear U.N. beret

GIs can be forced to wear U.N. beret Federal judge upholds court martial of soldier who refused orders Posted: December 25, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42102 This is a total sham. The United States Military was created to defend the United States and her territories. PERIOD. The United Nations has no right to use our troops in any capacity or to dictate dress uniform code. Imagine being over in Mosul right now, not home with your family and friends. Young men and women who are bacially guards for oil. Being shot at 24/7 and hated by the civilian population! AND to have to wear a silly looking blue beret? My heart goes out to ALL of them. Here is the guy who was railroaded by our government for upholding his oath of alligence. See Below. ''I, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God!" Another thing that gets me rattled is what happened to the American Battle Star on Tanks, etc? Now they have this sideways triangle. What does it signify? The Abrams tank should have an AMERICAN star on it, like the ones used in WW2. And finally this: Just WHO is protecting AMERICA proper right now? How many military personnel who are trained are in the states? Russia or China could invade us with the many troops they have and all we would have to try to stop them would be with what? Homeowner guns?

Reggie White Dead at 43

My stepson informed me of this about an hour ago. I remember Reggie when he was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. He will be missed dearly. My heart goes out to his friends and family. R.I.P. Reggie.

Merry Christmas To All

Ihope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas. With this war in Iraq, T.O. hurt, record deficits, we could use some divine intervention. But you know you rarely get what one asks for. I remember when I was a kid wanting this motor that you mounted on your bicycle. It was made by Mattel and called Vroom or something like that. My friend Dave Holcombe who's dad worked for Rohm and Haas had bought him one, and he was younger than me. Well I complained to the powers that be (My Mom) and sure enough I also had one bought for me on my Birthday. Imagine an 10 year old strapping this contraption on his bicycle in the middle of February and riding around Upper Darby in freezing snowy weather (It ALWAYS snowed in Delaware County when I was a kid) making noise and screaming like some drug crazed lunatic! I do believe I had ADHD or whatever they call it. But back then, you had nuns at St. Cyril's who would slap the smirk off your face in a heartbeat. Nowadays kids are routinely given Ritalin and other meth drugs to combat this. I say recruit Catholic nuns and let them loose on these sniveling brats.. No more Mr. Nice guy. Here's a toy that I had asked Santa for and got. Yes.. My hero, Major Matt Mason. This was in 1970? My buddy Steve and I were engrossed with the moon landings and were on missions of our own. Toys back then were far more simpler, and required that you used your imagination. Remember this one? The Zero M combination pistol and camera. I went from being an astronaut to a spy in a few days. Who knows how many current CIA ops were influenced by this toy as a child. You could secretly take photos of the nasty neighbor across the street, who you just knew was a russkie KGB agent. And if they caught you in the act, you could silence them. Here's what I want for this Christmas.. Just kidding. More about Drew later.. What I really want is for our young men & women to get the hell out of the Middle East. Period. I think that most people would agree. And to the one's that don't? Bah - Humbug! Cheers!

More Yahoo Msg Board Comedians

RED STATE VOTER APPLICATION by: muconium 12/20/04 10:36 pm Msg: 908712 of 908849 5 recommendations Name: ________________ (_) Billy-Bob (last) (_) Billy-Joe (_) Billy-Ray (_) Billy-Sue (_) Billy-Mae (_) Billy-Jack (_) Billy-Jefferson (Check appropriate box) Age: ____ Sex: ____ M _____ F _____ N/A Shoe Size: ____ Left ____ Right Occupation: (_)Farmer (_)Mechanic (_)Hair Dresser (_)Unemployed Spouse's Name: __________________________ Relationship with spouse: (_) Sister (_) Brother (_) Aunt (_) Uncle (_) Cousin (_) Mother (_) Father (_) Son (_) Daughter (_) Pet Number of children living in household: ___ Number that are yours: ___ Mother's Name: _______________________ Father's Name: _______________________ (If not sure, leave blank) Education: 1 2 3 4 (Circle highest grade completed) Do you (_)own or (_)rent your mobile home? (Check appropriate box) ___ Total number of vehicles you own ___ Number of vehicles that still crank ___ Number of vehicles in front yard ___ Number of vehicles in back yard ___ Number of vehicles on cement blocks Firearms you own and where you keep them: ____ truck ____ bedroom ____ bathroom ____ kitchen ____ shed Model and year of your pickup: ___________194_ Newspapers/magazines you subscribe to: (_)The National Enquirer (_)The Globe (_)TV Guide (_)Soap Opera Digest ___ Number of times you've seen a UFO ___ Number of times you've seen Elvis ___ Number of times you've seen Elvis in a UFO How often do you bathe: (_)Weekly (_)Monthly (_)Not Applicable Color of teeth: (_)Yellow (_)Brownish-Yellow (_)Brown (_)Black (_)N/A Brand of chewing tobacco you prefer: (_)Red-Man How far is your home from a paved road? (_)1 mile (_)2 miles (_)don't know

Chemtrails over Delaware County

This has been going on now since the mid 80's. I welcome all locals who want more information about Chemtrails to visit google and type in the word "Chemtrails". Rense.com has a section devoted to it at: http://www.rense.com/politics6/chemdatapage.html . Cheers.

Voices from Yahoo

Poster on Yahoo wrote: GOODBYE AMERICA by: torture_4_dummies (30/F/Up Shiite Creek, Imam) 12/08/04 11:38 pm Msg: 23922 of 23960 All we see coming from our leaders are reactions and not investigations and public disclosure of why terrorism is increasing against our great country. All they talk about it responding, not about the causes of the hate. Bush and the GOP only see war and economic opportunities within the war to make billions as they stir up the ashes of our emotion over 9/11 and mislead us into more conflicts instead of giving the real reasons to the American people why we have these problems. The USA with its CIA has undermined many foreign governments, it has interfered with many others and may even be responsible for the deaths of some governmental leaders. In Iran, we helped over throw a legitimate government and installed the Shar of Iran as our puppet. We know that did not work and our embassy was taken hostage by the retaliation. Then we helped Iraq and Saddam obtain WMD, gave him logistic intelligence and support and encouraged him to wage war with Iran because Iran now hated our policies. Then we attack Iraq because Iraq was supporting terror against Israel, not the USA. That plus the oil are the only true reasons why Bush attacked. We supported the insurgents of Afghanistan against the Russians in the 60's. We used Pakistan to funnel about 3 billion in aid, weapons and logistics on Russian movements to these people, including our Friend Bin Laden. Bin Laden then killed most of the native leaders and took over the country and then they attack us on 9/11. We then attack Afghanistan. Behind all this activity lies oil. And who is our government loves oil? The Bush and Cheney families. Who in our government would do anything for Israel, even fight a war for them without our approval? Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz and the entire NEO CONS who are all right wing Jews. So I ask you what does democracy have to do with all this?. Why are our boys dying in Iraq? Certainly it is not about democracy for democracy is not about greed, about double standards, lies and deception and until American wakes up to see what games our government is playing we may as well say good-bye to the country we thought represented democracy. The people in power today have learned not only to use mind control games on foreign countries but they have turned what they have learned on to our own people. It is time to wake up folks.

Day Of Infamy 12/07/41

Today marks the 63 anniversary of the most cunning deceitful lies orchestrated by the American government. What's this? Well all of us (Me Too) were told that the Japanese Imperial Navy sneak attacked Pearl Harbor. Yes, they attacked, but it hardly was sneaky. Japanese naval codes were cracked by US naval cryptographers prior to Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt wanted this war. America's mothers didn't. Just Google - "Pearl Harbor Truth" Fast Forward 9/11/01. 19 Arab looking men pull off one of the most complex and phyicially impossible jobs ever. Kill over 3,000 and "level three steel structures, using kerosene". Building over insured 800% to the tune of 17.5 BILLION. Israeli's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is quoted as saying: “Every time we do something, you [Shimon Peres] tell me America will do this and will do that... I want to tell you something very clear: Don’t worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it.” So when does all of this end? When will the mainstream media start commenting about these facts? 63 more years?

Teach Your Children Well

Earlier tonight I was helping my son Fran with his History homework. It was about the war of 1812. He was of course bored as hell and wanted to watch Monday Night Football. I don't blame him, but History and Science and Geography were my favourite subjects when I was in the eighth grade at St.Cyril of Alexandria. Drexel Hill Middle School is where our two boys attend. One in eighth,(Fran) and one in sixth,(Nick). Science is NOT Fran's favourite subject. I loved it as a kid, had many science experiments in grade school, and watch the Discovery Channel every night. So, how do you get a 13 year old to look forward to Science class? I have but only one idea. Transfer Lauren (Yes she is a Science teacher in eighth grade for another township middle school in the same district), to DHMS. This young teacher I'm sure will get every boys attention in the classroom. Did I mention that she also has a side job as a Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader?
My step son Eric informed me about her. He was a classmate at UDHS with her and also knows her personally. He said that she was "Good People" and other things that I will keep private. So there it is. Lauren? How about helping out these kids in D.H.? Sort of a lend-lease program between schools. Your beauty and teaching abilities would go a long way out there in Drexel Hill also. Kids these days need someone to motivate them with real issues, and I don't have the mystique and sincerity that you have. Either way, Go E A G L E S! I hope they win it all this year, God knows we need it!

Clifton Rams

Our two sons play for the Clifton Rams, and one of them will advance to the Championship game next week. Fran Jr. lost last week to Colwyn, and Nicky, of the Midget Varsity, won today against Colwyn 12-0. I am so proud of all of the coaches, players and the family members who acually SHOW UP at these games. and, to Drexel Hill, you parents are the most arrogent assholes alive. To do what you did last week while one of our Clifton Cheerleaders was singing our national anthem was dispicable. Stuffy assholes from Drexel Park. Gee, your homes aren't worth nearly as much as you would like them to be. Crime and blight are right accross the trolley tracks. The parents and fans of the Clifton Rams are a tight knit community who not only cheer for the home team but respect the other team. This is one of the reasons why I love Clifton Heights. Were proud of our children. Be sure to look for pictures of the championship game next week. I will be posting them. (Update:) I bought the domain name CliftonRams.com and a server through ipowerweb. I will be adding stuff slowly to it.

I Concede the Presidency to George W. Bush

It's Saturday morning, and I'm taking it easy today. I have a lot of things that have to be completed, like the job in Downingtown, and Mike's place. But today I will play auto mechanic, installing a new blower motor for our van, and a headlight. Why the title "I Concede the Presidency to G.W.B.?" Well I'll put it this way. Last night I saw my buddy at Thomas' Cafe. As I sat down, he informs everyone around him that "The Democrat" just walked in. I half heartedly let out a laugh, and informed the gang that I was not nor never was a Democrat. I've been Republican since eighteen. Just because I voted for Kerry did not mean that I was a "Liberal" or a Dem. Why Kerry then? Gee. Good question. I wanted us out of Iraq and the Middle East. Period. Since George Bush stated that he would be working to bring an end to this conflict, and to try to create a Palestinian state within four years, I am delighted. Since he won, he also seems more focused, and less stressed out. So, President Bush, I will back you up in anything you do, trusting that you will make the right decisions that will both benefit our great country, and the world. Who do I want for President in 2008? John McCain.

A November To Remember

Well it's been quite a beginning to my November. President Bush was "elected" to the White House for his lame duck session. I missed the Benefit at the Lagoon last night, (I'll explain that later,) and as I read the Daily Rag, I see several things that caught my eye. One is in Sound Off. One post, "Election Envy Of Rest Of World" tells of America conducting a fair and well- planned election. Obiviously, this caller never heard of DieBold and other bullshit things going on in other states like Ohio and Florida. Pennsylvania, specifically Delaware County, has Mechanical voting machines. You know, big & green and with a curtain. Wonder why Bush lost here? Hard to cheat compared to those "Electronic" ones that don't leave a paper trail. Another thing I read was Ed Gebhart's Opinion colomun, about a Vietnam Vet's experiences, or so he titles it. Well, he let's you all know that the FACTS were that Clinton was a draft dodger, and that Kerry "Gave aid and comfort to the enemy". I do not see nowhere about Cheney's FIVE deferments, nor Bush's coking it up and AWOL in ALABAMA. Yes, we all make misteaks, even our President. Bottom line? Ed Gebhart is an old geezer who like Gil Spencer thinks that he knows it all. These two men have tunnel vision. They don't care who or what is running our country, as long as it's Republican. Another line out of the Daily Rag that caught my eye and is the GOD'S HONEST TRUTH is from the article "Calling For Help". You know, it's about several freaked out chicks who have decided to make it rich after getting tired of their jobs. (They must be liberals.) Here it is: "She didn't mind the signature requirement, nor was it hard to accomplish. The women also didn't mind when they were told they HAD to register Republican in order to qualify for the job. REQUIREMENT? What country do we live in? I'll actively give anybody more than he/she can handle if they EVER tell me that as a requirement for employment or getting a contract I need to be registered as a Republican in Delaware County. I remember when I was eighteen being told, "You have to register Republican if you want a job in Upper Darby." So I did. (Even so I never did get that trashman job either). My Advice to all you Democrats living in Delco? Go to the courthouse and inquire about any job openings. Be sure to change your party though if your serious about working. Or know a good attorney.

Something's Wrong with The Water In Delaware County

Yes. Our tap water smells of a putrid stench. like Naylor's Run creek when I was a kid in the 60's down at Cobbs Creek park. My wife and son drank a few glasses earlier and both are complaining of frontal headaches. Ever since AQUA took over the Philadelphia Suburban Water Company this has been a frequent complaint in our household in Clifton Heights. Well, It's off to bed now. Be sure to get off your asses and VOTE tomorrow.

Icemans Blog: Folcroft-Asshole-Bastards on Bennington Road

Seems there are scumbags living in Delaware County. My buddy Mike tells of thieves in Folcroft, Delaware County. I hope these cretins have instant karma beheveled right back at them! Typical Bennigton Rd scum? Or just needy crack whores? It amazes me that people can be so downright tuncs... Icemans Blog: Folcroft-Asshole-Bastards on Bennington Road

People in Delaware County are not stupid

More good points being made by concerned people in Pennsylvania. Haverford Township Politics / Elections - Township, County, State, National / 40 Bush Visits - Good for us? Oct 21, 2004, 10:21pm Started by WhyDoICare Last post by WhyDoICare George Bush visits Pennsylvania today for the 40th time since taking office. Let's take a look at what each of those visits has meant. Since George Bush took office, we've lost 161,200 manufacturing jobs in Pennsylvania. That's 4,030 pink slips for every time he set foot in the Commonwealth. Health insurance premiums for the average Pennsylvania family have risen $3,697. That's a $92.43 co-pay per Bush visit. 337,000 Pennsylvanians have lost their health coverage altogether since George Bush became president. That's 8,425 more people worrying about what happens if they get sick each time the president came to town. The average family is paying $540 more to keep their gas tanks full each year during the Bush administration. That's $13.50 for every time the president gassed up Air Force One to visit us here in Pennsylvania. The president sure has given Pennsylvania a lot of attention over the past four years, but you have to ask yourself: Are you better off today than you were 40 visits ago? Source: Haverford Blog

Curt Weldon - Demigod or Pariah ?

Main Entry: demi·god Pronunciation: 'de-mE-"gädFunction: noun1 : a mythological being with more power than a mortal but less than a god2 : a person so outstanding as to seem to approach the divine For more Information on "demigod" go to Britannica.com

Get the Top 10 Search Results for "demigod" pa·ri·ah ( P ) Pronunciation Key (p-r)n. A social outcast: “Shortly Tom came upon the juvenile pariah of the village, Huckleberry Finn, son of the town drunkard” (Mark Twain). An Untouchable.

Curt Weldon has been a Congressman for the 7th District in Pennsylvania since 1986. In those years, he had done a lot for his constituents, via lobbying for defense contracts, that provided companies like Boeing to thrive. But lately, as I scoured the "Internets" (har har) about his dealings, I have become very concerned. This man is supposed to represent me and my family. His last update to his web site concerning news was on February 25th , 2004. He tells of being proud of a firm in West Chester (Not in the 7th district) being awarded a contract to renovate a naval base for the Iraqi navy.

What I'm saying in a nutshell is that to Boeing and other companies specializing in warfare systems, this is fine and dandy. But to other companies in Delaware County and the surounding area, this does nothing. And now even the Boeing plant in Essington, not far fron Curt's former home in Marcus Hook, has been abandoned by Curt in favor of doing business with Russia. Reason to me? His daughter Karen. Even good old Charlie Sexton, (Not his link, but check out his wives name) rummored to be the head honcho of the "war board" in Delco has his hands in this.. READ ON...

Lucrative Deals for a Daughter of PoliticsFri Feb 20, 7:55 AM ETLA Times By Ken Silverstein, Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper Times Staff Writers

WASHINGTON — Karen Weldon, an inexperienced 29-year-old lobbyist from suburban Philadelphia, seemed an unlikely choice for clients seeking global public relations services. Yet her tiny firm was selected last year for a plum $240,000 contract to promote the good works of a wealthy Serbian family that had been linked to accused war criminal Slobodan Milosevic.

Despite a lack of professional credentials, she had one notable asset — her father, U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), who is a leading voice in Washington on former Eastern Bloc affairs. She got the contract after he championed the efforts of two family members, Dragomir and Bogoljub Karic, to win U.S. visas from the State Department, which so far has refused them entry.

Intelligence officials warned Weldon that the brothers were too close to Milosevic, who is accused of leading the "ethnic cleansing" in the former Yugoslav federation. But the congressman has praised the Karics, who own a vast empire of banking, telecommunication and other firms, as model business leaders and humanitarians. He has portrayed them as victims of faulty intelligence reports and, last month, asked the CIA to sit down with them and sort things out. He has repeatedly pressed the State Department to give them visas.

Karen Weldon said her father "developed a rapport" with the Karics and introduced her to them. But her firm, Solutions North America Inc., won the consulting contract on its merits, she said. Her father declined to answer questions for this article. The congressman also has gone to bat for at least two of Solutions' other clients, both struggling Russian companies. Together, the three contracts are worth almost $1 million a year to her firm for services that have included joining her father on congressional trips and in meetings with clients. The Weldons are the latest example of special interests hiring relatives of important members of Congress as lobbyists and consultants. Over the last year, The Times has identified 11 other House members and 17 senators with relatives who lobby or consult, many of them for clients the members have helped through legislative or other action. Congressional ethics rules provide few barriers to the practice. They do not forbid members of Congress from helping companies or others who are paying their relatives. But Weldon has brought his daughter so deeply into his official activities that they sometimes appear to be working in tandem.

For example:

After a Russian aerospace manufacturer hired Karen Weldon's firm for $20,000 a month plus 10% of any new business it generated, Rep. Weldon pitched the company's saucer-shaped drone to the U.S. Navy which signed a letter of intent to invest in the technology. And Weldon, who chairs a subcommittee that oversees $60 billion in military acquisitions, has been working to get funding for the project, Navy officials say. A lawyer for Solutions said the firm did not collect the finder's fee and it was later removed from the contract. Federal law bars companies from paying commissions to lobbyists on government contracts.

The congressman helped round up 30 congressional colleagues for a dinner at the Library of Congress to honor the chairman of a Russian natural gas company, Itera International Energy Corp., that had just agreed to pay his daughter's firm $500,000 a year to "create good public relations." Records show Solutions North America helped arrange the privately funded affair for the company, which has been trying to improve its image with U.S. officials after questions were raised about its acquisition of vast natural gas fields in post-Soviet Russia.

Karen Weldon's firm paid for her father's chief of staff to take a "fact-finding" trip to Serbia, where he met with U.S. Embassy officials about the Karics' visa problems. The congressman approved the arrangement, travel records show. House ethics rules bar members or staff from taking official trips paid for by lobbyists or registered agents of foreign companies. The chief of staff, Michael J. Conallen Jr., said he reimbursed Solutions with his own money last week after The Times raised questions about the trip. Conallen said the congressman's actions on behalf of Karen Weldon's clients posed no "ethical concerns".. I just don't think there's anything strange about it," he said. "If Curt wanted to he could snap his fingers and divert a lot of business to Karen, and that hasn't happened."

Karen Weldon has a partner in Solutions, Charles P. Sexton Jr., 67, the former finance chairman of Rep. Weldon's campaigns. Neither has lobbied Weldon nor asked for his help, Conallen said. "The fact that they have contracts with these clients hasn't influenced anything Curt has done," he said. The congressman was advocating for the Karics and other Eastern European business interests long before his daughter opened her firm, Conallen said. In a written statement Thursday, Conallen added, "The congressman is generally aware of his daughter's company and the work she does for several of her clients. But the congressman has not discussed the specifics of Solutions North America's agreements with their clients or the nature of their representation." Karen Weldon declined to say whether she discussed her clients with her father. But she said her firm's success was not due to his position in Congress. "Because of who he is, people have questioned me all my life about whether I'm qualified and if I can do the job," she said. "I have nothing to hide. I haven't done anything inappropriate."

Going Into Business

Rep. Weldon, a former school teacher, was first elected to Congress in 1986 from the Republican suburbs southwest of Philadelphia. Over nine terms, he has moved up in seniority on the House Armed Services Committee. He is vice chairman — the second-ranking Republican — and chairman of its tactical air and land forces subcommittee. Weldon, a Russian studies major in college, also is a noted advocate of closer relationships with the former Soviet Union. He has made more than 30 trips to Russia as a member of Congress. He is the founder and chairman of the Congressional U.S.-Former Soviet Union Energy Caucus and founder and co-chairman of the official interparliamentary exchange between the U.S. and Russia. Today, Conallen said, "There is nobody in Congress more knowledgeable about Russia than Curt Weldon." That judgment is shared by many of Weldon's House colleagues. Until she launched Solutions, Karen Weldon had been following a different career path. She had an undergraduate degree in education and a graduate degree in information systems. She spent six years, she said, working on "learning and training programs" for Boeing Co., which has a helicopter plant at the edge of Rep. Weldon's district. Conallen said Weldon did not help his daughter get the job at Boeing, which is a frequent beneficiary of his work in Washington and one of his top campaign donors. When she and Sexton opened their business in September 2002, Solutions' office consisted of a cubicle in a suburban Philadelphia office suite that provided a common receptionist and conference room for all 120 of its tenants. A few months later, Solutions opened a similar office in downtown Washington. Karen Weldon said Sexton "makes a lot of the business connections" for their firm. Her partner is a political power broker in Weldon's district and the former owner of a security guard company, which he recently sold for $6 million. She described her role as "legwork and project management," including graphics and Web development. (Web Development? Ok... Whatever you say.) She said she doesn't work on legislation and called Solutions "more of a business consultancy than a lobbying firm," though she and Sexton have registered with the Justice Department as foreign agents for their three clients. Lobbyists representing overseas clients must file disclosure reports with the department's Foreign Agents Registration Unit. She would not say who else she and Sexton represented beyond the three clients reported in Solutions' disclosure forms. Karen Weldon said the idea for Solutions originated with Sexton. He was already talking to Itera, the Russian energy company, she said. Sexton declined an interview request from The Times. She said they became 50-50 partners, and Itera became Solutions' first client. It paid $170,000 of its annual fee up front — a timely infusion of cash for a start-up firm, especially one that had little experience or presence in Washington.

Russian Relations

Itera needed friends in Washington. Questions had been raised by Russian energy and investment companies about how Itera had gained title to billions of dollars worth of natural gas resources from a state-controlled conglomerate called Gazprom. William Browder of Hermitage Capital Management, a large Russian investment fund with a stake in Gazprom, said the conglomerate transferred the assets for little or nothing. Itera officials declined to be interviewed. The controversy has been a cloud over Itera's efforts to gain access to Western investment capital and markets. The U.S. Trade and Development Agency withdrew an $868,000 grant to the company in March 2002 after questions were raised about Itera's background, said Leocadia Zak, an agency lawyer. It was a setback to the image of the company, which is seeking to expand its natural gas, timber and real estate holdings in the United States. Two months later, Rep. Weldon led a congressional delegation to Moscow in connection with a visit by President Bush. Weldon toured Itera's offices and, according to a company news release, praised it as a "strong and well-established company," and recommended it as "a great source" for U.S. energy firms seeking partners for joint ventures. When he returned home, Weldon blasted the Trade and Development Agency's decision at a news conference and made calls to the State Department on the company's behalf, though to no avail. On Sept. 5 and 6, 2002, Itera paid for Weldon's lodging in New York so he could do an interview with Russian radio about energy, Conallen said. A week later, Itera sent e-mails to Karen Weldon telling her the company would complete the terms of a contract with her firm at an upcoming dinner in Washington that her father was co-hosting to honor Itera's chairman. The dinner took place Sept. 24 at the Library of Congress. That day, Rep. Weldon had introduced a resolution in the House that encouraged U.S.-Russian cooperation on developing energy resources. Two days later, in a floor speech, he gave House colleagues a glowing report on Itera. On Sept. 30, Itera signed the $500,000-a-year contract with Solutions, which agreed to work on creating "good public relations so in the future Itera may sell goods and services to U.S. entities," according to foreign agent disclosure filings. They show the Library of Congress dinner as one of the firm's first efforts on Itera's behalf. When Rep. Weldon led a congressional delegation to Eastern Europe two months later, Itera paid for Karen Weldon to join him. Father and daughter met with the president of Georgia, and the congressman helped Itera resolve a costly commercial dispute with the government. During a stop in Moscow, Rep. Weldon called for increased U.S. imports from Itera and other Russian energy corporations. By January 2003, Itera had enough confidence in its prospects here to open an expanded U.S. headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla. The company flew the congressman down for the gala marking the event, according to his travel records. "I can think of no other company that represents what Russia is today and offers for the future," the congressman said, according to a local news report.

'Flying Saucer'

Karen Weldon said she found her second client, a Russian aerospace company, through a family friend. The friend was Philadelphia lawyer John J. Gallagher, who has worked with her father to foster U.S.-Russian business ties. Gallagher said he introduced Solutions to Saratov Aviation Plant in December 2002, because the company needed help promoting its products in the United States. One of its most promising creations was a drone that could deliver supplies to war zones, a device the company sometimes called its "flying saucer." Karen Weldon, or her partner Sexton, in turn sparked Rep. Weldon's interest in the company's technology, according to chief of staff Conallen. A Saratov official recalled hearing from Rep. Weldon "quite unexpectedly" in early January 2003. The congressman expressed "an acute interest" in the unmanned vehicle, said company director Alexander Ermishin. Weldon visited Saratov's plant later that month, accompanied by his daughter, who by then was negotiating a deal to consult for the company, according to Solutions' disclosure reports. It was an official trip for Weldon, who had congressional business in Russia and Austria. Karen Weldon's travel was paid through Solutions. They each attended meetings with Ermishin and other company officials. The congressman expressed enthusiasm about the saucer technology, Ermishin said. Within weeks, Saratov sealed a contract with Solutions to promote the company's products, according to foreign agent disclosure filings. Ermishin described the congressman's assistance on the project as "really invaluable." He declined to discuss why he hired Karen Weldon's firm. According to the contract that Solutions filed with the Justice Department, Saratov agreed to pay Solutions $20,000 a month with two contingencies: The cash-strapped company did not have to start paying until Solutions attracted new business. And Saratov would pay a 10% finder's fee if the company "strikes a deal from a lead supplied" by Solutions. After the Weldons returned from Russia, the congressman took steps to get a deal going. He contacted the Naval Air Systems Command, or Navair, which is based near Washington, about the Saratov saucer, Conallen said. Robert Carullo, a Navair staff member, said Weldon asked him to arrange for Ermishin to meet with Navair. The meeting took place in March. Solutions' disclosure reports say the firm also helped set up the meeting. Karen Weldon also helped arrange a follow-up meeting between Navair and Saratov in Russia in September, disclosure reports show. At the conclusion of that visit, Navair and Saratov signed a nonbinding letter of intent that called for Navair to seek funding to develop the saucer technology and fly a prototype by 2005. Ermishin said the technology needs between $10 million and $14 million as initial capital. John Fischer, Navair's director of research and engineering sciences, who led the delegation to Saratov, said he was impressed with the company's technology. In an interview, Fischer credited Rep. Weldon for bringing Saratov to Navair's attention, calling him "a very proactive member of Congress." He said Weldon was looking for money for the project. "The money is a sensitive question, but we are confident it will come," Fischer said. Conallen said Weldon had not yet taken steps to get the funding authorized by Congress.

Asked later about Karen Weldon's involvement, Navair provided a written response saying that Fischer met with her twice during the discussions with Saratov but did not realize she worked for the company. "Dr. Fischer was aware that Ms. Weldon was Rep. Weldon's daughter, but he was not aware that she had a business relationship with Saratov," the response said. "She did not identify herself other than by her name, and Dr. Fisher [sic] assumed her to be doing staff work for Congressman Weldon." Solutions' attorney, Joseph M. Fioravanti, on Thursday said the firm's finder's fee was eliminated under a new contract with Saratov signed in November. That contract was transferred to a new firm that Sexton and Karen Weldon formed last year. Fioravanti declined to provide more information on the new firm, Solutions Worldwide Inc. He said Saratov began paying the new firm $20,000 a month in December. At least four laws prohibit companies that receive federal contracts from paying contingency fees to lobbyists, according to Tom Susman, chairman of the ethics committee of the American League of Lobbyists. "We realized that with government contracts you're not supposed to get a percent, so we revised it," Karen Weldon said. "We were worried that it might look inappropriate."

A Family Affair

Clearing the Karic family name in the United States has become something of a crusade for Rep. Weldon. Their relationship dates to 1999, when he led a congressional delegation to Vienna that tried to broker a deal to end the war between Yugoslavia and the province of Kosovo.

By then, Milosevic's record of atrocities had been thoroughly documented. NATO had gone to war with the Belgrade regime, and U.S. bombers had pounded the capital to force the Yugoslav leader to withdraw from Kosovo. In public statements about the trip, Weldon has said that he and his colleagues met Dragomir Karic, who was introduced as a confidant of Milosevic who could negotiate a deal with the United States. His brother, Bogoljub, was a member of Milosevic's cabinet.

Weldon later told Congress that he had received a report on the Karics from U.S. intelligence officials that said a family member had bankrolled Milosevic's election, and that the family's bank had tried to finance a missile sale to his regime. Because of evidence that the Karics had supported Milosevic, the Treasury Department placed them on a list of Serbians banned from doing business in the United States. They all had been removed from the list by last year, as the United States normalized relations with Serbia, but they still cannot get visas. In a written statement, a spokesman for the Karics said, "Regarding the alleged links of the Karic Group or family to the Milosevic regime, we can only reiterate that these allegations are the product of groups or individuals from our country who have been themselves profiting from ties with the former regime."

Rep. Weldon came to adopt the view that the Karics, whose businesses thrived under Milosevic, were being unfairly portrayed as sympathizers of the former leader. "The story we get from the Karics is that Bogoljub was from the pro-democracy side, and Milosevic said your life and business depends on your working with me … and he did," Conallen said. "Curt believes in these guys and that their support for Milosevic was the result of innuendo and threat." On Oct. 8, 2002, Weldon sent a letter to Dragomir Karic inviting him to Washington to discuss the "extensive humanitarian and charity projects" sponsored by the family's Karic Foundation. The letter praised the Karics' business group and commended it to "U.S. companies seeking to establish business relationships in Serbia." Weldon's invitation was signed by 18 colleagues. According to Conallen, it was an effort to pressure the State Department to grant visas to the Karics. In March 2003, the Karic Foundation hired his daughter's firm on a renewable one-year contract paying $240,000. In disclosure forms, Solutions said it would assist the foundation in "establishing and developing a U.S. presence." "I did a proposal for them," Karen Weldon said. "I worked my butt off, and they liked it." The Karics' written statement said that they hired Solutions on the strength of its proposal and that "no American member of Congress" influenced their decision. In August, Weldon led a congressional delegation to Serbia. An association of Serbian businessmen headed by Bogoljub Karic helped plan the trip. In November, Solutions paid for Conallen to travel to Belgrade. He said he went on the invitation of Karen Weldon's partner, who received an honorary degree from a private university owned by the Karics. While there, Conallen said he met with U.S. Embassy officials to discuss the Karics' visa problem. His airfare, lodging and meals came to $2,403.30.

Conallen said he did not know at the time that Solutions represented the Karics. He said he consulted the House Ethics Committee after The Times raised questions about the payment and was told that he needed to reimburse Solutions. He said he has done so.

In December, Conallen said he called State Department officials again about the Karics. He appeals so frequently on behalf of the Karics, he said, that State Department officials know why he's calling without asking. The Karic brothers sent Weldon a letter Jan. 13 to thank him for his support and assure him of their "lasting friendship." The letter requested a meeting with intelligence officials "in the hope that this will finally clear our good name." Weldon delivered the Karics' request to the CIA. Conallen said the congressman has not heard anything from the agency. The CIA declined comment. Weldon invited the Karics to the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 5. Since the State Department would not grant them visas, they were unable to attend. The congressman's efforts for the Karics, Conallen said, are "ongoing." So are Karen Weldon's efforts for the Karics and their foundation. "It's one of my main projects," she said two weeks ago.

So, let me get this straight. Curt's daughter had worked for Boeing for six years and over those six I saw him in channel 3, 6, and 10 and also in the Daily Times rallying for Boeing in Washington. Then in 2002, he suddenly feels the need to get buddy buddy with known "Terrorists" Dragomir and Bogoljub Karic, in order to further his daughter's and Charlie's up and coming company. His last update on his website was in February. He snubbed the leauge of women voters hosting a debate because he was "Too Busy". Curt, what have you"ve done for us lately?

To me, Mr. Weldon has only represented his daughter, NOT his constituents here in Delaware County. It's time for people to vote him out.

Paul Scoles is running against him. I strongly feel that he will do more for Delaware County. He has my vote. What about you?

p.s. To Karen and Charlie: Your web site has minimal content, Hire me and I'll work on it for a very reasonable price. One of my first objectives would be to remove the following from your site:

"Solutions North America, Inc. is a professional services company providing business development, lobbying, public relations and other specialized consulting services globally. Our clients and contacts are worldwide."

It's smells of politics.

Addendum:

April 7, 2004 John AshcroftAttorney GeneralU.S. Department of Justice950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20530-0001 Re: Request for Investigation of Cong. Curt Weldon

Dear Attorney General Ashcroft: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington requests that you have the Department's Public Integrity Section investigate whether Pennsylvania Congressman Curt Weldon violated federal bribery law by using his public office to benefit companies that hired his daughter as a lobbyist. Karen Weldon lobbies extensively for foreign companies on behalf of which Congressman Weldon has used his position to assist. A lengthy Los Angeles Times article detailed the relationship between Mr. Weldon and clients of his daughter's lobbying firm, Solutions North America, Inc. Ken Silverstein, Chuck Neubauer, Richard Cooper, Lucrative Deals for a Daughter of Politics; Karen Weldon whose dad is a Pennsylvania congressmen is a lobbyist for three foreign clients who need his help, and get it, Los Angeles Times, February 20, 2004 (attached as Exhibit A). Mr. Weldon's involvement with three of Ms. Weldon's clients stand out: Ms. Weldon won a $240,000 a year contract with two Serbian brothers after Mr. Weldon urged the State Department to reverse its denial of visas for the brothers who have been linked to Slobodan Milosevic; Ms. Weldon has a $20,000 month plus 10% of any new business generated contract with a Russian aerospace manufacturer on behalf of which Mr. Weldon urged the Navy to purchase the company's flying drone. The Navy has since signed a letter of intent to invest in the company's technology and Mr. Weldon has been working to find funding for the project; and Mr. Weldon co-hosted and arranged for 30 congressmen to attend a September 24, 2002 dinner for a Russian natural gas company whose interests Mr. Weldon had been championing. Less than a week after the dinner, the gas company signed a $500,000 a year contract with Solutions, which called upon the firm to create "good public relations" for the company. As you know, the bribery statute specifically prohibits public officials from accepting anything of value personally or for any other person or entity in return for being influenced in the performance of an official act. 18 U.S.C. §201(b)(2)(A). Mr. Weldon's activities on behalf of his daughter's clients both shortly before and shortly after Ms. Weldon won contracts from those clients appear to violate the bribery laws. The clear inference to be drawn is that Karen Weldon was highly compensated in return for her father's official assistance. In United States v. Biaggi, 853 F.2d 89 (2d Cir. 1989) cert. denied, 489 U.S. 1052, 109 S.Ct. 1312 (1989), former New York Congressman Mario Biaggi was convicted of accepting bribes in violation of section 201 after he and his girlfriend took several trips paid for by Coastal Dry Dock and Repair Company ("Coastal"), which the Congressman had been assisting. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals found that Mr. Biaggi's activities: writing letters on behalf of Coastal using official congressional and committee stationary; assigning his administrative assistant, the top aide in his office, to handle issues related to the company; and offering to sit in on meetings between the Mayor of New York and the Navy with respect to issues affecting the company all constituted official action. 853 F.2d at 98. After determining that the Congressman had taken official action to assist Coastal, the Court considered whether the vacations given to and accepted by the Congressman and his girlfriend and paid for by Coastal constituted payment for the Congressman's official assistance. The Court was particularly struck by the timing between the vacations and Mr. Biaggi's assistance to Coastal. Shortly after one of the vacations paid for by Coastal, the Congressman called the Deputy Mayor and sent a follow up letter to the Mayor seeking assistance for the company. Within a few months of a second vacation, the Congressman offered to attend a meeting between the company and the Navy to demonstrate congressional concern. Id. Concluding that the vacations, valued at thousands of dollars, did in fact constitute something of value given in return for official acts, the Court upheld the bribery conviction. Id. at 100. The Second Circuit's consideration of the timing between Mr. Biaggi's assistance to Coastal and the vacations paid for by the company is instructive here. While Mr. Weldon was working to obtain visas for the wealthy Serbian brothers, he introduced the brothers to his daughter, who shortly thereafter, won a consulting contract for $240,000 a year from them. Similarly, shortly after the aerospace manufacturer hired Ms. Weldon's firm for $20,000 a month, Congressman Weldon began lobbying the Navy to do business with the company. Finally, the gas company agreed to pay Mr. Weldon's daughter $500,000 per year to "create good public relations" shortly before Congressman Weldon co-hosted and persuaded 30 congressional colleagues to attend a dinner sponsored by the company. Notably, the gas company told Ms. Weldon that it would complete the terms of her contract at the dinner. Silverstein et. al., Lucrative Deals. In light of the suspicious timing between Congressman Weldon's official assistance and the award of lucrative contracts to his daughter, CREW respectfully suggests that a grand jury investigation into whether Mr. Weldon violated the bribery laws is appropriate. The citizens of the United States need to be assured that Members of Congress are not above the law. We look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

Melanie Sloan Executive DirectorCitizens for Responsibility andEthics in Washington encl. cc: Noel Hillman, Chief, Public Integrity Section

xymphora

xymphora

I Hope Rove Is Outted

Totally Delco News Feeds Rove Testifies in CIA Leak Investigation Oct 15, 02:59 PM WASHINGTON - President Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, testified Friday before a federal grand jury trying to determine who leaked the name of an undercover CIA officer. Rove spent more than two hours testifying before the panel, according to an administration official who spoke only on condition of anonymity because such proceedings are secret. Before testifying, Rove was interviewed at least once by investigators probing the leak. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell also have been interviewed, though none has appeared before the grand jury. White House spokesman Trent Duffy referred questions to the Justice Department. The special prosecutor in the case, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of Chicago, declined comment through a spokesman. The investigation concerns whether a crime was committed when someone leaked the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame, whose name was published by syndicated columnist Robert Novak on July 14, 2003. Disclosure of the identity of an undercover intelligence officer can be a federal crime if prosecutors can show the leak was intentional and the leaker knew about the officer's secret status. Novak's column appeared after Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, wrote a newspaper opinion article criticizing Bush's claim that Iraq had sought uranium in Niger - a claim the CIA had asked Wilson to check out. Wilson has said he believes his wife's name was leaked as retribution. In a widely quoted remark, Wilson said after a speech in 2003 that it might be "fun to see Karl Rove frog-marched out of the White House in handcuffs." Wilson has accused Rove of spreading word of the Novak column to reporters. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's campaign was quick to pounce on news of Rove's appearance, with senior adviser Joe Lockhart issuing a statement calling on Rove and other aides to "come clean about their role in this insidious act." "If the president sincerely wanted to get to the bottom of this potential crime, he'd stop the White House foot-dragging and fully cooperate with this investigation," Lockhart said. Bush and his top advisers have repeatedly said they are cooperating in the probe, which began more than a year ago. Judith Miller of The New York Times and Matthew Cooper of Time magazine have been held in contempt by a federal judge for refusing to testify before the grand jury about sources they talked to while following up on Novak's column. Both are appealing those rulings. Associated Press reporter Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.

Answer This Mr. President!

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/101404A.shtml I Thought as much..

Your Boss Is Watching You

To my friends who work for the Government. Be careful what you read, post, or download online. Your Boss Is Watching Thu Oct 7, 3:00 AM ET Daniel Tynan In a recent study on Internet deprivation, people forced to live without Net access for two weeks said they missed the "private space" the Internet provided them at work. Well, I have news for you. That Internet account you have at work is not your private space. It's also your boss's space, and your boss's boss's space, and so on up the line. In fact, if you think you have any real privacy on the job, you're laboring under a delusion. Here are some of the more common myths about Net privacy at work. Myth number one: My company would never spy on its employees. Maybe so, but if that's the case, you're in the minority. According to surveys by the American Management Association, nearly two-thirds of companies actively monitor where their employees go on the Web. Some 52 percent scan e-mail, and around one in five keeps an eye on instant messaging. These companies aren't just being nosy. An employee who accesses objectionable Web sites could expose the employer to lawsuits for fostering a hostile workplace environment. Employees could accidentally (or deliberately) spill confidential corporate information over e-mail or IM, or allow worms to spread throughout a corporate network. And while there are tools that help you get around such employer restrictions--the Electronic Privacy Information Center maintains a page of them--you use them at your own risk. Myth number two: If my company were spying on me, I'd know about it. Not necessarily so, Sherlock. Most monitoring is done at the network level, and most employers are under no legal obligation to tell you if you're being monitored. (Connecticut has a law requiring employers to notify workers; a similar law was passed by the California Assembly earlier this year and awaits Governor Schwarzenegger's signature.) When companies do notify employees, they typically do it with a quickly disappearing splash screen or a sentence buried in the employee handbook that says the company reserves the right to monitor communications. So just because you can get to www.cats-who-love-dogs.com (not a real site) on your work PC doesn't mean someone isn't logging your visits there. You need to ask your boss for the company's written policy on employee monitoring. If the company doesn't have a policy, request that it create one. Myth number three: It's perfectly fine to do a little recreational surfing at work, as long as I don't visit the wrong kind of sites. Maybe it is, but you may want to find out what your boss considers the "wrong kind" of sites. In a study (PDF) by the Center for Business Ethics at Bentley College, more than 90 percent of companies allow "reasonable personal usage" of the Web, but only 42 percent define "reasonable." For example, four out of five of businesses surveyed said it was okay for employees to visit news sites, but only about half allowed employees to shop or bank online. Better to ask questions first and surf later. Myth number four: My e-mail conversations are none of my boss's business. That's true, but only if you're using your own computer and your own account. Otherwise companies can and do scan e-mail, even the personal stuff. In one AMA survey, some 60 percent of companies that monitor e-mail use software to scan e-mail for keywords and block sensitive information from going out. A study (PDF) by Forrester Consulting and Proofpoint found that 44 percent of large firms hired people to read corporate e-mail. About half the firms in the Bentley study had created written guidelines telling employees how to perform Internet monitoring, and only a third made monitors sign confidentiality agreements. The next time you send a personal note from work, remember that you might also be sharing this information with the geeks in the IT department. Myth number five: I can use Webmail services to get around my boss's e-mail snooping. Sorry, Bunky. Using services like Yahoo or Hotmail can make it harder for your boss to spy on your e-mail conversations, but they hardly make it impossible. Your company could use Web-monitoring software like Websense or SurfControl to block access to these sites, or log how much time you're spending at them and confront you about it. Network administrators could also install a "sniffer" that reads unencrypted data as it passes down the wires. About one in five firms surveyed by the AMA routinely monitors computer use, for example by installing keystroke loggers that record everything you type, or software that periodically captures what's on your screen. All of that can be used to spy on your Webmail messages, as well as virtually everything else you do on your PC. Myth number six: I use instant messaging for most of my personal communications, so my privacy is secure. I H8 2 disappoint U, but IM isn't as private as you'd like to believe. One-fifth of organizations currently monitor employees' instant messaging, according to Forrester, and many more companies are becoming hip to the potential of IM as a business tool and the dangers it poses. Software like FaceTime Communications' IM Director or Akonix Enforcer can record all your conversations, and/or block certain activities on IM such as file sharing. Federal legislation requires some organizations, like health firms or security brokers, to retain records of certain IM conversations. So even if you're in the clear now, your IM habits are unlikely to go unmonitored for long. Myth number seven: I work at home, so I can do whatever I please. Don't be so sure. It all depends on whose equipment and Internet connection you're using. If your employer supplied the machine, your company can do anything it pleases with the computer, including examining your personal files on the hard drive. If you use your own PC but log in using your employer's Net connection, the company can legally track any of your activity online, unless you have an agreement that states otherwise. So unless you own the gear and the bandwidth, better delete anything you don't want your boss to see. Myth number eight: I can do anything I want, as long as I delete the evidence from my computer. Dream on, Bubba. For one thing, it's likely that the evidence is still sitting there in your Recycle Bin. Even if you empty the bin, files can be easily recovered until they've been overwritten with other data. If you're on a corporate network, forget about it. Your e-mail and the contents of your hard disk are probably archived on backup media, where they can persist for years. And that's assuming your employer doesn't use Web-monitoring software, keyloggers, or other forms of digital surveillance on the network. Paper burns and memories fade, but digital evidence can live forever. Myth number nine: My workplace privacy rights are protected by law. Not as much as you might think. While government employers must follow the U.S. Constitution, restrictions on unlawful search and seizure or self-incrimination don't apply to private companies. A handful of federal employment laws restrict the kinds of information companies can collect about you before you're hired, and some states (like California) extend privacy protections to employees of private entities, but most don't. Mostly you're at your boss's mercy. Myth number ten: Even if my bosses catch me doing something naughty on the Net, they can't fire me for it. I've got bad news for you: Companies can and will fire people over Net naughtiness. According to the AMA, one in four companies surveyed in 2004 had terminated employees for violating their e-mail policies, up from 22 percent in 2003 and 17 percent in 2001 (there was no 2002 survey). So don't say you haven't been warned. PC World Contributing Editor Dan Tynan has written extensively on Internet privacy and security. He is currently hard at work on Privacy Annoyances, which will be published by O'Reilly Media.

Fucking Green Monster

I dug this up off of my Live Journal account. I thought it amusing and if you are snobbish.. Go FUCK yourself. So there was this guy who had a problem pleasing his wife because he could never get an erection. well, his wife got so fed up with her lack of orgasms that she made her husband go to the doctor for his problem. The man told his doctor of the problem and the doctor said, "i have just the thing." after saying this, he pulled out a 7-inch-long green finger-shaped thing and said "this is the 'fucking green monster.' it'll help you with all your sexual problems. just say 'fucking green monster' and then say the object or person that you want it to fuck, and it'll fuck what you tell it to." Eager to try it, the man took the 'fucking green monster' home and tried it on his wife. he said "'fucking green monster,' my wife" and sure enough, it inserted into his wife. they went at it for about three hours until the man realized that the doctor had forgotten to tell him how to stop the thing. So they headed to the doctor's office. the man was speeding because it was really starting to hurt his wife. sure enough, a cop caught them speeding and pulled them over. the cop asked "why are you speeding, sir?" and the man told the cop about the fucking green monster. In disbelief, the cop said "fucking green monster? fucking green monster, my ass!" That is all.

Bill O' Reilly - A cowardly asshole

O'Reilly is an asshole. I remember watching this and found this transcript of it. Self righteous pig headed bastard! If you talked to me like that I'd bust you right in the face and watch the blood come out of your nose! Also, check out the Pepsi deal gone bad. O' Reilly you are scum. and Your NO Republican either, just an ASSHOLE along the likes of Jerry Springer, people who need to do anything for ratings.. Read Below:

Note:Before you read this vile and insulting interview by Bill O'Reilly, let me say I watched this interview two times, this was the single most outrageous interview I have ever seen on any TV news show, anywhere by anyone. This man lost his Father in the 9-11 terrorist attacks and O'Reilly treated him like dirt. He tried to discredit and marginalize everything Mr. Glick said and showed him no respect at all just because he disagreed with O'Reilly. To say it was the most UN-professional interview ever done by a so-called journalist is an under-statement.

 Try to remember if you ever saw a real journalist, anywhere in your life, tell an invited guest to shut up, shut up, and you just shut your mouth. Then tell the audio man to cut off his mic, what happened to free speech o'reilly. After all, these are the same free speech rights O'Reilly just defended the night before in regards to the boycott of Rush Limbaugh's sponsors.

 I guess in the biased, one-sided, conservative, all-spin zone world of Bill O'Reilly it seems you only have free speech rights when you agree with Bill and his conservative political views. The next night on the factor (2-5-03) o'reilly read an e-mail about the Glick interview telling him he should be taken off the air for his treatment of Mr. Glick. The reply to that by o'reilly was "when someone comes into your house and spits on the floor they get no respect and you show them the door." That is a direct quote from Bill O'Reilly. So what Bill is saying is that if you come on the factor and you don't agree with him you do not have free speech rights and you are an UN-American commie who gets no respect from him. If anyone doubts any of this, go buy the transcripts at foxnews.com and read them for yourself, or just watch the factor and see how he treats people who agree with him compared to people that do not agree with him.

 Partial Transcript: "The O'Reilly Factor 2-4-03 O'REILLY:" In the Personal Stories" segment tonight, we were surprised to find out than an American who lost his father in the World Trade Center attack had signed an anti-war advertisement that accused the USA itself of terrorism. The offending passage read, "We too watched with shock the horrific events of September 11... we too mourned the thousands of innocent dead and shook our heads at the terrible scenes of carnage -- even as we recalled similar scenes in Baghdad, Panama City, and a generation ago, Vietnam." With us now is Jeremy Glick, whose father, Barry, was a Port Authority worker at the Trade Center. Mr. Glick is a co-author of the book "Another World is Possible." I'm surprised you signed this. You were the only one of all of the families who signed...

JEREMY GLICK: Well, actually, that's not true. O'REILLY: Who signed the advertisement? GLICK: Peaceful Tomorrow, which represents 9/11 families, were also involved. O'REILLY: Hold it, hold it, hold it, Jeremy. You're the only one who signed this advertisement. GLICK: As an individual. O'REILLY: Yes, as -- with your name. You were the only one. I was surprised, and the reason I was surprised is that this ad equates the United States with the terrorists. And I was offended by that.

GLICK: Well, you say -- I remember earlier you said it was a moral equivalency, and it's actually a material equivalency. And just to back up for a second about your surprise, I'm actually shocked that you're surprised. If you think about it, our current president, who I feel and many feel is in this position illegitimately by neglecting the voices of Afro- Americans in the Florida coup, which, actually, somebody got impeached for during the Reconstruction period -- Our current president now inherited a legacy from his father and inherited a political legacy that's responsible for training militarily, economically, and situating geopolitically the parties involved in the alleged assassination and the murder of my father and countless of thousands of others. So I don't see why it's surprising...

O'REILLY: All right. Now let me stop you here. So...

GLICK: ... for you to think that I would come back and want to support...

O'REILLY: It is surprising, and I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why it's surprising.

GLICK: ... escalating...

O'REILLY: You are mouthing a far left position that is a marginal position in this society, which you're entitled to.

GLICK: It's marginal -- right.

O'REILLY: You're entitled to it, all right, but you're -- you see, even -- I'm sure your beliefs are sincere, but what upsets me is I don't think your father would be approving of this.

GLICK: Well, actually, my father thought that Bush's presidency was illegitimate.

O'REILLY: Maybe he did, but...

GLICK: I also didn't think that Bush...

O'REILLY: ... I don't think he'd be equating this country as a terrorist nation as you are.

GLICK: Well, I wasn't saying that it was necessarily like that.

O'REILLY: Yes, you are. You signed...

GLICK: What I'm saying is...

O'REILLY: ... this, and that absolutely said that.

GLICK: ... is that in -- six months before the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan, starting in the Carter administration and continuing and escalating while Bush's father was head of the CIA, we recruited a hundred thousand radical mujahadeens to combat a democratic government in Afghanistan, the Turaki government.

O'REILLY: All right. I don't want to...

 GLICK: Maybe...

 O'REILLY: I don't want to debate world politics with you.

 GLICK: Well, why not? This is about world politics.

 O'REILLY: Because, No. 1, I don't really care what you think.

 GLICK: Well, OK.

 O'REILLY: You're -- I want to...

 GLICK: But you do care because you...

 O'REILLY: No, no. Look...

 GLICK: The reason why you care is because you evoke 9/11...

 O'REILLY: Here's why I care.

 GLICK: ... to rationalize...

 O'REILLY: Here's why I care...

GLICK: Let me finish. You evoke 9/11 to rationalize everything from domestic plunder to imperialistic aggression worldwide.

 O'REILLY: OK. That's a bunch...

 GLICK: You evoke sympathy with the 9/11 families.

 O'REILLY: That's a bunch of crap. I've done more for the 9/11 families by their own admission -- I've done more for them than you will ever hope to do.

 GLICK: OK.

 O'REILLY: So you keep your mouth shut when you sit here exploiting those people.

GLICK: Well, you're not representing me. You're not representing me.

O'REILLY: And I'd never represent you. You know why?

GLICK: Why?

O'REILLY: Because you have a warped view of this world and a warped view of this country.

GLICK: Well, explain that. Let me give you an example of a parallel...

O'REILLY: No, I'm not going to debate this with you, all right.

GLICK: Well, let me give you an example of parallel experience. On September 14...

O'REILLY: No, no. Here's -- here's the...

GLICK: On September 14...

O'REILLY: Here's the record.

GLICK: OK.

O'REILLY: All right. You didn't support the action against Afghanistan to remove the Taliban. You were against it, OK.

GLICK: Why would I want to brutalize and further punish the people in Afghanistan...

O'REILLY: Who killed your father!

GLICK: The people in Afghanistan...

O'REILLY: Who killed your father.

GLICK: ... didn't kill my father.

O'REILLY: Sure they did. The al Qaeda people were trained there.

GLICK: The al Qaeda people? What about the Afghan people?

 O'REILLY: See, I'm more angry about it than you are!

 GLICK: So what about George Bush?

 O'REILLY: What about George Bush? He had nothing to do with it.

 GLICK: The director -- senior as director of the CIA.

 O'REILLY: He had nothing to do with it.

 GLICK: So the people that trained a hundred thousand Mujahadeen who were...

 O'REILLY: Man, I hope your mom isn't watching this.

 GLICK: Well, I hope she is.

 O'REILLY: I hope your mother is not watching this because you -- that's it. I'm not going to say anymore.

 GLICK: OK.

 O'REILLY: In respect for your father...

 GLICK: On September 14, do you want to know what I'm doing?

 O'REILLY: Shut up. Shut up.

 GLICK: Oh, please don't tell me to shut up.

 O'REILLY: As respect -- as respect -- in respect for your father, who was a Port Authority worker, a fine American, who got killed unnecessarily by barbarians...

GLICK: By radical extremists who were trained by this government...

 O'REILLY: Out of respect for him...

 GLICK: ... not the people of America.

 O'REILLY: ... I'm not going to...

 GLICK: ... The people of the ruling class, the small minority.

 O'REILLY: Cut his mic. I'm not going to dress you down anymore, out of respect for your father. We will be back in a moment with more of THE FACTOR.

 GLICK: That means we're done?

 O'REILLY: We're done. Then this happened right before the commercial break: What you can not see here because it's a text transcript, is right after O'Reilly said "we're done" he made two motions with his hand. He (O'Reilly) waved at someone off camera as to say come here and get him (referring to Jeremy Glick) then he did a move with his thumb, he held his right thumb up and raised it up in a short little motion. It's as if he were hitch-hiking, like get him outta here. I am guessing he was telling someone on his staff or his bodyguard to throw Glick out of the studio. Here's the sickening apology quote O'Reilly gave after the commercials:

 OREILLY: "I have to apologize. If I knew that guy, Jeremy Glick, was going to be like that, I never would have brought him in here, and I feel bad for his family. I really do."

 The truly sad part is that if Mr. Glick were pro-bush and pro-war, and agreed with o'reilly, he would have been allowed to say whatever he wanted to, in the so-called no spin zone, and he would have been treated with total respect. Since he did not hold those positions he was told to shut up and shut your mouth and cut his mic off. I guess it's only a no-spin zone when you agree with o'reilly or his views. This is from the same guy (O'Reilly) who just the night before accused a man from takebackthemedia.com of trying to violate Rush Limbaugh's free speech rights by calling for everyone to boycott his sponsors. Which "as an american" he has the right to do, boycotts are a tradition and a right in america.Yet when Mr. Glick tried to state his views and opinions on the factor, Mr. "free speech" Bill O'Reilly told him to shut up, shut up, you just shut your mouth.

So much for free speech on the factor. -------- Speaking of boycotts, o'reilly called for a boycott of pepsi in august of 2002 because they hired the rapper Ludacris to do a commercial, this is all well documented. August 27, 2002 - http://www.boycottwatch.org - Fox News Channel commentator and host of The O'Reilly Factor urges people to boycott Pepsi after decided to run commercials featuring rapper Ludicrous. The boycott is based on Pepsi hiring a spokesman who is "peddling antisocial behavior" according to O'Reilly.

 Here are a couple quotes from the king of spin Bill O'Reilly: OREILLY: "I'm calling for all responsible Americans to fight back and punish Pepsi for using a man who degrades women, who encourages substance abuse, and does all the things that hurt particularly the poor in our society," I'm calling for all Americans to say, hey, Pepsi, i'm not drinking your stuff. You want to hang around with Ludicrous, you do that, I'm not hanging around with you. Am I wrong to do that? Call me crazy but that looks like calling for a Pepsi boycott to me.

 OREILLY: "So here's the deal, Pepsi. You want to cultivate Ludicrous? Fine. I'm drinking Coke. I'm sending you a message. I don't like your choice of pitchmen, so Dr. Pepper is now on my menu." UPDATE August 28, 2002 - http://www.boycottwatch.org - Pepsi canceled plans to feature rapper Ludicrous as spokesperson after Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly declares a boycott. - Boycott worked in less than 24 hours. According to The O'Reilly Factor, Pepsi was inundated with thousands of phone calls from irate Factor viewers regarding the Ludicrous ads. As a result, Pepsi announced they would not air the ads. The decision to pull the ads came a day after Bill O'Reilly, host of Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor," bashed Pepsi as "immoral" for using Ludicrous to promote the soft drink and urged viewers to boycott Pepsi. That looks like a boycott to me.


Then after all that o'reilly told Mr. Stinson from takebackthemedia.com it was unamerican to call for a boycott of Rush Limbaugh's sponsors. It seems that boycotts are ok in o'reilly's world as long as you don't call for one against a conservative. Then in reply to an e-mail sent to the factor (2-4-03) accusing him of being a hypocrite on the two different boycotts o'reilly denied he called for a boycott of Pepsi. He (O'Reilly) claimed it was not a boycott because he did not actually say the word "boycott." I don't know about you, but to me this sounds like an argument a 5 year old would make, not a Harvard graduate with a masters degree. If you doubt any of this just do a google search on o'reilly and Pepsi boycotts. Here is the e-mail to Bill and his reply, this is right from the factor transcript: Lise Rousseau, Lafayette, Colorado, "Mr. O'Reilly, imagine my confusion as I watched you criticize the protester for organizing the Limbaugh boycott. Last August, I heard you tacitly call for a boycott against Pepsi for hiring Ludicrous. There is a lack of consistency in your rhetoric."

OREILLY: No, there isn't, Ms. Rousseau. First of all -- Ms. Rousseau. First of all, I never do anything tacitly. I do things directly. I simply said I wasn't going to drink Pepsi while that guy was on their payroll. No boycott was ever mentioned by me. Bill just lied his ass off folks. His own news network (FOX) even has a story where it reports o'reilly called for a boycott of Pepsi. And as you can see above, the boycott of Pepsi by Bill O'Reilly is well documented. Here is the 1st paragraph of the FOX news story: Pepsi-Cola of North America said Wednesday that it was yanking its 30-second television spot featuring rapper Ludacris off the air -- just a day after Bill O'Reilly, Fox News Channel's host of The O'Reilly Factor, assailed Pepsi as "immoral" for using the controversial rapper and urged his viewers to boycott the beverage company.


Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,61589,00.html.

Is he saying his own news network is lying about the Pepsi boycott too ? In the world of Bill O'Reilly and FOX news, you are only allowed to have free speech if you agree with them. This is called fascism, it's a sad day in america when a conservative fascist (O'Reilly) on a conservative fascist fraud of a news network can get away with violating a persons free speech rights. He defends Rush Limbaugh's (Republican) free speech rights one night then violates Jeremy Glicks (Democrat) free speech rights the very next night. Then he has the nerve to claim he is an independent, not a conservative.

If you believe that e-mail me at sss_2333@yahoo.com because I have a bridge to sell you real cheap. He also told Newt Gingrich he was an objective analyst, after you pick yourself up off the floor from laughter remember he was serious.

Delaware County, Deborah Truscello, and the War Board

Scleroderma

I was at Thomas's last night after going on a trouble call (Friend who thinks he's an electrician totally messed up his 3 way switch circuits) and was chatting with a guy who's name is Jim. I've seen him in there before, usually looking bummed out about something. So I ask him, everything ok? He looks at me and tells me that his wife is dying of Scleroderma. He then says "you wouldn't know what I'm taking about". I mention ANA counts & throat streching, and that my wife Liz also has Scleroderma, and that I do understand. We talk about his wife's treatments and that she is at Delaware County Memorial Hospital for about 25 days a month, the others being home. He tells me how they need to amputate her pinkies, and that between the chemo, dialysis, and other treatments, her fragile body is breaking. I can feel for this guy. His children will have no mother, him no wife. All his dreams shattered. For the first time in a while, I think of how lucky my wife is. Her Scleroderma is dormant.(For 5 years now). We asked the same questions. What is Scleroderma? Is it always fatal? Is it contagious? Why is it that 90% of people who get it are women? My mind was racing.. On to the internet I went, searching for answers. I found a "group" on Yahoo that deals with it. The people there were all dealing with it, and my wife & me found comfort in our questions being answered. I also made my own "Group" and web site, trying to raise awareness about Scleroderma. One woman who especially helped us is Amie, the founder of the group. Weather she knew it or not, she comforted both of us in her e mails and phone calls. I hope Jim and his family find comfort. I will be praying for them.

Delaware County Domestic Relations

Have you ever dealt with them? I received a letter (Non Certified) yesterday informing me that I had a bench warrant out for my arrest. It was from the Sheriff's Department relating to a support order that had been vacated over 3 years ago. Apparently, I still owed $927.50 in arrears to them. Now, before you label me a "Deadbeat" let me tell you that I have paid on average $150.00 a week for 19 years for 2 beautiful children who I love, even though my ex informed me that my older daughter wasn't mine when she turned 18. She ain't mine? What do you mean by that? I always had a doubt in the back of my mind about my paternity, but I still signed the birth certificate anyway. It's called love. She will always remain my daughter to me and I will do anything for her and my (Biological Daughter, I feel no difference) I hold no ill feelings, only that I already spent 4 days in Charlie Sexton's famous Gulag over a bench warrant in 1999 over not showing up in 97' for court because my Mom had a stroke that morning (Documented) and while I was WORKING at the Court House! Note to self: Contact Court House for any electrical work they need done, I'm available at a very alluring rate. Anyway, $50.00 times 52 weeks times 18 years plus several thousand dollars given outside the court system =? Was this remaining $927.50 necessary? Could I sue for this? Not worth it... Money = Evil. While I was there, I was seated with 2 other PACES clients. One, was handcuffed and taken to jail (He owed $76,000 dollars); the other, with two warrants, was told to show up for court in November. The young woman at the computer was very pleasant, as were the four sheriff's in the room. A little background on my case. I had 2 children from this woman who went on welfare while living with her mom and caught her red handed (or faced) getting it on with another man. So I left. The woman that I was going to marry soon had my ass in court. So, TMI? I don't care, this is a big issue to me. There are many Dads out there that get shafted by the system, Women who smoke up the money on crack that they receive for the kids. Domestic Relations is a one sided money collecting unit, no more, no less. They do not care if the Mother is doing coke with your money that is supposed to be for the kids. Their job is just to collect, and lock your ass up if they cannot. So, Domestic Relations, I am done with you.I post notice. My bench warrant that was issued in November of 03 that I had no idea of until I visited the PACES web site has been rescinded. ZERO balance. To all others with Domestic Relations cases (You guys and gals who are lax in your payments to the DR. of DC.) PAY up, or shit your pants in the intake unit of Wackenhut, then on to a pod for 22 and a half hours a day until the over worked can arrange a hearing for you! And, to all you smokers out there, NO SMOKING AT WACKENHUT! NO EXCEPTIONS! P.S. Idea to Domestic Relations: USE CERTIFIED MAIL! To You GUYS out there? Keep it in your pants,it's cheaper...

Yesterday afternoon I went to my favourite watering hole, Thomas's Cafe. To make a long story short, there are people in there who believe that Saddam did 911. Mr.B, a long time customer, was even getting pissed off at me and "Bruce" to the point of leaving after we tried in vain to tell him different. I asked B where he got his information. He replied, The TV. The Times... Oh, ok, the Times? You mean The Daily Times? Gil Spencer's Daily Times? B.went on to praise Bush for ridding the world of evil, and if it took ten thousand more dead troops to get the job done, well, so be it. Then, I have Mr. G inform me that I have no right to drive in Pennsylvania, it is a privilege.(I have to look this up, as I made a bet with him). Still another man, a stranger chimed in calling me a Democrat, whatever that is supposed to mean. So here you have 3 guys, one a cop, another claiming to be in the military (The stranger), a third retired coming down on me and Bruce like flies on shit. These guys really believe that Saddam Hussein was the man responsible for 911. I asked them: What about Bin Laden? B replies: There all connected.. Ok, whatever B. Keep reading Gil and keep being sheep to the media. Baaaaa. So, I ask all three one question: Do you own a computer? All three replied NO. Advice? Never discuss politics in a bar. Everybody thinks there right. On another note, I as you all can see, have a "BlogRoll". One site, Peter's Blog is listed there. This is what he posted about my link. Interesting Site? [Geeky Stuff] - peter @ 02:02:39 PM I found my blog (what you're looking at) listed under the "Interesting Sites" category on the Delaware County, PA Web Portal & Directory. This is totally random and weird. Totally random and weird. Hmmmm. Let's see. "Interesting Sites". Yes, I think the guy is talented with web design and graphics, Anime and stuff. Shall I start censoring what sites I add? Should everybody censor their blogrolls? My blogroll has far more "random and weird" sites than his. One, stellaislaura, is a blog from some woman who knits. how did I find her? I haven't got a clue. Must have been drinking and googling one night discussing knitting with the wife. But there it is, blogrolled forever. Hey,I wish someone would blogroll my blog. Hint to Mike... Well it's damn too early for me to be up, so I have time before work to googleblog some more sites that I find interesting. Cheers.

'Which Swift Boat Veteran for Truth Member Blows His Brains Out First?'

September 23, 2004 I said it months ago, and I was right. These Swifties have successfully brought up the 'Dark Secrets and Atrocities' that went on in Vietnam. Regardless of who wins the Election come November 2, the fact is, Americans, Especially the 'Children' Will be doing more and more investigations and studying of the Vietnam War and those studies will include the hidden, well kept atrocities of that war, find out what that many of the things that John Kerry testified to back in the early 1970's are indeed factual, but have been successfully kept away from the general public over the last 35 yrs. Come this Holiday Season, You have to ask yourself, which 'Swift Boat Veteran For Truth Member' will be asked by one of their Grandchildren any of the following questions during Thanksgiving, or Christmas Dinner.... Grandpa, Did You know those guys who Cut Off Vietnamese Children's Heads during the War When You Served? Grandpa, Did you burn down people's homes too? Grandpa, Did you open fire and kill anything that moved? Or will they say things like.... Grandpa (Sobbing) Killing Mommies in front of their Children isn't right. Grandpa (sobbing) you said John Kerry was a Liar, and saying things that were not true but but the teacher in school taught us about Lt. Calley and the My Lai Massacre What those soldiers did was very bad, wasn't it? Grandpa, my teacher taught us about the 'Buried Secrets, Brutal Truths of Tiger Force' Did you know them? Did you do things like they did? (Sobbing) Did you ever cut the head off of a Baby in Vietnam? Which one of these guys, members of the 'Swift Boat Veterans for Truth' will be confronted with what is described above this holiday season by their own families, their grandchildren. Having to look them in their eyes during 'Thanksgiving' or 'Christmas' Dinner and realize that it was the actions of himself, for hopping on John O'Neill's bandwagon, to attempt to prevent John Kerry from becoming President because of Kerry's actions after he came home from the Battle Field and reported what was really going on in those jungles, reading testimony from other veterans of the horrors they have seen, or conducted. All with a one purpose, to bring an end to the madness. Which 'Swiftie' is going to realize that it was himself, who is responsible for opening up the can of dark secrets, atrocities, resulting from the actions of the 'Swift Boat Veterans For Truth Campaign' which has successfully accomplished opening up a the 'Pandora's Box of Vietnam'. As their Grandchildren, and Family are all looking at him during the dinner table, with tears coming down their eyes, and fear and horror overwhelm their faces as they discuss these things John Kerry testified about really did happen, and the issue of the Vietnam War itself, Which one of these 'Swifties' will feel his heart sink into his stomach, feel it being slowly digested by the his amino acids, eating away at him, destroying all he has, for his family will be watching, staring, at him with the realities of the Horrors of War overwhelming all he loves,,,, his family. Which Member of John O'Neill's Crew, will face this? And which one of these Swifties will wait for dinner to be over, their families to put their jackets on and leave for their own homes, then walk into his garage, his basement, or just sit right their in his living room, reflecting, with his gun in his hand, putting it to his head, and Blowing his Brains Out?

Folcroft Cops Deserve Justice

This was posted in the Daily Times. Disgraceful to say the least,that this Truscello guy thinks he's above the law. If I were a Cop in Folcroft, I'd be pissed! Editorial: Officials who spied in Folcroft deserve ouster 09/23/2004 Hundreds of police officers and their supporters stormed Folcroft Borough Council on Tuesday night, demanding to know why borough officials placed electronic surveillance equipment in their own police department -- and what is happening with the county’s criminal investigation of the matter. As an attention-getter, it was a first-rate demonstration. But a more disturbing indicator of the collapse of the Folcroft government came last month. That’s when Folcroft police moved a homicide investigation to the neighboring Darby Township police headquarters -- because they were afraid any interviews that took place in their own police station could be compromised by surreptitious monitoring by outsiders. That paranoia and accusations reign supreme in the borough can be laid at the feet of the borough manager, Anthony Truscello, a longtime Republican power in the town and its former district justice; council Vice President Joseph Zito; and his council colleagues, who say the action was necessary to investigate complaints of cops sleeping on duty. Their wildly irresponsible decision to bug their own police officers has not only rendered their town a laughingstock but has imperiled every police investigation since the spying began. What’s to stop any enterprising defense attorney from subpoenaing all the audio- or videotapes made in the police department to bolster a case in court? Nothing. Who would beresponsible? Truscello, Zito and company. And who will pay? The taxpayers of Folcroft, of course, who already involuntarily shelled out nearly $10,000 for the surveillance equipment in the first place. (They’ll also foot the bill for the litigation certain to be filed by the Fraternal Order of Police, which would seem to have a very legitimate claim on behalf of its members of invasion of privacy.) The crowd was so large, and so incensed, on Tuesday night that Truscello at one point called the state police to ask for protection. That’s how bad things are in Folcroft: The former district justice -- who is still certified by the state to sit on the bench as a senior district judge, and whose daughter Debbie is the town’s sitting district justice -- had to call the state to ask for protection from his own police department. Tuesday’s protesters wanted to know what the county District Attorney’s office was doing about the investigation, which has been in its hands. County detectives, armed with a warrant, hauled out the bugging equipment last May. They got no answers that night or the next day, when a spokesman for District Attorney G. Michael Green would say only that the matter is still being examined. The criminal justice system takes its own time, as any good police officer knows. But the fact that no criminal charges have been filed doesn’t excuse the fact that a gross injustice has occurred, irrevocably rupturing the bond of trust between the people, their police department, and their elected officials. Dismissals and resignations are in order, starting with the borough manager and council leadership. It’s time to clean house in Folcroft -- and, this time, not just of electronic surveillance equipment. ©The Daily Times 2004

This is what our government is doing

The enemy is us In war, you deny information, spread lies and use psychological warfare. An expert on military information operations explains how Bush has mastered this technique -- and used it against the American people. By Sam Gardiner 09/22/04 "Salon.com" -- On Thursday, Iraq's interim prime minister, Iyad Allawi, will speak before a joint meeting of Congress, and from what he said in London on his way to the United States, it looks like Americans are going to be getting more of the strategic information operations that have been crucial to Bush's policy on Iraq from the beginning. On Monday, Allawi said at a press conference: "Terrorists are coming and pouring into Iraq to try to undermine the situation in Iraq ... And God forbid, if Iraq is broken or the will of Iraq is broken, then London will be a target, Washington will be a target." In those sentences, Allawi employed the basic doctrine of strategic information operations: Influence emotions, motive and objective reasoning. Use repetition to create a collective memory in the target audience. And the recurrent message of both Allawi and the Bush administration is: Iraq = terrorists = 9/11. The Army Field Manual describes information operations as the use of strategies such as information denial, deception and psychological warfare to influence decision making. The notion is as old as war itself. With information operations, one seeks to gain and maintain information superiority -- control information and you control the battlefield. And in the information age, it has become even more imperative to influence adversaries. But with the Iraq war, information operations have gone seriously off track, moving beyond influencing adversaries on the battlefield to influencing the decision making of friendly nations and, even more important, American public opinion. In information denial, one attempts to deceive one's adversary. Since the declared end of combat operations, the Bush administration has orchestrated a number of deceptions about Iraq. But who is its adversary? In August 2003, the administration's message was that everything in Iraq was improving. The White House led the information effort and even published a paper on the successes of the first 100 days of the occupation. By October the message had shifted: Things were going well in Iraq, but the media was telling the wrong story. Then, toward the end of 2003, the message was that the whole problem in Iraq was "dead-enders" and "foreign fighters." If it weren't for them, the situation would be fine. Then, after Saddam Hussein was captured in December, the message shifted again: The coalition had discovered along with the former dictator documents revealing the insurgent network, which now would be broken. Once again, everything would be fine. At the approach of the hand-over to Iraq's interim government in late June, the administration said the event represented the worst fears of the insurgents, who did not want any movement toward democracy. The White House warned that there would be increased violence as the insurgents tried to prevent the interim government from assuming its proper role in running the country. In fact, violence did increase before the transfer, but there was even more violence afterward. But the administration's information about the situation in Iraq sharply declined. Denying information to adversaries is one way of maintaining information dominance. (According to the Army Field Manual, this dimension involves "withholding information that adversaries need for effective decision-making.") In the case of Iraq, this has meant eliminating press releases and press briefings. Since the hand-over of power, the U.S. Embassy in Iraq has issued only six releases, including one on the new Iraqi environment minister's visit to a landfill project. The most recent press release, on Aug. 12, was about a boxer on Iraq's Olympics team. The last press briefing by the Multi-National Force in Iraq was June 25. The interim Iraqi government does not hold press conferences. The White House Web site also reflects the strategy of withholding information. It used to actively provide content on Operation Iraqi Freedom (or as the Web site now says, "Renewal in Iraq"), but the last new entry is dated Aug. 5. The effect of the White House's control of information has been dramatic. The chart shows how English-language press coverage of Iraq has fallen off since July. Early in July, it was typical to find almost 250,000 articles each day mentioning Iraq. That number has dropped to 150,000. The goal of denying the adversary access to information is being realized. But, again, who is the adversary? Before, during and immediately after the war, the White House orchestrated an intensive program of press briefings and releases to saturate media time and space, stay on message, keep ahead of the news cycle and manage expectations. The White House conference call set the daily message. The press briefings from the Central Command headquarters in Doha, Qatar, were designed to dominate the morning and afternoon press coverage, while the afternoon press briefing by the Pentagon was intended for the evening news. The White House is also using psychological warfare -- conveying selected information to organizations and individuals to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning and ultimately behavior -- to spread its version of the war. And the administration's message is obviously central to the process. From the very beginning, that message, delivered both directly and subtly, has been constant and consistent: Iraq = terrorists = 9/11. The president tells us that we are fighting terrorists in Iraq so we don't have to fight them here in the United States. But I know of no one with a respectable knowledge of the events in Iraq who shares that view. My contacts in the intelligence community say the opposite -- that U.S. policies in fact are creating more terrorism. Still, the administration has made its case for the 9/11 terrorism and Iraq connection with some sophistication. For example, on March 25, 2003, the United States renamed the Iraqi fighters in civilian clothes known as the Fedayeen Saddam. Either the Office of the Secretary of Defense or the White House (I have been told it was both) directed that they now be called "terrorist death squads" -- promoting the overarching message: Iraq = terrorists = 9/11. Recently, the purported terrorist connection was reinforced by another change in terminology. When coalition forces bomb a house in Fallujah, the Multi-National Force press releases now announce that they bombed a "safe house." But Marines don't come to that phrase naturally. Marines hit enemy positions. They strike targets. The implication is fairly obvious. Since terrorists use "safe houses," the insurgents in Fallujah must be terrorists. And some of us thus come to believe that we are in Iraq to fight the "global war on terrorism." Appealing to the emotions aroused by 9/11 is classic psychological warfare. And repetition of the terrorist argument is utterly consistent with the theory that one can develop collective memory in a population through repetition. Images are also essential in psychological warfare, so negative images must be defeated as quickly as possible. That's why the images of the contractors killed in Fallujah were so worrisome to the administration. Government intelligence sources told me there was fear they would have an impact like the images of dead U.S. Army Rangers being dragged through the streets in Somalia did in 1993, causing rapid erosion in support for that war. Although we don't know all the facts yet, it's almost certain that the White House or the Pentagon ordered the Marine attack on Fallujah to fight those negative images. Five U.S. soldiers were killed on the same day as the private contractors when their Bradley fighting vehicle was destroyed. But there was almost no official reaction to their deaths, no pictures; their deaths did not pose an image problem. Now, the New York Times reports that military operations to open up the no-go areas in Iraq will not occur until November or December. The official line is that the administration wants to wait until Iraqi security forces are better trained. My military mind only hurts when I hear this argument. The United States has been trying to train the Iraqis to take over for almost two years now. The effort began with the training camp in Hungary before the war, but that program failed. The robust training program that began in the early stages of the occupation was declared a failure with the onset of the insurgents' offensive in April. The administration has not been able to staff the headquarters tasked to direct the training. Nor is it even certain who among those being trained are on our side. The Marines around Fallujah joke that after they take a member of the Iraqi National Guard to the firing range for practice, the sniper who shoots at them that night shows a remarkable improvement in his aim. It's clear the Americans will bear the major brunt of the attack on Fallujah. What could possibly be behind the administration's decision to wait until November or December to launch it? There's certainly no commander in the field saying, "Let's give the bad guys another 60 days to operate freely inside their sanctuaries before we attack." Such a decision would be particularly bizarre when attacks against coalition forces are more frequent than ever, attacks on oil pipelines are on the rise, and the United States is suffering increased casualties. Any military officer would say that you have to take the fight to the enemy. So what can we conclude about this decision? There is only one conceivable answer -- the White House is delaying military operations until after the Nov. 2 election for political reasons. In the meantime, information-denial operations must be ratcheted up to control the story. But that is becoming more difficult. During the early part of the war, there was more deception than truth in the comments and press briefings of the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Among the fabricated stories was the early surrender of the commander and the entire 51st Iraqi mechanized division. We were told of an uprising in Basra -- it did not happen. We were told Iraqis had stolen U.S. uniforms to commit atrocities -- this was not true. We were told on White House and State Department Web sites that the Iraqi military had formed units of children to attack the coalition -- untrue. We were told of a whole range of agreements between the French and Iraq before the war over weapons -- false. We were told Saddam had marked a red line around Baghdad and that when we crossed it Iraq would use chemical weapons -- completely fabricated. We were told of an elaborate scheme by Saddam's forces to ambush U.S. Marines on March 23 as they fought toward Baghdad. The president mentioned this incident many times. It turns out what really happened that day is that the Marines were repeatedly attacked by a U.S. Air Force A-10. It was a friendly-fire incident, not an Iraqi ruse. But building on the theme of Iraqi evil was more important than the truth. Military intelligence officials' prewar assertion when no WMD were found that Iraq had moved its weapons to Syria is another example of information denial. But although the Iraq Survey Group report to be released at the end of this month will announce once and for all that Iraq did not have WMD, the WMD argument already served its purpose in garnering support for the invasion. The important message now remains: Iraq = terrorists = 9/11. The fog of war has not yet lifted. But when the strategy is to hide the war from the American people, rather than to get them to approve its instigation, fabrication is more difficult to sustain. Karl von Clausewitz, the Prussian theorist of war, wrote, "War is an extension of politics by other means." When I taught Clausewitz to students at various military war colleges, I told them that he meant international politics. But I may have been wrong -- I fear war has become an extension of domestic politics, moving beyond influencing adversaries on the battlefield to influencing the decision making of friendly nations and, even more important, American public opinion. Why have the American people become the adversary? Republicans AND Democrats, Think of your COUNTRY first!