Thank God for the reasoned (and lone Republican) voice of John McCain on the wrongness of torture ... ever!!

Is John McCain's voice to ring hollow and alone among Republicans on this issue?

When will our Republican Presidential candidates begin to speak out forthright and clear on this ugly little "secret" (as if it really were secret?) in the same strong manner as John McCain has from the outset? It's not just Blackwater, Inc.; it's the whole Iraq war machine ... from top to bottom and inside and out. And in that regard, even Senator McCain's support of the continuing occupation rings sour to this old curmudgeon.

Sorry about the picture; my brother Richard in Connecticut chides me for my bad taste, but sometimes, it's necessary to get the point across. As one after another of those persons accused of war crimes are cleared, I'm reminded of the whole Abu-Ghraib affair and its ultimate whitewash.

Of course, the torture issue is front and center again with the confirmation process underway for Michael Mukasey as Attorney General.

Hillary said it reasonably clearly, I thought, when she put out a statement earlier this evening. It read, "I am deeply troubled by Judge Mukasey's continued unwillingness to clearly state his views on torture and unchecked Executive power." It was the AG nominee's unwillingness to even indicate whether he thought water-boarding was "cruel and unusual" punishment that caused Senator Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, John Edwards, and Joseph Biden to oppose Mukasey's nomination only hours before this evening's presidential debate.

Hey Congress ... let's hear it from all of you! This torture thing isn't simply a Party issue or a campaign talking point. It's the very character of our nation at stake!

The questions aimed at making fun of Dennis Kucinich this evening rubbed me the wrong way ...

Notice the triangular-shaped "UFO" roughly centered in the blue area of this outstanding Hubble photo of the Lagoon Nebula ...

This evening's debate was fine until the panel decided to toss Dennis Kucinich's sighting of a UFO at him--clearly making fun of a serious candidate while poking all serious Ufologists such as Bill Puckett in the eye. Both Kucinich and Barack Obama were polite (but needlessly silly) about it. Still, the ugly taste of disdain remains ...

Daily Tracking Poll shows that it's tightening up on the Republican side

The Keys to the White House (my brother's favorite book of late) Graphically Portrayed

Then again ...

For any of you who wish to put a terrific URL showing the history of the 2008 daily polls, just go to the Rasmussen site linked here and then add it to your favorites; i.e., bookmark it.

Of course, for my brother Richard in Connecticut who wants to take it down in longhand, it's

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/
politics/election_2008__1/
daily_presidential_tracking_polling_history

Our taxes bought the biggest and best ... and no one want to go there!

And we can't find even fifty American diplomats to take it on?

Upper picture is a diagram of the Embassy area. Left bottom is the main building and the right bottom is the swimming pool and "swim house."

I quote from John Smart:

"It's not only the largest embassy in the world, it's the largest embassy ever constructed by any nation, anywhere, at any time in history! It's larger than Vatican City and much more secure — the outer walls are 15 feet thick. In a country that has only a couple of hours of electricity a day, the new embassy will have its own generators, and in a society where drinkable water is a scarce and precious commodity, it will have its own water filtration system. The people outside those 15-foot walls might get a bit testy about this display of wealth, don't you think? The Iraqis, accustomed as they were to Saddam's numerous marble extravaganzas are referring to this mega-complex as "George W's Palace." Again, I wonder why? It's costing us billions for sure, although that information is apparently classified. Don't you think we should know what it's for? Or maybe we do know what it's for. Maybe it's all of a piece with the expensive and evidently permanent military bases that the Bush administration is building in Iraq. Maybe the plan all along was to occupy this keystone country in the Middle East for the foreseeable future. Maybe that's why George W. Bush is so angered by the congress's repeated attempts to put timelines and deadlines on our occupation forces: He has no intention of us ever leaving."

And now we learn that we aren't able to find even fifty qualified diplomats to go there. Word out this morning is that anyone who refuses will be fired ... summarily! Mediawingnuts wonders why they can't use the same slave labor that was used to build the blooming thing to become our "diplomats" to Iraq ....

Of course, we now know (thanks to George Tenet's book) that we always intended to occupy Iraq and it's %$#@* oil to/for perpetuity.

Yeesh!

Huckabee in the Top Tier ... also has best possible endorsement!

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows—for the first time ever--Mike Huckabee moving into the top four among those seeking the Republican Presidential Nomination. This is tantamount to his being in the "top tier" of Republican candidates, although my brother Richard in Connecticut is still swooning over Romney's big bucks.

In any event, Rudy Giuliani is still at the top of the list of Republican candidates with support from 20% of Likely Republican Primary Voters nationwide. Fred Thompson is almost tied with Giuliani at 19% while John McCain is in third place with 14% of the vote. Huckabee continues to surge (I hate that word!) and is just two points behind McCain at 12%. This is the first time all year that Huckabee has popped ahead of Mitt Romney nationally. Romney dropped only a little bit, but is now fifth at 11% nationally. No other Republican has more than 3% support while 18% are undecided.

Given Huckabee’s progress, Rasmussen Reports will add his results to the daily tracking history table starting on Monday.

It's obvious that the Republican race is now wide open.

Go, Mike ... GO!!!

And oh yes ...



Yup, that's Actor Chuck Norris above, and he has also announced his support for Mike Huckabee for president this week. Norris made the announcement in a column on a conservative website, World Net Daily. His quote goes:

"It's time to quit choosing our leaders based solely upon charisma or one strong suite, and move back to being a culture which esteems and elects its leaders because of character and qualifications. It's substance, not pizzazz, we should want in a leader. Mike Huckabee is the real deal."

Please don't commit suicide, Republicans, there is a choice -- Mike Huckabee represents the Conscience of a Conservative !!

Mike Huckabee (and friend)

Do we want a person like Mike Huckabee who would alienate the homosexuals, Wiccans, Atheists, Americans going on their fourth (or beyond) marriage, transsexuals/cross dressers and anti-Evangelicals among us (and probably lose) ... or do we want a "with-it" cross-dressing, three wives (and still going) man who appeals to a cross-section of the American left as well as Corporate America and the mercenary armies roaming the streets of Iraq and Afghanistan (who just might win)?

The choice is the GOPs ... I keep hearing that the coming election is Hillary's to lose; I personally think it's the Republicans to show that they are the party of the new diverse America!



Rudy Guiliani -- Likeliest GOP Nominee

You know? I've come to a conclusion that would upset both Republicans and Democrats ... There is NO such thing as a "Just" war ... NONE WHATSOEVER!!!

Unless someone out there in the vast Blogosphere can show me that any "war" doesn't kill or harm any "innocent persons" (civilian, military, extraterrestrial alien or otherwise), I have come to the logical and correct conclusion that all wars are inherently unjust and shouldn't be supported by any country. In the final analysis, everyone loses, especially the children.

Admittedly, a good friend who happens to be a Jehovah's Witness stopped by and we chatted earlier today, but his particular faith is of no matter; his logic on the subject of war and peace was and is inscrutable. Even my own Bible (lately, I use the New English Bible or NEB, but the New International Version or NIV says much the same thing) agreed with his arguments from the New World Translation from which he usually reads [for example, Matt. 5:9 and Romans 12:18]. And he also reminded me that the Laws of Economics (as relates to the economic "value" of weaponry) agreed with the solid logic against engaging in any war, even when attacked or about to be.

As I study the definition of a "just war," I see that it is largely a construct of selfish thinking by the winners (ultimately) or the folks in power. Of course, the Iraq debacle isn't even a just war [sic] by their standards, but that is immaterial to me now.

There should be NO WAR ... ever!

Did I just write that?

George Bush gets it right for a change ... greets Dalai Lama and twists China's knickers, so to speak ...

Even the United Nations dissed him (thanks to the Chinese), but both the US Congress and our President quite properly gave honor to the Dalai Lama -- both for his having won the Nobel Peace Prize a couple of decades ago and now for having been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

The New York Times wrote,

"The Congressional medal got Beijing’s knickers in such a twist that the Chinese warned of 'an extremely serious impact' on their relations with the United States. They offered no specifics. Maybe they’ll stop sending us any more lead-painted toys, defective tires, toxic toothpaste and tainted pet food. Wouldn't that be awful?"

As most of you know, the Dalai Lama is the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet and not looked upon too highly by the Chinese Government. Three cheers for our side!!

Now, wouldn't it be nice if the President were to invite Al Gore over for some tea and a chat? And why not the Congressional Medal of Honor for Al Gore while we're at it?

Uhhh ... Congress? Are you listening? ....


Or maybe we could talk the Dalai Lama into replacing Dick Cheney for the next fourteen months or so ...

Polls show that confusion connecting "War on Terror" with Iraq War is a plus for Rudy Guiliani ...

Rudy's tough stance on Iraq Keeps Him Atop Polls

My brother Richard in Connecticut cites polls that show the confusion among Americans about the connection between 9-11 and Iraq (actually non-existent) is keeping him alive and well in the Republican primaries ... and might even upset the general election in November, 2008 if people don't start waking up!

Okay, maybe that previous posting's photo was ... a little misleading, but a Hillary Clinton-Al Gore ticket is still unstoppable!!

President Hillary Clinton
While Blogger.com is fixing their problem with photo-uploading and such, let me state emphatically that the idea of a Hillary Clinton-Al Gore Democratic Presidential ticket for 2008 is simply too good for my gastronomic satiety. Barama (Barack Obama) would gladly step aside to allow peace in the Middle East and Global cleansing to occur, I believe.


Vice-President Al Gore

A Hillary Clinton-Al Gore Ticket (completely legal and feasible) would be UNBEATABLE!

Yes, We ALL Love Al Gore Today!!

A Clinton-Gore Ticket (completely legal and feasible) would be UNBEATABLE! And Barack Obama would make the best Secretary of State we've ever had ... (And should you be wondering, Al Gore would only be 68 in 2016--four years younger than John McCain today!)

It's worth looking carefully at the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution more carefully today:

The 22nd Amendment

Section 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Section. 2. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress.

Ratification was completed on February 27, 1951.

My brother Richard from Connecticut and I were debating this very issue on the phone earlier this evening and I had to check it out with good ol' Google. (I happened to be right, for a change.)

Interestingly, although former President Bill Clinton is constitutionally prohibited from running for president (or, more specifically, being elected to the job), he is permitted to hold any of the jobs that are in the line of succession (watch out, Nancy Pelosi!) and it appears to this old curmudgeon that even he could again become president under some circumstances.

But to the point, a Hillary-Al ticket would be unstoppable and he'd be known as the very greenest person on the earth when it comes time for us to pick a nominee in 2016. Barama might very well be the first black President in 2024 or so, but Al Gore might very well be the first "green President." An ET would then become only the second "green" president.

What sayest thou, fellow Ufologist, Bill Puckett of UFOSNW.com???

Migod ... let's go for broke on this one: Republicans and Democrats unite! Override the Veto Against Health Care for ALL of Our Children!!

The choice is simple: Stand with the President and his veto or stand foursquare with the children of our nation--all of the children, poor, middle-class and rich--so that we will have 100% health coverage for every last one of them ... and a step in that direction is the SCHIP bill vetoed by the president upon the advice of his Vice President and the insurance and HMO lobbyists.

We are only 14 (Republican) votes shy of turning the clock back to "forward" ... the Time is NOW!!!

The issue isn't simply adding a few children to the millions currently covered; it's a giant step towards that which all Americans should and deep down want--coverage for them ALL!

Congress: It's up to you!

And oh yes, just for the record: the measure passed by Congress would add about 3.8 million children to the 6 million now covered, limited mostly to families with income at 300 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $62,000 for a family of four.

And guess what? The bill, as passed, would pay for it by raising tobacco taxes. Sounds like we're killing two birds with one stone here, doesn't it?

Buddhist Monk Thiq-Huang-Do Opts For Roller-Coaster Suicide Upon Learning He Didn't Win Nobel Peace Prize ... Takes Fellow Monks Along!

Personally (and if we weren't voting for president of the US next year), I'd probably pick Thick Kwan Doh!

Take me; I'm yours, beloved fans!

Admittedly, Thick Kwan Doh (also spelled Thich Quang Do and/or Thik Qwahn Dow) isn't the likeliest to win the Nobel Peace Prize this year--although he's the crowd favorite in Ho Chi Minh City--formerly, my home town of Saigon when I lived on Hai Ba Trong (a.k.a. Three Sisters) Street. He's a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk and at 100-1 odds doesn't probably stand a chance against a possible next President of the United States. (See my brother's take on this one!)

Deep down (I guess), I would love to see an environmentalist win the Nobel Peace Prize--and become the next President of the United States--but have to ask exactly what An Inconvenient Truth has/had to do with world peace other than that some of his ideas would lead the world way from Chevron, Exxon, Mobile, Shell and ... Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran and wherever else they pump out that slimy black gunk.

One way or the other, we will all know within the next twelve hours whether Al-baby is to be a Nobel Peace Laureate--or whatever one who wins the NPP is called--and then in another week or so whether he will pull a Fred Thompson and become a late entrant into the Democratic Presidential nomination race.

I'd for for him in a heart-beat!

But for the moment, all eyes are on Oslo.

Now that I've heard the entire Dearborn debate, it's clear that the winner was ... Hillary in a landslide!

After listening to all nine of the Republican candidates go on and on ... and (yawn) on during the replay today (Wednesday is my one day off during the week what with evening classes added to my daytime schedule), it is clear to me that the only clear winner of that Republican "debate" was/is Hillary Clinton.

I really have been listening intently to just about everything that all of the candidates of both parties have had to say for maybe six months now, and it's certainly clear after some of the abuse shoved in the direction of Hillary yesterday, that ... to use her words, "she's my girl!"

She was "accused" of supporting more money to help young people get to college, extending SCHIP for all school children, for having changed her mind on the Iraq occupation after it became clear that we were up to our knees in you-know-what, and wanting to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans.

Besides what the Republican candidates accused her of in their mock debate, she has specifically stated in recent weeks some decent ideas as regards her plan to get our soldiers out of Iraq and to provide health care to Americans who really can't afford the current "system."

No, I am not a supporter of her Pro-Choice (abortion pretty much on demand) stance nor an I of the belief that stem cell research should extend to embryonic stem cell research, but she is overall more pro-life than any of the Republican candidates with their phony health care plans and support of Bush's illegitimate war in Iraq--with designs on Iran. It was clear to me after listening to them last night and again today that they are truly looking at the oil in the Middle East as a "key" to America's strength.

And oh yes, I would dearly like to see Medicare modified to cover prescription drugs as suggested by Senator Clinton.

Need I say more?

She was and is the Republican debate's clear winner--as of right now after listening to the Republican wannabees sounding off last night and again on a rebroadcast today!

What can I add to what's already probably on every posting in the Blogosphere? Fred Thompson passed the test.

Fred Thompson is a good addition, I think!

Yeh, he sounded a little like every other Republican on the stage (other than Ron Paul, of course), but I liked his folksy style and he seemed to have his facts lined up (more or less). Then again, being a Republican, he had to support the unsupportable war and diss nearly every social program (even Medicare and Social Security!) that both Democrats and Republicans have generally supported for a half century.

His main claim to fame, though, when all is said and done is that he kept Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani from deucing it out on the stage by standing between them--all six feet and six (or is it seven?) inches of him.

And oh yes, I might add that my up-until-this-evening-favorite Republican (Mike Wannabee Huckabee) did a little too much dancing into the far right corner for me to care much for anything he had to say--and his strong Pro-life pronouncements won't be enough for me to vote Republican even if he wins the nomination. I'll continue to wear my "I Like Mike Huckabee" badge though ... just below my "Hillary in 08" and "Go, Obama Go!" badges.

I think I like the "You Tube" format better ... (yawn!)

I'll have to pop over to my brother Richard's new site to see what his take on the affair was. Last night, he seemed to be checking out the various "keys" to the White House as articulated in a book a few years back. [Later: He has three "falses" now, with lots of "TBDs" and "we'll know next summer" thoughts on those keys. Check his thoughts out. Interesting ...]

Mike Huckabee does have a "point" there, doesn't he?

Barack Obama, the likeliest next Democratic candidate for Vice-President

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee wasn't just joking, was he, when he stated that Sen. Barack Obama has a very good reason for not wearing a pin with an American flag on it? Looking at the above picture--a typical picture of Senator Obama--we see that pinning an American Flag on his chest "could be very painful," to use Huckabee's exact words.

Huckabee, who is my favorite Republican presidential candidate, is pretty well known for his sense of humor while campaigning, and he used it to put the national brouhaha over Obama's pinless lapel during campaign appearances in proper perspective.

"There are so many things we need to be talking about" other than what a candidate wears on his lapel, Huckabee said, adding that he does not wear a flag pin on his.

"A lot of people wear insignias of their fraternities," he said in a brief interview. "Now if you wore a satanic symbol, that has a relevance. That would be an issue."

Pin Mediawingnuts with a number of campaign pins today--Huckabee's, Obama's and Hillary's as starters. (Despite living right on the ocean, I seldom take a dip.) I think that my brother Richard in Connecticut is still wearing his "Evan Bayh for 2008" pin and my sister Nancy in Maryland no doubt still wears her "Bush in 2004" pin.

Ain't grandkids great?

Grandparents see their grandkids all too seldom, but thank you, God, for jpg-files and email! Click on photograph for zoom!

Aren't they beautiful, Blogospere-world?

Well, it's just too yucking bad, Glenn Beck, because I happen to like the yucking woman!

I couldn't believe my eyes--and ears--last evening while watching Glenn Beck's limp show after coming in from teaching fairly late in the evening. Yeh, it was a rerun and was little more than a non-stop sequence of video and sound clips of Hillary Clinton laughing. Certainly listening to one clip after another made her sound odd--even fake to an extent--but I for one would rather have a happy face in the White House than some of the tired old men who are running on the Republican side.

Yes, I still stand by my letter to Dr. James Dobson re. my positive vibes from/for Mike Huckabee, but must very much take umbrage with Glenn Beck and his ilk (Jon Stewart, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh for starters) for making clearly sexist and ugly remarks about Hillary Clinton and her laugh.

I also watched the rerun of "The Daily Show" (Jon Stewart) which also played an audio/video collage of Sen. Clinton laughing while she was interviewed on several Sunday TV talkfests. She belted out some unusually long and "cackling-type" laughs in response to several serious questions and though her serious answers followed, the laugh is what remained in my mind after several such clips were played simultaneously.

The analysis of her laugh actually makes me laugh in retrospect. Isn't she the person beating every candidate in both parties at present? All of this foolish and sexist chatter about Hillary's "cackle" (okay, it did sound awful) makes me want to put her back atop my favorite candidates list.

An open letter to Dr. Dobson: Why not Mike Huckabee for President?

Former Governor (Arkansas) Mike Huckabee


Dr. James C. Dobson
Focus on the Family Action
8655 Explorer Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80920-1050

Subj.: Why not Mike Huckabee?

Dear Dr. Dobson:

Mediawingnuts notes that leaders of the Christian Right (including you) met during a telephonic/live convention in Utah last weekend over what to do regarding Rudy Giuliani’s current likelihood of receiving the Republican nomination. Your comments about dumping both major parties and starting a "third party" were disturbing to me. It’s about time for Mediawingnuts (and his brother Richard in Connecticut) to speak up and share my/our views regarding the current quandary for Christian conservatives surrounding the race for the Republican nomination.

I regard myself as a "pro-life Democrat" and my brother is either that or a liberal Republican--also pro-life, of course.

Are you and those who listen intently to your views really searching for an Evangelical Christian who can beat Hillary and isn’t only a warmed over (reborn as of this campaign) Rudy Giuliani or Fred Thompson? Well, look no further than former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee.

I would like to suggest the following criteria by which to screen candidates for the Republican nomination:

• Someone who has always stood for the sanctity of Life (overturn Roe vs. Wade for starters), family and other traditional values (no gay “marriages” sanctioned by the state) and strong protections of all of our elderly and children.

• Someone who has stood four-square for the rights and protections guaranteed by our Constitution.

• Someone who is real! Besides being an articulate speaker, Mike Huckabee is the most credible candidate in both parties today. He speaks from the heart and all who hear him … listen!

• Someone who is an executive with several years as an “executive” within the Government (Mike Huckabee was the Governor of Arkansas for almost a dozen years—more time in such an office than any other of the current candidates).

Although I disagree with Mike Huckabee as regards our remaining in Iraq or continuing the surge, I certainly can follow his logic for supporting both at this time. As he said in a recent debate, we broke it … we own it! In a sense, I at least can follow the logic of his argument which goes something like, “we owe it to the Iraqis to stay until we can return a semblance of the country they once had.”

What do you want, Dr. Dobson … a Baptist preacher?

Oh yes, he’s that too … and plays a mean guitar besides.

Let’s stop this "third party" crap (excuse my French, Dr. Dobson) and get on board with Mike Huckabee!

I noticed that as diverse a group of persons as Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich and Barack Obama agreed over the past weekend’s talk shows that Mike Huckabee is the best that the Republicans have to offer.

Why don’t you take a hint and catch the wave? The money that your pulpit can bring to Mike Huckabee's campaign is enormous and would likely put him among the front runners in no time at all.

Go for it!

Joseph T. Ryan
Lover of Jesus Christ, my country and … oh yes, cats!

Hmmm ... Let me count the ways. Alan Greenspan really says it like it is ... and as it should be told!

Alan Greenspan counts the ways! He really hit home with his latest book and my latest "can't put it down" read.

To begin with, the Iraq war is indeed all about Oil. That would have to be Number One in his count-down.

The tax cuts for the wealthy and the deficit in general are easily Number Two. The next bunch are directly off the web and worth thinking about as we try to make it from day to day in our homes and offices around the country:

"3. Cuts in Education and Student Loan/Grant Programs
4. Social Security Privatization
5. Changes in Bankruptcy Laws
6. Interest Rate Increases from Rising Federal Debt (e.g. mortgage risk)
7. Caps on Legal Judgments
8. Decreases in Workplace Protections (Health Costs)
9. Reductions in Environmental Protection (Health Costs)
8. Further Declines in Union Power (increased job loss risk, income more uncertain)
10. Further Reduction in the Real Minimum Wage
11. Changes in overtime law, including “comp time” that is at the discretion of the employer, not the employee.
12. The dangers from non-inspected or improperly inspected food imports, especially beef from Mexico and South America. (health).
13. There are proposed cuts in food stamps. Instead of reducing farm subsidies, the proposal is to cut 300,000 people from the Food Stamp program, and to also cut WIC and school lunch programs for a total saving of 300 million annually.
14. Proposed reductions in low income housing development grants and housing assistance.
15. Fewer people covered under private and government health insurance.
16. $55/bl oil and inaction on energy policy means more money spent at the pumps for households making it harder for them to meet other expenses.
17. When income taxes fall and social programs are cut back, we lose "automatic stabilizers," many of which were instituted after the Great Depression. The loss of these stabilizing influences accentuates both booms and recessions imparting additional variation and uncertainty into household income.
18. I should have added this up front. Because down-side risk will be covered, i.e. society will not let people starve no matter how poorly they have behaved previously, individuals will assume more risk than if they faced the down-side risk due to what is called moral hazard. This distorts the proper functioning of the social insurance market and causes individuals to assume more risk than is optimal."

Greenspan calls "The Age of Turbulence" a "psychoanalysis of himself." It begins (first half) with his early life, describing the events that provided his learning experiences (including his desire to become a baseball player, then a jazz musician), and then goes to his life of implementing those lessons. All I can say is "Wow!"

Move over, Army, Air Force, Navy and US Marines ... you've been replaced by paid mercenaries. Who wudda believed it?

Blackwater USA's founder is a former U. S. Navy SEAL. See previous posting. He created Blackwater on the belief that both the US military overseas and law enforcement establishments in America would require additional capacity to train fully our brave men and women in and out of uniform to the standards required to keep our country secure. Essentially, Blackwater USA is there to protect our brave US Marines and soldiers who are too busy helping to rebuild Iraq's hospitals and child care centers to do the actual fighting.

Someone has to do the actual fighting, it seems, and Cheney's corporate ties are provding the ultimate "privatized Army."

Blackwater USA itself consists of nine separate business units: Blackwater Training Center (the largest private firearms and tactical training center in the U. S.), Blackwater Target Systems, Blackwater Security Consulting, Blackwater Canine, Maritime Security, manufacturing of custom Armored Vehicles, Parachute Jump Team, Aviation, and Raven Development Group. The (Blackwater "business" units) also have relationships with their strategic partners, Aviation Worldwide Services and Greystone Ltd.

They claim that they are not simply a "private security company"; they are a professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations firm who provides turnkey solutions.

Scarier yet, they claim to "assist with the development of national and global security policies and military transformation plans. [We] can train, equip and deploy public safety and military professionals, build live-fire indoor/outdoor ranges, MOUT facilities and shoot houses, create ground and aviation operations and logistics support packages, develop and execute canine solutions for patrol and explosive detection, and can design and build facilities both domestically and in austere environments abroad."

Who needs an Army, Navy, Air Force and the Marines anymore?