J's Cafe Nette

Archive for November 3rd, 2007

Update and bump. For those who may have missed this post originally, it is being bumped in hopes that throughout the weekend more individuals will find it in their heart to donate even a dollar to Project Valour-IT.

Folks, please use the link on the sidebar (or the one attached to this post), to donate to this very worthy cause. The members of the United States Military have never let us down and a small donation will go a long way toward assisting a wounded member in their quest towards a normal life.

Thanks again for your help and remember, for the price of a cup of coffee we can truly make a difference in the life of a man or woman who has served this country well.

End Update

There is a new link on the sidebar which applies to Project Valour-IT. Below is an overview of exactly what this fundraiser hopes to accomplish on behalf of wounded members of the US military.

Every cent raised for Project Valour-IT goes directly to the purchase and shipment of laptops for severely wounded service members. As of October 2007, Valour-IT has distributed over 1500 laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines across the country.

Valour-IT accepts donations in any amount to support the purchase and distribution of laptops, but also offers a sponsorship option. An individual or organization may sponsor a wounded soldier by completely funding the cost of a laptop and continuing to provide that soldier with personal support and encouragement throughout recovery. This has proved to be an excellent project for churches, groups of coworkers or friends, and members of community organizations such Boy Scouts.

If you can donate even a dollar to this worthy cause, please do so. All donations are tax deductable and if you are more comfortable with another means of contributing, various methods are detailed here.

Remember, 100% of what you donate goes to the purchase of these laptops. There is no administrative cost and no other overhead.

Thanks in advance for your help. **==

Update: The graph below shows a running update for the “Army Team” in dollars raised. If you would like to view the totals for the Marines, Navy and Air Force, you may do so here.

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The finger wagged, the eyes narrowed, the angry tone bounced off the walls as he spoke. “I did not have sexual relations with that woman,— Ms. Lewinsky.”

Remember how you felt as a sitting President attempted to convince us that this was a fabrication being fueled by the Republicans and the press?

I did not write the above to rehash old issues or open old wounds. Frankly, other than the fact that he chose to use the Oval Office for his pleasure, I couldn’t care less about the escapades of the former President.

I mentioned it so that if you choose to view this video of Mr. Clinton, it may serve as a reminder of how he reacts when confronted with an uncomfortable situation.

Some things never change. Point the finger..squint those eyes..blame the messenger…Hillary didn’t know…Russert was “breathtakingly misleading”..watch the press eat this up, I’m Bill Clinton.

I am one who believes that while there has to be an ego attached to running for an office such as the presidency, there should also be a humility attached to the honor of winning. A simple, “We believe Mr. Russert was incorrect in his assertion and will work to release these records as quickly as possible,” would have sufficed. Instead it’s the same old game.

Who is the candidate running for President? Can Mrs. Clinton not defend her positions and herself? Why are they both not out waving a copy of this letter (which Tim Russert used in his questioning) in the face of the press and public?

At least for the moment the network is standing behind Russert:

In response, Barbara L. Levin, spokeswoman for NBC, said: “Tim’s question was entirely on the mark.”

Given the spin and rhetoric his question has prompted, I would have to say Ms. Levin is right however, my hopes for any real tough questions being posed to the former First Lady in further debates has waned.

The RNC has also issued a rebuttal statement to the former President’s remarks:

Paul Lindsey of the Republican National Committee responded to Clinton’s comments this afternoon:

“The only thing that’s breathtakingly misleading is Bill and Hillary Clinton’s continued distortion of the facts,” Lindsey wrote in an e-mail. “All this takes is for the Clintons to release the documents related to their time in the White House instead of regaling the American people with more flimsy delaying tactics and excuses.”

Very few have proven in the past to wish to take on the Clinton’s and I give Mr. Russert credit for doing so on more than one occasion in the recent forum, but I will not expect to see more of the same any time soon.

I hope I am wrong, as we need this type of question posed to all serious candidates so we may make informed decisions.

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After the announcements by Senators Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer that they would vote for him in committee, it appears his nomination will go before the full Senate where about 70 votes in favor will be cast for him.

Democratic Senators Charles Schumer of New York and Dianne Feinstein of California said Friday they will vote for Attorney General-nominee Michael Mukasey, which likely gives President Bush’s choice enough support to pass the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Schumer and Feinstein announced their decision shortly after the chairman of the committee, Vermong Democrat Patrick Leahy, announced he would vote against Mukasey, a former federal judge.

“This is an extremely difficult decision,” Schumer said in a statement, adding that Mukasey “is not my ideal choice.”

In announcing her support for Mukasey, Feinstein said “first and foremost, Michael Mukasey is not Alberto Gonzales,” referring to the former attorney general who resigned in September after months of questions about his honesty.

Including Leahy, five of the Judiciary Committee’s 10 Democrats had said they would vote against Mukasey’s confirmation after the nominee refused earlier in the week to say that waterboarding, an interrogation technique that simulates drowning, constitutes torture and therefore illegal.

But with nine Republicans on the panel, Schumer’s and Feinstein’s support for Mukasey virtually guarantees that a majority of the committee will recommend his confirmation when it votes next Tuesday.

I’ve come to have more respect for Feinstein in the past few months as she has done what she feels is right and not the political thing.

Maybe they just didn’t want an acting AG Ted Olson.

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