Obama's War On Veterans

Hat tip to TexasFred

I am a widow. My late husband was a 100% service connected disabled American Veteran. And although I am not a service connected veteran, I am without health insurance, therefore I have been using the VA. So when I write about the VA, its hospitals, and the benefits, I can say I am somewhat of an expert.

Those of us who have served our nation do not ask for handouts. We do not ask for special privileges, we do ask for respect and understanding.

Many of us who have served this nation have returned to civilian life with problems (physical and mental) that civilian doctors are not equipped to cope with. Many of us have either no insurance or our insurance companies will not cover the cost of our treatment. So we turn to the VA (normally at the last resort) for treatment.

Non-service connected veterans have been required to pay for treatment (if they can) or their insurance companies are billed. But service connected veterans (with disability ratings of 50% or higher) are not billed and are not required to pay for any services at a VA Hospital. Until now.

The leader of the nation's largest veterans organization says he is "deeply disappointed and concerned" after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.

"It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan," said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. "He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it."

The Commander, clearly angered as he emerged from the session said, "This reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate ' to care for him who shall have borne the battle' given that the United States government sent members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. I say again that The American Legion does not and will not support any plan that seeks to bill a veteran for treatment of a service connected disability at the very agency that was created to treat the unique need of America's veterans!"

Commander Rehbein was among a group of senior officials from veterans service organizations joining the President, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki and Steven Kosiak, the overseer of defense spending at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The group's early afternoon conversation at The White House was precipitated by a letter of protest presented to the President earlier this month. The letter, co-signed by Commander Rehbein and the heads of ten colleague organizations, read, in part, " There is simply no logical explanation for billing a veteran's personal insurance for care that the VA has a responsibility to provide. While we understand the fiscal difficulties this country faces right now, placing the burden of those fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country is unconscionable."

Commander Rehbein reiterated points made last week in testimony to both House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees. It was stated then that The American Legion believes that the reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate that VA treat service-connected injuries and disabilities given that the United States government sends members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. The proposed requirement for these companies to reimburse the VA would not only be unfair, says the Legion, but would have an adverse impact on service-connected disabled veterans and their families. The Legion argues that, depending on the severity of the medical conditions involved, maximum insurance coverage limits could be reached through treatment of the veteran's condition alone. That would leave the rest of the family without health care benefits.

The Legion also points out that many health insurance companies require deductibles to be paid before any benefits are covered. Additionally, the Legion is concerned that private insurance premiums would be elevated to cover service-connected disabled veterans and their families, especially if the veterans are self-employed or employed in small businesses unable to negotiate more favorable across-the-board insurance policy pricing. The American Legion also believes that some employers, especially small businesses, would be reluctant to hire veterans with service-connected disabilities due to the negative impact their employment might have on obtaining and financing company health care benefits.

"I got the distinct impression that the only hope of this plan not being enacted," said Commander Rehbein, "is for an alternative plan to be developed that would generate the desired $540-million in revenue. The American Legion has long advocated for Medicare reimbursement to VA for the treatment of veterans. This, we believe, would more easily meet the President's financial goal. We will present that idea in an anticipated conference call with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel in the near future.

"I only hope the administration will really listen to us then. This matter has far more serious ramifications than the President is imagining," concluded the Commander.

It seems that we have a man as President who has no concern for the men and women who have returned from combat, who have served this nation honorably. This is his great idea for National Health Care.

I know from experience that a service connected veteran cannot afford health insurance. The premiums are just too high. And with the VA now going to charge for their medical insurance, it will become a death sentence for thousands of veterans who have no insurance, cannot afford insurance, and now cannot afford treatment at the VA.

Ask yourself this? Why is it an illegal immigrant from Mexico can get pregnant, and have the child in the US, paid for by US taxpayers. This immigrant doesn't have to pay a dime. Yet, not one veteran, service connected or otherwise, will ever receive the same thing?

What this Administration is planning to do to US Veterans borders on treason. He and his whole staff should be ashamed of just proposing this horrifying idea and should be getting down on their knees in a mea culpa to each and every one of us who has served this nation honorably.

Obama Grabs More Power: Disarms Pilots, Seizes Troubled Companies

Cross-posted by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

President Barack Obama is quietly seizing powers that were not even considered among the many considered, during the election.



Announced today, Obama wants the power to allow "his administration to seize troubled companies like the insurer AIG - and take ownership of their toxic assets - if their collapse would threaten the financial system." He terms this "new financial industry oversight." This new power includes a "resolution authority" that would have powers similar to the FDIC's - and allows the take-over of "bad assets" and the sale of "the good ones" to competitors.

Speaking on "condition of anonymity," an administration official said:

That is what occurred when the government seized control of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac last September. The government had the authority to take control of Fannie and Freddie and oust their top executives because those companies were government-sponsored enterprises.

For anyone paying even a smidgen of attention, Fannie and Freddie are still failing after billions have been funneled to them, and then there's AIG - on Capitol Hill today trying to explain millions in executive bonuses, not to mention billions of U.S. government bailout funds sent to Germany ($11.8 billion), and Britain's Barclays ($8.5 billion).

Details are expected to be made available before Obama's April 2 meeting in London with World leaders.

Could we possibly want Team Obama in charge of even more private America companies?


Further:

President Barack Obama is using his powers to DISARM airline pilots. After the 9/11 attacks, commercial airline pilots were allowed to carry guns after completing a federally-mandated safety program.

Now President Obama is quietly ending the federal firearms program, risking public safety on airlines in the name of an anti-gun ideology.

According to the Washington Times, $2 million has been diverted from the safety-training program"

"...to hire more supervisory staff, who will engage in field inspections of pilots."

More field inspections of pilots???? How will keep us safe? It will not but it does create a larger government bureaucracy.

And what will this bureaucracy do? Perhaps this gives us some insight:

Now President Obama is quietly ending the federal firearms program, risking public safety on airlines in the name of an anti-gun ideology.

Fewer than one percent of the officers have any administrative actions brought against them and, we are told, virtually all of those cases “are trumped up.”

Take a case against one flight officer who had visited the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles within the last few weeks. While there, the pilot noticed that federal law enforcement officers can, with the approval of a superior, obtain a license plate that cannot be traced, a key safety feature for law enforcement personnel. So the pilot asked if, as a member of the federal program, he was eligible. The DMV staffer checked and said “no.” The next day administrative actions were brought against the pilot for “misrepresenting himself.” These are the kinds of cases that President Obama wants to investigate.

Obama began his deceleration of the program, known as the Federal Flight Deck Officers, immediately after taking office. There was no talk about it, the permits for applicants just "stalled out."

Here's something interesting:

Until the early 1960s, American commercial passenger pilots on any flight carrying U.S. mail were required to carry handguns. Indeed, U.S. pilots were still allowed to carry guns until as recently as 1987. There are no records that any of these pilots (either military or commercial) ever causing any significant problems.

Anyone thinking Obama doesn't have a "plan" to intentionally undermine the Constitution's clear mission to protect our homeland from foreign forces, and to end the capitalism guaranteed by the Constitution, must be wearing those pink tee shirts that somehow gain entrance to every Congressional hearing on the Hill (Code Pink).

The World Is Starting To Understand The Truth About The Durban II Conference

There has been a ground swell of criticism against the upcoming United Nations Conference
Against Racism better known as Durban II from the Civilized World. The nations of Canada, Israel, Italy, and the United States have already decided not to attend. Recently the rest of Europe was on the verge of not attending and in Japan, the newspaper The Japan Times, wrote this:

The Japan Times, the longest running English-language periodical in Japan, declared on March 10 that the U.N. World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (Durban II) scheduled for next month is either cruel and mistaken, or blatantly anti-Semitic. After reviewing the run-up to the conference, the editors conclude:

"The charitable explanation for the mentality behind the Durban meetings is the mistaken belief that the best way to remedy the sufferings of one group is to victimize another. Less charitably, one could argue that Durban is an attempt to punish Israel and the Jews, regardless of what they have done."

Acknowledging that "on paper" Durban II "is an eminently laudable project - if you believe that the United Nations should promote grand statements that promote norms of good behavior," the newspaper protested that "instead of fighting racism, the conference looks set to enshrine it as policy by singling out Israel for criticism and equating Zionism with racism."

The Japan Times laments that Libya, the chair of the conference, and Cuba, the special rapporteur, "are not the only countries that desire to single out Israel for international censure."

All in an effort to stop the hatefest that this conference is going to become.

On February 27, 2009 the United States tentatively removed itself from the conference saying that a few conditions had to be met first for the Obama Administration to reconsider this decision. Those conditions are now met.

United Nations officials announced Tuesday that several controversial items had been dropped from a draft preparing for the Durban II summit. Among the sections dropped were those accusing Israel of racism and labeling the Jewish country an occupying state.

Organizers also dropped criticism of discrimination against homosexuals from the meeting's agenda. Several Muslim nations had protested the inclusion of the issue of homosexuality in the conference, as had the Vatican.

Yet another controversial issue dropped was that of European restitution for abuses of Africans during the colonialist period. Critics said the resolutions regarding slavery discriminated against Europeans by singling them out as responsible the slave trade, while ignoring the part played by African and Arab nations.

The changes to the draft were made after several countries, including Canada, the United States, Australia and the European Union member nations, announced that they would not attend the conference unless the anti-Israel and anti-Zionist draft agenda was changed. In Japan, the respected Japan Times warned that the conference would "enshrine" vilification of Jews.

Now that the conditions are met, I will expect to see Obama flip-flop on this and personally attend this conference. Why not he got what he wanted, and who cares if it turns into a rally for anti-Semities? That is exactly what will happen regardless of what this pre-convention document has in it.

Once again the Muslim world has pulled a fast one over the West and will get the whole world to agree to a document that calls for the elimination of all Jews in the world, the establishment of Islam as the world's religion, and the Palestinians people as the premiere race on the planet.

Adolph Hitler would be very proud.

Why Are We Giving Money To Terrorists Secretary Clinton?

From the Sderot Media Center

Petition letter sent by U.S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

March 11,2009

U.S. congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-Nev), a member of the Middle East Subcommittee of the US House Foreign Affairs Commttee, has sent a letter to US Secretary of State Clinton in which she demands that the American government condition $900 million in Gaza aid for Palestinians on ending Gazan rocket fire on Israel and release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged that $900 million during a conference in Egypt last week, which sought to raise money for rebuilding Gaza after Israel's three-week incursion into Gaza, which was
aimed at halting Gaza rocket fire on southern communities.

Shalit has been held as a hostage by the Gaza regime Gaza since a cross-border raid in June 2006.

Rep. Berkley's letter to Secretary followed a meeting on Capitol Hill last Tuesday with the Sderot Media Center, who briefed Congrress about what life is like in rocket-battered Sderot The Sderot Media Center brought Congress s series of first hand audiovisual reports of the 120 rocket attacks that have been launched from Gaza since Israel ceased its military incursion into Gaza on Jan. 18, two days before President Obama was inaugurated.

After the briefing with the Sderot Media Center, Rep. Shelley Berkley dispatched a strong letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which demanded that the aid be delayed as long as the Gaza rocket fire continues and so long as Shalit remains captive.

Video of Sderot Media Center presentation on Cap. Hill: (takes a few minutes to download)

View video here.

Here is the text of the letter.

March 5, 2009

The Honorable Hillary Clinton
Secretary of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Madam Secretary:

I write to you today regarding the situation in the Middle East. In the wake of Hamas’ attacks on Israel, and Israel’s defensive operations, I understand the U.S. government has pledged to grant $900 million for the rebuilding of Gaza and for assisting the Palestinian Authority. I am concerned that this money will end up helping Hamas and hurting the very Palestinian people we intend to help.

For years, the U.S. has infused money into the Palestinian Authority (PA), with very little to show for it. Their leaders are no more ready to govern today than they were before we began our funding. After years of mismanagement, their basic institutions are in shambles and they have shown very little ability to govern in the West Bank without the presence of the Israeli Defense Forces. Instead of helping average Palestinians, our money has lined the pockets of the Arafats and other corrupt Palestinian leaders.

I also understand our funding will not be conditioned on any reciprocal actions by Hamas or the PA. Despite Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, Hamas still refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, has not stopped raining rockets on Israeli territory and still holds captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. It is essential that we condition our funding on Hamas’ reciprocating with these basic demands. Without such links, Palestinians will see the U.S. as providing aid while Hamas continues to terrorize the Israeli people, with no consequences from the U.S. government.

I am also concerned that much of the funding will be directed through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Unfortunately, UNRWA has proven itself to be a biased agency, with very little oversight. During the most recent violence in Gaza, UNRWA issued numerous statements attacking Israel for their self-defense actions, while failing to criticize Hamas for launching missiles at innocent Israeli citizens. Much of UNWRA’s money and services end up in the hands of people who are wealthy enough not to need the assistance, or worse, with members of terrorist organizations. UNRWA officials have even admitted that they cannot guarantee their money does not go to Hamas. I believe helping UNRWA does not further the cause of peace.

With $900 million of our taxes now going to Hamas (forget about what Hillary said, it will end up in the hands of Hamas), I am now wondering why do I bother to pay taxes any way. And what will Hams do with this money? Will they spend it on infrastructure? New homes for the people of Gaza? Schools, Hospitals, Police and Fire Departments? NO! They will either squirrel most of it in Swiss Banks and/or buy more and deadlier rockets to molest Israel with.

It is time for Western Nations to step up to the plate and support Israel for once. It is time to force Hamas to:

1. Return Gilad Schalit immediately!
2. Stop all rocket attacks on Israel.

Supports of Hamas and other terrorist groups demand that Israel open the border crossings. But why should Israel? What will Israel get in return?

In 2005, Israel gave up Gaza. And what was given to Israel in return? Peace? Harmony? Friendship? NO! A barage of rockets and terror.

No nation upon the planet would have put up with a daily attack for 1 week let alone 8 years. But Israel is forced by the International Community to.

It is time for us to take action. We can no longer be silent on this. We have to stand up for wht is right. You, my reader, can do something. You can write your Congressman, your Senator, the President, you local newspaper. You can receive Code Red Alerts to show solidarity with the people of Sderot. You can pray for the people of Sderot. And if you are able, you can donate to the Sderot Media Center. Just click on the logo at the top or bottom of the post and follow the instructions from there.

But don't just do nothing!

Luton, Hatred and Pat Condell

Hat tip to Assoluta Tranquillita

Earlier this week a group of 200 British soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment marched through the streets of Luton in England.

What you are about to see is what happened that day.

First the official BBC newscast of the event.

Muslim thugs abuse soldiers on Return From Iraq!



View at YouTube

Now the unofficial truth.

Royal Anglian Parade Luton, 10/03/09, Muslim protesters.




View at YouTube

But I do believe that Pat Condell says it best.

Warning: Profanity is used.

A word about the soldiers



View at YouTube

Luton used to be the home of the blogger known as Lionheart. For those who do not know his story, he started blogging a couple of years ago about the evils of Muslim gangs in Luton. He is currently awaiting trial for the crime of stirring up racial unrest (speaking out about the criminal activity of that is associated with the Muslims in Luton).

He should know all about the illegal activities that is happening in Luton. He is former Drug Dealer and the Muslims were his suppliers. That is in his past. For now he is a born-again Christian, intent on spreading the truth about what the peaceful muslims of Luton are actually doing.

For doing this he has been arrested, charged with a felony and is in hiding, fearing for his life from the very people who he is fighting.

But in looking at the second video we now see there is hope for Great Britain. The native people of the nation are getting angry, they are getting angry enough to take to the streets and say NO! They are not going to accept this type of behavior from any group of people, especially ungrateful immigrants living on the public dole.

What did it take for the native people of Great Britain to finally have enough? Only group of Muslims abusing 200 British soldier marching proudly down the street, returning from war in Iraq. That is all.

J'accuse!

On February 16, 1970 a pipe bomb filled with shrapnel exploded on the ledge of a window at the San Francisco Police Department's Golden Gate Park station. Brian V. McDonnell, a police sergeant, was fatally wounded in its blast; Robert Fogarty, another police officer, was severely wounded in his face and legs and was partially blinded.

No one was ever charged with this crime but it is considered to be the work of the Weather Underground. You know that group that Bill ”I didn't bomb enough” Ayers used to be in charge of. And you do know who Aryers is. Former terrorist (who never repented and was proud of his work), Professor in the College of Education at the professor in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Fugitive from the law, Radical liberal, and oh yes, a good friend of President Barack Obama. That Bill Ayers.

But that is to change. Although the Feds couldn't get charges to stick to him, or his wife Bernardine Dohrn (funny how as a radical and communist they didn't mind using his daddy's money to get a good attorney to get them off on a technicality) they just might have something now.

A San Francisco police union has accused former domestic terrorist William Ayers, co-founder of the Weather Underground, and his wife in a 1970 bombing that killed one sergeant, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The union, in a letter to a conservative organization lobbying for arrests in the case, accused Ayers and wife Bernardine Dohrn of bombing a city police station.

On Feb. 16, 1970, a bomb placed on a window ledge of Park Station killed Sgt. Brian McDonnell and injured eight other officers, the Chronicle reported.

The union said it had not been in contact with investigators nor did it have new evidence, but it cited Larry Grathwohl, who works with the conservative organization America's Survival of Maryland and claims that he infiltrated Weather Underground as an FBI informant and heard Ayers confess, the Chronicle reported.

"There are irrefutable and compelling reasons to believe that Bill Ayers and his wife Bernardine Dohrn ... are largely responsible for the bombing of Park Police Station," the Feb. 24 letter reads, according to the Chronicle.

Read the full story here.

Tomorrow Larry Grathwohl will be holding a press conference to reveal his knowledge on the bombing which took the life of Police Sergeant Brian V. McDonnell. Here is ”Opening Statement”:

Remarks of Larry Grathwohl, at America’s Survival, Inc., “Justice for Victims of Terrorism” conference, March 12, 2009.

One of the issues in Washington, D.C. for President Barack Obama is what to do with the terrorists being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after he issued an executive order to close the detention facility. The question we want answered is why terrorists close to him politically have escaped justice for the 1970 bombing of the Park Police Station in San Francisco. We believe the Department of Justice should make available all the evidence in this case to local authorities and law enforcement officials.

I was in the Weather Underground as an informant/infiltrator for the FBI. I have testified, spoken, and written about the involvement of Weather Underground terrorist leaders Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn in that bombing. That bombing on February 16, 1970, took the life of Sergeant Brian V. McDonnell. There is no statute of limitations on murder.

But first, let me back up.

I remember the Sunday morning in January of 1970 when it was obvious to me that the three FBI agents were upset. They wanted to know when the bombings of the Detroit Police Officers Building and the 13th precinct would take place and which members of the Weather Underground would be assigned to do it. Bill Ayers had debriefed me regarding every aspect of the plans we had developed before telling me I was being reassigned to Madison. Bill’s two major requirements were that the bombs go off at the same time and that the greatest number of police officers would be killed or injured. Both bombs were to contain fence staples or roofing nails to ensure this effect. Bill Ayers didn’t care if innocent people were also killed or injured. Bill had even gone so far as to tell us that the bomb at the 13th precinct should be placed on a window ledge. Both bombs were set four days later than originally planned but both also failed to detonate due to failures in the timing devices.

I wouldn’t see Bill Ayers again until February of 1970 in Buffalo when I returned from a day of obtaining death certificates for use in creating phony ID’s for fellow members of my new cell of Weatherman terrorists. As soon as we had all assembled, Bill began a criticism session of myself and my associates for having spent too much time preparing for actions (bombings) and not doing anything. He reminded us of the commitment all of us had made to the overthrow of the U.S. government at the National Council Meeting in Flint the previous December and how our inactivity was harming the Cubans, the Vietnamese and the Chinese. Bill went on to describe how Bernardine Dorhn, a Weather Underground central committee member and considered the leader of the Weather Underground, had to plan and commit the bombing of the Park Station in San Francisco. This bomb contained fence staples and was placed on a window ledge during a shift change ensuring the presence of the greatest number of police officers and the greatest possibility of death and injury. Several Police Officers were injured and one, Sergeant McDonnell, was killed by fence staples used in the bomb. He was in the hospital for two days before he succumbed to his injuries.

At the National Council Meeting which took place in Flint, Michigan, in late December of 1969, Bernardine Dorhn had praised mass murderer Charles Manson and said, “The Weatherman is about a communist revolution to destroy the white racist’s society and establish a democratic centralist’s government”. Furthermore, Bernadine wanted everyone at the council meeting to, “bring the war home and off (kill) their parents”.

Read it further at YID With LID

There is no Statute of Limitations on Murder by either the Federal Authorities or the State of California. And the evidence presented in this new indictment will not carry the stain from the failed case the government had at the time.

J'accuse you Professor Ayes and your wife Bernardine Dohrn of the woeful taking of a life. No cause you could give would justify that crime. You tried to destroy the United States, hand it over to the governments of Cuba, North Vietnam, Communist China and the Soviet Union. You wished to murder 25 million Americans who didn't believe what you did. All you did was to kill one police officer and wound another.

Larry Grathwohl on Ayers' plan for American re-education camps and the need to kill millions

View at YouTube

Both the State of California and the Federal Government impose the Death Penalty for the murder of an officer of the law. You both have the means to hire the best attorneys in the nation. You are going to need them. For this time, I pray that you get the maximum sentence under the law.

And if your good friend and neighbor Barack Obama grants you clemency or even worse, a pardon. He will have cut his throat politically.

You have had your fun, Professor Ayers. Now it is time to pay the price for that fun.

Flight 93 Blogburst:: Specter's payoff

Senator Specter’s payoff for betraying his party: betrayal of his state

We now know one of the payoffs that Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter received for being one of three Republican Senators who allowed President Obama’s trillion-dollar Spendulus bill to become law. WPXI in Pittsburgh reports that Specter has a 5.5 million dollar earmark for the crescent-shaped Flight 93 memorial in the omnibus spending bill just passed by the Senate.

Much as the people of Pennsylvania want to see a fitting memorial built, they yanked support for the crescent design in August 2007 after Tom Burnett Sr., father of Flight 93 hero Tom Jr., started warning the country that the memorial design is STILL packed to the gills with Islamic symbolism. Since that time the Memorial Project has hardly raised a dime, and a September 2007 interview with State Senator Jane Orie, who sponsors the Hearts of Steel memorial fund, makes clear that concerns about Islamic symbolism predominate. Here is her exchange with Pittsburgh talk-radio host Fred Honsberger:

Orie: "No matter who it is, and no matter where I went today for 9/11 events, everybody brought up this crescent. Whether it is intentional or not, it is disturbing to people."

Honsberger: "So everyone is bringing it up to you."

Orie: "Absolutely."

Orie is talking here about the so-called “redesign.” The people of Pennsylvania know that the giant crescent, which the redesign was supposed to remove, is still there. The Park Service calls it “Circle of Embrace” now, but the circle is still broken, and the unbroken part of the circle——what is symbolically left standing in the wake of 9/11——remains exactly as it was in the original Crescent of Embrace (pictured above). Architect Paul Murdoch's design is still a giant Islamic-shaped crescent, still pointing to Mecca.

Pennsylvanians have voted with their pocketbooks to reject this memorial to the terrorists, but Arlen Specter is determined to cram it down their throats anyway, the same way he helped Obama cram a trillion dollars of socialist pork down America’s throat.

Specter knows better than any other politician not just that the giant Islamic-shaped crescent is still there, but that it points to Mecca

Our group was actually very hopeful back in 2007 that Senator Specter might put and end to the memorial debacle. After Mr. Burnett’s public appeal, Specter’s office wanted a briefing on the Islamic symbolism that we have found in the crescent design. One of our most knowledgeable people then spent 45 minutes with Stan Caldwell, Executive Director of Senator Specter’s Pittsburgh office, explaining in detail the Islamic and terrorist memorializing symbolism.

Caldwell had no trouble understanding our graphical proof that the giant crescent points almost exactly at Mecca:



A person standing between the tips of the Crescent of Embrace and facing into the center of the crescent (red arrow) will be facing within two degrees of the Muslim prayer direction (qibla), which is calculated as the great circle direction to Mecca. (Green qibla graphic produced by the Mecca-direction calculator at Islam.com. Another calculator is available at QiblaLocator.com.)

Caldwell also had no trouble understanding that the giant crescent is still there. All the redesign did was place an extra arc of trees out behind the mouth of the crescent, an arc of trees that according to the Park Service’s own website explicitly represents a broken off part of the circle:




Animation starts with the bare naked Crescent of Embrace. The re-colored Circle of Embrace site plan is superimposed on top, then everything but the changes are removed. The only change is extra arc of trees (flashing) that explicitly represents a broken off part of the circle. Every particle of the original Crescent of Embrace design remains completely intact.

Our man also explained the significance of the Mecca orientation: that it turns the giant Islamic-shaped crescent into a mihrab (the Mecca-direction indicator around which every mosque is built). The planned memorial is actually the world’s largest mosque, and Arlen Specter’s office is fully aware of it.

Do Specter and Caldwell have some explanation? The press will never ask, but we can:

DC Phone: 202-224-4254

DC Fax: 202-228-1229

Another Washington Post cover-up

Dan Eggen reports how Families of Flight 93 (an adjunct to the Memorial Project, representing only those families who are backing the crescent design) have been in Washington seeking federal money. He includes no mention of WHY the private fundraising effort has failed. But State Senator Orie’s discussion of her fundraising difficulties is not hard to find. Any reporter doing a story on the memorial’s fundraising problems would presumably start here:



The whole first page of search results is our blogburst post about Orie. (“Fundraising difficulties” yields the same result.)

Either Dan Eggen is completely incompetent, or the Post is taking sides, refusing to report the facts that don’t support the terrorist memorializing side.

Perhaps ombudsman Andrew Alexander should weigh in on this. The Post has NEVER reported on Mr. Burnett’s long battle to stop the Park Service from planting a giant Islamic-shaped crescent atop his son’s grave. Mr. Burnett left a long comment on Dan Eggen’s article which Eggen simply ignored, along with private offers to talk.

So which is it Mr. Alexander? Is the Post incompetently ignorant of a controversy that has raged for years, or is it intentionally suppressing the facts about the giant Mecca-oriented crescent?

To join our blogbursts, just send your blog's url.

California To Get Rid Of Marriage

Why is it that I am not surprised at the tactics that Gays and Lesbians will go to force the idea of Gay marriage on the nation. On November 4, 2008 the voters of California passed Proposition 8 which states:

Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.

This passed 52.3% to 47.7%. Thus the voters of California spoke saying no to Gay marriage.

This is not the end of the argument. The supporters of Gay marriage are not going to take that lying down. They have a new tactic. Get rid of marriage. No I am not joking.

California's top election official says supporters can start collecting signatures for a proposed ballot measure to strike the word "marriage" from all state laws.

Supporters of this ballot measure want to replace it with the term "domestic partnership," while keeping all the rights of marriage in place.

Read the full story here.

Domestic Partnership is not the same as Marriage. In a partnership, one can just leave the partnership without legal recourse. In a Marriage it takes a divorce to dissolve it. One can have multiple partners in a Domestic Partnership. In a Marriage a person can have only one spouse at a time.

Forcing all people in California to give up Marriage in favor of Domestic Partnership is wrong. But knowing the liberals, idiots, nincompoops in California they will now pass this idea overwhelmingly and sound the death knoll of the American Family.

If this measure passes how long do you think it will be before it is brought to every state in the US?

Marriage is not a right, it is a privilege. If it was a right the government would have to supply each and every person in the nation with a spouse. They don't. And a couple planning on marrying should not have to go and get a Domestic Partnership license but a Marriage license.

Changing the name of Marriage to Domestic Partnership is just a bad idea.

MEMRI: Starbucks Logo is the Jewish Queen Esther

Egyptian Cleric Safwat Higazi Calls to Shut Down Starbucks in the Arab and Islamic World, Saying: Their Logo is the Jewish Queen Esther

Following are excerpts from an address by Egyptian cleric Safwat Higazi, which aired on Al-Nas TV on January 25, 2009.

To view this MEMRI TV clip, visit here.

"The Girl in the Starbucks Logo is Queen Esther... The Queen of the Jews"

Safwat Higazi: "Today, I would like to talk about the Starbucks coffee shop. Starbucks is to be found in Mecca, in Al-Madina, opposite the King Abdul Aziz Gate in Mecca, opposite the Al-Majid Gate in Al-Madina, as well as in Cairo. Starbucks is to be found everywhere, with this logo. This is the Starbucks logo.

"Has any of you ever wondered who this woman with a crown on her head is? Why do we boycott Starbucks? I will tell you, so you will know why you should boycott this company, and what this logo stands for. As I’ve already said, it is not enough to avoid entering this coffee shop. It is not enough to refrain from drinking this coffee. You must urge people never to go there, but none of you should even consider throwing a stone, breaking anything, or burning [the place] down.

[...]

"The girl in the Starbucks logo is Queen Esther. Do you know who Queen Esther was and what the crown on her head means? This is the crown of the Persian kingdom. This queen is the queen of the Jews. She is mentioned in the Torah, in the Book of Esther. The girl you see is Esther, the queen of the Jews in Persia." [...]

"The Crown You See Here [In the Starbucks Logo] is the Crown of the Kingdom of Xerxes"

"King [Xerxes] gave an order that the seven most beautiful girls in the kingdom be brought to him. So they held contests and auditions, and selected the seven most beautiful virgins, one of whom was the Jewish Esther, whose uncle, Mordechai - or actually, it was her cousin’s brother - was a villain.

"It was Mordechai who hatched this plot. Esther was one of the seven girls brought before King Xerxes in the palace. When Esther, who was very beautiful, was shown to King Xerxes, she captured his heart, and he chose her to be his queen. He placed a crown on her head, and the crown you see here [Higazi indicates the Starbucks logo] is the crown of the kingdom of Xerxes, and this is Esther, who became Queen of Persia, instead of Queen Vashti."[...]

"We Want Starbucks To Be Shut Down Throughout The Arab And Islamic World...It Is Inconceivable That In Mecca and Al-Madina, There Will Be a Picture of Queen Esther"

"Can you believe that in Mecca, Al-Madina, Cairo, Damascus, Kuwait, and all over the Islamic world there hangs the picture of beautiful Queen Esther, with a crown on her head, and we buy her products?

[...]

"We want Starbucks to be shut down throughout the Arab and Islamic world. We want it to be shut down in Mecca and in Al-Madina. I implore King Abdallah bin Abd Al-‘Aziz, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques: It is inconceivable that in Mecca and Al-Madina, there will be a picture of Queen Esther, the queen of the Jews."

This is just continuing the lies that Muslims have been subjected to concerning Starbucks and other American companies. This cleric doesn't even know the true story behind Purim, and again it was a Jewish plot to destroy Muslims. You can read the true story here.

Does Starbucks send a percentage of its profits to Israel? From the company's own website:

Is it true that Starbucks provides financial support to Israel?

No. This is absolutely untrue. Rumors that Starbucks Coffee Company provides financial support to the Israeli government and/or the Israeli Army are unequivocally false. Starbucks is a publicly held company and as such, is required to disclose any corporate giving each year through a proxy statement. In addition, articles in the London Telegraph (U.K.), New Straits Times (Malaysia), and Spiked (online) provide an outside perspective on these false rumors.
Has Starbucks ever sent any of its profits to the Israeli government and/or Israeli army?

No. This is absolutely untrue.

Is it true that Starbucks is teaming with other American corporations to send their last several weeks of profits to the Israeli government and/or the Israeli Army?

No. This is absolutely untrue.

Is it true that Starbucks closed its stores in Israel for political reasons?

No. We do not make business decisions based on political issues. We decided to dissolve our partnership in Israel in 2003 due to the on-going operational challenges that we experienced in that market. After many months of discussion with our partner we came to this amicable decision. While this was a difficult decision for both companies, we believe it remains the right decision for our businesses.

Just lies invented to stir up hatred for an American company who's CEO is Jewish. And we all know what that is called. Anti-Semitism.

Those who support a boycott of Starbucks for these lies are nothing but anti-Semites.

The logo at the top was done to enhance this article (courtesy of ElderofZiyon), the true Starbucks logo is below. Oh and go out and enjoy a latte at Starbucks, they do donate to many good causes.

New York Times Columnist Calls For U.S. To Embrace Relations With Hezbollah and Hamas

Cross posted by Holger Awakens

Roger Cohen. Write that name down folks, because it's the name of the New York Times columnist who wrote one of the most significant pieces of terror-appeasing filth we've seen in a very long time. This guy should be embarrassed to call himself an American, hell....he should be (edited) for this kind of treason spewing from his finger tips. I encourage all of you to go to the full article here at the New York Times so you can see what surrender to radical islam looks like - I've excerpted key portions of the article here. Read with your own eyes how an American has fallen to the ground, bowed his head, dug his nose into the sand and given up to the islamist pigs of this world:

Britain aligned itself with the U.S. position on Hezbollah, but has now seen its error. Bill Marston, a Foreign Office spokesman, told Al Jazeera: “Hezbollah is a political phenomenon and part and parcel of the national fabric in Lebanon. We have to admit this.”
Hallelujah.

The United States should follow the British example. It should initiate diplomatic contacts with the political wing of Hezbollah. The Obama administration should also look carefully at how to reach moderate Hamas elements and engineer a Hamas-Fatah reconciliation.

The 1988 Hamas Charter is vile, but I think it’s wrong to get hung up on the prior recognition of Israel issue. Perhaps Hamas is sincere in its calls for Israel’s disappearance — although it has offered a decades-long truce — but then it’s also possible that Israel in reality has no desire to see a Palestinian state.

Of course it’s desirable that Hamas recognize Israel before negotiations. But is it essential? No.

Now, I could go on for hours shooting holes in Cohen's argument from a Middle East strategic perspective and quite frankly, my blood pressure would spike throughout it all. But all I will do is insert this (from Arlington Cemetary Net) for Mr. Cohen to read and remember:

Twenty-five years ago, a suicide bomber steered a truck loaded with the equivalent of six tons of TNT down the airport road in Beirut, Lebanon. He plowed into the four-story barracks where more than 300 U.S. troops from a U.N. peacekeeping mission slept and detonated what the FBI called the largest non-nuclear bomb in history.The explosion and fireball pulverized the concrete fortress, killing 241 U.S. service members, most of them Marines. A second blast minutes later at the compound of the French peacekeeping force killed 58 more Western troops.

Mr. Cohen, that was Hezbollah that killed 241 American Marines and soldiers and sailors. And you call for America to recognize this terrorist group. You should be ashamed of yourself. Hell, you should shunned by every American on this planet.

Middle East Reality Check

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton grabbed headlines with an invitation to Iran to attend a conference on Afghanistan, but the significant Middle Eastern news last week came from Britain. It has “reconsidered” its position on Hezbollah and will open a direct channel to the militant group in Lebanon.

Speaking of violence, it’s worth recalling what Israel did in Gaza in response to sporadic Hamas rockets. It killed upward of 1,300 people, many of them women and children; caused damage estimated at $1.9 billion; and destroyed thousands of Gaza homes. It continues a radicalizing blockade on 1.5 million people squeezed into a narrow strip of land.At this vast human, material and moral price, Israel achieved almost nothing beyond damage to its image throughout the world. Israel has the right to hit back when attacked, but any response should be proportional and governed by sober political calculation. The Gaza war was a travesty; I have never previously felt so shamed by Israel’s actions.No wonder Hamas and Hezbollah are seen throughout the Arab world as legitimate resistance movements.It’s time to look at them again and adopt the new British view that contact can encourage Hezbollah “to move away from violence and play a constructive, democratic and peaceful role.”

A Little Joy...A Little Laughter...A Lot of Wine

...It's Purim

Now you ask, what is Purim?

Contrary to popular misconceptions, Purim is not the Jewish Halloween.

From Judaism 101

Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination.

The story of Purim is told in the Biblical book of Esther. The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem. King Ahasuerus loved Esther more than his other women and made Esther queen, but the king did not know that Esther was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her identity.

The villain of the story is Haman, an arrogant, egotistical advisor to the king. Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, so Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people. In a speech that is all too familiar to Jews, Haman told the king, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your realm. Their laws are different from those of every other people's, and they do not observe the king's laws; therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them." Esther 3:8. The king gave the fate of the Jewish people to Haman, to do as he pleased to them. Haman planned to exterminate all of the Jews.

Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. This was a dangerous thing for Esther to do, because anyone who came into the king's presence without being summoned could be put to death, and she had not been summoned. Esther fasted for three days to prepare herself, then went into the king. He welcomed her. Later, she told him of Haman's plot against her people. The Jewish people were saved, and Haman was hanged on the gallows that had been prepared for Mordecai.

The book of Esther is unusual in that it is the only book of the Bible that does not contain the name of G-d. In fact, it includes virtually no reference to G-d. Mordecai makes a vague reference to the fact that the Jews will be saved by someone else, if not by Esther, but that is the closest the book comes to mentioning G-d. Thus, one important message that can be gained from the story is that G-d often works in ways that are not apparent, in ways that appear to be chance, coincidence or ordinary good luck.

Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of Adar, which is usually in March. The 13th of Adar is the day that Haman chose for the extermination of the Jews, and the day that the Jews battled their enemies for their lives. On the day afterwards, the 14th, they celebrated their survival. In cities that were walled in the time of Joshua, Purim is celebrated on the 15th of the month, because the book of Esther says that in Shushan (a walled city), deliverance from the massacre was not complete until the next day. The 15th is referred to as Shushan Purim.

For those who do not know where Persia was, it is now the modern nation of Iran. And today there is a modern Haman. He is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. A man who is threatening like Haman to wipe the Jewish people off the face of the Earth. I wonder if he is of Haman's bloodline. Or it it just something Persian think of doing naturally?

An interesting fact that happened on a Purim past is:

On Adar 13, during the biblical story of Purim, the 10 sons of Haman were hanged (Esther 9:7). This would find eerie parallel over 2,000 years later when 10 top Nazi officials were hanged at the Nuremberg Trials. Incredibly, the Hebrew year of the hangings at Nuremberg, 5707, is encoded in the Book of Esther: In the listing of Haman's 10 sons, three Hebrew letters -- taf, shin and zayin, representing the year 5707 -- are written unusually small. (This anomaly appears in every authentic Megillah scroll, written that way for over 2,000 years.) Incredibly, when Nazi officer Julius Streicher ascended the gallows to be hanged at Nuremberg, he shouted, "Purimfest 1946."

On Purim the Megillah (Book of Esther) is read. Every time the name Haman is read, a loud noise must be made. Usually one uses a groggers (as seen in the picture on the bottom), other noise makers can be used. The horns one uses at New Years and birthday celebrations is also acceptable. But under no circumstances should you ever use an Marine Horn (as seen in the picture on the right). Can you imagine what this would do to the windows of a synagogue? Let alone the embarrassment to your parents? And then there is the safety issue to take into account. Let's just say it was a bad idea at the time and leave it at that. Just stick to the grogger, and you will be fine.

We dress up in costumes, to let our defenses down and open up to the deeper reality of ourselves and our world. Our costumes normally reflect the holiday with dozens of Esthers, Mordechais, etc... One enterprising youngster in Sderot dressed up as a Grad Rocket last year. This year one is dressing up as a Hamas fighter. Try doing that one Halloween. You will be sure to scare your neighbors.

On Purim expect to be subjected to many practical jokes. It is a Purim tradition and enjoyable one as long as you are doing the jokes, and not receiving them. So tomorrow, this blog just might have a few posts that aren't exactly Kosher. But it is in the spirit of the holiday and beer that in mind.

Purim is a time of gift-giving. Gifts of food and wine are given to family, friends, and especially those who are poorer than you. It is a time of great joy and feasting. And most especially drinking. It is the only time of the year you are commanded to get drunk. Not tipsy, but rip-roaring, stinking drunk. You are commanded to get so drunk that you cannot tell the difference between the names of the Blessed Mordechai and the Wicked Haman. And remember that even if you and your friends are passing around a couple of bottle of fine vodka, don't even consider using that marine horn I know you have hidden in your bag. Vodka and a marine horn just don't mix. I can tell you that from personal experience.

The most important thing about Purim is to have fun.

So Enjoy!

Scroll down for newer posts.

Explosion Blasts Las Vegas Hotel

In the spirit of Purim, enjoy:

From Israel National News

Purim Satire:
Explosion Blasts Las Vegas Hotel

Forty people were wounded this morning when an explosion rocked the Eden Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, just five hours after the Jewish Diaspora Legion (JDL) announced that it had purchased the state of Nevada and was declaring the establishment of a New State of Israel in Exile.

Capital of New Jewish State – Las Vegas

An Arab group calling itself, Liberators of Lands International Property of Palestine (LOLIPOP), claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying that Nevada had long been a homeland for the Palestinian people.

Bugsy (Benjamin) Siegel

Earlier in the day at the Eden Palace Hotel, with blow-up photographs of Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel behind her on the podium, Reform rabbi, Jenny Larson, head of the JDL, explained that Las Vegas had been chosen as the capital of the new Jewish State because it had been founded by the two legendary Jewish gangsters. “In addition,” she said, “Nevada resembles the land of Israel in topography and weather, and we want to show that the Jews of the Diaspora can also make a miracle in the desert.”

Reform Rabbi Jenny Larson

Rabbi Larson, former spiritual leader of the “Do Your Own Thing Synagogue” in San Francisco, said that Diaspora Jews were fed up with the way things were being run in Israel, and wanted to create a New Israel where “a Jew could live safely without fear of Arab terrorists or religious coercion.” Her words were still ringing in the air, when, several hours later, a devastating blast rocked the foundations of the hotel. Nevada police detained seven hotel employees for questioning. Sources say that the suspects all look Mediterranean in appearance and were wearing Bin Laden t-shirts.

A spokesman for LOLIPOP explained that when Joshua and the Jews conquered the land of Israel 3000 years ago, the original Palestinian residents were scattered around the globe. “The American Indians are a branch of the Palestinian people,” he claimed. “Therefore, the state of Nevada is ours.”

Early American Palestinians

Wealthy Jews from across America put up the funds to buy Nevada from the United States Government. The 100 billion dollar transaction has been seen as a godsend for America’s ailing economy, saving the country’s collapsing financial institutions. The foundation of the New State of Israel in Exile has also been seen by President Obama as the ideal solution to the “Israeli problem,” as it is hoped that the new Jewish entity in Nevada, with its good weather, gambling, golf courses, and desert landscapes, would eventually attract all of the Jews in Israel, leaving Eretz Yisrael for the Arabs.

Typical Religious Reservation

Rabbi Larson describes the already embattled new state as a “utopia” where all Jews will be able to “do their own thing.” Orthodox Jews will be segregated onto religious reservations, “where they will be free to live in their own primitive way without intruding on the rights of the rest of us,” she added. A plan is underway to purchase the holy Western Wall and transform its stones from Jerusalem to Las Vegas.

However, as the smoke still hasn’t settled from today’s tragic hotel bombing, the future looks uncertain for the New Jewish State. “Nevada belongs to the Palestinians,” the LOLIPOP spokesman insists. “We will not give up our justified armed struggle until we free all of our ancient homeland.”

I do hope that you weren't offended or scared by the headline. Remembering that today is Purim, all things are to be taken with a grain of salt.

HAPPY PURIM!

Sometimes Purim Means More

Cartoon from Jewlarious. Click to enlarge.

The joy of the Purim Holiday means that even the threat of rockets fired daily from Gaza is not sacred. In fact, Purim becomes more joyous in their face.

Take this story of Purim fun from Sderot.

Purim is a favorite holiday among Jewish children, teenagers and even adults. It is a holiday where we dress up in costumes, eat sweets and make merry. We do all this to remember the salvation that the Jews of Iran experienced thousands of years ago, when they were saved from a nation-wide death sentence.

Since then, every Jewish home celebrates this holiday by giving gifts to the poor, reading the Book of Esther which tells the story of Purim and holding a celebratory feast with family and guests to commemorate the miracle.

The girls of the Sderot Media theater group, "Youth of the Kassam Way" celebrated Purim in their respective Sderot high schools on Sunday. SMC staff paid a special visit to the schools to join in the celebrations. The girls, who were all very excited for the holiday, were dressed up in sparkling and ravishing costumes. Many of the girls were dressed up as fairytale characters. Cinderella, Hansel & Gretel, queens and fairies were seen walking around. Some also dressed up as different animals such as bees or butterflies, and of course there were many clowns. The teachers also dressed up, adding to the festivities and excitement. We will not forget to mention the feast we had with the girls, with the tables full of different delicious foods.

View the video by Jacob Shrybman here.

Sadly, as usual, the everyday routine of the people of Sderot began with a morning barrage of rockets. In the course of the weekend, five Qassam rockets struck the Western Negev area, and two rockets fell in the Ashkelon region. Today four rockets were fired at the Eshkol region. There were no injuries or damage.

Purim is a holiday characterized by a monumental miracle--an entire nation survived a harsh death sentence designed to obliterate every last man, woman and child. According to the Book of Esther, Haman, a royal vizier to King Ahasuerus set a decree to kill all the Jews in the Persian kingdom. His plans were foiled by Esther, the Jewish Queen and wife to the Persian King Ahasuerus. We remember this miracle with much gratitude.

So too, here in Sderot, we hope for the end of the rockets, so that we can return to normal life and celebrate the Festival of Purim in happiness, joy, and peace.

I pray that the people of Sderot can celebrate the next Purim in peace and joy. I pray that next Purim the only worries that any child of Sderot will have is what costume to wear. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and the other holy places.

I know you, my reader have prayed this prayer too. I know many of you have signed up for the Code Red Alerts, if you haven't you can sign up here. And like always I ask that if you can spare the extra cash to donate to the Sderot Media Center. Just click on the grogger at the bottom of the post and follow the instructions from there. They do great work in Sderot for the people of Sderot.

Have A Happy And Joyous Purim!

Humor For Purim

Just some videos to brighten up your Purim

Dave Allen on Religion

Comedian Dave Allen remembers his introduction to religion - his first day of school!



View at YouTube

Dancing Penguins

Adelies dancing with Gentoo Penguins on Gourdin Island, Antarctica



View at YouTube

Famous Jewish Mothers

What if these famous people had jewish mothers? Frenetice comedy in the spirit of Purim.



View at YouTube

Squirrels dancing to Michael Jackson O2 arena

Dancing Squirrels



View at YouTube


Happy Purim

It's a lunatic ninja coming through the window.

So thought Beat Ettlin when he first awoke to the bouncing on his bed.

When a dark intruder smashed through his bedroom window and repeatedly bounced on his bed, Beat Ettlin was initially relieved to discover it was a kangaroo.

"My initial thought when I was half awake was: it's a lunatic ninja coming through the window," the 42-year-old told The Associated Press on Monday. "It seems about as likely as a kangaroo breaking in."

Some men dream of naked women, but Beat dreams of lunatic ninjas.

But his relief was short-lived. Moments later, he heard his 10-year-old son Leighton Beman scream from bed: "There's a 'roo in my room!"

"I thought: This can be really dangerous for the whole family now," Ettlin said.

The extraordinary ordeal for the family of four began at 2 a.m. Sunday in their house in the upmarket Canberra suburb of Garran.

Ettlin, a chef originally from the Swiss city of Stans, wrestled the thrashing and bleeding 90 pound marsupial out the front door.

"I had just my Bonds undies on. I felt vulnerable," he said, referring to a popular Australian underwear brand.

I wonder if he is trying to get endorsement money. But saying you are vulnerable in your Bonds undies is not going to do it for the company. Perhaps you should claim that they boosted your courage.

The kangaroo, which Ettlin said was around his height, 5 foot 9 inches, left a trail of blood through the house and claw gouges in the wooden frame of his bed.

Ettlin, who was left wearing just his shredded underpants and with scratch marks on his leg and buttocks, described himself as "lucky."

His wife doesn't consider herself lucky though.

The kangaroo vanished into a nearby forest from where it likely came. The family reported the intrusion to police and to wildlife authorities.

The animal hopped a fence to reach the family's backyard. The family suspects it felt trapped and tried to escape the yard through the bedroom window which is about 5 feet above the ground. It was likely cut by the broken glass.

Kangaroos rarely harm humans, but when they do, it is usually because they feel cornered. They have been known to disembowel people with the claws of their powerful hind legs.

Although it had been a dangerous and harrowing experience, Ettlin's wife could see a funny side to the family's unusual predicament.

"I think he's a hero: a hero in Bonds undies," Verity Beman, 39, said of her husband.

Kangaroos have powerful hind legs and short, thumbless forelimbs. They can travel at speeds up to 30 miles per hour and can leap some 30 feet. Kangaroos use their long tails for balancing. Their bodies are covered in thick, coarse, woolly hair that can be shades of gray, brown or red.

Red and gray kangaroos stand between five and six feet tall. Most weigh between 50 and 120 pounds, though some can reach 200 pounds. Female kangaroos are generally smaller than males of the same species.

When cornered or it thinks itself cornered, a kangaroo can become deadly. But so can many animals when in that position.

I know that this isn't really a very funny story, but I could just imagine what it must have been like to wake up with a kangaroo jumping on your bed.