DOES IOWA REALLY MATTER?
So there is a lot of talk going on about the Iowa Caucuses. Iowa made its bones in the 1976 Presidential election when a little known Governor from Georgia finished first in a very big field of Democrats. What no one tells you is that No preference finished first ahead of James Earl Carter. Iowa is a very small cross section of America. As a matter of fact if you look at the vaunted political reputation Iowa has and match it with facts, you’ll see that Iowa as a “first of” state of political importance is pure bullshit.
Let’s take a look at 2012. In Iowa out of 2,250,423 voters in the state (using the higher voting-eligible population) only 147,255 bothered to take part in the big event. Granted President Obama was running unopposed and there were only 123,000 and change in the GOP camp, but really, is that such a substantial total to be proud of? Is this a true cross section of America?
The 2008 GOP popular vote for the Republicans was about 116,000. I’m writing this because in the long run Iowa means NOTHING. If it did we would have a President Huckabee or a President Santorum on the GOP side.
This is why if Hillary Clinton still has the e mails hanging over her head and loses Iowa it will not be the deal breaker people say it will be.
Iowa is more important in a general than it is in the winter.Iowans wpould have you believe otherwise but look at the numbers.
28 PAGES
(Photo: Face book)
While everyone is dithering about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's e mails and talking about her honesty, take a gander at this story making the rounds this week. As the anniversary of 911 comes up what most people suspected seems to be true. A former operative of the Saudi government admitted this week that there is evidence that the Saudi government funded the terrorists that drove planes into New York City on that fateful sunny Tuesday. All his information stems from a court case in New York. Vice News reported that In October, French-born Zacarias Moussaoui talked to attorneys for family members of 9/11 victims suing the Saudi government for alleged complicity in the terrorist attack. He told the lawyers that he met with high-ranking members of the royal family, including the current king.
Moussaoui, who is suspected of being the possible 20th 9/11 hijacker and currently locked up at the Federal Supermax Prison in Colorado, told the attorneys he was dispatched by Osama bin Laden in the late 1990s to keep tabs on who donated to al Qaeda. That list, he said, included Prince Turki al-Faisal, then Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief and Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, the former Saudi ambassador to the US who was in Washington at the time of the attacks.
Most alarming of his disclosures was an alleged encounter that took place in Afghanistan with an official from the Saudi Embassy in Washington. Moussaoui said the two discussed "the feasibility of shooting Air Force One," the US presidential plane, with a stinger missile.
A bombshell account of high-level Saudi Arabian involvement in al Qaeda activities given by a former operative raised ire in diplomatic circles this week. Yet it also underscored the paucity of information concerning the country's ties to terrorism that has been made public by the US government.
In October, French-born Zacarias Moussaoui talked to attorneys for family members of 9/11 victims suing the Saudi government for alleged complicity in the terrorist attack. He told the lawyers that he met with high-ranking members of the royal family, including the current king. This week, his testimony was introduced in the case at a Manhattan court.
Moussaoui, who is suspected of being the possible 20th 9/11 hijacker and currently locked up at the Federal Supermax Prison in Colorado, told the attorneys he was dispatched by Osama bin Laden in the late 1990s to keep tabs on who donated to al Qaeda. That list, he said, included Prince Turki al-Faisal, then Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief and Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, the former Saudi ambassador to the US who was in Washington at the time of the attacks.
Most alarming of his disclosures was an alleged encounter that took place in Afghanistan with an official from the Saudi Embassy in Washington. Moussaoui said the two discussed "the feasibility of shooting Air Force One," the US presidential plane, with a stinger missile.
The Saudis originally started their relationship with a small Islamic terrorist group al Queda in the 80s to protect their borders.
The point at which direct Saudi support for al Qaeda broke off remains one of the lingering questions surrounding the 9/11 attacks. Family members of victims and some members of Congress have long said evidence of such involvement is contained in the 28 pages of a 2002 intelligence report that have remained redacted for 13 years.
In December 2013, House Representatives Walter Jones (R-NC) and Stephen Lynch (D-MA) introduced a resolution calling on President Obama to release the pages, part of the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001. Despite claims from family members that Obama promised to do so, the portion remains classified.
The Saudi government has always denied culpability and itself urged that the 28 pages be made public, a request that was denied by the Bush administration. However, members of Congress who have seen the pages say they show damning intelligence gathered on Saudi individuals. Made public, the redacted portions could prove that the Bush administration knew, perhaps not of a large scale conspiracy emanating from the royal family, but at least of significant Saudi involvement — even as they drew not so subtle links to 9/11 in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Okay, this thing needs to be released. I have a few questions.
1. Why did the Bush administration deny the request by the Saudis to release the pages?
2. If there was proof of Saudi involvement, why did we pursue al Qaeda in Iraq and not do a bombing strike against the Saudis?
3. If there was even a hint of Saudi cooperation, why haven’t they been held accountable?
I saw former Vice President Dick Cheney on the news this week hawking his book. And he intones about how America is not safe now and that all it took were a few airplanes and box cutters to attack our country. I wonder what he and his daughter would have to say about the 28 pages.
Finally, before the Republicans start bitching about Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi again, let’s see those 28 pages and what they really might mean about 911 concerning the sponsorship of terrorists. (Source: Vice News, LuLac).
https://news.vice.com/article/us-secrecy-slammed-after-new-claims-that-saudi-royals-supported-al-qaeda
REP. CARTWRIGHT ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR THE JOINT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF ACTION (JCPOA), THE IRAN NUCLEAR AGREEMENT
Your blog editor with Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives).
U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright released the following statement on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA):“Of all of our nation's goals in the Middle East, I believe preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is paramount. Failure to secure this objective would result in a regional arms race with horrendous implications and would certainly imperil our dearest ally, Israel.”
“Today I am announcing my support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) because the agreement gives us better access to Iranian nuclear facilities than ever before, which will allow for better intelligence to detect any attempts by Iran to cheat on the deal and will provide immensely valuable information should hostilities arise with Iran. Under this agreement, we are able to closely monitor Iran’s significantly reduced stockpiles of enriched materials and centrifuges and regulate the import of any materials or machinery related to nuclear activities. It is obvious that our partners in these negotiations, including the United Kingdom, France and Germany, are ready to move forward with this agreement, and Russia and China appear likely to lift sanctions soon, so rejecting this deal unilaterally would provide little chance of bringing Iran back to the negotiating table for a better deal and would cause immense harm to our international influence and credibility.”
“I have not reached this conclusion lightly, as the agreement is obviously imperfect on several levels. Close and respected friends of mine adamantly oppose the JCPOA, and have correctly pointed out that it leaves gaping holes in its treatment of the full spectrum of egregious Iranian conduct. However, I have studied this matter closely, attending many classified security briefings, reviewing much classified documentation, and giving ample opportunity for all of the stakeholders to be heard.”
“On the narrow issue of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, I find the JCPOA to be so comprehensive as to be unprecedented in its scope.”
“Accordingly, when and if the U.S. House of Representatives brings up a bill to disapprove the JCPOA, I will vote no, and if the House is asked to override a veto of such a bill, I will vote against that as well."
NEPA BLOGCON COMING UP
NEPA BlogCon 2015 is scheduled for Saturday, September 12, 2015 at East Stroudsburg University; 108 Normal Street; East Stroudsburg, PA 18301 in the Hoeffner Science & Technology Center (Building 70 on the campus map). Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. and the first session will begin at 9:45 a.m. Sessions will run throughout the day until 4:00 p.m., with a 45 minute break for lunch.
All proceeds will benefit a technology and programming camp for girls in grades 4-6. For the cost of your ticket, you’ll get exclusive access to this area’s top Internet professionals, ready to show you all the tips and tricks you’ll need to spice up your social profile, beautify your blog, and network with the best of them!
Check out their link for all the details: http://nepablogcon.com/nepa-blogcon-2015/
SPEAKING OF BLOGCON
We are very happy to be nominated for best political blog for 2015. We received a Twitter notification the other day.
Candidates 4 Best #NEPABlogCon News/Political BOTY @_AndyPalumbo @lulacpolletter or @OmeedFirouzi
Needless to say we are honored to be nominated. If you’d like to vote, access this link: http://thewoodword.polldaddy.com/s/nepa-blogcon-boty-awards?p=1
NOMINEES FOR 2015 WOMEN WE LOVE
And LuLac is currently taking nominations for the Women We Love feature at the end of the year. We are also currently working on our Moving On as well as top stories of the year as we are once more amazed at the fact that we are now going into Autumn. Send us an e mail through the blog or message us on the David Yonki Face book page for your pick.
COMING UP
