Melissa's Musings(My opinionated view of life)

(Chicago, Illinois) – Last week Marine Sgt. Denis Kisseloff was laid to rest after succumbing to injuries he suffered on May 14 when his unit was attacked by terrorist insurgents in Afghanistan.  Tonight, on Memorial Day, thanks to an anonymous donor identified by Operation Homefront-Illinois in concert with Operation Homefront-Missouri, Sgt. Kisseloff’s two young children, both huge hockey fans, will be treated to attending Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals at the United Center in Chicago. Sgt. Kisseloff, a graduate of York High School in Elmhurst, and his family resided in St. Charles County, Missouri.  His wife passed away approximately two years ago and Sgt. Kisseloff’s children had been staying with their grandparents. “We were honored to provide Sgt. Kisseloff’s children with perhaps a little bit of joy during this very difficult time,” said Dan Proft, Chapter President for Operation Homefront-Illinois.  “It is a heartbreaking story.  But it is al...

Though U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will not meet this week as planned, Netanyahu will be returning to Israel with an unequivocal guarantee that Israel's strategic capabilities will be maintained. Officials in Jerusalem reported on Sunday that Obama had promised that Israeli deterrence would be unharmed. This, despite Obama's decision to vote with the United Nations for a resolution singling out Israel over its alleged possession of nuclear weapons. The latest understandings with America are a “significant step up” in ties, the Jerusalem sources said. Continued

I just would like to take this time to remember all the fallen veterans this Memorial Day.  Freedom isn't free and I appreciate their sacrifice and their family's sacrifice as well.  Every soldier that shed his bled was someone's husband or wife, father or mother, son or daughter, aunt or uncle, cousin, good friend.  They are not a number, but a flesh and blood human being that deserves our respect, whether or not we agree, or even if they personally agreed about the war they fought and died in.  We are the 'home of the free because of the brave.'  G-D Bless them, their families, and America.

Noam Shalit, father of abducted IDF soldier First Sergeant Gilad Shalit, accused Israel of failing miserably as far as his son's plight is concerned. Speaking at the National Bar Association's annual conference in Eilat, Shalit said: “For four years an entire state, with all of the means at its disposal – two prime ministers, two defense ministers, two IDF chiefs of staff and and a head of [the Israel Security Agency] service – failed miserably, and I regret to say that there are no other words to describe it. [They have not been able] to bring Gilad home, although he is just a few kilometers away from the southern border of the State of Israel.” Continue reading... My own note:  I am sure the people in charge are doing everything they can, but as a mom I can totally empathize with the Shalits and their frustration under the circumstances.  I hope and pray along with the people of Israel that he will be home safe and soon.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has denied ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's request to delay his corruption trial. The decision by Justice John Paul Stevens came shortly after the Obama adminstration opposed Blagojevich's request. The trial is now scheduled to begin June 3. Blagojevich had asked the high court to delay his trial until the justices rule first in pending cases about the constitutionality of the federal honest-services fraud law. Prosecutors have charged Blagojevich with violating the fraud law and other crimes. Supreme Court denies Blagojevich request for delay  

CHICAGO (STMW)  -- Mayor Daley's sarcastic remark last week about shoving a gun up the rear of an inquisitive reporter and firing a round apparently reached California. A San Jose, Calif., man was arrested Thursday for allegedly leaving a phone message at Daley's office threatening to do the same to the mayor, a source said. Continued  

By Perry Bacon Jr. and Ed O'Keefe Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, May 27, 2010; 6:57 PM The Senate Armed Services Committee voted Thursday to end "don't ask, don't tell," the controversial policy barring openly gay men and lesbians from serving in the military. The measure, which passed 16 to 12, includes a provision ensuring that no change would take effect until after the Pentagon completes a study about its impact on troops, due to Congress Dec. 1. The House was scheduled to vote late Thursday or Friday on an identical measure. Lawmakers there expect it to be approved, and the full Senate would vote on it next month. The provision, which lawmakers are attaching to a $726 billion defense funding bill, would take effect only if the Defense Department study determines that changing the policy would not affect the military's ability to fight wars or recruit soldiers. The legislation is a compromise between the administration and...

SKorea holds navy drill; NKorea scraps sea accord (OneNewsNow.com) KELLY OLSEN- Associated Press Writer - 5/27/2010 5:10:00 AM SEOUL, South Korea- Stung by a surprise underwater attack, South Korea flexed its muscles Thursday with anti-submarine drills and a U.S. general offered strong words of support as the allies sent a clear message to adversary North Korea: Don't try it again. Pyongyang, however, wasted little time in responding, saying it would launch "immediate physical strikes" against southern ships that enter its waters as tensions spiked further a week after Seoul blamed the North for torpedoing a warship. Inter-Korean political and economic ties have been steadily deteriorating since the February 2008 inauguration of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who vowed a tougher line on the North and its nuclear program. But the sinking of the warship Cheonan and deaths of 46 sailors in March have returned military tensions _ and the prospect of ...

I’ve never been a fan of the Red Cross and have always advocated that people not give to that organization.  Whether it was providing cover for Nazi death camps during the Holocaust or providing aid and comfort to Hezbollah and HAMAS terrorists during their various wars against innocent Israelis and other victims (and saying it would aid Al-Qaeda, too) , the organization is despicable.  That’s not to mention the non-stop Red Cross aid to Palestinian and other Islamic terrorists, the use of Red Cross ambulances to transport HAMAS terrorists and their homicide belts, and disgusting way the Red Cross treated Israel’s version of the Red Cross, the Mogen Dovid Adom (Red Star of David), pursuant to Muslims’ demands. Continue reading...

By Chris Lee Fictional fantasy flick is missed opportunity and "insulting", claim critics Since its release, the video game franchise Prince of Persia has become notable for the acrobatic grace of its dagger-wielding, balloon pants-wearing hero as well as for what the games didn't do: affront gamers of Middle Eastern and Muslim descent with stereotypical depictions of people from the region as terrorists or religious zealots. Independent filmmaker and blogger Jehanzeb Dar, to name one such player, remembers his favorable first reaction to the swashbuckling action game, which is set amid the sands and ancient cities of Persia (as ancient Iran is known) and follows a hero with a magic sword caught between forces of good and evil. "You could see clearly the protagonist had distinct Middle Eastern features and darker skin," said Dar, 26, who pens the blog Muslim Reverie from Langhorne, Pa. "People could dev...

I cannot believe the audacity of this narcissist! http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/23628?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter                         By Dr. Lyle J. Rapacki    Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Barack Hussein Obama had served 14-State Governors in the United States, National Security Letters (NSLs) warning that the Governor’s actions in attempting to form “State Defense Forces” needs to be halted “immediately” or they will face arrest for the crime of treason.  The employment of NSLs was authorized by the Patriot Act introduced by George W. Bush.  Contained within the section related to these letters, it is forbidden for anyone receiving a NSL warning to even acknowledge the existence of said communication.                  ...

by Gil Ronen The Ministry of Tourism denies it paid the bill for White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and his family, after they dined on seafood at an Eilat restaurant. A report in Maariv-NRG said that Emanuel left the bill for the Israeli Tourism Ministry representative who accompanied his family, and other news sources added that the ministry paid the bill. MK Dr. Michael Ben-Ari of the National Union fired off a letter to the Attorney General in which he demanded that the bill be sent back to Emanuel. Emanuel is in Israel on a private visit, not an official one, with his parents, wife, children and other family members, to make preparations for his son's upcoming Bar Mitzvah. Upon arrival in Israel Friday, the Emanuels headed for Eilat, where they dined on seafood at a restaurant. What happened after the (unkosher) meal, which included cheviche (citrus marinaded seafood), calamari (fried squid), various fish, salads and hamburgers, is now...

By Jonathan Rosenblum What the scribe conveniently Left out --- and yet why the questions he raises matter Continue reading...

Two leading Italian supermarket chains will stop importing and selling produce from an Israeli company located in the West Bank. The decision by Coop and Nordiconad to stop importing fruits and vegetables from the Agrexco company, Israel's main exporter of produce, follows months of pressure from pro-Palestinian groups. Keep reading...

Israel says it will block a fleet of nine ships carrying international activists and supplies from reaching the Gaza Strip. The Freedom Flotilla, organized by the Free Gaza group, left from ports in Ireland, Greece and Turkey last week and is scheduled to arrive Thursday off the coast of Gaza. Israel has offered to transfer the humanitarian aid, including food, clothing and construction materials, to Gaza through an approved Israeli port.

Who in his right mind would be against health insurance for every child in Illinois? Certainly none of the politicians, health care providers, labor unions and special interests that in 2005 so enthusiastically bought into then- Gov. Rod Blagojevich 's All Kids program. Certainly not tens of thousands of illegal immigrants, the major beneficiaries of the program. From Citizen Action/Illinois to the Illinois Hospital Association, from the Chicago Teachers Union to the Peruvian Cultural Center, they all hailed it as some kind of nirvana. They were wrong. Now, five years later, All Kids has turned into just another government botch of a program that has failed to meet expectations. Except for its costs. Those, of course, wildly exceeded expectations. And helped state finances circle the drain. Beyond the bureaucratic muddle, blame Blagojevich and the Democratic-controlled legislature for perhaps the biggest problem with the law: Its cheap, comprehensive health care i...

HYUNG-JIN KIM- Associated Press Writer - 5/26/2010 5:20:00 AM SEOUL, South Korea- North Korea threatened Wednesday to block cross-border traffic and blow up any South Korean loudspeakers blasting propaganda northward after a six-year hiatus, as tensions soared over the sinking of a South Korean warship. The dramatic deterioration in relations came as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited Seoul Wednesday on the final leg of a three-nation Asian tour that was dominated by the March 26 sinking blamed on a North Korean torpedo attack Continued here...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- The Illinois House approved a new state budget Tuesday that would borrow billions of dollars, give the governor broad new control over spending and leave a mountain of unpaid bills at the end of the year. Republicans, and one or two Democrats, condemned the proposed budget as an irresponsible mish-mash of gimmicks and shady maneuvers. House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, called it "a budget that has a lot of duct tape around it. ... It doesn't really add up, but that's what we've grown accustomed to in the state of Illinois." Democratic leaders, however, defended it as the only realistic option when the state faces a $13 billion deficit but legislators reject both raising taxes and slashing spending. "The dollars aren't there," said Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley. "We're left with very limited options and difficult choices." Gov. Pat Quinn's office said spendi...

http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=176507   Photo by: AP NYC board OKs ground zero mosque By ASSOCIATED PRESS 05/26/2010 08:38 Council wishes to empower the "silenced moderate Muslim voice." Talkbacks ( 30 )   NEW YORK— After hours of contentious public comment, a New York City community board voted late Tuesday to support a plan to build a mosque and cultural center near ground zero. "It's a seed of peace," board member Rob Townley said. "We believe that this is a significant step in the Muslim community to counteract the hate and fanaticism in the minority of the community." RELATED: Is a giant mosque at Ground Zero justifie...

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0510/prager.php3  For the entire commentary refer to the above link... 'With America more interested in being like Europe and being liked rather than in fighting its enemies, more and more countries are identifying with America's enemies than with America. Last week's three-way hug among the leaders of Brazil, Turkey and Iran was a clear example of such. Meanwhile, America is rapidly accumulating unpayable debts that will render it not very different from Greece. Indeed, California, once the grease of the American economy, has become the Greece of the American economy. As the Left's power increases, America's power recedes — and the world further deteriorates. Under Democratic Party rule, the Last Best Hope of Earth has decided that the United Nations and Western Europe deserve that title, not the United States. Those of us working to remove Democrats from power regard this November's election as not only...