My heartfelt thanks to all my readers, visitors and friends.

Wishing you all well, looking forward to great things in 2007!

Here’s wishing you a fruitful, prosperous, healthful New Year.

A military honour guard escorts the body of President Gerald R. Ford into St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church for his funeral Friday, in Palm Desert, Calif. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, pool)

Dick Cheney worked for the Ford administration during those years, and with his personal knowledge of Gerry Ford, eulogizes the man who became president during a trying time in our nation’s history.

Rick Moran remembers with “A Good and Decent Man”

Mike at Mike’s America remembers at the Wide Awakes.

December 28, 2006, of a vigil outside the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Here is a schedule of funeral plans for President Ford from Fox.

Friday, Dec. 29

— 12:20 p.m., President Ford’s casket arrives at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, Calif. Mrs. Ford and the family will have a private prayer service.

— 1:15 p.m., close friends and guests will arrive at St. Margaret’s for private visitation. The Ford family will return to their residence.

— 4:20 p.m., public repose begins at St. Margaret’s. The church will remain open until 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. on Saturday.

Saturday, Dec. 30

— 9 a.m., departure ceremony from St. Margaret’s.

— 9:40 a.m., Ford’s body leaves St. Margaret’s for Washington, D.C.

— 5:20 p.m., Ford’s body arrives at Andrews Air Force Base, traveling to the U.S. Capitol. The motorcade will pause at the World War II Memorial.

— 6:20 p.m., the casket will be carried up the east steps of the Capitol to the door of the House of Representatives.

— 7 p.m., state funeral begins in the Capitol Rotunda.

— 8:20 p.m., Ford’s body lies in state.

Sunday, Dec. 31, and Monday, Jan. 1

— Ford’s body continues in state.

Tuesday, Jan. 2

— 8:30 a.m., the casket is moved from the Rotunda to the U.S. Senate door for a period of repose.

— 9:15 a.m., departure ceremony on the east steps of the U.S. Senate.

— 10 a.m., Ford’s casket arrives at Washington National Cathedral.

— 10:30 a.m., funeral services will begin.

— 12:15 p.m., casket will leave the cathedral for trip to Grand Rapids, Mich.

— 2:15 p.m., body will arrive in Michigan.

— 3:30 p.m., casket will arrive at the presidential museum in Grand Rapids. An arrival ceremony for Mrs. Ford and guests will follow. The body will lie in public repose through the night.

Wednesday, Jan. 3

— 2 p.m., funeral services at Grace Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids. The president will be interred at a hillside site north of the museum.

Thursday, Jan. 4

— 1 p.m., Mrs. Ford and the family will return to California.

Softly I’ve seen just a few reports that say two others were executed on the same day as Saddam Hussein: former director of the Mukhabarat intelligence service, his half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti, and Iraq’s former chief judge Awad Ahmed Al Bandar Al Sadun. Both men were also sentenced to death by hanging for the killing of 148 people in Dujail, some 60 km north of Baghdad.

Most of what I can find pointing out that two others were sentenced to death also say they were hanged along with Saddam. Other reports say Iraqi government is going to wait until after EID.

SADDAM’S EXECUTION IS JUSTICE FOR DUJAIL

At the New York Post, John Byrne, a sergeant who worked with the Shiites to tell their story in front of the court, tells his story.

December 30, 2006 — ‘Hello, my friend!”

“America good!”

“Bush good, good!”

“Saddam donkey!”

Phrases like those would greet me on my nearly daily trips to the city of Dujail in 2004. The sentiments of the Shiite majority were clear in the town’s small but bustling center: America was welcome. To these people, Saddam Hussein was evil and - hard as it may be for some Americans to imagine - George Bush was a hero.

Read the rest.

Update: Stephen Decatur has his synopsis at The Islamic Threat, which is very revealing:

Before hanging Saddam tries to say the Shahada but the Shia followers of the religion of peace do not allow him his Shahada and drop him before he finishes. That is equivalent to preventing somebody from getting last rites. The Shias around him were chanting for Moqtada Al Sadr, their would be dictator version of Saddam. One of the guards is begging them to stop and they insist. Then chaos insues as they apparently want to mutilate his body but they are prevented. Anyway, the dictator is dead and he got what he deserved.

It’s Sunday, folks, say a prayer for Jack and Brent, that they’ll be kept safe and alive until one day they can come home.

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Justin at Right on the Right has the entire thing. The entire hanging video of Saddam Hussein. Grainy, taken on a cell phone, and from below the scaffold where he’s standing.

Well it appears as though Justin’s site went down - it couldn’t handle the traffic from people trying to view it. (His site came back up after I went offline last night, but I’m leaving this here now that it’s up) So…I was trying to avoid this, but I’m putting it up. I’m not responsible for people hyperventilating or puking in their shoes, so if you can’t stand gore then don’t click on this thing.

Someone at Hot Air has a transcription of what they’re talking about.

This doesn’t look very ‘official’…

Drudge gets the kudos for the scoop

Jo at Jo’s Cafe has a post called “Butcher of Baghdad Executed” where she reflects on her reaction and the reaction she’s observed.

No elation.

No joy.

No saddness.

His maker has him now.

This is not the first execution that Iraq has conducted over the last year since it was re-established. Reports are they’ve had over 100.

Actually, I think there WAS elation. I’ll look and see if I can find that vid of the Iraqis dancing and celebrating. I gather they danced over his body, too. These are muslims in Dearborn, Michigan celebrating his death.

And - when can we get 30 days from conviciton to execution time in the United States?

That’s a good question. Bin Laden is right; we’ve turned soft.

This is from about two days ago. I was debating about putting it up, but there are relatives contacting me who are concerned for their guys. According to the Sacbee, the men identified themselves on tape.

The men identify themselves as John Young, 44, of Kansas City, Mo.; Jonathan Cote, 23, of Gainesville, Fla.; and Bert Nussbaumer, 25, of Vienna, Austria, “Paul”, who is Paul Reuben from Minnesota, and Josh Munz, from California, USA.

Jonathan is the only one with visible signs of injury, slight bruising around his nose and red splotches on his face.

If anyone reading knows more, please contact me at cao at superpatriots dot us.

These four men remain in the hands of a little-known Shiite Muslim militant group that calls itself the “Mujahedeen of Jerusalem Company.” They were ambushed on Nov. 16 in the town of Safwan. Experts analyzing the tape say it was taken about a montha go.

The digital date on the recording is 14-4-2006, indicating the captors had not set the timer properly or had changed it.

Only the audio is available at this time.

Whoever the idiot is who is laughing in the background I’m assuming doesn’t realize the disrespectful sniggering is caught on tape. I’m assuming it’s an idiotic journalist who doesn’t realize or care that families are hanging on any word about their loved ones. McClatchy Washington Bureau (whatever that is) is the one that picked up the video and released the audio.

The clip was shown to McClatchy Newspapers in Baghdad on Tuesday night on condition that the provider’s name and other identifying details be withheld for security reasons.

I’m sorry for having a rather cynical view of journalists, but why protect the ‘provider’s’ name and other identifying details unless you’re covering for a terrorist kidnapper?

The provider said the video was shot in response to a demand for proof that the men were alive before negotiations for their release could begin. The provider was confident that the men are still living and remain in the hands of a little-known Shiite Muslim militant group that calls itself the “Mujahedeen of Jerusalem Company.”

Representatives of the U.S. military, the American Embassy and the men’s employer, the Kuwait-based Crescent Security Group, said they hadn’t known of the video and called it the first significant development since the kidnapping.

You can hear the audio here, too. I’m mortified for the families of these men. God bless them and keep them safe, that they return home to their families.

Thanks to Jo’s Cafe

We should seriously be questioning the Bush Administration’s sanction of a policy to set up our own soldiers in order to take the fall to prove to the world that the Iraq government and justice system is legitimate. This is despicable lying behavior that sacrifices our own.

In an article 32, you don’t have to have evidence to convict. So in the absence of evidence, and with manufactured evidence and forged documents, our guys are being accused and convicted without access to evidence they could use to defend themselves. They’re not facing their accusors in court, which used to be a constitutional right. This is just a portion of how the prosecution and defense are working in concert to prosecute our marines, using them as an example of what not to do when they’re deployed to Iraq. You’re going to war but you’re putting your ass on the line if you shoot at a terrorist who’s shooting at you! This is pretty despicable.

If President Bush is going to send 30,000 more troops to Iraq, this must change.

We’re talking about forgeries, forging signatures, we’re talking about some pretty heavy duty stuff that JAG is using to perpetrating fraud to convict marines, and the Pendleton 8 isn’t an isolate case of this.

Read more about it at United American Patriots or if you already know about the injustices served and would like to make a contribution, click on the image below.

As per Fox News, from Al-Arabiya television, Saddam is dead.

The Huffpo is already asking if we feel safer.

No, this won’t be any different, although I’m certain the celebration of EID will have a special meaning for the Iraqis, particularly those in Kurdistan. Could be the survivors of the dead, some of whom were turned up in the the hundreds of mass graves all over Iraq might find some solace in knowing he won’t be after them in the middle of the night. Perhaps the Shia will sleep better knowing the same thing.

See Four Murders by Saddam’s Regime here

Beth at Blue Star Chronicles has a nice roundup, but…it’s over now.

See the whole cartoon at Cox and Forkum with commentary. (I didn’t have enough time to re-size it)

It’s official.

BAGHDAD, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein will hang at dawn on Saturday, Iraqi officials told Reuters, setting a dramatic end for a leader who ruled Iraq by fear for three decades before a U.S. invasion and his conviction for crimes against humanity.

“They just called to tell me to be ready to attend the hanging at 5:30 a.m. (O230 GMT),” said a court official whose presence is demanded by law. The execution was planned by 6 a.m., he added, although he did not know where it would happen.

A senior politician in the Shi’ite Muslim majority behind Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said he would also attend: “It will take place by 6 a.m.,” Bahaa al-Araji told Reuters

Reportedly his personal effects have been picked up and he’s been turned over to the Iraqi authorities. In his ‘letter’ that was posted on a Baathist website, he talked jihadi rhetoric, and said for Iraqis not to ‘hate’. In the meeting he just had with his half brothers, he said he was glad he would die a martyr and not languish in prison.

Dean Barnett at Hugh Hewitt says “Hang Him High (No Matter What the Times Says)”

If you’re in the mood for a classic example of where the mush-minded left stands these days, be sure to check out today’s New York Times editorial that laments the imminent neck-stretching of Saddam Hussein. Risibly titled “The Rush to Hang Saddam Hussein,” the piece bears eloquent testimony to how certain elements of the left reflexively side with America’s malefactors, even when common sense, decency and logic dictates otherwise.

Michelle Malkin says that Ramsey Clark and the rest of his legal team is working feverishly to get a stay of execution by refusing to allow his being turned over to Iraqi authorities. But I thought he was already handed over.

Allah Pundit forecasts this will all be over by 9pm Central, 10pm EST.

Rick Moran with his usual poetic eloquence “A Sad Ending to a Sad Chapter in History”

Saddam may have been a particularly brutal tyrant. But the difference between his regime and the regimes of dozens of others around the world is only a matter of degree – thousands dead or tortured instead of hundreds of thousands. It says a lot about humanity at this stage of our evolution as a social species that we can be so sanguine about the murderous depredations of a Robert Mugabe or a Islom Karimov simply because the body count hasn’t achieved the elevated status of a Saddam or a Kim Jung Il. We in the civilized world can tune out the cries for succor from the oppressed rather easily – international law, free flow of oil, international commerce, even the War on Terrorism – take your pick. One excuse is as good as another.

I wish I could believe that hanging Saddam will make other tyrants pause and clean up their acts, hoping to avoid suffering a similar fate. But you and I know that is wishful thinking. What is more probable is that the dictators will redouble their efforts to stifle opposition thinking it will guarantee their security – at least from their own people.

Update: From Al-Arabiya television as per Fox News, Saddam Hussein is dead. They are now waiting for confirmation from the Iraqi government. The witnesses gathered, the preparations were made, the deed is done, by the Iraqis themselves.

Activists of the Communist Party of India protest in Hyderabad against Saddam Hussein’s death sentence (Mahesh Kumar/AP)

The communist activists’ signs look the same no matter what part of the world they’re protesting in. Thanks to the AP for giving them PR. Like they don’t get enough.

Here’s another one (I’ll add pictures to this as I find them)

Bhubaneswar, Dec 31 (IANS) Activists of Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) and Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML) Sunday staged demonstrations in Orissa protesting the hanging of deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

And another

Another rally was taken out by the Socialist Unit Center of India (SUCI) activists which started at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk and after crossing through Dak Bungalow crossing reached Patna Junction roundabout where Bush’s effigy was burnt.

I was totally appalled to see (via Darth Dilbert) that the media is propping terrorist sniper videos.

But I’m not surprised.

While journalists show videos of terrorist snipers, our marines and other guys in uniform are getting shot by them.

This is the story of Kirby when he first appeared in the media. Kirby is a marine medic, on his second tour in Iraq. Some time ago, the media and bloggers like Cassandra at Villainous Company picked up on the story of his saving a wounded marine, a shooting victim of a terrorist sniper. The New York Times, even picked it up in a piece called “Tending a Fallen Marine, With Skill, Prayer and Fury” back on November 2nd. It is a horrific tale about a fallen marine, shot in the head, bone fragments in his helmet, showing a picture of Kirby’s bloody hand holding the armor piercing 7.62 millimeter terrorist bullet that had reached its mark.

Just this past Christmas afternoon, Kirby gets his own coverage. He was shot in the face, also by a terrorist sniper, destroying his palate and removing his ability to speak. Miraculously, he began writing messages immediately afterwards, refused to lay on a stretcher, walking to the medivac under his own power.

When I think it can’t get any nuttier, Gateway Pundit asks the Question: Why Are They Showing Snuff Films In A Mosque?

If you’re looking for pieces on Jack Idema and his team, please click on this link. If you want to know more about the Jack Idema story, I have more than 200 posts here at that link.

Now, I don’t know when they got this up. I knew his Christmas show was coming, I checked and checked, and then…I just gave up checking.

See his great Christmas video here at Rogue Radio Live dot Com

If you know Jack, you know this is colorful, this is Christmas from Pulacharke prison. Strap yourself in for a fun ride.

He talks about Joel Rosenberg’s claims that the middle east is getting converted to Christianity.

See Rosenberg’s blog where the post Jack talks about is.

He’s got music in this, he’s got fun little audio clips.

He talks about the Stolen Valor Act more at the Marine Times here.

A cool surprise at the end…The Ballad of the Green Berets sung by an artist you probably have never heard sing it before.

James Brown passed away on Christmas morning. There is talk of his girlfriend and their 5-year old child being locked out of his estate, but I guess one of the issues in question is whether or not they were really married.

I really appreciated some of his music. Two of the better-known songs he’s famous for are featured here, God bless him, and God bless is girlfriend and I hope it all works out for her and his kid. I gather he is survived by four children, so let me say ‘kids’, then.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say he was to modern music as Bach was to classical music, though, which is what Al Sharpton said about him.

James Brown was 73.

Brown’s body lied in state at the Apollo Theater in NYC Thursday. A private service for Brown’s family and friends will be held Friday. On Saturday he will lie in state at the James Brown Arena in Augusta, Ga., prior to the public funeral service to be officiated by Rev. Al Sharpton. Brown will be buried in Augusta.