What Caught My Eye Today

Terrorism - Six foreign-born Muslims were arrested and accused Tuesday of plotting to attack the Army's Fort Dix and massacre scores of U.S. soldiers — a plot the FBI says was foiled when the men took a video of themselves firing assault weapons to a store to have the footage put onto a DVD. Their goal was "to kill as many American soldiers as possible" in attacks with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and guns, prosecutors said. Authorities saluted an unidentified New Jersey store clerk who noticed the suspicious video as the "unsung hero" of the case. Authorities said there was no direct evidence connecting the men to any international terror organizations such as al-Qaida. But several of them said they were ready to kill and die "in the name of Allah." Gee, there's a comforting thought. Props to that video store clerk. That should qualify him for 'Employee of the Month' don't you think?

Iraq - The Pentagon has notified more than 35,000 Army soldiers to be prepared to deploy to Iraq beginning this fall, a move that would allow commanders to maintain the ongoing buildup of troops through the end of the year if needed. Earlier this year, President Bush ordered close to 30,000 additional troops to Iraq to quell the spiking violence particularly in and around Baghdad. Gates and his military leaders have said that commanders in Iraq will make recommendations in September on whether the buildup has been successful, and whether it should continue or if troops can begin coming home.

And in a related story...

House Democratic leaders briefed party members Tuesday on new legislation that would fund the Iraq war through July, then give Congress the option of cutting off money if conditions do not improve. If members agree to back the plan as expected, a vote on the new war spending bill could come as early Thursday. Democrats told reporters the plan is likely to provide more than $40 billion for the war and other high-priority projects, then vote "mid summer" on whether to release more money for military operations. Congressional Republicans immediately dismissed the Democratic proposal as unfairly rationing funds needed in combat and said their members would not support it.

So I think I've got it. The Pentagon is ordering up more troops for Iraq while Congress is trying to push a proposal that will only fund the troops through July. Sounds like business as usual at the Capitol.

National Guard - Critics of the Iraq war said on Tuesday the Bush administration's failure to replenish vital National Guard equipment sent to Iraq caused Kansas to fall short in responding to last week's tornado disaster, and other states were equally vulnerable. The debate was ignited by Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius who said the federal government had failed to replace state National Guard equipment deployed to Iraq and the lack of equipment was hindering rescue and recovery efforts after a weekend of violent weather in the Midwestern state that leveled one small town on Friday and killed 10 in the area. The White House and the Pentagon rebuffed the criticism, saying Kansas and other states had adequate resources that they could share in event of disasters like the Kansas tornado. However, a report by the Government Accountability Office issued in 2005 in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster along the Gulf Coast said the extensive use of Guard equipment overseas has "significantly reduced the amount of equipment available to state governors for domestic needs." Hmm. I guess the dudes at the White House didn't get that memo.

Hard Time - The Internet was abuzz with rival petitions on Tuesday from fans and foes of jail-bound heiress Paris Hilton alternately asking California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to pardon her or make sure she serves her time. Four days after a Los Angeles judge sentenced Hilton to 45 days in jail for violating her probation by driving on a suspended license, the competing petitions provided a rallying point for a lively debate over whether the celebrity socialite and reality TV star deserves her punishment. Hilton herself appeared to embrace the clemency effort with a short note posted on what was identified as her personal page on the popular social networking hub MySpace.com: "My friend Joshua started his petition, please help and sihn it (sic). I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!" Schwarzenegger's press secretary said the governor had received no formal request to consider a pardon but added, "It would be premature for the governor to become involved in any case until the individual has exhausted their judicial remedies." For crying out loud, people. It's 45 days. I'm not saying it's going to be a picnic for girlfriend, but she broke the law multiple times. Do you really think the Governor is going to lose any sleep over a spoiled brat served 6 weeks in jail. I don't think so. By the way, Paris, you might get a bit more credibility if you learned how to spell. It's S-I-G-N.