BOO!

PRESIDENT HILLARY CLINTON!


HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Scared ya, didn't I?
BWUAHAHAHAHAHA!

Go Navy!

Found this at Theo Spark's. Favorite President. Favorite Service. Makes me want to join the Navy......Oh, yeah, that's right........Go Navy!

It's for your own good, comrade....

Via the lovely Ann Althouse, "nuff said.

Don't Forget the Guys in Astan

I'm gonna put it out there every day until Leta tells me we have 800 of everything we need.
TankerBabe.

Go to DCProtestWarrior, link to US Cavalry, buy a few balaclavas and gaiters, and ship them to me or Leta;
and I even have a coupon code to save you 10% and if you want to take a charitable deduction, we can arrange for that, too.

Funny stuff....

via Boobs, Injuries, and Dr. Pepper( read the rest of her blog! Put down any drinks first! NOT responsible for keyboard destruction.) :

Party Time

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

If you've been following along, you know that while my daughter, Virginia, is extremely bright, she has the attention span of a twinkie and the energy of a meth addict.

Today, she came bursting through the door, full of joy.

"Whooo hooo! Par-tayyy! Whoo!"

I was having a deep and disturbing conversation with her brother about why it is so not okay to use his cell phone to fish his watch out of the toilet and honestly didn't give her much of my attention.

She tried again.

"Whooo! Party! At school!"

I turned from my debate.

"I'm sorry, Virginia. I heard you, baby."

"Yeah! And we get to bring all sorts of cool stuff like-" she pulled the note from her book bag - "beef jerky!"

"No one loves beef jerky more than you," I absentmindedly told her while I dismantled the cell phone. It emitted one feeble beep and then died. Shit.

"And...and! Batteries!" she continued.

"Mmmm," I nodded.

"Hand Sanitizer! And Q-Tips!" Her eyes bugged from her head in her feverish excitement. "Coffee!" She fell over and began writhing on the floor in ecstasy when what she had been saying really sunk in with me.

"Umm, Mom?" Devon asked. I numbly looked at him. "What the hell kind of party are 2nd graders having these days? And how can I get an invite?"

"Virginia, give me that paper," I commanded.

She dutifully handed it over.

Dear Parents,

On October 24th, we will be sending the first of our care packages to the troops. Items we still need are...

Party on, Virginia.

One Last Mission

From Military Motivator:

General Pace goes to the wall and visits an old friend. There's video there, too.

THE RULES

via our English friend Theo Spark:

Military Rules for Non-Military Personnel

"Dear Civilians,

We know that the current state of affairs in our great nation have many civilians up in arms and excited to join the military. For those of you who can't join, you can still lend a hand. Here are a few of the areas where we would like your assistance:

(1) The next time you see an adult talking (or wearing a hat) during the playing of the National Anthem---kick their ass.

(2) When you witness, firsthand, someone burning the American Flag in protest---kick their ass.

(3) Regardless of the rank they held while they served, pay the highest amount of respect to all veterans. If you see anyone doing otherwise, quietly pull them aside and explain how these veterans fought for the very freedom they bask in every second. Enlighten them on the many sacrifices these veterans made to make this Nation great. Then hold them down while a disabled veteran kicks their ass.

(4) Next time you come across an Air Force member, do not ask them, "Do you fly a jet?" Not everyone in the Air Force is a pilot. Such ignorance deserves an ass-kicking (children are exempt).

(5) If you witness someone calling the US Coast Guard 'non-military', inform them of their mistake---and kick their ass.

(6) Next time Old Glory (the US flag) prances by during a parade, get on your damn feet and pay homage to her by placing your hand over your heart. Quietly thank the military member or veteran lucky enough to be carrying her---of course, failure to do either of those could earn you a severe ass-kicking.

(7) 'Your mama wears combat boots' never made sense to me---stop saying it! If she did, she would most likely be a vet and therefore, could kick your ass!

(8) 'Flyboy' (Air Force), 'Jarhead' (Marines), 'Grunt' (Army), 'Squid' (Navy), 'Puddle Jumpers' (Coast Guard), etc., are terms of endearment we use describing each other. Unless you are a service member or vet,you have not earned the right to use them. That could get your ass kicked.

(9) Last, but not least, whether or not you become a member of the military, support our troops and their families. Every Thanksgiving and religious holiday that you enjoy with family and friends, please remember that there are literally thousands of troops far from home wishing they could be with their families. If you know a military spouse - thank them. They sacrifice just as much, if not more, than the active duty member but they hardly ever get to hear a simple "Thank You" for what they have to put up with. Without our military and their families, our country would get its ass kicked."

"It is the soldier, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the press.

"It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech.

"It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who gives us the freedom to demonstrate.

"It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag."


"If you can read this, thank a teacher"

"If you are reading it in English, thank a veteran."

He who holds the Lightning, survives.....

The Geek with a .45 has a superb essay on the nature of international politics, why big "L" libertarianism fails, and the essence of national survival.

It starts:

So, here’s the Excruciating Truth:

Whether America remains free and prosperous will be determined by whoever controls The Lightning; which is some critical portion of war suitable energy resources.

And it damned well better be us.

More:

Without oil, our ability to conduct warfare is limited to within 20 miles of our largest naval rifles, and wherever we can trudge on foot or animal drawn cart. No oil means we essentially roll ourselves back to war as practiced in 1890 or so, albeit with better guns. Yes, it’s true that in 1890, or 1850, for that matter, we had an effective energy source for manufacturing and other predicates of war, and even trains to get supplies to the staging areas, but trains were not driven into battle. Guns were carried to battle by men on foot, wagon, and horseback.

So, to reiterate: the choice is war as fought with petrochemicals and machines, or horses and carts.

While we’re talking about The Lightning, let’s make another thing absolutely clear: merely possessing The Lightning in no way ensures that America will remain prosperous and free. We can certainly be our own undoing. Possessing The Lightning simply prevents another party from making that decision for us, with or without our consent.

This is simple, inescapable truth: the party who can make war can prevail over the party who cannot at will.

The entire essay will have you thinking. If you disagree with it, (not the Ron Paul/Guiliani thing, the actual ideas...)please comment. There may be a pop quiz soon.

Update: To all Libertarian purists: From the comments at Geekwitha.45 - thebastidge:
Let me say it again: more liberty is inherently better than less liberty, but you must work within the practical constraints of empirical results. To this end, one should strive for liberty, just as one should strive for virtue, accepting that failure to achieve absolute liberty is no more a failure than falling somewhat short of absolute virtue.

Fingerprinting our kids at school?

But, this does get them used to using their fingerprints for ID. Now that's even more disturbing. Just because something is convenient, does not mean that it should be done. As I said earlier, this was probably going to show up in the US. Watch England and so goes a socialistic USA.

Excerpt:

With the federal government lagging behind on its plans to implement the use of electronic passports, identification cards and driver's licenses, biometric vendors are targeting a new market: schools.

But the use of biometric technology in schools, such as a system being used by Stayton Middle School's cafeteria, has some parents and privacy advocates condemning the move as outright Orwellian.

"This is biometric data collecting," said Jann Carson, the associate director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Portland. "It's the 'Big Brother' theory. The last thing we should do is teach parents and their young children to be casual about turning over personal data, like a fingerprint, just for the sake of speeding up a lunch line."

Where To From Here?

Two other posts up this morning:
On vox: Code Pink is in the news.
On DCPW: Media Matters is discussed

Message to Democrats - Where do we go from here?
by Jack L. Key
Reality Check

Well, we’ve been listening to you for months now—Ms. Clinton, John Edwards, Obama, Reid and Pelosi, Murtha, Kennedy and all the rest—about how bad President Bush is, the battles in Iraq and Afghanistan and how wonderful each of you are. And how great it will be for us when you win it all.

Let’s see. You’re going to socialize medicine with Ms. Clinton’s schemes, give every “poor” kid who’s daddy makes 80 grand a year free insurance, end the “wars” in central Asia and Middle East, quit fighting and bring the troops home, but support the troops anyway and give them all new battle gear. You intend to appoint a new Attorney General who will close ol’ Gitmo, give all the bad boys there new ditty bags to get them back home without punishment for attacking and killing American G.I’s.

Am I right so far?

You’re going to “fix” everything the current administration (and VP Cheney and AG Gonzales) did wrong, bring “spy” Valerie Plame in from the cold, raise taxes and fund a bundle of new “programs”. You’re going to stop the slide of new home sales, make the dollar good again and send all government contracts for equipment and weapons to the good ol’ boys in China to build for us (and outlaw recalls).

Immigration and illegal aliens will no longer be a problem because you’ll open the borders and give the folks already here citizenship and free social, legal and food services. Bring everybody up here for free goodies if they want to be Yankees.

Besa ma Mucho!

Castro and Hugo will be big brothers to us all, the ding in N. Korea will get a free ride, and the dong in Iran will get his, er, nukes. And you’ll see to it Mr. Putin will never again get his feelings hurt by mean Americans who want to protect Europeans and themselves from the bad boys in Iran by building new missile defenses there.

But WHOA!

I think it’s time we heard exactly how democrats plan to do all these good things for us. Give us specifics. Those things we haven’t heard from anyone yet. We’ve heard enough mud slinging, lies and false promises from democrats for so long you thought we’d never ask HOW, didn’t you?

But let’s think for a moment about the world you’ve laid out for us, and I’ve just described. First of all it won’t pass muster. Second, republicans in Congress aren’t that stupid. Reid and Pelosi have had THE POWER for a while now. Let the record show there IS no record. The last democrat to hold the presidency in the ‘90’s fiddled around with terrorist attacks in NYC and elsewhere with no success to speak of, but fiddled around with Ms. Lowenski in the anteroom with some success? So Bin Laden said let’s hit the WTC again on 9/11, 2001.

So where do we go from here?

Democrats will have all the news media on their side in the upcoming fisticuffs called elections. Hollywood will embrace all their little darlings on the left-hand side. The Evening News gurus will beat the republican candidate senseless, and “presidential debates” will be one-sided affairs, PBS and CNN will see to that. But thankfully we won’t have to endure more tales of military bravado from the democratic candidate, because I don’t think any of them have served their country, either in peace or war this time around, have they?

Is this gonna be it then?

Nope. The American voter will have the last say. And we seem to have gotten it right now for over 300 years. That little item is where we’ll go from here.

And nobody does it better.

Jack L. Key is a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (www.thenma.org), a published author and freelance writer. He may be contacted at jockdoc@localnet.com

What Will You Do For Them

Friends, I know eveyone is constantly bombarded with requests for money, send stuff there, send stuff here. I hate it. I hate being asked and I hate asking.

What I hate even more is finding out a soldier is cold or hungry. Yeah yeah, it goes with the job..but we can do something to help. We can make the desolate hopeful. We can do the work SOME politicians WON'T do.

We know how. We have the resources. We have the will. We know how to make a difference in the lives of the soldiers deployed on the front lines of the War on Terror. The men of the 173rd 2-503 and the 1st 91 are on the front lines of the fight to end the terror. They are taking the heat for us, and no one has asked us to sacrifice one single thing.

With the surge in Iraq working, Al-Qeda is going to cut their losses and re-focus their efforts on the Afghan-Pakistan region. That means these men will be working even harder. They will be facing the evil that murdered 3,000 innocent people on 11 September 2001. They will be the ones with the bulls-eyes on their backs. They will die for us if asked.

WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR THEM??????

TankerBabe and I are doing everything we can with the resources we have, and I want to thank everyone who has stepped up and made a difference.

But we need more. I'm sorry, but the fact is WE NEED MORE. We need more balaclavas, more scarves, more socks, more boots, more blankets. We need them NOW. We needed them yesterday.

PLEASE, for the sake of these brave men standing 12,000 feet on a mountain, do what you know is right. Help us take care of these brave warriors. No one else will. The politicians sure as hell won't.

IF NOT US, WHO? IF NOT NOW, WHEN???
Winter is coming. The Afghan mountains are brutal. Suppose it was your son? Your husband?

You know what? They are. Everyone of those men is family. We need to treat them like family.

I emailed Scott Lee this morning at 0630 while I was rolling North to DC. Emailing at 80 MPH is true mulit-tasking. Include a pdf conversion in that and you're really smoking. I was out of signal range before I heard anything. Scott, if you read this, trust me, it's for real. That flyer I sent you has my work address and the company I work for. Check me out. Trust but verify.

Her's a link to USCavalry, and a portion of the money spent will be directed to other military charities. How sweet is that? You get to help a whole bunch of brave Americans protecting us and you don't even have to leave the house. It doesn't get any easier or any better than that.
I have added a shipping address on my site.

Now, just to make it even easier, here's a few links to the gear on USCav that the soldiers have asked us for:
Balaclavas
Gaiters
You can scroll down on these pages and if you're so inclined, there are some other winter items they could use.
For the price of a dinner out, you could outfit one soldier with gear to keep him warm and alert while he's doing his job protecting us by ridding the world of the scum-sucking islamo-fascists who, if given the opportunity, would kill every American they could.

Patriots outnumber hippies... in BERKELY?

Check this out. I remember walking through the Berkely campus with a Reagan button just to tick'em off.

ContraCostaTimes:

BERKELEY -- Flag-waving demonstrators far outnumbered a group of peace advocates who were protesting a U.S. Marine Corps recruiting center in downtown on Wednesday.

The Road to Hell is paved with Good Intentions

A long essay on the damage done by people with good intentions by Isabel Paterson (1886–1961). The below excerpt is taken from another excerpt from her 1943 book The God of the Machine.
I find that this passage describes the "humanitarian" politician more than what we more commonly describe as a "humanitarian."
Excerpt:

Most of the harm in the world is done by good people, and not by accident, lapse, or omission. It is the result of their deliberate actions, long persevered in, which they hold to be motivated by high ideals toward virtuous ends.

What can one human being actually do for another? He can give from his own funds and his own time whatever he can spare. But he cannot bestow faculties which nature has denied; nor give away his own subsistence without becoming dependent himself. If he earns what he gives away, he must earn it first. Surely he has a right to domestic life if he can support a wife and children. He must therefore reserve enough for himself and his family to continue production. No one person, though his income be ten million dollars a year, can take care of every case of need in the world.

But supposing he has no means of his own, and still imagines that he can make "helping others" at once his primary purpose and the normal way of life, which is the central doctrine of the humanitarian creed, how is he to go about it? Lists have been published of the neediest cases, certified by secular charitable foundations which pay their own officers handsomely. The needy have been investigated, but not relieved. Out of donations received, the officials pay themselves first. This is embarrassing even to the rhinoceros hide of the professional philanthropist. But how is the confession to be evaded? If the philanthropist could command the means of the producer, instead of asking for a portion, he could claim credit for production, being in a position to give orders to the producer. Then he can blame the producer for not carrying out orders to produce more.

If the primary objective of the philanthropist, his justification for living, is to help others, his ultimate good requires that others shall be in want. His happiness is the obverse of their misery. If he wishes to help "humanity," the whole of humanity must be in need. The humanitarian wishes to be a prime mover in the lives of others. He cannot admit either the divine or the natural order, by which men have the power to help themselves. The humanitarian puts himself in the place of God.

Felonies and the 2nd Amendment

Felons lose their rights to many things, including the right to own a gun. All felons. From non-violent to murderous. The question for us today, is this the right thing to do? Should it be a blanket prohibition? Or should the penalty fit the crime? Don't ex-convicts have the right of self-defense? Do they still not have the right of free speech and retain other rights? Felons can petition to have the right to vote returned. Why not for the 2nd Amendment rights? Next time you think that all felons should be disarmed, think of this: via Oleg Volk and Knox News.

Oleg Volk: Buying 25 cartons of cigarettes in the next state is now a felony. That's right, a lifetime loss of many civil rights. The amount of money involved? 250 packs x 19 cent difference (between Tennessee and Alabama) = $47.50 worth of excise taxes. But that's nothing new to the American law -- missing out of a $5 tax stamp for adding a second grip to a pistol is also a felony. We already discussed felony charges for ownership or sales of sex toys...

Next time you hear of proposal to deny voting or self-defense rights to felons, consider how close everyone is to becoming one...often without knowing it and almost always without victimizing anyone. Greedy revenuers trying to prohibit interstate commerce or morally offended puritans prying into your bedroom don't count as victims.

KnoxNews: Tennessee residents may legally possess no more than two cartons of cigarettes without the state tax stamp.

Contraband cigarettes, and any vehicle in which they are transported, are subject to seizure, Farr said.

“If Revenue agents believe that an individual is transporting more than two cartons of cigarettes into Tennessee, the vehicle carrying the cigarettes will be stopped and searched,” Farr said. “If more than two cartons are found, the cigarettes will be seized and agents have the discretion to make arrests and seize the vehicle.”

So, would a gift of cigarettes from Virginia to a friend in Tenn. put him in jail....
Just think, the cops sell the seized cars to finance expensive swat teams to stop more "cigarette runners".....sound familiar?
I wonder, does Virginia have any laws like this? We tend to be crazy about out of state alcohol. If one buys booze in Maryland or North Carolina while on a road trip and brings it home, will you go to jail? Shouldn't crimes that penalize you by stripping away rights be ones that put others in danger and not ones that "rob" the government of taxes that can be raised or CREATED at any time?

Think of the war on drugs. When we started it, the laws were quite reasonable. Now, Florida police can stop a car, and if a drug dog signals that it has detected a trace presence of drugs on the car or the driver, the car is impounded and any assets seized. In many cases, there might not even be standardized regulations for any citizen that was found innocent to retrieve his property.

Add to this, look at what the government and other citizens want to do by expanding the state to classify you as "mental" and prevent you from exercising YOUR right to own a weapon.

How safe are YOUR rights?

Treason-The Real Inconvenient Truth

J. D. Pendry has some thoughts you might find interesting. I posted them on my site.
While you're there, jump over to TankerBabe's site and read the latest on our efforts to show the 173rd Airborne Infantry in Afghanistan that there really are Americans who appreciate their sacrifices.

Jim Gilmore: Our next Senator?

Early into the event, I had the opportunity to speak with Congressman Eric Cantor about an issue close to my heart. The SSgt Carlos Farler Citizen Soldier Equality Act of 2006, HR 5083, is a bill that changes the way our country treats National Guard troops wounded or disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan: it grants them the same rights and access to treatment and compensation as active duty military. It is an important piece of legislation that is sorely needed. If this administration is going to insist on using National Guard troops in combat situations, I must insist these troops be treated as combat veterans and compensated acordingly. They are NOT second class soldiers, THEY ARE SOLDIERS. Carlos is a friend of mine. I expect this administration to treat my friends who have served honorably, with diginity and respect.
FWIW, IMAO, NG Troops do not need to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. That is not the purpose of the National Guard. Congressman Cantor's reaction to my question about getting this bill out of the Armed Sevices Committee and onto the floor for a vote was this "I need to be on that bill".

Now to the topic in the title:
I was standing at the periphery, late into the event, talking to an elderly couple in VA Tech colors, explaining the flyer I had just handed them which basically was asking for help with our latest project supporting the 173rd Airborne Infantry Regiment in Astan.
The lady I was speaking with suddenly exclaimed, "Is that Governor Gilmore?"
I looked up and sure enough, it was Governor Gilmore, arriving (I assume) late to the event. (Not an admonition, just an observation)
He saw us, waved, and then walked over and shook hands and struck up a conversation with the couple and me.
I listened politely, and then he turned to me, and pointing to my Soldiers' Angels lapel pin, asked what it was.
"Aha," I thought, "here's my opening."
I proceeded to explain Soldiers' Angels, their mission, how they got started, and then handed the Governor a flyer. He looked at it briefly, then folded it and placed it in his breast pocket.
I then asked the Governor what he thought of the grassroots movement to draft General Peter Pace to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Senator John Warner.
His response was not what I was expecting.
(I don't know what I was expecting, I had asked that question to just about everyone I spoke to that day) but his response was:
"Well, since I plan on running for that seat, I don't think very much of it." he said, rather sternly and with a bit of consternation.
He then said he planned on announcing his intentions sometime early next year, and then made a cryptic comment: "I heard something about Pace the other day. He needs to stay in Maryland."
He did not elaborate on what he had heard, and I did not press the issue. He shook my hand, told me to keep up the good work supporting the troops, and moved off into crowd.

7th District Republican Roundup

SWAC Girl has pics up. Cargosquid and I missed her this time. There will be other chances. JD from Conservativa sent me a pic she took of me with the Goochland gang and Jim Glmore. I'll have it up somewhere shortly.
I'm just going to add to this instead of doing a new post. Victor Davis Hanson has some thoughts on the MSM and what they consider "newsworthy". I posted selected excerpts on VOX
And the aforementioned picture is now in my collection on VOX.

Everybody Needs to See THIS Right NOW!!!

TankerBabeLC and I have been rolling on a project to get some love to the guys in the 173rd Airborne Infantry, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne) "The Rock" and the 1st Squadron 91st Cavalry Regiment (The Airborne Cav) currently deployed to the Korengal Valley in the Kunsar Province of Afghanistan. Winter is coming and these guys need a little help.
Well, someone is listening, because you would not believe what can happen in 5 short days. Click the link. This will blow your mind.
But remember, there are 4 more companies who need the same love. You can help by contacting me or Leta through our VOX blogs and if you're planning on attending the 7th District Republican Roundup tomorrow, look for me. I'll be the guy with a handful of flyers making a nuisance of himself explaining why I don't know why the damn Army can't do this.
I know why....it's because we need something to keep us busy so we don't get locked up for kicking the crap out of the moonbats every weekend.

England = Liberal America - They're doing it for the children

For years, conservatives have said that "If you want to see the future of America as a liberal state, look east to England." Evidence of that abounds. England has socialized rationed medicine, political correctness gone mad, 1/5 of the the surveillance cameras in Europe, a dis-armed, crime-ridden urban society where crime victims are arrested if they fight back, welfare for the masses, high taxes, un-appreciated military, and now this:

The British government wants to fingerprint every child in England. Oh, sorry parents, we didn't ask your permission? It would just bollux up everything if you don't cooperate. Those fingerprints held in school records will NEVER be misused or in danger of being hacked......

The sinister truth about what they do with our children's fingerprints

Fionna Elliot does not look like a firebrand. A hard-working mother, she has never had the time or the interest to dabble in politics.

Yet when the local primary school wrote to her saying they were about to fingerprint her son Alexander, eight, and daughter Jessica, only six, she was furious. The 29-year-old housewife from Balby in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, saw it as a dangerous step towards a Big Brother society. She didn't want her children fingerprinted and she marched off to Waverley School, five minutes from the family's home, to protest to the headmistress.
"The school said they were taking the thumb print of every child," Fiona explained at her neat, semi-detached home this week.
"The new electronic mapping system would allow children to borrow books from the library."
The headmistress said it would be exciting for the pupils and help them develop a love of books and reading.
Each child's fingerprint would replace their library card. Placing their fingerprint on a scanner would open their computer file with records of the books they had borrowed. The argument is that this would dramatically simplify record-keeping.

It has more than a fifth of the world's CCTV cameras. (Speed and crime cameras, anyone?)
One day all our NHS records may be on a national computer accessible by thousands of health workers. (This is being suggested in the US.)
Ministers have suggested that every British subject should have their DNA placed on a national database. (This has been suggested, also)
And already, the State has the DNA records of nearly a million children, some as young as five.
Now the Government is actively encouraging cash-strapped schools - short of teachers, sports facilities and even books - to spend £20,000 or more on fingerprinting systems.
In the short time since the practice began unannounced in 2001, nearly 6,000 pupils have had their 'dabs' taken throughout the country.
Every week another 20 schools join the list.

The parents say the fingerprinting is 'softening up' children to prepare them for the national introduction of ID cards and to encourage them to hand over precious biometric details without a second thought.

But those schools that have introduced the practice say there is nothing to worry about.
The data, unique to every pupil, will never be stolen or spied on, they argue.
This is simply a safe, easy and fun way for the children to take home library books or buy lunch at the school canteen. It does away with pieces of paper and dinner vouchers.
It saves time.

Why are they doing this? The supposed reason is convenience. The child logs onto computers and checks out books with a fingerprint. Never mind that the government now can track everything the eventual adult. Because if its so convenient for the children, just think how convinient it will be for them as adults. They'll be able to use their fingerprints to get money from a bank, enter buildings, buy things, get on planes, trains and automobiles......just for convenience.

Now, tell me that our government won't want to do this. Either party, as long as they believe in "big government."
Remember, they're doing it for the children.........

New York "Green-ing" Empire State To Honor Muslim Holiday

Over at LGF, yesterdays "Jaw-dropper of the Day" lived up to it's name:
__________

New York’s iconic Empire State Building is to be lit up green from Friday in honor of the Muslim holiday of Eid, the biggest festival in the Muslim calendar marking the end of Ramadan, officials said.
“This is the first time that the Empire State Building will be illuminated for Eid, and the lighting will become an annual event in the same tradition of the yearly lightings for Christmas and Hannukah,” according to a statement.
Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month, is expected to be celebrated in New York from Friday, depending on when the new moon is sighted, and the city’s tallest skyscraper will remain green until Sunday.
Built in the early 1930s, the 443-meter-tall (1,454-feet-tall) Empire State Building was first lit up with colored lighting in 1976, when red, white and blue lights were used to mark the American Bicentennial.
______________

I can't believe that I served for and fought for this country against the very muslim powers that made 9-11 possible, and now, my country would consider this lunacy.

I had planned a trip to New York to see the sights and visit some family there. Now I am re-thinking that trip. I don't think I have anything in common with New York, and now I'm not in a mood to see it.

Enjoy your Dhimmitude, New York. You deserve it.

The full article link is here. Read for yourself.

Just disgusting.

Why do we love the military?

A former Marine has five reasons here

Veterans Disarmament Act to Bar Vets From Owning Guns

Larry Pratt
Executive Director
Gun Owners of America

Hundreds of thousands of veterans – from Vietnam through Operation Iraqi Freedom – are at risk of being banned from buying firearms if legislation that is pending in Congress gets enacted.
How? The Veterans Disarmament Act – which has already passed the House – would place any veteran who has ever been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on the federal ban list.
This is exactly what President Bill Clinton did over seven years ago when his administration illegitimately added some 83,000 veterans into the National Criminal Information System (NICS system) – prohibiting them from purchasing firearms, simply because of afflictions like PTSD.
The proposed ban is actually broader. Anyone who is diagnosed as being a tiny danger to himself or others would have his gun rights taken away … forever. It is section 102(b)(1)(C)(iv) in HR 2640 that provides for dumping raw medical records into the system.
Those names –- like the 83,000 records mentioned above – will then, by law, serve as the basis for gun banning. No wonder the Order of the Purple Heart is opposed to this legislation.
The House bill, HR2640, is being sponsored by one of the most flaming anti-Second Amendment Representatives in Congress: Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY). Another liberal anti-gunner, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), is sponsoring the bill in the Senate.
Proponents of the bill say that helpful amendments have been made so that any veteran who gets his name on the NICS list can seek an expungement.
But whenever you talk about expunging names from the Brady NICS system, you’re talking about a procedure that has always been a long shot.
Right now, there are NO EXPUNGEMENTS of law-abiding Americans names that are taking place under the federal level. Why? Because the expungement process which already exists has been blocked for over a decade by a “funds cut-off” engineered by another anti-gunner, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY).
So how will this bill make things worse? Well, two legal terms are radically redefined in the Veterans Disarmament Act to carry out this vicious attack on veterans gun rights.
One term relates to who is classified as “mental defective.” Forty years ago that term meant one was adjudicated “not guilty” in a court of law by reason of insanity. But under the Veterans Disarmament Act, “mental defective” has been stretched to include anyone whom a psychiatrist determines might be a tiny danger to self or others.
The second term is “adjudicate.” In the past, one could only lose one’s gun rights through an adjudicated by a judge, magistrate or court – meaning conviction after a trial. Adjudication could only occur in a court with all the protections of due process, including the right to face one’s accuser. Now, adjudication in HR 2640 would include a finding by a “court, commission, committee or other authorized person” (namely, a psychiatrist).
Forget the fact that people with PTSD have the same violent crime rate as the rest of us. Vietnam vets with PTSD have had careers and obtained permits to carry firearms concealed. It will now be enough for a psychiatric diagnosis (a “determination” in the language of the bill) to get a veteran barred for life from owning guns.
Think of what this bill would do to veterans. If a robber grabs your wallet and takes everything in it, but gives you back $5 to take the bus home, would you call that a financial enhancement?
If not, then we should not let HR 2640 supporters call the permission to seek an expungement an enhancement, when prior to this bill, veterans could not legitimately be denied their gun rights after being diagnosed with PTSD.
Veterans with PTSD should not be put in a position to seek expungement. They have not been convicted (after a trial with due process) of doing anything wrong. If a veteran is thought to be a threat to self or others, there should be a real trial, not an opinion (called a diagnosis) by a psychiatrist.
If members of Congress do not hear from soldiers (active duty and retired) in large numbers, along with the rest of the public, the Veterans Disarmament Act – misleadingly titled by Rep. McCarthy as the NICS Improvement Act – will send this message to veterans: “No good deed goes unpunished.”
(Larry Pratt is Executive Director of Gun Owners of America, a grassroots lobby organization defending the Second Amendment on Capitol Hill)

Waxman update - still a weasel, wait, that's not it....

Via CNSNews.com:

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) on Wednesday denied that he is conducting or ever planned to conduct a congressional investigation of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin and called on a conservative magazine to retract its report that he asked investigators to compile information on the popular conservative talk radio hosts.

"The American Spectator report about a congressional investigation into talk radio is completely false," Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said in a statement to Cybercast News Service. "There is no investigation."

The American Spectator replied:
In a posting on its Web site, an unnamed American Spectator author wrote that Waxman's denial "won't sway us from our reporting of earlier this week. And we stand by our story, which was conveyed to us by an Oversight Committee staffer."

"Further," the statement says, "we have been made aware of some conversations between staff on Oversight and career staff at the Federal Communications Commission about how best to approach oversight hearings on FCC policies."

Pelosi - "They are advocates. We are leaders."

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HOHOHO! wooooo, wheeee.....oh my. That was funny.
Via Dana Milbank , the Washington Post has an article on Pelosi:

Look," she said, the chicken breast on her plate untouched. "I had, for five months, people sitting outside my home, going into my garden in San Francisco, angering neighbors, hanging their clothes from trees, building all kinds of things -- Buddhas? I don't know what they were -- couches, sofas, chairs, permanent living facilities on my front sidewalk."

As opposed to camping in Texas.....

Unsmilingly, she continued: "If they were poor and they were sleeping on my sidewalk, they would be arrested for loitering, but because they have 'Impeach Bush' across their chest, it's the First Amendment."

I thought San Francisco was all about the poor homeless....She sounds like a heartless Republican.....

Though opposed to the war herself, Pelosi has for months been a target of an antiwar movement that believes she hasn't done enough. Cindy Sheehan has announced a symbolic challenge to Pelosi in California's 8th Congressional District. And the speaker is seething.

"We have to make responsible decisions in the Congress that are not driven by the dissatisfaction of anybody who wants the war to end tomorrow," Pelosi told the gathering at the Sofitel, arranged by the Christian Science Monitor. Though crediting activists for their "passion," Pelosi called it "a waste of time" for them to target Democrats. "They are advocates," she said. "We are leaders."

Hahaha, stop it! In other words, "Who do they think they are, protesting me? Bush is the enemy. They are supposed to work for me. Don't they know their place? Don't they know that Congress has no intention of bringing the troops home? We can't be held responsible! Bush is supposed to do that so that he looks bad. Not us. We have careers in politics. What are they doing, taking us at our word?"
Hahaha! Responsible? Wooo, boy!
And that "leader" part? Who knew that she was that funny. "Leaders." That's good.....

Pelosi admitted no mistakes and claimed no regrets as she reflected on her first session in the speaker's chair. "I'm very proud of the work of this Congress," she declared. Didn't the dems go ballistic when a certain other leader would not admit mistakes or regrets......?

With all of the "successes" that she has had, lets hope the next year is identical.

Haditha Engineered by Al-Qaeda - Marines Set up Al-Qaeda

From Kit at Euphoric Reality via the my friend Proud Infidel on vox:

I am trying as hard as I can to not scream “We TOLD you people!” but it refuses to stay under wraps. So… We told you so. In fact, we told you on 22 June 2006–over a year and a half ago–that the Haditha incident was nothing more than al-Qaeda setting up our Marines, and the media/politicans were falling for it. Now a new report shows that we were right all along. Our Marines aren’t “cold-blooded killers,” they’re heroes who did the best they could in the middle of trying to keep themselves alive while fighting a war that our own country won’t let them win.

But don't believe us. Read the PDF report.

Here's a brief excerpt:

The report - apparently overlooked by a Washington press corps awash in leaked Bargewell documents and secret Naval Criminal Investigative Service reports - shows that Marine Corps intelligence operatives were advised of the scheme to demonize the Marines by an informant named Muhannad Hassan Hamadi. The informant was snared by 3/1 Marines on December 11 2005 and decided to ooperate.
The attack was carried out by multiple cells of local Wahabi extremists and well-paid local gunmen from Al Asa’ib al-Iraq [the Clans of the People of Iraq] that were led by Al Qaeda foreign fighters, the summary claims. Their case was bolstered by Marine signal intercepts revealing that the al Qaeda fighters planned to videotape the attacks and exploit the resulting carnage for propaganda purposes…

As the Jawa Report says, “Help in spreading the propaganda from Democrats, notably Jack Murtha, and a compliant mainstream press was a bonus for the terrorists.”

How dumb do YOU feel, Murtha?

Two words: IN. SANE.

Check this out. You go first.

Two for the price of one? A hilbilly from Arkansas

When plastic surgery goes terribly wrong.
A Daily Kossak dream come true.
AAAAAHHH, my eyes!

Don't blame me. I found it at Gunthing.com

Pelosi wants more illegals to be counted

Apparently Pelosi doesn't want to enforce the laws as written. She wants to do an end run around the Constitution and the law. Can I question her patriotism YET?
According to the amendment, Immigration lessened enforcement, during past census taking, so as to not "frighten" illegals into hiding. The census wants to count them. Oh, and as a side note, representation for those states increases because of the illegal population increases their overall population numbers. Which state is Pelosi representing? That's right. The sanctuary state of California. Guess what? Stop counting them in the census. If a locality has too many illegals for the budget, maybe that area will stop being a sanctuary.
via Michelle Malkin:

The rub:

Boxer’s amendment, SA 3246, is attached to the current spending bill up on the Senate floor.

This can't be news....... No one is reporting it

More news that the MSM has decided is not newsworthy. Via Back Talk:

Al Qaeda's Ramadan Offensive

Ramadan began on September 13 and continues through October 12. When it began, I took note of this:

Al-Qaeda threatens Ramadan offensive
...
US military commanders say increased security patrols in Iraq this year, backed by a "surge'' of US forces, has helped curb violence in Baghdad and regions around the city.

But the head of an al-Qaeda-led network in Iraq said in an audiotape posted on the internet today that the group will launch a new phase of attacks to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, leader of the self-styled Islamic State in Iraq, said the campaign will last until mid-October.

I never count al Qaeda out, and I had little doubt that they'd make good on this promise. They still might, but I am beginning to think that reports of al Qaeda's rapid demise in Iraq might be true. I cannot tell if I am just letting my hopes get in the way of my objectivity, but a preliminary analysis suggests that civilian deaths from suicide bombings in Iraq plummeted in September:


What you see in this chart is al Qaeda's "Tet Offensive" in August that was almost surely designed to discredit the upcoming report by General Petraeus. What you see in September is a mind-boggling drop in casualties from suicide bombers. This drop occurred during the very period that al Qaeda in Iraq threatened its "Ramadan Offensive."

Rush in a Hurry

for 8 October is up on my site
And in keeping with the theme, if you don't want to log onto a Berkley paper site, the whole letter by Captain Richard Lund is posted. Scroll down a bit. I put it up about 4 days ago. I'm still working on makimg the Top Ten Hate Site List.

Free Speech Lesson: Code Pink vs The Marines

I read an article on Rush's web site that commented on an open letter to the moon bats of code pink, written by Captain Richard Lund, who's military recruiting office at Berkley was vandalized by the wacko's as a "protest."

Recounting, Code Pink came to the recruiting office on September 26, 2007 and, among other things, scribbled the words "Recruiters are Traitors" across the door to the station. They did this during daylight hours, I believe, while Captain Lund was there, but he had no knowledge of what they were doing. He fired off an open letter to Code Pink, which was published in the Berkeley Daily Planet.

Says Captain Lund:

"I don’t consider myself a “recruiter.” I am a Marine who happens to be on recruiting duty. As such, I conduct myself in accordance with our core values of honor, courage, and commitment. I will never sacrifice my honor by lying to anyone that walks into my office. I will never forsake the courage that it takes to restrain myself in the face of insulting and libelous labels like liar and traitor. And, most importantly, I will never waver from my commitment to helping individuals who desire to serve their country as officers in the Marine Corps."

First, let me say how much I admire Capt. Lund's restraint in not finding every member of Code "Flat line" that he could find and showing them what "sending fire down-range" means.

To his credit, Capt. Lund chalks-up Code "Flat line's" miscreant vandalism to exercising their "Constitutional rights," but I don't know that either I or the law should be so generous. Exercising our First Amendment rights does not extend to destruction of government property, which is what was done by scribbling their message "recruiters are traitors."

It seems as though more and more indecent, and criminal behavior is being written off as an exercise of "free speech." Maybe it's time to rein-in free speech a little. Maybe it's time to say to groups like Code Pink, your speech will only be considered "free speech" after you speak it verbally in front of those who are the subject of your "free speech." Maybe we can go farther still, and count the response of the party that is the subject of the other's "free speech" as exercising their own "free speech" in return (come-on, what did you think would happen if some ditz from C.P. called a Marine a "liar and a traitor" to his face?) It wouldn't be considered violence, but "free speech." After all, Marines speak with their actions right? Men like Capt. Lund could lecture a semester in just a few blows -- I mean actions, and hey, it's all just "speech," right?

Henry Waxman = Joe McCarthy

Separated at birth?

except Ol' Joe actually did have commies in powerful positions......Oops. Still do.
Rep. (D) Henry Waxman has decided to use his power of investigation and the full power of the government to "monitor" Talk Radio, ie., Rush, Hannity, and Levin. So, the libs were right. Innocent private citizens are going to be investigated by the government. Are bloggers next?
(still think that there's no difference in the parties? Support whichever candidate wins the primaries!)

Via The American Spectator:

Others on the Democrat side are pushing ahead with other plans. Rep. Henry Waxman has asked his investigative staff to begin compiling reports on Limbaugh, and fellow radio hosts Sean Hannity and Mark Levin based on transcripts from their shows, and to call in Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin to discuss the so-called "Fairness Doctrine."

"Limbaugh isn't the only one who needs to be made uncomfortable about what he says on the radio," says a House leadership source. "We don't have as big a megaphone as these guys, but this all political, and we'll do what we can to gain the advantage. If we can take them off their game for a while, it will help our folks out there on the campaign trail."

Our place in the blogosphere ecosystem

N.Z Bear created, some time ago, a map of the blogosphere. Apparently it runs by magic. Please don't ask ME how he did it. You can find it at The Truth Laid Bear.

We are a Slithering Reptile in the ecosystem at 6081. Not bad. We're halfway down the list of animals. Go check it out and compare. Click on details to see who links to us.

Except we don't slither. Much. Ok, maybe once. At band camp.......

1984-Remember, we're watching you for your own good...

Remember, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.......

Hasn't ANYONE in government read George Orwell? Or for that matter, anyone that voted these twits into office in Maryland? Red light cameras. Speeding cameras. Surveillance cameras in "high crime" (as defined by whom?) areas. Now the word crime isn't even mentioned. "Strategic" areas need cameras. Monitored by the local police. All to prevent crime. What happens when someone in power creates a law making something previously legal into an illegal act? Firearms = terror weapons. Opinions = hate speech. Unorthodox sex = sex crime. How intrusive are we going to get? Liberals want to stop conservative talk radio, slandering it. Conservatives want to keep up family values in a changing society. Its not up to the police to prevent crime. Its up to the citizens to prevent crime. Otherwise, there is no reason to not have a police state. Police catch criminals. A crime must be committed. If we subject ourselves to 24 hour monitoring, with continuing increases in surveillance, where does it stop? At the forefront of our thoughts, we must remember that we are a free people. We must stop this insanity before we can't. Because we are being watched......

We need to prevent any of this developing in Virginia.

City passes camera law

Hoping to deter crime by expanding the use of surveillance cameras, Aberdeen passed a measure that empowers the city government and police to require cameras in new developments.

The Police Department, the Department of Planning and Community Development, and the Department of Public Works will decide whether a new residential, commercial or industrial development must install cameras at "strategic locations" before a development permit is issued.
Cameras installed at new developments will be connected to a watch room at the police station, Mayor S. Fred Simmons said.

Simmons said the police chief will work with the other departments to study the feasibility of installation and check whether a camera is "wanted and necessary" at new developments.

But the ordinance does not spell out guidelines for determining whether a new development will be required to have cameras, which concerned the lone dissenter on the council vote, Ruth Elliott.

"We have no internal procedures or policies on this," Elliott said. "It is vague, and you can read in between the lines."
Elliott expressed concern that the two-sentence ordinance gives broad authority to the city without laying out parameters about how the city will determine whether a development should have cameras.

But Simmons said, "The reason why it's left open is that the whole landscape changes all the time." (emphasis mine)

Melissa Ngo, senior counsel of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, also questioned an ordinance that lacked guidelines on determining where cameras would be required.

"How are they going to decide?" said Ngo, whose Washington-based organization studies civil liberty and privacy issues. "If this is going to be low-income development, are they going to watch over the poor people? If this is going to be fancy condos, are they going to decide that they don't need to look over those people?"

Don't Forget the Republican RoundUp

This Saturday from 3 til 7, the 7th District Republican Roundup at Innsbrook Pavilion. You can register here
Rain or shine.
Cargosquid you are already on the list with me.
And I have a special announcement:
Please join me in welcoming the newest addition to Gathering of Eagles.
Special Events Coordinator:
ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and I have a new post up at VOX
If you're a Fredhead, you probably shouldn't read it.
Flora put those target thingies in the links, please. I'll learn how to do it eventually.

Heroism all around

Via a busy Concretebob.....check out this amazing story. Live RPG round removed from soldier.
Sends chills down my spine.....

The Passing of Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis

The Richmond Times Dispatch has this writeup on the passing of Republican Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis:

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jo Ann Davis, 57, the first elected Republican woman in Congress from Virginia, died at her home in Gloucester County yesterday after a two-year battle with breast cancer.
Although the fourth-term lawmaker had been getting better, within the past two weeks she decided to stop her treatment, according to her husband of 33 years, Chuck Davis.
"We had just gotten back from Duke" University, where she had received treatment, he said in a phone interview. Mrs. Davis' tumor had shrunk, he said.
Mrs. Davis, a born-again Christian, had been receiving some type of treatment for 11 months, her husband said.
"Jo Ann decided to stop treatment. . . . She just said God had told her she was going to be treated, and to stop treatment."
"She sincerely believed that God was going to heal her. He did heal her. Maybe not in our world, but he healed her in his."

Godspeed, Mrs. Davis.

AG's Statement on the Passing of Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis

I have been out and about for most all of today and didn't her the news till I checked my email and found this statement from Attorney General Bob McDonnell on the passing of Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis:

Statement of Attorney General Bob McDonnell on Passing of Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis

Richmond- Attorney General Bob McDonnell issued the following statement today regarding the passing of Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis.

“The entire Commonwealth collectively mourns the passing of Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis. She was an inspirational figure, especially over the past two years as she waged her battle against breast cancer.”

“I was honored to serve with Jo Ann in the Virginia House of Delegates. Her service benefited every resident of her district. When her career took her to Washington, the entire Commonwealth, and the country, benefited. She was a leader of integrity, common sense, and decency. She was a fervent advocate of the 1st District, and Virginia. Congresswoman Davis was also a tireless and passionate advocate for the United States military and its veterans, working to ensure that they are always supported in times of both war and peace. In a city where so many seek the bright lights of national publicity over the hard work of effective governing, Jo Ann always focused on the latter. She was the kind of representative our forefathers had in mind when they created our government.”

“Jo Ann was a true patriot. She was honored to serve and never forgot why she did. I will never forget at her first campaign event for delegate she was in tears as she recounted her love of Virginia and America. Jo Ann Davis believed in what she did with every ounce of her being.”

“Now, Jo Ann Davis has passed on. With the news of her passing we grieve, and we hurt. We pray for her husband, Chuck, and their children. This is a sad day for Virginia.”

***

I would like to offer my condolences to the friends, family, and co-workers of Congresswoman Davis. No matter what side of the public policy battles we find ourselves, some things transcend politics. I wish ill-health on no one. May the family of Congresswoman Davis be comforted by the care and love of our Lord at this, their time of need.

Whether we agreed with all of her postitions or not, she did live and fight as she believed, at that is more than some people will do in a lifetime. Take a bow Congresswoman, and may I see you again under the rule of our Lord, when "goodbye" is used no more. --Amen.

A Death in the Family

Via Instapundit.....Go read this. Be saddened. Be proud. Give thanks that our country has men like this.

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: A Death in the Family. "If America can spontaneously produce young men like Mark, and occasions like this one, it has a real homeland security instead of a bureaucratic one."

How To Improve The U.S. Senate...

SEND IN THE MARINES!!!



THERE IS A MOVEMENT AFOOT TO DRAFT GEN. PETER PACE TO RUN FOR THE U.S. SENATE IN VIRGINIA.

I WILL CRAWL ON GLASS FOR THIS MAN. LET'S GIT 'ER DONE!

More Congressional Disapproval Numbers

Here are some more poll numbers for those who just don’t believe the Democrat controlled congress is not a thing of affection to the rest of the country:

AP – Ipsos poll: "Overall, do you approve, disapprove or have mixed feelings about the way Congress is handling its job?" If "mixed feelings" or unsure: "If you had to choose, do you lean more toward approve or disapprove?"
Oct 1-3, 2007 Approve: 22% Disapprove: 73% -51%

ABC News/Washington Post Poll: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way the U.S. Congress is doing its job?"
Sept. 27-30, 2007 Approve: 29% Disapprove:65% Unsure: 6% -36%

Fox/Opinion Dynamics: “"Do you approve or disapprove of the job Congress is doing?"
Sept. 25-26, 2007 Approve: 24% Disapprove: 63% Unsure: 13% -39%

CBS: “Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is handling it’s job?”
Sept. 14-16, 2007 Approve: 27% Disapprove: 65% Unsure: 8% -38%

Gallup Poll: “"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job?"
Sept. 14-16, 2007 Approve: 24% disapprove: 71% Unsure: 5% -47%

What’s America’s view of the Democrats?

The Harris Poll: “How would you rate the job Democrats in Congress are doing: excellent, pretty good, only fair, or poor?”
Sep 7-10, 2007 Excellent/Pretty Good: 24% Only Fair/Poor: 70%

ABC News/Washington Post Poll: “Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Democrats in Congress are doing their jobs?”
Sept. 7-10, 2007 Approve: 38% Disapprove: 57% Unsure: 5%

So, somehow, I don’t think that Democrats in Congress and their supporters need to use their time throwing sticks at the Administration and the Republicans in Congress (who are not in charge, by the way.) Their time would be better spent trying to get their poll numbers above 50, or at best, match the numbers of the President.

He has seen the Elephant

I read this at YankeeMom's, after watching Waxman smirk while he denigrated the men of Blackwater. Most, if not all, of Blackwater's personnel are ex-military. They are doing a very tough, complicated job that, because they are doing it, frees up our soldiers to chase evil men instead of guarding VIP's and State dept. people.

I thought of the attacks on General Petraeus. I thought of every single Soldier, Marine, Sailor, and Airman, that I met while in Kuwait, that had gone into Iraq. While I didn't. I'm proud to serve as I did. I have no problem with being the REMF supply guy. Without me, our guys don't get their stuff. But, I have not seen the elephant. This is why I tell everyone that thanks me for my service to save it for a military member who has been on the front lines, whether Iraq or elsewhere.....And for any vet that has defended us in combat. Ever.

Hand salute.

Joe Galloway: What It’s Really Like Over There

June 23, 2004

WASHINGTON - The Internet, which fills our inboxes with spam and scams every day and keeps our delete keys shiny, occasionally delivers a real keeper, such as the words below, which were written by a graduate of West Point, Class of 2003, who’s now at war in Iraq.

We tracked down the author, who gave us permission to quote from his letter so long as we didn’t reveal his name.

Old soldiers in the Civil War coined a phrase for green troops who survived their first taste of battle: “He has seen the elephant.” This Army lieutenant sums up the combat experience better than many a grizzled veteran:

“Well, I’m here in Iraq, and I’ve seen it, and done it. I’ve seen everything you’ve ever seen in a war movie. I’ve seen cowardice; I’ve seen heroism; I’ve seen fear; and I’ve seen relief. I’ve seen blood and brains all over the back of a vehicle, and I’ve seen men bleed to death surrounded by their comrades. I’ve seen people throw up when it’s all over, and I’ve seen the same shell-shocked look in 35-year-old experienced sergeants as in 19-year-old privates.

“I’ve heard the screams - ‘Medic! Medic!’ I’ve hauled dead civilians out of cars, and I’ve looked down at my hands and seen them covered in blood after putting some poor Iraqi civilian in the wrong place at the wrong time into a helicopter. I’ve seen kids with gunshot wounds, and I’ve seen kids who’ve tried to kill me.

“I’ve seen men tell lies to save lives: ‘What happened to Sergeant A.?’ The reply: ‘C’mon man, he’s all right - he’s wondering if you’ll be OK - he said y’all will have a beer together when you get to Germany.’ SFC A. was lying 15 feet away on the other side of the bunker with two medics over him desperately trying to get either a pulse or a breath. The man who asked after SFC A. was himself bleeding from two gut wounds and rasping as he tried to talk with a collapsed lung. One of them made it; one did not.

“I’ve run for cover as fast as I’ve ever run - I’ll hear the bass percussion thump of mortar rounds and rockets exploding as long as I live. I’ve heard the shrapnel as it shredded through the trailers my men live in and over my head. I’ve stood, gasping for breath, as I helped drag into a bunker a man so pale and badly bloodied I didn’t even recognize him as a soldier I’ve known for months. I’ve run across open ground to find my soldiers and make sure I had everyone.

“I’ve raided houses, and shot off locks, and broken in windows. I’ve grabbed prisoners, and guarded them. I’ve looked into the faces of men who would have killed me if I’d driven past their IED (improvised explosive device) an hour later. I’ve looked at men who’ve killed two people I knew, and saw fear.

“I’ve seen that, sadly, that men who try to kill other men aren’t monsters, and most of them aren’t even brave - they aren’t defiant to the last - they’re ordinary people. Men are men, and that’s it. I’ve prayed for a man to make a move toward the wire, so I could flip my weapon off safe and put two rounds in his chest - if I could beat my platoon sergeant’s shotgun to the punch. I’ve been wanted dead, and I’ve wanted to kill.

“I’ve sworn at the radio when I heard one of my classmate’s platoon sergeants call over the radio: ‘Contact! Contact! IED, small arms, mortars! One KIA, three WIA!’ Then a burst of staccato gunfire and a frantic cry: ‘Red 1, where are you? Where are you?’ as we raced to the scene…knowing full well we were too late for at least one of our comrades.

“I’ve seen a man without the back of his head and still done what I’ve been trained to do - ‘medic!’ I’ve cleaned up blood and brains so my soldiers wouldn’t see it - taken pictures to document the scene, like I’m in some sort of bizarre cop show on TV.

“I’ve heard gunfire and hit the ground, heard it and closed my Humvee door, and heard it and just looked and figured it was too far off to worry about. I’ve seen men stacked up outside a house, ready to enter - some as scared as they could be, and some as calm as if they were picking up lunch from McDonald’s. I’ve laughed at dead men, and watched a sergeant on the ground, laughing so hard he was crying, because my boots were stuck in a muddy field, all the while an Iraqi corpse was not five feet from him.

“I’ve heard men worry about civilians, and I’ve heard men shrug and sum up their viewpoint in two words - ‘F— ‘em.’ I’ve seen people shoot when they shouldn’t have, and I’ve seen my soldiers take an extra second or two, think about it, and spare somebody’s life.

“I’ve bought drinks from Iraqis while new units watched in wonder from their trucks, pointing weapons in every direction, including the Iraqis my men were buying a Pepsi from. I’ve patrolled roads for eight hours at a time that combat support units spend days preparing to travel 10 miles on. I’ve laughed as other units sit terrified in traffic, fingers nervously on triggers, while my soldiers and I deftly whip around, drive on the wrong side of the road, and wave to Iraqis as we pass. I can recognize a Sadiqqi (Arabic for friend) from a Haji (Arabic word for someone who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca, but our word for a bad guy); I know who to point my weapons at, and who to let pass.

“I’ve come in from my third 18-hour patrol in as many days with a full beard and stared at a major in a pressed uniform who hasn’t left the wire since we’ve been here, daring him to tell me to shave. He looked at me, looked at the dust and sweat and dirt on my uniform, and went back to typing at his computer.

“I’ve stood with my men in the mess hall, surrounded by people whose idea of a bad day in Iraq is a six-hour shift manning a radio, and watched them give us a wide berth as we swagger in, dirty, smelly, tired, but sure in our knowledge that we pull the triggers, and we do what the Army does, and they, with their clean uniforms and weapons that have never fired, support us.

“I’ve given a kid water and Gatorade and made a friend for life. I’ve let them look through my sunglasses - no one wears them in this country but us - and watched them pretend to be an American soldier - a swaggering invincible machine, secure behind his sunglasses, only because the Iraqis can’t see the fear in his eyes.

“I’ve said it a thousand times - ‘God, I hate this country.’ I’ve heard it a million times more - ‘This place sucks.’ In quieter moments, I’ve heard more profound things: ‘Sir, this is a thousand times worse than I ever thought it would be.’ Or, ‘My wife and Sgt. B’s wife were good friends - I hope she’s taking it well.’

“They say they’re scared, and say they won’t do this or that, but when it comes time to do it they can’t let their buddies down, can’t let their friends go outside the wire without them, because they know it isn’t right for the team to go into the ballgame at any less than 100 percent.

“That’s combat, I guess, and there’s no way you can be ready for it. It just is what it is, and everybody’s experience is different. Just thought you might want to know what it’s really like.”

Congress Approval Rating At A New Low

Remember: Congress' low numbers are less than Bush's low numbers.
From CNN.com:

A new AP -- Ipsos poll scathes President Bush: "Only 31 percent said they approve of the job Bush is doing, according to the survey released on Thursday. Though his positive ratings have hovered at about that range since last year, his lowest previous approval in the AP-Ipsos survey was 32 percent, which was recorded several times, most recently in June. That is virtually even with the latest reading." So Bush's approval rating dropped one percent after about a year at near the same level. Waaaayyyyy down in the article you see this:

"Congress' job performance was approved by just 22 percent, continuing a gradual decline in the public's assessment since Democrats took over in January. It' s lowest reading in the poll was 24 percent, recorded most recently in July. " Here is what you should get out of this:

1. After a year, people are growing less enchanted with the Democrat controlled congress, than with President Bush -- even in the face of a supposed "unpopular war," and " major credit crunch and a weak housing market."

2. Congress' rating is 9 points LOWER than the president --and is approaching the lowest rating of ANY congress EVER! -- AND THEY HAVN'T BEEN IN OFFICE A YEAR YET!

So keep in mind as you hear some Democrat pundit decrying Bush's low ratings that more people support him than currently support the Democrats who say they were put in office to send a message to Bush.

Rush In A Hurry 3 October 2007

If you missed Rush today, click here

A Message From the 3/3 Marines

You can read the whole thing here and I highly recommend this report from "The Tip of the Spear".

“Be optimistic and you will find the good things.”

This is the notion of a prominent sheik in the city of Karmah, Iraq, who is working with Marines from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6, to create a peaceful today and a thriving tomorrow for a city that’s weighted down by conflict.

During July, 2nd Bn., 7th Marines, RCT-6, completed their tour and relinquished control over the battle space in and around the city where they had fought to dispose of the enemy seeded in the area.

“We’re falling in on the tail end of that so that we can bring the population to the next level and help get the economy moving again,” said Memphis, Tenn., native Capt. Quintin D. Jones, the commanding officer of Company L. “We are transitioning away from the kinetic fight and trying to help the local governance.”

While his Marines continue counterinsurgency operations, Jones is trying to kick start the city’s economy again hoping to tie it all back into larger levels of government.

President Thompson

This is what you've all been waiting for. A good analysis of why Fred is the candidate for the GOP.

After a recent Thompson speech in Iowa a member of the audience called out: "Kill the terrorists, secure the border, and give me back my freedom." Thompson replied "you just summed up my whole speech."

Can't Decide Who Should Be President?

There is a poll at this link if you're having trouble deciding who you'd like to see as President.
It's pretty accurate, according to my friends in Fla GoE.

Understanding the Depths of Moral Depravity

OMFG!

You will have to see this to believe it.

The sponsors of this sham, I am told is Miller Lite. I very rarely drink beer, and when I do, it has not been Miller -- AND IT SURE WON'T BE NOW!

God save our children!

America, search deep in your soul and understand the cancer that is growing in you. Turn back, before it is too late.

Cox and Forkum - Farewell

Cox and Forkum are ending their show. Their site will still be there, but, there will be no new drawings. Go there and find out the story.

It was a good run. Thanks guys.

ALL QUIET ON THE midEASTERN FRONT

Here is a VERY interesting analysis of the Isreali attack on Syria and Syria's response. Read the rest. (this is the way we make the mullahs pee their pants, pee their pants, pee their pants, this is the way we make the mullahs pee their pants early in the morning.....BWHAHAHAHA!)

Exerpt:
Notice how far away Dayr az-Zawr is from Israel. An F15/16 attack there is not a tiptoe across the border, but a deep, deep penetration of Syrian airspace. And guess what happened with the Russian super-hyper-sophisticated cutting edge antiaircraft missile batteries when that penetration took place on September 6th. Nothing.

El blanko. Silence. The systems didn't even light up, gave no indication whatever of any detection of enemy aircraft invading Syrian airspace, zip, zero, nada. The Israelis (with a little techie assistance from us) blinded the Russkie antiaircraft systems so completely the Syrians didn't even know they were blinded. Now you see why the Syrians have been scared speechless. They thought they were protected - at enormous expense - only to discover they are defenseless. As in naked. Thus the Great Iranian Freak-Out - for this means Iran is just as nakedly defenseless as Syria.

I can tell you that there are a lot of folks in the Kirya (IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv) and the Pentagon right now who are really enjoying the mullahs' predicament. Let's face it: scaring the terror masters in Tehran out of their wits is fun. It's so much fun, in fact, that an attack destroying Iran's nuclear facilities and the Revolutionary Guard command/control centers has been delayed, so that France (under new management) can get in on the fun too.