From The Hammerator

The Sarah Palin Non-Scandal of the Day: Deployed Bracelet Edition
Mary Katharine Ham

First off, let me say that moms with children deployed can wear pretty much whatever they want with their kids' names on it, and it's just fine by me. If Sarah Palin wants to wear a Track Palin sandwich board, she can have at it, and I'll tell her it looks great on her.

As it is, Sarah Palin is being a bit more traditional, wearing a metal, engraved bracelet with her son's name on it, and boy, is the Left angry about it. No, really.This week, the bracelet got a bit of attention thanks to the other Sarah Palin non-scandal of the week. When the former governor of Alaska gave a speech at the Tea Party convention Saturday, she did it with notes scribbled on her palm, giving the supporters of President TelePrompter apoplexy and causing them to produce copious close-ups of Sarah Palin's left hand.

It was in one of those close-ups that Eric Robinson, writing in the Yale Daily News, stumbled on Palin's alleged big blunder. Robinson, an Afghanistan and Iraq vet, pegged Palin's bracelet as a black, memorial bracelet, reserved for soldiers killed in
action:

What has me troubled is a black bracelet firmly clasped around her left wrist.
I hadn’t noticed it until I watched MSNBC’s “Hardball” on Tuesday, but it is a memorial bracelet; something familiar to veterans who have lost friends and family in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I wear one commemorating a friend of mine who died in Baghdad in October of 2006, and I know many other veterans — and some still in the armed forces — who wear these bracelets as a reminder of the sacrifices their friends made on behalf of the units in which they served and the country they swore to protect.

The liberal blogosphere predictably jumped all over the allegation, working themselves into the incredibly high dudgeon that can only be achieved with a potent combination of kind bud and insufferable college-dorm moral superiority.

The problem is, it looks like it's not a black bracelet at all. The owner of HeroBracelets.org wrote a post on his site bragging about Sarah Palin wearing the Deployment Bracelet" he gave her, which is bronze, not black.

Looking at the close-up of Palin's hand from the Tea Party convention, it seems entirely plausible that her bracelet is indeed a dark bronze or copper, which was mistaken for black in the light.

More after the jump, with pictures for the left wing morons.

Christmas Wishes From Home/The Lee Brothers on Patriot Radio

Over on the left sidebar, I have a link to WRVA's live stream. Wednesday afternoon at 1600, Scott and Richard Lee, the only two-headed talk radio show in Richmond, are doing their annual Christmas Wishes From Home program.

Please join us and if you have family deployed, (or even if you don't,) call in and let them know we're thinking about them.

It Is Now Time For America To Find the Resolve To Defeat Islamo-fascism

Anything less will be unacceptable. Anything less will be a victory for the extremists, for they will most-assuredly never stop killing infidels, and they will continue to teach their children that dying for Allah is a most noble death if you kill an infidel or non-believer in the process.

Their goal is nothing less than world-domination. They recognize no other religion. No other religion will be allowed to exist. Non-Muslims who are allowed to live will cease to be human in the eyes of the Caliph. They will be less than cattle.

Fredom of religion does not exist in Islam. There is only one religion and Isalm is it. All others are devil-worship. Free will cannot exist under Islam. Free will implies that a person is free to make a decision. Islam does not allow that, as practiced by extremists. Convert or die, or in some cases, convert and then they will kill you, because they are safe in the knowledge that you might be welcomed into the arms of Allah.

The system of government which allows us the choice to believe or not believe, cannot exist within the framework of Islam. Isalm must prevail over the government and the laws of men.

Isalm is one of those oppressive, reppressive forms of religion our Founding Fathers left England because of.

Sarah Palin on Zero & The Afghani Decision

Palin Supports: "Finally, A Decision for Afghanistan"
Palin posts a statement:

At long last, President Obama decided to give his military commanders much of what they need to accomplish their mission in Afghanistan. In the end, he decided to endorse a “surge” for Afghanistan, applying the counterinsurgency principles of “clear, hold and build” that worked so well in Iraq. Given that he opposed the surge in Iraq, it is even more welcome that he now supports a surge in Afghanistan.
This approach means, as Senator John McCain has noted, that “We now have an opportunity to build a bipartisan consensus in support of a vital national security priority: defeating Al-Qaeda and its violent extremist allies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and ensuring that these countries never again serve as bases for terrorist attacks against America and our allies.”
We should be clear, however, that fewer troops mean assuming more risk. Talk of an exit date also risks sending the wrong message. We should be in Afghanistan to win, not to set a timetable for withdrawal that signals a lack of resolve to our friends, and lets our enemies believe they can wait us out. As long as we’re in to win, and as long as troop level decisions are based on conditions on the ground and the advice of our military commanders, I support President Obama’s decision.

Blackfive and Uncle Jimbo

Its like a traffic accident; you know you're gonna look.

The last two sentences are important and I wholeheartedly agree with every word.

Posted By Uncle Jimbo at Blackfive.net

It is imperative that President Obama delay any decision on Afghanistan until after an upcoming runoff between current President Hamid Karzai and his oppponent Abdullah2 because A2 has very diffferent views about US presence in his country and will likely call for a withdrawal of our forces.....Oh wait.

Afghanistan's opposition candidate backed Gen. Stanley McChrystal's recommendations for more troops Sunday, saying "the future of the country is at risk" without a "dramatic increase" in troop levels.......

Abdullah reiterated on CNN that he shared the assessment of McChrystal, who has reportedly recommended a surge of 40,000 troops, that the situation is deteriorating and that more international troops are needed “at this stage.”

Abdullah also said that it is also important to consider a “road map” of drawing down U.S. and other international troops.

President Obama has been aware of just exactly what was and is going on and at stake in Afghanistan for almost a year now. He has seen three separate assessments, Lute, Seidel and now McChrystal that say go big or go home. Now we have 14 troops die in helicopter crashes and 8 more in IEDs in two days.

He has shown no leadership and plenty of weakness to our enemies and our allies. More meetings and more coffee sipping isn't going to change a damn thing on the ground except to watch it deteriorate. If anyone wonders why I hate politics and politicians this is a perfect example. There is no legitimate way to frame this as a decision made on strategic national security concerns.

Get off the dime sir, better men and women than you are dying.

Reinforce them and try to win or bring them home now!

Really Glad She's On Our Side

The Hammer

The Daily Grind

The fall-out from President-mandated pay cuts: "Chaos will be created at these firms as top people leave in droves. Will the administration then order people back to work?"

Uh-oh. Obama suffers worst third-quarter drop in approval since 1953. B-b-b-but, didn't anyone see that awesome speech he gave last night? At Corzine's rally?
Inspiration from the rhetorician in chief: "Your voice can change the world. Your voice can elect Jon Corzine, governor once again of New Jersey."

Reid blames doc-fix fail on Republican-dominated Washington.
Apparently, every time a Democrat policy fails, an angel takes us back to 2004.

"A clearly nervous Reid paced the chamber’s well just prior to the vote and afterward looked to blame the defeat on GOP Senators, arguing it was a result of 'activities and actions by the Republican-dominated Washington.'"

HHS Study: Current health-care reform legislation would raise costs. No word on when HHS will be deemed an "un-American" "fearmonger."

American people: Half of us think our costs will go up even though the president keeps trying to convince us we're being duped by insurance companies.

Marsha Blackburn knows "Net Neutrality" is the first step toward regulating the Internet. "The fairness doctrine for the Internet." It's got a ring to it.

Dems seek cover behind bill to fund the troops in order to raise U.S. debt ceiling to $13 trillion.

Do you think they say the name "Cheney" at the White House the way Jerry Seinfeld says "Newman?"

The Troops In Afghanistan Could Use Some Leadership From the White House

Of course, that assumes there is actually a "leader" who understands the concept of victory over those who would destroy Western Civilization.

Editorial Exegesis

"Democrats have found someone worth fighting in Afghanistan. His name is Stan McChrystal. The other night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went after the commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, 'with all due respect,' for supposedly disrespecting the chain of command.

Around the Congressional Democratic Caucus, we're told Members refer to General McChrystal as 'General MacArthur,' after the commander in Korea sacked by Harry Truman. White House aides have fanned these flames with recent leaks to the media that 'officials are challenging' his assessment asking for more troops.

In the last two days, the White House National Security Adviser and the Secretary of Defense have both suggested that the general should keep his mouth shut. President Obama called him in Friday for a talking-to on the tarmac at Copenhagen airport.

Though a decorated Army four-star officer, the General's introduction to Beltway warfare is proving to be brutal.

To be fair, Gen. McChrystal couldn't know that his Commander in Chief would go wobbly so soon on his commitment to him as well as to his own Afghan strategy
when he was tapped for the job in April. ...

Gen. McChrystal's liberal critics also have very short memories. In 2003, Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki clashed with his superiors by saying many more troops were needed to pacify Iraq. He became a Democratic hero and is now Mr. Obama's Veterans Secretary. In this case, Gen. McChrystal has become a political target merely for taking at face value Mr. Obama's order to fight the war properly. ...

In an interview with Newsweek, Gen. McChrystal said he wouldn't resign if the President rejects his request for more troops. If he were really trying to dictate policy, he'd have given a different answer. But we don't think Gen. McChrystal should stay to implement a Biden war plan either. No commander in uniform should ask his soldiers to die for a strategy he doesn't think is winnable -- or for a President who lets his advisers and party blame a general for their own lack of political nerve." --The Wall Street Journal

October 26-Day of the Deployed

From my second family at Soldiers Angels.

Socks Socks Socks The Boys Are Marching

Yeah yeah...lame I know.

But thanks to Mrs Diva out in sunny southwest America, I can tell ya'll about a great company and a great way to support our troops deployed in the Global War on Terror.

Did ya hear me, Napolitano???? I said GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR!!!!! Not man-made disasters.

Socks..Nothing beats a clean, fresh pair of socks. I swear there were times I would have killed for a clean pair of socks. But thanks to Thorlo, our soldiers won't have to that, if you help.

3 pair for 17.85...safe secure transaction. Life is good.

Alpha Company 323rd Military Intelligence Battalion

Has officially entered the Global War on Terror.
Today at 1130 the order was read to mobilize Alpha Company 323rd MI Bn.

Their mission is to monitor activities in and around the Iraqi Theater of Operations for the purpose of providing a safe environment for all citizens and military personnel.

It is now 400 and a wake-up for the men and women of Alpha Company.

Stay safe, be strong, come home and listen to the vets.

Thank you for your service and thank you for allowing me the honor of attending your mobilization/deployment ceremony.

God protect our men and women in harm's way.

Please place Your hand upon them and grant them safe passage home.

What Your Donations Provide

The election is over, we have a new leader who will take the oath of office in January. America will not dissappear just because half the voters are idiots who refuse to see the socialist tendencies exhibited by the candidate of their choice.

I predict that if we are still here in 2 years, there will be a sweeping takeover of Congress by conservatives who will stand for the values we believe in. 2 years of government interference will be about all most normal people can stand.

Until then, we must continue to promote conservative ideals and cultivate candidates to fill the voids that will be created.

We must also continue to support our deployed troops, especially in Afghanistan.

Our campaign here has ramped up with the help of fellow-bloggers The USO Girls, who have issued a challenge to their team-mates at DFW Airport to raise donations for yours truly by promoting my BBQ sauce. The A-Team demonstrated their good taste and sound judgement by naming me their #1 crush after I swept both of them off their feet at the milblog conference in Cibola, primarily by using my charming personality and rapier wit. (Actually, it was the GHB that did it, I think)

I have sent one shipment to the Assclowns (yes, thats what they call themselves, so who am I to argue?) in the 6/4 and have another one packed and ready to go.

Here are the before and after pictures of the shipment:

Before

After

Yes, I can pack a flat-rate box so tight, it squeals.

Flat-rate, no weight restrictions. Ya gotta love it.