Re-Posted FWIW

Pentagon and its embedded media covering up Chinese show of force off LA

China flexed its military muscle Monday evening in the skies west of Los Angeles when a Chinese Navy Jin class ballistic missile nuclear submarine, deployed secretly from its underground home base on the south coast of Hainan island, launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from international waters off the southern California coast. WMR’s intelligence sources in Asia, including Japan, say the belief by the military commands in Asia and the intelligence services is that the Chinese decided to demonstrate to the United States its capabilities on the eve of the G-20 Summit in Seoul and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Tokyo, where President Obama is scheduled to attend during his ten-day trip to Asia.

You can read the rest after the jump.

If true, we have a serious problem.

Exciting Stuff Coming

There are some really cool things in store for this summer. We have outs to cook, homes to build, people to see, things to do and cats to kill. ("Sometimes a Great Notion") Don't call PETA or the Humane Society. Its just an expression. Go read the book.

Cooking With the Troops needs a logo and we'd like for you to help design it.

There is an artwork contest in the planning stages and I have it on excellent authority that one of the judges will be Chris Muir and one of the prizes has something to do with him.

LW and I, along with some folks whose identities cannot be revealed at this particular time, but trust me, you'll recognize them, are very busy taking our cookout program to the next level and filing the paperwork to make it a 501c3 organization. Our goal is to hold cookouts at every major military medical center in the country. We'll do the whole major announcement/press release and name names when the designation is official.

In conjunction with Soldiers Angels, we will also make another trip or two to Landstuhl, but I won't be flying across 3,000 miles of open water. Sorry, I have my limitations. Yeah, I'm chicken. So what?

There is a new blogger in the wings. A young Warrior has just returned from Camp Victory and is setting up residence in NoVA. He's going back to school and he has a lot on his mind and wants to share it with us. I see a Senator in the making. I definitely see a new voice on the conservative front.

I have a new laptop. Wooohoooo!!! I've already burned 3 DVDs and I'm experimenting with livestream. I would have loved to livestream the Wartime Museum press conference on Tuesday. Ya'll know I had the exclusive for the blogside of that announcement, right? Blew my mind when they asked me to do it.

The video from the Milblog Awards should be up shortly. I've been checking YouServed's Livestream site for updates. As soon as its posted, I'll link it here and post it over at FreeRepublic.com. I couldn't do YankeeMom justice with any sort of remarks, so I just did my dumb country boy schtick and said Thank You for YankeeMom.

Zero Screwed the Pooch and the Spies

EDITORIAL: Obama's havoc to the intel system
The president establishes intelligence death panels

President Obama blamed "the system" for failing to stop al Qaeda's Christmas Day bombing plot. The weakness with that excuse is that Mr. Obama fails to connect the dots between the systemic failure and his administration's year-long record of destroying the morale of the intelligence community.

The intelligence process works in large part because of trust. A reliable sense of
confidence must exist between superiors and subordinates, agents and sources, and the intelligence community and policy makers. Without trust, people will not take the risks needed to do their jobs successfully.

Mr. Obama has destroyed this sense of trust. On his watch, the intelligence community has suffered a year of body blows. He made great theater of signing an executive order closing the terrorist detainee facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In April, the president authorized the release of the so-called "torture memos" on enhanced interrogation techniques used against detainees, and suggested that Congress establish a bipartisan review panel to look into the authorization of
extraordinary interrogation methods.

Mr. Obama should be seeking ways to repair the breach, restore trust and make good on the promises he made to intelligence operatives to support them in their dangerous professions. Instead, he brandished a new stick.

On Thursday, the president announced he has directed the heads of intelligence agencies to institutionalize "internal accountability reviews" to be monitored by the White House. These ominous-sounding punitive processes may become death panels for intelligence careers.

There is an old saying in intelligence circles: Big operation, big risk; small operation, small risk; no operation, no risk. The president's proposed "solution" to the failures of the intelligence system will reinforce a climate of mistrust in which it will be difficult to take the risks necessary to make the system work. And next time we may not be so lucky.

Words From Iraq

All is going well here in Iraq. The weather has finally cooled with mid 80s for a high and mid 60s for a low and we have not been attacked for a couple of weeks now, Praise God. We had the first thunderstorm of our tour of duty earlier this week and I must say it was kind of odd to see. We haven't seen a storm like that since we left Ft Hood, Texas back in May. Though the storm mixed with a dust storm made it quite a mess to walk in.

But all is going well as we continue to prepare for the democratic process to pass its next test with national elections in January. Success is being made everyday and has even been sustained through the horrific attacks like those that occurred on the 25th. A difficult road lies ahead and much work still has yet to be done, but I have never been so convinced of the existence of the good in the human soul till I came here. Never since 9/11 have I seen such compassion, determination and dedication to the cause of freedom and liberty. It has truly been a blessed and joyful experience. I look forward to sharing so many more stories upon my return home next spring.

Attached are pictures we took yesterday morning in front of the Al Faw Palace here at Camp Victory in Baghdad. The Al Faw Palace currently serves as the headquarters for all Multi-National Forces in the Iraqi Area of Operations. The picture is of the team that I work with here. We are an odd and crazy bunch at times, but truly remarkable people. I am in the front row to the left. (Remember my political friends, that though I might look like I am on the left in the picture, from my side I am still on the right ;) hahaha)

I will soon begin writing a few articles about some of the great events and stories
that occur here and I will send them out to you all as I complete them. So keep an eye out for them.

I thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. I only ask for your continued prayers for our military, for our government and for the republic as a whole. Pray especially as you go and vote next week, for so much is at stake!!! But know that we are doing well, our morale is high and our dedication to the principles we took an oath to defend are steadfast and unwavering, despite the antics of Washington. I hope all is well with all of you and that God continues to bless you and keep you. I look forward to seeing you all upon my return about 6 months from today.

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.