Happy Birthday to the United States Army! UPDATED

By an act of Congress, June 14, 1775 What was then to become the United States Army was founded. Charged with protecting the then colonies, today the Army is a world wide fighting force that protects and projects freedom around the world.

From this

To this

So my friends, if you are reading this, thank a teacher. If you are reading this in English, thank a soldier!

H/T to Big Dog

UPDATE: 4:37 PM H/T Lt. Col Tad Curtis, USMC (Ret)

The Marine Corps sends a salute to the U.S. Army, thanks Tad for the heads up:

ALMAR 029/07

Date signed: 06/05/2007 MARADMIN Number: 029/07

Subject: UNITED STATES ARMY ANNIVERSARY MESSAGE

UNCLAS 042144Z MAY 07
CMC WASHINGTON DC(UC)
AL ALMAR(UC)
ALMAR
ALMAR 029/07
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC CMC//
SUBJ/UNITED STATES ARMY ANNIVERSARY MESSAGE//
POC/SGT M.E. BELL/ADMIN CHIEF/CMC STAFF GROUP/-/TEL:(703)614-2326// GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. ON BEHALF OF AMERICA'S "SOLDIERS OF THE SEA," IT
IS AN HONOR TO SEND BEST WISHES TO OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN ARMS AS YOU CELEBRATE THE 232ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY! 2. SINCE 14 JUNE 1775, THE ARMY HAS DEFENDED THIS NATION AND HER INTERESTS WITH COURAGE AND DEDICATION - FROM THE EARLY STRUGGLE FOR AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE TO PRESENT DAY CONFLICTS. AS MARINES AND SOLDIERS STAND SHOULDER-TO-SHOULDER IN THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM AROUND THE GLOBE, WE BUILD UPON A LEGACY OF TEAMWORK THAT HAS ITS ROOTS IN PLACES LIKE BELLEAU WOOD, GUADALCANAL, OKINAWA, INCHON, AND FALLUJAH. 3. AS YOU CELEBRATE THIS IMPORTANT DAY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, KNOW THAT THE MARINE CORPS IS PROUD TO STAND WITH THE PATRIOTS OF THE U.S. ARMY WHOSE BRAVE SACRIFICES AND SELFLESS DEVOTION TO DUTY HELP KEEP THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SAFE FROM HARM. IT IS YOUR WARRIOR ETHOS, YOUR ARMY VALUES, AND YOUR PEOPLE THAT ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE AROUND THE WORLD - ARMY STRONG! SEMPER FIDELIS, JAMES T. CONWAY, GENERAL, U. S.
MARINE CORPS, COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS.//

Today' Media Covering Yesterday's War

What if the Normandy invasion had occurred on June 6th, 2007? How would the modern media report it?

D-Day: Crisis On Omaha

And, the coordinated response and influence of the Left? "Bring the troops home! We can never defeat the Nazis! We should stay out of Europe, where we're not wanted. Hitler didn't attack us. Give peace a chance."

Or, something like that.

The source of the video is The Combat Report, which has more to say on this issue and publishes articles about Americans in combat, past and present.

Family's D-Day Grief Eased

The pain doesn't go away, but knowing helps the healing.

D-Day Soldier's Dog Tag Found in Sand (Abridged)

(AP) The family of Pvt. William Bernice Clark never had a funeral for him, never got to say goodbye and never really accepted his fate among the fallen during the Normandy D-Day landings in World War II.

That was until the young soldier's dog tag, recently discovered in the sands of Omaha Beach in France, was returned to his native Tennessee on Wednesday - exactly 63 years after that tragic day.

"I remember the day the soldiers came and told his mother (that Clark had died)," (a family member) said. "They never accepted it because there was no proof, no body."

The return of a small piece of metal has reconnected his family to the young soldier's life that was cut short.

It's a small symbol of a man's service and life, but it fills a big emptiness that remained to this day in the hearts of a family.

Normandy Invasion June 6, 1944

Remembering Heroes....

President Reagan's 40th Anniversary of D-Day Speech

We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For 4 long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. Here in Normandy the rescue began. Here the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.

We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but 40 years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June, 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance.

The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers -- the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machineguns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After 2 days of fighting, only 90 could still bear arms.

Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them there.

These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war. ...

Read and be sure to listen to the entire speech at The History Place. Remember the sacrifices of men so that others may know freedom.

Monuments To Heroes: A Pictorial Memorial Day Celebration

On this Memorial Day, a day when we honor our Fallen Heroes, I thought a brief representation of some of the Memorials from around the world would be a good place to start. If you live near one of these, please visit, take a moment of reflection on how our freedoms are directly tied to these heroes.

The USS Arizona Memorial

Continue reading "Monuments To Heroes: A Pictorial Memorial Day Celebration"

One Hell Of An Airplane, One Hell Of A Pilot!

An Israeli pilot of an F-15 found himself in a mid-air collision and lived to tell the tale. Not only that, but his plane, minus the right wing was landed by this fellow who tells his story, and walked away from a perfect landing.

H/T to, The Purple Avenger

Problem with Troop Funding

Thanks to Grouchy in Atlanta

The Left: We Support the Troops (The Enemy's?)

So, the Left supports the troops but opposes the war? Funny, this video gives me the impression that they oppose both. The tip off was burning a soldier in effigy. Watch it and decide for yourself if they support our armed forces, but be forewarned...the video contains offensive language. Well, what did you expect? After all, they are from the Left.

Radicals burn an effigy of a U.S. soldier and American flag

Pretty offensive, isn't it? Of course, the protestors are pretty stupid, too.

It's ironic that they used a petroleum product to fuel the fire. Where do they think that we get most of our oil based products?

Besides being crude (not as in oil) and anti-U.S., what is it about the Left that they engage in endless chants and use trite slogans? In case you're curious as to where they get their chants (and, who isn't?!), check out these samples:

Continue reading "The Left: We Support the Troops (The Enemy's?)"

America Loves a Winner

When I watched "Patton" again the other night for the upteenth time, I thought about its opening speech and that Americans would do better to take Gen. Patton's advice from back then rather than that of the Democrats today. Patton's speech is worth reading and hearing to remind us of American pride and our will to win. The actual written words and the video recreation can still inspire those of us today who want our nation to succeed.

Many forgot Gen. Patton's WWII advice during the Viet Nam conflict, and those people who let us down were not the soldiers fighting. Today, we face a similar problem with people who put their politics above our nation's success and reputation. Just so that others of us can remember and appreciate the message of winning, let's take time to absorb it one more time.

The Famous Patton Speech

Men, this stuff that some sources sling around about America wanting out of this war, not wanting to fight, is a crock of bullshit. Americans love to fight, traditionally. All real Americans love the sting and clash of battle. You are here today for three reasons. First, because you are here to defend your homes and your loved ones. Second, you are here for your own self respect, because you would not want to be anywhere else. Third, you are here because you are real men and all real men like to fight. When you, here, everyone of you, were kids, you all admired the champion marble player, the fastest runner, the toughest boxer, the big league ball players, and the All-American football players.

Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all of the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor will ever lose a war; for the very idea of losing is hateful to an American.

Here is a link to the entire actual and unedited speech of Gen. Patton to his troops along with an interesting and detailed description of it. It comes from the first chapter of a book titled The Unknown Patton by Charles M. Province. Take the time to read it and think about what this should mean for us today.

General Patton's Address to the Troops

Next, view the below recreation of the speech in the film's opening scene. As fine a performance as George C. Scott provides, I can only imagine what the real speech must have been like and how it motivated our troops and made them determined to win.

There's nothing that I can add. The speech says it best. Just think about how this applies to us today.

That's all.

It Takes the U.N. or Nancy Pelosi for These Ideas

This action by the United Nations must make perfect sense to Nancy Pelosi.

First All-Female U.N. Peacekeeping Force to Deploy to Liberia

...this is the first all-female peacekeeping team, and participants have said it would have unique advantages in conflict zones. 'Women police are seen to be much less threatening, although they can be just as tough as men. But in a conflict situation, they are more approachable and it makes women and children feel safer,' Seema Dhundia, a unit commander, said recently.

Right. These women may end up doing battle against men and are expected to "be just as tough" and survive? But, the Left says that men (mainly U.S. soldiers) are "baby killers," so these women are expected to make children feel safer. Kids have better instincts than that.

For example, one time my family and I were standing in the front yard when the sound of a loud explosion came from up the road. My youngest son, who was about three at the time, always liked to be picked up by Mom. But, when he was frightened by the loud noise and he wanted security, he ran right past her and leaped into my arms. I'm not tough guy, but instinctively this child knew where to find safety within his family unit.

Well, that doesn't necessarily prove my point and call me sexist, but I can safely say that men provide better fighting and defensive forces than women--unlike Democrats who have talked about drafting our daughters.

Do you think that the Indianapolis Colts would pull QB Peyton Manning and replace him with a cheerleader?

Islamo-fascism. A word frought with meaning to both the left and the right. Some may prefer the term jihadist, others islamist. But, in reality, regardless of what it is called, it is the same darkness of the heart. To some these are terms used only by an "islamo-phobe" by others, an apt description of the pseudo-political/quasi-religious expression of a group of people that have decided that their way to salvation is jihad and martyrdom. Would that it were not so, but it is, like it or not, and it describes "A Certain Darkness of the Heart."

Remember November 4th, 1979? That was the day an act of war was perpetrated on the United States in the form of the Islamic Republic of Iran's invasion of, and occupation of the United States Embassy. Unfortunately for the United States and the 52 hostages held for the majority of the 444 days of captivity (the original number of hostages was 66 but 14 were released over a period of time for a variety of reasons) this act of war was not met by any action by the then President of the United States, Jimmy Carter. Carter had allowed the Former Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi who had stepped down in January of 1979 and the so called Islamic Republic, fronted by the "students" felt that America was "corrupting" their republic. The Iranians, of course, had no intention of interveining in the occupation of the embassy, though it should be obvious that the release of the hostages was later engineered by the Iranian governmnet because of their fear of what might happen when Ronald Reagan replaced Casper Milquetoast Jimmy Carter. Reagan had not focused much blaming Carter, but he did promise to rebuild the military and once again take America forward. The absolute landslide (almost 51% of the popular vote and almost 91% of the electoral vote) indeed must have given the Iranian's pause. Their "Islamic" republic faced with massive military retaliation from the United States as opposed to the withering leadership of Carter learned not to challenge the US like that again. But that didn't stop them for long, by 1983, using their proxy Hezbollah they once again attacked the Great Satan, this time not with students, but with bombs.

I recall the bombing of the Marine Barracks in 1983 and a fierce anger that welled up inside at a group of people that were willing to kill to make a pseudo-political point. President Reagan, rightly or wrongly, had sent the United States Marines into Lebanon to help quell the violence and hopefully bring about a solid peace. The French had also sent troops in with the same intent.

Sadly, one side of that conflict decided that a political statement had to be made and it was best made by committing an act of wanton murder. Car bombs in the Marine Barracks and in the French Foreign Legion Barracks killed 300 people as they slept in their beds or made quiet converstation, while they wrote letters home or played cards to while away the time. Reagan's response, to our later detriment was to pull out the troops and thereby set the stage for the radicalization. This singular act of the islamo-fascists was not about bringing peace to the area or retaliating against evil invaders; it was about fostering further hatred and bloodshed. The factions that perpetrated this act did not want peace, did not want a cessation of the bloodshed, did not want anything that might reconcile the differences between the factions engaged in essentially civil war for that would not suit their aim.

It is a truism in behavior modification that behaviors you want repeated you reward, and behaviors you want extinguished you either punish, cease rewarding and allow them to fall by the wayside. This has been proven time and time again in human behavior and the islamo-fascists have been amply rewarded time and again by the non-reaction, or worse, the placid acceptance of terrorism as a fact of life in this modern, psychotic reality we call the present. And yet, our leaders (and those of the western world) have not learned that truism. From Carter, to Reagan, to Bush 41 to Clinton to Bush 43, all have fallen short of the need to smack down this latest incarnation of the vile fascist ideology. True, all but Carter has lobbed more than a few bombs. Reagan punished Kadaffi with a few attacks, Bush 41 pushed back Saddam from Kuwait with mostly the approval of the world, Clinton lobbed a few missles and bombing runs, but in large, they all have not focused on the danger presented by the islamo-fascist. Indeed, neither has most of the world and the cancer has grown apace.

In current political thinking, the war in Iraq is not seen as a war against the islamo-fascist by most, it is seen rather, by many, as a flawed expidition based on inadequate at best, or faked intelligence at worst. Yet, the idea was sound, take out Saddam, a drive a wedge between two state sponsers of terrorism. Both Iran and Syria are part and parcel of the growing mindset of islamo-fascism present in the world today, and indeed, other middle east states join in this enterprise on the stealthy side. Some more so like Saudi Arabia who exports a Wahabbist extreemism to some less so like Pakistan whose intelligence apparat openly sides with Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

9/11 focused us on the need to destroy Al Qaeda in it's hatred of the US and the western world. Let no one doubt that Bin Laden and his fellow travelors want to do that indeed. From the train bombings in Madrid to the bus bombings in London, to the attempted attacks in Germany, to the nighclub bombs in Bali, and the "car burning" orgies of Paris, and the attempt to take down a dozen airliners plotted in England, there is a war going on, a war that is concieved in the mindset of the islamo-fascists and carried out across the globe.

We, in the west have political leaders who call Islam the "Religion of Peace" and perhaps it is. There is certainly evidence in the Koran to support that declairation. There is also evidence in the old testament of the Bible to state that there is much in the Judeo-Christian that is warlike and blood-thirsty. Yet, there are differences too. Much of the Koran is filled with extortations to force the non-muslim into either dihimmitude or death. You won't find that in the New Testament. You will see Muslim street demonstrations calling for the death of the so called "Great Satan" or Israel and the Jews, or even England, but you won't find huge crowds of Christians or Jews calling for the death/destruction of say Saudi Arabia or Syria or Iran, though, given the actions of those three countries that may come in the future, in fact, demonstrations against Syria and to a lesser extent Iran are now ongoing in Lebanon following the implication of at least Syria in multiple political assasinations, but that is for a latter post. You seldom (never?) see Christians rioting in the streets because Christ was the subject of a cartoon. A cartoon for Pete's Sake. And the Muslim Rioters? Why they held up signs saying "Death" and "Behead" to those who depict Mohammad in a cartoon. Not to say anything about shooting a nun in the back because the Pope quoted an Emperor speaking hundreds and hundreds of years ago.

Part of the current political divide in this country over the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism, between those who support the "pull out" crowd or at least support something similar and those who support the effort in Iraq and continuing the war on terrorism is the degree to which the individual, clique, political party or tribe see the threat of islamofascism.

In organizational psychology courses and management courses political tactics within an organization are often discussed. There are a number of such tactics and Andrew DuBrin has written extensively on their use and their benefits as well as their drawbacks. The internal conflict between Democrats and Republicans, or, if you will, between left of center and right of center often revolves around taking the opposite side of the argument, regardless of the rightness of any given argument. Thus, if the right calls for stern measures against islamo-fascists the left takes either an appeasement approach or the vaunted (but oh-so-difficult) cut and run approach. The political tactic often used in this conundrum is "embrace or demolish." In other words, do it my way or I'll cut you to pieces; if you do not see it my way, see my vision, I will make your life miserable. The Democrats famously used this as "The Politics of Personal Destruction" implying that the Republicans were the one's using this tactic, when in fact, it was entirely mostly the Democrats who used said politics. This is not to say that the Republican's didn't do their share. So we get such stellar terms as Rethuglicans, Dimocrats, etc. I've even used some of these terms myself, and meant them too. But no one has called me anything if not partisan and I make no claim to be otherwise. Anothe tactic is called "manipulate classified information." The Democrats accuse Bush 43 of doing just that when he gave reasons for going into Iraq, the Democrats believed it too, until they saw that they could make political hay out of saying "Bush Lied."

But this is not about the left or the right, except in-so-far as it applies to what to do about the islamo-fascists.

U.S. interests have been attacked again and again by the islamo-fascists. 1993 the first bombing of the World trade center, killing 6, wounding more than 1000. 1996 bombing of the U.S. military housing complex in Dhahran,Saudi Arabia, killing 19 American servicemen and wounding hundreds of people. 1998, bombing of two US Embassy's (again, and act of war according to international law) in both Keyna and Tanzania killing 264 people and wounding thousands. 2000 an attack against a US warship the USS Cole killing 17 and wounding 39. 2001, flying two airplanes full of passengers into the World Trade center, the Pentagon and one plane in which the passengers fought back but the plane crashed into a field killing all onboard. And still the mayhem goes on in Iraq where Muslim kills Muslim in sectarian violence and Al Qaeda and their ilk and supporters in Syria and Iran egg the whole process on.

It should be a truism that if someone says that they want to kill you, you should believe them and take appropriate action. To date, many of us on the left and the right take Al Qaeda and the other islamo-fascists at their word, but disagree on what to do.

We have seen what doing nothing will do and we have seen it since the waining days of the Carter Administration. You cannot talk to these people for they think talking is just another way of whiling away the time until they can cut your head off. You cannot reason with these people for they are bereft of reason. Here recently, we had 6 Imams or Islamic Scholars loudly praying, acting "suspicious" and otherwise deliberately causing a ruckus. They excused this by saying that we, of the west, should have knowledge and understanding of Islam. They on the other hand, have no need to understand the very understandable fears of 6 Islamic men, acting strangely in a plane and reacting the way in which the passengers did. It boggles the mind.

And yet the need to do something should be paramount to all in the west, regarless of whether they consider themselves left or right, but that does not seem to be the case. For if we do not, we acques to this darkness of the heart, and we will drink bitter tea for a long time to come before the west finally rises up and smacks down the new fascism running rampant in the world. The Pope has been threatened in his upcoming trip to Turkey, Iran threatens to annihilate Israel. Gazans rain rockets on Israel for getting out of Gaza. CAIR defends the indefensible and the world stands by, watches, and shrugs its collective shoulders.

Perhaps Dr. Sanity said it best regarding the 6 Imams issue, but with applicability to my whole theme:

And, even more than all that, I am thoroughly disgusted with all western leaders who continually seek to appease what cannot be appeased; who in their cowardly fashion spout multicultural and politically correct nonsense as they sell-out Western values and freedoms; who want to endlessly "dialogue" with barbarians; who want to protect the rights of those who want to kill us; and denounce anyone who has the courage to stand up to the monsters of Islam. I am filled with inarticulate anger at the western media who, rather than fulfilling its historic mission to tell truth to power, now uses its enormous power to silence the truth.

The darkness of the heart continues to grow, and we have no will to sap its strength or its rate of growth.

Technorati tags: Islam, terrorism, religion, islamo fascism, Politics

Filed under: War on Terror, Middle East Politics and Terror, and Militaria.

Democrats Support Troops More than Republicans?

Someone of the liberal persuasion tried to prove a point with me using flawed logic and data--naturally. He said that Democrats are much more supportive of our military than are Republicans, and he used something called the Action Fund of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) for that purpose. Really? Their criteria was so narrow and so misrepresentative of the conclusion, that it was...well, the Left as usual. Next are results of their study, and you can compare your representatives to others. They rank them from A (excellent) to F (failure.)

First, here's their A-Team. Recognize any faces? (Gotta love that picture of Chris Dodd.)
Now, for their F Troop. Oh, nuts. My patriotic, pro-military, ultra-conservative representative got an F. Who would have guessed?

Here's the full ratings list: Posted Grades. How did your representatives do? How would you rank what you know against the conclusions of the IAVA list? Let me help you. John Kerry got a grade of B. I guess calling our soldiers stupid, rapists, baby killers, and terrorists took away 2 or 3 points--or, added points on this study for some.

Filed Under: Liberals and Democrats, Democrats and Militaria

A Tidbit For All My Marine Friends

The Marine Hymn God Bless You All and Thanks for being Marines!

Real Problem Story Book Lesson [LINK UPDATE]

Do you see this unstable dictator.....and his ICBM?

.

Continue reading "Real Problem Story Book Lesson [LINK UPDATE]"

In the Navy: Steaks and a Life of Ease

A recent commenter on this site, who had been in Iraq, said that those who served in the Navy had it pretty easy, including steaks at night. I did some checking and found out that we can duplicate their easy lives just by following certain steps at home. I didn't see steaks on the list, but I can correct that.

Ways to simulate being in the Navy when you're at home: from LaughNet

● Surround yourself with 200 people that you don't really know or like: people who smoke, snore like Mack trucks going uphill,and use foul language like a child uses sugar on cereal.

● Do not flush the toilet for five days to simulate the smell of 40 people using the same commode.

● Wear only military uniforms. Even though nobody cares, clean and press one dress uniform and wear it for 20 minutes.

● Work in 19-hour cycles, sleeping only four hours at a time, to ensure that your body does not know or even care if it is day or night.

● Cut a twin mattress in half and enclose three sides of your bed. Add a roof that prevents you from sitting up (about 10 inches is a good distance) then place it on a platform that is four feet off the floor. Place a small dead animal under the bed to simulate the smell of your bunkmate's socks.

● Periodically, shut off all power at the main circuit breaker and run around shouting "fire, fire, fire" and then restore power.

● Study the owner's manual for all household appliances. Routinely take an appliance apart and put it back together.

● Every 10 weeks, simulate a visit to another port. Go directly to the city slums wearing your best clothes. Find the worst looking place, and ask for the most expensive beer that they carry. Drink as many as you can in four hours. Take a cab home taking the longest possible route. Tip the cabby after he charges you double because you dress funny and don't speak right.

● Repaint the interior of your home every month, whether it needs it or not.

● Stand outside at attention at dawn and have the poorest reader you know read the morning paper outloud. Be sure to have him skip over anything pertinent.

● Paint your house grey (exterior) include windows except for rooms you do not frequent, paint your car grey, paint your driveway a different shade of grey.

I suspect that those from other branches of the military never had to go through anything like this. But, if you believe differently, you can help us add to this list or make one for your own branch of service so that all Americans can experience the joys of military life. (Keep it light, which means no rantings about killing civilians and such by lefties, who could learn to enjoy humor and life once in a while.)

The listing above was only a partial list. For the full list, go to this link: LaughNet

Tommy

On Memorial Day, it is easy to remember those who have died in the cause of freedom and democracy. It is relatively simple to put flowers (a red poppy of course) on military graves, to shed a tear for those who have died in that cause. But it is harder, oh so much harder, to pay tribute to those who actively serve in our military (are you listening Jack Murtha, John Kerry?) but the troops know. Oh, yes, they know!

Tommy

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o'beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:

O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's ``Thank you, Mister Atkins,'' when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's ``Thank you, Mr. Atkins,'' when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.

Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy how's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints:
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;

While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind,"
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country," when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
But Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!

Rudyard Kipling

Technorati Tag: Memorial Day

Jesse McBeth... More on Less

Jesse McBeth is being raked over the coals big time. QandO has his DD214 and has nailed this young poseur to the wall.

Something for Everyone - Left and Right

Recent reports about our military have both good news and upsetting news for people from both sides of the political spectrum.

First, something to disturb the left and to please the right:

Americans Enlist in Record Numbers from Strategy Page

May 16, 2006: In the last seven months, the U.S. Army has met or exceeded all of its recruiting goals. In that time, over 160,000 people have enlisted, or re-enlisted. The total strength of the active duty and reserve forces are 1.2 million men and women, all of them volunteers. ...the biggest asset in the recruiting effort has been the world-of-mouth from the troops themselves. They believe in what they are doing, and accomplishing.

I guess that the left's violent protests, running military recruiters off of campuses, and fighting military access to mailing lists of high schoolers have not been totally successful. If we could just re-direct the left's rage and fight against our real enemies, we could win the War on Terror in half the time.

Now, something to upset the right and to encourage the left to say "see, see!":

Murtha: Marines may have killed Haditha civilians in cold blood from Army Times

May 17, 2006: Rep. John Murtha, an influential Pennsylvania lawmaker and outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, said today Marines had “killed innocent civilians in cold blood� after allegedly responding to a roadside bomb ambush that killed a Marine during a patrol in Haditha, Iraq, Nov. 19.

...A March 27 Time magazine report published claims by an Iraqi civil rights group that the Marines barged into houses near the bomb strike, throwing grenades and shooting civilians as they cowered in fear. The report prompted calls for a Pentagon probe. “It’s much worse than was reported in Time magazine,� Murtha, a Democrat, former Marine colonel and Vietnam war veteran, told reporters on Capitol Hill.

...Like the Haditha incident, the Fallujah shooting sparked outcries from human-rights groups regarding actions by U.S. forces against Iraqis.

Do you believe that? We're always the bad guys to the left--and they eat it up. Oh--no mention by various "human rights groups" about kidnappings, murders, and suicide bombers on the other side.

Well, we try to be fair and occasionally give both sides of issues. No matter where you fall, this news will likely create a reaction. What's yours?

Something for Everyone - Left and Right

Recent reports about our military have both good news and upsetting news for people from both sides of the political spectrum.

First, something to disturb the left and to please the right:

Americans Enlist in Record Numbers from Strategy Page

May 16, 2006: In the last seven months, the U.S. Army has met or exceeded all of its recruiting goals. In that time, over 160,000 people have enlisted, or re-enlisted. The total strength of the active duty and reserve forces are 1.2 million men and women, all of them volunteers. ...the biggest asset in the recruiting effort has been the world-of-mouth from the troops themselves. They believe in what they are doing, and accomplishing.

I guess that the left's violent protests, running military recruiters off of campuses, and fighting military access to mailing lists of high schoolers have not been totally successful. If we could just re-direct the left's rage and fight against our real enemies, we could win the War on Terror in half the time.

Now, something to upset the right and to encourage the left to say "see, see!":

Murtha: Marines may have killed Haditha civilians in cold blood from Army Times

May 17, 2006: Rep. John Murtha, an influential Pennsylvania lawmaker and outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, said today Marines had “killed innocent civilians in cold blood� after allegedly responding to a roadside bomb ambush that killed a Marine during a patrol in Haditha, Iraq, Nov. 19.

...A March 27 Time magazine report published claims by an Iraqi civil rights group that the Marines barged into houses near the bomb strike, throwing grenades and shooting civilians as they cowered in fear. The report prompted calls for a Pentagon probe. “It’s much worse than was reported in Time magazine,� Murtha, a Democrat, former Marine colonel and Vietnam war veteran, told reporters on Capitol Hill.

...Like the Haditha incident, the Fallujah shooting sparked outcries from human-rights groups regarding actions by U.S. forces against Iraqis.

Do you believe that? We're always the bad guys to the left--and they eat it up. Oh--no mention by various "human rights groups" about kidnappings, murders, and suicide bombers on the other side.

Well, we try to be fair and occasionally give both sides of issues. No matter where you fall, this news will likely create a reaction. What's yours?

Wounded Warrior - A Tribute To The Marines!

I have a friend. A really, really good friend, a retired Lt. Col of the United States Marine Corps. Tad teaches at a local college where I once taught and we initially became acquainted via a college forum where he and I found ourselves to be two of only a very small handful of conservatives.

Tad keeps me posted on lots of things, but today he sent me an email concerning one Marine wounded in Iraq one Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell.

Col. Maxwell received grievious injuries in the performance of his duties and writes about the process of recovery. As I am in the process of recovery from lung cancer, I found his article to be particularly moving and inspiring. Col Maxwell is currently stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C. and he exemplifies all the qualities we have come to expect from our heroes in the service of the United States.

A short quote from this remarkable Marine:

But I have learned something too: what it is like to be a wounded warrior.

We tend not to complain about our injuries too much. Most of us know others who are worse off � a guy with a bad leg knows a guy who lost a leg, or both legs. I, with a brain that is "cracked," know youngsters with brain injuries who are unable to walk or talk. We all know someone who died. So, it is not a good thing to complain. We are tough guys. We are all going to whip it.

And that is because in the Corps, we really learn to be part of a team. Not like sports, where players switch teams for more money. I am talking about a life-and-death team. Warriors will not switch teams � if they can help it.

But when they are wounded, they have lost control. They are off the "A" team. All their friends will tell them, as they board the helicopter to fly away, to take care of themselves. Not to worry about the team. They'll be OK. But they want to be back with their team.

[...]

And the goofy part? Marines do not whine. Therefore, I shall not whine. I agree with it all. I think it is good for us wounded Marines to whip it � the injury, the sadness and confusion. When you're in the hospital, your morale is OK. You are with other wounded warriors. You can chat about it. Sometimes we just look at each other in the hallway, and nod. That's all. Acknowledgment.

Where do we find such men in these United States? From whence does the heroism, courage and fortitude spring?

Col Maxwell, this old, ex-Army grunt Stands and tosses you a SALUTE and if I may be so bold as to say to all my Marine friends, Tad, Mustang, Ogre, Michael and so many others

Semper Fidelis

Note: If you would like to e-mail Col. Maxwell and all the others at the wounded warrior barracks write (and I strongly encourage you to do so) woundedteam@sempermax.com

The Mudville Gazette

A tip of the GM Derby to ROFASIX for the animated gif which they don't know I stole; until they get this trackback that is.

To Freed Hostages - You're Welcome. So, be Christian about it.

How typical of the left. The organization and families of American activists, operating under a Christian banner and who were kidnapped and held hostage in Iraq, have not acted very Christian after they were freed by our armed forces. A simple "thank you" would have sufficed, but none came. Not only that, they blamed OUR government for the kidnapping and referred to our soldiers who freed them simply as occupiers. Still, our military does the right thing and risks the lives of soldiers to save even Americans who don't like them or appreciate them.

Here is coverage on the rescue of and responses about the three remaining workers of Christian Peacemaker Teams--freed in Baghdad and saved from the fate of another member who was murdered by terrorists in the region: The New York Times, Associated Press, and Canada's Pulse 24. What you don't see is any appreciation to our forces--but, only disdain for them. Am I missing something?

Maybe members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams should actually take a moment to learn lessons about an ungrateful heart or spirit of ingratitude by going here, here, or here--just in case they don't remember where they misplaced their Bibles.

via Drudge Report

Milosevic is Dead!

Slobodan Milosevic was found dead in his cell this morning. According to the Wall Street Journal he apparantly died of natural causes. Milosevic was on trial in the Hague for crimes against humanity by leading his country to slaughter tens of thousands from a would be break-away provence. Milosevic frequently and vociferously denied guilt. One would suspect that Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao and others would claim the same.

I don't know whether to be happy that the world is better off without one more madman or to mourn the fact that justice is denied. Perhaps the only justice meted out here was when his immortal soul found itself condemed to hellfire.

According to the WSJ:

A figure of beguiling charm and cunning ruthlessness, Mr. Milosevic was a master tactician who turned his country's defeats into personal victories and held onto power for 13 years despite losing four wars that shattered his nation and impoverished his people.

Mr. Milosevic led Serbia, the dominant Yugoslav republic, into four Balkan wars, but always managed to emerge politically stronger. The secret of his survival was his uncanny ability to exploit what less adroit figures would consider a fatal blow.

Each time he would bounce back, skillfully reinventing himself in a series of political transformations -- as a devout communist, a reform-minded nationalist, and again as a communist at a time when most of the world had abandoned Marxist ideology.

He once described himself as the "Ayatollah Khomeini of Serbia," assuring his prime minister, Mr. Panic, that "the Serbs will follow me no matter what." For years, they did -- through wars which dismembered Yugoslavia and plunged what was left of the country into social, political, moral and economic ruin.

But in the end, his people abandoned him: first in October 2000, when he was unable to convince the majority of Yugoslavs that he had staved off electoral defeat by his successor, Vojislav Kostunica, and again on April 1, 2001, when he surrendered after a 26-hour standoff to face criminal charges stemming from his ruinous rule.

Few will mourn his passing, and certainly not this blogger!

Insta-Update: Austin Bey has more, and it is well worth reading

Marine Ace Who Downed 28 Enemy Planes Is Downed Himself by Snot-Nosed College Student

It's so typical. University students get infected with academic liberalism and take great pride and glee at attacking and destroying the memory, reputation, and heroic deeds of our military. The latest victim at the hands of the left was a military hero for whom a memorial was proposed by the student senate at the University of Washington. Here are the credentials of this hero. Can you guess his name before I reach the end? ...Medal of Honor winner, Navy Cross recipient, Purple Heart recipient (won honestly, John Kerry), World War II Marine combat pilot hero, destroyed twenty-eight Japanese aircraft, survived Japanese POW camp, and a graduate of the university snubbing him. Who is he? Colonel Gregory "Pappy" Boyington of the famed Blacksheep Squadron

Neal Boortz had an excellent entry on this matter, which was covered by the WorldNetDaily. The complete discussion by the students is documented by a copy of the 02/07/2006 minutes of the Washington student senate meeting. Here is part of Boortz's article.

Under old business there was a discussion of a resolution calling for a tribute to Pappy Boyington. Student senate member Jill Edwards immediately moved to table the resolution. She wanted other issues to be considered. Another member said that the issue was at the top of the agenda and should be dealt with. Jill's motion failed, but she wasn't through. There was then some discussion on why Andrew Everett, another student senate member, wanted the memorial. Everett responded that Colonel Boyington "had many of the qualities the University of Washington hoped to produce in its students." Well, I guess that might be true, if leadership and courage are considered to be good qualities. Anyway ... that's when Jill Edwards spoke up and showed her true colors. She questioned whether it was appropriate to honor a person who killed other people. Then the lovely Jill Edwards said that a member of the Marine Corps was not an example of the sort of person the University of Washington wanted to produce. By the way .. there's at least one more moonbat on the U of W student senate. Her name is Ashley Miller. Ashley says that there are already enough monuments at UW commemorating "rich white men." Well .. I guess you have to get that wealth-envy stuff in there somewhere.

(Note: Boyington was not rich and, in addition, he was part Sioux, according to the discussion at Paradosis, of which the writer personally knew the man.)

Lasting Memorial for Denounced "Person Who Killed Other People"

How pathetic of the student representatives at the University of Washington. How pathetic and typical of the arrogant and unappreciative attitudes of those in college academics. Maybe the next time that they want protection from our enemies or terrorists, they can find someone who can stop the attackers without killing them. Maybe one day they will learn that war is fought with bullets and not college text books.

Marine Ace Who Downed 28 Enemy Planes Is Downed Himself by Snot-Nosed College Student

It's so typical. University students get infected with academic liberalism and take great pride and glee at attacking and destroying the memory, reputation, and heroic deeds of our military. The latest victim at the hands of the left was a military hero for whom a memorial was proposed by the student senate at the University of Washington. Here are the credentials of this hero. Can you guess his name before I reach the end? ...Medal of Honor winner, Navy Cross recipient, Purple Heart recipient (won honestly, John Kerry), World War II Marine combat pilot hero, destroyed twenty-eight Japanese aircraft, survived Japanese POW camp, and a graduate of the university snubbing him. Who is he? Colonel Gregory "Pappy" Boyington of the famed Blacksheep Squadron

Neal Boortz had an excellent entry on this matter, which was covered by the WorldNetDaily. The complete discussion by the students is documented by a copy of the 02/07/2006 minutes of the Washington student senate meeting. Here is part of Boortz's article.

Under old business there was a discussion of a resolution calling for a tribute to Pappy Boyington. Student senate member Jill Edwards immediately moved to table the resolution. She wanted other issues to be considered. Another member said that the issue was at the top of the agenda and should be dealt with. Jill's motion failed, but she wasn't through. There was then some discussion on why Andrew Everett, another student senate member, wanted the memorial. Everett responded that Colonel Boyington "had many of the qualities the University of Washington hoped to produce in its students." Well, I guess that might be true, if leadership and courage are considered to be good qualities. Anyway ... that's when Jill Edwards spoke up and showed her true colors. She questioned whether it was appropriate to honor a person who killed other people. Then the lovely Jill Edwards said that a member of the Marine Corps was not an example of the sort of person the University of Washington wanted to produce. By the way .. there's at least one more moonbat on the U of W student senate. Her name is Ashley Miller. Ashley says that there are already enough monuments at UW commemorating "rich white men." Well .. I guess you have to get that wealth-envy stuff in there somewhere.

(Note: Boyington was not rich and, in addition, he was part Sioux, according to the discussion at Paradosis, of which the writer personally knew the man.)

Lasting Memorial for Denounced "Person Who Killed Other People"

How pathetic of the student representatives at the University of Washington. How pathetic and typical of the arrogant and unappreciative attitudes of those in college academics. Maybe the next time that they want protection from our enemies or terrorists, they can find someone who can stop the attackers without killing them. Maybe one day they will learn that war is fought with bullets and not college text books.

Before You Go - Thank You!

Every once in a while, something spectacular comes. Something that reaches out and touches you at the core of who you are. Mustang, a good friend sent me

THIS ONE

Go, listen, contemplate our heros!

Hey, Liberals--If you support our troops, show it.

Some messages don't require further explanation, but is this too subtle for liberals to understand?

Found at and a thanks to Denny's in Atlanta

Let the Military Fight Terrorists -- Not Jesus

Okay, what's going on here? Are our armed forces being forced to rely on an all-encompassing generic god for their guidance, comfort, and protection--in the name of "tolerance?" Within an article in The Washington Times come these revelations: "'I am a Navy chaplain being fired because I pray in Jesus' name,' said Navy Lt. Gordon Klingenschmitt. ...Official military policy allows any sort of prayer, but Lt. Klingenschmitt...cites his training at the Navy Chaplains School in Newport, R.I., where 'they have clipboards and evaluators who evaluate your prayers, and they praise you if you pray just to God,' he said. 'But if you pray in Jesus' name, they counsel you.'"

I honestly want to know if I'm seeing this issue correctly and completely. Excerpts from this next article say more, but I encourage you to read it in its entirity along with other links provided in this entry:

U.S. military bans Christian prayer: Chaplains forbidden to pray in name of Christ

By Rand Green, Editor & Publisher, Perspicacity Press, © 2005 Rand Green Communications

NO PRAYERS in school. No mention of God in the Pledge of Allegiance. No Christmas decorations on public property. No wearing of crosses by airline pilots on duty. The removal of images of the cross from century-old city seals. There is seemingly no limit to the ways in which those who want to remove all vestiges of religion, and particularly of Christianity, from the public view are seeking to undermine the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom.

Their latest target is the United States military. Chaplains in the military are now being told they cannot mention the name of “Jesus� when they pray, except within the confines of their own churches.

North Carolina Congressman Walter Jones...told of a conversation he had...with a Navy chaplain who was also a Methodist minister. The chaplain had recently given a prayer at a remembrance service for marines killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. “He closed his prayer in the name of Christ Jesus, and about two hours later he got a call from a major in the Marine Corps who told him that in those kind of settings, outside the church, he is not to pray in the name of Jesus Christ.�

It is “an atmosphere of intimidation,� and it is having “a chilling effect,� said Jay Sekulow. “This is political correctness that is just absolutely run amok here. The idea that you would ... censor or silence these pastors because you don’t like the idea that they would pray according to the dictates of their own faith is to me just absurd.�

The current crackdown on prayer in the military, and more specifically in the Air Force, which has just recently issued new restrictive guidelines, is “an overreaction to the situation at the Air Force Academy,� said Mr. Sekulow...

How this started is explained in this article from World Net Daily, which said:

In a move that echoes the recent decision of the U.S. Department of Defense to deny Boy Scouts use of military facilities, the U.S. Air Force Academy is warning Christian cadets to curb their faith.

Officials at the Colorado Springs military college have instituted a new training program, Respecting the Spiritual Values of People, to teach the cadets, 90% of whom are from Protestant or Catholic backgrounds, tolerance toward non-Christians. The program follows an August survey that found complaints of religious bias.

At the Nov. 2 kickoff for the Respecting the Spiritual Values of People program, cadets were advised by head chaplain Michael Whittington to not hold Bible studies in their dormitories, but he was overruled by Commandant Brig. Gen. Johnny Weida.

Another article from World Net Daily provides additional information:

"We support free exercise of religion, but we do not push religion," Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff, a Navy veteran, told the paper. He said he was hired earlier this year to assist the secretary and chief of staff of the Air Force with writing the guidelines. The new rules come on the heels of criticism of the academy by a pair of congressional Democrats, Reps. Steve Israel of New York and Lois Capps of California.

Why are some offended by certain religious expressions? As examples, a report from a military task force cited "fliers that advertised a screening of The Passion of the Christ at every seat in the dining hall" and "when a chaplain defends saying 'Jesus will be with you, Jesus will save you' with the response 'That's the way we do it here – we promote Jesus.'"

The ACLJ, a concerned Christian group, is compiling a petition to protect military prayer for submission to the President.

Let me recommend that the readers study this issue further to determine for yourselves if the military is falling prey to political correctness and religious intolerance and if this movement should be confronted. Our soldiers are put in harms way every day and they need comfort and peace from the God they worship--not a false idol created by government.

A good answer to this problem might best be this: WWJD?

Freedom Flies In Your Heart Like An Eagle

December 7, 1941. A day that will live in infamy. But from this day, a young Texas kid would lie about his age and go through the rigors of war in the 3^rd Infantry Division and become the most decorated soldier in WWII. His name, Audi Murphy. This is a part of a Poem he wrote, but it is the most important part as we remember those who gave their lives after December 7, 1941 through the Iraq war in an effort to keep us free:

Freedom flies in your heart like an eagle. Let it soar with the winds high above Among the spirits of soldiers now sleeping, Guard it with care and with love.

Guard it with care and with love. Who could have said it better than Murph?

H/T to Andy, a commenter at BlackFive and while you are at it, read Black Five's "A Different Christmas Poem" posted by Subsunk. It is a tremendous poem.

The Best Comment I Ever Got

Comments come in all shapes and sizes. From quick one or two word puns, to long and involved deeply thoughtful comments. They come in twos and threes, in tens and twenties. They come from regular readers, and from occasional readers. They even come from regular readers who just lurk in the bushes and pop out every once in a while.

On Veterans Day, I posted General Douglas MacArthur's 1962 speech at The United States Military Academy at West Point (here). At the tail end of the General's speech, I wrote:

Happy Veteran's Day to all of our Vets and their Families. Honor to those who fell in the defense of freedom, peace to those who did not die, but were shattered none-the-less. Our hearts go out to the familys of the fallen!"

And, not surprisingly, the best comment I ever got came from my daughter, my kid, the future of this country:

And thank you Daddy."

"Daddy!" My daughter has bestowed on me the greatest title any man can have, better than any medal, better than any reward. Thanks sweetheart!

Duty, Honor, Country

No Veteran's Day Celebration would be complete without a recitation of one of the best speeches ever given by an old soldier. One who did not die, he only faded away.

General Douglas MacArthur's Farewell Speech Given to the Corps of Cadets at West Point

May 12, 1962

General Westmoreland, General Groves, distinguished guests, and gentlemen of the Corps. As I was leaving the hotel this morning, a doorman asked me, "Where are you bound for, General?" and when I replied, "West Point," he remarked, "Beautiful place, have you ever been there before?"

No human being could fail to be deeply moved by such a tribute as this, coming from a profession I have served so long and a people I have loved so well. It fills me with an emotion I cannot express. But this award is not intended primarily for a personality, but to symbolize a great moral code - the code of conduct and chivalry of those who guard this beloved land of culture and ancient descent. That is the meaning of this medallion. For all eyes and for all time, it is an expression of the ethics of the American soldier. That I should be integrated in this way with so noble an ideal arouses a sense of pride and yet of humility which will be with me always.

"Duty," "Honor," "Country" - those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you want to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn. Unhappily, I possess neither that eloquence of diction, that poetry of imagination, nor that brilliance of metaphor to tell you all that they mean.

The unbelievers will say they are but words, but a slogan, but a flamboyant phrase. Every pedant, every demagogue, every cynic, every hypocrite, every troublemaker, and, I am sorry to say, some others of an entirely different character, will try to downgrade them even to the extent of mockery and ridicule.

But these are some of the things they do. They build your basic character. They mold you for your future roles as the custodians of the nation's defense. They make you strong enough to know when you are weak, and brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid.

They teach you to be proud and unbending in honest failure, but humble and gentle in success; not to substitute words for action; not to seek the path of comfort, but to face the stress and spur of difficulty and challenge; to learn to stand up in the storm, but to have compassion on those who fall; to master yourself before you seek to master others; to have a heart that is clean, a goal that is high; to learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; to reach into the future, yet never neglect the past; to be serious, yet never take yourself too seriously; to be modest so that you will remember the simplicity of true greatness; the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

They give you a temperate will, a quality of imagination, a vigor of the emotions, a freshness of the deep springs of life, a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, an appetite for adventure over love of ease. They create in your heart the sense of wonder, the unfailing hope of what next, and the joy and inspiration of life. They teach you in this way to be an officer and a gentleman.

And what sort of soldiers are those you are to lead? Are they reliable? Are they brave? Are they capable of victory?

Their story is known to all of you. It is the story of the American man at arms. My estimate of him was formed on the battlefields many, many years ago, and has never changed. I regarded him then, as I regard him now, as one of the world's noblest figures; not only as one of the finest military characters, but also as one of the most stainless.

His name and fame are the birthright of every American citizen. In his youth and strength, his love and loyalty, he gave all that mortality can give. He needs no eulogy from me, or from any other man. He has written his own history and written it in red on his enemy's breast.

But when I think of his patience under adversity, of his courage under fire, and of his modesty in victory, I am filled with an emotion of admiration I cannot put into words. He belongs to history as furnishing one of the greatest examples of successful patriotism. He belongs to posterity as the instructor of future generations in the principles of liberty and freedom. He belongs to the present, to us, by his virtues and by his achievements.

In twenty campaigns, on a hundred battlefields, around a thousand campfires, I have witnessed that enduring fortitude, that patriotic self-abnegation, and that invincible determination which have carved his statue in the hearts of his people.

From one end of the world to the other, he has drained deep the chalice of courage. As I listened to those songs of the glee club, in memory's eye I could see those staggering columns of the First World War, bending under soggy packs on many a weary march, from dripping dusk to drizzling dawn, slogging ankle deep through mire of shell-pocked roads; to form grimly for the attack, blue-lipped, covered with sludge and mud, chilled by the wind and rain, driving home to their objective, and for many, to the judgment seat of God.

I do not know the dignity of their birth, but I do know the glory of their death. They died unquestioning, uncomplaining, with faith in their hearts, and on their lips the hope that we would go on to victory. Always for them: Duty, Honor, Country. Always their blood, and sweat, and tears, as they saw the way and the light.

And twenty years after, on the other side of the globe, against the filth of dirty foxholes, the stench of ghostly trenches, the slime of dripping dugouts, those boiling suns of the relentless heat, those torrential rains of devastating storms, the loneliness and utter desolation of jungle trails, the bitterness of long separation of those they loved and cherished, the deadly pestilence of tropic disease, the horror of stricken areas of war.

Their resolute and determined defense, their swift and sure attack, their indomitable purpose, their complete and decisive victory - always victory, always through the bloody haze of their last reverberating shot, the vision of gaunt, ghastly men, reverently following your password of Duty, Honor, Country.

The code which those words perpetuate embraces the highest moral laws and will stand the test of any ethics or philosophies ever promulgated for the uplift of mankind. Its requirements are for the things that are right, and its restraints are from the things that are wrong. The soldier, above all other men, is required to practice the greatest act of religious training - sacrifice. In battle and in the face of danger and death, he discloses those divine attributes which his Maker gave when he created man in his own image. No physical courage and no brute instinct can take the place of the Divine help which alone can sustain him. However horrible the incidents of war may be, the soldier who is called upon to offer and to give his life for his country, is the noblest development of mankind.

You now face a new world, a world of change. The thrust into outer space of the satellite, spheres and missiles marked the beginning of another epoch in the long story of mankind - the chapter of the space age. In the five or more billions of years the scientists tell us it has taken to form the earth, in the three or more billion years of development of the human race, there has never been a greater, a more abrupt or staggering evolution. We deal now not with things of this world alone, but with the illimitable distances and as yet unfathomed mysteries of the universe. We are reaching out for a new and boundless frontier. We speak in strange terms: of harnessing the cosmic energy; of making winds and tides work for us; of creating unheard synthetic materials to supplement or even replace our old standard basics; of purifying sea water for our drink; of mining ocean floors for new fields of wealth and food; of disease preventatives to expand life into the hundred of years; of controlling the weather for a more equitable distribution of heat and cold, of rain and shine; of space ships to the moon; of the primary target in war, no longer limited to the armed forces of an enemy, but instead to include his civil populations; of ultimate conflict between a united human race and the sinister forces of some other planetary galaxy; of such dreams and fantasies as to make life the most exciting of all time.

And through all this welter of change and development your mission remains fixed, determined, inviolable. It is to win our wars. Everything else in your professional career is but corollary to this vital dedication. All other public purpose, all other public projects, all other public needs, great or small, will find others for their accomplishments; but you are the ones who are trained to fight.

Yours is the profession of arms, the will to win, the sure knowledge that in war there is no substitute for victory, that if you lose, the Nation will be destroyed, that the very obsession of your public service must be Duty, Honor, Country.

Others will debate the controversial issues, national and international, which divide men's minds. But serene, calm, aloof, you stand as the Nation's war guardians, as its lifeguards from the raging tides of international conflict, as its gladiators in the arena of battle. For a century and a half you have defended, guarded and protected its hallowed traditions of liberty and freedom, of right and justice.

Let civilian voices argue the merits or demerits of our processes of government. Whether our strength is being sapped by deficit financing indulged in too long, by federal paternalism grown too mighty, by power groups grown too arrogant, by politics grown too corrupt, by crime grown too rampant, by morals grown too low, by taxes grown too high, by extremists grown too violent; whether our personal liberties are as firm and complete as they should be.

These great national problems are not for your professional participation or military solution. Your guidepost stands out like a tenfold beacon in the night: Duty, Honor, Country.

You are the leaven which binds together the entire fabric of our national system of defense. From your ranks come the great captains who hold the Nation's destiny in their hands the moment the war tocsin sounds.

The long gray line has never failed us. Were you to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise from their white crosses, thundering those magic words: Duty, Honor, Country.

This does not mean that you are warmongers. On the contrary, the soldier above all other people prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. But always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philosophers: "Only the dead have seen the end of war."

The shadows are lengthening for me. The twilight is here. My days of old have vanished - tone and tints. They have gone glimmering through the dreams of things that were. Their memory is one of wondrous beauty, watered by tears and coaxed and caressed by the smiles of yesterday. I listen then, but with thirsty ear, for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll.

In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield. But in the evening of my memory I come back to West Point. Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, Honor, Country.

Happy Veteran's Day to all of our Vets and their Families. Honor to those who fell in the defense of freedom, peace to those who did not die, but were shattered none-the-less. Our hearts go out to the familys of the fallen!

USMC - It's a Birthday Party

Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corps!

ht to Raven for the image.

News Source From Central Command

The logo to the immediate left is from Central Command, a Unified Combat Command covering Iraq, Afghanistan and the middle east. Clicking on the logo, which you will find now on my side bar (scroll down a bit) will take you to the Central Command website where you can get upto date news and information that you won't get from the MSM.

This link will take you to a sign up for a weekly electronic newsletter and monthly Coalition Bulletin.

Information is the enemy of those who are anti-democratic!

Our Friends, Allies, Adversaries, The Saudis!

Once Upon A time, In A Land Far Away... A regional panjandrum by the improbable name of Muhammad bin Saud met a fellow panjandrum cum mystic, then a radical islamist, by the equally improbable name of Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab and decided together that the Arabian Peninsula had just too much freedom in the way Islam was practiced. Deciding that their fellow Islamic Arabs had just gotten too far off the beaten path to true salvation (can you see a cult beginning?) a plan to conquer everyone was put-together. The year? Around 1750 AD (the AD is Anno Domini, an Un PC designation meaning After Christ, for those raised in the PC version C.E. meaning Common Era). The TM's (Two Muhammads) put their plan into action and for the next 150 years, the family of Saud waxed and waned until the advent of another Saud, Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud who in that year captured Riyadh from the rival Al Rashid clan. Indeed, some of the worst trepidations visited on Muslims were visited at the hands of the Wahhabists Riyadh was the Al Saud ancestral capital, Saud was able to finalize his conquests by 1927, and the kingdom became Saudi Arabia.

The religious movement founded by Muhammad ibn abd al Wahhab is known today as the radical-islamofascistic sect Wahhabism, although the practitioners of that sect would disagree with that definition. They (and the Kingdom) prefer to call it Salafism and its members Salafists:

The term "Wahhab" (Wahh�bīya) refers to the movement's founder Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab. It is rarely used by members of this group today, although the Saudis did use it in the past.

The Wahhabis claim to hold to the way of the "Salaf as-Salih", the 'rightly guided or pious predecessors' as earlier propagated mainly by Ibn Taymiyya, his students Ibn Al Qayyim and later by Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahab and his followers.

The term is considered offensive by some members who prefer to call themselves al-Muwahhidun (the monotheists) or the movement Salafism.

Saudi Arabia and its people are quite backwards in terms of social progress. They still practice beheading, amputation of feet and hands for theft, lashing, sometimes for months depending on the number of lashes prescribed by the "judge" who is really just a religious figure appointed by the King on the advice of the Supreme Judicial Council. All law is compatible with Shari'a (Islamic law) and is enforced by religious police ("mutaween" police) from the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. In fact, these animals (one hesitates to call them police) prevented a number of school children from escaping from a burning dormitory because the girls weren't clad in headscarves and black robes as prescribed by religious law. Nor would these animals allow men to approach the girls to rescue them from certain death because they were unclad. As a result, 15 children died in the fire.

In 1938, oil was discovered on the Arabian Peninsula and the power to grow Wahhabism as envisioned by the TM's was closer and closer to fruition. In 1945, one of our most sophisticated Presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt deigned to meet with Saud following the allied conference at Yalta. Oil revenue made the Kingdom rich beyond belief and allowed the expansion via funding construction of mosques and Qur'an schools around the world. Including schools in all of the western countries.

This growing of Islam via building of mosques, and the establishment of madrassas an Islamic religious school. A simple Google^TM search will yield over 10,900,000 internet sites mentioning "Islamic Schools."

What is taught in these schools is not the 3 Rs to be sure. The Islamic Schools League of America lists as it's vision:

The Islamic Schools' League of America envisions and works towards the day when Islamic schools will be the preferred centers for learning and leadership that nurture and encourage America's youth to develop their innate creativity and inquisitive nature in the pursuance of academic excellence while anchoring their hearts and souls in a moral framework of a God-centered life.

Really? Subjugating women, executing gays, cutting hands and feet off of thieves? That kind of "moral framework?" How about the dreaded religious police that allowed the 15 children to die? That kind of moral framework?

This is the problem with the Saudi's. I probably need not mention that the Saudi's have been the largest contingent by far of terrorists striking the WTC and Pentagon, of terrorists caught/killed in Iraq, and captured here in the United States as proponents of terrorism, money laundering in support of terrorism and the trashing of banking laws to support terrorists. Indeed, while the Kingdom purports to support the United States, and the WOT, the fact of the matter is that the scoundrels have actively supported the very institutions behind the terrorists. A survey last year showed that almost half of all Saudis support Osama Bin Laden

A good blog friend Joerg Wolf who writes for Atlantic Review has penned an excellent piece on the Saudis, their support of terrorism and how the United States is, one must assume through sheer stupidity and indifference, turning a blind eye to the practices of the Salifists. Joerg makes an excellent point:

According to the State Department, religious freedom is non-existent in Saudi Arabia. While Eritrea was punished for lack of religious freedom under the Religious Freedom of Information Act, Saudi Arabia got another waiver for half a year.

This cannot continue unless we are willing (and I for one am not) to submit to Islam in dhimmitude.

It is said that no one is as blind as those that will not see and this certainly applies to the apologists for the Saudi royal family and the practice of Wahhabism. It is an absolute fact that we are totally dependent, as a people and as an economy, on oil. Yet, we are more dependent on foreign oil (read Saudi and our non-friends the Venezuelans) than we were even in the long gas lines of the Carter years. Because the Saudi's own fully 25 percent of the known supplies of oil in the world, it is felt that we must cater to this socially, economically and politically backward government. Enough, perhaps, with a major drive towards energy independence, much as we did at Oak Ridge during WWII to develop nuclear power, we could wean ourselves from Saudi influence.

I also believe we should shut down every Islamic school in America (so should the English and the Europeans) as an absolute threat to western civilization, not because of the religious teachings of Islamic schools, but because Wahhbism preaches hate, overthrow of other forms of government and the establishment of the Wahhabi sect. It will be argued of course, that we are a free society with full freedom of religion. However, freedom of religion is not allowed in Saudi Arabia and 100 percent of the population is Islamic. Further, if you have so much as a stamp in your passport from Israel, you will not be allowed into Saudi Arabia. The belief in freedom of religion does not extend to making a suicide pact with ourselves. It is rapidly reaching a moral imperative that we do something about this pernicious sect, while we still can. I wonder if the The Islamic Schools' League of America envisions and works towards the day when Islamic schools will be the preferred centers for learning and leadership that nurture and encourage America's youth to develop their innate creativity and inquisitive nature in the pursuance of academic excellence includes their innate inquisitive nature when it comes to learning about God from a non-Wahhabi instructor? Somehow, I think not!

Other sites on a theme: Frank Gaffney, Daniel Pipes, Robert Spencer all at Front Page Mag. Jason Pappas at Liberty and Culture, Elenor at 6^th Column, Martin Walker writing in Walker's World, The American Congress for Truth (HT to Always On Watch with a great entry here) & others.

Linked at Euphoric Reality, at Mudville Gazette, at The Political Teen, Don Surber
Choose Life

Updated

Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander Jr. Requiescat In Pace

Number 2000. To the left, the radicals at A.N.S.W.E.R. and to Al Frankin and all the idiots that can't think about the war except in terms of "Get Bush" Number 2000 is Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander Jr., 34, of Killeen, Texas, died Saturday in San Antonio of injuries sustained Oct. 17.

J.D. JOHANNES, author of Faces From The Front has said it with more feeling than I can muster:

I asked Marines all across Al Anbar province two questions:
1. If something goes bad and you die here. What would you think of people who used your death to protest the war.
2. After being here, and knowing what you know, would you still join the Marines/volunteer for this deployment?

The answers were invariably the same.

They did not want their death to be used as a prop and they would make the same decision all over again. These young Lance Corporals and Non-Commissioned Officers volunteered to join the Marines, many with the intent of coming to Iraq. And while few would say they like war, they all recognize the necessity of it.

The Marines and soldiers who fight in Iraq are not numbers, but the media and certain groups are treating them as if they were. Number 2,000 was a national treasure, just as number 1,435 was and number 2,038 will be. For what is the value of a man who will fight a war for others who despise him?

But for those who are willing to take action, there would be no wall at all hold back evil and those men and women on the wall deserve more than a number."

Thanks for saying that, because right now all I feel is anger. More anger at the news anchors and their oh-so-perfect teeth and hair, more anger at Cindy Sheehan and all the others who with smug condescension will decry the death of two thousand Americans, and not mean a damn word of it except to the extent that it can bash Bush or any of us that support the war of liberation.

God rest you Sgt. Alexander, you deserve better from those that will exploit your sacrifice.

Linked at Mudville Gazette Another terrific piece is at "Partisan Pundit"

Update: Jim Lynch writing at Bright and Early has a particularly moving post up.

Update: Cox and Forkum's Editorial Cartoon Says it pretty well too!

Under Pressure Indeed ... The U.S. Military vs. The MSM

In the opinion section of my local paper is a "commentary" by one Rick Mercier, a writer and editor for The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, Va. The title of the commentary is "Under Pressure" with a subheading of "Army recruiters are having trouble making quotas. You can help them by nominating a war supporter."

Mr. Mercier is, of course, completely full of himself and imagines himself to be a champion of the get out of Iraq clique popular among newsfolk. "Roper, can you sustain that charge," you ask "or are you just blowing smoke." I suspect that I can sustain it. Mercier is essentially making the "chicken hawk" argument when he suggests that you should refer war supporters to the Army Recruiters. I have debunked the argument here before and I urge you, the reader to go to that entry, read it all including the links and including the comments.

+++++++++++++++

Ok, having read that let us look at the rest of Mercier's argument. He makes a big deal of the U.S.Army only reaching some 90% of it's recruitment goal. He fails to mention that the Marines, the Air Force and the Navy met and exceeded their goals. And, since the Marines have a seemingly higher casuality rate, his argument that the Army didn't because of Iraq is ludicrous. Here's his explanation:

The four-letter explanation, of course, is Iraq. And many would say that other I words � such as ill-advised and incompetent � come to mind when they contemplate the Bush administration’s military adventure in the Middle East."

What utter nonsense. If this were true, than those who have actually served would have a lower "re-up" rate than the initial recruitment goal. Yet, such is not the case: Of course, this was BEFORE the Army announced that June's quotas were more than met or that re-inlistment quotas of those ACTIVELY serving in the Middle East often reach 150% of needs. In fact, according to Black Five:

(the Armys)...3rd Infantry Division in Iraq surpassed it's re-enlistment goal by 250%...that should tell you what the men and women that are actively engaged in the fight think of the mission in Iraq."

Further, there was an upsurge in recruitment in the last two month's of the quarter. In fact, things are going very well in Iraq and that story is slowly getting out, no thanks to the obstructionism of the MSM. Winds of Change has a great article on improvements in the Iraqi countryside here and I've contributed a bit myself here.

Mercier states:

These days, that fry-cook job at McDonald’s is looking a lot more enticing to potential young recruits than it did just a few years ago. And parents across the land have come up with an alternate take on an old cheer, crying out "Go away, Army" to beleaguered recruiters.

The numbers tell the story. The Army just wrapped up one of its worst recruiting years since it became an all-volunteer service more than three decades ago. For the fiscal year that just ended, the Army missed its annual recruitment target by 7,000 enlistees � the largest such deficit since 1979."

Ok, overall the services missed recruiting goals by only a few percentage points (the Marines, Navy and Air Force making up some of the force deficits) but that doesn't even mean anything. Unless Mr. Mercier is totally dishonest (posh, he couldn't be could he?) he will acknowledge that people opt for all kinds of jobs in the military. From cook to telephone linemen, from drivers to payroll clerks, from front line infantry to helicopter repairmen. There is no indication whatsoever that COMBAT forces are suffering. Indeed, and since I served in the Army in the early '70's, the army will retrain it's potato peelers into infantry if it needs to, and hire civilian's to do the non-combat support. Let me repeat, a decrease in recruitment does not mean a decrease in combat effectiveness. However if that was part of the story, Mr. Mercier wouldn't be able to make the snide comments that he has made like:

You probably know some of these pro-war types. Maybe you’ve had to endure the guy next door or the guy in church talking up the war. Well, why not log on to goarmy.com and sign him up for an info pack? Old Earl can slap that flag magnet on the Hummer he’ll be driving through Sadr City.

And high school students, how about "volunteering" the teachers and administrators who’ve welcomed recruiters and JROTC programs into your schools? With any luck, school will be out for quite a while for Mr. Crabtree.

As for me, I’ve got my eye on a few scribes who’ve bellowed for this war and branded those who opposed it as America-haters and friends of terrorists. I know where some of you live, keyboard warriors, and I’ve got some phone numbers, too. The recruiters will be in touch."

I guess that Mercier doesn't realize that this is a free country and one not be an active member of the military in order to support the effort in Iraq. Mr. Mercier isn't a research scientist, but I'd be willing to bet that he supports cancer research. Of course, my favorite argument regarding those that make the chicken hawk argument comes from Donald Sensing (writing at One Hand Clapping) responding to a tirade by Duncan Black (Atrios):

My son is a lance corporal in the US Marine Corps. He will deploy to Iraq in two months. I myself am a retired US Army artillery officer.

Do you, Mr. Black, agree that you are kept free and safe only because my son and others like him are risking their lives on your behalf?

Why have you never served in the armed forces?

What gives you the justification to speak against the war?

What are your credentials that make you someone I or our nation’s leaders should listen to regarding national security?

Why should non-serving supporters be silent while non-serving critics be heard?

Do you agree that no one except veterans and presently-serving military members should ever decide when the nation shall go to war, and why?

I am a veteran and my son is now serving. By your lights these amounts to a “double credit� for me to speak about the war. Also by your lights, you yourserf suffer from a double deficit, since you have never served and have no immediate family member serving. Therefore, your logic would inexorably find that my opinion is of magnitudes greater value than yours.

Do you agree? If not, why not?

I support a vigorous prosecution of the war in Iraq and have written several times (i.e., here) that it is the actual focal point of the war against Islamist terrorism.

Do you now, therefore, consider yourself well instructed and will you, therefore, bow to my experience and insights (which by your own standards are far superior to yours) and now fully support prosecuting the Iraq war until victory is achieved? If not, why not?

Finally, on what basis can you persuade me that you, personally, are not simply a coward of the most craven kind who hides behind anti-war cliches merely to keep intact your own precious skin?

Just substitute Mr. Mercier's name for Mr. Black's name and the argument should hold up just fine.

Oh, and Mr. Mercier, go ahead and write to the Army, give them my name and phone number and address if you have them. I was in Berlin on 9/11 and as soon as I got home I called to offer my services. "Sorry Mr. Roper," I was told, "you're to old." But if you do call them, I'll thank them for all their efforts to keep folk like you free to write the snide garbage that you write.

Celebrating Bravery

In the annals of military history, we celebrate heroes. Men such as Audie Murphy, John Paul Jones, Douglas McArthur, Robert O'Malley and James Ward. Moreover, deserving they are. But there are other heroes as well, none with the Congressional Medal of Honor, few beyond the rank of Corporal, yet heroes for sure. These are the K-9's, our four footed troops.

The history of the "K-9 Corps" in the United States goes back as far as the 2nd Seminole War in which 33 Bloodhounds were trained as both guard and attack dogs. Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders in the Spanish American War trained dogs as Point Scouts. Marines used the K-9's in the so-called "Banana Wars" and subsequently included them in their training for the island hopping campaign against the Japanese in World War II.

By the time of the Vietnam war, K-9 troops were an established part of the U.S. Military, indeed, of military services around the world. And stalwart troops they are. Tales of K-9 heroism abound in military annals, such as the story of Chips:

One of the first dogs to be shipped overseas was Chips, the son of a part-shepherd, part-collie father and a northern sled-dog mother. Chips was donated by Edward J. Wren of Pleasantville, New York, and was trained at Front Royal, Virginia in 1942.

Chips first served in General Patton's brutal Africa campaign, then waded ashore with the 3rd Division of Patton's Seventh Army as it was swept into battle in Sicily. Chips was very popular with his buddies. Affectionate and with particularly keen senses of smell and hearing, he was also a nonconformist who would break rules when he felt danger, oblivious to what every soldier knows: breaking rules for any reason does not endear one to field commanders and high-ranking brass. Chips would later discover this and while he wouldn't care, his comrades would.

Shortly after Chips and the men had made their way ashore and established a beachhead on Sicily, the soldiers, thinking they were momentarily out of danger, slowly inched their way to an abandoned pillbox where they decided to take a short rest. Tired and weary, Chips, however, could not relax. His senses told him there was danger nearby and suddenly he broke away from his handler - violating a sacred rule - dashed across a stretch of No Man's Land. A bullet pierced his body, but he ignored the pain and threw himself into an enemy machine gun nest. The firing stopped. There was deadly silence, and for a moment Chips was not seen or heard. When his comrades got to the scene, they saw Chips holding onto the throat of the enemy gunner, and five other terrified men with their arms raised in surrender.

On October 21, 2005, K-9s such as Chips and many other unsung heroes will be honored with a War Dog Memorial on Long Island, New York. The Memorial (pictured above) was sculpted by Doug Roper (GM's younger Brother.)

The War Dog Memorial is a fitting tribute to these gallant animals who have often given their lives in the service of the United States.

UPDATE... The date of the Monument Dedication is 10/21/05 at 11:00 AM, not the 22nd as originaly posted. The ceremony will be at the H.Lee Dennison Building, 100 Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge, New York (Long Island - Suffolk County) If you are anywhere near the vicinity, please feel free to attend.. If you talk with the sculptor, Doug Roper, tell him his big brother said Hi.

Linked at Stop the ACLU

Guns and Butter; Partie Deux (Part Two)

I have a confession to make; I read the Wall Street Journal both the dead tree version and the online version. I guess that makes me a capitalist toadie. Or maybe a Capitalist Running Dog! Or perhaps a member of the bourgeois with pretensions of becoming rich someday.

Well, OK, I am all of the above. What is more, I'd love to see all of the world equal or exceed that. Of Course, I know that that won't happen, but I can dream can't I. Well, for the nonce at any rate. Next week I'll be 59, perhaps a little late for riches, unless I win the Texas Lotto.

But all that aside, I'm upset with my president. I'm upset with congress, I'm upset with the whole idea of the way the federal dollar is being spent. Misspent perhaps.

I've been having a series of conversations with my beloved Uncle. In a recent e-mail, he noted that he used to be a Republican; back when the Republicans stood for fiscal restraint, good business principles etc. Can't fault him for that. I choose to stay in the Republican Party and work for change within, I'm NOT one happy camper at this moment.

Congress is spending money like a bunch of drunken sailors - in fact, I think maybe the afore mentioned sailors do better. The President seems disinclined to reign them in, and has yet to veto a single spending bill. NOT ONE!!!! And that scares the hell out of me. The recent transportation bill is a good example. As I told my Uncle, it was so loaded with Pork that I understand the Armour Company was thinking of purchasing it.

Can't you just see it, Canned Congressional Pork [Note, no Armour Star Products were harmed in the making of this photograph.] But, I digress. The transportation bill contains funding for a bridge in Alaska, essentially going to somewhere where no one except a few local inhabitants want to go. Yet, it is spending, jobs, etc. But, good lord people!

John Fund writing in the Wall Street Journal wonders if President Bush has the huevos to do what FDR and Truman did; Cut spending when a national crisis occurs. Now, some of you may be offended by my use of the word uevos meaning testicles or balls, but I'm from Texas and that gives mhe a certain amount of freedom, plus, being an author of this blog I claim a little artistic license AND, I'm ticked off.

Fund states:

With almost no debate and with precious few provisions for oversight, Congress has passed President Bush's mammoth $62 billion request for emergency Katrina relief. House Speaker Denny Hastert says the final total will "probably [be] under the cost of the highway bill" that Congress passed last month with a pricetag of $286.4 billion.

Despite such sums, there are few calls for offsetting cuts in other programs, apart from antiwar opportunists who see in Katrina a chance to undermine the Iraq effort."

Moreover, he is absolutely correct. The majority of those who are calling for spending cuts have also voted in the large pork measures that we have been seeing over the Bush presidency and the last years of the Clinton presidency and are only now calling for cuts because they think it will score political points in the fight against the fight as it were. Actually, these folk don't give a damn about spending, they just want to torpedo the war fighting in Iraq and, as a result, the people of Iraq and perhaps the whole middle east.

Fund goes on to say:

Neither the White House nor Congress appears to be in any mood, for example, to revisit the highway bill's 6,373 "earmarks," or individual projects for members, worth $24.2 billion. Alaska's Rep. Don Young, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, has bragged that the bill is "stuffed like a turkey" with goodies for his state. It includes $721 million for Alaska, including a $2.2 million "bridge to nowhere" connecting the town of Ketchikan (population 8,900) to an airport on Gravina Island (population 50). Another bridge, in Anchorage, has a $200 million price tag and is considered such a marginal project that even the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce opposes it.

Families hit by any disaster realize they have to reassess their situation and change their circumstances. There was a time when the nation acted the same way. After Pearl Harbor, the country sprang into action to win the war against Japan and Germany. But it realized that the old way of doing things wouldn't do. Dramatic changes in government policy resulted."

Did you get that, FDR a Democrat changed government policy to face a new reality. Here's what he did according to Fund: He cut spending.

Wow, did that resonate with anyone, he CUT SPENDING. According to Fund:

Less well known is FDR's decision to slash non-defense spending by over 20% between 1942 and 1944. Among the programs that were eliminated entirely were FDR's own prized creations. By 1944, such pillars of the New Deal as the Civilian Conservation Corps, the National Youth Administration and the Work Projects Administration had been abolished. In 1939 those three programs had represented one-eighth of the federal budget. Roosevelt and the Congress of his day knew what to do in an emergency."

Fund states that Truman did the same thing during the Korean war.

I've noted in past posts here and made some "modest" suggestions as to how to remedy the situation.

1. Cut Taxes on Corporations, because when you increase corporate taxes, the corporations only pass along those taxes to the consumers who do not need any more outgo of their own pocketbooks.

2. Tax Wealth, not Income. I would be willing to bet that the Soros and Kennedy types would squeal like stuck pigs then.

3. Perhaps cut the tax rate on income to a flat tax, but tax all personal income. For those below an agreed on poverty level, they will get a refund.

4. Abolish federal withholding. When each taxpayer has to make a monthly “tax deposit� to cover their income taxes, the outcry will go up demanding fiscal responsibility.

5. Abolish deficit spending and any congressional trick used to pass a spending resolution without having to do the work necessary for a real budget, tie specific deficit authorizations to national emergencies such as natural disasters (Florida Hurricanes, Terrorist Attacks, War, etc., etc.)

6. Abolish all federal spending on anything that is not in the national interest (this alone would eliminate 90% of the pork methinks, though I’m not sure of that).

7. Set time limits on entitlements and require a “sunset review� one year before the limit arrives. Only if the entitlement is truly needed may it be continued.

Now, I have no idea at all if these steps will work, but they are based on fairly sound principles, and the laughter of the tax and spend-a-holics at the Laffer curve be damned. EVERY TIME taxes have been cut, revenues have gone UP.

Mr. President, I'm really ticked off at you for not vetoing some of these crap spending bills. It's time to not just mimic some famous democrats (remember your support of JFK's tax cuts), but to incorporate some principles of FDR and HT and cut spending so that we can afford what we really need. Oh, and do it now!

/rant!

Technorati Tags: politics, Current Events

Lt. Gen. Russel Honore - Right Man for Katrina Efforts

Today I watched a press conference with the head of Homeland Security and some general heading up rescue efforts in New Orleans. A reporter asked the general a loaded question and, after watching him rip her a new one with some colorful language, I learned that his name is Lt. Gen. Russel Honore. As he bid them farewell, I thought, "Wow! Now, that's the guy for this job."

Apparently, New Orleans Mayor Nagin agrees.

(Lt. Gen. Russel Honore) is a "John Wayne dude" who can "get some stuff done. He came off the doggone chopper, and he started cussing and people started moving."

A picture's worth a thousand words, and this picture says it all. From now on, Lt. Gen. Russel Honore is no longer some general, but is Gen. Honore, Sir! The three-star general doesn't seem to take nonsense from anyone and knows how to get things done. We're going to hear a lot more about him, and he sure looks like the right man for the job.

UPDATE:

Here's a sample and a report of the exchanges between General Honore (pronounced Onery) and the press mentioned above. As you read the words and to do them justice, insert the tone of an angry, impatient, and disgusted general and, with that, envision an accompanying glare and scowl. I guarantee that would rattle me. Ready? Here it is.

'John Wayne dude' general blasts Katrina complaints as 'B.S.'

Lieutenant General Russel Honore lived up to his 'John Wayne dude' nickname, blasting complaints that red tape or poor security were snarling relief efforts as 'B.S.'

'That's B.S. It's B.S.,' Honore raged. 'I can tell you that is B.S. We have got 300 helicopters and some of the finest EMS workers in the world down there. There is no red tape ... there are isolated incidents that people take to paint a broad brush.'

'You need to get on the streets of New Orleans, you can't sit back here and say what you hear from someone else. It is secure, we walk around without any issues. Why the hell are you trying to make that the issue, if you can help, get there and help,' he said, saying that people were being scared away by reports of violence.

That's telling it like it is. Do you think that the press will love him or hate him, now?

For more information and thoughts on the general, G.M. has followed up with his entry titled General Russel Honore - Soldier Extraordinaire.

Atomic Bomb: 60 Years Ago the Right Decision by a Democrat

Today, August 6, 2005, marks the sixtieth anniversary of the U.S. dropping an atomic bomb over Hiroshima. For years, there have been debates over President Truman's decision to use the weapon, but those debates have based their views on incomplete information and, sometimes, the inappropriate application of today's standards. With the recent release of previously classified information, the correctness of the decision comes into focus.

Consider the information and analyses in the articles linked below for which excerpts are provided.

The Weekly Standard
Why Truman Dropped the Bomb
Sixty years after Hiroshima, we now have the secret intercepts that shaped his decision.
by Richard B. Frank
08/08/2005

Starting with the publication of excerpts from the diaries of James Forrestal in 1951, the contents of a few of the diplomatic intercepts were revealed, and for decades the critics focused on these. But the release of the complete (unredacted) "Magic" Far East Summary, supplementing the Diplomatic Summary, in the 1990s revealed that the diplomatic messages amounted to a mere trickle by comparison with the torrent of military intercepts. The intercepts of Japanese Imperial Army and Navy messages disclosed without exception that Japan's armed forces were determined to fight a final Armageddon battle in the homeland against an Allied invasion. The Japanese called this strategy Ketsu Go (Operation Decisive). It was founded on the premise that American morale was brittle and could be shattered by heavy losses in the initial invasion. American politicians would then gladly negotiate an end to the war far more generous than unconditional surrender.

National Review Online
60 Years Later
Considering Hiroshima.
by Victor Davis Hanson
08/05/2005

The truth, as we are reminded so often in this present conflict, is that usually in war there are no good alternatives, and leaders must select between a very bad and even worse choice. Hiroshima was the most awful option imaginable, but the other scenarios would have probably turned out even worse.

Was the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan correct?

Well, consider that it took two of them. If one bomb didn't get the attention of the Japanese leaders, then a non-lethal demonstration had no chance. I'm convinced from the data that America would have suffered significant and unacceptable losses had we not used the bombs as we did. If that had been the case, then people today would be questioning why we permitted so many of our military men to die when we had the ultimate weapon but wouldn't use it.

We can learn many lessons from history. Some of these lessons might be applied to our war on Islamic terrorism. So, here's a lesson that Japan learned from the atomic bomb that America's enemies might want to learn today: Don't start something you can't finish.

And, here's a lesson for all the history revisionists and bashers of this country: Get the facts and be honest. Ultimately, the truth will come out and your biases will be exposed. The U.S. should not have to defend itself to you when it is right, and the U.S. should not form policy based upon your analyses when you have been proven so wrong in the past.

The Paucity Of The Chicken Hawk Argument

One of the major disconnects between the left and the right these days is the war on terror. Most of the left doesn't get it, most of the right does from my point of view. Duncan Black writing as that well known Atrios recently attacked the Young Republicans and their chair a Mr. Taylor for this comment:

Most of our members either serve, have served, or plan to serve in the United States Armed Forces, or have participated in events or projects supporting the United States Armed Forces. We will not be intimidated.

Atrios notes that Young Mr. Taylor's Young Republicans

Most serve, have served, plan to serve, OR HAVE PARTICIPATED IN EVENTS OR PROJECTS, such as Operation Drink a Beer for the Troops, Operation Burn a Dixie Chick CD, or Operation Put a Yellow Ribbon on my SUV, supporting the United States Armed Forces.

This was all preceded by this comment:

THE ARMY can't find enough recruits. Could there be a clearer expression of Americans' disenchantment with the war in Iraq?
This is democracy where it matters. No one should doubt that young Americans would willingly go to war if they believed in it.

Of course, this was BEFORE the Army announced that June's quotas were more than met or that re-inlistment quotas of those ACTIVELY serving in the Middle East often reach 150% of needs.

But that is not my point of contention with many on the left, my point is that the favorite sobriquet of the left for those of us who support the war on terror, who know the proclivities of the islamo-fascists (even as many of the left do) is the dreaded term "Chicken Hawk." Oh, the horror!

The argument is thus: "You can't support the war on terror (or the war in Iraq) (or the war in Afghanistan) unless you are willing to enlist and put your life on the line for what you believe. What a load of bullshit, crap, caca! a cursory search of the internet discovers a number of arguments totally refuting the Chicken Hawk observation, notably Donald Sensing who writes at The Sound Of One Hand Clapping here :

What gives you the justification to speak against the war?

What are your credentials that make you someone I or our nation’s leaders should listen to regarding national security?

Why should non-serving supporters be silent while non-serving critics be heard?

Of course, Sensing, having much more "sense" than Atrios has has a lot more for you to read so I encourage you to read it all.

The argument regarding the paucity of Atrio's comments (argument?...no, an argument is when you can present real evidence..ed.) is further reduced by a comment made by Blackfive:

(the Armys)...3rd Infantry Division in Iraq surpassed it's re-enlistment goal by 250%...that should tell you what the men and women that are actively engaged in the fight think of the mission in Iraq.

Uh, Mr. Black, did you get that? 250%! So, those with first hand knowledge (which Mr. Black does not have - to my uncertain knowledge) of the rigors of combat and service in the Middle East in the current war are re-inlisting at a rate 2 1/2 times greater than expected. How can that be Mr. Black?

One of the sites I read and enjoy is Winds of Change. In an article posted by Armed Liberal the "meme" of the Chicken Hawk charge is once again taken out. In Operation Yellow Donkey Armed liberal points out earlier attempts to drive a stake through the heart of the meme but also makes this comment:

It's an immoral position, a politically naive position, and one that undermines our polity. Plus it's just plain rude.

Can't say I disagree. In fact, one of the commenters (Bill -here) in Sensing's article noted:

How many are willing to go to Iraq, Israel, and now, Lebanon, and act as human sheilds (REAL human sheilds not the cutesy fashionable and oh so bogus ones who went to support Saddam’s Iraq - and don’t pretend that that wasn’t their long-term goal when all the math was done) for Iraqis volunteering to be police in their new state - or substitute themselves for hostages held by foreign “insurgents�, or stand between the Palestinian Terrorists and Israeli settlers in Gaza as they are evacuated, or stand between anti-Syrian Lebanese politicians and shrapnel form pro-Syrian “operatives.� Don’t worry, you wouldn’t have to join the military for that � just as before the Iraq war when they thought they were just goign to protect orphanages and mosques, you can come as you are. Of course, just as the “human sheidls� in Iraq freaked out when they were asked to acutally put themselves in harm’s way. I doubt that we’ll see a lot of volunteers.

Those that make the chicken hawk argument are intellectually dishonest and their argument is not to foster debate about the war or its outcome or the rationaile for it, it is simply to shut up anyone who dares to disagree with them. If you use the chicken hawk argument than you absolutely must be willing to enlist yourself, after all, we all understand that change is much more rapid "from the inside." No takers? Hmmm, didn't think there would be!

D-Day Plus 6

The gallent men and women of the Allied Forces continue their March into Europe to free the world of the menace of fascism. June 12, 1944. Three full waves of Allied troops have come ashore, combat troops, support troops, medical teams, nurses, a total of over 325,000 men and women determined to wipe Nazism off the face of the earth. Our forces landed well over 54,000 vehicles including halftracks, tanks, trucks, jeeps, ambulances and other assorted vehicles. over 104,000 tons of supplies (that's 208,000,000 pounds) have also been put ashore. The US 7th Corps advances across the Cotentin peninsula. The 4th Division is attacking Montebourg, Crisbecq and Azeville driving towards Cherbourg while the 5th and 7th Corps advance on St Lo.

Mark Starowicz of the Globe and Mail reviews Holding Juno, June 7-12 notes:

The German army in France could still have turned D-Day into an Allied disaster if its Panzer divisions had broken through the invading troops, precariously positioned on a thin beachhead along the Normandy coast, and literally driven them back into the sea. The significance of the six days, during which the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division repulsed the infamous 12th SS Panzer Division, is that it saved not only Juno Beach, but also the British beachheads. Had the Germans broken the Canadian line, they could have crippled the broader Allied advance.

The scenes recounted here sometimes make the film The Longest Day seem tame by comparison. Canadian soldiers lying in shallow slit trenches at night in an orchard as the massive German tanks crunched through the trees and rode over the trenches; men evaporating in a cloud of red from an artillery explosion; rows of German and Canadian bodies stacked like cordwood along a roadside. Here's Trooper Larry Allen, listening to the voices of a battlefield:

I heard one of the boys say, "Did you get yours?" ..... And one groaned and answered: "Yeah, where did he shoot you?"

"In the guts."

"Me too, the dirty bastards."

"The last sound I heard from our men was [one] calling his wife's name. Then I heard some German boys as they died calling for their mothers. ..... I felt sorry for those youths who were calling, 'Mütter, Mütter.'."

Google "June 12, 1944" and you will find pages of obituary after obituary of soldiers killed.

Today, some 61 years later We are loosing these brave men and women at the rate of some 1500 per day. The youngest of them are in their late 70's In a few more year's time, they will all be gone. What they did however will never die.

Currently we are engaged in another war to stamp out fascism, in this case islamo-fascism. The foe is as implacable as were the Nazi's and they hold many of the same beliefs. If we lose this war, we will have lost more than our civilization, we will have lost a legacy bequeathed to us on June 6, 1944 and the next 330+ days as the tyranny of the Nazis was crushed beneath the heel of freedom.

THE MYTH OF MORAL EQUIVALENCE

The the intellectual support for the Islamo-fascist assault on liberal democratic legitimacy involves a very complex, comprehensive, multifaceted strategy. First, it involves a demonstration of the failure of Western democracies to meet their own standards which are regarded as utopian measuring rods. Second, it proceeds by continuous falsification of Islamo-fascist practices and assertions of Islamic loyalty to basic Western values. At the same time that it is suggested that we do not respect our own values, it is claimed by the Islamists that they do. Our flaws are exaggerated, theirs are simply denied. Third, the conclusion is, of course, inexorably arrived at, that there is, at best, not a dime's worth of difference between these two modes of governance.

Full disclosure: I didn't write the above, I edited it and substituted islamo-fascism (and related terms) for the Soviet Union in an essay originally written by Jeane J. Kirkpatrick "The Myth of Moral Equivalence"

Which brings us to the purpose of this essay. There have been a multitude of writers of the left/liberal/progressive/Democratic Party types who decry the conduct of the war on terror based on actions taken by some blockheads (I'm trying to be polite in describing these folk) in mistreating prisoners taken in the war on terror.

Indeed, there is a large body of reportage describing how we have failed of our idealism as a nation by engaging in "torture" and other behaviors that have damaged our view of ourselves, damaged our reputation in the world and in the so called, much vaunted but entirely illusory "arab street."

In a recent post on gulags the comments from those on the opposite side of the aisle came fast and furious. Of a total (to date) 26 comments fully 14 of those comments were from the left taking issue with me. That is well and good, the whole idea behind my essay, and indeed this blog, is to post my beliefs and thoughts and to engender argument from those opposed to my ideas. To this extent I have, at long last, succeeded. The intellectual battle is thus joined.

From the left comes the argument that America and American style democracy is a failure because of Abu Ghraib, Gitmo, sending and the evidence that proves this was supplied by by none other than one George Soros:

"After an introduction by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, billionaire financier George Soros told left-wing activists at a Washington function today the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in Iraq is comparable to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States."

Also:

"In January, Soros told an audience at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace no less than the future of the planet hinges on the results of the presidential election.

"I'm ready to put my money where my mouth is," he said. "2004 is not an ordinary election. It's a referendum on the Bush doctrine. The future of the world hangs in the balance."

Uhhh, George, you lost. America voted for Bush and by extension, the War on Terrorists.

Yeppers, a true moral equivalence. What's the problem with the left, and please note, I'm not talking about Democrats, I'm not talking about liberals or progressives, I'm talking about the left, the hard core those who are so intellectually dishonest that they cannot tell the difference between abuse of prisoners (which has happened, only a person with their brain disengaged could say it didn't) and the stoning of gay folk, the execution by beheading of prisoners, the beating of women for a myriad of reasons, the imprisonment and sometimes execution of Christians in Saudi Arabia, the enslavery, torture (the real thing, not just abusive treatment), and execution of animists in Sudan. These are not equal behaviors.

I'm sure this post will bring out those who argue that we have failed of our promise. But war, and here we didn't start this war, is an awful thing. Bad things happen in war. We know this, any intellectually honest person knows this. Yet, we also give Quran's to our muslim prisoners. Do you honestly believe that Al Qaeda gives bibles to those they have captured. Do you think that those captured by the islamists in Iraq have access to legal cousel or courts? Do you honestly believe that their actions are the equivalent of ours?

This is the framework of the radical left. The left with an agenda. The agenda is simple, express outrage in logical and seemingly intelligent terms and decrease the effectiveness in the war on terrorists. Enlist Muslims in the condemnation of the trashing of the Quran and ask for more "sensitivity" in understanding the islamo-fascist. Don't believe me, how about "QURAN DESECRATION:
Far Worse than Abu Ghraib" by M.A. Muqtedar Kahn here.

The truth about Abu Ghraib is bad enough, in fact, it's sickening that American Soldiers could stoop so low. But the facts are also that those involved were also being investigated before the scandle broke, that charges were filed and courts martial were scheduled. Do those proposing a moral equivalence purport to tell us that the islamo-fascists would have done the same to those who beheaded helpless prisoners? I don't think so.

A friend recently sent me an e-mail that speaks to the differences between how we specifically and the west in general treat muslims and how we in turn are perceived by those self same muslims:

"Running the risk of sounding like one of those weird "conspiracy theorists," I must say that I do firmly believe that there is a very sophisticated, multi-faceted program to in time, supplant western culture (e.g., Christianity) with Islam. Remember, Islam is not "just" a religion; it is also a political power structure. When I say multi-faceted, I am saying that there is a concerted effort under foot to dismantle western culture, simultaneously, on several fronts. Farakan is working overtime to convert increasing numbers of African Americans, CAIR is working to indoctrinate school children through their programs of providing "free literature" and guest speakers to our public schools, more and more Muslims are becoming school teachrers, the Saudi government funds Madrassas almost exclusively, there are increasing numbers of mosques going up throughout US cities, there is a massive effort to garner political support for Islam within the Congress (Conyers), and through the ACLU and CCR lobbies, much effort is being placed on having Christians denounced as part of a "hate campaign" against the "tolerant" faith of Islam. MY concern is that this is working all too well, most Americans are not paying attention, and then what causes my deepest level of concern is that "they" are using "our" constitution to achieve their goals.

I am not advocating any kind of red-neck hoe-down here . . . but I am saying that if the various investigative agencies of the U. S. government aren't looking carefully enough, we will soon see [radical-Wahabbi] mosques spewing their filth to the direct and long term detriment to American culture. It is already in full swing in Europe; we are next. I recently read an article where a Swedish teenaged girl was found guilty of being "insensitive" to minorities for (are you ready) wearing a small symbol the the national ensign. So you see, in some western countries, citizens are not even permitted to display national pride because it offends minority sensitivities. Could that happen here? It already does, in terms of the so-called "hate" crimes where even speaking truth can lead to lawsuits. One lady author living in NYC was recently indicted in Italy for publishing a book that speaks the truth about Islam, and Italian Muslims filed a criminal complaint.

One person with whom I correspond, he is Greek American who lives in NYC, told me not long ago that he fully expects American cities will look similar to Beruit within another generation or so. I hope he is wrong, but I fear that he is not. I think my underlying concern is that the longer we wait to confront "the enemy within," the more difficult it will be to sort things out in defense of the American way.

The American way -- where foreigners are welcomed to our shores with the expectation that they will embrace us, learn our language, educate their children, work hard, serve America when it is necessary, and take their places by our side. Muslims are being told to do just the opposite -- "remain apart, trust Christians not, do not offer a helping hand, even when they do good things for you, use the infidel's system against the infidel," and that kind of sh**. And, of course, dumb asses that we are, we do not perceive any of this as being a problem."

Now I know that there will be some who decry this kind of language, but will also use equally intemperate language, indeed perhaps worse, to describe the author of the e-mail. Some of the terms I have been called in various forums are not to be believed (well, if you read DU, you can believe it).

An Arab who is also a Christian states it fairly well:

"The following is my analysis of Islamic invasion of America, the agenda of Islamists and visible methods to take over America by the year 2020! Will Americans continue to sleep through this invasion as they did when we were attacked on 9/11?

1) Terminate America’s freedom of speech by replacing it with hate crime bills state-wide and nation-wide.

2) Wage a war of words using black leaders like Louis Farrakhan, Rev. Jesse Jackson and other visible religious personalities to promote Islam as the original African-American’s religion while Christianity is for the whites! Strange enough, no one tells the African-Americans that it was the Arab Muslims who captured them and sold them as slaves, neither the fact that in Arabic the word for black and slave is the same, “Abed.�

3) Engage the American public in dialogues, discussions, debates in colleges, universities, public libraries, radio, TV, churches and mosques on the virtues of Islam. Proclaim how it is historically another religion like Judaism and Christianity with the same monotheistic faith.

4) Nominate Muslim sympathizers to political office for favorable legislation to Islam and support potential sympathizers by block voting.

5) Take control of as much of Hollywood, the press, TV, radio and the internet by buying the corporations or a controlling stock.

6) Yield to the fear of imminent shut-off of the lifeblood of America – the black gold. America’s economy depends on oil, (1000 products are derived from oil), so does its personal and industrial transportation and manufacturing -41% comes from the Middle East.

7) Yell, “foul, out-of-context, personal interpretation, hate crime, Zionist, un-American, inaccurate interpretation of the Quran� anytime Islam is criticized or the Quran is analyzed in the public arena.

8) Encourage Muslims to penetrate the White House, specifically with Islamists who can articulate a marvelous and peaceful picture of Islam. Acquire government positions, get membership in local school boards. Train Muslims as medical doctors to dominate the medical field, research and pharmaceutical companies. Take over the computer industry. Establish Middle Eastern restaurants throughout the U.S. to connect planners of Islamization in a discreet way. Ever notice how numerous Muslim doctors in America are, when their countries need them more desperately than America?

9) Accelerate Islamic demographic growth via:
Massive immigration (100,000 annually since 1961) No birth control whatsoever – every baby of Muslim parents is automatically a Muslim and cannot choose another religion later. Muslim men must marry American women and Islamize them (10,000 annually). Then divorce them and remarry every five years – since one cannot have the Muslim legal permission to marry four at one time. This is a legal solution in America. Convert angry, alienated black inmates and turn them into militants (so far 2000 released inmates have joined Al Qaida world-wide). Only a few have been captured in Afghanistan and on American soil. So far – sleeping cells!

10) Reading, writing, arithmetic and research through the American educational system, mosques and student centers (now 1500) should be sprinkled with dislike of Jews, evangelical Christians and democracy. There are 300 exclusively Muslim schools with loyalty to the Quran, not the U.S. Constitution.

11) Provide very sizeable monetary Muslim grants to colleges and universities in America to establish “Centers for Islamic studies� with Muslim directors to promote Islam in higher education institutions.

12) Let the entire world know through propaganda, speeches, seminars, local and national media that terrorists have high-jacked Islam, not the truth, which is Islam high-jacked the terrorists. Furthermore in January of 2002, Saudi Arabia’s Embassy in Washington mailed 4500 packets of the Quran, videos, promoting Islam to America’s high schools--free. They would never allow us to reciprocate.

13) Appeal to the historically compassionate and sensitive Americans for sympathy and tolerance towards the Muslims in America who are portrayed as mainly immigrants from oppressed countries.

14) Nullify America’s sense of security by manipulating the intelligence community with misinformation. Periodically terrorize Americans of impending attacks on bridges, tunnels, water supplies, airports, apartment buildings and malls. (We have experienced this too often since 9-11.)

15) Form riots and demonstrations in the prison system demanding Islamic Sharia as the way of life, not American’s justice system.

16) Open numerous charities throughout the U.S. but use the funds to support Islamic terrorism with American dollars.

17) Raise interest in Islam on America’s campuses by insisting that freshman take at least one course on Islam. Be sure that the writer is a bonafide American, Christian, scholarly and able to cover up the violence in the Quran and express the peaceful, spiritual and religious aspect only.

18) Unify the numerous Muslim lobbies in Washington, mosques, Islamic student centers, educational organizations, magazines and papers by internet and an annual convention to coordinate plans, propagate the faith and engender news in the media of their visibility.

19) Send intimidating messages and messengers to the outspoken individuals who are critical of Islam and seek to eliminate them by hook or crook.

20) Applaud Muslims as loyal citizens of the US by spotlighting their voting record as the highest percentage of all minority and ethic groups in America.

This site shows a few of the "debates" between the author of the above and Muslim leaders. Yep, Morally Equivalent for sure.

For a last argument, let us return to Jeane J. Kirkpatrick:

"But whenever anyone suggests that the world is dominated by superpower rivalries, they imply that we have some goal other than fostering and preserving a world of independent nations. Otherwise the concept of superpower rivalry makes no sense. But if there is only one power which seeks to undermine and subvert the independence of nations, then there is no question of superpower rivalry, and there isn't even a question of a contest between the United States and that imperialistic power. There is a contest between the imperialistic power and all other countries who desire to preserve their independence.

UPDATE: Babalublog has a terrific post up about the true sense of what a real gulag is. No attempt at moral equivalence here. Good Job Val Prieto. Good damn job!

Worth 1,000,000 Words And Maybe More!!!

Petefrt via Flickr sent to me by a friend.

War And Remembrance

This is not about national news, partisan bickering, stupidity of government, comedy (oh, wait, is that the same thing?) or any other post I have done. This is about a boy and his dad. I'm was the boy and this is about one of my heroes, my Dad. Forgive me if the title is a little misleading for some, it's not about the current war, but on the effect of war on a single man, one who is gone, but not forgotten. On the cusp of another Memorial Day, its important for me to put this down, and I hope it's message is important to you, because my dad was one of the "Greatest Generation" so eloquently described by Tom Brokaw. A career Army Officer, a patriot, a deeply religious man and my hero.

re·mem·brance (P) Pronunciation Key (r-mmbrns)n.
1.The act or process of remembering.
2.The state of being remembered: holds him in fond remembrance.
3.Something serving to celebrate or honor the memory of a person or event; a memorial.
4.The length of time over which one's memory extends.
5.Something remembered; a reminiscence.
6.A souvenir.
7.A greeting or token expressive of affection.

This is my remembrance of a man who fought in three shooting wars, so that his kids and grandkids and generations beyond would have a life better than his own.

Dad was born in McAlister, Oklahoma where his dad was an assistant warden at the Oklahoma State Prison. He used to say that he wasn't born in Texas, but got here as soon as he could. Grand Dad was a career army officer who after WWI was assigned to "non-military" duties temporarily following a reduction in forces. Grand Dad was recalled to active duty the following year and stayed in the Army until his retirement in 1949. Growing up on a number of military bases, all calvery units, gave dad an early inside look at the functioning of the Army. He decided in High School that he would be a career soldier like his dad, and his dad before him. Joining what would become ROTC in High School, Dad spent his summers training. He graduated from H.S. in 1939 and was off to the University of Texas to obtain a degree in Political Science. He enlisted in the US Army in 1940 recognizing then, even if few else did, that we would soon be involved in a growing war in Europe and possibly in the pacific. He was stationed at Fort Sam Houston as an EM and was commissioned in July, 1941 as a 2nd Lt.

Immediately following dad's commissioning, his dad was ordered to take charge of a battalion of Philippine Scouts on Mindanao Island, Republic of the Philippines.

Dad met mom, got married in 1942 and in 1943 had their first child, my sister Pamela. In 1944 long after Grand Dad had been imprisoned in a POW camp by the Japanese, Dad was sent to England for the invasion of the mainland. I have written about some of the exploits of Dad's unit, the 405th Infantry of the 102nd ID here, here and here.

I don't remember anything about WWII having been born in Germany after the war, but I remember Korea and Vietnam.

We lived in former Army hospital housing in Fort Benning, Ga. where my two brothers Doug and Bert were born. In the fall of 1950. Dad was an instructor at The Infantry School at Fort Benning. The message came down via the routine channels. Ship out to Korea, assignment, communications officer for a Tank battalion, not a great assignment for an Infantry Officer and Dad recounts that he worried about the effect on his career as an Infantryman.

Moving to San Antonio, Texas for the duration of the war, we settled down in a house across the street from my Dad's parents.

Dad landed in Korea where he took part in the breakout from the Pusan Perimeter. As allied forces pushed the PRK forces back Dad was there.

I don't know all of the details of his time in Korea, I recall him talking about the push to the Yalu River with his troops and the "Frozen Chosin" and the battle with the Red Chinese in December 1950 when they crossed the Yalu river in force. One story related the fate of a rather selfish captain who, having received a bottle of booze hid it outside rather than share it with anyone. In the middle of the night, he snuck out for a quick nip. The alcohol was unfrozen of course, but still below zero when the unlucky captain swigged a mouthful. The freezing cold liquid froze his esophagus and stomach and he died in severe pain. After being pushed back from the Yalu Dad given a chance to "volunteer" for a dangerous assignment, one more in keeping with his training in "The Queen of Battle" as the Infantry is known. The assignment? Training and taking Republic of Korea troops behind enemy lines and into North Korea.

In the following summer, Dad and a force of ROK commandoes were "escaping" from a mission in North Korea on a powered junk with the North Koreans hot on their trail. The PRKA began lobbing mortar shells at the junk, one of them hitting it amidships and tossing dad and a couple of others into the water. Dad didn't swim thanks to a real fear of water after nearly drowning as a child. Grand Mom wouldn't let him "go back in the water" and he developed a phobia of water deeper than a coffee cup. Waking up on the deck of the destroyer or some other navy craft sent to pull them out, Dad looked up at an Ensign and asked who he had to thank for pulling him out of the water. The Ensign looked at him quizzically and said "Captain, you were the first to swim to the boat."

Dad returned to the US in 1952 and we moved back to Fort Benning where I entered the first grade. Moving to Germany in 1954, Dad was stationed at 7th Army Headquarters in 1956 when in October, '56 the Hungarian people rose up against their Soviet Oppressors. On November 4, '56 Soviet forces entered Hungry with a mind to crush the Hungarian Revolution. At the same time in Egypt, Israel, France and England invaded and took over the Suez Canal. Crisis on two continents, was World War III about to begin?

Our emergency travel bags were packed, and the possibility of war with the Soviet Union over the invasion of Hungry necessitating the evacuation of American Dependents was a real possibility. Dad worried about our safety, at the same time he had to plan for possible war.

War was averted and the intervention of Eisenhower forced Israel, England and France to withdraw from the Suez. In the summer of '57 we headed home again and Arkansas was our next stop as Dad became the Advisor to the Arkansas National Guard.

More troubles, not long after we moved to Arkansas, the Governor called out the guard to prevent integration at Central High School in Little Rock. All of us had gone to school for years with children of other colors, other races, other religions; we didn't understand the hatred we saw. Years later, Dad recalled the relief he felt when Eisenhower called in the 101st Airborne to protect the students, and Dad did everything he could to keep the Arkansas National Guard in check.

Summer of '61 brought more problems. Despite growing up in a very much "Happy Days" environment in Arkansas, South East Asia was heating up. Our new President ordered American Advisors to Vietnam to assist the RVN forces, Dad received his orders in June and in mid August he landed in the RVN. The next 12 months were an agony for Mom and the four kids. Usually once a week there was a news cast about Vietnam, most of my fellow 10th graders had no idea where Vietnam was or why we were trying to help. That would change.

In March, we received a phone call from a friend who told us to quickly turn to CBS news; Dad was on! Quickly we changed channels, but were too late. I remember Mom crying that night, fearing that after surviving two shooting wars, Dad may not make it home from the third one. He did though and in late July, 1962 Dad returned home two weeks earlier than scheduled, his mom had died and the Army opted to let him come home early for the funeral.

Next assignment, the Pentagon and Washington D.C. Actually, Building T-7 one of the Temporary buildings built during WWII to last 5 years. At 20, this one was still going strong.

Missiles of October, Kennedy assassination, the Congo. I lived in fear that he would once again have to go somewhere and put his life on the line. But the next three years passes without major family disruption. I graduated from H.S. and headed for college. Dad was assigned to Panama. He returned to Fort Sam as Post IG for his final tour of duty. In May of 1972 Dad submitted his retirement papers. "I'm tired he said, I want to enjoy my granddaughter and spend time with your mom."

In June he received a phone call from a Lt. Col. in the Pentagon asking for a copy of his medical records; he was being considered for promotion to Brigadier General. "Go to hell Col." Dad said, "I've put in 32 years in this Army, I'm retiring in 20 days. Of course, the family was disappointed. Knowing Dad would have gone from Private E-1 to General without benefit of a college degree would have been quite an accomplishment, but Dad was adamant.

His retirement years were good ones, he and Mom spent the next 26 years sharing time with each other. He had a stroke in '84 but substantially recovered though now he felt much "sicker". He survived a bout of thyroid cancer. Mom had multiple mini-strokes over a years time and died in '98. Dad was devastated

He never got over his love for mom though, each night he would kiss her picture and say "good night, I'll be with you soon enough." Dad's cancer returned with a vengeance and he refused treatment. "I'm old and tired," he said, "I want to be with your mom."

On September 3, 2000 in mid afternoon, and in his sleep, he gasped one last time and "Slipped the Surly Bonds of Earth."

I learned a lot from my Dad, and the older I got, the wiser he got. I learned to love my God, my family, my country. I learned that all men are created equal and though equal outcomes are impossible, if you try to be the best that you can, you never loose.

I learned that there are truly evil men out there, governments that trample on the rights of their citizens, governments that would love to crush America. I learned too that the American people are the most generous in the world, that we have a way of life that really is, as Ronald Reagan noted "The Shining City On The Hill."

I miss you Dad, and I want you to know that you were really and truly a hero to me, and to others. You didn't die in war, but you gave your life for your country in the best possible way, by living, but by also willing to put your life on the line. Thanks!

UPDATE: Other terrific posts on Memorial Day (and you really ought to read them all) are:

Blackfive

Cathouse Chat

Daisy Cutter Particularly Good

Flight Pundit

Red State Rant

Right Fielder

Stacking Swivel (One for Vietnam, WWII and Korea - Read them all)

If you don't read the above, you are cheating yourself out of a great big lump in your throat. Go!!! Now!!!!

Posted by GM Roper at 11:46 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack (2)

Armed Forces Day - Saturday, May 21st, 2005

Today is Armed Forces Day in our country. On this day, we can offer our thanks and recognize the service and sacrifices of those who serve in all branches of our military.

In 1952, the "New York Times" offered its appraisal of this day, which is still true for all who hold gratitude:

This is the day on which we have the welcome opportunity to pay special tribute to the men and women of the Armed Forces ... to all the individuals who are in the service of their country all over the world. Armed Forces Day won't be a matter of parades and receptions for a good many of them. They will all be in line of duty and some of them may give their lives in that duty.

In these times, as throughout our history, brave men and women work and train, are available at all times, put themselves at risk, and go into immediate action when called to protect you and our country. Take a moment to remember them and, today, try to thank someone in the military for all that he or she does for us--and, in accordance with today's theme, let them know that America supports them.

The Last Battle

The 102nd Infantry Division fought from Cherbourg, France through some of the roughest fighting, the Bulge (posted on at my old site), the Roer, the Rhine facing the German 2nd Paratroop Division, the atrocity at Gardelegenand which I posted on here and on to the Elbe At a bridge in Northern Germany, the Tangermunde Bridge, elements of the 102nd Infantry Division watched the last battle between the Russians and the fleeing Germans. This is their story. Reprinted in its entirety from the 102nd Infantry Divisions Official History

DASH TO THE ELBE

On April 12th the Ozarks continued to press east toward the Elbe River, following the spearheading 5th Armored Division. From this point on no further enemy resistance of any magnitude was expected nor encountered. Without reserves, transportation, food or ammunition the enemy had little choice but to surrender. For the most part they either retreated north and across the Elbe or gave up. Those that were retreating didn't take the necessary precautions to destroy bridges left in their paths. This only helped the pace at which the Allies advanced.

The 102nd, 84th and 35th Infantry Divisions were advancing so quickly that the only danger lay from by-passed German units that could not always be tracked down in the forests. Potential pockets of resistance and ambushes awaited around every turn. By days end the 405th Regiment, 3rd Battalion had traversed approximately 30 miles east to Meine. Their 2nd Battalion made it to Rotgesbuttel and the 1st occupied Rethen. The 406th Regiment was slightly north in Gifhorn.

The next day the 406th, 3rd Battalion after covering about 25 miles ran into a small but stiff pocket of resistance in the woods Northwest of Schwiesau. It would take them until the 14th to clear the woods and head south through Gardelegen to Erxleben. The 2nd Battalion of the 406th headed northeast from the Gardelegen Highway to Osterburg, a town just west of the banks of the Elbe. The 405th Regiment's 1st Battalion advanced to the Elbe into Stendal, near Tangemunde. The 3rd Battalion of the 405th also made it to the Elbe this day. They were south of the 1st in Burgstal. The Ozarks had unequivocally reached the Elbe.

Continue reading "The Last Battle"

When Children Die

The Koran forbids making war on civilians, non-combatants, women and children. So why is this child dying? Why?

UPDATE: Kevin over at Preemptive Karma has a very moving post up. Read it and all the comments as well.

HT to LGF

Iraq: Year 2 - Part II

As a follow up to the post below (and I think the subject deserves a posting of its own) a very good friend sent me this e-mail and I reproduce it here with only one comment: Where oh where do we find such good men?

The author of what follows is a young Marine Officer who graduated from the University of Virginia, class of 2002, NROTC. My only thought after reading this is, "My God, what magnificent young people we have in our Armed Forces." I'm sure you will agree. Reading this is worth your time.

HB (the author of Shades of Gray blog here -ed. info in parentheses added)

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