Defining a Just War

Ladies and Gentlemen, Stephen from Way Down in Kosovo puts up another great essay in his continuing lessons on history. Especially important is this essay “Thinking Man's Rant: Law, Morality and Warfare” it is a must read. There is even a pop quiz interjected into the essay but be careful, if you answer wrong you just might get to see this first hand:

Hint: if you answer United States of America, go out and play in the traffic right now. If you answer "The Empire", please leave your name and address, and after I get done with this deployment I will come to your house and beat you silly with your own "Code Pink" protest sign, then mock your sad lack of secondary sexual development in front of teenagers.

Humor aside, the poignant essay is one that cuts through the rhetoric and defines finally for everyone why Iraq is a Just War.

Reg Henry’s King George: Satire or Syndrome?

In Reg Henry’s latest column “Good to be King George” which can be found here, here, here and here he seems to be implying that the recent NSA kerfuffles exposed in the New York Times is not about President Bush being proactive on protecting the country but rather it is W’s desire to be omnipotent. If this is satire it is satire of the highest order, however, I believe that it is more a symptom of the Main Stream Media’s Syndrome, Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS.)

How can I be so sure? With this quote it becomes obviously clear that Reg Henry and the rest of the MSM are only concerned with bringing down the “House of Bush” regardless the outcome for the country. The quote in question:

“That our own King George -- he of the House of Bush -- is truly of royal blood has become clear in recent days with the announcement that he has empowered the National Security Agency to spy on whomsoever and whatsoever it wishes under royal decree.”

The problem Mr. Henry is that President Bush did not authorize the NSA to spy on whomsoever and whatsoever it wishes, he authorized them to “detect" the international communications of known Al Qaeda operatives and associates operating within the United States for the sole purpose of gathering foreign intelligence on Al Qaeda.” Your hatred for President Bush and his policies is even more evident now that the members of the “fourth estate” have finally realized that you are not a coequal branch of government with the legislative, judicial, and executive branches.

Mr. Henry and his fellow journalists would have you believe that they represent the people as their own personal public defender against the advances of government upon your rights. The truth is, the MSM is only the interested in their "rights" and could care less about yours. When half of the country finally realized that you stood for all that is not right with America they began to not only vote at the ballot box for a better way they began voting with their pocket books. Continue to write your libelous commentary Mr. Henry, the American people see through your false charade and soon you will be the death of your profession.

Mr. Henry does get one thing right, it is good to be the king, the only problem is the MSM is finding that it is no longer king of its trade and soon it will find itself without a kingdom to defend.

What Did You Do on Your Christmas Break

For 16-year-old Farris Hassan, it was quite a time,

Using money his parents had given him at one point, he bought a $900 plane ticket and took off from school a week before Christmas vacation started, skipping classes and leaving the country on Dec. 11.

His goal: Baghdad. Those privy to his plans: two high school buddies”

Yes that’s right 16-year-old Hassan went on his own into the lion’s den and came back out alive.

Maybe it was the time the taxi dumped him at the Iraq-Kuwait border, leaving him alone in the middle of the desert. Or when he drew a crowd at a Baghdad food stand after using an Arabic phrase book to order. Or the moment a Kuwaiti cab driver almost punched him in the face when he balked at the $100 fare. But at some point, Farris Hassan, a 16-year-old from Florida, realized that traveling to Iraq by himself was not the safest thing he could have done with his Christmas vacation.”

His father, said his son is an idealist, principled and moral. Aside from the research he wanted to accomplish, he also wrote in an essay saying he wanted to volunteer in Iraq.

He said he wrote half the essay while in the United States, half in Kuwait, and e-mailed it to his teachers Dec. 15 while in the Kuwait City airport.

"There is a struggle in Iraq between good and evil, between those striving for freedom and liberty and those striving for death and destruction," he wrote.

"Those terrorists are not human but pure evil. For their goals to be thwarted, decent individuals must answer justice's call for help. Unfortunately altruism is always in short supply. Not enough are willing to set aside the material ambitions of this transient world, put morality first, and risk their lives for the cause of humanity. So I will."

Farris, you’re one hell of a man, and I hope that you live up to your pledge. Congratulations on a safe return!

Tucker Carlson is Bothered that’s for Sure.

In Tucker Carlson’s latest essay “Bothered by the NSA story” which can be found here, he apparently is indicating that he is bothered by the NSA story for the simple reason that he doesn’t like President Bush exerting his authority as granted under Article II of the Constitution. He writes, “There are circumstances when the country's interests take priority over its laws.” He is right many Presidents have taken control of publicly and privately owned corporations in time of war, the problem isn’t that he has extraordinary powers according to Mr. Carlson, the problem is that for Tucker the President’s powers are, “…temporary. In the long term -- for instance, in the four years since 9-11 -- a president either has to obey the laws or change them. If Bush believes that the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is incompatible with fighting the war on terror, he should ask Congress to scrap it.” The problem for Mr. Carlson isn’t that this program is in place; the problem is that the President is exerting his authority and power as granted by the Constitution.

The true focus of Mr. Carlson’s essay comes in his seventh paragraph as he attempts to explain to us why the President didn’t go before Congress and ask to use the authority inherent in his position, “Unfortunately that is not Bush's way. Bush distrusts rhetoric. He hates to explain and persuade. He'd prefer to decide and delegate. So instead of taking the time to convince members of Congress -- and for that matter the public -- that the government needs to start spying on Americans, he went ahead and did it in secret.” But as we can see, this is a lie; President Bush is not spying on Americans for his order to the NSA was to "detect" the international communications of known Al Qaeda operatives and associates, no where has he ordered the wiretapping of American Citizens in an effort to catch them doing something wrong as you as so inclined to have us believe.

Mr. Carlson it isn’t the public that needs to be convinced that this operation is legal, we know it to be so, it is you the MSM that needs to be convinced that it is legal for everything President bush does in your eyes is an attack on the American people not because you love this country but rather because you hate Bush. Mr. Carlson is certainly bothered by something but as we can see, it isn’t because the NSA is doing its job, its something else entirely and I’ll leave it to you my readers to decide what it is that is bothering Mr. Carlson.

Happy Birthday MiLord

Today, my youngest turns 6. We didn't think that he would be with us past his first day on this earth, but apparantly someone else thought otherwise.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Buddy!

A Challenge To Help!

This was a message sent by Carol on the Soldiers Angels' TLC Team, to all angels: "I think we could shower this man with letters and cards and he would be very happy to know not only that we support him-but that his troops care about him..." In response to the letter below she received:

"MY NAME IS NOT IMPRORTANT BUT MY SQUAD LEADER CPL SMITH IS A MAN WHO ALWAY THINKS OF US FIRST.
HE EATS LAST IF THERE IS ANYTHING LEFT.HE ALWAY SLEEPS LAST AND IS THE FIRST UP IN THE MORNING. HE ALWAYS PUTS US FIRST.
I HAVE NOTICED RECENTLY HE NEVER GETS MAIL. I ASKED HIM WHY AND HE SAID, "MOST OF MY FAMILY CAN'T STAND ME CUS IM IN THE ARMY THEY DONT SUPPORT WHAT WE DO...BUT THAT’S OK."
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE HIM GET SOMETHING FOR ONCE. HE ALWAYS GIVES TO EVERYONE ELSE AND NEVER GET (NEVER ASKS) A THING FROM ANY ONE. JUST A LETTER WOULD BE FINE.
HE KNOWS I'M SENDING THIS BUT HE DOESN'T BELEIVE THERE WILL BE A REPLY."

If you would like to help you can email Carol. If you are not a Soldiers Angel already but would like to get involved in helping soldiers like the one above, it's quick and easy to get started! Visit the Soldiers Angels website to find out more, become an angel and adopt a soldier.

As an aside, I can tell you first hand that receiving mail is a very important thing for a deployed soldier. Mail Call has a way of lifting up your spirits when you are down, its even better when it’s from someone you love. Please help out this soldier, and join us in an effort to flood him with mail and prove to him that there are many people back home that are supporting him and his mission.

Thank you.
Hat Tip: Mrs. Greyhawk and Holly Aho

A Soldier Comes Home

It had been almost 30 year since we repositioned our units from that Area of Operations (AO) but yesterday a lost soldier from that era returned home to be with his brothers in arms. The AO was the backyard of my youth and the soldier was one of many “little green army men” that I lost in my battles in that wide copse of trees and grass between the house and the garage. I don’t remember the mission but seeing him again was like meeting a best friend that you had lost touch with for several years and were able to pick right back up where you left off, and for a moment yesterday I was once again a 6 year old general leading my men in the fight against the Nazi’s. It was the height of Vietnam and as a 6 year old I thought that the actual gorillas had somehow revolted not unlike the apes in Planet of the Apes, I had no concept at the time that a war between men was waging a half a world away, my enemies were still the enemies of my father, the Germans of WWII.

We moved from that house in ’76 for another one closer to my dad’s office and 2 years later we left Pennsylvania all together. The couple that bought the house from my parents (Mr. & Mrs. H.) still lives there to this day and it was them that sent this soldier home to us. They wrote in the letter, “For many years after we moved in Jen and I would find these soldiers in the backyard and around the property and we could tell that four boys had lived here. It had been many years since we found any of them about the property and we thought for sure that all of them had been found until earlier this year when we found this one soldier.”

Amazingly, their oldest daughter lives not far from my parents, and Mr. And Mrs. H had attended the same church my parents attend, when they visited her. Seeing my parents name in the bulletin they sent our lost brother home to us and yesterday I was re-acquainted with him. I read that letter several times yesterday while sitting around the table sharing our Christmas day meal, and I was reminded that many other of our brothers are coming home form Iraq and Afghanistan and I thought, perhaps this soldier was a message to me, a sign that I am on the right path to my calling.

Yesterday a Soldier from a long lost era returned home, tomorrow Soldiers from a different era will come home, let us great them like old friends, and honor them for their sacrifices. They are Soldiers of this Grand Union and they deserve to be honored as we honor all heroes with parades and gratitude and everlasting thanks for sacrificing their lives for our freedoms.

The Birth of Jesus Christ

Luke 2:1-20 New International Version (NIV)

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Merry Christmas all, and to all those defending Freedom, thank you!

'Tidings of Comfort and Joy

In three days Christmas and Chanukah will be upon us, the downward trend of less sunlight and increased stress due to the commercialization of these religious holidays will have passed, yet for many of us the season will be a sad one. Spouses, loved ones, brothers, sisters, cousins, grandchildren, nieces and nephews are still deployed or even deploying in the fight against terrorism. For them, waking up to the sight of their family gathering around the tree, or meeting for Chanukah dinners will be replaced with work, patrols and yes possibly even firefights.

If you have a loved one deployed or even on active duty, thank you for your sacrifice to protect our freedom. Do not fall prey to the pessimism of the media and those on the left in this country for they are a broken and battered party, their incessant whining about a lost cause and violations of the constitution are but the symptoms of a greater illness that has overtaken them. Instead, lift up your spirits and remember the good times you have had with your loved one and the happy times you will have again upon their return, for they will return. Think to the great and noble acts they perform everyday in Iraq, Afghanistan and even Kosovo, projecting democracy and freedom to the world and remember that they fight the enemy of freedom in the enemy’s backyard and not our own.

Christmas and Chanukah are both celebrations to the glory of God and his love for his chosen people; let it not be a time of sadness and depression but rather a celebration of our own life in freedom and security. To quote JRR Tolkien’s character Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King;

“Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers, I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!”

Let us use his words as our battle cry and instead of this being the day that we fight, let us stand up and celebrate our freedoms and the service of all those who willingly wear the uniform of our country, tomorrow we will fight and we will win.

Thank A Soldier Week

I’m a little late for this but it’s Thank a Soldier Week. American soldiers are risking their lives all over the globe defending America's interests and defending the freedoms that many of us take for granted. During Thank a Soldier Week (December 19-25), Townhall.com is encouraging Americans to stop for a moment and give thanks to the men and women risking everything for us.

I'm asking you to do three simple things:
Stop by
Send a message
Pass the word

Thanks.

"I Pray One Day I Can Make the World Proud of Me"

Sgt Grey Eagle, writes a moving tribute to a lost comrade, thank you for sharing with me another of my long lost brothers; Specialist Russell Nahvi.

Ours was special calling, for we sang the cadence of soldiers, honoring those who fought before us, but would be handed a bag of bandages and tools to save lives, long before we would be issued our first weapon. Where other soldiers learned to avoid incoming mortars and gunfire, and to flank the enemy, we learned how to dash in the mist of the mayhem, and return with a wounded soldier who we would then attempt with every ounce of our skill, prayer and dedication to send home to devote to his loved ones, a proud and honored hero. To make that sacrifice reflects in the character of a combat medic, and Spec. Russell Nahvi lead the way in that character.

I shook and the tears flowed as if I mourned for thousands of people who never met him as I read the account of his death. I still have pictures at home of him and the rest of the gang hanging out at the cabins at a lake in San Antonio Texas as we sought refuge from the barracks and camouflage clothing of what had become our life. As I stood in the sands of Iraq, I cursed this place, I hated it all, I hated being away from my family, I hated conditions, I hated the crap, I hated everything about this place, and I hated what it had done my comrade, my long lost brother, my friend.

There may come a time when the hearts of men will break and we will throw off all bonds of fellowship but that day is not today. Today, Spc Nahvi has gone before us to prepare our way and we who are left behind must continue the fight! We can not allow his loss to be for a cause that was won and then thrown away for political expedience.

Godspeed Russ and one day when it is my time we will meet in a better place.

His Memory Will Not Fade

The loss of a loved one is always a hard thing; the loss of a child is even harder. Greyhawk at the Mudville Gazette has a must read letter posted about someone you should know, SGT. Mike Stokely, written by his father.

He writes in part; “His memory will not fade nor will our love for him. When Mike was just becoming a teenager, I tried to imagine what he would be one day. I often told people I wasn't sure where life would take him, but I knew he would do something different and be very well known in his chosen field. I never dreamed he would become an American Hero who would serve his country so well.”

Godspeed SGT. Mike Stokley and God Bless Robert Stokley.

Hat tip: Blackfive

Shockwave Fun

A fun little bit of shock wave animation that sucked up 15 minutes of my time this morning…..damn is this addictive. How far can you hit it?

How to play:

1. Click once on the snowman.
2. Click once on the snowman to hit the penguin as he descends from the cliff.

Tucker Carlson is still wrong.

Tucker Carlson is at it once again. His latest essay; “What if Bush is right about Iraq”, which can be found here and here, backhandedly supports the notion that we may just be on the right path with Iraq. He writes rather tellingly, “There's a consensus among the media that the war was a mistake from the beginning and that Bush's handling of it has been inept. I share that view. As a result — and also because Iraq stories get terrible ratings — Thursday's elections were all but ignored in cable news and under-covered in print. It will take months to know if this was a good editorial decision. If the elections turn out to represent a peaceful lull between outbreaks of violence and chaos, the scant coverage will be justified. But if this turns out to be the point at which Iraq begins to get its act together, we'll have underplayed a huge story.” He continues, “…I had a long e-mail exchange about it today with a reporter friend of mine. He's a conservative who, partly based on what he saw first-hand in Iraq, has become violently disenchanted with the Bush administration's handling of the war. Here's how he concluded his last e-mail: "If Bush ends up being right about Iraq, it will be through luck and accident and God's grace, not through any skillful calculation of his own. I tend to think my friend is right. But it almost doesn't matter. A disaster in Iraq would be a disaster for the United States. Pray for success, no matter who's responsible for it.”

Are we to honestly believe that you have a “conservative reporter” friend that spent time in Iraq and is now “violently disenchanted” with the Bush Administration’s handling of the war? Let me remind you, that on its own that statement does not mean a damn thing. Without giving us more about who this conservative reporter is we have no idea if this means that the war is not going as he would like to see it, or if he believes the administration is bungling its PR job. Yet you use it to be the hammer that seemingly strikes the death knell for the war, since even, “conservative reporters” think the war is lost. Until you can name this “source” we have to assume that he does not exist, or if he does he like many reporters hide in the International Zone sending out dispatches about the daily body count because to do otherwise would be too dangerous.

So lets see, you admit that you disagree with the war and you feel that Bush has handled it badly, and we are to believe you when you say that you might be concerned that the story of the Iraqi elections was underplayed? Tucker you are an ASSHAT! You know as well as I do that the Iraqi Election Day story was terribly underreported, you even tell us why it was underreported for good news about Iraq is news you do not want printed. You want us to believe that Iraq stories get terrible ratings, if that were the case then every one of the MSM’s lead headlines would not be about Iraq. What you are really saying is that the Iraq story is a truly remarkable one that we should be covering but because it pains us so to admit that Bush is not the idiot we want him to be we can’t report on the successes. Is it any wonder that newspaper subscriptions and television viewership of news programs is declining? The simple truth is; if the Election Day violence is only a temporary one, it is your silence on the successes in Iraq that will have facilitated the resurgence of violence. Every story the MSN prints that is negative in its outlook only fuels the insurgency into committing greater and greater acts of barbarity to gain more and more support for the US to leave before it gets even worse.


The only rhetoric being used here Mr. Carlson is on your part, for it is you sir that is using fine-sounding but insincere or empty language to describe your belief that George W. Bush is an idiot and that you and your friends in the media are the educated elite. Success in Iraq will not be found through the Grace of God, but rather by the hard work of brave American’s and Iraqi’s in uniform that see first hand the righteousness of their actions, even if it is done with out the help of the MSM and their rhetoric.

A Reporter Who Gets IT!

I’ve listened to the soldiers and Parrish about the missing pieces of the puzzles that don’t reach home. My selfish, journalistic drive immediately thinks “Perfect. A story that hasn’t been told. Let me at it.”
But I have a slight hesitation; I need to keep balanced. I can’t be a cheerleader, even if I have a soft spot for the hometown troops, especially after the welcome they’ve shown me. I still need to be truthful and walk the centerline and report the good or bad.
But then I realize it’s not a conflict of interest. If I am truly unbiased, then I need to get used to this one simple fact; that the untold story, might in fact, be a positive one. It takes a minute to wrap my mind around it, as a news junkie that became a news writer. The great, career-making, breaking news stories usually don’t have happy endings; they usually revolve around disturbing news, deceit and downfall. Nasty political doings. Gruesome crimes and murders. Revealing secrets.
But I’ve come upon something that is none of those. Not this aspect of it. There are politics to this war and controversies and investigations. But there is another side.

Read the whole thing.

United We Stand for Total Victory

My post from yesterday got me to thinking about something an old friend of mine said to me when the invasion of Iraq started. He said, “I wish I was there with my men, but for me this war is not as clear cut as say WWII or Vietnam where the enemy was so clearly defined and our need so clearly recognized by all.” This old friend is someone I respect immensely, he was my first platoon Sergeant when I was assigned to C Troop 1/1 Cav many years ago, and we argued back and forth about the reasons for this war and because we respect each other we agreed to disagree on this topic. However, I feel the need to clarify this part for the public. In WWII the enemy was not as clearly defined as history would have us believe, there were many in our country then as now that were preaching isolationism as opposed to getting involved. To them, Hitler was a “madman that was terrorizing his own people,” not much unlike Saddam according to some today. His neighboring countries accepted him as someone to be dealt with and negotiated with; not attacked. It wasn’t until the treaties of WWI were violated by Germany’s attack into Belgium did France and Britain feel the need to step in and do something.

The sacrifices we made as Americans at that time are innumerably greater than we are making now in this war. It is my opinion that 60 years of success after WWII in Europe made the decision to get involved and stand up for what was right instead of retreating into our hole a whole lot easier to accept. Hundreds of troops died daily in the fields of Europe as they advanced from the beaches of Normandy towards Berlin. Current estimates put the number of US casualties on Utah and Omaha Beaches at 2197 and the Airborne contingents of the 82nd and 101st suffered an estimated 2499 casualties. Think about that for a minute; on one day alone, 24 hours, nearly 4500 US soldiers were killed or wounded. The most conservative estimates put the total numbers of casualties for the 6th of June at 9000 of which 3000 are probably fatalities [1], while in all of WWII the US Army suffered 314,407 casualties [2]. That is just one branch of service; the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard also suffered casualties.

Does this mean that the loss of life in Iraq by our Soldiers and Marines is somehow trivial? On the contrary every Soldier, Marine, Sailor and Airman that is injured or killed in this conflict is a terrible tragedy, just as every Soldier, Sailor, Marine and Airman that is lost in every conflict is a tragedy. Does this then mean that the cause is not as great? Those who oppose our actions in Iraq would have you believe just that; however we know that not to be true. Today for the first time in their lives the Iraqi people are voting for their future, they are better off and in their own words they are saying it.

My friends, yesterday MoveOn.org roamed the halls of Congress and passed out petitions asking that our representatives accept the policy of cut and run and overturn the 403-3 vote to stay until finished. I hope that our effort to counter this sneak attack has proven successful for to cut and run now would make the loss of everyone one of our service members lives a terribly tragic and trivial matter. We must stand united on this front just as our men and women in uniform are standing united on their front, we can not fail them here as they succeed for us there. As Sooni says in most recent post, “Mr. President you started something and yes you are responsible to go on and never stop until democracy is a worldwide spoken language and a way of life. And that will be the Total Victory.” Total Victory indeed!

Progress in Iraq Equals Failure at Home

So Chairman Dean thinks that the war in Iraq is not winnable and Sen. Kerry thinks that our troops are terrorizing the Iraqi civilians, well let’s see if we can find some examples of our troops terrorizing the locals. These numbers come from Military Recruiter in his post; Things You'll Never Hear the Main Stream Media Say

Over 2510 schools have been rebuilt.
More than 5.5 million children are back in the classroom, and girls now outnumber boys. Overall attendance during exam week was 97 percent.
More than 51 million new textbooks - without propaganda - have been distributed to students
Trained 33,000 teachers, and set up first ever PTA associations.
Iraqi teachers now earn up to 25 times their salaries before liberation.
Gave school supplies to over 2 million students
Encouraged girls to attend school, first ever all-girls schools open. Female enrollment is up 96% in Iraq schools.
First Iraqi Fulbright Students and Scholars in 14 Years Come to the United States
15 of 18 provinces representing 75% of the Iraqi population are free and stable.
Iraq has satellite TV previously outlawed by Saddam. ALF is one of their favorite satellite shows.
Cell phones are now allowed in Iraq. Under Saddam, they were a crime punishable by death.
Our brave men and women in uniform freed 24 million Iraqi people from a brutal dictator.
Iraq has over 500 free papers for the first time ever- they speak, write and print what they want.
Government Rape squads no longer patrol the streets of Iraq to interrogate and kill families.
Street sweepers in Iraq make $3 per day, the same as teachers made under Saddam.
Street vendors make 30 times what they made under the thumb of Saddam Hussein.
Hundreds of Iraqi cities and towns have electricity, sewer and running water for the FIRST TIME EVER! They no longer have human waste running down the streets!
US Forces have trained hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Police and Iraqi National Guard Soldiers. Soon Iraq can stand on its own - Just takes time.
First EVER - FREE Iraqi elections on January 30th, 2005.
First ever Iraqi Constitution that values FREEDOM and ends discrimination and values ALL Iraqi people - approved BY THE PEOPLE on October 15th, 2005 - 60% of voter turnout again!

To those people who claim that the Iraqi Constitution "sets back women's rights in Iraqi 50 years": Have you actually READ the constitution?! This document is nothing short of REVOLUTIONARY in the Muslim world! We should be applauding the Iraqi people, not criticizing them!

Wow, pretty good numbers there recruiter. Are any of you asking why these numbers aren’t being reported in the Main Stream Media’s reports on Iraq? In my opinion the answer is simple; the MSM doesn’t want you to know that progress is being made in Iraq, and the problem isn’t necessarily the reporter on the ground more often than not it’s the editors’ fault that prints the story. The headline is changed to give it a more negative slant or they just print falsehoods about Iraq, who’s going to know?

There is only one problem, many of us do know the truth and we are calling the MSM on their lies. Greyhawk at The Mudville Gazette is taking the media to task for their current misrepresentation of Presidents Bush’s recent speech in Philadelphia when asked the question: "Since the inception of the Iraqi war, I'd like to know the approximate total of Iraqis who have been killed. And by Iraqis I include civilians, military, police, insurgents, translators." (Emphasis added) The Presidents response: "How many Iraqi citizens have died in this war? I would say 30,000, more or less, have died as a result of the initial incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis. We've lost about 2,140 of our own troops in Iraq." So of course the headline the next day was “Bush says 30,000 Iraqi civilians dead in war.” I’m not sure how they extrapolated that all of the casualties were civilians since the reporter specifically mentioned that they were asking about civilians, military, police, insurgents and translators.

The MSM and the Democratic Party leaders that are part and parcel of their campaign of dishonesty are not representative of our country as a whole; unfortunately they have a loud voice and very large pulpit to shout out their disinformation campaign. This allows them to reach a large audience and many people trust these sources to be giving them an impartial look at what’s going on in the country, and around the world. To use this unlimited access and trust to subvert the Presidency for merely political points is not only wrong it’s treasonous. President Bush said on Monday that “Today, the call of liberty is being heard in Baghdad and Basra, and other Iraqi cities, and its sound is echoing across the broader Middle East.” Unfortunately, here in the United States the MSM is censoring this message and instead they are promoting a message of negatives where American troops are not liberators but rather terrorists, and the terrorists they fight are freedom fighters, to them the only good news is our failure.

Another Must Read

Sgt Hook says: “I was ordered to read this. I followed orders. Now consider yourself ordered to do the same.” I did, now it’s your turn and you won’t be sorry that you did.

From a widow who’s Soldier fell just before Christmas last, fighting for freedom.

A couple of days before Thanksgiving a group of Marines came to our home to ask if they could help in any way - clean the gutters, winterize my car or the house - I thought to myself - about two weeks late but isn’t that nice. I never did figure out how they got my name and address but its public record so I didn’t question it.

They were very sweet to remember an Army family and I asked them to come in and have something to drink. We talked and got to know each other. Come to find out that the Marines not only take care of their own but any Gold Star Families in the area. They thought that Jorshua was away at college and wanted to make sure that I would be alright.

I was humbled by their generosity and thoughtfulness - these kids could be my sons and here they were making sure that the family of a Fallen Comrade (their words) was being taken care of. They thanked us for the food and drink and promised to check in on me again periodically. We exchanged email addressed and this is what I got…

It’s a great day to be an American no matter what the service!

Continue reading this letter.

SSG Melo will always be remembered in my prayers, I hope he is in yours too.

Winter Soldiers - Again!

Kevin Aylward at Wizbang does a much better job than I ever could about this current resurfacing of the Winter Soldier fraud. These frauds, for they can be called nothing less are once again pulling out the tired Iraq is Vietnam meme. Iraq is far from Vietnam in all aspects of its execution and the conduct of its troops, but it can become another Vietnam very quickly if we allow the left to continue to erode support for the mission by calling our troops terrorists, comparing them to SS troopers and by saying that it is laughable to think that we can win in Iraq. If you have taken the time to read any of the blogs being written by soldiers in country both Iraq and Afghanistan then you can see for yourself that the war is far from lost and in my estimation the war is all but won, its for us to lose!

Lt Smash is on top of countering this movement by the left with his Call to Arms. I’ve been saying these exact sentiments for weeks now. I’m with Smash on this one, no longer can we continue to be a silent majority, we must take the fight to the enemy within and ensure that our country is safe and also that the Iraqis know that we can be trusted to follow through on our promises. For decades the Democrats have been promising much but delivering little and it is high time we call their bluff. How much longer can we allow the hate filled members of the opposition party to dictate how we act and think about every aspect of our lives?

I'm Back

Thank you all for coming around while I was away.

There has been a lot happening over the past week, specifically, I see that our “friends” the Winter Soldiers are back and it’s high time that we begin to counter their actions. Stay tuned for more on this and what I think we need to do.

“You have helped fix some children – can you help my son?”.

Get your tissues out for this one folks, Thunder 6 shows us once again that being in a combat zone isn’t all just shooting at the enemy, sometimes its simply doing more than is asked of you and your abilities. The men of Alpha Company, 1-184 Infantry are amazing human beings, who continually go above and beyond the call of duty to reach out and take care of every person they meet and back home the elected leaders of the DNC are treating them like animals that should be caged and forgotten. Howard Dean, Senator Kerry and Representative Murtha could learn a thing or two by listening and supporting these men, for you dear sirs are disgracing the uniform they wear with your policy of retreat and abandonment. Will you abandon this small child to the terrorists; do you not realize that it is the future of Iraq, America and the world that you are throwing away with your policy of retreat?

If you say you support the troops but not the mission are you willing to say that you can not support helping these small defenseless human beings, these children who will be abandoned by our leaving too soon? Are you so naive to think that every person we helped will not end up like the literally 2 million Vietnamese we abandoned in South Vietnam; dead never to taste freedom. Thunder 6 and his men are warriors of the highest caliber. As a member of that brotherhood I am proud to call them brothers in arms, and I will not allow you dear sirs to tarnish what they have done and sacrificed all that they have by lying to the American people and telling them that this war is lost. It is only lost in your minds for on the ground it is already won.

UPDATE: Sorry, in my haste to publish I failed to correct my mistake on the unit name. It is now listed correctly as 1-184 Infantry.

Mr. Kerry's Terrorists Saving Lives.

It never ceases to amaze me that there can people in this country, to include our elected leaders that actually think our Soldiers are terrorists. Yes I’m talking about you Mr. John Kerry, disgrace to the uniform you wore and the country you now “serve.” Well look no further for irrefutable proof that our Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen are not terrorists but rather saviors! If there are any among us that has any doubt or a moment of question if what the US is doing in Iraq is good, all one ever need do is look at this post and the millions of similar posts by hundreds of Soldiers in and now out of country to realize that YES, yes, we are doing the right thing.

From Cpt. Bout (Thunder 6)

The Healers
The everyday kindness of the back roads more than makes up for the acts of greed in the headlines. - Charles Kuralt

As we made our way to the home through one of the narrow alleys in shantytown a middle aged man flagged us down. We walked over to his shack, and after the traditional greetings he politely asked if we could provide medical care for his son. I grabbed our two medics, SPC H. and SPC N., and we followed the father into the dim hovel. As we stepped inside we passed through a closet sized kitchen thick with the sickly sweet scent of burned meat before passing into a small room adorned with thick sleeping mats. Inside the room doubled over on the floor, was a little boy whose face was creased with pain. Looking at the crumpled form in front of us I suddenly realized that I hadn’t smelled the burnt remains of breakfast… the source of the bitter stench was lying right in front of me. The back of the boys leg was a softly glistening ruin, raw muscle stripped of skin.

Without saying a word SPC H. and SPC N. dropped their medical bags and started sifting through their contents. As they carefully arranged the tools they would need to clean the boy’s burns, I marveled at their cool detachment. Although these men were barely out of their teens they suddenly seemed far older, as if they were wizened doppelgangers of the soldiers I had worked besides all these long months. It was the first time I caught a glimmer of just how much combat has aged all of us.

As the medics set to work the father tried to soothe the little boy, but the sight of the two medics had him yelping in fright. While the medics were cleaning and dressing the wound my driver, SGT B, reached into his pocket and pulled out a stuffed animal. SGT B. handed the little boy the stuffed tiger, and his crying stopped as quickly as if somebody had turned an invisible valve. A few minutes later the medics finished their work and they gave the boy’s parents extra dressings and antibiotics along with instructions on how to care for their son.

As they started to pack up their gear one of the soldiers providing security outside the house walked in and asked if we could see another sick child. I told him to send in the boy, and a moment later a ten year old boy sheepishly walked in. His right arm was wrapped in dirty white gauze. In the middle of the gauze bloomed an ugly brown splotch… the telltale sign of physical corruption. As the medics peeled back the filthy dressings the air filled with the fetid stench of infection. As the dressings finally peeled away they revealed a wretched volcano wreathed in skin stretched taut with pus. I had to fight to keep the wave of nausea rumbling in my stomach at bay, but our medics didn’t even flinch. Instead they deftly started treating the infected wound. As they treated the boy I stepped out to get a breath of fresh air, and by time I returned they had filled a small plastic bag with pus filled dressings. I stepped out once again, and when I returned the swollen limb had regained its normal proportions. With the wound clean our medics started putting on fresh dressings and in a few short minutes they were done. Once the terp explained how and when to take the antibiotics we set off to finish the rest of the patrol. There was still a lot of ground to cover.

Are these the acts of terrorists Mr. Kerry, or are these the acts of young men with more moral character than you ever had? Do you call the police of your beloved cities terrorists when they serve felony warrants to drug lords and gang leader in the middle of the night to make your life safer? Then why do you insist on calling the men and women wearing the uniform of our Country, the uniform you once wore and yet disgraced, why do you call them terrorists? The Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen that serve proudly in our Armed Forces deserve an apology Mr. Kerry, and they deserve it now!

A Real American Hero

Mark of Boots in Baghdad posted this:

Afghanistan:
I volunteered to go... next month.

I am a soldier. America is at war. Sometime in January I am going to Afghanistan. Whether or not Boots In Kabul comes to pass or not is still undecided. I will certainly let you know. For now, continue to get your information from Boots In Baghdad. Thank you.

Mark knows what is at stake because he just returned home from Iraq. Whenever I hear of someone volunteering numerous times to defend our country I get that warm fuzzy feeling for I know that its men like this that makes the United States a great Country. Yes, there will be idiots like Christians for Cheap Oil and the Kossaks that will call him a “Baby Killer” and an idiot for falling for the lies of “the Fake President” but the truth is; Mark is not the exception to the rule. Mark and many of us see the truth in President Bush’s strategy. We will no longer choose appeasement and security in the form of submission to another. The Democrats in Congress know this otherwise they would not have voted 403 – 3 to stay the course, the pandering and vilifying we hear daily on the news are the false words of cowards.

God Speed Mark and never forget; we will support you completely.

More proof to counter Tucker Carlson:

I wrote the other day about Tucker Carlson’s fantasy world where our troops are not attacked personally by the leftists in this country that oppose everything President Bush says or does. Thanks to Michelle Malkin this little tidbit comes our way:

“Lots of readers watched Fox & Friends this morning and e-mailed about the disgusting greeting card a wounded soldier received while hospitalized at Walter Reed Army Hospital. Thanks to reader Shari for taking these cell phone camera shots of the card displayed by co-host Brian Kilmeade:

The card front, decorated with patriotic and holiday stamps, was deceptively innocuous:

But take a look at what was inside:

Yes, that's right. It says "P.S. DIE" in the lower right-hand corner.

According to Kilmeade, who visited Walter Reed on Friday, a US Army soldier named Joshua Sparling received the death wish while recovering from a gunshot wound he received in Ramadi, Iraq. It's the only Christmas card he received. Fox & Friends is urging you to counter the hate by sending your thanks and good wishes to Sparling:
Joshua Sparling
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001

Do it today.

Thank you Ms. Malkin I shall do just that.

Mr. Carlson, why are you still subscribing to the false belief that our troops are not being attacked personally by the left in this country? Daily you pass on the falsehoods that this war is not being protested on the home front in the same manner the anti-American’s protested the Vietnam War. You give credence to those who spout out falsehoods about the effectiveness of our conduct in this war and the great things our troops are accomplishing everyday. Every day in this great country our troops and especially our wounded troops are assaulted and terrorized by liberal leftists, the same people that can’t let the word Christmas be uttered in a public place because it might offend someone. As we can see they aren’t worried about offending or even assaulting our great Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen, when will you stand up and defend them as they defend you?

I’m waiting for an answer.

Pushback Day-9

Andi’s Pushback continues but she hasn’t let us know who is on tap for today, so allow me to point you in the direction of someone on the ground in Iraq that has his own theories about who is the culprit in the media’s bias against our efforts in Iraq.

Phil of Phil and Becky who is deployed to Iraq gives us a little insight into what it’s like to host a reporter. He intelligently points out, “My little conspiracy theory is that the villains in the media are not necessarily the guys on the ground getting the stories but rather it is the editors and ideologues back home who pick and choose which stories to run.”

I’d say he might have hit the nail right on the head with that little line. The journalists are looking for a story and it truly is the editors back in the States or where ever the paper is based that “edit” the story to match their guidelines and ideologies.

He goes on to write, “Whenever we host a reporter, I find out the individual's name beforehand and then do a Google search for previous articles he or she has written. It can give us an idea as to how guarded we have to be. Unfortunately, there is some distrust between soldiers and journalists. I wish it didn't have to be that way because the media could be such a useful tool in the information war."

So true Sir, the media could be helping tremendously but instead they are focused on the negative. No wonder they are up in arms about the recent “discovery” that the military is sending out positive press releases that highlight the accomplishments of US troops, to be published in the Arab papers. Its competition they can’t handle.

Good luck Phil and stay safe.

When I know who is hosting today I’ll be sure to let you all know, until then keep the faith!

Tucker Carlson is only half right.

Tucker Carlson in his latest column, "Don’t Patronize our Troops", which can be found here and here, discusses the same report that I wrote about earlier this week. He writes, “You often hear people compare the war in Iraq to the war in Vietnam, but here's one key difference: Nobody's calling veterans of the current war baby killers. Even the most strident opponents of Iraq go out of their way to praise the soldiers who've served there. Everyone is for the troops. It's required.” There is only one problem with that statement Mr. Carlson, those that are opposing this war are calling our troops "baby killers"!

You don’t even have to take my word for it, all you have to do is go visit Grey Eagle and see what’s being done to her in the name of opposing the War in Iraq. She writes on her web site in reply to several commenter’s that freely publish their raving accusations and attacks, “I will not let your emails referring to me as a "baby killer", your calls for me to walk away from my duties, your questioning of my loyalty to this county discourage me.” Wow, sure sounds like they are using the term, baby killer to me.

Not convinced, then why don’t you join The Gunn Nutt out in front of Walter Reed Medical Center on any Friday night as they counter protest the Code Pink crowd as they attack the moral fiber and courage of our wounded troops, and find out how much “pity and guilt” that they have for our troops. Yes you read that right; they are attacking and protesting the wounded troops. This can’t be true you must be saying by now, these are wounded soldiers, but yes it is. Read this little post by Kristinn on Free Republic and you tell me how much pity and guilt they have for our troops.

Mr. Carlson ends his column with this line, “Pity their suffering perhaps, but don't patronize them.” Well I have news for you Mr. Carlson our troops do not need your pity, they need our support, and if you think you are supporting them with this column then I sure don’t want you backing me up at any point in time. Our troops need us, and I for one am not going to sit idly by while the left showers their form of “pity and guilt” on our troops. Mr. Carlson is a “conservative” member of the Main Stream Media, but this column makes him out to be just another apologist for the left that employs him, as another useful idiot.

Pushback Day-8

Today, Carol who is living in London takes the reins and presents the "London Pushback". Her goal is to look at newspaper content. She says some very interesting things in her blog, so please go take a look. She writes in part: ‘[The] theme for the day is - biased, untruthful reporting is bad for business. Here are two examples of why the LA Times is laying off those news room employees…16 November article - Senate resolution for "2006 to be a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty" becomes "Resolution to ease out of Iraq" - the spin is creatively done I'll give them that, read the whole marvelous opinion piece parading as news here.’

Please get on board and read what these everyday people have to offer up, and you too will realize that paying for your news by subscribing to your local or even national newspaper is only getting you half of the news at best. Up next in the pushback is a surprise blogger so stop by Andi’s World place for whom to read tomorrow.