The following is a Stop The ACLU Blogburst production.
Its that time of the year again. The time when the intolerant grinches like the ACLU start trying to fill their stockings with your tax dollars in their attempts to secularize Christmas. The ACLU try their best to deny their attacks on Christmas. They call those defending Christmas the well organized extremists out to make a buck in the guise of defending Christmas. This is of course false. The Alliance Defense Fund, just like last year, are offering their services to defend Christmas completely FREE!
However, the lies continue again this year as the ACLU denies their attacks on Christmas. However, their actions speak louder than their words.
Already the ACLU have began their attacks. They have already been successful in bullying the Berkley City Council into moving their Christmas nativity scene off public property. This, despite the fact that the display also included other religious and secular elements including a Star of David, Christmas trees, a Santa Claus figure, a Santa’s Mailbox, and a “Seasons Greetings” sign.
In their latest attempt to censor Christmas they have sued the Wilson County School System outside of Nashville, TN. because their Christmas program includes “Christian themes and songs.”
The plaintiffs and the ACLU allege that several kindergarten students role-played a nativity scene of the birth of Jesus—and had the audacity to sing “Away in the Manger” and “Joy to the World.” According to the ACLU, these songs are exclusively Christian in nature because they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and are, therefore, inappropriate.
The ACLJ is defending the school in this case.
The ADF has a long list of attacks on Christmas from the ACLU and its allies dating back from 2002 to the present.
Yes, its that time of the year again. The season that I get bombarded with emails encouraging people to waste their money on a stamp for a Christmas card wishing the ACLU a merry Christmas. Don’t get me wrong. I understand the sentitment behind the whole thing. I was all on board last year. If you really want them to have a Merry Christmas, or just feel like throwing your money away I won’t discourage it. It will be about as effective as barking at the moon. Your Christmas cheer will be tossed in the mail room shredder and never reach any those you intended to send a message to.
I propose that your money could be spent in a much more efficient manner. Save the money you would throw away on the stamp for a message destined to fall on deaf ears. There are many organizations out there fighting to protect Christmas and the expression of its true meaning. Why not take the money you would be throwing away on a noble yet ineffective gesture, and put it to real use as a gift to the organization of your choice that is out there fighting the ACLU?
Sign the ACLJ’s Petition here. Contribute Here.
See the Alliance Defense Fund’s educational on your rights here. Contribute Here.
See the Liberty Counsel’s free legal memorandum here (pdf). Contribute Here.
Contribute to Thomas More Law Center here.
Buy from the Bulldoze the ACLU store for great Christmas gifts.
This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. If you would like to join us, please email Jay at Jay@stoptheaclu.com or Gribbit at GribbitR@gmail.com. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll. Over 200 blogs already on-board.
November 30, 2006
Web Reconnaissance for 11/30/2006
A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
Joint Chiefs Oppose Iraq Pullout “All six members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, amid an ongoing Pentagon review of strategy for Iraq, oppose pulling out U.S. troops now, and are also against a specific withdrawal timetable, a defense source said yesterday.” (READ MORE)
Turkey Lauds Pope's EU Support “Turkey praised Pope Benedict XVI yesterday for dropping his opposition to Turkish membership in the European Union.” (READ MORE)
Iraq Cancels Meeting after 'Ignorant' Memo “Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki abruptly canceled the first round of face-to-face meetings with President Bush, after publication of a classified memo from the president's top security aide that says the Iraqi leader is either "ignorant," devious or incapable of governing right now.” (READ MORE)
Strong Protests for Visa Changes “President Bush's proposal to loosen U.S. visa rules for a select group of allies yesterday drew strong protests from security analysts and strong support from countries that hope to benefit from the liberalized rules.” (READ MORE)
Iran's Nuclear Ambitions Seen Similar to Holocaust “Iran's reported drive to make an atomic bomb has become an existential threat to Israel that some Israelis are likening to the Holocaust -- especially with the United States appearing to back away from confrontation with Tehran.” (READ MORE)
Israel's Offer “After five months of violence and political drift, there has been encouraging movement toward peace on the Israeli-Palestinian front this week. Much of it is because of Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert. Over the weekend Mr. Olmert agreed to a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip with Palestinian.” (READ MORE)
Study Group to Call for Pullback “The Iraq Study Group, which wrapped up eight months of deliberations yesterday, has reached a consensus and will call for a major withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, shifting the U.S. role from combat to support and advising, according to a source familiar with the deliberations.” (READ MORE)
More Muslims Gaining Political Ground “Although Md. Delegate-Elect Doesn't Trumpet Faith, His Win Signals New Surge.” (READ MORE)
Democrats Reject Key 9/11 Panel Suggestion “It was a solemn pledge, repeated by Democratic leaders and candidates over and over: If elected to the majority in Congress, Democrats would implement all of the recommendations of the bipartisan commission that examined the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.” (READ MORE)
News From the Front:
Jack Army writes Not Ready to Fly, Yet. “So, we are sitting around talking with the Iraqi Army Battalion leaders, minus the commander, and the conversation turns to politics, as it inevitably does. More specifically, Iraqi politics: who the insurgents really are, why Kurds and Arabs don't get along that well, Iran's motives in sending weapons and ammunition into Iraq, and other high-level concerns. It is impressive how aware these guys are about all the implications of each of these topics compared to each other and the influences of one to the other. I've said it before, these guys are not stupid, not by a far stretch. Anybody that thinks that the Iraqis are ready to be puppets or cannot think for themselves is seriously misguided.” (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio writes The Taliban Press “Taliban ban newspaper sales in North Waziristan; free press in Western Pakistan is in danger; North Waziristan Taliban Shura to meet on Friday. While many in the western press and various governments continue to debate the results of the Waziristan Accord, which turned North Waziristan over to the Taliban and al-Qaeda, Pakistani journalists, tribal leaders and local politicians describe the situation in the region as dire.” (READ MORE)
Commentary Fallujah Revisited “If you follow the news coming out of Iraq, you have seen too many headlines about the bloodshed in Baghdad in recent days. As American servicemen and women prepare to spend a fourth holiday season trying to help build a new Iraq, these headlines have led some people to conclude that our mission may be hopeless.” (READ MORE)
Marines Rescue Hostage, Uncover Caches “Marines assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5 rescued one hostage and uncovered two partially buried caches today while conducting search-and-knock operations in Fuhaylat, Iraq. ‘By rescuing this gentleman and capturing the kidnappers, it shows the Iraqi people we do care for them, their safety and their future,’ said Lt. Col. William Seely, the 39-year-old battalion commander from Saigon, Vietnam. ‘I am extremely proud of those Marines. The Marines saved a life and reunited a family. It just doesn't get any better.’” (READ MORE)
SENIOR COALITION COMMANDER IN DIYALA PROVINCE SAYS BAQUBAH STILL FUNCTIONING “BAQUBAH, Iraq - The city of Baqubah is fully operational and not shut down, as reported by some media outlets, according to Col. David W. Sutherland, commander of 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division and senior coalition forces commander for the Diyala province.” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Jules Crittenden writes OK, This Is The Deal “I get tired sometimes. It seems like there is nothing but devastation and death, it's all going to hell, for nothing. And I live in a peaceful place, I'm not even engaged in this thing, not like before. So this quiet, prosperous place must be an illusion, or I am. None of it makes sense. There is no answer. There is no way out.” (READ MORE)
Cal Thomas writing at Townhall.com writes If I were a terrorist “Taking a page from the unpublished O.J. Simpson book, if I were a terrorist, what would be my domestic strategy for bringing America to its knees?” (READ MORE)
Joel Mowbray writing at Townhall.com writes Ceasefire’s victims: Hamas’ Qassams keep firing “Within 48 hours of the enactment of the latest Middle East ceasefire, both Palestinian factions that signed on the dotted line violated the agreement by firing Qassam rockets into civilian areas, with the explicit goal of killing as many innocent Israelis as possible.” (READ MORE)
David Keene writing at Townhall.com writes Iraq is Dems’ tar-baby “An old Democratic friend of mine stopped by the Monocle last week and while there ran into a Democratic senator of long acquaintance. The Senator was, of course, quite pleased with the outcome of the election and is looking forward to the perks and responsibilities that go with being in the majority.” (READ MORE)
Austin Bay writing at Townhall.com writes Iraq's war of perception: 'Who is Jamil Hussein?' “In 1980, Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke wrote a story titled ‘Jimmy's World,’ the startling tale of an 8-year-old "third-generation heroin addict" living in Washington, D.C.” (READ MORE)
Crazy Politico writes First Of Many? “How long does it take a politician to break a campaign promise? Evidently they don't even have to be sworn in to do it. Take the promise of implementing 'every recommendation of the 9/11 commission', heard ad nauseum by many of us who lived in close electoral districts. Well, that promise has already been promised to be broken.” (READ MORE)
Allahpundit writes Breaking: Baker Commission to call for “gradual pullback” of U.S. troops “Just posted at the Times. The report won’t be delivered to Bush for another week but ‘people familiar with the panel’s deliberations’ say they’re going to recommend withdrawal ‘relatively soon’ but without a firm timetable.” (READ MORE)
Dean Barnett writing at Hugh Hewitt writes The Baker Commission - Looking Forward in Anger “From what we know so far, the Baker Commission is going to recommend that we cut troop levels in Iraq, attempt to make nicey-nice with our determined enemies in Iran and Syria, and demand Israeli concessions to serve as the deus ex machina to bring about peace in our time. In a word, oy vey! Coming from a commission headed by James Baker, the latter recommendation is especially jarring.” (READ MORE)
Kim Priestap writing at Wizbang writes A Fallen Hero: Sgt. 1st Class James D. Priestap “My husband, Steve, and I received some very sad news Thanksgiving evening. Steve's cousin, Army Sgt.1st Class James Priestap, was shot and killed by a terrorist sniper while working at a checkpoint near Baghdad. He was wearing body armor, but he hit was in the shoulder, and the bullet went into his heart killing him instantly. Here's the AP story on his death:” (READ MORE)
Dafydd writes Attack Terrorist Funding - Unless That Means Attacking Terrorist Funding (Clinton Judges, Take 2) “A federal judge has struck down a critical element of "connecting the dots" to fight against terrorism: she says it's unconstitutional to freeze assets of terrorist groups -- because terrorist groups are designated by the president, rather than by a laborious, multi-year process involving Congress and the judiciary, clerks and aides, and the entire labor force of the Bureau of Procrastination...” (READ MORE)
Captain Ed writes A Strange Consensus On Iraq “The James Baker-led Iraq Study Group has found consensus around a set of policy goals, and in the best traditions of Washington DC, they have decided to leak it to the press a week prior to releasing it officially. A review of this consensus in the New York Times proves that when a group of politicians gather on any sticky policy issue, we can expect them to act like ... politicians:” (READ MORE)
Sgt Hook writes You Bet Your Life “Recognizing that I’m not as eloquent as the Drill, I nonetheless find myself compelled to respond to recent disparaging remarks regarding our men and women serving in uniform made by a certain elective representative. While I respect the congressman’s view on re-instituting the draft, as a career member of the profession of arms I sternly disagree with that view, however, I can’t help but to take issue with the following comment…‘If a young fella has an option of having a decent career or joining the army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq.’” (READ MORE)
Dan Riehl writes Why Fear The Left? “As I was saying over dinner with someone the other night, while I'm not crazy about the extreme far Right or the far Left, I fear the Left much more than I do the Right. Did you ever stop to think how most all of the dictators in this hemisphere are Leftists? And out Left has no problem with that? And for all their alleged pacifism, the Left will militarize in a heart beat for what it believes to be the correct cause. And many of the causes of the Left have little to do with what makes America great, or our Constitution.” (READ MORE)
Flopping Aces correspondent Wordsmith writes Civil War!!! “It is sectarian violence. By any classical definition I can think of for the term ‘civil war,’ it does not fit what is going on in Iraq. But even if that rhetorical point were conceded over to the anti-war left- because that’s really the whole point of the label: to delegitimize the war, and reinforce the argument of ‘cut-and-run’- as Michael Medved says, ‘So what?’”(READ MORE)
ShrinkWrapped writes Dreams of Peace and the HISH Alliance “It seems that everyone in Washington is waiting for the Baker Commission to deliver its report on the best way to abandon Iraq. Those who suggest that by withdrawing from Iraq (redeployment in the current euphemism) the Iraqis will somehow be forced to come to terms with the violence plaguing their nation and will find the requisite will and capacity to attain peace are basing their optimism on a wishful fantasy.” (READ MORE)
Red2Alpha writes PTSD Salad “…My first week at home in Grass Valley I went out one night to get some things from the store. I knew it was bad idea to be there the second I walked into the supermarket. Just that feeling you would get, unsteady in your stomach, hands cold, and knees weak, the buzzing in the back of your head before an IED went off and blew you up or the truck in front of you…”(READ MORE)
Blonde Sagacity writes Dept. Of Homeland Security Report - RE: Illegal Immigration “I'll say it for the 9,354th time --being strongly against ILLEGAL immigration has NOTHING to do with a dislike for Hispanic people. As a matter of fact two of my very best friends are first generation Americans from Columbia... It has to do with dislike for lawlessness and a strong desire for National Security:” (READ MORE)
The Belmont Club writes Our Stolen Future “Newt Gingrich argues that if the next terrorist mega-attack destroys an American city, the first casualty will be the First Amendment, followed possibly by the Internet. It's important to realize that Gingrich isn't arguing that restrictions on free speech are good. He is arguing that restrictions on free speech are inevitable if millions of people are killed in another terrorist attack. The problem is how to prevent both.” (READ MORE)
Have an interesting post or know of a "must read?" Then send a trackback here and let us all know about it. Or you can send me an email with a link to the post and I'll update the Recon.
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
Joint Chiefs Oppose Iraq Pullout “All six members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, amid an ongoing Pentagon review of strategy for Iraq, oppose pulling out U.S. troops now, and are also against a specific withdrawal timetable, a defense source said yesterday.” (READ MORE)
Turkey Lauds Pope's EU Support “Turkey praised Pope Benedict XVI yesterday for dropping his opposition to Turkish membership in the European Union.” (READ MORE)
Iraq Cancels Meeting after 'Ignorant' Memo “Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki abruptly canceled the first round of face-to-face meetings with President Bush, after publication of a classified memo from the president's top security aide that says the Iraqi leader is either "ignorant," devious or incapable of governing right now.” (READ MORE)
Strong Protests for Visa Changes “President Bush's proposal to loosen U.S. visa rules for a select group of allies yesterday drew strong protests from security analysts and strong support from countries that hope to benefit from the liberalized rules.” (READ MORE)
Iran's Nuclear Ambitions Seen Similar to Holocaust “Iran's reported drive to make an atomic bomb has become an existential threat to Israel that some Israelis are likening to the Holocaust -- especially with the United States appearing to back away from confrontation with Tehran.” (READ MORE)
Israel's Offer “After five months of violence and political drift, there has been encouraging movement toward peace on the Israeli-Palestinian front this week. Much of it is because of Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert. Over the weekend Mr. Olmert agreed to a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip with Palestinian.” (READ MORE)
Study Group to Call for Pullback “The Iraq Study Group, which wrapped up eight months of deliberations yesterday, has reached a consensus and will call for a major withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, shifting the U.S. role from combat to support and advising, according to a source familiar with the deliberations.” (READ MORE)
More Muslims Gaining Political Ground “Although Md. Delegate-Elect Doesn't Trumpet Faith, His Win Signals New Surge.” (READ MORE)
Democrats Reject Key 9/11 Panel Suggestion “It was a solemn pledge, repeated by Democratic leaders and candidates over and over: If elected to the majority in Congress, Democrats would implement all of the recommendations of the bipartisan commission that examined the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.” (READ MORE)
News From the Front:
Jack Army writes Not Ready to Fly, Yet. “So, we are sitting around talking with the Iraqi Army Battalion leaders, minus the commander, and the conversation turns to politics, as it inevitably does. More specifically, Iraqi politics: who the insurgents really are, why Kurds and Arabs don't get along that well, Iran's motives in sending weapons and ammunition into Iraq, and other high-level concerns. It is impressive how aware these guys are about all the implications of each of these topics compared to each other and the influences of one to the other. I've said it before, these guys are not stupid, not by a far stretch. Anybody that thinks that the Iraqis are ready to be puppets or cannot think for themselves is seriously misguided.” (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio writes The Taliban Press “Taliban ban newspaper sales in North Waziristan; free press in Western Pakistan is in danger; North Waziristan Taliban Shura to meet on Friday. While many in the western press and various governments continue to debate the results of the Waziristan Accord, which turned North Waziristan over to the Taliban and al-Qaeda, Pakistani journalists, tribal leaders and local politicians describe the situation in the region as dire.” (READ MORE)
Commentary Fallujah Revisited “If you follow the news coming out of Iraq, you have seen too many headlines about the bloodshed in Baghdad in recent days. As American servicemen and women prepare to spend a fourth holiday season trying to help build a new Iraq, these headlines have led some people to conclude that our mission may be hopeless.” (READ MORE)
Marines Rescue Hostage, Uncover Caches “Marines assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5 rescued one hostage and uncovered two partially buried caches today while conducting search-and-knock operations in Fuhaylat, Iraq. ‘By rescuing this gentleman and capturing the kidnappers, it shows the Iraqi people we do care for them, their safety and their future,’ said Lt. Col. William Seely, the 39-year-old battalion commander from Saigon, Vietnam. ‘I am extremely proud of those Marines. The Marines saved a life and reunited a family. It just doesn't get any better.’” (READ MORE)
SENIOR COALITION COMMANDER IN DIYALA PROVINCE SAYS BAQUBAH STILL FUNCTIONING “BAQUBAH, Iraq - The city of Baqubah is fully operational and not shut down, as reported by some media outlets, according to Col. David W. Sutherland, commander of 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division and senior coalition forces commander for the Diyala province.” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Jules Crittenden writes OK, This Is The Deal “I get tired sometimes. It seems like there is nothing but devastation and death, it's all going to hell, for nothing. And I live in a peaceful place, I'm not even engaged in this thing, not like before. So this quiet, prosperous place must be an illusion, or I am. None of it makes sense. There is no answer. There is no way out.” (READ MORE)
Cal Thomas writing at Townhall.com writes If I were a terrorist “Taking a page from the unpublished O.J. Simpson book, if I were a terrorist, what would be my domestic strategy for bringing America to its knees?” (READ MORE)
Joel Mowbray writing at Townhall.com writes Ceasefire’s victims: Hamas’ Qassams keep firing “Within 48 hours of the enactment of the latest Middle East ceasefire, both Palestinian factions that signed on the dotted line violated the agreement by firing Qassam rockets into civilian areas, with the explicit goal of killing as many innocent Israelis as possible.” (READ MORE)
David Keene writing at Townhall.com writes Iraq is Dems’ tar-baby “An old Democratic friend of mine stopped by the Monocle last week and while there ran into a Democratic senator of long acquaintance. The Senator was, of course, quite pleased with the outcome of the election and is looking forward to the perks and responsibilities that go with being in the majority.” (READ MORE)
Austin Bay writing at Townhall.com writes Iraq's war of perception: 'Who is Jamil Hussein?' “In 1980, Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke wrote a story titled ‘Jimmy's World,’ the startling tale of an 8-year-old "third-generation heroin addict" living in Washington, D.C.” (READ MORE)
Crazy Politico writes First Of Many? “How long does it take a politician to break a campaign promise? Evidently they don't even have to be sworn in to do it. Take the promise of implementing 'every recommendation of the 9/11 commission', heard ad nauseum by many of us who lived in close electoral districts. Well, that promise has already been promised to be broken.” (READ MORE)
Allahpundit writes Breaking: Baker Commission to call for “gradual pullback” of U.S. troops “Just posted at the Times. The report won’t be delivered to Bush for another week but ‘people familiar with the panel’s deliberations’ say they’re going to recommend withdrawal ‘relatively soon’ but without a firm timetable.” (READ MORE)
Dean Barnett writing at Hugh Hewitt writes The Baker Commission - Looking Forward in Anger “From what we know so far, the Baker Commission is going to recommend that we cut troop levels in Iraq, attempt to make nicey-nice with our determined enemies in Iran and Syria, and demand Israeli concessions to serve as the deus ex machina to bring about peace in our time. In a word, oy vey! Coming from a commission headed by James Baker, the latter recommendation is especially jarring.” (READ MORE)
Kim Priestap writing at Wizbang writes A Fallen Hero: Sgt. 1st Class James D. Priestap “My husband, Steve, and I received some very sad news Thanksgiving evening. Steve's cousin, Army Sgt.1st Class James Priestap, was shot and killed by a terrorist sniper while working at a checkpoint near Baghdad. He was wearing body armor, but he hit was in the shoulder, and the bullet went into his heart killing him instantly. Here's the AP story on his death:” (READ MORE)
Dafydd writes Attack Terrorist Funding - Unless That Means Attacking Terrorist Funding (Clinton Judges, Take 2) “A federal judge has struck down a critical element of "connecting the dots" to fight against terrorism: she says it's unconstitutional to freeze assets of terrorist groups -- because terrorist groups are designated by the president, rather than by a laborious, multi-year process involving Congress and the judiciary, clerks and aides, and the entire labor force of the Bureau of Procrastination...” (READ MORE)
Captain Ed writes A Strange Consensus On Iraq “The James Baker-led Iraq Study Group has found consensus around a set of policy goals, and in the best traditions of Washington DC, they have decided to leak it to the press a week prior to releasing it officially. A review of this consensus in the New York Times proves that when a group of politicians gather on any sticky policy issue, we can expect them to act like ... politicians:” (READ MORE)
Sgt Hook writes You Bet Your Life “Recognizing that I’m not as eloquent as the Drill, I nonetheless find myself compelled to respond to recent disparaging remarks regarding our men and women serving in uniform made by a certain elective representative. While I respect the congressman’s view on re-instituting the draft, as a career member of the profession of arms I sternly disagree with that view, however, I can’t help but to take issue with the following comment…‘If a young fella has an option of having a decent career or joining the army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq.’” (READ MORE)
Dan Riehl writes Why Fear The Left? “As I was saying over dinner with someone the other night, while I'm not crazy about the extreme far Right or the far Left, I fear the Left much more than I do the Right. Did you ever stop to think how most all of the dictators in this hemisphere are Leftists? And out Left has no problem with that? And for all their alleged pacifism, the Left will militarize in a heart beat for what it believes to be the correct cause. And many of the causes of the Left have little to do with what makes America great, or our Constitution.” (READ MORE)
Flopping Aces correspondent Wordsmith writes Civil War!!! “It is sectarian violence. By any classical definition I can think of for the term ‘civil war,’ it does not fit what is going on in Iraq. But even if that rhetorical point were conceded over to the anti-war left- because that’s really the whole point of the label: to delegitimize the war, and reinforce the argument of ‘cut-and-run’- as Michael Medved says, ‘So what?’”(READ MORE)
ShrinkWrapped writes Dreams of Peace and the HISH Alliance “It seems that everyone in Washington is waiting for the Baker Commission to deliver its report on the best way to abandon Iraq. Those who suggest that by withdrawing from Iraq (redeployment in the current euphemism) the Iraqis will somehow be forced to come to terms with the violence plaguing their nation and will find the requisite will and capacity to attain peace are basing their optimism on a wishful fantasy.” (READ MORE)
Red2Alpha writes PTSD Salad “…My first week at home in Grass Valley I went out one night to get some things from the store. I knew it was bad idea to be there the second I walked into the supermarket. Just that feeling you would get, unsteady in your stomach, hands cold, and knees weak, the buzzing in the back of your head before an IED went off and blew you up or the truck in front of you…”(READ MORE)
Blonde Sagacity writes Dept. Of Homeland Security Report - RE: Illegal Immigration “I'll say it for the 9,354th time --being strongly against ILLEGAL immigration has NOTHING to do with a dislike for Hispanic people. As a matter of fact two of my very best friends are first generation Americans from Columbia... It has to do with dislike for lawlessness and a strong desire for National Security:” (READ MORE)
The Belmont Club writes Our Stolen Future “Newt Gingrich argues that if the next terrorist mega-attack destroys an American city, the first casualty will be the First Amendment, followed possibly by the Internet. It's important to realize that Gingrich isn't arguing that restrictions on free speech are good. He is arguing that restrictions on free speech are inevitable if millions of people are killed in another terrorist attack. The problem is how to prevent both.” (READ MORE)
Have an interesting post or know of a "must read?" Then send a trackback here and let us all know about it. Or you can send me an email with a link to the post and I'll update the Recon.
November 29, 2006
I'm Back
As was obvious by my previous post, I’m back from the funeral and another appointment this morning that was very important to my family. I’m going to need some time to compose my thoughts on Captain John Ryan Dennison’s service, but suffice it to say, he was loved and honored by his family, friends, and fellow soldiers.
I’ll leave you all with a thought that repeated throughout the service. It is taken from Romans Chapter 5 and was Ryan’s favorite verse: “…And we[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hope does not disappoint us…”
Hope does not disappoint us. No it does not.
Discuss…
I’ll leave you all with a thought that repeated throughout the service. It is taken from Romans Chapter 5 and was Ryan’s favorite verse: “…And we[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hope does not disappoint us…”
Hope does not disappoint us. No it does not.
Discuss…
November 28, 2006
No Blogging Tomorrow
I'll be attending the services of this fine young man, and while I won't be making the drive to Arlington, I will be walking over to the church for the service.
I'll return on Thursday.
Until then...remember them all.
I'll return on Thursday.
Until then...remember them all.
Operation Love From Home - Update!
With only days to go Kat sent us an email today with wonderful news.
She writes:
Thats right people...her original goal of 1000 cards, upped to 3000 in a challenge, has become 10,000 cards going directly to our servicemembers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan! You all did great!
Thank you all for your dedication to our men and women in uniform, and thank you Kat, you truly are a Soldiers' Angel.
She writes:
A lady emailed me yesterday to tell me she's shipped 1,000 Christmas cards on Friday... and they arrived today, together with another tubful of fat envelopes filled with cards. Anyway, as of last official count, we had 9,154 cards. My friend, Sadie, who has been helping with the counting & sorting, said she had about 470 at her house, giving us approx. 9,624. Add to that the box of 1,000 cards we just received, that puts us at roughly 10,624 Christmas cards... NOT INCLUDING what's in all those envelopes, and NOT INCLUDING what hubby picked up from two local businesses yesterday (he will make one more "sweep" on Thursday to pick up anything that gets left between now & then), and NOT INCLUDING everything our local Grayson Chamber of Commerce has gathered!!
This is AWESOME -- great job, everyone!!!!!
Thats right people...her original goal of 1000 cards, upped to 3000 in a challenge, has become 10,000 cards going directly to our servicemembers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan! You all did great!
Thank you all for your dedication to our men and women in uniform, and thank you Kat, you truly are a Soldiers' Angel.
A Marine Responds to Rep Rangel
Mark D. Glesne (USMC) who writes the blog Truth, Life and Political Honesty wrote an open letter to Representative Charles Rangel in response to his statement:
Mark writes:
Way to go Marine, Rep Rangel deserves your scorn and the scorn of every man and woman in uniform as well as every man and woman that has ever served our Country. He may be a grandstanding fool as some seem to think but you and I both agree he is speaking his mind and loves the military as much as John Kerry does. For both of them it is a tool that they can use to better serve their goals and nothing else.
If you are reading this I challenge you to stop by and let Marine Glesne know you support him and not Charlie Rangel.
"...I want to make it abundantly clear, if there's anyone who believes that these youngsters want to fight, as the Pentagon and some generals have said, you can just forget about it. No young, bright individual wants to fight just because of a bonus and just because of educational benefits. And most all of them come from communities of very, very high unemployment."If a young fellow has an option of having a decent career or joining the Army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq."
Mark writes:
I am not writing you as a member of your district, sir, but rather as an American citizen, a United States Marine, and an Operation Iraq Freedom veteran. Aside from the detailed Heritage Foundation study Wallace pointed out (which statistically contradicts your claim), please allow me to take issue with your statement.
Perhaps some brief background information is in order:
After graduating from a private, four-year university in Southern California in 2003 with my bachelor's degree, I entered the work force as a corporate marketing specialist. Less than eight months into my budding career, I decided that my support for the war in Iraq was too great. I had to fight.
Three months after this revelation and less than 10 months after graduation, I shipped myself to MCRD San Diego for 13 weeks of Marine Corps boot camp. After six months of initial training I reported to my unit. Only a few months later, at the first chance I received, I placed my corporate marketing career on hold and volunteered for the next deployment to Iraq.
I was activated 1 June 2005, attached with men from my unit to a unit not our own, and subsequently deployed to the front lines on 19 August 2005. I served seven months in-country and logged over 100 combat patrols, missions, and convoys.
You challenged viewers of your interview that "if there's anyone who believes that these youngsters want to fight, as the Pentagon and some generals have said, you can just forget about it." I have seen this war firsthand, sir, and am proud to say I did so of my own free will.
Your blanket indictment that "No young, bright individual wants to fight because of a bonus and just because of educational benefits" is severely misguided at best. I absolutely wanted to fight. I fought for my country, I fought for the people of Iraq, and I fought for myself. I did so without a bonus or the promise of educational benefits - neither of which I needed.
Do you not consider me "bright" for doing so, sir?
I am not attempting to speak for other soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, but I can assure you there are many more just like me. Some of them I know, others I am only connected to through our service to a cause in which many of us believe.
Your statements, sir, only serve to degrade the service of the approximately 2.6 million (1.4 active, 1.2 reserve) men and women who have chosen to serve in the United States Armed Forces.
Frankly, it pains me that a representative of the people has the audacity to belittle the decisions of men and women who sacrifice much in service to our nation with your ill-founded assumption that "If a young fellow has an option of having a decent career or joining the Army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq."
I will take that bet, sir, but with myself and others as proof, will you accept defeat?
Perhaps by the time you read this you will have already issued an apology for your statements.
I cannot be sure at the time of this letter's construction. However, as Martin Luther King, Jr. once said:
"We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope."
Semper Fidelis,Mark D. Glesne (USMC)
Way to go Marine, Rep Rangel deserves your scorn and the scorn of every man and woman in uniform as well as every man and woman that has ever served our Country. He may be a grandstanding fool as some seem to think but you and I both agree he is speaking his mind and loves the military as much as John Kerry does. For both of them it is a tool that they can use to better serve their goals and nothing else.
If you are reading this I challenge you to stop by and let Marine Glesne know you support him and not Charlie Rangel.
Web Reconnaissance for 11/28/2006
A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
Bush to spur NATO on in Afghan fight “President Bush will push for a stronger NATO commitment to fighting in Afghanistan during a summit in Latvia this week, before heading to Jordan to try to work through what the White House acknowledges is "a new phase" of sectarian violence in Iraq.” (READ MORE)
Iran vows to help Iraq with security “President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran would do whatever it could to help provide security to Iraq amid warnings the country was on the brink of civil war.” (READ MORE)
Cintas warned against firing immigrant force “Rep. Bennie Thompson (D. Miss.) has warned the nation's largest uniform supplier it faces criminal charges if it follows a White House proposal to recheck workers with mismatched Social Security numbers and fire those who cannot resolve the discrepancy in 60 days.” (READ MORE)
How the imams terrorized an airliner “Muslim religious leaders removed from a Minneapolis flight last week exhibited behavior associated with a security probe by terrorists and were not merely engaged in prayers, according to witnesses, police reports and aviation security officials.” (READ MORE)
Marines Pessimistic on Anbar “Report says U.S. cannot defeat insurgency or counter al-Qaeda's fast growth in western Iraq.” (READ MORE)
Bush to Press Maliki on Escalating Violence “President says he will press Iraqi prime minister for a plan to contain increasing sectarian violence, but refuses to characterize it as a civil war.” (READ MORE)
Hezbollah Said to Help Shiite Army in Iraq “Between 1,000 and 2,000 fighters from the Mahdi Army and other Shiite militias have been trained by Hezbollah in Lebanon, a senior U.S. official said.” (READ MORE)
Bush Blames Al Qaeda for Rising Iraq Violence “The president refused to label the recent surge in killings in Iraq a civil war and had harsh words for Syria and Iran.” (READ MORE)
News From the Front:
Mohammed of Iraq the Model writes Rough days... “The past four days during which we were under siege were long and rough for Baghdadis. Anxiety and fear haunted us at our homes and a flow of horrible news made the prison feel even tighter…it was a material and psychological siege that will not be easy to forget. Thursday began differently for me, first thing in the morning I received very troubling news that one of our friends has been kidnapped.” (READ MORE)
Civilians, coalition forces partner in compassion in Iraq “KIRKUK, Iraq – Four years ago a compassionate Soldier and a six dollar beanie baby named “Courage” brought an unforgettable smile to 4-year-old Sarah’s face. Over a million beanie babies later, that Soldier’s commitment to the future of Iraq and American generosity continue to impact Iraq’s next generation – its children.” (READ MORE)
Three Terrorists Detained by Afghan, Coalition Forces “KABUL , Afghanistan — Afghan and Coalition forces detained three terrorists during an operation Tuesday morning near the village of Nazer Kala in Logar Province, approximately 22 kilometers south of Kabul.” (READ MORE)
Two Arrested In Funeral Procession “FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq - Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division stopped a vehicle north of Forward Operating Base Mahmudiyah Nov. 24, discovering that the driver and passenger were heavily armed. Soldiers found an Uzi submachine gun with a silencer in the vehicle, as well as a number of hand grenades, and multiple false identification papers.” (READ MORE)
Soldiers pull security, EOD keeps streets safe “CAMP LIBERTY — A group of Soldiers stand in line for lunch as they jokingly make fun of one another, like good friends do, until they get a call on the radio – ‘An improvised explosive device has been found.’
Before the voice in the radio can finish, the Soldiers take off in a sprint toward their humvees.” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Dennis Prager writing at Townhall.com writes America, Not Keith Ellison, decides what book a congressman takes his oath on “Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on the Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran. He should not be allowed to do so.” (READ MORE)
William Rusher writing at Townhall.com writes A new policy on Iraq “Now that the elections are over and the Democrats have won, it is clear that America's policy in Iraq is going to undergo significant changes.” (READ MORE)
Thomas Sowell writing at Townhall.com writes Who really cares? “One of the most pervasive political visions of our time is the vision of liberals as compassionate and conservatives as less caring.” (READ MORE)
Rich Lowry writing at Townhall.com writes Bush adrift “Is President Bush still the nation's commander in chief? Yes, he continues to return the salute when boarding Marine One, but it's a role he sometimes seems on the verge of abdicating.” (READ MORE)
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. writing at Townhall.com writes The new groupthink “We are, as the saying goes, between Iraq and a hard place. Unfortunately, events this week seem likely to drive us inexorably closer to the hard place - one that is going to be a lot worse than what we have seen in Iraq so far.” (READ MORE)
Cliff May writing at Townhall.com writes Iraq Options “Iraq is a mess. We have come to that conclusion because virtually every day we see innocent Iraqis slaughtered by suicide-bombers. Of all the possible responses, the most perverse may be this: To propose that Americans pull out of Iraq, abandoning innocent Iraqis to the tender mercies of those dispatching the terrorists.” (READ MORE)
Jules Crittenden writes What's In a Name “NBC has made the headlines it intended to make with its decision to start calling the conflict in Iraq a civil war. This is one of those media events that is essentially meaningless. Like pointing out that the war in Iraq has now lasted longer than World War II. Like making headlines out of the war dead in increments of 500.” (READ MORE)
Victor Davis Hanson writes Tough Idealism - Remembering that Iraq represents new foreign policy: “’Our own successful three-week war, but their failed three-year peace.’ Such a self-serving disclaimer might best sum up the change of heart of several neoconservative former supporters of the Iraq war — at least according to interviews that appear in the current issues of Vanity Fair and the New Yorker magazines.” (READ MORE)
Dean Barnett writing at Hugh Hewitt writes The Grounded Imams “In his brilliant new book, “America Alone,” Mark Steyn offers a brief but insightful commentary regarding the terms ‘Homophobia’ and ‘Islamophobia.’ Homophobia, Steyn argues, is a misnomer since there are few people who are actually afraid of homosexuality and homosexuals. Sure there’s a handful that actually are, but most people labeled homophobes (or those ‘correctly’ labeled homophobes, anyway) are people who dislike homosexuals because of bigotry. Islamophobia, on the other hand…” (READ MORE)
Kim Priestap writing at Wizbang writes The Nativity is not Welcome in the City of Chicago “For eleven years the city of Chicago has supported the Christkindlmarket Chicago, a traditional German American market and festival that lasts 4 weeks long and offers shopping, music, traditional German American food and drink, and entertainment. It's a free family friendly celebration of the Christmas season that hosts over one million people and is home to the Chicago Christmas Tree. It's so popular that a variety of groups and companies are eager to sponsor it every year. Here's the sponsorship list as it looked until just recently:” (READ MORE)
Uncle Jimbo writing at Blackfive writes Realists v. Neocons “I wish things had gone much better in Iraq, but they haven't. Even having seen some of the worst parts of the crappiest planet I have ever lived on first hand, I still believe that there is a basic instinct to prefer freedom to oppression. But there is a beaten dog aspect to the people in Iraq, and they have been unable to rise to the opportunity we have offered them. Oh they have a democracy, just like the Palestinians, but it has done them little good. There were opponents of invading Iraq who claimed Arab Muslims were incapable of democratic government, and there is little if any evidence to disprove this. I think the truth is that Islam makes it very difficult to have democracy when god has a veto over any earthly pronouncements.” (READ MORE)
Captain Ed writes Hardly Innocent “We have experienced the birth of a new phrase in victimology -- flying while Muslim. The six imams kicked off of a US Air flight here in Minneapolis have gone on tour with this phrase at the ready, doing a "pray-in" at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington DC yesterday. However, details from the airline and its other passengers point towards a much different conclusion, one that understandably worried all involved:” (READ MORE)
Greyhawk writes Porn Squad Commandos “Najaf, Iraq - April, 2003: In the giddy spirit of the day, nothing could quite top the wish list bellowed out by one man in the throng of people greeting American troops from the 101st Airborne Division who marched into town today.” (READ MORE)
Cassandra writing at Right Wing News writes The Shadow Warriors “Driving home from the mountains of Virginia this weekend I saw a strange sight; an echo of far off days long forgotten now. I almost couldn't believe my eyes. But still there it was on an ancient blue pickup truck traveling about 55 mph in the lane next to us: taking up a goodly part of the rear window and oddly enough, unlike the vehicle it was attached to, in pristine condition. It was an American flag decal, and underneath it in big bold letters were the proud words, UNITED WE STAND.” (READ MORE)
Andi of Andi’s World writes Death by "A Thousand Cuts" “Virtually everywhere we turn these days, the message seems to be the same - Iraq is a hopeless cause. Although I view news reports with skepticism, and attempt to filter out the spin (and lies) from those who would prefer an American loss, I have to admit that I too have been a bit discouraged with the events of the past few weeks. I've heard soldiers say that they feel like they're fighting with one hand tied behind their backs. Some say, ‘off the record, there's no question that we need more troops.’ Some say, ‘we've done our job, a political solution will have to carry the day.’ Seems there is no monolithic view, no consensus even among the people who are involved in planning and carrying out operations. All this talk, coupled with the facts, has left me dizzy.” (READ MORE)
Lightning writing at OPFOR writes Women in Combat Arms? “In the 1990’s, a frequent topic of discussion was the inclusion of women in the combat arms branches of the military. Proponents of integration argued that women could not rise to the highest posts without experience in combat arms (true), and this would inevitably further the masculine-bias of the U.S. military. The argument reached a crescendo during the Clinton presidency, and seemed to taper a bit with the start of the Bush administration. I had hoped that the issue had finally been put to bed after the start of hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, thinking that its proponents would see the physical demands of combat in Tora Bora or Fallujah, and give up their misguided quest to prove that women can perform as well as men in such strenuous environments.” (READ MORE)
Have an interesting post or know of a "must read?" Then send a trackback here and let us all know about it. Or you can send me an email with a link to the post and I'll update the Recon.
The Best Interent Video Ever
According to a survey posted in the Telegraph my favorite internet video of all time came in second to the so called "Star Wars' Kid."
Rounding out the top five:
1) Star Wars Kid (900 million)
2) Numa Numa (700 million)
3) One Night In Paris (400 million)
4) Kylie Minogue for Agent Provocateur (360 million)
5) The Exploding Whale (350 million)
And now for your viewing pleasure Numa Numa!
Rounding out the top five:
1) Star Wars Kid (900 million)
2) Numa Numa (700 million)
3) One Night In Paris (400 million)
4) Kylie Minogue for Agent Provocateur (360 million)
5) The Exploding Whale (350 million)
And now for your viewing pleasure Numa Numa!
Rock on Dude!
November 27, 2006
Iraq Longer Than WWII.- So What?
We’ve all heard the phrase that US Forces have been in Iraq longer than we were engaged in WWII with the Japanese and Germans. But what does that really mean is there some sort of expiration date on conflict? Academic Elephant posting at Red State offers some insight on this and some relevance for those that only see the timeline.
290,000 that’s a huge number, over one quarter of a million men and women in uniform died fighting a genocidal tyrant, and yet while 2303 of our finest have given their lives in the fight against another genocidal tyrant, the American media outlets have all but given up the ship, the war is lost they cry out. And yet, if it is the huge loss of life that they so decry, why did we not hear them cry about the literally hundreds of thousands that Saddam killed, or the thousands that have died in Iran, or Darfur, or anywhere else where the Islamic extremists operate?
3 years and eight months, I wonder if they even realize that we’ve “occupied” Europe and Japan for the past 61 years. I wonder how long we will need to occupy Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to the Department of Defense (click on "Casualty Reports" to download the PDF), we have lost 2303 of our best and brightest to combat in Iraq to date--which is for me a far more tangible cost to our nation than the number of days we've been there. How does that stack up against WWII? The battle death tally for WWII was 292,131. More than a quarter of a million. 292,131. It's a staggering number, especially when you remember that the total population of the United States was less than half than it is now in 1941 at roughly 132 million. The AP might also consider that during the period we were involved in WWII, we lost servicemen at the rate of 6,639 per month. Per month. I'm sorry, I keep repeating myself, but as someone who did not live through that war, the numbers are so large that they become abstract and I'm having trouble making them real. Maybe that's why the AP chooses to harp on the number of days we've been in Iraq in comparison to WWII. We can all comprehend three years and eight months. We can remember where we were in May, 2003 and mark the passage of time. It's a little more challenging to grasp that over that same time span during WWII, we suffered casualties at more than 100% the rate we have in Iraq. 2303 x 100= 230,300. We're still 60,000 short of our losses in WWII. 60,000. I can hardly wrap my brain around it.I can hardly wrap my brain around it either AE. I have to agree with you when you note that even though we have been in Iraq 1 day longer than we were engaged in WWII, that we still have 290,000 fewer deaths, 290,000 fewer deaths fighting a war that even back then was deemed unnecessary by some in our country and abroad.
290,000 that’s a huge number, over one quarter of a million men and women in uniform died fighting a genocidal tyrant, and yet while 2303 of our finest have given their lives in the fight against another genocidal tyrant, the American media outlets have all but given up the ship, the war is lost they cry out. And yet, if it is the huge loss of life that they so decry, why did we not hear them cry about the literally hundreds of thousands that Saddam killed, or the thousands that have died in Iran, or Darfur, or anywhere else where the Islamic extremists operate?
3 years and eight months, I wonder if they even realize that we’ve “occupied” Europe and Japan for the past 61 years. I wonder how long we will need to occupy Iraq and Afghanistan.
DADISM # 53
"What are we doing - cooling the whole neighborhood?"
{Worse than leaving a light on in an unoccupied room, leaving an exterior door open during extreme heat constitutes an unforgivable offense. Again, Dad's annoyance with paying the utility companies comes through loud and clear.}
A Senseless War?
In today’s Frederick News Post, columnist Joe Volz writes Senseless War. He seems to be intimating that since some retired military officers are disagreeing with the prosecution of the war, that the war is somehow senseless in its outcome.
What Captain Meadows is saying is the same thing that many military experts had been saying since the beginning, there weren’t enough men on the ground to effect a decisive victory, and it became a fire fighting unit, rushing from one crisis to another never truly occupying the ground and creating power vacuums, that allowed militia leaders to assert their authority over neighborhoods.
The failure in Iraq wasn’t in removing Saddam from power it was in not declaring total war to ensure victory. It’s the theory that sometimes you have to use a sledgehammer to kill the ant; we should have accepted a zero tolerance for acts of violence against the populace and US Military personnel.
Mr. Volz is still insisting that American men and women not be sent off to fight wars in foreign countries, but the truth of the matter is, if we don’t send them off to fight wars in foreign countries, we very likely might be sending our young men and women off to die in a war within our own borders.
The war in Iraq is not a mistake, the prosecution of that war might be up for question but the Strategic and moral goals are not. When Mr. Volz states: “Now, it is time for our great nation to admit that we are making a tragic mistake staying in Iraq any longer. It is up to the Iraqis, not us Americans, to determine if a government of the Iraqi people, by the Iraqi people and for the Iraqi people, shall perish from the earth or not.” He is clearly showing that he has no concept of the cost of not fighting this war. He still believes that on 01/20/2009 all terrorist aggression against the west will cease and that is a belief system that is not based in any sense of reality.
If Mr. Volz truly wants to bring our troops home and stop all terrorist action around the world perhaps he should be penning columns that call upon our leadership to stop politicizing the war effort and making politically correct decisions about the tactics being used. When we allow the enemy to define the battle space and the condition upon which we will attack them, for fear of offending them, then we will have truly lost the war.
In that sense Mr. Volz is not far off target, but his approach does nothing to resolve these errors. Neither does Captain Meadows’ comments, the short term goal of saving lives in Iraq should not be paid for by our children and grand children because we were afraid to do what is vitally necessary. What is senseless about this war is that so many, on both sides of the aisle have decided that their contribution to the effort should be more debate when what is needed is total victory. President Bush never had you to loose Mr. Volz, and I am not yet lost.
Update: Open posted at Pirates Cove.
“It has been almost 40 years since President Lyndon Johnson conceded, at the height of the Vietnam War, that since he had lost Walter Cronkite, he had lost the country.Now I know Captain Meadows, our backyards share a common fence, and I’ve talked to Captain Meadows before about many topics, but never about The War on Terror, so I’m not going to even presume that I know how Captain Meadows thinks about Iraq, but I can tell you this…Captain Meadows is wrong if he believes that pulling out of Iraq will save lives. Will it save the lives of those soldiers that don’t have to stay in Iraq and continue the fight? Sure it will, but that goal is a short term solution that does nothing to solve the problem and the real question becomes how many American’s will die because Mr. Volz and Captain Meadows get their wish? I’m not even sure that Captain Meadows is even suggesting that we immediately withdrawal from Iraq because in his comments as reported by Mr. Volz clearly states that he expected even more soldier be put in harms way earlier in the fight.
The popular CBS anchorman, Uncle Walter to millions, concluded in 1968 that the war was unwinnable and the United States should leave.
Mr. Cronkite was right.
We lost the war. Mr. Johnson lost his presidency and 50,000 American soldiers lost their lives. President George Bush is no Lyndon Johnson.
And Dave Meadows of Frederick, a retired Navy captain, who rose up the ranks from seaman in a 37-year career, is no Walter Cronkite.
But if Mr. Bush has lost Capt. Meadows, a tall, effusive native of Georgia, he has lost America, too.
Capt. Meadows spent nearly 10 years at sea and has more than 5,000 hours flying in patrol aircraft. In one way or another, he was involved in every Middle East conflict
between 1970 and 2004. He was in the Pentagon on that murderous 9-11.
The other day, he told me, "Disagreement can be the voice of reason. If military recommendations had been followed early after the victory (the military victory in Iraq), I believe our troops would already be home and we would not be hearing a growing comparison of Iraq as a 21st Century Vietnam."
Capt. Meadows is an accomplished author who has published nine military adventure novels. His new one, "Pacific Threat" (Berkley Publishing Group), is due out in January.
He figures our political leaders should have sent in many more troops when we decided to go into Iraq, as some top military leaders advised. We made the wrong claims about why we were going in and have developed no clear-cut way to get out.
Capt. Meadows doesn't pretend to know if pulling out would improve the situation in Iraq, but he does know this: it would save American lives.”
What Captain Meadows is saying is the same thing that many military experts had been saying since the beginning, there weren’t enough men on the ground to effect a decisive victory, and it became a fire fighting unit, rushing from one crisis to another never truly occupying the ground and creating power vacuums, that allowed militia leaders to assert their authority over neighborhoods.
The failure in Iraq wasn’t in removing Saddam from power it was in not declaring total war to ensure victory. It’s the theory that sometimes you have to use a sledgehammer to kill the ant; we should have accepted a zero tolerance for acts of violence against the populace and US Military personnel.
Mr. Volz is still insisting that American men and women not be sent off to fight wars in foreign countries, but the truth of the matter is, if we don’t send them off to fight wars in foreign countries, we very likely might be sending our young men and women off to die in a war within our own borders.
The war in Iraq is not a mistake, the prosecution of that war might be up for question but the Strategic and moral goals are not. When Mr. Volz states: “Now, it is time for our great nation to admit that we are making a tragic mistake staying in Iraq any longer. It is up to the Iraqis, not us Americans, to determine if a government of the Iraqi people, by the Iraqi people and for the Iraqi people, shall perish from the earth or not.” He is clearly showing that he has no concept of the cost of not fighting this war. He still believes that on 01/20/2009 all terrorist aggression against the west will cease and that is a belief system that is not based in any sense of reality.
If Mr. Volz truly wants to bring our troops home and stop all terrorist action around the world perhaps he should be penning columns that call upon our leadership to stop politicizing the war effort and making politically correct decisions about the tactics being used. When we allow the enemy to define the battle space and the condition upon which we will attack them, for fear of offending them, then we will have truly lost the war.
In that sense Mr. Volz is not far off target, but his approach does nothing to resolve these errors. Neither does Captain Meadows’ comments, the short term goal of saving lives in Iraq should not be paid for by our children and grand children because we were afraid to do what is vitally necessary. What is senseless about this war is that so many, on both sides of the aisle have decided that their contribution to the effort should be more debate when what is needed is total victory. President Bush never had you to loose Mr. Volz, and I am not yet lost.
Update: Open posted at Pirates Cove.
Web Reconnaissance for 11/27/2006
A recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
Cease-fire calms Gaza (Wash Times) “A fragile Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire took effect yesterday, stoking faint hopes for a resumption of peace negotiations even though it was breached by five rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel.” (READ MORE)
Talks aim to counter Tehran (Wash Times) “A weeklong, high-stakes diplomatic offensive for control of the Middle East is gathering steam as the Bush administration rallies allies against Iran's growing influence in the region.” (READ MORE)
Writings reveal cautious Gates (Wash Times) “Defense Secretary-designate Robert M. Gates in the past decade opposed big changes at the CIA in the face of terror attacks and expressed doubt that Washington could assemble an alliance of nations against al Qaeda.” (READ MORE)
Iraqi Premier Blames Politicians for Violence (NY Times) “Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki said Sunday that Iraq’s politicians were largely responsible for the surge in violence that engulfed the country over the past week, a departure from his previous assertions blaming militants for inciting the mayhem.” (READ MORE)
50 Shots Fired, and the Experts Offer a Theory (NY Times) “Experts said ‘contagious shooting’ may have played a role in the police shooting of a bridegroom in Queens.” (READ MORE)
Olmert: Palestinians Stand at Crossroads (Wash Post) “Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered wide-ranging concessions if the Palestinians turn away from violence, saying Monday that they would be able to achieve an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip through real peace talks with Israel.” (READ MORE)
News From the Front:
Britain may start pulling out of Iraq (Yahoo News) Britain said Monday it expects to withdraw thousands of its 7,000 military personnel from Iraq by the end of next year, while Poland and Italy announced the impending withdrawal of their remaining troops.” (READ MORE)
Iraqi clerics call for end to hostilities (LA Times) Shiite and Sunni clerics, among the last vestige of authority in a country rapidly losing faith in politicians, charged Saturday that Iraq's plight was the result of U.S. mistakes and pleaded with their faithful to stem the bloodshed that followed a devastating attack on a mainly Shiite Baghdad neighborhood.” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Michael Barone writing at Townhall.com writes Where Do the Dems Go From Here? “What will the Democrats do with their majorities in Congress? The 2006 campaign was pretty much an idea-free zone and provides only a few clues.” (READ MORE)
Suzanne Fields writing at Townhall.com writes Keeping John Bolton “President Bush has resubmitted the nomination, but despite what everyone says is his good job, he's unlikely even to get an up-or-down vote in the new, kinder, gentler Democratic Senate.” (READ MORE)
Carol Platt Liebau writing at Townhall.com writes Kramer's Rant “Inevitably, along with the well-deserved condemnation of Richards? disgusting behavior came the predictable denunciations of American society as a hotbed of racism.” (READ MORE)
Jeff Emanuel writing at Townhall.com writes Iraq: An Open Letter to President Bush “Now that you have had nearly a month to recover from the midterm election, I would like to humbly suggest that you once again focus your attention on the situation in Iraq, and its resolution.” (READ MORE)
Star Parker writing at Townhall.com writes Richards Incident Says Something About Morality, Too “Let's take a closer look at so-called comedian Michael Richards' racist outburst that is capturing so much press and airtime.” (READ MORE)
Kobayashi Maru writes The Untied States of America “Given the extreme paucity of MSM coverage of the subject (just six articles, according to Google News), I suspect I am not the only one unaware until recently that newly elected Congressman Keith Ellison (D, MN) will likely take his oath of office not on the Bible but the Koran. ...My concern is this: How long can we continue to exist as a nation when the fundamental basis on which public officials agree to uphold the responsibilities of office is allowed to vary based on each person's point of view?” (READ MORE)
Allahpundit writes Video: Rangel says men join the army only if they can’t have ‘a decent career’ “Hence his support for the draft. If even our volunteers are there involuntarily, why shouldn’t everyone be?” (READ MORE)
Hugh Hewitt writes The Killer Myths of the Appeasement Media “It is useless to debate the left-wing bias in the MSM, which is like debating the temperature at any given place on any given day. Opinions may differ as to what it feels like, but there is a factual answer to the question of what the temp is. No matter what your opinions are about the MSM, the fact is that the Beltway-Manhattan MSM tilts way, way left. Newsbusters quotes Jim Pinkerton running through the basics for the folks who think it may be close to freezing when in fact it is 61 and cloudy.” (READ MORE)
Jay Tea writes The Voice of Rage “Now that the initial furor over Michael Richards' outburst has faded, I've had a bit of time to think about it a little -- and Mel Gibson's idiocy, and similar things. And I have a theory of my own that I'd like to toss out. Some people say that, especially in Gibson's case, "in vino veritas" -- that these outbursts reveal much about the inner workings of these two men's minds and show that they had such hateful thoughts and feelings within them, and the incidents merely brought them to the surface. I'm not sure.” (READ MORE)
Flopping Aces writes Getting The News From The Enemy “Yesterday there were two incidents that I wrote about involving the use of enemy propagandists by our MSM. Now take a look at the latest “all hell is breaking loose” report on Iraq, from the AP of course:” (READ MORE)
William Teach writes Hillary 2008? Not. So. Fast. “Despite the Left leaning media proclaiming Hillary Clinton as the next President (I'm assuming they mean of the USA, not some socialist nation), if the Democratic ultra lefty base, especially the Nutroots folks, have their way, she will not even get the nomination. Why? They just do not care for her, and, make no bones about it:” (READ MORE)
American Soldier writes Rainy Days & Recruiters “I was driving to work last week and the clouds were brewing up something. I opened my window and took in a deep breath of the smell of rain. It really doesn’t smell any different no matter where you go. It has that unique scent to it. For me it brings back certain memories now. That will come later. I was coming up to an Army Recruiter office. So I pulled in the parking lot and sat there for a minute looking out my window at the clouds. I must have looked like an idiot but I really didn’t care. All that went through my mind was what to say. Why am I even there?” (READ MORE)
John Donovan *The Armorer* writes Jonathan Chait thinks the unthinkable... “From his LA Times piece (and you should read the whole thing, not just my selective quoting): ‘THE DEBATE about Iraq has moved past the question of whether it was a mistake (everybody knows it was) to the more depressing question of whether it is possible to avert total disaster. Every self-respecting foreign policy analyst has his own plan for Iraq. The trouble is that these tracts are inevitably unconvincing, except when they argue why all the other plans would fail. It's all terribly grim.’” (READ MORE)
Froggy writing at Blackfive writes Who exactly is lacking a connection to our armed forces? “Rep. Charles Rangel is no doubt sincere when he says that, ‘No young, bright individual wants to fight just because of a bonus and just because of educational benefits. And most all of them come from communities of very, very high unemployment. If a young fella has an option of having a decent career or joining the army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq.’ But he could not be more wrong. His impetus for proposing the draft he says is to shift the burden of defending America from the poor, minority community who are economically pressed into service to the rich, white community which has been shirking its duty and using the black man as cannon fodder to line whitey’s pockets.” (READ MORE)
Captain Ed writes Guess Who Financed The Insurgencies? “The New York Times reports on the financial underpinnings of the insurgencies in Iraq, showing that they have developed well-oiled mechanisms for generating millions in funding for their operations. A significant portion of those funds come from their abduction industry, and the major donors to that program have been France and Italy:” (READ MORE)
Dan Riehl writes Why Moqtada al-Sadr Must Go “You'll recognize this below, but it's usually attributed to Iranian President Ahmed Ahmadinejad. I found it buried in a fact filled, ten page Newsweek profile, Sword of the Shia. Sadr himself was determined to lead a national movement—using a potent mixture of anti-occupation militancy and millennial preaching about the coming of the mysterious 12th imam, who Shiites believe will save mankind. ‘Moqtada is absolutely hooked on the concept of the reappearance of the Mahdi,’ says Amatzia Baram, the director of the Ezri Center at Haifa University.” (READ MORE)
Chickenhawk Express writes When Did Suicide By Self Immolation Become Courageous? “When you hear the words ‘heroic’ and ‘courageous sacrifice,’ what picture pops into your mind? My mental images include our soldiers fighting in the war on terror, police officers, firefighters and the like. The last thing I think of is a man dousing himself with gasoline and setting himself on fire as an act of protest against the war. But those are the words that the other members of the BDS crowd are using to describe Malachi Ritscher.” (READ MORE)
Jules Crittenden writes Their Finest Hour “Five years ago, a Special Forces team with a small force of Afghan irregulars and F-18s stacked up overhead destroyed a column of up to 70 Taliban vehicles and 700 guerrillas bent on wreaking vengeance on Tarin Kot for kicking out its Taliban governor and inviting Capt. Jason Amerine, Hamid Karzai and their men into town. It was a close-run thing, as the outnumbered Americans had to convince their Afghan allies they had the power to take on that force and destroy it.” (READ MORE)
Red2Alpha writes Thanksgiving Day or: I don't need a miracle But I could use a push in the right direction “My Grandpa was an Army MP during the Korea War, at the same time my Uncle Walley served in the Navy, and my late Uncle Jonny, Grandma's brother, fought the Germans as an Infantrymen in WWII with General Patton's Army. The men would tell their stories and I would sit quitely nearby, soaking it all up, hoping someday that I would have my own war stories to share with them. That I could be part of the group, accepted as a man in their eyes. Now I have my war stories too. I am one of them.” (READ MORE)
Blonde Sagacity writes Novelist's Book Cancelled Because of Muslim Antagonist “Australlian author John Dale, winner of the "Ned Kelly Crime Writing Award for best first novel", found out that his publisher dumped his latest novel (commissioned by Scholastic Australia) because book stores and librarians have said they won't stock the book... Why you ask...? Is he a member of NAMBLA detailing his exploits? No, they'll stock that. A drug addict and criminal imparting his personal tale? No, they'll stock that too. The "villain" of his latest thriller is a Muslim terrorist. Full stop.” (READ MORE)
Bosun writing at Stop the ACLU writes Suspect Terror Tied Suspect Flees US for Somolia “According the Seattle Post Intelligencer, a Seattle area Rainier Beach man, who federal agents allege made his barber shop a kind of “anti-American training ground for Muslims” where children were taught “how to shoot and fight the Americans”, fled the United States for Somalia.” (READ MORE)
Wretchard of The Belmont Club writes To be scorned and shunned “Michael Totten trembles as the New York Times threatens to unload its ultimate weapon. Trembles in laughter, most probably. The NYT warned Syria that it would pay a price for its aggression. And what a price. ‘Damascus must also be told that it will pay a high price — in scorn, isolation and sanctions — if it is found to have ordered Mr. Gemayel’s death, or the deaths or maiming of a half-dozen other anti-Syrian politicians and journalists. Hezbollah must be told that it will be shunned if it tries to grab power through further violence or intimidation.’” (READ MORE)
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
Cease-fire calms Gaza (Wash Times) “A fragile Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire took effect yesterday, stoking faint hopes for a resumption of peace negotiations even though it was breached by five rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel.” (READ MORE)
Talks aim to counter Tehran (Wash Times) “A weeklong, high-stakes diplomatic offensive for control of the Middle East is gathering steam as the Bush administration rallies allies against Iran's growing influence in the region.” (READ MORE)
Writings reveal cautious Gates (Wash Times) “Defense Secretary-designate Robert M. Gates in the past decade opposed big changes at the CIA in the face of terror attacks and expressed doubt that Washington could assemble an alliance of nations against al Qaeda.” (READ MORE)
Iraqi Premier Blames Politicians for Violence (NY Times) “Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki said Sunday that Iraq’s politicians were largely responsible for the surge in violence that engulfed the country over the past week, a departure from his previous assertions blaming militants for inciting the mayhem.” (READ MORE)
50 Shots Fired, and the Experts Offer a Theory (NY Times) “Experts said ‘contagious shooting’ may have played a role in the police shooting of a bridegroom in Queens.” (READ MORE)
Olmert: Palestinians Stand at Crossroads (Wash Post) “Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered wide-ranging concessions if the Palestinians turn away from violence, saying Monday that they would be able to achieve an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip through real peace talks with Israel.” (READ MORE)
News From the Front:
Britain may start pulling out of Iraq (Yahoo News) Britain said Monday it expects to withdraw thousands of its 7,000 military personnel from Iraq by the end of next year, while Poland and Italy announced the impending withdrawal of their remaining troops.” (READ MORE)
Iraqi clerics call for end to hostilities (LA Times) Shiite and Sunni clerics, among the last vestige of authority in a country rapidly losing faith in politicians, charged Saturday that Iraq's plight was the result of U.S. mistakes and pleaded with their faithful to stem the bloodshed that followed a devastating attack on a mainly Shiite Baghdad neighborhood.” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Michael Barone writing at Townhall.com writes Where Do the Dems Go From Here? “What will the Democrats do with their majorities in Congress? The 2006 campaign was pretty much an idea-free zone and provides only a few clues.” (READ MORE)
Suzanne Fields writing at Townhall.com writes Keeping John Bolton “President Bush has resubmitted the nomination, but despite what everyone says is his good job, he's unlikely even to get an up-or-down vote in the new, kinder, gentler Democratic Senate.” (READ MORE)
Carol Platt Liebau writing at Townhall.com writes Kramer's Rant “Inevitably, along with the well-deserved condemnation of Richards? disgusting behavior came the predictable denunciations of American society as a hotbed of racism.” (READ MORE)
Jeff Emanuel writing at Townhall.com writes Iraq: An Open Letter to President Bush “Now that you have had nearly a month to recover from the midterm election, I would like to humbly suggest that you once again focus your attention on the situation in Iraq, and its resolution.” (READ MORE)
Star Parker writing at Townhall.com writes Richards Incident Says Something About Morality, Too “Let's take a closer look at so-called comedian Michael Richards' racist outburst that is capturing so much press and airtime.” (READ MORE)
Kobayashi Maru writes The Untied States of America “Given the extreme paucity of MSM coverage of the subject (just six articles, according to Google News), I suspect I am not the only one unaware until recently that newly elected Congressman Keith Ellison (D, MN) will likely take his oath of office not on the Bible but the Koran. ...My concern is this: How long can we continue to exist as a nation when the fundamental basis on which public officials agree to uphold the responsibilities of office is allowed to vary based on each person's point of view?” (READ MORE)
Allahpundit writes Video: Rangel says men join the army only if they can’t have ‘a decent career’ “Hence his support for the draft. If even our volunteers are there involuntarily, why shouldn’t everyone be?” (READ MORE)
Hugh Hewitt writes The Killer Myths of the Appeasement Media “It is useless to debate the left-wing bias in the MSM, which is like debating the temperature at any given place on any given day. Opinions may differ as to what it feels like, but there is a factual answer to the question of what the temp is. No matter what your opinions are about the MSM, the fact is that the Beltway-Manhattan MSM tilts way, way left. Newsbusters quotes Jim Pinkerton running through the basics for the folks who think it may be close to freezing when in fact it is 61 and cloudy.” (READ MORE)
Jay Tea writes The Voice of Rage “Now that the initial furor over Michael Richards' outburst has faded, I've had a bit of time to think about it a little -- and Mel Gibson's idiocy, and similar things. And I have a theory of my own that I'd like to toss out. Some people say that, especially in Gibson's case, "in vino veritas" -- that these outbursts reveal much about the inner workings of these two men's minds and show that they had such hateful thoughts and feelings within them, and the incidents merely brought them to the surface. I'm not sure.” (READ MORE)
Flopping Aces writes Getting The News From The Enemy “Yesterday there were two incidents that I wrote about involving the use of enemy propagandists by our MSM. Now take a look at the latest “all hell is breaking loose” report on Iraq, from the AP of course:” (READ MORE)
William Teach writes Hillary 2008? Not. So. Fast. “Despite the Left leaning media proclaiming Hillary Clinton as the next President (I'm assuming they mean of the USA, not some socialist nation), if the Democratic ultra lefty base, especially the Nutroots folks, have their way, she will not even get the nomination. Why? They just do not care for her, and, make no bones about it:” (READ MORE)
American Soldier writes Rainy Days & Recruiters “I was driving to work last week and the clouds were brewing up something. I opened my window and took in a deep breath of the smell of rain. It really doesn’t smell any different no matter where you go. It has that unique scent to it. For me it brings back certain memories now. That will come later. I was coming up to an Army Recruiter office. So I pulled in the parking lot and sat there for a minute looking out my window at the clouds. I must have looked like an idiot but I really didn’t care. All that went through my mind was what to say. Why am I even there?” (READ MORE)
John Donovan *The Armorer* writes Jonathan Chait thinks the unthinkable... “From his LA Times piece (and you should read the whole thing, not just my selective quoting): ‘THE DEBATE about Iraq has moved past the question of whether it was a mistake (everybody knows it was) to the more depressing question of whether it is possible to avert total disaster. Every self-respecting foreign policy analyst has his own plan for Iraq. The trouble is that these tracts are inevitably unconvincing, except when they argue why all the other plans would fail. It's all terribly grim.’” (READ MORE)
Froggy writing at Blackfive writes Who exactly is lacking a connection to our armed forces? “Rep. Charles Rangel is no doubt sincere when he says that, ‘No young, bright individual wants to fight just because of a bonus and just because of educational benefits. And most all of them come from communities of very, very high unemployment. If a young fella has an option of having a decent career or joining the army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq.’ But he could not be more wrong. His impetus for proposing the draft he says is to shift the burden of defending America from the poor, minority community who are economically pressed into service to the rich, white community which has been shirking its duty and using the black man as cannon fodder to line whitey’s pockets.” (READ MORE)
Captain Ed writes Guess Who Financed The Insurgencies? “The New York Times reports on the financial underpinnings of the insurgencies in Iraq, showing that they have developed well-oiled mechanisms for generating millions in funding for their operations. A significant portion of those funds come from their abduction industry, and the major donors to that program have been France and Italy:” (READ MORE)
Dan Riehl writes Why Moqtada al-Sadr Must Go “You'll recognize this below, but it's usually attributed to Iranian President Ahmed Ahmadinejad. I found it buried in a fact filled, ten page Newsweek profile, Sword of the Shia. Sadr himself was determined to lead a national movement—using a potent mixture of anti-occupation militancy and millennial preaching about the coming of the mysterious 12th imam, who Shiites believe will save mankind. ‘Moqtada is absolutely hooked on the concept of the reappearance of the Mahdi,’ says Amatzia Baram, the director of the Ezri Center at Haifa University.” (READ MORE)
Chickenhawk Express writes When Did Suicide By Self Immolation Become Courageous? “When you hear the words ‘heroic’ and ‘courageous sacrifice,’ what picture pops into your mind? My mental images include our soldiers fighting in the war on terror, police officers, firefighters and the like. The last thing I think of is a man dousing himself with gasoline and setting himself on fire as an act of protest against the war. But those are the words that the other members of the BDS crowd are using to describe Malachi Ritscher.” (READ MORE)
Jules Crittenden writes Their Finest Hour “Five years ago, a Special Forces team with a small force of Afghan irregulars and F-18s stacked up overhead destroyed a column of up to 70 Taliban vehicles and 700 guerrillas bent on wreaking vengeance on Tarin Kot for kicking out its Taliban governor and inviting Capt. Jason Amerine, Hamid Karzai and their men into town. It was a close-run thing, as the outnumbered Americans had to convince their Afghan allies they had the power to take on that force and destroy it.” (READ MORE)
Red2Alpha writes Thanksgiving Day or: I don't need a miracle But I could use a push in the right direction “My Grandpa was an Army MP during the Korea War, at the same time my Uncle Walley served in the Navy, and my late Uncle Jonny, Grandma's brother, fought the Germans as an Infantrymen in WWII with General Patton's Army. The men would tell their stories and I would sit quitely nearby, soaking it all up, hoping someday that I would have my own war stories to share with them. That I could be part of the group, accepted as a man in their eyes. Now I have my war stories too. I am one of them.” (READ MORE)
Blonde Sagacity writes Novelist's Book Cancelled Because of Muslim Antagonist “Australlian author John Dale, winner of the "Ned Kelly Crime Writing Award for best first novel", found out that his publisher dumped his latest novel (commissioned by Scholastic Australia) because book stores and librarians have said they won't stock the book... Why you ask...? Is he a member of NAMBLA detailing his exploits? No, they'll stock that. A drug addict and criminal imparting his personal tale? No, they'll stock that too. The "villain" of his latest thriller is a Muslim terrorist. Full stop.” (READ MORE)
Bosun writing at Stop the ACLU writes Suspect Terror Tied Suspect Flees US for Somolia “According the Seattle Post Intelligencer, a Seattle area Rainier Beach man, who federal agents allege made his barber shop a kind of “anti-American training ground for Muslims” where children were taught “how to shoot and fight the Americans”, fled the United States for Somalia.” (READ MORE)
Wretchard of The Belmont Club writes To be scorned and shunned “Michael Totten trembles as the New York Times threatens to unload its ultimate weapon. Trembles in laughter, most probably. The NYT warned Syria that it would pay a price for its aggression. And what a price. ‘Damascus must also be told that it will pay a high price — in scorn, isolation and sanctions — if it is found to have ordered Mr. Gemayel’s death, or the deaths or maiming of a half-dozen other anti-Syrian politicians and journalists. Hezbollah must be told that it will be shunned if it tries to grab power through further violence or intimidation.’” (READ MORE)
Today in History
In 1759, town officials in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, evicted the Rev. Francis Gastrell from William Shakespeare's home after he cut down a 150-year-old tree that had been planted by the famed writer.
In 1901, the U.S. War Department authorized creation of the Army War College to instruct commissioned officers. It was built in Leavenworth, Kan.
In 1940, two months after Gen. Ion Antonescu seized power in Romania and forced King Carol II to abdicate, more than 60 aides of the exiled king, including Nicolae Iorga, a former minister and acclaimed historian, were executed.
In 1945, U.S. President Harry Truman named U.S. Army Gen. George Marshall his special representative to China.
In 1970, a man with a knife attempted to injure Pope Paul VI at Manila Airport in the Philippines.
In 1989, University of Chicago doctors implanted part of a woman's liver in her 21-month-old daughter in the nation's first living donor liver transplant.
Also in 1989, Virginia certified Douglas Wilder as the nation's first elected black governor by a margin of 0.38 percent.
In 1990, British Treasury chief John Major was elected Conservative Party leader, succeeding Margaret Thatcher as prime minister.
In 1992, military dissidents attempted to overthrow Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Perez.
In 1994, Bosnian Serbs took 150 U.N. peacekeepers hostage to prevent NATO airstrikes.
In 1997, tens of thousands of German students took to the streets of Bonn to protest the decline of Germany's higher education system.
In 2001, nearly half the 1,200 people detained after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, mostly of Middle Eastern descent, were still in custody more than two months later.
In 2002, U.S. President George Bush created a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and to glean lessons to help thwart future attacks.
In 2003, U.S. President George Bush swooped into Iraq under the cover of darkness in a surprise visit to U.S. forces in Baghdad to help serve them Thanksgiving dinner.
In 2004, the U.N. Committee on Torture asked Britain to review its policy of detaining foreign terror suspects without trial.
Also in 2004, Venezuela reportedly planned to continue to strengthen its army with the help of Russian weaponry.
In 2005, earthquakes struck China and Iran. At least 17 people died in the quake that rattled eastern China and at least 10 were killed when another tremor hit southern Iran.
Also in 2005, former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said human rights abuses by the Baghdad government are as bad as they were under Saddam Hussein.
In 1901, the U.S. War Department authorized creation of the Army War College to instruct commissioned officers. It was built in Leavenworth, Kan.
In 1940, two months after Gen. Ion Antonescu seized power in Romania and forced King Carol II to abdicate, more than 60 aides of the exiled king, including Nicolae Iorga, a former minister and acclaimed historian, were executed.
In 1945, U.S. President Harry Truman named U.S. Army Gen. George Marshall his special representative to China.
In 1970, a man with a knife attempted to injure Pope Paul VI at Manila Airport in the Philippines.
In 1989, University of Chicago doctors implanted part of a woman's liver in her 21-month-old daughter in the nation's first living donor liver transplant.
Also in 1989, Virginia certified Douglas Wilder as the nation's first elected black governor by a margin of 0.38 percent.
In 1990, British Treasury chief John Major was elected Conservative Party leader, succeeding Margaret Thatcher as prime minister.
In 1992, military dissidents attempted to overthrow Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Perez.
In 1994, Bosnian Serbs took 150 U.N. peacekeepers hostage to prevent NATO airstrikes.
In 1997, tens of thousands of German students took to the streets of Bonn to protest the decline of Germany's higher education system.
In 2001, nearly half the 1,200 people detained after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, mostly of Middle Eastern descent, were still in custody more than two months later.
In 2002, U.S. President George Bush created a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and to glean lessons to help thwart future attacks.
In 2003, U.S. President George Bush swooped into Iraq under the cover of darkness in a surprise visit to U.S. forces in Baghdad to help serve them Thanksgiving dinner.
In 2004, the U.N. Committee on Torture asked Britain to review its policy of detaining foreign terror suspects without trial.
Also in 2004, Venezuela reportedly planned to continue to strengthen its army with the help of Russian weaponry.
In 2005, earthquakes struck China and Iran. At least 17 people died in the quake that rattled eastern China and at least 10 were killed when another tremor hit southern Iran.
Also in 2005, former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said human rights abuses by the Baghdad government are as bad as they were under Saddam Hussein.
November 26, 2006
Captain John Ryan Dennison
Captain John Ryan Dennison, U.S. Army, was killed in action while engaged in combat operations in Iraq on November 15, 2006.
He is survived by his wife, 1LT Haley Ann (Edwards) Dennison of Raeford, N.C.; his parents, Shannon and Jack Dennison of Ijamsville; his sister, Ensign Colleen M. Dennison, U.S. Navy, of Pensacola, Fla.; and his brother, Christopher R. Dennison, also of Ijamsville.
Born on February 22, 1982, at Landstuhl Army Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, Ryan graduated from Urbana High School in June, 2000. At Urbana High School, Ryan played football and wrestled. He was a member of the National Honor Society, a Boys State participant, and a Big Brother volunteer. Ryan received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he graduated in May, 2004, with a Bachelor of Science degree in international relations and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. While at West Point, Ryan was a member of the Black Knights skydiving team and was team president his senior year. Ryan and his wife met while cadets at West Point and were married after graduating in July, 2004.
Ryan completed infantry officer basic course and ranger training before joining the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. in April 2005. In September 2005, Ryan deployed with his unit to New Orleans, La., to provide support post-Hurricane Katrina. In August 2006, Ryan deployed to Kuwait with the Fifth Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team. In early September, 2006, Ryan moved with his unit into Iraq, east of Baghdad. He was serving as a platoon leader and a member of Task Force Lightning when he was killed. He was promoted posthumously from First Lieutenant to Captain effective November 15, 2006.
Ryan was Airborne, Ranger, Sapper, and Jump Master qualified. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Combat and Expert Infantryman's Badges. He was held in high regard as a highly effective and charismatic leader by his soldiers, peers, and superiors.
Ryan said before deploying to Iraq that he would want to be remembered as "a young Christian man married to a young Christian woman." His faith became increasingly important to him after meeting Haley. Ryan was a member of the Navigators, a Christian outreach ministry, and regularly participated in Bible studies at Fort Bragg and while deployed.
A memorial service will be held at the Fort Bragg, N.C., Division Memorial Chapel on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 2 p.m. The funeral will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 8 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Frederick, 116 E. Second St. Interment will follow at 11:30 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery, which family and friends are invited to attend.
The Keeney and Basford Funeral Home, 106 East Church Street, Frederick is in charge of arrangements. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.keeneybasford.com.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations should be made to the John Ryan Dennison Scholarship Fund, c/o The Community Foundation of Frederick County, 312 E. Church St., Frederick MD 21701.
Ed Note: Also in Captain Dennison's graduating class at West Point: 1st Lt. Robert Seidel III
Also writing/remembering Captain Dennison: Political Cortex
Read the notice at the West Point site.
The Patriot Guard Riders will also be present.
November 25, 2006
A Must Read at the Huffington Post?
That's right you heard it hear, HuffPo has a must read not because of its vehament attacks against Bush and our military, but because the author of the piece is actually facing reality, something rarely seen at the HuffPo.
So who is the author of this wonderful item, none other than Alan Dershowitz. Dershowitz's post The World According to Jimmy Carter focuses on Jimmy Carter's newest book, Palestine: Peace not Aparthied. A snippet for your pleasure:
It gets a whole lot better from there and it is recommended reading for this weekend. What is also not to be missed is the rabid supporters of Jimmy Carter as they attack Mr. Dershowitz and Israel in the comments section. Reality Based Community...yeah sure, I get it.
So who is the author of this wonderful item, none other than Alan Dershowitz. Dershowitz's post The World According to Jimmy Carter focuses on Jimmy Carter's newest book, Palestine: Peace not Aparthied. A snippet for your pleasure:
I like Jimmy Carter. I have known him since he began his run for president in early 1976. I worked hard for his election, and I have admired the work of the Carter Center throughout the world. That’s why it troubles me so much that this decent man has written such an indecent book about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
His bias against Israel shows by his selection of the book’s title: “Palestine: Peace not Apartheid.” The suggestion that without peace Israel is an apartheid state analogous to South Africa is simply wrong. The basic evil of South African apartheid, against which I and so many other Jews fought, was the absolute control over a majority of blacks by a small minority of whites. It was the opposite of democracy. In Israel majority rules; it is a vibrant secular democracy, which just today recognized gay marriages performed abroad. Arabs serve in the Knesset, on the Supreme Court and get to vote for their representatives, many of whom strongly oppose Israeli policies. Israel has repeatedly offered to end its occupation of areas it captured in a defensive war in exchange for peace and full recognition. The reality is that other Arab and Muslim nations do in fact practice apartheid. In Jordan, no Jew can be a citizen or own land. The same is true in Saudi Arabia, which has separate roads for Muslims and non-Muslims. Even in the Palestinian authority, the increasing influence of Hamas threatens to create Islamic hegemony over non-Muslims. Arab Christians are leaving in droves.
Why then would Jimmy Carter invoke the concept of apartheid in his attack on Israel? Even he acknowledges—though he buries this toward the end of his book—that what is going on in Israel today “is unlike that in South Africa—not racism, but the acquisition of land.” But Israel’s motive for holding on to this land is the prevention of terrorism. It has repeatedly offered to exchange land for peace and did so in Gaza and southern Lebanon only to have the returned land used for terrorism, kidnappings and rocket launchings. (Read the Rest...)
It gets a whole lot better from there and it is recommended reading for this weekend. What is also not to be missed is the rabid supporters of Jimmy Carter as they attack Mr. Dershowitz and Israel in the comments section. Reality Based Community...yeah sure, I get it.
November 24, 2006
Web Reconnaissance for 11/24/2006
A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
All eyes on Pelosi for intelligence pick “The intelligence community and Capitol Hill are awaiting House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi's choice to lead the chamber's intelligence panel, an explosive decision that will anger key members of her party no matter who she selects.” (READ MORE)
Grandmother a suicide bomber “Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians, including a top militant commander, in raids in northern Gaza yesterday while a 57-year-old grandmother blew herself up near soldiers.” (READ MORE)
Iraq Death Toll Rises; Shiite Bloc Threatens Boycott “A powerful legislative bloc loyal to firebrand Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr threatened to boycott the government if Iraq’s prime minister attends a scheduled meeting with President Bush in Jordan next week.” (READ MORE)
News From the Front:
Bombs, mortars kill 157 in Iraq “Five car bombs and two mortar rounds struck the capital's Shi'ite Sadr City slum yesterday, killing at least 157 persons and wounding 247, police said.” (READ MORE)
Buck Sergeant of American Citizen Soldier writes THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD “As the dense fog of war clouded uncommon senses, Amidst a drumbeat of electoral media spin, Did the war Propheteers begin to swing for the fences, Knowing only on YouTube could a victory they win.” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Oliver North writing at Townhall.com writes Feeling the draft “During the 2004 presidential campaign, the Democrats' standard bearer, John ‘Study or Get Stuck in Iraq’ Kerry, was fond of claiming that if President Bush got re-elected, he would reinstate the draft.” (READ MORE)
Mona Charen writing at Townhall.com writes In praise of discrimination “Six imams got on a plane in Minneapolis. Accounts vary, but it seems that they were speaking in Arabic before boarding of their disgust with the U.S. war in Iraq and with American policy in general.” (READ MORE)
Doug Wilson writing at Townhall.com writes Learning and leadership for the next Congress “Last week Republicans got some very tough feedback from their customer - the people. The question now is, ‘What's the lesson?’” (READ MORE)
Andi of Andi’s World writes Count Your Blessings “I have been blessed in so many ways over the past year, and throughout my entire life. My blessings are not measured in monetary value, they are measured in family, friendships and the love that comes from each.” (READ MORE)
Jon Henke writing at QandO writes Feeding the Machine “I'm not sure there's really anything unusual about the current Pelosi/Harman/Hastings (or Pelosi/Murtha/Hoyer) soap opera — power struggles, ethics problems and personal animus seems to be DC standard operating procedure — but it's certainly interesting to see pundits and analysts reading far more or less into this than they've read into previous power struggles. Is Pelosi's Machine Politics new or unusual?” (READ MORE)
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
All eyes on Pelosi for intelligence pick “The intelligence community and Capitol Hill are awaiting House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi's choice to lead the chamber's intelligence panel, an explosive decision that will anger key members of her party no matter who she selects.” (READ MORE)
Grandmother a suicide bomber “Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians, including a top militant commander, in raids in northern Gaza yesterday while a 57-year-old grandmother blew herself up near soldiers.” (READ MORE)
Iraq Death Toll Rises; Shiite Bloc Threatens Boycott “A powerful legislative bloc loyal to firebrand Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr threatened to boycott the government if Iraq’s prime minister attends a scheduled meeting with President Bush in Jordan next week.” (READ MORE)
News From the Front:
Bombs, mortars kill 157 in Iraq “Five car bombs and two mortar rounds struck the capital's Shi'ite Sadr City slum yesterday, killing at least 157 persons and wounding 247, police said.” (READ MORE)
Buck Sergeant of American Citizen Soldier writes THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD “As the dense fog of war clouded uncommon senses, Amidst a drumbeat of electoral media spin, Did the war Propheteers begin to swing for the fences, Knowing only on YouTube could a victory they win.” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Oliver North writing at Townhall.com writes Feeling the draft “During the 2004 presidential campaign, the Democrats' standard bearer, John ‘Study or Get Stuck in Iraq’ Kerry, was fond of claiming that if President Bush got re-elected, he would reinstate the draft.” (READ MORE)
Mona Charen writing at Townhall.com writes In praise of discrimination “Six imams got on a plane in Minneapolis. Accounts vary, but it seems that they were speaking in Arabic before boarding of their disgust with the U.S. war in Iraq and with American policy in general.” (READ MORE)
Doug Wilson writing at Townhall.com writes Learning and leadership for the next Congress “Last week Republicans got some very tough feedback from their customer - the people. The question now is, ‘What's the lesson?’” (READ MORE)
Andi of Andi’s World writes Count Your Blessings “I have been blessed in so many ways over the past year, and throughout my entire life. My blessings are not measured in monetary value, they are measured in family, friendships and the love that comes from each.” (READ MORE)
Jon Henke writing at QandO writes Feeding the Machine “I'm not sure there's really anything unusual about the current Pelosi/Harman/Hastings (or Pelosi/Murtha/Hoyer) soap opera — power struggles, ethics problems and personal animus seems to be DC standard operating procedure — but it's certainly interesting to see pundits and analysts reading far more or less into this than they've read into previous power struggles. Is Pelosi's Machine Politics new or unusual?” (READ MORE)
5,034
What does that number mean...let's have Kat in Ga break the news!
Thanks to everyone who has supported this cause! But don't stop now there is a week to go to get your cards in to Kat, and hopefully she will top 7000 cards this year.OK, y'all better be sitting down for this one! Guess how many Christmas cards are in my living room right this second?! C'mon now... guess! Give up? OK... I'll tell ya... brace yerself:
5,034PLUS three or four boxes of stuffed animals and dollies that will go to a contact of mine who can get them to an orphanage in Afghanistan... and I'll probably send a few over to my Chaplain because I believe he can find a home for a few stuffed critters, too.
I went by the post office tonight after work for the first time in a few days. No mail in my mailbox: just a note that said, "Due to the large volume of mail you have received, please pick up your mail at the postal counter." Of course they were closed so I couldn't. Anyway, I got home and there was a message from the post office on my phone, saying: "PLEASE come pick up your mail, it's overflowing... and also PLEASE consider getting a LARGER PO BOX!" HAHAHAHA! They are so going to hate me, if they don't already... I can't get by there till SATURDAY!!! Poor postal people...!!!!
I'm thinking we'll easily hit 6000 cards (since we've already surpassed the 5,000-card goal) A lady emailed me yesterday and told me she just had just mailed me 500 more cards, PLUS a Spanish teacher had all his classes make up spanish christmas cards... for a total of **810** Spanish Christmas cards altogether there... oops, 500 plus 810 equals more than six thousand... Hmmm.......shall we aim for 7,000?! HAHAHA!
Thanks to EVERYONE who has made and is making this such a huge success!!!!! Stay tuned... we have one week left and I just KNOW I'm gonna be getting a whole SLEW of mail this next week!!!!!!
You can still send your cards to her via this address:
Mrs. Kathy Orr
OPERATION: LOVE FROM HOME
P.O. Box 1660
Loganville, Georgia, 30052
Again, thank you all!
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