Rules?

While watching the news and reading the morning newspaper headlines all I see are comments about the incident in Haditha, the accident in Afghanistan and politicians asking why aren’t we making headway in Iraq? I can answer those questions in three words, “Rules of Engagement”, or ROE, as they are also known.

The rules of engagement are established by commanders on the ground and often times Washington, they set a form of rules when and where soldiers may or may not use deadly force and quite honestly, they totally amaze me. I am amazed because these rules are so unspecified that we have military personnel failing to pull the trigger when in fact they should.

I have had conversations with vets who have returned and they often say they were afraid to pull the trigger, or fire first because of the possibility of charges being filed. Most of them tell me how difficult it is to fight in the first place, when a person may be standing on the corner holding an AK47 and an RPG had just been fired from the direction immediately behind him, whom do you target?

When small arms fire had just come from a second floor apartment, you have seen which apartment it was, know beyond a doubt it is that apartment, but a little old man is standing there with a weapon in his hand, you know if you return fire, killing him, you will be crucified in the media and in the courts. When the enemy combatants intentionally wear clothing that matches the civilian population, fires at you then blends into the population, what do you do besides nothing?

We really must step back for a moment and say to ourselves, either we are at war, or not, either we are going to effectively fight terrorism, or not. How can we hinder our military in defending themselves or defeating the opposition, I am at a total loss over this. If we are going to go to war, then we need to throw all the rules out the window and go to war, as it should be, as those we are fighting are doing as I am typing this.

Some of us are so caught up in the political correctness of the world and how we feel the morality of the world should be that we are placing the lives of these men and women in jeopardy. Ladies and Gentlemen, we cannot save the world from itself, we cannot save a rainforest that no other country cares about and we cannot stop the disappearance of the ozone just because we outlaw antifreeze, because we are but a small part of this world.

We are but a small mound of ants when compared to the rest of the world and guess what, they don’t play by our rules and they play to win at all costs. That is what war really is all about. We are used to hitting beachheads, fighting our way through a defined enemy and this is not the same folks, it has changed and if we want to win this thing, we need to change with the rest of the world, before it is too late.

Murtha Redux...

Someone needs to duct tape Murtha’s mouth shut, then tape a sign to his chest stating, “I was once part of the few, the proud, the Marines, now I use them as a stepping stone for personal gain.” This man is a disgrace to the uniform he once wore proudly. His actions and words have proved to the world that his attitude towards the Marines is that of a turncoat and nothing more.

He has aligned himself with the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. John W. Warner, in an obvious attempt to cast dispersions upon the Corps as well as the judicial arm now investigating the allegations of a shooting incident. Murtha, always on the lookout for media “face time,” is now accusing the officers investigating the incident of complacency and cover up.

A Los Angeles Times, (click on link for the full article) ran a story stating his latest comments and ravings against the Marine Corps, where he and Sen. John W. Warner are making accusations in a blatant attempt at headline grabbing.

“But both said the delay in launching a formal investigation into the incident in the western Iraqi town of Haditha led them to suspect that officers up the chain of command were complicit in attempting to keep the incident under wraps.”

"It goes right up the chain of command," said Murtha, who has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of the Iraq war. "Who said: Until March, there was no serious investigation. There was an investigation right afterward, but then it was stifled."

Murtha is using any negative issue of the Marine Corps he can dredge up as his personal golden ticket of admission to his favorite show, the Democratic nomination for President; hanging onto that ticket until no longer serving his media needs.

I am not stating an incident did not occur, that is not the purpose of this, however, I am stating he is a disgrace to the uniform he once wore proudly and a disgrace to the constituents he represents. As some of their sons and daughters just may be in this branch of military constantly withstanding the worst of his barrage of insults and complaints.

Worst of all, he has disgraced the memory of those Marines who have paid the ultimate price for the freedom of speech he now uses to destroy them, all the way from the Halls of Montezuma, the Shores of Tripoli to Baghdad and Afghanistan.

There are many more stories of the Marine Corps than this, those of sacrifice, bravery, heroism, valor, those of humanity in helping others, but to Murtha, they do not exist. They are not sensational enough, not news worthy enough to get that golden ticket punched for admission. This man is an embarrassment, a self-serving typical politician, nothing more.

An inside look into the war.

I always assumed television was that one time of the day where I can sit back, allow my mind to wonder freely and possibly be entertained for an hour or so. That was then, this is now and what was once called “the great wasteland” has morphed into outlet for hard hitting made for television documentaries that you will find nowhere else.

I watched two documentaries over the weekend that were hard-hitting true stories of but a part of the war in Iraq, Baghdad ER, an HBO production and Combat Diary: The Marines of Lima Company, A&E Television. These two documentaries not only provided a small window into two events, which took place in the war on terrorism in Iraq, but demonstrated the valor and professionalism of the men and women who are fighting it day in, day out.

Baghdad ER is not for everyone, as it portrays the realities of war. Here is a blurb quoted from the HBO site that says it all in a nutshell.

“12-time Emmy® Award winner producer/director Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill capture the humanity, hardships and heroism of the US Military and medical personnel of the 86th Combat Support Hospital, the Army's premier medical facility in Iraq. Sometimes graphic in its depiction of combat-related wounds, BAGHDAD ER offers an unflinching and honest account of the realities of war.”

Baghdad ER, HBO provides a very graphic overview of a military emergency room during wartime, as I said above, it is not the show for everyone and it is a very emotional experience and may prove too emotional for some people.

Combat Diary: The Marines of Lima Company, A&E Television, is an inside peek at what these Marines went through during their deployment. Here is the blurb from the A&E Television site.

“Featuring candid interviews and never-before-seen video, we tell the story of the hardest hit combat unit of the Iraq war. Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, a reserve unit out of Columbus, Ohio was deployed to Iraq from February 28-September 30, 2005.”

This documentary contained actual footage as recorded by the Marines themselves and each Marine explains each event as it unfolds on the screen. I highly recommend that everyone watch this documentary; I assure that you will walk away with additional insight into the events taking place in Baghdad.

What Memorial Day means to me.

Memorial Day should be a time of reflection, remembering those who have gone before us, paying the ultimate sacrifice for freedom, their lives. Through the course of the history of America, people have died so that others may be free.

In many far off lands, American’s have laid down their lives so that the spark that makes this country what it is, lives on, passed on to our children, standing the test of time.

Today, our country is engaged in a battle against terrorism, its military standing in places named, Baghdad, Kabul and Kandahar, names from the news, now sacred with the blood and lives of its men and women who have died in the name of freedom.

The war on terrorism is difficult for some to understand, we are not facing an army, we are facing people who hide and kill without thought. We have learned the painful lesson that an airplane can be used as a Weapon of Mass Destruction, taking the lives of thousands in the blink of an eye, destroying a family and changing the landscape of a city forever more.

The war has taught us new terms of death and devastation, like, IED, and Suicide Bomber, we have learned how cowards hidden from view can take the lives of America’s sons and daughters. We learn more every day how a terrorist can kill and the pain and anguish that accompanies each lesson.

The war on terrorism has touched many families, some that will never be the same, this is what we need to remember this weekend, this and phrases like, D-Day, Normandy, Market Garden, The Battle of the Buldge, A Shu Valley, Khe San, the Korean war, and more.

This is what we must reflect upon, this and more, not the marketing nightmare of retail hoping to cash in on a three-day weekend. Teach your children the truth, teach them what freedom means and explain what this country has paid to insure they live free.

I can think of no better prayer than this Memorial Day Prayer, by Rev. Dick Kozelka (ret), which can be found on U.S. Memorial Day History and Information site.

Ever Viligent..

It happens in every war, always a few fake veterans joining the ranks of the protestors and every time a microphone is placed anywhere near their mouth they tell terrible tales of killing innocent women and children, often times having been ordered to do so. The Iraq war is no different from any other war; Blackfive posted updates to the story of, Jesse MacBeth, as well as Greyhawk and many others in the MilBlogs, gee, what a laughable person he is.

It was such a pleasure watching this scumbag’s true identity and background placed before the public’s eye by those who count. The latest escapade was laughable, a DD form 214, belonging to MacBeth, supposedly a Ranger who slaughtered all those women and children, not only was it falsified, he misspelled the words! What a piece of work and it is nice to know it will not be tolerated in today’s age of technology.

I am not going to go into the back story that proceeds all this, that privilege belongs to those who count in this debacle, I highly recommend you click on the links and read the story behind all of this and the events that took place, it is a great piece of detective work, CSI would be proud.

Shots fired at students in Iran

Reports are coming into a few blogs from several media outlets in Iran, and I have obtained quite a bit of information from ARYAMEHR, who has compiled the sources into one source for better reading and understanding. The sources are reporting, albeit in a restricted and censured fashion, Iranian Security Forces firing at the protesting students and homes outside the university with live ammunition.

There have been quotes from the reformist Internet daily Rooz, this one in particular explains quite a bit of what is presently taking place, "The university campus is on fire, raids are being conducted throughout the campus, and the students are in fear and anxiety... Gunfire is heard from all directions... There is blood everywhere."

Reports are further stating that riot police entered the campus; beating students severely to the point hey were unable to walk. A quote published by Rooz of a campus security guard explaining to a reporter the amount of force they were ordered to use, “We were told that we were permitted to use violence against the students, but not to hit them on their heads or their faces, in order to avoid leaving marks. We were told not to be respectful towards any student, unless he is a member of the Basij student union."

Contrary to the reports from the Iranian police of only 100 involved in the protest, eyewitnesses have told Rooz the riots involved approximately 6000 students from all campuses combined.

We are not hearing one word of the present situation from national or local media outlets and this is absurd. These students are in mortal danger because of their stance on nuclear energy and the growing nuclear problem in Iran. Why this is not being addressed in the halls of the United Nations is beyond my comprehension. The fear of a nuclear response from Iran must be so severe that it actually has nations living in fear, not wanting to rock the boat.

We must remember.

I’ll bet that if asked, any number of us could tell you exactly what is going on today in Iraq, but not too many would be able to answer the same question if asked about Afghanistan.

How many know that the Taliban has been on the offensive, or that the UN International Organization for Migration is saying approximately 3000 people have been uprooted, loosing their entire homes and fled the region because of new fighting between coalition forces and neo-Taliban insurgents

The President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai has called for the people to be calm, swearing, “I swear to God, I'll bring security to you”. The coalition forces are working their tales off to bring peace to the country and some headway has been made. The US. Central Command has an article in their latest newsletter stating, “KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The Afghanistan flag was raised over a remote outpost in the Korangal Valley May 7, bringing the promise of stability and national unity east into this turbulent region.” They are working diligently to insure this peace, but not without casualties.

We have a great coalition in Afghanistan, Canadian, Australian, British, French, Italian and Dutch forces working alongside our own forces and a plethora of special operations and they are doing their job. They often release reports of captured Taliban or al Qaeda operatives, which demonstrate they are working their tails off to keep peace to the region.

Michael Yon, presently embedded with Canadian military in Afghanistan, said in a release, Monday, May 22, Hiatus Corpus, that “The money from the massive opium harvest in 2006 will buy weapons and influence that will be used against us in the spring of 2007. The heroin will create thousands of new addicts twitching with crime to feed their habits. Among the fast growing groups of heroin users on American streets, 8th graders are making their presence known.”

That is a very prolific and eye-opening statement pertaining to the on-going drug battles within our country as well as a sad statement on what will be facing our troops soon in Afghanistan.

Everyone should stay on top of this action as well, it appears to be escalating and may escalate even more. There are quite a few sources, one I check daily is our government source for the area, Combined Forces Command – Afghanistan, Michael Yon’s dispatches from the area is another great source, Milblogs are another source and should be your primary source for military blogs from that area.

You will not believe this one

Blackfive has outright busted a magazine for the theft of a photograph, correspondent Michael yon had taken while embedded with the Deuce 4 in Iraq. His writing and photographs are not only a statement of the war and everything that surrounds it, but a testimony to the men in the Deuce Four with which he lived, fought and with everyone else in the unit became a band of brothers.

Michael’s photograph, which can be seen in the photo on the front cover of the magazine that stole it, has become a statement of the war and those who serve. There are many stories involved with this particular photograph and is a must read for those who are not aware of the story.

Please, go to Blackfive, read his statement then go to Michael Yon’s site, read his stories as only he can tell, as he was there, alongside each man who fought.

The theft of this photograph by a magazine is an attack upon the name of every man and woman who was, is and will be in Iraq Afghanistan and anywhere else, our military is serving. It is a violation of Michael Yon’s rights and privacy as a journalist, a correspondent and a friend of the military, support him and go to Blackfive, click on the e-mail addresses he has listed for this magazine and tell them what you think. I did and I will do it again, this theft is a disgusting affront to anyone who has served and any journalists who was there.

Dumb Crook of the Month Award

The time has come for The Ranter to name his first, Dumb Crook of the Month Award. I want to explain to everyone that I have expanded a vast amount of time, energy and financial resources in my search for the first recipient of this prestigious award. I confess it was a very tough choice, but in the end, I have a winner, although this is still an alleged crime, as he has not come to court yet, the award is well deserved.

The first ever, Dumb Crook of the Month award goes to, a 61-year-old Paul Wendell Gunn of Texas, who surrendered to police an hour after entering a bank, demanding money and after receiving said money, picked up a magazine, sat on a couch while everyone ran like hell from the bank.

Mr. Gunn did not have too long to wait for the police as the bank was a half-block from the police station, hopefully he was able to finish reading the story which had caught his interest.

A weapon was not used in the gentlemen’s search for just that one good story to read and no one was injured. Needless to say, but Mr. Gunn is not returning any telephone calls relating to his alleged Robbery-Read crime.

Sometimes a news story makes me crazy.

I came across a news story this afternoon that caught my attention and has to do with the latest tape released by bin Laden that I was discussing a few days ago that made me shake my head in wonder.

It addressed the findings of an expert who is stating that bin Laden’s latest message was actually a desire to expose US intelligence sources as a sham and to discredit the Guantanamo, Gitmo” prison camp.

There is a quote credited to a London-based Saudi dissident Saad al-Faqih, who states, “Bin Laden wanted to prove the US intelligence services were impotent and that the US justice system was wicked” What a great surprise this was, we could have never reached this conclusion without his assistance. It amazes me the amount of dissidents, ex-this group, ex-that group, and experts who come prancing into the view of the media whenever something happens

Anyone with the thought capabilities of drooling monkey zoned out on cocaine leaves would have reached this conclusion. It does not take a genie from a lamp to tell us the answers. We all know that bin Laden has no interest in defending Moussaoui and even less in defending the innocence of any person housed at Gitmo, he could care less. In fact, the truth be told, I could care less as well. My thoughts are, this piece of slime sat in an American court of law, under oath stating what he did, how he did it and what else he was supposed to do, a jury found him guilty, end of story. My regret is he received imprisonment and not the chair or a needle in his arm.

Oh how the mighty have fallen..

While surfing through the many channels of cable this afternoon, on a “something to watch” quest, I stopped on Fox News to watch a brief interview with Former Enron Corp. chiefs Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, just walking out from their conviction for lying to investors. Ken Lay, who is the son of a preacher, was standing at the microphone making a statement regarding his conviction and quoting biblical passages of encouragement. Just at that moment, the Fox correspondent, whose name I cannot recall right now, said, “Though shall not steal either”.

I absolutely lost it when that comment was made, I wished so badly that Lay could have heard that, I really did.

It totally boggles my mind to no end how these two, and their accounting staff thought they could get away with the loss of billions of dollars of investors funds. I am sure that everyone recalls what transpired with Enron, once one of the top ten largest companies in America, then falling to the bottom and filing bankruptcy. Then the bottom literally fell out when it was discovered they were using off-the-books deals to hide billions of dollars debt and inflated prices.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen, I thought while watching Lay stand tearfully at the microphone quoting the bible. How in the world did they ever think they could get away with all that they did is beyond me, but for a period of time they did, that is what is sad.

Their financial team, Arthur Anderson was convicted for their part of the money fraud, obstruction of justice, I believe. The Supreme Court later overturned that conviction, but by then they were no longer a respected firm for any financial dealing and they were completely out of business.

I could not help thinking, while watching Lay that there was a time when he was the golden child in Washington for his financial support, and had become so close to politicians that President Bush referred to him as, “Kenny Boy”. Of course, that is all over now and he will simply be referred to by a number, we can safely say he will never be called by Bush again.

More updates on Iran

I must confess that I am completely perplexed over the lack of news coverage on behalf of the brave students who are putting their lives on the line in Iran. I have went as far as sending news tips to Fox News, quoting the blogs currently covering this from update by students on the ground and I can attest to the fact that other blogger’s have done the same, yet I see nothing being done.

Besides this blog and Redneck's Revenge, I am unable to locate any other blogs who do not have friends and family in Iran that are presently blogging anything pertaining to the protest, nothing. This has me more than perplexed, it has me confused because we have a country ruled by hatred making daily threats to the USA and Israel of a nuclear nature and people within trying to change this, yet nothing is mentioned.

We have this same country’s President standing before people calling for the open destruction of the state of Israel and individuals putting their life on the line in an attempt to change that and yet nothing is mentioned. These brave students are presently creating a major problem for the ruling party of Iran, who are responding by sending out secret squads in vans taking people off the street to what, no one knows, and nothing is mentioned.

The only references, stories, anything that is coming from our country are a few blogger’s who have friends on the ground at the protest sending updates and photos through the internet to them for blogging, in hope something will be noticed by our media. One person in Iran stated to a friend with a blog that students are hollering phrases that he is not permitted to type in the message for fear of execution, and yet nothing is mentioned.

Here are the few blogs not yet mentioned, that Papa ray has discovered and sent to me and a couple I discovered by following links on their pages and a little bit of search, to our knowledge this is the total coverage, stop by these and see for yourself just what I am saying.

Pasargadae Institute Blog, Report from the BBC, BBC News, S'CAN-IRANIC,
Another at the BBC.

Update on student protests..

Papa Ray sent me additional information pertaining to the student protest in Iran; additional information and coverage is posted on, ARYAMEHR in a post titled, Reports on the Unrest in Iran. This site has a substantial amount of additional vital information that is coming from the ground in Iran and you all should stop by to read everything and view a few of the photos they have online.

At this particular point in time, the students who initiated and those participating in the protests require all the news coverage possible and I am witnessing so very little on this important subject.

The lack of news coverage gives the appearance to the public that our nation does not care and this is wrong. These students want to rid themselves of what they are referring to as a dictatorship and quite honestly, they are putting their very lives on the line for a cause that is as important to them as life itself. We all need to begin sending e-mail to the news services asking them why there is so little coverage on this or none at all.

Students clash with Police in Iran

I just received a heads-up from Papa Ray, Redneck's Revenge blog, regarding an important story presently going on in Iran and the information and updates to it are presently traveling through the blogs as you are reading this.

The Spirit of Man blog is reporting that there are confirmed reports coming from inside of Iran of approximately 2000 students are clashing with security officers in the western parts of Tehran where the University campus is located. There have been many detained, about 40 police officers injured, and 200 students wounded.

Reports from sources on the ground in Iran are using digital cameras and laptops to get the word out to The Spirit of Man blog, operated by Winston and he is updating and posting as it comes in to him.

So far, his sources indicate that the protest began with a group of between 20 and 30 students then swelled into its present state, with additional students coming and joining from two other colleges. This protest could very well be a vital part of changes to come and we in the USA should all hope it does.

Here are two of the photos; I provided links on each one back to The Spirit of Man. I really don’t like posting other peoples photos, but he has given permission to sources and I want all of you to learn about it. I can only hope this succeeds and now or later someone will toss that loud mouth president of their country in the nearest trash can.

Stories of sacrifice

Everyday in Iraq our military troops become involved with events that change the lives of someone or a family. Yet, stories of this nature are never found within the media outlets available to the public, i.e. newspapers, television, radio or magazine articles and we must question why. One life changed, saved or someone becoming involved to make a difference in it is one life that will go on.

Instead of me sitting here ranting and raving about it, allow me to provide you with one example, an event taken from The United States Central Command, CENTCOM web site.

Coalition Forces Save Abandoned Boy (Click on the link for the full story)

This article explains an incident that occurred during an on-going hour-long firefight that resulted in the deaths of over 25 terrorists in Baghdad, Iraq May 14 in Yusifiyah. It truly demonstrates the care for others and deep concerns for the safety of children within our troops and clearly shows their will to sacrifice and protect the young and innocent caught up in dangerous situations.

During the battle, in an attempt to save only their cowardly lives, terrorists actually threw a two-year-old toddler inside a vehicle that was near a burning van where weapons, rockets and ammunition were stored. Our troops saved the life of the little one just before the rockets exploded into a ball of fire. They not only willingly placed their own lives in danger, but for the life of another, truly a noble, unselfish act of heroism and one you will not find in the newspaper or television.

The media’s only concern is to print stories that will mold people into their way of thinking, especially with politicians not in their favor or the war on terrorism. Stories emanating from Iraq or Afghanistan of heroic acts by our troops or their willingness to sacrifice for the life of another do not fit their agenda; therefore, they cannot be published or discussed.

We need to see more stories as this one and other of that nature so that we may better understand the situation unfolding and make informed decisions that do not involve the Medias way of thinking.

Visit Yankeemom and a fix of Patriotism

Visit Yankeemom and get a daily fix of patriotism that will make your heart beat, foot tap and feel good all at the same time, Toby Keith, belting out one of my all time favorite patriotic songs, Courtesy of The Red White and Blue.

I even have the lyrics. Stop by her site; see all the pictures of her son, Greg who recently returned from Iraq and say hi while you’re there.

They are Innocent, just ask them...

The murderer of women and children master planner Osama bin Laden made one of his, “Hey, I’m still alive!” audio, video statements today. We learn now that we have wasted all that time, energy and resources on the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, then went to the trouble of finding him guilty and sent him to a nice room with a view and now we are told another story.

The bearded one’s audio comments created an insane headline, Bin Laden: Moussaoui Not Linked to 9/11. In a quote from the audio bin Laden made from the security and sanctuary of his latest cold, damp cave he shares with a bear, various insects and lice, "He had no connection at all with Sept. 11". The conniving murder also said that none of the hundreds of terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, “Gitmo”, were involved, but he was forgetting that the scum are guilty of attempted escape, assault upon federal authorities and as enemy combatants.

We are in one big pickle now, because we have to run right over to Moussaoui’s nice comfortable jail cell and release him, poor guy just bought curtains too. Adhering to the law that bin Laden lives by, the “I said so!” law, now we must provide Moussaoui with a plane ticket to bin Laden’s place, the two of them can hold hands and skip merrily through the desert to their cave they’ll share with the other blood sucking lice.

I have always had the assumption that should you question the innocence of prisoners, everyone asked will answer that they are innocent. Now, following bin Laden’s “I said so!” law we must release every one of them, the crime they were imprisoned for does not matter, they are not guilty, just ask any one of them.

If we believe bin Laden, (I assure you we will read somewhere that we should do just that.) then we must believe in the answers given to us by every murderer, rapist, pedophile and the rest. After all, there is no difference between them, Okay, bin Laden is worse and following the bin Laden, “I said so!” law we must release them at once. After all, we can feel very comfortable in releasing them, they said they are innocent and we can believe them, they said so!

Yearning for days of my youth.

The events taking place these days makes me yearn for the days of yesterday, the days of family happiness, Dad watering the front lawn, Mom sorting out the spat that created yet another dispute among brothers and sisters and the best part of this fantasy, the bomb shelter twenty-two feet under our back yard. Safety in planning, the Civil Defense would advertise in the posters, direct mail, and plan everyone did.

Thinking back to days of my childhood, the very image of the fall of the Berlin Wall was unknown, let alone the fall of communism and the Russian way of life. Images and thoughts of the fall of communism were not even remotely on the horizon, let alone nasty old Fidel Castro the sole remaining communist. My Father always used to say that it would take a magician to stop communism, who would have thought it would take a man named, Ronald Reagan and a Pope named, John Paul, not a magician to make it happen.

These were the days of air raid drills taking place during school, where the entire school would go to the basement’s west corner wall, knell down, bend our heads and cover them with our hands. As children performing that self-preservation ritual we felt so secure in the knowledge that if the big one hit, we would survive to carry on the American dream. Of course, only the faculty was aware of the true knowledge behind this exercise in futility, get the small bodies off the street so it would not gross everyone out, but we felt safe.

Today we are faced with events that are quickly forming a life of its own, moving beyond the control of humans. Headlines such as: Day of Hope and Bloodshed, Iraq gets new government as bombs kill 24, Israeli aid strike kills four Palestinians in Gaza, scream at us from online news services, Yahoo, Topix, Google, and feeling safe is something of a mystery.

There was that time when I was in grade school that the class discussed the previous day’s events where Nikita Khrushchev stood at the UN podium, pounding his brown shoe repeatedly on the top of it while screaming, “Мы вас похороним!”, which translated meant, “We will bury you”. Many events changed the course of history back then, things such as The Bay of Pigs fiasco, and The Assassination of President Kennedy.

I suppose things truly never do change, the world keeps spinning, countries continue to hate one another and war never really stops, it is a road show, it simply travels to another location leaving its death and destruction in its wake. Perhaps it is time we tried to change things, but then again, that would mean the people of the world would have to get along and the one thing we have learned over the course of history is that will never happen.

A change in my e-mail.

My friends, due to the antics of some childish individual(s) who think it is funny to use other people’s e-mail addresses as the default sending address for mailing thousands of pieces of trash spam to unknowing users, I am forced to change the e-mail address for this blog. The previous address will be closed effective immediately and I will no longer receive nor send e-mail for the blog from that address. I should point out to everyone that these types of attacks occur often, usually out of vengeance, as the knights of old, we must all remain ever on guard.

I am now using a graphic image for the e-mail address, you can send mail by clicking on it, and actually, I feel it looks a lot better than the plain old link anyway, gives it a little more class. I also would like to advise everyone that presently corresponds with to know I will be sending my new address to you shortly.

They are Winning..

“They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security” - Benjamin Franklin

The military Divide and Conquer axiom used in varying forms by Sun Tzu in The Art of War, is a common guerilla warfare tactic meaning, an enemy must be divided by force, propaganda, planting of false rumors, any means necessary before they are conquered.

The divide and conquer tactic was used successfully by, Ho Chie Min during the war in Viet Nam, not only in the rice paddies or red mud, but within our own country. This was never more evident than within the groups of protestors that swelled to throngs of thousands by wars end. The crowd’s philosophy and anger fueled by the media’s continuous portrayal of the war and American troops engaged as wrong, immoral, war mongering, baby killers. The media stood in the shadows of Ho Ch Min’s propaganda machine, mouths open like newborn birds waiting to be spoon-fed stories that would put them inline for a Pulitzer and peace prize combined.

Today it is déjà vu all over again as we never do learn from our mistakes. As George Bernard Shaw said, "We learn from history that we learn nothing from history." the media still awaits its morsels, passing them on to fuel the anger of the people, only this time from two propaganda machines, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The majority of reporters are not anti-American, they honestly feel within their hearts that the stories are factual, when in truth they are nothing more than what Al-Qaeda and the Taliban wish them to be and they do not question it, as their voracity for information is far too great.

Al-Qaeda and the Taliban have all the time in the world, unlike politicians worried about the next election and policies that may hinder the vote, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban can sit back, plant the seeds of false information and enjoy the events as they unfold. What more could they ask for then what is presently transpiring, dissension among the people, the lose of individual constitutional rights with terrorism the blame, a growing anger over a war and over policies of an administration, even the question of impeachment thrown in for good measure.

They have accomplished exactly what Osama bin Laden has set before them many times over in his video messages, “further attacks upon America” as they have created a false atmosphere of fear in Washington that has affected the rights of every citizen. The attacks have already come, not by weapons of mass destruction, or dirty bombs, or any other explosive, but through our own fear and mistrust that he has built through our media and allowed to fester while creating additional fear upon it.

America needs a very strong wake-up call, an alarm needs to go forth among the land, ringing from every town, we need to become one voice and one nation and heed the alarm of ”They are winning and we need to do something about it before it is too late”.

CJ's IED-ROLL-UP

Here is the latest IED-Roll-Up from CJ:

May 16 - Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers observed three terrorists with two bongo trucks emplacing a roadside bomb on a highway southwest of Baghdad. Attack helicopters destroyed both bongo trucks, killing one terrorist, as another fled to a nearby home. Coalition Forces cordoned off the area and detained the man. After searching the impact area, Soldiers discovered two AK-47 rifles, a rack system, a set of night vision goggles, six 155 mm rounds, a car battery, detonation cord, a pressure plate mechanism and a long-range transmitter base. Coalition Forces are currently searching for the third terrorist. The wounded terrorist received medical treatment prior to being detained for questioning.

May 16 - Terrorists attacked Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers on patrol in the Baghdad neighborhood of al Mansour in a drive-by shooting. The Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment followed the truck to the al Abbas Mosque and observed the terrorists entering the building. Soldiers from 2nd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division and Coalition Forces surrounded the mosque. The Qada chairman negotiated with the Imam in order to gain entry and detain the terrorists. While they were waiting, the U.S. Soldiers searching the truck used in the drive-by shooting discovered a machine gun, a sniper rifle, an anti-tank mine, rocket-propelled grenades and a launcher. Once permission was given by the Imam, Iraqi Soldiers respectfully searched the mosque and the surrounding compound. There were no explosives found in the mosque. However, IED making materials and a large weapons cache were found on the compound. Eleven military-aged males were detained for questioning.

May 17 - Iraqi Police and Coalition Soldiers killed three terrorists and wounded 10 others in two separate incidents in Mosul. Soldiers from 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team observed a group of insurgents burying an improvised explosive device on a roadway southwest of the city. The troops tracked the movements of the insurgents before engaging them with small arms fire. The terrorists jumped into waiting vehicles and fled the area. Troops from the 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division and Coalition personnel searched a local hospital and identified nine men with gun shot wounds received from the engagement. Once we found them, did we torture them and saw off their heads? Nope. The men were treated by hospital doctors and detained. In another incident, three civilians were attacked by terrorists on a highway outside of Mosul shortly after noon. The terrorists were driving two separate cars and chased the civilians' vehicle and fired into it several times. Coalition troops responded to the gunfire and killed three terrorists driving in one of the cars. Iraqi police officers pursued the remaining car until it stopped. The four terrorists fled on foot. Officers wounded and captured one individual. The remaining three are cleaning their shorts and counting their blessings...while they have them.

May 19 - Iraqi police officers found and cleared a bomb that was hidden in a shrine east of Baqubah. The device was composed of an anti-tank mine with a remote control detonation device. Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal personnel dismantled the device and removed the components for later disposal. No injuries or damages were reported. May 20 - Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division found and cleared a cache south of Bayji. The cache contained 60 23 mm high-explosive rounds and an assortment of mortar rounds and bomb-making components. The materials were destroyed on site by a controlled detonation. No injuries or damages were reported.

In all, about 69 IEDs were prevented this week from built and/or detonated against our soldiers, American contractors, and Iraq civilians. This saved the lives of approximately 550 people. This week was a very busy week with Coalition and Iraq soldiers killing and capturing terrorist cell leaders, destroying a huge base of insurgent operations, and responding to multiple insurgent attacks. We ARE still winning the war against these terrorists. We've shown them that the man they look up to (Zarqawi) can't even operate a weapon. And this man is leading them?! They're runing out of components in the meantime and have to wait for more. The problem here is that we're killing and capturing these guys on the borders before they can get to the cities.

I also wanted to update everyone no what happens to many of these guys when they're captured. The Central Criminal Court of Iraq convicted 14 security detainees May 3 through May 9 for various crimes including possessing illegal weapons and joining terrorist groups. The trial court found Ammar Fat'hi Hassan Hussein guilty of violating Article 194 of the Iraqi Penal Code for joining terrorist groups to endanger innocent people's lives and to unsettle the stability and security of Iraq. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. Coalition Forces apprehended him for being a cell leader in Abu Talha's Mosul Terror Cell. Three persons who had been tried and convicted of crimes related to their membership in the MTC testified at the trial against the defendant, Hussein.

The trial court found Ra'ad Dawood Salman Al Zobai guilty of violating Coalition Provisional Authority Order No. 3 for the possession of illegal weapons and sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment. Coalition Forces apprehended him after discovering a weapons cache in his home where they found 1,500 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, 50 AK-47 magazines, a large quantity of soap, soldering irons, an electronic multimeter test set and Iraqi police uniforms and documents. Coalition Forces searched the yard surrounding Zobai's house and discovered timers, batteries, blasting caps, thirty feet of detonation cord, five grenades, five pounds of C-4 explosive, bags of gunpowder, small arms ammunition, one artillery round, one RPK machine gun and three rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

The trial court found Subhi Esmail Trad, Ahmad Eubayid Sumair, Khudir Abd Al Hamid Alwan, Auda Kalbush Mutuk, Saladin Subhi Jubayir, Hussin Silabi Authman, Rid Yusif Yakuh, Hussein Karim Muhammad, Sahir Hamadallah Adab, Abid Ibrahim Muhammad and Yasir Ismail Ibrihim guilty of violating Coalition Provisional Authority Order No. 3 for the possession of illegal weapons and sentenced each of them to life imprisonment. Coalition Forces apprehended them after raiding a remote terrorist training camp and finding two Draganov sniper rifles, 200 armor-piercing rounds, four machine guns, one RPG launcher, 11 RPG rounds, five AK-47 rifles with seven loaded magazines, two 9 mm pistols, hundreds of rounds of small arms and artillery ammunition, body armor, night vision goggles, $10,000 in U.S. currency and four wired cordless phone base stations.

The trial court found Mohammed Kamel Mussa guilty of violating Coalition Provisional Authority Order No. 3 for the possession of illegal weapons and sentenced him to six years imprisonment. Coalition Forces apprehended him after finding 60 sticks of plastic explosive and two anti-tank mines inside his residence and buried in his backyard. The defendant confessed in writing at the investigative hearing and at trial to the material facts. To date, the CCCI has held 1,053 trials of insurgents suspected of anti-Iraqi and anti-Coalition activities threatening the security of Iraq and targeting Multi-National Force - Iraq. The proceedings have resulted in 948 individual convictions.

So these guys are being tried and convicted for crimes against innocents. The government is beginning to function the way a democracy should function. Truly there is No End But Victory.


A Soldier's Perspective
www.soldiersperspective.us

More news on Gitmo

Additional information on the events surrounding the planned attack yesterday at Guantanamo, Gitmo, has been released to the media. This latest round of updates from Government sources as well as many other sources distinctly demonstrates that the prisoners, all enemy combatants, planned an executed an attack upon the Marine guards charged with their safety and security.

In a quote from topix.net News Service, “Detainees had smeared floor with feces and soapy water to make responders slip and fall, CBS News reports. Prisoners attacked 10 members of Guantanamo's quick-reaction force with fan blades, pieces of metal and broken light fixtures, said Army Col. Michael Bumgarner, a camp official.”

I found the fact this occurred along with the UN calling for the closure of Gitmo detainee center to be more than coincidental. As all of the sources are pointing out, this was a planned and executed attack by the detainees and they should be punished, severely for their action. Gitmo does not need closure, it needs stricter rules and detainees treated as the scum they are. If any of these people escaped, they would cut the throats of every person they found, that is the truth, not what the media is saying.

What sickened me was some of the liberal media comments and comments from some attorney are constantly stating we are torturing prisoners; this is another direct quote from an article at topix.net news service.

"Under these circumstances, it's hardly surprising that people become desperate and hopeless enough to attempt suicide," said Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, an attorney for a detainee from Bahrain who has repeatedly tried to kill himself.”

What a load of pure, utter nonsense, these are enemy combatants who planned an attack upon our Marine’s and they should not go unpunished. The sad fact to this incident is party leaders will now call for closure just as was planned all along and the media will stay on it until it is done.

Incidents as this make me sick and reading the statements from the bleeding heart, liberal “save the world” people who feel they know it all make me sicker. We should send these people in to spend the night with the detainees and they can find the truth out for themselves that is if they last the night.

To the Marines stationed at Gitmo following orders performing a service for our country that is quickly becoming above and beyond, Semper Fi from an old Hooah.

Gitmo, The truth and nothing but the truth..

Rumors constantly fly through the media how badly the prisoners are treated by our military at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but the facts constantly prevail that the prisoners are treated with respect they do not deserve.

Our military stationed at Guantanamo operates under strict guidelines of religious respect for the prisoners beliefs, white gloves are used at all times when touching the Koran and these orders are followed. The prisoners themselves are treated and fed well and contrary to media reports, they are not mistreated and tortured daily.

Yet we are inundated from every corner of the circus arena that is more commonly referred to as the media that troops at Guantanamo are disrespectful, uncaring, downright mean individuals who torture the prisoners as if they held the secret to the Holy Grail. No, these troops are not the highly secret army of descendants of the Knights Templar attempting to recapture the object they lost, they are men and women trained to follow orders and they are doing just that.

Yet the media and the people who do follow blindly want us to believe just the opposite, they want us to see the troops as demons in disguise tearing human rights from the throats of prisoners as they stomp all over their dignity. This is the pure Bovine Excrement exclamation once coined by the great General H. Norman Schwarzkopf and it fits this usage quite well. There are times when I am reading a news story where I am reminded of the phrase, “100 monkeys pounding on typewriters”.

Now we are supposed to believe the inhumane stories once more because prisoners rioted at Guantanamo. When in truth the prisoners using makeshift weapons battled guards who were attempting to save a detainee from what has now been found to be a staged suicide.
This attack by the prisoners was nothing but a coordinated attack upon the guards in an attempt to kill them, attempted homicide and attempted escape, pure and simple.

I suggest anyone reading this click on the next link to writing from Michelle Malkin, titled, The Gitmo Suicide was staged, and she is a syndicated journalist with a pedigree that is unapproachable. Read her writing and learn the truth.

They want rights, give them the true rights they deserve as the criminals they are and judge them for murderers, attempted murderers and give them lethal injections. That is what they truly deserve, nothing more.

Rep John Murtha insulting the entire corps

Rep. John Murtha is a complete, glory seeking, political rabble-rousing troublemaker who has the pure unmitigated gall to refer to himself as an ex-Marine. I realize the Marines are fond of saying, “Once a Marine, always a Marine”, but in the particular case of Murtha, with his constant insults against the Marines and now his latest attack calling them murderers, he is better off stating he never served in the Corps. Because after his latest use of the name of the Marines, sacred to many, I am, sure the Marines have disavowed any knowledge of him as well.

Murtha’s mouth has opened far too many times telling the world how bad, cold-blooded killers like the Marines should not be representing their country. His latest attack on the Corps pertains to an incident, which occurred in the Iraqi city of Haditha where Murtha has accused Marines of murdering civilians, running his mouth off to any reporter within hearing distance, convicting US Marines of a massacre before the investigation is completed, and findings released to the media.

Whether the Marines are guilty of firing into an unarmed crowd has yet to be determined, I agree with the fact that whatever took place it is a tragedy. I would also like to state that if the story were indeed true, the United States Marine Corp would punish anyone that was found guilty, as it should be. What should not be done is bringing the information to the floor to throw around as a political football and discussing personal, pure-political feelings with the media on a daily basis.

Murtha has proved to the Marines repeatedly that he no longer deserves any respect as a veteran of the Viet Nam war. Further, as a veteran of that war he needs to remember the incidents which took place that he was privileged to have knowledge of and how he would have felt if any individual would have been called cold-blooded killers before an inquiry found them so. He above all, should realize that you do not use any incident, which takes place during wartime as political advantage to promote your run for presidency, never. He should also remember the law, which states a person is innocent until proven guilty. He is insulting the memories of those fallen Heros and brothers in the Marines when he constantly rakes their actions through the mud.

I am so damned upset of his continuous use of the Corps as a means to gain office and everyone knows that is exactly what he has been doing. The man is not only disgusting he needs to have his mouth taped shut.

I am not stating that people should go unpunished for their actions, on the contrary, I am stating the justice system needs to do the job it is supposed to do and if anyone is found guilty then and only then are they are punished.

Making an entire branch of the service walk through the heated coals of insults and use them as a political stepping-stone is very wrong, as a Marine, he should know that.