God Bless America

The Joe Cook Ad

2008-09-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

Many thanks and mega-dittos to Rush Limbaugh for the following story:

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: This is such a great thing. I found it on YouTube yesterday. There is mild controversy surrounding this ad because it is suggested by Democrats that it was paid for by John McCain and his campaign. It has not been. It was not paid for by anybody other than the man who did it. His name is Joe Cook, and Joe Cook is an injured Iraq war vet, lost his lower leg, foot. But you don't know that until the end of the piece. The piece starts with a tight shot of Joe Cook in an outdoor setting, he says what he says, at the end of his remarks, Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA comes up as Joe Cook turns around and walks away, and that's when you learn that he is an injured Iraq war vet. I want you to listen to this, particularly on this, the anniversary of 9/11.

Dear Mr. Obama: Having spent 12 months in the Iraq theater I can promise you, this was not a mistake. I witnessed firsthand the many sacrifices made by the people of Iraq. Those sacrifices were not mistakes. Iraqi people are just like us. They want a chance to live in a secure world, free from tyranny, free from terrorism, free to prosper, free to raise their children and pass on a future. Are they better off today than they were in 2002? You bet. I've seen many men sacrifice their lives for the Iraqi people. They died for a purpose, not a mistake. They died giving hope. They died promoting freedom. Do you rescue a fireman just as he's about to save a child? When you call the Iraqi war a mistake, you disrespect the service and the sacrifice of everyone who has died promoting freedom. Freedom carries with it a price. Because you do not understand nor appreciate these principles, sir, I am supporting Senator John McCain for president. He, too, made a huge sacrifice promoting freedom, because he understands the fundamental truth, freedom is always worth the price. (playing of Lee Greenwood song)

RUSH: That was Army Specialist Joe Cook, an Iraq war veteran, wounded by an IED in Iraq May 2007, lost his left foot and leg six inches below the knee. And you see him walking away after making his remarks here. He's walking on a dirt road in an outdoor setting. And everybody is saying McCain paid for it. McCain did not pay for this. This is not a paid-for by McCain campaign ad.
END TRANSCRIPT

Read the Background Material...
• YouTube: Dear Mr. Obama

8:46 a.m. September 11, 2001

2008-09-11T13:51:00.007-07:00

8:46 a.m., the first plane crashes into one of the Twin Towers. Most of us remember where we were at the very moment. But, some of us have forgotten what 'they' did to us.

Never forget!

All That My Father Asked of Me

2007-10-04T17:28:00.000-07:00

This article appeared in the Washington Post on Sept. 30th. I received it in an e-mail and was impressed with the writer's strong beliefs in family and country. I, also work for TSA. I had similiar reasons for making my career switch. But, I don't know if my reasons hold as much value as Mr. Lim's or that I could have expressed them as eloquently as he did.

In the least, we are both honoring our fathers and serving our country.

All That My Father Asked of Me
Sunday, September 30, 2007; Page B08

Although our family left South Korea to begin a new life in America over 30 years ago, I didn't know that my North Korea-born father was such an American patriot until the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

While I was growing up, my father was the epitome of the silent type, never raising his voice yet guiding his children by how diligently he worked as the owner-operator of a tiny dry cleaning business in Yonkers, the blue-collar New York City suburb.

He left at 6 in the morning and returned home at 8 at night with the dirt and smell of his work clinging to him. Even in the face of some business or family crisis, he would be silent, offering no excuses and exhibiting no emotion. The next morning, he would go off to face the mounds of clothes as usual.

My father rarely talked about his childhood in Pyongyang. He never mentioned that he had been accepted to medical school in Moscow on a full scholarship before the Korean War obliterated that option. He never talked about escaping alone to the South when he was 16, and he still doesn't know what happened to his mother and baby sister. He never talked about fighting in the Korean War at 17, though when my brother and I were little, he let us play with the scar that a North Korean bullet left across his chest.

These details we got in rare bits and pieces from our Mom, who isn't exactly voluble herself.
I never even knew my father spoke six languages -- Korean, English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and Russian -- until I was in college. And there I was, all smug about being able to speak Korean, English and some Spanish.

This was the father I knew -- silent, hardworking and very Korean -- until he called me a few months after Sept. 11 and told me to come home. For the first time in memory, he said he wanted to talk to me.

So I was on the next plane to New York. When I arrived, expecting the worst, it was past midnight. My father was waiting in his car. He said he wanted to go for a drive into the city and handed me the keys. He told me to head downtown along Fifth Avenue.

All the way, he was quiet. But as we approached Washington Square Park, I stopped the car without my father having to tell me to. The absence was so striking. The twin towers of the World Trade Center, usually framed by the Washington Square Arch, were gone. There was just an eerie glow where they used to be.

Then, for the first time in my life, my father asked me for a favor. He asked me to quit my job and go to work for the U.S. government, in whatever capacity it would take me.

My initial reaction was to dismiss this as ridiculous. I was chief of staff for the founder of an international consulting firm and the fastest-rising executive in the company's history. I had a guaranteed, financially secure future. This was the American dream for which my parents had sacrificed all their lives. And he wanted me to go back to school and apply to become a government bureaucrat?

Like any other American, I was deeply affected by Sept. 11. Three students from my high school were killed that day. But this was out of the question. I couldn't give up what I had worked so hard for.

Then he said something that stopped my breath. He said: "Please." My father, who, along with my mother, had slaved in a stifling dry cleaners for more than 20 years for his children, felt the need to say please to his son.

He talked about gratitude. His gratitude to America for allowing a North Korean orphan to take care of his family and send his sons to the best schools in the world. His sense of thankfulness at being granted the freedom and privilege to make his life worthwhile for his family. He said that real patriotism came from acting on your sense of gratitude for your country, not just talking about it. Having one of his sons contribute to the protection of America was his only way to pay back what he had received. I hadn't known my father was such an eloquent man.

So, finally, this June, I began my new life as a bureaucrat, working at the Transportation Security Administration. Along with 50,000 proud colleagues, I am responsible for safeguarding America's freedom of movement for both people and goods.

My father is quietly ecstatic and plans, finally, to retire. He is 75. And he is a Korean American patriot.

-- Jason Lim
Arlington
The writer is undergoing orientation as a program analyst at the Transportation Security Administration. His e-mail address isjason@jasonlim.net.

Mark Cuban is a Jerk!!!!

2007-09-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

....and, I'm not the only one who thinks that. Read the following from Pat Dollard. I couldn't have said it any better, than he did.

I know that the troops fight for the right of De palma and Cuban to say what they want. But, how dare they, and how can they, smear the young men and women who fight for them.

Cuban and De Palma don't care about the military or even Iraqi civilians. For those two jerks, it's all about making a buck.

The Man Behind The De Palma Smear: Mark Cuban Declares War On The Troops
September 2nd, 2007

Posted By Pat Dollard.

Mark Cuban

Billionaire Mark Cuban has decided to put all of his weight behind a campaign to smear US troops in Iraq as “monsters’. Cuban has decided that De Palma’s film “Redacted” must be seen as the cornerstone of his and De Palma’s self-declared anti-victory campaign against America and her troops fighing in Iraq. Cuban’s company Magnolia Pictures will be bringing this propganda campaign to a theater near you this winter. According to a source close to Cuban, the decision for Magnolia to develop, finance and distribute the film was personally made by Çuban.

Cuban has a full producer credit on the film, and DePalma shot it on HiDef video at Cuban’s request, in order for it to qualify as fodder for Cuban’s hi-def cable channel. So far neither he or DePalma have explained how they can be “bringing the truth of the Iraq war to the American people”, as Louie DePalma has said, when neither of them have ever been to Iraq, filmed any of “Redacted” in Iraq, or spent one minute with any soldier in Iraq. Clearly they are only bringing you their imagined propagandists’ reality of Iraq. Both had the opportunity to go, both declined.

They have chosen the coward’s path in a quest for legitimacy as spokesmen for the Iraq war, and as such both have failed in that quest. Indeed, they are left standing as laughingstocks. Their reach has exceeded their grasp. Cuban is a jet-set, armchair “Iraq Truther” who made sure not to have his private jet stop anywhere near Iraq. But he and DePalma are more than anxious to bring you the “reality of the Iraq war”. LMFAO.

DePalma chilling in five star luxury while debuting his film to Europeans, nowhere near Iraq

( In case you haven’t heard of him, billionaire Cuban owns the Dallas Mavericks and supports the campaign against Global Warming by travelling in his private Gulf Stream V jet. He also decided to distribute the 9-11 paranoid conspiracy “Truther” film, “Loose Change”.)

DePalma said that going in it was his intention to make a film that would nauseate the American people, and thereby lead to a US withdrawal from Iraq. Well the only way for him to pull that off is if his film makes the case that the anomolous rape it fictionalizes is not actually an anomoly, but a “typical” snapshot of the US military’s behavior. In short, he would have to make his “troops-as-monsters” conceit appear to be typical of the troops, not atypical. This reveals a desire to create something that is nothing short of a willful and intentional smear built upon a lie.

It also means that he decided not to look at Iraq for what it was, but to find something - anything - in it that would allow him to advance his propaganda campaign. Well Louie DePalma gave the game away when he confessed his excitement at his initial discovery of the rape story: “I knew I had a story!”. Now if that doesn’t mean “A story to suit my propaganda interests!”, then what does it mean?

The best defense DePalma has been able to muster about the lack of direct military reality in his film is “I had plenty of real stuff to put in but I didn’t put it in, and can’t show it to you to prove it, because my lawyers won’t let me”. That kind of bullshit pr spin may fly in Hollywood, but it isn’t flying here on earth. If you’ve got the goods, Louie, show them. It would appear quite clear why you haven’t already.

None of the troops in Mr. DePalma’s film are real. They are as imaginary as he and Mr. Cuban’s balls.

Close to a year ago, Daily Kos ran a featured post declaring that it was time to attack the troops if the anti-victory movement was to succeed. Clearly DePalma and Cuban took the cue.
More to follow…

UPDATE: Debbie Schlussel caught this early.:
… Billionaire NBA Owner/Producer Mark Cuban can’t take the heat from Schlussel readers with complaints over this anti-American troops film. Read the comments section on this post, in which Cuban writes that he’s setting his filter to delete all complaints about this movie. Hey, Mark, you know what they say about your promiximity to the kitchen when you can’t take the heat . . . .

Read Schlussel’s February Post

Remembering D-Day

2007-06-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

Military Reflects on D-Day Heroism

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates was among hundreds of people who walked today above the windswept cliffs and paused among fog-shrouded headstones here to honor those who died during the D-Day invasion.
Full Story

MORE D-DAY CONTENT
The Leaders of D-Day
Eisenhower's D-Day Message
Soldiers' First-Hand Accounts of D-Day
D-Day Battlefield Maps
Good, Better, Best D-Day Movies
D-Day Veteran Recalls Historic Day
How D-Day Unfolded on June 6, 1944

THIS WEEK IN MILITARY NEWSREEL HISTORY

D-Day Invasion at Normandy
This vintage newsreel documents history's greatest invasion. D-Day: June 6, 1944. This archival footage was provided by The Military Network. To learn more, go to the Lou Reda Productions website.
FEATURED D-DAY SLIDESHOW

D-Day: June 6, 1944
More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day's end on June 6, the Allies gained a foot- hold in Normandy.
Watch Slideshow Slideshow Gallery

My Butterfly Effect

2007-05-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

I took this picture a few days ago. I had come to a stop, on the drive home from work, and I noticed this butterfly, a Monarch.

Every Spring, I watch for them, as they travel back to the North, just as I do every Fall, when they make their way through Texas on the way to Mexico for the Winter.

I am a cancer survivor and they remind me of the brevity and beauty of life.

The average life span of a butterfly is 20 t0 40 days. I believe that the Monarch butterfly may live as long as six months. I'm not sure. I once thought that my own life might not last anymore time than that.

After my radiation and chemo treatments were over, I had new hope and a new appreciation for life. That first spring, after my treatments, was remarkable for it's beauty. The trees were budding in beautiful shades of green against a deep azure sky. The fields were blanketed with spring flowers and, visiting the flowers, were the butterflies. New life was everywhere.

I have seen things, in nature, in finer detail and more vivid hues, ever since.

Monarch butterflies effect me that way.

Former American Soldier Wins Prize for Book Based on Blog

2007-05-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

US soldier's Iraq frontline blog wins prize

(from Breitbart.com)

May 14 09:51 AM US/Eastern

An American soldier's graphic account of his deployment in Iraq, detailing the firefights and frustrations of frontline life, has won a prize for books based on blogs, organisers said Monday.

Colby Buzzell's "My War: Killing Time In Iraq", the winner of this year's Lulu Blooker Prize, grew out of an online journal which he started in 2004 while serving as a machine-gunner based in Mosul, northern Iraq.

The blog ran for just eight weeks before being shut down by the US military, but by then it had been widely picked up by the media and publishers offered Buzzell a book deal when he left the army in 2005.

His uncompromising style, peppered with profanities and misspellings and inspired by authors such as Hunter S. Thompson and Kurt Vonnegut, gives readers glimpses of military life that rarely emerge from official sources.

One entry, entitled "Men In Black", related a street battle as US soldiers were hunting down those responsible for firing mortars at their base.

Buzzell, 31, described being ambushed by a man "dressed in all black, with a terrorist beard" shooting an AK47 machine gun at him.

"I heard and felt the bullets whizz literally inches from my head, hitting all around my hatch and making a ping, ping, ping sound," he wrote.

Just afterwards, "all hell came down around us" as "everywhere started unloading on us," he added.

"I kind of lost it and was yelling and screaming all sorts of things, mostly cuss words. I fired and fired and fired and fired at everything," he wrote.

After the battle, Buzzell confided his fears of having inadvertently shot innocent people to a senior, who told him to "put all the things that bother you and keep you awake at night and clog your head up into a shoebox, put the lid on it and deal with it later."

"I pretty much started blogging just out of boredom," Buzzell told AFP.

"I was bored in between missions but over time I realised it was therapeutic, it helped me to live out a lot of feelings."

He added that the US military was getting tougher with bloggers as levels of discontent with the Iraq war were increasing.

"A lot of soldiers over there don't want to be there, they want to get home, so if you have soldiers saying it's not going well, they will get a sense of that and I think the military is kind of scared," he said.

His book, which has been translated into seven languages, beat 109 other entries from 15 countries to win the 10,000 dollar (7,383 euro) prize.

Other frontrunners included "My Secret: A PostSecret Book" by Frank Warren, which features a collection of postcards on which people confess their most closely-guarded thoughts.

Here is a link to Buzzell's 'Men in Black' video. It is an outstanding, very well done video and worth seeing:

http://cbftw.blogspot.com/2004/08/men-in-black.html

A Religion of Peace?

2007-05-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

I have tried to avoid commenting on Muslim radicals, not wanting to appear predjudiced against Islam. I firmly believe that every human being has the right to practice their individual belief. I'm sure that every religion has it's fundalmentalist radicals. But, I can think of no religion, other than Islam, that urges it's children to behead or kill. as in these two stories:

Jihadist Video Shows Boy Beheading Man

KILI FAQIRAN, Pakistan (AP) - The boy with the knife looks barely 12. In a high-pitched voice, he denounces the bound, blindfolded man before him as an American spy. Then he hacks off the captive's head to cries of "God is great!" and hoists it in triumph by the hair.

Hamas 'Mickey Mouse' Wants Islam Takeover

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Hamas militants have enlisted the iconic Mickey Mouse to broadcast their message of Islamic dominion and armed resistance to their most impressionable audience—little kids.

How can anyone say that this is our fault, that we are creating terrorists? Do you hate anyone else so much that you would turn your sons and daughters into killers?

Global Incident Map.com

2007-05-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine, alerted me to GlobalIncidentMap.com, a website that posts "A Global Display of Terrorism and Other Suspicious Incidents" on a map. The site is updated every 420 seconds. Highlighting an icon give you the information on that incident. It is a very intriguing site and worth a visit.

Another reason why I don't vote Democrat.

2007-04-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

Democratic majority leader, Harry Reid, has decided to piss on the honor and pride of the United States military and given more hope to our country's enemies, with this statement:

"I believe ... that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything, as is shown by the extreme violence in Iraq this week."

The Story:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070419184534.ileoeb47&show_article=1

Oh, and one more thing Harry,

Same to you!!!

Early Spring, 2007 in Flower Mound, Texas

2007-03-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

Rocks and Dirt

2007-03-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

I received this e-mail from Robert Stokely, who lost his son, Sgt. Mike Stokely, killed in action 16 Aug 05, south of Baghdad. He is asking for help for Marcia Kincaid, mother of fallen hero, Pfc. Aaron Kincaid. The request is simple and is explained in the e-mail. I thought that the best way that I could help was to post the e-mail in this blog. If you can help Mrs. Kincaid, please do so. Thank you.

People think I am strange, some even think I might have lost my mind, especially since Mike died.

They really look at me strange when it comes to my affection for rocks and dirt. But maybe they think so because they don't see it the way I do. The Bible talks about God forming man out of the clay of the earth and that our bodies will return unto the earth when we die. David slew Goliath with a small, smooth rock, and the Romans attempted to seal the tomb of Jesus with a large stone. Pharoahs are buried in stone pyramids, and in times past, streets of the early towns of America were paved with "Belgium Blocks" - blocks loaded aboard sailing vessels in Europe to provide ballast during the return trip to America. Gold and Diamonds are just a few of the precious rocks man seeks, even to this day, and let us not forget that the difference between a well fed nation and one that starves is fertile soil.

But for me, it comes down to personal that are real experiences in my life. I like to tell stories about Mike growing up because he was so much fun to be around, and it was not a question of if, but when (an usually quite often) he would do or say somethng to make you laugh. He was full of life every waking moment. When he was three, he and I were spending the night with Momma Chris and Daddy Jim Overton. They were "my other mom and dad" and Mike got his middle name from Daddy Jim - "James".

Daddy Jim loved to cook, especially breakfast on the weekend. Mike and I spent the night there a lot qnd one Saturday morning, Daddy Jim fixed waffles and decided to add pecans to the batter. Mike, then 3, sat at a little table in the corner of the kitchen. I took the first waffle off the iron, buttered and cut it up and coated it with syrup - just the way he liked it. He dug in, but suddenly, and indiscrimantly, spit it out with a disdainful exclamation "PHOOEEE - dese things got rocks in em' !!" After we got through laughing till we cried, Daddy Jim and I tried to convince him it was o.k., they didn't have rocks, just pecans. He would have none of it and we had to fix him a waffle without "rocks". He was suspect of anything in his waffles after that.

When our family left Mike at Ft. Stewart GA after the departure ceremony for Iraq, May 14, 2005, I carried away a baggie of sand from where we last stood and embraced in a bear hug of love, as it turned out, for the last time. When we buried Mike on August 27, 2005, I placed a rose with a note telling him I loved him on his casket and kissed it one last time before they sealed his vault. As I walked away, I carefully knelt, scooped up some dirt from his grave and place it the tissue that held my tears. Such is in a drawer I open every morning when I get dressed, and I take a moment to remember, and touch the baggies.

In the weeks and months after that, it became an urgency to have a small rock and some sand from the place where he died. I shared that with contacts here and in Iraq. One day, a manilla envelope arrived post marked APO Baghdad. It contained a note saying "from where Mike died" and two baggies, one with sand and one with a few small rocks. It is still a life mission that I go to that spot where Mike died and kneel with respect and touch that ground where he fell. God willing, I shall, no matter how old I might be.

In the last few weeks, I have driven hard to help get rocks for Marcia Kincaid, mother of fallen hero PFC Kenneth "Aaron" Kincaid. Marica is working feverishly on a memorial rock garden in honor of Aaron in her back yard. She wants to have a rock from all 50 states and any other country somebody can get for her. Just a simple rock (grapefruit size preferably, two if you can). She wants to have the garden complete and ready to dedicate by April 1 - Aaron's Birthday. We have ten days and she still needs some rocks - Oklahoma, Delaware, Maryland, DC, North Dakota and Alaska.

Rocks are cheap and priority postage isn't that much, compared to what she has given. My address is 100 Fountainhead Way, Sharpsburg GA 30277 (No need to keep this secret - I am too easy to find anyway). If you want to help, and don't worry if we get more than one from each place, please do so. Be sure to put a note in there so Marcia will know who sent it and can write you back.

Today, someone asked me why this is so important to me. It just is.

Robert Stokely

proud dad SGT Mike Stokely

KIA 16 Aug 05 near Yusufiyah south of Baghdad

US ARMY E Troop 108 CAV 48 BDE GAARNG

and proud to be the dad of Wes and Abbey Stokely

Political video smackdown

2007-03-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

From The San Francisco Chronicle, comes this story:

It may be the most stunning and creative attack ad yet for a 2008 presidential candidate -- one experts say could represent a watershed moment in 21st century media and political advertising.

.
Yet the groundbreaking 74-second pitch for Democratic Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, which remixes the classic "1984" ad that introduced Apple computers to the world, is not on cable or network TV, but on the Internet.

.
(To see the video, go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h3G-lMZxjo)

It isn't from Obama's people, but, it is very well done. I wonder what Hillary's reaction is?

The Rest of the Story:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/18/MNGHNONEPS1.DTL&feed=rss.news

"I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism, of everything dear to the American character...."

2007-03-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

The title of this post comes from the appeal of William Barret Travis, in his request for help in defense of the Alamo. As a Texas resident, I could not forget, that, today is the anniversary of it's fall to the forces of General Santa Anna.

Travis' appeal was too late. But, the core of it's appeal still resonates today.

"The enemy has demanded surrender.." and "..in the name of Liberty, of patriotism, of everything dear to the American character...", we should "...never surrender or retreat."

Commandancy of the Alamo Bexar, Feby 24th, 1836

.
To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World--

.
Fellow Citizens and Compatriots

I am besieged with a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna. I have sustained a continual Bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours and have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison is to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken. I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly over the wall. I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism, of everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily and will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a solder who never forgets what is due his honor and that of his country.

.
VICTORY OR DEATH

.
William Barret Travis Lt. Col. Comd't

.
P.S. The Lord is on our side -- when the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn -- We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels & got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.

Tell Us How You Really Feel

2007-03-01T15:29:00.000-08:00

The following article is from the New York Post. In it, Newt Gingrich rips Hillary a new one.

.
NEWT RIPS 'NASTY' HILL
DROPS NICE-GUY APPROACH TO 'RUTHLESS' RIVAL
By MAGGIE HABERMAN

March 1, 2007 -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich yesterday called Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton "a nasty woman" who runs an "endlessly ruthless" campaign machine.

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The conservative Republican made the surprising comments - after months of taking care not to trash the Democratic presidential front-runner - in a wide-ranging New York Post editorial-board interview.

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Asked whether Americans are ready to elect Rudy Giuliani - a leader, the questioner noted, whom Ed Koch had called a "nasty man" - Gingrich shot back, "As opposed to a nasty woman?"

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Gingrich added that he thinks she'll be the nominee, and cited the battle between Clinton's camp and Sen. Barack Obama's team last week over Obama donor David Geffen bashing the former first couple.

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"Nobody will out-mud the Clintons," said Gingrich, who added that he'll decide in the coming months whether to run for the White House.

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He called Clinton's political team one of the most "talented" in U.S. history, but "endlessly ruthless."

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"You can't beat them tactically . . . They're too relentless, they're too well-organized, they have too big a machine and they'll just grind you down," he said.

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"If they think [Obama] is a real threat, they'll just grind him up."

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Gingrich's harsh comments about Clinton were surprising because he has complimented her abilities and worked with her last year on a health-care initiative.

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Clinton campaign spokesman Blake Zeff cited several instances in the last year where Gingrich had kind words for the senator. "Before Mr. Gingrich started running for president, he repeatedly praised Sen. Clinton," Zeff said. "We take him at his word then."

.
During the Post session, Gingrich also:

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Dubbed Obama a great "counterimage" to Clinton, but said he doesn't think the Illinois Democrat can win. "If the country wants therapy, they're going to elect Obama," he said.

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Said the GOP needs to nominate a Ronald Reagan-type candidate and added, "I think it's not an accident that Giuliani is running as well as he is in the polls."

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Gingrich called New York's evolution under Giuliani "a tremendous story . . . It's a different city."

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Warned that the GOP is in the "early stages of an enormous transition" and suggested electability is an issue for Republicans.

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"A normative Republican running like a traditional Republican, which means a non-Reagan Republican, and trying to beat Hillary by being negative is hopeless," he said.

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Last night, at an election forum at Cooper Union, Gingrich and former Gov. Mario Cuomo agreed on the need for more meaningful debates by the presidential candidates in 2008. Gingrich called for nine weekly 90-minutes debates between the two nominees before Election Day.

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maggie.haberman@nypost.com

WHAT A SWEET, WONDERFUL PERSON THE HILDABEAST IS.

2007-03-01T15:10:00.000-08:00

Quotes attributed to Hillary.

Cheers to the Truth!

.
"Where is the G-damn f**king flag? I want the G-damn f**king flag up every f**king morning at f**king sunrise."

(From the book "Inside The White House" by Ronald Kessler, p. 244 - Hillary to the staff at the Arkansas Governor's mansion on Labor Day, 1991)

"You sold out, you mother f**ker! You sold out!"

(From the book "Inside" by Joseph Califano, p. 213 - Hillary yelling at Democrat lawyer.)

"It's been said, and I think it's accurate, that my husband was obsessed by terrorism in general and al-Qaida in particular."

(Hillary telling a post-9/11 world what a 'great' commander in chief her husband was; Dateline, NBC 4/16/2004.)

"I have to admit that a good deal of what my husband and I have learned [about Islam] has come from our daughter."

(TruthInMedia.org 8/8/1999 - Hillary at a White House function, proudly tells some Muslim groups she is gaining a greater appreciation of Islam because Chelsea was then taking a class on the "religion of peace")

"F**k off! It's enough that I have to see you shit-kickers every day, I'm not going to talk to you too!! Just do your G*damn job and keep your mouth shut."

(From the book "American Evita" by Christopher Anderson, p. 90 - Hillary to her State Trooper bodyguards after one of them greeted her with "Good morning.")

"You f**king idiot."

(From the book "Crossfire" p. 84 - Hillary to a State Trooper who was driving her to an event.)

"If you want to remain on this detail, get your f**king ass over here and grab those bags!"

(From the book "The First Partner" p. 259 - Hillary to a Secret Service Agent who was reluctant to carry her luggage because he wanted to keep his hands free in case of an incident.)

"Get f**ked! Get the f**k out of my way!!! Get out of my face!!!"

(From the book "Hillary's Scheme" p. 89 - Hillary's various comments to her Secret Service detail agents.)

"Stay the f**k back, stay the f**k away from me! Don't come within ten yards of me, or else! Just f**king do as I say, Okay!!!?"

(From the book "Unlimited Access", by Clinton FBI Agent in Charge, Gary Aldrige, p. 139 - Hillary screaming at her Secret Service detail.)

"Many of you are well enough off that [President Bush's] tax cuts may have helped you. We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We're going to have to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."

(Hillary grandstanding at a fund raising speech in San Francisco; SFGate.com 6/28/2004.)

"Why do I have to keep proving to people that I am not a liar?!"

(From the book "The Survivor," by John Harris, p. 382 - Hillary in her 2000 Senate campaign)

"Where's the miserable c*ck sucker?"

(From the book "The Truth About Hillary" by Edward Klein, p. 5 - Hillary shouting at a Secret Service officer)

"No matter what you think about the Iraq war, there is one thing we can all agree on for the next days - we have to salute the courage and bravery of those who are risking their lives to vote and those brave Iraqi and American soldiers fighting to protect their right to vote."

(Was posted on Hillary Clinton's senate.gov web site on 1/28/05)

"Put this on the ground! I left my sunglasses in the limo. I need those sunglasses. We need to go back!"

(From the book "Dereliction of Duty" p. 71-72 - Hillary to Marine One helicopter pilot to turn back while en route to Air Force One.)

"A right-wing network was after his presidency...including perverting the Constitution."

(To Barbara Walters about the Republicans who impeached her husband; 20/20, ABC 6/8/2003.)

"Son of a bitch."

(From the book "American Evita" by Christopher Anderson, p. 259 - Hillary's opinion of President George W. Bush when she found out he secretly visited Iraq just days before her highly publicized trip to Iraq)

"What are you doing inviting these people into my home? These people are our enemies! They are trying to destroy us!"

(From the book "The Survivor" by John Harris, p. 99 - Hillary screaming to an aide, when she found out that some Republicans had been invited to the Clinton White House)

"I mean, you've got a conservative and right-wing press presence with really nothing on the other end of the political spectrum."

(C-Span, 1/19/1997 - Hillary complains about the mainstream media, which are all conservatives in her opinion)

"Come on Bill, put your dick up! You can't f**k her here!!"

(From the book "Inside The White House" by Ronald Kessler, p. 243 - Hillary to Gov. Clinton when she spots him talking with an attractive female at an Arkansas political rally)

"You know, I'm going to start thanking the woman who cleans the restroom in the building I work in. I'm going to start thinking of her as a human being."

(From the book "The Case Against Hillary Clinton" by Peggy Noonan, p. 55)

"You show people what you're willing to fight for when you fight your friends."

(From the book "The Agenda" by Bob Woodward, ch. 14)

"We are at a stage in history in which remolding society is one of the great challenges facing all of us in the West."

(From the book "I've Always Been A Yankee Fan" by Thomas D. Kuiper, p. 119 - During her 1993 commencement address at the University of Texas)

"The only way to make a difference is to acquire power"

(From the book "I've Always Been A Yankee Fan" by Thomas D. Kuiper, p. 68 - Hillary to a friend before starting law school.)

"We just can't trust the American people to make those types of choices.... Government has to make those choices for people"

(From the book "I've Always Been A Yankee Fan" by Thomas D. Kuiper, p. 20 - Hillary to Rep. Dennis Hastert in 1993 discussing her expensive, disastrous taxpayer-funded health care plan)

"I am a fan of the social policies that you find in Europe"

( From the book "I've Always Been A Yankee Fan" by Thomas D. Kuiper, p. 76 - Hillary in 1996)

To Our Troops We Must Remain Faithful.

2007-02-21T08:24:00.000-08:00

February 16, 2007
To Our Troops We Must Remain Always Faithful
By Rep. Sam Johnson

(Note: The following is the text of remarks delivered by Rep. Johnson on the floor of the House of Representatives Feb. 16, 2007)

You know, I flew 62 combat missions in the Korean War and 25 missions in the Vietnam War before being shot down.

I had the privilege of serving in the United States Air Force for 29 years, attending the prestigious National War College, and commanding two air bases, among other things.

I mention these stories because I view the debate on the floor not just as a U.S. Congressman elected to serve the good people of the Third District in Texas, but also through the lens of a life-long fighter pilot, student of war, a combat warrior, a leader of men, and a Prisoner of War.

Ironically, this week marks the anniversary that I started a new life - and my freedom from prison in Hanoi.

I spent nearly seven years as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam, more than half of that time in solitary confinement. I flew out of Hanoi on February 12, 1973 with other long-held Prisoners of War - weighing just 140 pounds. And tomorrow - 34 years ago, I had my homecoming to Texas - a truly unspeakable blessing of freedom.

While in solitary confinement, my captors kept me in leg stocks, like the pilgrims... for 72 days....

As you can imagine, they had to carry me out of the stocks because I couldn't walk. The following day, they put me in leg irons... for 2 ½ years. That's when you have a tight metal cuff around each ankle - with a foot-long bar connecting the legs.

I still have little feeling in my right arm and my right hand... and my body has never been the same since my nearly 2,500 days of captivity.

But I will never let my physical wounds hold me back.

Instead, I try to see the silver lining. I say that because in some way ... I'm living a dream...a hope I had for the future. "From April 16, 1966 to February 12, 1973 - I prayed that I would return home to the loving embrace of my wife, Shirley, and my three kids, Bob, Gini, and Beverly...

And my fellow POWs and I clung to the hope of when - not if - we returned home.

We would spend hours tapping on the adjoining cement walls about what we would do when we got home to America.

We pledged to quit griping about the way the government was running the war in Vietnam and do something about it... We decided that we would run for office and try to make America a better place for all.

So - little did I know back in my rat-infested 3 x 8 dark and filthy cell that 34 years after my departure from Hell on Earth... I would spend the anniversary of my release pleading for a House panel to back my measure to support and fully fund the troops in harm's way....and that just days later I would be on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives surrounded by distinguished veterans urging Congress to support our troops to the hilt.

We POWs were still in Vietnam when Washington cut the funding for Vietnam. I know what it does to morale and mission success. Words can not fully describe the horrendous damage of the anti-American efforts against the war back home to the guys on the ground.

Our captors would blare nasty recordings over the loud speaker of Americans protesting back home...tales of Americans spitting on Vietnam veterans when they came home... and worse.

We must never, ever let that happen again.

The pain inflicted by your country's indifference is tenfold that inflicted by your ruthless captors.

Our troops - and their families - want, need and deserve the full support of the country - and the Congress. Moms and dads watching the news need to know that the Congress will not leave their sons and daughters in harm's way without support.

Since the President announced his new plan for Iraq last month, there has been steady progress. He changed the rules of engagement and removed political protections.

There are reports we wounded the number two of Al Qaeda and killed his deputy. Yes, Al Qaeda operates in Iraq. It's alleged that top radical jihadist Al-Sadr has fled Iraq - maybe to Iran. And Iraq's closed its borders with Iran and Syria. The President changed course and offered a new plan ...we are making progress. We must seize the opportunity to move forward, not stifle future success.

Debating non-binding resolutions aimed at earning political points only destroys morale, stymies success, and emboldens the enemy.

The grim reality is that this House measure is the first step to cutting funding of the troops...Just ask John Murtha about his 'slow-bleed' plan that hamstrings our troops in harm's way.

Now it's time to stand up for my friends who did not make it home - and those who fought and died in Iraq - so I can keep my promise that when we got home we would quit griping about the war and do something positive about it...and we must not allow this Congress to leave these troops like the Congress left us.

Today, let my body serve as a brutal reminder that we must not repeat the mistakes of the past... instead learn from them.

We must not cut funding for our troops. We must stick by them. We must support them all the way...To our troops we must remain...always faithful.

God bless you and I salute you all. Thank you.

Page Printed from: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/02/to_our_troops_we_must_remain_a.html at February 17, 2007 - 06:59:53 AM CST

Mrs. Clinton is not President!

2007-02-21T08:04:00.000-08:00

One sunny day in 2008, an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue , where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Hillary Clinton."

The Marine replied, "Sir, Mrs. Clinton is not President and doesn't reside here."

The old man said, "Okay," and walked away.

The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, "I would like to go in and meet with President HillaryClinton ".

The Marine again told the man, "Sir, as I said yesterday, Mrs. Clinton is not President and doesn't reside here."

The man thanked him and again walked away .

The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same Marine, saying "I would like to go in and meet with President Hillary Clinton."

The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mrs. Clinton. I've told you already several times that Mrs. Clinton is not the President and doesn't reside here. Don't you understand?"

The old man answered, "Oh, I understand you fine, I just love hearing your answer!"

The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, "See you tomorrow."

Size Does Matter!!

2007-02-08T06:10:00.000-08:00

Speaker Pelosi wants a big one!

Click here (left) and here (right) for the story.

Click here for a big one.

NEVER ASK A MEXICAN GRANDMA A QUESTION

2007-02-08T05:22:00.000-08:00

LAWYERS SHOULD NEVER ASK A MEXICAN GRANDMA A QUESTION IF THEY AREN'T PREPARED FOR THE ANSWER:

IN A TRIAL, IN A SMALL TOWN in TEXAS , A PROSECUTING ATTORNEY CALLED HIS FIRST WITNESS, A MEXICAN GRANDMOTHER, AN ELDERLY WOMAN TO THE STAND. HE APPROACHED HER AND ASKED, MRS. SANCHEZ,"DO YOU KNOW ME?"

SHE RESPONDED, "SI, I MEAN, JESS I KNOW YOU MR. WILLIAMS. I KNOWN YOU SINCE YOU WERE A CHAVALITO AND FRANKLY YOU'VE BEEN A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT TO ME. YOU LIE, YOU CHEAT ON YOUR WIFE, AND YOU MANIPULATE PEOPLE AND TALK ABOUT THEM BEHIND THEIR BACKS. YOU THINK YOU'RE A BIG SHOT WHEN YOU HAVEN'T THE BRAINS TO REALIZE YOU WILL NEVER AMOUNT TO NOTHIN' BUT A TWO BIT PAPERPUSHER. YES I KNOW YOU."

THE LAWYER WAS STUNNED. NOT KNOWING WHAT ELSE TO DO, HE POINTED ACROSS THE ROOM AND ASKED, MRS. SANCHEZ, DO YOU KNOW THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY?

SHE AGAIN REPLIED, "WHY JESS I DO. I'VE KNOWN MR. RODRIGUEZ SINCE HE WAS A CHAVALITO TOO. HE'S LAZY, GORDO, AND HE HAS A DRINKING PROBLEM. HE CAN'T HAVE A NORMAL RELATIONSHIP WITH NOBODY AND HE HAS THE WORST LAW PRACTICE IN THE STATE. HA! AND NOT TO MENTION HE CHEATED ON HIS WIFE WITH THREE DIFFERENT PUTAS. ONE OF THEM WAS YOUR WIFE. YOU MEMBER? I KNOW MR. RODRIGUEZ, HIS MAMA IS NOT PROUD OF HIM."

THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY ALMOST DIED. THE JUDGE ASKED BOTH COUNSELORS TO APPROACH THE BENCH AND IN A VERY QUIET VOICE SAID, "IF EITHER OF YOU PENDEJO'S ASK HER IF SHE KNOWS ME, I"LL SEND YOU TO THE ELECTRIC CHAIR."

Soldiers, kids share storytime

2007-02-04T17:14:00.000-08:00

This story is from the Dallas Morning News. It is a great program, that is offered at DFW Airport, where I work. I have heard the USO volunteers offering the program to soldiers. The DFW USO does a wonderful job in supporting and helping our troops in every way.

Click on the Video link in the rest of the story. It is worth watching.

Soldiers, kids share storytime
11:58 AM CST on Sunday, February 4, 2007

By KATHY A. GOOLSBY / The Dallas Morning News
kgoolsby@dallasnews.com

In the final minutes before his deployment to Iraq last month, Army Pvt. Larry Levy sat down for some quality time with his 5-year-old son, Sterling. He first read his son a book, chuckling as he turned the pages and talked about the pictures.
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But when he closed the book, Pvt. Levy's voice turned serious.
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"You know where Daddy's going, Bubba," Pvt. Levy said. "You know Daddy's got to go to Baghdad to fight the bad guys."
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The father paused and took a ragged breath. When he spoke again, his voice choked with emotion.
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"I need you to do good in school," the Arlington native said. "Take care of your mom and sissy."
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There was no response from Sterling. Pvt. Levy would be in Iraq before his son heard that heartfelt message, recorded as part of the United Service Organization's United Through Reading program at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
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Since August, more than 400 troops passing through the airport on their way to war have paused to record books for their children. The recordings, punctuated with special messages and occasional tears, are shipped to each child along with the books that are read.

The Rest of the Story

Saddam Morgue Video

2007-02-01T11:19:00.000-08:00

This new video of Saddam in a morgue has recently popped up on Baathist web sites.

Warning!!

Not for the faint of heart!

Click here to view video.

Another Reason to Vote For Duncan Hunter

2007-01-25T15:35:00.000-08:00

Duncan Hunter Press Release: Hunter Introduces Bill To Pardon Convicted Border Patrol Agents

"Washington D.C. - Today, Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) introduced the Congressional Pardon for Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean Act. The legislation pardons convicted Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who reported to prison yesterday to begin serving 11 and 12 year sentences respectively. The conviction derived from an incident involving their efforts to apprehend a drug smuggler on the international border with Mexico.

"The Border Patrol is America's first line of defense against the constant and unrelenting efforts of drug and human smugglers to illegally enter the United States," said Congressman Hunter.

"Agents Compean and Ramos fulfilled their responsibilities as Border Patrol agents and rightfully pursued a suspected and fleeing drug smuggler. It is irresponsible to punish them with jail time."

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"The security situation on our Southern land border requires a strong law enforcement presence. This conviction demoralizes our nation's Border Patrol and sends a clear message that we are not serious about protecting our borders and enforcing our immigration laws. "

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"We cannot turn our back on Agents Compean and Ramos or the rest of the men and women proudly serving in the U.S. Border Patrol. These two agents deserve our full support and the Congressional pardon provided by this legislation."

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In addition to introducing the Congressional Pardon for Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean Act, Congressman Hunter contacted the Federal Bureau of Prisons and personally requested that Agents Compean and Ramos be segregated from the general prison population in order to ensure their safety."

Obama Osama?

2007-01-25T15:19:00.000-08:00

Before anyone gets to excited, the name Obama Osama comes from a Ted Kennedy gaffe. I received the following in an e-mail. So, I'm not sure how much credence to give it. But, if true, it causes me some concern.

Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black Muslim from Nyangoma-Kogel, Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white atheist from Wichita, Kansas. Obama's parents met at the University of Hawaii.

When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. His father returned to Kenya. His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a radical Muslim from Indonesia. When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocated to Indonesia. Obama attended a Muslim school in Jakarta. He also spent two years in a Catholic school.

Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He is quick to point out that, "He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school."

Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that Obama's introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son's education. Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam. Osama was enrolled in a Wahabi school in Jakarta. Wahabism is the radical teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world.

Since it is politically expedient to be a Christian when seeking major public office in the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background.

Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential candidacy.

Sizzlin', Baby!

2007-01-18T16:49:00.000-08:00

When I first heard of the 'burkini', I thought that it was a joke. But, it is the real deal. I find it hard to believe that some fanatic muslims are offended by it. They should be delighted with the burkini and looking forward to Spring Break.

Australia's burkini set to put Muslim women in the swim

Posted on Monday, January 15, 2007 (EST)

What do you get when you cross Australian beach culture with a desire to remain clothed in a way acceptable to Muslim women? If you're designer Aheda Zanetti, you get what she says is the world's first two-piece Islamic swimsuit, the burkini.

While other Islamic swimsuits exist, Zanetti says her light-weight, head-to-ankle costumes are the first to be streamlined down to a two-piece suit incorporating a head covering.

With Australian beaches full of girls in skimpy bikinis and revealing one-pieces, there was a "hole in the market that needed to be filled" for more modest beachwear, she said.

"A lot of girls were missing out, a lot of women were missing out, on a lot of sporting activities, including swimming," Zanetti told AFP from the clutter of her southwestern Sydney shopfront.

The Rest of the Story

Wizards of Winter

2007-01-10T13:53:00.000-08:00

Back, for the second year in a row, I present the 'Wizards of Winter'. I understood that the home owner was asked to shut his Christmas display down last year. I'm not sure that I would want to live across the street from this guy. But, it is fun to watch.

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Oops.

2007-01-08T12:33:00.000-08:00

From ABC, comes this story about a 'dead' U.S. soldier, who isn't so dead after all. It seems that al Jazeera isn't so different from the U.S. media as one might think. In their haste to make the U.S. military look bad, both al Jazeera (and the 'drive-by media) air stories, without researching the story's authenticity. Why bother with doing that anyway, since the damage can be done as severely with a lie, as with the truth?

Dead U.S. Soldier in Anti-War Video 'Alive and Well'
January 08, 2007 8:00 AM

Rhonda Schwartz and Maddy Sauer Report:

An Iraqi insurgent propaganda video, containing what is described as a Christmas message from a U.S. soldier taped just before he was killed, appeared on dozens of Web sites and on the al Jazeera network.

But a lot about the video does not add up, including the fact that ABC News found the supposedly dead soldier is "alive and well" and present for duty, according to a U.S. Army spokesman at Fort Campbell, Ky.

"There are a whole bunch of lies on that tape," said Lt. Col. Ed Loomis at Fort Campbell. "It is nothing but a total fabrication."

A producer at al Jazeera said it would change its description of the video after learning from ABC News that the soldier was not dead.

The tape begins in dramatic form with the title "Lee's Life for Lies."

It is supposedly a Christmas greeting from a U.S. soldier, Specialist Lee Kimball Tucker, sent to his family in Florida before he was killed.

First there are scenes of Tucker celebrating his birthday with his buddies.
Then a cut to an attack on a U.S. Army humvee and its aftermath.

An insurgent narrator says the insurgents found a computer flash drive in the wreckage that belonged to Tucker and purports to play it.

A voice says, "Dear Mom and Dad, I'm so glad I could send you my third Christmas greetings letter."

Watch the beginning of the Iraqi Insurgent Video.

Lt. Col. Loomis told ABC News that while the pictures appear to be authentic, it was a case of Tucker's identity being stolen in Iraq.

The voice identified as Tucker says he and his fellow soldiers became violent and reckless searching for insurgents.

"The crimes by our soldiers during break-ins started to merge, such as burglary, harassment, raping and random manslaughter," says the voice. "Why are we even here? The people hate us."

Watch the video where the voice, purported to be Tucker's, describes U.S. soldiers turning to violence.

Laura Mansfield, an Arabic language analyst and publisher of a newsletter "Strategic Translations" that tracks jihadi websites, said this is a new trick in the jihadists' propaganda campaign.

"This is part of a very shrewd campaign to reach a U.S. audience, soldiers and voters," she said. "It is in English and forgives most soldiers and Americans, calling on them to help end the war."
Also on the tape is a description, supposedly from Tucker, of how soldiers buy their way out of dangerous night patrols and gun turret duty with cash and drugs.

"The marijuana-rolled cigarettes are the rare currency capable of buying or changing anything. The drugs goes all around here," says the voice.

And it ends with a final denunciation of U.S. leaders and policy.

"What we are doing here is so disgraceful; our acts are shameful," says the voice. He then signs off, "Specialist Lee Kimball Tucker."

Watch the video where the voice professes his anti-war sentiments.

All very powerful from a dead soldier, except for the fact that Lee Kimball Tucker is not dead.
His family says he returned from Iraq in May and was with them over the holidays so he would not have been sending any messages home.

There will be an internal investigation at Fort Campbell to determine how the insurgents got a hold of the home video of the soldiers, and Fort Campbell officials are urging all soldiers to take further precautions against identity theft.

Tucker's mother Pam of Fort Worth, Texas, told ABC News that Tucker is not anti-war and that he could be returning to Iraq later this year.

Goodbye Saddam

2006-12-29T19:41:00.000-08:00

Your victims have been waiting for you.

Jet Man

2006-12-29T17:08:00.000-08:00

A very interesting device, being flown by the Jet Man. I was intrigued with it and wondered what kind of military applications, that the device may have. Click on the photo for video and more information on Yves Rossy, the Jet Man.

Christmas Eve at the Gaylord Texan

2006-12-28T15:50:00.000-08:00

I went with extended family and friends to the ICE exhibit at the Gaylord Texan and took these pictures that I thought I would share.

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2006-12-28T04:04:00.000-08:00

To Our Sheepdogs

2006-12-25T18:51:00.000-08:00

It’s so easy to forget them there,
As we warm beside the fire,
Those spread so far out everywhere,
Those sent to man the wire.
Patrolling on the front line,
As peacefully here we bask,
Protecting what is yours and mine,
That’s their hard, dreary task.
Like sheep we are protected,
From the far off wolves of war,
And our Sheepdogs as expected,
Never waver from their chore.
In peace we sheep ignore their kind,
Wary of their violent trends;
But when the wolves attack we find,
These Sheepdogs are our friends.
Forever this has been the way,
Since time for us began,
Sheep fearing that the Sheepdogs may
Disrupt our placid plan.
Yet time again Dogs surely prove,
When comes a wolfine danger,
The Sheepdogs will most swiftly move
To guard the lambs, the manger.
So here’s to Sheepdogs everywhere
At this Christmas time of year;
Just know the flock is with you there,
And we wish you Christmas cheer.
We wish we could advance the clock,
Cause truth is, Dogs, we miss you,
To the day that you’ll rejoin the flock,
When we’ll sheepishly then kiss you.
Russ Vaughn

For clarification on the Sheepdogs reference, link here.

NORAD Tracks Santa

2006-12-22T17:29:00.000-08:00

I thought that this was a cool website for kids.

NORAD Tracks Santa

On Dec. 24, 1955, a call was made to the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. However, this call was not from the President or a general, it was from a girl in Colorado Springs who was following the directions in an advertisement printed in the local paper – she wanted to know the whereabouts of Santa Claus.
The ad said “Hey, Kiddies! Call me direct and be sure and dial the correct number.” However, the number was printed incorrectly in the advertisement and rang into the CONAD operations center.

On duty that night was Col. Harry Shoup, who has come to be known as the “Santa Colonel.” Col. Shoup received numerous calls that night and rather than hanging up, he had his operators find the location of Santa Claus and reported it to every child who phoned in that night.
Thus began a tradition that rolled over to the North American Aerospace Defense Command when it was formed in 1957. Today through satellite systems, high-powered radars and jet fighters - Canadians and Americans track Santa Claus as he makes his Yuletide journey around the world.

More than 350 volunteers man telephone hotlines and computers to answer calls and e-mails from children (and adults) from around the world every Christmas Eve. Live updates are provided via the NORAD Tracks Santa Web Site (in six languages) to keep curious children and their families informed about where Santa really is and if it’s time to get to bed.

In November and December 2005, the NORAD Tracks Santa Web Site clocked nearly 1 billion web hits from 204 countries and territories around the world. About 563,000 people called the Tracks Santa hotline, and volunteers received nearly 7,000 e-mails from children around the globe.

NORAD Tracks Santa has become a truly, magical and global phenomenon, delighting generations of families everywhere.
Please visit www.noradsanta.org

AL ZAWAHRI MESSAGE TO DEMS: WE BEAT GOP IN NOVEMBER...

2006-12-22T15:41:00.000-08:00

I tried to tell people, that a vote for the Democrats was a vote for terrorism. I remember, all too well, how the North Vietnamese felt that they could win their war in our country. But, would anybody listen to my warnings? Nooooooooo. You get what you deserve. From the Drudge Report, comes this link:

Al Qaeda Sends a Message to Democrats
December 22, 2006 2:28 PM
Brian Ross and Hoda Osman Report:

Al Qaeda has sent a message to leaders of the Democratic party that credit for the defeat of congressional Republicans belongs to the terrorists.

In a portion of the tape from al Qaeda No. 2 man, Ayman al Zawahri, made available only today, Zawahri says he has two messages for American Democrats.

"The first is that you aren't the ones who won the midterm elections, nor are the Republicans the ones who lost. Rather, the Mujahideen -- the Muslim Ummah's vanguard in Afghanistan and Iraq -- are the ones who won, and the American forces and their Crusader allies are the ones who lost," Zawahri said, according to a full transcript obtained by ABC News.

Zawahri calls on the Democrats to negotiate with him and Osama bin Laden, not others in the Islamic world who Zawahri says cannot help.

"And if you don't refrain from the foolish American policy of backing Israel, occupying the lands of Islam and stealing the treasures of the Muslims, then await the same fate," he said.

Troop Talk radio

2006-12-22T13:47:00.000-08:00

I heard about Troop Talk radio on a local talk radio show and thought that they were doing a wonderful thing, in giving the troops music downloads that are made available through donations. Troop Talk accepts as little as a one dollar donation towards the gift of music (it is Christmas.)

About Troop Talk

Troop Talk radio brings the soldier’s story front and center.Through engaging live interviews with military members who have served and continue to serve, hosts Captain Trip Bellard and Leah Lett, give listeners an opportunity to find out what’s really going on in the U.S. military. No where else can the American public talk live on the air to soldiers presently fighting the War on Terror. These Real Life American Heroes now have a way to share their stories as they happen. No sound bytes, no bits, no spins - just the Truth.

"Troop Talk's format is one of the most innovativeideas for a radio show. Trip Bellard succeeds intalking about important issues as well as creating avehicle for the voices of our men and women in uniformto be heard and appreciated."
- Congresswoman Kay Granger (TX-12)

How it all began..."Gentlemen, be proud of what you have accomplished and be proud to tell people your story! People want to know your story!"-LTC Kyle McClelland, FA, CDR 1-7 FA, gave this advice to every TF 1-7 soldier that went on R&R from FOB Summerall, Iraq from Feb 2004 to Feb 2005.

Captain Trip, a past subordinate of LTC McClelland, is an adamant supporter of our nation and our military and he took to heart what his commander had to say. He is committed to telling his story and providing Americans with his perspective on the Global War on Terror. He has spoken to numerous organizations, domestically and overseas, to include Veteran’s organizations, business associations, and civic organizations.

Troop Talk the radio show was developed after Captain Trip received an invitation and appeared on The David Allen Show sharing his first-hand experiences of the war in Iraq. That single interview received such overwhelming response, it soon blossomed into a stand alone show with a loyal audience that continues to grow. Troop Talk is now "marching across the country" in national syndication.

How Marines Say Goodbye.....

2006-12-21T15:05:00.000-08:00

Click on the photo to see a very moving tribute
to fallen warriors.

A Christmas Poem

2006-12-19T18:38:00.000-08:00

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC,
USN 30th Naval Construction Regiment OIC,
Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum, Iraq

Good Enough to Die For!

2006-12-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

I received this in an e-mail from Russ Vaughan and thought it was worth posting here. Russ has not wasted his talent for writing, as perhaps I have.

Good Enough to Die For

I have just read a mea culpa by Vietnam War protestor, novelist and poet, Pat Conroy, http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/homeland.php?id=397352, who possesses the literary skills to express what I am willing to bet many other older American males, his former brothers at the barricades, also feel, but lack the skills and the honesty to articulate. It is left to men like the politically born again David Horowitz and novelist Conroy to speak for these old troupers of the Left’s long-haired legions, to reveal their long hidden recognition that they were possibly misguided in their protesting but more often than most will ever admit, motivated more by fear of serving in combat than by any sense of moral/political rectitude.

For that reason this is an issue that reverberates only within the ranks of male protestors of that era. For the braless, hygiene and make-up challenged young women of the movement, there existed no threat of death or disfigurement in combat, so the purity of their motives is questionable only in the intellectual, not the moral sense. They may have been naïve fools but they weren’t hiding a blushing personal cowardice behind the skirts of world socialism. This then, is an issue of character only for these now old, greying men who, like Conroy, must eventually face the moral consequences of their actions in those turbulent days.

As someone who, like most of us, has experienced events in my life where I now wish that I had shown more moral and physical courage, more honesty, and most importantly, more unquestioning love and understanding of family, I know how those failures live with you long after the memories of trying to do so many things right have dimmed. Many of my lapses involved nothing more than minor events where I failed to speak up, or stand up and be counted, or even stand up and be knocked down; but regardless of their minor nature, it is these life events that forever remain active in my psyche. In my mid-sixties now, I have learned all too well that it's not the fights you won or even the fights you lost that keep niggling away at the edges of your conscience: it's the fights you failed to fight when you knew damned well that you should.

Deceased author John D. MacDonald, who wrote the wonderful Travis McGee mystery series, once explained through his fictional hero, McGee, the way to make correct moral decisions and it is a simple wisdom that has stayed in my brain, but not always exemplified by my behavior, through the remainder of my life. It is nothing more than this: do the hard thing. When faced with tough choices, look to that course of action which is the one you want least to follow because it appears to be the most difficult for you; it may hurt personally, but almost always, it is the right course for you to follow for the good of others.

My belief is that a lot of Vietnam War protestors were rightfully fearful of the physical perils of combat, as were all those of us who chose to serve there; but where we tamped down those fears and continued the mission, they wrongfully used a contrived moral outrage against the war as convenient cover to conceal their cowardice. To buttress that theory one simply has to look at how the huge, angry protests diminished, and ultimately disappeared in a remarkably short time once Congress ended the military draft. As young, draft-age men, all those angry protestors were able at the time to righteously rationalize away their true motivation until Congress stole their alibi, and only now, with the awareness and self-accounting that comes with age, are they, like Pat Conroy, facing the truth of their personal cowardice. Sadly, too late, they have come to realize the truth of Conroy's most perceptive quote:

"America is good enough to die for even when she is wrong."

I believe those are words worthy of being carved into every war memorial in America. And I am thankful that I and all my brothers and sisters at arms who served then, and those who serve now, possessed then and now, but even in our callow youth, the intrinsic wisdom to recognize that truth. All Americans must die, but those who understand this fundamental reality about this very unique nation will die with their chins held just a few degrees higher than those who didn’t realize it when they should have, but now do, like Conroy and his legions, and sadly, those young people of today who still do not.

Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66

Barney Cam, 2006

2006-12-12T18:07:00.000-08:00

(click on photo for Barney cam)

Barney and Miss Beazley sit on the Grand Staircase at the White House, Thursday, Nov, 30, 2006, deciding whether to begin touring the Christmas decorations upstairs or downstairs. White House photo by Kimberlee Hewitt

Forget your political affiliation and check out the First Dog's 2006 Holiday Extravaganza. The White House has done these Barney cam Holiday films for six year now. It's cute and fun for kids.

Here's the link to Barney's home page: http://www.whitehouse.gov/barney/#

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."

2006-12-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is credited with saying, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." The quote has become one of the most famous quotes from World War II. The quote was abbreviated in the film Pearl Harbor (2001), where it merely read, "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant." However, no one has been able to verify that Yamamoto ever actually said (or wrote) those words.

Remembering Pearl Harbor

On Sunday, December 7th, 1941 the Japanese launched a surprise attack against the U.S. Forces stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. By planning his attack on a Sunday, the Japanese commander Admiral Nagumo, hoped to catch the entire fleet in port. As luck would have it, the Aircraft Carriers and one of the Battleships were not in port. (The USS Enterprise was returning from Wake Island , where it had just delivered some aircraft. (The USS Lexington was ferrying aircraft to Midway, and the USS Saratoga and USS Colorado were undergoing repairs in the United States.)

In spite of the latest intelligence reports about the missing aircraft carriers (his most important targets), Admiral Nagumo decided to continue the attack with his force of six carriers and 423 aircraft. At a range of 230 miles north of Oahu, he launched the first wave of a two-wave attack. Beginning at 0600 hours his first wave consisted of 183 fighters and torpedo bombers which struck at the fleet in Pearl Harbor and the airfields in Hickam, Kaneohe and Ewa.

The second strike, launched at 0715 hours, consisted of 167 aircraft, which again struck at the same targets. At 0753 hours the first wave consisting of 40 Nakajima B5N2 "Kate" torpedo bombers, 51 Aichi D3A1 "Val" dive bombers, 50 high altitude bombers and 43 Zeros struck airfields and Pearl Harbor. Within the next hour, the second wave arrived and continued the attack.

When it was over, the U.S. losses were:

Casualties

USA: 218 KIA, 364 WIA

USN: 2,008 KIA, 710 WIA.

USMC: 109 KIA, 69 WIA.

Civilians: 68 KIA, 35 WIA.

TOTAL: 2,403 KIA, 1,178 WIA.

Battleships

USS Arizona (BB-39) - total loss when a bomb hit her magazine.

USS Oklahoma (BB-37) - Total loss when she capsized and sank in the harbor.

USS California (BB-44) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and repaired.

USS West Virginia (BB-48) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and repaired.

USS Nevada - (BB-36) Beached to prevent sinking. Later repaired.

USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) - Light damage.

USS Maryland (BB-46) - Light damage.

USS Tennessee (BB-43) Light damage.

USS Utah (AG-16) - (former battleship used as a target) - Sunk.

Cruisers

USS New Orleans (CA-32) - Light Damage.

USS San Francisco (CA38) - Light Damage.

USS Detroit (CL-8) - Light Damage.

USS Raleigh (CL-7) - Heavily damaged but repaired.

USS Helena (CL-50) - Light Damage.

USS Honolulu (CL-48) - Light Damage.

Destroyers USS Downes (DD-375) - Destroyed. Parts salvaged.

USS Cassin - (DD-372) Destroyed. Parts salvaged.

USS Shaw (DD-373) - Very heavy damage.

USS Helm (DD-388) - Light Damage.

Minelayer

USS Ogala (CM-4) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.

Seaplane Tender

USS Curtiss (AV-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.

Aircraft

188 Aircraft destroyed (92 USN and 92 U.S. Army Air Corps.)

A Snowy Day in Flower Mound, Texas

2006-11-30T15:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas, Christmas time is near.

2006-11-30T05:31:00.000-08:00

From Military.com, come these suggestions for remembering the troops and their families this holiday season.

Marines, Sailors Now Accepting Donations for Toys For Tots

Marines and Sailors around the world are working together during the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) "Toys for Tots" 2006 campaign, underway from now until Dec. 18 in all 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. For more information, including finding your local Toys for Tots campaign office, visit the Toys for Tots Foundation website.

Care Packages Top One Million

The USO will soon be distributing its one millionth Operation USO Care Package. Initiated in 2001 by the USO of Metropolitan Washington, the Operation USO Care Package program distributes care packages to servicemembers deploying to Afghanistan, Iraq and other overseas locations, as well as troops arriving and departing on rest and recuperation (R&R) flights. Care packages can contain prepaid international calling cards, refreshments, disposable cameras, toiletries, compact discs and other items requested by service men and women. To support the Operation USO Care Package program, visit http://www.usocares.org/ or call 1-877-USO-GIVE and specify the donation is for Operation USO Care Package.

Give Exchange Certificates to Deployed Troops

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) operates 53 PX/BX facilities throughout Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. Even the most basic operation provides access to toiletries, phone cards and cold drinks. Any American can provide these and many more items to deployed troops by ordering a lightweight "Gift from the Homefront" gift certificate for less than it costs to send a 1-pound package. With the PX/BX certificates, troops can pick up toothpaste, socks or even Burger King Whoppers when they want them. "Gifts from the Homefront" are not only redeemable at exchanges throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, but can also be used at any of the 187 name brand fast food outlets AAFES operates in the contingency theater. To order PX/BX certificates, visit http://www.aafes.org/ or call (877) 770-4438.

Send Packages to Troops, Families

Just in time for the holidays, Operation Homefront has launched "eCarePackage," an online service that allows citizens to send care packages to deployed troops and their families. Servicemembers and families can register on http://www.ecarepackage.org/ and visitors can "adopt" them based on common interests. Then visitors select individual items to create a customized care package for their chosen servicemember or family and include a personal message. Operation Homefront's team of volunteers takes the order, boxes the selected items and ships them directly to the servicemember or family -- always protecting their identity and physical location. For more information, visit http://www.ecarepackage.org/.

Volunteers, Donations Sought for Children's Christmas Tour

As the holidays draw near, the Hampton Roads (Va.) Chief Petty Officer Association (HRCPOA) is calling out to the khaki community throughout the mid-Atlantic region to help them bring Christmas cheer to children from the Virginia Home for Boys and Girls (VHBG). Every Christmas for the last 11 years, the HRCPOA has brought children from the VHBG in Richmond to Naval Station Norfolk to enjoy a ship tour and Christmas party. VHBG is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian children's home providing residential care and supportive services to children with special needs. The next HRCPOA holiday event planning meeting will take place at the Anchor Station Nov. 30 at 2 p.m. Anyone interesting in participating is welcome. Donations can be dropped off at the Anchor Station anytime.

May You be Blessed on this Thanksgiving Day

2006-11-23T07:27:00.000-08:00

May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

On Thanksgiving Day, I sometimes think back on those times when I was alone on this day, as a young soldier (19 years old), thousands of miles from home or when I was a single parent, in another state from where I was born, without my children, my brothers, sisters and parents to give thanks with-and for.

This year Thanksgiving Day falls on my Dad's birthday. He passed away a few years ago. My mother is gone, as well. I miss them.

My sisters and one brother live in another state. My next oldest brother is alone in South Texas, sick with the flu and facing a divorce. I feel his pain and loneliness very deeply.

The kids are grown.

I am no longer 19.

But, I feel blessed and I know that I have much to be thankful for.

I mentioned some personal history, so that anyone who reads this will feel blessed and thankful on this day for all that they have and so that they will appreciate the friends and family that celebrate with them. So many today have so little to be thankful for. Pray for them. Do for them, what you can.

I am posting a link here, for a nice little movie that may prompt some thoughtfulness about what you have to be thankful for.

Bless you all.

What a wonderful f*&king idea!

2006-11-20T14:43:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I realize that the title is a little crude. But, I couldn't resist it.
.

Nov 19, 2006 9:22 pm US/Eastern

Anti-War Activists Plan 'Global Orgasm For Peace'
(CBS/AP) SAN FRANCISCO

Two peace activists have planned a massive anti-war demonstration for the first day of winter.

But they don't want you marching in the streets. They'd much rather you just stay home.

The Global Orgasm for Peace was conceived by Donna Sheehan, 76, and Paul Reffell, 55, whose immodest goal is for everyone in the world to have an orgasm Dec. 22 while focusing on world peace.

"The orgasm gives out an incredible feeling of peace during it and after it," Reffell said Sunday. "Your mind is like a blank. It's like a meditative state. And mass meditations have been shown to make a change."

The couple are no strangers to sex and social activism. Sheehan, no relation to anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, brought together nearly 50 women in 2002 who stripped naked and spelled out the word "Peace."

The stunt spawned a mini-movement called Baring Witness that led to similar unclothed demonstrations worldwide.

The couple have studied evolutionary psychology and believe that war is mainly an outgrowth of men trying to impress potential mates, a case of "my missile is bigger than your missile," as Reffell put it.

By promoting what they hope to be a synchronized global orgasm, they hope to get people to channel their sexual energy into something more positive.

The couple said interest appears strong, with 26,000 hits a day to their Web site, www.globalorgasm.org.

"The dream is to have everyone in the world (take part)," Reffell said. "And if that means laying down your gun for a few minutes, then hey, all the better."

I found the following at Lone Star Times.com.

In Palestine–

.
I had an orgasm once…When I cut off a Jew’s head.

In Darfur–

.
We are starving, homeless and hunted…An orgasm might be a nice change of pace!

Thanks for the suggestion, San Francisco peace protesters!

You liberals need to remember...

2006-11-19T18:20:00.000-08:00

when you don the new helmet and camo gear, that you wanted Democrats in office to make things all better. Here's news to delight and amaze you:

Rep. Rangel Will Seek to Reinstate Draft
By JOHN HEILPRINThe Associated PressSunday, November 19, 2006; 4:11 PM

WASHINGTON -- Americans would have to sign up for a new military draft after turning 18 if the incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee has his way.

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said Sunday he sees his idea as a way to deter politicians from launching wars and to bolster U.S. troop levels insufficient to cover potential future action in Iran, North Korea and Iraq.

A military draft to keep politicians from going to war. Right.

The Rest of the Story

Air Force Special Tatics Officers

2006-11-19T17:53:00.000-08:00

So much is made of other special operations soldiers, that the Air Force STO's are often overlooked and mostly unknown to the general public. I feel that the everyone in the military deserves our gratitude and appreciation for their service. But, I have a profound respect for any special operations warrior. They have unique abilities and an unmatched dedication to each other and to the completion of their mission.

Air Force has its own version of Rangers
STOs have to go through tough training
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. - His eyes rolling back as his lungs filled, rescue swimmers brought Nathan Carlson to the side of a dive pool. He refused to leave the water because that would have signaled the end of his dream of being an elite special tactics officer, the Air Force's version of the Navy SEALS or Army Rangers.

Carlson and seven other men recently began a grueling weeklong course hoping to be selected to start the two-and-a-half-year STO training program. Only two would make the cut.

The men would go for days on a few hours of sleep and have to fight their bodies and minds as they pushed themselves beyond limits while enduring psychological tests.

"This is their ticket to the special forces game," said Capt. Frank Rodriguez, a training officer with extensive combat experience. "The level of intensity they show us during this week is the level of intensity they need to show through the entire process."

But surviving physical and mental strains aren't enough. Officers in one of the least publicized of the military's special forces also need serious academic skills. Many have engineering degrees.
70 strong

Those who make it through the audition will travel with SEAL or Ranger teams behind enemy lines to set up air traffic control, scope out landing zones and do high-tech reconnaissance. There are 70 STOs (pronounced "stows") in the Air Force. Because they do front-line combat jobs, they are an all-male force.

Capt. Dennis Cook, an Army Ranger at Camp Rudder on Eglin Air Force Base, where Rangers go through their final and most difficult training, said STOs have long been among the elite special forces

The Rest of the Story

An additional link:
US Air Force Special Operations Forces

Be My Guest

2006-11-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

I received this in an e-mail. I thought that I would share it.

This is my concession speech to my Democratic friends!!

BE MY GUEST

The election is over
The talking is done

My party lost
Your party won

So let us be friends
And let arguments pass

I'll hug my elephant
You kiss your ass.....

"We've got the votes."

2006-11-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

So said Rep. John Murtha, when interviewed by Chris Matthews. But, most of his fellow Democrats didn't agree and selected Rep. Steny Hoyer, as House majority leader. This had to upset Nancy Pelosi, who had hand picked Murtha and pressed for his selection as majority leader. I guess neither one of them is as powerful as they think that they are. However, I'm sure that their arrogance remains undiminished. I read the entire interview and was amazed that Murtha's arm did not tire from the constant patting of himself on his back. Congradulations, Rep. Hoyer, on your selection as House majority leader and my thanks for your twenty five years of service to your country.

A portion of the interview:

MATTHEWS: Are you going to win?

.
MURTHA: We’re going to win, we’ve got the votes.

.
MATTHEWS: You’ve got them?

.
MURTHA: We’ve got the votes.

.
MATTHEWS: Eyeball to eyeball, you’ve got them?

MURTHA: Eyeball to eyeball.

.
MATTHEWS: OK, let’s go. What’s the difference here, for the average person watching right now. Whether you win, as you say you will, or Steny Hoyer wins for the race for majority leader in the House?

.
MURTHA: Well the difference is the policy question about the war. When I spoke out two weeks later, he said “It would be chaos if we left. If we reduced our presence in Iraq, it would be chaotic.” And he went on to criticize that policy, never signed onto my resolution. So there was a vast difference between what he did and what I said. I appeared 143 times on these national shows talking about Iraq, about the lack of progress and the need to redeploy our troops.

.
And then finally the White House has invited me down to talk to them about my recommendations about what needs to be done. So I think I’d be the strongest voice of what I consider the most important, single issue during the election campaign.

The Rest of the Interview.

It's a windy day in Dallas-Ft. Worth.

2006-11-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

So, of course I took pictures of leaves. The first picture was taken of leaves
blown onto my front porch. I'm not sure that I want to sweep them off.

You read it here first!

2006-11-13T13:32:00.000-08:00

Well, maybe it was second. I don't know. But, I had posted on 11/08, that Joe Lieberman was a gentleman (in my opinion) and wouldn't it serve those Democrats right, who had treated Lieberman so poorly, if Joe switched parties. I know that it would piss these guys off. Switching parties would make the Senate 50/50 and throw the deciding vote to Vice-President Cheney.

Today, I read this:

Lieberman refuses to close door on switching parties
November 12, 2006
HARTFORD, Conn. --Sen. Joe Lieberman on Sunday repeated his pledge to caucus with Senate Democrats when the 110th Congress convenes in January, but refused to slam the door on possibly moving to the Republican side of the aisle.

Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" if he might follow the example of Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont, who left the Republicans in 2001 and became an independent, ending Republican control of the U.S. Senate, Lieberman refused to discount the possibility.
"I'm not ruling it out but I hope I don't get to that point," he said. "And I must say -- and with all respect to the Republicans who supported me in Connecticut -- nobody ever said, 'We're doing this because we want you to switch over. We want you to do what you think is right and good for our state and country,' and I appreciate that."
The Rest of the Story

"Until the Last Insurgent Begs for Mercy."

2006-11-12T15:09:00.000-08:00

Pushing Little Children in Husaybah

Viral Videos - 08/02/06 09:20 AM, 84,406 views

A soldier from 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines uploaded this music video documentary of Operation Steel Curtain from Husaybah, Iraq. The music is System of a Down's "Pushing Little Children."

Veterans Day 2006

2006-11-11T15:42:00.000-08:00

I thought that I should take the time to remember and honor my family on this Veterans Day.

My father's father was a Pennsylvania National Guardsman and Marine for six years leading up to the start of WWI. I didn't have an picture that I could scan and post today, so, I used the poster below. He was named after Presidents Harrison and McKinley. He passed that name onto my father.

My father was a WWII Navy Seabee, who repaired runways on islands in the South Pacific, making them usable for the advance on Japan. His brother was a Navy Corpsman. He repaired the injured who took those islands. My father is in the photo below, that was taken on my parents wedding day.

I was in the Army from 1965-1967. I was fortunate enough not to have been sent to Viet Nam. But, I strongly identify with those who did. I sometimes cry for them.

My oldest son is the young man in uniform, in the last picture below. The man in the photo with him is a survivor of Mogadishu, Somalia ('Black Hawk Down'). Both warriors are Bronze Star winners. I am proud to say that my son has two Bronze Stars. I am sure that he would be embarrassed to know that I have mentioned that. In fact, he didn't tell me. I had to get that, by looking at the ribbons he is wearing in the picture.

I expect that there are many American families with similiar histories. My profound thanks to them all, for their distinguished service to their country.

Hug a Vet Today.

2006-11-10T23:00:00.000-08:00

Please, remember the contribution of the American veteran today.

"Gee, let's all make fun of someone's appearance!"

2006-11-10T16:42:00.000-08:00

I received that comment regarding the Hillary image in the post below. I had received that joke in an e-mail. The comment made me wonder if liberals were more polite, in that they never made fun of anyone's appearance. See below, for the answer:

In keeping with the picture mocking our country's Vice-President, I'll close with this verse from the New Testament:

“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

Oh, one more thing! Regarding the comment, "There are no hookers in Chappaqua.", here's a link (ironically, the story is dated Sept. 11, 2001).

Bill Clinton Jogging

2006-11-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

Bill Clinton started jogging near his new home in Chappaqua.

But on each run he happened to jog past a hooker standing on the same street corner, day after day.

With some apprehension he would brace himself as he approached her for what was most certainly to follow. "Fifty dollars!" she would cry out from the curb.

"No, Five dollars!", fired back Clinton . This ritual between Bill and the hooker continued for days.

He'd run by and she'd yell, "Fifty dollars!" And he'd yell back,"Five dollars!"

One day however, Hillary decided that she wanted to accompany her husband on his jog!As the jogging couple neared the problematic street corner, Bill realized the "pro" would bark her $50 offer and Hillary would wonder what he'd reallybeen doing on all his past outings. He realized he should have a darn good explanation for the junior Senator.

As they jogged into the turn that would take them past the corner, Bill became even more apprehensive than usual. Sure enough, there was the hooker!

Bill tried to avoid the prostitute's eyes as she watched the pair jog past.

Then, from the sidewalk, the hooker yelled...

See what you get for five bucks!?"

Looking out the window, as I drove home today.

2006-11-08T19:02:00.000-08:00

The Latest From Russ Vaughn

2006-11-08T18:55:00.000-08:00

Another Kerry Purple Heart? (a poem)

A question lurking in my brain
Since last week’s Turkey shoot;
Do we honor Big John’s bitter pain;
From that big hole in his foot?
After all he has a history
Of injuries self-inflicted;
And by now it’s not a mystery,
He’s Purple Heart addicted.

Big fool at a big convention,
Salutes a room of fellow fools,
Disregarding past dissension,
Treasonous trampling of the rules;
He thought we vets were easily sold
By his phony Purple Hearts;
That we’d forgive the lies he’d told,
Just dimwit, dense old farts.

Yeah, John believes that we’re all dumb,
From sixties to the present,
Dull pawns beneath his Brahmin thumb,
Every fighting man’s a peasant.
Not for us peons mystery hats,
From Cambodian faux incursions;
No, we’re just ignorant boonie rats,
To Big John, just dumb diversions.

Last week John Kerry boldly stood,
Sharp quip within his quiver;
A line might have been really good,
But he was too dumb to deliver.
So I call upon our president,
That one, you know’s, not smart?
To award what’s need is evident,
A Kerry Dumb Ass Purple Heart.

Russ Vaughn 11 7 06

Congratulations to Joe Lieberman,

2006-11-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

who not only beat the Republicans, he beat the party who once nominated him for Vice President, only to ultimately betray him. Joe Lieberman is a man of principle. He deserves more respect than the Democrats have given him lately. I wonder what the Democrats would do if he switched to Republican?

Vote! Vote! Vote!

2006-11-06T23:00:00.000-08:00

VOTE!

Men and women, Americans all, have died so that you could have the

privilege of voting.

It is very important, regardless of political affiliation that you vote.

Do it for them.

Do it for you.

Do it for your country.

Chili Cook-Off

2006-11-06T16:35:00.000-08:00

Note: Please take time to read this slowly.

If you pay attention to the first two judges, the reaction of the third judge is even better. For those of you who have lived in Texas, you know how true this is.

They actually have a Chili Cook Off about the time Halloween comes around. It takes up a major portion of a parking lot at the San Antonio City Park. Judge #3 was an inexperienced Chili Taster named Mark, who was visiting from Springfield, ILMark: "Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a chili cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking for directions to the Coors Light truck, when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Native Texans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy and besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted."

Here are the scorecard notes from the event:

*****************************************************

CHILI # 1 - MIKE'S MANIAC MONSTER CHILI...

Judge # 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick.

Judge # 2 - Nice, smooth tomato flavor. Very mild.

Judge # 3 (MARK) -- Holy crap. What the hell is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These Texans are crazy.

*****************************************************

CHILI # 2 - AUSTIN 'S AFTERBURNER CHILI…

Judge # 1 -- Smokey, with a hint of pork. Slight, jalapeno tang.

Judge #2 -- Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.

Judge # 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted togive me the Heimlich maneuver. They had to rush in more beer when they saw the look on my face.

*****************************************************

CHILI # 3 - FRED'S BURN DOWN THE BARN CHILI...

Judge # 1 -- Excellent firehouse chili. Great kick.

Judge # 2 -- A bit salty, good use of peppers.

Judge # 3 -- Call the EPA. I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting drunk from all of the beer.

*****************************************************

CHILI # 4 - BUBBA'S BLACK MAGIC...

Judge # 1 -- Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing.

Judge # 2 – Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish orother mild foods not much of a chili.

Judge # 3 -- I felt something! scraping across my tongue, but was unableto taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Sally, the barmaid, was standing behind me with fresh refills. That 300-LB woman is starting to look HOT! Just like this nuclear waste I'm eating! Is chili an aphrodisiac?

*****************************************************

CHILI # 5 LISA'S LEGAL LIP REMOVER...

Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong chili. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive.

Judge # 2 -- Chili using shredded beef, could use more tomato. Must admitthe cayenne peppers make a strong statement.

Judge # 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes. I farted and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off.It really ticks me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming.

******************************************** *********

CHILI # 6 - VERA'S VERY VEGETARIAN VARIETY...

Judge # 1 – Thin, yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance ofspices and peppers .

Judge # 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic. Superb.

Judge # 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulfuric flames. I pooped on myself when I farted and I'm worried it will eat through the chair No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that Sally. I can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my rear end with a snow cone.

*****************************************************

CHILI # 7 - SUSAN'S SCREAMING SENSATION CHILI...

Judge # 1 -- A mediocre chili, with too much reliance on canned peppers.

Judge # 2 -- Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can ofchili peppers at the last moment. I should take note that I am worriedabout Judge # 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursinguncontrollably.

Judge # 3 -- You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with chili, which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava to match my shirt. At least during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing it's too painful. I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach.

*****************************************************

CHILI # 8 - BIGTOM'S TOENAIL CURLING CHILI...

Judge # 1 -- The perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili. Not too boldbut spicy enough to declare its existence.

Judge # 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced chili. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge #3 farted, passed out, fell over and pulled the chili pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor feller, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot chili?

Judge # 3 - No Report

I Hate to See Him Go.

2006-11-05T15:21:00.000-08:00

Not really. Saddam is a very evil man.

The Video of the verdict announcement.

What Were They Thinkin' ?

2006-11-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

I think that they have both lost their minds and I don't believe that he was kidding around.

US university president poses with 'suicide bomber'

By MICHAEL FREUND JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT

The president of one of the leading universities in the United States last week posed for photographs with a student dressed as a suicide bomber, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
In copies of photos obtained by the Post, University of Pennsylvania president Dr. Amy Gutmann is seen standing with engineering student Saad Saadi at the annual Halloween costume party held at the president's home.

Saadi is seen with a keffiyeh around his head, a toy Kalashnikov rifle in hand and six plastic sticks of dynamite strapped to his chest. Gutmann beams alongside him, dressed as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, a character from L. Frank Baum's novel The Wizard of Oz.

The Rest of the Story

Fall Foto Editing

2006-11-05T14:14:00.000-08:00

I took a few pictures on the way home from work today and edited them for fun. It was dreary and grey day, so, the pictures aren't as vibrant as I would like them to be.

Fall in North Texas

2006-11-03T16:30:00.000-08:00

"Halp Us Jon Carry" T-Shirts

2006-11-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

Well, this didn't take long. You have to love the free enterprise system.

A Vote For the Democrats is a Vote For Terrorism

2006-11-02T15:11:00.001-08:00

If you think that I'm kidding read this:

JERUSALEM – Everybody has an opinion about next Tuesday's midterm congressional election in the U.S. – including senior terrorist leaders interviewed by WND who say they hope Americans sweep the Democrats into power because of the party's position on withdrawing from Iraq, a move, as they see it, that ensures victory for the worldwide Islamic resistance.

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The terrorists told WorldNetDaily an electoral win for the Democrats would prove to them Americans are "tired."

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They rejected statements from some prominent Democrats in the U.S. that a withdrawal from Iraq would end the insurgency, explaining an evacuation would prove resistance works and would compel jihadists to continue fighting until America is destroyed.

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They said a withdrawal would also embolden their own terror groups to enhance "resistance" against Israel.

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"Of course Americans should vote Democrat," Jihad Jaara, a senior member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group and the infamous leader of the 2002 siege of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, told WND.

The Rest of the Story

Say Cheese!

2006-11-02T14:57:00.000-08:00

I received this in an e-mail, titled "Pointless Family Photo".

No offense is intended. I just thought that it was funny.

Halp Us Jon Carry

2006-11-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

"If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

2006-10-31T15:36:00.000-08:00

“Education, if you make the most of it, you study hard and do your homework and you make an effort to be smart you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”

Senator John F. Kerry

"The suggestion that only the least educated Americans would agree to serve in the military and fight in Iraq is an insult to every soldier serving in combat today."

Senator John McCain

Senator Kerry, you have insulted my Marine grandfather, my WWII Navy father, my oldest son, a career, special operations soldier and, me, a drafted Vietnam-era veteran.

On behalf of all veterans, past, present, future and four generations of my family, I request that you pull your head out of your rear end, so that we may all put our collective boot in its place.

Senator McCain, thank you!

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T12:50:00.000-08:00

I wonder if he needs a campaign manager?

2006-10-30T19:13:00.000-08:00

About a week ago I proposed Duncan Hunter for President and now, I see, he is considering my suggestion.

Rep. Hunter exploring presidential run

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By ELLIOT SPAGAT, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 13 minutes ago

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SAN DIEGO - Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record), known in the military's echelon for his congressional role but hardly a national name, said Monday he was taking the initial step in a 2008 presidential bid.

The Rest of the Story

Greater love hath no man than this,

2006-10-29T17:01:00.000-08:00

that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

I can say no more than the above bible passage or the story below. Rest in Peace Warrior!

CORONADO, Calif. - A Navy SEAL sacrificed his life to save his comrades by throwing himself on top of a grenade Iraqi insurgents tossed into their sniper hideout, fellow members of the elite force said.
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Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor had been near the only door to the rooftop structure Sept. 29 when the grenade hit him in the chest and bounced to the floor, said four SEALs who spoke to The Associated Press this week on condition of anonymity because their work requires their identities to remain secret.
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"He never took his eye off the grenade, his only movement was down toward it," said a 28-year-old lieutenant who sustained shrapnel wounds to both legs that day. "He undoubtedly saved mine and the other SEALs' lives, and we owe him."
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Monsoor, a 25-year-old gunner, was killed in the explosion in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. He was only the second SEAL to die in Iraq since the war began.
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Two SEALs next to Monsoor were injured; another who was 10 to 15 feet from the blast was unhurt. The four had been working with Iraqi soldiers providing sniper security while U.S. and Iraqi forces conducted missions in the area.
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In an interview at the SEALs' West Coast headquarters in Coronado, four members of the special force remembered "Mikey" as a loyal friend and a quiet, dedicated professional.
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"He was just a fun-loving guy," said a 26-year-old petty officer 2nd class who went through the grueling 29-week SEAL training with Monsoor. "Always got something funny to say, always got a little mischievous look on his face."
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Other SEALS described the Garden Grove, Calif., native as a modest and humble man who drew strength from his family and his faith. His father and brother are former Marines, said a 31-year-old petty officer 2nd class.
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Prior to his death, Monsoor had already demonstrated courage under fire. He has been posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions May 9 in Ramadi, when he and another SEAL pulled a team member shot in the leg to safety while bullets pinged off the ground around them.
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Monsoor's funeral was held Thursday at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego. He has also been submitted for an award for his actions the day he died.

Cheney Tears Into CNN

2006-10-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

But, it wasn't Dick this time. It was Lynne Cheney who tore CNN and Wolf Blizter a new one. She had believed that an interview with Blitzer would be about her new children's book, Our 50 States. Instead Blizter spent about ten minutes, of the fifteen minute interview, asking Mrs. Cheney questions about her husband.

Mrs. Cheney turned the ambush back on Blitzer, asking him, ""what is CNN doing running tapes of terrorists shooting Americans. Do you want us to win?"

I couldn't be more proud of her.

The Story

Video of the Interview

Transcript of Interview

Putting Things in Perspective

2006-10-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

(I received this in an e-mail:)

You're angry because your class ran five minutes over.
He's told he will be held over an extra two months.

You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.

You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.

You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet

You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.

You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.

You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around him.

You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
He does exactly what he is told.

You stay at home and watch TV.
He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.

You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5 minute nap, only to be woken by gunfire.

You sit there and judge him, saying the world is probably a worse place because of men like him.
If only there were more men like him!

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American G.I.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

Rep. Duncan Hunter for President

2006-10-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

I agree with Duncan Hunter and the two other California lawmakers mentioned in the story below. They feel that CNN "has become a publicist for an enemy propaganda film".

But, then CNN was given exclusive rights to news in Iraq by Saddam, in exchange for publicising only good news (as, in approved by Saddam) on Iraq.

CNN's comment that their "goal is to present the unvarnished truth as best we can", is, for lack of a better expression, bullsh!t.

What they have done, is not only in very poor taste and insensitive to the American soldiers and their families, it has been done with the deliberate intention of effecting the upcoming elections.

For what purpose? Why would they do this, in collusion with a terrorist 'spokesman'?

Whatever the reason, it smacks of treason to me.

Lawmaker Outraged by Sniper Footage on CNN

By Tony Perry, Times Staff Writer (Los Angeles Times)

October 21, 2006

SAN DIEGO — CNN has become "the publicist for an enemy propaganda film" by broadcasting a video showing an insurgent sniper in Iraq apparently killing an American soldier, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said here Friday.

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon) called for the Pentagon to oust any CNN reporter embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq.

"I think Americans like to think we're all in this together," Hunter said. "The average American Marine or soldier has concluded after seeing that film that CNN is not on their side."

CNN said it broadcast the brief video to show the threat that insurgent snipers posed to U.S. troops.

"Whether or not you agree with us in this case, our goal, as always, is to present the unvarnished truth as best we can," CNN producer David Doss wrote in a blog on the network's website.

Tony Snow, President Bush's press secretary, said the insurgents were hoping to "break the will of the American people" by giving the video to CNN.

The footage was shown first on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" program, of which Doss is executive producer, and then on several news shows. It remained on CNN's website Friday.

Doss said CNN Baghdad correspondent Michael Ware received the video after communicating — through intermediaries — with Ibrahim Shammari, a spokesman for the Islamic Army.

Doss said the decision to broadcast the video came after hours of "intense editorial debate."

He said one compromise was made: The moment when the bullet hits the soldier's head is blacked out. The soldier's face and unit patches were not clear, so identifying him was impossible, CNN said.

Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Carlsbad), who with Hunter and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, called the film "nothing short of a terrorist snuff film."

Snow, at his regular news briefing in Washington, said the video was misleading because it made it appear that Americans were "sitting ducks" and that insurgents were winning the war. In truth, he said, insurgents "are dying in much greater numbers and suffering much greater damage."

The Pentagon had no comment on the video.

Embedded reporters sign pledges not to show the faces of dead American troops until their families are notified, but nothing prohibits the use of pictures in which identities are not discernible.

How The Iraqi Terrorists Can Win the War

2006-10-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

I have copied and pasted the following interview to illustrate how the Iraqi insurgent thugs and al-Qaida terrorists believe that they can win the war. They expect to influence American politcal elections and win with the help of a sympathetic american media and weak politicians, just as the North Vietnamese did. The 'cut and run' policy of the Clinton administration in Somalia emboldened Osama bin-Laden and that legacy emboldens the Iraqi terrorists today.

It is no wonder then, that three weeks before major United States elections, that attacks in Iraq on American soldiers has increased.

Our enemies have learned their lessons, the ones that we taught them. Why have we not learned anything, at all, ourselves?

You can vote as they want you to or you can vote as you should, to keep our country strong and our enemies weak. To vote Democrat would be to reverse that thought and would keep our country weak and our enemies strong.

I don't want to hear the asinine statement that "you can be against the war and still support the trrops". That's hogwash! Read the interview and see if there aren't distinct parallels between the past and the present.

How North Vietnam Won The War

Colonel Bui Tin Interviewed by Stephen Young

What did the North Vietnamese leadership think of the American antiwar movement? What was the purpose of the Tet Offensive? How could the U.S. have been more successful in fighting the Vietnam War? Bui Tin, a former colonel in the North Vietnamese army, answers these questions in the following excerpts from an interview conducted by Stephen Young, a Minnesota attorney and human-rights activist [in The Wall Street Journal, 3 August 1995]. Bui Tin, who served on the general staff of North Vietnam's army, received the unconditional surrender of South Vietnam on April 30, 1975. He later became editor of the People's Daily, the official newspaper of Vietnam. He now lives in Paris, where he immigrated after becoming disillusioned with the fruits of Vietnamese communism.

Question: How did Hanoi intend to defeat the Americans?
Answer: By fighting a long war which would break their will to help South Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh said,
"We don't need to win military victories, we only need to hit them until they give up and get out."

Q: Was the American antiwar movement important to Hanoi's victory?
A: It was essential to our strategy. Support of the war from our rear was completely secure while the American rear was vulnerable. Every day our leadership would listen to world news over the radio at 9 a.m. to follow the growth of the American antiwar movement. Visits to Hanoi by people like Jane Fonda, and former Attorney General Ramsey Clark and ministers gave us confidence that we should hold on in the face of battlefield reverses. We were elated when Jane Fonda, wearing a red Vietnamese dress, said at a press conference that she was ashamed of American actions in the war and that she would struggle along with us.

Q: Did the Politburo pay attention to these visits?
A: Keenly.

Q: Why?
A: Those people represented the conscience of America. The conscience of America was part of its war-making capability, and we were turning that power in our favor. America lost because of its democracy; through dissent and protest it lost the ability to mobilize a will to win.

Q: How could the Americans have won the war?
A: Cut the Ho Chi Minh trail inside Laos. If Johnson had granted [Gen. William] Westmoreland's requests to enter Laos and block the Ho Chi Minh trail, Hanoi could not have won the war.

Q: Anything else?
A: Train South Vietnam's generals. The junior South Vietnamese officers were good, competent and courageous, but the commanding general officers were inept.

Q: Did Hanoi expect that the National Liberation Front would win power in South Vietnam?
A: No. Gen. [Vo Nguyen] Giap [commander of the North Vietnamese army] believed that guerrilla warfare was important but not sufficient for victory. Regular military divisions with artillery and armor would be needed. The Chinese believed in fighting only with guerrillas, but we had a different approach. The Chinese were reluctant to help us. Soviet aid made the war possible. Le Duan [secretary general of the Vietnamese Communist Party] once told Mao Tse-tung that if you help us, we are sure to win; if you don't, we will still win, but we will have to sacrifice one or two million more soldiers to do so.

Q: Was the National Liberation Front an independent political movement of South Vietnamese?
A: No. It was set up by our Communist Party to implement a decision of the Third Party Congress of September 1960. We always said there was only one party, only one army in the war to liberate the South and unify the nation. At all times there was only one party commissar in command of the South.

Q: Why was the Ho Chi Minh trail so important?
A: It was the only way to bring sufficient military power to bear on the fighting in the South. Building and maintaining the trail was a huge effort, involving tens of thousands of soldiers, drivers, repair teams, medical stations, communication units.

Q: What of American bombing of the Ho Chi Minh trail?
A: Not very effective. Our operations were never compromised by attacks on the trail. At times, accurate B-52 strikes would cause real damage, but we put so much in at the top of the trail that enough men and weapons to prolong the war always came out the bottom. Bombing by smaller planes rarely hit significant targets.

Q: What of American bombing of North Vietnam?
A: If all the bombing had been concentrated at one time, it would have hurt our efforts. But the bombing was expanded in slow stages under Johnson and it didn't worry us. We had plenty of times to prepare alternative routes and facilities. We always had stockpiles of rice ready to feed the people for months if a harvest were damaged. The Soviets bought rice from Thailand for us.

Q: What was the purpose of the 1968 Tet Offensive?
A: To relieve the pressure Gen. Westmoreland was putting on us in late 1966 and 1967 and to weaken American resolve during a presidential election year.

Q: What about Gen. Westmoreland's strategy and tactics caused you concern?
A: Our senior commander in the South, Gen. Nguyen Chi Thanh, knew that we were losing base areas, control of the rural population and that his main forces were being pushed out to the borders of South Vietnam. He also worried that Westmoreland might receive permission to enter Laos and cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
In January 1967, after discussions with Le Duan, Thanh proposed the Tet Offensive. Thanh was the senior member of the Politburo in South Vietnam. He supervised the entire war effort. Thanh's struggle philosophy was that "America is wealthy but not resolute," and "squeeze tight to the American chest and attack." He was invited up to Hanoi for further discussions. He went on commercial flights with a false passport from Cambodia to Hong Kong and then to Hanoi. Only in July was his plan adopted by the leadership. Then Johnson had rejected Westmoreland's request for 200,000 more troops. We realized that America had made its maximum military commitment to the war. Vietnam was not sufficiently important for the United States to call up its reserves. We had stretched American power to a breaking point. When more frustration set in, all the Americans could do would be to withdraw; they had no more troops to send over.
Tet was designed to influence American public opinion. We would attack poorly defended parts of South Vietnam cities during a holiday and a truce when few South Vietnamese troops would be on duty. Before the main attack, we would entice American units to advance close to the borders, away from the cities. By attacking all South Vietnam's major cities, we would spread out our forces and neutralize the impact of American firepower. Attacking on a broad front, we would lose some battles but win others. We used local forces nearby each target to frustrate discovery of our plans. Small teams, like the one which attacked the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, would be sufficient. It was a guerrilla strategy of hit-and-run raids. [looks like a re-writing of history with the benefit of hindsight]

Q: What about the results?
A: Our losses were staggering and a complete surprise;. Giap later told me that Tet had been a military defeat, though we had gained the planned political advantages when Johnson agreed to negotiate and did not run for re-election. The second and third waves in May and September were, in retrospect, mistakes. Our forces in the South were nearly wiped out by all the fighting in 1968. It took us until 1971 to re-establish our presence, but we had to use North Vietnamese troops as local guerrillas. If the American forces had not begun to withdraw under Nixon in 1969, they could have punished us severely. We suffered badly in 1969 and 1970 as it was.

Q: What of Nixon?
A: Well, when Nixon stepped down because of Watergate we knew we would win. Pham Van Dong [prime minister of North Vietnam] said of Gerald Ford, the new president, "he's the weakest president in U.S. history; the people didn't elect him; even if you gave him candy, he doesn't dare to intervene in Vietnam again." We tested Ford's resolve by attacking Phuoc Long in January 1975. When Ford kept American B-52's in their hangers, our leadership decided on a big offensive against South Vietnam.

Q: What else?
A: We had the impression that American commanders had their hands tied by political factors. Your generals could never deploy a maximum force for greatest military effect.

Ancient Democrat Remains Discovered

2006-10-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY : Oldest Democrat Remains Discovered

A team of scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, recently reported that they have found a skull in an un-named Blue State, that is the oldest Democrat fossil ever discovered.

The research team included some paleontologists, scientists who study bones, who have estimated the skull to be about 10,000 years old.

The skull found by the Berkeley scientists is exciting to researchers because it is the oldest Democrat fossil with almost human features. There has been a gap in the fossil record between modern Democrat fossils, which often have thicker bones, more pronounced brows and protruding jaws, and Republicans, who have bigger foreheads and flatter faces.

The skulls found in the un-named Blue state have the thicker skull bones of modern Democrats, but lack some of the features of modern Democrats (narrow vision and smaller brain cavity) , leading some scientists to believe they represent part of the transition from ancient to modern Democrats.

The researchers have declared the fossils a subspecies of Democrat that they have named Homo sapiens headupitsass.

The scientists found other interesting things at the site, including stone tools and Pork bones believed to be leftovers from the ancient Democrats' dinner.

And the Band Played On

2006-10-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

This story struck me as very funny. A Republican candidate, Raj Bhakta, who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives seat in Eastern Pennsylvania, decided to make a point about the porousness of our borders by hiring a six piece mariachi band and three elephants to cross the Rio Grande.

Said Bhakta, “If I can get an elephant led by a mariachi band into this country, I think Osama bin Laden could get across with all the weapons of mass destruction he could get into this country.” The mariachi band was not immediately available for comment.

The Rest of the Story

Rush's view on the Harry Reid shady land deal.

2006-10-12T14:29:00.001-07:00

I am glad that Rush Limbaugh took the time to talk about this story. I am a firm believer in the 'let he who is without sin cast the first stone' philosophy. Democrats seem to be casting a lot of stones lately.They should think carefully before tossing the next stone.

For background here is the scripture that references to casting the first stone:

"And early in the morning He came again into the Temple , and all the people came unto Him; and He sat down, and taught them."

"And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto Him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto Him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the Law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest Thou?"

"This they said, tempting Him, that they might have to accuse Him."

"But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground, as though He heard them not. So when they continued asking Him, He lifted up Himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground."

"And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst."

"When Jesus had lifted up Himself, and saw none but the woman, He said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?"
"She said, No man, Lord."

"And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."
(John 8:2-11 KJV)

Here is a portion of the transcript from the Rush Limbaugh Show website:

Where Are All the News Stories on Harry Reid's Shady Secret Land Deal?
October 12, 2006
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: I'm still watching stories on Denny Hastert and how he needs to resign, and PMSNBC is running a story now about some wacko evangelical who got into Hastert's house yesterday pretending to be -- well, Hastert thought he was just a supporter. This minister shows up, this evangelist, and prays with Hastert for six minutes and then counsels him to resign. Well, all well and good, but where are the calls for Dingy Harry's resignation? He made a greater profit in his land deal than ExxonMobil did on oil prices.

I mean, this is absurd. They're still trying to get Hastert to quit, and everybody's, "Well, Dingy Harry, he has amended his filings, and he's submitted it, it was transparent as it could be." Yeah, to who? Organized crime? He submitted his amended filings to the ethics committee, and he's now awaiting word from them (ha-ha-ha) of what's going to happen. You gotta hear a couple audio sound bites. Jerry Bodlander of AP interviewing Dingy Harry about the story that came out yesterday from Associated Press, and Dingy Harry hung up on Bodlander. We have a little clip of that.

BODLANDER: Back in 1998, you were in a land deal with your friend, Jay Brown, involving a pair of properties in Clark County. Now, in 2001, you transferred that land to a limited liability company formed by --

REID: (Hangs up phone)

BODLANDER: -- Mr. Brown --

RUSH: That's Dingy Harry hanging up, just hung up the phone on an ally, an AP reporter. Late yesterday at a press conference, Dingy Harry was asked about his land deal and said this.

REID: If a technical change needs to be made on reporting, I'll be happy to do that. But this is a very, very simple land deal.

RUSH: Look, folks, we can laugh at this -- and we've all done that -- and we can poke fun at Dingy Harry and all this, but I want to put some of this in context. Where is Brian Ross? ABC's embedded reporter on the Mark Foley case, where is Brian Ross? Where is all the investigative detail follow-up? AP has shown the way. The Associated Press has uncovered the web, the tangled web of deceit. Where's the follow-up from a curious Drive-By Media who is so concerned about corruption in high places? I mean, if we're going to tell Hastert he has to quit, and if we're going to say to anybody that had any knowledge of anything going on about what Foley did, has to quit, then it seems to me that Dingy Harry has to resign.

Link here for The Rest of Rush's Transcript

While I'm quoting scripture, here is one for all polticians:

"Blessed are they that do His Commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."

(Revelation 22:14-15 KJV)

Oh, and here is one more and now, I'll quit preaching:

" Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and fail to notice the plank in your own? "

(Matthew 7:3-5 Modern English)

Just when you thought that the Democrats were the only politcians who could be trusted,....

2006-10-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

.... this story hits the news (barely). It makes better news when a Republican is the subject. Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest that the MSN is biased. Anyway, here's the gist of the story: a certain Senate Minority Leader (Harry Reid) has profited from a questionable land sale that involves a a longtime friend who has been the subject of prior organized crime investigations.

The AP says that Reid hung up when they called him on the deal. I'll bet that he didn't hang up when he was asked about Congressman Foley.

I wonder if Reid will check into rehab.

Link here quick, before the MSN makes the story go away.

I'm all for free speech, but,.....

2006-10-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

......what this guy said is f*&king stupid (how's that for a free speech statement). A part-time instructor for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Kevin Barrett, who doubts 9/11, has compared President Bush to Hitler and neocons to the Nazis.
Says Barrett:

"Like Bush and the neocons, Hitler and the Nazis inaugurated their new era by destroying an architectural monument and blaming its destruction on their designated enemies. That's not comparing them as people, that's comparing the Reichstag fire to the demolition of the World Trade Center, and that's an accurate comparison that I would stand by. Hitler had a good 20 to 30 IQ points on Bush so comparing Bush to Hitler would in many ways be an insult to Hitler."
Says I:
Mr. Barrett, it could be said that by comparing the book, that your essay appears in, to Mein Kampf would be "an insult to Hitler" and that "Hitler had a good 20 to 30 IQ points" on you. Not that I would say that. I couldn't say that, for in doing so, I would be giving you more credit than you are due.
The Rest of the Story

Flag of My Father

2006-10-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

Variety has given Clint Eastwood's 'Flags of Our Fathers' an excellent review and I am glad! The flag that the Marines raised on Iwo Jima was, also, the flag of my father, a WWII Navy Seabee. So, from a personal point of view, I see Eastwood's movie as a tribute to my father.

Thanks Clint.

Thanks Dad.

From the review:

Ambitiously tackling his biggest canvas to date, Clint Eastwood continues to defy and triumph over the customary expectations for a film career in "Flags of Our Fathers." A pointed exploration of heroism -- in its actual and in its trumped-up, officially useful forms -- the picture welds a powerful account of the battle of Iwo Jima, the bloodiest single engagement the United States fought in World War II, with an ironic and ultimately sad look at its aftermath for three key survivors. This domestic Paramount release looks to parlay critical acclaim and its director's ever-increasing eminence into strong B.O. returns through the autumn and probably beyond.
.
Conventional wisdom suggests directors slow down as they reach a certain age (Eastwood is now 76), become more cautious, recycle old ideas, fall out of step with contemporary tastes, look a bit stodgy. Eastwood has impertinently ignored these options not only by undertaking by far his most expensive and logistically daunting picture, but by creating back-to-back bookend features offering contrasting perspectives on the same topic; the Japanese-language "Letters From Iwo Jima," showing the Japanese side in intimate terms, will be released by Warner Bros. next year.
.
One way to think about "Flags" is as "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" of this generation. That 1962 John Ford Western is famous for its central maxim, "When the truth becomes legend, print the legend," and "Flags" resonantly holds the notion up to the light. It is also a film about the so-called Greatest Generation that considers why its members are, or were, reticent to speak much about what they did in the war, to boast or consider themselves heroes.

TED! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?

2006-10-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

Ted Turner says he can't pick sides in War on Terror

I found the photo on a website called The bin-Laden Times. They had nominated Ted for 'Traitor of the Day'. That was October of 2001. Maybe they limited themselves too narrowly, when they used the word, 'Day'. Maybe 'Traitor of the Century' or 'Traitor of the Millenium'.

How can anyone be ambivalent on choosing between terrorists on all of the rest of us? I guess only Ted, The Poster Child of Terrorism and ex-Husband of The Traitor of the Vietnam War, knows the answer to that question.

I sleep peacefully at night, because, I know that so many others know which side they should choose.

They chose family and friends. They chose their fellow Americans. They chose me.

They chose you!

And, Ted doesn't know which side to choose?

Here was his last choice:

Oh My God!

2006-10-10T06:59:00.000-07:00

Babs, I didn't know that you had such a potty mouth! I thought that you were the Funny Girl. Says Babs, last night, after a skit that poked fun at President George W. Bush, and a man yelled taunts at her, "Shut the -- -- up if you can't take a joke," and then offered to return his money.

The Art of James Dietz

2006-09-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

ON PATROL

AT THE READY

BRIDGES OF FREEDOM

I found the following article at Military.com and was interested enough to look for James Dietz's website. I was impressed with the quality of Mr. Dietz's art and pleased with his subject matter. You should give his site a look. You won't be disappointed.

Dietz Painting Portrays 82nd Soldiers in Battle

Army News Service Sgt. Mike Pryor September 25, 2006Ft. Bragg, N.C. -

At a time when many Soldiers carry digital cameras on patrols and raw footage from combat is downloadable off the Internet, using oil paint, brushes and a canvas to tell the story of battle might seem like an outdated approach.

Fans of painter James Dietz would disagree.Over the past 20 years, Dietz’ paintings have been commissioned by more than a dozen Army organizations to commemorate military campaigns and battles stretching from the Revolutionary War to the war on terrorism.

In a sense, an event hasn’t truly been captured for posterity until it has been rendered in a Dietz painting.“His paintings freeze a piece of history,” said Master Sgt. Robert Karnas of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

During a Sept. 22 ceremony at BCT headquarters, Dietz officially presented his new painting, “Bridges of Freedom: Task Force Falcon Liberates As Samawah,” which portrays members of 2nd Brigade during a 2003 battle in Iraq that won the brigade the Presidential Unit Citation.

“You captured a moment in time that we can all reflect on, and for that we owe you a debt of gratitude,” said brigade commander, Col. B. Don Farris, during the presentation.Afterwards, Dietz spent several hours signing prints for paratroopers who purchased a reproduction of the painting.

In terms of his art, Dietz said his goal was not 100 percent historical accuracy but to capture the emotion of the moment and portray it on canvas. “It may not be totally what it looked like but it’s what it felt like, and if I can capture that then I know I’m on the right track,” Dietz said.

Dietz said he relies on the input of Soldiers from the units who commission his paintings to help him make the paintings as true to what really happened as possible.“I depend on the unit and the people in it to tell me, ‘This is what it looked like and this is what it felt like,’” he said.

Many Soldiers who waited in line to have Dietz sign their prints of agreed that he had captured in a single image the raw essence of a battle that lasted days.

For Sgt. 1st Class Santos Cavasos and Sgt. 1st Class Donald McAlister, who fought in the battle portrayed in the painting, seeing Dietz’ version seemed to bring back a flood of memories.

“Remember how the rounds were coming right over our heads?” asked Mcalister.“Remember when I fell in that artillery hole?” Cavasos countered.“We’re always telling people, ‘See that guy in the picture? That’s me,’” McAlister said.

Then he stared at his print quietly for moment. “It’s cool, man. We were there,” he said finally.

From the Mel Gibson World Headquarters in Malibu, California

2006-09-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

Mel Gibson World Headquarters Building

I really like Mel. I have a great deal of respect for him and think that, he has acted in and directed some very good movies. But, I lost some of that repect, that I have held for Mel, when he sucked up to Liberal Hollywood with this comment:

"What's human sacrifice," he asked, "if not sending guys off to Iraq for no reason?"

The Story

That comment makes me want to pick up a phone and call this number:

These signs are located throughout Malibu for your convenience and safety.

'Scuse me while I kiss this guy!

2006-09-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

Purple rage all in my brain

Lately things just don't seem the same

Actin' funny, but I don't know why

'Scuse me while I kiss this guy!

(As sung by Bill Clinton after the Chris Wallace interview. My apologies to Jimi Hendrix)

Chris Wallace interview of former-President Clinton

Matt Lauer interview of President Bush

Since, I'm sure that this story (the Chris Wallace/Prez Clinton interview) is all over the blogosphere, I'll reserve comment to this: I am disappointed in Bill Clinton's un-Presidential behavior and his intimidating, menacing attitude in response to Wallace's questions. I am also disapponted in Matt Lauer's lack of respect for the office of the President, when he interviewed President Bush in the White House.

Two reporters, one respectful, the other not. Two Presidents, one respectful, the other not. Confirmation of why I watch Fox News and support President Bush.

Yeah, right.

2006-09-25T17:45:00.000-07:00

Said Mira Agustina (last November): "My husband was kidnapped by America but they never officially told us ... for more than three years. I don't believe that my husband was a terrorist. He is only an ordinary man who cried when he watched movies about violence."

"But a top security consultant in Indonesia, Ken Conboy, told The Associated Press last year that al-Farouq joined al-Qaida in the early 1990s and trained in Afghanistan for three years before unsuccessfully trying to enroll at a flight school in the Philippines so he could commandeer an airplane on a suicide mission.

He later plotted to stage car and truck bombings at U.S. embassies across Southeast Asia on or near the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, but the plan was thwarted and he was captured, Conboy said."

The Rest of the Story.

A Related Story.

British authorities announced today that Ms. Agustina's husband, Omar al-Farouq, was shot and killed in a raid on his home in Basra. I am so sorry to see this misunderstood and much maligned gentleman go.

Flying the Country's Flag in California

2006-09-12T05:46:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from two months in Los Angeles, where I was reminded that we are all residents of the United States and not just residents of Red or Blue states. Here are pictures I took in Southern California that should remind us all that our country's colors are Red, White and Blue. My compliments to the people of California for their love of country, the pleasant reminder that we are all patriots and for their generous and kind hospitality during my stay.

Remembering September 11th

2006-09-11T02:37:00.000-07:00

If I Knew

This is why you should always say I love YOU....

I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say "I love you,"
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
Well I'm sure you'll have so many more,
so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.

There will always be another day
to say "I love you,"
And certainly there's another chance
to say our "Anything I can do?"

But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
you'll surely regret the day,

That you didn't take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
and that you'll always hold them dear

Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay."
And if tomorrow never comes,
you'll have no regrets about today.

Jim Marshall inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame

2006-08-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

Jim Marshall inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame, reception planned for Monday
By NATALIE DAVIS

Congressman Jim Marshall will be honored Monday at a reception commemorating his recent induction into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame. The reception will be held Monday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Laurens County Library. Marshall was among 18 Army Rangers alumni honored in June at an induction ceremony at Fort Benning. Tom Hanks was also honored during the ceremony as an honorary inductee. According to a press release from the Fort Benning Public Affairs Office, the Ranger Hall of Fame was formed “to honor and preserve the spirit and contributions of America’s soldiers.” Inductees are nominated by ranger units and regimental associations, and are chosen for final approval by the Ranger Hall of Fame Selection Board. To be eligible for nomination, a soldier must be a successful graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger School; deceased; have been separated or retired from active military service for at least three years; or must have served in a ranger unit in combat. The son and grandson of Army General Officers, Marshall voluntarily enlisted for infantry combat in Vietnam at the start of his junior year at Princeton University in 1966. He was awarded two Bronze Star Medals, the Combat Infantry Badge and the Purple Heart. Marshall currently serves as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, and was the first freshman member of Congress to receive numerous awards from Veterans Service Organization. Marshall is serving his second term representing Georgia’s Third Congressional District, which currently includes 31 counties. Monday’s reception is open to the public.

Semper "I" Murtha

2006-07-21T20:55:00.000-07:00

Click on the image to go to BootMurtha.com.

Click here to read another great poem by Russ Vaughn,

posted at the BootMurtha.com site.

Sorry, I couldn't resist posting this picture that I received in an e-mail.

2006-07-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

And, I realize that this in bad taste.

On Flag-Draped Coffins

2006-07-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

Russ Vaughn says that the Democrats' use of images of our war dead in their campaign video inspired him to write the following poem:

On Flag-Draped Coffins

Contributed by Russ Vaughn

I thought I'd seen it all I guess

In videos from the East;

Enough to tell me nothing less,

We're dealing with a beast.

Such savagery and blood lust,

Sawing off our soldier's head,

Ensures to me that we must

Leave all these bastards dead.

And yet may God preserve us

From those too weak to serve,

Faint of heart, afraid of service,

With no will to save, preserve.

They shriek about the troops lost,

Deplore our mounting dead,

Ignoring what our freedom cost,

In the steps our nation tread.

Now when their country needs them

To mount a solid front;

They'd sacrifice our freedom

For the power they so want.

On flag-draped coffins standing,

Crassly using our dead brave,

To our enemy they're now handing,

What those dead fought so to save.

Some day there'll come a reckoning,

a payment for the pain,

To those who used our dead so ill,

for naught but power's gain.

Russ Vaughn

In LA Tonight

2006-07-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

I'll be in LA for at least a month. I hope that my life will settle down enough that I can get back to posting on a more regular basis.

How I Spent My Fourth of July, 2006

2006-07-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

Hanging out with a few hundred of my closest friends,

welcoming home the troops!

More Fourth of July Pictures

2006-07-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

Army wives get phone death threats from Iraq

2006-06-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

This story is about U.K. soldiers. But, it could just as easily be U.S. soldiers. The Royal Military Police "has issued a warning to all soldiers in Iraq to take great care when using mobile telephones to call home." That warning should be heeded by our military as well. What kind of people would threaten innocent women and children?

Army wives get phone death threats from Iraq

By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent(Filed: 25/06/2006)

Wives and family members of soldiers fighting in Iraq have received telephone calls, believed to include death threats, from insurgents, according to military documents seen by The Sunday Telegraph.

The "nuisance" calls have been made with increasing frequency over the past few weeks after insurgents managed to obtain home numbers from soldiers' mobile telephones.

The growing number of calls has led to an investigation by the Royal Military Police, which has issued a warning to all soldiers in Iraq to take great care when using mobile telephones to call home.

The Rest of the Story

Hundreds of WMDs Found in Iraq

2006-06-22T02:47:00.000-07:00

Report: Hundreds of WMDs Found in Iraq

WASHINGTON — The United States has found 500 chemical weapons in Iraq since 2003, and more weapons of mass destruction are likely to be uncovered, two Republican lawmakers said Wednesday.

"We have found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, chemical weapons," Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., said in a quickly called press conference late Wednesday afternoon.

Reading from a declassified portion of a report by the National Ground Intelligence Center, a Defense Department intelligence unit, Santorum said: "Since 2003, coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent. Despite many efforts to locate and destroy Iraq's pre-Gulf War chemical munitions, filled and unfilled pre-Gulf War chemical munitions are assessed to still exist."

• Click here to read the declassified portion of the NGIC report.

The Rest of the Story

Road Kill

2006-06-21T04:57:00.000-07:00

Every terrorist thug should end up this way-as a smear in the dirt. Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, bend over and spread 'em. The next missile is yours!

Key figure in al-Qaida in Iraq killed
By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer Tue Jun 20, 2:08 PM ET

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A key al-Qaida in Iraq leader described as the group's "religious emir" was killed in a U.S. airstrike hours before two American soldiers went missing and in the same area, the military said Tuesday.

Mansour Suleiman Mansour Khalifi al-Mashhadani, or Sheik Mansour, and two foreign fighters were killed as they tried to flee in a vehicle near the town of Youssifiyah, in the so-called Sunni "Triangle of Death."

U.S. coalition forces had been tracking al-Mashhadani for some time, American military spokesman William Caldwell said in announcing his death. He said al-Mashhadani was an Iraqi, 35 to 37 years old, and that one of the men killed with him was an al-Qaida cell leader identified as Abu Tariq

The Rest of the Story