American at heart

Iraq, Democrats, and the Return of McGovernism:

2007-03-20T14:15:00.000-05:00

“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things.

The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.

The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”

~John Stuart Mill - from On Liberty circa 1859

That's one of my favorite quotes and I believe it captures the warrior spirit and his willingness to fight. Is society, heck, our Country, doomed when our leaders fit the description of "miserable creatures"?

Here is a must read column written by Peter Wehner who is the deputy assistant to the President and director of the White House's Office of Strategic Initiatives. He brings up several key points in regards to how Congress (specifically on the left) is attempting to deal with the war and is continually failing to actually attempt to deal with the war. If that makes any sense...

One such gem laced with common sense:
"Many Democrats believe an American defeat in Iraq is etched in granite. They would not be the first to lose heart and will in war. Yet it is one thing to give up on a cause; it is quite another to advocate legislation (17 different proposals in all, according to Senator Mitch McConnell) that would guarantee failure even before a new strategy is given time to work."

Although one might then ask, how much time is enough? We can give the plan time until we are all melted from Global uhhh... Climate Change, but it seems we need a solution soon. If you pay any attention what-so-ever to my blog, you'll know that my solution involves death, destruction, chaos, and the many other non-politically correct atrocities that are found in war. It could be ended so easily... But alas, it won't.

Tim Blair received a rather thought provoking letter from peacenik reader Chris today which he published on his blog:

Chris says:

“Ponder, for a moment, what you would have thought had you read the following article five years ago.”

US President George W Bush says there will be both “good days and bad days” ahead as the Iraq war enters its fifth year.

Mr Bush has marked the fourth anniversary of the war with a brief speech from the White House.

“It can be tempting to look at the challenges in Iraq and conclude our best option is to pack up and go home,” he said.

“That may be satisfying in the short run, but I believe the consequences for American security would be devastating."

The President says the new Baghdad security plan is still in its early stages and success will take months, not days or weeks.

The conflict has claimed the lives of more than 3,200 members of the US military, stretching longer and with higher costs than the White House ever predicted.

Asks Chris:

“Would you have thought that: a. such a scenario was sheer fantasy; b. Osama bin Laden had infiltrated the White House; c. those nasty leftists were right out of their trees (again); or d. if it ever came true, George Bush would be in jail or shot, but certainly not president? What a strange world we live in! And the Rabid Right reckons we’re deluded!”

Interesting concepts and thought provoking notions, but good old Tim smashes Chris' deluded fantasies of right wing bashing with a simple reply:

Ponder this, Chris:

The war with Saddam’s Iraq lasted weeks.

The war with Islamic lunatics began years prior to the war with Iraq, and continues now, with said lunatics presently attacking Iraq’s elected government - among many other targets worldwide.

It’ll go on a while yet. Choose your side.

Cheers,

Tim

Well said Tim... Well said.

Happy St. Patty's Day!!

2007-03-17T13:37:00.000-05:00

That's all I've got for right now. I've been super busy with Spring Break, being sick, and a general lack of enthusiasm for blogging lately. I'll get back on it soon.

God Hates Al Gore

2007-03-07T20:04:00.000-06:00

I realize it's a bit old... but, holy hypocrisy Batman!

Yes. God hates Al Gore. But more than that, the citizens of our country should hate this two-timing, back-stabbing, sorry excuse for a hypocritical politician. Dang. What is wrong with these people?

Iowahawk has more:

Global Warming? Not So Much:

2007-03-06T11:43:00.000-06:00

Lubos Motl, a Reactionary Physicist who writes on The Reference Frame, gives us this wonderful commentary about... Uh... Global... Climate?

I love his witty nature:

"In parts of Massachusetts, we have the coldest March day since 1950 while Sabine Hossenfelder's bike has re-emerged from a glacier because the temperature jumped above balmy -22 Celsius degrees in Waterloo, Canada and reached -19 degrees (although it feels like -27 Celsius degrees). Record cold temperatures are also in Ottawa, Canada, New York (where many schools are closed), West Virginia (where people are dying)...

That's a good opportunity to remind everyone that most proponents of the global warming theory are crackpots."

I couldn't have said it better myself... I mean really, are these people ever going to give up and admit they're clearly whacked out? Or will they just keep changing their story as people debunk everything that's printed about global warming? Don't answer that... I already know the answer.

And if you follow his links you will read about a Canadian Climatologist named Dr. Tim Ball in the Canadian Free Press. Here's an excerpt:

A Canadian climatologist, Dr. Ball, was one of the first scientists to state, "Global Warming, as we think we know it, doesn't exist."

The thousands of people from all walks of life who wrote letters of support to Dr. Ball through CFP, must be thrilled to know that the Gore-led Global Warming Scorched Earth Society have been unable to silence him.

Ball continues to attack the myth of the greenhouse effect in "The Great Global Warming Swindle" in clear language that can be understood by the layman.

The "layman", huh? Perhaps Al Gore should watch it.

Soldiers Angels Strike Again:

2007-03-03T01:38:00.000-06:00

Here is a trailer to the Iraq Veterans Memorial Video:

Glenn Greenwald... Down In Flames:

2007-03-01T11:39:00.000-06:00

There is not much more for me to say about this whole deal that can't be found through Patterico's Pontifications, but perhaps the best wrap-up I've come across so far was from Instapunk which can be read here.

This is really sickening. With the whole Dick Cheney near miss thing as well, it's quite obvious that the Democrats REALLY do hate our country and want us to lose this war. (Warning: Liberal Crap Runs Rampant)

****************************UPDATE*******************************

I just ran across this which is pretty interesting. If you read the Instapunk post, you would have read about his challenge. Well, it looks like someone took that challenge and came up with some interesting results.

So... According to The News Buckit, dirty language on the left leaning blogs outnumbers dirty language on the right leaning blogs by a ratio of 18:1. That's pretty crazy. It was then updated to include the Democratic Underground, FreeRepublic, Townhall, Etc. and the Ratio jumped to somewhere around 41:1. Wow.

Muslim Extremists

2007-02-27T13:10:00.000-06:00

Aaaaahhh... I get it. THIS is why the MSM doesn't think the terrorists are bad people. Goodness. I was wrong the entire time!

Click on the cartoon to see their website.

Good For A Laugh:

2007-02-26T11:25:00.000-06:00

I'd recommend checking out this site. It's quite humorous.

The AP Says I'm Stupid And That's Why I Joined The Army:

2007-02-20T10:30:00.000-06:00

I need to vent a little bit. There is a big problem in the media and it became quite apparent to me when I read this article. Besides the blatant hypocrisy of the statistics, it still is not relevant to the war. The AP has decided to report that:

“Nearly half of the more than 3,100 U.S. military fatalities in Iraq have come from towns like McKeesport, where fewer than 25,000 people live, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.”

That’s half of the deaths. So… what’s the point? I’m sure that half the soldiers in uniform are from towns with fewer than 25,000 people. In fact, according to the 2005 census bureau:

“56 percent of the population in 2005 lived in towns under 25,000…”

I’m still waiting for the mind blowing statistic. Let’s get this straight. Over half of the population in the USA lives in towns with fewer than 25,000 people. Got that? Okay, good. Now… Nearly half of the troops killed in Iraq have come from towns with fewer than 25,000 people. Looks to me as if the small towns are underrepresented!

“Many of the hometowns of the war dead aren't just small, they're poor.”

Now this is just stupid. The flaming liberals are going to turn this into a knock against the poor. Let me guess… We need more welfare? This is absolutely ridiculous!

“On a per capita basis, states with mostly rural populations have suffered the highest fatalities in Iraq. Vermont, South Dakota, Alaska, North Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Delaware, Montana, Louisiana and Oregon top the list, the AP found.”

Sure, sure. Rural populations. We’re all dumb, ignorant hicks who can do no better than join the military since our families are so poor and misguided. This is making me quite upset. I’m from North Dakota and I resent the AP for this trash. The reason we’ve suffered the highest fatalities is because we have the most people in uniform! We’re the type of people who are drawn to the military. We are raised with honor. We understand that someone has to fight for freedom. We also understand that not a single soul in San Francisco is going to do it. Never mind how much ignorant filth spews from the dirty liberal mouths on a daily basis, they will never put their lives on the line for what they believe. Ever.

Furthermore:

“There's a "basic unfairness" about the number of troops dying in Iraq who are from rural areas, said William O'Hare, senior visiting fellow at the University of New Hampshire's Carsey Institute, which examines rural issues.”

No, sorry William, there is not any unfairness. People such as myself and my military mates live by a code of conduct. We live for Duty, Honor, Respect, Selfless Service, Integrity, Loyalty, and Personal Courage. The people writing this particular story, hell, any story from the MSM, have no idea what it’s like to live by a set of moral values. People from small towns have these values instilled upon them from day one. We know it. We live it. It’s not a huge change to join an organization that breathes these same values. Hell, it makes us comfortable to be a part of something greater than ourselves where we can all share these beliefs. I can point to any random man I was deployed with and know that he would take a bullet for me. Would Nancy Pelosi? No, not in a million years. John Carry? Hah. Not a chance.

My point is this:

“Military tradition and patriotism run deep in rural America, and for some the drive to serve goes well beyond economics. Sometimes, the call is something even their parents don't completely understand.”

That line came from the AP article. Although they do go on to say how we are stupid and don’t know what we are getting into. It’s apparent that the AP knows no benevolence. What we small town, Midwestern folks know is this: This country needs to be defended. We’ll do it. If we have to give our lives for that freedom, then so be it. But we know that others will gladly take our places to stand in front of the countless cowardly civilians who can tell us how stupid we are as we put our armor on and defend their right to bad mouth us. It’s sad, but someone has to do it. For that, I want no thanks. I want no gratitude. It’s a calling. It’s something I’m glad to do. And we’re going to continue to do it until the end of time. And when that end comes, you can sleep soundly knowing I’ll die trying to defend our great Country right to the end. I’m doing this for my Country, and for my family, and for my friends’ families, and for your family. And no matter what the “elite” tell me, I’m going to continue doing it. Don’t worry.

Duke Lacrosse, Changing Our Perception:

2007-02-20T07:36:00.000-06:00

When you think of Duke Lacrosse, you don't think of winning records, ACC Championships, NCAA Tournament appearances, or Hero's. Wait, did I just say Hero's? Yes I did. From Blackfive, I came across a story printed in the Chicago Sun-Times about a real hero who gave up many good things to serve his country.

"The point is this: All the negative stories have smeared Duke and its lacrosse team. From the get-go, the Duke players were called "spoiled" or "rich frat boys" or "racist and sexist." Nowhere did you read about the positive achievements of the players.

Now you will.

This story is about the strong character of Duke lacrosse player Jim Regan. It's a story that should change your perception of Duke -- particularly because, unlike much of what has been alleged about Duke and its lacrosse team, this story is true."

If I ran the world, Hero's would live forever. But I don't, and Hero's die. So go read the story of a privileged young man with everything going for him who decided to give it up and serve in the 75th Ranger Regiment with the best and the brightest Infantrymen our Country has.

And remember. No one has to be a Hero, it just sometimes works out that way.

My Wife To Be... I Hope:

2007-02-19T10:55:00.000-06:00

For anyone who cares, this woman is my future wife:

Her name is Rachelle Leah and she's a UFC ring girl. She visited the troops at FOB Speicher. Now, why she couldn't have been there when I was... Well, I'm not sure. It's a shame though. Lucky guys. That is my favorite picture of her. I found it at The Strategy Page.

Okay, here's one more.

I need to get back to Iraq. And not just for the fighting this time!

The Appeal For Courage:

2007-02-19T07:18:00.000-06:00

Attention Veterans/Military members!

Everyone needs to check out the Appeal For Courage.

"An Appeal For Redress is an authorized means for active duty military to submit a grievance to Congress. It can be signed by Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel.

It is authorized by DoD Directive 1325.6 and DoD Directive 7050.6."

The wording of the Redress is as follows:

"As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack."

I support this wholeheartedly and suggest that anyone who agrees should go register. I did. Let our voices be heard...

I Hate Liberals... And San Francisco:

2007-02-16T09:07:00.000-06:00

But I especially hate Socialist Liberals in San Francisco. No rant... I'm too sickened.

Read this first. Then go watch the video at Hot Air.

Al Masri Captured? Info Here!

2007-02-16T08:54:00.000-06:00

This from Michelle Malkin:

"Just across on CNN. According to the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior, Iraqi police ran across “an insurgent group” on the road between Fallujah and Samarra and shot it out with them, wounding Abu al-Masri and killing one of his top associates. They have the associate’s body, but al-Masri got away."

This could be huge. Updates Galore from Hot Air:
Now MSNBC might be retracting their prior claims...
More intel from Pajamas Media says it's a false claim.

Also, if you remember... I linked to this story from the Jawa Report. Sounds like they might have been right all along. That's a hell of a prediction!

This is pretty good too, if you find it humorous that some people in congress still think that it's all about Iraq. I found it via The Jawa Report.

And this is a little old, but some fine reporting from the INDCJournal shows us what's going on in Fallujah.

Security and WHAM! From The Captain's Journal

2007-02-16T08:13:00.000-06:00

Herschel Walker has more on the Security of Iraq and Winning the Hearts And Minds.

This piece really struck a chord with me: (Links Included)

"This campaign of torture and intimidation exemplifies brutality at its worst. Iraqi police and Marines recently completed “Operation Three Swords” south of Fallujah, the purpose of which was to detain members of murder and intimidation cells within the rural area of Zaidon and the villages of Albu Hawa, Fuhaylat and Hasa. During the operation, members of the Fallujah police Department and Coalition Forces discovered a torture house and rescued three individuals. The house had blood-stained walls, and the torture devices included shackles, chains, syringes, rifles, knives, chord, clubs and a blow torch. The condition of the torture victims was said to be dire."

That type of warfare is wrong. Terrorists are horrible, horrible people and should be treated as such. To be politically correct with terrorists is like arresting a child molester here in the states and instead of jail time, sentence him to community service at the local grade school. It's Just Friggin Retarded! I'm going to blame the politicians. If they want to fight this war so bad I suggest they enlist. Otherwise, let the soldiers on the ground do what they need to do. I mean really... Torture Houses?! Are you kidding me. That leads me to my "Eye for an Eye" Iraq war strategy which I'm hoping to turn into Army Doctrine within the week. (kidding... sort of)

Here goes… Every terrorist we arrest gets tortured. Severely. Beat them to within an inch of their life, then drop them off at the scene of a recent attack on civilians with a sign saying: “I am a terrorist, and the good guys are now winning”
I’ll bet after the first week normal people will be thinking twice about helping the bad guys. It's perfect. I'm a genius. Why aren't I running things? Oh yeah, because I would offend every tree hugging, same sex marrying, kumbaya singing FREAK living it this country who thinks that we should mind our own business and the Islamic Extremists will just leave us alone. Yeah, and target the Brits instead. Idiots.

Most Downloaded Video On YouTube Right Now:

2007-02-15T14:22:00.000-06:00

1.7 million and counting. This is amazing.
From the YouTube site:
Copyright © 2006

This song is not meant to make a political statement of any kind. It's simply about a family that is missing a brother. The young man who joined the army did so of his own free will. He was 20 years old and his parents played no part in his decision to serve his country. They are proud to have such a brave son.

I am only the best friend (for 34 years) of the mother, Cindy. It is my honor to post this video on YouTube. All of the wonderful messages that I have received are being forwarded to Heather and her mother.

Heather loves to sing. Since she was small she has always tried to get to the microphone first at church so she could sing. She always loved karaoke and would beg for the mic. She still loves singing more than just about anything.
Heather loves her brother and misses him. She has many memories of him. He comes home every chance he gets and will probably get to come home for a short time in February or March.

Before I truned on the camera Heather was really acting silly and laughing. What many of you have said looks like crying at the first is just Heather rubbing her eyes like any 6 year old might do.

6 year old Heather Martin sings a song that her mother wrote for her Brother Shaun who is serving in Iraq. The song is written from Heather's point of view.

The Lyrics are below the Video if you're interested.

Lyrics

You were almost sixteen when I came into the world.
Mom and Dad had you first then 3 more boys I'm the baby girl.
I sure have a lot to look up to in you, you're really smart and funny with a big heart too.
After one year of college you knew what you had to do.
It's just like you wanting to help with the war.
So you joined the army when I was only 4.
This time of year we talk of big plans but you're over seas in some distant land.
You can't be here for Christmas, I don't understand.
Chorus:
When are you coming home, Shaun?
When are you coming home?!
We lit up the house like we always do but it doesn't seem bright 'cause we can't have you.
In my prayers I ask God to keep you safe.
And I'm trying to be really brave.
Tell me that the fighting's through.
Come home!
I really miss you.

It's hard to enjoy the holidays without you.
But we're so proud of you and all the red white and blue.
Remember that Jesus is your best friend,
And someday our families will be together again.
Wow! You know we'll have a great big party then.

Chorus

I want to show you how tall I've grown and introduce you to my new friends at school.
Maybe we could go and get some ice cream together but I really don't care what we do.

Chorus

Winning The War- That's The Plan:

2007-02-15T13:17:00.000-06:00

Here's a few links dealing with the war this week. The first is an update of the "Surge" in Baghdad from Pajamas Media. Looks like B-1 Bombers have been spotted once again. We haven't had them flying in Iraq (that I know of) since the initial push. This could mean the end for the cowardly islamofascists. Speaking of which... How are the bad guys doing in Iraq? Strategy Page has the answer here.

And how should we deal with these "bad guys"?

According to Joe Gish at the Victory Caucus:

President Reagan said it best: "We win, they lose!"

"Al Qaeda must be discredited, humiliated and emasculated We must find them wherever they hide--they have sent large numbers of jihadis to Iraq--and we will hunt them down like the dogs that they are. No mercy."

"Running away from Iraq is running away from Al Qaeda."

Well then, what shall we do with Iran? As well as pointing out more Liberal Hypocrisy, Uncle Jimbo has an answer that I feel is a pretty good idea. Eventually we are gonna have to fight every insurgency, as they all want us dead, but we must choose our battles wisely. One of the biggest reasons we chose Iraq as our "battlefield" is not only it's diplomatic promise, but it's geographic location. All the fanatics go there to fight. We've been killing them for 4 years. Perhaps it's time for a change in tactics. Say, bring the fight to the enemy? Start running patrols INTO Syria and Iran... Or even Africa. Maybe SOF is already there... Just a thought. And I wonder what else SOF has been up to?

Also, Ace Of Spades has some intel on crackdowns in Iraq AND Afghanistan. We just keep on killing these rat bastards... and I friggin love it!

The Captain's Journal On ROE:

2007-02-14T11:29:00.000-06:00

This is a must read. Once again, Herschel Smith has gone above and beyond and put together another wonderful essay on Rules Of Engagement.

I've gone over this again and again. This war will be won easily with the relaxing of the current ROE. Soldiers are not trained to fight a PC (Politically Correct) War. I am not a policeman, nor do I play one on Television. Here is an excerpt from a previous ROE post at The Captain's Journal where the problems of the ROE were discussed:

Our ROE was simple. The right to self defense was never denied. The ROE was based on a method of determining a life threatening scenario from a non-life threatening one. We called this the “Escalation Of Force.” Show, Shout, Shove, and Shoot. It’s pretty self explanatory and easy to follow in a perfect world. The problem is that the world isn’t perfect.

Scenario: You’re a gunner on an M2 .50 caliber machine gun mounted atop a M1114 Up-Armored HMMWV. You are the last vehicle and you are pulling rear security. A vehicle in the distance is swerving through traffic on a mission from God and closing on your convoy quickly. You wave your arms to get the driver’s attention to no avail. You yell obscenities at the crazy Iraqi while drawing down on the vehicle with your large caliber, fully automatic, machine gun. Hell, you even throw your water bottle hoping to get the hood on a bounce. Nothing. You notice a male driver who appears to be gripping the wheel a little too tight and who has beads of sweat forming on his brow. You realize that this could be trouble. But… to complicate the matter, there is a woman (presumably his wife) and 4 children in the car as well. The vehicle is fast approaching… and you have a mere second to react. Your buddy’s, nay, family’s lives are on the line behind you. They trust you to make the right decision. What do you do?

Option 1: Warning shots. Sure. Can work. Collateral damage becomes an issue, and high ranking military personnel HATE such paperwork.

Option 2: Wait it out. This choice is putting the lives of a “civilian” before the lives of your military “family.” I wholeheartedly disagree with this choice, but it keeps you out of Leavenworth.

Option 3: Stop the vehicle by any means necessary. Shoot ‘em up and ensure the safety of your family who depends on you.

Now with any of these options you find out in the end that either… A) Vehicle drives right on by and through the convoy, apparently the wife was in labor and they were speeding to the hospital. B) Vehicle drives right by you and slams into middle vehicle as 5 155mm Mortar rounds detonate the vehicle killing 3, wounding 4 and truly screwing up your day.

So, you don’t know if a pregnant wife is being rushed to the hospital or a family of insane insurgents are preparing to destroy you.

That is a lot of responsibility to be put on an 18 year old private sitting behind an uber powerful machine gun. That’s why our armed forces are so wonderful. We have 18 year old kids who can and do make those decisions daily. What a wonderful country we were born in.

You make the wrong move and kill civilians though, you not only have to live with the mistake, but you will be ridiculed unmercifully by the media/big army. You will be buried in proceedings and paperwork the remainder of your deployment, and you will not be the same. Your buddies will be affected as well. Cpl. X will see how bad it could be to make the wrong decision, and will hesitate just a hair too long when there is a real threat… and more men will die. The fear of failure leads to hesitation, and hesitation in war is a lesser form of suicide.

That, in my opinion, is the problem. This is not a war. The enemy does not wear uniforms, and therefore the Geneva Convention is null and void instead of applicable.

My unit, as well as the thousands of other soldiers in our area dealt with these problems on a daily basis. The “details” of the ROE changed daily. Some examples… For a time, the gunners would bring buckets full of rocks into the turret with them to throw through the windshields of vehicles not adhering to our warnings to stay away (that ended quickly after command had to pay for numerous windshields). We put signs in Arabic/Kurdish/Turkish on the backs of the vehicles warning them to stay away. We fired warning shots. We did nothing. We drove in the center of the road and dominated our routes by running ignorant drivers right off the road. We drove with the flow of traffic and narrowly averted disaster numerous times.

Did anyone pay attention to these posts? Well according to Herschel:

"Using Google Analytics, I can tell what network domain is being used to access my site. The day I posted my first article on ROE I received more visits from the Department of Justice and the U.S. Administrative Court than I did from the Pentagon and CENTCOM combined (although many more from Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine network domains than either of the above … possibly a very informative statistic about who is truly concerned about ROE)."

Hopefully people are starting to take notice. And not just your run-of-the-mill Republican, but influential politicians, lawyers, and the like. We are quite dedicated to the war on terrorism, specifically in Iraq, and for us to quit... to cut and run now... would be a tragedy. We fight to win. And if we're gonna follow through then we need some help from the lawmakers to ensure victory.

Who's Racist Now?

2007-02-13T12:40:00.000-06:00

I'm not racist at all. Not even a bit. Well, okay... so maybe white's are discriminated against a little bit, but I can live with it. But are we ready for a ~~Black~~ Racist President?

I don't think so either.

Well, then go read about Barack Obama's Church!

Also read what Sweetness & Light has to say about it!

Here's an excerpt.

Trinity United Church of Christ

About Us

1. Commitment to God
2. Commitment to the Black Community
3. Commitment to the Black Family
4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education
5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence
6. Adherence to the Black Work Ethic
7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect
8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of “Middleclassness”
9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the Black Community
10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions
11. Pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System
12. Personal commitment to embracement of the Black Value System.

Wow. How much longer does this reverse racism have to go on?

Iran Helping Terrorists?! No!

2007-02-13T09:21:00.000-06:00

This from Bill Roggio:

"On the heals of a U.S. military presentation which provided evidence of Iranian made Explosively formed projectiles, mortars and other weapons being supplied to to Iraqi terrorists, as well as evidence of Iranian Qods Force operatives captured in Iraq, The Telegraph reports a significant quantity of Iranian owned sniper rifles have been seized in Iraq. Over twelve percent of Iran's Steyr HS50 sniper rifles purchased by the "National Iranian Police Organisation" in 2005 have been found inside Iraq."

And The Telegraph's Thomas Harding reports:

"More than 100 of the .50 calibre weapons, capable of penetrating body armour, have been discovered by American troops during raids. The guns were part of a shipment of 800 rifles that the Austrian company, Steyr-Mannlicher, exported legally to Iran last year...
Within 45 days of the first HS50 Steyr Mannlicher rifles arriving in Iran, an American officer in an armoured vehicle was shot dead by an Iraqi insurgent using the weapon. Over the last six months American forces have found small caches of the £10,000 [about $19,500] rifles but in the last 24 hours a raid in Baghdad brought the total to more than 100, US defence sources reported..."

Mr. Roggio also points out:

"It should be noted that the information provided by the U.S. military during Sunday's briefing, as well as the information on the sniper rifles, is what the military can prove with 100% certainty."

Interesting News Today:

2007-02-13T09:16:00.000-06:00

This via Gateway Pundit:

What happens if a deficit falls and almost no one reports it? Well, BizzyBlog answers that question.

Also, the Skeptical Optimist says the balanced budget is on track for 2008. Check it out.

Oh, and while you're reading... Visit with a Real American Hero, Jimmy Carter. That was a joke... What a putz.

Global Warming?! Doubt It.

2007-02-13T09:06:00.000-06:00

Donald Sensing has some interesting things to say about climate change. If you enjoy science, he has some great links and charts that outline some theories about the changing of the sun affecting our global climate. Fascinating stuff.

*-- Here's another good link that was just sent to me --*

Click the link to see if you can pass the ENVIRONMENTAL TEST!

I'm not sure the validity of the answers, but it rings similar to what I've read.

And here is a recent interview with Vaclav Klaus the 2nd President of the Czech Republic speaking about Global Warming, as translated by Harvard Professor Lubos Motl on his blog. The entire blog is good, not just this particular entry.

How To Be Heard!

2007-02-12T15:26:00.000-06:00

This is super important. Tired of your voice not being heard? Here's the chance. Head over here and sign up. We're gonna get together, rally the troops, and let the lying lefties get a taste of their own medicine.

This here from Matt over at Blackfive:

For a long time have we thought and argued here about how to define victory and how to get the politicians to take a stand for victory. I've been in some discussions with others with the same thoughts and we think that there is demand for a gathering place to talk about winning the war and only winning the war, dedicated to identifying and supporting candidates who are serious about winning the war, and devoted to serious exchanges about the war. As a member of the Board of Governors (including Hugh Hewitt, Dean Barnett, Austin Bay, Frank Gaffney and Ed Morrisey), I am proud to announce the formation of:

The Victory Caucus
"Not a Dime for Defeat, No Matter How Disguised"

So GET THERE and let our voices be heard!

I'm Speechless...

2007-02-12T12:40:00.000-06:00

Just go read this. It's short and to the point. Goodness. What is this world coming to? Now I hope more than ever that a horrible earthquake sinks California into the oblivion that calls itself the Pacific Ocean. Goodness.

This Makes Me Giggle... TeHeHeHe...

2007-02-12T08:03:00.000-06:00

Australian Prime Minister John Howard, yesterday, became my idol with this remark:

"If I were running Al Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008 and be praying as many times as possible for a victory, not only for Obama but also for the Democrats."

I couldn't have said it better myself Mr. Howard. Bravo!

So Obama retorts:

"Howard may have quibbles with our intelligence estimates. Maybe he has better ones?" Obama said.

No BaRACK, he has the same intelligence estimates, it's just that he READS them. If you haven't noticed, we're at war with islamofascists, not the country of Uraaaq. That just happens to be where this war is taking place... luckily it's not here. Oh, speaking of war:

"I would also note that we have close to 140,000 troops on the ground now. And my understanding is that Mr. Howard has deployed 1,400. So if he's ginned up to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest, he calls up another 20,000 Australians and sends them up to Iraq," he continued.

Goodness, what a wuss. A suggestion from a Democrat about war is like a suggestion from a child about retirement homes. Last I checked, the terrorists attacked US. When was that again? September 11th? Oh yeah, that's right. Thanks Australia for having our back. 1,400 is more than France has over there. In fact, why doesn't Obama run for office in France... He'd fit in well there.

Iran In Denial?! Go Figure...

2007-02-12T07:28:00.000-06:00

"Iran Denies U.S. Charge That It Is Arming Terrorists in Iraq."

Great headline. How obvious does the news have to be?? Could you really imagine the headline reading:

Iran admits that they are fueling the fire in Iraq by arming terrorists with weapons!
In other news, US politicians say we should give Iran another chance. /look into future

Yeah, come on here. Report the obvious, fine. But honestly, the libs are gonna turn this one around and say we are making a case for war with Iran. "~~Hitler~~ Bush is just trying to trick us into another war" will spew from their mouths.
It sounds like the Republicans are trying to spearhead that twist:

"On the Republican side, Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi said he did not think the United States was trying to make a case for attacking Iran. Lott said the U.S. should try to stop the flow of munitions through Iran to Iraq but that 'you do that by interdiction ... you don't do it by invasion.' "

He makes a good point... But since I'm a war monger, I slightly disagree. We will go to war with Iran. But not because of trickery, deceit, or force by the administration. We will go to war with Iran because they will bring it. They will announce it. They will attack us. They will attempt to bring down The Great Satan. Mark my words. It's happened once to us... It'll happen again. I just hope we aren't still sleeping.

And while you're here, grab some coffee and gain some knowledge about the who, what, when, where, and why of the war against fanatical Muslims as brought to you by the Steven Den Beste archives. Boy, that man is a genius.

This is disturbing...

2007-02-12T07:25:00.000-06:00

I know this is a bit off the wall, but when I read this I had to share it. A mother locked her children away in a basement in Austria for 7 years! Read the story here from Fox News. I'm amazed. I thought our court system was messed up (actually, it is), but this is ridiculous. Damn...

This Is Ridiculous:

2007-02-09T21:10:00.000-06:00

Watch this video from Al-Jazzera. It's a screaming match, but read the dialogue... This proves how insane these people are. This man's family and relatives were Murdered by Sadaam, yet he still believes that Sadaam was "brave" and is a "martyr". Goodness. I'm with Uncle Jimbo... These people need to be sent to their 72 goats.

What?! We're Winning!?!

2007-02-08T11:34:00.000-06:00

Here is a good look at the last 48 hours in Iraq. Sounds like Al Masri is on the run... Especially since in the last 48 hours we've captured SIX al Qaeda leaders! Remarkable. Damn, we sure are kicking some ass over there.

Here's the link to this story.

Plus, via Instapundit, is this article. Go NPR!

Much Ado About Muslims

2007-01-31T12:55:00.000-06:00

A good topic for discussion. Freedom of religion... versus... Well, freedom of religion. A story in the news was linked to and ranted about on Blackfive.
Here is also a GREAT read which includes plenty of good links. If you would like to learn about how sick and twisted the Muslim religion can be... Read this. I challenge anyone to find the same atrocities in another religion. I don't care what it is.

This is such a slippery slope. When will it end?

Letter From An Infantryman

2007-01-30T19:12:00.000-06:00

Things that I am tired of in this war:

What a great way to start out a letter, in my opinion. I found this on Blackfive and I must say he sounds alot like I did when I was there.

Go read the post. It's a wonderful letter from a soldier who "has a grip on things".

Great Letter From a Veteran:

2007-01-29T13:38:00.000-06:00

In response to Mr. Sullivan's civilian comments the other day, blogger COUNTERCOLUMN wrote this letter to him:

Mr. Sullivan,

Thought you might be interested in another story about those pesky, crazy civilians and the handiwork wrought by their mortars:

I've been on the receiving end of dozens of those civilian mortar attacks. They didn't seem all that civilian to me at the time.

Glad we have people like you around to set me straight, though.

Best,

Jason Van Steenwyk
OIF I
Ar Ramadi, 03-04

I couldn't have said it better myself Jason. Well done.

Scary Stuff:

2007-01-29T12:59:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure how my dad found this article, but he emailed to me.

"A growing number of young Muslims in Britain are inspired by political Islam and in favour of Sharia law, Islamic dress for women and faith schools, according to a study."

As far as I'm concerned, this is something to pay attention to. I realize that radical muslims are leading the war against the west. It seems that most of us have forgotten that immediately after the attacks of September 11th, Bin Laden said to the world that: "There are two types of terror, good and bad. What we are practising is good terror. We will not stop killing them and whoever supports them."

So they want to "kill us all". And now 13% of youths in Britain "admire organisations like Al-Qaeda that are prepared to fight the West".

I hope I'm not the only one who's worried.

Quick History Lesson:

2007-01-29T10:14:00.000-06:00

I laughed my ass off when I read this:

Quick History Lesson:

Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic hunters & gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.

The two most important events in all of history were the invention of Beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups: Liberals and Conservatives.

Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early human were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages were formed.

Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to B-B-Q at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement.

Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly B-B-Q's and doing the sewing, fetching and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement. Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. The rest became known as "Girliemen".

Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy and group hugs, and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided.

Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.

Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare. Another interesting revolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn't fair to make the pitcher also bat.

Conservatives drink domestic beer. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, corporate executives, athletes, Marines, and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.

Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America. They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get "More For Nothing".

This ends today's lesson in world history.

Quick Shout Out:

2007-01-26T11:18:00.000-06:00

Ace of Spades:

If you don't read it, you should.

Ace of Spades HQ has some great posts... And the comments are downright hilarious.

Speaking of which...Who likes Mountain Lions?

We're Not Losers:

2007-01-26T11:03:00.000-06:00

Right. We're NOT Losers... It's the War We Hate:

Jonah Goldberg wrote this article for the NRO in early December. I was just reading it again and realized how vital this information really is:

"The number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq remains below one percent of our WWII losses."

So why is it sooo important to point out that we've "drug this quagmire" out for 1,347 days?

Jonah answers:

"When people invoke the WWII analogy, what they really mean is that we've been in Iraq too long. Fair enough. But it's not clear that the chorus of tsk-tskers appreciate the implications of their complaint."

True. And as he points out:

"...you don't hear many people complaining that we still have troops in Japan and Germany more than 20,000 days later."

Hmmm... Something to think about, isn't it?

SOTU? Yeah... STFU:

2007-01-24T09:06:00.000-06:00

The blogsphere has said it right... And the consensus is the same everywhere. This was a bunch of crap. We know it. (I'm Sure) They know it. So why doesn't anything get done?
My question is this: If the President's plan is such crap, then why don't YOU Nancy/Webb, come up with a better one?
After all, you're educated and sooo much better than us "idiots".

Where's the friggin plan from the Dem's? That's all I wanna know.

Links are here:
Ace of Spades Take on it: Comments are great.
Uncle Jimbo at Blackfive:
Here is the Transcript Via LGF:
LiveBlogging from the Vodkapundit:

The Second Holocaust?

2007-01-22T09:37:00.000-06:00

A great article written by Benny Morris for the Jerusalem Post over at Pajamas Media.

He does a great job looking into the future of the Middle East. Go Read It!

Just wanted to Rehash some quotes about the war:

2007-01-22T09:28:00.000-06:00

Here are some gems from Democratic leaders concerning the war. I love to play Monday morning quarterback, but only when someone deserves it. Such as... let's say... Hypocrites.

It seems to me that these people used to be intelligent. What happened?

Either way, Enjoy:

"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line."
President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998.

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program."
President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998.

"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face."
Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998.

"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983."
Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998

"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."
Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998.

"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998.

"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies."
Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999.

"There is no doubt that . Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies."
Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and others, Dec, 5, 2001.

"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them."
Sen. Carl Levin (d, MI), Sept. 19, 2002.

"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."
Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002.

"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power."
Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002.

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seing and developing weapons of mass destruction."
Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002.

"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..."
Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002.

"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force — if necessary — to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security."
Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002.

"There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years . We also should remember we have alway s underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction."
Sen. Jay Rockerfeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002,

"He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do."
Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002.

"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons."
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002

"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction. "[W]ithout question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation. And now he has continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real ...
Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003.

Also, check this out:

2007-01-21T16:14:00.000-06:00

Newly released video from the daring rescue of the fallen Royal Marine in Afghanistan last week. These guys rode on the Outside of Apaches. For those of you who haven't seen an apache... You are NOT supposed to ride on those wings... especially at speeds of well over 100mph. These guys have balls the size of grapefruits. Well done boys.

Now go watch this video!

Everyone needs to check this out:

2007-01-21T16:02:00.000-06:00

****************UPDATE*****************
Snopes has yet to declare this either true, or false. I'm still not sure of the validity, but we'll see.

HERE is the link to a USAF Pararescue blog where I found THIS post which is quite appalling.

Here is an simple request to a "mat company".

To Whom it may concern:

Do you ship to APO addresses? I'm in the 1st Cavalry Division stationed in Iraq and we are trying to order some mats but we are looking for who ships to APO first.
SGT Hess

Here is the hate filled response:

Subject: Re: Feedback: from discount-mats.com
SGT Hess,
We do not ship to APO addresses, and even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq.
Bargain SuppliersDiscount-Mats.com

I would like anyone who sees this to pass along this information:

Discount Mats contact info:
Please pass this along.
Registrant:Faisal Khetani
PO Box 270693
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53227
United States
Registered through: Teknon DomainsDomain Name: DISCOUNT-MATS.COM
Created on: 23-Mar-05
Expires on: 23-Mar-08
Last Updated on: 03-Mar-06
Administrative Contact:Khetani, Faisal sportsfitness@gmail.com

So send an email to these jerks and tell them how you feel about this.

Media Bias... Once Again:

2007-01-19T14:10:00.000-06:00

If anyone wants information on Media Bias, The Laughing Wolf has some very good insight over at Blackfive. Read the comments section too, there are some good points. I commented my feelings already, so I'll spare you here... You can just read them there.

This is definitely a must read:

2007-01-18T10:52:00.000-06:00

John Krenson writes a gem titled"The speech I'd like to hear" over at One Hand Clapping. It's long, but I suggest reading the entire thing. He really puts America's problems on the forefront. For the most part I agree with what he has to say and I too hope a leader steps up to lead America to victory once more. We've got the troops, we've got the equipment, and we've got the attitude. Now we need the authorization to bust heads. Defeat is not a word we're used to, but without adequate leadership in the fight against terrorism, I'm afraid this is one fight we might not win.

A favorite quote of mine: "There perchance may come a time when a good man must spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats."

Let's hope the "sleeping giant" truly awakens.

Must read... Spread the word.

2007-01-18T07:37:00.000-06:00

Blackfive has brought this to my attention: The Mudville Gazette has caught a group of "socialists" in their Anti-War lies. Go check it out HERE... and spread the word.

Great example of politics...

2007-01-09T20:41:00.000-06:00

You GOTTA read this... It's classic.

* A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like
so many others her age, she considered herself to be a very liberal
Democrat, and was very much in favor of the redistribution of wealth.
**
**She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch
Republican, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that
she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she
felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to
keep what he thought should be his.
**
**One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to
higher taxes on the rich and the addition of more government welfare
programs. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors
had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father. He responded by
asking how she was doing in school. Taken aback, she answered rather
haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to
maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and
was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like
other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and
didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time
studying.
**
**Her father listened and then asked, "How is you friend Audrey
doing?"** **She replied, "Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes
are easy classes, she never studies, and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She
is so popular on campus, college for her is a blast. She's always
invited to all the parties, and lots of times she doesn't even show up
for classes because she's too hung over."
**
**Her wise father asked his daughter, "Why don't you go to the
Dean's office and ask him to deduct a 1.0 off your GPA and give it to
your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA
and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA."
**
**The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily
fired back, "That wouldn't be fair! I have worked really hard for my
grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey
has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked
my tail off!"
**
**The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, "Welcome to the
Republican Party."*

Still here...

2006-12-26T18:30:00.000-06:00

Been busy with the holidays and my new job. I'll get caught up very soon.

-Smith

Lose Control Of The Senate???

2006-12-14T09:48:00.000-06:00

Could the Dems lose control of the Senate? It's a possibility now that Democratic Senator Tim Johnson is in critical condition following brain surgery at the George Washington University Hospital. Johnson, who is already a cancer survivor, was admitted for "stroke-like symptoms" last night.

If he is unable to continue his duty as Senator, it would be up to Republican Governor Mike Rounds to appoint a replacement. That would probably mean that the Democrats would inadvertantly be giving up their control of the Senate. Things could get interesting and this is definitely an issue worth keeping an eye on.

Duke Rape Case

2006-12-14T09:07:00.000-06:00

There is new evidence in the Duke rape case. But first let's rehash what's been said so far.

This from Fox News in April:

"The commentators are out in force along with the lawyers, almost all of them having concluded that the prosecutor is playing politics and the victim is a liar and a whore. After all, it was an escort agency that sent her, I read five or six times."

Hmmmm... Liar and a whore, huh?

"To be sure, no one has explained why a woman would leave her cell phone, makeup case and money in the bathroom, but those are just details. According to the defense, she was drunk, and polishing her nails. Polishing her nails? There must be a better explanation, but that’s what a real trial is for."

Details... right. Details usually solve cases in my experience. That or common friggin sense. That's what I couldn't figure out about this whole thing. There is no evidence at all. Yet, on March 28th, we read this:

"I needed to have the information about who will be charged," said District Attorney Mike Nifong said. "I feel pretty confident that a rape occurred."

He must know something the public doesn't. Fast foward to October when MSNBC's Susan Filan reports that:

"The defense has come out swinging once again. They have written a letter to D.A. Mike Nifong accusing him of withholding crucial evidence in the Duke lacrosse rape case. They claim the D.A. has not turned over the contents of statements the accuser made to the D.A., nor have they received key police reports."

Interesting. And when you continue reading, Susan Filan states that:
"But if the D.A. believes a crime was committed, no matter how difficult the case, or how problematic the victim, the D.A. has an obligation to take the case to trial and let the jury decide."

Sure, it IS his obligation. But where is the evidence supporting his/the victims claim?

Well, the evidence is in folks and it appears that the victim was *gasp* lying. Perhaps that's why there has been no evidence against the accused. Now if you read carefully, the evidence was "Buried in thousands of documents handed over to defense lawyers by the district attorney in the Duke rape case..." Now why in the world would the DA want to hide the fact that "not only did the DNA not match the three defendants, but that it also did not belong to any of their lacrosse teammates or anyone else who submitted DNA samples to police, including the accuser's boyfriend."? Wow. Suddently that whole "liar and whore" claim comes around full circle. Not to mention the fact that this particular DNA study was done BACK IN APRIL! So why was "None of DNA Security's findings ... included in its final report to Nifong on May 12"? That's what I want to know.

Something fishy is going on here and thankfully Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina is asking questions. As stated in the Fox News article: "Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., wrote a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Tuesday asking for an investigation into Nifong to determine whether he is guilty of prosecutorial misconduct."

Yep, I'll be anxious to see how this all pans out. At least the truth is finally coming out. I am going to expect some apologies in the coming weeks.

Senate Bill 4042

2006-12-13T15:56:00.000-06:00

*****************Update!************************

This bill has passed through the house and is now on the Presidents desk. Soon to become law. Hooah!

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

It appears that something worthwhile has come out of the senate. Let me introduce you to Senate Bill 4042.
The article is a few days old, but was published in our local newspaper. Here is a snipet:

Published Friday, December 08, 2006
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill Thursday sponsored by Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., that prohibits protesters at the funerals of fallen U.S. soldiers.

The legislation was largely in response to the funeral protests led by the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. Church members have been picketing the funerals under the belief that U.S. soldiers are dying because of America's acceptance of homosexuality.

I have encountered these people personally and they are serious as sin. The things they say are ridiculous and not worth repeating here. I lined up with the Patriot Guard Riders in Fargo, ND at a NDARNG soldier's funeral to block the processions view of these whackos. I have never been so enraged in my life. To the credit of ND citizens though, about 250 people showed up just to encircle the church and block the view of the picketers. It was a great scene, there were flags a-plenty.
A quote from the story...

“It sickens me to see our fallen soldiers being dishonored by protesters,” Conrad said in a release. “No one deserves this. It must stop, and it must stop now.”

Although I despise Sen. Conrad, he makes a good point. Nobody deserves this. Especially not our brave soldiers. I hope this is the end of the Kansas Psycho's...

The bill is on it's way to the House for consideration.

ROE, ROE, ROE

2006-12-11T18:05:00.000-06:00

Yes folks, ROE is the hot topic right now. Be patient, we're gonna get into this big-time soon. For now, check out what Matt has to say at Blackfive about it. You'll get to hear my feelings soon enough.

Quick Update...

2006-12-11T15:24:00.000-06:00

Hello to you all. I just wanted to clear up a few things. First of all, I added the word verification onto the comments section. I'm tired of the automatron spam geniuses. As my partner in crime Nick put it...

Good Day Fine Sir! I was stumbling across the internet blindly looking for schematics to build a home-made submarine/time machine when I found your blog. Although it has nothing to do with anything remotely close to what this blog is about I wanted to say hello. Thank you for writing whatever it is you are writing. You certainly are a good example to the people you are trying to set an example to. I for one support you in things that may interest you. The level of quality of your work is far better than my two websites, www.sendmeallyourmoney.com and www.totalscam.net/dietpills/herbalviagra/datingservice.html. Good luck with stuff!

Sincerely,
Automated Blog Spammer

I laugh longer and harder each time I read that.

Lastly, in my blog I'm going to cover current topics around the world, mostly dealing with the war, so you can get the perspective of a combat veteran. But I'm also going to rant once in awhile about the things that really "grind my gears." So, if my Libertarian beliefs upset/offend you, then skip over them. ;-) But the war on terror is not going anywhere soon, so I'll be here to guide you as we sift through the B.S. presented to us by the media and administration. Together, we'll find out what is really going on in the world.

I found this and wanted to share it...

2006-12-10T15:30:00.000-06:00

I found an email that I wrote and sent home towards the end of my deployment. As I read it I realize how much I miss Iraq. I said some great things in it and I'd like to share it with everyone. Granted it's from a year ago, but you get to see how the soldiers feel about the war. Does anyone think that the soldiers want to pull out? Cause I don't.

Hello friends and family,

It's been a long and prosperous journey. I've done and seen enough
things this past year to write a novel. Surprisingly, most have been
good, but there have been bad experiences to go along with the
good. My time here is winding down as I have only a few weeks left of my
deployment. When I look back on these last 17 months, I realize that
I've grown up a lot. I've become a man. (isn't that what puberty is
supposed to be for?) Regardless, I feel that my life is better off for
having had these experiences. I have formed bonds with my friends that
only war can seal. I've read about the relationships made when you are
back to back with a man who you trust with your life. I wasn't
sure if I could form those bonds during this deployment. I now know that I have.
There are men here with me who I trust with my life. I'm sure we will
gather years from now to tell stories and compare the scars of our
adventures. I look forward to those days.

I can tell you first hand that the United States of America did not
start this war. But, come hell or high water, we will finish it. I can
also tell you that we did not come here in vain. I believe that the
focus here should be the children. These kids are going to grow up
in a world never dreamt possible by the elders of this country. Who would
have thought that Iraq would have a democratic society? There is a lot
of work yet to be done, but in my time here I have seen two, yes count
'em, two, democratic elections go off without a hitch. These people
should and do take a lot of pride in that fact. I'm proud of every
policeman, soldier, and government official who put their life on the
line night and day to stand up for what they believe is the right road
for this country to follow. And I can't forget every civilian who left
the safety of their homes to vote and put their stamp on Iraq's
freedom. It's astounding how many people can oppose that freedom.
It's also funny how many of them aren't from Iraq, and don't see the
benefits first hand.

I am glad I came. I am glad I could do my little part to help these
people. And if there is a need for another soldier here down the line,
I'll be back. I just hope next time they don't need me for 18
months. I miss home.

Wish me luck these last couple days. I am not done yet. There are
still patrols to be done before our replacements take over, but I
will be safe
and sound soon enough.

I thank you all for the support you've given to me and the entire
military community. Keep it up. Don't let the guys here forget that
America loves them.

Almost a civilian again,

-Smith

SPC United States Army

I am a staunch advocate of free enterprise

2006-12-08T00:10:00.000-06:00

----- Sorry, this really turned into a rant -----

NYC bans science! What the hell?
The Junk Science master Steven Milloy has the topic covered...

"The New York City Board of Health this week banned the use of trans fats by restaurants. The decision is directly traceable back to the “research” of Harvard University’s Alberto Ascherio and Walter Willett, the promoters-in-chief of trans fats hysteria."

Now I don't care one bit about the health of trans fats or why someone whould choose to either consume them or not. What worries me is our government! Since when does the government know best? Fact is, ideologically speaking, I'm a Libertarian. Yes, I know that I live in a two party system and yes, I vote Republican. But freedom really excites me. And when my Google homepage links to a story like this, I can't sleep until I've vented...

"The Board’s notice of its decision to ban trans fats tries to bolster its case by playing on popular misconceptions about saturated fat. The notice states that, “trans fat appears even worse than saturated fat.” The Board apparently isn’t familiar with the several Ascherio-Willett studies that fail to link saturated fat with heart disease and stroke."

Are you kidding me? Wait, so now the infinitely wise NYC Board of Health can control the kind of food available to people based on a popular misconception?!
Hmmmm... And, since I'm such a fan of hypocricy:

"Regular (sugar-sweetened) soft drinks ought to be history as well. Willett linked them with weight gain and diabetes in women (Journal of the American Medical Association, Aug. 25, 2004). It didn’t even matter that the same study also inexplicably linked diet soft drinks with a similar risk of diabetes."

By now I'm laughing out loud.

If trans fats are so bad, why should you be able to purchase food in a store that is too dangerous to be served in a restaurant?

Good question. Because obviously the Board is only looking out for the safety and well-being of it's residents. And if trans fats are bad enough that the city government is forced to ban them from restaurants, then surely it should be ILLEGAL and not to mention, dangerous, to consume trans fats regardless of when or where. Unless I'm missing something.

This is the same kind of attitude we've been exposed to regarding the war on terror. It's the whole "people should listen to me because I know what's best for them" attitude of the Liberal elite. And frankly, I'm tired of it. So... combat operations and policies in foreign countries should be decided on by washed up desk jockeys who've wasted their life spending someone else's money in an attempt to get ahead in politics? The people who feel it neccessary to make decisions for everyone else have problems. My theory is it's the same people who were picked on in gym class 20 years ago for wearing black socks.
Is this how the schoolyard "weenie" gets back at the bully? By rising to power in politics and dictating the day to day life of everyone around them? The normal people went out and got jobs. They did something worthwhile. There are plenty of people in our country who would be amazing politicians. It's too bad that they are out doing other things... like leading military troops, or fighting fires, or running successful businesses. I can't imagine how many CEO's in our country would be over qualified to run for the Presidency. As Ronald Reagan once said:
"The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them away."

I am an advocate of free enterprise because it allows those of us with "will", to succeed in whatever we do. I believe in survival of the fittest. If I want something, I am able to go get it. It doesn't matter what it is, all I have to do is work hard enough to achieve it and it's mine. That is what makes this country great. You don't like your boss? Start your own business. That's freedom.

And so I get pretty distraught when that kid I used to beat up on the playground now heads the Democratic Policy Committee and is trying to tell men such as myself how to fight a war. It just doesn't make sense.

ROE? Who needs it, really...

2006-12-07T13:36:00.000-06:00

I know I'm always griping about the ROE and how we need to crush the insurgency, let the troops do their job, win the war, and on and on and on, but here is a great summary along with testimonials and links. Check it out. I guess I'm not the only one smart enough to realize how poorly the "politicians" are allowing us to fight this "War".

Remember Pearl Harbor and the Fight For Freedom

2006-12-07T12:52:00.000-06:00

I find this quote very appropriate for today, especially with all the talk about quitting this war. Cause that's what the Left wants. They want to quit. I want Freedom, and besides, I'm not a quitter:

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."
-- Ronald Reagan

Yay! The Iraq Study Group's report is here!

2006-12-06T11:54:00.000-06:00

Hooray for the Iraq Study Group! They have finally solved it. I'm sure glad that they have all the answers. I'm voting for them. < /sarcasm >

I'm not quite sure how disappointed I should be that stuff like this is widely accepted as "Media worthy" truth.

I started reading the report and at about page 12 had to stop. This line really did it for me: "The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating. There is no path that can guarantee success, but the prospects can be improved."

Now, I hope for the sake of the free world that this quote was aimed at the terrorists. Now, unless things have changed since I spent 337 days patrolling the dusty streets of that country, we are winning the war... and in a big way.

I've said it before in regards to this war, but a diplomatic approach is wrong. Diplomacy doesn't work in war! It's a fact. Wars are won with violence. Oh wait, no... WWII ended when World leaders sat around, held hands, and talked about love and peace. I almost forgot about that famous gathering. Are you kidding me?! We had to drop more than 1 bomb in Japan before they gave up! We physically marched into Germany and DESTROYED the Nazi regime. Have we forgotten that the 42nd ID lost half their men fighting for Dauchau? Uuuggghhhh...
But no... The Iraqi Study Group believes that:
"The US should immediately launch a new diplomatic offensive to build an international consensus for stability in Iraq and the region."

Why?!? So more US troops can die while being blindsided and cheated to death in a war fought unfairly by the other "side"???
I don't get it.

Let's CRUSH the insurgency like we should have done in 2003. Let the troops do what they are trained to. Kill. Then we can hold hands and sing songs with the "new leaders" of Iraq. Until the terrorists are dead and defeated, I will NOT quit voicing my distaste with the way this "War" is being "fought".

I'm done.

Go read the Study if you'd like. Here's the link to the PDF version.

****************** UPDATE ************************

Froggy over at Blackfive has more or less written something similar to what I'm saying as far a solution is concerned. He goes into a bit more detail. And if I'm sharing the same military opinions as someone as accomplished as he is, then I must be doing something right!

I'm busy for the next week or so...

2006-12-05T16:38:00.000-06:00

Finals week is fast approaching and studying has become more frequent. That means less time for reading about the military and politics, which in turn, means less time for my blog.

I'll give you my quote for the day:

"How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin."

-My main man, Mr. Ronald Reagan.

Have a good week/weekend everyone.

So I've had it...

2006-11-29T18:21:00.000-06:00

This draft thing got me thinking... And with my incredible ingenuity, I tied an assignment from one of my political science classes into an outlet for my blog... sorta. I wrote a letter to one of my Senators, telling him that: The draft is wrong, Why it's wrong, and What we should do about it. As I look back on the finished masterpiece, I realize just how glorious it is. Well, at least to me. Feel free to critique if you'd like. If the critique is good, I may change it before I send it off. Well, in all it's glory, here it is:

The Honorable U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

RE: Reinstatement of the draft

Dear Senator Dorgan:

I am writing to you today because I am concerned about New York Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel’s policy suggestion of reinstating the military draft. As an American soldier and Political Science major at the University of North Dakota, this issue affects me greatly. I am a member of the US military because I want to serve my country. Much like you serve the country in the political spectrum, I am a patriot and want to serve my country by fighting for the freedoms we enjoy on a daily basis. For the most part, citizens who oppose the draft are avoiding military service. I oppose the draft for an entirely different reason: We, as military servicemen, don’t need draftees to fight the war on terrorism. I am not comfortable with the idea of putting my life in the hands of someone who was unwilling to volunteer and had to be forced into the fight. I would not want to be the head of the Democratic Policy Committee if some of my members were unmotivated citizens with no knowledge of politics forced into the position. It would make the job a lot more difficult. The only difference is, my life would not be on the line.

The idea that a military draft will shatter class distinctions is demonstrably wrong. Not because it won’t work, but because there is no class distinction in the military. There already is unity. The idea that the military is made up of the poor and uneducated is ridiculous. In fact, more than 90 percent of recruits last year had high school diplomas, compared to 75 percent of the U.S. youth population. The military population is almost perfectly represented geographically, and recruits mirror the class levels of the U.S. population as well. As a matter of fact, the majority of recruits come from middle class families. Patterns in recent years reinforce this trend, showing a slight dip in recruits from lower socioeconomic groups and a slight increase from upper-class groups. As you can see, the need for a draft to shatter class distinctions in the military is unjustified.

I understand that troops are stretched thin. Instead of creating more troops for future conflicts, I think we should finish the fights we are in now. During my year in Iraq, I learned that the troops are not able to fully do their duty. The war has become political and we cannot fight a political war. Using war to gain political power hurts our mission. The troops are what are important because they are citizens of our great country. Decisions should be made on behalf of what the citizens want, not what is going to win the most votes. Using troops in mass to force policy issues and create democracy out of thin air is preposterous. Limiting a soldier’s freedom at war is detrimental to his ability to complete his mission. I was trained to fight. I was not trained to police an insurgency, especially with my hands tied behind my back in regards to rules of engagement and rights of self defense. The soldiers on the ground, patrolling every day, are wishing to make it back to the base without a firefight. That saddens me. We are a superior military force. When young men and women are scared to defend their lives because they are in fear of making a wrong decision, I begin to wonder why these rules of war exist. If the enemy does not have to obey the rules, why do we? Are we really better than the enemy? Is it worth the cost of American lives to be better than the enemy? Is it worth the cost of my life? I believe we should let our mighty military do what they do and crush the enemy. We could add troops until the world ends, but if they have to fight with their hands tied, the stalemate will continue. The draft will only add bodies to the problem at hand. There are more than enough troops in our vast military to take on any insurgency presented to us, so long as we hit the enemy head on. We should end this war the only way wars end, and that is with violence and speed of action. I urge you to finish the war on terrorism in Iraq by allowing us volunteer, motivated soldiers to do as we are trained and crush the insurgency. As you know, we as Americans can and will make a difference. It’s time to stand up and take care of business.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.

Sincerely,

Smitty :-)

If you want my opinion....and even if you don't:

2006-11-29T13:39:00.000-06:00

I don't want a draft. Our military is fine as is. Take it from a soldier. Take it from a soldier who has been there. We don't need more troops. We need a better plan. You can execute a shitty plan perfectly and it'll work. Hence the success we see on a daily basis. But to be truly successful, you need a well executed good plan. And to win this war, we need a better plan. You want my plan? Well, maybe I'll give it sometime. It's alot to write.
But take it from me. DRAFT = NO GOOD
I'll go back again if that's what they need. Hell, I'd rather live there with guys who want to be there, than serve with people who don't.

So... No Draft. Period.

Free Book For The Troops!

2006-11-28T19:12:00.000-06:00

John Scalzi has done it again. Last year he made a special electronic edition of Old Man's War available for free to people serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Well, he's done it again this year with his book The Ghost Brigades. If you haven't read either of these, then you should. They are both wonderful military science fiction books and each of them are stand alone reads. I would recommend reading Old Man's War before The Ghost Brigades. but it doesn't really matter, since it's only a follow up. And if you are currently serving, then go HERE to learn how to get your free copy.

God Bless America...

Well, I'm happy!

2006-11-14T12:38:00.000-06:00

One small step for man... One giant foot preparing to squash Illegal Immigration?

If you follow the link and notice the picture of "Arturo Peralta" holding a sign that reads... "Why can't our families stay?"
Okay, I'll answer it for you "Atruro"... Because they are here illegally! Now leave.

My views on illegal immigration are simple. It's ILLEGAL!!! Holy christ people. Why don't we debate illegal murder? Or illegal theft? For F**CKs sake! I get waaaay too worked up. So I froth at the mouth, spout obscenities at the general public, and I come up with a solution. Here it is in all it's glory...

My solution:

Pull our 35,000 or so troops from Korea and bolster the Mexico/US border. I'm not a military genius and I only pretend to be when I've been drinking, so in my sober glory, here are the logistics:
The situation in N.Korea is not as hostile as CNN wants you to believe.
"While it would be foolish not to be gravely concerned about North Korea's purported development of an offensive nuclear capability, the actual threat for the foreseeable future is, arguably, minimal."
Defense Tech had a nice little piece about that Popular Mechanics article telling us that we should be more worried about chemical weapons. I'm getting off track though.
Here's the deal. North Korea isn't a huge problem. Take our troops from N. Korea and emplace them along the Mexican border. Pass more Welfare Reform, and use the savings to build some Army/Air Force bases along the border. Build State of the Art outposts at 10 mile intervels equipped with our best surveillance equipment. Employ Long Range Surveillance teams. Patrol 24/7. Enforce strict border laws. For example: Have strict curfews. Have 100% on the spot ID checking. Loosen ROE. (Rules of Engagement). Someone runs... Shoot 'em. Forget Jailing - Law breakers should be shot and buried on the spot (okay, i'm stretching here). Think about it, not only would the troops love the job, but it would climatize them for the inevitable trips back to the middle east. We would be a lean mean fighting machine. Coupled with the stretched thin Border Patrol, we would have COMPLETE control of OUR OWN BORDER! Sounds too good to be true doesn't it?

Now, I'm not stupid. Politically most of my ideas would never work, but hell something has to change. I'm sure most people would agree with me there. And really, my idea is not too far fetched. You want far fetched?

Here's the second part: The President makes a public anouncement. Broadcast nationwide on TV, radio, flyers, etc. "Illegal Immigrants have 3 weeks to leave. Pack up your shit and get the hell out of our country. Too hard? Don't know how? Easy. Leave the same way you came. Tunnels, swimming, pick-up trucks, I don't care. Get out. When the three week window is up, if you are caught in our country illegally, you will be executed on the spot by whoever finds you. Tell your friends... the countdown starts today."
Hmmmm.... This could be good. Where do I sign up?

Remember Our Veterans Today

2006-11-11T11:12:00.000-06:00

Happy Veterans Day Everyone.

"Whoever does not have the stomach for this fight, let him depart.
Give him money to speed his departure since we wish not to die in
that man's company. Whoever lives past today and comes home safely
will rouse himself every year on this day, show his neighbor his
scars, and tell embellished stories of all their great feats of
battle. These stories will teach his son and from this day until
the end of the world we shall be remembered. We few, we happy few,
we band of brothers; for whoever has shed his blood with me shall
be my brother. And those men afraid to go will think themselves
lesser men as they hear of how we fought and died together."

-Shakespeare's Henry V

Remember the Fighting, Remember the Fallen, and Thank God that such Americans exist.

Interesting spin...

2006-11-10T11:34:00.000-06:00

Here is an interesting spin on the loss of the House and Senate by a pretty smart guy. David Post a professor of law at Temple who writes at The Volokh Conspiracy, had this to say:

"Happiness Is . . .

. . . divided government. I must say that I'm pretty happy about Tuesday's results, because it returns us to the state in which I think we function best: with Congress and the Presidency in the hands of different parties. It's more common than one might suppose; in 34 of the 54 years since Eisenhower was elected for his first term ('52), at least one branch of Congress was in hands different than the executive branch, and for my money the years in which that has not been the case (60-68, 76-80, 93-94, and 2001-06) have not been distinguished by great statesmanship or great policy-making. It's something of a cliche, I know, but it's also true -- when the government's divided, everybody is fighting for the Center, and the Center is the place, in my book, where solutions are most likely to be found to most problems (if they can be found at all).
[Welfare reform is probably the best illustration of the phenomenon; Clinton never gets that through a Democratic Congress, because it pisses off too many of the Democrats' core constituents. But they need the Center -- and now, 10 years on, it looks like they've got it -- temporarily, at least].
It is weird -- to me, anyway -- to contemplate that this result is precisely the one that parliamentary systems cannot ever reach (because by definition the executive and legislative branches must all be in the same hands)."

Interesting to say the least... I think I'd rather my party still have control, but that is an optimistic spin on a bad situation.

Cartoon Time!

2006-11-09T10:39:00.000-06:00

Thank you Jim Huber...

His prediction has become a reality according to Yahoo news.

"The president joked that he had given House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, in line to become the first female speaker of the House, the name of a Republican interior decorator to help her pick out drapes for her new office. The comment was poke at the California Democrat's pre-election remark about having her pick of Capitol suites."

I'm spiraling downward into a deep depression as I wait for our Country to implode. Thank Goodness our Republican President still has Veto power.

Must read essay...

2006-11-08T12:21:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure how I missed this, but Austin Bay had a couple exerpts on Monday from James Q. Wilson's wonderful essay about media coverage of the war. Read the entire thing here. Grab a cup of coffee though, it's a long one.

The Day After...

2006-11-08T10:01:00.000-06:00

"I, for one, welcome our new Democratic overlords"

Kidding...
I'm actually sulking a bit right now. It's not official and for the most part we're in for weeks of squabbling, but it appears as if the Dems have gained control of the House, and possibly the Senate. Do I think we're in for worlds of change? No. I really don't. The country is running efficiently and effectively, and I don't foresee any way that Democrat control in the House and Senate can change that. There will be alot of talking, whining and finger pointing, I'm sure.

I still don't get it though... What issues did the Democrats run on this year? Well, besides opposing everything the Republican party does.... That's right, nothing. In the long run, that's not good for the parties future. But it also makes me feel as if the Republicans lost this election as much as the Democrats won it.
Will this "loss" make it easier for Republicans to prevail in the "real" election in 2008? Hopefully Conservatives can spin their unhappiness over the next two years into a "need for change" and put up a good fight in the next elections.
I guess we'll wait and see. And so starts the 2008 race. Go.

Here is a roundup of what everyone else is saying:

This from Michelle Malkin about how Conservatism did not lose...

The GOP lost. Conservatism prevailed. "San Francisco values" may control the gavels in Congress, but they do not control America.

Property rights initiatives limiting eminent domain won big. MCRI, the anti-racial preference measure, passed resoundingly.

Congressman Tom Tancredo, the GOP's leading warrior against illegal immigration-- opposed by both the open-borders Left and the open- borders White House-- won a fifth term handily.

Gay marriage bans won approval in 3 states. And as of this writing, the oil tax initiative, Prop. 87-- backed by deep-pocketed Hollywood libs, is trailing badly in California.

John Kerry's late-campaign troop smear galvanized bloggers and talk radio hosts, but it was not strong enough to overcome wider bipartisan voter doubts about Iraq.

And here is a GREAT roundup from Pajamas Media: Links galore that will have you stuck at your desk all day.

... And with all that said I head back to class. Back to Liberal professors and how horrible ~~Hitler~~ Bush is. Sometimes I really hate college.

---UPDATE---

I just came across this wonderful piece by Bill Whittle at Eject! Eject! Eject!

He hasn't had much to say as of late, but today he has decided that:
"As for me, I pledge to re-enter the fight with more energy, not less, and to continue to try to make the case I think needs to be made. I'll start on that tomorrow."

And he ends with:
"Welcome to the process of exhausting all other possibilities. This is where we separate the men from the boys. Pick a line and stand in it."

Amen.

Hmmm... Dirty tricks by the Dems? Heavens No!

2006-11-07T18:09:00.000-06:00

You can find a collection of the dirty deeds at Gateway Pundit.

What really bothers me about the Democratic party right now is that they don't STAND FOR ANYTHING. There is a glaring lack of policy issues on the Left at this point in time. I'm not very religious and I am not necessarily against abortion, but I am a republican. The Democratic party has nothing to offer me besides whining, crying, and control of the media. It seems that they spend an inordinate amount of time and money attempting to make the Republican party look bad. I don't get it. And now they have resorted to cheating?!?! I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that this is a good thing for the Conservative party. The Dems are losing their grip. Whether it's locking doors, preselecting democrats on the voting machines, or the babbling John Kerry stirring up some new atrocity. The left wishes to see America’s destruction, by unraveling everything that our ancestors fought and died for. It reminds me of a death wish, which is why the famed Michael Savage calls Liberalism a mental disease, and I couldn't agree more. The "liberal elites" are going to learn a hard lesson in politics soon. There are more and more people like myself participating and voicing our opinions.

That's why I am trying to educate anyone I can. Sooner or later the idiots will realize how wrong they are and will come running to the Right side. (pun intended)

And for me... The sooner the better.

For anyone passing by...

2006-11-07T16:58:00.000-06:00

I'm gonna try to start blogging more. I've got things to say, and you all should listen. Well, I guess you don't have to... but I would appreciate it. I make good points, and I do good research. So... enjoy the ride.

Here is something I found at The Fast Squirrel: I'm not sure how this trackback system works, but here is the LINK.

Couple more things:

One is a quote that I find humorous:

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."
- Sir Stephen Henry Roberts (1901-1971)

The other is something my Father sent me today about the Liberal Media Bias:

Two Papers in One!

"The labor market for American workers is continuing to improve, the latest government statistics showed yesterday, with job growth advancing in recent months and the unemployment rate falling last month to the lowest level since May 2001. In a report that eased concerns that economic growth might be faltering, the Labor Department reported yesterday that the jobless rate, seasonally adjusted, dropped in October to 4.4 percent, from 4.6 percent in September."--NEWS STORY, New York Times, Nov. 4

"The latest information about the economy leaves no question that it has slowed down by just about every measure--housing and manufacturing, retail sales and job growth, and others. Even the recent increase in compensation is generally believed to be a sign of coming layoffs, not a harbinger of wage inflation. When business dries up at firms and factories, employers don't cut back immediately. So for a time, pay and benefits hang in there. As for the recent improvement in the unemployment rate, sorry to say, it's an aberration. The job market won't turn up in any meaningful way when the overall direction of the economy is down."--EDITORIAL, New York Times, Nov. 4

Published the same day... That's just sick.

Oh, and I hope you all voted!

Summer update for anyone still looking...

2006-06-20T10:58:00.000-05:00

Politics aside, I love the USA. It's great to be free. I am a changed man since returning from my mission. I've grown up and I've learned to see things in perspective.
I finished my first semester of school since returning from Iraq. I ended up with a 3.0 GPA. I could have done better, but I'll say I was still adjusting to being home. I've caught up with all my friends and family and I've done almost everything I had planned on doing when I returned.
I have less sympathy and more aggression to anti-war protesters, and you'd better believe I was one of the many standing proud surrounding the church when SPC Micheal Hermenson was buried in Fargo, ND. I made sure that his family and friends didn't have to hear or see the whacko's from westboro baptist church. I'd like to punch them all square in the throat. If people only knew. I'm not sure if the anti-war people are certifiably insane (ala kim jong il) or if they really are that ignorant. It makes me sick that I defended their right to do things like that. Oh well. That's my job and I'd do it again. Speaking of which, I'm itching to go back. I've got two years of school left, and I really want to finish before I do more military, but I have some training lined up through my unit. I will be attending Air Assault school this fall, and I might take an ADSW job in Fort Benning where I would be able to attend Army Ranger school. Whatever I decide to do, I will always do my best and make everyone who knows me proud.

Wish me luck in the coming years and hopefully soon I will be on foreign soil once again fighting for the freedoms we all enjoy without a second thought.

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry

2005-12-20T15:04:00.000-06:00

Haha, can I say sorry one more time?

I'm home, safe and sound. My company sent 100 men to war. We returned with 100 healthy men. For the most part we were unscathed. The reason I quit blogging was chain of command. There are new rules about blogging, and I was fed up with waiting three weeks and having my stories picked apart. I'll post once in a while to keep everyone updated, but Iraq is over for me. I find it hard to watch the news. I'm tired of seeing so many horrible things in the media. I never realized how biased the media is. Bad things happen everywhere. The good outweighs the bad in Iraq by a considerable margin. Someone on TV needs to realize that. I guess that's another reason I won't be blogging alot. I'm a political science major and I'm going to try to win my war on the home front. There are plenty of liberals here that need to be kicked in the groin. I'm here to provide that service.

I'll keep you all updated.
Tell your family how much you love them and wish everyone a Merry Christmas from me.

-Smith

I'll bet you all thought I went home!

2005-09-10T01:17:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay, but I've got another story and a few pictures for you. I told you I'd write about our FOB here, and that's exactly what I did...

What is a FOB? Well, it stands for Forward Operating Base. It’s a collection of things, and life can vary quite a bit depending upon which FOB you are residing on. As for my FOB, we have a good life. Our FOB is about 50 square miles. It’s quite large. We have a major “airport”, a large chow hall, and lots of soldiers. There are both Army and Air Force personnel stationed here. We are separate, but equal. We have both an Army and an AF gym. We have a PX which stocks all sorts of things; Groceries, snacks, shoes, clothing, personal hygiene supplies, magazines, books, DVD’s, electronics, video games, minor appliances, just about anything you could need. The foreigners on base operate a massage parlor, a beauty parlor, a barber shop, a rug shop, and a miscellaneous shop. Once a month we have what’s called a “bazaar”. I’m not sure what the word means, but they allow Iraqi’s on base to sell us things from the market place. You can find anything and everything. We have a Burger King, and a Pizza Hut for when you tire of the DFAC (dining facility). *Most* of the soldiers avoid those places and opt for a nutritional meal, but some people have jobs where health isn’t an issue. If I ate burgers for lunch every day, I think I’d keel over and die in the heat on a hot day. The weather here is cooling down. Our 140 degree days have been replaced with 110 degree days. Now, I have been here for quite a while, 110 here feels like 85 back home. It’s hot, but not unbearable. It’s getting cooler and my time here is getting shorter, so I think I can put up with anything. When it gets really hot on our off days, we like to swing by the pool. Yeah, that’s right, there is a pool here. Chlorinated and clean, we swim almost once a week. For the brief couple of hours at the pool, you “almost” feel like a civilian again. Guys here will do all sorts of crazy things so that they don’t forget they are human. One of my roommates and I each have a pair of comfortable sweatpants from Old Navy. We wear them frequently when in our CHU. I also like to put on a baseball hat and forget that I should be wearing a Kevlar helmet. It’s the little things that keep us sane. I like to clean my own clothes as well. KBR has a laundry service, but the mass laundry system just isn’t for me. There is a do it yourself laundry mat nearby, so I like to walk there and relax while my clothes are cleaned by “mountain fresh Tide”. And the “snuggles” dryer sheets keep my clothes smelling just like Mom used to do them.
Everyone likes to keep in touch with their families and friends, so we are provided with a couple of “internet/phone centers” on the FOB. You can use calling cards and talk to your family and friends, or you can log onto the computer and type an email, or check out some milblogs. Technology is something I’ll never take for granted after this experience. Like I’ve said before, we do a lot of odd things to pass the time. Lighting things on fire, playing with knives and swords, and causing all sorts of destruction and mayhem. We are just like a bunch of schoolyard boys.
There are two separate hospitals here. The EMEDS clinic is run by the Air Force and is top notch. I’ve read it all over the blogsphere, and I can’t argue, the US military has the greatest surgeons we could ever ask for. It’s a relief, if not a small comfort to know when we go out, that if something bad happens we can rely on the people waiting here to care for us. It makes our job just a bit easier. Besides, the AF techs are a bunch of cuties, and what can numb pain better than a pretty face?
Speaking of that, there are not many females here. It’s tough as a male, because the lack of females and the rules against hanging out with them deter us from seeking relationships, yet they are here, so we can’t parade around naked and do all the “macho guy” things we’d like to do. It’s a catch 22. There are worse things though, so we don’t think about it too much.

I can’t really think of what else you would like to know about, so leave me a comment, and I’ll answer any questions you have of Army life in Iraq. That’s all I’ve got for now. See you all soon.

Here are some quality pictures...

Here's a young boy who's happy we're here

One of our NCO's with a couple kurdish boys

An Apache escort on one of our trips to Tikrit

This is me kneeling at the range

A young Iraqi boy with some IA soldiers in the background during a raid

UPDATE: again...

2005-08-16T05:27:00.000-05:00

Just letting everyone know that things are fine here. I'm working on some more posts, and I need to get them approved so I can post them, but there will be more to come. I've just been a bit preoccupied as of late. Eh, it's life. So yeah, Iraq is still here. It's still hot. And I'm still charging hard.

What's it like in Iraq? I'll tell you...

2005-08-02T20:22:00.000-05:00

10July05

I’d like to talk a little more about life in Iraq. I will “paint you a picture” if you will. I will post in installments, to keep you waiting for more.

To start things off, I’ll talk about our living conditions. I live in a 22’x8’ CHU (containerized housing unit). It looks like a small trailer with walls covered on the outside my stacked green sandbags. There are two windows, but they are covered by sandbags. I have two roommates. Things are a little squished in here. Our beds are lofted about 5 feet in the air, so we can “hang out” underneath. It gives us a bit more room, and makes it more livable here. The linoleum floor is covered in cheap rugs to form “carpet”. Furniture is comprised of folding chairs and anything we can build with wood and screws. My shoddy computer desk is made of cheap wood. I’m sitting on a folding stool as I comprise this masterpiece. Already it sounds bad. It’s not. We have power. Our generator likes to shut off in the afternoons, and we trudge out to coax him into running. Although I wouldn’t want to run in 140 degree weather either, so I’m not angry about it. KBR (Kellogg brown and root) our contractor on base, is working on a power grid to rid of the generators. Now for the good news. We have great AC. That is the number one priority of the KBR staff. You will not go 1 hour without your AC functioning properly. I think we’d die without AC anyways. I have internet on my laptop here in my CHU. My roommates and I collectively have a 29inch TV with a PS2 hooked up to it, a 13 inch TV with cable (AFN) and an Xbox. We have a refrigerator constantly stocked with diet coke, water, and lunch meat. We have a microwave so we can cook our soup, and Dinty Moore meals. We have a hot water heater for our tea, cappuccino, and Easy Mac. I own almost 200 DVD’s, and combined with Knel’s 30, and Foy’s 100, we keep constantly entertained watching movies. As I am writing, my roomies are watching “closer”. I recently watched “Batman Begins” and the "Wedding Crashers". The Iraqi’s don’t have anti-piracy laws yet, or they are not enforced. We can buy DVD’s from them for 5 dollars. When new movies are released in the theatres, pirated copies will show up here for our viewing pleasure.
Our room is wallpapered. Not with common wallpaper, but with pictures of women out of magazines. We have quite a collection. Whenever someone is done reading a magazine, we borrow it for the pictures. We are actually running out of wall space, so we are taking down all the cards and letters people have sent…just kidding. My parents have sent me a few reminders from home. I’ve got a Green Bay Packers pillow, baseball hat, coffee mug, and sign. I’ve got a Detroit Pistons t-shirt hanging up on the wall. We bought one of those fisher price magnetic erasable message boards. We write something clever on it almost every day.
I have lots of paperback books. I’ve read about 30 novels since we’ve been here. It’s not that I’m that bored, it’s just that I like to read.
Our average day isn’t really average. Every day is an adventure. Today for instance I awoke early for my PT test, and then I showered, got dressed, and started writing this. I’m making some lunch right now in my microwave. It’s our day off today, so I’m not sure what to do. I was thinking of going to the pool. Yes, we have a pool here.
I’m sure I’ll just end up watching a movie and playing some poker. One of our favorite pastimes is poker. It’s not so much about the cards as it is the time together. It’s kind of like therapy. We can talk about things that we wouldn’t in different situations. Thick skin is a must to play at our table. No matter anyone’s opinion on a person, we all love each other. We are brothers in arms. We’d die for each other. You will never understand the relationships you build at war unless you are there. I thought I understood from watching movies and being in the service, but I really had no idea. It’s a feeling that you didn’t know you had. That’s why it’s so hard to describe and talk about when you get home. You didn’t know you could feel like that. It’s not ecstasy, nor a revelation of any sort. It’s just a feeling, sometimes good, sometimes bad. But always different from anything you have ever felt before.

Life is good here. Sure there are things that suck. That’s life. You just deal with it. Many men have come before me and endured hardships I couldn’t imagine. This is my way of saying thanks.

That’s all I’ve got for today. I’ll write about our FOB (forward operating base) and our gear next time. I’ll start it soon.

Check in often, thanks for everything, and keep supporting the troops.

Typical day on the ground

2005-07-28T11:26:00.000-05:00

9July2005

We’ve been busy, busy, busy. Early mornings, long days, and hot weather (135F on Sunday) were my companions these past few days. We are now going on missions with the IA. They do raids with coalition forces help, and we watch them to make sure they don’t mess up. Our goal is to approve them as “ready to go on their own” so that coalition forces can leave the country to the Iraqi security forces. We performed around 4 raids these past few days, back to back. We searched around 12 villages, some as large as 8,000 people. We cordoned them off and searched each and every house. We found LOTS of stuff. I’m sure we have prevented countless deaths throughout the country. We blew up a cache of weapons the first day that consisted of a dozen RPG’s, over 200 mortar and rocket rounds, 3 AK47’s, thousands of rounds of ammo, Motorola radios for detonating IED’s, spools of wire, and other IED making materials. The next couple days were more of the same. I’m not sure how many people we detained, but it should have been a lot more. It’s tough with the IA because they will tell their buddies we are coming, and we find that a lot of terrorists are long gone by the time we get there. You know how quickly word spreads in small towns. We are working to rectify the situation though, so it won’t be a problem for long.

I’m still uninjured and our battery has faired extremely well. Not a single injury yet. We have had some close calls, but so far, your prayers and well wishes have done us good. Keep them coming please, I’d like to see us end our deployment just like we got here.

That’s really about it. It’s been quite boring besides the weekly action of a planned raid, or cordon. Most of us enjoy the action, but we all are just anxious to get home. Our primary mission is finished. We have trained and equipped an entire battalion of Iraqi soldiers. I can attest to the fact that the 4th Iraqi Army Battalion is the best trained battalion in the Iraqi Army. They are doing well, have lost no one, and have a couple kills and many arrests. Let’s hope they can keep this country like it is, and finish off the rest of the crazy terrorists.

One more plug before I finish. Things are good here. Regardless of what you hear on the news. The terrorists are losing, and losing bad. If you can’t see that, you need to open your eyes. They have resorted to such cowardly tactics as suicide bombers targeting civilians. Civilians! What did the civilians ever do to the terrorists? Nothing. But it doesn’t matter. The terrorists are only here (from other countries mind you) to create havoc. It’s not working too well. For every huge explosion you see on CNN, there were probably two dozen that were prevented by quick thinking, hard working soldiers. You don’t hear about that on the news though. You don’t hear about the 18 year old machine gunner who shot a suspicious vehicle trying to enter their convoy which turned out to be an attempted suicide bomber. This hero is not on CNN for saving the lives of fellow soldiers and Iraqi civilians alike. You don’t hear about how many lives were saved when the Iraqi army raided a small village and destroyed hundreds of would be IED’s. No, that is not news my friends. But when some pus nuts friggin terrorist blows up innocent people in the middle of a market, you are told by the media that we are losing the war and that we shouldn’t be here. Well, we should. When you work with these people daily, you see what the hard work is doing. When the kids are anxious to go to school to learn about the world around them, you realize that we should be here. I hope the trend continues, and that the terrorists run out of cowardly suicide volunteers. Can there be that many stupid people around? Iraq doesn’t have any left. Neither does Iran. These terrorists are from Syria, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, ect. I hope the people fight back. They are starting to, believe me. Yesterday we were tipped off by a man in the village about a house that had already been searched. When soldiers went back inside to search more carefully a cleverly hidden sniper rifle was found. How many people had this terrorist killed? How many would he have killed had we not been tipped off? A big thanks goes out to that civilian. That Arab wants to see his country make something of it’s self. I do too. And you know what, I think it will.

I hope those of you that disagree with me take a moment to realize how right I am. If you still don’t agree, I’ve got a spot here for you. You can be an E-4 in the US Army. You can work with these people every day. You can drive around and fire my machine gun. Please do. I’d like to go home and see my family.

"Look what we found!"

"A shot through my NVG's (night vision goggles)"

"Iraqi Army soldiers"

"Myself on the right with two of my good buddies"

UPDATE: One more time...

2005-07-28T10:39:00.000-05:00

Well, time for another update.

Well, I'm doing good and time is running down. It's now time to start thinking about packing and making plans for next year and such. Only a couple months left. It's quite awhile actually, but for what we've been through already, nothing will stop us from making it home.

I'm not very religious, but I did see a neat bible verse that I liked from the book of Isaiah that I'd like to share. It kind of defines my personality. The whole "I don't want to do it, but I don't see anyone volunteering for it" mentality.

“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
Then I said “Here am I! Send me.”

-Isaiah 6:8

I really like that. I hope you do to.

Oh yeah.... It's my birthday!

2005-07-19T14:26:00.000-05:00

What a birthday present, my internet is back in action. It had been MIA the last week for various reasons. Well, happy birthday to me.
This is the third year in a row that I've "missed" a birthday because of the military. I'm sure there will be many more, so i'm not too concerned. Great memories though...
My 21st was probably the most fun. My guard unit got the opportunity to train with some british soldiers in Scotland. We spent around two weeks there. We did about a week of training and a week of absolute, crazy, Scottish style drinking. It was a blast. Unfortunately my 21st fell in the middle of our 4 day FTX (field training exercise). At midnight when I turned the big 21, I was sitting in an LP/OP (listening post/observation post) waiting for the always possible enemy ambush. Oh what fun. Ever seen midges? Imagine mosquitos the size of nats. Yeah, they suck. Anywhoo, good memories. Christmas of this year, I spent half of my day burning poo. I swear to God. We were living with some Iraqi Army soldiers in a small town and had a "homemade" toilet. We pooped in a cut off barrel. Yep, we burnt it. Just like in the old days. Man, I've already got good stories, and I'm still a young pup. Imagine what it'll be like 15 years from now. I can't wait.

Here's a picture of the pooper. Yep, that's me with flaming poo. (25Dec2004)

Detroit Pistons new coach?

2005-07-19T14:06:00.000-05:00

I'm excited.
Speculation mounts as the Detroit Pistons have "bought out" or "fired" Larry Brown. However you want to look at it, he is no longer the head coach of the Pistons. The lone candidate for Brown's replacement is Flip Saunders, the 50 year old from Ohio. He was Mr. Basketball in Ohio, and played for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in college. He spent 9 solid seasons as the coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is a proven winner, yet his team lost in the 1st round of the playoffs 7 straight years. That's tough. The reason I am most excited about this possible transaction is Flip's work with a skinny 6'11" center/power forward named Kevin Garnett. Flip made him an all-star. Can he do the same with Darko Milicic, the Pistons #2 overall pick from three years ago? Joe Dumars is going to make the call... and he's not wrong very often.
Go Pistons!

UPDATE:

2005-07-16T05:49:00.000-05:00

Hey all... My internet has been down lately. I'm trying to rectify the situation, then I'll start posting regularily again. I'm still waiting approval for my stories, and i'm in the process of writing two more. Be patient and you will be rewarded.

Check out this post at the Belmont Club

2005-07-12T05:13:00.000-05:00

This is a great post (titled "Two points of view") which links to another great writing at the State Of Flux.
They both have some great views on the terror attacks in London. Also linked to at the Belmont Club is Michael Ledeen at the NRO. He thinks we need to look at the big picture when exploring terrorism. I agree with him and am guilty of microanalyzing the situation myself. It's something I'll think about in the future.
Great reading though if you have the time.

Read this poem

2005-07-11T15:19:00.000-05:00

I recieved this email today and I had to share it. It's old, but I've never read it.

This is a poem being sent from a marine to his Dad. For those who take the time to read it you'll see a letter from him to his Dad at the bottom. It makes you truly thankful for not only the Marines, but ALL of our troops.

THE MARINE

We all came together,
Both young and old
To fight for our freedom,
To stand and be bold.

In the midst of all evil,
We stand our ground,
And we protect our country
From all terror around.

Peace and not war,
Is what some people say.
But I'll give my life,
So you can live the American way.

I give you the right
To talk of your peace.
To stand in your groups,
And protest in our streets.

But still I fight on,
I don't bitch, I don't whine.
I'm just one of the people
Who is doing your time.

I'm harder than nails,
Stronger than any machine.
I'm the immortal soldier,
I'm a U.S. MARINE!

So stand in my shoes,
And leave from your home.
Fight for the people who hate you,
With the protests they've shown.

Fight for the stranger,
Fight for the young.
So they all may have,
The greatest freedom you've won.

Fight for the sick,
Fight for the poor,
Fight for the cripple,
Who lives next door.

But when your time comes,
Do what I've done.
For if you stand up for freedom,
You'll stand when the fight's done.

By: Corporal Aaron M. Gilbert, US Marine Corps
USS SAIPAN, PERSIAN GULF

Here is the email:

March 23, 2003

Hey Dad,

Do me a favor and label this "The Marine" and send it to everybody on your email list. Even leave this letter in it. I want this rolling all over the US; I want every home reading it. Every eye seeing it. And every heart to feel it. So can you please send this for me? I would, but my email time isn't that long and I don't have much time anyway. You know what Dad? I wondered what it would be like to truly understand what JFK said in his inaugural speech.

"When the time comes to lay down my life for my country, I do not cower from this responsibiblity. I welcome it."

Well, now I know. And I do. Dad, I welcome the opportunity to do what I do. Even though I have left behind a beautiful wife, and I will miss the birth of our first born child, I would do it 70 times over to fight for the place that God has made my home. I love you all and I miss you very much. I wish I could be there when Sandi has our baby, but tell her that I love her, and Lord willing, I will be coming home soon. Give Mom a great big hug from me and give one to yourself too.
Aaron

I don't think I'm going to buy an Apple

2005-07-11T14:51:00.000-05:00

I've been back and forth a million times on what computer to buy when I return stateside. The laptop I currently own is a piece of you know what. It's a pretty basic model Toshiba. I didn't want all the bells and whistles, so I went with the lower model. Well, now my screen is cracked, my wireless switch is broken, my power cord input is messed up (i have to keep pressure via duct tape on the cord for my 'puter to charge), and some of the keys are sticking. I've taken good care of it too. It's always clean and dusted. Oh well.

Anyways, I was thinking of replacing it with an Apple G5 desktop. This year Apple will be using the Intel processors. That will be kick ass.

Here's my problem. I have an Ipod (doesn't everybody?). My click wheel started acting up on me about 6 months after I bought it. It was progressively getting worse. I would have to turn the lock on, and then off, for the wheel to work. That was fine for awhile. Then it started freezing. I would have to plug it into my computer or a charger for it to turn on. Then I lost all my files... twice. Then when things couldn't get any worse I went on my leave to Germany. Somewhere along the way, with my Ipod in my front pocket (in it's Apple brand hard case), the screen got cracked in the corner. WTF!?!? It was in a case. I didn't sit on it. It was okay though, because I could still see the letters on the screen. Then to top it off the click wheel quit working in it's entirety. No click wheel. I could select, music, playlists, and then my first playlist. My 400 dollar MP3 player was reduced to a 100 song shuffle player. When I returned to Iraq, I sent it home to my father to take care of. My good friend is a real Apple man (and the reason I'm considering an apple) and he said he'd help my dad with it.

That was in March. After 100 phone calls, 50 emails, and my father sending the Ipod in (only to be returned untouched) we got the final news today. (it really took 5 months...i'm not kidding you)

Apple says they won't cover it under warranty because whatever damaged the screen probably damaged the click wheel, and they don't cover LCD damage. (why not? Is it that bad?) Okay. That's fine with me for a number of reasons. But so what? It's a 400 dollar hard drive for pete's sake. You'd think something so expensive would have a little quality in it. How about a stronger screen? (I swear it was in the case, I have witnesses) How about a click wheel that works!!! I'd still be using it now. I give a poo about the stupid screen. The damn Ipod doesn't even work right. And to top it off, now I have to find a 3rd party to fix it. That's another thing that bothers me... Apple will do warranty work. Actually I doubt they cover anything anyway, but why can't they just fix it and send me the bill?! That would be convenience, and good service. But no... They just send it back without a word. (my dad had to plug it in to find out if it was fixed or not) They sent it back with no letter, no email, no phone call. Now, maybe I'm missing something from my end, but that sucks.

Does anyone know of any place that fixes Ipods? I could find one online, but if someone has experience somewhere, that would be good for me. Also, is this reason enough to just buy a Sony? Or should I give Apple another shot. (sans the whole software, compatibility, ease of use argument.... I can handle an Apple)

Let me know what you all think. I'm too angry/disappointed right now to make a decision.

Update:

2005-07-09T09:03:00.000-05:00

I've gotten approval from my chain of command to post all of my military stories and pictures. The catch is it has to run through the public affairs office, which is fine by me. That way there will be no OPSEC violations. I've got a couple stories and plenty of pictures just waiting approval that I'll post.

Just letting you all know what's to come.

Someone you should know, from Blackfive

2005-07-07T17:13:00.000-05:00

My oh my. This is what being a soldier is all about. Especially in the Special Operations field. What a great story of determination and will power.

London is attacked... Who is next?

2005-07-07T06:33:00.000-05:00

The link to the story is here, but I recommend reading the post on The Belmont Club. There is some very good insight and comments.

Check out these eye witness accounts from people who were there.

Will this help stifle the whines of the anti-war weenies? If someone doesn't take out these Jihadist whackos, who will? The more we arrest, or terminate, the less there are to recruit and train new terrorists to infiltrate our country. That, my friends, is why I'm here.

Great Keychain

2005-07-07T05:56:00.000-05:00

I recieved this keychain from a friend who got it sent to him. I think it's great. I checked out their website, but I was rerouted to a "domain for sale" site. Anybody know what happened to the website? I love the keychain slogan! I'd like to see a t-shirt made like that. I'm sure that would ruffle some feathers when I get home.
Here are the pictures of it:

This is the front

This is the back

Operation Beanie Baby

2005-07-07T05:29:00.000-05:00

A month or so ago, I saw a link on the Clear Channel website for "Operation Beanie Baby". Clear Channel had a ton of beanie babies to give away to the Iraqi children but not enough soldiers to do the handout. I immediately decided that I would be able to help out.

Well, I recieved my "package" today. I think there are about 50 beanie babies in it. Holy cow! There are gonna be alot of happy kids around Kirkuk these next couple of days. Enclosed was a letter about the operation. I'd like to share it with you.

850 KOA News Radio
"Operation Beanie Baby"

These beanie babies are a gift for you to give as a gift to the Iraqi children. Beanie babies were deployed from Denver, Colorado from Newsradio 850 KOA. More than 40,000 beanie babies were donated to Operation Beanie Baby.

These donated beanie babies come from a story about a member of a patrol who gave a Beanie Baby to a little Iraqi girl. A few days later, a patrol was coming by the little girl's home again and she was standing in the road. She refused to get out of their way. A soldier approached her and asked her why she was in the road. Clutching her Beanie Baby, she turned and pointed at an improvised explosive device (IED) she had seen terrorists plant along the patrol's intended route. This courageous little girl may have saved some American lives because an American military man had given her a Beanie Baby.

Thank you for our freedom and helping give a toy to a child in hopes of brightening their day.

Sincerely,

Newsradio 850KOA

What a good deal for myself and the Iraqi kids. You won't understand how gratifying it is to make a childs day here. You see how they live, with their mud huts and no shoes, and to be able to make them smile makes this whole deployment worth it for me. These kids are the future of Iraq. Let's hope they can make the best of what we are trying to do for them. This country can be great. It's all about the kids.

CIA leak case

2005-07-06T15:21:00.001-05:00

Check out this breaking story from Fox News...

Reporter takes a stand

Note to self, don't tell Matt Cooper a secret. Sounds to me like as soon as jail time was mentioned he opened right up. He says his source gave him a "waiver".

Should reporters be afforded protection while covering for their sources? Does freedom of speech come into play? I don't think it does when you are covering for a criminal. I thought it was illegal to aid criminals. If you cover for one, then you are aiding them. Right? You are helping them stay innocent after giving away a CIA employees identity. I think that is a crime. And as crazy as it sounds, not even reporters are above the law.

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald told a judge that "Journalists are not entitled to promise complete confidentiality, no one in America is,"

That sounds to me like these reporters committed a crime then.

From the article:
"Fitzgerald's ultimate goal, ostensibly, is not to punish the reporters for protecting their source, but to find and prosecute the source for unveiling a CIA operative's identity."

I think they are both guilty, but i'm no law student.

Here's the kicker:
"It is believed the leak can be traced back to within the Bush administration. Opponents of the Iraq war charge that the source leaked Plame's name in retaliation for Wilson's editorial."

Is this going to open up a debate? I'm sure there will be some name calling. The anti-war crowd will use anything to their advantage. I read about a group that blamed the war on homosexuals. Somewhere in Massechussetts. Some people....

Anywhoo, this should be a good one to keep an eye on.

Working hard?

2005-07-06T06:05:00.000-05:00

Pic of the day: One of our high speed Combat Life Savers administers an IV.

-Textbook stick-

A quick thanks

2005-07-06T04:47:00.000-05:00

I'd just like to thank everyone who has already been so helpful and encouraging. I figured I would have little if any impact in anybody's life. I was toying with the idea of a blog so that my friends and family back home would have a place to get current information on me, and see what kinds of crazy things are going on in my head. This is turning out to be much bigger than I ever expected.

So thank you. And a special thanks to those of you who have blogrolled me.

If you have any suggestions, or comments. Please, feel free to let me know. I'm new at this.

-Smith

If you want news from Iraq, look no further...

2005-07-06T04:10:00.000-05:00

There are some great pictures, and tons of news. Don't miss Pam's comments on one of Fred Kaplans rants.

I really wonder where this guy get's his info... "but the chiefs know..." Do they Fred? He must have interviewed them all in between Bush bashings.

Some people....

Anybody like science?

2005-07-05T14:10:00.000-05:00

I really enjoy science. I like it because it gives me explanations to questions I have. One important question would be: How did life arrive on earth? Well, some of the most brilliant minds in the world might find the answer with this new data stemming from the successful "impactor" mission by NASA. Once the outgassing stops, the scientists will be able to collect all of the data.

"Comets are made of gas, dust, organic material and ice from the solar system's farthest regions. Because they were not heated by the Sun during the formation of the solar system, comets retain the original chemical mixture from which the planets formed 4.6 billion years ago."

Sound interesting to you? Probably not. Alright, no more science posts.

You just watch though. This will turn out to be quite significant. You read it here first! Well, actually Reuters. I tried.

It's getting hot in here....

2005-07-05T09:10:00.000-05:00

The temperature was high the other day during a raid. You can see the temp there of 135F. The barometric pressure was 980 mbar. The time was 13:04. I set my watch on my 240B. I'm suprised it didn't melt.

2005-07-05T09:04:00.000-05:00

An unidentified soldier sits outside with the Flag in the foreground.

I don't hate Canada but....

2005-07-05T05:59:00.000-05:00

Sounds like she slipped through the system. I can't make personal comments on this case because I don't know her, but according to the evidence she should be picking up rocks in a Montreal prison still. I hope that nothing bad comes of this because that would cause quite an uproar of the Canadian judicial system, and I could see quite a reaction in the US as well.

Personally, I think our court system is inadequate and could use a good revamping anyway.

Defense official confirms: two US Soldiers found dead

2005-07-05T05:36:00.000-05:00

This is very sad news for the Special Operations community. My prayers go out to the families and friends of all these fine soldiers.

Just remember:

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died, rather
we should thank God that such men lived."

-General Patton

We will see how this all develops in the near future. We are also waiting for further news about the bombing of a suspected terrorist hideout near Kabul where it is reported civilians have been killed.

2005-07-05T04:19:00.000-05:00

This is me with a young Iraqi girl who is quite fond of M&M's.

Just getting started

2005-07-05T03:37:00.000-05:00

This is the first post.

Will it be the last post? Or will it be the first of many? As of right now, this is just a whim, but it might be the start of something big. Wait around and find out if you'd like.