Quick - Who are These People?

Navy Lt Michael Murphy
Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith
Cpl. Jason Dunham

OK, then. Quick - who are these people?
Britney Spears
Paris Hilton

My guess is you probably knew the latter names because of the incessant media exposure. My further guess is that unless you subscribe to military news, you never heard of the first three.

There is something fundamentally wrong with a media that extols spoiled, rich, substance abusing "celebrities" and neglects true heroes. Oliver North takes them to task in an article titled Real American Heroes.


That's all I have to say at the moment.

Update 11/05/2007. sorry about the broken link to Lt Murphy. It is now fixed.

News From the Front Lines

For whatever reason (probably another topic someday) the mainstream media (aka the alphabet networks and certain newspapers with national distribution) is slow to report any good news from Iraq or Afghanistan. You can go straight to the USCENTCOM home page or subscribe to news feeds from them or from Defense Link and get the official information. Of course, some distrust the government, so you could also go to the military blog site for videos.

If you prefer a non-government view, try Iraq The Model. This site provides commentary and insight on aspects of the conflict that are not reported elsewhere. Since the bloggers are also graduate students, they have begun posting less frequently, but what they say is worth reading. Then there is Michael Yon's excellent photojournalism.

For a lighter look at the war, one of my blogging buddies has posted excerpts from another real buddy currently serving in Iraq. You will enjoy it.

Phony Soldiers

The Democrats are up in arms over Rush Limbaugh saying two words ("phony soldiers") to a caller who was referring to the likes of Jesse MacBeth, Scott Thomas Beauchamp, and others. These people make up things to say about our troops and try to gain credibility by enhancing their military service, much like the Senator from North Vietnam and Tom Harkin. They are, in fact, phony soldiers attempting to steal the valor of our military.

Now, it is interesting to me who is leading this fight. Notice the names of the folks who voted AGAINST condemnation of MoveOn.org (previous article), and then note the names of those on the letter from Senator Reid.

Anybody surprised? Who do YOU think really "supports the troops"?

In case you missed the Congressional Response to the "Betray US" AD

MoveOn.org ran a subsidized ad in the New York times implying that General Petraeus could be called General "Betray Us".

In response, Senator John Cornyn (R-Tex) sponsored an amendment expressing support for the General and condemning the personal attacks.

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 110^th Congress - 1^st Session

as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

Vote Summary

Question: On the Amendment (Cornyn Amdt. No. 2934 )
Vote Number:	344	Vote Date:	September 20, 2007, 12:36 PM
Required For Majority:	3/5	Vote Result:	Amendment Agreed to
Amendment Number:	S.Amdt. 2934 to S.Amdt. 2011 to H.R. 1585 (National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008)
Statement of Purpose:	To express the sense of the Senate that General David H. Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, deserves the full support of the Senate and strongly condemn personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces.

Vote Counts:	YEAs	72
	NAYs	25
	Not Voting	3

You would think that would be a fairly straightforward proposition. The moveOn ad was despicable. Yet, there were 25 who voted against the resolution. Here are the names and votes. (Blue are Democrat or Independents who voted in favor of the resolution. Red are current or former Democrat Presidential candidates or Majority Leader):
Grouped By Vote Position

YEAs ---72
Alexander (R-TN) Allard (R-CO) Barrasso (R-WY) Baucus (D-MT) Bayh (D-IN) Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Brownback (R-KS) Bunning (R-KY) Burr (R-NC) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Coleman (R-MN) Collins (R-ME) Conrad (D-ND) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Craig (R-ID) Crapo (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC)	Dole (R-NC) Domenici (R-NM) Dorgan (D-ND) Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Feinstein (D-CA) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Gregg (R-NH) Hagel (R-NE) Hatch (R-UT) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johnson (D-SD) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Kyl (R-AZ) Landrieu (D-LA) Leahy (D-VT) Lieberman (ID-CT) Lincoln (D-AR) Lott (R-MS) Lugar (R-IN)	Martinez (R-FL) McCain (R-AZ) McCaskill (D-MO) McConnell (R-KY) Mikulski (D-MD) Murkowski (R-AK) Nelson (D-FL) Nelson (D-NE) Pryor (D-AR) Roberts (R-KS) Salazar (D-CO) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Smith (R-OR) Snowe (R-ME) Specter (R-PA) Stevens (R-AK) Sununu (R-NH) Tester (D-MT) Thune (R-SD) Vitter (R-LA) Voinovich (R-OH) Warner (R-VA) Webb (D-VA)

NAYs ---25
Akaka (D-HI) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Byrd (D-WV) Clinton (D-NY) Dodd (D-CT) Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI)	Harkin (D-IA) Inouye (D-HI) Kennedy (D-MA) Kerry (D-MA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Levin (D-MI) Menendez (D-NJ) Murray (D-WA) Reed (D-RI)	Reid (D-NV) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Stabenow (D-MI) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting - 3
Biden (D-DE)	Cantwell (D-WA)	Obama (D-IL)

Notice that two of the current crop decided not to be on record one way or the other. Also notice that the anointed President (Clinton) was just fine with the ad.

Iraqi Freedom Death Toll

According to the DoD, the total casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan to date are 3,299 Killed in Action (KIA) plus 860 deaths from non-combat causes. That means we can shortly expect another round of cheering as we go over a new benchmark for the drive-by media: 3,300 combat deaths for US forces in the War on Terror. Or maybe they will wait for the 3,100 deaths in Iraq. At any rate, there are some interesting things to note about what is not reported. In the 41 days of active combat against Iraqi forces, we lost 109 in combat, or 2.65 per day. In the 1,611 days since, we have lost 2,942 due to enemy actions. That comes to about 1.83 per day. In a typical year we lose anywhere from 31,693 to 42,884 on our highways. That is a minimum (taking 31,693 and a leap year) of 82 per day. So, on average, our soldiers are safer fighting in Iraq than we are driving here.

Stay tuned...

UPDATE 2132 29 Aug 2007:
Stories you won't see in the drive-by media:
29 Aug 2007-
Coalition Kills More Than 100 Insurgents in Afghanistan Engagement
Coalition Forces Kill Two Terrorists, Detain 22 Suspects in Iraq

28 Aug 2007
Coalition Troops Kill, Detain Dozens, Seize Weapons in Iraq
Afghan, Coalition Troops Kill, Capture Insurgents, Find Weapons

27 Aug 2007
Afghan, Coalition Forces Destroy Taliban Heroin Lab
Iraq Operations Net 36 Terrorists, Kill Nine
Troops Kill, Capture Terrorists, Seize Weapons in ‘Lightning Hammer’

26 Aug 2007

Seven Iraqis Escape Makeshift Prison, 11 Terrorists Detained
WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2007 - Seven Iraqi citizens found their way to a coalition patrol base near Khan Ban Sa’ad, Iraq, yesterday after escaping a makeshift prison, military officials reported.
Attacks Down, Economic Development Up in Iraq


08/24/2007

Commander Says Iraqi Citizens Turning Against Insurgents
Al Qaeda Disrupted During Operations in Iraq’s Tigris River Valley
Lightning Hammer Disrupts Terrorists in Iraq’s Diyala Province

You get the point.

Imagine a World Without America

Here is a video from the newest link on my blogroll:



Be sure to visit them.

Who wants to support the trops?

As Scott Ott at Scrappleface has nailed it,

Moments after Republicans in the senate blocked a Democrat attempt to vote on a non-binding resolution expressing disapproval of a U.S. troop surge in Iraq, Majority Leader Harry Reid hailed the non-vote as “perhaps the greatest Democrat military accomplishment of the past 40 years.”

Reid is upset because the House did what he could not get the Senate to do, pass a non-binding resolution of support for the enemy. Oh, no, wait, that's not how it was worded. Here is the text of the House Resolution 63, Disapproving of the decision of the President announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq:

Disapproving of the decision of the President announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That--

(1) Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq; and

(2) Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.

The results were almost predictable. With 231 Democrats out of the 435 total representatives, the majority was guaranteed along party lines. What was not quite so predictable was that 17 Republicans sided with the majority. They are

1. Michael N. Castle of Wilmington, DE
2. Howard Coble of Greensboro, NC
3. Tom Davis of Vienna, VA
4. John J. Duncan Jr. of Knoxville, TN
5. Phil English of Erie, PA
6. Wayne T. Gilchrest of Kennedyville, MD
7. Bob Inglis of Travelers Rest, SC
   
8. Timothy V. Johnson of Urbana, IL
9. Walter B. Jones of Farmville, NC
10. Ric Keller of Orlando, FL
11. Mark Steven Kirk of Highland Park, IL
12. Steven C. LaTourette of Concord Township, OH
13. Ron Paul of Surfside, TX
14. Thomas E. Petri of Fond du Lac, WI
15. Jim Ramstad of Minnetonka, MN
16. Fred Upton of St. Joseph, MI
17. James T. Walsh of Syracuse, NY
    

Also surprising was the fact that two Democrats actually opposed the resolution:

1. Jim Marshall of Macon, GA
2. Gene Taylor of Bay St. Louis, MS
   

Was the President's decision to send more tropos correct? I have mixed thoughts about this, but General Petraeus seems to think so. He also thinks the resolution will in fact, accomplish two things:

1. Demoralize our own troops
2. Give aid and comfort to the enemy
   

But since the left values feelings over results, that's just what the doctor ordered.
Rant off.

What the Troops Deal With

Read the entire report.

Pat's thoughts on the troop excerpts

Why are the uninformed in reality...those who have not served their country in the armed forces or are not even informed on the conditions faced by them... making the laws that govern military conduct on the battlefield. Those who are unable to help a drowning young woman out of a sinking car, the ones who are calling for American servicemen to be prosecuted for fighting and preserving their lives and those of their fellows, those who would not volunteer to fight for this country if they were still of the appropriate age...those who would pee themselves if confronted with a single thing that our brave men and women and for cripes sake...the Iraqi civilians, face every day of their lives. How is it that things can be so frightfully turned around so that the Deviants are making decisions for those who at least strive to be righteous and upstanding??? It is so wrong that the laws governing how the war is to be fought should be made by 'politicians' who have one if not both eyes on the requirements of getting elected again for the next term, not what is right. Men and women are living and dying according to the policies made by the underbelly (politicians) of American society. People who have no conscience nor moral fortitude...why are laws made by many who don't even obey the basic laws of being a responsible and God ( oh...the 'word') fearing human being.

We had better, each and every one of us, be in prayer for the way and means of making a difference in turning this country back to what it was originally meant to be...while we still can make a difference.

Oh well...pardon the rant. I really do hate to talk about politics, brings out my more colorful language...political thoughts really can ruin the illusion of a 'good' day.

Another View of the War on Terror

There is a report that consolidates the perspectives of actual people engaged in the fight (as opposed to the talking heads and politicos) over at Free Republic.  Click here for the full report.

 

Here is a summary:

Please go read the whole report.

Then you might want to visit another site for background:  World Threats.

 

Why Pick on the NYT?...

... What about the Wall Street Journal and the LA Times? They also "broke" the story.

When the Treasury Department learned that the NYT was going to run the story in spite of pleas from both Democrats and Republicans, they (Treasury) contacted the Wall Street Journal and the LA Times to provide them with some declassified information on the project.

See the WSJ article.

Ehren Watada

A young Army Officer has decided to throw his lot in with terrorists.

Michele Malkin has been on the case, as well as Blackfive. Even Liberal Larry has written about him, so I am late to the game. Here's my two cents anyway.

Once in a lifetime someone has an experience that marks them from that day forward. Apparently that moment lies in the young LT's future.
I am shocked, SHOCKED, that a young man of his obvious dedication to the highest principles has not investigated the 14 UN resolutions of which Saddam Insane was in violation. Nor, apparently, did he hear or read the President's speech on Sep 20, 2001:

Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.

and

Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes, visible on TV, and covert operations, secret even in success. We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place, until there is no refuge or no rest. And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. (Applause.) From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime.

Until the rest of the country realizes that we are indeed in a long war that is unlike Vietnam in more ways than I can count, we must keep educating and reminding the feeble-minded.

Lies and the photos that show it.

Look at this photo from a Newsweek article on May 2:

The caption and the story indicate that these bodies were fishermen slain by insurgents. "Insurgents in another town near Baghdad, Haditha, responded by kidnapping 19 Shiite fishermen and National Guardsmen, lining them up against a wall in a sports stadium and shooting them dead. "

This picture was run with a story by the London Times, indicating that the people were slain by U.S. Marines. The Times has now removed the photo and added an apology.

"

The Times June 01, 2006 'Massacre Marines blinded by hate' From Tim Reid in Washington Corporal claims that his comrades, who were accused of killing Iraqi civilians, lost control

[Note: This story originally appeared with a picture of slain Iraqis whose caption erroneously described the scene as being related to the alleged incidents in al-Haditha. The image was in fact from a separate incident in the area in which Iraqi insurgents are believed to have massacred local fishermen. We apologise for the mistake.]

Probably, much like the case of Ilario Pantano, we will learn that the corporal had a hidden agenda. In the meantime, the false association of the images with the story will foment unrest and violence. Good going, mainstream media.

The Verdict Is In

Moussaoui (one of the wannabe hijackers from 9-11) was found guilty of being a terrorist and we waited for the jury to give the verdict on his punishment. They have decided.

For his crimes against America, Moussaoui will pay. He will have to eat American food, wear American clothes (prison, that is) for the rest of his life. Yes, we will feed and clothe him and provide shelter for the rest of his natural life. That will fix him.

Wait a minute? Who is paying for this? The government. And where do they propose to get the money? From those of us who pay taxes. So, you and I have agreed to support this man for the rest of his life because he is a terrorist.

Of course, he is not a martyr and therefore does not get his hot and cold running virgins. OK, that should be punishment enough. Let's provide him a hearty breakfast of his choice of ham, bacon or sausage every day. Yeah, that's the ticket. No wait, that would be considered torture.

Oh, I know. Let's not feed him at all. We learned that is a particularly euphoric existence. Well, short and euphoric. No, can't do that. He would die.

Nope, he will just have to do the best he can in prison. Maybe he can get a book deal.

Hanoi Hilton, circa 2006

I really don't have time to do this justice, but I have provided several links to sources.

Fran O'Brien Steak House has been providing free steak dinners to wounded veteran's on Friday nights. Now, the Capitol Hilton has told them their lease would not be renewed.

The Mudville Gazette has the story, as does Blackfive. Check it out and then contact the manager, Brian Kelleher.

Pentagon update

I was going to add this to the article below, but thought it needed more prominence.

Hey, it's my blog! I make the editorial decisions.

Anyway, I was planning to research and fully rebut the below theory. As it turns out, the same friend sent me a link where that job had already been done.

See the full article here.

Thanks, Gatsbyetal.

How much heat does burning gasoline generate?

More than this item, sent by a friend for opinion, generates.

It seems the old fantasies never die. This one questions whether an airplane actually flew into the Pentagon on 9-11. It started making the rounds on about 9-12, I think. The theory is that it was a missile that hit the Pentagon, not an airplane. (This is similar to the theory that United 93 was actually shot down by the USAF.) If you think that is strange, remember that Alec Baldwin (among other ... um ... celebrities - like Michael Moore) doesn't believe airplanes flew into the World Trade Center. You see, those towers were actually demolished by explosives planted in the buildings. It was all a plot by the {quietly} Jooos {pause}, orchestrated by the evil genius {pause} Karl Rove {echo Rove - Rove -}. Don't believe the eyewitness accounts or the video footage. It was all just a trick.

If you are not a celebrity, you might think that people holding these thoughts are not playing with a full deck. Actually, the elevator no longer goes to the top because it was short-circuited by the tinfoil.

Have a nice day. Visit the links on the right and live long and prosper. I'll be back later with something of substance.

It's Called Free Speech

At a meeting in Wheeling West Virginia, a military spouse posed this question:

This is my husband, who has returned from a 13-month tour in Tikrit.
. . .
His job while serving was as a broadcast journalist. And he has brought back several DVDs full of wonderful footage of reconstruction, of medical things going on. And I ask you this from the bottom of my heart, for a solution to this, because it seems that our major media networks don't want to portray the good. They just want to focus -- (applause) --
. . .
Q They just want to focus on another car bomb, or they just want to focus on some more bloodshed, or they just want to focus on how they don't agree with you and what you're doing, when they don't even probably know how you're doing what you're doing anyway. But what can we do to get that footage on CNN, on FOX, to get it on headline news, to get it on the local news? Because you can send it to the news people -- and I'm sorry, I'm rambling -- like I have --

THE PRESIDENT: So was I, though, for an hour. (Laughter.)

Q -- can you use this, and it will just end up in a drawer, because it's good, it portrays the good. And if people could see that, if the American people could see it, there would never be another negative word about this conflict.

The applause was thunderous and spontaneous. Her question came from the heart and echoed the sentiments of many. I thought the President's answer was particularly good.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I appreciate that. (Applause.) No, it -- that's why I come out and speak. I spoke in Cleveland, gave a press conference yesterday -- spoke in Cleveland Monday, press conference, here today. I'm going to continue doing what I'm doing to try to make sure people can hear there's -- why I make decisions, and as best as I can, explain why I'm optimistic we can succeed.

One of the things that we've got to value is the fact that we do have a media, free media, that's able to do what they want to do. And I'm not going to -- you're asking me to say something in front of all the cameras here. (Laughter.) Help over there, will you? (Laughter.)

I just got to keep talking. And one of the -- there's word of mouth, there's blogs, there's Internet, there's all kinds of ways to communicate which is literally changing the way people are getting their information. And so if you're concerned, I would suggest that you reach out to some of the groups that are supporting the troops, that have got Internet sites, and just keep the word -- keep the word moving. And that's one way to deal with an issue without suppressing a free press. We will never do that in America. I mean, the minute we start trying to suppress our press, we look like the Taliban. The minute we start telling people how to worship, we look like the Taliban. And we're not interested in that in America. We're the opposite. We believe in freedom. And we believe in freedom in all its forms. And obviously, I know you're frustrated with what you're seeing, but there are ways in this new kind of age, being able to communicate, that you'll be able to spread the message that you want to spread.

While I am certain that the President is just as frustrated as many of us about the lack of balance in the reporting about the war, he is committed to freedom. Did you notice that? "I mean, the minute we start trying to suppress our press, we look like the Taliban. The minute we start telling people how to worship, we look like the Taliban. And we're not interested in that in America. " Here is a man committed to principle.

You can read the whole transcript here. You can see a video of it here.

Employers Who Deserve Our Support

I recently received an eMail touting Sear's stance in providing the difference between active military pay and the employee's salary and continuing to keep health benefits in place for their employees who are fighting the War on Terror. I checked with TruthOrFiction.com and Snopes, both of whom verify the story. It turns out that several other employers (including Wal-Mart, J.C. Penney, and BestBuy) also provide good benefits.

Yes, I said Wal-Mart. You know, that cold-hearted company that keeps prices low and employs many part-time workers. That company vilified by the American left because they don't pay a "living wage".

Go figure.

Wow, Has it Been That Long?

Thanks to those of you who have wondered where I've gone. I've been a little busier than usual trying to get things back on track at work and at home. I am almost up to full days at work, which leaves me a tad tired. So I have been lax about posting.

And there has been so much to post about. From Alito to Zarqawi. From cartoons to King. Where to begin? Let's start with the obvious, and pardon me if you have already heard this. Some places around the world have been rioting and burning and killing to make the point that it was unfair to depict Mohammed as a man of violence. See, this cartoon had his turban in the shape of a bomb. The cartoons were in a Danish paper, so it is only natural that Danish embassies around the world would be destroyed. That shows the wrongheadedness of depicting Islam as violent, doesn't it?

Actually, they don't care what you think as long as you behave. The goal of radical Islam is to cow you into acting the way they want. They don't care if you like them or think them rational. They just want you to capitulate. It's all about control and don't ever forget it.

Help your politicians remember it also. You cannot appease these people, you can only obey. Aren't we glad that Iran is now on its way to becoming a nuclear power? Don't you wish every fanatic had access to these weapons?

OK, rant off for now. See you again soon.