tattoo empek empek

A simple map of the Gaza strip in Israel.
Author unknown. Only for personal use.
1 AI : 300 KB

Download

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

On behalf of my family and all the families of Reno/Sparks, and the Sparks Republican Women...we'd like to take a moment to think in silence, bow our heads, and give a moment of reverence to Christian Humphreys of Fallon, NV; and through our tears thank him for giving his life for our freedom and the sovereignty of our great United States of America.

Our community has lost many fine young men in our current wars, and none go unnoticed or forgotten. May God bring peace and comfort to his loved ones, and may his sacrifice never be taken for granted. RIP Christian...

Army Chief Warrant Officer Christian P. Humphreys, 28, of Fallon died Saturday when a helicopter crashed in Iraq, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Monday. The latest casualty in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

An OH-58 Kiowa observation helicopter crashed while on a mission over Mosul, the military said. The cause of the crash was not known.
Chief Warrant Officer Donald V. Clark, 37, of Memphis, Tenn., also died in the crash. It was unclear who was the pilot.

Humphreys was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force 49, U.S. Army Alaska, Fort Wainwright, Alaska, the Pentagon reported.

Messages were left with the military in Alaska.

The crash remains under investigation.

Sources:

Reno Gazette Journal

KTVN Channel 2 News Reno

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

On this sacred day…our hearts and thoughts go back seven years to 9-11…a day of infamy and a day none of us will ever forget. I’ll never forget the 7am phone call in Reno from my brother in Texas. With a gasp in his breath that woke me from a deep sleep his words ring in my soul today, “SIS…turn on your TV RIGHT NOW…(some Oh my God’s and more gasps came from him)…hurry turn it on…our country has been attacked! Someone flew a plane into the World Trade Center!” I said OK, and we hung up…I turned on the TV and sat up in bed just numb…flat numb and speechless as I watched the tragedy unfold before me live on television.

It was so surreal to me and yet so amazingly horrific and vivid. I live clear out on the West Coast, and this was taking place on the East Coast…so far away…but New York City seemed just around the corner as I watched the agonizing terror grow in epic proportion before my very eyes. I am not a panicker; I am not an unreasonably excitable person. But as time passed quickly, the unknown began to creep into my body. I debated whether to send my child to school or not that day. I wondered what other horror lay around the bend. Could the horror come to Reno? Were bombs going to fly? What could happen? My child was 12…middle school age. He was old enough to not censor the fright from his eyes, but did I tell him? I had to tell him…it would be consuming the nation…if he heard it at school but hadn’t heard it from Mom first…what would he think?

I woke my child early and sat him in front of the television. I explained to him the events in words I had to try hard to muster. None of us knew what was happening before us. None of us had answers for our children. We were all so numb and silent in grief and disbelief. My child went to school. I went to work. Nobody accomplished anything that day except for quiet and somber consumption of what had happened.

So many emotions, so many questions. The morning lingered on, minutes creeping by. Then…the Pentagon…Oh My Lord! What next? Endless creeping moments flashed images of horror in the face of every American. Then…the ultimate sacrifice of those exceptional patriots on Flight 93. They were the first heroes in this War Against Terror. None were sworn into the military, yet they were the first soldiers to lay down their lives to protect the USA against attack on our own sovereign soil since Pearl Harbor in 1942…59 long years prior.

We will never forget. God rest the souls of all Americans taken or left alone by taken family on that day. May peace be with you. May peace still be with the family of Thomas Foley, fire fighter from West Nyack, New York. America heals and continues to grow…She will last on and remain the bastion of freedom.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

When I first discovered MICHAEL YON I had long ago made up my own mind as to my feelings on our war(s). I was however distraught that I could NEVER find any actual true reporting of the real war, its repercussions, benefits, real progress or digress. When I stumbled across Michael Yon’s blog quite by accident, I introduced him to my readers HERE and then again HERE.

As horrible as war is, I have always known that our original decision to go to war was valid. Our war(s) has not been perfect. Some believe we went on false pretenses of weapons of mass destruction. Some believe that Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11. Radical terrorism is the reason we went to war, its threat is still valid and sure. Good, bad, or indifferent, this war is real, the reasons our nation went there are justified, and victory through a definitive end with a more stable and moderate Islam Nation(s) is paramount. OUR MEDIA HAS NEVER portrayed this war(s) with truth, objectivity, or with any thought to actuality.

Michael Yon however is THERE. He has told the truth without thought to taking sides. He went as a journalist; he had no side through that venue and that self. He sees it, photographs it, and tells it just like it is. I’ve long been amazed that he can be in such horrible or beautiful places and still print news giving each side the truth. Again; good, bad, or indifferent…Michael Yon just “calls ‘em like he sees ‘em” EXACTLY.

By tragic coincidence, Mr. Yon captured a photograph of a lifetime. One of his photos is likened to the Iwo Jima photo that lives so famous today many years after WWII. After yet another homicide bombing, he captured an American soldier carrying a baby girl named Farah. So many were saved that day, but Farah didn’t make it. She touched all around her, she was a soul lost sadly in a war. But her death had nothing to do with our war. She was killed by radical Muslim bombers that blow up their own people on a daily basis.

Michal Moore, the left wing moonbat took this photo and made it part of his website banner. Mr. Michael Yon asked him to remove it as he had no permission to put it there. Michael Moore has not removed it, but keeps portraying it in a way not respectful or in design with its true meaning.

While we all agree with free speech and the openness of the internet; and we all know that images are easily re-produced and are basically free; the simple truth remains that without permission, and if asked; one should remove content from any website that the author doesn’t approve or want there.

As with all Michael Yon stories, his public response to Michael Moore’s defecation on Farah and her image speaks volumes to his fair reporting and the real objective observation to left wing liberalism and its destruction to the coverage of our wars and our truth.

Might I invite you ALL to READ THIS AWESOME “bashing” of Mr. Michael Moore given with the debonair eloquence and fairness that only objective journalists like Michael Yon who embody all that is Conservative and fair can give. Sticks and stones may break your bones while words “won’t hurt you”, but TRUTH does hurt sometimes and I see Michael Moore GUILTY OF WAR PORN in this article and deservedly so. Frankly, ALL of Michael Moore’s sad ramblings are porn of one sort or another in my eyes. Michael Yon’s explanation of Moore’s infraction: Michael Moore's Crime, and his fair assessment of Moore’s right to try only strengthens my belief in the truths he brings us from the front lines of our war.

When you CLICK THIS LINK and see what he’s talking about…do Michael Yon the favor of NOT giving Michael Moore negative comment or negative attacks at his website. This is Yon’s fight and he plans to handle it civilly and respectfully. Anyway, given enough rope, Michael Moore and all far left liberals will hang themselves. It needs to be known by all though that if we give them that rope, they’ll snatch up the rest of us in their hanging!

If you would like to hear the REAL TRUTH IN IRAQ then I encourage you to buy Michael Yon’s book “MOMENT OF TRUTH IN IRAQ”. You’ll never get a truer picture of actual events throughout this war than you will within this book, or by reading MICHAEL YON DISPATCHES that can be found at MICHAEL YON ONLINE. His efforts are solely funded by him, or by donation. He does not get support from any group or political affiliation.

Keep up the fight Michael; you are an inspiration to us all!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

We haven’t had an earth shattering event in a little while, but the assassination of Benazir Bhutto will certainly have some long lasting and possibly very tragic long term results. While there seems to have been a track record that suggests that Bhutto wasn’t the rose of the Middle East like she seemed to be of late, she surely seemed to me to be dedicated to positive change in her region, and her death was a horrific act of unbridled terror. So many were after her, it probably was just a matter of time before this happened. May she rest in peace and may she always be remembered for her selfless dedication to her homeland of Pakistan.

Now however, many “what ifs and what nows” are remaining. Al Qaeda has already claimed responsibility, however most believe that may or may not be true. London reports that top suspects may be two warlords: Baitullah Mehsud, a militant commander of the Pakistani Army who has Al Qaeda and Taliban ties, and Haji Omar, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban who fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Some believe that Pervez Musharraf himself may have had a hand in the murder, or at least turned a blind eye to the possibility of it.

It is too early to speculate on who did it, or how widespread the effects may be. In my humble opinion though, here are a few givens that seem as clear as black and white.

1. We should soon see the true colors of Pervez Musharraf. If he doesn’t actively go after Al Qaeda that are knowingly hidden in his remote provinces, and militarily eradicate them, or allow our troops to cross the borders and actively pursue them and Osama Bin Laden ourselves, we should immediately withdraw the billions of dollars in aid and money that the USA sends to Pakistan, end of story.

1. Those that are still convinced that radical Islam can be handled by any sort of democratic or diplomatic process need to open their eyes and realize that it isn’t any one leader of any nation in this region that is the rabid beast. It isn’t Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Turkey, or India. It is radical Islam period. It is a small (compared to the nations’ populous) group of crazed and fanatical people bent on wiping out Western Civilization, Middle Eastern growth, and anyone that doesn’t subscribe to their view of Muslim belief, period.

1. Leaders (any that are left with any possibility of helping their people) of those countries need to be as worried about radical Islamic influence as the rest of us do. They kill more of their own than they kill of their “enemy”. Until leaders like Musharraf and the likes of Bhutto take a stance to protect themselves, they shouldn’t expect us to come in and bail them out. Yes, it is in the interest of the USA to fight against radical fanatics, but the Lord helps those that help themselves, and I for one am tired of wasting billions of dollars on a group of people that just sit back and let themselves be walked upon. I don’t think any of us mind helping the weak with our military might, but when they don’t take what we’ve started and build upon it, the plan will eventually fail.

1. Benazir Bhutto sacrificed her life to try and make a difference. Instead of retreat and cowardice, more moderate influential people of that region must now more than ever ban together in stronger numbers to wipe out radical jihad.

1. Action must be swift. Sometimes, events like these if not dealt with by a swift and quick blow can lead to catastrophic consequences in a hurry. The Assassin’s War has begun, and the moonbat Islamofacists don’t like Musharraf either; rest assured there is a bulls eye on his head as well. The rats are ready to swarm, and I fear the country of Pakistan will get worse before it gets better, and we are just about spread as thin as we can be. They are going to have to unite as a people and come together in their own multi-national coalition to eliminate the gorilla warlords and evil doers. If the wrong person gets into power, the results could be world changing in a place that has nuclear capability. Elections will already be postponed or cancelled in Pakistan, and should the assassins take out a few more leaders, watch out!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

This Weeks Soldier Was Suggested By Kathy

Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie
41 years old from Ann-Arbor, Michigan


Specialist Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie is a Iraqi American U.S. Army linguist soldier, from Ann-Arbor, Michigan who was kidnapped on October 23, 2006 in Baghdad and has not been seen since.

al-Taayie joined the Army in 2004 to help not only his country, the United States, but also his birthplace of Iraq and was deployed in 2005. On October 23, 2006 he was visiting his wife in the Karrada Shiite neighborhood in central Baghdad when he and his cousin were kidnapped by a group calling themselves Ahel al-Beit Brigades. His cousin was released shortly after. On November 2, 2006 al-Taayie's uncle received a ransom demand of $250,000 for his return. Along with the ransom came a grainy video that showed a man beaten up who was identified as al-Taayie. No more has been heard from al-Taayie or his captures.

For more information on Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie you can go here

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

This Weeks Soldier Was Suggested By Echo9er

Hospitalman Luis E. Fonseca Jr.


On August 11, 2004, Navel Hospitalman Luis E. Fonseca, Jr. was awarded the Navy's second highest decoration. The Navy Cross, which is awarded for extraordinary heroism while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States and must be performed in the presence of great danger or at great personal risk, was awarded for his actions while serving with Amphibious Assault Vehicle Platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, Task Force Tarawa, II Marine Expeditionary Force.

On March 23, 2004, Fonseca, Jr.'s unit were trying to take the Saddam Canal Bridge. Five Marines were injured when their vehicle was hit by an RPG. Fonseca, while still being fired upon by machine guns and RPG's, pulled the Marines to safety and established a casualty collection unit inside his own medical evacuation vehicle. After his vehicle was hit once again, Fonseca organized litter teams and directed the movement of four of the Marines, while personally carrying one wounded Marine over open ground to another vehicle. On November 15, 2004, Seaman Fonseca was awarded the "Grateful Nation Award" from the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs for his actions.

"I was doing my job," said Fonseca. "I wish I could have done more."

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

You just HAVE to look at this! Dubai City is in the Arab Emirates. It is the largest and fastest growing construction area on the globe right now. If we can ever "all just get along", and they incorporate legal gambling...Las Vegas will be a dirt cloud, and folks will sell their souls to go there.

I cannot post the photos, as this was sent to me as a Power Point slide show. The file has been checked and approved as virus-free, and you can download/view it from the box below. (BTW...if you have files you would like to share... Box.net offers this service FREE, and it's a great way to share or post documents, power point files, etc.

CHECK IT OUT...IT'S UNBELIEVABLE!!!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

This Weeks Soldier Was Submitted By Anna

Chief Master Sgt. John Gebhardt
Superintendent of the 22nd Wing Medical Group at McConnell Air Force Base


Have you heard of Chief Master Sgt. John Gebhardt? Maybe you have and maybe you haven't. CMSgt. Hebhardt gain some notoriety recently. Not for an action that he took on the battlefield, but rather for a picture(not shown because it is graphic) that was taken of him.

In 2006, CMSgt. John Gebhardt was photographed holding a little Iraqi girl that had been injured. Her family had been attacked by insurgents. Both of her parents were killed, along with many of her siblings, and she had been shot in the head and left for dead. But she was tougher than that. She was brought to Balad Air Base Hospital where she was operated on and ultimately saved. As you can imagine, it was an extremely hard time for this little girl. Her recovery was hellish. But when CMSgt. Gebhardt would hold her, she seemed to be comforted. He spent many nights sleeping in a chair with her in his arms. The picture wast taken by a fellow airman while CMSgt. Gebhardt and the little girl were napping. Said CMSgt. Gebhardt, "I'm sure that probably just gave her some inner peace that she could reach."

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

This week's NEW Wednesday Hero Members:
Marty
Courtney


This Weeks Solider Was Summited By Lt. Schneider

SSgt. Keith "Matt" Maupin
24 years old from Batavia, Ohio
Army Reserves 724th Transportation Company
MIA Since April 9, 2004



Strength, perseverance and determination is how you would describe the family of SSgt. Keith Maupin. Because even though their son has been missing now for almost three years, his parents still haven't given up hope that he's still alive. Said his father, Keith Maupin, "I'm saying it ain't over till the fat lady sings and when she sings, I'm going to choke her. That's what I say. They're going to find Matt." His mother, Carolyn, was quoted as saying, "We're to keep our hope up. And praying until they can prove to us 100 percent either way. And that's what I'm going to do. And I realize we only have a 50/50 chance here, but I'm not going the low road. I'm going the high road"

SSGt. Maupin, who was PFC. Maupin when he was capture and has since received two promotions, was reported MIA when his fuel convoy came under attack near the Baghdad International Airport. Along with Maupin was Sgt. Elmer Krause and seven employees of U.S. contractor Kellogg, Brown & Root. All of whom were either rescued or escaped. Seven days later, on April 16, Al-Jazeera aired a video tape of Maupin in which he was forced to admit that he was went to Iraq unwillingly. Then on June 28, 2004, Al-Jazerra reported that PFC. Maupin had been executed by a group calling themselves Persistent Power Against the Enemies of God and the Prophet. But no concrete proof has surfaced either way.

His parents have created a website called Yellow Ribbon Support Center if you would like to check it out. And while most in the media have forgotten Keith Maupin, Wednesday Hero hasn't.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

This Weeks Soldier Was Suggested By Jenn

Capt. Alan B. Rowe
35 years old from Hagerman, Idaho
1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center
September 3, 2004


The Perfect Marine. That's how many describe Capt. Alan B. Rowe. Respected and dedicated to the Corps and still able to be a husband and father.

Rowe, who was on his fourth deployment since joining the Corps in 1985, died with two other Marines, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Wilt, 23, of Tampa, Florida, and 1st Lt. Ronald Winchester, 25, of Rockville Center, N.Y., when a remote-controlled explosive device detonated as they returned to their vehicle after inspecting a bridge in Anbar province, near the Syrian border.

"He was a quiet, humble person and extremely polite," his widow, Dawn, recalled from their early days of dating. "He was a traditional type of gentleman. My mom was surprised to meet such a ... perfect-picture Marine." "He did a great job balancing a pretty intense Marine Corps career with also being a great husband and father. He worked extremely hard to balance it." "He was so dedicated to the Marine Corps. He was really driven and believed in what he did. He was a Marine’s Marine. Tall, blond and fit. Kind of the mental image you think of when you think of the Marine Corps."

A week after his death, Capt. Rowe was posthumously promoted to major. He leaves behind his wife and two children.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Almost a month ago, the Wednesday Hero Blogroll received an email from a reader named Mike Gardner that contained something he had written in honor of this country's heroes. He asked that it be considered for a future post. It took almost a month, but here is his tribute.

At The Right Time, We Remember

The honor roll goes back farther than we can remember, it contains names we will never know...

I wasn't there when the American Colonial Army stood winter guard in the snows of Valley Forge wearing bloody rags for boots as they fought for my freedom.

I wasn't there in the war of 1812.

I wasn't in the trenches when the German's seared the lungs of young American men with mustard gas as they fought for my freedom in World War One.

I wasn't at Pearl Harbor when a single Japanese bomb detonated a million pounds of black powder on the Arizona and instantaneously killed over one thousand American sailors preparing to defend my freedom against the Japanese and the Nazis.

I didn't see the bullet riddled bodies of the Americans who died defending my freedom in Korea.

I only vaguely remember the nightly news clips of American soldiers as they carried out our government's orders in the jungles and swamps and tunnels of Vietnam.

I have never been with a family who lost a son or a daughter defending Kuwait, Afghanistan, or Iraq.

I wasn't there with any of them when they suffered as prisoners of war in any of these wars.

I have never been with a family whose child died in a peace time military training exercise.

Not every one of our veterans saw combat. Some were clerks, cooks, mechanics, machinists. Some served during war time, some served during peace time, some serve in peace today, ready for battle tomorrow. Today they prepare for the ongoing war against terrorists. Some gave their lives, some suffered wounds, some saw things that no human should ever have to see, and many did things that no human should ever have to do. And all gave their daily life, for a period of time, while many more gave their time to work in the industries that sustained our veterans.

Not all of those who have protected my freedom were even in the military. Some of them were the firemen, policemen, and paramedics who risked their lives each day, rushing in where most of us would never tread. Some are the doctors and nurses who treat the wounded, and go home and cry for them. Some of them were "just" passengers on commercial airline flights who, with faith in Christ, calmly chose to fight, and die if necessary, rather than let Flight 93 be used as a weapon against their country and their fellow citizens.

When I tried to join the US Air Force, my application was turned down for medical reasons.

Because others were, and will be there, I am privileged to continue to live in the greatest nation the world has ever known and to enjoy the greatest freedoms that any people have ever known.

The honor roll stretches forward to times, and places, and names we will never know...

And so I thank you, veteran, whoever you are, and wherever you are, whenever your service.

Thank you Vet. Thanks Dad. Today, I remember WHY I am free, and I thank you.

I know that when you were asked, at the right time, like Christ, you gave your life for me.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by going here.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

This Weeks Soldier Was Suggested By SJ Reidhead

Cpl. Jennifer Parcell
20 years old from Bel Air, Maryland
Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force
February 7, 2007


Cpl. Jennifer Parcell was petite, but one learned quickly that underestimating her was foolish.

"She was an absolute firecracker," Master Sgt. Jerry Widner said. "Just a go-getting machine."

Her relentless can-do attitude led her to volunteer for Iraq. And then to volunteer for the Lioness Program, which provides female Marines for searches of Iraqi women to respect Muslim cultural mores.

Parcell was killed Feb. 7 in Anbar province when a woman she was searching blew herself up with a suicide vest. Parcell had started doing the searches a week before and was three weeks from going home.

You can read the rest of Cpl. Jennifer Parcell's story here.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Once in a while, I find someone else so brilliant that I must share them with you. Bennings Writing Pad published this fantastic piece. It was submitted to Real Clear Politics... Click the link to give him a vote, he deserves it!

I just love it when someone says everything I would say and writes it ten times better than I could have. Good Job Bennings... good luck!

Thursday, February 22, 2007

War Is All Hell

"The majority of people are timid by nature, and that is why they constantly exaggerate danger. All influences on the military leader, therefore, combine to give him a false impression of his opponent's strength, and from this arises a
new source of indecision."~ Karl von Clausewitz

"Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." (Latin)(Therefore, whoever wishes for peace, let him prepare for war.) ~ Vegetius in "De Re Militari"

There is nothing pretty about War. War is an unalterably ugly thing. It is to be avoided whenever possible. But it cannot be avoided at all cost. Some costs are far too dear to bear. Because nobody comes in second in a War. There is a winner and a loser. And the losers in War are not envied their position. Ask the French who lost to Nazi Germany how life was under the Germans. Ask the Germans who lost to the Soviets. Ask the Greeks who were defeated by the Turks. Ask the Native Americans who lost to the United States. Ask the Carthaginians who lost to the Romans. No, wait! You can't ask the Carthaginians. They were annihilated by the Romans and sold into slavery, their cities razed, the ground sown with salt.

"It is clear that war is not a mere act of policy but a true political instrument, a continuation of political activity by other means"~ Karl von Clausewitz

Any nation which embarks on the path to War must be prepared to win it - no matter the cost - if that nation is to survive. Britain dithered, and sought Peace by any means, to avoid going to War with Nazi Germany. Their blindness to reality in Continental Europe, their reluctance to arm in preparation for what was coming, cost them dearly, in money, lives, and Empire. They sent out their diplomats to talk Peace with a tyrant. They talked and talked until they had an agreement - a piece of paper - to show the people. And then the Nazis struck. And Havoc enveloped the entire world.

During the Cold War, Americans were told that the Communists were just like us. They loved their children, dreamed of better lives, wanted only to live in Peace. And all the while the Soviets gobbled up defenseless nations, enslaved their people, and plotted the destruction of the Western world. And still the Pacifists in the West prattled on about how peaceful were the intentions of the Communists. Wars were fought between the Communists and the Western Powers by proxy. Many people died. Much blood was spilled. And still the Pacifists blithered on that the West needed to understand the Soviet's view of things. And while they told us that, the Communists undermined free nations, murdered dissenters, enslaved the imprisoned populace of Eastern Europe and of Asia. And the Pacifists told us we must fear War, avoid it at all costs, and give in to the very enemies of the Freedoms they took for granted.

And the Pacifists insisted that we could not win the Cold War. So why bother fighting it? Let's try detente! Let's try Treaties! Anything but fight the Communists.

"No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his body, to risk his well being, to risk his life, in a great cause."~ Theodore Roosevelt

Then, as the 20Th Century aged, bloody and wretched, Leaders came to power in the West, Leaders who did not accept the dicta of the Pacifists, the Socialists, the fearful. Britain elected a Conservative woman to lead them, to the horror of the Leftists. And she began the unenviable task of dismantling the Socialist stranglehold on the British economy. She refused to allow the naked aggression of a Military Thug to stand in the Falklands. She took the tiny island to War. And the Left howled its rage at her for daring to show courage in the face of unrelenting attacks on her. But she was steadfast. And Britain won the War.

The United States elected as President a man who had evolved from a Liberal to a Conservative, a man who made a living as an actor. The Left howled with rage. For this man had already stood up to the Leftist thugs in California as its elected Governor. He knew that you did not, dared not, compromise with those who would bow to those who fear a Free people. He was told we could not win the Cold War. He asked, "Why not?" His advisers asked him, "What's your plan?" He replied, "We win. They lose." And it was almost as simple as that. He refused to bow to the supposed greatness and inevitability of the Soviet Union, refused to appease them, despite the immense pressure of the Press to do so.

He re-armed the United States against the screaming complaints of the Left. And he told the Soviets he would. The Soviets came to him, seeking a compromise. Against all advice he refused. The Soviet Union fell. Shortly thereafter the Iron Curtain was pulled down. Not from without, not from invasion, but from within. The people of Eastern Europe, their bonds loosened with the internal upheaval of the Communist regime in Moscow, freed themselves. The Cold War was won. Not by the forces of Tyranny but by the forces of Freedom acting with resolve. A resolve not shown by the West since the end of the Second World War.

"The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life."~ Theodore Roosevelt

But the Left never dies, never admits defeat, never stops trying to enslave humanity. So the United States began to disarm. Seeking the money from the "Peace Dividend" so hard-won by others, the West began to nap, ignoring the growing and seething tyrannies, and religious Death Cults, around the world. When they attacked the outskirts of the Western world the West recoiled, and slumbered on.

They spoke of righteous anger, and retribution to come, but did nothing. And the Death Cults grew bolder. All the while the Leftists demanded more disarmament, more taxes to fund their schemes, more hatred to heap on those who worried about the growing Evil without our own borders. For to the Leftists, their time in Power meant the "Never-Ending Party". Any who dared to disagree were to be shouted down, castigated, ruined, if possible.

"The fool who has not sense to discriminate between what is good and what is bad is well nigh as dangerous as the man who does discriminate and yet chooses the bad."~ Theodore Roosevelt

The people of the United States grew weary of the teenagers running the nation and elected the son of a President to the White House. The Left and the Press hated him. They made sure, as they always do, that the world knew what a buffoon he was, how stupid he was, how poorly he spoke. And when the Death Cults struck at the very heart of this nation, that man stood tall, and refused to bow to the appeasers. He was advised to not be hasty, to understand the grievances of those who murder the defenseless and the innocent. And he bided his time. He let the diplomats ply their trade while the Death Cultists plotted more destruction, more bloodshed, more murder. He talked to supposed allies and sought help and agreement from them. They refused him almost to a man. And while he waited the Death Cultists allied themselves with bloody Tyrants in Iraq and Iran. And finally there was simply no more time to wait. Acting on information gathered under his predecessor, the President took the nation to War. First with Afghanistan's terrorist regime, then with Iraq's bloody Tyrant. And the Leftists howled with rage. They warned that no Western Power had ever won in Afghanistan, they called the War there a quagmire within hours of its beginning. They went to the allies of the Iraqi Tyrant and told them that the US would invade Iraq. And they heaped such vitriol on the President that it beggars the imagination.

"Find the enemy and shoot him down. Anything else is nonsense"~ Captain Manfred von Richthofen ("The Red Baron"), 1917

In their zeal to shackle the President, the Left enshrined an ideal for fighting War that was impossible and suicidal to attempt. Rules of Engagement were so onerous that the Soldiers fighting for their country were at risk of arrest and prosecution for criminal acts. The Left did anything it could to defeat the President, and by extension, the United States. From the incessant vilification of the President, and any who support him, to exposure of National Secrets to handcuff the nation, to prosecution of officials for crimes that never happened, the Left plied its trade. And the American people were caught in the middle, not knowing what was the truth and what was the lie. But many simply wanted the United States to win, and so continued to support the President, the Servicemen and women fighting the Death Cultists, and refused to be shouted down by the Left and its minions.

"War is fear cloaked in courage."~ William Westmoreland

Now, while the nation is truly at War in Iraq, and may be in Iran in the near future, the nibbling of the Leftist Hamsters of Hatred continues. Nothing matters to them but gaining and holding Power, while destroying the hated President. They will destroy the nation's economy to continue pushing a Socialism that has never worked anywhere in the world. They will buy votes with taxes, tax those they hate into oblivion, if they can, and try, as they have seemingly forever, to legislate against the Morality of the Ages in favor of the Licentiousness of Today.

And they will snipe at those who are proud of this nation, proud of our history, proud of all that we have accomplished as a people. To the Leftists, those who wave the Stars and Stripes with pride are uneducated, illiterate, religious extremists, hate-mongers, war-mongers, beneath contempt.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belong to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again. Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause. Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know either victory nor defeat."~ Theodore Roosevelt ("The Man in the Arena")

The Left will only go to War to further what they think is a Progressive agenda, but is actually a bargain with the Devil. War in defense of the Homeland is incomprehensible to them. War in defense of ourselves is, likewise, incomprehensible to them. For our lives, our way of life, our Faith, is nothing to them but uncivilized superstition, and must be wiped out. The only thing in which the Left has Faith is in themselves and their self-acclaimed greatness. Question their Patriotism? We rarely do, but are accused of it with every question we do ask. Question their morals? They have none save those which will benefit themselves to the detriment of the rest of us. We fight a War, today, not simply to free and keep free those enslaved by tyrannies, but we fight the War to preserve our own Freedoms and Liberties which are daily threatened. From within as well as without. Yes, War is an ugly, horrible thing. And we fight when we must!

"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 or kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."~ John Stuart Mill

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

This Weeks Soldier Was Requested By Echo9er

Sgt. Maj. Brent "The Rock" Jurgersen
Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division

Active Duty

Not even two near-death encounters deterred Sgt. Maj. Brent Jurgerson's passion and eagerness to serve his country and lead his troops back home.

Jurgersen celebrated his second "alive day" anniversary January 26, 2007. It was a day of mixed emotions for him because on that same day two years ago he was given a second chance to live. It was a day that changed his life forever. While on patrol in Ad Dyuliah, Iraq, two rocket-propelled grenades struck his Humvee. The explosion killed his gunner and left Jurgersen fighting for his life, flat-lining twice on the operating table in Balad.

Afterwards, during a promotion ceremony in August of 2006, Jurgersen was selected for a command sergeant major appointment. Becoming the first full limb amputee student to attend the academy.

You can read the rest of Sgt. Maj. Jurgersen's story here.

• 
• 
• 
• 
•