CentCom Round-up and other news

There are some articles which seem to miss the newspapers and dead news for which I deem important, therefore I will be sharing them with you. Our Military is doing one heck of a job, and they deserve any and all recognition we can offer them. Please write some at your own site. You don't have to be in the Military to write about it. Just ask the NY Times! /sarcasm

RCT-2 takes to the skies to cover AO.

In a 30,000 square mile patch of desert, roughly the size of South Carolina, it isn’t easy to have eyes and ears everywhere. Regimental Combat Team 2, the unit in control of the northwestern piece of Iraq’s Al Anbar Province, has taken an elevated approach to the problem, and regularly fields an Aero Scout group to the far corners, cliffs and caves of the western Euphrates River valley. MORE.

This next article from CentCom is pretty riveting. Four men against over thirty trucks with heavy weapons, they are successful. It is an amazing story. I can only imagine it is one of many just like his.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid I am falling asleep. Therefore I shall add some news articles when I wake up. The link to this previous article is Pilots' valor honored for thwarting ambush. (Source: Army.mil.) It is fascinating, and I wish there were more like these out there.

Update: The Army/Navy game is on, so the other news will be posted on my next article. Now it's back to the Army-3; Navy-38 game. GO NAVY!

Update 2: The final score is in, 3-38, but it is not reflective of the great game the Army played. They had some very unfortunate things happen. Two fumbles, one at the ten yard line which we scored a touchdown, and the other was on the one yard line. You held our defense pretty well and our offense. I think you just gave up in the fourth quarter when the score was 3-24. (This was also the score at halftime.) It was a great game, and everyone should be proud the teams. Godspeed.

Posts I've trackbacked to at Linkfest and Samantha Burns' Open Trackback Alliance: Stix Blog, Dumb Ox Daily News, The World According to Carl, Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson's Website, AZAMATTEROFACT, 123beta, Adam's Blog, Right Truth, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Big Dog's Weblog, Adeline and Hazel, Nuke's, third world county, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Pirate's Cove, Blue Star Chronicles, CommonSenseAmerica, Right Voices, The Yankee Sailor, and Church and State, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe and Samantha Burns.

I also trackbacked to Blackfive.

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10. The Florida Masochist: Those 0-12 Miami Dolphins.
9. the so called me: November Earnings Report.
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7. The Florida Masochist: The Knucklehead of the Day award.
6. Mark My Words: Global warming, additional resources.
The World According to Carl: My Thought On The Democrat/Republican Debate.
The World According to Carl: PhotoHunt 86: Red.
The World According to Carl: Spring Creek Restaurant.
5. Right Truth: I sense a shift from 'radical' Islam to all Islam.
4. Diary of the Mad Pigeon: The Future of Stem Cell Research?
3. The Florida Masochist: The LPGA and Passover.
2. Pirate's Cove: Biden’s Preemptive Surrender. With Impeachment!
1. The Florida Masochist: The Knucklehead of the Day award.

Pilots' valor honored for thwarting ambush

Source: www.Army.mil.

07 November 2007
By Sgt. 1st Class Rick Emert

1st ACB, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Set up in five trucks with heavy machine guns, enemy forces sat in wait for a helicopter to fly over their location west of Baghdad on the last day of May. It appeared their plan was to strike a blow to Multi-National Division-Baghdad by taking down a U.S. Army helicopter.

The enemy forces were trained and prepared with personnel to drive the trucks, man the guns and keep a lookout for any of the U.S. helicopters that patrol the skies of Baghdad in search of roadside bomb emplacers or insurgent mortar teams.

The 1st Air Cavalry Brigade's Apache crews had become a thorn in the insurgency's side by regularly disrupting terrorist attacks on Coalition Forces and Iraqi civilians.

As they waited, four Apache pilots from 1st "Attack" Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st ACB, 1st Cavalry Division, were getting an intelligence briefing before heading out on their mission. The intelligence indicated that there were up to 30 gun trucks in a specific area, and the pilots' mission was to check it out.

With both determination and caution, 1st Lt. Brian Haas, chief warrant officers 4 Steven Kilgore and Elliott Ham and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Cole Moughon took to the skies to check the validity of the report. All four said they thought from the onset that some sort of engagement was imminent. They expected to find at least several trucks with gun mounts that could easily be modified to attack air and ground assets.

The two Apache crews, each with a pilot in command and a copilot-gunner, came up on a truck and sedan that stopped suddenly; the occupants quickly exited the vehicles and low crawled toward a ditch. The crews didn't know if this meant the people were being cautious, preparing for a possible engagement by taking cover, or if they knew that an engagement was imminent.

"That instantly heightened our awareness; something is going on out here," said Kilgore, a Portage, Ind., native. "These people aren't just scared of us. They may be a little bit, to an extent, but there's something going on out here. We started keeping an eye open." It didn't take long for their suspicions to be confirmed.

"I remember ... thinking this is weird; something's up," said Moughon, from Gray, Ga. "We (in the lead aircraft) heard (Kilgore) make the call over the radio: "Hey, I'm taking fire at my rear." We heard (Haas) say there was a big gun. I looked over to my right, and I was about to say: "Oh, I got it." I just got out "oh." I could see the flash from the muzzle. I saw a stitch of dirt in the road coming up towards us." It was even worse than the intelligence report had predicted; the trucks had more than just weapon mounts.

"We were looking for trucks with mounts - not trucks with heavy machine guns looking to kill us," Moughon said. "At that point, it was pretty scary, because I knew - back in February, we lost an aircraft to heavy machine gun fire - we knew what the deal was right away. We knew that we were in something pretty dangerous."

Kilgore spotted a gun truck about one-and-a-half kilometers away shooting at the helicopters, but there was a much more ominous threat. "We started taking fire from my right side about 1,500 meters away," Kilgore said. "What I didn't know is there was another gun about 300 meters away in the same line that started shooting at the same time. That rattled the aircraft. It didn't hit ... but rattled the aircraft."

A seasoned Apache pilot with multiple deployments under his belt, Kilgore initially thought his aircraft had been hit. "We were so close to the gun that when the aircraft started to rattle, I thought I was taking hits," Kilgore said. "I actually saw muzzle flashes from it. It was about 250 to 300 meters out my right door." Within a couple of minutes, the Apache crews had gone from searching for the gun trucks to becoming the targets of a planned ambush by the enemy forces. "I was definitely at a position of a disadvantage, and I needed to gain an advantage," Kilgore said. "That meant ... moving out away from that (gun truck) to get out of his ability to track me. I was able to put a salvo of (rockets) on that gun truck and clear that gun truck. We came back later and destroyed the gun truck."

Both aircrews broke contact safely, and then came back in to engage the trucks and insurgents. The trail aircraft had disabled one of the trucks, and Moughon and Ham in the lead aircraft took out another one on the second pass. "They broke off that truck, and we followed them out and then came back in. (Ham) called and said he had trucks fleeing to the north," said Haas, from Ashley, N.D. "They came around and engaged there. We came in behind them and just kind of suppressed again as they were breaking. They shot another missile. I think we made two more passes."

With nearly half of the gun trucks already disabled, the aircrews were not about to let some of them get away to launch an ambush on another aircraft. "I saw three trucks with machine guns in the back in kind of like a straight trail formation hauling ... down the road," Moughon said. "As soon as I got the sight on them, I launched the missile. I saw the guy swing his gun around and just a bright flash of the gun firing. The (driver) braked. The missile hit right in front of the truck and didn't do anything. We broke, I think (the trail aircraft) suppressed, then we came back around and fired another missile.

"(It was) the same thing; the guy knew what he was doing. He slammed on the brakes, but this time it killed the driver. That caused him to careen into his buddy and pushed him off the road. We further engaged with the (30mm) gun and got several guys that were running away. We just started (destroying the weapon systems) from there." The seemingly determined enemy forces had blinked and tried, without success, to flee.

"Once they knew that we weren't going to run away from them, that's when we got the advantage and just got real aggressive," Haas said. "I think that helped us, because we got noise and rockets flying off the helicopter, and they saw that and they knew they were in for it."

A couple of days later, with plenty of time to reflect on the engagement, the pilots realized there were some things they could have done differently. "In this situation, you're going to make mistakes," Moughon said. "It's not like (training) back at Fort Hood where we've got time. Everything was heat of the moment. You had to get rounds out. It was all a matter of who made fewer mistakes - whether or not you were going to be going home. Obviously, we made fewer mistakes than the enemy."

While that may have been true about their actions during the 15 intense minutes that the engagement lasted, the Apache crews were simply more prepared, thanks to a whole team of Soldiers from the 1st ACB who provided support back at home base, Kilgore said. He explained that the information on the gun trucks from the brigade's intelligence report, the operational briefing from the brigade operations staff and the aircraft maintenance and armament personnel all contributed to the mission's success.

"All of that led to us being successful in this engagement," Kilgore said. "Yes, we were the executors - the four of us - but, there is a big picture here that goes into everything we do. It's really the Army aviation team that led to this win, this success. I think we can all take pride in that. We, 1ACB Army aviation, defeated the enemy. We did it pretty much by ourselves as aviation. We didn't have ground forces with us. We didn't use artillery. "We can see th[e] teamwork that went into it - across the board teamwork - we can see that tenacity that is being exhibited every day by these guys. I think it's something we can all take pride in. This was a big win for the whole team."

For their quick and heroic actions in the chaotic scene on May 31, the pilots were awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses - the top aviation-specific military award. The awards were presented Oct. 28 by Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, Multi-National Corps-Iraq commanding general.

"I've been an aviator my whole career, and I've always wanted to be an aviator, since I was a little kid," Kilgore said. "The Distinguished Flying Cross ... is a special award. For me to be included in that group that has received the Distinguished Flying Cross - it feels a little humbling. There have been a lot of great aviators who have received the Distinguished Flying Cross and great aviators who haven't received the Distinguished Flying Cross. How do I match up to that? I don't know; maybe it's a one fight thing, and it was something special enough that someone took notice and thought that we deserved the Distinguished Flying Cross for it."

For Moughon, it still hasn't sunk in that he earned the prestigious medal. "When I got to the unit, my commander (for Company B, 1-227th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion) had gotten a DFC for acts in OIF II. I got to looking at it, because I wanted to know what it was," Moughon said. "Then, I realized who all had got it before him. When somebody mentioned that we might get it, I thought: 'I am not in their company.' I'm just two years out of flight school. I was just trying to stay alive. Receiving the award was a very humbling experience and almost embarrassing. There are guys out here that do just as much every day - sacrifice every day to go out there and find the enemy and kill them. They don't get recognized for it."

While the pilots couldn't pin down what made their actions heroic, perhaps how they approached the engagement itself is telling as to why they received Distinguished Flying Crosses. In the initial moments of the engagement, with bullets and tracers flying past their aircraft like something out of "Star Wars" - as Moughon said - and with the Apaches outnumbered nearly three to one by gun trucks on the ground, the pilots never even considered high-tailing it to safety.

"I can't say that I thought: 'We should get out of here.'" Haas said. "I don't know why, but it never crossed my mind. Maybe that's just the way we are. I didn't come here to say: 'Yep, there's bad guys out there. I'm not going out there.' I came over here to - I'm not going to be naïve and say to make a difference - but I came over here to do my job and do it to the best of my ability. There's a lot of the guys that I've flown with before, and they're the same way. The hard part is finding (the enemy). We fly around Baghdad where there are millions of people and they all look the same; unless somebody is shooting at you, you don't know. When they shoot at you first, that makes it easy."

"The initial contact was scary, and you thought about - yeah, this was a big deal," Moughon added. "At that point, it was like they say in the westerns: 'If you're in for a penny, you're in for a pound.' We were in it, so we had no choice. If we had just flown away, they probably would have been there to take somebody else down. We're a gunship; that's what we do. We don't get low and suppress and run. We stay and fight. Our job is to go out, find the enemy and kill them. That's what we do."

Photo - Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, commanding general of Multi-National Corps-Iraq, (left) presents the Distinguished Flying Cross to Onawa, Iowa, native Chief Warrant Officer Elliott Ham, (second from right), as Portage, Ind., native Chief Warrant Officer 4 Steven Kilgore, (right), waits in a ceremony Oct. 28 at Camp Taji, Iraq. Four Apache pilots from 1st "Attack" Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, earned Distinguished Flying Crosses for their actions against five gun trucks with heavy machine guns on May 31. The Distinguished Flying Cross is the U.S. military's highest aviation-specific award. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Rick Emert, 1st ACB, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs. Digg!

RCT-2 takes to the skies to cover AO

11 November 2007
By Cpl. Ryan C. Heiser
2nd Marine Division

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq -- In a 30,000 square mile patch of desert, roughly the size of South Carolina, it isn’t easy to have eyes and ears everywhere. Regimental Combat Team 2, the unit in control of the northwestern piece of Iraq’s Al Anbar Province, has taken an elevated approach to the problem, and regularly fields an Aero Scout group to the far corners, cliffs and caves of the western Euphrates River valley.

Aero Scout is made up of Marines from different military occupational specialties ranging from infantry to administration. The team uses helicopters to quickly search areas of interest and scout out possible targets. “We fly around to areas that may be difficult for ground units to get to, and scout out any nefarious activity,” explained Cpl. Kyle D. Christian, the team’s radio operator. “We make the enemy feel like there is nowhere to hide, and we play a large role in reconnaissance also.” The group flies to large areas of open desert where they suspect illegal activity may be taking place, and take a closer look.

“We are a reconnaissance asset,” said Maj. Robert B. Brodie, the Aero Scout mission commander. “Recon slash interdiction and disruption, that’s what we do. It comes down to economy of force. We enable the regimental commander to have a force that can do recon and show a presence across his entire area of operation.”

According to the aeroscouts, in addition to their scouting mission, they also help out nomadic civilians on their frequent aerial exploits. “We do cache searches, vehicle searches and sweeps, but we also provide a humanitarian aspect to our mission,” said Sgt. Jason R. Carmody, the team’s platoon sergeant. “We hand out speedballs, backpacks filled with water, chow, toothpaste and other hygiene gear, and handbills with phone numbers they can call and photos of the most dangerous insurgents in their area.”

Brodie, a Beaufort, S.C., native, explained the nomadic Bedouins the aeroscouts frequently come into contact with do not have the luxuries or communication assets local villagers may have access to. “They don’t get television or radio, so we help them out by providing them with information about what is going on in their country and who the bad guys are. We better enable the overall mission by opening more lines of communication and information sharing,” Brodie said.

The Marines on the Aero Scout team said they enjoy what they do, and love the chance to get out and make a difference. “I get to go out and at the end of the day feel like I did something that mattered. It doesn’t make a difference if we rolled up a bad guy, found any weapons, or just collected some good intel, in the end it all fits together to help eliminate the threat to the Iraqi people,” said Christian, a Hallettsville, Texas, native. “There are no more stupid insurgents, they died a long time ago, so we are trying to fight very smart individuals who know what they are doing, and every piece helps fit the puzzle together so we can catch him.”

The group usually takes a fire team of Iraqi soldiers with them on the helicopters to not only help with communication, but also show the civilians how far the Iraqi Security Forces have come in their training and dedication. “This lets the civilians know we are working together to take the weight of safety and security off their shoulders, so they don’t have to worry about getting attacked, the good guys are watching,” Christian said.

"Simply put,” explained Brodie, “We are positively affecting the people of our AO by providing a secure environment in which we can cultivate nationalism.”

The Aero Scout team has been working together for about four months, and has completed nearly 20 successful missions in support of RCT-2. “This is a regular group of guys, not specially trained, but because of their eagerness and will to make a difference, they were able to come together and make a successful unit and successful missions,” Brodie said.

Photo - Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason S. Gamble, a corpsman with Regimental Combat Team 2’s Aero Scout team, provides security while the rest of the team searches a group of Bedouin tents. Aero Scout, technically a large squad of the provisional rifle platoon, is a mix of military occupational specialties ranging from infantry to administration. The team uses helicopters to quickly search areas of interest, and scout out possible targets. Photo by Cpl. Ryan C. Heiser. Digg!

More to come...

I managed to get my emails down to one page, and it's just about 6:30 pm. I cannot believe this, but it looks like I've just about turned my hours around. I have to go to sleep pretty soon, because my body says so, but I will be back to finish with the news.

I would, however, like to share my condolences with the Hyde family and say good-bye to Congressman Henry Hyde. He was a good man. May he rest in peace.

(He was 83 years old, and he died a day or two ago. There are many articles out there, but my bed is calling. Actually, I'm afraid to fall asleep in my chair again. Good night.) Digg!

Clinton shows fear

It isn't bad enough that the dead news stations know we don't trust them, but then they have to go out of their way to prove why. Tonight was the GOP Debate held by C(linton) N(ews) N(etwork) and YouTube. I am not saying that anyone shined, because I don't think anyone did. Is Hillary so afraid of us that she had to plant a video and have the homosexual ex-general actually come to the debate to argue with the candidates? Hmm.

If you would like the real scoop on this, please go to Stop the ACLU and Webloggin. They both have documents and proof of the fact that this homo is on one of Hillary's steering committees.

Funny thing happened to us on the way to the debate tonight dear...

H/t: Stop the ACLU and Webloggin.

Also see: Michelle Malkin, The Moderate Voice, HotAir, Big Dog, Sister Toldjah, Right Voices, and Liberty Pundit.

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Another would-be terrorist convicted

I received some disturbing news this evening. Have you heard anything about this? Apparently this Somalian refugee was plotting to blow up a mall in Ohio in the year 2002 because he didn't like the way the war was being fought in AFGHANISTAN. Ya see, the reporting about USA Soldiers killing innocent Afghanistanis bothered him. Hmm. I wonder who was reporting that? The New York Times? The Washington Post)?

So you see, words DO mean something. So when you open your mouth, write an article, or communicate in any form, make sure it is accurate and stand by it. Say what you mean and mean what you say. That is why your poll numbers are so low, George.

Now that that's off my chest, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. Back in the day when you stole a man's horse, they hanged you. Today? You can give material aid to our enemies and what happens? Nuradin Abdi only has to wait 10 years before he can carry out his plan! What the hell? I am living in the Twillight Zone. Scottie, beam me up...

Source(s): Fox News and American Congress for Truth.

This is my Thursday's Open Trackback, even though I wrote it yesterday. I need some time to clean out my emails. lol. Please go to Linkfest to find other posts or join the Linkfest yourself. If you run into something you don't quite understand, just email me. I will help you join. Thank you.

Posts I've trackbacked to at Linkfest: Perri Nelson's Website, Outside the Beltway, third world county, Adam's Blog, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate's Cove, The Amboy Times, Big Dog's Weblog, Chuck Adkins, High Desert Wanderer, Right Voices, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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11. The Florida Masochist: Give us your poor, your tired, your skinny.

10. The Florida Masochist: Bribes Thai style.

9. The Florida Masochist: Rudy Giuliani vs. Bill Clinton.

8. The Florida Masochist: The Knuckleheads of the Day award.

7. Right Truth: Live Under Sharia Law - Reality Show.

6. Mark My Words: Unfinished business and global warming.

5. Mark My Words: Stem cells, minus the destroyed human embryo.

4. Mark My Words: I'm an undecided voter.

3. 123beta: My Name Is Mohammed The Bear.

2. Planck's Constant: Yes - I have Muslim Friends.

1. 123beta: Global Warming: It's MacBros' Fault.

5001

Today I have reached 5001 hits! (I know it's odd, but I missed the 5000th.) I am very grateful for this seeing as I've only opened this site on June 12, 2007, and I've been back and forth to a paid site and this one. I've decided to stay right here.

The visitor came here from Blackfive's site. The article he/she was reading is the one I wrote about Remembering Johnny 'Mike' Spann. He/she left this site via TALIBAN WEAPONS SMUGGLING OPERATIONS DISRUPTED. Whomever you are, thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed your stop here, and I also hope you will return. Thank you.

Today is Wednesday's Open Trackback Day. If you would like to share your post, please feel free to do so. The only request I have is that is not porn. I would also like you to join Linkfest, a Conservative Open Trackback community. If you do not belong to this group yet, you may still add your trackback. I'm not a creep. lol. Just please, check it out.

Posts I've trackbacked to at Linkfest: Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson's Website, Adam's Blog, The World According to Carl, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Leaning Straight Up, Conservative Cat, Right Voices, Big Dog's Weblog, Right Truth, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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8. The Florida Masochist: Sending in the Swat team.

7. The Florida Masochist: Former Congressman Henry Hyde dead at 83.

6. The Florida Masochist: The Knucklehead of the Day award.

5. The Amboy Times: Crucifiction and Beheading in Thialand.

4. Planck's Constant: Something to Admire about Muslims.

3. 123beta: This Should Be Odd.

2. The Florida Masochist: Meltdown.

1. The Virtuous Republic: U.N. Oil for Food Profiteer Only Gets One Year: Another Blow To The Republic.

nighty-nite

No excuses. I did some reading, answered some emails, made some comments, added the links to the front of my site, played some games, and I'm tired so I'm going to sleep and you can't stop me! LOL. Have a good night, all.

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Simplified Mitt

Gregg Jackson has written another wonderful article about some of the facts about Mitt Romney, candidate for president of the United States, in a very thoughtful and well researched manner. I shall attempt to simplify each of the 8 points into a single sentence. It is still better if you would go read the article in whole, since he lived in Taxachusetts and I did not.

Romney: Secrets The Media Are Hiding From You.

1. Mitt Romney was elected governor of Massachusetts on a pro-homosexual, pro-gun control and a pro-abortion agenda.

2. Is he that liberal? He resided over the Big Dig which killed several people, yet he left it under democrat control, and he imposed a mandatory health care disaster only Hillary could love.

3. What about pro-life? His health care plan covers abortions, and his record strongly supports his political leanings to pro-abortionists.

*4. Well, family values are better? He not only signed into law the homosexual marriage law, but he went as far as to fire anyone whose religious beliefs contradicted with his 'family values' in the clerks office.

**5. Okay. Maybe he's a fiscal conservative? Health care premiums have doubled, and Taxachusetts now pays 75% of their income in taxes.

6. What about judges? He passed over 27 of 36 conservative and/or GOP judges to place Democrats, independents and two homosexuals on the bench.

7. But can we trust him? In a Pew Center Poll, only 12% of the people thought of Mitt Romney as being honest. Just ask Teddy Kennedy why.

8. I will allow myself one quote from the article: 'If pragmatic means "what works," then what is it about Mitt that works? When most Americans wouldn't vote for Mitt in spite of all the money he's thrown out and all the media glorification, doesn't that seem to be the opposite of pragmatism? Contrary to conservative talk radio common wisdom, Mitt is the un-pragmatic choice. If Mitt does to America what he did to the "Birthplace of American Democracy," America will be in a nose-dive by 2012.'

And we have run the gammit. Do you want to take a chance with someone who reminds me so much of Bill Clinton that it's eerie? If not, you can help Duncan Hunter to rise to the top. It isn't too late. All he needs is enough face time as they gave this loser.

I'll be honest with you. I do not like him. NO. It is not because of his religion, so shut up about that. He cannot use that to hide behind every time someone tries to show you the facts about his record. My God. We USE TO debate about issues. Do we need to walk on eggshells now because he chose to be a Mormon? I think not! What does everyone expect? Is it now just a beauty contest in these dangerous times we live?

UPDATE: See what happens when you try to trim important news articles? I got it wrong.

*"4. Romney never "signed" any same sex marriage bill. There is no law. That is the point. He ordered justices of the peace and town clerks to perform same sex marriage ceremonies or be fired, and also authorized changing the certificates from husband and wife to "partner A" and 'partner B." He actually broke the law by doing this since the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling in Goodridge was only an opinion that it was "unconstitutional to ban same sex marriage." But since court decisions are just opinions and not LAW, Romney illegally ordered that same sex marriage ceremonies be performed."

**"5. I never said in my article that Mass. citizens pay 75% taxes. I only wrote that they will - in the future - as his socialist Health Care plan raises costs."

It's good to have him help me when I make a mistake or a misquote. I do not want anyone to think I never make mistakes. I do. I rely on all of you to help me to correct them as soon as possible! That is why I have always suggested you go directly to the source.

Gregg has also offered a very good site of someone who has covered this in depth. His site is BizzyBlog, and he is our (well, mine anyway!) economic advisor. (By reading his blog.)

You can make your voice heard by joining Linkfest and sharing your posts with others. Check it out.

Posts I've trackbacked to at Linkfest: Perri Nelson's Website, DragonLady's World, Adam's Blog, Right Truth, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate's Cove, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, The Bullwinkle Blog, Chuck Adkins, and High Desert Wanderer, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Trackbacks to posts used in this article: BizzyBlog. (I couldn't get Gregg's TownHall article to trackback.)

Trackbacks to this post (most recent tb listed first):
17. The Florida Masochist: The Knucklehead of the Day award.
16. Leaning Straight Up: The latest in Global Warming News: Airports, abortion and the horse you rode in on.
15. Right Truth: Tuesday News Roundup.
14. Big Dogs Weblog: Schumer Now Likes Arab Emirate Business.
13. CommonSenseAmerica: The Global Age of Entitlement (and violence).
12. The Florida Masochist: I've been assimilated.
11. The Florida Masochist: The Knuckleheads of the Day award.
10. The Florida Masochist: 3-0.
9. The Florida Masochist: Washington Redskin safety Sean Taylor dead at 24.
8. Republican National Convention Blog: Rememberance Hanukkah 5768.
7. The Amboy Times: Huckabee v Hillary.
6. Wolf Pangloss: News from the Far End of the World.
5. Potbelly Stove: The Western Alliance in Jeopardy?
4. The Amboy Times: Muslims Protest US Aid (Updated).
3. Pirate's Cove: Al Qaeda Looking To Explode Dirty Bomb.
2. 123beta: Caption Contest.
1. Blog @ MoreWhat.com: Consider 911 When Thinking ‘Clinton’. Digg!

Remembering CIA SpOps Johnny 'Mike' Spann

This is the day, Nov. 25, six years ago that CIA Special Operations Mike Spann was ambushed and murdered in Kala-Jangi (Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan) during the beginning of the war. He was interrogating Jihad Johnny at the time. We know of this jihadist because he was brought home to the states, given a trial, given a chance to live, and given another opportunity to live which he denied for Mike Spann. Am I bitter? What do you think?! (I think the little punk deserves the death penalty by a firing squad.)

I wish I could separate the two from my mind, because Mike is so much different than that traitor. Be it as it is. That is all I will say about it.

Mike was a very good man. He was a wonderful husband and son, His Mother and Father have a site in his honor named Honor Mike Spann. Please visit it. There is a place for you to comment. I would suggest words of encouragement. If not, do not bother. They have suffered enough. They don't need to suffer creeps who have an axe to grind with George W. Bush. So please be respectful.

Blackfive has written an article about Mike Spann as well, so it would be a good idea if you went over to read that one. I shall end with the words I borrowed from him that are from Mike's wife:

Mike's wife, Shannon, gets the last word, "Mike is a hero not because of the way he died, but because of the way he lived."

Hat-tip: Blackfive.

PS. I would like to say thank you for all of those who prayed with me for The Florida Masochist. He is doing well, and he has posted another article today. God bless you all.

I am opening this post for open trackbacks at Linkfest. Please remember to add my link in your post, and please, for Heaven's sake, no porn! Yes, you have all been very good at this. This is for those who are new. ;)

Trackbacked: The Florida Masochist: Cautious Chinese, The Knucklehead of the Day award, Marching Orders and Today's lesson.

Posts I've trackbacked to at Linkfest: Right Truth, DragonLady's World, The World According to Carl, Pirate's Cove, Blue Star Chronicles, Stuck On Stupid, The Pink Flamingo, Leaning Straight Up, Adeline and Hazel, The Pink Flamingo, The Virtuous Republic, Big Dog's Weblog, Faultline USA, Chuck Adkins, and Stageleft, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Trackbacks to this post (most recent tb listed first):
6. The Florida Masochist: Waiting for a year (or more).
5. The Florida Masochist: Planned escapes.
4. Right Truth: Mahdi Army and Islamic Republic of Iran.
3. Potbelly Stove: Potbelly Stove to Rowan Williams: MYOB.
2. The Amboy Times: Muslims Protest US Aid (Updated).
1. The Florida Masochist: The Knucklehead of the Day award. Digg!

How's your weekend?

I'll tell ya, I forgot about my hand being out of use, and I baked some chicken. Don't forget, my brother was also sick, so he couldn't go to the store. Besides, I cannot for the life of me get him to celebrate anything. He is not a bad person, he just believes that people should do the kind of things we do on HolyDays all year long. I couldn't agree more, although traditions are a favorite for this gal. lol.

Well, I forgot I only had the use of one hand, and it was something else. You should have seen me going at it. It sure was a sight for sore eyes. Good thing I had a stroke before, because I learned how to do things with only one hand. The only problem I had was the hand that I couldn't use is the hand that learned how to do everything. Oh well.

I've been pretty sleepy a lot, so this will be short. Many of the times I feel obliged to put some of the e-mailed news here, and it doesn't feel right. Not that it isn't important, it is. It's just that I did not write it. On Thursday, that was my writing. It felt good to finally be free to write something of my own. Sometimes I ramble, but who cares, right? LOL.

Well, that's all for now. Thank you for stopping by, and may God bless your families, other loved ones, and you.

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Please pray for The Florida Masochist

The Florida Masochist has fallen off the face of the blogosphere, and I am worried about him. He is a good friend and a great writer. I know he wasn't feeling well, so I am asking you to pray for his health and healing. I want him back here. Thank you.

I cannot write too much when I am worried, so I will just allow others to speak for me in this open trackback alliance and Linkfest. Thank you.

Update: HE'S BACK! Thank you for all of your prayers. Have a wonderful day. ;)

Posts I've trackbacked at Linkfest and OTA: The Florida Masochist: Weekly Dolphins prediction, Pirate's Cove: The Christmas Song, MacBro's Place: I Wear My (Sun)glasses At Night, The World According to Carl: Open Trackback Friday — November 23, 2007, Woman Honor Thyself: Give Thanks to WomeN & MeN!, Stix Blog: 100,000 Strong For Earmark Reform, CommonSenseAmerica: Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! OTB Holiday Weekend!, The Crazy Rantings of Samantha Burns: OTA Weekend, Blog @ MoreWhat.com: Open Trackback Linkfest 11/23/2007, Perri Nelson's Website: Random Stuff, Is It Just Me?: When The Bell Tolls - Ya Better Listen, 123beta: Light Up Louisville Open Trackback Weekend, Right Truth: China, Stix Blog: Woman and Man Poem, Stuck On Stupid: Thanksgiving Linkfest 11/21-11/25/2007, The Bullwinkle Blog: Moosetracks Open Trackbacks, Big Dog's Weblog: Mona Charen of NRO Skewers Ron Paul, Chuck Adkins: It’s the Friday, “I’ve got a turkey hangover”, Open Trackback and Open Thread Festival, Phastidio.net: France’s Thatcher? Not Exactly [Weekend Open Trackback], Conservative Cat, Pirate's Cove: TB Friday Featuring The Surrender Monkey: AP Admits Surrender On Surrender, and The Yankee Sailor: Weekend Open Post, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Digg!

Trackbacks to this post (most recent tb listed first):
6. Blue Star Chronicles: Not Enough Parking for Private Jets at UN Climate Conference.
5. Right Truth: Sunday Reading 11/25/07.
4. The Florida Masochist: Where have I been. [Praise God!]
3. Big Dogs Weblog: Democrats Cannot Embrace Victory.
2. Planck's Constant: Holocaust at the University of Kentucky.
1. 123beta: Hudna.

In the year 1620...

In the year 1620, the Pilgrims came to America by ship only to find a very harsh and unwelcoming country. The weather was colder than they had ever been exposed to before, and the food was scarce. They almost decided to go back where they came from, but there was 'a thing' that stopped them. That 'thing' was the Mayflower Compact.

This set forth a government based on the faith and belief in Jesus Christ, our LORD and Saviour. As irony would have it, a communal (communist, anyone?) system was created. No one owned land. No one was to keep whatever they created or harvested. Everything belonged to the government.

During that first winter, only 50 of the 110 people who had set forth had survived the winter. It was a horrible time. There was an Indian man, Squanto, who had been taken to Spain only to be sold to someone in England (where he learned English) who allowed him his freedom to return to his home which by this time had no longer in existence. Imagine. Squanto was enslaved during the time his whole tribe had starved to death, then he returned home at a time when there are people in need of him. You cannot tell me that God's hand was not upon him and upon the Pilgrims.

When the harvest came at the end of the year, they gave thanks to our LORD. The lie you have been told is that there was plenty of food. There was not. Remember, they were living in a commune. To each according to his need, from each according to their ability. Because of this creed, some people did not work. What they ate that first Thanksgiving was 5 kernels of hard corn. The corn they ate is not like the corn is today.

When the Governor saw this, he decided that this was not the right way to promote God's will. So he made up his mind to allow the people to own their property and be responsible for it. There was no longer to be the idea of everyone putting everything they made into the same bin as everyone else. The next year's Thanksgiving, in the year of our LORD 1622, there was an abundance of food! Capitalism had come to America! (And it worked!)

This practice of giving thanks to our LORD, if you will take note, took place in good times and in bad times. The eating together was for the fellowship, but the true meaning of Thanksgiving was to have a public honor and remembrance of God. It was to thank Him for His protection, His Mercy, His Love, His Grace, His Mysteries, His Son Jesus Christ, and so much more.

Do not allow the athiests or anyone else deprive you from this Holy Day. It is, after all, up to your attitude as to whether or not you will enjoy today or not. Just remember, it is a day to honor God, the Giver and Taker of life. The Almighty King, Comforter, Holy Father.

If you happen to feel sad today, I pray for you to receive the Joy that this world does not understand (PHIL 4:2-6). If you feel weak on this day, I pray for you to cry out to the Father, for He will Comfort you (PSALMS 72:12-14). For those of you who feel you have sinned too much to ever be forgiven, I know how you feel. I was there, and it is a LIE! A lie from satan. (ROMANS 6:15-23). I must confess, I have not been reading my Bible. No, I am not going to say, 'Not like I should have been', because I know I should have been. I just put it to my side to use passages when I want to do so. Please pray for me to find the courage and strength to do as I want to do, which is to read the Bible, rather than to do as my flesh wants to do. Thank you, and have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Posts I've trackbacked to at Linkfest: Nuke's: The Great WKRP Turkey Drop, Three Forces Of Evil: When To Turn On Headlights, Right Truth: Honoring Heroes at the Holidays Tour, Rhymes with Right: Saudi Government Determines Muslims Not Human, Shadowscope: Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!, Pirate's Cove: Happy Thanksgiving To All!, Global American Discourse: On American Endeavor for Global Democracy, Planck's Constant: The Art of Cooking the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey, Leaning Straight Up: Think about it, is this the real cost of Global Warming Alarmism?, Big Dog's Weblog: Happy Thanksgiving, Dumb Ox Daily News: Well, Goodbye, Dolly! Embryonic Stem Cell 'Revolution' Over!, Conservative Cat: Thanksgiving In North Dakota, Day 1, and High Desert Wanderer: Thanksgiving Open House, and a very Happy Thanksgiving to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Trackbacks to this post (most recent tb listed first):
3. Stuck On Stupid: Thanksgiving Linkfest 11/21-11/25/2007.
2. Right Truth: China.
1. Global American Discourse: On American Endeavor for Global Democracy. Digg!

I may take the day off...

I have so much work to do that I may take the day off from blogging. Actually, I will be moving some of my writings: My Newz 'n Ideas, Causes of Interest, Knickerbocker News, DoD Daily News, DoD Daily News-2, Loving God Holy, Love America First and Love America First-2 from their old place to this blog. Now do you understand why it was so important to me to start over? lol. I needed ONE blog...period.

I would sometimes cut/paste posts back and forth. Knicerbocker News is the more professional sites I had. I did allow others to write there, but it got too hard to do my posting and editing theirs. It wore me out. I wanted to get the fun back. I'm afraid I won't be able to do this until I get all of my posts over here. Arghh.

I pray for everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. I will be writing a post about the truth of the first Thanksgiving and how we became a capitalist society. Coming attraction! :)

God bless our troops, our country, our families, and the new media! And God bless you.

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This is a 'Hello!' open trackback Linkfest. Come on and join us. ;)

Posts I've trackbacked to at Linkfest: Perri Nelson's Website: Erosion, third world county: Make your own micro-mini-brewery and a batch of George Washington’s “small beer”, The World According to Carl: Dick Wilson — (1916-2007) R.I.P., Pirate's Cove: TLF: Newsweek Tells Americans How Mean We Are, Stuck On Stupid: Thanksgiving Linkfest 11/21-11/25/2007, The Amboy Times: The Libel Tourist, Big Dog's Weblog: Democrats Fail to Support the Troops, Chuck Adkins: It’s the Tuesday “Grumpy Man Special” Open Trackback and Open Thread Fest, Dumb Ox Daily News: Beacon of truth? or, Sick Circus? Peggy Noonan Opines... , Public Domain Clip Art: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, and Right Voices: Def Sec Robert Gates Calls Reids Bluff: Massive Layoffs For Military, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Trackbacks to this post (most recent tb listed first):

3. third world county: In Every Thing Give Thanks: T-13; 1.48.

2. Mark My Words: Trespass, and then you can own it.

1. The Amboy Times: Muslims Riot in Calcutta.

Free Speech supressed; interview by Always on Watch

These are two stories entwined into one that we should wake up to reality of how close this is becoming to America. What is 'it'? 'It' is the reach of the Saudi Arabian government's ability to silence those who do not agree with Wahhabism.

Links: The Gathering Storm Radio Show, Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, The American Center for Democracy, Funding Evil: How Terrorism Is financed and How to Stop It, and Always on Watch.

H/t: The Amboy Times.

Update: Please forgive me. I just noticed that this was in draft instead of published, and I can tell why by looking at it. I wanted to get it to your attention, but I just didn't. No excuses. You can catch it on their site, though. I hear it is very good. Again, I am sorry I didn't get it to you in time. Digg!

Hello and good-night

As some of you may have noticed, I have been posting close to midnight. I really don't like doing that, because I have promised myself I would write at least once a day. When I write so close to the deadline, I end up taking all of the morning and into the afternoon to finish whatever dribble or masterpiece come out of my heart. lol.

That is why I am writing this now. I am so sleepy that my body may take me to that wondrous place where the cherebim dance and the children play. Yes, I am talking about sleep, but I drifted off there for a minute and started remembering some of my childhood dreams. Boy, were they far out or what?! I could fly, how about you? :)

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Sunday Evening Bloglines 11.18.2007

Blackfive:

On PTSD, or more properly, on Coming Home.

There's quite a bit about myself I'm not going to tell you, now or ever. I will tell you some things you haven't heard before, to be sure, but I won't tell you why I know what I know. Just see if it seems right to you. [Continue reading.]

Uncle Jimbo at Blackfive's:

Sheepdogs in civilian society (more coming home).

They became sheepdogs. Once you march to the sound of gunfire you are a different person and that matters. When you get back most people will have absolutely no idea what you feel like, where you have been, or what you have done. That is not a lick on you, if anything that is a flaw in their life experience. Is there a greater honor than to have served your country in wartime? [Continue reading "Sheepdogs in civilian society (more coming home)"]

Deebow at Blackfive's:

More support for the troops.

Once again, blind stupidity in the face of overwhelming evidence that our soldiers continue to make progress toward victory.

As a result, he (Secretary Gates) said he is faced with the undesirable task of preparing to cease operations at Army bases by mid-February, and lay off about 100,000 defense department employees and an equal number of civilian contractors. A month later, he said, similar moves would have to be made by the Marines.

[Among other things...] Troops will not get paid. [Continue reading]

Blackfive:

A Surgeon's Letters Home From Iraq.

Let me introduce you to Chris, a USAF Surgeon, and milblogger at "Made A Difference" on his second tour in Iraq: [Continue reading.]

Gathering of Eagles:

More on Redacted.

I called the Dallas Mavericks front office today to express my displeasure at Mark Cuban’s funding of Redacted. I started the conversation by saying, “I hope this isn’t the only phone call you’re going to receive like this, but I am a soldier and I never raped nor murdered anyone.” The woman on the other end of the line said, “Why would you blame Mark?” When I responded, “Because he funded the project,” I found myself talking to dead air. [Continue reading.]

This one I could not pass up from The Spirit of Man.

Isn't that adorable? LOL.

Now for some politics. Gregg Jackson is both a Christian and an active participant in today's political scene. He also shares a radio program with Kevin on Sunday nights from 7-10 pm EST (there's also a streamline) and is a friend of mine. He brings us Romniacs ignore evidence against their messiah. This is a very good article which voters should read. Just so that you are armed with the Truth, not so that you will hate anyone. You know me, and I do not promote hate. However, I do promote truth, whether or not it hurts. After all, which do you value more? Truth? Politics? With Romney, you have to wonder about both, IMHO, and if you truly do stand with him. Read Gregg's article. He used to be a citizen of Taxachusetts.

Update: I have just read an amazing collection of articles combined in one post by This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here titled, "Where’s the war? (UPDATED)."

Reading the usual newspapers and wire services this morning, I was surprised to find that there’s no mention of the war in either Iraq or Afghanistan. D’ya think we’re weary of the war and that’s why the Washington Post doesn’t even have it’s usual link to the US casualties on the front webpage? Nope, I don’t think that’s the reason at all. The war is beginning to go the way it should have gone four years ago. [Continue reading.]

This is a very good and easy read. He talks about politics, because politics is affecting his life, he also talks about several articles he has read. Please go give him a visit. He is fighting for your right to be free. It's the least you can do. Oh, and leave a comment of encouragement, but only if you are sincere. There's enough bullcrap going around. I'm quite sure he doesn't need anymore. Thank you.

For those of you who are first time visitors to this site or others who simply just don't know, I do get much of my information from Milbloggers, Iraqis, Afghanistanis, Persians, Venezuelans, etc. If I relied on the news that is put out these days, I'd be writing about the demonrats talking points. No thank you!

Posts I've trackbacked to at Linkfest: The Florida Masochist: Weekly Dolphins prediction, Outside the Beltway: Tom Kean Endorsing John McCain, The Virtuous Republic: Chinese Economy Not As Big as Previously Thought, guerrilla radio: Aggiornamento: controllano le nostre opinioni, NON ESISTE una emergenza sicurezza, i dati sulla criminalità in Italia (firma la petizione)., The Populist: It’s the "It’s Monday Already?" Open Trackback and Open Thread Festival, Leaning Straight Up: Slow week notes, with cartoons, The Bullwinkle Blog: Moosetracks Open Trackbacks, Big Dog's Weblog: The Maryland Tax Rape Plan, The Amboy Times: Terror Threat to AZ Army Base?, third world county: Light Week, DragonLady's World: OTA Monday 58, Pirate's Cove: Beer Monday: Gray Lady Says Surge Is Working, Blue Star Chronicles: The Taliban Song - Toby Keith, The Pink Flamingo: A THREAT TO FT. HUACHUCA?, High Desert Wanderer: Monday Open House, and Right Voices: BOO HOO! My Uterus Is A Box, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Trackbacks to this post (most recent tb listed first):
Potbelly Stove: Evils of drugs and alcohol illustrated.
10. Public Domain Clip Art: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.
9. The Amboy Times: The Libel Tourist.
8. Blue Star Chronicles: Vets for Freedom Speak Out Against Plethora of Anti-War Films.
7. Woman Honor Thyself: LeavE the “Thanks” in “ThanksgivinG”.
6. Planck's Constant: Bollywood Fashion and Music Awards.
5. 123beta: Why Don't You Just Shut Up!
4. Wake up America: When Success Is More Important Than Polls.
3. Blog @ MoreWhat.com: Proof that immigration enforcement works.
2. Truth in Cosmetic Surgery Blog: Kellie Pickler matches wits with a 5th Grader.
1. Right Truth: Possible terrorist threat in southern Arizona. Digg!

Another day, another open trackback

I see that it is 11:30 pm, and I haven't written a post yet. Oops. I guess the easiest thing to do is to have an open trackback. I was planning on writing, don't get me wrong, but I kept falling asleep while I was doing the research for another post. Oh well. The world isn't going to stop turning on its axis, the rain won't stop watering our beautiful countrysides, the air won't stop exiting, so I am okay with this. I hope you are, too. lol. Have a nice day. Oh yes, and get your buns into Church! Make that Pastor talk about how the Bible DOES relate to today's current events. Stop boring us to tears! Whoa. Where did that come from? Well, do it anyway! Just be nicer about it...why? Hmm...maybe not. Our Churches need to wake up and get back to basics if they expect us to continue attending. There is evil out there, and if they will not address it? Then they would be better off tying a mulberry bush around their necks and jumping into the sea!

Posts I've trackbacked to at Linkfest: Stop the ACLU: Friday Free For All, Perri Nelson's Website: Attitude, Pirate's Cove: Illegal Immigrant Sob Story Part 3,458, The Midnight Sun: GOTCHA! FRENCH MEDIA CAUGHT FRAUDENTLY DEFAMING ISRAEL, The Random Yak: A Grump About Change, and Who’s Entitled to Make it, A Blog For All: Hoboken SWATted by Hooters Encounter of the Worst Kind, 123beta: Open Trackback Weekend, Stix Blog: North of Fullujah, Right Truth: Dhimmitude, The Populist: Saturday Open Thread & Open Trackback, Grizzly Groundswell: The Maid asked for a raise, The Amboy Times: Honor Killings: Sins of the Father, Big Dog's Weblog: Do They Really Need a Warrant?, Conservative Cat, Nuke's: Kerry signs Form 180?, The World According to Carl: PhotoHunt 84: I Love ____, Blue Star Chronicles: Wear Red on Friday's Links, The Pink Flamingo: There Goes the Neighborhood - Lou Dobbs For President!, Wolf Pangloss: House full of Flu, Open Trackback Weekend, Dumb Ox Daily News: World's Smallesr Political Quiz: Ron Paul, and Church and State: Weekend Open Trackback Nov. 16-18, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Trackbacks to this post (most recent tb listed first):
6. Blue Star Chronicles: A Battlefield Tour of Arab Jabour.
5. Planck's Constant: Muslim Atrocities No News at All.
4. Blue Star Chronicles: The World should give thanks for America.
3. 123beta: November 28th Debate Watch Party.
2. Stix Blog: North of Fullujah.

[Possible slow showing of trackbacks on this page, but they are showing on the 'trackback' button if you choose to hit it [due to football games,]

(Time out for Church.)
1. Wolf Pangloss: Detroit Gas Price Murder. Digg!