Lt. Col. Galeai, Cpt. Dykeman, Cpl. Preudhomme: RIP

If I were to mention Cindy Sheehan, would you know whom I was referring to? Then why is it that there are 32 articles on the deaths of these three marvelous men who were out there fighting for and protecting us from another 9/11/2001? I am amazed and disgusted. Could it be that by googling his name, I made an error? I did not see it on one single major paper's site. Why not?

Could it be because these men were REAL men? This is such a great loss, they have given so much during their lives. I know the old saying is true: It is not how long you live; what matters is what you do while you are alive.

I would like to thank Lt. Col. Max A. Galeai for all the help he provided to us for the cause of Life, Liberty and pursuit of property while over seas. He did so much for so many during his time in the service, whether he was in or out of the combat zone.

This past Thursday, three of our lovely men have fallen. There names and ages:

Lt. Col. Max A. Galeai, 42, of Pago Pago, American Samoa.
Capt. Philip J. Dykeman, 38, of Brockport, N.Y.
Cpl. Marcus W. Preudhomme, 23, of North Miami Beach, Fla.

The Marines were assigned to 2d Battalion, 3d Marines, 3rd Marine Division, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

For additional background information on these Marines, news media representatives may contact the Marine Corps Base Hawaii public affairs office at (808) 257-8840/70.

Bob Ellis
USN 80-86

In Memory of Ed "OldIron" Barrett

"Remember that no matter how many missions you have been on, all that matters to the family is the one you are on today." ~ Roert

Source: DoD Identifies Marine Casualties, Patriot Guard Riders.

Here is some of the activies of that day, as best as I can gather. They were killed in the town of Karmah in Anbar province, about 30 miles west of Baghdad, by a suicide bomber who disguised himself as a police officer. This occurred during a meeting with tribal sheiks opposed to AQI. There are rumors that two Iraqi interpreters, a local mayor, and several important tribal sheiks were also killed, but the DoD would only confirm the deaths of the Marines.

When this happened, there were just two days left before the transition was to be made to the Iraqis to take full responsibility of this very region. They are saying that bad weather had postponed the handover, but if you believe that I have a bridge in Brooklyn.

On the brighter side, if there could be one, 10 of the 18 provinces have been returned to the control of the Iraqis. The eight provinces that are left are dominated by the Kurdish and Shi'ites.

Here is a little insight into WHO Lt. Col. Max Galeai was:

Friends yesterday remembered Galeai, of Pago Pago, American Samoa, as a dedicated family man, a natural leader and a caring buddy who would never burden others with his problems. Just last week, in the midst of his deployment in Iraq, he sent e-mails to friends with jokes about the hot weather and friendly queries about how they were doing.

"I'm trying to cope with the fact that he's no longer with us," said Marine Master Gunnery Sgt. Taumaoe Gaoteote, of California, a longtime friend. "I didn't know how to react when I heard. I never thought it would actually happen to him."

In a newsletter for families of Kane'ohe-based Marines, Galeai wrote in February that during the deployment, battalion members would be "working with Iraqi police, Iraqi army and other(s) ... as we help the Iraqi people establish the conditions necessary for them to assume responsibility for their own security and local governance."

One of Galeai's friends, Marine Master Gunnery Sgt. Paul Moniz, of New York, said he heard from Galeai about a week ago in an e-mail. Galeai didn't talk much about what he was doing in Iraq, but made sure to ask Moniz about how he was holding up. "He was a friend, mentor, bigger than life, extremely bright, just one of those guys," Moniz said. Moniz, who used to work under Galeai, said the officer always "sunk his teeth into his work" and expected a lot from people, but also praised them when they delivered. "He was definitely an inspirational guy. He was caring, compassionate."

Master Sgt. Brett W. Beard, of California, also used to work under Galeai and quickly befriended him. "He just made it super easy to go out there to work day after day," Galeai said. "His first love was always leading Marines."

Source: Suicide bomber kills 3 Hawaii Marines, HonoluluAdvertiser.com.

But this is not all there was to these men. No, not by a long shot. These men were heroes and commanders! Lt. Col. Galeai was on his second tour in Iraq. He had served in the Marines in Virginia, California, Okinawa and elsewhere. In the time between 1988 until his death, he had earned and was awarded two Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart and five Meritorious Service medals. He is survived by his wife, Evelyn, and four children.

Cpt. Dykeman was the leader of Fox Company. He had been awarded a host of medals, including the Purple Heart. Preudhomme's awards include the Purple Heart and the Combat Action Ribbon. Yes, these men did not back down when the fighting got tough. They got tougher. If you don't like that, then go live as a slave in another country. You are killing mine.

Back to the post.

This is a very sad post, please forgive me. I wish I could make it different. I truly do. I've never one like this before, and I do not have the words. Therefore please allow me to use the words of our dear friends over at the Gathering of Eagles:

It is with great sadness that I must report that a very good Marine and a friend of the Gathering of Eagles, Lt. Col Max Galeai, has died in Iraq. Max was the CO of the 2nd Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment , which Gathering of Eagles Hawaii Chapter has been supporting with Kona coffee, during their deployment in al Anbar Iraq.

Max died on Thursday, June 26th, 2008 along with two other good Marines, and a number of Iraqi local dignitaries that he was meeting with in al Karmah. An AQI suicide bomber , dressed as an Iraqi policemen detonated himself to cause the deaths. You can read the details here: Honolulu Advertiser.

I had come to consider Max Galeai a personal friend , having exchanged at least a 1/2 dozen e-mails with him recently over the coffee project, Operation Jarhead Java -Kona for the Corps.

Max's words to me were always so kind and respectful, I considered it an honor to receive each one of his communications.

Just last week a package arrived in the post for me , from Iraq. It was a beautiful United States flag, perfectly folded, along with a document personally signed by Lt.Col Galeai, stating exactly where and when it had been flown (Fallujah).

This flag has now become a sacred treasure to me .

Rest in eternal peace Max. Captain Dykeman and Cpl Preudhomme too. We will never forget you, and may God bless you greatly for your sacrifice for our dear country.

Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.

I wish I had the proper words to say, but I do not. What a sad state of affairs when the only press you receive is if you are AGAINST the country so many of us love and are willing to give our lives for. May you rot in hell, AP.

Cross-posted @ The Talon and Rosemary's News and Ideas.

Quote of the Day 30 June 2008

Monday, 30 June 2008

"Where liberty dwells, there is my country."

Source --Benjamin Franklin (letter to Benjamin Vaughn, 14 March 1783).
Reference: Respectfully Quoted, p. 201

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All of the Founders' quotes distributed by FQD have been thoroughly researched and authenticated by the Heritage Foundation. For a complete database of Founders' quotes on various topics, link to the Internet's most comprehensive resource page on our Founding documents Historical Documents and select Founders Quote Database.

If you are looking for the linkfest, please go to Rosemary's News and Ideas. They will be over there. Thanks.

Iraqi Police lead the way in Fallujah

by Cpl. Chris Lyttle
RCT-1 PAO

FALLUJAH, Iraq (June 24, 2008) – The joint security station in the Khadairy District of Fallujah is now home solely to Iraqi police, as Company K, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, detached from the station in a step toward transitioning security to IPs, June 18. IPs will continue their daily tasks here on their own as part of the transition of security from coalition forces.

“We really didn’t ‘de-militarize’ it, we more or less unpartnered,” said 1st Lt. Cory Colistra, platoon commander, 3rd Platoon. “We left the station intact. It’s an IP station now instead of a joint security station. We continue to work with them every day. The mission is to transition provincial Iraqi control and this is a physical example of being one step closer to mission accomplishment. The idea is that the Iraqis are taking over and we’re there as a backstop to support their operations. Doing that allows the IPs to directly provide security and stability while the Marines indirectly influence that end state.”

The purpose of JSS Khadairy, which was in operation for more than a year, was for coalition forces to transition security to Iraqi police led counterinsurgency operations while maintaining the security of the precinct. As the IPs have stepped up to conduct missions on their own, Colistra said the only change to daily tasks are the Marines’ responsibilities. “The mission and operations don’t change, but our method has transitioned to more of a support role,”

Colistra said. “The Marines will advise the IPs on certain tactical issues, but it is the IPs who are running their own show. We will be in that overwatch position and step up when needed. This builds confidence for both the (Iraqi security forces) and the local nationals and that’s all they need. We’re slowly taking a step back, allowing the ISF to step up and they’re gaining control of their city one day at a time.”

Accomplishments at the JSS came through partnered operations that built the IPs’ skill capacity. The IPs learned to properly guard their compound, patrol the streets and perform operations in their district, resulting in decreased insurgent activity. In turn, IPs positively influenced their local population. Colistra described how this transition is similar to how a Marine unit relinquishes command to another unit.

“I would compare it to turning my battle position over to another Marine platoon, but (in this case) we’re turning it over to the IPs,” Colistra said. “They are in control of their precinct – it is their area of operations. Now if we want to go into their AO, we will conduct cross boundary coordination with them. It is as if we were to go into an adjacent platoon’s AO. We would coordinate with them, let them know where we’re going and see if they can support us in any way. So I would do basically the same thing with the IPs, except our role is to support them.”

The IPs must work in their district without the constant presence of their Marine counterparts, and be ready to operate on their own. Colistra said there is no better time than now. With the local government’s support, IPs are building on their successes and Marines’ assistance is less needed with time. “The IPs at Khadairy are very capable,” Colistra said. “With their government’s support and the Marines as a backstop, they will have all the tools needed to be successful in taking control of their city. Once they become confident that they can do the job successfully and maintain security on their own, it’ll be the kick start for complete control.”

U.S. Marines move out of Joint Security Station Khadairy in the northern District of Fallujah June 18. The movement means the building is now solely an Iraqi police station.

Source: CENTCOM.

Iraqi-Based Industrial Zone service center opens

by Staff Sgt. Les Newport
76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

BALAD, Iraq (June 23, 2008) — Joint Base Balad marked the beginning of a new program to spur progress in Iraq in the provinces surrounding the installation. A ribbon cutting ceremony attended by Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, Adjutant General of the Indiana National Guard, Brig. Gen. Gregory E. Couch, commander of the 316th Expeditionary Sustainment Command and Sheik Shihab Ahmed Saleh Al-Tamimi commemorated the opening of the Iraqi-Based Industrial Zone (I-BIZ) Service Center, Basateen Al-Dejayl General Training and Contracting Company, ltd., at Joint Based Balad. The initiative is being spearheaded by the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Indiana Army National Guard.

“We are proud to call Iraqis our wonderful allies and we wish you the very, very best in your new venture,” said Umbarger. "Here is a local sheik very well respected in his community, able to create a business and work in conjunction with us as his allies."

The center was selected as the first of several initiatives to provide local Iraqi business leaders with opportunities to tap into valuable military contracts, and provide a secure environment to grow their business. “To fulfill what Gen. Petraeus’ dream was when he came here, and that is to get the Iraqi people the opportunity to work in their country and to take back the opportunity so they can support their own families,” said Couch. “So this is the beginning of a great partnership and I too, as I’m getting ready to leave here, wish all great success to the Sheik and the rest of the Iraqi partners that join in on the IBIZ function,” he said.

Col. Courtney Carr, 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team commander said the initiative is tied to a theater-wide initiative to drive business and economic prosperity to the local economy. Significant improvements in the security of the local area, led by local Iraqi leaders, are the key that allows us to pursue these economic opportunities. “We want to support Iraqi business so they can flourish throughout the regions,” said Carr. “The types of businesses we have selected to support are the types of businesses that can provide products and services that are needed at the base and that can also prosper outside the base.”

Coalition forces expect, and in some cases have already received, dividends in return for investments made in the IBIZ initiative. Col. Kenneth Newlin, Deputy Brigade commander and I-BIZ Program Director, sees the program as a natural progression of security and stability operations. “The leaders and centers of influence that we are partnering with in establishing these businesses have the ability to influence economic progress and prosperity in Iraq. This program allows us to consolidate recent security gains made in the region by the local and national government that a year ago would not have been possible,” said Newlin.

In addition to the service center, which will provide maintenance for non-tactical vehicles owned by coalition forces, JBB has plans for a host nation business center, shipping container remanufacturing facility, an industrial, wholesale, and retail facilities, and a vocational training program.

PHOTO: Col. Kenneth Newlin meets with local leader Sheik Shehab Ahmed Saleh Al-Tamimi on June 17 during the commemoration of a service center aimed at improving Iraqi-based industry. (Army photo by Sgt. Robert G. Cooper III).

Source: CENTCOM.

Afghan army commander hailed for innovations

by Sgt. Jessica Dahlberg
CJTF-101

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (June 22, 2008) — The Heroes Program, an individual-recognition program for service members who have performed acts of bravery against insurgents and criminals, recently recognized Commander Mohammad Ahsraf, of the Afghan National Army’s 3rd Brigade, 201st Corps. Ashraf started his military career 22 years ago as a second lieutenant. He now controls the ANA in 10 provinces, where his innovative mind has come up with new ideas on how the ANA should work.

One of Ashraf’s ideas was to coordinate missions with the Afghanistan National Police to get them more involved. “I made it part of my standard operating procedure to make the Afghanistan National Police part of my missions,” said Ashraf. Ashraf created a Provincial Coordination Center in Laghman province. It was the first province where he tested his idea about the ANA and ANP working together.

Ashraf’s idea has spread throughout all the provinces he has worked within. In the Kapisa province, Ashraf and his friend of two years, Bakhtyar Padschagul, the Police Chief of the Nijrab District, worked together to make their province safer. “The ANA just helps support the ANP,” said Ashraf. “They have their own chain of command and system in place, we coordinate with the ANP to work together to make our province safer.” The ANP is responsible for the security of the district, and they ensure the safety and well-being of the district and people by holding checkpoints and conducting patrols around the villages, said Padschagul. While conducting these patrols, the ANA will secure the area, and then the ANP will be the ones who actually go in and search the houses.

The ANA and ANP in the Nijrab District meet often to coordinate and plan missions together for their joint team. Along with his innovative ideas, Ashraf shows his bravery just by showing up to work everyday. He has had Taliban leaders try to murder him because of what he is doing for his country. However, Ashraf does not fear the threats on his life because he puts his trust in his soldiers. “They are like my family members, and they take care of me and protect me just as I do for them,” said Ashraf.

The love that Ashraf and his soldiers have for each other is what makes the 201st Corps so successful. “When the enemy comes up against Ashraf and his men, they either run or die,” said Marine Capt. Jesse Melton. Ashraf is a brave and courageous man, and in every province he has worked in, no one has ever been unhappy with his work. He takes care of his soldiers and his people by fighting every day despite Taliban threats.

Bakhtyar Padschagul, left, Nijrab District police cheif, and Commander Mohammad Ashraf, commander, Afghan National Army 3rd Brigade, 201st Corps, shake hands at Forward Operating Base Morales-Frazier in the Nijrab District, Kapisa province, Afghanistan, June 20. Padschagul and Ashraf are known throughout Nijrab for working together to bring stability and security to the people of the district. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jessica R. Dahlberg).

Source: CENTCOM.

Rise in police recruits improves security in Ramadi

by Lance Cpl. Casey Jones
RCT-1 PAO

CAMP RAMADI, Iraq (June 23, 2008) — Over the last two years, Ramadi has seen a dramatic rise in the number of policemen as the city progressively moves toward the final steps in becoming fully independent. In 2006, there were very few police in Ramadi when violence engulfed the city, the citizens lived in fear, and al-Qaida had a firm grip on the region. In the first two weeks of 2007, the city experienced an unexpected surge of applicants seeking to join the force. During that two-week span, more than 1,000 applicants sought law enforcement jobs in Ramadi, according to Army Maj. Thomas Shoffner, operations officer for the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division.

The turning point for the boost in applicants was the murder of a well-known sheik in August 2006. The murderers hid his body for three days, denying his family the right to bury him in accordance with Islamic tradition. After the killing, tribal leaders could not tolerate al Qaeda’s lawlessness and violence throughout their land and formed an alliance against the terrorist network called, Sahawa al-Anbar, or the “Awakening Council.”

Now the number of Iraqis seeking to become policemen remains high. This is due in part to the professionalism of the Ramadi Training Center, which trains and mentors the newly recruited policemen, and the insight provided by the awakening. “During the awakening, many citizens of al-Anbar realized what the right thing to do was and what the wrong thing to do was,” said Sheik Haji Talib through an interpreter. “The insurgents gave the wrong picture of coalition forces. They said coalition forces are invaders so we should fight them. They were able to get into the people’s minds and tell us the wrong things and lies. When the people realized they were wrong, they started waking up and started doing the right thing.”

Ramadi remains safe as a result of the awakening and fully functioning police training center. The training center is run by the Iraqi Police Training Cadre, International Police Advisors and the Army’s 194th Military Police Company, offering recruits the best law enforcement schooling by international experts and specialists. “The policemen will go to a variety of different stations within all of the Ramadi precincts almost immediately after they graduate the 11-day course or as soon as their station directs them to report,” said Capt. Gerard C. Dempster, Headquarters and Service Company Commander with 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, and direct liaison for the Iraqi security forces. The city has nearly reached the desired number of policemen considered necessary to keep Ramadi safe, Dempster said. The school’s leaders will continue training recruits and placing policemen on the streets to further restrain the insurgents and their illicit activities.

Iraqi policemen celebrate their graduation at al Anbar Ramadi District Training Headquarters in May. (Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Casey Jones).

Source: CENTCOM.

Marines train Iraqi police in Fallujah

by Cpl. Chris Mann
RCT-1 PAO

FALLUJAH (June 23, 2008) — Marines geared for war walk in tactical columns through the once mean streets of Fallujah, ready for what may lie around the next corner. “Mister, mister shokalata! Shokalata!”shout exuberant children from a crowded neighborhood as Marines and Iraqi police pass out candy. Marines with Company B, Police Transition Team 8, Regimental Combat Team 1, have been working diligently over the past few months to help train Iraqi police to take over their respective areas and become self-supportive in day-to-day operations in the city.

Recent increases in the number of Iraqi police have drastically subdued the violence in the city. According to the Fallujah headquarters Chief of Police Col. Faisal, the number of Iraqi policemen has increased this year by more than 1,000 officers, and that is why security is better than it has been in four years. “These guys are going out on a daily basis by themselves and coming back with suspect arrests,” said Lance Cpl. Andrew L. Walker, a 20-year-old police transition team member from Crane Hill, Ala. “For the most part, they are doing a really good job with many of the issues going on here.”

Marines with the transition team spend time mentoring Iraqi police and work with them to control the Mauallimeen area. Joint patrols in the city work to strengthen relationships with the IPs and Marines, and offer Marines a chance to evaluate how the police operate in various situations. Team members work with the IPs and teach them specific weapons skills and how to handle their issued pistols and AK-47 assault rifles safely. Lessons are given on a weekly basis inside classrooms at police headquarters, which teach IPs fundamentals of marksmanship and how to function together as a team. “The IPs are well trained in individual actions and capable of planning and conducting their own operations,” said Sgt. Stan C. Theisen, a 28-year-old platoon sergeant from Warren, Mich. “When we go on patrol, the IPs function the same a way a Marine Corps rifleman would.”

Iraqi Police are now fully functional 24-hours a day and remain alert for any situation that could arise in the city. The communication between local citizens and the IPs have allowed the IPs to regain control of many neighborhoods in the Fallujah area. Many areas have bulletins posted on buildings and street corners that have the contact numbers for IP stations. Phones at Fallujah stations remain busy, as locals report suspicious activities to officials.

“We have made significant progress over the past few years, but there is still a lot of room for improvement to be made,” said Theisen. “The IPs still need work on learning that they have a chain of command and how to use small unit leadership.”Police facilities at headquarters district now have commodities such as air-conditioning and electricity, as well as newly-built structural amendments that have given IPs a safer place to work. Police use their own vehicles to patrol streets and check for unusual activities reported by civilians on a nearly daily basis. This month, 23 more vehicles have been put into operations to help strengthen security on the streets.

“We hope to one day see the Iraqis training themselves, instead of them relying on us for their training,” said Maj. Eric P. Dominijanni, police transition team leader, 35, and native to Forest Hills, N.Y. Every day, new steps are being taken towards progress in the city. With the coalition forces’ guidance, the Iraq police are ensuring the safety of its community, and in hopes of one day becoming stand-alone, bringing Fallujah back to a state of normalcy.

A U.S. Marine gives an Iraqi child a high-five during a patrol through Fallujah..

Source: CENTCOM.

My Decision

Since I've received no advice for which I requested...well...it is the weekend...I have made this decision all by my little self. I have decided to keep this site AND the new site. Ha! I really like the other site, but there are things I can do here that I can't do over there. I can do things over there that I cannot do over here. So it wasn't really all that hard of a decision to make.

For example, I will be changing my Linkfest address to Rosemary's News and Ideas. The URL to this new site http://rosemarysnews.wordpress.com. Yeah, I forgot to add the 'and Ideas' when I created the site. Oh well. Less typing. ;)

So those of you read me here will be able to continue doing so. I am just going to copy/paste from here and go over there. I would like to use my WP address for my Linkfests, because it is SOOOOO much easier than manually having to do it myself. Do you realize how much time I put into each Linkfest? A LOT. Too much as a matter of fact! I hardly have anytime left to read any of the sites that appealling to me! That is going to end because I want to read your sites, not just write them down and forget them. I also the theme they allowed me have for my header. Haha. Now you have to go look. (lol)

I'm going to keep this site because it allows me to manipulate videos and the such. There are some links I was unable to take with me, and I do not want to give them up. Besides, it's much easier to use Blogger to write. I'm quite sure there are many other reasons for this decision, including I do not desire to lose you as a reader by jerking you around from site to site, but for now, that it is my decision. Have no fear. You do not need to change your links. Who knows, you may end up liking the other site, too! ;)

Really great reading

My friend has written another wonderful post with videos and links included. He named it: Quick Update, but don't let the title fool ya. There is some of everything included in this post, including Major Stone Cold is being promoted to Lieutenant Colonel! Yup, good stuff. 'O' is receiving the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, as well as LTC Stone Cold! He is going to try to get them to write their stories, and he thinks by keeping their anonymity it may help. They are humble dudes. My goodness, they can go out and protect our lives, but they aren't able to take credit for it? Yes. They think they are just doing what anyone else would have done. If only they knew people other than those they've had to live with for the past 18 months! But that's just kind of guys they are. God bless them all. Now get over there and read this post! Please. And please leave him a comment. Let him know there are people here at home that still care about him and what he has to say. Thank you very much. Good night.

Um...Need some advise

OMG! It's almost Midnight, and I haven't posted anything yet. Well, here I am. I am working on another site, Rosemary's News and Ideas. This is a combination of my very first site, My Newz 'n Ideas and Rosemary's Thoughts. I sure hope I don't screw everyone up! Well, I will be going away again. I'm going to finish working on the other site. Please go over and let me know if you think I should switch or stay here. Your opinion means a lot to me. I'll remain posting here for now, so don't worry. I shall return!

This is an open trackback post. Feel free to put your best, funniest, or misc. work here. Share it with others. Not familiar with trackbacks? First, choose the article you want to promote. Copy/paste my permalink (URL) to your post. Then send a trackback to me. Don't have one? You can use Wizbang Standalone Trackback Pinger. Otherwise, leave a comment for me with the permalink for your post, the name of your blog, and a small excerpt, and I will add it to the list. There are three trackbacks which I recommend: Open Trackback Alliance, (host an open trackpost) and Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Posts that have trackbacked to this post:
1. Stageleft:. Life on the left side: Things I Read On The InterTubes.
2. Beagle Scout: Support H.R. 3089, the No More Excuses Energy Act of 2007.
3. Adam's Blog: Call Me Hussein?
4. The World According To Carl: Lamenting The Pensacola Ice Pilots: Now Defunct.
5. Right Truth: Perseverance: Reflections from a Conversation with Duane "Dog" Chapman.
6. McCain's Blogs: Obama Treats Women On Staff Unfairly.
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8. Right Truth: Terrorism, Religion, Obama, and America.
9. walls of the city: i never would have guessed.
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11. Leaning Straight Up: Are blogs the criticize Obama being shut down deliberately? Yes.

From the Frontlines

Here is the livestream starting at 1 pm PCT, 4 pm EST (the link for Move America Forward):

Webcast by Ustream.TV

Here is the link to HotAir. DIG DEEP! GIVE! Thank you. ;)

Update: It is 5pm, and you have already donated over $590,000! Now the goal is $1,000,000. Dig deeper or dig in the first place. This is for the Troops so they can receive Care Packages for 4 July 2008. Let's make this historic! Thank you.

Update II: 6:31 pm = $698,011! Call in at 866-866-6372.

Update III: 6:57 pm = $714,299!

Update IV: 7:31 pm = $837,997!!!

Update V: 7:56 pm = $910,006! Come on guys, we can do this! Let's reach that $1,000,000 goal! God bless you all so very much.

Update VI: 8:23 pm = $980,423!!!! HOOAH! Just one more push, baby, just one more push! ;)

If the computer is too slow, CALL! 866-866-6372.

Update VII: 8:57 pm = $1,055,719!!!! YOU DID IT! HOOAH! Thank you, and may God bless your families and you. This is the end of the web-a-thon, but they will be accepting donations all the way up until our men and women come home. Digg!

Supremes: Raping Child's Okay

Many liberals have a tendency to brand conservatives who believe in States' Rights as racists. This is a perfect example of why we feel so strongly about States' Rights. The Supremes get thousands of cases per year from which to chose which ones they will decide. This is a situation where this was only one state, but there is the issue of the death penalty so they get to put their greedy and arrogant noses into the State of Louisiana.

The case: A man rapes his eight - 8 - year old step-daughter. He goes to trial. He has a lawyer. They have the trial. The people decided he was guilty. The jury decided he deserved the death penalty for this case. (Did you know the poor child was cut so badly she bleeding, and I don't even know all the facts but this really disturbs me.) He has his appeals. For 10 years this goes on and on. This child is now a young woman. What will happen to her? Does she have to live with the fear of his release from prison on parole?

Not according to Governor Jindal. Finally a MAN who has the cajones to stand up to the supremes! It's about damn time, I can tell ya that.

I am outraged by the Supreme Court’s decision. It is an affront to the people of Louisiana and the jury’s unanimous decision in this case. “The opinion reflects a clear abuse of judicial authority, trampling the constitutional authority of states to act through the legislative process. The Court found, ‘there is a distinction between intentional first degree murder on the one hand and nonhomicide crimes against individual persons, even including child rape, on the other. The latter crimes may be devastating in their harm, as here, but in terms of moral depravity and of the injury to the person and to the public, they cannot be compared to murder in their severity and irrevocability.’

“The Supreme Court is dead wrong. “It is fundamentally improper for the Supreme Court to base an important decision like this on its ‘independent judgment’ about a perceived ‘national consensus against capital punishment for the crime of child rape.’ The opinion reads more like an out-of-control legislative debate than a constitutional analysis.

“One thing is clear: the five members of the Court who issued the opinion do not share the same ‘standards of decency’ as the people of Louisiana. One Justice said that ‘the death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child.’ That is incredibly absurd. The most repugnant crimes deserve the harshest penalties, and nothing is more repugnant than the brutal rape of an eight-year-old child. “We will evaluate ways to amend our statute to maintain death as a penalty for this horrific crime.”

Source: Gov. Jindal's Newsroom.

You tell 'em, Gov. We'll back you on this one. I am totally disgusted. I want the death penalty for each child molester. I don't care. We need to crack to on perverts and animals who prey on our young and helpless. You who want to rehabilitate these monsters, go to hell. It cannot be done, and I am not about to wait around while they kill, maim, and rape many more before you get it through your thick skulls that these animals need to die. It is the most compassionate thing to do for the victim - remember them? - and the perpetrator. Good night.

Update: Each of these posts that I've trackbacked to has more on this subject, and they have all done a very good job of covering this issue. I recommend them highly if you want to really understand what has occurred here. Also, Obama has even condemned this opinion. Don't get your hopes up, though. He is only going to nominate justices that would the same exact way.

Update II: Another amazing move by Governor Jindal. As I have just learned, Governor Jindal signs chemical castration bill into law.

They get a choice: physical or chemical. Oh, and they don't just get castrated and leave - they still have to serve out their sentence.

SB 144 by Senators Nick Gautreaux, Amedee, Dorsey, Duplessis and Mount provides that on a first conviction of aggravated rape, forcible rape, second degree sexual battery, aggravated incest, molestation of a juvenile when the victim is under the age of 13, or an aggravated crime against nature, the court may sentence the offender to undergo chemical castration. On a second conviction of the above listed crimes, the court is required to sentence the offender to undergo chemical castration.

Gov. Jindal made it absolutely clear that signing this bill today was about more than just sending a no-tolerance message across his state: "I want to send the message loud and clear – to the Supreme Court of the United States and beyond – make no mistake about it, if anyone wants to molest children and commit sexual assaults on kids they should not do so here in Louisiana. Here, we will do everything in our power to protect our children and we will not rest until justice is won and we have fully punished those who harm them."

Take that, supremes and mainical perverts! Stand tall, Bobby, stand tall.

Hat tip: Stop the ACLU.

Posts I've trackposted to at Linkfest and other sites: Stop the ACLU: Louisiana Governor Jindal Vows to Amend State Law to Maintain Death as a Penalty for Child Rape, Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: Liberal Supreme Court Justices Side With Child Rapists (UPDATED), Sister Toldjah: Discussion: Kennedy v. Louisiana (UPDATE: OBAMA DISAGREES WITH DECISION, UPDATE 2: JINDAL REAX), American Daughter - FrontPage: Reactions To SCOTUS Decision On Child Rape, Stop the ACLU: Hey Supreme Court, Since You Think Death Isn’t Proportional Punishment for Rape, How About Castration? Digg!

RINO's on the Firearm attack

Wouldn't ya know it, the RINO's came up with a bill that the dems just love. They want to reinstate the ban on the so-called assault weapons. Isn't that nice what they call them? No, they don't call them guns. That would be too easy. That wouldn't scare real people. They have to call them weapons! Oh my, they can't have people knowing that they really want to disarm us so that we won't have the protection that the Constitution assured us so we can protect ourselves against the US GOVERNMENT CRETANS. We are guaranteed these rights to fight off tyrannies, bucko! That includes YOU! Am I writing run-on sentences? Oh well. Deal with it. (That's a note to myself. I hate run-on sentences.)

Here is the name of the bill and its sponsors:

H.R. 6257: To reinstate the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act.

Rep. Mark Kirk [R-IL], Rep. Michael Castle [R-DE], Rep. Michael Ferguson [R-NJ], and Rep. Christopher Shays [R-CT].

Overview.

Okay, here's the deal. We need to man the phones, the e-mails, and the RNC. There is to be NO money going to the RNC during this PRESIDENTIAL election until this bill is pulled. See if they want to chance that, eh? And they think normal people have no pull anymore. HA! I laugh in the faces everytime they say conservatives have no sway. Without our money, THEY HAVE NO PARTY! So take THAT!

Toll free - Capitol: 1-866-340-9281.
RNC: 202-863-8500.

You tell them to keep their grubby little paws off our guns! Okay, you have your assignment. GO! (Great job. Have a great day.)

Posts I've trackposted to at Linkfest and other sites: Right Truth: PATIENT EVIL - An R.J. Godlewski / Right Truth Blog Exclusive - Chapter Eighteen, walls of the city: law abiding gun owner, Beagle Scout: Invasion: Mexican Army member(s) commit(s) Phoenix home invasion and murder, Beagle Scout: No ice for Santa, Pirate's Cove: Surrender Monkey Friday: The Neurosis Of The NY Times, McCain Blogs: Surrender Monkey Friday: The Neurosis Of The NY Times, The Amboy Times: Sniffer Dogs Offend Muslims, Cao's Blog: Pizzas for the troops for the 4th of July!!!, Right Truth: PATIENT EVIL - An R.J. Godlewski / Right Truth Blog Exclusive - Chapter Nineteen -eBook. Digg!

Laz-e-daz 'n laz-e-nites

Yes, I plead guilty to being lazy. So what? I have actually been working on my WP site, and I'm thinking of maybe switching over to there. I don't know, what do you think? It has its pro's, but it also has its cons. One of the cons is that I'm not that familiar with the codes. This blogger, though, I don't know. I like it, but then I don't. It just takes me too daggone long to do the linkfests. That's what it boils down to, and I'm not about to give them up! ;)

So, as if you couldn't tell, I'm leaving this open to everyone to link their post on their site and then trackback to me here. If you don't have trackback, just leave me a comment with the Title, a short piece of your post, and the post's URL Permalink. Also, please let me know it's your trackback, just in case I suddenly get stupid. I doubt that would ever happen, but we never know...lol. Have a great day.

Posts I've trackposted to at Linkfest and other sites:
. Digg!
Posts that have trackbacked to this post:

1. Right Truth: PATIENT EVIL - An R.J. Godlewski / Right Truth Blog Exclusive - Chapter Eighteen.
PATIENT EVIL...
2. walls of the city: law abiding gun owner.
In celebration of the recent Heller decision, I performed one of my many duties as a law abiding gun owner and procured another method for safely storing my rifle and pistol. This is not to say I did not have...
3. Beagle Scout: Invasion: Mexican Army member(s) commit(s) Phoenix home invasion and murder.
In Phoenix, a home invasion and murder turns out to be an invasion of another kind: An invasion of the US by one or more (active duty status unreported) members of the Mexican military services...
4. Beagle Scout: No ice for Santa.
Steve Connor breathlessly reports on climate change (what used to be called weather) for the UK Independent. It seems unthinkable, but for the first time in human history, ice is on course to disappear entirely from the North Pole this year...
5. Pirate's Cove: Surrender Monkey Friday: The Neurosis Of The NY Times.
Surrendie is thrilled today of the neurotic Sybil like articles available in the NY Times. First, he wants you to read this: The individual right to bear arms identified by the Supreme Court on Thursday will have little practical impact in most of...
6. McCain Blogs: Surrender Monkey Friday: The Neurosis Of The NY Times.
Surrendie is thrilled today of the neurotic Sybil like articles available in the NY Times. First, he wants you to read this. The individual right to bear arms identified by the Supreme Court on Thursday will have little practical impact in most of the...
7. The Amboy Times: Sniffer Dogs Offend Muslims.
Hat tip, Sounder...
8. Cao's Blog: Pizzas for the troops for the 4th of July!!!
I heard an interview with this guy on Johnny B the other day. He got into contact with General Petraeus and they’ve managed to coordinate an amazing thing; they’re getting some infamous deep dish Lou Malnati’s pizzas to the troops fo...
9. Right Truth: PATIENT EVIL - An R.J. Godlewski / Right Truth Blog Exclusive - Chapter Nineteen -eBook.
PATIENT EVIL...

Whales worth more than Sailors

That is the only reason I can understand the ruling of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Apparently, they believe they are more apt to run a war than the Admirals themselves, and this decision proves them so vastly wrong.

Even Justice Kennedy couldn't swallow this one:

Under the guidance of Anthony Kennedy, the Supremes have lately taken to arrogating war powers to themselves. (See here.) But even Justice Kennedy may blanch at National Resources Defense Council v. Winter. In that case, the Ninth Circuit ruled that preparing the Navy to fight in a time of war was not an "emergency," and that our sailors must stop training lest their sonar harm . . . whales.

Just tipping you off as to what to watch for in the next round of SCOTUS decisions. There is a possibility this will never be decided, but the Supremes have decided to at least hear it. That is a step in the right direction.

This should also give us pause to consider who we vote for when we vote. I am not endorsing anyone here, I am just suggesting that we try to find out as much as we can about their policies - especially in matters such as judges - so that we may make an informed decision.

I have just one question really. If we are in a war and need to practice and train, and this is not considered an emergency; what, pray tell, is?

Source: WSJ's Opinion Journal.

This is an open trackback post. Feel free to put your best, funniest, or misc. work here. Share it with others. Not familiar with trackbacks? First, choose the article you want to promote. Copy/paste my permalink (URL) to your post. Then send a trackback to me. Don't have one? You can use Wizbang Standalone Trackback Pinger. Otherwise, leave a comment for me with the permalink for your post, the name of your blog, and a small excerpt, and I will add it to the list.

Posts I've trackposted to at Linkfest and other sites: Outside the Beltway: Obama Has Huge Lead In Another Poll, Cao's Blog: wednesday otb, Democrat=Socialist: News & Opinion Roundup (25 June 2008) Ania Egland Edition, Right Voices: Tammany Halls senior senator: The Chris Dodd-Countrywide scandal refuses to die, The World According To Carl: Weird Product: Armadillo Handbag?, A NEWT ONE: GOOD QUESTIONS, thanks to: Linkfest Haven Deluxe, Stageleft: They’re Both Right.

Posts that have trackbacked to this post:
1. Beagle Scout: Why Bush was and is right, and fighting the Second Iraq War was Inevitable.
2. Beagle Scout: Petition to Impeach Five anti-Constitution Supreme Court Justices.

Cross-posted @ The Talon. Digg!

Alert: MAF Web-o-thon for the Troops!

This Thursday there is going to be a wonderful 8 hours web-o-thon which will be streamlined live so that we may all participate in it. Move America Forward is doing a marvelous job of gathering everyone together, and I look forward to having each of you drop in for just a while.

The Eagles UP! and their blog, Talon, are also participating in this telethon. We would like to contribute to our men and women in the Armed Forces by sending them care packages. I know I do not want them to believe we have forgotten them or that they are unloved. No, not happening under my watch!

I love what Mike is going to do, starting June 18, 2008. He has started matching each donation by 10% of his own money. Isn't he an angel? I think this is a wonderful idea. If you would like to help to help our Servemembers, please donate at the link for MAF at Eagles UP! so that we may help the amount blow the newspapers, congresspeople, and just everyone out of the pond.

As Melanie has reminded (again), we may think we are having a bad hair day, but can you imagine insignificant that would seem if we lived in Iraq, Iran, etc? How about the heat of 125-135 degrees with full gear on? Would you care to trade places? I know I'm very grateful to them for protecting our country, our lives, and their families and themselves. This is why we should be on the front lines caring for them. Because we want to.

The LiveStream will be located at UStream.TV. This will be on Thursday, June 26, and for more information please go here. Michelle Malkin will also be there, so we will have a double treat!

Here are a few articles that have been written and/or taken notice: The Sacramento Union: Special ‘Support the Troops’ Telethon June 26, The Radio Equalizer: A UNITED FRONT, Michelle Malkin: Six more days ’til the From the Frontlines web-a-thon, Radio & Records: More Support For All-Star Troop Benefit and HotAir: Hot Air TV alert: From the Frontlines web-a-thon, June 26.

The name of the Telethon is "From The Frontlines".

On June 26, from 4pm Eastern/1pm Pacific to 12midnight Eastern/9pm Pacific, Melanie and I will be anchoring a livestreamed, 8-hour fund-raising “web-a-thon” to send the largest number of care packages to our troops overseas in U.S. history. We’ve got a star-studded line-up participating in this effort to support our military, including Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Dr Laura Schlessinger, Ollie North, Monica Crowley, Ann Coulter, Nancy Reagan, actor Kelsey Grammer, and Five for Fighting’s John Ondrasik. You’ll be able to tune it at Hot Air and on UStream, embed the broadcast on your own blogs, and even catch some of the show on your radio dial if you’re lucky to be in the listening area of a radio station partner. [Hat tip: Hot Air]

I pray I happen to have one of those radio stations which is close enough so I may be listen to it live! Wow! Have a great day.

PS. Melanie has already raised close to $250,000. We are trying to a goal of $500,000. Please help us. We want to show those *ahem* 'people' in Washington what it's like to actually SUPPORT THE TROOPS. Thanks.

Cross-posted @ The Talon.

This is an open trackback post. Feel free to put your best, funniest, or misc. work here. Share it with others. Not familiar with trackbacks? First, choose the article you want to promote. Copy/paste my permalink (URL) to your post. Then send a trackback to me. Don't have one? You can use Wizbang Standalone Trackback Pinger. Otherwise, leave a comment for me with the permalink for your post, the name of your blog, and a small excerpt, and I will add it to the list.

Posts I've trackposted to at Linkfest and other sites:

Conservative Cat: Lucky Cat's Printout Delivery Service, Mark My Words: Galileo Galilei, spinning in his grave, Right Voices: WITHOUT NOTES TELLING HIM WHAT TO SAY, BARACK BUMBLES LEGAL QS, Pirate's Cove: San Fran To Honor Dubya!, The Amboy Times: Satire of a Hoax, Right Truth: PATIENT EVIL - An R.J. Godlewski / Right Truth Blog Exclusive - Chapter Seventeen, Shadowscope: Blogs For Borders Video BlogBurst!, third world county: “*heh*” of the day, Faultline USA: Yes We Can – drill our way out!!!

. Digg!
Posts that have trackbacked to this post:

Homosexuals will harm the Military

Now that homosexuals have won in the courts in California and Massachusetts, not through the legislative process which they continually fail to win, these states have claimed they must abide by the court’s orders to ‘marry’ same-sex people. Beside this being preposterous, it has the potential to do much harm to our Military.

Number one, the people - no one else - determine which powers the judicial, the legislatures, and the governors and president may encroach upon us as predetermined as necessary to run the country. They cannot just run over us whimsy-nilly anyway they desire, and the courts are about to reach the precipice. Now they are demanding we allow the minority rule (3%) over the majority? Since when when?

How does this harm the our Mililtary? If a person joins the Military as a single man or woman, then they ‘marry’ someone of the same sex but does not tell anyone (don’t ask, don’t tell), won’t the Military be obligated to pay for this person’s spouse? What if they adopt a child? Won’t we have to give them child allowances? What about divorces? Who gets custody? What if the spouse goes into the hospital? Won’t they get leave to visit?

After this goes on for a while, do you really believe that - even though they are less than 3 percent of the population - they demand equal treatment under the LAW? WHAT LAW??? See, this is where the problem arises.

In the year 2000 in California, voters sent a huge message that MARRIAGE is between one man and one woman. Period. The most liberal state, yet they know that deep down it is in the best interest for all children and society as a whole that marriage was, is, and always will be the best foundation for American society. Our LAWS demand that MARRIAGE is between one man and one woman.

This has not been changed through the legislature nor by the voters. As a matter of fact, we already have enough signatures to have this on the ballot again in November, only this time as a Constitutional Amendment.

You would think the court would consider the trauma to the people who think they are ‘married’ but come to find out WE MEANT OUR VOTES. But no, they decided to go ahead and let them do this atrocity. I call it this an atrocity because it will surely destroy some people’s hearts to find out, once again, that the rest of America may not care what you do in private, but we are not going to let you redefine marriage.

To impose this court ruling upon our Military will only change our Military to have less and less men and more homosexuals. I cannot watch a tv program that doesn’t have a homosexual in it. Do you remember what happened with the Catholic Church scandals? Is that what you want from our Military? Or would you rather say, ‘Forget political correctness, I’d rather stay alive.’? I know what side of this issue I come down on.

I believe the Military has it right. There has to be rules of conduct and regulations on certain behaviors. Otherwise, we may lose everything and the first to be persected would be the same people who are the ones fighting so hard to make it so. It is a sad state of affairs. Just ask the people in Iran.

One more tiny little thing. What about MY rights? Am I to be scorned because I believe in God? Do my rights and beliefs not matter because somehow you disagree with me? Then go for it, I will not take you to court over it. The most I will do is pray for you. Whatever happened to live and let live? God help us all.

THIS IS MY OWN OPINION, AND IT DOES NOT REFLECT ANYONE ELSE FROM THIS SITE.

Cross-posted @ The Talon.

This is an open trackback post. Feel free to put your best, funniest, or misc. work here. Share it with others. Not familiar with trackbacks? First, choose the article you want to promote. Copy/paste my permalink (URL) to your post. Then send a trackback to me. Don't have one? You can use Wizbang Standalone Trackback Pinger. Otherwise, leave a comment for me with the permalink for your post, the name of your blog, and a small excerpt, and I will add it to the list.

Posts I've trackposted to at Linkfest and other sites: Adam's Blog: Possumus Obama, The Random Yak: One Good Thing OTP: Air Conditioning, The World According To Carl: George Carlin — 1937 - 2008 — R.I.P. (Amen), thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Digg!

Posts that have trackbacked to this post:
1. Right Voices: WITHOUT NOTES TELLING HIM WHAT TO SAY, BARACK BUMBLES LEGAL QS.
2. Pirate's Cove: San Fran To Honor Dubya!
3. The Amboy Times: Satire of a Hoax.
4. Right Truth: PATIENT EVIL - An R.J. Godlewski / Right Truth Blog Exclusive - Chapter Seventeen.
5. Shadowscope: Blogs For Borders Video BlogBurst!
6. third world county: “*heh*” of the day.
7. Faultline USA: Yes We Can – drill our way out!!!
8. Stageleft: They’re Both Right.

Flight 93 Blogburst: Email this

Last week's Flight 93 Memorial Blogburst contained an e-mail we should have sent to the Flight 93 Memorial Project. We need to have a ton of e-mails if we are to be heard, otherwise we will look weak and not serious. I am counting on my fellow brothers and sisters to help us win this domestic battle that is going on right here, right now. Please copy this and e-mail this letter to them. You are absolutely free to use and/or add your own words, just use something. We must defeat this Project in honor of our Heroes. Thank you.

To the Flight 93 Memorial Project (and copied to the Pennsylvania press):

Please answer a simple question. WHO is being depicted as “breaking the circle”?

The current Park Service website says that the path of Flight 93 breaks the circle. This is exactly how architect Paul Murdoch described his original Crescent of Embrace design. Flight 93 breaks the circle and turns it into this giant crescent that just happens to point to Mecca. The unbroken part of the circle (the crescent) remains exactly as it was. It is still an Islamic shaped crescent, still pointing to Mecca.

Don’t tell me that “Flight 93” breaks the circle. This is not a memorial to inanimate objects. The story of Flight 93 is a story of human action.

And don’t tell me that the passengers and crew are in any way responsible for breaking the circle. The circle is a symbol of peace and harmony. It is not the passengers and crew who broke the peace. It was the TERRORISTS.

That is the ONLY logical interpretation. Your planned memorial depicts the terrorists smashing our peaceful circle and turning it into a giant Mecca-oriented crescent. A more blatant depiction of al Qaeda victory is impossible to imagine.

But let’s hear YOUR explanation. Who do YOU think is being depicted as breaking the circle?

Hopefully the press will follow up, and ask Memorial Project officials what answer they are giving to this damning question.

Sincerely,

Posts I've trackposted to: Error Theory: Who broke the circle? Digg!

Learn 'Democrat Speak'

This video is right on. It is about time someone in the Capitol buildings put sound and the written word to what has happened to the Democrat Party.

I'm looking forward, also, to the Republican smack-down! Hey, I'm fair. They both SUCK, IMHO. I'm just about ready to lay down our political arms and get together with the opposition to work on a plan to throw ALL of the bums out!

It is NOT just Repukians, but Dumb-a-Rats as well who have taken this country to the point where there is no more decency, the common man can no longer run for political office, once a rich guy gets into office-they stay there 'till they die, and it was never meant to be this way. I WANT MY FREEDOM BACK!

Libs, stop trying to control me, it won't work. Repukes, don't insult my intelligence. Come up with a plan of your own, and stop telling me how bad the other party is. YOU'RE NO BETTER when you do that. For crying out loud, grow up and grow a pair. Cajones, that is!

THAT'S Rosemary's rant for the day (so far, lol).

Hat tip: Adam who found this over at Red State.

Posts I've trackposted to at Linkfest and other sites: Adam's Blog: Speaking Democrat, The Virtuous Republic: The Obama Sez We Ain't No Christian Nation No More, A NEWT ONE: Epic Column, CORSARI D'ITALIA: Ancora il muro di gomma... Ustica 27 giugno 1980, Right Truth: PATIENT EVIL - An R.J. Godlewski / Right Truth Blog Exclusive - Chapter Sixteen, Stageleft: An Adult Debate, and The World According To Carl: Parody Ad In Response To Obama's Patently Misleading Anti-McCain TV Ad Known As The "Not My Child" Ad, thanks to: Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Posts that have trackbacked to this post:
1. Conservative Cat: 2012, the End of the World, and Ethical Spam.
2. Mark My Words: Galileo Galilei, spinning in his grave. Digg!

Soldiers deliver toys to Iraqi girls' school

by U.S. ARMY SGT Daniel Blottenberger
18th Military Police Brigade

CAMP VICTORY — When Iraqi Police and Coalition troops arrived at the Zainab Girls School in Hurriyah June 12, they were met by the smiling faces of more than 50 children and their caretakers in the Baghdad community. “This makes it all worth while,” said 1st Sgt. Thomas Gray, 64th MP Co., 18th Military Police Brigade, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, who is a native of Oxford, Conn., after boxes full of school supplies and toys were handed out to the grateful Iraqi children.

The Hurriyah IP brought toys and supplies to hand out to the children to help show the families of the area that IP were here to help protect and serve the community. “This event gives the IP an opportunity to interact with the people other than neighborhood patrols and checkpoint operations,” said Staff Sgt. Joseph Reinsburrow, squad leader, 64th Military Police Company, who is a native of Towanda, Pa.

Reinsburrow and his squad of military police Soldiers have been conducting police transition team (PTT) operations with the Hurriyah IP for eleven months now. The PTT Soldiers are military police who interact, train and advise IP personnel from the local police officer, or “shurta,” to the most senior leaders as they conduct their day-to-day missions.

The mission for the IP on this day was to hand out school supplies and toys to the local children, many of whom are orphans.“It is always a good feeling when you can make an Iraqi kid smile,” said 1st Lt. Geneva Arnold, platoon leader, 64th MP Co., who is a native of Tucson, Ariz. The IP handed out backpacks, school supplies and soccer balls to the children, who were ecstatic upon receiving the items from the policemen and MND-B Soldiers. The operation helped further the relationship between the locals and the IP.

“The citizens of Hurriyah are not afraid to come and talk to the IP,” said Sgt. Angel Villegas, 64th MP Co., who is a native of El Paso, Texas. “On normal operation days at the station, there are lines out the door of people coming to get assistance from the IP.” The PTT Soldiers said they felt the Hurriyah citizens recognize the Hurriyah IP as a force dedicated to bringing the rule of law to the community. “The citizens see the IP are just out there doing their job as IP,” said Reinsburrow.

In the past year of working with the IP, the PTT has seen them become a well-recognized force that brings law and order to their local community. “When we got here, the IP were just getting a foothold in the area,” said Villegas. “Now, they are a force capable of operating on their own.”

The Hurriyah IP showed their ability to protect their community during an uprising by criminal groups in Baghdad.“The IP stayed at their posts and manned the checkpoints during the uprising,” said Reinsburrow. Now that violence has decreased in the area, IP can focus on building better relationships within their local communities.“The IP are making a positive impact on their citizens’ lives,” said Arnold.

After all the school supplies and toys were handed out, the IP and MND-B Soldiers mounted back up in their vehicles to return to their daily mission of keeping the citizens of Hurriyah safe. The 64th MP Co. is deployed from Fort Hood, Texas, and is currently assigned to the 716th Military Police Battalion, 18th MP Bde., MND-B.

Staff Sgt. Joseph Reinsburrow holds an Iraqi child June 12 in Hurriyah, while Iraqi Police and Coalition forces hand out toys and school supplies to the local children. (Army photo by Sgt. Daniel Blottenberger).

Source: CENTCOM.

I'm Melting! Plus News

My God, it's hot out here. I'm going to share some links with you, as I do not have the energy to write about each of these articles or I already have. (SCOTUS.)

The Wall Street Journal has a good artile on how screwed-up the court decision is that gives jihadis the right to pursue a writ of habeas corpus. It is written by Andrew McBride.

I have a radio talk show host who works with his friend (and mine), Kevin. They work on Sunday nights from 7-10 pm EST at WRKO in Boston. Gregg has written a response to Johnathan Rauch's assertion that homosexual marriage is a 'good' thing. Here it is:

Johnathan Rauch begins his article, "Why Gay Marriage is Good For America," (Opinion Page June 21, 2008) declaring: "By order of its state Supreme Court, California began legally marrying same-sex couples this week."

He is 100% incorrect. The fact of the matter is that "gay marriage" is not legal in California because the initiative marriage statute ratified by we, the sovereign people of California in 2000 (Prop 22), enshrined into statutory law that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California," has not been changed. It remains the "law of the land."

The California Supreme Court merely issued a declaratory opinion that limiting marriage to one man and one woman was "discriminatory" and "unconstitutional." The court however, issued no valid or enforceable court order, as Mr. Rauch incorrectly asserts. Under the California Constitution, only the people can revoke or amend an initiative statute. None of the other three branches can revoke or amend one in any way unless the initiative measure itself so provides. Prop 22 contains no such provision as Judge Baxter clearly affirmed in his dissent.

The marriage certificates which have been illegally altered and issued in California with Governor Schwarzenegger's authorization remain as null and void as those illegally altered and issued by former Governor Romney in Massachusetts when he, like Governor Schwarzenegger, speciously claimed that the "court legalized same sex marriage" and that he was merely "enforcing the law."

Whether or not "gay marriage" is "good" for America is worthy of further debate.

As to whether it is "legal" in California, Massachusetts, or anywhere else in America is not.

Gregg Jackson
Los Angeles, CA
Gregg Jackson is the author of "Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies: Issue by Issue Responses to the Most Common Claims of the Left from A to Z" and talk radio show host on WRKO in Boston.

Right on, Gregg! He also is a columnist over at TownHall.com. Here is a letter he wrote to the LA Times. He is such a great writer! (Same topic.)

Here is some news from ACT! For America.

An ACT! for America volunteer encounters a Wahhabi Muslim at the ISA protest.

I got into it with a Muslim man today at the [Islamic Saudi Academy] protest when he was waiting for the light to change. He kept yelling that we were a bunch of idiots, that we should protest at the Jewish school and that we should be ashamed that we were doing this in front of kids. I told him he should be ashamed that the academy teaches his kids to hate Americans. He kept ranting and raving so I asked him if it was not true that the Koran teaches that Jews and Christians are Apes and Pigs, and he said, facetiously that, yes, that the Koran teaches that Jews and Christians are apes and pigs. I told him that he knew it did. Then he asked me if I'd read the Koran. I told him I have. I haven't read every inch of it yet but I am working my way through it. I have studied the verses in different discussions and articles for the past 4 1/2 years. I also called him on his taqqiya, that being a form of lying or only telling half truths to further the spread of Islam.

Professor Paul Eidelberg versus Daniel Pipes on the 'no name war" against 'Islamism'.

Muslims do not speak of moderate Christians or of moderate Jews no more than we ever spoke of moderate Nazis. Intellectually liberated Muslims like Nonie Darwish and Wafa Sultan are strategically irrelevant. Indeed, the more we appease the enemy by refraining from calling him by his true name, the more so-called moderate Muslims will manifest their violent Mohammedan heritage. Even secular Muslims supported Saddam Hussein. Unlike Americans and Europeans, Muslim leaders name their enemies. They call Christians the Sunday people, and Jews the Saturday people. Ahmadinejad of Iran calls for a world without the United States and Israel, meaning a world without Christianity and Judaism. The same murderous hatred is preached in innumerable mosques in the United States financed by Saudi Arabia.

Canadian Muslim Muhammed Parvez charged with first-degree murder in 'Honor Killing' of daughter.

Last December we posted on the 'honor killing' through strangulation of a rebellious daughter, Aqsa Parvez, who refused to wear a hijab, by her Muslim father, Muhammed Parvez, in Toronto. It was horrific then and the memory of it is still chilling. There is no comfort for murder of a child as beautiful as Miss Parvez was. In this post from the Magic Statistics blog, we learn that the charges against Muhammed Parvez have been appropriately upgraded to first degree murder. However, the brother of the victim, his sister, Aqsa, Waqas Parvez, 26, has been charged only with obstructing police for allegedly misleading investigators. It had been alleged that he assisted in the premediated murder.

GITMO was one giant al Qaeda Cell.
Rear Adm. Mark H. Buzby , until recently the commanding officer at Guantanamo, acknowledged that senior militant leaders gained influence and control in his prison. "We have that full range of (Taliban and al Qaida) leadership here, why would they not continue to be functional as an organization?" he said in a telephone interview. "I must make the assumption that there's a fully functional al Qaida cell here at Guantanamo."

Congressman Mark Kirk (R-IL) Asks Terrorist Screening of Gazan Fulbrights.

In a response to questions from Mr. Kirk, the State Department responded that it does not have formal ties with the Islamic University of Gaza, or IUG. "The U.S. Consulate does not deal with the IUG as an institution because of its links to Hamas. However, we continue to accept applications from individual students and professors. These applications go through the same vetting process as all other USG funded grantees," the State Department wrote in response. Mr. Kirk however said he was dumbfounded as to why the Fulbright applicants from the Islamic University of Gaza were not fully screened. "Since the appropriations committee on behalf of the U.S. taxpayer paid for the TSC system, can't we run these names? The answer from State is, we don't do that," Mr. Kirk said in an interview. The Islamic University of Gaza is intertwined with Hamas. In his letter, Mr. Kirk quotes Jameela El Shanty, a professor at the school who told the Baltimore Sun in 2006: "Hamas built this institution. The university presents the philosophy of Hamas. If you want to know what Hamas is, you can know it from the university."

Muslim Grievance Theater: Hijab Women Dissed @ Obama Rally Are Muslim Terror Front-Group Activists, Top Islamic Proselytizer.

Now, I've come to learn that one of the hijab-encrusted, rejected whiners, Hebba Aref, was an official of the Muslim Students Association (MSA), in charge of proselytizing. And Aref was not just any officer of the U-M Dearborn Muslim group. She was in charge of Dawa, or proselytizing, from 2000 to 2003 at the school. Yup, she was the chief "Conversion to Islam" officer at one of the most pan-Islamist college campuses in the country. And Shimaa Abdelfadeel, the other woman allegedly excluded by the Obama campaign, was chair of SAFE, a University of Michigan-Ann Arbor group that hosted the 2002 Divestment Conference against Israel at which "Annihilate the Jews!" was chanted and Islamic Jihad founder Sami Al-Arian was keynote speaker.

"ACLU Challenges Government's Stigmatizing Of Mainstream Muslim Groups In Holy Land Case": Really!

"ISNA's goal is to promote the participation of American Muslims in this country's civil and political life, and in interfaith dialogue," said Ingrid Mattson, President of ISNA. "Our efforts have been severely undermined by a government-imposed stigma and the inflammatory misrepresentation of ISNA in the public sphere. Until now, we've had no way to clear our names and we're asking the court to set the record straight." We trust that the Federal District Court Judge assigned to this new trial of the Holy land Foundation won't be taken in by these specious arguments. After all there is evidence that the ISNA, CAIR, the ICNA and others were involved in funelling over $12 million in charitable donations to the terrorist group Hamas.

Fighting Jihad on Wall Street.

Christopher Holton of the Center for Security Policy has this compact primer on the threat of shari'a finance. It in he catalogues for us the radical Islamic clerics involved as consultants to a number of top drawer 'socially responsible' shari'a compliant funds, how it has invaded the U.S. capital markets, the ease of channeling zakat or Islamic charity funds to terrorist groups, the practical pitfalls of trying to invest terror free.

Tahdiyah is no Hudna: Israeli - Hamas "Ceasefire Backfire?"

There is no cease fire or hudna in Arabic between Isarel and Hamas in Gaza. There is tahdiyah, a calming. The difference is a tahdiyah implies no recognition of Israel by Jihadist Hamas. Regardless, this is Israel's 'darkest week,' as Jerusalem Post columnist Caroline Glick termed it. An Egyptian brokered deal that will permit Hamas to restock, rearm and get deliveries of more arms and trained cadres from Iran. A victory for Iran is the opinion of historian Michael Oren in the Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile PM Olmert is desperately trying to posture Israel as desiring peace talks with Lebanon with the promise of giving back the disputed Shebaa Farms-the gateway to the Golan, and insinuating that it might even give back the Golan to Syria in some half baked deal. There's a Knesset vote requiring a mandatory referendum and a super majority vote to get that fantasy. Some cynics in Israel and the world press believe this is a smokescreen to cover up Olmert's corruption investigation and set the stage for a Knesset vote on possible new elections next week. Meanwhile, Israel released news of extensive maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean involving IAF special squadrons and helicopter rescue craft simulating a raid on Iran's nuclear facilities. Iran thunders back that it will retaliate. Calming? Hardly. Sounds menacingly like the prelude to a summer war, especially with nothing to be gained for Israel's security given a deep skepticism of its people.

"US intel: Hizbullah attack imminent": more Genocidal threats to American and Canadian Jews.

"They want to kill as many people as they can, they want it to be a big splash," former CIA intelligence officer Bob Baer, who claimed he met Hizbullah leaders in Beirut last month, was quoted by ABC News as saying. "They cannot have an operation fail and I don't think they will. They're the A-team of terrorism."

According to officials quoted by the report, up to 20 suspected Hizbullah members have been under surveillance and their activities were being coordinated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. "Hizbullah would not carry out an attack in the west, or wherever this attack is going to occur, without approval from Teheran," Baer was quoted as saying.

That is it for ACT! For America. Please continue to read them. It is a very good site. You can find more news there than you can in the whole NY Times!

Here is an email from American Congress for Truth:

“Report: Troubling texts at Va. Islamic school”- Violence against unbelievers, us.

Comment by Jerry Gordon, American Congress for Truth blog editor.

Yesterday the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released a report covering the translations of 17 textbooks used by the Saudi Embassy - backed Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA), a private school using County facilities in McLean, Virginia. Last month the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors extended the lease of the ISA. Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC, and a Commissioner of the USCIRF, pressed for the translation of these ISA texts. We’re appreciative that she did and have posted on this controversy frequently. As revealed in the USCIRF report, the contents are appalling. The USCIRF had recommended to the State Department that this Saudi-backed institution be closed. State turned a deaf ear, and the Washington Post in an editorial took the USCIRF to task for not being ‘tolerant’. Tolerant???

Note what the USCIRF translations found in the texts used at the ISA in McLean, Virginia:

The commission said it obtained 17 of the academy’s textbooks through a variety of channels, including from members of Congress. The texts did appear to contain numerous revisions, including pages that were removed or passages that were whited out, but numerous troubling passages remained, according to the panel:

The authors of a 12th-grade text on Quranic interpretation state that apostates (those who convert from Islam), adulterers and people who murder Muslims can be permissibly killed.

The authors of a 12th-grade text on monotheism write that “(m)ajor polytheism makes blood and wealth permissible,” meaning that a Muslim can take with impunity the life and property of someone believed guilty of polytheism. According to the panel, the strict Saudi interpretation of polytheism includes Shiite and Sufi Muslims as well as Christians, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists.

A social studies text offers the view that Jews were responsible for the split between Sunni and Shiite Muslims: “The cause of the discord: The Jews conspired against Islam and its people. A sly, wicked person who sinfully and deceitfully professed Islam infiltrated (the Muslims).”

More generally, the panel found that the academy textbooks hold the view that the Muslim world was strong when united under a single caliph, the Arabic language and the Sunni creed, and that Muslims have grown weak because of foreign influence and internal divisions.

The books say it’s OK for Muslims to kill adulterers and converts.

This Wahhabi doctrine is being poured with unrelenting hate into the minds of youngsters attending the ISA. Let us not forget that a Valedictorian in the Class of 1999 of the ISA was convicted for plotting the assassination of President Bush.

Citizens of Fairfax County should be outraged by what the County Board of supervisors is perpetrating. All of us should be enraged that our government permits this doctrinal hatred of us to go on unabated not only at the ISA but at hundreds of Saudi financed Madrassas here in the US.

AP, June 11, 2008

McLEAN, Va. - Textbooks at a private Islamic school in northern Virginia teach students that it is permissible for Muslims to kill adulterers and converts from Islam, according to a federal investigation released Wednesday.

Other passages in the school’s textbooks state that “the Jews conspired against Islam and its people” and that Muslims are permitted to take the lives and property of those deemed “polytheists.”

The passages were found in selected textbooks used during the 2007-08 school year by the Islamic Saudi Academy, which teaches 900 students in grades K-12 at two campuses in Alexandria and Fairfax and receives much of its funding from the Saudi government.

The academy has come under scrutiny from critics who allege that it fosters an intolerant brand of Islam similar to that taught in the conservative Saudi kingdom. In the review, the panel recommended that the school make all of its textbooks available to the State Department so changes can be made before the next school year. (Continue Reading This Article)

There is a petition available for you to sign to get these freaks out of our schools and out of our country if we only speak up loudly and often enough. This crosses the freedom of religion and freedom of speech rights given to those people here. When you teach your young that it is okay to kill mine and me, we've definitely got a problem, the heck with the law! Here is the petition. PLEASE sign it if you have not already.

There is a new site by the name of www.Fight PC.net. They must be just starting out, because they are asking for some input. They have some ideas that I have a tendency to agree with, but I have not been to the site. I'm too busy! lol. Please them a check out, and let me know what you think. Thanks.

Whew! I think that is for now...Have a great day!

Posts I've trackposted to: Adam's Blog: 2008 Choice: Caesar v. Janus. Digg!