A Trump mandate: We have to restore America’s military strength

Commentary by James Shott

Everyone knows that the U.S. military is critical to the nation’s security, and that it is also important how foreign countries perceive America’s strength. That perception of our military and its civilian leadership can encourage careful, thoughtful and peaceful behavior by other countries, or a cavalier, carefree “we’ll do as we please” approach.

Now that the Barack Obama presidency is over, we must begin restoring the military and the world’s perception of America’s strength, both of which have been severely damaged over the last eight years. The security of not just our nation, but also of the world to a large degree, depend upon a strong America.

Back in 2015 Obama stated that the U.S. is now “the most respected country on Earth” thanks to his administration. That comment drew ire and fire on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor.” Host Bill O’Reilly and Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer both reacted strongly to the comment, with O’Reilly countering, “No, we’re not respected by Putin, we’re not respected by ISIS and other terrorists, so I don’t know what he is referring to.” Krauthammer wondered, “what planet he's living on,” and pointed out that “allies who’ve depended on us for so long are finding themselves left hanging in the wind.”

The rest of the segment detailed the many foreign policy failures of the Obama administration that contradict Obama’s delusional statement.

Two years ago The Heritage Foundation said this about funding for the military: “Consecutive years of across-the-board budget cuts have significantly weakened the U.S. military. The military will likely need several years of reinvestment to return to a sound footing.”

It is instructive to look at just how Obama’s eight years have affected the armed forces from the perspective of active members of the military.

A poll conducted by the Military Times and Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families was a voluntary, confidential online survey taken by 1,664 active members of the U.S. armed forces. 

The poll reflects that 51.5 percent of those responding had a generally unfavorable view of Barack Obama’s presidency, and that 29.1 percent had a very unfavorable view, the largest response of the five possible answers. Only 36.4 percent had a generally favorable view, and only 18.0 percent had a very favorable view.

The Marine Corps had the strongest level of disapproval at 60.3 percent, followed by the Army at 53.0, the Air Force at 49.6, and the Navy was the least disapproving at 45.9. Enlisted service members had a 52.1 percent disapproval rate, while 48.8 percent of commissioned officers disapproved.

Seventy-one percent think overall force levels are too low, and 43 percent think more deployed forces are needed, compared to 32 percent who think fewer deployed forces are needed.

Asked how the following “social” measures affected readiness, participants responded: Repealing “don’t ask don’t tell” helped, by 24 to 18 percent; gender integration within combat units hurt, by 30 to 15 percent; and transgenders in service hurt, by 41 to 12 percent.

Participants believe the U.S. is less safe because of drawdowns from Iraq (59 percent) and Afghanistan (54 percent), and less emphasis on large-scale overseas missions (42 percent), but more safe from greater reliance on special forces (58 percent) and training missions (51 percent). And they believe the top four significant threats to the U.S. come from the Islamic State and al-Qaida (70 percent), domestic Islamic terrorists (67 percent), China (64 percent), and Iran (49 percent).

They say the military is smaller and weaker, and the threats against the nation have increased.

In a campaign speech last September, candidate Trump outlined his view of the U.S. military, and said he planned to ask military brass to present a plan soon after he takes office to defeat and destroy ISIS, and that he will ask Congress to eliminate the defense sequester.

Among the goals he seeks are: Building an active Army of about 540,000; a Marine Corps based on 36 battalions; a Navy nearing 350 surface ships and submarines; an Air Force of at least 1,200 fighter aircraft; and developing a new state-of-the-art missile defense system. And he intends to offset the spending for these goals by cutting waste and streamlining the bureaucracy, rather than increases in the $600 billion or so spent each year on the military.

"I'm going to make our military so big, so powerful, so strong, that nobody – absolutely nobody – is gonna (sic) mess with us," he said in a video posted on his campaign website.

Along those lines, his choice to run the Defense Department is retired Marine General James Mattis, a man well respected for his service and expertise, and who is expected to operationally strengthen all armed forces.

A strong military is just smart: Better to have one and not need it, than to need one and not have it. Blessedly, we now have a president who understands that a strong military presence can solve a host of problems before they ever materialize.

And, a president who strongly and unwaveringly supports what is good for America is a great improvement over the weak and tragic performance of the last eight years.

Cross-posted from Observations

The U.S. armed forces have been weakened by budget cuts and ideology

Commentary by James Shott

In recent years America’s military has experienced operational readiness issues. A good bit of this is due to budget cuts resulting from the 2013 sequestration, but some sources also blame philosophical ideas about the military within the Obama administration.

Sequestration, as explained by CNN at the time, is “a series of automatic, across-the-board cuts to government agencies, totaling $1.2 trillion over 10 years. The cuts would be split 50-50 between defense and domestic discretionary spending. More than $500 billion will be cut from the Defense Department and other national security agencies, with the rest cut on the domestic side…”

The Pentagon, under then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, planned to reach its mandated cuts through furloughs of hundreds of thousands of civilian workers in combat readiness training and weapons maintenance. He said at the time that the $46 billion in cuts the first year would significantly affect military readiness, and the longer the sequestration lasts, the deeper cuts that will be required to achieve the mandated savings.

Just how badly this has affected military readiness is demonstrated in a Fox News story earlier this month. The U.S. Air Force, the smallest of the four major armed services, has cut staff to the degree that many military personnel now work extra shifts performing administrative jobs previously performed by civilians.

These cuts have put the Air Force in the position of being short 4,000 service personnel to maintain its aircraft and 700 pilots to fly them. Personnel are now cannibalizing parts from planes no longer in service and stored at a desert site called "The Boneyard" and from planes on display in museums to repair active aircraft.

Master Sgt. Bruce Pfrommer, who has worked on B-1 bombers for more than 20 years, told Fox that at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, where the 28th Bomber Wing is located, only nine of the 20 bombers there can fly. Those aircraft are closing in on 10,000 flight hours each, compared to about 1,000 when Pfrommer started working on them 20 years ago.

"Our retention rates are pretty low. Airmen are tired and burnt out,” Staff Sgt. Tyler Miller, of the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Ellsworth, told Fox. "When I first came in seven years ago, we had six people per aircraft — and the lowest man had six or seven years of experience," Miller said. "Today, you have three-man teams and each averages only three years of experience."

The Navy also has operational issues. A Government Accountability Office report issued earlier this month, titled “Navy’s Optimized Fleet Response Plan” (OFRP) discusses problems facing our sea-going service. While the report does not specifically mention sequestration budget cuts, the symptoms support this as a least part of the problem.

An excerpt from the OFRP tells us that:
• Over the past decade, high operational tempo has reduced the predictability of ship deployments for sailors and for the industrial base that supports ship repair and maintenance. For example, carrier strike group deployment lengths have increased from an average of 6.4 months between 2008 – 2011 and 8.2 months between 2012 – 2014, to 9 months for three carrier strike groups in 2015.
• Increased deployment lengths have resulted in declining ship conditions and materiel readiness, and in a maintenance backlog that has not been fully identified or resourced, according to Navy officials.
• The declining condition of ships has increased the duration of time that ships spend undergoing maintenance in the shipyards, which in turn compresses the time available in the schedule for training and operations.

In its 2016 assessment of the four major military branches, the Heritage Foundation shows how true Panetta’s prediction was. The assessment rated the Army as “weak,” and the Navy, Marines and Air Force as “marginal,” rating the U.S. military overall as “marginal.”

In addition to budget cuts, reports of military brass being displeased with President Obama’s policies also pose questions.

Writing in Politico in 2013 Rosa Brooks noted, “In my interviews, however, many senior military leaders complained of feeling baffled and shut out by a White House National Security Staff.”

“The NSS wants to run the show, day to day and minute to minute,” laments a former military official, “so they have no time—they’re almost incapable of strategic thinking.” Another recently retired senior general said, “I don’t understand the process by which the White House is making strategic or foreign-policy decisions. … There’s an appearance of consultation, but you know you won’t be listened to.”

The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution provides that the federal government “provide for the common defense.” But in Article Four, Section Four, it states specifically that the “United States shall guarantee to every State a republican form of government and shall protect each of them against invasion.” No other power of the federal government shares that strong a requirement for performance.

No reasonable observer would contend that the federal government is obeying its Constitutional mandate to “provide for the common defense.”

How does the Commander in Chief plan to fix this?



Cross-posted from Observations

Commentary by James Shott

The United States is a wonderful country that provides many opportunities for all. However, the U.S. is short of perfect in many ways, including unwise policies that put Americans at risk. Places like schools, shopping areas, restaurants and bars, office buildings and, of all places, military installations, leave their occupants at risk by announcing to everyone, including murderers and terrorists, that guns are not allowed on the premises.

Those in charge of these facilities obviously want the people who spend time in them to be safe, and so they ban guns from them. If only the murderers and terrorists obeyed the rules. But, alas, they don’t.

And so yet again newspapers, broadcasts and Internet sites are filled with the horrific story of multiple deaths and injuries at gun-free zones, this last episode at two military facilities in Chattanooga, Tenn. last week.

“A 24-year-old Kuwaiti-born gunman opened fire on a military recruiting station on Thursday, then raced to a second military site where he killed four United States Marines,” as reported by The New York Times. A Navy petty officer shot on Thursday died Saturday. The nation has logged yet another event where American military personnel – at the mercy of short-sighted rules based upon emotion and fear, rather than on logic – were forced to be sitting ducks while on duty defending the nation against its enemies. Except, in this case they were prohibited from protecting themselves against this enemy.

After the numerous examples of violence on military bases – the worst of which was the massacre at Ft. Hood, Texas on Nov. 5, 2009, when Army Maj. Nidal Hasan killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others at the clinic where he worked as a physician – one might think that the President of the United States, the Commander-in-Chief of the nation’s military, might change the rules that prohibit military personnel, arguably those best trained to carry weapons anywhere and everywhere, from being armed while on duty (this is a non sequitur!).

It defies reason to deny highly trained military personnel being armed while serving at their duty stations, making them sitting ducks, but it also makes little sense to deny having trained people at schools and other places who could respond to an armed attacker that otherwise would enjoy open season on those at defenseless facilities.

Just the idea that there may be armed people at a potential target has a deterrent effect on those wishing to commit murder and mayhem. Terrorists and murderers may be vicious scum, but they are not always stupid. They prefer soft targets, where they can accomplish their evil goals without interference, and knowing that guns are prohibited at a potential target location is an attractive advantage, as opposed to a target where they know they likely will encounter armed resistance.

John R. Lott, Jr. is an economist, columnist and author of books on guns and crime. He notes in discussing a live-fire incident: “And even when concealed handgun permit holders don’t deter the killers, the permit holders stop them. Just a couple of weeks ago, a mass public shooting at a liquor store in Conyers, Ga., was stopped by a concealed handgun permit holder. A couple of people had already been killed by the time the permit holder arrived, but according to Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett: ‘I believe that if [the legal permit holder] did not return fire at the suspect, then more of those customers would have [been] hit by a gun. It didn’t appear that he cared who he shot or where he was shooting until someone was shooting back at him. So, in my opinion, he saved other lives in that store."

So, what are the chances that the “gun-free zone” policy at least contributed to the deaths of five military personnel in Chattanooga? Very good, if not certain.

This policy was put into effect by President Bill Clinton, according to a 2009 editorial in The Washington Times, following the Ft. Hood massacre: “Among President Clinton’s first acts upon taking office in 1993 was to disarm U.S. soldiers on military bases.” The editorial then added, “Because of Mr. Clinton, terrorists would face more return fire if they attacked a Texas Wal-Mart than the gunman faced at Fort Hood …” That restriction was not altered by President George W. Bush, although there was only one shooting on military bases during Mr. Bush’s presidency, according to a report on nbcwashington.com, and that was in September 2008, three months before Mr. Bush’s tenure as president ended.

The report lists three shootings during Mr. Clinton’s term in the White House, but that number increased substantially during Barack Obama’s tenure. The report lists 16 shootings from January 2009 when Mr. Obama took office through April of 2014. But even that shocking statistic has not prompted him to change the rules.

A major enumerated function of the federal government is to guarantee our God given rights, several (but not all) of which are listed in the Bill of Rights. Who can argue that protecting one’s self is not such a right? When is the government going to stop interfering with that right?

Cross-posted from Observations

Federal government willfully breaches constitutional protections

Commentary by James Shott

On Aug. 16, 2012, Chesterfield County, Virginia police, Secret Service and FBI agents arrived at Brandon Raub’s home, asking to speak with him about his Facebook posts. Mr. Raub, a decorated Marine who has served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, uses his Facebook page like millions of other Americans, to post items and comments, including his political opinions.

Without providing any explanation, levying any charges or reading him his rights, law enforcement officials handcuffed Mr. Raub and transported him to police headquarters, then to John Randolph Medical Center, where he was forcibly detained in a psychiatric ward for a week against his will.

For having the temerity to express his opinions Mr. Raub was kept in custody for an evaluation based on the opinion of one Michael Campbell, a psychotherapist hired by local law enforcement that had never interviewed Mr. Raub, but somehow felt he was capable of determining that the former Marine might be a danger. Psychiatrists at the mental institution, however, found nothing wrong with him.

According to The Rutherford Institute, which is representing the former Marine, in a hearing on Aug. 20 government officials pointed to the Facebook posts as the reason for incarceration. While Mr. Raub stated that the Facebook posts were being read out of context, a Special Justice ordered that he be held up to 30 more days for psychological evaluation and treatment. But Circuit Court Judge Allan Sharrett ordered his immediate release a short time later because the concerns raised by the officers were “so devoid of any factual allegations that it could not be reasonably expected to give rise to a case or controversy.”

When the government’s case came before U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson in Richmond, Va., he dismissed it.

Mr. Raub then sued the officers for taking him into custody without sufficient cause and for his subsequent mistreatment. A request by the offending officers to dismiss the case against them has been rejected.

“Brandon Raub’s case exposes the seedy underbelly of a governmental system that continues to target military veterans for expressing their discontent over America’s rapid transition to a police state,” said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute.

“While such targeting of veterans and dissidents is problematic enough, for any government official to suggest that they shouldn’t be held accountable for violating a citizen’s rights on the grounds that they were unaware of the Constitution’s prohibitions makes a mockery of our so-called system of representative government. Thankfully, Judge Hudson has recognized this imbalance and ensured that Brandon Raub will get his day in court,” he said.

Judge Hudson has ordered limited discovery allowing Rutherford to demand what information federal and local authorities knew about Mr. Raub before he was detained for a mental evaluation.

The Institute called the decision a victory for free speech and the right to be free from wrongful arrest and presented facts indicating that the involuntary commitment violated Mr. Raub’s rights under the First and Fourth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

The complaint alleges that the attempt to label Mr. Raub as “mentally ill” and his subsequent involuntary commitment was a pretext designed to silence speech critical of the government.

A Richmond Times-Dispatch story noted: “Much of the information about Raub’s alleged mental condition was developed after his arrest and emergency mental assessment, but [Judge] Hudson notes in the opinion [allowing the suit against law enforcement officials] that “there is no indication that any defendant was aware of the specific contents of (emails and statements Raub was making) before Raub’s arrest."

Attorneys from The Rutherford Institute charge the seizure and detention were the result of a federal government program code-named “Operation Vigilant Eagle” that involves the systematic surveillance of military veterans who express views critical of the government, according to information on the Institute’s Web site.

Of “Operation Vigilant Eagle” the Wall Street Journal reports that “the Federal Bureau of Investigation [in 2009] launched a nationwide operation targeting white supremacists and ‘militia/sovereign-citizen extremist groups,’ including a focus on veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, according to memos sent from bureau headquarters to field offices,” and that “a similar warning was issued … by the Department of Homeland Security.”

So, the FBI and Homeland Security view military veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan like white supremacists and extremist groups, and then on flimsy or non-existent evidence, take them into custody and confine them for mental evaluation?

It will be interesting to see how the government and these agents defend their action at trial.

Many, perhaps most Americans, are well served by state and local law enforcement that behave within the law and respect the privacy and freedom of those they serve until evidence is presented warranting arrest. However, those who initiated and carried out the persecution of Brandon Raub, including the psychotherapist, deserve to be strongly disciplined and perhaps fined and criminally charged for their illegal and unconstitutional behavior, and when the case is resolved, maybe they will be.

Such a resolution would likely get the attention federal officials who improperly unleash the force of government against innocent citizens, and restore respectful treatment of citizens by the government that exists to serve them.

Cross-posted from Observations

The Washington Navy Yard shooting highlights many serious problems

Before the gun smoke had dispersed at the Washington Navy Yard, the agenda media reacted with a kind of grim glee that an “assault weapon” – an AR-15 – had been used yet again in a mass shooting.

The New York Daily News devoted its entire front page to the story with the headline, “Same Gun Different Slay,” in letters so big they took up two-thirds of the page. Inside the publication was an anti-gun column by Mike Lupica titled, “AR-15 is the rifle for the ‘sport’ of hunting humans.”

MSNBC even used an animation of the shooting, featuring an AR-15, while CNN's Piers Morgan said, "He was carrying an AR-15 assault rifle, another rifle, and a handgun.”

The Washington Post asked how the suspected shooter, Aaron Alexis, acquired “his weapons (an AR-15 assault rifle, a shotgun and a semiautomatic pistol were reportedly found on him).”

Some of this results from the drive to get news out first. But hardly all of it.

And then, of course, the politicians got into the act.

“A gunman appeared with an assault rifle, and several other weapons,” said Illinois Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin on the Senate floor.

California Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein released a statement which read, “This is one more event to add to the litany of massacres that occur when a deranged person or grievance killer is able to obtain multiple weapons — including a military-style assault rifle — and kill many people in a short amount of time.”

Even the hallowed halls of academia were not immune to the ranting of the unhinged. (surprise, surprise, surprise!!)

“#NavyYardShooting The blood is on the hands of the #NRA,” tweeted David Guth, an associate professor of Journalism at the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism. “Next time, let it be YOUR sons and daughters,” he continued. “Shame on you. May God damn you.”

To its credit, the University suspended Guth. With such as this in journalism classrooms, it’s no wonder there is bias in the news media.

“The contents of Guth’s tweet were repugnant and in no way represent the views or opinions of the University of Kansas,” an official statement said. Whether UK works like the federal government, and keeps suspended misbehavers on the payroll, it didn’t say.

Well, Sen. Feinstein, Sen. Durbin, Prof. Guth, et al, we certainly have had enough of these incidents. But we’ve also had enough of you folks and your mis-informing cronies in the media allowing your emotions and your prejudices to commandeer your thought process and produce automatic responses that are so grossly wrong.

The shooter had only his own recently and legally acquired shotgun when he started the rampage, and is thought to have taken a handgun from one of his security officer victims along the way. No “assault rifle” was involved.

Moving from the thoughtless responses of these demagogues to the somber realities and serious issues that exist, we need to recognize that the most serious of these is clearly not a need for more gun control.

Washington, DC has some of the strictest gun laws in the country and the Navy Yard prohibits weapons being carried by anyone except for military police and other law enforcement and security personnel; not even trained military personnel who may carry weapons when they are deployed can carry a weapon on the Yard.

Alexis, who worked for a civilian contractor at the Navy Yard, had a history of arrests for weapons violations and mental health issues. Except for him, the military and civilian personnel assigned to and working at the Navy Yard obeyed the rules and didn’t bring guns to the Yard. Stronger gun laws would have made no difference at all.

Like gun-free schools without armed security, gun-free military bases have become shooting galleries for people who do not obey gun control laws and want to do bad things.

All kinds of screw-ups took place here, among which are:

**Lousy security checks – Given his criminal and mental health past, how was Alexis able to legally obtain the shotgun and a security clearance?

**Dumb rules about weapons on military facilities – On both Ft. Hood and the Navy Yard, had military personnel carried weapons, the shooters might never have planned those attacks, but they almost certainly would have done far less damage.

**The base security staff was undermanned when the shooting started, and had to close the gates to the base so they could respond to the emergency, and that interfered with civilian police trying to get on the base to help.

**Media knee-jerk misinformation appears to have emanated from an anti-gun mentality that leads to a shoot first, get details later process.

At least the media didn’t try to associate Alexis with TEA Party organizations or the Republican Party, as has often occurred in the past; they would have been wrong about that, too. A friend of Aaron Alexis, Michael Ritrovato, told CNN’s Jake Tapper that he was “more of a liberal type, not conservative like I am.”

Let’s hold our breath to see how the media distort the coming debate over raising the debt ceiling yet again and a possible government shutdown.

Heroes and Enemies

Cross posted from Right Truth

Heroes:

Father Zakaria Botros on "The perverse sexual habits of the Prophet", Jihad Watch

Life TV’s Father Zakaria Botros recently ran a show dedicated to discussing the question of morality and how it is—or should be—one of the hallmarks of “prophethood.” At the start, he posed the focal question of the show: “Was Muhammad the prophet a moral man—the most upright man, worthy of being emulated by the world?”

He opened the show by relying on an Ibn Taymiyya quote, which evaluated the signs of prophethood. Taymiyya asserted that there are many false-prophets, such as Musailima “the Liar,” a contemporary of Muhammad. Taymiyya concluded that many of these so-called prophets are, in fact, “possessed,” and that the only way to determine the authenticity of any prophet is by examining his biography (sira) and deeds, and see if he be found worthy of the title. (continue reading at Jihad Watch)

UK minister and radio host fired for defending Christian teachings on air, thereby offending Muslims, Dhimmi Watch

Rev. Mahboob Masih: racist?

Absurd Britannia Update: "Presenter sacked for 'supporting the Bible's teachings' on radio," by Andrew Alderson for the Telegraph, January 11 (thanks to Leal):

A radio presenter is taking legal action after he alleged he was sacked for offending Muslims by defending Christianity on air.

The Rev Mahboob Masih, a Church minister, claims he was unfairly dismissed and that the action taken against him was a case of religious discrimination. (continue reading at Dhimmi Watch)

Enemies:

While Israel Crushes Hamas –An Islamic Intifada Groundswell Rises In The West, Ironic Surrealism II. ACTS of TERROR in SOLIDARITY with TERRORISTS live and in color images and video London, Greece, France, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, and America (Ft. Lauderdale, New York, Los Angeles,... Velvet Hammer says:

All multiculturalism, open borders diversity loving, cultural relativism spouting son of a bitches THIS is what you have reaped for your countries! Tell me these are not acts of WAR. I dare you you! You whimpering self loathing treasonous subversive bastards! (read all the commentary and see the images and video here)

The enemies on US soil are attacking innocent non-Muslim Americans on US streets. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of incidents. What will happen? Will they be arrested? Will they even be identified? They shout "We will kill you. This is our country." Read about it in Dr. Phyllis Chesler's article "Non-Jewish Pro-Israel Couple Attacked By Muslim Mob in NYC 1/11/09." here.

Interesting informative reading, hat tip Marcus Wilder, The Naive Abroad:

1. A blog by American filmmaker, Laura Bialis, now living in Sderot, Israel.
A look into the daily life in a city bombed by Hamas on a daily basis... for 8 years.
http://sderotmovie.com/blog/

2. A taped speech by Brigitte Gabriel on Palestinians. Brigitte is Lebanese.
http://multimedia.heritage.org/content/wm/Lehrman-092706a.wvx

3. These are video clips with an audio explanation by a Christian Palestinian man - about the Hamas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i57PrvlCWo&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJbGTVittSE&NR=1

4. This is compiled of clips showing how the Hamas use children as human shields and watchdogs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3c5uWIDBXY&feature=related

5. John Voight on Israel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phTtykyzWm0

6. The real situation in Israel
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5b1aeMky90

7. Israel's Policy Is Perfectly 'Proportionate' - Hamas are the real war criminals in this conflict.
An article in The Wall Street Journal by Mr. Alan Dershowitz - a law professor at Harvard. His latest book is "The Case Against Israel's Enemies" (Wiley, 2008).
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123085925621747981.html

8. Geert Wilders Speaks: Anti-Koran Film "Fitna" - What he says, may be a bit extreme for some to stomach, but he does bring up problem of Islam's growth in Europe, and the problem of being tolerant of the intolerant - which has been the way in Europe for a long time.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0jUuzdfqfc (Part 1)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac3hcMt9rSw&feature=related (Part 2)

9. The legal justification for Israel's self-defense action (by Guy Grant - International Law specialist)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUjeZ2rjmho

10. The suicide bomber ideology
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umlWYGLixPc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCz3Euw-97c&feature=related

11. A clip on Hamas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5b1aeMky90

12. Barack Obama visits Sderot, Israel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFoj-PKJhck&feature=related

13. Two other websites that are also good sources of information are:

http://www.standwithus.com/
http://www.honestreporting.com/
http://www.memri.org/

We all need to be praying, contacting our law enforcement officials, contacting our politicians, educating our friends, family and neighbors of the present situation and what it means for America's future.

Also, J.D. Long suggests we meet together at the flag pole in our local communities to pray for our nation, specifically on January 20, 2009, when Barack Hussein Obama becomes President of the United States of America. Read "Meet Me At The Pole" to get the details.

Postage Needed for Packages for our Troops

Cross-posted by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

Bob Williams
OurTroopsOnline

Bloggers, please feel free to cross-post

Bob Williams in Wesley Chapel, Florida sends 215 packages weekly to the military in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar and Kyrgyzstan - EVERY WEEK OF THE YEAR - 215 packages stuffed with necessities and comfort items for our men an women in uniform, fighting the War on Terror.

According to Stars and Stripes, Mr. Williams served in the Navy in the 1960's. His sons now handle the family businesses, while he works for the troops, preparing the boxes destined for approximately 200 combat-zone bases.

The short story is that donations are needed to cover the postage. Mr. Williams and OurTroopsOnline.com spends approximately $8,000.00 a week in postage, from $20.00 to $45.00 per package, depending on the contents. He always has packages ready to mail, but often lacks the necessary postage.


Much of what Williams sends are donations: baseball bats and gloves, games of all kinds, grips to put on the soles of boot, unending supplies of popcorn, and items for children in hospitals and orphanages - which the troops use to help gain the trust of the locals. All the usual foods and toiletries are either donated or purchased

He receives thousands of email requests from troops and their families and friends, and much of those requests are paid for from his own pocket. Items like Q-tips, batteries, shampoo, feminine and personal hygiene items, and deodorant are constant requests. Williams will not say how much he personally spends but the website says it is significant.

Camouflage scarves are inscribed with messages to the troops by Florida school children and church groups. "The scarves are good for keeping dust and sand out of your nose and mouth," says Williams.

There are no expenses for this volunteer group. No one gets paid, there's no rent for a warehouse, no office space rent, and while I made two telephone calls to OurTroopsOnline to verify this information (a human actually answered both times - no option for a choice of language preference, and no need to leave a message), no one gets paid to answer the telephone - everyone is a volunteer.

OurTroopsOnline accepts cash or checks for postage. Make your check payable as follows:

Postmaster
P.O. Box 7560
Wesley Chapel, FL 33545

If you live in the area and want to donate items for the boxes, call 813-991-9400 for a delivery address or contact Mr. Williams by email at sift@aol.com. If you are a business and have items the troops need or will enjoy, and can contribute once or on an ongoing basis, please contact Mr. Williams.


This is a year-round operation - it doesn't end in December. Put these people on your donation list throughout the year and know you are doing your part to make life a little more comfortable for our military in these combat zones.

Wednesday Hero: 1st. Lt. Thomas M. Martin

1st. Lt. Thomas M. Martin
27 years old from Ward, Arkansas
C Troop, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division
October 14, 2007


An Eagle Scout, Thomas M. Martin took on cleaning up an old red train caboose as a service project. "He remodeled it to make it where people could go inside. If you saw it before and looked in it after he was through - it was daylight and dark", said his former principal, Robert Martin, who is no relation. "Tom was involved in Key Club, German Club and band, making All-Region Band his sophomore year", said Robert Martin. "He was a wonderful young man. Those that knew him knew he was funny and outgoing."

Lt. Martin died in Al Busayifi, Iraq of wounds sustained from small-arms fire when insurgents attacked his unit during combat operations. He enlisted in the Army in 1998 after graduating high school and served in Korea before accepting an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 2005.

"He was very polite and respectful. I can't think of him ever overreacting; he had a wonderful, good-natured personality", said Pat Hagge, a family friend. "It's a terrible tragedy; he was a great young man."

Lt. Thomas Martin is survived by his parents, Edmund and Candis.

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

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.


Technorati Tags: Wednesday Hero, 1st LT. Thomas M. Martin, War on Terror, Iraq, U.S. Military

PATIENT EVIL - An R.J. Godlewski / Right Truth Blog Exclusive - Chapter Twenty-Three

Cross posted from Right Truth

PATIENT EVIL

An R.J. Godlewski and Right Truth Blog Exclusive eBook

Chapter Twenty-Three

July 20xx

Bagerovo Air Base

West of Kerch, Ukraine

The orange-red sun shone lazily upon the checkered concrete of the former Soviet Air Base, highlighting the clumps of sage-colored grass and competing weeds that broke through the disjointed sections. The long, barren runway, once designed for subsequent use by the returning Russian Buran Space Shuttle, appeared to be just another reminder of communistic failures of the past. The entire airport sat in ruins, neglected by time and master; long forgotten by opportunity and fortune. A few Western industrialists had eyed the airfield as it sat near some of the Black Sea’s most underappreciated white sand beaches, but none seemed to grant the region any future beyond that which rested solely upon crumpled documents and colorful Post-It® Notes discarded within distant development offices. At least this was what the outside world thought.

The approaching MC-130P Combat Shadow dropped out of the sky quickly, rapidly lowering its altitude much to the discomfort of those aboard the large four-engine turboprop aircraft. Its black tires kissed the pavement with a sharp screech amidst a plume of bluish-white smoke as the thundering propeller blades retracted in pitch to aid in slowing down the monstrous speeding bird. The runway itself was sufficiently long to permit even the largest aircraft to slow without any mechanical aid whatsoever but the crew needed to divert the airplane towards the disused hanger that sat beckoning in the distance like a vagrant worker desperately seeking employment. The abandoned, cream-colored steel structure wasn’t the only reason that the crew needed to vacate the runway quickly. (Continue Reading here)

NOTE: In case you have not been reading this eBook from the beginning, you can read the Synopsis and Chapters 1 - 22, links below:

Synopsis at Right Truth Chapter Seven
Prologue and Chapter One at Right Truth, Chapter Two , Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Six, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten, Chapter Five,

Chapter Ten, Chapter 11, Chapter Twelve, Chapter Thirteen, Chapter Fourteen, Chapter Fifteen, Chapter Sixteen, Chapter Seventeen, Chapter Eighteen, Chapter Nineteen, Chapter Twenty, Chapter Twenty-One, Chapter Twenty-Two,

Obama's Plans to Defeat our National Defense

Cross-posted by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

National Defense is not a threat to peace: it is the guarantee of peace with freedom
President Ronald Reagan
June 22, 1972

If you have doubted the danger of an Obama-Nation, the following makes it clear - from his lips to your ears - that he will take the military-weakening strategies of Bill Clinton and James Carter to a new low-level of defense.

As my husband just said: "how can you be so frigging stupid?"

h/t to Mad Irish Man's Conservative Consortium and Blogs for John McCain

Read the transcript below the video.

Video courtesy of YouTube.com

Transcript:
I'm the only Presidential candidate who has opposed this war from the beginning,
and as President I will end it.
Second, I will cut tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending.
I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems.
I will not weaponize space.
I will slow our development of future combat systems,
and I will institute an independent defense priorities board to insure that the quadriennial defense review is not used to justify unnecessary spending.
Third, I will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons.
To seek that goal, I will not develop new nuclear weapons.
I will seek a global ban on the production of fissile material,
and I will negotiate with Russia to take our ICBM's off air-trigger alert,
and to achieve deep cuts in our nuclear arsenals.

Transcript End
Posted by Maggie

Technorati Tags:Barack Obama, U.S. Military,War on Terror, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, Space Exploration, 2008 Elections, Defense Spending,Missile Defense Spending

U.S. Military Prepares for a Democratic Takeover

Mahdi Army and Islamic Republic of Iran

From Debbie at Right Truth

Concerning "Tom Friedman’s assertion, made in his editorial in the NYT, according to which JAM is alleged to collaborate with IRI (Islamic Republic of Iran)", Albrecht Muth in Iraq, responds:

Beginning of Quote from The Case for Illegal Mingling:

The same thing has happened among Shiites. Iran seems to have dialed down its support for Moktada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army in Iraq — which has been purging Sunnis and Shiites to prevent any mingling — because many ordinary Iraqi Shiites had become fed up with this pro-Iranian militia and had begun to blame Tehran.

On Nov. 8, Agence France-Presse reported that the local police had publicly accused the Mahdi Army of carrying out a four-year killing spree in Iraq’s central shrine city of Karbala. “The Mahdi Army murdered and tortured and kidnapped people under Sharia law,” the police statement said. “They are the cause of the deaths of hundreds of people.” The news agency added that “the statement marks the first time the Iraqi authorities have directly accused Iraq’s most powerful Shiite militia of carrying out killings.”

The reason these events are important is that Iraq has become center stage for the struggle between a more moderate, modernizing Islamic outlook, advanced by the United States and some of its Iraqi allies, and another outlook, advanced by the Mahdi Army and Al Qaeda, that wants to “purify” the Muslim world of “the other.” --Thomas L. Friedman, NYT, 25.11.07 **End of Quote**:

Albrecht Muth would like to add for the record:

JAM does not, at this time, collaborate with IRI. Past operational and logistical links with the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, military and political, are held in abeyance. Sadrists do not view an alliance with Iran the preferred option for positioning post-Liberation Iraq in the Concert.

JAM and the Sadrist Movement are on the public record in re. the statements in-reference.

In addition:

Mr. Friedman is incorrect in stating that Iran has dialed down its support for JAM, without mentioning that it was JAM, first, to turn on the Iranians, operating illegally on Iraqi territory, in flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty, committing indiscriminate acts of violence against Iraq’s Shia faithful. JAM is on the record as considering these acts, committed by rogue Shia militias, under the control of specialized forces of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, acts of terrorism.

JAM has, on repeated occasion, taken direct measures against specialized forces of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, operating illegally on Iraqi territory, and we shall continue to do so, inter alia, in retaliation for Friday’s bombing in Baghdad. We do not share the view, held by some, that Iran has ceased zed its operational and logistical support for rogue Shia militias, intent on injuriating the good name and reputation of JAM as an Army for Peace.

The characterization of JAM as a pro-Iranian militia is erroneous. It is BADR who, prior to the Memorandum of Understanding of 6 October 2007, reached with JAM, was the pro-Iranian militia, receiving operational and logistical support from the Iranians, long after JAM had cut those links.

Mr. Friedman further errs in stating that JAM aims to prevent the mingling of Shia and Sunnis. To the contrary, the Hoyatoleslam is on the record as in support of Nonviolence, Tolerance and Empowerment, in advance of Iraqi National Unity, across all ethnicities and religious sects. He will make there points, yet again, in a key sermon, to be delivered at Kufa in December.

I am, personally, not certain whether the Hoyatoleslam envisions for post-Liberation Iraq to promulgate Sharia law. Dr. al-Hakim, on the other hand, is committed to Sharia law.

The statements of the Karbala police, cited by AFP on 8 November 2007, reference past-JAM actions, preceding my time in service. I shall refrain from commenting on actions, taken by JAM, beyond my time in service. I am not recommending JAM for the Nobel, nor canonization, nor am I prepared to whitewash them. They have done their deeds and, I am sure, could be swayed to do so, again. But, not on my watch.

I let the record of JAM in 2007 speak for itself. -- Albrecht Gero Muth

Rush to eBay

Originally posted at Right Truth



What do you think?

Images war rally in Washington D.C.

Originally posted at Right Truth

All photographs taken by Miller Taylor of Saturday's war rally, shot on Pennsylvania Avenue, in Washington D. C. on Saturday, at The Silverbacks here and here. Go on, go see, you know you want to. (hat tip Mushy's Moochings)

Pirate's Cove also has some amazing images of the nut-jobs what embarrassed themselves in Washington.

Blue Star Chronicles has a post full of links on the Gathering of Eagles.

China's At It Again

Originally posted at Right Truth

Chinese arms have been recovered after attacks on British and American troops by Afghan insurgents. Hyscience says this is nothing new, and give some very interesting background:

And wouldn't you just know it, according to an intelligence report back in 2002, China and our "friend" (sic) Musharrif's ISI intelligence service actually collaborated in training the Taliban prior to 9-11. In that same year, evidence of Chinese military backing for the Taliban surfaced when U.S. Army Special Forces troops discovered 30 HN-5s, the designation for Chinese-made SA-7s surface-to-air missiles, in southeastern Afghanistan.

By the way, let's not forget to through Russian and Iran into the mix of terrorist supporting nations and problem initiators for the U.S.

Related: The Pakistan-Taliban-Al Qaida phenomenon started in 1994. (read it all)

Here's the story on the UK:

At a meeting held recently at the Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing, a British official expressed the UK's growing concern about the incidents.

When asked about the latest British concerns, the Chinese foreign ministry referred back to a statement made by their spokesman Qin Gang in July who said China's arms exports were carried out "in strict accordance with our law and our international obligations".

For their part, the Taleban have recently begun boasting that they have now got hold of much more sophisticated weaponry although they refused to say from where.

Afghan officials have also privately confirmed to the BBC that sophisticated Chinese weapons are now in the hands of the Taleban. (BBC)

Also on China from Peace and Freedom II, "China denies hacking Pentagon" and "Chinese hackers targeted British government too - report" and "China: ‘Trust but verify’ needed"

Don't miss Wake Up America's exclusive interview with Melanie Morgan, Chairman of Move America Forward, which is also printed at The Washington Times

Iraq War Memorial vandalized, but now restored and ready for re-dedication

Originally posted at Right Truth, cross posted here at Faultline USA's request.

"The Iraq War Memorial near Mt. Pleasant, Michigan was vandalized. Someone torched the flag, bent the flag pole over, tore up the flowers left by the families for their loved ones, and caused "other destruction". But I received the following email informing me that everything has been repaired and the memorial is ready for re-dedication on September 9, 2007. Thanks to all who contributed to the restoration of this memorial. This was not considered a hate crime, but an anti-war. (9 and 10 News)

Police say that they don't believe that it was a 'hate crime', merely an 'anti-war crime'." Yeah, right.

The Iraq war memorial that was vandalized twice in July has been restored. The flag pole has been replaced, the flags have been raised, and new plants will be planted before the re-dedication of the memorial on September 9, 2007. The re-dedication will take place at the site on 9/9 @ 2:00 p.m. at Island Park, 331 N. Main Street, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

There will be a placement of a wreath, a few words will be spoken by Justin Ellsworth's parents, and new flags will be raised (the U.S. flag is one that has flown over the Capital in D.C.).

All are welcome to attend in honoring our fallen heroes.

Note: The Patriot Guard has been contacted to see if they are available to attend.

(Name withheld)

Others reading:

THE DUPLICITY OF WORLD NET DAILY, The Pink Flamingo
Open educational resources, Mark My Words

Going After Iran -- in three days???

Originally posted at Right Truth, cross posted here at Faultline USA's request

George Bush has warned that letting Iran acquire nuclear weapons risked putting the Middle East "under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust". Bush said, "We will confront this danger before it is too late." "Presidential candidate Ron Paul believes that an attack on Iran is highly likely within a year and that the Bush administration is simply waiting for the right opportunity, or event on which to blame Iran, before launching the assault." (Sky News, Prison Planet, via Above Top Secret)

"If I were a betting man I would bet that they will attack Iran before the end of this administration, which means in the next year or so," the Congressman told the Alex Jones Show today. ...

"The plans have been laid just like the plans were laid to go into Iraq a long time before they did but they had to wait for the right opportunity." (more)

Well, let's hope any plans to attack Iran's nuclear sites has been planned BETTER than the Iraq plans were.

Pentagon ‘three-day blitz’ plan for Iran:

THE Pentagon has drawn up plans for massive airstrikes against 1,200 targets in Iran, designed to annihilate the Iranians’ military capability in three days, according to a national security expert.

Alexis Debat, director of terrorism and national security at the Nixon Center, said last week that US military planners were not preparing for “pinprick strikes” against Iran’s nuclear facilities. “They’re about taking out the entire Iranian military,” he said. (TimesOnline)

The Vineyard of the Saker:

It explains, in part, his lack of faith in diplomacy with the Iranians. But Debat believes the Pentagon’s plans for military action involve the use of so much force that they are unlikely to be used and would seriously stretch resources in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Middle Earth Journal:

And don't forget those brave Americans fighting in Iraq. Any attack on Iran will further destabilize the majority Shi'ite Iraq and the Iraqi security forces the US has armed and trained will turn on the American troops.

Opportunity is always present in the midst of crisis

Why is the US and Israel preparing to attack Iran?

It appears that Hillary Clinton has the answers and obviously a vote for Hillary is about as good as voting the Republican Party back into office.

Sweet Spirits of Ammonia:

Israel, which has warned it will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, has made its own preparations for air strikes and is said to be ready to attack if the Americans back down. If the Americans don't back down, Israel will be drawn in when Iran lashes out with its limited capability. There seems to be no escape from some kind of ugly confrontation with captain annihilation, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Marjorie Cohn:

We have already seen how easily Congress caves in to AIPAC. It's up to the people. As Noam Chomsky said, "The most effective barrier to a White House decision to launch a war [on Iran] is the kind of organized popular opposition that frightened the political-military leadership enough in 1968 that they were reluctant to send more troops to Vietnam."

Yeah, let's leave America and Israel's future in the hands of Jimmy Carter and Noam Chomsky. NOT

Islamic Genicide 1988, Anti Mullah