Monday, July 30, 2012

Monday Mission: Tell Congress "NO!"

Wake UP America! The President of the US is still trying to use the US Military as a tool to tinker with the huge, out-of-control American deficit.

From War On Terror News:

07/29/2012
War On Terror News has many more FACTS here.


Your Monday mission? Call your own local politicians and demand that BHO NOT be allowed to use the US Military as his perennial, personal tool as a deficit reduction mechanism for the country. You can find the contact information for every Congressman or woman here.

Wake UP, America!

Romney on Israel: A moral imperative

Saturday, July 28, 2012

9/11 Families about to get screwed by DOJ - again???

The US Department of Justice under Obama has tried repeatedly to find prisons on US soil so the GITMO residents can be moved, and the GITMO facility closed - as per one of BHO's election promises. Each time they have floated the idea, they have been loudly condemned.

As we have often seen, this administration doesn't like to hear "NO" for any of their projects, and typically does a runaround behind closed doors (Executive Order, anyone?) to thwart any naysayers. Their latest attempt to fund a prison in Illinois for the GITMO bunch had the 9/11 Families up in arms.

9/11 Families for America yesterday released this statement:

Contacts: 9/11 Families for a Safe & Strong America media@911familiesforamerica.org

9/11 Families Alert Congress: President Obama Will Use Thomson Prison Buy to Shut Gitmo

Washington, D.C., July 27, 2012

In a strongly worded letter to House Speaker John Boehner, more than 100 9/11 family members urged Congress to use its appropriations authority to prevent the Obama administration from purchasing Thomson Correctional Facility in Thomson, Ill. The families warned that acquiring the state prison would provide President Obama with a place to move 168 terrorist detainees currently held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba inside the U.S. homeland, and would put Americans at risk.

"We believe that if Congress clears the way for the Thomson purchase," the letter stated, "the President will invoke executive authority, defy the wishes of the American people and close Guantanamo Bay detention center without notice, despite bi-partisan opposition from Congress." They called on members of Congress to join Rep. Frank Wolf, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, in rejecting the administration's request for hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase and retrofit the facility.

In 2010, the Obama administration planned to purchase the Thomson prison and move detainees there but was repeatedly rebuffed by Congress. In 2011, Congress passed bi-partisan legislation barring the use of funds to transfer terrorist detainees into the country for any reason. The families' letter cited the President's signing statement on that legislation in which he called the provision "an extreme and risky encroachment on the authority of the executive branch."

The President's extensive use of executive authority to nullify acts of Congress has led families of terrorism victims to believe that President Obama will circumvent Congress to fulfill his 2008 campaign promise to close Guantanamo.

"The Obama administration has a track record of trying to end run Congress,"  said Debra Burlingame, co-founder of 9/11 Families for a Safe & Strong America. "The Department of Justice tried to sneak two Gitmo detainees into Virginia in May of 2009 despite the fact that both had admitted attending terrorist training camps in Tora Bora, Afghanistan led by terrorist leader Abdul Haq."

The families' letter rejected the Obama administration's claim that the prison project will create an economic boon to the small rural community, calling it a "specious pretense" and "speculative." The federal government has spent more than $500 million to house terrorist detainees in a state-of-the-art facility at Guantanamo Bay, which includes a court house for detainees being tried under military commissions.

-30-



9/11 Families for a Safe and Strong America


Then 14 hours ago, comes this:

Latest Thomson prison purchase request rejected

A Virginia congressman has once again rejected an Obama administration request to move ahead with purchase of the Thomson Correctional Center, saying he does not trust promises that it will not move foreign detainees there from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In a letter Friday, Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., blasted the Justice Department, attaching a letter from the families of some of the 9/11 victims, which states that they, too, do not trust the administration not to move detainees to Illinois.

The rejection of the administration’s request was swift. The Justice Department sent it only the day before.

Sen. Dick Durbin’s office confirmed the request for a reprogramming of funds on Friday, and he and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn separately urged approval.

This is the second time Wolf has rejected the administration’s attempt to use existing funds to buy Thomson.

The purchase of the long-vacant prison 50 miles northeast of the Quad-Cities would add an estimated 1,100 jobs to the economically ailing region, and it has been a bipartisan priority of area lawmakers and public officials.

Members of the Quad-City area congressional delegation said Friday afternoon that they were disappointed in Wolf’s rejection and were preparing fuller responses.

Durbin, D-Ill., said in a statement that Wolf was allowing “tortured logic and his personal feelings” to get in the way. ...


More here.

Nice try, DOJ, but some of us ARE paying attention and will continue to do so.



Friday, July 27, 2012

Terrorism and the Olympics

From Homeland Security News Wire:


By the numbers: Terrorism and the Olympics
27 July 2012

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games open[ed] today in London; history offers a warning, but no clear pattern on the true risk of terrorism at the Olympic Games, concludes a new report

The Olympic torch being carried past the Olympic rings // Source: suriyantv.com


The 2012 Summer Olympic Games open[ed] today in London. History offers a warning, but no clear pattern on the true risk of terrorism at the Olympic Games, concludes a new report by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) based at the University of Maryland.

The Olympic Games have been terror targets on three separate occasions since 1970, claiming twenty-two lives and wounding more than 100, the report says. It compiles and analyzes data from START’s comprehensive Global Terrorism Database (GTD).

The heightened profile of these events might increase the likelihood of a terrorist attack while the heightened security and surveillance might decrease the likelihood of an attack,” explains START researchers and report co-author Erin Miller...


There is more here, and it IS interesting reading.


Citius, Altius, Fortius’ ???

The Flame Nebula




Wear Red Friday

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Wednesday Hero

Lt. Kristin Love
Lt. Kristin Love
U.S. Marines

Lt. Kristin Love, number 19, division officer of the Patient Administration Department, Naval Hospital, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, poses with fellow team-mates of the San Diego Surge. San Diego Surge is one of 62 teams of the Women's Football Alliance.


Photo Taken by Tracy Wong

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

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.
Wednesday Hero Logo

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Syria warns it may use chemical weapons

But only on 'foreign forces,' of course!

From Israel National News:

Syria Warns It May Use Chemical Weapons on ‘Foreign’ Forces

Syria has admitted it has chemical weapons and in what might have been a veiled threat against Israel, said it will use them if attacked.

7/23/2012

Chemical war drill
Chemical war drill
IDF Spokesman's Unit

Syria has admitted it has chemical weapons and in what might have been a veiled threat against Israel, said it will use them if attacked.

The regime promised it would not engage in chemical warfare against rebels, who by all accounts except for that of the government are pushing President Bashar Assad out of power.

Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi “assured” the world that it has secured chemical weapons, which it previously has not admitted to be in its possession but never would be used "inside Syria."

"No chemical or biological weapons will ever be used, and I repeat, will never be used, during the crisis in Syria, no matter what the developments inside Syria," he said on state television. "All of these types of weapons are in storage and under security and the direct supervision of the Syrian armed forces and will never be used unless Syria is exposed to external aggression."...



Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight! Read the rest here, and pay attention, folks!

Monday, July 23, 2012

RIP Dr Sally Ride

1st U.S. female astronaut Sally Ride dies

Physicist was on space shuttle Challenger in 1983, 1984

Jul 23, 2012

Sally Ride, who blazed trails into orbit as the first American woman in space, died Monday of pancreatic cancer. She was 61.

Ride died at her home in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla, said Terry McEntee, a spokeswoman for her company, Sally Ride Science. She was a private person and the details of her illness were kept to just a few people, she said.

[...]

One of Ride's last legacies was allowing middle school students to take their own pictures of the moon using cameras aboard NASA's twin Grail spacecraft in a project spearheaded by her company.

"Sally literally could have done anything with her life. She decided to devote her life to education and to inspiring young people. To me, that's such a powerful thing. It's extraordinarily admirable," said Maria Zuber, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who heads the Grail mission. ...


Read the rest of a very interesting article about Dr Ride here.



Launching Into History

On June 18, 1983, a young physicist from California took her seat aboard the space shuttle and launched into history. On that date, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space as a mission specialist on STS-7. In this image, Ride monitors control panels from the pilot's chair on the flight deck.

Image Credit: NASA









Floating on the Middeck

Ride floats alongside Challenger's middeck airlock hatch.

Image Credit: NASA

(A picture series here)


NASA offers condolences.



( by )



Dr Ride is best known as America’s first woman in space. She flew in space twice, first in 1983 aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, then again aboard Challenger in 1984. While at NASA, she directed NASA’s first strategic planning effort, and founded and served as the first Director of NASA’s Office of Exploration. She is the only person to have served on the both the Presidential Commission investigating the Challenger accident and Columbia Accident investigation Board. Dr. Ride was a member of the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology for eight years. She is a member of the boards of Caltech and The Aerospace Corporation, has received numerous awards, including the Lindbergh Eagle, the Von Braun Award, and the Jefferson Award for Public Service. She has twice been awarded the National Spaceflight Medal, and is an inductee into the Astronaut Hall of Fame and the California Hall of Fame. (NASA bio)

Soar through the heavens, Dr Ride....

No - I'm not buying it

Today's begging letter from the Obama for America camp:


Warning: This picture is cute

from: Obama for America
info@barackobama.com
reply-to: info@barackobama.com
to: tankerbrosbrat
date: Mon, Jul 23, 2012 at 9:17 AM

subject: Warning: This picture is cute

Want to celebrate President Obama's birthday with him -- at the Obamas' house in Chicago?

Donate $5 or whatever you can to be automatically entered today.












Thanks,

Obama for America


No purchase, payment, or contribution necessary to enter or win. Contributing will not improve chances of winning. [Yep, emphasis mine] Void where prohibited. Entries must be received by July 26th, 2012. You may enter by contributing to Obama for America here or click here to enter without contributing. Two (2) winners will each receive the following prize package: round-trip tickets for winner and a guest from within the fifty U.S. States, DC, or Puerto Rico to a destination to be determined by Sponsor; hotel accommodations; and tickets for winner and a guest to an event with President Obama on a date, at a venue and for a duration to be determined by Sponsor (approximate retail value of all prizes $3,200). Odds of winning depend on number of entries received and timing of entries received. Promotion open only to U.S. citizens, or lawful permanent U.S. residents who are legal residents of 50 United States, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and 18 or older (or age of majority under applicable law). Promotion subject to Official Rules and additional restrictions on eligibility. Sponsor: Obama for America, 130 E. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60601.


Contributions or gifts to Obama for America are not tax deductible

I say tomaahto

Always amuses me how different countries who supposedly speak the same language - English, of course! - manage to sound so different.

Courtesy of my friend Diane, comes this timely reference from the UK Guardian for visitors to the London 2012 Olympics. Read on:
London 2012: breaking the language barrier

A quick guide to London English (by an American)

Katie Puckrik guardian.co.uk

'All right?'

A salutation posing as a rhetorical question. Do not answer: "I'm fine, thanks. How are you?", because your only response will be a mystified cock of the head, in the manner of a confused dog. You are not being asked to detail your present frame of mind and body. "All right?" is the British version of "Ça va?", and the acceptable answer is: "All right."

'Can I help you?'

The classic British expression of passive aggression, thinly disguised as a kindly offer. Delivered with a menacing snarl, "Can I help you?" is often used to discourage customers from browsing in newsagents, as well as in fancy boutiques perceived to be above the shopper's station.

Cockney rhyming slang

Foreigners have an expectation that people hailing from all corners of the British Isles converse in cockney rhyming slang. Great Britons, do not disappoint them. They have come a long way to spend their tourist dollars, so the least you can do is sprinkle your speech with "up the apples and pears", "have a butcher's", "it's all gone Pete Tong" or "nice Bristols!" Feel free to make up your own expressions and definitions, however. How can they question you? You're the "cockney", not them.

'Ta'

An informal and somewhat affectionate way to say "thank you". It is often confused by foreigners with "ta rah" and "ta ta", both of which mean "goodbye". The confusion is heightened by the fact that "ta tas" are to Americans what "Bristols" are to cockneys.

'Quite'

An adverbial modifier that shades the meaning of a statement. Americans use "quite" to amplify their enthusiasm for the adjective, in the way they would use "really", "very" or "totally". By contrast, if a Brit volunteers that a visitor is "quite attractive", they're only saying "fairly" or "sort of attractive". This ambiguous intensifier bestows a "damning with faint praise" effect on any word with which it is teamed.

'Horny'

In North America, "horny" describes the state of being in the grip of one's own sexual desire. In the UK, "horny" is used to describe someone else as sexually attractive. However odd it may feel for foreigners to hear themselves described as "horny" when they are not in the full throes of loin-fuelled yearnings, it is "quite" a compliment.

'Let's have an Indian!'

When meal time rolls around, a foreigner may have occasion to hear a Brit announce heartily, "I'm in the mood for an Indian!" or "Let's have an Indian!" Allow me to assure the visitor that, by and large, British people are not cannibals, seeking to feast on an actual person of Indian descent. Rather, they are merely indicating the cuisine of an exotic land in the form of a native of said exotic land.

See also: "I could go for a Chinese/Italian/Mexican!"...



Of COURSE there are many more, but for the Guardian's helpful few, go here.

TTFN!!~

M-I-C: I hate to break it to you..


As he continues his never-ending "pick me, pick meeeeeeeeeeee" campaign, The Mouth In Chief is like the gift that keeps on giving (as long as it is not HIS money, but I digress!)

Mr Sincere wants you all to know that he thinks about you each and every day. No, really, he DID say that:



Jul 19, 2012 by

Despite news emerging that he has not met with his jobs council for 6 months, President Obama says he spends "every waking hour" fighting for Americans. President Obama has held 106 fundraisers since his last meeting with them.


Oh I know that the cynics among us (including non-Americans..lol) might be tempted to raise the question of NO budget being passed; slashing cuts to Defense Dept spending; oh and the success of all those hot air (errrrrrr I mean green) jobs; the real unemployment figures - (8.00% ??? In BHO's dreams and creative bookkeeping is where!), and the list goes on and on of the topics that patriotic Americans might be tempted to ask the current resident of 1600 Penn Avenue to spend at least ONE of those waking hours on.

Truth of the matter is that those Americans I know and love have long passed the stage of being able to afford the luxury of philosophical debates. Looking for a job, working all hours to KEEP a job in today's sad economy doesn't leave much time (or energy) for all that high falutin' "every waking hour" that the MIC talks of.

And when the Americans I know and love spare a thought for the MIC? They WILL work "every waking hour" that they can spare to vote the MIC OUT come November 2012.

And that, Mr Obama, you can take to your bank.


It's official: Haqqani Network are terrorists!

From Homeland Security News Wire:

House designates Haqqani Network as a terrorist organization

18 July 2012

The U.S. House of Representative yesterday voted to designate the Haqqani Network as Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO); the network has been supported and armed by Pakistan, which uses the Haqqanis to attack U.S. and coalition soldiers, aid the Taliban, destabilize the Karzai government, and frustrate U.S. Afghan strategy; if the Senate approves the House bill, this would mean designating the Pakistani government, or at least some of its major agencies, as supporters of terrorism, making it legally difficult for the United States to continue and send billions of dollars in military and civilian aid to Pakistan

[...]

The Haqqani Network is engaged in a reign of terror in Afghanistan and is the single largest threat for IED’s our soldiers face in that country,” Representative Mike Rogers (R-Michigan), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. “They actively plot and kill U.S. and allied soldiers and routinely harm innocent Afghan civilian men, women and children in their path. To better protect the lives of U.S. soldiers, now is the time for action, not simply paperwork and talk. There is no good reason that this group has not yet been designated.”

CNN reports that the bill originated in the Senate, where it was sponsored by Senator Richard Burr (R-North Carolina). It now goes back to the Senate for consideration.

We are bringing a great deal of pressure to bear on the Haqqanis,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said last week. “And we believe that on the Pakistani side of the border, that additional action needs to be taken by the Pakistanis to root out this network of militants that is a menace to Afghanistan and to Pakistan.”

The Haqqani Network was created by the Mezi clan of the Zadran Pashtun tribe in Afghanistan in the 1970s, then supported by the CIA and the ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence service, during the 1980s in the war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. After the Taliban took over Afghanistan in the mid-1990s, the Haqqani Network occupied itself with crime and smuggling....


There is more here.


Whilst it may be helpful that the American politicians are now officially acknowledging the Haqqani as terrorists, some who pay close attention - and educate themselves - have known this for a long time. Go over to War On Terror News and put Haqqani in their search thing..LOTS to read about the history of this group.


UK Disability benefits for injured Military streamlined

As anybody with half a brain cell knows, our Wounded Warriors typically have to fight with their governments once their wars in the sandbox have been curtailed.

From MoD:

19 Jul 12

The Ministry of Defence and Department for Work and Pensions have announced a simplification and streamlining of the financial support system for members of the Armed Forces who have been seriously injured.

Major Melanie Barbour and Corporal Hari Budha Magar

Corporal Hari Budha Magar, a double amputee from the Royal Gurkha Rifles, chats with Occupational Health Officer Major Melanie Barbour (stock image)
[Picture: Graham Harrison, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

Rather than face separate assessments, personnel who have been seriously injured as a result of military service will receive ongoing payments to help with the additional costs associated with their injuries.

This is the latest measure to be announced following the Government's commitment, given last year, to upholding the Armed Forces Covenant, and the measure is consistent with the principles of the Covenant.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said:

"I am delighted that, in addition to tax-free payments from the MOD's Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, seriously injured serving personnel and veterans will also be able to avoid the unnecessary duplication of reassessments and receive disability benefits via these new arrangements.

"These brave individuals have served their country with honour and it is only right and proper that they receive financial support to help them with injuries caused by their service."...(emphasis mine - remember these words.)



More here. Pay attention.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Israel bomb blast courtesy of GITMO alumni

Yesterday's death of six Israelis in Bulgaria may have been carried out by a GITMO alumni according to a report out of Israel:

Bulgarian press names bomber: Mehdi Ghezali

Terrorist said to have been a Swedish citizen with a history of Muslim extremist activities

July 19, 2012, 6:11 pm

Mehdi Ghezali (screen capture, Channel 10)
Mehdi Ghezali (screen capture, Channel 10)

Bulgarian media on Thursday named the suicide bomber who blew up a bus full of Israeli tourists, killing five Israelis and a local bus driver, in the Black Sea resort of Burgas on Wednesday as Mehdi Ghezali.

There was no independent confirmation of the veracity of the information. The reports surfaced soon after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had publicly accused Hezbollah, directed by Iran, of responsibility for the bombing. The Prime Minister’s Office made no comment on the reports...


[...]


Ghezali was reportedly a Swedish citizen, with Algerian and Finnish origins. He had been held at the US’s Guantanamo Bay detainment camp on Cuba from 2002 to 2004, having previously studied at a Muslim religious school and mosque in Britain, and traveled to Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan....


Read the rest here.


Yeah, I'm shocked, too! NOT!!!~

Syria's coward Assad runs from Damascus


From Homeland Security News Wire:

News reports: Assad, family flee Damascus

19 July 2012

The Wednesday assassination by Syrian insurgents of the of the top three government officials in charge of the anti-rebel campaign; the week-long fighting in and around Damascus – since yesterday, there have been pitched battles in the streets around the presidential palace; and the flight by Assad and his family from Damascus, are all indications that the uprising had reached a decisive moment in the overall struggle for Syria

Syrian president Assad and family have reportedly fled Damascus // Source: lajmidites.com

Reports from Syria say the President Bashar al-Assad and his family have fled Damascus to the village of Kardaha in the Alawite Mountains near the port city of Latakia. The Kuwaiti newspaper al-Rai says that his escape follows the assassination yesterday (Wednesday) of the top three security officials leading the fight against the insurgency, and a week of escalating fighting in the Syrian capital.

Reports from the Syrian capital say that there have been pitch battles between insurgent forces and the Syrian military in the streets around the presidential palace.

UPI quotes the London based Arab-language newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi to say that the presidential jet left Damascus on Wednesday. The newspaper said there are reports that Assad survived an assassination attempt on Tuesday evening and may be suffering from injuries to his legs and abdomen.


Much more here.

Ft Hood Soldiers killed by Political Correctness

(c) CNN


Those of us paying attention already know that our Soldiers at Ft Hood paid the ultimate price for cowardly political correctness.

From FOX News today comes this:

FBI did not investigate Fort Hood shooter because of political correctness, report says


The FBI was too concerned about political correctness and did not launch an investigation into a man who was later charged with killing 13 people in a 2009 attack at the Fort Hood military installation in Texas, despite significant warning signs that he was an Islamic extremist bent on killing civilians, according to a lawmaker briefed on a new report about the terrorist attack.

In emails to a known terrorist, Army Maj. Nidal Hasan expressed his support for suicide bombings and killing civilians, while the terrorist, Anwar al-Awlaki, encouraged Hasan to stay in touch, Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, told The Associated Press on Wednesday after he was briefed on the findings of a new review of the attack...


Go read the rest here. Most of us well know that red flags were in plain sight about this murderer long before the massacre he carried out.

Enough with the political correctness. Enough with the reviews, reports, etc etc etc. Enough with the delaying tactics. Time to make this POS face justice NOW!





Pay attention, America.

Video: Mitt Romney hits back with These Hands



Jul 19, 2012 by

Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy. But President Obama's comments last week show that he just doesn't understand who the real job creators are. How can he help small businesses when he doesn't even recognize their value?

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Wednesday Hero

Sgt. James P. Muldoon
Sgt. James P. Muldoon
23 years old from Bells, Texas
1st Battalion, 68th Combined Arms Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
June 29, 2006
U.S. Army


Sgt. James Muldoon was born in Denver, Colorado but settled in Bells, Texas. He died on June 29, 2006 from injuries he suffered during a raid on a safe house in Baqubah, Iraq. For his actions that day, Sgt. Muldoon was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Valor.

James Muldoon loved the Broncos. "He played football and track when he was in high school, and he was a big football fan, a big Broncos fan," said his widow. "He’s always liked them since he was little." "He was a joker, constantly, and he was a fun guy, and loved his family." Sgt. Muldoon left behind a wife and daughter, who turned 8 this year, and his parents.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

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.
Wednesday Hero Logo

Monday, July 16, 2012

Calling Janet Napolitano: US/Mexico border NOT safe

Yes, Janet Napolitano has firmly maintained that the US/Mexico border is safe, even though Brian Terry's family would - rightly - disagree. Back in March 2011, the US Secretary of Homeland Security said the border is safer than it has ever been!

I guess this 'safe border' would explain why she has not been in the msm much these days. No, of course it has nothing to do with an upcoming election. Be that as it may, now comes news of even more tunnels connecting the two countries.

From War on Terror News:

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Iran and ICBM's

From Homeland Security News Wire:


Iran could test-fly ICBMs capable of striking U.S. within three years: Pentagon

13 July 2012

A Pentagon report submitted to Congress on 29 June says Iran continues to make large strides in virtually all conventional, unconventional, and nuclear categories; the report focused most extensively on Iran’s inventory of ballistic missiles, and warned that Iran may be able to test-fly an inter-continental ballistic missile (
ICBM), capable of striking American soil, within three years’ time; Iran also continues to supply men, money, training, and even sophisticated weapons systems to some of the world’s best-known terror groups.

An unclassified report offers details about the impressive growth of Iran’s military capabilities. The report was first obtained by Bloomberg. It was prepared in April and sent by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to four congressional committees on 29 June. It describes the large strides in virtually all conventional, unconventional, and nuclear categories.

“Iran’s principles of military strategy remain deterrence, asymmetrical retaliation, and attrition warfare,” the report said. Fox News reports that the report focused most extensively on the regime’s inventory of ballistic missiles, already the largest in the Middle East, and warned that, with foreign assistance, Iran may be able to test-fly an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM), capable of striking American soil, within three years’ time...(emphasis mine)


There is more - here.

Video: IDF Counter Terrorism Unit

Jul 10, 2012 by The Lotar Eilat Unit, an elite counter-terrorism and hostage-rescue unit based in the southern resort city of Eilat, is concluding a big hostage-rescue exercise in the popular biblical theme park "Kings City". The unit is made up entirely of reserve combat soldiers living in Eilat who regularly leave their families to train and prepare for emergency operations so they are ready to save lives when they are most needed.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Move America Forward- TROOPATHON 8 Hour Live Broadcast, July 12, 2012

By Susan Duclos





Move America Forward is once again taking care of our troops across the nation and invites everyone to join in today, July 12, 2012, for an 8 hour live TROOPATHON broadcast beginning at 1pm PT 4pm ET.



Details at Move America Forward


The live stream embed is below.



Live broadcasting by Ustream


A short 5 minute "preview reel" for our upcoming 4th annual Troopathon, an amazing 8 hour show to raise money to send care packages to our brave troops overseas.



[WATCH]






Let's show our brave troops some love!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

9/11 KSM et al: 'No hearings during Ramadan"


The attempts to manipulate the US Military Commission by the 9/11 Islamic terrorists continue. From the Miami Herald:

GUANTANAMO

9/11 accused don’t want hearings during Ramadan

Lawyers for accused Sept. 11 attacks mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and his four co-defendants are seeking to postpone their Aug. 8-12 hearing at Guantánamo, noting it falls toward the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The trial judge, Army Col. James Pohl, set the date for the hearing in May and specifically ruled out an extension on grounds that it coincided with Islam’s fasting month. He noted in his order then that no defense lawyer at that point had raised objection to a hearing that coincided with Ramadan.

But the attorneys do just that in a June 21 filing currently under seal on the Pentagon’s war court website entitled “Joint Defense Motion for the Military Commission to Respect the Religious Observances of Enemy Prisoners under Common Article 3.”

Pohl is hearing motions in another Guantánamo case next week. But that hearing ends by July 19, before Ramadan starts. The 9/11 case pre-trial motions would be heard toward the end of Ramadan.

“The last 10 days of Ramadan commemorate the night God —Allah— revealed the Holy Quran to the Prophet Mohammed,” said James Connell III, the Pentagon-paid defense counsel for Mohammed’s nephew, Ammar al Baluchi. “These 10 days are the most holy period of the Muslim calendar and are typically observed by fasting, prayer, and seclusion.”

The Sept. 11 prosecutor opposes delay in a separate motion, also under seal at the war court website...


There's a shocker - NOT!!! My response? Boo-frickin-Hoo! Read the rest here.

I well know the old saw that justice must be seen to be done, and that in American courts, defendants have the rights to all sorts of protocols, but to bend over so far backward to these terrorists whose recorded sworn goal is the destruction of America - and the death of Americans - is to make a mockery of America. KSM and his thug conspiators well know how to play our system, and it is an obscenity to me that these murderers were not dealt with years ago. Their playing in the public courts should have been over and done with (read into that whatever you think I mean) long ago, and become just an ugly stain on the pimple of humanity.

Yes, I understand we *must* give them all the benefit of 'due process,' even though they are NOT Americans who, by birth can claim all sorts of privileges. America's insistance on being SEEN to treat all men equally - even those whose actions prove they have NO respect for the American way - will be the death of America.

Time to say "no more Mr American nice guy" to these terrorists who have languished for years on the taxpayers dime, and get the Military Commission rolling along without further delay.


The almost 3,000 innocents we lost on 9/11 deserve swifter justice than we are witnessing.


Get 'er done: NOW!!!

Fox in the Henhouse Alert: Iran in UN arms watchdog committee

The UN almost outdoes itself - almost! From Homeland Security News Wire:

UN includes Iran in drafting treaty aiming to stop arms proliferation to terrorists, rogue states


11 July 2012

The UN Conference of the Arms Trade Treaty is tasked with drafting an international treaty aimed at stopping arms proliferation to terrorist groups and rogue states; the UN appoints Iran to be one of the vice presidents of the committee; the UN Watch watchdog groups says that appointing Iran to oversee the drafting of a treaty dealing with sending arms to terrorists “is like choosing Bernie Madoff to police fraud on the stock market”

The UN appoints Iran to group drafting weapon proliferation treaty // Source: haqqyolu.com

The UN has an impressive record of absurd appointments. Here are two examples: last fall, a few months into the brutal suppression by the Syrian government of the Syrian version of the Arab spring, the UN appointed Syria to UNESCO Human Rights Committee. In the face of outrage and incredulity, Syria withdrew its nomination (although it has recently begun to agitate for a reappointment). Also last year, Saudi Arabia was appointment, of all things, to the board of the women’s rights agency UN Women. (emphasis mine)

The UN this week may have improved on its own record by appointing Iran as vice president of a 15-nation committee tasked with drafting an international treaty aimed at stopping arms proliferation to terrorist groups and rogue states.

[...]

“Right after a UN Security Council report found Iran guilty of illegally transferring guns and bombs to Syria, which is now murdering thousands of its own people, it defies logic, morality and common sense for the UN to elect this same regime to a global post in the regulation of arms transfers,” UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer told Fox News....


Almost defies belief, doesn't it?


There is more here.

Iran Producing Deadly Anti-Tank ‘Kornet’ Missile

From Israel National News:

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu Iran Producing Deadly Anti-Tank ‘Kornet’ Missile

Iran is copy-catting the deadly Russian Kornet anti-tank missile that Hizbullah used against Israeli soldiers in the Second Lebanon War and which Hamas used to kill a student on a school bus last year.

Quoting defense sources in London and Moscow, the Gulf News website quoted a Russian defense advisor as saying that Iran may have obtained the design for the Kornet missile from Hizbullah. An analyst from Jane’s Defense suggested that Hamas and/ or Syria may have been the source for handing over the design to Iran, which does not have a license from Russia to produce the missile.

IDF intelligence failed to obtain advanced information that Hizbullah possessed the Kornet missile, and Israeli tanks were unprepared for missile attacks that killed dozens of soldiers and wounded hundreds more in the 34-day-old war.

The Kornet has a range of 5.5 kilometers, or 3.5 miles. Hizbullah has said the Kornet missiles destroyed two advanced Israeli Merkava-4 tanks during the war in 2006. The missiles were smuggled into Lebanon from Syria.

Over two years ago, Israel discovered that Hamas also has possession of the missile. In December 2010, former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi announced, "On December 6, a Kornet anti-tank missile fired for the first time in Gaza hit an IDF tank and penetrated its outer shell. Luckily, the missile did not explode inside the tank. We are talking about a massive missile, one of the most dangerous in the battlefield, which has already been used against the IDF in the Lebanon War."

Hamas used the same missile to attack a school bus approximately a mile from Gaza last year, killing a student. Dozens of other children had stepped off the bus only a few minutes before the attack near Kibbutz Saad, in the western Negev. (source)

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Michael

SEAL Chief Petty Officer Donald McFaul
SEAL Chief Petty Officer Donald McFaul
32 years old from Bend, Oregon
Sea-Air-Land Team 4 (SEAL-4), Golf Platoon, Naval Special Warfare Task Unit PAPA
December 20, 1989
U.S. Navy

Donald McFaul enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1975 and began working as engine specialist. In 1978 he began his Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL(BUD/S) training and was assigned to SEAL Team One upon graduation did three tours of duty conducting special operations. He left the Navy in 1985 but returned in '88 and was assigned to SEAL Team 4. He was deployed to Panama in December of 1989. On December 20 he was KIA during the capture of Paitilla Airfield in Panama City. For his action that day he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. And in 1998 the USS McFaul was commissioned.

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Chief Engineman Donald L. McFaul (NSN: 541641184), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism while serving as Platoon Chief Petty Officer of Sea-Air-Land Team FOUR (SEAL-4), GOLF Platoon during Operation JUST CAUSE at Paitilla Airfield, Republic of Panama on 20 December 1989. Chief Petty Officer McFaul's platoon was an element of Naval Special Warfare Task Unit PAPA, whose crucial mission was to deny to General Noriega and his associates the use of Paitilla Airfield as an avenue of escape from Panama. After insertion from sea by rubber raiding craft, Golf Platoon was patrolling toward their objective, a hangar housing General Noriega's aircraft, when they were engaged by heavy small arms fire. Realizing that most of the first squad, 25 meters north of his position, had been wounded, he left the relative safety of his own position in order to assist the wounded lying helplessly exposed. Under heavy enemy fire and with total disregard for his personal safety, Chief Petty Officer McFaul moved forward into the kill zone and began carrying a seriously wounded platoon member to safety. As he was nearing the safety of his own force's perimeter, he was mortally wounded by enemy fire. Chief Petty Officer McFaul's heroic actions and courage under fire saved his teammate's life and were an inspiration for other acts of heroism as the assault force prevailed in this decisive battle. By his extraordinary bravery, personal sacrifice, and inspiring devotion to duty, Chief Petty Officer McFaul reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

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.
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Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Obama lied - again! *gasp*

I know, I KNOW! Hard to believe, but the facts don't lie. I know it is hard to keep up with the gazillion lies that slither out from behind the closed doors of this "most transparent government ever,' and even those lies he and his minions arrogantly spout at every mic they can find. But, over at Wake Up America, Spree is keeping track, and has a great column up that puts on the record - courtesy of the internet, on the record forever, but shhhhh! Don't tell Obama! - just one of Mouth In Chief's whoppers. Read on:

Monday, July 09, 2012

Obama Tries To Rewrite History, Lies About Being Outspent in 2004 and 2008

Barack Obama was busted in overt lies, by The Daily Caller, twice in the same article.

First lie: "I got outspent when I ran [the] first time for Senate."

FACT:
The Federal Election Committee’s website shows that Obama’s campaign claimed $14,807,432 in donations by December 2004.

In contrast, his opponent, Alan Keyes, had only $2,545,325, according to the FEC.

That’s a six-fold advantage for Obama, not a deficit.

Second Lie: "The thing that I want everybody here to understand – each of you personally — is that back in 2008, everybody said we couldn’t do it because we were outspent."

FACT:
During the 2008 race, Obama raised $779 million. His GOP rival, Sen. John McCain, raised less than half as much, or $347 million.

In the Democratic primary, Obama raised $237 million, while his rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, raised $229 million.

One might understand the panic Obama is feeling as the fundraising numbers for June are released where Mitt Romney, for the second month in a row, has brought in more than Obama in the month of June.

$35 million more than Obama.

Lying to the American people when it is so easy to prove those statements as lies, reeks of desperation on the part of Obama....(source)

Desperation? What it reeks of is STOOPIDITY, and this from the guy that has been called 'the smartest man in the room'! Really? Not so much, and no wonder the US economy is in the tank, when even the Vice-MIC (aka the gift that keeps on giving) offers himself up as an incentive for a $3 cup of coffee..note: I don't think you can buy a $3 coffee anywhere in north America these days. And that right there is another way BHO et al prove they are so out of touch. Oh, and just to prove how econonomically sound their financial policies are? (*spit*) Along with their begging for a $3 donation so you can get your Joe and caffeine fix at the same time? In the small print it says that OfA will fly you and a friend to whatever coffee house they choose. All expenses paid????! Yeah, that makes good sense, and just might be the most expensive cup of coffee this election season.

Truth? They prove daily - as they continue to manipulate, and lie about, the FACTS - that they couldn't handle the truth if it bit them on the arse. Obama and his cohorts are counting on that enough Americans are still drinking the koolaid that they won't recognise the truth. For the MIC and his accomplices, they are hoping that if they tell any of their lies often enough, they will be accepted as fact, and get enough votes so they can maintain their champagne (and arugula) lifestyles while the food stamp 'industry' is growing to the point of becoming not only the fastest growing of any time in American history, but also the most 'successful.'

THESE are the folks that Americans want running the economy? Really?

Wake UP, America.

Video: ISAF HQ Pics of the week

Jul 9, 2012 by

Flying Tigers hunt submarines off Norway

From the MoD:

A Training and Adventure news article

6 Jul 12

Merlin helicopters and crews from 814 Naval Air Squadron (814 NAS) have returned from the Norwegian Sea, where they took part in a NATO anti-submarine warfare exercise.

Submarine viewed from Merlin helicopter cockpit

A Merlin helicopter crew from 814 Naval Air Squadron searches for submarines during the recent NATO Exercise Dynamic Mongoose [Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2012]


Known as the 'Flying Tigers', 814 NAS sent two of their Merlin helicopters and 55 personnel to take part in Exercise Dynamic Mongoose, which saw them searching for hunter-killer submarines.

During the exercise, the men and women of 814 NAS worked alongside their NATO partners France, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Poland and Norway.

Operating from Sola air base at Stavanger in Norway, the Flying Tigers searched for the submarines actively, with sonar, and passively, by listening to the submarines' movements.

The 814 NAS personnel operated as part of the 'friendly forces', working alongside various NATO maritime patrol aircraft, four surface ships, including HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen, and multiple rotary-winged assets, including Polish Mi-14 'Haze' helicopters, to counter the threat posed by three submarines.

The mission was to assist in the protection of the 'High Value Vessel' (FGS Spessart) from an unseen enemy, who posed a very real threat lurking below the surface and ready to pounce at a moment's notice. The quiet and elusive submarines are difficult opponents, and can prove a real challenge to detect, even with the Merlins' advanced active sonar, passive sonics and radar.

The submarine commanders continually tested the flying crews' war-fighting skills, but the Flying Tigers leapt to the challenge, successfully hunting and preying on the threat....




The rest is here.

Monday, July 9, 2012

The IDF Caracal Battalion

Jul 3, 2012 by

The Caracal Battalion, the IDF's only co-ed combat unit, is concluding their final exercise after months of hard training. This live fire exercise simulates the capturing of a hill from enemy hands and marks the soldiers transition into active duty protecting the southern border of Israel.

Shir Landau tells you about her experiences before and during her service as a soldier in the Caracal Battalion.

Ft Hood report and the FBI

A very interesting article on the latest report about the Ft Hood massacre in 2009. Yes, it was an act of terrorism, no matter how the politicians spin it. Read on:

Fort Hood incident report calls for sweeping changes in FBI’s approach

6 July 2012

Memorial service at Fort Hood // Source: army.mil

A report of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting will recommend eighteen specific changes which will make the FBI more likely to detect such insider threats earlier. The report, written by 88-year old William Webster, the former director of the FBI, will be on the desk of Robert Mueller, the current FBI director, next week. “The Final Report will exceed 150 single-spaced pages in length and include eighteen (18) formal recommendations for corrective and enhancing measures on matters ranging from FBI policies and operations to information systems infrastructure, review protocols and training” Webster wrote in a letter to Representative Frank Wolf (R-Virginia).

Webster said his team focused on the FBI and the agency’s more than a hundred Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) and how they “handled and acted on counterterrorism intelligence before and after the shootings … and the FBI’s remedial measures in the aftermath of Fort Hood.”

Fox News reports that that the FBI was aware that Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood shooter, was in touch with Anwar al-Awlaki, the radical U.S.-born cleric who was killed by a CIA dron last August. The FBI was also aware of proclamations by Hassan that suicide bombing against Americans was justified. In fact, Hasan’s statements became a problem because his fellow students at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., were so alarmed by them, that some fled the classroom. (emphasis mine)...


There is much more, and it is a must read here.


As always, America: Pay attention!

For Ms Kimmie

For Kimmie's mum..with love




Go play with Rexxie, Ms. Kimmie, beyond the Rainbow Bridge..

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Friday, July 6, 2012

Kory and Cooper: ALWAYS remembered and honoured

Hard to believe it's been 5 years since we lost these two Heroes.



(Kory giving Cooper water)



Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Kory's best friend



THIS is Cooper. THIS is Kory's best friend.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 864-07
July 10, 2007

The Department of Defense announced today the death of ... supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.... died July 6 in Muhammad Sath, Iraq, of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device.

Killed were:

Cpl. Kory D. Wiens, 20, of Independence, Ore.


And that is the official DoD notice of Kory's AND Cooper's deaths in Iraq. Whilst we all understand the need for officialspeak in such matters, many of us are saddened that Cooper has not been officially recognised. Here on the home team, and all Kory and Cooper's friends and colleagues in Iraq, know that Kory and Cooper were best friends. His buddies in Iraq (both 2 and 4 legged,) witnessed that bond on a daily basis, as they worked as part of the K9 teams.

We have shed many tears, said many prayers, as news reached us, here at home, of the loss of this precious team.



Chuck

10 Jul 2007 2:33

Kory and Cooper.....I remember the first day I met you in SSD school, I took off my rank and made believe we was the same rank...you didn't believe me....I miss ya man and Gabe misses his buddy Cooper...I was honored to have been able to hang out with you for those 5 months and to have become friends with you....we miss and love you and we will never forget you.....R.I.P. [Kory's MySpace entry here]

Cooper was officially a SSD (Specialized Search Dog) for Team 1 in Iraq. That was his official title, but as anyone who knows anything about dogs generally, and our K9 teams in particular, that SSD designation doesn't even come close to doing justice to all that Cooper and Kory meant to each other.

There are many stories in the newspapers about Kory, and most of them recognise the important place that Cooper had in his life. This one:

Local soldier dies of wounds from IED attack

Story Updated: Jul 11, 2007 at 2:27 PM PDT

Cpl. Kory D. Wiens, 20, of Independence, Ore. died July 6 of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Muhammad Sath, Iraq.

Kory was born September 6, 1986 in Albany, Ore. He was the middle son of three boys and an older sister. He was named after his grandfather who was a canine handler during the Korean War....

Kory enlisted into the Army to gain experience for pursuing a career in law enforcement. He attended canine school at the 341st Training Squadron, Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, where he met his partner and friend, a yellow Labrador Retriever named Cooper. Cooper was a specialized search dog trained to find firearms, ammunition and explosives.

Kory and Cooper shared a special bond, spending most of their time together. Kory often referred to Cooper as his "son". The two were featured in many news articles.

Kory and Cooper were assigned to the 94th Mine Dog Detachment, 5th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. The two deployed to Iraq together in January. Their abilities to detect TNT, C-4, detonation cords, smokeless powder and mortars saved countless lives by taking explosives and other IED manufacturing materials off the streets of Iraq.

Kory and Cooper died alongside each other while performing a search patrol on July 6. [read the rest here]


There is another here. There are more. I found them by "googling" Kory's name. And yes, MWD also gets some attention from the official media outlets of the military. Just this last March, Kory and Cooper were featured in a MNF story:...


More here on the original post at Tanker Bros.


Thursday, August 23, 2007

Soar, Kory and Cooper! Soar!

My K9 is SAM... Kory was in my unit. Cooper, Sam and Us had a very successful tour.

Kory & Cooper touched so many lives!

This video was made so that the legacy will live on!!
MoE.


I came across this video with NO warning - and was totally overwhelmed. It is so hard to watch this video, but watch it we must. It is a beautiful tribute to Kory and Cooper, made by someone who knows them well. I promised MoE that - as long as I breathe - Kory and Cooper and all the other heroes will never be forgotten. NOT on my watch! Thank you so much MoE. Soar with the Angels Kory and Cooper.




Thank You, MoE!


FIVE years ago today, Kory and Cooper left us. I have to believe that they are - indeed - soaring through the heavens, together forever.



Kory and Cooper: ALWAYS remembered and honoured.