Yes, folks there really was GOOD NEWS from Iraq this week - but you all knew that didn't you?
My friend Mrs Hooah! did her usual weekly round up, so I am shamelessly asking you to go read her post. It really IS a great version of the B*N*S*N bulletin which I didn't get to this week. Go, read! Here.
Thank you, Mrs Hooah!
AND: A B*N*S*N I have to share with you here. Now, doesn't your day look better? You might want to print this one up, so you can give it to folks who seem to be soooooooooooo *misinformed* about what our troops are REALLY doing..(all part of the Brat service, ya know.lol)
Sunday, July 6, 2008
The good news.....
...just keeps right on coming..lol
HAD to share this one with you...Wake Up America has a GREAT post full of good news. Oh, you know. How the Iraqi army IS stepping up..
GO now and read here.
HAD to share this one with you...Wake Up America has a GREAT post full of good news. Oh, you know. How the Iraqi army IS stepping up..
GO now and read here.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
"Am I worth dying for"
Corporal Brendan Anthony Downey
| “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Corporal Downey during this difficult time,” a military statement said. “Our focus over the next number of days will be to provide the best possible support to the family of our airman and to his colleagues.”... Few other details were released, and Cpl. Downey's family sent a request through the military asking for privacy. (here) |
Some time back, I wrote a piece on Tanker Bros.
In that piece, I posed the question that is the title of THIS piece. I heard of Cpl. Downey's passing just after I woke here, safe in my home in Canada. Feeling out of sorts - but not knowing why - as I did my usual ritual of "good morning" to bratdog and fumbling with the coffee pot.
And then, and then. In Afghanistan and in Saskatchewan, a family mourns the loss of a precious son.. So today, because my heart aches for the Downey family, I am directing you to my original post here. Please keep Cpl. Downey's family, and his brothers and sisters in arms in your prayers.
Soar through the heavens, Cpl Downey.
Eleanor Roosevelt's Wartime Prayer
"Dear Lord,
Lest I continue
My complacent way,
Help me to remember that somewhere,
Somehow out there
A man died for me today.
As long as there be war,
I then must
Ask and answer
Am I worth dying for?" (here)
It is said that Eleanor Roosevelt carried this around in her wallet. These words, (also attributed to W.H. Auden btw), were sent to me by Mary*Ann a while back. Since then I have carried these words in my heart. They have stayed with me, a part of me; and every day I have asked myself this question. I have, as I told Mary*Ann when we first talked about these words, also taken them to heart on a spiritual level, as I have pondered the scriptures which tell of the Son of God dying for us all. "Am I worth dying for?"
In this war, every day as I have worked within the Living Legends team at Soldiers' Angels, I have asked myself: Am I worth dying for? Every day, when a soldier in the sandbox writes - or calls - and tells me they have lost one, or two, or even more, of their brothers in arms, again I ask myself this question.
And as I have written posts on the fallen, and their families, again I ask myself: Am I worth dying for?
Today, more than most of these past days, as I have read more about Lt. Michael Murphy and watched the tape of the Pentagon where Lt. Murphy was recognised for his heroism, and given the Medal of Honor he so rightly deserved, the question: Am I worth dying for?
I know that our soldiers would tell me that they go to war, they are AT war right now, so that I might stay free. THEY think I am worth it. My father believed I, and all those he held dear, was worth it. We have seen our own Master Gunner post here of his commitment to our freedom, his reasons for serving. I have spoken to soldiers from America, Canada, England; to a man, they are dedicated to the cause of freedom, my freedom, our countries' freedom. And I am grateful. Grateful to each of them beyond measure....(go here to read the rest).
CLOSE GITMO, MR. PRESIDENT!
I think just about anybody who is informed understands the far-reaching ramifications of the recent ruling by SCOTUS that any of the terrorists currently being coddled in Gitmo are to be tried in American civilian courts. Doesn't take a mental giant to be more than a little peeved to hear that now these people who wish America (and the rest of us) harm are going to be given civilian lawyers and full access to the same rights and priviledges as US citizens. Yes, it is insane, I know. You will also have heard all the outrage throughout the blogosphere.
Poison Pen (here) adds their 2 cents. Because I think they say what a lot of us are thinking, and it is a must read, I am copying the whole thing for you. Read on:
Poison Pen (here) adds their 2 cents. Because I think they say what a lot of us are thinking, and it is a must read, I am copying the whole thing for you. Read on:
The Supreme Court has decided to give MY American rights and due processes to Foreign Terrorists.
NO.
You’re fired. You are relieved of your duties Supreme Court Justices.
Your votes to allow TERRORISTS American RIGHTS and Processes; SLAPS every Member of this Nations ARMED FORCES in the face. The military members that PROTECT our Freedoms and solidify our constitutional rights, the very soldiers that have fought, bled, and DIED for our Freedoms; you have just STABBED in the back by allowing the TERRORISTS to trample all over what they fight to uphold. YOUR FIRED!
Attorneys in the United States are waiting with baited breath to represent Foreign Terrorists and help them absolve their crimes against the people of Iraq, coalition forces, and American Soldiers with American Laws and Rights.
NO.
Your licenses to practice law should be revoked. You can give those Gitmo detainee’s your personal address and contact information if you feel they are so “innocent.”
“A Few Good Men”- "I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it." - Jack Nicholson
Gitmo detainee’s are there because soldiers had more than enough compelling evidence upon detaining them, turning them over to higher ranking officials, and sending them through an assortment of military processes to deem it VITAL that they be sent to Guantanamo verses secondary or lesser detention facilities. This is not an eenie-meenie-miney-mo-pick-a-terrorist-by-the-toe hap hazard random choosing of placements.
Gitmo is for leaders of terrorist’s cells and groups. The playing card types that the military had hundreds of actual names for. Gitmo detainees are organizers, leaders, high contacts and at the top of the tiers. Gitmo is like our Federal Penitentiary.
Abu Ghraib is for second rung terrorists, the lesser offenders. There is still enough compelling evidence and terrorism attacks on the people of Iraq and American soldiers to warrant detention. Abu Ghraib is similar to our state prisons.
Local people who have committed a one time or lesser degree act of terrorism under circumstances such as coercion by cell groups or rogue acts and most often because an organized terrorist group threatens their entire family with brutal death if the head of household does not perform according to their will, they are detained locally—but usually released after a short period of time and information is gathered.
What most Americans fail to understand, and the Media HIDES is that in THIS war, terrorists are not defined by a uniform, or an assembly of soldiers or particular front designator.
Farmer Joe down the road with 7 sheep, 2 goats and a field of palms owns at least one AK-47 rifle. It is STANDARD of the lifestyle and environment. His neighbor who fixes machines and sells vegetables at the market from his garden also owns an AK-47.
A village over-with friends, cousins, brothers, and assortment of cohorts; all have civilian “day jobs” and all own AK-47’s. Within each of these homes, one person keeps detonation cord; one person keeps remote equipment, another keeps cell phones, another chemicals, and still another parts and pieces of bomb casings hidden.
At night these civilians gather together and bring the bits and parts to plant IED’s along military traveled roads. Or they make vests to blow themselves up in crowded markets, or perhaps rig an old car so it becomes a super driven explosive through a convoy or checkpoint barrier killing as many as possible.
Then they quietly scurry back home to civilian life again. They don’t wear signs, patches, or insignia that screams “Al-Qaeda Iraq” or “Mahdi Army Militia” on them. They hide in crowds with rifles under their clothing, take their shots, drop their weapons and blend back in with the crowd.
The media spins words like “insurgency, militia, cells, groups, etc; to invoke or provide the American armchair warrior with an ideal that there is a “type” of enemy combative being fought.
THERE IS NOT. This is URBAN-GORILLA CITIES-TOWNS-VILLAGES filled with average people and no way of knowing for certain who is a combative or not. The moment of clarity comes in split seconds. The moment is when that “local” is pointing a weapon at a soldier, or walking into a crowded market with explosives wearing civilian clothing.
Our soldiers have less than 3 seconds to save lives. This includes the local civilians around them, soldiers in their squads, and themselves. 3 s-e-c-o-n-d-s. Hold your breath.
Military intelligence, local villagers, and Imams who are tired of their children dying, their homes being destroyed and their family members being beheaded in front of them turn in information on these terrorists. Military personnel then have to WATCH to verify that the information given is valid, always knowing that it is dangerous and could cost them their lives.
If our soldiers get into a battle with one or one hundred of these terrorists they do not have time to yell “STOP! I have to take some incriminating photos and oh by the way, will you the terrorists, please sign this form declaring your guilt in planting the IED that just blew up the humvee in front of us, and while you do that, lets all turn our backs and go pick up those shell casings we spent while shooting back under enemy fire.” (evidence and all)
Yet this is what the CIVILIAN ATTORNEYS who represent the terrorists want to use to FREE them.
“A Few Good Men”- "I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it." - Jack Nicholson
Has anyone in America stopped to think where the Gitmo terrorists will go after the Supreme Court Judge’s gavel declares innocence?
THEY WILL WALK STRAIGHT-OUT-OF-THE-COURTHOUSE-ONTO-AMERICAN-SOIL. If by some measure they are secured and deported back to Iraq, they will RESUME terrorist activities. THEY WILL. These are HIGH Tier Terrorists. Well organized, high RUNG of the ladder members. It does not require surveys and a special commissions group to determine whether or not it will happen. COMMON sense dictates here.
These terrorists have NO RIGHTS to MY AMERICAN rights.
CLOSE GITMO, Mr. President.
Send the terrorists to Iraq to the fortified prison Saddam stayed at, or Abu Ghraib where they can await trial on their soil, with their laws, their guards, and their oil funding paying for their comforts and detention.
Let the justice system that served Saddam, serve them.
Right now Mr. President, you have less than 5 months to complete one more solid task to insure security for OUR Nation.
CLOSE GITMO, Mr. President.
NO.
You’re fired. You are relieved of your duties Supreme Court Justices.
Your votes to allow TERRORISTS American RIGHTS and Processes; SLAPS every Member of this Nations ARMED FORCES in the face. The military members that PROTECT our Freedoms and solidify our constitutional rights, the very soldiers that have fought, bled, and DIED for our Freedoms; you have just STABBED in the back by allowing the TERRORISTS to trample all over what they fight to uphold. YOUR FIRED!
Attorneys in the United States are waiting with baited breath to represent Foreign Terrorists and help them absolve their crimes against the people of Iraq, coalition forces, and American Soldiers with American Laws and Rights.
NO.
Your licenses to practice law should be revoked. You can give those Gitmo detainee’s your personal address and contact information if you feel they are so “innocent.”
“A Few Good Men”- "I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it." - Jack Nicholson
Gitmo detainee’s are there because soldiers had more than enough compelling evidence upon detaining them, turning them over to higher ranking officials, and sending them through an assortment of military processes to deem it VITAL that they be sent to Guantanamo verses secondary or lesser detention facilities. This is not an eenie-meenie-miney-mo-pick-a-terrorist-by-the-toe hap hazard random choosing of placements.
Gitmo is for leaders of terrorist’s cells and groups. The playing card types that the military had hundreds of actual names for. Gitmo detainees are organizers, leaders, high contacts and at the top of the tiers. Gitmo is like our Federal Penitentiary.
Abu Ghraib is for second rung terrorists, the lesser offenders. There is still enough compelling evidence and terrorism attacks on the people of Iraq and American soldiers to warrant detention. Abu Ghraib is similar to our state prisons.
Local people who have committed a one time or lesser degree act of terrorism under circumstances such as coercion by cell groups or rogue acts and most often because an organized terrorist group threatens their entire family with brutal death if the head of household does not perform according to their will, they are detained locally—but usually released after a short period of time and information is gathered.
What most Americans fail to understand, and the Media HIDES is that in THIS war, terrorists are not defined by a uniform, or an assembly of soldiers or particular front designator.
Farmer Joe down the road with 7 sheep, 2 goats and a field of palms owns at least one AK-47 rifle. It is STANDARD of the lifestyle and environment. His neighbor who fixes machines and sells vegetables at the market from his garden also owns an AK-47.
A village over-with friends, cousins, brothers, and assortment of cohorts; all have civilian “day jobs” and all own AK-47’s. Within each of these homes, one person keeps detonation cord; one person keeps remote equipment, another keeps cell phones, another chemicals, and still another parts and pieces of bomb casings hidden.
At night these civilians gather together and bring the bits and parts to plant IED’s along military traveled roads. Or they make vests to blow themselves up in crowded markets, or perhaps rig an old car so it becomes a super driven explosive through a convoy or checkpoint barrier killing as many as possible.
Then they quietly scurry back home to civilian life again. They don’t wear signs, patches, or insignia that screams “Al-Qaeda Iraq” or “Mahdi Army Militia” on them. They hide in crowds with rifles under their clothing, take their shots, drop their weapons and blend back in with the crowd.
The media spins words like “insurgency, militia, cells, groups, etc; to invoke or provide the American armchair warrior with an ideal that there is a “type” of enemy combative being fought.
THERE IS NOT. This is URBAN-GORILLA CITIES-TOWNS-VILLAGES filled with average people and no way of knowing for certain who is a combative or not. The moment of clarity comes in split seconds. The moment is when that “local” is pointing a weapon at a soldier, or walking into a crowded market with explosives wearing civilian clothing.
Our soldiers have less than 3 seconds to save lives. This includes the local civilians around them, soldiers in their squads, and themselves. 3 s-e-c-o-n-d-s. Hold your breath.
Military intelligence, local villagers, and Imams who are tired of their children dying, their homes being destroyed and their family members being beheaded in front of them turn in information on these terrorists. Military personnel then have to WATCH to verify that the information given is valid, always knowing that it is dangerous and could cost them their lives.
If our soldiers get into a battle with one or one hundred of these terrorists they do not have time to yell “STOP! I have to take some incriminating photos and oh by the way, will you the terrorists, please sign this form declaring your guilt in planting the IED that just blew up the humvee in front of us, and while you do that, lets all turn our backs and go pick up those shell casings we spent while shooting back under enemy fire.” (evidence and all)
Yet this is what the CIVILIAN ATTORNEYS who represent the terrorists want to use to FREE them.
“A Few Good Men”- "I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it." - Jack Nicholson
Has anyone in America stopped to think where the Gitmo terrorists will go after the Supreme Court Judge’s gavel declares innocence?
THEY WILL WALK STRAIGHT-OUT-OF-THE-COURTHOUSE-ONTO-AMERICAN-SOIL. If by some measure they are secured and deported back to Iraq, they will RESUME terrorist activities. THEY WILL. These are HIGH Tier Terrorists. Well organized, high RUNG of the ladder members. It does not require surveys and a special commissions group to determine whether or not it will happen. COMMON sense dictates here.
These terrorists have NO RIGHTS to MY AMERICAN rights.
CLOSE GITMO, Mr. President.
Send the terrorists to Iraq to the fortified prison Saddam stayed at, or Abu Ghraib where they can await trial on their soil, with their laws, their guards, and their oil funding paying for their comforts and detention.
Let the justice system that served Saddam, serve them.
Right now Mr. President, you have less than 5 months to complete one more solid task to insure security for OUR Nation.
CLOSE GITMO, Mr. President.
Friday, July 4, 2008
NEWSFLASH! "Moment of Thanks"!
Thank the Troops!
Moment of Thanks is a special website where anybody can personally thank America's Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines for their service and sacrifice. Soldiers’ Angels has teamed up with Shezoom.com to support their goal of sending 100,000 support messages via the Moment of Thanks website. To ensure the troops themselves see the encouraging messages, Soldiers' Angels has been given postcards about the site from SheZoom, which will be included in the care packages sent to deployed service members.
Sponsored by Kodak and led by SheZoom.com, Moment of Thanks offers several ways for people to share their heartfelt wishes with the troops, including uploading videos and photos, and sending written messages. It also includes messages of gratitude for the troops from stars of the entertainment, sports and politcal world.
It's so important for our troops to know they are loved and appreciated for their service, so please check out the Moment of Thanks website and leave your message of thanks for all our service members do for us. If you're a service member yourself, please visit and take at look at all the grateful Americans who value your service!
Taken from Soldiers' Angels website."I pray people stop and think..."
Those words are part of an interview a Gold Star Mother gave to her local paper and that is published today. THIS picture is of her son, Josh Rodgers. CWO2 Rodgers was killed in Afghanistan May 30, 2007.I have been aware of this family for quite some time as my friend Don goes every Friday to do a 2 mile Red Shirt Friday Walk to honour Josh's memory. Yes, the brat is on the walk by virtue of a picture of me that Don has attached to one of his flags that he flies proudly. We agreed that Don would do this, so that all of Josh's family knows they have prayers and support from outside America. It is important to me.
Today, especially, I ask you to go read about, and meet, this amazing family. You can find this family on the Nevada Appeal site here. Then, as you go about your July 4th celebrations, take a minute - or more - and reflect on ALL the amazing American families, both throughout history and in our times, who are paying the price of service. They deserve that, at the very least.
Standing are Andrew Candia, David Paul Candia, Michael Scott McElfish, Debbie and Ben Walker, Matthew McElfish, Dawn Michel, Mike McElfish and Ryan McElfish. Sitting are Susie McElfish, Lindsey McElfish, Linda Moshier and 2-and-a-half-year-old Emily Candia at Eastside Memorial Park on June 26. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joshua Robert Rodgers is buried at the Minden cemetery. He died in Afghanistan on May 30, 2007.
The "C" Hill Flag
Some of you know I am NOT American...;) Every one of my American friends shares my love of our respective countries, and all that our nations' flags stand for. My friend Don sent me a piece that I have to share with all of you, especially as you all celebrate July 4th. Don tells me he sends this to the troops who he and his wife Pat take under their wings as members of Soldiers' Angels, and Web of Support. He figures at least 1,000 copies of this have been in the sandbox. :) Stories like this are a part of what, to this outsider, makes America GREAT. Read on! Thank you, Don!
| The “C” Hill flag The “C” hill flag is located on the west side of Carson City, Nevada on a hill that looms over the center of the city. The “C” on the hill was constructed many years ago from rocks gathered from the hill and painted white. The “C” was built by students from Carson High School and has been maintained by students from the school over the years. Shortly after 9-11 a couple of gentlemen who walked daily in the vicinity of the base of “C” hill were pondering doing something to demonstrate the patriotism of Carson City, and came up with the idea of erecting a flag above the big white “C” on the prominent hill above the city. As often happens the project took on a life of it's own and within a few months the first flag was under construction. Access to the site where the flag was to be situated is difficult. Departing from the south end of town, 4WD vehicles are required to negotiate the steep rutted road climbing to the saddle in the ridge that leads to the top of “C” Hill. From there it is a very steep climb on foot down the face of the hill to the area of the big white “C”. The original flag was constructed of vinyl panels attached to a framework of 2X6s anchored in shallow concrete footings. The vinyl panels were stretched over the framework and attached with screws. The panels had been laid out in the gymnasium of the middle school not far from the hill and numbered to make them easy to position. Bundled together in cargo nets a National Guard helicopter delivered the panels to the construction site. Over the next few days the new flag slowly took shape as the panels were attached to the wooden framework. It was a glorious sight as the Stars and Stripes gradually appeared on the hill. After a week of work by teams of volunteers we had a flag, a big beautiful flag. At 65'X120' the flag was visible from all over the city. Though it looked sturdy it was no match for the winds that roar over the peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and on a very cold December morning in 2003 we woke to the realization that the flag was gone. Totally, absolutely gone. The vinyl panels had been ripped from the framework and scattered God knows where over the valley below by the 100 mph winds of the storm of the night before. Not to be deterred and drawing on lessons learned from the mistakes made in the construction of the first flag, plans started coming together for a replacement. It had to be strong. It had to be permanent. Over the next year a group of people from various specialties came together and an ambitious plan utilizing specially treated aluminum panels came to be. The panels would be anchored in deep footings dug into the hill, and the framework would be aluminum attached by long bolts going far into the concrete footings. Money became the immediate concern and the “C” Hill Flag Foundation was formed and began taking donations for the huge undertaking of erecting a new, permanent flag on the hill. Even with the donation of some of the necessary materials and manpower more than $50,000 would be needed to build the new flag. Bag after bag of cement was hauled to the top of the hill in 4 WD pickups and SUVs and then was carried by hand down the face of the hill to the construction site. It was slow, tedious work, and it seemed the required 3,000 bags of concrete would never all be at the site. Citizens came forward with ideas and a local man who had pack mules volunteered his animals to speed up getting all that cement up the hill. In all over 85 tons of materials were hauled the 1200 feet up the side of that hill. The holes for the footings were dug by hand and the cement was mixed with water supplied by U. S. Forest Service water tankers and the footings with their long bolts were soon in place. Next came the framework. The National Guard came forward once again and delivered the aluminum beams to the site by helicopter. There volunteers from the Boy Scouts, trusty's from the State Prison, fire crews from the Forest Service, and ordinary citizens built the sturdy base for the flag. The aluminum panels ran afoul of the Forest Service, who owns the land the flag was located on, and the FAA who were worried that reflections from the flag would blind pilots flying into the Reno Airport. As the manufacturer of the panels went to work on reducing reflections from the flag by coating the panels, the bureaucrats from the Forest Service called for inspection after inspection on the base and framework of the flag. As the days and months ticked by it became obvious that the flag would not be finished in time for the third anniversary of 9-11, and the onset of a severe winter halted construction until spring. Finally, in a flurry of activity the flag took shape and once again loomed over our lovely city. On a beautiful May afternoon in 2005, the official dedication of the second flag took place with flyovers of F-18s from Fallon Naval Air Station, and C-130s from the Air National Guard in Reno. Dignitaries of every stripe were present. Everything on that day was about the spirit of the Americans who had dedicated years of their lives to a flag, a symbol of the patriotism of a small town in the high desert of northern Nevada. The flag is near and dear to the hearts of the citizens of Carson City, and as we drive around town our eyes are drawn to the hill with the big white “C” and the beautiful flag. Though it doesn't flutter or wave the flag is a beautiful sight as it disappears and reappears from behind trees and buildings. We are drawn to get as close as we can to the hill, to see the flag up close, but the best views are those that happen when the flag suddenly appears as if from nowhere. It stirs our love of this wonderful Nation. It reminds us that like the first flag on "C" Hill our freedoms are threatened by a different kind of wind, the wind of our enemies who would see us, like the original “C” Hill flag, blown away by acts of terrorism and murder. It reminds us that but for the bravery of our military heroes our Nation would cease to exist, and the greatest most perfect country ever to exist would perish. That great flag on that hill is much more than just aluminum and concrete. It is America. It is a statement to all who see it, we will survive, we will resist, we will fight for what we believe in. We are Americans. Don Lindsay |
Thank you Don, for allowing me to post this! HAPPY JULY 4th to you all.
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