Wednesday Hero

Senior Airman Austin Stoker       Senior Airman Austin Stoker replenishes a .50-caliber machine gun after a training mission in Afghanistan in March.     Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force taken by Tech. Sgt. Dennis J. Henry Jr. 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.

Video: Obama 'skips' Iron Lady's funeral? GOOD!

It seems some people have their knickers in a knot because POTUS (nor any of the current MIC administration) will be at Baroness Thatcher's funeral.

For the record, I am thrilled that none of the current mob will be attending, because maybe this means the focus can stay where it should:  on Margaret Thatcher....

I have no inside sources, of course, but I suspect that Margaret Thatcher herself is laughing at the indignation over the *snub* supposedly dealt by the absence of Obama and his usual overly ostentatious entourage.  Me?  I am delighted he is staying home.  To me, it is appropriate that the US be represented by two from the Reagan era, secretaries of state James Baker and George Shultz.

Daily Mail has more here. 

IN the meantime, from what has been announced as part of music that Mrs Thatcher chose for her funeral, one of my all-time favourites

Prayers for Boston

"The flag still stands for freedom, and they can't take that away..."

Just the Facts: Explosions at Boston Marathon

Video: GITMO hunger strikers - Let them eat...or NOT!

Out of GITMO comes word that there are 'clashes' between guards and detainees, as over 40 of them continue to stage a hunger strike.

From the BBC:

13 April 2013

Clashes at Guantanamo over hunger strike prisoners 

  Prisoners and guards have clashed at Guantanamo Bay as authorities moved inmates, many of whom are on hunger strike, out of communal cellblocks.

The move came after detainees covered surveillance cameras and windows, a US Army spokesman said.

He said some prisoners used "improvised weapons" and in response "four less-than-lethal rounds" were fired.

The Pentagon says 43 prisoners are on hunger strike, but lawyers for the detainees say the number is higher.

Almost a dozen are being force-fed, according to military officials.

There were no "serious injuries to guards or detainees" in Saturday's clashes, according to Capt Robert Durand of the US military's Southern Command.

"I know for sure that one detainee was hit but the injuries were minor, just some bruises," another spokesman, Col Greg Julian, told the Associated Press.

Lawyers for some of the detainees condemned the camp authorities' actions....

The BBC has more here  - of course - on how *frustrated* the guests at GITMO are with the deplorable conditions (*cough cough*) and miserable lives these men lead in the Hilton of prisons.

Diane Fairben, mother of 9/11 EMT-P Keith Fairben, who lost his life that day:

These guards at GITMO are subjected daily to the most disgusting things thrown at them, and more. I am glad to read none of them were hurt, and no detainees either. The conditions they have are far better than US prisons. This country has made sure of that, and that they get US constitutional rights. Kind of wacky, considering none are US citizens.

 Steven Crowder went to GITMO and released a video of the terrible conditions:

Take a look at the reality that IS GITMO:  

 

Pretty damn torturous, huh? And for those who would still insist that the terrorists suffer all manner of deprivations and inhumane conditions in GITMO, Crowder has this:  

 

 Hunger strike as political theatre? If I had my way, these 'hunger strikers' would join Bobby Sands, but that's just me! Yeah, let them eat - or NOT!

 Over at This Ain't Hell, the sad, whining of on e of the "dear, innocent" residents of GITMO is highlighted.  GO read.  It is to weep about the inhumanity.(well, no, not really.) 

NEXXXXXXT! 

[Related,  from the DOD] 

Guantanamo Commander Orders Single-cell Living For Detainees American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, April 14, 2013 – The commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo ordered the transition of detainees from communal to single-cell living at Camp VI at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to ensure the health and security of those detainees, according to a task force news release issued yesterday. The commander, Navy Rear Adm. John W. Smith Jr., ordered the change early yesterday morning. This action was taken in response to efforts by detainees to limit the guard force's ability to observe the detainees by covering surveillance cameras, windows, and glass partitions, according to the release, which noted that round-the-clock monitoring is necessary to ensure security, order, and safety. In order to reestablish proper observation, the guards entered the Camp VI communal living spaces to transition detainees into single cells, remove obstructions to cameras, windows and partitions, and medical personnel conducted individual assessments of each detainee, the release said. The ongoing detainee hunger strike necessitated these medical assessments, the release said. Some detainees resisted with improvised weapons, and in response, four less-than-lethal rounds were fired. There were no serious injuries to guards or detainees. The mission of Joint Task Force Guantanamo is to provide for the safe, legal, and humane care and custody of detainees. All detainees will continue to be treated in a safe, humane manner, according to the release.

 

Justin Trudeau elected leader of Liberal Party of Canada

Justin Trudeau, his wife, Sophie Grégoire, son Xavier and daughter Ella-Grace celebrate after he was elected new leader of the Liberal Party with 80 per cent support in Ottawa on Sunday
((Christinne Muschi/Reuters))

The political landscape in Canada changed again yesterday as the Trudeau campaign machine saw the eldest son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau garner 80% of the eligible votes to become leader of what is currently called the 'third party' on Canada's federal stage..

From CBC:

Newly elected Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau will face his first test when he appears in question period on Monday, after MPs return to Ottawa following a two-week stretch in their ridings.

All eyes will be on how well the young Trudeau, the eldest son of former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, performs against Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who is expected to be in the House.

In an interview airing Sunday with CBC News anchor Peter Mansbridge, Trudeau said his first question to Harper would be about some of “the many concerns” that have come up during the course of the five-month leadership race.

Trudeau’s first face-off with Harper came in March when the Quebec MP replaced interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae during question period.

Harper found himself tongue-tied when he referred to Trudeau as a “minister” rather the member from Papineau.

Trudeau conceded to Mansbridge that he was nervous because it was his first question to the prime minister, but quickly added that Harper's nervousness was “a source of some speculation and amusement.”...

Justin Trudeau's acceptance speech, and more, here.

AsTrudeau Part Deux  enters the next phase on the road to 24 Sussex Drive (Prime Minister of Canada,) politics in Canada once again got interesting.

Libyan weapons going to jihadis in Gaza and Syria

The UN passed a 'historic' bill banning the exporting conventional weapons in violation of arms embargoes, or weapons that would be used for acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or terrorism.  

From the BBC:

The UN General Assembly has adopted a historic treaty to control the trade in conventional arms, voting it through by a huge majority. 

Member-states voted by 154 votes to three, with 23 abstentions, to control a trade worth $70bn (£46bn) annually.

The treaty went to a vote after Syria, Iran and North Korea blocked its adoption by consensus.
Russia and China, some of the world's biggest exporters, were among those who abstained from the vote in New York.

The treaty prohibits states from exporting conventional weapons in violation of arms embargoes, or weapons that would be used for acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or terrorism.
It also requires states to prevent conventional weapons reaching the black market.

Washington welcomed the move, with Secretary of State John Kerry describing the treaty as "strong, effective, and implementable". ...

More here.

 Meanwhile, in the real world, comes this from Jihad Watch:

Where did those arms come from?

"U.S.-approved arms for Libyan rebels went to jihadis" -- Jihad Watch, December 5, 2012
"UN Warns Libyan Weapons Spreading to Gaza, Syria," by Chana Ya'ar for Israel National News, April 10 (thanks to Voice of the Copts):

A United Nations panel says weaponry from Libya is spreading across North Africa to Gaza and Syria “at an alarming rate.” 

The five-expert committee said in a 94-page report sent Tuesday to the U.N. Security Council that illegal transfers of arms from Libya to armed groups and terrorists have been proven. 

The arms trafficking violations involved more than 12 countries and included light and heavy ordnance, such as portable air defense systems, mines, explosive materials, ammunition and small arms.

The panel made 28 visits to 15 nations in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Ten of those visits were within Libya alone, The Washington Post reported.

“Libya has over the past two years become a significant and attractive source of weaponry in the region,” since the fall of 41-year Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011," the report said. “The lack of an effective security system remains one of the primary obstacles to securing military materiel and controlling the borders.”...

Much more, here.

Wednesday Hero

Sgt. Darryl Greenwood     Colonel William Bowers, commanding officer of 6th Marine Corps District, awards the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal to Sgt. Darryl Greenwood, a recruiter from Recruiting Sub Station Germantown, Recruitng Station Nashville, Tenn., after the graduation of Fox Company aboard Parris Island, S.C., April 5, 2013.    Greenwood received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal as an impact award for his outstanding achievement and performance as a recruiter over the past year and for recruiting one of the four honor graduates of Fox Company, Lance Corporal Daniel Horvath. Greenwood's outstanding performance as a recruiter has directly impacted the quality of recruits being shipped to Parris Island each year, helping mold the future our Corps and meeting our Nation’s national security needs.     Photo By: Cpl Gabrielle Bustos 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.